Chapter 4: A Chaotic Assessment, More Like

Having the written test be online was… well, a strange choice. He would have expected the staff to want their student candidates to actually show up at their school to get a read on them. Like their personalities and attitudes, which felt like a-must, considering that they'd be getting a career that was geared towards saving people.

And that wasn't intended to throw salt at people who were somewhat mean yet performed well as heroes. No one needed to look further than Endeavour, who wasn't known for having the best personality, but proved himself skilful enough to make second place of Japan's top heroes. He had to wonder what his teachers felt when they first met him.

Nevertheless, making it online had only left him in even greater anticipation as to what U.A. was like. And here and now, standing before the mighty gates of arguably Japan's best hero school, he felt like none of his expectations could have ever matched up to the reality of it all.

He took in its great architecture, speechless from how larger than life it seemed to him. Izuku might not have been the most poetic person the planet, but even he could wax poetry (a very, very poor imitation of one, at least) on the grandiosity of it all, stars in his eyes as he looked around.

And not to mention all the people! Sure, his introversion was kicking in hard and he wanted to put as much distance between him and them as possible, but it was fascinating to see some of their Quirks—at least, those who have Mutation-types that outright change their appearance. There was a boy who looked bestial, a girl with vines for hair, some person who looked like a lightbulb… Talk about fascinating.

"Here it is…" Beside him to his left, Uraraka let out a whisper of awe, staring up at the sign of the school with stars in her eyes. "Is it just me who's getting the nerves?"

"Not just you. I'm the same here," he said, voice cracking at the end. He flushed a little when the girls giggled but pushed on. "B-But hey! That's not bad, right? It's fine to have nerves. It happens to everyone."

"What's there to get nervous for? Compared to all these other losers, we're gonna' blaze through their stupid exams and land our butts in the hero course! They'll be singing our names for years to come!"

As expected, Katsumi's loud boasting earned them a bunch of heated stares from all the other students, which left him and Uraraka to carry out the noble task of bowing and apologizing to everyone there, stating that she wasn't trying to be mean on purpose. Hard to believe when she was still cackling like a pyromaniac, but that was just the truth of it… somewhat.

Nonetheless, the group of three moved under the great arch together. Just that first step onto the school grounds filled him with a great deal of awe, emotion overwhelming him for a second. Katsumi didn't treat it as big of a deal, which ironically served to calm his and Uraraka's nerves. The chatter between them helped just as much, all the way until they entered orientation.

And yet again, he was completely unprepared when he entered the auditorium. It was structured sort of like a university lecture hall, the seats arranged in rows that descended like a flight of stairs. He and his girlfriends took seats closer to the back, watching as hundreds of other students began filling the area, chatter rising and rising until, at some point, a man walked up to the podium. And Izuku couldn't help but gasp when they came face-to-face (or, well, seeing the man from a distance) with a man known to all of Japan.

"Alright, little examinees! I just wanna' say… Welcome to the show! Let me hear your spirit! Say HEY!"

Present Mic, in the very flesh. From the bright yellow hair to the sick shades and the biker drip, Izuku was literally vibrating in his seat from getting to see him there. If Japan ever had a voice, this man was it, having always listened in on his radio talk shows because that was just how much fun it was to listen to him.

And he was here! Apparently a teacher in U.A. High! That's insane!

And he would have responded to the man's shout, if all the others had. Instead, they just sat quiet, mostly confused and some mumbling quietly. As such, he just kept quiet, though he did pump a fist in the air. People stared at him for that.

"Heh, a little quiet, eh? Well, you won't be right after this! Now check it! This'll be the rundown for your practical exam from yours truly!"

The lights began to dim, sort of reminding him of a movie cinema. He gulped, wondering just how much budget this school had for all this kind of fancy-schmancy stuff. They weren't exactly government-funded, if he wasn't mistaken, though that just made it all the more interesting.

"So, as y'all have read in the application requirements, you guys will be conducting a ten-minute simulation of battles in an urban area, courtesy of the school!" As he said that, a PowerPoint-esque slide flashed onto the massive screen at the front. The slides changed to show a picture of a diagram, with the words 'You Are Here' located in the centre, and lines branched out from it to several other boxes containing different letters. "Of course, all listeners are allowed to bring whatever they want with them, so just head on over to your battle centres once you're done, okay? And you'd better not forget! It'll be a bus trip to your destinations, so there's no going back to pick up your stuff once you're on that bus!"

