"Right, good match, you five!" the deep voice of Vlad King carries through the room. Midoriya feels himself start to smile at the praise. "But now we must pick the MVP. Anyone have any suggestions?" He turns his attention to the whole of the class.

The majority of 1-A look around at each other, stuck in the all too familiar limbo of wanting to answer but being too nervous to share what they think. Considering the behavior of their homeroom teacher, Midoriya can't blame them.

"Well… it's gotta be Midoriya, right?" one girl finally pipes up. She immediately goes red and tries to shrink into herself. Midoriya feels a pang of empathy. He knows that feeling all too well.

Vlad nods. "That's a good pick, and I won't disagree, but could you explain?"

"He knocked out all of Team F and won a two on one fight," the girl quickly replies.

"That's a very bare-bones answer," Mr. Aizawa speaks up, still scribbling notes on a clipboard in a way that makes Midoriya's heart palpitate in apprehension. "Would anyone care to expand on it?"

No one does, Midoriya can tell at a glance. Mr. Aizawa seems to have expected this, though, so he sets his clipboard down and surveys the class with a critical eye. "Out of the five participants, Midoriya acted the most like a Pro. He came up with an effective plan in the allotted time, listened to his partner, stayed with said partner the whole exercise, and adapted when things went off the rails. Some mistakes were made, yes, but for a first lesson he performed near perfectly. The rest of you should think about what he did and learn from it."

Midoriya feels a wave of heat creep up his neck and onto his face. A bead of sweat forms on his forehead and trails all the way down to his collarbone. He. Acted like a pro. The words play on loop in his mind for a bit. Oto, who's still standing beside him, looks at him a bit worriedly. Midoriya waves him off and tries to listen to Vlad.

"Thank you, Eraser." The taller of the two teachers gives Aizawa a grateful look.

Midoriya's head suddenly loses its embarrassed flush. Eraser. Is that a weird workplace nickname or an actual title? Maybe it's an inside joke? Maybe it's Aizawa's hero name. Teachers in U.A went by hero names sometimes, though mostly insisted the students use their actual names.

"Now," the blood hero continues, cutting off Midoriya's train of thought, "we must critique the losers. Would anyone like to start?" There's another long and painful bout of silence, and Midoriya tries not to fidget too much. "Well, alright then. I guess I'll do it for you," Vlad says, slightly miffed. He flips a piece of paper over his clipboard before continuing, "The most glaring issue is that Zashi broke off," he states bluntly. "Whether it was out of overeagerness or plain stupidity, the mistake was still what cost Team F the match."

Midoriya sees Zashi shoot his teammates a dirty look from the corner of his eye. "It's not my fault they couldn't keep up," the boy in yellow mumbles rudely.

"Yes it is," Aizawa sternly corrects. "You used your Quirk to get in position without talking to your team, not to mention that you ignored the plan you agreed to, which, I will add, had a shot at succeeding. You're the biggest reason why your team lost. Get over and learn from it."

Zashi mutters something that sounds a bit like a curse under his breath, but Moku elbows him and gives him a warning look.

"That's all we'll talk about for now. Aizawa will go over more in homeroom tomorrow," Vlad says, locking eyes with the other teacher. "Alright, next match! Teams A and D, you're up!"

[x]

"The rest of the teams took way longer than us after that. Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Vlad gave lots of tips throughout the whole thing, though, so it was still really informative." Midoriya rhythmically continues his hanging curl ups, enjoying the satisfying burn of his abdominal muscles as his forehead nearly meets his knees.

"Sounds like you came up with a new thing for us to work on," Gran Torino casually flicks through channel after channel on the TV he mounted in the back of the weight room. The whole setup is rather impressive, considering he jerry-rigged it with a roll of duct tape and an old coffee table.

"What do you mean?" Midoriya pauses his curl ups, an upside down view of a gray wall completely covered in inspirational posters All Might got from the surplus of his merch. Midoriya had to vehemently insist to him that no, hanging up posters of himself in his own building isn't egotistic and would even be welcome, but that didn't stop Gran Torino from cracking jokes about it on the daily.

"You used Float in a new way, allowing you to maneuver midair without extra light. That can be very useful," Gran explains, mouth half full of taiyaki.

Midoriya thinks for a moment and realizes his point. "But when I use a power output that low, I can't move as fast. Sure, I can bounce off of walls and stuff at one percent, but that makes noise, which defeats the purpose of using One for All at one percent."

