ISSUE # 4: Ready or Not
In a dark room at U.A., the faculty was examining the scores of the test.
"Check out the results from the first-place student." A male teacher said, looking at Bakugo's score of 86.
"Wow, he didn't even have Rescue. That's impressive." A female teacher replied in surprise.
"He took down those faux villains like an ace. When most of the other examinees were running from the big obstacle, he stayed focused on letting the smaller target get in close and then counter-attacking. That kid is tough." Another man stated.
The same woman then pointed to Wade's score and video feed. "On the opposite end, the first-place student had 85 villain points and lost them all to save another student, then gain back those points as Rescue Points. Even with that strange Quirk of his, he's truly impressive."
"He's not the first U.A. hopeful to take out that giant robot. Though, it's been a while since I saw someone blow it away with one attack. It's also possible that he has two Quirks, or that Quirk of his is insanely powerful."
"But at what cost?" Another teacher asked. "Did you see how badly he injured himself? If you ask me, it's like his body isn't used to his Quirk."
"Whatever it is." The woman said with a hint of admiration. "There's definitely more to this kid than meets the eye."
One thing was for sure, Wade had definitely caught the attention of one of the faculty who was leaning against the wall in the back: Shota Aizawa, a slender and tall man with messy, shoulder-length black hair that partially hung in front of his face and often half-opened black eyes. He was also looking quite pale, usually recognized for his worn-out appearance and often appearing as if he had just rolled out of bed. His facial hair remained unkempt, and his eyes almost always looked tired and flat.
And now, as he complained in his head about how loud the teachers were, his tired eyes were set on Wade Walker.
The night after receiving the acceptance letter, Wade ran down to Beach Park. He'd been able to finally get in touch with All Might and was told to meet him there so that the two could talk. The news of Takoba Beach Park being cleared of all its trash shocked much of the public. With the beach now returned to its once beautiful self, people are now saying it's the perfect place for dates.
When he arrived, the Pro Hero was standing on the beach and looking out at the vast ocean. So, he ran towards him. All Might heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see Wade "Hey, All Might!" He shouted as he approached.
When he called out his hero name, All Might got startled and blood squirted out of his mouth. "Too loud, kid!"
"All Might's here?" Said a voice off in the distance. Near them, there was a pier that stretched a little way out from the shore. Standing at the end of it and under the shade was a couple who heard Wade's exclaim.
"No way! Where?" The woman exclaimed with excitement.
This caused All Might to flinch and glared at Wade. "Way to blow my cover..." he hissed. "Say it was a mistake."
Wade realized what he meant and quickly waved to the people frantically. "No no no no! No All Might here!" He shouted, sweating nervously. "I was just playing around! See, only some kid and a stranger talking!" Wade immediately kicked himself mentally. 'Who in their right mind would say something like that?!'
"Lame."
"I wanted an autograph."
Apparently, they bought it and didn't look into Wade's claim a lot. Both he and All Might sighed in relief.
The deflated man then raised his hand up for a high-five. "Congrats on getting in, kid." He commended the boy.
"Well, I can't take all the credit," Wade said with a grin, giving All Might that high five.
"I beg to differ. I didn't tell anyone at U.A. that I've been training you or anything." All Might told him as he placed his hands into his pockets. His claim got him a puzzled look from Wade. "Really. I wasn't one of the judges, and I didn't pull any strings for ya. You earned your spot all on your own."
Wade's eyes widened with a grin appearing on his face. "Wow, thanks." He said and bowed his head. "I can't tell you how relieving that is." Wade then remembered the fact that All Might was going to be a teacher at U.A. Academy. "You said something about becoming a part of U.A.'s faculty. So, what made you decide to join? Isn't your agency in Minato, Tokyo?"
A little impressed that he knew that last part — but then again, who doesn't? —All Might turned and walked a few steps forward towards the sea. Staring out at it with his back facing Wade. "The school didn't want me telling anyone about the job until they made an official announcement. It seemed like fortuitous timing. An easy way to find someone new to inherit One-for-All."
Wade remembered back when the Pro Hero came to him after saving that one girl. All Might's been searching for a long time for his successor. That's when Wade put the pieces together. He was originally planning to pass One-for-All down to a U.A. student. He looked down and stared at the back of his right hand. There were two tiny dots that were there. These were the permanent marks of where the spider from the multiverse bit him. All Might wasn't looking for a person who had fate and destiny drop onto them. He was looking for someone who was strong. The best of the best.
Someone who already had a Quirk.
He must have really thrown a wrench into that plan.
"Your power completely wrecked my body," Wade responded to the Hero. "I know that I'm not used to it, but all I did was jump and throw one punch. Well, actually, I used Venom Blast with it." He looked up at the All Might, who was staring at him over his shoulder. "Still, how do I control it?"
Turning around to face him, All Might told him. "You'll learn to manage in time. Hoping to master it right away is like asking a baby to run a marathon. You still have to go through the process of learning how to walk."
