I do not own My Hero Academia.

"Solitude is the soil in which genius is planted, creativity grows, and legends bloom; faith in oneself is the rain that cultivates a hero to endure the storm, and bare the genesis of a new world, a new forest." – Mike Norton

The examinees soon realised that what they initially thought to be a stage, was actually a field that could expand into an arena.

It had come as a shock to many of them when Hadō Nejire – also known as the hero Nejire Chan – announced that there would be a one-on-one battle to assess their skills and abilities with their quirks.

Of course, it would not make sense for inexperienced children to battle against each other with no form of training. However, the remaining examinees had proven that without a shadow of a doubt, they had the ability to adapt and surpass many others if the situation called for it.

So far, ten students had been failed, and ten had passed.

Amongst them were some of the students Izuku had figured were as strong as they appeared. The dark haired and elegant girl – Yaoyorozu Momo – had swiftly defeated her opponent by creating an iron staff, and shown exceptional skill with it.

Tokoyami Fumikage, the boy with the bird shaped head, had summoned a shadow-like creature that subsequently defeated his opponent – a boy with a strong tail-like appendage. The bi-colour haired boy, Todoroki Shoto, had immediately flash-frozen his opponent – a boy with pitch black skin.

A girl with vines for hair had won her match as well. A blond boy had electrocuted his metallic opponent before he could act. Another bespectacled boy had transformed into a hounding beast – very similar to a beast of the apocalypse – and trumped his tiny, purple haired opponent.

One girl had transformed split parts of herself into levitating pieces, easily terrifying her opponent before defeating her. A blond boy, interestingly enough, had copied his opponent's quirk that made solid air and managed to pressure him out of the arena. Two boys, with similar body hardening quirks, had brawled for nearly ten minutes before the redhead toppled his steel counterpart.

Amusingly enough, they had hugged each other and called each other brothers after their match.

Currently, being taken off the field, was a short white haired boy. His quirk, which seemed to double the impact of an attack, had been rendered useless by the hulking mass of strength that Sato Rikido could summon. Super strength increasing due to the consumption of sugar was an incredible ability.

"Next up, can Honenuki Juzo and Hagakure Toru come to the stage?" Nejire announced.

A pale-skinned boy with teeth sitting outside his skin made his way to the stage. He stood near the end of the stage, waiting for his opponent to appear. But no one did.

Izuku narrowed his eyes.

Suddenly, Juzo stuck the ground and it softened, creating some kind of quicksand across the entire arena. A girl's voice cried out but no one could see where it came from.

"You almost got me." The strange boy sighed.

Just a foot ahead of him, in the softened ground, were several holes which were clearly made from footsteps, with the last pair going deeper into the ground than the others.

"I give up." A voice came from ahead of the boy.

"Winner, Honenuki Juzo!" Nejire announced.

Izuku applauded with a few others as the invisible girl was helped out of the quicksand. It seemed that there were others amongst his peers who possessed a great intuition and reflexes. Had it been another person, perhaps with a less suitable quirk, the invisible girl would have easily shoved them out of the field.

"That's fucking creepy. Both of them." Katsuki muttered under his breath.

Cementos took to the stage, and with a fine mastery of his quirk, remodelled, and reformed the damaged field. It almost looked better than the last – the effects of the previous battles basically non-existent.

Several matches passed until Katsuki was called to the arena. He grinned excitedly, causing all the examinees in his way to open a path for him to the stage. In the matches prior, Iida Tenya had gone against a boy named Rin Hiryū. His scale-shooting quirk, though quick, had failed to catch Tenya off-guard. The boy was extremely quick.

A frog-like girl had defeated a gentle giant with a rock-like head. It was clear that he was no suited for battle, so the girl had taken advantage of that. Another battle, if you could call it that, was purple haired boy against an extremely extravagant foreign-looking boy who was best suited to mingle with the bourgeoisie. Although his quirk, from what Izuku had seen from the previous trial, could be quite useful, the tired-looking boy had simply commanded the boy off the stage.

