Chapter 4 – U.A. Exams
The train sped on the tracks as it moved towards the destination of U.A. I am currently sitting in the train car with Shinso while listening to music. The last 10 months was spent preparing for today. I’m going to be honest that I’m a little excited. The U.A. Exams are known to only have a 0.2% acceptance rate. That’s 1 out of 500 people. To put that to perspective, if U.A. wanted to have 40 students in 2 classes, there would be 20.000 applicants. Which means I have to outperform 19.960 if I want a spot in the hero course. Definitely not an easy feat.
“The train has arrived at the next station.”
I put away my phone as I exited the train with Shinso right beside me. We both walked the rest of the way to U.A. Upon reaching the school, we were shocked at just how many people are here to do the exams. Sure we expected the number, but knowing about something is different from actually seeing it. Even so, we made our way towards the building where the written exams are taking place.
“Please state your names and show me your student ID cards.” said one of the staff members when we approached her.
“Akio Kazuya, Shuci’in Middle High.”
“Hitoshi Shinso, Shuci’in Middle High.”
The staff member nodded as we handed our student id cards. “Kazuya-san will be in examination room D, while Shinso-san will be in Examination room C. Please make your way to the rooms as soon as possible, as the exams will start in 15 minutes.”
Shinso and I nodded in understanding. “Looks like this is where we split. Make sure you don’t screw up Akio. I’d hate to hear you not make it to U.A. because you messed up the written exams.”
“Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing. Do give it your all Mr. Eight Place.” I replied with a grin. In our Junior High final exams, Shinso placed 8th place academically while I placed 5th. It always pisses him off every time I remind him of my intellectual superiority.
Shinso immediately grew a vein at my remark. “One of these days, I’m gonna get you back. Mark my words asshole.”
“I’ll be waiting.” I snorted at his declaration. I made my way to examination room C and sat down on one of the chairs. It didn’t take long for one of the staff members to enter the classroom and started giving out the exam papers.
I took a deep breath as i mentally prepared myself.
‘This is it. This is what I've been working for all my life. The chance to be the best hero I can be’
I opened my eyes in determination before I picked my pen. Without no further thoughts, I started writing.
— The Warping Hero —
That was hard.
Scratch that, it was more than just hard.
I guess I should've expected it from the number 1 hero school in all of Japan, but still. I’m sure i’ve done well enough, but that doesn’t take away the fact that the written exam alone would’ve probably eliminated half the applicants.
I met up with Shinso on my way to the auditorium that the applicants were told to gather after the written exam. The two of us walked down the corridor following the signs that would take us there. Even now I could see a few of the other applicants talking excitedly with their friends. A few of them are somewhat familiar, like the tall blue-haired guy with glasses, the pink bubbly girl with horns, and even the green-haired boy with freckles that’s fidgeting all over the place.
Wait-
Is that..?
Green hair, green eyes, freckles, constant muttering that’s creeping out everyone around him.
Yep. This is definitely the protagonist of the show. Otherwise known as the kid who was given All Might’s powers and has no idea how to use it. What was his name again?
Well whatever. I’m sure i’ll learn it when I actually meet him next time.
Shinso and I quickly found our seats in the auditorium and waited for the briefing of the practical exam. We didn’t wait long as the lights suddenly dimmed and a man with gravity-defying long blonde hair took the stage.
Present Mic then proceeded to explain how the exam would work, with each applicant must score points by taking down as much ‘villains’ as possible before the timer runs out. There were seven examination sites where all the applicants would be randomly placed into each one.
“So they don’t intend on letting people who go to the same school work together huh?” Shinso drawled as he peeked over to my ticket . Like the written exam rooms, he is in site D while I am in site C.
“It doesn’t matter. We can’t be called heroes if we can’t take care of ourselves. Let’s kick some ass Hitoshi.” I looked at him while raising my fist.
“You bet.” He replied as he gave me a fist bump.
— The Warping Hero —
After taking the assigned buses that’ll take me to the examination sites. I quickly changed my attire in of the changing rooms that’s more fit for combat. I’m wearing a red tracksuit with holsters for my kunais.
Applicants are allowed to bring whatever gear they want as long as they sent a form beforehand to the school. The daggers I’m using are a gift from my dojo instructor as a congratulatory gift for finishing the combat classes at his dojo. They’re custom made tri-pronged kunais that fit perfectly in my grip.
