Chapter 18 - Shiketsu High entrance exam

Theresa sat at the back of the car, dressed in a black leather jacket under a simple white shirt, black pants, and black heel boots, with Garrick in the driver's seat, driving her through the highway to Shiketsu High School to take the entrance exam. Dinah had decided to stay home, thinking that this was the best chance for them to have the time by themselves. She expected them to at least talk about the entrance exam, but they drove in silence.

Garrick exited the highway, turning towards a bridge since the entirety of the High School was on an Island offshore of Hiroshima, occupying an entire 100,000 acres of land.

While stopped at the red light, Garrick finally spoke. "Unlike UA, the written test accounts for 50% of your grade."

"Right." Theresa replied, looking out of the tinted window of the car.

"So, even though you get a 100 in the practical exam, it will only grant you a score of 50%." The red light changed, and he started moving. "The 'safe zone' to 'guarantee entry' is 80% or 160 points. It would be best if you get 90%, 180 points."

"I can." She assured her father, turning to her father. "Don't you think so?"

"No." He replied bluntly, looking at her through the rearview mirror. "You will definitely score a high point in the practical exam, but on the written test, I am not sure. I don't know enough about you to make that judgment."

"Right." She mumbled, returning her attention out of the window. "I forgot."

He returned his eyes to the road and continued. "The written test will be difficult, but you should aim to get 80 points. Getting 100 points in the practical exam should be a breeze for you. I believe so."

"It will." She replied, confident. After doing some research, she found the practical entrance exam for both U.A. and Shiketsu were the same, fighting giant robots. Those things looked like a breeze to destroy.

"There are extra points for rescuing your fellow teammates, which grant 1 point for every rescue. The max rescue point you can get is 30, so try to save 30 people." He entered the bridge and continued on, "It adds to your total points, so in the practical exam, you can get a max of 130, with 230 points in total."

After hearing this, she turned to him with furrowed brows. "I never knew that. No one did. So I assume that fact is supposed to be a secret."

"Don't worry about it." Garrick replied, speeding up after noticing the time, 9:35 am, when the entrance exam starts at 10 am. "Just act casual. I don't want words getting out that I told you this."

"Then you shouldn't have." She scoffed, folding her arm. "I am confident enough to score 200 points without you fucking 'tip.'"

"A little heads up won't hurt--WHY THE FUCK DID YOU CUT ME OFF LIKE THAT!" He suddenly roared, having to step on the break after a car sped past him and immediately switched lanes like it was looking for an accident. "Fucking bastard. I memorized your license plate, asshole. Let's see if you can keep your job." He mumbled, watching as the car cut off other cars and kept speeding down the bridge. He cleared his throat, "Anyway, a little heads up won't hurt."

"Like I need 'your' help." She mumbled, the car going silent.

After switching to another bridge that led to Shiketsu, Garrick sped up since the road was now relatively empty. Upon approaching the gate at the end of the bridge to the island, he was required to present the invitation for the entrance exam before being admitted. All other parents were instructed to leave Shiketsu Island after 10 minutes, but he wasn't due to his status as the vice-president of HPSC.

After dropping her off at the massive hall, Theresa joined the crowd of applicants entering the building. It was shocking how many people were there, but she had anticipated this much. "This will be a breeze." She chuckled, looking at all the other examinees. "200 points. Here I come."

She arrived in an overwhelmingly crowded lobby filled with loud voices and buzzing bodies. A man holding a tablet approached her, a smile on his face. "Good morning, young lady." He greeted her, waiting for her to respond.

"For you, not me." Theresa replied in Japanese, now able to speak and understand Japanese. Though, it only applies when they are speaking slowly, and saying some words is still difficult for her. Reaching into her pants pocket, she pulled out her applicant card and held it out for him to see.

"Right, Theresa Fernsby." He looked at her, "Head to room 306 on the third floor of this building, with your assigned seat being seat 29." He said before pointing to a door that led to the staircase, "If you can find it, ask someone for help." With that, he left to tend to another student.

Theresa headed to the hallway, climbing to the third floor and quickly finding the room. Entering, she saw the class already crowded with students talking among themselves, silently heading to her seat.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, determined. "*Scoff* 'I don't know enough about you to make that judgment.'" She mimicked Garrick's words under her breath, folding her arm. "I will show you. I will get 200 points without needing your fucking tip."

