ISSUE # 3: The Starting Line
When Wade was the last person to step off the bus, he looked at their destination with wide eyes full of wonder. Battle Center B wasn't just a single building. It was like an entire mock city with primarily empty buildings. Tall walls surrounded all of it. It was almost intimidating to just stare up at the giant gate where the participants were standing.
"This is nuts." One of the students stated.
"It's like a whole city." One of them, who has spiky red hair, replied in astonishment.
"Can you imagine how much it cost to build this?"
"U.A. is amazing!"
Many of the applicants voiced wonder about the Battle Center and praised the school's effort in giving them a challenge. Wade just stood them looking at the wall. He'd changed out of his uniform and put back on his hoodie and workout shorts, all while still wearing his Spider-Man costume underneath. In his hands, he clenched the mask tightly, feeling nervous about going in there and starting the test.
He then turned his attention to the people in front of him. Observing them, Wade saw that everyone was confident, some of them even having equipment to match their Quirk—just like him. But Wade wondered if they were as nervous as him. However, Wade then spotted a familiar hairstyle and focused on the person. It was that girl he met earlier today, Ochaco Uraraka. Wade smiled a little. At least there's someone here who he knew to an extent. He then started walking to her, thinking he might as well see if she'd want to work together.
He wasn't even close to her when Wade's left shoulder had a large hand placed on it. Flinching at the sudden contact, Wade looked over his shoulder and saw it was Tenya Iida glaring right at him. Iida then looked at Ochaco. "She looks like she's trying to focus on the trials ahead." He stated as Wade saw that she was taking long breaths and fanning herself.
"Aren't we all?" Wade said rhetorically. He then looked back at Iida with a raised eyebrow. "You gonna be taking your hand off my shoulder anytime soon?"
"What are you going to do? Distract her and ruin her chances to succeed?" The serious boy asked accusingly in a threatening tone.
"Hey, I have no intentions of doing so. So why don't you mind your own goddamn business?" Wade retorted as he yanked himself out of the taller boy's grasp by turning around to face him. He may not have known who this person was, but he was close to not liking Iida at all. This, of course, brought the attention of the crowd to the two boys, and most of them didn't think much of Wade at first glance. And by the way, Iida was glaring at him, obviously believing that Wade wasn't even supposed to be there.
"AND…BEGIN!"
Before any more arguing could start, everyone heard President Mic yell over a loudspeaker. Turning to where it was coming from, they saw it was coming from a tall tower that was overlooking all Battle Centers.
"WHAT'S WRONG? GET MOVING! THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL BATTLES! RUN, RUN, RUN, LISTENERS!"
Wade looked at everyone else…
Only to see that the gate was wide open, and the applicants were already starting to run into the city.
"Oh, crap!" Wade cursed himself for being an idiot, before quickly putting on his mask. He made a mad dash for the gate to build up speed, before throwing his arms out and firing two web lines on both sides of the gate. He jumped and yanked hard on both of them, shooting himself into the air at incredible speeds. The powerful launch was enough for Wade to fly easily above the other examinees as he spun around, catching their attention, and they looked at him with awed expressions.
"What the… How did he do that?!" Wade could only smile under his mask when he knew his little trick managed to shut up some people who thought less of him. Now in front of them, Wade was able to pick off some of the robots easily. The others were determined to get into U.A. and weren't going to stop for anyone. This was a competition that no one was willing to lose. Neither was Wade.
Just as he was about to start swinging, Wade saw the walls of some buildings explode. The cause of this was because of a 1-Pointer and two 2-Pointer robots bursting through the walls.
Reacting quickly, Wade quickly fired web lines at the shoulders of the closet one, a 2 Pointer. He then pulled hard back on the line with his legs aimed at the head. Hurtling himself at it and kicking the head into the robot's body. Wade then jumped off the destroyed robot and towards the second 2 Pointer. Landing on the robot's front, Wade charged a venom blast and slammed his hand on the face, causing massive damage to the robot.
With now 4 points under his belt, Wade jumped off the second robot and stood before the 1-Pointer. The Spider-Man was ready for battle against the enemy.
The robot charged at him when, suddenly, it was destroyed by a bright blue laser.
"Got it!" Said someone from Wade's left. Wade turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw that it came from a slim boy with slightly long blonde hair, long eyelashes, and bright indigo eyes. It was almost like he was a young prince. Wade also noted that the laser came from a large belt with a ring-shaped buckle.
