In our current society, 80% of the world's population possess a unique power called a 'Quirk'. With them came the creation of a once fictional profession:

Hero

I had always wanted to be a hero. However, I am among the remaining 20% of the population: the Quirkless. I was at one point close to giving up my dream.

But with the help of those who guided and supported me, I was able to make my dream into a reality.

I'll say it again: This is the story of how I became one of the world's greatest heroes.

After the attacks on the W. A. T. C. H. Tower and USJ, the school was temporarily closed. That gave time for those unfortunately injured in the incidents to recover.

Bruce laid back in his hospital bed. Alfred-san had just finished his daily visit. He had brought him a warm bento box, much better than the bland hospital meals. Diana and Clark had visited too and brought good news. Justin had recovered from his heatstroke, Jason had only mild head trauma, and Nathaniel's ankle was just sprained. They left the hospital a while ago. Arthur, Oliver, Dinah, and Helena had woken up from their respective injuries. They were going to check out today. Bruce, however, was told he had to stay one more day. As he tried falling asleep, he had been scrolling through his video app and accidentally selected one. It was footage of All Might's debut.

Bruce blankly watched. The No. 1 hero laughed as he carried people to safety.

"It's fine now. Why? Because I am here."

He paused the video and rested his arm across his forehead. "'Because I am here.'? What a bad joke."

His thoughts drifted to his classmates. How many of them suffered horrendous injuries. How his friend had to hurt himself to defeat a villain. How he now had a scar covering his left side.

"A joke. A real shitty joke."

Class 0-JL sat in their seats. Some were empty as certain students needed to take some time recovering at home.

Zatanna turned to Jason. "Hey Blood, how's your head? I heard you had a slight concussion." The other teen turned to her. "I recovered without issues. Your concern is very appreciated."

Greg leaned over his desk. "Adams! Is your ankle alright? Ya left with it wrapped up." "Oh! It was just a mild sprain. How about you? Didn't you have bruised ribs?" the silver-haired teen replied. The cowboy smiled. "Nothin' a good couple of ice packs couldn't fix."

Don fiddled his thumbs on his desk. "It's a shame Curry, Queen, and Wayne aren't here today."

Clark tried being optimistic. "Well, when they're all better, they'll come back."

At that moment, the classroom door slid open. Bruce stood there, school briefcase slung over his shoulder, and his expression ever so neutral. He still had bandages around his head and over one eye and one his cheek.

"Good morning," he casually greeted.

"Wayne, you're back too soon!" shouted the majority of the class.

Diana called out to him, "Wayne, are you okay?"

"Can you call that remotely okay?" Hal asked as Bruce walked in.

"I'm conscious, and I can walk," Bruce said as he took his seat. "As long as those are possible, I will come to school."

"You're way too much of a pro already!" Hank commented.

Then someone else arrived. Dr. Mid-Nite strolled to the front of the room, his arm in a sling. Doctors had managed to reattach the severed limb, but they couldn't guarantee the functioning of his hand. They would have to wait until his arm healed from surgery.

He scanned the room, and he stopped at Bruce. After a few seconds, he returned his attention to the whole class. "Everyone, settle down. You can't take a break from fighting just yet."

All the teens froze up. More fighting? Were the villains attacking again?

The glare on Dr. Mid-Nite's goggles shifted to reveal one eye. "U.A.'s Sports Festival is approaching," he announced. Most of the students perked up.

"THE SPORTS FESTIVAL!" they cheered.

"Wait, Dr. Mid-Nite-sensei!" Justin called out as he raised his hand. "Is it really a good idea to have the festival right after a villain attack?"

Dr. Mid-Nite replied, "Your concerns are warranted, however, they want to show that U.A.'s crisis management system is capable of handling such an event by continuing to hold the festival. Of course, the security will be five times stronger than it was last year." He returned to addressing all his students. "We can't afford to cancel the sports festival since it is a huge chance. Top heroes and agencies will be watching for scouting purposes. Students gain more experience and popularity by joining famous hero agencies. The true beginning of your paths to go pro starts at this event. Your first chance of just three. No future heroes can miss it. So make sure to be ready and give it your all!"

"Yes, Sensei!"

As the bell rang signaling lunch, the students took a few moments to converse with each other.

