Eijiro paused outside the gates of UA as he stared up at them with a nervous anticipation. This was it. In less than an hour he would be taking the written exam that would determine for sure if he was getting into UA or not and in five he would be done with the practical.
Now if he could just get his legs working again that would be great.
"Kirishima! Hey! I didn't know you were going to be here!"
Eijiro jumped slightly as a familiar pink girl from his current school rushed up to him. "Oh! Hey Ashido!"
She flashed him a bright grin that he returned in kind. "You here to try out for the Hero course too?"
"You bet! I've been working hard to get ready for the past several months."
She practically danced past him as she crossed through the gate, which was enough to get Eijiro's feet moving again. "Same! Damn! If I had known you were planning on trying for here at UA we could have hung out to train together."
Eijiro nodded, thinking how the nice girl would have fit in with the group well. "Yeah some more people to practice sparring with would have been great. My trainer I was working with mostly helped me with Quirk training more than anything."
She groaned. "Oh lucky. I waited too long to try and find a licensed trainer so they were all full up by the time I started. I mean I think I have a good handle on my Acid from the Quirk counseling just from school but the extra guided practice would have been nice."
Eijiro scratched the back of his head. "I mean I didn't really have much choice in the matter with my recent Quirk evolution. Without the supervised help I would have just kept breaking my bones."
That really caught her attention. "You had a Quirk evolution? Aren't those like really rare?"
Eijiro nodded, glad for his long chat with Izuku and his dad to come up with a better way of explaining the whole glowing thing after he panicked slightly the night before. He tugged back the sleeve of his uniform so he wouldn't have to worry about damaging it before Hardening and activating just 5% power in his forearm and hand. "Yeah it is kinda cool. I mean it technically was more I unlocked a power I had always had just could touch yet. It turns out that my Quirk builds up power from its shock absorption capabilities like some sort of battery and now that I have enough of a charge, I can use it. It lets me power up my hits and makes me super strong."
She gave a small gasp of surprise and grabbed his arm to poke at the glowing cracks. "That's so cool! You look so awesome like that. Does the cracking skin thing hurt at all?"
Eijiro shook his head with a grin. "Nope. My skin does not actually split unless I use too much power at once when I hit things. I can just Harden without the glow still too but I am more resistant if I do, so I haven't really been suppressing it since it started not long ago. Besides, it makes me look super manly so why try?" She gave a giggle at that. They had arrived at the check in tables now so Eijiro pointed to the table being manned by an exhausted looking Eraserhead. "I'm heading to that line."
She considered the different tables around them before pointing to the one being run by Snipe. "I think that one is shorter."
Eijiro nodded. "Yeah but I wanna say hi to Eraserhead. He's one of the first year homeroom teachers from what I hear. We wouldn't have Snipe until third."
"Oh!" She followed him to the line. "So how do you know who teaches what year? I don't think all the teachers are publicly listed."
"Oh I've met Eraserhead before while he was patrolling when I ran late heading home one night. He was looking for Loki and before I started dying my hair I sort of looked like him from a distance since we are about the same height. He knows my Trainer-"
"If it isn't Yagi's bone breaking Problem Child."
Eijiro blushed as he realized they had made it to the front of line. "Ah, hi Eraser. Late night?"
The Underground Hero nodded. "The Sidekicks from Endeavor's Agency that were supposed to relieve me early this morning flaked because of an accidental scheduling conflict so I ended up pulling an unintended all-nighter. Not really looking forward to having to sit through the next three hours." He pulled something up on the laptop in front of him. "You have your card that was sent out in the mail right? Follow the signs to the testing room that your testing ID matches with. Your testing site for the practical after lunch is listed on the card. After you finish the written portion, you will have an hour for lunch before you will be directed to head to the main auditorium. There the rules for the practical will be explained to you before you will be able to head to the locker rooms to change and then head to find the bus leading to your test site. Got all that Kirishima?"
Eijiro nodded. "Got it."