'He actually has a laser Quirk?'
"Merci beaucoup." said the boy, Yuga Aoyama.
"Hey! That was my kill!" Wade yelled at him.
"I didn't see your name on it. We make a great team with you as my decoy."
Wade felt a veil pop out from his forehead. "Huh?"
"But I doubt we'll be meeting again." Aoyama gave Wade a wink as if he was some kind of prince from a fairy tale. He then turned and ran off down the intersecting street. "Adieu!"
"I wasn't distracting it for you, asshole!" Wade yelled angrily at the blonde. Why was there always some new person to add to his dislike list?
"SIX MINUTES AND TWO SECONDS LEFT!"
Wade yelped and quickly shot a web line at a building to his right and swung himself into the air. This wasn't too bad, but all he had was four points. But maybe the other contestants weren't that high on points like him. However, those thoughts were quickly getting counteracted, as he swung past a few open spaces that had multiple destroyed robots.
Swinging himself upwards, Wade let go of the line and did a backflip, before landing while coughing on top of the edge of a building. Looking down, he was shocked to see many of the contestants were standing on the main street. The street was littered with the destroyed and even mangled bodies of the robots.
Scanning the street, Wade's attention was caught by Ochaco running past some of the robots. He watched as she quickly touched her five fingers on a robot, which caused small pink lights to flash from her fingertips. Ochaco repeated this with other robots with different points on them. But what surprised Wade the most was that those she touched started to float. They floated up into the air as if the natural gravity they should have was gone.
After getting as many as she could get, Ochaco stopped, but she also looked like she was going to be sick. Nevertheless, she was able to place her fingertips together and yelled, "Now, release!" She exhaled and started panting in exhaustion. Behind her, all the robots fell to the ground, smashing to pieces on impact. The brunette looked over her shoulder at the destruction she caused. "Okay, that should be at least 28 points."
Wade was taken aback. 28? Before questioning things any further, he heard the sound of metal being smashed. Looking in the direction it was coming from, the Spider-Man saw Iida kicking a robot from above. "That puts me at 45!"
"How did he get that many!?" Wade exclaimed with his mask's eyes widening. Soon, all the other people were calling out their points. All far higher than Wade's messy 4 points. But it's nothing he was going to cry like a baby about. He had to get points himself.
Jumping off the building, he started swinging through the fake city again. There had to be a faster way to take out the robots.
He was going to get his answer, as a 3 Pointer was standing down the street. Wade quickly swung towards it. When he was near the enemy, he let go of the web line and used both hands to shoot at its legs. The webbing stuck to the robot's legs, trapping it in place. Wade then shot another web line and swung over the robot, while also low enough to see any weak points it may have.
There was. It was the power core that went into its head. Luckily, they were a bright yellow and black stripe handle, so Wade fired a web line at it. Once it was stuck to the handle, Wade yanked out the power core. The body of the robot went limp as it shut down.
"That's seven points!" He grinned. But it wasn't enough. If he was going to get into U.A., then he was going to need a lot more points.
And luckily for him, the street he was on had so many robots to take down.
"Clearly, the examinees have no idea how many villains are present or their locations." One of the test observers inside of a dark room said. The only source of light was from the multiple TV screens that showed multiple views of the different testing sites. "They have limited time, must cover a vast area, and hunt down every last target."
One screen showed an examinee with almost winglike arms.
"Some use information-gathering."
The next one showed Iida.
"While others rely on speed to pull ahead of their peers."
Another showed Aoyama blasting another robot.
"Of course, remaining calm under pressure can be a huge advantage."
One screen showed Bakugou after obliterating some robots.
"As can pure power and combat ability."
Then the next one to catch his attention showed Wade, swinging over a 3 Pointer and pulling out its core with his web line. He found himself surrounded by multiple robots. "The most successful students use a combination of all these tactics. They're the ones who rack up the highest scores."
"Hm, I'd say this year's group looks promising," said one other teacher—a female one.
"Well, there's still plenty of time before it's over," said a different teacher. On the controls, a glass box opened and allowed access to a large red button. "The real test has yet to come." They pressed the button. "Let's see how they react."
Wade smashed his fist into the back of the last 3-Pointer enemy left standing. Having swung further out into the city than everyone else, Wade was able to rack up more points than he would have thought possible in a short amount of time. Now with a massive total of 85 points, Wade was closing the distance between himself and the other candidates.
