Burn Notice
I haven't been in the business of doing notes in the beginning, but I did want to answer this one.
From AnonymousPasserby - Idk if people have been leaving guest reviews, just been quietly enjoying from the back row, but if you're disheartened by a lack of comments then I simply wish to say that I think you've been doing a great job so far and look forward to future chapters.
Thank you for your kind words. I'm actually not bothered by the lack of reviews, anonymous or not, just thought it was weird that I hadn't seen any and while I was looking at the site on PC, I saw that option and got worried. It was like "wait, am I blocking them? I don't remember setting that up." Y'know?
Generally though, if it is not too much trouble, I would like to know what people are thinking. I really don't have anyone to bounce ideas off of so hearing something about the direction I'm taking this story would be nice.
From greatmasterplayer - So she's a humanoid sonic character huh
Well yes and no. Without spoiling, there's a lot going on in the background but for the context right now, she is.
Minor Quick Edit: Changed a quick name That I didn't catch.
Chapter 4:
The Exams were tomorrow. Tomorrow, Izuku, Katsuki, Itsuka, Kyoka and myself will be taking the normal practical while Momo will be taking the recommendation. To say I was nervous was an understatement. It's a make or break moment to be honest. I was feeling like my life would be over if I failed in more ways than one.
I still…I still wasn't over what I had learned from the Goddess. No… if I was honest with myself, it wasn't the fact that she erased my past self that bothered me. It was the fact that she admitted it with such casual coldness that bothered me. It was the misconceptions that my drive was based on that bothered me.
But I was yet a mortal that couldn't do anything but to live my life and comply with the orders given to me. I didn't need the odds to be further stacked against me.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I shouldn't be thinking about this. I need to focus. I need to keep my word to everyone that is rooting for me.
"I can do this." I whispered to myself. It was unnecessary but it was nice to hear myself say it.
The next day came too quickly for my tastes. Meeting up with Izuku and Katsuki, all three of us found ourselves standing in front of the imposing gates of UA.
"This is it…" I muttered. I didn't need to look at the others to know they were agreeing with me. The gravity of the situation made the anxiety all the worse. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves and focus.
"Don't tell me your declaration was all talk." Katsuki's voice cut through the tension. I turned my eyes onto him, and as usual, he was glaring at me. But this time, his words stung more than usual.
"Why would I back out now? I told both of you that I'll burn my own path forward." I replied, my annoyance evident. How could he even think I'd back out now?
"Good. Besides, Deku and I didn't spend the last few days workshopping hero names just for you to chicken out." Katsuki announced with his trademark smirk.
"What?" To say I was confused was an understatement.
"I'm the Determined Hero, Mighty, and Kacchan is the Explosive Hero, Omega." Izuku explained, smiling nervously.
I turned my unimpressed gaze onto Izuku. "Really? Mighty? It sounds like you're taking the whole successor thing a little too literally."
"H-Hey, it just came to us one night and we decided to roll with it." Izuku defended, scratching the back of his head.
I rolled my eyes before breaking into a smile. "You two are too sweet when you actually try. No wonder Aunty Inko and Mitsuki made me promise to beat up anyone trying to seduce you two."
I walked forward with a smile, leaving Katsuki and Izuku behind, still trying to get my attention, their confused expressions priceless. No one was good enough for my boys, and I intended to keep it that way.
After the written test, the three of us found ourselves seated in the large auditorium, the air buzzing with the collective anxiety of hundreds of students. My eyes wandered around the room until they landed on Present Mic, who was now stepping up to the podium to explain the next part of the entrance exam.
"All right, listeners! Hope you nailed that written test, 'cause now it's time for the real deal—the practical exam!" Present Mic's enthusiastic voice boomed through the speakers, earning a mix of cheers and nervous murmurs from the crowd.
I leaned over to Izuku, who was sitting next to me, and whispered, "You ready for this?"
Izuku gave a small, determined nod, though I could see the anxiety in his eyes. "Yeah, I think so. But did you notice? They separated us into three different testing zones."
Katsuki, who was sitting on my other side, snorted. "Of course they did. They don't want us teaming up and wrecking the place."
