U.A. Recommendation Exam

'Thanks, now I have exactly what I need to beat you. One day, maybe not now, but in a few years perhaps. I… I will kill you!'

*Two Years Later*

"We're going now!"

"Bye-bye!"

Two people emerge from the Yaoyorozu mansion. One, a tall boy with spiky white hair, gray eyes, and sharp facial features. He had a medium build and looked mature despite his younger age of 15. If you were to take a closer look, you could see that the muscles on his arm are well defined and compact. Wearing black pants, and a black sports jacket with a white shirt underneath, this was Shiro Hirota.

The other was a fairly tall teenage girl with a rather mature physique. With long black hair that was tied into a spiky ponytail and sharp eyes, she gave off a very elegant vibe. She was wearing red sweatpants, a shirt that ended above her stomach, and a white jacket to cover that. This was Momo Yaoyarozu.

*Shiro POV*

After discovering the identity of my mother's killer, I spent the whole night finding as much information as possible about the crime. News reports, youtube, videos through social media, anything that gave me information about the so-called Muscular. Anything that gave me even the tiniest bit of information.

Muscular, A-ranked villain. Notable features, scarred left eye, short blond hair, narrow eyes, and has a large build. His quirk, Muscle Augmentation, allows him to increase his muscle mass and give him strength. At a point, his muscles can no longer be held within his body, and burst out, forming a sort of armor around him. Known crimes consist of the murder of the pro hero couple, Water Hose, world-renowned chef, Hina Hirota, and at least 6 other known counts.

It could be called an obsession, but if that's what it was then fine. If it helped me in the end, I could care less. Eventually, I developed a weird habit of coming up with counters for people's quirk. After learning of someone's quirk, I'd analyze them and create scenarios in my head, in ways that I could defeat them.

Momo and I both step onto the train and take seats, "Hey, Shiro, what do you think the practical exam will be?"

I shrug my shoulders, and perform a shuffling sequence with my cards, "Maybe an obstacle course, something combat-related, or something that involves teamwork, like a team battle."

Due to Daichi's and Ichika's connections, the two of us were able to qualify for the U.A. recommendation entrance exam. We were currently on our way to U.A. to participate in the exams.

My progress in my combat style has improved massively since then. With my enemy identified, I trained harder than I have before and pushed myself to get stronger and stronger. Now, my blended style can take on a wide variety of opponents using a wide variety of moves.

I also learned how to use weapons. Knives and swords mainly, but I prefer to use knives over swords. When I pair it with my Bungee Gum, it's very effective, and I can catch my opponents off guard.

We get off the train and start walking towards the exam venue.

My father contacted me recently and sent me an album of pictures showing his adventures over the past 5 years. Just like he'd had said, he started from Asia and moved all around till he reached Europe. In the beginning, his facial features were grim and solemn, but as time grew, his features began to relax and cheer up. He began to smile more often and looked like he was having fun.

Finally, we reach U.A. High School.

'So this is the prestigious hero school…'

As we walked through the gates, I paused to admire the building. The whole building consisted of four main towers connected by hallways. Most of the building was covered in reflective glass panes. The trees swayed in the breeze, giving the campus a very relaxed look. I could see a handful of other people walking towards the doors of the UA building.

The normal entrance exam was held on a different day, so the few people that were present were our competition.

We are guided to an orientation hall, where a teacher wearing orange sunglasses and long yellow hair stuck up behind his head is standing in front of everyone.

I do a quick headcount, 'Including us, there are 42 people, and only a select few will make it into UA.'

The teacher in the front introduces himself then begins to explain what will happen, "First there will be a written test. After that will be the practical test, then finally the interview. We will be passing out the papers for the written exam soon, so just hang tight for now."

A minute later, the tests are out. I look down at the paper and quickly scan all of the questions. The basic stuff like math, Japanese, and English, then there are a bunch of scenario questions.

'Wow… I expected a little more from U.A. This will be a breeze.'

I quickly fill out the answers and stand up to hand it in.

Present Mic accepts it and tells me to go into the side room to wait while the rest of the people finish up. I turn around and Momo also stands up, finishing second not too long after me. I flash her a grin and head into the side room.

She quickly follows after me, and we play a quick round of speed. Both of us have good reaction times and I beat her only by the slight margin of three cards.

She slumps down in defeat, "Kuhh, I felt like I could win today."

