Happy New Year, people. I hope you had a fun little celebration like I did, even if I ended up staying up cleaning till 5 am…Moving on! As I promised last year, we're starting fresh with this chapter and a brand-new posting schedule which I've already posted on my Twitter, but for the sake of making things clear: This will be posted on Friday, Path of Waves on Tuesdays, Path of Storms on Wednesdays and my Code Geass One will be twice a month on Thursdays and lastly, The Existence will be on Mondays. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 11: Test of Strength

It was a strange feeling, being where he was. For so long, he had thought he would be awed and intimidated by the gates of U.A., of taking its famously challenging entrance exam. He had dreamed of this day for years, of taking this first step towards his goal yet, he felt none of that. He could feel his heart beating eagerly in his chest, and his arms buzzed with energy but there was no fear or awe to be found in his gaze.

Maybe it was because when he thought about it, this wasn't his first step. No, that had been years ago, when he was just a little boy, with no hope to ever achieve his dream who had the fortune to meet his master and gain a chance to prove himself to her. Thinking of that, and every step along the way seemed to do the trick. Dressed in his now former middle school uniform, he reached his hand to comb a hand through his hair, which was longer and wider than before, being a shorter version of the mane his master had, falling to his shoulders with some of it gathered into a ponytail to keep it in check. His green and blue scarf was secured around his neck, covering his chin and mouth despite the springtime air being warm enough to go without it. It was the same with his nails which he had allowed to grow out much like the master.

The woman in question stood by his side, having decided to see him off at the gates, those similarities making it easy for people to assume she was his mother dropping him off, but none bothered them if they felt the urge, as they had their exam to focus on. Turning to him, her amber eyes burned with authority and power, but also a distinct gentle love for her pupil. "So, this is where it leads, all your work."

Nodding, he turned from the shiny glass and steel building that made up U.A. main campus to his teacher, and mother in all but blood. "It's only thanks to do that I can even step up to this starting line."

"True, you've come a long way from the little shit that I picked up all those years ago." She placed a hand on his shoulder, that single gesture expressing how proud she was of him as she gave it a gentle squeeze. "You've more than earned your place in this world, it's your hard work that has brought you here, my boy. Be proud of that as I am of you."

Wiping away some tears at her kind, honest words, he gave her a smile which had his eyes shine in a way so similar to the one he gave her when she first found him all those years ago she almost forgot he wasn't that little boy anymore. He had grown into a fine young man. "You were always there to guide me, show me the way when things got hard." Humble too,

Shaking her head, she didn't let him get away with praising her too much. "Not even a diamond is made from nothing, and you're turning out to be one of the best I've ever found." Turning on her heel, the crowd of early bird students parted without thinking for her to walk back down the hill that U.A. sat on.

"I'll see you later, master," Midoriya called out to her as she waved back at him over her shoulder.

"I expect nothing but your best, my boy." She replied, as confident in his success as she was in the sun setting only to rise again. That little act meant more to him than he would ever say, it was certainly more than what Inko had done, as she had only seen him once after he returned from months of training and only asked him 'if he had let his hair grow', seemingly never noticing he was gone or not caring enough to question it if she had.

Shaking his head to clear away such depressing thoughts, he entered the school grounds, he found a quiet spot to sit and plan how he'd do this. U.A.'s hero exam was a two-stage thing, the first being a written practical test to test your knowledge on core subjects like Japanese, Math, Chemistry, Biology, History etc. Everything a middle schooler was expected to know. That was hard enough, which was why he had to study up in the days leading up to the exam to ensure he didn't flounder and get sick in it. But it was the second part that the U.A. was famous for, as they would place them in an arena of some kind and have the students battle it out against robots of different values.

