Well, hello!

After months and months of silence, I'm here and back with a new chapter to the story. I haven't abandoned it. This is just taking its time. I still have a vision and a wish to expand this story, even if there's been this ludicrous time gap between the previous chapter and getting this new one out.

Hopefully you'll have a blast with this new instalment!

Unknown and Readiness

Day was going to be cloudy with thick blankets of grey clouds covering the sky from horizon to horizon but according to the forecasts, there was next to zero chances for the rain so that was good. Maybe not the most optimal weather conditions to perform practical portion of the entrance exams but it definitely could have been much worse.

After making a point to arrive early, Jeremy was now standing just pass the main gates of Edelgrove Academy's campus area and was silently admiring to sight opening before his eyes.

Due to it still being rather early, there were not too many people breaking the calm of the spring morning which all kind of added to the effect which the sight had.

There was a multistory school building standing about quarter of a mile away from the main gates, rising far above the top of the planted tree line, which itself was also climbing to impressive heights, and sitting on a low hillock watching over the region around. Rooftops of few nearby accompanying buildings and facilities also rose over the tree line but not to the same heights as the main building. Overall architecture and landscaping were modern and fresh-looking although there were those obvious hints that some inspiration might have been pulled from cottagecore and other rustic setting related themes. Aesthetics felt to promote that idealized concept of the wholesome purity of the outdoors, mingling that with strong modern influences, and although the campus area spread wide, there remained that sense of certain minimalism with countless little details being sprinkled everywhere.

High school's grandiose façade left Jeremy deeply impressed. It was hard to imagine that it might have been his future school. He knew he was only seeing a fraction of the actual area which the campus covered and it was an alien thought to him considering that he had gone to a very normal middle-class elementary school which could be seen in its entirety from a one good vantage point.

Signposts informing where to go for Edelgrove Academy's entrance examination were positioned along the main pavement leading to the main building. Following those signs, Jeremy sauntered forward and kept taking in everything he could.

Shivers of excitement and nervousness rushed through his body. He clenched his fists hard around his backpack's straps when he did not know what else to do with his hands at the moment. He tried to act casual but somehow more than ever he felt highly self-conscious about every move he made.

When he entered the spacious front lobby, there was a line of tables organized in front of a staircase of few steps leading to the elevated first floor. Behind the tables there were five pairs of older students and in front of each pair's section was a laminated paper with a gap of letters printed on them, standing for the initial of the surname and representing the spot where the arriving examinees could sign themselves in.

It was obvious for Jeremy to pick the leftmost edge of the line since his roll call had always been very close to the beginning of every roll call. Therefore it was kind of in vain for Edelgrove's representative student, who was welcoming arrivals next to the main doors, to instruct him to pick the correct line and register after a pleasant welcome greeting.

After greeting the pair working on the correct registration point, Jeremy gave his surname to them. He added his first name two seconds later just in case if it was needed. One student ran a pen over the list of names on paper while the other riffled files on a box which probably contained something like individually named instruction-and-introduction files. When the one who was checking Jeremy's name found it, she asked for his identity document to further verify that he really was who he claimed to be. Handing his passport was a thing of small importance but for whatever reason it was one of those seemingly insignificant details which stuck to Jeremy's memory. In few days' time, he thought, he would forget it, but just that very thought crossing his mind was enough to actually etch the memory in his mind.

He was taking everything he could in.

After everything was in order and eager examinee had his welcoming paper package in his hands, he was instructed to follow the signposts to the auditorium where the faculty would eventually hold opening formalities and speeches of the entrance exams.

As Jeremy followed the instructions and was walking deeper and deeper into the building, he was having increasingly hard time to comprehend how it was all really real. After so much pain and effort put towards this very goal, it was actually somewhat difficult to believe that he had made his way in Edelgrove in his life. Sure, he was not a student there yet, just another hopeful soul, but getting called to participate in entrance exams was already a victory in its own right to him. He had come from another side of the country here to compete against others for a privilege to get a formal professional hero education. Not all Hero Path high schools held their entrance exams this exact same day but knowing that at least and for example Greater Taleborough some distance to the south in Toronto's area was holding its own exams this same day was a thought that helped Jeremy to create even greater sense of wider connection to other aspiring applicants seeking to become professional heroes one day.

