Chapter 19: Dusk Before The Dawn (UA Entrance Exam, Part 7)
Wednesday, August 14th. Time 08:37:52
[Exam_Site_Five]
Tokoyami climbed back onto the shore of the city to find chaos burning within the streets. Massive robots climbed up skyscrapers, carrying bandits up to widows and allowing them to break into every floor.
He could hear the shouts of his fellow examinees from where they had turned around in the water.
' They lured us out…'
"What do we do, Fumi?"
Tokoyami stared up at the boat crab robots. This was a test. Because of that, he had been eager to jump in.
He needed to sit back. See what was going on and plan.
"Fumi?'
"We do what we came here to do." Tokoyami responded, calling upon his quirk. "We walk within the light."
The bird-like shadow kept within burst from Tokoyami's skin, covering his arms and legs like armor.
With a mighty leap, he was off.
The young man tore through the street, running on all fours like a predator tracking it's prey. The black shadows encasing Tokoyami's arms and legs became more defined, curling up and spitting before smoothing out into toned muscular shapes. Wrists and ankles became encased fully in the darkness, elongating into digitigrade extensions of his limbs.
"Shadow beast: Manifest."
Tokoyami's speed continued to climb higher as his body became a blur. He leapt up and let dark shadow roar as he dove into the shadow of a building.
Upon the wall of a skyscraper, a team of pirates grinned as they looked at their haul of resellable computer equipment.
"We're gonna make money today boys!"
"That's right! Gotta say, picking on punk kids sure does pay well, especially when all we have to do is act like shitty people!"
"Couldn't have said it better myself, Lou. Now let's-"
They were cut from their conversation as their boat lurched.
"Arrr! Who be on our ship?"
* smack*
"Lou, shaddup. Not that kinda pirate."
"I would consider retiring from your piracy if I were you."
Looking up, the pirates were rewarded with the sight of a living shadow. A massive raven made of inky darkness pulled itself from the wall of the skyscraper they were climbing. It flapped its wings and let out a low buzzing trill, before landing on the side of the ship.
It was either a testament to the robot's strength, or a sign of the shadow possibly being an illusion. There wasn't a creak, there wasn't a shudder. There was no shift of the deck as the raven craned its neck downward and leveled its six glowing eyes at the crew.
"Or else I will be forced to act."
The group of pirates trembled as a massive feathered arm reached out of the raven's chest and curled black talons around the hull of their robot boat. The monster flapped its wings, lifting the robot from the wall while giving a slight squeeze. The legs of the robot fell off, and the slightly smaller, no longer land-worthy boat was set upon the street. With its work done, the shadow disappeared
"What the hell was that?"
->*<-
"A strong counter, even when he was so far from shore." The proctors of exam site five all watched as the shadow creature picked robots off of buildings.
"Quite fast for moving underwater… Bubble Girl, could you pull up his file?"
A woman with blue skin nodded and gave a salute. "Of course. That's Fumikage Tokoyami. His quirk, once known as Dark Shadow, granted him control over a sentient shadow that he could utilize for attack purposes. Originally, he believed that the shadow would grow stronger in the dark, but he recently discovered that it was actually empowered by emotions. His registry has since been updated and has been renamed 'Scorn'. Here, take a look Sirius."
The sidekick in a sailor uniform took the folder that was passed her way and began looking through the pages.
"Scorn. A combination emitter mutation and transformation-type quirk. Tokoyami can manifest a dark shadow upon parts of his body to augment his strength and speed, as we saw with his transforming limbs earlier. He can also possess shadows, leaping into them and using them as if they were a part of his body. Finally, merging. He can have his shadow merge with him to cause advanced physical transformations, permanently changing his muscular structure until he chooses to change it back. This is-"
"A tricky power to use." Bubble Girl nodded. "Especially as it seems it has the potential to backfire on him. He has remarkable control."
"The rest of the examinees have reached the shore." The Pro Hero: Backdraft spoke. "Not to mention, the handful that have remained in the city. Let's see how they fare."
->*<-
Tenya Iida squatted on a single foot, extending his left leg outward as his thrusters engaged. The force behind him kicked his body into a rapid spin, which he used to kick up into the air and smash through a robotic boat hull.
"That's eight down. Where did these things even come from?"
Denki Kaminari grinned, wreathing a hand in white hot arcs of lightning and melting into the circuitry of the downed robot. "Must be what everyone was going after on the beachfront. Guess they pulled a counterattack."
Iida nodded as he flexed his fingers. ' We've been lucky enough that we've only had to take out a few of these big crab robots. But still… I can't help but wonder if there's more coming our way…'
Kaminari slid down to sit against the robot after ripping a screen out of the internal workings of the robot. "Found you!"
Iida looked down as the young man took two of the screen's wires and bit down on them, making the screen blink to life. "What is that?"
Kaminari looked up at him. "Oh! Well, see, robotics hasn't really progressed super far in our day and age. Most hordes of robots need a way to keep track of each other. The AI can get pretty buggy sometimes… but! Most of the robots we see today, like the repair droid corps in the US, use a synchronized GPS system in tandem with code. They're all basically a part of a huge hivemind."
"Sort of like ants?"
"Exactly." The blonde boy grinned. "So, naturally. If you find the GPS and access it-"
"We can track the other robots." Iida blinked. "Where did you learn this?"
The young man grinned. "I took a few robotics courses. Electronics are kind of my thing. Here we go. We've got a grid of the city. I assume these blips are other big bots."
Iida looked at the screen. "Seems like they're all congregating on that one building. I wonder if that's where the other examinees are?"
Kaminari looked up at his new ally. "Could you carry a passenger?"
Iida smirked. "You good with hopping on my shoulders?"
Kaminari nodded and slowly climbed up onto Iida's shoulders. He sat with his arms holding onto the young man's head. "All set."
"Hold on tight," Iida replied. "I go fast."
A rumbling came from the young man's chest. The rumble swiftly became a roar of an engine, like something out of a war documentary. Iida crouched down into a runner's starting position and nodded. "Thrusters Plantaris, firing now."
Kaminari was briefly aware of a flicker of light on his friend's leg, before the world stretched.
They were off.
->*<-
"Sirius, Bubble Girl. Sensors just picked up an object jumping to high speeds within the testing boundaries."
The two sidekicks leaned in and switched the camera feeds. A sensor beeped as one of the airborne camera drones locked onto the mobile object.
"It's an examinee… two examinees."
"They are zooming."
Two young men. One with yellow hair and one with blue hair and glasses. The yellow-haired boy held on tightly to his friend's shoulders as they blasted down the street.
"Standing idle to running at one hundred and sixty kilometers per hour in less than half a minute. What kind of speed quirk does that kid have?"
Backdraft leaned back in his chair. "That's Ingenium's brother. He's the rising star of the Iida family."
Sirius nodded as she opened the boy's file. "There's quite a hefty stack of paperwork in here. Alright. Tenya Iida. His quirk is called 'Radial Drive'."
"Another engine quirk then?"
"Yes, although it seems that it's realistically a combination of three different quirks."
Bubble Girl motioned for Sirius to pass her the folder. "We've heard of dual quirks, but three in one?"
Sirius ignored Bubble Girl and sat back down in her chair, flipping through the pages in the manila folder.
"It seems that after the death of his Grandfather, young Tenya voluntarily underwent a surgical procedure to transplant his engines. Accel's quirk allowed him to open up thrusters in his palms, and the acquisition of it made Tenya's quirk all the more powerful."
"A quirk transplant? I've never heard of such a thing." Backdraft hummed. "Is that even ethical?"
"The boy went through the procedure voluntarily. A year later, after his father received an injury that paralyzed his arms, young Iida underwent another surgery, adding his father's shoulder thrusters to his body as well." Sirius narrowed her eyes. "How were they even able to do that?"
"The Iida family has a dominant gene in the engine quirk. Ordinarily, a transplant like this wouldn't be viable, but Mr Iida had the perfect response to it, and because of that ended up coming out of each procedure with the perfect result."
"Not perfect." Sirius continued looking through the file. "Apparently, the additional torque of the thrusters took a heavy toll on his body. He found himself overheating and misfiring. He went through more procedures. The first separated his engines from his tailpipe thrusters and removed them entirely from his body. Those engines were then modified and returned to his body. However, instead of taking up their original place, Iida had several ribs adjusted to make room for the engines in his chest. The modified super engine was placed within his chest cavity, and through the use of a specialized surgeon, they managed to fuse the engine to his heart and lungs."
