Chapter 2: Entrance Exam
Izuku was sure that his hearing had to have played a fast one on him, because there was no way All Might had said what he just had said.
"Did you just say you want to give me your Quirk? How is that possible?" He asked, his mind reeling in an attempt to process this on top of everything that had happened in the past hour.
"Indeed! Because, this is a secret, my Quirk can be passed down from one person to another," All Might explained, surprising Izuku yet again.
"Why would you give me your Quirk?" Izuku asked. If he had a second Quirk, then he would probably become stronger, but he didn't conceive the idea of why All Might, the greatest hero in the world, would want to give up his Quirk to someone else. That was when he noticed All Might was... smoking?
"Because..."
All Might was interrupted when he suddenly exploded into a smoke cloud. Izuku freaked out as he used his Quirk to wave the smoke away, only to find that All Might had suddenly turned into a skeletal man.
"You are... deflated! Is this fake? Are you a fake? A doppelganger? You are so skinny, what happened?" Izuku said, starting to trip over his words in his shock over the sudden change.
"Fret not, young man, I am All Might. Well, All Might when I can't be All Might," The hero replied. "My real name is Yagi Toshinori, and I am afraid you have just discovered my biggest secret."
All Might – Toshinori – pulled his loose shirt up to show Izuku his body: a large scar now covered half of his torso, and he could also see several bones were missing.
"Five years ago, I got this injury from an villain's attack. I lost my left lung and my stomach was destroyed. It took me a long while to recover from all the surgeries I had to undergo, and even now the aftereffects are obvious. Because of this, right now I can only work as a hero for three hours a day."
"Five years ago... wasn't that when you fought Toxic Chainsaw?" Izuku asked, worried about his idol's state. Toshinori replaced his shirt and shook his head.
"You are remarkably well informed, young man. But no, it wasn't him, he never even touched me. It was someone else... and that fight was one that was never made public," He explained, awkward about having to show his injury.
"Uh-huh..." Izuku was not sure of how to take on All Might's secret. However, not only didn't it deter his admiration and respect for the hero, but in fact he actually thought it was more heroic for keeping it up in spite of his grave injury. "Oh, I'm sorry! I am Midoriya Izuku, nice to meet you!"
"Same to you, young Midoriya. You see, as I said earlier, you reminded me what it means to be a hero, much like top heroes did in the older days. Plus, I feel you are the right person to receive One for All."
"Well, if you feel that way... I accept," Izuku replied, grinning at the proposition.
"Good, but I think it will be better if we meet tomorrow, you look quite tired from this encounter. Meet me at Dagobah Municipal Beach Park tomorrow, early in the morning, and there we will be able to talk more about One for All. Is that fine?"
"Sure!"
"I'll see you then, young Midoriya."
Izuku nodded and watched as Toshinori – All Might – walked away, knowing that things were going to keep getting interesting soon.
As soon as he opened the door to his home, he was met by his mother, who glomped him as though she were a hug missile.
"IZUKU!" She cried out, and the boy had to move fast to remain on his feet as his mother held him in an unusually powerful grip. "THANK GOD YOU ARE ALRIGHT! WHEN I SAW YOU ON TV I WAS SO WORRIED!"
"Mom... can't... breathe..." Izuku managed to let out as his mother's hug turned life-threatening. Fortunately, she heard him and let him loose, only to pull him into another embrace that Izuku could return.
"Ohh... Izuku..." She said, sniffling. "I had been organizing your merchandise when I heard about that villain fighting so close, and then I saw you fighting him and I was so scared..."
"Don't worry, mom," Izuku crooned, stroking his mother's back. "I'm here, the villain didn't even manage to touch me. Everything's okay, your son isn't in any harm."
As she finally pulled away, Izuku cleared her tears from her eyes. Even in her late thirties, Midoriya Inko was still a pretty woman. Tall, slim and mature, Inko had managed to brave through her divorce and the discovery of her son's Quirk with a load out of her shoulders.
"What happened to you, Izuku?" She asked, still worried, and Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"It's kind of a long story, mom."
Izuku explained the day's events to his mother. His encounters with Katsuki, the sludge villain trying to ambush him, All Might saving him, rescuing Katsuki from the villain and then his idol's offer to train him – he tells her his real name, but leaves out the information about the man's Quirk and health.
"It seems you have been very busy then, Izuku," Inko said. She was not worried anymore by his problems with Katsuki, knowing that her son could deal with them, but the amount of attention Izuku had attracted from the Pro Heroes, particularly her son's favorite.
"Mom?" He spoke up, breaking her out of her thoughts. As she leaned back to look at him, he winced: her eyes still had red puffy rings around them from crying. "I'm sorry you had to see me running out there like that... but I thought you should at least know why I did what I had to do."
Inko pulled her son into another loving embrace, fortunately less crushing than her first one.
"Oh, Izuku, baby... I'm so proud of you. I just want you to be safe and happy. I know the path you've chosen is going to help you do that, but I was so scared that it would be the last time I ever saw you... Izuku, please promise me, that if you ever have to take any risks like that, you'll be thinking of us, and that you will come back to us." When she said 'us', she wasn't thinking just about herself, but also about the other people her son cared about.
"Mom, I promise that, whenever I put myself in danger, I will think of all of you, and that I will come out safely."
Inko smiled warmly at her son, wiping the remains of her tears.
"So, what do you think about me being trained by All Might?" He asked, clasping his hands together. Inko ruffled his fluffy hair.
"I think it's a wonderful thing. You want be a hero, so I don't see much danger in you being trained by your favorite Pro Hero. Thank you for telling me."
Izuku hugged his mother again, jumping in joy.
"Thank you so much, mom," He said.
"You are very welcome, Izuku. Now, get cleaned up and I'll get dinner ready, alright?" Inko said. Izuku nodded and rushed to get a shower.
Soon, the two of them were having dinner as Izuku went into more detail about his day. When they were done, he went to his room, intent on watching some more Kamen Rider before going to sleep, but in the middle of the episode his cellphone rang. Rubbing his eyes as the day began to catch up with him, he picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Izu-kun, long time no see," A female voice said, and Izuku woke from his tiredness as he recognized her.
"Itsuka!" He happily exclaimed.
"Yep, that's me!" She replied with a giggle.
Kendo Itsuka was a girl Izuku had met several years ago, while he was learning martial arts. The two had trained and sparred together several times before becoming friends out of a shared love for defending themselves, heroes and quite a few other things. However, when Izuku graduated from the dojo, they had lost touch with each other, and it had been a while since the last time they spoke: they were both glad of finally managing to hear from each other.
"So, Mr Famous, I heard on the news how you rescued Bakugo from that sludge villain. Very impressive," She praised him. Izuku chuckled.
"Oh, it was nothing. I mean, I just couldn't stand there and leave that villain to his own devices, especially since the heroes weren't doing anything to solve the situation," Izuku replied, trying to downplay his role in the events.
"Well, you are now unofficially a hero. Are you still planning to apply for U.A.?"
"Of course. How about you?"
"Of course," She parroted. Izuku laid down on his bed.
"I can't believe it's only ten months from now. I am going to have to start training a lot more."
"Same here. By the way, you still watching Tokusatsu?"
