(To clear things up, everyone in UA classes are a year older than cannon. That was my fault for not adding a note earlier for you guys. Anyways, hope you enjoy!)

Leo Blackwood stood at the gates of U.A. High School, his heart pounding beneath the intricate tattoos that snaked across his chest and arms. He'd trained for this—months of sweat, bruises, and lessons in control—but now, staring up at the massive building that symbolized his future, doubt gnawed at him. His Quirk pulsed in his veins, the familiar whisper in the back of his mind urging him to unleash it, to let the power flow. He pushed it back, focusing on the task ahead.

"Okay, Blackwood. You got this," he muttered to himself, adjusting the strap of his bag and walking through the gates.

Inside the auditorium, the buzz of excited students filled the air. Leo found a seat in the middle row, trying not to draw attention to himself. His eyes scanned the crowd, recognizing a few faces from the briefings he'd read online—people like Katsuki Bakugo, who looked ready to blow the whole place up, and Izuku Midoriya, someone he's come to view as a friend over the course of time, the young green-haired teen seems to be shaking in his seat as he stares at the front of the auditorium. Leo gave a small smile, remembering those quiet evenings with Midoriya and his mom. But today wasn't about familiar faces; it was about proving himself.

The lights dimmed, and the auditorium quieted as Present Mic took the stage. His voice boomed through the speakers, loud and energetic as ever.

"YOOOO, future heroes! Welcome to the U.A. High School Entrance Exam!" Present Mic's enthusiasm was infectious, and Leo could feel the energy in the room spike. "You've all come here to show us what you're made of, to prove you have what it takes to join the prestigious U.A.! But, first, let me break down what you'll be doing today!"

A giant screen behind Present Mic lit up, displaying the rules and layout of the exam.

"This year's exam will be a BATTLE SIMULATION! You'll be deployed into a faux cityscape, facing off against a series of robots! Each robot has a different point value based on its difficulty! Your goal? Rack up as many points as you can before time runs out!"

The screen flickered, showing the different robot types—one-pointer, two-pointer, and three-pointer enemies, each more menacing than the last. Leo clenched his fists. He'd faced worse during his street fights, but these were designed to challenge even the best.

"But that's not all, listeners!" Present Mic grinned, his voice taking on a more dramatic tone. "There's a special kind of bot out there—the ZERO-POINTER. And let me give you some advice—don't bother with that one unless you're looking for trouble!"

The students murmured around him, some nervous, others already brimming with confidence. Leo sat quietly, absorbing everything. A faux city, different targets, and the ominous zero-pointer looming somewhere out there.

"You'll each be placed in one of our testing zones, and remember—this isn't just about strength! Show us what makes you a true hero! Now, LET'S GOOOOOOO!"

The auditorium erupted in cheers, but Leo remained silent, his mind working through his strategy. He knew he had strength on his side—his Quirk gave him the power of raw, primal fury—but he had to stay in control. Losing control meant putting others at risk, something he couldn't afford in an exam designed to test heroic abilities.

As the students began filing out to head toward their designated areas, Leo stood and took a deep breath. His muscles tensed under his shirt, the faint glow of his tattoos barely visible, but he felt them—the bear's claw marks running from his wrists to his chest, the roaring bear on his pecs, and the serpent coiled around his back. They were a reminder of who he was and what he carried inside.

"Here we go," Leo muttered, heading for the exam site.

He had ten minutes to prepare before the exam began. This was his chance to show them that he wasn't just a kid with a Quirk no one understood. He wasn't going to let his past, or the rage, define him. He was going to define himself.

-XXX-

Leo stood in his assigned zone, the faux city stretching out before him. Towering buildings lined the streets, with cars and debris scattered around to mimic a real urban environment. It was eerily quiet, the calm before the storm. He could feel the anticipation in the air, the weight of what was about to happen pressing on his shoulders. His heart raced, but not with fear—this was excitement.

He rolled his shoulders, feeling the slight tug of his shirt against the engraved tattoos beneath. The glow in his veins pulsed faintly as he tapped into his Quirk, but he kept the surge of power in check. Control was key. He wouldn't let the rage take over—not yet.

Around him, other examinees were stretching, chatting nervously, or psyching themselves up. Leo remained silent, his gaze focused on the massive gate in front of them. Beyond it was his shot at U.A., his chance to prove himself, to show that his Quirk wasn't something to fear but something to master. He had trained for this moment, and now it was time to act.

Suddenly, a loud buzzer blared across the testing zone, and the giant gate groaned as it began to open. The students all braced themselves, waiting for the official start.

Without waiting for the final signal, Leo took off at a sprint.

The others blinked in surprise, and a ripple of laughter and scoffing followed him. "Is he serious?" someone muttered. "He's gonna get disqualified for jumping the gun!" another said, amused.