When he made his way through the corridors, he took quick notice of how clean every place seemed to be. Perhaps it was for the occasion that everything had been put into tip-top shape because school had standards and image to uphold or maybe he was just looking everywhere through rose-tinted lenses, blinding himself for the possible flaws in the body. Yet again, in his mind he was still just a student from middle-class surroundings from the west and there certainly was some novelty to really be in person in this highly esteemed education institution. He could recall every possible wear and tear in his middle school when comparing it in his mind to Edelgrove and everything what he was seeing.

He found the enormous sized auditorium he was supposed to. It was well lit and had this almost uncanny sense of space in it despite the fact that place was spacious enough in itself simply because it could comfortably hold maybe around twenty-five hundred or thirty hundred people at max capacity.

There was already a good number of examinees present, although nothing too ridiculous. Seeing that, Jeremy was not sure what he had exactly expected when coming. He kind of had thought that he might be amongst the very first people but it seemed that some kids had been even more eager to make a trivial good impression by making a point to arrive early. Most of them had occupied seats towards the front rows. Few more lonely ones sat wherever in the middle rows. Last row like the front rows was also getting pretty occupied.

Knowing what he wanted, Jeremy decided to take his seat around the middle parts of the auditorium but in a spot where the aisle steps were almost next to him. He was one of those people who found sitting in front or in the middle of everyone rather distressing. It was that feeling of knowing how many eyes he had behind his back if he did so which he found uncomfortable. But due to the occasion, he decided that it would not have been appropriate for him to hide himself to the back row. This was the thing he had been preparing for like crazy for a year so now he had to show some bravery and move away from his comfort zone and try to indulge in every moment he was going to experience.

Basically it was all small preparations to psych himself up for the physical examination. His very future was depending on this day in a very real sense.

He could feel his heart starting to beat faster in his chest for some reason, and there was that uncomfortable fragment stuck in his throat. Suspense was already starting to get best of him.

To calm his nerves and to give his mind something else to think about, he opened the introductory letter he had received from the sign-up desk and ran his gaze through the texts which had been provided. While he was doing that, auditorium began to fill up more and more little by little.

Few times he had to give little way for other applicants who wanted to pass him when they set their eyes on seats on the same row. One time, when he happened to lift his eyes and check how full the place was becoming, by pure chance it was the exact moment when Irene from his middle school passed him. Girl noticed him and greeted him with a smile and hi. Having located a familiar face, she decided it was actually a good spot for her to sit down so she entered the row right in front of Jeremy and took a seat directly in front of him. They knew each other but not closely enough to warrant an unspoken admission to seat next to each other.

Jeremy let his eyes run around the room when he was wondering if Nolan and Alvin Stuart had arrived as well already. By now there was already quite a lot of traffic happening and seats were getting filled so it was definitely hard to spot one or two specific faces amongst the kids. He could not spot the two boys.

Clock hit quarter past full hour and like a clockwork there rang out a shout from the speakers throughout the auditorium.

"GOO-OOO-OOD MORNING, YOUNG ONES!"

General commotion, destined by-product of such large masses of kids gathering in one place, faded relatively quickly when a tall man maybe in his mid-thirties entered the podium area and company of four, two adults and two students, followed him.

Jeremy quickly crammed his info letter to his backpack and focused all his attention to the people in front.

"Good morning, everyone! And welcome to Edelgrove Academy's hero course entrance examinations! How are we doing today?" man asked the crowd smiling from ear to ear after having moved to the front part of the podium while three of his companions, middle-aged male and two students, took seats on the chairs up on the podium. Other adult, relatively young looking slender woman with glasses stood few steps behind the speaker.

Man was in a hero costume. It was a combo of long-hemmed jacket, semi-slack trousers and ankle-high boots in all possible hues of brown and gold with black and yellow and white details here and there. It brought to the mind an idea of some sort of desert warrior and the appearance was crowned with heavy-duty goggles which rested on forehead, keeping the thick dirty blond hair at bay from falling down.

"I would like to welcome all of you on behalf of myself and the entire staff! Another year and another exam. It's always so wonderful to see all these enthusiastic faces, ready to prove themselves and seize the opportunity to become part of this wonderful schooling institution. Some of you may recognize me but for anyone who comes farther away, I'm Enter Haze and I'm a professional hero and educator here at Edelgrove. I'm greatly honored to be here with two of my colleagues, guidance counselors Miss Riley and Mister Carmichael, and hero student representatives, mister Davenport and miss Nowe. They will all share a quick word with all of us before we shall dive in to the practical portion of exams. Hope y'all slept well last night. We've got some seriously awesome and testing exam waiting for you this year", Enter Haze delivered the introductory speech.

