Episode VI: Starting Line
It was the day before the Entrance Exam, as we find Izuku Midoriya fighting with strange men that flickered and sparked like images of light. The young man used his acrobatics to duck, dodge and avoid their attacks. While simultaneously countering with his own. Web-like strands shot out of his wrists, as they held onto the form of one before Izuku used the tension of the web to slam the man down into the concrete. Only for the man to dissipate into specks of light.
He continued to fight the Holo-Men, as his body moved with agility and precision.
He twisted his body out of their attack range, before delivering powerful blows that would've incapacitated regular men. It had the desired effect as the Hard light dummy smashed into the ground. His spider-sense went off as two of the Hard Light tried to swing at him with Bats, but two blasts of webs to the eyes blinded them as he pulled their heads down with the strands. Smashing them on the floor before he backflipped and delivered a powerful kick to the second last dummy.
The Last one tried to throw a punch before Izuku countered with a blow under its chin and sent it flying into the air. Only to be stopped by two strands of Web that latched onto its chest and slammed it back into the floor, breaking it into specks of Light. Izuku stood up as he surveyed the area, noticing no more dummies to fight.
- Simulation Terminated -
The projectors that were spread across the room shut off as Izuku removed his mask, as he looked over to All Might as the simulation ended. "Well, I think that was your best time yet," All Might said as he looked at his stopwatch. "2 minutes and 33 seconds. That beats your old time Young Midoriya," he said as Izuku smiled.
"Thanks, All Might," he said as he took off his web-shooters. "I think I can still adjust my reaction time if I modify the mask a little, I can also adjust my web-shooters to disperse the webbing solution more accurately. I've sent the patent to the registration centre so they should allow me to use them in the exam. But what If they don't and I-!"
"Midoriya!" All Might stopped his rant as he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You're going to be fine. Examinees are allowed to bring in items that benefit their Quirks. The fact you made them yourself is evidence of your technical skills and abilities. And even if you couldn't use them, the examiners are going to be more focused on your practical skills. I can't reveal much about it, but I have a strong feeling you will pass." He reassured him as Izuku nodded.
"Thanks…I guess I'm just nervous." He said as sighed in relief. "I mean I've been waiting for this day my whole life. Ever since I was a little kid and I wanted to be a hero like you. At first, I never thought I'd even have a shot at getting into the U.A. but now that I have that chance, I'm both excited and nervous. I'm…nervicited!"
All Might stared before he bellowed out laughing. "Oh, you are a riot young Midoriya!" he laughed as the young man pouted. "You are going to the U.A. by storm…" he said in an almost proud and fatherly way. Something that made Izuku feel happy. "Now, let's practice One for All, even though you've mastered your Spider-Quirk, you still have a long way to go before mastering One for All. So, let's see how far you've progressed."
Izuku nodded as he brought his arms across his chest and focused on One for All. His body was covered with red veins as his body began to 'glow' lightly. "One for All: Full Cowling, 10%!" he yelled out, electricity surging around his body.
- Simulation Start -
The holograms returned as Izuku pulled his mask back over his face and sprang into action. His body moved like an electric blur as he smashed into hard-light dummies with ease. His strength far surpassed what he could do before, as the hard light exploded into fragments of light particles. He was far faster and more responsive in his 'Full Cowling Form' as easily dodged the 'bullets' some of the dummies were programmed with.
By the time it was over, he had wiped the floor with the entire training dummies. A grin under his mask as he stood in the centre of the arena.
"Time?" he asked as All Might stopped the watch.
"1 minute 15 seconds, that is impressive. I see you've gotten a handle on your 'Full Cowling'," All Might observed as Izuku nodded.
"Right now, I can use up to 15% without difficulty, 18% if I push it. But if I go any higher my body starts to ache, and If I go 100% my bones will break. Luckily with my healing factor, I'm up and about in a day or two." Izuku said as he stretched slightly as his body stopped glowing. "It's a good thing I figured out how to do this, otherwise I'd have never learned how to spread out the power."
During the months he had, he was able to control around 15% of One for All. Initially, he could only divert One for All to his limbs, and during the training, he wasn't fast enough to change the output's direction and messed up his combo. After realizing that focusing One for All, in one limb wasn't enough, he gained the inspiration to cover his body after watching on the news about a hero called 'Electric Man' who covered his body in electricity.
From then he worked to improve his new technique, One for All: full Cowling.
Initially, he had problems controlling Full Cowl, breaking a limb here and there and injuring himself during practice. If it wasn't for the fact, he had a healing factor he'd have suffered a more serious injury that would've delayed him by months. But after many trials and errors, and a subtle hint here and there from All Might, Izuku had a grasp of One for All.
"I reckon you would've gotten it eventually, Young Midoriya. You're a bright young man, with an amazing talent and a drive like no other. You're more than ready for the Exam." All Might said as Izuku smiled. "But don't think it will guarantee you acceptance into U.A. You still need to pass the written portion of the exam and impress the judges during the practical. Not to mention I will not be a part of the judging process so I can't vouch for you. From here on out, it's up to you if you get in or not."
"I understand All Might, and I'm kind of glad actually. If I get in that way, it wouldn't feel right." Izuku said as All Might chuckled.
"You're an honest kid, I can't deny that. But don't worry, you're going to do great." He said as he smiled at the boy. "Well, that's enough for today. You need rest for the big exam tomorrow, and I know that a certain little sister is already missing her favourite big brother."
Izuku chuckled as he thought about his adopted sister. "Yeah, let's head home."
