I left the nurse's office, and went back to the locker room. It was already empty, naturally. I changed slowly, my arm still ginger. I didn't bother to check my phone. I would talk to mom when I got home, and call Tsuyu then, too. I doubted anyone else had called me.

When I got home, Mom was waiting. No surprise there. She had certainly been called by UA, and had probably been watching Tsuyu and I on the Party tab, too.

"Are you alright, Izuku-honey?" she asked gently, but didn't fuss over me.

"I will be in the morning," I told her.

"How did you get hurt so badly?" she asked a little more anxiously, "When the school called and said you were in the nurse's office, unconscious, I checked. You were down quite a bit. But you recovered so fast."

"That was Recovery Girl's power," I noted, "Though I think it interacted with my Ki Regen... no, Ki Healing now, in some way, because my Energy is lower than it should be. And I didn't get hurt. I hurt myself."

I told her. About the written exams and how easy they were. The rules for the practical. A quick run down of the highlights leading up to the end. About the girl I owed being in danger. Spending most of my points. Saving her, even though using Ki and Psionics together had a nasty backlash.

"And punching a hundred tons of machine, covered by reinforced steel, probably didn't help either," I concluded, "After that, Recovery Girl came in. She diagnosed me, which was kind of amazing. Then she used her power, and it knocked me out."

"It was the right thing to do," Mom told me, "saving that girl. If the school doesn't see that, I'll give them a piece of my mind."

"It's not that simple, Mom," I shook my head, "Rules are there for a reason, right? Sometimes they are right, and sometimes they are wrong, and sometimes they seem wrong if you don't know the whole story. But whatever way, if you break them, you have to be ready to deal with the consequences. Like Recovery Girl told me, the judges will decide if there was no other choice, or if there was something else I could have done. Or even if the robot just would have missed her."

"And what will you do if they rule against you?" she prompted.

"It depends," I told her, "I counted 77 points, which from what I saw, was probably enough. But if they take half, I'll only have 38 points. If the cutoff ends up being 35, I'll be fine. If it is 40, then I won't make it."

"Well, if you really did that well on the written part," she said thoughtfully, "Then you can still get into the General Education course. And then you can work your way back into the Hero course."

"I guess that depends on how losing 'The Gamer' works out," I told her.

"Izuku, what are you talking about?" she asked sharply.

"Didn't I... No, I deliberately didn't at first," I remembered, "And then I just never really thought of it again. Quests."

I scrolled down. Then swiveled the screen around so she could see 'The Path of a Hero'. There were just under seven days left on the timer.

"What does that mean?" Mom pressed.

"I don't know," I admitted, "Even Analyze won't tell me anything more. At the very least, the loss of 'The Gamer'; Gamer's Mind and Body, Inventory, Quests, Party. The ability to see my stats and control how my points are spent. For you two, too. And probably Analyze too, that's always in the windows. Beyond that? If I'm lucky, I might get to keep all the Talents and Skills I already have. In that case, getting into the Hero class would be possible. Maybe even easy. Worst case scenario, I suddenly revert to being what I was ten months ago. Smart, but not this smart or knowledgable. Weak. Powerless. But I'll still find a way back to the Hero course."

"Oh, honey," Mom pulled me into a hug.

"Can we eat?" I told her softly, "I'm really hungry, and might as well take advantage of Gamer's Body."

I left the last five words unsaid.

'While I still have it.'


After dinner, I fell into bed. Well, cleaned my bed off, and then fell into it. I took my phone out, and hit the second number on my call list.

"Moshi-moshi, Izuku-kun," Tsuyu answered.

"Moshi-moshi, Tsu-chan," I said softly.

"I heard some of what you did in the practical," she said, "A bunch of the girls from your group were talking about it. It sounded pretty amazing."

"Oh, not really," I protested weakly.

"So, now that we are both UA students," I could hear the smirk in her voice, "I believe there was a conversation we need to have. Maybe instead of training tomorrow, we could go to a nice cafe. Maybe a movie. Maybe my room..."

