A/N: Thank you fine readers for the wonderful feedback and support so far!
I noticed an error I made in the last chapter by referring to the SSR as the Secret Science Reserve when it's actually the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Whoopsie! Went back and corrected that. Apologies!
I also went back to make some minor edits to some of the dialogue in chapters 1 & 3; in addition to changing Midoriya's nickname to "Midori-kun" with Ochako and Momo. Nothing super important or anything, so you don't have to go back to reread if you don't want to.
Now, with that out of the way, on with the show!
The Man Out of Time
Chapter 4
"No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens."
- Veronica Roth
Fort Erskine, CA - June 2042
Izuku couldn't help but nervously twiddle his thumbs as he sat in his seat in the dimly lit room. He was unsure of what to make of his predicament as he sat with a dozen other people at a long table all on one side, waiting in silence.
Dr. Hatsume had dropped him off at the designated bus stop. The ride to the base was an uneventful one, but it gave Izuku time to calm his nerves to a degree. The dozen or so occupants on the bus (the same that were in the room with him) were relatively silent and didn't speak a word to each other. It was a bit weird that no one was talking but Izuku figured it was Army procedure, so he remained silent as well.
After a long drive, they finally arrived at the base. Located in northern California and nestled in a hilly forest, the military facility designated as Fort Erskine was secluded well from civilization; the nearest town was half-an-hour drive away. The barbed wire fences, constant MP patrol, and the "restricted area" signs reinforced the impression that this place was not for civilians.
In the couple hours since arriving, Izuku had gone through the standard procedure of onboarding new Army recruits. He had filled out various forms of paperwork, taken a physical exam, and had been presented the military's code of conduct, policy, and guidelines that he was expected to follow. He was also required to turn over any inappropriate material, not that Izuku had any.
Though the personnel he had interacted with had been professional, Izuku could see the shocked confusion in their eyes when they first laid eyes on him. He couldn't really blame them. He wasn't exactly an ideal Army candidate physically.
The only thing that deviated from the onboarding protocol was the dreaded Army haircut, or the lack thereof. Just as he was about to get his head shaved, Dr. Hatsume swooped in at the last second to stop it. She ordered the barber to only take off enough to where Izuku could comfortably put on his uniform's cap and nothing more. The barber merely complied with an uncaring shrug.
Izuku was both grateful and surprised; grateful that he wouldn't have to sport a crew cut (he knew he couldn't do it), and surprised that Dr. Hatsume had such authority on the base.
When he asked the doctor about it, she nonchalantly waved it off while stating, "We do things a bit differently here. You'll see soon." She winked.
It was confusing, but he supposed he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Meanwhile, Izuku's brown eyes darted left-to-right from his place at the long table, studying the room and the people sitting with him. There were a dozen or so, some late teens and a few young adults, all dressed in standard US Army combat uniforms. He was in one as well, though his uniform was comically baggier on him. Apparently, his current uniform was the smallest size they had on base until they could acquire a custom one to fit his smaller size.
He hoped it would come soon. He felt like more of a dork than usual in these baggy clothes.
The astute teen took note of the badges on the group's uniforms, signifying their ranks as privates. Each of them sat straight with correct posture and neutral facial expressions.
'What's going on here?' He anxiously wondered. 'This isn't a training camp for cadets; at least, not from what I've seen so far. Where am I?'
He wished that whoever was in charge would show up. The silence of the room and stiffness from everyone present was making him mildly uncomfortable.
As if his wish had been answered, the room's door off to the side opened. Immediately, everyone at the table stood up at attention. Izuku momentarily stumbled out of his seat before doing his best to mimic the others' stance; despite his best efforts, it was clear that he stuck out like a sore thumb.
'Man, this is so embarrassing!' Izuku inwardly fretted. 'I look like such an idiot!'
Izuku didn't have long to lament on his improper stance as he laid eyes on who walked in. His eyes snapped open while his breath hitched. 'Is that - No way!'
Gracefully stepping into the room was a young woman with glossy black hair tied into a bun with a large strand hanging on the right side of her face. She wore a USMC Blue Service Uniform (USMC Blue Service A, to be specific). It consisted of a midnight blue long-sleeve coat, a white collared shirt, a white belt around her waist, a midnight-blue dress skirt, black tights and black pumps. To top it off, she wore a USMC white peaked cap.
She stopped by the projected screen on the wall and turned to face the group. "Recruits, welcome to Fort Erskine. I'm Corporal Peggy Yamamoto of the Marine Corp. I have been tasked with -" She trailed off as her professional demeanor instantly vanished when she spotted Izuku at the table.
A tense moment of silence passed as the two childhood friends stared at each other in shocked disbelief. Neither could believe what they were seeing.
'P-P-Peg-chan!?' Izuku felt himself tremble. 'W-W-What is she doing here?!'
'What the hell is Izu-kun doing here!?' Peggy inwardly screamed.
Meanwhile, everyone else in the room looked on at the scene in confusion. What was going on? Should they speak up? Did those two know each other?
At the end of the table was a young Caucasian man shorter than Izuku at 5'3" (161 cm) yet was gruff and burly with dark brown hair. His bushy eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Unlike his fellow candidates, he had no quarrel in speaking up.
"Uh, Corporal? You were saying something?" He gruffly asked.
Snapping out of her stupor, Peggy coughed and quickly recomposed herself. "Right. Anyways, I have been tasked with overseeing your training for the next 10 weeks that you're here."
'T-This is what she was reassigned to!?' Izuku inwardly yelled.
"Though most of you are already in shape," Peggy's eyes briefly lingered on Izuku (which didn't escape his notice) as she continued, "I assure you that this intense training regimen will be necessary to ensure your bodies and minds are fully prepared for the coming procedure."
Izuku blinked. 'Procedure?'
"To elaborate further, I'll leave that to the director of this program." On cue, another figure walked through the door. "Colonel Chester Phillips, US Army."
An older Caucasian gentleman wearing a US Army Green Service Uniform that consisted of a green Army peaked cap, dark green jacket over a tan shirt and black tie, green pants, and dark brown shoes. The "colonel" insignia was stitched onto his jacket with other noteworthy badges of achievements as well.
"Thank you, Corporal. At ease, recruits." With that said, everyone relaxed and returned to their seats.
Colonel Phillips looked at the recruits with a serious, impassive expression. "The great General Patton once stated that 'wars are fought with weapons, but they are won by men'."
Reaching into his pants' pocket, he pulled out a clicker. A ceiling mounted projector then displayed various video clips and photos on the wall in front of the table. All of them revolved around meta-human riots and protests in communities across America and the rest of the world.
Meta-humans and police/National Guard fighting each other. Violent protests and riots from various sides, one calling for equal rights for meta-humans while the other demanded segregation. The extreme sides included meta-human supremacists calling for their fellow brethren and sisters to unite against regular folks while the pure-blood supremacists pushed for the extermination of meta-humans altogether. Other clips displayed the carnage and damage caused by these incidents.
One of the candidates sitting to the right of Izuku was a young Caucasian man (only two years older than Izuku) 5'9" (175 cm) tall with short brown hair and a relatively attractive face. When one of the clips displayed a massive fire breaking out in a Brooklyn neighborhood, his fists clenched tightly as his face scrunched up.
Though Izuku was no stranger to the current climate, it was impossible to not grimace at the awful scenes. It pained him to see so many people, brothers and sisters, American citizens, people in general all fighting one another - killing each other. All because some were born with abilities they never asked for. Did that make them any less human?
It all stemmed from one thing: fear.
"That being said," Colonel Phillips continued, "today we are faced with a different kind of war. Ever since the first meta-human was born in 2014, more and more 'exceptional individuals' have been born. The meta-human phenomenon is one that the world is currently unprepared to handle. That is where we come in, ladies and gentlemen."
With a click, another slide appeared displaying a black circle with an eagle spreading its wings. A shield with the letters "SSR" was positioned over the predatory bird's breast. Izuku, the military geek he was, had never seen that logo in any of his readings.
"The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history. Its purpose isn't to conquer, rather, to reestablish order and maintain peace." Colonel Phillips explained. "It will give the US and her allies the time needed to overhaul their legal systems to account for meta-humans before total anarchy consumes the world."
'I see. They want a force that can effectively combat meta-humans, preventing them from overthrowing governments on a whim.' Izuku nodded in understanding.
"However, every army starts with one man. And yes, when I say man, I am including women too. Don't lecture me!" It took every fiber of Peggy's being to suppress an eyeroll and groan. "At the end of these 10 weeks, we will choose that person. They will be the first in a new breed of super-soldier."
This caught everyone's attention. Super-soldier?
"Yes, you heard me. Super-soldier." He seemed to have read their collective minds.
Clicking the remote, the screen changed to display the acronym A.M.P, under it was an animated outline of a human body.
"The Artificial Meta Project, or A.M.P, as you've seen in your paperwork, was created and is led by Dr. Teruko Hatsume; the world's most renowned scientist in meta-ability research. Without getting technical, candidates will undergo a procedure by Dr. Hatsume that will push the human body far beyond its natural limits into the realm of superhuman."
The animated human grew taller with bigger muscles, a turquoise glow shimmering off it.
Even the more stoic recruits at the table couldn't help but react to this revelation with shocked expressions. An artificial meta-ability? It was possible!?
Izuku himself couldn't believe what he was hearing. His eyes widened as his facial expression contorted from shock. 'W-what? Wait… t-that's impossible! Isn't it?!'
Ever since he started studying meta-abilities, the thought of a normal person acquiring one never occurred to him as a realistic possibility. It was something you had to be born with. If you weren't born with an ability, you weren't getting one. End of discussion.
This news, however, changed everything.
Izuku wished he had his notebook on him. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but he didn't dare interrupt the colonel and digress into one of his infamous "mutter-storms" as Peg-chan called them. So, he remained silent and listened carefully.
"Now when I say superhuman," the colonel further elaborated, "I don't mean you'll be flying, shooting lasers from your eyes, lifting buildings, or any nonsense like that. Though you will be capable of physical feats that no normal human being would ever be capable of, we're still in the real world here."
'He says it's nonsense, but there likely are meta-abilities that would make those feats possible for some.' Izuku reasoned. 'Or at least there could be one day…'
"This super-soldier army will turn the tide in the growing conflict with meta-terrorists and human purists alike, and reestablish peace to the world." Colonel Phillips stated.
The screen returned to the SSR emblem as the colonel walked from one side of the table to the other to look at the recruits closely.
"All 13 of you have been selected because you stand out amongst your peers. You exemplify qualities that make you the best candidates. Whatever challenges may come, we will win because we will have the best… men…"
Colonel Phillips trailed off when he finally noticed Izuku's presence. The Asian-American teen remained upright in his seat and tried to look composed and not meet the colonel's gaze.
Phillips blinked twice to snap out of his stupor. "A-and because they're going to get better. Much better."
