My Mistborn Academia
By ReaderWarrior
I do not own Mistborn or MHA.
Q.A.T
Beta'd by: Stormgate
As always, please comment! It honestly makes my day to read your thoughts and opinions.
Tell your friends!
Reviews:
DragonRider314 - Thank you for the kind words, I'll try to always be upfront with my readers.
Scoolio - As thankful as I am you would wait that long, I don't want that to happen. I wouldn't leave a story unupdated for multiple years without a warning.
Yohanl2001 - I'm glad you enjoyed the progression of the plot at least. I still haven't decided if Vin x Midoriya will happen as I am such a sucker for Midoriya x Urakara.
One week later, and Vin was no closer to finding anything about the Quirk One for All. After the events of the placement exam, Vin spent most of her time researching the library for any records of it. The librarian, a Pro-Hero by the name of Fictario, quickly became a close colleague. His Quirk, Bookshelf, allowed him to store a limited amount of books in his chest, memorizing them completely. But, 7 days later, neither of them found anything relating to the words Midoriya spoke to her.
But today was the first day 'school', and Vin had to get ready. The uniform they were forcing her to wear was uncomfortable and too revealing. There was nowhere to hide any of her knives within the accursed sailor-like uniform. And the skirt… Vin couldn't believe she was starting to miss the ball gowns she used to wear in the Final Empire, but this strip of cloth was almost enough to make her sew her own.
Why couldn't they just give me a pair of trousers? Vin grumbled as she tossed on the blazer, which Vin knew Aizawa had sized to prevent her from hiding any weapons inside of it. Sighing, she takes a look at herself in the mirror. Although the fabric and design was alien to her, there was no denying the skill and ability of the designer. Even if it was tight enough to compare it to a lengthy corset.
"Classes will be starting momentarily," the booming voice box declared. When Vin first heard its proclamations, she thought the voice of a heavenly being was speaking to her and proceeded to try and stab the ceiling. It wasn't until Nezu showed her the 'P.A' system controls. that she realized what occurred. "All staff members please prepare for class. Aizawa and Vin, please head to classroom 1-A."
With a resounding 'click' as the system shut off, Vin took one last look in the mirror. This is it, she thought. My new life as a hero… I hope I can do it right this time. She quickly turns back around and grabs her bag, the contents having been chosen by Nezu for her to use during her classes. Gripping it tightly, she steps out the door and starts to head towards her homeroom.
"What are you doing here?" A voice asks as Vin steps inside of the room marked with a large 1-A. Vin flinches slightly, regretting the fact she wasn't able to burn tin in this bright and loud world. She looks across the room and studies the obvious student. Standing at attention, almost like a board, is a dark haired boy with rectangular glasses. With a sharp face, and sharper eyes, he jerks his arm up and down while addressing her. He's wearing the same school uniform she is, albeit for a male.
"I asked you a question," he exclaims with another chop motion, " what are you doing here?"
Vin glares at him, "Class. Why are you here?"
His eyebrows shoot up as his arm descends downward. "Oh. I did not think there would be another student arriving so early. My apologies. My name is Tenya Iida." The robotic-like man jerks his arm outwards and steps forward. "I'll be your classmate. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Casting a quick glance at his hand, or more so, his sleeve and what could be seen inside of it, Vin gives a small curtsy and nod. "Vin Venture." Maybe this won't be so bad, she thinks.
A loud bang interrupts her thoughts as the door slams open. Stepping inside, with his bag over his shoulder, Bakugou barges forward with a dark smirk, which quickly fades as he notices Vin. "You!" He growls, tossing his bag across the room. "I was hoping I'd get to see you again."
Maybe not.
Vin frowns and glares at the threatening student, mentally flaming the metals she swallowed earlier. Cursing silently, her fingers twitch towards her waist where her knives used to be holstered. I swear, Aizawa. If I don't get a weapon soon, I'll make it out of your blanket-sack.
Bakugou raises his hands, palms upwards, and snarls. "I need to pay you back for what you did to me last time, Quirkless-lover." With a loud snap, crackle, and pop, his hands begin to spark and smoke.
Inside her mind, the bronze pulsations alerting her to anyone using a Quirk or Allomancy begin to ring in her head. Vin quickly walks over to one of the seats closest to the glass window, almost entirely in the back, and sets her bag down. "You're not worth it," she comments as she pulls out her pencil case, pulling out one of the sharper-tipped cylinders and palming it.
"The fuck you say to me you little shit!?" Bakugou yells, stepping forward, his hands making louder booms. Vin spins around quickly, raising her 'knife', but before she could attack, Iida steps between them and crosses his arms.
"Excuse me!" He begins, "but that is not the way a student of UA Academy should act towards their fellow classmates!"
"Outta my way, four-eyes," Bakugou snarls. "Me and her have business!"
