Chapter 02 - To UA
Takeshi finally detached himself, adjusting his glasses with a sheepish grin. "I cannot help it, man. If you ever open a hugging booth, you will be a millionaire by twenty."
"I have bigger plans than being a professional stress ball," Po replied, his tone shifting slightly, carrying a quiet determination that Takeshi rarely heard.
They walked together into the school building, navigating the crowded hallways. Students naturally parted ways for Po. It was not out of fear, but simply because his wide, round frame took up half the corridor. As they took their seats in their third-year homeroom, the usual morning chatter filled the air. However, a specific tension lingered.
Their homeroom teacher, a tall, strict man whose Quirk made his fingers resemble long, wooden rulers, walked in and slapped a thick stack of papers onto his desk.
"Alright, settle down," the teacher announced, his voice cutting through the noise. "You are all third-year students now. It is time to start thinking seriously about your futures. I will be handing out these career counseling forms. I expect you to be realistic about your choices and your Quirks."
He began passing the papers down the rows. When the sheet landed on Po's desk, it looked comically small beneath his large, padded paw. He pulled out a slightly chewed pencil. Without a single moment of hesitation, Po moved his hand to the primary choice slot.
In neat, deliberate letters, he wrote: U.A. High School - Hero Course.
Takeshi leaned over his desk, glancing at Po's paper. His eyes widened behind his glasses. "U.A.? You are really going for it?"
"I am," Po nodded, keeping his dark eyes locked on the paper.
"You know the practical exam is brutal, right?" Takeshi whispered, not trying to be mean, just expressing genuine concern. "Lots of robots, lots of smashing. And, well... people do not exactly look at you and think 'combat specialist'."
"I know what people think," Po replied softly, tapping his large pencil on the desk. "They think I am just a big, friendly bear. They think my Quirk is only good for taking hits or being a mascot. But I am going to prove them wrong."
Later that afternoon, the rhythmic chopping of vegetables from the restaurant kitchen faded into the background. Po stood in the narrow, shaded alleyway behind his home. Before him stood a sturdy training dummy he had meticulously constructed out of discarded wooden beams and thick layers of coiled rope.
Society looked at his Quirk, "Giant Panda," and saw a soft, lethargic creature. They saw his thick layer of fat and heavy build as a distinct disadvantage in any real combat scenario. But Po had spent years turning his perceived weaknesses into his greatest strengths. His massive body was not just dead weight; it was an organic, highly effective kinetic shock absorber.
Po took a deep, steadying breath. He closed his eyes, isolating the ambient noise of the city and the sizzling sounds from his father's kitchen. He focused inward, feeling the dense mass of his own body. Through relentless, solitary practice, he had learned to tap into a unique internal energy—a flow of physical and mental power he called "Chi." It was not a registered part of his Quirk, but a way of harmonizing his heavy form with sudden, precise movement.
He opened his eyes. In a fraction of a second, his relaxed posture vanished. Po lunged forward. Despite his immense size, his movement was fluid and terrifyingly fast. He did not simply rely on brute muscle; he channeled his momentum, shifting his weight perfectly from his solid base through his hips.
His heavy, padded palm struck the center of the wooden dummy.
CRACK.
The impact sounded like a small explosion in the confined alley. The thick wooden core of the dummy splintered violently, bowing inward from the immense, concentrated force. The heavy ropes groaned and snapped under the pressure. It was a perfect transfer of kinetic energy, executed with flawless martial discipline.
Po slowly exhaled, a visible puff of air escaping his mouth as he dropped back into a relaxed, unassuming stance. He looked down at his large paws. They were not just soft cushions for people to hug. They were powerful tools. He was ready for U.A.
The morning of the U.A. entrance exam was crisp and buzzing with nervous energy. Po stood before the towering, H-shaped main building of the most prestigious hero academy in the country. He took a deep breath, the scent of fresh air and anxious teenagers filling his senses. Around him, hundreds of hopeful candidates swarmed toward the entrance gates, their eyes wide with ambition.
Due to his massive size, Po naturally stood out. He towered over the sea of dark middle school uniforms, his large black-and-white frame acting like a furry boulder in a moving stream of people. Many students gave him curious, lingering glances. Some whispered to their friends, pointing at his round belly and soft ears, likely wondering if a giant panda was lost on its way to a local park. Po ignored them, keeping his breathing steady and his mind completely focused on the goal ahead.
"Out of my way, fluffball!" a harsh, aggressive voice barked from directly behind him.
Po did not panic. He calmly shifted his weight, rotating his heavy upper body with surprising, fluid grace just in time to let an angry-looking boy with ash-blonde hair storm past him. The boy was practically radiating hostility, his shoulders tense and his hands shoved deep into his pockets.
"Watch where you are standing," the blonde boy sneered over his shoulder, glaring at Po's soft exterior with obvious disdain before marching toward the auditorium.
Po just blinked, completely unfazed by the fiery attitude. "Good luck to you too," he murmured pleasantly to himself.
Suddenly, a sharp gasp broke his train of thought. A few feet away, a boy with messy green hair had tripped over his own shoes, falling forward in a stiff, panicked dive toward the hard ground.
Without a second thought, Po moved. He did not rush or scramble; he simply slid his large, padded foot forward to establish a solid base and extended a massive arm. The green-haired boy braced for the harsh impact of the concrete, but instead, his face planted directly into a thick, incredibly soft, and sturdy palm.
"Whoa there," Po said gently, lifting the boy back onto his feet with zero effort. "Careful. The exam has not even started yet, and you are already trying to fight the pavement."
The boy's eyes went wide, his face flushing bright red. "O-oh! Thank you so much! I was just so nervous, and my legs got tangled up, and..."
He trailed off, looking up at his savior. As the boy's eyes darted across Po's giant form, his expression instantly shifted from sheer panic to intense, analytical curiosity.
"Wow! Your Quirk is amazing!" the boy blurted out, stepping closer. "Is it a complete heteromorphic transformation? The density of your fur and the natural padding of your physique must offer incredible resistance to blunt-force trauma! Do you have enhanced strength to carry that mass?"
Po smiled widely, genuinely amused by the sudden, rapid-fire barrage of analysis. People usually just asked to touch his ears. "Something like that. I am Po."
"I am Izuku Midoriya!" the boy quickly bowed, still looking highly excitable. "Thank you again, Po-san!"
"No problem, Midoriya. Just take a deep breath. We both need all our focus for whatever is waiting inside those doors." Po patted the boy lightly on the shoulder, holding back his strength so he would not accidentally knock Midoriya over.
With a shared nod and a newfound sense of camaraderie, the two of them joined the massive flow of students entering the giant doors.