---

"Hey, they're going to start without us," Umi looked towards the owner of this voice, who had horns protruding from his forehead. He looked to have a furrowed scowl on his face, but that contradicted with his actions, which seems to be of genuine concern. Perhaps said scowl just so happened to be a natural look for the male student in question, and perhaps he was a decent guy deep down...

"I, uh... I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean to z-zone out l-like that," Umi told the boy, "It's just... I-I can't... my n-nerves are out of c-c-control, and I-I... I'm sure I w-was screaming i-in my m-mind and I... h-huh?"

It was then that she registered the water bottle in the boy's hand, or as it would be more correct to say, the position of said bottle in relation to the rest of him. Umi didn't like the idea of rejecting an offer so callously, but...

"Oh! J-jeez, I... p-please keep it; y-you might need it m-more than I w-will," Umi stated. With that, she made her way off the bus.

...

It turned out that, while Umi was still in the back of the bus allowing her body to shake itself into oblivion, all the other students had gotten themselves in a heavy debate over how exactly one was to go about his or her performance in this final test of the exam. Some pointed out the merits of teamwork, while others specifically stated that they were in it for themselves. However, she did notice another boy that was strutting his stuff on a guitar, who then decided to make a stylish slide on his knees as he veered towards a girl with black and white hair and asymmetrical clothing. It looked as though the boy's hand was about to make contact with either one of the girl's buttocks; as such, Umi couldn't help but avert her eyes, and she also braced her ears for the inevitable scream that would ensue. Why girls always had to transform their voices into those more fitting for banshees, she'd never know. She wanted to give the wannabe rock-star the benefit of the doubt, but in terms of proving his own innocence, what he said after the fact didn't help. In any case, Umi once again turned to the horned student.

"I, er... I n-never got your n-name," she told him, "I'm Sug-guro Umi. My b-brother and I t-took UA's ent-trance exam t-together, but... I-I couldn't cut it..."

Her head sank low as she admitted this fact. The fact that she couldn't control her Quirk at the time was a painful memory to have. Umi could only hope that this exam would serve her better. After all, it appeared to be significantly easier on the surface.

---

---

It was at that point the bus came to a screeching halt. Sumi winced, hearing the hydraulics hiss as the bus settled and the doors slowly swung open. It felt like the sound was something way more ominous than it should have been. As awkward as the conversation with Natsuki was, it had also been a welcome distraction from the thought of the final entrance exam.

“I guess we should probably... get going, y’know?” she said to Natsuki, still unsure of herself as she grabbed her backpack and got in line to exit the bus. She took a deep breath.

It’s okay, don’t freak out. You’ve been preparing for this, you’ve been preparing for this, it’ll be okay... she thought to herself. But as the line creeped closer to the door, her thoughts eventually turned into I haven’t prepared enough for this!

Eventually she took a tumultuous first step out on to the cracked asphalt, dirt and grit crunching under her shoes as she took in the ruined vista and felt the cold sea wind slap her face, causing her to shiver. She rubbed her shoulders for warmth more out of habit than anything. Her prosthetics were as cold and harsh as the wind, and did nothing to alleviate the cold that her t-shirt wasn’t already accomplishing.

Sumi cast a confused glance towards the little girl. Who was she? The proctor’s kid? No, that was a dangerous assumption. She might actually be a teacher with a rejuvenation Quirk. That sort of thing was possible nowadays. Intent on not missing a word, Sumi listened carefully.

---

Natsuki gasped slightly as she almost fail off her seat from the sudden shift in momentum as the bus came to a stop. Still. She felt like she had bit a right arse to Sumi at the start, but everything seemed alright now. She could dwell on it later she told herself as she got up from her seat following behind them.

Focus Natz, Ignore the fact that your a Kaiju that's barely taller than the average person. Cling to the idea of a hero for now and you’ll get through this exam. She said slapping her face slightly as she saw the line move forward. Even if you could of prepared more, there is no use preparing now. Do it on the fly, and don’t cry about it She told herself mentally as she stepped out, behind Sumi.

Stretching on the cracked asphalt, Natsuki slowly eased the tensed muscles in her arms as a result of sitting down, a small warm-up was always a good idea, especially with a quirk as physical as hers. Still it’d be much more nice if the day was a little hotter as per her preference, though the skies were mostly clear so it was a fair trade off.

Looking at, and listening towards the youthful girl instructing them with a tone that made it sound like they should know all this already. A tone that pissed Natsuki off, causing her to clench her fist a bit and stifle her annoyed words. Still They had been given the objective.

It was time to get to work

Yomodachi hadn't really been paying much attention to the other kids, though perhaps if she had been, she could've saw what was about to happen coming. Maybe it was some kind of bad luck for coming off too analytical, but, in a way reminiscent of her mother, she got her 'punishment'. A subtle gasp and a wince of shock exited Azuki's mouth, after Kaito's hand made contact with a place she only recently discovered was attractive to the opposite sex. Thankfully her sprinter's pose held her in place, because there was a surprising amount of force behind his palm. Not only that, she felt some kind of... rush coming from where he had touched. It pulsed throughout her entire body like a shockwave, throwing all the stress and tiredness in her body to the wind.

"..."
It was odd. Part of her felt more confident in herself, yet another part felt like curling a fist and socking the young man in the face.

'Calm down, Azuki.' She thought to herself, trying not to let herself get too worked up. 'It was an accident made by an idiot. They're all idiots. Don't stoop to their level and get kicked out, no matter how tempting it is.'

She closed her eyes, and sighed deeply. The blush fell away from her cheeks, and she carefully readjusted her uniform, patting out her skirt. Thank the lord she decided on heated leggings this morning.
Crimson revealed itself, Black-n-White seemingly relaxed. He was playing the guitar, but why? He mentioned a buff, but why? Quirks could come in all sorts of different forms, but from what she understood, he had gifted her strength through music, like a bard from one of those so-called 'video games'. She had felt the rush shortly after contact, too, so while the butt touch was necessary, it might not necessarily be necessary.
Yomodachi couldn't help but groan and rub her temples for a moment. "I'm not angry, just disappointed." As she looked to him again she had a serious expression on her face, though didn't look completely pissed off. Just enough to know he wasn't getting away with that. "You're owing me for that, bard. You must be blessed, with so many reasons for me to not use you as my personal shield, but we'll discuss the specifics of your new debt later."

Turbine's yelling diverted the teen's attention, and earned him a furrowed brow, though she kept herself quiet. She was glad they agreed, though she didn't completely align with his point of view, that they couldn't at least cooperate. This was a competitive environment, yes, but with villains around it would be a whole lot tougher to go solo. Dealing with those that could oppose them was where they should team up, in her mind, and rescue operations could be accomplished on an individual level. If it meant more points overall, then teaming up to fight the villains wasn't a bad thing, at least in her mind. And while he didn't directly imply he viewed himself as a hero, the end of his rant did get an eyebrow raise. Again, Yomodachi said nothing.

