Chapter 665 - 6-

Chapter 6: Make Your Entrance"YEEEAAAHHH!"All-Might had just left his truck when he heard the loud cry. Worried about Young Midoriya, he immediately bolted to where the sound was. But the second he arrived, he stopped, stunned at the sight before him.

"YEEEAAAHHH!" Not one speck. Not one scrap. Not a single piece of garbage remained on the beach. Izuku had piled it onto the sidewalk, where the crew that All-Might had hired would pick it up in an hour or two. On top of that pile, was a shirtless Izuku Midoriya, crying out against the world. All-Might realized what the scream was. It wasn't anger, or frustration, or fear, or doubt.

"YEEEAAAHHH!"It was triumph. It was victory. It was an answer to a world that had told him no. Young Midoriya did it. All-Might had no idea how. He had only left for a few weeks to check in with Dave at I-Island. The progress that Midoriya had made had been pushed back. Illegal dumpers had continued to litter, the currents continued to drag garbage from the ocean, and not least of all, the damage from the fight with the thugs had been devastating.

All-Might had every confidence that Izuku Midoriya would get close to finishing before the exam. All-Might even knew that Midoriya would likely come back and finish. But this... this surpassed All-Might's expectations.

"Oh my... oh my... GOODNESS!" All-Might swelled to his muscle form, projecting his voice up to his successor. The young man turned to face All-Might, swaying slightly from exhaustion. Sweat dripped down his entire body, his chest heaving like he crossed the line of a marathon. All-Might shouted up to him, "I can't believe it! You cleaned the entire beach!"

"Yeah... It's done... The beach... is clean..." Izuku stumbled down the mountain of trash, almost crashing to the ground. All-Might caught him, pulling him in for a one-armed hug. Then All-Might guided the stumbling Midoriya over to a nearby bench. The young man's backpack was conveniently already there, so Midoriya reached in to pull out a cold water bottle. He chugged it like he had been stranded in a desert, gasping for air when he pulled it away.

All-Might kept an eye on Midoriya while he rehydrated, just to be sure. As he did so, All-Might pulled out his phone and scrolled to an album from almost a year ago. He clicked on the picture, showing the scrawny, crying Midoriya. That young man, who All-Might had seen promise in all those months ago, had finally grown into a worthy vessel for One for All.

All-Might wondered if this is what having a son felt like. He had never had the chance to form a family like this. All-Might was too committed to being the Symbol of Peace and handling the scourge that was All for One. While a family would have been nice, All-Might had seen first hand the dangers that came from having a weakness like that with an enemy like that demon lord. All-Might had been content with the path he had chosen instead. His life had meaning, regardless of the lack of those bonds.

Yet, it was a warm feeling that filled All-Might as he turned the phone's screen towards Midoriya, "Look at this. It's you! From when you started the journey!" All-Might gestured towards Midoriya's physique. His frame was lean and powerful, now ready for the heroic power he would receive. "When we started, you had so far to go. But now, you have worked far past what I expected of you. Your hard work here, more than anything, shows the strength of your character. You have become my ideal successor, in both heart and body."

Izuku's breathing had finally settled, but he had taken to looking at the ground. He shook his head forlornly, "No, All-Might. This wasn't just me. I know someone was helping when I wasn't here, and Miss Yaoyorozu helped me out by giving me the lamp." Izuku closed his eyes, "Not to mention all of the coaching that you have given me, or the meals that my mom has made! I've been... so incredibly blessed."

All-Might released a long breath, returning back to his skinny form. He took a knee in front of his successor, "Young Midoriya, my mentor once told me," Izuku jerked his head upwards, eyes widened at the prospect of new All-Might trivia. He was such a fanboy. All-Might continued, "She once told me that there is a difference between being lucky and being deserving. One was chance, the other a reward."

All-Might narrowed his eyes, "Your mother made you those meals because she knew that you needed them for the training you were doing. I gave you coaching because I knew you would listen and act on it." Izuku's eyes started to water. All-Might wanted to call him out on it, but decided to let it go. The kid deserved this release.

"Miss Yaoyorozu made that lamp for you because you were doing a good deed and she was paying you forward. And whoever it was that started helping you... They likely only started because you were here, putting in the time and effort." All-Might stood up again, bulking up to his strong form once more.

"You have earned this power, fair and square. Because of your effort, and because of your heart. Never abandon those, and you will become a far, far greater hero than I." All-Might held out his hand, and Young Midoriya took it. All-Might pulled him to his feet.

"Now, my time is coming to an end. You will now take this mantle, this responsibility, and more forward in the world. Take the words of my Alma Mater to heart. Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!" Izuku Midoriya clenched his fist, ready for the power that was promised to him. All-Might raised his hand to his head, and plucked a hair, putting it forward.

"NOW, EAT THIS!"

Shirou finished lacing up his shoes, then stood up, shrugging his gym bag over his shoulder. Beside him, Arturia was checking over what was in hers. Satisfied with the amount of snacks she had stocked up, she zipped up her bag and nodded to him, "Ready to go?"

Shirou nodded, and they turned to the group that was seeing them off. Gawain leaned against the wall. Lance and Kay stood beside Arturia, while Miyu waited by Shirou's side. Gawain spoke clearly, wanting to give one last bit of advice, "Remember, keep calm, and relax. Don't let the stress get to your head. Trust your instincts, but check them."

"Yes sir," the two teens chorused in response. Miyu then darted forward to give Shirou a hug. The Pendragons found it adorable, before Arturia gave her older brothers a hug as well.

"You saved me," Miyu whispered, "So go work hard to save others." Shirou nodded, fighting the sting from behind his eyes. They parted, and Miyu took off to give Arturia a hug. Meanwhile, Lance and Kay came over to Shirou's side, each giving Shirou a very manly handshake.

"Remember, don't burn yourself out," Lance joked, referencing Shirou's initial Quirk Exhaustion.

Shirou shot him a cocky smirk back, "Wouldn't dream of it. Arturia would kill me if we didn't get that buffet Hawks promised us."

"Indeed. We got a lot riding on you," Kay warned in good humor, waggling his fingers. Kay was somehow convinced that Shirou was going to be a top ranked Pro-Hero, and wanted to ensure that the redhead took everything as seriously as he could. Shirou shook his head in bemusement, before Gawain started to shoo the two teens out of the house.

"Come on, now, they're going to go take a test, not leaving for war," Gawain stated goodnaturedly, "They're going to be late if they don't leave." With one last round of goodbyes, Shirou and Arturia left the household, beginning their stroll down to U.A.

The trip took some time. In yet another similarity to the old world, there was a walk down a hill, leading to a crossroads at the center of this town. Unlike the cobblestone wall that lined the pathway in Fuyuki, it was just a regular fence, with all sorts of houses and townhomes around the development. Western styles and eastern styles, it was a wide array of homes for a prospective buyer to choose from.

It was peaceful, which was given at this early hour. Unlike Fuyuki, the tranquility was born of a sleepy town not quite ready to rise. Fuyuki's tranquility was the final gasps of a dying man. Shirou much preferred the gentle stillness here.

At the center crossroads, there were a few different paths one could take: A small shopping district that Arturia, Miyu, and Shirou liked to go to for fresh ingredients. Another residential district that was a bit more congruent in their western home styles. A small country road that led to Takoba Beach. Shirou looked down the path fondly; he hadn't been able to go back to it recently, but he hoped that Midoriya had finished his work there. Lastly, there was the train station, which led to Musutafu proper.

Shirou and Arturia boarded the train, and they were off, headed inwards to where U.A. Academy was. Since the morning rush hadn't begun, they managed to snag a bench to sit on. Their bags sat in their laps, and it was a tight fit, but the ability to take a quick break wasn't lost on Shirou.

They chatted about the stages that the entrance exam would take. The first stage was a written portion, testing for mastery in science, mathematics, history, civics, and ethics. The second stage was the 'exciting' one, a practical exam where the hero course applicants would be fighting against robots to exemplify their strengths.

Shirou had reservations over such a combat focused exam. Might didn't make Right, even if All-Might himself was such a strong counter-exam. Combat was just one tool, you had to be more than just a thug with a righteous cause.

Thankfully, it seemed that U.A. had more than a combat challenge to test their heroes. The last stage was an interview process, where they would answer pre-recorded questions about their drives to become a hero. Shirou was oddly more worried about that part than any of the others. Arturia admitted to the same nerves as well.

Their train then arrived at their destination, the Shimura Train Station. The two teens piled out of their passenger car, shrugging their bags back onto their shoulders. Their conversation had died off, as the nerves started to seep back in.

The crisp, spring air flooded into Shirou's lungs, surprising him with how fresh it felt. The two teens walked across the last city block, which had a few different convenience stores, eager to take advantage of hungry students going to and fro. Hiking up the hill, they at last arrived at the main U.A. campus.

Shirou stared at the large, H-shaped skyscraper. It was surrounded by a long, plain beige wall, intended as a strong deterrent against intruders. There was a solitary entrance, where two Pro-Heroes stood guard, watching over the flow of prospective students walking in. One of the Pro-Heroes was tall and broad, covered in fur and muzzled like a dog. The other was a bit more lithe, but that impression may have been caused by the trenchcoat that was wrapped around him. His grinning skull face was enough of a deterrent against any mischief.

