In his days as the president of the USA, Immortal once tried to create the superhero schools. Having lived for centuries by then, he knew that he wasn't the only one with supernatural abilities and powers. And he knew from experience just how hard of a road it was to have those.

It was a project he kept close to his chest, involving nobody but the select few in its development. It was such a closely-kept secret that when he died at the hands of Booth, he found himself locked out of it entirely.

He intended to get back to the idea. But as the years wore him down and the world grew more and more complicated, the man found it easier to stay as just Immortal. The superhero business was much simpler and easier on his old soul.

Still, it was nice to see the idea he once worked on come to reality. Even if he didn't have active part in bringing it into life.

"Immortal. Green Ghost," Eraserhead greeted the two heroes at the gates to the school grounds. Despite it being so early in the morning, there were already enough reporters to capture the meeting between the heroes. "Thank you for coming."

The two men shook their hands and the camera flashes followed almost immediately. Neither of the two enjoyed it or the murmurs between the reporters.

Independent heroes weren't necessarily hated or disliked in Japan. That didn't mean they were loved here either.

The views on vigilantism were harsher here than it was back home. Not surprising given the country's history with groups like Meta-Liberation Army. HPSC was also pretty clear on its stance regarding the unlicensed hero activities to this day. As things were, while Guardians were always ready to help the people of Japan as much as any other country, they never stayed around here for long.

So none of them expected an invite from the school's principal to observe their entrance exam.

Originally, they decided on Darkwing and War Woman being the ones to attend. The former had to cancel on the plans due to the sudden development in his investigation into the occult rituals in Midnight City's homeless shelters. And War Woman was summoned to her second home dimension for matters of political importance.

Immortal took it upon himself to be here in place of his colleagues. War Woman, however, requested that he took Green Ghost with himself on this mission. She viewed the other heroine as something of a sister and always encouraged her to be more on the front of the things.

"Thank you for inviting us," the younger heroine spoke up in the semi-awkward tone. "It's an honour to be here."

This wasn't her scene.

Green Ghost, as heroic and brave as she was, shied away from the spotlight. Immortal could relate to that, even if it was for different reasons. He disliked being in the spotlight because he considered it irrelevant to his work. His colleague instead doubted if she deserved it.

He could've reassured her that she was as much of a hero as her predecessor. But Immortal knew that his words wouldn't fix whatever issue the heroine had with herself. And he quietly followed after Eraserhead as he led them to the guest lounge.

With exams starting in just a couple hours, it was only expected that the school's staff would be busy making last-minute checks on the equipment and testing grounds.

"Woah, this place looks amazing," Green Ghost whispered as she admired the camera view of the testing grounds. "Can you believe they made a replica of an entire city? All just for one exam!"

He suspected that the grounds would be reused in the future. Whether it would for the lessons or other tests, Immortal doubted that Nedzu would waste that much money and work on a single day's worth of use.

It was still impressive.

Even the best hero schools in the States preferred to rent out the areas to test their students. There was certain practicality in it that Immortal respected. It saved the schools money they could then invest in something else while also accomplishing the task of testing out their applicants.

But he would be a liar if he said he didn't find the U.A. exams more entertaining.

"… Is it really okay for us to be here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I- It's just weird, you know?" the heroine fidgeted, not quite looking him in the eye. "I mean, I like Japan - I always wanted to visit it with my boyfriend. But they… Well, they don't exactly like independent heroes. And yet we are here at one of their premier schools."

She sighed, probably not sure whether she was going with this herself.

"I am just saying, it feels kind of weird to be invited at all."

"I understand your concerns," a small and somewhat squeaky voice drew the attention of two Guardians to the door. Or, at least, a little closer to the floor by the door. "Would you mind discussing them over a cup of morning tea?"

It wasn't the first time Immortal met with Nedzu. He had once had the displeasure of dealing with the man during his rampage against humans. While Immortal was not a stranger to his enemies trying to outsmart him, Nedzu was one of the few who managed to escape his grasp entirely.

Him turning over a new leaf before Immortal could get a proper rematch was something of a sore spot for him.

While their drinks were being poured, Nedzu chose to answer the young heroine's question, "I believe that it is important that we start breaching the gap between independent and pro heroes. It is not a sentiment I can share publicly without raising concerns about my stance on vigilantism, however."

Not without someone questioning if he supported unlicensed heroes, he meant. Immortal could see why making such statements would be risky for not just the principal but the school itself.

