Finally, the culmination of the last three chapters: say hello to the Entrance Exam! Enjoy the long chapter!
Also, I edited a part of Chapter 3. Basically, instead of making Izuku's recovery period two minutes solid, it depends on how intense the Quirk he used was.
5/2/20: I edited chapters 4 and 5 to fit the rewrite I talk about in the chapter notes. Essentially, instead of the zero-pointer being worth zero points, it instead resets your points to zero.
Okay, so I had uploaded a different version of the chapter yesterday at first. I had thought it was pretty good, but there were a few criticizing comments on the chapter, and, reading the chapter again, I can't blame them. They spoke well about some of the flaws about the chapter, enough to convince me that the chapter needed to be rewritten. And so I did. There's a decent amount I didn't change, considering they were new material or I thought they were good to keep in. But I rewrote the exam so that it wasn't just a copy of canon, and instead demonstrates what Izuku can do with his changed power. I hope it meets your guys' standards, and if you have any more criticisms, speak up! If the problem is severe enough that it impacts the reading experience for people, and if I agree with the problem, I won't hesitate to change it. Thank you for leaving comments, whether praise or criticizing, and know that both help immensely. Enjoy!
Chapter 5
The Entrance Exam
Word Count: 5519
It. Was. Huge.
There was nothing else Izuku could use to describe Ground B, or Present Mic had named it, Ground Beta. It was a literal city enclosed in a fifty-foot wall. It had skyscrapers, parks, apartments, everything. Izuku had wondered why it had taken half an hour to travel to the arena, but now, looking at the sheer size of the place, he was amazed U.A. could even build seven of these.
The students had split among the different training grounds, but there were still hundreds of students at Ground Beta. Izuku looked around, taking in the scene. A boy with multiple limbs was stretching carefully while another boy with an odd mirror in his stomach seemed to physically sparkle. Some flexed their muscles, others pulled on their equipment, but every single student was preparing for the arduous task ahead.
Every student except for one, at least. Izuku couldn't contain his nervous trembling, his determination replaced with terror. The severity of the day had finally gotten to him, and his mind was filled with doubt.
Can I really do this? There are so many people, who've trained for so long, what do I have on them? He grabbed his face, shaking the fear out. All Might believes in me, I can't let him down!
Looking over the crowd, he spotted the nice girl who had caught him before orientation. He brightened up, remembering that he had to thank her for saving him from embarrassment. He started towards her when he felt a firm hand clamp his shoulder.
Izuku turned backward and found himself face-to-face with the strict blue-haired boy from earlier. He was now giving Izuku a stern look, causing Izuku to wither.
"That girl is trying to focus," he stated, lifting his gaze to the girl who was now tapping her neck in deep concentration. "What do you think you're doing here? Are you simply taking the exam to hinder everyone else?"
"U- Um…," Izuku shrunk further against the boy's harsh stare as the crowd started to notice the commotion.
"That's the guy who almost tripped in front of the school, right?"
"Yeah, he's the guy that got called out in orientation."
"Oh well, guess we have one less person to worry about."
The boy let go of Izuku and continued his preparation, but the snipe had hit its mark. Izuku was brought straight back to middle school, where everyone had teased him for being Quirkless, where everyone had laughed at him and pushed him around. Nothing has changed, has it? Izuku's thoughts threatened to spiral even further, but before they could, he heard a familiar voice ring out above the muttering.
"Clumsy boy! Hey!"
He looked up to see the nice girl walking up to him, waving with a smile on her face. She slowed her pace, standing in front of Izuku, who was gradually turning red.
"Cool, we're in the same arena! The exam seems really hard from what Present Mic had said, but, you know, I've been working hard! I know I can do this. It's going to be hard, but I'll do my best!"
The crowd of students briefly gazed over the interaction before going back to their individual conversations. The stern boy seemed to not notice the two, stretching his calves and for some reason drinking orange juice. The girl herself didn't notice Izuku's embarrassment or nervousness, continuing her airy chatter.
