【Ｔｈｅ　Ｖａｒｉａｂｌｅ　Ｐｒｏｊｅｃｔ：　Ｐｓｙｃｈｅ】

Claire didn't want to spill her main reasons for being here. Recreating a new life for herself and tryimg to break free of the shyness she still has, and the personal uncertainty. How embarrassing would that be to say aloud to other people? It just sounded pathetic and trivial in Claire's mind to say aloud "I'm here for self improvement", and well.. Claire didn't want to put up too much of a bad first impression. She was definitely trying and thinking too hard and too much about this, and so after hearing some of the other people's reasons for being here, Claire tried to think of something to say. Everybody else had solid reasons for being here. She knew Prier had nothing else. Eevee wanted to get something out of life. Anchovy was being pretty secretive. Minato was here for his name. And Haruka wanted to become a superhero apparently.

"I'm here trying to prove myself..." She spoke, holding back a lot of the truth behind her speech. It was relatively obvious she was holding a lot back, especially since her gaze didn't meet the other people around her. Still, in an attempt to get a bit better and more confident, Claire gave herself a bit of a kick in the ass and kept talking. "People said I couldn't, so I've gotta try, yeah...?" That part was true, where she was considered a bit of a gutless nerd who wouldn't stop trying too hard, but couldn't actually break free of her limitations. But now that she was here, she had to do something with that, yeah? "N-nothing wrong with that, I suppose.."
 
Prier thought for a while. Goals, huh? Everyone else seemed like they had some pretty big ones. Although Anchovy's was obviously fishy. Doing it as an obligation meant that wasn't what she really wanted. Next to these, Prier felt a bit silly with her own petty bullshit, but no reason not to share.

"Me, I'm in it to prove my parents wrong. They seem to just hate anything to do with psychokinesis, so I'm gonna go make them proud of me with it." She shrugged. "Or at least get strong enough to prove 'em right." She wasn't ashamed of it, anyway. "As far as the actual exam goes, we don't know what they're looking for, so why worry? 'Sides, not like we can do much about it at this point."
 
One was here because they had to be, one was here to redeem their family name, another to improve themselves, and yet another prove their parents' wrong. Then there was Haruka, who simply wanted to become a superhero. A strange aspiration, if nothing else, in the present. Her answer was also the least vague, though. Yvette wouldn't push it — everyone said what they were willing to.

As the chitchat carried on, it didn't take long for the group to reach the dome. Taking a deep breath, Eevee looked to the rest of the group. "Whelp, here we go." Without delay, the six entered through the automatic doors, stopping to stare in awe at the structure's interior. The inside looked far larger than the outside. Normally completely empty, rooms and the like were generated in the dome as needed. This allowed it to serve multiple purposes at any point in time, without the necessity of moving things around to suit the situation. This dome was a testament to technology's evolution, being the pinnacle of all mankind's past advancements. Entire cityscapes were capable of being simulated here, and often were during combat scenarios.

'So, this'll be our testing site... It really is huge... Will we really have all this space for our exam?'

"Oi! Group 47?" a man's voice called out. Turning towards its direction, Yvette saw a group of people standing around a table. A handshake later, and introductions were given.

"First off, we'd like to welcome you to Psychen Academy, and congratulate you all on managing to receive admission. We'll be the ones in charge of testing to see what variable types each of you are capable of using, as well as helping you with training before the entrance exam." The man who spoke was a rather scraggly man, looking like he was one to take little care of himself. The prospects could probably only be glad he didn't smell as he looked. His hair was a black mess, and he seemed like one of those types that was just waiting for their next cigarette. "Yvette Lecce." The man's attention left the others among them, and focused solely on Eevee. "Mr. Gaz. I'll be the one handling you.

'This guy, huh? I'm not gonna argue, he does seem interesting. Just wish he didn't look as equally shady...'

"Before we temporarily go our separate ways, are there any questions before we all get started?"

@Crow @ERode @R-9 Pilot @Kit-n-Kat @Ultra Paradox
 
Prier raised her hand. "Uh, yeah," she spoke up without waiting to be called on. "How exactly does this compatibility testing work?" She paused a bit. "And, is there somewhere I can leave my stuff for the test?"

A woman who looked just as unkempt as Mr. Gaz spoke up. She wore a clean white lab coat over the rest of her clothes ,but judging by the bags under her eyes and hair that looked completely untouched, she could have rolled out of bed into that outfit. Clearly, at least some of the instructors around here don't care much for appearances. "It's brain scans. What we're looking for is more complicated, but the simple answer is we need to scan your neural patterns and match your psychokientic wave profile to certain Variable types."

She glanced at some of her papers. "Which one of you is Prier Blanc?" Her expression and tone continued to be completely disinterested.

The carrot-topped pipsqueak whose question she'd just answered spoke up again. "I am." Prier wasn't sure what to make of this woman. Didn't seem like she was interested in her job, though. "What about my stuff?"

The woman sighed. "You can probably just leave it in the training room."
 
Stepping into the dorm, Claire was rather impressed by the facility. First off, the whole building was huge. That itself was a marvel of engineering. Second, the science behind the facility's capabilities was something Claire couldn't wait to learn about. Claire had a whole bunch of questions regarding the Variable compatibility test, but at the moment she held them quiet. She'd ask her instructor once she had a moment to actually ask in private, but for now she simply laid back and listened to other people's questions. After a few moments, a slightly older man, only slightly, stepped up to the group from behind Mr. Gaz.

"Ms. Bishop, I am Spencer Wallace. Nice to meet you." He extended a friendly handshake which Claire very hesitantly returned, before folding his hands behind his back. The man seemed composed and well in control of himself, something Claire clearly wasn't. And as someone in a rather formal suit who held themselves with high control, Claire was prepared to be out of her element. "I hope your profile is representative of your performance, if it is we're expecting great things from you."

"T-thank you, Mr.Wallace..." Claire replied, tapping her fingers together and looking to the rest of the group. She was partially worried that she would get too far caught up by the whole social thing, but at the same time she had to make sure she wouldn't crack under the pressure.
 
There was another female trainer out of the bunch, who rather than standing around the desk, was laying on top of it with her legs dangling off edge. She kicked at the air and hummed a lovely song with her eyes closed. As the students rushed in she didn't sit up nor notice their existence, at least not until she opened her eyes and remembered exactly where she was. She sat up from the table and blinked twice, staring at the group of kids standing before the experienced group of teachers. She had long black hair, big brown eyes set behind a pair of thick glasses, and a vibrant smile.

"Ohoo~" She hopped off of the desk, and stood besides her coworkers, "This is group 47, six out of the 546, the 'cream of the crop'?" She mocked the headmaster, swinging her finger in the air. Clearing her throat, she winked at the group and whispered, "He says that every year." Minato was flushed and his heart began to beat quickly.

'So we aren't as special as we thought, was that supposed to be like some confidence booster?!'

"Just kidding! I'm Sophia Hubert!" She giggled, "You are all really some of the best talents of the world and for that I have the upmost respect for all of you. You could possibly be the next generation of constants, stronger than even-" She looked around at the other trainers and a slick smile ran across her lips, "Us."

