"So I think you're wondering why I called the six of you out here." Mina said, standing in a hallway away from the theater.
"I'm guessing it's because of Midoriya's confession. Ribbit." Tsuyu said.
"Yep! When we get out of here, we're gonna take Ochako to Mina's room and get the truth out of her." Toru said.
"Quick question. Why am I here?" Itsuka asked. "I'm not part of your class but yet here I am because Yaomomo texted me about a meeting."
"I'm not a part of their class either, Kendou and I'm here." Mei said.
"Fair point." Itsuka said.
"Even if the rest of Class B wasn't here, everything that happened would have been the same and we still would've asked you to join in this little plan." Mina said.
"How are you going to get the truth out of Ochako, like you said?" Kyoka said.
Mina and Toru looked at each other. Mina gave the girls a mischievous smile.
"Good cop, bad cop routine." The two of them said.
"That's not going to end well." Momo said.
"We just have to wait until we leave the theater, don't we?" Mina said.
The girls returned to the theater.
The timer reached one minute until the start of the next episode. Everyone was going back to their seats. Mina and Kyoka noticed that Ochako and Izuku were looking comfy in their blanket. The timer hit zero and the lights dimmed. Giselle pressed play on the remote.
"The hallowed grounds of UA. The school with the best hero training course in the world. The place every kid wants to go. Sure, there are similar programs out there but they don't hold a candle to UA's which is why it's almost impossible to get in." Narrator Izuku begins to say. "The school's alumni list is 'who's who' of idols. All Might, the most famous pro there is." The said hero poses with his fist clenched and his charismatic smile.
"All Might!" The majority of the students yelled out as the retired pro hero chuckled from his seat.
"The legendary peacekeeper with the most wins under his belt. The Fiery Hero: Endeavor." Endeavor gave the camera an uncharacteristic smile.
Shoto had no expression but he thought about what his father said before they parted ways after the remedial courses today.
A sleek blond man was grooming his hair with his hand. "Not to mention the denim-clad award-winning marvel, Best Jeanist."
Katsuki's eyebrow twitched. Eijiro and Hanta grinned widely at the ash-blond boy.
"Graduating from UA is basically a requirement if you want to be a great hero." Narrator Izuku stated.
"I'd say Midoriya is giving us more praise than we deserve." Midnight said.
"He's not wrong. There are many UA alumni who turned out to be upstanding heroes." Nezu stated.
"And so, I held my head high and marched towards the Entrance Exams." Narrator Izuku said. "This was it, the first step toward achieving my dream of becoming a pro." Aldera Izuku walked towards UA.
The opening plays.
"I can't get over this opening. It's so good." Denki said.
"Yeah. The guitar riff makes it sound so cool." Kyoka said with a smile.
"Seeing the contrast between Midoriya and Bakugou kind of makes sense now." Itsuka said. "But what is up with their fists colliding with each other? You two duke it out or something?"
The students of Class A didn't say anything, which raised confusion among the teachers except All Might, who looked nervous.
The screen showed the location for the Entrance Exam.
"Battle Center B"
The screen showed Izuku and other examinees standing outside a gate. The other examinees were in awe seeing the fake city. Izuku looked nervous and was trembling.
Izuku's onscreen appearance got a few laughs from the students.
"Dang Muscles, you were really tense." Mei pointed out.
"It's not an everyday thing that you would be fighting robots with a quirk that you never used while competing against other people for a spot in Japan's top hero course." Izuku said.
The screen flashbacked to Present Mic explaining the Exam.
"Like your application says, today you rocking boys and girls will be out there conducting ten minute mock battles in superhit suburban settings. Okay, okay, let's check out your targets. There are three types of faux villains in every battle center. You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so better choose wisely." The screen behind him changed to show the three robots, and then a mini Present Mic figure crushing the robots.
"Your goal in this trial is to use your quirk to raise your score by shredding these faux villains like a mid-song guitar solo."
"We already know this!" Mina exclaimed. "Let's see Midori kick some robot butt."
"But this is a good review. Since six of us here didn't take the Entrance Exam and only experienced them first-hand during the Sports Festival." Eijiro said.
Hitoshi was going to say something but decided it was best for him to keep it to himself.
"Ok, this is it. A mock battle." Izuku looked around at the other examinees. "How come none of these guys seem nervous at all? Are they that confident? Some of them even have special gear."
"People have different ways to show their emotions. They might seem like they're confident but that's probably because they might be overestimating their abilities." Momo said.
"Noted." Izuku said.
"Look, it's you, Shoji." Minoru said, pointing to the screen.
"And Aoyama too." Mashirao said. "I didn't know you guys were in the same battle center as Midoriya."
"Neither did I." Mezo admitted.
"Midoriya noticed my belt before the exam started, such a keen eye. I did give him a dazzling performance afterwards." Yuga said.
The camera zoomed in to Ochako. 'Hey it's her. The nice girl I met at the school gates. The one who kept me from falling.'
Ochako blushed at the compliment.
"Uraraka is nice, huh Midoriya?" Itsuka asked with a smirk.
It was Izuku's turn to blush.
Izuku started walking up to her. 'I should probably thank her for helping me back there.'
Ochako looked at the screen in confusion. She didn't remember Izuku thanking her. But she thought it was sweet of him for wanting to thank her for such a simple act of kindness.
Izuku stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Tenya giving him a stern look.
Tenya looked at the screen in discomfort.
"Oof. I know that look." Hanta said. "He's about to call you out again in front of the other people, isn't he?"
Tenya looked over at Ochako. "She looks like she's trying to focus on the trials ahead. What are you going to do? Distract her and ruin her chances to succeed?"
"Iida, that was completely unnecessary. You cannot just assume something like that out of the blue." Momo said.
"I didn't know that your intention was to simply thank Uraraka. I apologize, Midoriya." Tenya stood up to bow to Izuku again.
