1 Month Later
Sat at the side of the gym Hitoshi smiled at the sight of his classmates working on their ultimate moves. It wasn't unfamiliar territory to be sitting out of the practices but even he couldn't help but feel the sting this time.
He was now able to participate and use his quirk on school grounds after the police officially removed him as a person of interest something which he couldn't be happier about. The last few days had seen him training with his friends for the first time, everyone in 1-A giving him their full support as he tried to navigate the psychical aspects of being a hero.
When the teachers had announced that they would be discovering ultimate moves they could use he knew then and there that he was screwed. Ultimate moves were for physical quirks not mental ones and so it would be a waste of time for him to even try and attempt anything. He could hold control over one person but he was pretty sure he could possibly extend that control further with training, it was however never going to be an ultimate move and so cue the reason he was trying not to look like he was sulking too hard over in the corner.
The licensing exam was at the end of the week and everyone was feeling the pressure. He knew he was going to be at a disadvantage, not only were there gonna' be kids from other schools in grades higher than them who had been training longer but he hadn't even been training for as long as the people in his own class.
Shouta had made sure to step up their on-on-one training over the last month meaning that he at least felt slightly prepared for the exam. The last thing he wanted was to make anyone fail because of him; he would rather fail himself than jeopardize them. Maybe he should just run off at the start of the exam and leave them to do their own thing, then if he passed he passed off his own merit rather than through mooching off his classmates.
Zuku and Kacchan would never let him do that though, they wanted him to pass as much as they wanted to pass themselves and there was no way they'd ever leave him.
Four Days Later
With his newly remade mask, goggles, and the capture weapon Shouta had given him wrapped around his neck Hitoshi smiled as they disembarked the bus. This was his chance to legally be a hero, a way for once and for all to prove his loyalty.
If he passed then he would no longer just be a stain on the school's reputation, a thorn in the side of the commission, or a potential threat to the police, he would just be Mindjack, and one step closer to realising a dream he never would have thought possible after the upbringing he'd had.
But here he was, standing in front of the exam building alongside his classmates ready to get started.
Kacchan clapped him on the shoulder before shaking him a little with a smile.
"You're gonna' be great in there, don't let anyone step over you, you have the strength and the skill to pass so make sure you're in that room at the end."
Hitoshi nodded.
"Same to you."
"Come on, let's not be late." Shouta's voice instructed.
They did end up being late and it was purely because the joke lady from the gachapon had erupted onto the scene professing her love for Shouta.
She knew he was gay and married, right? I don't think she really seemed to care.
Regardless they were ready now, the old, tired guy on the stage had ran through the objective and suitably terrified them with the incredibly low chances they had of actually passing but it didn't matter. They were Class 1-A from the top hero course in the country, they could do this, they all could.
He'd picked the positions for his targets and hoped they wouldn't leave him too open out in the field but it was too late to change them.
"I suppose we should get started."
The walls of the room began to open revealing the arena.
Hitoshi's eyes widened at the sight.
"Wow."
"Come on, Purple Hair!" Kacchan shouted breaking him from his thoughts.
The rest of the class were already on the move.
"Ohh, coming!" He rushed to catch up. "Sorry about that."
"So if the first people to finish win, then no one will go after their classmates. The best way to win is to team up with people whose powers you already know."
"Zuku, I can hear you muttering to yourself, fancy sharing those strats with the rest of the group?" Hitoshi called out.
"Everyone! Stay close together, we'll fight them as a group."
Todoroki seemed to have other ideas.
"Hey." He placed a hand on his arm, halting him from walking off. "You're gonna' leave?"
It probably wasn't his place to even talk to Shoto. It had been over a month since the revelation he'd made to the Todoroki's about Touya being alive but in that time the leads had ran cold and the heroes had not been able to track him down. The location of the facility was still unknown and the eye witness reports had all but ran dry.
"It's hard for me to use my powers safely when a big group's around, so yeah, I'm going on my own."
Hitoshi released his grip.
"Okay but, be careful, yeah?"
Shoto offered a small smile.
"I will."
And then he was off.
"Hitoshi, we're going too." Kacchan informed.
He furrowed an eyebrow.
"What, why?"
"Because you're stronger in small numbers; if those punks from the other schools see the two of us on our own they'll strike thinking we're weakened and outnumbered, that's when you hit them with your control. If we could lure two of them in then we've passed for sure."
