Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.

Shoutout to QuirkQuartz and 12AngryMen for making me fall in love with IzuMina. If you haven't already go check out their work.

"I hate studying." The middle schooler sighed as her head hit her desk, doing her best not to get her horns stuck in it this time. She had been staying up late every day after school to get in some extra lessons. There was only one week left until the entrance exams at Yuuei High, the most prestigious high school for future Heroes, and Mina Ashido's dream school.

Her phone chimed. She lifted her head off her desk, a piece of paper sticking to her forehead, and glanced in the phones' direction. It chimed again. Mina walked over to her phone and the paper drifted to the floor as she opened the texts.

Hey!

A bunch of us are going to the mall right now you in?

The seemingly undead girl had instantly been revived as she sent her reply.

I'll be there ASAP!

Okay, see you there!

"Finally! Something fun to do."

Practically jumping towards her closet, to get changed, she landed on the paper that previously decorated her face. She peeled the paper off her foot and stared at it. The Acid Quirk user had been doodling the Yuuei emblem all over it.

On second thought I need to keep on studying. Can we try again after the Yuuei exams?

Major bummer. Are you sure you can't play hooky just this one time?

I want to, but I want to get into Yuuei more. I miss hanging out with you guys.

We miss you too.

With another sigh, the pink-skinned girl slumped back down at her desk and drew in a deep breath. After exhaling she slapped her face with both her hands, one on each cheek, then picked up a pencil.

"Okay math, if that is your real name, you're going down."

"Dinner's ready!" Momma Ashido yelled from the kitchen.

"I'm studying!"

"Don't lie to your mother!" Her father added.

Mina's stomach started growling.

"I do deserve a little break, though. Math can wait… for now." She said narrowing her eyes trying her best to intimidate the homework. "Besides I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that you shouldn't study when you're hungry."

"Kirishima! Hey! Kirishima!" Mina yelled trying to get her friend to notice her.

It was the day of the famous Yuuei exam and her brain was fried after taking the written test. It took her a while to arrive at her assigned physical testing center. When she got closer to the entrance she saw a familiar face in the crowd. Eijiro Kirishima. The boy had black hair that was shoulder length. He glanced up at her and smiled wide showing off his pointed teeth. "Hey, Ashido! Didn't know you wanted to go here. You look… exhausted."

"Yeah, that test took a lot outta me, but I've been studying really hard, and I think I passed!"

"That's awesome! Now, all we have to do is beat up enough of these robots and we'll be-"

"Robots?" Questioned Mina.

"Weren't you listening to Present Mic's presentation?"

Mina closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her head as she confessed, "… I was so tired from the test I fell asleep."

"Of course, you did." He was teasing her but then his face and voice became more serious. "I was sizing up the competition before you got here. Some of them look pretty manly, but not as manly as me!" He pointed at himself with his thumb to his chest before adding," Except maybe…" The Hardening Quirk user gestured towards a boy that, at first glance, looked like he was just keeping to himself, but upon closer inspection, he was also examining the crowd of applicants. "…him."

The boy had explosively spiked ash blond hair, red eyes, and a look on his face that bore a resemblance to… well, boredom? Was he bored? "I dunno, doesn't seem like he even wants to be here."

"Not everyone expresses their emotions as openly as you do, Ashido. Besides, real men let their actions do all the talking. Once the fighting starts we'll see his true feelings!"

"I guess so, but-"

"AND… BEGIN!" Present Mic interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.

"Wait what?!"

"What's wrong? The test's started! Run! Run! The die is cast!

"IT'S ALL OVER!"

Present Mic signaled the end of the test. Mina collapsed on the floor completely fatigued. She had been doing so well before that zero-pointer appeared. "What the hell was that, Yuuei?" A few minutes passed until she caught her breath, stood up, and brushed herself off before looking for Kirishima. She needed to have a chat with her 'friend'. "Hey, buddy, why didn't you tell me there was going to be robots the size of freakin' skyscrapers?"

"I didn't know! We were told there would be four faux villains, but they never mentioned how big they would be. Just told us to ignore that one."

"Ignore? Ignore?! How could anybody ignore a moving building?"

"Treat it like an obstacle… I think he called it a thwomp? Said it was from some retro game." Kirishima remembered.

"A thwomp? The huge spiky blocks that fall out of the sky and try to squash everybody? And nobody figured out it would be a giant unbeatable robot? Has no one here ever played Super Mario Brothers?!"

