[Chapter Three: Entrance Test]
The heavy air that surrounds the auditorium felt all the more oppressive for Daiki as he settled his seat on the designated placement. With every tick of the clock, along with the whispered chattering all around him, the brown haired boy could only sat in anxious silence at the incredulity of his current situation. Here he was, Daiki Hayashi, some average kid from Hoth Junior somehow thought himself equal to the School Ace? It was a preposterous situation that lend well to a start of a bland joke. He could feel the hammering thump of his heartbeat, the rushing sound of his pumped blood, the slight trickle of cold sweat. This situation wasn't supposed to be, it wasn't meant for him—someone of his caliber shouldn't be worthy for this kind of life. Yet, for all the doubts that clouded his mind, the silent whispers of his errant thoughts, Daiki couldn't help but feel, beneath that bundle of nerve and anxiety, was also a smidgen of hope that now bloomed into a sprout.
The teen soothed himself with a bit of music, channeling all those nervous energy away with a simple plug to his ears. The upbeat lyric of a rather suggestive song helped quell his worries away. Now that he could examine his situation in a different light, he couldn't help but smile at the memories of his ten months of hard work. Regardless of any doubt his inner conscience could conjure, there was no denying that his training bore fruit. Even if he didn't make it to this hero business, he'd reckoned his Quirk could be useful elsewhere. The little advice given by Kiyoshi here and there aided him greatly in achieving what he became now. Hell, even his parents couldn't believed what he was capable of, and Daiki can happily claim to had made his parents proud.
Furthermore, the teen couldn't help but feel a bit of that vindictive pleasure knowing he would prove those who doubted him wrong once—well, if he succeeded—this test. The written aspect, while difficult, wasn't unconquerable, something he also had to thank Kiyoshi for it. However, it would be the physical test that would mark his future on this hallowed halls. For all the uncertainty which clouded him, Daiki knew now he had the support of his family, and a friend.
His whirlwind of thoughts halted when the auditorium's light dimmed and a shining spotlight revealed a tall, slender, man with a long blond hair which he had fashioned as an exaggerated horn-like tuft at the front. His light red irises hidden behind the stylized tinted shades and garbed in a mostly dark attire that which presented his career as a Pro Hero. Daiki blinked at the sight as the constant chatter suddenly drawn to a silence, the oppressive aura only growing ever more intense. He vaguely recalled this hero, someone with a sonic-based Quirk. That much was obvious with the directional speaker that framed his neck; an advanced piece of Support Gear. There was a bombastic smile on his face that was not too far off from what one might expect from a radio announcer.
"WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO MY LIVE SHOW!" His enthusiastic voice carried across the hall, and Daiki wasn't sure if it was the effect of his Quirk or merely the natural strength of his vocal cord. "EVERYBODY SAY HEY!!!"
The familiar oppressive silence greeted their announcer and Daiki could only wince at that. Not that the announcer seemed all that bothered as he merely shrugged at that reaction, as if expecting such response, before he continued his energetic momentum.
"Well, it seems like we have tough audience today. Don't worry, I have shivers down my spine too, listeners! All right examiners, I'm going to give you all the low-down on how this will go down. Are you ready!?"
Daiki leaned forward, ensuring that his focus was kept entirely upon the man's speech. Yet, his concentration was lightly disrupted by the rapid muttering of his neighboring seat. Feeling slightly annoyed, the origami Quirk user glanced at the kid a row behind him, a wiry boy with green hair and wide, nervous, eyes that reminded him so much of his past. Whatever he was muttering sounded nothing but eldritch incantation to Daiki's ears, and it seems, judging from the side glances of everyone around the boy, his opinion was not alone.
"Now place close attention, listeners! We'll be testing your mettle by running a ten minute practice run at our replica city-district!" The announcer continued, much to the intrigue of Daiki when he heard 'replica city-district'. Other hero schools had them too, from what he could tell, but none could match the range, scale and budget of U.A, and none could certainly rival whatever challenge that awaits them soon. At the screen it displayed a box which was connected to several smaller box each with a designated letter in the English alphabets. "The designated districts will be separated into six sections starting from A to F, which you are to be arranged according to the designated number on you."
Daiki gave a silent nod of acknowledgement at the arrangement. The school was preventing students of the same school from entering at the same test site, which made sense to avoid unfair cooperation. This was probably an encouragement for someone to either partake the test independently, or force cooperation with strangers during stressful situation. He had to admit that the arrangement was ingenious.
The screen shifted again, "here at U.A, we believe that to be a hero one must need the power, skill and tenacity to achieve that dream. To face against forces of overwhelming odds! That is why we chose this challenge for your test, a set of 'villains' which we had sprinkled across each districts. While I cannot spoil you the surprise, I can at least tell that there will be three types of enemy variety, each carrying a point value that scaled appropriately according to their difficulty. Using each of your individual Quirk, dispatching as many foes as you can is your mission. Your goals, dear listeners, is to rack up a high score, and as long as you stay somewhere within top forty, you are good!"
Right, Daiki could already feel the mounting pressure of expectations threatened to weighed him down. He calculated the necessary opponents he needed to face and blanched slightly at the realization that if he ever chose to only hunt down the one-pointers, he needed to confront at least thirty—the average point score he predicted that would allow him to be at that top forty. That, and the fact that he had absolutely no idea what to expect of these 'opponents' made him ever more nervous. Were they staff members of U.A? Or people hired to act as their obstacles? Perhaps even the rumored robots that seemed so prevalent in U.A. His deep, spiralling, thoughts was immediately snapped away by the sudden interruption of a rather loud individual. The brown haired boy blinked as he stared the bespectacled teen whose body stature framed him like a living brick, in his hand was a piece of paper which Daiki recognize to be the handout they were all given just before the announcement.
"Excuse me!" He shouted, his voice prim, proper and a little stiff. It oddly reminded Daiki of a robot himself as he pointed his finger towards his handout. "May I ask a question?"