"You make it sound so easy." Hitoshi teased.
"Got room for one more?" Kirishima grinned.
"Hey no fair, if you're all going I'm coming too." Kaminari grumbled, also making his way over.
"Morons…" Kacchan groaned. "Fine, let's go."
Thrown off course by the cocky prick from Shiketsu's quirk, the four of them had diverted towards higher ground. Having found a ladder leading to the bridge they had elected to use it hoping that a taller vantage point could prove useful for locating unsuspecting students.
"Hey Kaminari, try and actually be useful to us rather than just leaching." Kacchan called out.
"You're an asshole, you know that?!"
Hitoshi smirked.
"He does and he's very proud of it."
"What d'you say Purple Hair?!"
"I agreed that you are an asshole." He repeated with a grin.
The grumble from his cousin that followed was music to his ears.
Kirishima laughed.
"Easy you two, remember, the other schools are the targets."
"Fucking finally."
"We at the top?"
They got their answer as the bridge came into sight.
"Oh thank god."
"Ummmmmmmm…" Kaminari began fearfully.
"What now?!" Kacchan complained before his eyes widened at the sight.
Of flesh balls all across the road.
"Look out!"
He was falling seconds later, Kirishima having shoved into him. He hit the ground and slid, groaning at the road rash he would certainly have.
Kaminari and Kacchan gasped.
"Kirishima!"
Where their friend had once stood was now another of those flesh balls.
Hitoshi's eyes widened.
"No!"
This was his fault, he hadn't been paying attention and Kirishima had gotten hit because of him.
"You're gonna' pay for that, Shit-ketsu!" Kacchan roared.
"That is Shiketsu to you; please notice that our school keeps our hats on when we're working. Why's that; because each and every one of our movements is crowned by the legacy and honour of our school. This is a demonstration; proof of the difference in level between my peers and your vulgar class. We value obligation and dignity, things that appear to be sorely lacking among you."
The Shiketsu student's eyes tracked to him before he scoffed.
"I mean, the UA traitor is amongst your party."
Kacchan launched forward, clearly ready to punch a hole in the kid.
"The fuck did you say?!"
Hitoshi grabbed him, halting his assault.
"Its fine, Kacchan, it doesn't bother me anymore, especially not from the mouth of a pretentious asshole like him."
Another Shiketsu student approached.
Hitoshi smirked.
Perfect.
Travelling in a four was always going to present the problem of one of them not having a target to use, but with two of them there would be enough to pass.
"You talk about dignity and then you throw around taunts towards a survivor of something you could never even imagine, I think you need to learn some respect." Kacchan growled, launching into action firing off various different attacks.
"You've left yourself open."
Shit.
Within seconds his cousin was engulfed by the creep's disgusting quirk.
"Bakugou!" Kaminari shouted.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
"Looks like it's up to us."
He walked forward.
"Hey, what are you doing?" His friend worriedly asked.
"So, you've heard of me, I'm flattered. And you're going for the purple look too, very nice." Hitoshi grinned. "I bet you'd like to know what my quirk is though, right?"
"I have no interest in your-."
It's too easy.
"Got ya'."
The Shiketsu guy's eyes glazed.
"Now reverse your quirk on my friends."
Kacchan and Kirishima's growls of annoyance told him that the order had worked.
"Kaminari, fire."
His friend turned on the spot and fired his disks towards the accomplice behind them.
"Haha, you missed."
Kaminari scoffed.
"Did I though?"
Volts began to charge through the other Shiketsu student as his friend fired towards the disk.
"Kirishima, Kacchan, take him down!"
The two of them launched into action, sending purple guy down to the ground, breaking the control but knocking him out in the process. It wasn't long before the other guy passed out from the shocks too.
As the dust settled, Hitoshi beamed, rushing over to Kaminari.
"That was AWESOME!"
His friend seemed equally happy with the result.
"We did it!"
"Nice work you two." Kirishima smiled with a thumbs up.
"He got off easy." Kacchan grumbled but still looked proud.
"Now come on, let's pass this stupid thing."
They each grabbed a ball and struck a target.
"That's 79 people."
"Students who have passed the exam should congregate in the anteroom, chop chop." Spoke the female voice from their now lit up targets.
"WE DID IT!"
