Silence met his outcry as Midoriya made sure to stay quiet this time. He thought it was awkward, but Present Mic didn't seem to mind, still smiling a megawatt grin.
"Now, like your applications said, you're going to be throwing down in our SUPER HIT urban settings! That's right boys and girls, you're going to be rockin' out in this ten-minute mock battle!"
The screen behind Present Mic changed, showing a pseudo-map of the auditorium and seven testing centers labeled A-G. Midoriya sat up straighter and paid full attention to the presentation.
"Gird your loins because after I drop the mic here, you'll be going to your specified battle centers sound good? OKAY!?"
When silence met him for a second time, the hero simply laughed it off. Snapping his fingers, the screen changed again.
"Alright, let's check out your targets. You'll have to face three different kinds of robots, which we've named Faux Villains. These guys are worth one, two, or three points each, depending on their model. You'll need to destroy as many of these Faux Villains as possible with your Quirks and get all those sweet points! But check it," he warned, "make sure you're keeping things heroic! Attacking other examinees is the biggest no-no that we have!"
'Makes sense.' Midoriya nodded. 'No sense in becoming a Hero if you're just going to attack people.'
The verdette could've sworn he heard someone in the back rows groan with his keen hearing. Who was that? He didn't get the opportunity to wonder though.
"Excuse me sir, I have a question!"
Present Mic's grin widened at the attention. "Hit me!"
A spotlight shined down on a tall, muscular student wearing glasses, with his hand raised standing several rows behind Midoriya.
"On the printout, there are four types of villains, yet you say that there are three. With all due respect, if this is an error then it is a great disservice to us and the reputation of UA! We are exemplary students, so we expect the best from Japan's most notable university!"
'Huh…' Midoriya glanced down at his printout to confirm the tall examinee's point. 'Good catch, Glasses. Still, coming on a little too high-strung there, aren't you?' He wondered if this guy was a soldier too given how straight his posture was and how uptight he seemed to be.
"Alright, alright," Present Mic said, silencing the hall, "Examinee 7111. Thanks for calling in with your request," he gave him a thumbs-up. "But it is not an error. The fourth villain type is worth zero points!"
Midoriya blinked, cocking an eyebrow. Weird. What was the point in having a faux villain not worth any points?
"That guy is the Thwomp to your chances. Very old video game reference, by the way. Anyone catch it?" Present Mic asked with a cheeky grin. No one in the audience did, except for one.
'It's Super Mario Brothers!' The super-soldier exclaimed internally. 'Why did they ever allow that franchise to die!?'
"I DO!" Midoriya stood up in his excitement, and a spotlight shined down on him too. He blanched when he realized he had unintentionally spoken out again and was literally under the limelight. He quickly sank back into his seat, holding his head low. "I… I understood that reference."
This earned the verdette more laughter from the audience, and an annoyed growl from Glasses for disrupting the presentation.
Pony gave him another shoulder pat while snickering. He shot her an appreciative look, quietly mumbling, "Traitor…"
"PFFT!" Meanwhile, Uraraka couldn't contain her laughter as she held her sides. 'This guy's gonna kill me!'
Midoriya sighed deeply. 'So much for any potential social life at school.' Even if he passed, he was sure that this was what he'd be remembered for. The guy who embarrassed himself twice in the exam orientation. 'Some things just never change, I guess.'
Present Mic continued grinning brightly. "I got a fellow retro gamer in the crowd! But I digress. Anyways, this faux villain will just be there to get in your way. There's one in every battle center. It's not impossible to beat it, but you're on the clock and there's really no point. I recommend that my listeners ignore it and focus on the ones topping the charts!"
"Thank you." With his question answered, Glasses gave a polite bow and sat back down. The spotlights on both Glasses and Midoriya turned off.
Midoriya overheard a few students whispering amongst themselves how it was like a video game. The points, the boss, and the whole shebang was set up like one. It sort of reminded Midoriya of the military games he played while training in the Army.
"That's all for today, listeners! Head to your battle centers with a little gift: a sample of our school motto." Present Mic continued on. "As general Napoleon Bonaparte once said, 'a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes'. Mhmm, now that's one tasty soundbite."
Midoriya nodded in agreement. 'True words indeed.'
Mic cocked an eyebrow, eyeing everyone expectantly, "So, you ready to go beyond? Let me hear a PLUS ULTRA!"
Silence.
"Okay! GOOD LUCK!"
Midoriya blinked twice, dumbfounded by Mic's earlier exclamation. 'Wait… did he really just say…but how?' Questions for later, he supposed.
The bus ride to the battle arena was quick, yet uncomfortable and noisy. Examinees were smooshed together shoulder-to-shoulder, and some of the boisterous ones started talking loudly, either bragging about themselves or trying to psych out perceived weak targets. Midoriya paid no mind to it, focusing on the task ahead.
When the bus came to a stop, he disembarked as quickly as possible. The verdette took a brief moment to marvel at how big UA's campus truly was. They really had to have a lot of money to afford all of this.
Earlier, after leaving the auditorium and wishing Tsunotori the best of luck, he headed to one of the designated locker rooms to change. His outfit was a cyan tracksuit with white accents and a new pair of red combat boots since his old ones had been worn out from training. He had also removed his 200 kg (441 lb) ankle and wrist weights for the first time in months.
The feeling of relief was instant. He couldn't ever remember feeling so light! He felt like he could jump over an entire building in one leap. Of course, he knew he realistically couldn't do that, but he sure felt like he could.
Strapped across Midoriya's chest was a double-banded harness with the unpainted shield attached to the back via a magnet. Days before the exam, he was required to fill out paperwork for him to use the shield in the exam - classifying it as a support item. Thankfully, the university approved his request. He didn't think he couldn't pass without it, but having it certainly made things much easier for him.
He could overhear a few examinees talking about him behind his back.
"Isn't that the guy who made an idiot of himself at orientation?"
"Yeah, that's him. Can't mistake that green hair."
"Is that a shield on his back?"
"Looks like it. Kinda plain, huh?"
"Is that all he has? What's he planning to do with just that?"
"Something to do with his Quirk maybe?"
"Who knows. Maybe defense is all he's got?"
"Lame. One less contestant to worry about then."
Midoriya couldn't help but roll his eyes at their comments. 'Already underestimating their competition. Not smart.'
The crowd outside the arena was steadily growing as more examinees filed out of the buses. Looking around, he spotted a set of horns sticking out of the crowd. Tsunotori seemed to be in a conversation with a fairly attractive, athletic-looking woman with long, bright orange hair.
He was mildly surprised they both were in the same battle center. Crazy coincidence, he thought. He was tempted to go talk to them but decided against it. 'No, I can try to talk with Tsunotori-san later. Need to get my head in the game now. No distractions.' He proceeded to the front of the crowd toward the set of large metal doors.
Taking a deep breath, Midoriya knelt down into a sprinter's stance, digging the soles of his boots into the concrete surface and pressing his fingers down. He could hear other examinees jostling about, some talking themselves up. Bragging about how easy the test was going to be. He managed to block out most of it, drowning out their white noise with his own calming thoughts.
The sound of a revving engine nearby caught his attention. Turning to his side, he was mildly surprised to find the tall student with glasses standing next to him. He too was focused on the large door to the arena. Following the sound closer, he confirmed it was coming from his legs. His calves had several muffler pipes sticking out.
