Chapter 7: The Dark Room
The evaluation room deep within the sprawling complex of U.A. High School was entirely devoid of natural light. Instead, the cavernous space was illuminated by the harsh, cool glow of dozens of massive, high-definition monitors hovering in the air. These screens displayed every possible angle of the colossal replica cities used for the entrance exam. The air in the room hummed with the sound of powerful cooling fans and the quiet, intense murmurs of Japan's most elite Pro Heroes.
Sitting at the center of a long, curved desk was Principal Nezu, a highly intelligent creature bearing a striking resemblance to a fusion of a mouse, a dog, and a bear. He cheerfully sipped from a steaming porcelain teacup, his sharp, black eyes darting across the screens with processing speed that rivaled a supercomputer.
"An interesting crop of examinees this year, wouldn't you all agree?" Nezu commented, setting his teacup down with a delicate clink. "A fascinating display of raw power, certainly. But as we know, being a hero is about more than just causing localized earthquakes or generating explosions."
Standing in the shadows, leaning against the cold metallic wall with his arms crossed, was Shota Aizawa. He looked utterly exhausted, his dark eyes half-hidden behind messy, unkempt black hair and the thick white capture weapon coiled tightly around his neck. "Most of them are irrational. They rush in completely blind, relying on flashy Quirks without a shred of situational awareness. It's a waste of energy."
"Now, now, Eraser Head! Don't be so gloomy!" boomed a voice so loud and charismatic it seemed to physically shake the monitors. All Might, currently in his muscle-bound, towering hero form, stepped forward, his signature bright smile lighting up the dim room. "Youthful vigor is the first spark of heroism! Though, I must admit, navigating that chaos requires a certain tactical finesse."
"Speaking of tactical finesse..." a low, slightly muffled voice interrupted. The Pro Hero Snipe, dressed in his rugged cowboy attire and signature gas mask, leaned over the control console. He pressed a sequence of illuminated buttons, dragging a specific video feed from Battle Center B to the central, largest monitor.
"I've been keeping my eye on this one," Snipe said, tapping the screen.
The video feed showed a scrawny boy with a notably long nose, dressed in a faded, slightly too-small green tracksuit. He was perched precariously on a fire escape. The heroes watched as the boy zoomed his eyes—the microscopic adjustments visible even on camera—loaded a heavy hex nut into a makeshift slingshot fashioned from industrial elastic and robotic debris, and perfectly blinded a 3-Pointer robot from a hundred and twenty meters away.
"A homemade projectile weapon," Snipe noted, genuine respect coloring his tone. "He identified the microscopic weakness in the armor plating, calculated the wind resistance and the exact trajectory, and executed a perfect crippling shot. And he did it entirely with scavenged materials while under extreme psychological duress."
Aizawa narrowed his tired eyes, leaning slightly forward. "His Quirk registry simply says 'Telescopic and Microscopic Zoom'. It's an information-gathering Quirk. Completely non-combative. Yet, he secured twenty-eight villain points." Aizawa's mouth twitched into the faintest hint of an approving smirk. "He knows he's physically outmatched. He adapted. That's... rare."
"But wait, look at this!" All Might pointed a massive finger at the screen as the footage fast-forwarded to the final minutes of the exam. The colossal 0-Pointer emerged, casting a terrifying shadow over the street. The monitors showed the examinees fleeing in sheer panic. But then, the camera angle shifted, zooming in on the boy on the fire escape.
They watched the moment of hesitation. They saw the boy's knees physically shaking. They saw the absolute, unfiltered terror painted across his face. He wanted to run. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to flee.
And yet, he turned back.
The room went completely silent as they watched him calculate the trajectory of the falling concrete block. They watched him draw the thick elastic back until his knuckles turned white and the rubber began to tear. The sheer kinetic impact of his projectile striking the exposed steel beam, bending it just enough to deflect the crushing debris away from a trapped examinee, played out in high-definition slow motion.