Daiki ignored the soft murmuring around him as he studied the strange teen. There was just something familiar about him that reminded the boy of someone, although it probably had to do with the fact that he might be related to some Pro Hero or something. It wasn't unheard of for a family member of a famous hero tried to apply for U.A, it happened more than he cared to account. This boy was probably related to someone Daiki was vaguely aware of, perhaps just obscure enough to not warrant an immediate recognition. Or mayhaps he more likely tried to see a pattern when there was none.
"On the handout there are clearly four types of villains listed!" He elaborated. "Such an error would be the height of embarrassment for a top-tier national academy of U.A's caliber! The reason why we are seated today because we seek guidance on the path to becoming model heroes!"
Daiki winced a bit at the teen's attitude, founding it a tad annoying. Who was he to rudely insult one of the most prestigious school in the whole nation, perhaps even entire Asia itself? The boy's temperament immediately reminded him of Hashimoto, and his impression of him slightly soured. Perhaps the bespectacled boy was related to a hero after all if he was this confident of himself.
"Moreover, what's with you? Yeah, you, the curly haired kid!" The teen suddenly turned and pointed an accusatory finger at the aforementioned verdette much to Daiki's piqued curiosity. The bespectacled boy narrowed his eyes to a scowl, glaring at the other participant as he gave his piece, "can't you sit still for a second... you're distracting!"
Daiki sighed at that, but agreed nonetheless to his statement as much as he disliked the boy's attitude. The verdette was being a tad bit distracting, even if it seemed like he didn't mean it. He would've criticized why an obviously unprepared person like him dared to even enter this exam if it weren't hypocritical of him to do that. Besides, who was he to judge when he himself was drowned by the sheer weight of self-doubts and uncertainty.
However, it seems, the bespectacled boy was not done as he added, "if you think U.A is a pleasure jaunt, then leave this place at once." The teen didn't bother to hear the soft muttered apology from the other boy.
Kiyoshi hid his smirk as the announcer, the Pro Hero Present Mic, continued along after that short interruption. If not for his future knowledge, his perception of that boy, Tenya Iida, might also be tainted. The stiff teen's declaration was also helpful as it aided in his attempt to subtly search for one particular verdette, whose face now fully flushed in embarrassment. There he was, the shonen protagonist himself. He wasn't sure if that concept even applied here, in this bizarre world, or Kiyoshi's introduction had put a spanner on that aspect. Hopefully yes, he wasn't interested in being the main target of a particularly psychopathic madman. Moreover, viewing the world in such light was rather harmful psychologically so he didn't bother to entertain that line of thoughts any longer. Yes, he was willing to accept that he now lived in an anime world, doesn't mean he would treat it as if it was one. It was easy to fall into narcissistic tendency with that kind of mindset.
"-that's enough from me! I'll leave you all with a presentation on the school precepts of this academy of mine. As a certain 'hero' by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte once said, 'a true hero never stops overcoming the misfortune of life', now let's move on to the main event-"
Kiyoshi clenched in anticipation, his blood rushed as excitement drew him forward. This was it, the moment he had been prepared for, since the awakening of his Quirk. Every toil, every burden, every attempt to push himself further and further where ordinary men would claim it to be insanity. He had worked both smart and hard, drawing from his waning past experiences as a slave corporate, of forcing his mind, body and soul to endure against all hardships. He had expanded his already impressive power to match the level of that which could perhaps trouble the League of Villains and other future endeavors. It wasn't enough, he knew that there were some aspects he lacked, a refinement he couldn't complete and required the professional guidance of those from this academy.
"-PLUS ULTRA! And may you all suffer gladly for the trial to come."
Kiyoshi released his breath, and all tension was relieved. "...okay then. I can do this."
It was truly a massive city. Kiyoshi idly wondered how U.A ever had the budget for all of this. Then he remembered Cementoss and all questions were succinctly answered. He turned his attention to the mass of participants gathered in front of the main gateway. There was a shared collective awe among them, some redundantly exclaiming the sheer size of the place. It was at least the same size as his hometown's district, a land that encompassed somewhere within a thousand cube kilometer in space.
Kiyoshi could surprisingly recognize some of the people that gathered here, but their presence was an immediate indication that Izuku Midoriya would not be here. Something he was actually glad for, less chance of him interfering. He couldn't help but feel a bit discomforted at the knowledge of additional points system normally hidden from the participants. So he made it his personal mission to only "rescue" someone because he really meant it, and not because of the additional point. Admittedly a difficult choice when his action would inadvertently be influenced regardless, consciously or subconsciously, based on biased knowledge.
In order to distract his mind, Kiyoshi studied his future rivals and classmates, preparing himself for an interaction for the future to come. It always felt a little disconcerting at the idea of interacting with what was, once ago, fictional characters. It's like meeting a supposedly deceased celebrity if he had to put the feeling into perspective or a famous historical figure brought back from the dead—someone he shouldn't realistically encounter yet did anyway. There was a familiar pink skinned girl whose expression of wonder still yet left her face. Then another boy of slightly shorter stature and chubbier body, soft blue hair and soft round face. To his side, a green haired girl with both her hands clasped together in a prayer, her vine-like hair writhed in anticipation, her face set to a serene expression. There were others he didn't recognize, either they didn't exist in the anime, or whose presence so minor it didn't warrant any attention.
When the main gate opened, Kiyoshi could see those who were intimidated by its ominous appearance, as if this was an invitation to the gates of hell. While there some who faced on in sheer confidence, welcoming the pressure as a challenge. The raven haired boy smiled at their antic as he moved along with a languid saunter, the shuffling of footsteps echoed the empty replica of a city, as they slowly soaked in the sight before them. As Kiyoshi was prepared for what to soon to come, he subtly allowed a portion of his power to leak between his fingertips, a crackle of electrostatic tendrils danced between his digits, a herald that marked the activation of his Quirk. For reasons unknown, the conjuration process somehow caused a visible yet harmless electrical discharge which preluded to the emergence of his celestial constructs. Something to do with the movements of electrons and how his miniaturized cosmos interfered with local electromagnetic, gravitic and nucleic field. The air noticeably shift at the base of his palms, something gone unnoticed by most but the most attentive. It seemed his emission garnered the attention of those sensitive to atmospheric change, probably something related to their Quirk. Kiyoshi allowed his thoughts to wander and his mind racing in preparation. There were countless dozens technique he could apply, many of which he deemed unnecessary. If it was one thing Kiyoshi liked about his Quirk, among other things, it was its versatility. Teachers at Hoth Junior claimed that his Quirk practically allowed him to replicate the effects of most Quirks. An exaggeration, yes, but one laced with a modicum of truth.