The one with the glowing quirk, the voice of reason, was welcome to Azukina's ears. His opinion was needed amidst the chaos, and it had her support. "I agree completely, Sunlight. I haven't heard of a team exam, and don't see the logic behind taking one for our entrance exam. We need to show them our heroic spirit, and we can't do that together; individually we need to prove who here is the most capable! Otherwise the teachers wouldn't know which students require the most help." She nodded in agreement with what he had to say, flashing him a brief smile. She hadn't lost her confidence amidst the heated debate - she hadn't gone back on how she felt earlier, it would seem. "And yes, once this exam is over, I have every intention of being more approachable with my potential classmates. Until then, however, a rivalry must be established for the sake of fairness. We can compete and cooperate, so long as it is appropriate to do so."

It seemed to Yomodachi that the frustrations of not being right had put a toll on Haruishi, as she made her own declaration of protection. If it weren't for her height and thigh muscles suggesting some kind of physical quirk, the ice-user would've assumed her a boombox of sorts, who could manipulate their voice to rattle eardrums. It still wasn't out of the question, really, but the shouting match was just... annoying at this point. Thankfully, the Amazon lady let the matter drop there, as did Bluey, giving everyone a break from the madness. She, too, was thankful things were settling down, but alas, someone needed to speak up.
Although, it was quite unexpected as to who it was that made their opinions known.
Despite choosing to listen, part of her wished she hadn't. I mean, she could see where the redhead was coming from, but it just felt so... pointless. Why host an exam using dummies without anything to detect injury when they could make a separate exam specifically for dealing with civilians in an accident? But, she did admit, she was right about the villains and support heroes, at least in part.

"I'm not suggesting teamwork isn't an option. Admittedly, I did a poor job of voicing how I thought everything was supposed to go down. I think teamwork overall is bad for the test, but it will come in handy when it comes to the villains. If they were easy they would be dummies too -- targets, if you will -- and be worth a similar amount of points to civilian dummies. But I suspect they're animated because of the supposed difference in points they offer, maybe as people, maybe as robots, who knows?"

She cleared her throat, looking calmer than before. "But treating them 'nicely' is silly because this fog exists. If someone threw a dummy or injured it, how would the faculty tell? Maybe we'll see something once we get in there proper, but I didn't see any kind of sensor on the one thrown on the bus. Why would we be lied to if they want to take in decent students? If we're the only group, why mislead us in the first place? They can just as well teach heroic spirit as part of heroic classes - it's silly to make that a requirement for an entrance exam, because you're only hurting those who haven't learned the meaning of it yet."
There was a pause, her thoughts wavering but a moment, apprehension on her mind. She quickly shook it off.
Confidence was key.
"My father was quite like that: a youth who didn't understand what being a hero really entailed, what it meant to embody it. He was taught that. And he wouldn't have been if he wasn't accepted into hero school."

The cool air was welcoming to refresh her mental spirit. All the debating and chatting was pretty tiresome. She wasn't used to talking so much when she didn't expect it, though the many different faces around certainly exuded the air of a talkative lot. There was a draw to debate, even with complete strangers, about lots of things. Unfortunately it took time away from her power up, but the signal had yet to sound, even if Yomodachi felt it would be soon to come.
And being unprepared would be disadvantageous.
"I apologise if I come off as cold. I don't know anything about the exam except what we've been told, and I draw conclusions a lot. In the end, we could talk about this from dawn till dusk, but neither soloists nor teamworkers will change their stance. I still believe teamwork is needed for the villains, and pointless for the civilians, but if I'm wrong the results will speak for themselves at the end. Until then, I have every intention of showing my potential classmates just what kind of hero I aim to be, so if you're intrigued and can keep up, we can eliminate the threat of villains together, and show our personal strengths in how we rescue the defenceless! I will be the top student by the end of this entrance exam, and I dare each and every one of you to try and prove me otherwise by your own merit!"

Their time talking would be drawing to a close soon. The entrance exam for Jigokuraku was about to begin, and Azukina Yomodachi was going to show everyone just what being a hero meant to her.

@follycle@Stern Algorithm@Lugubrious@ShwiggityShwah@Zelosse

---

The day had hardly begun and already, Houki was gaining a swift migraine. Everyone in their class seemed to have an incessant love for shouting, announcing their plans and orders in broad daylight. They were would-be heroes alright; had the bravado and, in some people’s cases, arrogance, already. Houki raised a hand to gently rub at her temples, only now remembering she had linked palms with the resident cat girl. In the end, she didn’t know why she had done so. Maybe out of shyness.

It wasn’t long before her action was deemed as starting the civilian rescuing team. In truth, it was more akin to getting away from the noise, but Houki didn’t complain when she and Minami were joined by a third girl. The glasses-sporting blonde returned the newcomer’s nod with one of her own, liking where this girl was thinking. That said, there were still others who thought going at it alone would be the best option. Even if it was, it was doubtful that was what the teachers were even looking for.

“Ignore her,” Houki said to no one in particular, casting a glance at the girl with a bad hair day. “It’s a hero test for a reason. Logically, it makes more sense to do heroic actions.” Voice as dull as her expression, it was easy to gauge that Houki just wanted the exam to begin at this point. The more time they spent standing around in the cold was more time they’d be shaking against each other for warmth. At least she had the decency to bring a scarf…wait. She was talking to someone, right?

“Ah. My name is Orimura,” she said, finally turning her gaze to Minami. “Orimura Houki. It’s nice to meet you.” Houki blinked slowly at the offered juice but figured cold beverages were fine to have on equally cold weather. Taking the juice box for herself, Houki spent more time trying to stab its opening with the straw than paying attention to her peers; of which included some metal enthusiast, more bossing around, and more students just standing there freezing.

She would continue to sip her juice even during Mari’s outburst. At least she had her goals in check, more that could be said for some of the others. Once all was said and done, Houki finished her juice box, stuffed the empty plastic in her pocket, and nodded at Mari once again. “It’s fine. I want to stay in this team. Rescuing people is more important. We’re still a team.” Those words included Shiki, who had joined their little gathering of girls. Lucky him.

---

Shun's head swiveled at the back and forth yelling, his face shifting from a disheartened pout to an appreciative grin and back again with each new person voicing their opinion for or against teamwork, pausing only to sputter out a confused "H-Huh?" as he saw the two-toned advocate of competition have her rear violated by the resident musician. Small patches of dissociated pixels danced along his body as he uncomfortably furrowed his brow and attempted to rationalize the scene. Nope. No non-perverted explanation for that.

Wait, Cookies & Cream was talking again. He hadn't meant to start an argument. Although, he was grateful that there were some supporters of cooperation. He had to admit, though, they all had a point, Airplane Arms aside. The exam could have any number of criteria and no one should waste time helping those that can't help themselves. But, he'd never let anyone else slow him down before and he wasn't about to start now. Teamwork wasn't a burden, they just wanted to be famous.

