I had too much fun with the first chapter and I decided to continue as my 'off' project for my other story when I'm having writer's block. Also, I love this show (I haven't read the manga) and I think I'd just like to have a fic for it xD
Thank you for the review, Favs, and Alerts! I hope you enjoy chapter 2! Let me know what you guys think. Please and Thank you!
Endosymbiosis
Imperfection
※
One week. It took one week of checking the mail before anyone else could get to it, and making her foster siblings suspicious of her suddenly helpful nature, before she was finally rewarded. Not trusting the privacy of her room as far as she could throw it, Shosei disappeared down the backways of her neighborhood and tucked herself away in the vacant storage space belonging to extended family that she'd taken over for her own personal use.
One pocket knife and a wrist flick later, the envelope was open. Inside were a letter and a small holographic projector. Shosei pulled out the latter and set it on the ground before her, intending to check out the letter first.
The projector had a different opinion of what should be first.
Scaring her half to death as it lit up and screamed out, "Greetings, I am here, young Shigeyo Shosei, to discuss the results of your entrance exam!" All Might paused briefly, standing straight with his hands on his hips. "I regret to inform you; you did not score enough points in the practical test to pass."
Shosei frowned at that. Did they really need to send a projection of the Number One hero to tell her that? It felt more like they were rubbing her failure in her face.
"That said, your written exam was Exemplary! With a Capital E!" He thrust a giant fisted thumbs up at the camera. "You Detroit Smashed the previous record, claiming the number one high-scoring spot!" At this he thrust his fist in the air so hard the camera shook. "Sorry," he said to someone off screen, before returning his attention to the camera and Shosei, who was flabbergasted.
Had she really done that well? Sure, she hadn't thought the test too bad, but it hadn't been easy by any means. She was smart, yes, she was in the top of both her class and school (the bar was pretty low there), but she wouldn't call herself a genius. A quick learner, maybe. Or perhaps adaptable. The test had been littered with trick questions, meant not just to weed out those lacking the smarts, but to likely give the teachers a good psychological look into their applicant's minds.
"Well done!" All Might continued. "Between that and the valiant effort you put forth on the practical, we, the faculty, would like to welcome, you, Shigeyo Shosei, to UA High School's General Studies program! Congratulations!"
The projector light shut off, whisking away All Might's smiling visage. Still, Shosei stared at where he'd once been.
She'd made it? Maybe not into the Heroics Course, but she'd expected that, especially after the practical Exam. Hell, she'd expected a flat rejection to UA completely. Did they even look at the Junior High she'd put down? Her address? Neither were known for their outstanding, law-abiding population.
She could live with this.
Could she live with this?
Her hands were shaking and her heart was trying to pound a hole through her ribs. Shosei closed her eyes, placing one of her shaking hands on top of her heart, feeling the rapid beats. Taking a deep breath, she held it before letting it out. Repeating the action again and again, until her heart had calmed its feverish pace and her limbs had stopped shaking.
Once settled, Shosei finally pulled out the letter. It was basically a summary of what All Might had said, though it stated her scores and rankings in both tests. The practical was all in rescue points – she knew there'd been more to it – but it might as well have said 'nice try.' No doubt there were people with much higher scores, and that would have determined the pass-fail rate, at least into the Hero Course.
Further down was a bulleted list of requirements she'd need to complete before the semester started. Which would keep her relatively busy and happily out of the neighborhood.
The last item was a one-time use student ID, just like the one to get in and take the exam, that stated would be replaced on Orientation day with a version that included her picture. A very large text of 'Do Not Misplace' was printed below.
Sliding both the letter and mini-projector back into the envelope she tucked them away amongst the other items she'd slowly squirreled away.
Exiting the building, Shosei pulled the hidden door shut behind her.
She had things to get done.
※※※※※
The first day of school, sort of, as it was orientation day and no actual classes were held, found Shosei changing into her uniform in a train station restroom. She wouldn't be caught dead in her neighborhood wearing a UA school uniform. Mostly because that would be exactly what she'd be. Dead. With no body to worry anyone about.
She'd already disembarked the train at the right station and from there it wasn't a far walk to campus. Exiting the restroom, she pulled her dark purple hair from under her light scarf and up into a ponytail, leaving the couple of neon green-dyed bits that escaped capture free, as she joined the few other UA students leaving the station. The hair-dye probably hadn't been her brightest idea, but at the time she'd liked the biohazard look it'd given by making her seafoam eyes pop.
"Are you new this year?" Some nearby guy asked.
"Yeah," Shosei nodded causing him to smile, seemingly thrilled with her answer.
"You're going to love it at UA! My first year was great." He then proceeded to deluge her with stories in what was an obviously misguided desire to calm nerves that weren't plaguing her.
Surprisingly, it turned out a be a fun conversation. He shared numerous anecdotes of his class adventures; he was also in General Studies, a year ahead of her. He kept her busy as they climbed the hill, and it was a helluva hill, all the way to the school gates – where she half expected them to close on her – and to the three numbered doors.
"Take care of yourself," he called from the middle door, waving. "Enjoy the opening ceremony!"