"Yep. I'm just getting caught on Kamen Rider Gaim, and as soon as I can I'll start watching the latest Super Sentai show."
Itsuka giggle again.
"Still as much a fanboy as ever. Well, my mother says it's time to go to sleep, so I have to hang up. It was great to hear you again, Izu-kun."
"You too, Itsuka-chan. I'll be seeing you for sure at the entrance exam."
"You can bet I will! Good night, Izu-kun."
"See you, Itsuka-chan," He replied, and he hanged the phone. Watching the rest of the episode, he thought about what All Might's training regiment might entail. One thing was sure, there would not be a dull moment for him now.
"Care to remind me why we are here?" Izuku asked as he covered up his nose.
Dagobah Beach had once been a beautiful public spot thanks to its waters and sand, but as Izuku arrived he had remembered how, in the past few years, it had become a junkyard, full of pollution, scrap and old, broken down household appliances. He wondered why All Might would pick this place to train to receive One for All.
"Because... when I was young, this place was wonderful. And I would love to see it restored to its former glory, because a hero is more than just someone who fights against villains, but someone who helps society. So, we are going to train... by cleaning up this mess," Toshinori explained, currently in his 'true' form: given the limit he had for using One for All, both of them agreed it would be best saved for another moment. Earlier, he had mentioned to Izuku that he had met him just in the perfect moment, because he knew he was not going to get younger any minute now and really needed to find a successor.
"I see," Izuku replied, looking around at the terrible mess that once was a beach. He could guess that a little community service would surely make the place beautiful once more. "So, how are we going to do this? Do I get One for All now, or do I have to train before I receive it?"
Toshinori took a good look at Izuku: under his workout clothes and shorts, Toshinori could see the lean and strong body of an athlete and fighter. It was clear that the kid had trained before.
"In other circumstances, I would say the latter, but between what I saw yesterday and this, I think you should be able to receive One for All already. But, one warning I must give you. You have to learn how to handle at least one percent of One for All's output soon, before the Quirk begins to stockpile power."
Izuku nodded in understanding.
"Then, I guess I will have to be careful when I use this Quirk. If I overdo it, I might end up with broken bones and torn muscles."
"Correct," Toshinori replied, before buffing up and making a pose. "Alright! Now is the time for you, young Midoriya, to inherit One for All, a power that has been passed down for generations!"
Izuku straightened up his posture, his arms straight and hands touching his hips, in an almost military position.
"I'm ready, All Might! I won't let you down!" Izuku said as he prepared himself to take the mantle as the next holder of One for All, and, hopefully, Symbol of Peace.
"That's the spirit, young Midoriya!" All Might stated as he laughed. "Now... eat this!"
Izuku looked at the blond lock that All Might was holding between his index and thumb fingers, and then back at the hero. He blinked.
"What?"
"I know it sounds strange, but in order for you to gain One for All, you need to ingest the current bearer's DNA... and I think the hair is the least disgusting part that you could eat," All Might explained, placing the lock on Izuku's hand. Izuku kept staring at it.
"I can't believe I am doing this... but here goes nothing." He took a deep breath and put the lock in his mouth, trying his best not to gag at the mere fact that he was willingly eating hair. His idol's hair, sure, but still hair, and thus disgusting. In the end, he had to chase it down with a gulp of water.
"I'm sorry, but it was the only way. Also, it is still going to take some time for your body to metabolize my hair, giving you access to One for All. So, in the meantime..." All Might reverted his transformation, taking up his normal form once more as he coughed up some blood. "I need you to tell me everything you know about your Quirk, so we can determine how One for All might interact with it."
Izuku nodded and began to explain the three aspects of his Quirk, all of which had one thing in common, that they were based on emitting a green energy. After several minutes in which both of them exchanged ideas and suggestions over what Superpower really did, Toshinori concluded that the likeliest possibility was that One for All would only benefit from Help: since both Attack and Block were more energy based, it should not affect One for All and viceversa. Still, the two of them would keep an eye, because maybe something would happen.
"Alright, since we have already done the passing down of One for All and we know what might work and what might not... how about we begin the training? Let's see if you can finish cleaning up the mess around this park before the exams come up, alright?"
Izuku threw a fist into the air, giving out a confident grin.
"Right!"
10 Months Later
One week. That was all that rested until the U.A. Entrance Exam took place. And, for Izuku, the day could not arrive soon enough.
Adapting to One for All had not been an easy task for him. Just the first month had been a great change, as he had to get used to the flow of the powerful Quirk into his body. When he tested it for the first time, he noticed the red veins starting to appear on his skin, along with blue-ish green lightning sparking all over his body. As opposed to the calmness Superpower gave him, One for All was a source of excitement and eagerness.
Month by month, he had managed to remove most of the junk, enough to make Dagobah Municipal Beach Park begin to look exactly what it was supposed to be, that is, a beach, instead of a junkyard. The foul stench that once reeked the beach had finally vanished, and people could now visit the place once more to enjoy the sight of the sun setting in the horizon.
Toshinori could not have been happier and more proud than he was at the display of Izuku's determination and dedication to the training program he had devised. In just ten months, Izuku had grown half a foot and also developed a lean, muscled body that would have been the envy of every man and the lust object of people attracted to males. But, if there was something that was stunning, it was Izuku's willpower and unwillingness to never give up or stop, even when he was told to, during the intense, ten-month long training session.
And now, more than ever, it showed, as he trained his combination of One for All with Superpower.
"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Even from where he was, Toshinori could see his successor standing in front of the water, wearing nothing but his red sneakers, his shorts and a layer of sweat over his torso, with the red veins and green lightning he now associated with One for All mixing with the yellow green energy of Help as he screamed in victory. Then, Izuku cocked his fist back, changed Superpower to Attack and let out a roar.
"...SMASH!"
Izuku fired his fist, and the shockwave he generated flew into the sandy beach and ocean waters, sending them flying forming a V with the point in the young man. Once the water settled down again, Izuku walked back to Toshinori, who could not avert grinning at seeing the results of the latest demonstration.
"So, how did I do, Yagi-san?"
"All I have to say is that I have no doubts that you are, indeed, the worthy successor of bearing One for All," Toshinori declared, putting a hand on Izuku's shoulder. After hearing such praise from his idol, Izuku began to tear up as he managed to give him a confident smile.
"I... I don't know what to say. Thanks for everything, All Might. I swear I will do my absolute best to go down the path that I have chosen, and which you have helped me to go through." Izuku threw a fist into the air, closing his eyes. Toshinori smiled as he messed with his apprentice's hair.
"I know you can do it, and that you will not let me down," He replied. "I think you have earned yourself a good week of rest before the U.A. Entrance Exam. Maybe some light running and some katas every day, but the hard training is done. At least for now. So, go do whatever you want to do, you certainly deserve it."
"I will. I'll see you around, then?" Izuku asked, packing up his things before waving Toshinori goodbye, and the hero returned the gesture.
'You can bet I will be seeing you around soon, my successor.'
Izuku took advantage of this chance to relax while walking to listen in on his favorite music on his way home. However, his plan was interrupted when he found a girl that seemed to be lost. Even with his lack of experience with girls, he could tell that she was a pretty one, between her long black hair tied into a spiky ponytail with a bang loose over the left side of her face, the gentleness of her features and the air of intelligence in her eyes.
