MosesArk Reborn2000
patreon
Chapter 8: Exceptional Students
🕑 Added 2024-06-17 15:11:47 +0000 UTCA week late, but it's FINALLY here
Also, I’ve done it! After almost a year of having this, and like 6 years before that of writing fan-fiction, I finally managed to write and post something original. Like I said, up till the first lemon scene, I'll post on Ao3 until the first lemon scene, but after that, it shall only be available here as I need to grow my reader base, especially with OG stuff. In fact, it 's first two chapters should be out by Saturday, but the first should be up to be read.
But with this, it was another fun chapter to write, namely because of the path I took with it. While I COULD focus on one thing, I thought it would be more interesting to focus on the other, which you'll soon see
“Text” – Normal speech
‘Text’ - Thought
“Text” – Radio/Communication lines
“Text” – None Japanese speech
(text) – Subtext/meaning behind a spoken word
Chapter 8: Exceptional Students
It had been a few days since they held their entrance exam for the spring class. So far, Nezu, the small and oh-so-huggable chimera that served as dean for U.A., had seen through the grading and class assignments for their coming business and support course. All that was left was to look over the general and hero course applicants, but his mind had gone back to 2 students, in particular, more than once since that day.
Now, he sat with the teachers who would be handling the many classes that the potential students signed up for, looking through footage to count which and how many robots applicants managed to destroy or damage, as well as reward and debate any rescue points that they might have earned while doing it. "I understand that we don't tell them for a reason, but it's still disturbing how little of them manage to earn rescue points above 30.” Snipe, the best marksman active in all of Japan and tenured professor of U.A., lamented.
They had told the students about the basic villain points, which they got through defeating or damaging the army of robots that they had sent after them. Still, a secret grading system was designed to allow those with a heroic heart and not necessarily the physical quirk or drive for combat to shine. The rescue point system was rewarded for heroism during the exam, like helping others, saving them from danger, attending to the scared, wounded, or confused, etc.
"It's a sad sight, but if they knew about the hero points, they'd clean up their act, and we need to judge them as are." His fellow professor and a man renowned for his work in reconstruction efforts, Cementoss replied.
It was kept secret to give the examiners like them a chance to see part of the true character of the students, and sad to say, that while many scored decent points when it came to combat, well, if they could give negative hero points, they would for more then a few. No one had attacked another exam taker outright, but they got close to the disqualifying mark. Even among the ones that so far were showing promise to have the top 10 scores, around 40% hadn't even managed to get that 30 rescue points.
"Regardless, while concerning that they behaved in such a manner if they make the cut, we can work on getting it out of their heads that hero work is all about being flashy and breaking things." Ectoplasm stated as they watched over one student, one with a prey mantis-like appearance, as they jumped around, cutting at any target he could with blades jutting out of his arms. Did he seem like he was having too much fun? Perhaps, but that wasn't a crime when, odds are, that had been a rare time for him to cut loose with his quirk.
Snipe let out an amused chuckle. "We don't need to; so many are in it for little more than fame and money that once they learn about the less-than-pretty parts, they drop out or request a transfer." He didn't feel much for said students; for those who requested a transfer rather than ran, he respected them, as it took a big man to know when he wasn't built for something.
Midnight, a teacher who had built their brand on being R-rated and the bane of parents across the country, looked through some of the feeds. "Despite that lack of heroic actions, some have great potential as combat-focused heroes; they seem to be purposely avoiding others and more locked in on the given task. Hopefully, we can help such be less narrow-minded."
Her screen showed some of Iida Tenya clips, the youngest son of the Iida hero family. The boy seemed like he had a solid head on his shoulders. He knew his limits but knew how to work around them, at least in a crude fashion. He seemed great at following orders as he went at the task with a zeal that she found exciting, but he was incredibly stiff and too much like a toy soldier.