"Hay. Language---"

She glared at the girl sitting at seat 29, who was about to correct her, causing the girl to shiver. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up." She slowly said, causing the girl to nod sheepishly and turn away. Sighing, she slammed her forehead on her table. "He thinks I am stupid? HAHA! I will show him stupid."

His words alone had hurt her pride, being placed in the ranks of a dumb motherfucker, and she didn't like it. She was determined to get a flawless score on this easy test, clenching her fist.

With his appearance, the room became silent as he explained, "This test has 120 questions. Each question is worth 1 point, no matter how easy or difficult the question is. The maximum score you can get is 100 points. If you score more than that, those points would be discarded." He paused to let the information sink in, even though everyone already knew it before coming. "The test will be 3 hours long. No water or food is allowed during this time. You can rest or even sleep during the test, but it will be best if you do that after finishing your test."

With that, he quickly handed out the test papers to everyone before returning to the front of the class, and took a seat."No cheating. Anyone caught cheating will be disqualified and banned from Shiketsu High." He crossed his legs, leaning back in his chair. "Begin."

Theresa turned to the first page and started.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Well, shit..." Theresa mumbled, staring blankly at her desk. The test papers for all applicants had just been collected, and she knew for sure.

She failed.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." She cursed, clenching her head. "Why the hell didn't I study." She was confident in her intelligence. Now she knew she was maybe a tad TOO confident. "Oh, god. What was I thinking." She slammed her head on the table, holding back her urge to cry.

She knew she fucked up. She had looked through the questions online, but now she guessed she probably only looked at the easier ones.

"Time to head to the auditorium, students." The teacher shouted from the front of the class, "It would be wise if you go there before you miss the explanation."

"FUCK!" Theresa shouted, shooting up from her seat, causing her chair to fall back. She glared at the students who had turned to her due to her outburst, baring her teeth. "What the fuck are you all looking at? Want to die?" She growled, feeling the urge to throw her table at them, but instead clenched her fist.

They each turned away, not wanting to be part of any problem that would hinder their chances of getting into Shiketsu High. Scoffing, she hurried out of the class through the back door and rushed to the auditorium on the first floor, not wanting to deal with anyone.

"I fucked up." She suddenly said, squatting down in the middle of the empty hallway and covering her face. "I will have to use that man's 'tip' if I want a guaranteed entry. I just made his assumption correct."

"DON'T WORRY! There is still ANOTHER test to pass." A loud and obnoxious voice came from behind her, earning her glares. It was a massive young man, towering over 6'3" with a well-built body, dark brown hair that buzzed cut, and black eyes. He wore a simple burgundy shirt, black pants, and black shoes. "YES! That's THE EYES of a PASSIONATE hero! The fiery eyes, blazing with passion! YOU are DEFINITELY fired up for the next round!"

"I am clearly glaring at you, motherfucker." Theresa snarled, standing up. Their height difference made her have to look up to him, with her height being only 5'4". "What makes you confuse them with 'passion'?"

"The glare of a PASSIONATE person!! How could I NOT recognize that!" The boy shouted, holding his hands out. "My name is Inasa Yoarashi! The pleasure is all MINE!"

Her loud voice had already drawn the attention of other students that had entered the hallway, irritating her. "Fuck off." Theresa snapped, slapping his hands away and turning to walk away.

Inasa stared at the girl's eyes, noticing the flame of passion burning within. "THE EYES OF A HERO!!" He roared, excited to have met such a passionate person in the school. "This competition is filled with passion! I can help but get EXCITED!"

Theresa, already halfway down the hall, could still hear his loud voice, causing her to let out an exasperated sigh. "I hope this school won't be filled with weirdos like him." She mumbled to herself as she entered the massive auditorium.

She took a seat closer to the front, praying that the one who sat next to her would be decent--- "WE MEET AGAIN!" A voice snapped her out of her thoughts, turning to see Inasa standing beside her. He plopped down, grinning. "This competition will be PASSIONATE, my friend. I can see the flames of battle BURNING in all the eyes of MY competitors!"

