For anyone who's familiar with my patterns, this'll be a bit of a treat... or a bit of torture depending on how you see it.
Author's notes at the bottom.
Secondary Option
It was here, an innocuous little envelope sitting on his desk. Izuku stared it down, returning to an old nervous habit as he drummed his fingers across the polished wood finish. At the very least, he wasn't mumbling incoherently.
With a final push of courage the boy seized the package in both hands, giving a firm, savage rip which tore the envelope in half. A curious little discus clopped against the desk top; this was supposed to be his exam results?
Midoriya threw his arms in front of his face, shielding his eyes from the sudden flash that filled the room. Squinting at the space just above the flattened disc, Izuku eyed the holographic display of… a loading screen?
"Booyah! I am here as a projection!"
The young hero-hopeful almost fell out of his chair when his mentor's face flashed into existence with a terrific yelp. He'd just managed to catch himself on the edge of a bookshelf, staring in awe at the visage of his all-time favorite hero.
'All Might? Why is he...'
The pro hero backed away from the presumed camera, revealing his garb of a golden, pin-striped suit. It was so far removed from his hero costume that Izuku twice attempted to rub the image from his vision – the man was even wearing a tie!
"I'm sure you have questions," the projected All Might boomed, thrusting his invincible chest forward. "Well, to answer the obvious… you're looking at the newest UA faculty member!"
Midoriya all but swooned, the thought of learning under the tutelage of the number one hero in a premium institute like UA was simply beyond words. Reality rushed back in as Izuku remembered he had not gotten a definite confirmation of his results.
All Might cleared his throat with a short cough… and then another. The unnecessary action did not bode well. "Young Midoriya, I would like to take a moment aside to show you something. Please watch this." All Might raised his left palm, a rectangular screen with a short round of footage playing atop it.
'Wait, is that?'
Izuku perked up at the person on display, a familiar head of chestnut hair and the rosiest case of perma-blush there ever was. The girl with the gravity quirk stood in view of the camera, engaged in a tentative conversation with who appeared to be Present Mic.
Sound filtered into Midoriya's room, clear as a bell, the girl launching into a small tirade. "Is it possible for me to give him some of my points? I mean its just ridiculous that someone could take out that giant robot and not receive anything for it!"
"She-she's talking about me..."
Izuku flattened his palm over his heart, clutching the loose fabric of his shirt. He honestly could not remember the last time someone other than his mother had spoken out on his behalf like that.
The girl on display continued, "He saved me! I… I was the reason he couldn't get any villains." She paused, taking a single, calming breath. "So please, can't you just-"
Present Mic moved for the first time, leaning forward to lay a hand on the girl's shoulder. Though the pro-hero was facing away from the camera, the moment of silence painted a solemn air about the scene. And then he spoke, "I'm sorry."
That was it. The flat finality in his tone, when Present Mic was known as one of Japan's liveliest heroes, was all the evidence Izuku needed. A glaring crack formed, running right through him.
"It's great that you want to help that young man, but its out of either of our hands now. That's just the way the exam is."
He watched the girl's expression fall, her stature slumping in defeat. The boy swore he saw the makings of tears forming in the corners of her eyes. The sight did little to help Izuku's own growing despair, but the sentiment was welcome.
Present Mic released his grasp on the girl's shoulder, instead plopping his palm atop the girl's head. "But hey," the exam proctor reprized, "don't feel too bad for the kid. Heart like his won't give in so easily. More than enough people have taken notice of that." Present Mic finished with a sure thumbs up, contrasting the girl's silent bewilderment.
The footage ended and All Might's smiling visage returned, though somewhat lacking its usual luster. "Midoriya, my boy… I'm sure by now you already know, but I have to make your results official."
The camera tracked the gold-clad hero as he rounded a small, circular desk. Grasping a short stack of documents, All Might slapped them twice against the table top to bring the sheets into alignment. "Izuku Midoriya, applicant number two-nine-zero. You passed the written test with a score in the range of average. However, you scored no combat points in the physical portion of the exam."
Izuku looked away, unable to meet even the eyes of a recording of his mentor. "I know," he whispered, tone hollow and empty, "I know that I failed."
The papers snapped against the desk top, snatching back Midoriya's attention. All Might's expression brightened, "On the other hand, for the selfless rescue of your fellow examinee, Ochako Uraraka, sixty savior points were added to you score!" Izuku lifted, the triumph in his mentor's voice too infectious to ignore. For a moment, that tiny ember of hope inside the boy blazed white-hot.
Then All Might delivered the final verdict. "With a total score of sixty, Izuku Midoriya, you did not pass the minimum score of sixty-five in order to pass the physical exam, I… I'm sorry."
And there it was. Izuku was no longer in his room, being told his future by the world's number one hero. He was a four year old, sitting on a stool in a clinic office, being told his future by a stoic doctor as his mother stood by. Despair took hold of him entirely… and in short order, he let it go.
Midoriya was not that young boy, innocent and full of promise. Living had tempered those views, hardened them against the harsh reality of the world. Izuku had grown accustomed to adversity, to being the constant failure amongst his peers. Being turned away by UA was a crushing blow, but Present Mic's words from earlier rang truer than ever.
Izuku Midoriya was not ready to surrender.
