On the day of the entrance ceremony I had resolved to arrive early, in order to have a chance to prepare myself. UA was well known for being not just the best, but also the most unorthodox, and Ryuko warned that they might very well throw us down the deep end right away. So I had wanted to prepare myself, maybe get done with socializing with my classmates before it all began.
Emphasis on 'had'. See, it turns out a lot of people had the same idea. Hordes of students crowded the hallways of UA, and unless I wanted to bulldoze my way through I was stuck moving at a snail's pace.
So when I finally arrived at the door to 1-B, my margin was looking a lot thinner than I would've liked. The entrance itself was massive, easily large enough for me to use, and I suppose it also served to intimidate and awe those of the regular size bracket.
I'd dreamed of this day for years, but now that I was here… I suddenly wished I could be anywhere but here.
This, all of this, it still didn't feel real to me. It was as if it was all still a dream, distant and fleeting. Like if I stepped through the door I'd have to face reality. They'd tell me that it was all a joke, or just a mistake, and that I was stupid for even thinking it had actually happened.
I exhaled heavily, before pushing the door open. If I waited any longer I might actually convince myself to turn around. Despite its size the door was light as a feather, requiring little force at all to move.
The room itself was as you'd expect, well-lit and large, filled with neat rows of desks. There were several students already there, lounging around or in their seats, conversing in low tones, but everything ceased as I entered. You could've dropped a pin in the stunned silence, until somebody spoke out.
"That's... a dragon."
A bespectacled boy with thick fur covering his body turned towards me, bowing low.
"Jurota Shishida, sir. Ah, excuse me, but I don't think everyone's here yet."
"...I don't see how that's a problem?"
"But you can't start the lesson if everyone isn't present?"
Wait. Waitwaitwaitwait. Is he-
"Do you… think that I'm the teacher?"
"Are… are you not?" He asked, taken aback.
"No!" Do I really seem like that? "No, I'm not the teacher. What makes you think that?"
"...Well, you're not wearing the student uniform for one." He pointed out.
I glanced down at the vest I was wearing. "Excuse you, this is my student uniform. It isn't my fault the default version is only feasible to use for humanoids."
"I- Of course. My apologies." He bowed again, before offering a furry hand. "Jurota Shishida."
"Ryuuzaki Tatsuma."
"Would you happen to be related to the famous Pro-Hero Ryukyu by any chance?"
"She is my sister."
"I see. Ah… should I call you sir or a miss?"
I honestly wanted to laugh.
"A question for the ages."
"But... how do I refer to you?"
"I really don't care."
"I-"
"Ryuuzaki is a girl's name." A girl with vines for hair supplied from the background, and I sighed.
"Foiled again."
"Ryuuzaki?" Somebody called out from the back of the room, and I was suddenly struck with the realization that I recognized that voice. "Ryuuzaki Tatsuma?"
There, seemingly only now paying attention to what was going in in the doorway, was Yui. She was wearing the student uniform of UA, her expression completely flat as usual.
"You two know each other?" The orange-haired girl who'd been sitting near her asked.
"Same elementary and middle school." She looked back up at me. "Last time you weren't a dragon."
"...There was an incident."
"An incident." She repeated flatly, the tiniest twitch of her eyelid betraying her thoughts on the matter. "One that made you disappear without a trace."
"What was I supposed to do?"
"Anything."
"I didn't even have your phone number. Was I supposed to just hang around the school limits trying to catch you?"
"Yes."
"..."
Seeing that I had no answer, Yui pointedly turned away, returning to a conversation with the orange-haired girl.
I sighed, and turned away, lumbering towards my own seat.
"Don't you think that was a little harsh?"
"..."
My desk was easy to find, being far larger than anyone else's and located at the very back of the class, presumably to prevent my size from blocking anyone's view. Since I couldn't hold a pen I was permitted to use a computer for making notes and doing tasks. A chair like the one I had at home had also been provided and I crawled onto it, my head still swimming from the previous encounter.
It's not like I hadn't neglected to contact her out of maliciousness. I just… there had been so much going on. I'd put it off. And then it was so late that contacting would've been awkward. So I put it off more, until it fell out of my mind entirely.