"Anyways, what's your name? I never got to ask you before I walked off. My name's Uraraka Ochaco, by the way," she babbled, wearing a smile so bright Izuku almost had to close his eyes.
Before Izuku could answer, she continued her rambling. "Oh yeah, it's Deku, right? That's what I heard from the other guy who bumped into you."
Izuku's eyes widened, and he was about to correct her when Present Mic suddenly screamed, "START!"
They all looked up at the loud hero, who simply stood in a tower with a lanky grin. "There's no countdown in actual fights, you know! Go, go, go!"
Izuku simply stared at the hero until he noticed a faint rumbling coming from the ground. Looking around, he realized that everyone, including Ochaco, had gone running into the arena. The exam had started, and he was already behind!
Running into the city, Izuku lightly flexed his fingers. He couldn't feel anything different, so he assumed that One For All hadn't taken effect yet. When he (ugh) consumed All Might's hair that morning, the hero told him that he would have to digest the hair before One For All could work. It seemed like it was still in that process, so Izuku would have to depend on his original Quirk. Before Izuku could find someone to copy, however, a robot blasted through a wall just in front of him, sending Izuku reeling backward. It was a one-pointer, its red sights all aimed at the small teen. "Prepare to die," it robotically voiced before speeding towards Izuku.
He looked around frantically, but Izuku was alone. No, not yet… there's no one around! Fear gripped his mind, and his limbs locked in place, refusing to move. There was no Quirk to copy; right now, he was essentially Quirkless. The robot moved ever closer until it was right in front of Izuku. Izuku braced himself as the robot brought its arm up- and promptly exploded.
Izuku's eyes as a bright laser shot across the sky, and he glanced in the direction of the source. It was the boy with the mirror from earlier, his smirk seemingly permanent as he flexed his stomach. "Merci! Nice job distracting it! We certainly make a good team, but I doubt we'll see each other again!"
The boy frolicked off, leaving Izuku aghast. He considered taking the Quirk, but he didn't know where the laser came from, and he wasn't prepared to use it as the arrogant boy had been. Glancing around, he realized that all of the robots in the perimeter had already been destroyed, and Izuku ran off in a direction, hoping to find something to destroy. He took a turn into an alley, stopping in his tracks once he escaped into a clearing.
Robots were getting destroyed left and right, too fast for Izuku to keep up with. He looked around, surveying the students as they used their Quirks to demolish the robots. "Looks like all of the bots here are already destroyed," he muttered quietly. "This city is pretty big, though, so if I can find a Quirk that can transport me quickly and can destroy some robots, or a really powerful Quirk that can rack up a lot of points at once, then maybe I can pull it off."
He saw Ochaco run past, hitting robots with her palms and causing them to levitate, then sending them crashing down. "That's a really powerful Quirk, but it seems like she gets sick if she overextends herself… if I use it, my recovery timer will probably be too long for another Quirk."
The blue-haired boy sent a robot flying past Izuku with a strong kick using the pipes on his legs that Izuku hadn't noticed earlier. "Interesting, looks like his Quirk lets his legs harness the force of a car… similar to Ingenium, but if it's anything like the hero's Quirk, it'll be hard to control."
His gaze finally started to rest on a particular person above the buildings. Izuku's mouth turned into a wide grin as he realized the potential of the Quirk he had his eyes on. I have no idea what Quirks the examinees have, but him… I know all about his Quirk!
Turning away from the chaos, he faced a building, clenching his fists in determination. He reached out in his mind and found the Quirk he was looking for, promptly grabbing it. He couldn't see it, but he knew his hair was slowly changing color, and some of the students around him stopped their destruction to see. Their fault for getting so distracted, he smirked inwardly.
Taking a deep breath in, he felt a strange tickle in his throat. He activated the Quirk and screamed. The sound amplified thousandfold, disturbing the air enough for wind to shoot back at him. Izuku's now yellow hair flapped in the wind, and while he knew that he and Present Mic were immune to the Quirk, no one else was. Students all around him dropped to the ground, covering their ears in pain. He disregarded them, focusing on making his voice louder.
