chapter 18: power and brotherhood

The rest of the quirk apprehension test went by uneventfully, as expected. Sure, many of my classmates achieved results that, in my old world at least, would be inhuman. The girl Izuku had befriended, whose name I found out was Ochaco, had even gotten a softball throw of infinity, just like I did. Unfortunately for them, not only was their excellent performance overshadowed by my spectacular demonstration, I proceeded to defeat them in all other tests. By applying the mysterious energy I harnessed onto my body, all my physical abilities rose exponentially, and I could make quick work of this test. It was not necessary, as my normal abilities, gained from years of training, were enough to land me a spot somewhere in the middle. But Mr. Aizawa had threatened those who scored last with expulsion. Granted, any sane person could see that was a lie, but I was not risking it.

While the test was quite dull, it was interesting to see the variety of quirks present in my class. Over the years, I had become quite interested in different uses of powers, though I was far from the level of nerdiness of Izuku. It had also become somewhat of a game for me to see which laws of physics from my old world each quirk violated. It was a fun game, though sometimes it was migraine-inducing.

Once again, I applauded the abundance of talent at this institution. There was an immense variety of quirks in this class, yet none of them were useless. Some powers, like the red-haired Eijiro Kirishima's hardening quirk, only had one use. Others, like the smart (and very attractive) Momo Yaoyorozu's creation, were so incredibly versatile that even I felt slightly jealous. That said, my versatility was nothing to scoff at, either. With practice, I felt like mimicking or even exceeding my classmates' powers would be possible. I would find out in due time.

Meanwhile, as I pondered on the power of my classmates, the quirk apprehension test was coming to an end. The only thing left was for Izuku to perform the softball throw. He had frankly performed terribly in this test, which made me wonder what he had been doing with All Might for the past ten months. Alas, it was too late.

Izuku prepared to throw the ball when he was suddenly interrupted by Mr. Aizawa, who proceeded to lecture him about the dangers and overall self-destructiveness of his quirk. While he was harsh, threatening Izuku with expulsion if he incapacitated himself again by using his power, he was right. In his current state, Izuku was unfit to become a hero. While I believed he had potential, he needed strict guidance and teaching, which, disappointingly so, All Might had not provided. Alas, there was no use in crying over spilled milk.

Izuku was in a pickle. He had to use a power that he had only recently gotten and was far from mastering, all while not being incapacitated. While it did not seem hard, I knew the difficulty of his problem. So, furrowing my eyebrows, I attentively watched his softball throw.

Izuku finally threw the ball. It seemed like a regular throw at first, but right at the end, his index finger started glowing ever so slightly. As he let the ball fly, he focused his power on the finger, pushing the ball forward. It tore through the air at an enormous speed, lading almost a Kilometer away. It was a magnificent performance, but his finger was now unusable.

I felt bad. It was a hurdle Izuku had to overcome on his own, but watching my little brother, whom I had come to care for quite a bit, get hurt like that did not feel good. I wanted to help in some way but could not think of any way to do so. Then it hit me.

"Izuku, let me see that finger." I beckoned him. He, along with the rest of the class, looked perplexed. What in god's name was I planning?

Izuku walked towards me, showing his destroyed finger. I positioned my palm towards it and furrowed my eyebrows in concentration. I had never attempted this before, and I honestly did not know what was going to happen. But there was only one way to find out.

I activated my power, the customary kaleidoscopic hue surrounding me. I focused, my palm glowing as I willed some of my energy to move towards Izuku's destroyed finger. The finger gained a rainbow hue, and then the impossible happened. As my energy flowed into the finger, it started healing at a rapid pace, the bones moving in place as the flesh and skin regrew. After a few seconds, the finger, which was previously unusable, became good as new.

The class was in an uproar, and even the teacher looked bewildered, as they wondered if my powers even had a limit. Izuku, on the other hand, looked conflicted. If one looked closely, one could even see small tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"It's always like this. In the end, I always depend on you to fix my problems, brother. I really am good for nothing." The tears started flowing.

"You're right. You are absolutely useless, Izuku." He hung his head, looking even sadder.

"So hurry up and get stronger already," I smiled.

"Cleaning up after you is a pain in my ass. So hurry up and become stronger, strong enough so you won't have to depend on anyone ever again."

A.N./// a little brotherly motivational talk is always good to right. if you still feel the story is kinda ehhh, don't worry, it's gonna get crazy soon. stay tuned. love y'all