Fatal and a man in all black are standing on the roof of U.A., they’re looking out at the horizon as the sun comes up.
Fatal:
The first day of classes for the next generation of heroes. This day always makes me feel hope. Remember our first day, Damien?
Damien:
Hope is a strong word to describe our first day. Being in the hero course means that everything about your education is different, and it wasn’t an easy ride.
Fatal:
Can't you just be cheerful for once? I hope these kids cherish the memories and friends they make during their time here. Some of the best friends I ever made were from our class.
Damien:
True, but they’re coming here to become heroes; making friends should come second.
Fatal:
I can’t believe they made you the teacher of 1-A. You’re going to make their lives hell, aren’t you?
Damien:
Only for the sake of teaching them how to become the best heroes they can be, we can’t be letting slouches through this program. You may disagree with my methods, but I’ll turn out the best crop of heroes this school has seen in a long time. Of course, only if they’re worthy of becoming true heroes.
Fatal:
That reminds me, how’s the class looking? I’m sure you had fun selecting your students.
Damien:
They're a lot stronger of a bunch than I've seen in the past; my first lesson is gonna have to knock them down a few pegs. I’m worried about their egos getting in the way of my teaching.
Fatal looks away from Damien.
Fatal:
Do you uh… have a kid in your class named Adam Hayze?
Damien:
Yes, why?
Fatal:
He’s… He’s like me; he manifested his quirk much later than usual.
Damien:
By later, do you mean a couple of months ago?
Fatal:
You didn’t need to be that blunt, but yes.
Damien:
He’s one of the ones I’m worried about being able to hack it in my class; I’m not going to help him learn how to use his quirk; I’ll guarantee you that. Hell, if he fails my test today, I might just expel him outright.
Fatal:
You can’t do that!
Damien:
Don’t worry. If what I’ve read about the kid in his entrance exam report is true, he should make the right choice today, but why do you care?
Fatal:
I- I found out about him and helped him train for the entrance exam. The little he knows about controlling his quirk is from me.
Damien:
Rachel, I’m not one to fail someone because I want to or derive pleasure from it, but from this point on, his success is in his own hands, don’t blame yourself if he screws things up for himself.
Fatal:
I know… you’re right. So, what’s this test you have planned?
A little later on, Hayze arrives at U.A. for his first day in his school uniform.
Hayze:
(Well, here we go; hopefully, things don't go too badly for me today… I haven't even taken my first step in U.A., and I'm already behind everyone else, I'll have to catch up quickly.)
Hayze enters U.A. and heads toward his classroom marked 1-A. He approaches the door and heads inside, where 19 kids have already arrived, and some are socializing with each other. One has small metal objects on each of his fingertips, one has wings like an angel, one has arms and legs that look like springs, a girl has a red plus sign on the palm of her left hand and a purple negative symbol on the palm of her right hand. One of the guys is wearing a large visor with a dial on the side, and one girl has slits in the back of her shirt. Aaron and Ashley are among the students. Aaron notices Hayze and walks over to him; he forces his friend to come too.
Aaron:
Hey Hayze, it’s nice to see you here; this is my friend Wes. *whispers* Sorry he smells so bad he refuses to take showers.
Wes:
I can hear you, you dick. Yes, I shower.
Hayze:
Uh, nice to meet you… I guess?
Aaron:
This is the guy who came up with our plan to get through the entrance exam; we saved every hostage. Wes’ team killed three Hayze, and guess who caused their deaths.
Wes:
Oh, come on! It’s not my fault a bullet perfectly ricocheted off my arm and went through the head of three different hostages!
Aaron:
I know, but it’s funnier to say it is.
Hayze:
Wait, so one bullet killed three hostages?
Wes:
Yes, it was just a terrible circumstance, and we still passed the test, so who cares.
Aaron:
It sounds like you do.
Wes:
Fuck you.
Damien walks into the classroom.
Damien:
Alright, take your seats. You should all know which one has been assigned to you.
Hayze takes his seat, as does everyone else in the class. Damien stands behind a podium at the front of the classroom.
