I don't own My Hero Academia or Kill la Kill, please don't sue.
Ryuko Matoi followed the signs directing her to the exam orientation, leading her to a large auditorium. Uraraka wasn't with her because she fell behind when she stopped to help some green-haired kid after he tripped on his own feet and almost broke his face.
At least it meant less competition for her. If that kid couldn't even make it to the doorway without almost dying, he didn't have a chance of getting into UA. Sure half the people taking the exam were probably just weaklings with not enough common sense, but why did that kid even bother trying?
By the time she entered the auditorium, most of the seats were already taken. Ryuko looked around for an available spot when she saw Mina and Kirishima waving over to her. While sitting alone would have been preferable, it was better than nothing. She made her way over and grabbed a spot with Kirishima at her left side.
On her right, a boy with spiky blonde hair was staring intensely at... something. Ryuko slightly bumped into him as she slid into her seat, making him growl and mutter something that sounded like... extra? Someone had woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.
A few seconds after she sat down, the ceiling lights turned on one by one. The giant screen at the center stage of the auditorium lit up, displaying UA's logo against a blue background.
"What's up UA candidates? Thanks for tuning in to me, your school DJ! Come on and let me hear ya!" a man with the weirdest hairstyle Ryuko had ever seen cupped his hand to his ear, evidently gesturing to the students to make some kind of noise.
Of course, he was met with only silence. A large bead of sweat dripped down Ryuko's forehead. What was this guy's deal? Was he a teacher? At least he was sane compared to the teachers at Honnouji, though that wasn't saying much.
"Keepin' it mellow huh? That's fine, I'll skip straight to the main show!" the man, who Ryuko now recognized as Present Mic, continued.
While her indifference towards heroes meant she wasn't familiar with their names, Mic was one of the ones it was impossible to not know about. Especially in the Kiryuin territories, where he was known for broadcasting his radio show despite their best efforts to take it down.
"Let's talk about how this practical exam's gonna go down, okay? ARE YOU READY?" he shouted, striking a pose.
Once again, Ryuko could have heard a pin drop.
"Like your application said, today you rockin' boys and girls will be out there conducting ten-minute mock battles in super hip urban settings! After I drop the mic here you'll head out to your specified battle centers, sound good?"
Specified battle centers? So they were being split up. She wondered if she would get to take the test alongside her friends. Evidently, Mina and Kirishima had the same idea and were already looking at their cards.
"Huh, looks like we're going to different battle centers," Mina said.
Ryuko glanced at their cards and sure enough, they were different.
"They probably want to split us up so we can't work with people we already know," Kirishima explained.
It made sense, but it was still annoying. Ryuko looked at her own application card, which told her that she would be going to Battle Center E. Which meant she'd be by herself.
"Okay, okay! Let's check out your targets! There are three types of faux villains in every center. 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! But check it! Make sure you're keeping things heroic! Attacking other examinees is a UA no-no, ya dig?"
That was a shame. She got why they wouldn't want potential heroes to attack their peers, but the exam would have been a lot easier if it was allowed.
"Excuse me sir but I have a question!" a tall boy with blue hair and glasses announced, standing up straight as a board.
"Hit me!" Mic responded, glad to be receiving some attention.
"On the print-out, you've listed four types of villains, not three. With all respect, if this is an error on official UA materials, it is shameful! We are exemplary students, we expect the best from Japan's most notable hero school! A mistake such as this won't do! Additionally, you with the unkept hair!" he pointed a finger accusingly at the kid Ryuko recognized as the one who tripped. "You've been muttering this entire time. Stop that. If you can't be bothered to take this exam seriously, then leave. You're distracting the rest of us!"
"Sorry!" he squeaked.
While most of the candidates laughed, Ryuko groaned. Just what she needed, another Gamagoori. She hadn't even noticed the kid's muttering in the first place! "Geez, how far do you think they shoved the stick up his ass?" she muttered to herself. To her surprise, the spiky haired kid on her right gave a small chuckle.
"That bastard's probably one of those elites who thinks he's better than the rest of us because he follows some dumb rules," he said. "You know what I like to do with his type? Blow his ass up!"
Ryuko couldn't help but laugh. This kid wasn't so bad!
"Ryuko Matoi," she introduced herself.
"Katsuki Bakugo," he responded. "What battle center do you have?"
"I got E."
"Damn. Though I guess it's a good thing we're separated, cause I'm gonna destroy so many villains the other candidates won't have enough points to pass!" Bakugo boasted.
