U.A. High School's Hero Course. A training school for those whose goal are to acquire the necessary qualifications needed to become a Hero. Among similar courses across the country, theirs is the most popular and most competitive, and their acceptance rate is less than one in three hundred every year.
The Hero who refused the National Honor Award - the Number One Hero, All Might.
The Hero who resolved the most incidents in history - the Number Two Hero, Endeavor.
The Hero who's saved more lives than any other before her - the Number Three Hero, The Shining Star.
Graduating from U.A. is a requirement for becoming a Great Hero. . . .
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For all you listeners listening, welcome to my show today!
The Hero, Present Mic stood at center stage with a large screen presentation behind him. Before him was every single teenager present to take the Entrance Exam to U.A. High's Hero Course. . .
Present Mic: Everybody say, 'hey'!
Silence. . .
Present Mic: (sighs) What a refined response. Then I'll quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam. ARE YOU READY?!?!? YEAH!
Silence. . .
Izuku: (whispers) I-It's the the Voice Hero, Present Mic-
Zeny: Izuku.
Izuku: B-But-
Zeny: Don't.
Izuku: (sighs) Sorry.
Present Mic: As it says in the application requirements, you listeners will be conducting ten minute mock urban battles after this!
The actual presentation began, detailing anything the loudmouth spoke of.
Present Mic: You can bring whatever you want with you, and after the presentation, you'll head to the specified battle center, okay?
Silence. . .
Present Mic: Okay?!
And he received more silence as the precipitants glanced to their designated battle centers.
Katsuki: In other words, they won't let you work with your friends, huh?
Izuku: Y-You're right. Even though our examiner numbers are consecutive, we're all assigned to different battle centers.
Katsuki: Don't look, I'll kill you.
Zeny just rolled her eyes.
Katsuki: Damn, now I can't crush you.
Back to the presentation. . .
Present Mic: Three different type of faux villains are stationed in each battle center. You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty. Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your Quirks to immobilize the faux villains. Of course, attacking other examinees and other unheroic actions are prohibited!
???: May I ask a question!
A blue haired teen in glasses spoke up.
Present Mic: Okay.
???: On the printout, there are four types of villains. If this is a misprint, then U.A., the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake!
Zeny: This guy is. . . annoying.
???: We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be molded into exemplary Heroes! In addition-
He whirled around and pointed at Izuku.
???: You over there with the curly hair, you've been muttering this whole time!
Zeny: Idiot.
Izuku: Eh?!
???: It's distracting! If you're here on a pleasure trip, you should leave immed-
Zeny: Okay, shut up and sit down already. This is the most distracting thing by far.
???: Wh-Wha-
Zeny: I didn't stutter.
As murmurs began to arise, the man at the helm finally decided to step in.
Present Mic: Okay, okay. Let's calm down. Examinee Number 7111, thanks for the great message. The fourth type of villain is worth zero points, that guy's an obstacle, so to speak. There's one in every battle center, an obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. It's not impossible to defeat, but there's no reason to defeat it either. I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it.
???: (bows) Thank you very much! Please excuse my interruption.
He sat down. . .
Present Mic: That's it from me. Finally, I'll give you listeners a present, our school motto! The hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes." Go beyond. . .
PLUS ULTRA!
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The time had truly come. The various examinees found themselves dressed in whatever they deemed necessary and standing before their respective battle centers. Said battle centers were akin to entire cities. . .
Zeny was clad in black tights, boots, and a black form-fitting jacket over her top.
Zeny: I get why Bakugo call's me Emo. . .
No one around her particularly sparked her interest, and she didn't really wish to bring attention to herself anyway. Upon completing some last minute stretches, the loud speakers projected the voice of Present Mic.
Present Mic: Okay, start!
Everyone looked up to the speaker in confusion.
Present Mic: What's wrong?! There's no countdowns in real life!
The entire group turned to the city. . . only to see that someone was already deep in the city! And of course, it was none other than Zeny Rose.
She sprinted through the streets, a wall collapsing in front of her as a one-pointer arrived! Her eyes flared, scanning its entirely in just a millisecond!
Zeny: Exposed joints.
A drill arm rose up and soared down, only for her to dash beneath it and thrust her fist right through its elongated neck, severing its head from the body! Her eyes darted to the three two pointers that emerged from the ground further down the street, her body dashing toward them at inconceivable speeds!
Zeny: Unshielded eye.
One activated it's thrusters, pushing itself into her, ramming her with its twin shields! She twirled along the metal, her intense grip tugging hard and prying the shields apart! Spinning beneath the held shield, she bent it inward and thrusted her palm into its side, propelling the aegis into the glowing red eye!
Zeny: This is going to be easy.
The two remaining Two-Pointers rushed her, only to find themselves dismantled in a matter of moments! By the time the rest of the examinees began to spread out through the city block, Zeny was racking up points.