When Present Mic declared the start of the test, Kiyoshi burst into action. A pair of grey planets, slightly smaller than his head, appeared behind his shoulder blades as a series of miniature moons positioned in such a way they lined vertically across his spine. If one were to look from afar, it would seem as if a pair of grey spheres suddenly materialized behind the boy, just a feet away from his shoulders as six tinier spheres hovered near his back from his nape to his lower torso. In that instance, the black haired teen found himself being pulled by an invisible power. Gravitation was one aspect Kiyoshi abused most regarding his Quirk, as he discovered that his construct's gravity well was wholly independent from the Earth's, and as such unaffected by its inertia. By 'linking' the gravitation of each constructs, all of which tidally locked together in a set formation, this allowed the six moons to anchor themselves to his body, forcing him to be pulled by their fields. Moreover, by exploiting the mysterious force which allowed his celestial constructs to somehow affixed themselves at a set point in space, unaffected by natural constants, Kiyoshi propelled the two planets, and in extension himself, forward at great velocity. This in effect allowed him some manner of improvised superspeed, that which quickly proved itself useful in placing himself far beyond the reaches of other applicants.
Kiyoshi didn't outwardly smile, maintaining a calm visage, but internally he was grinning. With his months of theory now proven itself applicable, he headed for the densest area of the replica city. The buildings here were tall and massive, but nowhere near titanic as most major metropolitans. There was enough space for at least a crowd of thousand to occupy the empty land. When his first enemy come to greet him, Kiyoshi felt that tiny jolt in his heart. Despite all the mental preparations, it really didn't help to dissuade a part of him that boggled at the sight of advanced automatons once thought to be the work of fiction. The robot could dwarfed a human adult, standing at a respectable ten feet tall with a vaguely humanoid chassis attached to a singular black wheel for mobility. Its crimson red eye sat perfectly at the center of its angular, serpentine, head that stretched all the way to its emerald green torso. Kiyoshi turned his gaze to its pair of massive arms that were built to be thick armored plates, probably to act as shields. Beneath the thick plates were pair of mini-guns that hummed ominously, obviously in preparation to engage.
Kiyoshi extended his arms forward, fingers sprawled to an open palm as his golden eyes narrowed. In that instant, roughly half a hundred tiny comets perforated the machine's green chassis. He genuinely expected resistance, or at least the material to bounce some of his projectiles back, but to his surprise, almost all of those fifty miniature comets cleanly penetrated its metallic hide. Not only that, but nearly a forty of which even lodged themselves into the pavements and walls behind the robot. He internally admonished himself for that lack of control, reminding himself to limit the propulsive force for the next engagement.
When three more of those same robots, now Kiyoshi realized as the one-pointers, the teen gathered more of that nebulous feeling that dwelled deep inside him. He unleashed a spray of thick polychromatic gas came into being, the machines were wholly unprepared, but responded to this unknown threat with equally quick reaction. A hail of bullets soared through the thick mist before the machines themselves were enveloped in its presence. Kiyoshi in that time, conjured a large planet to act as a shield, using both its dense composition and thick magnetic field as protection. With the robots now blinded, he wasted no time manifesting multiple tiny yellow stars and allowed them to zip inside the thick cloud freely. Once the nebulaic mist dissipated, and its summoner left the scene, the three one-pointers emerged severely damaged with half of its body melted and decorated with new holes.
Daiki stumbled when the announcer suddenly declared the start of the test. It took him an embarrassingly long time to start moving, pushing through between the masses. His legs pumping as he motioned forward, gritting his teeth as his brain ran wild with imagination. What would his enemies be he wondered? How would he go about and fight them? Should he immediately strike, or should he analyze the situation first? The boy's first confrontation with his supposed obstacle was a robot of intimidating figure, standing taller than him, sporting a large wheel which supported its lean frame and pair of thick mechanical arms. This encounter alone reinforced Daiki's opinion of U.A's prestige, as he could recall no other academy could even afford the effort to engineer a practical test of this scale. The villain bot, as he would later learned its moniker, was a simple one-pointer. One of the weakest of the three, well four, variants—and yet it still looked intimidating. The machine raised its mini-gun arm before the weapon whirred to life, much to Daiki's panic. He quickly dove aside, feeling the lurch of his stomach at the sight of bullets crackled the air. It was not rubber Daiki recalled, a special metallic polymer composite with a unique kinetic property that somehow ensured that it wouldn't break the skin, instead releasing some sort of an internal shockwave that would paralyze the muscle, emulating the effect of being shot without the associated physical injury. The boy gritted his teeth as he found his footing again, he hadn't planned on getting hit by one of those any time soon. In spite of his doubts, against all of his worries, Daiki ran forward and called upon his Quirk. There it was, that inexplicable connection he had with his origami, like they were an extension of himself. The belt pouch recommended by Kiyoshi was a huge boon as it easily allowed Daiki quick access to his origami. Each made of Sunshine Weave, the unique carbon steel composite, in which all of them then shaped into fighter jets, launched like tiny missiles. It was just unbelievable to him when he saw each aircrafts pierced through the machine's outer chassis and entered its internal components. His Quirk, one deemed inapplicable for heroics, had successfully earned him a point in U.A physical test. With that victory earned, the young teen found himself reinvigorated. He recalled the aircrafts, each of them transformed into pigeons, tearing themselves out of the robot before crawling outside and flew towards their master.
"I can do this," Daiki whispered to himself, preparing a set of hovering scarabs. "I can really do this."
