"It's huge!!!" one of the examinees shouted uncontrollably, eyes wide in disbelief at the massive, perfectly reconstructed urban landscape standing before us—an entire city recreated in jaw-dropping detail.
"This isn't just a stage... it's an entire city!" another yelled, overwhelmed. But I didn't care. What caught my eye wasn't the scenery—it was Midoriya, standing still, body stiff with nerves.
I took a few steps forward, closing the distance between us.
Thud!
Midoriya flinched as a familiar hand clapped down on his shoulder—the same overly serious perfectionist from before, with his signature glasses and rigid expression.
"My friend," he began, tone polite but laced with sarcasm, "who exactly are you? You don't plan on being a liability to your fellow candidates, do you?"
Before Midoriya could even respond, his eyes flicked sharply toward me.
"And you," he said, voice tinged with judgment. "You've looked disinterested from the start. If you're not serious about becoming a hero, you'd best go home now."
I raised an eyebrow at him silently, then rolled my eyes and folded my arms, refusing to dignify him with a reply.
[AND… BEGIN!!!!]
The announcer's voice thundered through the air, catching everyone off guard.
[WHAT'S WRONG? IN A REAL BATTLE, THERE'S NO COUNTDOWN! NOW RUN!!! RUN!!!!]
[LET'S SAY THE COIN HAS ALREADY BEEN FLIPPED.]
No time to think—my legs moved before my brain could catch up. I dashed forward, quickly overtaking the others, even Midoriya.
Not one to be outdone, Glasses Guy sprinted after me.
Then came the robots—villains in this simulation—emerging in waves, advancing with mechanical aggression.
A missile was launched.
I didn't stop. I didn't hesitate. I ran straight through it.
The missile passed through me harmlessly.
Behind me, several examinees screamed and stumbled from the minor shockwave, collapsing to the ground.
But I kept going—charging through every robot, weaving past them, even using their towering size against them in this confined arena. It was chaotic, but this... this was my moment. My chance to make my father proud, even if I had no idea where he might be watching from.
I spun, leapt, and moved with precision—almost like dancing through the battlefield. Robots began falling—not because I crushed them directly, but because they turned on each other, reacting to the chaos I stirred.
Within minutes, I'd drawn all eyes to me. The other examinees stared—some in awe, some in confusion. I didn't know what they were feeling exactly... and I didn't care.
Then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the artificial city.
From the smoke emerged a colossal robot, towering and monstrous, causing buildings to crumble beneath its every step.
"Yeah… nope. That one's above my pay grade," I muttered to myself, spinning on my heel to flee with the others. The ground trembled with each of the robot's movements, and the city's structures barely held together as it advanced.
The smoke thickened—and within it, I saw her.
A girl.
Collapsed, injured, completely vulnerable.
"This is bad…" I whispered.
I started to run toward her—but someone was faster.
A blur shot through the air, rising high above, reaching the head of the towering machine.
"SMASH!!!"
With one word—one punch—the entire upper half of the robot disintegrated, blasted into dust by that small but mighty fist..
***
The entire area fell silent. Not a single sound was heard as everyone's eyes widened—each expression painted differently, all focused on Midoriya.
Slowly, the colossal robot toppled, crashing into the ground with a thunderous quake that shook the entire mock city.
Above it, Midoriya, now suspended in the air, plummeted downward. His arms swung like limp paper, bones clearly fractured from the impact.
I didn't think twice. I ran—instinctively—toward where he was about to land. But before I could reach him, a girl shot in from the side, using broken pieces of a robot as stepping stones to remain airborne. With a swift, controlled motion, she softened his fall, diverting his descent so he wouldn't injure himself further.
"Midoriya?! Are you okay?" I called out in panic, kneeling beside him.
"Urghhh... I still... need to earn points... Just one... Just one..." he muttered, his voice strained.
"No! Don't push yourself! Do you want to die?!" I shouted at him, voice trembling with frustration.
[AAAND... THE EXAM IS OVEERRR!!!!]
The announcer's voice rang out like a crashing wave, hitting Midoriya harder than the fall itself. His eyes welled up with tears, and at that very moment... the exam had ended.
Whispers spread throughout the arena—some directed at me, some at Midoriya. I didn't care.
"You're insane! What if you died, huh?! You can take the exam again, but if you're dead, you can't take anything, and you'll never become a hero, you idiot!"
I turned left and right, frantically searching for anyone—anyone—who could help him.
And then, a small old woman calmly walked toward us. Her expression was gentle, filled with warmth and compassion that radiated like a mother's embrace.
"Leave this to me, children," she said with a soft smile.
I brightened. "Really? You're going to heal him?"
SMOOCH!!!
My eyes widened in horror as I watched the old woman stretch her lips and plant a kiss on Midoriya. Just like that, like magic, his injuries began to heal—slowly, but surely.
"From what I can tell, your Quirk isn't syncing well with your body yet, sonny boy," she said calmly.
"This poor child needs to rest for now. Is there anyone else injured?"
In silence, I looked at Midoriya—his tears still flowing endlessly, as if mourning something that had slipped beyond his grasp.