Of which he did.

Izuku paid attention to the arena and watched his best friend dominate the battle like a maniac. Katsuki was very well trained in the usage of his quirk, and he was not above being violent if those were the means to win. He even revelled in it. The gigantic boy with multiple limbs stood no chance against the explosive onslaught, and many could only watch with fear-filled eyes.

"Midoriya-kun."

Izuku turned to find Tenya and the brown haired girl. She was smiling, trying to hide in a cute manner, as they approached him.

"Iida-kun, and..." He gestured towards the girl.

"Oh! Ochako, Uraraka Ochako." She jumped. "It's nice to meet you, Midoriya-kun."

"Likewise, Uraraka-san." Izuku smiled before turning to the bespectacled boy. "Congratulations on your match."

The boy beamed at the praise.

"Much appreciated, Midoriya-kun. Rin-san was quite a troublesome opponent I must admit." Tenya mulled. "Are you perhaps related to that, eh..."

Izuku laughed as he witnessed Katsuki gloat about his victory and go on a tirade of calling the rest of the examinees extras. The usual.

"Not really." Izuku chuckled as Mirio dragged the boy from the arena. "We grew up together, so I suppose we might as well be."

"Is that so?" Tenya said as he pushed the rim of his spectacles. "It's just that his quirk seems to be similar, if not the same as yours."

"And there was someone earlier who could copy quirks, no?" Izuku glanced at the boy beside him.

"Fair enough." Tenya relented. "He indeed is a strong individual, and the usage of his quirk is incredible. He's someone that my idol would take on as a sidekick."

Izuku hummed in agreement.

Katsuki, although volatile, had the expertise to be taken in by the more versatile Pro Heroes. Someone like Endeavour, or even Hawks, could apprentice him and bring out the best in him. Miruko too, but she was well-known for being a solo act.

"Midoriya-kun, what's your quirk?" Ochako asked curiously. "I mean, earlier, I think you healed me."

Tenya perked up and Izuku paused for a moment. Until, Katsuki appeared with a scowl on his face, causing the girl to jump a little ways away from them.

"Who are the extras?" Katsuki asked gruffly.

"I met them during my trial." Izuku started. "They're good people."

Katsuki nodded and shot a glare at both Tenya and Ochako, causing them to flinch.

"Bakugo Katsuki." He announced before taking his place against the wall.

Izuku sighed at the sudden tension and glanced at his two new acquaintances apologetically. Just as he was about to speak, he heard his name being called to the stage.

"For the next match, can Kaibara Sen and Midoriya Izuku come to the stage?" Nejire announced. "After this match, only ten examinees remain. I expect all of you to prepare yourselves."

"Don't waste more of my time, Deku." Katsuki smirked.

"Yeah, yeah." Izuku waved him off.

Making his way to the arena, Izuku noted the looks that he was receiving from his fellow examinees. Some, though glancing at him discreetly, appeared slightly apprehensive. He sighed, regretting using one of the most powerful techniques in their shared arsenal.

As soon as reached the stage, he found a lazy-looking boy with shaggy brown hair, and appeared to be around his height. His laidback approach betrayed the sharpness in his eyes, which were assessing him as he ascended the stairs.

His opponent was on high alert.

"Please refrain from using techniques that might destroy this field and, or, injure your opponents. Understood?" Cementos warned.

"Yes, sir." Both boys agreed.

"Begin!"

There was a silent tension as both combatants waited for the other to move. It wasn't so much so the fact that they were scared to make the first move, rather, they were studying each other.

Gyrate.

Izuku slipped into an opening stance of Aikido – a form he had mastered nearly three years ago. Thanks to his acute vision, he had deduced that his opponent was well-versed in hand-to-hand combat, and that along with his Gyrate quirk, he would have much more force than the average fighter.