The young teenager sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess you're…" Wade froze and stopped mid-sentence, slapping open his closed eyes in shock. "Wait a minute. You knew that I was going to get hurt that badly!?" He exclaimed loudly.
"Well…We were in a time crunch." All Might said sheepishly. "But it turned out alright."
"IN WHAT WAY IS BREAKING MY ARM AND LEGS ALRIGHT?!" Wade shouted comically with white eyes and sharp teeth.
"Well, now you know what you're dealing with." Wade stared at him in disbelief, before facepalming himself. "Right now, your secondary Quirk is either all or nothing." All Might reached down and picked up two small gas cans. "One day, you'll learn how to control your output. Then you'll be able to adjust exactly how much power you're using."
"So that's all I need? Control?" Wade inquired with a look of surprise
"You're overflowing with energy at the moment. With training, your body will hold it better. Once you do, you can also learn how to use your Spider-Quick along with it. Learn how to mix them together, instead of relying on one more than the other. Mix and fuse the two into one, singular power." All Might's body suddenly and instantly turned back into his musical self. "Make it your own power to command."
Wade stared at the Hero in wonder, before a look of determination formed.
"Look, it really is All Might!"
"No way! Where'd he come from?"
Unfortunately for All Might and Wade, the couple from before were still there. With his cover blown, All Might quickly said before taking off. "Right. Now we run!" Wade didn't need to be told twice, and followed the Pro Hero. Running beside him to get away from the fans.
As they ran, All Might glanced at Wade. The torch that he's passed on to him is but a small flame as of now. In time, that flame will be kindled, until the boy will be wielding a raging inferno. The more powerful he becomes, the more Spider-Man will outshine him. Eventually, All Might will retire. His job was complete. 'Hoo! Deep stuff, All Might.'
The spring season has come. April was finally here, and it was the morning of the first day of school.
"Wade, you're all set?" Inko asked. Both her and Wade were at the front door as the boy tied his shoes and prepared to head out for U.A.
"Yeah." He simply said, after tying the last shoes. Taking a few glances at his wrist to make sure that he had on the web-shooters. In his bag not only his school supplies, but also his costume and some web filters. The Spider-Man notebook was tucked away with it too, just in case there was something that required him to look back into it.
"Are you sure? You made sure that everything you're required to have is in there, right?" As always, Inko has the tendency to remind Wade he's not forgetting anything before leaving.
"I'm sure, Inko." Wade insisted with a sigh, before standing up and grabbing his bag beside him. "I've gotta go. I don't wanna be late." The boy opened the door when he heard her.
"Wade!"
He groaned and turned to face her. "What?"
Inko looked down with sad eyes, but with a happy smile. For a moment, Wade was positive that he wasn't looking at his friend and former babysitter. It was like over these past years and ten months, Inko has become his mother. He never even knew his real mother. Daniel told his son that after he was born, his mother didn't want to deal with taking care of a baby. So, one night she suddenly walked out on Wade and his father. Leaving just a simple letter explaining why she was leaving. It was a terrible truth, but Wade could honestly care less about his mom. If she really saw Wade as a hindrance, then he was glad to never have met her.
Inko then raised her head and looked at Wade. "I'm really proud of you, son."
Wade's eyes widened in shock as the word echoed through his mind.
Realizing what she was saying, Inko tried backtracking while freaking out. "Wait, what! No! I-I-I mean you're…you've been here—you've come so far! I just—I just wanted you to know how happy I am and to thank you! You've been like a son to me and—NO! WHAT AM I SAYING?!" But just when she burst into tears, something amazing happened that made her gasp.
Wade quickly ran and hugged her.
Smiling with his closed, Wade hugged the plump woman with a small tear leaking from his eye. "Thanks…mom."
Hearing him call her that made Inko start to lightly sob, as she hugged him back. She always dreamed she would be able to embrace her own son, but now her dream has become a reality. The hug between friends becoming a new family lasted for a moment before Wade pulled away from her. The two wiped away their tears, and Wade turned toward the door, opening it halfway before stopping, and looked back at Inko with a smile.
"I'll see you soon."
"Take care! Love you!" Inko bid farewell before Wade closed the door.
And on that day, not only did Wade begin a new relationship with Inko, but he also began his high school career.
After swinging through the city and making it to the U.A. Academy building, Wade entered the complex and started running towards his class. Unfortunately, he had no idea where he was heading, almost like he was getting lost because of how big the place was. He might as well consider himself lucky to even be in the school. The acceptance rate that year was just as it had been. One in 300. Four people got in because of recommendations, and 36 through the regular exams. Those that got in were split into two classes of 20 students each.
"Class 1-A…1-A…" Wade muttered to himself as he walked down the hallway. Realizing that his web-swinging got him there quickly, he decided that he didn't need to rush to class. But it was proving to be difficult to find his homeroom because they didn't provide maps to the students. "C'mon, how is anyone supposed to find…Oh! There it is!" He said after spotting the class number hanging up high near a door.
However, the door was huge! Standing way over what was normal.