Shirou stopped himself, considering everything. This is it. He was really about to try again. After failing to save his old world, failing to live up to Kiritsugu's ideals, failing to save Sakura, failing to prevent the Ainsworths from kidnapping Miyu... He was going to spit in the face of all of that and try to live this dream of...

Arturia had kept walking, but noticed quickly that Shirou had stopped behind her. She turned around, noticing Shirou's vacant expression. She sighed, then walked over and grabbed Shirou's hand. The action startled Shirou out of his self-depreciation.

"Come on, it's time to follow through on that school motto," Arturia declared, pulling him under that large, blue archway, crowned in the symbol of U.A. itself. "It's time to go beyond,Plus Ultra!"

Shirou chuckled, mentally slapping himself, as he stepped across with her. She was right. This time... this time would be different.

They joined the flow of students, and Shirou glanced around the courtyard. There was a large flow of students, with some that split off to talk with peers or interact with a service bot. They were slightly shorter than most students, balanced on a single wheel and displaying a large screen on their 'torso'. Arms were folded in, and their heads were round disks with two protrusions from the front and one round camera to the side.

Arturia took Shirou over to one, standing before the screen. "Can we check in here?" Arturia asked, to which the service bot beeped an affirmative. The display flashed to a screen, asking for a name, birthdate, passphrase, and handprint. They had set these with the hologram devices alongside the paperwork that they had filled out before. It still kind of stunned Shirou that this world had holograms... used so mundanely.

Arturia placed her hand on the screen. "Name, Arturia Pendragon. Birthdate, June 9th, 2098. Passphrase, Round Table," She boldly declared, the eagerness of her voice catching up to her. The service bot accepted the answers, and spit out a plastic card from below the screen. It contained her exam license and the info where she would be taking the test. Its arm grabbed it, and passed it to Arturia. She took the card, then stepped away, "Your turn, Shirou."

Shirou took a deep breath, then stepped forward. Placing his own hand on the screen, Shirou spoke with a calm, declarative voice, "Name, Shirou Emiya. Birthdate, October 20th, 2098. Passphrase, Oathbound."

That birthdate was just as much of a lie as everything else was. Shirou had no idea what his real birthday was, but October 20th was the day that Kiritsugu found him. The date served well enough, paired with a year that would match his biological age.

The service bot beeped another affirmative and spat out his license. Shirou took the piece of plastic and looked it over. His examinee ID was 4376, and he'd be taking the practical in Test Center C.

"Let me see," Arturia whined, so Shirou traded cards with her. Her examinee ID was 1138, at Test Center B. They would be taking the test separately.

"Oh, come on," Arturia sighed, "I was hoping we could work together. Your swords are the best, we could cleave through the villain bots in record time together." Shirou chuckled, then glanced around before whispering to her.

"You do know I wouldn't be using... that, right?" he said, referring to Dyrnwyn. Even if Shirou wanted to reveal what he could do to the whole world, he was still recovering from Projecting it last night. He'd be fine with Kanshou and Bakuya, along with the regular swords. Projecting another Noble Phantasm, let alone using it on an entrance exam... that would be stupid.

Arturia shook his head, "Yeah, no, that's a Special Move. You only want to use something like that if you need to ensure a win. Using it against the villain bots here would be a waste." She sighed forlornly, "I just wanted a secure stash of swords to use on this test. Oh well, I have a plan, I can use my fists until then."

Shirou raised an eyebrow, "Okay, then..." He thought for a second, then offered, "You know, I do think I have a collapsing sword that I could Trace. You could then stash that in your bag and use it."

"Thanks, but they would confiscate that so fast. It isn't relevant to my Quirk and I haven't filled out any forms to have a sword. They get pretty cranky about that sort of thing," Arturia shrugged, "Like I said, I'll be fine. I won't let a little thing like..." She was cut off by someone pushing right past her, right into Shirou. Shirou caught her before she fell, but she was more offended than hurt.

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" Arturia roared with the might of a lioness. The other applicant, a spiky-haired boy, didn't even stop to slow down. He continued to walk away, just turned his head to yell back.

"STAY OUT OF MY WAY OR I'LL SET YOU ON FIRE!" The spiky blond jerked his head back, his posture low as he stalked into the building. The way he carried his weight forward was focused, even with the backpack the blond was gripping the straps of. Shirou caught the whiff of something that smelled like nitroglycerin. Shirou knew that scent; he worked with dynamite when he travelled with Kiritsugu. An explosive chemical for an explosive boy. This could be troublesome.

Before Shirou could finish making his analysis, Arturia righted herself, prompting him to quickly let go of her. Now that she was steady and secure again, she kept her glare at the blond until he disappeared, then turned back to Shirou, "Seriously, why are there so many jerks who act like Might makes Right?"

"Careful now, you don't want to get off-balanced before the exam," Shirou warned, then gave a teasing smirk, "You wouldn't want to fail and lose to Todoroki, right?" He decided to play off her anger at Todoroki against her irritation at the rude gesture. It worked, as Arturia gave an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Arturia rolled her neck before looking back to the large building, the glass sparkling in the morning sun, "Let's go. We'll ace this test, beat Todoroki, and get that buffet from Hawks." Her eyes narrowed in grim determination, "Hunger is the enemy."

Shirou laughed as he followed along with her, "Yes, hunger is the ene..." Shirou stopped walking. His mind locked up, completely petrified. His eyes locked to a single point, color bleeding away like ink from a page. Shirou's throat constricted, as if chains had snaked around his throat.

Near the middle of one of the large doors to enter U.A., Shirou saw a young woman entering the building. Her back was turned, so Shirou couldn't see her face. But her height was the same. Her build was a direct match.

Her hair brought to mind memories of fighting during the Holy Grail War, working to save Miyu. It was a long, heavy purple that reached down to the back of the knees. A violet cascade that Shirou last saw was covered in blood and snow.

...Sakura?

Shirou was so stunned the world slowed down, seeing nothing but that violet hair. The mass of applicants, once a loud cacophony of sounds and colors, now seemed like a grainy silent film from centuries ago. His lungs burned for breath that his mind denied. Some small part of him recognized Arturia calling to him, trying to get his attention. He recognized her voice, but the words were just static and inaudible to his ears. He tried to move, tried to breathe, tried to...

CRASH!

Another applicant had accidently slammed into Shirou, not realizing that Shirou had stopped suddenly. He tried to catch himself, but found himself falling to the ground. His arms flailed about, trying to catch his careening body, while his legs scrambled to correct his balance.

Arturia's hands shot forward, catching his wrist and back. Instead of falling to the ground, Shirou found himself in a dip. He looked up to her, Arturia's deadpan face betrayed by her green eyes twinkling in amusement. She tilted her head in thought, before speaking her mind, "I thought you said we shouldn't be getting off-balanced?"

Shirou gave a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, I should be taking my own advice, huh?" Arturia gave a warm smile, then pulled him to his feet. After looking him over, Arturia turned to yell at whoever bumped into him. Shirou should have stopped her, but he found himself glancing at those doors again. They were red... like her blood staining the snow.

Whoever Shirou saw, they were gone now. Vanished like a ghost at dawn.

...Was that you, Sakura?

Izuku stumbled past the U.A. gate, hand over his mouth. The sun bore down on him like magnifying glass over an ant hill. The cool breeze felt like ice blades were being thrown at the hot sandpaper of his skin. He felt sick to his stomach, and he was pretty sure it wasn't because of the nerves. All-Might hadn't been joking about the hair, Izuku really had to eat it to inherit One for All. So, Izuku had forced it down, with a water bottle and a granola bar, then got ready to come to the entrance exam.

Then a pit started growing in Izuku's stomach. Like someone had just grabbed his stomach and started twisting it. He tried to ignore it, but then it got tighter and tighter. After that, his nerves started heating up, like someone had poured molten gold down them. A fever started to kick in on the train, and now Izuku's vision would flash red every time he blinked.

Izuku probably should have checked in with All-Might by now, but he wasn't going to bug the Number 1 Pro-Hero. Best case scenario, this was normal for the transfer and it would clear up soon. The worst case was that Izuku was incompatible with One for All, and All-Might would have to take it back and give it to someone who was worthier...

...It was selfish, but Izuku was going to try to push through. He had spent the last ten months in a crucible meant to forge his body into the perfect vessel for All-Might's power. All-Might himself believed in him. That was all the reason he needed to give it his all.

So many people had helped Izuku get here. All-Might, his mom, the Emiyas, Saber Shine, even Yaoyorozu. His dad had especially helped by sending over some training weights and protein powder sponsored by some American heroes like Stars and Stripe or Captain Celebrity. Izuku wasn't about to let them down over a bad stomach ache.

Everyone had gotten him here. It was time for Izuku to grasp his dreams.

He found a service bot to log in at, managing to place his hand on the screen for the handprint scan, "Name, Izuku Midoriya. Birthdate, July 15th, 2098. Passphrase..." Izuku winced as a spike of pain went through his skull. His cringe further deepened as he remembered what he had picked, "...Musketeer."