Sen leapt ahead, quicker than expected, his lingering arm rotating along with both his legs. Izuku, realising that the boy meant to finish the fight quickly, leapt towards the boy, the tiny explosions in his hands elevating him higher much faster. With a particularly larger explosion, Izuku flipped over him.

Sen crashed into the ground, his landing uprooting and completely shattering several tiles. The boy immediately spun on his feet, intent on leaping towards Izuku, only to find him barrelling down in his direction.

His eyes widened marginally and he grit his teeth, leaping towards Izuku. As they clashed in the air, Sen smacked one of Izuku's hands away, causing him to shoot his explosives in a different direction. However, the tiny explosions caused Sen to widen his eyes, realising his mistake. Izuku, with his opponent having fallen for his feint, struck out his right hand and grinned, causing an explosion of blunt force to shoot Sen to the ground.

Sen's rotating limbs crashed on the ground, causing the boy to cough out spittle as his back struck the ground. His eyes widened as Izuku spun towards him with explosive speed. He clenched his eyes shut, preparing the impact, but it never came.

Izuku landed above him and held a glowing hand to his face, causing the boy to sweat from the sweltering heat. Gulping in his breath, the boy looked away from Izuku.

"I-I give up." He breathed out heavily.

"Winner, Midoriya Izuku!" Nejire announced excitedly.

The rest of the examinees applauded the quick paced but thrilling match up of two people with similar but very different quirks. It was clearly different from the utter domination they had witnessed earlier with the hot-tempered Katsuki.

Izuku released his opponent, and rose to his feet. He then offered a hand to Sen, which the boy took after assessing if it was still scalding.

"That's a powerful quirk you have there, Kaibara-san." Izuku complimented the boy.

"Same to you, man." Sen sighed as he got to his feet. "You fight almost like that guy who came before us."

"Ah, Katsuki is a little violent, I guess." Izuku chuckled nervously.

"And you aren't?" Sen raised an eyebrow.

"Touché."

Izuku made his way back to the others, only to find Ochako with a bright expression on her face. Tenya was nodding approvingly, while Katsuki only scoffed.

"That was most impressive, Midoriya-kun!" Tenya announced.

"How can you move that fast?!" Ochako suddenly appeared next to him, causing him to fluster.

"Katsuki is much faster than me." Izuku chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, sure." Katsuki muttered. "You could have finished that in an instant."

"Hey, I was curious about his quirk!" Izuku cried out indignantly.

"Fucking nerd." Katsuki shook his head.

Having acquired Explosion years ago, Izuku had as much grasp on it as Katsuki did. He still had far less experience with it, having depended on something other than imminent destruction. Katsuki could be sour about it – he was adamant on the both of them outclassing their peers – but Izuku's curious nature was not something he could easily ignore.

It was him, after all.

Izuku sighed as he walked into the apartment complex. His home was on the third floor, so he had to take the elevator up. Just as the door was about to close, a voice called out.

"Hold the lift!"

Izuku immediately pressed the 'open' button and waited for person to enter. A blonde haired girl panted, her hands on her knees, causing him to sigh. The girl looked up to him and grinned excitedly.

"Izu-kun!" The girl torpedoed into his chest, causing them to drop to the ground.

"Himiko, please." Izuku complained from underneath the girl. "Can you move a bit?"

Glancing down at their position, Himiko realised that she was straddling him and, instead of moving away, she turned to him and her cheshire grin widened.

"Why, Izu-kun? You don't like this?" She asked cutely, a finger resting by her lower lip.

Izuku groaned and blushed at her actions, deciding that it was best to look away from her – he could never defeat her this way.

"If I said no, would you stop?" Izuku asked, one eye glancing at her from the corner.

"Nope!" Himiko cackled ecstatically before leaping off his lap.

Izuku was certain that this girl would kill him someday, and he knew that if his best friend ever found out that he died of embarrassment, Katsuki would come and laugh on his grave every single day.

"Thank you." Izuku offered after Himiko lodged their floor number.