Sirius took out a diagram of the young man's chest. "Each engine doubles as a heart, with the piston pushing one way as it pumps blood in, and another as it pushes out. As each heart beats smoothly in tandem, they generate rotational force, which creates the energy needed for the boys' thrusters."
"How is he not exploding from his blood pressure alone?"
"A failsafe designed to keep normal blood flow during high-speed situations. The hearts take in less blood at a faster pace, keeping his heart rate normal. I have no idea how they managed that one."
"Were there any more procedures after that?" Backdraft questioned.
"A final two. One, which finalized the link between the boy's radial engine core and his thrusters, and another, which enhanced each thruster, as well as the drive itself. According to these files, the engines are practically indestructible and don't require any maintenance."
Backdraft leaned forward. "Never mind indestructible! If these notes are correct, the kid's chest is producing enough force to move skyscrapers!"
"His top speed has yet to be recorded. The Iida family has listed that he's been able to hit Mach four." Sirius whistled. "That kid is gonna be a headache for any getaway driver."
Bubble girl nodded. "What about the examinee with him? So far we know that he has a good grasp on electronics."
"That's Denki Kaminari. His quirk was originally listed as 'Electrification'. It allowed him to release bursts of electricity up to two million volts. That was back when he was fourteen. Then his registry was updated."
"Two million volts could easily kill someone. That's nothing to scoff at. What was changed in his registry?"
"Just about everything." Sirius chuckled. "For starters, Electrification is now 'Raijin'. Originally, Kaminari had to deal with the harsh recoil of his own quirk, which would short out his nervous system if he overused it. He and his family discovered four years ago that the reason for that was actually his body's anatomy. Kaminari's entire biology is based around eating electricity. Six generator organs in his body alleviate the need for electrical consumption, but those are also the organs that help him generate the energy he uses in combat. If he overclocks himself, his body immediately switches to a sort of low-performance mode, where it consumes electrical impulses sent through his brain to stave off starvation."
"How many times did he overclock himself? That could lead to some serious brain issues." Backdraft winced.
"Thankfully, Kaminari has only shorted himself out twice in his lifetime. After the discovery of his electrical diet, the problem was mostly fixed. He also discovered a brand new set of abilities relating to the consumption of electrical energy. For example, by generating a fixed output and reabsorbing it at the same rate, Kaminari can effectively hold electricity as if it were a solid." Sirius looked up at the screen as a crackle came through the sound sensors. "Just like that."
->*<-
Kaminari grinned as he felt lightning pool in his fingertips. He had always loved the feeling of electricity running under his skin. The buzzing, raw, untameable energy that he made… It was joy. It was anger. It was power beyond power.
Iida had carried them across the city in seconds, his body roaring like an old war airplane as the thrusters on his legs glimmered with purple plasma. He had been able to keep his hold on the other hero examinee, thinking of what he could do when they reached their destination.
As they skidded to a stop, all thoughts left him.
A monstrous raven made of shadows clung to the sides of the skyscrapers surrounding them, growling as hundreds of robots climbed up its body. While it was big, it seemed it could only fight so many enemies at once. So, it was being quickly overwhelmed.
Kaminari activated his quirk on his feet, feeling the lightning pulse through the special shoes his mother and father had commissioned for him to remain grounded.
' With a strong enough charge, I dip a hand into magnetism.'
Iida's eyes widened as Kaminari took a step onto the wall of a nearby building. Without a care in the world, he began to walk upwards, a smile plastered across his face.
' Oh, this is going to be fun! All my old classmates can say I'm an idiot because I get a little hyper. Well how do you like me now? That's right, I paid attention in physics class! And in math and english and even art!'
He was only a few steps away now. Within a proper range to not strain himself. With a grin, Kaminari reached a hand towards one of the robots and tensed his fingers.
"All this action is making me HUNGRY!"
The robot stopped and shuddered for a moment before electricity arced from its hull and straight into Kaminari's hand. Incandescent ribbons of energy twirled around his fingers and into his skin, making the young man's heart flutter as the power of eight car batteries was added to his internal energy stockpile.
"Woo… gonna make me hyper with that much to give." The young man smiled. "Well? Why haven't you fallen for me already?"
As if waiting for him to say the word, the Robot creaked, its legs slowly pulling themselves from the wall of the skyscraper as it tumbled down to the street below.
"Oh, can't have you damaging anything now, can I? Thankfully, you've given me just enough power to fix that."
Kaminari clenched his hand into a fist, wreathing it in sparks and pushing excess energy outwards. "Cycling output, level four. Electron whip!"
A flash of lightning manifested around Kaminari's hand, which he quickly whipped outwards to ensnare the falling robot.
'While lightning isn't physical, I can still use my connection to it to alter the robot's magnetic properties and, in theory, float it down to the street… this is only possible thanks to the technical aspects of my quirk. If I could only discharge electricity, I wouldn't be able to hold it like this.'
The arc of lightning pulse as it continued to move through the robot's armor. Kaminari grinned as he saw the bots' descent slow.
' And it's unique to my quirk. By constantly discharging and reabsorbing electricity, I can shape it as I require, while still maintaining my internal balance. No other electric quirk could do the same.'
The robot slowed to a stop before dropping as Kaminari released his hold on it. "Time to do that again."
There were more robots the higher he went, and so he repeated his process with all of them, feeling a steady warmth build in his chest as he amassed more and more energy. After a solid five minutes of draining robots, Kaminari stood atop one skyscraper, watching as the shadow creature gained back its upper hand.
"I have a bit to play with now." He mumbled to himself, his eyes catching several individuals in uniforms, robbing different building floors. "How about I give them a show?"
Pulling his arm back, Kaminari generated a lightning bolt and filled it with all the energy he had.
"I need to be hungry for this next part, so here it goes. Zeus Bolt!"
The lightning flew from his fingertips as he felt a heavy drain on his body. Screaming through the sky, it split midair, impacting the twenty-something robots that were still attacking the shadow creature. Keeping himself upright, Kaminari outstretched his other hand.
"And now to reel 'em in! Absorption level eight! Blackout!"
As soon as it had gone, the lightning bolt came right back, dragging millions of volts from each robot it had hit, as well as from the building they were climbing on. The lights in the windows flickered and died as the arc made contact with Kaminari's fingertips, and he pulled .
The shadow monster let out a screech of triumph as it watched the robots fall, and caught each of them before they could impact the ground. Kaminari fell down on his knees, exhausted and a bit sick from the constant ebb and flow of a monstrous amount of electricity. The sound of a plane drew his attention to a figure flying up from the ground.
"The rest is up to you, Iida."
Kaminari lay back, closed his eyes, and fell into the peaceful limbo of unconsciousness.
Meanwhile, Tenya Iida was stoking his thrusters into high gear, maneuvering the palms of his hands to stabilize himself as his legs gave him vertical lift.
While the robots had been taken down, the pirates manning them still remained within the buildings. He directed himself to the first broken window in sight and sped into the building before him.
It took close to five minutes to search each of the seventy floors of the building, but Iida did it easily. Each and every pirate villain was rounded up and detained, handed over to the shadow that Iida assumed was an examinee.
"Thank you for your assistance."
The voice was deep and grating. It made Iida's teeth hurt as the monster spoke to him, but he was going to be a hero.
Heroes didn't fear monsters.
"It's my pleasure."
->*<-
"Another slam bang homerun for the test. This time, three examinees with varying capabilities."
Toshinori hummed as Nezu navigated them out of the exam site five feet. "A bit worrisome, though. Young Iida's file says he has been through multiple enhancement procedures, as if he were some sort of lab experiment. No offense, sir."
"None taken." Dean Nezu responded. " I do resonate a bit with young Iida, though from the notes in his file, it seems he underwent his procedures voluntarily. Still, whether his participation in said procedures was voluntary has yet to be determined. It takes more than some words on a paper to soothe my own worries."
"The young man with the electrical quirk has potential for the underground, as well as the limelight. His quirk is flashy, but can also be used stealthily, while also being quite versatile in it's technicalities." Aizawa chimed in.
