Luke and Todoroki sat to Eraser Head's right, Ms. Joke taking a seat to his left.
Together, they eyed the massive venue the Hero Public Service Commission had prepared for the Exam.
Cities.
An industrial area.
Two tall mountains.
And a body of water, surrounded by patches of forest.
It was like they were looking at Battle Center X all over again.
One of the Hero Public Service Commission's members, who were scattered all across the stadium in their black suits, came to the two Pros and handed over a piece of paper to each of them.
"It's our wedding invitation card," Ms. Joke said as she saw Luke and Todoroki looking toward the documents.
"No, it's not," Aizawa rejected the nonsense brusquely.
Ms. Joke broke into a fit of laughter.
Luke and Todoroki exchanged a glance, not understanding what kind of relationship these two actually shared.
"It's the rules for the first phase," Eraser Head explained to them.
Silence.
Luke let out a sigh. "… And?"
"Oh, let me tell you two," Ms. Joke excitedly said, scooting to her right.
Aizawa instantly scooted further to the right, avoiding contact with her, forcing both Luke and Todoroki to move as well.
Ignoring Eraser Head's obvious displeasure, Ms. Joke leaned to her right, forcing him to lean back.
"All students are given three targets which they can attach anywhere on their bodies as long as they are visible," she told them. "They are also given six balls. If any student is hit three times, one for each target, then he will fail. To pass, one must eliminate at least two students. Simple."
Luke's eyes narrowed.
Having the same thought, Todoroki asked, "What's the pass percentage?"
Ms. Joke smirked. "1540 students are taking the Exam at this center," she said. "And… only the first hundred will pass the first stage."
That shocked the two students, their brows rising to the extreme.
"It's almost like Battle Royale," Luke commented, looking at Aizawa. "Even the passing rate is almost the same…"
Ms. Joke, still carrying a smirk, nodded and went back to her seat.
Aizawa let out a sigh and straightened his spine. "It does sound the same, but… it isn't," he said. "You will understand soon."
Luke was just about to ask more when a RUMBLE shook the entire stadium.
Their heads snapped toward the middle of the stadium, where a rectangular hall was located. Now, the walls of the entire structure were unfolding outward, giving the illusion that it was not made of stone and concrete.
The moment those walls landed on the dirt ground, though, shaking the entire stadium with a BOOM, that illusion shattered.
As the Supervisor from the Commission left the grounds, the packed group of students, all in their Hero Costumes, began scattering as well.
Despite the distance, Luke and the others clearly found the 2-B students.
Not even a moment had gone by when Bakugo left the group, Kirishima following him, apparently shouting for them to stay together.
"I can't believe you still have all your students," Ms. Joke commented. "It's unusual for you not to have expelled a few already… Haha… Have you got too fond of these?"
Aizawa gave a side-eye to Luke and Todoroki, who began looking at the roof, and shook his head. "Not really," he replied. "It's just how… things turned out to be. That's it."
"Laaaaaaaaaaame…" Ms. Joke pouted. "You know… if you have taken a liking to these students…"
"I haven't."
"If!" Ms. Joke shouted. "I said IF… Sigh! Anyway, I wonder why you didn't tell them about that."
"That?!" Luke asked, snapping his head down and looking toward the Pros, Todoroki following suit. "What didn't you tell us, Sir?"
Aizawa kept quiet.
Ms. Joke smirked. "Every year, the test is different," she said, looking toward the arena where the students were still scattering in groups. "But one thing has always remained the same. Like a tradition. Year after year… It will be the same for this year's Provisional Hero License Exam. Do you know what the difference is between UA and other Schools?"
"Sports Festival…" Todoroki replied, narrowing his eyes as the remaining 2-B students ran. "Unlike UA, the other Schools already know our Quirks."
"Yeah…" Ms. Joke nodded. "The top School that broadcasts not only its students' Quirks, but also their weaknesses and fighting styles… Tch-Tch… And that's why it happens every year…"
A loud HONK rang across the stadium as the first phase of the Exam started.
"… the Crushing of UA!"
Luke and Todoroki both sat up straighter instantly.
Not because of the HONK, but because of what was happening in the arena.
All the students had already figured out the winning strategy — to remain in the group and help each other out.
However, instead of attacking each other right away, all the groups, from all the schools, rushed right toward UA's students as if they were being controlled by a hivemind.
It was clear that they had decided together to attack the UA students, ensuring that none of the UA students passed even the first phase.
"Fools…" Luke said.
Todoroki nodded in agreement. "Fools."
"Yeah…" Ms. Joke managed to let out a sigh without losing her smirk. "That's what happens when…"
"These idiots didn't see All Might, I guess," Luke said, cutting her off.
Todoroki nodded again. "They should have at least remembered his smirk…"
Ms. Joke frowned, not finding any sense in Luke and Todoroki's odd conversation.
Before she could ask, though, something happened — something extraordinary — something utterly unexpected.
Cyan-colored lightning crackled.
Green strings of energy raged, becoming a storm.
A BANG resounded as one of UA's students levitated before blinking out of existence.
Crackles rang out all across the arena, cyan bolts of lightning, carrying a green tinge, blurring in and out of hundreds of students.
Then, just as the student had disappeared, he reappeared, again levitating on top of UA's students.
Silence.
"… Oi… Oi… Oi…" The Supervisor's amazed voice rang over the speakers. "60 seconds into the Exam and we have our first winner…
"… from UA High - Izuku Midoriya!"