Powerless - A My Hero Academia/ DC Crossover

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.