Getting off the bus once we had arrived was difficult. There was a lot of congestion around the stairs and the bus doors, which meant we had to wait a few minutes to step out. There was a lot of excitement in the air and I could hear all sorts of hopeful chatter coming from the people around us. While we were waiting to get off, Martelle put her palm on my shoulder and pointed towards further down the line of people.

“That’s the beetle girl, right?” she said, getting closer to my face. “That girl’s staring at you really nervously. Oh, and there’s Sitch right next to her. Hey, Sitch!” She used my shoulder to raise herself and wave to him. Sitch noticed her and waved back.

“You know him?” I said.

“Yeah, we were in the same class,” she said. She took her palm off my shoulder. “He’s a nice dude. How do you know him?”

“Um…” I trailed off. “I just do.”

“Alright, then,” she said, grinning. “Look! Beetle girl’s off the bus and she’s still looking at you through the window. What’s wrong with her?”

“Maybe she’s hoping I haven’t told anyone,” I said. I adjusted my scarf. “She’s not the only person that’s been staring at me intensely.” I turned around slightly and took a peek at the purple-skinned student that had been looking at me throughout the ride.

“Well, you do look really weird,” she said, putting her arm around my shoulder. “You’re not exactly easy to miss.”

“I suppose,” I said.

We managed to get off the bus and make our way towards the entrance to the Hero College. We had our luggage checked, our applications confirmed and we were allowed entrance into the examination centre. It felt like going through airport security. The walls of the centre were a light yellow shade, the floors were wooden and there were strange machines I had never seen before strewn about everywhere. There was also a small wooden stage with a microphone.

“This place looks ugly,” Martelle said, looking around the room. “Is this really where we’re getting our physical examination done?”

“From what I’ve heard, this place is frequently destroyed,” I said. “I assume they use really cheap materials to fix it more easily.”

The centre’s PA system switched on. We heard a voice telling us to turn our attention towards the small wooden stage. A bullfrog beastman wearing a suit came out of a nearby door on all fours and hopped onto the stage. He stood up on two legs and began to speak into the microphone.

“Welcome, students, to Foeria Province Hero College! As you might have inferred from the sign outside, this is the physical examination centre, where the staff will examine your strength and attributes,” he said. The frogman put his hand on his mouth and croaked before continuing to speak. “There are many machines here that will examine your bodies and proportions, and will set up examination courses according to your skillset. Good luck!” The frogman got on all fours again and hopped off the stage.

One of the walls had a blue holographic screen on it. It switched on and showed a list of students and the order that they would do the physical examinations. The students were divided into various categorized lists. I was put on a list labelled “SPECIAL”, dead last. Everyone who didn’t have their turn yet was brought to another building through a large door and a corridor. This building looked far more modern, with the walls being glass panes and sets of blue seats with armrests that also reminded me of airports strewn about the building. Martelle was first on her list, so I sat there alone.

There were TV screens that allowed us to see the progress of each student’s examination. Martelle did well on her test, lifting up heavy barbells without much issue. She could jump high, but lacked in the mobility department, as her heavy weapons hampered her movement, especially in cramped spaces. She passed the test. After finishing, Martelle hurried over to the “waiting room” and sat next to me.

“I passed!” she said, with a smile on her face and all her limbs extended.

“Yeah, I saw that,” I said, pointing towards the TVs.

“Oh, that’s cool!” she said, staring at the TVs. “I’m thinking… How exactly are you gonna do the test if your powers only activate when you’re in danger?”

“No idea,” I said. “But it looks like those fullscanners really do tell you exactly what your powers are. Maybe I can find out what’s stopping me from releasing my power at will.”

“We also need to find out what that umbrella thing was all about,” she said, leaning forward. “So… What should we do here in the meantime? There’s still a lot of time left before you go.”

“I have no idea. Sleep, maybe?” I said.

“There’s a snack bar over there,” she said. She turned around and pointed at a snack bar I hadn’t noticed before. Is this a repurposed airport terminal? I thought.