However, after landing on a building, Wade's spider-sense started to tingle. He gasped before a massive explosion rocked the grounds of the Battle Center. Quickly turning towards it, Wade saw it was coming from at least a block away, and it wasn't caused by any detonation as far as he could tell. However, the thing that caused the explosion appeared, and the Spider-Man mask hid his total shock and terror.
Down below, all the other examinees turned and looked at what it was and were also shocked.
That thing turned out to be a colossal green robot that towered over the tallest buildings. As it emerged from the dust cloud caused by the explosion, its red eyes looked down at the examinees. It then started to advance towards them, crushing a building it had its hand on.
"Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it and focus on the ones topping the charts."
'This is what passes off as a distraction!' Wade screamed in his head, watching as the massive robot brought its fist back.
It then sent it forward and punched the ground, causing another explosion of dust and debris. Many of the examinees that were on the streets were forced to shield themselves with their arms from the overwhelming blast of wind they were hit with. Not even Wade, who was put on the building, was safe from the blast and tried to remain on balance.
Wade went to the edge of the rooftop and looked down. All the examinees were hightailing it away from the monstrosity.
"LESS THAN TWO MINUTES REMAINING!"
"Damnit!" Wade turned and started running down the roof. He had 85 points, which was more than enough points to pass. Everything All Might did for him, all that training, it was all riding on this. If he fails now, then it'll all be in vain.
"Ow!"
Freezing at the right moment, Wade's front stopped right at the edge of the roof. He was going to jump off and get away from the giant robot, but then he heard the yelp of pain. Turning his head towards the voice, he found himself looking down below on the street. It was Ochaco, and she was trapped. Lying on her stomach, her leg was crushed under a large amount of debris. She tried to crawl away, but the rubble was either too heavy or worse, her leg was broken.
Wade's brain flashed back to when they first met. How nice she was to him, even though she didn't know him. Her cute smile, her bubbly nature. As the robot came near, he knew that she was going to die if someone didn't help her.
Then the image of his dad dying in his arms flashed in his head.
Forgetting all about the warning he was given about the 0-pointers, Wade turned and started running down the roof toward the robot at top speed. If he destroyed the robot, he would lose all of his points, and have to start all over again. And yet, Wade didn't care at that moment. Just like when he saved that one other girl, Momo, he refused just to stand there and let Ochaco get hurt or worse, not when he had the power to do something about it.
When he reached the end of the rooftop, Wade channeled the energy of One-for-All into his legs and then jumped at the behemoth. Ochaco felt the wind shift as he rocketed through the sky, surprising her. Wade then clenched his fist and powered it up with as much of One-for-All as he could, while also charging a Venom Blast in the same hand. The sleeve of his hoodie was shredded, but surprisingly, his custom remained intact. Blue electricity appeared flying all around his arm and fist, while underneath the custom, his veins started to glow through his skin in bright red lights.
Growling as he neared the robot's head, Wade remembered All Might's words.
"So, clench your butt cheeks, kid. And yell this from the depths of your heart…"
"SMAAAAAAASH!"
The results were beyond what Wade could have ever imagined. He punched a hole straight through the colossal robot's head!
Every single person in the testing grounds stared with their eyes as wide as they could go and their jaws hanging, beyond shocked. The robot fell backward before a series of explosions from within the hole went off. Then its body started to rupture and buckle, as more explosions started destroying the body.
All Might grinned from within the observation room, as everyone else around him was either cheering or was completely dumbfounded. "With great power, comes great responsibility." He said. "Show them all the meaning of that sentence, by showing them who you are, Wade Walker. Embody what it truly means to be a Hero. Nothing is nobler than self-sacrifice."
Still in the air and still amazed at the destruction he inflicted on the robot, Wade could only think back to that day his dad died. This was just like back then. When he risked it all to save Bakugo, he knew what he had to do, and he did it without even a second thought. He had just gotten his Spider-Quirk, but now he had One-for-All.
But then he snapped out of it, and realized that he was losing momentum. He was now starting to fall.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Wade screamed as he fell. It was the only thing he could do. But wait, he still had his webs. Wade tried to move his right arm and leg, only to scream in pain and agony. Both legs and his right arm were splattered and felt like they were in pieces.
He may have molded his body into a proper vessel, but he did it in a hurry. And now the physical backlash of One-for-All was intense. Wade crushed himself. He should have known. It's been ten months, and he could barely contain it. Even the hair of his DNA was enough to do this to him. He got carried away at the moment.