Wade looked at it with a sweatdrop. "How…big are the people here?" He asked himself. Wade reached for the handle, but stopped himself. He looked up at the door again. "The most promising students in the country are waiting behind this door."
And then he thought back to both Bakugou and the serious guy with glasses.
"Which means that I'll be getting one of the two jackasses..." He groaned. Wade quickly shook his head to clean his negative thoughts. "Think positive, Wade. Maybe we're in different classes. I'm going to go into this room, everyone's going to be nice, and it's going to be great!"
And so, he opened the door.
"Take your feet off of that desk now!" Iida ordered Bakugo.
...Both in the same classroom as Wade...
"Huh?" Bakugo smugly asked, sitting at his desk with his legs kicked up onto the tab.
"It's the first day and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin!" Iida told him.
"You're kidding me, right?" Bakugo retorted with his ego really showing. "Your old school put a stick up your ass? Or were you born with it?"
Standing at the open door, Wade looked at the two with a small hunch forward and felt his right eye twitch. He then raised his head to look up. "God… What the hell?"
"Uh—" Iida was about to retort, but realized that it wouldn't solve their arguing and only dragged it out. So, he decided to use a more professorial approach. "Let's start over." He said, placing a hand over his heart. "I'm Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy."
"Somei, huh? So, you must think you're better than me. I'm gonna have fun tearin' you a new one."
'Five minutes after getting here and you're already starting shit,' Wade commented in his head. He looked at the other students around the room to see if there was anyone else that he could sit next to. Preferably someone who seemed nice. However, while looking around, there was one that instantly caught his eyes.
Iida gasped at Bakugo's violent nature. "You would threaten me? Your own classmate? Are you sure you're in the right place?"
Not paying attention to the argument, Wade's eyes widened. Thinking that they were playing a trick on him. But they weren't. Sitting in the far back of the room was the same girl saved, Momo Yaoyorozu.
"Momo?" He whispered to himself in wonder.
However, this got the attention of Bakugo and he started glaring at Wadw with all the hatred in his soul. "Huh?" When Iida saw the punk glaring at something at the door, he too looked behind and was then taken aback to see that boy from the practical exam. "It's him."
Soon all heads were turned to look at the newest person to walk in. Wade was quick to notice all of them staring at him. Many didn't know what to think of him, he sure didn't look like much. Wade gulped, and nervously grinned and waved. "Uh, hey."
At first, Momo was just sitting in the back looking in the opposite direction. With her head resting on his chin, she started to space out to avoid listening to Iida and Bakugo arguing. However, she was brought out of it when she heard someone arriving. His voice was so oddly…familiar? She couldn't put her finger on it. So, Momo turned her head to see who it was.
Momo gasped, her eyes widening, and her jaw dropped. It was him! The same boy who saved her from being raped!... Momo felt like grabbing her head in total frustration. 'He's the cute boy who saved your life! How could you not remember his name?!' He just really had one of those forgettable faces…wait, what was that other part?
"Good morning!" Iida said loudly. Wade looked back at him and saw the glasses-wearing marching towards him. "My name is Tenya Iida fro—"
"Y-Yeah, yeah, I heard that already," Wade said, not wanting to deal with the taller boy.
He was about to go sit at a desk before Iida stopped him by asking. "May I please know your name?"
Wade blinked in confusion, but figured that he might as well let Iida spit out whatever he had to say. "Wade Walker." He answered with a light scowl.
"Walker. Allow me to personally apologize," Iida announced with seriousness, this caused Wade to look at him in confusion. "I first underestimated you at the entrance exam, but I see that I was wrong. You realized that there was something more to the practical exam, didn't you?" Wade was still trying to process what the guy was saying. Since when has someone who's bothered him ever apologized? "You're not only powerful, but you must be very perceptive. I completely misjudged you, I admit. As a student, you're far superior to me."
Wade sweatdropped and looked at Iida sheepishly. "I…find that hard to believe." He said. While he had no idea about the purpose of the exam, it was nice to see Iida change his attitude and start being nice to him.
"Hey! I recognize that messed-up hair!" A familiar voice said. Wade turned and looked pleasantly surprised to see Ochaco standing behind him after entering the room. "Falling boy!"
"Um, my name is Wade." He said to correct her. But he had to admit, she looked great in the girl's uniform.
"You got in! Just like Present Mic said!" She said before swinging her arm up and down in a punching motion. "Makes sense, though! That punch was amazing!"
Wade blushed and scratched his head. "Right, well, thanks for speaking to him on my behalf."
"Huh? How'd you know about that." Ochaco asked. However, as he watched their conversation, Bakugo looked at Wade in disgust. His blood boiling with rage at the memory of what had happened after they got their acceptance letters.
[Flashback]
After being called to the front office of their old school, the two enemies stood before the principal, who started to praise them. "I can't believe we have not one, but two students from our school heading off to U.A.!" He said with a smile.