I couldn't help but smile at his confidence. "Makes sense. They probably thought we'd be too much for the competition to handle if we were together."
Izuku frowned thoughtfully. "Still, it feels a bit unfair. We won't be able to support each other."
Katsuki rolled his eyes. "We don't need to babysit each other. Just focus on smashing the robots and scoring points."
Present Mic's voice interrupted our conversation. "Each of you will be sent to a different testing zone where you'll face a variety of villain bots. Your goal is to rack up points by defeating them. Remember, heroism isn't just about smashing robots; it's about saving others and showing your true potential!"
As the explanation continued, I glanced between Izuku and Katsuki. Despite their different approaches, I knew both of them had the heart of a hero. We might be separated for this test, but I had no doubt we'd all give it our all.
As Mic was wrapping up his explanation when a hand shot up from the crowd. It was Tenya with a serious look on his face. "Excuse me, sir, but you haven't mentioned the Zero Pointer. Could you please clarify its role in the practical exam?"
Present Mic nodded, his grin never faltering. "Great question! The Zero Pointer is a massive robot that's worth zero points. It's a giant obstacle meant to test your judgment. Best advice? Avoid it unless you want a challenge!"
Tenya nodded before he turned his attention to us. "And you three! I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. It is highly inappropriate to discuss strategies in-" He paused talking and I could literally feel his gaze on me. Did he not expect me to be here? Though, to be honest with myself, it's taking all my willpower not to blush under his intense gaze.
"I... I apologize for my outburst," he said, bowing slightly. "It was not my intention to cause a disturbance."
Present Mic chuckled. "No problem, kid! Passion is part of being a hero, after all!"
Tenya nodded and returned to his seat, leaving Katsuki looking slightly bewildered. "What was that all about?"
Izuku leaned in, whispering, "I think he was just trying to make sure we're all focused."
I wasn't sure myself. It felt horribly out of character for him but, honestly I couldn't dwell on that at the moment. We were all being shipped to our respective areas for the exams.
How did UA manage to accumulate so much wealth to create entire city blocks as testing zones? Even from behind the gates with the rest of my group, I could see the tops of buildings towering in the distance. The sheer scale of the facility was impressive, if not a bit intimidating.
I took a moment to stretch quietly, scanning the crowd for any familiar faces. Unfortunately, it seemed I was alone in this testing zone.
My eye twitched. Someone was touching my butt. Why was someone touching my butt? Clearly, they had a death wish. I activated my Quirk, causing the pervert to get burned.
"Ouch! What the heck?!" I spun around to face the voice. Of course. Minoru Mineta, the notorious pervert of Class 1-A.
"You have the guts to sexually harass someone, let alone a hero hopeful?" I said, struggling to keep my anger in check. My blood was singing for violence.
"Y-You got it all wrong, I wasn't trying to—" Fortunately for him, Present Mic's voice boomed over the speakers, announcing the start of the practical. I didn't spare Mineta another thought. Instead, I sped into the fake city at a third of my casual speed, which was still faster than everyone else.
The cityscape was a labyrinth of opportunities. Robots of varying sizes and designs roamed the streets, each one a target for my Quirk. I dashed towards the nearest one, a hulking machine with menacing saw blades for arms. My fist connected with its torso, and it crumpled under the force of my blow, sparking and smoking.
I continued to move through the city, my senses heightened and my Quirk at the ready. Another robot, more agile and spider-like, tried to ambush me from above. I leapt, twisting mid-air, and delivered a fiery kick that sent it crashing to the ground.
As I fought, my mind wandered to my friends. Were they handling the robots as well as I was? Were they safe? I pictured Izuku, his determination and strategy leading him through the chaos, smashing robots with his powerful punches. Katsuki, with his explosive personality and even more explosive Quirk, tearing through machines like they were made of paper. Itsuka, using her enlarging hands to crush and dismantle any robotic opponent in her path. And Kyoka, with her Earphone Jack Quirk, using sound waves to disable the robots' circuits.