Another person walks in, and I quickly analyze him

'No physical mutations. Transformation? Nah, he holds himself differently. Must be an emitter. He has two colors in his hair and the same with his eyes. Maybe a side effect of his quirk? Also some kind of scar on the right side of his face… he looks like a Coca Cola.'

He looks towards us, and moves to the corner of the room, and closes his eyes. After that people start to slowly trickle in as the rest of the participants finish up. After all 42 people have finished, Present Mic leads us outside.

"All right, get on the bus everybody. The next phase will be held a little bit away from here."

We file into the bus and after a 10-minute ride, the bus sinks and we get off. In front of us is an entrance to an obstacle course.

Present Mic once again steps up to explain, "This is a 3-kilometer obstacle that you guys will be racing in groups of 6. The terrain varies and as long as you stay on the course, I don't care what you do. Finish the course as fast as you can. The groups will be randomly chosen and that's it.``

Kuro perks up after hearing the explanation, 'Hey, Shiro, let me have a go. I haven't stretched out in a while.'

'You know that this will determine if I get into U.A. or not, right?'

'Yup.'

I internally sigh, 'Don't botch it.'

I relax my body and then Kuro takes over, "You think that low of me? I'm hurt."

*Kuro POV*

Momo notices the change in my demeanor and walks over, "Hey Kuro."

"Yo!"

"You seem happier than usual."

I shrug my shoulder, "I haven't had any fun since our last sparring session."

Both Shiro and I would spar with Momo and the masters occasionally. It's a good experience for us and Momo.

Momo grimaces as she remembers me toying with her, "I'll get you back for that one day."

I quickly throw two wads of Bungee gum over her shoes and make them harden and stick to the ground, "Yes yes, I'm sure you will… one day."

People watch our interactions with confusion.

'What's with them? First they were playing cards, now they're fighting?'

I continue to tease Momo until I get called up.

"Group 3!, Yukari Tamura, Mai Nakahara, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Akira Ishida, Kenji Fugiwara, and Shiro Hirota!"

"Oh, that's me, I better go. Shiro is rooting for you, good luck!"

I turn to walk away but behind me, Momo cries out, "Kuro!"

'Kuro, stop messing with her.'

I grin and snap my fingers, making the Bungee Gum disappear, giving her mobility back, "See you later!"

Shiro sighs, 'You know, we don't need to snap our fingers to make the Bungee gum disappear right? We can just think it.'

I mentally shrug my shoulders, 'So, it's cool.'

'Whatever.'

Six people line up at the start and I can hear Shiro analyzing each of them, 'Oy, Shiro shut up already. It's not like you'll see any of these people again.'

'Yeah, yeah, whatever,' but he does quiet down as Present Mic starts the countdown.

I reach into my pocket and take out my deck of cards.

"3…"

I grab one card with my left hand and keep the rest of the deck in the other.

"2…"

A translucent pink substance surrounds the card.

"1…"

I set the resistance to the absolute minimum.

"START!!!"

I whip my card forwards and as the other participants start sprinting, I jog behind them.

One of them looks behind and scoffs, "Heh, giving up already? You stand no chance at UA!"

'Yes, yes, give me a few more seconds.'

I feel the card land, and a wide grin appears on my face, "Here we go."

I increase the resistance and I go flying forwards, quickly catching up to the first place and getting a good 25 meters of distance between the rest of the group. I pick up the card and fling another one out. It flies for a few seconds before sticking to a pole.

Once again I zoom through the air, increasing the distance even further. The beginning was pretty open but after that, pipes, pillars, and numerous other obstacles prevented me from flying in straight lines like that.

But that wasn't a problem. I easily maneuvered my way around them and continued on my way.

I reach a ravine and pause for a second, analyzing the scenario, 'Can't throw it directly across or I'll get slammed into the ground. Guess I'll just… go over!'

Attaching two cards to the walls on the side of the ravine, I fling myself across like a slingshot. I am forced to roll, due to the impact, but no matter. I pass through several forms of terrain on my way to the finish line.

A roaring river, a flaming wreck, a jungle, a city, an industrial factory, 'Jesus Christ, how much money does U.A. have?! Isn't this overkill?'

The final stretch of the course was half a kilometer of flat ground, 'Tch, no walls to stick anything to. Gotta improvise.'