Wait! There was still his left arm! So, Wade quickly aimed his arm at a building and fired.
Only for a few feet of webbing to shoot out. Nothing else came out, even when he frantically tried to.
His web-shooters were empty.
If he was going to survive, Wade had to reload the web-shoot. Ejecting with a flick of his wrist, Wade pulled off his mask and held it as he reached for the spider-belt. Grabbing a filter of webbing, he put it in his mouth and held it with his teeth. He then struggled to get the filter into the shooter, using his mouth, and tongue and reaching with his middle figure.
He got it in! But Wade was too close to the ground, and he was descending faster. There wasn't going to be enough time to shoot a web line. He was a goner!
"WAAAAAAGH!"
SMACK!
Out of nowhere, Ochaco slapped him in the face while on a broken-off piece of a robot.
'Did she just slap me?' Wade exclaimed in his head before his body started to hover only a couple of feet above the ground and just a second before he hit it. The robot piece that Ochaco was riding on was also floating.
Wade panted as he looked at the ground with wide eyes, before looking at Ochako. She groaned as she struggled to place her fingers together. "A-And…release." Afterward, Wade and Ochako grunted, as their bodies hit the ground. Wade hit the street floor with a thud, and the robot she was on crashed down on the ground.
Using his one good arm, Wade sat up and rested his back against a lamppost. Dumbfounded that she would actually be willing to save him. Panting to catch his breath from a near-death experience, the teenager gave her a smile. "Thanks," he said to her. "Are you okay?"
Ochaco nodded and gave him a weak smile in return. But then she quickly covered her mouth. Wade was about to ask what was wrong until the brunette threw up. Wade figured that it must have been a side effect of her Quirk.
But then his experience turned over as he started to panic. "Shit! I lost all my points!" he yelled, trying to stand up. "I've gotta get more—"
"TIME'S UP!"
The moment those words were spoken over the megaphone, along with the sound of a blowhorn, Wade felt sick and devastated.
He couldn't believe it.
He had 85 points. The highest ago anyone else there.
He was doing so well.
But now, he lost it all. He sighed in misery and closed his eyes. Sitting back down and resting against the lamppost. Yes, he was sad that he lost all of his points, but at least Ochako was safe.
Grunting, Wade looked at his mangled arm. "What the hell…" he said, panting from exhaustion and pain. "I thought…I had…superhuman durability."
That's when he remembered a page in the notebook.
Let me be clear, you are able to take more punishment than a normal human. However, you ARE NOT INVINCIBLE. You are still very much capable of breaking your bones if you're not careful.
For instance, there was this one time when I got 14 broken bones fighting the Sinister Six.
Man, that hurt like hell.
So, don't do anything stupid. You're not Superman. You're Spider-Man.
"Oh, yeah," Wade said, realizing that the backlash to his arm was too much for even his durability. If the original Spider-Man got broken bones from getting ganged up and having the shit kicked out of him, then the damage he took from using One-for-All at full power shouldn't have been a surprise. Thinking about it, some of Wade's favorite fictional heroes, like Invincible, did get very badly hurt in their fights. As he lay there, he heard the other examinees start to gather near him and Ochaco. Chatting to one another.
"Did you see that dude's attack?"
"I didn't think he had that kind of strength."
"Me neither."
"Looked like some kind of reinforcement-type Quirk, but did you see how he swung past everyone?"
"Yeah, like a rocket!"
"But why would he just waste all of his points?"
"Maybe he was trying to trick all of us."
"You might not get the chance. There's no way that guy's gonna pass."
"But you gotta admit, that was some pretty amazing moves."
Wade had enough and said in a loud voice. "My limbs are broken, not my ears, you assholes!" That got them to stop talking.
However, the only one who didn't share their wonder and gushed at Wade's power was Iida. As he stared at the other teenage boy's resting body, the more he became frustrated, but not for the reasons anyone would be thinking. Listening to the other examinees, Iida realized just how much they didn't understand. They all saw what he did, but weren't saying anything about it. Looking towards Ochaco, the serious boy commented to himself that the boy he misjudged was willing to sacrifice himself to save her. Surely Wade must have known that there wasn't much time remaining, right? He had more points than anyone else there, and yet he threw it all away and put his life on the line for her.
