I'm back! A New Pencil returns to the desk!

"Underline" is when a character is speaking Japanese, and a lack of one is when the character is speaking English.

I do not own Kingdom Hearts, My Hero Academia, OMORI, or any of its characters.

Chapter 8: The Mark of Heroism

(Play: KH 3 OST - Sky of Wonder)

Three months went by faster than Sora thought they would.

When he had returned with a tired out Izuku, both their mothers were happy that the two of them were getting along, but Inko was surprised to see her son look like he ran a marathon. Shimizu wasn't surprised when Sora said he helped Izuku come home.

Since that day, Sora and Izuku have become study-mates for the Entrance Exam. Their new game plan was that Sora gets help from Izuku for any potential writing they had to do for said exam. From their sessions together, Sora could tell Izuku was really knowledgeable about Heroes. Heck, he had notebooks upon notebooks worth of information, all down to their favorite foods. If Izuku wasn't training to be a Hero, then he'd work pretty well as the man behind the lines like Tron or Cid. For a fanboy, he was very well informed about Heroes and what they can do. Now if only his confidence was as good as his knowledge...

In return for that, Sora went off with Izuku to help encourage him during their workouts. Theirs, being Izuku moving the trash off the beach, and Sora simply cheering him on while doing some exercises he had learned from both Phil and General Shang without using his power. He also, during that time, would also try and fail to call his friends, to his growing concern. Izuku had asked him who he was trying to contact, and Sora had told him that he was trying to reconnect with friends he hadn't seen in a while. However, he had to return before noon so that he couldn't miss lunch with his mom, which by then All Might would arrive and take his place.

(Play: KH 3 OST - Dearly Beloved)

During those lunch hours, Sora continued to explain in detail his adventures to Shimizu. Despite his doubts and his worries, he told her everything, from his awakening in Twilight Town to the Keyblade War. She had a right to know the truth, world order be cursed to Hades if it had to.

He told her how he woke up in Twilight Town and immediately continued his search for Riku and the King, only for the King himself to save them from a group of creatures known as Nobodies.

"Nobodies?" his mother had asked

"They're another creature that appears when a person loses their heart," Sora explained, "When a person with a strong heart loses it, their body and soul remain behind, and eventually gain awareness and sentience, along with their original selves' memories. Some of them even appear as humans if their original selves have strong enough hearts."

"So they're ghosts… with a physical form?"

"...Yeah. But Nobodies… they're not supposed to exist in the first place. They're just empty shells that can't feel anything. I... can't help but feel bad for some of them."

"So… you have a Nobody?" Shimizu had asked, "You did lose your heart when you stabbed yourself with that Keyblade of Heart weapon."

"Yeah. His name's Roxas, and he's just as strong as I am, if not stronger. He's a good guy, though." Sora had reassured her when she tensed up, "He's a special type of Nobody. He didn't have my memories when he was born, yet he grew his own heart through his own experiences, and even became a good friend of mine. Though he is my Nobody, he's also himself, as he should be. He deserves every right like I do to be his own person."

He had shown her a picture of Roxas, and she giggled at his physical similarities to Sora, despite it being a bit unnerving.

"Seems like I've got myself another son to look forward to meeting once you've found a way out of here."

"Heh heh! You'll like him. Just you wait." Sora had grinned.

Sora had then went on to how King Mickey had told them to board a train and leave town, where they came upon a new world which housed the tower of an elderly retired Keyblade Master known as Yen Sid, who tasked Sora, Donald, and Goofy to stop a group of humanoid Nobodies called Organization XIII. One that Roxas used to be a part of before going rogue.

He had traveled to other worlds and made friends along the way, while also encountering the Organization members at every turn, who were using him to try and create an artificial Kingdom Hearts with the hearts he releases from the Heartless, and using Kairi, who had been kidnapped by said Organization, as the bait. Though she knew her son had a crush on the girl, she had adopted an unusual scowl on her face when she heard about how Kairi was being used.

Sora then told her how he infiltrated the Organization's stronghold with Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey after finding a significant clue to the stronghold's whereabouts. How Axel, who was a friend of Roxas's during the Organization, had sacrificed himself to protect Sora; and how Roxas, who had returned to Sora's heart during his 1 year sleep, was aroused by Axel's death and fought Sora out of anger, before eventually being defeated and accepting of his fate. He then explained how he reunited with both Kairi and Riku, the latter of which had taken a different form to ensure Sora's safety. Regardless, Sora was still happy to see them both.

He went on to explain how together, they went and took down the remaining members of the Organization, including their leader Xemnas, who tried to use his artificial Kingdom Hearts to destroy them, but ultimately failed and fell to Sora and Riku's hands. Though they initially were stranded in the Realm of Darkness, which Sora explained was the World's version of Hell, they were able to escape and return to the islands thanks to the Door to the LIght, a door Sora had opened himself after reading a letter from Kairi.

This explanation of his second journey had taken over a month for him to do so as properly as he could so his mother would understand. Even by the end of said month, Shimizu was still confused. "You get used to it." Sora had sighed, "Think about how hard it is for me to explain it to you."

The next month and a half, Sora told her about his Mark of Mastery Exam, which was an examination for Keyblade Wielders to become Keyblade Masters, and how Xehanort, the mastermind behind all the events that happened regarding the Heartless, and his new Organization tried to use that to try and make Sora a vessel for the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, but ultimately failed thanks to Riku, who was also taking the Exam.

Shimizu could tell this was a hard topic for Sora to talk about, especially after he said he not only failed to show the Mark and attain the power of waking, which was an ability needed to save the Keyblade wielders that were missing for ten years, but also lost most of his powers due to nearly becoming a vessel for Xehanort, however the heck that worked. She had comforted him afterwards, much to Sora's relief.

During the month of the Entrance Exam, Sora told Shimizu about the Keyblade War, how it was not the first one, and the events surrounding it, including Sora's journey to find his lost strength, his successful quest to restore Roxas to a human form, his journey to rescue the lost Keyblade wielders, Aqua and Ventus; and ultimately, the war itself.

"Wait… you died?" Shimizu had asked him when Sora told her about it.

