Faihato's Perspective
A/N - Alright. I was getting impatient and I really just wanted to get to UA, so... nine to ten month time lapse? Some of the characters are going to be fairly different because they went through some major changes in the past few months, but no worries. You will get to find out what happened, it will just be through flashbacks. Hope y'all can forgive me. 😅 Without further ado, chapter 19!
"UA," I whispered to myself as I stared up at the large arch that they called a gate. "You've got this, Fai." I told myself. I took a deep breath and took a step forward. "For mom."
There was a sudden movement in front of me and my head shot up. There was a boy who had caught his foot on the sidewalk and a girl, who had been a little behind him, had reached out to touch him. Maybe to catch him? The boy didn't fall though, and the girl quickly retracted her hand when she realized that the boy didn't need help.
"Are you alright?" she asked as she tucked some of her short brown hair behind her ear. The boy didn't respond and I couldn't see his face, but it didn't seem to deter the girl. Not even a minute after her question, she was talking again. "Isn't this all like, way nerve wracking? Well, guess I'll see you inside! Bye!" she called before turning and jogging away.
The boy straightened and ran a hand through his green-tinted, black hair. He was wearing a dark grey long-sleeve shirt, which was a little weird in the warm April weather, a black pair of pants and black running shoes. It was strange that he wasn't wearing a uniform, but maybe he'd been home-schooled? It didn't matter the boy was already moving towards the door and I knew I should be as well. I took one final deep breath and then made my way up the stairs and into the school.
Twenty Minutes Later
I quietly set my pencil down on the desk I was seated at. Then I set an eraser down beside it. After those were done, I took a quick peek around the room as the two heroes there, Snipe and Ectoplasm, started handing out the written exams. I could see familiar green-tinted black hair sitting by one of the windows a few seats in front of me. I could also see the girl with short brown hair sitting on the other side of the room. There were already so many people, and this was only a quarter of the Hero Course applicants.I was pulled from my thoughts as a test was placed face down on the desk in front of me. My attention zeroed in on the test in front of me as I waited for the test to begin.
"You may begin now." Snipe said in his typical, yet unusual-sounding since he spoke in Japanese, southern drawl.
As he spoke, I looked up and saw the cowboy hero was at the front of the room and Ectoplasm was just walking out of the room. As soon as Snipe had finished speaking, I, along with all of the other applicants, quickly flipped over the test in front of me and began. I knew I could do this. I had been studying for months and I had done everything I could to prepare for this exam.
I will pass. For me. For Dad. For you mom.
Ten Minutes After The Written Exam
"What's up UA candidates?! Thanks for tuning into me, your school DJ. Come on and let me hear ya!" Present Mic called, holding a hand up to his ear. I and all of the examinees were silent. Which was kind of weird considering how many people were there. I could even see the black haired boy and the brown haired girl from earlier. "Keep'n it mellow, huh? That's fine, I'll skip straight to the main show. Let's talk about how this practical exam's gonna go down, okay? ARE YOU READY?! Yeah." Present Mic called. Again there was silence.
"Like your application said, today you rocking boys and girls will be out there conducting ten minute mock battles in super hip urban settings! Gird your loins my friends. After I drop the mic here you'll head to your specified battle centres, sound good? Okay?!"
Silence.
"Okay, okay. Let's check out your targets. There are three types of faux villains in every battle centre. You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so better choose wisely. Your goal in this trial is to use your quirk to raise your score by shredding these faux villains like a guitar solo! But check it. Make sure your keeping things heroic. Attacking other examinees is a UA no-no. You dig?"
"Excuse me sir, but I have a question." a tall boy with blue hair and glasses called as he stood.
"Hit me!" Present Mic said enthusiastically as a spotlight fell on the boy.
"On the print-out, you've listed four types of villains, not three. If this is a mistake on official UA materials, it is shameful. We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan's most notable school. A mistake such as this won't do." the boy said sternly.
"Alright, alright, examinee number 7-1-1-1. Thanks for calling in with your request. The fourth villain type is worth zero points. That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way. There's one in every battle centre. Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten, but there's... kind of no point. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the one's top of the charts." Present Mic said.
"Thank you very much. Please, continue." the boy said with a stiff bow. He sat down as the spotlight disappeared.
"Oh I get it. So they're kind of like traps you have to get by in games." a boy whispered in front of me.
"The whole thing is like a video game." the boy next to him whispered back.
"That's all I got for you today. I'll sign off with a little present. A sample of our school motto. As general Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, 'A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes'. Mhm. Now that's a tasty sound bite. You ready to go beyond? Let's hear a 'Plus Ultra'! Good luck! I hope you practised hitting more than just books." Present Mic joked as the examinees stood and walked out of the auditorium.
