The Day, UA gates.

It was an imposing sight. The gates were enormous, and the buildings more so. "Wonder what their budget looks like."

"Get outta my way, Deku." A rough voice demanded from behind.

"Step around, Kacchan. I'm enjoying the view." Izuku did not turn to meet his friend turned problem.

The problem in question spoke through gritted teeth. "Stop calling me that."

"Stop calling me Deku." This exchange was old, and Izuku treated it as such.

"I'LL CALL YOU WHATEVER I WANT, NERD!" They were starting to attract some attention now.

"Then I'll return the favor." Izuku started walking, pulling a pen out of his pocket and using his sand to twirl and toss it around himself.

He nearly tripped on a crack, catching himself with sand directly underneath his other foot. 'Well I'll be damned. All Might was not kidding when he said this would be useful.'

He had filled out the necessary paperwork and gotten permission to bring with him 200 pounds of sand. Half of it was currently in a large bag slung over across his back, the rest evenly spread across his body. It was…a strange feeling. It was like he was wearing a mech suit. On one hand, 100 extra pounds was 100 extra pounds. On the other, he was able to use his quirk to assist his movement when he struggled. He didn't, much, because months of hauling trash, workouts, and clean eating had given him quite the set of muscles. Still. Very weird. He had decided to call it his "Desert Suit". Plans for "Desert Armory" were currently in the works. He slapped his face, bringing him back to the present. 'UA exam, Izuku. Focus up. People are cheering you on!'

He pretended he hadn't missed that step, his pen currently on a steady ring orbit around his head. Putting his hands in his pockets, he kept walking, very aware of the murderous glare on the back of his head. Bakugo was expected. His…god, what were they? Enemies? Rivals? Competitors? Opponents? Obstacles? Yes, obstacles. His obstacle probably couldn't get in his way this time. Not without getting in trouble. Hopefully.

One academic exam and lunch later:

"Hello! I am Principal Nedzu. Am I a dog? A bear? A mouse? A particularly odd duck? Who knows!" The enthusiasm of the small mammal(?) at the front of the room was not infectious, as evidenced by his receiving a lot of blank stares. Undeterred, he continued. "So glad to see so many determined young men and women aiming for our prestigious institution and the hero class within. Now obviously, only a fraction of you can have seats here. While that is a shame, know that your rankings and scores will be made available to you for use in your follow-up letters and application paperwork for any of your other schools of choice. I hear Shiketsu is quite popular due to the stylish hats. Also for being the other world-class hero program in Japan."

Once more, silence. "An audience of stoics. Admirable. I suppose I'll just have to get on with it, shall I? Today, you've got 2 choices for an exam!"

A screen rolled down behind him and a presentation started. "Option 1 is Robo Rumble! 3 types of robots: 1, 2, and 3 points each, based on type. Destroy as many as you can in 15 minutes! Robot 4 is more of an environmental hazard, and fighting it will result in loss of all points gathered."

The 16-bit video of a maniacally laughing Nedzu standing on a pile of burning robots came to an end, and a new video started. This time showcasing a cardboard box, which was lifted to reveal Nedzu in an all-black outfit.

"Option 2 is Silent Heist. Go through an obstacle course, retrieve the objectives and disable the opponents presented. You will be graded on several categories, including but not limited to: speed, combat ability, and stealth. This is not an easy exam by any means, so choose wisely and to your strengths. Further rules will be explained at the testing sites. Test 1 to my left, Test 2 to my right, please exit by section. We don't want a repeat of the Great Exam Stampede '03! You've already signed the waivers, any stampede-related injuries will be yours to deal with!"

When the time came, Izuku found himself waiting with 2 other buses' worth of people at the gates of Heist Site 5. Would Robo Rumble have been easier? Yes. But that was the point. He could easily do loud and flashy. This one, where the key word was quiet and precise? This would be the challenge. And Izuku goddamn Midoriya backed down from 0 challenges.

"This may have been a mistake."

"Well, too damn bad, testing is about to start."

Izuku would forever deny jumping 3 feet and hitting the bus ceiling with his head when the person who was not there 10 seconds ago spoke from right next to him. Gasping for absolutely not-fear related reasons, he turned his head to see a scruffy man dressed entirely in black. "Don't do that to people, you maniac."

