My Hero Academia: Limitless

The class remained silent.

"Good. Uraraka, you're next."

As Uraraka stepped forward, I studied Midoriya more carefully. A quirk that powerful with that much backlash... no wonder he was always analyzing others. He was looking for ways to use it without destroying himself.

"Nice throw," I said when he rejoined the group.

"T-thanks!" He tried to hide his injured finger. "Your spatial manipulation was amazing though! The way you created that pathway-"

"Dude," Kaminari cut in, "forget the technical stuff - your finger's literally broken and you're talking quirk mechanics?"

"Oh! Sorry, I just get excited about-"

"Nah, it's cool," I grinned. "But maybe get that looked at first?"

"Recovery Girl can fix it," he assured us, wincing slightly. "I'm more worried about-"

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT, DEKU?"

We turned to see Bakugo storming over, small explosions popping in her palms. Her face twisted with rage as she charged straight at Midoriya.

"Since when do you have a-"

A capture scarf wrapped around him mid-lunge, stopping him cold.

"That's enough." Aizawa's voice could have frozen nitrogen. "The next person who disrupts this test gets expelled. Immediately."

Bakugo struggled against the scarf. "But he-"

"What part of 'immediately' was unclear?"

The explosive student went still, though her glare promised future violence.

"Better." Aizawa released him. "Bakugo, you're up after Uraraka. Try to control your temper, or you'll find yourself looking for a new school."

I watched Bakugo stalk away, noting how Midoriya seemed to shrink into himself. There was definitely history there.

"You okay?" I asked quietly.

"Y-yeah," Midoriya forced a smile. "It's nothing new."

Before I could respond, a cheer went up from the class. We looked over to see Uraraka's ball floating up... and up... and up...

"Infinity," Aizawa announced, showing the display.

"That's so manly!" Kirishima shouted.

"Talk about unfair advantages," Kaminari laughed.

Todo nodded sagely. "An excellent display of feminine power. Though not as impressive as-"

"Don't," I warned.

"I was merely going to comment on-"

"No, you weren't."

"You wound me, friend! I simply wish to discuss-"

"Guys," Kaminari interrupted, "you might want to watch this. Bakugo looks ready to murder that ball."

He wasn't wrong. Bakugo stood in the circle, radiating fury as she glared at the ball like it had personally offended her.

"DIE!" She roared, using an explosion to launch the ball into the stratosphere.

795.2 meters.

"One tenth of a meter less than Midoriya," Todo whistled. "That's going to eat at her."

Sure enough, Bakugo looked ready to explode. But one glance at Aizawa's floating hair kept her in check.

"Next," Aizawa called, as if he hadn't just prevented a murder.

The rest of the throws continued, ranging from impressive to... creative. Todoroki created an ice ramp. Tokoyami had Dark Shadow throw it. Each student adapted their quirk as best they could.

"You know," I said to no one in particular, "this isn't really about the throws at all."

"Noticed that too, huh?" Todo grinned. "Just like how certain someone's form while throwing was particularly-"

"It's about adaptation," I talked over him. "How we handle limitations."

Kaminari looked thoughtful. "Like how some quirks are better suited for different things?"

"Exactly. In real hero work, we can't always play to our strengths."

"Alright, next up - fifty-meter dash," Aizawa called out. "Two at a time. Iida, Asui, you're first."

I watched as Iida took his position, engines revving. Asui crouched beside him, ready to leap.

"Three, two, one-"

Iida shot forward like a bullet, leaving Asui hopping in his wake. The timer beeped: 3.04 seconds.

"Damn," Kaminari whistled. "Those engines aren't just for show."

"Ribbit... 5.58 seconds," Asui reported, landing gracefully.

Aizawa nodded. "Bakugo, Todoroki."

Bakugo stomped to the starting line, palms already smoking. Todoroki took her place silently, frost gathering around her feet.

"Don't you dare half ass, Ice Queen," Bakugo snarled.

Todoroki didn't respond, which only seemed to piss Bakugo off more.

"Three, two-"

Bakugo blasted off right at "one," using explosions to propel herself forward. Todoroki created an ice path, sliding along it with practiced ease.

4.13 seconds for Bakugo. 4.16 for Todoroki.

"YOU SEE THAT?" Bakugo roared. "THAT'S-"

"Nakamura, Sakurada," Aizawa cut her off. "You're up."

I took my place at the line, glancing at Kaori beside me.

"Try to keep up," she said.

"Three-"

I activated my quirk, mapping the shortest path between start and finish.

"Two-"

This was going to be easy.

