After what seemed like years the looping message on the monitors changed now displaying a timer counting down from five minutes.
"All applicants have arrived at their testing destinations, the exam will now begin in five minutes."
Kenji and Toga shared a serious look as the clock continued to tick down, "You remember the plan?"
Toga rolled her eyes, "I hope so, I was the one who planned all of it."
Kenji grinned as he cracked his knuckles and neck, "That's a bit a stretch don't you think? But we can argue about it later."
Toga nodded as she reached into her crop top and pulled out a small glass vial with a bright red liquid sloshing around inside, "Hopefully two months of martial arts helps with killing Dread beasts."
"Can't believe I didn't think that learning how to fight might be useful before your father beat me ass," Kenji muttered in response as he continued limbering up.
"Just admit I'm smarter than you, already." Toga teased as she unstopped the vial and quickly chugged its contents. Wiping her mouth with a steamy sigh a heavy blush spread across Toga's cheeks as her body started to transform.
Patches of dark orange fur sprouted up across Toga's body before growing at visible rate as her hands morphed into massive paws tipped with dagger-like claws. Next a sickening crunch echoed through the air as Toga's jaw shifted making room for her new set of fang-like teeth.
Shaking her head as the transformation finished Toga blinked revealing her eyes had changed into glowing predatory slits, "Ugh, I hate the way that feels."
"I think you mean, thank you Kenji for buying overpriced monster blood." Kenji teased in a sickly sweet voice. Toga's only response was to flip him off with a clawed middle finger and place the other hand on her hip.
Opening his mouth to respond Kenji was interrupted as the monitors started their final countdown.
"The practical exam will begin in 10…9…8."
The joking atmosphere around Kenji and Toga disappeared as looks of intense concentration settled onto their faces.
"5…4…3…2…1…the examination has begun."
With a loud bang the chamber walls retracted letting sunlight stream into the room and nearly blinding half the people inside. But by the time people's eyes adjusted the walls had fully retracted revealing that they were in the middle of a city complete with skyscrapers, cars on the road and human-like automatons going about their day.
For a moment nobody moved, unsure of what to do in the seemingly normal city. Then the ground started to shake with enough force to send small pebbles bouncing into the air, before a series of blood chilling roars split through the air.
Like a starting pistol at a track meet, people exploded into motion spreading out in every direction desperate to earn as many points as possible as quickly as possible. Some took to the air using their quirks, or mutations, and Kenji even saw a lumbering metal golem appear out of thin air with a group of people standing on its shoulders.
"Come on, stop getting distracted," Toga complained as she jumped up onto Kenji's back.
"Alright alright, just give me a second," Kenji shouted back in mock anger as he summoned his void armor covering his arms in the tar like substance. Getting down on one knee Kenji placed both his hands on the ground and focused, 'Come on don't get performance anxiety now.'
Fortunately for Kenji his countless hours of practice paid off as his shadow spread out in a pool around him, "Hang on!"
Kenji felt Toga's grip tightened around him as his shadow surged up into the air forming a stationary black wave with them riding the crest. With a grunt Kenji commanded the wave forward and his shadow obeyed surging forward in an unstoppable tide.
They quickly caught up to the crowd of people without speed enhancing quirks but instead of moving around them, Kenji's wave barreled forward undaunted.
The people in Kenji's path shouted out in alarm as they were swept off their feet. Gritting his teeth Kenji took a hold of those caught in his shadow and pulled them up the wave to stand on the crest alongside him and Toga.
"All aboard!" Kenji shouted as his one foot wave surged forward. As they reached the end of the block Kenji realized the section they had spawned in didn't reflect the rest of the city.
Entire skyscrapers had been reduced to piles of rubble and entire sections of pavement had been uplifted from the ground, with overturned cars littering the destroyed streets some sporting massive claw marks.
Then there were the roars, a cacophony of bellowing shrieks and growls that echoed down the street conjuring images of massive beasts just out of sight but always lurking.
That was until one barreled through the building in front of them sending glass and concrete flying through the air like an improvised explosive device. Time seemed to slow down as Kenji got his first good look at a Dread Beast in the flesh.
While they came in all shapes and sizes Kenji couldn't help but think of an iguana as he stared at the rampaging animal barreling towards them. Albeit the reptile was the size of a minivan, with bright emerald scales, and a mane of spikes trailing down its spine and tail.
"Somehow it's bigger than I thought it would be," Toga muttered in Kenji's ear before she tapped him on the shoulder, "I think you've carried them far enough."
Nodding Kenji let out a relieved sigh as he stood up, the umbral wave beneath him collapsed without his direct touch dropping everyone to the ground. Toga stared everyone down as she hopped off Kenji's back who cracked his spine with a series of satisfying pops, "God that was exhausting."
A second ear splitting roar echoed down the street and Kenji and Toga turned to face the emerald iguana barreling towards them dragging its stomach across the ground in a lumbering charge.
"Anyone want to deal with that?"