As he walked away, Izuku side-eyed the colonel. 'Subtle.' He sweat-dropped.
Colonel Phillips returned to the front of the room. "Any questions?"
One hand went up; the brunet sitting by Izuku. "Yes, Private Barnes?"
"What exactly is the criteria for getting selected first?" He asked.
"I can't say. That decision will not be up to me. Ultimately, Dr. Hatsume will be the one who decides." the colonel answered.
It might have been Izuku's imagination, but he could've sworn the colonel looked annoyed upon giving that response. He was probably just imagining things though.
Another hand went up. This time, it was from an attractive, athletic-looking 6'0 feet (183 cm) tall young woman with piercing blue eyes and long blonde hair tied into a bun.
"Yes, Private Carter?"
"Is this procedure even safe?" She asked evenly. "You're talking about changing a person down to the molecular level. Has anyone survived? Are there any side-effects? Is this permanent? This is just a lot to take in, sir."
Everyone at the table nodded in agreement.
'She's not wrong.' Izuku inwardly agreed. 'I'm skeptical as well. This all seems too unbelievable to be real.'
Then again, meta-abilities in general were considered fantasy not even three decades ago. So, he supposed he should have an open mind.
"Dr. Hatsume can give you a more thorough explanation for the procedure's specifics at a later time. But, I can reassure you, this procedure is indeed safe." Colonel Phillips replied. "This project wouldn't exist otherwise."
'Well, it's 95% safe. For what that's worth.' Peggy sardonically thought, reminded of her conversation with the bubbly doctor in San Francisco.
Peggy's eyes widened as the realization struck her like lightning. The same night that Izuku was unexplainably accepted into the Army was the same one she turned down Dr. Hatsume's offer. It was highly possible she was in the same area when Izuku went to the recruitment station. Given the mere fact that Izuku was in the SSR, the puzzle pieces immediately came together. It all made sense now.
'Hatsume…!' As Peggy remained outwardly composed, a hot fire was raging within her at the eccentric military scientist. 'You b*tch!'
Though no one else in the room seemed to notice Peggy's inner turmoil, Izuku immediately sensed it. A few beads of sweat raced down his face as he involuntarily shuddered. 'She's pissed! What's up with her?'
"If there are no more questions, all of you head to training ground beta and await further instruction from your drill instructor. Dismissed." Colonel Phillips instructed.
"Yes sir!" The group responded.
With that, the recruits walked in a single-file line out of the room. Izuku couldn't help but glance back to Peggy, seeing her steely gaze was locked onto him like a hawk. He quickly looked away, focusing on staying in line.
'I don't think she wants me here.' He thought more about his situation. 'So this… this is what Dr. Hatsume recruited me for? A super-soldier project? But… Why me?'
After the 13 recruits exited the room, Colonel Phillips walked up to Peggy. "Corporal, will you please accompany me to Dr. Hatsume's office? I need to have a talk with her about her choice in candidates. I'm sure you know what I mean."
"Yes sir. I was actually about to head to her office myself." She replied.
The older Army veteran curtly nodded, and the pair walked out of the room and down the corridor in the direction of the science division.
"Do you know that skinny kid, Corporal?" Phillips inquired.
"Yes sir." She nodded. "Izuku Midoriya. 17. From Fresno, California. Recent highschool graduate. Quite intelligent. Physically he is on the… frail side." She truthfully admitted.
Phillips huffed. "That's an understatement. Any clue why the good doctor would think it's a good idea to bring that kid here?"
Peggy didn't respond immediately; many thoughts raced through her head. "No… colonel." She then adopted a determined expression. "But whatever thoughts Dr. Hatsume may have in regard to cadet Midoriya, I'm going to make her see reason."
Musutafu, Japan - February 2197
The train ride to UA University was around twenty minutes by train. Midoriya and Uraraka used that time to quiz each other over a few topics to refresh their memory. The written exam was first, so the pair wanted to be clear-headed and ready to cover any topic that would appear.
Shortly after disembarking from the train station, Midoriya and Uraraka were both standing before the school entrance. The main building consisted of 4 skyscraper-sized towers with blue windows connected by enclosed bridges in the center. A giant wall lined the campus's perimeter, with the only point of entry being the blue gate with the golden UA emblem on top.
Though Midoriya had seen the facility from the outside and pictures online, he couldn't help but marvel at the sheer scale of the campus. They must've been racking in a lot of money to afford all of this, he imagined.
But he couldn't get sidetracked. He had a mission.
"Well, this is it." Uraraka said, sounding nervous.
Midoriya nodded. "Yeah. The start of our journey."
"This is pretty nerve wracking, huh?" She rubbed the back of her head nervously.
"No kidding." He admitted.
Despite living through war and combat, Midoriya would be lying if he said he wasn't feeling a tad nervous. After all, over 14 months of training and studying had been dedicated for the purpose of passing and being accepted into UA's Hero Course. He couldn't let it all be for nothing.
He steeled himself and took a deep breath. Panicking would not resolve anything. He needed a clear mind to have the best chances of success. After all the studying on his own, and with Uraraka and Yaoyorozu recently, he was sure he'd pass the written portion; in addition, after all the training with All Might, he was feeling confident regarding his chances in the practical exam.
However, he knew he was walking into unknown territory. What type of Quirks might the other applicants have? It was quite possible that he'd be completely outclassed by some, if not most of them. Deep down, he wondered if he would even be able to keep up.
The verdette shook his head to dispel those pessimistic thoughts. 'No. I can only focus on what I can do. I'll give it my all and let the chips fall where they may.'
A vibration from his phone snapped him out of his musings. He pulled it out and saw two messages. One was a message from Yaoyorozu in the group chat, and the other one from Coulson. Uraraka pulled out her phone as well.
Yaoyorozu: Good luck, you two! I know you will do well. I'll be cheering for you!
Midoriya: Thank you, Yaomomo! We'll take all the power of friendship we can get
Uraraka outwardly snickered.
Uraraka: "^"
Uraraka: 😂
Uraraka: You're the best, Yaomomo! #FriendshipPower
Yaoyorozu: #FriendshipPower Do your best! Plus Ultra! ᕙ(‸‶)ᕗ
Midoriya and Uraraka felt a bit of their previous tension melt away. Yaoyorozu had taken the Recommendation Entrance Exam a week prior and had passed with flying colors. So, at least one of their trio was guaranteed a spot in the Hero Department.
Midoriya took one last glance at his phone to see Coulson's text.
Coulson: You'll do great today, Cap! Break records and turn heads!
Midoriya couldn't help but smile at the agent's enthusiastic message. He could practically feel the agent's otaku-ness coming through the text.
Still, he hoped SHIELD would honor their agreement and not pull any strings. The verdette had made his desire to earn a spot in UA's Hero Program on his own very clear from the beginning of the mission. So far, they had seemingly honored it. However, if he smelled any foul play, he wouldn't be afraid to call them out on it.
"Anything wrong, Midori-kun?" Uraraka asked, noticing her friend's serious expression.
"Huh? Oh, no, I'm fine." Midoriya switched his phone off, placing it back in his pocket. "Just got a text from a friend. That's all."
"Out of the way extras!"
Midoriya immediately recognized that brash voice. Turning around, his green eyes widened slightly. "Bakugo?"
Bakugo furrowed his brows in confusion. "Green hair?"
"It's been a while. I had a feeling you'd be here. Good luck today." Midoriya held out his hand.
Bakugo didn't acknowledge the handshake and sharpened his gaze. Midoriya realized that the ash-blonde was sizing him up; although, it didn't look like he wanted to fight.
"You've gotten taller." Bakugo tersely noted. "And your Japanese is better."
Midoriya pulled his hand back before he smirked. "I couldn't stay as I was. Now could I?"
Bakugo didn't respond immediately. "Whatever. It won't matter." He trudged past the verdette. "I'll crush any obstacles in my way, especially you."
As he stomped away, Midoriya shook his head. 'Seriously, what's his deal?'
"Um… what was that?" Uraraka was confused over what she just witnessed. "You know that guy, Midori-kun?"
"Not really. He's the guy from that Sludge Villain incident, remember?"
The brunette's eyes widened when she remembered Midori-kun telling her that story. "Then… why was he acting like such a jerk just now?"
Midoriya shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." He then returned his attention to the large gate, "We should start heading inside now. Don't want to be late."
"Yeah, I guess we should."
The pair proceeded through the gate with the other examinees. Their exam cards were hung around their necks via lanyards, allowing them entry onto the campus.
Before entering through the main doors, Uraraka stopped and turned to Midoriya. "Well, Midori-kun," she held out her fist, "best of luck!"
Midoriya smiled and fist-bumped her back. "Same to you, Uraraka-chan."
"Remember, all three of us are getting into the Hero Course together." She pumped her fist excitedly. "Yaomomo kept her end. Now we both gotta keep our ends. Right?"
Midoriya smiled and nodded. "Right. Let's ace this thing."
With that, they walked through the massive doorway and into the building. 'I can't waste this opportunity. I have to make it count.'
After following the signs, Midoriya and Uraraka arrived at a large auditorium reserved for the Hero Program's exam orientation. It had many levels of rows and seats, and there were already hundreds filling the room.
The super-soldier was impressed by how many applicants there were. 'And to think only 40 out of all these people will be accepted. Crazy...'
A message on a projected screen at the front directed students to sit at their assigned seats and not to touch the exam in front of them. Midoriya and Uraraka gave each other one last fist-bump before heading toward their assigned seats. Thanks to his eidetic memory, he didn't need to double-check his exam card that had come in the day before.
Exam Ticket, Examinee No.: 7418
Test Location: Battle Center B
Glancing at the row numbers on the outer seats, he determined that he'd be closer to the front of the auditorium. Descending down the stairs he passed by a student with a bird for a head and… a floating set of clothes? Meta-abilities were certainly more varied nowadays, he thought. He was very tempted to break out one of his Quirk notebooks and start jotting down as much info as he could but restrained himself.
After finding his row, he dropped his things at his designated seat near the center.
He was sitting next to a short girl at 155 cm (5'1") tall with a cute round face and a short equine muzzle and had a mix of Asiatic and Caucasian features. Her face was framed by thick, wavy blonde hair reaching halfway down her back with shorter bangs hanging down her forehead. He noticed that her calves were similar to those of a horse, sported brown hooves for feet, and a short horse tail poked out behind her. Her notable features were her large, round blue eyes and the two tall, lyre-shaped horns on her head.
Like him, she wasn't wearing a school uniform. Instead, she wore a light blue dress jacket over a white-collar shirt, a blue dress skirt, and silver horseshoes on her hooves.
'Guess it wouldn't hurt to say hi, right?' He thought. 'Lighten the mood and all.'
"Ah, hello." He tried.
"Uh, hi." She shyly muttered.
"Nervous?" He asked, smiling.
