Chapter 5

A Trial of Guts

Schooling was an interesting concept to Strelitzia. It was so different depending on the lands to which she visited. Here in this World, it was not too different from back in Daybreak Town. Granted, there, upon becoming a Wielder, she had tested out, getting what would be considered in this world a G.E.D. so that she could better focus on her duty as a Wielder.

Unfortunately, she doubted such a thing would be accepted out here, even if only because the documents didn't exist anymore…

"So, this is it." Relm said.

"Yeah." Strelitzia looked up at the imposing 'H' shaped building. Add to that the crowds of hopeful students, of a variety of shapes and sizes, and she was starting to feel nervousness and anxiety rising up.

"Hey! Don't worry, we'll make this exam our bitch!" Relm said with a smirk. We didn't spend the last two months for nothing, did we?

"N-no." Strelitzia said. Strelitzia had certainly been studying in order to prepare for the entrance exam, with no small amount of help from Artemicion. She had felt guilty about relying on the Moogle's hospitality so much, but he was more than happy to help her.

"Besides, it's been so long since I've gotten to work with actual magic, kupo! If you become a Pro Hero, I'll be able to make you awesome magic gear to help you!" She recalled Artemicion's words.

And so he had helped her study. Strelitzia had always done well in school, and it had been somewhat calming to slip back into the mindset of studying. She had always done well in academics back home, which meant that it wasn't too hard to catch up.

Mathematics was easy, relatively speaking. 2+2=4 was the same everywhere you went (for the most part). Following that was the sciences. For that, there was the irritation of having to internalize that this World did not acknowledge magic, which made as much sense to Strelitzia as if someone didn't acknowledge forces like gravity or time or magnetism as existing. Still she managed to get how things worked when not affected by magic.

The real stickler was the history of this world, of which Strelitzia was totally unfamiliar with. Still she was studious and diligent, enabling her to get at least a basic understanding, enough that she wouldn't raise any suspicions in casual conversation.

I've got this.

"Really now? You don't sound like it." Relm said.

"W-wha-? Was that out loud?"

Not responding to her comment, the shorter girl instead wrapped her arm around Strelitzia's waist and pumped her other fist into the air and shouted "You hear me U.A.? We're gonna smash your test!".

Strelitzia felt her face redden and awkwardness rise as the various other hopefuls turned towards her. Especially since she stood out from the rest of them. They wore their various school uniforms, while Strelitzia, having not gone to a middle school, was simply wearing street clothes.

While the others turned away, one boy in particular with spiky platinum blonde hair and red eyes shot them an absolutely vicious glare. Strelitzia froze, worried her was going to do something, only for him to instead snort before turning around and sauntering into the school.

Strelitzia breathed a sigh of relief.

"C'mon I can't hear you!" Relm said.

"W-we should head inside." Strelitzia was more than grateful for her friends support over the past few months, though she was unable to share in her exuberance.

"Yeah, and don't worry, we will ace this. Your Quirk is amazing!" Relm said as the two of them headed through the doors.

The written test proved to be not as much of a worry as Strelitzia thought it would be. The whole thing was even multiple choice. The mathematics and sciences were a breeze, with only history being somewhat of a challenge, and even then she could usually reason out the answer.

Thus, it was over before Strelitzia knew it, and she was now sitting in a large lecture hall while a strange man approached the podium. He had blonde hair slicked back and up in a strange style, while he wore leather, sunglasses, headphones, and some strange device around his neck.

"What's up U.A. candidates? Thanks for tunin' in to me, your school DJ! C'mon and let me hear ya!" Even without any microphone or speakers (at least none Strelitzia could see), his voice echoed throughout the hall. Despite this there was no response to his cue. "Tough crowd… Keepin' it mellow huh? Fine by me! Then lets get to the main event! The U.A. entry practical exam!"

"Oh my god, it's the Radio Hero, Present Mic! I listen to his radio show every day. Its so cool that he's here at U.A.."

Strelitzia turned to see a muttering green haired boy not to far from her doing what she could only describe as 'geeking out' over the superhero. However, he was shushed by the boy next to him, who she recognized as the one who had glared at her outside.

"Like the application said, y'all'll be conducting mock battles in urban settings!" The screen behind him shifted, depicting an icon that represented the building they were in, followed by lines leading to areas marked A through G. "So check your cards, after we're finished here, you'll board a bus to your specified battle center!"

Strelitzia reached into her bag, pulling out the card, while Relm did the same next to her.

"Area E." Strelitzia read.

"Hmm… looks like I'm in area C." Relm said.

"S-sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize, its not your fault." Relm said.

"Alright, let's move on to the targets! There are three types of faux villains in this encounter, each with a different level of difficulty and thus worth different point values." As he spoke, the screen behind him depicted the villain types before switching to more dynamic depiction more like something out of a video game, depicting Present Mic in the city attacking the villains. "You're goal in this test is to of course defeat these enemies and rack up the points. But remember we're all heroes here, attacking your fellow examinees is forbidden!"

"Excuse me? I have a question." A voice rang out. Strelitzia turned to where it came from to see a tall, well-built, bespectacled boy with dark blue hair.