"That's the game!" Kirishima said with a feeling of recollection. "I guess you're the only one here that has." He shrugged his shoulders. "By the way, good job getting those guys outta that 'giant unbeatable robot's' way."

"Oh, you saw that? Well, a little debris is no match for my acid!" Mina said as she flexed like a bodybuilder.

"That guy from earlier…" the Acid Quirk user was in the middle of kissing her biceps when Kirishima changed the subject. "…The one with blond hair and red eyes. He's fast and strong. Those faux villains never even slowed him down and everything he touched exploded. Sure, I took down my fair share, but honestly, I'm not sure if my hardening could withstand something like that."

"Between the two of you, there were hardly any villains for the rest of us. I hope I took down enough of them."

"Yuuei would be stupid to pass on a student like you, and I'm sure they graded us on more than just how many villains we could take down."

"Huh?" A look of bewilderment coming over the pink girl's face.

"The more I think about it the more it doesn't add up. Why throw in an invincible villain at us and tell us to avoid it? Were they watching to see how'd we react in an impossible situation? Test our resolve? Even that explosion guy kept his distance."

Mina stared blankly at Kirishima. "What the hell were they thinking?" She thought to herself.

"Even if someone was able to stop that behemoth Present Mic said it wouldn't count towards your score."

"Hmm? That's just silly! Who would even try-" A loud yelling cut her off. Both turned towards the source of the racket. It was a girl's voice, but she didn't see any girls around there. Mina squinted in the direction of the noise. There was a pair of empty socks and shoes on the ground and a phone floating around above them.

"Did I hear you right?! Someone beat one of those zero-pointers with a single punch?!"

Mina could not believe her ears. Was there actually an applicant that strong? Strength-enhancing quirks aren't rare by any means, but none of them are near that powerful, not even close. The curious Acid Quirk user walked briskly over towards the shoes and phone, followed by Eijiro. "Excuse me, talking phone? I hate to bother you-"

"Hold on someone is talking to me." The phone was lowered before the voice continued. "Yeah, what's up?"

Mina squatted down so that she was the same height as the phone. "Hello! My name is Mina Ashido!"

"I'm not a cell phone!"

"I dunno, you sure look like a cell phone to me."

"That's my phone."

"Whose phone?"

"Mine! Ugh."

"Mina? But you're not my phone." The pink-haired girl pulled out a cell phone and held it up. "This is my phone."

There was a moment of silence before the air filled with the sound of laughter. Mina couldn't resist and joined in on the chuckling. Then she felt a hugging sensation. "You're really funny, Mina. My name is Toru Hagakure, and my quirk makes me invisible."

"I figured that out already." She said while returning the hug. "Just thought I'd have some fun!" Mina grinned nefariously.

"So, you're a fellow prankster? I hope we both get into the same class. Just imagine the chaos!"

"Wait, if your quirk is just invisibility then how'd you handle those villains?"

"Ahem." Kirishima coughed making his presence known. "I'm Eijiro Kirishima and speaking of villains we overheard you saying that somebody actually stopped the big one with one hit?"

"I already forgot!" Mina wailed as she pounded her fist on top of her palm.

"Well, not exactly…" Both Kirishima and Mina looked or at least tried to look at the invisible girl with inquisitive expressions when she said this. "…I wouldn't say that he stopped it. According to my friend, the guy jumped to the top of the robot in a single leap and then punched it so hard it sent the robot flying backward as it exploded!" Toru howled while jumping and flailing her arms. The only indication of Hagakure's actions to anybody watching were the movements of her phone and shoes.

"Someone that manly is sure to make it into Yuuei," Kirishima stated.

"Now I really want to get in so that I can meet him! I bet he's super cool." And super attractive. Mina kept that last part to herself. The truth is Mina Ashido has always been a hopeless romantic. She's always playing matchmaker with her friends, and sometimes strangers, whenever she senses even the tiniest bit of love in the air. However, nobody has ever made her feel that tingly feeling talked about on tv and in movies. Mina wanted someone who was brave, strong, kind, loyal, chivalrous, smart, funny, outgoing, handsome…, there's a lot she wanted. Maybe it's her own fault for having such high expectations. That's another reason why Yuuei had been her number one choice. Of course, she wants to be a great hero above all else, but Yuuei only accepts the extraordinary. If she was to meet the man of her dreams it surely would happen there.

"If you two are just going to talk about boys, then I'm outta here. Besides, I've still got homework that refuses to do itself. See you at school, Ashido." And with that Kirishima ran off.