I broke. I had held it in with Mom. But thinking back to what I had told Tsuyu, about how hard it would be, going back to being the old me, I started to cry.

"I was joking," Tsuyu said quickly but sincerely, "I love you as a friend. And you are definitely cute and sexy. But I don't think I'm in love with you. Maybe someday. Soon. But you were right, we need to focus on UA for now. We might have gotten in, but it will get harder from here..."

I was sobbing harder, but also laughing.

"That's not it," I told her, "In fact, I might have taken you up on that, because I might not have a chance later."

"Izuku?" Tsuyu sounded worried.

"I attacked the zero-pointer."

I told her what had happened during the practical.

"How many points did you get, Tsuyu?" I asked after I finished.

"Umm, about 60, I think," she answered softly.

"So 38 could be pretty low," I said, "If your 60 is in the top 10, I might be okay. But if it is only top 20, or even top 15, I probably won't make it."

"What will you do then?" she asked.

"Like I told my mom," I answered, "If I still make it into the General Studies, I will work as hard as I have to, to get into the Hero course."

"Without your power?" she prompted softly.

"However the loss of The Gamer leaves me," I said firmly.

"Okay," she said, "And I'll help however I can."

"Well, maybe we could still go out tomorrow," I said, "Get lunch and just hang out. I think I need a break. Even if only a short one. And even if she did just dump me, I'd like to spend it with my best friend."

"That sounds good to me," she said.

"So how did your practical exam go?" I asked.

"Well, it was a little tough at first. There was this lightning user who blasted all the bots near the entrance. But once I moved further in, I was able to rack up a decent score."

"Did you see any other interesting quirks?" I asked, reaching for my notebook. Hearing her mention an electrokinetic reminded me I should take some notes about what I saw.

"Well, there was a guy who was all metal. He seemed pretty strong, too. But I guess if I weighed a couple hundred kilos half the time, I'd be pretty strong too. And another boy who shot a golden sparkly beam out of his stomach, that crushed the robots. What about you?"

"I saw the girl Present Mic called out," I said, "She had three swords flying around her, cutting up the robots. And that guy who called me out? He was really fast, I think he might be related to Ingenium..."

We talked for a few more hours, and then planned were we would meet for lunch.


"So now what?" Tsuyu asked as we left the pizza place.

We had met up at the agreed restaurant after her Saturday classes. I was wearing jeans and a button up shirt. And when Tsuyu had arrived, she was wearing a blue sundress and a lightweight, pale yellow jacket. She had taken the time to change before meeting me. And she looked very good.

"I was thinking something fun for a while," I told her, "And then we could go back to my place and find a pencil, or maybe something a bit more challenging, and clear the dungeon."

"Are you sure about that?" she countered gently.

"Yes," I said firmly, "I'm going to get as strong as I can this week. Either to get ready for the Hero course. Or for the other."

"Okay," she smiled slightly, "So what did you mean by 'something fun'?"

"Well, movies are probably out," I said, "Did you have any ideas?"

"What about the arcade?" she decided after considering it for a moment.

"I haven't been to the arcade since..." I trailed off. I hadn't been there since Kacchan and his cronies made it their main after school hangout, back at the end of elementary school. Part of me still was nervous about it, but then I had to ask myself why.

"Well, it's been too long," I decided, "Let's go."

She nodded. It was only a short walk to the arcade. But as we arrived, an unfortunately familiar group was leaving. And long-fingers and his gang looked particularly annoyed. His face brightened sadistically when he saw me.

"That sparky bitch might have ruined our day," he said to his minions, "But it looks like we can still have some fun. Ain't that right, little Deku?"

"We just want to go in," I told him flatly.

"'We'? What's that... Oh, look boys, Deku's got a little girlfriend," he looked over me at Tsuyu. Who did not protest the label he placed on her. They moved to surround us. I glanced at Tsuyu. And then we slipped by them like they weren't even there. Before we could get inside, long-fingers grabbed Tsu's arm.

"Come one, sweetie," he crooned, "You can do better than this Quirkless nerd."