I closed the locker that stored my belongings and headed out of the changing room with my head held high. All around me I could see the other applicants either warming up or just standing around waiting for the test to start.
What definitely surprised me is the fact that U.A has mock cities. How rich could they be to have 7 of these cities and use them as examination sites, where teenagers are given free reign to battle it out with robots of their own making.
I shook my head at that thought. Now’s not the time to be distracted.
“BEGIN!”
The sound of Present Mic suddenly came from one of the speakers. His loud voice jolting every applicant out of their thoughts. It’s obvious that his sudden declaration caught everyone by surprise.
Not me though.
My hand quickly reached my holster and, with a precise movement, threw a single kunai straight into the air. It moved upwards in a diagonal angle, and as it reached a good height, the marker that was placed on the handle glowed and I teleported to its side in an instant. I launched it again in slightly lower angle to maintain my momentum and to have a better perspective on the mock city.
I continued doing so until I spotted my first faux villain. A robot built like a tank with what seems like missile launchers on its back.
‘A three-pointer.’
I landed right in front of the robot while stabbing a kunai through the ground where I was standing. The faux villain quickly noticed me as it charged towards my location. I psyched myself up as I closed our distance and threw a kunai at the robot’s direction. I flashed towards my dagger as soon as it reached above the robot and placed a tag on its head. I teleported back to my original location and threw a kunai close to the roof of a nearby building.
With a single snap of my fingers, the previously threatening looking robot was now 10 feet in the air. With the aid of gravity, the two-pointer crashed to the ground.
Without sparing the destroyed robot a single glance, I immediately teleported out of the area towards another group of robots. This time it was 2 one-pointers, 1 two-pointer, and 1 three-pointer. I flashed directly into the middle of the pack of villains as I accurately threw 2 kunais into the moment I landed. The two one-pointers dropped with 2 tri-pronged daggers sticking into their eyes. I didn’t give the rest of the villains a chance to react as I quickly re-armed myself. I threw one knife at the two-pointer and another at the three-pointer. The robots didn’t stand a chance as I quickly flickered to the scorpion-like robot and slashed at its head, pushing it deep into the robot’s eye and out through the hole. I didn’t even stop as I reappeared on the body of the three-pointer, a kunai stuck to its side. All I did was grab its head as we teleported to the knife I placed on a rooftop.
I flickered back to my initial spot on the ground as I surveyed the destruction around me. All that happened within seconds.
This was something I realized in my training in preparation for U.A. My quirk doesn’t allow that much offensive power, but what it does give me however, is speed. My quirk allows me to be virtually outmatched in mobility. That’s why I put heavy emphasis on training my reaction time and speeds. To use my quirk to the fullest, I need to be able to react to things in a split second. Take in information in a single glance and act on it the moment I find myself flashing to a new location.
I was brought out of my thoughts as I started to hear the sounds of fighting and explosions throughout the city.
‘Looks like the other applicants have finally caught up. I need to find more robots quickly.’
With that I swung my knife, disappearing from sight. Leaving only a red flash in my wake.
— The Warping Hero —
‘That’s 30 points already.’
I’m currently crouching on the edge of a rooftop, catching my breath as I viewed my surroundings from my elevated position. That was when I saw a three-pointer robot who was about to attack a girl from behind. It didn’t seem like she noticed her own plight. In a split second, I sent a knife aiming at the robots head, while I sent two more knives — one at said girl, another I left spinning on my current rooftop. The first knife barely reached the robot before I flickered to the girl’s side, grabbed her by the hand, and teleported us back to the rooftop, before reappearing right beside the faux villain. I grabbed the knife as its blade just started piercing the robot’s torse and slashed, pushing the blade deep into the robot. I wasn’t done though as I immediately jumped back and threw the kunai aiming at the robots eye. It hit its mark as the three-pointer suddenly went limp and the light flickered out.
I continued doing exactly that, racking up points as much as I can while doing my best in helping the people around me who were in over their heads. One might argue that I don’t have the luxury of wasting time helping other people, but this is a HERO school. And besides, it’ll leave a bad taste in my mouth if I just leave them be if I know I could be. I want to be a hero that people could rely on. Ignoring people who are in need is NOT part of that description.
“And that’s Forty-fiv-” I didn’t get to finish my sentence as a sudden eruption of noise got me to skid to a halt. I looked around me to find out what the hell is going on, only for a huge towering something appeared from behind a building.
