Promising students

"Hey there" - speech

'is he talking to me?' - thought

"𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼!" - shouting

She was ,,beautiful,, - sarcasm

"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝" - accentuated speech

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(Third person pov)

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"This year's students seem to be extremely promising" the gruff voice of the Blood hero resounded in the dimly lit room.

The panel of UA judges nodded in unanimous agreement, with varying degrees of enthusiasm evident among them.

"Yes, this year is going to be so much fun...just look at them struggle...it makes me feel so...(⁠♡⁠ω⁠♡)"

"..."

"..."

"..."

As per usual, the pro heroes, seasoned by years of combating crime, were unperturbed by Midnight's outburst, maintaining their focus on the screens displaying the ongoing practical exam.

But as the minutes passed, some of the teachers felt the need to address a few...peculiarities.

"For how long can that boy maintain the quirks he copied? echoed the drowsy voice of a homeless-looking man as he pointed towards one particular child...

...a child who was currently laughing maniacally above the destroyed remains of what used to be a three pointer robot.

"...And what the hell is wrong with him?" 

"*Cough Cough*, His name appears to be Neito Monoma and according to his file, he can only retain a copied quirk for 5 minutes " The U.A. High School Principal addressed the first question, dismissing the second one with a smile on his rodent-like face.

"It's still remarkably powerful if he knows how to wield it effectively...though that's quite unlikely" 

Vlad King remarked, watching Monoma zap himself using a lightning quirk he copied from somewhere.

"Hehehe...The crème de la crème of our students must understand that it's the fusion of skill, speed, power, and unwavering focus that propels them to the top...simply being blessed with a superior quirk is never enough." The smol Principal spoke as his beady eyes darted from one promising student to the next.

"Take Tenya Iida for example" he continued, gesturing towards a blue haired boy who was methodically shattering the heads of any robots in his vicinity using his engine-like feet.

"Or that kid with a crow like head. Such control...wait...is that a sentient Quirk?!" Midnight asked as the gazes of the UA teachers snapped towards the boy in question.

"Fumikage Tokoyami - Sentient Quirk aptly named Dark Shadow...gets stronger and harder to control at night" Nezu helpfully supplied, not at all worried about the boy. Tokoyami already had enough points to pass the exam, and only a few minutes have passed since it began. With the help of UA's teachers, getting his quirk under control would be a cup of tea.

"So I suppose we know in whose classroom he will end up, huh?" Said Vlad King, casting a sidelong glance at his ,,rival,, teacher. 

Alas, Eraser Head's attention was focused on something else entirely.

"I have two more questions" Aizawa began, making his colleagues' brows rise a bit in response.

'You are quite awake today, aren't you?' was what most of them thought.

"One...Why are you so nervous?" 

The Erasure Hero's piercing gaze was directed towards the person who kept visibly sweating despite the room's average temperature.

A behemoth of muscles, crowned by golden hair with two defiant strands, whom flaunted teeth as pristine as pearls, and bore a countenance chiseled in stone, framed by steely blue eyes.

His most striking trait, his radiant smile, appeared to illuminate even the darkest corners of the room.

Who could he be other than...

"Hahaha...I am just inspired by the power of Youth possessed by these young heroes...It seems this is the reaction my body has to such excitement..." All Might boldly lied, his smile unfaltering, even as beads of sweat rolled down his neck every time he looked towards the screens displaying the exam.

"I see..." Aizawa drawled, unsatisfied by the answer but lacking a reason to dig any deeper.

Dismissing All Might's weirdly suspicious behavior, he turned his attention towards the other thing which was bothering him...

"Then...Can someone please explain to me what that kid is doing?" He asked once more, pointing a finger towards one of the screens.

As the other judges looked towards it, they could see the image of a young man of average height, with a slim, muscular build, and a fair skin tone. He had short, spiky, sandy blond hair and his eyes appeared to shine with a golden hue.

As for what he was doing....

"He appears to be...stretching?" Midnight hesitantly stated.

"I can see that!" Aizawa snapped towards the R-rated hero, much to her delight.