That was the bane of every student who aimed to enter Hero Path course: the uncertainty what was to be included in the practical. Knowledge was out there what any previous year's exam had entailed so there were few good options to consider what could be the direction or inspiration for any new exams, if one knew the patterns. It was also controversial how Hero Paths had this notorious habit of really going over the top sometimes and really making the examinees work for that place in their schools. Groups calling for reformations in hero education had demanded for years more standardized tests, but schools and lobbyists had fought tooth and nail to keep the things as they were, invoking the right to remain adaptable to every sudden change in the needs of training future heroes and reasoning that the ministry of hero affairs should have more legislative power over the hero education rather than ministry of education.

That uncertainty what was to come was also the reason what made Jeremy so worried about this exam. He could have trained himself physically all he wanted, but if he faced just a wrong kind of physical examination, it could be a game over before he could even try to prove himself in other parts of the exam.

When Enter Haze alluded test being especially rough that year, it was not comforting.

"But should I hand the microphone to you now, miss Riley? Take it away", Enter Haze said after giving a look to the guidance counselor who had been standing behind him.

"Thank you, Enter Haze", said miss Riley smiling and Enter Haze gestured theatrically for her to take the front while he stepped back bowing, "and welcome also from me. My name's Jane Riley and I'm one of the guidance counselors of this academy."

Jeremy could hear how some boy row or two behind him whispered a comment to a friend how miss Riley was "quite a babe". Some other, more serious kid close enough could be heard smacking the guy to hold his tongue.

There was some very minor gabble floating around the auditorium. Room's excellent sound architecture just made that painfully clear but it wasn't too atrocious. That comment about miss Riley got lost into the void and no one beyond two or three worth of rows was the wiser.

Jeremy was kind of expecting miss Riley to explain exam procedures but instead she went to talk about some things concerning the future of hero education and what it meant to Edelgrove as well. That was the part where Jeremy amongst many others really tensed up and started to listen with focus. Mutterings and whispers died down.

"…and I'm sure that by this point every one of you, save maybe few, is well aware of the fact that Canada is about to join forces with Nordic countries. That coupled with the other things I just mentioned means that even us here at Edelgrove need to adapt. Scene of professional heroism is in constant change and it means that specific standards and procedures need to be revisited and reviewed. I'm not saying this to explain away what's going to happen in the near future with the education protocols concerning hero training but in an effort to be upfront with you about the very real realities of professional heroism. It is a big choice and grueling career path to take and you all deserve to be as well informed as possible about everything what might concern that very future you're all so eager to seize. That being said, I want to reassure you that we here at Edelgrove are well aware of the reputation which this schooling institute has. Many of Canada's greatest heroes and even few names on USA's side have walked in these hallways and received their education here. Many consider and rank this Hero Path to the very top of Hero Paths and that honor is well-earned even if we say so ourselves. Some of you even might have chosen to apply here due to that prestige. And we sincerely thank you for that faith and trust you're willing to give us. But once again we want to share a word of warning with you. Don't just rely on a name to make you great. We can only give you the best tools we can so when you are willing to put in the work, that's the moment when you're really going to make it far in life."

"There's only very limited number of places which shall be offered to people entering the hero course. We hope that you will give your very best in these entrance exams so you can leave afterwards feeling that you were able to give it your all and you put in all the work you could. And be of good courage even if you don't get selected to hero course right away. As always, number of places to general studies line will be offered to some of you who distinguish themselves well enough right behind the people who get the places in hero course. And even from general studies you still have that possibility to move to hero course if you're still willing put in the work and demonstrate that you truly have what it takes to become a professional hero."

"Don't feel mocked or robbed if you don't make it today. Competition is ridiculously hard plus we're always looking for new kinds of talents to come in and take their place in the hero scene but if you're willing to put in that work, even you can eventually make a difference in the world. We're well aware of the few controversies which rose during last year's entrance exams, and other Hero Paths like Greater Taleborough for example have really improved their standing in the averages of their applicant pool, which has also begun to be visible in their improved results, while Edelgrove has been accused of finally hitting the peak because some youth have actively started to avoid applying here because competition is viewed too fierce and elitist. No matter what you may think of these things, we want to make absolute sure that you know we here at Edelgrove are drenched in determination to uphold the mission to offer the best imaginable education to everyone, no matter what your background and hope for the future might be."

