The objective was clear: destroy the robots whose point values rose based on their danger level. However, the biggest and baddest one was apparently worth zero points and was nothing more than an obstacle.
The moment the door to the mock city opened, the students rushed inside like a tsunami, immediately taking down robots using their Quirks; of course, Bakugo was leading the pack, blasting robots to scraps using his explosive Quirk.
My Quirk is rather basic, I shoot webs from my wrists, can stick to walls, and I have a bit of super strength. Some of the others were capable of destroying multiple robots at once with their long-range, wide-area-of-effect attacks. Where I lacked in firepower, I made up with speed thanks to my webswinging ability, swinging from building to building. I didn't want to waste my time going for single-point targets, but my eyes lit up once I stumbled upon a robot worth two points.
I slung a web at it before yanking it toward me. I clenched my fist, drew it backward, and socked the robot in its head with my entire being. To my surprise, it's metallic skull shattered in one hit; I guess I didn't know my own strength.
My surprising power distracted me for a moment; I snapped out of it once I saw Bakugo fly by and destroy three robots within seconds of each other. Before I took off, I caught a glimpse of Midoriya cowering in front of a robot before his kill was stolen from him. Where did all of the courage of his go, I wondered. Nonetheless, I flung a web and searched for more robots to take down.
After taking down a handful, the ground started to tremble, its source coming from the center of the mock city. Everyone -- and I mean everyone -- stopped on a dime to witness the kaiju-sized machine sprout from the ground, toppling buildings with the sheer force of its existence. Once the first trainee fled, others followed right behind him. Before long, it was just Midoriya and I standing side by side as the machine started stomping in our direction, crushing vehicles in its path like a man trampling a bug.
"Oh no!" I heard from Midoriya. His trembling eyes pointed toward a girl with rosy cheeks stuck under a bunch of rubble. Suddenly, his shaking stopped, and I bore witness to what motivates the Quirkless wimp. He wanted to save people, even if it put his life on the line.
This was the first time since All Might that someone had filled me with hope just by looking at them. I remembered all the times that I sat around with my hands in my pockets, shrugging as someone else was in danger when I could have stepped in and helped. I used to think that it wasn't my problem -- it wasn't my business -- but no, in fact, it was. Like Dad said, it was my responsibility.
"Midoriya, you get the girl. I'll-" before I could even explain my plan, Midoriya's body emitted this ethereal light before he launched himself toward the hundreds of storeys tall machine. He was so fast, it was almost as if he'd teleported.
I looked down at the girl, who was still stuck under the rubble. Without a second thought, I flung myself forward with my webs and began pulling her out of the rubble. I heard an earth-shattering explosion, looking up to see Midoriya's fist clenched as he followed through with a right hook, decimating the metallic beast with a single strike.
Since when did he have such a powerful Quirk...
The girl and I watched as Deku's body fell toward the Earth. However, as he got closer to us, we realized that his legs and arms were broken. It was as if he didn't know how to control his own Quirk.
He has no control over it... So it must've just manifested. Is that why his body underwent such a massive physical change? Did he train his body for his new Quirk?
"Throw me! We have to help him!" the girl told me.
I had no idea what her Quirk was, but I trusted her judgment and threw her toward Midoriya. Once she made contact with him, the two of them began floating as if they had defied gravity. The girl put her fingers together and said, "Release," before the two of them started falling again, though the height at which they'd fall wouldn't have been lethal. Still, I was able to catch the two of them before they hit the ground.
"I have to... Score..." Midoriya mumbled, wriggling out of my grip before crawling on the ground using just his left hand. Horrified, the girl and I watched Midoriya crawl for a few seconds before the timer went off.
Damn it... I thought. I was so distracted helping these two that I wasn't able to score points. Hopefully, the few robots I destroyed and my score on the written test were enough to get me in.
The school nurse eventually appeared, using her Quirk by kissing Midoriya's wounds to heal them. His limbs disgustingly snapped back into place, compelling him to scream in agony before releasing a sigh of relief.
I went home after that. I couldn't stop thinking about Midoriya, though. I'd heard of late bloomers, but getting your Quirk so close to adulthood was practically unheard of. Additionally, Quirks become stronger over time; I was a good example of that. When I was a baby, I'd accidentally hurt my parents with my grip strength; however, with my current strength, I could break their hands with ease. If Midoriya's Quirk was this powerful after just awakening it, there was no telling how much more powerful it would be once he trains it.
These thoughts reminded me of myself. I had no idea I was so strong -- all these years, I assumed I was weak because I avoided using my strength as much as possible. Had I wanted to, I could've probably beaten Bakugo to the point where he would've left Midoriya alone. I could've killed that sludge monster.
When I walked into our apartment, my mom was on her laptop applying for nursing school. Since Dad was the breadwinner, we were struggling financially. She'd found a job working at a mini-mart, but it was hardly enough to support the two of us. That's part of why I needed to get into U.A.; at least she would have one less mouth to feed. And if I did become a hero, I could lift us both out of poverty.
"Thank god you're okay, Miho..." she said, getting up and hugging me tightly.
"It was just tryouts..." I muttered, compelling her to laugh.
"You know your dad tried out for U.A. too, right? He had to get wheeled out after one minute."
"Are you for real?" I couldn't help but laugh when I imagined it in my head. My dad's Quirk wasn't very impressive. He could sort of manipulate radio waves, but the extent of it allowed him to hack into a communications system or communicate without a radio. It was good for being a cop, but not that impressive for a superhero.
