Chapter III: A Sorcerer and a Reaper Take an Exam
It was finally the day.
Izuku stood in front of UA Academy's gates with both anticipation and trepidation. All the training he did in ten months involved a workout of binge-watching movies while getting beat up by a plushie, cleaning the entirety of Dagobah Beach, and some hand-to-hand courtesy of Satoru Gojo will be put to the test inside the school's prestigious premises.
"Are you going to get in or what?"
Izuku flinched upon Hearing Gojo's voice.
"Calm down, kid. I know you'll do great," assured the ghost. "I'm confident you'll kick major ass out there!"
The boy looked around seeing people his age all vying to get into the best hero school Japan has to offer. While ten months ago he would've been powerless, now he can stand toe to toe with them.
"MOVE YOUR ASS, STUPID DEKU!" Bakugo yelled after bumping the greenette and almost making him fall over.
"Why am I not surprised?" thought the sorcerer trainee.
Of course, Bakugo would be here. If there was anyone with the attitude to blow his way into UA, it was him.
"Sheesh. What crawled up his ass and died this early?" Gojo offhandedly questioned, making Izuku giggle a bit. "Well, at least that got you to calm down a bit."
"Thanks. I feel a lot better now."
"That's great! Although, I can feel you're still looking forward to something."
"Huh?" Izuku was confused.
A light bulb suddenly lit in the ancient sorcerer's head. "I know, you were hoping that Uraraka girl would be here!"
"What!?" Well, he's not wrong. Izuku did hope that Ochako would be present. Still, did he have to make it sound like he was a stalker?
"Hey, that exam isn't gonna pass itself," Gojo abruptly said, urging Izuku to get into the school of his dreams. "Go on! Get! Get!"
The boy was about to take a step forward when his foot got caught on a loose tile.
"Why does this keep happening to me?"
"It's been nice knowing you, kiddo."
"That's not helping, Gojo-sensei!"
However, just before his face became street art on the pavement, Izuku's forward momentum suddenly stopped. Looking around he found himself harmlessly floating a few inches off the ground.
"Wait, I know this quirk!"
Gojo was grinning ear to ear. "Ask and you shall receive."
"Izuku!"
A familiar bob-haired brunette had her left hand on his back. Izuku's face lit up when he saw the familiar face from months ago.
"Ochako!"
Uraraka brought her fingers together, letting Midoriya land on the ground without any trouble. "I didn't want to use my quirk on you without permission, but falling on your face on the day of the exams wouldn't have been fun, right?"
"Y-Yeah," he sheepishly replied. "T-Thanks, by the w-way."
Whether or not she noticed how awkward he felt, Uraraka didn't show. Instead, she just had a bright smile on her face that made Izuku's cheeks heat up.
It didn't help that Gojo was laughing at his expense.
"So, are you ready?" asked the brunette with a cheerful tone.
"Ready as I'll ever be," shakily replied the greenette.
"Well, good luck Izuku!" Uraraka began moving into the gates of UA while waving goodbye to the bewildered boy. "I hope we both pass and become classmates!"
When she finally disappeared into the testing building, Gojo quickly snapped his vessel from his stupor. "Izuku, you won't get to see her again if you just stand there."
With his focus now directed at his future, the vessel and successor of the honored one raced into U.A.
People were looking at Kazui strangely.
Who could blame them when the carrot top had a literal katana strapped to his back?
Kazui didn't know if he was allowed to bring bladed weapons into the school premises. So far, no teacher called him out yet; so maybe it was all good. Besides, he couldn't separate himself from his zanpakūto.
A vibration from his pocket alerted him that someone was calling. Taking out his phone, the young Kurosaki smiled when the familiar number of the girl he met months ago popped up.
It was Momo Yaoyorozu.
He placed his mobile device to his ear and said, "Hello?"
"Kazui!" replied Yaoyorozu rather eagerly. "I'm so glad you made it!"
"Okay, how do you know I'm even in UA?" questioned the hybrid.
"I can see you from one of the buildings on campus."
Kazui's eyes scanned the many buildings in the school and found a person waving at him. He waved back once he confirmed that it was indeed Momo.
"So, did you pass the recommendation exams?"
"It doesn't start in a few minutes, silly," she clarified. "Besides, shouldn't you be getting to the testing area?"
"I wouldn't worry so much," said the boy nonchalantly. "I could get there in the blink of an eye if needed."