In the months she had been living with the Midoriya family she had slowly begun to overcome her fears. For her own safety, she had taken to wearing hats to cover up her horn, in case any of Overhauls men were trying to track her down, as she was too young to have her hair dyed and it wasn't recommended for children to have dyed hair until they were older. She smiled more often and was still a little shy when it came to meeting new people. But when she did, she would flash them this big smile that would warm even the coldest of hearts. It was difficult for her to adjust to a normal lifestyle. But by then, she had been considered a member of the family, being especially close to her 'big brother' and wanting to cheer him on.
She did however pick up some of the Midoriya traits: such as muttering to herself, 'Waterfall Tears' that flooded the apartment whenever they watched a sad movie and her obsession with Heroes. Especially her big brother.
Now it almost seemed impossible to picture a life without the small horned girl as a member of his family. Something that warmed his heart and steeled his resolve to be a Hero.
Midoriya Residence
"I'm home!" Izuku called out as he stopped at the doorway to remove his iconic red shoes, a pitter-patter of feet caught his attention as he expertly caught the small girl in his arms. A bright smile on his face.
"Welcome home, Izu-Nii!" Eri said with a smile as Izuku laughed.
"Good to be home, you've been a good girl while I was training?" he asked as she nodded.
"Mhmm! I helped Mama-Inko with the groceries after she picked me up from day-care, and I helped carry the bags home all by myself! We're having Katsudon for dinner!" she said as she told him her day. He chuckled as he rubbed her head affectionately.
"Good girl now let's go into the kitchen. I am starving!" he smiled and walked towards the kitchen. His mother set down the placemats as she spotted her son and adopted daughter.
"Oh, Izuku! How was training today?" Inko asked as Izuku nodded.
"Training was alright, All Might was really helpful getting my moves down. I still need to readjust the Web-Shooters and I'm still working on integrating the electronic HUD into my goggles, but I need more components to fully integrate the software and hardware, and then need to calibrate the-!"
"Izuku" his mother managed to stop his rant as he blinked.
"Oh, sorry, but yeah other than that, he says I'm a shoo-in for U.A.," he said as she smiled.
"Oh, that's so great honey, I still can't believe All Might of all people is helping train my son. It makes me so proud of you, I just wish I could tell everyone." She sighed as Izuku shook his head.
"You know we can't mum; we have to keep it a secret for his sake. And truthfully, I'd rather not have people found out All Might was training me, they'd accuse me of getting into U.A. because of him and then no one would take me seriously as a Hero." He reasoned with her as she nodded.
"If you say so dear, now. Why don't you relax? Dinner will be ready soon." She said as Izuku nodded and went to the shower. While still thinking about the lie he was keeping from her. And why he couldn't let her know about One for All.
While his secret training relationship with All Might had been exposed to his mother, she was still in the dark about his 'other Quirk'. It was for her own safety, not that she wasn't already in danger because of Overhaul, who would one day come back for Eri. But so long as no one else knew about One for All, she was still safe.
After hopping out of the shower and seating himself at the table, he began fidgeting with his Web-Shooters while Eri watched in fascination. Occasionally poking at one of the devices. She jumped a little when Izuku accidentally released a small glob of the web from the shooter, and it hit the wall. Spreading out like a large spider's web.
"Whoops, well at least the Net Filter works?" he said as Eri hid under the table.
"Izuku! what have I told you about meddling with your Web-Shooters at the dinner table!?" Inko scolded as Izuku shagged his shoulders.
"Not to…" he droned, having heard it multiple times since he made the things. Her scowl deepened as Izuku sighed, "Sorry mum, I guess I'm still a little nervous about tomorrow. I want to make sure everything's ready. This is my one chance to get in and…and I don't want to mess it up." He sighed as he felt a moment of doubt.
Before he felt his mother's reassuring hand on his own, and a warm smile on her face.
"Izuku, you are going to be fine. I know I wasn't very supportive back then and I said something I shouldn't…But...I believe you will be a Great Hero. Just like you believe you can be, just like she believes" she said as a smaller hand, held his own, and he saw Eri looking up at him and smiling. He stared at the two important people in his life as he smiled.
"Thanks"
"Good, now. Put that stuff away and help put out the plates. We made your favourite today, and you're going to need all your energy for tomorrow."
"Okay!"
Izuku looked around the table as he smiled, and he thought about the people he had in his life. His mother who now supported him, his little sister that looked up to him and his Idol who believed in him. Almost a year ago, he never thought he would have anything like this: a Quirk, someone to believe in him and a chance to prove what kind of a hero he could be. But now he had that chance.
And there was no way he was going to waste it.
Day of the Exam – U.A. Academy
The tall H-shaped building of U.A. Academy stood before Izuku Midoriya as he stared with awe. Around him, multiple applicants were making their way inside, as they hoped to pass the gruelling Entrance Exam and make it into the prestigious halls. Even though he had been here before his powers awakening, he still could not get over how insanely awesome being at the Academy was.
But just because he had All Might's training and guidance, didn't mean he'd be guaranteed entry into the Academy. He needed to prove himself and that was what he was going to do.
"I won't let you down All Might, I promise," he told himself as he clenched his fist.
"Oi! Deku!" he heard a voice call out as he turned to see the usual scowl of his former friend and current rival. Katsuki Bakugou.
"Ah! Kacchan!'' While not as scared of Bakugo as he used to be, the years of mental anguish the young man had inflicted on him caused his body to instinctively react to him.
