Chapter three. Woohoo! Anyway, this next chapter will focus on the Entrance Exam for the most part, and we will some new important characters. No, I will not say any more than that, because spoilers. Anyway, review time!
godwar3426: Take my time? I run off of nothing but 3 hours of sleep, Bang Energy drinks, and protein shakes, you think I can do anything to slow down?
wolves567: That's funny. I'mma steal it. Kidding. Probably.
tigulerobot: Not a real one, no. At least, after she gets to know him. Second, he does have a connection to Hawks, but that won't pop up until the Sports Festival Arc, at minimum.
Tower Knight (ch1): As like in, a musket, or like, a mindset?
Tower Knight (ch2): Glad you agree. I know it's dumb, that's not gonna change it. I'm planning to use it as a way to show how Izuku feels without saying it out loud.
Wade Stormbow: He's not as bad as Bakugo, and I intended to write it merely as more self-confidence and assertiveness, but I suppose it came off wrong. And thanks for the advice, I'll consider it.
GumballDia: Thank you. I like to have a 'slow build' mentality, at least until things start to get crazy.
AtlasWrighte: Show up, show out kinda shit. He's there, he's gonna do his best.
Guest (ch1): Why thank you. I will put out more.
"Izuku! Wake up or you're gonna miss the train, sweetie!" Mom calls to me, and the next thing I know, I hear the door to my room creak open, and not a split second later, something jumps onto my bed, and a wet, slobbery tongue is on my face.
"Oreo..." I groan, trying to push the 80-pound dog off of me, which is no small task. I finally manage to sit up, holding Oreo back with my left hand, and scratching my head with my right. Looking down at my forest-green comforter, I move my eyes and head, glancing around my room, which is covered with hero merch of all kinds. All Might, Hawks, Gang Orca, Best Jeanist, Mirko, etc. But no Endeavor. Bad vibes from that guy. Swinging my legs outta bed, I walk over to my closet, opening the door to the comparatively small walk-in closet. Grabbing a hoodie, sweatpants, and a black compression shirt, I walk over the soft beige carpet to my dresser and grab a pair of shorts, running tights, and a padded sleeveless shirt, along with a pair of black socks.
Pulling off my pajamas, I pull on the rest of the clothes. The padded shirt goes on first, followed by the compression shirt, then the hoodie. On the lowers, it goes tights, shorts, then sweats. Grabbing my shoes, I lace them up as Oreo tries to lick my face, and I have to keep pushing him away. Grabbing my phone, wallet, wireless earbuds, and the shiny metal object I always have with me into my pockets, I step out the door to my room and walk down the stairs, Oreo on my heels. Grabbing a small backpack that I have the bottom of the stairs, I move quickly along the wooden floors, as Oreo's claws clack against them. As I pass through my kitchen, I already see a clear water bottle filled with a protein shake sitting on the counter. Grabbing the shake, I check the time on my phone. I got 15 minutes. More than enough time to reach the train.
"See ya later, Mom, Dad!" I call as I open the front door, rubbing Oreo's head one last time.
Walking out into the crisp March morning, I put my earbuds in, and begin a jog towards the train station, as a way to warm up a tiny bit. As I walk along the dull grey sidewalks, I pass commuters heading the same direction I am, parents being dragged by their kids, and yet others out jogging as well. I eventually make my way to the train station, and after quickly making my way through the lines, scramble onto the train, and instantly spot a familiar blond-haired boy grabbing onto an overhead bar.
"'Sup," I call to Bakugo, who turns to glare at me as I remove my earbud.
"You were almost late, nerd." He snaps, and I shrug.
"But I wasn't, was I?" I ask, and Bakugo looks at the bag over my shoulder.
"Gear, right?" He asks, and I nod as I pop open the water bottle with the protein shake, taking down about half of it before answering. Chocolate flavored. Nice.
"Yessir."
"Cool. What's in there?"
"Nonya business."
"It is my fucking business because you spent 6 hours at my house, discussing this with my mom and dad. So what the fuck is in that bag?" Bakugo asks, and I glare at him.
"I don't ask what you talked about with my dad when you come over. I know not to worry about it, because what you want with my parents isn't anything bad, I think. I'm willing to bet I know what it is, but I don't ask, do I?" I reply, and he frowns at me.