Not wanting to see anyone getting lost, he decided to approach her and see if she needed help, taking off his earphones as he did so.
"Hey," He said, calling the girl's attention. She turned to him in a cautious manner, which he could understand, given that she did not know him. "Do you need help with something? You seem to be lost."
The girl looked sideways and turned a serious look at him.
"No, I was just exploring Musutafu, because I intend to study at U.A. High School, and I am going to be living here."
"Oh, good! I'm also planning to attend U.A. as well! Wait, where are my manners? My name is Midoriya Izuku, although you can call me Izuku if you want," He said, bowing to her. The girl smiled and bowed back.
"Yaoyorozu Momo, it is nice to meet you. If I am to call you Izuku, though, I insist you call me Momo. I got enrolled in U.A. through official recommendation."
"Really? Wow, your Quirk must be really powerful if you are not doing the entrance exam with everyone else." Momo nodded to a side, and the two began to walk almost aimlessly as they kept talking.
"Maybe it is, but I had hoped to test my Quirk in the practical exam." With the practiced eye of a girl of her class, Momo subtly inspected her potential classmate's appearance: it was clear he had been coming back from a training session of some kind, given his clothes and the now drying shirt he wore. He was as tall as she was, and under those clothes she could tell there was a quite serious set of muscles that many of her classmates would probably love to run their hands over. She shook her head and decided to begin to know the boy next to her.
"So, what kind of Quirk do you have, Izuku-san?" she asked.
"Well, my Quirk allows me to project energy from my body, and depending on the shade of green I can use it for different functions..." Izuku explained the basics of his Quirk to Momo, who was quite surprised at how powerful and versatile it was, since it allowed him to use it for attack and defense at the same time.
"How does your Quirk work, Momo-san?"
Momo decided to physically demonstrate her Quirk by putting out her right and using her left to pull out a fan from the palm of her hand.
"I can create any non-living material from my exposed skin through the molecular manipulation of my fat cells. Although, in order for it to work, I must visualize the object I want to create as well as its molecular composition, and I have to be careful to not create too much, or I will put my health at risk," She explained, starting to fan herself.
"Wow," Izuku said, admiring her Quirk's impressive versatility, which was even greater than his. "So you can pretty much create anything you can think about. That's an amazing Quirk, Momo-san."
Momo blushed a little at his praise.
"Thank you. I guess we will see each other at U.A. this semester?"
"Well, first I will have to get through the practical. The written part should be easy, though."
As the two continued walking, they began to share personal details about each other so they could know each other better. Momo laughed when she learned about Izuku's love for Tokusatsu, particularly as he demonstrated an almost encyclopedic knowledge of it, deciding she could check some of them in the future. Their walk was interrupted when Momo stopped, looking to the building next to her.
"Well, this is where I live in," Momo said.
"Which flat is yours?" Izuku asked, curious.
"It's actually the one of the top," She replied, a bit self-conscious.
"Wow, you live at the penthouse, Momo-san?" Izuku said in disbelief.
"I come from a rich family, Izuku-san. My family owns the entire building, actually." Even if still somewhat ashamed of appearing to be bragging about her family, Momo still felt comfortable at sharing the knowledge of it with the boy in front of him.
"I guess we must part ways here. I need to go home anyway, to get ready for the Entrance Exam. It was nice to meet you, Momo-san."
"It was nice to meet you too, Izuku-san. Say, would you like to exchange numbers? That way, we can stay in contact," Momo said with a smile.
"Sure." The two switched their phones so they could type down their numbers before switching back, and as Momo began to enter in her building, the two waved goodbye at each other before Izuku began to walk back home.
Things were clearly shaping up for Izuku in the last week before the exams.
'Here I am,' Izuku thought as he began to walk into the U.A. campus.
Today was the Entrance Exam day, and Izuku was surrounded by hundreds of teenagers who were also getting ready for the exams that were about to take place. Having already received well wishes from his mother, All Might and Momo, all he could do now was to stare in awe at the design of the place: U.A. was a very futuristic looking place, and the large buildings seemed to be able to house tens of classrooms and other rooms, something that actually intimidated him a bit.
'Such a cool place...'
"Fuck off, Deku!" A very familiar voice snarled. Izuku sighed as he turned around to see Katsuki walking towards him, looking a lot like a delinquent, with a glare in his eyes. Not much had change in him in the past ten months, except perhaps growing into his muscles. "Get the fuck out of my way or die!"
"Hello to you too, Bakugo," Izuku replied sarcastically as his former friend scowled and walked past him, not even deigning to look back. "Seriously, grow up, will you?"
Deciding to put the matter of his classmate behind, Izuku shook his head before walking along with the other applicants. As he did, something passed through the corner of his eyes, and he turned to see it better.
It was a pretty girl with her brown hair bobbed and curved inward around her face, with short bangs reaching a quarter of the way down her forehead, and shining brown eyes that seemed to light up the room by themselves. Surprisingly, it seemed like her cheeks had two permanent pink stickers on them, but that actually looked good on her.
"May I help you?" He asked.
"Oh, uh, I couldn't help but notice you talking with that guy that passed by you earlier," She replied with a smile.
"If you want to call that talk... actually, that was just someone who used to be my friend and now is just an annoying acquaintance with an ego the size of Mount Fuji."
"Oh, I see," The girl said before giggling, something that made her look even cuter, in Izuku's opinion. "Well, I hope we both do great, Deku-kun!"
Izuku stopped walking, prompting her to stop walking as well, looking at him confused.
"Look, uh, my name is not Deku, it's actually Midoriya Izuku. The guy who said that called me like that when he thought I didn't have a Quirk, because he thought it meant I was worthless, and even after I manifested it he decided to stick with the name. So now, I just ignore him."
The girl gasped at the realization, shaking her head.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for it to be that way. I thought it was Deku like Dekiru, you know, giving off the 'I can do it' attitude?" She looked away with an awkward giggle as her cheeks blushed even more.
Izuku just smiled at how adorable the girl was. The fact that she saw what was once an insult as a supportive name made him see it in a different light.
"I had never thought about it in that way, so thank you," He said with a grin. The girl looked down and then up again, still blushing.
"Oh! Since you already told me your name, I guess I ought to share mine. Midoriya-san, I am Uraraka Ochaco. Nice to meet you."
"Same to you. And I have no problem if you want to call me Deku, though. I like the way you say it," He replied putting out his hand, which Uraraka shook gleefully, although Izuku noticed she tried not to touch him with all her fingers.
"Then you have to call me Ochaco, Deku-kun. Should we go in, then?"
"Of course." Ochaco walked towards the entrance, but before he could follow, someone jumped on his back.
"Izu-kun!" The girl behind him said, hugging him from behind. Izuku easily forced the girl to put her feet on the ground and returned the hug.
"Itsuka-chan, you are here!"
"Well, of course I am, why would I miss the opportunity of being a hero?" She replied, and Izuku smiled. Releasing each other, the two walked into the building, ready for the first half of their examinations.