"Even if that were remotely true," she croaked angrily, "You wouldn't even begin to qualify as 'better' than Izuku."

His fingers grew and tightened, "Listen, bitch, I'm giving you a chance because you got a smokin' body and can probably do some interesting things with those big hands. But with that ugly face you won't do much better than De..."

My uppercut passed within a millimeter of his face. I'd like to think the force of the punch was at least part of what made him teeter back and fall on his butt. More likely it was just a combination of fear and surprise. He looked up at me in growing anger, but then his eyes suddenly widened in fear.

"You can say what you like to me," I told him coldly, "In three weeks I'll be in UA, and you will go wherever you are going to school, if you are staying in school, and I will never have to see or think about you again. But you insult Tsuyu again, and you will wish you hadn't."

He gathered himself up, scowling. I thought he might try to attack me. His cronies also tensed. Then the lights in the front of the arcade flickered. I heard the crackling of electric sparks. We all turned to look. And the bullies blanched.

There was a girl standing in the arcade's entrance. She was about my height, maybe a hair shorter. She had short brown hair, brown eyes, and pretty, somewhat refined features. She had a slender build, and was wearing a pair of green dockers, a black t-shirt with three hearts just under the collar, and a brown ball cap.

And she was flipping a token across her fingers, static jumping off with each rotation.

"You'll pay for this on Monday, you damn Deku," long-fingers shouted as the three of them ran off.

"Stupid jerks," the electrokinetic frowned.

"Oh, you were from the the practical exam," Tsuyu realized, "That biribiri girl."

The girl flinched, and glared at Tsuyu, "Don't call me that, froggy."

"Fine, if you don't call me froggy," Tsuyu said, "It's Froppy."

"Tsu?" I looked at her, confused.

"That's my Hero name," she told me, "I've had it since grade school. And why did that guy keep calling you deku?"

"That's not your name?" the biribiri girl prompted, a bit confused.

"No," I smiled sadly, "For a long time it seemed like I was powerless, so my friend used to call me Deku. Because like the wooden doll, he said I wasn't worth much, and couldn't do anything of my own."

"Doesn't sound like a very good friend," the brunette said sharply.

"Was that Katsuki-san?" Tsuyu asked softly. I nodded.

"Okay," the other girl asked, "Then what is you name?"

"Isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself first?" Tsuyu countered before I could say anything. The brunette grimaced, but nodded.

"I'm Misaka Mikoto," she said, and then looked at Tsu expectantly.

"I'm Asui Tsuyu. But I guess you can call me Tsuyu."

"I'm Midoriya Izuku."


"Wait," I held up my hand, staring at her in disbelief, "You turned down the recommendation?"

"Yup," Misaka-san confirmed, and then took a draw off her juice.

After silently confirming it with Tsuyu, we had spent the last few hours hanging out with the slender girl. It might have been 'not a date', but I wasn't stupid. Hanging out with another girl without getting Tsuyu's buy in was a sure fire way to turn it from 'not a date' to 'never going to be a date'. And I wasn't looking to close that door.

Fortunately, Tsuyu had been almost as curious as I was. Even as we played various games, we discussed the entrance exam. Misaka-san was a bit amazed when she heard I was the idiot who attacked the zero-pointer, affirming Tsu's statement that I was a source of gossip amongst the female participants. And maybe the male ones, too, since I had been unconscious while they were changing and leaving.

Then Misaka-san dropped her own bombshell.

"Why?" I pressed.

"Do you know how many of the top Heroines came from Tokiwadai?" she asked with a scowl.

"22 of the top 50 here in Japan," I answered easily, "And 42 of the top 100 world wide."

The brunette blinked in surprise, and Tsuyu chuckled.

"Right," Misaka-san finally confirmed, then added in a mock authoritative voice, "And for the past twenty-five years, Tokiwadai's top student has been granted a recommendation to UA."

Then she stopped and returned to her regular tone, "That's been basically their selling point while I was going there. But let's see if you know this, Midoriya-san. How many of those 42 top Heroines were from the recommendations?"

I glanced at Tsuyu, who shrugged, and then said, "I don't know."

