"Wow!" A spontaneous exclamation escaped me as my gaze landed on the colossal structure before me. It possessed an undeniable elegance and modernity, yet simultaneously exuded a majestic aura, akin to an indescribable work of art. This was U.A., recognized as Japan's premier Hero Academy.
After several minutes spent admiring the magnificent edifice, my initial astonishment gradually subsided, and I proceeded into the building, heading towards the area designated for the written examination. Apparently, due to the substantial number of applicants, students were being allocated to different rooms, meaning it would take some time to ascertain my assigned location.
As I surveyed my surroundings, I observed a multitude of individuals displaying exceptionally bizarre Quirks. A sense of excitement, coupled with a touch of apprehension, washed over me, knowing these individuals would be my rivals for a coveted spot in the nation's top academy.
"Get out of my way, you useless Deku!"
A remarkably loud voice reverberated from the direction of the school entrance. I turned my head to see a blond boy with fiery red eyes shouting at a dark green-haired boy. The blond-haired individual swiftly moved to join the queue, his gaze sweeping around like a predator meticulously observing its prey.
"So, these are the 'extras' I'm destined to crush..." the blond muttered to himself, his voice dripping with arrogance and aggression. This declaration earned him numerous death glares and expressions of animosity from those around him, yet it merely elicited a sadistic smile from the blond.
'Disgusting,' I thought, my disapproval palpable. 'I hardly believe that's the appropriate demeanor for an aspiring Hero.'
"Miss, here is your homeroom number!" a beautiful woman announced, guiding applicants to their respective examination areas. Unbeknownst to me, it had become my turn. I expressed my gratitude to the woman and proceeded towards my designated classroom to commence the examination.
<12:46>
"That was utterly draining..." I sighed tiredly as I made my way to the second phase of the U.A. entrance evaluation, the Heroism Test.
The written examination consisted of two sections. The first covered general knowledge, encompassing history, culture, mathematics, and other subjects. These questions, while challenging for most, presented no significant difficulty for me, though a few required a moment of contemplation.
The second part of the written exam was... more peculiar. It included questions such as:
In a hostage situation, what would be your course of action?If compelled to choose between preserving civilian lives or rescuing a fellow hero, which would you prioritize?
While many of these were straightforward, some caused me to hesitate, my mind wandering as I considered my potential responses. Ultimately, I recognized that these questions aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the applicant's intrinsic character. Naturally, I recorded my genuine reactions, as it was impossible to dissemble in such an assessment.
After walking alongside the other hopefuls, I arrived at a vast hall where numerous applicants were seated. The venue resembled a colossal auditorium. Locating my assigned seat by its corresponding number, I settled in and awaited the commencement of the presentation.
After a few minutes, the lights dimmed, and then...
"HOW ARE YOU, PARTICIPANTS!!!" A booming voice resonated from the center of the stage.
The voice belonged to a tall man with golden hair, wearing sunglasses and attire that blended rock and metal aesthetics. He was readily identifiable to many as Present Mic.
"""....."""
"IT APPEARS THESE INDIVIDUALS LACK ENTHUSIASM!! NO MATTER!! LET US PROCEED!! PLUS ULTRA!!" Mic shouted again, waving his arms in an attempt to uplift the mood.
"""..."""
At this juncture, I began to feel a tinge of sympathy for the Hero.
Suddenly, a large screen descended behind Mic, displaying four prominent silhouettes.
"THE EXAMINATION IS... A COMBAT EXAM!! YOU ARE REQUIRED TO DEFEAT ROBOTS TO ACCUMULATE POINTS!! ARE YOU NOT EXCITED? GIVE ME YOUR CHEERS!!" Mic bellowed once more, nodding to himself, seemingly unconcerned by the bewildered looks from the audience.
"""...."""
"THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT I WISHED TO HEAR!! ALRIGHT THEN..."
He then proceeded to outline the rules, detailing what was permissible and what was not. Essentially, we were allotted a few minutes to destroy as many robots as possible to earn points. There were 1-point robots, small and fragile but exceptionally swift due to a wheel on their single leg. The 2-point robots resembled scorpions and offered a balanced challenge. The 3-point robots were large and formidable but moved very slowly. Finally, there was the 0-point robot, which... I had no idea what it did. Seriously, he offered no explanation beyond stating it was a surprise and a futile effort to defeat, as it yielded no benefit whatsoever. From the silhouette on the screen, I surmised it resembled a tank or something similar.
After the explanation, we were divided into various groups, from group A to G, each assigned to a different Artificial City to imbue the situation with a sense of realism. We were now on a bus en route to our designated area; in my case, Zone F.
The interior of the bus was hushed, every individual bearing a predatory expression. It was at this precise moment that I realized my fellow aspirants would stop at nothing to emerge victorious. I unconsciously sharpened my gaze as I scrutinized the other hopefuls.
Upon disembarking the bus, we were confronted by a colossal wall, emblazoned with a prominent letter 'F' in the center of its gate. After a few minutes, the gate opened, revealing a vast, entirely deserted city. Everyone adopted a ready stance, poised to enter the city with maximum speed. My heart pounded rhythmically, nerves coursing through my very bones.
"Good luck, do your best, dear! Your daddy is cheering for you!"
A memory from that morning flashed through my mind.
I drew a deep breath to quell my internal apprehension before a wide, excited smile spread across my face. I adopted a stance, ready to launch myself into the city.
