Chapter 3: I'll Make a Man Out of You
Slow Dancer raced across the vast green of the ranch while her owner rode her confidently. A faint breeze filled the air, cooling the crippled youth, but Johnny barely paid it any heed as he leaned off the side of his saddle. Raising a star-covered hand, Tusk clinging to his shoulder, the American took a deep breath before firing off a nail. The spinning bullet flew across the pen as if it had wings before finally hitting its target, a tin can. The metal container shot off the wooden fence it stood on, its midsection utterly torn apart, before falling to the grassy floor with a thud.
Johnny let a small grin crawl up on his lips for a moment, before returning to the task at hand.
Carefully he pulled himself back up into an upright position, rotating his body in time with Slow Dancer's pace, before continuing to ride his horse throughout the ranch. It had been three months since he obtained his Stand and progress with it had been slow. While he was able to shoot pretty well when he was on the ground or in his wheelchair, his accuracy on a horse, however, wasn't so great. The only reason he was able to hit his mark just now was because all the weeks of practice he put into his Stand, improving his accuracy bit by bit.
Taking another deep breath, the American had Slow Dancer jump over a hurdle. As the appaloosa seemed to float in the air, Johnny's fired off three more nail-bullets from his right hand. The powerful tusks sliced through the air before two of them tore apart a fence, causing splinters and chips of wood to burst out into the pen, while the last bullet barely managed to hit another empty tin can just before it could fall to the ground.
Clicking his tongue, Johnny looked down at his hand. Only one nail remained while his other hand was already out of ammo. He could have used his toenails as bullets, but there was no point. With his lame legs, he could never aimed them accurately. So now he had to wait until his fingernails grew back, which surprisingly didn't take too long before he had another set. Johnny chalked it up as a side effect from his Stand. Yet he wished they grew back a little faster. After all, since he was going to be taking the entrance exam into U.A. in seven months, it was best to prepared for anything.
With a small jerk of the reins, Johnny turned Slow Dancer to his final obstacle for the day: a small little ragdoll with a big spikey head and big stylish words that read "Villain!" across its body. Raising his pinky, the American took aim at the little figure that sat on a small stool in the middle of the pen. Narrowing his eyes, Johnny waited till he lined up perfectly with his target as Tusk floated right up next to his neck.
With one final breath, Johnny fired the nail-bullet, watching as it sailed towards the ragdoll. The villain's head was torn off its shoulders as soon as the nail made contact before falling to the floor with a soft thump.
"Nice shot, Johnny," Gyro said from his spot on a nearby fence, "you were able to take down the big bad villain with ease. Though I think he is going to have one hell of a splitting headache by the time he wakes up."
"Oh wow, that was an incredibly funny joke, Gyro," Johnny said sarcastically as he slowed his horse to a walk.
"Nyo Ho! Thanks Johnny. I been thinking about it for a while now." He let out another laugh as his grills shined brightly in the sunlight, causing the American to give him a blank look. "At any rate, you're going to have work on your aim. I don't think that the heroes and staff at U.A. would appreciate it if you took off someone's head while you're out on the job."
"Hmph. It's not like I'm intentionally trying to kill someone, Gyro." Yet the Italian had a point. He needed to get better otherwise he would be kicked out of U.A. before he even stepped through its door. "It's not like riding and aiming at the same time make it easy for me to focus."
"You'll get the hang of it sooner or later. Besides we still have seven months before the entrance exam begins. At any rate, I think we'll call it a day."
"What? We haven't gotten to Spin training yet."
"I got an appointment today to finalize some of the requirements for U.A., didn't I tell you that?"
"First I heard of it…" Johnny grumbled as he used the spin to carefully dismount from his horse the way Gyro had taught him.
"Well I'm telling you now." Gyro pushed the light-brown haired youth's wheelchair over to him. "I need to get to this meeting in order to secure us a… advantage so to speak when we take the exam." Johnny gave his friend a raised eyebrow, but the Italian waved him off. "I'll explain later. If everything goes smoothly, we'll definitely be passing the exam with flying colors."
"But I want to practice more until I have total mastery…" Johnny said as he got into wheelchair, Tusk once more phasing into his body. "You haven't taught me anything since that accident months back."
"Hmph. I thought you would figure out the next lesson on your own, but apparently you haven't practice that much on your off time, have you?"
"I have, but every time I spin the cork you gave me, I lose control of it too quickly."
"Well since you're so determined to get your training for the day, then I'll give you some homework." The Italian jockey then pulled out a simple blue marble with a yellow star painted on its center and a bottle of water before handing them to Johnny. "Lesson three is 'Believe in the Spin'. You were able to touch the Spin's potential before, but now it is time for you for you to truly put your all into the Spin." The cripple gave him a confused cock of the head, but Gyro continued on with what he had to say. "You're on the cusp of learning lesson three without my help, but you lack the right amount of self-confidence. You need to believe that you can spin anything otherwise it will continue to escape your control.
"You technically did it already with your Stand." Johnny blinked at that before looking down at his hand, specifically his fingernails that were almost all grown back. "You've got the image of spinning down in your head, now you just got to believe in the spin. The power of rotation is limitless. Trust in that!" Gyro then pointed to the marble and bottle of water he handed Johnny. "Believe in the spin and make the marble to rotate continuously in your hand while having the water spin until it unscrews the bottle cap that is containing it. Now, let's see you give it a shot before I go!"
Johnny looked down at the marble in his hand for a moment before taking a deep breath and started to form the image of the Spin in his head. But this time he used a different image than before. While the other was of a ballet dance dancing in the air, this image was one of his nails spinning to the power of a blue hurricane provided by Tusk. If what Gyro said about his Stand was true, then maybe, just maybe it would work with….
Suddenly the marble started to twitch to life before spinning intensely in the palm of his hand. Yet unlike with the cork, it didn't bounce around. It remained in the same position continuously as the seconds dragged on. "I did it..." Johnny said as he looked up to Gyro, a grin forming on his lips. "Gyro, I did—!" He was then smacked in the forehead by the marble as soon it left his sight.
"Yes you did, Johnny, but the trick is to keep that concentration. Nyohoho!" Gyro laughed as the crippled youth rubbed the spot where he had been hit. "You got lesson three down, but it's going to take some time before you can give the Spin a second thought and still have the marble rotate. Sooner or later, it will be easy as breathing fresh air, but until then, you got seven months to practice." The Italian then pulled down his hat before turning to leave. "Anyway, I got to head out or I'll be late. Keep on practicing, Johnny, and you'll master the spin in no time!" With that said, the blonde youth left his pupil alone in the ranch. With nothing else keeping him at the ranch, Johnny decided to head into Musutafu and practice the Spin some more. After he handed Slow Dancer to the hands in the ranch's employ, Johnny headed into the city.