"All the blood's gonna rush to your head like that," Gran Torino warns, getting up from his seat. He gives Midoriya a half-hearted whack with his cane, and the boy continues doing his hanging curl ups, the vest full of weight plates straining his muscles. "And we'll work on your reflexes and attack line reading so you won't have to worry about moving too slow." He makes his way over to the basement door, presumably to change into his hero gear. "Once you're done with your workout, I'll have you chase me around with Float at one percent in the light. Once you get that down, I'll call it a night. I still have regular hero duties, you know."

Midoriya hurries through his workout after that. As fulfilling as weight training may be, combat training is infinitely more fun. That's not to say that he skimps on his exercise, though. He'd be a fool to since One for All requires as much muscle mass as possible to be effective.

Finally, after he finishes his cool-down jog and stretches, Midoriya heads up the flight of stairs with Gran to work on Float.

"Alright, show me this stealth mode thing, or whatever you're calling it," his teacher orders, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck.

Midoriya blinks. "I'm not really calling it anything, but..." He closes his eyes and lets One for All cover his body in a comfortable one percent. All of the energy is staying in his body, strengthening him. Then, he reaches out for Float. That's slightly harder, as the free feeling needed to use the Quirk doesn't exactly go with intense concentration. Eventually, he gets it and hovers a couple inches off the ground.

Gran Torino looks him over and nods. "I can see how this came into use in that sewer. If it's dark enough, you'd be nearly invisible. Nice work thinking on the fly like that, kid." He crouches down, knees bent and hands making contact with the floor. "But if youreallywanna be clever with it, you'll need to be able to move."

Midoriya barely has time to regret ever suggesting more training on top of going to U.A before Gran shoots forward with awooshand slams feet first into his gut. Midoriya hits the floor, rolls over, and dry-heaves.

"I can see why you think it's not good for much, you definitely can't go half as fast with it as you can with those moves you stole from me. But after today, I'll make sure you can use it somewhat reliably in combat training." Gran shakes his legs out, as though slamming into Midoriya's stomach had somehow managed to hurt his knees.

Midoriya takes a couple deep breaths and gets back up. He calls upon the Quirk again and rises into the air. Gran Torino rushes him without warning again. He's slower than normal, thank god, but still fast enough to graze Midoriya as he dodges to the side.

Gran's doing his usual tactic of bouncing around the room but at a relative snail's pace. He's also making sure not to use a pattern. "See if you can keep away from me for five minutes! After that, we'll shut the lights off till Toshinori gets here. Then he'll have a go!"

It takes thirty gut punches, twenty faceplants, ten wall collisions, five near broken windows, twoactuallybroken windows, and a kick to head for Midoriya to get a barely decent hang of using Float at one percent. It doesn't help that Gran Torino keeps varying his speed of attack and using too many feints and fakeouts for Midoriya to keep track of.

And Gran is only half satisfied with his skill level. That means more and more training in the coming weeks, and since Midoriya wants to excel, he'd come in for practice on weekends, too. But he's fine with that. Stealth training is probably reserved for upper years at U.A, or for students whose Quirks are stealth-oriented, and Midoriya doesn't want to wait.

All the difficulty of Gran's training is instantly tripled the second the man flicks off the lights. Yes, there are the two broken windows to let in some afternoon sun, but the whole training room is still neatly pitch black.

At first, Midoriya thought it would be a level field. If he couldn't see, then surely Gran Torino, a man in his late seventies/early eighties, couldn't, right? Wrong. Gran could see way better than Midoriya, though if the boy is honest, his mentor doesn't have to. The man's other senses easily covered for his loss of sight.

His mentor takes pity on him about two minutes into lights out training. After receiving a couple basic tips on fighting in the dark (don't rely on your eyes too much, sound travels slower than you think it does, fast-moving targets always displace noticeable amounts of air), Midoriya fares a little better, though Gran stops prematurely and says that they'll work more on stealth after he can move better.

Midoriya relaxes for a while after that. All Might's on patrol from 11-5 and won't be able to visit the gym until later, so Midoriya works on his homework and occasionally scribbles or edits something in his journals. Most of his classmates have rather interesting Quirks. One girl could make portals fifty centimeters in diameter anywhere she could see, one boy could magnetize parts of his body, and there's even a boy who could shrink whatever he touches with all five fingers.

Of the fourteen others in his class, however, only a handful put a decent amount of thought into using their Quirks. It frustrates Midoriya to no end. They all have amazing abilities along with a decade to think on uses for them, but they simply refuse to get creative.

His notebooks offer some solace. Studying, classifying, and applying Quirks has always been a comfort, and after a day like today, it's greatly soothing.

