"How much time has passed?"

"A little over six minutes."

"Any injuries?"

"Sprained ankles. A few broken bones. Minor Quirk overuse. Nothing serious, but Recovery Girl's been alerted. She'll make the final determination."

"Oh my, this year's recruits look exceptionally promising," a short pause, "But programming the villains to actively seek out students? Isn't that a little too much?"

"After last year's exam proved disappointing, I thought something new and exciting would liven things up," in a darkened room illuminated by multiple video feeds and firmly kept in the mid-fifties thanks to round-the-clock air conditioning, beady eyes watched countless students strive to achieve victory. One such examinee ignored a one-pointer who'd managed to pin another student to the ground. While none of the students were in true danger – the villains were programmed to restrain, not attack – leaving someone to fend for themselves was the antithesis of heroism.

On the other hand, until a threat was eliminated, altruism could be exchanged for pragmatism.

Sometimes it was better for a hero to focus on defeating a villain.

There were always exceptions, of course.

Which was the point of the practical exam – to see what potential heroes do in a variety of conflicting situations.

"The examinees have no idea how many villains are present or their locations. They have limited time, must investigate a large area and hunt down targets. Some utilize information-gathering to plan out attacks while others rely upon speed to pull ahead of their peers. Of course, remaining calm under pressure can be advantageous. As can overwhelming power and combat ability. The most successful students demonstrate combinations of these tactics. They're the ones who rack up the highest scores."

Nezu – who could be a mouse or a bear or possibly a dog, but more importantly, was UA's principal – raised a paw, "Now then, please bring up the top ten examinees."

Katsuki Bakugo – 63 Villain Points

Ryuko Matoi – 55 Villain Points

Yosetsu Awase – 43 Villain Points

Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu – 40 Villain Points

Tenya Ida – 40 Villain Points

Fumikage Tokoyami – 37 Villain Points

Jurota Shishida – 32 Villain Points

Ibara Shiozaki – 25 Villain Points

Eijiro Kirishima – 22 Villain Points

Ochaco Uraraka – 21 Villain Points

"Matoi?"

Ken Ishiyama – known to the public as Cementoss – focused on the familiar surname.

A shadowed hand depressed several keys in specific order.

On the high-definition screens built into the wall, several cameras recording every aspect and angle of the practical exam – down to the twitching of an examinee's fingers – switched to Ryuko. The gathered faculty, those not on standby for emergencies, watched the fourteen-year-old teenager engage and destroy a one-pointer with surprising effortlessness. Her speed drew their attention. Her technique, or lack thereof, earned more than a few notes. A downward swing ending in a muted explosion. As whispers spread amongst the pro hero faculty, someone typed another command into the computer, bringing up news articles stretching back several months, Ryuko's middle school photo and a photocopy of her relatively high score on the written exam.

"So, she's the one who attacked Seiai Academy?"

"And without using her Quirk, too."

"Impressive."

"A hero had to restrain her, right? Who was it, again?"

"The Rabbit Hero: Mirko."

"Her Quirk appears rather straightforward," Hirooki Anakuro – Thirteen – observed with necessary detachment. Every hero worth their license knew about 'Professor Matoi,' one of the world's foremost experts on Quirks. His murder at the hands of an unknown villain had struck the hero community hard. All Might. Endeavor. Every hero wanted to bring his killer to justice, "An Emitter type, right?"

"Possibly."

Preoccupied with observing the other students pushing themselves to the limit, Shota Aizawa lethargically grumbled, "But if you're that curious, you can ask her after the exam."

An enrapturing yet mature voice, full lips framed between spiky dark purple hair, leaned towards the muscular man seated next to her, "So…?"

"I'll admit, at first glance our Quirks are similar."

Sekijiro Kan – the well-known Blood Hero: Vlad King, who utilized copious amounts of his own blood to capture and incapacitate villains and criminals alike – stroked his chin, drawing attention towards his fangs. Narrow eyes behind an orange visor tightened. Blood Quirks were uncommon. And those capable of manipulating their own blood instead of influencing others even more so, "But her Quirk enhances her blood's durability far beyond anything I can do," a grunt passed through his lips, "That being said – there's a noticeable limitation."

Ryuko Matoi – 57 Villain Points

Katsuki Bakugo – 66 Villain Points

"Can we please focus?"

As hundreds of scores updated in real-time, Aizawa's exhaustion sharpened, "There are other students besides Ryuko Matoi taking the exam."

Nemuri Kayama – renowned throughout Japan as the adult-rated heroine whose arrival heralded laws concerning how much skin a costume could show – either ignored her friend's request or didn't hear him, "It's quantity."

Across the room, Aizawa contemplated saying something, thought better of himself and decided that, no, it wasn't worth getting involved.

"Yes, look at her eyes. Her pupils are dilated. She's probably dizzy. And she's breathing heavy," Sekijiro sat back, content yet disappointed, "There's clearly a hard ceiling to how much blood she can manipulate. But how high is the question. An ordinary person would have already passed out and died from losing that much blood. Yet she's barely inconvenienced."

"How much blood are we talking about?"

