I do not own My Hero Academia.

"We only know a tiny portion of the complexity of the natural world. Wherever you look, there are still things you don't know about and things you don't understand. There are always new things to find out if you go looking for them." – David Attenborough

Class 1-A stood in front of one of the numerous and boundless sport fields of their school, garbed in the standard P.E. uniform. Some amongst them had extra features to their gear.

They silently watched with bated breath as a classmate of theirs was used for a demonstration.

"Die!"

An explosion echoed along with the terrifying war cry, causing dust to lift and forcing many to cover their eyes and mouths for protection. In the distance, however, a small ball tore through the air before digging into the ground during its landing.

"736.5 meters." Aizawa announced. "This is how you learn the extent of your abilities, and here at U.A., we are tasked with nurturing them to their fullest capability."

Someone whistled appreciatively in the background and the chattering only increased after the announcement. It was fair to say that every one of them were excited.

"You will separate into groups of six, I don't really care who you group with." Aizawa started, gaining the attention of his students. "Each six will participate in the listed tests, so I'd like two of you to work as my assistants for now. Don't worry, you will get your turns at the tests."

"I don't mind going last, Aizawa-sensei." Izuku raised his hand.

"Likewise." Momo stepped forward.

Izuku glanced at the dark haired beauty who had impressed him during their final trial. Her quirk was nothing short of incredible, and her skills with it were something to boast about. In the single day and some hours he had spent around her presence, he was certain that she was someone he could easily get along with.

Also, he might have the tiniest crush on the girl.

"Good." Aizawa acknowledged and then made a shooing motion. "Now, group up. You have two minutes."

Izuku glanced around and watched as his classmates grouped up. A group of five, including the pink-haired girl and redheaded boy, made their way to and immediately surrounded Katsuki. His friend looked just about to explode at the incessant chatter from his group.

"I don't believe we have been formally introduced." The dark haired girl spoke, causing Izuku to turn to her. "I am Yaoyorozu Momo, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Izuku smiled before shaking her hand. It was soft and delicate, complementing her features and elegance.

"Midoriya Izuku, it's nice to meet you Yaoyorozu-san." He then bowed theatrically, kissing her hand as if she were a princess.

Momo blushed, and a hand quickly rushed to stifle her giggles.

"Oh, my. The pleasure is all mine, Midoriya-kun." She giggled as he returned her hand. "I've been meaning to meet you. I must say you had me impressed during the Entrance Exams."

"Is that so?" Izuku smiled. "The feeling is mutual, actually." He chuckled while scratching his cheek.

Before their conversation could go any further, Aizawa lazily blew a whistle, catching their attention. He walked past Izuku and Momo, and started ordering the other students.

"Let's see, you're groups A to C." He jotted down into a pad. "Group A is continuing with the Soft Ball Throwing. Group B, the Standing Long Jump. And Group C, the 50-meter Dash.

After a unanimous voicing of agreement, Aizawa turned to the two of them, offering them notepads and a set of timers.

"Midoriya, you'll monitor the dash. There's a machine there working as a timer, but I think it'll be good training for your senses too." Aizawa informed before turning to Momo. "Yaoyorozu, the Standing Long Jump. It's never a difficult task to study your peers."

"Yes, sir." Both students agreed and separated to their designated positions.

Izuku pocketed his pad as soon as he took record of the last set of times. The last group he had was perhaps the strangest. Not because of appearances, more along the lines of personality.

Shiozaki Ibara was an extremely devout young woman, believing herself to be tested by the Lord.

Izuku chuckled when he recalled her comments about the so-called "Beast Of The Apocalypse." Personally, he thought Shishida Jurota was a pretty nice guy.

"My, you're enjoying yourself." Momo commented as she approached him, her notepad in hand.

"I can't help it after coming across so many different characters at once." Izuku said with an easy smile. "Most of the people I went to middle school with were kids I'd known from childhood. So, I must say it's quite an experience."

"Most of my peers were what you might call the "snobby" kind. All bred from wealth, and unconcerned about anything else aside of their images." Momo said, her free hand adjusting her bang. "It was thanks to my parents that I was able to mingle with the masses and some to understand their way of life. I fear that I might have turned out like my peers."