His next opponent was another one-pointer, however with a slightly damaged chassis especially to its right arm and neck. Daiki studied the machine, quickly summarized that it had probably engaged with another participant and came out of that conflict as the victor. The machine in return gave further no thought to his presence and responded with immediate violence, its left arm raised and a hail of bullets came upon him. The boy was quick to find shelter, thankful that he was smart enough to stand close to walls and pillars in the event he were to face a ranged opponent. As retaliation, he sent forth the dozen origami at his side, each now transformed themselves into airplanes mid-flight. The fact they were small, fast and nimble made the origami a nightmarish enemy to face—especially now that they were essentially became homing arrows. None of the origami were particularly sharp, at least compared to something like a knife, but their sheer velocity were enough to puncture through even the thickest of steel. It was moments like these that slowly build up Daiki's confidence, at least for the moment. It wasn't permanent, this act of bravery, and he knew that. The rushing cocktail of adrenaline and serotonin was a good drug for his current temperament, facing off against opponents in equal footing instead of a victim was all the kind of exhilarating. Daiki's nervous smile morphed into a triumphant grin before bursting into excitable giggle. That was another one-pointer down, and another more to go. It wasn't easy, admittedly, but these villain bots weren't as insurmountable as he'd previously assumed.
His accumulating point was slow but steady, for every opponent he faced, Daiki ensured to act upon efficiency and speed, for that was his main advantage. He wasn't particularly durable, strong nor fast. His main attribute lied upon his reliance of his Quirk, perfectly encapsulating the textbook definition of a glass cannon. There were moments when the overwhelming numbers was to much for him, thus opted him to leave in search for a greater vantage point. What was previously an engagement of one to one, soon turned to three to one, then five, followed by seven, until he was confident enough to face up to twelve one-pointers simultaneously. Daiki still avoided the two and three-pointers whose presence now saturated the city. Not to say that he was completely idle in face of such enemies, Daiki had gone out of his way to assist others whenever possible—some out of pity, but mostly to ensure himself point for defeating the robots. There was a large numbers of participants who still struggled with the one-pointers, something that baffled the brown haired teen when he saw some of them had Quirks that pretty much eclipsed his own.
This was a reminder that Quirk, much like what Kiyoshi taught him, played a secondary role in heroism. It was the skill, the application of said Quirk, how one use their asset to their advantage that allowed them to become great heroes. For all the raw power and potential most of these hopefuls displayed, he could tell that very few of them truly trained and pushed themselves like he had—merely hoping that their decent Quirks would allow for an easy victory. As unheroic as it was, Daiki felt a concealed satisfaction that his hard work paid off and that he was cut above the rest. Those feelings of liberation, that taste of magnificence only fueled the young teen as he extended the limit of his Quirk, summoning more and more, depleting his reserve of origami constructs. Like a hive swarm, they obeyed his command, each origami formed into scarabs, planes, birds, dragonflies. Controlling a great number like this was a bit difficult, causing a part of his concentration to wane. While Daiki had learned that he had no true upper limits to the amount of origami he could control in a set radius, however it did came with a restriction of its own. Regardless of how many origami he could control, the human brain could only keep up with so much. With a great number like this, Daiki was aware he lacked the personal control of each individual origami. So he didn't bother. Like a great tide, Daiki surged forth, shredding through most one-pointers, some two-pointers and staggered the three-pointers.
The two-pointers, much larger than their one-pointer counterpart, but smaller than the three-pointers, resembled that of a four legged creature with a serpentine head attached to a long slender neck with an equally proportioned tail ended at a conical weapon. The machine shot forth some kind of energy blast that melt through stone and metal, but somehow washed over skin, merely inflicting pain upon a poor applicant as she stumbled to the ground. The two-pointers were nimbler than the one-pointers and its vertical mobility were also much superior, climbing over walls and buildings like spider while shooting at its foe from afar. Many fell victim to its relentless assault, some managing to take out one or two, but ultimately overwhelmed by its sheer numbers.
Daiki leapt forward, forcing over two hundred of his origami to swarm over six two-pointers that still survived. He tried to ignore the look of awe from the rest, some proclaiming their wonderment over the mechanics of his Quirk. The boy couldn't help but smile, that bubble of confidence now grew ever more solid and firmer in his heart. His hands waved to the air, an act that was mostly theatrical as he summoned his constructs, watching as they coalesced and gathered around him like hornets. He cast a brief glance at the other participants, their gaze of awe still present in their eyes, shocked expression burned into his memory. The sudden desire to show up like that, offering assistance and soaked upon their attention was addicting. For a moment, Daiki wondered what Kiyoshi was doing right now. Perhaps he had dealt with the same, or most likely, perhaps he had already accumulated over fifty points. Maybe even destroyed a dozen three-pointers by now, a feat that was expected from the Hoth Junior School Ace.
"Holy shit," uttered the loud mouthed Hizashi Yamada, the announcer for the current year's entrance exam and the veteran Pro Hero, Present Mic. His normally bombastic voice now carried a tone of shock as he reviewed the live events of each city district. The man in question, whose tinted shades now lifted from his red eyes stared at the screen, both baffled and impressed. "Who the hell is that kid?"
For all of those who gathered, each a member of U.A staff. They all also shared the same sentiment as Hizashi, a circulating murmur arose among the staff body. One particular man, a tall, slender and bedraggled individual with messy lock of black hair, weary black eyes observed the screen in interest. Shoto Aizawa, the Underground Hero Eraserhead, was more than impressed of the child's incredible usage of his Quirk. If cultivated further, he could see the boy becoming one of the top heroes for the future generations.
"Hey Nezu, who's that kid?" Shoto intoned, his half lidded eyes kept a constant vigilance, trying to soak up as much information he could from the video tape.
Principal Nezu, a small rodent-like creature that was an amalgamation of various animals ranging from a dog, a mouse, and a bear. While he was not the founder of U.A, as the school had been in existence since the third generation of Quirk emergence, the chimera was one to raised its lofty status from a mere elite hero academy to a divine academy known for its unparalleled quality and unorthodox yet effective teaching methods other schools struggled to implement. He had seen many talents in the past and had done his best to see them succeed in their career, many of whom now were among the top heroes in Japan and overseas. So it was suffice to say that he was qualified to claim that this teen, whose raven black hair, bright golden eyes, lean physique and incredible combat skill, was a talent in the making. The boy was quick to act, every decision made with precise efficiency that left no room for counterattack. The creative application of his versatile Quirk was also something awe-inspiring, the speed in which he performed each attack with such power was something to take note of.