It was too verbose in Jeremy's opinion, but there were some good nuggets of knowledge. Although he did not quite understand why guidance counselor had to explain Edelgrove so plentifully, he kind of got the wish to at least defend their standpoint with a mention or two. He had been peripherally aware of "the issues" which Edelgrove had faced during the past three or so years but for him it didn't really matter. Maybe he was willingly ignorant but then again when he had gotten fire put inside him on that special day when Warlock had come to see him first time, he had only needed one specific goal to work towards. Edelgrove had been perfect for that. In his eyes it was as good as any and most likely still even better than any other choices. It was the best and the place which he felt would bring him the closest to the biggest hubbub of hero world what teenagers like him could yet experience.

"Finally, I would like to hand the mic to hero course representatives mister Davenport and miss Nowe", counselor Riley brought her portion towards conclusion, "They are first-year students and soon-to-be second-year students who will act as student tutors to you, who will get admitted, and they would like to share student body's greetings with all of you."

Riley handed the microphone to miss Nowe who had slowly sneaked closer to her from her seat. Davenport had taken an extra mic from somewhere else.

Both students smiled a lot when they shared their bit although Nowe's delivery was noticeably more energetic and cheerier while Davenport had this more collected and matter-of-fact approach in his speech.

Obligatory mentions how they were excited about being there. Few personal experiences from their own entrance exams and their time already spent on hero course. Explanation what would be their role on newly-selected students' school lives. Short promotional speech once again for Edelgrove as a whole. Other pleasantries and welcoming on behalf of hero course students to the aspiring student candidates.

All in all, it was concise and well-delivered short speech from two of them. Nothing of great interest or notice but a neat little segment humanizing the hero course little bit better, nevertheless. They juggled the speaking turns smoothly between each other and it was quite obvious that they had rehearsed their turn quite a bit beforehand.

Once the hero students were done, Davenport handed his mic to guidance counselor Carmichael who was there to explain the nitty-gritty of the actual exam. Nowe handed her mic back to Enter Haze who came back to the front area of the podium to accompany Carmichael.

"Heh he, thanks, Davenport and Nowe, for that wonderful word from our awesome, awesome, hero course student body. Wow, would you look at that! A room full of kids with big dreams! My name is Dwayne but I guess let's keep this professional and refer to me as mister Carmichael. My great colleague miss Riley had the honors to avoid the boring technical explanations which have come to be my job to reveal with mister Griggs… I mean with Enter Haze here."

Carmichael had this weird aura of awkward family man with good intentions who lacked the street smarts and the knowledge of how to talk to young people like a normal person. Jeremy could hear a boy two seats away from him muttering oh boy under his breath.

"So, first of all…", Carmichael began and clicked a button on a remote in his other hand to switch a slide which was projected to the big screen above the podium, "Here's how we're gonna go with this. You will be separated in eight different test areas. They are simply named after NATO alphabet from Alfa to Hotel, and you can find your designated test area from the letter which was given to you when you came in here today. We will conduct the practical portion of the exams first and jump immediately to the written portion once you've been given chance to shower and change your clothes after the exercise. You will be released to your test areas and then within the time limit your mission is to simply collect points by engaging with the enemy and beat them. Heh, we've gone up and beyond with our budget this year and we've prepared an army of different battle robots as your enemies. They each have their own point value based on their type and size and you will gather points according to those values but also on the number of total amount of enemies you beat."

Guidance counselor switched to a slide which had a clip embedded in it which showed pictures of different types of robots examinees would be facing.

That stuff was straight out of some god-tier science fiction playbook. Those robots looked insane. Most of them were built after some sort of countenance to real life animals but in many cases scarier and more monstrous. It honestly reminded of like some high-tier dystopian military stuff when one further considered that many of the models were covered in army camouflage colors and patterns.

Ripples of mumbling spread across the auditorium when teenagers reacted to these news what they were going up against in their exam. And Jeremy could understand it totally. Even his first reaction was one with mixed feelings between astonishment, disbelief and excitement even if he managed to keep his mouth shut. It was good news that it was a test where they were basically allowed to let completely loose with their traits. Bad news were that it was most obviously a test were their practical application of traits and overall battle prowess would get tested big time and those in general were things which majority of youngsters did not have possibility to practice or hone beforehand in their youth. Additionally, it was guaranteed that with such a setting things were bound to get chaotic when everyone scrambled everywhere to score points.

