Izuku had to keep himself from vibrating in place out of sheer excitement. He was in the halls of UA High, on his way to his first class! Thankfully, after the disaster that was the day of the Entrance Exam, he made sure to keep track of his surroundings. If he were to trip again, he would just die on the spot out of embarrassment. Although, when he came up to the door of Class 1-A, he couldn't help but be concerned by the idea that the door would just fall over and crush him. It was obviously made with mutation Quirks in mind. He knew better than to assume that his narrow experience encapsulated the whole variety of mutation Quirks, but he had never heard of anyone with a mutation Quirk that would necessitate a door that large. Shaking his head, he prayed that he didn't share a class with Kacchan or that blue haired boy from the Entrance Exam as he opened the door.
"Have you no respect for such a prestigious academy?! Do you understand how rude it is to have your feet upon the desk like that?!" The blue haired boy shouted stiffly at Kacchan.
Maybe if he was careful enough, they wouldn't notice the door shutting and he could make some excuse to the principal for why he had to be in Class 1-B?
"You!" Oh god he was too late. "I must apologize!"
...What? The blue haired boy rushed over to him, and oh no everyone was looking at them and their first impression of him was gonna be getting yelled at by the blue haired boy but he also said he was apologizing but Izuku also had no idea what the boy could possibly be apologizing for and oh no he was just gonna berate Izuku for trying to be a hero like at Aldera and then everyone was gonna realize he was a failure and then he would never have friends and then-
"I humbly apologize for my behavior at the Entrance Exam! You clearly understood the nature of the test better than myself, and I wrongfully accused you of being a disturbance when you must have simply been as nervous as myself!" ...Oh. This boy had the complete wrong idea. Having someone think he was better than them was a first. He opened his mouth to correct the boy that, no, he actually had no idea there were rescue points and he basically had a week-long panic attack until he was halfway through the acceptance letter. Only for another voice to speak up before he did.
"Hey, it's the plain-looking guy from the exam!" Was that the girl that saved him twice at the entrance exam?! Oh he was so happy she got in, she would be such a good hero. He turned to see her standing at his side, which made him realize he was just inside of the door and he was probably blocking the way into the classroom. She looked really good in those leggings and he hoped she didn't notice him looking at her legs and think he was a pervert! Wait, the pretty girl that saved him and the blue haired boy that yelled at him were still talking while he was in his head! He wasn't paying attention at all! His panic ceased when a new voice rang through the room.
"I see that you're all excited to be here." The voice was male, deep and smooth. The sound reverberated down Izuku's spine, to such an extent that it practically shook him into turning around. He noticed in the back of his mind that the pretty girl and the blue haired boy did the same as himself. He noticed much more prominently that they both joined him in slowly looking up as they realized the man was very tall. The green haired boy barely came up to the man's abdomen. The man wore black dress pants and shoes, in addition to a white dress shirt with the top button undone. He was light skinned, and possessed short brown hair. The only inclination of the man's Quirk were his eyes: blood-red with slits instead of circles for pupils. A soft, soothing smile was upon his face that gave Izuku a similar feel to All Might's iconic grin, that promised safety and reassurance. "That's always good to witness." The current owner of One for All's brain stalled as the red eyed man patted his shoulder encouragingly. "Class is about to start. Don't want to start the first day being admonished for being out of your seats, do you?" The trio of the pretty girl, the blue haired boy, and Izuku shook their heads in unison before they rushed over to the only open seats. "There you go." The man, who could only have been their teacher, chuckled. He then walked over to the desk at the front of the room, only stopping for a moment to turn his head over his shoulder towards the still open classroom door.
"Coming, Ms. Tsutsumi?" He called. The freckled boy tilted his head. That name sounded familiar to him. Where had he heard it before?
"Ugh." A familiar voice responded to the red eyed man's statement. It was hard to be certain though, because he had never heard that voice be so disgusted before, but also because he was certain the owner of that voice was still- "Hearing you call me that makes me feel like I'm walking to my own execution. I told you to call me Lady Nagant." Even though she had confirmed it herself, it still threw his brain for a loop when the ex-heroine stepped through the doorway with a grimace on her face, her arms crossed under her chest. She wore a black sleeveless dress with an armored belt around her abdomen, and similarly armored boots upon her feet that reached just short of her knees. Her iconic blue and pink hair was unmistakable, though it was weird seeing it only reach just past her jawline.
But...she was still in Tartarus. Kacchan had the reaction Izuku expected him to, being straightening in his seat with confusion dancing in his eyes. The verdet knew the explosive blonde was as aware as he was about the infamous heroine. No one else seemed to have any reaction. He supposed the news had never really covered Lady Nagant, so it made sense that she wasn't instantly recognized. Still, Izuku was most definitely going to look up hero news about the Rifle-user the first chance he got.