"Again, with that confidence," Momo said in amusement. Sadly, their conversation had to wait since the examiner for the recommended students just arrived. "Looks like our proctor is here. Make sure to give a good showing during the practical, Kazui. I'll be watching."
"You will?" Kazui was curious. "Are the recommended candidates given the chance to watch the regular attendees?"
"Yeah," Yaoyorozu confirmed. "Looks like I'm taking the test ahead of you."
"Break a leg!" Kazui cheered.
"You too, Kazui."
With the call ending, Kazui pocketed his phone and went ahead into the testing facility feeling a little better.
However, something… or someone, caught his attention.
It was a green-haired boy wearing black-tinted glasses running to the same venue as him.
Though the fellow test taker seemed normal to the naked eye, it's what was inside him that the young reaper noticed.
"He's emanating a vast amount of spiritual energy," Izuku noted. Compared to the other participants, this teen could potentially be the strongest person in the entire exam bar himself. That said, his spiritual energy was different compared to his own. "Why does it feel so…twisted? It's not like a hollow's reiatsu, that's for sure. It's definitely a human's; closer to a Fullbringer's but still fundamentally unique. Not only that, but the amount also he has in store is almost equal to mine!"
This was not what Kazui expected. Ever since he arrived in this world, the only person he considered to have a fighting chance against him was All Might, and even then, it wasn't close. This boy, on the other hand, could definitely give him a good fight.
And what's more disturbing was that whoever this greenette was, he hasn't reached his full potential.
It was settled then. "I need to keep an eye on that kid."
The written part of the exam wasn't that difficult.
Izuku studied hard and he made sure that every question within the test sheet had the correct answer. While Gojo prioritized honing his body, it didn't mean he shouldn't train his mind. He was confident that he passed the written portion.
Right now, the young would-be sorcerer and the rest of the examinees were all gathered in an auditorium for a quick briefing regarding the practical portion of the examination.
The whole proceeding was supervised by – to Izuku's joy – Present Mic.
If Gojo removed his blindfold, he would've rolled his eyes. This wasn't the first or even the hundredth, time that Midoriya gushed about heroes. The boy was basically a walking encyclopedia of heroes and could go on for hours about their quirks, equipment, more famous moments, and even their favorite foods.
"ARE YOU READY!?" the pro hero yelled.
No response came.
Despite that, Present Mic kept going. "That's cool, little listeners. I'm here to present to you the guidelines for the practical exams. Again, ARE YOU READY!?" Still, no response. "Wow, tough crowd. Anyway, this is how the test will go. After this presentation, you'll head to your designated location, but it'll be the same for each group." Handouts were distributed to the participants showing the locations they were headed and different models of what looked like robots. "You'll be placed in a mock cityscape battle; for ten minutes, you'll have to face different robots which are worth certain depending on their model. You all need to destroy as many robots as possible using your quirks to get the necessary points to pass the exam. Oh, and no attacking your fellow examinees. There'll be enough robots on the field as it is."
"Excuse me! May I ask a question?" A tall, rather fit-looking teen stood up and raised his hand. "It says in the handout that the robots will be worth one to three points, but there are four robots displayed here. I expected a school as prestigious as U.A. to avoid such simple errors." He whirled and pointed an accusing finger toward Izuku who flinched. "And you with the black glasses! You've been muttering nonstop, and it is distracting. Cease it, at once!"
Midoriya wasn't aware he was mumbling but he was conscious enough to keep it to himself.
"I wonder how long that stick in his ass is?" Gojo asked inside the kid's mind.
Just when the green-haired boy was about to apologize, another voice echoed throughout the auditorium.
"As far as I can see, no one even heard him muttering."
Izuku turned to the person who defended him and found an orange-haired boy looking at the one who accused him with a cold gaze.
"You're the one who caused the disruption of the proceedings and falsely accused a fellow examinee for something so trivial," scolded the carrot top. "So, I suggest you address your question to the proctor and be done with it."
The tone was commanding, and it showed. The glasses-wearing teen could only mutter to himself before sitting back down. From how he looked, he was clearly intimidated.
When Izuku looked at the boy who defended him, he was surprised to receive a bright smile and a thumbs up; a clear contrast to the stern demeanor he had presented earlier. All the greenette could do was reply with his own smile, albeit a wobbly one.