"His usage of electromagnetism was a stroke of genius, I must admit." Nezu nodded. "And then our third star. Fumikage Tokoyami. A young man with a possession quirk."
"Possession, emitter, transformation, and mutation. Talk about a full house." Toshinori nodded.
"What catches my eye with him is the level of control he exhibited. One does not come across an individual with strong mental fortitude such as that very often. He was able to work in tandem with his quirk, which by all definitions could be considered a malefic entity. Shota, I'm adding these three to your roster. They are quite promising."
Aizawa snickered. "I feel a little guilty. What about Vlad's class?"
Nezu's eyes gleamed. "I've seen some other standout students. Don't you worry. For now, let's review the footage from exam site six."
"Very well. Sit back and relax. We've got a disaster to review."
Toshinori sighed. "Roll the footage."
Chapter 21: Dusk Before The Dawn (UA Entrance Exam, Part 8)
Wednesday, August 14th 09:00:34
[Exam_Site_Six]
Kyoka dodged out of the way as a bladed hand swiped through the air towards her. Thirty minutes. They had spent thirty minutes fighting robots with no backup, and there were still civilians who needed rescue.
A high-pitched screech caused her to give a short pain pain-filled cry, before she turned around and thrust out a hand. The screech went lower and built in volume, feeding back through her body before ripping outwards.
Rikido Sato, the young man who had been helping her on the exam site, let out a roar as he tore apart another armored robot.
"Good kill, Jiro!"
She panted, only giving a nod in response as her ear jacks twitched. A whisper came from behind her, and so she reacted, spinning around with her foot raised. The steel toe of her combat boot knocked the incoming blade off course and gave her an opening to strike. It was over in an instant, as her jacks lashed out and delivered a pulse of sound through the robot that built in strength to shred its internal workings.
Finally, it was over.
Jiro slumped, feeling her bones ache from the force of using her quirk. Channeling soundwaves hurt. She could usually manage it for two or three minutes. But for a full half hour of on and off use against sonic-wielding opponents…
Sato cracked his knuckles as his muscles shrank. "I'm outta time from that apple… I'll need a second before I can buff up again."
Jiro nodded. "Thanks for the hand…"
The young man looked at her. "Are you alright? Those things kept on letting out these screams. They seemed to cause you some pain."
Jiro nodded. "Part of my quirk is enhanced hearing. So high-pitched or loud attacks can do me in pretty easily."
Sato sat down on the ground. "Hm… sounds like something a suit could be used to fix."
"I have plans for a hero suit with adjustable headphones, which will be able to filter sound to make sure that my weakness doesn't make me a liability."
Sato nodded. "Well, every great hero has their weaknesses. Take me for example. I get super strong with artificial sugars, but they reduce my brain function. Being as strong as All Might won't matter if I'm as dumb as a box of rocks."
Jiro giggled. "It seemed to me that you managed well enough just now."
He smiled. "Like I said, artificial sugars work that way. Natural sugars don't have that downside. Though of course, they don't make me as strong."
"Does your quirk only work based on sugars?"
"Not at all!" Sato grinned. I can do a few more things too. The thing is, my quirk is really similar to my cousins. He eats food and can transform parts of himself into said food. So imagine eating clams and then growing clam shells as armor."
"Oh, cool!" Jiro blinked. "You must be pretty strong then."
"I'm not exactly the same as he is. But I can do a few things that he can't do. Like the sugar buff aspect. Different compounds in foods influence my strength, speed, intelligence, and more."
Jiro nodded. "I have super hearing, but I can also manipulate soundwaves. It hurts a lot if I make them strong enough, since they vibrate my bones as they go through my body. I can also do more, but that's the main useful stuff."
"So you're like a cooler version of 'Quake'. That one hero girl from the pre-quirk Marvel comics."
Jiro hummed. "Kind of. There's a hero like that?"
"Oh yeah. Super cool. She controls sound waves and vibrations. She can even use soundwaves to propel herself in flight. Though that does the same thing to her as it does to you. The bones thing."
Jiro nodded. "That's really cool… I might actually have to look into that hero sometime."
Sato nodded, pushing himself to his feet. "I'm ready to go when you are. I should have… There we go!"
Jiro stumbled back as the young man slung a backpack from his shoulder. Most of the examinees brought their own gear, like Jiro having her boots… Still. She had thought he was carrying a first aid kit.
Sato, as it turned out, was really carrying around a backpack cooler.
From within its depths came a granola bar, which Sato quickly scarfed down. Jiro watched as his muscles swelled again, straining against his clothing as he flashed her a smile. "How about we get those civilians trapped under ourselves?"
Jiro nodded, pushing herself up. "Let's do it."
->*<-
"I'll be honest, that was pretty damn impressive." Vlad King rumbled from his chair. "Reminds me of the Tokyo conflict a few years back."
"A group of six hundred villains declared war on the world by attacking hero agencies." Recovery Girl nodded. "As I recall, Yamada was relocating to Hosu. It was his last week in Tokyo when that agency was attacked."
Vlad King nodded. "That was… a bad day for a lot of people."
Recovery girl cleared her throat. "What matters is that Mic lived through it. He lost some sidekicks… and he bathed his quirk in blood that night. But he did what he had to do."
The two heroes were silent for some time before Vlad spoke up, pointing to the monitor.
"What's the bigger kids' quirk? I feel like we haven't seen all he has to offer."
Chiyo nodded. "Rikido Sato. His quirk is 'Banquet'. It's quite the complex quirk, providing him with increases in different strengths depending on what he consumes. Sugar for strength, calcium and iron for durability… there's at least fifty different things listed here. Even balance. On top of that, he's related to one of our own students. Tamaki Amajiki. While not as strong, there are still manifestation aspects to his quirk."
"Like that?"
Recovery girl turned and blinked as Sato lifted up a slab of concrete almost ten feet wide and two feet thick.
"Well, that is certainly something."
->*<-
Jiro gawked as she watched Sato lift an enormous chunk of debris over his head like it was nothing.
When they had first found it, she wasn't sure if she had it in her to chip off manageable pieces. The young man in front of her had simply bent over, placed his hands flat against the concrete, and liftedit.
She could see parts of his quirk that he had tried to keep secret. Mainly, the roots threading from the tips of his fingers across the concrete. So he had a good grip.
But his muscles…
Pink tissue had shredded his shirt. It was definitely from something inhuman. It gleamed perfectly in the light as he held up the slab of concrete.
"Jiro, a little help?"
"Oh! Er… right."
There were six injured civilian bits, which meant she needed to make three trips. While the robots were heavy, she could still carry two at a time.
And so, that's what she did.
As the last two rode out on her back, Jiro heard a grunt, followed by a cracking sound. She managed to set the robots down safely and turn around just in time to see Sato walking back to their temporary rescue area.
' How am I supposed to compare?'
->*<-
"Crab muscle?" Vlad King leaned in. "No… shrimp. Strong enough to stabilize himself to hold that up."
"And sprouts to root himself in the debris as well. I understand how it is different from his cousin."
Vlad nodded. "Instead of a transformation, he's growing extra tissue as an enhancement. Tamaki could do the same. His normal transformations are fine. Crab armor, wings, you name it. But Sato can't perform those transformations at that level. Instead, his manifestations are more… raw. Extra muscle threaded into his own. Thin roots for extra grip. Paired with his overall enhancements from compounds, it's more than enough."
"And when it isn't enough?" Chiyo sighed. "With training, he may improve his quirk even further. There is always something to work on. The same can be said of the young lady alongside him."
Vlad pulled out the file this time.
"Kyoka Jiro, her quirk is called 'Symphony'. While originally presenting as super hearing, extra facets revealed themselves as she grew. Jiro found that she can manipulate sound waves, enhancing them to monstrous levels or dulling them into nothing but a muted buzz. What a quirk!"
"But she lacks confidence. Her quirk suited her perfectly in the fight, but even then, she felt outclassed by Sato, when in reality, she's the central cog of this operation." Recovery girl stood up and hobbled close to the screen. "Her quirk is astonishing. Almost as if Present Mic and Ragdoll had a baby while running on trigger. Pure manipulation of sound waves is incredibly powerful. She has a good starting base. It will be up to us to help build from there."
"I was more of a biology major." Vlad chuckled. "What are the peaks of what her quirk could achieve?"