Leo didn't care. He knew the rules—there was no disqualification for starting once the gates opened. He had no time for second-guessing or worrying about what others thought. His legs pumped hard as he dashed into the city, weaving between the abandoned cars and ruined buildings. The laughter faded behind him, and soon, he was alone with the test.

And then, the robots appeared.

A one-pointer came lumbering toward him, its bulky frame slow but menacing. Leo's eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched. His veins pulsed with the familiar energy of his Quirk, and the bear claws etched into his forearms seemed to come alive. In one swift motion, he closed the distance and slammed his fist into the robot's chest. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, crumpling the metal frame like paper. The one-pointer was down in a single blow.

"Too easy," Leo muttered, moving on without a second thought.

As he continued deeper into the faux city, more robots appeared—two-pointers, faster and tougher than the first, but still no match for him. Leo weaved through them, delivering devastating strikes and dodging their attacks with the fluidity of someone who had been in countless street fights. His movements were precise, calculated. Every punch, every kick, shattered metal and sent sparks flying.

A two-pointer lunged at him with a spinning blade, but Leo ducked low, sweeping its legs from under it before driving his elbow into its head, smashing it to pieces. He didn't stop to celebrate or admire his handiwork—there were more robots to take down, and he was far from finished.

In the distance, he saw a group of students struggling with a trio of three-pointers, their heavy artillery pinning them down. Leo's instinct told him to help, but he paused. One of the students—an older boy with a speed-based Quirk—managed to break free and land a hit on one of the robots. They could handle it.

Good, he thought. They're strong too.

But then his attention snapped to a nearby alleyway where a girl was cornered by a two-pointer. She frantically blasted the bot with small bursts of energy from her Quirk, but it wasn't enough to bring it down. Without hesitation, Leo charged in.

"Get down!" he called out.

The girl dove to the side just as Leo leaped into the air, bringing both fists down on the robot's head. The force of the impact crushed its metal skull, and it collapsed into a heap of scrap. Leo turned to the girl, who stared at him wide-eyed.

"You okay?" he asked, offering her a hand.

She nodded, breathless, and took his hand to stand up. "Y-yeah, thanks! I didn't think anyone would help."

"No problem. You've got this," Leo said simply, giving her a nod before taking off again.

He tore through the streets, his eyes scanning for more targets. Robots were scattered everywhere, but Leo was relentless. He darted between buildings, jumping over rubble and weaving around obstacles, destroying any robot in his path. His muscles burned, and the tattoos on his arms seemed to glow brighter with every strike, but Leo kept going, feeling the power surge within him.

With each destroyed robot, his score climbed higher, but he wasn't just focused on points. Every time he saw someone in real trouble, he stepped in, smashing bots and giving the other students a chance to recover, but he never coddled them. He knew they were all here to prove themselves, just like him.

-XX-

"In this practical exam, the examinees have not been informed of the number of villains or their locations. They have a limited amount of time in a vast area. They have to draw the villains out from there." Said Nezu as he watched the potential heroes, his eyes flickered between each screen with a small smile on his face.

"The ability to grasp the situation quickly and accurately," he said as the screen showed an examinee with six arms in a web like pattern using his quirk to gather information.

"The ability to stick an dynamic entry without every being late to the party." Another screen shows a young man with engines in his legs, he slides through a group of robots destroying them.

"Discerment to be able to stay calm in any situation." The screen shifts to a young man shooting a beam of light out of his stomach while... winking at the camera?

"And pure combat ability." He said while looking at a screen with Bakugo surrounded by destroyed robots.

"These basic abilities needed to keep the peace in the streets are turned into points in this test." Principal Nezu says with a large smile looking at all the diffrent candidates. A veluptuious woman looks on in surprise.

"Doesn't this year's group look promising?" She asks her fellow colleuges.

"Well, we can't know for sure yet. Their true test is still yet to come." A man says as he reaches over and presses a large red button.

-XX-

The ground shook as the massive Zero Pointer burst through a building, its towering frame dwarfing everything in its path. A deep rumble followed, reverberating through the faux city, and panic instantly spread through the remaining applicants. The towering robot crushed everything in its way, sending debris and dust flying into the air.

Leo stood frozen for a moment, staring up at the behemoth. His heart raced as the other examinees bolted in all directions, fleeing the destruction. For a brief second, Leo considered running too—it seemed hopeless to stand against something so massive. He clenched his fists, ready to make a break for it.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something that stopped him cold.

Izuku Midoriya, his friend, the quiet and unassuming boy he had grown close to over the last few months, was running straight toward the Zero Pointer. Leo blinked in confusion. "What the hell is he doing?" he muttered, his feet shifting unconsciously in Midoriya's direction.

