Izuku was then given the same U.A. brand dynamometer like the others were using.
"Show me what you can do, Izuku," Katsuki ordered with a sharp, commanding voice.
"Sure, sure~."
He rolled his shoulders once, trying to get a good feeling of his muscles and fingers...
"Alright then..."
He eased his grip around the handles—no strain in his face, no bulging veins, just a steady squeeze...!
Then his fingers closed in a smooth, even clamp tight... then tighter...!
Before coming to a hold—
["150 Kg!"]
The machine announced his final number!
"W-wow! T-That's amazing, Midoriya-kun!" Ochako lit up beside him, eyes sparkling. "That's super strong!"
"Hehe~, thanks~!" He beamed at the praise. "But not as great as our other classmates though."
"W-well, I guess—but it's not like yours wasn't impressive!" she insisted, fumbling for the right words. "I mean... you don't even have a Quirk, and all, so... you really are pretty amazing."
Izuku let out a light chuckle at her attempt to reassure him.
However, while they were having this warm conversation...
Katsuki had been staying silent.
She'd been watching his hand from the start of his grip strength test... as she had been noticing it.
The way he'd released it on the exact number locked in.
No attempt to after-squeeze—not a shred of greed for one more kilo to break his record.
Her eyes narrowed for a moment...
"Tch."
...Before then she looked away and left the two.
"Kacchan...?"
Izuku looked at the leaving figure of his childhood friend, wondering why she was in such a bad mood.
Ochako herself was curious, but she didn't have the courage to actually pry into Katsuki to begin with.
Then... from across the lane...
Aizawa-sensei's lazy-yet-watchful eyes had been observing these three.
Specifically, toward Izuku... as his eyes, once more, narrowed in suspicion.
< | X | >
[7th Test: Softball Throwing]
All of them went back to the large open field for the next test...
The very first test that had been demonstrated before by Bakugou Katsuki through her explosive quirk—
The Softball Throwing test.
A test to measure one's maximum throwing distance, whether through physical strength... or quirk enhancement.
With U.A.'s specially made softballs—each integrated with a tracking device—they could achieve far more accurate measurements, especially now when quirks had become a major factor in competitive performance.
But, just like with a few of the tests before...
Some quirks were either useless... or only somewhat useful—
["29.4 meters!"]
["36.8 meters!"]
["8.2 meters!"]
["47.1 meters!"]
["7.7 meters!"]
["85.6 meters!"]
["115.9 meters!"]
These were most of the records so far. Some didn't have quirks that could help their throws, while others relied purely on athletic ability.
But then... on the other hand—
["165.7 meters!"]
The navel laser young man had thrown normally—only to fire his laser immediately after, boosting the ball midair—!
["252.8 meters!"]
A young woman with two-toned hair did the same, but in her own way. After launching the ball forward, she released a torrent of ice spikes from her hands, propelling the softball even farther...!
Then... there was the black-haired young woman from before—
BANG—!
She'd materialized a small cannon from her quirk and used it to shoot the softball—!
The ball was sent flying fast and soaring through the air—!
["417.5 meters!"]
Before it landed quite far...!
"Holy crap—! Did she just make an actual cannon?!"
"That's insane...! She actually fired it like artillery!"
"That's so freaking cool~!"
Chorus of cheers and clapping were given to her, with some quite astonished by the very fact that she had created an actual weapon out of her quirk...!
But, of course, it wasn't over just yet—
"Uraraka. You're next," Aizawa-sensei called lazily.
"Y-yes, sir!"
With UA's softball in her hand, Ochako activated her quirk—the tips of her fingers glowed upon touching the ball, applying her 'zero gravity' to it...
And then...
"Here goes nothing...!"
She threw the ball into the air—!
Her peers noticed how her arm motion lacked the sharp athleticism of the others, leading them to think her result would be nothing more than average—
But they were proven wrong.
The ball had not fallen down by 'gravity'—it continued to soar through higher... into the sky...
And then disappeared into the vast blue ocean above their heads...!
Aizawa-sensei showed her score for her and everyone to see—
["Infinity!"]
"Holy shit—!?"
"Infinity?!?"
"Amazing~!!!"
Another chorus of cheers and clapping erupted, even louder than before, as the brunette young woman's peers practically rose to their feet in astonishment.
"Hehe~, thank you," she replied to their praises with a bashful smile, rubbing her cheek shyly.
Then… Aizawa-sensei, who still had not shown any interest in any of their results whatsoever, directed his scrutinizing gaze…
To Midoriya Izuku.
Izuku was also clapping along with the others, enjoying himself—not just from witnessing the great feats, but from the many amazing quirks displayed by his classmates.
"…Midoriya," Aizawa-sensei called, catching the green-haired young man's attention.
"Yeah? What's up, sensei?"
However, the both of them… just stared at each other.
The teacher, while having half of his face hidden by his scarf, stared at Izuku with an almost piercing gaze… as if measuring something about him.
Izuku only stared back quizzically, unsure of what the pause and quiet, yet almost threatening stare from the teacher meant.
Everyone, too, noticed this strange interaction… that almost felt like a clash between the two…!
"…You're the last for this test," Aizawa-sensei broke the silence, before tossing another softball to Izuku.
Izuku caught the ball effortlessly, still wondering what that silent tension was about, but ultimately…
"...Sure thing."
He stepped forward to the field, passing by Ochako—
"Do your best, Midoriya-kun."
"Heh, gotcha~."
As he stepped onto the designated throwing spot… he relaxed his muscles once more, rolling his arms to get a proper feel for the throw…
He took a breath, set his stance... then whipped his right arm back and swung forward—!
—Only for his motion to stop dead mid-swing!
"...Huh?"
His forearm wouldn't move...!
Izuku glanced to the side... to his mid-swing right arm—
"What the...?!"
The softball… and his entire right arm up to the shoulder… were cinched tight in a strong layering of white cloth bindings, coiled over him like a spider's web!
His eyes then followed to the source of the cloth...
To Aizawa-sensei...!
The man's scarf had unraveled into a nest of capture cloth, rippling in the air as if alive...! He held firmly to those writhing strands, restraining Izuku's arm with absolute control...!
"Enough," he declared coldly, his eyes narrowed into razor slits, "Midoriya, you are not allowed to take the test anymore."
Everyone froze—stunned, shocked, and utterly confused by the sudden development...!
None of them ever expected their supposedly lazy, disinterested homeroom teacher to intervene so decisively... let alone against Izuku!
Izuku himself was left reeling.
"I'm... not allowed anymore...?" he asked, bewildered. "...What do you mean by that, sensei?"
"Exactly what I said, kid—you're not authorized to take part in this test anymore... because you're not U.A. Hero Major's material."
He paused... before sharpening his gaze, voice dropping like a blade—
"Midoriya Izuku... you are expelled."