Dark, narrowed eyes looked down at her scornfully.

"Not good enough. Go again, and do it right this time."

Arya Castle's eyes snapped open, her heart beating fast. She clutched the pillow she was hugging, trying to calm herself down, steady her breath.

"Arya!" She heard her mother's voice calling her out of bed, forgetting her nightmare. Why did she wake me up? It's the week- Arya's eyes widened in realization, hugging the pillow tighter.

It's the day of the entrance exam.

Arya yawned as she sat up, stretching her arms. She pushed her nervousness away with a calm feeling. Her eyes were half-lidded, her ashy lavender hair messy and tangled in her thick ram-like horns that curled around both sides of her head. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, but she couldn't stop the nervous tingles that rose up her chest. Eyes closed, she sifted through her three blankets, easily finding the two things she needed- her earbuds and her phone. Before she could connect the headphones, she head her mother again.

"Arya!" came the more annoyed call. Slightly irritated but understanding she didn't know Arya was awake, she called back.

"I'm up!"

"Well, get out of bed!" she replied, her tone matching Arya's. The teen rolled her eyes and turned on her phone.

07:45

She had an hour to get ready. Due to the workout she'd surely have to go through, she didn't need any makeup. Arya unlocked her phone and connected her phone to the speaker in her room, turning on some lo-fi. She moved toward the opening in the rails of her bed, sliding down only a meter from her rope ladder, landing on her feet.

She looked around her big, rectangular-shaped room. Her loft took up the whole wall behind her, a comfortable nest of stuffed animals, pillows and blankets. There was a rope ladder and stairs so her dogs could climb in as well. There was a velvet-colored rug on the ground, and a vanity with an organized mess of makeup across the desk, along with a desk with a powerful computer and a big TV behind it with a few gaming systems hooked up to it and a hammock hung up in the corner with a few pillows and a blanket. On her wall was a few posters- one of her favorite band and hero team- Starset- and her favorite manga, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and her favorite game, Destiny. A few tapestries with her birth Tarot cards- Death and the Devil- hung on the wall as well. Her ceiling was black with a galaxy design sprayed on it, and her walls were a pale blue. LED lights lined the corner of her room, but they were turned off in favor of her fan light, which illuminated the whole room.

Yawning again, she packed the outfit she had prepared into her backpack for the practical. The outfit she decided would be best suited for her quirk- a bodysuit her mother had made for her by a support company that would suit her quirk. It was pitch black with short sleeves and cut off mid-thigh with a turtleneck-like collar. When she shoved it in her backpack, she changed into her school uniform. Seeing as it would be cold, she shouldered on a high-collared, velvet-red coat.

Turning around to her body-length mirror, she tied her hair into a loose, low ponytail. Hastily, she ran downstairs, her phone in her jacket's pocket- but not before checking the time.

08:01

Downstairs, her mother, a woman with her lavender hair- though it was more silvery than ashy- and antlers that were much taller and elegant than her own horns, Celine Rhoades, the pro hero Gypsy, was scrambling eggs. Her little half-sister, Vivian Rhoades, was on the couch watching some kids show, her antlers just barely poking through the brown mess that was her hair, and her brother, Ivan Castle, was playing games on the computer, his coily black hair tied into a low ponytail. He had the same horns- if not a bit smaller- as Arya. Their step-father, Nash Rhoades, was already at the police station, where he had a job as a detective.

The two dogs- an Australian Shepherd named Daisy and a small, chihuahua-mutt named Percy- laid on the couch next to Vivian. At the sight of Arya, they both wagged their tails. The teen smiled and scratched them both on the head as Daisy gave her a few kisses on her cheek.

Arya looked at her mother with a grimace- she knew the woman would make her eat the eggs, though her appetite felt nonexistent, due to the morning hour and her nerves.

Her mother seemed to notice she was there. Obviously, she sensed her energy, as had her brother, though he hadn't showed it- they had close to the same quirk, though Ivan's was a bit more interesting, and probably had more potential than Arya's own, as hard as it was her to admit. He was eating egg salad on the kitchen bar, a meal she never understood why people would like.

"Good morning, little hero!" said her mother teased excitedly, turning around to reveal a huge smile. She turned back to her eggs as Arya returned a tired smile, sitting down at the bar.