Wade glanced at Bakugou from the corner of his eye, knowing that this was going to cause a lot of trouble for him. He was hoping that the bully didn't have to know until they were actually at U.A., but now that wasn't the chance. "And you called us up here because?" Wade asked. For as long as he's known the principal, the guy never really liked Wade. Whenever Wade and Bakugo fought, he'd take the bully's side over his.
"Well, it's to congratulate the two of you, Wade," he said with a fake sincere smile. "It's still a surprise that you'd be going to U.A."
"Right." The young man of course didn't buy it.
Moments later, Wade was walking around the school to get to the exit while talking to himself. "He singled me out after all these years and now he's sucking up to me?" He groaned to himself. But then, suddenly, Wade's spider-sense blared, and he jumped back to avoid Bakugo attempting an ambush at him. Jumping out from a corner to Wade's right, Bakugo was trying to grab the other boy and then go on to force him to tell what he wanted to know.
Wade backed away a little and prepared for when Bakugou attacked him. "What'd you do to pass the exam, Walker?" He demanded, with small sparks crackling in his palms.
"I passed it by saving someone's life," Wade said, not really threatened by Bakugo's intimidation tactics. Wondering if, after all the times he's stood up to him, that the bully would come to realize that. But it looked like Wade was going to have to show him a little bit of his Spider-Quirk.
"CUT THE BULLSHIT, WALKER!" Bakugo roared out in fury. Wanting nothing more than to kill Wade. "You must've cheated somehow, right? I'm supposed to be the first and only student from this crappy school to get into U.A., but you had to go and screw that all up!"
"Tough break. Deal with it." Wade said with a scowl, before turning and walking away. He really wasn't in the mood to argue with the bully.
"DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!" Bakugo finally snapped and charged at him.
But Wade was ready once his spider senses went off. He quickly jumped up into the air before Bakugo could grab him with both hands. Wade quickly shot two web lines at his hands while Bakugo was distracted by his jump. By the time the bully realized that his hands were shucked together by the webbing, Wade landed behind him.
He then yanked back hard on the lines, causing Bakugo's fists to punch him right in the face. Dazed and in pain by the punch while trying to process what just happened, Bakugo fell over. Angry, he ripped the webbing apart and stood up. Looking around for Wade so that he could blow him to pieces Bakugo was surprised to find him nowhere.
"Looking for me?" Bakugo spun around towards the sound of the voice, only to be shocked upon seeing him sticking high up on the wall of the school.
"How did you…?"
"Someone I look up to told me that I can become a Hero," Wade stated, as Bakugo could only stand there. "Things have changed, Bakugo. That's why I've applied, and that's why I'm going. And like it or not, you can't stop me!"
Wade then used camouflage and disappeared, shocking Bakugo even more.
[Flashback ends]
Wade getting the second spot in the exam only made Bakugo's fury grow, and he was now a ticking time bomb. Ever since that day, just the thought of what Wade was able to do made Bakugo want to jump out of his seat and attack the boy. He couldn't understand what had just happened. Was it all some trick? There was no way that Walker could have a Quirk. It's impossible! He continued to glare in disgust at Wade as he talked to the girl, promising himself that he would ruin him. Right after he figured out how he did get that Quirk.
"What do you think we're doing today besides orientation?" Ochako asked, who was super excited. Wade was just standing there and listening to her talk on and on. He didn't mind listening, but he would like to take a seat before the teacher came. "I wonder what our teachers are like. I can't wait to meet everybody!"
"Well, your guess is as good as mine. I—HOLY FUCK!" Wade suddenly yelled, startling most of the students, when he looked down. Appearing out of nowhere on the floor, behind Ochaco was Aizawa. Looking up at him, Ochaco, and Iida with creepily tired eyes while almost inside a yellow sleeping bag.
"If you're here to just make friends then you can pack up your stuff now." He told them with a tired tone.
Ochaco heard his voice and turned her head to look over her shoulder. Just like everyone else, when she saw the man, she was freaked out and whimpered a little.
"Welcome to U.A.'s Hero Course." He said, before unzipping the sleeping bag a little to get out a juice box, which he sucked dry.
All in the classroom gasped in terror at the sight of him. 'What is that thing?!'
Aizawa then stood up and started to get out of the sleeping bag. "It took eight seconds before you all shut up. That's not gonna work. Time is precious." He told them, letting the bag slip off his body and stepping out of it. "Rational students would understand that."
Wade looked confused and he wasn't the only one. Who the heck was this guy? Surely if he's here, then he's got to be a Pro of some kind. But the way he looked so worn out made him think otherwise. What's his deal?
Aizawa then turned to the rest of the class. "Hello, I'm Shota Aizawa. Your teacher."
'He's our teacher?!'
Aizawa reached into his sleeping bag and started digging around in it. "Right, let's get to it." He said before pulling out a blue workout clothing with red and white strips. "Put these on and head outside."
"Huh?" The students blinked in confusion. Little did they know was that U.A.'s course doesn't follow the normal academic path.
If they get the wrong homeroom teacher, then their lives are hell.