I mean, what would I have told her, anyway? "I got shot and stuck as a dragon so I can't go to school anymore, we'll probably never see each other ever again"?
Over the next fifteen minutes or so the rest of the class trickled in. A boy with pitch-black skin, another one with yellow skin and what looked to be a salt shaker for a head, and I thought I saw green-hair from the recommended exam in the crowd as well. They were a varied bunch, that was for sure. They probably thought I couldn't hear the comments made about me, but my ears were keener than they looked.
"Huh… I would've thought I would've remembered a dragon in the entrance exam..."
"Idiot. She's Ryukyu's sister, she's obviously one of the recommended students."
"Recommended student and a dragon? That's just unfair..."
At some point another student claimed one of the desks in front of mine, and I turned to regard them. A short girl with an equine mutation featuring a pair of hooves and two long horns sticking out of her blonde hair.
She meep-ed slightly when she realized I was watching her, stumbling for words.
"You- um, you're a dr-" She trailed off in that way that was exceedingly familiar to me, that mix of frustration and embarrassment as you try to remember the right word, just on the tip of your tongue yet so far out of reach.
"Dragon?"
"Yes! Thank you, a dragon. You're a real dragon!"
"...Yeah." I wasn't really sure what to say to that.
"That's awesome! Can you fly? No, of course you can, you have wings. Oh! Oh! Can you breathe fire?"
"...I've never managed to, no." I admitted, but it didn't seem to bother her.
"You're so warm!" She leaned in closer, holding her palms near my scales, before rocking back on her heels? Or do you say hooves? And offering me a hand.
"Oh, um, I'm Pony Tsunotori! Nice to meet you!"
"Ryuuzaki Tatsuma." I replied and met her handshake, wondering how many times I'd need to introduce myself before the day was over.
"Oh! You're Ryukyu's sister!" She started chattering excitedly, suddenly switching to english seemingly without noticing. "
She trailed off, before suddenly turning red.
"I did it again, didn't I? I'm so sorry, I got excited and I was talking abo-"
"
Pony sagged in relief, doing her best to give me a bright smile.
"Thank you. Um, I moved over from America only last year. My father's japanese but my mother is from the US and I've lived over there all my life so my japanese isn't… always so great."
"That's fine." I understood her struggle better than she realized. "Now, what's this about a Ryukyu manga, and how have I never heard of it before now?"
"Oh! It's… well, it's one of those american manga. Drawn in the same style, but written in english. But it's really good!"
"Oh? Do you have any? I'd like to see it if possible."
"I don't have any with me, but I have some back home. I… could bring some tomorrow?"
"That would be fant-"
The door was suddenly thrown open as a bombastic voice rang out across entire classroom.
"PLUS ULTRA!"
Poor Shishida looked like he'd almost jumped out of his fur, and several others near the door also flinched at the sheer volume of buzz-cut's entrance.
"I have always wanted to say that!" He said cheerfully as he strode in, surveying the room. "Good morning my fellows students!"
Pony looked up, casting a dubious look towards the overly enthusiastic boy.
"Don't mind him, he's just… like that."
"Tatsuma!" He shouted across the room as he noticed me, starting to make his way over. "I told you we would meet again!"
"I suppose you did." Well shit. Now it was going to be awkward if I didn't recall his name. Hm. I shifted around in my chair towards Pony. "This is Pony Tsunotori."
Buzz-cut took her hand and shook it heavily. "Inasa Yoarashi! Great to meet you!"
Success!
I did my best to commit "Inasa Yoarashi" to memory, that trick only works once before it gets weird. At least his personality was… distinctive, to say the least.
By my count everyone was here by now, chatting in small groups, introducing themselves and making friends. Then, as the clock ticked to 10:00, unseen by the majority of the students, the door opened one last time. One by one the class fell silent as they noticed the new arrival, until even Yoarashi had realized something was wrong, and turned around.
"So good of you to notice. To your seats."
Instead of the suit and tie I'd seen previously our teacher wore what I assumed to be his hero costume, a skin-tight red bodysuit and a pair of silver gauntlets.
