Blossoms of the Dark

X Shouto: Clever

I check my watch. We have less than eight minutes before the second exam. At this point, most of the other kids have arrived.

I take in the arena. There is a field approximately three kilometers in length. Spread on it in equidistant intervals are a variety of obstacles: shifting boulders, lightning clouds, fog machines, small volcanoes, tar pits, and so much more.

Just five minutes before the practical exam, a new examiner arrives. She proceeds to tell us the format of the exam.

"You will be divided into groups of six. You will be competing against the five from your group. The objective of the exam is simple: use your quirks to race three kilometers. The first three from each group will be the first ones to take the interview portion of the exam."

It seems simple enough. But I won't take this any less seriously, though.

I am put in a group with the wind quirk guy, body-splitting quirk girl, and three other kids. Hanada-san is not in my group. I am a bit dismayed by that.

But now is not the time for being dismal. I channel my anger at Endeavor once more as we take our positions. This time, I intensify my rage. The examiner releases a gunshot and the race begins.

Using my ice quirk, I lift myself from the ground and speed toward the finish line. I freeze the obstacles in my path. Within a few seconds, I see the finish line. I boost my speed and release a wall of ice behind me. I hardly notice the wind quirk guy propel himself and reach the finish line just a millisecond before me. I am too angry to notice or care.

He says something to me. I don't listen. I respond rudely to him, telling him to leave me alone. I don't have time to deal with trivial talk. I have to reign in my anger, and that's proving to be rather difficult.

After what seems like a long time, I finally control my emotions and watch the next groups. Mainly, Hanada-san's group. To be more specific, just Hanada-san.

When the gunshot is released again, Hanada-san walks slowly on the field as the others charge toward the finish line. However, they get trapped in the obstacles. One gets thrown into the air when a boulder suddenly erupts from underneath them. Another one is struck by a lightning cloud. One takes to the air only to be burnt by a volcanic eruption. The others face similar dilemmas, but Hanada-san simply avoids the obstacles. She observes her surroundings with a placid face. She looks from one obstacle to another, stopping in her tracks, waiting, and moving. Stopping, waiting, moving. Stopping, waiting, moving.

I wonder why she is doing that when I notice she's moving her fingers. With her left thumb, she counts the segments of her fingers while waiting. After a certain number of segments, she walks again.

She's counting something. Are the obstacles somehow timed?

I watch each obstacle. After three seconds the boulders pop up from their holes. After seven seconds the lightning clouds release another bolt of lightning. After ten seconds the volcanoes erupt again. The other obstacles behave in a similar way.

The obstacles are timed. That's why Hanada-san is counting and moving slowly. Since she's already broken the code of the obstacles, she doesn't feel the need to use her quirk. At least not yet. Clever. I didn't notice the timing aspect of the obstacles when I was racing because I was so caught up in my rage and went full blast toward the finish line.

Kudos to your observation skills, Shouto. I think sarcastically.

But at this point, some of the other kids have noticed the timing aspect of the obstacles, too. Hanada-san, being observant as she is, also notes their behaviors.

Is she going to use her quirk now? If she's as smart as I think she is, then she will use her quirk now.

And right I am. Hanada-san levitates herself to the top of the nearest volcano and creates a slate of thick rock beneath her feet.

Wait, is she going to use the blast from the volcano to propel herself? Turn a disadvantage into an advantage? It's too risky, though. She'll hurt herself.

As the volcano is about to burst, I look at her face. Her brows are furrowed with concentration. Clearly, floating atop a volcano is taking a strain on her.

The volcano erupts and sends her shooting tens of meters from the point of explosion. Her rock board also goes flying with her. Astonishingly, she grabs the board in midair and positions the board so it faces the ground. She crashes into the ground, and, thankfully, cushions her fall with the board.

She's almost at the finish line. She rises from the ground and turns her back to the finish line. She lifts her arms and releases a powerful stream of water, propelling her to the finish line. She's the first one to finish.

In utter awe of what she did, I run toward her in the hopes that she can explain what the hell she just pulled off. Hearing my rapid footsteps she turns around to face me. I reach her but before I can demand an explanation, she collapses.

She collapses into my arms. 

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