Dante and Izuku both left the restaurant, stepping out into the cold night air. The streets were quiet, a contrast to the chaos from before.
One thing wasn't quiet though, Izuku was practically bouncing with excitement. "I cannot believe you want to go to U.A.! This is awesome! Obviously you're going to have to take the entrance exam, of course, but with your skills, I bet you'll do just fine. U.A. has one of the hardest entrance exams though. Oh! But there's also a written portion, so you will need to study right? Do you need help sifting? I can help! And—"
Dante shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed. "You're really talkative when you're excited, huh?"
Izuku blinked. "Oh! Sorry! It's just, this is awesome! I mean, you didn't even go to middle school. But you're crazy strong and you're actually still going to try! I would have never imagined—"
"Yeah, yeah," Dante muttered. He glanced at Izuku, seeing the crazy wide grin on his face. His enthusiasm was almost contagious.
Almost.
They walked in silence for a moment before Izuku continued, "Why though? But why do you want to be a hero all of a sudden? You didn't seem interested before."
Dante shrugged. "Hmm… I dunno. Figured it would be fun."
Izuku just gave him a deadpan look. "Really?"
Dante tilted his head. "Why? You want a heartfelt speech too?"
Izuku huffed. "Well, I just don't want you taking it lightly! Being a hero isn't just about fighting bad guys, but it's about helping people, inspiring them!"
Dante raised an eyebrow. "You saying I don't look inspiring to people?"
Izuku paled. "That is not what I meant!"
Dante chuckled. "Relax, dude."
They walked a bit longer, Izuku kept rambling about U.A., quirks and what he thought they'd expect from the entrance exam. Dante didn't interrupt, he just listened.
Actually, he didn't mind the talking.
…
…
Well, Dante didn't waste any time.
The next day, he went to the rooftop in order to find Aizawa. But he was nowhere to be seen, no sign of him on the rooftop, no familiar presence in the alleys. It was frustrating.
Dante wasn't usually the type to ask for help, but he needed that vouch Aizawa had mentioned since he couldn't get in under normal circumstances.
Weeks passed. Then months.
Dante kept training, he followed his normal routine at the gym, helping out every now and again at the convenience store and refining his quirk. But in the back of his mind, U.A. was still lingering around. The entrance exam thing Izuku had mentioned was in 7 months, and it wasn't just going to wait for him.
So after two more months of searching with no luck at all, Dante decided to cut the nonsense.
He walked straight up to the entrance of U.A. high school.
As Dante walked a bit closer, a voice called out.
"Hey! You! What do you think you're doing here?"
Dante turned to see a security guard eyeing him suspiciously.
Without hesitation, Dante answered, "Well, I'm looking for Shouta Aizawa."
The security guard didn't budge, he just stood infront of the gate.
Dante's eyes wandered off slightly to the gates, he couldn't just enter. The gates seemed to have a massive security system and without an access card or student ID he wasn't getting in.
The guard sighed at Dante's silence, he wasn't backing down. "Sorry kid, if you don't have clearance you will need to leave."
Dante just clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had seriously spent five whole months looking for Aizawa, and now? Now he was being stopped? Well he couldn't really complain. There were rules, he wasn't exempt.
Before he could figure out his next move, a familiar deep voice cut in.
"It's alright. I know this young man, he can come with me."
Dante turned to see All Might walking toward them, in his hero form.
The guard demeanor immediately changed. "Ah! Sir, I didn't realise—"
All Might gave his signature smile. "Despite his look, He is not a trouble maker. I will take it from here."
Dante just crossed his arms and chuckled, 'Yeah that's right, be nice to me. I know your secret after all, wouldn't want that getting out.'
He wasn't a fan of needing help, but this got him what he wanted after all.
All Might glanced down at him. "I heard that you were here for Aizawa?"
Dante nodded. "Yeah. He's been real hard to find, so I figured I'd come straight here."
All Might chuckled. "That does sound like him. Come, I'll take you to him."
Without another word, Dante followed All Might through the gates and into the heart of U.A. and then into the large halls.
"Hmm so this is where hero's are made?" Dante mused quietly as they walked through the halls eventually reaching a quiet office.
All Might knocked one time before pushing the door open. Inside, Aizawa was sitting at his desk, barely looking up from a pile of papers.
"What is it?" Aizawa asked, sounding exhausted.
All Might stepped aside, letting Dante walk in. "This young one has been looking for you."
Aizawa's eyes flicked to Dante, he didn't actually think he'd show up.
Dante got straight to the point. "I want that special recommendation you offered me."
Aizawa blinked. Then sighed. "Hmm, no. Sorry kid.
Dante squinted then clenched his jaw. "Then why did you offer it?"
"Well I thought about it some more, and I didn't even think you would show up. Special recommendations are reserved for students who have proven themselves at an elite level. You don't necessarily meet that requirement."