"Heh he, room full of keeners. Now don't get too excited just yet. Few more words", Carmichael called for attention, "Now, you'll be supervised throughout the exam and we would like to point out that there will be some additional elements we shall take into consideration in the final evaluation, but it's enough for you to know that these are your enemies on the field and there's a limited number of them."

Limited number of them? Additional elements?

That did not sound good in Jeremy's opinion. There would be a mad dash to secure some points, and thought crossed his mind that dirty tactics might easily get involved especially in the early game and towards the end when the enemy numbers finally started to dwindle closer to zero.

"As for your equipment in this exam, you're only allowed to have your sports attire, any basic essential support device which assists the performing of your trait and any other equipment we will provide to you for the examination. All mobile phones and any devices of such nature are strictly – strictly – prohibited and possession of such equipment can be used as grounds for complete disqualification from the exams."

"I repeat", Enter Haze disrupted Carmichael in strikingly stern voice, "Any communication device is strictly prohibited! Last year we had fourteen – fourteen – candidates who got caught with such devices during the practical. Let me tell you, we are not messing around with this one. There are standards and we shall abide by them and expect you to honor them as well. It was not a pleasant experience to disqualify fourteen candidates just because they couldn't be bothered to leave the prohibited devices behind."

"Thanks, Enter Haze, for that, but let's not get too confrontational. I'm sure our wonderful applicant pool this year is filled to the brim with rules-abiding young folk", Carmichael continued, "But just like our hero teacher here stated, any such communication devices are to be left behind. You must leave them here at the academy in the locker rooms where you shall change into your gear. Once you have prepared yourselves, you shall be taken to underground parking complex where you, according to your test area, shall board buses which shall take you to the test grounds. Once you're there, overseers shall clue you in final details about the exam and release you to the test grounds. Okey dokey, Enter Haze, buddy. Shall you take it away from here?"

"Sure thing, Dwayne. Okay, everyone! I'm asking you all to check now your assigned test area and if groups Alpha and Beta would then kindly stand up first and leave, following the staff positioned at the entrance of the auditorium. They shall take you to the locker rooms where you can change and get prepared for the exam. Spaces are quite confined for this amount of people at a time so we will do this in waves two areas at a time. Charlie and Delta will follow soon after, then Echo and Foxtrot and finally Golf and Hotel. Okay? Chop-chop! Alpha and Beta first!"

Jeremy had an itch that he had noted his test area already but did a quick double take anyway. He took a quick glimpse on the papers which he pulled partly out of his backpack and his test area was indeed Alpha like how he had remembered. He alongside fourth of the auditorium stood up as soon as he figured out the area assignment, and they all started to move.

"Good luck", told Irene to Jeremy when she realized that he had stood up and was about to leave.

"You too", answered Jeremy shortly back.

There was this commotion when everyone everywhere let people in the middle of the rows pass and first fourth of the examinees moved towards the exit where groups of staff members began to usher them to follow them.

Okay, it's about to start. It was still moments away and they were still doing the preparations so Jeremy's nervousness was not yet starting to pick up again. Despite of that he could not avoid the thought crossing his mind.

He knew what the practical was going to be. There were definitely pros and cons to it so now he just needed to find the way to overcome those cons.

Free for all battle robots buffet? And by the looks of some military class robots no less. It sounded exciting, that could not be denied, but with any deeper thought given to it, it was also wildly crazy how some hundreds of teenagers would be put to battle such dangerous things.

Changing the gear and locking up the belongings to the lockers was itself pretty uneventful. Once the boys were ready they were taken to that mentioned underground parking complex where a plethora of big black buses were waiting them. Boys met the girls there again, and staff guided everyone present to get on a bus which had the area corresponding letter printed on a paper taped to the front window.

Jeremy melded to the crowd flocking to enter one Alpha buses. Line of buses for areas Charlie to Hotel were also waiting in the parking hall their own passengers, and Jeremy let his eyes wander sneakily around the sea of teenagers who were entering Alpha buses.

That would be his direct competition. These people would be the ones he had to battle against for the points. There was a decent number of heteromorphs or people who at least had some sort of obvious body part abnormality. Small amount of people seemed to have some sort of support equipment with them. Gender ratio was definitely leaning in boys' favor although admittedly more boys in general tended to apply and get accepted to the hero courses throughout the country, bare some geographical area exceptions here and there.