"Okay…" Present Mic's nervous-sounding voice brought all the attention back to him. "Well, thanks for asking, examinee. The fourth robot isn't worth any points. It's just there to cause as much damage as possible," the DJ-themed hero explained. "Each testing ground has at least one and, if one shows up, just run. It's gonna ruin your day, trust me."
The examinee who asked the question bowed his head and urged the proctor hero to continue.
"Well, listeners, that's enough for me!" Present Mic raised his fist; his grin never fading. "Go out there and show us how serious you are about being heroes! Plus Ultra!"
Izuku looked around at the designated area he and the other examinees were going to perform. He sighed in relief when he found out Bakugo wouldn't be in the same location as him. That said, he was a little saddened that there were no familiar faces among the crowd; like Ochako or maybe the orange-haired boy.
"Maybe they're assigned to different locations," Gojo suggested which Izuku considered.
"I know that's a possibility," the greenette replied dejectedly. "Still, I kind of wished Ochako was here. And that examinee with the orange hair, I wanted to thank him."
"You'll get the chance eventually," assured the spirit. "Besides, you should worry about the practical exam now since it would start at any moment."
"Well, you're right about that. At least Kacchan isn't–"
"AND…BEGIN!"
The test takers, including Midoriya, were confused. Even Gojo seemed a little lost.
"WELL, DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" Present Mic's voice sounded through the speaker. "VILLAINS AND DISASTERS DON'T GIVE YOU COUNTDOWNS! GET GOING!"
That was the signal to begin and at once, a hoard of students rushed into the streets; ready to use their quirks and acquire points to pass and enter the prestigious hero school.
For Izuku, he was thanking Gojo for teaching him teleportation. Disappearing from his spot, the young Midoriya's image appeared right in front of at least a few dozen robots of varying models.
"Cursed technique or just physical attacks enhanced with curse energy?" Izuku asked his mentor.
Gojo grinned. "Let's go with something flashy."
Izuku knew what flashy meant, so he pointed two fingers forward and created a ball of blue-colored curse energy at the center of the gathered robots. "Curse Technique Amplification: Blue!"
A singularity formed in the middle of the gathered machines. The force of attraction was so strong that it pulled on the robots and crushed them within the technique's point of origin.
Izuku shared the same grin Gojo had. Blue was the first curse technique he learned after mastering his control over curse energy. Suffice it to say, he's confident enough to claim he was adept at conjuring the amplified version of Limitless.
With the first points under his belt, the young sorcerer trainee went ahead deeper into the city, looking for more robots to destroy and gain points from.
"Was it just me, or did that kid with the green hair create a miniature black hole?"
Present Mic wasn't the only one with the same question in mind. Many of UA's teaching staff watched in fascination as the green-haired boy shown on their screens continued gaining points by creating multiple singularities among crowds of robots.
"He called it Curse Technique Amplification; whatever that is," remarked Ectoplasm as he looked at the kid's performance.
"Still, he showed not one but two abilities," Vlad King added. "The first was teleportation and now, creating these miniature black holes." He then turned to one of his fellow teachers. "What are your thoughts on this, Thirteen?"
The Space Hero: Thirteen stared into the monitor and compared her quirk to the boy in question. "That boy's power is more refined compared to my own," she admitted. "While my Black Hole quirk has a set suction power, his looks like it can be amplified; meaning it could be more powerful than what he's showing us right now."
Meanwhile, a white-furred creature that looked like a small bear, a dog, or an oversized mouse was laughing maniacally at the events happening within the testing ground.
"It seems that this year's examinees will be the best one yet!" Principal Nezu, the bear-dog-rat chimera remarked in excitement. "Keep an eye out for this one; I have a feeling he'll provide us with a great showing."
"He's not the only one who'll give us a spectacle, principal," the R-Rated Hero: Midnight said. She was looking at the performance of a certain orange-haired boy on the same testing ground as the green-haired one. "The kid with the sword is also putting up one heck of a show."
Glowing red lines traced Kazui's arms as he shattered a robot into bits. A few more pounced on him but were all sliced with a precise sword swing.
"That's fifteen points," Kazui remarked. He then saw two students being overwhelmed by a hoard of thirty mechanical faux villains. The hybrid held his palm out and began chanting. "Ye Lord. Mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings. Ye who bears the name of man, truth, and temperance. Upon this sinless wall of dreams, unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws! Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
Blue fire swirled to life from the young reaper's hand, surging towards the robots in front of the two surrounded students and incinerating them into ash. The two examinees only stared in amazement as the intense blue flames devoured the machines they were fighting.