"Don't worry about it, Iida. As long as you remember not to call out people in large crowds like that again." Izuku said.
"Of course." The class rep said.
Izuku started freaking out and tried to deny Tenya's accusations while the examinees were already writing him off. "He's out."
'Why do I already feel like everybody's written me off?' Izuku thought.
Tenya winced. He didn't mean for his talk to be a public display.
"It's not always a bad thing to be underestimated, Midobro. People admire an underdog." Eijiro said.
"Sucks for those guys though. I don't see any of their faces in UA." Denki said.
"Right, let's start." Present Mic said. Izuku and Tenya looked up at the voice hero. "Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles! Run run run listeners! You're wasting airtime here."
"That's how your exam started?" Tetsutetsu said. "Cementoss started our exam and he gave us a countdown." Rikido nodded in agreement.
"You guys got a countdown?" Denki complained. "That's not fair."
"Ah Cementoss. He's such a softie." Present Mic said fondly. "He doesn't like to mess with the students."
"Probably because he's a fan of All Might." Midnight said. "I know All Might here would have given the kids a countdown."
"Well of course. It is an exam after all." All Might said.
Izuku realized that he was the only one left at the starting line. 'I'm already behind!'
"Crap." Izuku started running. "Hey, wait up! Save some villains for me!"
"And there he goes, he's off to find villains with a power that he has no control over." Neito said.
"Monoma!" Itsuka glared at the blond boy.
"Episode 4: Start Line"
'Just calm down.' Izuku thought as he was running. 'This is fine. You have plenty of time. I'll catch up to them.'
The screen flashbacked to the beach. 'After all, I've got All Might's power in me.' The scene showed Izuku swallowing the hair.
Seeing Izuku swallow the hair made most of the students grimace while others looked away from the screen.
"It seems with great power comes great sacrifices, big or small." Fumikage said.
"Good. You swallowed it, yes?" All Might asked.
"Yeah but I don't feel like anything's different yet." Izuku said, looking at his hands.
All Might laughed at his words. "Well, of course not. Your body has to process the hair first." He looked at a digital clock showing the time was a quarter past six. "It should kick in after two, maybe three hours."
"But the exam was in three hours." Hanta said.
"The written exam was." Eijiro said. "But the practical was a few hours after that."
"Process the hair?" Momo tapped her chin with her finger. She turned to All Might. "All Might, you mean that the acids in Midoriya's stomach would need to break down the hair enough for him to start actually absorbing the quirk factor within your DNA, correct?"
All Might nodded. "That's correct, young Yaoyorozu."
"My stomach's in knots and I still need to shower and eat something before the exam." Izuku said.
"You may have molded your body into a proper vessel but you did it in a hurry. So be cautious. You haven't even taken it for a test drive yet. The physical backlash of One For All can be intense." All Might said as Izuku looked at him. "There's no time going into the fine details but take note."
"So you left him out to dry." Aizawa said.
"I didn't think or know that Young Midoriya's injuries would be that bad. I never broke any bones when I had One For All." All Might said.
"All Might wasn't kidding about the backlash." Tsuyu said.
"Agreed." Fumikage said.
All Might's words went through Izuku's mind as he ran through the fake city. "You've got to prepare yourself before using this quirk. So I want you to clench your buttcheeks and yell this from the depths of your heart."
Izuku covered his face quickly with the blanket as he slumped into his seat, his soul leaving his body as the theater was filled with laughter. Ochako patted his arm in comfort while giggling.
"So that's how All Might gets the girls! He's always … pfft." Minoru burst out laughing.
"First the hair, now this! This is too much!" Denki doubled over.
Present Mic was nearly falling out of his seat laughing so hard. Even Aizawa found All Might's words amusing while the said hero scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
A one-pointer crashed through the wall. 'A one-pointer!' Izuku thought. The robot locked onto him. 'Whoa, gotta dodge him!'
Izuku didn't move from his spot. 'Why won't my feet move?! Holy crap, I'm gonna die!'
"Move, move! Get out of there!" Most of the students yelled out.
The one-pointer was about to attack Izuku. He closed his eyes, but a laser destroyed the robot with one hit. "Got him!" Yuga said after destroying it with his Naval Laser.
Izuku looked in shock. 'A laser.'
Izuku snapped back to reality and pulled the blanket down from his head. He turned to Yuga. "I don't think I ever got a chance to thank you for that, Aoyama."
"De rien, mon ami." Yuga said. "You provided the perfect distraction and I got some rescue points from that."
Katsuki frowned. 'What the hell are rescue points?'
"Merci beaucoup. We make a great team with you as my decoy. Although I doubt I'll be seeing too much of you in the future." Yuga ran off. "Adieu!"
"What did he mean by that?" Izuku asked rhetorically.
"Aoyama, you have to be nice to your future classmates." Tenya said to Yuga, standing up and chopping the air.
"Did you not do the same thing, mon ami?" Yuga asked, looking back at Tenya. The students laughed at Yuga's rebuttal.The class rep sat down and turned back to the screen.
"Six minutes and two seconds left!" Present Mic announced.
Izuku freaked out hearing that and started running to find more robots. 'Not good! Not good! Not good! Come on, I need points fast!'
The Class A students, except the ones that were with Izuku were baffled that one of their powerhouses had no points during the Practical Exam. Class B were also shocked that Izuku had no points despite the powerful quirk that he possessed.
"Six minutes left and no points, Midoriya?" Minoru asked. "Even I had some points at that stage."
"Same here. But I didn't have to destroy mine. I just hit the kill switch in the back of the robots." Toru said.
When Izuku got to a wide street where most of the robots were, he saw that most of them were destroyed. He saw Ochako running in front of him. 'Her again.' He thought as she was activating her quirk on faux villains, causing a pink flash from her fingertips. She put her hands together, calling out "Now release!" as the robots came crashing down to the ground.
