AChapter 7

Izuku was in his room, staring at the notebook Kacchan and little Deku wrote. He felt like an utter and complete failure. He promised them he'd make it to UA and become a hero, but he failed at the first step. Izuku knew it was his fault. It was a horrible habit of his to let panic take over him. He had been too nervous about staying normal during that exam that he forgot to keep himself calm. He felt like he let down the most important people in this life. For the first time, he felt the crushing pain of failure and disappointing people.

"I'm really sorry..." he said, feeling a tear roll down his cheek.

Beep beep!

Izuku jumped when he heard his phone beep. Picking it up, he felt his heart drop when he saw that it was All Might. He sent Izuku a text message. Izuku had known All Might would find out about his horrible performance...but he didn't expect it to be this soon. He gulped, hoping he wouldn't get an earful. Ah, he was starting to feel the heavy burden of expectations again. Which is the last thing he needed right now.

Meet me at our usual spot. I have something to give you.

"Is he going to give me a punch on the face for failing?!" Izuku paled at the thought. Sure, he managed to withstand a 'Detroit Smash' during training, but he had a feeling it would hurt a lot more if All Might added a little more rage in that attack. Izuku almost didn't want to come. A punch in the face was unrealistic, but Izuku would honestly prefer that than a disappointed look. He had a feeling seeing All Might disappointed would break little Deku's heart even more.

"Why do I suck at living in this world..." he muttered.

Ironically, you are simultaneously the best living specimen in this world.

"Quiet you! I don't need any reminders of that right now..." Izuku muttered as he grabbed his backpack, shoved his notebook in it, and dragged himself out of the room.

On his way out, he saw Midoriya Inko. She was little Deku's mother, such a sweet lady. She reminds Izuku of little Deku so much. Of course she would. His own mother was...not as cute and caring. Izuku's mother was a business woman. She's always serious and formal, even around her son. She belonged to the corporate world while his father belonged to the political world. Izuku's mother never once showed him any ounce of motherly love. And now, in this life, Inko showered him with nothing but motherly love. It was hard to get used to at first, but Izuku's enjoyed every moment of it.

"Mom, I'm heading out." Izuku announced. Inko turned around, she was getting ready to make them dinner. "Oh, about to meet with your friends? Alright sweetie. Be home by dinner okay?" She said cheerfully. Izuku smiled at the woman, feeling a tear almost slip out from his eyes again. He had let Inko down as well...and seeing her smile so sweetly like that hurts.

"Well I'm off." Izuku then walked out of their home. As soon as he left, his smile vanished and he once again looked like his spirit was sucked out from him.

Bakugo was on his way back to his house when he spotted Midoriya. He had just returned from the grocery store since his hag of a mom needed ingredients for tonight's dinner. He was about to greet the shitty nerd when he noticed the depressed look on his face. He has never seen Deku look like this before, he wondered what happened.

"Oi Deku." He greeted as he approached the green haired teen. When Izuku noticed him, he went even more pale if that was even possible. "O-oh Hi Kacchan..." he said, his lips twitching up into a smile.

"You look like shit. Did something happen?" He asked, frowning and giving the teen a stern look. Normally, Deku looked happy even if he was being picked on at school. Nothing made this weirdo flinch. And now? It looked like the whole ten months of being picked on was starting to take its toll on him.

Wait...school...the UA entrance exam!

"Oi, did you...get your results?" Bakugo suddenly asked, gulping nervously.

Seeing the blonde's expression only made Midoriya want to bawl. He could tell Kacchan was nervous. He really wanted them both to get in. "I uh...scored badly during the exam. But no, I didn't receive the scores yet." Nor will he ever receive anything. He assumed he won't even get a rejection letter since he scored ZERO.

"I..need to go Kacchan..." Izuku was going to turn away when Kacchan grabbed his hand and gave it a firm squeeze. When Izuku turned back to protest he nearly choked in his own saliva when he saw how determined and fired up Kacchan looked. His aura was bursting and going crazy again that the nearby dogs started barking and whimpering.

"Fuck that, Deku. Even if we go to different schools, you better get stronger! Ya hear me!?" Bakugo wasn't very good at words, in fact, his face was completely red. This felt weird, but he wanted to encourage the poor Deku. He was admittedly disappointed, but he won't deny the Deku just because he's a Deku. He saw the boy's potential, he still wanted them to be rivals. "Our school...UA... and this whole shitty world doesn't see your potential!" He released Deku then pointed proudly at himself, his face beaming with rage and frustration. "BUT I FUCKING DO! So you better train hard and become a great fucking hero. You're going to be my rival and no one else is worthy God Damnit!" He huffed and turned around to walk away. "And wipe those disgusting tears! You look ugly when you cry, stupid Deku!" The blonde yelled.

