Thankfully, Bakugo's wounded pride hadn't caused him to lash out at Izuku during their last two weeks of Alderea. Instead, the explosive bully had been hitting the gym to work on his Quirk more, focused more on getting stronger than Arturia than being angry over attending U.A. with Izuku.
Izuku shrugged, "Honestly, Kacchan's amazing, but he hasn't really had to compete with anyone on his level. It'll be interesting to see how he does around peers who can hold their..." Izuku trailed off, as an electric tingle shot up his spine. Something was wrong. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and the air suddenly felt thick and heavy.
"The two of you make more noise than a pack of mongrels at a feast," a velvet smooth voice observed. Izuku jerked his head to the newcomer, standing in the doorway. He wasn't the only one, Emiya did as well. So did Mitsuzuri and Tokoyami.
Golden Goddess. That was the only way Izuku knew how to describe this gorgeous classmate. Her figure was an impossible mix of curvy and thin, the kind supermodels would kill for. The standard U.A. uniform was fitted tightly to emphasize that fact, and was adorned by a golden necklace shaped like teeth and matching square earrings. Her blonde hair was shiny and long, reaching her waist, with bangs that framed her face well, her smug smirk pointed right at Bakugo and Arturia.
But it was her eyes... her ruby red eyes, that caused Izuku to continue shuddering. Both Bakugo and his mother had red eyes and blonde hair, but they almost seemed drab compared to the brilliance of this classmate. Just... who the hell was she?
"Ehh? Just who the hell do you think you are, calling us mongrels?" Bakugo growled out, apparently having the same question as Izuku. The explosive bully turned to face the newcomer, Arturia doing so as well. Her eyes were narrowed at her fellow blonde, and Izuku felt like she was getting the same feeling that he was.
"After all of that barking between the two of you, what else would I call you?" replied the golden goddess, as she stalked forward, her heels clicking against the ground. The sway of her hips caused her short skirt to teasingly show off more of her thighs. Izuku felt his face blush, but his instincts screamed that it wasn't meant to be attractive. No, Izuku felt like everything this beauty did was a trap.
Arturia narrowed her eyes, "You sure seem confident," she began, tilting her head, "But if you think you can just dismiss us because of our argument, you will be disappointed when things really get started."
The golden goddess simply stopped right in front of the two, sizing them up. Arturia and Bakugo stood firm, while Iida had frozen in place. He was trying to figure out what the best course of action should be, but the glasses boy was simply out of his depth here.
The golden goddess let loose a small chuckle, "Such confidence. Perhaps this school experience will truly be entertaining," she placed her hand on her waist, popping her hip out as she did. The gesture drew the eyes of everyone in the room. Whether those eyes saw it as attractive or as threatening depended on the viewer.
The golden goddess didn't care, instead introducing herself, "I am Gila Toyotomi. You won't recognize my name because I have entered this academy through the recommendation exam. Not through the standard exam you all attended." At this, Izuku's eyes widened, as he remembered what Yaoyorozu had said back at Takoba beach...
"But then... Toyotomi stepped up. Everything I thought I did well, she did better. She didn't waste time making tools or supplies for the different challenges, she already had them. Her timing was impeccable. Her actions were flawless. She had the perfect attitude."
Izuku understood Yaoyorozu's anxiety better now. Gila Toyotomi was the full package. She was undeniably attractive, and she had the confidence to match. To take first place in the recommendation exam not only implied a powerful Quirk, but important connections in the Pro-Hero social sphere. It was enough to make anyone feel inadequate.
An electric sensation zipped up his spine, and Izuku used it to ground himself, biting off that train of thought. He had fought to be here. Izuku knew that he was racing to catch up to Emiya, Arturia, and Bakugo. So what if there was someone else even further out?
Izuku would just have to Go Beyond, Plus Ultra.
The Heir of One for All was broken out of his thoughts suddenly by the bell, ringing out to begin the school day. Toyotomi paused, then pivoted to head to the back of the classroom to her seat. As she stalked on those heels, the golden woman glanced over Izuku's group. Her eyes made contact with Izuku's, and her mouth curved into a wry smile. Izuku didn't know what she found amusing about him, but the action completely unnerved him.
Toyotomi didn't do anything else, however. She just sat down behind Todoroki, and held out her left hand. A golden portal manifested, and a tea cup on top of a plate rose out. She took the plate, picked up the tea cup with her right and took a small sip. Completely ignoring the stares from the entire classroom.
So that's what Yaoyorozu meant, Izuku noted. Toyotomi had some sort of storage or teleportation Quirk. Yaoyorozu had to "print" the items she made with her creation. Emiya was faster with his Projections, but he still had to make them. All Toyotomi had to do was call up the exact item or tool she wanted. If she was as prepared as Izuku thought she would be...
"She's going to be trouble," Tokoyami murmured, and Izuku had to nod. They were in agreement there. Izuku decided to glance down at Emiya for his thoughts. The red head had placed both hands down on the desk, his head leaning forward and to his left, eyes narrowed. Where before, Emiya felt like a dog putting up with the chaos around, he was now on full alert.
"Emiya?" Izuku called out, causing the redhead to make eye contact. Izuku paused, as he saw Emiya's eyes. The shadow that was cast by his hair and forehead gave Emiya a haunted look. One that Izuku recognized from the first day they had met.
It was the look Emiya had when he had denied being a hero, after his sister had proclaimed him one. "Are you alright, Emiya?" Izuku asked, wondering just how far out of his depth he was. Why had Toyotomi triggered such a response?
