Chapter 4: Selection Exam

It was finally time.

There he stood, right in front of the massive H-shaped building that was UA. The greatest Hero school in Japan, where his hero had graduated from. His dream high school. And if everything went well today, this is where he would call his second home for the next three years.

Izuku stood at the front gate, a slew of emotions overtaking his being; excitement, nervousness, accomplishment and determination. But most especially accomplishment:

Hisashi had been expecting at for Izuku to clear least a third, maybe half of the beach. But his son had proven to truly embody UA's mantra of 'Plus Ultra'; the boy had CLEARED the beach that very morning, a sight his parents had buried into their memories: Their son standing triumphantly, a toothy grin on his face as the beach they had fallen in love on shined like a jewel. That morning there had not been a speck of garbage on the beach.

If they could be any prouder of their son, the Midoriyas didn't know how to. After a great big breakfast, Hisashi had dropped Izuku off a block before UA, wishing him luck.

"I'll pick you up in a few hours." Hisashi promised, messing with his son's hair. "Knock em dead, sport."

Izuku slauted his father as he drove off, then turned and finally realized where he was: THE UA!

Apprehension and doubt filled our hero. Maybe this wasn't...

SMACK!

He smacked himself back to reality; he had trained for 10 moths, had a great power and keen mind on his side. He could do this!

Besides, Mina would never let him hear the end of it if he chickened out. Hell, HE'D never let himself hear the end of it! That was the old him!

"I'm no longer the useless Deku who can't do anything right..." He told himself, not caring how it looked as he stepped forward. "I'm the Deku who gives it his all, and today, I prove it!"

He then stepped in front of his other foot and began to fall towards the ground.

'Oh the irony.' He whispered in his head. 'The cruel, cold iron-wait a second I can deflect damage so why am I even why is my face not meeting concrete and or stone?'

"There you go."

He felt two arms position him back upright and then realized there was nothing holding him to the oh wait, never mind there was the ground.

"Sorry I used my quirk on you..." The speaker, a very cute girl with brown hair and adoreable smile said. "I figured you didn't want to get hurt."

Before Izuku could comment, he heard a familiar voice:

"There you are!"

Izuku and his saviour turned to see Mina bounding her way over their way, smiling her usual beautiful smile.

Yes, Izuku had thought that; Mina had a beautiful smile that made this already good day even brighter.

"Was hoping to see you here, freckles!" She smiled. "Ready to kick ass and take names? Oh, whose this?"

"My name is Ochako Uraraka." The girl smiled, reaching for a handshake Mina happily gave. "Your friend almost tripped on his feet and I was helping him, um..?"

"Mina Ashido. Thanks for helping Izu, he's kind of a kluzt." Mina beamed at the new girl. "

Izuku did not deny or comment

Ochako turned to the boy she had helped.

"Izu?"

Realizing he was still standing in shock from talking to another pretty and nice girl (not really talking), Izuku cleared his throat and extended a hand to shake.

"Izuku Midoriya."

Ochako shook his hand as the bell rang.

"Well, I better get going! Good luck in case I don't see you!" Ochako beamed as she headed off to her exam room.

"I like her." Mina smiled as she and Izuku followed other students into the building.

"She was nice." Izuku followed, only to regret that when he saw the look on Mina's face.

"Why Mr. Midoriya, are you growing tired of me already?" Mina teased/

"What? No! Of course not! Why would I...?" He tehn realized what she was doing. "You're teasing me again, aren't you?"

"Oh no!" Mina assured him. "No, no, no I would never IZUKU LOOK! ALL MIGHT AND MIDNIGHT!"

"Where?!" Our hero snapped his head around like an owls, only to not see the two heroes and hear Mina break into laughter.

"Sorry!" She gasped in between laughs. "Can't help it, you're so cute when your flustered. Anyways, I gotta head to my section, but I'll be rooting for ya, Izu!"

She then raced off, leaving Izuku to find his way to his exam room for the written portion. With his fanboy knowledge, he got 90% easily.