Peaceful times were the best times to make the change. But it was also during the times of peace that the people didn't want to rock the boat too much. Some did so because they liked things enough as they were. Why fix something that didn't seem broken, after all?

But Immortal knew that it was all just a waiting game until the issues they chose to ignore became an actual problem. And by then, the small adjustments that might have prevented a problem would no longer work.

While Guardians of the Globe were accepted by the majority of the public, many independent heroes across the world struggled without the same resources and support from the people in their work. And, of course, the relationship between the independent and pro heroes varied from one place to another.

"From what I have observed, the unlicensed heroes currently fall into the two distinct categories. The first one are the individuals that had dropped out of hero schools or, for various reasons, were not able to attend them in the first place. With them, my fellow educators and I are working on the additional programs to bring those into the system," he took a sip of his tea before setting down the cup, his expression heavy with concern. "The second category are the people who choose to stay out of the hero system entirely."

"Those who don't believe in it, you mean," Immortal guesses. When the principal didn't choose to correct him, the older superhero could only sigh. "Can't say I am surprised."

As often some people mocked their flashy outfits and names, one could not deny the power that was in another identity. Part of why Immortal had given up on searching for his true name or trying to create a new civilian identity for himself came from how much this identity gave him. It let him forget about the losses he suffered and focus on the good work that he did.

To those that were either wronged or forgotten by the law, the vigilantism was the only way they could feel like they were in control of their destiny. And Immortal said that much to the principal.

"Vigilantes lack the support and training that pro heroes normally have. Around sixty percent of the independent heroes around the world retire within three years following their debut. Some do so because they only wanted justice or revenge against a particular person or group. The majority retire out of the combination of injuries, mental or financial strain and lack of appropriate support network," Nedzu mused. "But those that manage to pull through? They gain the experience that puts them on the same footing as seasoned pro heroes."

When everyone had a Quirk or some other superpower, it was easy to become a vigilante. Managing to continue their operations as one was another matter entirely.

Most vigilantes wouldn't have access to the training and tutelage available to hero students. And neither would they have the resources or connections to maintain their equipment or suits. As Nedzu said, there was a reason why many retired or eventually went pro within the first few years of their work.

Those that stuck to this path were either determined to the point of insanity or developed the necessary skill sets to survive. Sometimes, it was a combination of both. And it made them into very valuable assets to their local hero communities.

Provided that they had any interest in interacting with those.

"The current relationship between independent and pro heroes in Japan is abysmal," Nedzu didn't hide his disappointment. "The former see the system of heroes in the country as outdated and inefficient. The latter don't trust the vigilantes and would rather not work with them at all."

"So do you plan to bring the independent heroes into the system?" Immortal questioned. "I hope you understand that, for many of them, it's not about being trusted or respected. The issue runs deeper than that."

"Of course, I am well aware of that. I regularly interview some of the vigilantes that my colleagues have captured. While some have turned to vigilantism out of ego or other less noble reasons, the majority had done so because they felt they had no other choice. While we may live in the Era of Peace thanks to the Guardians like you and All Might, the evil still exists and evolves. It is only a matter of time until a new threat makes itself known to the world. And when that happens, I'd prefer both sides working together."

"And inviting us here is going to fix the issue?" Green Ghost asked sincerely. She wasn't naive enough to think this would actually be enough. "Because I don't think a single visit from two Guardians can convince everyone of your point."

"That is true. A single visit would not be nearly enough," Nedzu confirmed. "Which is why I wish to discuss with you a possibility of Guardians of the Globe providing guest lectures at our campus throughout the year. And, if possible, having one of you as a temporary member of the staff."

"W-Wait, you want one of the Guardians to work as a teacher?"

"Correct. While HPSC would never allow me to hire an independent hero as a member of the staff due to the potential scandal and concerns from the parents, having it be one of the Guardians of the Globe would alleviate security concerns. And, if successful, make the public more accepting of the independent heroes down the line."

"T-This is a lot to take in," Green Ghost murmured, unsure of what she could even say. "I mean, this is a good idea and everything but I think-"

"We will discuss this matter with the rest of the team and come back to you with an answer," Immortal took over, sparing his colleague from the need to speak further. "This is not a decision just two members can make on their own."

The principal smiled in understanding. Just as the conversation came to an end, Aizawa entered the room and told them that the exam was about to start. Immortal and Green Ghost followed after the principal and the teacher into the monitor room where the screens displayed several gates and city areas.

While they have not made any decisions or promises yet, they were interested in seeing what these applicants could do.

