Chapter 6

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Proverbs 17:17

We came back home around 10:30pm, as Mr. Tetsuo wanted us to get some sleep before the tryouts tomorrow. After Mr. Tetsuo went to bed, we discussed our sleeping arrangements. Of course, Margaret and Sunshine would bunk together. Then we decided Maddox and Larry would bunk together, while Zilo and I would do the same. So, after that matter was settled, we went to our rooms. Our rooms were fairly big enough to hold two people, and there were two beds, a closet, a window, and a drawer in the room. The beds were big and comfy enough for us to sleep, so we didn't bother to unpack and went straight to bed.

We turned off the lights, but after a few minutes, I was unable to sleep. So, I just lied in bed, staring at the ceiling. The moonlight seeping in through the window gave me a small form of light, so I could see somewhat clearly. As I lied in bed, I thought about my predicament: Here I was, in Japan, about to take a test to get into a school for superheroes. Not only that, but if I didn't pass, I was a dead man. And the fact that I hadn't told my new friends about how I was the son of a villain, or that I was being watched a highly trained assassin, who was a spy for the boss of the villains.

I turned over on my side and looked at Zilo, who had wrapped himself in his wings while he was sleeping.

"Zilo, you awake?" I asked.

His wings unfolded and he said, "Yeah. What is it, Joshua?"

"Can you believe we're actually here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Here we are, fourteen hours from America, sleeping in a stranger's house, about to take a test that will determine our future as heroes. It's just hard to believe for me. I mean, if anybody told me as a little kid that I would be here, of all places, I would think they were crazy."

"I know what you mean." Zilo said with a smile. "I bet your mom went crazy when she found out you were selected."

"I don't have a mom." I replied, causing Zilo to look at me with a shocked look. "She died when she gave birth to me."

"I'm sorry…" Zilo apologized sincerely. "What about your father?"

"It's okay. Sadly, my father doesn't really care about me. He mostly got angry a lot, and would yell at me. And considering the fact that he has a hypersonic voice, it's a wonder I didn't go deaf."

"Gee…" said Zilo. We both were quiet for a few seconds, and then he said, "If its any consolation at all, I never knew my folks."

"No?" I asked.

"Nope. I was abandoned at an orphanage when I was three, in town of less then five hundred people. And out of those five hundred people, only I was the one to have a quirk. Growing up, I was ostracized because of my wings, cause it frightened people greatly. They thought I was some angel who came in the form of a human, when I really was just a kid with angelic wings. So, I would get picked on, and sometimes I would fight back. Sometimes I won, sometimes I didn't. And things went like that for half of my life, and it probably would've made me bitter, If I hadn't met my friends."

"Yeah. You said you and Maddox lived in the same neighborhood?"

"Yep." Zilo replied. "Maddox and his folks moved into my neighborhood when I was about ten. Maddox was nine at the time. I met him when he came to school once, and we bonded. I guess it had something to do with loneliness; He was timid and shy, I was a loner, and we became friends. Later, when I learned about his quirk, our bond became stronger."

"Speaking of which, what is his quirk? You guys talk about it, but never bring it up; I kind of feel like I'm the only one who doesn't know what's going on."

"Don't worry, you're not the only one; Mr. Tetsuo doesn't know about his quirk, and we told him the same thing we told you at the airport."

"Why do you have to tell us that every time we bring it up?" I asked.

"Because Maddox made me promise not to tell his quirk unless he agrees to it. Like I told you before, his quirk is extremely powerful, and it can cause a lot of damage. So, for that extent, he fears that people will fear him if they know the truth. So, he made us promise not to tell anybody unless they prove to be understanding and trustworthy. You understand, right?"

I then remembered about my father being a villain and not telling them. So, I replied, "Yeah. I know what you mean, actually."

"Well then, once you prove yourself to him, he'll trust you." said Zilo. "It was the same for me before we became friends; I had to prove myself trustworthy. Once he trusted me, he told me about his quirk, and our bond got stronger. Later on, we went to a social gathering at a church, and we met Sunshine there. Sunshine was loner also, due to her appearance. When we told her that we thought she looked nice, and rather sweet, she joined us. Later, we found out Sunshine lived an hour from our neighborhood, so we would often take a day trip to go see her. Larry joined us when he came to visit his cousin who lived in Georgia, and who went to our school. He thought it was pretty cool that we were all friends, so Larry he asked to be part of our group, which we accepted. Then, Margaret came down to stay with her grandma while her parents were away. She met Larry, who introduced her to us, and she joined the group too. Afterwards, when we told about ourselves, the bonds between us got stronger."