"One-"

I stepped through space, emerging at the finish line before the timer could register.

0.01 seconds.

Kaori appeared a few seconds later.

4.89 seconds.

"Show off," she said, but she was grinning.

"Midoriya, Uraraka," Aizawa called.

Midoriya approached the line, cradling his injured finger. Uraraka gave him an encouraging smile.

"You've got this, Deku!"

He managed a shaky nod. When the signal came, he ran... normally. No quirk use at all.

7.02 seconds.

"Smart," Todo said beside me. "Saving his quirk for events where he has to use it."

"Kaminari, Jiro next."

The tests continued. Grip strength revealed some surprises - Shoji dominated with multiple arms, while Midoriya again went quirkless. I used just enough spatial manipulation to place decently.

The standing long jump proved more interesting.

"Beat this, extras!" Bakugo launched herself across the sandbox using explosions.

Todoroki made another ice path. Asui's frog-leap carried her impressive distance. Uraraka floated herself the full length.

When my turn came, I simply stepped through space again.

"That's getting really annoying," Kaminari complained.

"Says the guy who short-circuited himself trying to boost his jump with electricity."

"Hey, it almost worked!"

The sustained sideways jumps were just tedious. Even spatial manipulation couldn't make them interesting.

"This is so boring," Bakugo growled, explosions carrying her back and forth.

"At least you can use your quirk," Midoriya muttered, jumping normally.

I caught Todo watching him with unusual intensity. "Something on your mind?"

"His quirk..." Todo frowned. "It's familiar somehow."

"How so?"

Before Todo could answer, Aizawa spoke up. "Alright, enough. Upper body training is next."

"Hey," Kaori appeared beside me. "Your quirk's pretty versatile."

"Thanks. Yours too - whatever it is."

She laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would, actually."

"Maybe I'll tell you... if you can figure it out first."

Todo cleared his throat loudly. "Speaking of figuring things out-"

"No," I said.

"But-"

"Whatever you're about to say, no."

Kaori raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?"

"NO," I said, just as Todo exclaimed "YES!"

"You wound me, friend!" Todo clutched his chest dramatically. "I simply wish to discuss matters of the heart-"

"Todo, I swear-"

"Like how certain students' quirks aren't the only thing catching your eye-"

I created a spatial portal, stepping through it to escape. Unfortunately, I emerged right next to Midoriya, who was still muttering about quirk applications.

"- if I channel it through my legs instead, maybe spread the impact across multiple points of contact-"

"Still analyzing?" I asked.

He jumped. "Oh! Um, yes? I mean, watching everyone use their quirks differently is really fascinating! Like how you manipulate space to create shortcuts through higher dimensions, while Kaori-san seems to enhance her physical capabilities through some kind of internal-" He stopped, face reddening. "Sorry! I'm doing it again."

"No, keep going. What'd you notice about Kaori's quirk?"

"Well..." He glanced at his notebook. "Based on her movements and reaction times, she's either enhancing her natural abilities or manipulating time on a localized scale. The air displacement patterns suggest-"

"DEKU!"

We both turned to see Bakugo stalking over.

"Hey explosion girl, how's it going?" I stepped between her and Midoriya, hands in my pockets. The lotus in my eyes spun lazily as I tracked the micro-explosions popping in her palms.

Bakugo stopped short, red eyes narrowing. "Get out of my way, Portal Boy. This has nothing to do with you."

"Actually, I'm curious about something." I tilted my head. "That throw earlier - you adjusted the angle last second to compensate for wind resistance, right?"

She blinked, explosions quieting slightly. "What?"

"The way you curved the trajectory. Pretty technical stuff for someone who just screams 'die' a lot."

"I- of course I did, dumbass!" Her scowl deepened, but there was something else beneath the anger. "You think I got to the top of my year by just blasting shit?"

"Top of your year?" I grinned. "Must've taken some serious study hours."

"Damn right it did! I-" She caught herself, face reddening. "Wait, why am I even talking to you?"

"Because I'm devastatingly charming?"

Behind me, I heard Midoriya make a strangled noise.

"You're an annoying extra who needs to mind his own business," Bakugo growled, but the explosions had stopped completely.

"Extra? Please. I'm at least a supporting character."

A snort escaped her before she could stop it. Her eyes widened in horror at the sound.

"Did... did you just snort?"

"Shut up!" The explosions returned full force. "I did not!"

"You totally did."

"I'll kill you!"

"With carefully calculated explosive trajectories?"

She opened her mouth, closed it, then let out a frustrated scream. "Just- just shut up!" 

