Narration POV
The first test was the 50 meter dash.
Aizawa looked at the first group of people, in which was what could be considered his most problematic student. Arthur Pendragon. At least that was the name Nezu had told them. He didn't believe it for one bit. Seriously who the hell was named Arthur Pendragon.
Still even if he didn't agree on what the boy did, the truth was what it was, no point in fighting it. However he did remember the first time he had laid his eyes on him, something Nezu had asked him to do.
To use his quirk on Arthur.
Yet nothing happened. He sped away at supersonic speeds, meaning that his quirk was a mutant type, however he also seemed to have abilities like an emitter and that still didn't explain the blade at his waist.
Something which Nezu had also told them not to tell him to take off. It really did look like he got attached to the kid.
Aizawa adjusted his position slightly, studying the lineup. Arthur stood casually among his classmates, one hand resting near that mysterious sword of his, the other hanging loosely at his side. Despite his relaxed posture, there was something in the boy's stance that suggested coiled energy, like a spring wound too tight.
The other students in the first group were chattering nervously. Iida was doing some warp up stretchers, Yaoyorozu was making something out of her fat, and Todoroki simply stood in stoic silence. These were the three who were going to perform the best on this trial most likely.
"Start," Aizawa called out, Arthur settling on his track.
He blinked and it was over. Arthur was across the finish line, not even breathing hard, while the others were still mid-stride. The timer displayed 0.001 seconds, the lowest time it could calculate. Aizawa had expected it, he had seen it once before after all.
The other students also looked at the score with varying degrees of awe and concern.
Kaminari whistled low. "Gotta go fast, huh."
"That... that just isn't fair," Ashido said, her finger pointing somewhat indignantly. "Like, what kind of quirk does he have?"
"I just... run fast, I guess."
Aizawa simply sighed. It looked like what Midnight had told him was right.
The other students completed their runs with more conventional times. Iida's engines propelled him to an impressive 3.04 seconds, while Todoroki used his ice to create a frozen pathway that let him slide to a 4.08 second finish. The others performed admirably within normal quirk-enhanced ranges.
The last one to go was Izuku Midoriya, and Aizawa watched with particular interest, after all this was the other one he thought was going to be problematic.
The boy's body couldn't seem to take the strength of his quirk, leading him to break his limbs. Something he couldn't afford to do while in hero work. Midoriya ran without using his quirk, finishing with a respectable but unremarkable 7.02 seconds.
Arthur POV
The next test was grip strength, and I approached the machine with some trepidation. During my vigilante work, I'd learned to modulate my strength carefully, too much force could turn a rescue into a tragedy. But this was a test, right? I was supposed to show what I could do.
I wrapped my fingers around the grip meter.
Then I squeezed as hard as I could, releasing mana burst in my hand, to provide me an instant and exponential increase in strength which disappeared in the next moment.
CRACK.
The machine crumpled like paper in my hand, its digital display flickering wildly before going dark.
"Dammit," I muttered, staring at the destroyed equipment. "I'm sorry, Aizawa-sensei. I didn't mean to."
"It's fine," Aizawa said dryly, making a note on his tablet. "We have spares. Just... try to be more careful with the remaining equipment."
I nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed, which made me grip Excalibur's hilt. Wait grip? I just realized I always gripped her hilt when I needed to calm myself, maybe that was why my grip strength was so strong...no that's stupid.
Behind me, I could hear my classmates whispering among themselves.
"Did he just crush an enhanced grip meter?"
"Yeah like isn't that made to withstand quirks."
When the other students took their turns, I watched carefully, trying to understand the normal range of performance. Shoji managed an impressive 540 kg with his multiple arms, while Sato's sugar-enhanced strength netted him 420 kg. Most others fell somewhere in the 50-200 kg range.
The third test was the long jump. I landed softly on the grass beyond the designated area, having to speed back to where the measurement tape ended.
"Immeasurable," Aizawa announced. "Cleared the testing area."
