Chapter 7
Jack needed to get faster, he realized, as the frog girl dodged another blast. Or perhaps he needed to change tactics. He released a high lumen flash from one hand and a bolt of electricity from the other. Her goggles seemed to block most of the flash, and she leapt to a wooden telephone pole to avoid the electrical attack. She then bounced towards him feet first, but he jetted higher than she could reach. They were stalemated, and he was running out of time.
If I can't hit her, I need to try changing the environment to limit her options, Jack thought. His powers allowed him to transmute matter. He was actually converting the matter to energy and reconverting it back to the new state. The net energy cost was zero. He knew that he should be able to basically create anything out of air or dirt or whatever, but he had not practiced enough with the ability to get that complicated yet, except with his containment suit as it was so familiar. But he could turn solid matter into liquid or gas – or go the other way – without drastically changing the temperature. It had something to do with either absorbing or adding kinetic energy, in the form of heat, to the process. Jack was learning to do it at an instinctive level rather than mastering the physics.
As Asui arced down towards the pavement, Jack sent a white beam at the concrete. There was a flash just before the girl landed. Instead of hitting the hard surface and bouncing, she splashed into a pool of cool aggregate. The golden teen immediately followed with a second beam which hardened the pool into solid concrete again, effectively trapping the frog.
"What's this?" the girl asked. "I thought you had a laser quirk, or electricity."
"I've got lots of tricks," Jack replied lightly. "Don't try to use your tongue or I'll give it a shock." He cascaded electricity between his gloved fingers as he grabbed the capture tape with his other hand.
"Right," she acquiesced as he wrapped her hands. With a nod, Jack launched himself back into the air. The rules of the simulation meant the other 'guards' could not just untie her so she would be back in the game, but until someone freed her from the concrete she was not going anywhere.
Of the three exterior 'guards' remaining; Jack thought the shadow walker would be the hardest. But the golden teen had an idea he was willing to try. He flew until he spotted the boy then shot a high lumen light beam at him. If the kid was actual shadow, that might disperse him. Instead, the white-haired boy disappeared into the dark-painted undersurface of an overhead pipe, seemingly merging with the metal conduit.
Yes! Jack silently crowed then released an electrical charge into the pipe. The immaterial boy shrieked and flopped out of the pipe, landing hard on the cement below. Jack landed cautiously next to him. He wrapped him with capture tape, then checked for a pulse. It was strong. The boy moaned and started to stir. Jack took off again.
When he crested the roof, Jiro was waiting for him. Like two cowboys in a shootout the two energy-projectors fired almost simultaneously. The avalanche of sound knocked Jack spinning in the sky. His suit automatically cut out his external audio pickups when the sound reached a certain threshold, but not before the sonic energy screamed through his insubstantial form. He had not ben prepared to absorb or convert it, so the disruption hurt.
But electricity is faster than sound, and Jack shot first.
The electrical discharge danced over Jiro, lighting up the tips of her ear jacks and shorting out her speakers. Three seconds later, Jack regained control of himself and saw the girl lying on the roof, twitching. Slowly he approached, prepared for her to be playing possum. She wasn't. He bound her and put her in the recovery position against the lip of the roof.
His sensors detected a motion behind him. Shoji was charging. The massive multi-limbed boy managed to stretch out an arm fast enough to grab onto Jack's belt before he could fly away. The larger boy was much stronger than the golden teen, and quickly had him wrapped in a bear hug, face to face.
"I don't think you're going anywhere this time. Not even if you try to stretch your way out."
Jack could feel the boy had sprouted hands all over his arms, gripping the containment suit tightly. Jack's own hands were held firmly against his sides; blocking the use of his blasts. But his combat suit gave him more options than just his hands for releasing energy.
Fwooosh!
Jack discharged a bright flash from his faceplate, only inches form Shoji's eyes. This was followed almost immediately by a medium strength kinetic blast to the boy's chin. The combination rendered the mutant senseless. He slumped to the roof; his limbs locked so that Jack was still trapped. The energy being concentrated and condensed the matter in his containment suit, shrinking out of Shoji's grip and flying free. He took the time to bind the big guy, while he returned to his normal size.
His sensors looked for the heat signatures of the interior guards and the hostage. Where did they go? Jack pondered.