Emiya was silent, before closing his eyes and releasing a breath, "I'm fine, Midoriya," he lied, but Izuku didn't call him out on it. He could recognize the tone of someone repressing something that was bothering them. He knew that tone far too well. "You all should get to your seats," Emiya continued, speaking to the whole group, "Class is about to begin."
Uraraka, trying to bring levity back to the group, just gave a small chuckle, "I'm sure we have a few minutes, right? Our homeroom teacher isn't even here yet, we can chill until they get here."
"Wrong on both counts, Miss Uraraka," a voice spoke from underneath the podium at the front. The whole class, with the exception of Gila Toyotomi, jumped, staring as a yellow bundle rolled into view, the face of an unkempt middle aged man staring back at them. He unzipped the bundle, and stepped out of it, pulling an applesauce packet from his belt and sipping on it.
"Why haven't you all taken your seats?" he asked, a low tone echoing across the room. Izuku scrambled to his desk, which was behind Arturia's and Bakugo's on the far side of the room. As he did, Izuku gave their apparent homeroom teacher a once over. The slender man with shaggy hair was dressed in a black jumpsuit, with only his utility belt and gray scarf holding any distinguishing features. Something about him seemed familiar though...
As Izuku sat down and set his bag aside, Arturia leaned back and whispered, "Great, we got Aizawa. Just our luck." She turned back before Izuku could respond, leaving him to wrack his brain. Aizawa... Now Izuku was sure he had heard of this guy. Of course he was a Pro-Hero, U.A. only ever hired Pros to teach the Hero Course, as well as any other positions they could get a Pro-Hero interested in.
But... this Aizawa guy was deliberately subtle. Whoever he was, this guy wasn't as flashy as the various other Pro-Heroes Izuku had studied over the course of his life. Now he wished he had done a better job following up on studying all of the U.A. teachers.
Once everyone was settled, the teacher properly introduced himself, "I'm Shota Aizawa. I'll be your homeroom teacher, as well as teaching Underground Operations to the Third Years," his eyes narrowed, "It took you all three minutes after the bell to organize yourself. That's ignoring the antagonism that occurred before that point."
Arturia and Bakugo wisely held their breath, so Aizawa continued, "If you are really here to become heroes... you aren't being very logical about it." Aizawa held up a remote, clicking it. The giant door opened up, and two service bots rolled in, carrying large containers, emblazoned with the U.A. logo.
Setting the containers down on the ground, the service bots rolled back as Aizawa began his lecture again, "Since I can see that everyone is here, I'll skip the roll call. Instead, everyone grab your brand new P.E. uniform and head to the lockers to change. Then, meet me at Ground Alpha," with those words, Aizawa stalked out of the classroom.
Without any preamble, Arturia, Bakugo and Emiya immediately got up and headed to the containers, which popped open to showcase a large quantity of the U.A. P.E. uniform in a variety of sizes. Other students got up as well, and as Izuku rose to join them, he got the sinking feeling that this was going to suck...
This is going to suck, Arturia acknowledged internally, as she arrived at her locker and started changing into the P.E. uniform. She had been hoping for Vlad King, Lance's homeroom teacher two years ago. He was a fun teacher, unlike Shota "Expel Head" Aizawa. Arturia still knew she was going to succeed in the class, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about who her homeroom teacher ended up being.
Her disgruntlement grew as Gila Toyotomi opened the locker next to her. Arturia tried to keep it contained, focusing on getting her tank top on and pulling her hair out of the crown braid she wore. Something tipped off the golden diva, however, as Toyotomi turned to face her, "It seems that we will be locker neighbors, Miss Corgi."
Arturia snapped her head, ignoring Toyotomi's impressive figure, "Corgi?" she snarled, "My name is Arturia Pendragon." Toyotomi simply chuckled as she turned back to finish getting dressed. Arturia let loose a huff before pulling her hair back into a pony tail, "You better remember that name in the future."
Toyotomi shrugged on her jacket as she responded, "Oh I will. However, I think 'Miss Corgi' suits you better, with how incessant your barking was with Mister Pomeranian." Before Arturia could fire back a retort, the locker on her other side was slammed shut. Arturia turned to see a violet-haired young woman peering at the two blondes over her matching sunglasses.
"We're already starting the mudslinging and trash talk?" the young woman shook her head, the violet strands bouncing around, "I don't know if I should stay out of this or join the fun." Her statement was punctuated as she zipped up her jacket.
A simple glance at the name above the locker confirmed Arturia's suspicions. Mitsuzuri. This was the Ayako Mitsuzuri that Shirou had told her about. The one that he had worked with alongside Tokoyami. The one that reminded him of Sakura Matou, due to her violet hair and her... build.
Standing physically between Mitsuzuri and Toyotomi, Arturia realized what Shirou had meant by that. As she zipped up her own jacket, a part of her gave a soft prayer, Mother, why hast thine genes forsaken me?
Arturia mentally shook that thought away. She had spent years working on and building her body. She was proud of the results; this was her body, not her mother's.
"Why are we doing this at all?" Ochako called out, snapping Arturia's attention to her. The gravity heroine was tying her shoes against a bench in the middle of the locker room, while a pink-skinned classmate with two cute horns stretched next to her, "Aren't we going to miss Orientation?"
The horned classmate shrugged, letting her arms relax at her side, "Oh come on, where's your sense of adventure? If Mister Aizawa wants us to get changed into these uniforms, clearly he has a plan to get us moving!" She struck poses as she talked, her energy somewhat infectious, "This is going to be fun!"