Ugh... Izuku had struggled with picking a passphrase that wasn't too generic, as U.A. didn't allow certain words for security purposes. It had to be something that only had meaning to the applicant themselves. Hence, the secret reference to All-Might's power...

...Why was he such a fanboy?

The service bot spat out his plastic license. Izuku took it and slipped it into his pocket. He would look at it when he got inside, away from the heat lamp of the sun. He started to walk away, before his swaying caused Izuku to bump into someone.

Izuku's eyes went wide, his apology dying on his lips. Of all the people he could have run into, it was Kacchan. Thankfully, it was only a bump, but Kacchan still narrowed his eyes. Izuku stammered, trying to get out his apology, but Kacchan just started to stalk away.

Before Izuku could think any better, he found his voice and called out, "Um, sorry Kacchan! Good luck on the exam!" Bakugo's head snapped backwards, glaring at Izuku. The spiky blond bully was so distracted that he also bumped into another student, a young woman with a brighter shade of blonde hair done in a crown-like braid. She started roaring back like a lioness at Kacchan.

Kacchan ignored her as he shouted back at Izuku, "STAY OUT OF MY WAY OR I'LL SET YOU ON FIRE!" Then he was off, vanishing into the crowd. Izuku sighed, hanging his head. He thought that this morning was his after finishing the beach, but everything since then had been a disaster.

Izuku smacked his cheeks with the palms of his hand. No. That kind of attitude was understandable when he was a Quirkless wannabe. That ended today. He had already decided that he was going to embrace All-Might's power, regardless of the pain that it took to get here or the illness he was currently feeling. Kacchan didn't matter. Feeling sick didn't matter. What mattered, right here, right now, was going Plus Ultra, like how All-Might taught him.

Izuku straightened his posture, and started heading towards the entrance, back straight and head held up high. Each step he took was purposeful and direct, and the sinking feeling in his stomach was ebbing away. I can do this. I can get into U.A. I can learn from the best heroes in the nation. I can become a hero like All-Might. I can Go Beyond!

Suddenly, the spike of pain reappeared, causing Izuku to once again grab his head in pain. He didn't stop though, trying to maintain his momentum. That turned out to be a mistake, as once Izuku let go of his head, Izuku realized that another applicant in front of him had come to a complete stop, and the locomotion that Izuku was in did not allow for a stop for either of them.

CRASH!

...Or I'll just die. Izuku didn't even try to fight the fall down, instead letting himself be carried to the ground. The rush of air and the weightlessness of the fall seemed to mock Izuku as he closed his eyes and waited for impact.

The rush of air stopped, but the impact never came. Izuku still felt that sense of weightlessness, but it felt... sturdier. Like this lack of weight was how his body was how it was supposed to feel, not because he was in the middle of a fall. Did... I actually die?

Izuku opened his eyes, looking up to a nice, round face. Every part of the young woman's face was round; her hair cut to a bob, her cheeks, her wide open smile, and her eyes. Those brown, wonderful eyes distracted Izuku long enough that he almost missed what she said, "Pardon?"

"Are you alright? That was a nasty collision," she smiled, then held out her hand. Izuku took it, then realized that he was floating perpendicular to the ground. His legs dangled gently in the air, untethered by the Earth. She has a Gravity Quirk, Izuku quickly realized.

The young woman gently guided his feet to terra firma, then tapped her finger tips together. Gravity came rushing back to him, and he stumbled as he adjusted back to normal. She continued, "Sorry for using my Quirk without permission, but I figured it would be bad luck to fall outside the test, right?"

"Are you an angel?" Izuku blurted out, then slapped his hands over his mouth, horrified that these were his first words to the young woman. She didn't seem to mind, giving a nice laugh that reminded Izuku of windchimes.

"No, I'm just trying to be a good person, I guess," she nodded her head, "My name is Ochako Uraraka. It's nice to meet you...?" Uraraka trailed off, clearly expecting a name from Izuku. It took him a second to figure that out, before he blurted his name out.

"Oh, um, I'm Izuku Midoriya! It's nice to meet you too!" Izuku quickly bowed, which Uraraka returned politely. Izuku then started looking around, "Um, did you see who I..."

"Oh good, you do remember crashing into someone with your dramatic entrance," said the blonde woman with a crown braid, dry and unimpressed. She was the one Kacchan had run into, and now was glaring at Izuku. The blonde looked like she was ready to bite his head off. The glare sent shivers up Izuku's spine. Did I run into her?"Then perhaps you would like to apologize to my friend you nearly flattened."

Oh good, it wasn't her. Whoever this friend was, Izuku was sure that this lioness was eager to rip him a new one. Izuku turned to her friend to apologize, then stopped. He didn't believe who he was seeing.

Shirou Emiya stood staring at the red doors near the entrance. Unlike the blue Somei uniform that the blonde woman had on, he was dressed in a simple black button up shirt and matching dress pants, with a bag slung over his shoulder. He looked far healthier than the last time Izuku had seen him, it was an incredible change.

"Emiya?" Izuku asked, subconsciously pointing his finger.

Shirou jolted, snapping his head to look at Izuku with wide eyes.

"Midoriya?" Emiya echoed, pointing back in disbelief.

"YOU'RE HERE?!" Both teenage boys exclaimed, still pointing fingers at each other. Izuku couldn't believe it. He had been wondering since January what had happened to the two Emiya siblings. For the older brother who said that becoming a hero was a sensitive topic, to be here of all places... Izuku had to take it as a good sign.

The blonde woman looked between Emiya and Izuku, parsing something out in her head, "Wait, this is Midoriya? The kid who saved Miyu?" She put her hands to her hips and pursed her lips. "Hmph. Interesting that he's unsteady now."

"It's probably just nerves," Uraraka said, stepping forward to greet the blonde. She offered a warm smile. The blonde nodded in response, her face carefully composed and guarded. Uraraka gave another bow, "I'm not sure if you heard, but I'm Ochako Uraraka."

"Arturia Pendragon," the blonde declared. She then gestured to her friend, "This is Shirou Emiya. He and his sister Miyu are staying with my family due to private circumstances," Arturia turned back to Izuku with a smirk, "Midoriya here actually helped protect Miyu, when the three of them were attacked by a group of thugs."

Uraraka whipped around to Izuku, turning his face from fair skin to bright red in two seconds, "Oh my gosh, you haven't even attended U.A. and you've already saved someone!" Izuku started waving his hands around, trying to deny everything.

"Oh, no, no no no no, I didn't do anything! All I did was run away with Miyu! Emiya was the one who fought off those guys," Izuku gestured back to Emiya, who just shook his head in response.

"Midoriya, you got Miyu away from a dangerous situation and got help. That was something..." Emiya trailed off for a second, glancing to the side, "That was something I couldn't do. If you hadn't called for help... I wouldn't have made it."

Izuku paused, stunned by what Shirou had just said. He hadn't just saved Miyu that day. Apparently, Emiya would have lost... no, been killed by those thugs if Izuku hadn't called All-Might. That thought hit like a wave, both thrilling and terrifying. Izuku took a deep breath, pushing back against the tears that threatened to spill out. He wasn't going to cry in front of his future classmates. He wasn't.

Arturia's expression finally softened, nodding her head with a quiet smile, "Miyu talks about you, you know. She's incredibly thankful to you."

...And that did it. Izuku covered his eyes, trying to keep the tears out of sight, if they were going to leak out anyways. "Guys, stop it, you're embarrassing me," Izuku murmured, smiling. The group all laughed, and for the first time in his life... it wasn't at Izuku. It was with him.

This group of teens recognized Izuku not because of a Quirk, but for a simple action. All he did was run away and call for help.

It should have left a bitter taste in Izuku's mouth.

It did leave a bitter taste in Izuku's mouth, that he couldn't have helped Emiya fight back.

But at the same time... they recognized his effort. His drive. His dream. That... felt good. It felt really good.

"Not to bother this revelry," a dark, brooding voice spoke, like an echo of a cave. The group of teens turned towards the speaker. He was a young man, walking forward with purpose and with hands in his pockets. His school uniform was dark, like his mood... and his crow-like head and features.

The crow guy continued, "The written exam is about to start. We ought to hurry in without delay." He strolled past, and Izuku checked the time on his phone. Fifteen minutes before the exam started.

Izuku exchanged glances with Uraraka, Emiya, and Pendragon, took off inside, with the others quickly following in after them. Izuku wanted to bask in that

Fumikage sank into his seat, releasing a long breath laced with stress and anticipation. The steady buzzing of the other candidates filtering into the auditorium did little to ease his headache, but he pushed it aside. As far as annoyances go, the simple chatter of excited teens was far from truly problematic.

Dark Shadow slumped into his lap, unusually exhausted, but for a justified cause. The written exam had fully tested the limits of their mental focus and academic knowledge. It was a trial of restraint, with no outlet for stress or shadow.

Just cooped up in that desk, waging a battle in silence. Desperately trying to transform knowledge and trivia into answers that showed the weight of his scholarly preparation. Fumikage had never been more eager to be finished with a stack of papers.

Now, at last, he sat in the auditorium, ready to hear the instructions for what could be the most important of the three exams... the Practical. Thankfully, he wouldn't be alone this time around. Dark Shadow was exhausted from the mental stress, true, but once they left this meeting and headed to where their testing center was, she would be free to cut loose and revel in the destruction of the villain bots.