The tall girl seemed to have stolen the initiative he had proposed earlier and made it her own. Not that Shun was offended; from her voice and attitude, she at least presented herself like a competent leader, and he'd happily defer to her until given reason not to. Judging by the muscle tone in her legs, she'd likely be a good asset in moving rubble if it came to that too. No one else looked like they had an obvious strength quirk, except maybe the spiky guy he'd seen on the bus. As for the other three in the unofficial teamwork... team, he could only guess at their quirks. Cat Girl seemed fairly self explanatory, although appearances could be deceiving. The boy in glasses' quirk clearly had something to do with his tail, and the other girl was a complete mystery.

Only one way to find out. Shun approached the trio with a friendly wave, rocking back and forth on his heels once he finally came to a stop. While he honestly would've preferred to try his luck on a villain, the competitive ones would likely be gunning for them first, and it was a safer bet to rack up points from the dummies while the others are busy fighting.

"You're all working together, right? I'm Shun. Nice to meet you," He chirped, pausing his idle rocking to bow his head formally, "I dunno what all your specialities are, but I'm pretty mobile, so I can survey an area for dummies, or ferry them back to the bus, or maybe climb things quickly? Any number of things really, I'm just happy to help!" He gave an easygoing chuckle, although it could easily be construed as nervous. Ironic.

---

@TheWindel@KoL@Animal

---

Anyone here that needs to rely on someone else to pass this stupid exam should just quit and go the hell home!

Those words Blue-boy ferociously shouted did cause Shiki to stop in his tracks and hesitate for a moment. Maybe he is right, Shiki thought. It was not until Mari and the Light-bulb responded, which made him regain his confidence and cleared his doubts. Currently, his quirk is more beneficial in a group than solo. If he can manage to be useful and try his best, then that's all that matters, right? As Shiki moved forward and approached the rescue team, his eyes scanned every individual in the group and noticed a majority of them were female. If he didn't know any better, he would proudly call this his 'harem'. But, he hasn't openly displayed such interests yet, perhaps they lie elsewhere~.

He stopped a short distance away from the two girls drinking juice together. Watching the Neko and Glasses for a brief moment made his mouth a little dry, craving for a drink as well. Maybe if he introduced himself and asked politely they will share, he thought. Oh, but they were only drinking orange juice, he noticed. He personally preferred the juicy sweet tanginess of fresh pineapples, but whatever, he was still kind of thirsty. Before he could muster up the courage to ask, the green haired boy joined the group and introduced himself first.

Glitchy looking...

Shiki turned to face Shun and returned a small wave of his own before going back to warming himself up. "Tetsumi, Shiki...and I can easily collect and share information with the use of my tail...So, I can assist with surveying too. I can also increase the length of my tail up to fifteen feet, but it's not really that strong..." He replied with a soft-spoken tone and then let out a heavy sigh afterwards. Listening to himself explain his own quirk felt unsatisfying to him. Perhaps, this called for a demonstration. Shiki's tail swayed behind him in a predatory fashion, like if it was ready to strike one of them with the connector at any given moment. "If you want to try right now...We can share all of our quirk details and a bit of information about ourselves with just a little poke. It doesn't hurt at all..." He suggested, offering them a chance to experience his quirk before they start. Although, the way he moved his tail didn't exactly match up with his words.

---

@Scribe of Thoth@TheWindel@KoL@Stern Algorithm

Interactions with: @Delta44, @ShwiggityShwah, @Stern Algorithm

---

“Stop it! W-Why are you all fighting?! Shouldn’t you be focusing on how to save the most people?!”

The outburst came before anyone could have anticipated it. Sumi included. She had, in more ways than one, a problem with being led wherever her mouth might take her. Figuratively and literally. Today, it seemed, was no exception. Finding herself in a position where she could neither back down nor advance out of fear of the intimidating underclassmen (though technically, she supposed, they were all the same grade now), Sumi held her ground in front of the monochrome princess and the blue-skinned genie boy, clutching her left arm with her right where the stump connected to the prosthesis.

Sumi tried her hardest to meet their gaze, but flinched. They seemed really scary. The way they talked, they were clearly big shots with high-powered Quirks. Just like-

Just like... Sumi thought, her thoughts retreating back to that day. On the plane. The fear. The confusion. The panic. The surrender.

Sumi shook her head. No! We can’t back down! Not when we’ve come so far! Do you want to be a hero, Sumi Elias?! A hero doesn’t back down from bad guys!

Just like back then.

Slowly, she forced herself to look at them, biting her lip.

“Not everyone here can be as strong as you! Isn’t that what h-heroes are for? To protect the weak? Then why shouldn’t heroes be able to help other heroes who aren’t as strong as them? D-Do you really think that obligation begins and ends with a hero license?!”

Be like her! You can’t sit back and do nothing this time!

She turned to thunder thighs. “And why are you just feeding the flames!? W-We’re the older ones here! We need to set an example! Right...?”

Sumi deflated a little. “I-I do... think you’re right. Saving people should be more important than just beating villains. B-but we all have a job to do, and if the heroes who are strong and can beat villains can’t or won’t back up heroes like us who are better at behind the front lines, then how are we going to save anyone?”

She gripped her arm tightly. “Even if we can’t all be strong, can’t we at least be stronger together? I think... I think that’s what All-Might would have wanted. He sacrificed everything for us. So can we please just stop fighting?”

Sumi immediately felt foolish. Wasn’t she just hurting her own argument by adding to the yelling? If they hadn’t listened to the other scary girl with the big legs, then why would they listen to her? She only hoped she hadn’t started singling herself out already. Then again, that would hardly be a new feeling.

I-I’m sorry...

The words were already forming on her lips.

Interactions with: @Delta44, @ShwiggityShwah, @Stern Algorithm, @Turboshitter

---

Natsuki stood watching the bickering. Arms crossed. It wasn't in her nature to stop infighting between people, more so she remained aloof and outside of it, she had grown up in a city that didn't take kindly to those that pried to much on violence. In fact that is what she was intending to do while watching them bicker with each other. She'd just ignore it and get on with the task at hand... but well, her assessement of Sumi had lead her to believe the girl needed at least some form of support. So when they got in Natsuki sighed. Like Allies in a war zone she would have to join in.

Still, she let Sumi speak on her own. Sumi was going strong with words Natsuki could get behind, with a fervor to match. Leading the youthful delinquent to be quite impressed as Sumi constructed a compelling arguement as to why they shouldn't fight.

Natsuki's mind drifted a little while hearing Sumi's words, thinking back to her earlier days. Of living alone with her mother... her father not in the city and unable to return due to the villian occupation. Scrounging cash through honest works. Failing her grades because of it and the other stuff... the stuff she prefered not to talk about. Still... these big shots with their strong quirks... they reminded her of a certain group of people... and that pissed her off!

