"…what the hell do you mean we're screwed?" Katsuki asked, his temper already flaring.
"The teachers and rec students went back inside to talk," Eijiro explained. "I dunno what they're talking about, but there's been some yelling… and they only just started."
"Pff, the rec students," Amaya said flippantly from her place sitting upon the floor as she picked at her nails. The girl had one leg extended out into the hallway as she kept her other knee bent in toward herself. Seemingly losing interest in her nails, she looked up at Kyoka and gave the girl a quick flick of her chin. "Hey. You good?"
"I'm good," Kyoka answered with a nod. "Thanks for asking. I just… I got some bad news, is all. Family stuff that I don't really want to talk about right now. Did… all of you guys come looking for me…?"
"We did," Tsuyu confirmed. "We were worried. After all, it looks like we're all in this together, for better or worse. Except maybe Kan, if they single her out. And I guess Bakugo and Midoriya, for being the ringleaders…"
Amaya merely rolled her eyes, while Katsuki snorted and Izuku nervously scratched at his scalp.
"Uh… w-well, hopefully they don't single us out," Izuku said nervously. "Though if they do, I guess… We'll deal with that as it comes?"
"We're not going down without a fight," Katsuki resolved.
"And not alone, either," Ochaco chimed in, earning a quizzical look from Katsuki. "I'll stand up for you guys if I have to. You were just trying to help as if it was a real situation."
"After what just happened?" Kyoka considered as she moved to take a seat on the ground next to Amaya. "I'm ride or die for everyone here. You guys actually seem to care about the people around you. That's what heroes are supposed to do."
Katsuki immediately looked away with a scowl as he found Kyoka looking up at him.
"I think most of us will step in if they try to take you three down," Daisuke said with a shrug. "You all seem cool. U.A. wouldn't be the same without you guys. I kinda like this little band of misfits already."
"They've gotta see that we work well together already, right?" Mina asked. "All of our Quirks are diverse, we're from all over Japan, and we took down a bigass robot using improv skills. That's gotta count for something."
"Well… Kan?" Izuku tried, earning the winged girl's attention. "You've seen U.A. classes being made before, right? What are the professors looking for?"
"I have, yeah," Amaya confirmed. "But never like this. There's hardly ever a debate- the rec students and faculty just pick teams from the pool of candidates that scored high in the entrance exam, and that's that. During the usual process, though? They're just looking for people with potential. Quirks that could be developed into something strong, attached to people who will take that development process seriously. It's pretty simple."
"Well, looks to me like we're gonna be here for a little while," Minoru said as he sat down on Amaya's other side. The smaller boy mimicked her pose and scooted in a bit too close for comfort, only for the girl to casually push him back with her wing. "No use just sitting here worrying, right? Let's kill some time. What are all of your Quirks… and your names again, for that matter? There are a lot of people here…"
The group of would-be students that had assembled in the hall all looked over at Minoru, save for Izuku, Amaya, Daisuke, and Himiko.
"I guess that could be fun, to help take our minds off of everything going on," Ochaco considered. She put her hands out, palms forward, to show off the tiny, slightly raised sections of pink flesh on each of her fingertips. "I'm Ochaco Uraraka. My Quirk is called Zero Gravity- if and when I want to, I can make just about anything float by touching it with my finger pads. Objects, people… that kind of thing. If it's too heavy, or I overdo it, though, I… uh, I get sick. And usually throw up."
All eyes turned to Ochaco as she finished explaining her Quirk. Though she was unsurprised by the bewildered expressions all around her, she still couldn't help but blush slightly out of embarrassment.
"Well, that's… both incredibly useful and slightly inconvenient," Daisuke observed. "You helped lift the Zero-Point villain's leg, right? So your limit's higher than that…?"
"Oh," Ochaco replied, her cheeks flushing a deep red. "I… actually did blow chunks all over the ground after that, I just don't think anyone noticed since we were all so busy watching Mirodiya and Bakugo in the sky."
"I noticed," Minoru chimed in.
"Anyway," Tsuyu chimed in. "Tsuyu Asui, but just call me 'Tsu' if we're all staying friends after this. My Quirk's heteromorphic, but I guess that's kind of obvious. I've got frog features, and so does the rest of my family. Long tongue, sticky fingers, th-"
Suddenly, Amaya cuffed Minoru upside the back of the head with her wing, causing the boy to cry out in pain.
"Kan, what the hell!?"
"I could feel the creepy commentary coming," Amaya said coldly. "Was I wrong?"
Minoru paused, and coughed into his hand to avoid the girl's eyes
"…a-anyway, what else?"
Tsuyu rolled her eyes and sighed.
"That's the most important stuff- anything a frog can do, I can do."
Daisuke also heaved a sigh, his weighty tail shifting from one side to the other behind himself as he folded his arms across his chest.
