(Musutafu, Japan)
It was a calm afternoon in the streets of Musutafu. Many cars drove through the streets this time of day, but one certain taxi cab was harboring Cruz Clayborne.
"*Yawn!* Damn jet-lag," Cruz spoke tiredly in English. "Hey mister, what time is it here?" He asked in Japanese.
"It's about one thirty, kid." The middle-aged cab driver answered. "I'm surprised you can speak Japanese as well as you can. Where ya from?"
Cruz smiled, "I'm from the states."
"America, huh? What brings you all the way to Japan."
"I'm here to take the U.A. entrance exam."
The driver looked surprised, "Just for a test? I mean, I know U.A. has the top hero course but to travel so far? Don't they have hero courses in America?"
"They do, but none of them hold a candle to U.A. Plus a certain mentor of mine sent in a recommendation for me to take the test."
"Ho~ I see. Well, we're here kid."
The cab stopped in front of a nice looking hotel. Cruz got out of the cab, grabbed his luggage, and paid his exact fee, but to his surprise, he got change back.
"But didn't I…?" Cruz started.
"Consider it a discount, kid. As well as a 'good luck' on the test." The driver gave him a thumbs up.
"Thanks, man. I'll do my best!" With that, Cruz walked into the hotel.
(SMASH!)
After checking in Cruz was told to wait while they prepare his room, so he was looking around for a place to sit in the lobby. Although the common area was relatively filled with people of all shapes and sizes, so it was quite difficult.
He spotted an empty spot, directly next to a certain English boy. Robbert Elwood, who had also just arrived at the hotel, was also waiting for his room while reading a pamphlet he found.
"Hey, buddy," Cruz called, making Robbert look up at him. "You mind if I take that seat next to you?"
"Do what you want," Robbert replied and returned to his pamphlet.
Cruz put down his luggage and sat next to the English boy. After a moment of silence, Cruz looked over at the pamphlet Robbert was reading. It was a pamphlet for U.A.
"Oh, you taking the U.A. exam too?" Cruz asked.
"Mhm," Robbert answered, eyes not leaving the pamphlet.
"You don't look like you're from around here as well, so I guess you're here because of the 'Class-C Initiative.' Am I right?"
"Mhm."
"Nice, me too dude. I'm from America, where are you from?"
"London."
"Damn, all the way from Europe. Pretty cool how U.A.'s providing this hotel for us international applicants, huh?"
"Mhm."
Cruz smiled and patted Roberts' shoulder. "Yeah, I like you, man! You're easy to talk to!" He reached into his luggage and pulled out two Coke sodas. He placed one next to Robert and started drinking the other himself. "Well, I hope we both get in buddy."
Suddenly, a bellhop approached the two. "Clayborne-san, your room is ready. Let me take your bags." The bellhop grabbed Cruz's luggage.
Cruz got up and turned to Robert, "See you during the test bud." With that, he followed the bellhop to his room.
Robert looked up from his pamphlet for a moment before returning to it.
"What a strangely cheery guy. Although, I feel like I've seen him before." He said to himself.
Another bellhop approached him this time. "Elwood-san, your room is ready now. Would you like me to take your luggage?"
"I can take it myself." He answered while putting down the pamphlet and picking up his luggage.
While he was following the Bellhop to his room, he was checking his e-mail. He saw that one new message from his parents. It only asked if he made it to Japan, as well as stating how important it is for him to pass the entrance exam.
'Yeah, Yeah, mom and dad, I got it.' He thought to himself as he replied to the mail. The moment he reached his room, he dropped his luggage and plopped onto the bed. 'Stupid jet-lag.'
He continued to surf the internet with his phone until he somehow found himself on YouTube, and stumbled upon a certain channel.
'Hm? It's that guy.' He though referring to Cruz. 'Cruz Clayborne, he's an American YouTuber. What's a guy like him wanting to be a hero for?' He shook his head. 'Oh well, it doesn't matter. Just another stepping stone.' He thought before closing his eyes to take a nap.
(SMASH!)
"Are you still unsure about taking the exam? It's in two days."
In a local cafe in Musutafu, there sat Hope Toshinori along with a very skinny man with angular features and long limbs. He has spiky, disheveled hair with two bangs that framed the side of his face. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt that looked far too big for him, as well as green cargo pants. This was Yagi Toshinori, or as the world calls him, All Might. He was asking Hope about her reluctance of taking the exam for U.A.
"Of course I'm unsure." Hope sighed. "Anyone in my position would be. I know it's a great honor, but I'm fourteen!"
"C'mon, you're intelligent enough to skip a grade, and you have the potential to be a great hero." All Might tried to persuade her.