From what he could find about it, that part of the exam had remained consistent for the last 6 years, which meant he had to move fast and hit hard as there was always a limited number of robots to fight, encouraging students to be proactive and even steal points where they could else, they'll fall behind. He didn't particularly like it, it wasn't an exam that allowed those with no battle-focused quirks to shine but that was just how things were, people wanted heroes to be flashy, bright and attractive, more celebrities than protectors so U.A. was a school that produced many of those same sorts of heroes, which would reflect that. His mind flashed to U.A.'s greatest success story, All Might and his mood soured as he took a breath to calm himself.

Even if that wasn't the case, the exam still all but forced people to fight among themselves for points, stealing them where they could to gain even a small advantage but U.A. only offered 16 spots for the hero course, the other 4 always going to recommendation students, so only those with the hunger and will to fight for what they wanted could ever hope to be one of the 16 out of hundreds to make it. The lion that didn't work didn't eat-it was as simple as that. Reaching for his pocket, he filled up the bag of seeds he had brought to ensure that he would be one of those lions that ate his fill.

Thinking of battle plans, he felt someone approaching him, his sensory capabilities still hinted as he could tell from the way they walked, the way they breathed and even how the wind seemed to flow over them that they were another student with little if any practical training outside basic physical fitness. Opening his eyes, he saw that he had been right on the money as the dark-haired girl with passive but so clear blue eyes approached. Her eyes reflected her demeanor well like many others who were extremely nervous, or excited. She was relatively calm, a bit on edge but a far cry from the rest.

"My apologies, did I disturb you?" Even her voice was calm and level, not a beat above what it needed to be to be heard.

He shook his head. "No but is there a reason you approached? To take a seat?"

"Yes, I would like to sit and collect myself before the exam." She asked once more, her eyes moving to the spot on the bench next to him. His cheeks reddened just a little at the fact a girl was asking to sit next to him, but it passed like a scent carried by the wind. He would need to thank Obi for his help with that.

"There's plenty of space." Moving a little to give her more space, she didn't smile or nod, merely taking the spot she wanted while he watched her out of the corner of his eye like a cat, if she felt his gaze on her, she didn't react as after a time, she pulled her phone out and went through it, doing what he didn't know. Despite the fact she seemed to have this air about her that got his interest, he turned away from her to focus on himself. The two remained silent as they either planned their battle strategy or relaxed before they were thrown to the lion.

In this relaxed silence between the two students, more students arrived and the space became a bit livelier as groups formed as friends from the same school or area found one another, offering up advice, words of encouragement or bragging that they'll be one of the top scorers, that last group tended to be those who flexed their quirks as if peacocks showing off their plume of feathers which irritated Midoriya to no end.

"Loud." The girl next to him said, her gaze never leaving her phone.

"You said it. It's easier to think when it's quiet, or when I'm taking a nap." Midoriya responded, with her turning to him after his statement.

"Do you take a lot of naps?" She asked as he rubbed the back of his head, wondering how much he could tell her without coming off as crazy.

"It's a habit now, I haven't had the best sleep schedule for a while now and I try to get some sleep where I can." That was an understatement as even after he survived being dosed with sage energy, his training schedule barely changed, so whenever they let him off the hook, he would find anywhere that seemed comfy enough to nap, whether that be in the shade or sunbathing. Lifting his hand to her, she smiled at her.

"Midoriya Izuku." He introduced himself as the girl looked at him, and then at his hand before shaking it.

"Kodai Yui." With the introductions done, they went back to the silence though it didn't last long as in a couple minutes, a new figure approached them. A boy with literal pitch-black skin whose relaxed slouched walk made him seem lazier than he must have been.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked, to which Kodai was the one to respond.

"No." With that, the boy took the seat and the trio exchanged greetings and introductions, the boy being named Kuroiro Shihai, they exchanged little talk after that, mainly simply questions about the exam and hobbies, with it never getting close to quirks which Midoriya appreciated as he rather not give up the bag so early. It was when he spotted a familiar head of blonde hair in the distance that he gave a different reaction as his eyes narrowed and his mouth became a thin line as he used Osaero to mask himself, his skill with it at such a level that the two seated next to him blinked as they looked around, wondering where he left and how he did it without making a sound. It took them a minute to realize he had never moved but by that, Bakugo had walked by them, having never even noticed him.