"Y-yeah… just a little." She didn't look at him, keeping her gaze on the desk. "H-how about you…?"
'She must be shy. I can relate. Wait…' He then noticed something. 'There's definitely an accent in her voice too, right?'
"Definitely. But I'm pretty eager to get started too." He figured it wouldn't hurt to ask what was on his mind. "Forgive me for asking, are you a foreigner?"
The pony-girl went stiff and turned away. "Y-yes?" She was expecting him to start mocking her. After all, foreign exchange students weren't always treated well in Japanese schools.
He nodded. "I thought so. I'm here from the States myself."
That statement caught the girl's attention as she turned to face him, surprised. "R-really? Me too. W-where from?"
"California. Fresno, to be specific."
"Oh wow, that's cool!" She shifted in her seat, letting her walls down. "I'm Pony Tsunotori. Oh wait, my name is backwards over here. My bad!"
He chuckled. "No worries. I get it." He raised an eyebrow. "Pony? Like the horse?"
"Y-yeah…" she sweat-dropped before shaking her head and holding out her hand. "S-sorry, let's start over. I'm Tsunotori Pony, from Austin, Texas."
Midoriya took the hand, giving it a firm squeeze, "I'm Midoriya Izuku. Nice to meet you, Tsunotori-san."
"Please is all mine, Midoriya-san. Oh, I can hear the accent in your voice too." She beamed.
"I've been told that I still have it." He chuckled a little before asking, "So, what brought you to UA?"
Tsunotori perked up at the question, only to turn her gaze back to the table. "I came here from Texas to live with my mom and get adjusted to living in Japan. I… I've always wanted to go to the same college that All Might went to." She laughed timidly and rubbed the base of her horns. "Silly, isn't it? A foreigner trying to get into Japan's top hero program."
Midoriya shook his head, smiling confidently. "No. Trust me, it's not."
Pony looked back, her lips curling upward into a smile, her horse-like tail subconsciously swishing.
Meanwhile, after finding her seat near the back of the auditorium, Uraraka scanned the crowd in the hope of finding Midoriya somewhere. She finally found him near the front rows, too far for her to call out to him. She then noticed that he was talking with a blonde foreign-looking girl with horns on her head. They both seemed to be having an animated discussion, given their smiles.
Uraraka blinked twice. 'Huh… Midori-kun seems to have made a new friend… with another girl...' She wasn't sure how to feel about that.
The brunette, however, didn't have any more time to ponder on that thought.
"Alright boys and girls, this is your school DJ coming to you live from the monitoring room!" a voice came from the loudspeakers. "This is your official message to get rockin' on those tests in front of you! But no cheating! This is a hero course, so I'll be keeping a groovy eye on everyone here! You've got two hours to complete the written exam before we get to the main course! Your time begins… RIGHT NOW!"
The monitor switched from the UA symbol to a digital countdown clock, and the auditorium was filled with the sounds of scratching pencils.
Midoriya flipped his test over and swiftly began answering the questions.
"Time's up! Pencils down!" The voice said in thick English.
Midoriya placed the pencil down and let out a deep breath he didn't even know he was holding. His test was complete, down to the last period. It was certainly harder than any test he had taken at his old public school or at the community college, that's for sure. UA University was not only the top Hero academy in Japan, but it boasted some of the best academic scores in the nation for good reason.
Nevertheless, he felt confident that he performed very well on it. All the time spent studying had paid off. Now, it would soon be time to take the practical portion. He imagined it was the most important part of the entrance exam.
Moments later, the lights suddenly cut out with the exception of a spotlight shining onto the stage. Everyone's attention was drawn to a tall, slim man with long blonde hair spiked upwards, in addition to a small brown mustache. His outfit consisted of a black leather jacket with a tall collar, upturned and complete with studs, as well as matching black pants and knee-high boots. He sported tan shoulder pads, a red belt, and elbow pads, all of them studded, and lastly a pair of black fingerless gloves. His neck was obscured by what appeared to be a directional speaker which was likely used with his Quirk. He also wore a pair of headphones with the word "HAGE" written on the headband and a pair of orange-tinted shades.
Midoriya's slightly eyes widened in recognition. 'Oh, it's Present Mic: the Voice Hero! I thought I recognized that voice from somewhere.' He had listened to a few of his podcasts before, noticing that he tended to combine English with his speech. Perhaps it was considered groovy to do that in Japan?
"WELCOME TO TODAY'S LIVE PERFORMANCE! EVERYONE SAY HEY!"
"Hey!" Midoriya shouted with a wave.
He then immediately realized that literally no one else in the auditorium responded to Mic's request. There were several moments of dead silence before a good portion of the room started laughing.
Midoriya lowered his head, feeling his flush in embarrassment. 'Was I… not supposed to answer? Was that part of the test? Did I fail already?' He was confused.
Next to him, Tsunotori patted his back reassuringly, giggling to herself.
Bakugo, from his seat in the back rows, rolled his eyes in annoyance. 'Stupid stealth gaijin.'
"PFFT!" Uraraka, at her seat, held her hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to contain her laughter. 'He's such a cute dork!'
After getting the laughs out of their systems, the room soon quieted down once more. Present Mic didn't seem affected by the scene at all. If anything, he relished in it.
"Hey, I got a live audience! Love it! Now, I'm here to present the guidelines of your practical exam. Are you ready?! YEAH!"
Silence met his outcry as Midoriya made sure to stay quiet this time. He thought it was awkward, but Present Mic didn't seem to mind, still smiling a megawatt grin.
"Now, like your applications said, you're going to be throwing down in our SUPER HIT urban settings! That's right boys and girls, you're going to be rockin' out in this ten-minute mock battle!"
The screen behind Present Mic changed, showing a pseudo-map of the auditorium and seven testing centers labeled A-G. Midoriya sat up straighter and paid full attention to the presentation.
"Gird your loins because after I drop the mic here, you'll be going to your specified battle centers sound good? OKAY!?"
When silence met him for a second time, the hero simply laughed it off. Snapping his fingers, the screen changed again.
"Alright, let's check out your targets. You'll have to face three different kinds of robots, which we've named Faux Villains. These guys are worth one, two, or three points each, depending on their model. You'll need to destroy as many of these Faux Villains as possible with your Quirks and get all those sweet points! But check it," he warned, "make sure you're keeping things heroic! Attacking other examinees is the biggest no-no that we have!"
'Makes sense.' Midoriya nodded. 'No sense in becoming a Hero if you're just going to attack people.'
The verdette could've sworn he heard someone in the back rows groan with his keen hearing. Who was that? He didn't get the opportunity to wonder though.
"Excuse me sir, I have a question!"
Present Mic's grin widened at the attention. "Hit me!"
A spotlight shined down on a tall, muscular student wearing glasses, with his hand raised standing several rows behind Midoriya.
"On the printout, there are four types of villains, yet you say that there are three. With all due respect, if this is an error then it is a great disservice to us and the reputation of UA! We are exemplary students, so we expect the best from Japan's most notable university!"
'Huh…' Midoriya glanced down at his printout to confirm the tall examinee's point. 'Good catch, Glasses. Still, coming on a little too high-strung there, aren't you?' He wondered if this guy was a soldier too given how straight his posture was and how uptight he seemed to be.
"Alright, alright," Present Mic said, silencing the hall, "Examinee 7111. Thanks for calling in with your request," he gave him a thumbs-up. "But it is not an error. The fourth villain type is worth zero points!"
Midoriya blinked, cocking an eyebrow. Weird. What was the point in having a faux villain not worth any points?
"That guy is the Thwomp to your chances. Very old video game reference, by the way. Anyone catch it?" Present Mic asked with a cheeky grin. No one in the audience did, except for one.
'It's Super Mario Brothers!' The super-soldier exclaimed internally. 'Why did they ever allow that franchise to die!?'
"I DO!" Midoriya stood up in his excitement, and a spotlight shined down on him too. He blanched when he realized he had unintentionally spoken out again and was literally under the limelight. He quickly sank back into his seat, holding his head low. "I… I understood that reference."
This earned the verdette more laughter from the audience, and an annoyed growl from Glasses for disrupting the presentation.
Pony gave him another shoulder pat while snickering. He shot her an appreciative look, quietly mumbling, "Traitor…"
"PFFT!" Meanwhile, Uraraka couldn't contain her laughter as she held her sides. 'This guy's gonna kill me!'
Midoriya sighed deeply. 'So much for any potential social life at school.' Even if he passed, he was sure that this was what he'd be remembered for. The guy who embarrassed himself twice in the exam orientation. 'Some things just never change, I guess.'
Present Mic continued grinning brightly. "I got a fellow retro gamer in the crowd! But I digress. Anyways, this faux villain will just be there to get in your way. There's one in every battle center. It's not impossible to beat it, but you're on the clock and there's really no point. I recommend that my listeners ignore it and focus on the ones topping the charts!"
"Thank you." With his question answered, Glasses gave a polite bow and sat back down. The spotlights on both Glasses and Midoriya turned off.
Midoriya overheard a few students whispering amongst themselves how it was like a video game. The points, the boss, and the whole shebang was set up like one. It sort of reminded Midoriya of the military games he played while training in the Army.
"That's all for today, listeners! Head to your battle centers with a little gift: a sample of our school motto." Present Mic continued on. "As general Napoleon Bonaparte once said, 'a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes'. Mhmm, now that's one tasty soundbite."
Midoriya nodded in agreement. 'True words indeed.'
Mic cocked an eyebrow, eyeing everyone expectantly, "So, you ready to go beyond? Let me hear a PLUS ULTRA!"
Silence.
"Okay! GOOD LUCK!"
Midoriya blinked twice, dumbfounded by Mic's earlier exclamation. 'Wait… did he really just say…but how?' Questions for later, he supposed.
The bus ride to the battle arena was quick, yet uncomfortable and noisy. Examinees were smooshed together shoulder-to-shoulder, and some of the boisterous ones started talking loudly, either bragging about themselves or trying to psych out perceived weak targets. Midoriya paid no mind to it, focusing on the task ahead.
When the bus came to a stop, he disembarked as quickly as possible. The verdette took a brief moment to marvel at how big UA's campus truly was. They really had to have a lot of money to afford all of this.
Earlier, after leaving the auditorium and wishing Tsunotori the best of luck, he headed to one of the designated locker rooms to change. His outfit was a cyan tracksuit with white accents and a new pair of red combat boots since his old ones had been worn out from training. He had also removed his 200 kg (441 lb) ankle and wrist weights for the first time in months.
The feeling of relief was instant. He couldn't ever remember feeling so light! He felt like he could jump over an entire building in one leap. Of course, he knew he realistically couldn't do that, but he sure felt like he could.