"Fine, fine," the red eyed man chuckled, "I just wanted to see if your opinion would change once we were here, nothing more." He leaned back against the desk facing the students with his hands supporting him while the blue and pink haired woman secluded herself into a corner. "Greetings, Class. My name is Grand Johnathan, and I will be your homeroom teacher for the year. The grumpy woman trying to push herself through the wall and out of this building is the...shall we say rehabilitated pro-heroine, Lady Nagant, she will be acting as my assistant. This is our first year teaching at this establishment, so I ask that you treat us well." A chorus of greetings sounded from the students.
"Now, I'm sure you're all eager to get to the 'Hero' portion of your Hero Course but remember that this is still a school. There's not much going on today outside of orientation and introductions." There was a spattering of suppressed groans of disappointment from some. "However," That one word got even those who expected the more routine schedule to shift forward in their seats, "for the Hero Course, there is going to be a Quirk Apprehension Test after the normal activities are over. With this being Class 1-A, we'll be going before Class 1-B. Now, I want you all to keep in mind that this test is just as much for Lady Nagant and I as it is for yourselves. All of us collectively will be witnessing what your limits are with your Quirks so we can work together to put you past those limits and be the best Heroes you can be. That doesn't mean this will be some sort of boot camp, though. Feel free to have some fun with it. If an idea pops up in your head, don't hesitate to try it out. I only ask that you let us know beforehand just in case things don't go according to plan." Izuku couldn't help but stare at Grand-sensei in shock and awe. Never before had he encountered a teacher who was so involved and encouraging. Even with Kacchan, the teachers at Aldera only ever praised him in striving towards being a Hero, and never actually made any attempt to help him along that path. The brown-haired man glanced at the clock above the whiteboard behind him.
"Just on time. Orientation begins in 30 minutes, let's grab our things and head on our way." The man announced while standing. "I'll ask that you try your best to keep your attention focused, but know there is no shame in asking me afterwards for clarification."
In his excitement, Izuku ended up being one of the first to finish changing into his gym uniform and head out towards the field where they would be performing the Quirk Apprehension Test. Only Kacchan was on the field before himself, which was of course expected. Something else expected, was the two homeroom teachers of the class standing off to the side, Lady Nagant-sensei with her arms still crossed and visibly still unhappy to be here. Grand-sensei, was tapping away at a tablet in his hands, the sleeves of his shirt now rolled up above his elbows. What was not expected, however, was Grand-sensei lifting his head before gesturing for Izuku to come closer. Dread built in his gut, as he tried to figure out why the tall man would want to talk to him, and came up empty. He stepped up to the teacher, only to tilt his head when the red eyed man kneeled down in front of him. The well-dressed man was so tall that his head was only just barely below Izuku's own, but it was still enough that the verdet looked down at him.
"Hello, Midoriya-san." The way he said Izuku's name sent shivers down his spine, it was different than he had ever heard his name pronounced. The word rolled out of Grand-sensei's mouth smoother than he had ever heard it, the syllables connecting together into one seamless sound. It was almost as if he spoke the language better. "As you're aware, the Entrance Exam was spectated by the teachers and staff, that is how we judge performance and gave out Rescue Points." The boy nodded in understanding. "Upon witnessing your performance, I looked over your records and understood why it was so much more difficult for you than everyone else." The man clapped his shoulder encouragingly as he chuckled lightly. "Certainly made your placing 7th more impressive."
...Was...was his teacher praising him? For attempting the Entrance Exam seemingly Quirkless?! That confirmed it. It was obvious now. The pretty girl from the exam failed to rescue him and he died upon hitting the pavement after breaking most of his limbs and utterly failing the exam. Though it was surprising Heaven allowed useless Dekus like himself. The blood-red eyed man shook his shoulder lightly and realigned his focus.
"Taking into account the results of your using your Quirk for the first time and the fact that you don't have any casts on, I presume you haven't used your Quirk in between the Entrance Exam and now?" He shook his head in the negative. "Smart move. Especially for something like that, always try to wait until you're in a safe environment to practice. With that in mind, and with this being one such environment, I'd like to ask your permission for something." The green eyed boy tilted his head in confusion. "Like I said, I looked over your records. For someone like myself, it was easy to tell that you were persecuted heavily. I want to avoid that happening again." His eyes widened in shock. "I'd like to inform the class of the fact that you only acquired your Quirk recently, so there's no concern of someone wondering why you have such terrible control. Is that alright with you?"
"Y-yes. I-it's alright with me, Grand-sensei." The teacher smiled before playfully ruffling his hair as he stood to his incredible height.
"Thank you, Midoriya-san. If you'll stay near Nagant and I until we announce it to the class?" Izuku nodded, too stunned to speak anymore as he shifted to stand in between the two teachers. He glanced around and saw that most of the students were mingling with each other, a few of them looking over at him in curiosity. Kacchan was also staring at him, but that was with complete distain. A more terrified shiver trembled down his spine at that look, so he decided to retreat to his comfort place and discretely analyze some of the Quirks he was able to easily spot, like the boy with the tail or the very tall boy with six arms. It didn't take long before the last of the students came to the field, being a blonde boy who almost appeared to sparkle and a boy with a rocky face.