"Yes." Sora sighed, "Our friends had fallen… and I couldn't do anything to help. All I could do was watch as Riku and Roxas gave their lives to try and save me, before I ultimately fell as well. Mom… I gave up."

She had been shocked and horrified the day he told her this, and hugged him when he began to tear up at the memory. In a way, that had been his greatest failure. Not rising up to the challenge when it mattered the most, and as a result, caused the end of everything he knew and loved.

In the days that followed, Sora had explained that he had endured, thanks to Kairi's refusal to let him go, and ended up in a place of limbo, known as the Final World. It was there Sora had to literally and figuratively piece himself back together, and with his newfound power of waking, fought a Heartless bent on taking the hearts of his fallen friends. But to save his friends from certain death, Sora had to misuse the power of waking, which carried a heavy toll in itself. But by using that power, he saved the Guardians of Light and rewrote the course of history.

Shimizu had to do a double take when he said that. It's not every day you hear that your own son used a power that could alter time itself. Sora himself didn't see it as all that special, since he was too focused on rescuing his friends. But with that power, he managed to change their fates, and eventually took the fight up to Xehanort, the man behind everything that had caused all the chaos in the worlds. After a long and hard-fought battle, they had bested the Keyblade Master, saving the worlds from a terrible fate.

But Sora had explained that his journey was not over, as Xehanort had struck Kairi down in the war to irk Sora into forging the almighty X-Blade. Thus, Sora was bent on using the power of waking one more time to save her from her fate, though in doing so, would cause him to vanish from his World and lose the power of waking, thereby depriving him of his only possible way to return.

Not surprisingly to his mom, Sora didn't care about the cost, and went on with his plan, going back in time in a quest to rescue Kairi, a feat in which he was successful in, but ultimately forced him to pay the price for the abuse in the power of waking, fading away without a trace.

"But then, if you pretty much kicked the bucket…" Shimizu had questioned, "How are you here?"

"Beats me," Sora had answered, "Like I said, I thought I was supposed to fade, yet here I am, living and breathing. Only issue is that I can't contact the other Guardians of Light, so we're stranded here until I can find a way for us to leave."

"Hope this world isn't some purgatory, then."

"Yeaahh… I'd rather not think about that."

"So Riku and Kairi are searching for you right now?"

"I hope so." Sora replied.

"So if you arrived here before we found out you were alive…" Shimizu wondered, "Where did you sleep?"

"On a tree."

"Come again?"

"Yep. A tree branch in the park nearby," Sora confessed, "It wasn't all that bad," His mother only sighed.

"Sora Nakajima, you are going to be the death of me…" she muttered.

Three months. Three months for Shimizu to comprehend the adventures her son had gone on in her absence, and three months for Sora and Izuku to prepare for the Entrance Exam. One Sora wasn't planning on failing.

(Play: OMORI OST - Remina)

He was falling…

But… where was he falling to?

He opened his eyes. He found himself standing on an island.

Strange.

"Where…?"

He looked around, looking for any signs of life. Something was off.

"####"

A familiar voice came to him. He looked around again, before seeing a figure on the bridge. He ran towards them.

"Come… with me." the figure raised his arm to him.

"####!"

But just as he ran up to him, he disappeared in a blink of an eye.

What is going on?

"####…"

He looked to the source of the second voice, seeing another familiar figure, looking rather ill. She stretched out an arm to him, only to be hit by some unknown force.

"#####!"

He tried to grab her, but she passed through his arms. What was happening?

"You can't save them all."

Another voice, dark and sinister, came from all around him. He looked around frantically as darkness oozed out and covered the island.

"Where were you when they needed you?"

He took a few steps back in horror. A new figure, obscured, faced him, eyes red with hatred. He tried to summon his weapon, but found himself unable to.

"You failed them. And you know it. You could've kept going, tried to stop the storm but you didn't. You dropped to your knees and gave up. Nothing can change that. Not even altering time itself can change that."

"Shut up-!" He shook his head, before turning and running away, but a dark pool opened up underneath him. He couldn't move his legs, and he felt himself descending into it, choking on it. He struggled to breathe as tendrils grabbed his arms, preventing him from moving.

"No matter how much you try to run from it, you can't deny that their blood was on your hands that day. You reap what you sow, and this is only an inkling of what is to come as a reward for your failure, 'Hero of Light'."

He begged for something, anything, to come and stop this, but no help came. His breathing was failing; his vision was fading.

"Eventually, you will pay the price for your foolishness. For now… sleep… and dream the most wonderous dreams…"

He struggled to open his eyes, but all he saw was darkness…

"Good night… Sora."

(Silence)

"AH!"

Sora bolted up in shock from the couch. His breathing echoed in his own ears.

"A-A nightmare…?"

"Sora?!"

He saw Shimizu burst out of her room to check on him, wearing a nightgown. "I heard you scream. Are you okay?" she asked as she put a hand on his shoulder. He relaxed at the physical contact.

"Y-Yeah… just a bad dream…" Sora shakily explained. That was strange. He hadn't had a dream like this since the days before the Heartless appeared on the islands.

"How bad?" she asked worriedly.

"Well…" Sora stopped, looking down, "I don't know."

"I suppose it's understandable… after what you've been through." Shimizu sighed, before engulfing Sora in a hug, putting a hand comfortably on his head, "It's gonna be okay. It's over. You're safe now."

Sora's heart jumped to his throat at the hug, and he returned it. "O-Okay…"

(Play: Final Fantasy 7 Remake OST - Aerith's Theme - Credits ver.)

Sora found he couldn't sleep for the rest of the night. That mattered little, though, as it was 5 in the morning and today marked the day of the examination. Shimizu gave him some water to drink as he did his best to calm himself down. He hadn't felt this nervous for a test in a while. The Mark of Mastery, he could handle. So why did this one make his heart beat so fast? This was what he dreaded doing after the Keyblade War. It wasn't that he didn't like it. It's just that it's been a year, maybe two, since he last sat in a school environment. Even with Izuku's help, Sora still felt lost on a couple things.

Honestly, this was kind of pathetic. Worrying about a simple written and practical test for school. Riku and Donald would definitely have a field day of teasing with this if they were here. Sora was glad they weren't.

"Don't worry, Sora. You can do it." Kairi's soft and kind voice echoed in Sora's mind, and it made his uneasiness fade a little, but his face remained a tight frown.