"Good." He turned to Ashido. "Can I see your testing card to check you in?"
She was quick to pull it out and hand it over. A few clicks and keypresses and he handed it back. "Did you get everything I just told him, Ashido, or do you need me to repeat anything?"
"No sir! I got it." She offered the man a grin that he waved off.
"Then shoo. There are more of you to check in still."
Eijiro gave him one last wave before leading the way down the hall to find their testing centers.
---MiM-MiM-MiM---
Hitoshi was of course one of the first people in the auditorium, having arrived at UA after waking up and eating a late breakfast. Since he was so "early" he had basically free run of the room with his Pops so they were messing around with Hitoshi on the stage wearing his Pops' Directional Speaker as his Pops ran through a final sound check. So there he was on the stage just rambling about his morning when the first other testers arrived. "...and then Bastard let me pet him after I gave him a treat on the way here. He still smacked me before he left but I think I am slowly winning him over."
"What do you think you are you doing? I am pretty sure that we aren't allowed to mess around with UA staff property."
Hitoshi turned and spotted people drifting into auditorium. There was a blond boy with a large tail standing there with a disapproving look. Hitoshi just shrugged. "Helping Present Mic with the mic check. Speaking of, are we good?"
A voice rang out around the room from the speakers. "All good examinee 7528! Thanks for the help. Just put my Directional Speaker on the stand for me and head for your seat and wait to begin."
Hitoshi gave the blonde a shrug and pulled the speaker off to place it on the stand at the center of the stage before strolling over to where he now saw Shoto and Yoarashi were sitting. As former recommended student applicants they were added at the end of the list together so Hitoshi was not seated with anyone else from his current school which was the norm. He offered the pair a wave.
Shoto offered him a small smile in return. "Perhaps you should take Bastard letting you pet him as a sign that things will go well today."
Yoarashi offered him a confused smile. "I apologize but I have to ask. Bastard?"
"He is a stray cat that's territory overlaps with my place. Dad is the only one he had let pet him before today that I know about. He won't even let Izu touch him and he has been feeding him since before he became a vigilante."
They chatted quietly for a while as the room slowly filled up and his Pops walked out on stage. About 15 minutes later the screen behind his Pops kicked on. "What's up UA candidates! Thanks for tunin' in to me, your school DJ. C'mon and lemme hear ya!"
Hitoshi snorted as his Pops went full DJ persona and gave a deadpan. "Woo."
Beside him Yoarashi gave an actual cheer while Shoto mimicked Hitoshi himself with a deadpanned "Yay."
His Pops grinned and pointed to their little cluster. "That is what I am talkin' about! These three know what's up! Now let's get straight to the main show. Let's talk about how this practical exam is gonna go down, okay? Are you ready? Yeah!"
"Yeah!" There were a few more people that time since it was obvious that people wouldn't be alone in responding. Hitoshi smiled to himself as his Pops' grin turned more genuine, happy he had been able to help after hearing his Pops fretting about bombing in front of the crowd again this year.
"Like your application said, today you rockin' boys and girls will be out there conducting ten minute mock battles in super-nip urban settings. Gird your loins, my friends. After I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specified battle center, sound good? Okay?"
"Okay!" Hitoshi was suddenly really glad that they had talked Yoarashi round into taking the normal exam since his voice was definitely carrying the crowd.
"Okay, okay, let's check out your targets. There are three types of faux Villains in every battle center. You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so better choose wisely. Your goal in this trial is to use your Quirk to raise your score by shredding these faux Villains like a mid-song guitar solo. But, check it! Make sure you're keep'n things heroic. Attacking other examinees is a UA no-no, ya dig?"
To Hitoshi's surprise, a familiar voice rang out from the crowd as a familiar figure shot to his feet with a hand raised and paper in the other. "Excuse me, sir, but I have a question."
Pops pointed to Tenya out in the crowd. "Hit me!"
