Hello There, U.A. High School.

The warhorns that herald the beginning of the end have been blown.

All around us, the always fickle sands of destiny shift one more time. The flickers on the delicate strings that make space and reality have not gone unnoticed; thus, grave and irreparable consequences are meant to be paid indiscriminately.

Left and right. Above and below. Justice and Injustice. Heroes and Villains. A miasma of opposition lurks at every corner, waiting to prey on those who dare reject either of the pillars on which this society chose to fund itself on.

Right at the very eye of the storm, our cute, cunning, and daring protagonist will stand her ground against them all and—

"Junko, what are you doing?"

"Hm?" Flipping her notebook shut before storing it in her duffle bag, Junko turned her attention to her best bettest super-duper best friend in the whole world. "Isn't it obvious? I am having a monologue! Well, I was until you interrupted me."

"Er, sorry..."

"Meh, I was getting sick of it already anyhow," She waved his concerns off. Truly, what a generous friend she was! "'Sides, I kind of did some similar shit last night, so it was also getting sorta redundant."

"Ah, was that why you came back so late?"

"Yup! I mean, even someone like me needs some pep talk to get the blood pumping from time to time, ya know? After all," With a wistful look, her gaze traveled ahead of them, more specifically on the large banner whose legend said 'Welcome, U.A. Aspirants!', hanging on the tall glass-made building for everyone to see. "Today is a special occasion."

Izuku followed Junko's gaze, his lips pursed at the sight while a storm of mixed feelings throbbed inside his head.

Before he had an opportunity to prod any further on those thoughts, his instincts kicked in, prompting him to hold Junko by the shoulders before rapidly dragging her out of the pavement they were walking.

"OUTTA MY WAY, EXTRAS!" A one too-familiar voice shouted, his owner stomping through the very same spot the two of them were moments ago.

However, Bakugo only took a pair of steps before his whole body stood still.

Almost robotically, he turned to look at the two of them. With his face barely concealing the confusion he felt at the moment, his eyes shifted between a blank-looking Izuku and a smiling Junko.

"Pigtails, huh?" Bakugo grunted once the brief moment of surprise wore off. "Almost thought ya dumped Deku a while ago. What, ya coming to wish yer boyfriend good luck?"

"Excuse you?" Junko shot the ashen-blonde a dirty look of indignation. She neared Izuku before trapping him from behind in a protective hug that had his cheeks flare red. "First of all, Zuzu and I are as inseparable as cancer and cigarettes! Secondly, just so ya know, I am here as an aspirant myself. And, most important of all," She let the words hang in the air for a pair of seconds, before tilting her head while giving the red-eyed boy a puzzled look. "...Who the heck are you?"

A vein bulged out of Bakugo's forehead.

"You fucking...know what? Screw this, you pair of freaks ain't worth my time," The ashen-blonde sneered before turning his back on them. He marched forward, only to suddenly stop in his tracks for a consecutive occasion. This time around, he gave the duo a side glance. "Today's the last day you morons will play pretend the Hero and his sidekick. You might enter with the support nerds, or whatever the fuck course you enlisted Pigtails. Deku, though? He has no hope. At. All."

Not bothering to see if either of them had anything to say to that, He snapped his head back to the front and went on his way to the entrance. Other applicants hurriedly made way for him with only so much as a stink eye sent their way.

It wasn't until he was out of earshot, that Izuku let out a tired sigh.

"He's going to be such a pain when we end up in the same class. Knowing my luck, we will be classmates."

"Oh?" Junko smiled down, giving Izuku a mirthful look. "Not if, but when? Snarky and confident Izuku first hour in the morning. That's a spicy combination right there~."

Izuku looked up, giving her a bashful look. "I already felt like I had a decent chance at passing the exam with your training alone, but given that I now have, well, you know what..."

Neither of them missed the edge of his voice near the end. And while Junko was sure she would be wound up using the source of it, not for the first time, for some teasing down the line, the current time and place wasn't ideal.

Besides, she already had something else on mind.

"The look on his face when half the reason he spent his whole life picking a bone against you is no longer there...heh, it's gonna be priceless!" The smile on Junko's face turned saccharine. The sort to make Izuku squeamish. "Although, for all his gloating, he at least got one part about you right, didn't he~? If nothing else, one can't deny he backs up his bravado with the strength and the smarts for it."

Deep down, he knew what Junko was doing. Honestly, at this point, it shouldn't even affect him. Not one bit with how obvious she was being about it.

But it did nevertheless. For more than a single reason, hearing that made his innards twist into knots. A spark of long-buried resentment threatened to rear its ugly head, while at the same time, a surge of building-up anxiety was on its way to developing a headache.

"In any case," He began, even if he knew Junko would see the deflection for a mile wide, and would be up to her whether she decided to entertain him. "What about you, Junko? I understand you might have plenty of reasons to be confident about it, but...are you sure that will work? Isn't it a bit circumstantial?"

Junko's eyes gained a glint of amusement, telling him that yes, she very much saw what he was doing.

"Eh, like I told ya this morning, I will be fine," Either feeling generous or simply for the heck of it, she chose to indulge him. "I made sure to do my homework, peering into some fine details about the entrance exam beforehand, ya know?"

"Really?" It wasn't like he doubted her capabilities, but it was well known that U.A. could be rather secretive about the structure of its tests. "Since when?"

"Remember back when I told ya I was going to be busy during the sports festival for the third years all those months ago?"

"Uh-huh, I remember you told me...oh, you were being serious back then, weren't you?"

"Let's just say some people can be rather insightful when you know how to approach them~."

Swallowing down the conflicting sentiments he felt for a moment, Izuku threw a wary glance at his surroundings. One might need enough context to realize the sort of implications Junko was making, but it didn't hurt to make sure she wasn't already raising brows in suspicion.

He had learned the hard way it was his role to keep the cautions in check for both of them.

Thankfully, the nerves of the incoming exam seemed to be enough to prevent any gazes from lingering in their direction. A stroke of luck, given how much attention Junko usually drew to herself.

"Alright then," He wanted to prod a bit further. Well, more like a lot further what with this being Junko he was talking about. Given they were in a far from discrete location, though, he would have to take her word for granted. "In that case, just one more thing."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Um, not that I mind, but...for how long are you going to keep hugging me?"

"Oh Zuzu, you know as well as I do that I am never letting you free," Without any warning, Junko jumped on his back. Figuring out where she was going with that, he rapidly adjusted his bag and brought his hands behind him, holding her thighs. Thus, securing a hold for his friend. "Now, onwards my faithful steed! Destiny beckons us."

Letting out a fond sigh, and doing a decent job at ignoring the stares they were now definitely gathering, Izuku made his way inside the building.

Perhaps the past him would've had his eyes bulged out of their sockets, filled with nothing but wonder, at having the honor of being allowed a step inside the most prestigious Hero school in Japan.

The current him didn't even bother sparing a glance at the portrayals of what most likely were the heroes, current and past, that have been part of U.A. long story.

Without pausing in his stride, his attention instead went to the flock of students moving through the lobby area. All of them could be found crossing a series of hallways, each one with a sign at its side, indicating which course application they led to.

Eventually, his sight settled on those who he deemed were likely to attend the entrance exam for heroics. Whether it was them carrying bags similar to his, how they held their steps, or those whose appearance alone made it possible to discern their quirks as potentially 'heroic', he didn't miss the glint of determined hope shining in their eyes underneath the varying levels of trepidation any of them might've been feeling at the moment.

Izuku heard a snort escaping Junko, which meant that it didn't escape her notice either.

He couldn't see her face at the moment, but that didn't deter him from imagining the amusement no doubt she was feeling at the moment.

If things go how she predicted them to, which Izuku didn't doubt for a moment they would, a considerable chunk of these people were already doomed to fail. Regardless of whether they had any hope of passing or not in the first place.

Mentally shrugging at the implications, Izuku continued on his way. He took a turn towards the entryway on the furthest right, leading both him and Junko past it and the sign whose scribbled words were:

Hero Course Application.

Junko would've found funny the irony of what she was getting herself into, despite who she was, if she hadn't already spent literal months getting a kick out of it.

...Oh, who she was kidding. Against all odds, it still was fucking hilarious! Like, that was about the only reason she decided to keep going with it and not let the constant flipping and switching of ideas that fluctuated inside the echo chamber she called her brain tempt her into changing plans at the last minute.

What lay ahead simply was that worthy.

Ah, but that was getting ahead of herself. Before the carrot, came the stick.

