Back on the street, Natsu landed next to his stunned friends, his eyes sparkling with renewed resolve. His shoes and socks had already turned to ashes.
Shou stared. "Did you ju.. just did you seriously chase All Might?"
Glowl looked like he was malfunctioning.
Natsu just smirked, stretching his shoulders. "Yeah, I wanted to say hello."
"Bullshit! You wanted to fight him, didn't you?" Shou said. He had known his friend long enough to identify that look in his eye. The one he got when he wanted to fight a strong opponent. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do to stop him.
"Dude, you're suicidal. That was All Might!!" Glowl said.
Natsu went quiet. Still considering what All Might had told him. Going to UA where he was going to teach. Natsu didn't really care what school he would end up at. To him, it was all the same. As long as he got his hero license, he would be able to fight and get stronger. However, now…
He turned to his friends.
"Hey, do you guys know the application process for UA high school?
"What? You'r-" Shou stopped when he saw his best friend's determined expression. He sighed and turned to Glowl, who looked like he was about to say something as well.
"Yeah, I know a few things. It's actually very common knowledge. But I thought you didn't really care about which school to go to." He inquired.
"Yeah, I didn't at first. But now its important I get into UA." Natsu said.
"Well, there's two ways. Glowl added. "You can take the general entrance exam that happens late February of next year. Or you can try to take the recommendation exams that happen before."
"Recommendation exam?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah, you can join by getting a referral from an active Pro Hero or an Alumnus. I've even heard of some extremely wealthy individuals who can refer you as well." Glowl said.
"Hey! You can ask your dad. He's the number 2 pro hero. He can easily get you a recommendation." Shou added.
Natsu's eyes gleamed. "Okay, I'll try that first. Thanks guys! I am going to rush home and ask." Natsu said before taking off.
Glowl stared at his departing friend. "Hey, do you think Endeavor will actually give him a recommendation? I mean, he would probably give it to Shoto or Haise first right?" The friends were aware of the triplets. Unlike their friend, the other two were powerful and academically brilliant.
"Maybe, it is his son. He should be lenient, right?" Shou said. However, he didn't sound very sure.
"Doesn't matter, Yakuto will be fine even if he takes the general exam. Do you think any of those other guys will actually be able to beat him? He can already take down villains." Glowl said.
"It's not the practical exam I'm worried about. It's about the written exam." Shou added.
"Ah… shit…"
—-
Natsu immediately rushed home and slammed his stuff down.
The front door slammed open.
"Yakuto?" Rei called out from the kitchen, startled.
"WHERE'S SHOTO!?"
A blur of red shot through the house. Shoto barely had time to look away from his computer before Natsu barged into his room, eyes blazing.
Rei sighed. "I wonder where that boy gets his energy from."
"SHOTO. I HAVE TO GET INTO U.A!!." Natsu ran in.
Shoto blinked, stunned. "…What?"
"What do I need to do?! Tell me what I have to do! You're going to U.A right?"
Natsu grabbed his brother by the shoulders and shook him with alarming intensity. Shoto's teeth clacked together before he pried Natsu off and sat him down.
"Okay. Calm down. Breathe. Start from the beginning. What happened?" Shoto looked extremely confused.
Natsu practically vibrated with excitement. "I was walking home from school when I ran into All Might and then I chased him and then he said he will wait for me at UA so now I have to get into UA because that's the only way I'll be able to fight All Might so I came to you because you want to go to UA and you know how to get in and my friends also told me something about exams and we have to take them to get in so tell me how to get in you can do that right?" Natsu rattled off without stopping.
Shoto was stunned. But it only took him a few moments to process the information. He was used to it by this point.
"…So you met All Might and now you want to go to UA because you can challenge him?"
"He said if I wanted to fight him I'd have to be a proper hero at UA. Which means I have to go to U.A."
Shoto stared at him.
"When did you even…how did you-why would All Might fight you…?" he muttered, rubbing his temples.
"SHOTO!" Natsu grabbed his brother's shoulders. "How do I get into U.A. through this recommendation?"
Shoto sighed and sat back. "Okay. You can probably ask dear old dad to write you a recommendation. But that's all he can do. You have to pass the tests by yourself if you actually want to get in. I hear the test is really intense and they don't accept many students."
"Okay. That's fine. I can ace any test!" Natsu said excitedly. "Where is he? I am going to go ask him right now!"
"Surprisingly he is at home right now. But I think he's taking off soon, so if-"
"Thanks!" Natsu bolted before Shoto could finish.
Shoto sat stunned. It was like a storm had passed. "That guy really needs to work on his patience."
"But… Natsu, The entrance exam isn't just the practicals. You also have to pass the written exam."
Natsu froze. "…Oh no."
Shoto nodded and continued, "The cutoff this year was a 79."