"Send those robots flying, Ochako!" Mina cheered.
"I was wondering why I saw robots in the air. Nice job" Mezo praised Ochako.
"Ok, that should be at least twenty-eight points." Ochako said and kept running to find more robots.
'Twenty-eight points?!' Izuku thought in disbelief.
"Despite my shock both times, I actually thought it was really cool how your quirk made me and the robots float and then you release it by pressing your hands together." Izuku praised Ochako.
Ochako blushed. "Umm t-thanks Deku."
'Izuku thinks my zero gravity is really cool!' Ochako squealed internally.
Tenya came rushing in, destroying a two-pointer. "That puts me at forty-five."
"Nice kick, Tenya!" Mei praised her couchmate.
'She called him by his first name again.' The rest of Class A thought.
"How do you do that, Iida?" Tetsutetsu asked.
"Since I have actual engines in my calves because of my quirk, the bones in my legs are strong as steel." Tenya explained.
Izuku looked around as examinees were calling out their points . 'At this rate, there won't be any enemies left. I'm gonna fail!' He thought in panic.
"But you didn't fail, greenie. So how did you do it?" Setsuna asked, looking back at Izuku.
Izuku chuckled. "Sorry Tokage. No spoilers."
The scene shifted to a monitoring room. "Clearly the examinees have no idea how many villains are present or their locations. They have limited time, must cover a vast area and hunt down every last target." Nezu's voice was heard.
"Some use information gathering abilities to plan out strategies while others rely on speed to pull ahead of their peers."
Mezo sat up straight, shocked that he caught the eyes of the examiners and Iida glowed from the praise.
"Of course, remaining calm under pressure can be a huge advantage as can pure power and combat ability."
Yuga sat back, proud that he caught the eyes of the examiner. Katsuki had a proud grin being praised for his combat ability but he was internally vexed at how Izuku's exam was going.
"The most successful students use a combination of all these tactics. They're the ones who rack up the highest points." Nezu stated from his seat next to Cementoss and Ectoplasm.
"Principal Nezu!" Most of Class A yelled out.
"Are you problem children going to yell out every teacher that's here?" Aizawa asked from his seat.
Present Mic chuckled. "At least they're showing appreciation for their teachers."
"Don't worry, Mr. Aizawa. We'll give you a standing ovation for your appearance in the show." Denki said, looking at the homeroom teacher with a grin.
"Please don't." Aizawa said.
"Hmm. I'd say this year's group looks promising." Midnight's voice is heard.
"Ms. Midnight!" Most of Class A yelled out once more.
Midnight giggled. "Your class is adorable, Shota."
"Principal, I resign as Class 1-A's homeroom teacher. Effective immediately." Aizawa said jokingly. "Kayama called my class adorable."
"I don't accept your resignation, Aizawa." Nezu said with a smile.
"Well there's still time before it's over. The real test has yet to come." Snipe said before pressing a red button labeled 'Yaruki Switch'. "Let's see how they react."
Momo furrowed her eyebrows. "The real test?"
The screen shifted back to the fake city. The ground started grumbling and dust clouds appeared. Ochako had a hand to her mouth to hold back her nausea before she, Tenya and most of the examinees looked toward the source of the rumbling with tense expressions. Ominous music began to play as the source broke the glass windows of the buildings as it moved past them on giant wheels. Izuku looked around in shock before a towering figure loomed over him.
"This is so scary." Mina said in fear.
Izuku looked up and saw the zero-pointer grasping two buildings with its gigantic metal hands. It crushed one of the buildings in its grip, causing concrete to break apart and fall to the ground.
"I see now." Momo said.
"It's so scary seeing them again." Kyoka said, rubbing her arms. She was not the only one.
Tenya turned to look at Izuku, who was watching the screen. 'So this is the part where Midoriya knew that there was more to the exam.'
The scene flashbacked to the orientation. "Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones on top of the chart." Present Mic said.
"Imagine having to face that thing." Rikido said nervously. Koji nodded timidly from next to him.
Mashirao started to sweat. "Yeah I'm glad that the one in my center was nowhere near me."
"But Mr. Snipe said that this is the real test." Toru said. "So what were they testing us on?"
'Isn't this a little extreme?' Izuku thought as he looked on in fear at the zero pointer. The zero pointer punched the ground in front of it, causing a dust cloud to form buffeting the examinees, causing them to scream in panic. When the dust cloud dispersed, Izuku was panting heavily and fell to the ground. He looked on in fear as the examinees ran past him.
"Now things get interesting." All Might said. "A person's true character is revealed when faced with danger."
The students gasped as they watched Tenya run past a frozen Izuku.
"Iida, you just left him there?" Itsuka asked in shock.
The class rep nodded with a bad taste in his mouth. "I chose to save myself and find the villains that were worth points. There are no words that can describe how ashamed I am for what I have done."
"At least you're aware of what you did wrong." Shoto said.
"This is a disaster." Izuku exclaimed. "I've got to run and find more smaller villains. Crap crap crap, I'm still at zero points!" He tried to get up but couldn't even scramble to his feet.
"LESS THAN TWO MINUTES REMAINING!" Present Mic announced.
"The nerd is going to need a miracle if he's going to pass the exam." Katsuki said.
"What?! Two minutes?!" Izuku exclaimed in disbelief. 'Everything All Might did for me. All that training, it'll be wasted!' Izuku thought as he flashbacked to the intensive training he did with All Might.
"Ow!" Ochako's voice was heard in pain as her leg was broken and stuck under a slab of concrete.
"Oh no! Ochako!" Toru exclaimed in worry.
"Somebody help her!" Mina yelled out.
Izuku stopped trying to get away and turned to see Ochako struggling to get out from the slab of concrete, her face contorted with pain as the zero pointer was close to crushing her.
"Uraraka!" Most of Class A yelled out in fear.
Ochako held Izuku's arm for comfort seeing her onscreen self struggle to get free.