Toga Himiko was someone he had come to know nearly four years ago. Back then, he had started attending lessons at the dojo, so he had a tendency of arriving at home late. Himiko had just moved in when they met, and the girl had found some sort of delight in harassing him. Suffice to say, she was a little unwell sometimes.

Then again, he hung around Katsuki.

"How was your exam, today?" Himiko asked while tapping on her phone. She looked up towards him, her nose shifting a bit. "It was today, right?"

Izuku blushed and looked away. She probably thought he stank, despite the shower he had taken at the offered amenities at U.A.

"Y-Yeah." He stammered in embarrassment. "It was kinda fun."

"I'll bet." Himiko chuckled. "Did you pass?"

Izuku blinked at that, recalling the end of the one-on-one matches. The Big Three had revealed that they had simply used a ruse to test them at their very best. It seemed that U.A. had not abandoned the tradition of two Hero Course classes, after all. They were just as adamant to teach any and all who were willing.

"Yeah. I'll be attending the opening ceremony in a week or so." Izuku informed. "How's school?"

"Eh, so and so." Himiko commented, stepping out of the elevator as soon as it stopped. Izuku followed her. "The girls and I are planning on going out for a shopping spree during this short break." She glanced back at him. "Interested?"

"Uh, no." Izuku shivered. "The last time you asked me to accompany you somewhere, we ended up being kicked out of the supermarket."

Himiko let out a beautiful laugh that caused Izuku to smile slightly.

Despite how strange and hyperactive she was, Izuku genuinely enjoyed her company. She was rough, a little yandere, but she was a good person.

He would know.

"Izuku!"

Both teens jumped when the door to his home swung open to reveal his mother. She looked like she hadn't slept a wink, and she was panting as though she had run a marathon.

"Hey, Midoriya-san!" Himiko greeted cheerily.

Inko, who was still panting, paused and glanced about, her vision clearing up enough to see Izuku side-by-side with Himiko.

"Himiko-chan..." She squinted her eyes.

She blinked when Izuku put a hand on her shoulder, steadying and healing her at the same time. Her exhaustion seemed to recede and her posture straightened the better she felt.

"Thank you, Izuku." She smiled, glancing at Himiko. "I'll leave you two to it then." She giggled as she walked back into the house.

Izuku merely sighed at his mothers antics – it was something she always did when Himiko or any girl was around him. In seventh grade, she thought he'd brought home his girlfriend when it was a classmate that he had a joint assignment with.

"I like your mom, Izu-kun." Himiko grinned.

"Of course you do."

Principal Nezu sipped on his tea as he listened to his colleagues review the most recent exams. It was fair to say that a number of the examinees held various but powerful and versatile abilities.

They will serve them well if they passed the coming three years

Congregated in his quaint office were the Class 1 homeroom teachers and the Big Three. Aizawa and Kan, better known as Eraserhead and Vlad King, were seated on the couch to his right.

On the left couch were the Big Three – U.A. and Japan's strongest hero students who had taken the limelight by becoming Pro Heroes and attaining the Hero Billboards Chart's Top Ten Rankings before their third year.

On the far end of the seat, seemingly trying to hide himself, was Amajiki Tamaki, better known Suneater. Of the three students, it was said that he had the most potential – it proven true when he attained tenth place in the most recent rankings.

In the middle of the two boys was Hadō Nejire, better known as Nejire Chan. She was well-known for being apprenticed by the Dragoon Hero: Ryukyu, the current ninth place hero. Her ability and expertise with her quirk put her far above many experienced Pro Heroes, and although she hadn't cracked the Top Ten, her position as eleventh place was certified.

On the closer end of the seat was Tōgata Mirio, better know as Lemillion. An energetic individual with an immense sense of justice, he had been tutored by Sir Nighteye during his first year, and had become a very powerful hero since then. His ranking at sixth place was only due to his lack of experience in comparison to the current top five.

