"Are you sure you want to do this?" Inko asked frantically. She watched her son put on his shoes at the front door. "You just got out of the hospital. It's ok if you go to a different place."
Izuku sighed. "It's alright. How am I ever going to know if I don't try? Besides this will be my only chance."
"I suppose that's true," Inko ended. She worried that Izuku was rushing things too quickly. Deep down she knew he would come back empty handed. "How does he plan on passing the entrance exam to the top school without any quirk?" she thought.
"Don't worry about me," Izuku said, placing on his last shoe and lacing the top. "I'm going to prove to everyone I can make it too."
Inko looked at him surprisingly but was finally at ease seeing Izuku strive for something. She walked over to him and handed him his school bag. "Did you get everything you need?"
Izuku nodded, grabbing the bag. "Yeah, I'll see you soon."
As he opened the door, he was interrupted by his mother. "Izuku, don't disappear this time."
Izuku put on a fake smile, "I won't."
Two emerging towers ahead of Izuku displayed U.A. He continued to walk closer to the gates until the towers loomed over him. Izuku had come earlier than anticipated, only a few students entered through.
"I suppose it's finally time to show what I've been taught," Izuku whispered. "Let's see how the mighty U.A challenges those who it will deem unworthy of becoming heroes."
Izuku decided to wait before entering. He leaned over to the fence on the right, carefully watching the students that walked past him.
"Quirks, quirks… Would not be a bad idea to see my competition," Izuku pondered. He then noticed a girl with brown hair and a boy with glasses walking to the gate.
"Hey guys," Izuku called out, waving towards them.
The boy and girl stopped, confused as to whether or not he was calling out to them. The boy pointed towards himself and the girl repeatedly with a puzzled look.
"Both of you," Izuku said, showing a warm smile. He leaned off the fence and walked closer to them. "Sorry to be such a bother, but I was wondering if you were both a couple?" He tilted his head with a slight grin.
"W-w… What?" the girl babbled. Her face grew red as she covered her face with her hands.
The other boy grew nervous before waving his hand several times in the air. "What makes you say that? Of course not!"
Izuku stepped back. "Sorry, sorry," he said innocently. "Just a bad habit of mine to tease others."
The boy sighed, with the girl slowly removing her hands away from her eyes.
"The name is Izuku Midoriya, but you can call me Deku. What's yours?" Izuku asked, extending his arm towards the boy.
"Tenya Iida, however, I would prefer that you do not throw around jokes at a time like this," Iida said. He shifted the glasses up from his nose. "Do you realise how important it is not to be late?"
Izuku moved his arm back and shook the top of his head. "Guess he's not so friendly after all," he thought.
"Ochaco… Uraraka," said the girl quietly. She stared at Izuku with a half-scared and half-curious expression. Her face still showed a rose tint on her cheeks.
"Well," Izuku told them. "We've still got twenty minutes until the examinations start. I just wanted to say hi, as I only saw unfamiliar faces around."
Iida glanced at Izuku, realizing his mistake. "Well I suppose we are here a bit early, but please do not bother me when we are about to undergo the most important stage of our lives."
Izuku put his hands up. "In that case, I won't bother you," he said, smiling once more. "Good luck on the exams." He turned around and began to walk towards the gate, slowly humming to himself.
"Looks like someone isn't taking this exam as seriously as they should be," muttered Iida underneath his breath. He looked at the girl beside him. "That was a bit unexpected right?"
The girl laughed slightly. "Yeah, that caught me off guard."
Iida tensed his arms, before looking up at the glass towers. "I will prove to you brother that I can become just like you." He bowed slightly towards Ochaco, and then followed suit.
Inside a theatre-like dome, hundreds of students sat waiting in the pitch black, hoping to start their entrance exams as quickly as possible. Izuku sat several rows from the back, watching the projector proudly display U.A Hero Academy. He noticed the boy he met earlier sit in front of him from across a few rows.
The noise from the crowd was soon disrupted by a dark figure blaring into their ears.
"Is this thing on?" the voice asked. "One, two, three." Several taps were heard. "Just kidding! That was me tapping my throat." The voice joked.
"OK! Welcome everyone to the U.A entrance exam. For all of you tuning in, welcome to my show today! Everybody, say hello," shouted a man with long pointing hair. He moved his hand over his ear, gesturing for everyone to scream it back.
The presenter was met with silence.