Midoriya is halfway through sketching a picture of a rather interesting support item he'd seen on the news that morning when the door to the gym creaks open. He stands and looks up to greet All Might like he always does, but his predecessor isn't alone.

A rather tall man in a beige trench coat and matching hat gives Midoriya a stiff nod as he holds the door open for All Might's skeletal form. "Really, Toshinori, you could have picked a better building. This ones barely up to code!" The man carefully undoes his cost and folds it over his arm.

"It's hard to find a cheap building on such short notice, you know. The boy needed more training before UA, and this was really the only option." All Might leads the man over to where Midoriya's sitting.

"Hi, Al—er, I mean, hi, Yagi," Midoriya greets awkwardly. He closes his open notebook and dusts off his t-shirt. He'd gone home and gotten changed like usual, but the shirt he has is a little wrinkled.

"Young Midoriya!" All Might says, "Where's Gran?"

"Taking a nap," Midoriya answers, "said I had too much energy and wanted to get some rest before he went out tonight."

The other man smirks. "That sounds like Gran Torino, alright." Midoriya looks at him oddly, and the man notices. "Ah, sorry, where are my manners?" He reaches out a hand. "I'm detective Tsukauchi of the Musutafu Police Department. I've known All Might for years."

Midoriya takes his hand and shakes it, looking to All Might for confirmation. His mentor nods. "Tsukauchi is safe; he knows all there is to know about One for All. We've been working on a case in the area, so I figured I'd bring him by and introduce you to him."

"Nice to meet you, detective," Midoriya says, letting go of the man's hand. "I'm Midoriya, All Might's successor."

The detective chuckles. "I already know who you are. All Might thinks quite highly of you."

Midoriya feels his face turn scarlet. He tries to say something, anything, but everything comes out as a garbled mess.

All Might pats him on the shoulder. "Yes, he's quite amazing. I'm sure you'd find his progress to be impressive." He thinks for a moment. "Actually, would you like to watch a bit of the boy's training? He has to be home soonish, so it won't be much, but it'll still be interesting."

"I guess I've got some time," Tsukauchi replies, taking off his hat and setting it on the counter. "Where do you two train?"

"Just upstairs," All Might explained, already moving to the staircase. "Midoriya, get the balloons from the closest, will you? And do seventy obstacles this time."

"On it!" Midoriya answers eagerly.

By the time Midoriya gets the bundle of balloons upstairs, All Might is in an animated discussion with the detective. Instead of interrupting them, Midoriya sets up the usual course for Float training. It consists of 70-odd black balloons and 10 white ones scattered randomly throughout the room at varying heights. The goal of the balloon exercise is to get all 10 white balloons without popping or touching the black ones or the walls. All Might's initial rules involved not touching the strings either, but that proved to be way too difficult.

Once he's done, Midoriya looks over to the corner where All Might stands. His mentor gives him a thumbs up, and Midoriya pushes off the ground.

Immediately he has to swirl to the left, narrowly dodging a low-hanging balloon. The closest white one is maybe ten feet straight up, so Midoriya rises into the air, spinning around a couple black ones. Already his movements are causing the black balloons to float around, and one very nearly grazes his arm.

Grabbing the first balloon, Midoriya lets himself free fall for a couple feet, twisting out of the way of a black one before shooting off to his left. The next target is surrounded by a bunch of black balloons, so Midoriya stops dead and lets the breeze that always seems to follow him when he moves with One for All to scatter the group of rubber orbs.

As he grabs the second balloon, Midoriya realizes that he's at most a foot from the wall. Barely having enough time to react, he harshly stops, very nearly losing control of Float, which would have sent him falling to the floor.

Taking a couple deep breaths, Midoriya moves again, flying towards the closest white balloon. It's pretty isolated from most of the other ones, so Midoriya allows a bit more power to creep into his body, going a bit faster than strictly necessary. He doesn't see the tiny, underfilled black balloon sink into his trajectory until it's too late.

Midoriya collides face first with the latex, popping the balloon with a mortifying crack. He sinks to the floor, disappointed.

"You did better that time!" All Might congratulates as he walks over with Tsukauchi. "This is a hard exercise, but you made it look easy until you got overeager."

Midoriya winces. "Yeah, I know."

"I think you did quite well, actually. Was that your first time doing that exercise?" the detective asks, standing at All Might's side.

"No, but it was my first time with that many balloons," Midoriya answers. "I started with just the white ones, then added more. I can manage fifty pretty well, but seventy… well, you saw."

Tsukauchi nods. "That's the right way to go about it. Start simple then build from there." Then, "All Might tells me that you used a new move in class today. Care to explain?"