Strapped across Midoriya's chest was a double-banded harness with the unpainted shield attached to the back via a magnet. Days before the exam, he was required to fill out paperwork for him to use the shield in the exam - classifying it as a support item. Thankfully, the university approved his request. He didn't think he couldn't pass without it, but having it certainly made things much easier for him.
He could overhear a few examinees talking about him behind his back.
"Isn't that the guy who made an idiot of himself at orientation?"
"Yeah, that's him. Can't mistake that green hair."
"Is that a shield on his back?"
"Looks like it. Kinda plain, huh?"
"Is that all he has? What's he planning to do with just that?"
"Something to do with his Quirk maybe?"
"Who knows. Maybe defense is all he's got?"
"Lame. One less contestant to worry about then."
Midoriya couldn't help but roll his eyes at their comments. 'Already underestimating their competition. Not smart.'
The crowd outside the arena was steadily growing as more examinees filed out of the buses. Looking around, he spotted a set of horns sticking out of the crowd. Tsunotori seemed to be in a conversation with a fairly attractive, athletic-looking woman with long, bright orange hair.
He was mildly surprised they both were in the same battle center. Crazy coincidence, he thought. He was tempted to go talk to them but decided against it. 'No, I can try to talk with Tsunotori-san later. Need to get my head in the game now. No distractions.' He proceeded to the front of the crowd toward the set of large metal doors.
Taking a deep breath, Midoriya knelt down into a sprinter's stance, digging the soles of his boots into the concrete surface and pressing his fingers down. He could hear other examinees jostling about, some talking themselves up. Bragging about how easy the test was going to be. He managed to block out most of it, drowning out their white noise with his own calming thoughts.
The sound of a revving engine nearby caught his attention. Turning to his side, he was mildly surprised to find the tall student with glasses standing next to him. He too was focused on the large door to the arena. Following the sound closer, he confirmed it was coming from his legs. His calves had several muffler pipes sticking out.
Midoriya blinked and momentarily fell into his habit of Quirk analysis. Did he have some type of motor or engine ability? Did it make him faster or something along those lines? Getting a better look at the muscular teen, he stood 180 cm (5'11'') tall, had short dark-blue hair, an impressive jaw, and squarish-shaped eyes with glasses.
"Ah, it's you." Glasses turned to Midoriya with a serious expression.
'This guy has to be, or at least was in the military at some point, right?' Midoriya wondered. 'There's no way he's normally like this, right?'
"You're the one who disrupted orientation with your joking. Please try to refrain from distracting me and everyone else. Some of us here are actually taking this exam seriously." He tersely stated.
'Ah, he thinks I was doing that on purpose. Well, I don't have time to explain myself, nor do I need to right now.' Midoriya thought pensively. 'I've got my own mission to worry about.'
"Believe me, I'm taking this very seriously." Midoriya countered. "Best of luck to you though."
Glasses glanced at the verdette, briefly surprised by how serious Midoriya sounded and his stone-faced expression. It almost reminded him of his elder brother when he got serious. Shaking his head, he turned forward to concentrate on the trial ahead.
Midoriya refocused on the large metal door, waiting for the signal. A countdown, a loud horn, a green start flag, a starter pistol, a flare… he wasn't sure. He just needed to be ready for anything. The doors then opened, revealing a section of cityscape that could have fit in just about anywhere in Japan.
'Is this the signal?'
"Okay, start!"
Present Mic's voice boomed out from a guard tower nearby the gate. "What, there are no countdowns in real fights! Run! The die has been cast, GO! You're already behind!"
As the Voice Hero berated the group for hesitating, Midoriya had already dashed forward at full speed past the large doors while the other applicants looked up at the tower broadcasting the hero's explanation. Running into the arena, Midoriya immediately began scanning for targets. He could hear the other examinees charging in not too far behind him.
'Won't take them long to catch up. Need to capitalize and take out as many targets as I can.' He internally rationalized.
Turning a corner, Midoriya found three large, green robots in the street. A 3-pointer and two 2-pointers in close proximity to each other. How convenient.
Without slowing down, he reached back for his shield, swiftly determined the optimal throw, and flung it to the right. Bouncing off a nearby parked car, the shield's trajectory sent it tearing through both 2-pointers heads. Rebounding off a nearby building, the shield came flying back to Midoriya's outstretched left hand.
Using the disabled 2-pointers as a springboard, the verdette launched himself at the larger 3-pointer. Twisting himself in midair, he used his gathered momentum to fling the shield vertically at the larger mech which tore through its armor like paper.
'These things really are made to be broken.' He mused.
The robot collapsed backwards from the force behind the hit with the disk stuck inside its head unit. Timing it perfectly, Midoriya landed on the deactivated mech just as it fell. Quickly reclaiming the shield, he jumped off and continued running down the street.
'Alright, that makes for 7 points.' Turning down a different street, a 1-pointer spotted him and started racing toward him.
Spotting the robot out of the corner of his eye, Midoriya leaped to the side to dodge a hit in the nick of time. He instantly reacted by jumping up to deliver a powerful kick, sending the robot's head flying across the street. The super-soldier was momentarily surprised by how easy it was (not feeling much resistance) before rushing down the street.
'8 points. Let's keep this going!' Bolting further down the street, a 2-pointer turned a corner, spotted Midoriya, and charged at him. 'Come at me!'
Just as he was about to throw the shield, Glasses rushed in at incredible speed out of nowhere and delivered a devastating kick into the 2-pointer. Its armor was instantly crushed as it collapsed to the ground, deactivated.
Midoriya immediately stopped, lowering the shield. Both examinees briefly looked at each other before Glasses rushed down the street, leaving dust in his wake.
The verdette glanced down at the destroyed 2-pointer and came to a realization. 'Okay, I need the high ground so I can spot more targets. If I stay on the streets the other examinees will just catch up and there won't be many points left for me.' He broke off into a run, keeping watch for any more robots and ways of quickly getting up to the rooftops.
Down a nearby alley, he spotted a fire escape hanging off a fake-office building and immediately changed course. Gathering enough speed, he bent his knees and leapt nearly 9 meters (~30 feet) into the air and grabbed onto the fire escape's railing. Pulling himself over, he climbed up the grated steps and after reaching the top level he jumped to grab onto the building's ledge.
Pulling himself up onto the roof, he ran across and stopped at the other side, scanning the area for targets. He could hear the other examinees spreading out across the area and destroying the faux villains, if the sounds of crushing metal and explosions were any indication. After a moment he spotted a large gathering of robots off in one section of the cityscape that none of the other examinees had reached yet.
'Better get over there fast!' Taking a few steps back, Midoriya jumped to the other building.
In the observation room, a dark room filled with monitors, UA faculty members sat watching the test unfold. The screens switched to different areas of the 7 arenas allowing the group to have an uninterrupted view of the applicants.
"Doesn't this year's group look promising?" Midnight pointed out.
A few murmurs of agreement echoed in the room.
One screen showed a scene that immediately caught Power Loader's eye. "Hold on, focus on screen 18 really quick."
The screen grew bigger, allowing the faculty to see Midoriya fluidly jumping from rooftop-to-rooftop. Performing acrobatic flips, he threw the shield at the faux villains in the streets below. Amazingly, the shield would crush the mech's head units on impact (instantly deactivating them) before somehow always ricocheting on a path back within Midoriya's reach.
"That support item he's using," Power Loader marveled, "I've never seen anything like that before." He rubbed his chin under his helmet. "And I've been in the support business a long time."
"Is it part of his Quirk?" Vlad King asked.
Ectoplasm pulled up an electronic file. "Examine 7418, Midoriya Izuku. His Quirk is registered as an augmentation type, so, no…not likely. The support item itself is labeled as a shield in his paperwork."
"That thing is more than a shield." Snipe argued. "It's a weapon! Look at how it's tearing through the faux villains like tinfoil."
"Yet it's bouncing off them like rubber. I'd be curious to know what it's made of." Power Loader said with an impressed air.
"The way he's handling it is quite impressive as well." Cementoss commented. "He certainly knows how to use it."
Yagi, in his shrunken form, wore a baggy yellow pinstripe suit. He looked at the screen with a grin. "He's also getting around the city pretty well too. The kid's definitely skilled."
"Is it even fair to have an item like that in the test?" Thirteen wondered. "I mean, it isn't related to his Quirk, right?"
At the back of the room in the shadows, Aizawa leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. His tired eyes and haggard appearance made it look as though he hadn't slept in days, and, with the upcoming new semester, that was likely true. His tired yet analytical gaze focused on Midoriya's screen as he remained silent.
A small, white-furred creature that, had it not been wearing a suit, would have been mistaken for a large mouse, a dog, or a very small bear. Whatever he was, took a sip of tea and grinned knowingly.
"I don't see any reason why not." the UA Dean of Heroics, Nezu, stated in a calm but high-pitched voice. "Whether it accentuates his Quirk or not is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. So long as he knows how to properly use it, which he seems to do, I'll allow it. A Hero's support gear shouldn't be limited to something only related to their Quirk."
"Right." Vlad King concurred with a nod. "Aizawa back there can attest to that with his capture scarves."
Aizawa didn't respond, still watching the monitors.
Thirteen nodded, and conceded, "Fair points."
Nezu took another sip of tea, before continuing, "Besides, whether one has a useful support item or not, the practical exam is not any less difficult. Examinees have not been informed of the number of villains or their locations. They have a very limited amount of time to cover a large area, so they are forced to find different methods to draw the faux villains out."
He paused and flipped through several channels, stopping on a screen with a silver-haired man with multiple appendages, scanning the horizon, "Gathering information to better understand the situation before anyone else."
The screen changed to show a tall and muscular, bespeckled examinee rocketing down the road and crushing targets with devastating kicks. It then shifted to display a floating brunette with pink cheeks jumping in-between buildings, searching the area for targets. "Mobility that can be used in many different circumstances."
The screen changed again to display a flashy blonde man blasting a robot apart via a laser from his stomach, looking very lax in the process. "Keeping calm under pressure."
The next screen showed another blonde feral-looking young man standing on a pile of broken machines, smoke billowing from his hands. "And, of course, pure combat ability. These abilities are needed to keep peace in the streets."
Nezu smiled. "Examinees who use a combination of all of these tactics are typically the most successful and rack up the highest scores."
"Well," Snipe spoke up, "we can't know yet how good this group really is. Their true test is yet to come." he paused to press a big red button. "And how they react to an overwhelming threat will show their true nature."
Uraraka groaned as she leaned against her most recent pile of Faux Villains, all 1-pointers. She was thankful that she had her sweatband, otherwise, sweat would be in her eyes. Her outfit consisted of a simple black jogging suit with pink accents and pink running shoes. Her long hair was tied up into a bun to keep it out of the way.
She rubbed her stomach, taking a few moments to catch her breath and give her stomach time to settle. Midoriya had previously suggested during one of their study sessions that she could use her Quirk on herself to get around much faster than running; however, she had to be careful where she pushed off while in the air, so she wouldn't float herself too high.