The sound waves kept intensifying as Izuku made his voice louder and louder, straining his vocal cords to go past their limit. The windows in front of him shattered, and he could hear an uneasy creaking sound coming from the buildings. He stepped back, fully aware of the danger of his plan, and watched as the terrain in front of him came crumbling down, the sound of the destruction muted by his loud voice.
When he finally reached a point where his voice was too weary to keep going, he shut his mouth, breathing heavily from the effort he had just put in. He looked at the debris he had left behind. His voice had traveled outward in a wide cone, and the resulting damage had been devastating. In the radius, no building was left standing, and all of the students had run away, probably wanting to escape the deafening shriek that reverberated across the arena.
And to his delight, countless robots lay before him, ripped to shreds, littering the floor of the arena. He couldn't tell how many there were, but even if they were one-pointers, he was confident that it was enough to get him through the exam. He sat on the floor in exhaustion, wiping the sweat off of his brow with a wild grin.
The other competitors stood there gawking in disbelief, especially Present Mic from his tower high in the air. At the sound of more robots, however, they finally realized that they were in a highly competitive exam, and resumed their dismantling of the mechanical monsters.
Izuku, on the other hand, simply just sat there. His use of Present Mic's Quirk had tired him, and he didn't think it would be safe to engage any other robots in his condition. Besides, there was no point. He had done it. He had passed the exam! All he had to do now was wait until time was called.
He stood still for the next few minutes, feeling strength return to his muscles, although his throat was still too tight to talk. Izuku picked himself up, spotting some more robots coming to the wake he had left behind. I got everything I need already, but just to be safe! He tested his mindscape, assuring himself that his Quirk was back. He felt the familiar sensations of the signals coming from the students, letting him know that his Quirk was ready for use once more.
Before he could move, however, something started to shake the ground, something much more powerful than the students rushing in. A shadow grew and grew until it covered the entire road, and a loud creaking sound emanated from behind him. Izuku slowly turned around and immediately let out a small whimper at the sight before him.
Despite what he had pulled, Izuku still recognized that the robots before were difficult. They were larger than all the students, and had an assortment of weapons to defend themselves. This, though… this was something not even Izuku could envision.
A robot taller than the skyscrapers loomed over the students, its several red eyes scanning the puny kids below. It hummed, the sound almost deafening to a regular human. Izuku remembered Present Mic's words at the orientation, how the zero-pointer reset your points and should be avoided. Izuku had thought the whole thing seemed suspicious, but he didn't realize that something the size of a building would be attacking them.
The robot slowly brought an arm as big as a truck down, obliterating the ground below it. Dust whirled everywhere, obscuring Izuku's view. Even without his sight, Izuku could hear the screams around him as the teens tried desperately to get out of the robot's range.
Izuku didn't judge them, if he could bring himself to move, he would be doing the same thing as them.
"LESS THAN TWO MINUTES LEFT!"
It's fine, it's fine, I have what I need. He tried to calm his now shaking nerves as he took in the sight. All he had to do was escape and he would be safe. He would be accepted into U.A. He was about to haul himself to his feet and take off when he heard a whimper coming from behind.
Whipping his head around, he saw Ochaco trapped under a piece of debris, struggling to escape. Her legs and spine were pinned, and she couldn't turn around to activate her gravity Quirk on the rocks. She groaned, trying to pull her legs out to no avail.
Izuku stared at her, and her gaze met his. Her eyes shocked him to his very core. It was the same expression as Katsuki's when he was trapped in the slime villain's clutches. And just like that battle, once again, Izuku took off before he knew what he was doing. This time, however, this time he knew he could help.
Ignoring the incredulous stares around him, he reached Ochaco, who was staring at him as well. Feeling that familiar tug, he copied Ochaco's Quirk, watching his fingers develop spirally pads. "U- Um, how does your Quirk work?" he asked Ochaco, whose jaw was still dropped. She looked over him as his hair slowly turned from his natural forest green to a deep brown matching her own.