The written half of the exams had been very easy for Izuku, who thought that, while he may not have a 100 percent, he would probably achieve very high marks, and now they were getting ready for the second half, the practical. Unfortunately, he would have to sit right next to Katsuki for the duration of the pre-test demonstration, which was well away from the two girls he had met earlier. Still, as he ignored the jerk to his right as he said one rude thing after another, he managed to see Ochaco in the distance waving to him, while he waved back at her.
After everyone got seated, a tall slender man with very spiked long blond hair appeared on the scene. Wearing a black jacket with an upturned tall collar, leather trousers and boots, a pair of headphones with "HAGE" written on the headband and a pair of orange-tinted sunglasses, Izuku easily recognized him as Present Mic, the Voice Hero, and paid close attention as the hero began to speak.
"WELCOME TO ALL OF YOU TO MY LIVE SHOW!" Present Mic screamed out loud, causing a lot of the applicants to cover their ears or jumping in fright at the sudden shift. "NOW, NOW, NO NEED TO BE SCARED. NOW, EVERYBODY SAY HEY!"
Present Mic put his hand to his ear, as if trying to listen to the attendants, only for them to answer with silence. Izuku was too excited to respond, while most everyone else just did not care or were shocked at the hero's behavior.
"TOUGH CROWD THIS MORNING, I SEE!" Either he did not care or it simply did not bother him. "I'VE GOT SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE TOO, LISTENERS! NOW... I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU THE LOWDOWN ON HOW THIS TEST IS GOING TO GO DOWN! ARE YOU READY?"
Again, silence was the only answer. Present Mic chuckled.
"PAY CLOSE ATTENTION, YOUNG LISTENERS! WE'LL BE TESTING YOUR METTLE BY SENDING YOU INTO A PRACTICE RUN AT OUR REPLICA CITY DISTRICT FOR SOME COMBAT TRIALS! YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CARRY THE OBJECTS YOU WERE ALLOWED ACCORDING TO THE LETTER SENT TO YOU! NOW, EVERYBODY MUST GATHER IN YOUR DESIGNATED AREAS AFTER THIS PRESENTATION, YA DIG!"
Izuku saw that there were seven different examination sites, and the examinees were randomized around. Much to his tranquility, Izuku noted that he was in Site B while Katsuki had been designated for Site A.
"They don't intend on letting friends or classmates share a testing site? It's probably set up so I don't get to kill you," Katsuki muttered, loud enough for Izuku to hear it. Obviously, Katsuki was not as pleased by the assignation as he was. Izuku just ignored him through years and tons of practice.
The screen then changed to show silhouettes of three beings – a mushroom-like thing with feet, a turtle and a carnivorous plant – that he was quite sure had been ripped out of a classic video game, all with numbers on them and surrounding the image of an urban landscape.
"WE'LL BE SPRINKLING A LARGE NUMBER OF VILLAINS ALL OVER THE BATTLEFIELD, AND THEY WILL APPEAR IN THREE DIFFERENT VARIETIES, WITH POINT VALUES SCALED ACCORDING TO DIFFICULTY!" Present Mic continued, as the monsters in the screen were killed by a figure that looked like an Italian plumber, whose points increased with each enemy he killed. "USING YOUR QUIRKS, YOU MUST DISPATCH AS MANY VILLAINS AS YOU CAN, BECAUSE YOUR GOAL, LISTENERS, IS TO RACK UP A HIGH SCORE! AND BEFORE ANYONE THINKS ABOUT IT, ATTACKING OTHER EXAMINEES OR ANY OTHER ANTI-HERO STUFF WILL BE CAUSE FOR IMMEDIATE FAILURE, GOT IT?"
Looking at the screen, and then at his pamphlet, Izuku noticed there was still a fourth enemy to be shown, but he guessed they would explain it at a later point.
"Excuse me, may I ask a question?"
Izuku looked up to see another student stand up. Tall, muscular, with a wide frame and short dark blue hair, he really stood out, and his pointed features and rectangular glasses gave him the appearance of someone who played by the rules.
"On the handout, there are four types of villains, but you have mentioned only three! Such an error would be the heights of embarrassment for a top tier academy of U.A.'s caliber, particularly since all of us here are seeking guidance on the path to become model heroes!"
Everyone else was thinking the same thing.
'That was a speech, not a question.'
"OKAY, OKAY!" Present Mic gave a mischievous grin. "THANKS FOR THE SEGUE, AND MUCH APPRECIATED, EXAMINEE 7111! THE FOURTH TYPE OF VILLAIN YOU WILL ENCOUNTER IS NOT SO MUCH A VILLAIN, AS AN OBSTACLE!"
The screen changed again, this time to show another silhouette, this time of something that looked like a large stone block with an angry face.
"IN THE GAME WHERE THE MODEL VILLAINS CAME FROM, THERE WERE THESE THINGS THAT TRIED TO CRUSH YOU, WHICH YOU COULDN'T KILL! WELL, IN HERE, THE FOURTH VILLAIN IS LIKE THAT, AND ITS GIMMICK IS THAT IT WILL START TO RAMPAGE WHEN A CROWD FORMS NEAR IT! IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO DEFEAT, BUT IT IS INADVISABLE TO FIGHT IT, BECAUSE THE PENALTY FOR DOING SO IS TO LOSE ALL YOUR POINTS, SO YOU'D BETTER AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS!"
Izuku made a mental note not to get anywhere close to that villain, because now it added another layer of problems in the exam.
"WELL, THAT'S ENOUGH FROM ME! I'LL LEAVE YOU ALL TO GO TO THE PRACTICAL EXAM! AS NAPOLEON BONAPARTE SAID, A TRUE HERO NEVER STOPS OVERCOMING THE MISFORTUNES IN LIFE!" He grinned at them, and dipped his sunglasses down to leer at them. "SO, LET'S MOVE ON TO THE MAIN EVEN! GOOD LUCK SUFFERING! GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!"
Well, the exam had suddenly become a lot more difficult now.
As everybody exited the amphitheater where the presentation took place, Izuku found Itsuka when she waved from her location.
"I was assigned to Site B. What about you?" Izuku asked.
"Site D. Looks like we won't be getting in each other's way," She replied, smiling.
"Be careful with the fourth type villain, those will mess with our scores."
"Don't worry, avoid fighting it and things will be fine," Itsuka said with confidence.
Just then, an announcement rang to remind all the examinees to board on their buses or they would forfeit the exam, so Itsuka hugged Izuku before running.
"Good luck, Izu-kun!"
Several minutes later, Izuku was in the designated Site B along with the other examinees, standing in front of a huge set of gates and the fences that covered what he presumed was the urban setting of buildings and streets. As was his wont, Izuku observed the other participants to find all of them were carrying equipment to compliment their Quirks in some way: he was glad he did not need anything to supplement Superpower and One for All.
He noticed that Ochaco had been assigned to the same site as he was, and she seemed to be anxious and sweating, so he started to walk towards her, to assure her that she would do fine.
"I see what you are up to! You are planning to measure that girl's ability to concentrate, aren't you?"
Izuku turned to the accusing voice, belonging to the guy with glasses that had earlier interrupted the presentation.
"Not at all. I just wanted to give moral support to someone I can tell is feeling nervous about this. What's wrong with that?"