"What do you think it is, huh?" He asks
"You're learning to produce music, is my guess. My dad's a producer, and you two spend a lot of time in the studio," I reply, and Bakugo just stares at me
"You are too perceptive."
"Hah! I was right!" Bakugo just glares at me in response.
"So what I want to learn how to produce? It's fun. Plus, your dad said if the whole 'hero thing' doesn't work out, I could probably go work for him. He likes the stuff I make, so fuck off." Bakugo snaps, and I raise my hands in surrender.
"Sorry, man. I know you play drums, so I'm not surprised, and it's not a bad thing. I just found it interesting you haven't murdered my dad yet," I reply, and he sighs
"I actually like your dad. He doesn't take shit and listens to me instead of just hitting me if I challenge him," He mutters, and I make an 'ah' face as the train makes a turn
"Yeah, I get that. Anyway, you ready?"
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."
"Fair point."
Neither of us speaks to one another until the train stops. When it does, we both silently get off and make our way to U.A.s gate, which is surrounded by a fairly tall brick wall, an intimidating thing, certainly.
As we both stop at the gate, looking up at the massive, glass-steel building, with other applicants milling around, birds chirping, and the vague sound of voices. Looking down at my shoulders, I see a very slight orange tinge. Grabbing my halo, I see the orange-bathed glow of the metal, and I sigh, then put it back into orbit above my head.
"U.A. The first step of many." Bakugo mutters, and I glance at him.
"Not like you to spout off stuff like that," I note, and he shrugs.
"Maybe it's the nerves." He replies
"Maybe. Well, let's go." I say, walking through the gates as Bakugo and I weave our way through the crowd, walking past rows of busts of alumni. I spot Endeavor, All Might, Best Jeanist, Kamui Woods, and others.
"Which do you think is gonna be easier? Practical or Written?" I overhear someone ask, and Bakugo chuckles under his breath
"Nerds think that this is gonna be easy in any sense of the word. This is U-fucking-A. This is gonna be hard as shit." He says, and I shrug as we make our way into the lobby, and are instantly directed towards a table, where there who appear to be upperclassmen working with helping out U.A. The lobby is packed with other kids, many of whom look way too nervous to be alright in any sense of the word.
We both get into lines, and after about 10 minutes of waiting, I make it to the front of the line.
"Name." The older girl with bright purple hair and kaleidoscope eyes look at me, no, studying me.
"Izuku Midoriya." The girl scrolls through a computer, eyes flickering over the screen.
"Aldera Middle?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Okay. Here's this. That's the area for your practical. Go to written exam room 15. Good luck." She says, handing me a white business card. Nodding in response, I head towards the hallway, where I see the rooms are labeled with numbers. Making my way down the hall, I find room 15 and open the door, which is about the same number of feet tall.
A few kids glance my way as I do, but most ignore me in favor of staring off in space or at their desks. Looking to a desk at the front of the room, I see who could only be a U.A. teacher. A woman with long, almost spiky purple hair, red glasses, sky-blue eyes, wearing a dark blue suit with such a low-cut shirt I'm a bit concerned.
I go and pick a seat, setting my bag beside me, then grab a pencil from said bag, and set it on my desk in front of me. I look around the room, which is just a normal schoolroom, save for the giant door. Most of the students have fairly obvious quirks. I see one kid with spikes running up his arms, another with six arms who is wearing a mask, and yet another with green skin, mandibles, and a permanent glare.
After about 15 minutes, the woman at the desk stands up, taking some papers out of her desk as she does.
"Hello, applicants. My name is Nemuri Kayama, though you likely know me as The R-Rated Hero: Midnight. I am going to be your proctor. Now, this is a fairly simple test, Not an easy one, but simple. There are 4 sections. Science, Math, Language Arts, and History. You must complete all sections before the time is up. You will have 2 hours for the whole test. Answer all questions to the best of your ability, and for the math and science sections, show your work in the spaces where it asks for it. I will now pass out your tests. Once you are done, bring them up to me. Good luck~" Midnight purrs, before beginning to do what she said she would. She walks up and down the rows, setting the tests in front of us, face down.
After she's done, she returns to her desk and pulls out a timer.
"Time begins...now." Midnight says, and everyone flips over their tests. I look at mine. Science is first. Questions vary in toughness and complexity, I soon find out. Everything from basic environmental science too complicated physics.
