AN: I went on a Hike the day before yesterday. It rained a bit. :) It was nice. Rain is nice.
(Narration)
The exam did not end with celebration.
It ended with sound fading.
The chaos of explosions, laughter, shouting, and strained breaths had faded away, leaving behind a suffocating quiet. What remained was movement without energy. Examinees were walking, their steps slow and uneven, their shoulders slumped and their breaths shallow.
The wail of sirens had already dulled into the background. Faux-villains stood still, while small drones hovered low, scanning streets and examinees alike with quiet persistence.
The Zero-pointers still loomed over the four cities, their massive frames making the exam grounds feel smaller than they had before. Less like districts, more like enclosed arenas.
Damage was scattered throughout each faux city, usually localized, shaped by the quirks of individuals. Cracked walls. Collapsed facades. Torn streets.
But one city stood apart.
There, the designated Zero-pointer had fallen. Its collapse had crushed buildings beneath its weight. Windows lay shattered across entire blocks. Stone had split. Metal had twisted and folded in on itself.
The examinees were shaking in lingering fear and exhilaration. The sheer power of the green-haired kid was not something anyone had expected to see from someone who was not a Pro-Hero.
Yet, in the midst of the dreadful atmosphere, some stood apart. They were chatting and counting their points, be it out of confidence or carelessness.
Smirks and smiles covered the faces of those who felt they had done well, while others were more stern, seemingly recounting their experience or perhaps analyzing their mistakes.
"How many do you believe will pass?"
Tokoyami's expression was serious as he asked his friend, while scanning the expressions of the other participants. He himself felt confident, although slightly winded. Despite his good performance, UA's standards were not something he felt he could predict.
Riku walked next to him, his gait rather relaxed, but Tokoyami could tell that he was thinking about something. His question was met with momentary silence and he noticed in amusement how Riku's facial wings twitched, as if remembering something unpleasant.
It only lasted a moment as his large friend quickly snapped out of it, turning his head in a questioning manner, for Tokoyami to repeat his question.
"Of everyone who attended, how many are going to pass the exam? Do you think the others were good?"
Riku's answer was curt.
"EREHT EREW YTNELP HTIW GNORTS SKRIUQ)"
(THERE WERE PLENTY WITH STRONG QUIRKS)
Tokoyami's expression was thoughtful as he gave a small nod. He was aware that Riku strongly believed UA to choose its students on their power's potential. There was no way that a school would reject someone whose Quirk was well suited for Hero work, even if only to avoid having them fall into villainy.
There were over a thousand of students attempting to take the UA exam, usually over a period of several weeks. Most focused on the Hero course, but that course was comprised of 2 classes which each took 20 students.
Those who were good but subpar were often invited to enter the General course, which consisted of 3-classes, totally to 60 students. Beyond the General course and the Hero course, there also was the Management course and the Support course, focusing on Logistics and creation of Hero equipment; these two classes usually comprised of 20 students each.
In total, UA accepted 140 students per year. 40 of these students took different exams, due to Management and Support not requiring the same conditions as the others.
That meant, following this exam, only 100 students would enter UA, either into the Hero course, or the General course. Over a thousand examinees meant a percentage of below 10% to be accepted into UA.
Below 4% for the Hero course.
Tokoyami's expression slightly scrunched up as he considered the number, anxiety slightly rising at the sheer number of his competition. Uncertainty flickered in his eyes, but it quickly faded as he rethought his performance during the exam, knowing to have done better than the vast majority of students present.
Next to him Riku seemed rather unbothered. He was wondering if attacking that Zero pointer had been a good idea, especially considering the lack of reason to do so. But he did not waste much time on the question, figuring that UA would be rather retarded to reject the 2.3m mutant only because he decided to do something that was included in his future job.
'Saying that its a Hero's job to face adversity should be good enough.'
With that thought, his mind shifted its attention to the blissful shower he was about to take at home.