"Look at you all, so cute. I'm paired up with you, the only male in the group, Minato Chikao from Japan!" She poked the boy in the chest, with a teasing grin, "You aren't too ugly, either."

He nodded, moving back and rubbing his chest. She poked him pretty roughly, and he didn't expect it to hurt so bad. "Y-Yeah, that's me." He looked around as all six of them got their own trainers, "Does everyone else also get trainers during this portion of the exam?"

Sophia laughed and shook her head, walking back to the table and hopping back up onto the edge. She rested one leg over the other, "Take a look around, we're just normal staff. Gazzy is usually the homeroom teacher for Freshmen...well except for last year since no one passed," She snickered, "I'm more of a 'gym teacher', I help students test their variables and improve over the years with us here. You will all be seeing a lot of me if you pass."

"Anyways, to answer your question, no. Some students have to wait. Originally for the test we would train the students for their variables and then put them into groups, but this year we just randomly assigned groups and see how the six people assigned together work together. As my dear Suzu said," She winked at Dr.Shirakawa, "we scan your neutral patterns and match your psychokinetic wave profile to certain Variable types. So everyone needs someone personalized to them, which is why you are all getting picked out like this and why I'm with you Minato."

"Ah, I see," He nodded, smiling nervously at his instructor.

"Good, I'm glad you understand," Her smile quickly faded, and her eyes set on his, "This won't be a cake walk, and all of you will need to show all your skill and even a little luck to pass. So don't think just because I'm your trainer you'll have it any easier than them."
 
Anchovy looked up, down, left and right. The technology and size was something else. Not even the Scarletfevers had access to a good fraction of this technology. Then again, they never really needed it. Their technology had their purposes, this technology had its own purposes.

"So, you're Ms Anchovy Scarletfever, are you not?"

The male trainer before Anchovy spoke. He seemed to be of Asian descent.

"My name is Tao Lishu. I will show no holding back towards others, no matter what."

"I do love to hear that," Anchovy smiles.

"Sounds like I will look forward to our training. I am curious as to what kind of Variable you will acquire, and what kind of edge it will give you in our training. I will help however I can."

"As do I."

"Well then Anchovy Scarletfever, let's start the scans, shall we? Right this way."

"The sooner the better, Mister Tao," Anchovy responds.
 
Technologically, the dome was probably pretty impressive, capable of simulating environments of all sorts through some weird combination of holograph tech and hard light. But all the fanciness of the science was lost upon Haruka, who just saw the facility as…a big dome that could be filled with rather ordinary objects.

Yay. Horray. So cool.

"You're the girl, huh," a voice spoke up. Genderless? No, filtered through enough that it was hard to tell who or what exactly was speaking. Indeed, while the other professors in the group looked fairly ordinary, this one was a true oddball, a humanoid figure suited in a goddamn amusement park mascot costume. Indeed, it was a truly iconic mouse, but this aberration had sought to add even zanier details onto it, from a massive gas mask to a large oxygen tank. Micky Mouse in the Apocalypse? Micky Mouse in the Apocalypse.

"That's…" Haruka paused for a moment, before setting aside her budding prejudices and smiling, "pretty neat, dude. You're my trainer?"

"By process of elimination, yes."


"Nice to meet y-" At this point, the mascot waddled off, not even waiting for the rose haired youth to follow. "-ou. I'm Haruka Fujiyama, and you're clearly not much of a talker, but that's great, I can totally respect the strong, silent, costumed type. Did you make this yourself? Bought it off the internet? Gotta say, I love the mix between cute and edgy! This your usual outfit for school then? Or just a one off thing? Seriously, it's nice…"

And the chatter didn't stop, didn't slow, didn't cease.

If the dude wasn't gonna talk, Haruka will just talk enough for the both of them!
 
Gaz let out a sigh. That was introductions out of the way then. "She's a strange one, but the embodiment of PA stands for. Right off the bat, you're expected to adapt. If you can't even do that much, you've already failed..." Rising from his seat, the black-haired lanky motioned for Yvette to follow. "Let's get this over with, then. The sooner you fail, the sooner I can go back to napping."

Yvette wasn't particularly appreciative of the man's attitude, but adversity was too be expected. 'You've already failed, huh?'

Following the male, the duo soon found themselves in a small office of sorts, and within, a device with several wires connected to it, along with a single Styrofoam cup on a table. "Take a seat, then. I'll attach these to your forehead, and then all you gotta do is simply use your Psychokinesis. Try to focus your energy on that cup there. Based on what brain waves are prominent during use, we can match it with the type of variable you'd be most effective with. It goes without saying that, as a PA prospect, you already know about the different types."

The girl nodded. "That I do. Short and long range physical, short and long range mental, and spacial."

The man was unimpressed. "Congrats on maintaining the most basic of knowledge." Yvette wanted to retaliate, but held herself as the electrodes were attached. "Whenever you're ready, then."

Yvette looked at the cup and focused her mind on it. In only a matter of seconds, it started to float ever so slightly above the table's surface. It wasn't very long after that that Gaz told her to set it down. "Alright then..." Several papers were looked through before the man spoke again. "Mental type, looks like. By itself, too. Depending on what it is, it could either be a great aid, or an instant disqualification." The man's tone held the utmost seriousness, and Yvette couldn't help but gulp.

"Only one way to find out, though. Mind you, this'll be a bit tricky. Normally, I'd train with you myself, but because of the unknown nature of how mental type variables work for each individual, I'm obligated to have you train with a simulation instead. Of course, there's also the matter of inserting it..."

Gaz stared straight into Yvette's eyes for a good few seconds. "Ya want something, or...—" she started, only to be cut off.

"Do you want it or not?"

Was that even a question? Of course the answer had to be yes. "Hit me with it!" the girl responded, a beaming grin on her face. Her personality was starting to shine through.

"Very well then. Ana, a mental type."

For a moment, Yvette thought the man was going senile when no one came, but after a number of minutes, a girl of orange hair came, wearing what Yvette assumed was a staff uniform. It wasn't anything fancy. It had the same PA logo on the chest and shoulders as the students had.For the most part, it was black and white, the chosen school colors. A bit bland, but Yvette could understand the aesthetic behind it a little.

Ana held out her hand to Gaz, revealing a small chip like device. In her other hand was a clipboard, which she offered up next. "Just a consent form," Gaz assured her. "As non-invasive as our methods are, we're still attaching something to your brain.

After signing the paper without hesitation, Yvette followed her trainer to another room, with a large machine, and a man with ruffled hair wearing glasses. "Hello, hello!" the man exclaimed, his voice a bit high pitched. "Yvette Lecce, yes? Let's get to it right away!"

"Alrighty... So, uh, what do I do?" If she had to be honest, all the excitement was actually a little overwhelming. It couldn't be helped, when you grew up in such a quiet town in Ohio.

"Just take a seat! We'll be using this machine here..." The man knocked on what looked like a giant camera of sorts. "...to get an image of what it looks like up here." He tapped his head. "Once we get your measurements and everything's all set, I'll just use my variable to teleport that sucker right in there!"