"Not likely," Arturia shook her head, grabbing two protein bars from her bag before closing the locker door, "Mister Aizawa is skipping Orientation because he thinks it's a waste of time." She started to head for the door, with Ochako and the other girls trailing alongside her.
"I mean... I can kind of see that angle," the horned classmate tapped her chin, "But do you have to be so dour about it? Come on, we're in U.A., the best hero school! Why wouldn't we cut loose a little bit?"
Toyotomi gave a reply before Arturia could, "I believe Miss Corgi is right to be concerned," Arturia glared at the golden diva. If she was going to be compared to an animal, she'd prefer it to be a lion, like her mother. Toyotomi ignored the glare and continued, "My sister has told me a great deal about Mister Aizawa, and why he's earned the nickname he has."
Arturia decided to focus on the topic at hand, as the other girls wore expressions of confusion at Toyotomi's vagueness, "He's very strict about his class. One wrong move and you are out of here. So most of the upperclassmen call him Expel Head."
A snort drew Arturia's gaze to a lithe girl in the back, who had indigo hair and aux cables growing out of her ear lobes. Realizing Arturia was looking at her, the aux cable girl shrugged, "I was just thinking that Expel Head sounds like a lame garage punk band."
"I know, right," the horned classmate laughed, "I'm sure the upperclassmen are just over-exaggerating things. It's not like he would expel one of us on the first day, right?" she gestured with her sentence, brushing off Arturia's and Toyotomi's statements as simple rumors.
Arturia glanced at Toyotomi, who simply rolled her eyes with a smirk, then continued to chat with the horned classmate. It seemed that the golden diva had decided to let those who didn't believe them to learn Aizawa's nature first hand.
Arturia saw the wisdom in that, so she let the conversation move on. As the group walked out onto Ground Alpha, she joined with Ochako, Mitsuzuri, and a young woman with a Frog Quirk named Tsuyu Asui. Though she preferred to be called Tsu, Arturia noted.
Some of the boys had already made it to Ground Alpha, so Arturia and her group headed over to where Shirou, Tenya, and Tokoyami were standing. Midoriya was with them, but he was squatting down, staring with wide eyes into the ground, his hands covering his nose and mouth. Tokoyami was standing in a way that allowed his shadow to cover Midoriya, meaning that Dark Shadow herself could be out and pat the distressed green boy on the back.
"Uh, Midoriya, are you okay?" Ochako asked, coming over to check on him. Midoriya gave a shallow nod, but otherwise didn't move. Mitsuzuri and Tsu blinked at the display, turning to face the other boys for an answer.
"He's... not handling what Iida and I told him about Aizawa well," Shirou remarked, his voice strangely grimmer than when Arturia had last heard it. Weird. Shirou continued, "He'll snap out of it once this gets started... I think."
Tenya pushed up his glasses, "Midoriya has shown a tenacity of performing well once the real pressure starts, so it's better for him to get it out of his system now," he then turned to Mitsuzuri and Tsu, "Hello, I am Tenya Iida by the way."
The two girls introduced themselves, before Tsu followed up with, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I saw Midoriya running around during the entrance exam without any direction at the start. But once the Executor showed up, he had my back when some debris fell."
"Not to mention when he punched that Executor's head clean off," Ochako exclaimed, mimicking the punch herself. Mitsuzuri snapped her head to Ochako, her face showing shock. Ochako nodded, "Yeah, Midoriya busted the head off of the Executor in our arena. His Quirk was super cool, he and Arturia rushed in and..."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bakugo snarked, causing Arturia and the group to turn towards him, "Deku doesn't have a Quirk. I have no idea how that cheater got in, but he's been Quirkless our entire lives."
This reaction finally got Midoriya to look up from his crouched position, "...I told you back at Aldera that my Quirk came in after the entrance exam, Kacchan..." He was immediately cut off by the spiky blond.
"And I told you, that's not how Quirks work!" Bakugo snarled, "So either you are lying now and cheated your way in, or you were lying our entire lives, making a fool out of me."
"Newsflash, the world doesn't revolve around you," Arturia growled back, standing in front of Bakugo, "For your information, I also saw Midoriya use his Quirk, I was right there when he took out the Executor." She chose to withhold the fact that she had helped catch Midoriya after he had started to fall. She didn't want to give this jerk any more ammo against Midoriya. He already seemed to have enough of his own.
"Bullshit," Bakugo retorted, "If Deku had enough power to take out an Executor, why would he have come in only at twenty seventh place, huh?" the spiky blond scoffed, "Why wouldn't he have used this imaginary Quirk of his to actually score some points?"
Arturia's jaw tightened, but she held her tongue. Midoriya's Quirk was still a mystery to her. Whatever the reason, Midoriya hadn't even properly used Surge until the entrance exam, and even then it was to save Ochako. To do even that had cost Midoriya great physical harm. Both his right arm and his legs were shattered, and Arturia couldn't shake the bad feeling she had about the spinal burns. She didn't want to carelessly give away that information to this bully.
Arturia also didn't want to let this guy get away with being an asshole, so she glanced at Midoriya to see what his reaction was. Instead of immediately responding himself, the green head took a deep breath, then stood up, Dark Shadow retreating back into Tokoyami. Izuku Midoriya took a deep breath, and stared down Katsuki Bakugo.
"I worked hard to be here, Kacchan, harder than you know," Midoriya's tone was devoid of his usual stutter, "Like it or not, I'm here now. I've earned this spot here. I'm not going to stop trying to be a hero now, no matter what you want."
