QUIRK APPREHENSION TEST pt1

Ripples of excitement spread between both classes as they blended together in feverish anticipation for what was to come. Every single one of them was excited to see what their limit was. Maru swayed from side to side eager to give the test a shot and see how he compares to the rest of his peers. Even though using quirks publicly was illegal, it was never that strict on growing children. From kindergarten to elementary, there had been moments where one couldn't help but try their quirk out. A chance to show it off just couldn't be missed. Who din't like to be praised and fawned over? It was also not strictly regulated in the comfort of their own home. You can't give a kid a superpower and expect them not to use it. But there was only so much you could do without getting into too much trouble. There was only so far you could push yourself without interfering with others or sometimes causing a certain amount of destruction.

These issues didn't bother Maru as much. He had lived in the military and participated in several training exercises where quirk use was at times a necessity. He had a clear grasp of his ability and its limits. So how would he compare to arguably Japan's finest future heroes. Jid hadn't stopped talking in excitement since they found out. The buzz of conversation didn't stop as 1A and 1B interacted for the first time since the entrance examination. There were a few who came from the same school but most knew each other from the entrance exam. Scarlett silently watched all this with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

Maru and a lanky male with a bowl cut nodded in greeting while a green-haired beauty with white speckles in her hair came over to say hello to Youta. It was the first time they had ever seen Jid tongue tied. It came as quite a surprise to both Youta and Maru.

"It seems you've already informed them, Scarlett-san." Abe said while approaching the bombastic red-head.

A slight tilt to her lips was all the confirmation Abe needed as his colleague threw a sneaky wink his way. His arrival had instantly sobered most of 1A from their elation causing a ripple effect that slowly got 1B to quiet down as well as they assessed the new arrival. 1A was mostly curious about the large box he had in his hand.

On the other hand, 1B looked confused. Some seemed curious about the man, others more brooding and a few unsure on how to react. They were all trying to figure out which hero he was. It made Scarlett giggle. Her little gremlins hadn't recognized who Abe was. Despite being a well-known hero, she knew how those that weren't famous were often treated. With complete disregard. It saddened her just how quickly heroics was turning into a popularity contest rather than focusing on what mattered. Protecting innocent lives. A few students from her class seemed confused as to why they could not just ignore him, but Abe had a presence strong enough to rival the No. 1 Hero. Even if you set your mind to it, you just could not ignore him.

It had been quite an experience for her when she first met him. They were both new hires at UA at the time. Everyone's focus had naturally gravitated to him. It irked her how easily she was disregarded and how little he seemed to care for the attention. It took an emergency situation and lots of alcohol for her to get to know a bit about the blasé man. His attitude hadn't changed much since they first met, the only difference being that she understood him better and had developed some sort of selective immunity to his charms. It couldn't be helped really. The man walked and you looked, he turned and you turned, he spoke and you listened. Even in the most ordinary looking not-quite-black suit he always wore, your gaze would always be drawn in by his charisma . And with how 1A were laser focused on his every action, 1B couldn't help but awkwardly stay silent.

Abe placed the large box beside him. It had black and white vertical stripes all around it with a thick yellow line cutting across them with the word caution in all caps. The box was sealed leaving them guessing on what it could possibly contain and why it was needed. A loud clap from Iris gathered the students' attention back to her.

'Toru Torvald," she called.

The red-haired boy with slanted eyes responded to the call from his sensei by raising his hand.

"You scored first for the entrance exam. How far could you throw a soft ball in middle school?"

"Around 58 meters," the boy replied while shyly rubbing the back of his head. He was the lanky sort. All spindly limbed, with a head of short auburn hair that tapered off into flat red tips

Abe tossed him a soft ball with a black indicator around it. "Give it a try with your quirk. Anything goes, just don't step out of the white circle."

Torvald looked at the ball in his hand as he thought out his plan. 'I hope it doesn't combust.'

The ball started to hover over his hand as it rapidly rotated. A blue haze surrounded the ball, slowly thickening as it rotated faster and faster to the point it looked stationary. Torvald reared his hand back and threw the ball. It went off with a sonic boom that kicked up the dust around them leaving a blue trail behind it. The blue beam kept going and going making some students gasp in admiration. Cool! Maru thought in amazement as he stared at the blue beam disappearing in the distance.

Abe raised a brow at the result for the boy's throw. He turned the device to face the curious class showing them the result of his throw.

729 meters.

Torvald gave a saw-toothed grin at the result as feverish anticipation rose among the students, all eager to have their go at it.

"This is so exciting!"

"Argh! I hope I'm next."

"This is gonna be a breeze."

1B excitedly spoke to each other, blissfully unaware of the disapproving look coming from the two teachers. 1A might have thought the same, but they dared not say it. The shock factor from their first class with Abe was enough to remind them to think twice before they spoke. No one wanted to be dissed, or worse, ignored by their sensei. At least he'd acknowledge your opinion with a diss.

"Oh! Seems pretty easy huh," Scarlett's whisper all but silently blasted through 1Bs chatter with the force of a Texas Smash. Her angelic smile was countered by the wicked look in her eye and venom dripping in her voice. "I guess it does seems like a ton of fun."

Both classes stared in shock at the heaviness of her words. The roguish smile on Abe-sensei's face made a few of them take a step back. He looked delighted and that definitely didn't bode well for anyone.

"Then let's make it a lot more 'fun' eh, Scarlett-san. This was going to be a two-part test to see your limits. One part using your quirks, and the other without them. So how about this, the class with the lower score gets to help lunch rush clean up after class."

A horrified gasp was their unanimous response. Maru shivered at the cruelty of his sensei. It would be a miracle if they could cleanup after a single year, but three! Was it even possible? How did lunch rush handle that much cleanup? Even if the eating utensils were disposable, what about the trays? And how many meal types did he make in a day? This was just asking the impossible.

"Oh, that sounds great Abe-san. How about the same applies to the 5 students with the greatest difference in performance with and without their quirks regardless of your class. You're in the department of heroics, the last thing you should expect from it is fun and games. Well, I guess it could be fun and games for those watching," Scarlett added, covering her mouth slightly as she giggled evilly.

Any camaraderie that was being developed instantly broke. Both classes instantly separating you would think a vast, unbreachble river flowed between their camps. With such high stakes, there was no way they would play nice with the 'enemy'. Good vibes and cheer may cost them more than they were willing to risk. Some started grinning at the prospect of the competition. Majority of the students were confident in their abilities with their quirk. The thought of loss didn't cross their mind. 1A was a lot more serious about it with a few brooding on ways to effectively give themselves a boost for every competition. The Abe-effect ensured they would give their all for every task. Maru watched as some in 1B smugly stared at 1A. After all, the number one was in their class. They may have taken their seriousness as proof of their lack of confidence in the outcome. Torvald in particular puffed up like a peacock. He was after all the number one student this year and not with a small difference. He had scored an overwhelming total of 80 points. The person closest to him was at 69 points. In his opinion, he was already qualified to be a sidekick. Maru wondered how he hadn't noticed the cruel look on Scarlett sensei's face while watching him. His arrogance didn't bother Maru but a brown-haired classmate looked just about ready to punch the guy. It'd be interesting to see how this played out.

His eyes met with his bowl-cut buddy from 1B, a manic grin spread across his face matching the fire in Maru's eyes.