The holographic All Might thrust a hand forward, pointer raised to the sky. "But… there is another score I wished to share with you." Izuku watched his idol scan back over the sheet of paper, hand returning to his mouth to block a short round of coughing. "Ah! Here she is! Applicant number two-nine-one, Ochako Uraraka, another middle of the road score in the written exam. For the physical portion, a final score of thirty-two combat points. And for the return-rescue of Izuku Midoriya, an additional thirty-five savior points!"
The boy shifted through perhaps the entire emotional spectrum during All Might's long delivery. Confusion at the mention of another score, wonder at the name of the girl with the gravity quirk, disappointment and anger at the meager combat score, and joyous relief at the knowledge that the additional savior points had put her over the bar to pass. In spite of his own shortcomings tonight, Midoriya couldn't stop the happiness welling up within him at Uraraka's success.
He would never have chosen to do otherwise, but it was lifting to know there had been true merit in his sacrifice.
Sacrifice…
"Do you understand, young Midoriya?" Again the boy's gaze was drawn to All Might, the hero's usual shine back in full force. "Once again, in some small way, your actions have shaped the future. That girl will be attending one of the most prestigious institutions of heroics in the entire world!" All Might drew closer to the screen, pointing straight at the stunned youth on the other side.
"You are responsible for this, young Midoriya, not just because you saved that girl, but because you inspired her to save another. Ha! You're already building up quite the track record here!"
Izuku laughed, a trail of tears leaking from one eye even as mirth overtook him. In the several months he'd personally spent alongside the pro hero, he still had yet to appreciate just how encouraging All Might could be. That booming voice and endless grin were too infectious for words.
"I know you're disappointed with the end results, but failure is a part of life whether you're a high school student or the symbol of peace! Don't think of this as an end Midoriya, just a small detour. Go beyond..."
The sentence hung and Izuku found himself nodding on reflex, a stern determination settling upon his features.
"Oh," All Might chirped, smacking the base of his palm against his brow, "One last-last thing! I – yes, this will be the last thing… the last-last, I swear!" All Might was hollering off to the side, likely arguing with whoever was overseeing this video. "Now then, young Midoriya, if you would be so kind as to turn this disc over once this video concludes."
And it did, the recording cutting to black in an instant. Midoriya blinked, slow and singular, staring at the empty space formerly occupied by the video projection. He blinked again, slow and singular, as his gaze lowered, focusing on the circular device resting on his desk. Izuku remained still, silent, almost in anticipation of something. It would have been so much simpler if the small projector could grow limbs of its own and flip itself over. The boy found his own arms lacking in any form of strength at the moment.
With tremendous effort did Midoriya will himself into motion. The time it took to reach across for the dormant discus seemed to stretch on forever, reality coming to a grinding halt as his fingers made contact. He gulped, happily able to admit his own fright at what he would see on the other side of that device.
The disc clattered back atop the table's surface, a message in marker written along its curved body: "Meet at Dagobah, eight pm on the seventh." The day after tomorrow… not nearly enough time to organize his thoughts.
The night wasn't as clear as advertised by the weatherman, a good bit of cloud cover obscuring the sky. But the moon was relentless, its waxing crescent casting a brilliant shine.
It was in that glow that Midoriya saw him, his gaunt form and baggy clothes framed against the shifting reflection of the ocean waves. The blonde haired man perked at his approach, head turning just slightly to the side. Izuku froze at the barest glimpse of his idol's dark gaze, the silence broken only by the lapping of sea against shore.
All Might turned fully towards his months long protege. A moment passed before the skeletal man unleashed a pleasant smile, raising a hand in greeting. The pro hero was barely given time to blink before Midoriya was upon him, racing across the sand at speeds that would make a quickster proud. With a harsh grunt he caught the fanboy against his chest, a pair of arms gaining a firm grip around his diminished mid section.
His next action was instinctive, placing one hand atop the mess of green curls. All Might didn't need the boy to speak to understand what was being said, the number one hero declaring in a soft voice, "Its okay, you have nothing to feel sorry for."
Izuku allowed the last of his frustrations to run free, one last pool of tears before he could allow himself to move on. He had done his best and All Might recognized that. There was nothing else to say.
The two stayed like that for a short time, letting emotions play out. When Izuku removed himself from his mentor, his eyes were still glazed with tears and a sizable wet spot was visible on All Might's tee. Regardless, a familiar strength had built up in Midoriya's form. All Might offered a broad grin in return.
"Young Midoriya," the pro hero began, "I have some news. There's an offer for you."
The boy couldn't help the sudden sense of confusion.
So here we have an outright multi-chapter story from me, the first in quite a long time. I'm gonna try something a little different from this point forward in order to ensure I start to pump out a bit more content. Details of that I'll post on my profile page.
As to the story itself, as you can see this will be a scenario in which Izuku does not attend UA High. Expect some OCs but there will be some familiar faces along for the ride. I've made the entrance exam a tad more difficult which will affect people other than Midoriya. We're gonna kinda shatter canon with this one so we will be going off the rails pretty quickly.
That's about all I have to say for this chapter, this is mostly just setup for theme and characters. I will say on the topic of pairings, for anyone who cares about such things... I have really boring tastes so this is probably going to end up with rather vanilla pairs. Though I suppose I do have one in mind that'll come a bit out of left field... you'll see sooner or later.
Chapter 2: Oct 1/2