Fans of the series: This is an alternate universe where I have shuffled up the established character roster very slightly. However, unless I write a change to an established scene, the story will be unchanged from the original version of the manga/anime. This is mostly minor tweaks as the our MC is not taking over the show, he's just the center of his own story.
New to the series: I'm not sure why you're starting here, but I'm glad to have you. Read the official manga, or watch the anime if you want to develop a fuller picture of world events throughout the story.
UA. The dream school for anyone who wanted to be a top rank pro hero. I could feel my whole body tremble as I stood outside the gates. Inside would be the most talented heroes and trainees imaginable. Powers like I had never seen before.
I couldn't help but feel the smile creep onto my face. So happy and excited that I couldn't stop shaking.
"All I have to do is pass whatever test they throw at me and I'll be almost there!" I said aloud.
Some students entering the grounds for orientation turn to look at me. Heh, oops. I smiled wider and ran my hand over the back of my thick white hair, its blue accents swaying in the front.
I was fairly late, so the majority of the applicants had already arrived. But, that's nothing new for me. I'm, unfortunately, used to being late. The campus was far larger than it looked from the pamphlets. The lecture hall they had us meet in was also drastically oversized, seating thousands of students. I wonder if these are just the hero course students?
The initiation mission was easy enough to understand; take down robots built for simulating combat. The bigger they are, the more points. That's what I had gathered anyway. It was hard to hear clearly with the boy a few rows in front of me muttering to himself.
"You there! Quit talking! Some of us are actually trying to become heroes!" Shouted a stocky boy with glasses.
We were also being sorted into groups, so this wasn't a free for all? That would give me better odds, but also benefit others with AoE (area of effect) quirks. They wanted to separate us as much as possible from anyone we knew well. Harder to evaluate two or more people as a team compared to singles. Also not a problem since I'm imported.
I snickered to myself at the thought of calling myself an "import" as if I were shipped in cargo all the way here. In reality I had just come on a whim, gambling on an outcome that makes me believe a brighter future is possible. It's no secret that UA is the most highly regarded hero school in the world, and I just know I can make it.
I clenched my fist, ready for the fight ahead.
-On the Field-
They had led us out of the hall and guided us onto buses bound for very large cityscapes surrounded by high walls. This was truly impressive if they built it just for training, since there are many fairly destructive quirks out in the world. I wonder how often it gets repaired.
I had lost all attentiveness and missed the entire introduction to the field. Probably nothing important. All I needed to do was hunt some killer robots. Again, I giggled at the thought.
I worked my way towards the front of the crowd, many happy to let me charge into the fray first. That's not very heroic behavior. Most of the people gathered in this group were also wearing athletic clothes designed for strenuous workouts or marathons, but I had showed up in just basketball shorts, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. Does everyone here have physically manifested quirks? That would be an interesting coincidence, if I'm in fact the odd man out.
My thoughts wandered away again and were only brought around by a loud air horn sounding off alongside the tremendous clanging of the metal doors swinging open.
I started running, and it was clear some people had movement based quirks as they passed me. But as they ran ahead, they split from the main path; down narrow allies to pin the robot's motion down. Smart, but not what I wanted.
I was pushing forward as hard as my legs could carry me, ensuring I got to the plaza first. Just as planned I could see over a dozen robots of varying sizes. I stretched my arm out straight in front of me and opened my palm to the targets so I could see through the gaps between my fingers.
The machine's circuitry clearly was not well insulated as a single passing look over the crowd dropped them all into piles. More points, I need more.
I could hear the people who had arrived behind me as they stopped, looking at what I had done.
"What?" "How?" "That one guy did this?" "But we were right behind him and we didn't see anything!"
That's right! My quirk is fast and invisible to the naked eye. It's called "Brain Freeze".
Brain Freeze: A quirk that can affect any target the user physically sees. Originally doctors theorized his power replicated the effects of eating ice cream too fast, thus the name. However, it really acted to create liquid nitrogen by combining naturally occurring elements in the body. These small, Subzero slivers could form in any crevasse of the brain, very brief exposure is painful, short exposure is excruciating, and extended exposure could be deadly. The only thing stopping this quirk from being used outside the body is the need for electrical energy passing across the target.
