PUPPET // KATSUKI BAKUGO [1]

Chapter 48 // The Start

After getting changed into your costume, you rushed to find the rest of the class, who were already waiting in the session room for the information session to begin.

"[L/N], you're finally here," Asui said upon spotting you. "What held you up?"

"I actually wanna talk about that," you said. "Is everyone here?"

"Uh," Kaminari looked around. "Mineta is missing."

"Eh, we don't need him," you waved off the information. "Everyone in the hallway now."

"What? The session is gonna start in a few minutes," Momo said.

"It will be quick," you assured. "Everyone in the hallway. Go."

The class slipped out of the crowded and noisy room and into the quiet hallway. You closed the door and made sure no strangers were lingering before turning to your classmates.

"Aizawa and I had a talk," you began. "Me and Bakugo were right. Shindo's act was bullshit. Everyone's was. Aizawa confirmed that. All of the other schools know we're top dogs, so they're going to do everything they can to beat us. They were being so nice to keep us from suspecting anything."

"So?..." Uraraka trailed off, seemingly not following.

"So it's not everyone verse everyone," you continued. "It's fifteen hundred examinees against us. They're not focused on beating just anyone. They're all gonna come for us, so we have to work together or else one of us might be stuck fighting two dozen people at once. We should all at least stick with one other person just to be safe."

"We're gonna get jumped!" Kaminari exclaimed.

Bakugo rolled his eyes, not as shocked as everyone else as he was already on the same page as you beforehand.

"We should go back in before we miss anything," Iida stated.

As your classmates quickly re-entered the session room, Bakugo snaked and arm around your waist and tugged you against him as he walked.

"You're with me if we're doin' this whole pair thing," he stated. "Try not to get lost."

"Try not to stare at me too much," you countered. "You might get that pretty little face of yours wrecked if you don't pay attention."

"Don't get smart with me," he said while pinching your hip lightly.

"Alright," a voice boomed, silencing the chatter.

There was a tired looking man standing on the stage at the front of the room. He flipped through some papers in front of him as he mumbled incoherent words.

"Right, you're here for the Provisional License Exam..." he muttered. "I'm Mera. I'm with the Heroes Public Safety Commission. My favorite type of sleep is non-rem sleep. Nice to meet you. Work is so busy that I get barely any sleep. We're also very short staffed. Anyway, with that out of the way, let me explain the exam."

You snuck a glance at Bakugo, who was still holding you against him as he listened to the host. You couldn't help but notice the lingering eyes of your competitors.

"All one thousand five hundred and forty examinees present will be competing in one massive free-for-all exercise," Mera explained, "and we'll be testing you on speed. Only the first hundred examinees to meet the requirements will pass."

'That's one thousand four hundred and forty fails,' you thought, your eyes widening. Bakugo squeezed your hip.

"Going onto the passing requirements," Mera continued. "They involve these," he held up some sort of circular patches. "Each examinee will get three targets. You can place them wherever you want on your body as long as they are exposed. That means no soles of the feet or armpits or on the back of your neck if you have long hair that can hide it. Those with three illuminated targets are considered defeated. To pass, you must defeat two other competitors. That's all for the rules. We'll be handing out the targets after this place opens up."