Ch. 11: U.A. Entrance Exam (Part 1)
The months passed by until it became late February. At last, the U.A. Entrance Exam was only a day away. After a day of some final training, Izuku and Asia were heading to get a good night's rest in order to be in ideal condition for the Exam.
"Tomorrow's the big day. I'm so nervous!" Asia said.
"Yeah, me too. We've trained hard for this, but it still feels like it might not be enough," Izuku said. "But it won't do us good to worry, so let's get some proper rest."
And with that, the two entered their rooms.
"Damn it! Say it ain't so!"
"This has to be some kind of mistake!"
Izuku heard the voices of Katsuki's two friends as he noticed that they were crying. Katsuki was also there with his parents, dressed formally, but he seemed uninterested in what was happening and just wanted to go home.
Then Izuku realized he was in a white tuxedo. "Wha– Why am I wearing this?!"
"It's not fair! How's that guy getting married before us?!" Katsuki's buddies once again complained.
"M-m-married?!" Izuku paled. "I'm getting married!?" How?! He was only fifteen and not even in high school yet! Not to mention, he had no idea who he was marrying!
Then, he saw his parents. Inko was dressed in a red gown, and Hisashi wore light blue dress clothes, standing behind her.
"I hope our first grandchild is a girl!" Inko said while miraculously keeping the tears to only a few drops and not a flood like usual.
"Izuku, as your father, I'm proud to say that you're now a real man!" Hisashi praised with a smile.
"There's no need to look so restless, Izuku."
Izuku then heard the lovely voice of Rias. There she was by his side, dressed in a pure white wedding dress that reached her feet. The dress was strapless, allowing her impressive bosom to be seen. A bouquet of white flowers was held in her gloved hands, a veil was lifted over her head, and her beauty was enhanced with makeup. "Just bask in the moment."
'Is this for real?!' Izuku screamed internally. 'I'm marrying Buchou?!'
As the pastor recited the prayer, Izuku tried not to look nervous, but inside his mind, he was a total wreck. He never imagined that he'd be getting married to such a beautiful girl like Rias.
"We're here," At the sound of Rias's voice, Izuku was brought back to reality, only to find themselves in front of a love hotel. He then remembered that newlywed couples often start their honeymoon with all-night-long passionate sex.
"Shall we?" Rias asked with a smile.
"Uh… yeah," Izuku nodded slowly, his face still bright red.
The room that they checked into had a typical design with colors mostly red and pink to stimulate passion. The rug was so soft that guests could make love on the floor right then and there. There was one round bed, and on its side was a nightstand with a control panel. Rias washed herself off in the shower while Izuku twitched his thumbs like crazy while sitting nervously on the bed.
Izuku looked around the room and there were bottles of wine, lit scented candles, and massage oils on a nearby table. As his timid nature surfaced, he gulped loudly. He was about to enter uncharted territory. Other than the times he played house with Icchan, he had never been with a girl at all, but this was no children's game, it was adult reality. He did find her attractive like any other heterosexual male, though he couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he had caught her interest. And now here he was, on their first night together, ready to seal their relationship with a night of passion.
"Oh, Izuku~."
Izuku quickly turned his head at the sound of Rias's voice. There was Rias, out of the bathroom with her sexy body enveloped by a towel, which didn't stay on for long, allowing the goods underneath to be revealed. The elegant young lady was in a very smoking lingerie, a white floral lace bustier with a lace-up front, boning, garter straps, underwire cups, adjustable shoulder straps, matching fingerless gloves, and G-string with matching sheer stockings.
"Uh… you look… wow…" That was all he could say.
Rias giggled as she sauntered over to him. She pushed him down on the bed and climbed on top, straddling his waist.
"S…sorry, I'm n-not really used to this yet," Izuku stuttered, his voice beginning to crack.
"There's no need to apologize, my dear Izuku," Rias smiled, her eyes half-lidded as she cupped both her hands to his face. Izuku could feel his heart throbbing. It was so loud, it practically thundered in his eardrums. "If you want, I can lead."
Rias leaned down and puckered her lips, wanting to seal the moment with a kiss. Izuku didn't know what else to do but breathe deeply and close his eyes. His arms reacted on their own and wrapped around her waist, bringing her in closer, the lips just inches-
[Sorry to interrupt this moment you're having, but it's time you and I meet face-to-face, boy.]
Izuku's eyes shot open as he quickly sat up. The scene changed as Rias suddenly disappeared, leaving Izuku alone in a black void. "Hey, I've heard that voice before!" It was back when he went Boosted Dragon for the first time.
