𝙸 𝙳𝙸𝙳𝙽'𝚃 𝙿𝚁𝙰𝚈𝙴𝙳 𝚃𝙾 𝙶𝙾𝙳, 𝙸 𝙱𝙴𝙲𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝙾𝙽𝙴

六

Izuku stared at the three underground heroes through his sunglasses.

It was his monthly examination where the Hero Public Safety Council had him fight an underground hero.

The 'Underground Heroes' was a group started by the HPSC to monitor illegal proceedings in the country. As far as Izuku was aware, the HPSC had made a mistake in the past and hence had recruited heroes who were passionate about saving people from the shadows. They weren't much for publicity and hence made the best candidates to discover drug dealers and other illegal dealers.

Izuku wasn't sure, but he had heard rumors that someone mysterious spearheaded this group. Someone whose data was only available to the HPSC President and Vice President. This person's identity sure made Izuku curious.

The green-haired boy felt someone enter his range and then stand beside him. He turned his head to the right and saw Yukimaru standing there.

"Are you ready, Izuku?" Yukimaru asked gently.

"Um... D-Do I really need to fight them all together?" Izuku asked nervously.

Yukimaru nodded his head. "Yes, you do, Izuku. You have the potential to be a great hero, but your lack of confidence in yourself is impacting your abilities."

"B-But? Is fighting three heroes together the solution?" Izuku asked.

This time Yukimaru shook his head negatively. "No, it isn't. And that's why we are asking you to do this. If you win this, you know that you're better."

"What if I... Uh, what if I lose?"

Yukimaru shrugged his shoulders. "Then we can have one hell of a training month and then you fight five guys together next month."

Izuku felt himself gulp in fear. "So, if I lose, the number of opponents increase by two every month?"

Yukimaru simply nodded.

"And if I win, they remain the same?"

"No. They increase by four."

"U-Uh..."

"Anyway, I am sure you're going to come out on top," Yukimaru said, as he started walking towards the three heroes. "Good luck, Izuku."

Yukimaru walked up to the three heroes that he had chosen for this test.

One of them saw him approaching and raised a hand in greeting. "Yo, Yuki! What is this all about?"

Yukimaru stopped before them and addressed the hero nonchalantly. "Did not I tell you three that you will evaluate someone?"

"Yeah, you did," a hero with a dark skin replied, "But where is this mysterious trainee that we need to evaluate?"

Yukimaru raised an eyebrow and pointed a thumb behind his back at Izuku. "You are evaluating him."

The three heroes looked behind him at Izuku, then back at him, and then again at Izuku.

"Wait! Wait! You want us to evaluate a kid?" The dark-skinned man asked incredulously.

"I mean, I can understand killing drug lords and all that but fighting a kid..." the last hero mumbled audibly. "How old is he anyway? Ten? Twelve?"

"He is eight." Yukimaru said firmly.

The first hero's eyebrow twitched. "Yuki... With all due respect, how are we supposed to fight a child?"

Yukimaru rolled his eyes. "Don't think. Just fight him. And a piece of advice. Don't underestimate the kid." With that, Yukimaru walked out of the chamber.