Bakugo's eyes widened, as his face twisted up in anger, "Oh, Deku, you son of a..." he growled out, causing Tenya and Tsu to flinch in surprise. Bakugo took a step forward, holding his palm out to the side.
Tokoyami and Mitsuzuri held firm, clearly restraining their impulses. Shirou didn't hold back, projecting a shinai as Arturia took a sharp breath in, activating Atmo Burst. If Bakugo wanted to do this, then she was more than willing to...
"If any of you actually starts this fight, you all are getting expelled," Aizawa warned, stepping into the situation. He didn't use his Quirk, his tone of voice was enough of a deterrent. Arturia reined herself back as Shirou dismissed the shinai he had projected. Bakugo released an angry huff, but moved away, still confident that 'Quirkless Deku' would be out of the school by the end of the day.
Arturia turned to Aizawa, who blew a whistle, "Alright, let's not waste any more time. If you haven't figured it out, we are skipping Orientation. Instead of spending our time on a useless ceremony like that, I'm going to hold a Quirk Apprehension Test."
Most of the class questioned what he meant by that, so Aizawa continued, "As a teacher of U.A., I'm untethered to any tradition that I see fit. If you want to join the big leagues, if you really want to be a Pro Hero that saves the citizens relying on you, then you need to have an even better grasp on your Quirk than you do now."
The unkempt teacher gestured to the chalk lines set up around Ground Alpha, set up to accommodate a variety of track and field events, "The Ministry of Education refuses to allow everyone to use their Quirks in the standardized physical tests. U.A. favors a practical exam that caters to the combative types. Neither of these approaches are rational. I want to see how each of you can use your Quirk to solve these tests."
Aizawa's gaze snapped to Arturia, pulling her to attention, "Miss Pendragon, you scored first place in the regular entrance exam, correct," Arturia nodded, refusing to acknowledge Bakugo's low growl, "How fast were you able to do the fifty meter dash at your previous school?"
Arturia took a second to recall her school stats, "...Six point five seconds, sir." Aizawa nodded, then gestured to the track next to him. A service bot was on the far end, about fifty meters away. Arturia immediately understood Aizawa's next set of instructions.
"Use your Quirk and show us what your real time is," Aizawa ordered. Arturia sprung up to the starting line, and leaned over into her starting position. She took a deep breath, revving up Atmo Burst throughout her body. "Go," Aizawa commanded, and she shot off.
Arturia's legs only touched the ground three times, before she landed past the service bot, sliding to a stop as she pivoted to face the gobsmacked faces of her classmates. Arturia let a small smirk display as the service bot called out her time, "Three point three seconds!"
The class roared out in excitement as Aizawa gestured for her to return, which Arturia did with another Atmo Burst fuelled leap. "Holy crap, girl, I've never seen anyone move like that!" the horned classmate from earlier called out.
"This is so cool, we get to use our Quirks as much as we want, this is going to be sweet!" a guy with long spiky black hair and circles in his elbows cried out. Arturia moved back to stand beside her friends, right next to Shirou. The redhead turned to her with a small smile on his face.
"Good job," he simply said. Arturia felt her face slightly warm up, so she jerked her head and said it was nothing. Aizawa had let the class get more and more excited, waiting for the right moment before he acted.
"Oh, so you all think this is a game, right?" the unkempt teacher smiled. It was a large, deranged smile, one that belonged to a patient escaping a mental asylum, not a hero tasked with maintaining order in society, "In that case, let me add some stakes. You all will be ranked both by your performances in my apprehension tests as well as how effectively you found ways to incorporate your Quirks. The student with the lowest score will be expelled from the class effective immediately."
That sent a silent chill through the entire class. The horned classmate shot a horrified look to both Arturia and Toyotomi, shocked that they had been telling the truth. Arturia simply shifted into a better stance, ready to take on this challenge head on.
Ochako, on the other hand, took her complaint directly to the teacher, "Mister Aizawa, you can't do that! We just got here, we have been working for months and years to attend this school! It wouldn't be fair to throw..."
Aizawa cut her off before she could continue, "I must have missed the memo that villains are fair. That disasters are fair. That life was fair. No, it isn't fair that I'm going to kick one of you out today. That's the point."
Aizawa stopped slouching, straightening his back and widening his posture, "You all are here to become Pro Heroes. The ones who are going into Hell every day. No, not Hell, worse than it. Hell only takes the guilty, the tragedies you will see affect everyone. It'll be your job to fight those tragedies and bring justice for everyone."
Aizawa leaned his head forward, his smirk now resembling a Pro Hero with tons of experience, "So, Go Beyond... Plus Ultra. There's a reason this is our school motto, so I want to see it out of everyone's performances today," he let the words hang in the air, before turning away, "Now, Mina Ashido and Tsuyu Asui, you two are next on the dash."
As the horned classmate, who must be Mina Ashido, and Tsu went up to the starting line for the dash, Arturia couldn't help but glance over at Izuku Midoriya. The green head's face was completely blank, but Arturia couldn't tell if it was because he truly felt no fear or if panic had overwhelmed his entire system.
Either way... Arturia didn't fear this test at all. She would pass in the upper echelon, she was sure of it. Shirou, Ochako, Tenya, and their other friends should be able to succeed as well. But as she prepared to move forward, she couldn't help but be worried over how Midoriya would do.
Toshinori Yagi couldn't shake his concern over Young Midoriya, as he stood on stage as All-Might alongside the other U.A. staff. Principal Nezu was busy giving his new school year speech, covering both informational topics as well as heartfelt motivation. All-Might's job here was to stand proud with a smile, before giving his own address shortly after the principal was done.
