A/N: I'm progressively going to be making the chapters longer. My goal is 5k+ words per chapter, whereas usually its around 3k+. This is so more ground can be covered per chapter. So look forward to that!

PSA: If you post a review as a Guest, there's no way for me to respond to you. *shrug*

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Chapter Thirtyseven - The Quirkless Hero

The last day of Izuku's internship with Best Jeanist was much more laid back than the previous days. Everything had changed due to the Hero Killer's downfall, and while the country felt safer with him locked away, the Heroes of society knew better.

"The Hero Killer's ideals," Best Jeanist spoke as he had the injured Izuku and Bakugo doing menial cleanup tasks. "These are what we should fear from the events two days ago."

"His ideals?" Izuku huffed as he set down some books, having to carry them with his good arm. "L-Like, there could be copycats..?"

"Not necessarily that…" The Hero leaned back in his chair, touching his fingers together in thought. "It is more like those who were hiding in the shadows might become inspired by him, just as the youth of today might be inspired by someone like All Might."

Izuku had never really considered that concept. While he had always wished to become a Hero to save people with a smile, the unfortunate reality was that Villains existed as well to oppose those goals. Yet it couldn't be as black and white as that.

Someone like Miss Negative, so full of pain, Izuku thought. There's a gray area there…

"It's bullshit," Bakugo commented seriously. Izuku looked over at the boy who was putting some things in their place. "Bad guys are just gonna' end up six feet under. Who the hell wants to strive for that?"

Best Jeanist nodded. "You're correct, in our view as those striving for heroics, it does seem quite crazy."

"It's not that easy though," Izuku stated. Best Jeanist looked to him, interested in his serious expression. "I've seen it before… Someone can be misguided and just need a push in the right direction."

"That morally gray area is what I was attempting to guide you towards," Best Jeanist admitted. "It is the most difficult part of being a Hero."

Best Jeanist stood from his desk and approached the two boys, who looked over to him. He raised his hands and Bakugo tensed up a bit defensively, but Best Jeanist simply placed them on their shoulders gently.

"If you can make firm decisions even in those difficult times… You can become fine Heroes."

Those words would prove to help the two boys in their future endeavors, even if they didn't know it yet. When the afternoon came, they were set to return to U.A, and parted ways at the entrance to the Genius Office.

As Bakugo began to walk away, he paused, making Izuku tense up a bit as he expected something like a violent outburst.

"Deku," Bakugo said slowly, looking back over his shoulder. "If they let you into the Hero course, I'm gonna beat your ass, you know that, right?"

Izuku gulped and nodded slowly, unsure of what to say.

"The only reason I'm not doing it now is because you'll prolly bleed out or somethin' from your wounds," Bakugo said as he turned away again.

"Kacchan…" Izuku smiled a bit, surprised by any hint of friendliness from the boy.

"Don't get the wrong idea! When you're back to 100%, we're fuckin' fighting," Bakugo growled. "I'll beat you down into the ground til you want to give up!"

"We'll see about that," Izuku responded.

Bakugo shook his head. "Stupid Quirkless bastard," he muttered as he walked off.

Izuku watched him go, feeling a warmth overtaking him as he reflected on everything that had happened, and what the Principal had told him the day before.

The Hero course…

Taking one last look up at the Genius Office, Izuku headed off towards the train station to leave Tokyo and the past week behind him.

Inko Midoriya was in shambles over seeing her son bandages all over his side and leg. She had visited him in the hospital and berated everyone involved with the Stain incident, though she had no knowledge of what had really happened to Izuku and the other boys.

Now back home again, it took a while before Izuku's mother settled down enough for him to tell her what was happening.

"T-The Hero course…?!" His Mother held a hand over her mouth. "But that's…"

"It's everything I've ever wanted! I can finally train to become a Hero," Izuku said excitedly.

Inko looked down nervously. "Izuku… I-I'm very… proud of you."

Izuku looked at his Mother, seeing the worry in her face. It made him sad, knowing he had worried her yet again, even though he had decided to change that.