Midoriya blinked and momentarily fell into his habit of Quirk analysis. Did he have some type of motor or engine ability? Did it make him faster or something along those lines? Getting a better look at the muscular teen, he stood 180 cm (5'11'') tall, had short dark-blue hair, an impressive jaw, and squarish-shaped eyes with glasses.
"Ah, it's you." Glasses turned to Midoriya with a serious expression.
'This guy has to be, or at least was in the military at some point, right?' Midoriya wondered. 'There's no way he's normally like this, right?'
"You're the one who disrupted orientation with your joking. Please try to refrain from distracting me and everyone else. Some of us here are actually taking this exam seriously." He tersely stated.
'Ah, he thinks I was doing that on purpose. Well, I don't have time to explain myself, nor do I need to right now.' Midoriya thought pensively. 'I've got my own mission to worry about.'
"Believe me, I'm taking this very seriously." Midoriya countered. "Best of luck to you though."
Glasses glanced at the verdette, briefly surprised by how serious Midoriya sounded and his stone-faced expression. It almost reminded him of his elder brother when he got serious. Shaking his head, he turned forward to concentrate on the trial ahead.
Midoriya refocused on the large metal door, waiting for the signal. A countdown, a loud horn, a green start flag, a starter pistol, a flare… he wasn't sure. He just needed to be ready for anything. The doors then opened, revealing a section of cityscape that could have fit in just about anywhere in Japan.
'Is this the signal?'
"Okay, start!"
Present Mic's voice boomed out from a guard tower nearby the gate. "What, there are no countdowns in real fights! Run! The die has been cast, GO! You're already behind!"
As the Voice Hero berated the group for hesitating, Midoriya had already dashed forward at full speed past the large doors while the other applicants looked up at the tower broadcasting the hero's explanation. Running into the arena, Midoriya immediately began scanning for targets. He could hear the other examinees charging in not too far behind him.
'Won't take them long to catch up. Need to capitalize and take out as many targets as I can.' He internally rationalized.
Turning a corner, Midoriya found three large, green robots in the street. A 3-pointer and two 2-pointers in close proximity to each other. How convenient.
Without slowing down, he reached back for his shield, swiftly determined the optimal throw, and flung it to the right. Bouncing off a nearby parked car, the shield's trajectory sent it tearing through both 2-pointers heads. Rebounding off a nearby building, the shield came flying back to Midoriya's outstretched left hand.
Using the disabled 2-pointers as a springboard, the verdette launched himself at the larger 3-pointer. Twisting himself in midair, he used his gathered momentum to fling the shield vertically at the larger mech which tore through its armor like paper.
'These things really are made to be broken.' He mused.
The robot collapsed backwards from the force behind the hit with the disk stuck inside its head unit. Timing it perfectly, Midoriya landed on the deactivated mech just as it fell. Quickly reclaiming the shield, he jumped off and continued running down the street.
'Alright, that makes for 7 points.' Turning down a different street, a 1-pointer spotted him and started racing toward him.
Spotting the robot out of the corner of his eye, Midoriya leaped to the side to dodge a hit in the nick of time. He instantly reacted by jumping up to deliver a powerful kick, sending the robot's head flying across the street. The super-soldier was momentarily surprised by how easy it was (not feeling much resistance) before rushing down the street.
'8 points. Let's keep this going!' Bolting further down the street, a 2-pointer turned a corner, spotted Midoriya, and charged at him. 'Come at me!'
Just as he was about to throw the shield, Glasses rushed in at incredible speed out of nowhere and delivered a devastating kick into the 2-pointer. Its armor was instantly crushed as it collapsed to the ground, deactivated.
Midoriya immediately stopped, lowering the shield. Both examinees briefly looked at each other before Glasses rushed down the street, leaving dust in his wake.
The verdette glanced down at the destroyed 2-pointer and came to a realization. 'Okay, I need the high ground so I can spot more targets. If I stay on the streets the other examinees will just catch up and there won't be many points left for me.' He broke off into a run, keeping watch for any more robots and ways of quickly getting up to the rooftops.
Down a nearby alley, he spotted a fire escape hanging off a fake-office building and immediately changed course. Gathering enough speed, he bent his knees and leapt nearly 9 meters (~30 feet) into the air and grabbed onto the fire escape's railing. Pulling himself over, he climbed up the grated steps and after reaching the top level he jumped to grab onto the building's ledge.
Pulling himself up onto the roof, he ran across and stopped at the other side, scanning the area for targets. He could hear the other examinees spreading out across the area and destroying the faux villains, if the sounds of crushing metal and explosions were any indication. After a moment he spotted a large gathering of robots off in one section of the cityscape that none of the other examinees had reached yet.
'Better get over there fast!' Taking a few steps back, Midoriya jumped to the other building.
In the observation room, a dark room filled with monitors, UA faculty members sat watching the test unfold. The screens switched to different areas of the 7 arenas allowing the group to have an uninterrupted view of the applicants.
"Doesn't this year's group look promising?" Midnight pointed out.
A few murmurs of agreement echoed in the room.
One screen showed a scene that immediately caught Power Loader's eye. "Hold on, focus on screen 18 really quick."
The screen grew bigger, allowing the faculty to see Midoriya fluidly jumping from rooftop-to-rooftop. Performing acrobatic flips, he threw the shield at the faux villains in the streets below. Amazingly, the shield would crush the mech's head units on impact (instantly deactivating them) before somehow always ricocheting on a path back within Midoriya's reach.
"That support item he's using," Power Loader marveled, "I've never seen anything like that before." He rubbed his chin under his helmet. "And I've been in the support business a long time."
"Is it part of his Quirk?" Vlad King asked.
Ectoplasm pulled up an electronic file. "Examine 7418, Midoriya Izuku. His Quirk is registered as an augmentation type, so, no…not likely. The support item itself is labeled as a shield in his paperwork."
"That thing is more than a shield." Snipe argued. "It's a weapon! Look at how it's tearing through the faux villains like tinfoil."
"Yet it's bouncing off them like rubber. I'd be curious to know what it's made of." Power Loader said with an impressed air.
"The way he's handling it is quite impressive as well." Cementoss commented. "He certainly knows how to use it."
Yagi, in his shrunken form, wore a baggy yellow pinstripe suit. He looked at the screen with a grin. "He's also getting around the city pretty well too. The kid's definitely skilled."
"Is it even fair to have an item like that in the test?" Thirteen wondered. "I mean, it isn't related to his Quirk, right?"
At the back of the room in the shadows, Aizawa leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. His tired eyes and haggard appearance made it look as though he hadn't slept in days, and, with the upcoming new semester, that was likely true. His tired yet analytical gaze focused on Midoriya's screen as he remained silent.
A small, white-furred creature that, had it not been wearing a suit, would have been mistaken for a large mouse, a dog, or a very small bear. Whatever he was, took a sip of tea and grinned knowingly.
"I don't see any reason why not." the UA Dean of Heroics, Nezu, stated in a calm but high-pitched voice. "Whether it accentuates his Quirk or not is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. So long as he knows how to properly use it, which he seems to do, I'll allow it. A Hero's support gear shouldn't be limited to something only related to their Quirk."
"Right." Vlad King concurred with a nod. "Aizawa back there can attest to that with his capture scarves."
Aizawa didn't respond, still watching the monitors.
