ENTRANCE EXAM
Izuku is dead on his feet.
When Chizuru-sensei said that his new training regime would be harsher, she wasn't exaggerating. From dawn to dusk, every single day for two weeks, all he did was train until he was bathing in his own sweat. Looking at his side, his mom wasn't any better. Although her regime was infinitely lighter than his, Izuku could see just how out of shape his mom was. Her breathing is ragged and she seemed pained. Her previously light green shirt is now darker and damp from sweat.
"You're both doing good so far," A deep baritone said from beside them. It was Gin-san, their sub-trainer, and also the owner of this gym they are currently using. He has a couple of sports water bottles on each hand that he offered them. "Here."
"Thank you" Both mother and son bowed in gratitude and drank the sports drink greedily.
"Don't mention it~" He chuckled. He studied both green-haired duo and nodded. "Both of your training are doing you both wonders"
"Uh.. Uhm..." Izuku faltered for a moment. "H-how many students have Chizuru-sensei had before?"
Gin-san blinked for a moment before replying, "You're the first ones, as far as I know"
"Eh?" Both Midoriya-s are surprised.
Another chuckle left Gin-san as he glanced at the said woman in the corner of the room, making adjustments to their schedule. "She's just that good at utilizing her quirk"
"If you don't mind me asking, sir" Inko looked at him curiously, "How long have you known each other?"
"I've known her since we were still in primary school" was all he said before leaving them to approach the said woman on the other side of the gym.
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[The Next Day]
"ARGHHH" Izuku groaned as he walked to school. Honestly, he didn't want to come back but his mom only asked for him to be excused for two weeks and those two weeks were up. When he woke up before dawn earlier, he did his usual routine before preparing for school...
But somehow it feels incomplete.
With the constant heavy training he underwent for two weeks, the sudden halt of it felt - for the lack of a better word - jarring. His body was conditioned and trained till exhaustion and the sudden lack of it is grating on his nerves.
Taking out his new schedule, he groaned at the lack of strenuous activities. All it contained was grip training, and topics to research and study. FOR THE WHOLE DAY!
At the top of the page, there were two words written in big, bold letters: REST DAY
Of course, he knows the importance of rest... Kind of hard not to when your sensei threatens to shove down a rusty spoon down your throat for disobeying... But this is maddening!
Wasn't going to the hot springs last night enough rest already?
Another groan left his lips as he noticed that he finally arrived at school without obstruction (ie, villain attack). This is going to be a loooooong day.
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[The Next Day]
Izuku both dreaded and anticipated the moment his Combat Training started. And today is that day. After school, he went straight to the gym they've been to for the past two weeks. His mom was already there, running on the treadmill with Chizuru-sensei watching over and monitoring her breathing patterns. Gin-san, on the other hand, is assisting another customer on the other side of the room. Placing his bags in the locker provided for them, he changed in to his training clothes.
It was after finishing his usual stretches when Chizuru-sensei called him to another room. Stepping in, Izuku instantly knew that the room has thicker padding than the previous room they've occupied.
"I'm a practitioner of Mixed Martial Arts," Chizuru-sensei said, gesturing both mother and son to stand two meters apart. "I know a few different techniques but we'll start with the most basic"
"I'm sure you both know by now what muscles to hit where it hurts the most?"
And that is how the curtain for the remaining months lifted towards the day of the Hero Course Entrance Exams.
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[EIGHT MONTHS LATER]
"I'm here..." Izuku stared wide-eyed at the looming building in front of him. His dream school...
["Remember to keep your cool"] Chizuru-sensei's voice floated in his mind. ["You have to clear your mind to think of a plan"]
None of them knew how the Practical Skills Exam would be, and so, they didn't know how to prepare for it. But Chizuru-sensei didn't really seem to care...
["Whether you're pitted up against a mock villain or a fellow examinee doesn't change the fact that your skills will be tested. Now decimate those g*dd*mn targets!"] Was what she said.
"FUCK OFF, DEKU!!" A familiar voice growled behind him. "Don't stand in my way, or do you wanna fucking die?!"