"W- What?"
"I can copy Quirks, I can get you out. I just need to know how to activate it." He winced at the effort, his attempt with Present Mic still grating at his throat. While he could just use Present Mic again to destroy the gigantic robot, he was afraid his voice couldn't handle the strain, and he wasn't going to risk someone to test it out.
"O- Oh, um-" Ochaco looked down, embarrassed at her own helplessness. "If I touch something with five of my pads, it floats up, and I can release the hold by pressing my pads together. It gives me nausea if I use it for too long or on something too big, though."
"Thanks!" Pretending to be oblivious to the huge threat above them, Izuku touched the rock pinning her down, letting it float up into the air. Setting his nervousness aside, he lifted Ochaco so that she was leaning on his shoulder and started to shuffle away, desperate to get away from the zero-pointer.
"Um, D- Deku?" Ochaco whispered, bringing Izuku's attention to her. He saw her finger pointing up, and followed it to see the gigantic robot rearing its robotic arm back, preparing to strike.
Izuku drew in a sharp breath, but unlike earlier, he didn't freeze. Ochaco was still here, and he would not allow her to die. Quickly, he let go of Ochaco, causing her to stumble, before releasing the rocks to fall back to the ground.
"W- What are you d- doing!?" Ochaco gaped at him as he touched her to make her weightless.
"You need to get out of here. I made you weightless so you can use your arms to escape."
"But what about you?!"
"That thing could hurt others. I need to make sure it can't put anyone else in danger." Izuku's voice had turned from the shy, nervous voice of a scared teen to one that reminded her of the best pro heroes. Ochaco gulped, but stayed where she was. As much pain as she was in, she wouldn't let this boy sacrifice himself for her.
Izuku, on the other hand, was bracing his legs against the concrete, preparing for his attack. Present Mic was out of the question, and he didn't find any other Quirk that could compare. There was no other option. He would have to use One For All. Pushing away any doubt that he had with summoning the new Quirk, he concentrated, trying to summon the power he needed.
Closing his eyes, he pictured a dam, holding back a roaring river. He noticed his hands pushing against the dam in the thought, keeping the water in and safe. He let the gate open, letting the water all rush out. The river stirred inside of him, and he opened his eyes, feeling sheer power running through his veins. Although he couldn't see it, his body was covered in a red and white glow. The ground cracked under his feet as he leaped, shooting up into the air.
He prepared his hands, choosing to open it into a palm instead of making a fist. At this angle, with the robot bringing its arm down, if the robot were to be destroyed, debris would scatter over the students. To prevent that from happening, he planned to use Ochaco's Quirk to hover the robot parts instead. He didn't even consider not being able to destroy the robot. There was no other option. He knew with absolute certainty he had to do this.
He brought his palm up with a yell, closing the distance between him and the robot. As the metal came closer and closer, he remembered the words All Might had spoken to him at the beach.
"To activate my Quirk, all you need to do is clench your buttocks and scream…"
"SMASH!"
Metal met hand, and Izuku let out all of his newfound power as he smacked the robot with his full palm. Shockwaves shot up the robot's arm, and wind burst from the point of contact as explosions covered the body of the robot.
The zero-pointer shattered into millions of tiny pieces of metal, all somehow floating in the air. Students stared at the sight, incredulous gazes focused on the green-haired boy. Izuku surveyed his work with slight contempt before the pain finally caught up to him.
His limbs weren't too bad, although judging by the state of his arms, it was probably thanks to numbness. No, the worst part was the feeling of his stomach taking a rollercoaster ride in his body, intense enough to numb his mind.
He tried to cover his mouth, but his arms weren't responding to his thoughts. Through his haze, he realized he was falling fast, his destroyed arm and legs fluttering in the air. He wanted to right himself, but the roaring tumbling in his chest prevented him from doing much more than keeping his breakfast in his mouth.
He closed his eyes as the ground rapidly approached him, accepting his fate. At least the girl is safe. Before he felt the hard surface of the ground, however, he felt a much different slapping sensation across his cheek, and realized he wasn't actually falling.