"So, I guess getting to know each other makes you stronger?"

"In a way, yes. We have each other backs, and we use our quirks to help each other. In that, we have a… what do you call it when you have both a brotherhood and a sisterhood?"

"A family-hood?" I said, guessing.

"Yeah, a family-hood." Zilo replied. "I like the sound of that."

"Sure, whatever you say…" I replied, turning over. "Anyway, we need to go to sleep, or we're not getting into U.A. Goodnight, Zilo."

"Goodnight, Joshua." Zilo said, turning over on his side and letting his wings cover him. After a few seconds of silence, Zilo then said, "Joshua?"

"Yeah?" I asked.

"You aren't hiding anything, are you?"

Oh dear; I knew a question like this would come. I wanted to answer truthfully, but my life was on the line. So, I lied and said, "No, I'm not hiding anything; I just wanted to know more, that's all."

"Okay. Just wanted to be sure." Zilo replied. "Goodnight."

And with that, he went to sleep. However, I just laid there, ruminating about how I lied. I had made friends with this guy, but didn't even trust him enough to tell him the truth. I couldn't just blurt it out; Like he said, I needed my new friends to prove themselves to me before I could tell them. I needed to know that they were still my friends, even when they found out that I am the seed of a villain.

The next morning, I woke up around 10:00am. I got out of bed and stretched my limbs. I couldn't go to the tryouts wearing a pair of black boxer shorts, so I got dressed. I dressed in my red and black hoodie, my black stocking cap, my black t-shirt, black sweatpants, and my white and blue sneakers. I decided to not wear jeans, because I need to move as much as I could. I also wrapped black athletic tape around my hands, like a boxer would do.

When I came downstairs, everybody was eating breakfast at the kitchen table; I was the last one to get up. Everybody looked like they were ready for the tryouts: Zilo was dressed like how he was at the airport: Black, zip up sweatshirt with holes cut in the back for his wings, a dark-green shirt with holes cut in the back, black sweatpants with a white stripe on the sides, and black running shoes with white laces.

Sunshine was dressed in a black headband, a loose black t-shirt, black yoga pants, and her white sneakers. Larry was dressed in his cowboy hat, a white tank top, a pair of blue and black gym shorts, black knee pads, and his cowboy boots. Margaret dressed like how she was at the airport: black reading glasses, dark blue sweatshirt, grey gym shorts, and white sneakers. Maddox was dressed in his oversized grey hoodie, black shirt with no sleeves, black gym shorts, and white sneakers. Mr. Tetsuo was dressed in a black hoodie with white Japanese letters on it, a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and black boots.

"Morning everybody, sorry I woke up late." I said as I sat down. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"What kept you up?" Zilo asked, almost as if our conversation last night never happened. I knew what he was doing though; If I wanted to keep it private, I didn't have to say anything.

"Oh, just… thinking about my life before I came here." I replied, playing along. "Anyway, I'm good."

"Well, clear those thoughts from your head." Mr. Tetsuo spoke up, but not in a harsh way. "Today's the day of the tryouts, and you need to focus if you're going to get in."

"Yes sir." I replied, pouring myself some cereal.

"You have your translator, right?"

"Yes sir; It's still in my ear."

"Good. You're gonna need that when you go into class. Otherwise, you aren't gonna understand anything that they say." said Mr. Tetsuo. He then stood up from the table, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and then said, "Now, the tryouts are at 10:45am. At 10:30am, we'll get moving. So, try to finish breakfast at 10:25am, and then we'll head to U.A. Understood?"

"Yes sir." We all said, but not at the same time.

"Alright then." After he said that, Mr. Tetsuo left the room, leaving us to our breakfast.

After breakfast, we cleaned up our dishes and then went to the van. We piled in with Sunshine riding shotgun, Maddox and I riding in the middle, and Zilo, Larry, and Margaret riding in the back. Of course, Mr. Tetsuo was driving.

