The U.A. observation room was large and circular, with armored glass and several floating screens projecting different areas of the battlefield. From there, several hero examiners closely monitored the applicants' progress: some taking notes, others murmuring observations to the rest. Everything was routine.
Present in the room was Principal Nezu, small and calm, sitting comfortably on a cushioned chair with extra pillows, elegantly sipping tea. Next to him, dressed in a gray suit, sat a thin, almost skeletal man: Toshinori Yagi. No one here recognized him as All Might—except Nezu.
Also present were various examiners. Shota Aizawa, known as Eraserhead, stood in a corner with arms crossed and a permanent scowl on his face. Next to him was Midnight, leaning on the observation railing with her arms resting forward. Present Mic was there too, observing with his usual laid-back attitude. Thirteen wasn't present, but Snipe and Cementoss had arrived early. Behind them, an assistant silently took notes.
It was Midnight who first pointed at Riku Tachibana.
—That boy down there… the one with the skates and gauntlets. Does anyone know him?
Present Mic lowered his signature yellow glasses to focus.
—Huh… he's fast. Really fast. And those hits… whoa! Is that vibration?
—Could be, —Snipe replied, watching a replay of the blow that took down a two-point robot—. Maybe a quirk focused on concentrated vibrations. The skates could just help him control it.
—Or maybe —Cementoss chimed in— it's a way to stabilize himself. Like that glowing kid, Yuga Aoyama. He needs a belt to handle his quirk. Maybe it's something similar.
—No, —interrupted a soft, unmistakable voice.
Everyone turned toward the small, well-dressed rodent calmly sipping his tea.
Principal Nezu.
—That applicant has no quirk, —he said, smiling harmlessly—. His name is Riku Tachibana.
Silence hit the room like a hammer. Several pro-heroes blinked in disbelief.
Aizawa's frown deepened.
—You're saying that boy…?
—Correct. No quirk. Everything he's wearing—those skates, the vibration gauntlets, even the corrosive fluid—he designed and built it himself. I personally reviewed his application. He's no born genius, but he's made up for it with relentless hard work.
—That's… —Present Mic shook his head— That's crazy. He's taking down two- and three-point robots!
—And helping other candidates too, —added Cementoss, pointing at one of the screens where Riku was pulling a girl out from under simulated rubble.
Aizawa, however, remained unimpressed.
—Reckless.
—Oh? —Nezu lifted an eyebrow.
—He's getting into close-quarters fights with three-point robots without any quirk. If one of his gadgets fails, he could get seriously injured. There's no safety net. That's irresponsible.
As the exam continued, more and more screens showed the boy in action. Riku zipped through explosions, helped classmates, finished off damaged robots, and kept racking up points without slowing down.
Aizawa watched as Riku rescued a trapped girl, then took on a three-point robot head-on. A quick double shot of corrosive fluid, a couple of vibration strikes, and the machine dropped.
—He's closing in on 50 points, —Midnight observed—. Maybe more. We don't have the exact count yet, but the sensors are logging multiple direct shutdowns.
—Does that make him a candidate? —Aizawa muttered—. No quirk. Pure brains. How long could he last in a real fight?
—That depends on who trains him, —Nezu said innocently, though the words carried weight.
Before Aizawa could respond, one of the monitors flashed a warning.
ZERO-POINT ROBOT ACTIVATED.
The camera feeds switched. Giant mechanical strides shook the testing grounds. Students screamed, scattered in every direction. Some hid. Others tried to help their classmates.
And then… they saw him.
—Is… is that for real? —Midnight whispered.
Riku was running straight toward it.
—That kid's insane, —Hound Dog growled—. Stop the exam!
—He's charging straight at the zero-point robot! —Snipe exclaimed—. He's going to get himself killed!
—Nezu, shut it down! —Midnight barked.
Nezu didn't move. He took another sip of tea, his gaze fixed on the monitor.
—Wait, —he said calmly.
Aizawa leaned in, narrowing his eyes. On screen, Riku was climbing buildings, launching himself upward with blasts from his gauntlets, flying toward the robot's back… and then disappeared inside the towering machine.
