Fate DxD Vol.14
Chapter 76
Monday, March 20, 2023.
With the first day of spring, the second half of the year begins in earnest. And with the start of the semester comes a big change in our planning. From now on, students like me who have taken the heroic curriculum will find themselves with our usual class, plus a new class made up exclusively of students from the same curriculum. So my week is now filled with two different classes. We're hurrying to get there with Inaho and Usui, slightly behind schedule.
"We're lucky the class has the same name!" Inaho exclaims excitedly.
"Yeah, it's less of a hassle to find it. Here we go!" Usui said, braking hard in front of the door.
"Come on Usui-kun! Open the door!" Inaho hopped impatiently.
"Fine, fine... " He opens the door and sees a confrontation between two students.
"Don't put your feet on your desk! Don't you think that's disrespectful to your classmates?!" The guy with the glasses from last time yells at Katsuki.
(Why him...)
"No, indeed, I don't think so. Anyway, what did you get on the end-of-semester assessment, you two-bit extra?" Bakugo asks, mocking him.
"I did 74 points, my name is Iida Tenya." He introduces himself.
"74 points?! Well, you're actually pretty good! Looks like I've got a reason to kill you after all!" Bakugo continues to mock.
"A reason to kill me?! What nerve! You, you want to be a hero!?" Lida takes offense.
"What the hell..." Usui sighs upon seeing this.
Then Lida turns to us, having noticed us, and focuses his gaze on me. Then he walks towards us, confidently.
"Hi, I'm Iida Tenya, I got 74 points..." He introduces himself.
"Yes, we heard. I'm Usui Kengo."
"Hi! I'm Inaho Kushiya! Nice to meet you!"
"Senji Emiya, nice to meet you."
"Senji, I have to hand it to you, you had guessed the true nature of the practical exam, hadn't you?" He asks me in a serious tone. "I was blind! And I was completely wrong about you! I'll admit it, but you were better!"
"...No harm done, let's get off to a good start from now on." I hold out my hand to him.
"I'd love to! I look forward to working alongside you!" He takes my hand and shakes it energetically.
(I don't know what he was talking about, though...)
I turn to the rest of the class who are sitting quietly in their seats, waiting for the teacher to arrive, when the door behind us open.
"Ah! It's you! The boy with the burns!" She notices me immediately. "I'm glad to see you again!" She says kindly.
(Ah, how can I thank her? No, better not, or she'll think it's strange...)
"You did it, just like Present Mic said! Yeah, well done! And by the way, that punch was phenomenal!" She imitates the blow I gave the robot. "You pulverized it!"
"Thank you, and it's thanks to you that I'm still here, otherwise I'd have ended up flattened on the floor."
I turn my gaze, feeling someone staring at me, it's Katsuki, he seems confused, surprised and hates me just as much as usual. Our eyes meet for a few seconds, before I ignore him, concentrating on her.
"I wonder what we're going to do from now on! Are we going to fight robots again? Or rescue simulations? Oh, and the professor, what's he going to look like? I'm so excited, like wow!" She can't stop.
"If you're looking to make friends, do it somewhere else." But she gets cut off by someone in the hallway.
We look behind her to see a long-haired man in a sleeping bag on the ground.
"Here is..." He pulls out a carton of juice and drinks it in one gulp. "The hero department!"
He gets up and emerges from his sleeping bag, giving me a better view of him. He looks like he's just rolled out of bed, with tired eyes and a light beard and moustache. He's wearing a full black outfit and a strange long white scarf.
"It took you 8 long seconds to calm down. Life is short young people. You all lack common sense."
(Is this guy a professional hero? Even Inaho doesn't seem to recognize him.)
"I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. Nice to meet you." He tosses his sleeping bag into a corner of the classroom and heads for a closet, from which he pulls out a gym suit. "Put this on, immediately. And then take yourself back to the sports field."
"A test of powers?!" Is surprised one of our classmate.
"But what about our schedule? What are we going to do until the end of the year? How will we be graded?!" Asks the brown-haired girl.
"If you want to be heroes, let's not have time for such niceties." He cuts her off. "You've been at Kuoh for almost a year now, so you know how free this campus is. Well, that freedom also applies to us teachers."
(Yeah, we noticed that with Minori...)