Within an alley, five one-pointers charged toward her, but the blue-highlighted ravennette kicked off the walls, soaring back and forth at speeds their programming couldn't comprehend! The first's head was kicked off its body, Zeny propelling herself off the wall and onto the ground, springing herself up to thrust her legs's through the second one's neck! She flipped midair as the third swung at her, stepping onto its shield and bouncing off it, her hand digging into its eye and tearing it at before she jerked herself aside, the drill of the fourth narrowly missing her! Ducking, the fifth's drill moved over her and cut down the fourth for her! Lifting scrap metal from the ground, Zeny leaped up and brung the sharp end into the final machine's eye!
Before long, she found herself atop a three pointer, punching the hatch to its mechanisms open and tearing into its systems! Without a moment wasted, Zeny dashed to the next enemy, sending a powerful palm strike to its chest, the force so grand the insides of the machine practically imploded while the outside was left unharmed! The girl zipped across the battlefield, decimated the One-Pointers with a single strike each! A Two-Pointer presented itself, only for Zeny to launch a scrap metal into its eye, then appearing before it and striking the projectile, tearing the machine's head in two!
?: Hey! That one was mine-
The gray haired boy that shouted to her gasped as a Two-Pointer emerged from the ground behind him! His skin turned to steel, but before either could attack, Zeny appeared between them, tearing both eyes of the Two-Pointer out of its head!
Zeny: Sixty-Two.
?: Hey! Don't ignore me-
Without a word, the girl dashed away to her next target. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu could only grumble. . .
Zeny Rose collected a total sixty-five points upon ripping through a Three-Pointer with consecutive palm strikes to each of limbs and joints!
Zeny: I wonder how Izuku is doing. . .
—
Terribly. Izuku Midoriya was panicking as the time limit reached its final stretch, still stuck at zero points.
Izuku: I sure hope Zeny is having better luck than me. . .
—
Every single examinee was being watched on a series of monitors, the soon to be teachers observing their future students. A black and white mouse-like creature voiced everyone's thoughts. . .
Nezu: In this practical exam, the examinees aren't informed on the number of villains or their location. They have a limited amount of time in a vast area. They have to draw the villains out from there.
Flashes of the top performers began to play, the very same boy with blue hair and glasses, a boy with six arms, a blond boy with a naval laser, of course of Katsuki Bakugou, and Zeny Rose as well.
Nezu: Information gathering ability to understand the situation before anyone else, mobility that can be used in many different circumstances, discernment to stay calm at all times, and pure combat ability. These basic abilities needed to keep the peace in the streets, are turned to points in this test.
Random: Doesn't this group look promising?
Random 2: Not yet. Their true test is still yet to come. . .
A red button was pressed.
—
A girl with black, shoulder length hair and cerulean blue eyes ran through the streets of her sector. Yui Kodai had thirty-six points on the board. It wasn't the best, but far from the worst. . . She believed she was quite lucky, that was until the ground rumbled beneath her feat.
Yui: Hm?
Enormous dust clouds completely obscured the vision for blocks, and the very moment it cleared. . . The ravennette couldn't help but quiver in fear as the gigantic Zero-Pointer zeroed in on her.
Zero-Pointer: Target. Locked.
It's hulking fist came crashing down, the nearby area instantly being clouded in dust from the force of the blow!
A true threat. How people react to this wild show their true nature. . .
Emerging from the cloud of smoke. . . soaring through the air. . . was Zeny Rose with Yui Kodai in her arms.
Zeny: Are you okay?!
Yui: H-Huh?
They landed on the ground, Zeny sliding back through the street! Before she could set Kodai down, the beast of a machine struck the ground ahead of them, rifts forming in the street as rubble rose up! Leaping up, Zeny flipped them through the air, landing on a stray piece of debris before kicking off of it to land on another, then doing so again and again, rubble practically launching itself at her only to miss just by a hair! As one final piece threw itself at her, she spun them to the side, letting the debris grind against her back and propel her upwards!
Zeny: Ngh!
Yui: (eyes widen)
The fist of the machine was on a course headed right to them! Without a moment of hesitation, Zeny twirled and launched Yui into the window of a building, safely landing away! The girl rushed to the ledge only to see a massive cloud of dust arise. . .
Yui: Sh-She just took a direct hit?!
—
Elsewhere, another Zero-Pointer was wreaking havoc, Midoriya rolled out of the way of a falling piece of building!
Izuku: Crap! There's only two minutes left and I still have zero-points! At this rate, all of Zeny's hope, all of All Might's training, all of it will mean nothing!
Ow!
The boy whirled around, spotting an innocent brunette trapped beneath some rubble. . .
And once again, without a second of thought, Izuku Midoriya ran right to ground zero!
—
There is absolutely no merit to taking on that faux villain, but that creates the opportunity. . . for it shine brightly. . . and rise to the surface!
—
Deep within the dust cloud created from the impact, a bright blue shine broke through the darkness! Rifts formed all over Zeny Rose's body as pain coursed through her!
—
Right at ground zero, the red violet glow of power formed around Izuku Midoriya, his veins glowing as his skin gained a golden shine!
