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[Entrance Exam]
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| Three months later, U.A.'s gate… |
…
"This is it…!"
Midoriya swallowed nervously as he stood before U.A., cold sweat running down his back.
The school where All Might had graduated. The best hero institution in Japan. The place where he was about to apply to become a hero.
Staring up at the massive gate, he felt as if a literal barrier stood between him and the path he was walking into—like he wasn't meant to step inside.
He'd been Quirkless all his life, and yet here he was, about to take the hero course entrance exam. It felt almost contradictory.
'Although… I am supposedly not Quirkless anymore,' he reminded himself, expression flattening as he recalled All Might's bizarre instruction from hours earlier at the beach:
{Eat this.}
'He said if I ate that hair, I'd inherit his power… but did it really work?'
He examined himself. Truthfully, he didn't feel any different.
After exhaling his nerves, determination flickered back into his eyes. Ten months of hellish training—all leading to this day. All Might, the strongest hero, had entrusted him with his Quirk. He couldn't afford to fail.
No, he wouldn't fail.
-Paf!-
He smacked both cheeks at once to shake off the anxiety and stepped forward—
-Thud!-
"Outta my way, Deku."
—only to be shoved aside as Bakugo, his friend/bully—more bully than friend—stormed past.
"A-ah!" Midoriya flailed, trying desperately to assemble a proper greeting with his hands. "K-Kacchan! N-nice to see you! You're here for the exam, right? I wish you luck, and—"
But Bakugo had already ignored him completely and walked on.
Midoriya sighed as he watched the blond go.
'I got scared out of habit…'
Feeling embarrassed at how quickly he folded despite his earlier resolve, he forced his gaze upward toward the huge U.A. logo on the front doors. Then he shook his head sharply, chasing the nerves away.
'I'm not the same as I was ten months ago… remember your training!'
He took a deep breath, steeling himself.
'Time to take my first step toward becoming a hero!'
And a step he took indeed.
-Squeak-
—but right at the next one, his legs tangled clumsily, pitching him forward.
'I'm done for.' Midoriya thought, feeling his earlier resolve crumble like dust.
However, just as his face was about to slam into the pavement—
"Huh?"
—his momentum halted abruptly, stopping mere centimeters from the ground.
Then, in an instant, an unseen force pulled him upright again, leaving him staring ahead with a blank expression, completely unable to register what had just happened.
"Eh?"
Only when he finally snapped out of his daze did he look around to search for his savior, and soon, he noticed a girl standing right next, also staring at him—a brown-haired girl wearing a thick scarf.
Ochako Uraraka—albeit, unknown to the green-haired kid.
The instant he saw her, it clicked. She had helped him.
"Ah, you saved me—thank you!" he said, bowing quickly.
But the girl only blinked in confusion.
"Eh?! Me? No, that wasn't me!—I mean, I was going to help, but you stopped falling before I could even reach you!"
"Huh? Then that wasn't your Quirk?" Midoriya tilted his head.
"Watch yourself."
A deep voice spoke from behind him.
Startled, he turned.
There, a black-haired youth wearing a long, tailored overcoat, a fitted black turtleneck underneath, and similarly colored pants, walked past with a cold gaze and a confident stride. Beside him, a black-haired girl with earphone jacks for earlobes watched with vague amusement.
Before Midoriya could respond, the boy continued walking, the girl following.
"I guess it was him who helped," Uraraka murmured, eyeing the departing boy with awe as he walked away.
Midoriya did too. For some reason, that youth emanated an air of power—whether it was the way he walked, the tone of his voice earlier, or simply the way he carried himself.
He was the very image of someone… strong.
'And that Quirk… what was it?' Midoriya replayed the sensation of being yanked back to his feet, despite nothing touching him. 'A telekinesis-type Quirk?'
While the freckled boy got lost in his thoughts, several meters ahead, the black haired girl shot a wry look at the youth walking beside her.
"Did you trip that guy?"
"No." He replied, almost too fast.
She raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you say we should wait at the entrance, only to start walking again the moment that kid walked in?"
"I just thought it was a good moment to go in. His tripping was just a coincidence."
She didn't look convinced, but eventually nodded with a snort. "… Sure."
…
°
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| U.A.'s Auditory |
…
Once everyone found their seats, a blond teacher stepped onto the stage, wearing a wide smile that radiated confidence. And his outfit wasn't subtle either—he was dressed like an actual rockstar. Slicked-back blond spiky hair, edgy leather jacket and pants, headphones, orange sunglasses, and a massive speaker-like collar around his neck.
For many, a hero renowned across Japan. Present Mic.
And also, one of the teachers of U.A.
He reached the podium just as a massive screen behind him lit up, the U.A. logo shining for all examinees to see.
"For all of you examinees tuning in today, I welcome you all to my show!—everybody say HEY!" Present Mic threw his arms up theatrically.
For a moment, silence drowned the auditorium. Not a single soul dared to answer.
"Hey."
But suddenly, a deep voice echoed across the room.
Normally, anyone speaking up then would've been met with weird looks, but the voice carried so much weight and conviction that nobody dared judge it, even for a moment.