"Three," Misaka-san answered sharply, "And there are two more active Heroines that don't make the list. Though, admittedly, Mount Lady just started a year ago."

I blinked. For a couple of reasons, but mainly both the low number and the fact that the seeming... 'rough' Mount Lady had come from prim and proper Tokiwadai. Then again, Misaka-san didn't seem particularly high-class either, wearing pants in an arcade sipping fruit punch through a straw.

"If only one in five made it," Tsuyu asked, "what happened to the other twenty?"

Misaka-san smirked at that, "Well, two years ago and nine years ago, they didn't give out the recommendation. And of course, the one from last year is getting ready to start her second year, and the one from three years ago just graduated. Four others made it, but one was killed in action, and the three oldest have retired. But the last twelve? Almost half of the total? Seven failed. Flunked out, were expelled, or transferred into the General Studies or Support classes. And the last five quit and got married within a year of graduating."

Something about the way she said that last part caught my attention.

"Quirk marriages?" I hissed softly.

"Of course not," she said, "There is no way that Tokiwadai would be sending its best and brightest off to be brood mares."

But her flat, sarcastic tone said she didn't believe her own denial.

"Anyway," Misaka-san shook out her shoulders, "With odds like that, is it a shock I decided I'd rather try the normal entrance exam?"

"I guess not," Tsuyu nodded.

"Besides," the brunette said pointedly, "I didn't want some cakewalk. I wanted to prove that I really deserved to be at UA."

Tsu and I exchanged knowing looks. Then I sombered, and asked the question I had been dreading.

"How many points do you think you got, Misaka-san?"

She started to grin. Then she looked at me, and realized why I was asking.

"I'm not exactly sure," she said gently, "My first shot blew them away before I could get a count. But I think at least 90."

I sighed, my likely 38 points looking even smaller.


We got back to my place, and stopped outside the door. Even though we were still planning to train until Tsu had to pick up her siblings, there was something I wanted to say. Well, say might not be right.

"I had a lot of fun today," I told her.

"Izuku?"

I brought my hand up to gently cup her face. I moved in slowly, hoping my intentions were clear and she had time to stop me.

The kiss was short. But really nice.

"I know," I panicked almost as soon as I pulled back, "You said you wanted to go slow like I did, and weren't sure how you felt. And I agree and feel the same. But this just felt..."

"Right," she agreed softly. Then in her normal voice, told me, "Well, I guess something like this might not be too bad, every once in a while."


I got home from school the next Friday, my heart hammering harder with each step. The three of us had been working really hard, clearing full pack of pens, plus my Mom's favorite frying pan. It hadn't been enough for any of us to level up. But we had all grown stronger. My Mom almost looked as... 'fit'... as Midnight.

When I entered our apartment, Mom was waiting. She was holding a letter. A letter with UA's seal on it. I took it from her.

"Izuku, honey, do you want me to be with you when you open it?"

"No, Mom," I told her unsteadily, "I want to do it alone."

I went into my room and closed the door.

"Quests."

I looked at the two open quests. I had just over two hours until 'The Path of a Hero' ran out. Part of me was tempted to let it. To see what would happen, maybe find out that way.

I slit open the envelope. And pulled out a single sheet of paper.

Midoriya Izuku-san,

The results of your UA Entrance Exams are as follows:

Written Exam: 92.4% overall
Practical Exam: 36 points

We regret to inform you that the cut off point for the Hero Course was 43 points. Due to your excellent grade on the written exam, we are pleased to offer you a position in the General Education Course. With your displayed abilities, it is entirely possible you will be able to convert to the Hero Course at a later date.

Sincerely,
Principal Nezu and the rest of the UA staff

I turned to look, and the two quests were both flashing large, red 'FAILED' signs. The screen cracked. It flaked away. I began panting in fear and despair. After less than a second, it was gone. I felt pain. My muscles, shrinking. My tendons, tightening. My brain felt too full, like it was leaking. I looked at my monitor and saw my reflection. Small. Weak.