A spot light turned on to illuminate him as he turned the paper and pointed at it. "On the printout, you've listed four types of Villains. Not three."
"Examinee number 7111, thanks for calling in with your request. The fourth Villain type is worth zero points. That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way. There's one in every battle center. Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten, but there's…kinda no point. I recommend my Listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones toppin' the charts."
Tenya gave a stiff bow. "Thank you very much. Please, continue." As he sat back down and the light switched off, Hitoshi found himself wondering if that had been planned or not. He would have to ask later.
"That's all I got for you today. I'll sign off with a little present. A sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, 'a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes.' Mm-hm. Now that's a tasty soundbite. You ready to go beyond? Let's hear a Plus Ultra!"
Hitoshi did actually put effort in as he joined the shout for the last time, a good half of the crowd joining the cheer thanks to Yoarashi's enthusiasm.
"Good luck! Hope you practiced hitting more than just books."
---MiM-MiM-MiM---
Testing Center C
Hitoshi began final weapon checks on his frankly too underpowered for this sort of shit handgun. He was going to have to be even more careful with his shots than he first thought. He really should have taken Snipe up on his offer to get him a higher caliber rifle instead for the increased precision and range.
"What do you think you are doing with that?"
Oh, it was the blonde guy with a tail again. Hitoshi quickly double checked the safety was on before slipping his gun back in his hip holster. "Final weapons check. Before you say something about it not being allowed, I submitted all the paperwork needed and both Nedzu and Snipe are aware I have it and gave okays."
He narrowed his eyes. "Isn't you having a gun still a bit unfair to everyone else?"
"Dude, it is probably a support item for him. You can chill."
The blonde stared him down for a beat before turning and walking off. Hitoshi turned to the brown haired guy that had interrupted them. "Thanks."
He shrugged. "No problem. I am all for leveling the playing field to make things fair but what he was doing harassing you was uncool. I mean, it says on the school site when we are signing up for the exam that people can bring a support item if they fill out all the proper paperwork for it. You need that for your Quirk right?"
Hitoshi shook his head. "No, but I am essentially Quirkless in a scenario like this since my Quirk only works on people not robots. My Dad had the same issue with his entrance exam back when he attended UA and wasn't able to actually get into the Hero course until his second year because the robot thing screwed him over."
"Oh that sucks. You're a Legacy then? Why not take the recommendations exam?"
Hitoshi sighed. "I did. Unfortunately I got screwed because my family has a strong connection with Nedzu and he had to be replaced on the panel of judges by a member of the school board and they turned out to be a Quirkist dick who was insistent on viewing my Quirk as villainous."
The boy winced. "I'm sorry you have to deal with that sort of thing dude."
Hitoshi shrugged but before he could respond, his Pops' Voice rang out around them. "Go!"
Hitoshi instantly was running past the other confused testers and into the faux cityscape, pulling the gun from his holster. Once he had four bots in sight beginning to converge on him, he stopped, flicked out the safety and lined up his first shot.
---MiM-MiM-MiM---
In the control room, Shouta's jaw dropped as his son unloaded shot after shot into the robots, disabling their cameras and cleanly shutting them off. Beside him Snipe gave a whoop of excitement. "Who the hell gave my son a gun?"
---MiM-MiM-MiM---
Elsewhere Hisashi sneezed while watching Himiko and Izuku spar.
---MiM-MiM-MiM---
Hitoshi was running out of bullets now but in his defense each magazine only held 12 shots and with the exception of the 1-pointers each bot had at least three cameras that he had to hit before he could get in close enough safely to shoot to disable. That meant that unless he got really lucky on one of his first hits, all the 2 and 3-point bots required four shots on average and two for the 1-pointers. Because of this, he was avoiding wasting his shots on 1 and 2-pointers where he could. The bullet to point reward was far too low with the same number of bullets used for two 1-pointers as one 2-pointer. That being said, he was pretty sure that he had hit 30 points by the time he loaded his last clip into his gun.
