The Exchange Hero

Episode 3

"Welcome to UA High. I am Kocho-sensei, or Mr. Principal," said the three-foot-tall, walking, talking capybara in a blue pin-striped suit. I thought this was likely a harbinger of a very weird first day of school. The principal was pacing slowly on his desk, making him closer to our eye level. Both Pony and I were standing more or less at attention in our new UA uniforms. I had never had to wear what was basically a suit to school before. I thought I looked like a doorman, though Pony was pretty kawaii in her short-skirted version.

"I wanted to talk with you a few moments before you start your classes. This is the first year we have instituted this exchange between UA and Hero High. As you may recall, this is a direct exchange, meaning that each of you is replacing one Japanese student who will take your place at Hero High for the year. Hightower-san, you are swapping with Sato Rikido-kun from Class 1-A. Tsunotori-san, you are swapping with Hado Genki-kun from Class 1-B. you will be part of all class and extracurricular activities. We have also arranged a few special activities just for the two of you and your host families. We hope you have a successful and enjoyable year with us. Ganbate Kudasai!" The principal bowed from his desk and we returned his bow and left his office.

Pony's host-sister was waiting outside to show us to our new classrooms. I was beginning to see the appeal of the whole Japanese schoolgirl thing. The corridors were mostly empty as the final bell was about to ring. Hado-senpai dropped me off first. The classroom was a chaotic mess as I opened the door. Students were all over the place, in pairs and small groups, talking, laughing, and introducing themselves. They ranged from pretty normal looking to non-human to invisible. But that reflected the looks of the population in general, which 80% of humanity having some sort of power. Still I wondered what it would mean in this school.

A pretty girl walked up behind me and started talking with a fellow with green hair in front of me as I tried to enter. "Your punch was amazing," she said while waiving her arm in the air.

"It was thanks to you going to speak with him directly that I, uh ..." the blushing boy tried to deflect.

"So? How did you know about that? "

"Because ..."

"Excuse me, I need to get in please," I interrupted and tried to squeeze past the boy.

We were all still blocking the doorway when we heard a voice. "Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends."

We all turned around to see a man in a yellow mummy bag lying on the hallway floor, glaring at us. "This is the hero course," he continued. He unzipped the bag and stood. I couldn't guess how old he was but he had long, lank, black hair and a scruffy beard. He was wearing plain black clothes with some sort of silvery muffler around his neck. "You're wasting time."

The man walked into the class and introduced himself as our homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota, then told us all to put on our PE uniform and head out to the playing field. Looks like this was not going to be the standard meet and greet.

Once we had changed and gathered on the field I sidled up to Kyoka-chan and asked, "Any idea what this is all about?"

"No, I guess we just wait and see."

"Cause there is nothing I like better than surprises."

Aizawa-sensei started with no preamble, "We are not going to waste time. We will start with a Quirk assessment test. Prove that you belong here."

"But what about ..." the pretty girl started.

"One of the great things about UA is that teachers are free to teach however they think best, without interference from anyone." That got the class' attention though we didn't really know what to make of the somewhat ominous statement. He continued on what seemed to be another track, "You've all done physical fitness test in junior high. Tests where you were not allowed to use your quirks. This is going to be different."

"Bakugo, you finished top of the practical exam, neh?" the teacher asked a tall blond kid. I looked at him thinking this was the top dog. I had no desire to stand out so I need to watch how well he did and set my sights much lower. The boy nodded. The teacher handed him a softball. "Then you know what to do with this. But this time use your Quirk to throw as far as possible."

Bakugo took the ball and walked to the circle outlined on the field. I could see his mind working.

"You can do anything you want, as long as you stay in the circle. Give it all you've got."

The boy stretched for a moment then went into his windup. He shouted "Die!" as he threw the ball. At the end of his pitch, his hand exploded, launching the ball like a rocket. It blasted into the sky and quickly flew out of sight.

The teacher tracked it with a handheld device which showed the boy's final distance – 705 meters. A quick calculation converted that to more than 2200 feet. I wondered how the ball survived. The other students started getting excited by the prospect of unleashing their powers on a familiar set of tasks, planning how they could best use their individual abilities.

"This looks like fun!" said a girl with pink hair and skin.

"It looks like fun, hmm?" Aizawa-sensei spoke coldly. The class got quiet. "You have three years to become a hero. You think you have time for fun? Alright, let's make this fun. We have eight scored tests. Whoever comes in last place overall will be judged to have no potential to be a hero and will be expelled from the hero course. That sounds like fun, neh?"

The students freaked.

I think that is when we all realized just how serious this curriculum was meant to be. A real pressure cooker. I wasn't too worried. I didn't want to be a hero so I didn't care about completing the course. But even more I did not want to flunk out and get sent back to Hero High. I could not let that happen.

Aizawa-sensei pulled his hair back and we could see his face clearly for the first time. There was a manic light in his red eyes and a wicked smile on his worn face. "Welcome to UA's hero course!"

Several of the student complained about the unfairness of such a high stakes test on the first day of school. The teacher simply pointed out that life was unfair, and life as a hero significantly more so. Oddly this seemed to strengthen the resolve of the other students. He then outlined the eight tests. Some I was unfamiliar with and in some I knew my powers would give me no advantage. But I knew I could ace the long jump, grip strength, and ball throw tests. Doing well in three out of the eight should ensure my place somewhere safely in the middle of the pack.

It was interesting watching the rest of the class, learning about their powers and their personalities. Each test seemed to allow different people to shine, though some like Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, and Bakugo seemed to do well in most of the tests, while others like Mineta and Midoriya seemed to be struggling throughout.

Iida's motor legs aced the 50-meter dash. I came in last.

Shoji set the bar in the grip strength test at 540 kg or almost 1200 pounds.

"540 kg is pretty good," I said to Kyoka-chan.

"I think Kirishima-kun is actually stronger," Midoriya said as he jotted notes in his book, "but his Quirk is not conducive to concentrating his strength in his hand like this test measures."

"My turn." I thought of my uncle teaching me to juggle eggs as a way of training my grip and toss control. I still broke a lot of eggs, but I knew I could handle this without blowing my secret. I very gently squeezed – 407 kg! The class was impressed except for Bakugo who sneered then blew up the tester, but only after he registered 94kg.

The Standing Long Jump was another crowded field with Bakugo, Ojiro, and Aoyama all giving heroic efforts. I gauged my jump to come in just behind the first-place leaper, Asui. The ball throw was another where I planned to come in second, based on Bakugo's performance. Part of me wanted to beat him because he was coming across as such a jerk, but I did not want to standout. So, I threw for 698 meters. I was happy to see Bakugo's lead falter after Uraraka's infinite throw and Midoriya's self-destructive display. Now there is a kid that needs to get his priorities straight. The other tests, except for the long-distance run, were pretty odd for displaying quirks, but almost every student shined in at least one.

And don't you know it, at the end of the tests after making last place Midoriya sweat, Aizawa-sensei revealed that the expulsion threat was just a bluff to motivate us. Way to teach your students to trust their teacher.

And that was my first day of high school.