Silk Explosion (K. Bakugo)

Chapter Eight

The UA auditorium has been crammed with people, all of them sitting the entrance exam and are all sitting here to go through the hero course exam orientation. Petra's eyes scan over the room from where she sits with Amani, the two of them have found a sort of middle point in the room to sit. Central to the stage so they will be able to see what is going on and hear what is going on, at least for Amani. Petra's enhanced senses would pick it all up even from the back of the room. Petra's nervous again. There are so many applicants here. So many more than she thought there was going to be. She knows it is a desired college, it is the top one in the entire of Japan, but she didn't think that this many people would be here. Especially as this is just for the hero course and not any of the others. Amani threads her fingers with Petra's and squeezes, trying to calm her down. Petra's nerves will just get in her way. The written test will be right after this, and she is going to have to focus if she is going to do well. Her godfather, Hizashi, is a welcome sight as he crosses the stage below. His energy is hard to ignore and he is always positive and always brings with him this aura of excitement.

"What's up, U.A candidates? Thanks for tunin' into me, your school DJ.....Come on. And let me hear ya!" The entire auditorium is silent. But it's Present Mic and he doesn't let that stop him or sour his attitude. "Keeping it mellow, huh? That's fine, I'll skip straight to the main show. Let's talk about how this practical exam is gonna go down, okay? Are you ready? Yeah!" Silence answers him yet again. He might be excited about today, but everyone here is probably experiencing some level of nerves and of course, they are not used to his personality. But again, he doesn't let their lack of response put him off. "Like your application said, today you rockin' boys and girls will be out there conducting ten‐minute mock battles in super‐hip urban settings. Gird your loins, my friends. After I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specified battle centre, sound good? Okay?" Amani frowns at her identification card and then looks over to Petra's.

"They're splitting us up so we can't work with any of our friends," Petra tells Amani when she snatches the card from her to look over her details. They are both being placed into different battle centres.

"Okay, okay, let's check out your targets" Present Mic turns to motion at the huge screen behind him as an image of a battle area appears along with three villain silhouettes. "There are three types of faux villains in every battle centre. You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so better choose wisely. Your goal in this trial is to use your Quirk to raise your score by shredding these faux villains like a mid‐song guitar solo. But, check it! Make sure you're keep'n things heroic. Attacking other examinees is a UA no‐no, ya dig?"

"Excuse me, sir" A student stands with his hand in the air, the information booklet held tightly in his other hand. "But I have a question"

"Hit me!"

"On the printout, you've listed four types of villains. Not three. With all respect, if this is an error on official UA materials, it is shameful. We are exemplary students" Amani snorts beside Petra, the two of them, along with the entire auditorium, are staring at the student standing from his seat.

"Guess we found the teacher's pet" Amani comments with a smirk. 

"He's kind of cute" Petra offers, Amani snorts and smirks a little at her friend.

"We expect the best from Japan's most notable school" The student continues. "A mistake such as this won't do. Additionally, you with the unkempt hair" He turns around to point at a green-haired boy two rows behind him. "You've been muttering this entire time. Stop that. If you can't bother to take this seriously, leave. You're distracting the rest of us"

"Sorry"

"All right, all right. Examinee number 7‐1‐1‐1. Thanks for calling in with your request. The fourth villain type is worth zero points" The screen behind Present Mic shows one more target, this one marked with 0P on it. "That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way. There's one in every battle centre. Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten, but there's.....kinda no point. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones toppin' the charts"

"Thank you very much. Please, continue" The student drops into his seat, giving the stage and the attention back to Present Mic.

"Oh, I get it," Amani whispers to herself. "So they're kinda like traps you have to get by in those video games you like" She glances at Petra who hums a little in agreement.

"That's all I got for you today" Present Mic continues. "I'll sign off with a little present. A sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down. "A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes." Mm‐hm. Now that's a tasty soundbite. You ready to go beyond? Let's hear a Plus Ultra! Good luck! Hope you practised hitting more than just books" Everyone takes the dismissal as it comes from him. Rustling of paper and feet as they all start to pile out. Petra stays in her seat a while, waiting for the auditorium to clear out a bit, it's going to be a push to get through the doors and she is in no mood to be shoved around and squashed before she has to take an exam. Amani stays with her, looking over the printout in her hand, a small frown on her face. Petra knows that she'll be upset about not being able to take the exam alongside her. They have done almost everything together since their first year in kindergarten. This is a big moment in their lives and they don't get to do it together. Present Mic watches them all go, leaning against the podium. Looking around at the teens as they leave. His eyes land on Petra and he smiles. Leaning up to wave at her. Petra smiles and waves back at him. He gives her a thumbs-up in question and then turns it down. She shrugs back at him. Unsure right now how she's feeling about all of this. She was nervous, and she still is, but it's not as bad. Amani is helping, and sitting through that orientation with him also helped. His energy helped her unwind.