"Nice meeting you, Kirishima!" Toru yelled after him. The invisible girl's phone lit up and she opened her message. "My ride is here, so I gotta go too."

"Okay, what's your number? We could continue this later if you want?" They just met, but something told Mina that this had all the makings of a great friendship. And they would be seeing a lot more of each other if they were both accepted. After a quick exchange of phone numbers, Toru Hagakure was gone and Mina had a new friend. She was always making friends wherever she went. "I guess I should go home too."

Mina plopped down onto a seat once inside the train. Taking Yuuei's arduous exam left her totally exhausted, physically and mentally. She pulled out her cell phone to reply to a conversation with her new friend Toru. They had been messaging each other about random topics, but mostly it had been about Yuuei. They asked each other question like

Got any hobbies?

Where did you grow up?

When did you decide you wanted to go to Yuuei?

Will you stop by the store on your way home?

That last one wasn't from Toru but from Momma Ashido.

Okay, send me the list.

Thank you! There are only a few things this time. I swear.

Mina groaned. "A few things" was never good. She got off at the next station and walked to the nearest market as she scanned the list her mom had sent. An hour later Mina was back at the train station with two tall brown paper bags, one in each hand. The train had just arrived, and she stumbled through the open doors. It was difficult to see with the bags in front of her face. Because of this, she had been looking at the ground, being careful not to drop anything. She scanned the entirety of the train and found no opening between the seas of legs and shoes.

"Just my luck." She thought.

"Excuse me, miss? There's a spot over here." Someone said.

Mina looked around to see where the voice was coming from. There was an open spot on her right. "Lucky!" She quickly sat down, placing the bags by her feet and stretching her tired arms. Her mind kept nagging at her about something. There were definitely no spots open a minute ago and nobody left after she boarded. She took a second look at everybody's shoes.

Something was missing.

Lifting her head, she peered around the cart in search of something. It was one of those things, she'd know it when she saw it. She let her eyes wander aimlessly until they pulled her attention towards one of the corners opposite of her position. There was someone facing away from her. They appeared to be about her height, so a teenager, perhaps? She examined them from top to bottom. They wore a dark green hoodie with the hood up, a yellow backpack, black pants that looked like they belonged to a male's school uniform, and…

…Red shoes.

That was it. That's what was missing. Mina distinctly remembers seeing those red shoes when she was scanning this area for a place to sit because they were the only red things in here. Had he given up their seat for her? If so, that was incredibly nice. There wasn't enough kindness in the world, and that's exactly why she wanted to become a hero. Mina hated bullies, but that's because they reminded her of villains. They were villains in training. Preying on the those too weak to defend themselves, and she had been blessed with a Quirk that was strong enough to defend not only herself but those around her too. She could help. She could make a difference. And in every situation, if there was anything she could do to help, then she did, without hesitation. She wants to make the world a better place. A nicer place. A world where complete strangers help one another, not because they want something in return, but because they simply were able to. Such a small act of kindness made her feel warm inside, she couldn't help but smile. This feeling is exactly how she wants everyone to feel. The nice stranger with the red shoes started walking towards the exit. Mina snapped out of the daze she was in. She was stuck in her head again, and without realizing it, the train had reached its destination. He kept his head down as if trying to move without being seen. This must have been his stop, but it wasn't hers. Still, she wanted to thank him for his kind-heartedness. The pink-haired girl opened her mouth, but before anything came out she noticed something. Water droplets are falling from his covered face. Are those tears? Is he… crying?

Suddenly she blurted out, "Hey, are you alright?" He stopped abruptly in front of the doors, as motionless as a deer caught in headlights. Did he hear me or did something else make him stop? She tried again, "Hey-, "But before she could finish the nice stranger broke out into a full sprint and the doors began to close. She jumped out of her seat and ran after him, "Wait a minute!" The doors closed before she could exit the train. With open palms pressed against the glass window, she watched as he ran away. The train began its departure from the station and the platform appeared to get smaller as she whispered to herself, "Was it something I said?"

"Izuku Midoriya, you're free to leave whenever you'd like."

"Thanks again for healing my body Recovery Girl. Your Quirk is amazing!"