"Ah" Izuku could only blink, but dutifully step aside and let the other pass ahead of him.
Taking a deep breath, Izuku took a step forward to follow... and tripped. "ACK!"
He expected the familiar cold hard ground, but it didn't come. Opening the eyes he didn't notice he closed, he noticed that he's floating.
"Sorry for using my quirk on you without asking first," A soft voice asked from behind him. As she stepped in his line of vision, he saw a pretty girl his age. "I just think it'd have been a bad omen if you tripped, you know?"
Blinking as she set him down on his feet, he couldn't help the dry comment that escaped him. "I already did though"
Clamping both hands on his mouth, he mumbled a frantic apology. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to sound so rude!" I was just so used to returning sensei's dry comments with my own!
Chuckling, the girl waved his apologies away. "You're funny"
"Eh?" He took a double-take at that. She finds that funny? Really?
"Anyway, good luck! See you later!" She smiled as she waved goodbye and proceeded towards the school entrance.
She was just polite. Izuku sighed.
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"WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO MY LIVE SHOW!" The Voice-Type Hero Present Mic greeted the thousands of students currently cramped in the auditorium. "EVERYBODY SAY 'HEEEEY!'"
Despite the MC is one of the most renown Pro-Heroes in Japan, nobody seems to echo his enthusiasm as his call was answered with deafening silence.
"I'VE GOT SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE, TOO, LISTENERS!" It seems that the Pro-Hero Present Mic decided to treat his current audience as though it is his regular radio show. "ALL RIGHT EXAMINEES... I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE LOW-DOWN ON HOW THIS'LL GO DOWN! ARE YOU READY?!"
"YEAAAAH!" Unfortunately, it was also him who answered that as the student examinees are once again as silent as a grave.
"NOW PAY CLOSE ATTENTION, LISTENERS!" Present Mic raised his hand to point at the visual behind him. "WE'LL BE TESTING YOUR METTLE BY RUNNING A TEN MINUTE PRACTICE RUN AT OUR REPLICA CITY-DISTRICT!"
"A Replica? Of the City-District?" Izuku frowned. "Is that even possible? I know UA is a huge place but to put in a replica of the district is just too far fetched, isn't it?"
"SHUT UP!" Bakugou Katsuki growled from beside the green-haired teen, causing said teen to press his lips shut.
"YOU CAN TAKE WHATEVER YOU LIKE!" Present Mic continued on the announcement. "EVERYBODY GATHER AT THE DESIGNATED MEETING AREA AFTER THE PRESENTATION. OKAY!?"
"They don't intend on letting friends or classmates cooperate with each other, huh?" Katsuki glared at the piece of paper that has a set of numbers and a block letter.
Izuku glanced at his own paper. They gave us individual serial numbers.
"It's probably set up so I don't get to crush you, tch" Katsuki glared darkly and it only received a blank stare from the green-haired teen he's trying to intimidate.
I can't believe I used to cower from him. Izuku thought. Sensei's more terrifying than him when she's angry.
"DON'T LOOK AT ME OR I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Katsuki growled, earning a sweatdrop from his seatmate.
All this time, Present Mic continued on the presentation.
"WE'LL BE SPRINKLING 'VILLAINS' OVER THE BATTLEFIELD. AND THEY'LL APPEAR IN THREE DIFFERENT VARIETIES, WITH POINT VALUES SCALED ACCORDING TO DIFFICULTY!!" Izuku frowned at the challenge. "USING EACH OF YOUR INDIVIDUAL QUIRKS, DISPATCH AS MANY 'VILLAINS' AS YOU CAN! YOUR GOAL, LISTENERS, IS TO RACK UP A HIGH SCORE!!"
"AND DON'T THINK ABOUT DIRECTLY ATTACKING ANY OTHER COMPETITORS OR ANY OF THAT NASTY ANTI-HERO STUFF, BECAUSE THAT'S AGAINST THE RULES!!"
