It has been ten months.
During this time, Izuku did all he can to be prepared for the UA exam. Nonstop he has studied, hoping the material will become ingrained into him. He forced himself to dance beyond his limits, even if it felt as though he was going to crumble right there. Present Mic had to pull him away once when he noticed the boy was not going to stop. In addition, he worked on his endurance. It isn't in the place it should be compared to other kids his age, but he can still see a difference. He is willing to take any improvement at this point. Finally, he did any research he can on the exam itself.
While Izuku was unable to gain information about the academic part of the test, he was able to learn about the practicals. The practicals consist of robots. The moment he heard, he painted a little gear on his arm to remember and started to devise a plan. He turned in a paper for a request for two support items: a long bendy metal stick that is his height and padded gloves. He uses the stick when he is dancing so he has experience with it. It is about a half-inch in diameter and he can use it to throw it or himself as well as defend. The gloves can be used to improve his punching ability and are for another reasoning.
"Izu! Come eat breakfast!" His mom hollers for him. Izuku walks out of his room in a peppermint green jogging suit. He quickly sits down and eats.
"Are you excited, Izu?" Mom asks. Timidly, Izuku nods. She sighs, "Nervous?" This time, she receives a more visible nod. Getting up, she walks over to her child and hugs him gently. Softly, she whispers, " I will be proud no matter what. I believe you can do it with that quick brain of yours." He just snuggles closer to her, causing a smile to stretch across her face. Suddenly, she remembers something as she looks down at her baby boy, " Oh, Izu, I have something to give you! One moment," his mom quickly scurries off before returning with a small, wrapped box, " open it, sweetheart."
Confused, Izuku starts to unwrap the gift gently as to not let the paper get a rip of any sort. He carefully pulls the paper away before gently lifting the lid on the box. Inside, a letter sits on top of something he can't see. He doesn't bother to look at the gift yet as he wants to read the letter first. He diligently unfolds the paper before reading the inside.
Hey Tiny Listener!
I was looking over the papers for UA entrance exams to see who was entering, and I find out that you are trying out for UA! I should have expected you would go to the top school! Thank god I looked at the list! Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to encourage you through this letter! Now it's time to get on to why I am writing this. The day of the entrance exam, I asked your mom to give you what is in the box. I would say what, but I have a feeling you went for the letter first for how sentimental you are. Actually, look at the item so I can explain everything.
Izuku carefully sets the letter down. He pulls the box closer. The moment he looks inside, he can't help but smile wide and cry tears of happiness.
Inside, there is black airpods and special phone. Before he touches them, he holds the letter up again to read. He makes sure to keep the paper away so his tears don't get on it.
I wish I could see your reaction! Sure, I'm having your mom record but still! I wanted to give it to you myself, but I have to be at UA in the morning. I can't give it to you the night before or something like that because I know for a fact that you would stay up all night listening to all the songs on there. You are probably wondering why I decided to give these to you.
I want you to wear them in the exam and use the phone I gave you. I got permission for you to use them throughout the whole UA exam. However, you must use that phone provided as it was approved. I was told by your mom that you struggle in school as well as have anxiety. I believe that listening to music will help you. I have made specific playlists for you to listen to when you are learning or working out. Music is beneficial, especially for you. You rely on music whether you want to admit it or not. It might even help you remember better! I want you to keep it no matter what happens. You need this. Get the school to approve it. If they will not, text me and I will talk to them myself.
Now onto important matters.
I will be honest. I will not tell you this is easy. It will not. Very few students will make it through. You will have to fight for your spot. You will have to get creative. You will have to break your limits. You have to prove you're an asset. At the very least, you have to prove yourself to get into General Ed. There, you can build yourself to be a hero. You have a chance at the Sports Festival.
Bring all you got. Take advantage of your skills. You're behind compared to everyone else, but you also have the most room to grow.
Prove the world wrong about you, Izuku. You got this! Plus Ultra!
Present Mic (Yamada Hizashi)
Excited, Izuku turns on the phone before popping the airpods in and exploring the music in the phone with a large grin. His mom, Inko Midoriya, stops the recording and sends the video to Present Mic.
At UA, Present Mic watches the video with a smile sketched into his skin.
Before Izuku stands his hopes and dreams. Before him stands UA. The school towers over him, glaring down upon him like he is prey. If he fails this, he...he doesn't know what to do.