The droll reply sounded like something he had had to say dozens of times. "If you're not paying attention to your surroundings, you're not ready to be a hero anyway." He stretched, uncoiling as he stood up, reaching into a sleeping bag that was also not there 10 seconds ago and pulling a long, winding scarf over his head and a pair of goggles. "I'm Shota Aizawa, one of the proctors of this exam and a staff member at UA. I'm here to clarify some of the rules of this exam. You're all going to be given an objective and sent into a maze. You have 30 minutes to complete said objective, whether that's obtaining and transporting something, defending something, defeating specific individuals, and so on. Attacking other examinees or attempting to get in their way is banned if it is not part of your objective, and will result in your immediate removal from the exam. Don't test us, we can make "immediate removal" happen." He paused. "Although, I am curious about how Power Loader and Principal Nedzu will make it work, so…maybe test it. Besides that, don't get tagged by the maze monsters, and don't get detected by traps. This is at least somewhat a test of stealth, after all. That's it, good luck. I'm gonna go nap in the back, and god help all of you if anyone wakes me up." With that, he unceremoniously grabbed the vibrant yellow sleeping bag and spread it across the back row of seats, the seated students jumping out of the way.

With a hiss, the bus came to a stop and everyone filed out. Standing outside of a large building, Cementoss and Power Loader called for an orderly line before handing out envelopes. "You can check your objectives now."

Examinee: Your objective is to retrieve the yellow bunny.

"Huh. Weird."

A loud buzzer sounded, startling everyone as the wall in front of them opened.

Cementoss spoke up. "No countdowns, kiddos, get a move on!"

Izuku started hovering and then zipped into the maze, being followed closely by a muscular ginger girl who was strategically expanding and shrinking her hands for bursts of movement. Right before crossing the threshold, a blur streaked past him, turning a corner before Izuku had a chance to reconcile even the shape of a person. 'I hope we don't have the same objective.'

Izuku took a left at the first intersection, checking the floor and walls for clues. "They wouldn't just have us running through here randomly, right? That's hardly a test." He kept mobile at a solid clip, keeping his eyes peeled. Twice he had to dodge other examinees, the various intersections already looking like bizarre miniatures of road traffic.

3 minutes and 2 more intersections later, he yelped as he was bound by cord, a door opening up next to him. He was yanked out of the hallway, slamming against the opposite wall as the door was quietly closed. "Now be a good lad and stick right there, would you?" The figure took a seat next to the door, leveling a (hopefully fake?) gun at him. "Not a good look, heroling. So easily caught. Tsk tsk. Looks like no entry for you."

Izuku took a second to catch his breath, carefully looking around the room. Was his objective here? A pair of stuffed unicorns sat in one corner of the room, purple and green. 'Well. A clue, at least.' Unfortunately for his captor, Izuku was still covered in a layer of sand. A layer that exploded foward to clog the barrel of the gun, cracking the slide off before the trigger could be pulled. The sack of sand on his back helped to finish the job, binding their arms to their sides.

"How do I find the other objectives?"

The examiner struggled for a moment before (maybe? It was hard to tell through the helmet's black visor) settling on him. "You're not gonna get anything out of me, kid." They squared their shoulders as much as they could while still being bound.

"Which means I either have to sweep the place myself or…" here, Izuku started to gently squeeze, drawing a pained yelp from his prisoner, "I ask very politely but assertively."

"Ok, ok!" They took a breath before continuing. "The doors that have spaces behind them are all marked on the top right corner. There's one per hallway between the intersections, at random intervals."

"Are there any other traps or hazards I should be aware of?" Izuku stepped close. "~No lying~" he said in a sing-song voice. "I'm not allowed to hurt other examinees, but nothing says you fine folks can't have some scuffs."

"Yeesh, kid. Pax, pax. There are going to be robots released in another minute, and there are gonna be trapdoors and pressure plate traps activated at the same time. The maze is gonna turn into a proper labyrinth."

Izuku picked up the cord that had been used on him and used it to tie up the faux villain before grabbing the unicorns and ducking out, making sure to thank the examiner on his way. He started flying again, placing the unicorn plushies in the middle of the next intersection he came across, startling several other examinees in the process. "Anyone see a yellow bunny anywhere?" No positive answers.

With an expletive, Izuku started flying again, more slowly this time, studying the top corners of each panel as he did. "Come on, come on…elephant. Agh. One more…horse? How's that different from unicorn functionally? Ugh." A loud klaxon interrupted Izuku's griping. "Attention examinees. The time has come." As the voice speaks, a low rumble rocks the maze. "Starting now, the maze traps and monsters will be made active. Good luck!"

He barely manages to roll out of the way of a metal leg hitting the floor where he hovered, the cold metal floor thankfully not a pressure plate as a robotic scorpion the size of a pony makes its way down the wall, revealing the dodge to have been of the stinger. Izuku could hear the echoing yelps of his fellow examinees being hit by the labyrinth. 'Deep breath. All Might and Shoji hit harder and see better. You can do this. Focus.' A clump of sand to block the eyes, another to lift for easy passing, and a satisfying crash once it was 4 or 5 feet behind him preceded the sand rejoining him, bounding to his side like a beloved hunting hound.