"My name is Sekijiro Kan, but you may call me 'Vlad King' or 'Sir'. I will be your Homeroom Teacher, starting from this moment until you either graduate or leave UA."
He didn't elaborate on what he meant by the latter, but most could probably guess. There were hundreds of horror stories of UA students being expelled for failing to meet the mark of the prestigious academy.
I'd even had the displeasure of running into one.
"We will be leaving soon for the entrance ceremony, but we still have some time to get us started. At the beginning of each year group, I give my students a promise, and ask for one in return."
He walked up to the front of the class, folding his arms before him.
"You have, all of you, passed the entrance examination, and in that you have something to be proud of. It means that you have the potential to become a Hero. But this is only the beginning of your journey."
Right. Getting in was only step one. Now we had to prove we deserved to stay.
"I promise that in the next three years I will do my utmost to bring out that potential in each and every last one of you. I will give you the best education possible to prepare you for the trials ahead. I will be a harsh but fair teacher. My door is always open if you ever have a problem you feel like you cannot face by yourselves. I promise I will hear you out, and do what is in my power to help."
He spread out his arms towards us.
"But I cannot do it alone. You will all need to do your part, not just as individuals, but as a group. Because from this moment onward, you are in this together. Look around yourselves: for the next three years, these people will be not just your class, but your team. Their triumphs and fails shall be yours, and yours theirs. You will lift each other up when you fall, and push one another towards ever greater heights when you succeed.."
One by one, he looked each of us in the eye as he spoke.
"Can you promise to me that you will do this?"
For a few moments there was silence.
Then Yoarashi jumped to his feet like a spring, hand over his heart.
"Such a hot-blooded beginning! I give my solemn promise!"
Others joined in, and I mumbled something vaguely affirmative as well. It all felt a little cheesy, but I went along.
Once the noise had died down, Vlad King went on.
"Excellent. In a few moments the Principal will do it formally, but for my part, welcome to UA High School. Your journey starts here."
For a few moments he let us bask in that warm feeling, before moving on.
"Now, enough of that. Form a single file, behind me!" He barked out, and the class hurried to obey, and I lumbered into the last spot.
Vlad King lead us through the hallways into the same hall we'd taken the written portion of the exam in, only this time filled with people instead of desks. There was a small eruption of noise among the other classes as we entered, growing a notch in volume as I ducked through the doorway.
Apparently even at UA a dragon is not an ordinary sight.
I made note of the various Pro-Heroes scattered around the place, herding their students into formation: I recognized Hound Dog (I had looked up his name after the exam) and Present Mic, but I didn't recognize the others. One peeled off from the crowd and started walking towards us-
Is that woman wearing a BDSM outfit? In a school?
I have several questions about this.
"There you finally are, Kan! Now we just need Aizawa and we'll have all the first years here."
"He's not coming, probably at the training grounds already with 1-A. You know how he is, he thinks this is all a waste of time."
I guess she actually is supposed to be a teacher. Huh.
The woman frowned, but nodded.
"Of course he wouldn't even notify us… we'll need to adjust the formation to not leave a gap…" She trailed off as she returned to the other teachers, whilst Vlad King turned towards us.
"Move in alongside the other students, tallest at the back, shortest in front."
Within a few moments we were lined, with me at the back against the wall to avoid blocking anyone's view. The teachers stood in front near the podium, clearly waiting for something.
"Hey, you two were recommended, right?" The boy with the pitch-black skin whispered towards Yoarashi and I. "What's the principal like?"
"...You'll see." I replied, pre-empting Yoarashi who seemed about to launch into a full-blown speech and draw attention to us.
Just then, there was movement near the podium, and a white, furred head popped over the top, probably standing on stool.
"Good evening everyone! I am Principal Nedzu, and I would like to welcome all of you to UA High School!"
Immediately, muttering broke out.
"Is this a joke?"
"What is that?"
Undaunted, Nedzu went on. "What am I? A rat, a dog, a bear? Who knows! What matters is that I am your principal."