And then he saw it—the reason why. A girl was trapped under a massive chunk of rubble, struggling to free herself. Her face twisted in panic as the Zero Pointer loomed closer, its shadow enveloping her.

Leo's mind raced. He couldn't believe what he was seeing—Izuku wasn't running away. He was running towards the danger, towards the girl. Without thinking, Leo took off after him, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him.

Midoriya was already reaching the girl by the time Leo got there, his own legs pumping hard as he caught up. "Midoriya!" Leo shouted, but the green-haired boy didn't stop. He was locked in, eyes wide with determination.

Leo skidded to a stop beside the girl, glancing down at the enormous piece of cement pinning her legs to the ground. His chest heaved with adrenaline, but there was no time to hesitate.

"I'll get her out," Leo growled through gritted teeth. He knelt, wrapping his arms around the slab of concrete. The tattoos along his arms pulsed as he tapped into his Quirk, muscles bulging beneath his skin.

With a deep roar, Leo lifted the heavy rubble, veins bulging as he forced the stone up and off the girl. She gasped, crawling out from underneath it. Leo carefully set the concrete aside, his heart still racing.

The ground trembled beneath them as the Zero Pointer advanced, and Leo turned to Midoriya, ready to make a run for it now that the girl was safe.

But Midoriya wasn't running.

Instead, he crouched low, preparing to leap. His whole body tensed, the muscles in his legs coiling like a spring.

"What the hell are you doing?" Leo shouted. "Midoriya, run!"

But before Leo could say another word, Midoriya launched himself into the air with a deafening roar. His arm pulled back, aiming directly at the Zero Pointer's head.

The next few moments passed in a blur. Leo watched in awe as Midoriya's punch connected with the massive robot, and the shockwave that followed shook the entire city block. Metal crumpled and tore apart as the Zero Pointer's head exploded from the impact, sending the giant crashing down.

But Leo's awe turned to horror as he saw Midoriya begin to fall—his legs and one arm were clearly broken from the force of the punch, his body limp as he plummeted toward the ground.

Without thinking, Leo set the girl down gently. His veins pulsed, the tattoos on his body glowing a deep, dark red. The familiar rage bubbled up inside him, filling him with power as he let it take over.

He snarled, his body growing more durable, more beastlike. The bear claws on his arms seemed to pulse with life as Leo bolted toward the nearest building, running faster than ever. His shoes tore against the ground, his movements primal, feral.

"Get him!" one of the examinees shouted, watching as Leo scaled the side of the building like an animal. His claws dug into the concrete, breaking chunks off as he climbed higher and higher, eyes glowing an intense red.

The others watched in stunned silence as Leo reached the top, his roar echoing across the battlefield. Without hesitation, he leaped into the air, the force of his jump sending cracks through the side of the building. He soared through the sky, his eyes locked on Midoriya as the green-haired boy continued to fall.

Time seemed to slow as Leo reached him, catching Midoriya in midair. He gritted his teeth, pulling the limp boy to his chest as they plummeted toward the ground. Leo twisted his body, positioning himself beneath Midoriya, knowing full well that he was going to take the brunt of the impact.

The ground rushed up to meet them, and with a deafening crash, they slammed into the concrete.

A thick cloud of dust and smoke billowed up around them, obscuring the pair from view. The other examinees, who had been watching in shocked silence, gasped and murmured to one another. No one could see what had happened through the haze.

For a moment, the city was eerily quiet.

Then, slowly, Leo emerged from the cloud. His clothes were shredded, his body battered, but he was still standing. The tattoos along his arms and chest were exposed, glowing faintly in the light, the bear's head and chains clearly visible. He stood tall, holding Midoriya's unconscious form in his arms.

As he stepped forward, the crowd of applicants stared in stunned silence. No one could believe what they had just witnessed.

The buzzer rang, signaling the end of the exam, but Leo barely registered it. His breaths were heavy, his muscles aching from the effort, but he didn't care. He looked down at Midoriya, then back at the crushed remains of the Zero Pointer.

"You're insane, Midoriya," Leo muttered, shaking his head with a small, exhausted smile.

A small woman appeard admist the scattered debris of broken robots and the Zero-pointer.

"Okay, good work. Good work, good work. Here you go. Here are some gummies." She said as she handed one of the examinees a handful of colorful gummies.

"Thanks..." He said confused as he took them not trying to seem rude.

Leo walked over to the small woman with Izuku still in his arms and gently laid the unconscious young man on the ground.

"Ma'am, can you heal him? He's in rough shape." He said kneeling beside his friend, the little lady glanced between the two before she nodded.