Shimizu definitely noticed this, and asked, "Having the heebie-jeebies about today?"

"Mostly the written part." Sora admitted.

"Well, this is your first time doing school activities and tests in a while, isn't it?" she said, before ruffling her son's hair with her hand, "Don't worry. I know you can do it. Especially since Izuku's been helping you. Besides, If you've helped stop a mean old man with god-like powers from destroying the universe, then you'll definitely ace this one simple test."

"Ha ha!" Sora laughed, his nervousness finally going away, "Thanks Mom."

"How about this? Let's make some breakfast to get your mind off that nightmare. Thinking about it more will only make it stick with you." she suggested, "This way, you can focus on the test."

"Sure." Sora agreed, "Just need to wash up first."

Minutes later, Sora and Shimizu were set to work on breakfast, which was something that Sora had cooked up from Le Grande Bistrot in Twilight Town: Cold Tomato Soup.

"But why keep it cold?" Shimizu asked.

"You'll see." Sora grinned, as he took a bite, "Bon Appetit,".

He hadn't told her this, but using these ingredients for this particular dish would help give him a slight boost in his abilities. For the soup in particular, it increases his magic pool and his stamina, so he wouldn't get exhausted as quickly. A pity this wasn't a three star meal, but he'll have to manage.

Once they were finished, the sun was almost out in the sky. Sora looked through his wardrobe as Shimizu was getting ready for work.

He wondered what he was going to wear for this exam. If there was a practical exam, Sora had to wear something comfy and durable so that he could use his abilities to their fullest. But none of the clothes he had bought fit that description.

For the first time in a while, he missed his old clothes from his second journey.

I told ya he'd need this sooner or later.

"Huh?"

"Sora? Something wrong?" His mother emerged from her room in different attire.

(Play: KH Orchestra World Tour - Sora's Theme)

Then suddenly, out of literally nowhere, Sora felt his body explode in a flash of light, causing both him and his mother to yelp out in surprise. When the light receded, Sora's pajamas were gone. Standing before his mother, Sora found himself wearing a very familiar outfit, very similar to the outfit he had worn in his third journey, except it was a bit more vibrant than the last one, and more detailed in terms of color and style. The pants and shoes were a bit more baggy and larger respectfully, but he didn't mind that a bit.

"What on earth just happened?" his mom asked dumbfoundedly, as Sora looked at his hands and legs.

"I… I don't know." Sora admitted, "But I'm not complaining."

"Why's that?"

"This was the outfit I wore on my second journey. It's got magic properties, too." Sora explained, "But… I don't remember having that on me when I got here. Maybe I did and forgot it was there…?"

"I don't mind. If you're familiar with those clothes, then I'm not gonna stop you from wearing it. Besides, you look quite dashing, too." Shimizu smiled, "Though I have to ask… how did it change your hairstyle?"

Sora stared at her, before looking over to a mirror. Sure enough, his hair had been polished and changed to when he last had it before he obtained his new outfit.

"I have no idea…" Sora replied, "Probably the magic of the clothing. Who knows."

"It suits your outfit, though. I like it," his mother purred, "You'll definitely get the ladies wearing that."

"Heh heh. We'll see," Sora grinned, rubbing his nose.

"I have to wonder... did Kairi get entranced by you when she saw you like that?"

"Alright! Changing the subject now!" Sora said instantly with a blush, making his mother giggle.

(Play: KH Union Cross OST - Before the Daylight)

Both of them were planning to take the train together, as U.A. was within the direction of Shimizu's workplace. When they knocked on the door to Izuku's place, they were met with Inko.

"Oh. Hey, you two! Ready for the exam, Sora?" Inko asked.

"Yeah! Uh, Ms. Inko-san. Have you seen Izuku?" Sora replied, "Since we were heading to U.A. for the Entrance Exam, I thought we'd go together."

"Oh… Izuku left super early." Inko explained, "Guess he got excited."

"I wouldn't put it past him. He's very passionate," Shimizu noted.

No kidding… Sora thought while sweat dropping, remembering how Izuku had collapsed from overwork the first time they met to prove he was a Hero. He wondered how much progress Izuku had made on Takoba Beach.

Guess he would find out when he bumps into him again.

After waving goodbye to Inko, Sora and Shimizu went on the bus which would take them to the train station. During that time, Shimzu had done a little quiz for Sora so he could prep for his written exam, which did help Sora in that matter.

On the train to UA, Sora decided to read a newspaper, just to see how things were in other places and to see if the Heartless were starting to act up. To his surprise, he found that there was hardly anything wrong across the world. Sora should've been at ease, but something about the news felt off.

"Anything?" Shimizu asked him, looking over at the paper.

"Nope. Not even an echo or mention since the Demon Tide." Sora sighed, showing her the paper, "I just can't shake the feeling that something bad's gonna happen."

Shimizu looked up, "Let's just hope it doesn't."

Sora nodded.

(Play: KH 3 OST - Heroes Gathering)

Eventually, they arrived at U.A., and goodness gracious it was massive for a school. The grandeur of the school almost reminded Sora of Olympus Coliseum, despite it looking nothing like it. He saw people staring at his outfit, but he didn't mind the stares.

"Ready?" Shimizu asked him.

"Always." Sora grinned with determination, "I'm not planning on failing this time around,"

"I know you won't. Kick butt out there." she smiled, hugging her son, and Sora did the same, before exiting the bus. Sora, with backpack in hand, took in the school in all its glory. His eyes glowed with wonder, taking in the sight. Every new world always had something that surprised and awed Sora, no matter how similar they were to one another.

That was just one of the many special things about him. He always found wonder and magic even in the smallest of things.

Ah-ha! Sora thought as he saw a familiar bush of green hair, There you are.

Sora walked up to his friend, who looked like he had just felt or tasted the sweetest thing in his life. "Uhh… Izuku? Earth to Izuku!"

"Huh? Oh, Sora-san!" Midoriya snapped out of his trance as he saw his friend in an… interesting attire, "Where'd you come from?"

"Train station." Sora answered, "What happened?"

