"This match was hopeless from the start."
"Of course. The opponent's Lock's team—plus that treeman and the giant woman? They're monsters too."
"At this rate, no one's stopping him from becoming a Pro Hero."
Good Eyes didn't return to the monitoring room. He stood by the arena's edge, watching the ongoing matches while the resting examinees whispered around him, their talk all orbiting one topic—Lock's team.
Even before this exam was turned into a full national broadcast, no one could've predicted how it would unfold.
And yet, what stood out most wasn't just Lock's raw power—it was his presence.
He carried himself like a natural leader, steady and decisive. You could see at a glance that the others followed his lead willingly.
At only fifteen, still in his second year of middle school, the word genius didn't even do him justice.
Good Eyes exhaled slowly, his mind wandering back.
The last time he'd felt this kind of awe toward a young Hero… was when he'd met All Might for the first time.
"All Might," he murmured, "in both strength and charisma, he's unparalleled—far beyond anyone else. But…"
His gaze shifted back to Lock.
"This kid… might just reach that same height."
Good Eyes tapped his finger against his arm thoughtfully.
"Leadership. That's what it is—true cohesion."
Unlike All Might, who embodied pure, solitary heroism, Lock's path leaned toward something different—collective strength.
He'd come to take this exam under a special clause: a unique inheritance mechanism that allowed him to test early—so that he could one day inherit his parents' Hero Agency, the one led by the Dragon Hero duo.
Lock's vision wasn't about standing alone.
It was about standing at the front of a group.
All Might's brilliance was blinding. He carried the burden of peace entirely by himself, refusing to share it.
Even though he technically ran an agency, it had no active pros—just himself.
He took on every mission alone.
No one could help him.
And worse, no one even thought he needed help.
It was noble—but lonely.
Because if peace depends on a single Hero to uphold it… Isn't that, in its own way, tragic?
That's why Lock's emergence stirred something new in Good Eyes.
Hope.
Not for another lone savior—but for a new kind of Heroism.
A team, united under one leader's vision.
A group of elite Heroes working in harmony rather than standing isolated.
A future where power and unity coexist.
That was what Good Eyes saw in Lock—and why he couldn't take his eyes off him.
Maybe… this boy could become the symbol of a different era.
His thoughts were interrupted when Lock himself approached.
He'd come to draw their next opponent from the Winners' Bracket.
Lock reached into the lottery box, unfolded the slip, and read the number aloud:
"2."
A few minutes later, back with his team, Lock held up the slip.
"Well, my luck's not great. We drew an early match—number two."
"That's fine," said Sirius, her voice gentle and reassuring. "There are still forty or fifty teams before us. We'll get a little rest time."
"Maybe not enough for me," Kamui Woods admitted, still catching his breath. His combat uniform clung to his skin, soaked through with sweat.
Lock nodded understandingly. Kamui had fought a draining, drawn-out match in the previous round. Even with rest, full recovery wouldn't be possible so soon.
"Then here's the plan," Lock decided after a moment. "I'll open the match. Death Arms, you're second. Mt. Lady, you'll follow up after him."
"No problem." ×3 voices replied in unison.
Kamui exhaled in relief, grateful for the rest.
The others accepted the plan without question.
Their trust in Lock's leadership was absolute.
As they relaxed, Mt. Lady and Kamui sat back to recover, while Lock chatted quietly with Death Arms and Sirius, deliberately keeping the mood light.
There were still plenty of matches left before theirs, so Lock didn't waste focus watching other teams.
With so many brackets to get through, no one knew who they'd face next anyway. Better to stay calm and conserve energy.
"Hey, Lock," Sirius said suddenly, tilting her head. "Don't you have a combat suit?"
Lock looked down at his outfit—just a plain jacket and sweatpants.
"Yeah," she added, glancing at him, "you're literally wearing casual clothes."
Even her sailor-style Hero suit, though cute, was still functional—built for combat and sound resonance.
Every examinee here wore some kind of reinforced uniform, designed to enhance Quirk performance.
Only Lock seemed to disregard the advantage entirely.
"I do have one," Lock admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I don't think I'll need it."
In truth, his "combat suit" was the Flame Emperor's Armor—a magical construct he could summon if things got serious. For now, he saw no reason to use it.
Besides, he still had to save energy for his unique evaluation later on.
He shifted the topic. "By the way, you've probably heard why I'm taking the exam, right?"
"To inherit your parents' agency—the Dragon Heroes?" Death Arms replied.
"That's right."
Lock smiled, then looked between the two of them.
"So once you both get your licenses… how about joining my agency?"
Both of them froze.
"Huh?" Sirius blinked in surprise.
Death Arms scratched his head. "Uh… that's a big ask, kid." He gestured toward Mt. Lady and Kamui resting nearby. "We've been together since school. Any decision like that—we'd have to make it as a group."
Lock chuckled softly. "Fair enough."
It wasn't a serious offer—just a spark of ambition shared aloud.
Still, the thought lingered.
Then he turned toward Sirius.
"...And you?" he asked gently.
"M-me?" She straightened nervously, cheeks coloring. "I, um… I don't know."
In truth, she had planned to join an ocean-rescue agency after becoming a Pro Hero—her Quirk was perfectly suited for maritime operations.
But the way Lock looked at her—steady, confident, sincere—made her chest tighten.
For a split second, she remembered the warmth of his hand brushing through her hair earlier, and her heart skipped.
"I… I'll think about it," she stammered finally.
Lock smiled. "No pressure. Let's focus on passing the exam first. We can talk about the future once we're official Heroes."
By the time their conversation wound down, all other matches in the 160-to-80 round had concluded.
The eight arenas are split evenly into two new areas—
Winners' Bracket on one side, Losers' Bracket on the other.
Lock's team, of course, stood among the winners.
Their next test—80 teams down to 40—was about to begin.
And this time, victory would mean advancing directly to the third round of the Hero License Examination.