Once there was some distance between them and his old friend-turned-bully, he deactivated it, which made his presence all the easier for the two to notice. "Hey, what did you just do just now, it was like you came one with the shadows," Kuroiro asked him as he looked over to him.

Leaning his head to the side like a housecat, he answered. "In a way, I did but you're also wrong, after all, everyone always watches the shadows for threats, but never wonder if that threat could hide in the light." He gave them both a cheeky smile even as they looked on in mild confusion.

"That doesn't make sense," Kodai replied as he continued to smile, wondering if this was what his master felt like when she messed around with people.

"Trust me, if I tried to explain it, it'd make even less sense."

'Of course, this would be my luck.' Midoriya thought to himself later, making a good impression of a grumpy cat as he sat next to the person he had wished to avoid but it seemed that U.A. organized their seating by the school and had the only two from theirs, they were placed together. Bakugo's reaction to seeing him was less than pleasant as barely contained his rage, the boy no doubt remembering the last time they had seen one another, with Midoriya glaring at him before tapping his nose, which only made the boy all the angrier but he couldn't attack him here.

Despite his taunt, he wouldn't mind sitting somewhere else while Present Mic introduced himself and explained how things would work for the written and practical exams, he felt Bakugo's gaze never leave him as he mewed from how loud it got whenever Present Mic spoke, as the man sounded just as exciting and inviting as he had on his radio show but he just has to roll with it and get used to having increased senses, only for this enjoyable moment of seeing a pro in action to be interrupted when someone raised their hand to ask about the 4th robot that hadn't been touched upon despite the fact Present Mic hadn't finished his explanation, it didn't help Midoriya's view on them since they were just as loud as Present Mic.

As if not done ruining the flow of things, the boy turned to point towards where Izuku and Bakugo were seated. "In addition, you with the unkempt hair, you're incessant meowing is distracting, if you think this is some pleasure tour, leave now!" Bakugo snickered only for that to die as instead of folding or remaining silent, Midoriya shot to his feet, hissing at the boy with his hair flashing up like the fur of a cat.

Such an aggressive response made the boy flinch back, while others looked on in concern as he hissed back, "It's rude to point at people like that, and I'm only mewing because Present Mic is loud! It's disorientating in my ears!" His cat-like appearance completed the picture for them as Present Mic stepped in before an argument could break out, speaking softer this time as he calmed the tensions, with Izuku getting back into his seat, not caring if Bakugo was looking at him with wide eyes before he went back to glaring, muttering that he thought he was some kind of cat boy now on top of being quirkless.

He no doubt had questions for him, like where he had been for almost ten months, why he looked different and more but much like with those last 2 weeks of school where he showed up and avoided Bakugo like the plague, he did the same here as when he pressed his side to talk, he didn't so much as look his way as he snatched the pen, snapped it and tossed it back at him with a single action. Seeing that the papers were being passed around, Bakugo bit back his anger as they got their tests and they were allowed to start, with just 2 and a half hours to finish it.

Over 3 hours later, having completed the written portion and given time to change, Midoriya stood outside the walls of the testing area, the size of it surpassing ridiculous as he knew there were at least 6 others, which didn't factor in the other facilities that U.A hosted on its grounds. Even for a hero school, U.A. was massive. Along with the rest of the students, he stood in his training clothing, the worn fabric a welcomed feeling on his skin after months of training in rags just to cover up his dignity. The only difference was that his bright red sash replaced the brown belt around his waist.

The only difference is that unlike most, he had a bag with him, a little brown one tied around his waist which carried the seeds he was planning to use. Standing by himself, he did some stretches to loosen his bones, his body bursting with energy, not so much tenet but just his eagerness to start, to prove that he deserved to be here and maybe show up some others.