So far, she was doing quite well in covering ground and using her Quirk to float the robots before sending them crashing to the ground. However, the constant on-and-off use of her Quirk on top of her breakneck pace was taking its toll.
'Everyone is trying so hard to get the higher point bots, they're leaving the 1-pointers alone. Still… I can't keep settling for this.' Uraraka realized. 'Need to change up strategies.'
"TWO MINUTES REMAINING!" Present Mic shouted over the speakers. "BETTER HURRY UP AND RACK UP THOSE POINTS!"
Uraraka suddenly became alert. The test was almost over already!? She only had 28 points! She needed to get more! She had to land that Top 3 scholarship!
Smacking her cheeks, Uraraka straightened herself up. 'Okay, no plans! Just pick a direction and get as many points as you can before the buzzer!'
The brunette bolted down the street, but only got a few meters before the ground beneath her feet rumbled.
"W-what's going-WHOA!"
She didn't complete her sentence as she and several other applicants were thrown to the ground as the concrete in front of them exploded into dust. Steel beams twisted and tore, and shattered glass rained down in the wake of a giant green automaton.
The zero-pointer towered over the buildings, easily crushing them as its treads pulled forward.
Uraraka stared up in horrified awe at the mechanical monster. "Are you kidding me!? That's the zero-pointer!? I thought it'd be the same size as the other ones!"
Even though she was around 20 meters (~65 feet) away, she could feel the titan rolling down the street as it crushed everything in its wake. She let out a sigh of relief to see that it wasn't heading in her direction.
As she was about to run in a new direction to find more, she noticed a couple of examinees in the zero-pointer's path. They were frozen, looking up at the incoming mass of metal in horror. More importantly, not turning around and running for their lives like everyone else.
"HEY! You guys need to run!"
Neither of the applicants moved. Were they too scared?
Uraraka looked between the zero-pointer, still rolling towards them, and the two terrified students. It would stop before running over them, right? UA wouldn't allow anything like that to happen, right?!
She looked back-and-forth between the robot and petrified students. What should she do?!
"Well, my body moved on its own. I couldn't just stand there and watch that guy die." Midori-kun's words echoed in her mind.
She blinked, realizing what she needed to do. 'Be just like Midori-kun!'
With a scream, Uraraka willed herself forward and broke off into a sprint. Slapping a hand to her thigh, she kicked off the ground and rocketed down the street. It was going to be a close call! As she was about to pass the two examinees, she grabbed them to both remove their gravity and pull them away by their shirts.
As a result, all three went flying across the street together and narrowly avoided the zero-pointer as it rolled over the spot the two students had previously been.
Feeling her stomach twist, and confident they were far enough away, she touched her fingers together. "Release!"
Gravity's effect returned as the three hit the ground and tumbled across the street. With a pained grunt, Uraraka willed herself off the ground. 'That… was a close call. It worked out though.'
She was about to ask if the other two examinees were okay, but noticed they were looking behind her. Curious, she looked back and was horrified to see the zero-pointer looking straight at them. It then shifted its treads and began heading in their direction!
Uraraka blinked and gulped loudly. 'Oh crap!'
She turned to the examiness. "YOU BOTH RUN NOW!" Nodding, the two scrambled to their feet and ran away.
At the same time, Uraraka pivoted and took off down a perpendicular street just in time to avoid a giant mechanical fist crashing down. Though she avoided the main hit, she was caught up in the shockwave which sent her flying and tumbling across the pavement.
Coughing, Uraraka struggled to return to her feet. The dust cloud kicked up from the punch burned her eyes and coated her throat, making it harder for her to catch her breath. Spitting out globs of spit and dust, Uraraka stood on wobbly legs while at the same time the zero-pointer began to slowly pull its arms back.
'Have to put some distance between us. It's powerful, but slow. Just need to get-'
Uraraka couldn't complete her thought as several red glowing lights pierced through the dust. She was not alone.
'Crap… where'd all these guys come from?' When the faux villains broke through the dust and charged at Uraraka, she gave a startled yelp while dodging and weaving around them, trying to keep an eye on the zero-pointer.
'If I didn't have to worry about the stupid zero-pointer, this would be a great group to get points from.' Uraraka rolled under a wild swing from a two-pointer. 'Stupid monster! Why's it trying to crush me anyway…'
The gravity girl was then struck with an idea. Glancing back up, seeing the zero-pointer pulling its arm back, Uraraka narrowed her eyes and set her jaw in determination.
'You can do this, Ochako!'
Diving forward and scrambling between as many faux villains as she could, Uraraka floated them while being careful not to push them away. She needed them in one place around her. Taking inventory, it looked like there were two of each robot model worth points present, making 12 total points. Perfect!
After floating the last robot, she heard the zero-pointer's arm lock into place as gears and pistons strained under its own weight. It was now or never!
Pressing her fingers into her thigh, she kicked off the ground as hard as she could. She floated away from the zero-pointer just as it pulverized the area she had just been. It destroyed everything, the road, the buildings, and the robots.
She believed that she was in the clear until the shockwave slammed into her, sending her spinning through the air across the cityscape.
"W-WHOOA!" Unable to control herself, she eventually slammed into the side of a building, knocking the air out of her.
"Oww…" Dizzy swirls filled Uraraka's eyes.
Dazed and out of breath, she looked back to see if she was a safe distance from the zero-pointer now. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she let out a sigh of relief. 'Okay… out of danger for now. Need to focus on getting more-'
"TIME'S UP! YOU'D BETTER HOPE THAT YOU EARNED ENOUGH POINTS!" Present Mic shouted over the speaker.
'Or not. Still, 40 points is good, right?' Uraraka sighed, pushing herself down and calmly floating back to the street.
Pressing her fingers together and mumbling, "Release," Uraraka felt her gravity return. She stood tall and proud now that she had completed the entrance exam.
And Uraraka, after a few seconds, promptly fell to her knees and proudly vomited.
Midoriya jumped from building-to-building, swiftly scanning the city in search of any faux villains that hadn't been destroyed by his fellow examinees yet. As he suspected, the number of remaining robots was beginning to dwindle fast.
Spotting a smaller robot driving out of an alley, he twisted around to throw his shield at it. It crushed the head like tinfoil before bouncing off a nearby car and streetlamp to return to his hand before his feet even hit the ground. One glance at the robot's remains and he spotted the giant 1 painted on it.
'That's 37 points so far.' He thought. 'This area is mostly cleaned out. Better head east.'
Taking a sharp turn, he cleared several buildings before jumping over a small street. While in midair, he was taken off guard to see Tsunotori flying past him. Safely landing on the adjacent building, he paused to look at her.
She was flying on a pair of horns, just like the ones on her head. Several untouched faux villains were down the street. Getting close, she came to a stop while standing on her levitating horns.
"Thunder Horn!" He heard her exclaim before an onslaught of horns shot out of her head, reducing the robots to scrap metal.
Midoriya blinked before an excited grin crossed his face. 'Wow! She can use her horns to fly AND instantly regrow more for a barrage attack?! That's so cool! I gotta ask her about her Quirk later.'
Suddenly, a 2-pointer zoomed out from around a corner and targeted Tsunotori while she was turned away. She was close enough to the ground, and well within the robot's reach.
Midoriya instinctively tossed the shield forward. Tsunotori turned around just in time to see the 2-pointer's scorpion-like head decapitated by a silver disk. The disk bounced off the asphalt, off a nearby tree, and then back to Midoriya's left hand.
Midoriya gave Tsunotori a salute before rushing off across the roof. Tsunotori blinked. 'What was that support item Midoriya was using? That was so cool!' She'd have to ask him about it later, if she saw him again.
The super-soldier continued jumping across roofs and looking for more targets. 'I'm at 39 points now. There can't be much time left in the exam. Do I have enough?'
"TWO MINUTES REMAINING!" Present Mic shouted over the speakers. "BETTER HURRY UP AND RACK UP THOSE POINTS!"
'More points it is then.' However, before Midoriya could continue hunting for more robots, the ground shuddered. At first, he thought it was an earthquake, but the way the shaking continued clued him in that it was something else.
Suddenly, a nearby building exploded as a massive green robot emerged into view. Midoriya's eyes widened as he recognized the mech's design. 'That's the zero pointer?!' He backed away in shock. 'It's just an exam! That thing is way overkill!'
Several buildings near the giant mech suddenly collapsed as its giant treads started moving. 'It crushes buildings just from moving! Gotta make sure no one's in its way!'
Turning around, Midoriya headed back to the street the zero-pointer was rolling down. He stopped at a ledge to look down. All around, examinees abandoned their positions and ran for their lives. Like Present Mic said, there was no point in trying to fight the zero-pointer.
While quickly scanning the area, he spotted something moving under some rubble - or, rather, someone. It was Tsunotori, trapped up to her waist by heavy chunks of debris. She must've been caught off guard by the zero-pointer's activation like everyone else was.
He saw the pained look on her face, weakly struggling to free herself from the massive machine that was preparing to crush her under its treads. No one was around her to help as they ran away in fear.
Midoriya didn't hesitate. Placing his shield on his back, he broke off into a mad dash and cleared a couple buildings before jumping off the ledge to the street below. He grabbed onto a streetlamp to take away some of his fall and swung himself further down the road. He landed in a crouching position before taking off toward Tsunotori.
"I've got you, Tsunotori-san!" The verdette rushed up to her and carefully removed the rubble pinning her down. "Can you stand?"
The blonde equine-girl grimaced. "No… I-I think my leg is broken." She looked at her swollen left leg.
"Don't worry, I'm getting you out of here." He told her while picking her up in a princess carry, bolting down the street away from the machine. Tsunotori was surprised by how fast Midoriya was running. She was reminded of the tall, glasses-wearing applicant running around from earlier.
After swiftly running a kilometer (~0.6 mile) down the street close to the entrance, Midoriya carefully laid Tsunotori down to lean against a building.
"You should be safe here. Can you still use your horns?" He asked.
Tsunotori weakly nodded. "Y-yeah… a little bit, I think."
He nodded. "Okay, if you have to, you can use those to defend yourself from any more Faux Villains that come your way. I gotta go back."
"Wh-what? Why?" She asked, confused.
"I'm going to stop that thing from hurting any other examinees." He turned and bolted down the street.
"W-wait! Why!?" The blonde tried to ask the verdette. "Midoriya-san, there aren't any points for beating it!"
"The points don't matter!" Midoriya yelled back while running. "If you can do something that'll help others, even if it doesn't benefit you, then a Hero should do it!" With that said he was out of range and the equine girl could only stare at his back as he ran.
"He's right…" She mumbled to herself. "So cool."
Midoriya dashed down the street back to the zero-pointer, which was rolling across the city - crushing anything in its path. He carefully studied the mech for any obvious weaknesses. He could try to disable the treads but didn't want to risk getting himself injured from the massive gears. He could target the joints and break them, but the robot would likely swipe him off before he could deal any noteworthy damage.