An hour later, Izuku found himself in a very crowded gym, where President Mic explained how the practical part of the test would work; for 10 minutes students would face off against 5 different types of robots they were expected to destroy.

Izuku quickly jotted down what Mic was saying, even doodling hthe robots, each worth a different amount of points...save for one.

"Excuse me!" A tall and musuclar boy with glasses suddenly stood up, getting Mic's attention. "The form said there where 4 robots, yet you show us 5! Please explain, this would be a great insult to UA otherwise! And you!"

The boy called out, pointing to Izuku.

"Me?" The broccoli haired boy asked.

"Yes you! You've been doodling the entire time! If this is a game to you, leave!"

The old Izuku would've reacted rather poorly to being called out like that. The old Izuku would've embarrassed and apologized for something he didn't really do.

This was NOT the old Izuku, however. And with a firm tone in his voice yet a smirk on his face, he stretched his arm to show the boy his notes and said:

"It's called making notes. Helps retain information? To me help do my best? What, you expect others to just listen and retain?"

Huh.' Izuku mused. 'So THIS is how pointing out stupidity feels. I kind of like it.'

The bespectacled boy held his tongue, but a blush had covered his cheeks. A few laughed at the interaction, and Izuku himself settled in for the rest of the lecture.

Apparently the fifth robot was worth 0 points and taking it on meant automatic failure.

'

MHPM

On the bus to the Testing Grounds, Izuku looked in vain for Mina or Ochako. He instead fond himself sharing a seat with the glasses with the stick up his butt fellow and a boy with purple, gravity defying hair.

As he looked over, the glasses-wearing boy once again stuck his nose in Izuku's nose.

"Are you trying to distract others from concentrating?"

Strike two. Izuku mused.

"I'm TRYING to find some friends of mine. Do you always assume the worst of everyone?" He asked. The boy said nothing and instead moved to another seat.

"...Prick." The purple haired boy beside Izuku suddenly said. Izuku found himself agreeing with him. They sat in silence for a minute before Izuku asked:

"So...what do you have?"

"...Brainwashing." Hitoshi sighed, already prepared for this; next the kid would...

"That's so cool!"

...Sing his praises?

Wait, what?

Hitoshi was taken aback. Someone was complimenting his villainous ability?

"...How?" He asked.

"You could calm down riots, help rescue hostages by asking for them..."

Izuku rambled the whole way over, and unlike so many others, Hitoshi couldn't find himself hating the green haired by for it. His whole life, people had told him he'd probably become a villain with his Quirk, and no one aside from his parents gave his dream of being a hero any thought.

Now, a kid he had originally seen a stuck up and spoiled was giving him ideas for ow to use his Quirk that made sense and yet seemed so simple.

In fact, said kid spent the remainder of the ride filling Hitoshi's head with ideas on how he could use brainwashing in heroic manners.

"Hey, what's your name?" He asked before they were separated into different parts of the arena.

"Izuku Midoriya." Izuku called out. "You?"

"Histohi Shinsho."

MHPM

After a quick review of the rules, President Mic issued that the practical had begun. Students dashed off in search of robots to destroy, almost leaving Izuku standing alone.

With a smirk, he then bounded up and down, his legs becoming springs as he searched for targets. Spying a few flying robots heading his way, Izuku pulled back the tops of his index finger and thumb like a slingshot after slipping a pebble into them and let it fly, destroying two robots.

"Nice start!" Izuku beamed before he saw some students on buliding tops looking for targets. This gave him an idea: He landed on such a buliding and then pulled his eye almost out of its socket, the eye enlarging enough for him to see half the area...

And grossing many people out as well as making his eye feel dry and sore.

Speaking of people, Izuku spied a larger robot racing after some students. He leapt downwards, shifting his form into a bulldozer and swinging with all his might.

"I came in like a Wrecking ball!" Izuku declared as he slammed a Two-pointer into three more of its kind...only to feel sick at his own joke. "Oh. Wow, that was awful. I...I am so sorry."