None of the other sections are easier. Math is everything from basic algebra to pre-calculus work. Vocab identification to finding the theme of texts for Language Arts, and everything from the Early Japan Era to the Meiji Period.
After I finish that, I find something that shouldn't be there. Section 5: Personal Questions.
Flipping the introduction page away, I find a single question written on the paper.
"Why do you want to become a hero?"
A loaded question. Many would say to help others, some for the money and the fame, yet others for something different.
I study the question for a good minute, thinking about my answer.
Finally, I write down a single line. 8 words. 8 words explain why I'm here, doing this. Doesn't seem like enough, but it's all I have.
Walking up to Midnight's desk, I set my packet down, then return to my desk.
I watch as Midnight grabs my packet, and ignoring all the other sections, flips to the very back. She reads what I can only assume was my reason for being a hero, and while her face stays mostly blank, I can see her hands twitch a tiny bit. I wonder if that's good or bad.
30 minutes later.
"Can I get a YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH?" Present Mic roars as he bounces onto the stage, looking out over the crowd of applicants.
Predictably, nobody answers. But Present Mic, ever the professional, just carries on
"Quiet crowd today, huh? Well, that's fine! Let's talk about the test in front of you!" Present Mic says, and I turn to glance at Bakugo, who's merely staring at the ceiling.
"You're not gonna listen?" I ask quietly, and he glances at me
"Nope. No point. I have to blow shit up, simple as that." He replies, and I slowly nod.
I look around, glancing at some of the other applicants. I see the six-armed boy from earlier a few rows in front of me. I spot a girl with short brown hair a row in front of us tapping her foot nervously as she glances around. But as I continue, I feel a stare boring into my back. It's not a casual stare either, it's one of either intrigue, curiosity, or pure hate.
Turning around, I spot the pair that were trained on me.
A girl with vines for hair, wearing a light blue long-sleeved shirt, and some kind of pants. Her dark green bore in my emerald ones, and she quickly looks away as our eyes meet. Embarrassed, I suppose. As I look to turn back to the front, a voice from the crowd shouts out towards the stage
"Sir! You haven't mentioned the fourth type! And you, with the white wings and green hair! Pay attention!" I hear snickering from the crowd as I turn around, finding who I could assume is the speaker, a boy with blue hair, glasses, and a wide frame, with 5 straightened fingers pointed at me.
"...Aight. No need to throw shade. Besides, aren't you distracting everyone in this room, Present Mic included?" I ask, and I hear yet more snickering, and the boy merely frowns
"It was a needed interruption! You were being rude!"
"And now you are, what's your point?"
"I...you need to pay attention! If you want to be a real hero, you need to be attentive at all times!"
"Indeed. You also need to be able to understand that maybe, just because something hasn't been mentioned yet, it doesn't mean that the person who's speaking has forgotten about it."
"You...I..."
"Okay, little listeners! Both of you, please calm down! Examinee 7011, you are correct. There is a fourth type. That's the 0-pointer. Don't worry about it. It's nothing more than just an obstacle! Now, all of you, please head to your examination areas! And good luck!" Present Mic shouts, and everyone begins to move.
"What exam area you got?" Bakugo asks, and I glance down at my card.
"A. You?"
"Shit. I got C. I wanted to work with you. We woulda wrecked shit!" Bakugo curses
"They're splitting up kids from the same schools on purpose." A quiet, yet deep and firm voice, and I turn to see it's the six-armed kid from the written exam. But...it almost doesn't sound like he's speaking from his head. His voice is displaced if I had to describe it.
"And how do ya know that?" Bakugo asks, more of a growl than anything.
"I have a classmate from my middle school here. I ran into her before we were in there. She had to go a different one than me. So it's more of an assumption than anything. She will be in your group. I'm in B." The six-arm boy says, nodding at Bakugo.
"Huh. She any good?" Bakugo asks
"I would say so, considering she can put me on the ground with one attack." He answers, and Bakugo's eyes widen.
"Jeezus. How hard does she hit?" Bakugo asks, with a tone I recognize. He's looking for a fight.
"Not how hard, but rather how she hits is what makes her strong. Her quirk is unique, and powerful as well. But anyway, I must go. I wish you both luck with the exam." The boy says, then walks off, all-too quiet for a giant of his size.