Ryuko smiled even more. Sure he was awfully cocky, but as long as he had the skills to back it up, a little trash-talk was right up her alley.
"Alright, alright! Examinee number 7111! Thanks for calling in with your request! 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... kind of no point. I recommend my listeners ignore it and focus on the ones top of the chart!" Present Mic answered.
"Thank you very much! Please continue," Mini Gamagoori bowed, then sat back down.
"Why would there be a villain not worth any points?" Senketsu mused.
"Maybe it's so weak it doesn't count for anything," Ryuko whispered.
"Or perhaps it's like a hazard in a video game that's supposed to be avoided, not fought. Though I can't help but get the feeling that there's something more to this..."
Wait a minute. How did Senketsu know what video games were?
"That's all I got for you today! I'll sign off with a little present, a sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes! Mmhm, now that's a tasty soundbite! You ready to go beyond? Let's hear a PLUS ULTRA!" Mic finished, the school's motto appearing on the monitor behind him in giant flashing letters.
"Good luck! Hope you practiced hitting more than just books!"
After a short bus ride, Ryuko stepped out at the entrance to Battle Center E. Unfortunately, she didn't know anyone assigned to the same battle center. Though Bakugo had a point, these people were the competition. Even if they weren't allowed to attack each other, they'd all be competing for a limited resource. At least this way she wouldn't have to compete against her friends.
She stretched her arms as she gazed at the gates to the miniature city that was Battle Center E. She had to admit, it was pretty impressive the UA was able to afford building multiple of these battle centers for no purpose other than wrecking them. Not as impressive as Honnouji building their own island, but still impressive.
Now that the practical exam was about to begin, pretty much everyone was wearing athletic gear of some kind. The few who brought their own costumes and support gear had put them on, getting some jealous looks from those who didn't.
A smug grin formed on Ryuko's face. She could match that and then some.
"Ready for this Senketsu?" she asked.
"You know I am! Let's do this!"
"Life Fiber Synchronize: Kamui Senketsu!" the two said in unison as Ryuko was engulfed in a flash of red light. Once her transformation was complete, she drew her scissor blade and extended it to its full size, the sunlight reflecting off of its crimson blade.
"Wow, that girl has a costume and everything! She even has a weapon!"
"So flashy too! It'll be easy for her to get noticed by the pros."
"A little too easy though, that costume doesn't leave much to the imagination."
Ryuko briefly blushed at that last comment, though it shake her as bad as the... incident at the café. Back at Honnouji, she and pretty much everyone had gotten so used to her transformation that it didn't phase anyone anymore. Here, things were different.
But she couldn't let that make her feel embarrassed, no matter how many people stared and no matter what they said. Accessing Senketsu's true power meant accepting his true form and her own. She wouldn't just get naked, she'd be proud of it as well! Ryuko held her head up high and marched to the front of the gate, ready to take off as soon as they opened.
"Right let's start!" Present Mic shouted from a far-away tower. "Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles! Run, run, run listeners! You're wasting airtime here!"
As Mic continued talking, the gates started opening. Ryuko fired up Senketsu's thrusters and as soon as the gates were wide enough for her to fit through, she shot off like a rocket, leaving an energy trail behind her.
Most of the candidates would probably go straight down the main road, as that would be where the most villains would be. So she'd go left instead. Ryuko turned on a dime, still at full speed, blasting down the first street she could find.
She shot down the empty city street when several robots emerged from their hiding spots to meet her. The one at the front of the pack had treads like a tank and two missile launchers on its back.
A three-pointer. Perfect.
"TARGET ACQUIRED!" it said in a robotic voice.
The robotic villain locked onto Ryuko, firing all of its missiles at her. She continued rushing towards her target anyway, slicing each projectile out of the air with her scissor blade. There was no way missiles or bullets should have been able to touch her, but these ones were even slower for some reason. They also didn't explode, so were these fakes?
As soon as she was in range, Ryuko leapt into the air, high above the robot's field of vision. As she descended, she plunged her sword into the faux villain, piercing it all the way through down to the pavement.
"That was risky Ryuko," Senketsu reprimanded her. "We should play it safe, we don't know what these villains are capable of or how many of them there are."
"We'll be fine," Ryuko assured him. "If they're anything like this guy this exam will be a piece of cake!"
For the brief moment she was distracted talking to Senketsu, she didn't notice the wall behind her crumbling and a villain rolling out.
