Nezu looked up from his tablet as the door to the conference room opened and the last person on the Admission Committee walked in, "Ah Aizawa you're finally here."
The eternally exhausted man yawned as he trudged over to his seat and sat down, "Forgive my tardiness, I had to debrief one of my squadrons."
Nezu waved away Aizawa's apologies with a light hearted smile, "The meeting was set to begin an hour from now, so technically you're early. But since everyone is already here I see no reason not to begin. Does anyone object?"
When no one raised their voice Nezu nodded, "Very well, then I'll turn it over to the Head of Admission. Midnight the floor is yours."
"Thank you Nezu-senpai," Midnight dipped her head before gracefully standing up from her seat with a remote in hand, "As most of you know this year the previous record of four waves was broken with two exams reaching the fifth round which is when we release quasi-Dread Kings. And while none of the applicants manage to slay the Beast it is an impressive accomplishment nonetheless."
Midnight then pointed the remote at the far wall causing a hidden screen to flicker to life displaying a series of names along with the points they had earned, "Normally we would group those who passed based on total points earned, however Nezu-senpai suggested something different this year."
Everyone in the room turned to stare at the mouse who returned their inquiry with a smile, "Midnight is correct, I believe a more qualitative approach is needed. I am sure those of you who have been on the frontlines recently have noticed the increased ferocity and strength of Dreadbeast."
"While I can not speak for all, I will say damages to the wall have been far more extensive and costly to repair, " The first one to reply was Cementoss, the hero in charge of City Defenses with him being able to produce a near endless supply of concrete at will.
"I agree, far too many youngsters have been wheeled through my doors," The most senior member of the committee, Recovery Girl, agreed with a frown.
Nezu gravely nodded his head, "Indeed, which is why I suggest that we put a bit more thought into this year's classing. I believe that we should organize students based on the potential of their quirks and funnel more resources to accelerate their growth."
A wave of emotions passed through the room as everyone reacted differently, "What you are proposing, if it becomes public knowledge will cause an uproar. And not the good kind."
The first one to speak up was President Mic, a lanky man with elaborate blond hair and a large collar around his neck with built-in speakers, "People will claim they would have tried harder in the exams if they had known class rankings would have such a profound impact."
Nezu dipped his head in acknowledgement, "You're correct, that is why I suggest that we publicly announce this change along with the knowledge that class rankings are subject to change, and there will be an ample chance for students to prove themselves to the school."
"I wholeheartedly support Nezu's proposal." Aizawa raised his voice in agreement, drawing the room's attention, "Though it's no secret that I've always thought U.A is too soft on its students."
Midnight frowned, "They're hardly adults Aizawa, they don't need to be turned into ruthless soldiers."
Aizawa shrugged, "Never said they should be, but a bit of competition would do well to separate the wheat from the chaff."
"But what will U.A do to address the disparity between students who belong to Legacies and those who were civilian born?" Midnight pressed, "If we only reward the strongest then those who come from wealth and prestige would stand to benefit the most. Leaving potential diamonds in the rough undiscovered."
Instead of responding, Aizawa turned to Nezu, "Do you have an answer for us Principal?"
"That is a valid concern of yours Midnight," Nezu answered calmly with a smile, "I believe the best solution is to initially separate those who were admitted by recommendation and those who took the exam. Then as the year progresses select the most promising students from the exam and funnel more resources into them to bring them up to par."
A series of looks were shared around the room before Midnight nodded, "It seems Senpai has planned this well. I'll concede for the moment."
Nezu smiled, "Very well, now I believe it is prudent of me to share which applicants I think would make the most use of U.A's support."
At his gesturing Midnight changed the slide to show a detailed profile of an applicant listing their name, quirk, written test score, and point distribution.
"The first student is Katsuki Bakugo, one of the few applicants who made it to the fifth wave. Unlike most who decided that sticking to a group was the best course of action Bakugo completed the entire test by himself. As you can see all of his points were gained through slaying Dread Beasts. This is due to his powerful quirk Explosion, which allows him to ignite his sweat at will. During the exam Bakugo demonstrated his grasp on his quirk by using it not only to attack, but to perform complex evasive maneuvers as well."
The screen then flickered to show Bakugo surrounded by a pack of Dire Wolves. Despite the precarious scenario the spiky haired teen showed little fear. As one of the wolves lunged at him Bakgo launched himself into the air with a fiery blast from his palm. Before dropping the heel of his foot down into the wolf's skull with another propulsive blast.
"The only flaw I noted is with Bakugo's attitude, he is highly competitive, egotistical, and arrogant. Downright refusing to work with others and sparing no chance to belittle those he deems as weaker than himself. With all that said, does anyone object to placing him in 1-A?"