—He got in… What the hell is he thinking? —Cementoss muttered.
Seconds stretched in tense silence. The only sounds were quiet breathing and the soft murmurs of data analysis. Then, the robot's exterior cameras caught it.
An internal explosion.
A gaping hole.
The colossal robot staggered.
And Riku shot out through an opening in its back, crashing onto a rooftop and rolling to a shaky stop, completely exhausted.
Behind him, the giant collapsed.
Aizawa's frown deepened.
—You've lost your mind if you think I'm letting that kid into my class. One wrong move and he snaps his neck. I don't have time to babysit a civilian with a death wish.
Nezu smiled.
—He will be in your class, Aizawa.
—No, —the underground hero replied sharply.
—Yes, —Nezu insisted, his tone sweet but carrying a sharp edge—. Because you are the only one capable of guiding him.
Aizawa glared with clear disapproval.
—I'm not a babysitter.
—You weren't exactly an easy student either, —Nezu replied casually—. You had a quirk that could cancel others, sure… but there were plenty of times you faced mutant-type opponents whose quirks you couldn't shut down. You adapted with creativity, tactics, and physical effort. Riku doesn't have a quirk to cancel—he doesn't have one at all. But his resourcefulness is something rare. You two are more alike than you realize.
Aizawa looked away, clearly annoyed.
—If he can't keep up, I'll expel him without hesitation.
—Of course, —Nezu said, raising his cup—. I trust your judgment.
The other heroes kept debating. Some said it was too dangerous. Others said it was inspiring. A few wanted to learn more about his gear. But none of them denied what they had just witnessed… wasn't something you saw every day.
Amidst the back-and-forth, one man stood silently.
A tall, thin figure in a suit… Toshinori Yagi, in his true, weakened form, watched the screens quietly, lips pressed in a firm line.
Nezu glanced sideways.
—What do you think, Toshinori?
The Symbol of Peace didn't answer immediately. His eyes lowered slightly, and for a moment, the faintest smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
—He's giving it everything he's got, —he whispered—. That's… PLUS ULTRA.
....
....
I got up slowly.
Everything hurt, though it wasn't anything serious. Just scrapes, bruises, and a constant ringing in my ears. But I was in one piece.
I wiped my face with my sleeve, took a deep breath, and climbed down the fake building using a metal emergency staircase.
Once I hit the ground, I saw a group of examinees gathered a few meters away. All of them were staring in the same direction—at the massive smoking pile of scrap that used to be the zero-point robot.
Their faces were a strange mix of shock and confusion.
I didn't really listen to what they were saying. Just scattered voices, words I couldn't make out. I just wanted to get out of there. Breathe fresh air. Sleep for a week.
But before I could leave, a voice called out.
—It's him! —a girl shouted, pointing straight at me—. I saw him! He went after the zero-point robot!
I half-turned around.
More voices followed.
—I saw it too! He launched himself from a building…
—He jumped inside the robot! Like… inside it!
—What kind of crazy stunt was that…?
—Wait… —another examinee said, frowning—. Isn't he the kid without a quirk?
And that word… just that word… made everyone fall silent for a second.
I stood still. Didn't move. Didn't look anyone in the eye.
—What did you just say? —someone asked, like they weren't sure they heard it right.
—Him. It's him. The kid with no quirk. I heard it before the test started, remember?
—No way.
—Seriously?
—But how…?
The whispers grew, rolling through the group like a wave. The looks on their faces changed—some full of disbelief, others just stunned.
A lot of people had seen it, apparently.
I'd been so focused on the zero-pointer… so locked into the adrenaline rush, the instinct, the risk… I didn't even notice them watching.
A little smile crept onto my face. Not really pride… well, maybe a little. But mostly just plain satisfaction.
If the other examinees were reacting like this… what about the pro heroes up there judging us?
Damn.
I really wanted to see their faces right now.
—That was awesome! —a voice cut into my thoughts, full of energy.
—Huh? —I blinked, turning my head slowly.
