8 Chapter 8 - The Results

"497. . . 498 . . . 499. . . 500!"

Izuku collapsed on the floor, his muscles aching from the push-ups. He absently looked around his room. Once its walls and shelves bore all kinds of All Might memorabilia. Not anymore. The walls were bare save a calendar and poster board. Most of his furniture was removed to allow him to make room for training. Perhaps Bruce's minimalist decorating style was rubbing off on him.

He continued with his workout, moving on to crunches. It had been a week since the entrance exam at UA High. Bruce had to return to Gotham after the exam, so it had been radio silence from him since then.

Waiting for the exam results was torture. He felt he did well at first but taking down the zero-pointer took up the rest of the time for the test. He didn't blame Uraraka, though. It was a situation that couldn't be helped. All they could do was wait patiently for the results, and hope that they scored enough points for them to get in.

After the test, he and Uraraka began to hang out more regularly, becoming a lot closer. Izuku had learned more about her and her family. She came from an impoverished family. Her father owned a construction company but didn't find much business. Due to villain or criminal attacks, several construction agencies gained government contracts to repair the damage. Because of this, heroes and businesses would often default to these so-called "government approved" companies to help them in building their agencies. This made business very scarce for non-contract companies. If a business was not able to get a government contract, their options were very limited in private enterprise projects or home construction, as was the case for Uraraka's family. Still, her father found work where he could, and always put on a brave face, despite their circumstances. He was a man that Izuku could respect. It also taught Uraraka a strong sense of humility and frugality. She did not let anything go to waste and found creative (and sometimes worrisome) ways to save money.

It was because of her family that Uraraka wanted to be a hero in the first place. She hated seeing her family suffer from poverty. Because heroes often became independently wealthy, both from hero work and capitalizing on their fame with side businesses, Uraraka wanted to provide a comfortable life that her parents deserved. She wanted to be their hero. That was a dream that Izuku found admirable.

There were many other things that he also admired about Uraraka. She was strong, intelligent, quick-thinking under pressure, determined, and loyal to a fault. Her strong desire to save people led her to want to become a rescue hero. He had no doubt that she had everything it took to make a great hero.

Izuku finished his workout. He could smell his mother's cooking and became very aware of how hungry he was. Standing, he was about to leave when his door suddenly slid open. His mother was standing there, holding a letter in her hands.

"Izuku!" She said excitedly. "It's here!"

The letter sat atop Izuku's desk, sealed with wax and branded with the UA seal. He had been staring at it for ten minutes. After each minute, he resolved to open it. The minutes continued to pass.

The letter remained unopened.

He shook his head, and slapped his cheeks. "Come on, Izuku!" He snapped at himself. "You can do this."

Hands shaking, he ripped open the envelope, which was heavier than he anticipated for its size. When it was opened, a small, grey disk-like device hit the table with a dull "thud". Izuku looked at it, puzzled.

As he reached out to pick it up, the device sprang to life, startling Izuku. A holographic projection appeared, a familiar-looking, handsome man in a black suit looking back at him.

"Hello, Midoriya," Said Bruce Wayne, his voice projecting from the device.

"Bruce?!" Izuku said. "What's going on? Isn't this from UA?"

"The Administration at UA let me record this message personally, considering the fact that I sponsored you," The holographic Bruce said. Izuku blushed slightly at the fact that he had tried to talk to a hologram but regained his composure.

"You performed adequately in the entrance exam," Said Bruce, his face gaunt. "You scored a total of 30 hero points. Not exactly your best work. I've certainly seen you perform better."

Izuku bowed his head. So, this was it. He didn't make it after all. It only made sense that Bruce would be the one to tell him that all his training was a waste. That he was a failure.

"But that's not important."

Izuku lifted his head, confused. "You demonstrated your true nature during the exam," Said hologram Bruce. "Once again, you put yourself at risk to help someone in need. Not only that, you accomplished a seemingly impossible task, and defeated a nearly unbeatable foe with no thought to your own safety. To the end, you are always thinking about others, and when someone's in trouble, you don't question, you act. These traits are what it truly means to be a hero, not useless points."

Izuku held his breath. What did he mean? "You showed them all, Izuku," Bruce said. "Just like I knew you would. You showed them you have what it takes to be a hero, even without a quirk."

The hologram Bruce stood up, brushing himself off. "You're in, kid." He said. And with that, the hologram shut down.

Izuku couldn't hold back his tears. All these years of planning and dreaming. All these months of training. It was all happening. They were coming true. He was going to be a hero.

He only wished that Kacchan was alive to be there with him.

After the Exam

Batman stood on the giant wall outside the faux city. He had seen Izuku take down the villain robots, as well as the zero-pointer. He couldn't have been prouder. He knew the boy had it in him, and now, he proved it not only to the school and the other applicants, but to himself as well.

He was on his way to becoming a great hero.

"I knew I'd find you up here!"

Batman didn't react to the loud, booming voice, nor when the hulking frame of All Might stood next to him, placing a large hand on his shoulder. "It's been a long time, my friend," Said All Might. "How have you -"

"Would you knock that off, Toshinori," said Batman. "I know you're almost at your 3-hour limit, and you look ready to burst."

All Might paused, taken aback. In a flash of smoke, the massive All Might reduced in size. "So, you do know," Said All Might. "For how long? Was it Gran Torino that told you?"