"I know, Tou-san. You tell me that all the time, but I'm just scared. I won't be advancing with my friends, and I'll be alone there. Plus, what if my classmates don't take kindly to me." She said timidly.
All Might took a deep breath and grasped one of her hands with his.
"You are the most courageous, selfless, and dependable girl I know. If it wasn't for you, I might not even be alive right now. I know for a fact that if you give something your all, nothing could stand in your way. This is your choice to make but remember no matter what you chose. I'll always be proud of you."
Hope took a moment to collect her thoughts until she sighed.
"Alright, I'll give it a shot. Although I might not even get in, given the pass rate. But I'll try it out at least."
All Might smiled, "That's all I ask. Now, let's eat. I heard this place has some pretty good chocolate cake."
Hope comically glared at All Might while puffing out her cheeks. "Remember your blood sugar Tou-san. We don't want to shorten your time even more."
All Might sweat-dropped, "Yes, honey."
(SMASH!)
It was the day of the entrance exam. After the orientation, the examines were taken to an artificial city terrain for their mock battle exams. They were to defeat foe villans that vary in points, except one strange one that was worth no points.
At the edge of Battle Center C, many examines were waiting for the test to start. All of them wearing some form of work out or track clothes. Amongst the crowd, Cruz was doing a few stretches getting ready for the test.
"Okay, ten minutes, huh? Gives me plenty of time, even if I gotta switch it up." Cruz spoke to himself. He reached for the pockets around his belt and pulled out a Mountain Dew. "Good thing I came fully stocked."
Just then from afar, he spotted Robert waiting patiently for the exam to begin.
"Hey, buddy!" Cruz walked up to Robert. "Looks like we're in the same Battle Center. We'll get to see what each other is made of."
"Looks like it," Robert spoke momotomly.
"Hm, come to think of it I never got your name." Cruz scratched his head sheepishly.
"It's Elwood."
"That's your first name?"
"Last name," Robert answered quickly.
"... Do you have a first name?"
"Yes."
"... Are you gonna tell me?"
"Not particularly."
"Alright then! Elwood is it!" Cruz cheered. "Well, my name's -!"
"Cruz Clayborne." Robert interrupted.
Cruz stepped back in shock. "Wha!? How did you know? Do you have a mind reading quirk?"
"No, I found your YouTube channel."
"Oh, haha." Cruz laughed sheepishly. "I didn't think people would recognize me all the way out here. But yeah, I'm pretty famous back in the states. 1.2 million subscribers, no big deal." Cruz started to humble brag.
"Good for you. Now you need about 60 million more to reach the top." Robert said sarcastically.
"Hahaha! You just watch my friend. I'll be up there, as well as being a great hero on top of that!"
Suddenly, a girl who was just passing by started to trip right next to them. Although, before she hit the ground, Cruz caught her by her collar to pull her back to her feet.
"Whoa, there little lady. I know the test is kind of nerve-racking, but you don't need to go falling all over yourself." He joked.
The girl happened to be none other than Hope. She bowed her head slightly with a bit of sweat down her forehead.
"Hehe~ Thanks for that. Yeah, I am pretty nervous." She replied as she stood back up.
Cruz patted her shoulder, "Well chin up there. We're all aspiring heroes. All we can do is our very best and we'll be golden." Cruz encouraged as he took another sip of the Mountain Dew in his hand. "Name's Cruz by the way. This guy here is Elwood." He jabbed his thumb towards Robert.
Hope comically narrowed her eyes at Cruz. "Should you really be drinking soda right before a physical test? Especially one with so much sugar and caffeine? It's very unhealthy for you." She chastised.
"Well, actually it's-!"
"Let the test begin!" A voice boomed through the speakers.
Everyone looked around confused.
"There is no countdown in an actual emergency! Your test begins now!" The announcer yelled.
With that, all hell broke loose.
Every examine rushed into the Urban setting to gather as many points as they can.
"No time to talk. See you guys in the winner's circle!" Cruz chugged the last of his Mountain Dew. The moment he finished it off, his snow-white hair turned into a sparkling emerald as well as his eyes. "I'm fizzing with power!" With that, he jumped toward the city with great force.
Hope just looked dumbfounded. "Well, that was a thing." She looked beside her to see Robert is gone, as well as every other examine. "Wait! Save some villains for me!"
(SMASH!)
"Hah!"
*Crash!*
Cruz was barreling through the city, only stopping to crush any villain he can find. He just used his enhanced strength to smash his fist through the head of a one-point villain.