A written exam-looking stick.

Ugh, so lame.

So, after some staff forced Junko to part with her beloved mount slash friend, some bullshit about inappropriate behavior or whatever, they both went and registered with some typical-looking secretary. Hair styled in a bun, glasses, and all that junk. Yadda yadda, some bureaucracy mumbo jumbo later and tata!

They were officially potential candidates for the U.A.'s hero course.

Pfft, no, really. Funniest shit I've done in a long while!

Anyhow, after receiving some basic instructions regarding the procedures for the test, or tests for that matter, and coming back to the waiting area after leaving their stuff into the changing rooms, more staff schmucks came, ushering them and the other aspirants towards their respective test-application areas.

Respective, as in they both were assigned different rooms.

The puppy eyes Zuzu gave her as they each went their separate ways were so cute.

And pathetic.

Kinda part of his charm, tho. It wouldn't be her Izuku if he didn't keep himself somewhat cuthetic to at least some degree!

Despite of…heh, everything.

Skipping the irrelevant details, the test was just about what she expected. The first half mulled over basic subjects like literature, algebra, sciences, etc. The sort of shit she could answer with her eyes blindfolded, hands tied to her back, and a pen stuck to her mouth.

Kinky, but nothing she hadn't dealt with before.

About what the second half was about. Well, if she had to point it out, then someone hadn't been paying attention.

What would you do if civilians refused to leave an area compromised by a villain attack?

In a hostage situation, which are the procedures you consider the most effective for a successful rescue?

And, obviously, how would you describe yourself as a hero?

Those and other similar questions followed through the subject of 'Heroics'.

Psh, easy peasy, even she could deal with that sort of junk.

All she had to do was to answer with the exact opposite of what she would think of!

Upupupu, who said Ultimate Despairs ain't hero material~?

No sooner than she was done with the exam, she jumped out of her seat with a loud "I'm done!", a reaction that prompted a nearby applicant to flinch, coincidentally also making him scratch over one of his answers.

Hah! Another victory for despair!

Silently basking in the pitiful whimper that followed, Junko went and presented her exam at the front desk. Given that she was the first one to complete it, no doubt by a wide margin, the instructor's incredulity plastered all over her face would have been so amusing if it wasn't so boringly predictable.

Ignoring the gawking looks everyone else gave her, and after insisting for the umpteenth occasion that yes, she very much was done with that mockery of a test, she listened to the next set of instructions for U.A.'s entrance application.

She figured them out long since setting foot there, but alas, being this early into the game, even she had to somewhat follow appearances if it was for the sake of despair.

Finally dismissed, and with a skip on her steps, she walked through the halls and made her way towards the auditorium in which the practical exam was meant to be debriefed. Unsurprisingly, after walking for a pair of minutes and taking a pair of turns, she found the massive room devoid of any life.

The wonders of finishing a two-hour-long exam in ten minutes, huh?

Sparing nothing beyond the glance required to acquire complete memorization of her surroundings, Junko went and took her, ugh, designated seat.

In silence.

Alone with nothing else to do but mingle with her thoughts.

…Wow, it was worse than she expected.

With nothing else to do, she made use of her time debating whether the wrenching agony of doing nothing but wait was despairful in itself or simply abhorrently boring.

It was the latter, she decided nearly immediately. Welp, so much for that.

Oh! What about Zuzu?

Rapidly, her mind began fantasizing about the possibility of her beloved friend failing the entrance exam. So far, the only way that could come to be was by him choosing to self-sabotage, and the only scenario in which he would do that was one where a sense of resentment prompted him to sabotage her plans.

Suffice it to say, the likeness of that occurring was abysmally low.

However, that in itself was what made it a deliciously tempting thought. Just as it was unlikely to occur, the risks were contrastingly massive should her expectations were to be surpassed. To say Junko was jeopardizing herself by taking the Hero Course's route would be one hella damn understatement.

Leaving aside the obvious endangerment of being, well, her, and having infiltrated within one of the largest strongholds of heroism, while adding who was in charge of it into the mix, she did not doubt for a moment that even if she were to beat the entrance exam, the path to ultimate despair she put herself into would depend on whether or not Zuzu passed.

And even at that, it would only guarantee her an opportunity, not the victory she yearned for as much as she dreaded.

As things stood, whether it was Zuzu, the heroes, or herself, so many variables about her plans could turn south and ruin everything at the snap of a finger.

This ain't Hope's Peak anymore. Just one tiny winy push in the right direction and the house of cards will come crashing down on me~.

The sound of footsteps made her ears perk up. Looking behind, she saw a multitude of teenagers making their way towards the stalls. Some of the earliest arrivals sent her a curious look, a few even turning disappointed when they looked down at their Examinee's card and no doubt saw they weren't sitting anywhere near her.

Not like doing so would grant them shit regardless, but hey, she ain't saying no to more despair.

Her interest rapidly went towards a familiar brush of emerald green. Junko allowed an amused smirk to play on her lips when a familiar red-eyed Pomeranian abruptly passed past Zuzu, nearly bumping shoulders with him had he not dodged at the last second.

Upupupu, what a tsundere.

Despite having her seat near the middle of the stalls, that wasn't a determent for Zuzu's good instincts to make him turn his face in her direction, right in time to cross his expectant eyes with Junko's.

Faster than he could think of doing anything else, Junko nudged her head further down the auditorium. The implications were clear for both of them.

A rush of pink dusted her cheeks, reveling in the crestfallen look that crossed Zuzu's expression. She was almost tempted to coo when he rapidly realized they were far from alone, and masked the emotion with a frustrated frown, abruptly facing ahead before continuing on his stride.

Junko didn't bother hiding a quick laugh when she saw whose seat was next to his.

Now now, Zuzu, surely you can survive being surrounded by a bunch of strangers and good pal Kacchan without your beloved friend for a little while more, can't you~?

Momentarily sated with the despair Zuzu provided to her, Junko was able to wait for the practical exam's ceremony to begin without much complaint.

Minutes later, right when the last batch of students took a seat, the lights were shut down without a warning, leaving the entirety of the massive room in blinding darkness.

Then, a single tray of light illuminated the stage. Highlighted by it, a weirdo whose hair would make Owada's look like a fashion icon came into view.

"Phew, that's quite the audience we got for today's show!" The living amalgamation of the 80's cried out with an excited grin. "What's up, little listeners!? C'mon now, the name's Present Mic, and I wanna hear a hey!"

Welp, it seems is time to get this show rolling with a boom!

Half an hour later, all of the aspirants for the Hero Course were organized and dispatched towards a series of buses, each meant to lead them to the mock cities U.A had designated, and where their practical test would be applied.

Once in front of the massive gates that separated them from the battlegrounds that would determine their future in heroics, a large majority of them couldn't help but look around in awe. Some even wondered just how could the school afford several installments of such magnitude.

Save for a few exceptions, they all were blissfully ignorant of the fact that, to some measure, the tests had already begun.

Unbeknownst to the Hero-aspirants, within the confines of a darkened room, a series of monitors followed them from the very moment they took a step outside their transportation.

Through them, several figures monitored each one of their movements with critical eyes.

"MY, MY, I AM JUST BEGINNING MY YEAR HERE AND ALREADY I CAN SEE QUITE THE FUTURE SEEDS OF HEROISM WE HAVE TODAY!" A booming and confident voice declared. Its owner had his sight darting around the various monitors.

Eventually, they landed on the screen monitoring the Ground Beta. A glint of expectation was barely hidden within his deep blue eyes.

"With all due respect, you are getting ahead of yourself, All Might," A gruff and tired-sounding voice countered. "They haven't done so much as taking a step out of the transports. Judging their potential before the practical test begins is simply illogical."

While some of their fellow peers were struggling between agreeing with All Might or a U.A. veteran like it was the latter, one distinctive and unnecessarily loud voice came in the number one Hero's defense.

"Sheesh, don't be like that, Aizawa!" Present Mic groaned, even if lacked any heat in his words. "There's loads of stuff we can pick up just by first impressions, don'tcha think?"

"I do not doubt that," One Aizawa Shouta, known by very few as Eraserhead, conceded easily. "I'm only saying that we should reserve our conclusions until we see the applicants in action. Speaking of which, shouldn't you be getting yourself ready to act as the tests' overseer?"

