Chapter 79: It was definitely a terrible idea.
After shaking her head, Momo stood up from her seat and went over to her unconscious classmates, while Kai looked away as if he had nothing to do with it. At that moment, two tasers emerged from the palms of her hands, which she turned on, sending out audible electric sparks. Without any warning, she 'woke up' her classmates with them.
(Do you seriously wake them up like that?!!!)
The same question appeared in the minds of all the students watching the scene, but they wisely chose to stay silent. After all, it was evident that the two were a couple—a very peculiar one at that—so it was better not to make too much of a fuss, or they might end up being the next ones on the ground.
"WHAT THE HECK…"
"KACC!"
Soon, the blond and the green-haired student jumped up and looked around in confusion, shouting loudly. Their words got stuck in their throats when a monstrous pressure fell upon them, as if from a bloodthirsty demon, making them break into a cold sweat. However, the situation was lightened by an innocent and melodic voice.
"Huh? What happened here?"
The voice came from a young girl with short, curly brown hair that framed a round, friendly face. Her large brown eyes sparkled with an optimistic and determined spirit, while her cheeks seemed flushed, giving her a warm and welcoming appearance.
Behind the girl stood what appeared to be a giant worm with a human face—a masculine, ugly, and tired face with long hair and an unkempt beard. He looked at the whole scene with cynical eyes before unzipping himself, revealing his thin body dressed in a black jumpsuit and what seemed like bandages around his neck. He then spoke in a low, tired voice.
"Mmm, it took you eight seconds to calm down. Life is short, kids, and all of you lack common sense."
The man finished emerging from his sleeping bag and pulled out a dark blue gym uniform with white stripes that formed the letters "U.A." in a stylized square, as he continued speaking in the same monotone voice.
"I am your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta, nice to meet you. It's a bit rushed, but put this on immediately and head straight to the campus exit."
Although a bit confused by the events, the students obeyed and headed to their respective changing rooms and changed into the new uniforms before rushing to the campus exit, where Aizawa was waiting for them.
"Well, next we'll be conducting a Quirk apprehension test." Aizawa announced to the class, greatly surprising the students, who exclaimed loudly.
"A Quirk apprehension test?!!"
"When will the ceremony be? And when will we meet the counselor to guide us?" The young girl with brown hair and flushed cheeks asked in surprise, to which Aizawa replied while turning his back to them.
"If you want to be a hero, you won't have time for those absurd things. All of you should know that the school's reputation is based on campus freedom, so this 'freedom' also applies to us teachers."
"..."
The students looked at Aizawa with blank expressions, not understanding what he meant, but he continued speaking in his tired voice.
"Long jumps, 50-meter dashes, endurance runs, etc.—these are all activities you've known since middle school. Physical tests where the use of your Quirks was prohibited. The country still lacks a standard for measuring Quirk power, although that's the ministry's negligence." Aizawa turned to the scruffy blonde and then asked.
"Bakugo, how far could you throw the ball in school?"
"67 meters." the blonde replied irritably, prompting Aizawa to point at a white circle marked on the sandy ground as he tossed a ball to Bakugo.
"Now try it using your Quirk. You can do whatever you want as long as you stay within the circle. Don't hold back."
"Got it."
After agreeing, Bakugo stretched a bit and proceeded to throw the ball with all his might. Just as he released it, a powerful explosion occurred in his hand, sending the ball flying while he shouted loudly,
"DIE!!!"
"First of all, one must know what they are capable of." Aizawa said while looking at a smartphone that displayed the number '705.2m.' He then showed it to the students while continuing.
"This is a rational indicator of what forms your 'hero foundations.'"
The students looked at the number in astonishment, and wide smiles spread across their faces as several excited voices could be heard.
"Incredible!!! This looks fun!"
"705 meters?! No way!"
"We can really use our Quirks? This is the hero department!!!"
"Seems fun…, is that what you think?" Aizawa commented in a disappointed voice, before his attitude shifted to something more sinister as he continued.
"So, you plan to spend three years here having fun? What happened to becoming heroes? …Fine, then there's a new rule. The one who comes in last will be expelled immediately."
The students' smiles faded, turning into anxious and worried expressions at Aizawa's words, but in the case of the green-haired student, his face showed nothing but pure terror.
"Our 'freedom' is based on doing whatever we want with the students." Aizawa used his hand to lift the hair from his forehead, revealing a maniacal smile and red-pupiled eyes as he continued.
"Welcome to the HERO DEPARTMENT!!"
"Expelled?!! This is our first day; that's irrational!!" Ochako Uraraka, the last girl to arrive in the classroom, shouted loudly as she looked at the strange teacher.
"Mass accidents, natural disasters, egotistical villains—Japan is full of 'irrationality,' and it's the job of heroes to restore 'rationality.' You're at U.A.; the only thing you can expect from your time here is one test after another. That's 'PLUS ULTRA,' so I hope you surpass those tests and reach the top." Aizawa said with a mocking smile directed at the students, thus commencing the physical tests.
The first was the 50-meter dash, which was done as a competition between two students. Different students took turns, achieving varying results, but when it was Kai's turn to 'compete' against a student with a thick, muscular tail, all the students were dumbfounded, especially the boy with the tail.
"Impossible!!!"
"What happened?!!"
"I didn't see him! Before I knew it, he was at the finish line!!"
Even Aizawa had a stunned expression on his face as he looked at his smartphone, which showed an impressive reading.
"50 meters in 0.17 seconds—that's almost the speed of sound."