Izuku hummed. There were four locales, which meant that they'd be split up to four different places. They'd received a card earlier which the registrar had told them would contain an alphabet for where their centre would be.

Quickly drawing it out, he made out a 'C' on the back of his card. He looked to Katsumi and Uraraka, but got annoyed looks in return.

"I got 'A'…" Katsumi muttered, upset.

"And I got 'B'," pouted Uraraka. "Aw man. So we'll be going to three different spots…"

Damn, that sucked. Izuku had every intent to complain as well, but opted to smile reassuringly at them. "Then we'll just have to bring back the good news when we meet up again afterwards, right?" It was said in full conviction, and with the hope that it'd be enough to motivate them. And true enough, his words were enough to lift their spirits once more, all smiles.

"And since it's a combat-oriented test, there'll be three kinds of villains that you'll be going head-to-head against!" Mic's words drew their attention back to the slides. Three cute robot icons had different numbers hanging above their heads. "Don't worry! They're all robots! We did think of paying actors, but after the accident-that-shall-not-be-named, we'll be making use of inorganic combatants—"

"—And do y'all see those numbers? That's the number of points that you'll be rewarded for defeating them! But no dirty tricks, 'kay? That means no attacking your fellow applicant! All of you are in it to be heroes!"

Well, that was not going to be a concern, right? He was pretty sure all the people here were more than happy to play fair… At least, he hoped so. Sure, they were excited to make it into the hero course, but there was no way they were going to cheat or sabotage one another. Right?

Great. Now he's worried about sportsmanship on the day of their surprisingly competitive entrance exam. Just fantastic.

Quickly, he skimmed through the brochure he'd been given when they arrived here. Robots wouldn't be too bad. Just a hit-and-run would be the smart play here, since it was all timed and there might be a limited number of them. And what a good thing too, for them to use mechanical substitutes; he didn't dare imagine how much more challenging it would have been for human instructors.

He flipped to another page, almost missing a small detail. Though there were the three robots listed on the slides, there was also another robot icon at the very end, slightly larger than the other icons. Had Present Mic forgotten to talk about that one?

As if his thoughts had directly connected to the man, he smacked the table once. "Oh, right! Sorry little listeners! I forgot to mention this, but there's also a fourth villain! Yes, it's on the printouts! There's a reason why I didn't even bother explaining it. And it's simple; there are no points for killing it, so just steer clear of the big guy! It'll make your whole life easier!"

That had him perking up. A fourth robot that gave no points on defeat? He wondered what the purpose of having it added into the exam was, then. Maybe there was a secret condition that could only be achieved if the robot was defeated? But if Present Mic had outright suggested avoiding confrontation with it, then maybe it was better to just listen to him.

"Well then, everyone! I hope y'all have a jolly old time. And remember," he tipped his glasses ever so slightly downwards, grinning brightly in the darkness of the room. "Go beyond! Plus Ultra and all that jazz! Don't die!" Don't die. Hah. Yeah. That certainly inspires confidence…

As they filed out of the room, students making their way to change into whatever clothes they would be wearing for the exams, Izuku took his girlfriends' hands and smiled at them.

"Alright. So, nothing to it, right? The plan's as simple as it could possibly be; get in there and catch some points," he nodded, trying to sound confident for the two. "We've worked hard. Especially you, Uraraka-san! If anyone's got this, it's you!"

"R-Right! Of course! We got this in the bag! No biggie!"

"That's more like it! Don't be a pussy! Bulldoze those stupid tin cans, and we'll be a shoe-in!" Katsumi pumped an arm, fire in her eyes. "We'll show them all! We'll rock this exam!"

Uraraka giggled, looking amused. "Your endless confidence is honestly incredible, Katsumi-san. What I'd give to have an iota of that. I feel like I'm about to throw up any second now."

"Bah, it's fiiine. Just stop thinking about it so much. Once you get in there, it's do or die. No point worrying about it then."

"Right, right."

As Izuku looked between the two of them, a sudden idea popped in his head, and he wasn't sure what could have compelled him to even think of such an absurd thing.

But his body was already moving. He quickly looked around. Seeing no one, his hands reached for Katsumi's face first—"Eh?" The girl was taken aback, not sure what to make of this single gesture.