Crap, there were villains hiding inside the buildings? She didn't have enough time to counter-attack, so she'd have to block. The one-pointer raised its arm to strike her and Ryuko raised her own to defend. She braced herself for impact when...
CRUNCH
Ryuko definitely felt the metal make contact with her arm, but it didn't hurt or even move her a millimeter.
She looked up at the villain bot, which had been knocked off of its single wheel from the recoil of its own attack. The arm it hit her with was now a mangled heap of metal, only hanging on by a few wires. As the robot twitched, hundreds of rubber bullets poured out of its "wound". If she didn't know any better, she'd say the thing ran into a concrete wall at top speed.
That was it? These tin cans couldn't even hurt her and they were supposed to be the exam?
Unable to believe what just happen, Ryuko walked up to the downed villain bot to confirm her suspicions. She wasn't going to punch it or anything, obviously it couldn't handle that. Just a single light poke with her pinky finger, not much stronger than a punch from an athletic human.
The robot exploded.
What the hell? She was holding back as much as she could, she was sure of it. That poke wouldn't have been able to knock back a regular person more than a meter, yet it completely destroyed that villain robot? Were these things just made to be destroyed?
Actually, that kind of made sense. Potential heroes or not, as far was UA was concerned, they were just kids with decent quirks. They couldn't afford to have anyone seriously injured or even killed on just the entrance exam. That's why the missiles and bullets were fakes!
Sure enough, the other examinees were having no trouble with smashing the robots to pieces, even the ones without powerful quirks.
One boy smashed a three-pointer with nothing more than his tail, while a girl with a giant fist took out two robots with a single punch. Some of the robots seemingly shut off by themselves, but Ryuko was able to catch a... pair of floating gloves?
As she watched her inexperienced competition dismantle robots with ease, Ryuko began to grin wildly.
"Hey Senketsu!"
"Hm?"
"What do you say we have some fun?
"That makes seventeen!" Itsuka Kendo yelled as she slammed her enlarged fist on a one-pointer robot, crushing it like a soda can.
She shrank her fist back to normal size and wiped the sweat off of her brow. While the robots themselves were pretty easy to take out on their own, the sheer number of them really added up.
Speaking of numbers, the real challenge of the exam was getting enough points while everyone else tried to do the same. Big Fist was useful for taking out robots one-on-one, but she could only target one or two robots at the same time. Examinees with ranged attacks could take out robots much more efficiently than she could, it was almost like the exam was rigged in favor of long-ranged combat quirks.
Still, having a combat quirk at all put her at a huge advantage. Itsuka could think of plenty of useful quirks for a hero to have that were rendered useless due to the nature of the exam. Why did UA make such an unfair exam? There had to be more to being a hero than just smashing villains right?
One such examinee was a girl with long brown hair and bangs that completely covered her eyes. She was being attacked by a scorpion-like two-pointer robot, its two stinger tails making rapid strikes at her. The girl tried to defend herself by sprouting mushrooms from the ground, but the robot just trampled over them without slowing down.
Itsuka was already behind the other examinees in terms of points, so she should have been relieved that there was one less potential competitor. But even if she did get accepted, how could she call herself a hero if she left that girl by herself?
She enlarged her right fist again and swiped at the two-pointers leg, knocking it off balance.
"Thank you," the girl said meekly. "I thought I could hold it back with my mushrooms, but the robots aren't affected by poison, so it's useless here."
"It was no problem!" Itsuka replied. "You know, if you can make those mushrooms grow anywhere, you don't have to limit yourself to just poisons. You could even grow them inside the robots!"
"I never thought of that," the girl mused. "Do you really think it'll work?"
"Well, there's only one way to find out. It's all yours!" she offered.
Itsuka didn't really know why she let the girl take the points. Just two more points would have been able to push her to at least passing range. But this girl needed them more than her, letting her have just that one thing was the right thing to do.
Before the girl could test out her quirk like Itsuka suggested, a bright red flash temporarily blinded both of them and a shockwave pushed them back into a wall.
When the light faded, the two girls regained their balance and stood back up. But the robot wasn't there anymore. Only a trail of fire on the ground and tiny shreds of green metal.
What the hell just happened?
Toshinori Yagi sat in the dark, secluded judging room containing the panel of teachers who were the judges for the entrance exam. Due to being the newest staff member, he wasn't on the panel, but he was invited to join them anyway.
The teachers who were judging the exam did so from the various hidden cameras spread amongst each battle zone. The cameras were all streaming to the dozens of monitors in the room, giving them a real-time view of the exam.
