"Kacchan!" - Speech
'Deku!' - Thoughts
"I AM HERE!" - All Might Speech
"Detroit Smash!" - Special Technique Usage
Beta'd by BigCC
Chapter 6: Deliberations and Acceptance
The Next Day
Teacher's Conference Room, U.A. High
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, we should take care of the relatively smaller task first, the distribution of the four Recommendation Students between Class A and Class B. This year our four top scorers who have accepted the U.A. Invitation are Todoroki Shōto, Yaoyorozu Momo, Tokage Setsuna, and Honenuki Jūzō." Nezu stated amicably as he sat at the head of the table, a large screen behind him suddenly lighting up and displaying the four students in question, before one enlarged and was accompanied by a collection of data points. "First up, we have Todoroki Shōto. He possesses the Quirk [Half-Hot, Half-Cold], allowing him to generate large quantities of fire and ice. He showed both excellent control and tremendous power with the ice aspect during the Recommendation Exams, but he showed almost nothing from the flame aspect save for melting away the ice he had created after his test was completed at the site proctor's request."
"Seems a bit odd that Endeavour's kid would be reluctant to use fire of all things." Vlad King remarked, frowning slightly. "If his old man has taught him anything, then you'd think his control and ability with his fire would be even better than with his ice."
"Mic, you were the on-site proctor for the practical aspect of the Recommendation Exams. Did you see or hear anything else off from him?" Midnight asked, temporarily dropping her usual playful dominatrix persona. A student deliberately refusing to use half of their Quirk could mean a number of things, most of them very bad.
"Nope. But then again, the little listener didn't really interact with anyone at the exams. Kid is seriously stand-offish and more than a little rude, seemed downright irritated when I asked him to get rid of all the ice he'd made so we could move on to the next round." Present Mic stated with a shake of his head. "The kid who actually got the top score, Yoarashi Inasa I think his name was? He tried to strike up a conversation with Todoroki after they finished testing. Couldn't hear what was said, but Yoarashi looked downright infuriated when he walked away a couple of minutes later and immediately withdrew his application. Last I heard, he'd applied for Shiketsu."
"So we are looking at some form of socialization issues to go along with possible issues with half of his Quirk." Nezu stated clinically. "Aizawa-kun, I believe that it would be best if we put Todoroki-kun under your guidance in 1-A."
"…fine." the perpetually tired and grumpy man that was Aizawa Shōta groaned out reluctantly. "If I can't pull his head out of his ass, then I'll have your full support against any shit Endeavour tries to pull after I expel his brat?"
"So long as you can provide with a better reason than 'he lacks potential.'" the Mysterious Mammal replied pleasantly. "I'm afraid that particular excuse has worn itself thin and now means little more than that you've lost patience with a particular student not immediately understanding your lessons. The Board is tired of the looming PR disaster that your constant expulsion and re-enrolment of students is risking. Please be sure to read the email they and I sent you regarding the matter for the full details. Now, moving on…"
In short order, Yaoyorozu Momo joined Todoroki Shōto in 1-A, while Tokage Setsuna and Honenuki Jūzō were assigned to 1-B.
From there, the staff moved on to the main course of the meeting, the top 36 General Exam candidates that earned their positions in the Hero Course. The first set of students went by fairly quickly. Monoma Neito, Kendō Itsuka and Mashirao Ojiro all had relatively simple and straight-forward Quirks and were thus assigned to 1-B under Vlad King, who had experience and talent bringing out the potential of such Quirks. Ashido Mina, Jirō Kyōka and Satō Rikidō were assigned to 1-A under Aizawa, since all three had Quirks that could be dangerous or harmful to themselves and others if mishandled, and Aizawa was an expert in ensuring his students learned proper control.
Then the first point of contention amongst the staff showed itself, in a most unlikely source.
"No." Aizawa stated bluntly. "Kōda Kōji is not 1-A material. His issues stem from his lack of self-confidence, not a lack of control. I have neither the time nor the patience to build up someone too timid to climb out of his shell."
"Come on Shōto, the kid's [Anivoice] Quirk activates whenever he speaks. How is that not a control issue?" Mic pointed out, gesturing with the boy's file.
