Chapter 7: The Aftermath and the Announcement
The exam had definitely ended.
In one moment, (Midoriya) was severely injured. He had collapsed on the ground. His arm was shattered, a grotesque, purple mess of broken bone and swelling. His leg was also fractured. He had successfully saved the girl, but he had fallen. He only looked at the sky, his spirit crushed, but he was confident he hadn't achieved enough points to pass. Tears streamed down his face. He didn't regret saving the girl, but he felt he had failed to meet his master's expectations.
(Ochaco Uraraka) looked at (Midoriya), not knowing what to say. She wanted to grab him, to hold him, but his body was bleeding, and his arm had turned a sickening purplish-black from the internal bleeding and trauma. The other participants looked at the boy with expressions of disbelief. First, he had charged forward in an instant, flown more than 15 meters, and delivered a punch that resembled the number one hero's, powerful enough to shatter the giant robot into pieces in less than a fraction of a second. And now, this hero—or at least the young man they had seen achieve such a terrifying feat—was collapsed, his arms broken and purple, even his leg mangled.
No one ran to go to him. Finally, the medical team arrived—or what could be called a group of people who took (Midoriya) with them. It was clear he was crying and in a terrible state, but he wasn't screaming in pain. He just looked as if he felt he had disappointed his master.
In another place, in the meeting room, the teachers were also watching the other tests. Finally, they saw this scene and were paused. Some looked at (All Might), especially those who knew the secret of One For All. But others could only begin their analysis. They had no knowledge of this secret, but they appreciated that the student had taken such an extreme risk to save someone's life.
At the same time, (Shota Aizawa) was looking at (All Might), still not believing that the Symbol of Peace had given his overwhelming power to a person who possessed no Quirk, no special ability. Moreover, from one look at that child's body, it was obvious he had never trained seriously even once. Of course, the owner of the Quirk-erasing ability was aware of not judging a book by its cover. But in the end, there were limits to everything. Giving a power strong enough to kill its user to someone incapable of handling it was certainly an act that should never happen, especially from the number one hero.
But during this line of thought, (Aizawa) couldn't help but internally admire the boy's actions as well. He had taken this risk. Moreover, he had endured the pain of shattering his bones in mere moments—even if adrenaline was the main reason for his tolerance, perhaps speeding up his blood flow so he didn't feel the pain until the very last moment.
"(Midoriya)…" (Toshinori Yagi) muttered his pupil's name. He felt pride in this performance, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel sadness because he knew this outcome was inevitable. It was impossible for a user of One For All to bear using it so quickly, and it was dangerous to use it at all. But he couldn't say anything. In the end, (Midoriya) was taken to the recovery room to be helped and healed by (Recovery Girl). He was sure that with her abilities, the boy could return to normal quickly.
At the end of the exam, the teachers looked at each other. They had seen many strange things that day—more than any other day in their hero work. And now, it was time to discuss the individuals who would enter U.A. Of course, most of the students they had identified through the footage, whose abilities they had witnessed, whose styles they had been able to judge—those who were focused on winning points or on rescue—that was important for the heroes to judge the participants in this exam who would enter U.A. Academy.
(Shota Aizawa) spoke in a low, deep voice that cut through the residual tension in the room. "This year's participants possess many very distinctive abilities."
His deep voice spread through the hall. Most of the teachers agreed with that, especially as they were aware of the disparity in abilities among the participants. But there were also many participants who had managed to stand out among the standout ones. Of course, their Quirks also had a big impact on the teachers themselves.
But (Aizawa) looked at (Nezu) and asked, a certain blue-haired boy in his mind. "But I wonder which one of them was different. And on that subject…" He trailed off, his gaze piercing.
(Nezu) noticed the Erasure Hero's look and simply smiled.
"Why does that student have so much technological equipment? Do you know anything about this, Principal?"
There were rules in the entrance exams for U.A. Academy. One of the most important rules for these exams was that no participant received any technical support. They used only their personal gear and their Quirks, testing the students under the most extreme conditions. Naturally, all the teachers had noticed that. But when (Aizawa) said this, most of the other heroes in the meeting room focused on him.
"Yes, that's right. Why does that child have so much equipment? That gauntlet that allows him to increase his strength, plus that jet boot, or skate boot, or whatever it is?" (Midnight) wasn't precise in her conclusions about these tools, but she judged from their appearance initially.