Cats were prideful creatures, and Shizune would have his head if he didn't do his best to outshine the rest of them,

As he got himself limber, others talked about the size of the place, themselves or continued to brag about how many points they'd get, which irritated him as they should save the showboating for afterwards yet here they were, counting their chickens before they hatched. Looking around, he didn't see or sense the two from before, so they must have been in other areas, he did see the tall spectacled boy from before, wearing a blue and white form-fitting runner's suit, one that left his calves exposed, probably for the odd engine like exhausts sticking out of them. 'So he must be a runner then.' He theorized as the guy noticed his gaze and turned to walk over, with Midoriya frowning as he prepared to have to deal with whatever grief the guy would give him.

"You there, I came to apologize for my earlier actions. I allowed myself to forget that those with animal mutations tend to have traits of those same creatures, so of course the volume of the announcements would be discomforting to you." The taller boy bowed to him, catching him flat-footed as this was the first time something like this happened, that someone outside Raxus or the sanctuary would apologize…Wait, did…did he think he had a cat mutation?

Recalling his appearance, he could see that the case could be made for that, his hair was wild like a lion's mane, some of which even resembled cat ears while also covering his human ears, and he kept his nails long, easily coming off as claws…He could use this, if people thought he had a quirk without him saying it, then he wasn't lying was he? He felt a spirit-perhaps his angel or demon, one that resembled Shizune on his shoulder egging him on, to see how far he could take this, how much he could leave people confused about his powers as the teachers would know he's quirkless-but not his future classmates.

He liked that idea.

With a Cheshire-like grin, he waves him off with a meow that sounded far too real to have come from anything that wasn't a feline's throat. "Apology accepted, just don't do it again and oh, remember to do your best." He replied as the boy nodded, a grateful release of tension from his shoulders, but while Midoriya thanked his past self for all those years he spent trying to mimic All Might giving him exceptional acting ability, and before his fellow examinee could respond, something else happened.

"Okay, start!" Midoriya didn't think nor wait to ask what that was all about, months of training with a deranged cat youkai made him far more reactive than the rest who turned to Present Mic to ask what he was talking about, by the time he explained that there were no countdowns in real life, Midoriya was already gone, having turned to the entrance and sprinted in like a cheetah on PEDs, adding to the image of being a heteromorph, he leaned so far forwards at that times, he would run on all fours with a determined glint to his playful, eager eyes.

As he rushed on ahead, his body started to be enveloped by a feint, heard to detect a green-reddish aura as he saw a 2-pointer turn the corner, not even slowing down, Midoriya instead increased the flow of tenet to his hands before a single swipe, he took its head clean off, his fingers cutting through the metal like an axe through cheap plywood, landing after his first take-down, he didn't even stick around to see it fall before he was off again, 2 points was nothing.

Seeing 2 1-pointers up ahead, both trying to double team him, he changed his approach style, zig-zagging to confuse them before leaping towards that and grabbing one's head in both hands and twisting his body mid-air, twisting the robot's head along with him before ripped the now twisted off clean off and threw it at the second one's chest, knocking it back as he landing in a roll, turned on his heel and jumped for it, a fist pull back before he punched straight through the dented metal to its core, grabbing onto what he could, he ripped his hand out and with it, a bunch of wiring and other internal components as the robot stared at him for a moment, as if shocked before it's big red eye lost light and it fell over.

"That's 4, I'll need far more than that." He thought aloud, rushing off to try and find more targets to handle. Finding more, he despatched of them just as a quirk, keeping his tally of his points to himself as he saw that the others had managed to catch up and spread to all the larger street which turned into a battle royale between them and the robots, the sound of metal buckling and breaking almost unending and random as people around him destroyed mechs using all manner of quirks. As he jumped off a 3-pointer he had got the drop on, he heard them calling out points which were scores either close to his, or higher.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get any real work done with so many around, he sprinted down an alleyway to search for villains that didn't move towards the larger groups. This proved to be a good choice as while he didn't spot any 3-pointers, there were plenty of 1 and 2-pointers, the latter having trouble with the smaller alleys and streets thanks to their size. Turning a corner, he saw that someone else had the same idea, but wasn't having nearly as much success as him.