Natsu's face fell like a collapsing tower. He visibly withered back into the seat.
"Seventy-nine…" he whispered, horrified. "That's like… more than 75."
Shoto almost laughed but held it in.
"You can do it," he said, trying to reassure him. "You'll pass the practical exam for sure. But you've got ten months until the written exam. If you really want this… you need to start studying now."
Natsu was quiet for a long moment. Then he stood up, fists clenched.
"Then I'm gonna start. Right now. I'm getting into U.A. and I'm gonna fight All Might."
"…You're insane," Shoto muttered, but there was a faint smile on his lips. "Then we'll get the textbooks."
Natsu bolted from the room.
Rei, watching from the hallway, blinked as he passed by like a comet.
"What's gotten into him?"
Shoto sighed. "He wants to fight the Symbol of Peace."
Rei was even more confused. "Why? Well, whatever the case, your dad will probably like that idea."
—
Natsu found Endeavor in his office as he expected.
He was getting ready to leave, adjusting his hero costume while Kurumada waited by the door.
"Endeavor!"
Endeavor turned his head. "What?"
Natsu planted himself in front of him, eyes burning with excitement.
"I need you to write me a recommendation for U.A."
The room went quiet.
Endeavor stared at him. Kurumada was also a bit shocked. "Young master Yakuto wanted to go to U.A? Since when?"
"A recommendation," he repeated.
"Yeah."
"For U.A. high?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
Natsu grinned. "Because I'm getting into U.A."
Endeavor studied him for a moment.
Then he said, "No."
Natsu blinked. "Why?"
"I will not write a recommendation just because you want one.."
Natsu frowned. "You wrote one for Shoto."
"Yes," Endeavor said plainly. "Because worked for it. His grades are excellent, he participated in a lot of extracurricular activities at school and he also spent some time at the agency helping with administrative work during his free times. He also has an exceptionally powerful quirk."
Natsu's grin faded, but only a little.
Endeavor continued, not harshly.
"You are barely passing most of your classes. You do not have any official extracurriculars. No competitions. No internships. No school activities that I know of. I know you think I don't pay attention, but I do know enough."
Natsu contemplated.
Endeavor crossed his arms.
"A recommendation is not a shortcut. It is proof that a student has already shown what it takes to be a pro hero and to be considered separately from the general applicants."
"Oh…" Natsu said.
Rei, standing near the entrance, watched carefully, as if waiting for him to make a fuss. She saw her son run zip towards the room and knew what he was up to. She followed after him, not knowing if she could even help.
But Natsu just tilted his head.
"So I can't have a letter?"
"No."
"Then I'll do the normal exam. Later, old man!" Natsu shrugged and left.
Endeavor paused.
Natsu nodded to himself like the problem had been solved. "Okay."
Then he turned and marched back toward the stairs. Endeavor watched him go, faintly confused by how easily he accepted it.
Rei blinked. "That went better than expected"
Endeavor grunted. "For once."
A voice echoed from upstairs a second later. It was all too familiar
"SHOTO! WHAT'S THE NORMAL EXAM LIKE?!"
Endeavor closed his eyes and sighed.
Kurumada quietly looked away. But he couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face.
–
A few days later..
The classroom buzzed with low chatter as students shuffled in and settled into their seats, backpacks hitting the floor and chairs screeching slightly against the tile. Light filtered in through the tall windows, casting golden lines across rows of desks.
A few students gathered in huddles, animatedly whispering.
"Did you see the news last night?"
"Yeah, that Katsuki Bakugou guy right?"
"That sludge villain almost swallowed him whole! Disgusting. He's lucky All Might was there when he was."
Natsu perked up at the mention of All Might. 'So, All Might was around town again.'
Glowl slumped into his seat near the window and leaned back, kicking his feet onto the support bar under the desk.
"For once," he said with a lazy grin, "it wasn't you causing trouble eh?."
That got a few chuckles.
"What the hell did you say?" Natsu said. However, it had no bite. The teasing continued.
"Yeah," another kid piped up. "Year one, Yakuto got jumped by a villain. Year two, he got kidnapped by that weird leopard guy. I wonder what awaits him in year 3."
Everyone turned toward Natsu and chuckled.
Natsu blinked, unfazed. "Wait, Who the hell is Katsuki Bakugo?"
Glowl rolled his eyes. "You know, loud, angry, blond guy? He's like super smart, but he has the personality of a dumpster."
"I dunno. Doesn't ring a bell," Natsu muttered, pulling a notebook out of his backpack and flipping it open to a page full of scribbled notes and practice equations.
Glowl gave a mock gasp. "You don't care? What's gotten into you, man?"
Natsu didn't even look up. "I have to prepare for this entrance exam for U.A. I've got better things to worry about than him."
