The observatory room was crowded with U.A.'s teaching staff, all eyes fixed on the wall of monitors displaying the seven entrance exam blocks. The atmosphere varied wildly depending on who you looked at—Hizashi was practically vibrating with excitement, Nemuri wore her typical predatory grin as she evaluated potential students, and then there was Aizawa himself, who was tired of it all.
Aizawa let out a long, weary sigh. Another year, another batch of potential troublemakers he'd have to deal with. The question wasn't if they'd be problems, but how many and how severe. Maybe he should just expel them all like last year and save himself the headache.
His gaze swept the room, taking in the familiar faces. It was the same group as last year, with one notable exception—All Might was present, sitting quietly in his skeletal form rather than the muscular powerhouse the world knew. That alone was jarring enough, but what truly disturbed Aizawa was the knowledge of how the Symbol of Peace had been reduced to such a state. The injury must have been catastrophic.
A involuntary shiver ran down Aizawa's spine. Whatever villain had done that to All Might... the fact that they were dead was the only reason Aizawa could sleep at night. If something that powerful was still out there, actively causing problems...
He'd noticed the reduced patrol times, of course. Everyone in the hero community had. The rise in incidents involving Trigger and other problems had been a direct consequence. But Aizawa had never imagined the reason behind it was an injury this severe. All Might, weakened. It was quite a wakeup call.
"THE EXAM WILL NOW BEGIN!" Present Mic's voice boomed through the speakers, snapping Aizawa's attention back to the monitors.
Most of the students stood frozen, apparently not realizing that the "begin" announcement meant they should actually, you know, begin. Typical. However, in a few blocks, some sharp students immediately burst into action, causing others to scramble after them in panic.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL BATTLES! GO GO GO!" Present Mic annouced for the rest.
"Oh, I guess there are some smart ones among them after all," Ectoplasm observed, his multiple forms clustered around different monitors. "Three blocks had students who started immediately on the first announcement."
Aizawa grudgingly admitted that was promising. At least a handful understood that hesitation could cost lives in the field.
"There's a flight quirk user in Block E," Cementoss pointed at one of the screens. "Took a good elevated position to survey the layout too. Smart thinking."
"Will he even be able to see anything useful from that distance?" Snipe asked skeptically, adjusting his hat.
"He shouldn't have any problem with that," Nezu replied, his tone suggesting he knew something the rest of them didn't. Which, knowing Nezu, was always the case.
"Oh? Does he have some kind of bird quirk with enhanced vision?" Midnight leaned forward with interest.
Aizawa quickly shuffled through the papers on the desk to identify the contestant. When he found the file, his eyebrows rose slightly. The quirk description was... unusual.
"No," he said flatly.
Before anyone could press for details, Nezu cut in smoothly. "Oh, that boy would be Ryoto Watanabe. He has quite a fascinating quirk. He named it 'Archive' in the quirk registry."
"Do you know about him, Principal?" Aizawa asked, though he already suspected the answer. Nezu knew about everything.
"You could say that." Nezu's eyes gleamed with that particular light that always made Aizawa slightly uneasy. "The boy has a quirk that allows him to acquire different quirks based on targets he observes using their abilities. It's quite novel—rather than copying, he gains related or opposite quirks. Very adaptable."
Aizawa could see the awe rippling through the room. Even he had to admit that was an impressive ability. His attention was drawn to All Might, who had tensed noticeably at the description, his sunken eyes widening before he visibly forced himself to relax. Only after a look from Nezu did he completely relaxed. There was a story there, but Aizawa had no intention of digging into it. That kind of thing always led to headaches.
"That's an incredibly powerful quirk," Power Loader said, leaning back in his chair. "He could excel in any specialization—underground work, rescue operations, direct combat. With versatility like that, shouldn't he have received a recommendation?"
"Well, his family background is a bit complicated," Nezu explained. "He's the adopted grandson of Alfred Watanabe from the Hero Public Safety Commission. It's quite surprising he chose U.A. at all, given he's grandfather is in HPSC. As for the recommendation, he did receive one, but he rejected it. Said he wanted to participate and win his place fair and square."
"Oh, very heroic," Midnight purred. "And with those looks, he's going to be breaking hearts left and right."
Aizawa could tell Nezu was holding back more information, but since the Principal wasn't sharing, there was no point pushing. He turned his attention back to the monitors.
The boy in question—Ryoto—was now actively engaging the robots. Purple constructs materialized in his hands, forming a bow. He drew back the string which materialized arrows and released arrow after arrow at the robots below. What caught Aizawa's attention was the precision—not a single shot missed its mark. Each arrow found weak points, disabling robots with ruthless efficiency.