Iida shakes his head back and forth rapidly. "I cannot allow that! As your classmate, I will not condone such violent actions in the classroom." As he berates the spiky-haired teen, Vin cannot help but question Iida's motives.
Does he expect me to repay him? To say thank you for protecting me? Vin wonders with a frown, carefully spinning the plastic pencil in her hand. No, he's just being kind, isn't he? The young Mistborn's hand spasms for a moment, causing her to drop the utensil.
"Pfft," Bakugou smirks as he sees the pen fall to the ground then lowers his hands. "Can't even hold onto a pencil. Weak." The violent teen shoves his hands into his pockets and twirls around, picking up his bag. He turns around again, pushing past Iida and Vin, and plops into one of the seats next to the window.
Iida turns to berate Bakugou as he kicks his feet up onto the desk, only to pause at the look on Vin's face.
"Are you okay?" He asks.
Vin shakes her head and picks up the pencil. "Yes… thank you." She glares at Bakugou as she walks to her own seat, two desks behind him. It took more self-control than she'd thought to keep herself from Pushing a coin at him.
It wasn't until half an hour later that Vin would get to see a familiar face, er, shape. Within the last few minutes, more and more students began arriving. Some were lost, looking for other rooms, while others sat down and started to aimlessly talk amongst themselves. Vin couldn't help but stare at each new member of her class, amazed and surprised by the different looks of her fellow students. First there was the tailed-boy, then the pink girl, and even a rock-like creature.
Not to mention the multi-armed giant who sat near the front.
This place just keeps getting stranger and stranger, Vin thought to herself.
"Hey, Vin!" A voice called out behind her, "you're in class 1-A too!?"
Vin flinched, and almost jumped out of her seat, cursing the difficulty of using tin in this bright, new world. Footsteps click against the ground as Hagakure walks over to Vin.
With a squeal of delight, she launches herself into a hug around the young Mistborn. "Thank you!"
Freezing at the other girl's touch, Vin's mind panics and she flares pewter. With a quick flex, she snaps the invisible girl's arms off of her and scoots backwards into the wall. The loud scuffle causes the classroom to go silent and everyone turns to face them.
"Vin?" Hagakure asks. "What's wrong?"
Panting in panic, Vin takes a deep breath. "Nothing. You... startled me." She squints at the girl, trying to see her better. "You got in… Congratulations."
Hagakure smiles, at least Vin thinks she does. "Yeah! Apparently helping you got me the Hero points I needed to get accepted."
The other classmates, realizing nothing exciting was going to happen, return to their normal conversations. Now, almost the entire classroom has filled up, albeit a couple seats remain empty.
"Oh," another voice exclaims, "is that why you wanted to talk to Principal Nezu?" Vin turns to the side and is surprised to see the face of the pink-cheeked girl from after the exam.
Her name was… Vin thinks to herself for a moment, Urakara.
Hagakure's boy turns to the new girl, "Principle Nezu?"
Urakara nods, "she went to talk with him after the exam. I ran into her afterwards when I was going to ask about the green-haired boy. He saved me, so I wanted to give him some of my points." She smiles at Vin, "I guess we thought alike."
Vin frowns. Perceptive, she thinks before nodding, earning another squeal from the invisible teen.
"Oh my gosh, you didn't have to! But thank you!" Hagakure exclaims, lifting her arms for another hug, only for Vin to glare at her. With a slight pout in her voice, she thanks the Mistborn again before walking to one of the few remaining seats.
"You could be nice," Urakara comments. "She was just trying to say thanks."
Vin shrugs. "Doesn't matter. I wasn't able to give her any points, anyways. She got in on her own merit." She turns to look at the brunette, "why were you trying to give Midoriya yours?"
The bubbly girl shuffles her feet slightly. "Well, I heard he didn't get a single Villian point. But he defeated the 4th villain in a single punch, saving me from it."
"He did what?" Vin exclaimed.
Urakara nods, "I know, right? I was surprised too!"
"You didn't know?" A new voice adds, this time coming from an unrecognizable source. The pink girl who entered early, leaned against the desk next to Vin and pulled out her phone. "The video went viral on the UA site!" She holds her phone out sideways for Vin to see.
On the screen, the large, metal-giant is shown to be knocked backward, a small green dot near it's head. As the camera zooms, it shows the faux-villain not only being destroyed, but its head also completely shattering. And in place of the dot was a limp Midoriya, falling towards the ground.
His body really can't stand the power. That's why he was so badly wounded afterwards, Vin realizes.
"I'm Mina, by the way. Mina Ashido." The girl greets, putting the phone back in her pocket. "I couldn't help but listen to your conversation. I can't believe I get to have class with the hero-boy from the exam!"