"Hmmm, Kiyoshi Shichirobei, a talented student whose abilities are even recognized by his teachers at Hoth and there's even records of his achievements during preschool," Nezu answered as he recalled the boy's registration paper. "Oh and he'd already done our preliminary written test and gotten quite the impression score."
"What's his Quirk?" The Space Hero Thirteen, informally known as Anan Kurose, inquired. Her own association with space-theme persona drew her interest at the boy's oddly related Quirk.
"Cosmology, an Emitter-type that allows him to materialize miniature version of any celestial objects as well as manipulating the various aspects that defined said objects," Nezu recited from memory, finding interest with the nature of the Quirk itself. The definition of 'various aspect' was left mostly vague and up to interpretation. He pulled out the paper and reread it again, the chimera's eyes widened slightly when he analyzed the details of the boy's Quirk. "This is intriguing, the level of intricate control of his constructs allows Young Shichirobei here to manipulate the gravity, electromagnetic field, radioactivity, scale, meteorology, geological structure and... more? Huh, this last part is left purposely vague by the doctor. Interesting."
"Quite a unique Quirk, I'd say..." Higari Maijima, a short and bare-chested, spiky ginger man clad in an armored exoskeleton suit. The Pro Hero, commonly referred as the Power Loader, was the one responsible for the creation of the villain bots. While they weren't his best work, the robots were still one he was proud of, created appropriately for the task at hand. He watched as the same boy avoided another hail of bullets missiles and lasers from the various villain bots before responding with a hail of his own. Meteorites, moons, stars, gas clouds. Each attacks carried a significant impact which rattled the battlefield. "Hell, the kid's even more impressive than that explosive guy."
The explosive teen in question had just finished off a three-pointer, the robot resembled more like an armored crab with tank tracks. His proud smile visible for all to see as crackle of fire ignited over his palms. The teen rushed forward again, using his explosions as a mean of transportation. Like a rocket, the blond spiky haired boy slammed upon two more two-pointers with a huge grin, ignoring the complaints of those close to his blasts.
"It seems like we brought talent to the school every year. The last I've ever been this excited when those Big Three entered the fray. I can still remember how they trashed the bots with even more ease," came the sultry tone of Nemuri Kayama, the R-Rated Hero; Midnight. The woman leaned forward, taking in the view with an amused interest. "And damn look at that, he put down twelve more of those things like bugs. Looks like your robots need an upgrade next year, Maijima."
Higari snorted as he crossed his arms, "I want to make a challenging obstacle, not an impossible wall, Kayama."
The screen once again displayed the black haired teen penetrated six more of those villain bots using comets before they were able to 'harm' other participants, an impressive display of control and chivalry expected for heroes like them. Shoto Aizawa sighed at the sight, relieved to know that the child at least had shown a degree of heroic display between that monumental presentation. Hell, he was impressed when the kid didn't even kill those bots for himself, opting instead to offer free points for other participants as he busied himself racking points at other parts of the city. Maybe a potential problem in the future, Shoto noted, but nothing too eye-catching thus far.
Meanwhile, All Might, while impressed with the ravenette was more concerned of Young Midoriya. The verdette had yet to claim a point to himself and instead stood there in a panic, like a frozen statue. He was thankful when one of the participant offered his help to Midoriya, but it still wouldn't help the boy obtained any points. In his heart, the Symbol of Peace prayed for luck to the teen, knowing he would need it for what was about to come.
"Well, as interesting as this is, I think it is time we wrap up this event with a final gift, no?" Nezu exclaimed, his large paw flipped open a glass case where a hug red button was placed. If one were to look at the small chimera now, they could see the mischievous smile splitting his face. "They have raked enough points already, it is time to truly test their mettle, yes?"
Most of the staffs ignored the ominous cackle from the small rodent-thing and instead opted to observe the event with even more rapt interest. Shoto noted how the spiky blond hair cast a scowl upon the rising, towering, machine before he immediately ditched the area, even barreling some other participants with an annoyed huff. Most of them however, from all six districts only stared at the titanic construct in awe and fear, the primal instinct that warned them against danger of large threat immediately changed the atmosphere of the battlefield. The colossal machine, a bipedal titan with cuboidal head and proportionally large arms, rose like a leviathan beneath the seabed. Its peering optics cast a shadow over the city where many still lay trapped and rooted in fear. When the beast finally lumbered forward, all hell broke loose.
'Well, things just got interesting,' Kiyoshi silently thought in his head as he helped yet another participant off from a rubble. He wasn't sure if his assistance was the genuine need to help others or his acknowledgement of the additional rescue point. It was moments like these that stressed the young teen over the authenticity of his action. It didn't help that clawing doubt of self-worth at all. The various moons he conjured each created a dense gravity field that attracted small and light objects, easing the process of evacuation for those stuck during the test. There were rubbles and debris everywhere, and with the presence of the zero-pointer, that fact will remain a constant throughout the test for the next few minutes.
Kiyoshi lazily raised his hands as two red planets dragged a huge piece of concrete and pulled away three applicants trapped inside a building, where they no doubt engaged the villain bots previously—most likely one-pointers. Their offer of gratitude went ignored as Kiyoshi trailed behind the giant robot's path of destruction. It was incredibly massive, towering over almost all the buildings in the area. For a moment, he questioned the mechanics one required to build a machine of such caliber without compromising its structure, integrity and effectiveness. He couldn't even begin to imagine what manner of materials or technology were used to ensure its function despite breaking the square cube law in every fashion conceivable. As he cast a wary glance around, the boy noticed that the other robot types were no longer present, marking this as the epilogue of their examination. In that moment, Kiyoshi relaxed himself. It was honestly fun tracking the giant zero-pointer and rescue the unfortunate few caught in its rampage. There was some where his assistance were either unneeded or too late, but the overall experience felt refreshing against the endless onslaught of death machines he had just fought.
