Question

Official first chapter of my fic, I also just posted it on Ao3 so uh yeah- scared-

Answer 1

Shiki Yamamoto wasn’t someone who was your first thought at being one to join a school that makes stuck up heroes such as U.A..—though with his favorite Pro Hero Mirko recommending him to the school, he couldn’t really decline, could he?
The way she had phrased it in her letter to him, getting his approval, this was less of an invitation and more of a dare. God she knew him so well.

As he walked through the ‘golden’ gates of U.A., his sharp eyes scanned the loud, annoying crowd of examinees. Some were pacing nervously, others bragging loudly about how they’d pass the test without breaking a sweat and that the test was child's play. Typical. He sighed, wondering how long he’d have to stay and if he could just leave.
He wasn't even here to partake in the entrance exam—just observe. Mirko had somehow got in the principals head that he needed to be there, “To build bonds with his future teachers and observe his potential peers”, was how she worded it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed a green-haired boy trip and almost fall foolishly onto his face—if it weren’t for the pink-cheeked girl who used her quirk, which must have been gravity-related, to stop him mid-fall. Shiki smirked. To be honest, he wished she hadn’t.
That would have been amazing entertainment for his very dull life.
The boy straightened up, bowing politely to the girl with a flustered “T-thank you!” before starting back towards the first part of the exam.

Then, as if sensing Shiki’s presence, the boy froze. His eyes widened with a glimmer in them as they locked onto Shiki’s horns, his expression was filled with what could only be described as pure, unfiltered fascination.
In an excited but nervous manner, the boy quickly walked towards Shiki.

“Oh- excuse me! Uh, hi!” The boy’s voice was laced with excitement and nervousness as he walked over to Shiki. “Are you here for the exam too? Oh—wait, is that your quirk? Well of course they are, why am I asking that- but those horns—they’re amazing! Do they give you increased strength, or maybe they’re for ramming into things like a real ram? Or—”

Yamamoto shifted his weight, tilting his head just enough to look at the boy. His sharp, unimpressed stare was all the answer the boy got before Yamamoto turned on his heel and walked away, hands in his pockets.

“..I’ll take that as a yes,” the bot muttered, looking kinda disappointed that Shiki hadn’t really said anything back to him, but he decided to press on regardless,“I’m Izuku Midoriya, by the way! And I—”

Without slowing down, Shiki raised a hand lazily over his shoulder in a halfhearted wave, signaling the end of the conversation. He didn’t have the patience to entertain the chatter.

Instead, he headed toward the observation area where the teachers were stationed.
Mirko had convinced Principal Nezu to let him watch the exam, claiming it would be “Good for U.A. to build connections, especially since Shiki came from such a prosperous family.” Shiki didn’t care about any of that, but if Mirko asked, he’d show up. Behind him, he heard Midoriya murmur something about him “not being much of a talker.”
Shiki smirked to himself. He’s not wrong.

~

Shiki leaned against the railing of the observation area, his sharp eyes scanning the screens in front of him as the students scrambled to take down the entrance exam robots.
From his vantage point, he could see almost all the screens: the chaos of quirks being unleashed, the panic of students struggling to keep up, and the occasional glimmer of determination in those who refused to give up.

“This group’s got some potential,” a loud, cheery voice broke into his thoughts. Shiki glanced to his left to see a Pro Hero, Present Mic, leaning forward, his trademark grin plastered across his face.

“What do you think, Goat-boy ! Spot any future heroes yet?!”

Shiki raised an eyebrow. “Goat-boy?”

“Yeah! You’ve got some sort of a ram quirk, right? Makes sense!” Present Mic laughed loudly, clearly amused with himself.

Before Shiki could respond, another hero he recognised, Midnight, sauntered over, her posture oozing with confidence as she looked over the scene with a critical eye. “Yamada’s got a way with nicknames, huh?” she said, her voice teasing as she flashed a grin. “Don’t mind him, kid. Focus on the screens—you might pick up something useful.”

Shiki huffed, his gaze returning to the chaos displayed on the screens. “Like what? How to be a stuck-up, full-of-himself 'hero'?” he muttered.

Midnight didn’t seem to hear and turned to a poorly dressed man with black hair and tired eyes.
Shiki’s eyes roamed over the screens, lazily tracking the chaos below. Students darted across the field, quirks flashing and sparking in a messy display of power. Some showed promise, while others were little more than disasters waiting to happen.

One boy in particular caught his attention.
A blond student was tearing through the robots with explosive blasts, his wild grin a little too eager for destruction.

“Bakugo Katsuki,” Midnight said, catching Shiki’s glance at the other kid. “Quirk: Explosion. He’s... effective, but his attitude needs work.”

Shiki scoffed. “He’s going to blow himself up at this rate. No control, all ego.”

Midnight chuckled, resting a hand on her hip. “You’re not wrong, but that raw power could take him far if he learns to rein it in. U.A. is all about turning chaos into greatness.”