"That would be weapon creation for the constructs and a targeting enhancement quirk," Nezu supplied helpfully. "Quite the combination."
"How many quirks does he even have?" Snipe asked, and Aizawa could hear the genuine curiosity in the gunslinger hero's voice. No doubt impressed by the aim.
"He listed ten on his application," Nezu said with a light chuckle. "But there are certainly more. He's not obligated to disclose his entire arsenal, and given his quirk's nature, he likely has access to quite an extensive collection by now."
"Guess we already know who'll be the top performer," Ectoplasm commented. "And look—he's helping other examinees too. Should rack up plenty of rescue points too."
"At least he's not letting power go to his head like the explosive one over there," Cementoss said, gesturing to another monitor where a blonde student was demolishing robots with the subtlety of a wrecking ball and the temperament to match.
Aizawa's eye twitched as he watched Bakugo Katsuki tear through the examination site. Powerful? Yes. Controlled? Absolutely not.
"The boy with multiple arms is using them cleverly for information gathering," someone noted.
"The kid from the Tenya family and the red-haired boy are doing quite well in Block B," Vlad King observed, his arms crossed. "The blonde girl is creative too, though her approach is a bit wild."
Aizawa tracked the mentioned students across the monitors. Tenya Iida moved with practiced precision, clearly benefiting from family training. The red-haired boy—Kirishima, according to his file—showed promise with a hardening quirk. And the girl... Toga Himiko. Her movements were erratic but effective, using some kind of transformation ability.
"There's the girl in Block C," Snipe added. "Jiro, I think. Her quirk isn't offensive by nature, but she's adapted it well for combat. Using sound waves to disable the robots' sensors before destroying them."
"In terms of raw destruction, the boys from Block A and Block E are outpacing everyone else significantly," Thirteen remarked, and several heads nodded in agreement.
Aizawa rubbed his temples, already feeling the beginning of a headache. "The one from Block A is too aggressive. He's only focused on smashing robots and completely ignoring everyone around him. The one from Block E, though—Watanabe—he's using his environment strategically and assisting other examinees when they're in danger."
"Bakugo can learn proper behavior during his time at the academy," Nezu said placidly. "That's part of our purpose here."
"As long as he's not in my class," Aizawa muttered darkly.
Nezu suddenly became very interested in one of the monitors, refusing to meet Aizawa's eyes. That was never a good sign. Aizawa's headache intensified.
While the other teachers discussed various promising students, Aizawa noticed All Might's attention was locked on one particular screen—Block B, on a green-haired boy who had yet to score a single point. The kid was muttering constantly, analyzing everything but not engaging. All Might's expression grew more anxious by the second, his skeletal hands clenching and unclenching.
He's seeing too many things today. Aizawa filed it away for later consideration.
"Well!" Nezu's voice cut through the discussions, drawing everyone's attention. "It looks like we've reached the final stretch! Let's see how the examinees react to the zero pointers!"
His paw hovered over a large red button, and his grin took on a manic quality that made everyone in the room take an involuntary step back.
"Mwahahaha!"
Several teachers sweat-dropped at their Principal's cackling as he slammed the button with far more enthusiasm than necessary.
Across all seven blocks simultaneously, massive robotic behemoths activated. The zero pointers were three stories tall, bristling with armor plating and designed to inspire exactly one response: run away.
And run the students did. Panic spread through the exam sites as the examinees realized they were facing something far beyond the previous robots.
"Now this is where we see their true colors," Aizawa muttered, leaning forward slightly despite himself.
"Look at Block E!" Midnight exclaimed suddenly.
Aizawa's eyes snapped to the indicated screen. Ryoto Watanabe hadn't run. Instead, he'd stopped mid-flight, hovering in place as he stared at the zero pointer tearing through the mock city below. Then, slowly, purple energy began coalescing above him.
"What is he doing?" Power Loader asked.
The purple energy solidified, forming into a construct and it's size was no joke. It was a sword—massive, easily the size of a bus, hanging suspended in the air above the battlefield. The detail was incredible; Aizawa could make out an intricate crossguard and a blade all in purple.
"That's quite the weapon," Snipe said, his usual drawl replaced with genuine surprise. "And considering it's floating independently at that height, he's using another quirk to maintain it."
"Telekinesis, likely," Nezu supplied, though even he was watching with rapt attention. "Or some variation thereof. Very creative application."
Ryoto began moving directly toward the zero pointer, diving through the air with purpose.
"Is he insane?" Vlad King blurted out.
"Confident," Aizawa corrected, though he was thinking something similar.
