Chapter 9: The Entrance Exam Begins
The entrance exam was divided into several venues, and each venue was comparable in size to a small city. At first glance, the scale alone looked extremely impressive.
As expected of U.A. High School.
From the moment they left the lobby until they reached Venue A, Bakugo Katsuki had been staring at Izuna for several minutes straight. Anyone who didn't know the situation might even think the two of them had some strange relationship.
"I believe everyone already understands the rules," the teacher leading them said. "You have ten minutes to prepare. After ten minutes, the exercise will officially begin."
"I wish all candidates good results."
The moment he finished speaking, the teacher disappeared without a trace.
"I'll ask you one more time," Bakugo said as he immediately stepped forward once the teacher left. He stared directly at Izuna. "Do you dare compete with me?"
Looking at Bakugo's furious expression, Izuna felt a bit helpless. He knew Bakugo's personality well enough—if he refused again, the guy would probably keep bothering him.
"Fine," Izuna replied calmly. "What kind of competition?"
"Let's see who gets first place!" Bakugo grinned widely, revealing a row of sharp teeth.
"Tch. Just wait until I crush you, pink eyes."
With that, Bakugo turned and walked away.
"Your relationship doesn't seem very good. Did something happen?" another candidate asked kindly as he approached.
"Nothing," Izuna replied.
Seeing that Izuna didn't want to say more, the candidate didn't press further. He quietly stepped aside and began preparing for the exercise.
Meanwhile, inside the main control room, teachers and pro heroes from U.A. had gathered together. The large screens displayed the situation of candidates at every venue.
"I hope this year's applicants can surprise me a little," Aizawa Shouta said lazily, resting his chin on his hand as he stared at the monitors with his usual tired expression.
"Well," the principal replied with a smile, "the candidate who defeated the sludge monster is also among them. I'm sure you won't be disappointed."
"Heh. Hypnosis won't do much against machines," Aizawa muttered as he glanced at Izuna on the screen, whose eyes appeared faintly scarlet.
"Personally, I'm more interested in the boy who rushed in to save him ten months ago."
More than half a year earlier, Aizawa had reviewed Izuna's files at the police station. Among all the applicants, the two he remembered most clearly were Izuna and Bakugo Katsuki.
"If used correctly, hypnosis can still be quite effective in real combat," All Might said.
However, his eyes were fixed on another screen—one showing Izuku Midoriya, whose entire body was trembling.
Do your best, young Midoriya, All Might thought silently.
"Are you all ready?"
At nine minutes and thirty seconds, the middle-aged man dressed like a rock singer suddenly appeared at the front of the testing ground, spreading his arms energetically.
"Ready!" the candidates shouted in unison.
For the entrance exam, none of them dared to be careless.
"Haha! That's the spirit!" the man laughed before snapping his fingers.
"The test will begin in ten seconds. Good luck!"
Hearing this, many candidates clenched their fists and grew visibly nervous.
"Three… two… one…"
"Start!"
Bang!
The moment the gates opened, the candidates rushed forward like a tidal wave.
It looked almost like a crowd of shoppers racing into a store during a massive sale.
Among all these students, Izuna entered relatively late, which only made Bakugo—who had already rushed ahead—feel even more contemptuous.
"A rookie is still a rookie," Bakugo shouted as he glanced back.
The next moment, explosions burst from his palms, propelling him forward at incredible speed.
In the blink of an eye—
He disappeared.
But in Izuna's eyes, everything around him moved as slowly as if time itself had slowed down.
Ahead, a candidate was preparing to use his Quirk to attack an enemy robot.
Suddenly—
A red-eyed figure flashed past.
"Too slow."
Izuna's lips curved slightly upward.
He clenched his right fist and slammed it directly into the robot's joint.
Crack—
The towering robot instantly lost its balance and collapsed into a pile of scattered metal parts.
"What are you doing?!" the candidate shouted angrily as he watched his target destroyed.
"That was my prey! Why are you stealing it?!"
"Does the rulebook say candidates can't compete with each other?" Izuna replied with a faint smile.
"You should read the rules more carefully."
"You—!"
Before the candidate could finish speaking, he saw Izuna leap onto the roof of a three-story building.
The boy froze in place.
"A strength-type Quirk…?" he muttered nervously.
"…I'd better not mess with him."
Back in the control room, Aizawa's eyes widened slightly as he watched the screen.
"What's going on?" he muttered, leaning forward in his chair. "Isn't his Quirk supposed to be hypnosis? How can he be that strong?"
"He defeated a robot with a single strike?" the principal said with interest as he also noticed Izuna.
"If I remember correctly… his Quirk is listed as Hypnosis."
"…Isn't it?"