"Uh… um…" Izuku stammered, "I t-talked to a g-girl for the first time…"

Sora looked at his friend before nodding his head. Izuku was socially awkward because of his Quirklessness, so he never really talked to anybody else outside of Sora and some dude named "Kacchan.". Quite a weird name, even for me, Sora thought.

"That's great!" Sora smiled, "But we should get going before we miss our exam."

"H-Hai!" Izuku nodded, before he felt his stomach growl.

"...You didn't eat anything beforehand, didn't you?" Sora asked.

"...No…"

Izuku…. you're worrying me. Sora thought.

As the two entered the school, they were led to their seats, which were separate from one another. A lot of people glanced at Sora's strange attire, but Sora himself didn't mind, given he's seen weirder. Sora looked around at the thousands of students who had arrived to take the exam. He whistled softly at the numbers. Detective Naomasa wasn't kidding. This school was very prestigious and popular.

(Silence)

Sora saw a paper being passed down to him, and he took one, and passed it on. The written exam had begun.

Here goes nothing. Sora thought.

The test was challenging in itself. There were multiple choice answers and short answers to boot, some of which Sora had no idea how to answer. But he followed his heart regardless and answered to the best of his knowledge. In his head, he thanked Izuku a hundred times over. If he hadn't met him when he did, Sora was certain he would've failed the written exam by a landslide. He had to do something to repay him.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the test was over, and Sora had slumped in his seat, steam being released from his head and ears. The left side of his brain was officially fried. Other students looked at him, either concerned for his well-being or were trying their best not to laugh.

As somebody nudged him to snap him out of his funk, a man walked up to the stage at the center, looking rather… excited. Sora wondered who that might be.

He got his answer two seconds later, as the man yelled out enthusiastically in Japanese, "What's up, U.A. Candidates! Thanks for tuning into me, your school D.J. Come on and let me hear ya!"

There was a deathly silence, aside from a certain spiky-haired boy giving out a half-hearted "whoot-whoot!"

"...Keeping it mellow, aren't we?" The DJ said after the silence, "That's fine. I'll just skip straight to the main show. Let's talk about how this practical exam is gonna go down okay? ARE YOU READAAAY?"

Now that was something Sora was looking forward to, so he gave out a loud "YEEAAAH!" of excitement. Everybody turned to stare at him, but he didn't mind. It was their loss that they weren't as excited as he was. And in this way, Sora was energized and ready for the test ahead so as to rid the nervousness he felt earlier. This would give him an advantage.

(Play: MHA OST - U.A. Session)

"HA! I like this kid's attitude!" the blonde man replied, "Anyways, like your applications said, today you rocking boys and girls will be out there conducting ten minute mech battles, in super hip urban settings!"

Sora examined the screen behind the man, and as he explained it, Sora found the visuals a little similar to the Classic Kingdom Game on his Gummiphone, strangely enough. He found it kinda funny.

"Gird your loins, friends," the DJ continued, "After the mic's been dropped, you'll head to your specified battle centers. Sounds good?" There was silence, but the man saw a couple of nods, one of which was Sora. "OKAY!"

Sora examined the card he was given. Looks like his assigned center was C.

"Now then," the man said, "Let's check out your targets for the day! There are three types of foe villains in every battle center. You'll earn points based on the level of difficulty, so you folks better choose wisely! Your goal in this train is to use your quirk to raise your score by shredding these foe villains like a mid-song guitar solo! But check it, and make sure you keep things heroic. Attacking other examinees is a U.A. no-no, ya dig?"

Sora nodded in agreement. These rules weren't hard to follow. Just take down as many bots as possible and earn as many points as you can.

But honestly… that wouldn't mean he won't go the extra mile and protect others when the time arises. He would not make the same mistake twice and ignore a cry for help.

"Excuse me, sir," a voice called out on Sora's far left, "I have a question."

"Hit me!"

"On the print-out given to us, you listed four types of villains, not three." said the person who had stood up, "With all respect, if this is an error on U.A. material, it's shameful. We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan's most notable school. A mistake like this cannot do."

Sora thought this guy was a bit of a perfectionist and seemed to be straight to the letter. Not that he didn't like these types of folks, it's just that they were too tight on their beliefs, so it was hard for Sora to become friends with people like him. Oh well, Sora thought, I'll figure something out.

"Alright, examinee number 7111, thanks for calling in with your request." Mr. DJ said, giving the guy a thumbs up, "This fourth villain is worth zero points! That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way. There's one for every battle center. Think of it as a hurdle you should try and avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten. It's just that there's no point to. I'd recommend my listeners to try and ignore it and focus on the ones on top of the charts."

Sora heard it, but took those words into consideration. The fourth was worth zero points, and was an obstacle? If it's role is as an obstacle, and there was only one per battle center, it'll definitely be the toughest of the bunch, and likely the most aggressive. There was something funny about this 0-pointer information.

"That's all I've got for today," the man finished, "I'll sign off with a little present. A sample of our school motto! As general Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes." Sora pondered about this Napoleon. Probably a figure from the history of this world. "Now that's a tasty sound byte. Ready to go beyond? Let's hear a PLUS ULTRA!"

On cue, those words appeared on the screen in big bright letters. But instead of awkward silence, Sora threw caution to the wind and shouted it out with passionate yet controlled energy, raising a fist to the sky and emitting a positive aura. Every eye was on him again, but Sora didn't mind.

"AWRIGHT! Keep showing us that fire inside ya, kiddo!" the man pointed to him, before announcing to the assembled students, "Good luck! Hope you practice hitting more than just books!"

Everybody got to their feet, and Sora immediately went over to Izuku, who looked pretty bummed out.

"Hey," Sora asked him, "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah… just nervous," Midoriya stammered.

"You can do this, Izuku." Sora encouraged him, "You've been working really hard these past ten months. It's all gonna come full circle for you today. I just know it." He put his hands on Izuku's shoulders and smiled, "So turn that frown upside down, Izuku. Let's go and pass this exam with flying colors!"

"Y-Yeah… Yeah! Let's do this, Sora-san!" Izuku grinned with determination. He had definitely felt a bit more confident due to Sora acting as emotional support for him since their first meeting, though it was very subtle.

With that, the two said their goodbyes, wished each other luck, and headed off to their respective battle centers.

(Play: KH 2.5 Remix OST - Blast-Off!)

