10 AM, Orientation Hall, Paladin's Academy.

In a room filled with over a thousand people, one would expect the room to be filled with noise. Yet eerily enough, the room is dead silent with only the air conditioning and some nervous foot-tapping being the source of noise. The clock continues to tick, only adding to the unsettling vibe.

Everyone was given ample time to prepare, yet no one in the room felt confident in their own abilities. Tensions ran high, for each and every applicant knew that only twenty-five of them would be accepted. Maybe the chosen few have already been found, and they are wasting their time being here. Their mental fortitude is being tested even before the exam.

A few fold immediately, as several applicants stand up and leave the orientation hall. Another few others follow suit, as around two hundred would-be students become never-be students.

Thirty minutes have passed, and the temperature in the room has gone down. The windows have become frosted, and the air has become thick. Another would-be student approaches the exit to leave, but he cannot believe his eyes,

"THE DOOR IS FROZEN!!!!" He screams as he tries to break the door down. Several students look at each other and start asking questions,

"Is this part of the test?"

"Did the test just begin?"

"Just like that, no orientation?"

Some of the applicants start making plans. Maybe the goal is to escape the room, and getting out means passing. A couple of them begin punching the windows, the walls, and even the whiteboard. Then, people start punching people! Chaos ensues as a fight breaks out between everyone. The escape attempt quickly becomes a free-for-all.

"EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES!!!"

Everyone gives everything they've got. They use their gadgets, their powers, and even the damn tables as weapons. Each applicant attacking another, trying their best to secure a slot. Things have gotten desperate. Through the smoke, a familiar duo of sidekicks appear, as Dreadnought and Matter run through the crowd.

"This is certainly a test," Dreadnought remarks as he weaves through people.

"It's barbaric," Matter responds, as she decks one of the guys in the nose.

"What is the plan then?"

"Didn't you hear the guy? It's everyone for themselves," Matter laughs as she dives into the floor, leaving Dreadnought behind.

"That was most unkind," Dreadnought sighs as he dodges more students. Out of the crowd, an arm emerges, and it punches him right in the face, sending him back.

"Why do they always go for the face?" He whispers as he wipes the blood from his nose.

"On your first day in prison, find the biggest, baddest lookin' dude, and fuck him up. That way, the other prisoners won't fuck with you."

The crowd clears, as a man steps forward, wearing a long grey trenchcoat, silver knuckledusters, and the White Mask. It is him, the man who made Dreadnought feel fear. Chaos continues to ensue in the background as the two men stare at each other.

"Who are you?"

"You're in hell, and I'm the devil."

Dreadnought visibly cringes as White Mask goes for another punch. This time, Dreadnought catches his arm, and Judo throws him right into a table, breaking it. White Mask quickly gets up and shakes it off as he prepares his counter.

While Dreadnought has learned how to access his unique ability, he would rather not use it now. There are too many people in the room, and his attacks have too much range. He could potentially hurt a lot of innocent people. When he asked Streetwise about this, he offered to give Dreadnought some of his gadgets when he was starting out. This includes a foldable bow staff and a couple of bolases.

He quickly throws a bolas right at White Mask, catching him off guard. Dreadnought goes for a tackle, but White Mask spins around, causing him to miss. He breaks out of the ropes and throws a small pellet directly at his eyes. It explodes in a flash of white light, temporarily blinding Dreadnought and a couple of other unlucky students.

White Mask shoots a grappling hook from his gauntlet straight at Dreadnought. It latches on to him as he pulls Dreadnought close, slamming his arm into his neck. Dreadnought groans in pain as he falls to the floor. He clutches his neck as White Mask looms over him, preparing to cave his head in. Dreadnought then goes for a sweeping kick, knocking White Mask off balance. Using this opportunity, he goes for a gut punch and then lands a quick one-two combo, sending White Mask back.

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White Mask wipes off the blood from his lips as he laughs and puts his guard up. Dreadnought steadies his breathing as the two stand off. Dreadnought changes things up and goes on the offensive, using his new bo-staff to hit White Mask several times. He dodges and blocks most of his attacks, but Dreadnought manages a lucky shot right to his cheek. When he tries to hit him again, White Mask uses the staff against Dreadnought, twisting him around until he loses his grip.

"You suck with this thing." White Mask says, breaking the bo-staff in half.

He proceeds to throw another pellet at him. Dreadnought closes his eyes, but the pellet instead explodes smoke as it covers the area around the two. White Mask then sneaks behind Dreadnought putting him into a choke hold.

"There's only room for one ACBHI kid, and it's going to be me."

Dreadnought starts losing consciousness. He tries to escape from his grip, but White Mask's strength is remarkable even as a mere human. Unfortunately for him, Dreadnought is no mere human, as he quickly grabs his gun and points it at himself.