"...The teachers aren't reacting so I guess it must be true..."
As the crowd calmed down again, Nedzu continued. "It is so good to see many new faces here with us today, on this fine day. Whilst we teachers do our best, people like you are the ones who have made UA into the respected institution it is today: young, talented students, eager to learn."
He went on for quite a while, speaking of the importance of education and building the future. I realized that I'd gotten off easy before: when the principal wanted to talk about something he could talk. And talk. And talk.
"To finish us off, there is a certain anecdote I wanted to share with you all. It is often asked of me, why is UA called a Hero Academia? After all, the Heroics Department does not cover even a fifth of our student base. But I believe that is an altogether incorrect way of thinking about it. All of you, my dear students, are on the path to become heroes. Oh, you may not all go on to become Pro-Heroes, but you do not need to fight villains to be a hero. A police officer is just as heroic, or a fireman, or a doctor. But, I hear you asking, what about everyone else? What about businessmen, teachers, janitors, scientists, mailmen, shopkeepers and all the others? I say, saving lives directly is not the only way to be a hero. Society must be built and maintained, in order for there to be any worth to saving it, and even those who might otherwise be dismissed as worthless all have their place. I firmly believe that all of you will go on to do great things, and make the world a better place."
He stopped for a few moments to let his words sink in, before moving on.
"That's all from me! I hope to see all of you at another speech, three years from now!"
"Class 1-B, on me!" As the mass of students began to scatter towards the doors, Vlad King marched to us and began barking orders again. "We're not done yet for today. Follow me!"
He lead us through the hallways again before reaching our homeroom. However, instead of taking us there he raised a hand to point at the two rooms next to it, marked as the locker rooms for boys and girls respectively.
"Put on your gym uniforms and get to the training grounds. We still have work to do before the day is over."
The room was like you'd expect, lockers and benches lining the walls, with a door leading to the showers near the back. On the bench in front of each locker was a transparent plastic wrap containing a gym uniform, blue and red with a stylized white UA logo on the chest.
"Greetings, meatbag. Prepare for the clothing substitution procedure."
However, instead of a locker on the last spot along the line was a silver-coloured robot, a bulbous head staring in my direction as a pair of long manipulator arms clicking in anticipation.
"What is that?" The orange-haired girl asked, looking concerned, and I sighed.
"It's my assistant. I can't reach back far enough to get the clasps on my uniform, so the school gave me one to help."
"...But why is it calling us meatbags?"
"They just do it sometimes. You're better off ignoring it."
"And 'It' can also hear you. We're wasting time here, meatbags."
I sighed again and moved over, letting the robot's hands reach over undo the clasps around my wings and take off the school uniform. Slowly the others began to change their uniforms, occasionally casting glances in my direction. Yui was still steadfastly ignoring my very existence, and I had no idea what to do about it.
Soon enough we were all clad in our gym uniforms, and filed out towards the training grounds, the boys trickling out of the other locker room soon after.
As we were walking across the school grounds, green-hair moved to walk beside me.
"So you're the one, huh?" She grinned up at me. I wasn't sure if it was a friendly grin or not. "Who knocked me out of the running for recommended student?"
I… wasn't really sure that was how it worked, but before I could formulate that thought into words she went on.
"I am going to prove to everyone that I deserved the recommended student spot. Just you watch it!"
"I agree."
"And- Wait, what?" She stammered, suddenly taken aback.
"Well, I don't particularly feel like I did anything special to deserve the spot. So I agree. You probably deserved it more than I did."
"Well- Regardless. My name is Setsuna Tokage. Remember it, because I'm going to be the one who kicks your ass."
She walked over to talk to the orange-haired girl, leaving me to stew in me own thoughts, until a voice interrupted me.
"Why sell yourself so short, Tatsuma?"
The speaker was a blonde boy with bright blue eyes, walking with his hands in his pockets.
"Just being honest."
"There's a line between honesty and needless self-deprecation. You should feel proud, of having made it here."
I shrugged, an exaggerated motion using my wings.