I wiped the sweat from my forehead as we gathered around Aizawa for the results. The tests had been straightforward enough - nothing compared to the old man's idea of "light exercise." Still, watching my classmates push their quirks in creative ways had been interesting.

"Before I show the results," Aizawa said, "let me be clear about something. My job isn't to coddle you or tell you what you want to hear."

Midoriya fidgeted beside me, his broken finger wrapped in a makeshift splint. The poor guy looked ready to pass out.

"But," Aizawa continued, "my job is to help you become the best heroes you can be. Even if that means pushing you past what you think are your limits."

He tapped his phone, projecting the rankings into the air:

Yoichi Nakamura

Momo Yaoyorozu 

Katsumi Bakugo

Hitomi Todoroki

Tenya Iida

The list continued down to:

Izuku Midoriya

"Last place," Midoriya whispered, shoulders slumping.

"Hah!" Bakugo's laugh was sharp. "What did you expect, Deku?"

"Bakugo," Aizawa's voice carried a clear warning. "What did I say about disruptions?"

She crossed her arms but stayed quiet.

"Now," Aizawa addressed the class, "some of you relied too heavily on your quirks. Others barely used them at all. Both approaches have their flaws."

His eyes landed on me. "Nakamura, you breezed through most of these tests. But what happens when you face an opponent who can counter your spatial manipulation?"

"Get creative," I shrugged. "Or punch them really hard."

Todo nodded sagely. "Ah yes, the time-honored tradition of hitting things until they stop moving."

"That's... not exactly what I meant," Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose. "Midoriya."

"Y-yes sir!"

"You have raw power but no control. That makes you a liability in the field." He paused. "However, you showed good judgment in when not to use your quirk. Build on that."

Midoriya's eyes widened. "You mean..."

"I mean you need serious training before you can be effective as a hero. But the potential is there."

"Thank you, sir! I'll work hard to-"

"Save it," Aizawa cut him off. "Actions matter more than words."

He looked around at all of us. "That goes for everyone. These rankings don't define you. What matters is what you do with the feedback you've received today."

"So manly!" Kirishima pumped her fist.

"Does this mean no one's getting expelled?" Kaminari asked hopefully.

"Did I say I was going to expel anyone for getting last?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then why ask irrelevant questions?"

"Man," I stretched, "all this standing around is making me stiff. When do we get to the real training?"

Several classmates stared at me like I'd grown a second head.

"Real training?" Uraraka squeaked. "You mean this wasn't...?"

"Nakamura," Aizawa's eyes narrowed, "care to explain what you mean by 'real' training?"

"Uh, nothing specific. Just excited to learn more."

"Hmm." Aizawa clearly didn't buy it. "Well, since you're so eager, you can take cleanup duty. The equipment won't put itself away."

"Yes sir," I sighed. Should've kept my mouth shut.

"The rest of you, get changed and head to the dorms. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

[Next time on "My Hero Academia: Limitless"]

"Hey everyone! Yoichi here in the studio to break down our first day at U.A.-"

"Nakamura."

I froze mid-wave to the camera. "Uh, yes, Aizawa-sensei?"

"You left the measuring tape by the ball throw area." Aizawa's capture scarf floated menacingly behind him. "And three cones are still out."

"Right! I'll just-" I turned back to the camera. "Quick commercial break while I-"

"Now."

"Yes sir!" I crossed my fingers, but Aizawa's scarf wrapped around my ankle.

"No quirks. Walk."

I slumped. "But it's all the way across the field..."

"Should have thought of that before trying to film a preview segment instead of cleaning properly."

"How did you even get in the studio?" 

"I'm everywhere." His eyes glowed red. "And nowhere."

"That's... terrifying, actually."

"The cones, Nakamura."

"Going!" I jogged toward the field, then called over my shoulder: "Don't forget to drop those power stones! And add us to your library for-"

The capture scarf yanked me forward.

"Ow! Okay, okay! But seriously, next time we'll have our first real classes at U.A.! Meet our teachers, explore the campus, maybe make some more friends if Bakugo doesn't explode them all-"

"I heard that!" Bakugo's voice echoed from... somewhere.

"How are you both still here?" I looked around wildly. "The studio's supposed to be empty!"

"Less talking, more cleaning," Aizawa drawled. "Or should I make tomorrow's lesson about proper equipment maintenance?"

"No! No, I'm good!" I scrambled to collect the cones. "But viewers, you won't want to miss-"

"Nakamura."

"Right! Cleaning! See you next time on My Hero Academia: Limitless!"