As always, Musutafu seemed to be abuzz with activity as everyone went about their business. Thankfully it seemed like it was one of those few peaceful days where no villain was trying to cause trouble. Though perhaps that was due to All Might's incredible heroics he displayed to the city a few months prior with the sludge monster.
Johnny, however, barely paid any attention to how peaceful it was as his concentration was directed to the water bottle in his hand. Like the marble, the American was able to get the liquid to spin properly, but getting it to unscrew the bottle cap was a bit more difficult, especially with all the distractions that the city provided. Yet he was determined to increase his control over the Spin one way or another.
A bead of sweat started to form on his brow, his eyes gazing intensely at the water bottle as he sat in the middle of a trail in the city's public park. It had been a couple of hours since he left the ranch and his stomach was starting to growl at him, but he paid it no heed. He could feel that he was close to success and he wasn't going to let anything distracted him until he achieved his goal.
The water became like a vortex within its container, swirling slowly upwards towards the cap, but still didn't have enough power to remove the seal. Licking his lips, the American concentrated on the image of Tusk's blue tornado in his mind and the bottle shook more fiercely. The plastic expanded under the pressure, but it didn't yield. Yet Johnny could sense that he was getting closer. Just a bit more and then—
Suddenly Johnny let out a grunt as something rammed into him, causing the bottle of water to slip from his grasp and nearly causing the youth to fall over. "O-Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" a familiar voice said next to him, causing the American to blink as turned to see Midoriya, dressed in gym clothes and have a sheen of sweat dripping down his face. Yet he wasn't alone as a really skinny, almost skeletal, man, with sunken-looking eyes and having wild blonde hair, stood beside the curly youth with an electronic scooter close at hand. "I wasn't paying attention. I hope I didn't cause you… Johnny?" Midoriya blinked as he finally realized just who he ran into.
"…Hello Midoriya," Johnny greeted the middle schooler with a deadpan expression. "Didn't think we run into each other again."
A flush formed on the fanboy's cheeks as he scratched the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah, sorry about that." He then bent down and picked up the water bottle before the American could even lean down to grab it. "Here, it's the least I can do for running into you."
"…Thanks…" Johnny said reluctantly as he took the bottle into his hands. An awkward silence started to fill the air as a breeze brushed by, carrying a few fallen leafs that danced in the air.
"So… How are you doing? I haven't seen you since the… accident."
"I'm doing rather well, all things considered…" He patted his lame legs, causing Midoriya to flinch slightly as he realized that he may have treaded grounds that he shouldn't have. "By the way, I didn't think you needed to lose any weight."
"Huh?"
"Isn't that why you're in a gym clothes and have a trainer?" Johnny crooked a thumb over to the skeletal man, who was patiently waiting beside the scrawny youth. "Though I have say, you could have picked a better coach than someone who looks like they would make a good extra in a horror movie."
"H-Hey, I'll have you know that I'm doing rather well for my age, young man!" the sunken-eyed man exclaimed as pointed to his boney body.
"…I can clearly see that," The crippled said dryly as he gave the man a blank look.
"Hahaha! I may not look it, but I'm more than capable with training young Midoriya here." There was no hint of sarcasm in the laugh, which surprised Johnny as he would have thought that the man would make a snide comment about him. "By the way, you and young Midoriya know each other, correct? May I ask what your name is?"
"Isn't it rude to ask someone's name before giving your own?"
The skeletal man looked taken back for a moment before he bowed his head in apology, again surprising the American with how sincere the gesture seemed. "Oh, you're right. My apologies, young man. My name is—."
"H-He's my trainer for preparing me U.A.'s entrance exam," Midoriya cut in, causing both the skeletal man and the American to blink as the curly haired youth turned to the former. "This is Johnny Joestar, the one I told you about a few months ago."
"Ah! So you're the one that young Midoriya speaks highly about."
"I guess…" Johnny said as he turned to eye the fanboy suspiciously. "Though I have no idea why."
"I-It's because what you said before, about wanting to ride again and becoming a hero…" Midoriya said as a flush once more formed on his face. "I told him how you were like me, Quirkless, but so determined to learn that weird power from Gyro and… well… It sorta inspired me to continue on with my dream when I felt like giving up. So I have to thank you for that." He then bowed to the crippled youth, who looked surprised by the gesture.
Johnny didn't know what to make of Midoriya's admission. Like before, the curly haired youth hadn't shown anything other than sincerity in his words. In all honesty, the American didn't know how to react.
"Um… Speaking of which, and I don't mean to pry, but did you manage to get Gyro to teach you his technique? I'm just curious seeing that the entrance exam is in seven months and…"
Before Midoriya could finish his sentence, the crippled youth pulled out the marble Gyro had given to him before causing it spin his hand. Both the curly haired youth's and his All Might's eyes went wide as the little sphere continued to rotate within Johnny's palm.
"This is… the Spin!" The blonde haired man said, earning him inquisitive looks from the American and his pupil.
"You know about it?" asked Johnny.
"I have, though I thought that the technique was only taught in certain parts of Italy…"
"That's incredible, Johnny." Midoriya congratulated the crippled youth. "Now you have a chance with passing the entrance exam and becoming a hero at U.A."
"It's still be difficult, especially for someone of your condition…" the skeletal man agreed as he stroked his chin, not noticing the glare that Johnny was giving him as he put away the marble. "But perhaps if you refined that power, then I'm sure you can—." Once again All Might was cut off before he could finish what he had to say, but unlike before it wasn't Midoriya who stopped him.
Phasing out of Johnny's left arm was Tusk, causing the fanboy's and the skeletal man's mouths to drop open as the little purple elephant floated over to Midoriya. "Chumin~in!" it chimed as it proceeded to examine the green highlights of the boy's hair.
"W-What… What the heck is this thing?!" Midoriya said he leaned his head back, but the strange looking creature continue to float towards him, intent on finishing its examination.
"You also have a Stand?!" All Might asked as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. How did this kid get a stand?! From what Midoriya had told him, he didn't have this power when he was attacked months ago.
"You know about that too?" asked Johnny. Just who the heck was this guy anyway?
"I've seen a couple Stands before during my travels around the world, young man." All Might explained discretely as his pupil tried to carefully push Tusk away from his face. "There are so few and rare that I didn't think to find one here of all places… Young man, how did you acquire this power?"