"...I wanna fight her," Bakugo says as he turns forward again, away from the boy
"Of course you do," I mutter as Bakugo walks off, heading towards his exam area, I can only assume.
Sighing, I walk to my own and look around at the other applicants. I spot the blue-haired boy from before, along with the brown-haired girl, who is still moving nervously as she looks around. Deciding to get ready, I drop the bag from my back, and after cracking my neck, pull off the black hoodie, freeing my wings a bit. I slide off my sweatpants, and then stand up, stretching my arms as well as the wing muscles in my bag, the look down at the bag by my feet.
Crouching down in the dirt, I open the bag. Pulling out the first object, I look down at the small plastic, glass, and metal object.
A pair of green-tinted goggles, with an elastic strap, made with an aluminum frame and a rubber lining on the rims. Sliding them around my neck, I slide them onto my face, and over my eyes, looking through the glass. Perfect. Taking them off my eyes, I let them hang around my neck.
Taking out the next two items, I slide the pieces of cloth onto my hands. Flexing my fingers, I look down at the steel studded knuckles and rubberized backs of the gloves, designed to protect my hands as I move at high speeds, then slam into things. Not breaking my hands would be a plus.
Grabbing the final item, I merely pop that into my mouth. It's just a piece of gum. Spearmint flavor. I mean, it also has a bit of caffeine in it, but whatever.
As I glance around at the others, I spot the girl with brown hair staring at the ground, shaking while wringing her hands. Getting up to my full height, I walk over to the girl, who doesn't even notice me as I approach.
"Hey. You okay over here?" I ask, quietly and calmly, as not to startle her. She looks up at me, and her eyes are wide, and they flicker all around, focusing on anything but my face.
"I...yeah, yeah, I'm fine!" She says, hurriedly, waving her hands back and forth.
"Uhm...yeah, you're not. What's your name?" I ask, and she takes in a deep, shaky breath
"Ochaco. Ochaco Uraraka."
"Alright then. I'm Izuku Midoriya. Nice to meet ya." I say, smiling as she gives me a shaky one back.
"Same...are...are you ready for this?" She asks, and I shrug.
"I've done all I can to prepare, so yeah. What about you?" I ask, and she shakes her head
"I...I don't think so. I'm not strong, I'm not fa-"
"I don't think so. You're here, right?" I ask, looking at the brunette girl.
"I mean...yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"It has to do with everything. Most kids who want this dream never take this step. Taking the Entrance Exam. But you're here, right? It's more than most could ever say. So don't pull yourself down that much." I reply, and she's silent for a minute before she clenches her fists, and nods, slowly at first but she gets faster.
"Yeah. I got this! Thanks, Midoriya!" Uraraka says, and I nod
"Good. I wish you luck. Hope to see you in the hero course." I say, then look at the doors of the combat area, which I've noticed are open. Here we go.
"All examines, get ready!" Present Mic shouts, and everyone turns to the gates, many just noticing the change.
"And...Go!" Present Mic shouts, and I need no more encouragement.
I take three running steps, then flap my wings, and jump. I take to the air, flying a few feet off the ground as I scream into the exam area. It's modeled after a city, tall buildings and small streets with a lot of intersections. Rounding a corner, I see a group of 1-pointers rumbling towards me.
"Die. Die. Die." The robots call as I see what I think are rubber bullets flying around towards me. Tucking my wings as I get closer, I pull back a fist, as as I get close, arrest my momentum by flaring my wings, and slam a fist into the robot, denting the metal as I do so. Grabbing the green-painted metalhead, I plant my feet onto its back and using my body weight in addition to me pulling, I manage to tear its head off, sparks flying.
Using the head like a mace, I slam it into another 1-pointer, destroying both my weapon and the other robot's head. Quickly pulling my goggles up, I dodge a swipe from the robot, then punch another 1-pointer in the big red camera on its head, and then stick my arm up to my elbow in the internal cavity, pulling out random wires and circuits, making the spark, and fall over.
Grabbing my halo, I hurl it at the final robot, where it embeds itself into the robot, causing more sparks to fly, and finally fall over, sparking.
Walking over to collapsed robot, I rip my halo out and look at the metal ring. Undamaged. Guess this is my weapon now.