Shiki hummed noncommittally, shifting his focus to another screen. His gaze landed on the green-haired boy from earlier—he couldn’t really be bothered to remember his name; was moving awkwardly, barely managing to keep his footing as he dodged around the battlefield.
The boy’s attacks were hesitant, his body language screaming insecurity. He tripped over a loose piece of debris and scrambled back up, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Shiki frowned. “What’s he even doing here? He’s out of his depth.”

Midnight followed his gaze, her expression softening. “Sometimes the ones who struggle the most have the biggest potential. You’d be surprised how far determination can take someone.”

“Determination doesn’t mean anything if you can’t back it up,” Shiki muttered.

Before Midnight could respond, a sharp alarm blared across the field.
A massive Zero-Pointer robot loomed into view, its towering form casting a shadow over the battlefield. Most of the students scattered, wisely choosing to avoid the unnecessary confrontation.

But not the boy.

Shiki’s eyes narrowed as the boy froze, his attention locked on the pink-cheeked girl from earlier trapped under the rubble in the robot’s path. His hands trembled, and for a moment, it looked like he might run. Then, to Shiki’s surprise, he took off in the opposite direction—straight toward the danger.

“What’s he doing?” Shiki muttered, leaning closer.

The boy launched himself into the air with a shout, his arms and legs glowing with raw, unrefined power. The punch connected, and the Zero-Pointer collapsed in a deafening crash. The force sent him hurtling backward, his body slamming into the ground with a sickening thud.

The girl scrambled free, unharmed. Midoriya, on the other hand, lay motionless, his arms and legs twisted in a what would be sickening way to others— child's play compared to what he’s seen at his fathers hospital.. And also to what happened to-.. nevermind about that. The boy is really stupid, destroying his body like that, and for what? A few measly rescue points that aren’t going to amount to anything?

“He destroyed his body for one move,” Shiki said, his voice flat. “All that, and he’ll still fail.”

Midnight tilted her head thoughtfully. “Maybe, but he didn’t hesitate to save someone in need. That’s what being a hero is about.”

He hummed in response as he leaned onto the railing.

~

Later, as the teachers deliberated the results, Shiki overheard their decision. The green-haired boy had passed—barely—but his reckless self-sacrifice and lack of hero points meant he wasn’t fit for the hero course. He would be placed in Class 1-C, General Studies, where they could evaluate his potential without endangering himself or others.

“So he destroys his body, but he’s still getting a second chance?” Shiki asked, emotionless almost, the boy’s recklessness lingering in his mind.

Midnight smiled. “Sometimes, second chances are all it takes to turn things around. Don’t you think so?”

Shiki didn’t answer, but the thought stayed with him.

~

“Hey! Yamamoto wait up bro!”`

He turned just in time to see two familiar figures darting toward him—Mina Ashido and Eijiro Kirishima. He’s known them since middle school, once they had met Shiki they had practically latched onto him like a leech and haven’t left since. They’re good company and he quite enjoys having them around—Though he’d never say that out loud of course.

Mina was smiling as usual, basically bouncing on her feet as she reached him. “Yama! What are you doing here? You took the exam too?”

Kirishima clapped a hand on Shiki’s shoulder, looking excited. “Yeah, man! We didn’t see you out there, where were you?”

“I was observing the exam.” Shiki shoved his hands in his pockets.

Mina tilted her head. “What do you mean observing?”

“Somehow, Mirko pulled some strings with the principal,” he muttered. “Wanted me ‘To build connections and witness the future heros’ or something stupid like that.”

Kirishima whistled. “Man, you got special treatment like that? That’s kinda awesome!”

Mina pouted. “And you didn’t even say hi? Rude.”

Shiki rolled his eyes. “Didn’t know I needed to check in with you mom.”

Before Mina could fire back, heavy footsteps echoed down the hall. Shiki looked up just in time to see the explosive boy Bakugo storm past, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his expression twisted in frustration.

“Tch.” Bakugo scowled, glancing toward them. His sharp red eyes briefly landed on Shiki before he looked away. “Dunno what you’re lookin’ at, Horns.”

“Big talk for someone that screams ‘die’ everytime he attacks.” Shiki scoffed.

“And how would you know that Horns?” He narrowed his eyes, and he took a step towards the trio.

Yamamoto took his hands out of his pockets. “Wild guess.” he said in an almost mocking tone.

“Tch, Horns you really tryna Butter me off? I could easily destroy you Sandwich.”

Bakugo scoffed, sparks crackling at his fingertips before he shoved his hands back into his pockets. "Tch, whatever. Waste of my damn time." Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed off down the hall, his footsteps heavy with frustration.

Mina crossed her arms. “What’s his deal?”

Kirishima scratched the back of his head. “Probably mad ‘cause the test is over and now he can't go around destroying things.”

Shiki hummed. “Wouldn’t take much.”



~

Answer 2

This is awesome

Answer 3

I like the flow of the story, it reads really well. Some feedback id give is spacing after dialogue but other then that its a really fun story (:

Answer 4

Your depiction of Deku is spot on lol (not me wearing my izuku midoriya shirt rn lol)