"Stop standing around looking like a nerd!" he growled as Bakugo shoved past him. "I'm going to prove which Quirk is better," he said as Izuku chuckled nervously.
'That's Kacchan for you, he doesn't let anything hold him back…' he then looked up as he smirked. 'Which means I shouldn't too!' he took his first bold step towards the beginning of his new life…
...And then subsequently tripped on his own two feet…
'...Really Universe?' he thought to himself as he was about to catch himself until he noticed he stopped falling and appeared to be floating in the air. '...is this a new aspect of my Quirk?' he thought to himself before he noticed someone standing next to him.
"Are you okay?" a young feminine voice asked as she readjusted him back into a standing position. "I'm sorry for using my Quirk on you, but I figured it'd be bad luck if you tripped on your first day, right?" she asked as
"It's fine, I was paying attention and…" Izuku paused as he blinked for a little before he stared at the girl before him.
Until his mind flashed back to the fireworks festival and his face exploded into a blush. 'Oh no! It's her! The nice firework girl!' he mentally panicked, as she stared at him with a sort of recognition.
"Hey, you look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?" she asked as she looked at his face.
'Say something!' his mental brain kicked himself. "Ah, w-we uh...met at the Ozakai Fireworks Festival a few months back! I think I caught you falling there! I-I'm Izuku! Izuku Midoriya!" he managed to find his voice. 'No! Not that! Now she'll think we're weird!"
"Oh yeah! Reflex guy! Thanks again for that, you were awesome! I'm Ochako, by the way. Ochako Uraraka!" she said as he gulped and nodded.
"N-No problem,"
"Well, good luck on the exam!" she called out as she walked past his stunned form…
'I... I just talked to a girl again! For real this time! Hahahaha!' he mentally cheered himself. 'This is going to be one hell of a day!'
U.A. Auditorium
All of the Examinees moved into the large atrium-like hall as they sat down at their assigned seats. Izuku noticed that he was seated next to Bakugo, but the other boy merely growled and turned his head away.
'Yep...one hell of a day…' he thought to himself as he turned to the stage as the Pro-Hero and U.A. Teacher Present Mic walked on stage.
"Welcome everyone to the U.A. Entrance Exam! Now everybody say: HEY!" Present Mic yelled out expecting a reply back, only to hear silence. Well almost silent, as Izuku was fanboying about the Loud Hero.
"Oof, tough crowd," he muttered to himself before coughing into his hand.
"Now, welcome you young hopefuls, I see a whole lot of potential here, but sadly only some of you will be making it into U.A. This will be determined in our ten-minute battle royale. Where we will place you in a replica city with you against a bunch of 'Villains'. Your goal will be to take down as many villains as you can and earn points. Each villain is worth a certain point!"
Present Mic explained as the monitor showed three different types of enemies with either a 1P, 2P or 3P.
"It looks like even though our numbers are serialized, they set up the examinees at Random. So, no one from the same school can participate" Bakugo noticed as he and Izuku had a one-digit difference on their cards, but were assigned to different zones. With Bakugo at Alpha and Izuku at Beta.
"Tch, means I can't crush you in the exam." he cursed to himself as Izuku felt some sweat drip down the back of his head.
'Kacchan...you really need to chill,' Izuku thought to himself.
"Now of course you can take whatever you like into the Exam, handmade or otherwise if it helps you or your Quirk. But there is absolutely no attacking other players! That's a big no-no!" Present Mic explained as Izuku sighed in relief. He could use his Web-Shooters without being disqualified.
"Excuse me, Tenya Ida, may I ask a question!?" a tall boy with dark hair, glasses and a serious aura around him said as he stood up.
"Go ahead," Present Mic said.
"On the handout, there are clearly four types of enemies, yet there are only three so far on the monitor! Is this a typo!? Because such an error would be a clear embarrassment for such a top tier Academy as U.A.!" Tenya said as he pointed to the handout. "And you!" he suddenly pointed to Izuku.
"You've been muttering and fidgeting to yourself the entire time! It's highly distracting! If you think this place is some pleasure Jaunt, then please leave at once!" he demanded as Izuku flinched at the accusation.
'Okay, rude' he thought to himself. His older self would've apologized and shrunk into himself, but he was a bit more confident this time around as he glared at the way too serious kid.
"Sorry, but I'm not here for kicks, I want to be a Hero, just like you and everyone else here," he said with determination, which surprised Ida and Bakugo for a moment.
"Okay, Okay settle down you two. And Examinee 7111, it's not a typo. The fourth villain is worth 0 points. They're more like arena traps than anything, they will randomly rampage across the city and your goal for them is to avoid them at all costs."
"I see, I apologize for the interruption!" Ida bowed before sitting back down, but not before sending a glare to Izuku one last time.
"Guy takes himself way too seriously, must have a pole up his ass or something," Bakugo muttered to himself as Izuku just chuckled to himself.
'Speaking from experience?'
"Now, that's enough from me. But before we send you off to the Battlegrounds, I want to impart some final words on to you, the school precepts if you will. A 'True Hero' never stops overcoming the misfortunes of life and continues regardless. To go beyond what you know and go 'Plus Ultra!" he shouted as Izuku felt more determined to exceed.
"Now good luck, and don't die!"
"Wait, what was that last part?"
Training Ground Beta
Soon the new Examinees arrived at their respective training area, as they all marvelled at the sheer size and scope of the field. It was almost like an entire miniature city was constructed and placed inside the school.