[You have. After all, I am inside you.]
"You, what?!" Izuku asked.
[Why ask a question when you know the answer?]
Izuku then turned to find himself surrounded by a sea of flames, and amid the inferno was a gigantic red… "D-D-D-Dr-Dragon?!"
[I've been speaking to you for a long time. Perhaps my voice never reached you because you've been too weak to hear me.]
"Wh-What do you want?" Izuku asked.
[I merely wanted to say hello to my partner, the one I shall be fighting alongside from this moment forward.]
"Partner? I still don't know who you are!"
[Quit being dramatic. You know exactly who I am.]
"Wait! I still have-" Izuku tried to call out for the voice, only to see the Boosted Gear appear on his left arm as it glowed green.
Izuku opened his eyes to find himself back in bed. As he set up, he looked at his left arm which housed the Boosted Gear. 'What a dream… But what was with that big dragon?'
However, he didn't have time to ponder on that as he saw the clock read nearly 5:30 a.m., time for his morning exercise. However, that wasn't what was most important today. "The entrance exam!"
After some jogging, he returned to the apartment to see Asia preparing breakfast. "Good morning, Izuku," she greeted.
"Good morning," Izuku greeted back. "Are Mom and Dad still asleep?"
"Yeah, they are."
As the two ate breakfast, they talked about what the Exam might be like. Once they were done, the two had their training clothes packed and were ready to head out.
"Okay. We're heading out," Izuku said to his parents, who were now awake to see them off.
"Good luck, kids. No matter what happens, I'll be proud of you both," Inko assured.
"Don't let the pressure get to you, and no doubt, you'll ace it," Hisashi said.
It was now 8:40 a.m., and Izuku and Asia arrived at U.A., right on time for the Entrance Exam. The two were right outside the school, staring up at the rather huge entrance that they'd seen plenty of times before, but right now, it put them under a lot of pressure.
"Wow, even though we've been here many times before, it sure feels different today," Asia said.
"Yeah. This is it, do-or-die. Today's the day that will determine whether or not we are actually going to attend here," Izuku said, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Even so, it can't be that bad as facing against Raynare or Vector." That last part gave Asia some reassurance. And then…
"Stupid Deku…"
Izuku immediately paused. "Kacchan!"
"Get out of my way now before I set you on fire," Katsuki threatened.
"WHA! Oh! Hey, good morning! Um, let's all do our best out there, okay?" Izuku said as he complied with Katsuki's demand.
As Izuku stammered, Katsuki walked past Izuku, not paying much attention to Asia.
"Why is he always so angry with you?" Asia asked. She had seen plenty of times in class when Katsuki flipped out at Izuku.
"Oh, that's just Kacchan. That's how he's pretty much always been," Izuku replied. Then he shook that thought aside to remind himself why he was there. 'I have to remember all the work I put in.' He thought as he put one foot forward, taking one small step towards his future. 'Thanks to Rias, I'm actually going to be a Hero!' Then it was followed by one embarrassing fall for his self-worth as he tripped over his own feet. 'Or I'll just die… Again?'
However, the contact with the hard ground never occurred as he suddenly found himself floating a few inches above the ground. Next to him was a girl with brunette hair styled in a bob cut with two bangs going along the side of her face on each side. She had brown eyes and a perma-blush on her face. "Heh. Are you okay?"
As Izuku flailed midair in confusion, the brunette helped him back down on solid ground. "I stopped you with my Quirk. I'm sorry I didn't ask first. But I figured you wouldn't mind me catching you."
"O-Oh y-yeah, thanks. You saved me from eating pavement," Izuku said.
"Isn't this like, way nerve-racking?"
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"Well, I guess I'll see you inside. Bye!" The girl said before entering the campus building. 'He's a bit plain-looking, but still kinda cute! Wait! Why did I just think that?! But still… I wouldn't mind if we got to be in the same class together.'
'She was pretty nice,' Izuku thought as Asia caught up to him. When she noticed him smiling at the brunette, she pouted in envy and tugged at his arm to get his attention.
"Hey! Been waiting long?!" The voice of Mina suddenly got their attention as she, Itsuka, and Eijiro ran up to them.
"I'm so pumped for this! Who else is ready?!" Eijiro asked.
"I'd like to say yes, but I'd be lying," Asia admitted.
"Yeah, pre-exam jitters," Itsuka said. "Even so, let's get in there and take care of the written exam."
"Yeah!" With that, the five headed inside.