Then there were those like one Bakugo Katsuki, who took the idea of combat to the extreme as he, unlike 80% of students they've looked through thus far, hadn't seemed to have done a single action worthy of a hero point. But he more than made up for that purely on villain points, as they were halfway through the exam and already confirmed he had destroyed 50 points worth of targets and didn't seem to be slowing down.
"And where some seemed to only help when they could, we have students that seemed to forget all of us just to lend aid." Vlad, one of the taller staff members with an overbite, noted that he turned their attention to something that had caught their attention when it happened. Uraraka Ochaco absolutely destroying a 0-pointer. All to save someone that appeared to have been in danger. Quite the feed if not for the massive drawback she suffered.
"That was some crazy power; I've never heard of a gravity quirk that could shatter your bones like that, have you, Eraser-guy." Present Mic asked the silent member of the staff, a tenured professor whose general attire and demeanor either gave off crack-head or homeless, two descriptions they all knew the man hated.
The hero in black remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "I've seen plenty of quirks that can hurt the user, but never this quickly or to this extreme." He replied. "Don't call me that." Present Mic shot his fellow teacher double finger guns, which the man ignored.
“Recovery Girl, any thoughts on the issue?” Ectoplasm turned to the university nurse, who, while not a lecturer or instructor, still provided valuable opinions and observations on students' health and prospects. In fact, more than once in the past, her veto led to students being rejected for medical reasons.
The aged hero hummed in thought, one far past the point where most retired. "Aside from the fact the girl seems to shape up to be one of our more reckless ones?" She shot their newest instructor a pointed look, which the skinny man looked away from with a cough. “She reported that her quirk changed around a month ago. Tests showed that what was believed to have been the ability to negate gravity's effects on things seemed to more. However, they couldn't run enough tests before the exam."
Nezu nodded at that. “Then I trust you can run some tests after the semester starts, but is that a reason for us to bar her?”
"No." Recovery Girl shook her head. "It's still a new development, and she healed well enough when I saw to her. It merely seems to be a harrowing case of growing pains."
“Then we move from someone that broke their bodies to someone that broke our expectations.” Nezu shifted gears to a story he really wished to sink his teeth into, with a freeze frame of when Midoriya shifted into his flame state. “Quite the story with this one.”
Snipe agreed with him as he quickly put the boy's exam number on his tablet so he could look into his academic record. "No kidding, with credentials like this, I'm surprised he didn't try his luck with the recommendation exam. Or did he not have someone willing to sponsor him?" He smacked said tablet after reading it, as the boy not only attended one of the top technical high schools in Japan, but it was on a partial scholarship he earned back in middle school. He had also managed to maintain top grades the entire time and was certified as a junior EMT.
"That I can't say, but his performance more than keeps our attention as I've never seen something like this. Inko's boy is a real treat." Nezu's statement got the rest to look at him.
“Inko?” Midnight asked.
"Hmm? Oh yes, I know his mother, though I wouldn't call us friends." Nezu waved off, as he had only met the woman a few times at conferences. However, he did recall the first time they met quite vividly, around 13 years ago during a conference. She was quite the animated individual, passionate about her craft and highly eager to debate it or any other scientific field with him. It helped make the trip a little more pleasant for him as more than a few other scientists there looked at him like he was still something to be studied or something to dismiss.
“And you kept this from us.” The hero in black cut to it.
"Oh, worry not, Eraserhead. I can assure you that my connection to her is far too weak and professional to cloud my judgement. Besides, I know lots of people!" Nezu laughed it off as if Eraser wished to be pedantic about the fact that most students who get in through recommendation couldn't qualify if he remained on the judgment panel because he knew either the sponsor or family.
"Moving on from that," Midnight got them back on track. "There is the issue of the boy's quirk. Uraraka's is one thing, but where have you seen a quirk that functions like his? He switched from a base animalistic transformation to a fire and ice form."
“I’ve certainly never heard of such a case.” Ectoplasm stated.
