Obi Wan rubbing his chin, staring out at the obstacle course that had been set up outside of the city.
"What's wrong?" Anakin asked, moving to stand next to his friend. While Obi Wan was required to be on the observation tower for the upcoming Recommendation Exam, due to his new position with UA, Anakin had tagged along purely out of curiosity's sake. Padme was off with her new friend Yagi while Rex had decided against coming due to Izuku; honestly Obi Wan got the Captain's thought process. Izuku was going to be trying to get into UA without a Quirk and he would have to deal with plenty of people looking for any reason to dismiss his accomplishments. Rex seeing the Recommendation Exam, even if it was far different from the Entrance Exam, would lead to acusations that he had an unfair advantage.
Anakin and Ahsoka honestly didn't care what people thought as Anakin knew his padawan was amazing and would be in the Top 3 for scores when all was said and done.
"Obi Wan?" Anakin asked again, giving him a nudge. Both were dressed in their Jedi garb, knowing that for official events such as this it was expected for heroes to be in costume. Neither honestly minded.
"Sorry, just lost in thought. What can I do for you, Anakin?"
"You can answer my question which was about you being trapped in your mind." He smiled slightly. "Which happens far too often Master. You must be careful or people will begin saying you are old."
"I am old, Anakin," Obi Wan said.
"No, you're merely older than me. And not by that much, honestly. 36 isn't that old, especially for both this world and Jedi."
"What was the line from that movie Yamada showed us last week? It's not the years it's the mileage?" He sighed, rubbing his chin in thought once more. "Sometimes it feels like I am older than Master Yoda, thanks to all I've seen."
"I've seen about half of what you have master and I am still young at heart," Anakin teased.
"You certainly have the maturity of a youngling," Obi Wan snarked right back.
"How my master wounds me! Have you figured out how to blend sass with lightsaber swings yet? You could have a Form named after you. Kenobi: the way of the bitchy."
"Bitchy?!" Obi Wan huffed. "I don't think I like who you've been hanging out with lately, Anakin. It is giving you a foul mouth."
"Well, considering it is Hawks I guess its more of an f-o-w-l mouth." He flashed a smile and Obi Wan rolled his eyes at that. "Get it? Because his quirk-"
"I get it, Anakin," Obi Wan said dryly.
"So, what has you all gloomy?"
Obi Wan made for the elevator; while he would need to be back up in the tower to watch the exam it wouldn't be for another few hours. "I just can't help but feel that we aren't using the best selection process for the students."
"What do you mean?" Anakin asked.
"Well…" Obi Wan said as Anakin pressed the ground floor button. "We are focusing too much on the physical. Yes, there is a written exam for knowledge but a student who wins the practical exam, unless they completely fail the Written, will get into UA. The reverse isn't true. The teachers don't want to admit it but it has been stressed to them by the school board that they want the flashiest of quirks. And many of these recommendation students have other schools seeking them out. UA has a stellar reputation thanks to having alum like All Might and Endeavour but there are plenty of other schools out there that are eager to catch up. The board doesn't want a flashy quirk user to go to another school so the Practical is given the most weight."
Anakin frowned. "Okay, so I get a bit of your point but if they do really good at the practical stuff doesn't that mean they are going to be a better hero?"
"Not necessarily," Obi Wan said. "There is more to hero work than just rushing in and fighting a threat."
"Are you sure you aren't confusing heroes with Jedi, Master?" Anakin smiled. "I don't see All Might going to have to settle a dispute between a mining company and a space colony."
"No, you're right," Obi Wan admitted. "But there is more to being a hero than throwing punches. You have to think strategically. Take you, for example."
"Me?"
Obi Wan reached out, hitting a button to keep the elevator doors closed. "You have a keen mind for strategy, Anakin. And you excel at adapting to changing situations. That is why you moved up the ranks so quickly in the GAR… yes, there are Jedi who are older than you and more experienced. And yes, you are powerful in the Force. But it is your mind that made you such a great General."
"…t-thank you," Anakin stammered. "I… I couldn't have done any of it without you."