"His Quirk has absolutely no effect on humans, even those with animalistic Mutant or Transformation Quirks, which makes it a nonissue." The Erasing Hero countered bluntly. "He is also fluent in JSL and seems to prefer to use it over communicating verbally. I'll reiterate, his self-confidence is the real issue here; he needs to learn to be brave enough to actually speak to his fellow students. Something I am very ill-equipped to help him with. I pop overinflated egos, not try and help build them up; that kind of nurturing crap is Vlad's job."
"I honestly agree with Aizawa on this." the Blood Hero put in, though his eyebrow was twitching in annoyance at Aizawa referring to his attempts to help his students grow and develop as 'nurturing crap'. "His file really does paint the kid as someone in dire need of a confidence boost."
"Very well then." Nezu conceded, a push of a button marking Kōda with a 1-B marker before a new file took its place. "The next one is one I had originally marked down as a 1-B candidate, but given the reclassifying of Kōda-kun, I believe she might qualify to fill the slot in 1-A. Kodai Yui. Her [Size] Quirk is relatively simple and straightforward, but can pack quite a bit of power behind it. During the entrance exam, she formed a team with Jirō Kyōka and the two managed to destroy over a dozen Exam Robots in less than two minutes." Another press of a button had a brief video file overlay the image, showcasing the two's performance.
Aizawa watched the clip, taking in both the girl's use of her Quirk and her stoic demeanour, before nodding as it ended. "I think I can work with her. Accepted."
The division of Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu (1-B) and Kirishima Eijirō (1-A) went down to what amounted as a coin flip due to the two boys being so eerily similar to each other in both personality and Quirk. Kamakiri Togaru and Bakugō Katsuki were likewise split, this time due to the risk of their similar personality types causing an escalating conflict if the two of them were assigned to the same class. Bakugō was automatically assigned to 1-A due to how destructive his Quirk had the potential of being, with Vlad reluctantly admitting that he wouldn't be able to easily suppress the…explosive teenager if things went out of hand. That left the equally aggressive, but less destructive, Kamakiri Togaru being assigned to 1-B, with Vlad being far more confident about dealing with the boy's [Razor Sharp] Quirk.
Uraraka Ochako was also assigned to 1-A due to how dangerous her Quirk could be, albeit this time it was mostly to prevent any incidents caused by accidental activation. Hagakure Tōru was also assigned to 1-A with rest of the more recent female applicants, due to the belief that her odd inability to deactivate her [Invisibility] Quirk could be something that Aizawa might be able to assist her with gaining control over. Shoji Mezō was also assigned to 1-A due to the raw physical power that his [Dupli-Arms] could bring to bear at once.
The next two, Nirengeki Shōda and Awase Yōsetsu, were assigned to 1-B due their Quirks requiring more finesse to bring out their full potential, something that Vlad was more equipped in bringing out over Aizawa, who instead focused on instilling control into his students.
The next two boys were brought up at the same time due to an odd interaction between their Quirks that Nezu had noted while reviewing their files. "Here we have Tokoyami Fumikage and Kuroiro Shihai. Tokoyami-kun's Quirk, [Dark Shadow], manifests as an at least partially sentient living shadow construct that lives within his body and follows his instructions. Kuroiro-kun's Quirk, [Black], allows him to merge with and assume control over anything dark-coloured, including shadows. This, in theory, would allow Kuroiro to take control of Tokoyami's construct and use if for himself."
Aizawa shook his head. "Having the two of them in the same class is just asking for trouble. One student having such a natural counter for another is just the wrong fact to cause the most toxic sort of rivalry to start developing. Best to split them up." he looked over the two boys' files for a moment, before picking up Tokoyami's. "From what their files have to say, Tokoyami's [Dark Shadow] gets stronger and harder to control the darker his surroundings get. That's the kind of issue I will need to step in and deal with while hopefully also helping the kid build up his ability to control it on his own."
"And I can assist Kuroiro in finding more combative and creative uses for his own Quirk." Vlad agreed, picking up Kuroiro's file.