In fact—
"... Hey!"
"Hey…"
"H-hey…!"
—It encouraged others to follow, almost instinctively, like responding to someone of high authority without thinking.
And as everyone realized what they had just done, their eyes naturally drifted toward the source.
With hundreds of students gathered, a single voice should have blended into the crowd.
Yet somehow, all gazes settled on one examinee sitting with an unsettling level of calm confidence.
He wasn't flashy, nor did he stand out physically. His outfit was good—but not that good.
Instead, what drew every eye… was his presence.
Somehow, everyone felt it instinctively the instant their gazes settled on him.
He was strong.
"—Ahem." Present Mic interrupted, snapping everyone back to attention. Even he looked surprised—whether at the unexpected response or at the strange presence of that student was unclear. But soon, his trademark grin returned. "I can see you're all pumped! Then it's time to get into the rundown of the practical exam you came here for!"
He struck a pose befitting his rockstar aesthetic, raising a hand dramatically as he shouted.
"AAAAAARE YOU READYYY?!"
"Yeah."
"Yeah…!"
"Y-yeah…"
"Yeah!"
Once again, that same voice answered first—and everyone followed.
Satisfied, Present Mic nodded as the huge screen behind him shifted, showing multiple cityscapes—U.A.'s "Battle Centers," full-scale urban combat zones labeled from A to G.
He proceeded to give a quick rundown of how the practical exam would work and what the examinees would be doing.
After the presentation, every examinee would be sent to a different Battle Center depending on their assigned location. Once there, their objective was to destroy the multiple robots scattered throughout the mock cities—four types in total—earning points for each one defeated. The point values varied based on the size of the robot: the smallest, about the size of a person, was worth 1 point, while the largest, roughly the size of a tank, was worth 3. And, naturally, fighting between examinees was strictly prohibited.
This was a hero exam, after all. Unheroic behavior wasn't exactly admired.
"Excuse me, may I ask a question?!"
Suddenly, a sharp and loud voice cut through the teacher's speech. Though it didn't look like it bothered Present Mic.
"Okay!" He shot a thumbs-up.
The examinee—Tenya Iida, a dark-blue-haired youth with glasses—stood up, holding the printout they had all been given. It contained the same information that the teacher had been covering, albeit more summarized.
"On the printout, there are four villains. If that's a misprint, then U.A., the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of such a foolish mistake! We examinees are here because we wish to be molded into exemplary heroes!"
Then, in a quick pivot, he pointed directly at a certain green-haired boy—Midoriya.
"Additionally, the curly-haired one over there… You've been muttering the whole time. It's distracting! If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should—"
"That's quite enough."
Once again, that familiar voice rang out, cutting Iida off midsentence.
The bespectacled youth turned sharply to the unknown youth, indignation written across his face.
"What?! I'm merely—"
"You could've said something to him without announcing it to everyone. Stop wasting our time and let the teacher answer."
"I—"
"Okay, okay, examinee 7111, thanks for the great message," Present Mic interrupted, stepping in before things escalated. "The fourth villain is worth zero points. Why? Because it's an obstacle, so to speak. It's not impossible to beat, but there's no reason to either. So, I recommend you all just avoid it."
Iida fell silent for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the examinee who had cut him off on the far side of the auditorium, before finally bowing deeply.
"Thank you very much. I apologize for the interruption."
And with that, he returned to his seat and remained silent.
After that, and having finished explaining the rest of the smaller details, Present Mic echoed the school's motto—Plus Ultra—to encourage everyone and bid them farewell. Thus, the rundown came to an end, and the wait for the practical exam officially began.
From then on, everyone was on their own.
Soon, the mass of students began moving, each walking toward the Battle Center assigned to them on their identification cards.
And while the crowd moved, sitting calmly in the stands was the youth from earlier. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he inspected the card in his hand.
"Battle Center G…"
Snorting, he stood up and adjusted his coat.
"Very well."
…
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| Minutes later, Battle Center G's gate… |
…
"Hey, why's he still wearing that outfit? Didn't they let us change into athletic gear before getting on the bus?"
"Huh? Oh damn, you're right. Maybe his Quirk lets him ignore stuff like that?"
"Dammit, why did I have to get the same Battle Center as him?! Now I'm not gonna get any points."
"Maybe he's not as strong as he looks? Honestly, I can't see a single hint of what Quirk he might have."
"Hm, you're right. For all we know, he could have a crappy Quirk and is just putting on an act!"
A group of examinees narrowed their eyes as they watched the youth from earlier, who leaned casually against a wall with his eyes closed while everyone waited for the gates to open.
"Yeah, now that I'm seeing him up close, he's not all'at—"
The youth opened his eyes and glared at them.
"—Is what I'd say if I were a fool! Haha… ha."
They immediately looked away.
"Hmph." The youth snorted, but didn't close his eyes again. Instead, he glanced around at the other examinees who were busy stretching or trying to calm their nerves.
'I don't see Midoriya,' he thought.