Damien:
Welcome to your first day at U.A., and unfortunately, that's all the pleasantries I'll be giving you. My name is Damien Walker, but you'll call me Mr. Walker. You're all here to become heroes, and this school is world-renowned for its ability to produce some of the finest heroes in the business, so don't expect this to be easy, and don't expect us to allow anyone to slack off here. There are plenty of people that would gladly take your spot, so don't give me a reason to throw you out of here and replace you, got it? I'm sure some of you were expecting this to be all fun and games trying to become heroes together. Well, guess what, this is all serious, and I won't stand for anyone who makes a mockery of this establishment. I bet at least a couple of you were hoping this would be a nice easy first day to acclimate you to the new school and surroundings, right? Well, boy, are you in for a shock. All of you suit up in your gym uniforms and meet me outside by the track field in 15 minutes, understood?
Everyone looks surprised. A girl raises her hand.
Walker:
Your name’s Karma, right? What is it?
Karma:
Sir, we’re supposed to go to a welcoming assembly today. Are we just skipping that?
Walker:
I already welcomed you, didn’t I?
Karma:
Well… yes, but-
Walker gives Karma dagger eyes.
Karma:
Understood, sir.
Everyone stands up from their seats. Then, 15 minutes later, they all gather by the track field, with Mr. Walker standing in front of them.
Walker:
Alright, I’ve read up about each of your quirks; now you’re all going to show them off to me, introduce yourself, and give a demonstration, starting with you.
Walker points towards the boy with wings. He steps forward.
Angel:
My name is Angel Northcroft. My quirk is wings; I’m capable of taking flight and firing off feathers from my wings.
Walker:
Interesting, now show me.
Angel flaps his wings and takes flight leaving a cloud of dust in the faces of his classmates. Everyone looks up at him.
Angel:
Quill cascade!
Angel covers himself with his wings and begins spinning in a circle, firing off feathers in every direction.
Walker:
Seems useful, next.
Karma steps forward.
Karma:
I'm Karma Montgomery, my quirk lets me travel back in time 3 seconds or forward in time by 3 seconds, but if I overuse my quirk, I’ll become frozen in time and unable to move for a couple of minutes.
Karma accelerates herself three seconds into the future, so now she is standing next to Walker.
Walker:
Hm, next.
Aaron:
I’m Aaron Zamora; my quirk lets me make my forearms into weapons; as long as I understand how the gun is made, I can also do some tools.
Aaron molds his arms into rifles and fires them off.
Wes:
I'm Wes Zunino; my quirk lets me convert my body into mirrors that reflect any non-physical attack at times two power. If a part of my body that's a mirror shatters, that body part becomes useless for a short while in non-mirror form. If I tap an object or person, I can change it into a mirror surface that gets bigger the longer I hold my hand there; this mirror surface can’t break, though.
The skin on Wes’ right arm turns into a mirror surface.
Eve:
I’m Eve Avery. My palms have magnetic charges inside them. So if I touch you with my right hand, I give you a negative charge, and my left gives you a positive charge; it only lasts 5 minutes max, but you’ll be pulled towards people and objects of opposite charge and repelled away from people of the same charge.
Eve demonstrates by magnetizing two rocks to each other.
Blair:
I’m Blair Maddox; I can secrete lava from my pores. I don’t have a ton of control over the lava outside of the heat it exudes. However, I can also create volcanic rock by hardening the lava into magma, forming armor.
Blair forms volcanic rock on her fist.
Isaiah:
I'm Isaiah Ware; my quirk is Other Eyes. I can shift between different eye types using this visor on my head: Death Glare, Zoom, X-Ray, Heat, and Night Vision.
Isaiah uses his visor to rotate between his eye types.
Jake:
I’m Jake Kopech, I can teleport anywhere I can see, but if I do it too much, I’ll get really hungry.
Jake teleports back into the crowd.
Jace:
I’m Jace Neil; my legs and forearms are springs that let me bounce all around!
Jace springs himself hundreds of feet in the air.
Alexis:
I’m Alexis Meadows; I can manipulate paper into doing whatever I please.
A small origami bird flies onto her shoulder.
Gus:
I’m Gus Riggs, *coughs a lot* I can breathe out smoke.
Gus starts to breathe in.
Walker:
I don’t think we need a demonstration.
