"My Venma, is Hypnosis."
After saying that, Lisa sat down and looked down at her desk.
Liam stared at her in shock, and he wasn't the only one.
Her Venma is Hypnosis?!
So...theoretically...she could make people do whatever she wanted.
Why would she come out with it? Is it reverse psychology?
Has she-?
Liam pinched his arm hard.
Idiot.
She would never do that to me, and I have no recollection of...wait.
What if- nonononono. Stop it.
Liam pinched himself again.
Why did she tell everyone though? Now they'll be on guard around her. How will she...
"That was unexpected," Zantos said, his expression that of open surprise, "That was a test to see if you could keep classified information to yourselves. I wouldn't say you failed that, but in the future, there are just some things you need to keep hidden, even from your superiors. This is not to say you're untrustworthy, but to point out that folding under pressure could lead to bad consequences. Take it from someone who has experienced similar."
"Yes sir," Lisa replied, her head still down.
Zantos frowned. "Hey, Lisa. Look me in the eye when I'm speaking to you. Do you understand?"
Lisa looked up slowly, her hair falling across her eyes. She brushed it aside and looked Zantos dead in the eye. From beside her, Liam caught a glimpse of a smile before she responded:
"Yes sir!"
"Good. Now the rest of you, get up and introduce yourselves one by one."
The first to stand was Kazumi, followed by Lee. The boy with the red streak in his hair was Lloyd Raidou, and his friend with the green streak and brown hair was his cousin, Rex Raidou.
Their other friend, the teal-blue hair, was Nanami Chirin. And he was very, very loud.
"Hey gang! My name is Nanami Chirin, but you can call me-" he paused to strike a pose and cover his lower face with an arm, then continued in a deep, husky voice: "The Eye of the Storm."
Right. Definitely gonna stay clear of that guy, Liam thought.
"I'm sixteen, blood type A negative, am five feet seven inches tall-"
"Nanami-" Zantos tried to say as he raised his arm.
"Status is Desired, Venma is Electric-"
"Enough," Zantos silenced him with a dark look on his face. "There's such a thing as too muchinformation boy. Next."
Next was the dark-skinned girl, her dreadlocks covered by a red beanie. She was Hannah Daniels.
A quiet boy wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled over his head muttered three times before his name could be heard. It was Jay Ares.
A dark eyed, tired looking girl with grey skin was Nelly Point. The timid looking girl with green bangs was Zoe Herb.
Then a literal monkey of a girl shot to her feet.
"Hello! The name's Ruby Osgood!"
Liam groaned inwardly, letting his face meet his desk.
There's another one?
"I like bread, ham, cheese and pranks! I stand at the pinnacle of all Accepted! The Monkey Of The West!"
This is so cringe, Liam groaned.
"As you can see, my Venma is Monkey, and I am a Muta! This tail and my big ears are proud symbols of my heritage-!"
"Next," Zantos said, his tone cold.
Your the best sir! Liam projected his gratitude with his eyes, I'm sorry I ever doubted you!
Also, that girl said she was a Muta? Well, since it's a term for people with strange mutations it's not really surprising.
Ruby pouted and sat down, then glanced behind her.
From his place two columns and one row back, he gave her a thumbs up.
She returned it with a wink.
Next up were twins who wore opposing eyepatches. Their names were Duke and Eris Quansah.
Right in front of Liam was a girl with short, messy, grey hair, and a small black choker around her neck.
"Tiffany Wolffe," she growled and sat.
Then it was Liam's turn.
He stood, ignoring all the eyes locked on him as best as he could. Then he took a quiet breath.
"My name is Liam Paxton. Nice to meet you all."
He suddenly felt the gazes sharpen and focus even more on him than before.
WHY?! he screamed inwardly before turning to the last person, a short round boy with pastel coloured blond hair. Liam's own anxiety died down as empathy and a little pity welled up inside him.
That guy must have it rough, Liam thought, He looks so scared. Probably a bully victim, though I feel like that won't be a problem here. Although...
Liam glanced at the girl in front of him for a split second before looking down at his desk.
She seems to be angry, though it might be just me misunderstanding. She seems like the short tempered type. I better watch out.
"...m-my name is Au-Augustus Ceaser..." the round boy stammered, then quickly sat down.
"Good," Zantos nodded, "Now we'll start the lesson properly. Since I've given you information on the past, we'll start right away with Introduction To Monster Biology..."
****
After the two hour Biology class came Craftsmanship-which Liam loved-and Hunter Economics. After checking the revised timetable, Liam took note that all practical lessons-Weaponry, Martial Arts, Craftsmanship, and WIlderness Survival-would take three hours of their time. After they chose an elective subject, it would be added to their timetables.
"Alright class, before class ends, please upload your elective choices to the school database," said Zantos as he walked around the room, "Remember, you can only pick two elective subjects, and you will have one week to experience them before getting the choice to switch over. Keep that in mind, one week. Don't get carried away and choose something you can't handle. All of you should have read the guide on choosing the subject best suited to you, and if you have, then make your choice."
Liam was about to pick his own-which had cost him thirty minutes of sleep-when he heard Augustus whimper behind him.
"But I can't do anything!" the boy muttered, caught in an obvious dilemma.
How did he pass the entrance exam? He's obviously lacking in self-confidence, though I'm not one to talk, but at least I have some level of confidence in my academics. He seems like the kind of guy who actively avoids doing his best purely because he's scared of failure.
Liam thought back to the entrance exam and all its stages as he selected his electives and uploaded them to the school database through the device that was his desk.
[You have one week to make any desired changes] reported the black screen of the desktop.
"Those who have made their selection can leave," Zantos announced.
Threat Assessment and Adaptation won't be easy, but it'll help build quick decision making skills, and Scouting will train me to acquire several different skills. I'm not cut out for leadership, so I am definitely not choosing Tactical Command.
Liam endured the small looks he was given and left the classroom. Then he paused.
"Wait. Won't Scouting make me even more self conscious? Oh no..."
Liam sighed as he joined the crowd of students that were leaving the class area.
"What was I even thinking about again?"
He frowned as he tried to backtrack to his earlier train of thought.
Choices...choices...ah yeah! The entrance exam!
Liam exhaled as the memory resurfaced. The entrance exam had forced him to make plenty of decisions.
There had been five stages...