As if on cue, the door opens once more for Midoriya to step inside. Vin looks up and stares at him as he is greeted by Iida, trying to mentally unravel the mystery of his Quirk. While she does, Urakara excuses herself and moves to talk with the green-haired boy.
One for All… That implies a single Quirk for many people. Have there been other users before All Might to possess this Quirk? How many? For how long? Is there a limit? And why did All Might pass it along now? Is he-
Vin pauses, realizing Aizawa had somehow snuck up to the door. The sleepy-eyed Pro-Hero slurps from a pouch and straw while still inside of his sleeping-slack. Realizing he's been noticed by multiple students, not just Vin, the man slowly rises and slips out of his bag.
"If you're gonna to go hunting for buddies, do it elsewhere," he comments as he passes the standing bodies of Midoriya, Iida, and Urakara.
"Who is that?" Mina whispers.
Without taking her gaze off of the Pro-Hero, she answers, "Aizawa."
Placing a finger on her chin, the pink-skinned girl pauses and thinks for a moment. "I've never heard of him." Mina, along with the other students, quiet themselves as Aizawa heads to the front of the classroom.
"This is the department of heroics," he begins," and it took you lot eight seconds to quiet down. I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. A pleasure meeting you." Reaching into his bag, he pulls out a different set of clothes. These are blue with bold, white UA letters written on them. "Wear these immediately and then shove off to the P.E grounds."
Without any more directions, he turns and begins to slink back towards the door.
"Sir!" Iida calls out with a chop of his hand. "Are we not going to do self introductions?"
"We'll do that outside," Aizawa grumbles. "Now, all of you. Out!"
One by one, each student walked past the grumpy man and out the door, taking one of the gym-uniforms with them from Aizawa's hand and heading to the changing rooms.
Aizawa fidgets slightly with his capture tool. It wasn't always the comfiest thing to wear in the blazing summer sun. At least it's better than listening to Hizashi's opening speech. Sadly, the silence he was barely getting to enjoy was shattered as his students finally finished changing.
Iida was the first to step out, quickly taking charge of the situation, leading his classmates towards Aizawa.
"Line up!" Iida commands as the last 1-A's students step outside, corralling them like sheep.
Bakugou, with his hands shoved into his pockets, snarls. "What makes you think you're in charge, four-eyes?"
Violent, Aizawa lists, gathering small tidbits of information on the students based upon their actions.
"I just want us to be prepared for whatever our teacher may wish us to do," Iida answers.
Leader.
"Um sir?" One of the students, Urakara, interrupts his thinking. "Are we not going to the opening ceremony? Or the guidance counselor meeting?"
Aizawa stares at the girl, "no. If you want to be heroes, we don't have time for frilly niceties." He looks up at the rest of the students. "You all understand the school's reputation for freedom on campus. Well, that 'freedom' goes for us teachers too."
"But wouldn't it be okay if we introduced ourselves and our quirks?" another asks, Momo Yaoyorozu. "So we at least know something about each other?"
Groaning, he rubs his eyes. "Fine," Aizawa says. "Go on, hurry up. Let's do it by seat number.
With a sparkle, seat number one spins in place. "Ha, ha! I am Yuuga Aoyama! And with my Quirk, Naval Laser, I shall prove I am numéro un !"
"Mina Ashido!" number two greets with a wave. "My Quirk is Acid. I can't wait to get to know everyone!"
"Tsuyu Asui, my Quirk is Frog, ribbit," the green-haired girl greets.
A couple of students turn to face each other, "did she just say 'ribbit'?"
"Tenya Iida!" He interrupts, cutting off the chit-chatter of his classmates. "I have the Quirk Engine. I hope to use it to the best of my abilities and become a Pro-Hero!"
"Me too!" the next in line greets with a large smile. "My Quirk is Anti-Gravity and my name is Ochako Uraraka."
Checking his watch, Aizawa gives a loud yawn. "Hurry it up.
"Mashirao Ojiro, Tail."
"Denki Kaminari, Electrification!"
"Eijiro Kirishima and my manly Quirk is Hardening!"
"Koji… Koda… um, my Quirk is… Animal Voice.
"Rikido Sato, Sugar Rush!"
"Dupli-Arms. And I am Mezo Shoji."
"My name is Jyoka Jiro. I use Earphone Jack as my Quirk."
"Hanta Sero! Tape!" He emphasizes this with a quick spurt of tape from his elbows, earning a few laughs from some of his classmates.
"Focus!" Aizawa yells.
"Sorry sir," Sero mumbles, dropping his arms to his side but gets a small pat on the back from Kaminari.
"Fumikage Tokoyami… And my Quirk is my partner, Dark Shadow."
"Shoto Todoroki. Half-Cold, Half-Hot."
"Oh, my name is Toru Hakaure and I have Invisibility!"
"I'm Katsuki Bakugou you worms," the violent teen snarls. "Explosion is my Quirk and if you get in my way, you'll get an up-close view of it."