“I hadn’t noticed that,” I said. “The chairs there look far more comfortable to sit on.”

We made our way over to the snack bar. A white Labrador dogman was tending to the bar. We sat down at one of the tables.

“Why are there so many beastpeople here?” she said, scratching her head.

“This college is near one of the biggest beastpeople settlements on the planet, Ryndir,” I replied. “So most of the employees are from there.”

“Makes sense,” she said, staring off with her arms resting on the table. She was sitting upright, which I found weird for her.

“What are you looking at?” I asked. She didn’t reply, like she was lost in thought. I turned around to see what she was staring at.

She was looking at a tall, muscular tan woman with white hair and bronze armour covering most of her body except her stomach, arms and legs. It was an amazon.

“Martelle, this is no time to ogle at women,” I said, grabbing my hood with both of my hands and pulling it forwards. “We’re here for our hero examination.”

“I know, but…” She trailed off. “I just want to talk to her.”

“You’ll get your time once we’re done with the examination,” I said. “You just have to wait.”

“Hmph.” She sat back and crossed her arms.

“Want to get something to eat?” I said, looking at the bar. “There’s plenty of food here.”

“Fine,” she said, still angry at me. “But you go get it.”

I stood up and went to get some food. While waiting in line, I felt someone touch my shoulder. I turned around and saw an average-looking black male with short dark hair wearing a blue hoodie and jeans.

“I know this is a bit sudden, but you don’t look like you talk much, so can I tell you something?” he said. I was mad at that assumption, but I kept listening. “I have no idea where I am. I don’t know what this world is, why there are animals walking upright and talking like people, or why you look like that.” I was taken aback, but kept listening.

“The last thing I remember was getting hit by a truck, and now I woke up here,” he said. “I don’t have any powers that I know of. I’m not from this world.” He was constantly looking around to see if anyone else was listening in.

“Oh, your kind,” I said, unsurprised. “Reincarnators. You appear during Hero College examinations and say you come from some boring place called Yearth. Don’t worry, you probably have a really strong power. What’s your name?” He stared at me, awestruck.

“Vernon,” he said. “My name’s Vernon.”

“Nice to meet you, Vernon,” I said. “After you find out what your powers are, maybe I can help you get settled into this world.”

“Y-Yeah, sure, that sounds good,” he said.

Helping a reincarnator was considered heroic, and you got a hefty prize for doing so. Moreover, it couldn’t hurt befriending someone as powerful and full of potential as a reincarnator. I bought a few sandwiches and drinks and invited Vernon to our table.

“Yo, D!” Martelle said when we sat at the table. “You made a new friend?”

“Yes. A reincarnator!” I said, motioning towards Vernon. “His name is Vernon.”

“H-Hello,” Vernon said. His body was stiff and he was looking down. “Nice to meet you. What are your names?”

“I’m Martelle, and he’s Dyzxalaxyzk, or D for short,” she said, pointing towards me. She put her arms on the table and held her head up with them. “So, what are your powers?”

“I don’t know yet,” he said. He put his arms behind his neck. “Guess I’ll have to figure that out myself.”

“Man, I’ve never met a reincarnator before!” she said. “How’s Yearth?”

“Well, it’s pronounced Earth, and it’s very dull compared to… this,” he said. Martelle put her arm around his shoulder.

“Hope you enjoy your stay here, then!” she said. She took her arm of his shoulder.

“That felt a bit heavy,” he said, rubbing his shoulder.

“You get used to it,” I said.

There were a few hours left until it was my turn, so I spent that time talking to Martelle and Vernon at the snack bar. Vernon’s turn came up, and we found out what his powers were: supernatural agility, supernatural reflexes and supernatural unarmed combat ability. He passed every test flawlessly. Classic reincarnator stuff.

We celebrated him passing the examination, and we kept chatting until my turn was called. The PA announced my name.

“Dyzxalaxyzk to Examination Station 2.”