Toshinori brimmed with nostalgia as he watched the examinees smash the robots to pieces. The test was one of the few things that UA kept constant every year. He took the very same test back when he applied to UA all those years ago.
"Clearly the examinees have no idea how many villains are present or their locations," Principal Nezu said. "They have limited time, must cover a vast area, and hunt down every last target."
He was able to tell that just from looking at the monitors? Though now that he knew what to look for, Toshinori could see that the principal was right. Most of the examinees were moving randomly, just looking for villains to fight.
"Some use information gathering abilities to plan out strategies," referring to a boy with multiple arms using them like a radar. "While others rely on speed to pull ahead of their peers," he then gestured to a boy with engines in his legs delivering an axe kick to a robot.
"Of course, remaining calm under pressure can be a huge advantage, as can pure power and combat ability. The most successful students use a combination of all these tactics. They're the ones who rack up the highest scores." Nezu finished.
"Hmm... I'd say this year's group looks promising," Midnight said, licking her lips.
"You don't have to say group, we all know who this year's star student is going to be," Vlad King addressed the elephant in the room.
The girl with the transformation quirk, Matoi. She moved so fast that their cameras couldn't even track her. Everywhere she went, there were only craters left behind. The only proof they had that the robots didn't just spontaneously explode was the distinct crimson energy trail Matoi left behind.
"She's not just powerful, but skilled with that sword of hers as well," Ectoplasm noted. "Look at some of the wreckage: Fifteen robots cut ten times each in perfectly parallel strips in under a second. It's like she's chopping vegetables. She's clearly had much more experience than the other examinees."
"I don't think we've had a student as powerful as her since, well... All Might! She might even surpass your top score," Power Loader teased.
"On the other hand, she hasn't scored any rescue points yet, along with the blonde kid with the explosion quirk," Midnight pointed out. "While we didn't tell them about rescue points, pretty much every candidate gets at least one point for basic decency."
"You do have a point, Matoi may be too powerful for her own good," Cementoss agreed. "She's not directly attacking anyone, but the sheer amount of destruction she causes is putting the other examinees at risk. It's certainly odd that the top two scorers look like they'll get in on villain points alone."
Toshinori wasn't paying attention. Well, that was a lie. Of course he had seen the footage of young Matoi zipping around like a miniature tornado, shredding robot villains like a blender at a rate that wouldn't let any other candidate in her battle center pass. He was certainly impressed by her power, if not her recklessness and indifference towards the other examinees.
But that wasn't what he was focusing on.
He continued to scan each monitor, hoping to catch a glimpse of his successor, young Midoriya. He hadn't used his quirk yet and while the ten months of training helped, he was still much less athletic than his competitors. Right now he didn't even have any villain points, and at this rate he wouldn't be able to make up for it with rescue points either.
Of course, Toshinori kept these concerns to himself. He couldn't let anyone know he already picked out his favorite.
"Well, there's still plenty of time before it's over," Snipe said, moving over to a button labelled "Yaruki Switch". "The real test is yet to come. Let's see how they react."
Ryuko Matoi was having the time of her life.
She laughed wildly as she jumped dozens of meters into the air, leaving several robots beneath her. Once she reached the peak of her jump, she sliced off the top half of one of the buildings and pushed it onto the street, crushing the robots on the ground.
Ryuko took the time she spent falling to savor her handiwork. As soon as she hit the ground, she took off at top speed to systematically destroy every robot in her path.
The other examinees were so slow they might as well have been standing still to her. Weaving through them and slicing up the robots they were targeting was so easy it was almost like taking candy from a baby.
At Honnouji Academy, she only ever transformed when she had to fight for her life. Mohawk guy, Sanageyama, and even Mako could have seriously injured or killed her.
Now? Slicing through villains without a care in the world wasn't just easy, it was fun! Without having to focus on fighting, she realized just how good it felt to be synchronized with Senketsu.
Feeling the wind in her hair, Ryuko felt truly free for the first time in a while.
"I've noticed that your mood has improved since we got here," Senketsu noted.
"Well, yeah! We've got this thing in the bag!"
By her own estimates, she had gathered about 150 points by now. She doubted that there were even enough villains left to beat that score before time ran out.
A two-pointer robot tried striking her with its tails, but she ripped both of them off and stabbed the villain with its own weapons. She threw the wrecked robot onto a nearby three-pointer, causing both of them to explode. Before she could continue her massacre against the robots, a loud explosion right in front of her got her attention.
