ALL NOVEL Chapter 6: The First Day
UA was an academy that accommodated for all kinds of teachers, students and anyone who was able to set foot in their halls; From people who could create things from their own being to people who were several feet taller than even the teachers, this alone was enough to put Kenshi on edge as he gazed up at the gigantic door; "Well…UA certainly knows how to make a statement." He muttered to himself as he pulled out a slip of paper that simply read; "Kenshi Yoshiyasu, Hero Course! Class 1-A."
"Hey Ken-chan." A familiar voice spoke up as a girl wandered up beside him; Tsuyu was on her way as well and seeing that Kenshi was on his way to class too meant she could at least walk into class with him. "You're heading for Homeroom as well?" She asked him curiously.
Kenshi felt the knot in his stomach slacken a little once he had a friend to walk with him. "Hey Tsuyu, you got 1A too?"
"It's what it says on my form so looks like we'll be able to take most of the classes together." Tsuyu mentioned before staring up at the taller boy and then poked him in the chest; "And I told you to call me Tsu."
"Sorry, Tsu…Just a little nervous about getting to class for the first time." Kenshi admitted as he straightened himself up and then used his thumb to crack his index finger nervously.
"I know what you mean, I've been feeling anxious ever since I left the house." Tsuyu admitted as she lightened up after Kenshi apologised.
"You do? You actually look more composed about this than I do."
Tsuyu then looked up at him with her usual stare; "What are you talking about, I've got school jitters written all over my face."
Kenshi raised an eyebrow; "You look fine, Tsu…Besides, what's the worst that can happen besides maybe an awkward start to make friends?" He admitted with his attempt at a reassuring smile and got a kero of agreement before reaching for the door handle.
From the moment that the door opened, it was clear that first introductions were chaotic and Kenshi's words were proven wrong; Many who wore the same uniform as Kenshi had already split into groups but the biggest contenders to stand out were the two who were on Kenshi's case.
"I will not tell you again, remove your feet from these esteemed desks and show some respect for the alma mater of UA that came before you!" The dark haired bespectacled boy was yelling at Bakugo for not just his "slovenly" uniform and unkempt hair but also because he was using his desk as a footstool.
"And I ain't telling you again…Get off my back, you four-eyed extra!" Bakugo snarled back; His already irritable mood was treating the other boy like he was a vinegar soaked cheese grater. "It's bad enough that I have to share credit with that stupid cow boy but I have to endure this class with all of you…"
"Such vulgarity! My name is Tenya Iida and I will have you know that I graduated from Soumei Academy with high grades at the top of my class!" The now named Iida argued back as he had never heard such audacity and animosity from someone.
Bakugo sneered as he now had more ammo; "Oh, so you're a snobby rich boy as well as a complete sad sack of hot air…"
Iida was about to snap back at him but then saw Kenshi standing in the doorway looking like he was partially regretting his choices in accepting this class, however the bespectacled boy also realised that he had some explaining to do and decided to try talking things out. "You! You were that boy at the Entrance Exam, were you not?"
Kenshi blinked as he saw Iida practically speeding through the classroom to confront him with that same stern look on his face. "Yeah, you were that really strict guy who complained about my face during the entrance exam." He mentioned as he was hoping that now things were calmer and both of them were in school, Iida might be able to lighten up.
"Yes I...I apologise for my outburst back then, I hadn't realised that you had your whole focus on the exam, you were exemplary out there and especially when you ran in there to save that girl…What made you do so? Did you have that much confidence in your test score or did you simply want to earn extra credit for it?" Iida asked once he let out his apology, he was much less accusatory in his questioning this time around and was simply curious as to how Kenshi's mind worked.
"I just…Did what I thought was right." Kenshi admitted honestly; "To be perfectly honest; I wasn't really hoping for extra points or stuff like that, I saw that girl in trouble so I just jumped in to help before I could even think about anything else."
Iida mulled over his words carefully like they were some cosmic riddle for the ages; "I see…So you jumped in and saved her without any forethought to yourself….Of course! The true purpose of a Hero is by acting to save others with no thought to self-satisfaction! I must truly apologise for my assumptions of you, Mr Yoshiyasu; You truly grasped the concept of what UA strives for!" Iida feverishly rambled as he shook Kenshi's hand.
"H-Honestly, you don't need to stretch it that far…I only did what anyone else would do." Kenshi tried to play this off as he was getting confused but more embarrassed that he was being read that much.
"Well, this looks like it's the right class." A voice said from behind as that same brunette showed up in the school uniform; "Oh, you're the kid from the exam that helped me before I went squish!" She said and brightened up when she recognised Kenshi. "I'm Ochaco Uraraka, sorry that I didn't mention it before."