"You guys alright?" Kazui asked the two students he just saved.
"Thanks, man!" said the boy with red hair. "I don't know if my hardening could take on that many robot villains."
"Same thing with my acid," the other who was a girl with pink skin and hair added. "I know my acids are strong, but I do have limits."
"Well, be careful and stay sharp." The hybrid readied his sword. "Things are just about to get heated."
On cue, the remaining robots all lunged at the trio.
The pink-skinned girl swiped her hand and projected an arc of volatile acids that quickly melted the approaching mechanical menaces.
Meanwhile, the red-haired boy's skin became hard as stone. He charged forwards and began pummeling his group of robots with ease.
The two let out a breath and looked at their companion only to find something jaw-dropping.
Kazui plunged his sword into one of the robots' heads, effectively killing it. He then appeared in front of another and grabbed its head. The hybrid began squeezing as red lines appeared on his forearm. Once the head of the robot was crushed, he threw the thing into another group of machines before blasting them with a red beam.
He did all this with a look of complete apathy.
"What the hell!?"
"It's like a switch was flipped!"
One moment, the carrot top was like any other examinee who was concerned with his peers, and the next, he turned into a vicious fighter.
"Note to self, don't piss off the baby-faced carrot top… EVER!" the two teens thought nervously.
"Mind pulling out the files for those two students?" Nezu requested Vlad King.
"Here, principal." After typing the necessary keys into the computer, two digital folders containing the data of the chosen students popped up. "The first is Izuku Midoriya," Vlad began. "He graduated from Aldera Junior High and was registered quirkless until ten months ago."
"Hold up," Present Mic interrupted, "did you just say 'quirkless'?"
"Yes," confirmed Vlad King. "His quirk is called 'Limitless' and it states here that it grants him the ability to manipulate space on an atomic level."
"That's… pretty OP," muttered Midnight, trying to absorb the information.
"It should be expected," chimed the underground hero, Eraserhead. "It's common knowledge that late-developing quirks tend to be pretty powerful. Although, this is the first case for someone to manifest it this late."
"Be that as it may, young Midoriya will be a fine addition to the hero course!" Nezu remarked with excitement. "How about the other one?"
Vlad King then showed the next file. "Kazui Kurosaki. He graduated from Yavin Junior High with exemplary grades. As for his quirk, the registry says it's called 'Fullbring.' He can manipulate energy to perform a vast arsenal of offensive and defensive capabilities, thereby making him one of the most versatile of this year's batch."
"Splendid!" Nezu was delighted with the news. "This year's batch is shaping up to be one of a kind! However, I think it's time for us to test who among them has what it takes to be a hero."
The devilish chimera turned to Eraserhead and gave him the signal. The hobo-looking hero nodded and pressed a big red button.
…And with big red buttons, you know something outrageous is about to happen.
Momo Yaoyorozu was in another observation lobby designated for the recommended students who wanted to watch the practical exams. She wasn't the only one in the room.
There were three others.
The first was a boy with dual-colored hair and dichromatic eyes. He sat in the far corner of the room while watching the events unfolding in the practical. He didn't seem to want to talk, so she just let him be.
The next was another boy with grey hair, small eyebrows, and curiously, teeth that sits outside of his mouth. He didn't have any lips whatsoever and his face gave the impression of a skull. However, he seemed like a nice guy and was polite and sociable when asked.
The last one was a girl of average height with upturned green eyes long lower eyelashes and moss-green hair that stretches below her shoulders. She seemed lively and cheerful, albeit a little provocative at times when she talked with Momo.
"Hey Yaoyorozu-san," the green-haired girl spoke. "Did that baby-faced hottie with the orange hair just do magic? He did some chanting before firing that blue flame."
"I've met him before and I think that's just his quirk at work, Tokage-san," Yaoyorozu replied.
Although, she didn't believe what she said. In fact, her attention wasn't just focused on Kazui but also on another student.
"That boy with the green hair. He just performed a curse technique!" Momo screamed in her thoughts. "Not only that, but it's also the technique of the legendary Satoru Gojo! First, it was Kazui having a purer essence of curse energy, and now, we have someone with Satoru Gojo's techniques! Just what the heck is going on!? Are jujutsu sorcerers making a re-emergence?"
"Hello? Earth to Momo Yaoyorozu."