"Force equals mass times acceleration. As it is, sound is a form of energy that takes shape in pressurized waves. Manipulating them, one could shift sound into a solid to fly around upon. They can destroy objects in the blink of an eye by reaching a resonant frequency. Earthquakes, windstorms… they can be created through the use of sound by manipulating pressure. If one had fine enough control, they could vibrate themselves at a proper frequency and walk through solid objects. There is a reason why there aren't many individuals- even in written fiction- that have full control over sound." Recovery Girl found herself smiling. "Oh dear, Nezu is going to have trouble with the commission if her existence is revealed."
"Her quirk is registered-"
"Her quirk was updated. The HPSC doesn't look over updates in the registry. Only if someone catches their eye after they slip through the cracks." Recovery Girl smiled. "I can hear him laughing already."
Vlad shuddered. ' Maybe I should use some of my vacation days early this year.'
->*<-
Sato took a deep breath as he felt his body return to normal. It wasn't painful, but there was always a weird tingly feeling when it happened. He always had to brace for it.
Flexing his fingers reminded him of Jiro and how she had overstressed herself with her quirk earlier. It was a bit of a shame that she had hurt herself, but her quirk was so cool! He understood that her bones probably ached after, so he had pushed himself to make sure she could take an extra few minutes to recover.
Unfortunately, he had caught the look she had given him when he set the concrete down. It was like he was a different species, and she was in awe of him. Then she started getting quiet, and he knew.
' She's got anxiety.'
Now, it wasn't as bad as his cousin's, but it seemed to still be notable. She was second-guessing herself, and that would not do. Her quirk was way too cool for that.
Didn't she realize that she was the only reason he might pass this test? She was pinpointing civilians quicker than he could free them. When they were cornered by robots? She had obliterated more than half of them with soundwaves. If anyone should feel inferior, it was him. But they were hoping to be heroes. Being worried about your usefulness didn't matter. A hero was meant to jump in.
Jiro stiffened beside him as they walked through one of the somewhat intact city blocks.
"What's the matter?" Sato asked, gaining a shake in response. "Jiro, if someone needs help-"
"It's not civilians." Her voice was quiet. "There's actual people banging on a door."
"Where?"
Jiro pointed to one of the buildings. "Third floor."
Sato led the charge up into the building. He noted the heat was rising as they ascended the staircase.
' Shit'
The third floor was on fire. Half-melted civilian robots sparked in the blaze, their damaged speakers giving off creepy half messages.
"[Diagnostic- error- critical-death-death-death-death]"
Sato took a step back, but Jiro jumped forward, waves of static filling the hall as he watched the air around her fingers warp. It was clear she was once again in pain, but whatever she could hear was spurring her on.
The soundwaves she gave off displaced the fire enough to make a path, which she ducked through, walking towards a rusted door as if in a trance.
Sato reached the door a few moments after her, now hearing the metallic ping of hands on the door, coupled with frantic shouts and cries for help.
' No wonder she looks sick. This is intense.'
"CUT IT OUT!" Sato shouted.
"Oh, thank God. You're an examinee too, right?"
"There are two of us. Are you stuck?"
Another voice chimed in. "We were doing a once-over through the buildings when the pyrotechnics went off. The top floors are toast. We ran down the emergency staircase, but it ends here."
Jiro pointed through the blaze. "The ceiling collapsed over there. I don't think that this floor is supposed to be burning."
"Then this isn't a fire escape, but a service staircase. It probably has all the wiring to work the pyrotechnics."
"They must have set it off while checking out the building. Then they got stuck!"
"What do we do?"
"The door is rusted shut! We've been trying to work it open bit by bit, but we haven't had any luck." The voices called.
Sato hummed. "I could rip it off with my-"
"No. Then the fire could collapse onto us. We can't do that… what other ways can we-"
Sato clapped. "What if you used your quirk to vibrate the door?"
"It would blast into metal shrapnel as it reaches resonant pitch." Jiro shook her head.
"Then don't aim for the pitch for the metal, but the rust. If you can vibrate the rust off, we can open the door."
Jiro turned and flexed her fingers. "Only one way to find out."
Her hands began to shake, and she pressed them on the door. Nothing happened at first, but after a few seconds-
"WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING IS WORKING! THE HINGES ARE JIGGLING WITH THE DOOR!"
Jiro hissed as the flames roared behind them. Turning one hand from the door, she aimed her palm outwards and let out a blast of sound.
Sato felt his teeth vibrate as the room hummed. The fire receded as the pressure made it die away. The rusty door continued to shudder as specks of rust fell away in clouds.
Jiro took her hand away from the door and nodded. Sato grabbed the handle and pushed it open.
Five other examinees burst out of the staircase, making a beeline for the main staircase. Sato let Jiro run ahead of him and quickly bit into a chocolate bar as he followed.
The seven teenagers made it out into the street just as the building rumbled above them. Sato gave a yell for everyone to run as the building began to tilt. Then it gave way.
Sato roared as his body quintupled in mass. Extra muscle burst under his skin as he raised his arms and caught the building.
Still, he was slowly losing purchase on it. Only a few minutes, and he'd be crushed.
Jiro watched as her friend buckled and sank down to one knee. The others had made it out fine, but he was stuck.
He was going to die.
' I won't let that happen!'
Jiro screamed, and the world shook.
->*<-
Wednesday, August 14th 14:32:09
[Proctors_Room_ _ _ UA_ Grounds]
I can see why Chiyo was cross with me." Nezu sighed, replaying the footage. The young man fell down to one knee, and his companion reacted, sound waves bursting from her body and reducing the burning building to dust.
"That's a dangerous power to hold." Toshinori hummed.
"They're all dangerous," Aizawa muttered. "Tape kid from zone four could easily make one wrong move and snap someone's neck. Gravity Girl from Zone One could create meteor showers, and the multi-armed kid would punch straight through someone's body. The electric kid from zone five? He could instantly make someone branded by consuming the signals from their brain. Make no mistake, while she has a threatening power, she will have classmates who are in the same boat."
Nezu nodded. "I tend to draw attention from the HPSC because of some of our students. I suspect this year will see much more of that, based on your class alone, Shota."
"The kids need to learn control, not obedience," Aizawa responded. "I'll take anything those idiots give me and use it to feed them to their own dogs."
Toshinori nodded. "It does me a world of good to see a new generation like this. All I have seen impresses me. I must say that I cannot wait to see what comes next."
Aizawa chuckled. "It is your turn, sir. I think Yagi is trying to ask to play the next recording."
"Ah, Aizawa, thank you dearly for pointing that out and asking properly." The rodent smiled. "Now that I know, I'll certainly roll the tape."
Aizawa chuckled as Yagi held his head in his hands. "That's not-"
"You're the new guy, Yagi. Gotta get used to being under the bus."
"Yeah, yeah… just roll the tape."
Chapter 22: Dusk Before The Dawn (UA Entrance Exam, Part 9)
Wednesday, August 14th, 09:55:55
[Exam_Site_Seven]
Hagakure finished setting up another support beam for the large building she and the blonde boy had run to. While she was worried about how quick the boy was to fire off a laser from his stomach, she had to admit that it was the right call. The building before them was sinking, fast. They were losing around a foot every twenty minutes.
Well, they were at first.
With some quick thinking, they had managed to work together and heft some twisted metal beams from the rubble around them. As Hagakure held them in place, the blonde boy used his quirk to weld them to the building. With this last support, it was holding steady.
But it wouldn't hold that way forever.
Still, they had bought themselves an hour, and that was all she needed. "Aoyama, can you give me another laser?"
The blonde winked and held his hands in front of his stomach. "Oui."
It took only a moment. A blast of white hot light erupted from Aoyama's stomach, following the guide he had made with his hands. Toru leapt in front of it, feeling the heat fill her every cell as she grinned.
This was perfect.
->*<-
Even as they were watching the footage from exam site six, Vlad King and Recovery Girl had kept their eyes on exam site seven.
"That duo there. They're smart."
Vlad King nodded. "Both of their powers seem to be light-based, though I worry about the invisible one constantly hitting herself with lasers."
"The blonde's work with his quirk is a stroke of genius. Using his power to weld the steel beams to a sinking building."