"What? A Quirk assessment test?" The student all asked out loud. After putting on the school's workout clothing, they were then led outside by Aizawa and taken to the school's sports field. Afterwards, they were all told that they were going to be taking an assessment test that'll be based on their Quirks.
"But the orientation!" Ochaco protested to Aizawa, who stood before them with his back turned towards them. "We're gonna miss it!"
"If you really wanna make the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies," Aizawa told her, getting gasps from the students. "Here at U.A., we're not tethered to traditions." He looked over his shoulder at them. "That means that I run my class however I see fit."
This caused some to be perplexed, as they started to become concerned about what he might do for them.
"You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives," Aizawa said, before holding up the screen that showed a list of exercises and events. He wanted to make sure that what he was saying got to them. "But you never got to use your Quirks in physical exams before. The country's still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn." He then turned to Bakugo. "Bakugo, you got first place in the entrance exam. What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in Junior High?"
"Sixty-seven meters, I think," Bakugo said, acting like he doesn't care about anything.
"Right. Try doing it with your Quirk." The class watched as Bakugo walked over to an area on the field that was similar to a shot-put field. He stood in the center of the circle. Aizawa then tossed him a mechanical ball. "Anything goes, just stay in the circle. Go on. You're wasting our time."
Bakugo looked bored, but complied. "All right, man, you asked for it." He said nonchalantly, stretching his arm that'll be used to throw. When he was done, he got ready to throw. He figured he'd add a little heat to his pitch. That'll get their jaws to drop.
He brought his arm back, and….
"DIE!" Throw the ball with a large explosion that added to the ball's speed. Sending it flying with a fiery bang. The students watched as the ball rocketed into the air at great speed.
"Holy shit..." Wade muttered. Since when was Bakugo that powerful?
"All of you need to know about your maximum capabilities," Aizawa told the class, watching the ball fly into the air before losing momentum. Once it hit the ground, the teacher looked at his phone. He then turned to the others. "It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a Pro Hero." He then showed them the screen.
On it, the students were beyond shock to see that Bakugo threw the ball over 705.2 meters.
"Whoa, 705 meters, are you kidding me?" A student with blond hair said in disbelief.
"I wanna go next! That looks like fun!" The pink-skinned girl said in excitement.
I kid you not.
"This is what I'm talkin' about, usin' our Quirks as much as we want!" The boy with spiky red hair exclaimed.
However, as the other students were getting excited, one look at the teacher and Wade knew that this wasn't going to be fun. He had an idea of what this was really about, and hoped it wasn't true.
"So, this looks fun to you, huh?" asked Aizawa in a dangerous tone. This got the others to abandon their eagerness. "You have three years here to become a Hero. You think it's all gonna be games and playtime?" Wade gulped and felt a shiver down his spine when a small grin spread on the teacher's lips. "Idiots. Today you'll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none, and will be expelled immediately."
This shocked the students immediately. Wade understood what he was doing. Weeding out the weak and knowing who was the strongest. But immediate expulsion? Eight tests? This wasn't good. He couldn't regulate One-for-All yet, and could only use zero or 100 percent of it. That meant he not only had to keep himself from accidentally using it, but to only rely on his Spider-Quirk.
Wait, his Spider-Quirk! According to the Spider-Man notebook, his powers didn't just give him a healing factor, but also extreme durability. He was able to take blows that would kill a normal person. But then again, he had his arm and legs shatter in the practical. But it could have been that he not only used a large majority of his arm and legs, but also used Venom Blast. That could be why he suffered from using One-for-All. And his healing factor was strong enough to heal him from serious injuries—even gunshots. So that begged the question; if Recovery Girl wasn't around to heal him, would his arm and legs have healed on their own at just a longer period of time?
All Might said that he can control One-for-All. He just had to feel it, reduce its power so that he didn't cause that body break result. And if that was the case, could he use a small portion of his limbs, like his toes or fingers, would his durability hold up? And if it didn't, would the injury heal much faster?
"As I said, I get to decide how this class run," said Aizawa, snapping Wade out of his thoughts. Aizawa pushed the front bangs of his hair up, so that he was looking at his "students" with both eyes. "You understand? If that's a problem, you can head home right now."
That was how it was. On the first day of school and they were given a huge test. Wade wanted to put his theory to the test, but he couldn't risk it. If it turned out his endurance or his healing factor weren't going to keep him from breaking himself when using One-for-All with small areas of his body, then he was out of there on the first test.
So, he had to push not only his body, but his Spider-Quirk to the absolute limit.
"You can't send one of us home!" Ochaco protested to the teacher. "I mean, we just got here! Even if it wasn't the first day, that isn't fair!"
"Oh, and you think natural disasters are?" Aizawa retorted, leaving her speechless. Wade's mind flashed back to that fateful day. He remembered not only his dad, but Bakugo being used as its host. "Or power-hungry villains? Hm? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe out whole cities? No, the world is full of unfairness. It's a Hero's job to try to combat that unfairness. If you wanna be a Pro, you're gonna have to push yourselves to the brink. For the next three years, U.A. will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. So, go beyond. Plus Ultra-style."
