AN:
I AM... UPLOADING THIS CHAPTER OUT OF BLUE WHILE PROFUSELY APOLOGISING!
Hey guys... it's been a while. I won't bore you with why I didn't upload anything for the last... 5-6 months. But know this, I read every message and comment you made, and it helped me greatly. I'm not how frequently I'll update, but know this; my hands are itching me to write. Also, this chapter didn't have beta treatment, so sorry for any mistakes.
I know that I'm a bit late on this, but I hope that you're all safe during the coronavirus. The people in my country are taking it too lightly for my taste.
Also happy late Pride Month. Don't forget to love each other, guys.
Stay safe and see you all in the next upgrade.
Chapter 61
"The battle for future"
Nezu shifted in his chair for what seemed to be a hundredth time in the last ten minutes. His excitement barely contained. The same could be said about everyone around him - all of the teachers, heroes and government workers engaged in the small talks, questioning and even making bets as per UA's common. As unethical as it was, Nezu may or may not have added some money to the pool.
Peeking at the clock, he saw that it was almost time - the last interview ended twenty minutes ago. Clapping his hands, all the talks immediately ceased. "We're five minutes away. I want you all to focus now. While to many of you it may be similar to the entrance exam, we need to look at it with a more critical eye." Nezu cheerfully reminded, turning to the monitors that came to life.
Through the camera feeds, he saw many of UA's Training Facilities. Before every gate was a group of students, many were coming from other schools, even from abroad. All of them hoping to get a place at the Guardians program. The kids were masking nervousness with excitement, not that Nezu could blame them. During the briefing, he told the candidates how the practical part of the exam would look. To say that it was more brutal than the infamous entrance exam would be putting it mildly.
The cameras inside the Training Facilities showed the members of Help Us Company walking around the area, simulating the everyday activities for a given environment. At each Facility was a large group of Living Training Dummies, who would play the role of the villains. While typically their operating program wouldn't allow them to function to the needed extent, Alan declared that he would gladly take the wheel. Nezu was sure to send a small prayer to whatever deity there was, the kids needed it to survive against ruthless AI, who stroked his sadistic side during a demonstration.
A door to the room opened, through them, a delegate from UN walked in, politely greeting everyone in broken Japanese. It was a compulsory obligation to have a representant to oversee the exam and make a report. Not that Nezu minded, it was necessary to ensure that their methods would be adequate.
Right after the delegate the Problematic Four, as Aizawa dubbed them, walked in. While the kids didn't have any real power over who would get in, their opinion could be valuable. Plus additional entertainment from the remarks would surely make Nezu's day even better.
"Glad you made it." Nezu said, smiling lightly, as students sat on the empty chairs next to him.
"Of course, we wouldn't miss the show." Young Shinso replied, stifling a yawn.
"So how it's going to be done?" Young Hatsume asked, looking at the screens.
"Similar to the entrance exam. Students go in and battle the enemy. Of course, this time it's going to be much harder, considering that the HUC is there. This exam is going to push all of the students to their limit, not only physical but also a mental one." Nezu replied patiently. "We will do one Centre at the time. Not only to better observe the participants but also to ensure that there isn't any danger to the lives of people at the side."
"It's going to take a while." Young Hatsune replied, sighing loudly.
Young Yaoyorozu giggled at the girl's antics. "It's necessary, Mei. We need people with the best potential."
"Hey, Genious Boy." Kayama-san called the boy, grinning widely. The woman had more casual clothes, fitting for a pregnant woman. "Do you want to join the bet? We're betting who's going to get in."
"Mistress! It's unethical to..." Young Yaoyorozu shouted, pointing the finger at the woman.
"What's the entry fee?" Young Midoriya asked innocently.
"Izuku! No!"
Aizawa leaned closer, a betting book already open, a pencil ready to write down the bet. "One thousand yen. You can only choose one person." The man explained nonchalantly.
The boy quickly scanned the monitors before smirking widely. "Twenty thousand yen on Denki Kaminari." He said in a smug tone.
Nezu was pretty sure that he heard choking sounds somewhere around the room. The teen singlehandedly doubled the betting pool.