Shosei plastered on a pleasant smile and waved back to him. Entering the school, she walked through the halls, reporting, as the letter she'd gotten stated, first to her classroom, 1-C.
She wasn't the first, but she also wasn't the last and as she entered a voice called out, pulling all attention to her.
"Hey! It's the genius girl!"
Shosei blinked at the approaching dirty blond-haired boy. She knew that face with his dark eyes and tuft of hair covering the right side of his forehead.
"A- Asano, right?" He grinned widely and Shosei would swear that light briefly shined off him.
"You remember!" Asano's grin turned sheepish and he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I totally forgot your name though, that's why I called you the genius girl. You know, since you said the exam was easy."
"You said it wasn't that difficult yourself."
Looking away, Asano's cheeks turned a light pink and he laughed awkwardly. "Yeah… I was completely embarrassed when you said it wasn't bad, that I just agreed with you. That test was an actual nightmare." There were some agreeing nods that traveled around the classroom.
A throat cleared behind her. "Would you mind moving? I'd like to get through."
"Ah, sorry." Shosei stepped out of the way, giving a small bow. When she looked back up, she discovered the tall figure asking for entry was Shinso, his purple hair just as wild as the last time she'd seen him. "You made it as well," she grinned at him.
"So it appears," he agreed, eying her as he entered the room. "How did you figure it out?" He asked as she followed him further in. The trio drifted towards the back of the room, after they'd checked the seating assignment, to where their desks were located in close proximity.
"The rescue points?" At his nod Shosei continued. "They fully stocked a medical room, also not everyone applying for the Hero Course has ridiculously offensive Quirks or are capable of fighting robots. Plus, isn't heroics all about saving people not just beating the crap out of villains? They'd have to have other means of scoring the test and supply the means to succeed. Though that exam is still horribly skewed to flashy, powerful Quirks and is completely unfair towards any of us that don't blow things up, but I suppose part of being a Hero is catering to the public. This suggests that all of us here are not fun to watch."
It was then Shosei realized she'd been blathering on and stopped to find everyone in the class was staring at her, including the people who'd entered after them at some point.
"Ah, sorry."
"You really are a genius, aren't you?" Asano eyes were round and mouth slightly open.
"Well, no. I don't think so. Logical, maybe. Capable of making intellectual leaps with the provided information. But unlikely a genius."
"Pretty sure that's what a genius is," someone in the room murmured. When Shosei turned and looked over them all, no one immediately popped out as the speaker. It had kind of sounded like a girl, but it had been lowly uttered and between the other conversations going, deducing who spoke was a bit tricky. Though, a girl with long hair standing by a square-jawed boy had a particularly unimpressed look on her face.
She chose to ignore the comment and turned back to Asano. "Oh, to answer your much earlier question, I'm Shigeyo Shosei." She pointing to the purple-haired boy sitting in his seat, next to where they stood. "That's Shinso." Said boy gave her a look at unwanted introduction, but Asano was grinning, and thankfully, not creating odd moments of light.
"It's nice to meet you," he said to Shinso with a small bow. Turning back to Shosei he added, "and you, again. It'll be nice having someone I've already met in class. Is it all right if I call you Sho? Or Yo? Shoyo?"
"Uh," Shosei stammered at the unexpected leap in familiarity. "Sure… Sho is fine… I guess."
"Great! Sho it is!"
"Wow, he sure moves fast." Shosei caught the utterance, lower than the first, but she was pretty sure now it was the girl with the unimpressed look.
Asano either didn't hear or didn't care, Shosei leaned towards the former. He laughed lightly and said. "I could call you two together with Shinsho."
"Please don't," the pair replied in droll unison.
"All right, settle down and take your seats," a metallic voice called out over the din of the classroom. Shosei slid into the seat to the left of Shinso and Asano took the one behind her.
A decently tall masked man slid the door shut behind him as he entered. He was dressed like an American cowboy, a brown hat emblazoned with a large S and a red cloak draped over his shoulders. Each step he took as he strode to the podium chimed, making Shosei think he probably had spurs.
"I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year," he began, assuming a stance behind the podium, "you may all call me by my Pro Hero name, Snipe." Shosei couldn't see his eyes hidden behind his mask, but the shift of his head showed her was looking over the class, all of who were giving him their attention. "Now, we have some time before the opening ceremony starts, we're going to use it for a quick introduction. Give your name and a concise run-down of your Quirk. We'll start with seat one," he gestured to a girl with pinkish-brown hair, and matching cat ears, sitting closest to the door.
She started as all eyes turned to her and after a moment, stood and spoke. "I'm Tokikazu Koneko. My Quirk is called Kitten, I can basically do whatever a cat can." She sat back down and the boy behind her stood with a large smile.
"Fujioka Yoshiharu. Quirk's Upbeat and I can make people feel good… emotionally," he added after a pause.
The introductions continued in such a manner, the Quirks ranging from interesting to seemingly useless. When Shinso stood, his "I can take over a person's mind by asking a question" received an uncomfortable shifting of bodies through the room, despite what was probably a common response Shinso didn't express any displeasure, at least not that Shosei could visually note.