He then made a "come here" gesture with his figure. "Show me it's no mistake that you're here." He told them, earning gasps from all the students.
Iida reached to his side, pulled out a bottle of water, and started to drink from it. He didn't approve of this kind of hazing, but there's a reason why U.A.'s the top Hero program. So, he had no choice.
Bakugo was confident of an easy win. Ready to blow away all those who he viewed as lesser than him.
Ochaco looked determined to make it.
Wade was conflicted, but knew that if he was going to make it and keep his body intact, then he's determined to push himself to the breaking point.
"Now then. We're just wasting time by talking. Let the games begin."
Test 1: 50-meter dash
[Runners, on your marks,] Said a measuring robot at the end of the track.
The first two up were Iida and a girl who has frog-like features on her face.
[Ready-]
Iida and the girl got ready. The machine then made a gunshot sound, and the two were off. Iida was running at extreme speeds, and was able to cross the finish line first.
[3.04 seconds.]
Then the frog girl then came in behind.
[5.58 seconds.]
Iida stopped and looked back. At 50 meters, he could only get up to third gear. This was because of his Quirk: Engine. This power gave Iida engine-like protrusions on the back of his legs that allowed him to move at extraordinary speeds.
"Well, he's definitely in his element." commented Aizawa, "But speed won't help him in every test."
The girl Iida raced looked back, with her long tongue sticking out. This was Tsuyu Asui. She was a short girl with long, dark sea-green hair, which she tied in a bow on her back, very wide eyes with pure black irises, and distinctive lower eyelashes. Much like a frog, she also had a wide mouth.
"I'll lighten up my clothes," said Ochaco, while touching her shirt with her fingertips that flashed pink. "Oh, and my shoes, too!" She then reached down to touch her shoes. As Wade remembered, her Quirk was Zero Gravity, which gave Ochaco the ability to make objects unaffected by gravity through touch. However, if she used it too much, it'll cause nausea.
When she took the test against another student, she got a score of 7.5 seconds.
Ochaco placed her fingers together and canceled her ability. At least she was faster than her best time in junior high.
Now that one kid from Wade's practical exam, Aoyama, was up. Racing against the pink-skinned girl.
"Nice attempts, mon amis." Aoyama said, before confusing the girl by turning around. "But you're just not showing enough panache." When the gunshot went off, the girl took off, but Aoyama instead leaped up. He then fired her laser, sending him flying down the track. This was his Quirk; Navel Laser. This gave the blonde the ability to fire a sparkly laser beam from his navel.
However, he wasn't able to keep in the air for long, as the laser shorted out. Causing him to fall on his back. As the pink girl passed him, Aoyama got up and shot himself towards the finish line. Giving him a score of 5.5 seconds.
"Hm. Shooting my beautiful beam for more than a second hurts my tummy," he told the others as if it was something special and they need to concern themselves with it.
What a tool.
For Aizawa, testing the upper limits of their powers helped him assess their room for growth. It becomes clear what they can and can't do. Showing their true potential. Looking at the next two to go up, he saw that it was Wade and Bakugo. If he could take down a giant robot, then it was time to see what this boy's Quirk can really do.
Wade and Bakugo walked up to the track. With Bakugo close to him and with the heat coming off his body from his rage, the Spider-Man boy was nervous about him suddenly lashing out at him. But he couldn't let those fears cloud him from his goal. It was also kind of strange. He has made Bakugo mad in the past, but he's never been this mad.
One thing he did know was that Bakugo wasn't one to play fair and would take this test to try and attack him. But Wade's Spider-Quirk just might be his saving grace. In the notebook Peter Park gave him, his powers also granted him impressive feats of speeds, especially in parkour. It could take Wade five seconds to cross two miles.
All he needed to do was go full speed.
[Runners, on your marks.]
Wade and Bakugo got ready. The gunshot went off and Wade bolted down the track. Passing Bakugo easily, who angrily started getting creative and used his ExplosionQuirk to catch up and past Wade. But it was too late.
Wade had crossed the finish line.
[2.9 seconds]
As Wade came to a stop, all eyes were now on him. As Wade panted a little and looked back at the machine with wide-eyed wonder, the other students were amazed to see that scrawny looking boy beat Iida's speed Quirk time.
"Holy shit! Did you see how manly that was!" Said a boy with spiky red hair.
"He beat my time!?" Iida looked with amazement. "I knew I truly have underestimated Walker's potential!"
"That was super cool!" Exclaimed the pink girl and Ochaco.
"What kind of Quirk does Wade possess?" Momo whispered to her. Even after all this time after he saved her, she couldn't figure out what the boy's Quirk was.
The only one that wasn't impressed was Bakugo. In fact, he stared at Wade in disbelief. How? His power had more uses than anyone else's in this school. How could he have lost to someone who was supposed to be weak, pathetic, and most of all Quirkless? Bakugo gridded his teeth in fury. After this, he was going to beat Wade until he would give an explanation.