As the gates opened and the siren signalled the beginning of the exam, Immortal allowed himself to relax and watch the next generation of this country's heroes throw themselves into the fight.

-I-

Izuku felt like he was cheating.

As Present Mic announced the beginning of the exam, all the other applicants rushed in towards the gates. While everyone was pushing and shoving to get to the robots before the others, Izuku simply willed himself into the air and flew right over everyone else.

All but a few individuals didn't even notice him.

He told himself that he was working with the powers he had. That there was no shame in using his natural abilities even if they were not a Quirk. To assuage his own fears that he was denying others their chance to earn points, he made sure to land a bit further away from the busier streets. That way, he would only fight the robots that others wouldn't have gotten to until halfway through the exam.

Then again, calling it a fight was a bit of a stretch.

Thick metal plates folded under his punches, the One-Pointers going down in one punch. They were fast but not as fast as him. They were not as strong as him either, the few lucky shots they managed to score ending up in their limbs damaged instead.

The Two- and Three-Pointers were more of a challenge. The former had lasers that stung even if they didn't hurt too much. And the latter was made of sturdier metal that held out longer under his attacks. One of them even managed to punch him into the wall!

Izuku briefly wondered if his powers were making him into some kind of a masochist. But as he heard the people running in his direction, he decided to save those concerns for later and focus on the exam.

With his powers tested and minutes running down, he decided to slightly adjust his strategy. With all the areas nearby seemingly occupied by other applicants, he focused his attention on the bigger and stronger robots. Along the way, he made sure to take down any enemy if the other applicant was struggling with them.

After almost an entire year of holding back and trying to hone his powers, Izuku couldn't deny that there was fun in cutting loose. Once he took down enough of Three-Pointers, he started practicing moves more complex than just punches and kicks.

He slashed his palms through the openings in their armor, cutting the machines open like they were made of paper. He used their own weapons against themselves, pointing the lasers of one Two-Pointer at its fellow robots. And, in one particularly empty area, he even flew through the several robots like a living bullet.

He looked at the watch, noticing how the exam ticked away down to the last couple of minutes. Flying a bit higher up, he took a brief overview of the battlegrounds below. There were only a handful of robots still fighting. Many of the other applicants were already exhausted and resting. There wasn't much they or he could do with barely any time left.

To his left, a building started rocking.

"What the-?"

The stone and metal of the building fell off the structure, turning to dust mid-air. As the wind dusted away any remains of the poor materials that covered the structure, its true nature as the towering metal monster was revealed.

The Zero Pointer emerged into the city seemingly out of nowhere.

Its every step shook the ground. It every movement tore through the nearby buildings. It didn't take even a second before people below noticed its approach.

It took even less for them to start running.

There wasn't any reason to fight it. Present Mic explained that the robot had zero value as an enemy. And with less than a few minutes left, Izuku doubted that the robot would have much time to do any damage or hurt anyone.

But a cry for help that tore through the air begged to differ.

Izuku dashed down just in time to see a girl with her leg buried in the debris. He vaguely recognised her from the gates. There was no time for introductions as the robot approached.

He picked up and tossed the heavy debris away before scooping the girl up from the ground. He ran with her in his arms just as the robot stomped down on the same spot she was in. This seemed way more dangerous than he expected. What if she had actually gotten hurt?

"Is this a part of the exercise?!" The girl asked in shock.

"I-I don't think so!"

Izuku saw the robot's many red eyes glow bright as they seemingly zeroed in on him. Suddenly, it stopped moved like a lazy giant making its way through the city with no direction. And instead it seemingly focused on him entirely.

With the girl in his arms, Izuku flew away from the machine as it started to chase them. He tried to shout for the teachers to ask what was happening but to no avail. And the longer he kept the girl around, the more danger she was in.

Spotting the nearest group of people, Izuku descended and asked for one of them to take her. It was clear that they too realised that something was wrong with the Zero Pointer. They were now heading back towards the gates.

"I'll draw it away, you guys go."

"What? But why?"

Izuku didn't get the chance to answer. Not when the giant shadow overtook him and the nearby boy as the robot's fist came crossing down on them. Planting his feet into the ground, the half-Viltrumite launched himself right into the steel fist, his hands out to catch it like the world's most dangerous ball.

"Go!" He yelled at the other kid. "I'll hold him off!"

The other boy seemed hesitant but ultimately ran off with the girl in his arms. With nobody around to get hurt, Izuku could at least let out a sigh of relief. In the distance, he could hear Present Mic make an emergency call - urging the applicants to evacuate the areas. Was it happening in the other parts of the city, too?