U.A. would be expecting this fight to be even more vicious than the academic exam. Instead, Fumikage and Dark Shadow would welcome it. A time for the revelry of metal and mayhem.

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!" Present Mic's voice boomed over the theater, his physical appearance not yet seen on the stage, "WE'LL BE GOING LIVE IN 5 MINUTES! PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS, SO WE CAN GET READY TO ROCK OUT!"

The restless chatter slowed down, as everyone took their seats. Fumikage was grateful for that, even as the tension in the air increased. The weight of the task before them had settled in, and everyone was taking it seriously. Fumikage crossed his legs and clasped his hands together, resting the tips of his index fingers to the tip of his beak. Dark Shadow moved to his shoulder, staring intensely down at the stage. They were ready.

At the appointed time, Present Mic strolled out, walking out to the podium with a swagger that was beyond excessive. A peacock would blush at the energy presented by the Voice Hero. The podium lacked a microphone, nor did it need one. Present Mic took a deep breath in and called out, "WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO U.A.'s PRACTICAL EXAM! HOSTED BY YOURS TRULY, PRESENT MIC! EVERYBODY SAY HEEEEEEEEEY!"

The theater remained dead silent.

Fumikage blinked, having expected a loud response. Everyone here seemed eager to move on, weighed down by the tension. He could appreciate such restraint, considering the grave importance of what was to occur.

Present Mic seemed to have read the mood, lowering his tone while maintaining his volume, "Oh, we're keeping it mellow huh? That's alright, alright, alright with me, let's skip right to the main showcase," he took a deep breath, trying one more time to reach the audience, "ARE YOU READY!?" He struck a pose like a guitarist, even ending with an exhaling "Yeah!"

Silence once again reigned the auditorium.

Well, not quite. Fumikage heard some muttering from behind him, a few rows back, "Oh my gosh, it's the Voice Hero, Present Mic! Ranked number 42 in the Hero Billboards, and number 3 in Radio and Podcast listings!"

Dark Shadow got intrigued, and moved to peer behind Tokoyami. She snickered, and sent a mental image of what she saw. The muttering student was the green haired boy from outside, with his hands over his blushing cheeks and excitement gleaming from his eyes. The hero fanboy continued, "He's so cool! I listen to his show every day of the week! It's so crazy how all of our teachers here are Pro-Heroes..."

"Shut the hell up you damn nerd," a spiky blond snarled next to him. The green haired boy stopped, but he clearly was still combusting from fanboy energy. Fumikage didn't care for the crass way that was handled. However, he did still appreciate the return to silence.

He returned his focus to Present Mic, allowing his spectral companion to continue observing the green fanboy. Present Mic had started playing a presentation showcasing the practical exam, with 8-bit versions of various U.A. teachers alongside Mic fighting the different tiers of Villain Bots.

"If you have been doing your homework, you should know that there are three main types of Villain Bots that you will need to hunt down for points! No matter if you use your Quirks to shred them down like an epic guitar solo, or freestyle your way through the battlefield with your wits; we'll know who took down what Bots and assign the point values accordingly."

The graphic switched to showcase two villain bots in particular. The smaller one was the size of a person attached to a monowheel, its arms bearing shields with hidden gatling guns. Then there was a larger one, with a body that was a demented cross between a wrathful scorpion and the range of a brachiosaur. The smaller one was labelled as "Victory - 1 Point" and "Imperial - 5 points."

"These two will be your main competitions! Victories represent your average villain groupie, whereas those Imps hit as hard as the full band! Whereas this absolute unit..." Present Mic flipped a switch, and it displayed what should be labelled as a tank with arms, including missile launchers attached to the back, "Is a proper mini-boss! Taking one of these bad boys on your own is worth 10 points, but working together isn't a bad call either. Any pickup bands who team up will all receive 7 points individually!"

The Venator... a fearsome villain bot indeed. Fumikage wasn't sure if the missile launchers were for show, or if they would be used in this arena, but either way he'd welcome the challenge. He had full confidence in his abilities with Dark Shadow to handle any of these machines. They had gone over the various strategies for all types that U.A. would be using in this exam.

Dark Shadow jerked her head back to Fumikage, quickly whispering, "Wait, wasn't there four villain bot types?" Fumikage blinked, remembering the last page of the exam handbook they had received when they applied. She was right, while the Venator was an imposing foe, it wasn't the most dangerous of the group, that would be...

"EXCUSE ME SIR!" a tall young man a few rows forward and to the right of Fumikage bolted to his feet, his right hand gripping the handbook while his left hand gestured furiously to the fourth kind of villain bot, "BUT THE EXAM HANDBOOK CLEARLY STATES THAT THERE ARE TO BE FOUR TYPES OF FAUX VILLAINS USED IN THIS EXAM!"

"IF THIS IS A MISTAKE A RETRACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRINTED IMMEDIATELY! SUCH MISTAKES REFLECT HORRIBLY ON THE GRAND INSTITUTION OF U.A."

The young man continued, his voice not seeming to run out of breath, "WE ARE ATTENDING THE GREATEST HERO SCHOOL ON THE PLANET! WE ALL OUGHT TO BE HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD!" The tall hall monitor then jerked his head towards the green fanboy, his glasses almost flying off his face, "LIKE BEING QUIET DURING THE INTRODUCTION TO AN EXAM!"

...Did... Did this young man not recognize that he had just pitched a solid home run through his glass house?

Fumikage stared at the hypocrite in stunned silence while Dark Shadow started laughing hysterically. His flabbergasted reaction was only made worse when another voice joined the fray. He turned his head to the owner of the voice, finding a young, blonde woman who roared back with fierceness befitting a lioness.

"IIDA! I'M GOING TO TELL YOUR BROTHER THAT YOU INTERRUPTED PRESENT MIC AND DELAYED THE TEST!" Fumikage blinked as he recognized the blonde lioness. She was talking with the green fanboy outside the building. They were with the pinky curvy girl and the redhead whose eyes were shrouded in shadow. Fumikage had reminded them to enter U.A. as a courtesy. Perhaps he should have refrained, if they were going to be this disruptive.

As this Iida spluttered a response back, Present Mic spoke up to cut cleanly through the tension, "Now, now callers, one at a time." The Voice Hero clicked a button on a remote he held, and the screen transitioned to the absolute monster of the exam. "This bad boy is the Executor, a fitting name for the final act of the show! There is only one of them per arena, and they are worth ZEROPoints!"

That got a reaction out of everyone, as a wave of surprised murmurs rolled over the room. Fumikage cocked his head to the side, curious about that evaluation. The Exam Handbook never said what the point values of each faux villain was worth, but the order and described intensity of each type seemed to establish a sequenced order. What would be the purpose of assigning the most dangerous threat only zero points?

Present Mic continued, seemingly reading Fumikage's mind, "They're just here to make sure you know how to avoid something out of your skill range. Just focus on climbing the charts and ignore the Executor and you'll do just fine. Does that answer your questions, Mr. Iida?"

"YES SIR, MY APOLOGIES FOR MY INTERRUPTION," Iida sat back down. Fumikage fought back the growing groan that he wanted to release. The young man was far, far, too high strung. Fumikage slightly turned his head to Dark Shadow, eager to talk to her about her thoughts on all of this, but she had a different topic in mind.

"He's staring at her," Dark Shadow whispered, her eyes having never left the blonde lioness. Fumikage blinked, then turned his head enough to side eye the blonde... No, Dark Shadow was referring to the young man next to her. The redhead whose eyes were weighed down with shadows and regret.

Dark Shadow continued to peer at the redhead, while Fumikage followed his line of sight down, landing on a young woman a few more rows down, who had long hair that was a deep violet shade and was dressed in a tan high school uniform. Fumikage tried to discern the reason for the redhead's attention. But from his vantage, the young woman appeared entirely ordinary. Besides the violet hair, she was just another U.A. hopeful.

Just as he arrived at that conclusion, Fumikage was forced to rewrite it. One lock of her violet hair shimmered and merged, forming scales. Then a head appeared at the tip with red eyes, gleaming teeth, and a tongue flicking out to taste the tension. The new hair snake raised its body to glare back at the redhead.

A Quirk expression that was both serpentine and unsettling. Fumikage found himself intrigued by what else her Quirk kept concealed here in the shadows.

Dark Shadow sent a mental image updating Fumikage of the redhead's reaction. The redhead was startled and immediately shifted to look away, before turning to talk to the blonde. The angle was wrong for a proper lip read, but it seemed clear that he was just assuring the blonde that the redhead was fine.

Perhaps they were a couple? Then, for his own sake, Fumikage hoped that the redhead had a good reason to be peering at the snake-haired maiden. The lioness was clearly not to be trifled with.

Present Mic, who had been rambling about how all of the candidates should be organizing to leave for their designated arenas, just called for the candidates for Test Center C to head out. Fumikage stood up and walked out, stretching his arms and cracking his neck.

It was time to disregard rambling fanboys, overzealous hall monitors, roaring lionesses, and haunted redheads. It was time for Fumikage and Dark Shadow to shred steel and tear apart thunder. It was time to earn his place among the pantheon of heroes.