"You can say I was nearly killed for what I went through to get it, though I could have done without some fat jackass trying stick a knife in me…"
"Wait… You were attacked again?!" Midoriya exclaimed as he disregarded Tusk and stared at the American before him.
Once again, Johnny was taken back by the genuine concern that laced the fanboy's tone. Just why did he care? Was it because he was like him? No, that wasn't it. If that was the case, Midoriya would never have come to save him in the first place since he didn't know he was Quirkless at the time. "…Yeah, but I was able to handle the fat bastard who attacked me after I got Tusk." He gestured to the mini elephant that now floated over to All Might, examining his sunken eyes with great interest. "Don't worry about it. In the end, I got the power I need to take the U.A. entrance exam."
Midoriya's face twisted for a moment as he wanted to say more, but the American's expression told him that he didn't want to purse the topic any further. "W-Well, I'm happy for you, Johnny. I'm sure you'll pass the entrance exam and become a hero in no time."
The cripple gave the curly haired boy a blank look, which started to make Midoriya uncomfortable as the seconds dragged on. "…I'm not becoming a hero because I want to, Midoriya. The only reason why I'm doing this is because it will help me gain what I lost." Johnny said as patted his legs as the fanboy flinched in surprise. "Other than being Quirkless, I'm not like you… I'm just a useless person… I don't admire heroes like you do and I'll be surprised if I will be called one by end of this, but as long as I get my legs back, then I'm willing to go that far…" As he said those last words, a flame appeared in Johnny's eyes. A dark burning fire that told both the fanboy and the Symbol of Peace that he meant every word he said.
The American then put away the bottle of water as Tusk returned into his body with a sad chime. Both Midoriya and All Might stared at the crippled youth as he started to wheel himself away from the duo. For the young curly haired boy, he felt more than a little shocked by Johnny's words, but at the same he felt a sense of compassion for him. He didn't know what it was like to be a cripple, but he could only imagine how emotionally painful it must be in the light-brown haired youth's condition. For a moment, he felt compelled to say something, anything that could help Johnny out.
Yet before Midoriya could utter a single syllable, the American stopped himself before turning his head his back. "Having said all that… I will say good luck to you on the entrance exam, Midoriya…" With that, Johnny faced forward once more and started to head down the path.
"….I-I'm not strong enough!" Johnny blinked as he turned his back once more to see the curly haired boy staring at him. "Not yet anyway… But I will be…. I will obtain my own Quirk in time for the entrance exam. And when I do… I'll pass the exam with you!" The fanboy's declaration caught both the cripple and All Might off guard, which was understandable for the latter as he frantically looked back and forth between his pupil and Johnny. As for the young American, he didn't say a word. He simply stared at Midoriya, who returned the gaze with one filled with determination and resolve.
"…I look forward to it." There was no question on what he meant nor inquisitive expression on his face, just simple acknowledgement from one Quirkless boy to another. "See you at the entrance exam…" Without another word, the crippled youth left the two alone in the park.
"What the heck, young Midoriya?!" All Might demanded from his pupil as soon as he was sure that Johnny was out of earshot. "You know that the details about One For All have to be kept a secret."
"I'm sorry, All Might… but I couldn't just let Johnny leave without saying something," said Midoriya as he couldn't meet his idol's gaze. "The things he said… I didn't want him to think that he was alone with trying to get into U.A."
All Might was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "That boy probably has a lot weighing down him, young Midoriya, but I can see the fire in his eyes. He doesn't seem like the type to simply walk away from a challenge without a fight. If he can master his Stand and the Spin, then I know he'll pass the exam. Just as I know that you will too when you inherit One For All."
The young curly haired boy blinked at All Might. "T-Thank you for your confidence, All Might. I won't let you down!" Suddenly a thought occurred to him as he tilted his head to the side. "By the way… What are Stands, anyway? I don't think I heard of them before."
The Symbol of Peace let out laugh before slapping his student on the back. "Heh, well you can say they are like Quirks, but you'll learn more about them in U.A. Trust me on that. For now, let's just be glad that young Joestar didn't seem to figure out about my Quirk and move on with your training. There is plenty light left in the day so let's get your muscles pumping!" The skeletal man then jumped onto his electronic scooter before speeding up the trail.
Midoriya hesitated for a moment before scrambling to chase after his hero. Though he did look back once in the direction the crippled youth went.
Sitting in the living room of his apartment, Johnny stared intensely at the bottle in his hands, the water swirling intensely within its plastic container. He was close to getting the cap off. Just a bit more and…
Suddenly the plastic gave a hissing crack as the pressure became too much. With a pop, the cap flew off the plastic bottle as a torrent of water gushed out. A flat look appeared on the American's face as his clothes were utterly drenched in water. "Lesson three, huh?" he said to himself as he put down the now topless bottle. "Well done, Gyro, your lesson worked like a charm. Though you could have warned me of the results…" Grumbling to himself, Johnny started to wheel himself around, looking for anything that would help him dry off. Yet at the same time, he couldn't help a sense of victory to well up in side of him as he completed his homework. Now all he needed to do was refine it like with Tusk and then he'll be ready for the entrance exam.
Seven months quickly came and passed by, with them the changing of seasons took hold all over the country. Summer gave way to fall before that too gave way to the chill of winter. Though there was no snow in Musutafu, as of yet anyway, plenty of people wore thick clothing to keep the cold away. Despite the sudden drop of temperature, however, the mood around the city was optimistic and excited. Particularly since nearly everyone knew that a very special event was happening today. Once more it was time for U.A.'s entrance exam and everyone couldn't wait to see who would join the prestigious school, or in some cases, whether they will survive the trials that the exam held.
Already lines of students from all over the country, and that of the world, were forming around the entrance to U.A.'s examination site. Yet they quickly flittered into the building with eager zeal, though some took their time as nervousness and anxiety gripped at their beings. Others, however, were scoping out the competition. After all, only the best could make into U.A. and it was smart to make sure to know who you were dealing with.
As for Johnny and Gyro, they stood just outside the exam grounds as they stared at the building in front of them, both of them dressed in warm clothing like the other students present. The Italian gave an impressed whistle as he stared at the impressive architecture and statues of previous U.A. alumni that led up to the front door. "Damn, they spared no expensive with the décor," said the blonde haired jockey.
Johnny didn't say a thing, but he had to agree that it wasn't half bad. Though he couldn't appreciate it as much when he felt eyes staring at him. All around him, the applicants gave him curious looks as they wondered why a paraplegic was at an exam for heroes-in-training. Yet they quickly went about their business when the cripple gave them all a chilling glare. "Hmph. Let's get this over with," said Johnny as he tried to wheel himself forward, but was stopped by Gyro.
