"I never realized how exhausting it is to talk to new people," I told Mei when I arrived at her workshop after leaving UA. I felt mentally and physically drained, and it felt as if that was just from being around Yoarashi the entire time. "And yet… I'm with you every day without much issue besides for a few near death experiences."

"You sure love to over-exaggerate, Chise," she replied with a chuckle, not even turning away from the same gauntlet she'd been working on when I left.

"Yeah? Well, over-exaggerate this," I said, pulling off my rocket sneakers and setting them on her table.

She glanced over, not even shocked at the sight of the clogged engine. "Oh? Hehe, what happened?"

I can never get an angry reaction out of her, I thought with a wry smile. "Some guy caught me off guard with a softening quirk. He softened the side of the hill we were racing on, and the sneakers sunk into it. Since I surprised him with the pepper spray, it lost some of its stability so a bit of the mud from the hill got stuck inside it."

Mei picked up one of them, eyeing the clump of dark mud resting inside it. "Are you sure you mean only 'a bit?'"

"Okay, so maybe a lot," I shrugged. "Can you fix it?"

"You can count on me!" she exclaimed, grinning proudly. "Oh, and how did you do? Did you get to finish the race?"

"I finished… third out of six."

"Only six people were recommended?"

"They split everyone into groups of six, I guess to make it a less crowded race," I deduced thoughtfully. "In the written portion, I saw a lot of people."

"Think you'll see any of them when school starts?"

I loved that about Mei. She was just as determined to succeed as I was, and was full of so much positivity that things would turn out all right. Her support brightened many a dull school day, and I hoped it would continue to be the case with both of us getting into UA. I just had to believe, right?

Let hope and determination conquer all….

As for a proper response to her question… I smiled, "I believe I will."

One week later

"Chise! Chise, look!"

I was sitting on the couch, clearing my head by watching cartoons when Koichi and Makoto jumped in front of the screen with an envelope held tightly between the two of them. On the front of it was written 'U.A. High School.'

"Your letter came in!" Koichi exclaimed, his eyes starstruck. "Do you want to open it up now? Do you want us to open it? No, wait, I can't look!" He let go of his half of the letter, holding a hand over his eyes.

Makoto smiled encouragingly, "Whatever you want to do, hon."

I stared at it uncertainly, wanting badly to get it out of the way. What will my fate be? I wondered curiously. Do I want to open that on my own? It's only the most important thing I may ever get by mail… could I stomach opening it on my own? My belly tightening in on itself told me that wasn't happening, especially as I looked up into the faces of my adoptive parents. It wasn't just me passing or failing…. It was an ending result to all the help and support they gave me over the years. Them and…

"I want to open it with everyone here."

Ten minutes later, everyone hung around in the living room with me.

Koichi and Makoto sat on either side of me on the couch, the envelope sitting like a heavy weight in my lap. Naomasa paced back and forth in front of the TV, glancing at me every now and then to see if I'd opened it yet. Kazuho and the old geezer leaned against the wall next to each other, arms crossed as they stared at the letter with the same solemn intent I did.

"Ready when you are," Makoto said, rubbing a comforting hand against my back.

I nodded, taking a deep breath before pulling the envelope open. Inside was a small, round disk with holes spaced apart like a speaker and strips of glass on the side as if made for light to shine through. I pulled it out and set it down on the table.

As soon as I set it down, an image was projected above it of a muscular man with strangely shadowed facial features. Though he wore a yellow suit with thin, black vertical stripes etched across it and a blue tie… his hair style gave away his identity. Blonde hair with two sets of bangs standing upright like a bunny's, the man figuratively staring me right in the face was Japan's number one hero.

"All Might..?" I stared curiously at it.

"This is a projection!" he proclaimed, his voice echoing from the speaker inside the little disc.

A giddy whimper was heard on my left, and I looked over at Koichi to find him extra super starstruck over the sight of his all-time favorite hero. Albeit, the fact that the man's limited edition All Might hoodie was used as part of his vigilante outfit was enough of a giveaway.

The message continued, "I am in this projection as part of an announcement that I am in town for one reason. I've come to teach at U.A."

Koichi's whimper turned into an outright shriek. "Oh, that's so cool!"

"There has been much for the faculty to debate on," All Might said as the camera panned out, showing his background to be somewhat like a game show. There was an arch right behind him with bright lights, the wall behind it covered with stripes of gold, pink and red. "You, young Chise Kirita, passed the written exam with flying colors and finished the practical exam in the third-most record time. Along with many other applicant, you were not a main choice for entering the hero course."

There was a dramatic pause as I felt like I was in a staring contest with the hero, despite him not being in the same room as me. My fists clenched automatically as I dearly hoped I was hearing wrong, and my uncertainties were merely getting the better of me. It wasn't encouraging when Koichi and Makoto rested their hands gently over my fist, and Naomasa's face betrayed an impending sigh of relief.

"But!" All Might raised his pointer finger. "Due to some circumstances, you have been given a stroke of luck!" He spread his arms wide and faced a screen behind him as someone's hand came into the shot with a small remote. "Let me entertain you! Please watch the screen!"

In All Might's place was Yoarashi, sitting in the normal desk chair in front of Present Mic and other heroes. It had to have been the interview. I found my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Why am I being shown this?

Present Mic's voice broke in, "You-You've decided against applying to U.A.? Why?"

"I've decided U.A. is not the institution I was destined to apply to!" Yoarashi replied. "All I ask is that you consider accepting Chise Kirita in my place!"

