The Rubber Hero

Finally deciding on my goal, sensei announced my training was over… But now I got back to studying, only focusing on normal school subjects.

Following my teacher's recommendation, I decided to apply to UA, which was also the school Itsuki was planning to attend.

She was excited we could study together again, while her father just twitched his eyebrows in annoyance.

Well, not my fault he didn't even know where his own daughter was applying.

In the end, I registered and submitted my documents to the school.

After a while, I got a message saying the entrance exams would take place in 10 months.

Of course, that's a long time, but I didn't complain. I kept preparing, training my Quirk, and coming up with new moves.

To get into UA, you need to pass a written and a practical exam. The first one isn't that important, but you still need to prepare, while the second… that one really matters.

During the practical exam, applicants need to prove their Quirk's effectiveness and their own physical skills.

There were many different trial types, as I found from reading articles online.

Muramatsu said he would now focus on training Itsuki, so he asked me not to come to the dojo unless necessary.

I dedicated all my time to light training and studying.

Honestly, it was kind of boring, having to repeat the same training cycle for 10 months.

On the bright side, I finally turned 15!

Man… I never thought my life would get this interesting in a way. So much happened in just 3 years…

But around the sixth month of training, I was jogging past an abandoned beach, covered in trash people had dumped there. That's where I saw a green-haired guy… lying unconscious.

– What a pain… – No way I could just leave him there.

I went over to him, made sure he was alive, and saw he was just asleep from exhaustion.

And it was still early in the day.

– Hey, wake up. – I smacked his face a few times and pulled out my water flask from my belt to give him a drink.

He slowly opened his eyes, then shot up like a bullet.

– Oh, no! I must have passed out… I still have so much to do today! –

He kept mumbling, and I raised an eyebrow.

– Hey. –

He jumped and looked at me.

– How are you feeling? –

He was flustered.

– Ah, sorry! I didn't see you and… and… and… –

I sighed and sat down on the sand.

– Don't worry about it. If you really want to apologize, buy me a new bottle of water. You drank all of mine. – I grinned, tipping the empty flask, with only a few drops left.

– Ah! – He seemed to get it. – I'm sorry and thank you! – He dropped into a dogeza.

– Hah… – I sighed. – It's fine. Just lift your head, or I'll get mad. –

– O-okay… – he stuttered, sitting up.

I stayed quiet, watching the ocean. The beach was still covered in trash, but it was a bit cleaner now.

– Um… I… –

– Yeah? – I looked at him.

– My name is Izuku Midoriya… May I know your name, so I can pay you back… –

Izuku was a bit short for his age, with a round face, small freckles on both cheeks, large green eyes, and dark green, messy curls that cast shadows on themselves. All of it made him look both messy and energetic at the same time.

He was wearing a green tracksuit, which was a bit worn out.

Looking closely, you could tell he had some muscle, even if he seemed skinny at first glance.

– Nice to meet you. – I nodded. – I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Just call me Luffy. –

– T-then please just call me Izuku. –

– Shi-shi-shi! – I laughed. – You can drop the formal talk, you know? We're probably the same age. –

– Ah, right. – He nodded.

A short awkward silence fell between us.

– So… why were you lying unconscious on an abandoned beach? – I asked.

– W-well… uh… –

– If it's a secret, you don't have to tell me. – I smiled.

He looked at me, scratching his head awkwardly.

– I… I'm training to get into UA. – he suddenly said bravely.

– I asked why you were unconscious, not your life story… – I sighed, – But I'll take that as an answer. – I smirked. – You trained so hard you passed out, huh? I get it. –

– Y-yeah… –

– I'm also preparing for the UA entrance exam. – I surprised him. – Looks like we're gonna be classmates. –

– Probably… – he mumbled quietly.

– Why are you so unsure of yourself? – I smacked his back lightly. – Be more confident. –

– Ow-ow-ow! That hurts! – he shouted, holding his back.

– Anyway… – I stood up. – I'll be expecting you, Izuku. – I pointed at him.

– Y-yeah! – he nodded firmly.

After saying goodbye, I left him to his training and went to train myself.

The guy turned out to be really kind, too. He even ran after me later to pay for the water. Well… I didn't refuse the money…

Time passed as usual. I spent the remaining months with the kids at the orphanage, making up new techniques with them.

Being a rubber man, I could pretty much do anything. Stretch my arms for dozens of meters, maybe even a hundred, who knows…

Sensei didn't contact me, and neither did Itsuki, who seemed busy with her own training.

Sometimes, I wished I had more friends. By the way… why didn't I get Izuku's phone number?

Oh well… if I didn't get lucky this time, maybe I'll get lucky during the entrance exam.

And that's how I spent my days, until the time finally came for the entrance exams.

........

The Day of the Entrance Exams. Kendo Family Dojo.

Standing before Muramatsu, I bowed deeply.

– Thank you for guiding me on the right path all this time, sensei! And thank you for teaching me! –

– Luffy… – For the first time in a while, the master placed his large hand on my head and patted me. – No, thank you. –

– Then… I'm off. – I raised my head and walked toward the door.

– And don't you dare come back if you don't take first place. – he snorted.

