Now that I know where I am kind of going with this, I will be doing flashbacks for his training and direct things in a better direction.
Focusing, Cassius let his mind's eye open up to read the mystical energies of the world around him as he walked up towards the hallowed halls of UA. It was a trick he had learned over the last year, through meditation and focus, he could read the auras and mystical presence of those around him. As it turned out, the stronger the Quirk, the stronger the Mana presence of each being and UA was a cornucopia of pure power. It actually gave him a bit of a headache as he focused.
'So much power, it's like a literal storm of power... it's kind of hard to focus. Still, it makes the air more immersed in mana, making magical everything easier.' Pleased with that, he hurried up the stairs and into the exam room. He kept quiet as Present Mic talked, the man's obnoxious aura was even more annoying than his voice was. 'Gods, he is... so freaking annoying.'
"What's up, UA candidates? Thanks for tunin' into me, your school DJ. C'mon. And lemme hear ya!" Present Mic all but screamed at them. "Keeping it mellow, huh? That's fine. I'll skip straight to the main show. Let's talk about how this practical exam is gonna go down, okay? Are you ready? Yeah! Like your application said, today you rockin' 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 center. Sound good? Okay?" Present Mic said as the screen behind him changes to show the different battle centers.
Okay, okay, let's check out your targets. There are three types of faux villains in every battle center. 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 mid-song guitar solo. But check it! Make sure you're keeping things heroic. Attacking other examinees is a UA no-no, ya dig?" Present Mic said. The screen behind him changed to show the three robots, and then a mini-present mic figure crushing the robots.
"Excuse me, sir, but I have a question," A kid said suddenly, raising his hand.
"Hit me!" Present Mic yells.
A spotlight shines on a tall, buff-looking stiff. He had a moderately strong aura, but there was something cold about it that set Cassius on edge. "On the printout, you've listed four types of villains. Not three. With all respect, if this is an error 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. Additionally, you with the unkempt hair," he said.
"Huh," A familiar green haired boy said.
"You've been muttering this entire time. Stop that. If you can't bother to take this seriously, leave. You're distracting the rest of us." The moron uttered.
Anger filled Cassius, he hated bullies. "Or maybe you could leave him alone, you are the only one bothered by him. I didn't even notice his muttering. We all handle nerves differently, why hate how he deals?" Everyone turned to Cassius, who just stared back with a hateful edge.
The boy sat down, looking red-faced and pained.
"All right, all right. Examinee number 7111. 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 center. Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten, but there's... Kinda no point. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus in the lines toppin' the charts," Present Mic said, as the screen behind him showed the mini Present Mic figure running away from the zero pointer.
"Thank you very much..." The moron said, still red faced.
"Oh, I get it. So they're kinda like traps you have to get by in games."
"The whole thing's kinda like a video game, huh?"
"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.' Mm-hm. Now that's a tasty soundbite. You ready to go beyond? Let's hear a plus ultra! Good luck! Hope you practiced hitting more than just books," Present Mic said.
""'
The exam arena, as it turned out, was a giant freaking city complete with buildings. Cassius felt weak mana from the arena, he knew there was little life in it, and that would hamper his mystical powers considerably. Still, the other Quirked kids oozed mana so that should level things out by a significant margin.
"This is nuts."
"It's like a whole city."
"Can you imagine how much it cost to build this?"
"UA is amazing!"
He sighed. 'They are not wrong, UA goes way overboard.'
"Right, let's start!" Present Mic yelled suddenly, forcing the others to run into the arena at a blinding pace. With a wave of mana at his disposal, Cassius threw himself over the others. "Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles. Run, run, run, little listeners! You're wasting airtime here."
With a single breathe, Cassius drew in a massive amount of mana and readied a spell on his lips, throwing his hands out. A white ball of energy shot out as three robots, two three pointers and one one pointer rushed towards the center of the street. "Colligite!" He called out and the magic took effect. The ball, acting as a center, forced the robots to slam into each other like a black hole, smashing them into pieces
"Six minutes and two seconds left!" Present Mic announced, making him sigh.
"Damn, there is never enough time, is there." Focusing he cast another spell. "Congrega et cognosce!" And the air shifted, sound flooding his mind as well as images and a smile crossed his face. "There...know I know where all the robots are." He moved forward, only to sway lightly. "Damn... too much mana use... I need to be more careful..."
""""
Deep in U.A., in a room with a bunch of monitors on the wall, a vast number of great heroes and teachers watched the exam.
One such hero, the legendary Nezu, Principle of U.A., watched with great excitement. "Clearly, the examinees have no idea how many villains are present or their location. They have limited time, must cover a vast area, and hunt down every last target. Some use information-gathering abilities to plan out strategies," Principal Nezu said as he watched a boy form various sensory organs with what appeared to be tentacles attached to his arms.
"While others rely on speed to pull ahead of their peers." A boy with engines coming out of his legs blasted through a robot, making Nezu smile as he remembered the boy's brother and his test had gone years ago. "Of course, remaining calm under pressure can be a huge advantage."A boy with a belly button laser and a flashy out appeared next, looking into the camera with a smile. "As can pure power and combat ability." A wild boy with bloodlust filled red eyes was then seen among the wreckage of destroyed robots. "The most successful students use a combination of all these tactics. They're the ones who rack up the highest scores." He finished, as his eyes turned to a boy wielding a white light, doing the oddest things. He moved as if he had foreknowledge, and struck only with the most precise of moves, moves almost tailored to every situation.
'It is abundantly clear he is not using a quirk, no quirk was as adjustable as his power seems to be. Flashes of light, moving things with his mind, short circuiting the robots with that white light, messing with attractive forces, gathering knowledge, turning the ground into sludge... the boy seemed able to do almost anything... I must ask him how he is managing to do all that he is...'
"Hm, I'd say this year's group looks promising," Midnight said, a pleased look on her face.
"Well, there's still plenty of time before it's over. The real test has yet to come. Let's see how they react," Snipe said, reaching out and pushing a button.
Nezu almost giggled, this was his favorite part...
And yet he wondered how the boy wielding such odd power would react...
'''''
"Forty Seven points!" Shaking, drained and weak, Cassius moved with precision as he destroyed robot after robot. He admitted, it was harder than it looked and unlike the kids he fought with he did not have seemingly endless stamina. His powers were limited by his body's tolerance to the pull of magic. "I need a break, I hope it was enough that I destroyed so many robots!"
Of course, naturally, it was about then that the entire arena rumbled. From a cloud of smoke and dust not far away, a massive robot erupted from the ground... the Zero pointer was there.
"Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones topping the charts." Cassius remembered Present Mic saying earlier...and he knew he had no means to overpower that beast and so he ran...alongside the others, at least until he heard a scream.
Turning he saw a collection of people, three in fact, kids sitting with various bruises and cuts, smashed under robots. "HELP!" They called out, but the screams were masked by the sound of running screaming morons. The buildings around them was swaying and he knew they would be crushed.
Cassius should have rushed off, but his heart sang with the urge to protect. He ran towards them, kneeling he breathed in as much mana as he could, the source of magic itself and threw out his arms. "Tuere!" He screamed as the building collapsed and the magic took effect. A silvery barrier formed, but the moment it did the building collapsed and smashed into his barrier. "Move... now..." He grunted out and the others managed to hurry away, just as the building collapsed entirely just as the giant robot leg smashed into the streetside wall and darkness overtook him as the strain of the barrier burned him out entirely.
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This was a blast.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.