Stepping forward with a violent gaze befitting a delinquent, Natsuki gave Sumi a gentle whack upside the head in order to prevent her from backtracking on her words. She was not gonna let Sumi be the source of her own downfall in this. "Alright, you heard the woman, quit your bitching and get along. All of us want to be heros right. So maybe all of us should get the notion in our head that we all want to help people and thus should help each other" The delinquent scowled

"So if any of you want to start boasting about how your going to be the best, shut your mouth and show it through actions and not hot air. Because I swear to whatever person you look up, I'll belt you because while I'm not smart, I am certainly more the capable of give your faces a good punch. Natsuki said before slowly changing the attitude of her voice, lowering the tone to one of warning.

"And for the rest of you more amicable folk, I won't tolerate assholes, not here, not ever. So if any of you want to step forward and be one. Be my guest, beatings are free at a special discount just for you. Natsuki said a hand on her hip with a fist raised in a intimidation tactic. Her body language suggesting she was about to perform gratuitous violence upon those that pretended to be tough. She wasn't having any of that.

Shifting her tone away from anger and intimadation, she spoke with a more upbeat, more sensical tone.. "Now. Now that we all know what the terms are, we should probably partner up with folks to cover our weaknesses. Because as much as Certain people She said glaring at two people in particular. "Annoy me, we should try to maximise efforts. So I suggest we start forming attack teams?" Natsuki sighed a bit. "Or you can just make it a free-for-all for points, but don't blame me if any of you end up in the infirmary on the first day." The Deliquent cautioned. She was used to being out on the streets and seeing violence, it wasn't the rarest occurrence during the villain occupation of the city. The only common thing about it was that the villains liked to gang up on the weak.

Still, she felt like she had her say. leaving her offer of a free beating to any ass-hole up there to take. She turned back to Sumi. "Don't doubt yourself." They said simply whilst patting them on the head.

“Nyah, I’m fine over here. I don’t wanna pick a fight with anyone before we even begin the school year,” Minami replied to Mari. “It’s dangerous to go alone and all that nyahda nyahda,” she added in a goofy voice, before going back to her juice while Houki introduced herself.

“Hi, I’m Minami, nice to meet’cha,” she said when Shun approached them and introduced himself. “Well, as you can see, I’m like a cat. I can do pretty much everything a cat can like: being strong, and fast, and having catty senses. Y’know, like any other cat,” Minami explained her quirk, while counting its characteristics in her fingers.

“I wanna be a rescue hero just like my idols, the Wild Wild Pussy Cats, so you guys can count me for this test,” she said smiling. “B-but I think that I’ll pass on the stabby-stabby tail thing if you don’t mind.”

---

---

Shun looked at Shiki wide-eyed during his underwhelming quirk explanation, mouth puckered into a small "O" shape. Once the other boy finished, he immediately jumped into an animated series of movements, tilting his head to get a better look at Shiki's tail and shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"That's so cool! So you can just know anything about a person's quirk with just a touch? And fifteen feet, that's crazy! You could exploit a villain's weakness without them even seeing you! You could- you could-" He gasped, partially because he had hardly taken a single breath during his barely-coherent ramble and partially out of realization, "You could just find out their identity and send the police after them! That's amazing! What does it feel like? Do me! Do me!" He bounced up and down like an excited child, presenting his arm and tugging his sleeve down a bit as if he were about to get an injection. Just, with way more enthusiasm.

In his distraction, he didn't even notice the mass of support that Team Teamwork (Copyright Pending) was accruing in the background, luckily for everyone else. If Shun got anymore fired up he'd probably reach the point of insufferability. Or worse - get touchy. Not that he'd be able to outdo the musical boy's infamous power grope from earlier. He did, however, divert his attention away from the tailed boy just long enough to flash a grin at Minami. "That's great! We just need someone that can move debris now." His head snapped back to Shiki before he could miss anything, eyes darting back and forth as his gaze followed the swaying of his would-be classmate's tail.

---

@Animal@KoL

'They're not listening. At all.'
It looked like she was right. They weren't going to listen. No matter how reasonable it was to make a test judge individual skill, but also measure the worth of teamwork, it was either one way or the other, and it seemed as though she was the 'other'. Along with Turbines, apparently, even though if they had just listened to what she had said, she didn't even agree with him. No, it was either total cooperation or no cooperation, there was no middleground, there was no reason to assume both could be correct.
They had no idea how this test could be marked outside of the points gathered. As far as everyone knew, it could literally just be all about points.
'But nooooo, it's all about teamwork, about vital first impressions, even though they could literally test that another time. It's fine, they can do that. Imbeciles. Idiots. If even I can beat them, it goes to show just what kind of weaklings they are. Maybe I should just go ahead alone, then. Less people to worry about.'

She didn't even bother giving the others a proper response outside of an irritated "Ugh...", as she turned her back from the conversation as a whole. She'd had enough. She tried her best to try and get them to at least understand her point of view, but if nobody wanted to listen, then there was no point in any of it. It was actually a little tempting to play the bad guy, just to see if she could prove them wrong, but even with her quirk, Azukina didn't like the idea of facing a villain alone.
'Fine. It's fine. Whatever. Don't even think about them, Azuki. If they want to join forces to rescue civilians, and nobody sees the point in at least distracting the villains, you can't change their minds. Let them get destroyed as the villains slow down their progress. Then you can just take as many dolls as you want while the group suffers for their stupidity. It isn't stealing if you're helping the injured get to safety, after all. If they're going to take it like this, then I'll be happy to show them how stupid they really are.'

She returned to her sprinter's pose next to the blue boy, eyes staring directly ahead, like a predator ready to strike. If the others were all going after dummies together, then it would do her well to find some herself, and let the villains roam freely. "To Hell with all of you, then..." Yomodachi's spite was clear as day in her murmured tone, though only those close enough would be able to hear what she had said in the first place...

@1Charak2@Turboshitter@ShwiggityShwah

Haruishi Mari

@follycle @Delta44 @TheWindel @Scribe of Thoth @Animal @Turboshitter @1Charak2 @KoL @Zelosse

Mari looked at the girl with pink hair, and gave her a bit of a smug smile, glad to see someone else who was outspoken and shared her ideals, however Azukina spoke up again, drawing Mari's attention again. Listening to her words again, this time more calmly, Mari heard the measured even arguments she was making. And it infuriated Mari. Because it became clear where Azukina received such nuanced knowledge and experience. She was of heroic lineage. Mari had a negative view of pro hero culture, because there were so many that they deemed 'beneath them' to save. It was about points, about fame, about flashy victories against villains, and fighting disasters. They let so many victims from 'low-profile' crimes slip through the cracks because they were too much effort for too little reward with regard to money and clout gained. Yet this did not invalidate what Azukina was saying. If Mari was here to learn how to be a hero, then it made sense to learn from heroes, and to learn from those who had learned from heroes. So if anything, despite Mari's negative feelings for Azukina's lineage, it only made Azukina's words more valid. But this didn't diminish Mari's resentment of Azukina. Her arrogance, cocksure attitude, and callous disregard of those 'less capable' of contributing directly to the goals of the exam only reinforced the stereotype of pro heroes for Mari. "Must be nice at the top," Mari thought to herself, and turned her attention back to the growing group, though Azukina's words stuck with Mari.

