I only own the plot of this story and my OC Camilla Sharro. All characters and locations in the MHA world are property of Kōhei Horikoshi. Star Wars is owned by Disney. Enjoy the new chapter!
Binding the Galaxy Together
Chapter 19 – U.A. Entrance Exam (Part 1: Written Portion)
"So the green bean finally finished cleaning that shit show of a beach?"
Mirko asked that question as she leaned against the wall next to Camilla's closed bedroom door in her hero outfit ready to go and a half eaten carrot in her hand. The Jedi herself had returned from the beach right after the rabbit hero herself had woken up. After a quick breakfast microwavable steamed eggs and some orange juice, she went back to her room to change clothes into something easier to move around in. What she dressed herself in when she woke up was thick for warmth but not good in a fight. The blind girl still didn't have a clue what she was about to go up against at that school but she had to have maneuverability on her side.
"Yup." Her voice rang from the other side of the door.
"All Might finally gave him the super quirk?"
"That's right."
"And in order to do that the kid had to eat one of the big guy's hairs?"
There was a pause after that. If the white haired hero was in the room with the Padawan girl, she would have seen the flashing look of disgust appear on her face.
"….yeah."
There was another momentary pause after that answer. Then Mirko turned her head so her voice was traveling right at the door.
"And you didn't think to wake me up so I could watch that?! That sounds hilarious as hell!"
The door opened up just a tad a second later. Through the gap, Camilla poked her head out but kept her unclothed upper body concealed by the door.
"I didn't even know it was going to happen!" The young Jedi was more surprised than she probably should have been at the reaction her current guardian had.
"You're the one with the ability to see the future, Martian Girl! You tellin' me you couldn't see that?!"
The ruby haired teen sighed at the assumption.
"The precognition I have through the Force grants me visions of events and people that are of some significance. I can't just turn an imaginary dial my head and tune it for….ugh….hair for breakfast."
Camilla blanched in disgust and said nothing else as she pulled herself back into her room and closed the door to finish changing.
"Plus if I recall, one of the first rules you had me agree to when I moved in here was to never wake you up when you were asleep. Because if I did, you would, and I quote; 'Kick me so hard out of this apartment I would be sent back to my own galaxy'."
Mirko chuckled as she remembered clearly reciting that rule and the repercussions that came with it if it was broken.
"And I stand by every word of that. Still I would've loved to see the look on Midoriya's face when he had to put that hair in his mouth. I can't believe I missed out on something so hilarious."
The rabbit hero could hear a quick sigh from her roommate.
"Fine. If Izuku ever finds his own successor in a few decades and passes One For All on once more, I'll be sure to call you so you can be there to watch that poor kid eat a strand of hair."
"That's all I ask."
Camilla gave a small chuckle of her own after that reply. A minute later she opened her door all the way and walked out dressed in looser clothes. Instead of those jeans she had on some black sweatpants with blue vertical stripes going up the legs. Some short white socks and black sneakers were on her feet while up top she had on a simple white tank top under a brown jacket. Her hair was brushed and not so messy as it was this morning when she pulled herself out of bed and her Padawan braid hung over her shoulder. With the sunglasses she had on covering her eyes, Camilla looked just like any other kid.
The only thing about her outfit that stood out was her lightsabers attached to her belt.
"You did fill out that form I need to turn in for these, right?"
Mirko nodded and pointed out to the living room.
"Yeah it's out there. Hado said you just gotta give to whoever you check in with at the school's front desk."
"Right. Good. Got it."
The girl stood there in her doorway for a few moments as she took in a few breaths to steady her rapidly increasing heart rate and relax.
"You alright?" Mirko asked to be sure.
"Yeah….yeah I'm fine." Camilla answered a bit too slowly. "It's just, this is the day I've been working for since right after I came here. Now it's here. Just…really hoping I don't somehow make a fool of myself after all you and Ryukyu helped put me through."
Any other person in Mirko's spot right now would probably do something like rest an assuring hand on the teen's shoulder and calmly reassure her that she was just being nervous and that she shouldn't let that get the best of her.
"You can be a real dumbass sometimes, kid."
The rabbit hero clearly had her own methods for motivation. Camilla just rolled her eyes expecting that kind of response but Mirko wasn't done talking.
"I saw you and Uraraka bleed, sweat, and cry all that time out there on Mandalore Island. I know what you can do. You know what you can do. Today you only have one job; go out there and show them what you can do now. And if anyone catches a glimpse of what you're hiding under those shades and gives you crap, then you know what to do. Right?"
"Humiliate them by showing I'm better?"
"Good girl."
That got Camilla's blood pumping and excited for this now. That was something she had been used to doing since she was a Youngling. Shatter the expectations of those who looked down on her. She became a Padawan with no eyes. She learned how to swing a sword with no eyes, and now she was going to get into U.A. with no eyes too. Before she stepped out of her room completely, a short series of bleeps turned her head around so she was facing her droid. R3 was on three legs now and wheeled himself up to his master as he spoke. Whatever he said made the girl smile and rest a hand on his dome shaped head.
"Thanks, old friend. I'll do my best."
The droid chirped again seemingly happy with the response. Camilla then flashed a confident smile Mirko's way.
"Guess I better get going."
Flashing a feral smirk of her own, Mirko held up a fist in front of her young roomie.
"Go kick some ass, Martian Girl."
Camilla didn't hesitate to clench her own fist and pound it into Mirko's. The rabbit may have driven her fist into the young Jedi's knuckles a bit too hard though. She did hear a small crack but from whose knuckles they came from she didn't know. Camilla did. It was from her fist. She pulled away, waved her hand to make the slight pain go away then walked out into the living room of the apartment she shared with the rabbit hero. Her Force vision picked up a small sheet of paper lying on the counter. She picked it up and then used the Force to open the front door.