Jeremy got his turn to board the bus and found a seat near the middle door. Window seats had already been taken so he had to settle for an aisle seat. He politely greeted this blond guy with sturdy build and strikingly pale eyes who was sitting on the window seat next to him and the guy nodded back, acknowledging the shared pleasantry.

Jeremy took a deep breath once he found a comfortable position and began to wait that the Alpha got ready to roll out.

When the bus was filled to its last available seat, this bit of an overweight man maybe in his late twenties and with some scars around his right ear and neck area took the bus mic, leaned casually to the railing in front of the first row seats and began to talk while the driver started the engine.

"Okay, good morning, everyone. I'll be the chaperone to this bus. Take a nice position and enjoy the ride. We should be at the test grounds in no time", chaperone told. He had a very audible areal accent in his voice which Jeremy could not quite place. "You can socialize all you want but please mind the general peace. There are kids who might want to mentally prepare themselves for the exam so let's respect everyone's personal space and right to focus. Mister Kosnik will drive us today to our destination so let's give him a big hand."

Chaperone started to clap while still holding the mic and quickly kids throughout the bus followed the suit. It was not any roaring applause but definitely a commendable effort to thank the driver.

Jeremy gave few small claps but frowned a little. It was all so formal and it almost felt like they were about to embark on a road trip or something when they were just to be taken to practical exams' test area.

His confusion was only heightened when they got out of the underground parking garage and as soon as the natural light started to shine through the windows, they gradually turned opaque.

"HEY, CHAPERONE!" shouted from the backseats area a boy who alongside everyone else had made the same observation about the windows, "WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL WITH THE WINDOWS!"

"Don't worry about it! Just a part of required secrecy!" chaperone answered through the speakers after which he ignored any further questions.

Boy next to Jeremy knocked gently the glass like trying to figure out that way what was going on with it and pushed his head against it in an attempt to see if he could peek anything through.

Some commotion rippled through the crowd of passengers when many made questions to each other what was going on.

Driver turned on the inner lightning of the bus so examinees were not left in dim space. Since the windshield for obvious reasons had not turned opaque, some of the youth who sat on the seats towards the front had a view to the outside world right in front of them. They passed word behind what little clues they were getting where they might have been heading. Because everyone had been required to leave all their electronic devices behind, no one had the means to check via map applications where they were going.

After initial confusion Jeremy was willing to accept that for whatever reason exam organizers were trying to bewilder them this way.

Commotion slowly petered out even though it never fully ended. When, however, people began to realize the time what this driving was taking, hubbub reignited.

"Like what the hell?" questioned bit of a baby-faced boy, who was sitting on the other side of the aisle from Jeremy's seat, looking at his wristwatch, "It's nearing an hour. We're not there "in no time" at all."

Jeremy had taken time to slip in and out of sleep about half the travel time. He had done it to get his mind off the pending practical, but now his curiosity and concern was starting to get the best of him so he could not nap anymore. His mind was on overdrive trying to come up with an explanation what was going on.

He seemed to recall that guidance counselor Carmichael had mentioned quickly in passing something about additional aspects which would be observed for the final evaluation. He could only theorize that maybe this long bus ride had something to do with that.

And now that he really thought about it…

In general it felt a bit weird that they would be judged mainly on the basis of how many and what kind of robots they defeated. Some sort of simple score system as the base mechanism in the entrance exams was quite common, but especially after such a passionate speech from guidance counselor Riley about the realities of the hero profession and Edelgrove's future it was highly suspicious if the organizers would have settled for some run-of-the-mill battle arena practical exam. There had to be something more going on. What were the additional elements which Carmichael mentioned that would be looked on?

Bus ride was nearing its hour and half mark. Word had started to go around that they had left the city area already a while ago, and people's impatience was mounting. Chaperone refused to give any details what was going on.

As soon as Jeremy was thinking about that maybe he should take a whiz in the toilet of the bus, vehicle finally came to a stop and shut off the engine.

"Okay, everyone!" chaperone belted out without a mic after he stood up from his seat and turned to face the passengers, "Everyone, get out quickly and group together to the doors' side of the bus. Move, move, move!"

The sight waiting them outside the bus perplexed everyone to great extent.

They were somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Bus had stopped to a turning area on a huge cliffside area which was overlooking vast forestlands below. Equally vast forestlands were looming above them on the slopes of the other side of the turning area.

There was an old-looking entrance and a beaten gravel path leading downhill from the cliffside and heading towards the woods below. Rest of the Alpha buses had parked next to the bus in which Jeremy had travelled.