Mari nodded, acknowledging Houki and Minami's desire to remain in the team, while welcoming Shun and Shiki, listening to their explanations of their quirks. "I have a running quirk myself," Mari added, but she doubted there was enough time to have Shiki jack into everyone to share all their quirk information, though Shun seemed willing to try it.

Suddenly, a shy-looking girl spoke out uncharacteristically. But rather than her words, Mari's eyes were drawn to Sumi's limbs. Were those prosthetics. She remembered from history lessons, before the birth of quirks, such prosthetics were most likely the result of injuries sustained during war. Had the world become a warzone? Yet it made Mari pay more attention to the girl's words. Whereas Azukina came from a place of privilege, here was a girl who didn't let her disadvantages stop her from achieving her dreams. But then Sumi called out Mari, and her delinquent-looking friend backed her up.

Mari flushed in embarrassment, realizing how easily she had defaulted to aggression. Just because things didn't make sense to her, just because the way she thought things should be was being challenged, she had lashed out. The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. "I'm...sorry, for my aggressive behavior," Mari said, for once quietly, almost sheepishly, as she tilted her head in Sumi and Natsuki's direction, even sending her gaze towards Azukina and Hiroki, trying to project her apology in their direction as well, though she doubted they would notice.

Mari took a deep breath, and said, "The girl with black and white hair isn't wrong. I hate to have gathered everyone here only to split up, but this area is pretty large, now that I look at it. It might make more sense to split up into smaller civilian rescue groups, maybe in pairs. Those who can fight, myself included, should patrol the rescue pairs, making sure there are no villains impeding their progress. Support quirks, well I won't tell you how to use your quirks, but support the rescue teams or the anti-villain teams as you see fit. Speaking of..."

Mari turned towards Kaito. She didn't quite catch what had happened between them, so she didn't know what she was getting herself into, "Guitar man! If you're a support hero, we'd welcome your assistance!"

Minami couldn’t help but catch up what the monochrome girl said under her breath. One of the disadvantages of having good ears was to listen to stuff that others weren’t supposed to, and sometimes, things that she didn’t want to listen to.

“Don’t be like that, nyah,” she said, approaching the other girl. “I got what you were saying, but since we have no instructions to follow, isn’t it better to look at things from the bright side? It’s not like I’m planning on giving up on giving up my points to anyone, but why not help someone else when you know that you can get enough on your own, nyaight?”

“If you want something more interesting, we can make it a competition to see who can get more points. What’cha think?” Minami said, lowering down to the other girl’s level and extending her hand. “By the way, don’tcha think that you are giving too much eye candy to the boys from this angle?” she added in a whispering voice so that only the other girl could hear her while stealthly looking at Monochrome's rear.

---

While the children outside debated hero ethics, the young girl inside the bus brought out the lunch she had packed, a carton of still-steaming Chinese food purchased from Panda Way. Holding it between her thighs, she pulled out a set of ear mufflers next, sparing only a half-friendly nod at Axel as the brown-skinned prospect set the baby doll down properly in the ‘safe zone’. That was a clean assertion, wasn’t it? Though it may have been unintentional, or on a whim, it was not without merit.

She kept that in mind as she snapped open her chopsticks and popped the first lump of sesame chicken in her mouth. No one else did much of anything, other than debate and discuss about the particulars of the exam rather than its contents, and as she leaned her head against the window, watching their mouths flap wider and wider, a full range of emotions explored within five minutes. A bit boring, huh?

She readjusted her ear muffles to account for the buns on either side of her head, before turning back to her food. Mm, fried noodles and saucy chicken, a truly excellent combination.

---

It started not with a blare, nor with a beep.

It neither warned with a countdown, nor with a message.

No, the signal was nothing so clear, nothing so kind, for it was a roar of sound, a cacophony that tore apart the solemn silence of the fog and replaced with terror that was almost palatable. Distorted by the mist, a dozen voices cried out in pain, a hundred voices cried out in fear, and still more voices cried out just to cry, men and women, elders and children all alike in their abject despair as that vicious, unkind amalgam of sound rushed over all sixteen students simultaneously. They felt it in their bones, felt it rush up their spines, and soon after, could hearing destruction in the distance as well, explosions resounding with enough depth that it shook the ground beneath them.

Was this simply atmospheric, or was this the caliber of the villains they were to face? No matter what the quality of the ‘civilians’ they were to rescue, no matter how many corners they were allowed to cut in terms of their treatment, it was clear that Jigokuraku Academy weren’t kind enough to create an utterly saccharine environment for their entrance exam. The screams were half-deafening, the environment seeped with chaos, and the identities of their enemies were utterly unknown.

That’s Hell they’re walking into.

But to be a hero in such a tumultuous era, such was the barest requirement.

---

@AdmrlStalfos19

---

The girls head came up. His eyes remained blank, flat but inquisitive, as his starkly rigid expression stared into hers, which brimmed with emotion.
"I, uh... I-I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean to z-zone out l-like that..." Umi explained. Slowly, Taro's head tilted to one side, expressing curiosity. In his mind, one simply didn't click to the other: why was she apologizing to him? Familiar words danced by his mind but they evaded his senses. "Oh! J-jeez, I... p-please keep it; y-you might need it m-more than I w-will." As Umi stood and made her way off the bus, Taro remained knelt by the seat, lingering there in stillness for a moment. Suddenly, his head corrected to sit upright and his eyes wandered down to the bottle.
"Is something wrong with it?" he monotonously wondered out loud, tilting the bottle in the sunlight to inspect the water inside. It looked clear enough and nothing seemed to be wrong with the cap or the label. Maybe her quirk lets her see something he cant? As Taro stood and stepped off the bus, he tossed the half-full water bottle into the bin on the way by. Better safe than sorry.

As Taro stepped off the bus, he rubbed his hands together and rolled his feet from ball to heel, feeling the gravel through his boots. One arm went over his head as he leaned over to one side, rocking into the stretch before reaching for his toes. There was no denying it: it felt good to get off that bus. As he pulled his arm around his body, his eyes wandered to the others. As if he could ever do anything else, he scowled in thought as he listened to the conversation. Something was being thrown back and forth about teamwork, competing, and strategies; he tried to give it some thought, but he found himself stumped pretty fast. As he pulled one of his feet to his butt, he dismissed the thought as too bothersome. He'd just wing it. That'd work, right?

