A/N: Welcome to Chapter 2!

It's time for the entrance exams! Todoroki and the Onizaki twins will very much be in this chapter, Momo joins the fray, Aizawa and Shizuna interact once again, and we'll get to see some future U.A. students show their stuff. Enjoy!

Chapter 2 - Testing Ground

"Sheesh, I knew Ma said that the school was huge, but I didn't think it was this huge." Daisuke mumbled as the three came to a stop just past the campus' front gate. The walkway leading up to U.A.'s main building was crowded with students, all dressed in the uniforms of the many schools that were spread across the country.

A few of them were already making their way inside, but most were hanging around the surrounding school grounds, either talking to others about any topics that came to mind, checking their phones, or even getting some last-minute school work done so they wouldn't have to do it later.

"Well, she did say that the place greatly expanded since she was a student here, but you were too busy making sure Nami wasn't clinging to your pants to pay attention." Yukino mumbled as she looked around the place, getting a feel of the atmosphere. "The sign-in period for the regular exam doesn't start for another half hour. That must be why most of these people haven't went in yet."

"Which means anyone going inside at this point must be part of the recommended group . . . Any guesses on how many got recommended this year?" Daisuke cheekily asked as he noticed that a few girls dressed in the same uniform were checking him and Shouto out. While Shouto ignored them, the cat teen acknowledged them with a small nod, which sent the girls into a giggling frenzy as they chatted amongst themselves.

"Looks like you got fans . . ." Shouto mumbled, having saw the entire interaction from the corner of his eyes. "As for how many got recommended this year? It's always smaller than the main group, but the number varies from year to year."

"The number may be small, but it's always packed with potential. A lot of the stronger quirks tend to be found in the recommended group every year," Yukino mumbled right back as she continued looking around. "You can't forget that little detail."

"That too . . . You're not nervous, are you Yukino?"

"Now why would you ask me that question Shouto? I'm not nervous. I was just making a general observation," she grumbled as she looked him straight in the eyes, a little insulted by the insinuation. "All I'm saying is that we're up against a lot of stiff competition, and if we want to see acceptance letters in our mailboxes in a few weeks' time, we need to be on our a-game today."

"You don't have to worry about me. Just worry about yourself and you should be fine."

"This coming from the guy who only uses half his quirk?"

Violet and heterochromatic eyes both turned to glare at Daisuke, who was looking at anywhere but them at the moment. When he turned to face them, he was unapologetic. "I said what I said. I'm not taking it back."

"I've known you for years. Trust me, I don't expect you to." Shouto answered as he turned away. He knew that the blue-haired teen already knew and understood the reasoning behind why he didn't actively use his left side in battle.

He also knew that Daisuke didn't agree with the decision one bit.

He understood it, just didn't agree with it.

"Ah, it's so nice that we're in agreement my dear friend," Daisuke sarcastically mumbled as the three finally moved forward, Shouto now taking the lead. "I was beginning to worry."

"Your disagreement over Shouto's decision to only use his ice in battle will never die, will it?" Yukino asked, exasperated by the sudden tense back-and-forth between the two.

"Not in the slightest sis."

"I don't believe it will." said Shouto, and Yukino shook her head even more.

She also accepted Shouto's reasoning behind his decision and respected him for sticking by it for so long. Yukino knew firsthand how strong his ice was, witnessing it in action many times over.

Yukino even sparred with him on certain occasions, usually when he came over to her house to escape the living mayhem that was his father. She knew if anyone could try to be a good hero with only half his power, then Todoroki was that guy. However, Todoroki's quirk was designed like a check and balance - one side can't work well without the other there to fully regulate it.

From that alone, even she knew that Daisuke had a good reason to disagree with Shouto's choice.

Outside of using it to regulate his body temperature, Shouto hadn't openly used his fire for a long time, not wanting to give his father the privilege of seeing him succeed while using something he inherited from him. He had become reliant on his mother's ice ever since he made that personal vow, almost too much if you asked Yukino, though she never voiced it, figuring that Shouto was smart enough to come to the same conclusion as well, in time.

In truth, Yukino believed that Shouto was being a bit too stubborn for his own good, and that in time, he would eventually use his left side again, whether it was by his own decision, or the situation he was in left him with no other choice.

It was all a matter of when though.