"Urk, yeah, yeah, dad. I will go do my homework in a moment," The voice hero protested with a pout that, in Eraserhead's sincere opinion, had no place belonging in an adult's face. Certainly not on Yamada's. "But c'mon, Shouta! Ya can't deny some of these kiddos have vibes to die for! I mean, look that girl with the vines for hair. Man, that's rad! Oh boy, do you see that bird boy and that shadow coming outta its stomach!? Metal! Ah, and there's also that chick…doing…huh? That's weird."

Instantly, most of Aizawa's tiredness receded for a focused expression. For all his gimmicks, he knew Yamada wouldn't react like that unless something truly out of the ordinary caught his attention.

"What is it?" Aizawa rapidly asked. "Is something wrong with one of the examinees?"

"Eh? Ah, not…really?" Present Mic unconvincingly said. "It's just, doesn't that examinee from Ground Delta looks kinda odd? I dunno, like…a bit old?"

"Yamada!" A dark-purple-haired woman gave the voice hero an indignant look. "You can't go around saying that stuff about a damsel!"

"I-I didn't mean it like that! I just…"

"Hmph, you know damn well what he means, Nemuri." A white-haired man with a pair of notorious canines grunted, his gaze flickered back to the screen and Aizawa could've sworn the briefest of sweat drops ran down his forehead. "Give it a look and tell me that chick doesn't stand like a sore thumb."

Even if it wasn't directed towards him nor most of his peers, Aizawa and the entirety of the staff followed along with Sekijiro's, AKA Vlad King, suggestion.

It only took Eraserhead a moment of observing Ground Delta's monitor to confirm that, indeed, the examinee Yamada and Sekijiro were talking about gathered as much attention as Endeavor would in a convenience store.

However, what he saw rapidly prompted him to believe everyone was focusing on the wrong thing.

"Are we sure how old she looks should be the biggest of our concerns?"

Sure, when bundled together with a bunch of young teenagers, and if one squinted their eyes enough, they could notice that she appeared to be relatively older than the rest of them. Not by much as far as Aizawa could see, maybe a pair of years above the average examinee.

Honestly, he couldn't see how was that worth any concern. If her papers had been checked and accepted for an appliance, it meant she was clean in that regard. Besides, in an era where people could breathe fire and fly, someone having a quirk that, whether actively or as a side effect, could make them look older by some years, was far below on his list of strangest quirks he had stumbled upon.

That being said, everything else about her put a bitter taste in his mouth.

First of all was her attire.

From her unnecessarily short red skirt, her red and large nails, to her loose black cardigan and monochrome tie, all the way up to the rabbit and red-white bow hair clips.

Everything about that mockery of a school uniform screamed impractical.

His eyes flared red just by looking at the platform-heeled boots she wore.

And yet, Eraserhead couldn't say that was the worst part of all.

"Wait, now that you mention it," Unable to hide the disbelief in his voice, Higari Maijima, better known as Power Loader, spoke up. "Isn't that a phone in her hands?"

That certainly was.

Because yes, while everyone down there was psyching their nerves down or steeling their minds for what was to come, each one at least having a clear understanding of what was at stake, a single blonde teenage girl with her tongue playfully stuck out decided that her time was better spent typing on her phone while she bounced back and forth in barely contained giddiness.

In all their years as staff of Japan's most prominent Hero School, not once did any of them witness an Examinee acting as flippant as that girl.

"Well…she sure knows how to draw attention to herself. I mean, can't deny that girl's got style!" Nemuri, hero name Midnight, tried to play it off. Although even Aizawa could see she was putting some effort into it. "Just look at how nobody can't help but throw glances her way. Fufu, it appears the boys on Ground Delta will have a great time showing their youth!"

"This a test for Japan's next generation of heroes, not a fashion runway," While somewhat tolerant of her mannerisms more often than not, seeing exactly what Nemuri was describing happening soured his mood, making him sound and feel rather snappy. "Besides, if the best she can offer is to alter some of the examinees' hormones, then she has no place here."

"Uh, perhaps she's one of Uwabami's chicks?" Power Loader theorized, trying to make sense of the girl's behavior. "Could've sworn she tried something similar a few years ago, with one of them using her attendance as an applicant in here for media coverage."

While he wasn't one to take things for granted, Aizawa couldn't deny that made an awful amount of sense. Similar incidents of people trying to leech from U.A.'s prestige was far more common than what he would like to admit.

Just more pilling evidence that his advocation for a major reform in the practical test not only was logical but of the utmost urgency as well.

That being said, before he or any other of his fellow educators could build up their opinions any further, a new voice made an act of presence.

"Oh, it's always great to observe such enthusiasm for our beloved Heroes-to-be! However, I believe we are getting a little bit ahead of ourselves in regards to examinee Thirteen Thousand Eleven."

All heads turned in the direction where the strangely jovial voice came through. While not one of them was surprised to see whose it belonged to, what they heard him say prompted them to look at the owner with confusion.

Sitting at the back of the room, a small and suited white-furred figure sipped from a cup of tea held in his paws.

His eyes, one unscathed and the other with one large scar across it, were nothing more than a pair of black dots. Alongside his elongated muzzle and its small black nose, his appearance gave resemblance to that of a mouse. Still, his body carried enough hints for that of a canine and an ursin to make it impossible to discern which of the three he truly belonged to. If any of them at all.

While bipedal and capable of rational thought, his animalistic traits were not the side effects of a quirk, but rather, he was a unique case in which the opposite was the case.

By that fact alone, one might have a hard time believing that he was no other than the very head of Japan's top hero school.

"Hrmm, principal Nezu, if I may," Vlad King shot the mammal a questioning look. "Do you know anything about this chick that we should?"

"Oh, I'm not trying to worry any of you, Kan. I promise you that!" The mammal chirped. "All I'm trying to say is that just like Aizawa previously suggested, seeing by our own eyes what she and the other applicants are capable of before jumping to any conclusions might be the best course of action. Who knows, perhaps we might find ourselves surprised." He took a pair of sips from his beverage before looking at Present Mic. "Ah, would you look at the time! The practical exam should be about to begin, you wouldn't want to be late, right, Yamada?"

"Righto!" Present Mic gave a mock salute before jumping out of his chair. "Heh, gotta love the faces of those punks with my trademark callout."

"Mhm, see that you do…oh, by the way, Power Loader, are there any operational issues with the Pointers?"

From his corner, the sounds of keypads being pressed were heard as Excavator Hero did his magic with the control system for the Villain Bots meant for the test, "Hmm, nope. Everything's in order as far as I can see. Even the Zero Pointers from each area are ready for deployment."

"Most excellent!" Nezu cheered with almost childlike glee. "Then, let us prepare and see what are our future Heroes capable of."

With Present Pic gone in preparation for the practical test, and the principal having all but put the discussion of their most 'notable' examinee to an end, nobody had anything else to say on the matter.

No one but a certain Underground Hero.

Aizawa Shota was many things. Stupid wasn't one of them.

With what little he had said, Nezu had practically confirmed that there was something special about that girl. The what in specific remained a mystery, though.

Is her quirk that powerful? No, when it comes to Nezu, nothing is ever that simple. There must be more to her than meets the eye.

Briefly, Aizawa's sight drifted back to the monitor. His eyes narrowed when he saw that girl still had her face glued to her phone. After a minute, and not finding anything worth remarking, not even so much as a hint for what sort of quirk could she possess, he put his attention to All Might.

He had been awfully quiet for someone who was known for being anything but. It didn't help that Aizawa's suspicions grew stronger when the man was doing a poor job of hiding how intently he was now gazing at the monitor for Ground Delta. There was a bundle of emotions dancing around his electric-blue orbs, and whether it was disbelief, confusion, or cautious interest, they all shared one thing in common.

Regardless of which turned out to be the case, none could hide the signs of recognition the Number One Hero gave to the pigtailed girl.

If that wasn't worth some prodding already, the principal made sure to rectify that.

Given that Nezu was an extraordinary case of an animal with a quirk, the way he perceived things tended to differ from that of most people. It was only thanks to said quirk, named High Specs, which granted the user unparalleled intellect, that allowed him to acquire a basic grasp of human common sense, and even then, it still lacked in some areas.

That being said, thanks to close-by years of being at his beck and call, there were rare occasions in which Eraserhead was able to get a read on the usually unreadable Head of U.A.'s High School.

Leaving aside that most, if not all of his attention had been merely on Ground Delta, not so dissimilar to All Might, there was something about Nezu's body language that concerned the Underground Hero.

The glint of sharp appreciation shimmering through his dotted eyes was a stark contrast with the frazzled hair standing at the back of Nezu's neck.