"I'm glad for you, as well." Izuku commented. "Empathy is an admirable trait, one I wish a lot more people had."

Momo's eyes widened in surprise before a soft smile appeared on her lips. The boy continued to impress her, especially as she learned more about him. She followed after him, glad that he felt comfortable to talk to her about anything and everything.

Over the last few hours, they had moved to various locations around the sports fields for their tests. The first three were located in the same area, so they had managed to do their parts before moving on to different locations.

Each time they changed locations, Izuku had kept her company. They had learned more about each other, about his friendship with Katsuki, about her own friendships. His likes and interests, her likes and hobbies. They could, now, casually say they knew each other. Maybe could even be friends.

"There is one thing I'm most curious about, though." Momo started as they made way to the rest of their group.

Izuku glanced to his side, an eyebrow raised in interest. Every question she had asked to sate her curiosity had been interesting at the very least – even the question of how he liked his breakfast had him going on a short tirade about the cons of a balanced meal in comparison to an enjoyable one.

"What is your quirk?" Izuku blinked in surprise, causing the girl to wave her hands in panic. "It's just that I can tell its different from what you have been using all along."

"How so?" Izuku tilted his head curiously.

It wasn't the first time today that he had been questioned, but even he felt uneasy about it. If there was a way to remedy it or even stop from exposing himself, he would take it without question.

"Your hands." She pointed at them. "There are burn marks on them every time you use the Explosion quirk."

Izuku raised his hand, and he could see the fading burn marks on them. Over the years, the injuries had reduced the faster he healed, but even his healing wasn't quick enough to hide the volatility of the quirk.

"Your body probably can tolerate the quirk but it's just not designed for your body, hence the burn marks." Momo deduced. "Am I correct in my assessment, Midoriya-kun?"

Izuku had been rendered speechless.

This exact issue was what he had tried to bypass for years. His mind could learn but his body couldn't, or rather, didn't adapt.

It was like waking up one morning and deciding to switch careers. Just because you were a doctor does not mean that you could become an artist off a whim. It took years to adapt to a certain situation or circumstance, and that is exactly what his body did.

That was his single limitation.

"Midoriya-kun, is something the matter?" Momo asked worriedly.

"Uh, no. Sorry." Izuku chuckled nervously. The girl was right up in his face. "I never figured my weakness was that apparent."

"It's not. Not really." Momo informed him. "If it were a battle with a villain, none would be the wiser."

"Of course." He knew how fast-paced battles could become. "My quirk is essentially a mutated version of Monoma-kun's Copy, in the sense that copied quirks last longer."

That had been the cover story Nezu and Aizawa had come up with. In the meeting he had all but been dragged to, he had explained the ins and outs of his quirk. Suffice to say, his superiors had made sure that it was kept a secret amongst them.

If word got out about his quirk, society as a whole could completely shatter – considering that it was already on its last legs.

"How long?" Momo asked. "As far as I am aware, the most a Copy quirk can keep another is around five minutes."

She's well-informed.

"Around thirty minutes." Izuku lied. "I grew around Katsuki, so it's his quirk that I know best."

Infinitely.

"You know?" Momo started, catching Izuku's attention. "You might honestly attain your goal of reaching the top."

Izuku smiled appreciatively as they reached the others. They students were chatting amongst each other, clearly having made acquaintances of one another like how he had done with Momo.

"I believe you can as well." Izuku offered.

The only answer he received was a delightful smile that caused his heart to skip a beat.

"Really? That's kinda stupid."

Izuku deadpanned at Katsuki's reaction. A few moments ago, he had informed him of the plan their teachers had come up with. It was basically what they had used for years, only now that it had more of a theoretical backing and U.A's support to make sense.

"Most people that know me think I have a Copy quirk already." He muttered dryly. "I can't go around exposing myself, you know?"

"Who's gonna touch you?" Katsuki glanced from his position.

They were inside Katsuki's room, and it was surprisingly clean. It never ceased to amaze him how much of a perfectionist his friend was – even stacking books according to size.

"Touché." Izuku rolled to the side. "But it would make my life a lot easier."

