"That is not fair!"
Ochako Uraraka's voice broke the tense silence left by Aizawa's declaration. The brown-haired girl stepped forward, her cheeks flushed with indignation.
"It is barely our first day!" she continued, clenching her fists. "We haven't even had real classes yet! How can you expel someone based only on this?"
"Real life doesn't ask if you are ready," Aizawa replied in his usual monotone. "Villains don't wait for you to finish your school orientation. If you can't handle the pressure now, you will never survive as professional heroes."
Mineta, the short boy with purple hair, was visibly trembling.
"W-we're dead," he whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm the shortest one. I'm definitely going to be expelled. Goodbye to the dream of being surrounded by heroines in skin-tight suits..."
Ren glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Ah yes, the official pervert of the class. Well, if they knew everything I've done, I would be the one under scrutiny now. I respect your honesty, little grape boy.
He felt a movement by his side. An invisible presence had approached him.
"Hayashi-kun," Toru's voice whispered near his ear, "do you really think he is going to expel someone? I mean... it's our first day."
Ren turned his head toward where he sensed her face was. He could see the slight tremor in the collar of her gym uniform, the only visual indication that someone was there.
"Don't worry," he told her with a reassuring smile. "Aizawa-sensei is lying. No one will be expelled."
"How can you be so sure?" Toru's voice sounded skeptical yet hopeful.
Because I know the story, obviously. This is Eraser Head's classic logical deception to motivate the students. But I can't say that.
"Intuition," Ren shrugged. "Think about it: U.A. wouldn't accept twenty students only to expel one on the first day. It would be a massive waste of resources. Besides, we all passed a rigorous entrance exam. If we weren't worthy, we wouldn't be here."
Toru's gym uniform stopped trembling as much.
"That... makes sense," she admitted, though she still sounded unsure. "But what if you're wrong?"
"If I'm wrong, I'll buy you an ice cream as an apology when we both get expelled," Ren winked at her.
A soft giggle came from the empty air.
"Deal," Toru said, and Ren could feel her relax considerably.
"First test: fifty-meter dash," Aizawa announced, pointing toward a track marked on the ground. "Pairs. The first two, step forward."
Iida and Tsuyu went first. Ren watched with genuine admiration as the boy with engines in his legs completed the course in 3.04 seconds. A damn human rocket.
Tsuyu finished in 5.58 seconds, using long, powerful leaps that propelled her several meters with every move. Her legs are incredible, Ren thought. In a completely athletic and professional sense, of course.
More students followed. Bakugo blasted his way to the finish line in 4.13 seconds, shouting something about dominating all the "extras." Ochako used her gravity on herself and floated quickly to the line.
"Hayashi, Ashido," Aizawa called.
Ren walked to the starting line. Mina Ashido, the girl with pink skin and hair, smiled at him enthusiastically.
"Let's give it our best!" she said with contagious energy.
"Sure," Ren nodded, positioning himself on the line.
The signal sounded.
Ren immediately activated his telekinesis on himself. It was a trick he had been practicing: creating a force field under his feet and using it as propulsion. It wasn't perfect, but it worked.
He launched forward. The telekinetic impulse pushed him as if someone invisible had grabbed him by the back and pulled hard. The wind hit his bald head while his legs worked in sync with the mental push.
He crossed the finish line. Aizawa showed the result: 4.28 seconds.
"Not bad, baldy," Ashido told him when she finished her own run. "You almost caught me!"
"Your acid quirk gives you a surprising mobility advantage," Ren admitted, genuinely impressed. She had used the acid to create a sort of slide, finishing in 4.15 seconds.
The tests continued. Grip strength, standing long jump, side-steps... Ren performed decently in all of them, using his telekinesis in creative ways without standing out excessively.
But he had been watching.
Inko was an absolute revelation.
In every test, the dark green-haired girl demonstrated a control over One For All that was simply superior to what Izuku showed in the beginning. In the grip strength test, she had used a small percentage of power in her hand and reached impressive numbers without hurting herself. In the long jump, she had perfectly calculated the amount of energy needed.