I quickly rub a large blob of Bungee gum to the soles of my shoe and set the elasticity to the max. I start to run, but with each step, I go higher and higher and travel further and further. Once I reach an altitude of 4 meters, I throw a card at the ground and pull myself towards it. At the last minute I take back the card, so I don't slam into the ground and instead bounce off my feet, causing me to fly forwards a dozen or so meters. I repeat the process several times until I reach the end.

Once again, I snap my fingers, and all the traces of the Bungee Gum disappear. I turn around and look to see if anyone else was close, but unsurprisingly, I couldn't see anyone in the last 500-meter stretch.

'Too easy.'

'C'mon, we gotta switch, cause the interviews are next. I'm fine with letting you do this, but there is no way in hell that you are doing that interview.'

'Yeah yeah, whatever.'

*Shiro POV*

We switch out and I stretch my arms out and relax, not that I was in pain or sore. When one of us puts in some effort, and then we switch right after, the sudden connection of nerves to our consciousness gives a weird feeling. The staff members tell me to wait here while the rest of the group finishes up, and then we'll be moved to the location for the interview.

It takes a few minutes but eventually the other 5 participants who raced with me, catch up and take a minute to catch their breath. After that, the staff tells us to go into the shuttle, which will take us back to the main building.

Right before we start to board, two people from the fourth group appear at the start of the 500-meter stretch.

I can hear Kuro snickering, 'Wow, some people take this pretty seriously.'

The two people were neck and neck, one using ice and the other using wind. As they get closer, I recognize one of them.

'Oh, it's that Coca Cola kid. Geh, he has an Ice quirk.'

My combat style was compatible with many quirks and fighting styles, however, the ones that bugged me the most were quirks with large scale coverage. Ice, fire, earth manipulation, and stuff like that. Besides, Ice makes the Bungee Gum harden up and becomes less flexible.

I watch as they both push themselves to make it to the finish, with the wind kid winning by a slight margin.

'If they did well on the test, they are probably making it into UA.'

After the short ride back, they took us back inside the UA building where the participants were interviewed one at a time. Each interview takes around 5-10 minutes and by the time my name is called, the fourth group has already arrived. Momo was in the fifth group, so she would probably be here by the time I finished.

I stand up and head through the door. Inside is a small white bear creature with a scar over its left eye, Present Mic, and a spooky scary blue skeleton looking guy in a trench coat. All three of them are sitting at a desk and in front of them is a chair, for I'm assuming me.

The small bear bows his head in greeting, "Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Principle Nezu, and I am the principal of UA. You've already met Present Mic. The man next to me is Ectoplasm, he will be your math teacher, if you make it into UA."

I politely bow, "Nice to meet you all."

Nezu has a small smile, and gestures for me to sit. I do and for a while, the three teachers stare at me without saying anything. I easily relax and smile at them.

Eventually, Nezu speaks up, "You seem very relaxed."

I shrug my shoulders, "A hero needs to be calm in front of the people to keep them at ease. If three teachers staring at me makes me crack, I wouldn't be a very effective hero."

Ectoplasm speaks up, "So you're saying that heroes that crack under pressure aren't good heroes?"

I shake my head, "No no no, I should have explained it better. A hero is there to save the people, protect the people, and give the people hope. If the hero can't stay calm during the chaos, then they aren't going to be able to do their job. That's why people like All Might are so effective because they won't crack and give the people hope."

Half of what I was saying was just lip service, but the other half is true. A hero needs to stay calm under pressure so that they can do their job.

All three of them nod their heads in agreement, and in turn, they start to ask their questions. What do you like to do? Can you explain your quirk? What do you think of U.A so far? Why do you want to become a hero? I answer most of the questions with ease, but the last one I hesitate for a bit.

"... I want to become a hero because of the benefits that a hero gets."

Principle Nezu puts his tiny hands across his tiny chest and with an almost disappointed tone, "So you want to be a hero for the money?"

"Not the monetary benefits. Contacts with companies and other heroes, possible relationships with the police, information on criminal investigations, stuff like that. It may sound selfish of me, but I have a certain goal that I need to achieve, and becoming a hero is the best way to do it."

Present Mic raises an eyebrow, "May I ask what that goal is?"

But I shake my head, "I'm sorry, I don't like to talk about it."

Nezu nods, "I understand. That about wraps it up then, thank you for your time. You will be informed of your results within a week or so. You may step out that door."

He points to a door opposite of the one I had come from.

I stand up and bow, "Thank you for your time."