"Mom… I might be Quirkless, but that doesn't mean I'm powerless," Izuku began. "And I'm not alone out there, I'll have others to help me—"

"But inventions and training can only go so far!" His Mother held her mouth after her outburst, tearing up a bit. "I'm sorry Izuku, I-I didn't mean…"

As she trailed off, Izuku surprised her by chuckling a bit. She looked up at him in shock.

"I'm not the same boy I used to be," Izuku told her. "A year ago I didn't know anything, and even now I'm kinda lost… But that's why I need the Hero course."

Izuku held a hand in front of himself and clutched it into a fist before he continued.

"During the Sports Festival I could really feel it. I have the power to make a difference, with my body and my spirit," Izuku said. He looked to his Mom and smiled. "So please… Don't worry about me so much."

Inko sniffled and wiped her tears away. "How could I not… I love my little son who always wanted to be like All Might, even if that thought scares me. I'm so happy for you Izuku, I-I really am!"

"Mom…" Izuku reached out and touched her hand, which she grabbed, smiling sadly.

The two shared a solemn yet happy dinner together before Izuku finally got to retreat back to his bed, feeling the relief of being home overtaking him as he eventually fell into an exhausted sleep.

Izuku bowed deeply to his fellow classmates, ignoring the pain that caused in his injured side.

"T-Thank you for everything," Izuku spoke loudly.

The other students all gazed at him, unsure of what to say. They were mostly uneasy about losing one of their class

"That being said, Midoriya isn't leaving the school or anything," Power Loader pointed out. "So no need to cry about it… I'm talking to you, Shiro."

The short girl was sobbing loudly at her seat, while Mei scooted over and patted her back.

"Hey hey, we can still make cool babies for Izuku though," Mei told her.

"B-But… It just won't be the same," Shiro said sadly.

Izuku stood and looked around at the class. He also felt a bit saddened, like he was leaving them behind after the Support course had led him to his goal. That was the plan, after all, so why did it feel so wrong now?

Power Loader put a hand on his shoulder and looked out to the rest of the class.

"Thanks to the effort you guys put into the Sports Festival, we've actually gotten lots of requests for transfers," their teacher stated. "Just like the Heroes, if you slack off I'll probably replace ya. Got it?"

"Power Loader-sensei…" Izuku looked over to the teacher.

He smirked to Izuku and whispered. "Gotta get their minds off of it, or they won't leave you alone, ya know?"

Izuku chuckled a bit, then looked out at the class. He saw Mei consoling Shiro, and in the back was Ken, who seemed like he was asleep. Along with Izuku's desk, another one was empty…

"Where is Yuki?"

Power Loader sighed. "Well, I can't really say. For now, you gotta get going right? I'll tell him you said goodbye."

Izuku was worried but he nodded. He gave another quick bow to his former classmates and grabbed his bag. As he approached the door and opened it, his classmates said their goodbyes and wished him luck, and Izuku nearly felt himself start to cry.

Thank you everyone….

He stepped outside, and almost instantly someone grabbed him from behind and embraced him. Izuku gasped and looked back at who was touching him uncomfortably.

"Mei…?"

The pink-haired girl smiled mischievously at him, her squishy chest pushing against his back.

"Izuku, you won't forget about me, right," the girl said in a forced innocent voice, smiling widely.

"W-What do you mean? Of course not," Izuku responded nervously.

"Oi! Hatsume! Let him go," Power Loader called from inside. "We have lessons to get to!"

To Izuku's surprise, he saw a glimpse of sadness as Mei looked down towards the ground, her smile dropping. Her hug really really hurt due to his injuries, but he wasn't worried about that, knowing his closest friend might be feeling bad.

"H-Hey, weren't you the one comforting Shiro," Izuku pointed out.

"So? Am I not allowed to be sad too," Mei muttered.

Izuku thought about his Mother, how no matter what he said, she was always going to worry about him. At some point, maybe he wasn't going to be able to stop anyone from worrying, but perhaps that wasn't always necessary anyways.