Ochako held her breath as she stretched her arms over her head for five seconds, before releasing her breath and dropping her arms to the side. Rolling her neck, she peered over at the big gate that would lead to Testing Center B, where the exam would begin in a few minutes. The nerves had been bad outside, but the pressure had only intensified with the final countdown having begun.

"At least I know how to handle pressure," Ochako chuckled to herself. She glanced around, making sure no one was looking at her, then reached into the pocket of her tracksuit. She pulled out a wrapped onigiri she had made last night, alongside a batch for the whole family. Unwrapping it, Ochako took a bite, embracing the salt and sour taste of the umeboshi inside of it. She had learned how to make these to help with her Quirk, and on special occasions like today, they almost served as comfort food. She needed every bit of luck she could get today.

"Ah, you are eating as well? Good, Hunger is the enemy."

Ochako yelped, accidently sending the onigiri up into the air. She had accidentally used her Quirk on it, so it just kept going up, before Ochako released her Quirk and caught the onigiri. Other than a few wasted grains of rice, it was okay. Snack secured, Ochako turned to the voice that had startled her.

It was Arturia Pendragon, the young woman that she had met outside, and who had yelled at the intense hall monitor during the introduction. The blonde was walking over to Ochako, dressed in a white gym shirt with a blue tracksuit jacket. Her legs were only covered in thigh high stockings and short bloomers, a daring choice with everyone around. A baseball cap made Miss Pendragon look exceptionally serious... except for the stray hair sticking out of the front of the baseball cap. How did that work?

Miss Pendragon waved with her right hand, a protein bar being held in it, "Sorry for startling you, I hope your snack is okay. Care if I join you?"

Ochako gestured to a spot next to her, "Oh, please, Miss Pendragon, it would be fun to talk until the exam starts," She held up her onigiri, "No problems here. It was my fault that I nearly launched it into orbit."

"Call me Arturia, or Artie if you prefer," Miss, wait, Arturiasaid, "I am glad to hear that your riceball is okay. I would hate to be the reason for wasted food." She frowned, and tilted her head, "Though, wouldn't you want something with more energy and calories for an exam such as this?"

Ochako shook her head smiling, "Oh no, I had a full breakfast earlier," as much as she could muster, anyways, "This is for my nausea. My Quirk gives me motion sickness, so it's best if I have something like this so I don't throw up during the exam. Or if I do..."

"Ah," Arturia nodded, taking a bite from her protein bar, "I see. That's the drawback for being able to reduce gravity like that, correct?" Ochako nodded, taking another bite of her onigiri. Arturia hummed in the affirmative, "A useful ability, I'm sure you've been training hard with it?"

Ochako swallowed another bite down, "Yeah, I have. Been working on raising stuff of different weights, trying to max out my weight limits. I hope to get an accurate weight limit measurement soon, but I should be able to handle a few of these villain bots at a time." Ochako tilted her head, "What about you? If you don't mind me asking."

Arturia shrugged, "My Quirk is Atmo Burst. It's an enhancer-type that uses the extra gasses in the air like Nitrogen to supercharge my strength, dexterity, and stamina." Arturia finished the protein bar, balling up the wrapper and pitching it straight into a nearby trash can. It sailed cleanly in, as Arturia continued, "I really like it, but the metabolism needed for my body to keep up means I eat a ton. Like, I'm pretty sure I can out-eat a horse at a buffet."

Ochako whistled, "Nice. Sounds like you won't have any problems with these faux villains then," Arturia nodded, a confident smirk with no modesty in sight. "Wish I had something like that," Ochako chuckled, "You can devour a feast, smash apart these villains, and somehow still look like you just walked off a photo shoot with Mirko."

Arturia raised an eyebrow, so Ochako gestured sheepishly back to her, "I mean, you are wearing bloomers and thigh-highs and making it look natural." Ochako gestured to her generic black and pink tracksuit that was supposed to be slimming, then shrugged, "I look like an out of shape gym teacher substitute."

Arturia frowned, "Miss Uraraka. You can reject the literal weight of the world with a press of your hand. You have already shown forethought and preparation for the drawbacks of your Quirk. Not only that..."

Arturia reached for Ochako's bicep, stopping just before reaching her left muscle. Confused, Ochako moved her arm to allow Arturia to grab it. Arturia wrapped her fingers around the muscle, and Ochako flexed instinctively. Arturia hummed in approval.

"See, I knew it. You've been training your own strength as well, not just relying on your Quirk," Arturia met Ochako's eyes with intense concentration, "You're built like you can take down threats as well as give the best hugs. I'm positive you'll be popular with kids, like the Space Hero, Thirteen."

Ochako gasped, "Oh my gosh, you know Thirteen?"

Arturia nodded affectionately, "Yes, she's a teacher here, I believe. Specializes in Rescue, and is highly regarded in children's popularity polls here."

"She's one of my biggest heroes! She's the reason I wanted to come to U.A. in the first place!" Ochako gushed, before returning to the topic of the conversation, "You really think I can be as cool as she is?"

"Better," Arturia stated simply, "No offense to Thirteen, but you have the toolkit to go beyond. She restricts herself to rescue operations for safety concerns, but your abilities and strength can take you far if you are willing to go the distance. I'm sure you'll become one of the best heroines here."

Ochako smiled, blushing at the honest compliment. She wasn't sure if she could really go beyond Thirteen, but... Ochako would need to. The whole point of this was to be able to take care of her parents, and to give them the life that they deserved. That meant she would need to be willing to work hard.

Before Ochako could respond with a compliment, Arturia added one more thing to her statement, "Of course, I'm still going to beat you here." Ochako paused, as a strange feeling rose up from her chest. The gravity heroine locked eyes with Arturia again, and saw a proud lioness hungry for a victory.

"...Oh?" Ochako let the word out slowly, tasting the energy off of it. This was a new feeling... A powerful one. It was like jealousy, and envy, but with excitement and comradery behind it. It took a second for Ochako to realize what she was dealing with. The second she did, Ochako's lips moved from her gentle smile to a more feral one, lips curled to bare her teeth. "And what do you ever mean by that?"

Arturia stood in place, simply tilting her head forward, "I thought it would be obvious. I am going to take first place in this exam. I have made a commitment to do so, and a knight always sees her tasks through." Arturia drew in a deep breath, and Ochako felt a breeze rush past her body towards the blonde. Arturia had activated her Quirk, this was the energy she could bring to bear with Atmo Burst.

Rivalry. That's what this feeling was. Ochako had friends before. Her light hearted and earnest nature made it easy to have fun with a variety of other people back in Yabin. Ochako had plenty of female friends like Ayane who she could talk about her goals with.

But no one was willing to push back against her. The few people who even talked about becoming a hero before had stopped long before middle school had ended. Ochako had never met someone who was willing to push back against her, and get her to commit to pushing forward.

This was going to be fun.

Before Ochako could respond, a loud, familiar voice thundered across the testing center, "RIGHT, LET'S START! GET MOVING!"

Ochako jerked her head to Present Mic, who had appeared as suddenly as his voice, "THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL BATTLES! YOU'RE WASTING AIR TIME! GO GO GO!" A loud murmur swept through the crowd, before everyone scrambled to take off.

Glancing back to Arturia, Ochako found that the blonde lioness hadn't let the Voice Hero's announcement distract her. Arturia had already punched through the first Villain Bot, an Imperial. Her strike had the front left knee, severing that leg from the Imperial. Arturia reached into that leg, and pulled off the attached shield and swung it to decapitate the Imperial.

Arturia continued her momentum, slashing into two nearby Victories in a clear arc. Ochako made eye contact with Arturia, who smirked. Even though the rush of students moving to fight the other faux villains, Ochako could tell exactly what words Arturia mouthed to her.

Can you keep up with me?

Ochako lowered her head and took off in a dead sprint, grabbing the defeated Imperial scrap and tossed it at three Victories peeling out of a nearby alleyway. Ochako's throw was pitch perfect, and cleared out not only those few 1-Pointers but a hidden 5-point Imperial who had just made itself known.

Arturia hadn't stopped moving, and was doing well to score more and more points. But Ochako wasn't bothered by it. She had been training far too long to be shown the door now. Just because she was a few points behind, doesn't mean Ochako wouldn't rocket past her in the next few minutes.

No, Arturia... you keep up with me!

Shirou slid around a corner in the streets of Testing Center C, slashing down two Victories with Kanshou and Bakuya each. An Imperial bot reacted immediately, pointing the three red cannons in its chest. The Imp adjusted its aim then fired each of the grappling hooks in quick succession. The redhead threw his married swords at two of the hooks, deflecting them away.

Shirou then Projected a nameless spear and Reinforced it. He caught the last hook with the spear, then threw the spear and the hook into the brick wall to his right. As the Imperial struggled to retract the grappling hook, Shirou brought out another Kanshou and Bakuya. Shirou threw Bakuya into the left knee of the Imperial, dropping it to the ground. Shirou leapt forward, and took Kanshou into both hands.

"Trace Overredge," Shirou intoned, and Kanshou extended itself with a flock of feathered blades. With a single swing, Shirou beheaded the Imperial and stabbed through another Victory bot. Shirou took a step back as the 1-Pointer bot fell into a scrap heap, counting off the other faux villains in the area.