Sora looked around and examined his surroundings, realizing that the center itself was ginormous. A tad bit larger than the areas he explored in San Fransokyo, though San Fransokyo was definitely more glamorous than this.

He looked around him at the dozens of people who were getting ready at the starting line Sora was behind. They all had something on their person to help with their test, or relied solely on their abilities. Sora decided to hop around a bit to get his legs ready to roll.

"Whoa!" a voice said behind him, and he turned to see a blond-haired boy with a black streak across it was looking at him in awe, "You look like something outta an RPG!"

"Oh! Heh heh. Do I?" Sora looked a bit bashful. People had stared at him when he walked by. This was the first person to comment on his outfit.

"Yeah. It's pretty cool, to say the least."

"Thanks?" Sora asked, before extending a hand, "A-Anyways, good luck out there."

The blonde looked flabbergasted, before shaking it with his own, "Y-Yeah. You too!"

(Play: KH Re:Coded OST - No More Bugs - Bug Version)

"RIGHT! LET'S START!" he heard the man from earlier announce from a speaker, which caught everybody's attention. "GET MOVING! THERE'S NO COUNTDOWNS IN A REAL BATTLE!"

Immediately, Sora used his Flowmotion to literally become a blue blur and rush ahead of the others after hearing that, while the other contestants tore after him. He was quick to summon his trusty Kingdom Key to his side and run up a building, much to the contestants' surprise on the latter.

He surveyed the area below him and spotted a couple of two-pointers. His eyes dilated as he targeted the one on the left. In a burst of blue light, Sora blitzed through the air and slammed his Keyblade into the robot using his Airstep technique. The other 2 pointer bot had no chance as Sora tore through it as well.

4 points, Sora thought, as he spotted a one pointer and a three pointer together. Using Airstep again, he slammed his Keyblade into the 1-pointer and spun to face the three pointer. It tried to raise its arm up, but Sora wasn't considered one of the fastest Guardians of Light for nothing, and with two slashes, both its decapitated arm and head blew in an instant. 4 more, that makes 8.

He noticed another candidate in trouble, surrounded by four three pointers, and Sora, being kind-hearted as he was, jumped into the center before raising his Keyblade to the sky.

"Kero?!" The student looked at him startled.

"Thunder!" he called out in English, before extending his arm up, "Defense!"

Sora cast a hexagonal barrier around him and the student behind him, as a bolt of lightning came from the sky, impacting the barrier just as the three pointers were about to lunge. The barrier shattered upon the bolt of lightning's impact, before the shards exploded and cut through the three pointers, pushing them back. Sora went for the one in front, taking it down instantly. He noticed another about to reach him, but before he could react, a long tongue wrapped around it, and flung it to the wall. It was the student he protected.

"Thanks for the save!" Sora called out in Japanese, as the student leaped on another three pointer before using her tongue yet again to slam it into the ground. Sora saw it fit to attack the fourth bot, only to find it already destroyed by his Reflect barrier.

Okay. That makes 14 points so far!

He and the other student exchanged a look, before she nodded, jumped off, stuck to a wall, and headed off. Sora waved to her, before heading along his way. He had no idea how much time had passed, but he had to act fast. There were a lot of students, but there were also a lot of villain bots too.

(Silence)

Minutes later, Sora had racked up a total of 27 points if he remembered correctly. However, he wasn't sure if it was enough to pass. He couldn't find any other villain bots, but suddenly, he felt a cold air rush through him. Something he didn't want to feel here of all times.

No way… Sora thought, before looking towards an alleyway, and found exactly what he was looking for.

(Play: KH 3 OST - Rowdy Rumble - The Crazy Carriage)

Heartless. Not a whole lot, consisting of Shadows and some Flutterings, but they were scattering. Not good. Sora had to act fast; even one Heartless left alive would sprout chaos across the battle centers.

Of all the stupid times to show up, why now?! Sora thought to himself as he rushed towards the scattering Heartless, taking out two Shadows before running up the wall of the alley to swat the Fluttering out of the sky. He growled a bit as the Heartless continued to scatter.

"That's it." Sora growled, dilating his eyes yet again, using his Airstep technique again and again to take out the scattering Heartless. One by one, they were felled by Sora's blade.

Quick to act, Sora rushed out of the alleyway and leapt onto one of the buildings to get a better view. He saw a group of Heartless heading to ambush a larger group of students who were busy with Villain bots. Sora had to be quick before the Heartless fell upon their victims.

Using Airstep yet again, Sora rushed towards the group of Heartless, getting their attention and eliminating them before somebody got hurt. He sighed in relief, but got worried. He only had a limited amount of time before the exam was over, and he started to look around for any other villain bots.

Where in the world were they?

(Play: KH DDD OST - Rinzler Recompiled)

"Guh! How is this 1-Pointer so tough?!"

Sora found his answer, as he saw another contestant having trouble with a one pointer robot, being knocked to the ground. Sora looked over and saw something off. Unlike the other bots, whose eyes were red, this one's eyes were yellow, and dark steam was emanating from it. Not only that, but the machine guns on it were glowing, and its design took a more sharper shape.

A Possessor, Sora realized in horror.

"Get back!" Sora shouted in English, lunging at the possessed 1-pointer and knocking it away. Sora looked back at the student he rescued, "You okay?"

"Tch! Why do I need your help?" the boy responded. He had sleek hair, and definitely had an attitude.

"Trust me. You needed it." Sora stated sternly, before facing the 1-Pointer in front of him. Its eyes flashed dangerously yellow. This was probably the leader of this little crowd, so Sora would have to be careful.

The 1-Pointer fired bullets of dark energy towards Sora, but the Keyblade Wielder deflected each of the attack, before casting Thunder yet again to stun the bot. Sora landed three more hits on it before it jumped back, firing more dark bullets towards him. Sora avoided them and jumped on the wall of a building, before charging up energy into his blade.

"Take this!" Sora shouted, before slicing at the one-pointer, before it tried to block with its appendages. That did it no good, as Sora sliced through them and easily took down the 1-Pointer, granting him yet another point.

Sora turned around mid-air to see the Possessor leak out of the defeated bot, before floating away.