"Softball training. Long jump without run-up. Sprint over 50m. Endurance race. Grip test. Extended chassé steps. Upper body strengthening. Stretching. Obviously, these are all activities you're already doing here, but you're not allowed to use your powers unless you request them." He explains. "Bakugo, how far can you send a softball, without your power?"
"67 meters."
"Stand in this circle and use your power, as long as you don't step out of the circle, everything's okay." He tosses the ball to Bakugo, who stands in the center of the circle. "Don't hold back."
"You're in for a treat." Bakugo stretched and threw out his arm. "Die!"
As he throws the ball, he creates an explosion, sending the ball straight up into the sky. The explosion is so strong that it blows us away, sending dust flying all around him.
(Die?)
The ball takes several seconds to drop, while our teacher looks at a counter.
"Before anything else, we need to know what we're capable of." He shows us the counter, displaying Bakugo's score. "This is a rational measure that will form the basis of your 'hero foundations'." Showing 702 meters.
"Awesome! Sounds like fun!" Exclaims a redhead.
"207 meters? Amazing!" Says a blond man with a tail.
"Now we can really use our powers! Now that's a hero department for us!" Says a pink-skinned girl with yellow horns.
(8 Exercises ? I should be able to do it just with reinforcement and a little bit of Blood pointer.)
"Sounds like fun, you say?" The teacher raises his voice. "So you planned to spend your five years here having a good time? What about becoming heroes?" The mood suddenly changes, becoming decidedly heavier. "Very well, then. In that case, new rule: the student who ranks last in total points will be deemed 'hopeless' and immediately sent to the normal curriculum."
"Whaaaaat!?" exclaims the whole class.
"Pff, you have nothing to fear, some just don't stand a chance." Ddraig says to me.
(Hm, I'm confident in my abilities, if it's just for sport, it should be fine without too much effort.)
"Our freedom means we can do whatever we want with the students!" He lifts his hair to catch a glimpse of his eyes turning red. "Welcome here to the Department of Heroes!"
(The first day of the second semester gets off to a strong start.)
"Whoever ranks last... is expelled?!" the brunette exclaims. "It's our first day in the hero department! And even if it wasn't, it's absolutely unreasonable!"
"Natural disasters, major accidents, egocentric villains, you hear it on TV all the time. All sorts of calamities happen every day. Konoha and the rest of the world are unquestionably bathed in the 'unreasonable'. And it's our job as heroes and shinobi to turn that around, and restore sanity." Explains Aizawa. "If you were planning to go chatting at the local Burger World after class, that's a real shame. From now on, for the next five years, all you can hope for from your life in Kuoh is one ordeal after another. That's what "Plus Ultra" is all about. I expect you to overcome these trials and reach new heights."
(It's more or less what we should expect from our curriculum, the excellence of peacekeeper training, that's what Minori and Kakashi said.)
"It's done sensei, are you done scaring them?" Shiria steps toward us. "Hi Senji-kun! Mouah!" She waves at me, before blowing a kiss and sending it my way.
"Hi Shiria..." I answer shyly, feeling many eyes on me.
"For those who don't know her. This is Shiria Ootsuka. She's a member of your class, but not for long, as she's already a confirmed shinobi, so she'll just be my assistant for the duration of the test. Have you finished setting everything up?" Aizawa asks.
"Yes! Everything's ready! She said energetically.
"Well then, that was the demonstration. It's time to get moving." Announces the teacher.
1st event: 50-meter sprint.
The race gets off to a strong start with the first two sprinters: Iida Tenya, who covers the 50 metres in just 3 seconds. He has turbos in his legs that enable him to run so fast.
(Well, now he's in his element, I wonder how he'll fare on the others.)
The second to run does so on all fours, jumping. Tsuyu Asui, she's a relatively thin girl, but with big hands. Her appearance is rather froglike, with a very wide mouth and oval eyes with large black irises. Her hair is a dark sea-green and very long, with the ends tied together at the back in a hair bow. She has two locks framing her face, and shorter bangs between her eyes, some of which are partially swept to either side. She completes the sprint in 5 seconds, having made a surprisingly big leap.
It's Uraraka Ochaco's turn, the brunette. she touch her clothes with her powers, then she sprinted with all her might, arriving in 7 seconds. She follows closely behind the blond-haired guy with a tail, Mashirao Ojiro, who sprints in 6 seconds.
