The metallic thunk of the truck door echoed down the empty parking lot of Takoba Municipal Beach Park. All Might breathed into his hands in order to warm himself from the cold air of the early morning. Today's the day, he thought. The exam is today and whether or not he's ready to inherit One for All, Young Midoriya is going to have to do his best. Even with his Quirk, who knows if it will…
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Cutting off All Might's thoughts was the sound of a loud scream. However, it was not a cry for help, rather a declaration of victory. The pro Hero stood in awe at the pile of junk that sat on the sea wall and the green-haired teen standing atop it. All Might rushed to the edge of the sea wall and his jaw dropped at the sight. Whoa! He even went beyond the assignment area. Incredible! Not a single speck of trash in sight! Amazing! "Young Midoriya. You made it just in time! And exceeded my expectations! Oh my… Oh my… GOODNESS!" All Might buffed up into his muscle form and noticed that Midoriya wobbled from his spot on the top of the pile, falling to the ground below. With super speed, the hero caught the teen in his arms.
"A-All Might," he said with a shaky voice. "I did it… I really did it!"
He sat the teen down on the ground and said, "You did indeed. Astonishing! You're a real entertainer and a teen, no less!" All Might dug into his pocket, "Young Midoriya look at this!"
Focussing on the screen of the phone, he saw that it was a picture of himself. "This is you from ten months ago. And now here you stand like a completely different person. The path forward is ever-so-slightly clearer! But now you're a true blue vessel!"
"I-it… feels like I cheated though." Midoriya looked at his hands with a shaky voice. "Without your help All Might, I would not have made it this far."
"What am I? Chopped liver," Ethan said while leaning against the junk pile in the hoodie he wore often.
Midoriya looked sidelong at his companion and gave him a smile, acknowledging that the man also played a similar role the past ten months, while All Might thought, He's wrong. This is because of his own effort. Although he wanted to say more to his pupil, time was a precious resource today. "But you gotta quit being a crybaby!"
Ethan rolled his eyes, "What do you think I've been telling him these last ten months."
The warriors' voice fell on deaf ears as All Might continued, "Anyway, time for the award ceremony, Izuku Midoriya." The teen wiped away the tears from his face and stood tall as All Might plucked out one of his hairs. "Now listen here, they say there's a big difference between being born with a silver spoon and working your butt off to earn it! Take this to heart, Kid. You've earned this power, fair and square. Now… Eat this."
Both Midoriya and Ethan paled at what All Might said and it was the teen who simply let out, "Huh."
"I do not envy you," said Ethan.
"What's with that reaction? In order to pass on One for All, you have to ingest some of my DNA. Now hurry, you don't have time to waste. The exam is in a couple of hours."
"This isn't how I thought this would go!" Although reluctant Midoriya took the hair offered to him. He did his best to swallow it, and part of him at least wished he had some water. But as soon as he let out a breath after swallowing it, a light shined from his body. Both All Might and Ethan looked on in surprise as a screen opened in front of Midoriya.
[Quest: Train till you drop! Completed]
[Reward: 255 exp earned]
[Izuku Midoriya level up!]
[Skill Acquired: One for All]
[Skill Acquired: ?]
[Skill Acquired: ?]
[Skill Acquired: ?]
[Skill Acquired: ?]
[Skill Acquired: ?]
[Skill Acquired: ?]
[Iteam Reward Dropped]
Before Midoriya could register the various messages going off in his brain, a chest appeared out of a puff of smoke. The teen only barely managed to catch the chest as it landed in his hands.
"What is that young Midoriya," asked All Might.
"I'm not sure," shrugged the teen and he looked sidelong at Ethan.
"It's the item reward from the quest. I'll explain later, you really should get moving," said the warrior.
Nodding his head, Midoriya opened his inventory and placed the box inside. "I've got to go."
Snapping back to reality, All Might nodded in agreement. "Yes, the test is in three hours. That should be plenty of time to go home, shower, and get some food in you. Just one more thing before you go." His pupil looked over his shoulder curiously, "You may be a proper vessel, but you were put together in a hurry. You're not used to your power so prepare for some kickback."
Kickback, Ethan thought cautiously. Is he implying that there's going to be some kind of recoil?
"No time for a detailed explanation, but know this when you use One for All… Clench your butt and let your heart cry out…SMASH."
There was a second of silence as neither Midoriya nor Ethan knew how to respond. It was Ethan who said, "Those instructions couldn't be any vaguer and completely unhelpful."
"Either way, get going young Midoriya. And good luck!" The pro hero flashed a thumbs up.
Smiling, Midoriya nodded in return. "Thanks All Might."
…
"So do we know anything at all about this test," Ethan casually floated alongside Midoriya as the two walked towards the U.A. Campus.
Midoriya shook his head, "Not really. Details are kept secret about the test and people have gotten in trouble for leaking info in the past. The only thing I know for certain is that there is the written exam and the practical exam."