Izuku watched Ochako struggle to get free with a terrified look in his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't ask first. I figured you wouldn't mind me catching you." He remembered her smiling after she saved him from face planting on the ground at the gates of UA.
'Here it comes.' Aleister and Giselle thought.
As the zero pointer got closer, All Might's voice spoke as Izuku ran towards it. "There are no combat points rewarded for taking on a humongous villain but there is opportunity."
"Hold on, what?" Kyoka asked in disbelief. "Wait a minute, that music. Midoriya, are you crazy?!"
"Don't tell me." Itsuka's eyes widened in shock.
"A chance to shine." The scene showed a visual of Izuku's legs under his tracksuit with red veins of power going through them when they tensed as he became a blur, disappearing from sight by jumping into the air, the air pressure blowing away the dust cloud. Ochako gasped and turned her head with the wind blowing in her hair to watch Izuku's display of power.
Ochako watched the scene while holding onto Izuku, a warm smile on her face. This was the moment she knew he would be a great hero. When he became Her hero.
"To show what you're really made of." In the monitoring room, Cementoss' eyes widened while Ectoplasm leaned forward. Izuku reeled his fist back as he yelled, the power of One For All coursing through his right arm, ripping the sleeve.
All the students leaned forward in anticipation. Even the parents leaned forward to see what Izuku would do.
When the Zero Pointer was about to crush Izuku, he slipped through its fingers as he rushed towards its massive head. "So clench your buttcheeks, kid." All Might's voice echoed in Izuku's head.
"And yell this from the depths of your heart!" Izuku remembers as the two of them say the words in unison.
'SMAAAAASH!' Izuku punched a crater into the Zero Pointer's face, causing it to explode. Ochako, Tenya and the other examinees look on in shock.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a jaw-dropping moment." Aleister said as the students and parents had the same expressions as the ones shown on screen.
"What the hell?" Katsuki asked in disbelief and awe.
"That's right. Show who you are. Embody what it means to be a hero." All Might said from the monitoring room as the Zero-pointer continued to explode. "Nothing is nobler than self-sacrifice." He finished off as Nezu cheered in his seat.
The students and parents looked on in horror as the onscreen Izuku was still in the air, his arm still extended from the punch, a sickly dark pink from the use of One For All. The skin from his fingers blown apart.
The episode break card appeared.
Everyone took a deep breath from what they saw. They turned to Izuku with shocked expressions.
"IZUKU!" Inko yelled from her seat. "I know that your quirk could break your bones, but you didn't tell me that you broke your arm during the Entrance Exam!"
Izuku looked at his mom nervously. "S-sorry mom but I couldn't just stand there and do nothing."
"Problem Child." Aizawa shook his head.
'This is kind of like when I tried to save Kacchan. I moved without thinking. But now I have a quirk, real power.' Izuku thought as the Zero-pointer fell on its back.
'So Midoriya didn't know the real meaning behind the exam. He did on a whim to save Uraraka. It appears that there is more I have to learn from you, Midoriya.' Tenya thought with an approving smile.
"Just one minute left!" Present Mic announced.
Izuku realized he was still in the air and started falling to the ground really fast. 'Ok, I jumped using One For All so maybe I can use it to get down too. Just like All Might. Landing should be a piece of cake, right?'
"Oh my god." Setsuna said in horror, putting a hand to her mouth as Izuku's broken limbs were dangling in the air while he thought that landing would be easy. Her stomach was turning and she was not the only one. Minoru, Denki, Kyoka, Koji, Yuga, Mina, Toru and most of Class B were feeling nauseous seeing the dangling limbs. Ochako closed her eyes and held onto Izuku tightly. She had already been through this once. She didn't need to see it again.
'I'm broken!' Izuku thought in realization as the screen broke in shards. He screamed as he was free falling.
"Damn Midoriya. How were you not in pain?" Tetsutetsu asked with widened eyes. "That looked like it hurt."
"I don't really remember." Izuku admitted. "But I have a high pain tolerance. That and the adrenaline that was running through my body."
"You may have molded your body into a proper vessel but you did in a hurry. So be cautious. The physical backlash of One For All can be intense."
"Intense is an understatement." Itsuka said. "If Midoriya didn't train his body for ten months, his limbs would have torn off instead of broken."
'He warned me. I should have listened. I could barely contain this borrowed power even after ten month of training!' Izuku thought as he visualized a wine glass filled to the brim vibrating against a high-frequency sound. The wine glass cracked.
"That's good mental imagery." Nezu said.
'Then why would he go for something like an egg in a microwave?' All Might thought with a sigh.
'And this is a hair of his quirk. I got way ahead of myself attacking that giant villain! I'm acting like a pro when I don't have enough skill to be a sidekick!' Izuku thought as he grit his teeth in pain.
"At least the Problem Child realized his mistake." Aizawa said.
'No this isn't over! There's gotta be something I can do!' Izuku thought with determination.
'A Detroit Smash!' The scene flashbacked to the Sludge Villain attack in the Tatooin Shopping District.
"You were going to hit a Detroit Smash on the ground?" Denki asked.
"Not the ground, just before the ground." Izuku said. "It would create a gust of wind that would slow down my fall and hopefully stop me from dying. Even though it's an exam, I was trying to avoid making a crater on the road from my hit."
"Are you crazy, Midori?!" Mina asked in disbelief.
'It's the only chance I've got to survive!'
"He's not wrong," Kyoka said. "It may be risky but it's better than becoming a pancake on the road."
'My legs and right arm are broken! So just one option! I can do this. But if my timing is off, then I'm toast. Even if I live, I got zero points. And if I break my left arm too, there's no way I'm gonna pass the exam.'
"Midobro, how can you still be thinking about the exam in your situation?!" Eijiro yelled out. "You're gonna get yourself killed like that, man!"
Izuku screamed as he was preparing himself to hit a Detroit Smash.