"So far so good," Cruz spoke to himself while still running. "But I need to find more than just one-pointers and fast. I should probably change it up." He pulled out a Coke from his belt and started drinking it. But suddenly, a two-point villain crashed down in front of him somehow from the sky. Cruz immediately stopped in his tracks. He tried to run the other way, but a three-pointer got in his way. Then on both sides, two one-point villans dropped to stop him. He was completely surrounded.
"Well, that's not very sporty of you lot. Can I at least finish my drink?" He joked.
The three-pointer raised it's robotic claw and swung down on Cruz, but he jumped out of the way at the last moment.
"I'll take that as a no. Better start chugging!" He drank his Coke faster while also narrowly dodging the other villains' attacks.
He landed on the ground, but the two-pointer immediately drove its claw down onto Cruz. Its claw struck the ground, kicking up dust and obscuring its vision.
"Where do you think you're looking?" Cruz's voice rang. The villain turned towards the voice, only to receive a powerful kick to the face. Which destroyed its eye sensors.
Cruz landed on the ground, but with great speed, he zoomed towards the other robots that surrounded him. Within the blink of an eye, the robot villains started falling apart.
Cruz suddenly stopped running to catch his breath.
"*Pant!* Whoo~! Enhanced speed comes in handy." He said to himself before running off to find more villains.
(SMASH!)
A three-point villain was wondering around the urban city, probably looking for examines to fight. Just then, it was suddenly surrounded by a field of pure darkness. It looked around confused, it never saw Robert landing on it's back and jamming a piece of scrap metal into its circuits making it explode. Robert landed on the ground as the dark fields disappear around him.
"That makes thirty-two points. Still not enough." He muttered to himself.
"Ahh!"
A shriek rang through the air and caught his attention. A few yards away from him, he saw a blue-skinned girl fall on her back and a three-pointer about to crush her.
Thinking fast, he starts running towards her, while also generating a ball of dark energy between his palms. He suddenly dispersed the energy ball, and the area around him, the girl, and the villain all turned black. The robot stopped its attack and looked around in confusion because it couldn't see anything.
Although, Robert could see clear as day in the darkness. He quickly jumps towards the villain and jammed the scrap metal into its circuits, destroying it.
The field disappeared, revealing a destroyed villain and two fine examines.
Rober walked over to the downed girl, "Are you alright?" He asked.
Taking a closer look at the girl he just saved, he could take in her appearance. She had sapphire blue, scaly skin like a dragon. She had long, navy-colored hair that flowed down her back, with what looked like two horns on the front of her head. Her eyes were a solid orange, and spikes protruded from her elbows as sharp as the claws on her hands.
"Y-yes, thank you." She answered timidly.
He offered a hand her a hand up, which she took. "There isn't much time left, both of us better find more villains."
She nodded before Robert turned around and left.
(SMASH!)
Hope could be seen running through the city urgently.
"Thirty-three points, I need more. There are only two minutes left! I better hurry."
*Crash!*
Three of the three-pointer's suddenly crashed through a building right in front of her.
"Oh, how convenient." She smirked while pulling out a canister from her pocket. Water started to flow out and float in the air as she made hand movements. The water started to form into three large spheres.
"Take this!" She thrust her arms forward, and the spheres shot towards the robots.
The force of the spheres made the villains flinch due to the force, but no real damage was done. Until the water started to quickly flow into their vulnerable circuitry, which made them short out and explode.
"Well, that was rather easy." She sighed in relief.
"Behind you!" a voice called out to her.
She quickly turned around and saw a two-pointer about to crush her. Right before a claw was about to hit her, everything went black. She knew she was still awake, but darkness completely took over her vision.
"Shoot your water directly in front of you." The same voice from before told her.
Not seeing any other choice, she did as she was told and shot a powerful jet of water directly in front of her. She didn't hear or see anything, so she couldn't tell if it actually worked. Until the darkness lifted, revealing a destroyed villain and Robert walking towards her.
"Sorry for the sudden shock." Robert apologized.
Hope bowed her head slightly, "No, it's alright. Thank you for saving my hide back there."
"Don't mention it."
"Elwood-san right? Was that darkness your quirk?"
"Yes. I can create fields of pure darkness that completely shut down the senses. No one can see, smell, or hear within except me, and if I allow it only my voice can be heard." Robert described his quirk.
Hope smiled, "That's pretty neat! Well mine's hydrokinesis, it's exactly how it sounds. I can control water with my mind."
"A very versatile quirk."
In the distance, they could hear metal smacking into something, as well as a yell that sounded like it was getting closer. Then suddenly, a flying object flew right past them and collided with a conveniently placed vending machine near them.
When the dust settled, it revealed Cruz sitting on the floor shaking off the sudden collision.