"Wow, U.A. really goes all out, don't they?" one of the examiners said as Izuku looked and felt a twinge of nervousness. So much so that his body flickered with his invisibility, before he took a deep breath.
"Relax, you can do this," he told himself as he checked his Web-Shooter and made sure he packed enough spare cartridges, but as he fished around, he felt a small paper note in his pouch as he pulled it out.
'Izukuu-Nii, go-ood lock! We are rouoting for yu!' - Eri 3
It was misspelt, had messy handwriting, and was clearly written in crayons. But he knew how much it meant for Eri to know he had it as he smiled and pocketed the note.
"Thanks, Eri, that's just what I needed," he said to himself as he adjusted his gear before he spotted the same girl from before mentally preparing herself. "Hey, that's her, Ochako I think? Maybe I should go over and say hi, or would that be too weird?"
"Hey, you," he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder as he turned to see the serious kid again, Tenya Ida, wearing a skin-tight runners suit. "I hope you're not planning to go over there and distract her," he said as Izuku managed to brush his handoff.
"No, I'm not. We met a few months back and again this morning after she helped me. I just wanted to wish her luck, not distract her or anything. Because like I said: I'm here to become a Hero, just like everyone else," he said as he looked around and noticed them muttering about him.
"Isn't he the kid that stumbled on his feet this morning?"
"Guy doesn't look that impressive, this will be a piece of cake"
He could hear them talking about him, talking about how lucky they were that he wasn't a 'challenge' to them. He didn't care, because he had a goal. To become the Hero All Might believed he could be, and the Hero his sister needed him to be.
'Don't focus on what others think, just do what needs to be done…' Izuku thought as he pulled the mask over his face and the lenses adjusted.
"AND START!"
Everyone blinked at the sudden loud voice and looked confused. "What? Did you think there'd be a count down or something? Wrong! There is no count down in real life! Move it!"
Izuku blinked before everyone stampeded and he was momentarily left behind...for a moment as he shot a line of web and swung his way into the city.
"This is going to be a piece of cake!"
"I'm going to get the first villain!"
"No, me!"
The other examinees shouted as they rushed towards a group of villains. Ida was more focused on getting the most points, as he sped ahead of them. He spotted four 1-Pointers, two 2-Pointers and 1 3-Pointer. But suddenly he felt a shadow pass over his head as he, and the others, looked up and saw Izuku swing right past him on his web.
He fired a string of Web at the first one pointer and pulled himself at the enemy. His fist slammed into the robot as he crushed its head like paper. He then spun around and delivered a powerful downward kick to another and smashed it into the ground. His spider-sense warned him of an attack from behind, as he backflipped, shot to web lines at the 1-Pointer and then flung the robot into a lamp pole, destroying it. He then evaded another attack, as he zipped over to the last One Pointer, using his Web-Shooters, and caved in its chest with his fist.
"Hey, wasn't that the kid from the front this morning?" one of them asked, as they watched Izuku crush a robot with one punch.
Izuku then focused on the two 2-Pointers as they fired rubber bullets at him. His spider-sense and acrobatic abilities easily helped him avoid their attack, as he shot two globs of Webs at their eyes and temporarily blinded them.
He then dashed towards one of the blinded bots and slammed his fist straight into its eye, his super strength crushing their metal like paper, as then grabbed one of the metal plates off its leg and threw it at the other, chopping the scorpion-like tail off.
"Tails, I win!" he quipped as the robot stumbled back.
"Wow! That kid is awesome!"
"I'll say, maybe he wasn't as weak as I thought he was?"
"He does have some flare and grace with his moves. Magnifique~" a French-sounding boy said as he watched Izuku for a moment.
"Argh! Damn it! I need to find some points!" One of the hopeful students said as they all nodded and started dispersing to find their own points.
Ida stared for a moment then shook his head and sped off to find his own points, he couldn't be made a fool of in this test, not while the Ida family name was on the line.
Ochako herself was staring and for a moment she thought how cool he was. Before she remembered her own reason for being here and went after more robots.
Meanwhile, Izuku jumped in the air, shot two lines of Web into the already destroyed 2-Pointer and then swung it overhead and slammed down on the last 2-Pointer. Utterly destroying the Villain Bot. Before he could take a breath, his spider-sense went off as a rocket blew past his head and looked to see the 3-Pointer and its two massive missile launchers on its back.
"Woah! U.A. really take these tests seriously don't they!?" he said as the robot rearmed its missiles and fired again.
He shot his webs as he swung towards the villain bot, missiles just missing him as he spun in midair, shot a web at one of the rockets and swung it back at the robot.
"I think this is yours!" he yelled as the rocket smashed into its face and caused the robot to stumble back.
'One for All: Full Cowling...5%!' Izuku then activated Full Cowling, as his body sparked with neon green electricity before he zipped down with a web line and smashed the robot straight into the ground. Leaving a large, dented machine in a small crater.
Everyone stared in stunned awe as Izuku stood back up and narrowed his lensed eyes.
"Okay, that was...11 points, not bad…now to find more." He then shot a web line and swung away to find more robots.
Teachers Observation
All Might couldn't help smirking as he saw his apprentice take the lead in the Beta Section. The months he spent training his own Spider Powers were worth it, as the boy swung around, defeated some more robots, and inadvertently saved others from surprise attacks.
'He doesn't know it, but already he's proving himself as a Hero.' he thought to himself as the other teachers judged the performances of the hopefuls.
"We've got a lot of young potentials this year. They're taking down all those Bots like they're nothing."