"I'm totally pumped for the festival! The first step to becoming a pro!" Mari exclaimed. Justin turned to her. "I have no doubt you'll get many offers, McCabe. Your Quirk will definitely stand out." "Oh, you think so?" The blonde nodded. "Yes. Unlike your's, my Quirk isn't nearly as versatile. I probably won't even stand out." "Now, come on! Don't be sayin' somethin' like that!" Greg said from his seat on a desk. "Y'all both have pretty flashy Quirks. Me on the other hand," he activated Ironsight in one eye, "Unless they git a zoom-up, I'll go completely unnoticed." Mari thought for a bit then said, "Well, you could try finding a way to show of its ability. Though I doubt they'll let you use your guns." Greg smiled. "Then I'll just have to improvise."

Vic was still seated at his desk. "I'll have to work extra hard if I want to stand out." He tapped his temple. "Since my Quirk only affects me here, I'll have to find a way to get pros to notice me." Helena shrugged. "Knowing you, you'll definitely find some way. As for me, I need to make my Crossbow Arms look useful while not having ammo."

"You're so lucky Adams," Don said. "Your Quirk stands out on its own." Nathaniel flexed his hand. "That's really not that useful if I don't show its practicality." Dinah sighed. "Is it possible I can make my Quirk appear more than just me screaming really loud?" Hank turned to her. "At least your Quirk has visuals. Don and I are going to need to push ourselves if we want any luck at being spotted."

"Everyone's really into it. How about you, Wayne?" Clark asked. "Of course. This is an opportunity no one can afford to miss. We need to take it seriously," Bruce replied.

"Wayne, Kent…" The two boys turned to the rather tense voice and flinched a bit. Diana had a fierce grin and fire in her furrowed eyes. She was practically glowing with a burning aura. "Let's do our best at the sports festival."

"P-Prince-!" Bruce stammered. "What are you doing with your face?" asked Clark. "You've never been this intense."

Diana stomped the ground and thrusted her fist into the air. "I'm definitely going to give this my all!"

The boys, still off-put by her ferocity, weakly raised their fists as well.

"Uh, yeah!" Clark awkwardly cheered.

Diana then turned and repeated the move with their other four friends. "I'm going to do my best!" Shayera and Wally enthusiastically pumped up their fists. "Hell yeah!" the former exclaimed. "Yeah! Yeah!" the latter cheered. Hal, also off-put, raised his fist awkwardly while J'onn just raised his with a straight face.

Bruce stared at her back. I never knew she could be like this. It makes her more… beautiful. Bruce stiffened the second that thought finished. T-That's normal, right? A guy can think a female friend is beautiful. Normal, completely normal!

"Completely normal!" Bruce said aloud as he brought his hands to slap across his cheeks. Clark flinched at the sharp sound and eyed his friend. "Urm, Wayne…?"

"Yes?" came the fast answer and Bruce snapped his head towards Clark. He had two clear red marks of his hands plastered on his pale face.

"Uh… nevermind…"

Ochaco had just finished telling Tenya and Deku that she was determined to become a hero to make money and support her family. She didn't expect that anyone else had been listening.

"So you have that same motivation as me. I feel a little better now," a voice said from nearby. The trio turned to see some students they recognized from Class 0-JL. The one who has spoken was the silver-skinned one with blank eyes. One JL student, who was wearing a cowboy hat, asked, "You're becomin' a hero ta make money, too, Adams?" The silver-haired teen nodded. "Yeah. My parents are veterans, and that makes it harder for them to find work," he solemnly said. "So I'm planning to make money so they can have an easy life."

Ochaco smiled and practically bounced over to him. "That's great! It's not so embarrassing when there are others with the same motive." She calmed down a little and introduced herself. "My name is Ochaco Uraraka, pleased to meet you all!" Her friends followed. "Ah, I'm Izuku Midoriya, nice to meet you." "I am Tenya Iida, Class 1-A's representative. It's nice to make your acquaintance."

Now it was the JL students turn. "Nathaniel Adams, 0-JL's representative." "Name's Greg Saunders. Nice ta meet y'all," the cowboy said. "I'm Clark Kent," introduced one boy. "Hi, my name's Diana Prince." "... Bruce Wayne."

At the last name, Ochaco and Tenya stared at the other teen. Izuku, however, had already recognized him. He stared at the bandages he had. He remembered how All Might's police friend told them that Class 0-JL had been attacked and that somewhere sent to the ICU. He remembered All Might's reaction, his utter regret for not saving the class. There was an uncomfortable tug in his stomach. Like he should understand something but couldn't... or just couldn't acknowledge he did.