"Got it, Problem Child. Anyone else?" Aizawa asked, looking at the other students.
"No, we're not..."
"I'm going to follow the boss. I choose Pikachu. Two thousand yen on him." Young Shinso said, cutting off the Young Yaoyorozu.
"Toshi!" The girl's neck snapped the boy.
"I want in too! One thousand on Gravity Girl." Young Hatsume added, smiling brightly.
"Not you too, Mei." Young Yaoyorozu moaned, sending the girl a betrayed look.
Young Midoriya chuckled, making the girl pout madly at him. "Give in, dear. I know you want to." The teen said teasingly.
If a look could kill, then, the boy would be six feet under. The girl huffed at her lover and looked at the monitors. "Five thousand on Kyoka-chan." Young Yaoyorozu grumbled, sinking into her chair, crossing her arms on her chest.
"See, it wasn't so hard." Young Midoriya stated, which earned him a harmless swat from his girl.
Nezu chuckled at the teens' antics. In the corner of his eye, he saw that Thirteen tried to explain to the very confused delegate what had just transpired.
Shaking his head in amusement, he properly sat in his chair, looking straight at the monitors. The fate of the Guardians depended from the performance of the kids, and he needed to oversee every second.
When that whole Guardians idea was presented to them, Kyoka wasn't sold on it. Yeah, sure the band of superheroes sounded rather cool. But was it really worth it? Did they have to kill someone if the need arose? Could she even do it? She and other girls at 1-A talked about it for a while. Most questions were directed to Yaomomo, mostly because her boyfriend was in the new program.
But what pushed Kyoka to that decision was the fact that overnight Yaomomo disappeared. Her room was barren of furniture, no trace of the girl. Disturbed by it, she ran to Aizawa-sensei to tell him that her friend was somehow kidnapped. Only to hear that Momo Yaoyorozu was a part of the Guardian program since the very beginning.
Kyoka was dejected by it. Why didn't she tell them a word? Tell her. Weren't she Yaomomo's friend? However, after thinking for a while, she concluded.
Yaomomo always strived to be the best. Ever since the girl joined UA, she pushed herself with brutal training under Midnight's watchful eye. She spent time with Midoriya and Hatsume, not only to get a quality couple time but also further improve her knowledge about anything really.
Midoriya said that becoming a Guardian meant becoming better, becoming something more than a normal hero. That's why Yaomomo went there. To prove that she had grown, using her strength to save people in a way that an everyday hero couldn't.
And so, Kyoka decided that she too wanted to do it. She needed to be like her friend and aim higher. She wanted to stand alongside Yaomomo and change the world for the better.
And no, her month-long sexuality crisis after USJ didn't have anything to do with that.
But the moment the giant gate opened, allowing her and other students to move in, she doubted her conviction. Right of the bat, explosions rang through the field, nearly causing her to pass out from the noise. Pillars of smoke rose into the sky as silos, and parts of the buildings were destroyed. Chanks of concrete and pipes flew everywhere. People's screams pealed from the depts of the arena, mixing with gunshots.
What the fuck was going on?! This was way more intense than any of their previous scenarios at Foundational Hero Studies! The entrance exam looked like a playground compared to it.
Hearing faint cries for help, Kyoka ran up to the closest building on fire. Kicking the door open and shielding her face from the wave of heat, she called. "I'm coming!"
Inside looked like a lab; there were multicoloured liquids in glass bottles and some scientific equipment that most likely did things she couldn't even name. Locating the voice, she burst into an office. A woman in lab coat trapped under a hunk of concrete.
Plugging her jacks in, she sent a sound wave, breaking it apart. "Can you walk?" Kyoka asked, checking for injuries.
"I think." She replied in a shaky voice, trying to stand up, ultimately, falling forward as a yelp of pain escaped her lips.
She caught her, supporting the woman. Wow, those guys were excellent actors. Moving the woman to the makeshift rescue centre, Kyoka ran further into the field. Despite all of the irritating noises, she was still able to locate the trapped people, giving directions to the other participants.