Nodding, Nezu made the appropriate notations. The next set of students was another pair, this time being the two foreign applicants, Pony Tsunotori, a Japanese-American girl that has spent the majority of her life in the United States, and Hiryū Rin, who was a full-blooded Chinese citizen attending school abroad. Aizawa, not seeing a need to have either in his class, was willing to toss both into 1-B, but Vlad argued that they should be divided between the two Hero Course classes to help foster international cooperation in all of their students. Nezu agreed with Vlad's logic and Aizawa honestly couldn't be bothered to argue on the matter, so he simply accepted the decision. In the end, the slightly more offensively powerful Pony Tsunotori ended up being assigned to 1-A while the more defensively oriented Hiryū Rin went to 1-B.
With the matter settled, the meeting continued. Kaminari Denki and Aoyama Yuga were quickly assigned to 1-A not long afterwards due to both of their Quirks having negative repercussions on their bodies if overused. Another toss-up came when Shiozaki Ibara and Iida Ten'ya came up, both had fairly powerful Quirks and good control, meaning both could be assigned to either class. In the end Shiozaki Ibara was assigned to 1-B to help alleviate the slight gender disparity that was growing between the two classes while Iida Ten'ya was assigned to 1-A.
"Next up for consideration is Mineta Minoru." Nezu announced. "His Quirk, [Pop-Off], seems to be particularly useful for villain capture, and his written exam scores were quite good. However, he panicked quite a bit during the practical exam, with the majority of his points coming from a particular flaw in the Three-Pointer's programming that his own Quirk was uniquely suited to take advantage of. We also have a few notes from his Middle School about some worrying conduct with his female classmates. Nothing actionable, merely some leering and a few crass comments, but still something to keep an eye on."
"Nope." Vlad stated bluntly, crossing his arms firmly over his chest. "I can deal with a lot of issues, but I don't have any patience for that kind of perverted shit."
"Fine." Aizawa agreed with a tired sigh, already knowing that his counterpart wouldn't budge on this point in particular. "I'll see if I can scare him out of that particular bad habit. Ryo, I might need to send him your way if there's some underlying causes for his perversions other than just teenage hormones." The assigned guidance counsellor for the Hero Course gave Aizawa an acknowledging nod. "The rampant cowardice he showed during the practicals is honestly more worrying to me. If he can't shape up from that, then he's definitely not staying in the Hero Course for long, someone who just panics when things get rough has no place in Heroics."
The meeting continued from there. This time 1-B started to take the majority since they had the most spots remaining. Luckily most of the more divisive students had been placed earlier, with the ones now up being those that could easily be placed in either 1-A or 1-B. Shishida Jūrōta, Komori Kinoko, Bondo Kojirō, Fukidashi Manga and Yanagi Reiko were quickly assigned to 1-B, while Asui Tsuyu and Sero Hanta took up two of the last three places in Class 1-A.
"Alright then, we now have only two students left to assign and one spot available in each class. Let's review them both and then decide on their assignments from there." Nezu stated happily, pouring himself a fresh cup of tea. "First on the roster is Kaibara Sen-kun. Quirk: [Gyrate], which allows him to rotate his limbs at high speeds akin to a set of drills. His scores on both the written and practical exams were both more than enough to earn him a place in the Hero Course, and he has nothing but good remarks from his previous teachers in Middle School, with the only notable concern being a slight competitive streak."
"So, your standard Hero Course applicant." Aizawa grunted blandly.
"Indeed. The other student is one Midoriya Izuku-kun." Nezu offered, a small smirk forming on his muzzle. "Quirk: [Emerald Hierophant]. A potent and rather unique Quirk, the exact details of which are listed in your files. He has earned the highest score on the written exams in the past decade, albeit just barely. His performance was exemplary during the practical exams, earning a respectable number of Villain Points and the highest score of Rescue Points among this year's applicants. The only real notes against him come from his Middle School file, which seems to paint him as 'confrontational' and 'antagonistic.' My own research instead seems to indicate that the young man is merely a nonconformist and individualistic thinker; he seems to have no issues challenging others, be they fellow students or teachers, and standing up for his own personal views of right and wrong. I think we can all recall his rather impressive showing during the rescue of Uraraka Ochako during the exams."
"An unnecessary action." Aizawa pointed out waspishly. "Majima was seconds away from disabling the machine if its programming didn't stop it before him. Instead, the kid somehow managed to blow the entire thing sky high."