An idea occurred to him as he looked up at the robot's blockish head. 'Wait… it's still a robot. It needs a processor to operate. If I can break that before it notices me…'
With a plan in mind, Midoriya increased his running speed and jumped when he was in range of the mech. The zero-pointer didn't seem to notice him yet as he leaped onto a part of its leg above the giant treads. He carefully scaled up the robot using the armor grooves as footholds and handholds. To stay out of the robot's vision, he shifted to scale up its back and reached its shoulder area before ascending to the back of the head.
After pulling himself onto the flatter part of the zero-pointer's shoulder, he took a few deep breaths. If Midoriya had any fear of heights, he didn't let it show. He pulled the shield off his back, slipped his left arm through its straps, and smashed the edge into the metal plating.
The armor was torn easily and allowed Midoriya to rip it apart further so he could climb into the robot's head. All around him, there was a mass plethora of wiring and mechanisms, and he had no clue how they functioned.
"Well, better just start breaking stuff!" With that, the verdette started smashing whatever he could around him using his fists, kicks, and the shield.
Meanwhile, on the outside, the zero-pointer stopped in its tracks and its limbs began to spazz out of control - knocking a building over in the process.
Tearing through more wires, Midoriya spotted a large black block the size of a car with flashing lights, giving off a lot of heat. 'That's gotta be the CPU!' He pushed his way through, lifted the shield above his head, and slammed it through the block. A shower of electrical sparks went flying and the lights immediately shut off.
As a result, the robot instantly stopped moving and its red eyes went black. It remained frozen for a short moment until it slumped down, collapsing face-forward to the ground 'dead'.
'CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!' Midoriya held onto ropes of wires, bracing himself, feeling the mech falling forward.
The street was crushed under the zero-pointer's massive weight and even a few nearby buildings crumbled away, throwing up a large dust cloud. Thankfully, no one had been around the machine as it collapsed.
From a safe distance, examinees looked on in shocked confusion at the fallen zero-pointer. What happened? Why did it all of a sudden stop working and collapse?
As the dust settled, Midoriya used his shield to bust a hole through the zero-pointer's armored head. He carefully climbed out and jumped down to the crumbled street below.
He took a few deep breaths and glanced over the fallen robot, confident that it would not suddenly reactivate. Now he understood why the zero-pointer was a gimmick. It was ridiculously huge at a hundred-feet-tall, and it would take a very specific Quirk or overwhelming force to truly stop it. Or just someone crafty enough to sneak inside its head and destroy the CPU.
He shook his head and frowned, "Tsunotori-san could've been killed by this thing. How could they allow something like the zero-pointer to run loose? It's just a test!"
"Midoriya-san!" The super-soldier turned around to see Tsunotori floating, using her horns to hold her up by her armpits. "Are you okay!?"
"Y-yeah… just a few scratches." He waved off her worry casually. Realizing that the exam was still ongoing, he adopted a serious expression. "If you can still use your horns, you should try and get a few more points-"
He was interrupted by a loud buzzer, and then Present Mic's voice. "TIME'S UP! YOU'D BETTER HOPE THAT YOU EARNED ENOUGH POINTS!"
"Or not," Midoriya said glumly, and turned to the equine girl. "How many did you get?"
"45."
Midoriya was slightly taken aback. 'Whoa, she killed it! Had she not gotten caught up in the zero-pointer's path, she likely would have gotten more.'
"What about you?" She asked.
"39. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if we got in."
"Yeah." She then shook her head and looked at him with wide eyes. "Did you seriously just take down the zero-pointer just now?!"
"Yeah, no big deal." He shrugged. "Just wrecked its hard drive." He jerked his thumb toward the hole he made getting out of the robot's head.
"That's so cool! By the way, can I ask you about-"
"Excuse me?" Both the blonde and verdette turned and saw a little old lady standing behind them. She wore a white doctor's coat and was leaning heavily on a cane. "You both can chat, but only while I fix you up!"
Midoriya looked at her for a moment before his eyes widened in recognition. "Oh… I remember, you're the Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl. Right?"
He remembered her from reading up on UA's Heroic Department faculty staff from last semester.
"Yes, yes, I am. Now sit down!"
Her stern voice was enough to make Midoriya sit down next to Tsunotori - who lowered herself to the ground with her horns.
"You!" Recovery Girl pointed at Tsunotori. "Tell me where it hurts."
Tsunotori blinked in bewilderment. "Uh, I think I broke my leg…" She pointed at her left leg, grimacing. "It's pretty swollen… and it hurts…"
Midoriya glanced at her in worry. 'All that pain and she still came to check on me?'
Recovery Girl nodded. "Easy fix. Hold still, dear." She leaned forward and kissed Tsunotori's forehead. In seconds, the girl looked much better, though she seemed to be fighting off drowsiness now. "My Quirk speeds up the healing process, but you'll be tired for a while."
"Still, that's an impressive ability." Midoriya complimented, awed at seeing a broken leg healed within seconds.
"Thank you. And you, young man, what's the damage?"
"Just a few scratches. Nothing serious."
"Good, that means I don't have to do anything." Recovery Girl smiled. "Tiny injuries like that are best left to heal on their own. Just don't do anything crazy for a day or two."
'Actually, mine will probably be gone by the time I get home.' Midoriya inwardly mused.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, there are others who need my attention." After Recovery Girl hobbled away, Midoriya and Tsunotori let out breaths they didn't know they'd been holding.
"She's kinda scary," Tsunotori said quietly.
"She is." He turned to her. "Hey, before she showed up, you were about to say something?"
The blonde perked up a bit. "I was about to ask you about your support item and your Quirk, if that's okay."
"Well, in reverse order, my Quirk is called Augment. Like its name suggests, every part of my body is enhanced - especially my strength. As for the shield," he pulled it off its magnet carrier and showed it to her, "it's something that's been in my family for a while. Don't know what it's made of, but it's pretty strong and vibration-absorbent." He hated lying, but he didn't have much choice.
"That's cool!" Tsunotori beamed. "Your Quirk and the way you used your shield reminds me a lot of Captain America, actually."
"Heh-heh… Yeah, I have been told that before a few times. Not sure I even come close to him though." He chuckled bashfully while rubbing his neck. "What's your Quirk, Tsunotori-san? The way you used your horns was pretty cool!"
"Oh, my Quirk is Horn Cannon." She happily explained. "I can launch my horns and grow back a new set instantly. I can telekinetically control up to four of them at a time and shoot a barrage of them… but that does drain my stamina though."
"That's impressive!" Midoriya complimented. "You'll be an excellent long-range fighter, and you can use your horns to help you fly! That's a big plus. If you can learn to balance yourself on one horn, you'll have three extras to use for attacking or assisting someone." He paused to quickly look over Tsunotori's horns. "Given their shape, you can also pierce or pin down enemies too."
Tsunotori's tail swished from the praise, and nodded, "I have been working on trying to fly with one horn… It's a little challenging."
"You could also try increasing the number of how many horns you can control?" He suggested. "That may help."
Tsunotori nodded. "Yeah, I'm still working on that too." She smiled up at Midoriya. "By the way, thank you for saving me back there!"
Midoriya smiled. "No problem." He looked toward the entrance to see examinees gathering around it where Recovery Girl could use her Quirk on anyone who needed healing. "I guess we should start heading out."
Midoriya and Tsunotori walked back and continued to chat; the pair said goodbye and wished each other luck before boarding their respective buses.
After saying goodbye to Tsunotori, Midoriya went back to the locker room to get changed and met up with Uraraka at the front gate. They walked back to the train station together, glad that neither of them had gotten seriously hurt during the exam.
"So, how do you think you did?" Midoriya asked.
"Well, I think I did good on the written part." Uraraka smiled. "All the studying we did together with Yaomomo really helped me out. So, thank you for your help on that."
"My pleasure." The freckle-faced man nodded. "I think I did pretty well on the written exam too. Never had to take a test that hard in America, so all that extra studying paid off." He then asked, "How about the practical part?"
"I got 40 points." She said proudly.
'I got beat by Tsunotori-san and Uraraka-chan.' Midoriya internally commented. 'Though their abilities do allow them to cover areas faster than I can on foot, especially in a cityscape environment. Plus, they can both take out things like those robots faster than I can with just my shield and my punches.' He internally rationalized. 'So, I can't be too upset about it.'
"Though," Uraraka turned away looking sheepish, "I kinda overused my Quirk and made myself sick… and got bruised up too."
"Are you okay?" Midoriya asked, sounding concerned. He remembered her telling him that overusing her Quirk caused her nausea. It had to do with her equilibrium being out of whack.
"Oh, I'm fine!" She quickly reassured him. "Recovery Girl was able to heal me up, no sweat!"
"That's good." He sounded relieved. "40 points is really good. Great job!"
"Thanks!" She then looked up at Midoriya curiously. "What about you? How many points did you get, Midori-kun?"
"39."
Uraraka blinked twice and stared at him. "Whoa...a one-point difference. That's crazy! Hehe..."
"What? Is something wrong?" What was with that look on her face?
"O-Oh! Nothing! It's just…I… thought you would've scored more." Realizing how that could be taken, she frantically waved her hands out. "Not that I think you didn't try or anything, I'm sure you did your best!"
"It's okay." Midoriya shrugged, sighing. "I had to get around by jumping across rooftops so I could cover more area and spot more targets from up high."
"That was smart. I was doing something similar actually." Uraraka grinned.
"Great minds think alike, I guess. But the other examinees sometimes still got to the faux villains before me, especially that uptight guy with the glasses. He was pretty fast. Also," he sheepishly scratched his cheek, "I spent the last two minutes taking down the zero-pointer, so that didn't help my cause either."
Uraraka stopped and looked at him in shocked disbelief. "W-what!? Wait! Time out! Y-you took out the zero-pointer!?"
Midoriya nodded, nonchalant. "Yeah. By the time it was deactivated, I had already run out the clock."
'W-what!? How? Why?' Uraraka was speechless. The damage that metal monstrosity caused by punching and just moving around flashed through her head. "H-hold on," she sputtered out, "how did you take out the zero-pointer? That thing was huge!"
She then had a thought. 'Wait… his Quirk is an enhancer type. So maybe…?'
"Did you punch it!?" She exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"What?" Midoriya cocked an eyebrow, bemused. "Punch it?"
"Yeah! Did you enhance your arm to the max and punch it with everything you had, or something like that?" Uraraka yelled, looking up at the verdette expectantly. "I bet you took it out with one hit, right?!"
'She sure has a wild imagination.' He didn't immediately respond to that. He started to laugh a bit. "No, it wasn't anything that flashy. I'm not All Might strong, after all."
"Oh… So then, how?" She inquired, confused.