Indeed, this until-now unidentifiable youth was none other than the aura farmer himself… Taka. Now three months older.
Not only was he a little taller, but even through his clothes, it was clear his musculature had developed. He was no longer just fit—he was genuinely strong.
The last three months of training had pushed his body to its physical peak.
From here on, it would mostly be up to aging naturally, with maybe a bit more training. But growing stronger through pure exercise alone would bring much slower gains.
Of course, with some Aura, human limits were a joke.
Back to Taka, he continued giving all his competitors a glance, eyebrow twitching faintly upon not seeing a familiar green-haired curly teenager.
'…Too bad. I guess I'll have to settle for having aura-farmed him earlier.' He sighed, looking genuinely regretful—only to shrug a moment later, uncaring. 'Then again, I also won't have to worry about him failing to get into U.A. because I smashed the 0-pointer instead of him.'
He didn't dislike Midoriya. There was no reason for stopping him from getting into U.A.
The guy did his best to be a proper hero, and while a frustrating crybaby earlier on, he became someone somewhat to be respected by the end of the show. Even if he ended up a Quirkless bum.
That's also why he had helped him with Iida. Like he had reprimanded the glasses earlier, there was no need to humiliate Midoriya publicly for something he could have said over a hush or something.
Hence why he had spoken up.
That, and to aura farm, of course.
But he definitely didn't plan on being friends with Midoriya.
After all, he was the protagonist of this world. And if there was someone who could steal his aura-farming opportunities, it was that green-haired gremlin.
From now on, a rival relationship was about to begin—even if Midoriya had no clue.
And it was one he had absolutely no intention of losing.
He'd made sure the last three months were more than enough to cement his absolute superiority.
Midoriya could try, but he for sure wasn't gonna be catching up any time soon.
Smirking inwardly, Taka glared to his side. 'System, flash me with my gains.'
<... Watch your phrasing.>
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE]
▸ Strength: (162 Base) 2500
▸ Defense: (324 Base) 2500
▸ Aura Projection: 26568
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Total Aura: 31082
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Skills:
▸Clean
▸Trouble Radar
▸Connoisseur
▸Pain is Just a Feeling
▸Innamovible Object
▸True Speaking
▸True Breathing
▸True Walking
▸Good job beating me… But that was merely a clone!
▸Efficient Body
▸Aura Projection - Pew Pew Mode
▸Imaginary Technique: My Theme
▸Sperm Eye
▸Let's Dance!
▸Aura Projection - Even A Stick Is Enough Mode
▸Aura Projection - Hardening Mode
▸Aura Projection - There There Mode
▸Aura Projection - Master Of Elements Mode
▸Aura Projection - Aura Type
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Over the past three months, he had tripled his aura.
His original song's video had earned him a huge amount during the first ten days. Sadly, after that, the passive gains stabilized—probably because the views were coming from the same people repeating the song, which didn't generate that much awe and hence didn't yield much aura, or because it simply wasn't reaching many new viewers after that.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a professional company pushing his track, so while it got really popular, it never reached the outrageous numbers big promoted videos could get. And, as expected, time eventually took its toll, slowing the gains even more.
Of course, his earnings were still massive compared to what he had before the video—just nothing like those sweet 1,000-a-day spikes.
In total, he'd managed to pull in twenty-thousand-something aura, up until today.
Pretty good considering he had been forced to stop his vigilante activities.
And then there was the matter of all the new modes he'd unlocked for his aura projection.
Some had been easy enough once he thought of them, coming naturally to him after one or two tries. Others—like the healing mode—had been tricky and took him weeks or months of constant practice to develop.
But they were definitely useful for aura farming. He already had plenty of ideas for how he'd be using them from here on out.
He just had to bide his time.
'Though for now, I have to focus on the event ahead.'
Closing his eyes enigmatically, he walked toward the front of the gate along with the rest of the examinees.
His eyes scanned his competitors, wondering if anyone from the future 1-A would be here too.
And, to his surprise, there was someone.
A certain purple-haired, dwarf-like teenager was among the crowd.
For a moment, he blinked.
Then he snorted—mentally apologizing.
'Sorry, Mineta. But someone had to go… and it looks like it's gonna be you.'
As if on cue, the gates to the Battle Center began opening—silently, almost imperceptibly.
Some students were distracted and didn't notice.
Others simply stared, waiting for a teacher to appear and announce the start of the exam.
Taka, however, smirked.
He stepped forward—passing everyone—and strode calmly straight into the battlegrounds, leaving the dumbfounded examinees behind.
"What are you—?" one student asked, feeling wronged, as if Taka were cheating.
But Taka shut him up with a single line:
"Don't you know? Villains won't wait for you."
And then—
-Swish-
—he vanished.
That's when it dawned on everyone, even if the teacher hadn't said it himself.
The exam had begun, and they hadn't even realized it.
…
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-To be Continued…-
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(A/N: How was all that aura farming? It was a fun chapter to write, except for the part where I had to check the chapter every now and then to guide myself.
Though I suppose that's gonna have to become a regular thing, seeing as we have stepped into the canon for good.)