The trio managed to get halfway up the walkway when a sudden gust of wind blew past them on their right, the strength of it making them cover their eyes immediately and sent loose papers flying into the atmosphere. When they finally looked up, a boy taller than Daisuke with closely cropped dark brown hair was standing a few feet away from them. He had a big grin on his face, completely oblivious to the flying papers and angry glares he was getting from everyone that had been caught in his sudden whirlwind.

"Wow! I guess someone's ready to take the exam." Daisuke mumbled as he patted his head to make sure his bun was still in place. He had spoken in a low, hushed tone, but the other boy still managed to hear him, his head turning to face the three so fast that they thought he had given himself whiplash.

And yes, he still had that grin on his face.

"Indeed, I am! My name is Inasa Yoarashi! Nice to meet you all!" said the boy, his voice so loud that most of the crowd heard him as he walked over to the three. His eyes narrowed slightly as he got a good look at the three, his face showing a slight hint of recognition when his eyes stopped on Yukino. "Hey, you look a lot like the Cold Hero: Ice Mist!"

"Yeah, I get that a lot, mainly because she's our mom," Yukino kindly answered him, gesturing to herself and Daisuke. "Though, this is the first time in a while I've heard someone call her by her full hero name. Most people simply call her Ice or Lady Mist and leave it at that."

"She's one of the best ones out there! A hero like her deserves the utmost respect, so I usually use her full hero name when I talk about her with friends. It must be cool to have the Number Three and top ranked heroine in Japan as your mom!"

"This guy has some personality, and with a demeanor like his, his group of friends must be an eclectic bunch." Daisuke thought as he snuck a quick look with his sister, slightly worried that they just encountered another super fanboy of their mom's.

They had met plenty of them in their short 15 years.

Inasa stopped himself once he spotted Shouto standing a few feet away, just staring at the school. To Inasa, the dual-haired teen's eyes looked so far away, yet they looked so intimidating and familiar at the same time. Yukino and Daisuke both noticed the change in the Todoroki's demeanor soon after he did. They were familiar with it, but it wasn't something that either liked in the slightest.

"You don't think . . ." Daisuke whispered as they watched Yoarashi walk toward Shouto, practically without a care in the world.

"Oh, I so hope not," Yukino answered as she took a tentative step forward. "If Inasa knows what's good for him, he'll read the room and not approach Shouto. It looks like he's fallen into one of his 'moods' again."

"I knew I recognized you! You're the son of Endeavor, right!?"

"Kami dammit!"

The twins unintentionally chorused each other in their thoughts as they watched the encounter unfold. Yoarashi waited for Todoroki to answer him, but he didn't say a word, his eyes taking on a cold edge as he resisted the urge to clench his fist. Thinking that he should try again, Inasa started to repeat his greeting, but the Todoroki scion wasn't having it, coldly glaring at him before the taller teen could even say a single word.

"Don't even bother."

"Oh no . . ." Yukino whispered as Daisuke shook his head and walked away, not even bothering to watch the aftermath. Her eyes showed her concern as she watched Inasa, his face frozen in shock as Shouto blatantly blew him off and started marching to the school, Daisuke following right after him as he continued to shake his head.

With those two making their exit, Yukino was left to pick up the pieces.

"I'm sorry about that. . . Sometimes Todoroki can get a little, out of sorts." she mumbled as she walked up to Inasa, still staring at the two retreating figures. "He's usually much more pleasant than this."

"That's . . . okay. He's probably just amped up for the exam!" he says, his grin already back on his face as he turned to her. It was so blinding that it made Yukino step back a little, surprised that the taller boy would come to such a reasoning in the first place. "Good luck to you though! If we both end up being accepted, I hope we're in the same class!"

And then he was gone in a gust of wind, rushing toward the building without a care in the world, easily bypassing Shouto and Daisuke, and, once again, annoying everyone that got caught in his breeze as he practically flew by.

"Well, that was odd," the white-haired teen mumbled as she started jogging to the steps. She managed to catch up to her brother and Shouto as they were walking through the front door, her eyes spotting Inasa stopping at the recommendation check-in desk in the back of the massive foyer.

"He's quite an energetic guy, isn't he? Something tells me that he'll be someone to watch out for in this exam," the Onizaki mumbled as she turned her head, frowning when she saw Todoroki's stone-cold expression. "Shouto, you going to be ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you did coldly dismiss that Inasa guy all because he made that certain connection earlier. Plus, your body is currently stiff as a board, and when you have that look on your face, how can we not conclude that you're absolutely pissed?" Daisuke asked as he walked toward the table. Shouto scowl deepened slightly before his face finally relaxed, his expression becoming less harsh.