If he didn't know any better, Aizawa might've chalked that up as the principal anticipating something as much as he dreaded it.

Regardless of how things turned out to be, one thing was for certain.

Some people would owe him some answers after this whole ordeal was dealt with.

Hmph, so much for getting a nap after the exams.

Type type type…50%.

On the other side of the screens, students across U.A.'s test grounds prepared for what was one of, if not the most important moment of their lives. Whether a last preemptive checkup of the equipment they brought up. Getting their quirks ready for action. Or psyching themselves up. On each battleground, the aspirants were doing everything in their power to make sure no mistakes were made that day.

All save for one.

For those on Ground Delta, the situation was a tad different.

Type type type…60%.

Similarly to the rest of their peers, the tension for what awaited ahead made them extra susceptible to distractions.

The difference, though, was that among them, there was something, or rather someone, who coming as distractive was as easy as breathing.

Some did a double-take at what they saw. Confusion and fascination swept over their minds from seeing the mish-mash of black, white, and red that stood out like a beacon of colorful chaos among an ocean of dull monotony.

Whether it came from incredulity, awe, or even more confusion, the conjoined interest of the examinees narrowed to a single individual.

Type type type…70%.

Junko Enoshima couldn't say she was surprised by that development. If anything, being the center of attention for the masses had come naturally to her for so long, that the brief time she was being taken for granted as simply one more applicant back at U.A.'s entrance was a far more enjoyable experience.

If nothing else, because of the short-lived sense of novelty that it brought.

Naively thinking that 'playing' with her phone clouded her awareness of her surroundings, the predictable murmurs that appraised her presence came to be, and while none of them felt like anything other than the buzz of a mosquito, Junko couldn't help the smirk that grew on her face each time someone pointed out the device of her hands.

Upupupu…80%.

Looks of uncertainty crossed their faces, each of them debating whether to resume back their warm-ups or take their chance to talk to the girl who, as far as any of them could observe based on her attire and the nonchalance she carried herself with, had zero chances of passing the exam and thus would unlikely meet ever again.

Eventually, one boy decided there was no harm in trying his luck.

As the sound of footsteps approaching her came into her ears, the smile on Junko's face turned forced by a few degrees. Oh, the despair that will result from this had her all jittery, there was no denying that.

That didn't make the guy nor what he was about to do any less of a pain to dealt with, tho.

Height. Looks. Even his short blond hair. Save for that black lighting-shaped streak of hair on his left side, even back home his appearance would've passed for average. The worst kind of it. The sort of which he stood out enough to not be so obsessively plain to the point of being eerie, or interesting for that matter, nor he was sufficiently, well, anything, to pass up as worth any shit.

The only thing about him that came as an actual break from the character trope he was forcing himself into, was the fact he wasn't looking at her like she was a piece of meat that was already reserved for his plate. Even that sleazy grin on his face lacked any hint of genuine predation.

In the pair of seconds she took predicting his intentions, how they were going to end up playing, and a rough estimation for the past and next month of his life, he finally closed up to her side.

"Sheesh this place sure is massive," Bolty-boy whistled, with what he thought to be a decent start for a casual conversation. "Kinda gives some foreboding vibes about what's on the other side, ya know?"

Suppressing the two hundred and thirty-nine things she could immediately say to turn him into a sobering mess, Junko gave him a side glance and decided to play along.

"Hey hey, ain't kinda early to turn into such a gloomy doomy?" Junko protested with a well-practiced pout. "C'mon, where's your U.A. spirit!? Plus Ultra! Plus Ultra!"

Not expecting the energetic response, the teenager gave her a weirded-out look. His body language grew hesitant as her rambling put some of the onlookers' focus on his person.

Ten seconds in and he already made up for a worse half to her routine than her Zuzu did even at his lowest.

Hmph, ya better end up making up for that by showing me some decent despair once I'm dealt and done here.

Ah, speaking of which, 85%.

"Uh, right, Plus Ultra...?" There was a pause on his part. No doubt debating on whether to go all in and make his move already or call it quits and cut his losses. Predictably, he let his second head make the choice. "By the way, there's no way we aren't gaining some appetite with this terminator-simulator deal, so…what do ya say about going for a bite after being done with it?"

Gee, never heard that one before…90%.

"Heh, not even five minutes and you are already making a move. Kinda daring, aren't we?" The bolt-haired boy averted his gaze while chuckling sheepishly. Junko allowed her smirk to grow further. "Can't say I dislike it tho, so, how 'bout this? If ya score higher than me on this exam thingy, I will take ya on that offer once the results come in."

"Wait, really?" Zap-boy asked with wide eyes. Clearly, not even he suspected the most overused pick-up line in the story of flirting had any hope of working. "You aren't pulling me any hairs, are you?"

If only you knew…95%.

"Nope!" Junko chirped. "I like to believe that, for all my faults, I am always a woman of my word~."

Although confused by what she meant with the first half of that statement, the guy was already going nuts about, as far as he was concerned, having scored a sure date with her.

Jokes on him, Junko was sure today was the last time she will ever talk to the poor dumbass again.

"Neat!" The boy pumped fisted while a grin spread over his face. However, a hint of realization soon took over his face before giving her an awkward look. "Ah, I know we got the order all over the place, but…uh, what's your name? I'm Denki Kaminari, by the way."

Type...

"The name's Junko Enoshima, cutie." She said, giving the soon-to-be General Course student a wink that rapidly turned him into a blushed mess.

Type...

"R-Right, pleasure to meet ya, Enoshima." The footnote among a million others stammered. However, that quickly made way for curiosity once he looked over her. "Say, there's something I've wondering for a while now."

"Oh, do tell?"

"Well, I know it isn't my problem or anything, but what's with the phone?" He nodded at the device in her hands. "You've been typing at it this whole time, must be serious business to keep at it in the middle of the exam, yeah?"

Type...100%.

"Eh, nothing that important, really. It's just..."

MASTER ACCESS OVER GROUND DELTA'S NETWORK GRANTED. AWAITING FURTHER INPUT.

"...My V.I.P ticket into U.A.'s Hero Course~."

"Huh? What does that—"

"AND START!" An energetic voice howled in the distance, yet it was loud enough to reach whole kilometers of perimeter. With most examinees staying still in stunned shock, the voice decided to bring them out of their funk. "WHAT ARE Y'ALL SITTING LIKE DUCKS FOR? THAT ONE LISTENER FROM GROUND BETA ALREADY FIGURED HEROES NEVER WAIT FOR A TIMER, SO WHAT'S STOPPING YA!? GO! GO! GO!"

Finally shaken out of their daze, applicants from Ground Alpha, Beta, Charlie, Echo, Foxtrot, and Golf jumped on their feet, rushing their way into the battlegrounds, hoping to take down as many Bots as possible.

For a moment, the same was the case for those within Ground Delta.

"Oh crap, it's already time!?" One Denki Kaminari cried out. Being among the first ones to recover, he let himself get guided by his sense of urgency and dashed past those still moments away from finally snapping back to reality.

A small part of him recognized that the pretty blonde he just scored a date with not only wasn't moving from her spot, but she was still messing with her phone.

A much larger part, though, decided there was no time for dilly-dialing. With how his quirk worked, Denki knew he needed to be among the first applicants to get inside the test site. That would guarantee finding a location with a large number of Pointers congregated, thus allowing to get the most out of Electrification's area of effect.

He had a plan.

He had a realistic chance of making it into U.A.'s most exclusive course.

He had an opportunity to become a Hero.

Who knows. Just perhaps, he would've gone as far as becoming one of the pillars that held the foundations of Japan at its direst hour in a distant future.

Unfortunately, he never accounted for a fashionable young woman to stomp on those hopes and promises like one would a grandiose sandcastle in a fit of boredom.

The moment he took a step inside the mock city and saw one of the Pointer Bots, an unbelievable sight occurred before him.

That very same robot, without any sign of outside intervention, suddenly blew up.

What the hell!?

Faster than his brain could begin to understand what happened, another explosion was heard not so far from the first one.

Like a chain reaction, several detonations followed up.

One by one.

Two by two.

Five by Five.

By the time the entirety of Ground Delta turned into a cacophony of thunderous howls, every examinee within the gates of said battleground had finally recovered their wits.

That didn't make them any less confused by the sudden turn of events.

Panic settled over the examinees' minds. They all had their feet rotted on the ground, unable to decide whether to go ahead and get a better grasp of the situation or run away like a bunch of headless chickens.