"Hey, Arya." said Ivan through a mouthful of eggs. She tugged on his horn in response, causing him to protest and slap her hand away.

"I haven't even passed the Entrance Exam yet." replied Arya with a small giggle, looking down at her phone that she took out moments before, looking at all her notifications from her social medias.

"Key word yet." Celine reminded her with a giddy tone. Arya smiled at her mother's enthusiasm.

Arya saw a message notification from one of her best friends, Ochaco. She was one of her first friends- actually, the first to approach her in her new school once she had moved to Japan. The two were very close.

07:57 ochaco :)

Do you wanna walk to U.A. together?

Arya smiled down at her phone, typing out her reply.

arya 08:06

yeah sure, what time are you comin

She replied almost immediately.

08:06 ochaco :)

Gimme twenty minutes! See you soon hehe

Arya looked up at her mother, catching a delicious whiff of the eggs- her appetite returning.

"Ochaco said she'll be here in twenty minutes. She said she's walking with me, so I'll probably head out when she gets here." Arya reported to her mom.

"Okay!" Celine replied with a smile. She knocked some of the eggs onto a paper plate on the counter. The toaster oven across the kitchen dinged, the bread in it well-toasted. Celine perked, turning the stove's heat off and placing the pan down away from the heat and walked over to the toaster oven. Arya got up from her seat, yawning, pouring herself a glass of already-made coffee, adding her selective ingredients along with some ice.

Celine placed the plate of eggs and buttered toast where Arya had been sitting earlier. Now hungry, Arya eagerly returned to her seat, placing her glass of iced coffee next to the plate. She forked her eggs on the slice of buttered toast and took a big bite.

By the time Arya was placing her fork and empty glass in the dishwasher, Arya heard a knocking on the door. The dogs started barking once again, blocking the door. A grin spread across her face.

"Ocha-chan!" she exclaimed, shutting the dishwasher and moving to get the door. She ushered the dogs away, and turned the doorknob. The moment she opened it, Ochaco's small arm wrapped around Arya- the other arm holding her pink-and-black skateboard that Arya had gotten her for Christmas just a few months earlier- giving her a tight hug. The dogs, despite Arya's orders, ran up to Ochaco, their tails wagging. They barked in excitement and recognition.

"Arya-chan!" she exclaimed with equal happiness. The girl hugged back, grinning. They released their hug after a moment. It had only been a few days since they'd seen each other, since they went to the same school. Nevertheless, Ochaco always pulled a cheerfulness out of her she didn't think she was capable of sometimes. Her energy just seemed to rub off on her.

Daisy and Percy both jumped on Ochaco. Arya felt thankful she'd clipped their nails a few days earlier. Ochaco giggled and knelt down, petting the dogs.

"Come on, we're planning on being there by eight forty-five!" she said with a smile, looking up at the slightly younger teen.

"Sure! Lemme grab my stuff and we'll be on our way. Daisy, Percy, give her some space!" Arya replied, scolding her dogs.

"Hi, Ochaco-chan!" Celine called from the kitchen. Ochaco waved and smiled.

"Hi, Celine-san!" she called back, standing up.

"I told you, you could just call me Celine." Celine called. Ochaco laughed nervously, an apology spilling out of her mouth as Daisy jumped on Ochaco. No matter how long they'd known each other, knowing one of the top pro heroes in the country was something she thought she'd never get used to.

"Hey, Ochaco." said Ivan as he placed his dishes in the sink. Ochaco smiled.

"Hi, Ivan!" she called back with a wave.

"Daisy, down!" Arya scolded the dog, back with her backpack. In her other arm, she held a purple galaxy-themed skateboard. At the sight of the girl, Daisy stood down, walking away to lay down. Percy followed her. Arya sent Ochaco an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry about that, let's be on our way now! Bye mama! Bye Ivan!"

"Bye!" called Ivan.

"Bye, little heroes! Good luck, you two!" Celine called after them as they departed from their residence.

The two reached the station, hopping off their skateboards. They boarded the train, sitting down with their boards on their laps. They made light conversation on the bus, occasionally laughing at each other, successfully lifting the tension of their nervousness. They arrived at the school at 08:40, right before schedule. The two teen girls looked up at the school in awe. They exchanged huge, excited grins. Tons of students from all over Japan walked past them.