And that was before he suddenly planted a kiss right on her lips.

It was a quick gesture that he proceeded to do the same for Uraraka. Her smile froze at the contact of his lips against her, her cheeks in his hand soft and supple and bringing heat to his face.

"Y-You girls got this! I've full confidence that you—Mmfff?!"

His words couldn't have been cut off even faster when Katsumi dove right for him, her lips planted against his in a firm lip lock that had him even leaning back. She was aggressive even with her kisses, her lips rough but so warm that he couldn't help but liken to tasting the spiciest pepper in the desert.

She then pulled back with a loud gasp, burning brightly. "T-That's payback for the sudden trick, Izu! D-Don't think you're getting a one-up against us!"

"Ah!" Ochako snapped herself out of her stupor. "M-Me too! I want a second kiss!"

She didn't wait to ask him for his permission, throwing her arms around his neck and latching her lips onto his. Unlike Katsumi, despite her haste, the brunette was so much softer, affection pouring from her being like a wave. The scent of tea breached his nostrils, and he wanted to lose himself to her embrace, hands on her waist as they made out.

Eventually, she pulled back as well. She could have pretended to be mad all she wanted, but the massive smile on her face would have given her away immediately, her bashful gaze making his heart throb in his chest.

"Good luck, Izuku. And you too, Katsumi-san."

"Y-Yeah. Let's win this!"

"R-Right…" God, he loved his girlfriends.

If there was one discovery that Izuku had made in the short time they'd been dating, it was that kissing apparently helped to override a person's brain and thoughts.

That sounded pretty unrealistic, and he doubted there were any science papers that had studied this phenomenon (though, if there was, he wouldn't be surprised. People do research on all kinds of things in the modern age), especially because it was just too ridiculous to make any reader want to take it seriously.

But, as proven now in the bus ride, all that his mind was replaying over and over was his kisses with his girlfriends. It was truly ridiculous how such a stunt towards his girlfriends had somehow managed to do away with his earlier anxieties, the bus ride taken with a heart much lighter than it had been all morning.

And before anyone tried bringing up sample size, then don't worry. They've kissed. A lot.

Was that an understatement? Nah. In the one month they had left before they got here, they'd spent some time working out or going on more dates. And in every single occasion, he doubted they'd managed to not kiss even once. Such was the severity of the situation that he felt like one might have called it an addiction.

If that was the reality of the situation, then he supposed he really was addicted.

'Haaah… Sorry Mom, Dad. Your son's turned into a bit of a deviant. Truly, I'm the worst.'

Not like it was going to wipe off the goofy smile on his face, though. The other students were either stone-faced, nervous or in between, and he hoped that they would be able to do well in the exam as well.

Sure, in all sense of the word, they were his rivals; people whom he had to fight for a spot in the hero course. Even so, he wasn't going to start attacking them just to get a leg up in the race. Even if Present Mic hadn't warned them, he just couldn't bring himself to stoop to such low tactics.

Not like he was going into this with a tactic to begin with, though he had a faint idea of what he wanted to do. This exam had two win conditions; a time limit of ten minutes, and a need to defeat robots to accumulate points. That meant that he had to be fast. He couldn't afford to get stuck in a single fight for long. He needed to find one enemy after another to rack up his score.

'Although, maybe the finding the enemy part will be a bit of a challenge after all. Because seriously? This is massive.'

That was the thought he had when they stepped out of the bus and witnessed the honest to goodness city awaiting them. He and everyone else there gaped at the sight of their supposed battlegrounds, where tall skyscrapers of concrete pierced the sky. He could imagine this being a place where people would have lived in if it wasn't apparently a simulated grounds.

How much had it cost to make this place? Uraraka might know better since her family worked in the construction business. Likely millions, if not billions of yen—if any of it was real, though the fact that they would likely recycle this place every year for the simulated exam made him appreciate the extent of their efforts.

Sighing, he joined the crowd of students outside of the entrance. It would have been nice if either Katsumi or Uraraka were here for him to talk with, but he supposed it was better that they weren't here. He would have been too distracted thinking about their safeties to be able to focus on his own fights. And that, too, was another problem he'll have to tackle sometime down the line…

He slapped his cheeks, clearing his mind of all thoughts. This was no time to be bogged down by useless thoughts! The girls would be fine! He needed to get his shiz together! If he failed here, he would never hear the end of it from Katsumi!