There were traces of residual heat, but no living bodies to be found. The traces seemed to cut off suddenly near the north wall. Jack flew to the exterior of that area. There were several windows but looking through them only showed him racks of shelving crowded with boxes, an elevated track of some sort, and several forklifts parked on the cement floor. He could not see directly below him.
He checked his chronometer. He still had thirty-seven minutes, so time was not pressing. But he had to pretend the civilian victim was in real danger as the guards knew he was there. He was about to blast though the window when he remembered Haruto talking about getting points off on one of his school exercises for unnecessary collateral damage. He checked, and the pane was unlocked. He pushed it open and flew in.
The place looked empty. His sensors were still not picking up any heat signatures. Scanning the north section, he spotted a large door that looked like the one on the walk-in freezer in the estate's main kitchen. If it was sufficiently insulated and air-tight it would block his infra-red sensors.
He spotted a face in the door's small rectangular window. It ducked back out of sight almost immediately. I guess I know where they are. If all three of them are in there, along with the hostage, I would be at a serious disadvantage. I can't use electricity, because it might spark to the metal walls and floors, hitting the civilian. I also can't afford to go in throwing force blasts until I know where they are. If the three guards are close combat specialist, I'm screwed.
"If you don't either surrender or come in, we're going to start doing horrible things to the hostage." The voice came from a speaker next to the door. Jack didn't recognize it, especially with his damaged audio receptors. Behind the speaker he could hear another voice, high and shrill, shouting for help.
Out of time, Jack thought, then said aloud, "I'm coming in."
He stepped to the side of the door and shrink to about sixty centimeters. The door opened in, so he kicked the handle and sailed through the top of the doorway, hugging the ceiling. Three blocks of what looked like ice flew under him. The three students – Sato, Monoma, and Shishida – were lined up facing him, each ready to launch another block. Behind them, at the back of the long narrow metal room, was an older woman tied to a wheelchair. The vault was two stories tall, so Jack was able to arc high over the guards and land behind them, growing to four meters to shield the civilian.
"What the?" Sato sputtered as he spun around.
"It appears we have been outflanked," Shishida replied in a cultured voice.
"Shishida, go high," Monoma ordered, eyeing the boy in the combat suit hungrily. "Sato, we go low. Charge!"
Before they could move, Jack released a massive cone of kinetic energy from his facemask. It spread to encompass all three of the charging boys and carried them out of the vault, blowing the door off in the process. He turned to the bound woman and said, "Stay there. I'll be back."
When he flew out of the armored room, shrinking back to his normal size, Jack was met with a large hairy fist that smashed into his chest from below, knocking him up to hit the elevated track. He grunted as his suit's armor absorbed most of the force. Flitting and spinning, Jack dodged repeatedly as the giant brute jumped and slashed at him. As the bestial students launched himself for another attack, the energy being fired a force blast from his boot into the other boy's face, knocking him back to fall on Sato, trapping him. A medium powered shock subdued the muscular boy.
"This is not fair. Come down and face me like a man!" Monoma called. Jack knew he was a power copier with some limitations. From his muscular form, the blond had obviously copied Sato. This left him with few options against an airborne energy projector. The golden teen did not want to chance that the boy could copy Jack' quirk through his containment suit. Having the power without the skill to limit it could have disastrous effects.
"I think not," Jack said and released a storm of electricity from his hands and face. The blond was not able to dodge it all.
After securing everyone with tape, Jack reentered the vault.
"Are you a hero?" the older woman asked, her voice shaking.
Jack answered, "I am. I'm here to get you out. There will be an airlift off the roof in a few minutes. Are you injured?" He was scanning her as he cut away her bonds. She looked like her left arm was swollen and discolored. She also seemed to be having trouble focusing on him.
"My arm hurts," she shifted her left arm and winced. "And I feel woozy."
Jack tried to remember his first aid training. The arm might be broken, and she might have a concussion. Immobilize the arm and keep her awake and talking until the EMTs arrived. He grabbed a piece of metal sheeting from the shelving and cut it into three pieces – two to make a splint for the arm, and a third he shaped to make a temporary neck brace.
When he returned, he knelt before her and told her what he was doing. "I think your arm and head may be hurt. I have to get you to the roof, so I need to try to keep them very still to avoid further injury. Do you understand?"
