Chapter 10: Quirk apprehension test?
...
Hmmm… So that's Midoriya? Well, now this is a surprise.
I've never considered myself the brightest guy out there, that's for sure. But am I stupid? Heck no! Otherwise, no way I'd have snagged a spot at the prestigious U.A., right? Although… okay, I did bomb the written test pretty badly. But whatever—here I am, and nobody can take that from me.
I'm smarter than some might think, and if I want to be, I can be pretty observant. Maybe that's why the walking mystery that just showed up in our class is really grabbing my attention now: Izuku Midoriya.
I'd heard the rumor before classes started. People were saying there was a green-haired guy who took down the Zero Point robot in the entrance exam. The first time I heard it, I didn't even bother thinking about it too much. But now that I'd seen the guy in person…
Well, yes, I was kind of surprised. Honestly, it was hard to believe that someone as nervous and stammering as him could have something like that on his record.
And as expected, Iida was talking to Midoriya as if they were in some kind of conference, all formal and stiff. Yeah, I knew that better than anyone because I suffered through my first day at U.A. alone in his dorm room with him. That day will be burned into my memory forever, no matter how much I want to erase it.
Never—and I repeat never—am I going back to that nightmare.
Anyway, as usual, Iida was… loud. But what was actually interesting was seeing the reactions around the class as Midoriya and Iida talked. People were starting to murmur, and everyone had the same question.
Before long, a cheerful voice filled the room—a voice I instantly recognized, since it belonged to a very cute girl.
That's right, Uraraka had entered!
But sadly, she didn't seem interested in talking to me; I noticed she was looking for Midoriya instead. She walked over to him, smiling, and gave him a quick "congrats," which made Midoriya look completely flustered and embarrassed.
Yep, couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
The way she was giving him all that attention… I would've loved to get a smile and a greeting like that from her. I wondered why she was so eager to find him, but well, that mystery would have to wait. It probably had to do with him being the one who took down the Zero Point in the entrance exam. That kind of thing attracts girls like flies…
If only I could've done that instead of running like everyone else from that enormous robot.
Though I still couldn't believe that guy was really the same person who destroyed that huge, terrifying robot that seemed set to crush everything.
Could appearances really be that deceiving?
"Kamibro, you see that?" Kirishima said, leaning over a little closer to me. "That's the guy who took down the Zero Point."
Oh, I know, Kiribro, I know. Though I gave Midoriya another look, still doubtful. This Midoriya guy seemed nice, but… he didn't exactly stand out, aside from the green hair and that awkward way of moving, all jittery. He looked like a lost puppy, even blushing as he drifted away from the hot girl who came in after him—Uraraka.
"Umm… You're sure that's him?" I asked, keeping my eyes on Midoriya to make sure. "The way he's acting doesn't exactly scream 'power'… or even basic self-confidence, honestly"
Kirishima looked at me, totally sure of himself.
"Nah, dude, I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes. He jumped like, I don't know, over a hundred feet into the air! Then he punched that robot so hard its head caved in. It was one of the most manly things I've seen… and I've seen some pretty manly stuff"
I chuckled a little; something I learned fast about Kirishima was that he was obsessed with anything he thought was "manly," whatever that meant.
I was about to say something back, but at that moment, I got interrupted by a tired, deep voice coming from the door.
I looked over and saw a messy-haired guy, wrapped in some kind of sleeping bag.
Oh… It was Aizawa-sensei. I recognized him thanks to the few words he said last night. He walked to the front of the room and looked at us with a tired, uninterested expression. He looked like a walking disaster, like he hadn't slept in years.
"All right, everyone, shut up and sit down" he said in a loud voice, looking at us like we were just one more burden on his already long list of problems. I couldn't help but smile a little, amused by the mess that was his hair.
"Hmm, it took you all 8 seconds to quiet down. Life is short, kids. You're all lacking in common sense" he added once everyone finally got silent. His voice was cold and totally flat.
Hearing that, I froze in my seat. Was he… scolding us? He didn't look angry, just… apathetic. Like he couldn't care less.
"I'm your homeroom teacher, Shouta Aizawa. Pleasure meeting you."
I looked at Kirishima, trying to figure this guy out. If Aizawa was a pro hero, at least he had to be competent, right? Well, I sure hoped so because I really needed help with my quirk, and I had practically zero experience with training. I didn't even know how to fight!
"All right, I don't care about introductions or pointless socializing. Let's get started with something that actually matters," he said, in a serious tone that was a little intimidating. He clearly wasn't a fan of formalities or wasting time.
"Wear these. Immediately…" Aizawa said, suddenly pulling out U.A.'s gym uniforms from his sleeping bag. "Then get to the P.E. grounds."