Seven. There were seven faux villains in the area. Five more Victories, each worth one point. Two Imperials, five points each. Finally, at the far back, taking aim at Shirou with those missile launchers, was a Venator, worth 10 points. The missiles didn't contain explosives, but shock nets, nastier than the grappling hooks that the Imperials used. The Imperials and Victories fired stun darts from their gatling guns in their limbs. The darts start with a numbing sensation, but if too many hits were taken, the victim would pass out. Instantly failing the exam.

Shirou held up his left hand, bringing forth the black bow favored by both his present and alternate future self. In his right, a nameless sword was Projected, then Altered, spiraling within itself until it became the perfect arrow. Shirou strung the arrow, took aim, and twisted the bow down parallel to the ground.

Shirou hadn't taken any hits yet. Compared to the Dolls of the Ainsworths, wielding the Class Cards, these villain bots were slow and predictable. He simply knew their capabilities from Structural Analysis, and could counter accordingly.

The Victories surged forward, ready to engage. The Imperials sat back, lifting their front legs to fire the stun darts. The Venator let loose a low growl as it fired the shock nets. The sound of machines moving across the urban pavement was that of a mechanical stampede.

Shirou took a deep breath, then released the arrow on his exhale, "Trace Parallel." The arrow shot forward, with copies of it splitting off and catching the anchors of all of the shock nets. They fell to the ground, useless.

Shirou pivoted immediately, weaving through the stun darts as he slammed the bow against the first Victory to his left. He then brought out a battle axe to cleave the one to his right. Two more were in front of him, while one approached from his rear. Shirou shot a volley of broad swords over his shoulder, shredding the Victory behind him. He then threw the battle axe at one of the firing Imperials. Its head came clean off, shutting the machine down instantly.

Shirou's next Projection was a large, thick zweihander, used to deflect the oncoming shots from the last Imperial and the two Victories left. Shirou embedded it into the ground, then leapt back two paces. The faux villains blasted at the zweihander, expecting Shirou to have remained there. Instead, Shirou Projected and threw three copies each of Bakuya and Kanshou, eliminating the Imperial and its two friends with it.

The Venator primed the missile launcher again, cueing the firing with a distinct whirl. Shirou rolled to the side, pulling back out the bow and reforging the sword arrow. He took aim while still kneeling, this time increasing both his own strength and the strength of his bow with Reinforcement. This shot would go clean through the net and hit the Venator with as though it was a direct impact from an RPG.

The second Shirou released the arrow, a purple blur flew up from behind the Venator, throwing two chained nails directly into the skull unit. The purple blur ripped it out of the chassis, the shrieking and groaning metal unable to do anything but protest. The skull unit was then thrown right into Shirou's arrow. The resulting explosion was incredibly blinding and deafening.

Once Shirou's senses came back to him, he saw the figure from the purple blur stalk forward from the explosion. She was dressed in a purple sweatshirt, with black leggings and pink sunglasses covering her eyes. Her long violet hair, which he thought he recognized before, flowed to her waist, snakelike in how it shifted and moved. Her features were more angled and sharper than his junior had been. Shirou could see that now.

She wasn't Sakura Matou.

"Hey," she snarled, startling Shirou from his mental comparison, "I've been catching you staring at me since the written exam. Do I have something in my hair?" Two strands of her hair slithered into snakes to prove the point. They joined in the violet woman's glare, even if it was hidden underneath her shades.

Shirou shook his head, "No, sorry. Your hair just... reminded me of someone." The violet woman tilted her head, her hand lifting to pull her shades down, but then refrained.

"This someone... who was it?" she interrogated, clenching her hands, "Who were they to you?"

Shirou sighed, despondent despite the tense situation, "...My junior at my archery club. Her name was Sakura Matou. The shade of your hair matches hers under the right lighting. My apologies for staring."

"Younger than us then..." The violet woman murmured. She stood there pondering for a moment, staring past a destroyed Victory. Then the violet woman turned back to Shirou, "I'm not this Sakura Matou, and I don't appreciate being stared at. Understood?"

Shirou nodded, "Again, my apologies." The violet woman grunted, then threw another chained nail out, flinging herself off to the next fight. Shirou remained behind, silently berating himself for getting too distracted. This exam was important. Not for himself, but to secure Miyu a proper future. To help Arturia in her dreams of being a hero. Maybe even help Midoriya avoid the fates that had fallen on EMIYA or himself.

Shirou projected Kanshou and Bakuya again, taking a second to feel the black leather grips of his favored swords. He admired the clear white blade of Bakuya, and the dark red hexagonal pattern within the black blade of Kanshou. Shirou took one last deep breath, then rushed off to the nearest sign of more villain bots.

Getting lost in the past would just lose the present.

Izuku screamed as he slid to a stop in front of a Victory. He managed to dodge the backhanded strike from the shield, only to overextend with his punch. The Victory countered with a jab to his stomach, throwing Izuku a few paces away.

Izuku scrambled to his feet quickly, dodging and weaving through the volley of darts fired from the Victory's gatling guns. He had already taken a few of those darts earlier to his forearms. That had caused his arms to start going numb, so clearly it was a bad idea to keep taking hits. All-Might's training had prepared him for quick movements, but Izuku needed to score points. He couldn't run away from threats anymore. Not like at Kashiiku Park.

Izuku rushed back to the Victory, moving in a zig-zag pattern to try and create an opening. Before he could, a disembodied hand flew in and flicked the emergency switch on the back of the Victory, then a foot smashed the head of the faux villain clear off, dropping the body instantly. The point wasn't his.

Izuku watched the hand and foot fly back to attach themselves to a pretty young woman with long hair a darker shade of green than his. She grinned back at him, her teeth a row of sharp fangs. She flicked her hair, then took off running at another group of faux villains. She started the fight by literally throwing her hands, so clearly she had some sort of splitting Quirk, like how a lizard would. So cool...

Izuku sighed, glancing down at the Victory bot he failed to take down. All-Might's advice for activating One for All wasn't very clear. "Clench your buttcheeks, kid, and yell this from the depths of your heart." Yeah, it was quickly becoming clear to Izuku just how much the Number 1 Pro-Hero was winging it. Izuku still had all the respect in the world for All-Might, this just showed how quick the Pro-Hero could think on his feet.

Izuku clenched his fist, then stopped as he took note of the numbing sensation. No use beating himself over this. Izuku needed points, and fast. He bent down and managed to disconnect the shield from the Victory bot, tying the cables together to form a handle that he could grip.

Izuku's problem was that, besides the weird sick feeling that he had earlier, he couldn't really feel One for All's power, no matter what muscles he clenched. Izuku could tell that he had inherited the power, and the fact his limbs were still attached was a good sign.

But until he figured out how to tap into that power... this would have to do. Izuku gave a few test swings and punches with the shield attached. It was bulky, and a bit in the way, but it was a tool he could use for now. Plenty of Pro-Heroes used shields, especially in America, so Izuku could rely on notes he had taken about them.

An Imperial burst through a building behind him, startling Izuku as he scrambled for cover. The Villain Bot landed in the middle of the street, slowly rotating on all four of its legs as its gaze swept across the area. Izuku felt the Imperial locking onto him, as it completed its rotation. A laser dot appeared on the aspiring hero's chest, emitted from a red cannon at the Villain Bot's chest.

Izuku yelped, then shot to the side as the Imperial fired one of its shock nets. Izuku blocked the net, but the electricity still crackled through Izuku, briefly twisting his muscles. Izuku cried out, but still managed to fling off the net and deflect the tail striking down at him. Izuku parried it two more times, trying to identify where the weakest point in the Imperial's neck would be. Izuku could then throw or slash through it with this and score five points. Five points closer to his goal of entering U.A.!

Izuku's thoughts had cost him. While he was too focused on the head and tail, the Imperial's front left leg slammed into him with precise timing back into the building wall. Izuku felt the wind get knocked out of him, and the shield from the Victory went flying away. He couldn't even make a sound as the Imperial took its shooting stance.

Before Izuku could give up on the exam, being blasted by the stun darts of the Imperial, a metallic blur sped in. A boy in blue sportswear and matching glasses and hair appeared, kicking the right leg of the Imperial. Pivoting from the destroyed gatling, the boy swung his right leg, which had an entire engine embedded in the shins, right into the red chest cannons. Then came a flurry of kicks, beating down both the chest and the left leg.

The Imperial howled, as it bent its head down to intimidate the boy with glasses. He simply reached up, grasped it under the jaw, and ripped the head out, shutting down the Imperial immediately. Izuku should have been disappointed that he lost yet another Villain Bot encounter but...

Those engine legs. That speed. That efficiency...

That was so cool!

The boy dropped the Imperial's head and pushed his glasses up, then turned towards Izuku. He frowned, and shifted his stance to stare the green boy down. "You... You were the one muttering during the instructions, weren't you?" Izuku winced, as he didn't realize that this guy had remembered that. This hall monitor had a long memory.

Wait, Izuku remembered what Miss Pendragon called him... Iida. That name rang a bell somewhere in Izuku's brain, but he couldn't recall it. Not as the glasses boy continued to lecture him, "You could recall all of that information on Present Mic, yet failed to properly identify the weak points to the Villain Bots?"

