"Did he just copy my Quirk?!"
Itsuka's jaw dropped in astonishment as she watched the blond-haired boy in her class copy her Quirk during the grip strength test.
After her throwball attempt, VladKing started the Quirk Apprehension Test by measuring the students' grip strength.
Itsuka, with the ability to enlarge her hands, felt confident in all the tests so far. Thanks to her Quirk, Big Fist, she had the advantage in any physical strength test, an advantage that many of her classmates lacked.
She watched as some of her classmates struggled with the grip tester, barely scoring above average. Some even fumbled on their first attempt and scored low. Luckily, Vladking had no problem giving them at least three tries before they were told to move on to the next test.
It was also a chance for Itsuka to witness her classmates' Quirks in action.
The Big Fist user stood in awe, watching how everyone showcased their creativity when using their powers.
Setsuna, who could separate her body into pieces, used her detached arms as anchors to pull the grip tester from both sides, racking up an impressive score.
Yui shrank the device, significantly lowering the force needed to grip it. She then used a cord she had brought with her to pull the device, securing the highest score among everyone.
Some relied purely on strength, like Shishida, whom she assumed had a transformation-type Quirk, judging by how he bulked up while gripping the device.
However, what truly surprised her was the blond-haired boy named Monoma. He simply walked up, grabbed the grip tester, and shot her a smug look.
Itsuka was about to question him when, suddenly, Monoma's hand grew, just like hers when using Big Fist! He squeezed the device, scoring slightly lower than she had.
Itsuka's eyes widened at the sight of someone with a Quirk similar to hers.
"Sorry about that, Miss No.1," Monoma said as he approached her. "My Quirk is [Copy], and as the name suggests, I can copy any Quirk from someone I touch."
He lifted his hand, shaking it in front of her. Seeing this, Itsuka suddenly remembered that she had shaken his hand earlier.
"Sorry if I didn't ask for permission," he continued, "I have a habit of surprising people with their own Quirks."
Itsuka was about to say that it was no problem, but Monoma didn't give her the chance to speak.
"Though, I hope you don't hate me. Because of the nature of my Quirk, I tend to surpass the people whose Quirks I copy. It's just natural, after all analyzing Quirks and improving them is what I do best."
He flicked his hair back and smirked.
"So don't be surprised if your title as No.1 doesn't last long."
With that, the blond-haired boy walked past her and headed to the next test.
Itsuka frowned at Monoma's words. She was already used to his eccentric behavior, especially his frequent rants about surpassing Class 1-A and proving that Class 1-B was superior.
But she could also hear the sarcasm in his words.
Itsuka was used to being looked down upon by men she encountered during her martial arts training just because she was a girl. Over time, she had learned to recognize whether someone merely underestimated her or outright disliked her. And with Monoma, she sensed the latter.
She did not like the way he had worded things.
Still, she let it go for now. She had tests to complete before dealing with whatever problem he had with her. Taking a deep breath, she turned and lined up for the 50-meter dash.
---
"Haaah… Haaah… My side hurts so much," Kinoko panted, walking back shakily to Ibara after her sprint.
Her [Mushroom] Quirk was useless in physical tests, meaning she had no choice but to rely on her physical strength alone. As a result, she had pushed herself to the limit just to secure a decent score.
"Kinoko, here, drink this."
The mushroom girl let out a small 'eep' when vines coiled around her body, lifting her gently into a makeshift chair.
"T-Thank you, Ibara," she murmured, blushing as she accepted the water bottle from her friend.
"You're doing great, Kinoko. Compared to some of our classmates, you're holding your own pretty well," Ibara said as she sat beside her.
"I… I don't know about that, Ibara," Kinoko sighed. "My Quirk is useless in these tests. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with everyone."
She lowered the water bottle and slumped her shoulders.
She already knew she had gotten lucky during the practical exam her Quirk had been effective at short-circuiting the robots. But if that exam had been different, she was sure she wouldn't have made it.
"I think you're underestimating yourself too much, Kinoko," Ibara said. "You heard Ai earlier the reason some of us failed the practical exam was that they didn't work hard enough. The fact that you're here means your hard work paid off immensely."
Ibara glanced toward Ai, who was lining up for the 50-meter dash, and smiled warmly.
"Ai says a lot of stupid things," she giggled softly, covering her lips with her hand, "but he also knows what he's talking about. So if he says we deserve to be here in the Hero Course no matter what our Quirks are then we really do."
She turned back to Kinoko with a knowing smile.
"And I don't think your Quirk is as useless as you claim. Especially considering Ai spent an entire hour talking about how the three of us would survive a zombie apocalypse if we brought you with us."
Kinoko's eyes widened as she glanced at Ai. Coincidentally, Ai looked back at them at the same moment, flashing them a bright smile and waving enthusiastically.
Kinoko turned back to Ibara. "Did he really think that much of me?!"
Ibara nodded. "Yeah, he did. Actually, he already planned to name the kingdom we'll build in a zombie apocalypse after you since he says our survival will greatly depend on you."