What disturbed her greatly, were the modified LTDs. It wasn't about them having military cloths and realistic looking riffles. No. What gave her chills were faces made from some material that felt like skin and the reddish liquid pouring from their bodies. They seemed so human-like that she stopped once or twice to check if it wasn't an actor, who played dead. Of course, all of the dummies had a light indicating if they were out cold, severely injured or even dead. So far, she didn't come across any red lights, only yellow and orange.
A relatively soft click made her stop. Snapping her head to the side, she only caught a glimpse of the robot aiming at her. Kyoka barely jumped behind the wall, when the first volley of bullets rushed at her, painting the pavement with bright pink.
Pulling out a sound-gun from her belt, she snapped it on her wrist and plugged in her jack. Pulling her headphones on, muffling the noises to the manageable level, she sprung forth, tumbling on the ground. Taking her aim, she sent a quick pulse of soundwaves at her adversary. The robot was pushed back, bumping against a wall. It clutched its head, writhing a little, before stopping. In the centre of its chest, a yellow light popped out.
Releasing a breath, Kyoka relaxed her body. That was a bit nerve-wracking, but thanks to the UAs harsh...
A cold metal was pressed against her neck, applying a bit of pressure. Her voice hitched, and her brain stopped for a moment. A hand grabbed her headphones, roughly pulling it off her head.
"That's the end for you, hero." The robot said without emotions. However, the voice sounded real to her.
Kyoka's body jerked a little, but the end of the gun dug deeper into her neck.
"Try to move, and I'm going to shot your head off. Tell me how many of you are left." The dummy commanded, its tone suddenly dark and threatening.
She couldn't find her voice and her mind went blank. What was going on? This was batshit insane! Were Guardians supposed to deal with that every time they went into the field?! She couldn't stop herself from shivering.
"Your choice the..."
Suddenly there was a thunder-like sound followed by chirping. Then came two thumps, and something wet hit her back.
Swallowing hard, Kyoka shot up and quickly turned around. The robot laid on the ground, next to it out cold actor. The dummy's head rolled a few meters away, and red liquid poured from its neck—red light shining brightly on the chest.
Snapping her gaze to the side, she saw Kaminari kneeling on the ground. His hair pushed up, and golden bolts of lightning dancing across his body. Yet all she saw were the patches of red on his clothes and his outstretched hand. The boy stood up and gazed at her with shining eyes, stopping the breath in her chest.
His eyes... there was no trace of goofiness or stupidity. There were sharp, boring into her head. His expression was stone-like, and a few droplets of crimson only added to the dangerous aura around him.
Kaminari's gaze shifted for a second from her to the actor on the ground. "Take him to the gates. The path is clear." He told, no, ordered her in an impassive voice.
Before she could reply in any form, the teen jumped up, catching the pipe, pushing himself further from it, vanishing from her sight in seconds yellow-black blur.
Her legs gave away, making her fall on her butt. Just what was going on?
Ochako wasn't exactly sure why she chose to participate in the Guardian Transfer Exam. Training to be a hero on its own was already demanding, and from what Aizawa-sensei told them, the new program would be even more insane. She didn't need to do it. All she had to do was train hard, graduate, get into a decent agency, and raise money for her parents.
But here she was, running around the urban area, trying to make sense of what was happening around her. From the comms, she was aware that somewhere north of her was a big stand-off. 'Heroes' were trying to get to the barricaded 'villains', who were protecting the base of operation. Or something like that. She couldn't make much sense of it, seeing as most of it was in English and... Spanish? Or was it Portuguese?
No matter, her focus laid elsewhere. There were still many robots on the street, which caused panic around. As far as she knew, about half of the field was already evacuated. She helped here and there, trying to avoid the confrontation with dummies and their deadly guns. Seeing as she was a close-range fighter that couldn't quickly close the distance, Ochako believed that she would have a hard time with robots controlled by Alan.
Running up a little, she jumped at the edge of the building, activating Zero Gravity on herself. A set of wings opened on her back, helping her to stabilise her flight. Correcting her course with swift releases of pressurised air, she made it over the street, landing safely on the rooftop. She was truly grateful to Hatsume and Midoriya for upgrading her suit like that. And getting rid of those stupid high heels.
