BNHA: Force Within

The recommendation letter for UA sat on Anakin's desk. Principal Sato had called him and Mirio to his office that morning to deliver the news personally - they were both being recommended for UA's hero course.

"Only four students get in through recommendations each year," the principal had explained. "Your quirks and academic performances make you ideal candidates."

Now, sitting in Class 3-C, Anakin read through the letter again. His great-grandmother had hinted this might happen, but he hadn't wanted to get his hopes up.

A crash from next door interrupted his thoughts, followed by Mirio's voice: "Sorry, sensei! Still working on the whole staying solid thing!"

Three years hadn't made Permeation any easier for his friend to control. Anakin's quirk, on the other hand, had grown steadily stronger under Dr. Nakamura's guidance. The Force responded to his commands with precision now, though she said he still had enormous room for growth.

During lunch, Mirio showed up with his usual grin and a fresh tear in his uniform. "Can you believe it? UA recommendations!"

"Have you told your dad yet?"

"Called him right after we left the principal's office. He cried. Then fell through his office chair from excitement - guess I know where I get it from." Mirio sat down carefully, trying not to phase through the bench. "What about your family?"

"Mom's at work, but I texted her. Grandpa's probably already ordering UA merchandise from America."

"And Recovery Girl?"

"She just sent back a thumbs up emoji. Pretty sure she already knew."

Mirio attempted to eat his lunch, only dropping his chopsticks through the table twice. "The recommendation exam is supposed to be different from the regular one. More focused on quirk control and potential."

"That's good news for you then."

"Hey, I've got great control! I only fall through things about..." Mirio paused as his hand phased through his lunch box. "Okay, maybe I see your point."

A group of their classmates walked by, whispering about the recommendations. Everyone knew only the most promising students got recommended to UA.

"Dr. Nakamura wants to see me today," Anakin said. "Probably to talk about the exam."

"My quirk counselor too. Though in my case, it's probably to make sure I don't phase through the exam room floor."

After school, Anakin headed to his counseling session. Dr. Nakamura was practically beaming when he arrived.

"I heard the news," she said. "Though I suspected this might happen. Your control over The Force has developed remarkably."

"Thanks to your training."

"No, thanks to your dedication. Now, let's talk about what you can expect at UA."

They spent the session discussing how The Force could be applied in hero work. Anakin demonstrated his current limits - lifting multiple heavy objects while maintaining his emotional shields, sensing presences through walls, redirecting momentum.

"You've come a long way from that first floating juice box," Dr. Nakamura noted. "Any anxiety about the exam?"

"Not about my quirk. More about..." He hesitated. "Living up to expectations."

"Ah. The burden of potential. Remember, even All Might had to start somewhere."

After the session, he met Mirio by the school gates. His friend was wringing water out of his uniform.

"Drainage pipe again?" Anakin asked.

"Actually, drinking fountain this time! But hey, new record - only phased through three things during my counseling session."

They walked to the train station together, talking about the upcoming exam. Mirio had to pause twice when parts of him phased through the sidewalk.

"Dad says the recommendation exam looks at more than just quirk control," Mirio said. "They want to see how you think, how you might handle being a hero."

"Your dad seems to know a lot about it."

"He's been researching ever since I started middle school. Says he always knew I'd get recommended, even when I was falling through everything in sight."

At home, Anakin found his grandfather waiting with dinner and, sure enough, a box of UA merchandise.

"Couldn't help yourself?" Anakin asked, eyeing the UA hoodie on top.

"Hey, my grandson got recommended to UA. I'm allowed to be excited." Ben pushed the box aside. "Your mom called. She's picking up a cake on her way home."

"She doesn't have to make a big deal about it."

"Course she does. It's not every day your son gets recognized as one of the top students in the country."

Later that night, after his mom had come home and they'd celebrated properly, Anakin sat in his room looking at the recommendation letter again. His phone buzzed with a message from Mirio: "Just told my quirk counselor I phased through my bed THREE times last night. She said that's actually an improvement!"

Anakin smiled and typed back: "You'll get it figured out eventually."

"That's the spirit! Plus Ultra, right? Even if I have to fall through every floor at UA to get there!"

The next day at school, everyone was talking about the recommendations. Some seemed jealous, others impressed, but Anakin found he didn't really care about their reactions. Getting recommended alongside Mirio felt right - two friends who'd helped each other through three years of middle school, now heading to UA together.

"Ready to be heroes?" Mirio asked during lunch, managing to keep solid in his chair for almost five minutes straight.

"Ready to try," Anakin replied, using The Force to catch Mirio's water bottle before it could fall through the table.

"That's what I like about you, Skywalker. Always there to catch things when they fall."