"See you tomorrow then?" She asked Mirko.
The rabbit hero nodded.
"Leave Inko's plate for me in the microwave."
"I always do."
That was the system they had worked out. On days Ryukyu was training her on Mandalore, Mirko would be out doing hero work. Camilla always got home first and always went to sleep before the older woman got home. Sometimes she would be gone for multiple days in a row. The only reason she got this apartment in the first place was so she could have a regular place to sleep whenever she was back in town. Mirko was only there before the Padawan on her days off and nothing more. So Camilla always spent most of her nights at Izuku's house with Inko and sometimes Ochako. Mirko was a great hero but she was not a good cook so takeout was always her dinner plan for the longest time. Camilla wasn't that great either thanks to her limited vision with the Force. She couldn't tell foods apart. Inko was more than happy to cook for her son's friends and always had a plate of food waiting for the young Jedi when she arrived. Then she would always take an extra paper plate home for Mirko to eat whenever she decided to come back. It was a decent system to them.
The ruby haired teen gave one last wave to Mirko before heading out the door and jumping straight over the railing of the third floor walkway, causing the human rabbit to smirk knowing in a way she's rubbed off on her. Camilla landed with ease on both feet and stood up straight and walked straight out of the apartment gates. There outside waiting for her was Izuku dressed in his school uniform and wearing a smile on his face.
"It never gets old seeing you do that." He said referring to watching her land a three story jump.
Camilla smiled back happy to see her friend and got to walking again, this time with Izuku by her side. He had to take lead on this journey since Camilla didn't know where she was going. She had never been near U.A. before let alone actually in it. Shortly after leaving the apartments, the two of them wound of up at the train station. Using the pass Ryukyu got for her, Camilla was able to get through and board the train for the first time ever. Before today she had never had to use this method of transportation. She either walked or rode on Ryukyu's back to go somewhere. Probably not the best idea though to show up on the back of a well known hero. She didn't want to draw too much attention from other applicants hence the sunglasses over her eyes. A couple stops later, Ochako boarded the train with them then it kept going. A few more after that, then all three of them got off. It was only a short walk later until finally they were in front of their destination and their goal.
U.A. High School.
Camilla was only making out the different silhouettes of the other kids coming in to take the test same as her and her friends. Izuku and Ochako, those two could only wish their friend from beyond the stars could see what they were seeing. The campus of U.A. spread wide and far, but their attention was locked onto the main building that was a centerpiece of the school. Four magnificent towers connected by a series of bridges between each other. They had seen it plenty of times before on news reports and magazine covers. Seeing it in person was a completely different feeling. They weren't just here to take a tour and snap some photos. They were here to prove they had what it takes to walk among its halls as students.
"So…how are you two doing?" Ochako asked hoping the answer from either of them would help her feel less nervous.
"Like I wanna throw up just from looking at a building." Izuku answered.
Calming her nerves one more time, the young Jedi with them concentrated and pushed her Force vision as far as she could with the help of the boost in power the planet was giving her. Just in front of her, she could make out the shape of four identical buildings placed in a square formation. This must be what Ochako and Izuku were marveling over. Not that she could blame them. It did look pretty interesting. But as far as architectural marvels go, the Jedi temple on Coruscant ruined her once she got her first good "look" at it through her power. In her mind, nothing could compare.
"So are we going in? Or are we just gonna stand out here?" She asked her two friends.
Snapping back to reality, both the earthborn humans agreed with Camilla and began to approach the entrance to the building.
"So Deku," Ochako whispered. "How are you feeling with One For All in you now? Anything different?"
Izuku first looked down at himself as he thought about Ochako's question.
"Not physically." He started to answer. "All Might did say it would take a few hours to fully transfer into me. Camilla, can you see anything inside me yet?"
Turning to look up and down his body, Camilla allowed her power to see once more the light in Izuku's form. The same dim light he had was still there but she could make out it was getting brighter, and other lights were slowly beginning to flicker to life around it. The ruby haired girl smiled as her friend began to take on the look he had in the vision granted to her months ago.
"Yes. Your Force connection is getting stronger. And I can see the lights of One For All beginning to manifest."
"Well let's hope they fully shine in time for the practical exam." Izuku replied.
"Stupid Deku."
That growling voice caused all three of them to stop and turn around. Behind them in a school uniform identical to Izuku's was a snarling Katsuki Bakugo.
"Kacchan. Good morning." Izuku tried to be friendly.
"Get the hell out of my way before I blast you away, you damn nerd."
Ochako and Camilla both glared at him as he threatened Izuku.
"Hey what's your problem? All he did was say hello." Ochako snapped back.
Katsuki's glare only hardened as now he looked at Ochako with that same fire in his eyes.
"You stay out of business that doesn't involve you, extra. Or I'll do the same thing to you."
Ochako was ready to raise her voice after being called "extra" and Izuku was ready to stop her.
"Katsuki."
Another voice stopped them both though. The use of his given name made the explosive blonde snap his eyesight over to a very familiar redhead. The sunglasses covered her useless eyes but it wasn't her face he was looking at. Katsuki had his gaze down at her waist where Camilla had a firm grip on the red metallic weapon that she used in their brief fight the day they met. When he saw that, he froze only momentarily but hardened his sneer back to her.
"Izuku's our friend. That makes it our business." She warned him with a steeled tone. "Now keep walking."
Izuku was expecting Katsuki to start getting angry at people defending him. He was right of course. The ash blonde was internally burning holes in Izuku's eyes and these two friends of his for having the audacity to talk to him like that. He wanted to badly to just take them outside and burn them to nothing but cinders with as any explosions as his palms would allow but he had more important things to worry about. He openly growled to the three of them as he walked around them.
