Chapter 9

After getting changed and being one of the first to arrive at Field Gamma, Izuku proceeded to do some warm-up exercises until Tsuyu came over to say, "Looks like you were right about there being a test, Izuku-chan."

Withing rising from his position on the ground, Izuku looked up at Tsuyu and explained, "Everyone here is aspiring to become a future Pro. We may be saddled with a few compulsory-education classes, but the rest of our curriculum should revolve around the development of our Quirks and the skills we'll need to become Heroes."

Touching the side of her face, a habit she had developed when thinking, Tsuyu replied, "That makes sense, ribbit. I should do some stretching as well, shouldn't I?"

Adopting a smile, Izuku answered, "It couldn't hurt." before continuing his lower-back stretches. When Tsuyu began performing her own routine a short distance away from him, several other students felt compelled to do the same. This included Uraraka, who, after thanking Izuku for coming to her aid earlier, joined Tsuyu for some buddy stretching exercises...

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Observing the chain reaction caused by Izuku, Aizawa gave an approving nod from his perch atop an observation platform. He normally had to give new students a reality check before they understood the significance of being a UA student. He still intended to do precisely that, but he was relieved to see at least one person in the group taking things seriously...

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A few minutes after the last student had arrived, Aizawa appeared with a softball in hand.

Expecting at least a basic explanation, Izuku was a little caught off guard when Aizawa tossed the softball at him, asking, "How far were you able to pitch a softball in middle school?"

"Around 53 meters," replied Izuku. "But that was without the use of my Quirk. With it, I'm sure I could throw it a lot further."

Hearing Izuku mention that he had a Quirk, the perpetual frown on the nearby Bakugo's face deepened. He had expected there to be a reason for Izuku's drastic change in their second year of middle school, but he hadn't considered it was related to a Quirk.

Nodding in affirmation, Aizawa said, "That's the reason for this test. In middle school, you were forbidden from using your Quirks on the principle of 'fairness.' However, the world has never been a fair place. If it were, we wouldn't have villains running amok, nor would we require Heroes."

Passing his gaze over the rest of the Class, Aizawa's expression and tone harshened as he declared, "The UA Department of Heroics is no place for concepts such as mundane or average. Less than 0.4% of the population has what it takes to obtain the mantle of Hero. If you wish to remain in Class 1-A, you must be nothing short of 'exceptional.' If you demonstrate you can't make the cut, you 'will' be replaced..."

Pulling out a Caprisun-like pouch of gelatinized coffee, Aizawa took a moment to alleviate his parched throat before adding, "That being said, the person with the lowest score in today's Quirk Apprehension Test will be expelled. If you don't want to experience regret, I recommend doing your best."

Returning his gaze to Izuku, a somewhat sadistic smile developed across Aizawa's face as he said, "You seem to be something of a trendsetter in the Class. Well, time to step up to the plate, kid. Show me, and everyone here, what you can do. If that isn't enough, push beyond your limits and go even further. That's the meaning of 'Plus Ultra.'"

Adopting a serious expression, Izuku ignored the commotion caused by Aizawa's statement and stepped up to the pitch. He knew Aizawa wasn't serious about expelling anyone, but that wouldn't stop him from trying his best. After all, as much as he preferred older women, he was stuck in the body of a fourteen-year-old. Unless he intended to spend the next three years as a single dog, he would need to work hard to impress the girls in his Class...

Having already stretched his body and warmed up, Izuku only hesitated for the time it took him to wind up before throwing the softball with all his strength. His movements didn't generate shockwaves or any other flashy effects, but he was reasonably satisfied when Aizawa held up a handheld device that displayed distance, declaring, "177.5 meters. Pretty impressive for an otherwise ordinary toss."

Raising his right hand and balling it into a fist, Izuku adopted a toothy grin as he said, "Thanks, but my real power lies in my leg strength and speed. If we get to do any distance running, I'm confident in defeating everyone here except Ida-san."

Though his words unabashedly elevated himself, Izuku didn't come off as too arrogant since he admitted to lacking confidence against Ida. People hated braggarts, so a touch of humility went a long way when attempting to cultivate trust and build positive rapport with your peers.

Seeing through Izuku's intentions, Aizawa felt the urge to roll his eyes but ultimately decided to lend the former a hand, stating, "Lucky you. We'll be doing a 50m dash next and distance running a bit later. Just try not to trip and embarrass yourself while attempting to show off."

With Aizawa's remark earning a few chuckles from the rest of the Class, Izuku seized the opportunity to exhibit a bit of shamelessness, his smile broadening as he nodded his head and said, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice, Sensei."

("This brat...") thought Aizawa, his scarf concealing a faint smile. It was rare for someone as young as Izuku to be calm and discerning, especially in the presence of authority. While everyone else was either unnerved or motivated by his previous threat, Izuku didn't exhibit so much as a trace of nervousness. Instead, it appeared he was actively lightening the mood for the rest of his Class...

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True to his word, and much to the frustration of Bakugo, Izuku made good on his promise by securing second place in the 50m dash. His time of 3.4s was just behind Ida's 3.04s, but that was mainly due to the latter's Quirk allowing him to accelerate much faster.