"So it's the practical exam we need to worry about," Ethan rubbed his chin. Rather than taking the main route to U.A., the duo walked along a street that was more secluded so that the two could talk in peace. "Before I forget, open up that chest you got from the quest. I think I know what's in it."
Midoriya nodded and opened his inventory window, a feature of his new abilities that he had grown rather fond of over the past ten months. Pulling out the small chest once again he examined it carefully. It was a small, classic-looking chest that was no bigger than a jewelry box his mom had. Popping open the latches on the front, the contents of the box was a single diamond-shaped crystal about the size of an apple.
"I thought so, It's a skill gem."
Midoriya raised his eyebrow, "Skill gem?"
"An Item from Lucid Adventure. It's a crystal that when eaten, will give you a skill. Don't expect anything too powerful though. Only certain skills can be carried in them."
"Any idea what skill it is?"
Ethan grinned, "Only one way to find out."
I'm eating a lot of strange things today, thought the teen as he took the gem from the box. Although uncertain, he took a bite out of the gem and was surprised to find it tasted like an apple. Before he could comment thought, a light surrounded him just like before and a window popped up.
[Skill now usable: Maximum Survival Instinct]
Ethan looked at the skill window. "I was wondering why you didn't have that skill earlier."
"What is this skill?" Instead of answering, Ethan pointed at a bird that was on a light pole along the street. Midoriya's eyes grew as he saw a blue aura around the bird with text above it.
[City Pigeon Lv.1]
"Simply put, it's a skill that lets you see how strong your opponent is. The higher their level, the stronger the aura around them will be."
"I get it," Midoriya nodded in understanding. "With a skill like this, I can see how much stronger my opponent is and come up with a plan."
Quick on the uptake as always, grinned Ethan.
Over the past ten months, alongside his training with All Might. Ethan had been teaching Midoriya everything he could about Lucid Adventure. From types of Personal Attributes, classes, and how they were going to get stronger. Part of Ethan wondered if he was just wasting his time teaching Midoriya since they were in the real world. But better to be safe than sorry.
"One more thing, you should have gotten some exp from completing the quest back there, Let's check you're stats."
Midoriya nodded his head and pulled up the screen that displayed his stats.
[Name: Izuku Midoriya]
[Level: 8]
[Strength: 22]
[Intelligence: 45]
[Agility: 21]
[Dexterity: 35]
[Luck: 10]
[Stamina:22]
"Ten months of training and you only managed to go up 3 levels. Your stats are basically the same too." Ethan let out an annoyed sigh and looked a Midoriya. "If you had done that method, you would have better stats. Regardless of your level."
"I'm not sure how I feel about increasing my stats that way… It just feels wrong."
"You got to increase your stats somehow, and now you have proof that increasing them the traditional way isn't going to get you very far. Or at the very least, it will take you a lot longer."
While still unsure about the methods Ethan had told him about, he was right. In the ten months of training, his stats barely grew. The biggest nail in the coffin was his luck stat, his most important stat according to Ethan, only managed to grow one point. As much as he hated to admit it, he was going to have to use the method he was taught. "Maybe your right," sighed Midoriya.
"Of course I'm right. I'm Hardcore Leveling Warrior."
Ethan grinned with his trademark smile and Midoriya went back into his thoughts. Over the past ten months, Midoriya had become more comfortable with Ethan being a part of his life. It was weird at first, having someone constantly at your hip who nobody else knew about. But he had slowly become more comfortable with the man and learned to respect his in-depth knowledge of Lucid Adventure.
However, one thing bothered Midoriya and it was that he really didn't know who he was. Ethan had told him stories about his time as Hardcore Leveling Warrior, usually when it pertains to something he was teaching him. But he didn't know anything about who Ethan was. The only thing that he had managed to get out of him was his name and that he was from South Korea. He never mentioned his family, parents, school life, or anything pertaining to his personal life.
When trying to find information pertaining to Lucid Adventure and their situation online, Midoriya had suggested that they try and find records about Ethan and the man brushed off the idea. Part of the teen, couldn't help but wonder what the man was like in the real world. As he himself had absorbed knowledge about heroes to escape the reality of the real world.
"Hey, Earth to Midoriya," Ethan snapped his fingers in front of the teen's face. "What's got you spacing out."
He snapped back to reality and scratched the back of his head, "O-oh, Sorry. Was just thinking about how our research over ten months hasn't turned over a lead."
Ethan growled in annoyance, "Don't remind me." They had searched all over the internet. Looking up anything that might lead them to a clue, but nothing came of their hunt. The duo had even posted on several forums that specialized in the history of Lucid Adventure, asking if anyone knew info about a player called Hardcore Leveling Warrior. A majority of people replied with the same response, not even knowing the name.
"Never heard of me… And those dumbasses call themselves experts on Lucid adventure. What a load of crap."
"Sorry we weren't able to find anything out," Midoriya apologized.
Ethan let out a sigh but shook his head, "Forget it for now. Right now, you got to focus on the exam. Let's look at your skills. Figure out which ones you can use with your intelligence."