Ochaco had used her Quirk on him, and while she also looked like she was about to turn her insides out, she tucked him in his arms and ran out of the debris danger zone. She kept running until they were safely out of risk of impalement, then dropped to her knees, pressing her fingertips together with a small "Release…"
Izuku followed suit, struggling to move his arms (especially his shattered one) but managing to hold it together. They looked at each other, then, almost simultaneously, they both felt something coming up their throats. Turning away, they promptly emptied their stomachs on the ground, Izuku heaving for a solid thirty seconds before finally falling to the floor.
Laying there, he didn't register much, only trying to keep his breathing steady and his ever-sick stomach still. He faintly registered an old lady standing next to him, looking at him with concern. He felt something that suspiciously felt like lips on his cheek, and immediately gasped in relief at the sudden absence of nausea and the disappearance of the throbbing in his limbs he didn't realize was there. However, his energy seemed to slowly be failing him, and he struggled to keep his eyes open. He didn't even notice Present Mic announcing the end of the exam. Slowly, against Izuku's will, his eyelids fluttered shut, and the world went dark.
As Izuku came to, he noticed a sharp beeping sound coming from right next to him. He groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he slowly sat upright in his hospital bed. Wait… hospital bed?!
His eyes shot open and he sent fleeting glances around the room, trying to piece together what had happened before he had become unconscious. He had destroyed the robot, fallen to the ground, Ochaco had carried him to safety, (Izuku blushed a little at that thought) and then some old lady had come before he fainted. Now that he had the brainpower to think about it, that old lady had looked suspiciously like…
"Oh, good, you're awake." The high-pitched chirp came from his right, and he swung his head to see the same old lady sitting on a high chair next to a computer.
"That exam really took a lot out of you, you've been sleeping for quite a while. I'm Recovery Girl."
Izuku's eyes widened, and he started to tremble in his bed. "O- Oh my goodness, it's Recovery Girl, the Youthful Heroine!" he rambled. "You've healed countless heroes, even helping All Might the few times he's gotten hurt! You've healed Ryukyu after her battle in Kyoto, Hawks after the Hosu incident, and even Endeavor in his fight on the top of Mt. Fuji! How- Why- What-"
Recovery Girl held up a hand to stop his endless yabbering, which Izuku complied with. Sighing, she shook her head as she got up from her chair. "All Might sure did find someone interesting…," she muttered, causing Izuku to stiffen.
"Um- What- I don't know what you're talking about?" he stammered.
Recovery Girl chuckled, wrapping a blood pressure monitor around Izuku's forearm. "Relax, I'm one of the only people who know about One For All. You can talk freely around me."
The knot in Izuku's stomach loosened, and he let out a relieved sigh. "So, um, why am I here?"
"Do you not remember? You destroyed your entire body with that punch. I'm surprised you even tried that, given the repercussions."
"Huh? Ah, well, I- um, I didn't," Izuku said sheepishly, rubbing his neck.
Recovery Girl developed a sharp look in her eye. Taking the monitor off, she pressed a stethoscope to his chest and growled. "Toshinori… the next time I see you I swear…"
Sensing the harsh edge to her words, Izuku quickly changed the subject. "How long have I been in here exactly?"
He was expecting a few hours at most, but Recovery Girl quickly crushed that hope. "Oh, two days."
"WHAT?!"
"You had a shattered arm, two broken legs, and your inner ear was almost destroyed. I had to put you on two IVs because you threw up everything in your digestive system and then some. Aside from One For All, that single stunt could've killed you had I not been there."
"My mom must be so worried…," Izuku fretted, reaching over for his phone. Before he could call to reassure his mom that he wasn't dead, Recovery Girl interrupted him.
"Don't worry, All Might let your mom in after the exam to see you. I've already contacted her that you're awake and well," she informed him as she removed the stethoscope and sat back at her computer.
"Actually, you got another visitor as well. Another student, her name was Uraraka Ochaco, I think? She was very worried about you, and insisted that we let her in."