As for Wade, it wasn't over. There were still seven tests left to go. Everyone's gonna be using their Quirks on all of them and he wanted great results like them, then he couldn't stop.
He looked at Aizawa. The man didn't look all too impressed.
He was definitely going to be a tough nut to crack.
Test 2: Grip Strength
The grip strength was held in the gymnasium. While almost everyone had a difficult time proving they have a strong grip, one of them reached the score of 540 kilograms. This student was Shoji Mezo. A tall muscular young man with pale grey hair swept forwards and bent downwards, covering most of his face, and wore a blue mask. With three of his six arms on the grip, he managed to get a high score, surprising the rest of the class.
"Amazing! Are you some kind of a gorilla?! No, wait, an octopus!" A boy with spiky chin-length hair exclaimed.
However, Wade had once again shown his Spider-Quirk's strength to the rest of the class. When he was next, he crushed that score with about 10 tones of force! He was even close to breaking the device's handle.
Test 3: Standing Long Jump
Aoyama flew past the measuring robot, flying over the sandbox. Then Bakugo was up, and he used his explosive powers to get him over the sandbox. And Wade was able to make it all the way across the sandbox and a few feet away from it. He landed with a roll and sighed. This was great! He felt taking on anything that the school had to throw at him.
Test 4: Repeated Side Steps
A short boy with grape-like hair used his Pop Off quirk to produce a couple of grape-like spheres and used them to bounce off them for this test. The only one who could match him was Wade with his spider reflexes.
Test 5: Ball Throw
Now it was back to the ball-tossing test. Ochaco was up next. To get the most out of her performance, she used her ability on the softball. Afterwards, she threw the ball up into the air with an underpowered toss. However, the ball floated up into the air. For about a few seconds, everyone watched as it disappeared from sight.
Aizawa showed everyone the score: infinity.
"Infinity!?" The other students exclaimed in shock.
Wade looked amazed as well. That was a really useful Quirk. So far, he's been dominating the tests with his Spider-Quirk. Some were even starting to question what kind of Quirk he had that made him so seemingly overpowered. But then again, even though spiders were small creatures, they were incredible killers in the wild for a reason. With all that in him, there wasn't a doubt that he'd be ranking high scores.
Now it was Wade's turn. He grabbed the softball and looked at it for a moment. After this, all that was left was the distance run, sit-ups, and finally the seated toe touch. Perhaps it was time to test his theory. He'll use one for all in his finger, hoping that it'll take the power and heal quickly.
"Walker's been excelling in almost all of these tests," Iida said, as he stood next to Ochaco, Momo, and a very pissed off Bakugo. "I wonder what this score will be for this one."
"He's not going to get any really!" Bakugo snapped at him. "Because that Quirkless prick is cheating!"
Iida, Ochaco, and Momo looked surprised at him. "How can you say he doesn't have a Quirk?" The guy with the glasses asked in confusion. "And I for one don't think he cheated during the entrance exam with what he was able to do."
"Huh?"
However, as they bickered, Aizawa focused only on Wade. This was it.
Wade took in a deep breath before exhaling. This was it. Now or never. Inko believed in him. All Might believed in him. He was going to make them proud.
Wade brought his arm back, channeled One-for-All into his finger. He then swung his arm forward and threw the ball.
[92 meters!]
"Huh? Wade looked at the ball in confusion, before looking at his hand. That was over 100 yards, and while the throw was very impressive, it should have been much more than that. Especially with One for All. "What the hell just happened? It should have worked!"
"That's because I erased your Quirk," Aizawa said from behind. His tone carried a dangerous tone that sent a shiver down Wade's spine. Something was wrong, why wasn't his spider senses going off?
He looked back and gasped, as his eyes widened.
The scarf that Aizawa had on was floating and unraveling, revealing a pair of yellow goggles underneath. But not only that. His eyes were glowing in a bright red color and his hair stood upwards. "I was there with the judges, you know. I saw your performance during that ridiculous entrance exam. But now that you're in this school, you're holding back."
This shocked the other students.
"Wait… Holding back? Just how powerful is this guy?!" The blond-haired student shouted in disbelief.
Wade was trying to figure out just what he meant by his first statement. However, when he looked at those goggles, the boy suddenly realized. Aizawa was the Erasure Hero; Eraser Head. His Quirk allowed him to look at someone and cancel out their powers.
No one's really heard of him because he's never really been in the spotlight of the media. This was because he viewed it as a waste of time and interfered with Hero's work. It also doesn't help that he judges celebrity Heroes.
"Tell me, Wade Walker, what is your power?" Aizawa demanded. This got everyone who also wanted to know to listen carefully.
Wade gulped. "Spider, sir. I'm able to do anything a spider can do, along with some additional abilities." He said, though he couldn't help but feel nervous.
"And yet you were able to take down a giant robot with a single punch tells me that you either have two Quirks, with one that you're unable to control, or you're holding back your Spider-Quirk in this test. If it's the latter, then know that you're insulting not only me, but for what this school stands for."