"Now that you're all here, I have two announcements to make." The students all focused on the brown-haired man. "The first, pertains to Midoriya-san here." At this, Grand-sensei placed a hand at his back supportively. "He's given me permission to tell you all that his Quirk came in exceedingly recently. The Entrance Exam was the first time he's ever used it, in fact." With the exception of Kacchan, who sneered, the class as a whole appeared to be shocked. "Uraraka-san can confirm, when he used it, it broke his limbs." A few of the students, less than half of them, turned to the pretty girl from the exam, who nodded vigorously. So her name was Uraraka. "With that in mind, I hope none of you take issue with me helping him through this Apprehension Test." Again, everyone except Kacchan appeared to be of the same mind as they all displayed their support of the idea. "Wonderful to hear!" The teacher grinned.
"As for my second announcement, I decided to put forth a little bit of a twist for this test." The well-dressed man lifted his hand from Izuku's back and then leveled it to gesture towards the heroine who was supposed to be in Tartarus. "Lady Nagant will also be participating." The blue and pink haired woman's eye twitched. "I'd like to put forth the forewarning that there is no expectation for you to be performing at a comparable level to her. This is a way for you to understand how much you will grow as heroes thanks to this course." He smiled. "To start this off with a 'bang', if you'll excuse the pun, would you like to perform the softball throw first, Bakugo?" A violent grin ripped across the blonde's face, and he proudly sauntered forward, bringing his hand up for Grand-sensei to drop the ball into it. The brunet nodded towards the circle drawn in the ground a few meters away. "You'll be performing the test inside that circle. So long as you do not leave the circle, you have complete freedom to use whatever is at your disposal to get the ball as far as you can." Kacchan's grin cracked wider, as the fire in his eyes burned brighter. He stepped inside the circle, and sparked his hands to start working up a sweat.
"DIEEEEEEEEE!" The boy screamed as he flawlessly recreated a pitcher's form, letting loose an explosion at just the perfect moment to maximize the power in the throw. Izuku couldn't help but awe, despite having seen the blonde's talent his whole life. Though a part of his mind did worry for the girl with the odd-looking ears, who flinched and covered said ears when the crimson-eyed boy used his Quirk. The rest of the class appeared to also need a moment to cradle their ears, and Izuku realized they most likely weren't desensitized to the sound of explosions like he was. After a few moments where Kacchan stared out into the sky admiring his obvious ability, the tablet in their teacher's hands beeped. Once the class was all looking in the direction of the teacher and the item in his hands, he turned it around.
"705.2 meters. Impressive display, and impressive score." He praised, before turning his head slightly towards the blonde still standing in the circle. "A bit different being allowed to use your Quirk for these tests, isn't it?"
"Feels a helluva lot more satisfying." Kacchan's grin was all teeth. The teacher almost appeared to have been waiting for that answer, as he turned back to the rest of the students.
"That it is, but do remember that this is still a test. This isn't one you can fail, of course, but the better we can gauge where you are, the better this class will turn out to be for you. Getting lost in the feeling will cost you. My words from earlier still stand; If you have an idea, don't hesitate to try it. Just make sure you communicate what you're going to do." Excitement bristled through the class as the students began to talk amongst each other, chattering about how much fun the Hero Course was going to be. "Now that you're all sufficiently excited, let's begin with the 50-meter dash. I'll be calling you up in pairs of two based on seating, I'll be deciding on my own which pair Nagant will join."
First Event: 50-Meter Dash
The first pair to be called on was a girl with pink hair and skin, with yellow curving horns and exotic yellow-on-black eyes by the name of Ashido Mina. She was practically vibrating with excitement as she skipped up to the starting line, placing her feet upon the starting block with a wide smile. Her partner for this test was the sparkling blonde boy, whose name happened to be Aoyama Yuga. He stepped up to the starting block himself, but instead of settling into it like Ashido, the boy looked up almost timidly towards the teacher duo.
"Grand-sensei, you said to try out any ideas we have, what if we're not sure we'll get a better score from it?" The blood-red eyed man's gentle smile grew at the blue-eyed boy's words.
"If you are uncertain about the results, I encourage you all the more to try it out. This is the place to experiment and learn. While you are here, never be afraid of the consequences of that." He turned towards the rest of the students. "I implore you all; learn all the nooks and crannies of your abilities. Understand and be aware of everything you're able to do, and you'll be of the very best." The eagerness in the air became palpable, and the pink haired Ashido's eyes shined in unison with what appeared to be actual sparkles dancing off Aoyama's form. "Now, before we begin, what did you have in mind, Aoyama-san?" Another shiver went down Izuku's spine, one he could tell fluttered down the backs of everyone else. Just like how Izuku's own name sang off the tall man's tongue, so too did Aoyama's. The boy still standing facing the starting block took a moment to gather himself before he spoke up.