He shrugged. "I just climbed up to its head, got inside it, and started wrecking stuff until it stopped. Nothing fancy."
Uraraka blinked twice. "So…you climbed up it?"
"Yep."
"And it didn't notice you?"
"I went up its back where it couldn't see me, so no."
"And you just broke it from the inside?"
Midoriya nodded. "That's what happened."
'Actually, that does make a lot more sense now that I think about it.' Uraraka thought, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Midoriya smiled sheepishly and patted her shoulder. "Sorry to disappoint, Uraraka-chan. Didn't mean to crush your fantasy."
"No, no!" She quickly responded. "It's not that. If it works, it works. Great job!" Another thought crossed her mind. "Wait, Midori-kun, why did you try to stop the zero-pointer anyway?"
"I saw someone get trapped under the rubble it created when it appeared. It was actually the girl I was sitting next to in orientation, believe it or not." Midoriya explained.
'Oh yeah… that blonde girl with the horns.' She still wasn't sure how to feel about that interaction. Uraraka certainly wasn't opposed to Midoriya making more friends, but it just felt weird when he was talking so casually around other girls. She shook her head, dispelling those nonsensical thoughts and continued to listen to her friend.
"I rescued her and got her out of harm's way. But seeing how she was nearly killed by the falling debris," he frowned, "I couldn't stand by and let that thing endanger anyone else."
Uraraka stared at him for a moment before a warm smile crossed her face. "Putting others before yourself, huh? You really are a hero, Midori-kun."
"Oh, t-thanks," he blushed lightly.
Uraraka then thought of her own encounter with the zero-pointer. 'I don't regret saving those two students at all… but I did hesitate. Meanwhile, Midori-kun rushed in to save someone AND take down the zero-pointer too all without a second thought. He's amazing.' She frowned slightly. '... I still have a lot of work to do.'
"Everything okay, Uraraka-chan?"
"Oh, fine!" She waved off, smiling. "Just thinking." The zero-gravity girl decided to switch topics. "By the way, are you hungry, Midori-kun?"
GRRRRR
Midoriya's stomach rumbled loudly as if to answer Uraraka's question.
"PFFT!" Uraraka snorted with laughter. "Guess that answers that!"
"Heh-heh," he felt his face flush in embarrassment, "yeah… looks like I burned through my breakfast." It was already past 13:00 (1 pm), so he could definitely use some lunch.
"Why don't we go home, and I can make us something?" Uraraka offered. "We can call Yaomomo and tell her how we did too."
Midoriya nodded, smiling. "Yeah, that sounds good to me."
The pair arrived at the train station and hopped on a train to take them back to the closest stop to their shared apartment complex.
During the train ride, Midoriya reflected on his actions during the practical exam. 'I did everything I could, right? I mean… I couldn't dare call myself a Hero if I abandoned someone who needed help AND ignored a serious threat like the zero-pointer just for my own gain. But is 33 points enough?' He inwardly sighed. 'Well, even if it isn't, I can at least hold my head up high.'
Fort Erskine, CA - June 2042
Several minutes of terse silence passed before Army Colonel Phillips and USMC Corporal Yamamoto arrived at the science division and a door with Dr. Hatsume's name plaque blazoned on it. Without knocking on the door, Colonel Phillips swung the door open and stepped in with Peggy behind him.
"It's called knocking. Ever try it-" The red-haired military scientist looked up from the papers she was reading over at her unorganized desk. Actually, her whole office was a mess with boxes of papers, books, and human anatomy scattered around.
"Oh! Colonel! And Corporal Yamamoto too. What do I owe this surprise visit to my office for?" She asked cheerily, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Doctor," Phillips kept his voice even, "we need to have a little talk."
"About?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"That scrawny kid you allowed on my Army base!" the colonel answered bluntly. "Cadet Midoriya!"
"Yes. What about him?"
Colonel Phillips blinked in disbelief. How could she be so oblivious? "That kid is a walking skeleton! Why would you waste one of our program's 13 spots on him?"
"I have my reasons." Teruko nonchalantly glanced back at her papers on her desk. "Reasons that I don't need to explain to you, colonel."
"Doctor Hatsume-"
She interrupted him. "I seem to recall having full autonomy in choosing cadets whoever I deem suitable for the project." Gone was Teruko's usual cheerful voice, replaced with a serious tone. "I have final say in who gets selected, not you."
"Yes… but I am still the director of this program, doctor." the colonel fired back. "And I don't believe Cadet Midoriya is suited for the A.M.P." He turned to Peggy. "Corporal, back me up."
"Like the colonel said, Cadet Midoriya is not physically fit enough to endure the 10-week training camp." Peggy evenly stated, feeling a twinge in her chest. She hated to belittle her best friend in any way, but this was something that needed to be done for his own sake. "I believe it's best for him to be medically discharged from the SSR and the military altogether."
'I'm so sorry, Izu-kun. I know you wanted a chance… but this is way out of your depth.' Peggy sadly thought.
"Well said." Colonel Phillips nodded in satisfaction. "Corporal Yamamoto is in charge of the cadets training regimen. If she believes that Cadet Midoriya can't cut it, then it's best to cut ties now. No point in prolonging this little experiment."
Doctor Hatsume didn't respond immediately. "Neither of you are wrong about Midoriya's physical limitations. That much is clear. However, physicality isn't the only trait I look for in suitable candidates; in fact, it's the least important."
"I… don't understand." Colonel Phillips was clueless. This woman just didn't make sense to him.
Teruko paused momentarily as if to collect her thoughts before looking back with a smirk. "You're both right that Midoriya won't last 10 weeks the way he is now." She explained. "So, I say let's go ahead and perform the procedure on him ASAP. There! Problem solved."
"P-Pardon?" the colonel uncharacteristically stuttered.
Peggy lightly gasped as her eyes shot open. 'No! She can't be serious!'
"Doctor, with all due respect, that's insane!" Peggy raised her voice.
"Agreed. The whole point of this training camp is to increase our cadets' strengths before choosing the most suited for the procedure." Phillips added. "Increase their base strength before multiplying it. Isn't that how you described it?"
"Yes, initially. That was the plan. But…" Teruko smiled wistfully. "Cadet Midoriya… someone like him is too rare to just toss aside."
Colonel Phillips blinked in bewilderment while Peggy remained silent, processing Teruko's words.
"I'll tell you what," she looked back at the duo with a knowing smirk, "I'll throw you a bone. You don't believe Cadet Midoriya is suited? Very well. You'll have 10 days to prove that to me."
"Excuse me?" the colonel furrowed his brows.
"10 days." Teruko repeated. "If by 10 days Midoriya quits or proves he's unworthy, then I'll drop him from the program immediately." She laid out. "BUT, if he doesn't, he'll undergo the procedure immediately afterward. Sounds like a good deal, right?"
Neither Phillips nor Peggy responded immediately. Phillips was flummoxed over Teruko's suggestion while Peggy struggled to contain her growing ire.
The colonel closed his eyes, sighing deeply in exasperation. "This is a waste of time… but fine." He reopened his eyes to shoot her a serious expression. "I'll play along with your little game, doctor."
"C-Colonel?" Peggy whipped her head to the Army man in shock. "Y-You can't be serious?"
'My hands are tied. I can't go against her. She's far too valuable for the SSR and the military in general, especially after what the Marines did to rescue her from those maniacs in Japan.' Phillips rationalized. 'Still though…'
"On one condition!" He continued. "If that kid doesn't last through 10 days, then I'll get to decide the next cadet to take his place AND who gets selected first. Can you agree to that, doctor?"
If Teruko was fazed by the colonel's counteroffer, she didn't let it outwardly show. She grinned roguishly and held out her hand. "I can agree to that, colonel."
Colonel Phillips and Dr. Hatsume promptly shook hands while Peggy was left in the middle, looking dumbfounded. What in the world just happened?!
"Then there's nothing left to be said." Phillips turned around before glancing over to Peggy. "You should get to the training grounds soon, Corporal."
"Y-Yes sir…" She said absentmindedly.
"By the way, Colonel Phillips," Teruko smiled slyly, "those 10 days start right now. It's June 23. So, by this time at 1:30 PM on July 3, if Cadet Midoriya hasn't quit or performed any unworthy action, he will be selected."
The elderly colonel nodded. "Understood, doctor. If you'll excuse me."
"You are." Teruko stuck her tongue out, earning an annoyed grunt from the old man.
With that, the Army colonel walked out of the office and closed the door behind him. Both Japanese-American women were left in the room alone.
Teruko went to grab more papers on her desk while glancing back at her desktop monitor. "Shouldn't you be going somewhere, Corporal?"
"... Why?" Peggy growled, a shadow cast over her eyes.
"Hmm?" Teruko glanced up at the ravenette.
The marine woman shot the military scientist with a fierce expression. "Why are you doing this?! Is this your way of getting back at me for turning down your offer?"
Teruko blinked twice in confusion. Her ringed-eyes slightly widened as she deduced what Peggy was talking about. "Oh? That. No." She turned her gaze back to her monitor nonchalantly. "That has nothing to do with anything. Although, I did talk to the higher-ups about transferring you here to train cadets after that meeting."
"Yeah, I figured that part out, and I was fine with it. But this," she clenched her fists tightly, "going behind my back and recruiting Izu-kun to be your guinea pig?! It's too much!"
"Corporal-"
"Why did you pick him!?" She shouted out, not caring if anyone overheard them. "You know he's too weak to be in the military. He'll die in bootcamp! If it wasn't to spite me, then why!?"
Teruko was silent. Her lips straightened as she stared at Peggy with an even expression. "If you're truly his best friend, then you should know that already."
Peggy blinked, confused. "What?"
Teruko turned away, smirking. "I'm sure deep down you already know why I chose him. You're just being too overprotective to see it right now."
"I… I don't…" She stammered.
"I'm sure you'll fully realize it before the 10 days are up." Teruko said, turning her attention back to her computer. "Well, I have work to do and so do you apparently. Better get to it, Corporal."
"Yes." Peggy turned and proceeded. "But we're not finished with this yet, Teruko."
"Oh, I know. Also," she shot Peggy a cheeky grin, "don't go too hard on Izu-kun in training, or too easy either. You don't want to turn the platoon against him right off the bat, do you?"
"First, don't tell me how to do my job. Second," she glared back, "don't call him that again."
"Oh? Is that the nickname that only you can call him by? You're such a tsundere, Peg-chan." She mocked.
"S-Shut up!" Peggy felt her face get a tad warmer.
With that, Peggy slammed the door shut before stomping off down the hall, the veins on her temple throbbing.
Teruko, meanwhile, sighed loudly. "This is gonna be an interesting 10 days for sure…"
Musutafu, Japan - March 2197
Over a week has passed since completing UA University's Hero Department Entrance Exam. Midoriya continued with his regular routine of attending his college courses (which he would be completing within a couple of weeks), physical training, and trying to check more items off his Things to Catch Up On notebook. He still wasn't making much progress on that last one considering the list kept growing by the day.