“Nor have I, though his quirk details are just as perplexing.” Recovery Girl, as the university nurse, had access to all medical records for potential students, including quirk records.
“What does it say?” Nezu asked, as not even he could access them. Well, not without a good excuse, alibi, and, preferably, some blackmail to keep any consequences from sticking.
“His quirk is called Faunalution, which grants him the ability to shift into different forms, each with unique abilities. At present, it says he has 4 forms.” Recovery Girl frowned, as that description was nearly comically vague and lacked actual details. "It also states that he and his classmate, Aoyama, both require support tools to access their quirks." In his case, it was the belt buckle he always wore.
"What a wonderful detail lacking description." Vlad crossed his arms, as that was a surface view of the quirk. Indeed, there was more, especially with an unprecedented case.
"From the reports, he had a similar quirk discovery as Uraraka, as before his quirk was a standard case of 3, which granted him a transformed form and the ability to boast certain characteristics in others, a rather useful support quirk like myself." Recovery Girl explained.
While quirks were classed into one of 3 groups, Emitter, transformation, or Mutant, the truth was that technically, most were mutants in some regard as their quirks altered their bodies in the some way from what a quirkless person's would be like. They merely weren't called so, as those mutations were passive and often hard to see without medical knowledge or a test of some kind. Transformation types with emitter capabilities were also known, though not as common as either case. However, it wasn't impossible to have instances of case 3 where one displayed elements from the entire range.
"Still, it seems fantastical, almost like he has more than one quirk." Present Mic flippantly added.
“Pardon, Recovery Girl, but when did young Midoriya unlock his quirk?” Their newest teacher asked, with Recovery Girl sparing him a knowing look before looking at the date.
"It says here that he unlocked his quirk at 10. He had been diagnosed as quirkless at the age of 4. Still, it seems it was later classified as a lab error that gave the misdiagnosis." She replied before, with a whim. She looked up at Aoyama, and her frown only grew. "The same is true for Aoyama. In fact, they seem to have acquired their quirks around the same time." She, their recruit, and the dean all frowned, but the rest missed this shared concern.
"Must have made quite the story. I'll reckon that's how they become friends." Snipe chuckled as that was quite late in the game, but then again, quirks, by their nature, were confusing and, at times, needlessly complicated. However, knowing that only made their newcomer, Nezu and Recovery Girl, all the more worried, as 8 years was how long ago they got theirs, so, in theory, it was possible.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Nezu stated. "We can look into that later; let's focus on his grading, yes?"
Line Break
Days later, Midoriya, along with Intelli and Aoyama, sat and relaxed in the upscale Tokyo apartment owned by the Aoyama family, waiting for their results to arrive. Intelli had received hers the previous afternoon and quickly cleared the process to get into Seiai's girl's university, one of the best in the country but one in the picturesque coastal town in eastern Chiba prefecture. U.A. was also located on the coast of southwestern Shizuoka. That meant they'd need to start planning how and when they could spend time together, as even a meeting in Tokyo meant hours’ worth of travel for both.
Yuga sat in an armchair, leg elegantly crossed over the other while he read a book. Intelli was doing the same while Izuku laid his head on her lap, dozing. The space they found themselves in was befitting of the wealth that the Aoyama family had required thanks to its work in politics and winemaking back in France, with the décor of the family room they occupied being inspired by the styles found within the homes of the upper class of French during the 19th century, down to the fact that didn't have a TV. Still, instead a fireplace with a record player/radio off to the side, styled like 19th century styled graphophone. The device currently playing a soft, soothing melody.
Even with their results still not confirmed, both were sure that they had done enough preparation and that it paid off as Yuga even let his two much brighter friends tutor him, something he didn't often do because they frequently left him confused and lost when discussing study material. And with their high school career set to end in just a few days and a lack of reports of quirk spirit activity, they had been taking the chance to just relax and enjoy the quiet moment while it lasted.