Shosei's turn came around four people later and her summary of "I can give people different microbial diseases" was received with the exchanging wide-eyed looks.
Interestingly, it turned out that Asano's quirk was the one that would break the proverbial camel's back.
"I'm Asano Mitsuaki. My Quirk is Sun and I can emit the same electromagnetic radiation as the sun. To, uh, varying levels." His chair rattled as he sat back down.
That explains the flashes of light, Shosei thought to herself in the silence that followed. But that means –
"Dude! Your Quirk is so broken!" Someone burst out, breaking the silence and interrupting the last person to go. "What are you doing in General Studies?"
Asano laughed anxiously. "Well, I didn't pass the practical exam, so –"
"How could you not pass the practical?" Another student called out.
"All right," Snipe-sensei interrupted them. "This isn't an interrogation. Back off the kid." He nodded his head to their row and said to the last boy yet to introduce himself. "If you wouldn't mind wrapping things up?"
His name was Motori Nageki and it turned out he could transform into a dove, specifically a mourning dove. Which to Shosei seemed kind of neat, however Motori's wavering voice sounded like he on the verge of tears.
After the introductions were finally finished, Snipe-sensei directed them to leave their bags in the room and follow him down to where the opening ceremony was to be held. Shosei fell into step by Shinso and they both probably would have travelled in silence had an apprehensive Asano not wedged himself between them, like he was using them as a shield from the rest of the class.
The anxious energy radiating off of him was unpleasant, however. Also, she was just as curious as the rest of the class.
"You don't have to answer, absolutely no pressure, but do you mind if I ask how you failed with a Quirk like yours?"
Asano rubbed at his arm and looked everywhere but at another person. "Well, I guess I didn't really fail," his face was turning pink again. "I was kind of disqualified…" his words where barely above a whisper, but still other people heard him.
"Wait, what?" Shinso's face hardened as he almost collided with the dark-haired boy in front of him who stopped walking to look back. Another classmate, Emiru Motomu, tugged his arm to get him walking again. The boy, Ona Kan, Shosei recalled, continued talking over his shoulder. "You attacked another applicant?"
"Uh, well, no," Asano shifted uncomfortably, his cheeks and ears growing redder from the increasing attention. "Not on purpose. I don't have the best control of my Quirk and sometimes when I'm excited or anxious, I emit light unconsciously along with my heat," despite that he was probably super anxious right now, he was currently lightless, "I thought I had lured some of those robots to an empty area. I destroyed the bots with my heat, but I guess there were some people around and I accidently blinded them." He seemed to realized how that sounded and added in a rush, "Temporarily! I was told they were fine!"
"Kind of like looking at the sun for a couple of seconds," Shosei mused.
"Yes! Exactly!"
"I thought if you were disqualified from the exam, you wouldn't make it in to UA?" This was from a girl behind Shosei, Yokiyomu Kana, who'd said she could alter any edible's temperature or taste.
"Why would they?" Shosei countered, "unless it was a deliberate attack, I imagine UA would take the best they can get. Failing only one test in the Hero Course Exam doesn't count you out of getting into UA, at least as long as you applied for General Studies as well. Didn't you wonder why the written tests for the Hero Department and GE Department are held on the same day? They're the same test." She started speaking with acronyms so she could talk faster. "A person who really wants to get into UA is actually better off applying for both departments, should something go poorly in one of the tests it's more likely they'll get dropped into GS over not making it in entirely, so long as they didn't give up during the practical. It's why there are so many in GS who applied for the DoH as well, but didn't make the cut. Essentially what I'm saying is, by aiming high and not giving up when faced with complications, you showed you were willing to work harder. Effort produces results."
It was when she'd finished speaking that Shosei noticed they'd all stopped walking and the class had gathered around her to listen.
"Eeh?" Wahana Fuka, the girl with the almost constant unimpressed look, exclaimed. "Snipe-sensei! Is that true?"
The class turned as one, waiting for his reply. The grin on his face was obvious by his tone. "I wouldn't expect anything less from the top-scoring General Studies student."
"She scored the highest?" Wahana pointed at Shosei.
"The highest the school has seen," Snipe-sensei confirmed.
Shosei could feel all eyes on her. They'd already thought she was a genius because of earlier, but she could feel them reevaluating her denial. Finally, someone broke away, turning back to Snipe.
"But is she right?" Iyuu Enishi, a boy with round glasses and curly black hair, asked.
"Miss Shigeyo isn't wrong," he verified, "an applicant that shows they have the desire and work ethic is considered more highly, UA isn't a school for the lazy. However, as some of you can attest, only applying to the General Studies Department does not mean you won't be accepted. There are a number of factors other than succeeding where another failed, that are carefully contemplated. All of you here have proven yourselves as outstanding and as your teachers, we look forward to aiding your growth." He looked over the students gathered before him. "Now let's get this stagecoach rollin' again, we've got places to be."
A few minutes later, Shosei, arms folded and impatient, was lined up with the rest of the first years, to the left was class 1-D and to her right was 1-B, beyond them, conspicuously empty was the vacant space 1-A should have been. It was also the reason why a few teachers were gathered on the stage before them talking quietly and hadn't started the opening ceremony five minutes ago.