"N-No, I was trying to do that, sir!" Wade said and would have continued, but Aizawa suddenly threw his scarf at Wade. Grabbing him and pulling the boy close to him.
"I don't really care about what you're trying to do, but know that it could have caused an inconvenience to those around you," Aizawa scolded Wade. "You have the same reckless passion as another overzealous Hero I know. One who saved 1,000 people by himself and became a legend. But even with that drive, think about this; you're up against a villain that any of your other abilities cannot defeat. You're worthless if you can only throw a single punch before breaking down."
Aizawa then turned towards all the students while Wade was still being wrapped up in his scarf. Meanwhile, as he listened to every word, Bakugo's anger raised. If this kept up, he may not want to wait for the end of the day to get answers from Wade.
"For the sake of time, we're canceling all other tests. Instead, Walker here is going to redo everything at his full power. If he wants to prove himself worthy of being a Hero, he'll be doing it in front of every one of you." Aizawa then looked at Wade with a glare. "And if he refuses, then he'll be saying goodbye to U.A."
Wade remained completely stunned and speechless. While he may have disagreed with Aizawa with what made a Hero, he understood that had no choice. He was going to have to put his plan into action.
He was released and then began sprinting over to the track. All eyes were on him now.
Once he reached the starting line, Wade got into position to sprint. This was his only shot of staying at the school. He focused the power into the tip of his big toes.
[Ready—bang!]
Wade launched himself forward using One-for-All, sending himself sprinting down the track at ridiculous speeds. Before long, he crossed the finish line. Wade then tried coming to a stop, scraping against the rough ground as he slowed down from his momentum with his arms stretching back, unintentionally striking a pose that made him look cool.
[1.35 seconds]
This shocked everyone that their jaws fell down to the ground. Aizawa was also speechless and dropped his phone. He quickly recovered from his shock when Wade winched in pain, looking down at his feet and holding one up before switching to the other. It wasn't as painful when he saved Ochaco, but it felt like his bones did snap or at least had a fracture.
He held his feet for about three seconds and the pain was gone. Wade looked down and placed both feet on the ground and stood on his toes. His big toes still hurt, but he could move them.
It worked! His Spider-Quirk saved him!
Wade chuckled a little bit and ran over to Aizawa. While the teacher wasn't too sure why the boy was happy and was a little annoyed with it, he decided to just get the rest of the tests over with.
When the Spider-Man approached him with a look of determination, Aizawa handed him the grip strength machine. Without even needing to be told twice, Wade caught it and started gripping it with all the strength he could muster. He then focused One-for-All into his thumb.
The result was him crushing the machine into pieces. Not what he wanted to happen, but it was still a win.
All the other students looked at Wade in shock and disbelief. He was impressive just a moment ago. But now, Wade was a monster!
He passed through both the jumping and sidestepping tests. Out of everyone he's seen today, Aizawa continued to be amazed by Wade Walker's performance. Was he using his full powers? He had to have been. But then how come he wasn't broken? He was concentrating his power into small parts of his body, but there was something else to it.
Wade limped over to the last test; the softball test. His bones felt like they were going to shatter, and he didn't know if his durability would last him very long.
He shot a web line at the softball he threw and yanked it back to him, catching it with his hand. He concentrated One-for-All into his right index finger. Knowing that wasn't going to be enough to keep him here or to satisfy Aizawa, Wade changed a Venom Blast.
"SMAAAAASH!" Wade yelled as he threw, sending the ball flying faster than anyone was able to, with electrical sparks shooting around. His hand was hurting, but it wasn't as bad as before.
The ball went straight to the sky with an incredible speed until it was gone. Aizawa looked at his phone. 3702.4 meters! All the students heard the score when the teacher announced and were, once again, amazed and speechless by the raw power that the Spider-Quirk granted the plan-looking and somewhat scrawny boy. However, the only one who wasn't happy to see his performance was Bakugo, who was absolutely livid that he refused to believe Wade would be capable of doing those things.
"My Spider-Quirk gives me a healing factor, Mr. Aizawa." Wade stated, getting the teacher's attention. "It also allows me to take blows to the body that would normally kill me." Wade looked at his hand and clenched his fist. It hurt like hell, but he gave Aizawa a determined, albeit slightly strained grin. "You're not getting rid of me, anytime soon."
In return, Aizawa grinned a little. "This kid..."
Unbeknownst to the class, All Might was hiding behind a corner of the gymnasium building and saw the whole thing. Seeing that Wade was going to get Aizawa as his homeroom teacher, he became worried about him and rushed over to see for himself. But it turned out, the young man was doing much better than he could've even imagined. He knew he had to use One-for-All, but he was able to find a way to concentrate into didn't parts of his body, while also using his Spider-Quirk along with it.
His durability minimizes the injury to his body while maximizing his performance, then allowing his body to heal itself.
All Might could only ask himself one question: Was he always this cool?