"That didn't feel good." He muttered to himself before he saw multiple sodas on the floor around him. "There was actual soda in this machine?"
"Ahem." Hope fake coughed.
Cruz turned to notice them, "Oh hey guys! How's the test going?"
"One minute left!" The announcer suddenly called out.
"Damn, do we even have enough points to pass?" Cruz asked.
The ground started to shake violently, almost knocking the trio off balance.
"Was that an earthquake?" Hope asked.
"Not exactly." Robert pointed towards something very unsettling.
Not too far away, a colossal-sized villain towered over them.
"That must be the zero-pointer!" Hope realized.
"Then we better just run." Cruz stated, "Remember what the announcer said, there's no point in fighting it."
"Help!" A shriek caught all of their attention.
A few yards away, not just one but a whole group of examines were trapped under debris. Which so happened to be in the zero-point villain's direction, and it kept getting closer to crushing them under its foot.
"Damn it! They need help!" Cruz clenched his fists.
"But what can we do against something so big?" Hope asked.
Robert continued to survey the situation before he looked towards the other two. "Do either of you two have a very hard-hitting attack?"
Cruz sighed, "I do, but I blew through my load already. My abilities change depending on what soda I drink, but I'm out." He then saw the Pepsi's that fell on the ground after he collided with the vending machines. "Wait, no I'm not! Good thing I crashed into that machine, and trust me when I say that this one packs a punch."
"Good, cause I think I have a plan, but it's gonna take all of us."
Cruz looked at his wristwatch, "Well I'm almost out of time to use my quirk if we're gonna do this we gotta do it now!"
Robert nodded, "I have enough energy that will surround the villain in a dark field to distract it."
Hope looked concerned, "But with a field, that big, won't it consume Cruz and I as well?"
"Yes, but you two will be able to hear my voice. Since I can see I'll walk you two through it. After Cruz charges up his attack, Hope will need to use her water powers to launch Cruz towards the villain's face. I'll tell you exactly where to aim."
Cruz thought for a second, "Sounds risky, let's do it!" Cruz began drinking multiple cans of the Pepsi.
Hope sighed, "We're trusting you on this one Elwood, you better be sure about this."
"I am," Robert answered determined before the three of them ran closer to the zero-pointer.
They stopped when they were directly beneath the giant robot.
"You two ready?" Robert asked them.
Cruz just finished off the cans of Pepsi as his hair and eyes turned to bronze. "Ready!"
Hope levitates some water around her, "I'm ready too."
"Right. Let's get started."
Robert then summoned a large ball of dark energy the size of a medicine ball. He dispersed it, and the zero-pointer and the area around them turned to pure darkness. Hope used her water to surround Cruz and lifted him off the ground.
"Aim upwards about a hundred and thirty-five degrees," Robert ordered as Hope did just as he said. "Launch!"
Hope used her water to launch Cruz upwards at a great speed. Just as she did that, Robert fell to his knees in fatigue as the darkness quickly faded around them. The moment the robot could actually see again, the only thing it saw was Cruz in front of its face with his right hand coated in a bright, bronze aura.
"Take this!" Cruz reeled his fist back and delivered a powerful energy-filled attack on the zero-pointers face. The force of the attack left a large indent in its face as it started falling backward.
"Yeah! We did it!" Cruz cheered before realization hit him. "Wait, we didn't talk about how I would be getting down!" with that he started plummeting towards the Earth.
But whilst in his panic, Hope used the last of her water to catch Cruz before he hit the ground and levitated him back to the group.
"Thanks, Hope." Cruz thanked.
"Time's up! The test has concluded!" The announcer said as an alarm boomed through.
"So that's it, huh? I hope we all got enough points." Cruz turned his attention to the downed Robert. "You alright man?"
Robert got to his feet with a sigh, "I'll manage."
"You're pretty cool, you know that? Coming up with a plan like that on the spot." Cruz chuckled.
"He's right." Hope agreed. "We managed to take that giant down and save those other participants."
Robert just shrugged and slightly turned away. "Thanks, I guess." But if one were to look closely, they could see a small smile on his face.
"Here's to a job well done!" Cruz rose his fist out to the others.
Robert and Hope hesitated for only a moment, before putting their fists in as well for a three-way fist bump.
*Grrrrrl!*
"Uh oh, that's not good." Cruz held his stomach and covered his mouth with his hand.
"What's wrong?" Hope asked confused.
Cruz's face turned a slightly visible green color. "I think those sodas were expired. I'll be right back!" He then ran off into a nearby alley.
Hope and Robert just stared blankly.
"Idiot." They said simultaneously.