“IT’S THE ZERO POINTER!”
Someone’s scream got my attention as the zero pointer swung one of its massive arms and utterly demolished an entire block of buildings and sent it tumbling down.
“Is U.A. out of its mind?!”
“Run!”
I quickly put my mind together to find the best solution. Realistically, there’s no point in facing the zero-pointer as it, obviously, gives zero-points. But right now, finding more faux villains in this chaos is just gonna be harder than making Shinso admit defeat in a game of Mario Kart.
“Hey watch out!” My train of thoughts was broken as I heard someone shout. Noticing that he was screaming at my direction, I immediately threw a kunai to my right and flickered towards its position. Landing on my back, dodging a huge metal fist that planted itself where I was a split second ago.
“Hey are you alright?” The guy who shouted the warning from before ran towards me and helped me up. He had shoulder length black hair and noticably straight teeth. His tracksuit was also folded allowing me to notice strange protrusions from his elbow.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I reassured him as I quickly got up and dusted my clothes.
“Yeah well, less standing still and more running!” He immediately aimed his elbows to the building and launched tape which he used to swing around the buildings.
I was right behind him as I flashed around keeping pace with him. The zero-pointer still right on our trails, seemingly choosing us as its targets.
“You got any ideas?” The tape guy asked me, as we stopped at a random rooftop, looking at the Zero-pointer still making its way towards us.
“One. But I'm gonna need your help. I’m down to my last dagger so we only got one shot at this.”
“What do you want me to do?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Get me closer to its head. With how big that thing is, I won't be able to reach all the way up. And make sure to catch me. I doubt I’ll be able to flash back with how much this is gonna take out of me.”
The tape guy looked confused for a second but then he nodded in determination. We don’t have anymore time since the towering robot is quickly approaching us.
“You ready?”
“Lets do it!” The both of us immediately jumped from the rooftop as he grabbed my hand and aimed his elbow to another building. He kept swinging us further and further until we’re eye level with the robot’s chest.
“Go!!” Sero launched me as I let go of his hand, resulting in me rocketing towards the head of the zero pointer. Once I was close enough, I threw my last remaining kunai as it sailed through the air. It hit its mark on the Zero-pointers large eye, but the blade only pierced a few centimeters deep, not enough to do damage, but causing the knife to get stuck.
‘Bingo.’
This was something I’ve been working on the past few months to get right. And only recently did my control over my quirk increase enough for me to have the confidence to pull this off. You see, whenever I place my tag on an object, I have the ability to split that object by teleporting only part of the item that's connected with the marker. But this takes extreme precision as I have to be very precise in where I want to limit which part of the object I want to teleport.
The result, the enormous robot stopped in its tracks. Its entire upper body seemingly disappeared into thin air only to reappear on top of the roof of a random building.
The rest of the applicants could only look with mouths agape at what just happened. The seemingly unstoppable 30 foot robot was destroyed just like that.
One person though quickly shook away his stupor as he noticed someone falling through the air. He quickly used his tape to slow his descent and reeled him in. He quickly put the person on the ground and checked him for injuries. He visibly calmed down after noticing none.
“Dude, that was awesome! Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. Teleporting something that big takes a lot out of me.”
“But still, that was insane! You took that thing down in one shot.. Oh, I’m Sero by the way. Hanta Sero.”
“Couldn’t have done it by myself.” I said with a grin through shaky breaths. “And I’m Kazuya. , Kazuya Akio.”
That was definitely a stunt I’m not gonna do ever again. This is the first time I’ve experienced this kind of fatigue. Transporting something as big and as heavy as the zero pointer definitely takes a lot out of me.
I better get in the damn hero course after all this shit. And I wonder how Shinso is doing? Definitely better than I am now.
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Sup readers!
A long chapter this time.
Kazuya’s U.A exams are finally over!
This chapter also showcased a lot on how his quirk could be used in a combat setting.
Even so, this is still only the tip of the iceberg. I have PLENTY of ideas on what to do with his quirk in terms of creative applications. Can’t wait to bring them to writing.
This is also my first attempt at writing a fight scene. Tell me your thoughts!
Next chapter, we’ll get to see Shinso’s go at his own examination site. Time for our favorite purple haired brainwasher to fet the spotlight.
Make sure to leave a review or a comment if you have any suggestions.
Cheers!