…
After our teacher told us to put on our gym uniforms and meet him at the field, I went to the locker room with the other guys to change. I'd have loved to be with the girls, but naturally, that wasn't an option.
Still, I was pretty sure Mineta was already plotting ways to sneak over there somehow.
While I was putting on the uniform, I couldn't help but notice Midoriya again. I turned a little, and seeing him take off his shirt…
Okey, I was shocked.
Where'd he get all that muscle? He looked twice as strong as me! Not to mention everyone else. It kind of made me feel a little self-conscious, but then I realized it made sense. After all, I haven't spent years training to be a hero, and I'm definitely not in that kind of shape… but this green-haired guy was totally ripped. Pretty enviable.
Was it possible this guy was one of the strongest in the class? I was starting to understand why there were so many rumors about him. It made me think about how much I needed to improve myself.
I stopped thinking about it and focused on talking to Kirishima about what we thought our first hero class lesson would be, and I also took the time to get to know the other guys who didn't live in the dorms, so I hadn't met them yet.
I mostly talked with Sero and Tokoyami. And while I wanted to get to know everyone better too, nobody wanted to risk being late or wasting time with Aizawa-sensei waiting on us. So, not long after we were all ready, we quickly headed to the field and saw Aizawa already waiting there.
...
The girls took a little longer to arrive, but even when we were all gathered, we stayed silent, all waiting eagerly to find out what our first hero course lesson would be.
Finally, Aizawa-sensei told us we'd be doing a practical test that very first day, and a few people started murmuring nervously…
So yeah, this was our first day in Class 1-A: surrounded by incredible classmates and with a teacher who seemed as demanding as he was impatient.
"A quirk apprehension test?!" Uraraka asked in a shocked voice. "What about the ceremony? And the guidance counselor meeting?!"
"If you want to be heroes, we don't have time for frilly niceties," Aizawa said, looking at us seriously.
"..."
"...?..."
"...!?"
Right away, I realized these tests weren't going to be just anything. The way Aizawa-sensei talked and looked at us, like we weren't up to the level, made me anxious.
"You all understand the school's reputation for freedom on campus. Well, that 'freedom' goes for us senseis, too. Those of you in the U.A. dorms should already know this…" he added and kept talking about a few other things that, to be honest, I kind of zoned out on.
But if I got it right, in the end, we'd be doing a physical test.
Then Aizawa turned to Bakugo, which grabbed my attention and snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Bakugo, how far could you pitch a softball in middle school?"
"67 meters," Bakugo replied, full of confidence.
"Try using your quirk this time around. As long as you don't leave the circle, anything you do is fine," Aizawa continued, in a calm voice, "Don't hold back."
"You got it," Bakugo replied with a fierce grin before yelling, "DIIIIE!" and pitching the ball with an explosion.
"..."
'Die?'
Aizawa simply waited for his phone to finally beep before showing the result to the class.
"Before anything else, one must know what they're capable of," Aizawa said, showing us Bakugo's result. "This is a rational metric that will form the basis of your 'hero foundation.'"
"705 meters!? Unreal!" I couldn't believe it—that was a crazy distance…
It reached 705 meters! I was stunned. Using our quirks for this test was going to be both fun and intimidating. Mostly because I obviously wasn't going to beat that performance, yep, I didn't stand a chance.
"Awesome!" a few classmates said. Even Kirishima was getting hyped.
"That looks so fun!" Ashido said, as animated as ever.
"We can really use our quirks now?! That's the hero department for you!" Sero commented, also sounding pumped up.
But Aizawa-sensei shut down our excitement quickly. I noticed his eyes light up, like he'd just decided something important. He took on a more rigid stance and threw us a hard look.
"It looks fun… you say?" he said, his voice suddenly colder. "So you were planning to spend your three years here having a good ol' time? What happened to becoming heroes?"
"..."
"...?..."
"...!?"
"All right, then. In that case, new rule—the student who ranks last in total points will be judged 'hopeless' and instantly expelled"
"..."
'Whaaat? Seriously?' I thought, feeling a slight chill. Okay, Aizawa-sensei was not joking.
The class went silent as we took that in. Some students protested, but Aizawa kept talking, unfazed.
"Our 'freedom' means we dispense with students as we please!" he said, drawing out the words, and added, "Welcome, to this… the Department of Heroics!"
The only thought running through my mind was that there was no way I'd be coming in last place. I had no intention of getting kicked out of here, especially not on the first day.
Things had gotten serious, really fast.
I looked around at my classmates, and I realized nobody wanted to be left behind.
We were all nervous, and so was I. Then I noticed Midoriya, the green-haired guy, looking particularly worried. Strange, for someone who'd supposedly taken down the massive Zero Point in the entrance exam… well, maybe I was wrong, and soon we'd all see him shine in these tests.