"Aight then...who else wants it?" I ask to no one but myself as I look around the battlefield, which by this point is strewn with a few metallic corpses.
Taking off again, I find a lone 1-pointer, and after slamming my halo into its neck, taking the thing's head off, I run into a two-pointer, the scorpion-like thing. Throwing my hallo again, the ring slams into its leg, disabling it. Rushing in close, I put a hand on my halo, and raising my other arm, slam my hand into the halo, pushing it through the leg of the robot, making it fall over. Clambering onto its back, I bash the metal with my halo a few times, eventually punching a big enough hole to allow me to rip out random bits of machinery and circuits. The robot stands for a few seconds, before collapsing under me.
Catching my breath, I push off from the robot and begin to take matters into my own hands. I hunt down 1 and 2 pointers, racking up points quickly as the number of robots quickly dwindles. I avoid 3-pointers as much as I can, only engaging if I'm spotted, or I absolutely have to.
After 15 minutes, I've racked up around 50 or so points, and I'm scratched to hell. My arms are covered in oil grease, and cuts are fairly obvious streaks of red. My arms feel like I've just spent 30 minutes doing nothing but pull-ups, and my hands are sore and are probably going to swell. But I have points.
"Goddamn...I need a nap." I mutter as I fly through the streets, over the other applicants and destroyed robots.
As I stop over an intersection, I hear a sound so enormously loud, I can feel the sound in my chest. It sounds like a ship tearing in half times 1000.
Looking around, I see what caused such a sensation. A robot, at least 10 stories tall, with arms big enough to make an 18-wheeler look like a toy. And of course...it's the 0-pointer. That somehow tracks in every way. 'Just an obstacle', huh?
As I look down in the streets below, everyone is running away from the robot, terrified. I drop lower to street level, barely flapping my wings as the giant robot advances on our little testing group. As everyone else flees beneath me, I make sure everyone is getting away...
That is until I hear a scream. My eyes whip towards the direction of the scream, and I spot Uraraka trapped beneath some rubble.
Cursing slightly under my breath, I dive towards her, landing in front of her on the rubble pile. Her legs are trapped beneath a piece of concrete, and she can barely move.
"Uraraka. Uraraka, can you hear me?" I ask as I move towards the edge of the concrete chunk.
"Midoriya?" She mutters, and I take that as enough to grab the edge of the concrete.
"I'm gonna get this off you," I say, and after taking in a deep breath, use my legs to force the slab up, and then get my forearms under the slab, and after a bit more work, manage to completely flip the slab, freeing Uraraka's legs.
"Let's get you out of here," I say, sliding my arms under Uraraka, picking her up, bridal style. Flapping my wings a few times, I gain height and speed, even with the extra weight.
As I make it towards the exit, I spot other applicants moving their way towards it as well. Slowing down, I fly to the ground, walking to a stop as I hear a whistle blow.
"The exam is now over! All applicants please head towards the exit!" I hear Present Mic call over the intercom system.
"You! I must prai-"
"Shut up. I'm way too tired and too mad to talk to you." I growl at the blue-haired boy as he tries to speak to me.
"I...you...I was merely going to thank you!" The boy says, and I ignore him as I see an old woman walking over towards me and Uraraka.
"Oh, dear. What happened to her?" The woman asks
"I think a combination of exhaustion, quirk-related or otherwise, and a leg injury of some kind," I say, pulling my goggles down to around my neck.
"Hmmmmmm. I see. Are you okay, dearie? Those are some nasty cuts," The woman notes, looking at my arms.
"They're just cuts. I mean, if you can heal them, that's fine, but I don't really need it." I say, and she hums.
"Well, come here then." She says, and I obey, setting Uraraka down in front of her, and holding my arms out. The old woman, much to my surprise, kisses me on the cheek, and I feel all my cuts heal, and my energy drop like a stone. It's a bit jarring, but not awful.
"You...you're Recovery girl, aren't you?" I ask, and she nods.
"That I am. Are you okay, dearie?" She asks, and I nod, yawning.
"Yep. I'mma go. See you at school." I say, walking off
"UHh...you aren't into this school yet, young man." She says, and I shrug as I walk away.
"True. But I'm a betting man, and I'm willing to bet that I'll be in."
Nice long chapter, huh?