When the dust started to settle, a giant robot towering over the buildings emerged from the dust cloud. It stabilized itself by grabbing onto a building, its sheer mass making the structure crumble.
The zero-pointer.
"Well, now we know why they said not to fight it," Senketsu remarked.
Maybe she was wrong about the whole "not wanting to kill kids" thing. There was no way this mechanical monstrosity wouldn't be able to kill someone. Evidently, the other examinees agreed as they all ran as fast as they could away from the robotic kaiju.
Ryuko didn't follow them though. It might not have been worth any points, but it was still in her way.
"What do you say Senketsu?" she asked her uniform. "You wanna take this guy out?"
"I thought you'd never ask! Let's do it!"
Ryuko leaped into the air, the force of her jump cracking the asphalt beneath her. The zero-pointer took notice and tried catching her with its massive hand, but she cleaved it from its arm using her scissor blade.
Before long, she was so high up into the sky that the robot had to actually look up to see her. Its six red eyes focused in on their target and launched a massive salvo of missiles from its shoulders.
These weren't the fake ones the three-pointers used, they were actual propelled explosives. The missiles rocketed towards Ryuko at supersonic speeds, but she chopped each one to pieces.
Without any defenses left, the robot could only watch helplessly as Ryuko's scissor blade almost doubled in length.
"Scissor Blade: Decapitation Mode!"
Ryuko and Senketsu shouted out the name of their finishing move and swung the sword down on the robot's head. While the physical blade wasn't long enough, the air pressure from the swing cleanly bisected the robot and the street beneath it.
She landed on the main street, making a sizable crater beneath her. The other examinees had stopped running to stare at the person who destroyed the giant robot with such ease.
"Holy shit! How powerful is that girl?"
"Dang it, she destroyed all the villains I was gonna get!"
"Wait, what's happening to the robot?"
Taking note of the last comment, Ryuko looked behind her to see what became of the zero-pointer after she chopped it in half. The two halves of the robot fell apart from each other, crushing the buildings and streets in the surrounding area. Would the villains crushed by the zero-pointer count too?
Villains wouldn't be the only thing crushed though. She winced as she heard the examinees scream in terror from those areas. Oops. Maybe she should have been a little more careful.
Oh well, they'd be fine. Probably.
"TIME'S UP!" Present Mic's voice rang out.
Damnit. Now she wouldn't get to destroy any more villains!
Toshinori Yagi's jaw dropped.
He wasn't blind, of course he knew young Matoi was strong. But this... this was insane! Even young Midoriya needed to use 100% of One For All to destroy the zero-pointer, yet Matoi did it without breaking a sweat!
Toshinori hoped that Matoi's pure power wouldn't overshadow Midoroya's heroic feat, but unfortunately that seemed to be the case. The other teachers didn't even finish watching his successor before they decided to focus on Matoi.
Of course, while that display certainly showed off young Matoi's power, it also brought her... less than heroic nature to light. The halves of the robot nearly crushed several examinees who would have been far out of the robot's way if it weren't for her. He doubted the judges would look too kindly on that.
"This isn't the first time an examinee has destroyed the zero-pointer, but it's been a while since I saw it destroyed in one attack like that! And I certainly never thought we'd have two in the same year!" Cementoss exclaimed.
"Yes, but Midoriya was only able to do so at a price," Midnight pointed out. "He won't be very useful if he breaks his own body every time he uses his quirk. It's almost like he's never used his own power before. He also failed to score a single villain point, while Matoi took it out with the same ease she did with the other robots."
Several others murmured in agreement.
Toshinori frowned. Couldn't they see that they were all missing the point?
He made a promise to himself to stay silent during the exam, so young Midoriya would be able to pass on his own merits. It looked like was going to have to break that promise.
"While there's no doubt that Matoi is powerful and much more experienced with her abilities, we must also take into account the context for their actions," Toshinori spoke up.
"Matoi already had 155 villain points when she fought the zero-pointer and only fought it because it was in her way. She didn't want to save anyone and knew that she wasn't in any danger. If anything, she actually took the easy route, as crazy as it may sound," he explained. "Midoriya on the other hand, acted because he saw a fellow examinee in danger. He had zero points, yet he risked his own well-being and his chances of passing for someone else's sake. He embodies what it means to be a true hero: Not a great warrior, but a good man!"
Thankfully, the teachers seemed to agree with his assessment. Toshinori sighed in relief, Midoriya was sure to get a large enough amount of rescue points to pass now.