"You don't have to believe me. But remember, by doubting yourself, you are also doubting everyone that brought you here. You are doubting your sister, who staked her professional reputation on your recommendation. You are doubting the judgement of the principal, who decided you deserved this spot."
The blonde boy bowed slightly.
"Neito Monoma. I look forward to working with you in the future."
He left to join the others, and soon enough we reached our destination.
The training grounds were your typical sports field, with race tracks, sand pits, and so on. Vlad King was waiting for us, still in his costume. I guess the teachers just wear those around all day?
"Good. Now that everyone is here, we can begin." He gestured towards the training grounds. "In middle school, all of you have taken physical tests during PE. These are supposed to allow the government to track your fitness. However, there is one element which is missing from those tests. Can any of you tell me what that element is?"
Confidently, the orange-haired girl raised a hand. "Our Quirks."
"Precisely. Physical examinations forbid the usage of Quirks, or exclude those entirely who cannot avoid their use. That rule is not in place at UA. Observe."
He took up a small ball from the bag at his feet, testing its weight it a couple of times before rearing back and throwing it into the distance, its landing marked with a puff of dust. He showed us the tablet in his free hand, showing a distance of 102.3 meters.
"A respectable distance, but it could be better. Now compare that to this."
He grabbed another ball, but instead of throwing it he tossed it straight into the air above. Suddenly, strands of red liquid whipped out of the holes in his gauntlets, smashing into the ball as it descended.
It shot out as if fired from a cannon, making a long arc into the distance to the point that it was barely visible even to my eyes. He raised the tablet again, this time with the result of 1251.0 meters. A gasp ran through the class.
"You will all take the standard eight-part test. 50 meter dash, standing long jump, side steps, grip strength, ball throw, toe touching, sit ups and distance run. And yes, you can use your Quirks however you want. The more inventive the better."
An excited chatter broke out amongst the students.
"We really are at UA, aren't we?"
"This is what we've been waiting for."
"UA really is the most hot-blooded school in the country!"
And to be honest, I wasn't inclined to disagree. It did sound pretty awesome, to get to measure myself and my Quirk against others. Ryuko was so far above there was no point to compare, and Gang Orca's lessons usually took care to avoid direct competition.
"Quiet." Vlad King didn't raise his voice- he didn't have to. Even Yoarashi's boundless enthusiasm was reigned in by his tone.
"Remember, you are not just taking this test as individuals, but as a group. And to that end…" He brought up the tablet again, this time showing a list of numbers.
"This is the average score of Class 1-A, who took this same test earlier today. This is what you are aiming to beat. Do not disappoint me."
And just like that the atmosphere of the class had changed again, a whole new dimension added to the situation. There was the excitement from before, yes, but also a sense of collective competitiveness. We weren't just proving ourselves to Vlad King and each other, but also being measured against 1-A, as a whole.
"We begin with 50 meter dash. Two at a time, Yoarashi and Tatsuma first."
"Oh, the recommended students first? Now this is getting interesting..."
Starting and finishing lines had been marked into the dirt, a camera bot ready to measure our results. I took my position a fair distance away from Yoarashi, feeling the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
I opened my wings wide, phalanges stretching the membrane to its full extent. I could hear a few gasps from the other students- I could fold my wings well enough to fit indoors, but fully unfurled they were a fairly impressive sight, their full span measuring over a dozen meters between the wingtips. With their enormous surface area the sheer volume of air that was displaced with each beat was massive, and the muscles along my chest and flanks that generated the necessary torque were necessarily equally so.
Stretching each of my limbs in turn, I dug my claws into the dirt and crouched, muscles coiled like springs. Yoarashi stood at the ready as well, hands held at his sides as he positively brimmed with energy.
"Ready, set, go!"
All of that tension was released in an instant, my claws gouging out sprays of dirt as I rocketed forwards, my wings sweeping backwards to give me an additional boost. Distantly I noticed the wind slamming into the other students far behind us, but I alone hadn't generated all of it. In fact the airflow created by my wings was an afterthought compared to what Yoarashi made.