"True enough, but if you'll recall, Midoriya also visibly fought with himself for a moment before moving to engage the Zero-Pointer." Nezu stated. "He seemed aware that we could stop it, but still moved to rescue his wounded competitor regardless. Most of our panel of judges seemed to regard that decision as having truly heroic intent and he was rewarded an appropriate number of Rescue Points for it."
It was rather well-known among the faculty that Aizawa disagreed with the current format of the General Entrance Exams, believing that it focused too much attention on flashy, combat-oriented Quirks and didn't allow other, more subtle or less directly powerful Quirks, to shine as well as they could. His personal example for this batch was a boy with a powerful mental Emitter Quirk known as [Brainwashing]. A Quirk that would be immensely useful in many forms of heroic operations but was absolutely useless for the current exam layout.
While Nezu could concede a few of Aizawa's points, he also had to counterbalance them with the man's biases. All in all, Nezu still felt that the current exams, when paired with the Sports Festival offering those applicants with less suitable Quirks a chance to show their own merit, was still the best option available at this time. There was simply no way to accurately test all Quirk types without making the Exams too costly and complicated to run smoothly.
"As things are now, I don't think Midoriya would be a particularly good fit for 1-B." Vlad spoke up first this time. "Nothing against the kid personally, but I think he and a couple of my other students might clash. Monoma Neito and Kendō Itsuka in particular seem to both be big proponents of class unity from their own Middle School comments. I can see Midoriya's nonconformist streak clashing with their ideals in that regard. Kendō's files paint her as diplomatic enough that she might be able get through the kid's thorny exterior and get him to cooperate, but I can easily see Monoma and Midoriya coming to loggerheads before the end of the first few days."
"Fine, whatever. You take the other kid; I'll take the problem child." Aizawa grumbled, fully fed up with this meeting. "Should I also try and break off a few of the kid's rougher edges?" he asked, turning to Nezu.
"Not at the moment, Aizawa-kun. So far, his little acts of disobedience have all been mainly benign and protective in nature, something I can't support trying to quash merely because it will make some uncomfortable. As it is, his rather unique Quirk has also caught my interest and I will be watching Midoriya-kun's time with us closely; if intervention is needed, I shall handle it personally." the Mysterious Mammal smirked again. "With that I believe that we have finalized the Hero Course Rosters for our new first years. Well done everyone."
With another click, the Principal displayed both rosters on the screen, side-by-side.
Student Roster – 1-A
(R) Todoroki Shōto – Quirk: Half-Hot, Half-Cold
(R) Yaoyorozu Momo – Quirk: Creation
Ashido Mina – Quirk: Acid
Jirō Kyōka – Quirk: Earphone Jack
Satō Rikidō – Quirk: Sugar Rush
Kodai Yui – Quirk: Size
Kirishima Eijirō – Quirk: Hardening
Bakugō Katsuki – Quirk: Explosion
Uraraka Ochako – Quirk: Zero Gravity
Hagakure Tōru – Quirk: Invisibility
Shoji Mezō – Quirk: Dupli-Arms
Tokoyami Fumikage – Quirk: Dark Shadow
Pony Tsunotori – Quirk: Horn Cannon
Iida Ten'ya – Quirk: Engine
Kaminari Denki – Quirk: Electrification
Aoyama Yuga – Quirk: Navel Laser
Mineta Minoru – Quirk: Pop-Off
Asui Tsuyu – Quirk: Frog
Midoriya Izuku – Quirk: Emerald Hierophant
Student Roster – 1-B
(R) Tokage Setsuna – Quirk: Lizard Tail-Splitter
(R) Honenuki Jūzō – Quirk: Softening
Kendō Itsuka – Quirk: Big Fist
Monoma Neito – Quirk: Copy
Mashirao Ojiro – Quirk: Tail
Kōda Kōji – Quirk: Anivoice
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu – Quirk: Steel
Kamakiri Togaru – Quirk: Razor Sharp
Nirengeki Shōda – Quirk: Twin Impact
Awase Yōsetsu – Quirk: Weld
Kuroiro Shihai – Quirk: Black
Shiozaki Ibara – Quirk: Vines
Hiryū Rin – Quirk: Scales
Shishida Jūrōta – Quirk: Beast
Komori Kinoko – Quirk: Mushroom
Bondo Kojirō – Quirk: Cemedine
Fukidashi Manga – Quirk: Comic
Yanagi Reiko – Quirk: Poltergeist
Kaibara Sen – Quirk: Gyrate
"Now, let us move on to the Support Course examinees. Anyone of interest stick out, Majima-kun?" Nezu asked the head of the Support Course.