"The next time you try to tell me what to do, I'll kill you. Remember that, No-eyes."
With that, he walked alone to the entrance of the school to check in. He completely ignored the other people who noticed him and commented about how he survived the sludge villain incident.
Behind him, the other three just watched him go, not knowing what else to say next.
"Wow what a jerk."
Well almost didn't know what to say. Ochako had no problem stating her thoughts.
"The fact that you were friends with him at one point in your life still astounds me, Izuku." Camilla said as she released her grip on her lightsaber.
"You were actually friends with that guy?" Ochako was very surprised now.
"It was a long time ago. And believe it or not, Kacchan has actually been taking it a lot easier on me for a while." Izuku answered. "But that doesn't matter now. Today isn't about any of that."
Ochako and Camilla agreed. Today wasn't a day to get into fights with bullies. Turning back to the school entrance, they walked inside together. A short distance away from the door was a desk made from a folding table and a short line of kids with different uniforms from different middle schools were checking in.
When Izuku saw who was the one behind the desk and checking off names from a clipboard, his eyes filled with stars. A pro hero with gray skin and a very rugged block shaped body.
"Oh my gosh! That's Cementoss! Uraraka, Camilla, it's Cementoss!"
"We know, Deku. We see him." Ochako giggled.
"Sort of see him." Camilla adjusted her glasses. "To me he kinda looks like a big block."
Ochako and Izuku both chuckled at the way Camilla described the cement hero and got in line one at a time. When it finally came their time to check in, Izuku and Ochako went before the Jedi and gave their names to Cementoss. Once they were checked in and confirmed to not have any support item forms, they were given an exam ticket with their examinee numbers and more on them and then they directed them to where they would be taking the written tests. Then he wished them good luck and moved onto the next person in line before Izuku could ask for an autograph.
The two of them stood to the side as they waited for their extraterrestrial friend to finish with her own check in.
"Name?" Cementoss asked.
"Camilla Sharro."
The cement hero flipped through a couple pages before her found her name on the list. Before he asked the next question though, he noticed that next to her name, there was a small note. When he read it, the teacher's eyes went a little wide as he looked back to the girl realizing now just who she is and why that note was there.
"Give me just one moment."
Camilla's head tilted in confusion as Cementoss reached down into his outfit and pulled out a phone. She looked over to Izuku and Ochako hoping one of them knew what was happening, but the two of them just shrugged. They didn't have a clue what was going on either.
"Sir, Miss Sharro has arrived." Cementoss said into his phone.
After another moment of listening to whoever was on the other side of the call, Cementoss hung up and looked over his shoulder to beckon someone else over. A few footsteps were heard and the excitement of every male around her spiked hard enough to give Camilla a small headache. Izuku was excited as well but definitely not for the other reasons the other guys were.
"The R-Rated Hero Midnight! Oh wow we've only been inside U.A. for a few minutes and this is already the best day of my life!"
Ochako didn't know why but she felt a bit relieved after hearing Izuku gush over Midnight just because of her hero status and not just because of her…well…everything else. That outfit with the thinnest of fabrics on it left little to the imagination for most guys. Izuku though, he probably had a whole page full of notes on how useful it is for the buxom heroine's quirk. It was cute.
Wait what was that last thought?
"Miss Sharro, Midnight here will guide you to where you will be taking your written exam." Cementoss explained.
Now all three of the teens were confused, as were a few more behind Camilla who heard Cementoss say that.
"I'm not taking it with everyone else? Why?"
"The principal has his reasons. Personally I don't know what they are but I'm sure he will explain it to you once we get there." Midnight assured the girl.
All Camilla could do at this point was shrug and go along with it. The last part was Cementoss asking if she had any forms for support items. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and unfolded the form to give to the cement hero. After reading it over, Cementoss gazed at Camilla's belt looking over the two swords that hung from them. Once that was done, he put the form down on top a small stack of other ones and gestured to the bushy haired woman next to him while he held out her exam ticket.
"Your examinee number is 1138. Good luck, Miss Sharro." Cementoss politely bid the girl.
"Thank you, sir." Camilla bowed a small bit and took the ticket into her hand.
Before she left, she turned to Izuku and Ochako and waved to them.
"I guess I'll meet up with you two later."
Both of them nodded even though they were kind of disappointed they wouldn't be in the same place for this part of the test.
"Good luck!" Izuku called.
Camilla nodded back and then joined Midnight at her side. The heroine then put a comforting arm around the younger girl's back to lead her further into the school. Once the two of them were out of sight, Izuku and Ochako walked off on their own to find the room where the written portion was taken place. The room was lined with tables and the seats were spaced out with dividers between them on the tables. Izuku and Ochako both correctly assumed they were there to ensure no one attempted to cheat off another. Once they took their seats, another pro hero who worked at the school who, Ectoplasm stood at the front of the room.
"Welcome to the written portion of the U.A. entrance exam." He began in a very distinct voice. "While this part of the test is not as flashy as the practical, it is still a necessary one. Mind is just as if not more important than the body after all. I hope all of you studied well."
Almost everyone in that room grimaced as memories of cramming for this test came back to them. Izuku and Ochako couldn't count how many nights they studied together with Camilla at the former's home while they shared some homemade meals from Inko. They were dedicated to building up their bodies and stamina yes but they couldn't let it slip from their mind that the practical exam wasn't the entire thing. They still needed to hit the books hard.
"The tests are at the end of each table. Please pass them down your table until everyone has one."
Whoever was seated at the inside edge of each table began to do just that and passed the tests down one person at a time. Less than a minute later, each student had a copy of the test in front of them.