"Of course, it is" Izuku replied dryly, uncaring as to whoever heard. "This is a Hero School, not a Villain School"
"Excuse me, may I ask a question?" A guy in a neat school uniform raised his hand. "On the hand-out, there are clearly four types of villains listed! Such an error would be the height of embarrassment for a top-tier national academy of UA's caliber!..."
Izuku glanced down at the said paper and true enough, there were four silhouettes of 'villains' marked from A to D. The list on the right margin couldn't be missed though. Where A, B, and C are listed as 1, 2, and 3 points respectively, letter D is listed as 0 points.
"...THE REASON WE ARE SEATED HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE WE SEEK GUIDANCE ON THE PATH TO BECOMING MODEL HEROES!"
Then the kid glanced at their direction. "MOREOVER, WHAT'S WITH YOU?!" He pointed directly at Izuku and glared at him. "IF YOU THINK UA IS SOME PLEASURE JOINT, THEN LEAVE THIS PLACE AT ONCE!"
["Keep your head up, kid"] Chizuru-sensei's voice once again rung in Izuku's head. ["The only time a Hero should allow himself to be walked over on is when a person's life is on the line. Otherwise, take pride in yourself."]
Izuku's green eyes darkened as he met the glare with his own. There was a tense silence as other examinees watched if he'll retaliate.
"And who might you be to tell me to leave?" Izuku asked, voice deceptively light. "I didn't think fellow examinees have that kind of power to decide for others who've come this far" I didn't run myself to the ground for 10 months just to be pushed aside. I didn't endure 10 months of hell just to be insulted.
"OKAY, OOOKAY!" Present Mic decided to cut in the tension. "THANKS FOR THE SEGUE, MUCH APPRECIATED, EXAMINEE 7111"
After Present Mic explained the 4th 'villain', the boy apologized for being rude... but it left a bitter taste in Izuku's mouth.
Everyone in this crowd of hopeful students is privileged with a quirk and they don't know how it feels like to be looked down on and be insulted. To be thrown aside like trash. It's like... It's alright for them to be rude to each other as long as they have a quirk and instinctually insult the quirkless whether they knew it or not.
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THEY REALLY DO HAVE A REPLICA OF THE DISTRICT.
"IT'S HUGE!" One examinee commented in awe. Izuku couldn't blame him, he's in a similar state.
"This might as well be a whole town!" Another commented. "How many replica sites like this exist on the campus?"
"At least 4" Izuku guessed. "That's the number of groups we've been split up"
"Whoa..." The guy was wide-eyed.
["Assess the situation"] Izuku took in every applicant in his block. ["Keep your head clear of distractions"]
"?!" Izuku's eyes landed on a familiar girl in the crowd. She's in the same block as me! I don't think I've ever thanked her for earlier?
Heading towards her direction, another examinee blocked his path. "Are you planning to disrupt that girl's concentration?" The guy asked sternly.
"No" Izuku answered in a deadpan. "I'm heading towards the front of the crowd. Do you mind stepping aside?"
Another tense silence descended upon them.
"I see," The guy replied and did as what told. "I apologize for being rude. I am Iida Tenya." He raised a hand in a hand-shake that the other took.
"Ah... I'm Midoriya Izuku, nice to meet you" The tension left Izuku as he heard the sudden non-hostile tone. Then he sighed. "I'm sorry too, for being irritable."
"You said that you're moving towards the front?" Tenya asked as he matched the other's steps.
"Early bird gets the worm, right?" Izuku chuckled dryly.
"AAAAAND START!" Present Mic's voice echoed through the arena loudly, cutting off whatever Tenya was going to reply.
"Huh?" Some examinees blinked in confusion but it only fueled Izuku to sprint onwards. He had enough experience with sudden beginnings to stay around like a sitting duck waiting for a hammer to the head. Now's not the time to remember that.
In the background, Present Mic is encouraging the students to move.
"WHAT'S THE MATTER!? THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A COUNTDOWN IN A REAL BATTLE! RUN! RUUUN!!"
"CONSIDER THE BATON TOSSED!"