Toshinori was glad to do so. Being the Symbol of Peace wasn't just punching villains and jumping into disasters. A critical part of that job was to be the contagious smile that helped calm the public, that assured them that everything was alright. Speaking to the students of U.A. was something he was eager to do.
However, Toshinori had planned for this speech to reach all of the students at U.A., yet Aizawa had seen it fit to have Class 1-A skip Orientation. It was in the Erasure Hero's rights to do so, but Toshinori knew what that meant. Aizawa had started his Quirk Apprehension Test.
It wasn't right for the Symbol of Peace to worry over one student, even if Young Midoriya was his successor. Still, Toshinori made a mental note to add a bounding clearing leap into the end of his speech, to justify leaving early. That way he could sneak over to Ground Alpha and check on Young Midoriya.
Toshinori kept his smile as wide as possible, even as he focused on the clock in his peripheral vision. Young Midoriya would surpass Aizawa's expectations. Toshinori felt that, deep in his soul. However, the part of him that had chosen his successor demanded that Toshinori check on the newest wielder of One for All. To be there, silently cheering, when Young Midoriya surprised everyone.
Aizawa kept his 'deranged' grin on his face, as he observed his students perform in the distance run. At the front, beyond most of the class, rode Gila Toyotomi on a golden Segway. The golden diva had wanted to use her motorcycle, but Aizawa only shot it down because it would tear up the track. The Segway was an acceptable alternative as far as he was concerned.
Keeping up with her to the best of his abilities was Tenya Iida, Tensei's little brother. Aizawa and the elder Iida brother had shared a few classes during their U.A. days, so it was somewhat nostalgic seeing a motorized speedster run again. The sight stirred memories that Aizawa would rather leave buried in the rubble.
Arturia Pendragon did her best to keep up with both Toyotomi and Iida. She was clearly getting hungry, however, and would lag back for a few paces before boosting forward again. Pendragon had clearly trained well with her Quirk, but her competitive nature was causing her to overextend.
That was useful in a training situation like this, but if her pride caused her to push too far in the field, it would have disastrous consequences. Aizawa winced at the thought of the blonde problem child passing out from hunger in the middle of a critical operation. Protein bars could only get you so far in Aizawa's experience.
At the back of the pack, Shinji Mineta, Denki Kaminari, and Kyoka Jiro were trying to stay ahead of the Victory villain bot Aizawa had sicced onto the track. No student in the Hero Course was out of shape, that was a given. Aizawa's goal was to push the limits of their stamina and endurance further than what a fifteen minute practical could do. Hence the pursuing villain bot.
The students were banned from actually fighting it, they could only use their Quirks to move forward. The Victory bot was here to demand a specific pace. If it tagged a student with its paint-coated shield even once, that student automatically failed the distance run. It was that element of fear, combined with the threat of expulsion, that served as the real test.
Could these students manage their emotions, and maintain their forms while running? Or would they get caught up in the fear of the faux villain chasing them? That was the point of the distance run. The fifth of the eight tests he was running, calculated to put these hero wannabes to the test.
Aizawa cracked his neck, before glancing down at his tablet, looking over the scores so far. Most of the students, and even some teachers, were under the impression that he was testing for pure physical prowess. They called it hypocritical since his own Quirk didn't offer any physical advantages.
They're right. That would be hypocritical. That's why he wasn't testing for pure physical prowess.
Each test rewarded students points depending on their ranking. The top five students got five points. The next five got four. All the way down with the exception of whoever scored dead last, who would only receive one point. This handled the physical results.
Where Aizawa tilted the scales was in the Quirk performance. Students who used their Quirks as expected would earn an extra three points, such as Pendragon and Iida in the Fifty-Meter Dash. Students like Ochako Uraraka, who used her Quirk to lighten her clothes, earned five more points. Aizawa was looking for that kind of creative thinking, so he rewarded accordingly.
He wasn't ignorant that not all Quirks were suited to every task. Hanta Sero's Tape Quirk was useful in the grip strength test. It was less useful in the burpees test. For situations like these, Aizawa didn't reward or take away any points. Their points were as simple as their performances, nothing to be ashamed of. After all, if he were to perform in these tests, Aizawa wouldn't score any bonus points either.
But for students who had a Quirk that applied to the situation, but failed to use them properly... Aizawa docked five points off of their scores. He had done as much when Shirou Emiya had done the dash. The red problem child got a respectable time of four point seven seconds, but he didn't use any of his Projections.
Aizawa called him out for wasting a test like that, and Emiya seemed to take it to heart. The redhead had gone and Projected a lighter outfit and shoes for the other tests, as well as using two magnetic swords for the grip strength test.
That was a far more significant improvement of performance compared to Izuku Midoriya. The green problem child's physical performances were adequate, but nothing special. Yet, at every opportunity, Midoriya failed to use that strange, coiling power of his.
A secret Aizawa kept to himself is that due to the nature of his Quirk, he could actually see the Quirk Factors in everyone. Most were just vague constellation shapes with solid lines. Occasionally, the lines would look more circuit-like in their forms, going off in errant directions. It was rare for him to have four in his class, but Emiya, Tokoyami, Toyotomi, and Mitsuzuri all were like this.
Aizawa wasn't a Quirk Scientist, so he had no idea why some Quirks appeared this way. He tended to find those with these weird circuits more in the underground than in the general populace, but he didn't think it had something to do with Trigger. Those drugs tended to taint the Quirk Factor, not change their shapes. Besides, he knew plenty of Pro Heroes, like Edgeshot or Principal Nezu, had these circuits as well. Aizawa didn't know what caused the circuit-like lines, but since no one else saw Quirk Factors anyway, he let these things be.