"With all due respect, that's the most irrational thinking I've heard in a very long time," a new voice spoke, sending a chill down Toshinori's spine.
Its owner, who spent most of the exam leaning against a wall obscured by shadow, stepped out into the light for the rest of the judges to see.
Crap, it was Shota Aizawa, known to a handful of pros and fanboys as Eraserhead. The underground hero preferred to stay away from the media spotlight, viewing it as nothing but a waste of time. He held a grudge against popular and flashy heroes, and there weren't any heroes as popular or flashy as All Might.
Toshinori certainly didn't envy any first years who received him as their homeroom teacher. The man had somewhat of a reputation for expelling students who didn't live up to his ridiculously high standards.
"It won't matter if Midoriya's a 'true hero' or not when his arms are broken and he becomes nothing more than a liability," Aizawa said. "People like him are exactly why this exam is flawed. With a power like that, he can't be a hero."
"IT'S TRUE THAT YOUNG MIDORIYA HAS A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE HE CAN CALL HIMSELF A HERO, BUT CAN'T YOU SEE THAT SOMEONE WHO WOULD BREAK THEIR BODY TO SAVE A SINGLE PERSON HAS WHAT IT TAKES?" All Might stood up, now in his hero form. "AND WHAT OF YOUNG MATOI? LET'S NOT FORGET THAT AS POWERFUL AND SKILLED AS SHE IS, SHE INDIRECTLY PUT HER FELLOW EXAMINEES IN DANGER SEVERAL TIMES!"
He felt a little bad raking Matoi over the coals like that, but he had to make Midoriya look better somehow.
"Matoi might be reckless, but that's nothing three years of training at UA can't correct," Aizawa shrugged. "That's why UA exists after all. To make great powers even greater, not make mediocre powers less mediocre."
Toshinori deflated, trying to think of a counter-argument on the spot. But before he could speak his mind, Nezu spoke up.
"Both of you make valid points, but both Matoi and Midoriya will have a place in UA's hero course," he said, satisfying Toshinori.
"Principal Nezu, I implore you to think about this more rationally-" Aizawa started.
"I assure you that my decisions are made far more rationally than any human," Nezu cut him off. "UA will be able to teach them and all of its students to control their powers better, as well as what being a hero really means. I'm sure they'll both be fine heroes one day."
Ryuko Matoi held her head up high as she walked out of UA, Senketsu back in his deactivated state. Several examinees and even a few UA students stared at her, whispering about the girl who destroyed the zero-pointer in one hit.
Compared to the practical, the written exam wasn't anything special. There weren't even any questions on hero laws or history, just the basic stuff that could be found on any standardized test around the world. It wasn't even worth studying for, which was fortunate for Ryuko considering she didn't.
Uraraka walked by her side, but unlike her roommate, was staring at the ground. She kept muttering to herself, something about "zero points" and "one hit".
"Hey, are you alright?" Ryuko asked. "Did something happen during the exam? How many points did you get?"
"I'm just fine, I think I got about 28 points," she answered. "But this isn't about me. When they released the zero-pointer, I got stuck under some rubble trying to run away. Everyone just ran right past me, but not the boy who tripped outside earlier. He didn't even think before he jumped up and destroyed the zero-pointer in one hit. He saved me."
She wasn't the only one? Destroying the zero-pointer was almost trivial for her, but Senketsu's synchronized form made her more powerful than even All Might. For some kid who'd probably never been in a fight before, that was some pretty impressive stuff.
"He must have had a pretty powerful quirk then," Ryuko guessed. "Passing the exam must have been easy for him."
Uraraka shook her head. "That's the thing though, it was almost like his quirk was too powerful. After he destroyed the zero-pointer, his arm and legs were completely broken. I had to float him so he didn't hit the ground. After that he said he wanted to get a single point, which just didn't make any sense to me. How could he have not gotten a single point if he was that powerful?"
"Well, you said that he had to break his arm to destroy the zero-pointer. Maybe there's a limit to what he can do with his power and was waiting for the right moment," Ryuko suggested.
Uraraka continued to stare at the ground while she processed what Ryuko said. After a moment, she took off and ran back towards UA.
"Wait, where are you going?" Ryuko called out.
"I'm going to give that kid my points!" she cried. "You said it yourself, he should've been able to save his power up to get the points he needed. But instead he wasted it on me and now he's not going to be able to pass!"
"That's not what I said at all! You can't just give someone your points, what about you? How are you going to be able to pass?"