"I-I-I-Izuku M-M-Midoriya," the next student answers with a harsh stutter, this one already well known to the Pro-Hero. "My Q-Q-Q-Q-Quirk is S-S-S-S-Superp-p-p-power."
Aizawa frowns, stuttery little kid, huh?
"Vin Venture. Allomancy.
"My name is Momo Yaoyorozu and my Quirk is Creation. I hope to learn a lot with everyone."
With the last student's introductions, Aizawa grabs one of the testing balls from a basket. He looks at his students and activates the device with a twist. "In junior high, you were not allowed to use your Quirks for certain activities. The softball pitch, standing long jump, 50-meter dash, endurance running, grip strength test, sustained sideways jump, upper body exercises, and seated toe-touches are all tested without the use of your Quirk.
"However, today we shall be having a Quirk Apprehension Test to actually test the limits of your abilities." Aizawa turns to Bakugou and tosses him the ball. He catches it easily with one hand and glares at it. "In junior high, what was your best result on the softball throw?"
"67 meters," Bakugou answers after a short pause.
Aizawa nods and points to a chalk circle. "Step inside that circle and try it again with your Quirk. You can do anything you want, just don't cross the line. Give it all you got."
Nodding, Bakugou pulls his arm across his chest and stretches it for a moment as he walks inside the circle. "You got it." Lifting his arm behind him and taking a small step forward, Bakugou launches the ball forward, boosting it like a rocket with his Quirk.
"DIE!" The violent teen yells as a shockwave booms around them, the ball soaring higher and higher into the blue sky.
"Know your maximum capabilities before anything," Aizawa explains as the ball begins its descent. He turns around and holds up a tablet from his pocket, checks it, then shows it to his students. "This is the best way to find the baseline of your foundation."
The screen reads 705.2 meters (2,314 feet).
"Whoa!" Came a loud chorus from the students.
Kaminari's eye twitches slightly, "750 meters? Seriously?"
Even Vin seems a bit wide-eyed at the display of power.
"Wow!" Ashido exclaims, clapping her hands together. "That looks fun!"
Fun?
Sero pumps his arms energetically. "So we can use our Quirks as much as we want? As expected of the hero course!"
"Fun? This seems fun?"
The cheering begins to die down as they notice the dark shadow cross over Aizawa's eyes.
"You have three years to become a hero," he explains. "Will you have that kind of attitude this entire course?" Aizawa smiles cruelly, "then whoever comes in last on all eight tests will be expelled instantly and immediately. They will be judged and to have no potential and will be punished with expulsion."
"HUH?!"
Vin knew Aizawa was one for extremism. She spent the last few weeks living with his tests and tricks, each one crueler than the last. On her first day with him in training, he tried using his Quirk on her mid flight, only to find it didn't work. Even though there was a mat underneath, Vin didn't enjoy the thought of falling from such a height.
And now, he was doing it to her class. Even though she knew it would be highly unlikely Vin would be expelled, something inside of her urged the young Mistborn to play along with Aizawa's game.
Fine. If it gets me to see Midoriya's Quirk, I'll do your tricks.
"We are free to do what we want about the circumstances to our students." He slides a hand up his head and pulls his hair back, revealing an evil smile. "Welcome! To U.A's Hero course!"
"Will we really be expelled?" Urakara exclaims, her hands together as if she was praying Aizawa was lying. "It's the first day of school. And even if it wasn't, that's still too cruel!"
"Natural disasters, accidents, and villians," Aizawa lists. "Calamities which cannot be predicted. The world is covered in cruelty. We heroes are the ones tasked to reverse those situations and restore them to normalcy. So, if you wanted to go talk with your friends after school at Mickey D's, too bad.
"For the next three years, we teachers and staff at U.A will be doing all we can to create hardship after hardship for you. Go beyond - Plus Ultra - overcome it with all you got," Aizawa finishes with a wiggle of his finger.
One by one, each of her classmates begin to prepare themselves for the upcoming tests. Even Bakugou, with all his pride and selfishness, seems to steel himself. With a quick motion, Vin grabs a vial from her pocket. Inside are the metal shavings she needs for her Allomancy, her 'Quirk'.
Inside is the one last thing connecting her to Scadrial. To Elend.
And Vin wasn't going to let that flame die.
50 Meter Dash
Not every Quirk is useful for this test, Vin quickly realized. But the mastery and ingenuity of their users was something to be applauded. Iida and Tsuyu's Quirks both allowed them to go faster than the normal human body but, strangely enough, it was Yuuga that had the most creative approach. By using the force of his… Naval Laser, he was able to propel himself over a fairly long distance in just one second. However, he did fall down and had to restart from his new position.
"If I use it for longer than a second, I'll get a tummy-ache," he explained to no-one.