Midoriya once again nodded to Ethan's words and tapped on the screen that displayed skills. Immediately he noticed something at the top of the menu, mainly the number of skills he had. "E-Ethan, look at this."
The man looked over and threw up his eyebrow, "999+. The plus sign is new."
The teen began to flip through the skills and he found several skills that had no name but instead were simply titled ?. "That's right, earlier when I ate that hair All Might gave me, I got a message that said I had unlocked One For All as a skill along with these other ones." Midoriya looked over to his ghostly companion. "Any guesses on what they are?"
Ethan was silent for several seconds before shrugging. "I'm not sure. All this stuff with Quirks is still new to me. How this new 'Quirk' of yours would combine with your skills is something I didn't expect. Short version, I got nothing."
"O-ok," Midoriya acknowledged.
"At the very least. The fact there not named is a hint that you may not be able to use them yet. You might have to increase your stats to have them become available. Speaking of stats, let's take a look at those skills."
…
"I made it in time…" Midoriya said. The teen could only stand in awe of the glass structure that made up the most prestigious Hero Academy in Japan. U.A. high.
"I've got to ask. Was this building meant to look like the letter H at the front gate because H stands for Hero? Because that is so tacky." To Midoriya's right, Ethan stood beside him also observing the building. "This place is bigger than I expected. There are also a lot more students here."
"This is the best hero school in the country," whispered Midoriya excitedly. "Students from all over the country are applying to get into this school. If you want to be a top hero, going to U.A. is your first step."
Ethan simply nodded, "Whatever you say, kid. Better hurry up and get signed up."
Before Midoriya could acknowledge the man's words, a voice came from behind him. "Move aside, Deku!" Midoriya spun on his heels and saw Bakugo was approaching him. "Quit talking to yourself and step aside or you're dead."
"Morning Kacchan," he waved his hands instinctively in defense. "Let's do our best…"
The explosion user said nothing more as he walked right past Midoriya, not even making an attempt to acknowledge his words. Ever since that day with the sludge villain, Kacchan hasn't said a word to me. And he stopped tormenting me at school.
"Hey, isn't that Bakugo? From the 'sludge' incident?"
"Sure is…"
Midoriya looked curiously at the other students as they talked about Bakugo. "Hey, before he walks away, use Maximum Survival Instinct to see what level he's at. You said he's super strong right? Well, Let's see how strong."
Kacchan will do pretty good on the test, he'll definitely get in so it might be a good idea. Nodding his head, he looked at Bakugo as the teen walked away from him and the numbers almost made him speechless.
[Katsuki Bakugo Lv. 52]
"Kacchans' level 52," whispered Midoriya in surprise.
"So he's not just all talk huh," Ethan noted. "We really don't have a good gauge on how strong that makes him, so look around at some of the other students and see what level they are too."
Slightly deterred by the level difference between the two, Midoriya did as instructed and looked around at some of the other students. To his surprise, they were also lower than Kaccahn. "It looks like everyone else is around the 30s, with a couple of people in the 40s."
"Looks like that asshole is the exception, not the majority. Better for us that way…" Ethan looked sidelong at the teen and he noticed the teen's face looked deterred. "Don't focus on the number, remember what I taught you. Even a low-level player can beat a higher level one with the right skill and technique, just remember the skill-combo and you'll do fine."
Ethan's right, Midoriya thought to himself. I-I shouldn't think about that right now. I have to focus. I can do this. Things aren't like they were before! Just remember the last ten months… And move forward! With shaking legs, Midoriya took a big stride towards the signup area. Only to trip on his own feet and begin falling towards the ground.
Ethan, who could not do anything to catch the teen, simply faced palmed.
This is it… thought a defeated Midoriya. However, seconds before he hit the ground, he felt his momentum stop, and rather he began to float upwards.
"Are you okay?" Midoriya and Ethan looked over and saw a brunette girl with rosy cheeks. She grabbed the teen by the sleeve, pulling him back down and setting him on the ground. "Sorry for using my Quirk on you without your permission, but it would be a bad omen to trip and fall." The girl clapped her hands together and gave a big, friendly smile while Midoriya struggled to speak even a single word.
She let out a happy sigh. "This sure is nervewracking, huh. Good luck to the both of us." With those final words, she left towards the entrance of the school. Leaving Midoriya and Ethan on their own once more.
"She really saved your ass, huh?" Ethan joked while turning to look at Midoriya. To his surprise, however, the teen was smiling like an idiot.
I talked to a girl!, thought the teen
"Hey Midoriya," Ethan snapped his fingers in front of the teen's face. "Quit it with the goofy smile. People are giving you weird looks."
He snapped back to reality and noticed that several people were indeed looking at him. "S-sorry," he apologized with red cheeks.
"Just hurry up before you miss the sign-up."
Nodding, Midoriya quickened his stride to head to the registration area for the exam.
…
"WELCOME TO TODAY'S LIVE PERFORMANCE! EVERYBODY SAY HEYY!"