I bolted upright in bed, throwing my topsheet into the wall. I grabbed my chest, trying to slow my anxious heart. I looked at my alarm. 3:27. Almost two hours before I would have normally gotten up.

The nightmare shook me. And confused me, how could my dreamscape replace my Mom with Midnight of all Heroes?

But I would find out today. Just a day of class, and then...

I went to get a glass of water, before I tried to fall back asleep. I didn't think I would rest easy.


"Are you sure you want us both here?" my mom, my real, normal looking mom, asked.

"Definitely," I said. Then I looked away from the envelope at Tsuyu.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather go look at your own acceptance letter?" I ask her.

"No."

"Izuku," Mom looked at me, "Don't you want to spend your remaining points?"

"No," I said, "There is a better chance than not that it would be a waste. And it would feel like I am giving up."

"I get that," Tsu agreed.

"Okay," Mom nodded.

I ripped open the envelope. Unlike my dream, there wasn't just a letter. Instead, a small disc popped out and fell to the table. After it stopped moving, it lit up.

"GREETINGS! I AM HERE AS A HOLOGRAM!" All Might appeared above the projector, and we all blinked.

"Wait, All Might?" I tried not to wig out, "This is from UA, isn't it?"

"Are you surprised?" the recording asked, "You see, I didn't just come here to fight Villains. No, I am the newest teacher at UA. And as the newest teacher, it falls to me to record these results messages!"

Virtual All Might picked up a sheet of paper.

"Participant 2233, Midoriya Izuku," he read, then his dark eyes brightened, "Ah ha. That young man... Well, for your results. On the written exams, you scored a stellar 98.3% overall. The second highest score on the written test. That alone guarantees you a spot at UA. The only question is which course you will be in. On the practical exam, you scored 77 Villain points. The third best score of the test, and under normal circumstances, it would be more than enough to earn you a place in the Hero Course."

All Might looked down, almost sadly. Mom and Tsu grabbed my arms.

"Except that you deliberately attacked the zero-point obstacle. And did a very impressive job of it. I'm not sure I could have done as well when I was your... Rambling? No, I'm not. Wait, I have how many of these things to do?"

The Symbol of Peace looked a bit embarrassed and continued, "You were warned that attacking the obstacle robot would cost you half of your points. That should put you at 38 points. And the 36th place finisher scored 40 points."

Their grips became almost painful. Unlike my dream, I had been too afraid to have my screen up. But that qualifier had me holding on to it like a life preserver. 'Should'

"I think there is something else you need to see," the projection said. Then the image changed.

"... not that I want to give up my position," pipe-guy was saying to Cementoss, "But if I could give him a few of my points and still pass. Such heroics should not be overlooked..."

The scene shifted again.

\After he took a two-pointer from me,/ the silent girl signed, though they had added subtitles. Not that I needed them, I had been watching signing videos while doing physical training.

\But then he brought me two three-pointers instead. So it would only be fair for you to give him those four points./

And again.

"Look, the guy saved me," the tape-guy told a teacher I didn't recognize, "there has to be something you can do?"

And then I saw Present Mic. He opened the door, to reveal the girl I had saved.

"Hello, listener," Mic said, "What can I do for you?"

"About that boy," she said softly, "The one with the messy green hair and freckles. You called him 2233 in the intro. He saved me. He knew it would cost him, maybe even not let him make it in, but he did it anyway. It's not fair. So please, could you give him my points? I mean, it would be nice if the two of us could split my points and both make it un... err, in. But if not, please just give them to him. I wouldn't be here without him, he deserves to be a Hero more..."

"Sorry, loyal listener," Mic said more quietly than normal, "But that's just not possible. Still, keep your ears peeled, the big announcement might not be what you are thinking."

Then it shifted back to All Might.

"Young man, UA is fully aware that there is more to being a Hero than just fighting Villains. It is about helping people, inspiring them, teamwork, and self-sacrifice."

As he said that, a screen behind him showed me saving the black clad girl. Tape-guy saving pipe-guy. Black clad girl and the blond girl with floating swords fighting back to back. And then me, flying forward and destroying the zero-pointer. Both Mom and Tsuyu gasped at that.