"Hahaha... You all don't put any style into it."
(I recognize this guy, he stole a robot from us during the practical test.)
Yuga Aoyama, with his back to the track, jumps and shoots with his belt on his belly, propelling himself with energy. He falls a first time, gets up again and does it again, arriving in 5 seconds.
"If I shoot continuously for more than a second, it will destroy my stomach, you know." He says.
Next up is Mina Ashido, a girl of average height. Her skin is a light pink, and she has rather square eyes, her sclera black and her irises bright yellow, with notably long lashes below and around the sides. Her face is framed by short, fluffy, unruly hair, which is a pleasant pink color, slightly darker than her skin. She has two thin, pale yellow horns protruding from her head, hooked squarely and angled diagonally to opposite sides, which looks slightly flexible, able to bend a little to either side. She takes off and runs quite fast, being very athletic, and reaches the finish line in 5 seconds.
It's my turn to run with Bakugo, of course. We stand on the starting line, ready to go, I turn on my magic circuits and strengthen my body, getting into position.
"Don't get in my way, you monster." Bakugo said, putting his hands behind him.
"You're going to have to start getting used to it." I tell him, not even looking at him.
The teacher starts the race. Bakugo takes off with two explosions, I catch my breath but ignore him with my reinforcement, running at full speed, which makes us arrive almost at the same time, between 4 and 5 seconds.
Bakugo looks down at his still smoking hands, before turning to me, astonished that I could follow him so closely.
(As I thought, reinforcement will be more than enough. I've still got 7 rounds to go and I'm barely starting to breathe hard. With this, I'm likely to be average, but it's enough, no need to overdo it.) I look at the other students. (Apart from Inaho and Usui, who are like me, the others have very specific powers that can give them a considerable advantage and, above all, they can use them to the full, which is not my case at all... I wonder how I'd cope with the One for all... No, very bad idea, it's a self-destructing move, I'll have to be patient and find a way to adjust it...)
"Your impression!" exclaims All Might.
"My impression?" I repeat, not understanding.
"You've already shown us your 100%." He said, miming punching.
"Yeah, and it almost killed me." I say, deadpan.
"Don't you get it kid? It's the memory of what you felt that's the key. How did you feel?!"
"Well... My magic circuits sort of imploded, but not in the literal sense of the word, it allowed me to use it all over my arm and it went boom... I see it like an egg in a microwave." I think back to what happened. "But then the egg exploded."
"It's a bit special kid, but it sure is unique!" All Might laughs, spitting blood. "If that's the metaphor you're using, let's lower the microwave power and decrease the cooking time. It doesn't matter how you visualize it, as long as the egg doesn't explode. Give it some serious thought!"
(Hmm, it won't bring results in a few days, but I see what he's talking about, visualize and adjust. But for now I have to put that aside and concentrate.)
Round 2: Grip strength test.
I hold the tester tightly in my hand, using my magic circuits, and when the beep sounds, I release it and look at the result, which shows 112 kilos.
(My training really pays off.)
"Wow!" I hear noise behind me. "540 Kilos! You're what?! A gorilla? No, you look more like an octopus!"
The one who marvels is called Hanta Sero, a tall, thin boy with thick black hair, almond eyes and a simplistic smile. His elbows look like tape dispensers.
The person who achieved this monstrous score of 540 kilos is called Mezo Shoji. He's very tall, with white hair that falls over his face and a blue mask that makes his eyes the only visible part of his face. He has 6 arms and is very muscular.
"Did someone say 'octopus'? Crazy..." The little one with the big head, big eyes and hair like big grapes is called Minoru Mineta, and he's really smaller, barely over 1 meter tall.
The 3rd event, the long jump with no run-up, goes quickly. I see Yuga use his laser to go further than the sandbox, and Bakugo does the same with his explosions. When it's my turn, I strengthen my legs and leap, arriving right on the other side of the bin, which surprises even me.
The fourth test, the extended pas chassé, is also surprisingly fast. Getting into the rhythm was tricky at first, but after 30 seconds, my body and legs were in total sync, and I felt like I was dancing, holding on for several minutes longer than anyone else. But feeling the fatigue coming on, I stop to save myself. I look beside me to see Inaho keeping up her momentum, being much faster than me too. And further away I see Mineta using the balls on his head, having put them on his sides and just bouncing on them.