"Yessir. One of them looks like they could be either a rising star or a total nightmare, maybe even both. Hatsume Mei." the Excavation Hero responded with a nod. "Girl showed off some of the most creative and innovative ideas for gear that I have seen in all my years. Unfortunately, she is also an utter gremlin with absolutely no awareness of proper safety protocols and doesn't care what she blows up on the way. Claims 'Failure is just another step on the road to success.' or something of that nature. I'd appreciate it if you could sit her down and hammer some sense into her head at some point, sir."
"Let's give her a month to settle in first to see if this is her actual modus operandi or if she was simply overexcited about the exams." Nezu offered a compromise. "Enthusiasm isn't a bad thing, after all."
"As you say." Power Loader agreed with a nod, absently eyeing Aizawa who had already pulled out his sleeping bag while they were talking, slipped into it and was already asleep after it was made clear that his participation, if not attendance, was no longer necessary for any decisions outside of the Hero Course.
'Ah, Aizawa-kun. You really do need to learn to better manage your time. Coffee and juice packs are not nearly enough to compensate for a lack of a proper sleep schedule. Sooner or later your body will give out on you and then you'll have to deal with Recovery Girl.' Nezu mused in exasperated amusement even as he continued to work with the rest of the staff to organize the classes for the General, Support, and Business Courses. 'And we both know that if you rile her up, Chiyo will likely just tie you to one of her beds on an IV drip for a few days like she threatened to last year.'
Shūzenji Chiyo, the Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl, was one of the longest active heroes in history, still on active duty despite several decades of decorated service, even if she was partially retired, and heavily compensated, to act as U.A.'s school nurse. Given her long career of service, it was a bit understandable that the woman had lost any and all patience when dealing with 'idiot' heroes and their self-harming habits. Her two current favourite targets were All Might, with his insistence on still working himself to the bone despite his declining health, and Aizawa, who insisted on continuing his active service as an Underground Hero even while also working as a full-time teacher; particularly since the man practically lived off of caffeine to do it.
Really, Nezu knew that he shouldn't take so much joy from the yelps of his two human friends whenever the irate medic lost her patience and vented her displeasure across their shins with her syringe cane, but he simply couldn't help himself.
'Now then, Midoriya-kun…shall we start our dance? I do hope you will be an interesting partner.' the diabolical gleam in the Mysterious Mammal's eyes went unnoticed by his staff.
Six Days Later
Midoriya Izuku's Bedroom, Midoriya Residence, Musutafu
Dressed in only a simple vest and some jogging trousers, Izuku gave a small grunt as he pushed himself back to his feet after completing his morning routine of sit-ups, push-ups, crunches, and stretches. He would have finished with a couple of laps around the block, but it was currently raining and one of the few things his mother firmly put her foot down on when it came to his training regime was forbidding him from running in the wet.
Doing a few cool down stretches to ease his breathing and heart rate back to normality, Izuku gave himself a brief once over before nodding in satisfaction. He was no All Might or Endeavour by any means, but his strict exercise regimen had allowed him to develop a firm and defined musculature across the entirety of his body. His was the build of a swimmer or a long-distance runner; built for endurance and continued work rather than short bursts of explosive power. It was a body well suited for the type of Hero he wished to be, one who could keep saving lives no matter what occurred around him.
After a quick shower to finish cooling off and wash away his thin sheen of sweat, Izuku changed into a set of his usual indoor clothes, which normally amounted to a set of joggers and a t-shirt, before heading into the living room. He was surprised to see his mother there waiting for him, she had said she was going to head out and do some shopping close to ten minutes ago. Looking at her in concern, she rapidly shook her head before mutely holding out a letter, clenched in trembling hands, to him. Curious, and still a bit worried, he took it and instantly recognized the seal holding it shut; U.A.'s symbol.
