Colors in the Dark

[33] Provisional Licensing Exam

A/N: Anyways, welcome back my readers! It's time for your every-other-weekly dose of Ayami's tale. This time? The Licensing exam begins for real, with a lot packed in one chapter.

By the time everyone had their costumes on, they were called into a crowded room, filled to the brim with other students, a huge screen looming on the wall. A very tired voice rang over the loudspeakers. "Ugh... Okay then, let's do this exam thing... I'm from, uh... the Heroes' Public Safety Commission; name's Mera. My circadian rhythm is so screwed up..." He seemed to droop over his podium, causing the high-pitched ringing of the mic feedback. "I've been so swamped lately and I haven't gotten much rest. We're too short-staffed, I'm soooooo tired. With that confession, I'll now begin orientation."

Ayami gave the guy a reproachful look. "I think he should go back to sleep before he passes out here and now," she mused, "He reminds me of Mr. Aizawa, only without the coal-black deadpan stare that's still quite terrifying if you look at it head-on."

"Damn straight," Ares snorted. "Looks like he's about to collapse on himself, and probably break something in the process."

"He'll likely only receive at most a sprain from such actions," Asclepius corrected, much to the red spirit's dismay.

"Anyone ask you, healer boy!? I didn't think so!"

Ayami shook her head, trying to tune their voices out of her mind and instead pay attention to the struggling Mera.

"So, about the content of this license thing. Basically, 1540 examinees compete in a free-for-all exercise or whatever we're calling it this year. See, we've got a lot of Pros around, and since Stain was arrested, many people have expressed doubts about the status of heroes in society. But, when you really think about it, getting paid makes sense. If you're going to risk your life to save someone, why shouldn't you ask for a reward? That's just the way the world works..."

He took a few moments to sigh, blinking often and dragging each moment of his closed eyes out.

"Anyway, whether they're in it for compensation or out of a sense of duty, we've got too many heroes working together in the streets these days to keep villains at bay. Honestly, the time between when an incident begins and when it's resolved is ridiculously short. You're all here to receive Provisional Licenses so you'll be swept up in this tiresome mess yourselves pretty soon. Those of you who don't have the speed, frankly, just won't cut it. Which is why that's what you'll be tested on. The first hundred students to fulfill the requirements will pass today."

Ayami felt a surge of pride at the speed part, reminded of Hawks and how quickly she was becoming able to maneuver, but this soon ended when he said the last part. "Only one hundred!? Out of over fifteen hundred kids!? That is not a fifty percent pass rate! More like hardly six percent!"

Had the spirits not been shell-shockingly alarmed as her, she assumed one of them would have commented on her quick math skills- perhaps Asclepius' tutoring had finally paid off.

Luckily, as she continued to listen, the premise of the game was easy to grasp; it was almost like a game of tag. Everyone was given a set of three targets to put somewhere on their bodies and six balls to hit those on other students. If all three targets are hit, the student fails; whoever lands the final target gets to claim it as theirs. At least two people have to be taken out by a student to pass.

Upon getting her set, Ayami took a moment to figure the best places before putting one target on her right thigh- just above her knee- then another on the inside of her left elbow, and the third on her stomach. Places she could easily either move out of the way or block.