"I guess… I should just get it over with, since part of mine is also heteromorphic. Daisuke Aki. My tail's from my dad, but it's not exactly… fully functional. My Quirk's called Wind Harness- I can influence the direction and intensity of wind in a small radius around myself, but not like my mom can. Having two clashing Quirks makes both of them… lesser… so I'm kinda limited in their usage. I don't really like talking about it, but it's not like I can hide the tail, so… now you guys know," he finished with a shrug.
"…Quirk Inhibition," Amaya said softly as she looked up at the redheaded boy. "It's not your fault, and from what I saw out there at the entrance exam, you can still kick some serious ass even with the handicap. I've got… the opposite problem."
An uncomfortable silence passed over the hallway, until Izuku nervously cleared his throat.
"…Quirk Singularity?"
"Yup," Amaya confirmed, popping her lips to punctuate the statement. "Amaya Kan, but I'm loud enough that you probably all remember that already. Mom's heteromorphic- bat wings, other batlike features. Dad's… well, you all know. Blood Control. Smash those two things together in a Quirk Marriage, and you get me. The Quirks synergize, and I've got more potential than both of them combined."
"…wait, how is that a bad thing?" Eijiro asked. "I've never heard of either Inhibition or Singularity before…"
Amaya gave Eijiro a cold stare, her wings twitching behind herself.
"…let's hope none of you ever find out. Drop it, for your own good. What's your deal, Pincushion?"
"Heh," Eijiro replied as he scratched at the back of his neck. As he brought his arm forward, angular plates rose upon his skin, and his arm began to shine slightly under the fluorescent lights. "Eijiro Kirishima. Hardening. I can make my entire body harden like rock on command."
Amaya snorted lightly and offered the boy a smirk.
"Oh really?"
Minoru's attempted shove of Amaya's shoulder was deflected by her wing brushing his hand aside, before she slapped him upside the head once again.
"Hey! Double standard!"
"Get used to it, Shorty," Amaya replied with a smirk.
"Mina Ashido," the pink girl chimed in with a pointed look at Amaya. "Eijiro's girlfriend. My Quirk is pretty simple- it's just called Acid. I can spray it from in between my fingers and leak it from my pores for all sorts of fun things."
The group watched with mixed expressions of curiosity and amusement as Mina held up her hand, allowing a frothing, bubbling liquid to manifest within her palm.
"Katsuki Bakugo. Explosion. That's all you need to know," Katsuki said quickly as he made a point of avoiding Izuku's confused expression.
"Uh… right, and I'm his friend, Izuku Midoriya. Blackwhip," he added as he extended a small tendril from the center of his palm, allowing it to snake through his fingers idly. "We've trained together for years."
Kyoka cleared her throat and allowed one of her earlobes to extend forward through the air before touching its metallic jack-shaped tip to one of her fingers.
"Kyoka Jiro. Earphone Jack. Easiest way to explain it is having bladed, extendable earlobes that I can jack into things to hear through them, or I can just use them as weapons. I guess it's heteromorphic? I've never really gotten a straight answer."
"I'd say it counts," Amaya replied as she watched Kyoka twirl her jack around a finger. "Shorty?"
"I'm not that short. I come right up to your chest!" Minoru protested.
"Yeah, I bet you wish you could," Amaya countered without missing a beat.
"Minoru Mineta," the boy deadpanned as he grabbed at once of the spheres atop his head and wrenched it down into his palm. "My Quirk's called Pop Off. I naturally secrete this… stuff from my head that gloms together and forms super sticky spheres. Good for trapping and immobilizing people."
"…huh," Ochaco considered as she watched Minoru toss the sphere straight up and catch it several times. "We really do have a lot of unique Quirks. Is that everyone?"
"Not quite," Himiko said quietly. The girl stood next to the doorframe, and her sudden words seemed to startle the people standing closest to her. "Himiko Toga. My Quirk's called Transform. Give me just a little blood, and I can shapeshift. Copy Quirks, voices, whatever. I don't get to use it much, though. Most people can't handle the sight of blood, let alone the sight of someone drinking it. I have to keep it to myself, or I'm treated like a freak… but you guys seem alright so far…"
"I know that feeling," Amaya replied. "We've got your back, and if anyone gives you shit over it, I'll personally lay them out. Hey, anyone with a view of the window, what's going on in there? It's been ages."
Katsuki looked straight across at the door and leaned to one side, only to see Tenya Iida gesturing wildly through the tall window embedded within the wood.
"…looks heated. We may be here for a while, yet…"
"Eugh, great," Eijiro complained as he rubbed at his forehead. "Guess we should find a new topic. How about we exchange numbers? If we all get into U.A., we'll need to, anyway. If we don't, we can all be miserable in a group text and drown our sorrows in memes."
Katsuki rolled his eyes as he took out his phone and began to navigate to his contacts.
"If we don't get in, I'm deleting all of you immediately. Including Deku."
Himiko let out an amused snort as she readied her own phone, a sly grin upon her face.
"You're funny."