She is incredible, Ren thought as he watched her. In the canon, Izuku broke his bones constantly because he couldn't control OFA. But she... she handles it as if she were born with it.
Maybe she had trained longer. Or maybe she just had better body control. Or perhaps, Ren thought with amusement, All Might had more time to train her because he didn't have to convince a girl that she could be a hero.
"Next test: ball throw," Aizawa announced.
The group gathered around the throwing circle. Bakugo was still in first place with 705.2 meters.
"Midoriya," Aizawa called.
Inko walked toward the circle with confident steps. She grabbed the ball, and Ren could see her fingers tense slightly.
Here it comes, he thought.
"SMASH!"
The explosion of emerald green wind was brutal. The ball shot out like a missile, disappearing into the sky. But Ren saw how Inko closed her eyes in pain, clutching her right hand.
She fractured her finger. Just like Izuku in the canon.
Aizawa showed the result: 812.3 meters.
Whispers of amazement ran through the group.
"Midoriya-san," Yaoyorozu approached with genuine concern, "your finger...?"
"I'm fine," Inko responded with a smile. "It's part of my quirk. It causes a bit of feedback sometimes."
Liar, Ren thought with amusement. But it's a necessary lie.
"Hayashi."
Ren walked toward the circle. He grabbed the ball, feeling its weight. 705.2 meters was the number to beat. Bakugo was watching him with narrowed eyes, clearly expecting him to fail.
I'm not giving him that satisfaction.
He closed his eyes, concentrating. Telekinesis flowed from his mind like an invisible extension of his will. He wrapped the ball with his power, feeling every molecule, every seam.
The plan was simple: throw the ball physically to give it initial momentum, then use telekinesis to keep it in flight, pushing it further and further. If he did it right, he could reach 900 meters.
He threw.
The ball went flying. Ren extended his mind, grabbing it with his invisible power, pushing it, keeping it in the air...
His head began to ache. The concentration required to keep such a small object moving at that distance was exhausting. He could feel his control weakening with every additional meter.
Come on, come on, GO...!
The ball began to fall. Ren tried to push it one more time, but his power snapped like a tense thread that finally breaks.
The ball touched the ground.
Aizawa showed the result: 600.8 meters.
Shit.
"Interesting," Aizawa commented. "You tried to keep the ball in flight with telekinesis after the initial throw. Good tactical thinking; poor execution."
"I need to train more," Ren admitted honestly, rubbing his temple where a slight headache pulsed.
He returned to the group. Bakugo was looking at him with a strange expression, something between disappointment and... relief?
"Pathetic," the explosive blonde spat, though he sounded less convinced than usual.
More students went up. Yaoyorozu created a small cannon and fired the ball with impressive precision. Todoroki froze it and then used ice to create a ramp that launched it far away.
"Hagakure," Aizawa called.
The gym uniform moved toward the circle. Ren could see the tension in how the fabric moved.
Toru is nervous, he realized.
The invisible girl grabbed the ball. Her quirk was only invisibility, nothing that helped her directly with strength or distance. She was going to have to rely on pure physical strength.
She turned slightly toward where Ren was standing. He couldn't see her face, but he felt the silent question in that gesture. Ren raised his thumb with an encouraging smile.
You can do it.
Toru threw the ball with everything she had. 42.7 meters.
"Not bad for pure physical strength," Aizawa commented neutrally. "Next."
As the tests continued, Ren took the opportunity to move among his classmates. This is an opportunity, he thought. First day. Everyone is nervous. Perfect time to make connections.
He approached Momo Yaoyorozu, who was standing elegantly with her hands clasped in front of her, observing the tests with an analytical expression.
"Yaoyorozu-san," Ren greeted her with a friendly smile. "That cannon creation was incredible. How long does it take you to make something like that?"
Momo looked at him with surprise, clearly not expecting the conversation.