"I would ask if you wanted to talk about it, but I think I can guess what the answer's going to be." Yukino kindly mumbled as they followed the cat boy.

"It would be redundant anyway," his tone wasn't dismissive, but tired, as if he was rehashing the same story again and again for a distracted audience. "Besides, it's usually the same thing anyway."

"Endeavor" she thought, keeping her mouth shut as the three quickly checked in at the table. Once they were directed to their next location, they moved toward the elevators, taking it up a few floors till it reached their desired landing.

After walking through a couple of hallways, the trio reached the open doors of a large conference room. All the tables were lined against the walls, except for one covered in a white tablecloth, a couple of microphones, and some bottles of water. In front of it was about 60 seats, split into two sections of 30 with a clear aisle in between.

"This place looks ready for a conference, not a meeting between all the recommended students," Yukino quietly mumbled as she spotted Inasa sitting in one of the front rows on the right, already talking the head off of one of the other students.

Not wanting to be a part of that, the trio opted to sit in one of the middle rows on the left.

"So, you feel a little better after your 'cold spell' Shou?"

"Really Daisuke?" Yukino asked with an exasperated look on her face. If Todoroki hadn't been sitting in between them, she would have gladly elbowed him in the ribs for, what she thought, was a poor question.

"What? I was only asking?" Daisuke mumbled as he raised his hands, signaling that he meant no harm. "Besides, you know as well as I do that when Shouto here is in one of his 'moods', it's never good for anyone around him."

"Moods?" Shouto asked. "I have moods?"

"Yeah; your 'moods'." Daisuke stated as he leaned back into his seat. "Simply put, something sets you off, usually your fire bastard of a father, and then immediately afterward you go into either a sudden blitz of disproportionate retribution or get so coldly standoffish that it just makes me want to smack you so you'd snap out of it!"

"Is that so?" Todoroki asked, looking down at his hands.

"It's either that or have Yukino lob snowballs at your face to do it." Daisuke mumbled, smirking at the grimace his sister was shooting his way. "Don't look at me like that sis! I was only quoting what you previously said!"

"I guess I need to work on my temperament a little more then . . . I try to not let my father get to me, but even the mere thought of him gets a rise out of me sometimes."

"Don't beat yourself up about it too much. These things just take time. . . At least you can say that you're trying to correct this mental block of yours, right?" Yukino asked, smirking as she rested her chin on his shoulder,

"Sis is right! The most important thing is that you have recognized that your tendency to get triggered by he-who-must-not-be-named is a problem, you're working on it, and that's what counts." Daisuke added as his ears perked up, his head swiveling toward one of the closed doors in the front of the room.

"Great, what are you hearing now Dai?"

"Nothing much," he mumbled as he massaged his right ear. "Besides a whole bunch of the people in this room having realized who our parents are and have rightly concluded that we're major competition, I can hear some of the staff coming up down the hallway, so the proceedings should start any minute now by my estimate."

"Um, excuse me?"

The three looked up to see a tall girl with dark hair tied up in a striking ponytail staring at them with a curious look in her dark eyes. She looked to be around Shouto's height and was dressed in a uniform that had the insignia of one of the premier all-girls schools in the country right on the breast of her navy-blue blazer.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but is this seat taken?" she asked, pointing to the chair next to Daisuke, his bag the current occupant. "I just walked in, and there's not that many seats available."

"Oh, yeah, you can sit here. It's not a problem" said Daisuke, moving his bag to the floor, his face welcoming, yet slightly flustered. The girl, having no clue how flustered she was making him, nodded her thanks as she sat down, her dark eyes inquisitive as she looked at the three. "Um, is there something on my face?"

"No, it's just that you three look familiar somehow. Have we met before?" she asked as she touched her chin with a finger. "I feel like I saw you guys at a hero ceremony or something?"

"That makes sense. Our parents have dragged us to a fair share of hero ceremonies over the years; a highlight of being children of two of the top five pro-heroes in the country I guess." Daisuke mumbled, his eyes looking faint as he looked back on the memory. Noticing how wide the girl's eyes got at the admission, the cat boy decided to continue with his thought. "My friend here with hair as red and white as our national flag is the son of the current Number Two. The white-haired girl sitting on the other side of him is my sister, and we're the kids of the current Number Three."

"I see; so, we did cross paths before . . ." said the girl as Shouto gave Daisuke a look that said a lot, specifically, 'Does my hair really remind you of the country's flag?'