Ignoring the glares, he went about his way, changing into a plan to get another view of everything. A more tank like robot appeared and our hero dived downwards it, turning into a jackhammer to damage it...only for a blur to zip by and send the robot flying.

It was the glasses-wearing boy yet again.

Okay. Calling Izuku out for a percieved slight was one thing. Assuming he was trying to sabotage someone else was another. But stealing his kill? After the 10 months of hellish training he'd put himself through?

Izuku's limit had been reached.

"Okay you know what?" Izuku snapped. "I am getting sick of you!"

He then turned into a catapult and next thing the boy knew, he was being sent flying...about 10 feet away. With a shrug and some satisfaction. our hero then turned into a plane to get a better view of the area, only to see others doing the same; a blonde boy who seemed to have way too many quirks, a boy with pointy hair and what looked like a ninja.

And then, an idea came to our hero. Subtly and carefully, he slunk and slithered along teh ground before coiling around the boys like a snake, tripping them into each other.

"Heroes don't steal! Behave!" izuku beamed just as another bot attacked, this one with missiles...which sank in to Izuku's form and then bounced right back, destroying them instantly and getting Izuku even more points (which he realize he probably should be counting, but hey).

Just then, the ground shook and all turned to see the 0-pointer; a Godzilla sized mecha complete with arms, a tail and tank tire legs.

And instantly, any confidence Izuku had been building up died. As many of the other students began to run, Izuku rcked his brain trying to think up a way out of this situation; Mic had said it was a target to be avoided and to take it on meant you failed, but surely a hero...?

"Ow!"

Izuku stopped in his thoughts when he realized somebody had not been as quick as the others; he slowly turned and saw something that made his heart freeze:

Ochako's leg was pinned underneath some rubble and she was trying to crawl free. Mina was at her side, trying to melt the debris to her new friend out...but she wouldn't be able to do so in time.

Without a second thought Izuku raced forward and did what may have just been the stupidest thing he'd done ever since he got this power:

He morphed into a iron beam and stopped the robot's charge, trying to buy his friends time to escape. The 0-Pointer's computer picked up on this and its arms began flaying around, destroying more buildings and causing more debris...

MHPM

Hitoshi had been running along with everyone else at first. He knew he had no chance of taking on the 0-Pointer; his Quirk only worked on living beings.

That had all changed when he saw Izuku race back to help the two girls.

Call it sensing a kindred spirit, or wanting to show how shallow some of these guys were, or maybe, just maybe, call it believing in what Izuku had said, but Hitoshi then did something he had never done before:

He willingly used his Quirk to make a situation work for him

"Hey jackasses!" Shinsho shouted indiscriminately, sensing that for once his Quirk was working alongside his wants. He saw the tall glasses wearing boy, the apparent French boy in fancy looking clothes and what appeared to be the humanoid version of the Pokemon Tentacruel.

He could use this.

"Alright Speedy, get back there and make sure those girls get out and stay out of harms way. Belly-Button, blast away everything that is heading towards the deserters. And Body Horror, you keep an eye and direct them as you need to."

The trio did as he was ordered; the French student blasting away debris without a care for his tummy ache, the squid like boy helping in aiming his laser and the glasses-wearing boy helped Mina get Ochako out before racing back towards the crowd

"Wait!" Mina called out, struggling out of the speedster's grasp. "We need to go back for Izuku!"

Hitoshi then saw just WERE his kindred spirit was; looking like he was about to be crushed by the 0-pointer. Worry filled him and he was just about to order the trio to repeat the task (hoping Brainwash still worked in his favor) when he saw something that would change his life forever:

Izuku, now seeing Mina and Ochako were out of harm's way, shifted back into his 'normal' self before taking on a snake-like form and slithering away from the giant foot. He then morphed himself into a bouncing slinky and made his way up the 0-Pointer's head, leaping between its palms and occasionally shifting his form into a biplane to cover more distance...when he saw it:

A switch.

"This looks important!" Our hero hollered, and with all of his might, he flipped that switch.

The robot stopped suddenly, its lights going out and its body falling forward.