"I must say, you and Uraraka both have very noble goals to becoming heroes! Bravo! Bravo!" Tenya praised as he zealously clapped. Ochaco awkwardly laughed while Nathaniel actually looked a bit uneasy. "Your enthusiasm is appreciated. Now please calm down."

"HAHAHA!" Everyone turned to the direction of the laugh. They saw All Might peeking around the corner. "Here you are, Young Midoriya!"

"All Might! Is something the matter?" Deku asked. The other teens just stared at the No. 1 hero. "Lunch," the blonde said as he held up a bento. "Want to eat together?"

EHH!? the 0-JL students collectively thought.

Izuku looked to Tenya who gave a nod of approval. "I'd love to."

"Great!" All Might felt a chill down his spine. He soon found the source. Bruce was giving him a cold glare. The student's icy blue eye burned, and shadows surrounded it. The hero's heart sunk when he saw the bandages on the boy's face. He quickly left with Deku. He had to talk with his successor, and he felt that talking with Young Wayne would just upset him more.

The students all decided to walk to the cafeteria together.

"So why did All Might want to go off with your friend?" Diana asked Ochaco as they waited in line. "I'm not to sure," the brunette replied. "I heard during the attack on the USJ, he jumped in to help. Perhaps it's about that?" Tenya suggested. "Also remember what Asui said before we entered the building?" Ochaco lit up. "Oh yeah! She said his Quirk was similar to All Might's!" "A Quirk like All Might's? That's so awesome!" Clark exclaimed. Tenya nodded. "Yes, maybe All Might has taken a liking to him because of that."

That got the wheels turning in Bruce's head. Izuku Midoriya… All Might…

As the teens carried their lunches to a table, Bruce sensed a presence behind him. He turned and was met with a mummy. "Aizawa-sensei?"

"Wayne, you wouldn't mind spending lunchtime with me? There's something we need to discuss." Bruce looked to Diana and Clark. They smiled and nodded. "Alright. Where are we going?"

Bruce was a bit surprised to see Dr. Mid-Nite seated on the couch in the lounge. Bruce took a seat on the lone stool across that table. Aizawa closed the door and then sat next to the other pro hero.

"Aizawa-sensei? Dr. Mid-Nite-sensei? What is it you wanted to talk about?" The two men exchanged glances. "First we felt that you shouldn't have come to school today. You haven't fully recovered from your injuries," Dr. Mid-Nite said. Bruce sat there silently then said, "Not to be rude but coming from you two, that sounds kind of hypocritical." His teachers just sat there, trying not to look at each others' casts. "Wayne, I am both proud of you and upset with you," Aizawa said. The teen was taken aback. What had he done wrong?

"We're talking about what you did at the W. A. T. C. H. Tower. Miss America told me, and I told Eraserhead," Dr. Mid-Nite said.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked.

"You used your body as a shield for Kent," his homeroom teacher said.

Bruce's thoughts immediately went to the scar on his left side. His hands tightened on his knees. "Well, everything turned out fine, right? I'm all better now, so-"

"Everything isn't fine," Aizawa cut in. "You had to get surgery, and you now have a permanent scar." Bruce could hear the rise in Aizawa's voice. "You could have been killed."

"If I didn't shield him, Kent would have been killed!" Bruce protested.

"Was there nothing else you could've done?" Dr. Mid-Nite asked.

"There was no time to-"

"You had no time to grab him?" Aizawa interrupted. "You had no time to push him out of the way?"

Bruce was stunned into silence.

"Wayne, I understand that you care about and want to protect others. But your first instinct shouldn't be sacrificing your life."

Bruce slowly looked to the ground. He… he had done the right thing, right? He had protected his friend. Sure, it resulted in him getting a hole in his side, but he was alive. So was Clark. What he did… it was the right thing… right?

"Wayne." He looked up at Dr. Mid-Nite. "You're a very kind person, but your willingness to sacrifice yourself is dangerous. Your life is as valuable as any other person's. You should protect it as well."

Bruce just remained silent.

"A lot of people would be hurt if you were gone," Aizawa said. "Please just…" he took a deep breath and exhaled. "Promise that you won't… hurt yourself like that."

Bruce stared. He… hadn't thought about that. The consequences of his action. What if he had died? How would that affect Clark? Affect Aizawa-sensei? Affect Alfred-san? He had been so hasty that he didn't think a move through. Bruce instantly felt low.