"Perhaps," Obi Wan said, "but never be dismissive of your own abilities. The only reason I am so hard on you is because I know how utterly talented you are, Anakin. Had we remained in our Galaxy I know you would have not merely made history… you would have altered its course."
Anakin shuffled a bit, embarrassed by the praise.
"But," Obi Wan said after a few moments, "you would have never gotten that chance if the Council had stuck with their original decision for you not to be trained."
Anakin nodded. "They never got off the fact that I was so old when you found me."
"And their testing didn't work for someone like you."
"Yeah, that…" he trailed off. "Ah." He pointed a finger at his Master. "I see where you are going. One Size Fits All doesn't work for Jedi or Heroes."
"No," Obi Wan said, finally opening the doors. "That is why I have already begun to work with Nedzu to fix the Entrance Exam."
"What did you do?" Anakin said in an accusing tone.
"Merely suggested a fourth round… after all, there are three rounds for the Recommendation Exam why not more for the standard exam? Something that deals with Heroics but allows for those that don't have the flashiest of quirks to be able to show how talented they are."
"Can you tell me what it will be?" Anakin asked.
Obi Wan shook his head. "I don't want Ahsoka to have any idea. Don't get me wrong… I think she will pass it easily. I just want her to be as surprised as everyone else. And if I thought you could resist the urge to tell her I'd have brought you on to help me develop it."
"Then I'll just have to wait until next year to fix all the mistakes you make," Anakin teased.
"Quite," Obi Wan replied with his own smile.
~MC~MC~MC~MC~
Inasa was feeling great.
He had done well on the written exam, though he had gotten a small talking to from Present Mic for being a bit too loud when he'd finished. The hero had been polite about it, telling him there was nothing wrong with being excited, but the other student might need time to focus on their own tests and didn't need him distracting them. He'd quickly (and quietly) apologized and headed out into the hall, asking others how they did as they joined him. A rather beautiful dark haired woman had been next out and had told him that she thought she'd done rather well and was glad she had practiced while a man with glasses had scolded him for his outburst. He hadn't been able to talk to many others as they'd all been called for the practical exam, which Inasa had done rather well with, managing to make it to first place over Endeavour's son.
Speaking of…
"Hello!" He called out, rushing to the pro hero and his son as they stood off to the side. "I just wanted to introduce myself and tell you how great you were in the race! You were so very close to beating me and-"
"Shoto, come," the Number 2 Hero in Japan said. Despite the flames that were still swirling around him, making the air shimmer with heat ripples, his voice was as cold as the arctic.
Nearly as cold as his eyes.
Inasa actually took a step back as Endeavour's son spared him a single look, hardly even fleeting, before he too walked off. He hadn't even honored Inasa with a single word.
"Can you believe they are going to let someone like that in?" another potential student whispered, though not quite low enough for Inasa to miss.
"Well, he did get second," someone else said.
The first scoffed. "Doesn't matter if he got last… that's Endeavour's kid. Face it, we are all competing for three slots, not four. They're going to let Ice Prince in for sure."
Inasa didn't hear what else they had to say. It was like there was an ocean roaring in his ears. All his life he had believed that it took a certain type to be a hero. Someone brave and strong and honorable. Someone with a fire to do what was good but also possessed the kindness needed to be a hero. A hero did not hate.
And yet… he could tell… there was so much hatred in Endeavour.
Inasa swallowed.
And he was finding… that he was hating the man and his son.
How… how could he hope to learn to be a hero if every day he had to be around someone that made him feel not as heroes did? How could UA be the right school for him if they allowed… no, they had already accepted… someone with such coldness and hate within them.
He took a breath and moved towards the gate.
"Excuse me," a kindly voice said, startling him from his thoughts. He turned and found himself staring at a short (well, compared to him nearly everyone was short) man with brownish red hair and a full beard wearing a tunic-like outfit, white armor, and with a white faceless helmet tucked under his arm. "I know you are excited to see your family and let them know how you did but you still have the Interview." The man smiled and motioned for Inasa to follow him and it was only out of politeness that he did so.