A little voice with convenient timing pulled Taro back to reality.
"I, er... I n-never got your n-name," Umi mentioned, continuing with the introduction: "I'm Sug-guro Umi. My b-brother and I t-took UA's ent-trance exam t-together, but... I-I couldn't cut it..." Taro looked down to her as he pulled back on his fingers, waiting quietly for a moment before speaking.
"Oh." he let out, flat-voiced as ever. You would have to go panning for any sympathy from it. A moment later, Taro reached up to the zipper of his puffer jacket, sliding it down and slipping it off his shoulders. "I'm Inoue Taro. This is the only school that's considered me, so let's work hard to get in together, okay?" His eyes glimmered a little, contrasting his demeanor, as he folded up his jacket and slid it into his backpack. Underneath, despite it being cold enough to see your breath, he didn't wear much to ward off the cold. Arms clad in horns grafted to the grain of his muscles ran out from his tank top, which led down to a pair of plain tracksuit pants and unremarkable boots. In fact, everything he had on once the jacket was off looked really cheap given anything more than a glance.

Taro reached out a hand towards Umi, as if to offer a handshake-
-before it swung back as he cast his head about, responding to the cascade of screams.

He jumped- no, more so leaped in fright. His jaw slackened with ragged breath and his brow threatened to press an arrow through his nose. Horns across his body grew in his panic reflex, ripping through his pants, boots, and tank top alike. His eyes frantically searched the space around him over the cusp of his left fist, his left forearm lingering in front of him. It was about then that his brow gave a little: that he realized this was the start. The fear in his eyes phased partially over to focus as he looked over his shoulder, back to Umi.

Taro had no words for Umi; only a presuming nod.

As expected, he only got some nasty words, nasty looks. Disregard for the task at hand and still looking to others to do the work for them, and others playing the nanny, helping them along. He glanced at the biker chick, the loud mouth, the others that snarked against his truth. Hiroki ignored them.

Thats what they deserved. Nothing.

Not even the time of day. They could talk to their blue in the face, and Hiroki would just leave them behind. Their words were worth what their bravado was.

Not until they proved themselves otherwise with action. He expected most of them to fail. Outside of hero work, people were going to be people, but inside the job, inside the organization, Hiroki would not suffer fools, upstarts, weaklings, and liars. He didn't need a group he barely knew. He didn't need to be held up or slowed down. Still, finding dummies in this fog... A single pair of eyes would make it difficult. He was sure to listen though. Listen as they gave away their capabilities to their little team one by one. Just in case they decided to steal his victory, and he would have to set them straight. There was a fog right? Accidents can happen? Whose to say what happened, danger is part of the job. "Let them try..." He muttered in a snarl.

He was concerned about finding the dummies, but- then a sound, a sound roaring over them and he took it for what it was. Finally. Show time.

Then the wailing started, horrible and loud, distorted and twisted. Each and every potential point loudly proclaiming its position, and he almost laughed. The cacophony of chaos of an actual attack and disaster with men and women and children all dying in pain, and he almost laughed, putting a hand over his mouth in a 'PPPfft'. Thanks for making the test even easier for him.

Hiroki was so focused on the task at hand he barely even flinched at the 'disaster'. He also could see it for what it is. The dummies has speaker systems, and he had to wonder if there was any other little gadgets and gizmos they had. Maybe flailing around when he saved them, simulating someone in a panic or shock. It was a combination of the upbringing of his childhood, how he was around pro-heroes in person, watching his parents, cousins, aunts, big sister work; as well as his own practical thinking mind that he was numb to the screams. If anything it made him almost smile. "So they have a budget after all." Checkers, Loud Mouth, and the Bubbly one that first started the argument got people around them, joined by that cat girl, despite them having twisting views. It didn't matter. It would be him against all of them and it would end the same way.

Him in the sky, and them in the dirt.

Hiroki arms suddenly thrummed with a whirling wooshing hum and the sound of metal torquing. It would grow in volume until it reaches a crescendo, but that was the most subtle of his sounds... The area around him, it started with a hair and flap of cloth, a bit of rocks rolling away from him, then it grow into a parting of the mist, then gusts of air to run through everyone's bones (already bad enough with the morning cold) Then finally the who landing whipped like a rainstorm was approaching. It would feel like the wind was trying to blow everyone over, and in a way it was. Loose clothing would wave like a flag, trying to tear from its mores, hair would whip wildly as if alive. Hiroki was producing a terrible gust as his hands touched the ground, and it threatened to completely knock the lighter among them completely off their feet.

An explosion of suction and pressure later, Hiroki would be gone! Like he made a mighty leap, disappearing into the mist and propelling himself into the rubble of the exam area. No, not leap. Fly! He was flying! His quirk allowed him a distinct advantage out in the open, sailing over the rocky, concrete piled rubble of the destroyed city. Without limits, without walls, he could easily transverse the distance, his eyes accustomed to the propelling leaps and speeds his jet engine arms could assail him. Sure, he had to keep a certain distance, lest he lose track of the ground, and at some points he needed to find a place to land, but in another second he would be off again, clearing another hundred yards of terrain.

He smirked as he looked over his shoulder, surely none of the others could keep up with his speed. "In the dust." He proudly proclaimed.

[Hiroki's Action: Move to Area 4]

---

The signal blarred in her ears like a starter pistol, filling Azukina's body simultaneously with energy and apprehension.
It would seem the exam had started, though to say she expected that beginning would be an absolute lie.
Her legs kicked out at the broken pavement, falling into a full-blown sprint, running faster than she had ever sprinted before. There was no strain on her stamina as she ran, no burn from the buildup of lactic acid. Her mind felt clearer as she ran off to the left, intending on being the first one to find a villain. It made more sense, in her mind, for her quirk to be used first on whatever villain she encountered, which could also allow the others to catch up.
Although, they may be held back somewhat by Turbine's takeoff.

She only got a quick glance in just as he was taking off, but it made her thankful that she hadn't hesitated in making a run for it. Originally she thought of doing something similar; if used correctly, her quirk could also provide a boost to mobility. However, the side-effects of using the technique, especially since she would be fighting villains later, meant it would hurt her more in the long run. The Bard's boost to her physical ability already gave her the boost she needed anyway.

She was on the hunt for a villain. Sure, she wouldn't be able to take one on herself, however she was banking on someone following her to scan the perimeter. Azukina regretted not telling the other examinees how to find her, but if they saw the direction she was headed, there was a good chance they'd be able to find her. The screams of the civilians were upsetting, no doubt, however with her mind as clear as it was, she knew just what kind of situation this was: a test, nothing more, nothing less. It wouldn't be a hero school if it didn't have a few surprises, after all.
"The Breath of Winter is here!" Proclaimed the teen excitedly. She had spent far too much time talking back there to the other students. Not enough time proving. Not enough time dedicated to action, and showing them her capabilities - how dedicated she actually was to being a hero. What being a hero really meant to her. 'Time to show everyone why I'll be number one...' She thought, hoping the others took her up on her dare.

