My Hero Academia - Outcasts

Chapter Twelve - Go! Get Your License 2-A!

The stadium was big, but not big enough to house over 1,000 students, as all of them were crammed into a small room with speakers all around. The walls were dimly lit, allowing those who were supposed to be on stage to slink past the students without being noticed. Whispering and talking shrouded the area, creating a general buzz of excitement and fear at the same time. As the lights on the stage started to shine, a louder voice could be heard through the speakers.

"SHUT UP!" a woman shouted, covering both of her ears as she kicked the mic stand. "IT'S TOO LOUD IN HERE!" She spoke with venom, causing most of the students to settle down and end their conversations. As the murmurs died down, the woman let go of her bat-like ears and smiled, leaning back on her heels slightly.

"Now that I have pure silence, welcome." She said, gesturing to herself. "My name is Otoha Mimi. I'll be your announcer for this exam. I was hired by the Hero Commission to guide you all through the series of challenges ahead." She leaned the microphone away from her mouth, muttering; "Though they don't pay me enough for this''. Otoha rummaged through her shirt pocket and pulled out a remote, clicking it to reveal a slideshow on the screen behind her.

"The rules of the game are as follows. All of you will put three of these sticky targets on your body." The image of several small plastic discs took the screen. "They can go anywhere as long as it's an exposed area. You'll be given 6 balls. You must hit other people's targets and make them light up. If all three of your targets light up red, you're out." As the visual faded, Otoha spoke again. "You get through this round by defeating two people." She nodded, watching everyone nod with her. The woman sighed, tucking her oil-spill hair behind her ear.

"Oh, and by the way, only the first 100 students that fulfill these requirements will pass." She said, a slight grin following her statement. Murmurs turned to shouts almost instantly.

"No way.."

"Only 100?"

"Is she serious?"

"You lot back there, you're too loud." She complained, immediately regretting leaving that aspect of the exam till the end. "Yea, I'm serious. Why else would I say that?" Her deadpan expression annoyed the students. She crossed her arms in front of her, her head falling to her shoulders.

"Apparently there's an 'oversaturation' of heroes, so they cut down this year." Otoha explained, rolling her eyes. "I don't buy it. In fact I think we need more heroes considering our circumstances. But I guess the people took Stain's words to heart." Her reference to the hero killer sent a shock down everyone's spine.

"Who's Stain?" Hisakawa asked, able to hear over the loudspeaker from the stands. She sat a few rows behind the wall protecting the bleachers. Sashiko Maka accompanied her, flipping through pages of a notebook and tapping her pen on the pages to mark them.

"He was a villain who made headlines last semester." Sashiko replied, "He had such an amazing quirk. I wish I could've studied him up close!" She clicked the pen in frustration. Hisakawa held back a sigh, crossing one leg over the other as she stared at the projection screen.

"You don't know who Stain is?" A male voice spoke. It was someone in the stands sitting a few rows behind them. He looked like an American cowboy. A handkerchief was tied to his collar, shrouding most of his face. He was supported by large custom made gloves and boots that had lights in them. His eyes were a piercing yellow, black hair pulled into a ponytail under a ten gallon hat. Hisakawa eyed him carefully, her eyes avoiding his gaze.

"I was in France at that time," she responded, watching as he kicked his feet up on the chair in front of him.

"He was known as the hero killer." The hero said. "Stain believed that heroism should be a desire, not a job. He took it upon himself to cleanse society of what he claimed as false heroes." He held up quotation marks, his voice sarcastic. "Anyways, that psicópata is locked up in Tartarus now. Where he belongs."