Nat: The Beginning

An Epiphany Among Robots

Nat

I can't believe I'm doing this. 

It had been two weeks since the incident with Scarf-Man. I was admittedly a little bitter that he had beat me, but I decided to take him up on his offer. Don't get me wrong, I was very hesitant to put myself out in front of pro heroes and risk somehow being recognized, but going to UA would definitely have benefits. 

I decided that if I got in and if  I decided to stay, it would provide me with protection. I'd be surrounded by heroes and goodie-goodies who wouldn't let anything bad happen. It was supposed to be one of the safest places in Japan. 

What I didn't realize was just how many other people wanted to get in...

"Holy shit." Yes, I actually said that out loud. 

When I arrived for the exam, I was shocked by how many people were there. I had never been around so many people before. I guess this UA place was pretty prestigious.

On my way to the door, I passed this green haired kid who almost faceplanted after tripping on his own shoelace. Luckily there was a girl there to stop him from eating concrete, but I couldn't help but laugh. If that was my competition, maybe I actually had a decent chance.  

I walked up the steps, keeping my head low. I would take the test, sure, but I'd try to attract as little attention as possible. I even wore a headband I found to cover up my bangs. They looked like they had been bleached compared to the rest of my boring brown hair, but they were totally natural. I was born that way unfortunately, and it made me look a lot more like my mom than I liked to admit...

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The written exam wasn't that bad. I liked to consider myself pretty book smart, and the hero stuff seemed like common sense. It also helped to think of what my mother would do in any given situation. Then I picked the exact opposite answer. 

Once we were done, we had to sit through an explanation of how the practical portion would go. If you were falling asleep before, there was no way you would be now. The dude that explained everything was practically yelling. He had the weirdest hairdo, too, almost like it was standing straight up. 

Just as I was trying to guess how many cans of hairspray I thought it might've taken him to achieve the look, we were told to proceed to the designated area for the exam. 

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The robots were much bigger than I expected. 

They came at us from all directions, sending a lot of the test-takers into a panic. I tried to stay calm, but even I was a little overwhelmed. 

I tried to think practically. I threw smaller robots aside and decapitated the bigger ones with my quirk. It wasn't easy, but it worked. I could finally feel myself getting into a groove when I suddenly noticed the score board. My name was starting to climb in the ranks. While most people would be excited, I realized that it would put me much closer to the center of attention. I backed off and ducked around the corner, panicking. 

What if someone recognized me and told my mom where I was? If I didn't get in, I'd just attract unwanted attention and risk getting caught. I could hear her in my head telling me to give up.

I decided to sit the rest of the exam out. I watched in awe as the others destroyed robots around me. One kid practically flew up in the sky and knocked out a huge one. I thought he'd plummet to the ground, but someone saved him at the last second. It was incredibly stupid, but amazing to watch. 

That's when it hit me. 

What am I doing?

All these kids were trying their best, and what was I doing? Watching from the sideline because I was scared. Suddenly I could hear the man's voice from before, drowning out my mother's voice and my own doubts in my head:

"You can do better. You just have to try."

I felt a rush of hope and looked at the clock. Still 2 minutes left. Perfect. 

I stepped out of my spot and 3 robots came toward me. I took a deep breath and used the full force of my quirk to send all of them smashing into walls. I ran and found some more, crushing them like tin cans. I went on an absolute rampage, and it felt...awesome. 

I even saved a girl from being mowed down, moving her out of the way before a robot could crush her. 

I felt invigorated. I felt...like a hero. 

Suddenly, and buzzer sounded and the exam stopped. We left the exam area and looked at the scores. I had made up quite a bit of distance in those 2 minutes coming...in third place?? I know at one point I was off the leaderboard. 

Dang. Not bad. 

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The next week was a stress-filled one. I wasn't sure if my mother would catch me or not, but decided to risk staying in the same spot. 

I lied about my address, putting an old apartment building down when they asked me to fill out the information. I checked the mailbox every day until finally, my letter arrived. 

I went to a private area and opened it. A little projector fell out, and suddenly All Might was standing before me. 

"I AM HERE! to tell you that congratulations!!! You've been accepted to the hero course!" 

I was so excited. More than I thought I would be actually. 

"Aaaaaaaand, we have decided to give you a scholarship to help you attend our school. We were very impressed, and we understand that our students come from many different backgrounds..." 

Oh really? Bet he couldn't guess mine, but that's besides the point. "...but we want our school to be accessible to all talented young heroes." 

More good news. 

"Oh, and one more thing. Mr. Aizawa, also known as Eraserhead, wanted me to tell you that you did very well. We look forward to seeing you soon!" The projection stopped and I sat there alone with my thoughts. 

I did it. I really did it. And people were actually proud of me (even though I didn't really know who they were...)

That night I slept better than I had in a long time.