I need to stop trying to change people around me, Izuku realized. He thought about butting heads with Yuki, Shiro, and Ken at various times, about helping to fix Mei's sleep schedule and overworking herself, about trying to talk to Bakugo about their issues to no avail— He was always trying to take the Hero's role to heart and fix people's flaws. Perhaps with someone like Todoroki he was successful, he still wasn't sure, but Izuku knew now what he needed to really change.

I'll start accepting people more, he thought. I'll learn to cherish people as they are!

Izuku gently grabbed Mei's arms and pulled them away, turning to her as his hands slipped down to hers, grasping them for a moment. The girl looked up at him, her piercing yellow eyes making him slightly nervous.

"Mei… You're my best friend," Izuku told her. "I'd literally never be able to forget about you."

For a moment they stood there staring at each other, Izuku's face slowly becoming more and more flushed as the silence lingered. Then a gasp from behind Mei made them turn to see Shiro standing there, shocked.

"D-Did Midoriya confess?!"

"H-Huh…? What—" Izuku let go of Mei's hands suddenly and waved his hands innocently in front of himself. "It's not… I…"

As Izuku stuttered, Mei chuckled and held a hand to her mouth, whispering purposefully loud enough to Shiro for Izuku to hear.

"I don't think Izuku is brave enough to say how he really feels," the girl whispered loudly. Shiro nodded confidently in agreement.

"Mei…!" Izuku turned away to hide his embarrassment.

"HEY! You girls think I'm a joke or somethin'?!"

"Oops, well I guess we better go," Mei said, pushing Shiro back into the class. "Bye Izuku!"

As Izuku turned to look to them, he gave a small wave and smile, but then he saw the angered Power Loader behind Mei, and as the door slammed shut, he gulped.

I wish the Hero course was a fresh start but… I'm sure they know about any trouble I've gotten into, Izuku thought.

He made his way down the hall towards the Hero Classes of 1-A and 1-B. As he grew closer, he noticed none-other than Iida waiting for him.

"Ah, Midoriya, you finally made it," Class A's rep stated seriously.

"Iida, it's good to—"

"You were supposed to be here five minutes ago! I'm not sure about your previous class, but there are standards here at Class A," Iida interrupted him sternly.

Izuku gulped. "A-Ah… I'm sorry…"

Iida pushed his glasses up and nodded, turning to the door and putting a hand on it. Before he opened it, however, he turned to Izuku and smiled warmly.

"Thank you, Midoriya," the boy stated. "Even if you don't think it's necessary… I'll repay you one day."

With that, the bespectacled boy opened the door and stepped inside.

"Sensei! The transfer student is here!"

"Late huh… That's not a good start," Aizawa spoke from inside.

Izuku took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly as he stepped inside of Class 1-A.

Many familiar faces gazed at Izuku as he walked in. Of course he recognized Bakugo and Todoroki, but also a few others he had faced at the Sports Festival.

"Hey hey, no way," Denki Kaminari spoke. "It's that guy…!"

"Isn't that the…."

The class murmured amongst themselves, as Izuku stood at the front nervously. Aizawa eyed him then looked out towards the class.

"This is Izuku Midoriya, he'll be transferring into Class A from this day onward," Aizawa stated. "As you know, we've been down a student since the incident at USJ."

There was an empty desk behind Bakugo, and behind that was the boy Izuku recognized as Mineta. Many of the students looked towards the desk, with pained expressions on their faces. Izuku had only heard via the news about the girl, Ameyoshi Shirui, but never saw any after-effects from her being injured.

"Midoriya has some experience already with villains, as you all have had," Aizawa explained. "Just like how you've all had your own training, he has as well— So don't underestimate him."

Izuku felt a bit nervous with such words being directed his way, but he tried his best to stand tall and look confident.

"Nobody is replacing Shirui," Aizawa continued on. "She is still expected to make a return to school soon thanks to some experimental treatments."

A hand shot up, and Izuku recognized it was Mina Ashido, the girl who was on Bakugo's team during the Cavalry Battle.

"Sensei! Are you gonna spoil Shirui when she comes back? She totally saved your life," Mina asked excitedly.