The fourth test was sustained sideways jumps, which I once again did the best I could in, though this time I tried to hold back more. Even so, I was moving fast enough that I seemed to be on both sides of the jumping line simultaneously, creating brief afterimages that made some of my classmates rub their eyes in confusion.
The fifth trial was the ball throw, and this was the first one where I actually came in second place, after Uraraka who reached infinity with her quirk, that seemingly allowed her to manipulate the gravity of objects. Still, I managed to get a little over 11 kilometers, watching the baseball disappear into a tiny speck against the sky.
"Dude, come on, at least go easy on us," Kaminari said at my side, slapping my back with exasperation.
I didn't reply, because I honestly didn't know what to say, I simply held Excalibur's hilt.
We watched as the green-haired kid, Midoriya, came up to the pitch. He was the last one to go and also appeared to be last in the rankings so far. He seemingly hadn't used his quirk even once in any of the tests, which I could understand, seeing what had happened the last time he'd used it and the devastating effects it had had on his body.
As he approached the circle, I noticed how his hands were trembling slightly. His green eyes darted nervously around the group before settling on the ball in his palm. He seemed desperate.
So, he pulled his arm back, closed his eyes, then jerked it forward.
I felt it then, a familiar sensation, one I hadn't felt in more than a year.
My head snapped to where I felt it emanating from, Aizawa. That same piercing gaze I'd noticed during our first encounter.
"46 meters," Aizawa announced in his characteristically flat tone.
"What? Huh? I tried using it for sure just now..." Midoriya muttered, his voice so low that probably only a few of us could hear him. Aizawa was apparently one of them.
"I erased your quirk," Aizawa said matter-of-factly.
As he began explaining his Erasure quirk to the stunned boy, I heard a rustle behind us. My enhanced senses immediately picked up on the presence, and my head snapped toward the sound.
Someone I had seen once before was standing there, partially concealed behind one of the nearby buildings.
All Might.
What was he doing here? He seemed to be watching the proceedings intently, though he was clearly trying to remain hidden. Could he just be interested in how Class 1-A would perform in general?
However, as I followed his gaze, I realized he was focused on one particular student, the one in the middle of the pitch currently getting lectured by Aizawa.
Then I remembered our last meeting. His protege, that was what he had said. He had found one already. My gaze landed back on the boy on the pitch, who was stammering beyond belief under Aizawa's intense scrutiny.
Could this really be the person whom All Might chose? His quirk seemed incredibly powerful, sure, but he couldn't control it without seriously injuring himself.
No, I told myself. I'm sure there was something I wasn't seeing. All Might didn't make choices lightly, his judgment had protected Japan for decades.
Aizawa was still giving Midoriya a harsh lecture about the realities of hero work.
"From what I observed, you can't rein in your quirk's full power, meaning you can't use it efficiently at all. Did you believe someone would come to rescue you after you crippled yourself again?"
"No, I-I d-didn't. It's just..." Midoriya's stammer was getting worse under the pressure.
Aizawa's scarf, as if it had a mind of its own, wrapped around Midoriya. The boy was clearly in pain, his face contorting as the capture weapon tightened. Then I felt myself take one step forward, unconsciously, my body moving before my mind could catch up.
"Arthur?" Kaminari asked at my side, his voice concerned.
I remembered Nezu's words, echoing in my mind.
Restraint.
I stopped myself, forcing my feet to remain planted. This was difficult.
Every instinct in my body, in my very soul were screaming at me to intervene, to protect someone who was clearly suffering.
This was a lesson, I told myself, trying to internalize Nezu's teaching. This was something Midoriya needed to learn, just like I needed to learn restraint.
"Whatever hopes you may have nursed of your imminent rescue," Aizawa continued, his voice cold and clinical, "as you can see, nobody is in a position to come to your aid."
I was. I could be there in a fraction of a second. I could stop this.
No. I wasn't supposed to. This wasn't a life-or-death situation. This was training, education, necessary growth.