A soft piano song plays in his ears, providing comfort he wasn't expecting. Izuku can still feel his nerves trying to get to him, but listening to the song calms him down. As he listens to the keys play with love, he loses sense of his surroundings, causing him to trip. Izuku instinctively rolls up into a ball. He tumbles to force himself on his feet and lifts himself up.
"Wow, that was impressive! Bad luck you tripped, but good thing you can save yourself!" A feminine voice interrupts him over the piano. He had it on soft so he can still hear what is going on.
He spins on his feet to face a girl looking down at him. She is the average height for a girl. Her hair is a light brown bob. She has a fairly-rounded face with large brown eyes. Her cheeks have a pink tinge to it. The rest of her body is a normal female body, but Izuku notices the pads on her fingers. He can presume it has something to do with her quirk.
Apparently, he got lost in his own head as she cuts through his thoughts.
"Oh, I need to get to the testing later! Hope you make it through! See you later!" With that, the girl scampers off, leaving Izuku in his place. He can't help but smile under his mask.
She was nice.
Izuku pulls out his phone to check the time. Shoot, he needs to go! He runs to his test area.
He didn't have a panic attack during the testing! Izuku didn't have a panic attack during the testing! The music seriously helps! Throughout the whole time, he did struggle. However, the music blocked off the judging surroundings. It gave him the capabilities to ignore everything but his work unlike before when he could feel anxiety creeping on him like a monster.
Now, Izuku and his competitors are being led to a large auditorium. He turns his airpods off so he can hear the speech. He quickly regrets that.
"Deku! What are you doing here?!" Bakugo almost screams before quieting down when he remembers he is at UA the moment he sees Izuku. Unfortunately, they have to sit next to each other for the whole speech.
Izuku is glad his face is hidden by his hair and mask.
"S-same reason as you, K-K-Kacchan." Izuku makes his vocal cords speak for him. Thankfully, he only hears a 'tsc' from him as they sit down. At each seat, a booklet is set for them. Izuku opens the book, reading through it. He pulls out a marker, rolls up and sleeves, and starts drawing little pictures to remember.
"HELLO EVERYBODY! CAN I HEAR A YEAH?!"
This causes Izuku to look up, having a smile behind his mask. He should have known Present Mic would be announcing. Too bad he can't focus on him as he will just forget. He needs these visual aids.
Nobody did end up responding to the man.
The practical exam involves using any means necessary to take out robots. The robots are labeled at one point, two points, and three points. There is a button at the back of the legs that people with non-combative quirks can press to disable the robots. Based off the pictures of the robots, that is what Izuku will have to rely on.
A harsh tone cuts through the air, " AND YOU WITH THE LONG GREEN HAIR, " Izuku looks up confused, "YES, YOU! YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSE TO BE DRAWING WHILE A LECTURE IS HAPPENING! IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, YOU SHOULD LEAVE NOW!"
Izuku flinches at the tone even though nobody can see. He studies the boy. The boy has dark blue hair that is flattened with rectangular glasses. He wears glasses that are square-shaped and has a sharp pointy jawline. His body seems to be muscular and broad.
There is awkward silence for a moment. Izuku looks at Present Mic, noticing his smile has gone away for a moment. Within a second, he puts his show facade back on, though he can tell it's more...sad? He struggles to tell. He just knows something is off, but he can't do anything about it. It pulls the attention away from him though and he can appreciate that.
Izuku adds to his drawings to text Present Mic later.
"Ah listener number #####! That is not a mistake! I was just getting to it! It's worth zero points, therefore, you should just run away from it!" Present Mic announces.
With that, everyone is sent to go to their battle area. As Izuku leaves, he feels a rough hand on his shoulder. This causes him to look up to see Bakugo. He bites his fear back.
"Don't die, Deku." Bakugo states. He walks off without waiting for a response. This leaves Izuku confused.
Isn't this the same kid who told him to kill himself for a quirk? Did something happened? Is he missing something?
That is going to be ingrained into his lacking memory.
Izuku stands back from the crowd surrounding the gate. He pulls out the phone he was given and searches for the playlist Present Mic created for him. The moment he pressed the play, rock music started blasting in his ears. He grins. He doesn't normally listen to rock, but he does enjoy the music genre. He puts his phone away before picking up his weapon, the metal stick. He already has the gloves on and looked at the pictures to remember the challenge. Izuku glares the gate down, ready to prove himself to the world. It must be the music making him confident.
"What are you doing?! You aren't suppose to bring weapons in here!" Izuku recognizes the voice from somewhere. He turns to face the owner, only to realize it's the boy from earlier. He is glad he has the music on this time. However, he can still feel his nerves trying to beat the music. As he is about to stutter a response, the gate standing in front of them opens.