He had kept himself busier than usual to keep his mind from fretting over the exam results. The stress headaches and restless sleep that would occur from it was NOT worth it. After all, he already had his own pre-existing issues he needed to work through.
Midoriya had noticed that Yagi hadn't contacted him since the day of the exam, and any attempt to reach out to him on his end was met with zero results. He wasn't upset, though. He imagined Yagi was likely busy tallying the scores for all the examinees with the rest of UA's Hero Department staff. He didn't envy that job.
Despite his best efforts, Midoriya would be lying if he said he wasn't starting to feel anxious. The suspense was taking its toll.
Then, the day came when a letter from UA finally came in the mailbox slot. Uraraka had received hers as well and the pair were now preparing to open them in their respective apartments.
Sitting at his desk in a white tank top and grey jogging pants, he let out a deep exhale before carefully opening the letter. Instead of a letter, a small disk fell out and landed on his desk. It immediately lit up, projecting the face of the world's most famous hero with his trademark smile.
"I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!"
"All Might?" Midoriya blinked, confused. 'Wait… UA can afford to send examinees hologram projectors? This school has way too much money!'
"I had to do some paperwork that took quite a bit of time, and I had to record all these videos for all examinees, so I wasn't able to contact you." He stopped to look around, as if he were making sure no one was watching him. "Also, I recorded your message last while the director was out of the room so I could talk more freely with you, Captain."
Midoriya nodded in understanding, already suspecting he was too busy to respond.
"First things first, you passed the written exam with flying colors - a 95 percent score! All your time studying on your own and with your two new friends certainly paid off. Well done!"
Midoriya smiled, feeling hope blossom in his chest. 'So far so good…'
"Now, onto the practical exam," the screen then switched to show Midoriya in a sprinter's stance at the entrance of the battle arena. "You started off strong. While your fellow examinees were left startled by the suddenness of the start, you were off the line and closing in on your first target. Going for the high ground to survey your surroundings while using your shield to take out enemies from afar (limiting potential damage to yourself) was a stroke of genius! The stamina you displayed constantly jumping across rooftops in search of targets is a testament to your own hard work and training."
Midoriya couldn't help but smile at All Might's praise.
"However…" He then winced, suspecting he knew what was coming next. "...while you made excellent progress during most of the test, you started scoring less Villain Points near the end. You even dedicated your last two minutes to disabling the zero-pointer, hamstringing yourself and your final score."
'And I don't regret that either.' Midoriya inwardly declared, knowing he did the right thing. 'Tsunotori-san could've died, and the other examinees were endangered. I had to act.'
"I'm sorry, young Midoriya, but I'm afraid you didn't earn enough Villain Points during the practical; 39 just isn't enough, even with your impressive written exam." All Might's projection frowned.
Midoriya sighed and lowered his head, disappointed. 'I feared that would be the case.'
He knew what would happen now. With him unable to keep his end of the arrangement, SHIELD would certainly call him back to the States. There, they would likely want to train him themselves and eventually grant him authority to work in the underground hero field as one of their agents, or just do their dirty work.
Neither option appealed to him. He didn't know why exactly, but there was just something about SHIELD that kept him from fully trusting them. Maybe it was because they were a global espionage organization built on telling lies to the masses and covering up shady (most likely illegal) acts? That may have something to do with it.
Regardless, he knew his time in Japan was finished, which meant… 'All Might, I wasted your time with all that training. Forgive me. Uraraka-chan, Yaomomo… I'm sorry…'
He then remembered a scene from one of their past study sessions together a couple months ago.
"Hey, all three of us are aiming to get into UA's Hero Course, right?" Uraraka stated rather than asked.
"That we are." Yaoyorozu nodded, looking slightly bemused. "I believe we already established that fact before though, Uraraka."
"I know, but I was thinking… we should make a promise to each other."
"A promise, huh?" Midoriya questioned, cocking a brow.
"Yeah! I want all of us to get in. Don't you?"
"Absolutely." Yaoyorozu agreed.
"Obviously." Midoriya nodded.
"Well, let's all work super-hard to pass the exams and get into UA together! That should give us all the extra motivation we need, right?" She then held out the top of her hand. "What do you say?"
Yaoyorozu smiled brightly and placed her hand on top of Uraraka's hand. "Very well. I promise I'll do my absolute best to earn my acceptance."
"Midoriya?" Uraraka and Yaoyorozu both looked expectantly at him.
Looking between them and their hands, he smiled determinedly. "Yeah." He placed his hand on theirs, ignoring their softness. "I promise to give it all I got too."
Yaoyorozu and Uraraka both matched his determination.
"I look forward to seeing you both at UA." Midoriya grinned.
Midoriya closed his eyes, covering his face with his right hand. 'I'm sorry I couldn't keep our promise… but I know you both will become great Heroes without me anyway.'
He hated letting people down; it was a horrible feeling.
'I'll be rooting for you from overseas.' The super-soldier could've sworn he felt something wet in his eyes. Allergies perhaps? Oh wait, he didn't have allergic reactions anymore, nor did he get sick either. Tears? Yeah… they were tears.
"Mission failed…" He mumbled dejectedly.
"If that were all to the test, that is."
Midoriya looked back up. 'Huh?'
"Sorry to lead you on, Captain, but I am also an entertainer. You see, this test was not graded by Villain Points alone."
He blinked. 'What?'
The image changed to show Midoriya rescuing Tsunotori from under the rubble and safely carrying her down the street away from the zero-pointer. It then shifted to show him climbing up the zero-pointer and the massive robot collapsing to the ground, deactivated.
"When the zero-pointer attacked and an examinee was trapped, you didn't hesitate to rush in and save her. Even after rescuing young Tsunotori, you were still worried for the safety of everyone else. So much so that you took it upon yourself to protect them by stopping the threat, even at the cost of impeding your own score."
All Might took center stage again.
"How can a school for heroes not consider the actions of people who demonstrate true heroism, even at the cost of themselves? Some may call that lip service. But you see, this is a job that requires risking one's life to put that lip service into practice! That is why we have Rescue Points! Awarded to you by a panel of judges!" All Might exclaimed. An image of the top 10 exam scores then appeared on screen. "Midoriya Izuku: 39 Villain Points and 60 Rescue Points for 99 points total. Not only did you pass, but first place is yours."
All Might appeared again. "Even though you have achieved so much and have much notoriety in your name alone even today, you've never hung your hat on it, nor are you too proud to admit that there is always room for improvement. You truly live up to the legend, old man."
Midoriya rolled his eyes, smirking playfully. 'I'll get him back for that.'
All Might respectfully bowed, holding out his hand to the screen. "Captain America, it is my honor, privilege, and joy to welcome you to UA University; your first step into modern heroics, your Hero academia."
With that, the projection finally cut off.
Midoriya didn't immediately react. He simply sat in his chair frozen for what seemed to be hours.
'I did it… I did it…' He couldn't believe it. Just when his hopes had been dashed, they were suddenly reignited into a blaze. 'I… I really did it…'
Rapid banging at the door suddenly snapped Midoriya out of his stupor.
"Midori-kun! Midori-kun!"
'Uraraka-chan!'
Midoriya immediately stood up from his desk and opened the door. Uraraka was standing at his door in a pair of black pajama pants with pink and white stars and planets and a white nightshirt with Thirteen on the front. Her chestnut hair was let all the way down to her shoulder blades.
Normally, he'd be blushing at her state of attire, but he was still shellshocked from his acceptance message to fully register it.
"I… I GOT IN!" She blurted out.
'That's right!' His eyes widened. 'I remember seeing her name on the list too! She got 85 points, which means-'
"Uraraka-chan… c-congratulation!" he stammered out, "You got second place! That's awesome!"
"Midori-kun…" Her eyes brightened, "...you got FIRST PLACE! That's so amazing! You're amazing!"
This time, Midoriya did blush mightily. "I-I… think that's an over-OOF!"
He didn't complete his sentence as Uraraka ran and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest. Midoriya's face somehow became even redder, his head now strongly resembling a tomato.
'She… she feels so soft… her chest is nice too… Wait, no! Stop!' He tried to shake those inappropriate thoughts from his mind. 'Knock it off, soldier! Control yourself!'
The sounds of sniffling interrupted Midoriya's panicked musings. He looked down, seeing tears brimming in Uraraka's eyes. "Midori-kun… I got the scholarship…"
'That's right… She was really studying and training hard for that.' UA University offered full scholarships to any Hero Course students who scored in the top 3 of the entrance exam. 'Uraraka-chan is tight on cash, so getting that scholarship is a big deal for her and her folks.'
Wait… that also meant he earned a scholarship as well. That's cool!
"I'm so happy for you, Uraraka-chan." Midoriya carefully placed his hands on her shoulders. "You worked so hard for it."
Uraraka sniffled, tightening her grip on his tank top. "I… Thank you! I couldn't have done it without you and Yaomomo."
She continued to cry, soaking his shirt with her happy tears. Midoriya decided to let her be. She needed to let it all out. Despite his own embarrassment, he returned her tight embrace with a gentle hug.
'Peg-chan… Dr. Hatsume… Bucky… I did it.' Midoriya felt his own tears return as well; only this time, they were happy ones. He glanced over to his shield case leaning up against his desk. 'Looks like my journey has only just begun.'
A/N: Here we are with another update! Glad I was able to get this out by July 4th. Happy Independence Day if you live in the USA!
I hope this chapter was entertaining. I'll admit, I was juggling what I wanted Midoriya to do during the exam. Given his current powerset, I knew he wasn't going to completely dominate or anything like that. So, I opted to have him use his mind and military training to help him pull ahead of the other examinees instead.
Some may not agree that UA (even as a university) would allow Midoriya to use the shield during the exam, but I disagree. In the manga and anime, applicants were allowed to use support items during the exam. I imagine they just need to be registered beforehand.
So, we got Pony Tsunotori's debut in this story. I have no current plans to add her as a love interest but adding her into Midoriya's friend circle was too good of an opportunity to pass up considering she's from the United States. In addition, we also got brief mentions of other characters who'll play a role as the story progress too. I'm sure some of y'all recognized them.
We also got the official name for Midoriya's Quirk: Augment. A boring name, I agree. But that is the point. He's trying to stay inconspicuous. Naming his Quirk "Super-Soldier" or anything along those lines would definitely garner some suspicion.
On another note, I've commissioned another art piece. This one will be with Midoriya in his Captain America uniform. I'll drop the link in the next update when it's complete. I also plan to have one done for Peggy. After that, I may have one of Uraraka and Yaoyorozu too since there's so minor differences from their canon counterparts with them being 3 years older (as noted in the descriptions).
Please leave any comments, critique, or suggestions in the review box below. As always, thank you for the support!