"You will all have one hour to finish this test. Be sure that each of you take your time and write legibly. I will be in here monitoring you throughout it. So I don't want to see anyone in here trying to cheat, or that examinee will be escorted off campus and forbidden to finish the test. If you finish your test before time is up, then come up to me at the front with your completed test and turn it in. Then you may go to the auditorium to wait for the rest of your fellow examinees to join you. Are there any questions?"
Ectoplasm looked around and saw no one raised up their hands. Good. It was a pretty straightforward explanation after all.
"One hour. You may begin."
All at once, everyone flipped open the first page on their test and marked down their names on the front of it. The U.A. entrance exam had officially begun.
While everyone in that room was scribbling down answers with a pencil, Camilla was led further into U.A.'s facility with Midnight gently guiding her with a hand to her back. Not that the young Jedi wasn't appreciative of the help. But Midnight's hand constantly on her back as if she needed it made her feel uncomfortable.
"I can just walk beside you, ma'am. You can let go of me."
Midnight looked down to the young girl wearing the sunglasses about to protest but stopped herself when she noticed Camilla's head was turned in the right direction so she was looking straight into her eyes. Sort of at least. Deciding to see if she really didn't need help, Midnight let her arm drop.
"I meant no offense." Midnight assured her. "And don't call me ma'am. I'm still quite young and quite vibrant."
Camilla shrugged taking her word for it. It wasn't like she could see Midnight's face to see if there were any wrinkles or anything. And her emotions told her the heroine was telling the truth…or at the very least what she believed to be the truth.
"So where am I going if I'm not taking the test with everyone else?" The blind girl wanted to know.
"The principal of this school requested you take your exam in his office. Said something about you being an interesting case he wanted to see for himself."
That…didn't bode to well in Camilla's mind.
'The principal wants to give me my test personally? Why? Is he already suspicious about me? All that cement guy told him was my name. Did Nejire say something?'
As her mind went over any other reasons this was happening, Camilla and Midnight closed the gap between themselves and the door to the principal's office. The busty heroine opened it for the student and gestured for her to enter. She obliged and did so while Midnight followed her in. Camilla then looked back and forth in the rooming looking for the principal and found someone else in there just…very much surprising. A human shape was not in that chair behind that desk. That shape was much smaller…and not this pointy.
"Miss Camilla Sharro?" A polite voice sounded out.
Camilla was even more surprised when that voice came from that small creature.
"Yes. That's me." She replied back anyway. "Are you the principal?"
The person hopped out of his chair and walked around the desk to be in front of the girl's legs and chuckled.
"What am I indeed? Am I a mouse, or a dog, or a bear? None of those matter because the most important thing is, I am indeed the principal. My name is Nezu."
So this was the principal of U.A. High. Upon hearing that and realizing his position, Camilla couldn't help but see for one moment this creature before her morph into a different shape with long pointy ears and a cane in his hand. Shaking her head she regained her composure and bowed to Nezu ever so slightly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She greeted him properly.
"The feeling is quite mutual, Miss Sharro." Nezu replied genuinely. "And I hope you don't mind me asking this but, well I'm just so curious. May you please take off your glasses?"
Camilla faltered for just the slightest moment as she took that request in. Midnight was still there and she wasn't sure why. She was hoping to get through this test with as little people as possible seeing what she had hidden behind those tinted lenses. Both of their emotions were calm and collected, especially coming from Nezu. Still even with that, Camilla didn't seem to have it in her to say no to this creature before her. Slowly, her hand reached up to grab the right temple on her sunglasses and she pulled them off her face showing the two pro heroes what lied beneath them.
Once Midnight saw it, a small gasp could be heard and the young Jedi could feel her surprise burst forward. Nezu however, much to her surprise, turned jovial once he got a look at those dull lifeless eyes.
"So here you are; U.A.'s first ever blind applicant."
The lack of change in his emotions led Camilla to one possible explanation as to why.
"How long have you known for?" She had to know.
"The day Miss Hado came into my office and asked if any other blind people had taken the test before today." Nezu answered happily.
He's known for that long? But that was nine months ago? Does that mean Nejire just flat out told him?
"And before you go thinking Hado told me about you, let me assure you, she didn't." Nezu stopped her. "See right before Miss Hado came into my office to ask her question, I got an email with a video link. That video link featured Miss Hado and another person in a hooded cloak fighting a villain together during her internship with Ryukyu."
Camilla suddenly froze.
"That cloaked figure had an odd green sword in her hand."
Her feet felt like they were turning to ice.
"And if you pause and just the right frame on said video, one could see the person wielding that sword was also blind."
'Not good! Not good! How is he able to keep his emotions so level and steady?!'
"After I saw that I knew I had to meet you. I've been waiting for this day for nine months afterwards."
Internally Camilla was still panicking but it was now just a little bit. Nezu wanted to meet her?
"You…wanted to…?"
"It's not often one is given a gift such as yours, Miss Sharro. From what I've read, Forceful Mind is nothing short of a miracle. Such versatility in one quirk is quite astounding."
As he complimented her, Camilla kept focus on Nezu as she searched for any change in emotion. Again there was nothing. She couldn't even get a clue as to what this guy was really thinking. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
"Now with that out of the way, take a seat and I'll explain the test."
The young Jedi nodded and took a seat in the desk a short distance away from Nezu's own. In front of her on the desk's surface was what she assumed to be the test. Next to it were a couple of tools she had grown used to during her nine straight months of learning to read and write in Braille; a slate and stylus. When she was seated, she ran her fingers over the paper and confirmed it by touch, this was embossing paper.
"I apologize if accommodating for me was any trouble." She felt a need to say that.