The look on Yvette's face was priceless. That didn't sound the least bit dangerous. She figured there'd be a more precise method to it than that, but simple teleportation? Sure, she didn't even know that was possible, but still...

Nope. She couldn't back out now. This was what she worked so hard for. The only way to go was forward.
"Let's do it then!"

The man nodded, and aimed the machine towards Yvette. At the press of a button, they obtained a full image of the inside of her head. Mental types were attached at the point where the brain met the spine, and it was important to know how much wiggle room they had. Measurements were done, and then they were ready.

"Just lay stomach down on that table for me, now. Just a matter of seconds, and it'll be done."

Yvette did as told. Gaz put the small chip on the back of her neck, towards the top. Then she felt the cold touch of someone's palm against her skin. "You're lucky PA has someone like me. Normally, the scalpels have to come out. Not to mention the anesthetics and all. Aaand...done! You can sit up now!"

The short-haired girl sat up and rubbed the back of her neck. It didn't feel like anything had changed. Nothing felt like it went in, and nothing felt like it was in there now.

"Mental type variables are made with a special substance, so that the brain doesn't tell the body to attack it as a foreign body. It will take a while to properly use it though, as it still has to register with your particular brain waves. The real trick is first time activation. I'll leave the rest to Mr. Gaz though! I have other prospects to attend to!"

After a wave goodbye, Yvette followed Gaz, noting that they weren't heading back to the office from earlier. "He's quite a character..."

"He's adamant about his work, yeah. This is going to be annoying to deal with though. Mental types are always a pain in the butt."

Rather than feel guilty, Yvette flashed a smile. "That's just the way it goes."

Though his expression remained mellow, inside, the male had a slight smile to him. 'That it does.'

The pair stopped in front of double metal doors. Expecting something elaborate to be within, Yvette was disappointed to see it was just a spacious, empty room. "This is where you'll be training. Before that, though, put on this training suit. It'll lessen the effects of your variable should they prove detrimental." Yvette did as told, and then stood at the ready. "Okay then, now that you're ready... Simulation, please."

Almost instantaneously, a human materialized in the room. It's features were plain, looking like little more than the mannequins one often saw in the mall. "The first order of business is to activate your variable. Unlike when it went in, you'll be able to tell it's activated when you use it, as opposed to just Psychokinesis. Essentially, the goal is to use Psychokinesis on just that chip, thus filling it up with Psychokinetic energy, and triggering it. Then comes the real problem — figuring out what it does. For some, it's apparent as soon as it's used. For others... Well, an hour in this room isn't enough for them. Let's hope you're the former. Whenever you're ready..."

Yvette nodded, and closed her eyes, focusing her mind on the peak of her neck, where she assumed the chip was inserted. Applying Psychokinesis inside one's own body was a bit of a strange feeling, but she could definitely feel the chip reacting. That was all she felt though. There wasn't any immediately evident reaction, neither in her, or her environment. "Was something supposed to change?"

"Not necessarily. Did you feel it?"

A nod. A sigh.

"This is why I hate dealing with these. The possibilities as to what your ability could be are almost infinite. And we're expected an hour to find out what it is." Gaz grunted. "Should probably mention that a lot of pure mental types that come through here wind up failing. There's just no effective way to find someone's ability other than just by having them try a bunch of different things until something happens. Damn bothersome..."

Yvette gulped. Right out of the gate, a handicap. A variable type that they had no way of knowing what does. And if she couldn't find out within the hour, she was certain that failing the exam was inevitable. 'No way I'm letting that happen. Not just because I don't know what my ability is.'

Approaching the simulation, Yvette focused her mind again. 'Maybe I have to trigger it near someone...' That's what she thought, but there was still no reaction. 'Alright then... Maybe if I touch it...' Placing her hand on the human's chest, she activated her variable again. A gasp.

"Something changed! Something definitely changed!"

Gaz jumped up, having relaxed into a somewhat comfortable position for a nap, expecting this to take some time. "And...? What is that?"

"I don't know, exactly, but I definitely feel a little different!"

'So, touch did it, huh?'

"Another simulation, please."

Beside the first human, materialized another. "Try it again on this one."

Yvette nodded, and placed her hand on the being's chest. Nothing. Her variable wouldn't even activate. "Wh-what the hell..."

"What? What's wrong, girl?"

"My variable... I can't use it. It's not activating..."

Well, that was certainly strange. Gaz had seen all sorts of special cases in his year here, but he'd yet to see someone become unable to use their variable after one use. There shouldn't be any way for that to happen, unless she suddenly lost compatibility somehow.

"I'm going to have them run the same scan I did earlier, alright?"

"Gotcha..."

"Scan, please..."

A few moments of silence, followed by a drastic change in Gaz's expression. That kind of ability, huh? "Alrighty, Yvette. Looks like we found out what your ability is. Your mental type variable allows you to adopt the brain waves of others through touch. That lends itself to a rather interesting consequence... Ana, a short range physical type."

The orange-haired girl from before entered the room, handing Gaz a small sphere-shaped object. Even without the hint, Yvette already knew this as a physical type variable. "Come here, Yvette. I want you to take this, and try to sync with it. It's the same as activating your mental type."

Yvette listened, taking the small sphere and focusing her Psychokinesis on it. A smile broke out on her face. "I can feel it!"

Gaz had to hide a smirk. 'As much as I hate to admit it, that's pretty amazing...' Of course, this came with it's own problems. "We don't know yet if this change is going to be permanent, so it'd be good for me to explain how physical types work quickly. Have you ever used your Psychokinesis on water?"

"Yeah, all the time. I'm assuming that using this is the same way?" As she said that, the sphere slowly transformed into the shape of a sword.

'She's already got it?' Gaz cleared his throat. "Then, if you already have transforming down pat, go take down those two simulations with that."

The girl smiled, and off she went. Of course, as soon as she started running, the variable lost its form.

"Just as I thought. You have to maintain the variable's shape during motion. You can't just transform it and expect it to stay that way. Part of fighting with physical types is constantly maintaining their shape. It's an important step towards free transformation in the midst of battle as well, so it's something you'll want to master."

Yvette nodded. "So, I have to keep my mind focused on the variable enough to maintain it's shape during motion. Got it!" Transforming the sphere back into a sword, Yvette resumed her run. This time, the variable maintained its shape. Reaching the two simulations, Yvette let out a wide sweep, causing the simulations to shatter and dissipate. Unlike a real sword, the variable held little weight, so it was easy to swing and manipulate.

"Alright, again. Simulation, please!"

Another human materialized. Yvette prepped to swing, but as she was coming around with the sword, it turned back into a sphere and became unresponsive to her PK. "Temporary, huh...?" Setting her right hand on the "human", Yvette tried triggering her mental type variable again. It worked.

"What type am I now, Eeyore?"

Ignoring the nickname, Gaz had another scan done. "Still physical, but long range this time. Ana."

The girl nodded, left for a moment, and returned with another sphere. "This one'll be a bit trickier," the trainer said, handing the sphere to Yvette. "It's the same as transforming water, again, but you also have to imagine dividing the water."

"I've got this!" It wasn't long before the sphere's shape started to contort, but dividing it seemed to be a bit more of a challenge. Several attempts were made, and when she finally did get it to divide, both parts simply fell to the floor before merging back together. It wasn't that her time had run out, but simply that she wasn't able to divide her focus.