Midoriya's Quirk, Surge, was somewhat different from what he normally saw. It was a constellation that seemed to go straight up the kid's spine. However, the lines between each point weren't solid, but they weren't circuit-like either. They were more coiled, like electrical wires going up and down. Aizawa had never seen anything like it before.
Aizawa sighed. Despite the mystery of why Midoriya's Quirk, Surge, looked like that, what wasn't a mystery was that the nervous boy wasn't using it. Aizawa paid careful attention as Midoriya performed on every test. Surge would start to light up, before Midoriya clamped down on it, refusing to use it at all. Under Aizawa's established rules, Midoriya was sitting at negative seven points.
Actually, make that negative eight. The distance run was coming to a close in a minute. While Midoriya would likely rank between seventh and ninth place, the penalty for not using his Quirk would plunge his score further down. If this continued, Midoriya would be departing the hero course today.
Aizawa held up his whistle, blowing it before calling out, "ALRIGHT, THE DISTANCE RUN IS OVER. HEAD OVER TO THE HIGH JUMP STATION!" The faux villain bot came to stop, as did some of the students at the back. Most of the students, however, simply slowed down and headed over as Aizawa directed.
As Aizawa stalked over himself, he thought about Midoriya some more. The kid had heart, no one could deny that. He had proven that in the entrance exam, and Aizawa had found news articles where the kid had tried to help others during villain attacks. Midoriya wanted to be a hero.
He just wasn't cut out for it, so he shouldn't die trying.
Shirou slowed down his pace at Aizawa's command, pivoting to head towards the high jump station. He wasn't alone, as plenty of his other classmates started to head over as well. Shirou had kept himself near the front of the main pack, not racing for first like Arturia or Iida, but running right alongside Midoriya, Mitsuzuri, and Tokoyami. Uraraka and Tsu pulled up the rear of their part of the pack.
Arturia and Iida were already at the high jump station when the group arrived, and moved over to stand by their other friends. Arturia was tearing into her last protein bar, before she remarked, "That was a frustrating performance."
Iida levelled an unamused stare at her, "You got third. I'm just better at distance than you. Sprints are your domain," Arturia just glared at him, but tilted her head towards Toyotomi, who was busy chatting with Ashido. Iida conceded the point, "...Yeah, it's frustrating that she just pulled out a vehicle like that."
Ochako chose that moment to chime in, "Yeah, she really does just have everything in those portals of hers," her face was set, having tried to compete with the golden diva, but with less effectiveness than Arturia had. Ochako turned to Shirou, "Hey, why didn't you make a Segway too?"
Shirou shook his head, "My Quirk is Arsenal Projection. While I can Project a lot of stuff, I have to Grasp it first," he meant the spell, but the Faker literally clenched his fist as a slight misdirection, "And it only lasts a while in the arsenal. My Quirk only really stores weapons, and it prefers blades."
In an ironic way, Shirou wasn't even lying. Arsenal Projection was an expression of Unlimited Blade Works, but from the Quirk Factor that his body gained upon arriving to this new world. It was directly connected to his Reality Marble, not EMIYA's via the pre-fetched magic circuits. It was... fresh, being able to Project weapons and tools without the pain of his future self's invasion.
Ochako nodded after his statement, before Aizawa started to give out his new directions, "Listen up, everyone. These tests have been ranked on a sliding scale up to now. This one is different," the teacher tapped on the high jump bar, which towered over everyone, "I've had this one set at a height of three meters. You have three chances. If you clear it, you pass. If you don't, you fail. Either way, try to use your Quirks. Remember, this is a Quirk Apprehension Test, not a physical one." With those words, he moved to the side, and allowed students to come up one by one to start their attempts.
Shirou chuckled, tilting his head as he grimaced, "I've always been terrible at the high jump at my last school." He had tried before, back at Homurahara in his old world. At one point, he even wanted to use his Reinforcement magecraft... but even if no one was around, Shirou couldn't shake his father's words out of his head.
The most important thing is that magecraft is something you use not for yourself, but for others. If you do that, you may become a magecraft user, but you will not become a magus.
Kiritsugu and Shirou were never proper magi. Never had been, never would be. Their search was not for the Root of Akasha, but for the sake of all mankind. They sought to become Allies of Justice, using magecraft, rituals, science, and traditions. Any method that would help them save the world.
Any method... but sacrificing Miyu. When it had come to making that decision, he had broken from his father's path, and gave up everything to protect her.
"Wait, really?" Arturia responded to Shirou's offhanded remark, pulling him out of his spiraling thoughts. The ex-Ally of Justice glanced over to the daughter of two Pro Heroes, who stared back at him with her bright green eyes, "You had trouble... with the high jump?"
The redhead just shrugged, "I mean... is that so surprising? It's not like I was allowed to use more than my physical abilities." Shirou glanced back over to the high jump, watching as Iida struggled to leap up with his engine block legs, before continuing, "Do you really think I could have made it before?"
Arturia tilted his head, "Well, yeah, I do. You can move really fast when you want to. But even then, if your physical abilities aren't up to the task, then use your Quirk," she crumbled the wrapper of her consumed snack, then turned to look him in the eyes, "You can't be a hero if you refuse to give it your all."
With those words, Arturia headed up to the starting line to make her attempt, nodding to Aizawa that she was going next. Shirou watched as Arturia took one deep breath, the wind rushing into her as she activated her Quirk. Arturia got into her running position, then shot forward, gracefully turning before she leapt over the bar.