"That is why there is more to the practical exam than just Villain points. Participants are also awarded Hero points, based on their actions, at the discretion of the judges. And you, young Midoriya, have been awarded 65 Hero points. Combined with your 38 Villain points, that would give you 103 total points."

My eyes widened and I started to tear up. Mom and Tsu both went from grabbing my arms, to hugging me.

"Which would be enough to put you at the top of the rankings," All Might's recording continued, "Except for one more thing."

Mom and Tsu both glared at him.

"And that is the fact that you were only to be penalized for attacking the zero-pointer, if you had any other option."

Again the screen changed, and my own words were played back to me.

"I tried to do the math in my head. I could reach her, but couldn't get her out in time. Not without probably tearing her foot off. But you know how if you bump the bottom of a glass, it just slides, but if you bump the top it tips over. I knew I could do that, if I hit the robot in the right spot. I was afraid the head was just come off, so I went for the body. I picked a spot about the center of mass, but not so high that I would lose too much horizontal speed in my jump."

"We have some pretty sharp people here at UA," All Might once he was back on screen, "And they disagree. You should have aimed about one point six meters higher. Other than that, you were exactly right. You had no other choice, if you wanted to save the young lady."

"Therefore," All Might grinned as wide as he could, "I am happy to announce that you scored 142 points. Not just the highest this year, but the second highest of all time, just seven points below yours truly. Congratulations, young Midoriya, and welcome to the UA Hero Course."

The screen shifted from All Might. It showed all forty member of the two Hero Courses, and their scores (or recommendation). And I immediately returned the hug of the seventh place finisher, Asui Tsuyu, who had sixty one Villain points and nine Hero points. I also noticed in particular:
#2 Misaka Mikoto: 95 Villain Points, 2 Hero Points
#3 Mizuno Ami: 80 Villain Points, 14 Hero Points

"Quests," Mom demanded, but nothing happened.

"Quests," I said. The tab was flashing. The panels for both quests were flashing.

[Quest 'The Path of a Hero' complete. Claim the rewards?
(Accept) (Decline)]

[100,000 XP received
5 skill points received
2 talent point received]

[Level Up!
Level: 10
Attribute points: +7
Skill points: +3
Talent points: +1]

[Quest 'Record Holder' complete. Claim the rewards?
(Accept) (Decline)]

[Bonus Talents received.
'Energetic Student' unlocked.
'Plus Ultra!' unlocked.]

"It looks like you finally caught up," Tsuyu said happily.

"What do those do?" Mom pressed.

[Energetic Student
Reduce Energy cost for activated Skills by 10%.

Increase iteration timer for continuous Energy Skills by 10%.
Prerequisites:
Quest Reward]

[Plus Ultra!
Take a temporary penalty to Health to recover Energy. 1 Health converts to 5 Energy. This is not damage, and cannot be healed. Health reduction will recover at a rate of one per night's sleep.
Prerequisites:
Graduate from UA]

"Another one that I shouldn't be able to gain, yet," I noted dully.

"Congratulations, Izuku!" Mom clamped down on me, "And you too, Tsuyu-chan!

"Well, I guess we are going to UA," Tsuyu told me, "Together."

"Yes," I nodded, crying openly.


Current status:

Name: Izuku Midoriya
Race: Human (Quirk metagene negative)
Age: 15
Level: 10
Active Title: The Gamer
Health: 316/316
Energy: 429/429

Attributes:
(S)trength: 41
(A)gility: 35
(E)ndurance: 36
(Q)uickness: 42
(W)it: 33
(I)ntuition: 33
(C)harisma: 19
(D)etermination: 42
(L)uck: 10