Daisuke's answer: 'That, and so much more.'

"Most likely. We just never interacted till now," said Yukino as she outstretched her hand to the newcomer, ignoring the silent conversation going on between them. "Hi, my name is Yukino Onizaki. The cat boy sitting next to you is Daisuke, my younger twin, and the boy sitting next to me is Shouto Todoroki. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Likewise, Yukino," said the girl as the two shook hands. "My name is Momo Yaoyorozu. Nice to meet you all."

"Wait, Yaoyorozu?" Daisuke asked, his head turning so quick that Shouto thought he felt a gust of wind hit his cheek. "Oh, as in the Yaoyorozu hero family?"

"The very same one." said Momo, a small grin tugging on her lips. "We've been making our mark more in business than in heroism these days though. I'm the first in my family to apply to a hero school in quite a long while."

"Well, not everyone is up to pursuing the life of a hero, even people who are a part of hero families." Shouto mumbled, speaking for the first time in a while.

Before anything else could be said, one of the side doors swung open, and three figures walked into the room, all of them standing at various heights. Leading the little group was a large, gray man dressed in a brown and yellow costume. What made him so striking was that he looked like a block of cement come to life, the serene look on his face making him look the calmest of the three.

The second, a dark-haired woman, was the most provocative one by far, coming in with an eager grin that was bordering on lecherous. Her hero costume wasn't much better, at best being described as a conservative bondage outfit on top of a white bodysuit. Of course, most of the boys', and a couple of the girls', attention was directed at her, but she didn't entertain them one bit, choosing to stare straight at the empty table they were walking to as she tried to keep her attention in check.

"That's . . . quite an interesting outfit." Momo mumbled, hiding her bemusement behind the palm of her hand.

"It's definitely out there . . ." Daisuke mumbled, being one of the few boys in the room to not be affected by the woman's appearance one bit.

"Rumor has it that she was the one that led the government to regulate hero costumes so that they weren't too risqué," Yukino mumbled in a hush whisper as the three beings took their seats at the table. "I think the outfit she wore during her debut was much more revealing than what she's wearing now."

"It was probably for the best. They wouldn't have let her work here if she still wore that costume," Shouto whispered in return, his eyes moving from the woman to the smaller being sitting right next to her. "I'm curious about the small creature sitting next to her though."

The creature he was talking about was smaller than the cement man and provocative woman by a lot. He was obviously not human, but with the white button down, dark slacks, matching dark waistcoat, and bright orange sneakers, he was certainly dressed like one.

Todoroki believed he was a mouse at first glance, Yaoyorozu thought he was a very professional looking polar bear, Daisuke thought he was a dog with a nifty scar over his eye, while Yukino somehow figured that he was a mixture of all three.

The three waited until the room was so quiet that they could hear a pin drop. Once they were happy with the level of volume, they deemed it was time to start the proceedings, and surprisingly enough, it was the polar bear-dog-mouse creature that spoke first.

"Hello prospective students! My name is Nedzu! If any of you are lucky enough to be formally accepted to U.A, you will get to know me as your principal. Don't let my size fool you. I do my job, and I do it well," the creature advised as he spoke into the microphone, his voice cheery, yet stern as he turned his attention to the people beside them. "Let me introduce you to my cohorts here. The man here beside me is Ken Ishiyama. To the public, he's known as Cementoss, but here in U.A., he serves as our resident Modern Literature teacher."

"Good afternoon everyone." the living block of cement says in greeting, appearing quite emotive despite his stony face.

"On the other side of me is Nemuri Kayama, otherwise known as the 18+ Hero: Midnight. Here, she is our Modern Hero Art History Teacher."

"It's always nice to meet such young talent. I hope you all do well today." Midnight's voice was sweet and sincere, not the husky, bordering-on-provocative tone that many were expecting to hear out of her, especially those that were lucky enough to see video of some of her more interesting press interviews over the years.

"Cementoss and Midnight, along with many of the staff here at U.A., will be helping me decide who amongst you get accepted and who will not." Nedzu adds, still with his cheery tone in place.

"You recommended students were brought to our attention by those who were willing to vouch for you, whether it is because of your quirks, your skills, your intellect, or some combination of the three. However, just because you were recommended, doesn't mean you actually deserve to be here. . . I hope you all didn't come here with a sense of entitlement, already thinking that you've got a spot here locked up in the bag, because trust me, you don't. We have dismissed candidates as soon as they have proven that they weren't up to this school's standards, and those standards are very high. Don't expect this year to be any different."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Daisuke mumbled quietly, Momo and Yukino both shaking their heads in agreement as Shouto studiously remained silent.