He was going to most likely pass. Thank god.
Suddenly several explosions rang out from just a block down the street as a horrifically massive robot emerged from its hiding place. The 0-pointer.
With a curse, he flicked on the safety of his gun and holstered it. Time to get the hell out of dodge.
However before he could really begin the run, he registered another kid not far away wandering in a seeming daze towards the robot. He cursed and changed directions to grab the blonde that he had seen take down a good number of robots down the intersecting street before he got himself flattened. "Hey what do you think you're doing?"
"Weh~"
Hitoshi blinked as he realized two things, one the guy seemed to have short circuited himself and genuinely did not seem to be registering that he was in any danger and two that Hitoshi had just accidently used his Quirk on the guy without meaning to. However, maybe that was a good thing since now he could get the guy out of here safely. "Run to the site entrance."
The boy pivoted quickly on his feet and began to beeline it out of danger with Hitoshi right on his heels but with how the rumbling was under their feet, they were not going to be fast enough.
---MiM-MiM-MiM---
Shouta watched in horror as the 0-pointer grew closer and closer to his kid. "We're going to have to stop it."
Nedzu waved him off. "We have a few more seconds before we will have to intervene. I want to give him the chance to think his way out of the problem. After all, there are a few different options available to him. Not to worry, your son will be just fine."
---MiM-MiM-MiM---
With the knowledge that they were not going to be able to run that just left one option. Hitoshi took a deep breath before pulling out his gun, disengaging the safety and pivoting on the spot to fire upward. His first shot failed to hit true but the next three did not.
It was enough for the robot to pause and turn its "head" in search of what was taking out its cameras. Two more gone by the time it spotted him. Three left. Another breath. The robot began to move to swat him like a bug. Three more hits. Blinded. The hand was still coming down.
The hand collided with a solid invisible wall in the air as a body grabbed him from behind and yanked him back and into motion again. "Are you insane?"
Hitoshi laughed and he followed the brunette from earlier out of the range of the blind robot's attacks, flicking the safety back on and putting the gun away. "Had to stop it somehow! It was gaining on me and Sparky! Besides, if it killed me I wouldn't have had to hear my parents yell at me later for running toward the giant robot!"
The boy laughed. "You're fucking nuts Legacy!"
"It's Shinso Hitoshi!"
The boy grinned at him. "Tsuburaba Kosei!"
His Pops had called time by the time they had reached the entrance. Hitoshi was quick to follow the mental pull of his Quirk to find the still dazed Sparky near the entrance, now staring blankly at the exit waiting for more orders. He released he hold and watched at the guy started to drift aimlessly again before he grabbed him the shoulder.
Tsuburaba gave the other boy a concerned look. "Uh, is he okay?"
Hitoshi waved a hand in front of the boy's face to no response. "I think he might have given himself a seizure with his own Quirk. The only reason he ran away was because I used my Quirk on him and bypassed his brain to get his body moving."
"Oh geez that doesn't sound good."
Hitoshi was careful to guide the dazed boy over to sit near the entrance. "No it isn't. He will need to see a neurologist to get checked out. Can you watch him for a minute? I am going to use one of the direct phone lines to find out when Recovery Girl will get here to check everyone over."
Tsuburaba gave him a thumbs up. "Can do."
Hitoshi pushed his way through the crowd over to the normal looking door set back into the walls beside the gate and opened it to the gatehouse control room and walked directly over to the bright red phone hung on the wall. His Dad was the one who picked up. "Hitoshi?"
"Oh, hey Dad. Do you have an estimate for when Recovery Girl will get here? A guy at my site has a seizure of some sort."
"She is at site B right now so she will be there shortly. Are you okay because if you are, you are completely grounded until the first day of classes."
Hitoshi winced. "To be fair we couldn't exactly out run it."
"So you decided to just stop? What was your plan if you hadn't succeeded in blinding it?"
"I would have crossed that bridge if I came to it. Honestly, I figured the whole learning to use a gun and sneaking one in without you knowing would be the thing that you would be the most upset about with me this morning."