Kinoko snorted at Ibara's words, which made Ibara snort as well. The two girls quickly burst into laughter.
Shortly after, Kinoko managed to compose herself, still chuckling as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"Your friend is amazing, Ibara."
Ibara smiled, gently taking Kinoko's hand.
"Our friend, Kinoko. I'd love for you to stay friends with Ai."
Kinoko nodded, assuring the vine-haired girl that she wanted to stay friends with both of them.
The two continued chatting, waiting for the remaining students to finish the 50-meter dash so they could move on to the next test.
"WOAH!"
"Spooky!"
"Dude, you look badass!"
"Those lines are manly!"
"A transformation Quirk, huh?"
Kinoko and Ibara's conversation was interrupted by an uproar from the other side of the training field. The sudden commotion made both girls turn their heads, curious about what was happening.
What they saw was the other students staring at Ai, whose skin had turned completely pitch black, with colorful lines running all over his body.
The now black-haired boy stood at the starting line of the 50-meter dash. He swung his hand, and a giant metallic-looking hand akin to a marionette's floated beside him, its fingers slowly opening.
The students nearby instinctively stepped back, startled by the floating appendage. Those seeing it for the first time let out amused gasps, while those who had witnessed it during the practical exam looked at the boy in realization.
Itsuka was reminded once again who Ai was and why she had wanted to talk to him since the end of the exam. That thought had slipped her mind with everything else he had done since then.
Ai stood atop the massive floating hand, steadying himself on its palm as he waited for the signal to start the race.
Vlad King observed him closely. This was the first time Ai had used his Quirk since the Quirk Apprehension Test began. Until now, he had relied solely on his physical strength.
The teacher raised his gun, signaling for Ai and Monoma to prepare.
Monoma crouched, ready to launch himself forward using Itsuka's [Big Fist] Quirk by pushing off the ground beneath him.
The blond-haired Copy Quirk user smirked at his opponent, studying Ai's flashy transformation and the massive floating hand.
"Interesting," Monoma thought, intrigued by both Ai's altered appearance and the giant appendage beside him. "It's only a matter of time before I learn everything about your Quirk. And when that happens, I'll use it better than you ever could. Just like I'll do with everyone else in this class just you wait."
He shifted his gaze toward the track, unaware that Ai had caught his subtle, icy glare. Ai chose to ignore it for now.
BANG!
The moment the starter pistol fired, both boys shot forward at incredible speed.
- Neito Monoma: 4.8 seconds
- Aino Itami: 1.6 seconds
The students erupted in excitement as Ai, riding his massive hand, zoomed across the field at breakneck speed.
Ai jumped off the floating hand, and the moment his feet touched the ground, his darkened skin and hair returned to their original color. The giant hand dissipated into the air like smoke.
"BRO, THAT WAS CRAZY FAST!"
"That was you?! The one who broke the city gate?!"
"Broke the what?"
"Spooky!"
"Bro, what's your Quirk? You looked freaking cool!"
Vlad King observed Ai as he ignored his classmates' questions and walked straight to his friend group. The teacher silently wondered to himself, What exactly is that boy's Quirk…?
"I-Ibara, t-that was Aino's Quirk! It looked so cool! What is it?" Kinoko asked excitedly after witnessing Ai use his abilities for the first time.
Ibara looked at her friend and smiled.
"Ai's Quirk is called [Gentle Palm]. As for how it works, you can just ask him." She pointed toward Ai, who was only a few steps away. "I'm sure he won't mind telling you what his quirk are, especially if you're the one asking, Kinoko."
Ibara stood up from her makeshift vine chair and walked toward the next test area.
"I'll leave you two for now. I want to finish the upper-body exercises quickly."
"O-Okay! I'll do them too, but first, I'll give Aino some water."
Ibara nodded and made her way toward Itsuka, likely to ask the orange-haired girl to be her partner for the next test.
"A-Aino, you can sit here."
Kinoko patted the empty space beside her, which Ai happily occupied.
She quickly stood up to grab a water bottle from a cooler few steps away from them and handed the cold drink to her friend.
"Thanks, Ki-chan." Ai popped the cap off and downed the water in one go.
"Hooo, that was refreshing. I just realized I haven't had a single drop of water since I ran here to U.A."
"Y-You need more?" Kinoko asked, fanning her flushed face with her hands, still not used to her new nickname.
"Nope, I'm good. Thanks." Ai tossed the empty bottle into a nearby trash can.
After a few seconds of silence, Kinoko tried to start a conversation to avoid the awkward quiet.
"S-So, A-Aino… You did really well in your run! What's your Quirk, anyway? You looked flashy using it"
Kinoko suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
She recognized the look on Ai's face.
It was the same expression she always had whenever someone asked about her [Mushroom] Quirk.
Then, she remembered what Ai had said earlier during the orientation "freaks like us."
Kinoko's eyes widened in realization as she saw the uncomfortable look on her friend's face.
"OH NO!" she mentally screamed.
End of Chapter 15