Nezu just waved those concerns off with a wave of his arm as he sat back in his own desk.
"No apology is necessary. In fact I should thank you. You finally gave me a reason to plug in that embossing printer I've had in storage for years."
Even with blind eyes Nezu could tell Camilla was shocked to hear that he had one of those lying around. With a chuckle, he explained before she could ask.
"As principal of the most prestigious hero school in the country, it's prudent for me to be prepared for any and all possibilities regarding future applicants and their quirks. The Braille printer is something I've had here since my first day at U.A. I've just never had an opportunity to use it before you."
As she listened, Midnight was actually fascinated by the story of that embossing printer. She had seen it in storage collecting dust and only recently was it finally put to use for this girl. Camilla nodded when Nezu finished accepting the explanation. It was good of him to think ahead like that. With that out of the way now, the white furred principal decided to get things rolling.
"Here's how this is going to work. The exam you have in front of you is exactly the same one every other examinee is taking today. Though there is one minor difference. At the end of the exam there is an essay question. But instead of an essay in Braille I had a more interesting idea. I'll just ask you the question and you can give me your essay orally. Midnight and I will both judge you on that."
A written examination with an oral finish? That didn't sound so bad. She was confident in herself. Well, mostly. Aside from training on Mandalore Island with Ryukyu and Mirko, Camilla could definitely remember all the strenuous nights she spent with Nejire, Ochako, and Izuku learning facts from books they would most likely need for this part of the exam. At the very start, she struggled so much to make sense of it all. The rules and laws that this society wanted their youths to learn still didn't sit right with her after all this time. A lot of it went against the principals the Jedi taught her all her life. Walking away if you don't have a license, leaving it to the pros, it was just…wrong. At least that's what she thought. It probably wasn't the best thing to say to these two heroes judging her.
As she rubbed her fingertips over the dots that made up the Braille text of her test, Camilla took hold of the slate and stylus she would be using to write down her answers.
"Alright." She responded back to Nezu.
The rodent principal nodded and placed a smartphone down on his desk. With one tap, a timer began to count down from one hour.
"Then you may begin."
Once she had the go ahead, Camilla opened her test and ran her fingertip over the indented dots that made the first question. When she had it, she positioned the slate underneath it and began to use the stylus to emboss her answer into the paper. She continued this same process for a good thirty minutes while Nezu and Midnight kept watch on her. Even with her eyes being gray and lifeless both of them could tell there was a fire behind them nonetheless. This girl had a determination behind her to prove herself and she was going about it in loudest way she could by applying here. They couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for that.
One question at a time, Camilla filled out the test paper with more of the Japanese Braille language she spent the last near year learning. The room was as quiet as a tomb as the clock ticked away the time. Dot after dot the incognito warrior filled out more and more of her test. Every flip of the page made her concentration sharpen as she did the very best she could to recall all she had studied for this test. A lot of it still didn't sit right with her, especially when it came to modern hero safety laws and proper hero work practicing. It was like some of these things being taught went against her very nature as a Jedi. She figured though she couldn't take the words of a book at face value. She had seen and heard about how Ryukyu and Mirko handle their jobs and they still are effective heroes who do things in different ways. Minute after minute passed by until there were only fifteen minutes left on the clock. That was when Camilla closed the last page on her test, now filled from cover to cover in Braille.
"Finished."
Perking his head up, Nezu flashed a wide smile to the girl as she walked over and placed the completed test on his desk.
"Excellent." Nezu took the test closer and took a quick flip through it making sure every question was answered.
When he saw that they were, he closed it and looked over to Camilla.
"Very well, Miss Sharro. I only have one question to ask and please. Be as detailed as you possibly can as if you were writing an essay like your fellow applicants."
Camilla braced herself hoping her nights of studying were about to pay off.
"What does it truly mean to be a hero?"
One second. Two. Three. What? That was the question? Not something more about laws or proper civilian rescue methods?
"Come again?"
Nezu chuckled while Midnight answered her this time.
"It should be a simple enough question since you are applying to become one. What does it mean to be a hero? Take some time to gather your thoughts if you need to but remember, the clock is ticking."
So the time limit was staying until she answered this question and fully completed the test. Okay. She could do this. She could totally answer a question she was by all means not prepared to answer.
Camilla took a step back and began to take Midnights advice gathering her thoughts. She knew why she wanted to be a hero but did what it meant to be one really line up with that? If she knew one thing, it was she had to be very careful with the words she chose to say here. It wasn't just this Midnight woman judging her, but the one in charge of this whole school.
After what seemed like forever, Camilla just stood there breathing and thinking to try and get the best explanation she could out of her system. The clock on Nezu's phone only had seven minutes left to go.
"There's no true answer."
Finally after eight minutes of thought, Camilla spoke.
"It could mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some they may say being a hero is about saving people, another may say it's about getting into fights with criminals. More out there may have entirely different reasons. But if you want my personal opinion, which I kind of think you do now, being a hero means…balance."
Midnight and Nezu both tilted their heads curious as to where the girl was going with this.
"Heroes are thought by many people to be many things. What makes a real one, to me at least, is someone with enough balance in them to be the perfect balance of strong and kind. Strong enough to be able to throw a punch, but at the same time kind enough to extend a hand. That's what people need. Not just someone who says the right things and does the right things, but someone who actually believes what they are doing is right and doesn't care about the rewards the come from it."
The girl could have sworn that just for a moment she could see her master in front of her as she pretty much described him to the best of her abilities without making it too obvious.
"So that's what I think it means to be a hero. Not just being a warrior who can throw their power around and make people cheer, but a guardian who can make someone feel safe just by being seen. Someone who represents peace and has shown on multiple accounts they are capable of keeping that peace."