She nodded then turned green. Before Jack could move, she vomited all over his chest. The teen forced himself not to react. At least I can't feel it, he thought, as that part of his suit lacked tactile sensors. But the helmet did convey the smell. "That's alright. But it means you probably have a concussion. You need to stay awake for me. What's your name?"
"Ami," the woman replied shakily. Jack stepped back and wiped the sick off his suit, converting it to energy to top up his reserves.
"Ok, Ami-san. Let's get these splints on and we'll get you out of here. Where are you from?"
"Nagoya," she replied. "I only came to Musutafu last year." As Jack led her to continue the conversation with a series of simple personal questions, he applied his makeshift splints as carefully as he could, using capture tape to soften them and bind them in place. His gloves were not optimized for delicate work and Ami loudly complained every time he got too rough.
Finally, he was ready. There were still twelve minutes left in the hour. "Ready to go? Have you ever flown before?" he asked as he pressed the comm button.
"I'm afraid of heights," the woman protested as Jack canceled gravity on her and her chair and lifted them towards the roof. He flew her through the roof access door rather than trying to maneuver her through a window.
I think once I have her on the roof, I'm done! Jack almost cheered.
Someone ripped Ami out of her wheelchair and tossed her across the roof. A mechanical hand grabbed Jack from the opposite direction and whipped him hard into the solid cement surface of the roof.
"Ha! You thought you could take what is mine! I think not!" Jack's HUD showed three identical men in what looked to be powered armor. One had a hand extended on a spring-like mechanism to hold Ami dangling over the edge of the roof. "Now you face the wrath of Tri-umph!"
What the ... !
Before Jack could decide if this were a continuation of the test, or if these were real villains, like those that had attacked Yuga's class in the USJ, the man holding him spun him towards the middle man who lashed out with a kick that sent the golden teen tumbling across the roof. Both men chased after him, not giving him time to react, much less think of what he should do.
They were battering with high kicks, knocking him back and forth between them.
"You're the best they could come up with?" one sneered.
"You think yourself worthy to be a hero?" the other laughed.
Their banter was almost as painful as their blows. Jack lashed out with both hands as he spun between them, victim of yet another boot to the head. He released a steady stream of kinetic energy to force them away. He just needed a second to think!
The blasts slashed across both targets. They popped like bubbles and drifted away as clouds of thick smoke. The third man, still holding Ami out over the void gestured with his free hand. "You can't stop Tri-umph that easily."
Thick smoke poured out of his gauntlet and formed into two identical version of himself. "Ectoplasm-sensei!" Jack cried out in surprise. That meant this was still part of the test. He felt a sense of relief wash over him.
"No!" they called together. "I am Tri-umph! I will defeat you!" Then the three clones launched themselves at Jack.
Having no desire to fall back into close quarters, Jack took to the air. Only for the three armored men to follow him, using jet packs to maneuver. The golden teen narrowly avoided a boot on a spring extending from one clone and a balled fist from another.
Using his gloves and boots for propulsion and maneuvering, Jack was the more nimble flyer. But there were three of them to his one and they worked together like they shared the same mind. They landed almost as many blows and kicks as he managed to dodge. He started emitting slashing beams of laser light from his faceplate, hoping to catch the clones in the aerial free-for-all.
He managed to savage two of the armored foes, but a shriek of terror drew his attention from the remaining enemy. On the rooftop Jack saw a fourth clone – the one holding Ami over the four-story drop – dissolving to smoke. Jack realized must have hit him with a careless attack.
Ami started to plummet. Without a thought for the escaping villain, Jack dove, pouring on all his speed to catch the innocent before she could crash against the unforgiving pavement. He passed her and reversed his thrust to bring her to a gentle landing as she spewed on him a second time.
A moment later, while Jack was still registering just how much this woman managed to disgorge, a loud buzzer sounded.
End of exercise! End of exercise!
Ami smiled up at Jack, patted the side of his helmet and stepped out of his arms. She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth daintily.
"Sorry about that last blast," she said cheerfully. "I really don't like flying. And it was too good an opportunity to pass up. I wish I could've seen your face." She giggled and sauntered away.
The other students started gathering as Jack once again converted the biological waste to reserve energy. He was glad to see none of the others looked the worse for the mock battle. He had been holding back, even against the three bricks.