Without thinking, Izuku starts running through, leaving all the other kids behind. He believes he hears Present Mic in the background, but he isn't sure over the music accompanying his ears.
Izuku is quick to study the city area around him.
Most of the kids will probably stay on the main roads to fight the robots. I can't stay on the main roads as I can get accidentally hit. The kids are most likely faster then me anyway. An open area will not benefit me as I have nothing to rely on. I wonder...
Izuku takes a sharp right into an alleyway.
Bingo!
Robots are in the alleyways! A one-pointer quickly notices Izuku. Barely giving him a chance, it zooms forward. He goes with his gut feeling, bends on his knees, and weaves to the left. Izuku narrowly avoids getting run over. He swings his leg to spin himself with the momentum he already has and slams his leg into the button, successfully shutting the bot down.
Not giving himself a moment to recover, Izuku dashes toward the next bot.
"Principal Nezu, sir, there is a kid that shouldn't be in there." All Might tells the principal of UA Nezu, an animal with an intelligence quirk. It's unknown what animal he is, though he himself knows.
When Nezu notices the student trying, he quickly guides the camera to focus on the boy and pull up his records.
Midoriya Izuku - Quirk: Quirkless - Previous School: Aldera Junior High - Age: 15 - Additional Information: Memory Problems
Most of the teachers in the room look shocked at the quirk. Nezu is not. He is shocked at the collar around his neck. It has been a while since he has seen one, but he knows what it is.
Why is a boy his age wearing that collar?
"That is not a child, All Might. That is a boy the same age as everyone else." Nezu states as he continues to focus on Midoriya. Unlike most students, Midoriya went into the alleyways to fight them. This gives the boy the advantage of using the walls to bounce off of as well as limited space for the robots to move. Midoriya's technique is working to take out the robots slowly, but it is happening.
"Are you sure he should be on the field?" Nezu hides behind his happy facade.
"Considering the circumstances, Midoriya is handling himself well. Unlike most students who focus on their quirks, Midoriya is using his surroundings and adapting to the situation. His combat skills could use some work, but he is still considered a formidable opponent as we see. His adaptability is rather impressive for someone his age."
Nezu is not lying. Mentally, he makes a note to allow Midoriya the choice of going into General Ed if he doesn't get enough points. His normal smile comes back as he watches the rest of the screens.
Nezu starts his normal speech,"The point of the exam is to see a person's combat ability as well as if they can remain calm in a situation. Some students can easily destroy the robots. Meanwhile, other students must get creative with their quirks or their environments. Let's see how they adapt to this." With that, he slams his paw down on the red button.
Izuku has no idea how many points he has. What he does know is that he is worn out and ready to fall. The only thing keeping him standing is the bass blasting in his ears. He knows he can't give up though. He must keep going!
As Izuku is running to the next alleyway, a large crunch alongside screaming can be heard. Dust fills the area as he looks at the distance.
A huge bot stands tall over the buildings, dwarfing all the students that are running for their lives. Izuku is about to join them when he hears a desperate beg.
"PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
Izuku turns around to face a familiar girl trapped under the rubble. It takes a moment before his brain provides the answer.
That's the girl from before! Why isn't anyone going to help her? Isn't that the point of being a hero?!
Without thinking, Izuku runs to the girl, ignoring shouts telling him to turn back. When he arrives at the rubble, he quickly inspects the surroundings before acting. Bending down, he shoves the metal staff under the rock preventing the girl from moving. He adjusts it before looking around for another rock. Izuku crawls through the rubble before finding a decent size boulder a couple feet away from where he needs it.
Except he can't move it. His lungs and heart try to put his focus on them, but he can't. The robot is getting closer! He needs to save the girl!
COME ON, IZUKU! THINK! THINK THINK THINK!
Izuku gripes at his mind, looking down at himself before another plan springs to mind. He unzips his jacket, revealing his white over-sized t-shirt underneath, takes it off, and throws the torso part under the rock with the sleeves appearing from both sides. Gripping both sleeves, he pulls like it is a rope.
The rock flips over after he pulls with all his weight. Izuku does this procedure two more times before the rock falls on top of the staff. The staff is lifted up at the other end, causing the girl's captor to lift up with it. The girl crawls out within the couple precious seconds.
"Can you run?!" Izuku asks, desperately hoping she can.
"No, I think I twisted my ankle!" The girl states. The robot is too close for them to just run. Something has to happen.
"What is your quirk?!"