"Ah, Hayashi-kun," she replied in her polite and formal tone. "It depends on the complexity of the object. The small cannon took me approximately five seconds. I need to know the exact molecular composition of whatever I am creating."
"That's fascinating," Ren said, genuinely interested. "Does that mean you have to memorize the chemical structure of everything you want to create?"
Momo's eyes lit up slightly. She clearly liked talking about her quirk.
"Exactly. I spend hours studying chemistry, physics, and engineering manuals. The more I know about an object, the easier it is to create." She paused. "Most people only see the creation part, but they ignore all the theoretical study required."
"The hard work behind the scenes," Ren nodded with understanding. "It sounds exhausting but incredibly versatile. You can practically create the solution to any problem if you have the knowledge."
Momo smiled, a genuine expression that softened her aristocratic features.
"It is exactly like that. Although it has its limitations. Creating large objects consumes many lipids from my body, and there is a limit to how much I can produce before fainting."
Ren noticed that Momo had lowered her guard completely. Good. Making friends with the richest girl in class: check.
He moved toward Ochako, who was talking to Tsuyu about the next test.
"Uraraka-san," Ren joined the conversation. "I saw your fifty-meter dash. Using gravity on yourself was smart."
Ochako blushed slightly.
"Thanks! Though it wasn't as fast as I would've liked. I get a bit nauseous if I float for too long."
"Motion sickness is a common disadvantage in spatial alteration quirks," Tsuyu commented in her neutral tone. "Ribbit. But your control seemed quite good."
"We have something in common," Ren told them both. "Invisible powers. People can see the results but not the power itself."
Ochako tilted her head, pensive.
"It's true! I never thought about it that way. Your telekinesis isn't visible either, is it?"
"Only the effects," Ren confirmed. "People see things floating or moving, but they can't see the power itself. It's like gravity. Invisible but fundamental."
"That's poetic, ribbit," Tsuyu said, and Ren couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or genuine.
Before he could respond, an explosion of shouting interrupted the conversation.
"HOW THE HELL DID AN EXTRA LIKE THAT GET MORE POINTS THAN ME?!"
Bakugo was staring at the overall results Aizawa had displayed on his screen. His face was red, the veins in his neck were bulging, and small explosions crackled in his palms.
Oh no.
"DAMN IT!" Bakugo shouted, turning toward where Inko stood. "YOU! THE WEIRD GREEN-HAIRED GIRL! HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET THOSE NUMBERS?! YOUR QUIRK ISN'T THAT IMPRESSIVE!"
Inko looked at him with absolute calm, completely unfazed.
"My quirk is strength enhancement," she replied. "I increase my physical capabilities temporarily. The numbers are the expected result."
"LIAR!" Bakugo took a threatening step toward her. "NO ONE IS THAT STRONG OUT OF NOWHERE! ESPECIALLY NOT A—"
"Bakugo."
Aizawa's voice was dangerously low. The teacher had activated his quirk, his eyes glowing red while his hair floated around his face. The capture scarves began to move.
"A hero who loses control of their emotions is a danger to everyone," Aizawa said in that monotone voice that somehow sounded more threatening than any shout. "If you can't handle someone being better than you, you have no future in this profession."
Bakugo froze, his quirk suddenly neutralized.
"Tch," he finally spat, looking away. "Whatever."
He stomped back to the group, clearly seething inside.
Poor kid, Ren thought with genuine sympathy. Having a superiority complex must be exhausting.
The tests continued. Ren finished in a respectable tenth place overall, which was perfect. Not high enough to draw unwanted attention, not low enough to seem incompetent.
During a brief break between tests, Ren found himself next to Inko at the water station.
It's now or never.
"Hey," he said casually while filling his bottle. "Were you always this strong?"
Inko almost dropped her bottle. Her green eyes widened slightly, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"W-what?" she stammered, completely losing the serene composure she had maintained all day.
Oh, this is perfect, Ren thought with amusement while maintaining his innocent expression.
***
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