She performed a flawless Fosbury flop, clearing it with room to spare. Shirou stared as Arturia hung in the air, before twisting her form. She landed onto the cushioning mat standing perfectly still, one arm outstretched, as if this was a performance. Her emerald eyes locked onto Shirou's, a proud smirk dancing across her lips.
Shirou barely registered the sound of Aizawa calling for the next person to make their attempt. Arturia high fived Uraraka as the gravity heroine took off for her attempt, then returned back to Shirou's side, "Think you can make that?" she asked, a cocky grin on her face as she tilted her head, her pony tail bouncing with the motion.
Shirou turned away with a grunt, "Yeah, I think I can keep up with that." He stepped up to do the test after Uraraka, taking a deep breath to clear the flustering thoughts out of his mind. He released a breath just as his classmate gave herself gravity again, falling smack down on the mat. He could do this.
As Uraraka walked back, she gave Shirou a thumbs up, and Shirou nodded, before getting into his starting position. He took a deep breath, using the breathing techniques that helped him with his archery. They were useful in calming his mind.
"Are you ready, Mister Emiya?" Mister Aizawa asked, causing the redhead to glance over at his teacher. The scruffy man was still tapping on his tablet screen as he talked, "I want to really see you go Plus Ultra, alright?"
Go Plus Ultra, huh? Shirou couldn't help but find amusement in that. His teacher's voice reminded him of EMIYA's voice, yet his words were almost the exact opposite of what the Counter-Guardian would do. What Kiritsugu would do. They always operated with the intent to be at their most efficient.
At one time, Shirou had committed to that philosophy as well. It had served him well, both in being Kiritsugu's assistant, as well as during his war to save Miyu. But he could see the end of that road. The field of endless blades, that left EMIYA cold and alone. The midnight porch, where an old man could do nothing but entrust an impossible dream to a child.
He would never be ungrateful to his father or his future self. The skills and abilities they had taught or given him had gotten him this far. They would likely prove to be even more helpful in the future.
But... Shirou couldn't be the type of hero they were. He had chosen a different path, to become a villain for Miyu's sake. Yet, arriving to this world had offered him a new chance. A new opportunity. Not only in his Quirk, but...
I know you aren't a Pro Hero, but your sister clearly thinks of you as her hero.
You saved me. So go work hard to save others.
So, I ask you, Shirou Emiya. Are you ready to become a hero again?
Shirou took a deep breath, then turned back towards Mister Aizawa, "Yeah, I'm ready." The teacher gave the signal, and the redhead took off, quickly building speed. Once the moment came, Shirou turned and jumped, performing the same style of Fosbury Flop that Arturia had.
In terms of pure physical prowess, Arturia had him beat. Her Quirk made the three meter leap a triviality, whereas Shirou, even with an enhanced Quirk Liner body, was about to fall short. He could have used Reinforcement to close the gap, and he would have if this had been a more serious situation.
But this was a test for his own abilities. Kiritsugu would have been both proud and annoyed about this. Proud that he wasn't using magecraft to better his own position in the class. Annoyed that the redhead was still going above and beyond the needs of the class.
Shirou used his Quirk to Project Kanshou and Bakuya underneath his feet. He had done something similar in the practical entrance exam, but there it was just to move away from the Executor. This time, he added upward acceleration to his favored swords, so that they served as a rising platform.
With that advantage, Shirou cleared over the high jump, pivoting the flop into a full flip and sticking a three point landing on the cushion mat. Kanshou and Bakuya fell right alongside him, vanishing into motes of light as he dismissed them. The redhead glanced up, passively noting some cheers from some fellow classmates. He ignored them, as his focus was on Arturia. She stood proud, her arms folded, as she gave a solitary nod, a soft smile on her lips.
Shirou smirked back, then hopped off the cushion mat. As he passed the teacher, Aizawa stopped him for a moment, "Excellent work, Emiya. Did I see it right that you added acceleration to your Projections?"
The redhead nodded, "Yes sir, I did." Aizawa nodded back, then turned to his tablet, tapping something away.
"Nice to see you taking this test seriously now," Aizawa remarked, before dismissing him. Shirou walked away, fistbumping Tokoyami and Dark Shadow as they headed up to do their own. He returned standing next to Arturia, who elbowed him in jest.
"See, I knew you could do it," Arturia laughed, and Shirou chuckled back. He glanced over to the high jump station, watching Tokoyami push off the ground with Dark Shadow to leap over the bar.
He had done it. He had finally made the high jump. True, it wasn't pure physical prowess, he would have needed either Reinforcement or his Projections to do it. But still... Maybe this path would work itself out.
Arturia was about to say something else, but someone interrupted her. Someone who set off all of Shirou's instincts. "Yes, very well done, Mister Emiya," Gila Toyotomi remarked, as she walked up to the group. Unlike most of the other girls, she had her jacket unzipped and tied around her waist. Flaunting her physique as far as the school code would allow her.
Arturia narrowed her eyes at Toyotomi, "What do you want, Toyotomi?" the golden diva looked amused at Arturia's objection, before brushing her off.
"I'm not here to talk to you, Miss Corgi," Arturia bristled under the nickname, but Toyotomi turned her attention back to Shirou, "I'm just curious about you, Emiya. Why weren't you at the recommendation exam? If you had been there, I would have seen you at the written test." Her ruby red eyes were piercing, but Shirou held firm.
"Arturia here," he gestured to his friend, "Thought it would be a better use of our abilities and talents to enter via the normal exam. So that's what we did." Arturia glanced at Shirou, momentarily caught off guard, before turning back to stare down Toyotomi.
