Chapter 3: The Application Form and the Bargain-Bin Lucky Pen
Night had fully enveloped the city. Inside Usopp's cramped, two-room apartment, a heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by the rhythmic, maddening sound of water dripping from a broken faucet in the tiny kitchenette. Drip... drip... drip...
Usopp sat cross-legged on the faded tatami mat floor, hunched over a short, wooden table. The table had a severe wobble; one of its legs was noticeably shorter than the others, currently propped up by a thick stack of old hero magazines he had salvaged from a recycling bin. Spread out under the dim, flickering light of a single bare bulb was the official application form for U.A. High School.
He stared at the crisp, white paper as if it were a terrifying villain preparing to launch an ultimate attack.
Name: Usopp.
Age: 15.
Current School: Orudera Junior High.
Quirk Registry Name: Telescopic and Microscopic Optical Zoom.
His pen hovered over the final, most daunting section of the document: "Primary Motivation for Enrollment." Usopp chewed nervously on the plastic cap of his pen, his mind racing. He couldn't possibly write the truth. He couldn't write, "I want to make a mountain of cash so I can fix the plumbing, buy a phone that doesn't require rubber bands, and finally eat premium beef." That did not sound heroic. That sounded like a desperate plea for a charity donation. U.A. wanted noble warriors, not teenagers trying to escape the poverty line.
Taking a deep breath, Usopp pressed the pen to the paper and began to write with feverish intensity, crafting the most elaborate, dramatic piece of fiction he had ever produced in his fifteen years of life.
"I am applying to your esteemed institution because I firmly believe that true justice requires vigilant, unwavering eyes. I am the man who will see the crime before it even occurs. I am the hero who stands in the shadows, observing the wicked, and calculating the perfect moment to strike and protect the weak. I do not seek the spotlight. I seek to be the unseen optical shield of this vulnerable society!"
Usopp leaned back, reading the paragraph over and wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. A wide, satisfied grin spread across his face. "This is absolute poetry! It's magnificent! The principal of U.A. is going to weep tears of profound emotion when he reads this!"
Suddenly, the thin sliding door to the living room opened with a soft creak. His mother stepped into the room. She was wearing a faded, stained cooking apron over her work clothes, looking exhausted but maintaining a gentle, warm expression. She noticed Usopp immediately trying to cover the application form with his arms, his posture stiffening in a panic.
"Are you still awake, Usopp?" she asked, her voice soft and carrying the weight of a long day's labor.
"Mom! I was just... studying! Yes, intensely studying physics and advanced trigonometry!" Usopp stammered, offering a painfully unnatural smile.
His mother sighed, a knowing look in her tired eyes. She walked slowly across the small room and approached the wobbly table. From her apron pocket, she pulled out a small, worn cloth pouch and gently placed it onto the table. Usopp heard the distinct, heavy clinking sound of coins.
"What is this?" Usopp asked, blinking in genuine confusion.
His mother offered a small, bittersweet smile. "I heard from the kids in the neighborhood. They talk loudly. I know you are submitting your application for the U.A. entrance exam tomorrow. I know we don't have much, Usopp. But this pouch contains the extra coins I managed to save from my shifts this month. Take it. Go tomorrow and buy yourself a massive, filling lunch before the exam. You cannot possibly fight villains and pass a physical test if your stomach is rumbling louder than a broken car engine."
Usopp's eyes widened. He stared at the small pouch. He knew exactly how many hours she had to stand on her feet, smiling at rude customers, just to scrape together those few extra coins. A tight, heavy lump formed in his throat. He felt a sudden urge to cry, but he quickly swallowed the emotion down, replacing it with his trademark, booming confidence.
"Do not worry about a thing, Mom!" Usopp declared, puffing out his chest. "Thanks to my unbelievable skills and my genius intellect, I am going to ace that exam, become the greatest hero in the country, and buy you a giant, stainless-steel refrigerator! One that dispenses ice cubes automatically right from the door!"
His mother laughed softly, ruffling his messy hair. "I'll hold you to that, Captain."
The next morning, the air was crisp and cold. Usopp met his three-man defense squad at the end of the street before heading to the post office.
The kids excitedly held out their hands, presenting him with a cheap, bright yellow plastic pen that had a bizarre, generic cartoon hero printed on the side.
"This is for you, Captain Usopp!" the kids chanted in unison. "We pooled our allowance money and bought you this ultimate lucky pen! You have to use it on the written portion of the exam! It guarantees victory!"
Usopp took the pen. It felt incredibly light and cheap, the kind of pen that would probably run out of ink after writing two sentences. But as he held it, he felt a surge of warmth. To him, it was the most valuable weapon in the world.
"Thank you, men!" Usopp said, dramatically wiping his eyes. "Some dust just flew into my eyes, that's all! With this lucky artifact, and my supreme vision, there is no robot, no monster, and no test that can stop Captain Usopp!"
Twenty minutes later, he stood before the large red mailbox outside the post office. He held the crisp white envelope containing his future. He took a deep breath, and let go. He listened to the soft thwip as the envelope hit the bottom of the metal box.
It was done. There was no going back now. The most difficult, punishing practical exam in the country—an exam infamous for requiring students to violently destroy massive, heavily armored robots—was waiting for a boy whose only special power was squinting really well.
"Oh boy..." Usopp whispered to himself. His knees suddenly began to tremble violently, knocking against each other like castanets. He turned around, waving to the kids down the street with a completely forced, terrifyingly stiff smile. "What in the world have I just done?"