The subway ride was just like an NCART ride with less to look at. Well if I had normal eyes I guess. Zooming in to people watch and guess which quirk they had turned into a half decent past time. The coolest of which included a chick with snakes for hair, a middle aged dude whose arms were made of crystal or something, and a fucking orca dressed in mafia clothes. The guy had that shit on I had to admit.
There were definitely some animal body mods in night city for rich weirdos who wanted to be full on furry people but here? That shit was just genetics and the luck of the draw. A lot of quirks are inherited or evolutions from their parents. But the same way hair or eye color can skip a couple generations, so could quirks, plus their prone to mutation and evolving so you could really come out with anything when you think about how many grandparents people have. So it's not that crazy to see an antelope dude carrying a kid with no outward mutation. Luck of the gene pool I guess.
The undisputed losers of this were the 20 that lack the evolutionary quirk gene but I digress. Not everyone could be super or no one would be. I think that's how it went.
It did make me think though. About something I haven't in a while because well; I live in an orphanage and Moe's covering my first years tuition, working as a sidekick at a top ten agency fresh outta college pays well whaddya know. I still need to make some cash, real funds in a legal manner or one I won't have a chance at getting caught with.
Well maybe a little risk won't kill me but my record has to stay on the straight and narrow. Money is imperative though, the tuition after this year is 90 million fucking yen. Holy fuck that's like a half a million Eurodollars back home if my maths right. Yeah they have really decent student finance programs but debt is never really appealing.
I damn sure don't wanna be stuck in those dorms over the summer, plus, just because I have super speed doesn't mean I don't miss the feeling of having wheels to call my own. Of course, my car back home barely lasted three gigs, partially due to my newbie driving and mainly because of the hazards of the workplace and all that, but I miss it nonetheless.
Dropped 36 grand on that motherfucker too.
But these cars right now are kinda ass compared to my shion or that avenger I stole on one of me and bexes benders. Not to mention Falcos wheels, damn thing was like a mini tank with a jet engine.
Regardless, all of these things require one thing. Getting filthy, fucking, rich.
*DING-DONG*
The bell chirped above the sliding car doors and broke me from my scheming. I started moving forward and thinking about something a little closer to the present.
If I can clear out all my other work I'll only have to go to hero training lectures, and maybe take a look at their tech courses in the mean time. Sis said they were flexible like that here. Outside of that my time is mine to just enjoy I guess.
The walk from bus was brief but once you really started to close in on the campus? It felt like it didn't give it enough time to really build up just how huge this place was. Student hopefuls were seen all through the bustling spring crowds towards the massive H shaped main building. Well massive for this city, it was only about a fifth as tall as saka tower, nearly three times as wide though. That was just the main building though, they have multiple different facilities on campus.
Hundreds of student hopefuls approached the number one hero school in Japan, me included.
Also what was with all the colored hair? I get it's probably more common because of genes changing with quirks, but I've seen more people with vibrant hues than black or brown anywhere. Pink, purple, blue, hell, I even saw some chick with vines for hair.
I entered the court yard and scanned the competition, none really caught my attention except some ash blond dude radiating irritation, and a currently falling mop of forest green hair about to face plant. One of the few brunettes present actually tapped his shoulder and he just… stopped.
Like gravity forgot him for a second he floated back to his feet. Obviously it was the girl because he was entirely too confused for it to be his own doing. Anti-grav? Fuck the social implications of their little flirting, what are even the limits of a quirk that fucks with the laws of physics like that?
If I study how it works…
Could I make my own gravity chassis?
My shoulders trembled in excitement and PTSD all at once. I mean I died in the damn thing after all but, god damnit if that cyber skeleton wasn't strong as shit with its anti grav system.
If I can analyze how it works, and reverse engineer the process with cyberware and different parts, plus consult one of the engineering professors on possible hiccups and obstacles…
I could optimize that hunk of junk and have it as my trump card.
I nearly burst out cackling as I walked into the exam hall, with my resistance to cyberpsychosis plus a stronger cyberskeleton? I don't think there could be a better deterrent than seeing me crush someone without touching them. I can keep sis safe and live a chill life of luxury and liquor with that kinda power.
Only issue is getting around that touch activation thing, I locked in on her hands and saw the small pink pads along her fingers. Something for my free time to go into other than the college experience I guess.
Every seat had been filled and the exam packet already lay face down at every desk. Straight to biz then. A boar looking man in a tight crimson suit calmed the entering participants and spoke, gathering the whole rooms attention.
"Alright. You may begin your exams, any speaking or sharing of information will void them. You have the hour, good luck."
Straight to biz it is.
————————
"Ok, times up. Flip your papers and meet in the auditorium at once."
I almost felt bad for the proctors, but what they won't know won't hurt em. I cheated my asssssss off.
Why bother focusing when this blue haired geek with engines in his legs was like a damn encyclopedia and I can peep his paper clear as day.
We all meet back for the announcement of the practical test and when I see the presenter, I damn near pointed and laugh. The dude is in full biker leather get up with a speaker like a collar around his neck and matching tacky biker gloves.