All the chaperones and other accompanying adults except the bus drivers swung open the cargo compartments of the buses and began to pass small knapsacks to the youngsters.

"Pass! Pass! Make sure that everyone has one backpack! Everyone, make sure that you'll have a backpack!" one of the organizers shouted with a booming voice.

"Hey, excuse me, but what the hell is going on? What is happening?" shouted one of the examinees back.

"Make sure that everyone has a backpack first and we will explain the final details!" organizer refused to elaborate just yet.

Jeremy, who had stuck to the side of the youth group, got one pine green knapsack passed to him. Confused as anyone, he tested knapsack's weight by lifting and lowering it a little bit. It wasn't heavy by any means. In fact, it was weirdly light even if a bit bulky in the central compartment and he could point out where all the other packed supplies were. While the remaining knapsacks got handed out, he alongside quite a number of other kids opened the knapsack to see what was inside.

Just seeing what big object was causing the main weight made his heart sank a little.

This practical exam was not going to be fun and games.

"Yep, everyone has their knapsack, I assume. Make yourself known now if you don't!" shouted one organizer, man with tender glasses and hair waving in slight wind in all the colors of cozy campfire. After nobody raised their voice or hand, man continued. "Okay! So… as you can see, everyone gets a small backpack with some essentials in it for this practical exam! You should find a small sleeping bag, empty water bottle, pack of matches, sheath knife, beanie and a small electronic device in there! That device is your panic button! Activating that sets on a beacon informing us on your location and by activating it you can withdraw from the test before its end! Activate it and we will come pick you up! It'll also inform you about the boundaries of the test area! If you're about to cross the border, it'll give out a loud beeping alarm and if you hear that noise, you should immediately turn around 'cause you're otherwise leaving test area!"

"Sorry for a sec, but wha' the heck is goin' on with this stuff? This a practical exam, not a camping trip, right so?" one examinee disrupted, lifting his own backpack high above for everyone present to see. He wiggled it lightly like he had been irritated by the lack of answers.

"Thank you, random examinee! Zip it and let us get you up to speed what's going to happen! Now… for the next twenty-two hours… Yes, twenty-two hours! Simmer down, everyone! For the next twenty-two hours you have to survive in those woods and battle the enemies! You're hereby authorized to go fully wild with your traits for the duration of this exam and within the boundaries of the test area aka that forestland downhill! When you have two hours left, that same device will give a loud constant sound informing you about the remaining time! That is your cue to start making your way back here, on this spot where we are right now! Further alarms will be given at one hour and half an hour marks and then there's one final when the exam ends! Now, the whole woods has been covered in state of art surveillance system and that's what makes the supervision and evaluation possible for us! If and when you see cameras, you leave them alone! I repeat, you leave them alone!"

People were raising hands to ask some serious questions about this whole practical exam they were about to face. Jeremy himself just felt numb inside and did not know what to think. That one thought how this was not going to be fun or easy exam looped in his mind.

While organizers shot down protests coming from the bolder questioning people, Jeremy took the discussed electronic device from the front pocket of the knapsack. It was a fancy piece of tech in a form of robust wristwatch. It had a small electronic time screen on the bottom half of the clock-face and a screaming red, flat push button on the top half under a cover glass which was possible to lift if one opened the lock and latch on the side. Jeremy debated shortly if he should put it on his hand but decided against it. Time was not of the essence immediately with twenty-two hours test time so he did not need the clock, and he did not want to risk accidentally breaking the watch and pushing the panic button. He put it back in the knapsack in a secured position.

"Okay, calm down, examinees! CALM DOWN!" organizer who had given the final instructions raised his voice considerably to quench the flood of comments, worries and outraged questions.

"You can't do this! We'll die in there! You can't put us unsheltered in the wilderness!" shouted yet another examinee.

"Then you won't survive hero work! Why are you even here then? We absolutely can and we absolutely will put you to do this! You're not alone! You're monitored! That's the whole point of this segment!" organizer was audibly getting a bit irritated with this reaction from the general crowd, "Now, everyone, get ready! We'll launch the time in five minutes! You'll take that path down through the entrance when we give you the signal!"

Examinees were left confused and nervous to wait out the final five minutes before the beginning of the practical exam. Five minutes left to hone the final strategies and get mentally prepared for totally unexpected exam setting. This was completely a new type of practical exam when it came to test length. Or at least Jeremy had not ever heard of practical which would have happened over the course almost full day.