The other examinees stopped their own conversations to look at Izuku.
"I think I've seen him before."
"It's the boy who fought that sludge villain last year!"
"Nah, he could be just someone that looks like him."
Izuku kept ignoring them, still focusing his sight on the stiff teenager who had accused him. The latter, however, seemed to come to his senses and bowed stiffly to him.
"My apologies. I am just as nervous and stressed as the others here, right now, and I just assumed you were going to hinder a fellow examinee, instead of helping her. Please, excuse my false accusation, and forgive me!" The kid spoke as stiffly as his bow, but Izuku could hear the honest sincerity and remorse in his voice.
"Hey, don't worry, I understand," Izuku replied. "Just, don't go jumping to conclusions, okay?"
Patting the bespectacled teen on the shoulder – and he was sure his face looked familiar – he looked to where Ochaco was, and it turned out she was looking at him, giving him a pretty smile and a thumbs up as...
"AAAAAND BEGIN!" Present Mic suddenly shouted, and the gate to the testing site opened, showing an urban landscape with villain bots prowling the streets.
Izuku jumped towards the gate, rapidly sprinting through and into the false city, closely followed by Ochaco and the bespectacled kid, leaving a crowd of confused examinees. Summoning a sword of dark green energy, Izuku barely paid attention to Present Mic still talking to the others as he made an overhead swing at the nearest one-pointer, slicing it in half before it blew up. The slice was followed by a second that cut through a two-pointer while he did a spin, and then the sword transformed into a ball he threw at another two-pointer.
'Not bad, that's five points already!' He thought as he rapidly looked around in search of another target. A three-pointer called his attention just a few meters away, and Izuku charged before making an energy buzzsaw on his right arm, cutting the robot in half.
Running deeper into the city, he was met by four one-pointers that chose to fire bullets at him. Immediately, the dark green buzzsaw became a light green shield that reflected all the bullets back at them, causing their destruction as they got hit.
To his left and right side were now a one-pointer and a two-pointer. The former was dealt with by throwing an energy javelin straight into its body before twisting and presenting a shield to the latter, deflecting the stinger before he created a sword on his left arm. Tackling the two-pointer, the push gave him enough space to turn the shield into a second sword, allowing him to do a cross-slash that sliced it in four pieces.
Landing safely, Izuku headed right to find three more robots. This time, he chose to get physical: infusing his arms with the strength of One for All, he grabbed the nearest one-pointer and spun it around to hit a two-pointer with it, before cocking his fist and sending the third robot into the air.
Coming back the way he came, he found more bots in a narrow alley, and decided to spice it up by taking advantage of the environment. Running up a wall with Superpower-infused legs, he then formed a barrier beneath his feet to crush the closest robot, and then dodged the stingers from the other two robots in there. A sword quickly sliced the stinger of the two-pointer to his left and a One for All punch dismantled the one in the right before he grabbed the sliced off stinger and used it to stab its previous owner to death.
Seeing no more robots nearby, he listened intently and heard at least four more of them coming from around the corner. Walking to the corner, he rapidly wiped out the one-pointer among them with an energy ball, and as the three three-pointers that accompanied it readied to counter, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes: his arms were soon covered with dark green energy particles.
Then, he opened his eyes, and crossed his arms, ready to fire the improved version of the attack that had destroyed the sludge villain ten months before.
"ZONE FIGHTER BLAST!"
The energy beam the attack fired was smaller than its previous version. It made up in destructive potential: not only were the three-pointers volatilized, the nearby buildings were also heavily damaged from the impact of the beam.
'Alright, I have destroyed ten one-pointers, six two-pointers and four three-pointers, so I have thirty-four points. I thought this would be hard, but it is actually really fun!'
Moving on from where he was, Izuku failed to notice the looks other examinees were giving at him and his almost casual destruction of all the robots he had met. One of them in particular, Iida Tenya, the one who had stopped Izuku earlier, looked at the path the latter had carved up with his Quirk, and decided to use his own to find more villains quickly before the green energy blasted them.
As for Ochaco, she was destroying her fair share of robots by using Zero Gravity to leave the villains weightless and throwing them against walls, the floor or each other. The sight of Izuku annihilating villains left and right brought a blush to her face as she briefly remembered their encounter before the exam, before she shook her head so she would focus on the test, smashing a two-pointer against a nearby wall.
The current and future staff of U.A. was, in the meantime, watching and observing the action taking place in the different examination rooms.
In the middle of the group stood out a... well, a 'man' that actually looked more like a strange combination of a dog, a mouse and a bear, wearing a white dress shirt, a dark red tie and matching black waistcoat and dress pants. With his most distinguishing mark being a large scar over his right eye, Nezu, U.A.'s Principal, put the intelligence given to him by his Quirk, High Spec, to its true test.
"With a strict time limit and an open field filled with villains, this test shows us the skills these children have," He said with a happy tone.
"This one looks like a strong one," Someone wearing a white space suit stated, watching a six-armed boy use rapid strikes to destroy several villains at the same time.
"Ah, a fast one. I always like those," A woman that dressed like a dominatrix said with a sultry voice, watching with interest as her screen showed a blue-haired boy running at unnatural speeds between robots, kicking them and sending them flying to their deaths before moving on.
"A calm mind is always important when dealing with an enemy," A man dressed like a stereotypical Far West cowboy drawled, checking a blond boy firing laser blasts from his navel while calmly smiling.
"And, of course..." Another man, this one slender, with messy shoulder-length black hair and tired half-opened dark eyes, continued. His screen showed two boys, one of them a blond one that was surrounded by destroyed robots with a savage grin, while the other was a green-haired one who used well balanced attacks with both his body and his energy weapons to cut his way through. "Fighting skills."
"The point system we have implemented is a good way to gauge the respective levels of those foundational skills," The animal-like man replied, keeping an eye on all the screens.
"Oh, my, we may have ourselves a very interesting crop this year, don't we?" The woman huskily asked.
"We can't be quite sure of that yet, Midnight," Another man, better known as Yagi Toshinori, replied, walking up to a large red button covered with a plastic barrier, which he flipped over. "The real test has yet to begin."
"YOU STILL HAVE THREE MINUTES LEFT IN THE WATCH! KEEP FIGHTING, LISTENERS!" Present Mic shouted, for the benefit of both the examinees and the examiners.
"You can do it, Toshinori," Nezu said, and Toshinori pressed the red button.
Immediately, seven large robots, all of them larger than the buildings in the sites, made their appearance. These robots had a large 0 painted on their heads, marking them as the 0-pointers the examinees had been warned about. Immediately, the huge robot started to attack anything and anyone within its vicinity, causing most of the candidates to run away in fear.
"To reveal their true nature, when facing an obstacle that seems impossible to overcome and has a severe penalty to add to it..." Toshinori said solemnly, as destruction and mayhem were caused by the sudden appearance of a potentially unbeatable villain. One screen, looking at Site B, though, showed something that caused him to smile triumphantly. "... while also creating the opportunity for it to come out."
A rapid uppercut sent a two-pointer flying into the air before crashing down hard on the streets.
"Great, that makes it one hundred points!" Izuku exclaimed, looking around for more villains to destroy. He found several of them fighting other examinees, but given that they were being surrounded, he figured he could leave that in their hands.