With that, her explanation was done and Camilla took in a breath to relax and allow Midnight or Nezu to say whatever they would want to say next. Nezu pressed his paw to the surface of his phone stopping the timer with five minutes left to spare. For the entire time since Camilla entered this room, he had kept that smile on his face watching the blind girl take her test. It didn't leave him while she spoke her answer to the final question, and it seemed like it still wasn't going anywhere after she finished.
Midnight from the second she saw this girl take off her glasses and show she was blind, she was surprised. She didn't know anything a sightless candidate taking the exam. When she realized it she had grown concerned that this might end it some form of disaster when it came to the practical. Nezu could tell this by looking at her so to ease her worries, he slipped her the teen's file and she read over her information. When she got to Camilla's quirk, it seemed too impossible believe. A mental emitter quirk that not only allowed for telekinesis, but sight without seeing and all these other listed abilities? What kind of parents did this girl have to come from to gain such an extraordinary power? Unfortunately that was one of the things her file didn't show. On the line where the guardian's name is listed, there was a Rumi Usagiyama. Why did that name sound familiar? Did this Usagiyama adopt this kid or something?
Once Camilla neared the neared the end of her test, she closed the file and kept watch on the kid. Then she gave her "essay answer" and Midnight felt impressed. Not many people use that kind of answer. Most of them are along the same lines of "beating up bad guys" or "saving people no matter the cost". The whole balance aspect Camilla was going for her was an interesting viewpoint. Then again with that quirk of hers, probably everything she sees is an interesting view.
"Thank you very much, Miss Sharro." Nezu said to the redhead. "Midnight will show you to the auditorium where you will be briefed on the next part of the exam."
Nodding, Camilla returned her sunglasses to her face and adjusted her belt holding her lightsabers. Midnight walked over and opened the door.
"Thank you as well, principal." Camilla bowed her head just a little before joining the R-Rated Hero and exited Nezu's office.
When the door was closed, Nezu looked over the front cover of Camilla's test and laughed to himself.
"My oh my. Why do I feel this upcoming school year is going to be quite an eventful one?"
Midnight led Camilla to the auditorium in silence. Most likely the girl was still nervous about the test she took hoping she did alright. She was trying to clear a massive hurdle here with her disability. But the time to prove whether or not she had what it takes was only minutes away now. When the neared the front doors to the auditorium, Midnight stopped and gestured over to the crowd of kids going through them.
"Just go in, find a seat, and another staff member will explain your practical exam. Good luck, Miss Sharro."
"Thank you, Midnight."
Even though the girl couldn't see it, Midnight still flashed a warm smile the kid's way as she walked away into the auditorium doors. Once she was inside, Camilla focused her Force vision to look around for her two friends. So many people with so many different lights didn't make that an easy task though.
Up in the higher rows of the auditorium seating, Izuku and Ochako were seated together with Katsuki sitting on Izuku's other side. The explosion user was sitting there completely confident that he aced that written test even though it was useless. Izuku and Ochako however, they just hoped their essay questions were enough to get them both passing grades. As they sat, Ochako put her backpack down on the seat to her left to save it for their other friend whenever she got here. If she got here on time that is. There were only a couple of minutes left before the briefing started.
"I've never been so nervous in my life." Izuku mumbled to himself.
Katsuki couldn't be bothered to care. Ochako was very different as she put a hand to his shoulder.
"Hey don't count yourself out before you start, Deku. You're gonna do great. I know it."
Katsuki grumbled under his breath as she listened to this girl try to encourage the worthless Deku next to him. Where the hell did he get off making friends that actually supported his hopeless dreams? Why couldn't he just stay down in the dirt where he belonged? He was about to open his mouth and tell the round faced girl if she really wanted to help him, then escort him out of the building. But words at this point weren't affecting Deku anymore. Maybe getting his ass handed to him in the practical exam would finally make him open his eyes.
"Hey you two. Looks like I'm right on time."
Izuku and Ochako looked over with a smile to see their Jedi friend shuffle through the legs of everyone else in the row as she got near them. She took the seat next to Ochako after she took her backpack out of the chair.
"Cutting it a bit close." Izuku commented. "Where did Midnight take you anyway?"
"Yeah was there another group taking the test somewhere?" Ochako wondered.
Camilla shook her head.
"No. She took me to the principal's office. Apparently Nezu wanted to give me my exam personally."
That little fact made Katsuki glance over to her for a moment. The principal of U.A. gave her the test himself? What the hell did she do to garner his attention? Be born without eyes? Was that it?
Ochako and Izuku also were surprised that she took the test with the head of the school. But Camilla wasn't done. She leaned in to make sure only they heard her next part.
"Since I couldn't write the essay question at the end of the test, he just asked me the question and I answered it orally. Both he and Midnight were listening."
The surprise was still there but also clarity was mixed in now. That made a lot more sense now that they heard it. Using speech to answer an essay question had to make things more manageable for her. And she was lucky Nezu was willing to accommodate her that much.
"So how do you think you did?" Izuku asked.
Camilla just shrugged.
"I'm not really sure. All I'm hoping for right now is, 'good enough to pass'. How about you guys?"
"Same as you really." Ochako replied. "But that's probably not what we should be worrying about now."
She said that as she noticed the lights around them were beginning to dim and the ones near the stage were getting brighter. The big screen that was mounted in the back lit up and the U.A. logo was now shining on the crowd who was now silent. Only a pair of footsteps could be heard and they belonged to the man currently walking into center view on stage with a wide smile showing all his teeth. Izuku had both his hands over his mouth as he recognized the pro hero's signature hair style and directional speaker device around his neck. Before Camilla could ask who that was though, the hero yelled to the crowd first.