"Now then, you all will be facing a written and practical exam, just like those who face the main entrance exam. However, each of you will have to undergo an interview with one of the staff members here on campus. The results of the interview, practical, and written exams combined will determine your status here at the school."

"Now, I know my previous words sounded a little daunting, but I said it with purpose in mind. Heroism is a serious business, and it should never be taken likely. Those who do take it likely should simply leave now because if you see it that way, then bluntly speaking, you don't deserve to be a hero if you continue to think like that . . . Here at U.A., we train future heroes to the best of our ability; to make sure they are well prepared for the obstacles they'll face once they graduate, both the good and the bad. Today, you are simply taking the first step on a long journey. If you are serious about this, then you will make sure it's not your last . . . Give it everything you got, because we will be watching with the greatest of care. Do you all understand me?"

Most of the students answered him with a resounding "Yes sir!", while a few - Shouto included - simply remained silent and nodded their heads. Cementoss simply nodded at the students' enthusiasm while Midnight had a slightly disturbing smile spread across her face. Nedzu simply smiled at the students, glad that his speech - seemingly - got through to them.

"I see we have an eager group this year. That's good to see," said the small principal once the noise died down. "Usually, we have you all start the exam with the written portion, then the practical, and then finally the interview before you're let go to your own devices. . . This year, we will be doing things differently. The process will be going in reverse order: interview, practical, then finally the written exam. Everyone in the first row, please follow Midnight. She'll direct you to the interview rooms."

"I wonder why they switched the order this year." Momo mumbled as she watched the first row follow the 18+ Hero out the room.

"I guess they wanted to switch up the formula. Sometimes things get stale and you need to shake it up a bit to make it fresh again," Daisuke mumbled as he leaned back in his seat. "I could always ask Aunt Shizuna about it later on."

"Your aunt works for U.A?" Momo asked, a little surprised by the admission.

"She's one of the new teachers they brought in for the new year." Yukino answered.

"You likely won't see her though. She's been assigned to help oversee the main exam." Daisuke added as he crossed his arms.

"That does make sense. It would be a bit biased to have a relative oversee an exam her family is partaking in." Momo thoughtfully stated as she looked down the row. "What is she supposed to teach here?"

"She's teaching two classes. World History is one," said Daisuke. ". . . and the other is being called Combat Skills & Pragmatism. It's supposed to be a new course they're introducing this year to the incoming freshman."

"Combat Skills and Pragmatism? That sounds like a mouthful." Shouto mumbled, not even trying to be funny. He was being perfectly serious.

"It is, and no, she didn't name the class that, well, if you were wondering." Daisuke mumbled in her defense; the way his pout and the way his ears were now limply hanging made Momo chuckle at the pure sight of it.

"Well, if you ask me, it won't matter what the class is called if we don't get into U.A. in the first place."

"Wow, way to kill a mood sis."

"I'm not killing a mood Dai. I'm simply being a realist here. The seats in the Hero course is very limited, so if we don't work our butts off hard enough for them, we're not getting in here again after this."

"Yeah, I'm siding with your sister on this one Daisuke. Sorry."

"Of course, you would Shouto. You ice quirk users just have to stick together and all."

"I know that, at the moment, you must feel like you're getting ganged up on Daisuke, but your sister and your friend are still right," Momo added, making the cat teen really feel like he was surrounded by opposition on all sides now. "If we don't get accepted, what's the point in knowing the class' names hm?"

"Alright, alright, I see your point everyone," Daisuke mumbled. "Still, not getting accepted would certainly suck."

"Then there's only one thing you need to do to prevent that from happening," said Shouto, his words getting the three's attention. "Make sure you give this school no reason to not accept you."

F ~ x ~ R ~ x ~ D

Aizawa was silently making his way to the room where the staff members not actively proctoring the exams would be viewing and judging the festivities. As one of the homeroom teachers of the highly desired hero course, Shouta wasn't allowed to have an actual vote when it came to dividing the rescue points among the exam takers, but he could offer his opinions when he saw fit.

He always kept his hopes low though.

. . . What's the point of getting your hopes up when there's a chance for disappointment down the road huh?

When he finally reached the monitoring room, there were already teachers and other staff members milling about as they waited for the practical to begin. A wall of monitors displayed the examinees as they stood in front of the various testing grounds strewn across the campus. A couple of them were centered on Present Mic, who was reviewing the instructions to the teens from his perch on the radio tower.