"What kind of question is that…" Aizawa sighed.

"It's true though," came the red-haired boy Kirishima, "Her Quirk helped you beat the hell outta those Villains!"

"That's an assumption—"

"Sensei, do I really have to replace my view of a beautiful girl with someone else—" Mineta began.

Aizawa activated his Quirk, his scarf also unraveling and making the class feel uneasy, interrupting Mineta's awful question as they all stayed quiet now.

S-Somehow I'm not really the topic anymore… Izuku was glad that it had shifted a bit from him, taking some of the pressure off.

"Midoriya!" Izuku jumped a bit as Iida suddenly said his name from nearby. "Please take your seat behind Bakugo, so the morning debriefing may continue."

"R-Right…" Izuku gave a quick bow to the class before nervously walking over towards the left side of the class. As he walked past Bakugo, the spiky-haired boy glared at him.

"Bastard," Bakugo muttered.

Izuku put his bag down and sad, letting out a sigh of relief that there wasn't a big introduction or anything— But that all changed quickly.

"Midoriya," Aizawa spoke. "Your main assignment today is to figure out your Hero Name."

"Hero name…?"

"Everybody else has already selected them," Aizawa explained. "Midnight helped with it for the rest of the class, and it's kind of a drag so… Figure it out on your own and have it ready by the afternoon."

Izuku gulped. He had thought about the name a lot, and his friends from the Support Course agreed that it was fitting. Still, it was a bit embarrassing to have to stand in front of students he didn't really know and explain himself.

"As for your internships, I'm sure you learned at least something from who you went with," Aizawa continued on. "I hope you're ready to use that experience for your Final Exams coming in the next couple of weeks—"

Izuku was filled in on some details he had missed. Apparently there was a Summer Training Camp upcoming in early July, and those who did well with their grades would be allowed to attend, and the others would be forced into remedial studies.

Luckily for Izuku, he was already doing well in his general courses, especially Mathematics, so all he really needed to do was to catch up with the Hero studies. He assumed his grades from Power Loader's Support work may transfer over to that category, but he wasn't sure.

After Aizawa finished, Present Mic arrived for their first period English lessons. It wasn't long before lunchtime came, and Izuku was more than happy to escape his unfamiliar surroundings— Til four people suddenly approached his desk.

They were, from left to right, Ashido, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Mineta. Izuku looked to them nervously, not sure what to expect.

"Yo Midoriya! You were totally cool at the festival," the blonde boy Kaminari said, giving a thumbs up.

"O-Oh, thanks—"

"Hey hey you, were the one who made that device for Tetsutetsu right?" Kirishima smirked. "My bad for breaking it, but that thing made his punches hurt!"

Izuku chuckled, and Mineta suddenly leaned over his desk, getting uncomfortably close. In fact, Izuku felt a bit of nostalgia, as Mineta reminded him eerily of a certain short girl from the Support class…

"You smell like…" Mineta sniffed the air. "A girl."

Izuku gulped. "W-What's that supposed to mean—"

The pink girl Ashido pushed Mineta away and said enthusiastically, "Hey hey, you're gonna eat with us right? I wanna ask about a lot of things!"

A bit overwhelmed, Izuku stood and backed away a bit as the four started to talk at the same time and try to get him to do various things— Finally he was saved when a girl he didn't recognize approached.

"H-Hi! I'm Uraraka… And you're… Midoriya, right," the girl said, giving a warm smile. "You were cool during the festival!"

Izuku blushed slightly at Uraraka, who seemed very friendly and calm compared to everybody else. He nodded.

"Y-Yes, it's nice to meet you," Izuku stammered.

"Come on everyone," Iida called. "Stop pestering the new student!"

"Say, do you need someone to eat lunch with? Or will you eat with your other class?"

Izuku didn't know how to answer Uraraka's question, but luckily Iida came in to physically urge everyone along. He said a quick goodbye and jotted off towards the lunchroom, already eager to see his old classmates again.

After grabbing a tray of food, he went to their usual table, finding Shiro, Ken, Taka, and Ninsei there.