Should he team up with someone, try to cover more ground that way? What about food and basic hygiene? They only got an empty water bottle so that indicated they needed to figure out the food and hydration completely on their own. There was also the burning questions of how they would find in that wide, wide wilderness expanse the robots they were supposed to battle and how they would know how many there were left up for grabs.

Thoughts like these rushing through mind, it began to dawn to Jeremy what might have been the secret qualities what Edelgrove was looking at this examination. It was not just about battling and beating enemies. It was a test of endurance and resourcefulness and how they would fare in a quite primitive survival setting.

Boy from Alberta inched closer to the entrance, old wooden arch over the start of the path. He let his eyes wander in the crowd which was equally moving closer there. Some were stretching to warm up their bodies, few examinees talked to each other about whatever. Throwing knapsack on his back, Jeremy followed the suit doing few squats to get blood running in his legs. In his mind he debated if he really should find an ally or allies but he knew there was not really time for that and he did not even know what other examinees' traits were. If going for an alliance, especially for an early lead it was necessary to get good and complementing traits for effective teamwork or otherwise one would have been easily stuck in a bad temporary union which ate time and efficiency.

He began to search for that tingling electric feeling in his body. Final countdown was nearing the end and if he wanted to compete for first bloods in order to secure some easy early points, he had to immediately start running fast. He had run on that one fateful day at Aurora Centre. He had to pull off such a sprint again and that was why he needed to put his focus on his legs right now.

Grey clouds still covered the sky from horizon to horizon but there appeared few rifts in the billows of melancholy coloring, allowing some lonely rays of light to reach the world opening before their eyes. Wind was starting to pick up, rifts kept disappearing almost as soon as they appeared, and Jeremy was thankful he had put on thin sports hoodie for this exam. Night could easily get cool and he needed all the means he could find to keep himself warm.

Couple hundred examinees were packing the entrance area quite tightly. Jeremy was able to squeeze behind maybe three rows worth of people from the front. He jumped in place from one leg to another and tried to find right rhythm to breathe as he did it.

"OKAY, Y'ALL! GET READY! PRACTICAL EXAM FOR THE EDELGROVE HERO COURSE STARTS IN FIVE… FOUR… THREE… TWO… ONE…!"

Explosive sound of starting pistol sliced loud and sharp the serenity of the nature and with that the examinees took off.

Path downhill was not the widest and there immediately started to form a bottleneck. Few examinees took off from the beaten path and scurried through the underbrush siding both sides of the path. Jeremy got a bit stuck behind the masses so he could not launch into a full sprint. He made an attempt to get pass the people blocking his way as he was not confident that he could sprint through the underbrush instead because he feared he might just stumble and fall if he could not be sure where he landed his feet in a hurry.

Few quickest examinees already began to gain some distance from the main body of teenagers, and the rumbling of tens and hundreds of feet stampeding downhill and countless shouts broke the peace of the woods in an almost surreal fashion.

Breathe… get to the rhythm… Robot… I need to find a robot…

Little by little Jeremy was able to make progress towards the front of the group. Especially some tight corners on the path were excellent opportunities to pass examinee or two.

Moments ago Jeremy had been thinking about survival and how he would be able to make it through the full length of the exam. All that had now disappeared from his mind. Initial competition panic had set in and there was room for nothing else than thoughts of getting down, finding an enemy and feeling of burning sensation spreading through his legs and body when that electric feeling slowly started to transform due to the prolonged strain put on the trait and body.

Hunting grounds… I need to find good hunting grounds…

It was an absolute pandemonium all around. Pushing, shoving, shouting, stumbling and falling.

Run… run… run…

Practical portion of the hero course's entrance exam had begun.

A/N: And that's about this time! Initially, I planned to write this whole practical exam as one chapter but as I got myself writing and got to the flow, story kind of took me elsewhere. As the length began to already grow, I made a decision to save the next part fully for the next chapter. This is a bit monologue-heavy and descriptive chapter and not too many things happen nor does any considerable time pass, but I hope you still enjoyed this slower-paced entry to the story. One new TDU character got introduced to the crossover AU, so I'd say quota and standard got fulfilled there but I promise next time we'll get to meet the first TD character who's not from any spin-off. So look forward to that.

Until next time, have a good one and thank you! Hopefully it won't take as long as this time. I hope you found your time well spent and enjoyable while reading this piece of fanfiction.