But the answer (Nezu) gave made even the Symbol of Peace, (All Might), who was deeply preoccupied with his pupil, stop. Because he heard an answer that wasn't even normal. It was as if the Principal wanted to drop a bomb in the middle of the meeting room.
"He doesn't possess a Quirk or special ability. And so, I allowed it."
He said this with a note of cheerfulness while taking a sip of his tea, as if he didn't care that he had just admitted to allowing a civilian with no Quirk to enter an exam of this level of danger—a danger that could make even people who had Quirks, normally, and especially individuals aged 16, simply run away.
The rest of the heroes looked at him as if looking at a madman. Of course, for a minute, no one said anything. But after that, (Shota Aizawa) slammed his hand on the table with extreme quiet force and said with cold intensity, "Principal. I don't say this because I don't respect you. But are you insane?"
These words conveyed the feelings of the dark hero—and clearly, not just his personal feelings, but a description of everyone's feelings. At the same time, on the other side, (All Might) had frozen because he heard a word that shocked him personally, reminding him that he, too, had once had no Quirk, but he had received One For All and thus been able to become the number one hero and Symbol of Peace. But now he was hearing something that shattered a large part of his understanding of the world. He had believed there was a chance for ordinary people to become heroes without a Quirk. But Principal (Nezu)'s words made even the Symbol of Peace look at the stoat in front of him as if he were crazy.
(Nezu) was unaffected by these words. He just smiled and took another sip, as if hearing something he had debated with himself for a long time.
"I suppose the world has to accept that there are natural developments in its system. Isn't it time for ordinary people to show their superiority?"
These system-breaking words came out of (Nezu)'s mouth naturally. The heroes sitting in their chairs looked at him again as if they were expecting something else—an explanation, or anything—but he had given them this philosophical statement.
"Do you think this is a joke?"
"No, I don't think so, (Aizawa)," the Principal said, looking at them all. "His name is (Suzuki Saito). His father died. He has shown great control over his emotions, but he desired to become a hero. I investigated his background. He was first in his class in science, technology, and programming. Moreover, he attended many dojos to learn martial arts. He has mastered boxing and Jiu-Jitsu. As for these inventions he uses, they are all his own creations. He invented them. He built them himself from resources he scavenged from junkyards."
When (Nezu) finished explaining (Suzuki)'s background, the room fell into immediate silence. The Principal took another sip, as if thirsty after an unusually long speech. But that didn't make him any less pleased with their stunned expressions.
"He made that support gear by himself? I thought he was rich. Are you saying this support equipment was made by a 16-year-old student by taking parts from the trash?" (Midnight) said this, not knowing how to interpret the matter differently. She felt as if she were repeating the Principal's words, but she wanted to make sure she had heard correctly.
"I assure you what I said is correct." Then he looked at (Aizawa). "He submitted an application to U.A. Academy, and I approved it because he possesses all the qualifications. We never actually put a rule stating that those without a Quirk cannot take the entrance exam, did we? Moreover…"
The Principal tapped on the control device to display clips of (Suzuki). Footage appeared showing his great desire to help. He had saved many people who had debris fall on them or who had been targeted by machines during their fights with the robots. Furthermore, according to the evaluation system, he had also achieved the highest rescue points recorded so far. He had tried to help many people, and he also gained points using his skills and intelligence to eliminate first and second-level robots. True, the second-level ones were fewer, but in the end, it was clear he possessed the full makings of a hero in the eyes of many of the pros.
But at the same time, a thought appeared in the teachers' minds. A person who used only these equations, these contraptions he built from trash, could do all these things?
Finally, (Midnight) spoke as if stating a conclusion. "Could he be a genius? Or does he have a Quirk that makes him very intelligent?"
The expectations of the teachers, moreover, increased. But the Principal shook his head with a soft smile.
"I'm sorry to say he is not a genius. His elementary results show he is literally just diligent. He has no friends. He has no external commitments. He dedicated everything to training to become a hero."
These words left a mark in the hearts of all the heroes. They imagined the reason when they learned his father had died in an incident with a villain. Perhaps that was what made him want to be a hero.
The silence that followed was heavy, filled with the weight of a broken paradigm and the image of a determined, lonely boy running towards cries for help with nothing but scrap metal and sheer will.
──────────────────────
End of Chapter.
──────────────────────
---
The teachers are reeling from Nezu's revelation! A Quirkless student not only took the exam but excelled. What will their final decision be? Do you think Suzuki deserves a spot in U.A., or is this too radical a break from tradition? Share your verdict in the comments!