Thirteen nodded, and conceded, "Fair points."
Nezu took another sip of tea, before continuing, "Besides, whether one has a useful support item or not, the practical exam is not any less difficult. Examinees have not been informed of the number of villains or their locations. They have a very limited amount of time to cover a large area, so they are forced to find different methods to draw the faux villains out."
He paused and flipped through several channels, stopping on a screen with a silver-haired man with multiple appendages, scanning the horizon, "Gathering information to better understand the situation before anyone else."
The screen changed to show a tall and muscular, bespeckled examinee rocketing down the road and crushing targets with devastating kicks. It then shifted to display a floating brunette with pink cheeks jumping in-between buildings, searching the area for targets. "Mobility that can be used in many different circumstances."
The screen changed again to display a flashy blonde man blasting a robot apart via a laser from his stomach, looking very lax in the process. "Keeping calm under pressure."
The next screen showed another blonde feral-looking young man standing on a pile of broken machines, smoke billowing from his hands. "And, of course, pure combat ability. These abilities are needed to keep peace in the streets."
Nezu smiled. "Examinees who use a combination of all of these tactics are typically the most successful and rack up the highest scores."
"Well," Snipe spoke up, "we can't know yet how good this group really is. Their true test is yet to come." he paused to press a big red button. "And how they react to an overwhelming threat will show their true nature."
Uraraka groaned as she leaned against her most recent pile of Faux Villains, all 1-pointers. She was thankful that she had her sweatband, otherwise, sweat would be in her eyes. Her outfit consisted of a simple black jogging suit with pink accents and pink running shoes. Her long hair was tied up into a bun to keep it out of the way.
She rubbed her stomach, taking a few moments to catch her breath and give her stomach time to settle. Midoriya had previously suggested during one of their study sessions that she could use her Quirk on herself to get around much faster than running; however, she had to be careful where she pushed off while in the air, so she wouldn't float herself too high.
So far, she was doing quite well in covering ground and using her Quirk to float the robots before sending them crashing to the ground. However, the constant on-and-off use of her Quirk on top of her breakneck pace was taking its toll.
'Everyone is trying so hard to get the higher point bots, they're leaving the 1-pointers alone. Still… I can't keep settling for this.' Uraraka realized. 'Need to change up strategies.'
"TWO MINUTES REMAINING!" Present Mic shouted over the speakers. "BETTER HURRY UP AND RACK UP THOSE POINTS!"
Uraraka suddenly became alert. The test was almost over already!? She only had 28 points! She needed to get more! She had to land that Top 3 scholarship!
Smacking her cheeks, Uraraka straightened herself up. 'Okay, no plans! Just pick a direction and get as many points as you can before the buzzer!'
The brunette bolted down the street, but only got a few meters before the ground beneath her feet rumbled.
"W-what's going-WHOA!"
She didn't complete her sentence as she and several other applicants were thrown to the ground as the concrete in front of them exploded into dust. Steel beams twisted and tore, and shattered glass rained down in the wake of a giant green automaton.
The zero-pointer towered over the buildings, easily crushing them as its treads pulled forward.
Uraraka stared up in horrified awe at the mechanical monster. "Are you kidding me!? That's the zero-pointer!? I thought it'd be the same size as the other ones!"
Even though she was around 20 meters (~65 feet) away, she could feel the titan rolling down the street as it crushed everything in its wake. She let out a sigh of relief to see that it wasn't heading in her direction.
As she was about to run in a new direction to find more, she noticed a couple of examinees in the zero-pointer's path. They were frozen, looking up at the incoming mass of metal in horror. More importantly, not turning around and running for their lives like everyone else.
"HEY! You guys need to run!"
Neither of the applicants moved. Were they too scared?
Uraraka looked between the zero-pointer, still rolling towards them, and the two terrified students. It would stop before running over them, right? UA wouldn't allow anything like that to happen, right?!
She looked back-and-forth between the robot and petrified students. What should she do?!
"Well, my body moved on its own. I couldn't just stand there and watch that guy die." Midori-kun's words echoed in her mind.
She blinked, realizing what she needed to do. 'Be just like Midori-kun!'
With a scream, Uraraka willed herself forward and broke off into a sprint. Slapping a hand to her thigh, she kicked off the ground and rocketed down the street. It was going to be a close call! As she was about to pass the two examinees, she grabbed them to both remove their gravity and pull them away by their shirts.
As a result, all three went flying across the street together and narrowly avoided the zero-pointer as it rolled over the spot the two students had previously been.
Feeling her stomach twist, and confident they were far enough away, she touched her fingers together. "Release!"
Gravity's effect returned as the three hit the ground and tumbled across the street. With a pained grunt, Uraraka willed herself off the ground. 'That… was a close call. It worked out though.'
She was about to ask if the other two examinees were okay, but noticed they were looking behind her. Curious, she looked back and was horrified to see the zero-pointer looking straight at them. It then shifted its treads and began heading in their direction!
Uraraka blinked and gulped loudly. 'Oh crap!'
She turned to the examiness. "YOU BOTH RUN NOW!" Nodding, the two scrambled to their feet and ran away.
At the same time, Uraraka pivoted and took off down a perpendicular street just in time to avoid a giant mechanical fist crashing down. Though she avoided the main hit, she was caught up in the shockwave which sent her flying and tumbling across the pavement.
Coughing, Uraraka struggled to return to her feet. The dust cloud kicked up from the punch burned her eyes and coated her throat, making it harder for her to catch her breath. Spitting out globs of spit and dust, Uraraka stood on wobbly legs while at the same time the zero-pointer began to slowly pull its arms back.
'Have to put some distance between us. It's powerful, but slow. Just need to get-'
Uraraka couldn't complete her thought as several red glowing lights pierced through the dust. She was not alone.
'Crap… where'd all these guys come from?' When the faux villains broke through the dust and charged at Uraraka, she gave a startled yelp while dodging and weaving around them, trying to keep an eye on the zero-pointer.
'If I didn't have to worry about the stupid zero-pointer, this would be a great group to get points from.' Uraraka rolled under a wild swing from a two-pointer. 'Stupid monster! Why's it trying to crush me anyway…'
The gravity girl was then struck with an idea. Glancing back up, seeing the zero-pointer pulling its arm back, Uraraka narrowed her eyes and set her jaw in determination.
'You can do this, Ochako!'
Diving forward and scrambling between as many faux villains as she could, Uraraka floated them while being careful not to push them away. She needed them in one place around her. Taking inventory, it looked like there were two of each robot model worth points present, making 12 total points. Perfect!
After floating the last robot, she heard the zero-pointer's arm lock into place as gears and pistons strained under its own weight. It was now or never!
Pressing her fingers into her thigh, she kicked off the ground as hard as she could. She floated away from the zero-pointer just as it pulverized the area she had just been. It destroyed everything, the road, the buildings, and the robots.
She believed that she was in the clear until the shockwave slammed into her, sending her spinning through the air across the cityscape.
"W-WHOOA!" Unable to control herself, she eventually slammed into the side of a building, knocking the air out of her.
"Oww…" Dizzy swirls filled Uraraka's eyes.
Dazed and out of breath, she looked back to see if she was a safe distance from the zero-pointer now. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she let out a sigh of relief. 'Okay… out of danger for now. Need to focus on getting more-'
"TIME'S UP! YOU'D BETTER HOPE THAT YOU EARNED ENOUGH POINTS!" Present Mic shouted over the speaker.