Gus:
Oh, okay.
Metal fingertips guy steps forward.
Demetri:
I'm Demetri Perish, and my quirk is Puppet Master; these metal things on my fingertips dispense strings that can attach to people and objects, making them my puppet.
Demetri attaches his strings to a tree and manipulates the branches.
Alden:
I'm Alden Taillon, the future number 1 hero! My quirk lets me grow my fingernails long!
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Walker:
That’s it?
Alden:
I know, it’s fantastic, right?
Walker:
Go back over there.
Alden:
But I didn’t-
Walker:
Did I stutter?
Alden walks back over, and another student steps forward.
Zach:
I’m Zach Crawford, and I can create Bone Claws from my knuckles.
Zach spurts out massive claws from his knuckles.
Aaron:
Wow, so it’s Alden’s quirk but better!
Alden:
WHAT! NO! THAT’S NOT FAIR!
The rest of the class present their quirks one at a time.
Kevin:
I’m Kevin Bohm. I can control the adrenaline in my body to fight harder and feel less pain, but the longer and higher I use the quirk, the more exhausted I’ll be.
Ashley:
I'm Ashley Wright, but call me Ash. I can make myself into an Astral Form that can't be seen, but my body will be abandoned in that time.
Lilith:
I'm Lilith Weber; I have wings that make me into a Butterfly. I can also shrink down to the size of a butterfly. I can also grow bigger, but I don’t really know how to do that right now.
Silver:
I’m Ryne Verdugo, but my nickname is Silver; I can secrete liquid silver from my body and do whatever I want with it. For example, I can grind it down into dust that I can manipulate in large bunches.
Justus:
I’m Justus Grey. I’m super durable and strong, that’s all.
Walker:
Alright, and lastly.
Hayze steps forward.
Hayze:
I'm Adam Hayze; I go by my last name, my quirk lets me power up with a different element and control that element's abilities; however, I-
Walker:
Alright, that went longer than I expected. We’ll have to cut you short here, Hayze.
Hayze:
I- alright.
Hayze walks over to the group.
Walker:
Okay, it’s time for your first test.
The group looks shocked.
Walker:
Don’t worry, it's not that hard unless you make it that way. Here’s how it goes: if you think you can injure me, please step forward.
They all hesitate.
Walker:
It's not that complicated. If you think you have what it takes to injure me, step forward.
Angel:
What happens if we don’t.
Walker:
Good question, the grading for this test is simple. You all have a C right now. Everyone who steps forward will work together to injure me; if they succeed, they all get A+'s, but they all get 0’s for this test if they fail. If you stay put, then your grade stays put. Now, I’ll say this one more time, if you think you can injure me, step forward now.
Alden steps forward, followed by Zach and Demetri. Aaron steps forward.
Wes:
*under his breath* Your funeral.
Aaron puts his hand behind Wes’ back and pushes him forward, causing him to trip and fall.
Walker:
Ah, very eager, I see.
Wes:
We’re gonna get our asses kicked on the first day. WHY WOULD YOU BRING ME INTO THIS!
Aaron:
Maybe we’ll lose, but I’d rather go down fighting than stand around and watch. Besides, I need my trusty teammate for some combination attacks.
Wes:
YOU JUST WANT TO USE ME AS A SCAPEGOAT!
Aaron:
I don’t see a problem.
Walker:
Alright, you five, come with me to the arena. The rest of you receive a C; head to the stands to watch.
At the arena, everyone takes a seat to watch the fight. Ashley sits next to Hayze.
Ashley:
Hey Hayze! It’s nice to see a familiar face on the first day!
Hayze:
Oh, hey Ashley, it’s nice to see you too.
Ashley:
Please, call me Ash now. It’s part of my new rebranding towards being a hero!
Hayze:
Oh, okay, Ash, I’ll try to get used to that.
Ash:
I’m a little surprised you didn’t want to try your hand at fighting Mr. Walker; you seem like you’re the type of guy to want to be a part of this stuff.
Hayze:
I would, but I don’t fully understand my quirk yet. If it was a one-on-one, I would have happily said yes even though I would end up losing. I’m just worried about holding the team back.