Trotting ahead, holding their skateboards on their laps, Arya grinned, glancing at Ochaco again, about to comment excitedly on how she couldn't believe they were here, when she noticed her vision was trained on something else. Arya followed Ochaco's gaze, which was fixed on a messy-haired, rather short boy, whom was just a few steps ahead of them. Suddenly, he tripped on himself, and fell forward. To Arya's confusion and slight amusement, he didn't even stick out his arms or try to even break his fall.

Ochaco gasped and dashed forward.

"Ochaco, wait up!" Arya exclaimed, rushing forward with her. Ochaco quickly slapped a hand on his backpack, leaving him floating in place. Arya caught up with the two quickly, confused.

"Are you okay?" Ochaco giggled. The boy started freaking out, kicking his legs in midair. Arya couldn't help but laugh to herself as Ochaco helped him into place.

"I stopped you with my quirk," She explained, releasing the zero-gravity effect with a smile, "I'm sorry I didn't ask first! But... I figured you wouldn't mind me catching you." The boy just stared, wide-eyed. Arya stood next to the slightly shorter girl, an amused look crossing her face.

"Isn't this all like, way nerve-wracking?" Ochaco continued, closing her eyes. The boy seemed to come to his senses, blushing and stuttering.

"Ochaco, what have I said about talking to random people?" Arya spoke up, giving Ochaco a sideways glance, her eyelids drooped. Ochaco laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Ah! I'm sorry about that! Well, guess we'll see you inside! Bye!" and with that, Ochaco turned to Arya, and they walked forward again. The two exchanged glances once they were out of earshot, trying to hide a laugh.

"What was with him? He looked like like a deer in headlights!" Ochaco laughed. Arya laughed with her.

"I think he's got the hots for you. He was totally beet red." Arya teased with a smirk, her hands in her skirt's pockets. Ochaco blushed.

"S-stop it! He was just embarrassed!" she protested. Arya gave her a look, resulting in Ochaco pushing her cheek away with a laugh from both of them.

The written exam was difficult, as she had expected from a top-notch school, but Arya had no doubt she'd aced it.

After that, she met up with Ochaco again, and they both went into a room labeled "U.A. Hero Course Exam Orientation". They received little ID cards with examinee numbers, a picture of them, and a few other things she was sure the orientalist would go over.

Her and Ochaco were seated in the very middle, a few rows under the messy-haired boy they met earlier. Luckily, since they attended the same junior high, they were seated together. They exchanged quiet, excited looks. Their hands laid on their skateboards on their laps.

Arya's gaze was turned back forward as she head several lights overhead turn on, and a screen with U.A.'s logo turned on. On front of it, behind a podium, to Arya's shock, the pro hero Present Mic stood. Arya gasped when she saw the celebrity, her eyes widening, a smile crossing her face, glancing at Ochaco, who looked back with the same expression.

"What's up, U.A. candidates!" his amplified voice rang around the auditorium, making several flamboyant poses, "Thanks for tuning in to me, your school DJ! Come on, and lemme hear ya!" He spread his arms wide, a grin on his face. Unfortunately, he was met with silence as he turned to the side, cupping his ear.

Out of pity, and sarcasm, Arya let out a small, weak "woo!", raising her fist halfway. Ochaco gently slapped her shoulder, resulting in Arya's quiet snicker.

He didn't skip a beat. "Keepin' it mellow, eh? That's fine, I'll skip straight to the main show. Let's talk about how this practical exam's gonna go. Are ya ready!?" he near-screeched again. Arya put her hands on each side of her face, refusing to make another noise. Once again, the pro hero was met with silence. Ochaco gave her a look that said "don't make a noise." Arya's lips were pursed tight, her cheeks inflated, as if keeping in her response as well as her laughter.

Once again, the man didn't skip a beat. "Like your application said, today you rockin' boys and girls will be out conducting ten-minute mock battles in super-hip urban settings!" he explained. The screen behind him changed to an image of a section that was labeled "you are here" with the letters A-G branching off it.

"Gird your loins, my friends, after I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specified battle center, sound good?" Present Mic explained, waiting for a reply. He was, again, met with silence.

"Okay!?" he shouted again, seemingly agitated. Arya just looked down at her card- a piece of information just became clear.