We pulled out of his driveway, into the street, and started driving to U.A. After about five minutes of driving through the streets and passing different buildings, we came to the large, 'H' shaped building. We parked in the parking lot, and then got out of the van.

"So, the written exam is first on the tryouts." said Mr. Tetsuo. "It should be fairly easy, as it doesn't have anything to do with math, science, or any other subject you learn in a normal school."

"Hey, it sounds like the type of quiz I'd be good at!" Larry said jokingly.

"Where do we go for it?" I asked.

"Just go through the U.A building, into the courtyard, and to room 1-C." replied Mr. Tetsuo. "As for me, I will be watching you all inside the auditorium; It's where you'll be learning the instructions for the physical exam. I'll be rooting for you guys, and I wish you all much success!"

"Thank you, Mr. Tetsuo…" I replied, shaking hands with him

"Hey, I'm not going away that easily!" Mr. Tetsuo joked, causing us to laugh and break up our tension.

After saying our goodbyes, we made our way into the 'H' shaped building, and then into a courtyard decorated with pink lotus trees, green grass, and cobblestone walkways. After wandering around for a short time, we found room 1-C.

"Well…" I said, looking at everybody. "Here goes nothing…"

I then reached for the door, opened it, and the six of us went in.

After about an hour of answering questions about saving people, defeating villains, and the different types of hero technology, we left room 1-C and started making our way to the auditorium, now joined by fourteen other Japanese kids.

Then, out of room 1-D, twenty other kids joined us, until there was a group of forty, counting us. It was then that we realized that the competition was going to be rough.

"How many spots are opened for Class 1-A?" I asked, looking over the sea of other kids.

"Probably six." Larry replied.

"Yeah, that is, if all of us make it…" Sunshine said dryly. "I heard one kid talk about how they're doing the same thing for Class 1-B, and that 1-B is kind of like the alternative team."

"Let's just hope that we don't end up there." I said, remembering what was going to happen to me if I failed to get into Class 1-A. I then looked over at Zilo, who was covering his head with his wings, and asked, "How do you think you did, Zilo?"

"Not good." Zilo replied sadly. "I think I probably flunked it."

"Hey, there's still the physical exam; Maybe you'll ace that one!"

"I hope I do, otherwise I won't be joining you guys."

"Hey, the written exam was tough for me too, Zilo." said Margaret. "If we go down, we go down together."

"Thank you, Margaret." Zilo replied, somewhat smiling.

Maddox then walked over to Zilo and tugged on his arm. Zilo bent down to listen to Maddox whisper something in his ear, and then he whispered something back.

"What are those two whispering about?" I asked Sunshine, who walking beside me.

"Maddox is worried; He's afraid he won't pass the physical exam cause of his quirk." Sunshine replied. "I just hope one of us ends up with him, so to protect him."

I didn't bother asking why Maddox didn't just use his quirk; my friends had already told me that his quirk is extremely powerful, and I would probably get the same answer if I asked again.

The forty of us then made our way through some double doors and into the auditorium, which was a large, stadium like room. It had a stage, large TV monitors above the stage, and several seats with people of different ages, genders, and quirks watching. As we were walking to our seats, I saw Mr. Tetsuo sitting in the balcony, waving to us. I tapped Sunshine on the shoulder, and we both waved back to him. Then I saw another familiar person standing by the stairs, and my blood ran cold when I realized who it was; Shuriken!

"You guys go on ahead; I gotta go do something." I said to Sunshine.

"Okay then." Sunshine replied. "I'll save you a seat."

I nodded in reply, and then went to go see Shuriken. He wasn't wearing his usual villain attire, but rather tourist clothing: A tan sun hat, a red shirt with yellow flowers, dark green cargos, and brown sandals.

"What's with the getup?" I asked, as I approached him.

"Its my disguise." Shuriken replied. "I wear it whenever I'm out. People don't think that 'Shuriken' would be wearing tourist clothing, so I confuse them by wearing this."

"How did you get in?" I asked. "Isn't security tight around here?"

"It is; I had to sneak through the air vents to get in here."

"Well, what are you doing here?"

"I came to watch you, actually. I wanted to see how you were gonna do."

"And All for One didn't send you?"