Rumours on the internet spread faster than one could warm a bowl of noodles. There were sources, that dated several decades, that told of a man who had a quirk that could steal others. Of course they had seemed baseless at first, but it wasn't until the public appearance of All For One during his final clash with All Might that the truth had become apparent.

Izuku shivered as he recalled how grotesquely figured the man had become all to topple the Symbol of Peace.

His plot had succeeded somewhat, but society had been stronger than that monster had expected.

"Whatever you say." Katsuki muttered as he flipped through the manga he was reading. "What's with you and the snobby girl?"

Half a week had passed since classes had commenced and Izuku had spent nearly every waking moment on campus with one Yaoyorozu Momo. Aside from the mornings, and sometimes lunch hour, Izuku hadn't spent much time with his best friend.

And the quickest remedy was to chill and read manga with him.

"Again, she's not a snob. She's pretty great." Izuku repeated. "You don't see me complaining."

Katsuki glanced at him and scoffed, turning another page in his book.

"Those idiots need someone to follow." He muttered. "They're pretty entertaining too."

"Ashido has a tendency of watching me when I'm with Momo – I think because they're friends, too?" Izuku commented.

"Kirishima says that she has stalker tendencies." Katsuki chuckled. "Apparently Racoon-Eyes once followed him all the way home when she saw him buying hair products at a supermarket."

"So you do know who I'm talking about?" Izuku glanced at his friend, smirking.

"I'm not deaf, nerd." He muttered. "One minute you call them by their names, the next they're all buddy-buddy with you and singing kumbaya."

"Fair enough." Izuku concluded.

It was times like these that he enjoyed relaxing around. Contrary to popular belief, his friend wasn't a constantly raging animal – maybe when they were younger, sure, but he had mellowed out over the years.

"What are you gonna do about that upcoming training?" Katsuki asked.

A day ago, Aizawa had announced that they would have a battle simulation on Friday. Apparently their gear was ready, so the sooner the simulation happened the better the teachers would know whom to focus on to catch them up to speed.

It had become very apparent that Shinsō Hitoshi was not well equipped for the Hero Course. Rather, his skills leaned towards the Support Course, but even they were masters of tingling with machinery and creating supplementary equipment for heroes. The boy lacked the body and the skills of a standard hero-in-training, but Izuku could tell that he held the determination to learn.

It was probably why he was in their class under Aizawa's guidance.

"I'll just have to master the rest." Izuku replied. "The sooner, the better, too."

Ever since he had learned of that particular aspect of his abilities, Izuku had gathered numerous and useful quirks. With his ability to use them perfectly with immediate effect, he had stored the knowledge at the back of his mind.

Momo had helped him realise how arrogant that thought was.

Instead of mastering his acquired abilities, he instead had side-lined himself, depending on Explosion and his passive abilities. That worked for every day life, but not one of a hero-in-training. He had to master every aspect of his quirk until it became instinctual.

And he only had three years to do that.

"Explosion is cool and all, but I have to be versatile." Izuku glanced at his friend, smiling. "Besides, it's your quirk."

Katsuki glanced at him for a moment before turning back to his manga.

"Whatever." He grumbled.

He is grateful.

"You have to nominate two of you, preferably a boy and a girl, to become your Class Representatives." Aizawa informed. "You have ten minutes to do it. If you can't, then I'll just pick them myself."

Aizawa, for all the intent to seem extremely serious and threatening, the yellow sleeping bag covering him from head to toe and only leaving his face in the open was absolutely hilarious.

"I pick Yaomomo!" Mina immediately raised her hand. "Yaomomo and Midori can become President and Vice."

"I agree." Tenya muttered while pushing his spectacles up by the rim. "Added to the fact that Aizawa-sensei tends to depend on them, I think they're the clear choice."

A chattering of agreement caused Izuku to smile. They hadn't known each other for long, but he had made sure to become acquainted with everyone in his class. He never skipped out on a chance to make friends.

"What about Katsuki?" Izuku pointed towards his friend.

Katsuki had his hand raised high with the calmest expression on his face. Somehow, that served to scare them even more.

"Eh, no?" Eijiro scratched his head.

"What the hell do you mean "No", hedgehog-hair?" Katsuki shouted at the boy, his eyes becoming fierce.