By his own estimations, there were only two minutes and a half resting on the clock, so he thought he could slow down on his fighting.
That was when the ground began to shake, and when he turned to the direction the noise was coming from, he felt his jaw dropping.
Close to the group of examinees – who had finished off the last villains they were fighting – a huge robot was rising from the grounds, shedding rubble and debris around without care. It had to be the fourth kind of villain, the one that left you with no points if you engaged it in a fight.
'Damn, that thing is a Kaiju! I better get away fast!' Izuku thought as the robot began attacking the buildings while advancing toward the examinees, who chose to pick flight over fight as they ran away from the sudden, unexpected threat.
Before Izuku could imitate them, though, he heard a scream of pain coming from where the huge robot was: when the smoke and dust cleared up, he saw Ochaco had been trapped underneath the rubble the zero-pointer had created with its indiscriminate attacks. None of the examinees realized her situation as they tried to run away from the robot, which was advancing towards the injured girl in a threatening manner.
Without thinking about it, Izuku sprinted forward, sending energy to his legs to run as fast as humanly possible and even more, to reach the gentle girl before the robot did. In his haste, he passed right by Tenya, who turned his eyes to look at the green blur, allowing him to notice what had pushed Izuku to run against the current.
'Oh, no'!
Ochaco kept struggling, uselessly attempting to get herself loose from the rock she suspected had just broken her ankle, when she noticed Izuku running towards her... towards the villain.
'No, no, Deku-kun, don't do this, don't sacrifice your chance for me!'
For Izuku, the possibility of losing his one chance of entering U.A. did not matter. The one thing that did was saving someone. And to save someone, he would give his all. Through his legs to run faster and jump into the air. Through his feet to fire energy streams and direct his jump. Through his right arm to give it all the strength he needed. Through his hand to create an energy ball.
Only one thought in mind.
'I have to save her.'
He gritted his teeth in concentration, and as he began to reach the zero-pointer's head he began to unleash his most powerful move.
"SPECTREMAN..."
"Yes, it is an opportunity for those who are up to the challenge to shine brightly and rise up to the surface!" Toshinori said proudly. The eyes of everyone in the examiners' room were fixed on the largest screen, showing how Midoriya Izuku unhesitatingly ran forward towards the villain he was not supposed to fight, all after seeing young Uraraka in trouble. Everyone grinned in excitement as the boy jumped in the air, ready to meet an enemy whose head was bigger than he was.
"That's right! The most important quality of a true hero," Toshinori declared, amazed to see Izuku seamlessly combining One for All with Attack. "For there is nothing nobler, nothing purer... than self-sacrifice!"
The dark green energy ball in his hand was now large enough to cover him entirely. And, when he was but a few meters away from the robot, he saw his chance.
"CANNON!"
With a punch from his red-vein-covered right fist, the ball flew the short distance that separated Izuku from the robot, striking it in the face before it engulfed the entire villain: immediately, the robot blew into its component pieces, which became scattered all along the deserted streets behind the robot. Those who had witnessed the event felt their eyes nearly pop out at the level of destruction one of their own had managed to unleash.
Carefully landing on the ground thanks to a barrier, Izuku immediately went over to Ochaco and used his yellow-green-energy covered arms to lift the large piece of concrete off of her leg.
"Are you okay, Ochaco-chan?" He asked her with concern, kneeling beside her.
"TIME'S UP!" Present Mic screamed, strangely heard at the right time, and everyone present's mood soured. All the teenagers present as Izuku helped Ochaco stared at him in pity, knowing that he had scored the most points out them all, only to lose them in the last second by saving Ochaco, sacrificing his chance to attend U.A. without a second thought.
Ochaco attempted to stand up, but as soon as she tried to move her left foot, her ankle throbbed in sharp pain. Instinctively, she placed her hands on it.
"My ankle," She said, one of her eyes tearing up from the pain. Izuku placed his left hand on her shoulder, making her turn to him in confusion.
"Hold still." Covering his right hand with yellow green energy, he placed it above her left ankle and gently released the energy into it, seeking to knit bones and muscles and ligaments into their rightful place. Ochaco shuddered as the pain went away from her now healed ankle, and as she stood up she was in tears, looking at Izuku.
"I'm so sorry, Deku-kun," She said, sad at what had just happened, while shaking her head sideways and closing her eyes.
"Don't be, Ochaco-chan, it wasn't your fault. I'm just glad that you are well, and that's all that matters to me... no regrets," He replied, softly and sincerely, as he smiled, but everyone could tell there was still a hint of sadness behind that smile.
"Well, it seems you have done my job for me, lad."
The two turned to see an old, elderly woman walking towards them, dressed like a doctor and using a large syringe as a cane to walk between the rubble. Izuku knew this was Recovery Girl, the Youthful Heroine, and user of one of the few Quirks that could outright heal people.
"That is some Quirk you have there," She complimented Izuku, who nodded in appreciation before walking away, out of the battle site – but not before giving one last glance and smile at a guilt-ridden Ochaco.
As Recovery Girl began to hand out her special gummy bears to everyone nearby before moving away to the next site, Ochaco looked at the retreating back of her savior, before making a determined look with her face.
'You deserve being at U.A. more than me, Deku-kun! I'll do what I can to make sure you get accepted!'
With that vow in mind, she left to make her way out so she could pick the bus that would take them back to the main building, followed by the other examinees on site. Much to their surprise, Izuku was not anywhere within the bus, and as it moved away everyone wondered where he had gone.
When they arrived, they were besieged by another girl, one Ochaco recognized from seeing her talking to Deku before the exams. Ochaco nonetheless run forward, trying to find the examiners to speak with them, closely followed by Tenya.
"Izuku! Izuku!" The orange-haired girl said, before turning to one of the Site B examinees. "Has any of you people seen a green-haired boy anywhere?"
"Uh, he... he saved that girl from the zero-pointer villain, and then left on his own. I think he wanted to be left alone for a while," One of them answered. Itsuka's eyes widened before she clenched her fists in anger, also running the same way Ochaco had gone for, leaving behind a group of even more confused examinees.
"Man, things just got weird," One of them remarked.
As he arrived home, Izuku opened and closed the door quietly, to see his mother standing there with a smile. A smile that slipped when she saw the depressed look on his face. Inko went up and hugged him, holding him gently, as he finally let out the tears he had been holding up since he left the testing site.
"I'm so sorry, Mom," He said, his tears finally pouring out of his eyes as he buried himself within his mother's loving and nurturing embrace.
"It's okay, Izuku. Mommy's here for you, everything will be alright," She replied, carefully helping him to his knees as she focused on comforting her son in his time of need, showing him the love and support he needed at the moment.
Soon after, though, Izuku let go of his mother, leaving her stunned, and decided to walk out of their apartment before she could ask him what had happened exactly. However, his mother knew him well and knew where he was going, so when she saw he had left his phone behind, she decided to act.
Back in her home, Momo was lounging on the couch, reading a book on the latest developments in electronics as she waited for Izuku to text her about him passing the entrance exam. Then, hopefully, he would accept her invitation to hang out and eat dinner together, in order to celebrate that they would go to U.A. together, as well as her definitely moving into Musutafu. The fact that she really admired Izuku for his heroic mindset and his delicious appearance was just a bonus in her mind.