—
Rocketing into the sky, streaks of emerald and cerulean light tore through the air! Their sleeves were torn apart as their power focused into their fists, arms reeling back as the eyes of bright emerald and light blue gazed into the deep red of their enemy! Roars escaped their lips as Izuku and Zeny struck with all their might!
—
SMAAAAASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
—
All Might: That's right. . . it rises up and shines through. The most important element to being a Hero. . . The Spirit of Self-Sacrifice.
—
Zeny Rose descended to the ground, the head of her Zero-Pointer split into halves, its torso and body falling apart as it sunk to the ground. The entire battle center shook as she landed on her two feet, the machine having collapsed. . . .
—
Izuku Midoriya fell toward the ground, the head of his Zero-Pointer caved in completely, it's body combusting as it fell. His limbs were broken, all but his left arm, the backlash of One For All dealing quite the number on him. . .
Luckily, the brunette from before gave him a good slap, using her Gravity Quirk to break his fall before kindly emptying out her stomach on the ground. . . .
—
Zeny: (breathes) Geez. . . I knew that would hurt, but. . . ow.
Taking a deep breath, she let her cerulean aura fade, though the cracks on her body remained.
Zeny: Oh right, that girl.
Turning to the side, she looked up the building to see Yui Kodai gazing downward in awe of what she just witnessed.
Zeny: (Relieved sigh) I guess there's no need to worry about that.
As she turned around, she was met by the awe of not just Yui, but every examinee in her area. . .
Zeny: There's still a test going on, you know-
TIME'S UP!
And thus, the Entrance Exams were concluded.
Zeny: . . . or not. . . Well, I guess I should find Izuku.
Unfortunately, she couldn't find him. . . .
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She couldn't find Izuku for a week, a whole seven days going on eighth. It was worrying to say the least. . . Even going to his home directly didn't help.
Zeny: (sighs) He can't be avoiding me for nothing. I just hope whatever it is isn't serious.
The blue-highlighted ravennette opened her mail box, taking the sole envelope inside before entering her home. She glanced at the paper in her hands before her eyes widened. . .
Zeny: I. . . I guess it's time to see if I made it.
A small smile spread across her lips as she found herself opening it up, seeing a small disk inside. Recognizing it as a projector, she set it down on the coffee table and set herself on the ground. . .
I am here, as a projection?!
Zeny couldn't help but deadpan at the Symbol of Peace's introduction. The device projected All Might in a nice yellow suit, somehow making his signature hefty laugh even louder.
All Might: Now you must be wondering, why I, the Number One Hero, am presenting this to you?!
Zeny: Stop yelling.
All Might: That is because I came to this town to work at U.A.!
Zeny: . . . Okay.
All Might: You, Zeny Rose scored a near perfect on the written exam and an outstanding sixty-five points during the practical exam! BUT! That is not all!
Zeny: Hm? (raises a brow)
All Might: As you are now, you've already reached the upper echelon of examinees, but the exam's Villain Points are not the only thing contributing to your score. You see. . .
A video within the projection played, her heroic display while saving Yui and defeating the Zero-Pointer flashing into being. The girl wasn't sure what to think, her eyes widening as the Hero went on.
All Might: As a Hero School, we must also consider the heroic actions of our students. . . in the form of Rescue Points!
No. 1) Zeny Rose - 65 - 45
No. 2) Katsuki Bakugo - 77 - 0
No. 3) Eijiro Kirishima - 39 - 35
No. 4) Ochaco Uraraka - 28 - 45
No. 5) Ibara Shiozaki - 36 - 32
No. 6) Itsuka Kendo - 25 - 40
No. 7) Tenya Iida - 52 - 9
No. 8) Izuku Midoriya - 0 - 60
No. 9) Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu - 49 - 10
No. 10) Fumikage Tokoyami - 47 - 10
Zeny: I. . . I didn't think I'd. . . I'd be-
All Might: Zeny Rose, One-Hundred and Ten points! You PASS.
Zeny: I. . . I did it.
She beamed brightly as All Might flashed his signature smile. . .
Young Rose, this is your Hero Academia!
Before the video even cut off, the Newborn Hero had ran right out of her home and into the dead of night, only one goal in mind. . .
Zeny could hardly contain her happiness as she made her way across Musutafu, arriving a small apartment complex. . . The moment one specific door opened, she threw herself over her best friend and hugged him as tight as she could!
Zeny: We did it! Izuku! We really did it!
The boy was a blushing mess at the sudden embrace, but as time went on, the cheers of his friend calmed him down enough for him to hug back. . .
Izuku: W-We did it. . .
Tears of joy escaped his eyes as Zeny hugged him even tighter. . . They had taken their first step to becoming Heroes, and now it was time for the second. . . .
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They were none the wiser to the ecstatic Inko Midoriya snapping a picture of the two warmly embracing. . . .
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(A/N- Seeing as it is Thanksgiving break, I decided to release this one early. Also, I have a bit of a surprise for the next chapter.)