"They are impressive, but the test isn't just about taking down as many Villains as possible. This test also shows off their insight, their agility, their judgment and of course their sheer fighting prowess."
"But you've got to admit, the kid with the webs is pretty impressive." One of the teachers said as they watched on the monitor how he avoided their attacks and his quick act of stopping other robots from attacking his fellow examinees. "I don't know if he's doing it on purpose or not, but the kid so far is showing a good awareness of others around him. Protecting them from harm and even environmental damage. He's definitely earned some Rescue Points for that."
"Maybe…" They flipped a glass box and pushed a big red button. "But let's see how they'll react to this"
Battleground Beta
Izuku jumped off the back of another 3-Pointer as he slammed his fist into another 2-Pointer, while firing a web shot at some rubble, then throwing the rubble at another 1-pointer. He jumped onto the side of the building as he looked around at the ongoing battle between the Examiners and the Villain bots.
"Okay, that's another 3 points, that makes it...40 points so far! Okay! This is working out great! But it looks like the number of robots is thinning out here, I need to head off and find more-!"
Suddenly he felt the building begin to shake as cables snapping and small charges detonated in the distance as the ground began to rumble.
"Ah...that's not good" he and everyone else turned in the direction of the noise before a large metal hand grasped the side of the building and a large robot towered over the entire group.
Izuku's lenses went wide-eyed as he and everyone stared in stunned horror.
"Uh...isn't that a bit much!?" Izuku yelled as the robot fist swung back and slammed into the ground, kicking up a huge gust of wind and dust. "Shit!" he yelled as he used his wall-crawling to stick the building. But his eyes widened as he saw bits and pieces of rubble falling towards the other examinees.
"Oh no!" he yelled as he swung out and shot nets of Web at the pieces, catching them before they could crush the other students.
He landed on top of a lamp post as he turned to the students. "Everyone, get out of here! I'll try and hold it off!" he yelled at them as he turned back to the 0-pointer and swung towards the machine.
Ida stood there for a moment before he turned around and ran from the fight. The instructor was clear that facing the 0-pointer was meaningless and should be avoided at all costs.
'But...why does this feel wrong?' he asked himself as he watched the masked Izuku swinging towards danger.
Izuku swung towards the 0-pointer as he fired multiple globs of webs at the debris from hitting any of the students. The webs caught the debris in large spider-like webs, and stuck them to the buildings, as the students took this chance to run. Izuku landed on the side of the building as he looked between the 0-Pointer and the students.
"Damn it! It's taking nearly all my cartridges just to keep it still!" He then noticed the wheels of the machine and got an idea. "Need to stop it from moving!" He ejected the spent cartridge and loaded a new one. He then swung in between the destruction, and he aimed for the tracks in the 0-pointers treadmill. the thick webs globing up the gears as the 0-pointer halted in its tracks.
The 0-Pointer looked down as its wheels stopped moving as the thick webs kept it in place. Suddenly it felt something on its face as Izuku looked into its big robotic eye and tapped on the glass.
"Having some technical difficulties? Don't worry, it happens to everyone!" he quipped as the giant attempted to swat at him, only to hit itself in the face with its own hand.
"Seriously, you tried swatting me. That's a little on the nose don't you think?!" he said as he swung away in time with some web. "You're causing a little too much damage big boy!" he yelled as the giant's arm slammed into the building.
Izuku then unloaded as much web as he could at the robot's arm as it was covered in Web and stuck it to the side of the building.
"There! Now stay still and think about what you've done!" he quipped as he adjusted the spent cartridges and loaded in a new one.
"TWO MINUTES LEFT!" he heard Present Mic yell out as he grinned.
"Okay, two minutes left! That's good, everyone is almost out of the way. Maybe I can find just a few more points and-!"
"OW!"
He suddenly heard someone yell, as he snapped his head down and his lenses widened at the sight of Ochako Uraraka, as she tripped over some rubble and struggled to get up, due to overusing her Quirk.
"Uraraka!" he yelled before his attention was turned to the 0-Pointer as it managed to break free of the Webs and had a hand coming straight for her. "NO!" he yelled as he quickly dived towards her. Full Cowling took over his body as he accelerated towards her.
Ochako looked up as the Villain Robot's hand came crashing down towards her, as she shielded herself with her arms in an attempt to protect herself and closed her eyes. But instead of being crushed by metal, she felt herself being grabbed and dragged into the air. She opened her eyes as she looked down at the fabric of a dark green tracksuit, and the artificial city below her. Confusion on her face, before she instinctively held onto whoever had just saved her.
"W-What the heck!?" she screamed as she and her saviour swung high into the air.
"You okay!?" a familiar voice asked as she looked at the masked boy that had just saved her. "Did you get hurt?" he asked as she shook her head. "That's good, I'll find you somewhere safe and - Shit! Hold on!"
He was cut off as the 0-Pointer had turned its attention to them and threw its fist at him. Time seemed to slow down, as the fist came rocketing towards him and Ochako screamed. At that moment, Izuku channelled 100% of One for All into his right arm, as the sleeve of his tracksuit ripped, and his web-shooter exploded from the energy, as his whole body was covered in green electricity.
"Detroit…" The 0-pointers fist came close to the pair as Izuku swung his own fist and screamed from the top of his lungs.
"SMASH!"
Flesh and Metal collided as a powerful shockwave reverberated before the sound of tearing metal, twisted steel and large explosions resonated louder than most. Everyone stared in stunned awe as the 0-Pointer was blown literally in half, as the entire right section of the robot was reduced to twisted metal.