Her cellphone began to ring and vibrate, and she picked it up: seeing it was Izuku, she immediately accepted the call.
"Hello?" She quickly answered.
"Hi, is this... Yaoyorozu Momo?" Someone else, someone that was not Izuku, asked. Momo could tell that, whoever she was, must have been worried and sad.
"Yes, that's me. Who is this?" She tentatively asked, wondering why an adult woman was calling her on Izuku's phone.
"This is Midoriya Inko. I am Izuku's mother."
If she was calling, it clearly had to be something serious, so she stood up and prepared herself for leaving.
"What happened?"
"My son just arrived from the entrance exam... he said he didn't pass... that he won't be attending U.A. High School," Inko said, crying.
Momo was left in silence. She was sure that Izuku had passed, he had to have passed. Something was clearly missing or wrong.
"Do you know where he is?" She asked.
"He... he didn't say where he was going, but I am sure he went to Dagobah Beach. He's been going there almost every day this past year."
"I see. Thank you for telling me, Midoriya-san," She said, hanging up and getting dressed so she could find the first friend she had made in this town.
Sitting in the sandy shores of the beach he had spent almost a year working to clean up, Izuku could still admire their beauty as he wrapped his arms around his legs, watching the sun setting over the now orange ocean waters.
"I can't believe I'm not going to go to U.A. in the end. All that hard work for nothing..." Izuku sighed in depression. "Looks like Bakugo is going to be happy when he learns this."
Standing up, he brushed the sand that had clinged to his uniform – still torn up from the effort he had made when saving Ochaco – and kept looking out as the sun kept moving.
'I guess there are more options out there for me, but after this I'm not so sure that I can actually do it...'
"Izuku-kun!"
Izuku turned to the voice, seeing Momo running towards him, clearly worried.
"Momo-chan..." He whispered, surprised that she had found him there. As she stopped, she puffed a few times before crossing her arms, hugging her chest.
"Izuku-kun, your mother told me that you had not passed. What happened to make you think you didn't get in?" She asked, stepping closer. Izuku sighed.
"There was a girl trapped that was about to be attacked, and I was the only one that had a chance to save her, so I jumped in and..." He replied, looking down in sadness. Momo looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before giving a small smile.
"Let me guess, you destroyed some kind of trap villain in order to save the girl, but you think it caused you to lose all your points," She said, and Izuku nodded. Much to his surprise, she suddenly hugged him. "Tell me something, Izuku-kun. What makes a hero? What are the actions that define a hero?"
"A true hero is someone who can save anyone, no matter what it takes, even if it is at the cost of their own life," He whispered. "It is not measured by their power, but by their courage to act with heart."
"Exactly," Momo said, pulling back. "Do you really think the examiners will overlook something like that? They saw you willingly sacrifice your chance to attend U.A. in order to save a girl from being harmed. I really doubt they would fail someone that would do such a selfless act."
"So... that last boss... it was just a fake? Present Mic, that lying liar," Izuku said, making an annoyed grunt. Momo nodded with a pleased smile on her face.
"I don't know how they will score people in the exam, but I really doubt they only take into account how many villains you defeated. If my analysis is proven wrong, though, I will turn down their invitation, because I will not go to a school that does not know what being a hero truly means. Because, if there is someone that deserves being at U.A., that's you, Izuku-kun."
"Momo-chan..." Izuku said, blinking and looking at her in surprise. In answer, Momo hugged him again.
"We have only known each other for about a week, but it has taken me less than that to realize how strong you are in your determination and perseverance to become a hero. So, anytime you feel down, I will be there to help you back on your feet."
Izuku blushed, although he was not sure if it was because of her words or because of the way her chest was touching his.
"Izu-kun!"
"Deku-kun!"
"I'm confused! Is it Izuku or Deku? Unless it is Izuku Deku!"
The two broke their embrace out of shock, looking to the voices that had just called him out: it seemed that Itsuka, Ochaco and the blue-haired boy from earlier had been looking for him, if their waving at him was a sign.
Itsuka ran to Izuku and hugged him.
"Izu-kun! Don't you dare run off like that again!" She scolded him, worried. Izuku was puzzled.
"How did you guys find me?" he asked.
"Your mother called me to tell me what happened, and the two of them asked if they could come, too," She answered.
"So..." Izuku said, looking at Ochaco and Tenya. "Why are the two of you here?"
"First, I wanted to introduce myself. I am Iida Tenya," The blue-haired boy said, bowing. "I have come to apologize for my actions from earlier."
"I wanted to check on you," Ochaco said with a worried expression. "I was so scared! But I know that you are going to be accepted, Deku-kun!"
"Izuku," Momo said in a questioning tone, "Would you mind presenting me to them?"
"Oh, sure," Izuku said as the trio turned to her. "This here is Kendo Itsuka, my oldest friend, whom I met when we were learning martial arts. She is Uraraka Ochaco, and as you have heard, he is Iida Tenya. Everyone, this is Yaoyorozu Momo."
Tenya bowed and greeted Momo, but the girls did not say much, as they looked at each other: it was obvious to them that they were all interested in Izuku for the same reason, even if they had met him at different times, and a silent war was declared. Oblivious to what was happening on his behalf, Izuku went to talk with Tenya.
"There is nothing to apologize for, when you already did it before the exam began."
"I know that. But I am apologizing about the other thing you did," Tenya said. "That was a very brave and heroic act you did, and no matter what the teachers might say, I think you deserve to be in. I hope the first time we met won't ruin any potential friendship."
"Hey, I already forgave you, Iida-san," Izuku smiled, glad to have another friend. Tenya smiled back, and turned to Momo.
"You are a Yaoyorozu? As in, the famous Creation family?"
Momo nodded.
"Yes, I am. I came here to live close to U.A. while I attend."
"Yeah, she earned a recommendation to join in," Izuku added.
"It is amazing you earned a recommendation to get into such a prestigious school as U.A.," Tenya stated, impressed. "I assume it relates to your academic grades?"
"Yes," she replied, "Although I am also quite good in athletics."
The tension between the three girls ramped up, as Itsuka and Ochaco felt their competitor's stock rise on their path for Izuku. Itsuka had nursed a crush on him for years, and Ochaco only had to think of how he saved her life without hesitation to feel her heart begin to pound: while it was true that, compared to Momo, they paled in comparison on body appearance, they knew that Izuku was not one to judge just on that.
"Oh, I just remembered something!" Momo turned to Izuku. "I was hoping we could go out for dinner to celebrate your getting accepted to U.A. and me moving here."
"What?" Itsuka and Ochaco asked at the same time.
"Oh, yeah, I could use some dinner. I am pretty hungry after the exam," Izuku mentioned.
"Me too," Itsuka added, feeling quite famished herself.
"I am starving too," Ochaco said,
"I could use a meal as well, if you do not mind," Tenya stated.
Momo smiled and clasped her hands together. While it was more people than she expected, she did not mind inviting more people that might become her friends.
