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The class buzzed with silence as they saw a half-dead-looking man lying on the floor, covered in a yellow sleeping bag, sipping a sachet drink.
"This is the hero course," the man said, unzipping the sleeping bag and standing up on his feet. "Okay, class, it took you guys eight seconds to quiet down. Time is limited."
"A teacher? Wait… then that means he's also a pro hero too?" Shin whispered to himself from his seat.
"What's a freak, old-looking, worn-out man doing here?" Bakugo barked from his seat, using his elbow to support his head on his desk.
"From today, I'll be your homeroom teacher—Aizawa Shouta. Nice to meet you, quacks," Aizawa spoke in a tired tone.
"Our homeroom teacher?!" the class exclaimed in shock.
Aizawa stretched his hands into the yellowish sleeping bag, pulling out a blue vest. "It's kind of sudden, but put this on and get your ass out onto the field." He distributed the vests to each student as he led the way to the field.
The walk to the field from the classroom was quite long, but it counted as a warm-up to loosen their muscles. When they arrived, they glanced around, seeing how huge the field was and how it was already marked for different sports.
"Today, you'll be doing a Quirk assessment test!" Aizawa Shouta muttered.
"A Quirk assessment test on the very first day?!" Mina exclaimed, feeling nervous.
"If you're going to become a hero, you don't have time to argue. Just do what you're asked."
"Yes, sir!"
"Bakugo! In junior high, what was your highest score for the softball throw?"
"Ehm… 67 meters," Bakugo said.
"Okay, then try doing it while using your Quirk. You can do whatever you want as long as you stay inside the circle. Give it all you've got."
Bakugo smirked, glancing at the ball in his hand as he loosened his shoulders and waist. "Then, I'll blast this ball to hell… DIE!!" he exclaimed, launching the ball with all his might using his Quirk.
'Does he have to shout 'die' before blasting the ball away?' Mineta thought to himself, wiping the sweat from his brow.
The ball flew miles before losing momentum and dropping to the ground. Aizawa checked the device in his hand, reading the distance the ball had traveled.
"705 meters," Aizawa announced, showing the device.
"705 meters, for real? That's awesome, bro," Kaminari declared.
"What's this? Looks fun!" Mina exclaimed, clasping her hands together.
"We can use our Quirks to the max as much as we want! As expected from the hero course!" Sero said.
"Looks fun, huh? You have three years to become full-fledged heroes. Will you keep that attitude the whole time?" Aizawa's tone turned serious. "Alright, since you're having so much fun, whoever comes in last place across all eight tests will be judged as having no potential and will be expelled." His voice deepened as a faint smile crept onto his face.
Huh?!
"Isn't that too harsh?" Mineta stammered, trembling nervously.
"Harsh, you say? Then come in last and experience expulsion on your very first day," Aizawa declared.
"Expulsion, huh? That's what's expected of the U.A. when you apply here," Shin clenched his fist, whispering to himself beside Midoriya, who looked pale.
"Welcome to the U.A. hero course! Go beyond. Plus Ultra." Aizawa scoffed, watching the seriousness settle onto their faces.
"Bring it on!" Bakugo snarled, determined to crush every competitor, unaware that he'd soon be rivaling several students for the top spot.
"First, we have the 50-meter dash," Aizawa instructed, pairing the students.
The first pair was Tsu and Iida, who took their positions at the starting line. The sound of the gunshot signaled the start, with Iida finishing first.
The tests continued until it was finally Shin's turn to race against Todoroki. A shiver ran down his spine as he stepped up to the line, standing beside the son of Japan's number two hero.
"On your mark! Set! Go!" Shin wasted no time, focusing half his strength into his legs and taking an early lead.
Todoroki's expression remained calm, as usual. He was known for being quiet and reserved, only paying attention to those he deemed his equals.
He activated his Quirk, ice surging from the ground as he leaped onto it, skating toward the finish line. But at the last second, he overtook Shin, winning by a mere 0.8 seconds.
"I won't lose to you next time," Shin declared, marking the start of a rivalry. Shin responded with the same words, panting heavily as he steadied his breath.
Aizawa wondered, still skeptical about how a boy with such a large build could move so fast without using a speed-based Quirk.
"That's it for the first test. Next up is the grip strength test," Aizawa muttered.
"Wow! 520 kilograms? What are you, a gorilla?" Sero exclaimed, approaching Shoji.
'I won't lose.' Shin picked up the grip machine, determined to test his strength. He wiped his hands on his vest and squeezed as hard as he could—640 kilograms. "Not bad."
"Next!"
Test three was the standing long jump, followed by repeated side steps and the remaining assessments.
After an hour of grueling tests, the results were in. The students' legs ached from exertion, and Aizawa's smirk sent chills down their spines—especially those fearing expulsion.
"Here's the recap of today's assessment," Aizawa announced, listing their names. "Todoroki, first place. Bakugo, second. Kirishima, third. Shin, fourth. Momo, fifth. Kaminari, sixth. Shoji, seventh. Mina, ninth. Sato, tenth. Ojiro, eleventh. Jiro, twelfth. Iida, thirteenth. Midoriya, fourteenth. Aoyama, fifteenth. Tsuyu, sixteenth. Tokoyami, seventeenth. Sero, eighteenth. Hagakure, nineteenth. And Mineta—last place."
"How'd I lose to this fatso?!" Mineta raged.
"Second, huh? Not bad Bakugo," Shin smiled.
"Don't you think so fasto. Hey ice freak, I won't lose to you next time." Bakugo grinned.
"Aizawa-sensei, what's going to happen to Mineta?" Iida asked.
"He's expelled," Aizawa said sternly.
Mineta's eyes widened in disbelief. He had worked so hard to get into U.A.'s hero course, only to be expelled on the first day? Unthinkable.
Trembling, he imagined breaking the news to his parents and friends who had believed in him. The thought was unbearable.
"Minoru Mineta, you're expelled from the hero course. Gather your things and leave U.A. immediately," Aizawa commanded.
"B-But you can't just expel me! You're not the principal!" Mineta protested weakly. His classmates quickly joined in.
"He's right! You can't expel him!" Uraraka said, though her voice shook with fear.
"I can't, you say?" Aizawa adjusted his white scarf. "Then are you willing to take his place?"
Silence.
"That's what I thought. Mineta Minoru, gather your things and head back to class. You're not expelled—it was a joke to push you all to your limits."
"Ehh?!"
"What a relief," Uraraka sighed, finally exhaling.
"Thank goodness," Midoriya muttered, his tension easing as he imagined explaining his failure to All Might and his mother.
The mood lightened instantly. Kirishima slung an arm around Bakugo, the girls giggled about the most handsome boys in class, and Shin grew curious about their conversation—until Kaminari and Sero playfully smacked him from behind.
"Didn't know you were that manly," Sero said.
"Seriously, dude, you were awesome out there. Had all the girls staring," Kaminari added.
"R-Really?" Shin's curiosity spiked.
"Man, promise me you'll leave some girls for me," Mineta chimed in, likely imagining something inappropriate.
"This is gonna be interesting…"
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