*MORNING IS HERE* *MORNING IS HERE* *MORNING IS-*

*CRASH*

'Goddamnit…'

Izuku Midoriya couldn't help but groan as he felt his gauntleted fist indented into an alarm clock for the second morning in a row. He got up from his bed and looked over at his desk, seeing the pieces of his new alarm clock scattered across it. "I really need to get Melissa to tell me how to take this thing off."

Reaching instead for his phone, he was able to see that the time was 8:01 AM. Guess he should get ready for school. Izuku shook his head in amazement as he changed into his uniform. Humanity was facing its biggest crisis ever, and here he was trying to make sure he got to school on time. Thinking back on what they've done so far though, Nezu had treated them a lot more like free labor than students.

Not many high school students can say they've spent their first day of school breaking and entering a real-life Yakuza hideout. He speculated that for today they would practice arson and demolition. Nezu may be a genius, but Izuku couldn't help but feel that he wasn't a great influence on a child like Eri. Or teenagers like him and Melissa. Or anyone now that he thought about it. Grabbing his schoolbag and exiting his room, Izuku turned to see Melissa exiting hers at the same time.

"Good morning Melissa."

"Good morning Izuku." She said back. She looked down at his tie, which Izuku had made a mess of like the day before and walked right up to him. "Again? Maybe I should give you a lesson on how to tie these things later."

"T-That sounds like a great idea." Izuku stuttered at the woman in his face. At least he wasn't looking away in embarrassment anymore.

Eri walked out of Melissa's room a moment later, looking sleepily up at Izuku. "Do we have to go to school right now?" Eri whined.

"Yes Eri." Izuku chuckled. "Don't worry. Today should be a lot more fun than yesterday."

"Good morning, my wonderful students. It's good to see that you are all on time again." Nezu said cheerfully. "I'm sure you all are wondering what we are going to do today. But before that, I figured we should review the results of yesterdays little adventure."

Nezu clicked a button on the teachers' desk, revealing an image of the suitcase Izuku had found filled with odd looking darts.

"Our raid on the hideout turned up quite a lot of useful information. It appears that the Shie Hassaikai were developing a drug that could destroy Quirk Factors."

"Wait, successfully? People at I-Island have attempted such research for years and never made any headway." Melissa exclaimed. "How can some run-down Villain group possibly make headway in the field?"

"They happened to have access to a very valuable Quirk. Eri's, specifically." Nezu revealed.

"Eri?! I thought her Quirk just made things disappear. At least, that's what she told me." Izuku said, looking over at Eri, who appeared just as confused.

"While it may be able to do so, the specifics of her Quirk are far more impressive. According to the research I gathered, Eri's Quirk is the ability to rewind organic material. This can include everything from an entire person, to specific material, like a Quirk Factor." Nezu explained. "It appears the leader of the group, codenamed Overhaul, hated Quirks and considered them a plague. Ironically enough his own Quirk, also called Overhaul, allows him to disassemble and reassemble anything he touches. He used it in combination with Eri to develop a drug that targets a person's Quirk Factor, rewinding it to a point it no longer existed. He planned to sell them to Villains, while selling the cure to Heroes, allowing for him and the Yakuza to regain a footing in the underworld."

"So, did he actually complete it?" Izuku asked.

Nezu shook his head. "Not yet, thankfully, but he was getting close. The ones we recovered range from anywhere between a minute and an hour, but the lab results say that they've managed to reach the 24 hours mark. I'd have given them about a year before they completed their research, based off what I've read."

"Well it's a good thing they're gone then. They won't hurt Eri ever again." Melissa said.

"Yes. I had hoped that this research might reveal something about the Rapture though, but a quick overview hasn't revealed anything to me. Still, I sent it to a certain research team on I-Island to comb over it, just in case." Nezu said.

"Wait, I-Island is still operating?" Melissa asked confused.

"Of course. It's not like the world has ended or something." Nezu chuckled. Izuku and Melissa looked at each other in confusion, before turning back to him.