"First day of school," the boy to her right, who looked vaguely familiar to her, hissed under his breath, "and 1-A obviously thinks they're better than us."
"It's certainly irksome, isn't it?" She agreed, reaching up and twisting one of the three gold studs in her left earlobe.
The blond boy turned his irritated blue gaze to her. When he squinted at her, Shosei was struck by how she knew him and found herself wishing she'd kept her mouth shut. He was the kid she'd hit with her exam handout about a month ago. The look on his face said she was looking familiar to him as well.
"Do I know you?" he asked.
"Unless you work at or visit Dex's Chicken Hut as much as I do, I wouldn't see how." He tilted his head up, like staring at her from a different angle would help. She shrugged, dropping her hand from her ear and offered another, more plausible, reason. "Maybe we saw each other on exam day?"
He hummed. "Maybe that's it."
Blessedly, Asano inadvertently intervened before the guy could place her. "Do you really go to the Chicken Hut that much? That's a little worrisome."
Shosei shifted to grin at him over her shoulder. "I'm a fowl person."
Asano snorted, his mouth twisting to keep the laugh in. Behind him, Motori paled and started shaking.
"Relax," she tried, not raising her voice too much, but still making it loud enough for him to hear. "I don't eat… bird-people."
Motori looked up from the ground, his dark eyes were watery.
She and Asano froze, along with the six students from the surrounding classes who'd turned to watch. Oh crap, he's going to cry!
Luckily, before their fears were realized, a mic on stage went active, calling all attention forward.
"It seems one-A won't be joining us today," the high voice of – Shosei blinked, was that a ferret? In the three-piece suit?
"Oh my gosh," she squeaked, "he's so cute." Behind her Asano laughed.
The short mammal with white fur and a long tail continued to speak. "Good morning students, I'm sure you're wondering what I am. A mouse? A Bear? Or a dog? None of that matters, all that's important is that, I'm the principal! Welcome to UA!"
Seriously? He's the principle? Shosei had been expecting the school to be somewhat eccentric given the heroes it had produced, but this seemed to be going beyond. "Plus Ultra, I guess," she muttered to herself, rubbing at her cheek with a finger.
The principal, who'd given his name as Nezu, continued to talk. He spoke about the coming school year, how UA worked a bit differently than other schools and what was expected. Telling them he eagerly anticipated great things from this year's students. It was, overall, a pretty normal opening ceremony.
Afterwards, each class had a pair of students from the second-years, who had been assigned earlier in their own homerooms, escort them around in a tour of campus, helping them learn where things where and how to get there. They also aided in the process of the things the first-years had to get done before classes the next day, such as helping with ID cards.
It was a long, and technical, day. One Shosei was glad to see finally end. Though, by lunch Asano had so many club fliers awkwardly stuffed about on his person that he looked like a mutated peacock, he apparently just couldn't say no, Shosei had almost laughed herself sick.
Shinso had been mostly quiet, she figured that like her, he avoided most people for Quirk-based reasons, but Asano acted like glue and kept the three of them stuck together, even during their lunch break, having dragged her around to hunt down Shinso in the large room. She and Shinso could relate together because of their shared Quirk-discriminatory past and the two of them were content to empathize, or whatever, together in silence, but Asano seemed completely unconcerned with the creepy-level of their powers and happily kept cajoling them to talk. Maybe his Quirk somehow unconsciously produced a serotonin response in those nearby? Either way, Shosei, at least, found it refreshing.
As the three of them left school together, passing another group of three, two boys, one with green hair, the other with blue, and a girl with brown hair, Shosei couldn't help but wonder if this was what a true friendship felt like. She also pondered if Shinso's content grin meant he was feeling the same.
※※※※※
The next day was the real first day of classes, Snipe had given them their semester schedule the day before. All departments in UA shared a number of core subject between them, essentially things that any school should be teaching their students. The Hero and General Studies Department, which totaled to five separate classes, were taught by the same teachers in a rotating schedule, and for class 1-C, Monday started off with English, which meant an exuberant Present Mic way too early in the morning.
The day continued much like any other school day Shosei had previously experienced. Though, there were a lot less fights in the hallways than she was used to for a first day, even still she found it hard to completely relax while outside the classroom, half expecting a brawl to break out over 'turf' or 'who had the better Quirk.' Or whatever else adolescents fancied fighting over.
When P.E. rolled around before lunch, the monotony of the day changed at least a little.
Having known it was coming from reading the schedule the day before, Shosei was prepared with a wide-strap tank under her uniform shirt and a bandage roll for her left arm, in order to ward off curious gazes.
"Oh my gosh, Sho," it hadn't taken long for nearly everyone in class to pick up the nickname, "are you hurt?" The girl who asked was Take Mihoko. Her wide gingery-colored eyes matched her hair, and her Quirk, Obstruct, allowed her to make invisible, impenetrable walls in front of her. She'd probably be able to land a nice side-kick career by the end of high school.