"Of course! What is it?" Present Mic asked.

"You've described three types of villains but the printout we were given lists four types. If this is an error on an official U.A. document then it is shameful! We are exemplary students and we should expect only the best from Japan's top educational institution. Something like this cannot be acceptable."

"...the fuck?" Relm hissed.

Oh no. Strelitzia tried to keep her head down, anticipating what might happen next.

"And you with the unkempt hair!" He turned to the green-haired boy who had been starstruck over Present Mic earlier. "You've been muttering this entire time. Stop. If you not going to take this seriously then quit distracting the rest of us and leave."

The boy looked mortified and uttered out a soft apology as many of the other students giggled. Relm however had a different response.

"Wow! Tell me! Just how far did they shove that stick up your ass?"

"Excuse me? This is an institution for learning. I'm simply preventing unneeded distractions from interfering with that." The glasses-wearing boy answered, his expression growing irritated.

"Hey, you're the one making a scene here buddy boy." Relm said with a shrug as she leaned back. Meanwhile Strelitzia sank in her seat, hoping to not be noticed.

"I-" The blue-haired boy started.

"Alright, let's settle down." Present Mic said. "And to answer your question. The fourth type of villain is worth zero points. He's an obstacle thrown in your way instead. There's one in every arena. Think of it more as a hurdle to avoid. It's not that it's impossible to defeat, but well, there's clearly no point. It'd be best if you were to avoid it and focus on rackin' up a high score!"

"Thank you." The boy said, before sitting back down.

Meanwhile Strelitzia considered the role of zero-pointer. It did make sense. In the course of their careers as pro heroes it did make sense that there would be some adversaries that they would be best off avoiding on their own. It was similar to back before.

Standing above the lesser Heartless like Shadows and Soldiers were powerful and dangerous ones like the Darksides. For many Key-Bearers, fighting them alone was suicide, they would need to form into parties in order to be able to stand against them.

Well, Strelitzia had been able to fight them by herself. At least she had been able to before. After her... ordeal... she was significantly weakened. Which lead her to wonder. Could she really handle this test? After her failure she-

No!

Strelitzia shook her head, trying not to let the doubting thoughts intrude, though she wasn't have much luck in that regard.

"Alright, that's all for today. Now, I'll sign off with a little gift. A sample of our motto. As Napoleon Bonaparte once said: 'A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes.' So are you ready to go beyond? Can I hear a PLUS ULTRA?!"

Strelitzia had forgotten that it was February. After the explanation by Present Mic, she had been given an opportunity to change into something more fitting for the test. She was currently wearing short-shorts, a sports bra and a loose jacket, taken from the clothes she had bought when going shopping with Artemicion early on.

Her set was something that really would have been more suited for summer exercise, something she was keenly aware of as she stepped off the bus and gave a shiver. She hadn't really thought about temperature in a good while, as the dress she had worn as a Keyblade Wielder had not just enchantments to protect against attacks, but also handy wards against inconvenient things like ambient temperature.

Still, the problem wasn't insurmountable. As she walked towards where the others were gathering, she muttered a Barfrost spell, protecting her from the cold.

Then, as she stepped up to the towering gateway, she marveled.

Standing before her was an entire mock city complete with detail. And this was just one of seven. Just how much money did U.A. have to be able to construct a fake city, let alone seven, for the purpose of training?

"They really don't spare any expense do they, huh?" A pink-skinned and pink-haired girl said as she walked past her.

Strelitzia had to agree, it really was impressive. And daunting.

"I've got this. I've got this." Strelitzia repeated to herself.

"Are you okay?" Said a male voice.

"Eep!" Strelitzia gave a soft shriek as she was caught off guard. "Huh?"

She turned to its source, seeing a man with short blonde hair dressed in a tracksuit.

"I asked if you were okay." He said.

"Uh, I-I'm f-fine." Strelitzia stammered out. "J-just ps-psyching myself u-u-up."

"Well, best of luck then." He said with a smile, holding out his hand. "Neito Monoma."

"O-oh, uh. I'm Strelitzia." She said, before taking his hand.

After they shook, Neito strangely took a look at his hand.

"Looks like a blank, huh."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just thinking to myself. Well, again, best of luck!" Neito said, before moving on through the crowd, greeting others, including the pink girl.

He seemed nice enough. Strelitzia thought. So now I-

"And go!" Present Mic's voice sounded over the area.

Huh?

She and many other students to where the voice came from in confusion.

"What are you all waiting for? There's no countdowns in a real battle! Go! Go!"

Strelitzia turned to see that the other hopefuls were beginning to move, which quickly became an all out rush into the city.

This is it! Strelitzia took a breath and then ran after them. As she did so she held out her hand, calling Starlight to her. Running though the gateway, she lifted the Keyblade into the air and chanted "Bravery!"

As the spell took hold, she felt her pace quicken as a result of her increased physical strength.

Now, on the inside, she quickly scanned the area, before rushing down a side street, on the lookout for these faux villains the trial was about. As she did, she had to again marvel at the detail this training ground contained. Through the windows of buildings she could see furniture, and storefronts had fake merchandise that-

CRAAASH!

