THE SCHOOL WAS MUCH LARGER THAN SHE INITIALLY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. The front entrance itself was intimidating, to say the least. However, she did not stop and stare at in in awe like that boy that had been walking in front of her. She moved around him and continued into the building without saying anything or looking back when he let out a squeal that one would produce when tripping.
The hallways were as crowded as she expected, though. Teenagers stood shoulder to shoulder, shouting and shoving and laughing and talking. The noise, discordant and cacophonous, made her ears hurt. From there she followed the surprisingly fast moving flow of foot traffic into a large auditorium, glancing at the towering glass walls before entering the dark room.
Almost as soon as she stepped inside the auditorium, a hand waved in front of her face, directing her attention to a woman that hovered above her on sparkling green fairy wings.
"Name?" the woman asked, blinking rapidly. She raised an eyebrow. What could possibly cause one person to blink so much? The thought disappeared quickly as she realized there was glittering dust falling from the wings and into the woman's eyes.
"Kendria Smith," was her quiet reply as she watched the wings intently. They were translucent, just like her shields, except they had a swirling pattern that reminded her of the vines the grew up the side of the house back home. She vaguely remembered a movie about a green fairy, though she couldn't procure any details about it except that it was a Disney movie, one that she had enjoyed as a child.
The fairy woman held out a paper, two papers with exactly one staple, and a small card that read "F." She accepted the papers with a nod and slipped back into the crowd, then plunked herself down in a seat high up.
She did not turn and look at the boy who sat down next to her, nor did she return his hesitant "H-hello!" The boy, deterred, gulped and faced forward. That is, until another boy sat next to him, one that spewed insults that she swore she'd heard before.
"It's you!" the newcomer bellowed, and she let out a slight sigh, because it was now apparent that she did recognize this boy and his raspy voice. She glanced out of the corner of her eye.
Sure enough, it was the boy from the mall, explosive hair and all. Red eyes screaming with irritation, he growled in a way that could only be described as feral. "The heck do you think you're doing here?!" She silently watched his anger build up, only slightly amused at the situation, though she didn't let it show. The timid boy -- with green hair, the one that tripped, she now noticed -- watched the one-sided interaction with wide, terrified emerald eyes.
Just as sparks began to appear on the blonde boy's hands, a man walked onto the stage below and called out for everyone's attention.
With an exceptionally loud voice, the man began to explain how the practical exam would work. "Your exam will take place during a ten-minute 'mock cityscape maneuver'! You can bring whatever you want with you!" An image appeared on the large screen behind him, a rectangle with seven squares branched off from it, displaying letters A through G. "In a minute, you'll go to your assigned location: the letter on your card!"
She looked down at her card. It still read "F", however that now made sense. The green-haired boy -- she would think of him as Shrubbery, she decided -- looked at his own card, then at hers and the other boy's. He mumbled something, and Cauliflower -- that's what she would call the blonde boy, she decided -- growled something as well, but she tuned them out and focused on what the enthusiastic man was saying.
"There are three types of fake villains that you'll be facing! Each is worth either one point, two points, or three points! Use your Quirks to defeat them, and get your respective points! Easy, right?!" He grinned and straightened his sunglasses. "Just don't attack your fellow examiners!"
Someone in the audience stood up, holding his stapled paper. "I have a question!" He pointed forcefully at the informational pictures. "This says that there are four fake villains! I expected more from a school as prestigious as U.A.! Japan's top Hero school! This is, to be frank, embarrassing!"
She sighed, quite audibly this time, and the angry boy whirled around and pointed at her slumped form.
"You! Quit acting like this is an inconvenience! This is the most important moment in our lives, and if you think this is just a game, then leave!" He then pointed at Shrubbery. "The same goes for you, with all your muttering!" Shrubbery squeaked and covered his mouth, nodding vigorously.
She stared at the boy until the utter blankness on her face became too unnerving and he sat back down.
"Er, right!" The announcer resumed with his earlier vigor. "That fourth one is a zero pointer! He's really just a big obstacle. You know, like a Thwomp in the Mario Games!" With a flourish of his hands, he shouted, "Now, off you go! PLUS ULTRA!"
Location F.
It was time to see if the flow wanted her to be a Hero or not.
