Chapter Text
Ochako woke up on the day of the U.A. entrance exam, and promptly forgot all about it.
She started her morning routine as usual, Put Your Hands Up playing in the background. It was cold, so she folded her blanket around her to go to the bathroom. Winter. It's only redeeming characteristic was snow, and there was never nearly enough of that for it to be worth it.
She's tying her laces, none the wiser, when her mother poked her head in.
"Ready yet?" She asked, smiling brightly. "Trainers? I thought you were wearing your boots for today?"
Today? Why would she-
"Oh my god that was today!" She practically flew onto her feet, rushing to grab her training clothes.
"You forgot?" Her mother laughed, the traitor.
Five minutes later, Ochako hurtled down the stairs, rail pass between her teeth and backpack over one shoulder.
Her dad presented her with a breakfast wrap, which she took. She then withstood several good luck kisses from both her parents, and finally managed to get out of the door.
Her train was in five minutes, and the station was ten minutes away.
She ran.
U.A. towered above her. Kids bustled around, nervously chatting about the exam, or proclaiming their confidence. Ochako stopped for a moment, gazing up at the shining glass towers. It is, by far, the fanciest place she's ever been too. In the days before hero schools were made a national service, this school's tuition fees would've kept it firmly off her radar. Now, though, the only thing standing between her and attending the number one hero school in the country is two tests.
She smiled, and took a step forward. Immediately, her eyes were drawn to a green-haired boy. He'd put his foot forward badly, and Ochako quickly realised he was going to fall.
She lunged after him, arm outstretched, and nearly fell over herself (no one will ever know), but managed to brush her fingers against his arm.
For a moment, the boy seemed not to notice he was floating. Then he started flailing his arms, letting out an undignified noise.
"Sorry!" She said, guiding him back to the ground. "I caught you with my quirk. I would've asked first, but, you know."
The boy seemed to choke on his words. Embarrassed? Ochako decided to change the subject.
"I'm so nervous! These exams didn't really feel real until now... What about you? Are you nervous?"
Dammit Ochako, 0/10 on the small talk.
Though now that she'd said it out loud, her nerves really were starting to build. The written test was first, and she was not very confident. She was perfectly average in her grades, but average didn't make a U.A. student.
The green boy nodded jerkily.
"Well! Let's do our best!" She smiled as confidently as she could, and turned to go inside the building.
In a month or so, she'd be walking through those doors as a student. She would. She was manifesting it.
There's already a crowd inside, some lined up next to desks and others hovering at the back of the room, numbers stuck onto their shirts. As she walked to join one of the queues, she wondered which of them she'd be in a class with (affirmations-). There was someone wearing a mushroom hat, which was adorable, though slightly impractical considering the course of the day, and a floating middle school uniform to her left. On the other side, two students appeared to be using a wall lamp as target practice, shooting at it with vines, and what appeared to be tape.
Whatever helped their nerves, she supposed.
Behind the two of them was a purple boy, practically drooling at several of the girls around him.
Ochako could only hope he failed.
She filed out of the hall an hour and a half later, running over her answers in her head.
The first half of the exam hadn't been too out of the ordinary. Really, the only thing she'd really struggled with was fractions, which she'd fully expected.
The second half, though, started off with 'Why were Hero Licensing Laws passed?' and didn't get better from there. She'd had no idea if she was meant to be writing an opinion piece, or some kind of pros-cons list, so she ended up sort of doing both, and everyone knew you shouldn't half-ass two things. There were a few 'What would you do in this scenario' questions, which had at least been interesting. She'd never thought about what to do in the event an earthquake started whilst she was mid villain-fight before. None of them were all that complicated, but the one about whether or not you should drop a child off a building on the off chance they were a murderous shapeshifter seemed... Deceptively easy.
After those, though, the exam went on to ask about battle scenarios and quirk analysis and. Listen. She'd watched as much Uwabami's Battle Notes as any other kid, but it never really clicked with her.
'Ooh, that guy got hit really hard! Kids, can you tell me what he should have done instead?'
I don't know Uwabami, maybe not get punched in the face?
Ochako sighed, digging her phone out her bag. It wasn't like she hadn't expected to struggle with the written exam.
Unread messages: 2
Mama, 9.13am:
You were in a rush this morning so I'm just texting to tell you you're amazing and good luck sweetie! ☆☆
Papa, 9.31am:
[shopping.jpg] Making your favourite tonight :)
There was nothing to up your motivation like the promise of onigiri. Ochako went to the practical exam orientation with a spring in her step.
What followed was twenty solid minutes of teenagers stumbling along the rows of chairs, tripping over bags and legs and all around not having a good time. It didn't help that the hall was so dark. It was a hazard, really. JISHA would have fined them for it.
No sooner had everyone stopped moving about than the screen at the front of the hall lit up.
"Heeeeeey listeners!" A loud blonde man leapt onto the stage. "I'd just like a give a big welcome to all you examinees here today!"