But even knowing this, despite knowing that he risked his chances of failing, Iida saw Wade turn and run at the robot, without even hesitating. His fist clenched. If this hadn't been an exam, then, of course, he would have done the same thing.
He paused for a moment. His mind had come to a realization. The exam and the judges saw that. That means…
"Very nice, good work all around." Said a new voice. This one belonged to an elderly woman. Wade heard it and looked at where it was coming from. He was amazed to see the Pro Hero Recovery Girl walking through the crowd of examinees, as they moved aside to clear a path for her.
She was a short, elderly woman with gray hair styled into a bun that had a syringe looped through it. She wore a doctor's lab coat and a dress with yellow and red vest-like designs on either side, two yellow buttons, and a pink belt. She also wore pink boots and had a helmet on her head. In addition, she was walking with a cane designed like a syringe.
"You're heroes in my eyes, every one of you." Recovery Girl said, rummaging through her lab coat pocket. She pulled out a handful and gave it to a nearby examinee, who bent down and cupped his hand to receive what she was giving him. Turned out that it was some gummy bears. "Here, reward yourselves. Have some gummies."
Wade blinked once in confusion. "I didn't know she'd be here." He said, which was heard by Aoyama.
"That mademoiselle," he said, with sparkles around his face for some reason. "She's the heart and backbone of U.A."
Makes sense. Her Quirk is a Super Healing Factor. It's in large part thanks to her presence that U.A. dares to host these wild exams. "Oh, my goodness." Recovery Girl said as she approached Wade. "You got hurt this badly by your own Quirk, sonny?"
"Well…Kind of," Wade said sheepishly. Scratching the back of his head. "I guess I still haven't gotten used to mine yet." Well, he's got the Spider-Quirk down, so it wasn't a complete lie.
"I see. So, your body isn't used to your power, right," the Pro Hero asked, with Wade giving her a nod in response. In reality, she knew all about Wade Walker. After all, All Might did tell her and others that he trusted about training the boy. So, she knew that not only did he have his Spider-Quirk, but that Wade wasn't able to handle One-for-All yet.
Recovery Girl then walked up closer to him…and puckered her lips.
Oh, right. She's able to heal people, but only by kissing them.
"Gimme some sugar!" She just had to make it weird. But nonetheless, Wade sat there and let Recovery Girl all his face. He'd been teased by elderly ladies on his street many times when he was much younger, but the Pro Hero was a complete stranger. Now that he thought about it, it made him wonder if she was popular with many of the male Heroes back when she was younger.
After she finished kissing him, Wade's arm and legs started to glow with a faint green aura. His skin returned, and the limbs were reset back to their normal shape and rejoined together.
When it was all over, Wade stood up with zero problems. It was truly incredible. These types of injuries would have taken months. But Recovery Girl repaired him in a heartbeat.
"You'll be fine," Recovery Girl told him, before turning to the other examinees. "Any other hurt children?"
Wade crouched down and tapped her shoulder, getting her to look at him. "She may be hurt." Wade pointed over to Ochaco, who blushed after seeing that he was looking out for her. "Her leg was crushed under some rubble. I can help if you want me to.
"No, but thank you, sunny." After thanking Wade, Recovery Girl turned and made her way to Ochaco.
But after she walked away, Wade's face dropped to form a depressed frown. With nothing to keep him there, and all applicants were allowed to go home after this exam, the Spider-Man turned and started walking away in defeat. He passed by the others with his head low before he took his mask off. Little did he know that Ochako was watching him leave with a sad look, as she was aware he didn't get enough points to be able to pass the exam.
However, as he walked past Iida, the serious boy turned his head to see Wade leave. He wondered if the exam had other parameters that weren't taken into account. Could it be possible for the boy to have passed the exam after his heroic action?
Wade didn't think about it like that. As he soberly walked to the gate of Battle Center B with his hands in the pocket of his ruined hoodie, all he just wanted to do was go home.
And so the waiting game began.
A week after the entrance exam, Wade was having dinner with Inko. However, he didn't eat much and mostly stared at the fish he just got done eating. Lost in thought. Seeing how Daniel's son was just sitting there and gazing at the fish, the plump woman started to worry. "Wade? Snap out of it. Wade!"
Wade finally snapped out of it and looked at her, a little startled. "Uh-!"
"Why are you staring at that fish?" Inko asked with a worried and even freaked-out expression.
"I am?" Wade asked.
"Yes, you are," she said.