"Remember that it's still the same variable, no matter how many pieces it's in. If you want to move both at the same time, you'll have to divide your focus between them evenly. If you wanna move one, but keep the other back, put more focus on the one you want to move, but don't completely lose it on the other."

As much as he could go on and on, long range physical types weren't of the type that could be easily covered in the course of an hour. The training carried on and on, but her end results were anything but spectacular.

Before they knew it, it was almost time for training to end. "We'll call it good here, Yvette. I wanna talk to you before the exam anyway."

"Okie dokie!" After releasing her focus, Yvette handed the variable back to Ana for return, then looked to Gaz. "What's up, Eeyore?"

"It's about your ability..." This was a road he couldn't allow her to believe would be easy. "As amazing as it is, it's rather disadvantageous. It's only effective if you can get close enough to your opponent to touch them. Against someone with a physical type variable, you'll stand almost no chance. Even if you do manage to touch them, they're likely to be more skilled with their particular variable type than you. You'd still be at a disadvantage. No fights will be easy for you."

"So? What are you trying to say?"

"You shouldn't bother with the entrance exam. Your variable's ability is too poorly optimized for it to be of any real effective use. You'd be so far behind your fellow students that it would be laughable, if you're even capable of scrapping through the entrance exam somehow. When the conclusion is this inevitable, isn't it best to just accept rather than fight?"

Yvette couldn't hardly believe her ears. Her trainer, telling her to quit. To toss all her hard work away. Saying that, even after all this, her chances were too slim to have any value. Any moment now, the tears would start falling. She'd start yelling about how she's going to prove him wrong, and rush headlong into the entrance exam. Her judgement clouded, she would undoubtedly fail, just as he'd predicted.

That's how it usually went, anyway.

"All the more reason to try, right?" Yvette spoke up, bearing that determined smile ever more. "After all, it isn't about passing for me. It's about having fun — about being excited. Even if I fail miserably, I'm sure it'll be exciting nonetheless. I've only been here two hours, and already I've had tons of excitement. As long as I keep pushing forward, there can only be more, right?"

There was silence for a moment, followed by a scoff from Gaz. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it. Alright then, girl! Don't blame me when you fail, and don't go crying home to mom either! Even if you fail, come out of it bearing a prideful grin that says 'I made it this far!' Or something like that." The trainer coughed, trying to act like he hadn't really just spouted all that hopeful crap out of his mouth.

Yvette laughed at the man, then held out her fist. "Watch me, Eeyore! I'm gonna ace this exam, no problemo!"

"I'm not bumping that," he responded, pointing to her outstretched fist.

Retracting her offer, Yvette snickered. "Maybe someday."

DING! DONG!

"Hour's up! Trainers are to stop all sessions immediately, and regroup their prospects in preparation for the entrance exam! Once back together, await further instructions."

That was that then. Looking to Yvette, Gaz motioned towards the door. "After you."

@ERode @Crow @Kit-n-Kat @Ultra Paradox @R-9 Pilot
 
The woman Sophia had identified as Suzu spoke up again. "Dr. Shirakawa," she corrected her colleague. Standing soon after Mr. Gaz had left, she motioned for Prier to follow her. "Come on, let's go get you tested." She still sounded quite bored by the day's events.

Prier was led to another of the office-like examination rooms, and Dr. Shirakawa gestured toward the nice brain scanning apparatus. "Take a seat over there. We just need to take a scan, shouldn't take more than a few minutes." She helped Prier get situated and set the scan electrodes up. "Hm… usually we give you something to focus on, but just keep focus on all those suitcases you've been dragging around."

"That's all it is," Prier asked. "That's easy."

A short time later, and Dr. Shirakawa was perusing the output from the scan on a small computer's screen. For once, she actually looked interested in something, instead of simply bored. "Interesting. Don't see all these high-frequency waves too often," the woman said to herself. She addressed Prier. "You're compatible with a couple different variables. Long-range physical, and spacial."

"That's good, right," Prier asked. "Or at least really dangerous or something, if I remember." She paused. "Oh, can I drop my stuff now, it's getting to be a little much."

Dr. Shirakawa nodded, and the various suitcases set themselves down as Prier carefully released her control over them. "Variables like that are potentially very dangerous, not that it'll matter much with the training types we use." She shrugged. "Of course, installation's a pain. Anyway, once we get your variables, we'll get the rest taken care of. In the meantime, please read and sign this in case we accidentally kill you with our non-invasive surgical methods." She pulled a clipboard bearing a consent form out of her desk and handed it to Prier.

To her credit, the teenager actually read the damn form before signing it. By the time she did, the variables had been brought in. One looked like he usual black sphere, but the other more like some sort of chip, similar to a Mental type. Prier went through the whole routine of a quick scan for visualization inside her neck and the painless and non-invasive but certainly weird implantation process.

Prier rubbed the back of her neck a bit, surprised at how it all went. "So, now what? Training or whatever?"

"Yes. Follow me." The unkempt instructor led the way to a large, white room. "We can run any type of simulation here, if we need to. But really, he room should be enough. You did bring your physical type, didn't you?"

Prier held up the black orb. "This thing? Yeah. What do I do with it? Like, I know it's supposed to change shape and stuff. Doesn't seem like much of a weapon now unless I just, you know, throw it at someone."

"You don't need to do that. It'd work though. Anyway, just pick it up and focus on it, then make it change shape. It's really that straightforward."

Prier wasn't sure it was really that easy, but she tried anyway, focusing her psychokinesis on the variable and lifting it off her hand into the air. That part was easy enough. Holding the shape while moving it around took a little longer, but eventually, she got the hang of it. "Jeez, it takes a lot of focus to use this thing."

"Now try splitting it apart."

"Wait, what," Prier asked, her focus temporarily lost. "Alright, here goes, then." She wasn't sure if she'd just pulled it apart with PK, or did just sort of will the thing apart, but she got the variable split into two pieces, though they were both just black blobs for a while before she thought to form them into more swords. "Hm...I might be getting the hang of this." She swung the two swords around experimentally, then instead tried to fling one across the room and pull it back. It was still a lot of effort, but splitting her attention to a few different objects was less trouble than she would have thought. ...Then again, she had been dragging all that luggage around without too much difficulty. "So...what about the spacial one?"

"Same thing. Channel your psychokinesis through it and it should activate."

Prier tried, and immediately regretted it. She suddenly felt heavier, and the shock of it caused her variable to clatter to the ground. Quickly. From the look of it, the entire room was suffering, and even Dr. Shirakawa had to take a knee for a moment. Prier shut it off a moment later. "Well damn. That was something else."

"Hm hm, quite." Dr. Shirakawa nodded. "You'll probably want to practice at least enough to focus on a specific area with that one. Not much use if you crush yourself in the process."