Yet, his moment of respite was stolen at the familiar sight of a particular pink skinned girl struggling against a piece of building that trapped her and a few others along. Kiyoshi's eyes imperceptibly widened, forcing himself to maintain a calm facade at the recognizable face. For a moment, the boy allowed the scene to play out, confident that she would somehow pull herself out from such position—after all, she was one of the main cast, no? That thought however was violently torn from his conscience as Kiyoshi set about to help the girl anyway, reminding himself to not again fall to that kind of mindset ever. He was glad that he listened to his logic for once when the zero-pointer loomed over the trapped future students, the crimson glow of its eyes leered over like a predator presented with an easy meal. The boy was quick with his action, his arm lunged forward and a massive blue star speed forth like a bullet. Its bright cerulean radiance melt through the machine's metal hide with little resistance, carving through its entire right hand and even several buildings behind.
Kiyoshi leapt, launching three more moons as they pulled away the concrete in a strong gravitic field, the thick wall cracked and broken to pieces, crumbling to dusts as it formed a ring to orbit the moons. The girl, and three other boys stared at their savior in shock. With another heave, the boy pulled more rubbles away and formed a path between them.
"Woah, that's so cool man!" One of the participant, a large bear-like individual who Kiyoshi didn't recognize, stated.
"Shit, I shouldn't have joined this stupid test..." Murmured another in a mild panic, his eyes still locked at the massive robot. "I should've listened to my brother, what was I thinking!?"
Kiyoshi ignored the boy's panic-induced ranting, instead shift his focus elsewhere as he summoned three large blue stars before fusing them to form an even brighter ball of plasma. "Stand back," he warned before he lobbed the fused star like a cannonball, the construct streaked past with an audible whine as air hissed under its touch. The projectile did not halt nor slow its movements under the presence of stone, metal and composite, each material buckled and collapsed under the sheer intense heat of the object. The star wasn't particularly fast, but yet like an unstoppable force, it surged forth unrelenting, uncompromising. The massive carving shaped by the motile star gave more than enough space for the four to run through.
"Go, now!" Kiyoshi asserted.
The girl looked up at him for a brief moment, black eyes meeting his golden irises before she gave a friendly smile and a grateful wave. "Thanks bud, c'mon then!"
Kiyoshi shook his head just as the three other teens make use of his exit point. "I have to deal with that titan over there," his head indicated the machine still looming. Its attention now on him, the robot crawled over to him, much to his annoyance.
The girl however choked at that statement and stared at the boy in bafflement. For a moment she was worried that perhaps their savior had hit his head somewhere and now being delirious. She stepped forward, just seconds away from voicing her disagreement before the boy turned his back and summoned more of those bright blue energy balls of some kind. She watched both in morbid curiosity and rapt interest at the sudden discharge in the air before the two spheres propelled into a sudden burst of speed, displacing air as they did so. Much to her surprise, the projectiles did more damage to the large machine than what any other applicants had tried to do. Moreover, it seemed like he wasn't done when the raven haired teen conjured several more of those energy spheres, this time tinier but somehow brighter, denser, than all the other previous ones. The girl was rooted when she observed, studied, all the tiny lights, which there were hundreds of them, gathered and coalesced into a unified pattern. It was an especially mesmerizing sight when that same clusters of light, now she recognized to resemble stars, all shaped into a flat disc, reminding her of the Milky Way galaxy. Its appearance cast an ethereal luminescence, a thin prismatic cloud manifested between the star clusters as tendrils of electricity weaved its way between the summoner and his spectral construct.
The pink skinned girl let out a gasp of amazement at the otherworldly sight, like looking at the hand of god as he shaped the universe into existence. In that moment, the boy pulled back his hand, eyes narrowed, teeth grinding and sweat pouring. This was one of the most strenuous exercise he dared himself to do. Truthfully, Kiyoshi had never done anything like this. This was a completely new technique based entirely on unproven hypothesis. He could feel the strain of his fingers, the edging pain between his ligaments as they struggled to contain this much energy within one localized space. In retrospect, he shouldn't have done this. What he was to do here was an uncharted territory that was based on mere curiosity and the desire to satisfy that inquisitive spirit.
Unlike most Emitters, Kiyoshi was not immune to his own Quirk. The heat of the star would do the same damage to him as it did others. It was only thanks to the magnetic field he emplaced ensured that those same heat did not expand beyond a certain threshold from its surface. However, with the collection of over five hundred stars and a nebulaic blanket to act as a medium, all gathered at one location, the heat intensity was potent enough that he could feel it irritated his skin. In spite of that, he withstood the rising discomfort, his focus wholly kept to maintain the structure, integrity and stability of his construct. Controlling gravity of plasmoid objects were difficult, thus he cheated and placed a moon at the center of his miniaturized galaxy. The strong gravitic anchor was enough to maintain the stability he desired. In that concentrated haste, this attack kind of reminded him of a rasenshuriken, but more ethereal and less structurally consistent.
When the machine finally stood dangerously close to him, Kiyoshi chose that moment to unleash his final attack. It was one special move he'd entertained even during his childhood but never gotten to realized them before now. The small galaxy, twice the size of his head, spun forward like throwing stars—the irony not lost to him—with a speed reaching up to two hundred meters per second. The resulting clash was a spectacle that was visible from every angle, by almost everyone. It was by sheer coincidence that the same feat was repeated by another at a different test site.
"Oh my god did you just obliterate that zero-pointer!?" The pink skinned girl exclaimed in wonderment. She somehow trot forward and close their distance in a short notice with sparkles in her eyes. "How did you do that? Was that a super move? You have a super move already!?"
Kiyoshi breath was labored, with sweat trickled his forehead. His fingers felt numb and there was a jolt of pain in his forearm, but other than that, he was happy. The moment that the test was declared over, he allowed himself to slump over the ground with a low groan. His eyes darted to the girl with a glint of amusement colored his expression. His response was one of calm and collected visage, "hello to you too, stranger."