"What's the rush, Johnny?" The Italian said as he grinned at his pupil. "We finally made it here after months of grueling training. Why not enjoy ourselves for a bit?"
"And what do you suppose we do while the line for registration starts to pile up?" Johnny asked sarcastically. "Tell a few jokes? Sing a song? Or play a game of 'I Spy'?"
"Well, I was going to go with your first suggestion, but now that you mentioned it, I could go for a game of 'I Spy' right about now." Johnny gave his mentor a blank look, though he was inwardly cursing how he set himself up for that.
"Tch, fine. Just one game and then we go in."
"That's the spirit, Johnny!" Gyro grinned, his grills shining brightly under the sunlight. "Now let's see… I spy with my little eye… some that is—UFFF!" Before he could finish what he had to say, a student with wild blonde hair boy bumped into him, nearly knocking his hat off his head. "Hey, watch where you're going!"
Yet the boy didn't really pay much attention to the Italian, only giving him a mere glance before heading on forward towards the building.
"What's his problem…" muttered Gyro as he fixed the position of his hat.
"Who knows…" answered Johnny, though he was thankful that he didn't have play that stupid game now.
"Move aside, Deku!" an angry voice yelled throughout the exam ground's courtyard. Both horse racers blinked as turned to see the wild-looking blonde yelling at someone they were quite familiar with.
"Hey, isn't that the kid that I saved alongside you months back?" Gyro asked as he scratched his square-like sideburns.
It was indeed Midoriya, though Johnny wondered why the blonde called him "Deku". Perhaps he was a childhood friend of some kind, but after hearing the anger in his tone, that probably wasn't the case.
"Kacchan!" Midoriya said as he turned to meet the angry looking youth.
"Get out of my way or you're dead." Definitely not a childhood friend thought the American. The youth now identified as "Kacchan" then strode past the curly haired boy before he could utter an apology or even a simple good morning.
"Man, that guy seems like a bucket of fun," commented Gyro, as Midoriya tried to follow after the blonde only to trip, but was saved by a brown haired girl who used what appeared to be a gravity-based Quirk.
"Hey, isn't that the kid from the 'sludge monster' incident? Bakugo, right?" A young girl applicant said to her from beside the two horse racers, causing them to both blink.
"Bakugo?" Gyro scratched his chin as he tilted his head to the side. "Isn't the kid that was held hostage a while back?"
"I think so…" answered Johnny.
"If that is the case then no wonder he looks so angry." The American gave his mentor a raised eyebrow while the Italian merely grinned. "The sludge monster must have left such a terrible impression on him that he can only make a face like this." Gyro then stuck two fingers into his mouth before pulling his lips down into a frown while furrowing his eyebrows. He tried to make his look a mix between angry and scary, but to Johnny it came off like someone trying to imitate a clown. Really, really badly.
"Hahaha, Gyro that is so hilarious," sarcastically said the cripple, giving the Italian a dry laugh.
"You really think so? It's an original gag I just thought of." Gyro gave a pleased grin while Johnny continued to state at him blankly. Was he playing with him or was he that oblivious to sarcasm? Though with the way he enjoyed his own jokes… it was probably the latter.
"Excuse me," a sudden voice said behind the two foreigners, causing them to turn to see a dark-blue haired boy who wore glasses and a clean-looking school uniform. His gaze, however, looked rather severe as he directed his gaze to the Johnny. "Forgive me for butting in, but are you here to watch the hero exams?"
"What's it to you?" asked Johnny, eyeing the boy suspiciously.
"Well, this is a prestigious exam to get into top hero academy in the world. It's not just some side show for anyone to come and watch as it distracts applicants from focusing on the goal at hand."
"Hmph, then I suggest you don't bother me then. Don't want me to lose focus now, do we? " Johnny sneered, causing the strict boy's eyes to go wide.
"Wait, you're going to participating in the exam?" As soon the words left his lips, several other applicants, who overheard the conversation, stared at Johnny in disbelief. "Surely you can't be serious. For someone of your condition, you'll get hurt or worse in the physical portion of the test. Furthermore, it would interfere with everyone who wish to apply—!"
"What the hell is your problem?!" Johnny asked angrily, practically seething at this point. "Who the hell do you think you are?! What gives you the right to decide that I can't participate in something when you don't even know me or what I can do?!"
Yet before the fuming youth could say anything further, a firm grip clasp onto his shoulder. Johnny looked up and saw Gyro, his hat pulled down low, causing the shade to cover his eyes as a blank expression covered his face. "Come on, Johnny, he's not worth it." He said. "Besides, the line for the registration just cleared up. Let's not stick around here any longer."
The American stared at his friend for a moment before he clicked his tongue as he looked away. "Hmph, fine. I was done talking to this asshole anyway." With that said, Johnny whipped his wheelchair around and started to head towards the entrance with Gyro.
As for Tenya Ida, he was utterly confused by the cripple's behavior. He thought that he could remove a possible hindrance to the exam, while preventing a young paraplegic from doing something he would later regret, thus fulling his role as a model applicant and as a prelude for U.A., but he didn't expect this much anger from him. Well, he did expect a little bit of it, but not to the point where he could practically feel the rage in the American's voice.
Suddenly his wristwatch started to beep, causing Ida's eyes to widen as he realized that he was going to be late at this rate. Dashing all other thoughts out of his head, the dark-blue haired youth sped to the registration center and prepared himself for the exam. Yet at the back of his mind, he hoped that the cripple would at least heed his advice and go home before he got hurt.
"Welcome to today's live performance!" a loud, excited voice echoed out throughout the auditorium that held all the applicants for the entrance exam. Standing in the center of a stage was a tall man with long, spikey blonde hair, which resembled feathers that stood on the head of an exotic bird, and had a small waxed mustache across his upper lip. He wore headphones with the word "HAGE" written on its headband while sunglasses hid his eyes. Covering his neck was what looked like a custom stereo, complete with buttons and a cassette tape player, while somehow allowing the man to move his head freely. As for the rest of his clothes, they were simple black leather biker gear that would've fit in a Mad Max movie. An enthusiastic smile was plastered across his lips as he addressed the applicants. "Everybody say 'Hey'!"
Silence met the man even as he cupped a hand to his ear as if he were expecting rousing cheers at any second.
"Well, that's cool, my examinee listeners! I'm here to present the guidelines of your practical! Are you ready?! YEAHH!"