Theoretically the target could be anywhere on the body, but the tight structures of a muscular body have less usable space, and organs are mostly solid aside from areas like the chambers of the heart.
The machines are naturally electrical and have very large cavities by design, which meant I could send a torrent of destructive waves throughout the bots in an instant and then release it causing compression/expansion damage. Not much circuitry would hold up against that.
Time was running down and I was fairly sure I had a healthy lead based on the sheer numbers I had encountered. I was just mopping up remnants when a thunderous sound echoed up ahead.
I could see a building collapsing, fire and smoke strewn about. Through the debris I saw a massive robot, far outsizing all the others (and even surrounding buildings) so far. At this range my quirk isn't going to work, but I couldn't say no to a challenge.
The aftermath became clearer as I moved towards the scene. People, students really, had been hurt by the rubble. The giant was still on a rampage and everyone who could move was just trying to get away from it. But why?
I began grabbing other participants and pulling them to a safer area out of the destructive path. Only after I had everyone clear did I start moving again towards the Colossus, there was only maybe a minute left on the clock, though I hadn't looked.
The bot was too tall and my best guess was that it's circuitry was in its head or core, both barely out of effective reach.
"Fine! I'll just take you apart one piece at a time!" I shouted as if it would react. It did, bending over and a metal claw swung down to hit me, my hand went up again. No reason to hold back this time. The arm creaked and the robot groaned as it's arm was pierced by shards of its own fractured metal.
It was pulled by the unexpected weight and momentum change, causing it to tip towards me, the metal of the arm cracking as it struck the asphalt behind me. I pressed on, using this advantage. My next target was it's tank treads, freezing it's movement in place and splitting the treads. A surprise even for me.
I used the remaining treads like ladder rungs and jumped off the top as hard as I could. Just enough, just enough to freeze your big, dumb face.
"Night night, Blockhead!" I shot at it, knowing it was just a thing that couldn't comprehend me. But my celebration was cut short by another air horn blast.
The now frozen and expanded head of the robo-giant dragged the body right into the ground, shattering on impact. I probably wasn't going to get any credit for that sweet ass takedown.
- Locker Room -
I had cleaned up fast, noticing a lot of injured teens. That was the risk that came with the hero-life, but the big robot earlier still bothered me.
I changed back into my normal clothes and grabbed my bag, heading for the exit door. Ultimately, there's nothing I can do now but wait and train. I pushed against the stainless shield on the door, forcing it open.
"A minute of your time young man?" Said a small voice from my right side.
I shifted and looked side to side. I couldn't see anyone looking at or speaking at me. Must have been my mistake.
Just then I heard the sound of a throat clearing and pressure against my leg. I looked down to see a... Dog? In a suit with a large eye scar.
"A minute of your time?" He repeated.
"Uh, yes sir." I stammered, unsure.
He led me a good distance away from where all the other students were. He gestured to a door as if asking me to enter first.
"I'm not... I don't think I should..." I started trying to back out of following a weird animal-person into a strange room.
He just gestured up to the plaque on the door with a smile. It was a simple gold plate that just read "Principal Nezu".
I smiled awkwardly, pretty ashamed of the conclusions I had jumped to. I grabbed the handle, pausing to take a deep breath before opening the door and walking in. There were several couches and lots of books. Shelves with mechanical tinkerings and mementoes strewn about.
There was also a fairly obvious chair for the visitor to sit in. I did so, a bit uncomfortable, and looked over to the opposite side of the desk. The chair was empty. I looked over my shoulder, but the little guy was gone. Upon turning back, he was now in the chair with his hands interlaced.
"Firstly, thank you for joining us in applying today..." He began.
Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit. I had been super awkward towards the principal this whole time?! I could just about faint. Why hadn't he said so? Was this like a funny joke that he plays on applicants?
He sat quietly looking at me, smiling. Had I missed him talking because I was in my own head?
"Sorry sir, I was just a bit surprised. Could you-" I nervously began.