The 0-Pointers red optics cracked and flashed red before dying and collapsing into the street.
"Whoa…" Izuku looked on at the destruction. "That was...unexpected…" It was then that Gravity caught up with them as they began to plummet. "Oh shit!" he yelled as he went to shoot a web line but gasped in pain as his right arm was red and slightly swollen.
'Shit! I must've pushed my body too far with One for All! Damn it! I can't shoot a web line and hold her at the same time, shit!' he cursed to himself as he and Ochako fell.
Only to suddenly stop in midair.
"Huh?" He and Ochako floated above the city, suspended above the chaos down below. "Uh...what is happening?"
"A-Are you okay?" He turned his head to Ochako as her palm was on his chest, as the five tips of her fingers glowed pink for a moment.
'Ah! A girl is touching my chest! No! Not important! Focus!'he shook himself from his stupor and nodded. "Uh, yeah...This is your Quirk again right, you can affect Gravity, right?" he asked as she nodded but seemed to be straining herself.
"Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine...but...But if I overuse my Quirk, I get sick, s-so do you think we can get down safely?" she asked as Izuku looked at his right hand and cursed.
"No good, my right arm and Web Shooter is completely busted, I can't hold on to you and swing us to safety. If I could switch the setting on my left to shoot a Web net to catch us, we'd be safe. But I can't with my right hand busted up." he explained as she nodded while trying to keep herself from blowing chunks.
"A-And not to be a pain, but I-I don't k-know how much longer I can hold us in the air," she told him as he nodded and weighed his options and formulated a plan.
"Hmm...Okay, do you think you can switch the setting on my Web Shooter?" he asked as she hesitantly nodded.
"O-Okay, h-how do I switch the setting?" she asked as Izuku gestured to his left arm.
"There's a switch on the side, it should look like a spider's web. Do you see it?" he asked as she nodded. "Flip it to that, then hold on tight after you deactivate your Quirk."
She nodded as she switched the mode of the Web Shooter and wrapped her arms around his chest tight, which caused Izuku to blush more under his mask before he pointed his Web Shooter to the ground.
"You ready?" he asked as she nodded. "Okay...do it!" he said as she pressed her fingertips together and gravity was restored to them.
The pair plummeted towards the earth before Izuku aimed his web-shooter at the ground and fired. The glob of web shot out, sped towards the ground, before exploding into a large net-like web as the pair landed on its surface. The tension caused the web to bounce slightly before it finally settled, and they sighed in relief.
"That was close...are you, okay?" he asked as Ochako nodded before her face turned green and she held a hand over her mouth. She then leaned over the side and started puking sparkles and rainbows.
"Blarlalalalalalala!" she groaned out as Izuku cringed a little but patted her back for support.
"Uh...there, there?" he said as he rubbed her back to alleviate the discomfort.
"TIMES UP!" suddenly Present Mic yelled as the pair blinked. "THAT'S IT FOR THIS YEAR'S ENTRANCE EXAMS! WE'LL BE POSTING YOUR RESULTS IN THE NEXT WEEK! GOOD LUCK!"
"Huh, oh yeah...completely forgot we were in an exam," he said as Ochako wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
"Y-Yeah. Kind of got caught up in the moment," she said as he chuckled. "Um, are you okay? Your arm looks pretty banged up," she said as she gestured to his arm as he cradled it in his chest.
"I'll be fine. I've got a healing factor, so this should be all healed up by tomorrow morning."
"Or I can heal it for you now, young man." they both turned to the voice as Recovery Girl walked onto the scene.
"Ah! Recovery Girl!" he said as he got up, expertly balancing on the web. "I forgot you would be a part of this!" he said as Ochako looked confused.
"You know her?" she as Izuku flinched, realizing he may have given away his secret with Recovery Girl.
"N-No, I just recognized her! Y-Yeah, she was a famous Healing Hero back in the day, and I read an article that she took a job at U.A! I'm kind of a Hero Fan!" he said as the old lady chuckled.
'Smooth save, young man' she thought sarcastically before she cleared her throat. "Well, I am the school nurse after all. Now come down so I can heal you both," she told him as he nodded.
"Here, let's get down," he told her as she was about to protest until he scooped her up with one arm and jumped down off the web, landing safely on the ground. "There we go," he said as he then pulled off his mask and revealed to her his green hair and freckled face.
"...ah! It's you! Izuku Midoriya, right!? From the entrance and the Fireworks Festival!" Ochako said as she recognized the face from this morning. "Sorry I didn't recognize you before, what with the Mask and all."
"Ah, it's okay. I'm just glad we made it out of there alive," he said as he sighed in relief. Until he felt a pair of lips on his cheek and a green aura surrounded him.
The other students stared in shock at the old lady that just planted her lips on the young man until they noticed his arm rapidly healing until it was back to a healthy colour and undamaged shape.
"Ah! That's so much better! Thank you, Miss Recovery Girl!" Izuku said as he moved his arm around.
"Take it, easy young man, I healed you, but you need to take it slow. My Quirk heals you, but it takes some of your stamina to do so. That goes for the rest of you," she explained to the rest of them, only repeating herself to Izuku to keep their involvement a secret.
"As for you dear, here are some nausea tablets and some water," she told Ochako who nodded in appreciation. "Okay then, if there are any more, please line up and I'll deal with you all eventually," she told them as Izuku and Ochako were left to themselves.
"It's a good thing she's here, huh? Otherwise, this would've been hard to explain to my mum and sister," he said as Ochako nodded before she looked at him.