"So, how'd you do on the exam?" Izuku asked Asia as they headed into a lecture hall.
"It wasn't too hard. All thanks to you helping me study," Asia replied. "What about you?"
"Great, I believe," Izuku answered. The exam questions were mostly a breeze for him.
Inside, they found their seats, which happened to be right next to Katsuki, causing Izuku to have a small panic attack. Luckily for him, Katsuki only gave them a simple annoyed look before ignoring them.
Izuku was relieved by the minimal interaction as he and Asia took their seats, with Asia sitting between Izuku and Katsuki.
"How do you think Eijiro, Mina, and Itsuka did on the test?" Asia asked.
"I'm sure they passed, now we just need to worry about the practical," Izuku said, confident that their friends passed the first part of the Entrance Exam.
Suddenly, the lights lit up over the center of the stage in the room, drawing everyone's attention forward as the large screen lit up and showed a golden logo of U.A.
"Whassup, U.A. candidates? Thanks for tuning in to me, your school DJ!" The speaker was a tall skinny man standing in the center of the stage with long blond hair spiked upwards and a small mustache. He wore sunglasses and a pair of headphones with the word 'HAGE' on the headband. He also had a black jacket that was studded on the collar, which was upturned, and had shoulder pads and a red studded belt with black pants, boots, and fingerless gloves. He also seemed to have a directional speaker around his neck. "C'mon, and lemme hear ya!" He turned around and put a hand over his ears to hear the response, but all he got was dead silence. 'And here I thought Shota was a sourpuss.' "Keepin' it mellow, huh? That's fine. I'll skip straight to the main show. Let's talk about how this Practical Exam's gonna go down! ARE YOU READAY?! Che!" He once again got only silence.
"Oh my goodness, it's the Voice Hero: Present Mic! So cool!" Izuku said, excited to see a Pro Hero in person. "I listen to his radio show every day of the week. It's so crazy nuts that U.A. has Pro Heroes as teachers!"
"Will you shut up?" Katsuki grumbled, annoyed by Izuku's fanboying.
"Like your application said, today you rockin' boys and girls will be out there conducting ten-minute mock battles in super-hip urban settings! Gird your loins, my friends. After I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specified battle centers. Sound good?" There was once again silence as the examinees checked their applicant cards. "OKAAAAAY!?"
"I see. They're splitting us up, so we can't work with any of our friends," Katsuki noted as he took a peek at Asia and Izuku's cards.
"Yeah, you're right," Izuku said as he and Asia checked each other's cards. "Our examinee numbers are one after the other, but we're assigned to different Battle Centers." He was in Center B while Asia was assigned to E.
"Damn," Katsuki muttered under his breath. "I was really looking forward to crushing you."
Izuku let out a nervous laugh while Asia shot Katsuki a dirty look.
Then, the screen showed a display of the Battle Center as Present Mic moved on to the next part of the explanation. "Okay, okay. Let's check out your targets. There are three types of faux-Villains in every Battle Center. You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so better choose wisely. Your goal in this trial is to use your Quirk to raise your score by shredding these faux-villains like a mid-song guitar solo. But check it! Make sure you're keeping things heroic. Attacking other examinees is a U.A. no-no, ya dig?"
"Excuse me, sir. But I have a question!" A tall boy with blue hair and glasses stood straight up with his hand raised high.
"Hit me!" Present Mic pointed at the boy, and the spotlight shined on him.
"On the printout, you listed four types of villains, not three." He stated. "With all due respect, if this is an error on official U.A. materials, it's shameful. We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan's most notable school. A mistake such as this won't do." Then he pointed toward Izuku. "Additionally, you, with the unkempt hair!" His eyes showed clear disdain and criticism. "You've been muttering this entire time! Stop that. If you can't bother to take this seriously, leave. You're distracting the rest of us!"
"Sorry," Izuku said, covering his mouth and lowering his head as the other examinees began laughing at him.
Asia did not like the boy's attitude towards Izuku and was about to speak up in his defense, but someone beat her to it.
"Was that really necessary?" A girl asked.
"I beg your pardon?" The boy said, surprised that someone disagreed with his lecturing.
The attention was now on the girl. She was an American with long black hair, a blue headband over her bangs, blue eyes, fair skin, and red lipstick. She wore a midriff-baring white shirt with a red collar, red sleeves, and a red oval on her chest, along with blue skinny jeans and red-white sneakers.
"Like I said, was that really necessary?" The girl repeated. "Can you really blame him for getting a little excited over seeing Present Mic and probably being nervous about the exam? And I think the last thing he needs is some snob making him feel worse."