"Your hair is as spiky as mine, man!" Eijiro bit back somewhat offended.

"Yaoyorozu and Midoriya are to be your Representatives, happy?" Aizawa muttered from his position on the ground.

"What the hell happened to democracy?!" Katsuki shouted at the man.

"Kacchan, everyone in the class agreed to it." Midoriya muttered, shrinking into his seat when a seething Katsuki turned to his direction.

"Oh." His expression suddenly mellowed out and he took a seat, turning his gaze to the wall next to him. "Whatever."

Everyone in class eyed the boy strangely, before turning back to their respective groups, adamant to enjoy the remainder of the ten minutes. Deciding to leave him to his devices, he turned to the dark haired beauty behind him.

"Is he always like this?" Momo asked worriedly.

It wasn't the first time she seemed hesitant about him, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"He's not a fan of losing at anything, really." Izuku offered her an easy smile. "Did you manage to go over my suggestions?"

When Momo had told him about her quirk, he had quickly brainstormed how she could use it in various ways. Synthesis, for example, was something she was already capable of. However, the girl had simply limited herself to the basics.

A boundless creativity was a necessity for abilities such as theirs.

"Yes! I did try what you suggested, but it took a bit more time that I expected." She reached out her hand. "I decided to go with the simplest compos –"

"Hey."

Izuku glanced to the wall behind Momo and saw a face sticking out. Its eyes wandered the room, watching his classmates as they chatted, before turning towards him. He offered a smile before exposing the rest of his body.

"You're late again, Tōgata." Aizawa grumbled from his curled position. "Don't make it a habit."

"Of course not, sensei." Mirio responded the moment he appeared right next to Aizawa.

Izuku blinked, his eyes widening at how his senior bypassed his senses as though he teleported. For someone who prided himself in his ability to perceive anything in a certain radius, he was completely stumped.

Lightning Enhancement.

Izuku's eyes narrowed and he could vaguely see tiny sparks of lightning bouncing off Mirio's body. Using lightning to enhance one's synapses was a difficult feat, but not impossible. It was one of the reasons why he believed Kaminari to be someone with vast potential due to the versatility of his Electrification quirk.

"Listen up, kids." Aizawa started, pulling himself out of his sleeping bag. "Today, you're going through Battle Simulations. Lemillion, as one of the top heroes and the top student, will tag along as an assistant."

The blonde boy merely nodded happily next to their teacher.

Suddenly, the enclosed wall to their left groaned and several slots opened mechanically. About twenty numbered cases slid out of the wall, each containing something that brought cries of excitement from the students.

"The school took the liberty to create equipment based of your quirk registry and the special request forms submitted after your acceptance." Aizawa commented. "Get your cases and meet us at main entrance."

Aizawa left the class with Mirio following behind and the rest of the students leapt out of their seats, rushing to fetch their newly-made costumes. Somehow, Katsuki had reached his first and had started cackling madly after testing its weight – Izuku smiled, realising his friend's most requested supplementary piece of equipment had been given the go ahead.

"Man, this is so great." Eijiro cried out.

"I know, right?" Denki hugged his case. "We're actual heroes-in-training right now."

"Get out of my way, extras!" Katsuki growled at the two boys, causing Denki to jump away. "Let's get going, nerd."

"That's my cue." Izuku sighed before waving to Momo. "I'll see you later."

Momo merely waved as she watched her friend join his not-so-good friend. Despite her opinions about his attitude, Izuku had reassured her that he wasn't as terrible as he seemed. Watching the boy grin happily when her friend reached him, carrying a case with the number 19, she couldn't help but believe his words.

They had somehow been forced to sit with each other again, and she couldn't help but shiver when she felt the piercing glare behind her.

Perhaps he wasn't that good after all.

"Don't mind him, he's just a sour puss." Izuku reassured her.

"I'm not deaf, you fucking nerd." Katsuki growled behind them, causing Momo to squeak in fright.

"It's not mine or Yaoyorozu-san's fault too, Kacchan." Izuku frowned slightly.

Katsuki scoffed and folded his arms, content with glaring outside the window.