I'd heard him talk about his aerokinetic Quirk, but his typical style of overstating everything and anything had left me in the dark as to the sheer scale of it. He was creating nothing less than a miniature cyclone behind himself, rocketing ahead of me like a cannonball.
All of this took place in only a couple of instants before we were over the finish line, Yoarashi clearly in the lead. As we both decelerated, Vlad King called out the results.
"2.83 seconds for Yoarashi, 5.44 seconds for Tatsuma."
"I got first place!" Yoarashi whooped. "Still, you were really fast too! Especially considering your size, acceleration can't be your strong suit."
I nodded in acknowledgement.
He was actually right on the money: conservation of momentum had worked against me here; I was strong, but I was also heavy, and rapidly accelerating all of that mass required a massive amount of power.
"Next up, Monoma and Rin."
"Ah, can I ask to wait a little longer? I-" Monoma protested, before being cut off.
"No. You're next on the list, so it's your turn. You won't always have the option of picking and choosing in a real situation."
"Fair enough. Well then, let us go."
He and the athletic-looking boy with black haired tied to a ponytail took their positions, and Vlad King gave the signal. The other boy dashed off into a sprint, but the blonde boy pointed his hands behind himself and created a wind blast to help himself forward. His aerokinesis was similar to Yoarashi's Quirk, but it seemed less focused somehow, carefully only boosting himself rather than taking his feet off the ground. Interesting.
"5.51 for Monoma, 7.03 for Rin."
Soon after, we settled down to watch the others take their turns. It was fascinating to see all the varied Quirks in action. Like in the exam Tokage split herself into pieces and flew over the finishing line, whilst the vine-haired girl used her Quirk to launch herself like a catapult.
Pony's Quirk apparently allowed her to detach her horns, causing them to hover in the air. She used them to propel herself, putting them beneath her armpits. Her pair, the boy with literally coal-black skin, looked like he submerged into his own shadow and then launched himself out of it. Exactly how that worked I had no idea.
"That was a good use of your power." I said to Pony as she returned. "It's a versatile Quirk."
"Thanks! It's not as cool as yours, though. Flight must be so cool of an ability to have."
"It is. Have you ever tried flying using your horns?"
"Yeah, but proper flight is actually really hard." I nodded in sympathy as she went on. "Since it's dependent on something not actually attached to me, high-level flight is risky. Dad never let me try, but I'm hoping at UA I can learn a little more."
"That sounds like something your costume could help with. Like, have slots in the back you can insert your horns into for easier flight."
"Oh! That's a good idea!" Her face lit up for a moment, before crumpling. "It's probably going to be too late for my first costume..."
"At least it's something to look forward to."
She nodded glumly, and we returned to watching the performances of the other students.
Shishida could transform even further, shrugging off his shirt before growing much bigger and bulkier. He bounded over the race track on all fours, whilst the orange-haired girl could increase the size of her hands and used them as fans to boost herself forward. Yui used her Quirk to grow a grain of sand beneath her feet into a boulder, while the plain-looking boy was somehow able to rotate his lower body rapidly to boost himself forward.
The boy with the white, blank sphere for a head seemed to have the weirdest Quirk of them all however. It looked like he spit out what a three-dimensional speech bubble out of his face, containing the japanese onomatopoeia for "running". The bubble grew as it floated a few meters forward before popping, leaving the physical kanji letters standing on the ground. However, when the start pistol fired, he took off at a much faster rate than he looked like he should've been able to, and even his pair seemed to be surprised at their own speed.
It was the oddest Quirk I'd ever seen, but potentially also the strongest. Like, holy shit, he could warp reality just by talking?
Of the remainder, however, around half of the class resorted to simply running as normal as Rin had done, unable or unwilling to use their Quirks. In particular the short girl with the large brown bob-cut running down across her face seemed to struggle, scoring notably lower than anyone else.
"Right then. Grip strength next." Vlad King produced several measuring devices, both enclosed and open-ended, presumably so that people like me, Shishida and orange-hair could use them as well.
The class set to work: obviously the aforementioned two performed well, but most of the class seemed to be struggling. The girl with vines for hair used them to press down on the handle and the huge, yellow-skinned boy with what looked like a salt-shaker for a head were also scoring above the norm.