"My Navel Laser produces an amount of force, enough that I have to be ready for it when I activate it. I was wondering if I could use it to propel myself across the track." Of all times for Izuku to not have a notebook on hand to study Quirks.
"I see. Can you fire it constantly?" Their teacher asked. The boy shook his head.
"Non." An accent appeared in his voice, one that the green haired boy didn't recognize, but seemingly the red eyed man did. "If I fire it a moment longer than a second, my stomach would be liable to explode. And I must always give my tummy a moment to recover before I activate it again. I was going to try to fire myself as far as I could, get myself back into position, and fire again until I was across the line."
"A fine strategy to start with. We'll work to fine tune it in the future, but for now, I can offer a small suggestion." The blonde tilted his head. "When you land the first time, rather than repositioning yourself, try to execute a back-roll. Repositioning would have you build your momentum back up again, while rolling would maintain it. It would at least make it so you don't lose distance on the second jump, if not take you farther than the first." The sparkles returned.
"Magnifique!" Aoyama wove his fingers together behind his head, and readied himself to jump while facing towards the starting block. "I am ready, Grand-sensei!"
"Me too!" Ashido looked viable to erupt from contained excitement.
"Then, Begin!" The two students wasted no time, the exotic girl lunging forward and sprinting with all her might. Just like he explained he was going to, Aoyama jumped upwards, a light manifesting in his belt before a beam shot out, propelling him across the track. The freckled boy's Quirk-hungry mind practically drooled at the display of the single shot sending the boy easily over thirty meters, nearly forty. His landing wasn't the easiest, having difficulty keeping his balance mid-air and landing on his shoulders first. Then came a heavy grunt as the sparkling teen whipped his feet up and over him, his body curling into a roll that set him into a crouch. A second beam was fired, though not executed as successfully as the first. He shot himself a little too vertically, Ashido managing to catch up. But before she passed him, they each passed the line marking the end of the 'race'.
"Aoyama Yuga, 5.24 Seconds! Ashido Mina, 5.27 Seconds! Wonderful display, both of you!" The teacher cheered. Both teens jumped in joy, congratulating each other on their scores, and Ashido praising the twinkling blonde for his successful back-roll. "Next up, Asui Tsuyu, Iida Tenya, and Lady Nagant!" The blue and pink haired woman glowered up at the man she was assisting before sighing and walking forward, snatching a starting block for herself and setting it down next to the track. She silently settled into a runner's stance, only, her left hand was directly in front of her, and her right was pulled back, her elbow poised behind her. A green haired girl with a-Izuku feared sounding discriminatory, even in his own mind-frog like disposition stepped up and gently nudged her starting block back with her foot before crouching exactly like a frog would, facing the track. To the verdet's surprise, the third member of this test was the blue haired boy from the exam. He did utilize the starting block, getting into a picture-perfect runner's stance with a focused look on his face. Grand-sensei chuckled lightly.
"I take it no one is going to try anything new for this round?" He questioned.
"Shut up and start it." Lady Nagant groused. This only resulted in another round of the man's chuckles.
"If you insist." He readied his tablet. "Begin!" The first thing that happened was a gunshot. Only their teacher, Kacchan, and himself were prepared. Almost everyone else vocalized their shock, with the girl that possessed the odd ears shrinking in on herself. Applaudingly, Iida and Asui appeared unphased, each rushing forward in their own ways after the blur that the teacher's assistant had become. Iida was obviously in his element, rumbling forward like a sports car, while Asui looked unconcerned with the world around her. If Izuku were to hazard a guess, the girl probably figured she was at a disadvantage against an experienced pro-hero and a boy with a very obvious speed-based Quirk, and chose to just focus on getting the best time she could. Izuku heard a few of the students around him comment on how adorable the sight of the girl hopping along the track was.
"Asui Tsuyu, 5.58 Seconds! Iida Tenya, 3.04 Seconds!" Grand-sensei smirked. "And Lady Nagant, 2.29 Seconds. A score to aspire towards."
"I don't think most of us are gonna be able to ever reach scores like that..." Came a...disembodied...female...voice? Oh, that must've been the floating uniform Izuku spotted! He glanced around and caught the similarly floating gym uniform. The blood-red eyed man swiveled his gaze towards the presumably invisible woman with a directness that projected the confidence the man was looking her in the eye.
"So you might think now, Hagakure-san, but I think there's a vital piece of evidence you're missing." He drifted his gaze to capture the whole class within it. "Can any of you tell me what Nagant's Quirk is?" Most of the class remained quiet, and Izuku readied himself to swallow his nerves and speak up when someone beat him to it.
"Her Quirk's a fucking gun." Kacchan grunted. "Pops out of her right elbow. Her hair turns into her bullets."
"A bit of a simplified explanation, but correct nonetheless. As you can see, it does nothing to directly enhance her speed. And yet, she utilized it in a way to clear this event in nearly a third the time of someone whose Quirk was solely related to speed."