At Mihoko's, she insisted on a first-name basis, question, all the other girls' attention turned to the pair. She'd figured the bandage wouldn't remain unquestioned, so Shosei had come prepared with the truth.
"No, no, I'm fine," she waved the other girls off, smiling. "It's just some old scars I don't like flashing." Completely true, she hated seeing them and having other people see them. Let them assume what they'd like about how she got them, but she wouldn't share the story.
Mihoko's eyes softened even more, she seemed to naturally want to care for people like a mother hen. "You know none of us would judge you, right?"
"I would," Wahana injected, unashamed.
Emiru Hitomi, whose dark hair was done up in set of double buns, and who was the twin of Emiru Motomu, laughed. "Yes, well your unrepentant truthfulness is part of your charm," she told Wahana.
Hitomi's Quirk, Private Eye, wasn't what most people would call amazing. Her Quirk was that niggling sensation you got when you thought someone was watching you, only hers wasn't paranoia and she could pinpoint precisely where that person was. Her brother, Quirk name Vigilance, was able to sense any incoming danger along with the direction it was coming from. Together they could scout people with malicious intent aimed at them. They made a good, if somewhat niche, team.
Wahana just shrugged in reply before zipping up her top. Wahana Fuka's Quirk had been dubbed Fragrance and she was able to reproduce any smell she'd previously experienced. While capable of some nausea-inducing scents, she preferred to emit flowery aromas.
When they were all finished, the six girls exited their changing room, the boys leaving their own a few moments after they had passed.
Outside, they found Snipe waiting out on the grounds for them. Shosei was a little surprised seeing their homeroom teacher, but thinking about it, it made sense having a Pro-Hero also as their gym teacher. They'd know how to keep in shape and probably had enough attentiveness to babysit kids while they played basketball or soccer, or whatever the activity of the day was. It also probably saved on the money needed to pay for another teacher to assume the position, and given UA's obsessive need to build fake mini-cities and populate them with robots, they'd need to save wherever they could.
Once the class had formed a two-row semicircle in front of Snipe he began his lecture.
"As you know, UA does things a bit differently than the average high school. I'm sure you're all familiar with physical assessment tests, but unlike any of the schools you've attended, UA does Quirk assessment tests. They are very similar, but in these you'll be using your Quirks to push yourselves, and your scores, farther. In your middle schools you were given enough instruction to control your Quirks and while you may not be part of the Hero Course, who receive combat practice for theirs, you'll still undergo some of the best Quirk training in the country. Even those of you who don't think your Quirks can go further, will be pushing them beyond. At this school, you are all expected to go Plus Ultra."
"Oh man, talk about a moral boost," Fujioka smiled widely. "I'm feeling pumped up!" The shuffling and excited conversation confirmed that others felt the same way. It had been a pretty nice speech.
Shosei tilted her head and her grin sharpened into something not quite friendly. "Yeah, too bad this is still a physical assessment. Do any of us here have a Quirk that helps with that?" Her classmates went silent. "That's what I thought."
"Way to ruin the mood, Froyo," a brave soul named Aokai Ibuzo spoke up. Chuckles rippled through the gathered group.
Her sly grin turned sour. "Don't call me that!"
Aokai Ibuzo was the tallest boy in class. He, like many in 1-C, had black hair. His Quirk, Gills, was exactly what it sounded like. He had a set of gills that sealed to near invisibility on land, but allowed him to breath indefinitely underwater. It was a tossup between his and Koneko's Quirk as to which one gave the biggest physical advantage and depended solely on the task. Koneko could probably balance and climb a tree like no one's business, while Aokai could doubtlessly swim a four-hundred-meter freestyle in a ridiculously short time.
"It's a shame swimming the butterfly isn't on the agenda." Aokai's eyes narrowed at her.
"All right," Snipe interrupted, jerking his arm and billowing his cloak over a shoulder. The two froze as his action reveal a gun on his hip. Were teachers at UA allowed guns on campus? Was it real? Was he silently threatening to shoot them if they misbehaved too much? "Stop antagonizing each other. Let's get started."
He's one to talk! the whole class thought, staring at the gun.
The first test, a fifty-meter dash, was done in pairs. Shosei was standing amongst the crowd, having finished her sprint in a good time, when the two newly finished Motori Nageki and Tsuka Hanichi – who could divide inorganic objects into smaller versions of itself - joined.
"Hey, Motori," Tsuka started, pulling the taller boy's attention up from the ground. When his watery eyes met Tsuka's, he continued. "How come you didn't just turn into a bird? Wouldn't that be faster than running?"
"The time I'd save running would be spent transforming," he answered in his quiet, weepy voice. "There isn't any point." He dropped his gaze back down, tucking his hands into his pants pockets.
It took a moment for Shosei to realize that she was waiting for Motori to finish speaking. She'd been half expecting for him to add "to life" at the end of his sentence.
During sit-ups she was partnered with Mihoko and while the ginger-haired girl held Shosei's ankles, she asked her a question that had brewed up inside her mind.
"Hey, Mihoko," she said on an up.
"Hm?"
"You said you make walls with you Quirk."
"Yeah?"
"Can you move them?"