"Of course, but you seem like you could use a touch up." She said as her mouth suddenly stretched and kissed Leo on the side of the head. A confused shockwave spread throughout the on-lookers.

"What the hell?" A young man said kinda disgusted, a blonde haired teen with a natural smile pointed towards the older woman.

"That mademoiselle is the backbone of U.A." He said as sparkles somehow appeared around his smile.

A green aura seemed to envelope Leo and felt his small cuts and scrapes suddenly close, his sore body began to feel better, but he was even more exhausted.

"Thanks. That's an amazing Quirk you've got there.." Leo said with a small smile, the old heroine smiled at the young man before her.

"Why thank you sonny. Now, you're friend looks like he could use some sugar." She said before her mouth stretched again and kissed Midoriya on the back of his head.

The sound of bones resetting back into place sent a wave of cringe through the crowd. The once discolored flesh from Izuku's Quirk backlash slowly turned back to his normal pale white.

"The Youthful Heroine, Recovery Girl!" The blonde teen said with a wider smile as he watched her heal two contestants.

"You're all heroes in my eyes, now who else needs help?" She asked as she walked towards other people that seemed injured. Leo gently picked up the unconscious Izuku and set him on his back.

"Let's get you home. Your mom's probably gonna flood your apartment again..." Leo said with amusement.

The other examinees quickly made a path for the young man and watched as he walked out of the testing ground.

-One Week Later-

A week had passed since the UA entrance exam, and Leo Blackwood had kept himself busy to distract from the nagging uncertainty. Every day was a blur of intense workouts, stretches, and perfecting his technique at the kickboxing gym. His mind wandered to Jiro often; they'd hung out a couple of times, going for walks or grabbing food, their conversations growing easier with each passing day.

Today, Leo was working on his flexibility, stretching out on the floor of his apartment, breathing in rhythm as he reached forward and touched his toes. The tattoos etched into his forearms shifted with the movement, the glowing red veins around his biceps faintly visible in the late afternoon light. He was focused, trying to loosen his muscles after a few intense rounds at the gym earlier.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

Leo paused mid-stretch, looking toward it. "Who the hell…?" he muttered, pushing himself up onto his feet. He wiped some sweat from his brow with the back of his hand as he approached the door, pulling it open to reveal the mailman. The guy handed Leo a small pile of letters before giving a curt nod and walking off.

Leo sifted through the envelopes absentmindedly until one caught his eye. It was a thick envelope with the unmistakable UA logo emblazoned on the front. His heart skipped a beat as he stared at it for a moment, nerves creeping up on him.

This was it.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his suddenly shaking hands, and ripped the envelope open. Inside was a small circular device. Leo blinked, confused for a moment, before the device activated with a soft hum. A hologram projected from it, and Present Mic's loud, energetic voice filled the room.

"Yo, Leo Blackwood!" Present Mic's face appeared, grinning wide. "Congratulations, my dude, you've made it into UA's Hero Course!"

Leo's breath caught in his throat, a mix of disbelief and excitement bubbling up inside him. He'd done it. He'd actually passed.

Present Mic continued, "Now, you might be wondering how you did, right? Well, let me break it down for you! You scored an impressive 42 villain points! Not bad at all!"

Leo nodded to himself, feeling a small sense of pride. He knew he'd racked up points by taking down those robots, especially the two-pointers and three-pointers. His Quirk had made that part almost easy.

"But!" Present Mic's voice interrupted his thoughts. "That's not all! UA isn't just about crushing robots, my man. It's about showing that you have the heart of a hero! And that's where you really shined!"

Leo's brow furrowed in curiosity, leaning in a little as the hologram shifted.

"You scored 48 hero points, Leo! That's right, 48! You didn't just fight, you helped people when they needed it—lifting that rubble, saving students in trouble, and don't think we forgot about you saving that kid, Midoriya, from the fall! You're a natural-born hero!"

Leo's eyes widened as the numbers sank in. He had earned more hero points than villain points. He stared at the hologram, trying to process it all. Hero points? For helping people? He hadn't even realized how much it had counted, but there it was—his instinct to help had made a difference.

"And with a total of 90 points, you've passed with flying colors! Welcome to UA, Leo! We're excited to see what you're going to do next!"

The hologram flickered and shut off, leaving Leo standing there, speechless. He clutched the device in his hand, his mind racing. 90 points. He'd passed, and not just because of his fighting ability. He'd made it because of something deeper.

The weight of the moment hit him all at once. He'd spent so much time working out, pushing himself to get stronger, but it wasn't just raw strength or aggression that got him through—it was his heart.

Leo looked down at his tattooed arms, the bear's claw marks stretching up toward his shoulders, glowing faintly with that ever-present rage simmering underneath. But right now, for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel the anger. He felt… proud.