"Can he get any louder?" Johnny quietly muttered out as he covered his ears while silence once more met the energetic speaker. "It's not like we can't go deaf if are eardrums burst…"
"Oh, I don't know, I find it rather inspiring," said Gyro as he sat beside his pupil. "Gets me pumped up for the exam."
The cripple gazed at him blankly. "Then why aren't you joining in with the hundreds of cheers?" He then waved a hand around to the still silent and packed crowd of applicants around him.
"Now Johnny, don't tell me you haven't heard that while speech is silver, silence is golden. Nyo ho!"
The American let out a snort, but understood what the Italian meant. It was best not to distinguish yourself too much in front of so many potential rivals. As the annoying loud Voice Hero, Present Mic, started to explain the basics of the practical portion of the exam—such as where it would be located, how long it would take, how applicants were decided into what group, etc.—Johnny noticed Midoriya, who was not too far where he and Gyro sat, muttering to himself excitedly.
Yet what really surprised the crippled youth was seeing Bakugo sitting by the fanboy. "I thought both of them would stay far away from each other…" he thought silently to himself. However he was pulled away from his thoughts when the projector behind Present Mic suddenly turned on and displayed something rather familiar to not only to him, but to everyone else in the room. "Super Mario Bros.? Really?"
Indeed it was the famous Italian plumber as he, and his famous enemies—Goombas, Koopas, and Piranha Plants—were used to show how the point system worked in the exam. He knew that Mario was super popular all around the world, especially in Japan, but he never thought that U.A. would get the rights to use his likeness, and that of the other characters, for something like this. Guess it goes to show how something really popular can transcend basically every media and improve it, even for something as menial as an orientation.
"May I ask a question?!" asked a stern voice, causing Johnny to blink as he instantly recognized it. Turning his head, the American saw the strict, dark-blue haired boy from earlier stand up as he held one of the orientation handouts in his left hand. "There appear to be no fewer than four varieties of faux villains on this handout! Such a blatant error, if it is one, is highly unbecoming for U.A., Japan's top academy! We're all here today in hopes of being molded into model heroes!"
"Does this guy ever stop talking like he has a stick up his ass?" Johnny darkly muttered as Gyro snickered beside him. Seriously, this guy could test the patience of stone with how stuck up he sounded.
"And, you, the curly hair!" The glasses wearing boy then turned around and pointed straight at Midoriya, startling not only him, but everyone else in the room. "You've been muttering this whole time… it's distracting! If this is some sort of game to you, then please leave immediately!" The other applicants started to snicker and chuckle at the black and green haired boy for being called out, who now covered his mouth and looked down in shame.
"You know what else is distracting?" Everyone blinked as they turned towards Johnny, a hand under his chin as he glared down at the dark-blue haired boy. "People who interrupt a presentation and waste everyone's time by ranting to others over mundane things. Really shows how much of a model hero they are." Silence filled the room as Ida looked like he just got slapped in the face while the American continued to stare icily at him.
Meanwhile, Midoriya looked up in surprise at Johnny before a look of gratitude crossed his face. Yet the cripple wasn't doing this for him. He was just tired of this asshole's haughty and severe attitude. Plus he meant what he said, the kid was wasting everyone's time with his ranting.
"Alright, alright," said Present Mic as he soothed the American before turning to face Ida. "Examinee Seven-One-One-One, nice catch. Thanks! But the fourth faux variety gets you zero points! He's more of an obstacle."
"Seriously, that guy would have known all this if he finished reading the rest of the handout," silently thought Johnny as he briefly he looked down at his own sheet of paper.
"Have you ever played 'Super Mario Brothers'? It's kind of like a Thwomp. Only one at each exam site! A gimmickthat'll rampage around in close quarters!"
"Got it…" said Ida as he turned his gaze back to Present Mic. "So it's like a stage gimmick to be avoided. Thank you sir, I apologize for the interruption." He then bowed respectfully to the teacher before turning back to Johnny. "I also must apologize to you for my behavior. Forgive me for disrupting the orientation with my… rant." He then bowed to him before taking his seat.
Johnny merely gave a scoff as he continued to rest his chin on the palm of his hand while Present Mic wrapped up the orientation. "That's all from me! I'll leave my listeners with our school motto. The great hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said 'True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life'. PLUS ULTRA! That is our creed here at U.A. Now go out there and break a leg, everyone!"
"Okay, this is just ridiculous…" said Johnny, now dressed in his gym clothes—a slimmer version of his regular clothes, only having a star-pattern for his shirt rather than stripes—as he stared up at the huge buildings that covered his testing location. After orientation, all the applicants were separated into their respective groups before being allowed a moment to get dressed into their battle clothing and then bussed to their practical exam sites. Yet none of them were prepared that they would be actually testing in a whole city. "And there more of these all around the grounds? Just how the hell does the school pay for this anyway?" Gyro would probably made an unbearably bad joke or pun about this, but thankfully the Italian was assigned to a different group. Though that also meant Johnny wouldn't get any help from the jockey once the exam began.
"I don't know, but this is super awesome!" A spikey red haired boy exclaimed beside the American. "This is great, I can finally show off how manly I am!"
"You do that…"
"Hey, why is there a horse here?" asked one of the young applicants. This caused everyone to blink before turning to see Slow Dancer standing patiently near the exam's entrance with a short man holding his reins. They all started to chatter to themselves, but stopped when they noticed Johnny wheeling himself over to the appaloosa.
"H-Hey, keep back! You'll get hurt!" a muscular boy in a sleeveless shirt warned the cripple, other applicants also voicing their concern, some were even walked over to try to stop him.
Yet they all hesitated as Johnny quickly got off his wheelchair before performing his horse trick with Slow Dancer. With incredible grace, the light-brown haired youth rose through the air before rolling into his saddle with ease. He didn't say a thing as he carefully secured his feet into the special stirrups made for his custom saddle while ignoring the stunned expressions of his fellow applicants.
Suddenly clapping filled the air, causing Johnny to blink as he turned to see a brown haired girl, the same one who helped Midoriya earlier, applauding him. "That was really cool!" she said as he continued to clap excitedly. Soon enough a few other students hesitantly joined in with her, Midoriya included, but others had a very different response.
"Wait a minute, isn't having a horse here against the rules?" a boy with a cone-shaped hair style demanded. "Doesn't seem fair if you ask me…" Others muttered in agreement as it felt like the foreigner was cheating a bit.