"Gooooooooooooood morning to all of you little listeners! Welcome to the U.A. High School hero course practical examination! Thanks for tuning into the station with me your school D.J.! Let me hear you make some noise!"
The hero held his hand up to his ear ready to hear some loud feedback to his call out. He got none.
"Oh man oh man oh man." Izuku quietly mumbled but still showing his inner fanboy. "That's the voice hero, Present Mic. I listen to his radio show every of the week! This is so cool!"
"Will you shut up?" Katsuki snarled already annoyed by his ex friend.
Present Mic? Upon hearing the name of this guy Camilla thought back to the many times she had been to Izuku's house. She now remembered this man's voice coming through the radio app on Izuku's phone.
"So you're all trying to keep yourselves mellow, huh?! I can dig that! So let me lay down the tune you all want to hear! It's my job to tell you how this exam is going to work!"
He was right on the nose with that as one by one most of the kids in the audience leaned forward to listen to Present Mic speak.
"Crank up the volume, listeners! I'm only explaining this once! The way this is going to work is each and every one of you is going to be taking part in a mock battle against faux villains in rockin' urban areas that are part of our training facility!"
The giant screen behind Present Mic changed to show a series of different areas labeled from letters A through G.
"Each of you can find out which area you'll be headed to on your examinee ticket so be sure you read it right! Last thing you wanna do is get on the wrong bus and go to the wrong area! Ya dig?"
Almost simultaneously, nearly every student reached for their ticket to see which area they were assigned to while Present Mic tried again in vain to get people to respond to his call outs. To Izuku and Ochako's delight, they were both assigned to area B.
"I see." Katsuki commented. "Whoever goes to the same middle school is being separated from one another to avoid us working with our friends."
Izuku looked over at Katsuki's card and saw he was in area A.
"Yeah you're right. The numbers you and I have are one after the other but our battle areas are different."
"Get your eyes off my card." Katsuki growled. "Damn. I was looking forward to destroying you today."
Two seats over, Camilla had her card in her hand but needed assistance.
"Pssst. Ochako. Which area am I in?"
Turning away from Izuku and Katsuki, Ochako looked at Camilla's card and found her area assignment.
"You're in area F." She replied.
"Area F." Camilla repeated to herself.
And she kept on repeating it to herself in her head until it was ingrained in there so she would remember it. Present Mic was right. She didn't want to look like an idiot by getting on the wrong bus to the wrong battle area. That's exactly what she was here to disprove. That she didn't need working eyes to stand amongst them.
The screen on stage then brought up the shapes of three different mechanical looking silhouettes numbered differently from one to three. Present Mic wasted no time explaining them.
"Aaaaaaaalrighty then! Let me tell you about the enemies you kids are gonna be up against. In each battle area there will be three different types of villain robots scattered all around the place. Every robot has a different point value assigned to them based on how hard it will be for you to defeat them."
The image behind Present Mic again changed to show what most kids in the audience could only describe as a retro video game. The character "player 1" was in playing as was a pixilated Present Mic.
"Your goal is simple. Use your quirks to tear apart as many robots as you can like the last solo on a rockin' final number! Get as many points as you can before ten minutes passes!"
The loud DJ hero turned back around to point out to the audience.
"Just make sure you keep your sights on the robots alone! Trying to attack your fellow examinees during this battle is a major boo-boo! So keep it clean out there like the heroes you all wanna be!"
Camilla internally was cheering.
'That's it? We just gotta destroy some oversized battle droids? There's no way it can be that easy. All this time, Ochako and Izuku were going on about this like it's the toughest test anyone could take. It seriously can't come down to just breaking things. Can it?"
"Excuse me sir!" A voice cut through the crowd. "I have a question!"
"Lay it on me!"
As Present Mic pointed to the kid currently standing up, a spotlight shone down on him illuminating him for nearly everyone to see. The boy was tall, wearing glasses, had blue hair almost in the style of a bowl cut, and was wearing a very fancy school suit. When the light was on him, he held up a piece of paper and looked to it.
"You just said to us there were three faux villains for us to watch out for during this exam. But on this informatory printout it lists four types of villains. If this is a misprint on an official U.A. document then it is quite shameful! As Japan's top hero school we the examinees deserve nothing but the best you can offer us! Mistakes such as these just won't do!"
No one had to be able to sense emotions to feel this guy's presumptuous attitude hang in the air. The way he spoke to fro his words to his tone screamed "elitist".
"Also you! Back there with the unkempt hair!"
The bespectacled boy turned quickly and threw an accusing finger right towards Izuku. Put off by the gesture, Izuku nervously pointed to himself.
"Uhh…me?"
"Yes you! You've been mumbling the entire time he has been talking down there! If you aren't going to take this test seriously then leave! You're distracting the rest of us!"
"Hey, glasses!"
Before Izuku could even try to defend himself, his nervous look evolved to shock when he turned and saw Ochako glaring back down at the boy who called him out. It also looked like Camilla's own look was hardened underneath those shades of hers too. The blue haired boy just turned to look at her more than confused as to why he was now being addressed.
"I get you're excited to take this test but don't accuse anyone of being anything when you don't even know them!" Ochako cried.
"Also wouldn't you standing up and interrupting him down there in the middle of his explanation count as a bigger distraction?" Camilla added on.
The boy with glasses stood frozen as he stared at the two girls in surprise and a bit of embarrassment creeping into him. He wasn't expecting resistance from what he thought was aiding the rest of the examinees. A few soft giggles from the crowd later, and the boy turned back around and decided not to push his luck and respond back to them.
"I'm sorry, you two." Izuku whispered to the girls.
"Don't worry about it. You did nothing wrong." Ochako whispered back.