"Yeah, I don't exactly like feeling too heavy to move either. Guess I gotta learn restraint before I can just go all-out…" How the hell could so much power be packed into such a small device? Prier continued practicing with both variables, although there was only so much progress to be made in the short time. She at least figured out how to focus down whatever gravity control or whatever it was her spacial type did so she didn't just drop it over the entire active area. ...Well, she hoped it wasn't the entire area or some of the other candidates were probably also inconvenienced for a bit there. At least she wasn't a danger to herself with it. Maybe still was with the physical type, but she was satisfied she could at least use it, although no way could she keep both variables running at once. She'd tried and immediately stopped from the pain.

Eventually, Dr. Shirakawa glanced at her wristwatch one last time. "Time's up. Go get ready for the test. Try not to fail, I'd hate to lose such an interesting sample."

Prier stared at her instructor in confusion for a while. "Uh...you aren't really good at the whole pep talk thing, are you? Wasn't planning on it, though."
 
"Alright, Claire. With me." Spencer gestured for Claire, before guiding the younger girl towards their testing room. Having already read up on her file, Spencer already had his mentorship planned for the girl. Unlike some of the other hardass approaches some people took to preparing the candidates, Spencer knew Claire required a bit of gentle teetering on the line. To which was his specialty. "I know you're prepared, so run by how you think this'll go. I want to see if your file is accurate, of course." Spencer spoke with slight doubt to the truth of who Claire was, but the rest of the emotion towards the girl seemed to be curiosity hidden behind his control of the scenario.

"R-right.." Claire paused to take a deep breath, knowing that this man was the one to impress before the actual test. If she couldn't work well with her first instructor, there was no point in even taking the test. So in her attempt to impress Mr. Wallace, Claire spoke, "You're going to be testing for my Variable Compatibility then giving me some time to test it out, but most of the practice time is dedicated to the entrance exam, r-right..?"

With a slight grin on his face, Spencer nodded as he pressed a finger to a lock. "Surprised you looked that far ahead. I'm impressed." The door clicked open, and Claire was guided inside a dark room, with a desk and what seemed to be a computer monitor glowing in the darkness. Pulling out a tablet from inside his jacket, he spun a chair around for Claire to sit in. With a few clicks on the tablet, he pulled a few wires and hooked up a few electrode pads to Claire's head. "Take care and don't move, alright?" He spoke, before placing a plastic cup on the desk in front of Claire. "I can trust you to lift a cup, but for sake of scientific consistency, keep it up an inch before I tell you to, gotcha?"

Claire nodded, turning her fingers and holding up the cup an inch above the table, and Spencer went off typing on his tablet. After a few seconds, Spencer gestured for Claire to drop it. "Long range physical, short range mental. Interesting." Spencer patted Claire's shoulder and then continued, "You know, staying quiet and avoiding talking for me isn't going to make me want to approve you any faster."

"Y-you have to approve us..?" Claire asked, tapping her fingers together as she helped Spencer remove the electrodes from her head. The nervousness was kicking in rather quickly as she felt a bit of anxiety from the idea of not even being able to take the entrance exam.

"Of course." Spencer was bluffing, but behind the mysterious guise his glasses had created, Spencer could have said anything. He seemed to wink right into the darkness, as if someone were watching the duo. "How're you feeling?"

"I-I'm alright, nervous.." Claire spoke honestly, twirling with her fingers as Spencer seemed to get another rig set up. This one was just a large camera, and gesturing for Claire to move over to it, the girl quickly obliged.

"Of course you are. You're preparing for the hardest entrance exam in existence for the most prestigious school ever in humanities' existence." Spencer chuckled a bit, before turning to Claire. The sheen of his glasses hid half of his expression, further adding to the mystery that was Spencer Wallace. "The question is, what you plan on doing with that. Do you think there's a single person here today who isn't ready to piss themselves?"

Claire shook her head, leaning back as Spencer pushed her forehead back towards the camera. With a snap of his fingers, the camera blinked. He spun a pen around his fingers in a similar manner to what Claire tended to do, handing it to her. "Sign right here." She did so, and Spencer folded his tablet back down into his jacket. "Right. Now, we're going to start with the implantation of your mental type, testing that one out, then the physicals. Any questions?"

"I-is it gonna hurt?" Claire asked with a worried expression, still tapping her fingers together nervously.

"About as much as getting stabbed by an Altoid."

"...Ehrm..."

"Moving on." Spencer looked at his watch and pulled out the tablet once more. Scrolling through the photos, he guided Claire out and back to the room where she was to be implanted.

The implantation was done right on a snap, and on the way back into the testing room where Spencer had started with Claire's assessment. "You're an intelligent girl. I'm sure you can figure out your mental variable on your own through a bit of trial and error. But, since we're on a bit of a timeframe, I suppose I'm obligated to help you out now."

"That's reassuring..." Claire spoke half sarcastically, sighing as she sat back down in the chair.

"Take a deep breath, relax, and focus your energy into your Variable. Take your time, take it slow." Spencer paused, breathing in tandem to the patterns he had set for Claire. Slowly matching it, Claire's heart rate was slowly going up due to how much focus she was putting on staying calm. Ironic, but she was quickly met with Spencer's hand on her shoulder. "As any tool goes, you need to be in control in order to use it. Stay calm, I'm sure you can do this."

After a few deep breaths, Claire managed to get herself to be just a bit more calm, a bit more relaxed, and less worried about her performance. "Now what?"

"Control it." Spencer spoke with a bout of irritating mysteriousness, as it just seemed to somehow… Click.

Claire looked down at her hands, balling up her fingers and opening them back up. After a few seconds, she looked up to Spencer, "So what's supposed to ha-"

"Catch." From across the room, Spencer threw a pen at Claire full speed. Claire hit it back up in the air, fumbling with it for a moment, before actually being able to grab it. "Anything?"

Claire blinked, in that moment having been able to see the pen's movements in the air for a moment before they happened. She could see where the pen was going to be, but it hadn't actually been there yet. "You could've poked my eye out…"

"I could have. What happened?" Spencer pulled out his tablet, now watching a quick video in slow motion of what had happened in the past minute.

"C-could you maybe explain why you tried to poke my eye out?" Claire asked as she twirled the pen in her fingers.

"I find that test is usually helpful with mental types. Physical speed, strength, dexterity, reaction speed, reflexes, most mental types that have impact on the body like that can be tested with a simple throw. Now, what happened?" Spencer spoke, still scanning the video frame by frame.

"I-I… I don't know… I could kind of… See it…?" Claire answered shakily, with a lot of uncertainty in her voice.

"Helpful."

"N-no, I mean… It was like time stopped for a fraction of a second, and I could see where it was going." She clarified, which Spencer looked at her curiously about. "It wasn't long, and I couldn't… Actually grab it, but seeing it bounce the third time I k-kinda caught it…"

"That doesn't count." Spencer commented, taking a moment to flip through the frames, paying close attention to Claire as the video kept rolling. "Your eyes shot right to the pen."

"T-the point being...?"

"It means this one you're gonna have to figure it out on your own. I can't help you if I can't see what you're seeing, and since I really can't, all I've gotta say is be careful. I'll brief you more as we figure more out for the test, but now's when we actually give you your long range." Spencer opened a case sitting on the side of the desk, pulled out of the shadows of the dark room, still illuminated only by the light on the computer. "Stand."