Ryuko already thought that wasting all that time to clean the beach was ridiculous, but this was just absurd! What did Uraraka think she would gain by giving the points that she worked for to someone else? Was she really willing to give up on her goals for someone she just met?
"I don't know!" Uraraka admitted. "But what I do know is that I'd be dead if it weren't for that boy. Giving him some of my points is the least I can do for him! It's just the right thing to do!"
Ryuko stood silently as she watched her roommate run back into the school building.
One Week Later
Katsuki Bakugo was lying in bed, bored out of his mind.
Ever since the UA entrance exam, nothing really caught his interest. There wasn't a lot of excitement middle school could offer a future UA student. Hanging out with his old cronies was pointless, since they'd all go to a shitty high school and end up working dead end jobs. It wasn't even worth tormenting Deku anymore, since he'd never see the damn nerd again.
In a strange way, he'd almost miss that nerd. He served as a constant in Katsuki's life. Just as the sky was blue, he was a winner and Deku was a loser. Well, he still had a few more days to rub it in Deku's stupid face.
"Hey brat! You got a letter from UA!" a very irritating voice cried out.
"I'm coming, you old hag!" he shot back.
Katsuki stormed down the stairs to meet the witch who had given birth to him. He glared furiously at her as he snatched the letter from her hands, a favor she returned tenfold.
"Remember to clean your room!" she shouted as Katsuki stomped back upstairs to his room.
"Screw you!"
He wouldn't have to bother with crap like that anymore! This was it, his first step towards becoming the number one hero! A hero more powerful and more famous than even All Might himself!
Speaking of All Might, the letter from UA was actually a projection featuring the symbol of peace. Katsuki zoned out as he went on about the exam and something called "rescue points".
What he was waiting for were the results. The tangible proof that he was the best of the best!
After what felt like ages of going on about "rescue points" and "heroic actions", All Might was finally going to tell him the results. Obviously he got a perfect score on the written section, even a monkey with half a brain could do that.
But now it was here: The practical exam results. Katsuki closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair with a smug smile on his face, waiting to hear the sweet sound of...
"WITH SEVENTY SEVEN VILLAIN POINTS AND ZERO RESCUE POINTS, KATSUKI BAKUGO! SECOND PLACE!"
That day, the police received several reports of a nuclear weapon test in the suburbs of Musutafu.
Ryuko Matoi sat down on her bed, watching Uraraka pace around her room. Apparently when she tried to give the boy her points, Present Mic had told her that she didn't have to, since he had enough points to be accepted anyway.
That didn't make a lot of sense to her, since Uraraka had insisted that he didn't earn a single point.
"Look, I'm sure you'll be fine," Ryuko told her roommate for the twentieth time that week. She had to admit that twenty eight points seemed pretty low to her own 155, but she was probably just some kind of outlier.
"I know, it's just so nerve-wracking waiting for the results!" she said. "It's all I've been thinking about all week! There were so many mistakes I made, I could have doubled my score if I knew what I was doing!"
Ryuko couldn't exactly say the same, she was pretty sure she maximized her robot-destroying efficiency. That probably wasn't what Uraraka wanted to hear though.
As Ryuko tried to think of something reassuring to say, the doorbell interrupted their conversation. Uraraka immediately ran over to the door and returned holding two envelopes with red UA seals, addressed to Ryuko Matoi and Ochaco Uraraka.
"It's finally here!" Uraraka squealed with excitement. "You open yours first, I'm too nervous!"
Ryuko smiled and rolled her eyes as she took her letter from Uraraka. She tore open the envelope, which to her surprise didn't contain papers, but a small metal disc. She set the disc down on her bed, making it glow bright blue and begin emitting a holographic screen.
"I AM HERE! AS A PROJECTION!" All Might said from the device's speakers, wearing a yellow pinstripe suit.
Wait, All Might? What was he doing on a message from UA? Sure UA was the number one hero's old high school, but how were they able to get a hold of him?
"YOU'RE PROBABLY WONDERING WHY I'M GIVING YOU THIS MESSAGE, BUT I AM HERE TO DELIVER YOUR RESULTS FOR THE UA ENTRANCE EXAM! FOR RIGHT NOW YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE NEWEST FACULTY MEMBER AT UA HIGH SCHOOL!"
So All Might was going to be a teacher at UA. Ryuko grinned, hero school might be fun after all.