Unused Points:
Attribute: 18
Skill: 8
Talent: 3

Skills:
Analyze (W): 33
Dodge (A): 20
Telekinesis (I/D): 29
Strength Training (S): 17
Basic Karate (A): 31
Boxing (S): 23
Parkour (A/Q): 29
Physical Resistance (E/D): 20
Running (Q/E): 25
Acrobatics (A): 12
Ki Detection (D/I): 19
Ki Blast (D/W): 12
Ki Slice (D/W): 12
Ki Healing (D/E): 15
Ki Reinforcement (D): 33
Telekinetic Attack (I/A): 18
Tactile TK (I/D): 6
Telekinetic Armor (I/E): 8
Telekinetic Aura (I) LB: 15
Kung Fu Fundamentals (Q/E): 12
Meditation (W/I): 8
Wing Chun Quan (A/Q): 8
Tai Chi Quan (A/S): 9
ASL (W/A): 6
JSL (W/A): 6
Ki Diagnosis (D/W): 4
User has chosen to conceal (19) skills

Talents:
Studious
Gamer's Body
Gamer's Mind
Telekinesis, Basic
Inventory II
Reflective Dungeon
Free Runner
Ki Initiate
Tactile Telekinesis
Ki Apprentice
Focus: Telekinetic Aura
Energetic Student
Plus Ultra!


My Hero Playthrough Omake: Bad Ending #1

I looked down at the letter, as my window crumbled.

"Status," I demanded. Nothing happened.

"Analyze." I learned nothing about the letter, or the paper it was written on.

Then I reached down, and lifted up the page Telekinetically. I tapped into my Ki.

It seemed The Gamer was gone, but my other powers remained. I would just have to work on and with them the normal way. I could still do this. Like it said, I could make it from General Course into the Hero Course.


"This reporter is saddened to report tragedy at UA," the announcer said. Mom and I hugged each other.

"A group of Villains attacked a UA training facility," he continued, "In the ensuing battle, Pro Heroes and UA teachers All Might and Eraserhead were killed, as were five students. Seven other students were taken to the hospital with serious injuries..."

I shut off the TV and pulled out my phone. I called Tsu. It went straight to voicemail.


It had taken me three months. Three months of breaking the law, of insane training. But now, I was here.

"Tomura Shigaraki," I growled, "I have finally found you. I will make you pay."

"Another little NPC," the bastard grimaced, "Here to bring me to justice for All Might."

"No," I shot back, "I'm here for Asui Tsuyu, my best friend. You killed her. And I'm going to kill you."

He rolled his eyes at me, "Nomu."

The monster that killed All Might stomped forward.

"Muspelheim Smash!" I roared. Two blazing hot blades of Ki slashed out. Cutting the creature in half both horizontally and vertically.

"My Nomu!" Shigaraki whined. I didn't care. I charged forward, my hand pulled back. But despite his distraction, Shigaraki stepped in and to the side. He grabbed my other shoulder. I felt my flesh dying, cracking. Decaying.

"Ki Healing," I declared. But it didn't stop the effect. It only slowed it. My left arm rotted and fell off.

"MINNESOTA SMASH!"

I didn't care. I shut off the healing. I put all of my strength into my remaining arm. Ki and Psions. I still hadn't fully mastered them. It didn't matter.

The bastard's torso and head evaporated. My arm shattered. Not that it mattered. The decay continued to spread.

"I got him, Tsu," I said, as I died.


"Shigaraki is dead," Kurogiri said.

"It is unfortunately," All For One seemed indifferent, "He was an important piece. But as soon as he defeated All Might, his usefulness ended. Prepare the next step."

[GAME OVER

Retry? Y/N]


Author's Note: This is the end of 'volume 1'; I need to do at least one chapter of my other story, before I continue this. But I will continue, I have over 40 total chapters planned at this point. Also, I did briefly consider having Izuku fail and lose The Gamer (like the omake). It would have been unexpected. It presented interesting possibilities for the relationships. And I could have used it to torment Mineta. But ultimately, it would have conflicted too much with my other plans for the story. And it would have been too hard to establish friendships with the members of 1-A he hasn't already met. Plus, I didn't want to have to create 18 OCs (or borrow 18 other x-over characters) to fill out class 1-C. I still might try it as a spin-off/alternate, just later.
Also, just for myself, I charted out points for all 36 finishers, if anyone is interested. Or wants spoilers...