"Tell me about it, my parents would've freaked out if I got injured by a giant robot. But I guess that's what's to be expected of a Hero huh?" she said as he nodded. "Um…" she said as he turned to her. "Thank you by the way, for saving me back there. You didn't have to do that, you know?"
"Well...what was I supposed to do, let you get hurt? That wouldn't have been very Heroic, would it?"
"But you probably lost time getting more points trying to rescue me," she argued as he shrugged.
"It's fine, I got around 40 points, so I don't think it will affect me that badly. Plus, if I didn't try and rescue you...then I don't think I'd be able to call myself a Hero, would I?" he asked her as she stared at the boy with a look of admiration as she smiled.
"No... I don't suppose so…" she said as she nodded. "But still...thank you, I owe you," she said as Izuku blushed at her cute smile and scratched the back of his head.
"W-Well, last I checked I think we both saved each other. So how about we just call it even?" he asked as she nodded.
"Deal," she said as she knew what she needed to do. "By how did you do that before? You completely wrecked that Robot with one punch! That was amazing!" she said as he blushed.
"A-Ah, well, it wasn't that big of a deal, really!"
"Weird, you were a lot more confident a second ago?"
"Well, that might be due to the mask. I-It kind of helps me focus and hides my fear a little."
"Woah! I can barely see anything!" Ochako explained as she put on the mask.
"W-Wait! Don't put that on! It's probably all sweaty by now!" The two started to chat with each other.
Meanwhile, Ida was looking at the boy as he kept thinking back to earlier.
'I don't get it...we were told to avoid that 0-Pointer because it was worth nothing and only got in our way. Everyone else had the sense to run away from it, yet he went up against it, saving all the others from its attacks when he was perfectly fine and out of its way. He even risked himself to save that girl without any hesitation.' he analyzed as he thought about the moment Izuku saved Ochako.
'Honestly, if it hadn't been in the middle of this exam, I would've jumped in myself!' Ida cursed to himself before he paused.
'Wait...maybe...that's the point? But if that's the case, then that means…' he looked over to Izuku who was slightly red-faced as Ochako was praising him for his actions.
One Week Later - Midoriya Residence
Izuku hung upside down on his web as he nervously waited for the results of his exam. His hands were busy with his web-shooters, as he tinkered with the mechanics of the device. And because he had to build a new one to replace the one that got destroyed in the exam. It was a common thing for him to do now, ever since he got his Spider Powers, and oddly helped him relax.
Although...relaxed would-be a... kind word…
"Maybe if I alter the pressure gauge, that could produce more webbing. No, then I'd have to adjust the cartridge size and recalibrate the circuits to compensate. These are bully enough as it is, I need to see if I can redesign them to minimalism space without sacrificing the quantity of the web fluid. But what if i -"
"Izu-Nii...you're doing it again…" he snapped out of his muttering as he turned to see Eri sitting in a web hammock he made while reading one of her favourite children's books.
"Ah, sorry Eri. I guess I got a little carried away there. It's just something I do to take my mind off things."
"About the exam?" she asked as he nodded. "Why are you worried, it's just an exam right?"
"Well, the exam is supposed to tell me if I made it into U.A. or not. If I did, I could become a Hero. If I didn't...well, I'd have to try somewhere else." he explained as she nodded a little.
"Don't worry, you'll succeed," she said as he raised a brow.
"How are you so sure?" he asked as she hopped off the hammock and raised her arms.
"Because...you're my Hero," she said as he smiled, hopped down from the web and gently picked her up in a hug.
"Thanks, Eri, that helps."
Suddenly his door burst open as Inko came stumbling into the room. "I-IZUKU! IZUKU! IT CAME! IT'S HERE! LETTER! U.A!"
She shouted with equal amounts of excitement and nervousness as Izuku took the envelope in his hand. He, his sister and mother stared at the sealed envelope as they anxiously waited for Izuku to gather the strength to open the letter.
With a deep breath, he opened the letter and finds a small puck-like device before a hologram appeared before them.
"GREETINGS, YOUNG MIDORIYA!" All Might in his Hero form yelled as he appeared in the hologram.
"A-ALL MIGHT!?" Inko and Izuku scream, as Eri manages to cover her ears in time.
"I know what you're thinking, is this supposed to be from U.A? Well, if you remember young man, I have applied as a teacher here. Sorry, it took a little while to finish up the paperwork. But now I can - huh? I have to speed this up. How many more of these do I have to film? ...that many! Oh geez…"
'Maybe they should've edited that out…' Izuku and Inko thought at the same time, while Eri just pawed at the hologram in curiosity.
"Now, for the written portion of the exam you did remarkably well, I suppose that extra time you had to study paid off?" he said as Inko beamed with pride at that.
"As for the practical Exam...well...I must say young Midoriya you continue to surprise me in every way possible," he spoke as Izuku raised a curious brow. "You took down a total of 40 villain points and that alone would guarantee you entry into U.A. Academy...but let me ask you something, what is a Heroes real duty?"
Izuku paused for a moment as he thought about it before his eyes widened in realization.
"If a Hero's job was just to beat up the bad guys, then we'd all be nothing but a bunch of thugs with superpowers. No, a true Hero's duty is to protect the people around them. To shelter them from the tyranny of evil and chaos. During the exam, you demonstrated this well, knowingly or otherwise. Then again when the 0-Point Villain appeared, and you bravely drew its attention from others. And let's not forget when you saved that young girl's life from the 0-Pointers wrath."he explained as he then grinned.