"I did a lot better than that. I took out a few targets and ended up saving an old classmate, but because of that, I'm not sure if I took down enough bad guys to get the points I needed."
"Well, even if you don't get into your fancy hero school, you'll always be my little hero, Miho."
"Little? I'm 15, Mom..."
"And you'll be my little man until you're seventy."
The timer in the kitchen went off, and my mom rushed to turn off the stove. It really hit me then that she was balancing so many things. Work. School. Cooking. Raising a son. Seeing this, I knew that I needed to work harder. If I did get into U.A., I needed to shoot for the top. I used to think that as long as I wasn't at the bottom, I should be satisfied; however, now, I only want to be number one.
After two agonizing weeks, I received a letter in the mail from U.A. Mom was at work, so I watched it alone in the living room. Inside the letter was a holographic projector, and I was immediately greeted with All Might's massive, ear-to-ear grin.
"Booyah! I am here as a projection!"
All Might cleared his throat before bowing to the camera. "Right now, you are looking at U.A.'s newest faculty member! You passed the written test and got thirteen combat points in the practical exam, which isn't enough to pass."
I felt tears pooling beneath my eyes before falling down my cheeks. A part of me regretted not getting enough points, but I pushed those feelings aside. If I could save that girl and Midoriya again, I would do it in a heartbeat. It was simply the right thing to do. Still, it stung that I wasn't accepted into U.A. despite doing an act that many would consider to be heroic.
"However, there are other factors that go into the score. Before we get into that, there's a quick video that I want to show you."
The image of All Might faded, and I instead saw the girl that Midoriya and I had saved. It looked as if she'd entered the front office; thankfully, her injuries were already healed.
"Sorry to interrupt. That boy with the green hair and freckles and the dark-skinned one, too. I was wondering if it would be possible to give them some of my points, especially the green-haired boy. All he wanted one just a single point, but he couldn't get any. I heard the dark-skinned one say that he didn't get enough points either. They both saved my life, and it's unfair that the two of them didn't get enough points in the end. If they didn't stop to help me, they'd have enough points! Please, give them my points!"
All Might reappeared on the screen, his smile as radiant as ever. "Your Quirk is powerful, yes. But strength isn't the only thing that represents a hero; his actions do as well. The exam wasn't graded on just combat. Saving someone regardless of the consequences is what makes someone a hero. You see, there was another category called 'Rescue points'! Thanks to the Rescue Points that you received, you scored high enough to be accepted into U.A. Congratulations!"
I lunged off my couch and put my hands on my head in disbelief. I had received forty-five rescue points, and Midoriya received sixty. Thanks to that, he and I were in the top ten. Ochaco Uraraka, the girl, even made it to the top three. I threw both hands in the air and let out my loudest victory screech just as my mother walked in.
"Quiet down, Miles. I could hear you down the hall..."
"Welcome to U.A. Miles Morales," we both heard All Might say before the projection faded. My mother's eyes doubled in size as she rushed over and embraced me.
"You got in!?"
"I got in, Ma..."
I felt her tears rolling down her cheeks and onto my shoulder. I imagine that after I told her that I didn't get enough points, she'd already mentally prepared herself for when I didn't pass.
A few weeks later, I found myself in front of U.A. High, its golden logo beaming down on me in the same inviting way as All Might's grin. I saw Midoriya gawking at the size of the school as well; the moment I saw him, I knew I had to thank him.
"Midoriya," I said, grabbing his shoulder. I must've startled him since I'd never talked to him before. Being American, a lot of people my age found me intimidating.
"Oh... Hi, Morales, right?"
"Yeah, that's me. I just wanted to say thank you. Without you, I wouldn't be here right now."
"But you're the one who saved me?"
I exhaled from my nostrils and shook my head. "No, you saved me before that. Remember when you saved Bakugo from that sludge monster? I was really pissed off that some Quirkless kid like you had the guts to stop that guy; meanwhile, I just let him go when I saw him. Because of that mistake, I let my father die."
"I'm so sorry..." Deku could hardly look at me when I spoke, his eyes drifting downward before he put in the mental effort to maintain eye contact.
"It's okay. It's my fault. I'm not mad at you anymore. You had nothing to do with it. I realized that I wasn't really angry anyway; I was jealous. I wanted just a sliver of the courage that you have. When that girl, Uraraka, was in danger, I'm not sure if I would've stepped in had I not seen that video of you saving Bakugo. I probably wouldn't have if you weren't next to me. When I saw that you were going to save her, I thought to myself that if this Quirkless kid is going to save her, then it's my responsibility to help her. To my surprise, you weren't Quirkless after all..."
As I said this, Midoriya gave me this suspicious look, but I didn't pay it much mind. "Anyway," I said. "Thanks for inspiring me. Out of any of us. You're a true hero."
Midoriya started to tear up; meanwhile, I heard Uraraka's voice coming from afar. "Morales! Midoriya!"
She was out of breath by the time she caught up with us, taking a moment to catch her breath.
"You guys! I just wanted to say thank you!" She wrapped her arms around both of our necks and hugged us. I was surprised, but Deku started to panic.
"I was just thanking Midoriya myself. What class are you guys in?" I asked them both.
"1-A," they both answered.
"Then I guess we're all in the same class. Wanna head over together?"
They both nodded, and the three of us made our way into the building together. It was only the first day, but I was thankful to have already forged a friendship with two people; however, I did feel some regret for not being Midoriya's friend sooner. He could've used one back then.