***
Out on the field, the class was buzzing with a mix of excitement and nervous energy.
Aizawa made it clear this wasn't a game. Someone would be expelled.
Kaito's mind was racing. This was a nightmare scenario.
His Quirk was at its absolute weakest here. He only had two slots. One was empty. The other…
He glanced at Uraraka.
He'd overwritten Iida's Engine with a different Quirk after the exam, deeming it too destructive on his body.
His only stored Quirk now was Zero Gravity. It was useful, but highly situational.
He needed another one. Fast.
The tests began. The ball throw was first.
Everyone was showing off incredible power. Bakugo's explosion scored over 700 meters. When it was Midoriya's turn, Aizawa stepped in, and a terrifying tension filled the air.
The teacher could erase Quirks. Kaito filed that information away. Aizawa. Erasure. Extreme threat. Avoid eye contact.
Midoriya, under threat of expulsion, threw the ball using only his raw strength, scoring a pitiful 46 meters.
Aizawa's point was made. But Kaito saw something else. The boy had shattered his finger.
His Quirk broke his body. It was a level of self-destructive power that made Iida's Engine look tame.
'Too risky to copy. Archive that one as 'Do Not Touch,' Kaito thought.
Then it was his turn. He stepped into the circle. He had one Quirk. He had to make it count.
He took the ball. He focused, and the familiar nausea of activation washed over him. He tapped the ball with all five fingers.
"Release."
The ball's weight vanished. He didn't throw it. He simply… let it go.
It didn't fall. It hung in the air for a moment, before beginning a slow, steady ascent into the sky, carried by the gentlest of breezes.
Aizawa raised his device.
"...Infinity."
A murmur ran through the class. Uraraka gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
"He… he can use my Quirk?"
Kaito ignored them, his eyes on Aizawa. The teacher's expression was unreadable.
"An interesting application, Sōma," Aizawa said, his voice flat. "But that's not your Quirk, is it?"
Kaito shook his head.
"No, sir. It's Uraraka's."
"And how long can you maintain it?"
"The effect is permanent until I release it or touch the object again. But I can only hold the sensation for about eight more minutes. Then the strain becomes too much, and I'll lose access to it until I rest."
Aizawa's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So you're a copycat."
The word hung in the air, heavy and derogatory.
Bakugo snorted derisively.
Kaito met his teacher's gaze, his grey eyes sharp.
"No, sir. I'm an archivist. There's a difference."
Aizawa didn't reply, just motioned for the next student.
The rest of the tests were a brutal exercise in strategy.
For the grip strength test, Zero Gravity was useless. He scored average. For the seated toe-touch, also useless. Average.
For the 50-meter dash, he had nothing. He just ran, scoring a respectable but unremarkable 6.2 seconds.
Iida blazed past him with a 3.0, and Bakugo used his explosions to propel himself to a 4.1.
Kaito watched them, his mind cataloging everything.
During the side-steps, a girl with pink skin and hair, Ashido, skated around on a slick of acid. It was a mobility Quirk. Perfect.
As they switched activities, he maneuvered himself next to her.
"Hey," he said, his voice a low, quick murmur. "Ashido, right? That acid is amazing. How does it work? Do you control its viscosity?"
She beamed, thrilled by the praise.
"Yeah! I can make it super slippery or super sticky! Watch!" She demonstrated, creating a small puddle that she slid on.
"Wow, can I see?" Kaito asked, offering his hand as if to help her balance.
The moment her skin touched his, the timer started in his head.
Three… four… five. He let go.
"Thanks! That's really cool!"
He now had Acid in his second slot, overwriting the useless-for-this Zero Gravity.
He felt a new, acidic sensation burning in the back of his throat, a sensation he quickly suppressed.
For the distance run, he didn't use it. He saved it.
The final event was the standing long jump. Everyone was using their Quirks to cross the sand pit.
Bakugo exploded over it. Todoroki created an ice path. When it was Kaito's turn, he focused.
He didn't create a slide. Instead, he pointed a finger at the sand just in front of the launch line and released a small, controlled stream of high-viscosity acid.
It hit the sand and solidified instantly, creating a hard, springy platform.
He jumped onto it, and the resulting bounce launched him far further than his natural strength ever could.
He landed neatly in the sand, well past the average mark.
Aizawa looked at his final results. Kaito had ended up… 12th place. Solidly in the middle of the pack. Not remarkable, but not last.
He looked at the boy with the broken Quirk, Midoriya, who was dead last and pale with fear.
Aizawa held his gaze for a long moment before announcing that the expulsion threat was a logical ruse to make them do their best.
As the class breathed a collective sigh of relief, Aizawa turned to leave, but not before casting one last look at Kaito.
"An archivist, huh?" he said, almost to himself. "We'll see."
Kaito watched him go, the words settling on him.
The first test was over. He had passed. But he had a feeling the real test, and the real scrutiny, had only just begun.
He had shown them a glimpse of his power. Now he had to prove it was worthy of a hero.