-
-
(Pov: Masaki Shindai) (Late afternoon)
His footsteps echoed loudly through the stairwell of the building. A few Neighbors on other floors were seen, swiftly greeted and then ignored as he hurried up towards his apartment, his gait impatient.
The door was open and he soon barged in, immediately looking around for a certain freak's presence. The freak was nowhere to be seen, but he heard the shower running.
His wife, very lovely by the way, greeted him from the couch and then signed him a thumbs up.
"Don't worry, Riku seemed confident!"
To which Masaki's expression turned into a grin.
"Alright! Did he tell you more?"
Kana nodded, her excitement palpable.
"Yup! He said the exam was easy, dumb theoretics and smashable Robots."
Masaki laughed at that, all signs of earlier tension gone.
"Destroying robots, huh? UA's gonna have to stockpile on these robots and they're still gonna run out. Whatever place is selling them those is gonna make a killing!"
Kana rolled her eyes but her smile widened.
"He apparently destroyed over 20 of the robots, but he also said he was looking for those which gave more points. He estimated between 45 and 55 points."[1]
"Sounds like a good number!"
Wearing a Giddy expression, he sat down next to his wife who'd been reading on the couch. Their conversation continued, glee and pride in their voice covering up the (very) slight anxiety of failure.
Their conversation was mostly centered on UA, discussing whatever they knew about the school.
Then, their topic shifted to something more serious.
"UA's is a bit far away, he's gonna have to take the train to get there every day... Do you think he'd like a Dorm at UA...?"
Boom. Pleasant atmosphere was gone and Kana's expression scrunched up. Masaki immediately raised his hands.
"Hey, i'm not saying we just let him live alone.... Okay i am saying that. But we live in the outskirts, commuting to UA everyday is gonna be a pain and you know how often Villains like to go after trains. They think this is like the damn far west."
(Indeed, Masaki likes Cowboys. He thinks they're cool. His fav Hero is "Snipe.")
But Kana's expression remained as it was, her eyes narrowed in displeasure. The "Villains go after trains" was just an excuse in her ears, because despite frequent villains were, public transport was well protected.
Masaki continued.
"You know, he can cook, he can clean... and he needs some more damn friends. It's been 10 years since he got to know Fumi, and he literally never invited anyone else over. His only other "friendships" were some people at school he talked to. He needs to get his holy ass out of here and into the world."
Kana's expression did not improve.
"And who knows? He'll probably like it! Making friends, hanging out with them, instead of... having to get home early in order to not miss the train."
"..."
"It's not like we won't see him. We'll meet him every week-end or so. I just want the big guy to focus on something else than... hitting things, being hit and... yeah thats literally all he does."
Kana's expression remained as it was. Ah! No. Her eyes narrowed even more. Sweat glistened on his forehead and Masaki dropped the topic with a last sentence.
"....We'll at least ask him about it..."
-
-
(POV: Narration)(UA Administrative building)( A few days later)
The office was filled with murmurs, quiet conversation and many sighs as the people present flipped through mountains of Paperwork.
Said people were UA's teachers, faculty members and Principal, who methodically worked their way through the examinee's files and back ground. All Might should have been present as well, but had pushed for a certain students admission with adamance before leaving and making his rounds in the city.
The main lump of examinees whose points did not reach the average, had been eliminated by an automatic system which ranked the top scorers of the practical exam.
But despite the automatic sorting and much to staff member's and teacher's dismay, Principal Nezu insisted on working through each and every file, wanting to make sure to never miss a single student with valuable Quirk. Performance be damned.
This seemed like an exorbitant amount of work, but was actually done rather quickly thanks to a good-organized Work-environment.
Staff members would sort the files on Quirk potential, using a Checklist to see if the Quirk was very Powerful, Versatile or had a high chance for potential.
That alone was enough to filter through nearly 60% of all applicants, whose quirks were either one-dimensional or just plain weak.
Any further evaluations would be done by the teachers or Nezu himself, in which they'd look at attitude, skill, power and other aspects such as their Background. One of the teachers was exceedingly valuable in that, namely "Ectoplasm" whose Quirk made him capable of creating up to 20 clones. And each of the clones were going through their respective stack of papers. Nevertheless, going through all applicants still took several days.
