#meanwhile my inner monologue has to continuously remind me to be normal

[just-kessho]

Serenity

U.A. Beginnings: Quirk Apprehension Test

Turns out God hates your guts... or maybe it's a twist of fate instead, as despite your wish, you were put in Eraserhead's class. Moreover, first day here, and the whole class were forced to go through a gruelling Quirk Apprehension Test - yay - with the threat of expulsion over everybody's heads. How will you fare? How will the rest of the class fare? More importantly, are the Hero costumes ready yet?!

Information [1]

Arc 1: U.A. Beginnings [1] [Here] [3]

Word count: 4.5k

… No. God hates my guts right now.

Standing in U.A.’s P.E. ground wearing the school’s unique P.E. clothing, [Name]’s face wielded that angelic smile that would had the students at her middle school weak in the knees, however, her inner monologue was in utter turmoil.

As her luck would have it, first day here, and the whole class were forced to go through a Quirk examination of sorts by the human sized caterpillar (the sight of a fully grown human being who had reached the age of thirty, snuggled comfortably in his sleeping bag, stirred a sense of unwanted deja vu in [Name]) - who was none other than Aizawa Shouta A.K.A. Eraserhead A.K.A. class 1-A’s homeroom teacher… A.K.A. [Name]’s teacher.

Please world, no more protagonist clichés.

Unknown to her, that is exactly what she will go through.

Although everything has a silver lining, even [Name] had to admit it, as she met up with the brown haired girl that she (or rather, the mysterious boy with the most powerful Quirk she had seen) saved. Introducing herself, [Name] found out her name was Uraraka Ochako.

... and that was all she discovered, because as soon as the two met up with the glasses boy with the simple design and the one that saved them, Eraserhead made an appearance (though as a caterpillar instead of a human then), scolding them that the course of heroes was not designed to make friends.

Which led us to now, with Uraraka inquiring their homeroom teacher about the events that a normal school would do.

“If you want to be Heroes, we don’t have time for frilly niceties.” their homeroom teacher bluntly explained, “you all understand the school’s reputation for freedom on campus. Well, that “freedom” goes for us teachers, too.”

Cue a look of absolute confusion written on the class’s faces.

Eraserhead then proceeded to remind the students that the physical tests from middle school are banned from using Quirks, since the country hasn’t got round to standardising those records.

“Bakugou.” he picked the male with the ‘I’ll-kill-you’ attitude, “how far could you pitch a softball in middle school?”

“67 meters.”

“Try using your Quirk this time around. As long as you don’t exit the circle, anything you do is fine.” tossing him the ball, which “Bakugou” caught, he added, “don’t hold back.”

Activating his Quirk, he threw the ball as hard as he could shouting, “DIE!” as he went, and with a tremendous explosion, the ball flew high, before being swallowed by the bright, blue sky.

… Well then… I’d better do the best too. [Name] thought, deciding to ignore her classmate’s “DIE!” remark. It was too early in the morning to be questioning anything, anyway.

“Before anything else, one must know what they are capable of.” the black haired man reasoned, then holding the device who recorded how far the ball went. A clear [705.2m] was there, “this is a rational metric that will form the basis of your “Hero foundation”.”

At once, the class erupted into excited murmurs, about how this could be fun. Eraserhead, however, did not take their mood (or rather, lack of) well, so as a result, he stated, with complete resolve, that the person ranked last in overall points will be deemed “hopeless”:

“And instantly expelled.”

… Oh wow, this is stirring up old memories…

“Our “freedom” means we dispense students as we please! Welcome, to this… department of Heroics!” he finished, swiping his hair with a maddening look in his eyes.

Naturally, there were complaints about how unjustified it was, to expel a student solely based on their first experience. The Hero, however, justified that disasters, natural or man-made ones, happen all the time, unexpectedly in Japan, and around the world, and it was the job of Heroes to resolve it.

Anyone who naively think that if the next three years would be filled with easy tasks and a talk in McDonald’s after school would be disappointed. Because it was going to be hardship after hardship.

“This is “Plus Ultra”. I expect you to overcome these trials and climb to the top.”

[Name] could feel the cold sweat starting to develop, not noticing the determined or nervous looks her classmates all emitted. Fiddling with her ribbon, she mentally went through all her abilities - both natural and with the help of her Quirk.