"What a great response," he replied back with a sad voice, before quickly springing back into action. "In that case, we'll get on with the presentation and I'll explain what you will be doing in the practical exam."
"Is everyone ready?" the man shouted back at the crowd of examinees once more, yet no one responded back to his call.
Izuku let out a smile, remembering the presenter that stood on stage. "That has to be Present Mic," Izuku muttered to himself. "I used to listen to him all the time." He was not certain anymore if the pro hero standing in front of him met his criteria.
"If you've read the handouts you've received upon arrival, you know that you will be conducting a mock battle in an urban setting right after this!" Present Mic announced. He pointed his finger up towards the screen behind him. "You will head to your designated battle centre alright?" he asked, not expecting a reply this time.
A cough was heard across the room, leaving Present Mic unhappy. He had initially thought someone was about to respond to him.
He cleared his throat. "Anyways, there are three different types of fake villains that you will encounter in the battle centres. Each specific enemy gives you points, with the harder ones giving out more."
On the screen, three black figures resembling robots appeared. Each showcased one point, two points, and finally three points.
"Your goal is to earn points by using your quirk to destroy the villains. And please remember that attacking other examinees is prohibited. Failure to adhere to those warnings will result in your immediate removal."
A hand quickly rose up three rows ahead of Izuku. "I have a question, sir," one student shouted out. Izuku turned to look at who stood up, only to find Iida patiently waiting to be addressed.
"Okay!" Present Mic responded, pointing towards Iida. A spotlight appeared over the boy, separating him from everyone else.
Iida took out his sheet and presented it towards Present Mic. "On the printout, it says that there are four types of villains," he stated, moving his finger across to the unidentified fourth silhouette. "If that is a misprint, then U.A., the most prestigious hero school in Japan, should be ashamed of this ridiculous mistake. We, examinees, are here, because we wish to be molded into the perfect model heroes."
Izuku scoffed at Iida's question, loud enough for the boy in glasses to hear him.
Iida turned around to face Izuku, pointing towards him. "And you, what is your problem? It doesn't sound to me like you are taking this examination seriously." He then recognized him as the green haired boy that he met earlier by the entrance gate. "And to top it off, your previous behaviour was completely unprofessional. If you're here to mess around, then you should leave immediately!"
Izuku looked at Iida with a scornful look. "I'm not here to mess around. I am only laughing at how ridiculous your question was," he said dryly. "You seem to be an elite-student, figure it out."
Iida looked at Izuku, not expecting that kind of response from the boy. Before he could say anything back, he was stopped by Izuku speaking over him.
"They didn't make a mistake. I'm fairly certain they didn't address that villain because its points are irrelevant," Izuku pointed out. "Also, I suggest you don't point at people, it's rude."
"I- uhm," Iida paused until Present Mic spoke over him.
"That's right," the pro hero announced. "But I would suggest that you sit down applicant number 7111. Still a great question though." Present Mic explained, giving a thumbs up to Iida. The spotlight over Iida disappeared as he sat back down on his seat, visibly irritated from what occurred.
Present Mic glanced over towards where Izuku sat. "What the boy said earlier was right. The fourth villain is actually worth zero points. That guy is basically an obstacle, so to speak." He pointed back towards the screen. "There is only one in each battle centre. It's not necessarily impossible to defeat, but there is no real reason for defeating it either. I suggest that all of you try to avoid it, otherwise it may not end well for you."
"I see, so it's basically like a video game where you have to avoid obstacles," said one boy to another behind Izuku.
"Yeah, this is pretty much just like a video game," said the other examinee.
Present Mic presented his arms to the side, extending his fingers outwards. "That's all from me," he exclaimed. "Before we start, I will give you all a present – our school motto!"
He continued, "The French hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said: A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes. Go beyond…" He raised his arms up to the ceiling. "Plus Ultra!"
Plus Ultra appeared on the screen in red and yellow colours, flashing brightly towards all of the examinees. Izuku glared at the words presented, knowing almost none of the people in the room truly embodied those words.
"Now, everyone, good luck suffering!" Present Mic declared seriously.
Izuku stood outside by a large set of doors. Inside was what he assumed was the battle centre he would be fighting in. With a medium sized group of around fifty people waiting until it would open, the final test to determine whether or not they would pass into the school was coming close.