While Kenshi and Uraraka were both talking, Bakugo was feeling his mood growing worse when he saw Kenshi showing up like he was meant to be there, adding on the fact that his rationale made him think that Kenshi was too boneheaded to understand his "Rational Suggestion".
Back at Aldebara Junior High when the results were made public, everyone had heard about the result and were all in on praising Bakugo for getting in with flying colours though Kenshi did get a few thrown his way but the kicker came from the teacher who kept them behind to discuss their new school.
"Well boys, I have to say; Everyone here at school was VERY impressed at hearing that not one but two of our own students have made it into UA with top scores!" The Teacher said with the biggest grin on his face; "Bakugo, it's no surprise that you'd get in but to see that Yoshiyasu was able to do so as well is nothing short of a miracle…You're gonna do this school proud so I hope you remember this as your starting point!"
However it became a vastly different story once they got outside. "Alright, you walking pile of cow shit, what the hell did you do?!" Bakugo yelled as he slammed Kenshi against the wall when he grabbed him by the collar. "You were a Quirkless loser all this time here yet somehow you got in too!"
"The hell does it matter?! I got in the same way you did, Bakugo…By studying and working hard to get there." Kenshi argued back as he didn't bother trying to fight back.
"No, I got in because it's my right as the number one student at this crapsack school to go on to join the highest pedigree of Pro Hero schools! You couldn't just accept your lot and go join those other extras in the police, you HAD to go and ruin my spotlight by spoiling my would-be perfect entry." Bakugo snarled as he held a palm up to Kenshi's face that crackled with mini explosions. "You should've followed Deku's example and dropped out completely…That way you'd be better use to everyone around you by not showing that ugly face of your's!"
That was it for him; Kenshi wordlessly grabbed Bakugo's wrist and twisted it backward away from his face. "For someone who wants to go to a Hero School and specifically be a pro-hero…You don't act like it." He muttered with a noticeable grimace on his face. "I'm not like Izuku and just going along with what you say is not why I do things; I'm going to UA whether you want it or not..."
Bakugo grit his teeth as he flexed his fingers and tried to intimidate Kenshi with a louder explosion in his hand; "You think you can outdo me? I promise you that if you even step foot in a UA classroom…They'll be mopping your smouldering chunks off of the walls." He threatened with a menacing scowl.
"I'm not afraid of you…Or your threats, Bakugo." Kenshi stated with a fist clenched so tightly that Bakugo could hear his knuckles crack. "Because if you try anything like that to me in or out of school, I will fight back…So go ahead, give me a good reason to punch you in the face…See what happens!"
Everyone was currently getting used to things and it certainly got people's attention when Kenshi showed up and Iida making a scene about it.
"That's the record breaker? He doesn't exactly look that impressive…" A punk looking girl with earlobes that ended in headphone jacks mentioned as she turned to look at him.
"Well, he did make a name for himself after 1v1ing one of those giant robots, that alone is pretty kick ass to hear about!" A redheaded boy with sharp teeth mentioned with a grin as he was there to witness it back at the exam. "Plus the fact that he turned himself into a human rocket to save someone was pretty manly as well."
"I'm still stoked after seeing you shoot up in the air like a rocket and bash that robot's head like all "Smash! Smash! Smash!" Uraraka gushed as she was eager to try and get a read on Kenshi better. "Seriously, I never realised that you could kick butt like that..It was like, the coolest thing I've ever seen!"
"You know this is a classroom, not a rec room, right? Go sit down." A tired voice said from below as an unkempt man was cocooned in a sleeping bag before crawling his way over to the podium at the front. "8 seconds…That's how long it took for you all to settle down and take your seats, I'll make sure you're all working on that until things get better."
"Are you…Our new Homeroom teacher?" A pink girl mentioned as she looked up to see him.
"That's right, my name is Shota Aizawa and I will be running Class 1A of the Hero Course." Aizawa explained as he looked to the group; "Alright, introductions are over…Go get your Gym uniforms and head out to the grounds for your testing."
"Testing?"
Everyone was standing in their uniforms on the white line at the outside training grounds with varying degrees of confusion, they all waited for Aizawa to explain the situation but that didn't exactly help them with their questions. "So…Shouldn't we be at orientation right now? Won't the other classes wonder where we are?" Ochaco asked as Aizawa walked by holding a stopwatch.
"If you want to get the most out of your education here at UA and become a good Hero, then you need to dispense of the bells and whistles…We're not wasting time on that so instead we're going to focus on something I see as more important; Your Quirks and determining where you stand in terms of potential." Aizawa explained as he held up the counter for them. "Softball throwing, Standing Long Jump, Grip strength…All the stuff that you got marked for in your standard middle school Gym Tests."