He didn't get to wonder on that for long as the Zero Pointer out more weight down on its fist. It started Izuku back to the ground with that alone and soon would squish him against the pavement. With nobody below him to get crashed, however, Izuku saw no reason to stay in the same place and let go of the fist he was holding back.

He zipped from under the robot's grasp, letting the gravity bring the thing down instead of him. It didn't fall flat on its face but it did sink to its knees. It tried grabbing onto Izuku with its other hand but he was too fast and too small to be caught.

Like a fly, he kept buzzing around the monster.

Unlike a fly, he could actually punch back.

Or rather, punch through.

He started flying around the machine at his top speed, staying out of its reach but not going far enough to make it chase after him. With every lap around its head, Izuku went faster and faster until he felt he couldn't push himself further. Then, with a sharp turn in the air, he shot himself right into the Zero Pointer's head.

The moment he pierced the outer shell, he stretched out his arms - intending to rip out whatever wires and other bits and pieces that were inside of it. And he did just that, emerging out of the machine's head covered in oil and parts that he hoped were important for its functions.

As the machine whirred in artificial rage, it became clear that he wasn't successful. It delivered a vicious punch to his side. It should have sent him into the nearby building. But it didn't.

Because the giant fist passed right through him like it was made of air.

"That was a close one," it was only now that Izuku felt someone's soft and almost cold touch on his hand. "Sorry for interrupting but I thought you could use a hand."

He didn't say anything in return. Mostly because Green Ghost - an actual Green Ghost! - was holding his hand!

"Something went wrong with this Zero Pointer," she said as she started leading him away. Behind them, the Zero Pointer started to move back up. "Nedzu and Power Loader should be able to shut it down any min- Argh!"

Green Ghost Gemstone granted its user the power to turn themselves intangible. With a single thought, the person could phase through anything from stones to laser blasts. And in turn, the user could have those very same things pass through like unaffected. It required concentration and great amount of willpower.

But while the current Green Ghost had both, she didn't have the same experience as her predecessor. She had yet to master the ability to partially switch parts of herself intangible or maintain this state for herself or others for longer periods of time. She had to turn tangible even if only for a moment.

A moment that the Zero Pointer chose to strike the two down. She turned the two of them intangible just in time as the robot slammed its entire body on top of them. Floating through the darkness of its internal mechanisms, Izuku and Green Ghost shared a look of relief.

"Any idea what you did to piss this thing off?"

"I might have been a bit too happy to take down its smaller friends?" Izuku guessed. He tried not to think about the heroine still holding his hand. "Any idea on what we should do?"

"We are too close to the gate to have it rampaging. Not with most of the applicants still being retrieved. Your principal was supposed to get it offline but it's still moving," she sighed. "I hate to say this, but I think we need to break it ourselves."

"I tried that. I flew through its head but it still kept going. At least it is not moving right now."

"Then it is best to strike now," she led him into the dark, the subtle glow of her body was the only source of light they had. "Before I left the room, Power Leader brought up some blueprints of the machine. If I remember right, we should be close to it main generator."

And they were. It was a solid piece of steel that was practically bursting with energy. Only problem being, there was no space around for them to move if they turned tangible now. In fact, Green Ghost said that any other person would be crushed if they were suddenly teleported into this place. And if that didn't kill them and they destroyed the engine, the resulting explosion around them would finish the job.

"We need to find another way."

Izuku wanted to protest. He was sure he was tough and strong enough to be turned tangible in the robot's chest and walk out fine. But Green Ghost wouldn't hear it.

"How about I try my previous attack?" He suggested. "If we exit from the right spot, I will know which place to target and take it down before any more damage."

The heroine seemed hesitant but they didn't have many other options. In a blink of an eye, they were back outside. Izuku sped into the skies and readied himself to pierce through the robot's body like a bullet.

He expected the robot to resume its attack. But instead it just continued to lie motionless on the ground. Limbless too. His eyes were on the machine the entire time and he never noticed another man floating right behind him.

"So you are the kid missing from rest of the group?" Immortal asked, his gaze harsh and judging. "What did you think you were doing engaging with an enemy like that?"

Izuku didn't really have an answer to that one.

He wanted to help. And he did. He saved that girl. And then the guy. But why did he stay after? The obvious answer was that he wanted to take down Zero Pointer. But why do that when everyone else was evacuating?

In the end, he couldn't find any right words but a quiet "I am sorry".