"…that's what you think…"
Momo Yaoyorozu continued to stare down at the files spread out upon the table in front of her. She had her palms planted firmly into the surface, and she could feel herself pressing harder and harder as she tried to filter out the heated argument going on around herself. Again and again, she read through each of the files, paying particular attention to the Quirks of each applicant.
"…exactly what I'm trying to say!" Tenya Iida insisted, bringing a rigid hand firmly down into the palm of the other. "All Might made his debut by jumping into a dangerous situation and taking on the responsibility of rescuing as many as he could. Bakugo did the same for me years ago, and incited all of these applicants to repeat the act during the entrance exam!"
"Kid's right," Snipe encouraged with a tip of his hat. "Not only that, but we've rehashed the argument about their attitudes twice, now. Are we fixin' to vote, or just stand here all day going back and forth about how important obedience is?"
"Allow me to remind you again," Vlad King seethed, "that Aizawa and I are the ones who will be primarily dealing with all of them. Half or more of their time in classes will be spent with us, while the rest of you teach your subjects and then get to wash your hands of them. I don't want to spend all year dealing with insubordination, especially from my own daughter."
"And nearly all of their time outside of classes will be spent with us," a floating set of clothing interjected, earning a barrage of confused looks as it waved its uniform sleeve. "Yeah, hi. Toru Hagakure. We're all still here, on this side of the table. Sure, during Year One, the professors that lead each class will see us a lot. After that? We'll be keeping each other, but getting new professors as we move up the ranks. Shouldn't it be up to us, more than anything?"
"…and that is exactly the kind of arrogance I'm talking about," Vlad King continued. "Do you sincerely think you have a better idea of what makes a good hero program candidate than your superiors? Do you know how many students we've seen come and go?"
"Well… Aizawa?" Midnight called, waiting for her colleague to look over at her. "You've got a reputation for expelling the unworthy. I'm sure you'd love nothing more than a class of misfits, and if I had to guess Sekijiro's blood pressure by how red his face has been this entire time, he'd be more than happy to follow suit. Why not let the recommendation students decide on this one? We're not agreeing otherwise, and I don't want to stand here arguing all night."
"Leave it entirely up to the four of them, with our majority as a tiebreaker if need be?" Aizawa considered as he looked back to the four students in the room. "An interesting proposition…"
"…before we do that…" All Might began, only to pause for a moment. "Are the four of you… familiar with each of the applicants' files, and are you aware of some of the trends you're looking at within them?"
"Singularity," Momo replied immediately without taking her eyes off of Amaya's file. "Several cases of Singularity, and one of Inhibition. Multiple incredibly dangerous Quirks, and one that is guaranteed to underperform."
"And all of you really understand what those words mean?" Snipe asked. "The implications?"
"I do," Momo confirmed as she looked up at the professor. "And… if it was up to me, I would be willing to take on the challenge of working with both cases."
"I do, too," Toru added. "And I feel the same way."
"It's our responsibility as heroes to carefully train and manage the growth of powerful Quirks in individuals approaching Singularity," Tenya offered. "And with a group as talented as the professors of U.A., I believe that even someone suffering from Inhibition can succeed as a hero. If this is truly a vote right now, then I cast mine alongside Yaoyorozu's and Hagakure's."
Vlad King took a moment to rub at his jawline, seeming to calm down slightly as he shook his head. Finally, he cracked his neck and turned his gaze to the remaining teen who stood quietly near the corner of the room.
"Majority already votes in favor of these applicants, but… Todoroki? Thoughts?"
The boy with the two-toned hair looked up to meet Vlad King's eyes for only a moment before bringing his own back down to the floor.
"…a person is not their Quirk, and Inhibition can lead to unexpected results, in some cases. I vote in agreement with the others."
Present Mic clapped his hands together so suddenly and loudly that several of the other professors jumped in place.
"So! Just to be clear- all four of you want to take on all of these applicants? If you add 'em together, along with the four of you, that's fifteen. The five other applicants already accepted would round out the roster of 20 between Classes 1-A and 1-B, and that would be the first-year lineup for the coming semester. You all cool with that?"
Momo briefly turned to look at her companions, only to receive a nod of assent from each of them.
"…we are."
Midnight stepped forward and put her hands upon Eraserhead and Vlad King's shoulders before leaning in slightly between them.
"Ultimately, the decision to approve or deny all of this lies with you two. Are you willing to accept their votes as gospel?"
Eraserhead was the first to speak, giving Midnight a firm nod.
"…while I don't completely agree with how we got here, or what might result… it'll at least make this year interesting…"
Vlad King took a deep breath in through his nose and let out a snort.
"…fine. What the hell. I'll go with it, but I won't go easy on them."
"Then it's settled!" Present Mic announced. "Let's go and share the good news!"
Author's Note:
Most of the U.A. roster is now set up... but who could the other five be…?
May or may not take a break this coming week. Wrist still killing me. I'll update my profile as needed.
-RD