The hysterical thing was the dudes hair, a golden crescent that defied gravity. The guy looked like a banana who djs at failing nightclubs.
"AAAAA-"
My hands shot to cover my ears before I could even think to lower my audio receptors.
'Damn that's-'
"-CHOOOOOOO."
'Loud.'
He wiped his nose and brought both hands down on the podium, drawing the crowds full attention.
He spoke up like a sports game announcer, the speaker around his neck amplified his voice.
"Sorry bout that, seems like someone's talking about me again. Anyway my names Present Mike and I'll be explaining the practical side of the test. The practical or combat exam is a competition to get the most villain points in our mock cities. The way you get these bad boys is by destroying one of the three types of robot "villains", the more points a bot-"
The indigo haired guy I had cheated off of's hand went ramrod straight into the air. He didn't wait to be acknowledged though he just cut the guy off anyway. Well there's a stick up your ass isn't there? Noted, four eyes.
"Excuse me sir, pardon my interruption but the pamphlet we were given details four different enemy types, I find a mistake of this kind for an institution such as yourself is-" His forcefully proper way of speaking was exactly the type you would hear from some suit bastard when they were bitching and moaning to someone up the ladder. It grated on my nerves I gotta admit.
I cut his sentence short just the same way he did the announcer. He stood stunned and ready to rebuke me but he wasn't allowed the chance to speak.
"Ohhh shut the hell up and let the guy finish he was probably getting to it, I'm trying to be done with this already shit head."
The rest of the silent student body audibly gasped or snickered at the whole thing.
The blue haired geeks eyes snapped toward me but was drawn back in when the Dj biker guy started up again.
"-as I was trying to explain earlier, there are three robots you can get points from, the fourth bot," He pointed to the blocky silhouette in the four slot up on the projector.
"-offers zero points and is more dangerous than the other three combined, it's designed to be an obstacle to avoid. Y'know the stuff I was trying to tell you all."
The guy with the glasses sat back down rigidly, and apologized to the presenter and other exam takers on his way down with a bow. He tried to go back to stoic mode but the shame was visible on his cheeks.
His head snapped back to me, either to apologize again or mean mug me. I just pretend to pick my nose with my middle finger and went back to listening to the presentation.
"Alright now folks! The site for your exam is on your pamphlet, get to your area quick because in five minutes, this show is on the road!"
"And remember," his voice boomed like its own stereo system.
"GO PLUS ULTRAAAAA!!!"
——————
I stood along the side of the gate blocking our way into the exam stone, as soon as it drops I plan on bursting through with my enhanced legs.
The sandy would be overkill, I can already fight at highway speeds without it. No need to empty the tank.
Looking around the only really notable other contestant in my zone was the Pomeranian looking guy, he was practically vibrating with excitement as sparks danced along his fingers.
I was excepting another speech or a wind up or something from a faculty member; instead, the gate simply dropped to the ground with a heavy thunk.
Shit, that's good enough for me!
It seemed to be good enough for the blond guy too, sparks crackled in his palm before a boom of fire and smoke propelled him out the gate, a damn near nefarious grin on his face and at the same time…
My mechanical calf muscles pulsed with strength as I launched myself horizontally towards the first bot I could find out the gate. A quick shimmer of green and my gorilla arms blazed to life, thermal energy pouring from my knuckles. My mouth was stuck in a grin too, its been too long since I fought anybody other than that old bat! I'll try not to go overboard.
I punched clean through the center mass of the one point bot, the gouge I carved melted its inner cords and circuits to slag. I barely even lost any momentum as I pushed off the ground and to the side of a nearby building, ready to ricochet at my next target.
I became a human homing missile, smashing and scorching the one and two point bots in my way straight to hell.
A late announcement went off, urging those who hesitated to get a move on. With it came a wave of competition, soon enough everyone was in full swing or trying to keep up.
My body had never stopped moving, I was still wreaking havoc on the green tin cans.
I used my momentum from the last jump to kick off a lamp post, it bent as I wrenched a three pointers head right off in passing. My trajectory had me landing in front of a two point scrub, but I was flying head first to the concrete.
Shit.
I caught myself with my left arm, tuck and rolled, then extended both legs. The result? A skyward donkey kick that ripped its upper chassis in two and sent me hurtling through the air searching for my next target. Good old conservation of fucking momentum.
If my numbers were right I should be closing in on forty points and it's only been like three minutes passed since the gate dropped.
However…
"DIE YOU METAL SHIT STAINS!" That angry bomb guy was carving a path of destruction through the bots on streets parallel to me, hell he damn near pulled ahead of me.
Explosions were ripping off like a goddamn war zone around the crazy blond bastard, he propelled himself from bot to bot and blew them all to metal splinters at close range.
That's some damn nova fire power.
Well, if we wanna be flashy I guess, it's really no need to slack off.
Teal light crawled up my arms and back, My Apogee was primed and ready to be over clocked. My arms now would classify me as humanoid artillery. No need for impact rounds. EMP rounds would be the path of least resistance for turning my targets to hunks of scrap.
What did he say again? Go plus super or something like that?
Let's see if this exam can handle half throttle first.