Silence echoed throughout the large hall and the man on the center stage threw a hand into the air. "Well, that's cool, my examinee listeners! You've finished your written exam, now it's time to talk about the practical exam! Are you ready!?"
Once again silence filled the hall as nobody answered the man. Ethan who was floating above Midoriya's seat rolled his shoulder, "Who is this guy? He's too loud."
Meanwhile, Midoriya was smiling, trying to hide his childish grin. "It's Present Mic. Wow! I listen to his radio show every week. It's inspiring and so cool. Guess all the U.A. teachers are pro heroes."
"Shut up." Bakugo crossed his arms, angry that he had been sat next to Midoriya of all people.
Focusing back to the front, Present Mic clicked a button on a remote, and images began to be displayed behind him. "This is how the test will go, my listeners. You'll be experiencing ten-minute long 'mock cityscape maneuvers'. Bring along whatever you want! After this presentation, you'll each head to your assigned testing location."
"Sounds like there allowing the use of weapons," Ethan noted. "Perfect."
Midoriya nodded as he looked at the assignment card he had been given at registration. "They're dividing us up so people from the same schools can't work together," Bakugo noted as he compared his card to Midoriya.
"And why consecutive I.D. numbers are assigned different locations," Midoriya added.
Bakugo clicked his teeth in annoyance. "I'll crush them all, But you get to live another day."
A beat of sweat formed on Midoriya's eyebrow and Present Mic continued, "Inside each of the fake cities are three kinds of faux villains. Points are awards for defeating each according to its difficulty level. Use your Quirks to disable the faux villains and earn points! That's your goal, listeners." Present Mic made an X with his hands, "And of course playing the antihero and attacking other students is prohibited!"
"May I ask a question?"
Everyone's attention went to the voice as a spotlight shined down and illuminated a blue-haired man with glasses. "There appear to be no fewer than four faux villains on this handout!" The teen pointed at the piece of paper in his hand. "Such a blatant error, if it is one, is highly unbecoming for U.A., Japan's top hero academy! We're all here today in hopes of becoming heroes! Quickly spinning, on his heels, the teen pointed a finger seemingly at Midoriya. "And you, with the curly hair. You've been muttering this whole time… It's distracting. If this is some sort of game to you, then please leave immediately!"
His words were punctuated by an angry glare and several students laughed at Midoriya's expense and he shrank from the attention. "Sorry," He said in a defeated voice.
"Alright alright. Examinee 7111, nice catch. Thanks! There is a fourth faux villain but he gets you zero points. He's more of an obstacle that you should try to avoid. Only one at each site! A 'gimmick' that'll rampage around in close quarters."
Several of the other students nodded in understanding and the blue-haired teen bowed, "Thank you, sir. I apologize for the interruption!"
"Don't sweat it," Present Mic said with a thumbs up. "If there are no more questions, then I'll leave you with our school motto. The great hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said 'true heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life. Plus Ultra! Break a leg everyone!"
Midoriya swallowed the lump in his throat, Here we go.
…
Everyone filed off the bus in a line and several people stood in awe of the large cityscape before them. "Jesus," Ethan commented while looking down the length of the wall. "And there's more than one testing site just like this? How much money does this school have?!"
Several students echoed Ethan's words as Midoriya looked around at the others students. Several of them were stretching and others were inspecting gear they had equipped.
"You should equip your stuff too," Ethan advised. "Equip it and go stand in front of the door with lucky coin ready." Looking to his left, he saw that Midoriya was trembling out of fear.
Why's everyone so confident!? Aren't they nervous at all, thought Midoriya.
For the second time today, Ethan snapped his fingers in front of the teen's face. "Midoriya!" This is the moment that it all mattered so Ethan decided to not play the nice guy. "Quit worrying about everyone else. Suit up and stay focused. Remember, this is your chance to prove yourself. Don't hesitate for even a second. Hesitation on the battlefield means failure. Don't disappoint me or All Might, Alright?"
The mention of the man who had interested him with so much responsibility snapped Midoriya to attention. T-that's right, he thought. All Might entrusted me with his power. If he believes that someone like me could succeed then I have to try. Determined to impress his mentor, he slapped his cheeks with his hands to sike himself up. "You're right. Thanks, Ethan."
"Thank me after we kick some ass." With the snap of his fingers, Ethan changed into his gold armor, as if he was the one going into combat. "I'll be next to you the whole time, let's do this!"
With a nod, Midoriya walked over to the main gate of the city. While he did see the brunette girl that saved him earlier, he followed Ethan's advice and stayed focused on himself. He opened his inventory and pulled out the two pieces of equipment he had prepared some time ago. First was his Lucky Coin necklace, he removed the coin from the necklace itself and placed it in his off-hand. Next, was the Shortsword he had bought with money he had saved up. And it was no replica. A real steel sword Ethan had advised him to buy, stating that most of his combat skills involved a sword. Ethan had taught him the best he could at how to properly use a sword over the past ten months, but this was the first time he would be using it in a real fight.