"Don't bullshit them like that." The assistant snapped as she returned to her place next to the brunet. "Kid had to start from zero, and didn't have enough room to shift it into full. If he was able to hit his max, he would have beaten my time." But to everyone's surprise, the teacher simply wagged his finger in the air.
"I didn't say you utilized it in a way to be faster than dear Iida-san. I explained you utilized it in a way to clear the event quicker than him. Context and circumstances are always important. I apologize to you all for dumping so many lessons upon you so quickly, but you don't necessarily have to be better than your enemy to be victorious." He cast his eyes out once more to the group of teens. "For example, let's say that, instead of this being a simple test of speed, this was a situation where Nagant and Iida-san were against each other. Let's pretend that they each were poisoned, and at the end of that track, there sat a single dose of the antidote. In this pretend situation, Nagant would have been the one to claim to the cure, despite Iida being, as she explained herself, faster in the right conditions." The current bearer of One for All, in addition to what he was sure was most of the class, stared in awe.
"In the profession of Heroism, you will obviously encounter those willing to use their own Quirks against you. As you all are aware, there are as many different types of Quirks as there are people. Aoyama-san could encounter someone that fires more powerful beams than he produces. Iida could encounter someone faster than himself. Endeavor, someone resistant or even immune to fire. So on and so forth. However, Aoyama could use his laser to knock something into his opponent. Iida could trick his opponent into some sort of trap. Nagant just took advantage of the recoil of her Quirk to fire herself across the track. You don't have to be faster, stronger, tougher, so on. You just have to have a better understanding of your own capabilities."
"...Grand-sensei, you're so cool!" Uraraka amazed. The man let out a short laugh, a smile upon his face.
"Thank you for the compliment, but I believe that if we stall any more, Class 1-B will be waiting on us by the end of this. Uraraka Ochako, Ojiro Mashairo, on the track!" The group quickly got in order as Uraraka and the tailed boy jumped to attention before rushing to the starting blocks. There was a pleasant tension in the air as the class as a whole began trying to come up with ways to use their Quirks they hadn't thought of before. Izuku spotted Uraraka tap all of her clothes and her shoes, the ends of her clothes and the laces of her shoes starting to drift slightly. In the end, he didn't think it made much of a difference on her time. In the next race, the redheaded Kirishima took off his socks and shoes, hardening his feet and making the ends of his toes pointed to better his traction. Once more, however, Izuku didn't think the boy noticed any difference between how he normally ran and that. The large Kota and Sato seemingly made no attempt at all to use their Quirks for the test, and the same went for the multi-armed Shoji and the odd eared Jiro. There finally was a Quirk displayed in the test between the endlessly grinning Sero and the bird-headed Tokoyami, and boy was it an incredible one. A sentient Quirk prompted so many questions, though Izuku most certainly was going to wait to ask them, from the nausea that manifested upon Tokoyami's face from attempting to ride the shadow creature. He got an amazing 4.86 seconds, however! Though the stoic and silent Todoroki(the son of Endeavor, how cool!) deigned to simply run like the invisible Hagakure. The dual-haired boy's 4.98 seconds was still something to awe over. Then, unfortunately...
"Bakugo Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, get ready!" The verdet stepped over to the track, the blonde unerringly silent as he took his position next to him. "Before we start, do you want to use your Quirk, Midoriya-san?" He thought it over. Well, that wasn't quite correct. He had been thinking it over since Grand-sensei announced that he would help him with the test. He had just completed ten months of the most grueling training he had ever heard of. He wanted to see how much he improved on his own.
"Not for this test, Grand-sensei!" There was a deep snarl from where Kacchan waited for the signal to start. Actually, no there wasn't. Kacchan wasn't making some of the most dangerous noises he had ever heard his childhood friend make. Absolutely not.
Oh god what did he do. He had never make Kacchan that mad before what did he do. All he said was that he didn't want to use his Quirk for this test what did he do.
"Begin!" It was only due to his years of experience with the crimson-eyed boy's explosions that allowed him to hear their teacher finish speaking through Kacchan's hands erupting. Izuku came close to being knocked off his feet as the talented boy rocketed forward, but he caught his footing and began running as hard as he could. He tried to emulate Asui, understanding he would never be faster than the explosive blonde and just focusing on his own time. The machine beeped next to him before he realized it, and looked towards the teacher to wait for his time.
"Bakugo Katsuki, 3.98 Seconds! Midoriya Izuku, 6.65 seconds!" That, was almost a full second faster! "Great displays from both of you!"
Second Event: Grip Strength
With the students all resolved to explore new avenues and try their hardest, the test progressed much faster. For the grip strength, the clear winner was Shoji, who managed to get three of his six arms to grip the tester all together and combine into an insane 540KG. The 'true' winner was the elegant Yaoyorozu, but it appeared to be the consensus that creating a Jaws of Life and crushing the tester under its unrelenting force did not count. Ojiro was able to wiggle the end of his tail onto the handle and more or less fumbled into 217KG. Lady Nagant apparently frightened the grape-haired Mineta and easy-going Kaminari, and stunned the rest of the students, with her ludicrous 1,382KG. His own 56KG felt wrong, but he would work at it. For some reason, however, there was something that stuck in Izuku's mind more than anything else throughout the event. After she performed her own round, Lady Nagant, seemingly finding the situation unfair, challenged their teacher to try his hand at the Apprehension Test. And his response?