We quickly made our way to the change rooms and I changed into a thin navy blue t-shirt and black yoga pants, along with a dark grey hoodie that I tied securely around my waist. I also made sure to double knot my black running shoes so that I wouldn't have to worry about tripping during the exam. I saw other girls leaving the change room and I quickly stood up and followed them out. When we got outside, we were instructed to find the bus that matched our exam site.
I quickly found bus B and made way into a seat on the left side of the bus. I looked out the window beside me as I waited for the bus to fill up. I heard some hushed chatter around me, but I ignored it. Then I caught someone in my peripheral and my hair prickled as they sat in front of me. I looked up and saw the top of black hair with a green shine to it. I keep seeing this boy. And now we're in the same battle centre. He's probably going to be tricky competition if his balance and quick recovery before the exams is anything to go by. Unless his quirk is just enhanced agility or something like that.
"Excuse me?" a voice said from the aisle beside me. I quickly turned to see who had spoken and found the brown-haired girl. "There aren't very many open seats left on the bus. Is it alright if I sit with you?" she asked with a small, slightly nervous, grin. I nodded and moved over a little. "Thank you so much." the girl said with a sigh of relief. "Most of the other examinees are already sitting with friends or people they know. And the ones who are sitting alone want to focus or don't want to sit with anyone. I was worried I was going to have to go sit with one of the heroes at the front of the bus, which would have been waaayy nerve-wracking. You know?" she asked as she turned to me.
I could only nod in response. I studied the girl as she continued to ramble. Now that I could see her face, I noticed that he cheeks were very pink, and I wasn't sure it was completely from nerves or embarrassment. It seemed more like a natural colour. I also noticed that she had very big and wide eyes and that her irises were a really pretty brown. Though it was a much darker brown than her hair. On the subject of her hair, she had two parts at the front of either side of her face that were slightly longer than the rest of her hair. she currently had them tucked behind her ears, but as she talked one of them slipped out from behind her ear and into her face. The sudden appearance of her in her face didn't even make her hesitate in her ramblings. She just tucked it back behind her ear as she continued talking as if nothing had even happened.
"So what school did you go to? I feel like I've seen you somewhere." the girl asked, pulling me from my analysis of her.
"Ah. I went to Sakura Junior High." I asnwered. The girl frowned in thought for a few minutes.
"I don't know how I know you then. I went to Yuri Junior High. Hmmm..." the girl hummed thoughtfully. Then her face lit up in a blinding smile. "Oh, I know! I was looking at apartments in that area last week! Maybe I saw you while you were walking somewhere?"
"Maybe." I said with a small shrug. "There are some apartment building not too far from my house. So is your family moving then?" I asked. Her face fell a little and she shook her head sadly.
"No. My family lives a few hours away. If I make it into UA, my parents don't want me going back and forth everyday, but they can't move because of work. It would just be me in that apartment." the girl said with a shrug that made her hair fall back into her face. She bit her lip as she brushed it back behind her ear. I thought for a minute as silence fell between us.
"If you get into UA, you could always just come stay with me and my dad. He's rarely home and we have a spare room that you could take." I said with a shrug. Her already big eyes widened further.
"Really? You mean it?" she asked, sounding shocked. I felt a small smile trying to tug at my unwilling lips.
"I mean, it would be kind of nice to have some company when my Dad's gone. And I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Especially if it means that I won't have to be alone so often."
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried, at a normal volume so that those around us didn't hear, and pulled me into a tight hug. My arms were pinned to my side, so all I could do was let out an amused huff and pat her back.
"There's just one thing." I said seriously. She pulled back and frowned slightly. "What's your name?"
"Oh!" she gasped. Her face went bright red and she giggled with an embarrassed smile. "My name's Ochako. Ochako Uraraka."
"My name is Shifuta Faihato. Hajimemashite, Ochako-san." I said with a bow. My bow was small and stiff since I was stuck in a bus seat.
"Hajimemashite, Shifuta-san." Ochako said with her own small bow and a wide grin.
"Please, call me Fai. All of my friends and family do." I said a small smile finally making its way onto my face. Ochako grin somehow managed to widen even further.
"Alright, Fai-chan. Call me Ochako then." Ochako - Uraraka - said.
"Alright," I said with a shrug. There was a brief pause, then, "Ako-chan." I added with a smirk. Her face, which had finally returned to its normal colour, lit up a startling red once again.
"I-I... w-wha-?" she spluttered breathlessly, her jaw going slack.
"Is it not okay to call you that?" I asked with a frown. I felt my eyebrows pull together in worried confusion. Ochako's eyes widened further and she shook her head adamantly as he hands rushed to grab mine from their position resting in my lap.