Izuku wasn't sure how to process Kacchan's words. However, they were kind words. He felt tears roll down his cheeks. "Damnit, if you say shit like that Kacchan, of course you'll make me cry even more...stupid kid." He chuckled as he wiped his tears. He stood there for a few more minutes before he resumed waking.


All Might stood proudly in his larger form. His smile widened when he spotted Midoriya boy walking over to him. "HEY KID! CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING ACCEPTED HAHAHA!" He held his arms up, hoping to have the kid run to him crying and wanting a hug but he paused when he saw Izuku look so broken.

Izuku stood there looking even more depressed after hearing All Might happily congratulate him. Did All Might received the wrong information? He FAILED.

"All Might...I'm sorry! I didn't get in, I scored a zero during the entrance exam! I disappointed you..." he bowed down in shame. He tried his best not to let any more tears out. He expected All Might's smile to disappear but when he looked up, it didn't. The man was even laughing.

"Oh right! Silly me. I should give you this THEN congratulate you!" All Might then handed Izuku a letter with UA's crest on it. Izuku's jaw dropped. With shaky hands, he took the letter. When he read through it, his spirit nearly left his body once again.

"This...th-this letter is an acceptance letter...with my name on it...H-HOW!?" He asked. Then when he realized something, all colored was drained from his face. "Wait, did you pull some strings!? You promised All Might! I can't be admitted to UA like that-" from there, Izuku started going off, ranting about how it's unfair and he didn't want special treatment ESPECIALLY since he scored so badly during the exam. People would wonder how he got in...

"Hey hey, you really shouldn't be so negative my boy. No, I did not pull any strings." All Might walked closer to the depressed teen and placed a hand on his fluffy green hair. "I would have made a whole production on explaining this, but I was pressed for time..." and right there, All Might explained it all. How the girl went to UA to try to share her points with Izuku, how Izuku inspired her through his act of bravery. He also explained that Villain points aren't the only scores in this test. They also counted 'rescue points' and it was decided by a panel of judges. Apparently, Izuku scored a lot when he defeated the zero point robot to rescue the girl. UA takes into consideration the initiative and bravery of an individual, not just skills. That's why they managed to produce the world's top heroes.

"And I'll have you know, I am not a judge during your exam. So no, you did not cheat nor were you given special treatment." All Might then gave the kid a thumbs up. "You got in through your hard work. Congrats kid, I am so proud of you."

Izuku, for the second time, burst into tears and bawled in front of All Might. He was happy about getting in, but he was even more happy hearing that from All Might.

"We should really fix those leaky faucets of yours, boy."

"Don't ruin the moment, geez..."

"I'm off!" Izuku, donning his UA uniform for his first day of school, was at the door to their home getting ready to leave. "Wait! Izuku!" His mother stopped him. Both Midoriyas' eyes were swollen from Last night. Izuku had a good crying session with Inko since they were so happy about him getting into UA's hero course. Izuku had little Deku's memories so of course he knew how heart broken his mother was when they found out he was quirkless. This was an important moment for mother and son. He was glad Inko finally started looking genuinely happy now. She is a good mother.

"You look so cool, sweetie. Good luck on your first day."

Izuku hugged the smaller woman. "Thanks mom, I'll see you later."


Izuku stood nervously in front of the door to his classroom. 1-A. He gulped, wondering who his classmates will be. He needed to focus on blending in. He finally got into UA, but he needed to focus on being average while training to become a hero. The last thing he wanted was to stand out. Though it would be nice if he made a friend or two during his time here in this school. He wondered which class Kacchan got into. Right, he didn't tell Kacchan yet. He wanted it to be a surprise.

"Why is the door so big." Izuku muttered, staring at the large door. Shrugging, he finally opened it.

"Don't put your feet on the table!"

"Says who? You're just a shitty extra!"

"It's rude to the upperclassment who used these seats before you!"

Izuku scratched the back of his head as he saw Kacchan arguing with glasses guy. So typical of Kacchan to pick a fight on his first day, and with mister glasses too! Wait, he's on the same class as Kacchan.