For Aoyama, he thought back to what he saw that girl do; she seemed so inelegant and rough but humble and sincere. He had been, if he was allowed to sing his own praise, styling on the rest with his wondrous performance and the power that came from Luminance, using the light he had absorbed from the sun and moon to easily defeat the mechanical enemies sent to meet them. He had never taken on something as significant, or perhaps it was more accurate to say as large as the 0-pointer. He had reframed from fighting it, choosing to retreat to try and score points in another area.
But he had been awestruck when he saw that girl rushing in as if the threat was no more significant than an angry purse dog. That surprise had turned to jaw-dropping awe when he saw her lift off and punch the 0-pointer, obliterating its head, neck, and some of its chest in a single gravity-infused strike. He had never seen such power before, as it was like he smashed the thing with a fraction of the force one could only find in a black hole. Still, it took a toll on her, seeing how she was left floating as if a balloon with an invisible string.
Assisting her while others were left too stunned to move, he saw that she had managed to break both her leg and her arm with that strike, as well as throwing up when they touched down, and she released her quirk. She said it was normal for her to throw up when she pushed herself, but he was more concerned about the condition she was in. She seemed worried, no, she seemed terrified when she realized the condition she was in and that there was still time on the clock. He asked her why she messed herself up when she still needed to think about herself, and her response stuck with him.
“People needed help, so I helped.”
It was so simple, yet still so profound. At that moment, her terror and concern faded, as while she screwed herself over, she had not regretted it, especially when he saw the 3 she had gone in to help, managing to leave now that they had time to dig themselves out from some wreckage that pinned them. He mused that she reminded him of another self-sacrificing spirit, one he called his best friend, so without a moment's thought, he grabbed her and lent her his mobility to continue with the exam.
Carrying her around was a challenge, especially considering that he didn't wish to jostle her broken limbs. Still, it wasn't impossible, and she was more than willing to give ideas and shift when she could so that they could both still gain points a few as that was considering it was late in the game which meant pickings were low. When it was said and done, she thanked him as he carried her to Recovery Girl, but he hadn't heard from her since.
Midoriya had no thoughts about the exam or anyone he met that day. Instead, he let out a relaxed breath as he snuggled deeper into his girlfriend's thighs, the girl glancing at him with a smirk as she reached a hand to comb her fingers through the bush he called hair. Honestly, she once asked him to try and comb it, and he came to school looking worse.
“My hair has a mind of its own.” Was his answer to her question about it. But while unruly, it was still soft, and her fingers could glide through its many curls with ease, scratching his head at times or behind his ear, which got a very pleased reaction from him, another side-effect of his quirk as it wasn't just his altered palette and dietary preferences, he often displayed some canine-like mannerism.
But as fun as their off-time was, they were still eagerly awaiting the arrival of their letters from U.A. It had already been a week, which was the time Fuwa had informed them that it usually took them to be sent, so unless something happened, it should be there soon.
That was proven right when there was a knock at the door. "Enter." Yuga called out, the door opening to reveal the maid, the only servant aside from his family's butler, who largely stayed close to his parents. The middle-aged crocodile heteromorph curtsied to them.
“Forgive the intrusion, young master. But a letter has arrived from U.A. addressed to you.” The woman, though Japanese, was dressed like a French maid.
Placing his book down, Aoyama approached her, taking the offered letter out of her hands. “Thank you, Ms. Iino. That would be all.” He thanked her, to which she bowed her head before standing straight.
"Dinner will be served in 20 minutes, young master." She finished before quietly leaving the room to return to the kitchen to finish preparing the meal. Looking at the letter front and back, aside from being bulkier than he had expected, the only feature of note was the red stamp sealing it, one that bared U.A.'s symbol. Returning to his seat, he saw the other two were much more attentive now.
He should open it, as he was sure he had passed. How could he not have dazzled the judges with his performance? But a part of him was still nervous about it. He had been near assured a quirk at birth as well, to join the overwhelming majority of people in the world, and look how well that turned out. What if he had been screwed by fate again?