My mouth dropped open. What did this idiot just say?

"Really?" Present Mic asked. "Why Kirita?"

Yoarashi looked down at his lap, a small smile on his face, "Kirita has the true passion to become a hero. No matter the odds against her being quirkless, she fought for her place in the practical exam. And even though I was her opponent, Kirita still encouraged me to do my best. She deserves to have the right to follow her dream!" He looked up, eyes shining as he grinned at the interviewers. "Please, let me do that for her!"

The clip paused there, panning out to show All Might… still with that maddening grin on his face.

"No matter your lack of a quirk… your actions inspired this young man! He may have given up on U.A., but it is you who inspired him to give you his place! Not only that, but you showed quick thinking and acted accordingly to ensure that you finished the practical in good time. In the faculty's eyes, you have the makings of a future hero, Kirita." All Might held a hand out to me as if he was personally accepting me, "You're in. Welcome to your hero academy!"

My family burst into a round of applause around me as I continued to stare numbly at the screen. Kazuho and the old geezer rushed over to pat me on the back as Makoto and Koichi hugged me tightly.

I got into U.A. but… it didn't feel like I got in on my own merit. I could only focus on the fact that Yoarashi asked that they accept me in his place — on what his ability proved in the exam rather than my own. I didn't ask for his handout!

On top of that, I couldn't help but notice how reluctant All Might was to say that I was being accepted. My family might not have paid attention, but I did. The way he shifted his shoulders so uncomfortably had the same awkward energy as Naomasa possessed at that exact moment, tapping his foot with a short glare at the projected All Might.

They both smiled at me.

Gritting my teeth, I released an airy sigh. Whatever. I would just have to prove myself through my actions at the school, itself. I made it in, right? I should be celebrating with my family, most of whom were declaring that it was time to celebrate at the fancy restaurant that had just opened around the corner.

However, my frustration still got the best of me. "Self-righteous prick," I muttered irritably, causing everyone to look at me in slight bewilderment.

Neither of my family members were sure if I was talking about All Might or Yoarashi.

The week before — a discussion between the principal and teachers of UA…

? POV:

"Now that the students for the hero course are decided, lets move on to the general studies —"

"On the contrary," at the head of the table, a short mouse-like being spoke with elegance. "I would like to see an extra student make it into the Class 1A hero course."

There was an immediate outburst that occurred from multiple people around the table. Questioning the reason behind the addition, wondering what he was thinking, and even curiosity into what was so special about who they were.

One deep voice stood out above the rest.

"Principal Nezu… what are you saying?"

"Oh, I'm sure you know…."

A screen was turned on, showcasing a group of students from the recommendations exam at the starting line. At the command of Present Mic, the first student to push forward and keep in first place for half of the race was a girl with orange hair wearing a similarly colored sweater and blue shorts.

The camera zoomed in on her black sneakers, rocket fire bursting out of the back end pushing her forward on fast spinning wheels. Even when they were turned off, the momentum continued as she kept up with her strong kicks. The camera panned out, allowing the onlookers to view her focused face as she timed her jump on the steep hillside. When she got stuck a moment later from the quirk of an incoming student sinking her into the side of the hill, she pulled out a small bottle and sprayed him in the face as he passed, impairing his ability to keep going.

Two other students sped past the pair, but not before the girl pulled something from the utility belt around her waist and tossed it at the one using a wind quirk. With little to no effort, she was pulled out of the ground and rode the rest of the race on his speed. She dodged the flame holes with precision, jumped and swerved in time to avoid large rocks, and kept great balance up until the very end of the race.

The video paused the moment her shoes hit the finish line.

"Chise Kirita," Principal Nezu said. "Quirkless, but prepared for every possible scenario. That is a level of ability best suited for the hero course. She showcased not only quick thinking, but a prompt response to every situation handed to her. I believe she would be a marvelous addition!"

"But sir, we've already reached the max capacity of twenty students…. And what about class 1B?"

"I also have a suggestion for 1B. But I need a uniform agreement from all of you on Chise Kirita first. Another student, even though they had only just met, vouched for her with all his heart. That gives me even more reason to believe that her determination to be a hero exceeds many of the students we've already chosen. Give her the chance to prove her worth, as I'm sure she's ready to do."

The silence was deafening until a man with wild black hair, a scar under his right eye and a light mustache leaned forward. "I agree."

Present Mic leaned forward right next to him, "I'm with him! I agree!"

The rest of the responses were mumbled, but they were decidedly in agreement with Principal Nezu. This was the case up until the last person at the table, who leaned forward with a reluctant sigh.

All Might, grin still etched on his face, replied, "I'm not sure what you're thinking, Principal, but I trust your judgment… I agree."

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for the kind reviews I've been getting! ^_^

It gives me absolute joy to get the notifications that My Quirkless Hero Academia is well-liked! I hope I am able to keep the momentum going! I have practically everything with Chise planned, the only thing is that I probably won't be able to keep consistent updates due to work aaaand the multiple other writing projects I continue making for myself. I do promise, however, I won't be giving up on her story anytime soon.

I'm mostly glad I'm not the only one bugged by the fact that My Hero Academia makes it seem like it's impossible to be a hero without a quirk, but like.. um.. HELLO, Batman! Green Arrow! Iron Man! Hawkeye! Black Widow! All amazing superheroes! Luckily, I LOVE the My Hero Academia universe anyway, so I wanted to create a character to accurately portray the powerless track toward heroism. It's going to be difficult, but that's the best kind of project, so here we go!

Plus Ultra!