"Um sir… everyone with a Quirk has disappeared." Izuku said plainly, stating the obvious.

"Tell me Izuku, how many people on earth have Quirks?" Nezu asked.

Izuku answered almost immediately. "It was about 80% last I checked, though it's probably closer to 85% by now…"

"And tell me, what is the population of the Earth? Pre-Rapture, I mean." Nezu asked again.

Izuku answered quickly again. "About 10 billion, though that's a really rough estimate."

"So, if you do the math, about how many people are left now after the Rapture?" Nezu asked his final question.

"That would be… 2 billion? Huh, when you say it out loud it doesn't that bad." Izuku said.

"Quite. While I won't deny that this is the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced, all of society isn't going to completely collapse overnight. And since older people are more likely to be around, most essentials are still functioning, albeit in a smaller state." Nezu explained. "That said, I fear the longer we take to solve the Rapture, the harder it will become."

"Yeah, I won't disagree there." Melissa nodded. "On another note, what are we going to do for class today?"

"I'm glad you asked, Ms. Shield. Today's subject will be P.E., along with a focus on Quirk Training!" Nezu announced.

"Quirk Training?" Eri asked.

"Yes, for you and Izuku. Yesterday's adventure revealed that you two are missing some important lessons about your Quirks. It's not your fault of course, but it would be remiss of me as a teacher to not educate you on essential skills." Nezu said.

Eri looked unsure though. "I don't know if I should… I don't want to accidentally hurt one of you though."

"Don't worry young Eri, I will make sure that any and all safety precautions are taken." Nezu assured. "If you do well in our lessons, then you won't have to worry about hurting anyone ever again."

"Really?"

Izuku nodded in agreement. "That's right. Let's do our best, Eri!"

"R-Right!" Eri said, motivated by her friend's enthusiasm.

Melissa raised her hand, before asking a question. "Um, Nezu sir? If they're working on their Quirks, then what will I do?"

Nezu just chuckled. "Don't worry, Ms. Shield. Even without a Quirk, that's no excuse not to train your body, so I have plenty of P.E. exercises just for you."

"Oh, yippee…" Melissa cheered, sarcasm laced in her voice.

They all left and changed into P.E. uniforms, and headed down to the track field to begin their practice. Nezu blew a whistle he had acquired, and the three students looked at him, waiting for instructions.

"Alright, we're almost ready to begin getting a baseline for all your abilities. But first, Midoriya? Can you remove the gauntlet? I would like to see what you can do without it."

"Ah, yes. Of course." Izuku said nervously, rubbing his armored fist. "Just one problem. I don't quite know how to take it off…"

Everyone stood in silence for a moment, looking at Izuku in surprise. Finally, Melissa spoke up. "Izuku, have you had that thing on since I gave it to you?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"You know you could have just asked me how to take it off, right?"

"I kept meaning to, really! But things just kept coming up and I never got a chance." Izuku mumbled embarrassed.

Melissa just shook her head and walked over to Izuku. She held the Gauntlet on Izuku's hand and held down the center symbol. "Sorry, I suppose I should have told you that. Just hold down the symbol like so and it should come right off." The gauntlet lit up and unwound itself from Izuku's hand. She took its compact form and put it in her pocket. "I'll take a look at this later, just to check its data and make sure everything is running properly."

"And with that out of the way, it's time to begin!" Nezu cheered. "All three of you will be going through a set of exercises. Izuku, be sure to use the technique you learned yesterday for strengthening your body as well."

"Got it!" The three of them cheered.

"Are, huff, we done yet?" Melissa wheezed.

"I think I've pulled my everything." Izuku whined.

It had been almost three hours since the three students began their tests. They had done everything from sprints to crunches to ball toss and were thoroughly exhausted.

"I feel fine." Eri said cheerfully, sitting on a nearby bench.

Correction, Midoriya and Melissa were tired. Nezu apparently had put together an entirely different set of exercises for the child. While it made sense, the two teenagers couldn't help but cast envious glances at her doing simple jumping jacks while they were in the middle of an 800m sprint.