"He couldn't shatter the rock," Nezu observed, his tone filled with quiet awe. "He didn't possess the sheer power. So, he changed the environment instead. A brilliant, split-second application of physics."
"He was terrified," All Might said softly, his booming voice dropping to a reverent whisper. "He had no power to fight that giant. He was trembling. But his body moved anyway to save a life. That, my friends, is the very essence of a hero."
Nezu smiled warmly, picking up a specialized remote control. He pressed a large red button, assigning a score to the boy's file. "Twenty-eight villain points. And for putting his own safety at risk to orchestrate a flawless, tactical rescue... thirty-five rescue points. A total of sixty-three points." Nezu took another sip of his tea. "Welcome to U.A., Usopp."
One week later, the oppressive, humid air of the Mustafu slums felt particularly heavy. Inside Usopp's cramped apartment, the only sound was the rhythmic ticking of a cheap plastic wall clock and the low hum of the street traffic outside.
Usopp was pacing back and forth across the faded tatami mat, chewing violently on his thumbnail. He had barely slept for seven days. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that giant metal foot crushing down toward him. He had checked the mail so many times that the hinges on their rusty metal mailbox were beginning to squeak in protest.
"Calm down, Captain," he muttered to himself, his heart hammering against his ribs. "You did your best. Even if you failed, you can always... work at the convenience store! Yes! The noble path of arranging rice balls!"
Suddenly, the front door slid open. His mother stood there, her hair slightly damp from the evening drizzle. In her hands, she held a thick, crisp, white envelope adorned with a red wax seal. The U.A. emblem was stamped proudly on the front.
She didn't say a word. She just extended her hand, her eyes wide.
Usopp stopped pacing. The air in the room seemed to freeze. He slowly walked over, his hands trembling so violently he could barely grasp the thick paper. He took it to his wobbly desk. He didn't even use a letter opener; he simply ripped the top off in a frantic, uncoordinated motion.
A small, metallic disc fell out of the envelope and clattered against the wooden surface.
"A... a coin?" Usopp whispered, leaning in closely. Whirrrrr-bzzt. His eyes zoomed in, inspecting the strange device.
Suddenly, the disc projected a blinding beam of light upward. Usopp yelped, stumbling backward and tripping over his own oversized slippers, landing hard on his back. A large, three-dimensional holographic projection flickered to life in the middle of their tiny living room.
"I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!"
All Might's massive, grinning face filled the small room, his booming voice practically vibrating the thin walls of the apartment. Usopp's mother gasped, covering her mouth with both hands in pure shock.
"Young Usopp!" the holographic All Might declared, pointing directly at the terrified boy on the floor. "You performed admirably on the written test! But the practical exam is where your true colors shined! You used your intellect, your profound visual prowess, and a remarkable amount of ingenuity to secure twenty-eight combat points!"
Usopp held his breath. Twenty-eight... is that enough? It doesn't sound like enough.
"But the U.A. entrance exam is not just about destroying villains!" All Might continued, the hologram shifting to show the footage of Usopp deflecting the falling concrete. "A hero protects! Even when terrified, even when lacking physical power, you stood your ground to save a fellow examinee. The judges awarded you thirty-five rescue points!"
The holographic projection of a scoreboard appeared, Usopp's name sitting proudly near the top of the middle tier.
"Sixty-three points! You have passed the exam, Young Usopp! Welcome... to your Hero Academia!"
The hologram fizzled and vanished, leaving the room in a stunned, absolute silence. Usopp sat on the floor, staring at the empty space where the number 63 had just been floating. His brain short-circuited. He had done it. Against all conceivable odds, the boy from the slums with camera eyes had actually done it.
A sudden weight hit him. His mother had dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. She was sobbing, completely overwhelmed by relief and pride.
"You did it, Usopp," she cried softly. "You really did it."
Usopp hugged her back, tears finally welling up in his own eyes. He looked over her shoulder at the ceiling, where a small water stain was beginning to form from the rain outside.
"Yeah, Mom," he whispered, a genuine, completely un-exaggerated smile forming on his face. "We're going to get that new refrigerator."