Shouta was trying to find a comfortable spot to properly view the proceedings when he spotted Vlad King waving for him to come over to the back of the room. When he noticed who the Blood Hero was with though, Aizawa hesitated before slowly walking over to the two, hoping that his moment of hesitation wasn't noticed. He figured it was better to get it over with now before his fellow homeroom teacher grew suspicious later on.

Plus, he didn't want to seem rude, especially to one of the 'new kids on the block'.

It had been a month since Shizuna Onizaki was introduced as one of the newest teachers to join the U.A. staff, and in that time span, he managed to not speak to her much . . .

. . . Mainly because he didn't really know how to approach her.

The longest conversation they had with each other was on the day she was introduced - well, in Aizawa's case, re-introduced - but even then, it was a few sentences at best.

Ever since then, the most they spoke to each other was a few fleeting words, enough to be considered cordial. They would greet each other during the few times she would appear in the staff room to work on her lesson plans, but other than that, silence.

Sometimes-awkward, sometimes-comfortable silence.

Shouta couldn't keep his eyes off her though, sneaking the occasional look when he knew she wasn't watching. However, he only did it when he knew no one else in the room was watching - or when there was no one else in the room in general - because he knew that if someone like Hizashi or Nemuri noticed him, effectively, checking Shizuna out, they would never let him live it down.

"Morning Aizawa!" said Vlad as Shizuna greeted him with a small wave. He returned the wave with a nod, trying to keep his face indifferent as he greeted the two. "You look tired, as usual."

"It's just my style I guess." the Erasure Hero mumbled as he pulled down his scarf to speak more freely. "How long before the exam's supposed to start?"

"It should start within another two minutes, give or take," Shizuna helpfully replied. "From what I can tell, it's definitely changed a lot since I had to take the damn thing."

"Yeah; consistency has always been a strong suit of U.A's," Vlad sarcastically mumbled as his eyes slid her way. "By the way, don't you have family members taking the exam this year?"

"Yeah, my niece and nephew, but they're in the recommended group," said Shizuna as the sound that signaled the start of the exam echoed through the speakers. The three turned their heads in time to see the students rush through the gates, with log jams forming at a couple of the locations. "If they end up getting accepted, one, or both, of you may end up being their homeroom teacher."

"Looking forward to it. If you excuse me . . ." said Vlad as he stepped away to talk to Ectoplasm, leaving the two by themselves to watch the proceedings.

"Still being quite the quiet one, huh Shouta?"

Aizawa's eyes widened slightly when he heard that question. Turning his head, his black eyes became locked with her dark red ones, and in that moment, he felt like he couldn't look away.

"Am I really that quiet?" he asked, slightly amused, yet slightly curious as to where she was planning to go with this.

"Well, every time I see you in the staff room, you always seem so quiet, even when you're around those you consider friends. Granted, you were just like this back when we were still students," she mumbled as she crossed her arms. "I figured with friends like Hizashi and Nemuri, you would have broken out of your quiet, sleep-deprived shell. Well, at least a little bit more than how you are now . . . You don't speak to most of your old classmates, don't you?"

"Outside of Nemuri and Hizashi, and to a lesser degree Tensei and Ryuko, no, I don't speak with the rest of them. . . Considering the kind of people I had to call 'classmates' for three years, can you really blame me?"

"Not really; some of your classmates, well, they definitely weren't the best that U.A. had to offer at the time, were they? I think I'll stop there on the matter."

"No, they certainly were not . . ." Aizawa mumbled, agreeing with a nod of the head. He had to admit that he did have some good memories of high school, mainly thanks to the likes of Mic and Midnight, and to a lesser degree, Shizuna herself. However, high school was no walk in the park for him, and he did have his struggles, both internally and by others.

"Though, to be fair, you didn't really go out of your way to be friends with people . . . I'm still trying to figure out how you and Hizashi remain such good friends to this day." she mumbled, her face showing her slight confusion.

Aizawa thought it was cute on her, but quickly shook the thought away, trying to stay as professional as possible.

"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure that out myself . . . I guess it takes practice. And by the way, I could have made friends with other people in my class, but they proved to me they weren't that much of the effort, in more ways than one. You can't deny me that," the Erasure Hero mumbled as he turned to the screen, watching as a few of his potential students took down some of the one-point robots. "Anyway, you said you have a niece and nephew in the recommendation exam?"