"I'm in battle center B, what about you?" Ochaco questioned quietly. Arya frowned.

"A," she replied, just as quietly, dismay lacing her tone, "they must've split us up on purpose, so we can't work together." Arya muttered. Ochaco hummed in agreement, a little bummed.

"Okay, okay, let's check out your targets." Present Mic resumed, the screen behind him changing once more. It showed a city with three threatening-looking silhouettes surrounding it, labelled from 1-3P.

"There are three types of faux villains in every battle center." Three? Arya questioned mentally, looking down at the sheet of paper that occupied the desk on front of her, seeing four, not three. She exchanged glances with Ochaco, who just shrugged. Arya mentally brushed it off, returning her gaze to the pro hero.

"You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so better choose wisely! Your goal in this trial is to use your quirk to raise your score by shredding these faux villains like a mid-song guitar solo!" He pointed his finger at the crowd, "But check it, make sure you're keepin' things heroic! Attacking other examinees is a U.A. no-no, ya dig?" before Present Mic could continue, a boy with a deep voice and a serious tone interrupted.

"Excuse me sir, but I have a question." he said, sounding just outside of respectful, standing up. He was a few rows below the two girls, and as a spotlight shone on him, Arya noticed his gelled down, stick straight blue hair shining in the light.

Once again, not missing a beat, Present Mic acted naturally. "Hit me!" he acknowledged, pointing at the tall boy. The teen held up a sheet of paper.

"On the printout, you've listed four types of villains. Not three." So he noticed, too. Arya thought, Good on him. However, he took it farther, to Arya's annoyance.

"With all respect, if this is an error on official U.A. materials, it is shameful." Arya blanched at his words.

"The nerve!" Arya hissed quietly to her friend. Ochaco looked just as perturbed as her. Arya heard some muttering coming from above her.

"We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan's most notable school." He put down the paper, "A mistake such as this won't do." Suddenly, he turned around, pointing at the green-haired boy the two had encountered earlier. The two teens turned to meet the blue-haired teen's gaze.

"Additionally, you with the unkempt hair!" The poor boy made a confused sound, pointing at himself questionably. With an icy glare, he scolded the poor boy.

"You've been muttering this entire time. Stop that." It took everything in Arya to not bust out laughing. She covered her mouth, and Ochaco gave her a desperate glance, as if asking how she could be laughing, though she looked lightly amused as well.

"If you can't bother to take this seriously, leave. You're distracting the rest of us." Arya managed to stop silently giggling, and leaned on the desk, her hand in a fist, covering part of her smiling face.

"Sorry," the boy muttered apologetically, covering his mouth with both his hands, looking down as if he was riddled with regret. Poor thing, he did not deserve that! Arya thought sympathetically. Some laughing resonated around the auditorium.

Thinking for a moment, Arya frowned, and turned around, looking not at the green-haired boy, but at the ash-blonde next to him, glaring ahead. She found it hard to look away. However, unfortunately, he noticed her gaze and they made eye contact. Arya felt as if electricity shock her as his vermilion eyes locked with her own azure ones. She saw his eyelids barely lift. He had a sharp jawline and spiky blonde hair.

...

He's cute.

"Alright, alright," Present Mic spoke up, trying to calm the room down. Arya snapped out of her trance, and it seemed the ash-blonde did, too. His eyes narrowed into a glare, and Arya blinked, surprised by his reaction. However, while her eyes stayed wide, her eyebrows lowered, frowning back.

"Arya?" whispered Ochaco. Arya started, and turned back around, blushing. Ochaco sent her a confused look, but Arya's mind was busy.

What was his deal?

"Examinee number 7111," Wait, how did he know what his number was just by looking at him? Arya thought, confused, the boy forgotten.

"Thanks for callin' in with your request." he continued as if nothing had happened, treating it like a radio show, "the fourth villain type is worth zero points. That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way. There's one in every battle center. Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten, but there's... kinda no point." Present Mic continued with the flamboyant poses.

"I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones toppin' the charts! Does that answer your question?" In response, the boy bowed respectfully.

"Thank you very much, please continue." and he sat down.

"That's all I got for you today," Present Mic concluded, "I'll sign off with a little present." Arya's eyebrow quirked.