Aoyama felt a strong, gentle hand on his shoulder, along with warm arms wrapping around his shoulders, coaching him to his seat. Looking, he saw that it was Intelli and Izuku, both having got up to offer him support. With his other hand, Midoriya gave him a thumbs-up. "Let's see how great you did."
“Yes, no time like the present." Aoyama uttered in French before he placed the letter down and opened it. Inside, they found its contents were some forms and printed statements. Still, what seemed to be the main thing, the reason it felt weighty, was the silverish disk that rested in a square container. Taking it out, they looked it over before seeing that it was a projector of some kind that, once placed on the table, activated on its own.
What it displayed was a figure that had garnered love, hate, respect and confusion. The chimera that served as dean of U.A. University. Smiling at the camera, the diminutive creature wearing a smart suit and tie greeted them. “Hello there, I already know your first question: What am I? Am I dog? Am I a bear? Or maybe I'm a mouse? I shall tell you what I am: the dean of U.A. University!”
"He seems more eccentric than the rumors claimed." Intelli noted, Aoyama and Midoriya nodding to this as Nezu continued. "As you must imagine, I'm recording this to inform you of your results from both the written and practical entrance exam, Mr. Aoyoma. We'll start with the written paper. I'm happy to inform you that you passed with 71%.”
"Just 71%? I was expecting at least 75% after all the time we spent helping you study." Aoyama pointedly looked away from what he knew was a terrifying gaze of Intelli as if nothing. She was a perfectionist and had already lowered her usually crazy high standards to help him. This is not helped by the fact that when she got her letter, it stated that she scored 97% on the written paper.
“Madam, you hurt me.” Aoyama replied with a nervous chuckle.
Lucky for him, the recording continued, drawing her attention off him. “But that was the easy part as most applicants pass it. The real test was the practical. And I must say, you had an exceptional performance as you scored 61 villain points, which already put you in the upper half of students who managed to pass!” That wiped away Intelli's anger towards her friend, who looked stunned to finally hear the confirmation.
“I passed?” Aoyama whispered, wondering in some corner of his mind why he seemed so shocked. Surely this was expected, but as they say, it's one thing to think it, another to hear it confirmed.
Midoriya was more reactive in his response as he grabbed Aoyama in a headlock, laughing all the while in pride and joy for his best friend. "You passed, Yuga. You heard you. You managed to get into the upper half!" Intelli would have joined in on congratulating their dear friend, but then she saw that Nezu seemed to have a glint in his eye, as if he knew more than he was letting on. That also clued her into how he phrased his previous statement.
“Wait, why did he say it like that?” Nezu, either by chance or perhaps rumors of his intellect, didn't do it justice. Regardless of the reason, he continued speaking, answering her question without hearing her ask it.
“But there is more to the test. We tell applicants about just the one-point system, the villain points, and how to get them, but there is a secret point system called rescue points, which are rewarded by our panel of judges of heroic did, no matter how small that an applicant does while completing the practical.” Nezu explained, the screen changing to show blacked-out silhouettes of men and women, so vague that they could be anyone. At the side of each person's box was a counter.
“For you, let's show a highlight heel of the moments where you managed to score the most, shall we?” True to his word, what they saw next wasn't so much a highlight heel of him styling on the rest or fighting robots with the grace of a dancer, but instead, it was focused on the times when he aided others. Pointing out where robots were, taking the pressure off others, or the most prominent of them, when he helped that girl whose name he neglected to ask her name. From getting her to safety and then carrying her around so she could still try to score points.
"You did all that, Yuga? That was pretty sweet." Midoriya praised him, recalling that he aided some students but didn't carry them around. In fact, after he dealt with the 0-pointer, he didn't see those 3 even when the exam ended.