Seeing the purple-haired boy, he could tell he was both tiring from his sweaty face and labored breath and also that his efforts to smash the robot's head in with a piece of a defeated machine weren't going to pan out, with that in mind, Midoriya jumped in to help him, leaping off the walls of the buildings to their sides while he reached into his bag and pulled out a single seed. His movement was picked up by the purple-haired boy who looked up in time to see a faint green-reddish aura emanating from the newcomer's clenched hand before from it, a massive wooden hammer sprouted.

"Watch out!" He heard the boy cry out as he covered his hand as the newcomer brought the hammer down on the 2-pointer's head, crushing it like it was an egg. The robot wobbled for a moment before crumbling down, leaving the victorious Midoriya standing over it, his hammer resting on his shoulder he turned to the guy he just helped. "You are alright?"

"Y-yeah…I had that one…" Midoriya doubted that. Up close, he could tell this guy was way out of shape, with little muscle on his bones to speak of, or even that much endurance if his labored breaths were anything to go by.

So, he was blunt with him, time was of the essence and he wasn't going to waste it dancing around the bush. "No, you didn't, also you're as skinny as a toothpick. I would say you're overlying on your quirk, but since you didn't use it to kill that thing sooner…you don't have a suitable one for this kind of exam, do you?" The guy's eyes widened at how quickly Midoriya broke down his situation before narrowing in anger. Where did he get off talking like that as if he couldn't just make wooden hammers appear out of nowhere?

"You like hammers?" He blinked at Midoriya's random question.

"What?"

Midoriya tapped the wrist of the hand holding his weapon as if he was wearing a watch. "Clock's ticking, do you like hammers?"

"I-no, I'll be better off with a bat or-!" Midoriya reached into his bag and pulled out another seed, clenching his fist, there was another flash of red-green light from his hand, the seed started to rapidly grow and shape itself till within seconds, Midoriya held a fully formed baseball bat which he tossed at the guy who fumbled, barely catching it.

"Great, then take this, it's made from Hinoki wood so it should be pretty strong but mind the shock since it doesn't have a rubber handle." He gave him quirk instructions before turning around and running off. "Good luck!"

"What the hell is that guy…" The boy he left behind asked, but got no answer as he only shook his head, and looked at his gifted tool for a moment before holding it properly and running out, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, a choice proven to be right when he used his bat to smash in the head of a 1-pointer, scoring his first point of the exam.

With Midoriya, his mind had already moved back to the exam as he swung his hammer into the leg of a 2-pointer, before finishing it off with a twirl which brought his hammer back up overhead before he brought it down on its head. With that latest kill, he had 35 points. Seeing another person struggling with some robots that were trying to overwhelm them, he pulled out another seed and grew it into a thick wooden javelin, imparting a little more of his tenet into it to increase its strength.

He lined up the shot and threw it, nailing a 3-pointer right in the side of the head, the javelin traveling half its length before finally stopping, but then it had done more than enough damage to take out the robot. Midoriya moved in and finished a 2-pointer with a double stomp to its head and a quick, heavy swing of his hammer to the second 2-pointer. The person yelled that he stole their points, but he was already on the move again. "He should be more careful about your surroundings," He yelled back at them before he turned the corner and vanished from sight.

Watching all this on numerous monitors being fed footage in real-time from dozens of cameras scattered across the different exam sights, the teachers of U.A. sat and made their assessments, recording points and impressive feats when they occurred, while also crossing out names of applicants that violated the spirit of the exam by fighting or sabotaging each other. Hero work was competitive by its nature, but no hero should undermine another like wild animals fighting over scraps of meat.

"Applicant 345 is out."

"Applicant 127 is out."