Several others, including the blue-haired teen from before, watched Midoriya curiously as he pulled items out of thin air. Is his Quirk the ability to materialize weapons, thought the bespectacled teen as he watched the greenette mutter to himself.
"You remember the skill-combo we talked about before," asked Ethan as they stood in front of the gate.
The clicking of gears could be heard before Midoriya could respond and the gate began to open, revealing the fake cityscape.
"AND… BEGIN!"
Several of the other examinees looked around, confused at the voice of Present Mic. The only one not fazed was the invisible man at Midoriya's side, who said. "Start Running!"
The words of his companion carried him forward, leaving the others behind and more confused. "Alright, please give me a good buff Lucky Coin." With the flip of his thumb, he tossed the coin in the air and caught it in his hand.
[Use Skill: Lucky Coin]
[Passive skill: Beginner's Luck]
[Success: Movement Speed Increased]
A bright flash encompassed Midoriya and he called out to his partner as he began to run faster. "I got a movement speed buff."
Ethan grinned, "Perfect. In a test like this, speed is going to be super important. Since there's more than likely a limited amount of robots, combined with a lot of examinees. The first couple of minutes of the battle is going to be important."
Just then, a robot crashed through a building and blocked the path ahead of the duo. "TARGET LOCKED! PREPARE FOR TERMINATION!"
[One point robot: Lv. 20]
Midoriya thought to slow down for a second, but Ethan's words from earlier came into his mind. Don't hesitate. I'm not the same person I was. I… I can do this. Midoriya charged forward and the robot did the same while clipping his Lucky Coin around his neck.
"Use the skill-combo. Aim for the robot's joints," said Ethan.
"Ok." He raised his empty hand at the robot and Midoriya shouted, "Entangle."
[Use Skill: Entangle]
A patch of vines sprouted from the ground in front of the robot's path, catching it like a fly in a spider's web. Before the one pointer could do anything, Midoriya got closer and tighten his grip on his sword. "Cleave!"
[Use Skill: Cleave]
With one swift motion, Midoriya slashed at the base of the robots' neck. His attack separated the head from the body and it fell to the ground with a metallic thud.
[One point robot Defeated]
[Reward: 20 exp]
Looking over his shoulder, Midoriya couldn't believe what he had achieved. I did it, I got a point. Looks like the skill combo we talked about works.
…
"A Skill-combo?"
"Yeah," Ethan nodded. "We don't know what the practical exam will be, but we can take a guess." Still on their way to the school, the duo discussed a plan of attack for the practical part of the exam. "They most likely want to test your combat ability since a Hero fights villains, right?"
Midoriya nodded with Ethan's assumption, "That's true."
"Than we need to come up with a plan to fight. We shouldn't rely on that power 'One for All'. All Might wasn't very clear about the 'recoil' and it's still an unknown… So let's stick to skills you can use."
"Do you have some in mind?"
"Got that sword on you?"
Midoriya checked his inventory and nodded, "yeah."
"Keeping mana conservation in mind, there's a two skill-combo that might just do the trick." Pointing at the window Midoriya still had open. He said, "First use the skill called 'Entangle', it's a binding skill that will slow and/or stop an opponent. Then follow up with 'Cleave', a low-level sword skill. I got these skills back when I was a noob using that method. This a simple skill-combo that will immobilize than attack.
…
"No time to celebrate. Keep going," Ethan advised. "And keep an eye on your mana. Run out and you'll be screwed."
Midoriya nodded his head and began to run in another direction.
…
"These examinees show a lot of promise Principal Nezu." commented the pro hero Midnight. "Such vigor."
In the middle of the observation room, sat a small white-colored mammal sipping a cup of tea. "Indeed. We don't tell them how many villains there are or how they're placed. Such a wide battlefield and limited time brings out the best in them. Intelligence gathers, mobility experts, decision-makers, and then there are the natural-born warriors." The small mammal sipped his tea, "The abilities needed to preserve peace in our time are judged by the points they earn."
"A promising crop indeed," Nodded the hero known as Snipe.
"Nah," dismissed Vlad King. "No way to know just yet. This should tell us more…" The man flipped open a glass case on the main console and pressed it.
…
Midoriya struggled to catch his breath as he leaned against a street light. He was completely out of breath after running around the faux city. His buff on movement speed had worn off after about five minutes and the cooldown was about one minute. By that time, most of the villains had already been dispatched by the other examinees. This was combined with the fact that the skill-combo he had been using was less effective on the two-pointers, who could power through the vines, and completely pointless against the three-pointers, who powered through the vines and could take several 'cleaves' before going down.
"Come on, kid. We still got some time left, we only have 17 points. let's go," Ethan did his best to spur the teen into moving but Midoriya's exhaustion levels were clear as day. I didn't expect the other robots to be so tough. That first one-pointer went down super easy, but the two and three-pointers were stronger than I expected. The kid had to use more mana to beat them. I guess this is what it takes to get into the top hero school.
From behind the duo, a loud crash echoed down the street. They both looked down to the source and gawked at the size of the robot before them. It completely towered over several building while crushing some in its metallic hands. Midoriya's mind flipped back to what Present Mic had said before the exam started. "It's the zero pointer."