"W-What the hell is going on!?"

"U.A. never said anything about this being part of the test!"

Instead of getting the answer they all just so hoped, the examinees jumped and gasped in a mix of surprise and fear when the largest explosion so far bellowed in the distance, their dread only grew when they saw part of the massive detonation occurring before their eyes.

The invisible bombardment continued for about a minute, even if it felt like an eternity for the applicants within Ground Delta. Eventually, though, the only signal that allowed them to determine the cease of fire was the silent rise of dozens, if not hundreds of smoke clouds meanwhile the distinctive acrid smell of detonations finally invaded the nostrils of everyone in the perimeter.

For a moment, the once deafening streets that made the exam site were silent as a grave. No one dared to move so much as a muscle in fear of someway, somehow, triggering another barrage of explosions.

Following a few moments of nothing occurring, the gathered applicants regained enough composure and, albeit hesitatingly so, made their way deeper into the faux city to get a clearer look.

As they took it all in, no one could prevent the knots that formed in their stomachs.

The scene before them was like the aftermath of a battlefield. Or one of a natural disaster that had just finished pouring its fury into its latest victim. Broken edifications as collateral damage, debris sprawling at every corner, and whichever Pointers weren't utterly eradicated and its pieces spread through the site, were unresponsive, mangled, or with their remains still set aflame.

Neither Denki nor his fellow examinees could begin to make sense of what had just happened. One moment they all were ready to take U.A. by storm, just about to give it their all in hopes of making it into their dream school.

Now, their aspirations pretty much resembled the pieces of scrap that littered the streets.

Given the sight in front of him, Denki genuinely wondered if there was at least a Pointer left.

"Hmm nope, I'm pretty sure they all went KABLAMOO!"

Although he recognized it, the previously eerie silence made it loud enough for all of the applicants to flinch upon hearing the sudden voice.

The surprise only lasted for a moment. They all shifted from it, looking at the emerging woman with confusion and disbelief. How could she sound so carefree about this?

Denki wanted to question her. Ask her what she knew that he and the rest of the applicants didn't.

Denki just wanted to say something. Anything.

But he couldn't, his mouth simply refused to cooperate.

Enoshima, meanwhile, took the frozen teenagers in stride, walking around and basking in the sights with a smile on her face. It was almost the look of an artist admiring their painting.

It might've felt like hours, but it was just a matter of seconds before she came to a halt, right in front of him.

"Sorry buddy, it seems we ain't having that date. What a shame, really." Despite the words being said, that smile of hers remained just as pristine. "Oh well, there's always next year. I'm sure you will at least get a chance to use your quirk next time around."

With a pat on his shoulder, and without waiting for a response, Enoshima turned on her heels with a skip on her feet, leaving dozens of catatonic applicants behind.

Just a pair of minutes ago, they came with their heads held high, and their spirits brimming with expectation.

Sure, not all of them were fully confident in their chances of gaining a spot within Japan's most privileged course, but they still held onto the hope that, so long as they were given a chance, they could beat the odds.

Now, the Hero aspirants from Ground Delta didn't even had that.

And Junko Enoshima loved the despair that hopelessness left behind.

While not as pronounced, the observation room occupied by U.A.'s staff found itself in a similar state of affairs.

They all witnessed the moment in which Ground Delta suddenly turned into a bombardment zone. Most prominently, they had a full view of the aftermath.

With wide eyes and mouths hanging open, there was a single question that could be asked at the moment.

"What...just happened?"

No one bothered figuring out who made that question. It could've been any of them as far as they were concerned. No, their priority at the moment was to find an answer to their concerns.

While there was some relief that no student got injured from the incident, the one reason the room hadn't turned into a frenzy, it didn't alleviate their confusion. By all means, no one knew what to say at the moment.

That was until Aizawa decided to speak up.

"It was that girl."

All heads turned to the underground hero; their interest was piqued by what he had said.

"That girl?" All Might inquired, his voice uncharacteristically quiet for a change. "Are you talking of the one with the phone?"

"Exactly. That phone in her hands, she wasn't merely lazing around with it," Although far more composed than his peers, his voice couldn't entirely hide the hint of realization it carried. Even as he spoke, Aizawa still was in the process of putting together a picture that made a single drop of sweat travel down his forehead. "If my guess is right, she used it as a hacking device, forced her way through the Pointers' coding, and then commanded them to self-destruct all at the same time."

"W-Wait a moment, that's impossible!" Both surprisingly and not so much, it was Power Loader who first attempted to shut that theory down, "I'm not saying they are unhackable. Far from it. However, they all have a firewall installed. Its efficiency parallel to their rank and each at least different from one another by a degree, meant to prevent that exact scenario."

"You might want to flip back that helmet of yours, Maijima. It still happened, didn't we all see just moments ago?" Despite the tense atmosphere, there were small signs of amusement in Midnight's voice.

Power Loader didn't share the sentiment, "Look, all I'm suggesting is that we are talking of hundreds of Bots for which she would have been required to compromise individually. Not even the best expert in the world would done such a fast job while going unnoticed. Honestly, by time-efficiency alone, I almost dare say she would have it easier by breaching through...oh."

"Oh?" Picking the slip for what it was, Aizawa gave the construction hero a narrowed glance. "What exactly does that 'oh' mean?"

"Now, now, we gain nothing by bickering with one another," The characteristics voice of U.A.'s principal chimed in. When Aizawa relented with a huff, Nezu chuckled before turning to the excavator hero. "Ah, Power Loader, would you mind checking the Log Files for Ground Delta's database? I have an inkling feeling about what might've occurred. "

The sentiment of suspicion rose once more within Aizawa's gut. An inkling feeling? Yeah right.

You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?

Despite his concerns, the underground hero withheld any commentary as he watched Power Loader do as instructed.

A pair of key binds pressed later; the faceless hero let a grunt that could've been easily confused with a groan.

"I guess it truly was that, huh?" Power Loader sighed. "The latest entry data on Ground Delta's network mentions that administrative permissions have been granted to a user going by the name of...xXRyokoOtonashiIsNotRealXx? Er, weird username aside, the marked hour coincides right with the fireworks show."

Before the underground hero had time to digest that information, including the strangeness of the username, his thoughts were put to a halt by a desk being slammed and someone abruptly rising from his seat.

"You mean that kid has the whole of U.A. compromised!?" Vlad King exclaimed; eyes wide in panic. "Why the hell are we so calm about this!?"

While refusing to react as outwardly as his fellow Homeroom Teacher, Aizawa couldn't deny he had similar concerns in mind.

"Ah, it's nothing that grave," Power Loader calmy assured. It seemed that finally having what he found for a coherent answer to the incident put him back in his element. "Each battleground is equipped with its personal Operational System. As a basic security measure, those same Networks are entirely separated from U.A.'s core system. On top of that, I can assure you that the school's defenses for its Network are a whole different beast. The only place I can think capable of giving U.A. a run for its money is Tartarus."

That, Aizawa could accept. After all, it was Nezu himself who designed U.A.'s security protocols and the school's main defenses.

"Hmm, I don't get it," Nemuri eyed Power Loader with a doubtful look. "You are making it sound as if what she pulled wasn't that impressive. Kinda hard to discredit her when she just kicked All Might's record outta the window." She looked to the man himself with a sheepish grin. "Er, nothing personal, big guy."

"REST ASSURED, MISS MIDNIGHT, I TAKE NO OFFENSE!" All Might chuckled, and if he secretly held any resentment for the comment or its implications, he did an expert job at not showing it. "UNORTODOX AS IT MIGHT SEEM, THAT YOUNG LADY DIDN'T PULL ANY FIGURATIVE PUNCHES, JUST LIKE IT WAS EXPECTED OF ANY OTHER ASPIRANT. THERE'S NOTHING TO CONDEMN IN THAT."

"That said, I wasn't dismissing her work," Maijima huffed. His sight darted back to the monitors, a glimmer of amazement shining through his eyes. "Even my third years would've taken their sweet time attempting a similar stunt. And even then, I doubt they could manage to go undetected like she did during the whole process. If I can be honest, I'm bummed out that she applied for Heroics instead of the Support Course. That much talent is a once-in-a-generation sort of deal."

"Oh, I certainly agree!" Nezu chirped. "That demonstration surpassed even my expectations."

"Is that so?" Aizawa caught a scent, and this time around he didn't hesitate to chase after it. "How strange, that almost sounded as if you already knew she was capable of such a feat."