"Not today, you're not!" Sora planted his foot on another wall before launching himself towards the Heartless, swiping but missing.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

(Play: KH 3 OST - The Deep End - Rock Titan's Rage)

A voice made Sora's head turn, just in time to see a very gigantic robot in the distance, slamming a fist into a building. Sora deduced that this was likely the mysterious 0-pointer he heard about. Students screamed as they ran for dear life away from it as it removed the fist from the building and began to tear after them.

Immediately after, Sora saw the Possessor head towards the large villain bot, and his eyes widened. Oh no, he thought. If the Possessor got to the 0 pointer and took over, then things would spiral out of control. Sora needed to act, and fast.

"Get back here!" Sora shouted, leaping towards a building, reaching the top and took off in pursuit of the Possessor. To his dismay, the 0-Pointer had noticed him, and began throwing debris towards him. Crap! Sora thought, I can't let that debris hit the others!

Sora acted fast and leapt over the debris, landing on it and hopping over another, whacking it with his Keyblade down onto the ground below, where it was destroyed. Sora then landed, and to his dismay, saw that the Possessor had gained some distance between him.

Quickly, as he was running Sora dilated his eyes and used Airstep to rush towards the Possessor, managing to get two strikes in, but not enough to eliminate it. The Possessor dodged Sora's third strike and summoned two Flutterings to slow Sora down.

"I don't have time for you!" Sora grunted, dodging an attack from the Fluttering and swiping at it, knocking it out, before casting Fire at the other, stunning it before Sora slammed his blade into it, destroying the Heartless before it could attack. Unfortunately, this forced Sora to the ground, and the time to take out the Possessor before it reached the 0-Pointer was getting shorter with every second.

Shadows suddenly emerged and surrounded Sora. One of them lunged towards him, but Sora swung his weapon and felled it in one blow, turning his attention to the other Heartless. Gritting his teeth, he spun around, casting Blizzard while doing so and freezing all but two. Once he took down the frozen Heartless, he eyed the other two that had disappeared into the shadows. He blitzed the one that appeared first, while blocking a clawed hand of the other before slashing it out of existence.

Sora then looked up to see the Possessor had gained more ground, widening the gap between him and it. He had to close it, quick.

Sora dilated his eyes again, using nearby streetlamps to gain some distance towards the Heartless, leaping from light to light to try and get to the Possessor before it was too late. Sora then leapt onto the corner of a building before running along the rooftop.

The zero pointer noticed him yet again, and raised its arm to try and grab him. Sora wasn't going to let it get the chance, and he launched himself towards the outstretched hand, before dodging in between the fingers. He began running as fast as he could towards along the arm of the 0-pointer the Possessor, using Flowmotion to amplify his own speed.

This was his chance. Sora then turned to where the Possessor was, feet away from the 0-pointer's back. Using the arm of the 0-Pointer as a foothold, he launched himself towards the Possessor, ready to end things with one final strike.

To his horror, the Possessor dodged the attack yet again, and burrowed itself into an opening of the 0-Pointer's armor.

"NO!" Sora shouted.

(Play: KH 3 OST - The Deep End - Rock Titan's Rage - Final Phase)

The Possessed 0-Pointer suddenly turned into a darker shade of green, steam erupting from it and eyes a deadly yellow, and it let out a furious roar, a mix of a train whistle and a monstrous voice. Sora tumbled to the rooftop floor, grimacing. Now he had no choice. He had to stop the robot.

Sora saw it move with frightening speed towards the fleeing contestants. This is bad! Sora thought.

Quickly, Sora rushed onwards towards another rooftop, giving chase to the 0-Pointer as it razed through the streets, destroying the buildings in its way. It raised a dark-empowered hand towards a large group of trapped students. Sora quickly rummaged through his pocket, finding the gold keychain in it. He had stockpiled enough energy for this.

The 0-Pointer's fist was right on top of the helpless students, but as they braced for impact, they found that it didn't come. When a few dared to open their eyes, they saw Sora with different colored clothing, holding out a yellow and white shield to repel the fist, and with all his might, pushed the fist back, which sent him back to the ground in front of the group.

Sora then reared the shield back, rushing towards a barrier created by debris and punching it with a gold fist that erupted from the shield, blowing a hole through it. This was the secret power of Sora's Keychain, Hero's Origin. It could transform into a shield that could counter enemy attacks by stockpiling the energy of any attack into power for Sora's own counterattack.

"Go, go, go!" Sora shouted, and the students complied, running through the hole as Sora looked up to the 0-Pointer, which was trying to rear its fist back again.

Not this time! Sora thought, switching his keychains and firing a beam of light towards the 0-Pointer itself, forcing it to block with the hand it was trying to rear back, and the darkness surrounding it was dispelled.

So it's acting like a protective armor, Sora thought, This might be tougher than I thought.

As the last student made it through, Sora leapt towards one of the remaining buildings, pointing his blade towards the possessed robot.

"Eyes on me, big guy!" Sora declared.

The robot roared in response, grabbing a chunk of a broken building and threw it at Sora. Sora changed his Kingdom Key back to the Counter Shield, ramming into the debris with all his might, separating it into several harmless pieces.

He had heard an alarm and someone shouting that the Exam was over seconds before he'd rescued those students, but Sora didn't care about that anymore. He had to take out the Heartless before it could cause any further damage.

But first, Sora needed to get onto the offensive. Switching back to the Kingdom Key, he used his Airstep once again to land on the Possessed 0-Pointer's hand, before running along its arm. Pouring power into the blade, Sora stabbed it into the arm, before running along the arm to create a tear in it with his Keyblade, rendering it useless.

The 0-Pointer then tried to use its other arm to try and grab at Sora, only for him to switch back to Counter Shield. He braced himself as the fist slammed into his shield, pushing him back and sending him crashing into another building.

He stumbled out of the debris, coughing. This wasn't good. He didn't expect the attack to knock him off his feet, nor had he stocked enough energy to launch any form of counterattack with either of his Keyblades. He only had one other option to ensure victory and prevent the least amount of casualties, though he wasn't sure if he could pull it off.

But given how this thing was as large and as potentially dangerous as the Rock Titan, it was honestly the only option he had left.