Snapping back to reality, Momo finally addressed her lizard-like friend. "Oh. What is it, Tokage-san?"
"You said you've met that orange-haired guy before, right?"
"Yes?"
"So…" Tokage's tone became a little mischievous, all of a sudden. "You seem to have your focus on him the entire time. Is he your boyfriend or something?"
"What!?" Momo yelped, earning the attention of the other two who were present. "Where'd you get that idea?"
"You're so focused on him that you were barely paying attention to what I said. Besides, does he have your number?"
"H-He does," replied Momo rather nervously. "Kazui and I exchanged numbers. There's nothing wrong with it, is there?"
"My, my, Yaoyorozu-san. You're on a first-name basis now? Now I really want to know if you're in a relationship with him."
Okay, now Momo was getting annoyed. "For the last time, Tokage-san, Kazui, and I aren't in a relation–"
All eyes turned to the screen once the ground within the fake cityscape began rumbling. It shook, tremored, and cracked until from the depths came a building-sized machine towering the over all the participants in all its metallic glory.
"What the heck!?" the silver-haired boy with exposed teeth exclaimed.
"Wait, is this the Zero Pointer that they mentioned?" Tokage asked.
However, Momo just watched the screen, worried about the friend she had made ten months ago. "Be careful, Kazui."
"A'ight, what in the actual fuck?"
What in the actual fuck, indeed. Gojo's remark within Izuku's mind was also shared by not just the young vessel but by every participant taking the exam. They knew that the Zero Pointer was going to appear eventually but, this wasn't what they expected.
"You've got to be kidding me!?"
"I know I've seen some weird shit back in the day… but this is ridiculous."
"I don't even want to know what you mean by 'weird shit,' Gojo-sensei!"
As expected, the sight of the gargantuan robot got the participants into a panic, making them run in the opposite direction of the behemoth.
"I already have enough points to pass, I think? Still, I'm not gonna face a hulking mass of metals and circuitry! They did say to run like heck once it appeared."
"Well, that's what the proctor said, but I think there's more to it than that," Gojo stated, making Izuku pause and focus on the spirit inside him.
"What do you mean?"
Gojo's answer was a knowing grin. "You'll see."
When the greenette was about to prod, he heard a voice crying out for help. Turning around, he was shocked to find the one person in this entire shitstorm he wanted to see.
"OCHAKO!"
Without thinking, he ran towards the downed brunette. When the Zero Pointer emerged from the ground, it toppled over the more fragile buildings and scattered debris within its vicinity. Uraraka was unlucky enough to be caught in the avalanche of rubble. It caused her to get stuck; a big piece of concrete slab trapping her under with her ankle now broken.
"Izuku!" Ochako grunted. She tried pulling herself out of the rubble, but it was just too heavy. "I'm stuck."
"Let me help you," the boy offered. He tried to lift the large piece of a concrete wall, but it didn't do much. "Damn it!" cursed the greenette internally. "Even if I imbue my body with curse energy, I'm not sure the added strength will be enough considering I'm not used to it yet."
"Izuku," Gojo called. "If you can't save her from the robot, there's still one thing you can do."
Izuku stopped to listen.
"Protect her," answered the ancient sorcerer. "Fight!"
The answer was so simple, yet it never crossed his mind. Izuku wasn't powerless anymore. He wasn't the same worthless "Deku" from ten months ago. He was now the world's first jujutsu sorcerer in four hundred years; gifted with the powers of the mythical Satoru Gojo who was hailed as the strongest of them all. And, although there were no more curses present in the Age of Quirks, it didn't mean that he won't do what jujutsu sorcerers have always done.
He will fight and he will protect.
Izuku's vision focused only on the colossal machine. Everything else was canceled. He had one objective and that was to ensure the safety of the girl before him.
Using the power of Limitless, he vanished and appeared in front of the gargantuan robot. The greenette felt the curse energy inside him flow through his body; filling his muscles with raw, unprecedented power.
He willed that power into his fists, lighting them in a hazy green fire with ebony flakes swirling around. His focus then shifted toward his target. It may or may not work, but the young Midoriya would be damned if he didn't do anything to stop that hulking piece of metallic junk from stepping on his friend!
When he threw the punch, Izuku didn't notice though that the green flames in his hand gradually became volatile; morphing into a static build-up that was crackling violently. As his fist drew closer to the robot's head, the rush of curse energy slowly rose toward its threshold. And just before his fist made contact with the machine's metal skin, in that two-millionths of a second, the power finally reached its peak.