The moment the bus had arrived at the main entrance of the school, Aizawa had all but ordered the two to do a headcount, forcing them to go in last. When the two had entered the bus, they'd found Katsuki sitting behind the only remaining seats looking as unfriendly as a stray cat.

On the other end of the bus, Aizawa had immediately dozed off, with Mirio chattering endlessly, seemingly unbothered by their sensei's disinterest. Soon enough, though, the young man turned to Izuku.

"Hey there." Mirio waved, catching Izuku's attention. "You're Midoriya-kun, right?"

Izuku beamed excitedly, but forced himself to calm down. He had been doing that a lot lately, and his friend had literally beat into him that this was their life now. There was no need to gush like a fanboy everyday.

Still, he couldn't really help it.

"A-Ah, yes. It's nice to meet you, Lemillion-senpai." Izuku stammered excitedly.

Mirio laughed at his reaction – it was becoming somewhat of a norm to him, but it still made him happy to know that he was well-liked.

"Tōgata is just fine, Midoriya-kun." He waved him off. "I am still your school senior after all." He smiled while giving him a thumbs up.

"Of course, Tōgata-senpai." He smiled, scratching his cheek nervously. "Sorry for not responding earlier. You caught me completely off-guard."

"It's my fault, honestly." Mirio chuckled. "Tamaki-kun still screams whenever I appear like that." His chuckle turned into a boisterous laugh.

The other students glanced at their senior strangely, but Izuku didn't mind his humour. He was certain that even Momo, who was giggling beside him, also found humour in Tamaki screaming for his life. Their seniors were somewhat strange after all.

"Anyway, I must say you guys caught my interest during the exams." He continued, pointing a finger at both class representatives and Katsuki. "There are others, but I don't think they would enjoy being pointed at randomly." He smiled.

"I'm honoured, honestly." Izuku commented.

And that was the complete truth. Tōgata Mirio, better known as Lemillion, was something of a legend – whether in the making, or he had already become on, was debatable. His quirk, Permeation, allowed him to phase through any object in his path, inanimate or not. His complete mastery of his quirk and hand-to-hand skills made him a fearsome combatant.

Some sources online, from the rumour mill that Izuku tended to dabble in from time to time, mentioned that the young man had something similar to super strength. Looking at his senior, his form was certainly built for power, but even that couldn't explain how he somehow tore down a concrete wall with his bare hands a few months ago.

Izuku, in his curiosity, focused his vision on his senior as the man continued to ramble about how much he had enjoyed the fights between the now Classes 1-A and 1-B. However, as he studied Mirio, his vision blurred, and he suddenly felt empty. Panicking, for a moment, he calmed when he felt the familiar warmth encompass his body.

"Are you okay, Midoriya-kun?" Mirio blinked.

Izuku shook his head, sighing as he felt his quirk's omniscience cradle him like a mother would embrace a babe. It alerted him of how Mina was sneaking up on Eijiro to poke him, how Neito was rambling to Tenya about mutation quirks, and how Shoto was glaring outside the window.

"I'm okay. I just experienced a sudden dizzy spell." Izuku lied while chuckling nervously.

"If you say so." Mirio didn't look completely convinced. "Ah, we're here." He said as the bus came to a complete halt in front of an enormous gate.

Taking the lead, Mirio immediately exited the bus with Aizawa, who had somehow woken up, following behind. However, as the man walked passed Izuku, he shot the boy a strange look that caused the boy to falter for a moment.

"Are you sure you're okay, Midoriya-kun?" A hand settled onto his shoulder, alerting him of his friend's worry. "If not, we can report this to Aizawa-sensei."

"No, I'm okay." Izuku waved her off amicably. "Thanks for worrying, Yaoyorozu-san."

The girl blushed and quickly turned away, but her action was completely ignored by Izuku. As he stepped out of the bus, his mind racked through the infinite phenomena that could have forced his quirk to shut down, even if for a brief moment.

One second of a blank gap in our memories found.

Shifting his gaze towards the older man who was now commanding his classmates to head to the changing rooms, his mind came up with the most plausible cause of his latest horrifying experience.

"Did he erase my quirk?"

Author's Note: I hope you guys are enjoying reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it lol.