That made him quiet. The introspective version of him was a new development.
Even the students who were mid-laugh exchanged glances, slightly wide-eyed. Yakuto Todoroki, actually studying his hardest. Wait, did he say U.A. That was the hardest school to get into. They knew Natsu had a fire based quirk, but he didn't use it very often except light his fingertips from time to time. He was definitely strong. He beat up anyone who tried to bully his friends without his quirk. But U.A was nearly impossible to get into.
Glowl became quiet. He knew his friend had what it took as far as his strength was concerned. He was already able to take down villains by himself. The real challenge for him was that damn written exam. He had to at least get past the cut off.
Natsu groaned. "Yep…."
"Good luck.."
The conversations slowed down as the teacher strode into the room. He was carrying a stack of papers in his hand. He made his way to the center of the classroom.
"I've reviewed your career path submissions," he said. "Over 90% of you said you wanted to be heroes. That's… honestly, not very surprising." He smiled.
There was a wave of grins and excited murmurs.
He flipped to the top sheet and glanced at it, his smile curling a little wider.
"Even Yakuto here put U.A. High School as his first choice."
Natsu, who had been leaning back in his chair with his feet kicked up, sat up straight.
"Damn right I did," he said, throwing his arms behind his head with a cocky grin.
A few students chuckled, not mockingly, but with the kind of ribbing familiarity only friends had.
"Big goal for someone scraping by with 70s," Itsuki teased from across the row, even though he knew Natsu was going for U.A.
"It's more like 75 now right?," Glowl added.
"Hey, a pass is a pass!" Natsu shot back. "I still have a better physical education grade than you, Shou!"
Laughter rippled through the room. Even the teacher cracked a smile.
"Well, anyway. It's good that so many of you are aspiring to be heroes. Remember that it takes hard work and determination. Make sure to study hard. Now let's get to the lesson. Don't even think about Hero schools until you actually pass middle school.
The students grumbled.
After School
"Yakuto, stay back for a minute."
Natsu slowed his walk to the door and turned. "Yeah?" School just started recently and he made sure to stay out of trouble. What could the teacher want with him.
The teacher gestured for him to come to his desk. The classroom had mostly cleared out, with the last few remaining students slowly shuffling out.
He held up Natsu's form, tapping the school selection box with a finger.
"Are you sure about this? U.A. isn't exactly a walk in the park. And you didn't list any other school as a second or third choice."
Natsu scratched his head. "Yeah. I know. Kinda. And I only want to go to the U.A. "
The teacher leaned back in his chair. "The average cutoff is normally 79 on the written exam for the entrance test. And it's not like our usual tests. It's going to cover everything we learned in one exam. Are you sure about this?"
He saw determination in the boy's eyes. The kind he had never seen before in him.
"I'm gonna do it anyway."
The teacher smiled, warmth blooming behind his tired eyes.
"I figured you'd say that."
He looked down at the form again, then back up.
"You've always been reckless, loud, impatient. You're previous teachers have also warned the faculty about you, you know."
Natsu winced a little.
"But I've also seen you protect your classmates and look after them. You helped that new kid last year when he was getting pushed around. You always jump in even when it could get you in trouble, you do it, even when it's stupid."
Natsu blinked, surprised.
"If you need help studying, I'll make time. You just have to put in the work."
Natsu was surprised.
"Thanks, Teach. I may take you up on that."
He watched Yakuto head out, waving one arm behind him like he couldn't be bothered to hold it up fully.
The teacher chuckled softly to himself and leaned back in his chair.
"Brash little kid. You just might do it."
Natsu started his study session. He also had to cram in his training to make sure he was ready.
Natsu had never been a very bright student. He basically had to study twice as hard for half the results. He was also distracted very easily. Now, his desk in his room was an even bigger mess than before. There were notes, guides, old exams, and some lightly burnt up pencils on his desk.
Gray blinked one evening from his seat on the couch, watching Natsu study.
"…You're really going all out." Gray muttered.
"Gotta," Natsu replied without looking up. "Gotta get into U.A."
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Didn't think you'd go this hard. Your brain's like a steel trap when you actually care."
Natsu only smirked, flipping another page.
Gray suddenly felt motivated seeing Natsu trying so hard for something.
Shoto noticed it during breakfast.
His siblings would usually argue when over the last piece
Usually, that would have sparked a full-on food war. But Natsu just mumbled, "You can have it," eyes scanning over his notes.
Rei was stunned.
Shoto was surprised as well.
"You're really serious about this," he said quietly.
Natsu looked up and nodded.
"All Might said he'd fight me if I made it in."
"…That's your reason?"
Natsu looked at him quizzically.
Shoto sighed, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I guess. At least you will make our father happy with your goal. "
"Ugh… I don't care if he's happy. This is for me."