“Now then, that was the demonstration. Time to step up the plate.”

Trial 1: The 50 meter dash

I’ll just augment my muscles, exactly as I had done in the Entrance Exam.

[Name] mentally prepared herself, not forgetting to listen to which group she was sorted into - one with a pretty girl with a mutation Quirk and a boy… who causes sparkles every time he does something.

… Though, she thought to herself that the term “mutation” and perhaps not “Quirk” from X-Men was more appropriate.

Might she be…?

A secret X-Men in training?!

As the whistle sounded, all three of them used their Quirk to finish. The alien-like girl had some sort of ability that generated some sort of liquid, allowing the surface to be more slippery and so causing less friction and reducing her time. It would be embarrassing if she slipped, but she didn’t.

The boy with a belt meanwhile, faced backwards. [Name] wondered if his belt was his Quirk until he shot a beam, landing down every couple of meters only to start up again.

I... wasn’t expecting that.

They both finished at the same time of [5.51] seconds. Impressive! [Name] narrowly followed up with [5.78] seconds, beating her previous middle school record of [7.89].

[Surname] [Name]’s Quirk: Mind Over Matter.

Her Quirk is a very useful and powerful one that involves her brain to move objects and/or matter - even concepts. At a glance, her ability could be mistaken as telekinesis, though it goes deeper and more scientific than that, as she has to understand the properties of whatever she wanted to control for her Quirk to work.

“You both did so well.” flashing the two that finished earlier a closed eyed smile, she introduced herself, wanting to get on well with her classmates. “And those Quirks that you have are interesting at a glance!”

A true Princess… she’s cute!

A Goddess that rivals my sparkling… I’ve been blessed…

Trial 2: The grip strength test

Like she did with the previous test, [Name] directed all of her strength and Quirk in her dominant hand as she gripped the measure as hard as she could.

… Okay, she could cheat by altering the readings easily with her Quirk, but… it would mean that she was lying to everyone… and also herself.

[55] KGW.

Noticing the panicked stare of the green haired boy (the one that saved both Uraraka and her), [Name] approached him with what she wanted to give off was an encouraging smile.

“Hey, so what the grip strength isn’t your strength? Look at me, I’m using my Quirk and I scored one less than you. Chin up, Mister, you’ll do fine is you would believe in yourself and do it.”

He did seem to look better, face less paler than before… or maybe not? His face was now an alarming red…? [Name] was about to ask whether he was all right or not, and along with his name so she could thank him properly, but with Eraserhead now announcing the next test, she gave him one last smile and went.

Trial 3: The standing long jump

I never knew that my long legs and Quirk would come so handy!

[Name] praised herself, as she landed - gracefully as ever - a good distance in sand pit.

Trial 4: Sustained sideways jumps

I feel… dizzy… [Name] thought, watching the dwarf-like male with… large purple grapes for hair, which he pulled out and stuck at both ends of the track, bouncing between them like some sort of person who had one too many Monster drinks.

The [hair colour] female did not do badly, as when finished, she had to take several seconds to let her world stop spinning…

Trial 5: The pitch

“Infinity?! Holly cow, she got an infinity?!” exclaimed the students as the short haired girl, known as Urahara Ochaco, easily made the ball float forever using her Quirk.

“That was amazing, Uraraka-san!”

“It was nothing, [Na- [Surname]-san!” her cheeks, already red, became even redder - though [Name] didn’t know whether it was because of her compliment or the slip up.

“Just [Name] or [Name]-chan is fine, Uraraka-san.”

“E-eh? But with you calling me so formally…”

“Sorry, let’s just say… I’m rather old fashioned.”

“Oh, I’ve got it!” looking at Uraraka with her head tilted to the side, [Name] urged her to continue in this way. “I’ll keep calling you “[Surname]-san” until you want to call me by my first name. That way, we can progress together - as friends and Heroes.”

[Name] couldn’t help but smile softly at her suggestion.

… “Friend’s”, huh?

When it was [Name]’s turn, she walked up, nervous with around 20 people watching her like hawks (there was even one student who had the face of a bird), her hand reached up to fiddle with her ribbon, but nonetheless, [Name] took several deep breaths to calm herself down.

It also helped that Uraraka was holding her hands in a position that said “you can do it!”