"Huh, I guess I didn't notice."
"Should I be worried about you, dear?"
"Oh, uh, no, sorry," Wade quickly said sheepishly. "I was just spacing out." He then went back to eating his bowl of rice. However, Inko wasn't too convinced. She knew Wade more than he thought and knew it had to do with the exam, but she didn't want to pressure him and decided to change the subject.
After dinner, Inko was cleaning up the dishes, as Wade sat on the couch and was using a handgrip to exercise his hand. He sighed in misery. Ever since taking the entrance exam, Wade's been feeling down on his luck. He didn't really talk much, and even when he did, it was only to reply to a question. And even those responses were short and with very few words. By his own calculations, he was barely able to pass the written portion. But with zero points, Wade had failed the physical part of the exam. There was no way that he was going to be getting into UA. And worse, since the day of the test, All Might hasn't even contacted him.
Inko heard the sigh and turned to him with a smile. "I know. Waiting for the results is terrible."
"…I guess."
"Wade, no matter what, I just want you to know that it's wonderful that you tried. And I think you're really cool with your Spider-Quirk." She said, trying to cheer him up
Wade only nodded with his head. During the ten months of training, he told her that he was starting to develop a late spider-like Quirk, keeping the truth about how he got it a secret. If he really told her that he got it from an experimental spider from another universe and he was now one of several superheroes in the multiverses, well, would you believe him?
Placing down the handgrip, Wade picked up a dumbbell. Pumping his arm with it, Wade continued to be lost in his thoughts. Not noticing, Inko left the room. He also didn't tell Inko about All Might. That was definitely a secret that he had to keep so that All Might could continue being the Symbol of Peace. He trusted him, so Wade couldn't risk telling his old friend.
Somehow, in some way, the man saw potential in him. Wade didn't want to let him down.
And yet, he did.
Suddenly the door slammed open, startling Wade as Inko frantically came crawling in, screaming. "A letter, Wade! They came, Wade! Look! You got a letter!"
"Whoa, Inko, calm down." Wade got up and went over to her. "What are you saying?" he asked, kneeling in front of her.
Inko held out a letter with a red seal and sighed U.A. High School. "They're here! Your test results from U.A.!"
Wade's eyes widened. The one thing he's been dreading has finally found its way to him.
A few minutes later, Wade locked himself in his room with the letter. Outside the room, Inko paced nervously while fidgeting with her hands and fingers.
With all the lights except the one on his desk turned off, Wade lay on his bed. He wanted to be as far away from the letter as he could. Looking solemnly up at the ceiling, he just couldn't get his mind away from the damn piece of paper.
Wade growled. It wasn't going away anytime soon. So, he might as well get it over with. Grunting, he sat up and leaped off the bed. Walking over to the desk, Wade pulled out the chair and sat down. He then grabbed the envelope by the sides and pulled it apart down the middle.
While there was a folded piece of paper in it, what fell out of it was a small, flat device the size of a potato chip. When the device dropped to the desk, Wade looked down at it, right before a small light came from the top.
Wade was stunned when that light projected a holographic screen. Showing All Might's big, grinning face. "Booya! I am here as a projection now!"
Startled so much, Wade very nearly fell back. He didn't, though, because he saved himself by quickly shooting two web lines at his desk. "What the?! All Might?!" The teenager exclaimed with big, wide eyes—pulling himself back upright. Beyond confused and bewildered to see the Hero for the first time in a week, Wade stood up and looked at the envelope he just tore up. "But this is…This is from U.A.! What are you doing there?"
All Might chuckled and stepped back from the screen, showing his gold-colored suit. "I know it's been a while, Walker, but with great power comes great responsibility—and paperwork." He laughed a little but stopped with a cough. The Pro then bowed. "My apologies, young man. The truth is, I didn't come to this city just to fight villains. You're looking at the newest U.A. faculty member."
Wade gasped. "You for real? As in…you're going to be at U.A.?!"
All Might nodded before a hand moved in from offscreen at the bottom right. It made a gesture that told him to get on with it. "Huh? Yes, what's the matter?... Who's showboating?... Oh, sorry. I'll wrap it up, but I have to show him something first…Wait. I have to do how many of these things?"
Wade grumbled as he put his hand over his face. "Get on with it!"
"Right! So, moving on." He cleared his throat, and Wade prepared himself for the worst. "Even though you passed the written test, you need a total of 30 points to pass the second exam. And you've lost all those points. I'm sorry."