Strelitzia immediately backflipped as a storefront she had been examining just a few moments ago exploded outwards, glass and debris flying everywhere. Out of the chaos emerged a robot, painted green, standing on a single wheel, and with the number '1' on its side. Its eye turned towards her.

"MEATBAG ACQUIRED. ACTIVATING MURDER . EXE." It said in a mechanical voice before the robot's wheels revved and it charged towards her.

Strelitzia quickly reacted, dancing to the side before slashing at it with Starlight. With her enhanced strength, the weapon easily smashed straight through the machine. As it fell, Strelitzia was already on the lookout for more.

That was a one-pointer. Come to think of it, I don't know how many points I need to pass. Oh well, I'll just have to beat as many as I can. Time for my training to pay off! I hope...

Indeed, Strelitzia's training over the last two months had not been just in academic studies. Artemicion knew some magic, and he had some things to teach her.

Strelitzia took a deep breath, then began to run directly towards a wall. With a leap and a twist, she planted her feet directly on the wall and began to run up it. She flipped over the edge as she reached the top, landing on the roof. From her new vantage point, she quickly scanned the area and detected a three-pointer and two one-pointers moving down a street.

With a quick motion she leaped off the roof, streaking past the machines. There, on the other side of the street, she reached out grabbing onto a lamppost and spinning around it, quickly building momentum before letting go and rocketing off. As she did so she spun like a saw blade, slashing straight through all of the machines.

That's six!

As she landed from her attack she was already looking for more. Seeing none, she took off, on the hunt again.

"Haste!" She chanted. As this spell took hold, she found the world around her slowing down. As she rounded a corner, she could a trio of two-pointers, moving in close to slow-motion in her sight.

Kicking off the ground, she launched grabbed onto a street light, spinning before launching herself from there to slam her Keyblade down into the middle of the trio of robots. A burst of energy blasted out from her sending all three of the two-pointers flying.

That's twelve! Strelitzia counted to herself as the Haste spell faded. It didn't last long, but it had served its purpose.

Not wasting any time, Strelitzia continued to search again. She didn't have to wait long, as another group of machines burst out of the building next to her. One launched a rocket at her. Without missing a beat, she leaped into the air to avoid the shot.

As she did so, she aimed Starlight down and chanted "Fire!"

A fireball streaked out of the tip of Starlight, dropping down on the cluster of machines and exploding. The blast tore apart the robots in a burst of heat and flame.

That's… I dunno. No time to count, gotta keep moving!

And so Strelitzia continued through the city, putting her new Flowmotion abilities to the test, leaping across the mock city, striking at any faux villains she came across. Those who ended up close to her were slashed apart by Starlight, while those in the distance where blasted with magic.

As she moved, she made sure to help anyone she saw in danger, deflecting rockets or intercepting blows they were about to receive. In doing this across the battlefield, she ended up finding herself back at the main lane of the mock city.

There, she finally decided to take a moment to collect herself.

That's… I still don't know. It has to be enough right? Or maybe-

Strelitzia's thoughts were cut off when she felt the ground begin to tremor. She looked around, seeing other examinees doing the same in confusion.

Then, a nearby building collapsed. And then another.

A cloud of dust billowed out as a shadow fell over the area. With a wave of Starlight, she cast an Aero spell to blow away the dust, only to see it's source.

Standing over the street was a gigantic robot, towering high enough to cast the area into shadow and so large it's hands could envelop buildings. With a squeeze, Strelitzia saw one of the buildings in it's grip be crushed into rubble as it loomed over them, it's glowing red eyes staring down at the examinees.

Is that the zero-pointer? Strelitzia looked up in awe.

The iron giant reeled back, and with a mighty swing slammed it's metal fist into the ground. The force of its impact shook the city. Glass shattered, streetlights fell, and another massive wave of dust washed over the area.

The rumbling didn't stop as the zero-pointers massive tank treads began to move, and Strelitzia could feel the vibrations resonating throughout the area.

Screams began to fill the area, students running in terror as the zero-pointer approached. Strelitzia stood her ground, pondering the machine however. Present Mic had said it was intended as an obstacle, meaning it was meant to be avoided rather than confronted.

So then, since everyone else was running, should she try to get some more points? There still had to be more enemies worth points in the city. Meaning she wasn't done yet, the clock was still running. She should get-

At that moment, Strelitzia felt a familiar chill. Starlight shook and jerked in her hands. She looked up, seeing her fears confirmed as a Heartless she knew all to well floated through the air. It resembled little more than an amorphous mass of darkness, the only notable feature it had being its round yellow eyes and jagged red mouth.

The Possessor Heartless flew on a direct path towards the zero-pointer, merging with the machine. And with that, the machine changed.

Its body changed color, its greens shifting to a metallic black, the machines blunt digits were sharpened into claws, and its mechanical eyes changed color from red to a sickly yellow. The machine rumbled as wisps of darkness swirled around before it reared back and then brought both of its hands down in a smash.

First boss battle, lets gooooooo!

~Dragonexx