"Excellent work you three. And with that, we just have one more exercise to complete." Nezu said.

"One more?! What else haven't we done?" Melissa exclaimed.

"Don't worry Ms. Shield, this exercise is just for Eri." Nezu explained.

"For me?" Eri asked nervously.

"Yes, we're going to be testing out your Quirk!" Nezu said, opening a container next to him and pulling out various fruits and vegetables.

"B-But, it's dangerous!" Eri exclaimed.

Nezu shook his head. "It's only dangerous because you haven't learned how to use it. With these lessons, then not only will you not accidentally hurt anyone with your powers, you could even use it for help."

Eri looked at Nezu in surprise. "You really think I can use it to help people?"

Izuku nodded in agreement. "Of course. With a Quirk like yours, you'd make a great Hero one day."

Eri stared down at her hands, before looking back up at Nezu with determination. "If you all really think I can help people… Then I want to try!"

"Don't worry Eri. We'll be right here if you need help." Melissa assured.

Nezu walked up to Eri and put an apple in her hands, then walked back a distance. He gestured for Izuku and Melissa to do the same. "Alright Eri. When you're ready, try to use your Quirk on that apple there."

"Um, how do I use it?" Eri asked as she held the fruit up.

Nezu hummed in thought. "It's different for every person. Try thinking of when you used it during the Rapture, perhaps?"

Eri closed her eyes, thinking back to the day everyone else disappeared. She thought about the weird feeling in her head. The way her horn got all hot, and the way that heat spread out through her whole body, preventing her from disappearing. She tried to focus on the feeling in her horn again and spreading that heat into the apple in her hands.

As Eri visualized the feeling, her horn began to glow and crackle with a golden light. The apple in her hand also began to glow, before quickly shrinking. It shrunk until it was just a simple seed, which proceeded to tumble out of her hands before it could completely disappear.

"That's enough Eri." Nezu called out.

Eri opened her eyes finally and stared at her hands in confusion. "Did it disappear?"

"Look on the ground Eri!" Melissa said excitedly.

Eri moved her hands out of the way to see the ground beneath them and squinted at a small object there. She bent down and picked it up, peering at it confused. "What is this?"

"It's an apple seed. You rewound the apple back into a seed!" Nezu explained.

"So, her quirk really is the ability to rewind things. Does it just work with organic matter, and how far does it go? What about…" Izuku began to mutter.

Nezu ignored his students muttering and continued to speak to Eri. "Are you feeling okay? Is there anything noteworthy you noticed when using your Quirk?"

Eri thought for a moment before reaching one of her hands up to her horn. "I thought about my horn when I changed the apple. That's where I first feel weird when I use my Quirk."

"I figured as much, considering the way the lightshow it gave off when use used it." Nezu said. "You mentioned that before you used your Quirk to protect yourself from the Rapture, the horn was much larger, yes?"

"Yeah, it was really big." Eri affirmed, reaching the hand on her horn above it slightly to show the original height.

"Fascinating. Midoriya, what do you think that means?" Nezu asked as if he already knew the answer.

Izuku brought a hand to his chin and began mumbling in speculation. "It obviously shrunk greatly after she used her Rewind Quirk, but I didn't notice it change this time. Maybe one action affected it more than the other. Was it due to the time used, or the material that was changed? More importantly, if it shrinks, can it grow? And if it shrinks enough will she not be able to use her Quirk?"

"Umm…" Eri looked at Izuku completely lost at his analysis.

Izuku realized he was meandering, and quickly focused on his audience. "Basically, your horn likely shows how much you can use your Quirk. It will likely grow bigger again over time, or by some other means."

Eri still looked confused but nodded in slight understanding. "So, if I use my Quirk too much, I won't be able to use it anymore?"

Nezu shook his head. "Only for a time. But the stockpiling nature of your Quirk is fascinating. I wonder what its limits are?"

There was a grumble, and everyone turned to the source to see an embarrassed Eri. "Umm, can we have lunch now?"