The golden diva closed her eyes, looking as if she was trying not to laugh, "I see, well, you are here now, so I guess your bet paid off," she tapped an index finger to her chin, "It's a shame, I would have loved to see how you would have competed against Shoto Todoroki and Inasa Yoarashi. You seem to be a faster Miss Yaoyorozu, and it would have been interesting to see you perform against them."
"Yaoyorozu?" Shirou questioned, tilting his head, "I don't know who you are talking about." He stood firm, trying to keep himself relaxed. Arturia stood cautiously by, seemingly sensing his tension.
Toyotomi casually waved her hand, "Oh, she scored second place in the female recommendation exam. She could make all sorts of things, seemingly like how you can," the golden diva tilted her head once more, "Though... The items she actually stuck around. She was a genuine maker. You can cause your creations to fade away on command, almost as if they were hollow... "
So that's what this was about. Shirou decided to play along, mimicking a smirk from his future self, "Nah, I'm not much of a maker. Someone like you would call me a Faker." Saying that specific word did the trick, as Toyotomi's eyes lit up in confirmation.
"Faker..." the golden diva purred, her lips curving a sharp smile. Her tone was incredibly familiar to Shirou, far, far too familiar. She wasn't just like the final boss of the Holy Grail War...
Toyotomi leaned back, her expression like a cat who caught the canary, "I'll have to remember that. Thank you for the chat, Mister Faker." With that simple expression, she pivoted on her foot, and walked away.
Arturia turned to face Shirou, concern written all over her face, "Shirou, what was that all about?" He turned to look at her, mentally breathing a sigh of relief. She looked completely lost. That was a good sign.
"Oh, nothing, really," Shirou tried to play off the situation, as he turned to watch the high jump. Mashirao Ojiro, a classmate of theirs with a tail, was making some solid attempts, but still wasn't quite clearing the bar. Shirou followed up his comment with, "She's just hiding the fact that she's mad. Miss Toyotomi knows I can make knock offs of her treasures."
That answer seemed to placate Arturia, "Ah, I see," she replied, turning to watch the high jump with Shirou for a bit. Before long, she broke their silence with, "I don't like her. Something about her unnerves me."
You aren't the only one. Shirou reflected, but kept his thoughts to himself. His suspicions went deeper than the instincts Arturia had. Suspicions that involved Arturia herself.
When Shirou had told Touko Aozaki about his encounter with Ayako Mitsuzuri, she told him that there would likely be a few analogs that he met between this world and the old world he left behind. That was a given, as Touko herself was an example of this. Shirou could very easily compare the puppeteer mage of his old world with the Quirk doctor here. They were similar at their core, but life experience had shaped them differently.
Similarly, Shirou suspected that Shinji Mineta was an analog for Sakura's brother. The Assassin doll had failed to remember his full name, but Shirou felt he could put the pieces together now. EMIYA's memories seemed to confirm it. However, there were still some key differences between Shinji Matou and Shinji Mineta that kept Shirou from writing off the seaweed hair pervert. Mineta had a Quirk, for one thing. Another was that Shirou had discretely asked Tsu if Mineta had a sister. The frog girl confirmed that Mineta was an only child.
Touko Aozaki and Shinji Mineta both showed that just because there were comparisons to be made between the old and new worlds, that they weren't the same persons. That comparison should have held true with Arturia Pendragon, who seemed incredibly similar to Saber Class Card Shirou had fought in the Holy Grail War. It should have held true with Ayako Mitsuzuri and Gila Toyotomi as well.
And yet...
And yet...
"Alright, we only have one last student for the high jump," Aizawa called out, interrupting Shirou's thoughts. The teacher continued, "Then you guys can get some lunch before we do the last two tests," his gaze swept over the class, before locking onto the last student to do the high jump.
"Izuku Midoriya, you're up."
The green head took a deep breath, then stood up, slowly getting over to the starting line. Midoriya got into his starting position, slightly shaking from his own nerves. Shirou gritted his teeth, "...Maybe I should have..."
"It wouldn't have helped," Arturia retorted, knowing where Shirou was going to go with this, "If Aizawa figured out you were throwing some of these tests to help Midoriya, he would have expelled both of you. We just need to have faith that Midoriya can pull through."
Her words were bold, but Shirou saw how tightly Arturia was grabbing her biceps. How narrowed her eyes were, or how thin her lips were pursed. They both had heard from Lance and Kay how strict Aizawa was. He didn't remark on Arturia's body language, turning to focus on watching the green head.
Midoriya had shot off, running and leaping. His form was excellent for a kid his age, but only when you took superpowers out of the equation. Midoriya didn't even come close to reaching the three meter bar before falling onto the cushion mat.
"See, I told you, he doesn't have a Quirk," barked Bakugo, "He's still just Deku." Arturia snapped her head over to the bully, but Shirou put his hand on her shoulder before she could move.
"Don't, Aizawa already warned you," Shirou reminded her. Arturia let loose a low growl, but relented. It helped that Aizawa gave a glare to Bakugo as well, causing the explosive bully to step back. By this point, Izuku had returned back to the starting line, ready to start his second attempt.
As the green head got into his running position again, something changed. Shirou felt as if a storm was suddenly brewing, as if the air was filled with petrichor and static shock. It wasn't a natural smell. It was something else. It was more... mystical in feeling.
It took a second for Shirou to realize where this was coming from. Midoriya. It was coming from that green head kid who had saved Miyu before. Izuku Midoriya was producing this from his... Quirk?
What the hell?