"Nope, I came on my own accord. I wanted to see how would do for myself. Sadly, I have to report my findings back to All for One, though. Which means, if you fail, he'll probably give me the order to kill you. Which, I hope he doesn't, cause I'm starting to grow fond of you."

"Same here…" I replied sarcastically. "I have to get to my seat. Just, don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Like give you information on how to pass the physical exam?"

I was surprised when he said that, and I asked, "You know how to pass?"

"Yep. You wanna know?!"

"What is that, a trick question?! Of course, I want to know!" I replied excitedly.

"Well then," said Shuriken. "One of the tricks to get past the physical exam is that you have to rescue people. It's not just about destroying as many robots as you can, but about how you are willing to sacrifice yourself for somebody else. So, the more people you save, the more points you'll get."

"Oh… Well, that's helpful. Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome. Now, get out there and show them what your made of!"

"Right!" I said, as I left him to get my seat. Like it or not, Shuriken's information here was actually pretty helpful. Maybe I could use this information to help Maddox get through the physical exam.

I then found my friends, and took a seat beside Sunshine. Luckily, I was just in time. Just then, a strange looking man rushed out onto the stage, a microphone in his hand. The man was tall, had blonde hair that stuck upward, and a small mustache. He wore a black jacket, black pants with a reddish-brown belt, black boots, black fingerless gloves, a pair of orange colored sunglasses, headphones, and this weird, metal speaker thing around his neck.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, welcome to the U.A tryouts!" The strange man said into the microphone, giving off an energetic vibe. "I am the Pro Hero 'Present Mic', here to announce the rules for what you up and coming heroes are gonna do! Here's how its gonna work!"

As he talked, the TV screens above him turned on and showed pictures, pertaining to what he saying.

"Now, the forty of you are going to be divided into groups of ten!" he said, pointing at us. "You will be taken to an area away from here, where you will combat against different robots! For destroying easy robots, you will get one point! For medium, two! And for hard, three points! There are also large, massive bots that will appear, but they are worth no points! After thirty minutes, the results will be in, and the trial will be over!" He then said quietly, "And afterward, we will send you letters to tell which of you made it, and which of you didn't…" he then said in his active voice. "Now, if your name is on the screen, please report to Area A!"

We looked up on the screen and, low and behold, two of the name said 'Larry Jenkins' and 'Sunshine DeMorris'.

"You two better get moving." I whispered to Sunshine, as most of the kid started to get up to go to Area A.

"Right." Sunshine replied, as she got up and scooted past me. Larry followed her, scooting past me as they joined the group of ten kids. I took Sunshine's seat beside Maddox.

"Okay!" Present Mic started up again. "For those of you whose name is on the screen, please report to Area B!"

The screen blinked, and different names appeared. Two of the names said 'Zilo Shiloh' and 'Margaret Tanner'. Both Zilo and Maddox gasped in shock when they saw that.

"Come on, Zilo." Margaret spoke, standing up. She then scooted past Maddox and I. Zilo, before scooting by us, scooted beside Maddox and said, "Don't worry, you'll be fine; Joshua will look after you." He then looked at me and said, "Keep an eye on him, please?"

"Yes sir." I replied, as Zilo scooted by me, careful not to knock me over with his wings. He and Margaret then joined their own group of ten kids.

"Alrighty then!" Present Mic shouted. "For those of you whose name is on the board, please report to Area C!"

We looked up as the board changed and, to our horror, the only name we could find on there was 'Joshua Rourke'! Maddox and I would have to be split up! I wouldn't be able to protect him!

But then, I remembered what Shuriken told me about the real reason for the physical exam ("One of the tricks to get past the physical exam is that you have to rescue people."), and I knew what I should tell Maddox.

"Listen to me!" I said quietly, yet fiercely to Maddox. "We're not going together, and I don't know anything about your quirk, but what I do know is how you can get past this! You have to save people! If you see somebody who is about to be attacked from behind, come up and grab them and pull them out of the way! Do anything you can if you're not going to use your quirk!"

I looked up and saw the others leaving for the tryouts. "I'm sorry, Maddox…" I apologized, before getting up and running after my own group. When I looked back as we left, Maddox had a determined look on his face, almost like he knew what he had to do! I just hoped he would be able to do what he had to do…