The group nodded along despite not knowing where this was going.
"Y'see, a lot of government officials in their infinite wisdom has decided to maintain a stance on prohibiting Quirk use in standardised testing…When you're grading students based on skill and potential…Cutting off one entire avenue for one's growth just isn't rational." Aizawa explain as he threw a rubber ball into Bakugo's hands; "Your Throw, what did they grade it as in Middle School?"
Bakugo tossed it up and down in his hand; "I dunno…67 metres?"
"Alright, now I want you to take that ball in your hand and throw it while using your Quirk as far as you can." Aizawa elaborated as he tapped on the counter; "You can do whatever you need to do but stay in that circle."
Bakugo smirked wildly as he cocked his arm back and with an almighty throw, he pushed his explosion into the palm of his hand to send the ball flying farther than it had been thrown before. "GO DIE!"
Everyone watched as they saw Bakugo's Quirk send the ball rocketing into the sky though missed the blonde's crazed yell when he threw it further and further until it finally landed with the sound of beeping from Aizawa's Counter.
"705.3 Metres!"
"Now do you understand? It's our priority for you to reach the best of your abilities and the first way that you can do that…Is by understanding where your limits are, so I will be grading you on these tests and how well you can use your Quirks in them." Aizawa explained as he noted the score down.
This seemed to get people pumped up as they realised that this meant Quirks were on the table at school, everyone started to chat with each other, getting more and more excited by the second.
"This is great! We can use our Quirks here and get to be kick-ass Heroes in the process!" One particular invisible girl cheered out once the hype hit it's peak though the sudden uprising in excitement got dragged back down almost as quickly.
"In case you kids have forgotten; This is a school for Heroes…We're gonna have no room for distractions or missteps, you guys want fun, so how about this for fun? The lowest score on the tests here will be expelled faster than you can say-"
"B-But that's unfair!" Uraraka spoke up; "We've worked our butts off to get here and now you tell us that we're just gonna get expelled once we made it?"
"Look…I'm gonna be honest with all of you; Natural Disasters are unfair, getting hit during a villain's rampage is unfair…Life is unfair." Aizawa mentioned as he looked to each student. "The fact is that there is always going to be one sliver of unfairness and disaster hiding around each corner…Pro-Heroes are the ones who stop that unfairness to make it easier for people to live their lives, if you wanted to just study within the basics and go hang out at the mall when that bell rings? Then go choose a different school…You all elected to come here and yes, you did work hard to get here so that's why you're being pushed so hard."
"Plus Ultra for a reason…" A tall black haired girl mentioned aloud which earned her a nod from Aizawa.
"Exactly right…UA wants you all to be at your very best, so the kiddy gloves have to come off and show you just how hard you're gonna be worked." Aizawa explained before pointing to the line; "You kids wanna learn to be heroes in the big leagues? Then now's the time to earn your spot." He stated with his manic grin and started the timer.
Motivated by Aizawa's threat of expulsion; Everyone did their utmost to score whatever they could on the tests, using not just their Quirks but also their brains as they either worked hard or creatively.
Though it looked like that even Kenshi was getting into the whole thing as he managed to score high enough to get into the top five bracket and when the class finally reached it's slowing point; It was the moment of truth and the scores finally appeared for each of them along with a slowly growing mix of pride in their work but also a rather shocking revelation at who was in last place.
1. Momo Yaoyorozu
2. Shoto Todoroki
3. Katsuki Bakugo
4. Tenya Ida
5. Fumikage Tokoyami
6. Mezo Shoji
7. Mashirao Ojiro
8. Eijiro Kirishima
9. Mina Ashido
10. Ochaco Uraraka
11. Koji Koda
12. Rikido Sato
13. Tsuyu Asui
14. Yuga Aoyama
15. Hanta Sero
16. Denki Kaminari
17. Kyoka Jiro
18. Toru Hagakure
19. Minoru Mineta
20. Kenshi Yoshiyasu
Nearly everyone's eyes were on the equally shellshocked Kenshi as they were awestruck that someone who's performance could easily put him in the top tier of 1A's score was rock bottom. The only one who wasn't stupefied, concerned or otherwise surprised at this was Bakugo who was currently on the ground wheezing and laughing so hard that he went light headed.
"Okay, now I know that letting that Cow Boy into UA was just an elaborate joke! There's no way that a loser like him would end up even standing in the same ring as me!" Bakugo's mind thought to itself as he got to his feet, either not noticing or outright ignoring the looks of disgust that Ochaco, Iida and even the normally mellow tempered Tsu were shooting his way.