Indeed, he and Cementoss were definitely UA's foundation.
"...Isaaku Newtono. Quirk: Momentum. Can redirect force applied to him or other objects through touch... Quirk is good but his physical state is... less than satisfactory."
One of Ectoplasm's clones loudly narrated his summary of the students file, wanting to know whether to reject him or not.
Aizawa answered in the split of a second.
"His Quirk is high risk. If he activates his Quirk a second to late when something is flung at him, he'll get hit. Reject it."
Thump! That was the sound of everyone's forehead hitting their desk, exasperated at "Eraserhead's" ruthless decision. But the point he made was just and the file joined the group of "Rejected."
"..."
Minutes later, same voice from another Ectoplasm spoke up.
"LeBron Jamoto. Quirk: Airtime. Can jump high and sustain long airtime. High growth potential. Was shown to take initiative. I'll put him on the waiting list for General course unless we find better."
"..."
No answer meant approval. The work continued that way, Ectoplasm's and sometime other teacher's voice cutting through the room when unsure about an applicant. This sort of discussion and sorting was reserved for those with decent/low scores, rarely mentioning someone with a high potential Quirk to join UA's hero course.
"...YOOO, I GOT THIS KEANU RIFU HERE. QUIRK: ACTION TIME! CAN ACTIVATE PERFECT INSTINCTS FOR 10 SECONDS BEFORE COOLDOWN!!! WHAT DO YALL THINK?!?"
"...General course."
The work continued as the teachers worked their way through the files from low points with quirk potential to high points.
The files of the failed examinees were usually done first, as those with more potential usually required more discussion for class dynamic.
They often had a near automatic admission into the Hero course, although their Mindset, attitude, past and Quirk were still discussed and taken into account to foster ideal growth.
One by one, examinees were discussed as the 40 top students of the Leaderboard were far more interesting than most other participants.
Classes 1-A and 1-B were always the most interesting after all. The discussion about the students were usually about which teacher wanted which student, so this was between Aizawa and Vlad Kind... although Aizawa usually just tried to shove the troublesome ones into Vlad King's class.
It was a spectacle the other Teachers enjoyed, as it usually comprised of Aizawa reading a students file, pointed out their flaws, told Vlad King "you can have them" and was then countered by Nezu who forced Aizawa to take them.
This sequence would be repeated 20 times until the classes were finally established.
"Katsuki Bakugo... Quirk: Explosion. Loud, abrasive, arrogant and troublesome. He's for class-B."
Eraserhead's tired voice echoed through the room, but his attempt at delegation was discovered by Nezu who simply shook his head.
"He may embody all of these traits, but his potential shines bright. I believe your Guidance will be necessary to bring him upon the right path. He's in Class-A."
Aizawa just glared at the Principal, but did not resist.
"...Ashido Mina... Quirk: Acid. She too is lo-... She might be a perfect fit for Class-B. She'd surely mesh well with you, Vlad."
Despite Aizawa's carefully curated sentence, she too was sent into Class A.
-
"FINALLY!! THE LAST ONE!! WHO'LL DO THE HONORS?!?"
Soon enough, the teachers had successfully worked through the files, leaving the last one.
"I will."
Vlad King's gruff voice echoed through the room as he picked up the last file.
"Riku Shindai. Mutant. Quirk: Adaptation. Hmm... Oh? His Quirk had a different name before because of different aspects of his abilities."
"Oh~ Shindai. That was the one who attacked the Zero pointer in Battle-ground C!" Nezu's cheerful voice rang out, tinged with faint amusement.
Aizawa immediately reacted to that.
"Vlad King, lets switch. Kendo in my class and you get this Shindai." [2]
Meanwhile, Vlad's gaze on the file was a bit complicated. His eyes scanned the part of an incident, then read the part out loud.