"My sister Ice Mist's kids," she said with a nod as she watched as an effeminate blonde boy shot down a robot with a sparkling laser that was coming out from his navel area, just in time to save a trembling, green-haired boy's life. "Like I said before, you may end up teaching them in a few months' time."

"But will they be worth my time?"

Aizawa instantly wanted to slap himself for blurting his thoughts the way that he did, knowing he sounded a little harsh when he said it. He didn't mean to, but with his history of teaching past - and sometimes disappointing - homeroom classes, he had said the question like it was second nature.

He was about to apologize when he noticed the small smirk Shizuna had on her face. That's when he realized that she wasn't offended.

Actually, she looked a little amused.

Damn was he relieved.

He didn't show it on his face, but he was definitely relieved.

"Well, I certainly think so. Of course, my sister is inherently biased because this is her kids we're talking about, but I trust her word when it comes to her children's progress . . . By the way, I wasn't offended by your question. Knowing you, you probably didn't mean anything by that, well, I hope."

A small part of Aizawa was a little fretful when he heard that last part, but he held his tongue. Partly because he didn't know how to answer that, and partly because he didn't trust his mouth to not say something irrational again. "Remember, it takes a lot more than that to get on my nerves . . . But the decision will be up to you after all, well, if they do end up in your class. Speaking of classes: We still have much to do discuss."

"How so?"

"Well, for starters, if my relatives do end up being in either your class, Vlad's class, or one goes to each, there would be a bit of a 'conflict of interest' scenario happening here, don't you think?"

"Conflict of interest?"

"No matter what happens, someone is going to think that it would be a little biased and unfair to the other students if a teacher educates someone that they're related to during official hours. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, that is true," Aizawa mumbled, nodding at her assessment."Even if Shizuna proves to be the most unbiased teacher at here, some asshole would see her teaching classes that includes her own niece and nephew as a little suspicious and unethical. . . Damn I hate these kinds of complications." "Do you have a plan to combat this?"

"I do. I actually ran it through with Nedzu and Vlad before you walked in here, and they're fine with it," she mentioned as a member of the Iida family - Tensei's younger brother in fact - kicked a robot into submission with no problem on screen. "It's quite simple really. I just need you to be present during my lessons and grade my niece and nephew - and maybe a few others in the class - in all their assignments. That way, when someone tries to point out that it's a bad idea to teach a class that includes my own relatives, I can just say that I had a fellow teacher there to assist me during said session. I would, of course, have no say in how you grade them."

"You plan to give me free reign on grading them, and you will have no problem with this?"

"As long as you follow my grading rubric, nope, I won't have an issue. Do we have a deal?" she asked, his face becoming thoughtful as he thought over her proposition. Aizawa honestly thought it was a sound plan - there was definitely some thought put into it - but he didn't want to agree to it just yet.

Not without a certain condition of his being met first.

"I like it. I think it's a good idea, and I would be happy to assist you," he told her, a smirk showing on his face. "However, I wanted to suggest a certain condition for you to consider before I fully agree to it Onizaki."

"I see, and what would that condition be Aizawa?" she asked, curious as to what he had in mind.

"I want to help you teach your Combat Skills & Pragmatism course, at least, for my class. I'll even do half of the class grading if you want."

"Really? Hmm," Shizuna thought, bringing a gloved hand to her chin. "Well, in terms of fighting without the need of one's quirk, you were always one of the best in your class. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have your expertise added to the mix. . . Fine, I accept your proposal."

Shouta's smirk stretched into a rare, genuine grin - from her agreeing to his offer or from her compliment, no one could really guess. The two ended up shaking on it, and the black-haired hero couldn't help but notice how soft the bare skin of her fingers were before letting go.

Plus, the handshake was starting to last a little too long for it to be considered normal, and Aizawa didn't want her thinking that he was acting a bit creepy.

"I'll have to run your proposal through with Nedzu to see what he has to say - and I'm sure he'll have plenty to say on the subject - but other than that, consider yourself part of the class," said the katana wielding hero as one of the screens showed a large zero-point robot appearing at one of the training grounds.

"Still, I have to ask. Why are you offering yourself like this Aizawa? Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the help, but you seem like a man that would rather sleep at any chance he can get than someone who'd willingly add more teaching work to their schedule."

"Well, you're not wrong," Aizawa mumbled as he looked off to the side, already picturing how Mic would react when he found out that he wanted to help Shizuna out. It wasn't pretty picturing the look of shock on the blonde's face before the yelling would begin.