"Not bad," Jiro said. "I thought I had you for a second."
"I was impressed when you pulled an unknown power out of your bag of tricks, kero," Asui added.
"How did you get out?" Jack asked the frog girl, curious and relieved there were no ill-effects.
"Cementoss-sensei," she answered plainly. Jack nodded as that made sense. The whole area was built largely with cement and concrete, which the teacher could manipulate freely.
"Your unanticipated multiplicity of quirk manifestations was simultaneously dumbfounding and efficacious." Shishida said while adjusting his glasses.
Monoma stepped up to Jack, almost bumping his chest. "You should know that the teachers gave us strict instructions not to fight to our full potential. We were role-playing minor thugs who would offer little more than token resistance. We were basically ordered to let you win. So don't start thinking you're superior to us, even if you do land in Class 1-A."
"Hey!" Jiro objected.
"Is he telling the truth?" Jack asked the group.
"Well … yes," Sato admitted reluctantly.
"Just me or all the applicants?" Jack was wondering if his family had interfered somehow either to get him in or to get him disqualified for cheating.
"Combat ability was not the primary evaluation factor in this assessment." Aizawa-sensei's voice cut across the babbling reply of the students. "All the student assistants were given the same basic instructions. You weren't singled out, if that is what's concerning you. Kagayaku-kun."
"Thank you, sir. That is what I was worried about." Jack replied politely.
"We're done here. You should all head back to the classroom. As this counts for Hero training, you will have your normal morning classes after this. You have ten minutes to get back. You are authorized to use your quirks."
The Class 1-A students seemed to disappear almost before their teacher stopped speaking. The other Hero students seemed a bit confused but followed quickly enough. Jack hesitated.
"Your results will be given to you tomorrow after school." The Hero homeroom teacher did not even turn to look at the golden teen. "Now get changed and get to class."
Jack bowed then blasted off.
A/N: If anyone wants to they are free to write up the other applicants tests. If there are enough I may post an Omake chapter.
Ectoplasm/Tri-umph was surprise roof villain for all tests. Had made arrangements with hostage actors to cause hero to make "capture villain v. save the hostage" dilemma. It was a basically the same for all tests. This was the final qualifying choice.
Applicants for the Open Seat in Class 1-A
· Hitoshi Shinso – Class:1-C – Quirk: Brainwashing – Looking for ways to improve his chances of passing the hero provisional license exam.
o Guards – Ashida, Koda, Kaibara, Komori, Bondo, Ojiro, Awase
o End – Interior guards wore earplug radios to block his power. HE could not figure a way around that.
· Tsutsutaka Agoyamato – Class: 1-C – Quirk: Man Mountain - Can turn into immovable statue of any size from 2-20m tall. Cloths and things (but not people) he is carrying also change – Wants to be a Pro Hero, did not make into the hero course.
o Guards – Kamakiri, Kendo, Shoda, Midoriya, Hagakure, Tetsutetsu, Aoyama
o End – Not enough defense or movement to get past all exterior guards.
· Koumori Keiko - Girl w/ Purple body suit, grey legs black hair in bun and Black bat wings – Class 1-D – Quirk: Bat – can fly for short distances, but it takes a lot of stamina. Has echolocation and enhanced hearing and smell. Strong claws and can cling to buildings. Weaknesses – Lacks physical fitness and combat training. Finished #45 in the First Event
o Guards – Sero, Kaminari, Tokoyami, Shiozaki, Pony, Tsuburaba, Rin
o End - Exhausted before finishing interior guards.
· Kesseki "Basilisk" Shiryoku ("Stone Sight") - Tall boy wearing special visor and sleeveless grey top and green pants. Flat top brown hair with hooked sideburns. Standing watching when Recovery Girl heals Izuku. – Quirk: Petrification – Any person he looks at is mentally petrified and covered in a thin sheet of rough carbon. Effect last from 3-5 min. Uncontrolled. Must wear special eyewear to stop quirk. Combat trained martial artist. Uses Tonfa. Cannot affect robots with power.
o Guards – Iida, Uraraka, Kirishima, Momo, Kodai, Fukidashi, Yanagi
o End – chose to go after villain instead of rescuing hostage on roof