The teen slowly nodded. "Okay… I promise I won't do anything like that again."

However, in the back of his mind, Bruce wasn't sure if he could keep that promise.

Bruce was casually walking down a hall. It was nearing the end of the day. He kept thinking about his conversation with his teachers.

"A hero… who protects others without risk to themselves," he murmured, "Is such a thing possible?"

Bruce then lifted his head and caught a curious sight. There was a crowd outside Class 1-A. He knew none of them were from the class. He caught sight of a blonde, the one who tried attacking Clark, standing at the door and glaring at someone. Bruce scowled and turned to walk away. Whatever was going on wasn't his problem, so that guy could deal with it on his own.

"-Don't get too carried away just because you got some action. I'll knock you down a peg."

...What. The. Hell?

Bruce clenched his teeth and fists. Such impudence…

"I expected better from U.A. students. Clearly, my expectations were out of proportion." Bruce marched over to the crowd. Most turned to face him while others flinched and turned away. The boy he was able to pinpoint as the ringleader gave him a side glance. Bruce stopped a few feet away. His scowl was dark, and his eye was piercing like an ice dagger.

"Do you really think that being attacked and almost killed is something to be proud of? That somehow it is an achievement to go through an experience of not knowing if you, your classmates, or teachers would survive?"

The hall was completely silent. Bruce noticed several students eyeing his bandages. He made eye contact with the ringleader. He turned his head a little so the purple-haired teen knew that was was next was directed at him.

"We are not here to play hero; this isn't some childish show or competition. We are here to train for the most life-threatening job, one about saving people and making society better. You'd be smart to get rid of such an idiotic idea and remember why you're standing in this building to begin with." He returned to addressing the whole crowd. "All of you should do as such. Now leave before I report you all for harassing your schoolmates."

It was quiet before someone piped up, "Who do you think you are, bossing us around? What gives you a say in this?"

Bruce's scowl deepened. "I 'get a say' because I'm in the other class that was attacked." Several students noticeably flinched. "Class 0-JL's Vice Representative: Bruce Wayne."

The crowd basically evaporated. Bruce waited and watched as the last few students left. He made a brief second of eye contact with the purple-haired teen before he disappeared behind a corner. Once the crowd was gone, Bruce sighed. "God, I hate having to use my name as a means of intimidation."

"The fuck Rich Boy?! Where do you get off? This had nothing to do with you!" the spiky blonde shouted.

"Hey, hey Bakugo! Why are you going off on him? He got them all to leave," a voice said from inside the classroom.

Bruce glared at Bakugo. "I acted on basic human decency. Ever hear of it?"

Sassy! Izuku, Ochaco, and Tenya all thought.

Bakugo growled. "You sonuvabitch! I'll-!"

Bruce dismissively shooed a hand at the blonde. "Save it for the sports festival. I've got better things to do right now than dealing with one of your outbursts." Everyone's jaws dropped. This guy either had no fear or no self-preservation instincts.

Bakugo was now snarling. "Why you…"

"K-Kacchan! You really shouldn't start a fight," Izuku called out.

Kacchan? Bruce quirked an eyebrow. A nickname of sorts? Do these two have a history?

"Shut up, Deku! You don't tell me what to do!" the blonde snapped.

Now Bruce looked at Izuku. "'Deku'?" The green-haired boy was a bit frantic. "Ah, ah! Well, you see… Deku is-"

"I get it," Bruce said, cutting Izuku off. "It's a play on 'dekiru', meant to give the impression of 'I can do it'. I have to admit I kinda like it."

Deku was a bit bewildered. "Ah, y-yeah! Exactly!" Bakugo looked near ready to erupt. He gave a harsh "Tch!" and then shoved past Bruce.

"Thank you for your assistance! I apologize for Bakugo's behavior," said Tenya.

"It's fine," Bruce said. "But don't take this the wrong way. I stood up for you guys because of my morals not because I want to be your friend." That statement took everyone by surprise. Bruce continued, "Right now isn't the time for that. All that matters right now is reaching the top." Bruce then turned and walked away.

"Damn! Wayne's words are simply manly!" Eijiro said.

Izuku stood there and thought of All Might's words.

"There are those who always aim for the top and those who don't."