She'd let her anger get the best of her back there, from a lack of sleep and a lack of good food. Yomodachi knew she'd have to apologise for that. But now was the time for action, as it was like she said earlier:
They could all make friend after the exam was done.

[Azukina's Action: Move to Area 4, Through Area 1]

---

There was little more to be said after Black-n-White's final outburst. Working together or apart... It didn't much matter, as the time to demonstrate their abilities drew nearer. Everyone there knew the bare minimum of their goals — rescue the civilians and defeat the villains. Despite the latter being rather optional, that's precisely what drew Kūki to it. To compare it to others, hers was a rather weird quirk, both questionably useful for the rescuing of others, and even more so ill-suited for the demands of fast-paced combat. That's exactly why this had to be what she went after for the final part of the entrance exam. Show an ability to adapt to one's own weaknesses, and shatter the odds.

"My quirk allows me to convert what I inhale into different gasses. It also gives me an immunity to toxic gasses, if that helps any." Kūki's decision about which team to join had already been made once everyone's stances were made clear. Taking up a runner's pose beside Black-n'-White, the strawberry allowed her eyes to wander, wondering who else would be joining them. It would probably be ideal to have at least four people, though they might have to accept keeping it to three, with Jet Arms having flown off on his own. She wasn't so narrow-minded that she'd ignore a civilian in need, despite the team she'd chosen to work with. "Name's Kūki. Umeru, Kūki. Just a heads up, but if we run into any civilians in our search, I will definitely be stopping to rescue them. If that happens, I'll try to stay out of your way."

That was the compromise she'd reached for herself. As important as it was for her to prove herself here, she wouldn't let it be at the expense of a hero's first and foremost duty — guaranteeing the safety of civilians.

The signal Jigokuraku had chosen on was one most might not even register as a signal. Kūki wasn't left with anytime to react in shock to the cries resonating throughout the area, as she soon found herself flat on her butt in Jet Arm's wake, who'd launched himself into the fray nearly as soon as the cries started. With a dumbfounded look on her face, Kūki shook her head. Not now, Kūki. Heroes move without hesitation, without distraction. Placing both hands on the ground, Kūki wasted no time in pushing herself up, bursting into a run as soon as her feet touched the ground. In the face of adversity, she would not falter. [Kūki's Action: Move to Area 4, Through Area 1]

---

@Delta44@follycle

---

To Goro's dismay, his words of assurance and geniality appeared to bounce right off everyone around him. He couldn't really blame them of course, given both the distractions of constant anticipation and opposing viewpoints, but it stung nonetheless. Could it be that his encouragement came out as cheesy, disingenuous, or maybe even pathetic?

Did they hate him already?

The thought weighed on the glowing boy heavier than the imminent exam. Problems he could solve, pain and exhaustion he could take, and dummies he could find, but he could not win the hearts of other people. Still, he managed to shoulder the anxiety and put it aside. Now was no time for feeling like a loser—not when he had a test to win. Goro looked between those assembled, sparing a glance at the bus toward the end of the scan. A couple teams stood more or less ready to roll, some of their members sharing names and quirks. The last few students, being the solid-looking horned guy and the stick-thin tube girl, had appeared. Lost out on most of the conversation and side-taking, they began their own preparations. Following suit, Goro began to blink his light, heightening and lowering the power in quick succession to limber it up for use. After all, the test could begin at any moment.

It did in fact begin the next moment, though while Goro had imagined he might burst forward like a track runner at the starting line, he found himself quite unable to move.

A chill sharper and deeper than whatever the morning air could offer pierced him, surging through each bone and vein. In an instant Goro's heart leaped into his throat, its panicked beat distorting his breathing into labored gasps. His eyes raced across the scenery, trying in vain to find the source of the hideous, nightmarish noises of suffering. When he looked down a moment later, he saw his hands shaking, but he could stare at them for only two seconds before a buffet of air bowled him over.

Indignant anger rushed through him as he leaped to his feet a second later, hurt more emotionally than physically, but the turbine-bearing braggart had vanished into the mist before a word could leave his lips. Some of the others seemed just as eager, like miss Bicolor, who he watched barrel off into the unknown a moment later. The gas-masked girl got started next, but Goro found himself looking at his hands instead. They were not shaking anymore. The sudden tumble, he realized, affected him like a slap to the face or a whiff of smelling salts and shifted him into gear; while outside things looked as foggy as ever, on the inside things were clearing up.

Those voices, he rationalized, were not real. Either a villain made them, or they came from the dummies themselves, piteous beacons to help the students home in on their targets. He needed to find them, and soon, before anyone else could. Given the strong start of Blowhard, Bicolor, and Red, he felt he'd have better chances elsewhere. The opposite diagonal direction seemed good.

With a deep breath, Goro stepped up. He willed the light streaming from his face to strengthen, and its glow split the fog in a wide cone. The next second, though, the world went white, prompting him to blink in confusion. “Whoa!” After a brief moment of being dazzled, he figured out that he'd blinded himself with his own light thanks to the sheer thickness from the mist, even though he'd gone nowhere near full power. On impulse he increased his focus and tightened his hoodie's drawstrings to narrow the beam, and with visibility restored he could see that his spotlight extended a little more than ten feet. A nod of satisfaction made the spotlight bob up and down, revealing lengths of rebar and chunks of jagged concrete that might have tripped up anyone who went that way.

“Looks like it's go time, then.” Raising his voice over the unnerving din, he called out, “If any of you want to come along, please feel free.” While he did feel that teamwork might be against the rules, and that either way it would lead to problems dividing points, he did not mind lending anyone a helping hand with his light. Whether or not anyone chose to follow him, he took off at a sprint, face at a downward angle to keep an eye on the terrain and avoid tripping over rubble. Though neither super strong nor super fast, his warm light offered an advantage nobody else did: the power to cut through the fog and spot dummies and villains alike. With this in mind he kept an eye out for any large, relatively intact structures. Any dark indoor areas would be free pickings, he thought, for someone who could pierce the shadows like him. As the ground became more difficult he slowed to a brisk job, angling left as he continued forward.

(Goro is making an arc through Zone 3 to Zone 6)

“And a nice day to you too!” Minami shouted in a cheery voice dripping with sarcasm after being summarily by the person she was speaking to ignored once the (absolutely not exaggerated) signal blared.

The cat girl’s eyes were narrowed in a dangerous way when came back to the other group that she had been roped into. “Ok, I’m feeling great now,” she said in the same tone as before. “Actually, I have a nice idea. Why don’t we exchange contacts before going and use them to, erm… coordinate the rescue efforts? No one said that we can’t do that, after all,” she said pulling out her phone.

Whether the other agreed with her idea or not, Minami would grab Houki’s hand (After all, the idea was to go in pairs, right?) and make a run for the test site. She chose the central area to begin searching for two reasons that the Fast and Furious team seemed to ignore. First, it was closer than the other ones so they could take back any victims far faster like this. And second, during a disaster, you are much more likely to find victims at the place where everything began, which is very much likely the central block in this case.