"The rules state that I can bring along anything I wanted for this exam," said Johnny as he glared down at the boy. "That includes having my horse here to help me move around. If you got a problem with it, go complain about it somewhere else and leave me be." While the American was technically right, the truth was that Gyro had to go get special permission months in advance for U.A. to allow their horses to be part of the exam. Though how the Italian got them to agree in the first place was a mystery to Johnny, but at the same time he didn't care. As long it helped him get passed the exam, then everything would work out in the end.
"I see… if that is the case then I see no reason why the horse shouldn't be here," Ida declared loudly to everyone present. "If it doesn't interfere with everyone, then I'm perfectly fine with it."
Johnny's only response was a snort before grabbing the reins that the short horse handler offered to him. "Good luck, Mister Joestar," The little man said respectfully before leaving to watch the exam from a safe distance.
"And… begin!" exclaimed Present Mic, his voice echoing loudly across all the testing sites. This caused everyone to blink before looking up to see that the gates to the fake city opening up. "What's wrong? The test's started! Run! RUN! The die is cast!"
Before anyone could even twitch, Slow Dancer burst into a run, speeding through the gate and leaving everyone in the dust. The others applicants hesitated for a second before they too quickly chased after the American. Bringing up the rear was Midoriya, panicking slightly as he tried to keep up with the pack, but a determined look soon crossed his face. He, like everyone else, was going to give it their all and show U.A. that they were worthy to be in the greatest hero school in the world.
Slow Dancer continued to run through the empty of streets of the testing facility while her owner kept a wary eye out for any of the faux villains. Johnny didn't know what to expect from the exam, yet Tusk already materialized over his shoulder as the American prepared himself for anything.
Suddenly something burst through a building, scattering debris everywhere as Slow Dancer let out a sharp whine as Johnny pulled her reins back. Rising up from its incredible display of power was a tall robot, having only one eye, a single tire for mobility, and lobster like claws that had the number "one" painted over them. Apparently these were the one-pointer variations of the faux villains.
"Target locked!" The hulking machine declared as it raised a claw towards Johnny. "Prepare for termin—ZZZZZRT!" Before it could finished its sentence, a nail-bullet slammed right into its eye. Sparks flew from the socket before two more tusks impaled themselves into its chest, causing the robot to fall backwards with a loud thud.
"One down," said Johnny as he soothed Slow Dancer with a soft pat to her neck. Apparently this type of robots were rather fragile. Perhaps things would go smoother than he originally suspected. Suddenly more explosions echoed throughout the fake city. The rest of the examinees finally started their own battles. "Let's get going." With a swift slap of his reins, the appaloosa once again rushed through the exam site.
More one-pointer robots continued to burst through empty buildings, blocking Johnny's path, but they were quickly dealt with as his nails slammed into their eyes one by one. If this had been months ago, Johnny would have missed half his shots by the time the forth robot showed up. Thankfully the training he endured made him used to moving targets, at least slow moving ones anyway, especially when Gyro started to improvise their training a bit. "Who knew that using toy trains and miniature planes would make excellent practice for accuracy," silently thought Johnny as he unloaded another bullet into a robot's head.
As Slow Dancer jumped over the broken body of a robot, the American soon found himself in one of the many open squares of the city with dozens of applicants and faux villains battling each other. With great tenacity, each youth destroyed their targets with their Quirks before moving onto another robot, some more quickly than others. Those who were too slow with finishing off their foes, however, had their points stolen by another applicant.
Johnny peered across the battlefield for a moment, before spotting his next prey, a two-pointer robot with three legs and a scorpion like tail. With a simple nudge from his owner, Slow Dancer charged forward as the cripple leaned forward, a star-patterned hand aimed at the carefully for the mechanic obstacle's head. Yet as soon as the bullet launched from his index finger, the robot leaned forward and narrowly dodged the attack before swirling towards the American.
Letting out a curse, Johnny maneuvered his horse to the side just as the robot's tail lunged forward, impaling the ground where they once were. Looking down at his hands, the youth noticed that he had four shots left while the others were already quickly growing back. Taking a deep breath, he leaned out of the saddle, just as a metallic leg swept for his head, before shooting at the robot's neck. One grazed the tougher plates that the two-pointer wore, but the other managed to find its mark, slicing through the softer joints that were made of wiring and rubber.
Black oil oozed out to the wound as if it were blood, but robot wasn't down for the count as it turned towards Johnny again, its tail posed to strike. Raising his right pinky, another nail flew forth from the little finger and straight into the joint that connected the tip of the tail to the rest of the appendage. With a sharp pop, the metal stinger flew off just as tail slammed into the ground, creating a dent in the square and just a few paces short from where Slow Dancer pranced about. As the now useless lump of metal fell the floor, the youth shot his last remaining nail-bullet at the faux villain's eye, but a metallic limb quickly deflected the shot into the floor, causing a small hole to appear into the concrete.
Letting out a curse, Johnny looked down at his hands again and noticed that his nails were still growing, nearly finished in fact. Grabbing his reins, the American danced Slow Dancer around the half destroyed robot, which slowly waved its limbs after the horse.
Suddenly something came crashing down onto the robotics head, causing scrap and wires to fly everywhere. Johnny blinked as he watched the spikey red haired boy from earlier rise up from the remains of the faux villain, an energetic smile stretched across his face. "Sorry for taking your kill, man, but you looked like you were in a bit of trouble. Are you alright?"
Johnny stared at the red head for a moment before raising a star-patterned hand, pointing it towards him. The boy blinked as two new nail-bullets shot past his head before embedding into two one-pointer robots behind him. "I'm perfectly fine, but thanks for the help anyway," Johnny said dryly as the faux villains dropped to the floor with a crashing thud.
Eijiro Kirishima's mouth hung open as he stared at the cripple for a moment before slowly it twisted into a smile. "Heh, talk about unmanly! I came to help you out and in the end I'm the one who needs saving." The red haired boy then blinked when he noticed Tusk floating above the American's shoulder. "What is that?" he asked curiously, but Johnny didn't answer as he wasn't in front of him anymore. Instead the crippled youth was already moving his horse to another faux villain, this time a three-pointer, which looked like a cross between a tank and turtle-like robot. Seeing this, Kirishima snapped out of his thoughts before jumping after him. "H-Hey, wait up! Let's crush this metal head together!"
"Such a wide battlefield and limited time brings out the best of them," said one of the exam proctors in the observation room that monitored all the testing facilities. "Intelligence gathers, mobility experts, decision makers and then there are the natural-born warriors… The abilities needed to preserve peace in our cities are judged by the points they earn."
"This year's quite the bumper crop, huh?" asked another teacher, his face covered in shadow by how poorly lit the room was.