Iida gestured to the Imperial, "What was your plan here? Use your scavenged shield to take a few hits and distract it with your muttering? Useless trivia won't help you defeat the villains that threaten our society." Iida paused for a second, "Wait, your muttering isn't a part of your Quirk, right?"

"...No?" Izuku slowly shook his head, "It's just a bad habit of mine."

"It is a bad habit!" Iida snapped, chopping the air in front of him with his hand, "It distracts not only you, but those around you. You were about to bother Miss Arturia and her friend before the exam, right?" Izuku's eyes widened at that. He had just wanted to go over and talk to Miss Uraraka and Miss Pendragon to say hi, but they seemed invested in their conversation. I knew I shouldn't have tried to approach them again...

Iida continued to lecture, unaware of the storm that was brewing inside of Izuku, "Miss Arturia was having a private conversation with that other candidate. Who are you to interrupt their..."

A crash drew both teenagers' attention to the side, where two Imperials were obliterating some of the other candidates. Iida sighed, then turned back to Izuku, "Look, just stay focused on the exam. Either take it seriously, or leave it to us who have been working for this for our whole lives."

Izuku watched Iida take off, racing into the fray. The blue boy's running form was textbook ideal, pumping his arms and legs so that he got the maximum benefit from the motion. When Iida launched his next attack, taking down another Imperial, then pivoting to striking down a few Victories, Izuku just sighed. Iida already looked like he was a Pro-Hero, moving so effectively and efficiently. I am nowhere near that level.

Izuku turned his head down to the shield. Battered. Shredded. Worthless. It could barely defend him, just long enough for a real hero to save the day. Fitting that he would use something like this. They matched. Bakugo was right, Deku was just as useless as that day at Takoba where...

If you hadn't called for help... I wouldn't have made it.

Emiya's words cut through the spiraling chaos that was Izuku's mind. Izuku couldn't allow that negativity to get to him. All-Might had entrusted his power to Izuku, a sacred torch meant to help protect others. Standing around here overthinking wouldn't help anything.

Izuku picked up the shield from the Victory again, then turned to the Imperial Iida had defeated. "If one wasn't good enough," Izuku murmured, remembering Emiya on the beach. How he had wielded two swords to protect Miyu and Izuku...

Izuku used his left hand to pry off a shield from the Imperial, grasping it in his left hand. Shifting the Victory around a bit, Izuku threw a couple practice punches with the two shields. It was awkward, but manageable.

"Best defense is a solid offense," Izuku stated, then looked towards the fray. Izuku took a deep breath, then forced a smile onto his lips. Not a kind smile like All-Might's, but a fierce smile, like Kacchan's or Miss Pendragon's. Izuku took off running, less form perfect than Iida's, since he was carrying the two shields. Izuku didn't mind, since the shields flared out like wings.

Just like how Shirou Emiya's swords did that day. Izuku would chase after that image, and become a hero himself!

Inside of the parking garage of a false skyscraper, Fumikage darted to the side, letting the Victory bot slam into the concrete wall. A palm strike connected with the power switch, and Fumikage ripped off the head before the Victory bot slumped to the ground. Two other Victories came charging at him from behind, a mistake that cost them dearly.

"Dark Shadow!" With that declaration, his familiar and vicious spectral companion emerged from his body. With a guttural cry, she grabbed both Victories by the arms, then crashed them together like cymbals. Fumikage pivoted and vaulted off of the wreckage, dropkicking into a fourth Victory.

An Imperial chose this moment to open fire, launching a shock net and a volley of stun darts in rapid succession. Dark Shadow wrapped herself around Fumikage before the net dropped over them, shocking her. Dark Shadow shrieked in pain, causing Fumikage to clench his fist to keep from lashing out. They had worked out this plan ahead of time, but it still hurt to hear her react this way. The second the darts hit her, Fumikage flopped to the ground, lying in wait.

The Imperial, who suspected that it had knocked them out, scuttled over to confirm the situation. Once its shadow was over them, they acted immediately. Dark Shadow locked down both of the Imperial's front legs, rising up to headbutt the Five-Point Villain Bot. Fumikage reached to the base of the neck, then pulled at the armor plating.

It was much, much tougher than either Dark Shadow or Fumikage thought it would be, but still manageable. Fumikage snapped his beak into the plating. One, two, and three, now the plating was free. Fumikage found the central power cord with his beak and bit down. He tore it out, Dark Shadow mimicking him with the head. The Imperial fell flat to the ground.

Five points gained, if inelegantly, Fumikage thought to himself, spitting out the power cable. Dark Shadow retreated back to beside him, keeping an eye out for more targets. Instead, Dark Shadow drew Fumikage's attention to another candidate a few paces away.

She was a young woman with short indigo hair and pale lilac eyes. Her outfit was that of a punk rocker's, with black tights that went into tactical boots as well as a pink tank top with the words "The End of Villains" scrawled on like she painted it herself. Like Fumikage, she also wore a choker, but it was black and a more traditional style than the red wrapped one Fumikage wore to commemorate Dark Crystal.

The last detail to note was what her Quirk clearly was. Two long, fleshy aux cables started from her earlobes and currently embedded into a Victory that she was sitting on. The Victory was vibrating, clearly subdued by the young woman's Quirk.

"Dude..." she uttered, and Fumikage tensed. Would she be accepting of such brutal measures to defeat these faux villains, or would she be scolding him for unleashing his inner beast. He may have gone a bit far in a few places, and he didn't want to leave a bad impression on who could be his future classmate.

His fears were assuaged when she held up her hand, sticking out her index and pinky fingers. "That was so hardcore," she spoke with a low tone, flexing her hand up and down, "Rock on!"

"Awww, hell yeah!" Dark Shadow spoke, flexing her shade-like muscles, "Glad to see someone who enjoys the heavy metal show I put on!" Fumikage sighed, shaking his head in amusement.

"As much as I would like to enjoy this revelry more..." Fumikage declared, heading up to the next floor of the parking garage, "This exam isn't over. I shall bid you farewell for now."

"Sure thing," the young woman nodded, "I'll go ahead and bounce. Don't want to get into your hair... or, feathers?" Fumikage chuckled, but nodded. The young woman returned the nod, "I won't ruffle any feathers, then." Fumikage turned to leave, satisfied with the conversation.

"Wait, you might want to head out too," she called out, causing Fumikage to look back at her in curiosity, "I could feel the subtle shifts in the ground earlier. Far stronger than any of the other Villain Bots. This building is really close to wherever they're hiding that Executor thing." The young woman seemed almost pleading, "This might be a bad place to be if that thing really does show up wrecking the place in a rager."

"A fair point, and thank you for the warning," Fumikage bowed his head in gratitude, "Nevertheless, I shall continue forth here. The risk of peril is worth the rewards we will reap from the nearby faux villains."

The young woman nodded, "Well, if you're sure, just don't make me write you a requiem." With that, she took off, while Fumikage turned back to look up the garage floors.

"Ah, but the requiem you should be writing is for these faux villains," Fumikage remarked, "What would you name it, Dark Shadow?"

"I'm not really into requiems, but..." Dark Shadow made a show of pondering the question. Or at least, pretending to, "I think The Ballard of Busted Bots has a nice ring to it. But then again, music is not my forte."

"Indeed," Fumikage smirked, then rushed forward, ready to fight the next batch of faux villains, who targeted and rushed forward.

Fumikage ducked low, then swung his fist, uppercutting a Victory, "Then again, we have been shredding these foes like Present Mic said. Maybe we do have a career in heavy metal!" Dark Shadow crackled as she launched into action, and the next few minutes only held the shrieking of metal and the song of the two birds in action.

Arturia cleaved right through the Imperial's head with the third shield of the day. This one she had torn off of a Victory she had slain awhile back. Each shield started off strong, but would crumble into scrap before long. Arturia wished she could have one of Shirou's swords. Even one of his generic swords would be enough for her to really cleave through these faux villains.

Arturia kept moving, slashing from side to side. One, two, four, seven Victory bots found themselves headless within five seconds of her feet hitting the ground. They tumbled to the ground with their metal shrieking and groaning.

Arturia took a deep breath, centering herself and allowing the clamor of the other candidates fighting the villain bots to slowly fade from her mind. She needed to recalibrate, which is why she was allowing herself to have four seconds of peace.

The fifth second heralded the arrival of another Imperial, who launched grappling hooks right at Arturia. She pivoted on her toes, as graceful as a dancer, as the hook slid right past her without properly hooking onto her.

She moved quickly, not paying the capture tools any mind. U.A. used outsourced grappling hooks from WayneTech, which had a number of features that warranted the expensive price. One such feature were the sensors embedded. These allowed the hooks to avoid embedding into the fleshy bodies of their victims. Rather, the sensors alongside air jets caused the hooks to identify their target, then glide around them to wrap them up, preventing injuries that would be unsuitable for a Pro-Hero to cause.

However, like all tech, there was an exploit. A hidden part of Arturia's Atmo Burst is that her body can not only vent the excess air from her lungs, but from every pore on her body, creating a subtle shield of air. Because of this, the grappling hooks couldn't lock onto her correctly, and she could bypass them and close the distance effectively.

