Today was the day.
The day I'd been waiting for.
Not because I wanted to be a hero. Not really.
But because passing U.A.'s entrance exam meant I could get stronger, gather intel, and — according to my idiot subordinates — "secretly infiltrate the hero world to topple society from within."
Spoiler alert: I had no such plan.
But try explaining that to Shun and the others.
"Boss, we finished your hero costume!"
They'd been working on it in secret, raiding secondhand shops, borrowing sewing machines, and probably committing minor crimes.
And now, as I stood in front of a cracked mirror in our hideout, I saw the finished product.
It was… actually kind of cool.
A sleek, dark blue bodysuit with feather patterns stitched in silver. A long tattered coat with a high collar, tinted with a flame-like gradient. Fingerless gloves. And a simple black mask that covered the upper half of my face.
Shun grinned like a proud dad. "We call it Blue Wing!"
"I feel like a sentai character," I muttered.
"Exactly the vibe!"
I sighed, but I wore it anyway.
I mean — it's not like anyone at U.A. would know me. Right?
The exam grounds were huge.
Modern, clean, and humming with the buzz of hundreds of nervous students.
Some kids were sweating buckets. Others were acting cocky.
And then there was me, standing awkwardly in a corner, doing my best don't-look-like-a-suspicious-villain impression.
I noticed Bakugo a few meters away, scowling at me like a pissed-off Pomeranian.
A couple of other Aldera kids whispered behind their hands, throwing me nervous glances.
"That's the guy, right? The Villain Boss of Aldera."
"I heard he made his own villain gang."
"I heard he burns his enemies alive with blue fire!"
I rubbed my temples.
Shun and the others were way too good at spreading dumb rumors.
Then Present Mic's voice blasted over the speakers.
"Alright you future heroes! Listen up! The rules are simple! You've got ten minutes to rack up as many points as you can by smashing Villain-Bots! Each bot has a point value! The more you destroy, the higher your score!"
The crowd tensed up.
"And remember—there's a big ol' Zero Pointer too! But it's worth nothing and dangerous as hell, so avoid it!"
I stretched my arms.
Time to test this phoenix power in public.
I was assigned to Battle Center C.
No Bakugo. No Midoriya. No anime characters I recognized.
Just a bunch of normal kids who had no idea about the local Aldera rumors.
Good.
A whistle blew.
The gates opened.
And chaos erupted.
Kids sprinted out, quirks blazing.
I took a deep breath. Blue flames flickered around my body, wings made of fire sprouting from my back.
I shot into the sky, soaring over the battlefield.
"Dude! He can fly?!"
"Is that his quirk?!"
"Oh man, that costume's badass."
Finally — some positive attention.
I spotted a pack of three-pointer bots and dived.
Flames burst from my fists as I punched one, its metal body melting and warping.
Another rushed me.
I spun midair, kicking it to pieces.
"Alright… this is kinda fun."
On the sidelines, one examiner scribbled on his clipboard.
"Candidate Number 1397… impressive mobility and flame control."
Meanwhile, in the town of Aldera, rumors probably spread like wildfire.
But right now — in this battle — nobody cared who I was.
They saw a hero candidate in a sick costume, tearing through robots with blue fire.
For the first time since coming to this world, I grinned for real.
I was gonna ace this.