**Chapter 7: The Eight Tests, Part One**
The students of Class 1-A stood in the expansive UA Academy training field, facing their instructor, Aizawa. His jet-black hair hung loosely over his stern face, his dark eyes scanning the group. Each student was dressed in the academy's signature athletic uniform, and the atmosphere was thick with tension. The crisp autumn wind swept through the field, rustling leaves and tousling the hair of everyone present, including Natsu's pink locks, which danced with the breeze.
For a moment, silence reigned. Hapi, perched on Natsu's shoulder, broke it, grumbling, "Why didn't they design a uniform for me too?"
Natsu smirked slightly. "Since when did you consider yourself a student?" he teased.
"That's just rude," Hapi retorted with mock offense.
Aizawa's cold eyes shifted toward the talking cat. "A pet?" he asked in his usual monotone. "Bringing animals to school is prohibited unless they're part of your Quirk."
"Hey! Hapi isn't a pet or some Quirk tool. He's Natsu's friend!" Hapi shot back, defiantly staring at the teacher.
Without missing a beat, Aizawa strode over, calmly grasping Hapi by the scruff of the neck and lifting him. "I have a feeling you'd get along well with the academy's principal. You should meet him." Then, turning back to the class, his expression unchanged, Aizawa continued, "Alright, let's get to business. I'm Aizawa Shota, your homeroom teacher for Class 1-A. Unlike some of my colleagues, I don't waste time with formal introductions or classroom icebreakers. At UA, we focus on developing heroes with perfect combat readiness. Speed, strength, skill—these are what matter more than academics here."
A grin spread across Natsu's face at the mention of combat readiness. Aizawa caught the change in his expression and addressed him directly. "But don't get too excited, Natsu. We aim to create smart heroes too. You might have scored the highest on the practical exam, but if you keep failing the written tests, you'll be held back."
Natsu's grin faded, replaced with a grimace of frustration. The other students exchanged quiet chuckles, finding Natsu's obliviousness amusing. However, Bakugo's sharp gaze remained fixed, viewing Natsu as a rival rather than a classmate.
Aizawa continued, his tone unchanging. "Today, we're starting with a set of eight physical tests. Simple exercises, with a few modifications… for example." He tossed a baseball gently toward Natsu, who caught it with confusion flickering across his face, as did the rest of the class.
"Throw this baseball using your full physical strength," Aizawa instructed.
Natsu tightened his grip around the ball, looking up at the sky. "That's it? Just throw it?"
Fwoosh!
The ball shot forward with all the force Natsu could muster. Aizawa lifted his phone, reading the result from the screen. "72 meters."
The class remained silent, absorbing the result. It was a solid distance for a normal person, as Aizawa confirmed. "That's a respectable result for a human. But we're at UA, and the purpose of these tests is to evaluate your Quirks. Now, Natsu, throw it again—this time, using your Quirk."
Another baseball was handed to Natsu. The atmosphere shifted as the students leaned in, anticipating something more exciting. "Using my Quirk, huh? Alright, this might be a bit more fun..." Natsu murmured to himself.
He tossed the ball lightly into the air, letting it rise a few meters above him. Confusion spread across the faces of his classmates as they tried to understand what he was doing. But then, flames erupted from Natsu's right hand, engulfing his fist in a blaze as he leapt toward the sky.
"**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**"
**BOOM!**
The ball rocketed through the sky like a blazing comet, fire trailing in its wake. Natsu's smile widened, his teeth gleaming as sparks danced around him. His pink hair billowed in the air as the fiery impact sent the ball soaring.
The class stared in awe, shock etched across their faces. Even Aizawa, though usually composed, lifted his phone to reveal the new distance with a slight raise of his eyebrow. "840 meters..."
Gasps and exclamations broke out among the students.
"It went more than ten times farther with his Quirk!" Mineta blurted.
"I could definitely beat that score..." Bakugo muttered under his breath.
"So we can use our Quirks for all eight tests?" Uraraka asked, her eyes wide with excitement.
"This is so cool! Just what I expected from UA!" Mina Ashido chimed in, practically bouncing on her heels.
"Things are starting to get interesting..." Kirishima smirked, cracking his knuckles.
"Yeah, this might actually be kinda fun," Kaminari added, his enthusiasm growing.
However, Aizawa wasn't impressed by their excitement. His voice cut through the chatter like ice. "Fun? That's how you're viewing this?" He paused for effect, allowing the tension to settle once more. "Fine. Let's make it more interesting. The student who ranks last in total score at the end of these tests... will be expelled."
The jovial atmosphere evaporated in an instant. The students' faces fell as the weight of Aizawa's words sunk in. Murmurs spread through the group—how could they be expelled on the first day?
Yet amid the growing concern, Natsu seemed unfazed, grinning as if the stakes had no bearing on him. He casually addressed Aizawa. "Again, again! I want to break 1,000 meters this time!"
The other students couldn't believe how calm he was, and his fearless attitude began to ripple through the group. Some of them even thought, *Why should I be scared? Fear's what will get me expelled. I need to aim for the top, just like Natsu!*
Aizawa shot Natsu a look of mild irritation. "You're annoying. No more chances to throw the ball. Focus on the other seven tests now."
Natsu sighed in disappointment, wishing he could shatter his previous record. But there was no time for sulking, as the preparations for the first test, the speed dash, began.
The students stood ready, their minds now set on the grueling challenges ahead, knowing the consequences of failure were nothing short of expulsion.
~ More Chapters;
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