"Oh, hell no." Theresa stood up to move her seat, but people quickly rushed in and occupied most of the remaining seats as if they were waiting for her to want to move. "...Fuck..."

"WELCOME TO MY LIVE SHOW, EVERYONE!" A booming voice echoed throughout the entire auditorium, silencing all other voices in the hall. On the front stage stood a tall, 200-centimeter-tall man with a well-rounded muscular build, fair skin, green eyes, and red hair, wearing a red trench coat that reaches his knee with black designs and buttons. It has slits on both sides from the waist down, making it ideal for running, jumping, and climbing. Underneath his coat, he wears form-fitting dark red pants and knee-high combat boots. "They call me Present Mic 2.0, but I am the ORIGINAL, and he stole my VOICE!" He roared, sounding more excited than mad.

Though he spoke without a microphone, his voice reached all corners of the auditorium with clarity. "I can see y'all down from the EASY test, so when I say Motivation Check, you scream HOORAH! That will cheer you up!" He cleared his throat, "MOTIVATION CHECK!"

"HOOOOOORAAAH!" Only one voice responded, and it was Inasa, who stood up and roared at the top of his lungs.

"THANK YOU, examinee, whose name I don't know." He shouted, pointing at the boy standing beside an angry Theresa.

"THE PLEASURE IS ALL MINE, PRESENT MIC 2.0!" Inasa replied with a deep bow, his forehead almost hitting the girl sitting in front of him.

"YEAAAAH!!!" He sounded extremely excited, even though he was just called Present Mic 2.0. "NOW! I see you all want to get this done and over with. So I will be quick."

"Finally." Theresa mumbled, feeling the urge to rumor him to shut the fuck up.

"I am sure most of you are here to take the entrance exam as a second choice if you fail to enter U.A., but WE DON'T CARE!" Present Mic 2.0 shouted, grinning, "Just like Present Mic took my voice, U.A. took Shiketsu High's glimmer after they produced All Might, Endeavor, Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, but we will soon take back OUR GILMORE!!!"

"GET OVER WITH THE FUCKING EXPLANATION!" Theresa shouted, losing all her patience, her eyes glowing green. Those around turned to stare at her in shock, with Inasa having a wide grin.

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" Present Mic 2.0 shouted as the light in the room dimmed, and the board behind him changed. "Like U.A., we will be holding the practical test in a city-like setting. There are in total ten cities named A to J, and there are three different kinds of Villain-Bots."

The board behind him changed again, "They each give a certain amount of points, 1 to 3 when destroyed. I'm sure you have done your research, but this is part of the TRADITION!" He screamed, and the screen changed to show a massive bot. "And then the zero pointers, the BOSS of the game!"

He clapped his hand, sending out a wave of noise that awoke those who had managed to fall asleep. "The test would begin in EXACTLY one hour. During this time, you can eat something in room 112-A on the first floor of the building and prepare yourselves. You can bring anything with you to the test site, as long as it was on the form you sent beforehand with your application."

"There is ONE rule! You CAN'T attack any other applicant. This will result in immediate disqualification."

The room began to brighten as the board behind him turned off. "NOW! You can be on your way after this MOTIVATION CHECK!"

"HOOOOOORAAAH!" Again, it was only Inasa.

"YEAAAAH!" Present Mic 2.0 shouted, opening his arm. "The practical exam is in one hour, so use this time to prepare!!!"

Everyone stood up to leave the auditorium, including Theresa, pushing anyone who stepped in her way due to the crowded place. She finally got out of the hall, heading to the cafe to get something to eat.

She wasn't yet used to Japanese food, so she just got some snacks and sat by herself, using her phone. In her eyes, everyone here was simply a nuisance and would be a waste of time interacting with them. "Maybe after I see how strong they are."

During her years on the streets of Corpus Christi, she had naturally formed the mindset of surrounding herself with people equal, almost, or stronger than her. It was similar to a gang, but they just called themselves a group of friends.

"Haah." Theresa sighed, closing her eyes. "I miss them."