The two continued arguing until Kacchan finally noticed Izuku standing by the door. The blonde's eyes widened. "Oi Deku!" The glasses guy as well as the rest of the class turned their attention to Izuku. Izuku went pale, crap! Everyone noticed him! Good job Kacchan!

"Good morning! I am from Somei High, my name is-" the glasses guy, known as Iida Tenya approached midoriya. Izuku stood there calmly, though he was panicking inside. "Izuku Midoriya, I am perfectly normal classmate and Kacchan's friend, it's nice to meet you Iida Tenya." He said, stiffly holding out his hand with his face looking like it's about to blow up. Tenya blinked, but he accepted the handshake. Who would introduce themselves like that?

"You are an impressive man, Midoriya. You noticed that about the exams." Iida clenched his fist, giving Izuku a look of both admiration and frustration. "It pains me to admit it, but you are better than me!"

"Wh-wha? No no, I scored average in the exam! Nothing special, I am not someone to gawk at IIda..." Izuku scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"Oh! You're that curly haired kid!" Izuku turned to see the girl from the exam. Izuku froze in place as she began to excitedly talk to him. As always, Izuku couldn't properly talk to the girl but he smiled nervously at her and nodded politely. "A-Ah...Yes. I am glad to have you as a classmate Uraraka." He managed to finally say, feeling accomplished again that he talked to a girl for the second time.

"I wonder what our teacher's going to be like, aren't you excited, Deku?" She grinned.

Bakugo remained in his seat. He flinched a bit when he heard the girl call Izuku 'Deku'. He didn't know why that irritated him. He heard his other classmates call Izuku that, but never in a friendly way. This round faced girl called Deku in a friendly way and it ticked him off a little. He tried to ignore it...even if he preferred to have the privilege of being the only one to call Izuku 'Deku'. Deku was his damn rival.

"Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends."

Izuku blinked when he heard a new voice from...below? He looked down and saw a caterpillar just behind Uraraka. Iida and Uraraka's face went pale while Izuku remained calm. "Oh." It's not that Izuku wasn't shocked, he was...he just didn't know how to process it. This world is just too weird sometimes, he can't help his culture shock.

"I am Aizawa Shota, your home room teacher. It's nice to meet you."

"Quirk assessement test?!" Everyone said in unison. They were all in their gym uniforms outside in the field. Regular students should be in the opening ceremony by now. Hero course students don't follow tradition it seems.

Izuku rubbed his chin, ignoring everyone else as he started analyzing his situation. This test was meant to measure the class's quirks and skill. The teacher will be watching closely. He needed to be delicate with this. It's an absolute MUST to make an average impression during this test. He can't stumble around like he did during the entrance exam. He won't let that happen again. This time, Izuku will go into this with an actual plan.

As a form of demonstration, their teacher asked Bakugo to throw a ball up in the air with the use of his quirk. Never before were students asked to use their quirk in school, which was a shock to everyone. But since they're the hero course, using quirks is an absolute must. Izuku frowned, he needed to make it seem like his quirk is enhanced strength. Even if Kacchan saw him use teleportation, he could just reason out that it's a second ability. Izuku will need to make sure to only use his physical abilities and not the nanomachines. He didn't want to attract any kind of attention.

"DIE!"

Izuku blinked when he heard his dear friend yell and threw the ball, using his explosions to enhance the speed. Everyone was impressed after all, despite the not so hero-like yell. Kacchan had always been like that. Others may misunderstand the kid, but Izuku can tell he isn't as horrible as people think. Through the months they spent time together, Izuku started understanding Kacchan a little more. They're not quite there yet, but Izuku discovered that there's more to his first friend than what he seems. Little Deku and him used to be good friends, after all.

The tests had begun. Everyone seemed fired up and eager after witnessing Bakugo's impressive display. It was their time to shine, no more holding back. They can finally let loose their talents. That is what Izuku assumes since he didn't hear Aizawa's threat of expulsion if a student placed last in scores. Izuku wouldn't have worried too much, he aimed for the middle and it's safe there. He can't be at the bottom anymore!

After a couple minutes of overanalyzing and mentally processing, Izuku has formulated a plan successfully. He felt proud, knowing this would secure his reputation amongst his classmates and teachers.