'Or not. Still, 40 points is good, right?' Uraraka sighed, pushing herself down and calmly floating back to the street.
Pressing her fingers together and mumbling, "Release," Uraraka felt her gravity return. She stood tall and proud now that she had completed the entrance exam.
And Uraraka, after a few seconds, promptly fell to her knees and proudly vomited.
Midoriya jumped from building-to-building, swiftly scanning the city in search of any faux villains that hadn't been destroyed by his fellow examinees yet. As he suspected, the number of remaining robots was beginning to dwindle fast.
Spotting a smaller robot driving out of an alley, he twisted around to throw his shield at it. It crushed the head like tinfoil before bouncing off a nearby car and streetlamp to return to his hand before his feet even hit the ground. One glance at the robot's remains and he spotted the giant 1 painted on it.
'That's 37 points so far.' He thought. 'This area is mostly cleaned out. Better head east.'
Taking a sharp turn, he cleared several buildings before jumping over a small street. While in midair, he was taken off guard to see Tsunotori flying past him. Safely landing on the adjacent building, he paused to look at her.
She was flying on a pair of horns, just like the ones on her head. Several untouched faux villains were down the street. Getting close, she came to a stop while standing on her levitating horns.
"Thunder Horn!" He heard her exclaim before an onslaught of horns shot out of her head, reducing the robots to scrap metal.
Midoriya blinked before an excited grin crossed his face. 'Wow! She can use her horns to fly AND instantly regrow more for a barrage attack?! That's so cool! I gotta ask her about her Quirk later.'
Suddenly, a 2-pointer zoomed out from around a corner and targeted Tsunotori while she was turned away. She was close enough to the ground, and well within the robot's reach.
Midoriya instinctively tossed the shield forward. Tsunotori turned around just in time to see the 2-pointer's scorpion-like head decapitated by a silver disk. The disk bounced off the asphalt, off a nearby tree, and then back to Midoriya's left hand.
Midoriya gave Tsunotori a salute before rushing off across the roof. Tsunotori blinked. 'What was that support item Midoriya was using? That was so cool!' She'd have to ask him about it later, if she saw him again.
The super-soldier continued jumping across roofs and looking for more targets. 'I'm at 39 points now. There can't be much time left in the exam. Do I have enough?'
"TWO MINUTES REMAINING!" Present Mic shouted over the speakers. "BETTER HURRY UP AND RACK UP THOSE POINTS!"
'More points it is then.' However, before Midoriya could continue hunting for more robots, the ground shuddered. At first, he thought it was an earthquake, but the way the shaking continued clued him in that it was something else.
Suddenly, a nearby building exploded as a massive green robot emerged into view. Midoriya's eyes widened as he recognized the mech's design. 'That's the zero pointer?!' He backed away in shock. 'It's just an exam! That thing is way overkill!'
Several buildings near the giant mech suddenly collapsed as its giant treads started moving. 'It crushes buildings just from moving! Gotta make sure no one's in its way!'
Turning around, Midoriya headed back to the street the zero-pointer was rolling down. He stopped at a ledge to look down. All around, examinees abandoned their positions and ran for their lives. Like Present Mic said, there was no point in trying to fight the zero-pointer.
While quickly scanning the area, he spotted something moving under some rubble - or, rather, someone. It was Tsunotori, trapped up to her waist by heavy chunks of debris. She must've been caught off guard by the zero-pointer's activation like everyone else was.
He saw the pained look on her face, weakly struggling to free herself from the massive machine that was preparing to crush her under its treads. No one was around her to help as they ran away in fear.
Midoriya didn't hesitate. Placing his shield on his back, he broke off into a mad dash and cleared a couple buildings before jumping off the ledge to the street below. He grabbed onto a streetlamp to take away some of his fall and swung himself further down the road. He landed in a crouching position before taking off toward Tsunotori.
"I've got you, Tsunotori-san!" The verdette rushed up to her and carefully removed the rubble pinning her down. "Can you stand?"
The blonde equine-girl grimaced. "No… I-I think my leg is broken." She looked at her swollen left leg.
"Don't worry, I'm getting you out of here." He told her while picking her up in a princess carry, bolting down the street away from the machine. Tsunotori was surprised by how fast Midoriya was running. She was reminded of the tall, glasses-wearing applicant running around from earlier.
After swiftly running a kilometer (~0.6 mile) down the street close to the entrance, Midoriya carefully laid Tsunotori down to lean against a building.
"You should be safe here. Can you still use your horns?" He asked.
Tsunotori weakly nodded. "Y-yeah… a little bit, I think."
He nodded. "Okay, if you have to, you can use those to defend yourself from any more Faux Villains that come your way. I gotta go back."
"Wh-what? Why?" She asked, confused.
"I'm going to stop that thing from hurting any other examinees." He turned and bolted down the street.
"W-wait! Why!?" The blonde tried to ask the verdette. "Midoriya-san, there aren't any points for beating it!"
"The points don't matter!" Midoriya yelled back while running. "If you can do something that'll help others, even if it doesn't benefit you, then a Hero should do it!" With that said he was out of range and the equine girl could only stare at his back as he ran.
"He's right…" She mumbled to herself. "So cool."
Midoriya dashed down the street back to the zero-pointer, which was rolling across the city - crushing anything in its path. He carefully studied the mech for any obvious weaknesses. He could try to disable the treads but didn't want to risk getting himself injured from the massive gears. He could target the joints and break them, but the robot would likely swipe him off before he could deal any noteworthy damage.
An idea occurred to him as he looked up at the robot's blockish head. 'Wait… it's still a robot. It needs a processor to operate. If I can break that before it notices me…'
With a plan in mind, Midoriya increased his running speed and jumped when he was in range of the mech. The zero-pointer didn't seem to notice him yet as he leaped onto a part of its leg above the giant treads. He carefully scaled up the robot using the armor grooves as footholds and handholds. To stay out of the robot's vision, he shifted to scale up its back and reached its shoulder area before ascending to the back of the head.
After pulling himself onto the flatter part of the zero-pointer's shoulder, he took a few deep breaths. If Midoriya had any fear of heights, he didn't let it show. He pulled the shield off his back, slipped his left arm through its straps, and smashed the edge into the metal plating.
The armor was torn easily and allowed Midoriya to rip it apart further so he could climb into the robot's head. All around him, there was a mass plethora of wiring and mechanisms, and he had no clue how they functioned.
"Well, better just start breaking stuff!" With that, the verdette started smashing whatever he could around him using his fists, kicks, and the shield.
Meanwhile, on the outside, the zero-pointer stopped in its tracks and its limbs began to spazz out of control - knocking a building over in the process.
Tearing through more wires, Midoriya spotted a large black block the size of a car with flashing lights, giving off a lot of heat. 'That's gotta be the CPU!' He pushed his way through, lifted the shield above his head, and slammed it through the block. A shower of electrical sparks went flying and the lights immediately shut off.
As a result, the robot instantly stopped moving and its red eyes went black. It remained frozen for a short moment until it slumped down, collapsing face-forward to the ground 'dead'.
'CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!' Midoriya held onto ropes of wires, bracing himself, feeling the mech falling forward.
The street was crushed under the zero-pointer's massive weight and even a few nearby buildings crumbled away, throwing up a large dust cloud. Thankfully, no one had been around the machine as it collapsed.