Aizawa and Kan were debating on which examinees should join which class. They had reached a standstill at some point when their conversation turned to a particular examinee – Shinsō Hitoshi. The boy had displayed a quirk quite similar to Aizawa's own, however, the issue came from the fact that in comparison to the other students in Class 1-A, he did not have raw power.

Class 1-A was usually designated as the strongest class, however, over the years experience had shown that the B classes could best their counterparts. Which still is the case with Mirio.

"Aizawa-sensei..." Tamaki drawled out shyly. "I think you have better experience at teaching finesse, so I believe that Shinsō-kun and Monoma-kun would work best under your tutelage."

"Monoma Neito? Is he the one with the Copy quirk?" Nezu inquired and the dark haired boy nodded. "I'd put Midoriya Izuku in the same boat as these two."

"You noticed it too, Principal?" Aizawa muttered.

"Yes. That boy used the exact same quirk as Bakugo Katsuki." Nezu said as he reached for Izuku's folder. "The boy is registered quirkless, something he clearly is not."

"Do you think it's a Copy quirk, like Monoma-kun, Principal?" Nejire inquired. "He seemed very well-versed in using the Explosion quirk. Perhaps he had training?"

"Most probably. He is from the same school as Bakugo-kun, so I wouldn't put it past them to have trained together." Nezu tapped his table. "But I don't believe it to be a Copy quirk. Those, despite how rare they are, have limitations."

"The five-minute rule, huh?" Aizawa muttered.

It was known that Copy quirks were the rarest of quirks. Only three people in the world were documented to have them in this generation, and another appearing in their prefecture would have become public, or at the very least known to them.

Monoma Neito had shown his quick thinking and learning ability by studying his opponent for several moments before going in. Even during the trial, the boy had gone around copying quirks and had managed to come out top in his field.

But he hadn't handled those quirks for more than five minutes.

Midoriya Izuku had held onto the Explosion quirk for at least fifteen minutes that he had been apart of Bakugo Katsuki.

"In any case, it is our duty to get to the bottom of this, and I'd advise that we meet with the boy when classes begin." Nezu suggested. "Is that fine with you, Aizawa-kun?"

Aizawa sighed, realising that there was more work to be done. But he would do it, for the sake of leading these kids to a better future.

"Yes, sir."

Izuku stood in front of his mirror running a hand through his hair to place his curls properly. From a young age, he had enjoyed playing with his father's hair – his dark mane of curls were amongst the softest substances he had ever touched.

He jerked his body a bit to see if the uniform fit him properly, and was satisfied by how his pants weren't overly large – they were a regular fit. He had forgone the red sneakers, instead choosing to wear black shoes that matched his pants. His red tie was set properly and he had one button inserted on his blazer.

Satisfied with his appearance, Izuku latched his satchel onto his back and made his way to the living room. His mother was there, too, washing the dishes. On the desk, there was a handbag and a stack of folders – his mother had another presentation today.

Inko turned to her son and offered him a smile as she approached him. She placed a hand on his cheek, which he leaned into with a content smile.

"We're proud of you, Izuku." Inko stated soothingly.

"I know." Izuku muttered before kissing his mother's forehead. "I'll see you later, Mom."

"Good luck!" she called out to him.

Izuku raised an eyebrow when he found Himiko waiting for him by the elevator. She was dressed in her usual school attire – a plain seifuku with a dark blue skirt and shirt with two white lines trimming the collar. Her hair was tied up in two messy buns, but her feline like features added a certain charm to her.

Attractive as usual.

"Aren't you going to be late to school again?" Izuku asked as he approached her.

The girl suddenly attacked his cheek and pulled at it, causing him to yelp. She cackled ecstatically, before pulling away as the elevator door opened.

"Idiot. I wasn't gonna miss your first day." She smiled widely, bouncing about and shadow boxing. "My Izu-kun is on his way to become the best hero."

"Katsuki is gonna be the best hero, I'm just gonna be his sidekick." Izuku commented as he entered the elevator.

Himiko swatted his shoulder and pouted at him.

