First stage

Words: 1533

JOIN THE DISCORD: https://discord.gg/zawF4jt5xw

I also have up to 20 advanced chapters of this story available on patre0n.com/xlucqs, with the lowest tier being £4 for 5 advanced chapters. Subscribing isn't necessary, but it is greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone who had subscribed so far, I appreciate it!

Also, the first 3 chapters of my new story: Game of Thrones: Corvin Blackwood are on patre0n, and the first chapter of my new One Piece story is there too! Updates will be slow while I work on New Order, but after I finish this story I will turn my focus to those two!

=============

"Hello…Hello…God I'm so tired." A voice sounded on the microphone.

The chatter stopped, and everyone looked up to see a man slouched into the mic with black bags under his eyes and an exhausted look on his face. He looked like a zombie. It reminded Akira of his time in America where he looked in the mirror at the end of everyday…but worse.

Akira sent a prayer out to his fellow brother while the whole room had the same line of thought, 'Is this guy really our examiner?'

"I just want some sleep...." The man yawned, forgetting for a minute that he was supposed to be explaining the exam.

"Welcome to the first of the biannual hero licence exams. I see we gathered a large audience for this exam, much more than the previous year…it only seems to get bigger and bigger, but I suppose it is only to be expected. Now many of you are aspiring students hoping to pass the exam today to get your licence and take your first step towards becoming a hero." There was a chorus of nods across the room, "I'm sorry to put a damper on your parade, well I'm not actually, but the truth is most of you here won't pass today."

Mummers and whispers accompanied Mera's statement, but before they descended any further Mera spoke again. "Becoming a hero isn't just a goal, it's a near impossibility. This is Japan, the country that boasts the best selection of heroes, so we can't just allow anyone to become heros. We must carefully select the best of the best, otherwise the reputation of this country's heroes would fall. There is a reason it has always been so high. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter the reason you want to be a hero. If you are good enough, you will pass, but most of you won't."

Mera's speech spread panic, uncertainty, and a big reality check for most of the examinees.

"Anyway, now that that is over, let's proceed with the first stage of the exam." Mera said casually. "These exams are very important, so we make sure to check the background of all our examinees to make sure there are no potential villains or spies in the mist. It is because of that we have information on your quirks…and your weaknesses."

As he finished his words, the walls around the room seemed to move to his command and slowly began shrinking into the ground. What was revealed was simply short of unbelievable. A vast area of land stretching further than the eye could see, hosting various environments that looked as if they were the real thing. From raging volcanoes that occasionally spurted fire to frosty mountains eclipsed by towering ice glaciers, they had it all here.

"This is our environment simulation field. It has every known environment and landscape you will find in Japan. 'Every quirk had a weakness'. I'm sure you have heard all of that famous quote right? Well, although in recent times this statement may have lost some of its meaning, it is still very much prevalent."

"Before coming in here, each of you was given an examination card as proof of you participating. That card also contains a letter which corresponds with the area you will be assigned to. It will be shown on the big screen now."

Akira glanced down at his card and then back up at the screen. 'The rocky mountains biome' He noted. He wondered what the public details about his quirk, or even if they had details about his quirk. Cathleen's quirk was considered a national level secret only a select few knew about, and Akira's was very much the same. Aside from All Might, Aizawa, Nezu, Chiyo and Tsukauchi, he was certain no one had a rat's clue about his quirk.

After a couple of minutes passed, Mera deemed it time to explain the rules. "Your objective is to eliminate at least 3 other people in your chosen area only. We have an experienced team of people watching on the camera's. Every time you get an elimination you will hear this sound." A low beep played on the speakers, "And once you get 3 eliminations, this sound will play." A louder, more up tone beat played.

"Once you hear that sound, make your way to the tower in the centre where you will officially move onto the next stage. Keep in mind, if you want to, you can eliminate other participants in other areas, but you won't get any points."

Akira put a hand to his chin, deep in thought, 'So that means at most only one quarter of the participants can pass, most likely much less due to a number of factors as well. Those with multiple eliminations can be eliminated, and the fact that you can eliminate more than 3 people.'

It was quite a brutal test to trim the large number of people that had arrived.

"Now make your way to your designated area, you have 10 minutes. How you make your way over, I don't care. You can walk over, use your quirks to get there, or use our designated vehicles which take you to your area. The vehicles have the letter corresponding to the area they will go to, you can't miss it."

If your area is too far away or you don't want to tire yourself out, we have our own vehicles which can take your area. The vehicles have the letter of the area they are going too, you can't miss it."

10 minutes later, Akira found himself in the air, floating above the rocky mountains. By now he was high enough that he could see the entire venue. He heard a loud noise signalling the start of the exam. Glancing around, he saw the beginnings of fights started to cloud his vision.

'Well, might as well get this over and done with.' Akira surveyed the ground below him where he locked on to an unfortunate man in the same area as himself.

Smiling, he controlled the gravity around his body, descending further and further into the ground. Before he could smash into it, he stopped his fall, landing onto the ground with a graceful step.

He decreased the gravity around him, making his body much lighter and faster. Along with his Gravity <Order> he also had super speed, so with each leap Akira took across the rocky mountaintops he was launched over hundreds upon hundreds of metres, gliding in the air for what seemed like forever.

It took him less than a minute to find the person he was looking for. Leaping across the ground again, he sent a push of gravity from his hands, boosting his speed even more. He momentarily observed the person, noting the man was hairy, covered in yellow with black spots and a tail sticking out the end of his back.

Akira tensed his legs, his muscles bulging and begging to be released out of his hero suit. In a split second he managed to clear the short distance between them, and it took him an even shorter amount of time to quickly knock out the cheetah man with considerable ease.

Just as he laid the unconscious body on the floor, his bracelet let out a short ding.

Akira whistled. "One down, two to go."

His next two opponents found themselves experiencing something very familiar. For his second elimination, Akira dropped down from the skies, swinging his foot like a battleaxe. The pure force of the attack created a massive shockwave which dazed his opponent, allowing him to finish him off with a quick chop to the neck.

For the third one, his opponent actually made his way to him, following the sounds of Akira's most recent battle. He had the honour of being able to attack first with his electricity charged whip. Akira easily swerved his way past the flurry of attacks, getting bored shortly after and pinning him down with his gravity to make him willingly surrender.

Ding!

His card let out a unique ping, letting Akira know he had passed. Now all he had to do was make his way to the tower, causing as least trouble as possible. He didn't want to deal with any other participants, knowing that they may have passed if not for him. Competition was one thing, but delaying promising hero prospects from getting their licences for half a year was cruel, and could quite literally cost lives.

Akira stepped into the tower, his eyes being assaulted with a bright yellow room. The room was big, much bigger than it looked, and had a selection of chairs sporting the edges of the room.

'Looks like I'm the first one here.' Akira noted, taking a seat into the corner and closing his eyes. It would still be a couple of hours before everyone passed, so he might as well get in some shuteye.

He opened his mouth, muttering a few <Orders> to prevent him from getting attacked in his sleep. Though unlikely, he needed to be prepared for anything. Shuffling in his seat, Akira turned out the announcements on the loudspeaker and drifted off to sleep.