Now then… since I can lift this ball and see it, if I apply just the right pressure, I could suspend it in the air in theory, even when it would be a tricky process… or maybe I’ll manipulate the air around me to suspend it…? Decisions, decisions, what to do…

Ultimately, [Name] went with her later idea. Just like Uraraka before her, she landed with the [infinity] mark on her attempt.

[Name] watched when it was Midoriya Izuku’s turn, who walked to the space designated with an “I’m dead” expression. Whispering a “good luck” to him, [Name] watched, concerned, as he looked less than a potential Hero, and more like a prisoner going to be executed.

… She knew that look well.

But it was all for nought, as Midoriya landed with a measly 46 meters.

… He erased Midoriya’s Quirk.

Grabbing the poor boy with his bandages, Eraserhead said that his Quirk defies all logic and reason, and that because Midoriya couldn’t control his mysterious super strength-like Quirk, he’ll just be a liability on the battlefield.

That’s… uncalled for, Eraserhead. But then, it’s what you’d expect from him. Nothing has changed. I don’t think it will. But still…

She could feel the irritation building up in her.

The second time Midoriya activated his Quirk, [Name] widened his eyes at the fact that he didn’t throw it at the normal height. Instead, she watched, soundlessly (along with the rest who was present), as he with a blast, the softball was thrown at a velocity much like the one who had an “I’LL-FUCKING-KILL-YOU!” expression.

Watching as he painstaking curled his injured hand into a fist, Midoriya announced, “I… I can still move!”

He… concentrated all of his powers on a single digit at the last possible second? What concentration!

“I knew you could do it, Midoriya-kun!”

One person, however, was not pleased in the slightest.

“What is this, Deku?! Explain now, Shitrag!” with an angered yell, the boy leaped towards Midoriya.

However, Bakugou never made it to the poor boy as he was forcibly stopped, one leg still suspended in mid-air, as his whole body was paralysed. No, in stricter terms, he wasn’t paralysed, but rather… frozen. Why though? Eraserhead’s Quirk shouldn’t have had that effect…!

“Enough [Surname], release him.”

“Huh? Ah… sorry, it just… I just- couldn’t stop myself…?”

… What was that explanation, [Name]?!

“You… damn bitch!” attention now on the girl that stopped his movements, Bakugou directed his rage at her. But he couldn’t even move a single step before being suspended a second time. This time, however, by his teacher. “Shit’s this cloth? I can’t…!”

“It’s my special “capturing weapon,” a steel wire alloy woven with carbon nanofibers! Jeez, don’t make me use my Quirk so much… I’ve got dry eyes, damnit!”

And thus, with Bakugou unable to land a single hit on either one of his opponents, the test continued.

-----

The bombshell (for the rest of the students anyway) was dropped after the test was over.

“Oh yeah, that whole “expulsion” thing was a lie. It was a logical ruse to pull out your best performances.”

Needless to say, several people were so freaked out by it that their screams would have blended perfectly with the artistic masterpiece that is “The Scream”. Stating that the curriculum sheets would be found back in the classroom, Eraserhead left the students alone without much hassle - but not before forgetting to remind Midoriya to go see Recovery Girl to get his finger sorted.

5th huh? I like it! Not too flashy either!

-----

“[Surname]-san!” a shout of her family name behind her made the girl stop her walk. Turning back, she was met with the running form of Uraraka. “I’ve caught up with you…! Thank goodness, you sure do walk fast…!”

 … She’s so out of breath… do I really walk that fast?

“Uraraka-san? What do you need?”

“You’re going to the station, right? Let me join you!”

In the end, after spotting Midoriya and Iida, the group of two became a group of four as they all continued their way towards the train station.

“[Surname] [Name].” the girl beside Uraraka introduced herself, smiling softly as the sunlight cascaded down her form like a Heavenly light. “Midoriya-san, I never fully expressed my thanks for you saving me.” doing a traditional ninety-degree bow, [Name] thanked the green haired boy for his actions for the Entrance Exam - which was met with a string of stuttering and a face full of the colour of lava.

“And I’m Uraraka Ochako! You’re uh… “Iida Tenya”, and, if I’m not mistaken… “Midoriya… Deku”!”

““Deku”?!”

“Wasn’t that what that Bakugou kid called you? Or the like?”