"If you really want to thank me then don't come back here again because of your Quirk. Learn to control it and don't act so reckless. Kids these days!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

Recovery Girl asked Izuku to come back to the infirmary for further tests to make sure there wasn't any more damage. He grabbed his backpack and went to change back into his uniform in one of the bathroom stalls. He had missed his first train and had to wait for the second one to arrive at the station. It was colder this late in the day, so he was thankful he brought his jacket. But the weather isn't the reason why he bothered bringing it. This jacket has a hood on it that he liked to wear when he thought he was going to cry. He wasn't sure what the Yuuei exam was going to be like and he was certain he would screw it up somehow. After getting zero points in the practical exam he was surprised he had kept it together this long.

His train arrived, and he boarded it. He was surprised to find a seat it was so packed. After making a mental note to never take the train at this time again to avoid traffic he let his mind wander. What could he have done differently? "Punch one of the villains that gave him points for starters." He mocked his own thoughts. "They were all right about me. I was just a person that they didn't have to worry about getting in their way. I'm pathetic. I really am pathetic." Izuku pulled the hood up on his jacket and hid his face between his legs. Tears welled up in his eyes. He heard his childhood best friend turned bully's voice, "Poor defenseless Izuku's true Quirk: waterworks."

The train stopped, and a lot of people got off but there still wasn't anywhere else to sit. Izuku looked around taking in his new environment. It was a habit he forced himself to learn since becoming a hero meant always taking in new information to make better calls in the field. He noticed a girl standing by the train doors holding two paper bags so full that vegetables were poking out of the tops of both blocking her face. There was no internal debate about what he should do, it was never up for discussion. He just stood up and trudged over to the other end of the train. Hoping she would do what everyone else does and not notice him.

"Excuse me, miss? There's a spot over here." He heard someone say. Izuku sighed in relief. Now he knows she got his seat without the risk of him getting caught looking that way. Now if only he could stop crying.

The train pulled into the next station close to where the green-haired boy lived. He couldn't wait to go home and cry in peace. He kept his head down trying not to draw attention to himself. Izuku didn't want to bother anyone with his problems and that's exactly what would happen if someone caught him crying. One more step and he'd be out of this stuffy train car.

"Hey, are you alright?" The question paralyzed him.

"Are they talking to me? Being invisible and blending into crowds is what I'm supposed to be good at, so how was I noticed? Why can't I do anything right today?" His thoughts were relentless.

"Hey-" He heard the same voice starting to ask another question and panicked. Already using his fight response today against that giant dream crusher, he decided to use the flight one this time. Clenching his fists, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. "Wait a minute!" But he didn't wait. All he wanted right now, at this moment, was to be alone, just like every other day of his life. He ran out of the train station and kept running until he was out of breath. Hands on his knees as he bent forward trying to catch his breath.

Once he regained his composure he looked around at his familiar surroundings. "I-I'm a-almost h-h-home?" His ten months of training had done wonders for his stamina. "Even after dodging all those robots and the toll One for All had taken on my body I still had that much energy? I have to thank All Might for everything he's done… even though I let him down." His throat dried up and tears started falling from his eyes yet again. Unsure if he could even bring himself to tell All Might how badly he screwed up.

Mina ran straight to her room when she got home, swinging open the door, and throwing her bag onto a chair before diving onto her bed. With a look of defeat, she laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She had been taking that same train every day hoping to run into him again but to no avail. It was a little out of her way, but she didn't mind. Something was bothering him, and she had to make sure he was okay. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, but it would be a while before she looked at the notification. The only thoughts that occupied her mind since the incident on the train were that there was somebody that needed her help, he was within her reach, and she failed him. Five minutes later there was a knocking at her door. "Mina? Are you home?" It was her mother.

"Yes."

"Oh, you usually say something when you come home. It's easy to know when you're not here because of all the quiet."

"Sorry."

"What's with the single word answers? Are you alright?"

Those words stung a little bit. Those are the words Mina had said to the boy that made him freak out and take off. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay, dinner is almost ready, and you have a letter from Yuuei. I put it on your desk."

Mina sat upright so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. She half-walked half-sprinted to her desk. She gazed upon the letter with the official Yuuei wax seal. She had forgotten all about the impending letter that would decide her future. Yuuei or not Yuuei. How could she forget? She picked up the letter and examined it. "Here it is. Everything I worked for… Would all my hard work be enough? Am I… enough?" That thought had never crossed her mind before. Her hands clenched onto the letter tighter crumpling the ends. But she couldn't bring herself to open it.

"Dinner time!"