Everyone watched the screen in worry as Izuku was getting dangerously close to the ground.
SLAP!
Ochako slapped Izuku causing him to float a few inches from the ground.
They took a breath of relief when they saw Izuku was safe.
"And release." Ochako returned the gravity of both Izuku and the robot part that she was on. She held her hand to her mouth before giving into her nausea and vomiting rainbow puke.
The students except Izuku looked at Ochako in stunned silence.
"What?" Ochako asked.
"Do you actually puke rainbows?" Denki asked.
"What? No." Ochako said in disbelief.
"Then why would it show that you puke rainbows?" Mina asked.
"I don't know. Please stop asking me. It's too much!" Ochako said, covering her face with the blanket.
Giselle and Aleister smirked.
'I'm alive. That girl, she stopped my fall again. It sure seemed to take a lot out of her but at least she doesn't look injured. That's a relief.' Izuku smacked his hand on the ground. "And now thanks to her, I still have a chance to get at least one point before…" He dragged himself on the ground.
"And that's it. TIME'S UP!" Present Mic announced.
Izuku turned to Ochako and smiled. "Thank you for saving me."
Ochako smiled warmly back at Izuku. "You saved me first, hero."
She kissed him on the cheek. Everyone's eyes went wide, but nobody's eyes were wider than Izuku's. He had the same expression as his onscreen self and he put his hand up to where Ochako kissed him and his face turned beet red. Giselle was shaking Aleister as the American host was trying to hold back his laughter with the sad violin playing in the background of the show.
Ochako realized what she did. Her face turned red as she tried to apologize. "Oh my god, Deku. I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. It just felt right and I couldn't …"
"Ochako." Izuku stopped the girl from freaking out. "It's ok. There's no need to panic. I just didn't expect a kiss on the cheek to feel this warm." He said with a chuckle.
Ochako blinked before giggling. "Deku. You're such a cinnamon roll."
"Huh?" Izuku asked.
'So dense.' The Class A girls thought.
"Did you see that dude's attack? I didn't think he had that kind of strength." One guy said.
"Me either. It looked like some reinforcement type quirk." Another person said. "But there was something else. If he had such an amazing quirk, how come he didn't snag any points all day? Maybe he was trying to trick all of us."
Katsuki grimaced at the words.
Those who had been wondering about 'the real test' suddenly realized what the teachers had meant. Something additional clicked for Katsuki.
'So the nerd got in for taking out that giant robot and saving Pink Cheeks.'
'They're all missing the point. Don't they see what he did? He sacrificed everything, just to save that girl.'Tenya thought.
"Peak Midoriya." Fumikage agreed, nodding his head.
"Midoriya is so cool." Dark Shadow said.
"Just to save that girl?" Tsuyu asked. "That's a harsh way to put it, Iida."
"I didn't know how else to say it at the time." Tenya countered. He stood up to bow to Izuku. "My apologies, Midoriya. It was rude of me to say it like that."
Izuku waved his arms frantically. "It's okay, Iida. I'm not offended. It's not like you knew that your thoughts were going to be put on the spot like that."
'He must've known how little time was left. How many points he needed to pass that he was putting his life on the line. But despite those concerns, he didn't hesitate to jump.' Tenya thought as he clenched his fist.
"So it's not just Midoriya's thoughts that will be revealed throughout the show." Tenya said, looking at his classmates. "You hear that, everybody? Your thoughts will be under scrutiny." That made most of Class A gulp.
'If this hadn't been an exam,' The camera showed Tenya's frustrated expression as he beat himself up for his unheroic act. 'Then of course… I would have done the same thing!'
Izuku turned to look at Tenya while most of the students were laughing at his onscreen expression. "Iida. What I did to save Ochako, I wasn't thinking about the exam at the time. I did what was natural to me and that was wanting to save her."
Ochako squeezed Izuku's hand.
"I understand now, Midoriya. It seems that I have much to learn." Tenya said approvingly.
'Wait.. the exam… the judges. They saw that.' Tenya thought as he put his hand to his chin.
"Very nice. Good work all around." Recovery Girl said. "You're heroes in my eyes, every one of you. Here, reward yourselves. Have some gummies."
"What is the deal with those gummies anyway?" Minoru asked as the boy she gave the gummies thanked her.
"Those gummies were infused with Recovery Girl's quirk power and are used to treat minor injuries while injuries such as Midoriya's and Miss Uraraka's were personally treated by Recovery Girl." Nezu said.
"Yes, yes. Don't eat them all at once, okay?" Recovery Girl said before walking towards the unconscious Izuku.
"Thank you?..."
"Everyone's so confused," Itsuka said, laughing with the rest of the students.
"That mademoiselle, she's the heart of UA." Yuga stated.
"Oh, my goodness. You were hurt this badly by your own Quirk, sonny?" Recovery Girl said. 'It's as though his body isn't used to handling his own power at all.' She thought to herself. She puckered her lips, which extended to Izuku's forehead and said, "Gimme some sugar!"
"You didn't tell the old lady?" Aizawa asked with narrowed eyes.
"I did tell her!" All Might countered as Recovery Girl healed Izuku's broken body. "Only after he got accepted into UA. If by chance Young Midoriya didn't get in, there was no reason in telling her."
"That was highly irrational of you, All Might."
"Um, what's she doing?"
"You're watching a school nurse in action. The Youthful Heroine, Recovery Girl." Yuga said. Izuku's broken limbs start to glow and heal. "Her quirk is tres boost of healing power. She's the only reason UA can hold these reckless exams. Look, she's saving him months of recovery time."
"It sounds like you're a big fan of Recovery Girl, Aoyama." Minoru pointed out.
"I think she's an tres amazing hero." Yuga said.
"Alright, he'll be fine now." Recovery Girl stated. "Anyone else injured?"