From the building, she was currently on, came a distress signal a minute or two ago. Supposedly there was a big-shot businessperson who had some government connections—clearly, a VIP person who couldn't get caught by the enemy.
Going through the rooftop entrance, Ochako quickly descended to the floor, where the target's signal came from. Thinking that the stealthy approach was necessary in case that enemies were also inside, she tiptoed from door to door, cracking it open just enough to see the interior. Finally, she arrived at the conference room in which she spotted a trembling person who clutched to the briefcase.
"Hey. I came to rescue you." Ochako announced, coming closer.
"About time!" The man shouted angrily at her. "I have connections! I can easily cut the support the heroes get from the government, you know that?!"
Blinking at the outburst, she sheepishly laughed and scratched the back of her head. "S-sorry for that. I had to make sure that the floor was secure."
Standing up, Ochako moved to the windows and peeked through blinds. She saw a small street under her and not a living soul around. Good, the escape route was clear.
Coaxing the actor, who got on her nerves, she grabbed onto the man, activating her quirk on them and jumped from the window. Controlling their descend with pressurised air, she gently lowered them to the street.
Step one cleared. Now step two - transporting the VIP into the safe zone.
Manoeuvring through the alleyways, diligently double-checking every corner, Ochako slowly, but surely, escorted the man closer to the safe zone. However, life was a giant jokester. Just five alleys away from the destination a blade shot out from the dark corner, scraping her arm with bright green paint.
Immediately she jumped back, taking VIP with her, despite his screams of distress. Assuming a pose that was all but drilled into her by Gunhead, Ochako prepared herself to face her enemy. She watched the gleaming blade reflect sunbeams and black military boots appearing from the dark, along with the rest of the robot in the military garb. She saw some during the exam, mostly lying motionless on the ground with an orange or red light shining from their chests. Still, it was her first time being so close, so personal to one.
"Hand over that man, and I won't carve your face." The LTD told her in the cold, machine voice.
She didn't answer, only shifted her stance ever so slightly, reading herself for combat.
The robot sprung forward, covering the distance between them almost instantly. It was fast, really fast. But not as fast as Gunhead when he was serious. She dodged, the blade leaving a tiny green line against her helmet. Her hand shot out, fingers almost touching the body before she had to duck from the knife aimed at her throat. Ochako positioned herself for a rising uppercut, yet at the last second was forced to jump back from the downwards strike.
The robot was annoying and quick. If nothing changed then for the remaining time of the exam, she would have to fight off the machine. Running away wasn't an option. Not because of her pride or something along those lines. But because of the gun in the holster. She doubted that she could dodge a bullet.
Sparring a glance to the side, she confirmed that VIP hid - his trembling form showing from behind the mailbox.
A sudden shadow overcast her, making her roll to the side. Ochako blocked another two swipes, just barely avoiding the unexpected kick. Damn it! The skill difference was way too big for her to win it; she could just hardly defend herself.
Getting a bit desperate, Ochako formed a very rushed plan that involved way too much luck for her to be comfortable with it. But she felt lucky today.
Weaving between the strikes, she did her best to keep close to the robot, waiting for the opportunity. Stepping to the side, away from a downward slash, Ochako did not step back when blade rose. No, she lunged forward, pushing her shoulder as close to the LTD as she could. Then her wings opened, shoving machine back just a tiny bit, taking away it's balance.
Not letting the chance go away, Ochako rushed forward, tackling the robot to the ground. Catching the hand holding the knife, she swiped her free palm at the exposed neck. But machine grabbed her wrist just shy from her target. Gritting her teeth, Ochako tried to push with her whole weight to close the distance, but the robot shook his hips, throwing off her balance.
They rolled a bit on the ground, finally with her enemy coming on top. Forcing his right closer to her, the machine pressed harder, trying to push the blade into her chest. Trashing her body around, she attempted to free herself, but all she managed was getting some loose space for her left leg. Betting on the realism of the scenario, she risked, taking a page from Yaomomo's book.
