The sight alone made me let out an amused laugh and gaze at my competitors. 'Well this isn't going to be easy, (Y/n). But here goes nothing.' And with that, the buzzer sounded to initiate the start of the physical exam.

Now it was my time to prove myself. As I rushed in with the other hordes of students, I realized this was going to be more challenging than I had hoped for. As if my nerves weren't enough to set me off, I began getting pushed around by my competitors as they raced forward. 'Oh you have to be shitting me.' My face contorted into one of irritation and I quickly followed suit to their advancements. Running onto the main mock disaster field, we were met with an absurd amount of robots scaling higher than any tiny ones we anticipated.

The first person I had witnessed take out a robot was a kid with blonde hair and some sort of navel lazer. 'Odd quirk..' I pondered. Quickly though, I regained my composure and ran further in hopes of encountering another one before my chance could get taken away from me.

Nearing what appeared to be an alleyway on my right, I was met with a robot around 9 feet (2.74 meters) tall. "Perfect." I announced before winding up my arm like I was pitching a baseball and throwing a ball of water. Directly landing a hit in its chest. "Easy. One point down, about 39-ish more to go." I sigh but shake it off, running the opposite direction and encountering a few more along the way. Adding a couple more points to my total and feeling more and more accomplished as I progressed.

I was finally reaching my goal number and destroyed another 1-point robot until screams and shouts of surprise sounded behind me. Turning around I was faced with the sight of a massive 0-point robot. "What the hell?!" I gasped and stumbled backwards, freezing momentarily as students ran in the other direction around me. It wasn't until I saw that boy who rambled on earlier run into action that I shifted my feet to run with the crowd.

"That kid has to be crazy."

"What? Is he fucking stupid??"

"That's that kid that almost ate it out front!"

"Does he have a death wish?"

People yelled as we ran, distraught over the useless and unnecessary obstacle. As I ran, my head was turned to keep an eye on the scene unfolding behind me. Distracted by the commotion, I ran head first into someone's broad chest. Letting out a pained gasp, I stumble backward. My wrist was caught and I was brought back up to my feet before landing on the ground.

"Are you hurt?"

My eyes panned up to meet the same ones that stared at me so harshly before. I nod and crack a smile, nearly laughing at his concern as if I wasn't the one who ran into him. "We seriously have to stop meeting like this." His face changing from one of worry to one of playful annoyance. "I am aware, it's unconventional."

Loud screams of concern rang once more around us when another competitor spotted a girl trapped under rubble. Turning back around, we were now on high alert. Despite this being a test, no one should be left to get injured. However, we both stood frozen.

That was until that scrawny kid from early rushed onto the field in a panic and launched himself in the air. We all stood stagnant, in awe of his call to action. "Stand behind me." The taller boy said as he stretched his arm in-front of me, still frozen at our legs in fear.

I spoke quietly, still in shock as I slowly pushed his arm down away from me. "I can take care of myself." He turned his head to look at me and glared, repositioning his arm to shield me. "This is really not the time to argue-" He was cut off by the loud blast that echoed the battlegrounds. Looking up we saw that same kid had landed a massive blow on the seemingly unbeatable robot.

Someone around us screamed to duck as debris shot in our direction. Before thinking I created a water barrier around the two of us and stood in front of him, my back to the chaos as debris hit and shook the shield I created. I watched people run past us, getting scraped and scratched by the dirt and rocks stirred up by the robots heavy fall.

As soon as the dust settled, I dropped the barrier. "And with that, that concludes our physical exam!" Mic shouted from above as a mix of groans and sighs made their rounds among the crowd. I looked behind me to see that same kid broken and bruised on the ground. "Did that hit really cause that much damage??" Someone around us spoke. I gazed over to the girl that was trapped before, comfortably passed out on one of the fallen robots.

I let out a heavy sigh I didn't know I was holding in and felt my legs start to go a bit weak. Not enough to fall, but enough to stumble. 'Ugh my limit. I knew I should have drank more water yesterday.' I coughed a little, knowing I dehydrated myself badly this time. "At least it's over now." I said to no one in particular, finally feeling the fatigue catching up to me.

"Remarkable.."

Softly. He spoke so...admirably? I slowly turned to look at him and caught his face. He seemed to dart his eyes between me and the battered boy a few paces ahead of us. "I suppose I really underestimated the integrity of my fellow competitors...I truly have my work cut out for me." His face seemed shocked but...respectful.

I tilted my head at him and gave him a confused look. "Huh? I didn't do anything extraordinary, well not enough to nearly die like this kid over here." I nodded in the direction of where Recovery Girl and the green haired kid were.

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head at me. "I don't understand the comparison, however, I do stand by the fact that I meant what I said about that being remarkable. You created a shield to protect me even though I am your competitor. And he threw himself in front of that robot to spare that girl despite gaining no points in the end." I was pretty flattered to say the least. A little worn out to react extravagantly, but appreciative.

"Oh! Well uh..thanks? I just did what felt right." I bashfully nodded at his kind words and dusted off my clothes before straightening my posture and turning to leave. Seeing as the exam was now over. "I um..." I paused trying to think of the right thing to say. I wasn't used to responding to such high praise from anyone other than my parents.

"I wish you luck for your acceptance into UA...I look forward to seeing you in action." I smiled and waved to him, swiftly making my exit. I was so physically drained, going home and laying in bed after a long shower sounded so good. Knowing the exam was over made me relieved, but I was still nervous to know if I did well enough to be accepted. I just hope my best was enough.

Rounding the corner, I left the battlegrounds and made my way to the bathroom to change. As I did so, Iida stood in the place I left him. Still taken aback by the events of today. "Ah, you as well.." He spoke as our distance grew further apart and cleared his throat before gazing at the aftermath around him. 'I suppose I forgot to get her name..' He thought before silently applauding the broken boy in front of him. Maybe there was more to the exam that he failed to catch sooner. Regardless, he hoped deep down that we'd all succeed and meet again in the hero course in the following months.

Little did he know, I hoped the same. I know I said I looked forward to seeing him in class if we both made it, but I really did mean it. Being in class with him didn't seem like such a bad thing. Especially because I was unable to see his quirk in action today, and that left me curious.

After changing, I made my way to the bus stop and tiredly slumped down in my seat after boarding. My whole body ached and I lazily reached for my bag to grab my water bottle, nearly chugging the rest of its contents. Using my quirk so frequently without staying hydrated really drains me. That's something I'm hoping to work on if I get into the hero course. I need to be prepared in all situations, so I can't let a little dehydration slow me down if I want to be a hero.

Gazing out the window, I watched as we passed different buildings. The sun setting behind them gave them a cinematic and nostalgic feeling. This day felt really strange, but very promising. I had high hopes for the outcome, and I wished nothing but luck for my fellow competitors.

—>—>—>

A/N:

OOPS..forgot to post yesterday ngl but here's chapter 3 😛 ANYWAY. hope this one was good, i'm much more pleased with this storyline than my previous one. xoxo thank u again for reading💕