"Alright, looks like all of y'all are rearing to go!" He jumped at the voice, head snapping left and right before he thought to look up, where Present Mic was leaning against the railings of a tower. What the—How did he get here so fast? "So, you know how it goes! Ten minutes, bash some robots' heads, boom! You're in! If you get enough points, obviously," he waved his hand. "So yeah, best get moving. Once the door opens, it's off with you! Got it?"

"Got it!"

Yeah, okay. No more waiting. It was time to do this.

Izuku closed his eyes, letting calm settle over his entire being as he focused on his core. His mentor had been adamant in him using his imagination to fuel the process, recognizing that it was an essential first step for someone like him to work with his Quirk when he'd never once dealt with it before.

And that was what he imagined the inside of his body as; an intricate network of vessels that branched out and intersected at various points. Meridians, just as they were described in the Nei Jing, which supplied life to his entire body. And at the very root of it all, that which he defined by his imagination alone, was his well.

He drew from the well like one would with a bucket, but instead of scooping handfuls of it, he channelled the 'water' through the lines. And though he imagined fluid, it was closer to pure energy than a physical component that was slowly transported to every inch of his body.

He felt it before he heard the crackles of electricity. His skin heated up from the slight kick it gave him, surfacing from his inner core as it supplied his muscles. They felt much lighter, firmer. His lungs expanded, his hearing sharpened, his heartbeat grew in intensity, and the power he felt was so unnatural, he felt like he was tapping into something dangerous. It almost felt natural.

But that was furthest from the truth. This was the one thing he had been denied in his childhood, now gifted to him with the hopes of mankind clinging onto his shoulders.

[Skills]

One For All: A Quirk destined to save mankind; stockpiles power that can enhance the user's physical abilities. Transferred from All Might.

"Alright! Now go, listeners, and give 'em the what-for..!"

The words were drowned out by the sound of the air roaring in his ears as he shot forwards like a rocket, everything transitioning so fast in his vision from the gates and towards a semi-empty street, where a single-pointer robot was busy idling around and waiting for someone to jump on its mechanical bones.

And, as if some internal sensor had just picked up his presence, its head snapped in his direction. Izuku had already recognized his target, and he reared back his fist to strike it down.

But a plan made was not always a plan perfectly executed. So instead of smashing it to bits with a well-timed sonic punch that would have made him look like a martial arts expert, he obliterated it with a completely different tactic.

And that was by running into it with his body, no different from a bowling ball striking down the pins. The green-haired projectile screamed all the while as he blasted through it, sending metallic parts flying everywhere, before finally colliding with a building. Dust kicked up like a storm, and in the eye of it all, the boy groaned in pain as he struggled under a pile of stone and metal bits.

'Well,' he thought sullenly as a loose brick dropped on his head, making him groan. 'This is going to take a while. How did it even get to this point, again?'

…Ah, right. Apparently this part wasn't explained yet, which would require a flashback. Splendid. Just what the doctor ordered.

There wasn't much to be talked about, really. All Might sought out Izuku the day after his date, made an offer to pass his Quirk onto the young man, and would await him to enter U.A. High after passing the entrance exams. As clear as it could possibly be, right?

Well, perhaps, though it still does beg the question of how a man like All Might could possibly pass down his Quirk to begin with. After all, a Quirk is a power that is genetically hardwired into an individual from birth, and would stick with them until the very end. It wasn't something that could just be handed away at a whim.

And that was precisely what Izuku told the man after listening to him go on and on about his Quirk—at least, after staving off a headache as strong as that one time he'd accidentally gotten himself drunk on Uncle Masaru's alcohol (and he'll be carrying that story to the grave) and his initial hysteria at seeing the man in the flesh.

"It is the truth, my boy. «One For All» is a one-of-a-kind, capable of being passed down from inheritor to inheritor. And if you accept, you will be its ninth wielder."

This was a lot of information to take in, especially when All Might suddenly transformed into a lanky form of his usual self, with sunken eyes and a sharp jaw. Yeah, he'd correctly deduced that the man had been injured in a past battle (and the necrotic wound he'd shown was downright disturbing), but he still had so many questions.