He then thought how determined Kacchan was, how determined Tenya and Ochaco were, and the determination Bruce just demonstrated.

Izuku straightened up. "Remember how you felt back on the beach park."

Bruce delivered a roundhouse kick to the punching bag. He then immediately shifted to unleash a flurry of hard jabs before following with another kick. A timer went off. Bruce somersaulted backward and launched off the ground.

The teen grasped the gymnastics rings and kept his body and arms vertically straight. He then performed two flips and then two reverses. Bruce then repositioned himself straight again only this time he was upside down. He then did four flips again. He continued to repeat until the timer went off again. With a final flip, Bruce went into the air.

As he briefly uncurled at the peak of the flip, Bruce had three metal bats ready. He threw them as he passed the targets. They joined the many others that were embedded though they were a bit off the center. Bruce "Tch!"-ed. He went in for the landing but stumbled and fell a bit backward. Bruce sighed. He then sat on a bench and began bench pressing.

"Wayne." He glanced to the side and saw Aizawa. "Aizawa-sensei. I'm almost done with this round. I just have push-ups, sit-ups, and balance beam practice after this."

"Wayne. Water break. Now." There was no room for arguing in his teacher's voice. The teen huffed, but secured the barbell and sat up. He paused the timer on his waistband as he walked over to a bottle. He took a quick swig from it.

"Wayne. More." The teen nearly pouted. However, he chugged down half the bottle. "Aizawa-sensei, may I return to my workout now?"

"No, now you're going to take a 30-minute break," his teacher said. "WHAA!?" Bruce exclaimed. "You've doubled the laps you usually run, and you're spending double the amount of time usually meant for the other segments."

"But Sensei, I need to increase the difficulty to prepare myself for the sports festival," the teen protested.

"Wayne, you've already repeated 15 times!"

"... Actually, this was just my 13th repeat."

"Wayne…"

"Okay fine! I'll take a break," the teen said. He left to fill up his water bottle. Aizawa watched after him.

Wayne, I just don't want you hurting yourself again. The hero caught a peek of his student's scar through his sweat-soaked tanktop.

Never again.

Before anyone knew it, it was time. The U.A. Sports Festival had arrived.

Class 0-JL sat in their waiting room, having already changed into their gym uniforms.

"So what do you think the first round will be?" Wally asked excitedly. He was practically bouncing in his seat.

"Hopefully it isn't something lame like tug-of-war we did back in primary school," Shayera said. She had an aggressive grin.

"Well whatever it is, we'll just have to deal with it as it comes," Hal said.

Bruce and Clark were standing next to each other nearby. "It's almost time for us to enter the stadium. I've got butterflies in my stomach. Any good ideas on how to get them out?" Clark jokingly asked.

"Kent. I can't help but think that you're stronger than me," Bruce said. Clark looked at his friend surprised. "I witnessed the full extent of what you're capable of. No doubt I'm next to nothing compared to you."

Clark nervously brought up his hands. "Hey, you shouldn't talk so low about yours-"

"But," Clark stopped talking, "I'm not going to let that make me fall behind." Bruce remembered his words to Aizawa-sensei.

"I want to be the next No. 1 hero!"

"I can't allow myself to fall short. So Kent," Bruce turned to his friend. "I'm going to make it to the top. Even if it means beating you."

All their classmates were watching. They were stunned by the declaration. So was Clark. Then his expression morphed to an aggressive grin.

"How fitting. Considering I was worried about you the most in this competition. Guess we'll have to see at the end, right?" He brought his fist up.

"Yes, we'll see," Bruce responded as he bumped the back on his fist to Clark's.

Bruce's eye twitched as he waited for the cue along with his classmates.

Present Mic's enthusiastic announcement style irked him. He knew the Voice Hero was a decent guy but still couldn't understand how Aizawa was friends with him. They were polar opposites. Then again, I'm friends with West…

Still, he never liked the celebrity side of heroism or the heroes who embraced it.

"Now entering: the first-year students!"

Alright! Here it goes! He and the others walked to the entrance. The cheering of the crowd grew louder and louder.

I have to work harder to make up for what I lack. I will not let that effort add up to me being another hero in the crowd.

He stepped into the light.

Think of this… as my heroic debut!

Now for the Preview!

It's time for the first round of the festival.

What is in store for us?

Next time: Obstacles Standing Before Me

Let's begin!

Hey, happy holidays everyone! I merrily give this continuation to you all as a gift!