"I can angle them a little bit. About a seventy-five-degree slope and if I turn my head, they follow."
"Have you ever made floors?"
"Huh?"
"Put them horizontal instead of vertical. Is that possible?" Shosei felt Mihoko's grip loosen, but she didn't slow, she needed to get in as many as she could.
"You know," her voice was lost in thought, "I've never tried before… My walls can only be in front of me, I never considered that 'in front' could also mean flat."
"Could be handy."
"Yeah!" Her grip tightened back up on Shosei's ankles. "I'll have to try it out! "I wonder how far they could go! They'd only be as wide as my field of view…" Mihoko continued to happily ramble off her thoughts with this new idea while unnoticed by either girl, Snipe, who'd been diligently monitoring the numbers climbing on his tablet, as well as student conversations, had paused when he heard Shosei's suggestion. It was an interesting idea; one he'd have to monitor further. 1-C would have a harder time than the Hero Course kids, but some of them could still climb their way to the top if they put in the effort. Snipe found himself curious just har far some of them were willing to push themselves. There seemed to be some pretty hungry kids in his class this year.
In the third test, Shosei noticed that another student was rising past the others by a significant margin and, according to the holographic projection Snipe displayed for them, had taken the first-place spot from her.
"You've had training, haven't you?" She asked stepping up besides Asano, who was drinking some water after his side-steps.
His cheeks turned a dusky pink. "Oh well, a lot of people expect me to go Pro with my Quirk." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I've been enrolled in physical and Quirk-training classes since I was young."
"I suppose that's not too surprising."
"Yeah." He shifted slightly. "What about you? You're not doing so bad. That sprint was impressive."
Shosei laughed sheepishly. "I live in a dangerous neighborhood, knowing how and when to run keeps you safe." Asano's mouth opened as he gave her a panicked expression.
"Are you… making a joke?" he finally got out.
She held up three fingers together. "Scout's honor."
"Eh, seriously?"
"Should we be weary of you pulling a switchblade?" Shinso drawled coming up to the pair, sweat dotting his face. He grabbed his own bottled water to drink.
"I'm more of a capsicum and boxcutter girl really."
"Ah, so your standards are pretty low then."
"I'm not the classy type of trash."
"Having just walked into this conversation," Ankoumi Reito, a red-headed boy whose Quirk allowed him to see in any level of darkness, joined the group. "I'd like to ask; what kind of trash is classy?" He twisted the top of his bottle, waiting for a reply.
"Maybe like, year-old designer handbags, vanities, or shiny baubles. You know, things rich people would throw away because they have nothing better to do."
Ankoumi smiled. "'Shiny baubles'? I'm pretty sure that's pirate territory, and they don't consider them trash."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
The following test was the distance run and they all participated in that one together.
Koneko took off like, well, a cat. But just like a cat, which weren't known for their distance running, she slowed back down shortly after and turned to a jog. However, she'd put a fair expanse between her and the rest of the class, which was obviously her plan, but if she was intending for her sprint to help her keep the lead, she was going to be disappointed.
Asano made soft noise of disapproval. "That's not going to help like she thinks," he muttered. Shosei, maintaining a jog beside him nodded in agreement. Though she was half tempted to put a little more speed into her run, she felt like the much taller Aokai was breathing down her neck and that his big feet were going to flat-tire her at any moment.
Soon enough, Asano and she passed by an exhausted Koneko, only really pushing their limits to try to beat the other. Asano, and his longer legs, took first place.
The final tests, other than the toe-touch, were all sexist and anyone taller or with more muscle would easily beat a girl. Shosei secured herself snuggly into third place though, while Asano took first and Aokai, the giant among them, was in second. Spotting Shinso name down at the bottom was a little disheartening. He'd only beat Nageki, who had probably given up on life before the tests even started.
"Don't be too upset, Froyo," Aokai attempted to clap a hand on her shoulder, but she dodged his likely stinging slap. "I'm sure you'll do better next time."
Making a disgusted noise, Shosei spoke, "Please, I'm more of a flexible brain over brawn girl anyway. Brute strength is for people who can't use intellect. But, hey, don't be too upset," she added with a smile at his frown.
"All right, students," Snipe unintentionally interrupted. "I'm impressed by all of you and the extent with how hard you push yourselves. Head on inside and get cleaned up before lunch. Dismissed."
The class did exactly that. Shosei joined up with Asano and Shinso for lunch and the three of them settled in at an unused table. Her katsudon was calling her name. Just as they were all digging in a voice interrupted.
"Hey, hey, hey! I know that face!" A shadow solidified on the tabletop and the three first-years looked up. Standing at the end of the table, holding his own food tray, was the blond proctor of her and Asano's written exam. He was flanked by two other people.
One was a pretty periwinkle-haired girl who was smiling broadly at the three of them and the other was a handsome – maybe? his face was really hard to see – boy with indigo hair who was currently trying to convince the ground, with only his eyes, to swallow him whole.
"To-" Shosei started, but the rest wasn't coming to her, "I forgot, uh," she was about to apologize, but the blond upperclassman burst out laughing.