"Even that brute knows that he's gonna be the sidekick, not the other way around." Himiko muttered cutely.

"Don't let him hear you saying that." Izuku chuckled.

Izuku didn't mind at all. He was determined to become the best alongside his best friend and Katsuki wanted the very same thing. They respected each other immensely, to the point that the usually prideful blonde allowed him to use his quirk whenever it suited him. Of course, it was merely one in the cesspool of abilities that he had garnered, but Izuku greatly appreciated the gesture.

As they walked towards the train station, Himiko bounced and twirled on her heels while humming an airy tune. Izuku was used to this – sometimes, they would walk together, other times she would leave later than he usually did.

He was the only morning person amongst his friends.

"Oi, what have I told you about bringing strays with you?" Katsuki grunted as he walked out of his yard.

Himiko immediately hissed exactly like a stray cat would, probably not helping her defence. Izuku patted her head soothingly, stopping her from going on a rampage.

Again.

"At least she's a cute one." Izuku mulled.

"Hey, I'm older than you!" Himiko cried out after swatting his hand away. "I'll have you know that women my age are considered beautiful or sexy!"

Katsuki scoffed, earning him a heated glare from the irate girl.

"Whatever." He muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Himiko's petulant expression only increased when she felt sandwiched between the two boys. Despite being a year older than them, she was on the shorter side of the spectrum in comparison to the two – even Katsuki seemed to have grown taller than the both of them. She sized him up and down – probably a five-foot-nine with his constant slouch.

Deciding that she'd had enough, she spun around Izuku and latched herself onto his left arm. The boy sputtered in surprise, but she stuck out her tongue to him. He would have to deal with it.

"You think they'll change the class formats?" Izuku started, glancing at Katsuki. "They did say that they would re-evaluate the duels we held in the finals and sort us accordingly."

Himiko blinked.

"Maybe." He grumbled. "You can never know with those bastards at U.A."

"You think the two of you won't be in the same class?" Himiko asked curiously.

For as long as she had known the two, she knew they were attached to the hip. Then again, they were entering a phase where they had to learn independence – though, to be fair, they were independent enough.

"No, we will be in the same class. I'm just curious about the others who stood out along with us." Izuku deduced. "Maybe they'll want to balance things out, although that's unlikely too."

"Uh-huh." Himiko responded dumbly.

She listened quietly as the boys rambled on and on, completely content with simply hanging onto the arm of a person she loved.

"Midoriya Izuku." The boy perked up when his name was called, glancing at his seemingly exhausted homeroom teacher. "Come with me. The rest of you stay still."

Aizawa shot a look at Katsuki, forcing the boy to remove his legs from his desk – something the stiff-looking boy had failed to do before his arrival.

Izuku quietly followed his new teacher, his eyes studying the man. He knew who he was, as every fanboy did. His homeroom teacher was the fabled Eraserhead, that much he could tell. But what bothered him was how he had failed to see that.

Unknown.

His perception had never failed him before. It had always, always, managed to breakdown any structure, any form, to the barest of its constitution. However, all he could see before him was a simple, gruff looking man.

Nothing more, nothing less.

"Is that how it works?" Aizawa asked, glancing over his shoulder.

Izuku jumped in surprise, the man's curious voice being unexpected. He frowned again.

"Pardon?" He inquired.

"I asked if that's how your quirk works." Aizawa said while casting a loose arm to gesture at everything around them. "You study and understand?"

Izuku's eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks, forcing the man to look behind him, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

Aizawa watched as the boy fretted internally before releasing a sigh and a fearless gleam entered his green eyes.

"I suppose so." Izuku muttered.

A door suddenly opened across his teacher and he realised the man was standing in front of the teacher's lounge. A small figure walked out of the room and glanced at him, an easy smile appearing on its lips.

"I brought the kid, Principal."

Aizawa grinned excitedly as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair, causing Izuku to raise an eyebrow.

"And he's fucking incredible."