She placed the letter back on top of her desk, then headed downstairs for dinner. It wasn't long before she came back to her room. She loved her family, but she just wasn't up to socializing today, and she wasn't feeling hungry. She drooped into her chair glaring at the unopened letter. "Even if they accepted me how could I possibly call myself a hero when I can't even help someone that's right in front of me?" She rested her head on her folded arms that she had placed on her desk and exhaled. Her phone went off again. Slowly, she reached for the device that was still in her back pocket. She had two messages from Toru. One was a picture of her Yuuei letter and the other asked Mina if she had received hers in the mail too.

Yeah, I did.

Did you open it yet?

Not yet.

I haven't opened mine either. Want to do it together right now?

Mina thought it over. "Why haven't you opened your letter yet?

It's kind of silly to say, but I don't want to do it alone.

Alright then, let's do it!

Okay! Good luck, Mina.

You too, Toru.

Mina set down her phone and grabbed the letter again. There was a lump in her throat that she tried to get rid of by swallowing. Then, she ripped open the letter and a small disk fell on top of her desk.

"THIS IS A PROJECTION!"

"All Might!? What's he doing here? Isn't this from Yuuei?"

"Mina Ashido. I am here to announce that you passed the written portion of the exam. However, the practical exam is a little more complicated."

"Com-pli-cat-ed?" The Acid Quirk user sounded out each syllable. She had already moved on not caring as to who was giving her this information. All she wanted to know is if she got in.

"While you displayed excellent form and technique when fighting the villains, you didn't beat enough of them to pass. I'm sorry."

Mina's heart plummeted. So, she didn't have what it takes to be a hero after all. She gripped her chest as it grew heavy and her breathing became shallow. Tears started forming in her eyes and she started to sob. "Why does this hurt so bad? I was about to give up on being a hero anyway, so why?"

"But that's not the end of this story!"

"Huh?" She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to quiet her breathing.

"The exam's point system wasn't solely villain-based… While the big villain didn't offer any points, it did create an opportunity… and one you threw yourself at without hesitation." Mina continued watching the All Might hologram. She heard what he was saying but wasn't sure what he was talking about. "With nothing to gain in return, you sacrificed the rest of your time to save those who couldn't save themselves. How could a hero course reject someone who prioritizes helping others? So… rescue points were another factor!"

"Rescue points?!"

"In this job, you risk your life and put your money where your mouth is! Your heroic actions have been rewarded. Congratulations, you've earned enough points and passed the practical exam! Young Ashido… come help me save as many people as we can, this is your hero academia!" All her previous emotions had been replaced with insuppressible happiness. She got in. She really got into Yuuei! And All Might… he asked for my help… he believes in me. "What was that? I really forgot to mention that… Oops." The projected All Might covered his face with one of his hands as he sighed. "Mention what?" Mina thought. Then the number one hero moved his hand away from his face and gestured towards himself. "You're looking at the newest faculty member of Yuuei High! I'm looking forward to seeing you in my class." The projection ended, and Mina sat in silence for a few minutes at this startling revelation.

"…what? What? WHAT?!" Mina's phone started ringing and she answered, "Toru?"

"MINA! Please tell me you got in. I have to know!" Mina held the phone at arm's length to prevent permanent damage to her ears.

"Does all this excitement mean you got in, Toru?"

"YES! But just barely. If it wasn't for those rescue points I never would have been accepted."

Mina had a wicked idea. "That's great, Toru. It's just… great. I'm really happy for you." She did her best to sound upset yet reassuring.

"Thanks? But I… don't tell me… you didn't get in?!"

Hook, line, and sinker. She always took the bait. "I mean, I tried my best and that's all that matters, right?" Mina sniffled, trying her hardest not to laugh. She wasn't lying.

"I'm going to go down there and talk to them first thing in the morning."

"You don't have to do that it's…" Mina contemplated for a second. Sure, it was mean to lead her friend on, but this is how they showed each other they cared. "I mean, you shouldn't go out of your way just for me."

"Are you kidding me? That's what friends are for. You'd do the same for me."

"In a heartbeat." Mina smirked. The idea of her friend going all the way down to Yuuei and yelling at their future teachers only to find out her friend was already accepted brought a devious smile to the young girl's face. "Toru, I'm lucky to have a friend like you. Always knowing just how to cheer me up! I have to go to bed, talk to you tomorrow?"

"You bet! Next time we speak, I promise you, we'll both be students at Yuuei."

"Thank you, Toru. Congratulations again, Night."

"Good night!"

Mina smiled again. "I should meet up with her and take her out to lunch." Her stomach started rumbling. "Looks like I found my appetite. I hope they aren't finished yet because I need to tell them I'm going to Yuuei!"