"I gave you back your quirk," Aizawa continued, releasing his capture weapon. "Try the ball pitch a second time."
I heard several of my classmates murmuring among themselves.
"Are you worried for him? I for one don't care much."
"Looks like he's had some coaching before, but..."
"He's gonna get expelled for sure."
I felt Kaminari's hand on my shoulder. "Hey, Arthur, seriously man, you okay? You look a little out of it."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," I replied, taking a deliberate step back to center myself.
Midoriya approached the circle again, this time with visible determination etched across his features. He pulled his arm back, and then, in one fluid motion, jerked it forward. The pitch looked normal until the very last second, I saw it happening in real time, could track the precise moment when his finger's muscles exploded with force, far too much force for his body to handle safely.
BOOM.
The ball rocketed into the sky like a meteor, disappearing from sight almost instantly.
"Sensei," Midoriya said, holding up his injured hand with a mixture of pain and pride, "I can still move."
Aizawa revealed the display, 705.3 meters.
"Hm," Aizawa said, and for the first time, there was something that might have been approval in his voice towards the boy.
I heard a rustle from behind us again, and I couldn't help but smile slightly, wondering what All Might was thinking right now about his protege's performance.
Taking a good look at Midoriya, I began to understand what the Symbol of Peace might have seen in him. Despite the obvious drawbacks of his quirk, despite the pain and the fear, he'd found a way to use it effectively while minimizing the damage to himself. Which was a good start.
Some of the students even cheered for him.
"You finally got a record suitable for a hero!"
"Your finger's all swollen, just like at the exam. What an unusual quirk."
"It's not stylish enough, but it's effective!"
One student, however, was at the complete opposite end of the emotional spectrum.
I heard the characteristic crackle of explosions, followed by an enraged yell.
"What is this, Deku?! Explain now, you SHITRAG!"
Bakugo exploded forward, literally propelling himself toward Midoriya with small blasts from his palms. His face was contorted with fury, his red eyes blazing with anger. He was going to do something he would regret.
So, I let my restraint go.
This wasn't part of training after all.
In a single second, I was in front of him, my hand wrapped firmly around his wrist. The sudden stop of his forward momentum created a small sonic boom that rustled everyone's clothes.
"Calm down," I said quietly, meeting his wild gaze.
Instead of calming down, he yelled and swung his free hand toward my face. "Let me go, you shitbag!"
His palm, now millimeters from my face, ignited with one of his signature explosions. I felt the heat wash over me, the concussive force that would have sent a normal person flying backward. But, I was still standing exactly where I'd been, completely unharmed.
"You need to calm down," I repeated, my voice leveled.
This time it seemed to work. His teeth gnashed together audibly, and I felt the tension in his wrist relax, so I released my grip. He stalked back to the group of students, his explosive quirk still popping intermittently around his hands as he tried to contain his rage.
Aizawa was staring at me, his capture scarf moving slightly as if preparing for action.
I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. Midoriya.
"Thank you," he said simply.
"Don't worry about it," I replied, noticing how his injured finger was already swelling. "Is your finger okay? I can take you to the infirmary right now if you need."
"I'm f-fine," he answered, his characteristic stammer returning now that the immediate crisis had passed.
Aizawa's scarf retracted back to its normal position, and he simply nodded at me once before addressing the group.
"We're wasting time. Prepare for the next trial," he said.
As we moved toward the next testing area, I found myself walking beside Kirishima, who had a genuine grin spread across his sharp-toothed face.
"Vigilante instincts?" he asked, pretty cheerful, like he had just seen a jolly good show.
"What can I say," I replied with a slight smile of my own. "Old habits."
A/N: Now this was a fun chapter to write, seriously the last one was just so... ughhh, I don't know how to explain it. Also I said on the last chap this doesn't count as the bonus chap (even though it's 2.4k words so still a lot lol), I need to give you guys.
One thing about this chapter I really liked was the very obvious character development. We getting there boys, Arthur is slowly learning what he needs to, to become the perfect hero.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thx for reading. Author out.