"How does this school have money for that," Ethan question.
His maximum survival instinct skill made it perfectly clear that he had no way of beating the supervillain before him.
[Zero pointer: Lv. 85]
The towering machine's large trends began to crank as it moved forward down the street. Several other examinees began to run in the opposite direction of the machine and Midoriya noticed the blue-haired teen from before running away as well.
Ethan looked over at Midoriya, "I think now would be a good time to start moving, kid."
All Midoriya could do was nod as he turned away. The cooldown on Lucky Coin is almost up and some of my mana has come back. I should try and look for more-
"Oww…"
Turning around towards the cry of pain, Midoriya saw that the brunette girl from before was trapped under some rubble. Unable to move from the incoming monolith. His mind went back to the very words she had said to him earlier, It's a bad omen to trip and fall.
Ethan was about to open his mouth, fearing that the teen had spaced out once again, but he saw the teen begin to move. However, it was in the direction of the robot. "Hey, Kid." He cried out as he was pulled along by the force that bound them.
For Midoriya, everything happened so fast that he wasn't sure if he was even controlling his own body. He knew the cool down for Lucky Coin was over and he flipped it quick as he ran.
[Use Skill: Lucky Coin]
[Success: Intelligence Increased]
[Number Of Usable Skills Increased]
A blue light covered Midoriya while an unfamiliar power surged through his legs.
[Use Skill: One for All]
[Some stats increased signifigantly]
In a single moment, the dust cloud at the base of the robot parted and everyone, both at the testing site and in the observation room watched the greenette sail towards the zero pointers. All Might, who watched in the observation room as well, thought to himself. Young Midoriya… when there's nothing to be gained! Rising to the challenge at those times is surely the mark… OF A TRUE HERO!
Midoriya once again felt the strange power through the arm holding his sword.
[Use Skill: One for All]
And as he inched closer to the robot's face, his grip tightened around the sword and he cried out, "SMASH!"
[Use Skill: Moonlight Flash]
There was a second, a single beat of silence that echoed throughout the testing ground and observation room, where nothing appeared to happen as Midoriya brought down his sword. Then the head of the Zero Pointer divided itself in two as if it were warm butter and Midoriya's sword was a kitchen knife.
[Zero pointer Defeated]
[Reward: 8800 exp]
[Izuku Midoriya level up!]
Ethan floated next to Midoriya and smiled a wide grin. "Now that's what I'm talking about Midoriya!"
Said teen blinked a few times snapping back to reality as the testing ground and observation roared at the feat they had watched the young man achieve. "Oh…" It's just like before…
Suddenly gravity took hold of the teen and he began to rapidly descend to the ground, screaming all the while. "I'm falling! I'm falling!" The wind rushed past Midoriya and he felt a sharp pain come from his right arm and both his legs. Looking behind him he saw that said limbs flopped uselessly in the wind. His sword had even slipped from his grasp and was also falling beside him. Only then did the pain finally reach him.
[Both Legs Broken: Movement speed decreased by 95%]
[Right Arm Broken: Strength decreased by 50%]
They're broken. Was it's All Might's power that did this to me? The warning that All Might had given him on the beach replayed in his mind. It's only been ten months! I can barely contain it! I got completely carried away at the moment.
"Hey, kid. What's wrong."
To his left, Midoriya saw Ethan falling right next to him. "M-my legs and arm are broken. It's the recoil that All Might talked about. I'm so-"
"Forget it, it happened. Focus on landing," Interrupted Ethan. "You got any mana left?"
Midoriya shook his head, "No, I used it all."
Ethan clicked his teeth, Shit, that means skills are off the table…
"I'm going to try a Detroit Smash," said Midoriya. "I'll use One for All again and punch the ground. If I time it right, the force of the air should stop me."
But that means you'll break your other arm. You won't be able to get back up from that, meaning you won't be able to get more points… Ethan narrowed his eyes at Midoriya. But you know that, don't you, kid. "Alright, sounds like the best shot we got."
Midoriya swallowed the lump in his throat and pulled back his other arm. Too early or too late and I'm dead. I have to time this just right. The ground approached even faster and time seemed to slow down for Midoriya.
However, before the teen could even begin to activate the power of One for All, he felt a hand slap his face. It caught him off guard and as the ground became closer, he felt his body become weightless. His speed eventually stopped just before the ground and he floated above it until he heard a familiar voice. "Release…"
With a thud, Midoriya fell to the ground and a chunk of robot landed near him. Although bruised and broken, he looked up to see the girl he had met out at the front gate laying down on a piece of robot wreckage.His body throbbed in pain, but his attention was on the girl, who had begun to throw up. That girl. She saved me… Again. Is…she ok? Is she hurt? The girl shifted her position from atop the wreckage and Midoriya sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."
"She saved your but twice today," smiled Ethan.