"Light!" Sora declared, raising his Kingdom Key into the sky, the tip of it sparkling, before leaping out of the building and onto a construct of light that was chugging its way towards Sora. It was the Mountain Coaster, one of Sora's Magical Attractions. Sora landed onto the conductor's seat and began directing the train towards the 0-Pointer.

"Fire!" Sora shouted, as the chimney of the Mountain Coaster fired blasts of flame toward the 0-Pointer, bombarding it with a shower of fireworks. Sora maneuvered it at a safe distance so the 0-Pointer couldn't reach him. It took the punishment hardly, and it was losing a lot of ground as the fireworks proceeded to break through the tough armor of the 0-Pointer.

"Let's finish this!" Sora yelled, "CHIMNEY FLARE!"

At his command, the chimney launched a final, but powerful barrage of fireworks that not only bombarded the 0-pointer, but caused it to blow up as its insides began to break apart. In a brilliant flash of light, the 0-pointer exploded and collapsed in a heap.

But it wasn't over, Sora leapt off the Mountain Coaster, Keyblade in hand, and saw the Possessor stagger out of the shell of its puppet. Sora trained his eyes on it, and let out a triumphant yell.

"This is it!" Sora fired a beam of light straight at the weakened Heartless, and it struck true, causing the Possessor to fizzle out and fade away. Sora grinned weakly as it did.

(Play: KH DDD OST - Ever After)

It's over… Sora thought, before he plummeted to the ground, the Mountain Coaster disappearing at the same time. Summoning the Attraction had cost Sora most of his energy, and he barely had any strength to even move as he fell. The last thing he saw before he crashed to the ground were a dozen people running up to where he was falling, before his face hit concrete.

And everything went black.

"Giving up already? Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that."

"RIKU!" Sora shouted as he bolted up, "I'M NOT GIVING UP!"

"Young man, calm down, for heaven's sake!"

"Huh?"

Sora found himself surrounded by other kids his age, and standing in front of him was an old lady with a large syringe for a walking stick.

"I healed your wounds, which weren't serious," she explained calmly in Japanese, "But you took quite a nasty fall. I'm surprised you were able to get up so quickly after I healed you."

"Really?" Sora asked, before looking around, "Wait... why's everybody looking at me like I did something cool?"

"Dude, are you blind?" A voice said on his left, and he found himself looking at the blonde kid who complimented his outfit, "You saved our lives."

"Oh." Sora scratched the back of his head, "That's right, huh? Well," Sora got himself up, though he did so slowly as he felt tired, "Glad you guys are all safe."

And with that, Sora walked off towards the exit of the battle center, leaving them all to chatter amongst themselves. Suddenly, another student spoke up, "Hey! You just saved our lives and you're not expecting thanks?!"

Sora looked back at the person and grinned, "No need. Just happy to help." With that, he continued to walk like nothing happened.

As he moved, he inwardly felt a bit down. He only stocked up 28 points for the Practical Exam, and though he probably passed the written exam by the skin of his teeth, he knew that the amount of points he got wasn't enough to pass the practical.

So, to put it simply, he had failed the Entrance Exam.

But he didn't care much. He did what he thought was right, even when the Heartless began running amok. His desire was to help people in any way possible, and he did so, by protecting that group of students from the possessed 0-pointer, and destroying it for good measure.

Still… he felt a slight hint of disappointment. He had failed yet another exam, and unlike the Mark of Mastery where it was rigged from the start by Xehanort, this was an actual exam he failed, without tricks or anything. But if his actions allowed others to get into U.A., then that's fine. They all deserved to have a chance at becoming a hero, just like Sora.

So why does it still hurt so much?

"Uh… excuse me?"

He heard a timid voice behind him, and Sora turned to face it. It belonged to a girl his age with long wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. Her feet resembled that of a horse's hind legs, so Sora deduced that her Quirk was the reason behind her horse-like appearance.

"Hey." Sora grinned tiredly, "You speak English, too?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm from America. You?" she asked shyly. Sora simply smiled. She had Izuku's problem, but it wasn't to Izuku's degree of stammering over every word. That was a relief.

"I'm an islander." Sora replied.

"Wow. Which one? Hawaii?"

"No… I don't actually know if we're on the map," Sora admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Regardless, I'm glad there's another English speaker here." the girl smiled, "My name's Pony. Pony Tsunotori."

(Silence)

"Sora Nakajima," he replied, extending his hand, "Nice to meetcha."

"Same here, Sora." she giggled as she shook his hand, before asking him, "But gee, are you okay? You took a hard fall back there. Not to mention you fell flat on your face."

"Is that right?" Sora laughed good-naturedly, "Must've looked graceful, huh? Don't worry about it. I think the nice old lady reduced that pain so it isn't all that bad."

"You sure?"

(Play: Final Fantasy 7 Remake OST - Hollow Skies)

"Positive. Ooog," Sora suddenly staggered, feeling exhaustion catching up to him. Thankfully, Pony managed to catch him before he fell, replying, "I don't think so. You look like you ran a whole marathon. Come on."

At that, the two walked towards the exit with Pony supporting a tired Sora.

"Heh heh… looks like I used too much energy in that last attack. I'm still woozy." Sora replied weakly, "Thanks for the save, Pony."

"It's no trouble." she said as she positioned his arm around her shoulders, "You really kicked butt out there, you know."

"Thanks. I'm sure you did too." Sora smiled, "How do you think you did?"

"Okay, all things considered. Maybe a passing grade." she admitted, "Though I'm sure you blew the test right out the window."

"Nah." Sora replied, "I think I failed, honestly. I got distracted and well… you can guess what happened. Beating that Zero Pointer didn't give me any points, after all."

"Hmmm…" Pony stared at him for a second, before looking away, "Well… I think you deserve to pass for doing what you did. Heroes shouldn't just be all winners by beating bad guys up."

"Even if I agree with you, I don't make the rules." Sora sighed, before smiling at her, "Dumb technicality, am I right?"

"Yeah. They really should change the rules in future exams."

"So make it more emphasized on saving others instead of just beating up robots?"

"Yeah! That's what Heroes are meant to do, right?" Pony replied, "It's not just about sending bad guys to the slammer."

"Well..." Sora thought aloud, "Guess that depends."

"On what?"

Sora hummed for a bit, before smiling, "Never mind."