"But that muttering! It's distracting!" The boy countered. "Such behavior is inappropriate in a prestigious institute like this!"
"I'm way closer to him than you are and you don't hear me or anyone else around me complaining, do you?" The girl asked rhetorically. "You know what's more distracting than some small muttering? A guy standing up and demanding his questions be answered. If you have a question, why not just raise your hand like a normal person instead of shooting up and trying to be the center of attention?"
The tables were turned on the glasses boy, and now he was the target of everyone's laughter as he struggled to come up with a proper response.
Luckily for him, Present Mic stepped in to diffuse the situation. "Alright, alright calm down, Examinee numbers 7111 and 4304. To answer your request 7111, the fourth Villain type is worth zero points. That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way. There's one in every Battle Center. Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten, but there's… kinda no point. I recommend, my listeners, try to ignore it and focus on the ones toppin' the chart!"
"Thank you very much. Please continue," The blue-haired boy thanked as he did a perfect 90 bow before sitting back down.
"Oh, I get it. So they're kinda like traps you have to get by in games."
"This whole thing's like a video game, huh?"
Some random examinees discussed the Zero-Pointer.
Izuku turned toward the girl who defended him. She noticed him from the corner of her eyes as he mouthed a 'Thank you.' She understood and gave Izuku a small smile and a nod.
"That's all I've got for you today. I'll sign off with a little present, a sample of our school motto. As General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, 'A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes.' Mm-hmm, now that's a tasty sound byte. Ya ready to Go Beyond? Let's hear a Plus Ultra! Good luck! Hope you've practiced hitting more than just books!"
"That was encouraging," Asia said as she sat up.
"Yeah, now we better get to our Battle Centers. Good luck," Izuku said as he held out his hand.
"You too," Asia said as she shook Izuku's hand.
One bus ride later, everyone had arrived at their respective Battle Centers, each housing a fake city that the mock battle would be held in.
In Center E, Asia looked up at the huge entrance to the battle site, and it made her feel a bit intimidated. She was hoping Izuku could have been by her side for some reassurance, but that idea fell through when it was revealed that they were making sure that students from the same school would be separated.
"Hey, looks like we're in the same group!"
"Itsuka!" Seeing a familiar face made Asia's nervousness dissipate a bit.
"I don't blame ya if you're nervous. This is honestly, quite a lot, in my opinion," Itsuka said. "Makes me feel that this might be a little too biased against people with Quirks that won't work well against robots."
Meanwhile, Chacha was at another battle center, staring up at the gates to the battleground with anticipation. She did have butterflies in her stomach, sure, but she wasn't about to let that drag her down. She wasn't the Queen of Latia Astaroth for nothing! She would make it into U.A.! Both for her own goals to be a Hero, and to be with Izuku.
Speaking of Izuku, she first met him when she started attending Aldera Junior High, not long after she joined Latia's Peerage, whom she got acquainted with thanks to a connection from her Devil father. She came to learn that Izuku was Quirkless, and honestly, he didn't stand out to her all that much other than that he muttered a lot. However, she did notice that he seemed to be the frequent target of wrath from the explosive boy Katsuki Bakugo. Other than that, her middle school experience was nothing out of the ordinary, she made some friends and hung out with them from time to time.
Then, that life-changing incident occurred. A family friend of hers on her mother's side, someone who was like an older brother to her in her childhood, died in a Villain attack. He was the Jaguar Hero: Nox, and the one who inspired Chacha to be a Hero. Though the whole family mourned Nox's sacrifice to stop the Villain, Chacha was the one most affected, even doubting her aspirations of being a Hero. Her social life also took a hit as in her grief, she stopped seeing her friends and they soon became distant from her. Latia and the rest of her Peerage tried all they could to make Chacha feel like her old self again, but nothing worked.
Then one day at the beginning of the first semester of her third year, she saw a pair of siblings walk by outside the school gate: an older brother caring for his younger sister as the two laughed cheerfully. The sight caused Chacha to fall to her knees and break down in tears. Despite a lot of students bearing witness to the scene, no one reached out to her because she had grown socially distant. All except one. When she felt a comforting hand around her shoulder, she looked up to see the concerned face of Izuku.
She was honestly surprised that someone showed concern for her, asking if she was okay, to which she gave a shaky nod. Afterward, he took her to a nearby cafe where she got to know him better. She heard he had trouble talking with girls, but at that moment when he was trying to make her feel better, all that shyness seemed to have disappeared, almost like she was talking with someone else, though it did come back a little when her mood started to pick up and she began conversing back.