'I wonder.' Tenya put his hand to his chin. 'What if the exam has other parameters I didn't take into account. It's possible.' Izuku was still unconscious.
"So you figured out there was more to the test, Iida?" Itsukua asked.
"I believed so." Tenya said.
"One week later."
"Oh yeah. I remember this. The week that the scores came in." Eijiro said. "I was so nervous when I got my scores."
Katsuki narrowed his eyes at Eijiro. "What did you have to be nervous about, Shitty Hair? You're Red fucking Riot. You were not like Deku, who just got his quirk hours before the Exam."
Eijiro rubbed the back of his head and turned to Mina with a knowing look. Mina gave her couchmate a smirk and turned back to the screen.
The scene changed to the apartment complex where Izuku lives. "Izuku?" Inko tried to get her son's attention as he was staring at the fish he was supposed to be eating for dinner. "Snap out of it. Izuku!"
Most of the students laughed at Izuku's expression.
Izuku snapped out of his trance. "Why are you smiling at that fish?" Inko looked scared. "Should I be worried about you, honey?"
"Yeah, you should be." Mina said, trying to hold back her giggles. That caused more laughter. Izuku scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Oh sorry. No, I just spaced out for a minute." Izuku scarfed down the rest of his food.
"Mmhm." Inko looked at her son worriedly, not believing what he said.
While the dishes were in the sink, Izuku sat on the sofa, working out. 'Based on my own estimates, I barely passed the written part of the exam. Not that it really matters since I ended up with a big fat zero in the mock battle. Not a single point.' Izuku thought with a crack in his voice.
"Yeah, it was hard for us," Itsuka said, "but getting zero villain points even after inheriting All Might's quirk? I can't imagine how hard that had to have been hitting him."
"Not to be a drag," Kyoka said. "But I'm kind of curious how Ochako passed. Isn't twenty-eight points a little low to pass the exam?"
"Yeah. I'm kind of curious too." Mina said. "How did you pass the exam, Ochako?"
"I don't know but I wish I did." Ochako lied.
Izuku was tempted to tell them how she passed. But he saw that there was no fun in that.
'And ever since the exam, I haven't been able to get in touch with All Might.'
Ochako gasped and turned to look at All Might. "You left Deku out to dry for a whole week?"
All Might jumped in his seat. "I had to complete the rest of my paperwork to make my position at UA official."
"But you ghosted him after ten months of training. The last time he got to see you was when you gave him One For All. That's not very manly. Even for you, All Might." Eijiro said.
Aizawa looked like a proud dad under his scarf.
"I.." All Might started to say but realizing that the redhead was correct. "You're right. I apologize, young Midoriya."
"No no it's ok. You were going to be a teacher at UA and that takes time for the paperwork, even for the number one hero." Izuku said frantically.
Izuku sighed heavily with a depressed look in his eyes. "I know. Waiting for the results is terrible." Inko said with a hopeful look.
"I guess."
'Izuku.' Ochako thought sadly. She squeezed her couchmate's hand in comfort.
"No matter what, I just want you to know I'm proud of you and I think you're really cool, sweetie."
"Sure."
"Aww. Mamadoriya is the best." Mina said.
"Yeah she is." Izuku said with a smile.
'I didn't tell my mom about All Might or his secret. I want him to continue being the Symbol of Peace for everyone. The number One Hero. Besides, he trusted me. So I'll keep my mouth shut.' Izuku put his phone down.
"You didn't tell Inko about All Might?! Izuku, she's your mother." Mitsuki scolded Izuku from her seat.
"Sorry mom." Izuku said, embarrassed that his auntie was scolding him.
"It's ok, sweetie." Inko reassured her son. She gave Mitsuki a look and the blond mom smiled in return.
Izuku grabbed the dumbbell from the floor and started doing reps with it. 'All Might. Somehow, some way you saw potential in me but I failed. I let both of us down so much. I'm sorry but I'll keep trying.'
'My boy.' All Might thought sadly.
His mom slammed open the door. "A letter, Izuku. They came, Izuku. Look! You got a letter! They're here. Your test results.. from UA!" His mom said excitedly.
Inko's reaction made the audience laugh while the greenette mother blushed in embarrassment.
"Now I know where you get your nervous energy from." Ochako said, bumping Izuku's shoulder. He chuckled in response.
"I'm glad Mrs. Midoriya's like this," Tsuyu said. "It explains a lot about Midoriya."
"Like mother, like son." Fumikage said with a soft smile across his beak.
Inko paced worriedly outside of Izuku's bedroom, his name written on an All Might themed nameplate hanging on the door. Izuku sat in the room in the dark while looking at the envelope with a tired expression. Then he looked at the envelope in frustration before trying to rip it open.
"Were you trying to rip my envelope open, Midoriya?" Nezu asked.
"I didn't think I had any chance to pass so I just ripped it open." Izuku said.
Everyone looked at him in pity except Hitoshi. Izuku looked uncomfortable with all the attention on him. The tired, purple-haired boy sighed.
"I know the feeling, Midoriya. I ripped mine open, knowing I didn't pass." Hitoshi said. Aleister paused the show.
Everyone turned to Hitoshi, surprised to hear that he took the exam. "You took the Entrance Exam?" Izuku asked.
Hitoshi nodded. "Yeah. Since Brainwash only works on humans, it didn't do any good against robots so I didn't get any points in the exam. But mine was an actual letter so reading a letter in pieces was hard to do."
Aizawa and Midnight saw how uncomfortable the two boys looked and decided to divert the attention to themselves.
"I didn't get any points in the exam either." Aizawa said.
"Nor did I." Midnight said.
"Wait what?" Mina asked in disbelief. "But you're heroes now."
"Our quirks don't work on robots so we were put in General Studies. We were able to get into the hero course in our second years." Midnight said.
"The UA Entrance Exam is unfair to those with non flashy and combat quirks. I have been pushing for a new Entrance Exam but the higher ups see no problem with the current one." Aizawa said with a frown.