"Nah, no way to know yet."
"Still, it is interesting to see something new every now and then," said the principal of U.A. as he sat next to All Might, staring up at the many monitors that barely lit the room. Specifically the ones that showed Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli. "Especially one who is a Stand user. Haven't seen one of those in a long while and he is able to hold his own despite his disabilities. And then there is the Spin master. I never would suspected one would come all the way to our humble establishment, but life is full of surprises… Speaking of which..." The little headmaster then nodded to the one who controlled all robots and other gimmicks of the exam. The teacher let out a grin before opening a glass case and pressed the shiny red button within…
"Aww, I wanted to get the kill!" Kirishima said as he finished crushing the turrets from the three-pointer's shoulder with a hardened fist.
"Well you should have been focusing on its eye than its shoulder then," Johnny quipped as he looked at his hands. Already he was down to three nails once again. Clicking his tongue, he turned to the red haired boy. "Besides, you're the one who was trying to steal my points."
"W-Well, I wasn't trying to do that intentionally, I was just trying to help out."
"Tch, I can handle myself. Go bother someone—!"
Before the young horse rider could finish his sentence, the ground suddenly shook, causing Slow Dancer to give a sharp whine as she tried to correct her footing. As Johnny tried to soothe his horse, all the applicants momentarily paused as the trembling grew more intense.
With a loud crash, a gigantic robot appeared out of nowhere, rising higher than any of the skyscrapers that made up the grounds, its huge metal hands casually grasping buildings left and right before crushing them with ease. As the titanic-sized robot slowly made its way through the city, most, if not all, of the applicants stared in disbelief at the hulking faux villain.
"That is the gimmick!?" exclaimed Johnny, he too couldn't believe was he was seeing. "You got to be kidding me! How does this school get away with this kind of crap?!"
Yet he wasn't the only panicking at the sight of the colossal robot. Many examinees started to flee down the street the American was on, brushing past his horse and some nearly pushing him out of his saddle in their panic. Feeling his own sense of dread and helplessness starting to rise up, Johnny started to turn Slow Dancer around, the horse obeying without a second thought as she too wanted to run away in terror.
Their escape, however, was interrupted when a giant metal fist slammed into the opening of the street. A powerful shockwave of air rushed through the street, knocking many applicants off their feet. Johnny would have been one of them if hadn't had a good grip on Slow Dancer's reins, yet even then the horse was now frantic, nearly knocking off her rider as she danced around madly.
Gritting his teeth, the cripple barely managed to get Slow Dancer under control as the dust started to settle down. Once it cleared, Johnny blinked when he saw a terrified Midoriya sitting not too far away from where he was. With tears forming in his eyes, the curly haired boy started to scramble to his feet and run in the opposite direction of the robot. "Damn, damn, damn!" exclaimed the youth as he stumbled a bit, not that Johnny could blame him. "I gotta run! Run, and somehow get some points…! Damn, I'm still at zero! This will be all for nothing!"
Despite the instinctual urge to flee as well, Johnny hesitated for a moment. Midoriya didn't gain a single point? That was harsh, but what could—
"Oww…" a sudden groan from behind caused both the cripple and the curly haired youth to blink before turning their heads around.
Laying down on the cracked pavement was the brown haired girl who helped Midoriya earlier, her right leg trapped under a small pile of rubble. She must have tripped when the giant robot slammed its fist down. There were other applicants who also fell down, of course, but they quickly got back up and started to run for their lives without a second thought or consideration that they were leaving behind a helpless girl. Her expression was one of pain as she tried to rise up as the metallic goliath raised yet another fist, looking to end the girl's life.
Before he could even process what was happening, something brushed past Johnny, barely giving him a moment to even blink.
It was Midoriya, flying high in the sky in one mighty leap that had the American dropping his jaw open.
Yet his disbelief only grew when he saw the curly haired youth's arm starting to bulge with muscle, ripping apart his sleeve, while strange glowing red lines started to cover nearly the entire appendage. The gigantic robot paused before looking up as the youth got closer to its head.
With a great mighty cry, Midoriya slammed his fisted into the hulking colossus's head, causing a powerful shockwave to echo throughout the exam site, catching everyone's attention. Like a rocket crashing into a feeble tin can, the robot's face was crushed before exploding apart as its body fell backwards.
There was no word that Johnny could describe about what he just saw, even as the rest of the massive robot fell into the street in one big, broken heap. "This is the power he was talking about?!" he asked out loud. The American was expecting something that might help secure Midoriya's place in U.A., but nothing like this! "This power is… incredible." He wasn't the only one who shared that thought as many were staring up in disbelief, their eyes glued to the now useless gimmick that once had them running around like frightened chickens.
Shocked as he was, Johnny suddenly noticed something very wrong. Falling through the air was Midoriya, his legs and right arm flapping around like they were part of a ragdoll. It was almost they were…
"They're broken…" The crippled youth's eyes widened as it became more and more apparent that the fanboy's limbs were indeed broke, even as Midoriya vomited midair. "You got be kidding! What kind of power has that kind of drawback?!" Frantically he looked around for anything that could help the curly haired youth. Maybe he could catch him just before—
"One minute and five seconds remaining!" Present Mic's voice echoed throughout the testing facility.
This caused all the applicants to blink before rushing to go destroy more faux villains and get as many points as they could. For his part, Johnny looked to where the examinees were heading before swirling back to Midoriya who was getting closer to becoming a bloody smear on the street. If he tried to save the fanboy, then there would be a possibility that he would fail the exam. However, if left to join the other applicants… then he would be dooming the curly haired youth.
Everything seemed to slow down for Johnny, his mind buzzing around frantically as he tried to figure out what was the best decision. Indecision slowly became more apparent on his face as he kept looking back and forth. Did he abandon Midoriya, someone who had saved his life, like his fans did to him? Or sacrifice him in order to regain the use of his legs?
Licking his lips, Johnny's eyes became hard, a dark flame burning within them, as he finally came to a decision as he gripped his reins and prepared to turn away. Yet he paused when he saw something from the corner of his eye.
Turning Slow Dancer around he saw the brown haired girl, now free from the rubble that trapped her legs, riding on one of the turrets from the faux villains as it floated upwards. With concentration written all over her face, the girl managed to slap Midoriya in the face just as he was fifty feet from the ground. Johnny blinked at the action, but soon noticed that the fanboy's descent was slowing down. Like a feather, Midoriya slowly fell to the ground with the girl soon following after him with the broken turret.