Izuku told her about his dream to be a Hero, one who selflessly saves everyone in need with a smile on his face, just like All Might. Hearing Izuku's motivation reminded Chacha of her own reasons for wanting to be a Hero. Growing up, Nox would tell her his experiences working as a Pro Hero, and his words of wisdom for doing what he did was to ensure that normal people could continue to live their peaceful lives so that they had a tomorrow they could look forward to.
It was at this moment that a friendship started to form that eventually developed into a crush. They talked more and more often, and soon, Izuku started being able to talk to her without any bits of shyness, and Chacha started returning to her old self, to the relief of everyone else in the Peerage, especially Latia.
And now, after months of training, here she was. Standing with other hopeful U.A. applicants, determined to make it into U.A. She wasn't the only one from her group applying for the Hero Course, as Orihime was too. Despite this, the butterflies in her stomach were quite feisty.
"Hold up… Akaninjin?"
Chacha turned in the direction her name was called from. It took a moment to recognize the voice, as Chacha only briefly met her once when she tagged along with Izuku for training. "Um, it's Ashido, right?"
Mina smiled as she walked up to Chacha. "Cool. We're in the same group," she said.
"Yeah, I guess…" Chacha said. "You ready for this?"
"I'd say I am."
"You're not nervous?" Chacha asked, surprised.
"Girl, there's no point lettin' your nerves get to ya. If you wanna pass, then you gotta have confidence!" Mia said. "Try this, gather all the feeling into your gut, then let out a hearty laugh, like this. Ahahahahaha!"
Chacha did as instructed. "Ahahahahaha!" Then, just as Mina said, she started feeling more at ease. "Huh, it works."
"Told ya."
Izuku and a small group of examinees arrived at Battle Center B. His entire body shook like a leaf, and there was a wobbly smile on his face. He looked back on everything that led to this moment, from the years of belittling, how he would never be a Hero or amount to anything, to being reincarnated as a Devil by Rias and making new friends along the way. It was thanks to them that he was given a chance, now it was his moment to shine, to prove all the naysayers wrong. He would be a Hero. A Hero who saves everyone with a smile on his face, just like All Might.
Then, while gazing at the other examinees, he spotted the brunette from earlier. 'Hey, it's her! The nice girl I met at the school gates! The one who kept me from falling!' Izuku thought about going up to her to talk to her, but then Izuku noticed the glasses kid nearby. 'He's here too?!'
Then, the girl noticed Izuku. "Hey, it's you. Falling Boy!"
"Uh, y-yeah. That's me…" Izuku said, recognizing that he already had a label for himself.
"Looks like we got assigned to the same Battle Center!" She smiled.
"Yeah, how coincidental," Izuku replied.
Meanwhile, the bespectacled teen was scanning his surroundings. He had come prepared for the exam with a special tracksuit that would reduce friction and cling tight to his body without chafing it. When he saw the other examinees, however, he could see that most of them seemed to not care or be more concerned about looking flashy than wearing something practical at least. Tracksuits, sweat pants, old t-shirts that looked far too big for those wearing them, and the occasional scarf that helped to create the image of a Hero costume. He had no idea what some of them were even thinking by wearing their school uniforms.
Then he noticed Izuku as the brunette noticed him and started a conversation. 'The nerve! Do they not realize they could cause a distraction for the other examinees?!' He was about to step in and demand that they cease what they were doing, but then he recalled how the black-haired girl called him out on his criticizing attitude and he just ended up looking like a fool. Thinking back, he actually thought she had a point. Maybe he was a little too judgmental of someone he just met that day. He thought about talking to the green-haired boy to apologize for earlier when…
"Right, let's start! GET MOVING!" The voice of Present Mic announced. "Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles! Run! Run! Run, listeners! You're wasting air time here!"
Everyone stood in shock for a few seconds before they all snapped out of it and rushed into the Battle Center all at once.
The U.A. Entrance Exam Arc begins! How will Izuku and his friends fare? How will things differ from canon?
Also, who else thought Tenya deserved getting called out for his attitude toward Izuku? He was pretty elitist around this time before becoming friends with Izuku changed that. As for the girl who defended Izuku, her identity will be revealed in the next chapter.
Seeing as how Chacha is partially based on Carrot from One Piece, for her flashback, I included a character based on Pedro, and the Candy Villain he sacrificed himself to stop is obviously based on Charlotte Perospero.
See you next time. Go beyond! Plus Ultra!