Claire did as told, looking into the case as there were five spheres sitting in the center. "I want you to choose which one you feel is best. Sync with each of them and tell me which one feels best."

Claire nodded, touching the first one and syncing with it. With a telekinetic squeeze, Claire lifted it, and just gave it a quick go around. Now for the next. Squeeze, lift. Felt pretty similar. Number Three then. Squeeze, lift, no difference in weight it seemed. She looked over to Spencer, who had his hands folded in his usual authoritative and mysterious way, keeping a neutral expression as if he were staying out of it.

Thinking that she probably wasn't looking at this whole thing properly, Claire synced up with the other two. Each time, she tried toying with them differently, but nothing seemed to come out of it. She looked back to Spencer, before hesitantly asking, "W-what was it that was different about them...? I couldn't tell if any of them were stronger, easier sync with, lighter..."

"Two things you need to learn from this," Claire's instructor commented, before looking down at the Variables. "One: If the instructions were unclear from the start, you should have asked for clarification. Don't assume you need to know everything from the get-go. You should know as much as you can once you start, though."

Claire felt rather disappointed in herself that she didn't catch that on the first time, but now wasn't the time for self pity. It was a lesson, not just a beration. "Two: If you can't get that information, work with what you've got. So take the premise I gave you: Choose which one you feel is best. Now finish the job."

The girl nodded, looking down at the five Variables she was presented, reaching for the fourth one. Syncing with it, her Variable hovered in the air above her hand, before she nodded and squeezed it, playing with it as if it were clay or slime or something. "T-this one."

"Are you sure?" Spencer asked for confirmation, folding his hands behind his back in his usual mannerisms.

"Y-yes."

"Confidence, Miss Bishop. Are you sure?"

Claire took a deep breath, opening her eyes and sighing, before affirming her decision. "Yes."

"Good. Lesson Three. We've got about 20 minutes left, so let's make this quick." Spencer pulled out a holographic projector with a score system, for the test variables. "Hit me with it."

Claire looked up at Spencer, taking a half step back and spinning the Variable in her hand, before whipping her arm to the side and launching it at him. His projector flicked open, forming a rectangular shield which her Variable bounced off of. "Try again."

She turned around, bringing the Variable around her back and swinging it around her with a sweeping gesture, yet Spencer's projector was able to deflect it. "Again." This time she turned it around and attacked from the top, which Spencer lifted up the projector and blocked the hit with the rectangular shield again. "I just said hit me, now come on."

Claire kicked it up faster now, using her Mental type to predict slightly the movements of Spencer's arm to activate the shield, but it still activated when she adjusted course at the last second. With a bit of frustration, she vented her stress by squeezing telekinetically, then pulling it apart, now in two spheres floating in the air, and then something clicked. That was actually something she could do with a Variable.. Once Spencer seemed to smile, Claire used both halves to attack from both sides. Of course, being a training Variable it didn't do anything, but the shield only blocked one. "There we go."

"W-what was the point there..?" Claire asked, pulling her Variable back together while sitting back down on the chair. She did get a bit dizzy from using her Mental Variable, still somewhat confused.

"You're smarter than most, but sometimes you seem to limit yourself. Don't do that and you'll be one of the best ones we have here. You might even help your group pass." Spencer chuckled, leaning on the wall and closing the case where the other Variables were.

"S-since you said to ask for clarification when something was unclear, could you at least give me something about the test?" Claire asked, hoping maybe that's all she needed for a hint.

"You've got about a 2% chance of passing." Apparently not. But, with a smile, Spencer added, "100% If you can break free of your own limits and rally your team."

"W-what limits, exactly…?" Claire asked for clarification, tapping her fingers together as she was somewhat worried about the scenario.

"How long did it take you to properly warm up to me? Now how much of that was willingness and comfort, rather than out of necessity?" Spencer asked, hearing the bells and announcement.

"Hour's up! Trainers are to stop all sessions immediately, and regroup their prospects in preparation for the entrance exam! Once back together, await further instructions."

Spencer guided Claire out through the hallway. "Don't disappoint me. Good luck."

"Thanks." Now came the hard part. Passing the test.
 
Sophia playfully scoffed at her coworker, not taking any offense since she was used to Dr. Shirakawa's demeanor, "Always so uptight, gosh." She rolled her eyes while giggling. The other instructors began to disperse one by one, and instead of leaving Sophia sat there studying the uncomfortable Minato. She rested her chin on the palm of her hands and watched him with dreamy eyes, reminiscing.

Minato looked on as his group members left, lead by their own personal trainers (all of which each had their own strange traits), while he stood there being watched by Sophia Hubert. She, he believed, was most certainly the strangest out of the bunch. Even the clown guy that got paired with Haruka appeared to be 'normal' in comparison to the way she acted. Finally, trying to break the silence and stop this awkward flow of events he spoke up, "Are we going to be heading out too?"

A simple reply, "Mhm," followed by more silence and uncomfortable staring until she finally plopped off of the desk and stretched her arms over her head, indicating the white haired boy to follow her. "Sorry about that, you just remind me so much of myself when I was younger," She smiled warmly at him, "Well, everything except for the whole social outcast thing."

"Hmph?" He flushed and furrowed his brows, "I don't necessarily believe I'm socially inept-"

"Of course you are, it's pretty obvious. You struggle holding a conversation, and no, don't try using your place of origin as an excuse because English isn't my first language either and yet here we are having a nice little conversation," She kept up the cheery facade as they conversed.

Minato on the other hand felt insulted, yet not to the point of anger. It was more so due to the fact that she truly figured him out. As someone who didn't have many friends growing up and was shielded from the public after the incidents that occurred, he certainly lacked social skills, but he couldn't believe it was that obvious. "I-..."

"But it's okay." She stated, and stopped walking when she reached another table in the large room, "If you pass, this school will definitely help you come out of that shell, if you don't, well..." Not finishing the sentence she pointed at a ball that rested on top of the table and pulled out a folded paper from her back pocket. She unfolded it and pulled out a pencil that was tucked behind her ear. "Here, sign this." Minato cautiously read over it while Sophia tapped her fingers against the table. He felt her watching him, almost restlessly, so not bothering to read the rest he signed his soul away.

"Don't worry, it's just school policy that we get it signed, just in case y'know? Nothing should happen..."

"Understood," He nodded and continued to stare at the ball, meanwhile Sophie was messing around with wiring that was under the desk in some sort of suitcase looking thing, "And this, what's this for?" Just as Minato had said that she walked over to him and stood on her tippy toes, placing an item with suction cups on his head.

"I was about to get to that," She patted him on the chest after placing it on, leaving him flushed and curious as to what she just plugged him up to. "This scans your brain activity while you use the psychokinesis. Now here, focus on this ball and move it."

She took a step back and waited. Yet nothing happened. "Well, go on then."

He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the ball, yet it wouldn't budge. He couldn't move it, he couldn't tap into his psychokinesis. Finally giving up, Minato let his arms droop and sighed, "I haven't used my psychokinesis in so long," He's only used it a handful of times since the incident, perhaps he truly forgot how to. "I can't do this."