"That's a good one! To-I-Forgot-A!"
"Mirio, I don't think she was making a joke," the dark-haired boy whispered still not looking up, the girl was giggling, though probably not at the joke.
"It's Togata. Togata Mirio!" He introduced. Shosei supposed she could get the pun she'd accidently made, but it wasn't that funny. "Welcome to UA! It's so exciting to see you made it into the… General Studies?" Togata's enthusiasm died as he finally spotted the three of them pointing at the two gold buttons on their epaulettes. "What?" He gasps, slamming his tray on the table. "How are you in General Studies?" He slid into the free seat next to her. "I heard you did amazing on the exam!"
"Yeah! Yeah! How?" The girl joined in, sliding into the seat next to Asano, who instantly turned pink, and across from Shosei. Their third friend took the seat next to the girl across from Togata.
"Welcome to the 'we-biffed-it-in-the-practical-for-various-reasons' table."
"Oh, man," Togata groaned, rolling his head back. "That stinks!" He straightened quickly. "But don't let it get you guys down! There's still a chance you can get transferred in."
Shosei could practically feel Shinso's focus zero in on Togata. "Really?" He asked, though it almost sounded like a hissed utterance. A glance to him revealed his undisguised interest. What was particularly concerning was the girl across from her was beginning to vibrate in her seat and Shosei began to worry she was about to explode.
"Oh yeah!" Togata didn't seem to noticed Shinso's sudden change. "The Sports Festival is a pretty good place to get noticed by the teachers. Do well enough and they might switch students around. It's happened before!"
The blue-haired girl across the way finally exploded, luckily only with her words. "All right! Enough school talk, Mirio, time for personal stuff! We don't even know each other's names!" Togata laughed, putting up his hands with a murmured 'okay, okay.' Excited blue eyes turned toward them. "You already know Mirio. I'm Hado Nejire!" The other boy began to sink in his seat when everyone looked at him, waiting for his name. At his silence, Hado easily stepped back in. "This is Amajiki Tamaki," she grabbed onto his arm, which Amajiki lamely tried to extract. "He's such a softy."
"Hado," Amajiki moaned weakly.
Releasing the distressed boy, Hado turned her attention fully back to the three first-years. "Now you, now you. Tell me your names. I've got to know, I'm so curious!" With an exchange of looks, conveying who was going first, between the three of them, that's exactly what they did.
From there it was an average conversation one might have with person you were meeting for the first time. How they were liking UA, who their homeroom teacher was, their favorite class so far, favorite teacher, favorite pro hero? Which Shosei wasn't sure how to answer, she'd never put much thought into it, but bluffed her way past by saying it was now Lunch Rush.
"Oh, I know!" Hado exclaimed. "What middle school are you coming from? Anywhere famous?"
Shosei felt herself begin to stiffen before she consciously told herself to relax.
No one had heard of Shinso's Nabu Middle School, but Hado had heard of Asano's Amemaru Middle School.
"That's only a town over from me! Who knew we lived so close!" All eyes turned to her, and in her brief hesitation, Hado spoke again, "Come on, Sho, where? Where?" She had very quickly taken to using her nickname without even knowing that's what it was.
"Well, er," she couldn't bluff her way out of this one and she was against lying outright. "Malakor… Junior High."
Amajiki's chopsticks fell out of his hand and clattered to his tray and she was pretty sure she heard Asano choke on his food. Shosei maintained eye contact with her empty bowl, but she could feel everyone else's boring into her, even Amajiki who hadn't looked directly at anyone the whole time.
"Isn't that the school where at least eighty percent of the graduates end up spending time in jail at some point in their lives? Hado asked.
"So I hear," she confirmed, lifting her head back up. She wasn't going to let this get her down.
"You really weren't joking when you said you grew up in a rough neighborhood," Asano whispered, like he was concerned someone would overhear.
"Nope. Pretty sure our school sport was knife fighting and our mascot was Bang-Bang the Gun." Asano's eyes widened.
"That was a joke." His responding chuckle was wheezy and panic-lined, but Togata handled it with a boisterous guffaw.
"All I hear is that just means you're part of the twenty percent who're good!" Togata championed for her. She didn't have the heart to tell him that the twenty percent were just the people smart enough to not get caught.
Before any more questions arose, the school chime sounded, signaling the warning for class. The sound of chairs scraping filled the air, including their own.
"We have to do this again tomorrow!" Hado cheered, waving vigorously at them.
"Sounds like a plan!" Togata happily joined the exuberant waving.
Shosei felt her muscles relaxing even more as they left and she breathed a sigh of relief. Looking up, she found Shinso studying at her like he'd just discovered she had a hidden third limb. "What?"
"Wait 'til they find out what your Quirk is."
"I'm going to strangle you."
That sly, Cheshire grin of Shinso's spread across his face. "Guess you're not part of that twenty percent after all."
I know, A MILLION (har har) OC's to keep track of a learn their names/Quirks. I tired to introduce all of them, but I felt like it bogged the story down in some places, the other quirk discriptions might show up later... or not, I don't know. But, I'll make it easier for you guys. The order is in which I made them, I obviously didn't create Shinso, but I listed him here as part of the whole class. Here is your Cheat Sheet, it also comes with name meanings if you're into that - I don't speak Japanese, so forgive me if some things don't add up.