Back on stage, Present Mic was waving his hands trying to get the three of them to calm down.
"Okay okay! Thanks for calling in examinee 7111!"
The screen changed yet again to show the silhouette of the fourth robotic villain the boy with glasses brought up.
"The fourth villain is worth a big fat zero points! There's only going to be one per battle center but it's only there as an obstacle that gets in your way. You could try to beat it if you really want to but there really isn't any point to it! It's just something you should work to avoid rather than fight. You'll be better off trying to go after the ones that will actually score you some points and get you to the top of the charts!"
Once he got the explanation he was looking for, the boy with glasses bowed to Present Mic.
"I see. Thank you."
Not seeing any need to say more, and feeling two pairs of eyes drilling into him from above and behind him, he sat down to let the pro finish talking.
Up in her seat, Camilla was keeping all her focus on Present Mic. While he was explaining that zero point villain, something didn't feel right. He was more excited than usual to talk about that one for some reason but his voice was just as steady. But what did that mean?
"That's gonna be a wrap for today, listeners! I just got one last note to sign off on before you all head outta here. Napoleon himself once said, 'A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes.' So go out there and show us all how far you can go beyond! LET ME HEAR A PLUS ULTRA!"
For the third time, Present Mic got no response from anyone in the seats. Camilla couldn't help but giggle a bit to herself as she felt the pang of annoyance come off the man as a result.
"Alright then! The busses that will take you to your battle sites are right outside! Once again make sure you get on the right one! And good luck!"
The lights in the auditorium came back on fully and everyone stood up to leave. Camilla stayed close following Ochako and Izuku as they followed the signs that led to the busses and then went out the door. There was indeed a line of busses outside waiting for them, each one with a big letter printed on the sides from A to G. For Izuku and Ochako their first priority was to make sure their friend who can't read print got onto the right bus like Present Mic warned. So as they began to walk her over to bus F, their legs all suddenly became a lot heavier. Everything they've worked for, all the training they put in, the pain, the tears, and the blood, what it was for was just a bus ride away. All three of them were nervous.
"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I candothisIcandothisIcandothisIcandothisIcandothisIcandothisIcandothisIcandothis….."
Though some were a bit more than others. As Izuku devolved into sweating enough to fill a tea kettle in seconds and muttering the same four words over and over, both the girls to his left just looked at him with nothing but concern.
"Deku? Hey, Deku!" Ochako tried to get his attention but nothing happened.
"Izuku, are you breaking down or something?" Camilla took a turn but had similar results.
The poor green haired boy was nervous beyond anything he ever felt before. In fact his feelings were so strong the Jedi next to him rubbed her aching head due to the huge overload she was feeling from him. Seeing one friend muttering, and the other one literally in pain because of it, Ochako got an idea for how to fix it. The very thought of it made her blush a little bit but she figured the look Izuku was about to have on his face would be worth it.
"Deku I've never kissed a boy before. Will you kiss me?"
Three.
Two.
One.
"WAIT YOU WANT WHAT?!"
The sudden raise in volume caused everyone around the trio to pause and look at him with varying looks of concern, fear, and a little laughter packaged along with it. A few moments later, they kept walking and Izuku, finally back to his senses, grew red in his complexion from head to toe and began to sink into the ground right in front of bus F.
"….you…..you….your mouth….my mouth….wha…"
On one hand, Camilla knew laughing at Izuku here and now would probably be an unnecessary kick while he's down. But then again she never did smack him for waking her up this morning.
"Pffft….heheheaaahahahaha…oh Izuku!" She tried her best to keep quiet.
Right after she started, Ochako was laughing right next to her with her own blush now long gone.
"Hahahaaaa….I…haha…I'm sorry, Deku. But I had to snap you out of it."
Finally realizing what Ochako's game was, Izuku stood back up and glared daggers into Ochako's eyes.
"That was dirty!" He whined.
"I agree but you left us no choice." Ochako countered as she got control of her laughter.
Izuku sighed and bowed his head back down.
"Sorry, girls. It's just…everything All Might did for me, it's all gonna be put to the test in just a few minutes. I just….what if I go out there and everything just…doesn't work out like I hoped? What if I fail? Then all of this would have been wasted. All Might put his trust in me and it could amount to nothing."
"It won't."
That fast reply was accompanied by one of Camilla's hands resting on Izuku's shoulder. Slowly, she then took her glasses off to ensure her friend could see all of her face as she spoke.
"Listen to me. Doing what you're doing now isn't going to help you. Don't worry too much about the end result. Just go out there and concentrate on the moment. Take it one step at a time. Go after one robot then move onto the next. Then keep doing that as much as you can until that buzzer sounds."
Her other arm wrapped around Ochako's back as she pulled her in close to their little huddle.
"We've all worked so long and so hard to get here. We just need to keep our heads on straight during this test, and we got this. You two with me?"
Izuku and Ochako looked first into each other's eyes. Their blushes were done and they were listening heavily to every word the young Jedi spoke. Suddenly they both could see a spark of determination ignite behind the other's gaze as they looked at Camilla with confidence.
"Of course we are." Ochako nodded.
"Always." Izuku proudly proclaimed.
Camilla nodded back and stood up to look at her bus which was loading up.
"May the Force be with you."
With that final bidding, Camilla separated from them and hopped onto her bus and Izuku and Ochako made their way over to theirs. The stage was set for the big part of the entrance exam. All they had to do now was go out there and put on a good show.
But of course, as with life, nothing can ever be that simple.
A/N
Back again with another chapter! Part one of the entrance exam is down and now its tie for the big kahuna you all have been waiting for! A big fat serving of mechanical carnage, broken bones, and a side of rainbow vomit! Hope to see you all then and stay safe out there!