To his far right, Izuku noticed Tenya Iida staring back right at him. The boy adjusted his glasses and paced over to Izuku. His face still showing anger from what transpired earlier.
"What are you doing in the back here?" Iida asked. He placed his hand over Izuku's shoulder. "Are you taking the entrance exam to interfere with everyone else?"
"Of course not," Izuku replied irritably. "At least I'm here trying to focus and yet you're disturbing me." He removed Iida's hand and walked closer to the group.
"Okay, start!" announced a voice overhead, surprising everyone. "What's wrong? There are no countdowns in real fights!"
The group looked up to find Present Mic standing on top of a tower above them, circling one arm quickly. "Run, run! We don't have all day!"
The gate swung open, revealing a large makeshift city. Izuku sprinted off with the rest of the group, upon realizing that the exam had already begun.
He rushed straight into the main street until one robot villain appeared out of his left view. Knowing that his quirk would be ineffective in offensive combat, Izuku had to utilise the skills he was taught by Zero.
The robot swung its large arm over Izuku, only to have the boy dodge it. Izuku slid over and stood up immediately after, wiping the dirt off his face.
"I'm going to have to get in closer and find it's a weak point," Izuku thought. He shifted his feet on the asphalt, before sprinting at the robot at full force. He dodged another attack and jumped on top of its arm. Without a moment to spare, Izuku made his way to the back of the robot, noticing a red glowing light underneath the robot's head.
"Gotcha," Izuku muttered. He swung his leg towards it and smashed it in one blow. The robot stopped and let out a few noises before falling down on the ground, cracking the asphalt road from its own weight.
Izuku exhaled. "Guess they didn't make it too hard if you pay attention." But he knew it would still be a long road ahead until he would get a passing grade. He looked around to find the other examinees fighting and defeating robots left and right. Time was running out.
Inside a small control room, hundreds of screens were laid out across a wall. Showcasing each of the examinees and the actions they took during the exam. Several figures sat, as they watched in silence, assessing the performances.
"Looks like the results are coming along," said one of them. "We haven't informed the examinees on the number of villains in their locations, so it is interesting to see how they draw them out. Information gathering, mobility, being able to stay calm in any situation is critical to their success. As well as pure combat ability."
"Doesn't this year's group look promising?" asked a female voice, turning to another figure.
"Well, we can't know for sure yet. Some applicants do show promise, while others I cannot completely grab a hold of yet with their powers," said a man next to her. In front of him was a large red button, and as he moved his finger closer to it, the protective screen opened. "Their true test is still yet to come."
Back at the battle centre, a large rumble was heard, along with several explosions that appeared not too far away from the group of examinees. Everyone stopped to look at the commotion, only to find a large robot the size of several buildings approach them menacingly.
Its movement caused windows to shatter, slowly destroying anything that stood in its way. It then placed one hand on top of an apartment building, only to crush the roof easily under its own force.
One of the examinees stared at it, shaking with fear. "Isn't it a little too big?" he whimpered.
The large robot raised its right fist, only to smash onto the road where most of the applicants were. A giant dust cloud formed, causing some of the examinees to fly back away from the blast.
Izuku stood his ground, only to see the group of applicants he saw earlier run away from it, fearing for their lives. "So this is how people act after they've seen something terrifying," Izuku thought. One of the students bumped into him, causing Izuku to fall down to the ground. He turned to look, only to find Iida running away with the rest of the group.
Izuku sighed as he lifted himself up with one hand. "Well, as much as I would like to fight that… I don't see how I would be able to defeat it." He said calmly, dusting off his pants. "Better to avoid it if it's not bothering anyone."
"Two minutes left," Present Mic announced. He used his quirk to amplify his voice.
Izuku turned around to leave but stopped at the sound of someone making noise. "Ow!" the voice cried out.
At the centre of the rubble, lay a brown-haired girl. She attempted to escape by crawling away with her hands. Only to find that both of her legs were blocked by concrete, preventing her from getting out. Izuku realized it was the girl he met earlier in the morning.
"Oh shit," Izuku said quietly. He watched as the girl stumbled several times, failing to get up. "Come on, get out of there," he muttered, noticing that the giant robot was approaching towards her gradually.
Without a second thought, Izuku's body ran to her, ignoring the fact that he would most likely fail if he helped her. He looked at the girl, only to see tears streaming down her face.
"I'll get you out of here," Izuku reassured Ochaco. "Can you feel your legs?"