"ANYWAY, LET'S GET ON TO THE RESULTS! AND BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY YOU GOT SOME RESULTS! RYUKO MATOI, YOU PASSED THE WRITTEN EXAM AND SCORED 155 VILLAIN POINTS ON THE PRACTICAL EXAM, THE HIGHEST IN UA'S HISTORY! YOU EVEN SURPASSED YOURS TRULY!"
Ryuko beamed with pride as Uraraka's jaw dropped to the floor. Wait a second, why did he specify "villain" points? Were there other types of points on the exam?
"YES, IT IS UNDENIABLE THAT YOU ARE A GREAT WARRIOR YOUNG MATOI! HOWEVER, THE EXAM WAS NOT GRADED ON VILLAIN POINTS ALONE," All Might continued, his voice taking a much more serious tone. "WATCH THIS."
All Might pulled out a small remote and pointed it at the screen behind him.
It was footage of Battle Center E, but not as Ryuko remembered it. Far from the main street where she destroyed the zero-pointer, the gigantic halves of the robot toppled buildings and sent examinees running for their lives.
Unfortunately, many of them were unable to escape in time and got pinned down by debris. A girl with a giant fist strained herself holding up the massive pieces of scrap metal, while another girl with vines for hair freed the trapped examinees.
"YOU SEE, THE PRACTICAL EXAM WAS NOT JUST GRADED ON COMBAT ALONE," All Might said. "UA IS A HERO SCHOOL, SO WE HAVE RESCUE POINTS TO JUDGE CANDIDATES FOR HEROIC ACTIONS. WHILE LUCKILY NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, THE JUDGES DEEMED IT APPROPRIATE TO DEDUCT FIFTY RESCUE POINTS FROM YOUR SCORE. I'M SORRY."
Ryuko looked down, feeling a little guilty that she ended up causing a disaster herself. She'd never actually seen the destruction her fighting had caused before. At Honnouji Academy, she actually welcomed it since pretty much everyone there was considered an enemy.
But these were just innocent kids she put at risk just so she keep up her quest to find her father's killer. Would UA even take her after that?
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT TOO MUCH YOUNG MATOI, YOU DIDN'T INTEND TO CAUSE ANY HARM. IT'S JUST WHAT COMES FROM HAVING SO MUCH POWER. I REMEMBER THE FIRST BUILDING I DESTROYED ON ACCIDENT LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY!" All Might chuckled, reassuring her.
"AND YOU'LL BE TAUGHT TO BETTER CONTROL THAT POWER IN UA'S HERO COURSE! EVEN TAKING THE POINT DEDUCTION INTO ACCOUNT, YOU STILL FINISHED IN FIRST PLACE BY A LANDSLIDE!" he continued.
The number one hero pointed to the screen behind him, which now displayed the exam rankings:
1. Ryuko Matoi - 155 Villain, -50 Rescue
2. Katsuki Bakugo - 77 Villain, 0 Rescue
3. Eijiro Kirishima - 39 Villain, 35 Rescue
4. Ochaco Uraraka - 28 Villain, 45 Rescue
5. Ibara Shiozaki - 36 Villain, 32 Rescue
6. Itsuka Kendo - 25 Villain, 40 Rescue
7. Tenya Iida - 52 Villain, 9 Rescue
8. Izuku Midoriya - 0 Villain, 60 Rescue
9. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu - 49 Villain, 10 Rescue
10. Fumikage Tokoyami - 47 Villain, 10 Rescue
"Holy crap I passed! And in fourth place!" Uraraka exclaimed at the sight of her name on the scoreboard. "We're both going to UA!" she shouted, pulling Ryuko in for a hug.
"Okay, that's enough now," Ryuko said, breaking free from Uraraka's grasp.
"YOU PASSED THE EXAM, YOUNG MATOI. WELCOME, TO YOUR HERO ACADEMIA!"
"My hero academia," she whispered to herself.
A/N: Here we go, third rewritten chapter! If you're wondering how Ryuko's gonna fit into Class 1-A, she'll be replacing Toru. I know Mineta is the more "popular" choice for being replaced, but unfortunately he's actually pretty important to the class dynamic.
So the choice came down to Ojiro, Sato, or Toru. Of the the three, I think the one who exists solely so Horikoshi wouldn't have to draw an extra character is the least important. Even Sato has done more than her. I'm just really hoping she doesn't turn out to be the traitor.
Sorry Toru fans, I know all five of you must be pretty upset.
And surprise twist, Ryuko and Bakugo are friends! Kind of. Surely, this is the start of a long friendship that couldn't possibly crash and burn...