Midoriya cocks his head, "How did…"

"We're both on good terms with Nedzu," All Might explains, "He allowed me to watch your performance so I could better understand how you needed to improve."

"Oh," Midoriya says, "well, it wasn't really a move. I needed a way to surprise the other team, and I have the habit of releasing a lot of light when I use One for All, so I barely used any power and made sure to keep it all in, then floated up to surprise them."

"I'd say that's a move," Tsukauchi argues, "Sure, it's not complicated or flashy, but it's good that you're not focused on imitating your teachers."

All Might nods. "Yes, I've never felt the need for sneaking around, and Gran Torino really only ever bothers with stealth out of necessity."

"Um, what?" Midoriya asks. Not imitating All Might or Gran? They're what he bases nearly everything combat-related on. Gran taught him his moves, and All Might literally gave him his power. How could he not do what they do?

"It's something to think about," Tsukauchi settles on after he notices Midoriya's confusion. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Midoriya. You'll be a fine hero one day, and if you need a friend on the police force, I might be your guy."

All Might bids his friend goodbye then leads Midoriya downstairs. They take a seat by the counter. Midoriya's predecessor seems to consider something for a long moment, looking at his hands. Midoriya waits patiently for him to speak.

"Do you understand what Tsukauchi and I were getting at back there?" he asks after a while.

Midoriya thinks. "Not… really. I mean, I'm not you or Gran, but you two teach me. Shouldn't I take what you give me and go with it?"

All Might nods. "You should, but also shouldn't." Midoriya shoots him a confused look. All Might quickly explains. "It's good to draw inspiration from people who are better, at the same level, or even worse than you. But you shouldn't mimic everything to a T."

Midoriya blinks. "I still don't get it."

All Might sighs and twiddles his thumbs for a bit. "It's like writing a paper," he settles on. "When you write something for school, do you take what information you find online or in a book and put exactly what it says on your assignment?"

"No, that'd be illegal," Midoriya answers.

"But you still use what your sources say in your project?" All Might asks.

"Of course," Midoriya agrees. "I don't know everything, so I use what I can find, take the best parts, and mold them to my needs."

"You said it," All Might smiles, "you said exactly what I was going for."

"'Take the best parts and mold them to my needs?'" Midoriya repeats.

"Yes. Not everything I do will work for you, but you can still learn from me." All Might gets up from his seat, "Think about my style—Gran's too—and how you can take what we do and make it better suited to your needs."

"But you're both pros with decades of experience! How can I improve on that?"

"My boy, you don't have to surpass me just yet," All Might explains gently. "There's no rush. I have a couple of years left as a hero if I'm careful, which is plenty of time for you to grow. Take your time and think things out, alright? You're good at that. Now come on, I'll walk you to the train station."

[x]

The next day at lunch, Midoriya sits in the same spot next to the support students. Like the day previous, he barely gets to settle in before a tray slams down across from him.

Flinching, he looks up to see the smiling face of Oto. "Uh, hey," his former partner says. "Can I sit here?"

Midoriya blinks. "Sure!"

Oto grins even wider and slides into his seat across the table. "Sweet." He quickly takes a bite of his lunch (some strong-smelling chicken over rice) before asking, "Hey, did you get the last bullet point in English? I couldn't quite make it out, and everyone else I asked doesn't have it either."

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Midoriya quickly flicks through his backpack and pulls out a red spiral notebook. He slides it across the table and opens it to the most recent page. "It's nothing too important, just a couple more examples of Homonyms."

Oto chews as he looks over Midoriya's nest notes. He swallows and offers a grateful smile. "Thanks, man, appreciate it."

Midoriya nods and pulls the notebook away. "No problem. Sorry if it was a bit messy, I write too quickly sometimes."

"Oh, I could read it just fine," Oto reassures. "I write in chicken scratch—"

For the second time that day, a tray slams down onto the table. Midoriya jumps in his seat and looks at the tray to see a steaming dish of soba. Then, he looks up to see Noburo, whose face is schooled in a confidently curious expression.

"Talking shit about me behind my back?" she asks, calmly sitting down next to Midoriya.

Oto snorts. "Hardly. If anyone should be talking shit about anyone, it should be you about your team."

Noburo rolls her eyes. "Whatever. At least I passed."

Midoriya winces, because, well, some peopledidn'tpass. Mr. Aizawa has apparently never heard of taking it easy for the first day because he graded all fifteen students of 1-A like some kind of demon.

"Yeah, well, you still lost," Oto counters, a piece of chicken hanging out of his mouth. "How does it feel to lose on the first day?"