He just started over without me finishing. "I asked what you thought of our test today. I do know I can take people off guard, so don't worry too much about that."
"Oh, I'll try to be less weird in the future." I responded.
"You shouldn't change who you are unless it's flawed, and being "weird" is not a flaw. It's just as much a part of what makes you special as any quirk."
"I suppose you're right. Sorry again." I spoke.
"You apologize a lot don't you?" He returned.
"Yeah." I rubbed my head. "My mom taught me to be polite and accept responsibility even if it wasn't really my fault. 'A preemptive apology and a smile can turn a bad day good.' she always said. Guess I took it a bit far and it's now a habit."
"Hmmm... A good philosophy." He murmured. "But back to the topic at hand."
"The topic?" Had I spaced out again?
"The test." He encouraged.
"Oh! Yeah! It was a pretty fun time I suppose. I really liked the fake location and the challenges it had." I spoke energetic at first, but trailing off quickly.
"But you didn't really feel challenged did you?"
I hesitated. "No, not really. And moreover it just seemed a bit reckless with the well-being of the other applicants. Those machines, the big one especially, could have brought down half a building on someone. All over an entry test."
He nodded. "I designed those robots myself."
Shit! And I just insulted them.
He continued, "I know they seem big and daunting, and they can hurt people for sure, but they are designed to just make it look scary. Their programming only damages buildings that would cause minor injury, never a full collapse."
"But the other students-" I picked back up.
He cut me off, "Were running from the big bad or hiding. Not exactly the response we want, but that's what we get for listing them as zero point obstacles."
"Zero?" I mumbled. Had I missed that at orientation? But those things should have had crazy value.
"Their purpose is to aid in our evaluation. Nearly everyone runs from such an impossible foe, year after year. And yet, today I had prospects not only destroy one, but two of them."
Huh. So, someone else had shut one down too. Must have been another group away from mine. I wonder how…
"Why did you apply?" He asked, breaking the silence.
"To be a hero, sir." A simple answer for me.
"That is why everyone applies here bud, but why did you apply?"
I spoke lower now, pausing and looking down at my hands. "Because I think I can do more good with my power as a hero, and society deserves to be protected."
"I fear we are straying off base. That is good sentiment, but why, Mister Finn, did you go through an application process when you had a standing recommendation for acceptance from a pro hero?"
Busted. I grimaced and sat as far back as I could, nearly looking at the ceiling. "So I guess I wasn't very subtle?"
"I wouldn't call anything you did out there subtle. You took out entire waves of enemies and then shattered a seemingly indomitable Goliath."
"I just think it's only fair that I go through all the proper channels if I want to make myself into a true hero. No shortcuts and no handouts."
He let out a deep sigh. "Why not tell your parents that you were applying?"
"Same reason. 'The son of the great Blast Zone is bound to be a hero. He doesn't need to be tested with all the common rabble.'" I mocked, imitating no one in particular.
He paused again, longer this time. "I'm sure you have guessed that I called your father's agency already."
I shrugged. "That's what you had to do. Sorry to put you in that position."
"You didn't smile that time." He said suddenly.
"Sir?" I replied a bit confused, looking back down to him.
"You said sorry again, but you forgot to smile." He clarified, sliding an envelope over the desk and gesturing.
"What's this?" I asked picking it up carefully.
"Every other applicant gets a letter to open. It informs them of how well they performed and if they were accepted. Only seems fair you have one too."
I blinked. A result letter? I wanted to wait. Wanted to ask questions or justify my actions, but my fingers were already under the seal. The paper inside was plain, so was the envelope. Likely because I forced him to rush this together.
It read; "Decklin Finn, combat score 51, rescue score 21. Accepted to class 1-A of UA High beginning immediately."
I didn't hear him move, but I was suddenly aware that he was sitting on the edge of the desk on my side. He reached out a small paw and brushed my cheek. I was crying? Of course, I am. This is the first step towards my dream.
"Congratulations. You earned your way in, Mister Finn." He said with a big smile and thumbs up.
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I know it's a little short, but it's just winding up for a very long series to come!