"Oops!" Izuku gasped, realizing he hadn't thought about making sure the 0-Pointer stayed where it shut off while it was in motion.

Izuku then jumped back down, then using his own body as a make shift sling shot using elasticity to fling the 0-pointer into the other direction, over the school grounds...and unfortunately for him as he would later learn, right back on the beach he had JUST cleaned.

He then gasped for air and looked over at the slack-jawed crowd.

"I-is...Is everybody okay?" He asked, just as the bell rang.

"TIMES UP!" President Mic announced.

MHPM

After making sure everyone was okay, Izuku had been surprised when Mina had raced over to him and hugged him with all her might.

"Don't you ever do something that crazy again!" She had demanded. "You could've been killed!"

"B-but a hero..." Izuku had started, only to be cut off again,

"I know that a hero has to sacrifice to save people! I know that!" She then calmed herself down. "I...I'm sorry. I know this is your dream. But Izu? You don't have to sacrifice right away. At least not here. I mean, we want you to keep going home to your folks and I want to keep hanging out with you."

This was not like the Mina Izuku knew; she was saying these things as they came to her...he then saw her eyes, now almost brimming with tears at the thought of him being gone.

Izuku once again found himself disliking not seeing Mina with a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, Mina." He apologized. "It won't happen again. Can I make it up to you?"

Mina's happy smile returned, then turned into her sneaky one.

"You can start by taking me to the Aliens marathon on Saturday and Sunday."

Izuku's mind flashbacked to the scenes from the first Alien movie he had ingrained into his mind when he and his family had visited the Ashidos. He whimpered

"And after that, help me babysit Gordon."

"...That seems fair." Izuku mused.

Unknown to the two of them, Hitoshi and Ochako watched them with knowing smiles.

MHPM

A week later, Izuku stared at the fish that was part of his dinner, reliving the events of the Selection exam over and over again in his mind.

"Izuku? Snap out of it..." Inko tried calling out in unease. "Why are you staring at that fish?"

"Buddy, are you okay?" Hiashi asked, equally disturbed by the look on is son's face. Said son said nothing. With a sigh, Hisashi took a deep breath.

"Hisashi Midoriya! I told you no fire-breath at the dinner table!" Inko called, only to see her husband's cheeks were puffed and his face was turning colors. "Don't you dare!"

Hisashi let out a stream that burnt the fish in his son's chopsticks to ashm finally bringing the youngest Midoriya back to reality just as his mother smacked his father upside the head.

"Sorry guys!" Izuku apologized as he eat his meal ravenously. The family then returned to eating their dinner, the son tuning out most of his father's talk about work as he grew antsy about whether or not he had made it in,

10 minutes after dinner

"HOLY FLAMING CRAP ON A CRAP SANDWICH!"

"HISASHI!" Inko snapped before seeing what had made him swear. "T-t-t-the test results!"

Izuku stopped his regular after dinner workout.

"BUDDY, THEY'RE HERE!" Hiashi shouted. "IZUKU, THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE HERE!"

The boy dropped the dumbbell and stretched his arm to grab the letter before doing the same to get the door to his room, which he flung himself into.

For a good minute, he left the envelope as it was, before tearing it open to deciding to live with the consequences of whatever came along.

The letter turned out to be holographic, as a very familiar voice beamed:

"I AM HERE! AS A PROJECTION!"

There was All Might in a yellow business suit, smiling brightly.

"Been a while, hasn't it young Midoriya? In case you're wondering, I'm actually going to be teaching at UA! And speaking of which...You did a phenomenal job on the written part of the test, with 90%! As for the pratical, you made a little above the minimum for that...we had to dock some points for your handling of some of the...less than cooperative examiness, but I am please to say you made the cut...until you took on the 0-Pointer."

Izuku hung his head.

"HOWEVER! Battle strength alone is not the only thing we keep an eye out for! We have RESCUE POINTS! And you amassed quite a few, not only by saving young Miss Ashido and Uraraka, but the aforementioned dealing of some less co-operative examines. Bu what most drew the judges' attention however!" All Might announced. "Was your ability to inspire teamwork between fellow heroes."