"Interesting." Izuku said.
Aleister continued the show.
A disk fell out of the envelope, and All Might appeared in the projection, a close-up of his face covering the screen.
"Booyah! I am here as a projection now!" All Might exclaimed.
"So Midoriya got All Might in his projection." Tetsutetsu said while onscreen Izuku screamed in surprise and his hair stood up straight like a cat.
"It seems fitting since Midobro is his successor." Eijiro said.
"Wait All Might?!" Izuku exclaimed in surprise. He looked down at the envelope then looked back up at the screen. "But this is from.. UA. Isn't it?!"
"I know it's been a while but with great power comes a great amount of paperwork." All Might coughed and bowed. "My apologies, young man."
"You see, young heroes?" All Might asked. "I never intended to leave young Midoriya high and dry and I specifically asked Principal Nezu to let me do his acceptance."
"The truth is, I didn't come to this city just to fight villains. You're looking at the newest UA faculty member?"
"You're seriously going to be working at UA?" Izuku asked the projection All Might in disbelief.
"Are you seriously talking to the projection thinking he can hear you?" Aizawa asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I was in disbelief at the time." Izuku countered as most of the students laughed. "Look, he even nodded in response."
An off-screen hand was trying to signal All Might. "Yes, what's the matter? Who's showboating? Oh sorry, I'll wrap it up but I have to show him something first." All Might gave the person off-camera an exasperated look. "Wait, I have to do how many of these things?" He gave an exasperated groan.
The audience burst into laughter at All Might's antics except a few who shook their heads but looked amused.
"Damn Midobro. How are you still sane after months of being around All Might?" Denki asked, fighting back his laughter.
"I'm surprised he survived with all my muttering." Izuku said.
All Might put his hand up. "Right. So moving on."
"Even though you passed the written test, you got zero combat points in the practical exam. Sorry."
'I know that. Of course I know. It's all I've thought about.' Izuku thought, as he slouched with self-pity. 'I'm a failure.'
"Deku." Ochako put her head on Izuku's shoulder.
"Midori." Mina's lip trembled with sadness.
"Midoriya." Momo looked at Izuku sadly.
"My boy, you're not a failure." All Might said.
"Fortunately there were other factors." All Might said and Izuku looked up.
"But before we get to that, I have another surprise." All Might turned to the screen next to him with a remote in his hand. "Here! Look. A short clip for your viewing pleasure." He pressed play on the remote.
Ochako appeared at the door in her middle school uniform. "Um, do you have a sec? Sorry to interrupt."
Ochako's eyes widened at the screen, remembering what she said that day. She turned to Izuku. "Wait, you… you saw that?" Her face turned beet red.
Izuku nodded. "Yeah. I was trying to tell you on the first day but I got nervous. It was still super nice of you."
"I was trying to help out." Ochako said sheepishly.
Everyone wondered what they were talking about. Present Mic and All Might smiled knowing what it was about.
Izuku gasped. "It's that nice girl."
"Ochako really is nice, isn't she Midori?" Mina asked.
Izuku looked at Ochako and blushed. 'Yeah she is.'
"She showed up after the exam to talk about you, young man."
"Your dad says you're in trouble, Midoriya." Kyoka smirked.
"H-His what?" Inko asked.
"M-my what?" Izuku asked.
"What did she have to say? You'll have to stay tuned to find out." All Might unpaused the video.
"Such a showman." Fumikage said.
"You know that boy with the really messy hair and all the freckles? It's hard to describe his face. He's kind of plain-looking. Uh, doesn't really stand out or anything, you know."
'She means me.' Izuku thought.
A few students snickered while most of them facepalmed themselves or shook their heads.
"Wow Midoriya. You really had no self-esteem." Hanta said.
"I wonder why." Kyoka glared at Katsuki.
"Ochako." Tsuyu shook her head.
"Don't listen to Sero, Midori. You have lots of defining features, like the green eyes and the green hair. I mean, look at me. I got the pink going for me!" Mina exclaimed.
"At least you know if you're plain-looking or not. You can't tell by looking at me." Toru said, which got a few laughs.
Ochako looked worriedly at Izuku, who looked unfazed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you plain-looking." She looked away sadly. 'Stupid nerves.'
Izuku put a hand on Ochako's shoulder. "It's okay, Ochako. I'm not upset about being plain-looking." He said softly.
"But I was really inspired by what you said." Izuku smiled brightly, which made Ochako's face heat up and smile back.
"I was wondering, would it be possible to give him some of the points I earned in the exam?" Middle school Ochako asked in the video, which surprised Izuku.
"Ochako." Mina's eyes widened. "You wanted to give him your points?"
"Uraraka." Tenya uttered out.
"But you wouldn't have passed then." Kyoka said.
Emotional music began to play.
"I heard him say something about wanting to get just one point in. It just seems crazy. How could someone who took down that huge villain all by himself not have any points in the end?"
Izuku flashed back to Katsuki's words back in Aldera. "You'd never be able to hang with the best of the best."
Katsuki grimaced at the flashback of his words.
"He would've had a better score if he hadn't stopped to help me."
"But points are not what makes a hero." All Might said softly. The other teachers nodded in agreement.
He flashed back to Death Arms scolding him after the Sludge villain incident. "There was absolutely no reason for you to put yourself in danger like that!"
"I didn't see anyone else do anything to save Bakubro." Eijiro said with a scowl.
"He saved me. I have to make it up to him!" Izuku's eyes widened in realization. "Please sir, can't you just give him my points?" Middle school Ochako asked in the video as Izuku stood up from his seat. The music began to intensify.
The majority of the students looked at the screen in shocked wonder as their eyes glistened. Izuku squeezed Ochako's hand under the blanket. She looked at him and saw admiration and gratitude in his eyes. She smiled warmly and squeezed back.