– Shi-shi-shi! Just wait and see. –

With that, I left the dojo and walked toward the exit, where Itsuki was waiting with a smile.

– Ready? –

– You're asking me that? – I smirked, putting on my straw hat.

And so, we headed toward UA Academy.

,...............

UA High School.

The huge school building in front of us made us stare in awe for a moment.

Especially the school's crest, with the big letters "U.A."…

The building stood at the center, with four towers connected by glass windows.

The fences weren't as high as you'd expect, but I could sense they had something in them… even a fly wouldn't get through easily.

We went inside and found our way to the written exam room, where Itsuki and I had to split up. As for the test itself, it was both easy and tricky, making me a bit nervous about my score.

There were about 100 questions. The first 20 were simple psychological questions about heroes. Then there were regular questions on algebra, history, and logic.

Well… Let's hope for the best. I should be able to get at least 65 points…

Once time was up, we turned in our papers and were sent to a large hall where everyone was gathered.

Using Observation Haki, I sensed Izuku's aura, nervous, and also Itsuki's, serious but anxious.

Above us, in a separate observation room, I sensed a couple dozen people, among them Nezu, watching over us, evaluating the future heroes.

I sat down at a desk next to a guy in glasses wearing a gray suit and tie, letting out a sigh as I waited for instructions.

The doors closed, the lights dimmed, and a single spotlight lit up the stage, where a skinny, blonde man with glasses and a mustache stood.

He wore a black leather jacket and pants, with speakers around his neck.

He looked at everyone and smiled.

– Welcome, everyone, to my live performance! – he yelled, – Now let me hear you say heeey! – he cupped his hand to his ear.

Hah… Looks like no one wants to answer him…

Oh well, I won't ruin his vibe.

– Heeey! – I shouted back with a smile.

The blonde looked at me and smiled brightly. Very brightly.

The others stared at me like I was an idiot. Itsuki looked both embarrassed and amused by what I did.

But the guy sitting next to me didn't seem to like it. I felt a tiny spark of anger from him.

– Hahaha! So we've got some lively ones here! – the man shouted proudly. – Alright, applicants… – he raised his arms, his voice booming. – I'm here to tell you what's going to happen today! ARE YOU READY?! –

– Yes! – I shouted back again, and this time, a few others joined me.

Izuku started muttering about this hero on stage, but the shouts drowned him out.

So this hero is called Present Mic? That nickname really suits him, if you ask me. Looks like his Quirk is related to his vocal cords.

Now that I think about it… I never really paid attention to heroes. All I've seen was All Might on TV, and a few lesser-known heroes.

I should learn more about them later…

Present Mic continued explaining the rules.

To summarize, we had to destroy villain robots to earn points.

There were three types of villains: the first type gave one point, the second two, and the third, as you can guess, three points.

They would split us into sectors to reduce the chances of us teaming up with classmates from the same school.

Meaning, I wouldn't end up in the same sector as Itsuki. Well… it would be good for her to do this on her own anyway.

There were also some rules.

For example, we weren't allowed to attack others or use tools that regular heroes wouldn't use.

So we just have to get as many points as we can in 10 minutes. Sounds simple enough.

– Excuse me, may I ask a question? – the glasses guy next to me raised his hand.

– Uh, sure. – the hero allowed him.

– On the pamphlet, there's actually a fourth type of villain listed! – he pointed at the paper, where the fourth type was scribbled out.

What a boring guy… I sighed, looking at the pamphlet.

– This kind of mistake would be a major embarrassment for a top national academy! – he kept rambling, – The reason we're all here is that we're seeking guidance on our path to becoming exemplary heroes! –

Then, he turned his attention to me, pointing his finger.

– And you! –

I blinked and pointed at myself. What did I do to him?

– Yes, you! Could you take this more seriously? You're distracting everyone! –

Oh, the look in his eyes sharpened.

– If you think UA is a place for goofing around, then leave already! –

Everyone looked at me, and I just scratched my head indifferently.

– But… aren't you the one being distracting? –

– ?! –

Everyone chuckled, while the guy kept staring at me.

– Don't get me wrong. You're the one interrupting the hero explaining the rules, just to tell me I'm not serious enough. – I explained.

He was shocked, about to say something.

– B-but… –

– And besides, by doing this, you're embarrassing him and yourself. What if you hurt my feelings, and I became a villain because of you? –

The room fell silent.

Glasses boy thought for a moment, then bowed to me.

– Sorry… I went too far. – he apologized.

– Oh, it's fine. – I shrugged, then looked at Present Mic, – Apologize to him, too. – I pointed the right path for the guy.

– I'm sorry for my rudeness! – he shouted, bowing at a perfect 90-degree angle.

– Uh… yeah, of course, I forgive you. – the hero nodded, caught off guard. – Now, let me continue. –

The hero resumed explaining, finally telling us about the fourth type of villain.

These villains were worth zero points. No surprise there…

Their purpose was to cause chaos if too many people clustered together.

– And now, let's get to the main event! 'Plus Ultra!' – the blonde hero spread his arms. – Enjoy the wait before your challenge. –

Well… let's see what UA has prepared for us!