Wade's heart sank. Now he really felt pathetic, like a lowly bug.
"Fortunately, there were other factors." Wade looked up with his miserable eyes and listened. "But before we get to that, I have another surprise. Here! Look! A short clip for your viewing pleasure!" All Might gestured towards a screen behind him and pressed a remote button.
The screen played, and Wade was surprised to see Ochaco walking up to Present Mic in a room that looked like it was where the faculty was meeting. "Um, do you have a second?" She asked, stepping into the room. "Sorry to interrupt."
Wade looked at her in wonder, asking himself why she was there.
"She showed up after the exam to talk about you, young man."
"Huh?" Wade blinked.
"What did she have to say? You'll have to stay tuned to find out!" All Might said before playing the video.
"You know that boy with the really messy hair, with the bright sea-green eyes. It's hard to describe his face. He's kinda plain-looking. Uh, doesn't really stand out or anything, you know? Oh, what was his name…"
Wade looked at her in comical hurt and disbelief. Was he really that forgettable?!
"Wade! That's it, Wade Walker. I was wondering. Would it be possible to give him some of the points I earned in the exam?"
Again, Wade was surprised.
"I was the reason that he lost all of his points. It was because he was trying to save me. How could someone who took down that huge villain all by himself lose those points in the end? He would've had the best score today if he hadn't stopped to help me. He saved me! I have to make it up to him!" The more he heard her, the more Wade was amazed and touched by just how much she was praising him. "Please, sir. Can't you just…give him my points!"
The video stopped, with All Might's back turned towards Wade. "You have two Quirks now, yes. But your code of great responsibility inspired your actions, and that will go on to inspire others." All Might then turned to face Wade. "And that's why I'm here. You see, the practical exam wasn't graded on combat alone."
Wade gasped, as the video played again. "Thanks for showin' up to the station with your request.'' Present Mic said, before patting her head. "But there's no reason to give him your points. The kid's chartin' well on his own."
The video paused again, and All Might started talking again. "How could a Hero course reject someone who is committed to saving others, no matter the consequences to himself? And that's exactly why the 0-Pointer rules were changed," All Might said. "Yes, you knew that it would take away your points, but it was to weed out those who aren't worthy of being Heroes and those who have the guts to face a devastating enemy, even though they know they would lose everything!"
Wade's eyes widened as he understood the point of the 0-Pointers now.
"After all, that is what makes a Hero. And that's what my alma mater is all about. Training those who would risk their lives for the greater good. So, we have Rescue Points. A panel of judges watches, and they award points for heroic acts beyond just fighting villains."
The video then showed his score. And Wade was left dumbfounded.
"Ochako Uraraka passed with 45 Rescue Points! And Wade Walker, the 85 Villain Points you lost have been converted to 85 Rescue Points!"
Wade's eyes started to fill with tears. "Are you…serious?"
All Might turned to face him and extended his hand out towards Wade. "Welcome aboard, Wade. You've made it. You're now a part of the Hero Academia. And soon, you'll all become…the Heroes of tomorrow!"
Tears ran down the young man's face as his gaping mouth turned into a quivering, big grin. It took a lot of help, and it didn't have a happy start, but Wade's life changed completely. And now, he's enrolling in the high school of his dreams.
Filled with so much happiness, Wade threw his fists in the air and shouted at the top of his lungs. "YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!"
"WADE? WHAT HAPPENED?! WADE!" Inko suddenly banged the door, a little scared after hearing the young man yelling. Wade completely forgot that Inko was standing outside his room waiting to hear the results.
He ran to the door and opened it, almost startling Inko when she saw the crazed expression on his face. "I PASSED!" He exclaimed out of joy.
"W-What?" Inko blinked in shock, mishearing what he just said.
"I PASSED, INKO! I'M GOING TO U.A.!" Wade repeated, spreading his arms out happily.
Inko gasped with her hands covering her mouth, the tears of happiness welled up in her eyes. And when she couldn't contain the euphoria, she decided to let out.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! YOU DID IT, WADE! YOU REALLY DID IT!" She squealed before hugging Wade as they both jumped out in excitement, laughing and crying in happiness.
Tonight, not only did they celebrate Wade's achievement, but it also marked the beginning of Wade's road in the most influential hero academies of Japan and his journey to becoming the new Spider-Man. One of the new...Heroes of Tomorrow.