"Yuga Aoyama. His quirk is called 'Photon'. Originally registered as 'Navel Laser' It grew along with him and reached new heights. Now, instead of just a laser that would give him terrible stomach cramps when he used it, he found that he can actually direct the laser through other parts of his body. We saw it with his welding. He used his fingertips. We haven't seen him breathe out a laser yet, however."
"That's it?"
"He also has some degree of light manipulation, though it seems to be centered around the areas he can fire lasers from. For example, it's noted that he has been able to hold his own lasers in his hands and use them as a weapon or support item. It is unknown whether or not he can only do that with his own lasers as of yet."
Chiyo nodded. "It will be something to work on. His usage of his quirk will make him a good hero, that much is certain."
"He also has a good mind for strategy. Both he and the invisible examinee have bounced ideas off of each other and made great calls."
"Speaking of the invisible one. It seems they have shown us a bit more of their hand."
->*<-
Aoyama watched as his new friend absorbed his laser, her body taking on its brilliant sheen. His laser had truly become his own, and was so beautiful when helping others. Watching it's glittering waves wash across his ally and empower them…
When he was six years old, he had gone to sleep, quirkless. It was the following morning that his quirk had manifested. And he was so happy.
Still, his quirk was painful, and it wasn't well-suited for his body. He made the best of it, walking around the house in his red shoes and doing his best to learn more. Because the thing was, quirks were cool.
Despite his family being rich, he had always yearned to experience public schooling. To see other children and other quirks. He loved to look at them. To see what they could do. And when he was told he wouldn't manifest one, well…
It made him cherish Navel Laser all the more.
His parents had been upset at the idea of his quirk hurting him. They had ordered support equipment, but he didn't want it. He loved to see the dribbles of light roll from his skin as his quirk whispered to him. As it told him who it was. Aoyama instinctively knew that there was so much more to Navel Laser than being a navel laser.
The day he had held it in his hands changed everything. When he found he could cover himself in the brilliant light that he had been blessed with. He knew he was right.
And that night, he had dreamed. He dreamed of a man with crystalline skin. A man who nodded to him as he stood entranced.
And still he grew. He grew and grew and thanked everything- even his quirkless red shoes- that somehow, the universe had taken pity on him.
Aoyama knew he could be a hero, and he would be a hero on his own. Confident. Brilliant. Shining like the light that pooled beneath his skin.
When he found the invisible girl. The girl who could reflect light… He was entranced once more. A quirk that was perfect for his own. Someone to work with. A friend. And he could hear Navel Laser sing as she worked. As she turned his beautiful flashlight into a supernova, spreading glittering light across the sky and announcing to the world who they were.
And even now, as she continued to shine with the energy of his quirk.
The shining body before him bubbled, before splitting in half. From that half came more, copies of the light that he had given. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Each putting their feet upon the ground and walking into the building that they had saved.
His light… was alive!
And his parents thought he needed a support belt. They called him Icarus. Saying he was flying too close to the sun. Looking for ideas that weren't there.
He never understood Icarus. Icarus had nothing, which was why freedom was a gift. At least, that is what he believed. That is what his parents told him. That chasing a dream would lead to one's downfall. What dreams was he allowed to have? He had everything. To truly know freedom…
He needed nothing. The pain of the laser in his stomach was simply a reminder that he was lucky. That he had a beautiful power. And even then, as he used it, it hurt less and less. The light that beaded on his stomach at night crystallized, just like the man he had seen in his dream so long ago.
And so he smiled, shrugging off the twist in his stomach as he pulled the light into his hands. From the brilliance came two batons, which he used to begin cutting doors open, allowing his friends clones of living light to enter the building. To save civilians…
To be a hero.
It was truly all that he dreamed of.
->*<-
"Clones from light?"
"Toru Hagakure." Chiyo nodded. "Her quirk is called Prism. She can absorb, refract, and otherwise manipulate all sources of light. We saw her refract light earlier when she turned herself into a lens for Aoyama's laser."
Vlad King leaned back. "I do recall that… But clones?"
"It seems like a sort of solid mirage. She absorbed the light and then used her hold over it to shape it into a sort of clone of herself. She refracts ligh outwards as its colors. White light becomes the full spectrum. Red to violet."
"Then why didn't she just do that instead of setting off a beacon?" Vlad King hummed. "Are the clones temporary?"
"I'd assume so. She probably also needs the light to be within a certain distance to properly manipulate it like that. And, it most likely takes an incredible amount of energy."
"So she could be exhausting herself with this single move."
"It is highly likely. Her quirk is powerful, and incredibly dangerous. If she could learn how to create clones that last, she could literally have an invisible army. On top of that, clone quirks will deactivate if the control tower is shut down. Being invisible makes it that much more difficult to do. The girl is a force to be reckoned with."
The blood hero watched as bodies of light climbed from the building, carrying civilian robots on their backs.
"They are solid, as you observed."
"With luck, they'll hold out long enough for help to arrive. Otherwise, they'll only be able to save so many." Chiyo spoke. "Now, there is a way to prevent that, but these two are already on their last legs."
Vlad nodded. "They're still working quickly and efficiently… Sometimes you don't need huge super moves. They're doing what they can, as quickly as they can."
"The clones might count as a super move."
"Maybe, but I see them more as a team move. On top of that, they're still going. Twelve clones have so far rescued forty-seven civilians."
"That won't matter." Chiyo raised her cane to one of the screens. "The building is slipping."
->*<-
Aoyama's mother would have scrubbed his mouth with soap if she had heard the words he had just uttered, but he didn't really care. Despite the work they had put in, the building was sinking, and they had only succeeded in freeing a third of the civilians.
"Aoyama!" Hagakure shouted behind him. "We've got a problem!"
The clones were beginning to fizzle out. Despite his own power and Hagakure's brilliant manifestation of its glimmer, the light needed to dissipate. It had probably already taken a toll on her to hold that light together.
Clicking his fingertips, he descended into disaster planning. What would he do now? Hagakure couldn't hold her clones forever. He couldn't have her make more either, she was probably in pain from quirk overuse.
' Think Yuga!'
His eyes flickered to his hands, where his fingertips clicked on each other, their pearlescent crystal coating striking off of one another.
' Wait.'
"HAGAKURE!" He shouted, a plan already building itself in his mind. "I have a plan!"
"Good." A voice spoke from beside him. Oh, Hagakure was there. That was good to know.
"I need you to shoot me."
There was silence for a few beats, before-
"EXCUSE ME?"
"I need you to shoot me." He smiled. "I need to fire my laser at you, and have you reflect it back at me. Shoot me."
"Aoyama, I am not going to-"
"It'll be fine. I have a plan!" He nodded, charging up his laser. "Just do it! Please!"
"Oh, what the hell? Fine. Hit me with everything you've got!"
"Tres Bien! Hope you're ready!" Aoyama reared back before throwing his head forward and breathing out. A blinding white laser shot from between his lips, buzzing on the air as it smashed into Hagakure.
The girls body lit up in a shining glow, which grew stronger as more light was absorbed into her. It took almost five minutes, but as soon as it was done, Hagakure let the blast loose, right back at Aoyama.
' I hope this works!'
The blonde threw his hands up, and against all known laws of physics, he caugt the laser. It hummed in his palms as he let it wash over his skin, the glittering light crystalizing into scales up to his shoulders.
Hagakure gave a groan, and he heard her stagger a bit. "Hold out for just a bit longer, okay?" Aoyama smiled, the sun in his hands.
He could feel the light and his connection to it. It was wild, powerful. It was his.
Taking hold of that connection, he shaped the light into what he needed. Two massive arms wrapped around the sinking building, halting its descent. Brick bubbled and hissed as the light pressed against it, digging into anything it could use to hold the building up.
Aoyama huffed, feeling his arms buzz as he held the light. "H-hagakure…"
The girl said nothing. She wasn't there. Aoyama turned to see a civilian robot being pulled slowly from the building.
The buzzing was getting stronger now. Even as Hagakure set down a civilian and made her way forward to grab another, he could feel it. Energy caressed his skin, heating up as he held it in place.
Three civilians were dragged over. The heat became a burn. Aoyama grit his teeth as he felt tears well in his eyes.
' I swore to myself that I'd stop crying.'
Crystals crawled up over his shoulders and up his neck as the young man held strong, light shining in his eyes as he laughed at the smoke laden sky, because this was everything he wanted. To feel the pain that came with sacrifice. To understand what it was to be like everyone else in his uniqueness. He was Icarus.