"A sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, 'A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes.' Mm-hm. Now that's a tasty soundbite." Arya seemed expressionless, but her eyes held determination beyond understanding. It matched up with her logic- if the odds weren't in her favor, she always worked to make it the opposite. To turn the tables.

"You ready to go beyond?" he continued, raising his hands one last time, "Let's hear a Plus Ultra!" The last two words appeared on the screen behind him with very bright and diverse coloring and effects. For the very last time, no response. Present Mic was probably used to it by now. "Good luck!" He shouted, filling the silence. "Hope you practiced hitting more than just the books!"

Oh, I sure did.

With that, the rest of the lights turned on and everyone got up from their seats and exited the auditorium. Arya took Ochaco's hand and led her through the crowd to the bathrooms, where they would change instead of the changing rooms which would inevitably be crowded as hell. There, the two changed into their second pair of clothing- for Ochaco, just a workout outfit, and for Arya, her stretchy-skintight suit- the sleeves reaching just past her shoulders, and the legs reaching to the middle of her thighs- and the kimono-like jacket. It gave her a taller appearance. Seeing as her quirk wouldn't allow her to wear shoes, she just left herself barefoot.

Wishing Ochaco good luck, she made her way to Battle Center A.

Upon arrival, she noticed the ash blonde boy in the crowd of people. He was wearing a black, fitting tank top that showed off his slightly toned muscles. Blushing, she quickly looked away, walking toward the front of the crowd, hoping he wouldn't see her. Unbeknownst to her, he did. His gaze followed her to the front of the crowd, a glare crossing his expression.

Just another extra I need to wipe the floor with.

"Right, let's start!" Present Mic's voice rang out. Everyone turned to look in his direction- at his tower by Battle Center B.

"Get moving!" he shouted. Arya was confused, "There are no countdowns in real battles, run, run, run, listeners! You're wasting airtime here!" The girl blanched, and turned around, the gate on front of her already opened. People ran around her. She took her hair out of its tie. Breathing deeply, Arya pushed down a noise of pain that threatened to escape her throat as she felt her whole body changing- bones reforming, organs shifting, and in just a few seconds- into another being. A strong lioness.

Castle Arya

Quirk: Shapeshift

Castle can change any part of herself into any biological creature her heart desires! As long as she understands the creature inside-out, she can create hybrids or even alter her genetic code! However, this seemingly overpowered ability has a drawback- the larger the creature, the more shifting, the more physical pain! Whatever she shapeshifts into also affects her attitude for a short time after she shapeshifts back. Her horns remain with every animal she shapeshifts into!

The the suit stayed on her, morphing with her. She bounded forward, ignoring the cries of fear as the other examinees noticed her. She ran down the streets, taking down whatever bot she could in just a few seconds. Pounce, shred, proceed. She heard all kinds of noises in the background- cries of battle, crashing, and explosions.

In the middle of the chaos, she stumbled back to her normal self, her hands on her knees and panting. Her messy lavender hair pooled around her face, much messier than it was before, tangled in her horns. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears.

To her left, she saw the ash-blonde from before, heaving breaths over the destruction of a robot. He slowly turned around to meet the girl's gaze, his eyes murderous. Instead of being afraid, without thinking, Arya stood up straighter, and winked. Giving him a wild, tired smirk, she shifted back into the lioness, bounding away to another robot she had spotted with a roar that echoed through the city.

He stared in her direction, rather than annoyed or enraged, confused. She outwardly looked the same as how he felt inside- wild, unhinged, but the heat of battle was too much for him to ponder on at the time.

Arya had taken down about five more bots and counted almost forty points when suddenly, the ravaged metal before her lost its glint- the sunlight was suddenly blocked, and screams of alarm and fear filled the atmosphere. Arya stepped back, concerned, and lifted her large head to see- to her surprise- a zero pointer. It was much, much larger than she imagined it would be, and was about to run away with her allies. However, she noticed two people caught underneath rubble at its feet. A few thoughts running through her head, she came to a morbid conclusion.

They're gonna die! She thought, panicked, looking up at the very large and very hostile goliath.

Before she could think it through, she was running toward the two.

When she realized what she was doing, she realized they probably wouldn't take kindly to a lioness, and, stopped her running, tried to morph herself into a larger version of a German Shepherd in case she would have to carry them, keeping her human voice box intact in case she had to speak. Sore, growing pains flooded her arms, legs and skull.

