Waiting for the results is… catatonic. He drifts through life like it's a tv show and he's a background character. His mother is worried, he can see that, but he can't bring himself to comfort her. He needs comforting himself. He didn't pass. And he hadn't applied for any other highschool in his mad rush to get into UA. It's embarrassing. It's damning. He'll have to go to work instead of continuing his education and he'll never become a hero.
"Izuku! A letter from UA arrived!" his mother yells suddenly on the third day of his suffering, and he nearly jumps out of his skin.
Already?
He gets out of his room quickly, snatches the letter and freezes in place. It's heavy for a letter. It's got something inside. Eraserhead's skillset kicks in and he gauges it weighs around a hundred and fifty grams.
It doesn't tell him much, but from the weight it would satisfyingly splat on the wall if he threw it hard enough. Which he'll probably do if the news is what he suspects.
"I'm gonna open it in my room, if that's alright," he says to his mom and doesn't wait for an answer, just turns on his heel and closes the door silently.
He tears the letter open and a disk falls out, immediately projecting a hologram with All Might's face on it.
'I am here, as a projection!' Holographic All Might says, putting his face entirely too close to the camera filming him.
Izuku blanches, then doublechecks that the letter actually came from UA. It did. Huh.
'I had to do some paperwork that took some time, so I couldn't contact you,' Holo Might says, spreading his arms and smiling brightly yet apologetically. That checks out, there's been a grand total of nothing coming from the man since the exam finished. Holo Might puts one hand behind his back, and the other on his chest and bows slightly. 'I'm sorry.'
You're forgiven, Izuku thinks idly, as his brain soft-reboots.
'Actually, I came to this town to work at U.A.,' Holo Might says as he stares, dumbfounded. Someone off screen gestures to All Might to wrap it up, and he sighs dejectedly. 'Even if you passed the written exam, you got nine villain points on the practical exam. Of course, that means you didn't pass…' Holo Might trails off, and Izuku chants at least I didn't get a 0 in his head until the tears stop threatening to spill from his eyes and his breathing evens out. '...if that was all there was to it!'
What.
'I am an entertainer, as well!' Holo Might says with flourish, and points at a screen behind him, currently displaying the logo of UA. 'First, take a look at this video!' He clicks a button and on the screen appears the brown-haired girl he saved. He sucks in a breath thinking what she might have said that affected him. Was she mad he interfered?
'Excuse me, um…' the girl speaks in a high-pitched voice and takes a step forward. Holo Might pauses her for a moment.
'She came to negotiate directly in person after the exam!' Negotiate what? 'Negotiate what?' Holo Might repeats his thoughts, wagging his finger. 'Keep watching to find out!' Holo Might unpauses the screen, and Present Mic appears in the frame, turned back towards the camera.
'Um, the person with curly hair and freckles…' The girl continues speaking, gesticulating in the air with one hand to accentuate her words. 'Do you know who I'm talking about? Um… kind of plain-looking…' She went on, describing him. 'Is it possible for me to give him some of my points?' Whaaat!? 'I heard him say something about only getting nine points… At least the points he lost because of me… He saved me!' At that moment Izuku's heart clenched. He… He saved someone. He— 'Please! Please! Please!' He stands up, not believing what he was hearing and seeing.
Holo Might pauses the recording, 'In addition to using your new quirk for good, your actions spurred others to act.' He… He did something. He managed to make an impact, even if on a single person, he had saved her! 'The entrance exam the other day was not graded only on villain points!' Holo Might knocks him out of his internal monologue with his voice. He unpauses the recording.
'Even if you ask to, you cannot give him your points.' Present Mic informs on screen. 'Anyway, there's no reason to give him any, listener!' Holo Might steps in front of the screen and asks:
'How can a hero course reject people who save others and do the right thing? Call that lip service? Bring it on!' No way… No way he actually… He has a chance to…? 'This is a job that requires risking one's life to put that lip service into practice!'
The screen rapidly changes. Now it shows a close up of a billboard on which, in bold letters, is written 'RESCUE'.
'Rescue points!' Izuku barely hears Holo Might say. 'And they're given by a panel of judges. It's the other basic ability we at U.A. look at!' The billboard zooms out and Izuku's brain grinds to a halt. He sees his name, then he sees the nine labelled as 'VILLAIN', then he sees the blaring sixty under 'RESCUE', lastly he notices the number on the far left. Four. It's all too much. He stops listening to Holo Might and just stares openly at the screen, not caring that he's missing important words of his mentor. He got fourth place. He got fourth place! HE GOT SIXTY NINE POINTS!
His focus only snaps back when the screen switches to All Might's broad back. 'You both pass.' Oh, her too? That's good. He was worried for a second, but…
"This is too crazy…" he whispers to no one in particular.
'Come, Midoriya-shounen.' Holo Might says, extending a hand towards him. 'This is your hero academia!'
Izuku bursts into tears.
He's gonna be a hero.