Also, he wasn't sure if he should bring up the fact that he'd just gotten back from a date with his girlfriends. Was this the right to bring it up? Probably not. He'll just keep quiet on that one for now.

"I… Okay, at this point, I think I'll have to suspend my disbelief for a little bit. Otherwise, I think I might go insane," he sighed. They were sitting in the corner of a diner. There were no other patrons, and the only guy manning the station was preoccupied watching cat videos. That gave them a good opportunity to talk about things without being heard. "But why me? I'm pretty sure there are plenty of others that might deserve it more than I do."

"Would you believe me if I said it was a gut feeling?" The answer was a bit of a surprise. The thin man smiled kindly in return. "Truly, when I witnessed you running right at the villain, I had thought you mad. But your lack of hesitation in trying to save your friends… it genuinely awed me. I had never seen such selflessness in so long. A making of a hero, that. That is how I knew I'd found the one."

High praise from his idol? Oh, kill him. "T-That's…"

"And besides, when you told me you were Quirkless, I felt a level of kinship with you. I was Quirkless too, once."

"You were?!"

"Ssh! Not so loud!" Izuku's mouth snapped shut faster than a flytrap. They quickly stared at the receptionist, but he was still busy giggling over cats doing cute things. They relaxed afterwards. "But yes, it was… a very long time. My mentor, who saw potential in me, sought to pass down «One For All»."

All Might was… Quirkless. He never knew. They'd all more or less assumed that he'd been born with that superpower Quirk of his from the very beginning. To know that that wasn't the case at all was…

Izuku shook his head. The fanboy in him was positively vibrating with glee upon learning a key part of his idol's backstory, but he forced himself sober, focusing on the main topic at hand. "So you want to give it to me. Again, I'd have to ask, are you sure?"

"For certain. I was given an opportunity to become a hero, and I want to give you yours. That's what you've wanted, right?"

"What I've always dreamt of. N-Not like I'm desperate for it or anything! I just…"

"I know," he nodded slowly. "Kid, the more I look at you and the more I listen to your story, the more I'm certain this is the right choice I'm making. I truly do think that you're the best fit for «One For All», my boy. And if you choose to accept it, then I wish to give you all my help in mastering such a power."

First confessing his love to his childhood friend, then getting two girlfriends, and now being approached by his biggest idol with the intent of giving him a Quirk?

Underneath the table, he pinched his arm to test the waters. When he was absolutely certain that this wasn't a dream, the stinging actually making him want to bite the inside of his cheeks, he smiled weakly at the man. "This is pretty crazy stuff. I'm… so honoured that you're willing to place your bets on me, All Might."

"Hey, I ain't a betting man. I won't be placing my chips on a risk," he grinned. "You, on the other hand, are a guarantee, all things considered! And I'll believe in that until the very end, my boy," he raised his hand towards him. "So, what will it be?"

Izuku couldn't have taken that hand any faster than he did.

He wasn't as fast when it came to swallowing his hair, though.

And for the rest of the month, between his regular training and his dates, he'd just been practising in secret on trying to regulate the Quirk in his body, warned that to use the totality of its power would have caused him to implode. A completely healthy way to terrify him from going overboard.

Sometime down the line, he would need to thank Katsumi for taking up the duty of training him. All Might had said that he would have had to build his body to sustain «One For All»'s power, but with his regular exercises and routines, he was more than fit to handle the Quirk. All that mattered now was control over his Quirk.

And to be honest? He kind of sucked at that.

He just about almost sprinted past a robot before turning off his Quirk, the rush in his veins cutting off in a blink. With a grunt, he brought up both arms before his face and tackled the bot to the ground, the impact not enough to break it. Powering up his leg, he brought it up high before stomping it down onto its face, obliterating it and cracking the road.

The fact that he'd easily done so with just a fraction of «One For All»'s power terrified him. How easily could he replicate this on a living person? Turning their head, skull and brain into a pulp with just one good stomp?

No. He wouldn't let it happen. Never.

'All Might entrusted me with this power to use it for good. I won't use it for murder.'

And to make sure of that, he needed better control of it. No matter how much he was trying to tap into the littlest amount of his power, it seemed to fluctuate, hopping between his desired amount to augment his body and the undesired waterfall's worth of power that had him shooting past everyone and everything.