Chasing a dream only to melt upon his wings of wax. To fly eternally in the sky as it was his end, Yuga knew! He understood why Icarus laughed at his pain.
Because what was pain, but the beauty of being alive.
The light responded to Aoyama's call, great tendrils bursting forth and wrapping into a second pair of arms, which he immediately used to grab the building and pull it upwards. Yuga heard a snap, followed by a loud squelch. The building pulled itself from the muddy ground, metal shearing as it was pulled from the mechanics that simulated its sinking. He felt the light sizzle on his skin as it roared back at him, angry that he held it for so long. Angry that he took away it's freedom.
' Then go…'
The light dissipated as the building settled on its new foundation- a large flat patch of concrete that had been clear of rubble.
"Aoyama… you're amazing…"
The young man turned to see Hagakure, her utility belt and outfit melting into existence as she let her quirk rest.
"I think… I need to update my quirk again…"
The world faded to black as his eyes rolled back. Yuga Aoyama hit the ground hard enough to shatter the crystals that covered his skin, surrounding him and his new friend in a cloud of twinkling glitter.
->*<-
"Another brilliant showing. I must say that I will immediately fail those who were searching for ways to get points for turning away from the beacon." Nezu smiled.
"Their teamwork and quirk synergy would be tough to beat. Even as heroes that patrol the same city, having them together would be a boon on quite a few missions."
Aizawa checked a box on his clipboard as he rewound the footage again. "The blonde boy is infatuated with his quirk. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I would just make a note of that. He has the capacity to progress far quicker than his peers."
"From generating lasers, to holding them as great arms of light. Rapid developments abound."
Toshinori raised a hand. "How do we know he wasn't just hiding what he could do?"
Aizawa placed his face in his hands. "Toshinori… the young man had no control. He was powering through that on pure adrenaline. Think, if he knew he could do that, don't you think he would have kept his ally from exhausting herself?"
"That's a good point…"
"Speaking of Miss Hagakure, I find her quirk to be stupendous. She has a lot of untapped potential." Nezu nodded.
"From a beacon to light clones. She'd be perfect for espionage, but even then, she'd be truly at home in the limelight."
"It would let her utilize her quirk at it's highest potential. I believe with that alone, we have found two new students for your class, Shota."
"I'll mark them down. It's shaping up to be a good year." Aizawa turned back to the screen. "We have one last site to review."
"I must say, I have been looking forward to this one. There are a few students that show great promise…"
Toshinori shakily clicked the start button. ' Izuku. Your future is now right in the hands of those around me. Do your best.'
"Roll the tape."
Chapter 23: Dusk Before The Dawn (UA Entrance Exam, Part 10)
Wednesday, August 14th, 10:00:00
[Exam_Site_Eight]
"So they're in there, huh?"
Izuku stood beside Kirishima and Asui, gazing up at the cliff face that Uzuku had followed the villain robot to only twenty minutes prior.
"You'd think it would be more obvious."
Izuku shook his head. "If you were expecting a black castle surrounded by thunderclouds, then I'm sorry to let you down."
Kirishima laughed at his comment as Tsu rolled her eyes.
"The others took the opportunity to avoid us * ribbit*. We're alone here."
Izuku hummed, a little disappointed that they would be avoided so offhandedly. "Then we have a few options. One, we sneak in. Kirishima and I walk in front and provide diversions for Tsu to slip deeper into the facility."
"Option two?"
"We split up immediately. Kirishima runs through and draws attention while Tsu and I slip into other areas of the base."
Kirishima nodded. "Is there a third option?"
Izuku nodded. "We go in guns blazing. This one's risky as it could put hostages at risk. But it would also mean a possibility of less villains later in the mission, and possibly have them running away from us. One could even lead us to the hostages if we showed enough force."
"Hm…"
Tsu croaked a bit before squatting down. "I say we take the stealthy approach. What we've seen of the villains so far, they're all robots. Not easily intimidated unless they're programmed to be. The two of you stick together, and I'll go to find the hostages."
Izuku nodded. "I figured that would be our best course of action. Come on, let's get up into the cave."
Kirishima grinned and hardened his hands into claws, which he used to scale the cliff face. When Izuku joined him, he noted the boy was panting a bit.
"You alright?"
The young man nodded in response. "The simple explanation is that my quirk works by increasing the density of my body. So I end up weighing more."
"How much more if you just harden your hands?" Izuku raised an eyebrow.
"Probably ten kilograms more for just my hands. My whole body is a lot more."
Izuku whistled, looking up as Tsu joined them. The girl quickly found the false wall and moved it to the side, revealing the villain base.
"How well can you camouflage yourself Asu-Tsu?"
In response, the girl faded from sight slowly. Izuky could easily spot her as she moved, but it was better than nothing.
"You could be spotted, so go slowly. Let's do this." Izuku nodded.
"Yeah. Let's go."
Kirishima and Izuku walked into the base nonchalantly as Asui stayed behind.
"I feel a bit bad for not telling the whole truth…"
Her face became scaly and triangular as her fingers elongated. Both of the girls eyes popped out from her head and took up a new spot on her face as she fell to all fours.
"Reptilia… Chameleon."
Her body flickered a bit, before changing color to match the villain base perfectly. To anyone observing, it was as if she turned invisible.
"Although… they also seem to have more to their own quirks that they didn't tell me."
->*<-
"That girl just disappeared!"
The Wild Wild Pussycats sat observing the exam. Pixie Bob was twirling her hair as she gazed in shock at one of the monitors. "Is that a transformation? I can barely tell she's there when we switch to thermal cams."
Mandalay chuckled as she pulled out a file. "Her name is Tsuyu Asui. Her quirk? Ectotherm. She can take on aspects of any cold-blooded animal, with skills from each dependent on how broad she is with her transformation."
"Explain that, please." Ragdoll turned her head. "Broad transformations?"
"Species-wide, her quirk works off of what abilities she can manifest. Those abilities are stronger if she picks a certain animal."
"Like a chameleon-"
"Chameleon is more specific than frog, but no. There are more than two hundred different kinds of chameleons. I assume that any chameleon would have superior camouflage capabilities. 'Frog' is different."
Ragdoll nodded. "Frogs are some of the most diverse animals on the planet. Just stating 'frog' could let her utilize an array of skills."
"Strong legs, long tongue, lesser camouflage, poisonous sweat… her normal usage of frog gives her the best coverage."
Tiger hummed. "A very skilled young woman. Not just her quirk, but she analyzed the situation and determined that lesser camouflage wouldn't be enough."
"Not to sell her short, but that fact was most likely made clear by the other examinee. The one with white hair."
Pixie Bob switched over screens to focus on two young men who had just encountered villain bots. The larger of the two became more jagged as one of the bots charged him. Even his hair stood straight as the robot hit him full force.
The metal of the robot shattered across the examinee's skin while his compatriot hid behind him, writing down notes in a small pocket notebook.
"It's interesting to see an analyst taking the hero course exam."
"He's an odd one. Says here he turned down a recommendation."
Ragdoll tilted her head. "Who recommended him?"
Mandalay frowned. "All Might."
->*<-
Izuku was in awe of Kirishima's quirk. It wasn't simple hardening like he had said. It was so much more!
The slight bulge of his muscles every time he took a hit alluded to the idea of some version of shock absorption and stockpiling. With his increased weight, he was almost sure Kirishima could split mountains in half if he could turn the force outwards.
And the idea of a hardening quirk paired with a shock absorption quirk was so cool. That was one of the biggest weaknesses when it came to hardening quirks. They went through too much stress and could shatter. But Kirishima didn't have that problem.
' How does he do it? His muscles and organs are still operational while he somehow gains density and becomes more solid. His quirk is almost non-Newtonian in nature…'
"[Operating code 111- ATTACK]"
Izuku ducked under the incoming attack, finally realizing that a few of the robots had slipped past Kirishima. The young man himself seemed to be buried under a pile of bots.
"Kirishima!"
"A little busy! What's up?"
"You convert shock into raw energy! Try turning it out, the kinetic force could result in the proper amount of power we would need to-"
"Less words, Japanese, please?"
Izuku ducked under another robot attack and pocketed his notebook. "You're not feeling those hits, right?"
"My muscles are getting sore, but other than that, I've got nothing!"