"Applicant 82 is out, also be sure to send his file to the commission so that other schools are made aware of his concerning conduct."

As the rest of the staff crossed out the names of applicants, All Might, in his weakened true form, learned towards his new colleague. "Is this normal? That's the 39th person who's been eliminated."

The Rated R hero, Midnight smiled as she replied, finding it adorable to see the symbol of peace so out of his depth when it came to teaching. "It's normally higher, we typically have to disqualify at least 90 people. This crop is going to be one of the better ones."

"Their skills are also a cut above the rest." Snipe, Japan's second greatest marksman, who was close by added as Cementoss nodded.

The cement manipulator added another thing to the discussion to help All Might understand their methods. "The rules as explained to them are simple, but the exam tests more than just fighting ability. They aren't informed of how many villain bots they are, nor their locations of movement patterns."

"So, they must also display exceptional scouting, judgment, and speed to have any hope in rising from the rest to claim a spot at U.A." Power Loader, a hero who taught the support course finished.

"All of which is turned into points for easier judgment of their abilities, yet in the end all that matters is how many villains they take down. An illogical move if we judge more than just combat prowess." A pro in black leaning against the back wall added that the man has made his feelings about a purely competitive exam clear in the past. As the man said that, All Might found his attention caught by one of the screens where he saw a orange haired girl carrying some people in her enlarged hands, ignoring the fighting as she focused on protecting the injured applicants she was taking away from the danger

Midnight caught where his eye was focused and playfully nudged his side. "Seeing something you like, All Might?"

"Young K-applicant 78, she's not so much focused on the exam as she is helping others." She raised an eyebrow at the fact he nearly used the student's name, at least she assumed as she hadn't gone through all their files yet, not when most won't cut it, but it was strange that All Might seemed to but she shrugged it off as the man over preparing.

"That is the X-factor we love to see, the desire to save people is the most important thing to a hero." Vlad, one of the tallest members of staff added as he crossed his arms, pleased with what he was seeing before he saw another student acting similarly. "And she's not the only one, Applicant 189 is also putting on quite the show." Their attention shifted to the screen with Midoriya, noting that the boy was displaying most of the skills they were looking for.

Information gathering from how his head and eyes seemed to dart to side, tracking targets or looking for them, mobility and speed from how he used the environment to get around like a house cat, and the skill and strength to bring it all home as he ends his fights quickly with few blows, even if his smile reminds the principal a bit too much of a cat that had caught a bird and was now toying with it for its amusement.

"He's certainly putting on an impressive showing, he must have been trained by a former hero before taking the exam with moves like that." Midnight guessed, as it wouldn't be the first time that happened, even if that was more common with recommendation students.

"It can't be…" All Might, on the other hand, looked at the feed with shock and confusion, something that the others noticed.

"Is there an issue, All Might?" Cementoss asked him as the number one picked up his teacher's tablet and unlocked it.

"Let me see his file," Seeing the boy's number underneath him, he quickly typed that into the search bar and found the boy's file, skimming it he reached the section on his quirk and found that he wasn't wrong. "So, he wasn't lying but…how could he be doing this?" What he was doing, that speed, strength, especially the hammer which he couldn't have brought with him in the beginning, none of it was making sense.

"Is there an issue?" Snipe asked, his attention shifted to the number one whose sunken brow was creased.

"I met the boy last year, he told me he was quirkless." The rest were surprised by that but immediately assumed that there was something wrong with the statement.

"Quirkless? That's impossible." Power Loader stated, suspecting that either All Might was remembering things wrong, got the name wrong, or the kid had lied.

"His file still states that…a late bloomer?" Looking through her tablet, Midnight saw that the man wasn't wrong, at least on paper as it clearly stated that he was quirkless.

"There's never been a case of a late bloomer past age 8, nevermind 14," Vlad added, as such a thing would be unprecedented, and if that was the case wasn't the paperwork changed as the way the boy was fighting wasn't the movement of a kid that didn't know what they were doing, but one that had months, years even to practice.