A fact that the Imperial had just learned. It was a shame it would soon be parted from that knowledge. As well as its head, as Arturia beheaded yet another faux villain with her shield. Arturia frowned as she observed the malformed and busted up shield. She would need another shield... again.

"I should have taken Shirou up on the foldable sword," she muttered, then stabbed the shield into the back of the Imperial. "It would have been better than this garbage," she continued, before kneeling down to scavenge her next weapon. As she reached into one of the legs to detach the shield, Arturia felt someone walk up to her, "What is it?" she asked gruffly, peering out from below the brim of her hat.

Hair. Long, purple hair, flared out in all angles. That was the first thing Arturia noticed. The second was the dark circles under his eyes, permanently settled into his face as if they were designer bags that he should have parted with a long time ago. However, it was the sly, underhanded way this guy was smiling that set Arturia on edge.

"You seemed pretty sharp with that last piece of scrap metal," the tired guy stated, speaking in a tense voice that was trying to be relaxed. Arturia hated it immediately. This guy was trying to be smoother than he really was. Arturia could read the tension in this guy's muscles.

She finished detaching the shield, then stood up to stare down the trespasser. He didn't flinch, which Arturia noted. Before she spoke, the tired guy continued, "You scored enough with that last pass. How about sharpening that shield and let me have a turn?"

Arturia glared back at him, "No, why in the world would I do that for you?" She blinked, and suddenly he was holding a sharpened shield. The weight missing from her arm informed her that yes, that was her shield. She still turned to confirm the theft with her eyes, then snapped her gaze back to the tired guy, who was now running into the fray with two Victories.

"Thanks for the help!" he called back. Arturia scoffed, but turned to the other leg, grimacing while she detached the shield from this side. His Quirk must have been some form of brainwashing or command implantation. Arturia had no idea what the trigger for it could have been, besides some form of direct interaction. Regardless, the trick had been underhanded and dirty. Arturia could respect that... if it wasn't done to her!

Just as Arturia pulled up the new shield, she heard the tired guy yelping in pain. She turned to see him on the ground, her shield thrown a few meters away. The guy was scrambling back, trying to avoid a barrage of stun darts from two Victories. They were slowly approaching, and the guy was quickly running out of space to run. Karma was clearly ready to collect. Arturia was ready to let him reap what he sowed, but...

The guy's latest scream caused her to act. Arturia threw her new shield between the Victories and their victim, then darted after it. The shield thunked into the concrete, blocking the hail of projectiles. Arturia landed on top of it, then leapt up again. With a simple snap kick, she beheaded one of the Victories, then rolled back to her feet as the other Victory turned to fire on her.

Arturia kicked off again, landing immediately between the arms of the Victory, too close for the gatling guns. She then punctured right through the chest cavity of the faux villain with a knife hand strike, grasping the central core. She tore it out, and it collapsed to the ground.

She turned back to the trespasser, who was panting, eyes widened in shock. Arturia turned and picked up the shield that had been taken from her. She checked it over for damage, but besides one or two nicks and scrapes, it would be fine for a bit longer. Arturia turned back to the tired guy, glaring at him from below the brim of her cap.

"Your Quirk is some sort of mind control, right?" she asked, her anger dripping from her voice. He nodded, but didn't respond. The cat had gotten his tongue apparently. Arturia continued, "You should have more tools than that, if you want to be a hero."

With that declaration, she took off running again, looking to maintain her pace. She was going to be first. She wasn't going to allow anyone to beat her. Even her friends like Shirou and Tenya were going to need to settle for second and third place.

The throne was hers.

Nezu took a sip of his tea, savoring the taste, before he leaned over to Toshinori Yagi, who was sitting next to him in the control room, "As we can see, because our prospective applicants lack the critical information of where the different faux villains are, as well as how many of them in total exist per area, each candidate is stressed to the limits in their reconnaissance and combat abilities."

"Indeed," Toshinori remarked, pointing out a couple of students, "I tend to rely on speed, like Miss Tsunotori and Mr. Iida are doing here, but it's also wise to use a variety of intel gathering strategies, like Miss Tokage and Mr. Shoji are."

The screens flashed through his words, showing Pony Tsunotori, a blonde half-American young woman with hooves and two horns, flying through air on another pair of those horns. Then it showed Tenya Iida, the younger brother of Ingenium who was racing through the streets with his engine legs.

Then the display switched to a two section mode. In the first section was Mezo Shoji, a tall, masked student, who was shown extending his multiple limbs out looking targets. On the other side, the screen displayed Setsuna Tokage who had split herself apart to cover a wide range. She had scored third place in the Recommendation Exam and thus was required to take the normal exam.

Shota Aizawa, the Erasure Hero Eraserhead, shifted forward in his seat, "Of course, remaining rational and sensible tends to net you benefits as well, as you can keep your mind on task. See Ayako Mitsuzuri here," the violet-haired young woman flashed on screen, flinging her chains through a few Victories and slamming them into the ground. "Precise, focused, and discrete. A natural if I ever saw one."

"Please, you're just excited to have a student you can teach your particular capture style too," Nemuri Kayama, the R-Rated Heroine Midnight, replied to slyly tease her former junior. Aizawa snapped his head to glare at Miss Kayama, causing the room to chuckle.

"I don't blame him, I got a couple I'm keeping an eye on as well," Touru Nara, the Straight Shot Hero Snipe, chimed in. The screen flashed to display Shirou Emiya, who was standing on top of a roof, picking off target after target with a bow and a perfect aim. The display next to him showed Katsuki Bakugo, blasting targets around him with speed and precision. Snipe continued, "Having that kind of firepower is one thing. Using it effectively is another."

"True, discipline is the mark of a true hero," Sekijiro Kan, the Blood Hero Vlad King, interjected, "Which is why I'm impressed with Miss Pendragon here," once again, the screen changed the display, now showing Arturia demolishing through group after group of faux villains, "She has even more power than her brother, and still has her wits about her. Give her enough time, and I think she could end up rivaling you, All-Might."

Nezu turned to Toshinori, as did the rest of the room, to see Toshinori fiddling with a tablet hooked up to the same displays as everyone else was watching. It took a second, but Toshinori popped his head back up, his sunken eyes widened in surprise, "Ah, Miss Pendragon? Yes, she's indeed remarkable for her age."

Toshinori cleared his throat, before continuing more concisely, "To be honest, her mother, Lance Lioness, is one of the few that I ever felt would have taken the Worldwide Number 1 Pro-Hero title from me. She was powerful, charismatic, and a genuinely good person. The few interactions I had with her and her husband, Saber Shine, have been fantastic. There was actually a mission that I was going to... well, that doesn't matter anymore. She left us too soon."

Nezu could feel the room raise their collective eyebrows, wondering what business All-Might had wanted to bring Lance Lioness in on. Nezu stirred his tea, wondering how much more All-Might was willing to share with the group. However, Toshinori had gone back to his tablet, pretending that he was looking at multiple displays. In reality, the Symbol of Peace was really only worried about one.

Nezu shook his head with a smile before drinking more of his tea. He would not fault Toshinori for his stress over the successor for One for All. Izuku Midoriya had yet to score a single villain point, even after adapting a two shield style. Young Midoriya had protected Miss Komori, a Mushroom Quirk-User, and Mr. Monoma, a Copier. Those saves wouldn't go unnoticed, but wouldn't be enough to pass.

Despite his concern, Toshinori would not speak up about Young Midoriya. He knew the importance of Young Midoriya making his own way in the world. All-Might could pave a way, but he couldn't bring his successor across the world. Nezu was grateful that Toshinori wouldn't put the principal of U.A. in an awkward position of having to deny or placate the Number 1 Hero.

Especially since Nezu had full confidence in Izuku Midoriya to surprise everyone when the time came.

Ken Ishiyama, the Concrete Jungle Hero Cementoss, decided to speak up, "Well then, in that case, Miss Pendragon's performance makes perfect sense. She'll be one to keep in mind for the next stage. Isn't it about time for that, Principal Nezu?"

The white furred creature smirked as he took a sip. Showtime. "I believe that it is. Mr. Majima?" Nezu turned to the side, where the support teacher, the Excavation Hero Power Loader, Higari Majima, sat next to the control desk of the various arenas. "Are we ready to initiate the final stage of the test?"

"Just say the word, and we'll be ready to go," Power Loader spoke, the measured tone belying his excitement. While Power Loader wasn't much of a people person, he loved working on new projects. The final stage of the exam was when he got the best data. The candidates would be pushed to the very edge of their abilities, and seeing how they overcame their struggles tended to bring out Majima's best creativity.

Nezu had to agree with that sentiment. Seeing these students tackle a simulation of what could possibly be the worst case scenario tended to show whose hearts truly shined. It would be here that Nezu and the rest of the U.A. staff would see the diamonds they would be polishing over the course of the next few years.

This year in particular has already shown such great promise.

"Well, then, Mr. Majima," Nezu turned back to the main display, crossing his legs. He made a gesture for a refill of his tea, subtly tapping Yoshinori's shoulder to draw his attention to the main screen. Nezu took a deep breath in, excitement setting his fur on edge, "I am giving you the go ahead. Initiate Operation Kobayashi Maru."