Reap What You Sow / A BNHA Story

Chapter 8

The feel of my classmates gazes brought forth an unexpected trickle of sweat gliding down my back; that and the circles of fire above me. 

All Might had designed three courses for the each of us, each exercise created specifically for our individual talents and quirks. He had explained on our way here that the outcome we should try to seek from this training session is full usage and comfort of our quirks. Apparently he saw signs of restraint when we were presented with the opportunity to use our powers to their maximum level. Ironic, since he orders me to do the exact opposite. 

I wasn't worried that I wouldn't be able to pass this test because I was limited to two of my eleven quirks, but instead disappointed that I wasn't able to put all that I have into this training exercise. 

 Mina was waving at me enthusiastically, t he rest of my squad raising their thumbs in encouragement. Bakugou sat silently, his arms crossed and gaze on the floor. 

"Sunako, if you look up to your left you will see a digital clock showcasing your timer, you will have 10 minutes to complete your assessment, but may request a time extension in return for five of your points deducted from your score out of a hundred. Good luck." All Mights voice rang in the stadium, perched on a pedestal of sorts at the end of the field. 

Before the 10 minute timer, the numbers went down quickly from a minute, about to signal the start of the course. First up, flaming hoops. I had to go through them without touching the ring itself, if I made contact, it would flash purple, which I believe deducts a point from my score. Along the flaming rings there were also normal bars left for swinging, though I didn't know if I was required to use them or not. 

30 seconds. 

I still had no idea what the second and third obstacles were; a part of the assessment is being able to adjust to situations where you have to think fast, so all I really had was my intuition. 

10 seconds. 

I willed myself to let my head clear, fretting over the future is not something I should be doing a mere 5 seconds before this test. Squatting my body, I dug my feet into the ground to prepare for my lift off. 

Bang! A gun like sound ricocheted through the building as I pushed myself into the air, my flight activated as I grabbed onto the nearest flame-less bar, rotating myself to gain momentum before catapulting my body through the first and largest hoop. The flames were hot, but easily extinguished as I made it through, my flight putting out the fire. Another bar, I spun myself once before landing on top of the structure, finding my balance as I studied the next set of fire rings; three all after the other, ranging from medium to small. I intake a large breath, before jumping down and positioning myself in the centre of the hoops. I stretch my body, setting it on a light spin as I make my way through the flames, my face drenched in sweat that quickly dries off as I successfully pass all three hoops. There were no more metal bars to hold on to, so I simply drifted in the air, appalled to find that my last hoop was only slightly bigger than a dinner plate. I scowled down at All Might, finding him suited with a refreshment in his hands. Unless I broke all my bones, it was entirely impossible to fit there without touching the hoop and without getting stuck. The fire would burn my skin before I had time to wriggle through, if such a feat was possible. All Might had set me up for failure, and this time I had an audience to watch as I went down in flames. 

I dare a look at the clock, 9:05. I had time, but the more I stressed over this hoop, the quicker it would catch up to me. 

What's the number one rule of agility? Fast reaction? Accurate decision making and quick thinking? Though I suppose it doesn't really apply to contests that don't involve an opposing team. I've only got me, myself and I to let down, which for some reason seems a lot more frightening than disappointing the people watching me right now. After all, am I not doing all this to prove to myself  that I can be more than what they've made me out to be? Haven't I had enough of being ridiculed? Shamed?