A knee to the groin.
The effect was instantaneous, the robot yelled loudly, its body jerking to the side. Not being the one to waste an opportunity, she smacked her hand into the 'skin' on the neck, feeling the effect of her quirk taking its hold. Twisting a little, Ochako kicked the machine hard, using additional power from the spring in her heel, sending the robot through the broken glass into a shop.
Quickly standing up, she tried to catch her breath. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the VIP still trembling behind his cover. Power walking to him, Ochako grabbed the man by the arm and started dragging him away.
Not even twenty meters away, she heard a loud bang and felt something graze her shoulder. Snapping her head to look behind, she saw the machine drifting through the air in the arc, aiming the gun at them. Thinking fast, she tackled the VIP as another shot was fired.
Touching her hands together, she deactivated Zero Gravity, making the robot fall. Standing up, she shielded the man, desperately trying to think for a way out of this situation.
She watched as the machine stood up and aimed a gun at her. Ochako snapped her eyes shut, accepting her fate. Just then she heard a sound similar to the engine of a race car and a loud battle cry.
Opening her eyes in surprise, she saw Iida driving his feet into the robot's side, sending it into the wall. She followed the machine's movement, her gaze settling on the bright red light in the middle of the chest.
"Uravity, are you okay?" The teen asked, offering a hand.
Grabbing the palm and was about to answer, but the feeling of something wet on her palm stopped her. Taking a good look at her classmate, she saw his costume marred in splashes of red - especially around his legs.
Swallowing hard, she just nodded and stood up, keeping an eye on Iida. A mass of question swirling in her head.
The two of them escorted the VIP into the safe zone, the words of gratitude falling deaf to her ears.
Before Iida could take off, she caught his arm, surprising both of them by her act.
"Uravity? Is everything all right?" The teen asked, clearly worried.
Biting her lip, she released her hold. Her eyes were roaming around, trying to avoid her classmate figure. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for her, Ochako asked. "Why?"
She cringed a bit at her voice. It was a shaky, almost choked whisper. Observing Iida closely, she saw him tilt his head a little and touch his chin. Now that she thought about it, she should make it more clear.
However, before she could correct herself, the boy took off his helmet and looked at her with an unreadable expression. She squirmed under his gaze, once again looking away.
"Because I owe it to my brother, Midoriya-san and society." He stated, releasing a deep sigh. "Because of my shortcoming, a tragedy happened. Because of my anger, the life of a man was taken. Yes, he was a villain, but that doesn't justify it." Iida paused and looked her directly in the eyes. "Because if I don't do it, I would not be able to live with myself. I may fail at becoming a Guardian, but if I don't try, then I might as well give up on being a hero." He ended with a small, pensive smile.
Ochako took a moment to mull over the words. A realisation hit her. Finally, she understood why she was here. She wanted to be like Iida. Since the beginning of the school, Ochako was stuck with him, and the two became fast friends despite the apparent differences. The teen was like an inspiration for her: to study and work harder, to aim higher. That's why she took the Guardian transfer exam.
Because she wanted to be right next to Iida and make the world a better place.
Smiling lightly, she opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly something hit her head, painting a part of her visor in bright orange.
"Ochako Uraraka, you've suffered a lethal hit. Please move to the area in front of the Centre." Alan's voice cut through the comms.
However, she was more focused on Iida. The boy touched the back of his head and looked at his fingers - orange on his fingertips. The guilt filled her as the shock and regret passed through the boy's features.
"Iida, I'm so sorry!" Ochako shouted, bowing down. She felt her eyes water. It was her fault for eliminating Iida. If only she didn't stop him. If only she was a bit stronger to fight that robot on her own. If only...
A hand touched her shoulder, forcing her to straighten up. With teary gaze, she looked at her classmate, who smiled lightly at her.
"It's all right. I'm not mad." He released a sigh. "Let's go; we are only creating an obstacle for other participants at this point."
She took off her helmet and rubbed her eyes to get rid of tears. Grinning brightly she felt into a step with Iida. "Do you wanna go grab a bite? I've heard that Lunch Rush is making some big buffet."