"I suspected she would do something along the lines, yes," The principal shamelessly admitted, earning wide stares and some gasps. "But, like I already pointed out, I never expected her to, well, take our school's motto that seriously." He took a sip from his cup before putting the tray down with a satisfied sigh. "Ah well, we can't belittle her for that, can we?"

'Finally throwing the cryptic crap out of the window, huh?' The underground hero grimaced, his suspicions that the mammal was up to one of his schemes rising by the second.

Still, logic won over, and Eraserhead decided that it was better to rip the metaphorical band-aid off already.

Besides, there was something that had been gnawing at him for some time now.

"This girl...what is her Quirk?"

"I am glad you are asking!" Nezu said immediately, bringing a drawer behind his desk open. The sound of documents being rummaged could be heard soon after. "I'm sure these will explain things further."

Before Aizawa or anyone else could ask what he was talking about, the super-doted mammal jumped from his chair with a stack of folders held by his pawns.

One by one, every staff member was handed a folder. By the time it was Aizawa's turn to receive one, he almost snatched it from the Principal's paws and brought it open.

It took him but a moment to realize what he was looking at.

A student profile.

More specifically, of one called Junko Enoshima.

Well, this ought to be interesting.

Whatever expectations he might've had, they were dwarfed as soon as he glimpsed the name for Enoshima's quirk.

Rapidly, he looked up from the file, right in time for his sight to lock with Nezu's. Beating him to it, the mammal did a barely noticeable shake of his head, the chirpiness was gone for a moment, and in exchange, his eyes blared with firm sharpness.

Despite the subtlety, the message was clear.

Not here, not now.

Aizawa didn't even bother to question how he could make the correlation. It was Nezu, of course he knew what only the highest-ranked members of the police and some select few underground heroes should do.

His gaze darted back to the profile; some doubt wanted to gnaw at him. However, years of experience both as a teacher and a professional hero allowed him to steel himself. Until he could talk with Nezu about that, he would judge the file's contents without any bias.

Name aside, Enoshima's quirk explained most, if not everything he had seen so far.

Even the, irrelevant in his opinion, matter of her older appearance.

Exponential production of growth hormones to make up for the early and sudden overdevelopment of her brain matter. Sheesh, the girl must've it rough the first years of her life.

It was no wonder Nezu had her file alongside some copies at the ready. That detail notwithstanding, Enoshima's quirk made it so she was as close to a kindred spirit as he likely would ever get with anyone.

Of course, even without considering the most concerning facets. No quirk was without its downsides, and reading through the side-effects of a quirk as useful as Enoshima's, Aizawa had to suppress a groan.

That segment about multiple personas…Ugh, if the demonstration on Ground Delta wasn't confirmation enough. It's official. She's going to be a problem child.

Aside from the section regarding her quirk, there wasn't anything worth highlighting about her profile. And even if it was, Eraserhead was confident the principal would fill him in. So, the rest of the lecture was more of a formality to him.

It took a pair of minutes before he was done peering through the contents. He closed the folder, with the rest of the staff following soon after.

"Junko Enoshima, eh?" All Might mused, a smile slowly getting attached to his face. "It's good to finally have a name attached to the face. Can't deny the hype lived up to the secrecy so far, though."

Aizawa couldn't help the feeling there was a deeper meaning in the words of the Number One Hero. Unfortunately, it was hard to read too deep into it when the rest of the staff hummed approvingly at his words.

Well, Maijima was still complaining about Enoshima not aiming for a spot in the Support Class, but that in itself was a show of estimation for the girl.

"I know it was I who handed these files, and no doubt we all are excited for our potential student," Aizawa rolled his eyes. As if her spot wasn't already secured. "However, time for discussion on the subject will have to come later. The practical test is still ongoing, and it would be disrespectful for all other aspirants to not grant them the attention they deserve."

"HAH, I CAN CERTAINLY AGREE ON THAT!" All Might's returned to its usual boom, his electric-blue eyes gaining a spark when they landed back on the monitors. "I ALREADY SEE SOME OTHER APPLES RIP FOR THE PICKING. WHY, ONE SIMPLY HAD TO LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON GROUND BETA FOR AN EXAMPLE!"

Motivated by the Number One Hero's prompting, several gazes went on to follow his example. While nowhere as previously mind-blowing, their appreciative reactions were enough to reveal All Might wasn't exaggerating his claim.

Although Aizawa meant to also look at what caught their interest, his sight inadvertently turned back to what no doubt was going to be a source of headaches for the incoming future. She was leaning against the bus that would bring her and the others back to the main school grounds once the test officially came to an end.

This time around, the underground hero couldn't have it in him to judge her for fiddling with that phone of hers to wait out the free time she had to spare. Certainly not after what occurred the last time he did so.

Better make sure Maijima doesn't sleep on the job again, though. Just in case.

Despite the newfound leniency, his mouth shifted in a fine line while seeing the looks of the other applicants in her vicinity.

Logically speaking, there was no reason to chastise her actions. She made sure to shut his mouth when rather than being the spoiled brat he thought her to be, Enoshima used all the tools and loopholes at her disposal to get the best possible outcome.

What she lacked in discipline, Aizawa could see she made up with brimming potential.

Precisely because of that, he truly hoped that his eventual talk with Nezu would defund the embers of doubt he had about her rather than nurturing them.

Weave.

Crouch down and follow up with a roundhouse kick straight to the head.

Move on to the next target.

Jump.

Drove it into the ground with an axe-kick.

Disengage, and move to the next one.

Dive below the massive metallic fists.

Counter with a straight right that went past the chassis.

Retrieve the arm and move on.

By now, Izuku could confidently say that the destruction of pointers had turned into an automatic process. Evade their seemingly slow attacks, pulverize them with a single move, and then rapidly be on the lookout for the newest robot to neutralize. Rinse and repeat.

It was dull and repetitive, to not call it boring, and given that he hadn't the slightest interest in seeing how were the other applicants doing, he didn't know whether it was good or bad that his mind was allowed enough reprieve to linger.

Some minutes ago, there was a massive series of explosions. Far too many and consecutive to belong to Bakugo, skilled as he might be.

That could only mean Junko's plan worked.

Well, sort of. No doubt she had scored well enough for a spot in the Hero Course if things worked as intended, which with Junko was always a guarantee, but he couldn't dismiss the possibility that U.A. would somehow consider what she did cheating. Sure, nowhere in the rules established for the practical exam said it was against the rules for her to do what she did. That being said, they could conclude that going as far as meddling with part of the school's Network was a step too far. What then? Junko would get a kick out of failing, Izuku knew that. What about him, though? Would she ask him to stay here in U.A.? Without her? He couldn't do that. Oh, he would give it a try if Junko asked for it, but without her around, it would be a matter of days before they cross him as a weirdo. At best. It was already hard enough to default into nonchalance around All Might in the brief pair of hours he had to spend with him for the past months. Without Junko around, there's no way he wouldn't react inappropriately if forced to mingle with a bunch of imbeciles that would contempt his existence, or worse, deal with hypocrites that would put up their disgusting smiles now that he had some dumb—

"Target located. Commence extermination!"

With nothing but raw instinct taking over his body, Izuku backpedaled, and a swell of pride hit him for the lack of power cursing through his body while pulling the stunt. It didn't last. He mentally cursed at the sight of missiles striking the very same spot he stood moments ago.

That stupid rambling of his was at it one more time. How was it that he was still alive after all this time despite it, was a mystery that even Junko couldn't decipher yet.

Or she simply refused to tell him. Could be either when it came to her.

Setting those thoughts aside, Izuku only had to scan his perimeter for a moment to see the responsible for the attack. A bulky figure with even bulkier shoulders. Each held multiple compartments from which smoke was rising. A pair of massive number three was painted red on their green forearms.

A three-pointer.

Before making his move, Izuku noticed from his peripherical vision a male figure trying, and failing miserably at sneaking in. Even with their flamboyant clothes, he didn't pay much attention to him beyond the colorful belt the other teenager was aiming at the bot.

Sneaking for a kill steal. How heroic of him.

The annoyance he felt at the moment was motivator enough to activate All Might's quirk without hesitating.

In the blink of an eye, Izuku felt a massive surge of power running through his body. Pinkish ley-line veins marked his limbs and face, with one large cross-like bulge shaped in between his eyes

Most prominently of all, though, were the bolts of deep red lighting jumping around him.