"Well, it's not like he could just get power off a tree, now can't he?" The dark-haired underground hero's remark made All Might's non-existent stomach flip as he knew of only one way that could happen, not a tree, but a monster in human skin, and he wasn't the only one that noticed for while the rest discussed what this could mean, the principle leaned close to All Might,

"All Might, you don't think…" His beady eyes turned to him, and while the room was dark, the man could tell he was just as cautious as he was and afraid which no one could fault him for, just remembering that man, and the battle that followed sent a spike of ice through his heart.

Squashing that feeling, he shook his head. "Impossible, he's dead and gone and even if he wasn't, he wouldn't send one of his people here, for what reason?"

Nodding, the principal turned to the screens again, his hand reaching for the big red button as he replied to both All Might and the rest of his staff. "Regardless of Midoriya's quirk situation, there is still an exam going on, one that has reached its final phase." He wondered how the boy would react as he pressed the button to unleash the 0-pointers on the applicants.

Midoriya had just finished taking out one of the few 3-pointers he could find when he felt the ground rumbling, as others looked around, he closed his eyes and focused his tenet, searching through the area for what was causing the rumbling, because of that, he was the first to realize what had happened.

"You gotta be kidding me, it's huge…" He muttered to himself, with others looking at him strangely before the 0-pointer I question made itself known, with its size being greater than the buildings around them, its one hand was large enough that it smashed the upper level of a building just by being placed on it. Midoriya knew that Present Mic said it was to be avoided, but did they have to do so big with it?! There is making an obstacle and then there is constructing a robot kaiju! When the robot pulled back its fist and punched down, debris flew all over the place, hitting some people, how the hell did U.A. get away with something like that?!

He wasn't the only one who upon seeing it turned to run, there was no point fighting something that large for no points, made all the more pressing when Present Mic announced that there were just 2 minutes left on the clock.

But then he heard a pained moan over the rumbling and shouting of the rest, he turned his head to where he thought he heard it, and saw someone had been trapped by the debris, the same debris from earlier. Looking around, he saw that no one else was going to help her, he couldn't even tell if they noticed in the panic as his mind flashed back to the fire, to the collapsing building, to the bodies.

He didn't even think about it, his body moved to her side as it recalled that night as well, and refused to allow it to repeat. He didn't even care about the 0-Pointer that was getting closer, threatening to crush them underneath his multi-ton tracks. Halfway to her, he saw that he wasn't alone in his rescue effort, as the guy from before was running with him, out of breath and looking worse for wear but the bat he gave him was still in good shape. They shared a look with no words, before coming to a silent understanding as they reached her.

Getting to her, he shifted his hammer into a staff, letting the head fall off to save time as he handed it to the other boy, "Lever, help us lift it." Was all he said as he crouched down and forced his fingers underneath the rock at the same time the other boy forced the end of the staff in. They were no count as they both started to lift the piece of debris, with Midoriya cursing the fact U.A. built the buildings to scale, which meant it had all the weight one would think and more. Seeing that they wouldn't have time to get out even if they worked together, Midoriya hatched a plan.

"I'll slow it down; you get her out of here!" He yelled at the boy, who along with the girl they were trying to help looked at him in shock and disbelief.

"What? How the hell are you going to do that?" He yelled back at Midoriya but he was already running ahead, his hands reaching into his pouch to grab seed.

"Just do it!" He yelled back as he yelled a bunch of them in his hand, which was followed by a dim light of green and red from his clenched hands as he created two more staffs, but that had cups at the ends which housed the rest of the seeds he pulled out. Slamming the ends into the ground, he sent his tenet through the staffs into the seeds, forcing them to grow underground. Needing more time to do this, even after learning how to do it under Shizune, he controlled his duel staffs to wrap around his waist to keep contact as he clasped his hands together, his aura now much more visible as his entire body gave off light of emerald and crimson.