"Midoriya! You're alive," Shiro exclaimed, jumping up and nearly throwing everyone's lunch off the table.

Ken created a boxing glove around his hand and smacked her right over the head.

"Calm down, he's literally down a couple of hallways from us," Ken muttered. "Still, I'm surprised you're over here."

"Well, I um…" Izuku searched around the room with his eyes for a moment.

"Looking for Hatsume?" Izuku's reaction made Ken sigh as it was confirmed. "She's doing some extra workshop tasks."

"I-I see…" Izuku looked down at his tray.

"Hmph, so without her you can't sit with us lame-o's huh," Shiro scoffed.

"That's—"

SLAM! Ken smacked her over the head again, the girl scowling as he started to hear her food again.

"You don't gotta feel obliged to pander to us ya know," Ken pointed out. "We'll be fine. Hatsume's always overworking herself anyways."

Izuku nodded and smiled to the others as well.

"R-Right, I um… I'll see you around!"

With that Izuku headed off a bit awkwardly towards the area where Class A was mostly at, however, he encountered yet another struggle as none-other than Tetsutetsu of 1-B suddenly shot up in front of him.

"Midoriya! I heard you made it into Class A," the boy exclaimed loudly. "Congratulations!"

There was silence in the lunchroom, and Izuku gasped, looking around as literally every student around was looking at him now. He caught some intrigued looks, but also some dirty and petty looks.

"T-Thanks," Izuku responded softly.

"Of course! Shame you didn't make it into the better class though hahaha—-"

"Midoriya! Over here! Sit with the winner class," came Kirishima from nearby. Tetsutetsu scowled at this and looked over towards his red-haired rival.

Izuku chuckled a bit, people starting to not pay attention to them as much now.

"Thank you Tetsutetsu, for helping me out," Izuku continued. "But I won't go easy on you now that we're rivals!"

"Rivals?" Tetsutetsu laughed and patted Izuku hard on the shoulder. "That's right! I'll see ya in the field of battle!"

Izuku nodded to the other 1-B students who were eying him, and sat beside Kirishima. At the table was also Jiro, Ashido, Kaminari, Mineta, Shoji and finally Bakugo. The spiky-haired boy growled as Izuku sat nearby, turning away and rapidly eating his food.

"Hey hey Bakugo, you're gonna choke at that rate," Kirishima pointed out.

"Fuck off."

Bakugo shot up and walked away with his now empty tray. Everyone looked over at Izuku, who chuckled nervously.

"What's his issue? Is it because you broke his nose," Kaminari questioned with a snicker."

"That was the best! Really sticking it to the hierarchy," Mineta exclaimed.

"Kacchan and I just go way back," Izuku answered.

"Kacchan? Is that like.. a nickname?" Ashido pondered that for a second. "I didn't think he would do that sort of thing!"

Izuku didn't know how much he should tell his new classmates about his past or what he'd experienced over the first months of schooling, but he knew they'd see soon enough how he and Bakugo were when they're around each other, so he left that bit out.

After spending lunch talking about some of his studies and things he's done, Izuku felt bad like he was boasting about his accomplishments. Luckily, his new classmates didn't take it that way, and were excited about him.

Izuku was fitting right in so far.

The dreaded time came before Izuku knew it. Their afternoon classes ended and Aizawa returned for their Hero studies. The first thing he did, of course, was call on Izuku.

"Midoriya, you've picked, right?"

Izuku nodded, grabbing the white-board he had used and hiding his writing as he approached the podium at the front of the class. He looked out nervously, catching the cool collected eyes of Todoroki and the fiery anger in Bakugo's expression, before he looked down at the board.

"This would've been different a year ago," Izuku said. "B-But now I know this is what I want it to be."

Izuku remembered how his friends responded to the name when he told them at the festival. Everyone agreed it was very suiting, and that was all he really needed to confirm it.

"I'll be—"

He propped the small whiteboard up so everybody could see what he had written.

"The Quirkless Hero— 'Flow'!"

To Be Continued

Izuku and Mei