"Minato Chikao," Minato looked up, and met the harsh eyes of a trainer he never seen before. Another side of Sophie Hubert. "I can accept someone who has social issues, I can accept someone who's struggling with their psychokinesis, but I can not accept someone who wastes my time. So, 'cream of the crop', are you going to move this damn ball or are you going to be someone who doesn't make the cut? Cause if so, you could go on and leave now, while you still got the chance to even keep your honor."

The last part seemingly got to him, as the ball began to levitate, and suddenly shake viciously. His grey eyes were full of enraged tears, yet none of them seeped out. Pop. The ball popped like a balloon. Sophie was ecstatic and began to laugh, yet Minato was still trying to recollect his composure, feeling a slight sense of anger towards his teacher. She noticed it to from the way he stared at her as she laughed.

"Come on now Minato, don't hate me," She wiped the tears that formed from her laughter,"I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at your successful attempt, that was perfect!" She got a final giggle out and analyzed the ball or at least what was left of it. "You could use some practice on balancing it, but you certainly do hold some great potential kid, some great potential indeed." She looked at the brainwave results before getting back to him, "You my friend, are certainly a close range type. Not my cup of tea, but still pretty resilient. Actually, if you're that determined to succeed all the time, extremely resilient seeing as your 'anger' takes over."

She lead him over to get the chip implanted and without wasting time brought him into a simulation room. She was talking the whole time, talking about variable types, the differences of each, and what could be done with every ability. Minato on the other hand hasn't said a word since he destroyed the ball. "Come on, lighten up, it's time for the simulations."

"Simulations?"

"Mhm~" She giggled, "That got your attention, but before I show you that, I want to show you this." She tossed him another 'ball' but this one was black and seemed to be very light. "This is what you'll use to form that close range variable of yours. You know what it is?"

"Of course I do, I've done some research...I just don't know how to use it."

"As expected," She showed him one of her own, and suddenly it seemed to sink into the palm of her hand. "Think of it as an object floating in water, if too much density is placed on the object it will sink, if the object is full of too much helium it will float. Yet if the object is perfectly stabilized by the volume of water, otherwise known as your psychokinesis power it will float," Suddenly two simulations appeared and they sprinted towards Sophia and Minato. Minato stepped back, holding his hands up in fear but Sophia stayed calm and from her index and middle finger two pellet shaped objects shot out hitting and shattering the simulations. "Like that. Once you get used to it, it becomes much easier. At first though, it may take a while. Now focus on the object in your hand, try to shift it into whatever is most comfortable for you, and then take out this simulation."

A simulation of Minato appeared a few feet away from his actual self. He was taken aback, and looked at his instructor, "A simulation of myself?"

"Mhm, cool shit right?" She paused, awkwardly coughing into a fist and blushing slightly, "I mean, ugh, yeah. Only way to show no signs of fear when fighting your enemies, is by showing no fear when you fight yourself. Go on then. Focus. Just as you did when you used that psychokinesis. Think of why you're here. Your goals. Transfer that energy over into that variable of yours, and take care of your simulation. You better hurry though," Suddenly the Simulation of Minato began to start running, "Because the simulation of yourself doesn't plan on making it easy."

'Why am I here? Is it because of the trail? All because those kids killed my dog. Because I did what I believed was just? That is why I am here, because I'm a monster, a disgrace to my family name.' He clutched his fists, a red aura formed around his knuckles and almost looked like gloves, "I will avenge my family name." He reared his fist, eyes focused on the simulation of himself that drew himself closer, "No matter what it takes!" And one solid swing the simulation shattered. He held his stance, yet tried controlling his breathing.

"Perfect!"

"Hour's up!"

"Right on time too, I like your progress so far Minato. You truly do have great potential, yet still lack control." She gave him a bright smile, "I wish you the best of luck on the exams. I'll be watching you out there."
 
A scan, followed by a surgery, followed by a selection.

And throughout all that, the impassive Mickey Mouse (apparently a female, judging by the pronoun used by Gaz) remained absolutely silent. Not a peep from the weird trainer while Haruka jabbered on and on, remarking on every little thing that caught her attention. Wow, they used solid light holograph technology to replicate equipment that would otherwise be much too expensive to purchase! Wow, they used variables that weren't massively lethal to prevent kiddos from killing each other! Wow, the stoic shell of this costumed maiden was so thick that it may actually be that Mickey Mouse had simply plugged her ears in order to not listen to Haruka's incessant chatter!

Wow, wow, wowzers!

It was a good thing, however, that the rest was all very self-explanatory. Short range physical variables were the easiest and simplest to understand, after all. Maintaining a shape was easy once you relegated the task to your subconscious, while the manipulation of that form by itself was in line with the hydrokinetic training that she had done in the past. Even the short range mental variable was fairly straightforward, nothing but a boost to her physical parameters.

Indeed, it all fell into place very well. A short range physical to provide her with a transforming weapon and shield, and a short range mental variable to give her the superhuman strength needed in order to run around really fast and help people.

Oh, how wonderfully convenient! How thoughtfully brilliant! It was so absolutely fortunate that one really had to ask: was the affinity shaped by her personality? Or was her personality shaped by her affinity?

There was no clear answer to that, not immediately.

Only continuous silence from the costumed trainer as they watched Haruka play with her new toys until the hour was up.

Only silence, and the click clack of a keyboard.

Even though there was no reason for it, even though they had failed to form any tangible connection over the last hour, the rose haired girl still turned and grinned at the aberrant teacher.

"Thanks for watching over me, dude! Hope to see you around after I pass!"

The baseless confidence still persisted.

Not a single thing was out of place.
 
During this process, Anchovy stayed still. Anchovy stayed silent. Anchovy spoke not a word.

She had finally acquired her Variables - a Mental Variable, and a Long-Range Physical Variable. Her Long-range Physical Variable was self-explanatory, but her Mental Variable was special - it seemed to allow her to see from the perspective of others, as evidenced by her training.

When engaging in combat with Mister Tao, Anchovy activated her Mental Variable upon him, causing him to feel a slight spark in his mind. From there, Anchovy could see both what was in front of her and what was in front of Mister Tao. This extensive vision gave her the upper hand in combat and allowed her to par with her newfound mentor in hand-to-hand combat.

"You claim to not show mercy, yet I am well aware that you are holding back," Anchovy says.

"You're a sharp one, are you? I would say I'm saving my energy, but you are the one who needs to save your energy for the next thing."

"The big team examination, is it? Well, I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I guess I'll have to."

"I believe that you are ready. Or at least, your Mental Variable is. Don't you have other cards up your sleeve?"

Anchovy places her hands out as two spheres materialise, forming twin guns that she had grabbed onto. She begins to fire them about.

"You do not appear to be aiming well," Mister Tao says as all the bullets seemed to miss him.

"They are practice rounds after all. I am giving them a mere practice run."

It seemed that Anchovy was soon prepared for the examinations.

"Right now, I can only wish you luck in the examinations, Ms Scarlerfever. Passing is merely the beginning, but you knew that."

"I know that very well, Mister Tao."
 