"It's the voice hero, Present Mic!" Ochako heard someone whisper. Oh god it was wasn't it? She'd forgotten he was a pro hero. It was just odd to imagine the voice she heard talking about the weather every morning going and duking it out with a villain.
"I'm sure you're all psyched to get started, so I'll quickly run down what you'll be doing!" Present Mic (!!) gestured dramatically at the screen. "As you will have seen in the application, you listeners will be conducting ten-minute mock urban battles!"
There's a murmur of excitement in the crowd. Present Mic continued. "There are three different types of faux villains in each battle centre. You earn points from them based on their level of difficulty."
"Your goal, dear listeners, is to earn points by immobilising or destroying these villains. Though there will be no attacking other examinees or other unheroic actions!" The screen changes to a scene of robots being blown up. Probably for dramatic effect.
A tall boy to her left thrust his hand up enthusiastically, practically vibrating. "May I ask a question?"
Present Mic agreed, which was fortunate, or they might have had an examinee spontaneously combust.
"On the printout, there are four types of villains! If that is a misprint, then U.A., the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake!"
Printout? Was she meant to grab one from someone? Upon further inspection, most of the people sitting around her had them.
Oops.
Ochako zoned back into the conversation as the boy finished berating some poor soul. Present Mic chose that moment to take back control.
"Okay, thank you examinee 7111! To clarify, the fourth type of villain is worth zero points. It's more of an obstacle, so to speak. There's one in every battle centre, and they aren't impossible to defeat, but there's no real reason to!"
Did he... Have all their numbers memorised?
"Thank you very much!" The loud boy said. "Please excuse the interruption!" And sat back down.
"We'll that's all from me! Before you depart, I'll give you listeners a present - Our school motto!"
Predictably, the whole hall joined in with his shout of Plus Ultra.
After her initial panic of oh god which battle centre am I meant to be in, Ochako was reassured to find a host of teachers and helpers outside the hall to direct them to the right bus (because the campus was that big apparently).
Before they got on the buses, they were directed to some temporary changing rooms, and then to leave their belongings with a growly but friendly hero with a dog quirk. He gruffly asked her name (Uraraka Ochako), number (2712), battle centre (B?) and attached a label to her backpack, and finally she was on her way to fight some robots.
Outside, she pointedly ignored the towering walls and started her stretches. Okay, strategy. The three-pointers were more dangerous, but with so many people to target she'd probably be able to get close enough to touch them. Of course, most people would probably go for the three-pointers, so she'd probably be best off just smashing whatever ones she could get her hands on.
She was drawn from her thoughts by a red-headed girl snapping a hair bobble and swearing.
She'd been in Ochako's peripherals for a few minutes. She hadn't been fully paying attention, but it seemed she was struggling
"Hey! Would you like some help?" Ochako offered, otherwise feeling awkward standing there. The girl jolted in surprise, and then smiled sheepishly.
"If you would? I never really got the hang of doing this quickly." Ochako took a step behind her, gathering her hair together. It smelled of strawberries. "I'm Kendo, by the way!"
"Uraraka! Nice to meet you." Ochako stretched the bobble around Kendo’s hair twice. It wasn't pretty, but it would do. "How did you find the written exam?"
"Mostly fine, but. You know the second half?"
"There were some really weird questions, right?"
Kendo smiled. "Exactly! I felt like I was going mad. 'Should you use a civilian as a shield?' Like??"
"I know! As if anyone would say yes?" Thank god Ochako wasn't the only one. Then a thought struck her. "Oh. That's why they're in there. Some people do say yes."
Silently, she and Kendo side-eyed their fellow examinees.
"...So, ready to beat up some robots?"
Kendo grinned, the kind Ochako wouldn't want to see in a dark alley. "They'll be sorry they met me."
...People were intense here.
"Okay, start!" Ochako wasn't the only one surprised at Present Mic's voice.
"What's wrong? There are no countdowns in real fights! Go go go!"
OH
Ochako bolted into the city amidst a chaotic crowd. Kendo disappeared somewhere into it, but, well, it was an individual exam anyway.
All at once a two-pointer was in her face. It took aim at her, but she'd already ducked down and slammed her hand against it (a pretty smooth move, if she did say so herself). The robot flew into the air, and she sent a one pointer to join it, bringing both of them smashing to the ground.
She's surrounded by the sounds of metal colliding and various quirks firing, and it's stressful but oddly invigorating.
Ochako ducked around a downed robot and slammed her hands against several as she passed by. They collided with the ground at unrecommended speeds, and she moved to duck under the swing of another-
And collided roughly with someone. They both fell to the ground, the other girl's elbow going straight into Ochako's ribs. Ow.
The robot whirred almost smugly, winding up to smash them into the ground. If Ochako could manage to hit the robot's arm before it hit them, maybe-
A supersized fist came out of nowhere sending the robot flying. Kendo followed it, bludgeoning the robot into the ground. She grinned wildly at Ochako before running off.
"Sorry, my bad." The girl said as they got to their feet, dark blue eyes already looking away.
Ochako honestly had no idea if that was true. She could've sworn the girl hadn't been there a second before their collision, but, well, it was chaotic.