I looked down at the measurement tool: I was pretty sure I could get a decent result too just by sheer size, but my forelimbs weren't really designed for grasping objects. However...
"You said that anything goes, right?"
"As long as you're using your Quirk."
"Hm."
I grabbed the tool and carefully inserted it between my jaws, taking care not to put it between teeth, and then bit down.
Physiologically, my skull structure seemed to have taken notes from both crocodilians and large theropods. The bone structure was immensely thick and solid, not just to support my horns when they impacted, but also simply withstand the enormous pressure exerted by the closing muscles of my jaws when I bit down.
A large saltwater or nile crocodile could impart a bite force of over two thousand kilograms with its jaws, capable of breaking the thigh bone of a water buffalo like a dry twig. We'd once asked the zoo to borrow one of the measuring tools they used, but they had been rather crass with us after I'd bitten straight through the metal.
The measuring tool now jammed between my jaws beeped out loudly, the digital display flashing red to warn that I'd met and exceeded the maximum rating the device was built to withstand and measure. I released my jaws and the tool clattered onto the ground.
"I am going to mark that as 'maximum score'. We'll need to get a proper one out of the Support Department at a later date, but the test must move on."
A boy with gray hair and weird eyebrows that seemed to rim his eyes had apparently turned himself to metal, squeezing the measuring tool with all his strength. However-
"What the hell Monoma?! How are you using a different Quirk?!" Somebody shouted.
Instead of aerokinesis, he was currently squeezing the tool with enlarged hands, exactly like the orange-haired girl.
"Ah, that would be because of my Quirk. 'Copy' allows me to replicate the Quirks of other people."
That was… potentially insanely powerful. Or insanely weak, depending on the circumstances.
"Man, all of these crazy Quirks are making me feel inadequate!" The gray-haired boy yelled out, before clenching his teeth. "I guess I'll just have to WORK HARDER!"
"THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" Yoarashi howled, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that his own Quirk didn't help with the test. "I applaud such fiery passion!"
"Plus Ultra!"
"Plus Ultra!"
I guess he found a kindred spirit.
Huh.
Third test was standing long jump. If I was still capable of grinning I would've done so as I took my position, ready to go.
I simply jumped into the air, and… never came down. I flew over the jump track, to the edge of the training grounds, before slowing down to a hover to show that I could go as far as was needed. I turned around, the rest of the class like ants in the distance.
Vlad King sighed and waved for me to return, marking down another max score.
Yoarashi launched himself with his Quirk, but it seemed like he hadn't mastered proper flight yet, and 'only' managed several hundred feet. Monoma copied his Quirk again, continuing his trend of good but not outstanding scores.
Many of the students used similar tactics to the 50-meter dash, and once again a number of them had yet to even use their Quirks. Like me Tokage floated over the line, waving cheekily until Vlad King gave her a max score as well.
The brown-haired boy with the squinty eyes created several translucent barriers in the air, using them as stepping stones to prolong his airtime, whilst the bob-haired girl caused large mushrooms to grow on the jump track, achieving a similar result. The speech-bubble guy used the kanji for "bounce", using them as a trampoline.
Side steps was the first test that I had real trouble with. My claws afforded me incredible traction, but the fact of the matter was, I was too big and too heavy for the kind of agility this test required.
Yoarashi took the lead again by using wind blasts to either side, whilst Monoma did the same. Curiously, he wasn't using the hand-enlarging Quirk for this one. Did that mean he could copy only one Quirk at once?
The ball toss was up next. The girl with pale gray hair revealed her Quirk, seemingly some kind of telekinesis as the ball simply took off, finally landing in the far distance as it seemingly left her range. Tokage replicated the feat, just by having a disembodied hand carry the ball, while Yui miniaturized the ball and enlarged it mid-air.
I awkwardly grasped the tiny ball in my claws, tossed it into the air and then spun around to bat it with my tail. It wasn't perfect- the ball was so small that angling my tail to hit it correctly was difficult- but it was a good score nonetheless.
The sixth test, however, was a different matter altogether.