"U- U- Um…," Izuku stammered, flustered that Ochaco had taken the time to visit him. The embarrassment quickly turned into panic as the mention of Ochaco's name brought back the memories of the exam in full force.
The robot, the screaming, the fear, and most importantly, the fact that his points had been reset back to zero. Everything came rushing back to him, and his mood instantly darkened with the newfound realization he hadn't been able to think about before.
"I- I didn't pass. I got no points. Everything I worked for… nothing." Izuku clenched his fists, a tear threatening to drop from his eye.
"...I can't say anything about the exam, but All Might picked you for a reason. If he believed in you, I think you'll be fine."
"Yeah…," Izuku whispered, unconvinced. "Can- Can I go home now?"
"...You should be fine," Recovery Girl replied, looking at the dejected boy with concern. "Just make sure to come back if you feel trouble walking."
Izuku got up from the bed, trudging through the door. The U.A. campus was empty, so no one noticed his sulking. He mindlessly took the path home, occasionally wiping a stray tear from his eye. Trekking through the busy streets, he boarded the subway and took a hold on the handles on the ceiling.
He had been so close. The invitation had been in his grasp. He had used his Quirk, his natural Quirk, to blow away an incredulous amount of robots and had racked up enough points to pass. But he blew his chances when he destroyed the reset bot. All of that effort, all of All Might's efforts, had been for nothing. He had failed.
Even in his despair, he couldn't bring himself to be regretful. Although he had sacrificed his chance when he went for the robot, he wasn't going to let defenseless people get hurt. If he had run away like everyone else, and Ochaco had gotten hurt, who knows if he could even bring himself to attend U.A. It was an impossible situation. Still, it didn't make it any less disappointing.
A hoodied sky blue-haired boy sat a few feet from Izuku, staring at the kid. Izuku, in his stupor, didn't notice the obvious surveying. The boy tapped his ear, huffing in annoyance.
"Sensei, what am I doing here?" he asked the air, quiet enough to not draw attention.
"Young Tomura, do you see a certain green-haired boy near you?" a voice replied, audible to only Tomura through his hidden earpiece.
"Yeah, what about him?"
"That, my child, is the one I told you about. Midoriya Izuku."
Tomura raised an eyebrow. "That's the all-powerful Midoriya? Doesn't look like much." He scoffed at the sulking boy who was currently trying to hide his face in his hands.
"He's simply underdeveloped. How would you put it… he's a level one, but his… level cap is infinite."
"Ah. But what do I have to do with him? Can he get me closer to All Might?"
He heard a menacing chuckle on the other side of the call. "Tomura, that boy is the key to destroying All Might and his 'hero society' once and for all."
Tomura's cracked mouth stretched into a wretched grin. "What do I need to do?"
"Simply observe for now. In time, all will fall into place. Don't you worry, young Tomura. Soon, your dream of society's ruin will be a reality."
Izuku sat at his desk, expression blank as he stared at the envelope in front of him. It was a detailed, fancy envelope, with an official U.A. seal closing the flaps. The paper was slightly wrinkled, but still in pristine condition, as expected of a top-tier hero school. It was a light manilla color, not at all like the printer paper Izuku used regularly.
He noticed all of this as he focused his gaze on the letter, body unmoving. He had been staring at the envelope for… what, half an hour now? He didn't know why he didn't just get it over with. He knew his mother was right outside his door, pacing as she worried for Izuku's reaction. He didn't mean to stress her out, but he already knew what was going to happen.
Why had they even bothered to send an envelope? It's not like Izuku passed. He had barely gotten through the written exam, and the practical- well, that was an absolute, for lack of a better term, shitshow. Were they trying to antagonize him? Were they taunting him, reaching the invitation just out of his hands, knowing that he wouldn't be able to reach it?
Anger rumbled in Izuku's chest, and he suddenly grabbed the letter. In his rage, he ripped it apart, attempting to destroy the paper he thought was inside. Instead, a holoprojector popped out, bouncing around until it settled flat on his desk.