Realizing just what the letter likely contained, Izuku momentarily locked up, old nerves rearing their ugly head before he quickly suppressed them with the aid of years of mental discipline. Taking a cleansing breath, he quietly moved to take a seat on the sofa, his mother quickly moving to take a seat on the opposite end. With slow, deliberate motions, he tore the letter open and pulled out both a letter and small, circular device about two inches in diameter. After examining the strange disk for a moment, he noticed that one side had a small 'this side down' sticker placed at its centre. Now honestly curious, he placed the small device as instructed onto their apartment's small coffee table, causing it to make a slight whirling sound before it began projecting a hologram into the air above it.
"I AM HERE! TO DELIVER YOUR EXAM RESULTS!" the booming voice of the Symbol of Peace himself echoed across the apartment as an image of All Might stood in mid-air. The image was even more surreal because the giant of a man was currently clad in mustard yellow pinstripe suit of all things.
Inko let out a startled squeak of shock. "All Might!?"
Izuku mutely looked down at the envelope still in his hand with wide eyes. It was definitely from U.A., and not the Might Tower Agency in Roppongi, right?
"Greetings, Young Midoriya! Not who you were expecting to see, was I!? I was asked by Principal Nezu to do these holographic acceptance letters for all of the students who earned a spot in the General Exam's Top Ten!" the Number One Hero proclaimed grandly in explanation. "As I still have to do nine more of these today, let's get straight to the matter at hand. In the Written Exams you managed to squeak your way into first place by a bare two percent at 98.5%, also managing to beat out the previous high score for last decade by a half-percent! Congratulations! A hero needs a keen mind just as much as he needs a strong body and Quirk, something that your scores and performances clearly show that you have taken to heart!"
"Oh Izuku! Well done, honey!" Inko was beaming with maternal pride. She knew her baby was smart!
"I…I was honestly wasn't expecting such a high score." the green-haired boy replied absently, clearly stunned. "I suppose those Hero Law questions weren't as complex as I originally thought…"
"Next comes the Practical Exam, where you once again showed true heroic mettle! You managed to earn yourself Thirty-Five Villain Points via taking down faux villains!" the projection continued, small screenshots appearing behind the holographic All Might showing various small snippets of Izuku's path of robotic destruction. "On its own, that score would have seen you pass, albeit not nearly as high, but combat potential wasn't the only thing that our proctors were watching for in this exam!"
"I should have known that U.A. would be testing for more than just destructive power!" Izuku cursed himself for not having realized that sooner.
"Several times throughout the test, you moved to aid your fellow examinees without undercutting their own efforts." the screen shots surrounding All Might's images to show him helping and supporting his fellow test-takers. "And that is not even mentioning your actions to protect and rescue this young lady!" the Symbol of Peace added, this time stepping to the side as a single screen took up the centre of projection, showing a recording of Izuku destroying the Zero-Pointer, which caused Inko to yelp in fright.
"Midoriya Izuku, why on earth did you attack that thing!? That was far too reckless!"
"It was about to run that girl over, Mum!" Izuku protested, indicating the image as it got to him shielding Uraraka from the Zero-Pointer's detonation.
"Call it cheesy, call it trite, but what kind of Hero School would U.A. be if it didn't acknowledge that kind of selfless behaviour?" All Might asked rhetorically as he retook centre stage. "It is to measure that kind of heroic intent that U.A, created the secondary, hidden scoring system called Rescue Points! A team of judges reviewed each examinee's performance and watched for instances of rescuing and aiding fellow examinees without benefiting themselves, particularly when the Zero-Pointer was released, and rewarded those deserving examinees with Rescue Points based on their heroic valour! Midoriya Izuku's Final Score! Villain Points: 35! Rescue Points 66! Granting you a total score of a whopping 101 Points! That matches my own record back in the day! Well done, Young Man! You have officially taken first place in both the Practical and Written Exams!"
Inko couldn't hold it in any longer, erupting into a waterfall of proud tears. Her boy had been working so hard for this since he was eight, but now his personal hero had just vindicated all of his hard work and efforts!