But so far, so good. Nineteen points wasn't impressive by any means, but it was better than none! Plus, he still eight minutes left. That would be more than enough time for him to seek out fights and harvest more points.

And his initial assumption was right. There were robots scattered all throughout the city, rarely gathered in one place. But thankfully, having the speed to cover the entire place was a boon; one that he was certain to take advantage of, speeding away in search of another mob to take down.

Around him, the other entrees were holding themselves well. He would have loved to observe them and learn more about their Quirks, but there was little time to do that. They were focusing on their own fights. He needed to do the same.

He came to a skidding stop upon noticing eight robots disrupting the peace of a street filled with cars. They were programmed to just wreck the windows and kick some trees and fire hydrant, but the moment he'd come into their radar, their attention switched towards him.

'Eight? Well, this shouldn't be too bad.'

The engine that was «One For All» hummed to life, a sliver of its power fuelling his body. Izuku felt the crackles on his skin, and he moved into action. A second wasted could give another applicant time to steal a kill from him, and he didn't have the luxury to do that.

His first two targets charged right at him in a double attack attempt. His charge possessed more momentum, however, hence his tackle dismantling their bodies in a messy spray of bolts and plates. Quickly, he grabbed one of the heads and threw it like a fastball, beheading another.

Three down, five to go. He leapt at his next target, one fist reared back before slammed right into its chassis, breaking past it. He spun on his feet and lashed out with his other fist to crack the next robot's skull, watching as electricity sparked from its circuits and wires.

The remaining three moved to take him down together. One drew its fist back and jabbed him. He blocked it with his arm, sweeping his leg under it and toppling it, giving him time to throw a consecutive one-two blow on another. The next hit smashed right through its chest, and he jumped over its body hammer arm on the third bot and crushing its skull. His earlier foe, downed, couldn't get up quickly enough before he returned to finish his kill with a stomp to its head, ending its circuits.

"Hoo… Okay," he breathed out, wiping some sweat on his brow. "If I counted right, that was all thirty points. That's pretty good."

And still with time to spare. He was certain the number of robots were finite, so he couldn't stay here catching his breath for too long. He felt that the desired point count was going to be around fifty points, though who was he to say? Maybe they'd up the bar this year, and would only settle for the best.

No matter. Just keep up this pace, and things will be—

[A Special Event has been triggered!]

For all the times when his power had to kick in, this was not it. And staring at the text, he had to blink in confusion. What the hell does that mean..?

"Whoa!" The boy cried out as the earth beneath him rumbled like crazy, wheeling his arms to steady himself as his eyes snapped left and right. "What the heck is that?!"

His question was soon to be answered when he heard the sound of buildings toppling in the distance. His head followed the source, estimating it to come from the centre of the city, where he could see towers and skyscrapers gradually crashing downwards and disappearing into a cloud of smoke. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out its shape…

"Oh," and to put it frankly, that thing was massive.

U.A. High was known for many things; its prestige, its graduates that consistently make the top ten heroes, its quality teaching staff and equipment, and its crazy exams. He was now a firm believer of that final bit, because seeing a freaking mecha emerge from the ground easily as tall as the Tokyo Skytree was not something he was expecting.

Seriously, who the hell was behind this year's exam? All they'd had so far were tiny bots with wheels. This one had a freaking cannon attached to its back! It looked bulkier, too, and with proper limbs that would give it all the free reign to just go to town and play bull in a china shop.

And that was exactly what it did when its systems were ignited. Slow, wide movements that even a toddler could easily dodge if another person ever imitated the movements, but more than enough to just topple buildings left and right as it marched around, inadvertently adding more to the reconstruction costs. Izuku inwardly died at the numbers tallying.

So, this was the enemy Present Mic had warned them from fighting. It really did seem useless to just add this enemy into the exam if it wasn't going to award any points on kill, though maybe that was the point? An assessment of their ability to deal with an unexpected variable, perhaps.

If so, then this exam just got a whole lot more complicated.

'Leave those thoughts for now. I just need to stay away from the centre. People are going to run away, too, so I'd best do the same.'

Settling for that, Izuku pumped energy throughout his body once more, ready to sprint away…

That is, until he heard running footsteps from behind him. His eyes found two boys, one with a whacky afro and the other looking like a bear, both gasping as they came to a stop.

"D-Dude..! That was so friggin' close..!"