"Anti-gravity, but I don't think I can use it anymore without getting sick!" The robot is too close.
"START CRAWLING AWAY!" Izuku barks as he pulls his staff from the rubble. The robot bends down, its hand trying to grab him.
He won't let it. Izuku quickly studies the hand as he adjusts the grip on his staff. Softly, he starts clicking his tongue, the dancing number allowing him to find the perfect time to attack.
NOW!
When the hand is close, Izuku stabs through at the joint where no metal covers. He slams the staff between his wrist in the bracelet. Within a second, shock surrounds his whole body, causing his muscles to compulse painfully. He bites his tongue. The music is no longer clear to him. His vision blurs. Before he knocks out, he pulls his wrist out and runs, leaving the staff behind.
The hand is stalled for a moment. That is all Izuku needs.
Izuku easily catches up with the girl who has only crawled a couple feet. He lifts her up with his last burst of adrenaline and dashes to the nearest alleyway before continuing on until weirdly comforting sound is heard.
"AND TIME IS UP! EVERYONE PLEASE RETURN TO THE ENTRANCE GATE PLEASE!"
All the teachers look at the screen shocked at what Midoriya did.
Nezu can't help but grin wide. He knows this kid is going to be a wild card.
All Might sees himself in the boy the moment the boy removed his jacket and revealed his fragile bones. Nobody should be in that shape.
The rest of the teachers can't help but worry for both Midoriya and Nezu with his grin. They feel pity for the boy the moment they saw his too-small body. There must have been a reason he wore such loose clothes. They know it now.
On top of the buildings, it takes everything for Present Mic to not stomp down there and smother Midoriya. He will just have to do it later while lecturing him about safety.
Izuku slows down with the girl. When he slows down, he almost stumbles. He rips his mask off and greedily breathes the fresh air into his lungs. Izuku allows the girl to lean on him as they slowly walk back. He didn't want to injure the girl more. She, meanwhile, recovers from the shock before looking at him.
"Wow wow wow! You were amazing! I would not have been able to do any of what you did! Thanks so much for saving me! Oh, my name is Uraraka Ochaco!" The girl - Uraraka - exclaims. Izuku can't help but blush at the praise, even in his weakened form. Too bad he can't hide his face or smile now.
"I-It w-w-was nothing! I-I'm M-M-Midoriya." He stutters out, blushing more out of embarrassment.
"Give yourself more credit! Everyone else ran, but you didn't!" He doesn't have a response for that. A couple minutes later, they are the last two to walk through the gate. Izuku makes sure to have his mask on before then.
"There you two are! Now, let me see your injuries!" An elderly woman voice yells to their right. Izuku gently guides Uraraka to a medical tent, gets her inside, and sets her down on the bed. The woman had appeared behind the curtain during that time. She comes out and Izuku immediately recognizes her.
Recovery Girl - Quirk: Heal - With a kiss, Recovery Girl can speed the body process of healing an injury. However, it uses the patient's energy. She can't heal nerve damage or broken bones without the proper procedures done beforehand. However, she can heal the muscle and skin torn apart to fix the bone.
Izuku swears she hears her mumble something about reckless teens before studying Uraraka's foot.
"Just a twisted ankle. Here. Eat these." Recovery Girl hands Uraraka energy bears before...
MWAH!
Recovery Girl kisses Uraraka's cheek, and Izuku watches with fascination as the foot heals before them.
"Alright, go on and rest when you get home! I have other kids to deal with!" Recovery girl demands as she shoos Uraraka out. Izuku is about to follow her when he feels a tug on his shirt that causes him to stumble backwards a moment, "And where do you think your going?! I'm checking over you, young man!" He can't help but sigh as he walks in.
"See you later, Midoriya-kun!" Uraraka says through the cape before leaving.
"Now I can focus all my attention on you. Come on, we have some testing to do!" Recovery Girl states.
Recovery Girl forces him to go through movement test, none of which he has a problem. She then goes through multiple other test to check his overall health as well as ask questions. When she finds the results, she sighs.
"You're certainly going to be a handful for certain. I would like to speak with you again," She hands him a paper as she continues, " I will text you when the next appointment is. You're just way too out of shape for your age. Honestly, I'm surprised your still moving. You can go home, but you must rest and not electrocute yourself! Stay safe! Got it?!"
"Y-yes m-m-ma'am!"
With that, Recovery Girl lightly pats his head before leading him out with the paper.
Izuku heads straight home and knocks out for the rest of the day with piano music playing softly in his ears.