Midoriya explained that “Deku” was just a demeaning nickname “Kacchan” ([Name] presumed “Kacchan” was a nickname for Bakugou, and with both boys giving nicknames for each other, they must had been close friends - or once close friends) made up to insult him.

“But you know, I kinda like the name “Deku” for you! It gives me a “never give up” vibe, you know?”

“I think Uraraka-san’s right, Midoriya-kun. Facing your bullies and those that put you down… it takes real courage to not hide.”

If it was possible, Midoriya’s face, already red to begin with, became even redder. [Name] wondered whether the temperature that he emitted was enough to fry an egg…

“Hi, I’m Deku.”

“That was such a quick change…!” “Don’t be so weak-willed! It’s an insult, remember?” [Name] and Iida’s voices overlapped simultaneously. Looking at one another, the two let out faint chuckles at their impeccable timing.

She’s cute when she giggles.

“It’s just like when Copernicus flipped the paradigm…”

“Coperni-huh?”

And the group of four continued their way towards the station, their chatter and laughter never once dying out. All in all, they looked like a small group of best friends, even when they only knew each other from today.

-----

“Good luck with U.A. today dear!”

“Thanks, mother!” at the meowing down below, [Name] added, in a softer tone, “thanks, Kuro.”

[Name]’s so cute when she smiles… the older woman thought, a hand on her cheek as she inwardly gushed at her daughter’s departing form.

Hmm…? Might that be? Spotting a mop of red and white that was split into two even halves after she stepped off the train, [Name] jogged up to the male to make sure she got the right person. After all, nothing was more embarrassing than waving and greeting someone only to find out you’ve got the wrong person.

Fortunately for her, her deduction was right.

“Good morning, Todoroki-kun.” she caught up to him, smiling lightly.

“[Surname]-san.”

“Good to see that you’re lively this morning.”

“...”

Not knowing whether his lack of response was because of her terrible joke or he just doesn’t want to talk for whatever reason today, [Name] sweat dropped awkwardly. It didn’t help that the silence between then was getting more and more uncomfortable as the clock ticked onwards.

“You know… yesterday was rather cruel. Having a Quirk apprehension test the first day we attend U.A.? Our unique teacher is just – I’ll say it again – cruel.”

… No response. But [Name] did catch the way his eyes glanced at her own face for a split second. That’s better than nothing!

“Hey, do you think that our costumes have been completed?” [Name] asked, clapping her hands. “They were sent here three weeks ago.”

“Perhaps…”

All right! I got him to pronounce two syllables!

“Anyhow, do you think Aizawa-sensei will ditch his sleeping bag today?”

“[Surname].” he stopped in his tracks, causing [Name] to walk past him several steps. “what our teacher said yesterday was true. The Department of Heroics isn’t about making friends and having fun. It’s all about survival of the fittest. If you can’t keep on the right track, you will not survive.”

The male continued his way after that part was said, but not forgetting to brush against [Name]’s shoulder lightly - clear sign of irritation.

“If you so desperately want to make some friends, then I suggest you transfer out of this course.”

But before he could fully leave her range, [Name] hands shot forwards, gently holding his own as Todoroki’s eyes widened at her bold action.

“It will be lonely, Todoroki-kun.” quietly, her sound so small that even the son of the Pro Hero has to strain his ears. “The path that you’re walking on… will be a lonesome and light-less one indeed.”

What… is this girl saying?

“That’s why… I’ll be your friend!” eyes shining with determination, [Name] looked up at him, her subtle promise unwavering even in the glare he directed at her. The stars in her eyes seemed to be gleaming under the light. “I won’t care how many walls I will need to break down, I won’t care how many times you will push me away, I won’t care how long I will wait - but I will be your friend.”

Todoroki said nothing, but shrugged off his hand with a glare that was harder than the last.

You want to be Todoroki’s friend, but you won’t let others close to you? [Name] thought back to Uraraka. Aren’t you being a bit hypocritical, [Name]?

-----

Despite uproar that was Eraserhead’s Quirk exam yesterday, the morning classes were almost shockingly normal compared to it. It was to be expected, as U.A. was a high school, after all, and schools are created to teach student information to aid them in the incoming future.

… Or well, some information would be beneficial, while the rest were usually locked and forgotten over time.