His ears would take a while to recover, he just knew it.

"To be honest, I think the idea of the combat class is a good one. Whether we like it or not, many of today's heroes have become heavily reliant on using just their quirks too much in battle. . . With this class, I'm hoping the students will learn that they shouldn't just rely on their powers to win a fight."

"Well, if you don't expel them first that is."

"Yeah, that too . . ." he mumbled as he brought a hand to the back of his neck, having never expected to hear that line from her. "How'd you find that out?"

"Nedzu mentioned it in passing during my interview, and then Hizashi further expanded on it when I joined him and Midnight for a lunch break a couple of weeks ago," she answered as they watched the green-haired boy from earlier destroy the zero-point robot with one punch, shocking most in the room.

Shizuna was rather impressed by the boy's raw power, but both she and Shouta couldn't help but notice that his quirk had a severe recoil effect on his body, making the latter slightly scowl at the sight as they watched him plummet to the ground, one of his arms and both his legs flapping behind him like limp noodles. "Flashy, but not that practical. You think he has a plan to break his fall?"

"I don't think so, but if anyone wants to earn any rescue points, this is a prime opportunity to do so . . . For crying out loud, it looked like he had no idea how to truly control his quirk. One punch, that's it, and he has nothing else. What he just did was reckless and being reckless isn't a good quality to have if you want to be a hero." Shouta grumbled as they watched the boy get slapped by a brown-haired girl before he could touch the ground.

Whatever that slap did to him ended up saving him from further injury, as he floated the rest of the way down instead of crash landing. As for the girl, she promptly started puking her guts out, as if the simple act made her nauseous somehow "So, Mic explained to you my habit of expelling students huh?"

"That wasn't the only thing he touched on about you, but I think I'll let you ask him about that yourself. I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about." Shizuna playfully teased as the signal for the test's completion echoed through the room. Her statement instantly made Aizawa curious, and he quickly made a mental note to talk to Hizashi later about this.

"As for that boy with the self-detrimental quirk, he definitely has the strength and power, but time will tell if he'll be able to wield it wisely. . . Look, he's already gained enough Rescue Points to negate his lack of Villain Points, so he'll definitely make it into the Top 10," Shizuna pointed out as she looked at the scoreboard.

Much to Shouta's consternation - and annoyance with the test judges - she was right. The green-haired boy had indeed cracked the Top 10 with one of the most lopsided point gains of the bunch. He wasn't the only one, as the top ranked student on the list had the most villain points. He didn't have a single rescue point to his credit. "All I can say is that if he ends up being in your class, I wish him the best of luck."

"I'm not that terrible."

"You did expel the last class you had, right?"

"Yes, with good reason."

". . . With good reason," Shizuna conceded as she turned away. "Well, I still need to work out the some of the kinks in the lesson plans for the Combat Skills course . . . Would you like to assist me with them tomorrow in the staff room? Considering you're not teaching a class this semester, you should have all the time in the world."

"Hmm, I'll bring the coffee and you bring the plans." Aizawa easily replied as she turned away. Mentally, he was a little shocked at his sudden bravado. He wasn't one for openly flirting - if you could call what he just said that - but he had his moments.

They were rare, but he had his moments.

Nemuri and Hizashi would have been proud.

"Milk, no sugar please, oh, and again, thanks for offering. . ." she said with a smirk as she walked away. Aizawa watched her move to another part of the room before turning his attention back to the monitors, his eyes keen as he watched the examinees exit the training grounds.

Some of them would be fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to be his students, and all he hoped for was that his next class would be better than his last batch, or else there would be hell to pay. Knowing Aizawa, it was a definite possibility.

And speaking of hell to pay . . .

"Now then . . ." Aizawa thought to himself as he started moving toward the exit, his scowl growing deeper as he shoved his hands into his pockets and his thoughts turned to one man. "I better find Hizashi. He and I need to have a little chat."

Somewhere in the radio tower, a certain blonde in leather and tinted sunglasses felt a shiver go down his spine . . . He had a feeling he should avoid a certain black wearing hero for the rest of the day.

He really should trust that feeling.

Damn, I managed to stuff all that in this one chapter. *Pats self on the back*

Anyway, I'm debating on whether to fast-forward to the first day at U.A. or have a filler chapter to see the group's preparation for the upcoming semester. It's a toss-up at this point.

Hope you all liked the chapter!

This has been SandsnakeQueen, signing off!