"But that's not all! Take a look here!"
Suddenly the screen changed to Ochako as she appeared to be meeting Present Mic.
"U-um, excuse me?"
"U-Uraraka!" Izuku screamed with a blush on his cheeks.
"Hey, isn't that the girl you met at the fireworks festival?" Eri asked as Inko looked over to her son and had wide eyes and a huge smile on her face.
"Um, the boy in the exam earlier, he had messy hair and a plain-looking sort of face, uh...Izuku! Izuku Midoriya!"
"That's me!" he said out loud while Inko worried about how her son was excited when she called him plain looking.
"Um, I was wondering...if it's possible to give him some of my points?"
She asked as both Inko and Izuku stared in confusion.
"Why would you want to do that? From what I gathered he earned quite a few points in the exam already,"
Present Mic had asked, with a somewhat knowing grin on his face.
"I know, but...he risked his life to save me, he would have earned more points instead of trying to rescue me. And I can't just accept that. So please, give him some of my points, to make up for the ones he lost! Please!"
She begged as she bowed to the man. All Might paused the video as he turned and smiled.
"In the short time you've had your Quirk, you've already inspired others to greatness. Tell me, do you honestly think that a place like U.A. wouldn't be looking for qualities such as these? That's where you're wrong, young Midoriya! This is why they also graded you with RESCUE POINTS! And guess what! You earned a whopping 75 points! Plus, young Uraraka, who earned 65 points! Combine your 40 with the 75 Rescue Points and you earned 115 Points! Putting you at the top of the leaderboard!" He said, as Izuku stared at the projection in stunned awe and the man smiled at him from the projection.
"Welcome Young Midoriya, to your Hero Academia." he finished as the Projection cut off.
Izuku turned to his mother as a smile crept on his face before tears started forming in his eyes. Tears also appeared in Inko's eyes as she embraced her son. A happy laugh and cry left their throats as they celebrated his triumph. Young Eri embraced her brother too, as he circled his arm around her and nearly flooded the apartment with their tears.
"I'm so proud of you, Izuku," she said as Izuku smiled back.
"Thanks, mum…"
This was the beginning of Izuku's journey to becoming a Hero, and there was no one else he would celebrate this moment with.
"...So... who's this Uraraka girl?" his mother suddenly asked as his face exploded in blush and his invisibility kicked in.
"Mum!?"
Omake: Hide!
Izuku was relaxing in his room, a happy smile on his face as he relished the fact, he made it into U.A. He made it into his dream school on his first try and he was one step closer to reaching his goal of becoming a Hero.
All those months of training, all that handwork and all that time he spent studying and developing his Web-Shooters had finally paid off. He was going to the U.A Academy! The school was renowned for creating some of the greatest Heroes in the world!
Not only that, but he also managed to impress the judges enough that he got the Number 1 Ranking in the entire exam. All Might himself had a perfect score of 200 points when he applied. And that record was hard to beat with few ever reaching anything past 98 or more. And now Izuku Midoriya was the probably second person to ever have a high score.
A high score...high score... number one...
Suddenly his eyes snapped open as he realized. "Uh oh…" loud banging started resonating from his front door and a familiar voice screamed out.
"WHERE IS HE!? WHERE IS THAT INSIGNIFICANT, HIGH SCORE STEALING BUG!"
'Shit! Kacchan! I completely forgot about him!?' he mentally yelled before loud banging sounded on his door.
"DEKU! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" he screamed as Bakugo tried to break down his door. His door suddenly burst open as Bakugo burst in. "DEKU!" he yelled as he scanned the room only to find nothing.
"DEKU, I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE! COME OUT!" he yelled as he searched the room. While Izuku clung to the ceiling above him. Moving out of his eyes sight, like a spider moving away from its prey.
Katsuki then looked up to the ceiling only to find nothing. He walked past Deku's desk, as Deku hid in the small crawl space. And just as Bakugo snapped his head to the crawl space, he was gone. He then walked past his draws, just as Izuku's head popped and Katsuki snapped to them. Only to find nothing. He cursed as he looked around for the boy….
That was now clinging to his back in a panic.
Bakugo then snapped around and spun around feeling behind him. Only to find nothing. He cursed as he continued to search for the boy, who was standing right in front of him completely invisible, as sweat began to drip down his forehead.
"Where the fuck are you?!" he growled only for his mother to burst into the room.
"OI KATSUKI! DON'T BE RUDE YOU LITTLE TWERP!" she yelled as the boy snapped to her.
"SHUT IT YOU HAG! I'M NOT LEAVING UNTIL I FIND THAT SCORE STEALING FUC-" he paused when he saw a curious-looking Eri staring at him. "...Jerk!" he finished before Mitsuki grabbed him by the ear.
"Don't care! You came second! It's not the end of the world! Come on! We're going home!" she yelled as she dragged the boy out by his ear. She then turned to Inko and politely smiled. "Sorry about that Inko-chan. We'll pay for the door," she said as she pulled the boy's ear. "You are in so much trouble you little brat!"
"Let go of me, you old hag!" he yelled, kicking and screaming as he was dragged away. Masaru politely apologized and followed his wife and son.
"..." Inko and Eri stared at the bizarre scene as Izuku appeared beside them, after using his invisibility to hide from his angry childhood friend.
"...I think...I think I'm going to stay home tomorrow?"
"Good idea honey," Inko said as Eri tilted her head in confusion.
"...Cry baby..." was all she said as Izuku chuckled at his sister.