It was easy enough to guess what was an impressive running time and what was average. Urakara, who simply used Anti-Gravity on her clothes and shoes, reached a time of 7.15, while Bakugou was able to boost himself across in 4.13 seconds.
While almost knocking Midoriya to the ground.
Vin gripped her hands tightly as she watched his flames almost singe the green-haired boy. Even though she did not trust him, she felt a small connection to him. He did save her, even treating her kindly enough for them to enjoy the beginning of a meal.
He almost reminds me of… No. Vin shakes her head as Aizawa calls her name along with Kirishima's. The two step behind the starting line and fall into a crouch.
Checking behind her, Vin realizes there's no good anchor for a steel-push and the only thing in front of her is the machine measuring machine, which definitely doesn't qualify. I'll limit myself to pewter then.
"Go."
Both teens quickly dashed forward, but it was a slight surprise to see who was in the lead. From what the class had seen, Kirishima was a very muscular and well-sculpted man while Vin was a fairly small and thin girl. Yet, Vin crossed the line first with a speed of 4.24, just a millisecond behind Bakugou.
"5.1," the machine declared as Kirishima crossed it's beam, falling to the ground.
"Wow!" He declared, panting slightly. "That was manly! Your Quirk is amazing." The boy holds out a hand, a smile on his face.
Vin takes it and pulls him to his feet, a slight smirk on her own lips. Is everyone as nice as this? Midoriya, Ashido, Urakara, and Iida, they all seem kind. Is it an act, or who they actually are?
"Suckit, Deku!" Bakugou snarls as he jabs a finger into Midoriya's chest.
Then again…
Grip Strength Check
After being moved to the inside gym, Aizawa distributes another device to the students. This one was a small rectangular shape, with a hollow grip and a screen on its side. He quickly explained that it measures how strong you squeeze it, recording the highest on the screen.
Pewter again, Vin thought as Aizawa handed her the device. After moving over to her own corner, she flared the metal and squeezed it tightly. After a few seconds, the machine beeps and Vin looks down. 150.7 kilograms (330 Ibs).
Is that good? Vin wonders as she looks around. Most of the students without physical-strength enhancement related Quirks are in double digits. A few were close to her, but only one completely surpasses.
"Wow!" Sero calls out, looking at Shoji's screen. "540 kilograms!? (Approx. 1200 Ibs) What are you, a gorilla? No, you're more of an octopus!"
Lord Ruler, Vin swears, looking at the multi-armed giant. That's stronger than most koloss. The large blue beasts that were used as the Lord Ruler's personal army were averagely as tall as twelve feet and each wielded giant stone swords twice as tall. They were a dangerous threat, especially due to their violent nature and tendencies.
Watching Bakugou, she could almost see him as one, minus the blue skin.
Standing Long Jump
Once again, Vin was surprised to see the creativity the members of class 1-A used. While Aoyama and Bakugou stuck with their original strategies of propelling themselves across, other students used some very interesting skills as well.
Yaoyorozu rolled up her sleeves and placed her hands at her feet. Then, much to Vin's surprise, created a long metal bar from her arms to shoot herself across. Slightly disturbing as it was, Vin was enamored by the girl's Quirk.
Perhaps she would be willing to help me with my metals.
Thankfully, the padded stump marking the starting point was nailed into the ground. With a small leap into the air, Vin was able to Push off of them, launching herself across the field. As she descended, the Mistborn gave a quirk twirl before somersaulting into the ground. When she looked back, Vin was surprised to see the amazed faces of some of her classmates running up to her.
"That was amazing! How did you do that?" Hagakura asked, her uniform the only identifier she was actually taking part in the class.
"You were so graceful," Urakara added, eyes gleaming. "Like a dancer in the sky."
Vin blushes, not used to such praise from so many. "Thank you," she mumbles.
Repeated Side Steps
Nothing of note really occurred during this test. Vin resorted to using pewter once again. There wasn't much difference between her score and everyone else's.
If I had two anchors to each side of me, I could Push and Pull between them, Vin thought as the last couple students wrapped up their tests. Swallowing another vial, Vin quickly replenished her metals, specifically her bronze, which has been pulsing all day. With each student using their Quirk, Vin heard a resounding, but distinctive, beat. With the exception of mutant-types, like Iida or Hagakure, each time someone used their Quirk, Vin made a mental note to memorize their pattern.
Bakugou's, for instance, felt like a madman was banging on a door. The thunderous noise pulsing crazily in Vin's mind. On the other hand, Urakara's felt… weightless. Like the notes of a musician, flying and soaring.
But there was only one student left that Vin hadn't seen them use their Quirk at all. The student in last place, Midoriya.