A particularly large robot loomed ahead, its cannon aimed directly at me. I dodged its blast, the heat singing the air around me, and closed the distance in a heartbeat. With a surge of heat, I unleashed a powerful punch, my flames disintegrating its core.
I paused for a moment, breathing heavily. The city was eerily quiet for a second before the sounds of battle filled the air once more. I couldn't help but smile. This was what I trained for, what we all trained for.
Though… looking around at the destroyed robots… my memory of the past might be frayed, I certainly don't remember them using actual energy cannons… maybe something had changed dramatically here.
I noticed other students struggling with the bots. Some were clearly overwhelmed, their Quirks not as effective against the relentless onslaught. Without hesitation, I dashed to their aid, using my flames to incinerate robots and my speed to disarm and disable them before they could cause more trouble.
I saw a tired-looking student with purple hair being cornered by two bots, their mechanical limbs closing in. I raced over, a trail of fire following in my wake, and blasted the robots with a concentrated burst of flames, reducing them to molten scrap. The student looked at me with wide eyes but I didn't have time to talk with him.
The ground began to shake violently. I looked up to see the colossal form of the Zero Pointer emerging from the ground, its massive frame towering over the buildings. The sight of it caused many students to flee in terror, their fear evident as they scattered in all directions.
"This is too much.." I muttered before speeding off to make sure nobody got stuck in the robot's rampage. I knew I shouldn't worry about attacking it directly but I was worried that the robot's protection protocol wasn't up to code.
After the test was over, I met up with Katsuki, Izuku, Itsuka, and Kyoka, introducing my friends to the two idiots I consider brothers. Katsuki looked fine, but Izuku's outfit was torn around his arms and legs. Izuku was also looking down, downright distraught. I didn't even bother asking what his problem was; I smacked him in the back of the head.
"What was that for?!" he asked, shocked.
Katsuki snickered at my actions while Itsuka and Kyoka looked amused.
"Thanks for proving that out of the three of us, I have a monopoly on the brain cell," I replied with a sigh. "Let me guess: something happened and you were forced to attack the Zero Pointer, right?"
Seeing his nod, I continued. "You know that the score was additive, not multiplicative, right? Attack the Zero Pointer for whatever reason just adds zero points to your score."
"Are you fucking serious?" Katsuki was one outburst away from exploding. Judging by the looks on everyone else's faces, the sentiment was shared.
"Well…yeah. Present Mic never said we'd lose points for attacking it, just that it was worth zero and only if we wanted a challenge." I looked at the annoyed faces of all my friends. I couldn't exactly blame them for their annoyance. The Zero Pointer was scary as it is, and whatever Izuku went through actually got to him.
Itsuka sighed. "Well, whatever. Let's get going. Momo said she'd treat us all to dinner, and that includes these two."
Katsuki huffed but I knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't turn down a free meal. Izuku looked pensive, no doubt still worrying about failing.
"Yay, Momo is going to smack us with her tax bracket again," I said monotonously.
Kyoka poked me with one of her jacks as we left. "You're just jealous you don't get to ride in style," she teased.
"I'm not jealous, just practical," I retorted. "Besides, I like my dignity intact."
Over the next few days, I thought I'd be able to relax and wait for my results. However, by the third day, I was visited by two of the teachers from UA. One, I recognized as Present Mic, and the other was a scruffy man wearing a black jumpsuit, who introduced himself as Eraserhead.
"Huh…you must be an underground hero...but why are you wearing black?" I questioned, confused. Eraserhead looked at me, equally puzzled. "Even in a densely populated area, wearing dark blue would definitely aid better in stealth."
"That's not why we're here, but I'll take your suggestion under advisement," Eraserhead replied calmly. "We're here to talk about what happened before the practical started. We noticed you used your Quirk, but we didn't see why."
"Oh…that." I let out a sigh. "Some creepy kid touched my butt. He claimed he didn't do it on purpose, but his hand was there way longer than just a simple 'accident'." I explained. "So I burned his hand."
Both men looked at each other before looking back at me. "Do you remember anything about the kid, little listener?" Mic asked with a serious look on his face.
