Chapter 2 - Echoes of Valor in the Entrance Exam

The dawn's embrace shined at U.A. High School, its towering walls radiant in the morning glow, a symbol of heroism standing tall amidst the awakening city. The entrance, a haven of blossoms and the hum of whispered dreams witnessed the quiet anticipation of students gathering for the entrance exam—their gateway to their dreams. As the sun painted promises across the academy, each footstep echoed the aspirations of those who sought to etch their names into the illustrious history of U.A.

Amidst the vibrant tapestry of budding heroes, the entrance gate became a portal to destiny. The air shimmered with the energy of a thousand dreams, dreams of a thousand teens, each with a different quirk and future. These teens, united by a common goal, carried the weight of ambition in their eyes as they approached the gates.

The doors creaked open, revealing the threshold to heroism. Nerves danced in the crisp morning air, but beneath the trepidation, an undeniable spark of determination ignited. The story of heroes unfolded with each step into the hallowed halls of U.A., where the sunny morning held the promise of trials, triumphs, and the forging of destinies. The stage was set for a chapter that would resonate through time—a chapter written in Quirks and inked in the spirit of those who dared to dream of heroism.

As the number of teens continued increasing, murmurs and noises also grew. However, in another room, a quiet one, away from the crowd of aspiring heroes, 2 figures could be seen sitting face to face.

In another room.

"Are you sure? I have already filed a recommendation just in case." One of the figures asked before sipping his tea.

He is Nezu, the principal of U.A., a stout creature who appears to be a possible combination of several different animals which would make him a chimera. He has the head of a mouse with circular black eyes, a large scar over the right one, rectangular-shaped ears, a rather small round nose, and white fur. The Chimera is wearing a white dress shirt, a dark red tie around his neck, a black double-breasted waistcoat and matching dress pants. 

"Yes... I won't be taking the recommendations exam." After a brief moment of silence where the other figure could be seen thinking, he responded.

"Is that so... You should get going then. Good luck little wizard!" The lovely principal said, cheerfully despite being turned down, also teasing the white-haired boy sitting in front of his desk.

"I'll get going then, Whiskered Sage." The white-haired boy said, calling the chimera a nickname too before extending his hands and doing a circular motion with one of his hands.

As his hands move gracefully, a luminescent energy appears out of thin air, slowly intensifying with each movement until the energy forms a glowing portal showing the view of U.A.'s entrance. "By the way, I don't need luck." He added before stepping inside the portal and closing it right after.

His words cause a smile to form on the chimera's face, which soon turns into a small chuckle. "As confident as always..." Clearly entertained with the boy's words, he commented, before hopping off his chair and leaving the room.

At the entrance.

Amidst the sea of students preparing for the entrance exam, a figure with an aura of quiet confidence stood out. A white-haired teen of fifteen, his unique locks shimmered with an otherworldly charm. His stature, both fit and tall for his age, gained most of the attention as he moved through the crowd.

Dressed in ordinary yet neatly tailored clothes, he produces an aura of casual elegance that shows the potential powerhouse within. The fabric of his shirt hinted at his well-toned physique, while a pair of comfortable jeans shows an effortless way of clothing. 

As he enters the buzzing room, his gaze shows a depth of determination and confidence. Amid the aspiring heroes, this white-haired teen stood as a silent harbinger of potential—another hero ready to embark on a journey that would unfold within the revered walls of U.A. High School. 

"Here's your card and your handout, Kazuki-san." A U.A. staff said as she gave a card to our white-haired boy to which the latter thanked her before she moved on to the other students to hand out their respective cards. 

After receiving the card and the handout, and thanking the staff, the white-haired boy continued walking, putting the card in his pocket to be inspected later and trying to find an empty seat in the lively room full of aspiring heroes.

After a few seconds, he arrived at the back of the room, taking a spot in the dark, empty corner, the same spot most students tend to avoid. 

As the boy sat down on the chair, he looked around him, noticing his fellow exam-takers slowly starting to fill the seats as more and more entered the room, before pulling out the same card he received earlier to inspect it.

'Kazuki Tanaka... It seems I'll be sticking to this identity...' The white-haired boy, Kazuki Tanaka thought. But contrary to what's written on the card, the white-haired boy isn't really named Kazuki Tanaka. He is Stephen Strange. An American boy that was adopted by Nezu years ago after a tragedy hit his family when they visited Japan. 

However, the mystery shrouding his identity doesn't end there. Unbeknownst to everyone, he isn't just the ordinary teen, aiming to be a hero like most. He is a teen with the mind and wisdom of the Sorcerer Supreme. A legendary hero, reborn from another world wielding the power of the mystique arts which now has been transformed into the quirk of Stephen Strange or Kazuki Tanaka.

'So, I'm in Area A. Good thing I'm familiar with that.' Kazuki thought after analyzing and inspecting every aspect of the card. After doing so, he moved on to the handout, reading it in his head carefully, trying to find loopholes he could exploit and preparing for the test to come. 