Thanks to the (absolutely not overdone) screams of the victims it would be piece of cake for Minami to find them, without even using her nose. From there onwards, it was just a matter of teaming up with her current partner to get as many of them back to the safe zone as they could, while avoiding trying to use Minami’s senses to avoid, or in the worst case scenario, ambush any nearby villains.

[moving into area 5 and searching for victims]

---

@Delta44@follycle
Excitement and clarity drove Azukina and Kuuki forward, both of them breaking into a sprint despite neither of them having warmed up beforehand. But the effects of such reckless disregard for their muscles had no consequences as Hiroki’s turbines reminded them that they would be left to the dust if they did not shape up quickly.

Taking to the perimeter, the two girls ran down the streets to an area much of the same as the one by the bus. Though there were still mounds of rubble from collapsed buildings and broken pavement that exposed wet dirt beneath, it certainly wasn’t as apocalyptic as any of the other scenes they had passed by, and the relative orderliness of the sector reflected the lack of dummies in the area. Stuck partway through a wall, a large dummy repeated grunts of exertion. Legs trapped in a sewer, a small dummy looped a crying soundtrack. Still more sounds could be heard within half-destroyed buildings, dummies unwilling (though more likely incapable) of leaving their shelters despite the encroaching villainous threat.

Easy pickings, perhaps, but on the other hand, these dummies certainly weren’t villains, were they?

@Lugubrious@AdmrlStalfos19@vFear
With his spotlight carving a swath through the mist, Goro made his way at a slower pace than the others, his breath rising against the cold temperatures as he ran around rubble and potholes. Unlike the more desolate places that Azukina and Kuuki dashed towards, the section that the light-bearing student found himself in was closer to that of a residential area, a main street soon giving way to side streets and alleyways. Plastic garbage, lead unattended by man and beast alike, littered the narrow roads, and he occasionally had to scramble over the broken stone walls that served as fences for two-story family houses or duck under fallen streetlamps that cleaved into the roofs of neighbouring buildings.

In this area, however, with sharp turns and claustrophobic roads, the effectiveness of Goro’s light was diminished, and the ghostly silence of the residential area was haunting as well, inspiring a small bit of paranoia that a monster may jump out at any intersection. But there were no monsters, only silence, and soon enough, his efforts were rewarded. Trapped underneath a cylindrical concrete telephone pole, two adult-sized dummies laid in pained silence, the sound of their wheezed breathing hardly audible. Without his light, his downward gaze, Goro may have missed them altogether.

But mixed with the wheezing was a whimpering coming from elsewhere, the direction of the noise distorted by high walls and thick fog. A child, crying somewhere nearby.

It was simply a matter of priorities now, wasn’t it? Who deserved salvation first?

@ShwiggityShwah
Each great leap parted the mist temporarily, each grand blast of his jet sent him further away from those losers who played at friendship and heroic naivety without understanding a thing about the real world function: Hiroki above them all. Though consideration for his landings made him expend more energy than usual, the blue-skinned mutant practically sailed through areas that others crawled through.

Finally, Hiroki dropped down into what appeared to be an overgrown park, trees and weeds growing in abundance when not pruned or poisoned by human interference. Within the mist-laden forest, the sounds of destruction and screams were far-off, and instead, a different sound could be heard. Music, operatic and feminine, wafting through crackling speakers placed in unknown lands. On the ground, he could see that some differently-colored stones were scattered around, hardly noticeable if not for the temporary dispersal of mist that his landing afforded him, while around him, Hiroki noticed quite clearly that the forest he found himself in was meant to represent a ‘horror’.

Various dummies were scattered on the ground, their bits and pieces torn hungrily as if a beast had ripped through them. There was an arm here, a leg there, circuitry tossed with wild abandon, mad abandon. Other broken dummies hung from the branches, displaced and abused, while large claw marks marked a few trees. In the distance, leaning against a tree, however, Hiroki could spot a non-form leaning against a toppled tree, could hear the terrified murmurs that looped in the speaker attached within.

Heroism started with saving one ‘life’, but was this one worth the effort, if larger catches could be found elsewhere?

@KoL@Sho Minazuki
In terms of the most damaged sector, Minami certainly chose correctly, running through the fog with feline confidence into the center. And what destruction there was! For those who wanted to make something out of their lives as rescue heroes, the density of the screams and cries were certainly noteworthy, every voice mixing together to the extent that even her finely tuned cat ears had difficulty making out what was where. Clearly the site of an epic clash in the past, huge mounds of broken concrete were everywhere, and not a single building in the area stood straight. Like dominos they leaned against each other, the further ones flat against the ground, while power lines from scattered poles crisscrossed like a spider’s web. Somewhere amidst the screams, she could hear flowing water as well, either sewage or clean water sluggishly pushing through a broken pipe.

Some dummies were pinned underneath collapsed buildings. Others found themselves trapped at rooftops, their methods of getting down sealed by broken stairwells. There were more whose voices resounded weakly in the very depths of the mounds of rubble, unfortunately trapped underground, while others still laid in toppled vehicles, doors too crunched up to open, their seatbelts binding them to their seats. Further off, a section of the road collapsed completely, opening up to the sewers that laid beneath, a gaping maw that only the brave may wish to venture into, as screams and cries wailed out like ghosts bound to the underworld.

The terrain was most certainly difficult, and even Minami, with her agility, had trouble traversing it. No doubt whatever rescue efforts were to be made here, it would require efficiency and skill rather than nebulous desires.

---

"I'm Inoue Taro. This is the only school that's considered me, so let's work hard to get in together, okay?"

"Sure, I-I can get beh-hind that," Umi reached out towards Taro's hand as she said this, "I-I hope we can..."

Then suddenly, the signal for the start of the test rang out towards all of its participants, in form of a myriad of screams. Umi once against clasped her hands in between her ears in order to drown out the sound, but then they found their way to each side of her skull.

'Oh shit. It's started already? What the hell am I supposed to do?!' Umi looked all over the place, 'None of them could even agree on whether we're meant to team up or not! Damn it; I should've said something earlier. Even if it was nothing new, it could've at least been the tie-breaker or something. Come on, think. There must be a way I can fix this...'

...

Umi found herself looking back at Taro, who'd simply nodded at her. Would that suggest the two of them would officially be partners? And if so, what did that mean, exactly? Was there a way Taro could even help? Well, one would hope so; after all, they all participated in the exam with at least a strong hope of getting into Jigokurako Academy, if not the expectation of it. Perhaps, Taro's Quirk was one that would be severely underrated. Umi wouldn't know unless she saw it in action.

"If any of you want to come along, please feel free," said another male student. Umi had looked towards him, but had been blinded by the light that had been emitted from his head. Then suddenly, as she was still recovering, the male student started to take off.

"Y-you think we should f-f-follow him?" Umi asked Taro, waiting a few seconds for his reply before running towards the boy.