The teen looked at her, nodding. "That sounds wonderful."
Hovering just above the ground, Inasa Yoarashi, sped through the dense foliage of the forest. So far he felt pretty good about his performance in this Guardian exam - saving a few people and taking down some robots, so their light shone yellow. There were only a few minutes left, and he wanted to score some more points—all to be a better hero than Endeavour.
Inasa, despite not participating much on social media sites, closely followed the whole Quirkless Ban Law scandal. Imagine his lack of surprise when he learnt that it was Endeavour's doing. That despicable man most likely couldn't bear the shame and humiliation from seeing his son beaten up by that Midoriya guy.
He would never say it out loud but seeing Endeavour in cuffs and nozzle, gave him great pleasure — one arsehole less in heroics.
That's why Inasa was here at UA, taking Guardians exam. While most of his friends as Shiketsu didn't want to travel here, due to the school's rivalry, he came here and aimed to pass the test to ensure that there will be fewer heroes like Endeavour in the future. To have such dispassionate men and women would be a disaster.
And that included that damnable son of Endeavour. Inasa still remembered their brief interaction at the Entrance Exam for recommended students. The hateful gaze and cold attitude. That was what drove him away from attending UA. He didn't want to have anything to do with Shoto Todoroki.
Unfortunately, the universe had different plans — like a giant ice wall that suddenly popped some distance away.
Stopping for a moment, Inasa listened carefully. A sound of gunfire reached his ears — lots of it. Gritting his teeth in anticipation for unpleasant dealings, he rushed there, rising into the air. Getting a better view of the situation, he saw a small group of robots closing in on the ice structure that had a group of people behind it.
Flexing his hand a little, he swept it at the machines, sending them into the trees with his winds without much effort. Nodding to himself, he lowered his altitude, touching the ground near civilians and Shoto Todoroki.
The grimace already made its way onto his features.
Todoroki blinked at him with the lost look, before opening his mouth. "Thanks."
And just like that, a world came to a stop. What? Did the son of that flaming bastard just thank him? That was… unexpected and weird. Maybe he got hit or something because there was no way that someone like Todoroki would thank someone for saving their ass.
Before Inasa could retort, he spotted a bright-coloured spot on Todoroki's shoulder. Looking closer, he saw similar paint in the hair of one of the civilians.
"Hey." He called in a neutral tone. "You got hit."
Todoroki nodded and looked at the group. "Are all of you unharmed?" The boy asked with a voice that Inasa would dare to say was laced with care.
Something wasn't right. Inasa felt like his whole world was suddenly thrown upside down. Todoroki, the son of burning scum, was acting nice. That family didn't act nice, friendly, with care, or anything close to it.
The guy turned to him to say something, but suddenly his eyes widened, and cold rushed past him.
"What the heck do you think you're doing?!" Inasa snapped angrily, winds swirling around him. If that bastard wanted to start a fight, he would gladly deliver it.
"You're welcome." Came the reply in a neutral tone.
Quirking his brow, he turned around and swallowed hard. There, between the trees was one of the robots with a sniper rifle, encased in iced. And before him, just a few centimetres away from his face, a magenta stained patch of ice.
He was just saved from being eliminated by Todoroki. The same Todoroki that a few months ago brushed him off.
"Thanks…" Inasa choked out, turning to the boy. A frown marred his lips. "You're different from before." He started, unsure of what to say.
Todoroki tilted his head a little. "Before? Oh, you're that guy from the exam for recommended students." The boy said in recognition. And then he bowed at a perfect ninth degree angle. "I'm sorry for the way I acted back then."
At first, Inasa didn't react, feeling like his brain shortcutted from all the weirdness he experienced in those last few moments. "It's okay. I forgive you." He mumbled, scratching the back of his head. His thoughts were running miles per second.
"I'm going to escort the group back to the entrance. Be save on your way; there are still some robots roaming around." Todoroki said, walking away.
"Wait!" He shouted after a few seconds, running up to the group. "I'll go with you; it will be easier to protect them with the two of us." That and it will give him a chance to watch Todoroki closer. The guy changed quite a bit in the last months. So much that Inasa felt ashamed of assuming some things about the boy.