This continued for a few more minutes. Kazuki reads the handout as more and more teens enter and find their desired seats, slowly reaching his seat in the corner of the room. However, unlike most of them, a pink-skinned girl sat next to the white-haired sorcerer.

"Hello there! You seem lonely so I'll just sit here." The pink-skinned girl said cheerfully as she flashed Kazuki with a big smile on her face.

"Oh... You don't have to sit here..." Kazuki said, quite surprised that someone went out of their way to accompany him.

"No worries! By the way, I'm Mina Ashido!" The pink-skinned girl named Mina Ashido said, introducing himself to the white-haired boy sitting next to him.

"I'm Kazuki Tanaka, nice to meet you Ashido-san." Kazuki also introduced himself before they entered into some small conversation.

As more and more entered and the number of people in the room grew, the chatter and noises also increased as more and more people talked with each other as a way to pass the time. However, all of their way to pass the time came to an end when a loud voice suddenly appeared in the room, entering everyone's ears and causing everyone to look at the source.

"CAN I GET AH HEY?" A smiling tall, slim man with long blond hair, which he wears spiked upwards in a large tuft behind his head said. He wears a black jacket with a very tall collar, upturned and complete with studs, and matching black pants and knee-high boots. His neck was obscured by a directional speaker, a pair of headphones with the word "HAGE" written on the headband and a pair of orange-tinted shades. This man is Hizashi Yamada, more commonly known as the Voice Hero: Present Mic.

As his words echo in the room, he is answered with silence. Complete silence where everyone is just staring at him with serious eyes. "Though Crowd!" He commented. 

"For those who are not familiar with me, I'm Present Mic and I'll be your examiner for today's entrance exam!" Present Mic's electrifying voice echoed through the room as he introduced himself to the crown of teens. "As you know, this exam will have 2 parts! A written test! And a Practical Test!" He added.

"The first part is the written test! It's like every test you young listeners have written, with only an increase in difficulty!" Present Mic's booming voice sounded in the room as he gave a short explanation about the first part of the Entrance Exam.

"On the other hand, the second part would be a practical test where we will be seeing my young listeners in action!" Present Mic continued explaining the test, moving on from the Written test to the Practical Test. "However, it won't be as simple as the written test! We've brought in state-of-the-art combat robots for this challenge. You just need to do one thing. Demonstrate your quirk prowess by taking down these metallic menaces!" He added.

"It doesn't end there though!" Present Mic's voice covered the room once again as he continued his explanation.

'Can't he just explain it like a normal person?!' Most of them thought as they were slowly getting annoyed and losing their patience. However, unlike most of them, a particular white-haired boy can be seen smiling at the events unfolding before his eyes.

'I guess all the shouting from him did work... I'm finally used to it.' Kazuki thought in his mind before focusing on Present Mic's words once again.

"What's funny?" The pink-skinned girl sitting beside him noticed his small smile and asked with curiousity being noticed from his face and voice. 

"Nothing... I just remembered something." Kazuki answered back as his small smile grew a little before returning to his usual calm face and focusing on the instructor's words.

"You can gain points from defeating 3 types of combat robots! A 1-pointer, the weakest of them all. 2-pointer, and improved version. and a 3-pointer, a stronger version. Any questions my young listeners?" Present Mic explained before starting to take questions from the crowd.

As if waiting for the opportunity, a hand immediately sprung up, gaining the examiner's attention. "You there! The one with glasses, ask away!" Present Mic said while pointing at the boy and putting a spotlight on him.

"On the handout, there are 4 types of robots, while you only explained 3. With all due respect, if this is an error on U.A.'s part, it will be truly shameful as we expect the best from Japan's number 1 hero school." The black-haired boy with glasses said before turning around and pointing at a green-haired boy. "And you, you have been muttering for the last minute. Please stop that and take this seriously. You are distracting us so if you won't take this seriously, please leave." The black-haired boy said, finishing up his words.

After being mentioned, the muttering boy immediately went silent. "Sorry.." He uttered a sorry before burying his head full of shame on the table, trying to avoid everyone's judging and mocking gaze.

"That's harsh..." Mina Ashido commented to which Kazuki just ignored as he closed his eyes, thinking about the coming tests.

"Thanks for the question!" Present Mic said before going on to answer the student's inquiries. "The last robot is the 0-pointer. It is the strongest of all the robots but defeating it will provide 0 points. It is more of an obstacle so I suggest avoiding it. If that's all... LET'S BEGIN THE WRITTEN TEST!" He answered before declaring the start of the written test.

'So this is the entrance exam... I wonder why those U.A. students complain so much...' Kazuki thought before looking at the test in front of him that had just been given.

He immediately browsed through the question, just reading each one before coming to one conclusion. He then relaxed his whole body, showing a smile full of confidence, and giving off an aura of absolute superiority.

'This is gonna be a piece of cake...' He thought before breezing through the questions in the written test.

Authors Note: Hello everyone, so here's chapter 2 of the story. Ideally, I wanted it to also cover the practical test but I think the chapter will be drawn out too much that it might bore you guys so I'll be splitting it into 2-3 chapters. Anyway, hope you like it!