"I know, dude..! It's a good thing we were far away from that zone, or else we'd have gotten caught up in that mess!"

"Yeah! No point going back there!" The afro kid clapped his cheeks. "Guess we'll just stay near the outskirts and look for more bots there. Bound to be some."

"…Hey, think the others got out of there?"

"Pfft, who cares? If they're good enough, they'll definitely get out. And I doubt U.A. would let anyone get killed out here. They'll keep a lookout for any students getting hurt."

"Heh… Fair enough. Alright, let's get moving."

As the two took their leave, Izuku watched them go. His gaze then moved towards the gigantic mecha, which was still having the time of its life reducing everything to rubble, quite literally larger than life in this single moment that it likely wouldn't take note of anyone at its feet.

The boy paused at that thought. Most entrants might have left already, knowing better than to stay around. But if they didn't, then…

His head turned back towards where the boys ran, then back at the robot. And, with a little whine, his Quirk roared to life as he ran towards the mecha. 'Crud. I hope I'm wrong with this…'

The zero-pointer, as termed by the brochure, was easily every mecha fanboy's dream come true. That is, if it was actually piloted by a human being with the intent of being used against interstellar dangers and not running rampant in a city filled with teenagers. The only good thing that he could take from all of this was that its cannon was purely aesthetics. It would have been a nightmare if it started firing off plasma rays everywhere.

Not like it needed its cannon to render the area around it into a warzone. Izuku ducked underneath a car hanging from an overhang, its signal lights going on and off periodically. Glass was scattered all upon the tarred road, fires went off in the alleyways, and countless vehicles were toppled on their sides with shattered windows and crumpled iron.

The boy gulped. This was certainly overkill, but he knew that this was a possible reality that they would have to face at some point. But the fact that they were throwing them into the deep end right off the bat was pretty insane.

'And if people got caught up in all of this before they had the chance to escape…' With «One For All» in his muscles, the boy quickly jogged around the area. He cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting. "Heeey! Is anyone out there? Hellooo!"

He was definitely being an idiot. The whole point of this exam was to go and find robots to kill to tally up some points. He only had thirty, which was incredibly low. He doubted it would be enough to get him into U.A., even if he'd performed adequately enough in the written exams.

But still, when those boys had talked about other entrants potentially getting caught in the mecha's rampage, he had a sinking feeling that maybe some people were unlucky enough that they couldn't escape in time. And if he were to ignore them despite still knowing that, then he would be letting All Might down. He would be proving to both the man and himself that he wasn't worthy of the power gifted to him. A power that was meant to help people.

For now, he needed to clear out the buildings. Someone could be trapped inside and their voices might not reach him outside. He quickly entered the store to his right. It looked like it was a convenience store, though all the shelves and mock products were scattered across the floor. "Hey!" He called out. "Anyone in here?"

No response. This place must be empty.

He navigated the streets for a little longer, thinking that his paranoia was going to be unfounded in the end. It made him think that they'd either holed up in someplace safer or immediately ran off, which would have been the smartest and safest choice to make.

But call it a gut feeling when he said that that couldn't be the case. Things were always bound to go poorly for some unlucky fellow. Like Hans from Hans in Luck, whom Izuku was mildly concerned for in that he deluded himself into thinking all things happening to him was a stroke of good luck, before everything just ended up turning badly for him.

And, when he entered another convenience store hoping to find no one, his fears were answered true when someone rasped out a 'Help..!' from behind a counter. He quickly jogged around it, finding a lizard-tailed boy lying on the ground with glass bottles all around him.

"H-Hey man," he greeted weakly, looking relieved. "Thank goodness… I thought I was gonna' pass out on my own here…"

"I-It's okay. I was just in the area," he said. He crouched and quickly checked the other boy, relieved to find no major injuries. "You're fine. Looks like a couple of scrapes. Feeling dizzy?"

"A little. I think I slipped and hit my head on something. Blast it…" He groaned. "Sorry to bother you, man. You could be out looking for bots right now…"

"It's fine. Helping you out is more important. Here, put your arm around my neck. Yes, just like that. I think I saw a building a way's away that should be safe. I'm gonna' leave you there for a bit and go look for others, okay?"

"Yeah. And thanks. You're a godsend."

"It's fine. The name's Izuku. Izuku Midoriya. You?"

"Danny Hiko. Good to meet you…"