The girl crouched down with a grin on her face. "Hi, the name's Mina Ashido! You can just skip the formality and call me Mina," she winked.
Kiyoshi smirked, expecting such behavior from the girl before he pushed himself to a sitting position. "Greetings, I'm Kiyoshi Shichirobei."
"You were so cool back there, it was like watching an action movie!" Mina gushed as the others sat down and lamented over their exhaustion. A few were watching the pair, or more specifically, Kiyoshi, with an astonished look to their face. Some expressed their envy over the unfairness of the universe. The girl animatedly described the events in a colorful recitation of what Kiyoshi was certain a series of exaggerated retellings.
Kiyoshi wondered when he expected for Recovery Girl to tend to their wounds before remembering that with six districts, it would probably taken a while for the healing hero to arrive. His eyes wandered over and observed the various medical robots that acted in her stead, their friendly appearance a contrast to their rude demeanor.
"I really hope to see you in the future, Champ!" Mina proclaimed before she stood up, dusted her pants and made her way to one of the medical bot.
Kiyoshi sighed, already expectant to receive a nickname sooner or later. He ignored one of the machine as it tried to aid him, which then cursed at him loudly as he continued to ignore its existence. He internally reflected the events of his test and his overall score. It was suffice to say that he would probably score somewhere within the top ten, or perhaps higher. He hadn't been idle in the ten minutes of the test, as the moment it had started he had engaged with his first enemy. Combat was much more endorphin inducing that he already presumed. The entire time he kept a vigilant pace, it felt like the world was moving at a crawl. Every second felt like a full minute and a short scuffle could quickly blow out of proportion. The anime really didn't do it justice at displaying the difficulty curve of these villain bots when compared to ordinary Quirk-users. Even a one-pointer was a challenge to most, as they were either too slow, too fragile or wield a Quirk with circumstantial application. It really put into perspective to the level of power and skills both A1 and B1 students displayed, even that perverted grape juice included.
When all the applicants were confirmed present and their injuries sufficiently healed, Kiyoshi's thoughts wandered to his first and only friend in this life, he wasn't too concerned of Daiki, knowing what he taught the teen. If someone with an extra limb could make it past the test, he had no doubt about the origami Quirk user's chance.
One Minute Earlier
He hadn't expected for the gimmick bot to be so massive. Daiki almost had a heart attack there and then when the ground split opened and the monster was revealed. He spent the next few seconds gaping at the monstrosity and fleeing the scene in a heap of panic. He reckoned not even Kiyoshi could prepare against the metallic behemoth. The titan lumbered across the replica city, destroying buildings after buildings in an unpredictable rampage. He had expected a pattern, a rhythm, anything he could use to foresee its next move, yet all he could realistically do was to avoid its wrath and stay as far away as possible. That spark of confidence waned when he saw the chaos that spread about among their ranks. None were all to pleased being chased by that monster bot, immediately turning this battle arena into an every-man-for-themselves kind of situation.
Daiki was smart enough to avoid the main street, wincing at the sight of hundreds being trampled in this moment of alarm. The threat of failure was one thing powerful enough to motivate them into motion. Some had gone and created a wall of stone, crystal or wood. Others used their Quirk to climb or leap between buildings. There were those that allowed their enhanced speed an advantage over their rivals. Daiki was a person with no physical-based Quirk to speak of, thus relying solely on his ten months of strenuous physical exercise. It wasn't easy, despite being far more fitter than he ever been in his life, he wasn't that particularly muscular, nothing like Kiyoshi, so his endurance wasn't anything near athletic. Thus his desperate run eventually tapered into a struggled jog.
God, his lungs felt like they were being scorched, and he had only ran for half a kilometer, where Kiyoshi could do this for five miles every morning. Daiki sighed, his labored breath inevitably forced him to stop, his legs felt as if they were both stabbed and burned at the same time. Then, to make matter worse, the zero-pointer had all the malevolent courtesy to chose its path towards him. The people around him all yelled their alarm at its encroachment. Daiki gritted his teeth as he continued once again his running, as ragged as he was. It wouldn't do to fail now that he had gotten so far. So, he mustered what little strength he could and pushed forward. None of his origami would be able to penetrate the robot's hide, and even if they could, most of them be shredded between its innards, so it was a risk he didn't bother to entertain. The Weave were expensive after all, even if Kiyoshi had practically donated them for free. In the end, his struggle was unneeded as the countdown finally ended and the origami Quirk-user collapsed in a heap of sweat and pain.
He made it. He survived and even racked up a respectable point. Daiki smiled, he wasn't sure if it was enough, he doubted he gotten a great high score—but he had done it. He had achieved the impossible. At that moment, the boy could only hollered in triumphant, a sentiment shared by those nearby.
"The students this year are interesting, aren't they?" Nezu proclaimed, a cup of tea in hand. The chimera sat and analyzed the replays with rapt attention. He watched as one particular verdette leapt the air and slammed his fist against the zero-pointer, or what Power Loader officially designated as the Executor Villain Bot, and pushed the giant machine backward. The force of his impact released a huge shockwave that warped the steel of the robot's face, reducing the menacing monstrosity into a huge pile of metal as it crashed to the ground.
"That was an irrational decision. He should've just carried the girl away using the same burst of displayed speed," Shoto Aizawa criticized, followed by a tired sigh. "I don't even know why he even bothered to enter with that kind of Quirk, what did he expect?"
"Well it is our duty to teach these youngsters how to control their Quirk, isn't it? Not everyone can have a simple Quirk like yours, Aizawa," asserted a rather large and broad-chested man with silver hair, small eyes and tanned skin; Sekijiro Kan, the Pro Hero Vlad King. He glanced at the former with a disgruntled look, disapproving of the man's critical view.
"What about that other kid who broke the zero-pointer, what's his deal again?" Higari interjected with a bit of annoyance in his tone. The Executor-class bots were meant to be his best work, an indestructible machine that acted both as an unstoppable force and immovable object. To see two beaten so easily was slightly disheartening.