Ash:
Oh, I’m sure you would have been fine; I’m not surprised to see Aaron down there, though.
Hayze:
Yeah, he seems like a headstrong kind of guy; let’s see how he does.
Zach, Demetri, Wes, Aaron, and Alden stand in a circle around Mr. Walker. Each of them is about 15 yards away from him.
Walker:
Alright, the rules are simple; there are no rules. If you can injure me, you win; if you get knocked out, you're out. Now, on the count of three, we'll begin. 1… 2… 3!
Aaron turns his arm into a grenade launcher and fires at Walker. Walker raises his right arm; a small void opens up in the path of the grenade, it flies in, and the hole closes. Everyone looks on in shock.
Karma:
He just absorbed Aaron’s attack as if it were nothing!
Justus:
Impressive.
Walker smiles.
Walker:
I know you’re eager, but you’ll have to do better than that.
Zach runs at Walker. He winds back a punch.
Zach:
Take this!
Walker raises his right arm, a void opens up in front of Zach, and he goes right into it; it then closes behind him.
Aaron:
Damn, he can absorb people too!
Wes:
Can we just give up now… I don’t like where this is going.
Walker raises his left arm, a void opens up behind Wes; Wes looks back as Zach comes out. Zach’s punch connects with Wes knocking him to the ground.
Zach:
What the heck just happened! How did I get over here!
Aaron:
This must be his quirk! He made you run through a void and opened it up over here to make you punch Wes instead of him.
Wes:
*groans*
Zach helps Wes up.
Zach:
Sorry, man, I didn’t mean to hit you like that.
Wes:
It’s alright; I’m used to getting knocked around.
Zach:
We’ve got to work together on this one.
Alden charges at Walker with his nails fully sharpened.
Alden:
You’re going down!
Aaron:
Let’s see how he responds to this attack.
Walker kicks Alden in the nuts.
Alden:
*high pitched* NOOOOOO MY ONLY WEAKNESS!
Alden falls to the ground writhing in pain, holding his swollen nuts. Walker just stares at him for a second, then opens up a void below him. Alden falls into the hole; it closes behind him.
Aaron, Zach, and Wes:
…
Everyone in the stands looks dumbfounded.
Ash:
Is he gonna be okay?
Hayze:
No.
Aaron’s eyes narrow.
Aaron:
Okay, so we learned nothing from that other than that Alden sucks, so what’s the plan?
Zach:
I’m gonna charge him again; maybe he can only hold one person at a time?
Aaron:
Good idea, *turns his arm into a machine gun* I’ll give you cover.
Zach runs at Walker. Walker instantly opens up a portal below himself.
Zach:
Wh- where did he go?
A portal opens behind Zach.
Zach:
There you are!
Zach attacks the portal, but Alden falls out instead of Walker. Zach elbows him right in the nuts by mistake.
Alden:
*even more high pitched* NOOOOOOOOOOO!
Alden falls to the ground. The portal closes.
Zach:
Oh, crap, man, sorry about that!
Alden:
*high pitched* HELP ME!
While Zach is distracted, a portal opens behind him, Walker kicks him in the back, knocking him to the ground.
Zach:
*grunts*
Walker leaps out of his portal and closes it. He then opens a new portal below Zach, capturing him as the portal closes. A new portal opens above Demetri, Zach falls on top of him.
Demetri:
What the hell, man?
Zach:
Shoot! Mr. Walker is playing circles around us!
Demetri:
Get off me!
Zach stands up and helps Demetri up.
Demetri:
Alright, listen here, I’ve got a plan; I’ve been watching his movements, I think I know how to beat him.
Zach:
I’m listening.
Aaron and Wes are also strategizing. Walker stands in the center of the two pairs. Alden is still writhing in pain on the ground next to him.
Walker:
(Maybe they’ve figured out how to beat me, it’s not too hard, they just need to work together.)
Zach:
HEY, TEACH OVER HERE!
Zach extends his bone claws and charges at Walker.
Walker:
The same strategy again? Haven't you learned?
Walker opens up a portal in front of Zach, but this time Zach pulls back his punch and doesn’t run into it. Walker looks slightly surprised but not rattled. Zach runs past the portal as it starts closing and begins to fight with Walker. Walker blocks every one of Zach's attacks effortlessly. Walker attempts to make a counterattack, but Zach lunges back and avoids it.