"This is a class full of those preparing to become heroes, and you are a professional yourself. I'm just a teacher, it wouldn't be fair if I tried."
Third Event: Standing Long Jump
Aoyama-Izuku felt proud of this pun-shined in this event, launching himself thirty-seven meters. Asui also did not disappoint, rocking on her feet slightly before launching herself, achieving an incredible 14 meters. Uraraka managed to float herself a little, reaching just under 4 meters. Yaoyorozu produced a pogo stick and achieved a little over 6. Kacchan appeared to try his best to fly, getting thirty-four meters. Izuku was proud of his 2.7 meters. Lady Nagant more or less replicated Aoyama's strategy, only leagues better. In addition to cracking the cement something fierce, she landed 79 meters away.
Fourth Event: Consecutive Side-Steps
This wasn't an event where almost anyone's Quirk could be applied, and so the scores were far more reasonable. Kacchan and Mineta certainly found a way, though. The explosive blonde appeared to be a little light-headed afterward, but he successfully got a score of 64. The grape-haired boy placed removed two of the balls in his hair, placed one at each line, and bounced between them like a pin ball for a quite frankly concerning 194. The crimson-eyed boy was steaming mad until the height-challenged teen dropped to his knees and hurled. Lady Nagant continued to impress with 62, which brightened up Kacchan.
Fifth Event: SoftBall Throw
Uraraka was the one deemed to be the disregarded score this round, even by Kacchan. Not even he could challenge infinity. Surprisingly, very few had Quirks that were compatible with a ball throw. Sato appeared to take a bite out of something, then he threw an incredible 335 meters. Dark Shadow tossed 113 meters. Todoroki flaunted an ice Quirk that launched the ball 126 meters. Yaoyorozu dropped jaws by pulling a full-size cannon out of her stomach and blasting it 1.2 kilometers. Lady Nagant, to the shock of all the students save Kacchan and Izuku, who were already aware of her abilities, rendered that moot with 3.7 kilometers. And Izuku himself? Well, at this point, he realized he wouldn't be satisfied if he didn't try to use All Might's Quirk at least once. And if he recalled correctly, the remaining tests wouldn't be anything he could use his Quirk for.
"Grand-sensei? I'm going to use my Quirk for this test."
"Ah, trying to keep its use to a minimum until you get a handle on it? Good thinking. Nagant, do you mind taking the tablet while I assist Midoriya-san?" The man asked while holding out the device.
"That's not a question, and don't act like it is." The woman grumbled while pulling the item from his grip. The man waved off the comment as he came up to kneel down next to the verdet.
"Alright, Midoriya-san, first, how about you tell me what you would have tried without my input?"
"I would have channeled my Quirk into my arm like how I did in the Entrance Exam and thrown the ball." He answered promptly. "As much as I've been trying in the past month, I haven't been able to regulate how much power I put into it." The teacher hummed thoughtfully at his words.
"And how have you been attempting to regulate it?" A touch of embarrassment traveled through his body, remembering All Might's response to his explanation. But he shook his head to toss away the feeling. Grand-sensei said he didn't want Izuku to be treated like he was at Aldera.
"I...I visualize an egg in a microwave. Al-The trainer that helped me prepare for the exam told me to try to lower the power and decrease the time." A look fell upon the brunet's face that the freckled boy couldn't decipher.
"Lowering the wattage certainly would be useful for such a visualization, but decreasing the time in this instance indirectly causes you to visualize the power leaving your body. I take it that in your mind, the egg is your body and the microwave is your Quirk?" He nodded in confirmation. "Then it needs to be said that you're going about this wrong. You're almost perceiving your Quirk as a weapon pointed at yourself, trying to minimize the damage done rather than using it as it's supposed to be. Now, before you go blaming yourself, you couldn't possibly be at fault for such a perception. The only time you've used your Quirk, it shattered your bones. As far as your subconscious brain understands, such catastrophic damage is the only result of using your power. With a visualization focused around not hurting your body when your brain thinks that's the only possibility, that makes using it in any non-life-threatening situation difficult. So let's try to change that perception." He liked this teacher. "Can you feel your power? Or at least recall what it felt like when you used it?" Izuku closed his eyes and tried to call upon One For All. It took a moment, like he was searching in a box he couldn't see inside of. Then, just like last time, it erupted as soon as he touched it. His entire body locked up, it felt like a thousand kilograms was suddenly shoved into his body and trying to make room for itself, his skin, muscles, and bones threatening to explode. Before he could focus on the pressure for long, though, a hand came up to the side of his head and gently tilted it towards Grand-sensei's face.