He was still a few percentages away from activating the quirk to its current limit…and yet, just like every time he made use of it, Izuku couldn't prevent the revulsion he felt at the moment. Aversion rapidly morphed into loathing, each bit of energy nitpicking at his psyche. One constant reminder that this 'gift', no matter how much power it granted him, will never feel worth what he lost.

I wonder if, in a way, this feeling brings me one step closer to her…

Unlike before, Izuku only let his mind wander for a moment. Steeling his nerves, he jumped to the wall from the nearest edifice at the same time the bot's fists buried in his previous spot. Right when Izuku was about to crash into it, he flipped his body, making it so it was the soles of his sneakers that touched the grey plating instead. Without letting the kinetic energy go to waste, he surged forward, zip-zapping towards the three-pointer. The sound of concrete cracking left him behind.

Angling himself to a side, he darted his right leg back and up to his back, held his shin, and by the time the bot finally realized he had moved and turned to him, Izuku greeted its face with a guillotine kick that launched its whole head into the ground. Its pieces jumped everywhere before it could properly bury itself.

Three more points to the bag in less than four seconds.

"Monsieur, that was rather the sparkling move," Izuku looked up from his handiwork, catching sight of the flamboyant blonde jumping out of the debris he was hiding. "Quel dommage, I was ready to offer my assistance. I'm sure we could've made a shining team, wouldn't you agree?"

The only sign Izuku gave he heard that, was to click his tongue hard enough to make the teenager flinch.

Keeping his quirk active, he chose to let the pompous guy be and keep on with his hunt.

If he had his time well-tracked, there still were about four minutes left before the end of the test. By now his score had beaten the sixty mark. He guessed that what he had scored using about a tenth of All Might's power should've been enough to get his spot guaranteed, but he had no means to confirm that. So, there was no harm in keeping his pace. Well, certainly not to him.

The higher I score, the less points available for the rest. I don't care much about that per se, but that's the sort of thought process that would satisfy you the most, right, Junko?

His mind set, and after rounding a corner, finding it filled with nothing but broken robotic limbs, Izuku decided that searching from the low ground would only waste him precious seconds. He jumped to the nearest street lamp, landing atop it. Leaping from the pole, Izuku reached a three-story building. Repeating the process an extra pair of times, he found himself on the largest building within the vicinity.

It didn't took him long to find a pack of Villain Bots in the distance, apparently unscathed given how much time had already passed. From the looks of it, they were mostly two-pointers with the occasional three-pointer scattered within. Despite the small number of the latter, it appeared to be a sufficient force to scatter away most applicants from trying their luck.

Not him, though.

Pouring some extra bits of One for All in his body, Izuku bolted forward, jumping when he neared the border and reaching the roof ahead without complication. Parkouring through the mock city and toward his target was an easy task in itself.

However, it didn't mean that doing so came without its struggle.

His brain throbbed inside his head, feeling as if someone was pounding at the door that led inside his mind. They didn't stop at just that. Muffled whispers accompanied the intrusive sensation. Too blurred to make any sense of them, but loud and harsh enough to make them impossible to ignore.

Izuku knew it wasn't a side effect of utilizing One For All past his current limit. That always made its consequences known through physical means, not mental ones. Certainly not like this.

Those headaches weren't there when One for All first manifested, nor when some days later Junko helped him master the capacity of drawing small percentages of the quirk's seemingly endless power.

It was only a month later, when the neon-green sparks signaling the activation of the quirk changed to their current crimson tone overnight, that One For All began its strange behavior.

He tried asking All Might about it, but all he told Izuku was that even the initial sparks were already uncharted territory. So, at best, he guessed it was a particularity of being the new holder.

Not like he expected more from the man whose first and most insightful advice about One for All was 'Clench your butt cheeks and yell Smash!'.

He also asked Junko. And although his friend tried to feign as much ignorance as All Might on the matter, she had a bad time hiding the knowing smile indicating that, yes, she at least had a knack for what was going on.

By itself, that didn't answer much, to not say anything. In a way, though, that assured him that at least it didn't involve life-threatening consequences. Not in the long run at least.

He was certain that sort of anti-climatic ending would be too boring for Junko to not do anything about it.

Izuku came out of his reverie, right on time to land on the street with a resounding thud, his arrival welcomed with the sound of machines swirling in his direction.

By the time the first Two-Pointer had Izuku in its line of sight, a One For All powered punch greeted it straight in the face. Its front was pulverized, while the force of the attack sent the rest of the body colliding with the nearest pair of bots.

That first blood marked the official start of the confrontation.

Whether it was concrete destroying punches. Flesh-piercing metallic tails lashing at him. Or explosives. No matter what was thrown at him, at no point Izuku felt the slightest bit of panic. Another dance with the death was all that came to Izuku's mind as he evaded and retaliated.

For some time now, the hovering shadow of the reaper, waiting patiently to claim his soul had turned into a familiarity to him. A faithful companion that followed him with every step. The closest thing Izuku had to a second friend.

Izuku briefly wondered why something about that thinking process felt so...strange.

The doubt didn't come close to reaching his heart, though. It hadn't since Junko's training.

The real one.

By the time the sound of regular footsteps came into the scene, revealing a multitude of applicants drawn by the noise, all that was left for them was the sight of demolished Bots surrounding an unscathed green-haired teenager.

Frustrated and with the clock ticking closer, they didn't hesitate to voice out their disappointment.

"Aw, man, are ya serious? Couldn't have hurt ya to leave a few of them for the rest of us."

"This guy again? I swear I've seen him racking up his score like a madman since the very start of the test."

"For real, must be great to have lucked it out with such an awesome quirk."

Izuku could feel something inside ready to snap in two.

Of course those simpletons would see some flashy shit, and choose between applauding like seals or throwing an envy-fueled temper tantrum like a bunch of four-year-olds.

Lucky? An awesome quirk? Don't make him laugh.

He will never feel any gratitude for the hypocrite who had placed this mark of shame upon him.

A tremor in the ground snapped Izuku out of his negative funk. Back to his senses, he ignored the cries of confusion and surprise around him, sharpening his gaze in search of the source of the commotion.

He ended up hearing it before he saw it.

Loud and massive steps reverberated within the faux city. Each one carried enough force behind it to make their surroundings tremble. Falling debris could be heard in the distance, the responsible clearly unimpeded with whatever stood in their way.

Finally coming into view, Izuku saw the largest piece of engineering he had witnessed so far.

Their design resembled that of a One-Pointer, only bulkier, with multiple more optics, and, of course, with enough size difference to tower over every edifice. It sent debris flying everywhere his imposing figure crashed on.

Huh, so that's what a Zero Pointer looks like.

"W-What the hell is that!?"

"Isn't that the piece of scrap that valued no points? Screw it, I ain't risking my skin for nothing!"

"Yeah, we don't gain anything by fighting it, let's just get away from it!"

With fear firmly set into their hearts, anyone who caught sight of the mechanical monstrosity ran with their tails tugged between their legs. Terrified cries echoed as their panic-induced minds prompted them to push each other away in a desperate attempt to be the first to save their own lives.

Standing still in the middle of the chaos, Izuku absorbed the sight with a grimace.

One more time, she proves to be right. For all their big talks about goodness and heroism, all it takes is the right amount of despair for people to show their true colors.

A strange concoction grew inside him. Satisfaction and nausea mixed in a viscous muddle of confusion that made his head throb similarly to whenever he made use of One For All.

Izuku scoffed, turning around to get away from the Zero-Pointer. All things being said, complaining about these people was beating a horse that he long knew to be dead. In the end, wasn't that same despair that would allow him to become Junko's hero?

That's right. There's no point in getting all bothered about this. After all, I would never—

"Uuh..."

Stopping dead in his tracks, Izuku felt a shiver running down his spine. His whole body began shaking while his fists clenched with enough force to turn his knuckles white.

Don't even think about it. Don't you dare to—

"Somebody...please..."

With only so much as a gasp escaping his mouth, Izuku lost control of his own body and turned to look back at the massive robot's direction.

He immediately came to regret it.

Just a few feet ahead of the bulky machine, an obstruction of fallen concrete could be seen.

That wasn't what had Izuku on a standstill, though.

Right beneath the debris, a brown-haired teenager with permanent blush marks on her cheeks was trapped. With less than half of her upper body, she was trying to wiggle out of it.

By now all examinees had enough time to flee the scene, leaving only the two of them in the vicinity.

No, do not even consider the thought.