Walker:
Your movements are less fluid, but you're able to pull back from my portals and attacks, unlike before. What changed?
Zach gives a cocky smile at Walker. Walker looks behind him to see that Demetri has been controlling Zach like a puppet.
Walker:
I see; Demetri can protect you from my attacks because he can make your movements much sharper on a marionette. Brilliant, but you forgot one thing.
Zach and Demetri:
Huh?
A portal opens up behind Demetri. Aaron’s grenade falls out and lands on the ground next to him.
Demetri:
What the hell! You still have that!
The grenade blows up, sending Demetri and, by extension, Zach flying through the air. Demetri smacks into the ground, unconscious. Zach lands on his back and tries to get up but can’t.
Zach:
Why can’t I move!
Zach notices that Demetri’s strings are still attached.
Walker:
You forgot that by attaching yourself to his strings, all I would need to do is take him out, and you’d become useless.
Zach:
Damnit! I still had some fight left in me too!
Walker punches Zach in the face knocking him out.
Walker:
Two down.
Suddenly a grenade rolls between Walker’s legs.
Walker:
(Just a smoke bomb, I’ll humor them.)
A smokescreen shrouds him.
Walker:
Nice move to attack while I was lecturing, but you’re mistaken if you think this will work out for you.
Aaron appears in front of Walker with his right arm transformed into a shotgun, he tries to shoot him, but Walker dodges it. However, Wes runs in and attempts to reflect the shot even stronger. Walker notices this and opens a portal beneath Wes, capturing him. The portal closes; Aaron’s shot whizzes by where Wes was supposed to be standing. The smoke clears.
Walker:
That was a good strategy, hiding in the smoke to try and make it so I couldn’t see your plan. Too bad I could see Wes through the shiny reflection he caused.
Aaron:
Dammit, Wes! He can’t do anything right! (I only have one move left in my arsenal now.)
Aaron retreats about 60 yards.
Aaron:
Sorry, teach, but this ends here!
All of the spectators are intrigued.
Justus:
(What could he be planning?)
Karma:
(This has to be really powerful, ranged attacks haven’t worked up to this point.)
Hayze:
(He must think this is a surefire thing if he’s announcing it to him.)
Aaron combines his arms; they mold together to form a howitzer cannon. Walker looks at him and smiles.
Aaron:
You’re smiling now, but you don’t stand a chance!
Aaron charges the attack in the cannon.
Aaron:
Let’s Go! HOWITZER BURST!
Aaron fires a blast larger than any of Walker’s voids. It makes a towering boom as it leaves the barrel and zooms straight at Walker.
Justus:
(The attack is too big; Mr. Walker can’t dream of teleporting it!)
Ash:
He’s not moving… Why isn’t he at least trying to dodge it?
Hayze:
Because a blast like that will injure you if you're even in the radius.
Ash:
So, Aaron wins?
Hayze:
Not exactly…
The blast continues toward Walker as Aaron watches with a confident look on his face. However, Walker opens up a portal… Wes comes falling out, still in his mirror form. Aaron’s face turns from confidence to shock as the blast is bounced off Wes and reflected right back at him with twice the power.
Aaron:
(Well… shit…)
The blast hits Aaron. He goes flying through the air before smacking against the ground, knocked out cold.
Justus:
(Well… I guess he shouldn’t have forgotten about his friend.)
Hayze:
(I knew it, whatever state you’re in when you enter the portal is what state you’re in when you leave it. That’s why Aaron’s original grenade lasted so long.)
Wes looks over at Aaron’s unconscious body. He reverts into his standard form.
Wes:
Well, I’m never gonna hear the end of that… At least I didn’t get beat up that badly…
Walker punches Wes in the face and knocks him out. Walker then approaches Alden, who is still writhing in pain on the ground.
Alden:
Please… don’t…
Walker kicks Alden in the balls; the pain knocks him out. A few seconds pass as the other class members look on in horror over the beating that Walker handed their classmates. Walker looks up at them all.
Walker:
Welcome to U.A.