"At least five or six times the average adult," Vlad King answered, "Maybe more."

"It seems her Quirk sacrifices quantity for quality," no longer able to ignore the tedious conversation about a single examinee's Quirk, Aizawa reluctantly surrendered to the collective insanity, "There's more. She's fast on her feet and quite strong. Physically, at least. Cutting through metal that easily requires more than an exceptionally sharp blade," his weary eyes drifted towards Ryuko's weapon of choice – a crystalline disaster vaguely shaped into something most people might recognize as a sword, "Yet the construction of her sword implies a lack of training. This is probably the first time she's used her Quirk for more than a few minutes at a time. Satisfied?"

"Hmph."

"Good," Aizawa grumbled into his scarf, "Now get back to work."

Ryuko Matoi – 58 Villain Points

Katsuki Bakugo – 70 Villain Points

Side-by-side with Ryuko and Katsuki's respective battles against UA's robotics department, another examinee caught Snipe's attention, "Tenya Ida…Ingenium's brother?"

"Yes."

"Hmm…the villains are having some difficulty adjusting for his Quirk's speed. We'll need to improve their sensors for next year."

"Will that be enough?"

"Look at that. Examinee 7423's using her Quirk to restrain a villain while Examine 7233 destroys it."

"Are they working together?"

"No, it appears they simply ran into each other."

"A shame. Still, she's earned a few rescue points for that."

As the faculty debated and watched, observed and commented, Principal Nezu sipped his tea. It was bitter yet carried a hint of vanilla. It lingered on his tongue, clinging to taste buds several times more sensitive than a human's. He loved this time of year. Heroes-in-training struggling against the odds. Promising students utilizing their Quirks in different yet exciting ways. Quirks he hadn't seen before. It was a shame only thirty-six prospective heroes would be accepted on top of the four who'd passed the recommendation exam. But life wasn't always fair. Then there was Ryuko Matoi. When All Might explained what happened – the incident at Seiai Academy, interjecting himself into the subsequent investigation and handing her an application to UA, he hadn't been livid or upset. Certainly not upset enough to make All Might wash the Unforeseen Simulation Zone's floors. Twice. Heavens no! Yet what was done was done. Ryuko was here. And from the looks of things, she was doing a fairly decent job.

Not that he would allow personal bias cloud his judgement.

Isshin's daughter or not, she was just another student.

If Ryuko passed, she passed.

If she failed, she failed.

Placing his paw on the scale simply because he and Isshin had been acquaintances would forever tarnish UA's reputation.

Not to mention upsetting the board of directors.

Drawing the mostly-finished cup to his snout, Nezu partook of delightful bitterness, "Ryuko is certainly doing quite well. Yet Katsuki Bakugo's earned more villain points. But Tetsutetsu Tetsutesu's not far behind. I'm curious which student will take the gold. Or maybe someone else, an examinee nobody expects to win, will emerge this year's winner."

Ryuko Matoi – 59 Villain Points

Katsuki Bakugo – 72 Villain Points

"Katsuki Bakugo," her voice lacking its normally sultry inflection, Midnight watched the latter's score increase another point, "At the rate he's going, he won't earn any rescue points."

A chorused voice belonging to Ectoplasm betrayed underlying thought, "It would be the first time in years."

"He has some potential," the R-Rated hero leaned onto the armrest, fingers pressed against her cheek, "But his personality leaves much to be desired."

"Every student earns at least a few rescue points," it was the truth. Assisting another examinee against a villain. Providing directions. Acting heroically. There were multitudes of ways to earn rescue points. But focusing on the video feed showing Katsuki Bakugo detonating a two-pointer point-blank with his Quirk after luring it into an empty alley, Ectoplasm flinched at the maniacal youth's erratic behavior.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE YOU METAL HUNK OF JUNK!

Vlad King's expression tightened, "He's going to be a handful."

Ryuko Matoi – 60 Villain Points

Katsuki Bakugo – 74 Villain Points

"Defeat as many villains as possible. Use whatever means at your disposal. As long as you keep it strictly heroic, fight to your heart's content. That's what we told the students."

Nezu laughed.

An ominous chuckle.

"But heroes aren't simply ranked by strength, although powerful Quirks are quite useful when it comes to arresting villains," yet nobody paid attention to his laughter. Not that they were in any position to argue. In any case, Nezu reached for the button built into his armrest. A button that opened another hidden compartment housing a larger red button, "That's why heroes normally work together. Teamwork is an essential part of heroism. If your Quirk has a weakness, another hero can cover for it. And vice versa."

"Some students have formed rudimentary teams," Cementoss pointed out, "Those are the ones who'll earn the most rescue points."

Ryuko Matoi – 62 Villain Points

Katsuki Bakugo – 76 Villain Points

"But it's only when pushed to the extreme that true heroes show their mettle."

Ryuko Matoi – 63 Villain Points

Katsuki Bakugo – 77 Villain Points

"And since villains don't wait for heroes to show up," knowing the chaos about to unfold, Nezu pressed the 'Yakuri Switch,' sat back and gleefully sipped his tea, "Why should we?"