…And exploded.
"HOLY SHIT!" Present Mic screamed at the top of his lungs.
Even the other teachers were utterly gobsmacked by what they saw. The Zero Pointer, which was meant to be an unstoppable juggernaut to be avoided by the examinees, had its head blown off in a dazzling display of black lightning laced in red. The only one who seemed amused by this was Nezu. The rat supreme was cackling in maniacal glee after witnessing something that extraordinary.
However, one member of the faculty, a relative newbie, was staring intently at the greenette on the screen. Though pale and sickly, he still remembered the day he had met him and had unknowingly crushed his dream. He had to do it for the kid's safety. But now? Toshinori Yagi didn't know what to think.
"You were quirkless when I first met you," the sickly blonde remembered. "How did you gain not one, but three quirks?" The true form of Japan's No.1 hero didn't want to jump to conclusions, but there was only one way for a quirkless person to attain one. "Are you connected to him?"
Earlier, just right about after the Zero Pointer appeared, Kazui went into a tirade on how he had enough of this world's crazy stuff.
"Okay, religious Nazi-themed archers, I can deal with. Mexican-themed demons? Sure, why not? Samurai death gods? Heck, I am one. You can even throw in some American exorcists, but this!?" the hybrid gestured to the humongous machine, "This is bullshit! I mean, where do they even get the funding for this shit!?"
Kazui sighed. It was no use complaining since he already had at least seventy points; more than enough to get him into this school. That said, there must be some people trapped under all that rubble. So, like any sane person who is used to destruction on a dimensional scale, the boy Flash Stepped into the sky and began walking on air.
"Hey, is that guy walking on air!?"
"The hell!?"
"I think I've seen everything now."
"I've got to lay off the hot sauce and wasabi."
Those were just some of the comments thrown at him as he casually made his way to the sight of the massive bot. All of a sudden, a black flash of lightning flared and blew away the robot's head.
"Damn!" the carrot-top exclaimed while holding his bucket hat down. "That looked like Uncle Chad's La Muerte, albeit with a little more electric flare."
Kazui then noticed that the one behind the destructive punch was falling. Also, a brunette girl was riding a big piece of metal floating toward the greenhead.
"Ugh…I'm so done with this," he muttered. He just continued walking toward the two would-be heroes and save them from becoming a stain on the pavement. "Oh for Soul King's sake, I can't believe I can be so jaded sometimes."
"In hindsight, I should've included levitation in our lessons."
"NOW YOU MENTION THAT!"
Izuku was falling. Panic set in and he actually forgot he could just teleport to the ground.
"Dear God, oh Lord, most heavenly high," the greenette began a string of prayers. "Please don't turn me into red graffiti on the ground. I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN INTO UA AND I'M ABOUT TO GO SPLAT!"
Luckily, the greenhead was saved by a literal slap to the face.
It stung, but it also kept him from becoming an unsightly paste on the pavement.
"Are you alright, Izuku?" Ochako asked while riding a piece of metal; probably an arm from the Zero Pointer.
"Y-Yeah," he answered nervously. However, he noticed Ochako's face turning green. "Uh… are you okay?"
"I am… ugh." The gravity girl replied queasily. "It's just… I get a bad case of nausea if I use my quirk for too long."
Unfortunately for the two gradually-descending teens, their plight wasn't over.
Another Zero Pointer burst through the ground and began stomping in their direction.
"Oh, come on!" Izuku and Ochako both exclaimed, having had enough of killer robots for the day.
"Alright, this is definitely going overkill," Tokage remarked after seeing the second Zero Pointer.
"Definitely," Yaoyorozu agreed. Her attention then went to Kazui casually walking toward the two teens. "Huh? Is Kazui walking on air?"
The three other recommended students all stared at the other screen and nearly got their eyes fall off.
"Am I seeing things or is he really walking on air?" questioned the teeth teen.
"I understand flying, but how the hell do you walk on air?" Tokage asked.
"I… don't know," Momo answered. "When I met him, he mentioned that his quirk was versatile, but he never said anything about this."
Tokage sighed, just accepting what she was seeing. "Well, there's still a lot we don't understand about quirks; let's chalk it up to that."
However, after getting his bearings back, the quiet one among the recommended students, Shoto Todoroki, stared at the carrot top with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Just who or what are you, Kazui Kurosaki?"