"Okay, now that we've gotten all the tests over with and Bakugo's gotten that out of his system." Aizawa remarked with a tone that didn't seem different from normal but people could tell that he wasn't happy with Bakugo's outright maliciousness. "These are your scores; Make sure you remember that these aren't set in stone and just like Hero rankings…They can go both up AND down depending on how well you train and conduct yourself."
"W-Wait a second, what about me?" Kenshi finally found the chance to speak up; "I've been doing the tests like you asked and I thought I did pretty well on it…" He tried to stand up for himself but just like the other students around him; He ended up shrinking under Aizawa's intensive stare.
"You would call that your best?" Aizawa asked Kenshi without breaking his stare; "I've been watching the others out here and they've been taking all of this seriously, you clearly are not."
Everyone looked confused at Aizawa's assumption but Ochaco looked even more surprised that their teacher was singling Kenshi out; "Wait…Yoshiyasu's been flubbing it? I saw him during that sprint and he looked pretty focused for someone not taking it seriously…" She thought to herself as she could tell that Iida who was standing next to her had thought the same thing.
"O-Of course…This is what I've always wanted to do so that's why I've worked hard t-"
"Then why are you wearing those?" Aizawa asked as he pointed at the bands on Kenshi's wrists. "I know that those aren't part of the UA Gym uniform and if they are meant to be used to control your Quirk, I haven't seen an Exemption form like what Aoyama has submitted." He explained and pointed to the french student who simply…twinkled.
"I…I didn't know…These help me with my Quirk, if I don't have them on then I run the risk of losing control an-"
"Being a Pro-Hero means that people are going to put their entire faith in you and trust that you will do everything in your power to protect them in return. By stifling yourself and refusing to hone your Quirk to it's very peak…You will sacrifice multiple people just so you can hold on to that shallow comfort and believe me, it will not be a something that anyone…Not even your conscience will forget." Aizawa explained bluntly as he knew the dangers of Heroes intentionally holding back without compromise. "I'm going to give you another chance; You take off those bands and run the entire exam again to your true capacity or I really will expel you."
Hearing that was all Kenshi needed to hear as he gave Aizawa a nod before sitting on the ground; "Alright…I'll try it again, for real this time." He mentioned as he slipped off the wristbands on his arms before placing them on the ground before unstrapping the ones around his ankles.
Seeing this made Aizawa raise his eyebrow a little; "You better not, because you've only got a few minutes before you stop class and the next classes you have after these aren't going to take it any easier on you."
"Both Wrist AND Ankle bands? For training no doubt but he was already setting decent records for himself before…Just how much can taking all of that weight off change?" Iida asked himself in thought as he recognised the methods; Plenty at the Ingenium agency including his brother often used the arm bands or ankle bands separately to train their Quirks since they focused on muscle strength as speedsters.
Kenshi got to his feet and stretched himself out since this was probably the first time since he left I-Island that he had taken off the bands. Even though he was nervous about using his Quirk without restraint, he couldn't deny that the lack of weight on his limbs plus the numerous sensations that rippled through his body when he popped his joints felt like something that could only be described as cosmic. "Alright, if I remember….First up was the 50 Meter Dash."
"Alright, Yoshiyasu…Take your mark….go!" Aizawa called out as he started the timer on the course and kept a careful watch on the boy.
Everyone's expression went from curious to shocked as Kenshi sprang off of the starting line, shooting off at top speed like the bullet from a starting pistol; The force of which was potent enough to kick up dust behind him and finally cleared to see the now untethered boy crossing the finish line.
"2.75 Seconds." The bot chimed out as the score was taken and moved on to the next test: Grip Strength.
The tally whizzed upward as it counted the squeeze from Kenshi's fingers: "610kg."
The looks of both shock and awe grew among the other students as each test revealed just how much capability that Kenshi had under the hood; He cleared the long distance run in record time, outdid Mineta on the side to side stepping and try as he might with the Ball Throwing, he was never going to outdo Uraraka's score of infinity.
The ball ignited in the air as it rose up and then landed in a smoking heap after a few seconds. "850 metres." The Robot chimed out as it came up as a final score and the scoreboard dimmed down so it could accept the new entries; It had now changed to match as the Number 1 was now Kenshi and the Number 20 was Minoru Mineta.
To say that this was a good enough attempt would be like saying that Bakugo had a mild temper problem, Class 1A were shocked for a number of reasons; 1. They were awestruck that a guy as laidback and easygoing as Kenshi was packing that much power under the hood, 2. The fact that he had been worried for a pretty valid reason and 3. The surprise that this guy didn't have an even bigger ego than Bakugo because of his Quirk.