"I'm Gale Force." Inasa said, sticking out his hand.
"Shoto." Todoroki replied, shaking the palm.
"No, no. I mean your hero alias."
"Shoto."
Inasa snorted. What a strange guy. Wait… why was he feeling like a hypocrite?
Eijiro ran through the gates as soon as the exam started. He only had a limited amount of time, so he needed to make the most out of it—all to get to the Guardians.
There was a chance that the Guardians would go after League and by extension Bakugo. He needed to get in. To get to his buddy and strengthen this mess out.
When things went awry, and the whole class started to isolate Bakugo, he tried to act as a mediator of some kind. He understood that what Bakugo did to Yaomomo was terrible, almost costing her life. Still, he believed that there was a logical explanation for it. Those around him just misunderstood Bakugo; couldn't see the gentle soul in him.
But the more time passed, the more people turned out on his buddy. Even he was in doubt a few times, which wasn't manly. A real man never doubts his friends.
Although, he would lie if he said that he wasn't disturbed by Bakugo joining the League. And attacking All Might. And Midoriya… Yeah, a whole lot disturbing. Especially after discovering that Midoriya was a cool guy.
Shaking his head lightly to get back on track, Eijiro ran into the alley, stopping at the end. Peeking out to scan through the street he hadn't spotted any enemies. Although, he heard some gunshots some distance away.
He was about to go in that direction, but a rapid knocking against a window stopped him. Looking around, he saw an older woman in the house. Nodding to himself, he went to the door and opened it, stepping inside.
"Ma'am, please go with me. This place is not safe." He said quickly. However, he immediately spotted a slight problem. The woman was in a wheelchair. "Would you like me to carry you? It'd be a bit faster." He proposed kindly, already kneeling.
"Oh, that's so nice of you." The lady replayed, latching onto him.
Making sure that a woman was secure Eijiro walked towards the door, his heart swelling a bit in joy. He felt like a real hero—a hero who would help his buddy in the future. That put a smile on his lips.
Sudden wetness hit a side of his face, along with a smell of paint. Before he could react, he heard. "Eijiro Kirishima, you've suffered a lethal wound. Please move to the area in front of the Centre. Refrain from aiding other participants on the way back."
Eijiro stood numbly for a few moments. A single through running through his mind.
Why?
Neito believed that it was finally his chance to show those stuck ups from 1-A the superiority of his class. He talked some of his classmates into participating in that Guardian Exam. If in the end more of his classmates would end in Guardian Course than those 1-A bastards, it would clearly mean that 1-B was above them.
No, no, Neito. Not if, but when.
However, he might have done a slight, tiny miscalculation on his part. Being precise the brutality of the exam.
So here he was right now, running like a headless chicken through the alleys, he tried his best to lose those pesky robots that chased after him. In hindsight, separating himself from others and not grabbing a Quirk was a horrible decision. He wanted to show off, saving civilians from the machines, which would no doubt grab him a spot in the programme. But now he was royally screwed.
Ducking behind a low wall for cover, Neito did his best to not scream like a girl when a volley of bullets his hiding spot. Suddenly, he heard a crash, some grunts and after that a silence.
Blinking, he rose a bit to check on the situation. All of the robots we're laying on the ground, yellow and orange lights shining on their chests. Between all of them, he was a familiar figure.
"Ah, Kendo!" He called jumping to his feet. "Nice timing. Although I was just about to take care of them, your assistance is appreciated. Now the two of us can show those stuck ups…" He ranted but stopped at the flat gaze he was getting from his class president. It promised a lot of pain.
She took a breath and opened her mouth to say something, but ultimately closed it and shook her head, releasing an irritated huff. Turning on her heel, she ran away, a few civilians following her.
Neito blinked. He expected her to be more physical with him. Maybe it was that time of the month?
Suddenly he heard a click of a pistol behind him. Turning around with a comical slowness, he saw four more robots with their weapons at ready.
"I suggest running." One of the androids said.
Neito didn't have time to curse before first bullets were shot at him.