"Of course, food! That is the most likely method of increasing your energy! Come, I'll prepare a 10-course meal for all of you!" Nezu exclaimed, running back towards the school building on all fours.

"… Well, this was educational, I suppose." Melissa laughed.

Izuku chuckled in agreement. "Yeah. Despite how sore I am now, this really helped me figure out my current limits of One for All. Not to mention Eri's Quirk is really cool!"

Eri continued to look at the apple seed in her hand, before speaking up. "I never thought people would want me to use my Quirk. But if you really think I can help people with it, then I want to keep doing this."

"Yep. I look forward to training with you, Eri." Izuku said, before rubbing her aching muscles. "Though hopefully the physical portion won't be as comprehensive in the future…"

"How many more of these tests do I have to do?" The man now known as Nine said, sat on a hospital bed, looking blankly at the ceiling.

"You're the one who asked me to check if you were okay." Kagome said. "And you are, by the way. Your brain activity seems normal and your body appears to be functioning as it should. You aren't going to turn into any of those monsters, at the very least."

Nine looked to the side from his position on the bed, where he could see the rows of Frankenstein monsters lined up in tubes. "That's good. There was always the chance this wouldn't end well. Deal with the devil and all."

"Right…" Kagome said. "I'm still surprised the doctor could do all of this by himself. Transferring Quirks, creating weird monsters with them. It seems a bit out there."

"Well, he had a bit of help." Nine informed her as he got up.

Kagome looked at him questionably. "Help?"

"Yes. Most in the underworld thought he was just some boogeyman, but I actually got to meet the man himself. I even got his Quirk." Nine said, before chuckling. "Or a part of it, I suppose."

"Do you mean… All for One?" Kagome guessed, thinking back to the Quirk's listed on the terminal.

"Yes, All for One. The shadow king who ruled Japan through the underworld ever since the advent of Quirks. He could take and give Quirks freely." Nine said reverently. "I don't know why he decided to give me his Quirk, but I couldn't turn down such an offer."

Kagome looked at him hopefully. "So, you can give other people Quirks?"

Nine laughed. "Oh, I can do much more than that. I can wield multiple Quirks at once. Unfortunately, there's a limit to the amount I can hold at once, a total of eight."

"That's still a lot. Though with everyone with a Quirk gone it must be pretty useless now." Kagome pointed out.

"Do you forget where we are?" Nine said, gesturing to the rows of Nomu and shelves of Quirks. "There's a whole list of Quirks for me to choose from, though I doubt any of them are the one I truly want…"

"You're looking for a specific Quirk? Why?"

Nine looked up at the roof of the cave they were in, as if trying to stare through it at the sky above. "My original Quirk is Weather Manipulation, as you probably saw. I would be a god on earth, if not for the main drawback. Such a power is too much for my body, causing cellular degeneration when used. I agreed to this experiment so that I could acquire a Quirk that would fix that."

Kagome thought about what Nine had said, her medical and Quirk knowledge firing a mile a minute. "A Quirk that can fix damage that intense would have to be incredibly strong and specific. Your best bet would be…"

The sound of rain echoed across Nabu Island as lightning illuminated the dark night sky. Six-year-old Katsuma Shimano walked hastily down the road to the harbor, being dragged along by his elderly neighbor Mr. Goro. The old man had taken care of the boy ever since everyone with a Quirk had disappeared in the Rapture.

Nabu Island was incredibly isolated from the rest of Japan, and due to the currently stretched resources of the country, the government had decided to relocate the population of the remote settlement closer to the mainland for the time being. While some of the islanders argued that they could do perfectly fine by themselves and decided to stay, there were others were that wasn't an option. Specifically, for now-orphaned kids like Katsuma.

Katsuma's mother died when he was young and his father worked as a delivery truck driver across the country, leaving him alone with his older sister Mahoro most of the time. But his father had a Cellular Regeneration Quirk and his sister had a Hologram Quirk, meaning they had both disappeared two days ago.

'The other kids always teased me for being a late bloomer, but now they're all gone. Mahoro, where are you…' Katsuma thought sadly. He nearly tripped on a puddle in his musings, only staying upright due to Mr. Goro's grip.