The boy was fast, darting around the zero pointer's attempts to swat him out of the air. He wasn't trying to damage it. He was maneuvering it, using himself as bait, leading the massive robot with precise movements. The zero pointer followed, tracking the annoying flying target with single-minded determination.
"He's positioning it," Aizawa realized, watching the tactical play unfold. "Getting it exactly where he wants it."
Ryoto led the zero pointer into a wide intersection, open sky above, no obstacles in the immediate vicinity. Perfect targeting conditions. Once the robot was in position, Ryoto shot upward, gaining altitude rapidly.
Then he stopped and extended his hand toward the zero pointer below.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the zero pointer froze mid-step, its massive frame locked completely in place. Smoke started billowing from its joints. The mechanical grinding of its movement ceased. It was as if something was grabbing it in place, while everything around it continued normally.
"What quirk is that?" Ectoplasm asked.
"Stillness Manipulation, if I had to guess," Nezu said, his voice filled with academic interest. "The ability to completely halt motion in a targeted object."
With the zero pointer immobilized directly beneath the floating sword, Ryoto made a downward slashing motion with his arm.
The massive blade dropped.
It fell like a guillotine, picking up speed as gravity took hold. The sword struck the zero pointer dead center, cleaving through armor plating and mechanical systems with ease. The robot split cleanly in two, sparks flying as critical systems were severed. The two halves toppled in opposite directions, crashing to the ground and sending up clouds of dust and debris.
The observatory room was silent.
"Did he just..." Cementoss started.
"He took down a zero pointer," Midnight finished, her eyes wide. "Quite easily at that."
"In under a minute," Snipe added. "With tactical precision and three different quirks working in concert."
Aizawa found himself genuinely impressed despite his general policy of never being impressed by anything. The level of control, the strategic thinking, the sheer audacity to face the Zero pointer.
"Principal Nezu," Aizawa said slowly, "exactly how many quirks did you say he has?"
"I said he listed ten," Nezu replied, that insufferable knowing smile back in full force. "I never said that was all of them."
Before anyone could respond, All Might suddenly stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.
"Young Midoriya!" he gasped.
Every head turned to the Block B monitor. The green-haired boy—Midoriya—was running, but not away from the zero pointer. He was running toward it, toward a girl trapped under rubble in the robot's path.
"He's got no points," Vlad King said. "Why would he—"
Midoriya leaped, his fist pulled back. Purple lightning began crackling around his arm, energy building to visible levels. He screamed and punched the Zero pointer directly in its head.
The impact was huge. The zero pointer's head caved in from the force, the entire massive structure rocking backward from the blow. Cracks spiderwebbed across its armor. For a moment, it seemed to teeter, then began falling backward, away from the trapped girl.
But Midoriya was falling too, his arm hanging at an unnatural angle, both legs clearly broken from the recoil. He'd put everything into that single strike.
"Someone catch him!" Midnight shouted.
Luckily the brown-haired girl came to his rescue. After reaching Midoriya she first slapped him then again slapped her hands together and suddenly Midoriya's fall slowed. He drifted gently to the ground as she strained with the effort.
The exam buzzer sounded, signaling the end.
The observatory room erupted into noise, everyone talking at once.
"Did you see that power?"
"He destroyed himself using it!"
"The Watanabe boy's strategy—"
"That Midoriya kid has heart—"
"Those were the most impressive zero pointer takedowns I've ever witnessed—"
Aizawa sat back in his chair, processing what he'd just seen. Two students, two completely different approaches, both successful. Watanabe had used overwhelming tactical superiority and quirk versatility, eliminating the threat with minimal risk to himself or others. Midoriya had used raw power and self-sacrifice, throwing away any chance at points to save someone.
Different methods. Same result. Both undeniably heroic.
"Well!" Nezu clapped his paws together, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "I think this year's class might be quite interesting indeed!"
Aizawa groaned, slumping further into his chair. "Interesting" in Nezu's vocabulary meant "chaotic" and "prone to causing problems." He could already feel the expulsion forms calling to him.
"Cheer up, Aizawa!" Present Mic clapped him on the shoulder with too much force. "Those kids are gonna be AMAZING!"
"That's what I'm afraid of," Aizawa muttered, already planning which students to expel on the first day.
Though, as he looked at the frozen frames on the monitors—Watanabe standing victorious over the bisected zero pointer, Midoriya broken but triumphant, both having exceeded every expectation—Aizawa had to admit that maybe, just maybe, this batch might be worth the inevitable headaches.
Maybe.
Or maybe not.
Still his expulsion record would still stand either way.