There was a sigh on the other end. "I knew you were up to something for the test to make up for the fact you wouldn't be able to use your Quirk so while I am not happy you went behind my back about it, I am not that surprised by it. Honestly I am more upset with whoever gave you the gun and taught you how to shoot that well since they really should have told me."
"Ah. Well you can yell at Snipe for the formal gun lessons and helping get me firearms certified and Uncle Hisashi for helping Kats get me the gun for my birthday."
"...Why does that last part not surprise me in the slightest?"
"Because we all know just who Izu inherited his chaotic nature from? I'm going to go back to keeping an eye on Sparky. See you in a bit?"
A sigh. "I'll meet you at the car."
---MiM-MiM-MiM---
Kaminari Denki knew he had messed up and gone over his limit but he had gotten spooked as he let off a discharge when he had realized he had let himself get surrounded. He hated when it happened because of the lost time more then anything.
It wasn't until he was greeted with the sight of a little old lady in a nurse's outfit and two other boys that seemed to be nervously hovering behind her that he realized that he had lost enough time to miss the end of the test. "Can you hear me dear?"
Denki smiled. "Oh yeah! Sorry, did I short circuit myself again?"
The (attractive) lavender haired guy frowned. "Again? That has happened before?"
Denki shrugged. "Oh, yeah, it happens all the time when I go over my limit."
The brown haired guy frowned beside him. "Dude, you literally had a seizure. The only reason you didn't get more hurt is because Shinso here noticed and used his Quirk to get you to safety."
That threw him. "But I didn't have a seizure? I can still walk around and do stuff when I short circuit."
The nurse lady shook her head. "No, those boys are completely correct. Not all seizures involve muscle spasms. Any disruption of the brain's electrical signals are a seizure. From the sound of things and what I just saw, you have been causing yourself to have prolonged absence seizures. I am going to have to require you to go to the hospital to get properly checked out. You need at least a CAT scan done." She turned to the lavender boy (Shinso maybe?) "Hitoshi, do you think you and your parents could be so kind as to escort him to Musutafu General Hospital on your way home? I want to have someone ensure he actually goes."
The lavender haired boy nodded. "Yeah we can do that."
As she walked away, presumably to check on other people hurt. The brunette gave Hitoshi(?) a puzzled look. "Your parents?"
The boy shrugged. "Yeah both my Dads are on staff. Don't tell anyone though. My cousin and I want to see how long it takes for the rest of our class to figure it out." He turned back to Denki. "I'm Shinso Hitoshi by the way."
"And I'm Tsuburaba Kosei."
"Oh! I'm Kaminari Denki!"
Shinso snorted. "Thunder Electricity? Bit on the nose. Of course, I have a cousin with a fire Quirk named Cremation and one with a Decay Quirk named Mourning so I guess I can't really judge." He paused. "Huh, you would think the shared morbid name theme with them was planned in hindsight."
Denki gave him a puzzled look. "It's not?"
"No. Not with them at least. They both have different birth mothers from before my aunt and her husband married. Uncle Hisashi had no say in their names so the fact that they match was completely unplanned."
Tsuburaba scratched his head. "So which Heroes are your dads? And what classes to they have?"
"Present Mic and the Underground hero Eraserhead. Pops is homeroom for 1-C and teaches English and Dad is homeroom for 1-A and teaches Heroic Law and helps with Practical Heroics sometimes. Funnily that meant that regardless if I passed or failed the practical I was going to get one of them for Homeroom."
Denki blinked. "Present Mic is married?"
Shinso shook his head. "Nah, not yet. Dad gets spooked easily by relationship stuff because of his bio-parents being complete assholes to him as a little kid because of his Quirk so knowing that Pops left deciding when they will do that be up to him."
As they continued to chat Denki was quick to realize that even if he failed to get into UA, that he had probably just made two new friends. All in all, not a bad day.