"Alright, I give up!" Present Mic explained after throwing his hands in the air.
"Super strength, energy projection, and now levitation," Vlad King enumerated. "This is the second student today with multiple abilities. Not only that but he is also quite adept at swordsmanship."
"Have you seen how Kurosaki finished those robots earlier?" Shota Aizawa, Eraserhead's real identity, questioned the others. All eyes were now focused on him. "It was quick, efficient, and without any wasted movement. However, it was his expression that got my attention."
"What do you mean?" asked Ectoplasm.
Midnight was the one who answered. "Kurosaki was completely apathetic when dispatching those faux villains." The Rated R hero crossed her arms. "Simply put, his strikes were meant to kill."
The room fell silent, letting the info sink in.
"But he's just a kid," Vlad King remarked. "How could someone so young be so violent and merciless."
"I wouldn't call him violent, Vlad King," Nezu stated. "Merciless maybe, but only against villainous elements. From our observation, he is quick to other people's rescue, which is a great trait for a hero, but the ruthlessness he demonstrated is concerning."
"If you wouldn't mind, principal, I'll volunteer to observe him." Midnight had her hand up, presenting herself to watch over the carrot top.
"What brought this up, Kayama?" asked Eraserhead.
"He piqued my interest," Midnight answered. "Though I'm a quirk counselor and I am interested in his Fullbring, I get the feeling that this kid has experienced trauma."
"Possible," Nezu considered. "Alright, I approve of it but start off with minor observations; see what his habits are and where he lives before directly approaching him. We don't want to scare the boy away."
"Will do, principal," replied the female hero.
"But for now, let us watch what Kurosaki-san would do once he reaches the Zero Pointer."
"Need some help?"
The greenette and brunette who were moments away from the mechanical doom, saw a figure walking toward them.
"This must be my nausea causing me to see things," moaned Ochako while holding in her lunch.
"How the heck is he doing that!?" thought Izuku while holding on to the girl next to him.
However, Gojo just stayed silent; quietly observing this newcomer.
The boy with the bucket hat vanished and reappeared behind Izuku, grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt.
"Grab the girl and hold her tight," the boy said. "Tell her to deactivate her quirk since it harms her the longer it's on."
The young Midoriya was surprised by the other teen's quick observation but did as he was told. He pulled Ochako close to him and held her tight. The girl squirmed a bit and accidentally knocked Izuku's black glasses off, revealing his eyes.
"Ochako," he whispered. "You can turn off your quirk now. We're safe," he assured.
With her arms around the greenette's neck, young Uraraka pressed her fingers together and felt the weight return to her. This also lessened the nausea she was feeling. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at Izuku's majestic blue eyes.
"Pretty…"
That innocent comment caused the boy in question to blush.
That comment also made Gojo whistle inside Izuku's head.
"I hate to break your moment, you two," the kid holding them interrupted while facing the approaching Zero Pointer, "but better brace yourselves. This is gonna get messy."
While the two people hanging onto him were blushing up a storm, the bucket hat boy pointed his katana forward, facing the incoming robot. At the tip of the sword, an orb of red energy flickered to life.
"This is…!" Gojo screamed to himself.
"What is it, sensei?" asked Izuku.
"This kid is using the purest curse energy there is," answered the honored one, "and there's a crap ton of it gathering at the tip of his sword."
Izuku's eyes grew at the revelation. "He's using curse energy!? But how? Is he also a jujutsu sorcerer?"
Gojo shook his head. "I don't think so. From what I could feel, though it is somewhat like curse energy, it is also fundamentally different. This means that, whoever this kid is, is a different being altogether."
"What should I do?"
"Observe him or better yet, confront him about this. I wouldn't be surprised if he sensed your curse energy too."
Izuku was about to go into a panic but the buildup of red energy on the sword was becoming too bright. Wild sparks began crackling around the ball of destruction as more of the strange curse-like power converged.
When the teen summoning the power saw that the ball had the desired strength, he unleashed it all in one powerful doom blast.
"Cero."
Bright. It was the only thing they could describe the attack as it consumed the machine in its overpowering brilliance. Ochako and Izuku had to cover their eyes from its intensity while those on the ground watching had their mouths agape at such a display of pure unadulterated power.
The hollow flash eventually subsided, leaving a large column of smoke billowing into the sky. It slowly scattered, revealing the state of the Zero Pointer for all to see.