"Are you crazy? You point that thing at me!" White Mask says as he strengthens his grip.

*click*

White Mask and several other applicants get sent flying to the corner of the room, as everyone there stops for a moment, to gaze upon, the devil himself. He flies towards White Mask at breakneck speeds and slams him through the walls of the orientation hall. He soars above the sky as he grabs him by the foot and dangles him in front of the whole school.

"This battle is over," Dreadnought remarks.

"I didn't hear no bell!" White Mask replies, trying to punch him.

Everyone watches as Dreadnought throws White Mask aside. He lands with a loud *thump*, followed by a loud "Oof."

"Anyone else?" Dreadnought asks.

Every applicant stops fighting, as they slowly leave each other be. Some of them start apologizing to one another. While others help each other stand up.

An announcement can be heard from the PA system,

"Attention all Paladins Applicants, the Entrance Exam has now concluded. We want to thank each and every one of you for your participation. If you have accumulated any injuries, our medical staff will heal you, free of charge. In the next few weeks, you will all receive an email regarding whether you passed or not. You are all free to stay within the campus until later tonight should you wish to rest. Thank you again for participating."

"So that WAS the test," Matter ponders as she approaches Dreadnought.

"Indeed, I did not expect things to be so, chaotic," Dreadnought replies, transforming back into his human form.

"You want to go back? Or maybe stay for a bit?"

"I would like to stay for a bit,"

"Good, let's grab something to eat."

A security camera can be seen monitoring the situation. Elsewhere in the Academy, a group of twelve are currently watching things unfold. As the video feed ends, a woman speaks up,

"And that concludes our entrance examination. Do you have any reactions towards our final candidates?"

The woman has long white hair and bright blue eyes. She is wearing a long navy blue coat, with a white turtleneck underneath and a simple black pencil skirt. This is Ms. Winter, the enigmatic headmaster of Paladin's Academy.

"Can we reconsider candidate no.14? Her performance earlier was subpar."

"How about candidate no.7, is he really our best option?"

"Candidate no. 25, I believe he is not fit to be this batch's ACBHI."

"In my humble opinion, I think you can all eat a bag of dicks. Professionally, of course."

The teachers turn and glare at one the most notorious graduates of Paladin's Academy. While they cannot deny how important the man is to Paladins, they are annoyed at the fact that he has joined their ranks.

"Is it possible to reconsider, teachers, as well?"

"The council has permitted Streetwise's request to join our ranks. If you have a problem with him, you can talk to the Director."

The room goes silent, as Streetwise stands up and laughs. He wipes food dust off his costume as he walks toward the screen.

"You hear that fellas? You're stuck with me for three whole years. Better comfy up, 'cause I'm staying for the long run!" Streetwise cackles, to the dismay of the whole faculty.

"While you have joined our staff, you still take orders from me, as the head of the Academy."

Ms. Winter stares daggers at him, but he doesn't back down.

"Oh, you are the HEAD of the Academy, alright." Streetwise loudly laughs. Her eyes begin to glow as the entire room's temperature drops to below zero.

"Hey! Both of you, calm down! Streetwise was only joking, right?" Sparkplug says, getting between the two bitter lovers. She quickly elbows Streetwise, causing him to lose air.

"Right, right, it was just a joke, geez. After all these years, you still have a stick up your a-" Streetwise tries to talk, but Sparkplug quickly covers his mouth.

"Sounds like my buddy here is hungry. We should probably just send our preferred candidates through email, right? Then you can just consider all the faculty's concerns through there, right? With that, the meeting's over, bye!"

Sparkplug quickly drags Streetwise out of the room—Ms—Winter's eye twitches as she dismisses the whole faculty. Sparkplug and Streetwise convene in one of the empty lounges.

"It's been eight years, dude; you gotta let it go," Sparkplug says, patting him on the back.

"I did! She's the one who's not over me."

"Projecting much?"

"Shut up."

"Man, seeing the two of you talking again, brings me back."

"To better times?"

"Yeah, better times."

The two quiet down, as they flash back to their school years. The two do not say a word, yet they both understand how the other is feeling.

"Wanna grab a bite?" Streetwise asks.

"Your treat?" Sparkplug asks.

"Loser's treat," he clarifies, standing up and stretching.

"So it's a race? You've never beaten me."

"It's been a while. Maybe I've gotten faster."

"Alright, it's your loss."

The two heroes exit the campus, and they start running as fast as they can. The moonlight covers their tracks, as the duo race to their heart's content. And with that, the entrance exam has come to an end. With the roster being finalized, the next time we see our heroes will be during their first day in class. Hopefully, the activities for the first day will be lax, and the students can enjoy their time here at Paladin's Academy!