"MY NAME IS INSA YOARASHI! NICE TO MEET YOU!" She opened her eyes to see the obnoxious boy running around and introducing himself to everyone in his path.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, returning her attention to her phone while eating her snack. After a few seconds of time to herself, someone stood beside her table, but she ignored the figure, her eyes still on her phone.

"My name is Shindo. It is a pleasure to meet you." The boy introduced himself, slamming the table. Theresa finally looked at the boy who had a pleasant smile on his face. He is a tall, muscular young man with shaggy, unruly hair that's almost black, sticking up in all directions around his head. His eyes are a loose diamond shape, warm brown in color, his bangs hanging low above them. He wore a red shirt, black trousers, and black shoes. "I heard you shout in the auditorium. I see you have strengthened your resolve to pass this test." He clenched his fist, his smile growing, "I believe all heroes need a spirit like yours."

"Fuck off." Theresa said, returning her attention to her phone.

"I will respect your personal space." He said, stepping back, "It's my privilege to stand alongside someone with a strong spirit as yours. I hope we get to compete against each other." He walked away, introducing himself to Inasa.

"At least he has more brain than the other one." Theresa muttered to herself, glancing up at the two boys passionately talking to each other before returning her eyes to her phone.

Within a blink of an eye, fifty minutes had passed. She took a bottle of water before leaving for replica city F, where she would have her practical test. After entering the bus that took her to the test site, she saw some people already waiting.

Standing to the side, she waited for it to start. More people came with more buses, interacting with their fellow examinees and trying to form a team to help each other. Once again, Theresa was approached by others, but a simple 'fuck off' sent them on their way. It isn't like she will need their help.

The last bus came, meaning the exam would soon start, so Theresa began to walk to the lockers outside the city where the examinee could leave their things. Each locker has its own key in its keyhole, and if you are using the locker, you can take the key with you. When you finished using it, you left the key on the keyhole.

*Clank**Clank* As Theresa was about to reach the locker, an annoying noise of high heels drew her attention as she turned to glare at the source of the noise.

Walking down from the bus came a tall and slender young man, standing at 6'1", with fair skin, an angular face, and long legs. He has long snow-white hair reaching his lower back, a beautiful pair of ruby eyes, and his most striking feature was the snow-white leucistic peacock tail more than six feet in length, dragging behind him.

Wearing a black hanfu, his arms were folded behind his back and his head held high, looking down at them with ruby eyes that exuded an air of arrogance and dominance.

"Ahh~ So many stepping stones for me." The boy said in an equally arrogant voice, scanning the group of examinees, who had stopped to look at him. He smirked, "This young master would certainly take this gift from the heavens and use it well."

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING A STEPPING STONE!" Theresa roared at the boy, a vein popping in her forehead. She? A stepping stone? How could SHE be a stepping stone? "YOU are MY stepping stone!"

He slowly turned his head to her, gazing at the girl. "Ah. A peasant who has eyes but doesn't recognize Mount Tai." He turned and gracefully walked towards the gate, his head held up high. "It will be fun to crush your spirit with overwhelming power. That would certainly show you your place."

"Holy shit. This guy is arrogant." An examinee mumbled, making way for the boy, with others also moving so as not to step on his tail.

Although they already hated him due to his way of speaking and the air he gave out, stepping on his tail would be too rude. it might also count as attacking fellow examinees, disqualifying them, which is something they aren't willing to test.

Growling, Theresa slammed the locker shut with her phone and wallet inside while holding her bottle of water, glaring at the boy. "Kukuku. Crush my spirit with overwhelming power?" She burst out laughing like a madwoman, drawing the attention of other examinees in the area. "THAT'S FUCKING FUNNY!" She could help but scream.

She felt insulted.

HIS spirit was going to be shattered by her! And she will make sure she crushes it to PIECES!

"YEAHHHHH!" Present mic 2.0's voice came from the loudspeaker. "BEGIN THE PRACTICAL TEST!" With his announcement, the gate into the city slammed open.

Before anyone could move, Theresa took a deep breath and let out a roar. "I HEARD A RUMOR!" Everyone in the area's eyes turned white, and with a grin, she shouted, "THAT YOU ALL FORGOT HOW TO WALK!"

Chapter End~~

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Word Count: 3445

The young master has arrived!

Well, that's it!