"Well, then we can go to this nice Yakiniku restaurant I found in downtown the other day. My treat, everybody!" She cheerfully said as the others actually felt the sweat drop at the back of their heads at her unintentionally flaunting how rich she was.
Back at U.A., Toshinori was turning off his computer after watching once more Izuku's test, in a high spirited mood after seeing his successor's display of both skill and spirit. Izuku was certainly shaping up to be the next Symbol of Peace All Might truly envisioned him to be.
'He has already surpassed my expectations, and he has earned the highest Entrance Exam score in the history of U.A. He beat even my score!' Toshinori thought, smiling, closing the door to his new office. He had also heard how the young man had left the test site on his own, but he hoped that, once he calmed down, he would deduce the actual 'bluff' in the test.
'It won't be long until he gets his letter, then he'll see the surprise. He is truly deserving of it all,' He told himself, walking down the corridor that led outside, happily whistling as he imagined the young man's face when he saw his true marks.
Five Days Later
It was as he was in his room, watching Godzilla fighting Mechagodzilla for the umpteenth time, that his mother barged into the room, holding out an envelope with U.A.'s symbol stamped on it.
"Izuku, it's here!" She said, showing him the envelope.
Pausing the movie, Izuku carefully took the surprisingly heavy envelope from her hand, and Inko decided to walk out of the room, in order to give him the space she felt he needed: he could later tell her the news.
Izuku stared at the envelope, wondering if he should open it to be told whether he was accepted or not, but in the end decided that, no matter what, he needed to find out. Opening the envelope, he found a circular device inside, which he placed on his desk, knowing that it was a holographic projector.
The shock came when he saw All Might himself was doing the projection.
"Greetings, young Midoriya!" The Number 1 Hero said as introduction.
"All Might? What in the..." Izuku trailed off.
"In the first place, you may wonder why I am doing this. The reason is that, starting next semester, I will be teaching at U.A.!"
"What?" Izuku exclaimed, and a hand suddenly showed up, waving at All Might.
"Yes, yes, get to the point, stop showboating... for the written part of the exam, you have earned one of the few perfect scores this year, but that alone does not guarantee a spot at the most prestigious Hero Academy in Japan! For the practical part, you had scored exactly 100 points until you decided to go against the zero-point villain without hesitation, even though you were warned that doing so would reduce your score to 0! That means you have failed..." All Might trailed off.
Izuku remained hesitant: even after the reassurance of his friends, who were now in the group picture that was his computer's desktop background, he still felt his actions had led to failure. Nonetheless, he continued to watch the projector.
"Or, at least, that was what I would say if it were not for the fact that you have not incurred in any penalty! My partner Present Mic led you all to believe attacking the villain would cause you to lose your points, when in fact it was merely worth 0 points, nothing more, nothing less. That means you have 100 Villain Points, more than enough to be accepted for the Hero Course!"
Izuku smiled in excitement: after five days of fear, it turned out it had been for nothing. He would be able to attend U.A. High School! He was going to be with his friends for three years!
But the video did not end yet, as All Might motioned to a screen to his left, which the cameraman turned to.
"Now, I may not be much of an entertainer, but I believe you ought to see something else!"
The screen showed Itsuka, Ochaco and Tenya entering what seemed to be a teacher's lounge, where they stopped in front of Present Mic, the only present examiner.
"What were you doing there?" Izuku wondered.
"As soon as the exam ended, these three came to us directly! Why? Well, let's find out!"
"Um, hello, excuse me?" Ochaco asked, bringing the attention of the Voice Hero.
"Is there a problem, young listener?" Present Mic asked, fortunately in a normal tone rather than the shouting from earlier.
"Do you.. remember a green haired boy with freckles? Kind of tall, just a little shorter than him," She said, gesturing at Tenya, who decided to take over the discussion.
"Yes, we want to discuss the student who wore a green tracksuit, the one that defeated the zero-point villain at Testing Site B!
"If it helps, his name is Midoriya Izuku," Itsuka added. "Examinee 2234."
"Yeah, Deku-kun!" Ochaco said, a determined expression on her face. "Would it be possible to give him my points?"
Izuku was shocked at what Ochaco had just asked, and she continued.
"Deku-kun was the strongest out there from the moment the test began! I think... no, I know that he had the most points in our testing site! He had the highest chance of getting in, yet he willingly squandered his chance to save my life!"
"Don't take all of her points! If it is necessary, take some of my points to add to it! What Midoriya-san did was something I should have done as well, but I was too scared to act in fear of my own safety!" Tenya stated.
Izuku's eyes began to tear up as he heard the two of them, whom he had just met that day, coming in to request whatever it was on their hand to ensure he would be able to go to U.A. All Might paused the video just then.
"You may have a powerful Quirk, young Midoriya... but the worth of a hero is based in how what you do touches others. And your noble and selfless actions have touched deeply into other people's hearts, indeed!" He started the video once again.
"There's no one else worthier of being accepted into U.A. than him!" The two of them said, bowing at the same time. Present Mic had to fight the urge to smile widely, before he turned to Itsuka.
"And you?"
Itsuka sighed before smiling.
"Izu-kun... he has always been the most courageous, kindest person I have ever known," She said. "He would always go in to protect anyone that needed his help, no matter the cost to himself. So, if it is possible, please take some of my points as well! I am sure that, if we split it between the three of us, it should be enough to ensure all three of us and him can get in!"
Itsuka then bowed along with Ochaco and Tenya, and Present Mic put a huge smile on his face, seeing the three teenagers doing such a selfless act for the sake of a friend.
"I am sorry, but even if you beg, we cannot assign anyone's points to other people." Just as the trio was about to protest, Present Mic lifted his hands to stop them. "However, do not think this to be the end, young listeners! I assure you that, if you wait a few days, you will get a very good surprise."
Present Mic winked at the three.
The video stopped, and the camera went back to All Might, who was giving his trademark encouraging smile.
"It is rare for a person to be born with such a rare heart of gold as yours, but you are here, and I am telling you, that we do not judge solely on the Villain Points you earn by fighting robots."
The image of All Might was replaced with something he had not expected: himself. Himself turning around to see Ochaco trapped under the rubble, with the zero-point villain looming over her. Himself running at his maximum speed, trailing green energy and lightning. Himself jumping at a great height until he was face to face with the robot. Himself punching the robot into scrap with Spectreman Cannon. Himself helping Ochaco and healing her.
"Because, how could a hero course reject people who save others and do the right thing? We also judge you on your willingness to sacrifice yourself to aid other people and that's Rescue Points!"
'Man, I can already hear Momo telling me 'I told you so',' He thought, happy tears running down his face.
"Your final result, with 100 Villain Points and 70 Rescue Points, is 170 points! Which makes you not only the student with the highest marks of this year, but the student with the highest marks in all of U.A.'s history! You even shattered the previous record, my record, by 70 points, so I have to say good job!"
Izuku lost the battle against trying to keep the tears from overrunning his face, and he found a handkerchief to dry himself up as the camera panned back to show All Might doing a pose and raising his hand, as if gesturing Izuku to come forth, which he did.
"But this... is just the beginning of your journey. You've certainly showed everyone what you are made of, what it means to be a true hero... and you most certainly went Plus Ultra. Midoriya Izuku, welcome to your Hero Academia!"