"This kid's quirk got a record on the QSB, although its not been updated. His Quirk is apparently pretty complicated and the kid was suspected for misuse. Its old so its probably just an accident though. But the kid's quirk is damn well documented."
Vlad was about to continue but Nezu's cheerful voice interrupted him.
"I looked a bit into the kid. His father sent me an email of non-liability."
His voice was tinged with amusement as he spoke but the glint in his eyes was serious.
"His Quirk has two main aspects. The first one being the reason for his Quirk's Original Name: Cursed Energy. It consists of Energy which emulates Emotion, making him capable of sensing and feeling people's moods."
The principal neatly folded his paws on his lap. Ectoplasm spoke up.
"I dealt with him for his Oral exam. He is blind."
Nezu nodded.
"Indeed, he instead uses the "Cursed Energy" to create a bubble around him in which he senses people's presence. The bubble can be shaped and Manipulated at cost of Cursed Energy reserves, which are said to be large but not infinite."
"...He is mute as well."
Nezu answered again.
"Well, mute would not be the right way to describe him. But you are right that he cannot talk without his Quirk. His mutant figures are not limited to appearances, but also messed with his vocal cords, making him incapable of emulating Human speech. But-"
Nezu raised his voice a bit, noticing frowns of concern on everyone's faces.
"-he uses his Quirk to lace his voice with emotional charges of Cursed Energy, making it carry the meaning of his sentence straight into a listener's head. So no, he is not mute.
But that is not all. His Cursed Energy can flow through his body and be used to strengthen and enhance his blows. It is a very versatile ability. Capable of combat, detection and crypted communication."
His short speech gathered a few stunned looks, less for the content and more about the fact that the Principal was personally advocating for a Student's abilities. The Quirk was powerful, but was it really all that-
"AND! There is more. This is the kid's original Quirk after all."
The principal smiled at the stunned gazes.
"Riku Shindai, has a wheel floating above his head. This is where it gets interesting."
He leaned forward, a slight excitement lacing his voice.
"He is capable of adapting to a Phenomenon at. every. wheel's. turn!"
Silence. Not out of awe, but confusion.
Vlad spoke up. "That's... yea, that's his quirk?"
Nezu sighed in mock disappointment.
"You speak as though it is obvious, but have you thought what that ability actually implies? What do you imagine a Quirk to do, when it "adapts" to something?"
The confused Silence remained as the teachers considered that.
Their mind's remained blank. What did "Adaptation" imply?
Nezu grinned, excitement obvious.
"The answer is... unknown!"
Sighs of exasperation and confusion filled the room, but the Pro-Heroes eyes were sharp and attentive, understanding Nezu's focus on the strange Quirk.
Midnight sultry voice resonate through the room.
"~And i assume you want to find out?"
The principal chuckled.
"Well, he certainly did earn his stay at UA, did he not? But yes, i truly am curious... A Mutant Quirk capable of Adaptation. We can only assume what it means. Is it the reason for his Mutated features? Are those and his size a result of his Quirk? Or does his Quirk affect his learning capability?"
His smile widened as he picked up a small stamp and pressed it onto the file.
"And if so... is it ever going to stop?
Riku Shindai. Approved.
-----------------------------------
CHAPTER END
AN:
This chap gets a 8/10 from me. Could have been a bit better and longer, but its late and i can just work on the next chapter tomorrow. (No Riku pov, sorry about that)
I hope to write a bit faster.
Well, Riku's Adaptation:
Small and quick spin of the wheel (forced adaptation)= Quick but temporary adaptation.
Bigger and slower spin of the wheel (Natural)= Slower but forever Adaptation. (Works best if Riku integrates well into the flow of action/fight.)
Forget most of the Nerfs i gave before. I think this makes the most sense. Storywise and for the plot later on.
I want to stop thinking about it, so this Nerf (hopefully) the last one.
Oh! Read: MHA AURA FARMER by the Synonym. Great fic.
[1] I can post two of these notes!
[2] "Im not taking the Mutant who attacked a Zero pointer for no reason."