Softball Throw
His face said it all, he knew this was his only chance. If he didn't pass this, he was out. He knew it and Vin did too. She watched as his brow furrowed lower with each student's toss. Sighing, Vin reached inside herself and stoked the brass she swallowed. With a careful touch, Vin began to Soothe some of his anxieties. While she was nowhere near as skilled as Breeze, her mentor in emotional Allomancy, she still felt confident in her abilities.
The reaction was immediate. His shoulders fell slightly and his posture loosened. It looked as if a lead cloak was cast off his back.
A weight Vin was all too comfortable with.
"Woah!" A few dozen voices interrupt, cutting Vin's concentration. Looking up, she sees everyone staring at the score of Uraraka's ball. A single symbol was shown on its sleek surface.
"That's amazing," Kaminan mutters. "She got infinity."
And just like that, Midoriya was panicking again.
"Midoriya, your turn," Aizawa ordered, tossing him a brand new ball. It fumbles in his shaking hands as he catches it. As he steps into the circle, Iida crosses his arms and frowns.
"This isn't good," he mutters, "if Midoriya continues like he has, he'll surely be expelled."
Bakugou turns to him with a snarl, "huh?! Of course he'll be. He's a Quirkless small fry!"
"Quirkless?" Iida exclaims, dropping his hands and turning to the explosive student. "Are you not aware of what he did in the entrance exam?"
Shaking his head, Bakugou laughs with a sneer. "What? Crawl into a ball and cry?"
Just as Iida was about to explain Midoriya's feat, the green-haired boy steps back and begins to pitch the ball. As he does, the bronze inside of Vin begins to react wildly. Instead of a single pulse, Midoriya's One For All feels like dozens, all pulsing the same tune. It sounded loud, yet welcoming. Like the sound of feet dancing in rhythm.
But halfway during his pitch, Vin hears the familiar pulse of Aizawa activating his own Quirk. Like the reversed echo of a pulse, his Quirk erases a user's ability to activate their own. And with it, the proud sound of Midoriya's snaps into silence.
With a great heave, he tosses the ball as hard as he can. Only for it to land a short distance away.
"46 meters (50 yards)," Aizawa declares.
"Hahahhahahahaha!" Bakugou laughs, pointing at the green haired boy. "Quirkless, Deku trash!"
"I don't get it," Midoriya mumbled, "I thought I activated it."
Vin turns to Aizawa and glares at him, already reaching for another vial of pewter. However the man holds up a single finger for her. Wait.
"I erased your Quirk," he explained, the hair on his face hovering slightly, as he grips his capture tool. With his Quirk activated, it begins to unfurl, revealing the goggles around his neck. "The entrance exam was not rational enough," he continues, "if it allows a kid like you to be accepted."
"You erased… Those goggles…" Midoriya gives a loud gasp. "You! You're the Erasing Hero, Eraserhead!"
"Eraserhead?" Jiro wonders, "I've never heard of him."
Ojiro nods, "I have. He's an underground hero."
"He's an overbearing prick," Vin mutters.
Ignoring Vin's comment, he walks up to Midoriya with his gaze still upon him. "From what I can tell, you cannot control your Quirk's power. Do you think every time you become incapacitated by it, someone will be there to save you?"
"No!" Midoriya exclaims. "T-t-t-that's not-"
Eraserhead cuts him off as he snares his capture tool around Midoriya. "Whatever your intentions are, I'm saying there will always be those who will be forced to help you. Even though there is a certain, passionate hero who saved over a thousand people by himself, even if you have his reckless vigor, you'll just continue to be a useless doll after saving one."
Hagakure nudges Vin, "but… you said saving one life is always enough."
"Not if it costs you your own. A sacrifice is only worth that of what is necessary," Vin answers.
"Izuku Midoriya," Eraserhead declares, "with that power of yours, you will never become a Pro-Hero." He closes his eyes with a sigh, his hair and capture tool falling limp. "You have one more chance. Get it over with."
Aizawa takes a step back and pulls out a small container of liquid as Midoriya stands in the chalk circle. As he squeezes some of the liquid into his eye, Vin steps forward and places a hand on his shoulder.
"I told you some of the bravest men I've known were Quirkless. But the man who taught me how to use my powers got his own at a very late age. He was the most powerful man I've ever known. A strong man from birth knows how to use his strength. But a weak man given power, they will know it's true worth."
The boy gulps and nods, "T-thank you." Vin turns back and walks back to where she was standing.
"What did you tell him?" Iida asks.
"To survive."
With a deep breath, Midoriya once again began to wind up for his pitch. He steps forward with his left foot as his right arm begins to swing upward. Midoriya's eyes, once filled with tears, are now steeled, focusing on his goal.
"Woah kid," a voice behind Vin mutters, "are you for real?"
Midoriya grits his teeth and lets out a loud yell as he pitches the ball. At the last moment, the absolute last second his finger brushes the ball, the same pulse of One For All fills Vin's ears.