With a thud, they dropped the rest of the way once they reached ten feet, causing both applicants to let out grunts of pain, followed by retching sounds from the girl as she vomited out her lunch. Johnny, his face utterly expressionless, merely watched the two of them for a moment before noticing two flimsy pieces of scrap metal heading right for them. They weren't really large, but they big enough to crush the youths.
Taking a deep breath, the cripple raised a hand before firing the last of his nail-bullets. They quickly struck the frail pieces of metal and wire, ripping them apart before they scattered around the two youths, narrowly missing them. Midoriya blinked at what just happened, while the girl merely continued to release the contents of her upset stomach, before turning to face the American.
"Consider ourselves even," Johnny said simply, causing the curly haired youth to give him a puzzled look, as the consequences of his actions soon caught up with him.
"It's all… OVER!" Present Mic announced loudly to the examinees of all the testing sites, effectively ending the practical exam.
Johnny clicked his tongue angrily as he stared down at his hands, the nails already growing back into place. Despite his decision to leave earlier, he stayed and sacrificed what extra points he could get for the exam. Was the points he gathered enough for him to pass? He didn't know the answer and it infuriated him. Still, he managed to save both Midoriya's life as well the girl's, which in turn wiped away the debt he had to him. But now there was good chance that the both of them had failed the test, wasting away the months of training they performed.
"That was certainly incredible…" The American snapped out of his thought as he looked around and saw the other examinees coming back and circling around the now unconscious Midoriya. "Must have a strength-enhancing Quirk, but that was something else…"
"But with a Quirk like that… how'd this kid get to be such a scaredy-cat?" asked youth with foxlike features.
"Was it all an act to throw us off?" A boy with blonde hair inquired curiously.
"Can't see how it helped him though… Either way, he's something special."
While Johnny was disgusted with how casual the others were treating Midoriya after laughing at him earlier, and even now did nothing to see if he was alright, but he had to agree with some of their statements. The fanboy's power was simply incredible, but it appeared to have a severe drawback. How the boy got his new Quirk, he didn't know, but it was quite clear that to him that Midoriya still wasn't used to the sheer power that he now gained…
It had been a whole week since the exam for U.A. had ended and Johnny was currently sitting his room with a sealed envelope sat on his desk. After the practical portion of the exam, the American went through the written portion with less trouble than he originally thought he was going to encounter, though the math sections it had were rather annoying. By the end of it, the crippled youth was able to meet up with Gyro, who had smirk on his lips as he boasted about how many points he got before time ran out. However, he was unable to meet up with Midoriya. From what he had been told, the fanboy's injuries were pretty intense, despite being healed by the incredible Recovery Girl, the heart of U.A., to the point of being forced to take the written portion in the nurse's office.
Since then, Johnny had received no word from U.A. and for a moment the American thought that he failed the exam if they didn't bother sending him a message. That is until he received a letter from the prestigious school a few hours ago.
Johnny couldn't deny that he was feeling a bit nervous as doubts filled his mind. Was this a notification that he failed the test? It had to be, that's why they waited so long to send it, right? He had failed yet again to climb up from his current miserable status…
Slamming a fist on the table, the light-brown haired youth decided to end this worthless stalling and find out the truth. Grabbing ahold of the letter, Johnny ripped it open. Empting out its contents, the American blinked when he noticed a small circular device land on his desk along some official looking documents.
Suddenly the device came to life as an image appeared before the youth. "This is a projection!" exclaimed the prerecorded image of All Might, whom was dressed in a professional yellow suit and stood on a set that would have fit in a game show. Johnny blinked in surprise at seeing the Symbol of Peace, but he didn't say a thing as the recording continued to play. "I'm in town for one reason only. To teach at U.A.!" Now that surprised Johnny, but at the same time it made sense why All Might was in Musutafu in the first place.
"Ahem! Johnny Joestar, your score in the written portion was passable, but as for your practical portion… As you know that U.A.'s standards that anyone below the average point limit is deemed unqualified to be in our school."
"Here it comes…" silently thought Johnny as looked down, gritting his teeth in both anger and growing despair. He knew that his last second decision would cost him, but in the end he was sure had a enough points to—
"But that is not where our story ends!" The American blinked before looking back up in confusion. Giving his signature smile, All Might produced a remote from his suit before pointing it to a couple of monitors behind him. With a quick click, video footage of Johnny started to play, specifically the parts where the American saved not only the red haired boy, but also Midoriya and the girl with the gravity powers. "These people, these young examinees who were your rivals during the exam… you saved each of their lives even when it became apparent in the end that you would sacrifice some points in the process. Why am I showing this, you may ask? Well the answer is simple! This exam you see…. We weren't just watching for villain-based points!
"A hero course that rejects those who do the right thing is no hero course at all. Think this is all for the cameras?! The publicity!? Think what you want! In this job, you risk your life and put your money where your mouth is! Rescue points were also a very important factor here. Another fundamental way for U.A. to evaluate you. In short, you earned fifty points for your heroic efforts!" The muscular hero then pointed a finger at Johnny through the recording. "In the end, when you were conflicted on what to do, you made the right choice! You're in, Johnny Joestar!"
Johnny was utterly speechless as he couldn't believe what just happened. On the one hand, he felt duped by the academy for not mentioning the rescue points, despite it being the main role and ideal for heroes. Yet on the other and far more important hand, the cripple was relieved. All the fear and anxiety that was slowly building up over the last few days suddenly drained out of him.
"Before I end this video, I wanted to say something that you might be interested in hearing." Johnny perked up at that, turning his attention back to All Might's smiling face. "I heard from very reliable sources that you're friends with young Izuku Midoriya, correct? Well I some wonderful news then! Young Midoriya obtained sixty rescue points in his grand display during the exam. He too will be joining U.A. with you!" Suddenly one of the producer's hands appeared on screen, gesturing for the great hero to wrap up his speech. "Oh, right. Ahem! You're high school life will begin come this Spring, so be prepared for an exciting time, and of course have all the necessary paper work and costume designs ready a few weeks prior." All Might then gave the American a thumbs up. "Welcome to U.A., your hero academy, Johnny Joestar! I look forward to teaching you, and young Midoriya, come this spring!"
With that, the video ended and letting silence fill the room. "So Midoriya and I made it, huh?" Johnny mused out loud. Despite everything that had happened during the exam, the possibility of failure seemed all too high for the both them. Yet against all odds, all the criticism, prejudice, and pity, they achieved where others said they would fail. A victorious smile crossed his lips as he leaned back in his wheelchair, letting out a soft chuckle as he stared up at the ceiling. "I guess I'm going to become a hero after all."