Swan Dive

Chapter 21: U.A. Exams

A few people turned to glare at them, but they ignored it.

"All right! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Present Mic grinned. "Let me give you the rundown for the practical exam! Are you ready?!"

"YEAH!" Izuku and Kacchan shouted alongside Present Mic again, though this time a few other people shouted alongside them, emboldened by Izuku and Kacchan's participation. The blond's grin widened, even as other examinees glared again.

"YES!" Present Mic grinned, pointing to Izuku and Kacchan. "I am loving your energy, Listeners! I've got my eye on the twelve of you!" A few people muttered in surprise.

Well, duh. The Entrance Exam is a great opportunity to stand out to the heroes. If you catch their attention, then you've got a better chance of being admitted. Izuku sighed.

"You all got your handouts at the door, right? Then here we go! After this, you'll all be conducting ten-minute mock urban battles! After my presentation, you'll head off to your designated battle centers! Bring whatever you want! You follow so far?"

"Damn. I'm Battle Center A." Kacchan noted, and Izuku looked to his.

"I'm B. Looks like we'll just have to do our best and hope we both pass, huh?" Izuku only half-listened to the explanation. While his parents hadn't told him what the exam was, because that would be an unfair advantage, he'd read the handout the moment he got it.

Robots, indeed. Good thing he'd planned for that.

"May I ask a question?" A blue-haired boy stood up.

"Sure thing!" Present Mic grinned as a spotlight illuminated the kid.

"On the printout, there are four types of villains. If that is a misprint, then U.A., the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake." The boy was certainly passionate, Izuku would give him that, but he was way too uptight about things, and was coming off as rather rude.

"We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be molded into exemplary heroes." The boy continued, before turning and pointing towards Izuku and Kacchan, illuminating them as well. Kacchan glared, while Izuku schooled his face into one of bored indifference—just like his dad—and raised a single eyebrow. "In addition, you over there with the curly hair—You've been muttering this whole time. And you with the spiky hair! You two have been interrupting this entire time! It's distracting and disgraceful! If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!"

Only Izuku and Kacchan caught the dark look of anger that flashed over Hizashi's face. Oooh... Pa's mad. That's definitely a record... I doubt anyone's gotten in his bad books this fast in a while. "Okay, okay." Present Mic called the attention back to himself, relieving Izuku and Kacchan of the eyes that bore into their skulls. The two let out silent sighs of relief, each sending the blue-haired kid a glare.

"Thanks for that question about the robot, Examinee 7111! I was just about to explain about him!" The screen behind Present Mic showed the robot's outline. "This guy is worth Zero Points! He's more of an obstacle that goes crazy in narrow spaces. I'd recommend you avoid him, and concentrate on getting those scores up!"

Izuku's eyes narrowed. An obstacle? Maybe a way of showing what we can do when we encounter an enemy we can't defeat? Perhaps to represent a civilian under a villain's control? Someone he can't hurt, but can pose a threat to us? But then why make it Zero Points?

"Come on, Zukkun." Kacchan poked his shoulder, and Izuku realized that the lights were back on. "You're muttering again, and it's time to go. Though Uncle Zashi's 'good luck suffering' doesn't sit right with me. Tch. He's probably having a fucking blast."