Izuku himself was stunned speechless again. He…he'd come in first place. He'd actually manage to outperform whatever score Bakugō had earned in a test of destructive power? Even he couldn't argue that the basic premise of this exam was perfectly suited for the aggressive combat fanatic that was Bakugō Katsuki.
"What's more, this young lady stepped forwards after the test was completed, and I think you should hear what she had to say!" All Might continued causing a smaller screen to appear over his shoulder as the camera zoomed in on it and his face.
On the screen, the image showed one Uraraka Ochako speaking to the test proctor, Present Mic.
"Um, Mr. Present Mic Sir, do you know that green-haired boy that was in our testing ground? Midoriya Izuku-kun?" she asked nervously. "The one that saved me? Would it be possible to give him some of the points that I earned? If he hadn't had to stop and save me, he probably would have earned a lot more, so please help me repay him a bit!"
With that, she bowed deeply to Mic, who seemed pleasantly surprised and amused by the display.
"Thanks for bringing your request to the station, little listener, but I'm afraid that's a big no-go." he stated with a smile as he reached out and pat her on the head. "But I don't think you need to be worrying about your pal, because that kid showed off some real chart-topping moves back there. He'll be fine on his own, just you wait and see."
"She…she really…?" Izuku was honestly and sincerely moved. No one had ever done anything remotely so…so selfless for him before! She hadn't known him for more than a few hours, but she had been willing to do more for him than anyone had ever done barring his own mother!
"Never let it be said that a powerful Quirk is all that someone needs to be a hero!" All Might stated seriously, his image returning to normal. "In your actions today, you showed a true hero's heart, and that inspired that young lady to perform a selfless act of her own; regardless of what it might cost her! That is what it means to be Hero, to be an inspiration to others! And just to reassure any worry you might have. Uraraka Ochako! Villain Points: 34! Rescue Points: 45! For a total of 79, taking third place!"
"Such…such a good girl!" Inko sniffled out, nodding firmly. Her boy had already made such a good friend, and school hadn't even started yet. "Izuku, when you see her in U.A. on the first day, be sure to invite her over for dinner. It's the least we can do to thank her."
Izuku merely nodded dumbly, still too shocked to comprehend what his mother had said. Suddenly a list took over the holographic screen, showing the top ten students who passed the exam.
Examinee Name – Villain/Rescue – Point Total
1) Midoriya Izuku – 35/66 – 101
2) Bakugō Katsuki – 85/0 – 85
3) Uraraka Ochako – 34/45 – 79
4) Kirishima Eijirō – 34/35 – 74
5) Shiozaki Ibara – 36/32 – 68
6) Kendō Itsuka – 27/40 – 67
7) Iida Ten'ya – 52/9 – 61
8) Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu – 49/10 – 59
9) Tokoyami Fumikage – 48/10 – 58
10) Awase Yōsetsu – 50/6 – 56
Izuku couldn't hold in the deadpanned snort that escaped his nostrils as he noticed Bakugō's name in the second-place spot. No Rescue Points at all; that had to take some doing, he reckoned, particularly given the number of villain bots he'd have to had taken down to earn that score. Bakugō must have been going out of his way to NOT help people in order for that to happen. Still, eighty-five Villain Points, that was both utterly ridiculous, but also expected of Bakugō Katsuki.
Bakugō may be a lot of things, the vast majority of them Izuku now found extremely unpleasant, but even Izuku couldn't deny that he was an extremely capable fighter.
Granted, Izuku himself knew that he could have earned far more points had he ignored it whenever he noticed a fellow examinee in danger, but that was not who Midoriya Izuku wanted to be. To ignore someone in trouble just to earn a better score…to act like Bakugō…ugh, just the thought made his stomach turn in disgust.
"Welcome, Young Midoriya! To Your Hero Academia!" All Might concluded grandly and proudly, before the hologram cut and vanished from sight.
Izuku suddenly let out a small 'oof' as his mother hugged him tightly from the side, crying happily into his shoulder. After taking a moment to recover his bearings, Izuku returned the hug with equal fervour, a few pinpricks of tears working at his own eyes.
"This calls for a celebration! Katsudon for dinner!" Inko informed Izuku as she finished sobbing in maternal pride. "I am so proud of you, honey! I knew you were something special!"