' The shock must get stored in his muscles to be released later.'
"That soreness! Push it out through your fist!"
Kirishima shoved a robot off of himself. "I don't think that's how it works-"
"Just do it! Like- like a martial art! You focus your fighting spirit to make your punches harder. Do that but with your aches!"
Kirishima scrunched his face up as he pulled a fist back. Izuku's eyes glimmered as the jagged edges of his arms became a molten red color.
The blast of heat that left Kirishima's body melted the aluminum robots that surrounded him. Izuku basked in the light touch of warmth that brushed against his skin as it knocked his two attackers off balance. Pivoting on his heel, he turned and let a spark of his power fill the middle knuckles on his right hand. It was just enough to minimize damages, but even that tiny amount turned the two robots attacking him into scattered drops of molten slag.
' I need to get better control. That could still eviscerate a normal person.'
"That was stronger than I wanted it to be… You okay Kirishima?"
The redhead grunted, his chest heaving as he let out the rest of his shock buildup.
' The raw energy mixes with water in his body and is shot back out as steam. He had enough to finish that fight… but it must take a toll.'
Kirishima wiped some sweat from his forehead and flashed a grin. "How did you know I could do that?"
"You weren't really slowing down, and your muscles expanded at odd intervals every time you got hit. I took a gamble…"
"I'm gonna have to sit down and think about my quirk for some time…I need to know it inside and out if I want to be a hero."
Izuku nodded. "I'd love to go over it with you when we get time. For now, we should find those hostages."
Kirishima nodded, and the two examinees continued deeper into the facility.
->*<-
"D-did anyone else just see that?"
The Wild Wild Pussycats stared at the destruction left in the wake of the two examinees.
"The kid just found out more about his ally's quirk in minutes than the kid knew in his whole eighteen years of life." Mandalay blinked.
"Was that energy reading from the red-haired kid? Or was it the analyst?"
"He turned those robots into splats on the wall… no. That was the white haired kid." Tiger spoke stoically. "He could be dangerous."
"There was no buildup. No warning. One minute the robots were attacking, and the next, they were gone while the alarms went off."
"Incredible intelligence, a quirk strong enough to demolish his opponents, and a strong head for leadership. I have little doubt that the young man was recommended by All Might." Ragdoll shook her head. "Mandalay, do we have their files?"
"They're incomplete."
"Incomplete?"
"The first is because of developments on screen. His quirk needs to be updated from 'hardening' to whatever that is."
Ragdoll nodded. "What about the other?"
"Impressive credentials, including a three-point-eight GPA, two titles in American boxing, a certification in CPR and advanced first aid. Two hundred hours of community service, along with a portfolio of thank-you notes from a number of sources. A field analysis credit. Recommendation letters from both All Might and Mirko-"
"Who the hell is this kid?"
Mandalay shook her head. "Izuku Midoriya. Age, eighteen. He's local. Born and raised in Musutafu. Seems to be a well-to-do member of society, even at such a young age."
"So why is his file incomplete?" Pixie Bob frowned.
"Quirk: Pulsar. Data Unknown."
The room was silent until Tiger spoke.
"There's no information on his quirk after eighteen years?"
"That's… suspicious…"
"For all we know, this entire file could be faked." Pixie Bob reached over. Mandalay tugged the file out of her reach.
"It made it past the Dean. We know how serious he is about security."
Ragdoll nodded. "Then we need to keep a close eye on him. As well as his friends. Asui has reached the hostages."
Mandalay leaned forward. "Which means those two are headed for the facility core."
->*<-
Asui let her body shift back to 'frog' as she found the hostages. Each of them was human. Volunteers from across the district that had come together for the test. Though they were hostages, their cells were outfitted to be comfortable. Tsu acknowledged that it wouldn't do well to have the volunteers held in grungy prison cells. Still, their rooms were a class above the rest.
Beds, chairs, a pantry stocked with food. They were more apartments than anything else.
"A hero!"
Well, they played the part well enough.
Asui ran down the hallway, opening doors. "Everyone follow me. I'll lead us out!"
"How can we ever thank you ma'am?" An elderly woman took her hand.
Tsuyu placed her free hand over the woman's. "Live. Come on, stay close."
The walk back to the entrance took some time. Tsuyu made sure to take it slow, scouting around corners before progressing through each hallway. After twenty minutes if what seemed like aimless wandering, the group emerged in a cave. The cave.
"Fresh air…" one of the hostages spoke hoarsely.
"Free at last!"
Tsuyu quirked her lips in a smile and began helping the elderly from the cave as others climbed out on their own. No sooner had each of them touched the forest floor when everything began to shake.
Tsuyu looked up as the mountains crumbled away, revealing massive robots outfitted with an array of deadly weapons. Rockets, machine guns, flamethrowers… as the eyes of each robot winked to life, Tsuyu leapt in front of the hostages.
"Get out of-!"
She was cut off as rockets filled with ballistics foam exploded around her, restraining her and leaving the hostages vulnerable.
' Shit.'
->*<-
Ten minutes prior…
Izuku and Kirishima entered into a massive chamber. A metal walkway led into the pitch black center of the room, and as they walked, Izuku noted that the walkways were elevated. He could tell from the clank of their footsteps upon the cool metal surface, coupled with the rattle of supports that held the walkway in place.
The two young men took it slowly, creeping down the dark path, watching out for traps and or attacking robots. After a few minutes, they made it to the end if the walkway.
What seemed to be the center of the dark room held a large pedestal, upon which sat a briefcase. Kirishima moved to pick it up, but Izuku grabbed his shoulder.
[Response 010110, good choice]
The room began to brighten, and it was then that Izuku noted they had both crossed a motion sensor right in front of the pedestal. They had no time to worry about that, however, as surrounding them were four massive robots, each taking up so much space that only their heads were visible and level with the two examinees.
"Giants…" Kirishima breathed.
"Kirishima, RUN!"
[Intruders Detected. Activating Final Test Protocol]
Izuku barely managed to jump back into the hallways of the villain base as the giants ascended, tearing the metal walkway apart and splitting the mountain open.
His eyes caught the form of Kirishima ascending upwards, hanging on to one of the robot's shoulders for dear life.
As the metal behemoths hummed to life, one turned its head. A flat of rockets flew out, hitting Kirishima and flying around the robot to hear something else. The chorus of screams clued Izuku into just what else the robot had hit.
' The hostages!'
->*<-
Kirishima groaned as metal fingers wrapped around his ballistics foam bubble. He hated this kind of restraining tech. It wasn't something that could be tanked as much as avoided, and he was always too slow to avoid it.
There was a crunch as the hardened shell of foam was ripped from the robot's shoulder, followed by a lurch as he felt himself get thrown. The impact didn't hurt, but it did free him from the foam, revealing that he had been downed right next to a group of adults in civilian wear.
' Hostages.'
"Are you alright young man?"
The redhead did his best to respond, but only let out a wheeze as he tried to push himself to his feet.
' Maybe that throw hurt more than I thought.'
As he finally managed to get his footing, a metallic roar sounded across the forest. Two of the giant robots looked down from above them, weapons trained on each hostage and primed to fire.
Kirishima clenched his fist as the civilians screamed. With no other options, he pulled at the same ache in his muscles that Midoriya had told him to use.
It hurt.
He should have said that it hurt. The heat from each strike bubbled under his skin like hot magma, burning rivers over the top of his muscles. Letting out a roar of his own, Kirishima punched forward, the force of each hit he had taken shattering the stony exterior of his arm and blasting shrapnel outwards.
The robots were pushed back as Kirishima fell to his knees, mouth open in a silent scream. His arm was bloody and raw, giving off the awful smell of partially cooked meat.
' That's fucked. I cooked my muscle… What the fuck did my quirk do to me?'
"Kirishima? * ribbit*'
Blinking away spots in his eyes, Kirishima looked over to see Asui ' Tsu', cutting herself out of a shell of ballistics foam with a number of sharp horns that grew from her arms. Her green hair was lighter, almost yellow, while her eyes swiveled around on a triangular face.
' She looks like a lizard.'
The girl gave a cough of her own as she fell from the ballistics foam, her body shifting back to being more froglike.
"Kirishima. W-where is Midoriya?"
The red-headed man's eyes widened. "I lost him when the robots woke up. Dammit, he could be hurt!"