"Look me in the eyes, Midoriya-san. Focus on me, let the power go." The man's words were the calm of the storm raging underneath his skin. The hand on his head helped pull him away from the flood of power. He gasped as soon as the pressure slinked back into whatever depths it hid inside of. "Good Job. Only the second time using it and you can summon and release it nearly at will. I'm certain that none of your classmates could boast such a feat." The freckled teen felt a shaky smile crawl onto his face at the concept. "Are you stable enough to continue?" The inheritor nodded.
"Yes, I am." A supportive clap of the shoulder from the man kneeling before him.
"Ambition is a good trait for a hero, but there is no shame in taking your time. No one will think less of you if you want a moment to breathe. You are certain you can continue?" His body did not shake anymore.
"I am."
"Understood. Then, now that you have called upon your power, what did it feel like?" With it so fresh in his mind, he didn't need to think about it.
"A pressure, like something was inside of my skin, bones, and muscles and trying to make room for itself."
"I see." The teacher took a moment to look to the side in thought. "Would you say it filled your body, or all of it appeared all at once?" That caused him to think it over.
"It...filled. Like...it was a...waterfall, or a giant jug of water." The blood-red eyed man smiled.
"Water. What a perfect focusing point for visualizing power." He flushed, definitely not used to any form of praise yet. "Alright. So we're going to visualize your Quirk as a body of water?" Before his mind could catch up with him, his head shook on its own. The kneeling teacher tilted his head and lifted an eyebrow to prompt him to speak his mind.
"A flood." Tumbled out of his mouth. Before he could wallow in his panic for speaking against a teacher, the brunet's face filled with understanding.
"A much better example for someone learning how to use their power. Something seemingly overwhelming." The supportive hand on his shoulder went firm, encouraging and sure. "But, something we shall learn to tame together." Izuku couldn't help but smile. "Now that we have an image in our minds for what your power is like, what happened when you called upon that flood? When you felt that pressure?" The wielder of One For All took a moment to think it over with the picture of a flood in his head.
"As soon as I reached for my power, it all came at me at once. The pressure was from too much water."
"Exactly. Which means our goal is to find some way to control how much water you take in. How do we manipulate the flow of water?" Without meaning to, Izuku's right hand came up to his mouth, his left supporting his elbow. But Grand-sensei appeared to pay it no mind, his eyes unmoving from the green-haired boy's own. If they were visualizing One For All as a flood of water, and it wasn't constantly sloshing around his body, then it must be kept somewhere deeper within him, which meant it had to be inside of its own separate space. When he used his Quirk, he was drawing it from that separate space into his body. As it stood, it was most like a gaping hole in the wall covered in tape that Izuku ripped off when he used the power. Then he needed to replace the tape with something he could adjust, to keep track of the flow. Something like...a faucet?"
"Very good deduction." He did not mean to say that out loud! Did he say One For All out loud?! Did he already spill the secret?! "If you're concerned about how much you said, you started with 'separate space into my body'." That was a relief.
...Wait, was Grand-sensei not going to admonish him for muttering?
"At this moment, stifling your thinking process would not prove helpful. Muttering certainly would harm you once you become a professional, but we have ample time to work on that, and thus it is not a priority." His fear must've shown on his face. Or he was still muttering. "Focus now, we've figured out that we need to replace that tape with a faucet." He shook his thoughts back into place and met the man's gaze with determination.
"Right!" He closed his eyes and imagined a faucet in place of the tape, replicating the ones he had seen outside of some buildings.
"Once you have the image in your mind, slowly turn the knob. As slow as you can, by the millimeter." He complied, focusing on nothing more than twisting the valve. A few moments after he started, he felt the trickle of power inside of him, and to his excitement, the flow felt as thin as wire.
"I've got it!" He cheered.
"Fantastic! Make sure you don't let go of the image of that faucet. Keep a tight hold on how much you're letting out." The man praised, making the boy feel warm and giddy. "Would you be able to tell me about how much you're letting through?" He thought for a moment, feeling out the wire and comparing it to the enormous pressure.
"Maybe...1%?"
"Alright. Do you want to try as you are or do you think you can do a little more?"
"I want to try a little more." There was another chuckle.
"Like I said, ambitous. You can try a little more, but talk me through it. Tell me how it feels as you turn the knob, how much control you feel you have over it." Izuku nodded, still keeping his eyes closed as he began to inch the valve a little more.
"Ok, I'm getting it around 2% now. There's not much of a difference between that and 1%, it feels easy to keep a hold of. 3%, it's a bit more noticeable than before. It was like a wire, now, I'd say, a thin cord? 4%..." He licked his lips. "4% feels more like I'm wrapped in an extra layer of clothes instead of a cord inside my body."
"Let's hold it there, then. We want to make sure you keep your control. Do you feel you can do the test?"