It worked, since the design was simple.

Once she reached them, the gargantuan robot was almost upon them. She gave a gentle but urgent bark at the two people- a small girl with dark skin, short, white, curly hair and tears in her purple eyes, a taller boy with jet black hair, red eyes and pointy teeth. One of his arms looked like it was made from rock, and was trying to list the huge piece of concrete that held the two down. They looked up at her, and she used her snout to move the large chunk of robot and concrete off of them. She gritted her teeth in pain while doing so, the corner of the concrete digging into the skin there, splitting it.

"Get on! Quick!" she barked. Thankfully, her voice was fully intact. When they hesitated, she growled gently, looking up at the bot, who's eyes were trained on them, its fist raised. Quickly, they climbed on her back.

"Hold on tight, I run fast." she warned them when she felt the weight of the two of them on her back. I'm gonna have a serious backache tonight, she mentally groaned. The boy in the front nodded, hugging her neck. She dashed forward, feeling the giant's foot fall where they had just been. I didn't even know it was there! she thought, pushing away images of what would have happened if she hadn't moved then.

They were both heavy- though most of the weight was from the boy- and tried her best to use that weight to make her faster, though it was difficult. Once they were out of sight from the gargantuan robot, she laid down, and they crawled off. Immediately, she shifted back to her original form with a huff, her hands on her back.

"That shapeshifter..." Midnight muttered.

"She could've left them for dead, but she even changed her form to make sure they wouldn't panic more than they already had. Truly fit to be a hero, in my opinion. Unlike that blonde. He seemed truly villainous." replied Power Loader.

"They both have insane potential. For them both as well as any student here, we'll just have to guide and watch their growth. They'll be fine heroes some day, I'm sure. If they make it past the exam." Principal Nezu commented.

"Thank you so much, I thought I was going to die!" the girl cried. Arya looked up, straightening her posture. She wiped the blood off the middle of her nose.

"Yeah, thanks a lot! Really thought I was a goner there. I'm Kirishima. Kirishima Eijirou." the dark-haired teen added.

"I'm Flavia Azula." the girl introduced herself.

"I'm Castle Arya. And don't worry about it." Arya replied, a ghost of a smile on her face. She was about to speak when an announcement reverberated off the towers around them.

"And that's it. Time's up!" Present Mic's voice projected throughout the city, followed by an alarm, interrupting the teen girl's sentence. Arya blanched.

"Well, then... I hope to see you both in class this year!" Kirishima told them both cheerfully, a tired look in his eye. Arya reciprocated his expression. She'd only racked up forty-four points, as far as she knew. She hoped that would be enough to get her in the top twenty, at least.

While they stood and waited for the clear to go, a small old woman she instantly recognized as the old hero Recovery Girl entered the battlefield.

"Good work, good work!" she praised them all in a kind voice that sounded like honey. She approached Arya, obviously knowing what fatigue looked like all too well. "Here, have some gummies." she offered, dropping a few gummy bears in her hand. Arya was caught off-guard for a moment, but gave her a grateful look.

"Thank you, Recovery Girl-san." Arya said calmly, eating the gummies one at a time.

"Yes, of course, young one." she replied, quickly moving on to the next student. She assumed that was her go to leave, so she turned and left. With wide eyes, she realized that the gummies gave her a small boost of energy, and suddenly she was much more thankful for them- not that she wasn't thankful in the first place. She could never reject candy, especially gummies.

Arya saw Ochaco waiting for her at the entrance of the school, sitting on a bench with her skateboard on her lap. She noticed the horned girl and stood up, meeting her halfway.

"So, how did you do, Ocha?" Arya asked, approaching the girl. The girl turned around with a tired smile as they started to walk down the courtyard.

"I only got twenty-eight points, I'm not sure if I'll make it." Ochaco responded glumly.

"I'm sure you got a higher score than others. Twenty-eight is still a lot!" Arya said, her voice encouraging. Suddenly Ochaco's eyes brightened, but more as if she was remembering something.

"Oh, that poor boy! Do you remember the guy we ran into on the way here?" Ochaco prompted. Arya nodded, a bit confused.

"Were you in the same battle center as him?" Arya questioned.