They were asked to perform various physical exercises. Izuku prepared himself as he fell in line with his classmates. This should be easy, all he needed to do was watch the person in front of him closely. After that, he'd try to emulate their performance but cut the output to exactly half. Each child in this class is considered an average hero-course student, after all. He just needed to do this without using any quirks, That's it.

So Izuku did just that, matching the students in front of him with just his physical strength. Little did he know, the students in front of him scored the highest in class especially with their quirks. Izuku, however, mimicked these scores but obviously held himself back in the last minute. Not all students noticed but a certain few did. The teacher, especially. No 'normal' person could have produced such results without using any quirks. Clueless Izuki, however, did not notice the looks directed at him. He beamed with happiness and pride, believing he did an amazing job on this physical exam.

The last task he was asked to perform was throwing the ball, much like what Bakugo did earlier. The person before him was Uraraka and she scored infinity with her gravitational quirk. Of course he can't just produce half of infinity without suspicions so he will try to procure half of Kacchan's results.

"You can do it, Deku." Bakugo silently growled. Iida was right beside the hot headed blonde, also analyzing the situation. "This could prove a bit troublesome for Midoriya."

"Huh!? What the hell are you talking about mister elite?!" Bakugo glared at Iida. Iida was taken aback, shocked at Bakugo's response. "Were you not aware of what Midoriya did during the entrance exam?"

Izuku was about to throw when suddenly he felt a chill run down his spine. He paused and saw the teacher staring at him, his eye color seem to change. Was Aizawa using his quirk on him?

"Stop right there." The teacher said, unintentionally calling the attention of the rest of the class. Izuku grew nervous, what's wrong? Did he do something unusual?

"I've been told you cannot control your quirk. The destruction you've caused at the entrance exam proves that."

Izuku felt like all blood left his face once again. "Wait I don't intend to-" before he could respond, the teacher grabbed him using his bindings and pulled him closer. The glare this teacher gave was cold-blooded and frightening. It's as if he can kill with his stares. The bloodshot-dry eyes added to that effect.

"I don't know who or what you are, but if you're going to keep causing such destruction just because you cannot control your quirk, then I don't think you have what it takes to be a hero, boy. Think of the others around you before you use those fists willy nilly."

Izuku frowned and he gave Aizawa defiant look. He wasn't nervous anymore because he was angry. No, he came this far and he won't let this man get in his way. He will become a hero like he and little Deku wanted. Also, being told he couldn't just fired him up.

'Huh, I'm beginning to think like Kacchan.' Izuku thought in amusement.

"I've returned your quirk. You've got two shots, hurry up and get on with it." Aiza said as he released Izuku.

Izuku stood there holding the ball. He hated how this whole mess got the entire class's attention. Now everyone's watching him. Damn. He can't just use his strength and one for all and expect little to no damage! This was a struggle he and All might have been trying to overcome. It was hard enough to control his strength but combined with One for All, it was a Herculean task. However, Aizawa was right. Izuku hated to admit it, but the man had a point. He can't be heroic but destructive at the same time. Look what he did to All Might...every time they trained, the man would be bruised up and battered. Izuku always felt horrible upon seeing his idol in that state. Knowing that he caused pain...it didn't feel good at all. He needed to find a way...

Suddenly, an idea flickered into his brain.

Bracing himself, Izuku threw the ball. "Hyah!" In that moment, he threw the ball at an incredible speed using One for All and only One for All. Izuku didn't think it would work, but he figured that if he tried to focus on just one quirk and use it at its 100%, he might be able to control it properly. Such was the result of that throw. Since he can focus on just one for all, not his own physical body, he can control the force used. Limiting himself to exactly one quirk enabled him to use said quirk at 50%. It was a huge gamble since he has never tried using one for all in its 100% but it worked. Thankfully. They had been afraid to go beyond ten percent...but Izuku figure that if he can use the entire quirk, then he will have a better grasp of it.

Everyone's jaw dropped. It was far from Detroit smash, but it was enough of an impact. Izuku stared up, seeing the ball shoot up into the air dramatically like a rocket.

Aizawa looked towards the kid, also shocked.

"Teach, nothing is destroyed...I can still fight." Izuku gave Aizawa a determined look, clenching his fist as he did so.

The teacher grinned, clearly impressed by the Midoriya's persistence.

"This kid..."


Done! Whew. We finally meet the class and Aizawa. I also wanted a little moment with Izuku's mom. Welp, that's it for me. Thankyou as always for reading and reviewing! Hope you guys look forward to more :)