He's waiting until the last moment to use the Quirk. By only using it on his finger, he's diminishing the amount of broken bones he'd lose in a fight. But why can't his body handle the power?
Before Vin could think upon it more, she was cut off by the sound of a loud boom.
"SMASH!" Midoriya yelled as the ball was sent hurtling through the air. The sky seemed to part around it as it flew, flying faster and further than any through she had seen since Bakugou's original demonstration. "Mr. Aizawa," he groaned, turning to face his teacher. "I can still move!" The green-haired boy clenches his fist, including the now purple-tinted finger he used to launch the ball.
The teacher smirks and looks down at his tablet. "It would seem," he begins, "we have a new record." Aizawa turns the device around and shows it to the class, revealing the score of 705.3.
0.1 meters more than Bakugou's score.
"WHOA!" The class yells, rushing forward and cheering Midoriya, each one of them giving some pat on the back to him. Except for Bakugou, Vin, and Shoto. While the last two just decided to remain standing, contemplating the amazing power output of Midoriya's throw, the former begins to growl and breathe heavily.
"Finally!" Urakara cheers, raising her arms, "a hero-like record!"
Iida nods and looks towards where the ball landed. "What a strange Quirk," he mumbles. "It broke his body in the entrance exam as well…"
"You… YOU! DEKUUUUU!" Bakugou interrupts. With a yell, he blasts forward, palms behind him, and charges at the green-haired boy. "What did you do, you Deku bastard!?"
Vin quickly snaps into action. Flaring pewter and dashing in front of him, she steels herself as the tunnel-visioned teen crashes into her. A quick bronze-check reveals to her Aizawa activating his Quirk, something she would definitely use to her advantage. Right as Bakugou's Quirk is erased, Vin swiftly kicks his legs out from beneath him in a spiral, then pulls him by the sleeve into the ground as she stands up.
With a sharp yell, Bakugou finds himself eating the dirt and Vin pinning him from behind. She pushes his arm downward as he begins to struggle, instantly ceasing all his movements as he feels his arm moved too deep into its socket. Within moments, Vin lets go as Eraserhead's capture tool is snared around Bakugou's legs.
"Ow! What the hell?!" He exclaims, his red eyes bulging in anger.
"It's a capture tool, made of a steel fiber and carbon nanofibers," the Pro-Hero explains as he pulls Bakugou towards him through the clay ground. The rest of class 1A freezes in shock as their teacher grumbles. "Stop making me use my Quirk so much… I've got dry-eye!" He side glances at Vin without completely taking his eyes off the squirming Bakugou, "and you… Don't do that again either."
Vin rolls her eyes and sighs. "Even if someone charges at my fr-... classmates?" What did I almost say? I've barely known these people for a few weeks.
"Only if I'm not there. I'm the one who has to punish the delinquents if they lash out." He gives a sharp pull and brings Bakugou to his feet. "We are wasting time, let's move on to the next trial." Aizawa's hair falls back down over his head as his Quirk is released, as well as his capture tool circling back around his neck.
As their teacher begins walking to the next test, Urakara turns to Midoriya. "Is your finger okay?" she asks.
"Y-yeah," he says, blushing slightly at the girl. However, Vin notices the flinch of pain across his face as he clenches his fist. As the rest of the students follow their teacher, Vin takes a moment to walk up to the green-haired boy. She grabs the hem of his sleeve and, with a flair of pewter, rips off a small bit of cloth.
Midoriya yelps as she does but freezes as she grabs his hand. With more care than Vin has used in a longtime, she slowly wrapped the fabric around his finger.
"Better?" She asks.
"Y-y-y-yes," Midoriya stutters. "T-t-thank you." He flexes his hand before gripping it tightly. "I just have to make sure I'm not expelled."
One of the other girls, Yaoyurozu, turns around and tilts her head. "You actually think he will?"
Sit-ups
Of course, Vin thinks to herself as she holds Momo, the name she preferred to be called, by her feet. The dark haired girl was slowly pulling herself up by her own waist, a test of 'core strength' Aizawa explained. The threat is to trick everyone into using their Quirks to the fullest. While it seems unlikely he will, I wouldn't put him past him. If Aizawa thinks there's no way to train someone into a Pro-Hero, he'll definitely kick them out.
Seated Toe-touch
With a grunt, the young Mistborn curls herself in half, reaching forward across her own body. At her feet, Momo slides the measuring-stick as Vin holds her hands outstretched. Aizawa then walks by, typing her score into his device before moving onto the next pair of students. Vin takes a deep breath as she falls into a more comfortable position then turns to watch as her other classmates struggle as well. Most of them all seemed to have the same amount of difficulties but it was slightly enjoyable to watch Jiro try and locate Hagakure's invisible fingers.