"Yeah!" Ochaco nodded, "...But he didn't get any points. His quirk was amazing, he had the strength of a titan! -Sorry." Ochaco apologized quickly when she saw the change in expression from Arya. But it was gone as soon as it came.

"No, it's okay, I understand what you're trying to say. A small boy like him with strength like that... how come he didn't get any points?" Arya asked her, trying to dissolve the atmosphere Ochaco had accidentally created and start up the conversation again. It worked. Ochaco shrugged.

"I have no idea. He broke three of his limbs throughout the test- and they were all broken to save me! The zero-pointer- you saw it, right? It was massive! And it was about to crush me when that kid jumped super high and punched the crap out of that thing, destroying the whole thing! With one punch!" she ranted, her hands moving everywhere as she explained. Arya nodded, her eyes widened.

"Wow, I wonder how he wasn't able to accumulate any points, then, with a power like that." Arya thought out loud.

"Oh! Right! I wanted to give him some of my points." Ochaco said. Arya looked at her like she was insane.

"What?! But you said you only got twenty-eight points! Ochaco, I got, like, forty points. If anyone's gonna be donating points, it'll be me." Ochaco's eyes widened at that.

"Forty!? Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, with a quirk like yours!" Ochaco said, scratching the back of her head. She paused. "Wait, you'd donate your points?" Arya shook her head, her thick hair moving around her.

"Yeah, because I know you wouldn't stop even if I told you not to. Besides, I think he really deserves a chance to be able to improve his quirk if he keeps breaking his bones like that." Arya lowered her voice, grabbing Ochaco's hands.

"Let's go to Present Mic. I'm sure he'd be on board." the horned girl assured her. Ochaco gave an embarrassed smile.

"Thank you, Arya!" she said, determined. They both ran back into the school, and found the pro hero- Present Mic- in a classroom going over some paperwork.

"Mr.- uh, Present Mic-san." asked Arya, panting in the doorway. Ochaco came in behind her, not panting at all- she'd just powerwalked there, looking much more dignified than Arya did at the moment.

"S-sorry to interrupt." Ochaco added, taking a step forward, past Arya, who was leaning against the door frame.

Present Mic looked up at the two girls, standing up and walking in front of them.

"Heya! How can I help you two listeners today?" he said cheerfully, a grin on his face. Ochaco spoke up, her voice shy.

"You know that boy with the really messy hair and all the freckles?" she asked, moving her hands above her head for emphasis, "It's hard to describe his face, he's kinda plain looking? Doesn't really stand out or anything, you know?"

"Ochaco, are you trying to insult or describe the boy?" Arya deadpanned. Ochaco blushed, rubbing her cheek.

"Anyways," Arya picked up, her expression staying neutral, her blue eyes having a soft glint to them. She stood up straighter. "would I be allowed to give this boy any of my points?"

"I heard him saying something about wanting to get just one point in," Ochaco added, looking determined and passionate, "which just seems crazy! How could someone who took down that huge villain all by himself not have any points in the end? He would've had a better score if he hadn't stopped to help me!" Ochaco closed her eyes, her words coming directly from inside her heart. "He saved me! I have to make it up to him! I was going to offer my points, but Arya wouldn't let me. Please, sir!"

"He deserves a chance to improve his quirk if he has something as crazy powerful as that. Can't you just... give him some of my points?" Arya finished, stepping closer and looking him in the eye. Present Mic seemed moved by their words.

"Thanks for showin' up to the station with your request," he began, keeping his radio vocabulary, "but there's no reason to give him your points." He patted them both on the head. "The kid's chartin' well on his own! See, combat wasn't the only factor involved in the point system." Arya and Ochaco gasped, shocked, their eyes widening.

"Rescue points were also a factor! Now, you two listeners shouldn't be worryin' about him- or yourselves, at all! I can't reveal the score to either of you, or even if you passed, but I'll just assure you both. It was very noble of you both to do that. Now go on home, and you'll get your results in a week! Bye-bye now!"

The two exchanged shocked looks and said their farewells and thanks to the pro hero, who was already going through his paperwork once more. Once they had reached the entrance once more, Ochaco took Arya's hands, spinning her around in a circle excitedly.

"I can't believe he said that..." breathed Arya, an air of excitement around her. Ochaco squealed beside her.