"ALRIGHT, LET THE EXAMINATION BEGIN!!!" Mic announced, his voice reverberating among the participants.
'Here we go!' I thought, my face alight with anticipation.
In less than a blink of an eye, my world shifted to grayscale. And in the very next instant, I materialized directly in front of a 2-point robot. I delivered a powerful high kick to its head, effortlessly destroying it.
'Metal isn't that sturdy!' I thought in surprise, before grinning and dashing towards the next robot. 'Then I shouldn't squander my 'Acceleration' if all the robots are made of the same material!'
The other aspirants quickly realized that the Practical Exam had commenced and began swiftly dismantling robots. As I ran, I found myself encircled by three 1-point robots, all converging simultaneously in a coordinated attack. I swiftly charged towards one of them. The robot reacted promptly, launching a punch at me, which I easily evaded by ducking to the left. With a leap, I managed to land on top of it. I glanced sideways at the two robots that were almost directly behind me and quickly delivered a powerful punch to the robot's head. I then turned my head to see that the two remaining robots had already aimed their fists in my direction. With an amused smile, I dropped off the destroyed robot, using its husk as a shield to block their incoming punches.
Taking a breath, I utilized another 'Acceleration' and appeared atop one of the two robots, swiftly dismantling it with a low kick. The other robot attempted to move, but its arm was entangled in the remains of the first robot, presenting me with an easy opportunity to destroy it with a punch.
'That makes a total of 5 points so far. Not bad at all.' I thought, taking a breath, feeling one of my 'Accelerations' begin to recharge.
I dashed off with a victorious smile, seeking more metallic targets to dismantle.
"This is enjoyable!"
After a few minutes, Lena had already accumulated 20 points. Half of the examination time remained, and although she felt confident she had already secured a passing score, she continued to dismantle as many robots as possible to guarantee her placement in U.A.
Utilizing 'Acceleration,' she ascended a building to gain a superior vantage point of the terrain, scanning for areas with higher concentrations of robots. After a few seconds of surveying, she could discern the locations of several 3-point and 2-point robots. Although tempted to prioritize the 3-pointers, they necessitated three powerful blows to destroy each one, which would consume significant time and effort. She was already beginning to feel hungry, and with half the time still remaining, she had to carefully manage her energy reserves.
Suddenly, I observed a robot on the verge of running over a participant who had sustained a leg injury. Reacting swiftly, I used 'Acceleration' twice to reach the individual's location. I appeared at the robot's head and delivered a forceful blow, destroying it instantly.
"Are you alright? Do you require assistance to reach the entrance?" I inquired, leaping off the robot and approaching the participant.
"I—I don't need your help, get lost!" the participant shouted, attempting to stand but failing miserably.
I was about to protest when a medic abruptly appeared beside me and escorted the participant away, despite his vehement protests.
Sighing to myself, I resumed my search for more robots.
In the end, I managed to accumulate 41 points, which I deemed a satisfactory score. Following the exam, the medical team examined me for injuries, but aside from a few minor cuts, there was nothing serious.
I was currently seated on the couch at home, watching television. A week had passed since the entrance examination, and although I felt confident in my success, a nervous tremor still coursed through my body whenever I recalled the test.
Winston entered the living room, a letter in his hand and a smile on his face. "Hey! Guess what just arrived in the mail from the— hey!" Before he could finish, Lena snatched the letter from him in less than a second using 'Acceleration.'
Sulking playfully, he settled next to Lena to see the contents of the letter.
Lena carefully opened it, revealing a small, black circular device. She placed it on the living room table, and a projection of All Might materialized.
... .. . ALL MIGHT?!
"HELLO! I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION! BEFORE YOU INQUIRE AS TO MY PRESENCE, ALLOW ME TO CONFIRM THAT, YES, THE RUMORS ARE ACCURATE: I WILL BE TEACHING AT U.A.!" All Might greeted with a brilliant smile, though, as always, his smile remained unchanged.
"WE ARE IMPRESSED BY YOUR TALENT, MISS OXTON! YOU HAVE PERFORMED EXEMPLARY ON THE EXAMINATION!" All Might exclaimed cheerfully.
Indeed, she had succeeded. Lena and her father fell into a stony silence, eager to hear All Might's definitive pronouncement.
"YOU HAVE PASSED! AND WITH A REMARKABLE SCORE TO BOOT!" All Might declared, clapping his hands as a large scoreboard displaying numerous names was revealed.
...
-Scoreboard- Bakugo Katsuki - 77 EP - 0 RP Lena Oxton - 41 EP - 35 RP Eijiro Kirishima - 39 EP - 35 RP ...
...
"THIS IS THE SCOREBOARD FOR THE EXAMINATION! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU RANKED NUMBER 2! YOU ARE LIKELY WONDERING WHAT 'EP' AND 'RP' SIGNIFY, AREN'T YOU? WELL, 'EP' STANDS FOR ELIMINATION POINTS, AND 'RP' STANDS FOR RESCUE POINTS!" All Might explained rapidly, or rather, as if reading from a script off-camera. "WE NOT ONLY EVALUATE YOUR COMBAT PROWESS BUT ALSO YOUR ATTITUDE AS FUTURE HEROES!"
Lena was genuinely surprised. She had indeed assisted several participants who appeared to be struggling with robots or had sustained injuries, but she had not anticipated receiving a reward for such actions.
"WELCOME TO YOUR HERO ACADEMY! PLUS ULTRA!!!"