Immortal didn't say anything after that. Not to Izuku at the very least. Instead, he told Green Ghost to lead him to the rest of the applicants. As they entered the gates, Izuku snuck one last look at the man. He almost hoped that the world's oldest superhero would have his back turned.

Instead, Izuku caught the man staring after him with some strange emotion in his cold and hard eyes. The two maintained the eye contact for a few seconds, each one trying to figure out what the other was thinking.

It was almost a relief when the man turned away.

Almost.

-I-

Aizawa was never a fan of the entrance exams. As far as he was concerned, they were not as efficient and objective as they could have and should have been. Every year, some kid got overlooked because their Quirk wasn't suited for direct combat or something similar. The extra paperwork and the headache of dealing with angry parents of the kids that didn't pass only added to his antipathy for the entire affair.

Having a Zero Pointer rampage in one of the zones was just a cherry on top.

"At least, it only happened in one sector," Yamada tried to focus on the positives as he always did. Even when said 'positives' were still a colossal failure on their part. "Did Maijima figure out why his machine went crazy, by the way?"

He had.

Instead of calming Aizawa down, the reason behind the rampage just added to his confusion and concerns.

"All the machines used in the exam are running on a complex AI algorithm. They assess the superficial data on their opponents and adjust their movements in order to provide challenge to the applicants without endangering their lives. That way, we could gouge the kids' combat abilities without them being in any real danger."

Zero Pointer was no different.

Its entire purpose was to create a scenario where the kids were faced with an enemy too powerful to take down and with no incentive to do so. Seeing that it was the end of the exam, many would be too exhausted to move on their own. Some would stumble. Many would fall.

And it would allow them to see which applicants reached out to help and which ones trampled over the others in panic.

Zero Pointer's advanced sensors would stop before it could actually hurt anyone. Due to its size and combat capabilities, the machine wasn't designed to detect any of the applicants as an actual threat to fight.

"Enter Midoriya Izuku."

Zero Pointer's AI analysed the boy and deemed him a threat. Threat that needed to be taken down immediately and without any semblance of mercy or restraint. Maijima said that it was almost as if Zero Pointer reacted out of fear rather than any actual programming. It was an exaggeration, of course. But given the level of destruction, it didn't seem all that inappropriate of comparison.

"Then why didn't the other machines react like that?"

"They did," Aizawa sighed. "The kid just tore through them before they could do anything."

His score of ninety-six was practically irrelevant at this point. Even if they deducted points for needless destruction, he showed enough of versatility on top of his raw power. The kid was not simply strong, he was powerful.

Probably in the top ten percent of his year seeing that he was barely breaking a sweat by the end of the ordeal.

"Sounds like the prime U.A. material, don't you think?"

"Hmmm."

He had power to spare and the brains to use it. From his file, the kid seemed like your average boy, too. No records of as much as misdemeanour. Nothing. Nothing that would justify the uneasy feeling Aizawa had when he looked at the footage of the boy tearing through the machines.

There were many applicants that took joy in destroying the machines. But Midoriya seemed different in his approach. The way he tore through the enemy robots seemed almost natural to him. Like his body was programmed to fight. The way he quickly adjusted and changed up his approach towards combat also indicated some natural affinity for it.

And then there was the feeling in his eyes whenever he looked at the kid.

It was hard to describe this feeling to those who didn't have the ocular Quirks. But when your power was concentrated in your eyes, you almost instinctively knew what it could and could not be used on.

In Aizawa's case, he could always sense the Quirk that he would nullify in his opponents' bodies. He may not have know what the Quirk was but he could feel where it was concentrated. Even with Mutant-Type Quirks, he could sense something even if he could not affect it.

But whenever he looked at Midoriya, he sensed nothing. Or, more worryingly, nothing that his Quirk could comprehend.

"If he gets you so worried, why didn't you say something when he was assigned to your class?" Yamada questioned. "You could've given him to Vlad if it bothers you so much."

His concerns were exactly the reason why he wanted the kid in his class. But he didn't have any evidence or reason to suspect Midoriya besides his gut feeling. Denying a spot at Class 1-A was unfair to the kid.

Aizawa hoped that his concerns were invalid. But years of work underground taught him better than hoping for the miracles. Out of all the teachers in the staff, he was the most equipped to dealing with Midoriya if his gut feeling turned out to be right.

He was neither the smartest nor the strongest.

But to keep the others safe, there was nothing that he wouldn't do.

Even if it meant taking down one of his own students.