They might have overseers to observe the examinees, but surely, they wouldn't have any reasons to suspect him should he pretend to not have seen her yet. He was far enough from her to make it believable.

All he had to do was to stop standing still any longer.

You already made your choice months ago. You already decided that it was her above anyone else.

Frustrated noises escape his closed mouth. He was biting his lower lip with enough force to draw blood.

If you go with this, Junko will know. No matter how you try to hide it or pretend otherwise. She will. Worse still, there will be consequences.

No matter how much he tried, demanded his body to move, all he got for it was for his whole body to vibrate with enough force, that it almost seemed he was convulsing. His sight never left the brunette for a moment.

Whether now or a year from now on, that girl is doomed. Just what the hell is the point of worrying about this?

The Zero-Pointer was looming closer. Just a pair of steps more and that girl would be turned into paste. On insight, one could've easily deduced that U.A. wouldn't compromise a student's life on such stakes. At least not in the very entrance that was yet to determine Hero aspirants from regular ones.

He wasn't able-minded enough to realize that.

To make things more complicated, there's no way whoever was monitoring this didn't know his awareness of the trapped girl by now.

I don't even give a shit about her! So why...WHY!?

Inevitably, his hesitation came with a price.

Finally noticing his presence, a shine of hope glinted in the girl's eyes. With her only free arm weakly stretched in his direction, she used her last bits of strength to have her lips move in a single sentence.

Whether it was the loud turmoil of his mind or the deafening noises coming from the approaching titan, Izuku was unable to hear what she said.

And yet, that didn't impede him from understanding her.

Help me.

That broke him out of this stupor.

Cursing the girl in front of him, and with a despair-induced scream, Izuku Midoriya made his choice.

"Upupupu, you shoulda seen his face, Zuzu!" Walking right beside her, Izuku listened intently as Junko continued with her narration of events. "He was all like 'Wha...w-what just happened?' and it was so fucking funny. With him and all those other losers gobsmacking around, it was like watching a whole lot of Goldfishes outta the water. Hilarious!"

"I'm glad you had fun, Junko." The freckled boy smiled at his friend. Alleviated that things seemed to have turned out well for her.

Besides, he genuinely enjoyed the part about that Denki guy getting what he deserved.

Serves him right for trying to make a move on Junko.

Following the end of U.A.'s practical exam and after being debriefed on the coming procedures for those who were to pass by some staff, and the upcoming rejection letter for those who didn't, the both of them reconvened right outside the school's gates.

At the moment, they were walking down the streets. Despite the hecticness of their lives for the past ten months, today's remaining schedule was pretty much empty, so their current destination was their way back home.

A fond smile tugged at Izuku's lips.

Walking side by side and towards their shared living space. If one were to squint their eyes, they almost looked like a pair of—

"Anyhow, enough about me," Junko gave Izuku an inquisitive smirk. "Hey, hey, any juicy despair you might want to share with me?"

"Uh," Izuku considered her question for a moment. Then he perked up. "Well, almost every time I dealt with a horde of Pointers, other examinees complained about not leaving anything for them...does that count?"

"Hmm, depends. Did they look miserable while they did so?"

"I'm pretty sure that at least one guy was also sobbing about having no points at all."

"Then it absolutely does!" Junko cheered, wrapping him in a tight hug without a warning. His cheeks flushed red. "Oh, it makes me so glad to hear that, Zuzu. I bet that at least one or two schmucks with real potential lost their hopes of attending the Hero Course. All thanks to your actions today. Aren't you so proud of that?"

Izuku ignored the strange and unrecognizable feeling he sensed for a moment, favoring instead to swell at the praise he was receiving.

He didn't care how his performance affected the other applicants; truth be told. That being said, if that managed to satisfy his friend somehow, then he would've made a repeat of it without complaint.

All in all, despite some bumps here and there, today turned out well and good in the end.

"Sheesh, I almost forgot," Junko began, skipping a few steps ahead before standing right in front of him. "You have to hear this!"

"Hm? Something else happened, Junko?" Stopping in his tracks, he tilted his head in curiosity.

"Yeah! It was, like, so hard to believe but, y'see," Izuku felt a cold grip at seeing the knowing look she sent his way. "My little pretty ears caught some litters gossiping about this cool and handsome guy that beat the shit outta one of those massive junk toys, using nothing but his fists. Ain't that so crazy? I mean, I know it's a far stretch to ask, but...you wouldn't happen to know who they might be talking about, do you, Zuzu?"

For just a fraction of a second, Izuku considered denying the implied accusation.

He quickly dismissed the notion and chided himself for even considering it. There's no way such a blatant lie would go past her.

But if I tell the whole truth…

"Um, yeah, it was me," Junko blinked. Other than that, she gave no clue on what were her thoughts on his admission. That only worried him more. "I just thought that, since U.A.'s staff were monitoring the exam, something like fighting it without any explicit reasoning behind it, would give them enough leverage to lay down any early suspicions they might have about me."

Junko studied his face with a blank look. The iris of her eyes slowly darted up and down, a sign that her analyzing talent was working with intent rather than the passiveness it usually consumed everything around her.

It took everything out of him to not give any outward reaction. Nor to let even the tiniest bead of sweat drop through his forehead. He knew even that much would've been enough for her to pick up on something.

He couldn't keep the facade forever, though. Her piercing blue stare eventually became too much for him. Anxiety building in, he was about to open his mouth to try and make his case more convincing.

Only for his friend to raise her voice first.

"Yeah, that makes total sense. Just give them one bit of that nonsense and they eat that shit hook, line, and sinker." Junko said, her face morphed back to her usual chirpy self, and Izuku was nothing short of glad to hear there was no hint of sarcasm in her voice. "First impressions are important, and with that smelly rat around, a compromise or two is sort of inevitable. I mean, even I had to make a few today."

Izuku nodded, meanwhile suppressing the urge to sigh in relief.

That was close. For a moment, I thought she would've figured that I—

"By the way, how many?"

It came so suddenly, that he was unable to repress the gasp that escaped his mouth nor the abrupt flinch on his body.

The question was rather simple. Yet, right then and there, he knew that he had no hope of pulling himself out of this one.

That damn stubbornness of his refused to keep his mouth shut, though.

"How many…what?"

Izuku immediately figured that was a mistake.

She tilted her head to the side, a smug smirk growing on her lips that practically screamed a single question.

Really, are you going to play dumb with me like that?

And that was it. She stomped whatever insignificant ember of rebellion threatened to surge within him.

"…One."

Junko stared at him for what amounted to a pair of seconds. Her lips thinned into a fine line. Then, slowly, hung her head low. Sufficiently for her bangs of strawberry-blonde hair to hide the upper half of her face.

She took a step forward.

Izuku took two steps back.

That was another mistake.

Like a predator watching its prey escape, Junko lunged forward. Faster than he could, or would dare react, she was in front of him with both hands holding his face. It was far from a rough grip. There was a fondness in it, with her thumbs going as far as tenderly caressing his cheeks.

Perhaps, from an outsider's perspective, the gesture might've come as friendly. Just maybe, even romantic.

It couldn't be further from the truth.

No, that was wrong. In reality, it actually was among those lines.

And that, by itself, was what made it so terrifying.

His fears were confirmed when she finally looked up.

At the same time, her flushed cheeks, the dilated pupils that stared down at him, and the wide grin on her face. It was the most mesmerizing sight he could've gazed upon.

"Hey, Zuzu, have you ever heard about the law of equivalent exchange?"

His heart pounded. So many feelings wanted to burst from his chest at that moment.

He wanted to scream in joy.

He wanted to cry in anguish.

He wanted to pry her claws off his face, to run and never come back.

He wanted to embrace her and make her swear she would never abandon him.

So many things, and yet, he couldn't let a single word out.

That was fine, as she didn't wait for a verbal response. Whatever it was that she saw on his face was answer enough.

Suddenly, she let go of him with a swirl and resumed her strode until, suddenly once again, came to a halt. Holding her hands behind her, Junko turned back to him. Her figure blocked the sunset on the horizon, obscuring her to the point only that piercing blue visage of hers stood out.

"C'mon, Zuzu. Let's go and celebrate the dawn of our heroic academia~."

And just like that, the two derailed from their way home.

Izuku didn't ask where or why. There was no reason to.

Wherever it was that he was about to go and do there, the answer was the same. It always was.

Despair.

That was fine too. He would gladly follow her anyway.

Whether it was there, or to the very end of the world.