Midoriya POV
His heart pounded in his chest. He adjusted the straps of his bag nervously as he watched the cute girl walk away from him. He'd never really 'talked' to a girl before, and the thought of actually speaking with one made him proud.
Then, as people filed past, someone caught his eye.
A tall boy. Muscular. White hair that shimmered faintly in the sunlight. On his right ear glinted a sun-shaped gold earring, on his left a moon shaped silver one. A necklace hung around his neck, reflecting the light, and his fingers were covered in rings. A chain bracelet circled his wrist.
He walked past with steady, confident steps, head held high. Midoriya swallowed hard. I wish I could be that confident... but I'll do my best, I can't let All Might down.
AOI POV
It had been a long, hard year. Training, refining control of his quirk, managing his stamina… but here he was. UA Entrance Exam.
The written test shouldn't be an issue. For someone like him, this was revision, not learning. He walked in, scanned the room, and settled into his assigned seat. Pens in hand, he worked through the questions methodically.
An hour later, he walked outside, feeling satisfied. Confident that he had aced it, he followed the crowd into another room: an auditorium.
"ARE YOU READYYYYY?!"
The voice boomed through a speaker hanging around a man's neck. Present Mic - Hero, teacher, and absolute chaos personified. Silence fell across the room.
"Tough crowd, huh?" Present Mic muttered, a grin on his face. He looked around, taking in the mixture of expressions: nervousness, confidence, even kids silently praying.
"Alright! No problem! Let's get this party STARTEDDD!"
Aoi barely flinched. He had watched the hero give instructions in the anime - same gestures, same energy. He stifled a yawn as Present Mic shouted and waved his hands about, giving the usual rundown of the practical exam.
He noticed Midoriya fidgeting nearby and Iida standing stiffly, correcting everything in sight. The same dynamic he had seen in the anime.
Finally, everyone was assigned sections. Aoi's eyes flicked to his.
Battle Center C.
The bus ride was silent.
No one spoke. Some stared at the floor, others clenched their fists. Nervous energy filled the cramped space as UA transported them toward the battlefield. Aoi sat calmly by the window, watching the scenery pass. When the bus finally stopped and the doors opened, he stepped out with the others and paused. A mock city stretched out before them. Buildings, streets, intersections, alleyways. Everything looked real enough to live in.
"…UA really does have a lot of money," he muttered under his breath.
He rolled his shoulders and began stretching. As he did, his mind ran through his options.
Robots. Points-based. Efficiency matters.
This wasn't about flashy moves. It was about speed, coverage, and energy conservation. The faster he moved, the more robots he could take down before anyone else. Red energy flowed down his legs, gathering around his shoes. They darkened, turning black with streaks of glowing red, faint bolts of energy snapping along the soles.
Ifrit.
Shoes existed to help people move. To run. To grip the ground. Enhancing that natural function had been one of his earliest breakthroughs. Ifrit let him move at extreme speed without losing balance or control - no slipping, no wasted momentum.
"AND START!" Present Mic roared.
Aoi vanished. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he exploded forward, the world blurring around him. Wind screamed past his ears as buildings streaked by in distorted flashes of color.
Behind him, several examinees froze in shock. "…What the hell—?". Then panic set in, and they ran after him but by the time they moved, he was already gone. Aoi rounded a corner and skidded to a controlled stop. There they were. A group of green robots, mechanical arms whirring, red eyes locking onto his position. One-pointers. Several of them.
"A couple of one-pointers, huh," he said quietly. "This should be enough."
Red energy surged again this time into his eyes and hands. His contact lenses shimmered, sharpening his vision unnaturally, he saw into the robots. The world slowed just enough for him to see.
There.
There.
And there.
"So that's where your cores are."
His nails elongated, blackened, and reshaped into massive claws, edges glowing red, sharp enough to tear through metal like paper. He moved. One step. A blur. A stab. The first robot collapsed, core shattered. He spun, claws carving through the second before it could even raise its arm. Sparks flew as metal screamed, the machine falling apart in pieces. A third lunged. Aoi ducked beneath it, drove his claws straight through its chest, and ripped the core free in one smooth motion.
It dropped, lifeless. He straightened, exhaling slowly as the last robot in the area fell silent. Not a scratch on him. Barely any strain. Aoi looked around, scanning for the next cluster.
Good. Minimal energy. Maximum points. If this was how the exam was going to go
Then UA was about to get very interesting.