"Yeah," whispered a battle-worn Midoriya. Tightening his fist, the determined teen began to crawl with his good arm. "Can't… waste this opportunity… Gotta get more points…"
"IT'S ALL OVER"
Present Mic's voice echoed over all the testing fields, signaling that the test was over. Knowing there was nothing left for him to do, Midoriya began to lose consciousness as the adrenaline began to wear off. The last thing he heard before fading away was Ethan's voice.
"You did good, kid."
…
"Izuku?"
A concerned Inko Midoriya tried to get her son's attention but the teen was smiling at the fish he held in his chopsticks. A little louder, she said once more, "Izuku?!" He snapped back to reality and looked around to see his mother looking at him with concern. "Are you Ok?! Stop Smiling at the fish!"
"Ah right… Sorry."
As the two finished their meal, the teen's mind was filled with the thoughts of the exam he had taken a week ago. By my own calculations, I barely passed the written portion. As for the practical, As much as I want to believe that my score of 18 was good enough…
"I'm going to my room," said Midoriya as he finished his meal.
Sensing her son had a lot on his mind, Inko nodded, "Ok, honey. Get some rest."
He walked over to his room and made sure his mom was still in the kitchen when he closed the door. "The results should be coming today or tomorrow, Right," questioned Ethan as Midoriya closed the door. The teen gave a wordless nod and picked up one of his dumbbells starting to do curls as he fell deeper into his thoughts. "Seriously kid, try to relax. You don't know if you passed or failed so quit acting like you already lost."
Again, his words fell on deaf ears as Midoriya thought about All Might. Ever since the day of the test, All Might hasn't contacted me… All Might. I don't know what you saw in me… I'm sorry. But, I did what I thought was right… I
Suddenly a fast knocking came from Midoriya's door. "Izuku! Izuku! Izuku!" The voice was his mother's and he rushed to open it quickly to find his mother holding a small envelope with the U.A crest marked on a wax seal. "The letter it's here. It's really here."
Both Midoriya and Ethan perked up and the teen took the letter from his mother. A feeling of anxiety began to bubble inside himself as he held the envelope that would determine his future. "Mom, Do you mind if I open it alone?"
"Of course not, honey. I'll be waiting out here whenever you're done."
Grateful for his mom's understanding nature, he closed the door and sat down at his desk. He inspected the envelope one more time like it was an alien artifact. This is it, He thought.
"Just open it," Ethan commented. "It's now or never."
Midoriya nodded and tore open the letter and the contents spilling out onto his desk. Of them, a small metal puck landed on the desk and immediately began to buzz with activity. A light began to be admitted from the device and the screen appeared.
"This is a Projection!"
The appearance of the hero surprised both Ethan and Midoriya. "All Might," he questioned. "I thought this letter was from U.A."
"It's been a while. There's been much to deliberate on." The towering hero cleared his throat, "Apologies! I'm in this town for one reason only. I've come to teach at U.A."
Midoriya's eyes widened, "All Might is going to be teaching at U.A.?"
All Might began to speak once again but it wasn't directed at Midoriya, but rather someone behind the camera. "What's that you say? Get to the point?! Whatever I want to say to him can be said later. Ah, fine. Got it…"
"Sounds like you may get a call from All Might later," Ethan added.
Midoriya nodded and turned his attention back to the screen, "You passed the written portion of the exam, as for the practical… You only managed to get 17 points. Unfortunately, that is not enough to pass alone."
I knew it… I knew it. I wasn't good enough. He clenched the legs of his pants as tears began to form in his eyes. I'm pathetic… Ethan watched the light fade from the teen's eyes and part of him couldn't help but feel bad.
Before he could say any sort of words of encouragement, All Might cried out, "However, that is not the end of the story!" Instantly, the teen perked up as the camera panned over to a monitor. "Let me entertain you! Please watch the screen!"
With the click of the remote in All Might's hand, the screen lit up and showed a familiar-looking Brunnette. "Um… Excuse me."
"That nice girl," Midoriya said.
"She came to see us after the test. Why you may ask?! Let's see!"
Present Mic stepped forward into the frame and the girl moved her hands above her head. "Um… That curly-haired boy with the freckles. You know the one… He's really plain looking."
Her comment made Ethan chuckle, "she's definitely talking about you."
"Can you give him some of the points I earned?"
Her statement caught both Midoriya's and Ethan's attention as continued to watch. "I saw him before that robot came. He looked so exhausted, trying his best to pass the test. Even with all that was at stake, he ran in and tried to save me. I cost him points that he could have earned. So at least give him however many points he lost trying to save me."
Tears began to form in Midoriya's eyes and All Might said, "You've acquired your Quirk. And moved others with your actions."
The girl looked at Present Mic with determination, "That boy… He saved my life!"
All Might paused the video and made an X with his hands. "This exam you see…We weren't just watching for villain-based points. How could we call ourselves a hero course if we rejected those who acted so courageously!" Midoriya was on the edge of his seat as he listened, not believing what he was hearing. "Think this is all for the cameras!? Think what you want… In this job, you risk your life and put your money where your mouth is! Rescue points were also a factor, another way for U.A. to evaluate you! Sixty points for Izuku Midoriya. Bringing your total to 77 and tying you for the top spot! Congrats, You're in. Young Midoriya… This will be your hero academia."