The two of them continued to head towards the exit, before Sora asked her, "Friends?"

"Huh?"

"Wanna be friends?"

Pony looked at him in surprise, before she shyly smiled as well, "Sure. Friends."

The two of them finally made their way out of the exit, being the first to exit the center. The two found a seat at a nearby bench, and watched as the other contestants left their assigned battle centers, many of them wearing tired expressions on their faces.

"There's so many awesome people here…" Sora said in wonder, "So many powers to see… I'm just… wow..."

"Yeah… I can agree." Pony smiled, "But darn, that practical was exhausting. I mean, look at yourself for example."

"Yeah. Definitely." Sora nodded, "In all honesty… I could use another shower. My mom's gonna be mad if I come back a mess." Sora chuckled. Pony examined his clothing and his face, and both were ruffled up and dirtied. Surprisingly, they were not as damaged as she expected. After all, he did get punched by a giant robot and crashed into a building because of it. What kind of person made those clothes to be so durable?

Not to mention he looked like a protagonist from an anime with the clothes he had on. She wouldn't lie, but it was pretty cool, and it matched him surprisingly well.

"I bet she will." she replied kindly, deciding to put that thought for later.

The two fell silent. But for Sora, it was a friendly sort of silence. After several minutes, he felt enough energy come back to him.

"Welp." Sora stretched his arms with a grunt, "We should get going."

"Oh yeah… we should," Pony said, glancing at her watch, before adding, "Could we, um… exchange numbers?"

"Huh?" Sora looked at her, before smiling, "Oh yeah. Let's do that."

And so they did. Afterwards, Sora and Pony walked together to the station outside of U.A., where a tired but clearly distraught Izuku was standing alone.

"Hey, Izuku," Sora called out in Japanese, "How are you holding up?"

"Oh! Um…" Izuku stammered, before looking down dejectedly, "I did… okay…"

Sora could see that Izuku was lying, but didn't press the matter. He turned to Pony, "Well, my ride's here. Talk to ya soon, Pony."

"You too, Sora!" She waved at him as Sora and Izuku went onto the train. Both of them slumped onto their seats, one was dejected and tired, the other was just plain exhausted as their train began to move.

"So…" Sora broke the ice, "You didn't cut it either?"

"Wait…" Izuku turned to look at him in shock, "You failed, too?"

"Yeah. Didn't get enough points." Sora admitted, "Got distracted by something and… yeah."

"Oh… I'm sorry, Sora-san." Izuku said quietly.

"It's fine. Thanks for helping me study for the written exam, though. It saved my life. And please." Sora responded kindly, "Just call me Sora, Izuku. We're friends, after all."

"...Alright."

The two fell into silence, as Sora had run out of steam to talk, and fell asleep on the train. Once they arrived back at their home, Sora had been re-energized enough to walk, but Izuku had to support him as they walked back to their homes. Though both were disappointed by their results, they were at least glad that they were in good company.

(Silence)

And that's all for Chapter 8! The Entrance Exam came and went, and it looks like Sora's encountered more of the cast of MHA, including Pony!

And of course, Heartless come along to ruin Sora's day once again, but he stopped them before they could consume the hearts of the contestants. Here's hoping he didn't actually fail the exam!

Well, look at that! He can still summon Attractions in this world, though it proved to be extremely exhausting. He's also has the Hero's Origin keychain with him, meaning that he can use Counter Shield again! I wonder what other Keychains Sora will reobtain as the story progresses. I'll leave it to you guys to guess which ones will return. It won't be a lot, but it'll enough for Sora to have a variety of fighting styles besides swinging a giant key.

Now for all of you confused on how Sora's KH2 clothes came outta nowhere, I'd say Sora didn't throw away that outfit when he donned his new one. He probably kept it somewhere, as a memento or a backup in case his new outfit gets trashed. At least now Sora has another familiar set of clothes to wear!

Ohhh... look at that. Sora having a nightmare? That's... concerning. What ails you, young warrior?

Onto reviews!

Wizardwolf 1020: Unfortunately, yeah. I don't like it either, but stuff like that does happen in real life (Maybe super rare, but it does happen). Sometimes people don't fully trust you enough to think you are telling the truth. They make sure to have a failsafe in case the person actually does something or says something that goes against what they believe is true (Coughs in Batman and all his contingency plans). In this case, it's Naomasa telling the chief of police who Sora claims he is, so that at least someone else is aware and will act as well if Sora steps out of line. Though I'm not saying Batman and Naomasa are the same, I would think that Naomasa's action is something that has to be done, despite how people feel about it (You can correct me if I'm wrong though). I'm sorry about that part of the story, and I can understand why you're mad about that, but that's a part of the story that's gonna stay.

erickh120124: Interesting answer. You might be cold. You might be warm. Answers will come in due time.

blueassassin996: Keep that hunch. I wanna see if you're correct on who you think it is when they're finally revealed.

The OC Maniac: Wow. That means a lot coming from you, OC. Thank you for telling me that. I wouldn't say this story will surpass yours or Sora Sentry's, not by a long shot, though I will do my best to at least match it. I wouldn't have come up with many of the ideas I have now had it not been for you two paving the way. I'm glad you think that way, regardless. Even so, I'm sure you can keep the magic of May Your Heart Go Beyond going, and end it with a loud bang. Thanks for your review, and good luck with your stories, OC!

Guest: Thanks for that, and I'm glad you're liking this story. As for his reaction to that? Just keep on reading, my friend. Stay safe out there!

Shootingkill: I agree with that. Sora going all out would be interesting to see when the time calls for it. I'll do my best to see if I can make Toru a little more relevant in the story, but I can't guarantee she'll take a lot of the spotlight in these first few chapters.

jikker jak: There's nothing wrong with pronouncing names like that. Every reader reads a story differently, so don't think too poorly about that.

ultima-owner: Agreed. Izuku's passion is admirable, but he needs strength in both the physical and mental sense if he wants to become a Hero. We'll be getting there really soon.

PUBLISH: Just wait and see. All will be revealed in time.

What did you think of this chapter? If you didn't like it, then I'm sorry if it didn't meet expectations. If you did, then that's great, and I'm glad you did.

Thanks for reading this chapter, and until our paths cross again!