Dante scoffed. "I have proven myself? You know I can fight. I'm sure you know about my reputation in the underground fighting industry."
All Might coughed awkwardly at that illegal revelation.
Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "And? Kid, you know I have a soft spot for you, but you didn't even go to middle school. You have no academic records and you don't even officially exist in the education system. Even if I wanted to recommend you… There is no paper trail of you ever even being a student anywhere. And I doubt you're smart enough to pass."
Dante gritted his teeth. 'He literally said he'd help me with that… oh but I'm absolutely passing anything that requires intelligence.'
Still though, he was not about to give up. "Okay. What if I prove that I belong? You could gimme some tests, I'll easily pass, then you recommend me!"
Aizawa stared at him, unimpressed. "Why would I waste my time with that? It's going to be really rough getting you in here."
Dante smirked. "Listen man, you told me you'd recommend me! And I won't stop bugging you until you do."
All Might chuckled and Aizawa sighed again, rubbing his temples. "You are a pain in the ass."
"Is that a yes?"
Aizawa just yawned before pulling out a piece of paper and scribbled something down. "If you want a shot, you're gonna have to prove that you can keep up. How about a physical test first?"
Dante grinned. "Perfect."
…
…
Dante stood in the middle of a huge outdoor training field, rolling his shoulders as Aizawa and All Might observed from a short distance. Dante was calm though, he was very confident.
"You're lucky the training grounds are free right now." Aizawa muttered, stretching his arms. "We'll run a modified version of the entrance exams physical tests. If you can meet the standards, I'll consider recommending you."
All Might crossed his arms with a smirk. "Give it your all, Young Dante!"
Then, Aizawa pointed at the starting line. "We'll start with speed. The best students here usually hit sub-three seconds. Let's see what we got."
Dante took his position. His legs shifted into sludge, transforming into something resembling the legs of an ostrich. He didn't even need a countdown—BOOM!
The instant he heard the signal, he exploded forward, his legs increasing his top speed while his increased muscle density boosted his acceleration. He crossed the finish line in 2.91 seconds.
Aizawa's eyebrows twitched upward slightly. "Hmm."
All Might nodded approvingly, trying his best to appear more friendly to Dante in hopes that his secret will be kept safe.
Dante shrugged. "Next?"
…
Next up, a small machine sat infront of Dante, designed to measure grip strength. He wrapped his fingers around the metal handle, and increased the size of his arm just a little.
CRACK!
The machine groaned under the pressure before snapping.
Aizawa sighed. "You were supposed to measure your strength, not destroy the equipment."
Dante smirked. "I'll take that as top marks yeah?"
Aizawa rubbed his temple. "Okay. Let's just move on."
…
For the next test, Aizawa had Dante run laps around the fields until he decided he had enough.
At first, it seemed really easy. But after twenty odd laps, Aizawa still hadn't stopped him.
"Is this guy serious?"
Dante gritted his teeth and pushed forwards. Eventually, he used his quirk to reduce resistance and keep energy. By the time he hit lap 40, Aizawa called it.
"Enough."
Dante, drenched in sweat, slowed to a stop. He was breathing heavily, but he was still standing.
All Might clapped. "Impressive!"
Dante wiped his forehead. "Yeah yeah. What's next?"
…
Aizawa stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "You vs me. No quirks. Let's see if you actually know how to fight."
Dante grinned. "Oh, this is gonna be great."
They both took their stances, and almost straight away, Aizawa was on him.
Dante couldn't use his sensory technique as they weren't using quirks, so he couldn't react before Aizawa's fist shot toward his ribs. He deflected though, then he stepped back and swung a counter. Unfortunately, Aizawa slipped under it and swept his legs.
Dante leapt over it, twisting in the air to bring an axe kick down on Aizawa's shoulder. Aizawa just side stepped at the last second, catching Dante's ankle mid air and flipping up him upside down.
But Dante quickly adjusted. Instead of falling, he twisted his body and caught himself on the ground with one hand, launching himself back up.
The fight continued, it was quick, precise and very brutal. Aizawa was far more experienced, but Dante was way faster, and he could quickly analyse Aizawa's movements and adapt to them with every clash. He feinted left, forcing Aizawa into a defensive stance, then struck his fist forward.
Only for Aizawa to grab his wrist and then flip him onto the ground.
Aizawa put a foot on his chest. "You're great."
Dante grinned up at him. "I'd say I'm better than great
Aizawa stepped off him, brushing the dust off his sleeves. "You still need some refining, but your instincts are solid. You don't fight like some random street kid, it's obvious that you have trained in real combat situations. You pass with flying colours."
Dante sat up quickly, "So I get my recommendation?"
Aizawa exhaled. "One more test, we need to know if you're intellectually suited to be here."
Dante closed his eyes and just smiled.