Nezu was just as impressed with Aoyama as they were, as he commended the blonde further. “Anyone can wreck a few bots, especially when designed to be as foolish and weak as possible while retaining some challenge. But we at U.A. aren't interested in such a thing, but we want to find those with the drive and the heart to do great things in their lives. Those that will do what they can to help others, even if it has nothing in it for them because that's what being a hero means.”
Hearing that made them start to tear up, the worst being Aoyama, who, while never shy about being open with his emotions, tended to and kept himself presentable. His tears were akin to what one saw pretty people do on big-budget TV dramas. But now? Now he was closer to the ugly tears that the Midoriyas were known for, Izuku handing him a tissue from the pack he always carried just in case.
“Because of that, your honorable actions secured you 31 rescue points, which pushes you into the top ten at 7th place!” Nezu's smile turned kinder, less of a cunning schemer and more of a friendly, patient, and, most importantly, elated teacher as his face was replaced with the rankings for the top ten.
1st Place: Midoriya Izuku; 62 Villian points, 65 Rescue points – Total: 127
2nd Place: Bakugo Katsuki; 93 Villain points, 22 Rescue points – Total: 115
3rd Place: Kirishima Ejiro; 58 Villian points, 52 Rescue points – Total: 110
4th Place: Shiozaki Ibara; 54 Villian points, 48 Rescue points – Total: 102
5th Place: Uraraka Ochaco; 51 Villian points, 50 Rescue points – Total: 101
6th Place: Kendo Itsuka; 37 Villain points, 60 Rescue points – Total: 97
7th Place: Aoyama Yuga; 61 Villian points, 31 Rescue points – Total: 92
8th Place: Iida Tenya; 78 Villian points, 13 Rescue points – Total: 90
9th Place: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu; 73 Villain points; 15 Rescue points – Total: 88
10th Place: Tokoyami Fumikage; 70 Villain points; 15 Rescue points – Total: 85
“You've earned this, my boy. Take pride in that. As of this moment, allow me to officially welcome you to Mr. Aoyama and your hero academia." Nezu clapped, his smile bright and matching the twinkle in his beady eyes. "I look forward to seeing you come in our spring class." And with that, the recording ended, leaving just a screen asking if they wished to view it again, but none saw it.
That was because Midoriya hauled Aoyama to his feet, swinging him around with his laughter ringing in his ear. Still, the blonde couldn't find a shred of himself that found it annoying. "That's my friend! Top ten like it was nothing!" Midoriya cheered for him as Intelli joined in, the two trapping their crying friend in their embrace of laughter.
“I knew you could do it, Aoyama. That flashiness couldn’t be contained!” Intelli laughed as Aoyama joined in, his tears from the sheer joy he was feeling and a sense of relief that all that work, training, and studying paid off.
“I can’t believe it; I'm going to my dream school with my best friend!" Aoyama cried, holding both of them as they jumped around like children, any semblance of refinery or elegance thrown aside. "Izuku, you say your name on that list. You got first place!"
Midoriya didn’t even care about that, brushing it off. "Forget about me. We can celebrate and cry my acceptance letter when I get it. Right now, the night belongs to Aoyama Yuga, and I shall hear no arguments!" Aoyama and he laughed at that, Intelli hugging both her favorite guys tighter.
"Let's celebrate this tremendous news with a hearty meal in the dining room!" Aoyama proclaimed, marching towards the door.
“But Ms. Iino said dinner will take time.” Midoriya laughed but followed him like he knew Aoyama would do for him.
“We can enjoy an appetizer of fruits and bread, less talking, more cheer!”
Line Break
This….this too way too long to get out. I hate cheaters, I hate them so damn much. When it came to the rankings, I was hesitant to put Izuku that high, but this is a version of him that's not the underdog, far from it, and seeing how much he's grown by the war arc, giving him years to train with his quirk(s) would only ensure that he scored a lot higher on the entrance exam. Keep an eye out for the next chapter since that one will have a little spice to it.