"I can't do this." I stated, matter of factly, as I rolled off of my back and onto my feet, a couple of giggles reaching my ears from the direction of the other students. I was a quadruped with a very large tail. My body was simply not configured to be able to perform the motions of a sit-up.
"So that's a zero then." Vlad King noted, not even looking up from the tablet.
"I physically cannot do sit-ups."
"It is your Quirk. Warts and all." Vlad King responded, unsympathetic.
I supposed I couldn't complain, especially as my anatomy worked in my favour come the seventh test. Turns out toe touching is really easy for a quadruped. Orange-hair and Monoma simple lengthened their fingers while Tokage obviously could just float one over, but most of the class seemed to be forced to rely upon regular human attributes.
In particular I noted that salt-shaker, braid, skull-face and the headband guy hadn't even used their Quirks yet, though braid seemed to perform well regardless, moving with the grace of a gymnast.
The last test was distance run, which I took home with a comfortable lead. Yoarashi could beat me in burst speed, but once I had enough time and room to build up speed I could outfly him handily.
There were no particularly interesting developments in the test, the established pattern holding firm. The rest of the class arrived intermittently at the finish line, bob-hair finishing a full minute after everyone else, panting and sweating heavily. I also noted that speech bubble guy seemed to have a sharp limitation to the amount he could create, if the way he was conserving his Quirk was any indication.
Soon enough Vlad King called us together for the final tally, showing the results on his tablet.
Neito Monoma
Ryuuzaki Tatsuma
Inasa Yoarashi
Setsuna Tokage
Manga Fukidashi
Ibara Shiozaki
Jurota Shishida
Itsuka Kendo
Sen Kaibara
Pony Tsunotori
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
Yui Kodai
Shihai Kuroiro
Kosei Tsubaraba
Reiko Yanagi
Hiryu Rin
Kojiro Bondo
Juzo Honenuki
Yosetsu Awase
Kinoko Komori
I heard a sigh go through the gathered students as the average results popped on the screen below the list, a couple points below 1-A.
"I- I'm sorry everyone, for not being better. I dragged down the rest of-" Bob-hair began, but Vlad King interrupted her.
"This is the fault of nobody here. You will do better next time. Take care to reflect upon what you did right and and what you did wrong. Class, you're dismissed for the day. Take a class schedule and a permission slip from my desk on your way out, and return the latter tomorrow. We are going on a field trip on tuesday."
Already? I suppose UA really wastes no time...
"Man, Honenuki, how did you place so low?" The boy with the spiral Quirk questioned skull-face, as we began walking back towards the main building. "You blew away the entrance exam, I thought you were supposed to be the strongest!"
"It's not that simple, you know. My Quirk just happened to be suitable for the entrance exam, and besides, there's the recommended students to consider. I'm sure Yoarashi or Tatsuma could've outdone me there."
"But then who is the strongest? Is it you Monoma?"
The boy in question whirled around, pointing a finger at the boy. "Did you not hear a word of what Honenuki just said?"
He pointed to each of us in turn.
"In terms of destructive capacity Tatsuma is unmatched, except maybe by Shishida. Fukudashi is absurdly powerful and versatile, he just lacks endurance. Yoarashi has the best range and area of effect out of everyone here. Komori, even though she took last place, has potentially the scariest Quirk of them all. Rin I'd wager is the best of us all in a Quirkless match. Shiozaki has the greatest potential for capturing an enemy. The usefulness of Awase's Quirk increases exponentially in the right environment. Tokage is second to none when it comes to reconnaissance. I made it to the top spot this time because I had so many potent and versatile Quirks to use, but in a real scenario that's not always possible."
He spread his hands, gesturing towards us all as he leaned back dramatically.
"There is nobody who is 'the strongest'. All of us here are strong, and we will grow even stronger."
There was a moment of silence.
"I still think Tatsuma is the strongest." The air-bubble guy grumbled. "You just can't compete with being a dragon."
"Are you kidding me? Fukidashi can do basically anything!"
As they descended into bickering, Monoma turned around, sighing theatrically. "Well, I tried."