“Well then class,” Present Mic read from the textbook, “tell me where the mistake is in the next English sentence example…”

Number three.

This is so normal…

“Who knows the answer?! Everybody hands up and raise them high!” He screamed towards the ceiling and the never-ending blue sky.

But nobody raised their hand up.

Which made Present Mic’s actions seem just sad in [Name]’s books.

During lunchtime, the world-class cuisine meant that every tray was left empty, and with the lunches provided by the famous Hero Cooking Rush, everybody knew it would not only be delicious, but also nutritious. For the courses in U.A., their afternoon sessions were different depending on whatever course they had picked (or were chosen for), and for those in the Department of Heroics, it meant…

“It’s meeeeee!” All Might exclaimed, dashing into the classroom like a Hero- wait, [Name] reminded herself, he is one anyway. “though the door like a normal person!”

“I can’t believe it! All Might’s really gonna be teaching us!”

“That design’s so silver age! That art style clashed so much it’s giving me goosebumps…”

“Foundational Hero Studies!” their teacher announced, striking a pose. “For this class, we’ll be building up your Hero foundation through various trials!”

All Might then proudly presented a card, with the word “BATTLE” written out in large, block capitals, “Let’s jump right in with this! The trial of battle!”

“Sounds exciting…!” [Name] whispered, determination clearly written on her face.

“And to go with your first battle… we’ve prepared the gear we had you send in requests for to match your Quirks!”

At once, like several minutes before, the entire class (or almost the entire class) erupted in excited chatters. This time, it was less at the prospect of perhaps using their Quirks specifically for a lesson, but because they could now finally see whether their costumes suit their tastes or not - costumes that they designed themselves.

It was like having a kid send their drawing of a plushie they wanted and the company did just that… again, that thought was more literal than she had initially thought.

“Our battle gear!”

“Awesome!”

“Get changed and we’ll be ready to go! Everyone gather at Grounds Beta!”

Glaring down at her Hero costume that she will likely wear for the rest of her life (or well, until retirement), [Name]’s eyes scanned every bit of the thing. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if she burnt a hole through.

“Is this too… revealing…?” the girl whispered, “it shows too much skin for my tastes… well, at least I’ve got a cloak, shorts and those accessories that I had asked for.”

Still… maybe I shouldn’t have wrote “Whatever’s fine, as long as I have these accessories and the costume isn’t too body-tight, loose, or too revealing.”

Looking to the left, [Name] nearly chocked on air at the amount of skin the girl in the ponytail was showing. A red one piece that would not look out of place for swimming models was on her body already, and all that was left were the accessories that she had in her hands.

“Yaoyorozu-san, does your Quirk need skin contact?”

“Not exactly, [Surname]-san.” she explained. “My Quirk, Creation, allows me to create anything when I know its properties from my fat cells. Judging from what I witnessed, your Quirk involves the stimulation of muscles and the brain, right?”

“Close! My Mind Over Matter allows me to manipulate anything - be it objects or even matter - as long as I understand the principles behind it. Ah, you’re also very pretty in your costume. It accommodates your Quirk nicely as well.”

“You too, [Surname]-san. Mind if I asking, what’s that crown for?”

Directing to the black crown settled on [Name] head, just behind her headband, the girl explained that it’s actually something akin to a transmitter of sorts, allowing her to spread the distance when using some abilities of her Quirk.

“You know… if not for the restriction on the amount of skin allowed to shown, I would have exposed more.”

… She wants to expose more?!

“Ah… you nearly ready Yaoyorozu-san, Uraraka-san?” meeting their smiles, [Name] grabbed the cloak and with one swing, secured it over her shoulders. “Shall we go?”

Bakugou Kasuki slid on his grenade-like accessory on his left arm.

“And don’t forget, from here on out,”

Uraraka Ochaco securely fitted her helmet.

“You’re all officially…”

Iida Tenya tested out his Ingenium Boots.

Midoriya Izuku sprinted towards the exit. Though his shout of “Wait for me!” kind of ruined the mood slightly.

“HEROES!”

[Name], along with Bakugou, Uraraka, Iida, Asui Tsuyu, Aoyama Yuga, a looming Shoji Mezo and Mineta Minoru, all strode forwards confidently.

Here we go.

Note: [Name]’s Hero costume (here) and (here).

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