All Might paused the video. "You have a quirk now, yes. But it's your actions that inspire others." Izuku looked down, not in shame but in gratitude. "And that's why I am here. You see, the practical exam was not graded on combat alone." He unpaused the video.
'Not just combat alone?' Katsuki thought. 'Is this what Sparkles meant when he said that he got some rescue points for saving the nerd?'
Present Mic walked up to Ochako and patted her on the head. "Thanks for showing up to the station with your request. But there's no reason to give him your points. The kid's charting well on his own." All Might paused the video.
"Really Hizashi? Do you always have to be so on-brand? UA is not your station." Aizawa scowled at Present Mic.
Present Mic chuckled.
"How could a hero course reject someone who is committed to saving others no matter the consequences to himself?" All Might asked rhetorically. "After all that is what makes a hero."
"Because a dead hero can't save someone in need." Aizawa grumbled in his seat.
"Shota." Present Mic and Midnight scolded the underground hero. "Not now."
"And that is what my Alma Mater is all about, training those who would risk their lives for the greater good." All Might said in the projection as Izuku gasped in shock. The screen showed the observation room the teachers had been watching the exam from, each of them holding up signs with point values on them. "So we have rescue points. A panel of judges watches and they award points for heroic acts beyond just fighting villains." The scoreboard showed Izuku's score at seventh place between Tenya and Tetsutetsu.
"Izuku Midoriya, sixty rescue points!" Izuku looked in disbelief.
And showed Ochako's score in third place between Eijiro and Ibara Shiozaki.
"And Ochako Uraraka, forty-five rescue points!"
"You both made it!" Momo exclaimed.
"So that's how you passed. Nice job, greenie." Setsuna said with a toothy grin.
"T-thanks Tokage." His voice was shaky with emotion.
"Sixth place. Good job, Tenya." Mei praised Tenya.
"Damn it. I got eighth place." Tetsutetsu grumbled.
"You still made the top ten." Itsuka reassured him.
"Yeah." The Steel user admitted. "Congrats on fifth place."
Itsuka smiled. "Thanks."
Ibara was congratulated by her couch-mates, Pony and Kinoko Komori.
"Second place. Nice job, Kirishima." Katsuki said, smacking him on the back.
"Thanks man." Eijiro said, giving Katsuki a fist bump.
"You both passed the exam." All Might said, half-turning to Izuku.
Izuku's eyes trembled. "Is this some kind of joke?" He asked.
"No, it's real." Mina smiled at the two.
All Might put his hand out. "Welcome, Izuku. You have made it. You are now part of the Hero Academia." All Might said proudly.
"My baby." Inko cried softly.
"So that's where the show title comes from." Tenya said.
"Thanks." Izuku said with tears in his eyes before he dried them with his sleeve.
"It took a lot of help but my life has changed completely." Izuku narrated as the scene transitioned to the All Might Silver Age figurine. "And now I'm enrolling in the high school of my dreams."
The ending begins to play.
"Ochako." The boy next to her whispered her name. She turned and found him looking at her, tears in his eyes.
"Deku." Ochako said, looking into his glistening emerald eyes. She could feel the tears in her eyes.
He tackled her into a hug. She was surprised by the suddenness, but she hugged him back, closing her eyes and letting the tears fall.
"Thank you. For everything." Izuku said. "I never got to thank you for talking to Present Mic. You wanted to risk your points for me even if it meant that you didn't get into UA and I'm glad that you didn't have to risk them or we wouldn't be here today."
Ochako pulled away from Izuku and wiped his tears. "I should be thanking you. If you hadn't saved me, I would have not gone to see Present Mic. I would have been full of guilt that because of me, you failed the exam. But when he told me that you passed the exam, I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I'm glad that I met you. Thank you, Deku."
Izuku smiled and wiped her tears. "You're welcome."
"You two are so sweet. You're going to make me cry again." Inko said.
"M-mom!" Izuku blushed at his mom.
Ochako laughed. "Thank you, Mrs. Midoriya. You raised a good son."
Inko gave Izuku a knowing look. Izuku gave his mom a smile.
The scene changed to a clear night sky with the moon out
"The episode's not over yet?" Mina cocked her head to the side in confusion.
Izuku's bedroom door was shown. Inko was still pacing worriedly outside of Izuku's room. He opened the door and Inko gave him a worried look. He smiled at her.
"Awww. Such a pure smile." Mina said.
Inko's eyes welled up with tears. "Oh my baby!"
"And Mamadoriya is just as pure." Toru said.
All Might's theme started to play as the next episode preview began.
"Welcome young Midoriya. This is UA High, your hero academia!" All Might's voice boomed.
"I'll do my best on the Quirk Assessment Test today, All Might! I promise!" Izuku promised.
"Your teacher shows no mercy and expels students who do poorly. But no pressure!" All Might tried to reassure Izuku.
"Wh-h-h-a-a-t-t?!" Izuku started to panic.
"Next time: What I Can Do For Now."
"Oh no! What the heck are you doing with your index finger?!" All Might screamed.
"Go beyond…"
"Plus Ultra!" The students and teachers yell out.
The timer starts.
"It's a good thing that the expulsion was a logical ruse." Kyoka said.
"Yeah. It would be bad if a student actually got expelled from UA." Mina agreed.
Aizawa grinned under his scarf.
'Shota.' Midnight and Present Mic thought, shaking their heads.
Everyone started to get up and stretch or use the bathroom.
Izuku approached Hitoshi. "Hey Shinso. I just want to say thanks. I know we probably haven't talked since the Sports Festival but you kind of saved me from the unwanted attention."
"No problem, Midoriya." Hitoshi said. "I know you felt a lot of pressure from having all the eyes on you. I wanted to apologize for what I said to you during our match."
"It's fine." Izuku reassured him. "You have a useful quirk. Don't forget that."
Hitoshi nodded.
Izuku walked back to his friends.