The video than flashed to show Hitoshi directing the others to help Izuku. A sense of gratitude filled our hero.

"That being said..." All Might suddenly said, his face now going from a beaming smile to a toothless one, almost a frown. "There was the matter of...the incident."

The letter than flashed to Izuku stumbling out of the chemical factory he had trespassed on the day his ability had come to him.

"Ordinarily, any criminal record, no matter how little, would result in your immediate dismissal." All Might said sadly and Izuku's heart begin to shatter. All that hard work, being so close to his dream he could taste it, and...

"However!"

All Might's smile returned

"The Principal of UA, Nezu has final say on the matters, and had this to say!"

The image then changed once again. This time on appeared a...bear? A mouse? Some kind of mamamal in a suit.

"Hello young Izuku. You probably already know who I am, so I'll keep this brief. Do forgive the messy state of my office...Let us just say that Power Loader is NOT a fan of you, right now..."

Izuku could swear he heard someone ranting about pummelling the hell out of him when he came to get his costumed done.

"Your case is an interesting one. You are Quirkless, yet an accident gave you an ability quite like a...dare I say it...combination of Quirks. This was actually rather common back in the first generation, but more to the point of you...Ordinarily, as All Might and I'm certain you would know, we would not make any exceptions. But you have proven to have the mindset of some of the Vigilantes of the first generation truly wanting to help others. I will not see potential like that wasted, so..."

All Might then appeared next to each Nezu and said alongside him:

"Welcome, Izuku Midoriya...TO UA!"

Inko and Hisashi had been pacing back and fourth, Hiashi chewing on his nails and Inko worriedly praying to every deity she could think of, when their son's door open. He simply smiled, which told his parents everything.

"OH, MY BABY!" Inko bawled in happiness, taking her son into arms.

"THAT'S MY BOY!" Hisashi beamed, messing with his son's hair.

MHPM

Hitoshi Shinsho's letter was not what he expected.

Eraserhead was the one who delivered his message. This immediately set Hitoshi on the edge; from what he gathered, All Might had been doing most of the acceptance letters.

"I'll be blunt: You did good on the written test, but didn;t get enough points in the practical. Now, your Quirk isn't suited for the combat heavy test, we realized. But, when you showed negotiation and teamwork skills to help...that problem child..."

Hitoshi couldn't but smirk at that. That summed up Izuku pretty well, he figured.

The letter then showed him directing some of the runners to go back and help the injured girl and clear debris where he had seen students being in harm's way.

"A little blunt and rude, some argued, but a hero can't always coddle and comfort. That little stunt there earned you something called Rescue Points. 24 of them, to be exact."

Hitoshi quickly did the math; he had met the bare minimum to get in! He then pushed that hope

"Along with this message, there is a training regimen for you to follow to a T. UA doesn't usually do this, so take this regimen and train hard, Hitoshi." Aizawa told him. "The SECOND a spot opens up in the Hero course, you're in it. With any luck, I'll fail someone on the first day."

Someone's hand came in

"I don't care if it's unprofessional, its true."

The hand made a motion to

"I've failed entire classes last year, I'll do it again if I need too."

Defeated, the hand made a 'hurry up' motion.

"Fine. Anyways, welcome to UA, Hitoshi Shinsho."

Hitoshi broke down into his room, tears of happiness escaping his eyes. From outside his room, his parents had similar reactions; happy that fortunes where changing for their son and that he now had a chance to become the hero he wanted to be.

They also made a point to try and find this stretching boy who had helped him out.

Chapter end!

Read and Review, would ye kindly?

Sorry for taking so long and sorry to any Tenya fans if I overdid his...well, less than admirable manner in this chapter. Next chapter will show the awkward but devoted (but sometimes not in the right way) Tenya many of us have grown fond of.

But for how long?

So yes, Hitoshi will be something of the Duetagonist or secondary lead of this story, becoming Izuku's best friend and eventual partner in heroics.

Keep warm and safe