Walking out of the door, I see a few other participants lounging around, talking to each other. I take a seat on a chair, pull out my phone, plug in some earbuds, take out my deck of cards, and start performing several shuffling sequences.

'Damn this will take a while won't it.'

While waiting for Momo, the Coca Cola kid and the Wind kid finish their interviews and immediately leave the campus. Every few minutes, a person comes out of the door, with varying degrees of emotion, happiness, depression, and despair being the most common.

After around an hour of waiting, Momo finally walked out through the door, "So how did yours go?"

She shrugs her shoulders, "Average, I guess. They asked me stuff, like why do you want to be a hero and things along those lines. What about you?"

"Yeah, same. Anyways, let's go home."

"Mhm."

We take the train back and talk about our experiences with the obstacle course.

"Kuro seemed to enjoy it."

She sighs, "Yes, I'm sure he did."

When we get home, we both drop our stuff into each of our rooms and meet in the field in front of the mansion.

We both take battle stances, and I grin at her, "Ready?"

"You know it."

"GO!"

She rushes at me and I sidestep her to hit her from behind but am forced to bring my arm back down, to block her elbow. She uses her other hand to try to land a punch on my stomach, but I use my other hand to block that as well.

"How predictable, Momo."

"Tch."

She quickly backs off and glares at me. She approaches me again, but this time, much more carefully, throwing jabs here and there to try and create an opening. She keeps on forcing me to move back, and I lose my balance on a rock.

She takes this chance to kick and aims straight for… my groin. I take a step back, regaining my balance, and use my hands to cross block it.

"Never took you for one to take nut shots."

"Revenge for what Kuro did."

Kuro is laughing, 'Ahahaha!

I jump up and attempt to knee her chin, but she dodges by leaning back. Quickly landing, I swing my leg around and perform a roundhouse kick before she can recover.

She blocks it but winces slightly. Grabbing my leg, she steps forwards and leans her body back, attempting to flip me. However, Before I get slammed into the ground, I use my hands and push my body up, with Momo's head between my legs.

I spin my waist and her world turns upside down as she gets flipped and thrown on the ground in a headlock

We both lie there on the ground looking up at the sky, Momo resting on one of my legs, while the other is around her neck.

"Not bad Momo, you almost caught me off guard there."

"Tch, I was close."

I stretch my arms out and take my leg off of Momo, and she moves to lie beside me, "To be fair, you would have caught most people off guard."

We both look at the sky in silence and then Momo asks, "Do you think we'll make it?"

I laughed gently, "Probably, not to be cocky, but based on what I saw, I only saw two other people who were going to make it. But who knows what the future holds."

Meanwhile at U.A. High School

The teachers at U.A. were looking over the footage of the races and interviews, as well as files of each student. Currently, they were watching the obstacle course race of group 2.

*Nezu POV*

'That kid…seems different.'

The rest of the teachers watch impressively as Shiro swings through the course with relative ease. They all seemed impressed at his seemingly weak quirk.

I took a look at his file.

Name: Shiro Hirota

Quirk: Bungee Gum

Description: The user can create and control Bungee Gum. Bungee Gum has the properties of both rubber and Gum

'Interesting, he uses it pretty well. Not only as a grappling device, but applying to his body to increase his capabilities as well. But something feels off about him.'

I recall him during the interview and remember that he had a pretty calm attitude. Analytical, calm, and plans ahead. But I look at the Shiro in the video.

'He looks almost wild. His eyes are shining and his grin is very different from his laid-back smile. Maybe he is one of those people that their attitude takes a 180 when it comes to competition. But still…'

We continue to watch all of the races as well as the interviews, and a few more people stand out to me. Shoto Todoroki, son of the number 2 hero, Endeavour. Momo Yaoyarozu, Yoarashi, Juzo Honenuki, and Setsuna Tokage. All 5 of these people including Shiro, were the top candidates for being recommended students, but which ones?

Then an idea strikes me, "Normally, the procedure is that there are two recommended students for each hero course. However, seeing as that we have 6 students that stand out exceptionally, I think that it would be reasonable to have an extra student for each class."

The rest of the teachers nod in agreement.

"Well, then it's settled. Shiro Hirota, Shoto Todoroki, Inasa Yoarashi, Juzo Honenuki, Setsuna Tokage, and Momo Yaoyarozu. These six will be the recommended students for the 1st year hero courses."

AN: You know who looks likes Muscular?

Also, I am considering making a Discord for this.