"Careful kid, the wind is picking up. We should get you to the ship before it gets any worse." He said, pulling the boy along.

The two of them finally approached the harbor, where a JSDF vessel could be seen. A few marines could be seen trying to safely usher civilians onto the boat, but the weather had whipped the crowd into a panic, and they were rushing onto the boat in rush.

Mr. Goro hummed disappointedly at the crowd. "Come now, this weather isn't that bad. We should get on before-"

*BOOM*

There was a deafening sound and blinding flash of light in front of Katsuma, and he threw his hands up to his eyes and covered his ears. After a moment he opened his eyes to look up at the source to see a wooden power pole with a smoking tip, obviously having been struck by lightning. He then looked over to Mr. Goro to see if he was okay, but due to the ringing in his ears missed the ominous cracking from the pole he just turned away from.

Katsuma shook Mr. Goro and he snapped out of his daze, looking around in confusion. The senior looked up at the pole as well now, but noticed it leaning precariously towards them. There was a loud snap unheard by the deafened pair, and the wooden beam began tumbling towards them.

Unaware of the danger, Katsuma was surprised when Mr. Goro pushed him harshly to the side, moving faster than he'd ever seen the old neighbor do so in his life. He landed in a puddle, but when he looked at Mr. Goro in confusion the pole fell into view and onto the senior.

"Mr. Goro!" Katsuma yelled, barely audible to his own ears. He crawled over to him and found the pole had fallen across Mr. Goro. The kid tried to lift the pole himself, but the effort was futile, and he began to tear up.

"Hey, are you okay?!" A voice shouted from behind him as his hearing slowly returned, and he turned to see two marines from the harbor running over to him. One was small, but the other was extremely buff.

"Help, please! The pole fell on him!" Katsuma began wailing.

"Step back kid, we've got this." The normal one said, pulling him back.

The bigger one put his arms under the wooden beam and lifted it with surprising ease. He tossed it aside and began checking Mr. Goro. "Damn, there's no apparent head injuries, but he's hurt all over elsewhere. We need to get him to a hospital as soon as possible!" The marine said in a deep voice.

"In this weather? Impossible. Kid, does this place have a big hospital?" The other marine asked.

"N-No. We just have a few clinics." Katsuma cried. He knew because of last year, when her sister caught a serious flu and had to be shipped to the mainland for a week.

"Damnit! What do we do?" The marine complained.

"Katsuma…" A voice wheezed.

"Mr. Goro!" Katsuma yelled, running over to him.

"Thank goodness your okay." Mr. Goro said happily, ignoring his pain.

"But you're not!" Katsuma said, grabbing his hand. "It's not fair!"

"It's fine. You want to be a Hero, don't you? I'm sure you'll save plenty of people in the future." Mr. Goro said.

"But I want to save you!" Katsuma cried. 'How can I be a Hero if I can't save someone right in front of me? How can I save Dad and Sis?'

Katsuma suddenly felt something awaken within him, and without thinking called upon that feeling. His hands began to glow with an emerald green light, shining and reflecting in the rain. The glow spread from Katsuma's hand to Mr. Goro's, then the rest of his body. As the light spread more and more Mr. Goro's wheezes turned into even breaths, and bruises could bee seen fading from his body. After a few moments Katsuma let go, and the glow stopped. He felt short of breath suddenly, like whatever he just did drained all the energy out of him and into Mr. Goro.

"What was that?" The larger marine asked in amazement.

"It was his Quirk, I believe. Cellular Regeneration, just like his fathers." Mr. Goro explained. "I feel completely fine now."

Katsuma looked at his hands in confusion. "I… have a Quirk?"

"An amazing one at that." One of the marines said. "We should call this in. They'll want to know about this."

As Katsuma was dragged along to the ship, he continued to stare at his hands, excitement growing for the first time since her sister disappeared. 'With a Quirk like this, I wonder how many people I can save? Maybe I really can become a Hero!'

Next Chapter: Inviting Transfer Students