(Inaho doesn't surprise me, she's just as atletic as I am, if not more so, but this guy... you'll tell me, it's a way of doing pas chassés...)
The fifth test takes us back to ball throwing. Usui stands in the center of the circle and juggles it, warming up. Then he throws it a little higher and the ball suddenly disappears. Leaving everyone speechless, although I did see him quickly retrieve a pebble in mid-air. Everyone turns to the professor, who points out that the ball is several kilometers away.
(I don't know if it's just cheating, or simply genius...)
It's Ochaco's turn, as she gently tosses the ball into the air, which continues to roll away. The ball doesn't fall, continuing on its way into space.
"Infinite?! Holy cow! She got an 'Infinite'!" The class exclaims.
(I've been average on all the tests, so maybe it's time to score more points than usual.)
"Senji Emiya, come with me, I need to tell you something." The teacher steps towards me. "Shiria, supervise the test."
"Well received!" she replies energetically. "Ojiro-san! Your turn!"
Aizawa takes me behind a building, far enough away not to be heard by the others.
"I'll be straight with you kid." He turns to me, a piercing stare disfiguring me. "You don't belong here in Kuoh."
"..." I don't answer, just clench my fists and frown, sensing where this is going.
"As you've guessed, I know who you are, that famous mercenary may have given you his name, but you're still the Jinchûriki of the nine-tailed fox demon. What are you thinking, trying to get stronger here? You know what's going to happen if you lose control, don't you? I can understand the Third Hokage giving you a few liberties, but Minori and Nezu letting you in... It's beyond comprehension. You're a constant threat, both our protector and a time bomb. And that's not all, I've seen the pictures, the wounds you've inflicted on yourself, if you go on like this, it's not just your body that's going to break, but your mind too. There's a certain insufferable hero who made a name for himself by single-handedly rescuing over a thousand innocents from a disaster. You have his raw courage, but the truth is you'll never be able to repeat that feat, or even save anyone, because everyone hates you. They may have forgotten you, but it won't be long before they do when they see your heroic face. Admit it Senji Emiya, the weight on your shoulders will prevent you from becoming a hero."
"...I don't care."
"Hm?"
"I don't care what you or anyone else thinks of me. I made a promise, to take back his torch and succeed where he failed. And the presence of the fox demon won't change that, on the contrary, I hope one day to be able to get along and use his strength for the common good." I start to move away from him, back towards the field. "Besides, I've got more than one trick up my sleeve, so watch me sensei, and I'll show you that I can do it."
He closes his eyes, not answering, and follows me. Returning to the others, I seem to be the last to pass. I can feel their questioning eyes on me, wondering why Aizawa wanted to talk to me. But I stay focused and stand in the center of the circle. Shiria gives me the ball, which I feel is rather heavy because of the device used to mark it.
"Come on, let's get this over with." Said Aizawa.
"Are you worried about him? For my part... I don't care." Yuga comments to Inaho and Ochaco.
Both look at him dumbly, not knowing what to say.
"Looks like he's had a few instructions before, but..." Iida wonders.
"He's going to fail miserably, that's for sure, he's capable of nothing." Spits out Bakugo.
"The way other people look at me, the fear and disgust I inflict on them." I murmur, barely perceptible even to myself. "Why should I still care now, when I did all my childhood... Turning back is impossible, I can only move forward, it's no different." I lift my eyes, looking straight ahead.
I get into position, ready to throw the ball with all my might. I charge the magic circuits throughout my body, strengthening it, making me glow with a bright bluish light, and I also strengthen the ball, making it more areodynamic.
(Aizawa-sensei has a point.)
I throw out my arm, sucking in energy as I do so, creating threads of energy heading for my mouth.
(Indeed, if I continue on the same path as before, there's no chance I'll ever be a hero.)
A thin layer of energy covers my left hand.
(If I don't work ten times harder than everyone else, I'll never get there!)
I throw the ball at full power, sending it high and far into the air, causing a small shockwave around me.
(From now on, I'll show you what I'm capable of!)
Aizawa looks at his meter, beeping, then turns it to show everyone, indicating 805 meters and he seems to be very surprised.
"Aizawa-sensei." I wipe the blood dripping from my nose, then turn to Aizawa. "I've got more than one trick up my sleeve."
"Oh ho...!" A smile spreads across his face.