Long Distance Run
"Ready? ...Go," Aizawa yawned.
Having learned their mistake from the entrance exam, every student began to dash forward without waiting for a better countdown. Very quickly, Iida rushed forward, his leg-engines purring loudly with Vin flaring pewter right behind him. Even with it, she was no match for his speed. Instead, in a flash of competitive spirit, she burns steel and iron, pushing and pulling on scattered anchors around them and flying forward.
I've missed this, Vin thinks as the wind brushes her face.
The other classmates look up in shock as the young Mistborn takes to the skies, her bounding form almost catching up to Iida. Even without tin, she could easily make out the look of surprise on his face when he looks behind him to see her steadily bound towards him. Both of them look back up and focus on the end line, which happens to be the starting line as well (the entire run being a long loop around the gym building).
Vin and Iida both dash forward with their respective movements, one stomping on the ground and the other soaring in the air. But as the finish line grows closer, Vin finds she does not have the speed to keep up. Without a good anchor, she was forced to fall onto her feet and resort to a pewter burn, which she already knew was no match for Iida's speed.
Aizawa quickly typed down Iida's time as he burst across the line. Just as he finished recording it, Vin dashed across the line as well in almost the same amount of time.
"Your Quirk," Iida pants, "is amazing."
Vin takes a quick breath before replenishing her metals. "Thanks. Yours as well."
Behind them, Momo rolls across the line in the wheeled-shoes she made with her Quirk (rollerblades, she called them). "You know… it wasn't a race," she comments as Aizawa writes down her time.
Results
As Midoriya crossed the finish line, Aizawa typed down the last student's time and began walking towards where he first explained the day's activities. As he does, Vin watches as Midoriya pants and pulls himself back onto his feet.
If he continues pushing himself too far, he'll break, Vin realizes. Chuckling inward, she remembers how Elend used to say the same thing about her.
When everyone catched their breath, they all quickly fell into line across from Aizawa who held out his device in front of him.
"Alright," he begins, "here are the results. The total is simply all the points you have managed to procure in all of today's activities. And since it would be a waste of time to go over this verbally and one-by-one, I'll just show them to you." With a press of the device, a light shines out of it, quickly forming the shape of a large rectangle in front of everyone. As it continues to shine, the sections of the screen become more focused and reveal the different results.
In first place, Momo. Her Creation Quirk allowed her to create different and unique ways for her to overcome each task. In second, Todoroki. While he seemed to keep to himself, his Quirk was definitely not one to laugh at. He frequently used his abilities to slide and propel himself though the different tests. And in third, Vin Venture.
At the bottom, Midoriya.
With a large sigh, he looks down at his broken finger. The purple pointer was still wrapped in Vin's bandage, even after the last few tests. His fist shook as tears began to form in his eyes.
"By the way, I was lying about the expulsion," Aizawa says as he turns off the projection.
"..." The entire class, minus a few students, seem to pause at their teacher's words.
A wicked smile forms on the Pro-Hero's face. "It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your Quirks."
"WHAAAAAT!?" The class yelled, Midoriya's voice hitting a few octaves higher than usual.
Momo shakes her head, "of course. It was obvious when you thought about it."
Sero turns to Kirishima, whipping a bit of sweat from his brow. "That was a bit nerve racking, huh?"
"I'll take the challenge anytime!" The redhead responds with a raised fist.
"That was so stressful," Hagakure groans to Vin.
Aizawa slides his device into his pocket and turns to the side. "With that, we are done today. There are handouts with the curriculum and such in the classroom. So when you get back, look over them." He stops in front of Midoriya and holds a sheet of paper out to him. "Go to the nurse's office and have the old lady fix you too. Tomorrow will be packed with even more rigorous tests.
Be prepared."
The Pro-Hero turns to the class, looking into the eyes of everyone, including Vin. "A great Hero cannot be anyone, but a great Hero can come from anyone. Work hard and we'll turn you all into Pro-Heroes."
"Yes sir!"
And with that, the year has started. For both us the readers, and those we read.
I am once again apologizing for taking so long. I know I said I would be taking a break last chapter, but I did not expect it to take this long. I honestly wanted to get this out early January/Late December, but couldn't get into the mindset. A lot has happened/will be happening in my personal life. I'm moving, again, as well as having to move out some of my other family members (brother).
As always, I owe a huge dept to my editor. I emailed him multiple times with false 'I'm starting up!'s and 'let's do this!'s. He's been a huge help with this, so thank you again.
I really do love this story. I have a lot of fun ideas I plan to do further down the line. And it was reading your comments and seeing the number of views on this story that really got me to push through the dead zone and back into this.
I normally write a play-by-play, but I think that such a long chapter would make that difficult. If you really want to go over it, please PM me. I would love to talk all about this.
Thanks again for sticking around. I cannot say that enough.
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