Fortunately, though he only came in second place, Izuku proved he had the advantage when covering greater distances. Ida's Agility was much higher than his, but his Vitality couldn't keep up with it. Izuku's perfectly complimented one another, so he could maintain his speed for a much longer period. If not for Yaoyorozu utilizing her Creation Quirk to produce an electric scooter whose top speed exceeded 120km/h, he would have easily claimed first.

Speaking of Yaoyorozu, she dominated nearly every event in the Quirk Apprehension Test. Her worst performance was during the grip strength test since Aizawa rejected her idea of creating a literal hydraulic press to crush the measurement device. When it came to the standing long jump, repeated side steps, ball throw, seated toe-touch, and situps, she always came in either first, second, or third place.

Though his training and Dexterity afforded him considerable flexibility, Izuku, like most of the boys, was nowhere near as limber as some of the girls. Tsuyu, in particular, made the seated toe-touch look like a joke as her body was flexible to the point of a contortionist's. She didn't exhibit it, but, according to her, she could execute even the most complicated yoga poses with little difficulty...

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After securing second or third place in nearly every event, Izuku was fairly content when Aizawa used a handheld holographic projector to display the final results.

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1st: Momo Yaoyarozu

2nd: Izuku Midoriya

3rd: Shoto Todoroki

4th: Katsuki Bakugo

5th: Tenya Ida

6th: Fumikage Tokoyami

7th: Mezo Shoji

8th: Mashirao Ojiro

9th: Eijiro Kirishima

10th: Mina Ashido

11th: Ochaco Uraraka

12th: Koji Koda

13th: Rikido Sato

14th: Tsuyu Asui

15th: Yuga Aoyama

16th: Hanta Sero

17th: Denki Kaminari

18th: Kyoka Jiro

19th: Toru Hagakure

20th: Minoru Mineta

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Contrasting Izuku's satisfaction, Bakugo had a borderline murderous look on his face as he screamed, "This is impossible! There's no way I'm worse than someone like Deku!!!"

Similarly 'distraught' by the results, Mineta was on his hands and knees, a steady stream of tears pouring from his eyes as he muttered, "Expelled on the first day..."

Exhibiting a general lack of regard for the duo's opinion and feelings, Aizawa's expression and tone were cold as he stared down Bakugo and asserted, "If you were going to complain about the results, you should have tried harder during the tests." Then, catching even Izuku by surprise, he looked to Mineta and added, "As for you, hurry up and go get changed. As of this moment, you're expelled from the Hero Course."

"Noooooooooooooooo!" exclaimed Mineta before crawling toward Aizawa like some kind of strange insect as he screamed, "Please give me another chance, Aizawa-sensei! I can do better! I will do better...!"

Ignoring Mineta completely, Aizawa passed his gaze over the rest of the Class, saying, "This concludes the Quirk Apprehension Test. Get changed over and return to Class. You'll find your schedules and curriculum sheets posted inside your desks. Since today is a half-day, you can use the rest of homeroom to familiarize yourselves with one another."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, and with Mineta still clinging to his leg, Aizawa turned around and walked away. In his wake, a tense silence descended upon everyone present, some exhibiting disbelief while others were relieved they weren't the ones expelled.

Shattering this tentative silence, Bakugo screamed, "Dekuuuu...!" before charging over to Izuku and attempting to grab his collar. What he never expected, not in a million years, was Izuku grasping his wrist, performing a military-style takedown, and shouting, "My name is Izuku Midoriya, and I didn't enroll in UA to play around! This isn't middle school, Bakugo! Stop behaving like a schoolyard thug and start acting like the Hero you want to be...!"

Punctuating his words, Izuku gave the already pinned Bakugo a powerful shove, forcing his face into the ground as he rose to his feet. He was sick and tired of Bakugo's shit, so, understanding there were cameras all over the campus, Izuku didn't hesitate to defend himself. If he were lucky, the school would place Bakugo in Class 1-B to separate them. If not, he could at least make a case for having Bakugo moved to a different seat...

As expected, Bakugo didn't take kindly to being embarrassed in front of his peers. The moment Izuku got off of him, he used his Quirk to blast himself to his feet, his expression resembling an escaped mental patient as he roared, "You're dead...!" in a feral tone.

With Bakugo's firepower and Dexterity being quite a bit higher than his, Izuku abandoned the idea of attacking directly. Instead, he raised his arms in a peek-a-boo boxing posture, shielding his face as the former made the biggest mistake of his academic career, using his Quirk against another student outside of training.

Feeling the heat from Bakugo's Quirk wash over him, Izuku couldn't help thinking ("Checkmate...") even as he was sent flying backward. The former had held back quite a bit, but it was his first time using his Quirk against another person. Were it not for Izuku's [Bronze Skin] Perk, things wouldn't have ended with a simple trip to the Nurse's Office.

Before Izuku could fly too far, a pair of hands cradled his body and the back of his head as a familiar voice shouted, "What's going on here!? Why on earth would you use your Quirk to attack a fellow student!?"

While Izuku wasn't even remotely surprised by the identity of the voice's owner, everyone else in the Class, excluding the wide-eyed Bakugo, had the exact same response, shouting, "All Might...!?" in equal parts surprise and disbelief. After all, while rumors about All Might becoming a teacher at UA had already begun to circulate, they never expected that he would appear at such a time. Much less without a trace of his usual smile...

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(A/N: Just according to cake...)