"He was short, really short, and he had purple ball hair and spoke with a lisp." I, of course, knew his name but didn't want to play that card.
"I know who that is," Present Mic said with a frown. "Don't worry, he'll definitely get punished for his actions."
"Harassing another student. That lines up with another report we got of a short pervert leering at fellow students," Eraserhead said gravely.
I nodded. "I'm glad you're taking it seriously."
Present Mic gave me a reassuring smile. "We don't tolerate that kind of behavior here. Thanks for bringing it to our attention."
"Yeah," Eraserhead added, his tone softer. "We'll handle it from here. In the meantime, Principal Nezu asked us to tell you personally that you've been accepted into UA Academy." He brought out a sheet of paper and handed it to me. Looking at it closely, I could see the scores for the practical. Just as I thought, Izuku scored number one, followed by Katsuki with sheer villain points and a few rescue points, and then myself, Tenya, Itsuka, and a few other names I didn't recognize. Or rather, I couldn't remember.
"What are rescue points?" I asked, curiosity laced in my voice.
"We weren't just looking for heroes to beat up the bad guys. You gotta know how to protect not only civilians but also your fellow heroes," Present Mic explained with a smirk. "You scored pretty high with those, so congrats."
I smiled at them both. "So…I guess I'll be calling you both Sensei then." I gave them both a polite bow. "Thank you again, and I hope to make you both proud." Mic grinned while Eraserhead huffed and looked away. It seemed he wasn't used to open-faced gratitude. We said our goodbyes, and they left, leaving me alone to ruminate over everything.
We all got into UA, and apparently Mineta was going to be punished. Things are going differently, it seems. Judging by the paper, I'm going to be in Class 1-A with all my friends except Itsuka, which was unfortunate, but hopefully we can still hang out.
Speaking of hanging out…I went to grab my phone to text them all. I could at least make sure Izuku wasn't freaking out too badly.
Hitohime: Hey guys, just got my acceptance letter! How's everyone feeling?
Midoribun: I got mine too! I'm still in shock. I can't believe I made it. And heck, All Might appeared on mine!
GroundZero: Lucky Bastard! And how dare you score higher than me!
Hitohime: groundzero You literally didn't save a single person, what did you expect?
GroundZero: I did my job and blew up those villains! You can't expect me to look after some extras!
PRQ: Geez, are you always this intense dude?
Midoribun: Yes.
Hitohime: Yes.
FistFury: Is this why hitohime said that she's the common sense of your little family?
MomoMaker: I can see it. Anyways, did you all find out what class you'll be in?
Hitohime: I'm in class 1-A, how bout you?
MomoMaker: Class 1-A as well.
GroundZero: Same. You all better not hold me back.
Midoribun: Class 1-A as well. What about you FistFury PQR
PQR: Class 1-A too.
FistFury: Class 1-B :(
MomoMaker: :(
PQR: Dang!
Hitohime: Don't worry! We can still hang out and train! You still need to teach me how to do takedowns!
FistFury: Yeah, we can definitely hang out and still train! Can't let groundzero down now!
GroundZero: Damn straight! We're going to be the best damn heroes ever!
Midoribun: It's…oddly terrifying whenever he's supportive of others.
GroundZero: What's that supposed to mean, Deku?!
Hitohime: Why are you two like this? Why can't I take you two anywhere?
I smiled as the chat devolved into Katsuki and Izuku arguing while Kyoka instigated more and Itsuka and Momo tried to calm everything down. These were my friends, and we were going to be heroes.
Though.. I won't lie, I'm afraid to see how things will shape up in the near future.
Extra Notes here: PQR is short for Punk Rock Queen. Izuku is named Midoribun in the chat because as much as he has matured, he's still quite skittish around people, and Hitohime is well.. Self explanatory.
This one took longer mainly because I didn't know how to handle the situation with Mineta. I knew I wanted him out of Class 1-A but didn't know how to do it.
Next up is the School Arc, which will be a little bit longer than what most people do for that leading up to USJ. I mean some fanfics, it feels like they go to class twice, USJ happens, and then sports festival. Nope, I'm sticking an arc right before USJ and its going to be good.