Back in the main hall, the group was reunited. Some obviously had new tools with them, while others, less so. 'Physical types, huh?' She was already familiar with them at this point, but she could only imagine how difficult it'd be to fight one. Before she was able to touch someone, she'd only be able to rely on her own reflexes to dodge and get close. With how powerful they were, it seemed like an almost impossible task. Her mind went back to mere moments before, when Gaz had told her that, perhaps, she should give up now. 'Hmph. Of course that's not an option. Even if I fail, this'll definitely be exciting!' That's what she told herself anyway.

"Now that we're all back together... I'll be your guide to the locale for the entrance exam. This way then..." Even though they were all trained by different instructors, it seemed Gaz would be the one to take charge of them. He carried a clipboard in his hand, which most likely listed the results of each of their variable tests. 'Pretty varied group this time... Some of these are actually pretty useful.' Droopy eyes looked back to those whose hopes and dreams rested on the results of the trial ahead — chatting amongst themselves. 'At least teamwork won't be an issue...I hope.'

The hall leading to the testing site was massive. Even though the dome was almost the size of a small town, it was still nearly impossible to believe all of this fit into one indoor space. It wouldn't be too much longer now, though. Up ahead, Yvette could make out a set of double doors. There could be no doubt about it; that was it.

"Mental type here," Yvette answered with a curt wave, the topic of what variable each of them had having popped up during their conversation. 'Though I'm not too sure how useful it'll be.' Looking at the others, it was evident that she was the only one without a physical. Part of her wanted to ask Gaz how she'd even be able to compete, but if he was letting her take it regardless of what her variable actually did, there must be a means for her to pass, right? They wouldn't let someone attempt the test if they had no way to pass it, right?

"Stop."

Snapping to attention, the group had finally arrived. Through the doors before them awaited the exam that would determine their fates.

"This is as far as I take you. You'll enter through these doors, and your exam will start. As the headmaster already told you, I don't have any information for you as to what the exam actually is. All I can do is tell you to do whatever you think you have to do. Whether your choice leads to success or failure... Well, you'll find that out after the exam is over. Then..."

As the word left his lips, the double doors began to open, revealing a huge, open area. A simulated environment of all white walls and floor was what awaited them — this would be their testing grounds.

'This is it...!' The girl's thoughts were a mix of nervousness and hype. With no clue what she'd do or how she'd do it, she readied herself to enter the room, only to be stopped by Gaz.

"It's a bit of a weird case, given your ability, and don't think it means anything about what the actual exam entails, but I figured the least that could be done for someone with an ability as worthless as yours was give you these." The instructor's words cut like a knife, but a knife that only edged her to prove herself even more. In each hand, he held out a variable. "Short and long respectively. Use them wisely, if you feel you must..."

Yvette took them and gave a nod. "Thank you, Mr. Gaz."

The man rolled his eyes. 'Gotta give you a shot in hell. They usually give up when I tell 'em to...'

"Good luck, all. I'll cheer for your success, or something like that."

Just like that, the group was alone. Yvette looked at her test mates, then approached the room. "Ya ready, guys?" A stupid grin plastered itself all over her face.

@ERode @Kit-n-Kat @Ultra Paradox @R-9 Pilot @Crow
 
Once they'd gathered back together, Prier followed Gaz with the others. She wasn't sure about teamwork, though. It wasn't like they'd had any time to actually try and work together. Suppose they'd figure it out or...not, though.

"Hope everyone's got...some idea of how to work their stuff. I got a long-range physical and long range spacial." she seemed particularly proud of that last one. She did at least encourage Yvette a bit. "Don't go selling yourself short, Evee. Just gotta think outside the box or something, right?"

Dr. Gaz ordered a company halt and gave the final instructions to the group. No information on what they were supposed to do, or even what to expect still annoyed Prier, but she managed to stop herself from talking back. Not like it'd do any good. The doors opening upon a world of white was...at this point not too much of a surprise. Must be a huge complex in there, from the sheer scale of the building they were in. "Damn...so this is the testing ground? Gonna feel weird being the only bits of color in there."

Yvette got a curious look, upon receiving additional variables. "I thought you were a mental type? Why get a couple more?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. Time to just dive right in." Prier took the first step across the threshold of the double doors. "Hm, maybe I should've put my hair up today." She kept her variable in a psychokinetic grip, floating near her body still in its neutral shape.
 
Being guided back to the larger hall, Claire was still rather impressed by the sheer size of the area. Quite honestly, the fact that this place had money and resources to do this was pretty impressive. Eevee had spoken up about her mental variable, and commented upon it's use. Prier had beaten Claire to what she wanted to say, but she still had to introduce her Variable types. "Short range mental, long range physical." She spoke, after a quick pause to compose what she wanted to say. It was a bit awkward, sure, but she didn't mind as long sa she was able to get it out without a stutter.

"Stop."

The doors in front of Claire and the rest of the group seemed rather imposing, and Mr. Gaz's response to what the test was exactly about wasn't reassuring by a long shot. The doors slowly opened, and the white room behind the door had given Claire a bit of the creeps. What exactly was this, besides potentially just a testing room for scientists?

Seeing Eevee given some other Variables and the mention about her own, Claire was a bit curious. "You mind explaining yours, just so I can see what we're working with?" Claire realized she probably condemned herself to more conversation past that, particularly from the other mental types around her, but here she needed as much information she needed. She had to think, she had to analyze, and she knew she's the one who had to figure out what the test was about. She had to prove herself.

The room seemed rather eerily quiet, before Eevee spoke up rather cheerfully. "Ready." Claire responded simply, her long range Variable floating around her, orbiting.
 
"Short range physical and mental over here," Haruka chimed, her physical variable already melting over her arms like a second skin, black as death and smooth as silk, "And I'm sure they'll color it up once the simulation actually begins. If PA wants to live up to their 'expect the unexpected' motto, I'm willing to bet they'll toss up against a totally crazy environment!"

…

"And I'm hella ready for it. Prier, if your hair's a problem, just use a bit of your long range variable to make a string and tie it back!"

That was totally a reasonable suggestion, wasn't it? Served as extra multi-tasking training as well.
@R-9 Pilot
 
"Long range mental, long range physical. Overall, long range," Anchovy adds as she coats her hands in some of the physical Variable, as if they were gloves. "Now I am ready."

"A totally crazy environment, as you put it... not a bad idea. Something complex would work to our advantage, if we are to succeed. If it's too simplistic for us, it's too simplistic for our opponents too, and we do not want that."

Anchovy walks forward.

"We will have time for chitchat after our required success. For now, we should make a move and strategise."
 
Minato watched as the instructor lead them to the next area in the huge building. Everything was so different and large, even compared to the real world. He was in so much awe he hardly heard the question when it was asked. It was only when Anchovy replied that he snapped out of his trance. "Oh, I got a physical type," He rubbed the back of his neck suddenly realizing the chip that was integrated.

'Wait?'

His mind started roaming to when Sophia integrated it into his being. That wasn't for people with physical types. Perhaps she made a mistake. He wouldn't tread on it for too long though. He didn't have time and his nerves were beginning to get the better of him. This next door truly held his fate in its hands. It was now Minato and these random people against the world. But he was ready, and nothing would be stopping him. Nothing. He will make sure of it.

"Let's do this."
 
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