Dark Horse Chiffon

Izuku suddenly felt as clear as a mirror. Tears still streamed from his eyes, but a flame ignited within his heart, spreading through his entire body.

He sprang forward and charged at the massive machine. Power gathered in his right hand, tearing even his clothes apart. His resolute eyes were filled with determination. "Tighten your pelvic floor, pull in your stomach, then shout this in your heart."

"Smash!"

With a sudden punch, the core of the giant machine shattered instantly. A burst of white mist exploded through the air, announcing the tremendous power of that blow.

Everyone stared at the scene in shock. Izuku, who looked so timid, had actually unleashed such tremendous strength in that situation. Was it courage, or responsibility?

As Izuku fell, he felt as if he were about to die. His right hand had gone completely numb, dangling in the wind like a lump of rotten flesh.

Just as he was about to hit the ground, Ochaco Uraraka barely caught Izuku with her Zero Gravity.

"I'm saved." Izuku let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground. Only then did Ochaco Uraraka have the energy to remove the heavy debris weighing on her and step forward to check on him.

In Izuku's heart, there was a man who had reminded him. Looking toward the crowd, Chiffon's back seemed infinitely magnified. It was as if this man had understood him from the very beginning and had known from the start that he would act.

Even if his arms broke, even if his legs broke, he would still persist in what he had chosen. He would never give up.

The practical exam ended.

The overall results were displayed on the big screen:

First Place: Bakugo Katsuki 77/0

Second Place: Eijiro Kirishima 39/35

Third Place: Ochaco Uraraka 28/45

Fourth Place: Ibara Shiozaki 36/32

Fifth Place: Itsuka Kendo 25/40

Sixth Place: Tenya Iida 52/9

Seventh Place: Midoriya Izuku 0/60

Eighth Place: Chiffon 50/10

Ninth Place: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu 49/10

Tenth Place: Fumikage Tokoyami 47/10

Eleventh Place:

Everyone discussed the results. Bakugo Katsuki, who had taken first place, was undoubtedly the hottest topic, followed by Midoriya Izuku and his unusual score.

Some people also discussed Chiffon. Since Chiffon came from China, they had gained a new impression of Chinese people.

"This contestant named Chiffon is quite extraordinary."

Inside the quiet observation room, Snipe made the remark casually, drawing the attention of several teachers.

"What makes you say that? I don't think Chiffon's performance was particularly outstanding. It seems like he barely had any screen time," Cementoss said with his arms folded.

"Didn't you notice? The places he went were all quite remote. Only after earning forty or fifty points did he gradually move toward the center. Most importantly, his Quirk is very strong!" Snipe analyzed.

"That's right. This kid's Quirk seems to be the most overbearing among all elemental types." Shota Aizawa spoke absentmindedly, his eyes seemingly always half-lidded.

"What Quirk?" Midnight asked.

"A Lightning Attribute Quirk. Its exact power still needs to be verified." Shota Aizawa's gaze sharpened.

"A Lightning Attribute Quirk? We seem to have never heard of that kind of Quirk. There's a contestant named Denki Kaminari, but he only has electricity. That's far different from lightning, isn't it?" Little stars appeared in Midnight's eyes, as if she had seen something that interested her.

Besides discussing Chiffon, all the teachers were also very curious about Izuku's Quirk. That sudden surge of immense strength was somewhat similar to All Might, though there were quite a few Quirks of that type. The difference lay only in the level of strength.

Every year, the admission competition ratio for U.A. High School's Hero Course exceeded 300 to 1. Excluding the four recommended admission slots, only thirty-six students were normally accepted through the exam. With eighteen students per class, there were only two classes in total.

After packing his backpack, Chiffon came to school. Hirakawa Junior High had merely been a stop along the way; now, he needed to focus all his attention on Hero Class A.

There should have been no place for Chiffon in a class of eighteen, but as the Dark Horse recognized by the teachers, he was specially assigned to Hero Class A.

Chiffon was not surprised by this. The Quirk he had displayed was more than enough to get him into Hero Class A. What the teachers thought was their business, and he had never even heard the words "Dark Horse."

However, some students had learned that Chiffon was the Dark Horse.

"A-1... A-1 is huge." Chiffon had not arrived particularly early. Before he even entered the classroom, he heard Izuku muttering to himself.

"You're... the person who helped me." Izuku stopped in his tracks. He had already seen Chiffon, as well as Class A.

To Izuku, Chiffon's appearance seemed rather mysterious. In any case, he felt that Chiffon was no ordinary person. It was simply his intuition.

"Don't mention it. We'll be classmates from now on, so let's look out for each other." Chiffon chuckled and patted Izuku on the shoulder.

Izuku grew a little shy, then suddenly said in surprise after hearing Chiffon's words, "You're in Hero Class A too?"

"Yes, obviously."

"My name is Midoriya Izuku. Please take care of me." Izuku lowered his head and spoke with great sincerity.

"You're making it sound like we're swearing brotherhood. Get up." Chiffon gave Izuku's shoulder a supporting pat. He knew it was the other boy's way of showing respect, but he was not used to it.

"My name is Chiffon. I'm from China. No matter what happens in the future, I believe in you." Chiffon spoke seriously.

At that moment, Izuku felt as though Chiffon knew he had One For All. But that was obviously impossible. At present, only All Might knew about it.

Still, Izuku was deeply moved by Chiffon's encouragement and support. After all, someone like him, who had previously been Quirkless, had always been at the bottom wherever he went.

He longed to be praised and recognized. Chiffon's encouragement was undoubtedly a form of recognition for him. It was a good start.

"There's no need to thank me. Let's go in. The other classmates should already be here." Chiffon patted Izuku's shoulder and took the lead in opening the door and walking inside.

Izuku grew a little uneasy. He really did not want to end up in the same class as those strange people.

After entering, Chiffon merely glanced at the seated students before walking to the last window seat in the classroom and sitting down. He needed to keep a low profile for now. Otherwise, if he got too close to this bunch of classmates, his 2B personality would be exposed.

That would not be cool.

Some students also glanced at Chiffon. They had wanted to greet him, but seeing how aloof he seemed, they did not dare.

Others quietly discussed Chiffon and the matter of the Dark Horse.

"Don't put your feet on the desk!" Tenya Iida shouted at Bakugo Katsuki.

"Huh?" Bakugo Katsuki curled his lip.

"Don't you think doing that is disrespectful to the heroes who came before us and the people who made the desks?" Tenya Iida said, gesturing emphatically.

"Nope. Which junior high are you from, kid!? You're just some minor character." Bakugo Katsuki spoke with a thug-like air, one foot propped on the desk and swaying back and forth.

Izuku stood at the doorway, his face darkening. Sure enough, everyone he expected was here. The two people he least wanted to see were both here.