Hitoshi Shinso
Quirk: Brainwashing - Puts someone in a state where the victim is forced to obey whatever he commands
Shosei Shigeyo (Sho – Small. Sei – Life / Shige – Multiply, raise, increase, augment. Yo – Generation, grow)
Quirk: Culture – Upon contact with a microorganism, her body stores and cultures it so she can later disperse it.
Mitsuaki Asano (Mitsu – Light. Aki – Luminous / Asa – Dawn, morning, daybreak. No – Area)
Quirk: Sun – He creates varying levels of light and heat (UV light)
Koneko Tokikazu (Koneko - Kitten / Toki – Sharp. Kazu - One)
Quirk: Kitten – She can cat. Cat ears, pointed canines, cat eyes (? - currently undecided on this), and retractable claws (? - also currently undecided on this)
Yoshiharu Fujioka (Yoshi – Good, excellent. Haru – Springtime. / Fuji – Wisteria. Oka – Ridge, hill.)
Quirk: Upbeat - He can make people feel good/pleasant emotionally
Hanichi Tsuka (Han – Half, part. Ichi – One. / Tsu – Connect. Ka - Add, join.)
Quirk: Divide – He can divide inorganic objects into smaller versions of itself and put them back together.
Mihoko Take (Mi – Beautiful. Ho – To Protect/Safeguard. Ko – Child. / Take – Strong, Firm.)
Quirk: Obstruct – Forms an invisible, impenetrable wall in front of her and only within her field of vision. She can move and arrange it, but it will always be in front of her. It can be 'turned off,' but blinking also cancels the effect.
Dai Juuhiro (Dai – Big. / Juu – Heavy, Weighty. Hiro – Great)
Quirk: Immovable – Becomes unmovable but not invulnerable
Nageki Motori (Nageku – Grief, lamentation. / Mo – Mourning. Tori - Bird)
Quirk: Dove – He transforms into a mourning dove
Motomu Emiru (Motomu – Wound, injury, hurt. / E – Reliant. Miru – Lookout.)
Quirk: Vigilance – Can sense incoming danger
Kana Yokiyomu (Ka – Fruit. Na – Vegetables. / Yo – Change. Kiyomu – Cleanse, purify.)
Quirk: Alter - Can make food/drink warm, cold, or taste different than what is it. She is also able to purify poison/anything dangerous in food/drink. Will also purge the properties of alcohol
Hitomi Emiru (Hitomi – Pupil of the eye. / E – Reliant. Miru – Lookout.)
Quirk: Private Eye - Always knows when she's being watched and can find the watcher as long as they are staring at her
Hokuto Masao (Hoku - North. To - Big Dipper / Masa – Right. O – Man)
Quirk: Polaris – Always knows which direction is North
Ibuzo Aokai (Ibu – Breath. Zo – Storehouse. / Ao – Blue. Kai – Ocean.)
Quirk: Gills – Can breathe underwater
Kan Ona (Kan – Perfect. / Ona - Together)
Quirk: Repair – Can repair anything within a 1x1x1 ft cube, if the damage is larger than the allotted space, it will take multiple activations
Enishi Iyuu (Enishi – Bond, link. / I – To fasten. Yuu – Bind.)
Quirk: Stick – Sticks one object to another. The stuck object cannot weigh more than five pounds and can be removed with little force
Reito Ankoumi (Rei – Dark. To – Person. / An – Darkness. Kou – Clear. Mi – To see)
Quirk: Darkvision – He can see in the dark, no matter the level of light or lack. However, he is more affected by abrupt shifts in light
Niito Choari (Nii – Fresh. To – Person. / Cho – Great. Ari – Feel.)
Quirk: Refresh – He can refresh himself or other people's stamina, however they only feel better and are not revitalized. This runs the risk of serious harm should they continue to 'refresh'
Akeru Jinjou (Akeru – To open/unlock. / Jin – Metal. Jou – A lock.)
Quirk: Lockpick – He can fit his fingers into any lock requiring a key and unlock it.
Fuka Wahana (Fu – Emit. Ka – Fragrance. / Wa – Laughing. Hana – Flower.)
Quirk: Fragrance – Can recreate any smell she's experienced.
Congrats at getting to the bottom! In reward have a
Endosymbiosis Side
During the Written Exam
"All right!" Togata shouted. "We've got five minutes before the next portion of the exam. Everyone, stand up, we're going to do some stretches to work out those cramps!"
Groans filled the air, but everyone stood up, chairs scraping the floor as they did so.
"Hands up!" He raised his arms high above his head and once everyone had followed his actions he spoke again. "And," he drew out the word, "up, down, touch the ground. It puts me in the mood." Togata stretched up and down in time with his words. "Up, down, touch the ground. It puts me in the mood," he smacked his lips loudly, "for food!"
"He's completely insane," everyone in the class thought at the same time, none of them having followed his actions.
"Come on guys! This is fun!"