As the 0-pointer crossed a threshold only he could see, unleashed his attack, "Wood Style: Nature's Bind!" From the ground, 9 trees burst out, smashing through concrete like it was nothing as they shifted into spiked roots that rushed the 0-pointer, wrapping around its treads as smaller branches worked through way, most were crushed by the machinery but others weren't as more continued to snake in, climbing over the beast as Midoriya kept his concentration up, pumping even more of his dwindling tenet into it and forcing the wood to continue to expand and infiltrate. The ever-increasing number of branches and roots continued to move, penetrating the structure as they continued to climb up the 0-pointer.

Its tracks were soon halted, too many gears stuck in place while dealing more damage as within the body of the machine, the roots wreaked havoc, tearing through whatever was inside, causing a cascade of failures. With a final push, Midoriya unclasped his hands and fell to his knees, winded from such a feat, but it had been done as the 0-pointer remained still, its body and systems too damaged to continue.

Taking a deep breath and feeling the sweat on his brow, Midoriya guessed that he had used after that stunt and the rest of the exam, around 75% of his tenet reserves, which would take time to replenish naturally as he got up to his feet, letting the wooden belt he made break off him like it was a dried-out twig. Turning to the rest, he saw them slacked jawed at what he did, as in less than a minute, he had managed to stop the 0-pointer by basically trapping it in a carnivorous forest. None more awed than the two he had been with, as the guy carried the girl in his arms, probably because she couldn't walk right.

Turning back to the wooden hell he created, he wished to undo it to get some of his spent power back, but with how the 0-pointer was leaning, if he did that, it might just topple down. As he reached for his bag to make a spear he could use to score more points, Present Mic's voice cut through the air

"Time's up!"

Letting out a soft meow, he walked towards the side where he could lean against the building and rest up, thanking all the training he had gone through as if not for that, he would have floundered just after making a few weapons, still looking at his hand and clenching his fist, he knew he had a long way to go.

"A-are you alright?"

Letting out an intrigued purr, he looked to see he had been approached by the two, the girl now using the exhausted boy as a support rather than letting him carry her. "I'm fine, just winded after that."

"I would be scared if that wasn't enough to tire you out." The sleep-deprived-looking boy replied, his eyes turning to the creation he left in his wake. "Just what kind of quirk was that? Are you related to Kamui Woods or something?"

Midoriya could have told the truth, but the Shizune-looking spirit on his shoulder was a better idea. So he merely smiled as he giggled. "A cat's gotta keep some of its secrets, right?" Not a lie, was he wasn't saying he was a cat but he could let them interpret it to mean that he was.

"Figures…" The boy muttered as Midoriya turned his attention to the girl with rosy cheeks.

"What about you? Is your leg okay?" He asked her as she awkwardly laughed, rubbing the back of her head.

"I twisted my ankle earlier, it's not serious." She replied as she reached her hand to him, a beaming smile on her face. "Uraraka Ochaco, thanks for saving me!"

"Shinso Hitoshi, the bat came in real handy." Shinso followed her lead, though he had dropped the bat earlier to carry her.

"Midoriya Izuku and it was no issue. Heroes help people, don't they?" Midoriya introduced himself to them as they heard someone else approaching, going by the commotion the rest were causing.

"Alright, where are the injured?" They looked to see a small, elderly lady dressed like a nurse walking through, supporting herself with a syringe-shaped cane. "The exam is over, if you got hurt, please come to me, if you can't move, please say so or someone calls out for them!" As people stepped up, her lips would stretch to kiss them, with a faint light emanating from the kissed body, healing them as she handed them some candy and she moved on.

"Guess that explains how reckless they can be with the exam; they have one of the best healers in the world on standby," Shinso stated as they got up to get Uraraka to her before they went home.

This chapter was longer than normal but serves as a pretty good jump out for the new year. I hope you enjoyed it, please comment your thoughts on it. Next chapter will be out January 26th.

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