They entered a rather non-descript room, one that looked rather plain for such a prestigious school like UA. There were two simple red chairs, slightly bowl shaped, and a table with a file that Inasa knew had to be his own records. He sat down without a word, his thoughts so utterly conflicted.
"I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Obi Wan Kenobi, also known as the hero The Negotiator. I will be the Heroic Teacher for UA this year." Inasa blinked at that; he hadn't heard of The Negotiator before and he had taken the liberty of studying up on the Top 100 heroes in Japan. Was UA hiring someone who wasn't that high in the rankings? Or was he from another country? His accent was British so perhaps- "You did rather well on the written exam," Mr. Kenobi said with a smile. "And you won the practical exam though I suppose it wouldn't hurt to inform you that the practical isn't all about placement. In fact according to Nedzu there have been students who got dead last but still became a Recommended Student because while they didn't even beat any other potential students how they went about running the course impressed the teachers."
Inasa swallowed. "That's… good." He took a deep breath. "I'm glad to hear that. It will make me revoking my application to join UA all the more easier."
That made Obi Wan pause. "Oh? And why would you do that?"
"I think it won't be a good fit for me."
"Well, while I will admit to being disappointed I won't stop you if that is truly what you wish. But would you mind telling me exactly what led to this decision? If it is a fault of ours then I hope to correct it for the next student."
Inasa was about to ask Obi Wan to just respect his privacy when he felt himself grow calmer. All the tension and worry that had been bleeding into his brain, making him doubt everything he had thought about UA and the world of heroes began to dribble back away and he felt himself able to think once more. And the teacher was smiling at him, open and honest. Nothing false. Nothing fake. Just him.
"I encountered an already selected student for UA and found them to be… well, not right for the school."
"Interesting," Obi wan said, rubbing his chin. "As far as I am aware no one has been selected yet. I know I have not made my selections yet."
Inasa, trying to be vague, only said, "It is clear they are going to be selected. Due to reasons outside of the test."
"Ah," Obi Wan said with a nod. "Of course. Well, I don't see why their selection, if you are correct and they have been selected without my knowledge, should affect your choice in schools."
"Because I hate them," Inasa stated bluntly. "I know I've only just met them but I hate them. And a hero should not feel hate."
"Yes and no," Obi Wan stated.
"Yes and no?"
The Heroics Teacher nodded. "You are correct and incorrect at the same time. From a certain point of view."
"From a certain point of view?"
"There are steps towards what my old teacher taught me was The Dark Side. Fear is the first… fear leads to anger. Anger then leads to hate. And finally hate leads to suffering."
"Which is all the more reason why I shouldn't attend UA!" Inasa exclaimed. "A hero can not feel hate and I feel it for that student. If I were to come here I would know nothing but hate-"
"And thus it is better to give into your fear," Obi Wan finished.
"Yes… I mean no." Inasa frowned, brow furrowing at that comment. "What?"
"You don't feel hatred, not really. If you felt hate you would have sought to destroy that student. Get me to not select them or tried to injure them so they couldn't be a hero… or at least trained as a hero but then used those lessons for evil. But you didn't… instead you are leaving while allowing them to continue down their path. That isn't hate, Inasa… that is fear. You are afraid of how you might become."
"I…" He swallowed, having not considered that. "I suppose you are right. But-"
Obi Wan though held up his hand. "Fear is the Path to the Dark Side… but that doesn't mean one shouldn't feel fear. We are all living beings. All of us feel fear. We feel anger too. Hatred even. But the trick is to control those emotions rather than allowing them to control you. That is the mistake villains make… they allow their fears and angers and hatreds to control them instead of the other way around."
"So… you think I should attend UA? To conquer my fear that I will become someone that feels hate? To learn how to truly because a hero who does not know hate and inspire others to feel the same?"
"Well, I think you shouldn't remove your application. As I said no one has been selected yet."
Inasa laughed, embarrassed that he'd gotten ahead of himself but accepting Obi Wan's statement all the same. "Right… the interview?"
"Quite. Now, let me ask you about your childhood…"