Nezu watched the scene again, the specks of light all gathered at the ravenette's palm and formed into a spiralling disc that heavily resembled a galaxy. From here alone, he could deduced the level of heat intensity and kinetic power from the way the light bend around the mini-galaxy and the air seemingly rippled under its presence. The exercise clearly took a great deal effort for the boy from the way his face set to a determined grimace. "His Quirk managed to pierce through thick layer of meta-steel alloy with ease that any sort of defenses is pretty much made null. I wonder how hot he can make his stars."
"I even built those things with Sunshine Weave material, do you know how expensive those are?" Higari said sullenly. Frankly, if it weren't for his purchase of those substance, he wouldn't be this upset about it.
"Those Weave are amazing though, if it weren't for those things, I bet greenie there would've completely punctured a larger hole on your robot. Hell, from what I've seen, other than those two, there were no other applicants that could even scratch the thing—not even that explosive blondie," Sekijiro assuaged the Support Gear Specialist.
Higari gave a sigh but nodded nonetheless. "They're from Bugendai Technology, apparently the woman who invented the thing used her Quirk or something. She even helped design a machine that could replicate the effects of her Quirk. These things are amazing, they've been on the market for nine years now but the commercial use had only been released only three years ago."
Nezu nodded silently at that. The Weave was so versatile that it was used practically everywhere in the school from the architectural framework, to the electronic devices and even their common furnitures. The malleable nature of its molecular composition made it so it could emulate the physical property of most solid materials.
"Enough of that, so what's your decision Nezu?" Sekijiro turned his attention towards the principal.
The chimeric creature hummed before he cheerfully answered, "I think it is obvious that I want both Young Shichirobei and Midoriya in A1-" he ignored the grunt coming from Aizawa. "-there's also a few students whose placement I'm not sure yet. Say, Kan, how do you feel about these children?"
The screen enlarged themselves to display three teenagers, two boys and one girl. The first was tall and skinny, with a vague hint of muscle beneath. His slightly wavy brown hair and plain green eyes made him an unremarkable sight in a crowd. The next was a spiky black haired teen with a large headband over his forehead with a much fitter physique but slightly shorter stature. The third was a slim girl with teal eyes, orange hair tied to a ponytail. Daiki Hayashi, Yosetsu Awase and Itsuka Kendo. Their Quirks and descriptions all presented beneath their profiles.
Sekiro read through their summary and gave a nod of approval at that. "Well, if these kids got accepted sure. They seem like they have potential."
"Oh don't worry about that, I do not doubt their chances," Nezu said with a smile even when the tally had yet to be revealed.
"Why are you giving me the most difficult kids to deal with, Nezu?" Shoto grumbled.
Sekiro scoffed, "oh please, Aizawa, you at least get all the flashy ones. Can you at least be thankful for once."
"Hmmm," came the simple reply.
A Week Later
"Hey, Kiyo, it's here!" Akame announced excitedly while her child was in the middle of his book reading. She had the envelope in hand and a huge grin on her face.
Kiyoshi, in response, only gave her a non-committal grunt as he lazily put the book away and made his way towards his mother. His brows perked when he saw the acceptance letter. "Oh, it's finally here."
"Hey shouldn't you be more excited about this? This is U.A, my child!" Akame exclaimed as she fussed over the letter, dragging her son as they sat at the living room.
Kiyoshi smiled, shaking his head as he grabbed the envelope from his mother's hand. It felt lighter than he'd imagine, knowing what was inside. With a swift motion, he tore the letter and a piece of circular device dropped in front of them. A second before his mother even gotten the chance to express her confusion a beam of light emerged and a holographic projection presented before them, the life-like image of All Might stood proudly with both hands on his hips.
"Greetings, Kiyoshi Shichirobei, future students of U.A!" He proclaimed loudly. His mother sputtered at the sight of the number one hero, her confusion grew ever more intense. "Now you might wondering what I am doing here! From this day onward, I will be teaching at U.A. So I hope to see you soon, Young Shichirobei!"
"All Might will be teaching you guys? My, you are lucky," Akame uttered in astonishment, her hand raised over her son and rubbed his head much to his indifference. The teen was still focused on what the man had to say.
"Now as you might have guessed, you've passed the exam flawlessly. You did well on the written test and even better at practical. If you would allow me," All Might turned, shuffling a bit before the screen behind him displayed a number. "You have a respectable point of eighty nine in your written test, an admirable achievement that mark one's brilliance. However, I can tell what you are really after is your physical test, correct?"
Kiyoshi unconsciously nodded along, being swayed by the man's sheer charismatic presence. It wasn't like there was any doubt why All Might was the Number One Hero, but beyond his incredible power, this man could also influence the masses with simple actions like these. It was easy to see him as real life Superman. His mother grasped his shoulder in equal anticipation, both Shichirobei members glared at the holographic projection with intensity.
"Congratulations, Young Shichirobei. Not only had you accumulate a lofty points of ninety four, just six points shy from beating my own record, which alone is more than enough for you to be accepted anywhere in the nation. However, since this is a hero school we at U.A don't only look for those who are proficient at combat, but those who possessed the foundational aspect of being a hero, and that is to help others in need! Young Shichirobei, for your heroic deeds throughout the entire test, not only saving their lives but also bestowing them your points, combined this with your final achievement with that gimmick robot—you received an addition of over forty five points, and that in total resulted in a hundred and thirty nine points! Moreover, this also placed you as the highest top scores among your peers. Once again, my congrats to you, Young Shichirobei!"
"Oh, that's my son!" Akame exclaimed, tears streaked her eyes as she enveloped her only child in a tight embrace. It felt as if it was just a week ago when she still held him in her hands, his body coated in thick blanket and whose warm golden eyes yet to have the same lustre as they did now. She was more than happy, she was ecstatic. No words could describe the pride she held now as she had her son in her grasp. This was more than what she hoped for, it felt like a dream still and she was afraid to be jostled awake now in a cold sweat of night, like so many nights before. "You did it! Number one!"
Kiyoshi, in that moment, merely blinked and thought; 'well, that certain blond is going to be pissed.'