Fading into the background

Chapter five: First day of school

April arrived and with it UA's first term started. Shoto arrived at his classroom a bit over an hour early and surprisingly there was already another student there. "I am Iida Tenya, it is a pleasure to meet you! What is your name?" the spectacled boy said with robotic movements. Not wanting a repeat of the Yoarashi situation, with a slight bow of his head he replied with a short "Todoroki Shoto" and went to look for his seat at the chart.

A few minutes later the girl from the exam Yaoyorozu, his mind supplied, entered along with a bird headed boy. He nodded his head to her as a greeting while the bird-boy checked his seat which happened to be right in front of him. "I am Tokoyami Fumikage, and you?" He introduced himself shortly. He seemed like a calm person and Shoto immediately took a liking to him "Good morning Tokoyami-san, I'm Todoroki Shoto" They soon delved into a light chat where Tokoyami recommended some pre-quirk music, maybe they could be friends.

As time went by more people arrived. Some were so obnoxious that he didn't even bother to introduce himself to them such as the pink girl, the redhead and the three longer haired blondes, no need to mention the disgusting purple midget that kept ogling at girls. Others didn't seem bad but they stuck with the louder students so he didn't really talk to them either. He stayed with Tokoyami and was soon joined by Koda Koji and his friend Shoji Mezo. Koda didn't like to talk and preferred using sign language that himself and Mezo translated to Fumikage. The small group was then joined by Sato Rikido who sat next to him and liked sweets and Ojiro Mashirao who seemed to dislike loud people as much as him. By the time the teacher arrived his group consisted of six people including himself.

After a short scolding for not paying attention they were given their PE uniforms and told to go change by their homeroom teacher Aizawa Shouta. He didn't want people to see his scars so he went ahead, already knowing where the changing rooms were as he had explored the grounds before class. Shoto had just finished putting on his shirt when the angry blond bargained in shouting at him, he didn't know what he did wrong but judging by the apologetic smiles some of the students sent him it might not be his fault so he just went to the training grounds.

It took the rest of the class over ten minutes to get changed, though his group was all ready in half that time. "You will be doing a quirk apprehension test" the teacher said as soon as the last of the students arrived. The bubbly brunette seemed unsure of doing this now "What about the entrance ceremony? The orientation" Her answer seemed to bother Aizawa-sensei.

"If you really wanna make the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies. Here at UA, we're not tethered to traditions. That means that I get to run my class however I see fit. You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives. 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." After his small speech sensei made the screaming blonde, that Shoto now knew was named Bakugo, throw the ball using his quirk.

He got a superhuman mark by using his explosive quirk. Everyone seemed excited about the display and being able to show their quirks in public. Shoto, however, knew better as nothing good ever came from exams in his experience. He was proved right when Aizawa explained the test more thoroughly "You have three years here to become a hero. You think it's all gonna be games and play time? Idiots. Today you'll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none, and will be expelled immediately." After yet another scolding they finally began their assessment.

Shoto focussed on doing his best, but he also talked to his group between tests, sometimes giving them tips. For the 50 meters dash he cooled the air behind him, contracting it, and rapidly heated it when the signal sounded, expanding it and catapulting him forward. For the rest of the track he surfed on his ice propelling himself forward with his fire. He used a similar strategy for the standing long jump and ball throw. He used ice to help him on the grip strength and just used his natural basis for the distance run, seated toe-touch, and sit ups.

When the results were shown he was at the top as he predicted, followed by Yaoyorozu and Bakugo. His group placed high as well with Tokoyami, Shoji and Ojiro in 5th, 6th and 7th place and Koda and Sato in 11th and 12th. Aizawa decided not to expel anyone in the end which made the green-haired boy begin crying in what Shoto guessed was relief. The bell rang and it was time for lunch. This time he changed back into his regular uniform with everyone else also in the locker room, their backs were turned and he was fast so everything was okay.

At the cafeteria the tables were for six people which was perfect for his group. They sat together and got to know eachother better. By the end of lunch they were all comfortable in the other's presence which was an accomplishment for some of the shyest members. "Can you guys give me your phone numbers?" asked Sato, the most out-going of the group. When his question was met with silence he elaborated "Y'know, so I can make a friends group chat". Comprehension dawned upon everyone and they quickly gave him their numbers. Shoto didn't have a phone and told them so, slightly embarrassed, promising to get one soon.

The rest of the classes went by normally, with Shoto extremely bored because he already knew the curriculum but taking notes either way. It was only when he got home that he realized that, for the first time in his life, he had friends.

Author Note: Next chapter the 2 vs 2 training battle and the USJ