From a safe distance, examinees looked on in shocked confusion at the fallen zero-pointer. What happened? Why did it all of a sudden stop working and collapse?
As the dust settled, Midoriya used his shield to bust a hole through the zero-pointer's armored head. He carefully climbed out and jumped down to the crumbled street below.
He took a few deep breaths and glanced over the fallen robot, confident that it would not suddenly reactivate. Now he understood why the zero-pointer was a gimmick. It was ridiculously huge at a hundred-feet-tall, and it would take a very specific Quirk or overwhelming force to truly stop it. Or just someone crafty enough to sneak inside its head and destroy the CPU.
He shook his head and frowned, "Tsunotori-san could've been killed by this thing. How could they allow something like the zero-pointer to run loose? It's just a test!"
"Midoriya-san!" The super-soldier turned around to see Tsunotori floating, using her horns to hold her up by her armpits. "Are you okay!?"
"Y-yeah… just a few scratches." He waved off her worry casually. Realizing that the exam was still ongoing, he adopted a serious expression. "If you can still use your horns, you should try and get a few more points-"
He was interrupted by a loud buzzer, and then Present Mic's voice. "TIME'S UP! YOU'D BETTER HOPE THAT YOU EARNED ENOUGH POINTS!"
"Or not," Midoriya said glumly, and turned to the equine girl. "How many did you get?"
"45."
Midoriya was slightly taken aback. 'Whoa, she killed it! Had she not gotten caught up in the zero-pointer's path, she likely would have gotten more.'
"What about you?" She asked.
"39. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if we got in."
"Yeah." She then shook her head and looked at him with wide eyes. "Did you seriously just take down the zero-pointer just now?!"
"Yeah, no big deal." He shrugged. "Just wrecked its hard drive." He jerked his thumb toward the hole he made getting out of the robot's head.
"That's so cool! By the way, can I ask you about-"
"Excuse me?" Both the blonde and verdette turned and saw a little old lady standing behind them. She wore a white doctor's coat and was leaning heavily on a cane. "You both can chat, but only while I fix you up!"
Midoriya looked at her for a moment before his eyes widened in recognition. "Oh… I remember, you're the Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl. Right?"
He remembered her from reading up on UA's Heroic Department faculty staff from last semester.
"Yes, yes, I am. Now sit down!"
Her stern voice was enough to make Midoriya sit down next to Tsunotori - who lowered herself to the ground with her horns.
"You!" Recovery Girl pointed at Tsunotori. "Tell me where it hurts."
Tsunotori blinked in bewilderment. "Uh, I think I broke my leg…" She pointed at her left leg, grimacing. "It's pretty swollen… and it hurts…"
Midoriya glanced at her in worry. 'All that pain and she still came to check on me?'
Recovery Girl nodded. "Easy fix. Hold still, dear." She leaned forward and kissed Tsunotori's forehead. In seconds, the girl looked much better, though she seemed to be fighting off drowsiness now. "My Quirk speeds up the healing process, but you'll be tired for a while."
"Still, that's an impressive ability." Midoriya complimented, awed at seeing a broken leg healed within seconds.
"Thank you. And you, young man, what's the damage?"
"Just a few scratches. Nothing serious."
"Good, that means I don't have to do anything." Recovery Girl smiled. "Tiny injuries like that are best left to heal on their own. Just don't do anything crazy for a day or two."
'Actually, mine will probably be gone by the time I get home.' Midoriya inwardly mused.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, there are others who need my attention." After Recovery Girl hobbled away, Midoriya and Tsunotori let out breaths they didn't know they'd been holding.
"She's kinda scary," Tsunotori said quietly.
"She is." He turned to her. "Hey, before she showed up, you were about to say something?"
The blonde perked up a bit. "I was about to ask you about your support item and your Quirk, if that's okay."
"Well, in reverse order, my Quirk is called Augment. Like its name suggests, every part of my body is enhanced - especially my strength. As for the shield," he pulled it off its magnet carrier and showed it to her, "it's something that's been in my family for a while. Don't know what it's made of, but it's pretty strong and vibration-absorbent." He hated lying, but he didn't have much choice.
"That's cool!" Tsunotori beamed. "Your Quirk and the way you used your shield reminds me a lot of Captain America, actually."
"Heh-heh… Yeah, I have been told that before a few times. Not sure I even come close to him though." He chuckled bashfully while rubbing his neck. "What's your Quirk, Tsunotori-san? The way you used your horns was pretty cool!"
"Oh, my Quirk is Horn Cannon." She happily explained. "I can launch my horns and grow back a new set instantly. I can telekinetically control up to four of them at a time and shoot a barrage of them… but that does drain my stamina though."
"That's impressive!" Midoriya complimented. "You'll be an excellent long-range fighter, and you can use your horns to help you fly! That's a big plus. If you can learn to balance yourself on one horn, you'll have three extras to use for attacking or assisting someone." He paused to quickly look over Tsunotori's horns. "Given their shape, you can also pierce or pin down enemies too."
Tsunotori's tail swished from the praise, and nodded, "I have been working on trying to fly with one horn… It's a little challenging."
"You could also try increasing the number of how many horns you can control?" He suggested. "That may help."
Tsunotori nodded. "Yeah, I'm still working on that too." She smiled up at Midoriya. "By the way, thank you for saving me back there!"
Midoriya smiled. "No problem." He looked toward the entrance to see examinees gathering around it where Recovery Girl could use her Quirk on anyone who needed healing. "I guess we should start heading out."
Midoriya and Tsunotori walked back and continued to chat; the pair said goodbye and wished each other luck before boarding their respective buses.
After saying goodbye to Tsunotori, Midoriya went back to the locker room to get changed and met up with Uraraka at the front gate. They walked back to the train station together, glad that neither of them had gotten seriously hurt during the exam.
"So, how do you think you did?" Midoriya asked.
"Well, I think I did good on the written part." Uraraka smiled. "All the studying we did together with Yaomomo really helped me out. So, thank you for your help on that."
"My pleasure." The freckle-faced man nodded. "I think I did pretty well on the written exam too. Never had to take a test that hard in America, so all that extra studying paid off." He then asked, "How about the practical part?"
"I got 40 points." She said proudly.
'I got beat by Tsunotori-san and Uraraka-chan.' Midoriya internally commented. 'Though their abilities do allow them to cover areas faster than I can on foot, especially in a cityscape environment. Plus, they can both take out things like those robots faster than I can with just my shield and my punches.' He internally rationalized. 'So, I can't be too upset about it.'
"Though," Uraraka turned away looking sheepish, "I kinda overused my Quirk and made myself sick… and got bruised up too."
"Are you okay?" Midoriya asked, sounding concerned. He remembered her telling him that overusing her Quirk caused her nausea. It had to do with her equilibrium being out of whack.
"Oh, I'm fine!" She quickly reassured him. "Recovery Girl was able to heal me up, no sweat!"
"That's good." He sounded relieved. "40 points is really good. Great job!"
"Thanks!" She then looked up at Midoriya curiously. "What about you? How many points did you get, Midori-kun?"
"39."
Uraraka blinked twice and stared at him. "Whoa...a one-point difference. That's crazy! Hehe..."
"What? Is something wrong?" What was with that look on her face?