"All's well that ends well!" Ochako spared her a brief smile before running off.
She did pretty well after that. She even smashed two three-pointers into each other, which was satisfying. A brown-haired boy didn't spot the two-pointer behind him and she had to tackle him to the ground, on purpose this time.
She'd gotten to 28 points when the entire area seemed to shake. Someone's quirk?
Then someone screamed, and as Ochako turned the corner, she could see why.
A hunk of whirring metal towered over the whole crowd of them, glowing red eyes bearing down on them. It loomed above, dropping it's claws upon a building to support itself. It almost seemed to block out the sun.
Ochako was jolted out of her shocked state by the crumbling of the building the robot leant on, debris tumbling to the ground. As if everyone’s self preservation instincts were activated, the crowd of examinees started fleeing the area. A solid plan. Concrete thudded to the ground in front of her, taking her breath away, and she made to follow, except…
There. She'd seen something. Someone was stuck. A boy, too close to the robot for comfort, legs pinned under a slab of concrete.
She was moving before she even fully realised it, finding herself at the boy's side. The slab pinning him was surely heavy, but it was a simple matter to nullify its gravity and shove it off him. His legs were probably not meant to bend that way, so she lifted him up too, and then moved to head towards the entrance-
But the robot had moved, the light from its eery spider eyes bathing the two of them in red light. Its claws drew back to attack, and all she could do was hover some debris in front of them, maybe she could throw something?-
And then there was a green blur overhead, hitting the robot so hard it dented. It reeled back, tumbling onto the ground.
In just one hit? That was insane. And- Oh, they were falling towards the ground very quickly.
Ochako ran, feet thudding to the ground loudly. Fuck fuck fuck- Could she even reach him in time? The speedy guy she'd seen running around would've been really helpful right now-
The world narrowed to her and the falling body in her vision. She was so close, if she just-
SLAP
She let out a breath as the person hovered a foot off the ground, flailing one arm after a few moments. Oh, it was green boy! Who'd nearly fallen over!
…He didn't look so good. "I'll... Take you to the gate, ok?" She said, looking at his clearly broken limbs. She floated him behind her, pressing her eyes shut for a moment to ward off the nausea. Ugh…
"One point... Just one point..." Green boy muttered, looking dazed. Did he... Not have any yet? With that kind of strength?
An alarm sounded, deafeningly loud, followed by an announcement that time was up. Oh, she definitely felt her exhaustion now it was over. Floating two people suddenly felt like way too much, and she flung a hand over her mouth, desperately trying not to puke.
"Oh goodness," Someone said, in a kind, scratchy voice. "We're a bit of a mess in this corner hmm?"
Ochako looked up to see an old woman, cane in hand. "Why don't you put your patients down sweetheart?" The woman said, patting a hand on Ochako's arm.
So she did. The first boy hit the ground with a groan of pain. Ochako winced, but green boy seemed to reach the ground much gentler, or at least, he didn't react as much. The old woman peered over him.
"All this from your own quirk sonny? Oh dear." And then she... Kissed him? His limbs abruptly straightened to how they should be.
Oh, this was Recovery Girl! She was on one of her mama's old posters.
Recovery Girl moved on to the other boy. The rest of the examinees were being shooed towards the gate. Seeing as the boys were in good hands, she made to follow them. It was finally time to go home...And maybe do something about green boy's points first.
Ochako spent the next week being totally normal.
It was fine! She was going to get in (AFFIRMATIONS) and then she was going to tell her friends, who would be normal about it, and her parents, who definitely would not be, and then she could freak out about it.
Well, that was her thought process 50% of the time. The rest, she went over every second of the entrance exam and took note of every reason she definitely would not be getting in, and really, 28 points? Why had she ever thought otherwise? Or maybe she passed the practical exam, but her written answers mortally offended whoever was marking them, and she wasn't going to go to U.A. because of long fucking division-
The letter came on Sunday, and she spent an hour staring at it on her desk, deciding she'd rather go live underground and never find out how she did.
However, her parents were outside her room, and probably wouldn't accept that as an answer, so she opened it anyway.
A disk fell out, and projected an image of, was that All Might??
"I am here! As a projection!" He smiled unbelievably wide. "Young Uraraka! You achieved, let's see, 28 points in the practical exam! Well done!"
I can't believe All Might said my name.
"But! There were other factors!" Fuck. "You passed the written exam! Not an easy feat! And the practical exam was not as simple as it seemed!"
All Might flung out his arms dramatically. "You see! It was not graded on combat alone!" Videos flashed into existence. Ochako pushing the boy out of the way. Lifting the zero-pointer's debris. Slapping green boy in the face. "Rescue points! Awarded by a panel of judges, for heroic acts!"
"Uraraka Ochako, 28 villain points, and 45 rescue points! Welcome to your Hero Academia!" Ochako didn't even hear anything after that, she was already throwing her door open, yelling her success to her parents. Both of them threw their arms around her, and she's not sure which of the three of them was screaming loudest.
Actually, no. It was her. She was going to fucking U.A.!