"I can't believe we're probably gonna go to U.A.!" Ochaco exclaimed, a huge grin on her face. They laid down their skateboards and pushed off. On the way home, they both talked excitedly about their practical exam, and contemplated what their points might be. They deduced, since rescue points were a thing now, that they had a good chance of making it.

"Ochaco!" Arya said once they had arrived at Arya's house, "if my mom says it's okay, you wanna have a sleepover?" Ochaco's eyes lit up, a huge grin crossing her face.

"Hell yes!" she exclaimed. Arya laughed- she wasn't usually one for cursing like Arya was. Arya's mother was perfectly fine with Ochaco staying over. While Ochaco went back to her house to pack her things, Arya showered and cleaned her room. Once Ochaco arrived, Arya had some snacks ready and the movie pirating app on her TV that her family used. Her stepfather was home, but her mother had some hero work she needed to do.

Ochaco was slightly against pirating movies- her and her sense of justice. But she caved in after Arya assured her that a lot of people did it and the law didn't really care. As long as they didn't watch any super new movies, they'd be fine. They both sat in Arya's hammock and binged a movie series called "Grown Ups" before falling asleep on the hammock.

"This is like, the first sleepover I've had since I moved to Japan!" young Arya said happily. Ochaco laughed, hugging Arya.

"And it certainly won't be the last!" she laughed assuredly. Arya grinned and hugged back.

Arya smiled on the memory as she sipped on her hot cocoa, looking out the window from the hammock in her room.

Ochaco and Arya ended up sleeping over for three more days after that. Eventually, they decided against sleeping over again so they could do some solo training for the remainder of the week.

Arya groaned and set her pen down, trotting downstairs to meet her mother in the kitchen, behind the bar. She had this huge grin on her face and she was holding up an envelope with the U.A. logo. Nash stood next to Celine with a grin on his face, seemingly back early from the station. At that sight, Arya's eyes widened and her annoyed look was immediately replaced with an excited one.

"Arya! Your results from U.A. came in!" Celine said, her voice oddly calm, yet her green eyes glinting with excitement. Arya beamed, turning to the living room.

"Ivan! Vivi! Wanna see my results from the U.A. exam!?" Arya called to her brother. Ivan immediately came running to the kitchen with a grin. Vivian leapt up from the couch and came running over, hugging Arya's leg. Arya sat at the barstool, plopping Vivian on her lap, and took the envelope when her mother gave it to her. Tearing it open, her expression reflected her confused thoughts as she took out a small, gray disc.

"Place on flat surface" the paper inside the envelope read. Arya humored it, placing it down on the counter. Suddenly, a holographic screen appeared above the disc, showing a close-up of All Might's face.

"Booyah! I am here as a projection!" he exclaimed, backing up from the camera. Arya yelped in surprise, as did the others that were watching. Celine grinned at the screen.

"Uncle Toshi?" Ivan said confusedly.

"Aah Might!" Vivian exclaimed. Celine shushed her with a finger to her lips.

"This is from U.A., isn't it!?" Arya asked her mother. Celine just winked and shushed her other daughter.

"It may come as a surprise, Young Arya, but you're looking at the newest U.A. faculty member!" Arya's expression turned to one of awe and shock, and she looked at Celine, who wore a knowing look on her face.

"You knew this, didn't yo-"

"You passed the written exam, and you earned forty-three combat points in the practical exam! Fortunately, as Present Mic explained to you, there were other factors. The practical exam wasn't graded on solely combat points. How could a hero course reject a heroic action? So we have rescue points! A panel of judges watched you rescue those two from the zero-pointer and awarded points for heroic acts beyond just fighting villains. Arya Castle, 35 rescue points! You passed the exam on top of the leaderboard with 78 points in total! I'm so proud of you!" He gave a thumbs-up. Arya was speechless, tears gathering at the bottom of her eyes. All Might turned to the screen once more, holding out his hand.

"Welcome, Arya, to your hero academia." And the hologram stopped. Everyone exploded, screaming and hugging and shaking Arya.

"You made it! You're in U.A.! You're gonna be a hero!" Arya heard. I made it, holy shit! I'm in the best hero school in Japan! Tears leaked down Arya's cheeks.

And that was the start of her hero academia.

edited 11•09•21