2 more minutes and 5 more intersections later, he only saw his goal by accident. It was tied to the belt of someone in the middle of a fight. A shorter boy was currently in the middle of trying to tear apart a cluster of robots that surrounded him with a mix of gleeful ferocity and a deceptively elegant fighting style flawlessly integrating the claws protruding roughly 6 inches from his knuckles. The only reason the fight was still going was that his claws only scratched the metal, which gave the robots the chance to to defend and avoid giving him the opportunity to stab the vital face areas. 'Sweet and subtle, Izuku. Sweet and subtle.' Turning the corner properly, he threw himself back to back with the smaller male. "You good?"

He could hear the boy's grin through the snarling. "I'm actually having a great time, broccoli. Think you'll be able to keep up?" The two young men squared up, Izuku creating spiked gauntlets to match his current "ally".

"Keep up? Watch and learn, pint-size." With a chuckle that turned into a yell, the two boys went at their respective targets, which ended up being 3 robots each.

Izuku pretended to have more trouble with his trio, while trying not to give away that he had a thin rope of sand slowly making its way to the bindings holding the rabbit to the snarling student. Finally, he was able to tie it up neatly, coinciding with the last robot getting a spear of sand through the eye. With a brief exhale, Izuku turned. He was withdrawing his right hand from the final robot's eye. " I'm Izuku Midoriya."

The reply was gruff, but seemed friendly enough. "Kuzurimaru. Thanks for the assist."

"No prob. What's your objective?"

Patting the rabbit on his belt, "Gotta take this little critter over to the "destruction site", whatever that is. Yours?"

"Blue Monkey plush. Get it. You wouldn't have happened to find the monkey room, would you?" Izuku lied.

"I can smell you lying." 'Crapbaskets.' Izuku almost didn't make it. The boy's claws came within a half inch of the rabbit, hand held back by a thick cuff of sand. There was a surprising amount of struggle happening. "How are you this strong?" Izuku managed to get out through gritted teeth.

"I eat my vegetables. Now let go." Kuzurimaru's face was surprisingly scary, considering he was roughly 5' 4. Izuku's left hand trembled, trying to hold back the claws that would have him fail the exam. "Sorry, can't do that." He lifted his right hand and pulled, the plush zooming into his hand. He let up the pressure for a moment, the smaller boy off-balance for a crucial second.

That second was enough for Izuku to plant him (gently!) face-first into the nearest wall, the sand digging into the wall and solidifying into a sandstone stake. "I'msorryyou'reveryscaryI'llletyoufreeonceI'maroundacouplecornersthankyou!" Whatever Kuzurimaru was yelling in turn was muffled by the wall he was currently attached to. Izuku flew off. It took a moment (and 5 corners) before he felt comfortable releasing his telekinetic safety stake. He kept moving. Hopefully whatever enhanced senses the other boy had wouldn't be enough for him to catch up.

"Attention examinees. There are 3 minutes remaining in your exam. Good luck!"

"...why?" The only response he heard was a sudden increase in the volume of yelling as the other test-takers got frantic. "Ok, strategy change." Izuku moved upward and made himself a seat just above the rafters, making sure to crush the heads of the scorpion robots he rose up between. He sat and watched as several people sprinted under him. The redhead from the entrance, a blonde girl on rollerskates, and a green-skinned…'that's just an alien. A goddamn LGM. Wild.'

What would pull Izuku to that conclusion, you ask? The shiny suit and stereotypical ray gun, mostly. Unlike the others, his worry seemed to be more about whether he would be able to "escape this wild goddamn monstrosity the locals cooked up."

'Hope that doesn't end badly.'

ding-dong "Attention examinees. The test is now completed. Please follow the green arrows to the exit."

A/N: I was getting bogged down in details, so I decided to cut it there. There's not really any difference in the exam's outcomes in Robo Rumble. I'm going to just say the "Ochako needs rescue" thing doesn't happen due to a minor ripple effect seeing her being far enough to dodge away from the rubble and get to safety with everyone else. So it's all Gucci, bc I'm trying to move the plot along dammit. I've got such a goddamn cool idea for a piece of the USJ I'm dying to pull in properly. So. Friends, fam, fans, foes. Sorry for the delay, hope this satisfies appetites.

Coming up next: An exploration of pre-quirk era politics and their effect on legislation in the coming centuries. We'll be looking at how different cultures treat quirk use and what that says about the values, priorities and principles of each country. We're hosting Dr. Benjamin Grayson from America. Thanks for joining us on the Present Mic show and UA radio, listeners, and remember: Plus Ultra can be done anywhere.