"Yes!" The ball was placed in his hand and he opened his eyes. The red-eyed man shifted back so that he was at the edge of the throwing circle. Out of Izuku's way, but close enough to do something if need be. The inheritor managed his breathing as he got into what he felt was a good stance, and grit his teeth as he threw the item in his hand. It left his hold, and not an ache was to be found throughout his body. The object soared through the air, easily surpassing the distance from his middle school ball throw. A beep sounded from the tablet in Lady Nagant's hands, and she promptly held it out for Izuku and Grand-sensei to see.
244 Meters. Izuku felt ready to cry. Wait. No. He was crying. A laugh danced out from the teacher's throat as he furiously wiped at his eyes. Before he realized it, an arm wrapped around his back and his face was tucked into the brunet's shoulder.
"Congratulations, Midoriya-san." The man's voice had already switched to soothing, proudness toeing just beneath. "You've got your foundation down." He moved to nod into the man's shoulder, only for an angry shout to cause him to seize. Just like he knew always did, an explosion followed the shout, as the scream rocketed closer.
"DEKUUUU!" His body tried to curl in on itself and protect his vital spots, panic and terror spearing through his body when his teacher's form prevented that. His long-trained awareness of Kacchan's Quirk allowed him to tense right before the boy would reach his destination...only for everything to go silent. He remained still, waiting in terrible anxiety for the explosion to rock his body, for two, three, four seconds. Only after he counted to five did he risk opening his eyes. The moment he did, those same eyes flung open in shock.
Kacchan stood there, terribly, terribly still. The only part of him that so much as twitched was his chest as he breathed, his eyes as wide as Izuku's own. HIs hands smoked from the explosions already released, but there was no crackle to indicate he was preparing for more. He looked like he did at the end of the 50-Meter Dash, his feet spread to catch his momentum, his hands splayed behind him, and his back hunched to reduce his drag. His face was stuck in the image of shock. Far behind him, the rest of the students stared with baited breath and confusion, and off to the side, Izuku could see Lady Nagant had extended the barrel of her Rifle, pointed directly at the blonde.
"Bakugo." Something was in the words of the homeroom teacher. It drove a colder pike through Izuku's spine than anything his childhood friend had done. It raised every hair on his body, and caused every fiber of muscle to lock in place. It caused the back of his throat to chill like it was freezing from the inside out, dry his mouth like he tried to swallow a flame. It prowled through the syllables of the explosive boy's name like an animal readying for the kill. It slinked in between the letters like a rope tying itself into a noose. "Tell me why you so clearly made to attack Midoriya-san just now, while referring to him by a name that is indicative of being 'Useless'." The supportive kindness that earlier made up the tall man's words might as well have never existed. When he glimpsed upon the man's face, for the first time, he truly felt as though the man's eyes were made of spilled blood.
Kacchan's mouth stuttered open like he hadn't been expecting it to. He worked his jaw, his blissfully crimson orbs stuck upon the cold puddles of lost life that were Grand-sensei's. There were several long, dreadful seconds that went by like eons, before sounds crept from the teen's throat.
"He...he's been lying to me." Gone were the great blazes of rage that made up the most of the boy's personality. Gone was the throne of shining golden pride he sat upon. Gone was any inflection of emotion in the child's tone. "He's told me his whole life he didn't have a Quirk. He...he had to have been lying to me."
"You did not answer why you called him 'Deku'." The noose now hung around the crimson-eyed boy's neck, tightening. Tightening. The boy's form was as still as stone, the only indication of life being the continuing slow, careful rise and fall of his lungs.
"When he lied, when he said he was Quirkless. When we were young, I misread the kanji for his name. Deku, instead of Izuku. It fit for someone with no Quirk, with no use." His voice was quiet, barely louder than silence. But not louder than the silence that followed. Kacchan waited, his eyes without a dot of light. Lady Nagant stood, the barrel of her gun unwavering from its position. The class stared, still as though the slightest action would mean the end of a life.
"Considering I just showed Izuku the basics on controlling his Quirk, and that he finished the Entrance Exam with most of his body in fragments, I'm confident that he did not lie to you in his belief of lacking a Quirk." The voice of their teacher sat upon the necks of everyone that heard it like the edge of a guillotine. "The name you refer to him by will be discussed later. Nagant." He did not raise his voice the slightest bit, yet it felt like the sound must have echoed across the school. The heroine visibly tensed. "If this occurs again, incapacitate."
The word was spoken like it meant 'kill'.
The rest of the test went by without a single other word spoken between the students. Class 1-B, led by Vlad King, walked onto the field and stood to the side while they all finished the Endurance Run. There appeared to be an unspoken understanding that no one in 1-A was in the mood to talk. Izuku wasn't certain anyone in his class took a look at their overall rankings as they all went to get changed. The group of boys entered the locker room, quiet as mice. As though tied to each other, they all sat on the benches in unison. If anyone breathed, the freckled boy certainly couldn't hear it. They all changed into their school clothes, not a rustle of fabric echoing through the room. They left the building, not one of their footsteps bouncing off the halls. The girls joined with them, and the class as a whole entered the classroom, the wooden door sliding open mutely. Everyone gathered their things, and left with none of them able to hear anything other than the deafening weight of silence.