The flood gates opened and tears began to pour out of Midoriya's eyes. All The help I got… From All Might… From Ethan… It's changed my life. Not being able to contain himself, he let out a scream of victory that echoed throughout the night.
[Title earned: U.A. Student]
…
Midoriya ran down to Takoba Municipal Beach Park with Ethan at his side. All Might had messaged him and asked to come see him. Although it was late at night, he harried to the beach to meet the man.
At the edge of the beach, Midoriya saw All Might standing near the water in his normal form and he ran up to him with tears in his eyes, "All Might!?"
"Who's that," was all the man said.
"You idiot," Ethan chastised.
Two bystanders began to look around at the mention of the Symbol of Peace. All Might leaned in, "Repeat after me, Just my eyes playing tricks on me!"
"Just my eyes playing tricks on me!"
The teen's words caused the bystanders to lose interest and the two began their talk. All Might raised his hand for a high five. "Congrats on passing. Just so you know, I haven't told the school yet about our relationship and I wasn't a judge on the exam. You seem like the type who'd worry about favoritism."
"I appreciate that," Midoriya expressed while reciprocating the high five. Now getting the chance to look at the man, Midoriya noticed All Might's level as a result of Maximum survival instinct.
[All Might: Lv. 2]
Only level two, he questioned. How is that possible? There must be something wrong with my skill. There's no way All Might is that low level.
"Young Midoriya?" The teen snapped back to reality and saw that All Might was staring at him. "Everything alright?"
He shook his head and said, "Y-yes. Sorry All Might, I was just looking at your level."
"My level?"
"Oh, right. Remember the chest I got as a reward this morning. Inside of it was an item that gave me access to a skill called 'Maximum Survival Instinct. It lets me see a person's level, or about how strong they are."
Although not as up-to-date on video game lingo, All Might understood the last part. "Interesting. That's a very useful 'skill' to have. Out of curiosity, what is my 'level'?"
Ethan chimed in, "Actually I was kind of wondering that myself."
"You're only level two," stated Midoriya.
Ethan and All Might both threw up their eyebrows. "Only level two," questioned Ethan.
"Your power is quite interesting, young Midoriya," nodded All Might. "It can give you items, issue 'quest', and give you multiple unique abilities. I saw you display some of them during the test. It's quite a mystery."
Ethan crossed his arms, "The bigger mystery is HOW he got them."
Midoriya agreed with Ethan's words but turned back to the main subject he was called here for. "Anyway, you really surprised me with the letter. So you're going to be a teacher at U.A., that was a shocker. That's why we're meeting here, even though your office is located in Tokyo's Minato Ward, Roppongi 6-12-"
"Stop it," Said All Might as he put up his hands, unable to take the teen's fanboy mannerisms. "I couldn't tell anyone until the school made it public. Originally, I was going to look for a successor while I taught at U.A."
His words sunk into Midoriya's head as he thought back to the test. The intense pain that he felt in his legs and arm after using One for All. He was going to choose from among the students… With their amazing Quirks and raw talent… "One for All. My body broke after a single attack. I just… can't wield it."
"That's just how it is," All Might responded. "If someone suddenly grew a tail, it's not like they'd be able to do tricks right off the bat."
"So you knew this would happen!?"
"A less cryptic warning would have been nice," growled Ethan, annoyed by the man's oversight.
All Might scratched the back of his head nervously, "Well… There hasn't been enough time, But everything worked out all right… Or should I Say All Might!"
Ethan narrowed his eyes in a mix of anger and agitation. "If I was able to, I would slap this man so hard."
Midoriya ignored that comment and continued to listen to All Might as he reached down to pick up empty cans on the sand. "For now, it's still all or nothing… But once you're able to regulate the power. You can put out just as much as your body can handle. The more you temper your vessel… The better you can control the power!"
Suddenly All Might grew into his muscular form and crushed the two cans with ease. "Like this!" Like the passing of the Olympic torch, the new torch burns weakly at first, but the coming test and trails will fan it.
For a split second, Midoriya fell silent as he looked at All Might in a new light.
[All Might-The Symbol of Peace: Lv. ?]
Wow, he thought.
"WHOA. IT'S ALL MIGHT!"
Across the beach, the bystanders from before screamed out All Might's name and the man quickly realized his mistake. "Crap, run Young Midoriya." The man quickly turned tail and began to run in the opposite direction with Midoriya in tow. Indeed, now that the power has been passed on, my own flame will slowly begin to wither and die. My duty is Fulfilled.
Author's Notes:
This chapter took a lot longer to make than I was anticipating because so much work had to get put into figuring out the scaling for the series. How strong I wanted Midoriya to get at a certain rate? How strong will the other members of class 1-A be? All the things are kind of being looked at when I was writing this chapter.