She lifted her head to look at the boy, "Deku?" she asked. Her voice was weak and muffled. "What are you doing here?"
"Came here to save you, you idiot," Izuku told her. "I asked you if you can feel your legs. Can you move them?" he asked.
"N-no," Ochaco said quietly.
"Ok, in that case, get ready," he said. "I'm going to make sure you get out of here."
Ochaco pushed her face down to the ground. "It's not possible," she cried out. "Leave me before you get caught up as well."
Izuku disregarded her warning, only to quickly raise the concrete slab that impaired Ochaco's movement. The sight of a boy her age lift something that heavy gave her chills.
"I'm picking you up," Izuku grunted, as he threw down the concrete to the side. He knew he had to get out of there quickly, otherwise, things would not turn out well. "You can complain all you want but do it after we get out of here."
He moved his hands underneath Ochaco, picking her up. "A bit heavier that I expected," he muttered to himself. Ochaco's face lit up with embarrassment, but she was in no position to argue with the boy. Izuku positioned his feet back to the exit, only to find the robot's shadow pass over them.
He sprinted away at full speed. Running as fast as his legs could take him, knowing he would have to rely on anything but his quirk to survive. Izuku barely managed to dodge a punch that the robot threw where they had been standing initially.
The wind generated from the impact almost caused Izuku to fall and let go of the girl. "Didn't think they'd actually try to murder us," Izuku reflected. "Now this is entertaining!" In the distance, he could see the entire group watch in terror by the gate. "Typical," he thought.
Suddenly the robot raised up its fist, preparing for another strike.
Izuku stared back, only to see it approaching closer and closer to him. Realising that there was no escape, Izuku decided to do the only thing he could think of at that moment.
Ochaco felt the boy's hands release her, only to see him throw her out of harm's way. Before she could let out a scream, the robot's hand came crashing down on Izuku.
At that moment, Izuku felt his legs get crushed by the metal steel that hit him. He could only see his vision grow dimmer as he heard screams in the distance. He attempted to look up, but his strength failed him. Causing his head to fall down and bang against the ground.
Ochaco watched in terror as the robot that tried to hit her, took down her rescuer instead. The robot's red eyes gleamed across the dirt cloud, seemingly satisfied with what it had done.
She crawled over to see if the boy who saved her was okay, only to stop at the sound of explosions coming out from the robot. She saw the robot's legs start to slowly get crushed. The irreversible damage caused for it to slant, until it lost its balance and fell backward, leaving Izuku alone on the cratered road. As the robot fell to the ground, more explosions were seen towards the head and upper body area.
Ochaco and the group of examinees watched with confusion as the seemingly undefeatable robot villain was left incapacitated. Black smoke slowly began to rise from the robot, making the scene look peaceful at last.
In the distance, a siren was heard signaling the end of the practical exam. Several people came towards the robot and found Izuku laying down unconscious, with half of his body crushed.
"What was that?" asked one examinee.
"The moment he got hit, the robot exploded for no reason at all," said another person, staring at the smoke that continued to expand. "Assuming it was him, he must have done something when the dust cloud appeared. That was still unusual…"
"But if his quirk caused that robot to fall, that's an amazing quirk," pointed out a different person.
"They're not getting the point," Iida said to himself. "Didn't they see?" He turned to face Ochaco, who was still laying down on the road. "He ran out to save that girl. He was aware of how much time was left and that he would be jeopardizing his own safety… And even so, he did not hesitate at all."
Iida clenched his fist, "If it wasn't an exam, of course… I would have done the same!" he reassured himself.
"Okay, good job everyone," said a voice behind Iida. A small old woman appeared with a walking stick in the shape of a syringe. "Good work, good work."
She walked over to Izuku who was set out on the ground, still unconscious from the injury. "Oh dear, you were hurt this much?" she asked. "They really aren't making these exams any easier these days."
The old woman extended her lips and kissed Izuku's head, letting out a weird noise. After removing her lips, the boy's legs began to heal immediately, returning back to their normal state.
"I know that U.A can go a bit reckless since I am here, but it is still ridiculous," the woman pointed out. "Alright, let's finish this quickly. Is anyone else injured?" she asked.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. It took some time, but it's finally done… phew. As always, thanks for reading and following my story. Leave out a review, always a pleasure reading them. Critique it to hell, so that I can make it even better. :3