"He…He took our scores and beat their brains out…" The pink-everything'd girl known as Mina mumbled to herself while her place went down though still relieved that she wasn't at the bottom of the pile.
"I'm not sure if I should be impressed someone could be that strong…Or upset that he put my effort to shame…" A blonde boy with a black lightning streak in his hair agreed as he felt a little .
The shortest in the bunch and the most aggrieved purplette decided to try poking holes after he got knocked to the bottom of the scoreboards. "You guys are blowing it way outta proportion, he probably has one of those temporary boost Quirks…There's no way that he could do this all the time." Mineta remarked as he walked over to the pile where Kenshi's bands were. "Look, these are probably just regular sweatbands you can get at the gym…They can't change tha-" He said and tried to lift one of the wristbands but it barely budged. "They can't change that much. that. Quickly!" He tried to insist in between heaves as he tried to lift it while his face got more red with each attempted lift.
"Come on, you're not gonna prove a point like that…Besides, you need to lift with your-" The spikey red haired kid mentioned as he walked over to try helping. "Whoa nelly, these weigh a freaking ton!" Kirishima grunted as he felt himself strain reflexively at trying to lift.
The only ones who didn't seem shocked or worried were Tsuyu who now had the chance to see him in action, she had a feeling that her friend "Ken-chan" was strong thanks to his tall stature and thick arms, seeing this firsthand however really put it into perspective along with that small nugget of pride that she was right.
Ochaco on the other hand was equally as awestruck by Kenshi's strength like she was when she first saw him jump into action and it was equally as inspiring now with only one thought shared on everyone's minds. "That guy is something else…"
The only ones who weren't on the positive side of shock were a red and white-haired boy who looked non-plussed albeit with some sweat on his face, the other was the barely contained frustration and hostility that emanated from Bakugo who was all too furious at the fact that Kenshi had all but rubbed his accolades in his face.
...And he didn't like that at all.
"COW BOY!" Bakugo roared out as he rushed forward at Kenshi with a look of anger that bordered on rabid and had several crackling explosions formed in his hands. "YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO TELL ME WHAT THAT WAS OR I'LL-HRGUH!" He was snapping and growling but that quickly stopped as several high tensity wraps caught him in mid swing and the Explosions all stopped instantly.
"Every class...There's always two kids in every class that can't just go one lesson without trying to establish a pecking order...Now will you calm down?" Aizawa muttered as he gripped the wraps in his hands and his red eyes focused on Bakugo; "You're making my eyes go dry!"
After seeing the yellow goggles, their teacher's Quirk and the suit that Aizawa was wearing, everyone started to make the connection that this was the underground Hero known as Eraserhead. "we've got someone like that teaching us? I'm not sure if we should be excited or scared..." Kenshi thought to himself; Admittedly he had only heard tidbits and rumours but then again since Eraserhead despised publicity, that was all people had.
Aizawa sighed as he dripped a few eye drops in his eyes; "Okay...I'm not sure what exactly you two have going on in the wings but I'm setting some rules for all of you! From the moment you walk through the classroom door and the time that you leave to go home , No. Fighting! I don't play favourites just like what kind of deal you were back in Middle School or wherever you went before here. You're a hotshot brimming with popularity? Good for you...You come from a rich family or you have connections? Equally good for you...But that won't matter here, I'm here to teach all of you to become better heroes so if I find out that you're constantly fighting or you start making problems for everyone else...You won't be given another chance...Understand?"
The group collectively nodded as he let go of Bakugo once he slackened down. "Good...Now, you can breathe easy because no one's getting expelled." Aizawa said with that same tired but manic grin, earning a number of double takes and confused looks.
"Well, if you really think about it...Getting expelled on the first day is highly unlikely, Aizawa-sensei just baited you into putting in maximum effort otherwise you wouldn't be genuine in your scores." The black ponytailed girl pointed out as she managed to figure out that even at a stretch; Aizawa couldn't effectively expel an entire class without a VERY good reason.
"Very astute, Miss Yaoyorozu. Nothing short of what I'd expect from one of the few students who got in on Recommendations..." Aizawa praised her rational thinking and then looked to the class; "What I said still stands; This school only takes the best of the best, so make sure you put in that same level of effort and try to demonstrate that you have what it takes..." He explained before checking his watch. "Okay, next class is coming up soon so go get changed and head to your next classroom."
The entire class was abuzz as they were thrown across the spectrum in terms of Aizawa's somewhat harmless misdirection to wondering what would top this, however the next class that would come there way wasn't exactly one that was normal...
Even for UA's standards.