"O-Oh! Nothing! It's just…I… thought you would've scored more." Realizing how that could be taken, she frantically waved her hands out. "Not that I think you didn't try or anything, I'm sure you did your best!"
"It's okay." Midoriya shrugged, sighing. "I had to get around by jumping across rooftops so I could cover more area and spot more targets from up high."
"That was smart. I was doing something similar actually." Uraraka grinned.
"Great minds think alike, I guess. But the other examinees sometimes still got to the faux villains before me, especially that uptight guy with the glasses. He was pretty fast. Also," he sheepishly scratched his cheek, "I spent the last two minutes taking down the zero-pointer, so that didn't help my cause either."
Uraraka stopped and looked at him in shocked disbelief. "W-what!? Wait! Time out! Y-you took out the zero-pointer!?"
Midoriya nodded, nonchalant. "Yeah. By the time it was deactivated, I had already run out the clock."
'W-what!? How? Why?' Uraraka was speechless. The damage that metal monstrosity caused by punching and just moving around flashed through her head. "H-hold on," she sputtered out, "how did you take out the zero-pointer? That thing was huge!"
She then had a thought. 'Wait… his Quirk is an enhancer type. So maybe…?'
"Did you punch it!?" She exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"What?" Midoriya cocked an eyebrow, bemused. "Punch it?"
"Yeah! Did you enhance your arm to the max and punch it with everything you had, or something like that?" Uraraka yelled, looking up at the verdette expectantly. "I bet you took it out with one hit, right?!"
'She sure has a wild imagination.' He didn't immediately respond to that. He started to laugh a bit. "No, it wasn't anything that flashy. I'm not All Might strong, after all."
"Oh… So then, how?" She inquired, confused.
He shrugged. "I just climbed up to its head, got inside it, and started wrecking stuff until it stopped. Nothing fancy."
Uraraka blinked twice. "So…you climbed up it?"
"Yep."
"And it didn't notice you?"
"I went up its back where it couldn't see me, so no."
"And you just broke it from the inside?"
Midoriya nodded. "That's what happened."
'Actually, that does make a lot more sense now that I think about it.' Uraraka thought, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Midoriya smiled sheepishly and patted her shoulder. "Sorry to disappoint, Uraraka-chan. Didn't mean to crush your fantasy."
"No, no!" She quickly responded. "It's not that. If it works, it works. Great job!" Another thought crossed her mind. "Wait, Midori-kun, why did you try to stop the zero-pointer anyway?"
"I saw someone get trapped under the rubble it created when it appeared. It was actually the girl I was sitting next to in orientation, believe it or not." Midoriya explained.
'Oh yeah… that blonde girl with the horns.' She still wasn't sure how to feel about that interaction. Uraraka certainly wasn't opposed to Midoriya making more friends, but it just felt weird when he was talking so casually around other girls. She shook her head, dispelling those nonsensical thoughts and continued to listen to her friend.
"I rescued her and got her out of harm's way. But seeing how she was nearly killed by the falling debris," he frowned, "I couldn't stand by and let that thing endanger anyone else."
Uraraka stared at him for a moment before a warm smile crossed her face. "Putting others before yourself, huh? You really are a hero, Midori-kun."
"Oh, t-thanks," he blushed lightly.
Uraraka then thought of her own encounter with the zero-pointer. 'I don't regret saving those two students at all… but I did hesitate. Meanwhile, Midori-kun rushed in to save someone AND take down the zero-pointer too all without a second thought. He's amazing.' She frowned slightly. '... I still have a lot of work to do.'
"Everything okay, Uraraka-chan?"
"Oh, fine!" She waved off, smiling. "Just thinking." The zero-gravity girl decided to switch topics. "By the way, are you hungry, Midori-kun?"
GRRRRR
Midoriya's stomach rumbled loudly as if to answer Uraraka's question.
"PFFT!" Uraraka snorted with laughter. "Guess that answers that!"
"Heh-heh," he felt his face flush in embarrassment, "yeah… looks like I burned through my breakfast." It was already past 13:00 (1 pm), so he could definitely use some lunch.
"Why don't we go home, and I can make us something?" Uraraka offered. "We can call Yaomomo and tell her how we did too."
Midoriya nodded, smiling. "Yeah, that sounds good to me."
The pair arrived at the train station and hopped on a train to take them back to the closest stop to their shared apartment complex.
During the train ride, Midoriya reflected on his actions during the practical exam. 'I did everything I could, right? I mean… I couldn't dare call myself a Hero if I abandoned someone who needed help AND ignored a serious threat like the zero-pointer just for my own gain. But is 33 points enough?' He inwardly sighed. 'Well, even if it isn't, I can at least hold my head up high.'
Fort Erskine, CA - June 2042
Several minutes of terse silence passed before Army Colonel Phillips and USMC Corporal Yamamoto arrived at the science division and a door with Dr. Hatsume's name plaque blazoned on it. Without knocking on the door, Colonel Phillips swung the door open and stepped in with Peggy behind him.
"It's called knocking. Ever try it-" The red-haired military scientist looked up from the papers she was reading over at her unorganized desk. Actually, her whole office was a mess with boxes of papers, books, and human anatomy scattered around.
"Oh! Colonel! And Corporal Yamamoto too. What do I owe this surprise visit to my office for?" She asked cheerily, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Doctor," Phillips kept his voice even, "we need to have a little talk."
"About?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"That scrawny kid you allowed on my Army base!" the colonel answered bluntly. "Cadet Midoriya!"
"Yes. What about him?"
Colonel Phillips blinked in disbelief. How could she be so oblivious? "That kid is a walking skeleton! Why would you waste one of our program's 13 spots on him?"
"I have my reasons." Teruko nonchalantly glanced back at her papers on her desk. "Reasons that I don't need to explain to you, colonel."
"Doctor Hatsume-"
She interrupted him. "I seem to recall having full autonomy in choosing cadets whoever I deem suitable for the project." Gone was Teruko's usual cheerful voice, replaced with a serious tone. "I have final say in who gets selected, not you."
"Yes… but I am still the director of this program, doctor." the colonel fired back. "And I don't believe Cadet Midoriya is suited for the A.M.P." He turned to Peggy. "Corporal, back me up."
"Like the colonel said, Cadet Midoriya is not physically fit enough to endure the 10-week training camp." Peggy evenly stated, feeling a twinge in her chest. She hated to belittle her best friend in any way, but this was something that needed to be done for his own sake. "I believe it's best for him to be medically discharged from the SSR and the military altogether."
'I'm so sorry, Izu-kun. I know you wanted a chance… but this is way out of your depth.' Peggy sadly thought.
"Well said." Colonel Phillips nodded in satisfaction. "Corporal Yamamoto is in charge of the cadets training regimen. If she believes that Cadet Midoriya can't cut it, then it's best to cut ties now. No point in prolonging this little experiment."
Doctor Hatsume didn't respond immediately. "Neither of you are wrong about Midoriya's physical limitations. That much is clear. However, physicality isn't the only trait I look for in suitable candidates; in fact, it's the least important."
"I… don't understand." Colonel Phillips was clueless. This woman just didn't make sense to him.
Teruko paused momentarily as if to collect her thoughts before looking back with a smirk. "You're both right that Midoriya won't last 10 weeks the way he is now." She explained. "So, I say let's go ahead and perform the procedure on him ASAP. There! Problem solved."
"P-Pardon?" the colonel uncharacteristically stuttered.