His fury was replaced with confusion as he looked at the holoprojector, jumping back in his chair as it turned on and displayed All Might of all people dressed in a suit on his wall.
"I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!"
"Wh- What?!"
"Sorry for not reaching out to you, I had a lot of paperwork to do and couldn't find the time to talk. Actually, I've been busy registering as a teacher at U.A.!" His smile was blinding, making Izuku completely forget about his sorrow.
"All Might's teaching at U.A.?!" Izuku half-shouted, grabbing his hair.
"Anyways- what? Wrap it up? But- I needed to tell him something!" He watched incredulously as All Might started to argue with someone off-camera, reluctantly rubbing his head as he gave in to the producers.
The hero turned back towards the camera, causing Izuku to lean in in anticipation. "You racked up fifty-four points at the beginning of the exam. Impressive, especially considering it was in one attack. However, you destroyed the useless robot, and your points reset to zero. Even if you got through the written exam, that means, of course, that you didn't pass…"
Izuku clenched his pants in frustration, looking down in shame. I already knew that, but… it's still disappointing.
"...if that was all there was to it."
He looked up, his distraught expression unchanging. The words didn't fully process in his mind.
All Might chuckled. "First, look at this video."
He stepped aside to show Ochaco, a determined expression on her face as she tried to talk to somebody. "Um, excuse me, you know the boy with the green curly hair? Kind of plain-looking, with freckles? I- I think his name was Deku?"
Izuku gasped in surprise. Th- That's me!
"Could it be possible to give him some of my points?"
Izuku's breath hitched.
"He destroyed the zero-pointer to save me and all those other kids, and I thought, well, he didn't deserve to be hindered by me! Just the points he would've gotten if he hadn't gone for me, if anything. Please? He saved me, he deserves to be accepted!" Ochaco finished, hands clenched in desperation.
The boy in question stared in wonder, amazed at Ochaco's kindness. No one had ever gone this far to do anything nice for him, and now a stranger was sacrificing her chance to go to U.A. for him? The irony that he had done the same thing for her didn't hit him in his shock.
Before he could think any further, All Might continued his speech. "You may have gotten zero points, but your actions inspired others to act. The robot points were not the only thing being graded that day!"
The video resumed, showing Present Mic talking to Ochaco. "You can't give him your points, young lady, it's against the rules. Besides, there's no reason to be concerned!"
"How can a hero school reject people who do the right thing no matter what?" All Might shouted, startling Izuku once again. "This is a profession that requires those types of people, people who put the needs of others before themselves!"
The screen changed to show a leaderboard, and Izuku's eyes brimmed with tears as he focused on one particular name. "Rescue Points!" All Might announced out of frame.
"These points are given by a panel of judges, and it's the other criteria that U.A. looks at while judging. And, of course, that places you at seventh place, with sixty rescue points!"
Izuku's jaw was practically on the floor as the gears in his head started to turn. "And Uraraka Ochaco, in third place!" All Might continued. "You both pass."
The young boy dropped to his knees, tears flowing from his eyes freely as the desperation from the past week disappeared, replaced by absolute elation. He kept his eyes on the screen, watching All Might as the hero extended an arm towards him. His mind flashed back to that fateful day with the slime villain, where All Might had done almost the exact same thing as he offered him the chance to be a hero. He felt just as much joy now, back then knowing that he could be a hero, but now realizing that he would be a hero.
"Come, young Midoriya," All Might declared as he beamed at the camera.
"Welcome to your hero academia!"
Leo8261: Will Deku have the ability to copy quirks from a simple touch?
Currently, how All For One works in Deku is that, in a currently unspecified radius, he can copy one Quirk. He can use that Quirk for thirty seconds as most, but depending on how severely he uses the Quirk, he needs to recover afterward. It's not like Neito's Quirk, where he can copy through touch. Neito can only copy, and that's all he can do. Additionally, he can copy multiple Quirks and has a limit of four minutes, but no recovery period.
Feel free to leave a review and thanks for reading!