A girl was walking up to me, practically bouncing with excitement. I recognized her immediately.
Ashido Mina.
She came jogging over, a wide grin across her face. Her sports uniform jacket was halfway unzipped, sleeves dusty, but that didn't slow her down one bit.
—I saw you! —she said, stopping right in front of me—. You went straight at that robot! I thought you'd lost your mind!
I stared at her, still trying to get my brain to catch up while Mina kept talking, arms flying everywhere with her wild gestures.
—You blasted off, jumped inside, and then BOOM! The whole thing just blew up! I seriously thought you weren't making it out!
She was still grinning like crazy, looking me dead in the eyes, almost like she was waiting for me to… I don't know… react more? Be all emotional about it?
But I didn't really know how to respond to any of that.
We'd barely just met, right? Just talked a little before the test started while we were waiting, traded names and a couple awkward comments… then everyone went off on their own.
And now here she was, acting like we were longtime friends.
I shrugged.
I guess living in Japan for so long made me forget people like her existed. People who were so upfront, so casual, so… open. Most folks were polite, distant, careful with their words. Always bowing, apologizing for things they didn't even do. And then Mina shows up, loud, bright, completely unfiltered.
I'd honestly forgotten people could be like this.
I scratched my head, giving her a half-smile.
—How'd you do on the test? —I asked.
—Me? —she blinked in surprise, then gave a sheepish grin—. Definitely nowhere near as impressive as you! But I think I got a decent score. Took down like… fifteen? Maybe twenty robots? Honestly lost count. But yeah, I think I passed.
I was about to answer, but someone else's voice cut in.
—Is anyone here injured?
The voice sounded old, but firm. A little high-pitched.
Mina and I turned at the same time.
A short woman in a nurse's coat, leaning on a giant syringe like a cane, was walking toward the crowd. Her face was wrinkled but calm, her peaceful expression standing out among the noisy aftermath.
Recovery Girl.
She walked at a slow but steady pace, the soft tapping of her syringe-cane echoing against the ground as she handed out candies to the students. Some of the examinees accepted the treats a little shyly; others just shook their heads. But overall, everyone seemed to be in decent shape.
Eventually, she made her way over to us.
—And you two? —she asked in her high-pitched, kind tone—. Any injuries? Broken bones? Headaches? Dizziness?
—Just a few scrapes —I said, motioning to my arms and one side of my ribs.
—I'm good, thanks —Mina added with her usual grin.
Recovery Girl squinted at me, those tiny eyes giving me a quick, expert once-over. Then she nodded.
—Alright, hold still.
—Wait, what—?
I didn't get to finish.
Before I could react, Recovery Girl's lips stretched outward, like something out of a cartoon. They shouldn't have been able to move like that, but somehow they did—elastic, purposeful—rising toward my cheek with a sticky, squelchy sound.
—Uh? —I mumbled, completely frozen.
—Uh? —Mina echoed, equally confused.
Smack!
A quick, dry kiss landed right on my cheek. Instantly, a weird tingle spread across the side of my face, followed by a pleasant warmth trickling down my neck, chest, and into my arms and legs. It was like someone lit a tiny bonfire under my skin. My muscles relaxed all at once. The ringing in my ears vanished. Even the soreness and bruises seemed to ease up.
—That should be enough —Recovery Girl said matter-of-factly, pulling her lips back like it was no big deal—. Don't do anything stupid until you're properly healed.
And just like that, she was gone.
Mina and I stayed frozen for a second, like time itself had just stopped between us. My cheek was still warm. Her eyes were comically wide.
—Did she… just kiss you?
I nodded, feeling like my soul had partially left my body.
—Her quirk speeds up physical recovery through a kiss. But it burns through your stamina, so she only uses it when injuries are minor or when the person can handle it.
Mina blinked a couple of times.
—Okay… let's pretend that never happened —I said in a low voice.
Mina burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching her stomach. Her laughter was so carefree and honest that it pulled a reluctant smile out of me too… even if my cheek was still tingling from the whole experience.