"God almighty!" Aizawa, for the first time in his life, was left speechless after seeing the condition of the gigantic robot. This was shared by all the school's faculty present.
The only one who wasn't shocked was Nezu who was laughing in sadistic joy.
Tokage, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, and the other recommended student all stared at the screen wide-eyed at the destruction such a seemingly small attack caused.
"What…"
"…the…"
"…fuck?"
Finally, Izuku and Ochako gazed at the outcome of the red flash.
The Zero Pointer was gone.
…And so was everything else behind it.
"You guys good?" questioned the orange-haired teen to the two.
The pair simply nodded, unable to respond after witnessing such power. Before they knew it, they found themselves on the ground, safe and sound. However, one of them was still feeling the side effects of her quirk's prolonged usage.
"BLEGH!"
Ochako vomited her lunch as her stomach finally gave up. Izuku was massaging her back to ease whatever discomfort she was feeling while the other boy looked on curiously.
"Did she just vomit rainbows and sunshine?"
Ochako didn't answer that and instead, thanked their rescuer. "Thanks for helping us."
Izuku added, "Yeah. Who knows what would happen if that second Zero Pointer got us."
"Nothing pretty, that's for sure."
"Say, do we still have time left?" Uraraka questioned the two.
"I think so–"
"AND TIMES UP!" The voice of present Mic sounded after a loud buzzer. "ALL INJURED STUDENTS PLEASE PROCEED TO THE MEDICAL TENTS PROVIDED AT THE ENTRANCE GATES. FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNINJURED, THE RESULTS OF THE EXAMINATION WILL BE REVEALED ONE WEEK FROM NOW. THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING U.A.'s ENTRANCE EXAMINATION! GOOD LUCK AND PLUS ULTRA!"
"…Or not," Midoriya glumly finished.
"Well, that sucks," Ochako murmured sadly. "By the way, we never got your name."
"Kazui Kurosaki," replied the young reaper. "You can just call me Kazui, you two. I'm not fond of formalities anyway."
Both the greenette and brunette smiled at him.
"I'm Ochako Uraraka and you can just call me Ochako."
"I'm Izuku Midoriya. Call me Izuku."
"Well met, you two. Anyways," Kazui began walking away; sheathing his katana behind him while waving goodbye to Izuku and Ochako, "I hope you both pass and we get to be classmates! Oh, and by the way, if you're wondering what my score was… it's seventy!"
"S-Seventy!" Uraraka and Midoriya yelped.
"He got a score that high!?" questioned Izuku.
"Besides that, how did he know I was going to ask for his score?" Ochako turned to Izuku and asked, "What was your score?"
"Fifty-three," answered the greenhead. "How 'bout you?"
"Just thirty-six," answered dejectedly. "Bummer."
"Hey, don't be sad," Izuku said softly. "I'm sure you'll be able to get into U.A."
"Thanks, Izuku. Though, I'm not sure it'll be enough."
"If you think your score won't cut it, then I'll ask the testing committee to give some of mine to you."
"You can't do that!" the girl protested. "You earned those points fair and square!"
"And because of that, I can do whatever I want with those points."
Inside his head, Gojo was giving out compliments like a lunatic.
Izuku tuned out his sensei's ramblings and focused on the girl in front of him. "Listen, whether you like it or not, I will give some of my points to you not out of pity, but because I want my friend to be in the same school as me."
Ochako gasped. "Friend?"
Izuku paused, finally realizing what he said. A fierce blush crept into his face while rubbing the back of his head. "Y-Yeah," he confirmed. "Friend. You're the closest person I could call a friend, Ochako."
Now, it was Ochako's to blush.
Unfortunately for them, Gojo was snacking some imaginary popcorn while watching this cutesy drama.
"I…I've got to go," Izuku stammered before turning and running. "Don't worry Ochako! You'll pass, I'm sure of it! I believe in you!"
With the blue-eyed greenhead gone, Uraraka just stood there wondering what just happened. While she was doubtful about getting in, this green-haired boy he met months ago told her she could do it.
And it was the same boy who had confidence issues.
Slowly, her hand came up to her chest as she kept staring at the horizon where Izuku Midoriya had disappeared. Her heart was pounding, and her cheeks were flaring. She was feeling something bubbling in her chest. She didn't know what it was, but it made her feel assured, confident, and to her surprise, hopeful.
"You too, Izuku," she murmured. "I believe we'll get into U.A. together."