Peggy lightly gasped as her eyes shot open. 'No! She can't be serious!'
"Doctor, with all due respect, that's insane!" Peggy raised her voice.
"Agreed. The whole point of this training camp is to increase our cadets' strengths before choosing the most suited for the procedure." Phillips added. "Increase their base strength before multiplying it. Isn't that how you described it?"
"Yes, initially. That was the plan. But…" Teruko smiled wistfully. "Cadet Midoriya… someone like him is too rare to just toss aside."
Colonel Phillips blinked in bewilderment while Peggy remained silent, processing Teruko's words.
"I'll tell you what," she looked back at the duo with a knowing smirk, "I'll throw you a bone. You don't believe Cadet Midoriya is suited? Very well. You'll have 10 days to prove that to me."
"Excuse me?" the colonel furrowed his brows.
"10 days." Teruko repeated. "If by 10 days Midoriya quits or proves he's unworthy, then I'll drop him from the program immediately." She laid out. "BUT, if he doesn't, he'll undergo the procedure immediately afterward. Sounds like a good deal, right?"
Neither Phillips nor Peggy responded immediately. Phillips was flummoxed over Teruko's suggestion while Peggy struggled to contain her growing ire.
The colonel closed his eyes, sighing deeply in exasperation. "This is a waste of time… but fine." He reopened his eyes to shoot her a serious expression. "I'll play along with your little game, doctor."
"C-Colonel?" Peggy whipped her head to the Army man in shock. "Y-You can't be serious?"
'My hands are tied. I can't go against her. She's far too valuable for the SSR and the military in general, especially after what the Marines did to rescue her from those maniacs in Japan.' Phillips rationalized. 'Still though…'
"On one condition!" He continued. "If that kid doesn't last through 10 days, then I'll get to decide the next cadet to take his place AND who gets selected first. Can you agree to that, doctor?"
If Teruko was fazed by the colonel's counteroffer, she didn't let it outwardly show. She grinned roguishly and held out her hand. "I can agree to that, colonel."
Colonel Phillips and Dr. Hatsume promptly shook hands while Peggy was left in the middle, looking dumbfounded. What in the world just happened?!
"Then there's nothing left to be said." Phillips turned around before glancing over to Peggy. "You should get to the training grounds soon, Corporal."
"Y-Yes sir…" She said absentmindedly.
"By the way, Colonel Phillips," Teruko smiled slyly, "those 10 days start right now. It's June 23. So, by this time at 1:30 PM on July 3, if Cadet Midoriya hasn't quit or performed any unworthy action, he will be selected."
The elderly colonel nodded. "Understood, doctor. If you'll excuse me."
"You are." Teruko stuck her tongue out, earning an annoyed grunt from the old man.
With that, the Army colonel walked out of the office and closed the door behind him. Both Japanese-American women were left in the room alone.
Teruko went to grab more papers on her desk while glancing back at her desktop monitor. "Shouldn't you be going somewhere, Corporal?"
"... Why?" Peggy growled, a shadow cast over her eyes.
"Hmm?" Teruko glanced up at the ravenette.
The marine woman shot the military scientist with a fierce expression. "Why are you doing this?! Is this your way of getting back at me for turning down your offer?"
Teruko blinked twice in confusion. Her ringed-eyes slightly widened as she deduced what Peggy was talking about. "Oh? That. No." She turned her gaze back to her monitor nonchalantly. "That has nothing to do with anything. Although, I did talk to the higher-ups about transferring you here to train cadets after that meeting."
"Yeah, I figured that part out, and I was fine with it. But this," she clenched her fists tightly, "going behind my back and recruiting Izu-kun to be your guinea pig?! It's too much!"
"Corporal-"
"Why did you pick him!?" She shouted out, not caring if anyone overheard them. "You know he's too weak to be in the military. He'll die in bootcamp! If it wasn't to spite me, then why!?"
Teruko was silent. Her lips straightened as she stared at Peggy with an even expression. "If you're truly his best friend, then you should know that already."
Peggy blinked, confused. "What?"
Teruko turned away, smirking. "I'm sure deep down you already know why I chose him. You're just being too overprotective to see it right now."
"I… I don't…" She stammered.
"I'm sure you'll fully realize it before the 10 days are up." Teruko said, turning her attention back to her computer. "Well, I have work to do and so do you apparently. Better get to it, Corporal."
"Yes." Peggy turned and proceeded. "But we're not finished with this yet, Teruko."
"Oh, I know. Also," she shot Peggy a cheeky grin, "don't go too hard on Izu-kun in training, or too easy either. You don't want to turn the platoon against him right off the bat, do you?"
"First, don't tell me how to do my job. Second," she glared back, "don't call him that again."
"Oh? Is that the nickname that only you can call him by? You're such a tsundere, Peg-chan." She mocked.
"S-Shut up!" Peggy felt her face get a tad warmer.
With that, Peggy slammed the door shut before stomping off down the hall, the veins on her temple throbbing.
Teruko, meanwhile, sighed loudly. "This is gonna be an interesting 10 days for sure…"
Musutafu, Japan - March 2197
Over a week has passed since completing UA University's Hero Department Entrance Exam. Midoriya continued with his regular routine of attending his college courses (which he would be completing within a couple of weeks), physical training, and trying to check more items off his Things to Catch Up On notebook. He still wasn't making much progress on that last one considering the list kept growing by the day.
He had kept himself busier than usual to keep his mind from fretting over the exam results. The stress headaches and restless sleep that would occur from it was NOT worth it. After all, he already had his own pre-existing issues he needed to work through.
Midoriya had noticed that Yagi hadn't contacted him since the day of the exam, and any attempt to reach out to him on his end was met with zero results. He wasn't upset, though. He imagined Yagi was likely busy tallying the scores for all the examinees with the rest of UA's Hero Department staff. He didn't envy that job.
Despite his best efforts, Midoriya would be lying if he said he wasn't starting to feel anxious. The suspense was taking its toll.
Then, the day came when a letter from UA finally came in the mailbox slot. Uraraka had received hers as well and the pair were now preparing to open them in their respective apartments.
Sitting at his desk in a white tank top and grey jogging pants, he let out a deep exhale before carefully opening the letter. Instead of a letter, a small disk fell out and landed on his desk. It immediately lit up, projecting the face of the world's most famous hero with his trademark smile.
"I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!"
"All Might?" Midoriya blinked, confused. 'Wait… UA can afford to send examinees hologram projectors? This school has way too much money!'
"I had to do some paperwork that took quite a bit of time, and I had to record all these videos for all examinees, so I wasn't able to contact you." He stopped to look around, as if he were making sure no one was watching him. "Also, I recorded your message last while the director was out of the room so I could talk more freely with you, Captain."
Midoriya nodded in understanding, already suspecting he was too busy to respond.
"First things first, you passed the written exam with flying colors - a 95 percent score! All your time studying on your own and with your two new friends certainly paid off. Well done!"
Midoriya smiled, feeling hope blossom in his chest. 'So far so good…'
"Now, onto the practical exam," the screen then switched to show Midoriya in a sprinter's stance at the entrance of the battle arena. "You started off strong. While your fellow examinees were left startled by the suddenness of the start, you were off the line and closing in on your first target. Going for the high ground to survey your surroundings while using your shield to take out enemies from afar (limiting potential damage to yourself) was a stroke of genius! The stamina you displayed constantly jumping across rooftops in search of targets is a testament to your own hard work and training."