"Thanks Mum." Izuku smiled back, before frowning. "You know, Bakugō is going to throw an utter and compete hissy fit when he finds out he came in second to me. That is going to be…tedious."
"I'll call Mitsuki in a bit and give her a warning to make sure she keeps an eye on him." the Midoriya Matriarch sighed out. She knew that Izuku and Katsuki no longer got along, that her son went out of his way to avoid the blonde whenever possible. It honestly hurt a bit when she remembered how close they'd been as children, not to mention how close she and Mitsuki had always been, but she supposed that they just had to move forward. The two boys had simply developed into two very different young men and things simply couldn't go back to how they were.
Meanwhile
With Katsuki
"THAT FUCKING BASTARD!" the red-eyed blonde roared out as he stomped around his bedroom in a complete and utter fury. Every few seconds he'd stop to send a murderous glare towards the innocuous-looking disk that was sitting next to a letter and envelope on his desk. His acceptance letter from fucking U.A., which he had received less than an hour ago.
'AGAIN! That worthless fucking bastard somehow managed to cheat me out of my win again!' Katsuki growled within his own mind, small explosions popping and sparking across his hands as he barely withheld the urge to unleash his Quirk on something just to give his rage an outlet.
Not only had he not managed to come in first on the Written Exams, something that he had reluctantly accepted given what an utter educational shithole Aldera was, but SOMEHOW that shitty little DEKU had managed to beat his score in the Practical Exam!
"Rescue Points!?" he quietly snarled in disgust. "What kind of complete and utter bullshit is that!? Wasting my time to help those weak-ass fucking extras? Fuck that noise! If they couldn't handle themselves, then the dumbasses shouldn't have signed up for the Exams in the first place!" He still remembered All Might's explanation in the holo-letter about the secondary, hidden set of points that he had 'missed out' on. "Heroes are supposed to win! That's why they're heroes! Weaklings should just stay out of the way!"
Katsuki's world view had taken a serious hit as he discovered that, despite his own best efforts, Deku had managed to beat him in both fields, just like every other time since they were eight. It royally pissed him off, and he swore that he would up his personal training even more just to take that smug little prick down once and for all!
The idea that a Hero School, particularly one as famous and highly acclaimed as U.A. of all places, would know better than him about what made a potential hero died a violent, miserable death in the face of Bakugō Katsuki's burgeoning Superiority/Inferiority Complex. His entire world view had been built around the idea that he was the best, but that damned Deku kept interfering, showing him up in some way, shape, or form. Aside from that annoying pebbled-turned-fucking mountain, no one had ever managed to match him in anything he put an effort into.
He had the Quirk. He had the work ethic, the determination, and the ambition. He had everything it took to be the next Number One. He knew it! Everyone had said he could do it for his entire life, ever since he got [Explosion] and showed the world his potential. Even that shitty Deku had once looked at him with awe back then, a thought that only embittered the foul-tempered boy even further.
'Fucking screw it! Screw those shitty Rescue Points! I still did better where it really mattered! That's all that counts!' the blonde quietly snarled in the safety of his own mind, his pride managing to reassert itself by simply altering the way he looked at his current reality. 'Without those fucking pity points, then that loser would have just been seventh! Finally where he belongs, beneath my feet.'
His pride did not let him take into account the fact that Izuku coming in seventh would still have placed him in the Top Ten of the over 1500 students that had applied for the exams. His need to protect his own ego overrode any ability to recognize that seventh place was still a significant accomplishment, instead focusing on how he should have been first by his own standards. His own view, that coming in even second place was just as bad as coming in last, further tainted his ability to recognize anyone else's achievements.
If you were going to try something, then you'd better be the best or it wasn't worth trying at all. That was how Bakugō Katsuki lived his life.
And, that damned fucking Deku aside, he had succeeded on that for his entire life. Now that they were both going to be attending U.A. there would be no better place to finally reassert his dominance over that damnable annoyance and finally prove to everyone why he was the Future Number One!
"Count the days you've got left, you fucking sparkly little bastard!" Katsuki growled out. "Because I'm going to make you regret ever standing in my path!"
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Next Chapter: Hierophant Emerald's Last Evolution
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