Massaging his tired eyes, he calmed down and reiterated. "What I meant to ask is why he is STILL stretching, 4 minutes after the exam began..."

At this, the looks of amusement on the other heroes' faces slowly morphed into puzzlement as they watched the boy in question happily continue with his stretches.

'Triceps Stretch, Quadriceps Stretch, Shoulder Stretch, Calf Stretch, Wrist Flexor Stretch...'

"Maybe he got cold feet?" The Blood Hero offered, his eyes still glued to the screen "It's not like it's the first time something like this happened...some kid snapping under the weight of their own dreams or the expectations of those around them, but..."

"But look at his face." Aizawa demanded, his eyes narrowed as a few strands of his hair slowly started moving upwards "That expression... doesn't belong to somebody who gave up..."

And indeed, it wasn't. The boy wore a bright smile as he continued to stretch his muscles, and no matter how much Aizawa tried, he couldn't see anything other than honest happiness in that smile.

'Then why is he wasting valuable time!?' He wondered, the paradox in front of him pushing away the tiredness he felt...for a little bit at least.

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"𝗔𝗹𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲! 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁!" President Mic's voice thundered through the microphone he held in his hand "𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘄'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗿! 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁...𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘...𝗡𝗢𝗪" 

Unknown to the other contestants, the last part was meant for a specific someone...not that it made any difference.

"Katsuki Bakugo, 15 years old, Quirk-Explosion, basically explosive sweat but only from his arms...severe anger management problems..." Aizawa slowly spoke as he continued reading this weird boy's file.

"He doesn't seem all that angry to me though." Midnight said, slowly loosing interest.

"And I don't understand why you are so hung up on him, Shota. Even if he starts to move now, more than half of the robots have already been destroyed" She continued, glancing at Nezu's tablet which showed the number of points remaining unclaimed. "The boy clearly has his reasons for..."

"WAIT WAIT! Is it just me or is he looking towards us?" President Mic suddenly spoke softly which still made everybody's ears hurt.

"It appears so...did he see the hidden camera?Interesting...I specifically designed them to be all but invisible for those without sensory quirks..." Nezu smiled while gently rubbing his sensible ears.

"Which he does. Not. Have. At least according to this information" Aizawa assured the other heroes who were looking at him confusedly, even as his eyes turned a deeper shade of red, his front bangs seemingly defying gravity. He kept his eyes glued to the screen on which he could see the boy which was sure to become a massive headache in the future...he could feel it in his bones.

The boy's smile had turned into a smirk by now, a bit more feral, more dangerous...more unhinged...as he slowly shifted his gaze from the hidden camera towards the other contestants fighting in the distance. 

Then, slowly, he lowered himself into a sprinter's pose with deliberate, methodical precision. Taut muscles rippled beneath his skin, and his eyes, somehow shined even brighter. His bare feet gripped the ground and...

Wait...

'Why did he take off his shoes and when the hell did he do it?' Aizawa wondered with incredulity as time itself seemed to slow to a crawl. 

A distinctively edged smile now played across Bakugo's face...

***𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈***

A colossal explosion erupted from Bakugo's feet, its thunderous roar reverberating even within the confines of the judges' room. The sheer force unleashed painted the scene with a brilliant burst of fiery intensity, leaving an indelible mark on the arena.

A hushed stillness blanketed the room, as if words themselves struggled to find purchase in the aftermath. Aizawa's disheveled hair now succumbed to its pull as he cradled his head in his hands. Mic and Midnight, expressions of support etched on their faces, gently patted him on the back, offering support in the midst of the resonating silence.

The silence stretched taut... untill Nezu's borderline insane laughter erupted, its thunderous echoes shaking the very walls of the room. Small tears cascaded from his diminutive eyes as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Haha𝗛𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗵𝗮Heha𝗛𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗵𝗮Heha𝗛𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗵𝗮.... Katsuki Bakugo, huh..." Nezu stated more than questined as he continued to observe the boy soaring through the air, kept afloat by explosions erupting from the soles of his 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘁...

"Let's see if all this posturing will be worth it in the end.....𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗭𝗘𝗥𝗢 𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥, 𝗛𝗔𝗛𝗔𝗛𝗔!!!" 

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