"The speed of sound?!"
"Amazing!"
"His Quirk must be one of the best for speed, without a doubt!"
After hearing Aizawa's words, several students commented in disbelief, while Bakugo had a face full of hatred, and All Might, who was hiding in a corner observing everything, laughed ironically at Kai's spectacle.
The tests continued, with Kai leaving the students and Aizawa more and more speechless with his incredible results in every test, which only worsened Bakugo's expression, especially since Momo also outperformed him in several tests, something inconceivable to him.
On the other hand, the green-haired student, Midoriya Izuku, was having a terrible showing. He was undoubtedly the worst in the group, unable to excel in any of the tests, which gave him a desperate expression as he tried, unsuccessfully, to accomplish something.
When it was his turn to throw the ball like Bakugo had done earlier, everyone had different results, but the most notable was Uraraka, who, thanks to her Quirk, achieved a score of 'infinity.' As for Kai, he managed to throw the ball a distance of about 3 kilometers.
When his turn came, Midoriya stood in the circle with an anxious and desperate expression, looking around as if searching for ideas. Then he focused on the ball in his hands. After staring at it for a moment, he seemed to reach a conclusion, and with an expression that revealed a bit of madness and resignation, he threw it.
"46 meters." a robotic voice announced the result.
"What?! I'm sure I…" Midoriya muttered in disbelief, at which point Aizawa commented in an irritated tone while his bandages and hair floated in the air, catching the green-haired boy's attention.
"I erased your Quirk… That test isn't rational; even someone like you can get in."
"You erased my Quirk?…" Midoriya said slowly and incredulously, but when he saw Aizawa's yellow goggles, he was shocked and shouted out loud.
"A Quirk that can erase other Quirks just by looking at them—the Erasure Hero: Eraser Head!"
"From what I can see, you can't control your Quirk, can you? Are you planning to incapacitate yourself again and make someone else save you?" Aizawa asked in a disdainful voice.
"T-that's not my in…" Midoriya quickly tried to deny it, but Aizawa cut him off, catching him by the neck with the bandage and dragging him toward him.
"Your intentions don't matter. The point is that your actions force others to do it. In the past, there was an unbearable hero who saved more than a thousand people from a disaster by himself and created a legend. Even if you have the same will, you become useless after saving just one person. Midoriya Izuku, with your power, you won't be able to become a hero."
While Midoriya stared at Aizawa with stubbornness, he, on the other hand, closed his eyes and commented in a calm, tired voice.
"I've returned your Quirk. Throw the ball and let's be done with this."
Midoriya mumbled a bit to himself, while Aizawa put some drops in his eyes. Then, he made up his mind at random, but this time he wasn't stopped, and the ball flew with great speed, showing a reading of 705.3m on Aizawa's phone.
"Teacher, I can still move…"
With teary eyes and a somewhat proud expression on his face, Midoriya turned to Aizawa, holding his hand in a fist near his chest. Aizawa looked at him, slightly surprised, noticing how his right hand's index finger was fractured. Midoriya could not use his Quirk because it would break the bones in the areas where he applied it. To avoid being incapacitated, he chose to sacrifice just one finger, giving the ball a boost by applying his Quirk at the last moment of the throw.
On the other hand, Bakugo couldn't believe what he was seeing. Midoriya had been 'Quirkless' all his life, but now not only did he have a Quirk, but he also achieved a higher mark than him. That, coupled with the fact that since arriving here, he was no longer the admired genius he had always been, with several people achieving better results than him. His mind broke, and he flew toward Midoriya with the help of his explosions, yelling.
"WHAT IS THIS, DEKU?!! HOW CAN A 'QUIRKLESS NOBODY' LIKE YOU…?!"
But Bakugo was stopped in his tracks by Aizawa's bandages wrapping around him. As he erased Bakugo's Quirk, he commented in an annoyed tone.
"Damn it, don't make me use my Quirk so many times, my eyes are dry!!"
The drama didn't last much longer, and the physical tests quickly resumed. But Midoriya's performance was even worse after the ball throw, mainly due to the constant pain in his finger that didn't allow him to focus or even move too suddenly.
When the tests finally ended, Midoriya, with his green hair hanging low and an ashen expression, was perfectly aware of his abysmal performance and the consequences it would have.
"It's time for the results…" Aizawa commented in a relaxed tone as a holographic screen was projected from the phone in his hand, showing the students' rankings.
"Oh, by the way, the expulsion thing was a lie." Aizawa said with a mocking tone and expression before continuing.
"It was just a trick to make you all give your best."
"What?!!" several students, including Midoriya, exclaimed in shock.
"Come on, guys, you just had to think about it a bit. Of course, it was a lie." Momo commented aloud, incredulous at her classmates' surprise, as she held Kai's hand. Kai, however, was staring into space with a blank expression, as if wanting to escape reality.
(Seriously, how long has it been since I felt such a strong sense of derealization? Experiencing firsthand something I saw in my past life as an anime is not good for my mind. Why is the protagonist here? Why did All Might pass on his Quirk to him? I healed him; he shouldn't have needed to do that. I'm doubting my life right now. It was definitely a terrible idea to come to U.A…)
Kai's mind wandered between his thoughts and feelings as he tried to ignore the world around him in a crude attempt to avoid questioning the reality before him. Meanwhile, the other students stared at their rankings on the holographic projection screen.
1. Saito Kai
2. Yaoyorozu Momo
3. Todoroki Shoto
4. Katsuki Bakugo
….
20. Midoriya Izuku