"No," said Batman. "I've known since your fight with All For One." All Might blanched in surprise at the name. "Yes, I know about that," Batman added. He lifted his arm horizontally, and holographic projection emanated from his gauntlet. It displayed medical data from All Might's surgeries five years ago.

"You were severely wounded," Said Batman, going through the data. "And its hindering your abilities. Your body can't keep up with your quirk anymore. Eventually, you'll lose your powers permanently."

"You really are the world's greatest detective," Said All Might, raising an eyebrow. "Then you must know why I'm here at UA."

"Two reasons," Replied Batman. "No one would dare attack a weakened Symbol of Peace when he's surrounded by so many other dangerous heroes. And as for the other," Batman's hologram switched to a picture of a beautiful, green-haired woman. "You're looking for a successor to inherit One For All."

All Might coughed violently, blood spewing from his mouth. Batman had called his bluff. He knew more than All Might anticipated. He even knew about his predecessor, Nana Shimura. Her picture from his projector caught him completely off guard. "How?" He said sharply. "How do you know all that?!"

Batman lowered his gauntlet, the projection powering down. "I know quirks," he said simply. "And you have the exact same powers as your mentor, as did her mentor before her, and their mentors for as long as recorded. There are only two ways that can happen: genealogical heritage, or transference. The evidence points to the latter, supported by the fact that I have seen powers transfer between hosts before."

All Might was shaking. Now it was starting to make sense. All those years ago, when they first met, it had always bothered All Might how Batman seemed to have known how to take him down. It seemed impossible to comprehend at the time, and just chalked it up to experience. But now he knew how he did it. "How long have you been studying me?" Spat All Might.

"A long time," Said Batman. "Since your time at UA. Keep your friends close, and your potential enemies closer."

"I am not your enemy, Bruce," said All Might. "But I suppose that's as close as you'll get to having a friend. I assume you've been doing the same to all your 'friends.' Even Clark? Diana?"

"I don't apologize for what I have to do to protect lives," said Batman. "No one is incorruptible. Not me, not Superman, not even the Symbol of Peace."

"Enough, Bruce!" Said All Might. "That's not what I came here for."

"No, it's not" Said Batman, folding his arms. "This is about Midoriya."

"It's no coincidence that you took him in after I told him -" All Might paused. "After I said he couldn't be a hero."

You're right, it's not," Confirmed Batman.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"I'm being serious, Bruce!"

"So am I," Said Batman. "I saw something in the boy that you didn't. He's gifted, even without a quirk, and I wasn't about to stand by and let him waste that talent."

"I was concerned for his safety," said All Might. "He was just attacked by that sludge villain. He wouldn't have made it as a hero."

"How can you say that after watching that performance?" Batman shot back, pointing at the exam site.

All Might didn't have an answer for that. "I just didn't want to get his hopes up. It would have gotten him killed."

"If I recall, you yourself were born without a quirk, Toshinori," Said Batman. "But Nana Shimura saw something in you. What makes Midoriya so different?"

"Leave her out of this," Snarled All Might. "The difference is that she gave me her quirk. The most powerful quirk known to man. I was able to defend myself with it, to fight villains, to save others."

"Save others like young Bakugou?"

"What?" Said All Might.

"Katsuki Bakugou," Said Batman. "He was the boy I pulled out of the sludge villain. He was Midoriya's childhood friend. He blames himself for his friend's death. He himself had a powerful quirk but was defenseless against the villain."

All Might was caught off guard again. Bagukou's death because of his rookie mistake was not a memory that he liked to relive. "Neither of us were able to save him." He said. "What's your point?"

"Come on, Toshinori," Said Batman impatiently. "The point is that a powerful quirk doesn't make the hero. Your quirk didn't make you great, it was your training, your knowledge, your experience. Have you forgotten these things already?" He pointed to the destroyed giant robot. "That is what you witnessed during that exam. Midoriya used his training, his knowledge, his instincts. That's why he passed, not because of a powerful quirk. It's true, you can't save everyone. But people aren't saved by quirks. They're saved by people."

"Is that why you're doing this?" Said All Might. "To spite me, because I've become jaded to the cause?"

"Hardly."

"Then what is it about?" Said All Might. "Revenge? Training him to get revenge on the monster who killed his friend?"

"No," Said Batman. "This isn't about you or me. Nor is it about revenge. This is about justice. For Bakugou, and for Midoriya. He needs to see his friend's killer brought to justice."

"So, let the heroes handle that, Bruce," Said All Might. "He was almost killed by it once, so let the professionals bring it to justice. You'd be sending him to the slaughter. You of all people should know how dangerous it is out there, how dangerous it is to be a hero."

Batman turned to leave. "Midoriya may not be ready to find Bakugou's killer, but he already has what it takes to be a hero," He said. "All he needs is guidance."

"Bruce, please," All Might implored. "He's going to end up hurt, or worse! Do you want him to end up like you? Think about Jason!" Batman paused at the name. "Do you want Midoriya to end up like him?!"

Bruce turned and looked All Might dead in the eyes. "That's exactly why he's here," He said. "So that he won't." Batman took his grapple gun from his belt and launched it, zipping off into the distance.

All Might grew back into his powered form, smoke billowing from his pores. He glared as the dark silhouette of Batman shrunk in the distance.

"I may not be able to stop Midoriya," He said through gritted teeth. "But I will protect him. From danger, from villains, even from you."