"It's fine! Honest. I was just a little surprised because I've never really had many friends. Certainly none that I was close enough to to use nicknames." Ochako said almost apologetically. My frown lessened, but didn't leave.
"You're certain it's alright?" I asked. She nodded enthusiastically and squeezed my hands reassuringly.
"Yeah!" she exclaimed, impressing me with how happy she managed to sound even while staying relatively quiet. "Ako," she said slowly, almost as if testing the nickname. "I like it." she said with a smile so big that her eyes were squinted shut.
"I'm glad." I said, my smile small but still there.
"We should exchange phone num-" Ochako started but was interrupted as the bus stopped and one of the pro-heroes, Midnight this time, stood and started talking.
"Alright, cuties. Off the bus and wait in front of the big gates. You'll have a couple minutes to stretch and prepare before the exam starts." she called.
I could practically feel the lust from a couple of the guys grouped in the back and I had to suppress a shudder at the feeling. We all stood and started getting off the bus, the people in the front rows going first and the people in the back getting off last. Since me and Uraraka had been sitting in the middle of the bus, we were right in the middle of the group that gathered in front of the large gates and wall. Once everyone reached the gates, people started to separate from the main group to prepare themselves for the exam. I saw the boy who had asked the question in orientation stretching as well, but he stopped to reprimand a girl when they were about to go talk to another examinee.
My attention shifted to someone else when the blue-haired boy returned to his stretching. The black haired boy had been in front of us as we got off the bus, but sometime between when we reached the gate and when people started separating, he had moved. He was still in front of us, but he had ended up more towards our right. He was wearing the same clothes as before the written exam, but they seemed more flexible than before. He was facing away from us, so I still hadn't gotten to see his face. For some reason, that really bugged me. I felt Ochako's eyes on me as I studied the boy, so I turned to face her. She had a smirk on her face and a knowing look in her eyes. I raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't bother to question her about it.
"Alright. Here's the deal. I'm not going to help you during the actual exam any more than I would for anybody else here." I told her seriously. She nodded, a serious expression replacing her earlier look. "However, I'd be happy to show you some helpful stretches and breathing techniques before the exam." I said, another small smile on my face. She grinned again.
"Yes please!"
Five Minutes Later
"-and exhale." I finished as my hands pushed down. I smiled at Ochako as I returned to a relaxed position. Ochako did the same with a large grin. "That's probably good enough. The exam should be starting any minute now."
"Thanks so much, Fai-chan! You're the best!" Ochako said. "And it's so cool that you know all of those stretches and breathing techniques! I can't wait to start using them in my training." she added. I smiled again.
"You're very welcome, Ako-chan. I'm glad they helped." I said. I felt something in the air shift and I tensed up. "One last piece of advice?" I asked.
"Sure!" she said enthusiastically.
"Don't hesitate." I said as I crouched.
"GO!!" Present Mic called from somewhere above us. That was all I needed to hear before I took off. Although almost everyone stood frozen, there was one other person who had taken started running at the same time I did. It was the black-haired boy. It took another minute, but I felt Ochako chase after us. "What are y'all waiting for? Those three have the right idea! There are no countdowns in a real battle!" Present Mic called to all of the frozen examinees. After another minute, everyone was hot on our heels.
The UA Hero Course practical had officially begun.
A/N - Hello! It's been a long time since I've posted. Over a month, actually. I'm really sorry about that. June was absolutely crazy. I had to deal with school ending, final exams, writer's block, lack of motivation, lack of time, getting/starting a job, and then finishing up guitar lessons until fall. It took me another week after school ended to finally push past the block in motivation and inspiration and actually finish this chapter. Hope y'all van forgive me.
With school and guitar lessons done for the summer, I should be able to get into a more consistent upload schedule, or at least upload more often. I really hope you guys are okay with the major time skip. I found that that was the best way to get my motivation back. Especially since this is already the nineteenth chapter and we just got the entrance exams. Anyways, I have big plans for this story and I am planning on making a second after I finish the first.
I actually woke up at like 4:50 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep, so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to try and finish this chapter. The next chapter will probably be from Izuku's perspective, so be prepared for some of those previously mentioned flashbacks. WARNING, a decent amount of the flashbacks will probably be at least somewhat triggering.
That's all for now. I'm gonna go eat breakfast and then start on the next chapter. Please don't be afraid to leave comment so that I know that people are actually still reading this story and that you're enjoying it.
And, exciting news, this story has officially reached 1.1k reads! Thank you guys so much for all of your love and support. It means so much to me. 😊 Have a good day everyone!