"You're hurt. It's no use looking for him. With that arm? * ribbit* "
The young man winced as the pain in his arms was remembered. Nevertheless, he steeled himself. "I have another arm. If need be, I can use that one too."
Tsu shook her head. "You're going to die if you do that. * ribbit* all to just buy a few minutes of time. The proctors should- "
"They haven't yet. I can't rely on them to step in." He flashed his pointed teeth in a grin. "Besides, isn't that what heroes do best? Self-sacrifice. It's in the blood."
[Aggressor detected]
Kirishima turned his attention back to the robots, raising his good arm and activating his quirk. "Not on my watch."
The robots rumbled forward once again as Kirishima felt the heat build. He swung forward but felt no pain. No burn. No shattering of his skin.
And the warmth was still there.
Shaking his head, Kirishima looked over to see Tsu staring at the individual between them. He was a bit scratched up, but other than a few nicks and some soot marks, he was unharmed.
"You've got to store up shock for it to work, Kirishima."
"Midoriya-"
"Sorry I'm late. I got stuck in the villain's base. Had to find my way out." The young man's hair seemed to glow as the temperature rose.
"For now, it looks like you need a hero."
Kirishima thought he knew what a strong quirk was like. While his own was simple, it was strong. Then came Midoriya, who showed him it wasn't simple. He showed him it could be stronger. But now?
All that promise paled in comparison to the white haired man. As he stood, he was wreathed in glowing white motes of light. Asui had to take a few steps back because of the heat. To Kirishima, it was hot, but not unbearable.
What was unbearable was the pressure. The chorus of whispers that clung to his new friend's voice as he glowed. The weight of the energy as opposed to its heat. It made Kirishima's teeth ache as he stood, rooted to the spot.
"Try not to get in my way."
Mudoriya kicked off, his jump creating a scorched crater as he flew into the air. He was already ten meters up when Kirishima's brain caught up, and the cacophonous noise of his friend's ascent hit him full force.
All he could do was flex his quirk and weather the blast, protecting those behind him from harm. All in all, he was in awe of this power, but deep within his heart, there was a shred of fear that the fight would go on longer. Long enough to keep him rooted in place forever. He was nothing in the face of this. An uncontrollable energy stood in the sky before him, and all he was was an observer.
A candle staring at a blazing bonfire.
->*<-
When the door to the giant's chamber was blocked off, Izuku cursed himself for hesitating. Kirishima was in danger now because of him, as were the hostages that were supposed to be freed.
Setting his quirk off now could bring the villain base down on his head, and cause even more risk to the civilians.
So, with no other options, Izuku ran. He ran and ran through the hallways of the villain base, hoping that he remembered the layout well enough to escape quickly. He was happy to find that his memory didn't fail him, and as he leapt from the cave he and his friends had used to enter the villain's base, he was treated to a terrible sight.
Asui was on her side, panting from the exertion of escaping what looked like a massive block of hard insulating foam. Kirishima was beside her, clutching one of his arms, which was bloody and smoking.
He didn't hear what the hostages behind them said. He didn't have to. The moment he saw the giants moving in, his feet left the ground. Izuku was briefly aware of Kirishima swinging his arm forward, and so he joined in, the power of his quirk spreading through his body like a daydream, flying outwards as he landed and followed through, blasting the bomb resistant armored robots from their treads.
"You've got to store up shock for it to work, Kirishima."
He could feel the eyes of everyone on him. And so he did what his heart told him to, and let his quirk run free.
One percent of his power cycled through his body, illuminating every cell, setting each organelle alight, and bringing back the crippling warmth that he was beginning to long for.
"For now, it looks like you need a hero."
Pulsar was pure joy pumping through his blood. It was bravery thickening his bones. It was power beyond power, and he could recognize that even only one percent was scaring those he wished to protect. So, with a grin, Izuku crouched down, feeling the soil begin to soften under his feet.
"Try not to get in my way."
It may have been rude to say, but he knew that nobody could fight alongside him as they were now. The pride and joy that flooded his heart presented itself as arrogance. But sometimes arrogance was necessary.
The white light of his quirk flooded around his body as he launched upwards, the ground cratering behind him as he rose upwards. To others, it may have seemed like seconds had passed, but the intoxicating feeling of Pulsar slowed everything around Izuku.
He could see the light moving around him as if it were just drifting gently on the wind. It wreathed his limbs in beautiful warmth. An embrace that would never end so long as he remained a protector. And he reveled in the idea of it allowing him to hold that warmth longer.
Spinning around, Izuku swung his foot out, letting the brilliance fill it and shoot outwards. It blasted through the air faster than others would be able to track, sizzling as it pressed through the first giant's chest. Steel bubbled and spat, melting under the heat of each consecutive strike. Izuku heard it roar as its pistons and gears ground together, the AI working to salvage its body enough to defeat its opponent.
Izuku let the cool sound roll over him. Pulsar beat in his chest with joy, joy at finding an opponent that it could feast upon. Something it could truly face, even with such little effort. Something it was needed for.
Such a feeling was intoxicating, and so it was Izuku who responded to the robot, throwing his head back with an ethereal laugh, which shook the sky with a gleeful chorus of shouts and whispers.
As he whipped around, Izuku felt the concentration of power in his hands and feet rise by a single tick. Two percent filled his knuckles, and a single swing caused the steel plating of the robot's armor to evaporate . Circuits were fried and pistons popped. It melted through batteries and fuel tanks, causing the robot to explode in a brilliant display as the star made living turned, setting his sights on the other three giants.
The sky sang in his blood as the sun beat in his chest. Each breath he took filled him with such a rush of power. Another punch. Another kick.
Plasma hissed through armor. Izuku punched holes through his next opponent, reducing it to nothing more than a massive metal sculpture as each of its fuel lines was cauterized.
The third robot retaliated, massive hoses popping up along its arms and firing high-pressure blasts of water at the boy who wore the light. Another laugh echoed through the sky as the water evaporated, never even touching its intended target.
Izuku dove, his fist meeting the head of the robot that dared to attack him, and turning it into scrap. Finally came the fourth robot, but as Izuku geared up to face it, he heard the alarm for the end of the exam.
With a sigh, he allowed his power to fall away, light particles falling from him like dandelion seeds being blown away by the wind. His body fell a few meters, but he stuck the landing, both feet planting themselves on cracked dirt.
Looking around, he recognized the area as being near the exam starting site, and so he began to pick his way back to where Kirishima, Tsu, and the hostages had remained.
->*<-
Aizawa stared at the screen in a mixture of awe and fear. A single young man had just treated almost four advanced giant robots like gnats and demolished three of them in mere minutes. What's more, he seemed to retain control of his power, and kept himself from going berserk after the exam had ended.
"Do you see my problem now, Dean Nezu?"
Aizawa looked over to see Toshinori conversing with the Dean, who was grinning like Christmas had come early.
"His power is far too overwhelming. If that was minimal effort, he'd never be able to work in the field. A flick would level city blocks…"
"He needs finer control. He needs to learn how to separate the strength and heat aspects of his quirk, or he'll be nothing but a liability."
Aizawa shuddered as the Dean's eyes landed on him. "No… You wouldn't-"
"Your quirk is exactly what the young man needs, Shota. If he gets too out of hand, you'll be there to stop him."
"Nezu. Please don't-"
"I think this will be good for you, Shota. Having a special student to focus on in your class. I'll pencil him in right now."
Aizawa shook as Toshinori chuckled at his situation. "For being heroes, you two are evil."
"Come now, Shota, that's the end of the footage. You get to go home now and rest. I'd take all the time you can."
Toshinori chuckled. "You're gonna need it."
Aizawa pointed at the blonde. "You better watch yourself Yagi, or I'll make sure your first two months of teaching are spent shadowing Nemuri."
The blonde man said nothing. He simply smiled before standing from his seat and offering the Dean a bow.
"I must be on my way for now. I will see you at the start of the term."
Nezu smiled. "Of course, Yagi. Do try not to overwork yourself. Or your two charges, for that matter."
Toshinori chuckled. "I will do my best not to. Farewell for now."
"Farewell."
As the number one hero stepped out of the room, Aizawa couldn't help but think of what the year would bring. Crazy quirks, intelligent students. Maybe the best class he'd ever get to teach.
No matter what, he knew it was bound to be interesting.