Midoriya couldn't help but smile at All Might's praise.
"However…" He then winced, suspecting he knew what was coming next. "...while you made excellent progress during most of the test, you started scoring less Villain Points near the end. You even dedicated your last two minutes to disabling the zero-pointer, hamstringing yourself and your final score."
'And I don't regret that either.' Midoriya inwardly declared, knowing he did the right thing. 'Tsunotori-san could've died, and the other examinees were endangered. I had to act.'
"I'm sorry, young Midoriya, but I'm afraid you didn't earn enough Villain Points during the practical; 39 just isn't enough, even with your impressive written exam." All Might's projection frowned.
Midoriya sighed and lowered his head, disappointed. 'I feared that would be the case.'
He knew what would happen now. With him unable to keep his end of the arrangement, SHIELD would certainly call him back to the States. There, they would likely want to train him themselves and eventually grant him authority to work in the underground hero field as one of their agents, or just do their dirty work.
Neither option appealed to him. He didn't know why exactly, but there was just something about SHIELD that kept him from fully trusting them. Maybe it was because they were a global espionage organization built on telling lies to the masses and covering up shady (most likely illegal) acts? That may have something to do with it.
Regardless, he knew his time in Japan was finished, which meant… 'All Might, I wasted your time with all that training. Forgive me. Uraraka-chan, Yaomomo… I'm sorry…'
He then remembered a scene from one of their past study sessions together a couple months ago.
"Hey, all three of us are aiming to get into UA's Hero Course, right?" Uraraka stated rather than asked.
"That we are." Yaoyorozu nodded, looking slightly bemused. "I believe we already established that fact before though, Uraraka."
"I know, but I was thinking… we should make a promise to each other."
"A promise, huh?" Midoriya questioned, cocking a brow.
"Yeah! I want all of us to get in. Don't you?"
"Absolutely." Yaoyorozu agreed.
"Obviously." Midoriya nodded.
"Well, let's all work super-hard to pass the exams and get into UA together! That should give us all the extra motivation we need, right?" She then held out the top of her hand. "What do you say?"
Yaoyorozu smiled brightly and placed her hand on top of Uraraka's hand. "Very well. I promise I'll do my absolute best to earn my acceptance."
"Midoriya?" Uraraka and Yaoyorozu both looked expectantly at him.
Looking between them and their hands, he smiled determinedly. "Yeah." He placed his hand on theirs, ignoring their softness. "I promise to give it all I got too."
Yaoyorozu and Uraraka both matched his determination.
"I look forward to seeing you both at UA." Midoriya grinned.
Midoriya closed his eyes, covering his face with his right hand. 'I'm sorry I couldn't keep our promise… but I know you both will become great Heroes without me anyway.'
He hated letting people down; it was a horrible feeling.
'I'll be rooting for you from overseas.' The super-soldier could've sworn he felt something wet in his eyes. Allergies perhaps? Oh wait, he didn't have allergic reactions anymore, nor did he get sick either. Tears? Yeah… they were tears.
"Mission failed…" He mumbled dejectedly.
"If that were all to the test, that is."
Midoriya looked back up. 'Huh?'
"Sorry to lead you on, Captain, but I am also an entertainer. You see, this test was not graded by Villain Points alone."
He blinked. 'What?'
The image changed to show Midoriya rescuing Tsunotori from under the rubble and safely carrying her down the street away from the zero-pointer. It then shifted to show him climbing up the zero-pointer and the massive robot collapsing to the ground, deactivated.
"When the zero-pointer attacked and an examinee was trapped, you didn't hesitate to rush in and save her. Even after rescuing young Tsunotori, you were still worried for the safety of everyone else. So much so that you took it upon yourself to protect them by stopping the threat, even at the cost of impeding your own score."
All Might took center stage again.
"How can a school for heroes not consider the actions of people who demonstrate true heroism, even at the cost of themselves? Some may call that lip service. But you see, this is a job that requires risking one's life to put that lip service into practice! That is why we have Rescue Points! Awarded to you by a panel of judges!" All Might exclaimed. An image of the top 10 exam scores then appeared on screen. "Midoriya Izuku: 39 Villain Points and 60 Rescue Points for 99 points total. Not only did you pass, but first place is yours."
All Might appeared again. "Even though you have achieved so much and have much notoriety in your name alone even today, you've never hung your hat on it, nor are you too proud to admit that there is always room for improvement. You truly live up to the legend, old man."
Midoriya rolled his eyes, smirking playfully. 'I'll get him back for that.'
All Might respectfully bowed, holding out his hand to the screen. "Captain America, it is my honor, privilege, and joy to welcome you to UA University; your first step into modern heroics, your Hero academia."
With that, the projection finally cut off.
Midoriya didn't immediately react. He simply sat in his chair frozen for what seemed to be hours.
'I did it… I did it…' He couldn't believe it. Just when his hopes had been dashed, they were suddenly reignited into a blaze. 'I… I really did it…'
Rapid banging at the door suddenly snapped Midoriya out of his stupor.
"Midori-kun! Midori-kun!"
'Uraraka-chan!'
Midoriya immediately stood up from his desk and opened the door. Uraraka was standing at his door in a pair of black pajama pants with pink and white stars and planets and a white nightshirt with Thirteen on the front. Her chestnut hair was let all the way down to her shoulder blades.
Normally, he'd be blushing at her state of attire, but he was still shellshocked from his acceptance message to fully register it.
"I… I GOT IN!" She blurted out.
'That's right!' His eyes widened. 'I remember seeing her name on the list too! She got 85 points, which means-'
"Uraraka-chan… c-congratulation!" he stammered out, "You got second place! That's awesome!"
"Midori-kun…" Her eyes brightened, "...you got FIRST PLACE! That's so amazing! You're amazing!"
This time, Midoriya did blush mightily. "I-I… think that's an over-OOF!"
He didn't complete his sentence as Uraraka ran and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest. Midoriya's face somehow became even redder, his head now strongly resembling a tomato.
'She… she feels so soft… her chest is nice too… Wait, no! Stop!' He tried to shake those inappropriate thoughts from his mind. 'Knock it off, soldier! Control yourself!'
The sounds of sniffling interrupted Midoriya's panicked musings. He looked down, seeing tears brimming in Uraraka's eyes. "Midori-kun… I got the scholarship…"
'That's right… She was really studying and training hard for that.' UA University offered full scholarships to any Hero Course students who scored in the top 3 of the entrance exam. 'Uraraka-chan is tight on cash, so getting that scholarship is a big deal for her and her folks.'
Wait… that also meant he earned a scholarship as well. That's cool!
"I'm so happy for you, Uraraka-chan." Midoriya carefully placed his hands on her shoulders. "You worked so hard for it."
Uraraka sniffled, tightening her grip on his tank top. "I… Thank you! I couldn't have done it without you and Yaomomo."
She continued to cry, soaking his shirt with her happy tears. Midoriya decided to let her be. She needed to let it all out. Despite his own embarrassment, he returned her tight embrace with a gentle hug.
'Peg-chan… Dr. Hatsume… Bucky… I did it.' Midoriya felt his own tears return as well; only this time, they were happy ones. He glanced over to his shield case leaning up against his desk. 'Looks like my journey has only just begun.'