Noburo raises an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but how quickly were you taken out? It happened so fast I couldn't keep track."

Oto's left eye twitches a bit. "Alright, I'll give you that one. But I will still stand by the fact that my team won and yours lost, sothere."

Noburo let out a puff of air, amused. She doesn't answer, instead choosing to focus on eating lunch. Midoriya does the same, eating his pork as he fills in his hero notebook.

"Hey, Midoriya?" Oto asks, "What're you writing in there?"

Midoriya stares at him for a moment. "Hero notes," he says carefully. His notebooks weren't exactly popular back in middle school—a lot of other kids called them stalker journals or mocked him for being a Quirk nerd who didn't have a Quirk of his own.

"Like regular notes but for hero stuff?" Oto leans forward a bit, trying to read Midoriya's writing upside down. "That's cool. Aizawa has us write notes in class, but I've never thought of writing more in my free time."

"Uh, yeah," Midoriya slowly moves his notebook closer to him. "It really helps me out sometimes. Like yesterday I got Noburo and Moku to hinder each other instead of help, like Midnight does sometimes."

"Huh, cool. My parents do advertising work for a couple hero agencies. They have to look at a hero's behavior and move set to better showcase them. Is it kinda like that?" Oto sits back, the chicken on his chopsticks forgotten.

"A little," Midoriya says. "I'm not using other people's moves to be more flashy or to show off. Instead I use what I've seen in situations where I need it. Like yesterday."

"So you beat me because you're a nerd?" Noburo asks. Her tone isn't mean or hurtful. It seems… friendly, almost, but has a little bit of edge.

"Yes?" Midoriya tries to look her in the eye, but can't quite do it.

"Relax, I'm messing with you." Noburo swirls her soba around with her chopsticks. "I'm not mad or anything, just a little miffed that I couldn't think of a counter fast enough."

"O-oh, uh, alright," Midoriya stutters, looking back down at his lunch. It feels like they've been talking for a while, but he's barely half done with his food. Usually, he has a ton of time to do homework or look at his phone during lunch.

Then, the bell rings. The three of them glance at each other, then their barely touched lunches. "Shit," Noburo mutters, hurriedly scarfing down her still steaming noodles. Midoriya ignores her mutters of how hot the broth is to quickly eat his lunch. He can already tell he'll have hiccups in class, but that's better than missing half a meal.

Oto is already gone. Somehow, he managed to pour the whole of his lunch down his throat and swallow it whole like a snake. It was actually quite impressive, and Midoriya would have taken notes or maybe drawn a sketch if he wasn't busy chugging his glass of water in between bites of pork.

Once he finishes his food, Midoriya packs up his backpack with practiced ease and makes for class, Noburo just a few steps behind him. They make it to the hero course hall with thirty seconds to spare, passing a tired-looking Aizawa, who doesn't even bat an eye as they sprint into class 1-A. The two sit down, not noticing the odd looks of their classmates.

Like homeroom that morning, Aizawa walks in with the bell and casts a sweeping gaze over the entire room. "Good, you're all ready." He reaches into a pocket and pulls out his phone, types something out, then slips it back into his pocket. "We'll be doing another practical class today, though it won't be combat." A couple students mutter at that, exchanging curious looks. "It'll be rescue," Aizawa says before the chatter can get too out of hand. "Vlad and I, plus our resident rescue specialist, will be taking you to the USJ, our search and rescue training facility."

"Sir." One girl in the back row raises her hand. "Where is the USJ?"

"On campus, but far enough away that we need to take a bus," Aizawa replies. "Any other questions?" No one else raises their hand. "Alright. You can wear your gym clothes instead of your costumes if you like. It's best if you wear something comfortable for this." He gives them one last once-over before turning around and walking out of the door. "Go get changed and meet me outside, we don't have all day."

Midoriya is the first one to get changed, forgoing his hero costume for the heavy blue fabric of his U.A gym uniform. It's not that his hero costume is uncomfortable, but it's more complex than most of the others' costumes, with its pads and multiple layers.

Oto and Noburo join him quickly, both wearing their costumes, which are almost street clothes in comparison to his. Aizawa, who's standing watch by the door of a short bus, makes a couple marks on his clipboard before waving them on.

The bus has exactly sixteen spots plus the driver's seat, arranged so there's an aisle going right down the middle. Midoriya picks the left side, and Oto and Noburo follow. It's a little weird having people his age who want to be around him, but it's a pleasant change of pace, so he doesn't complain.

Eventually, everyone else gets on and sits. A couple of the boys look at Oto a bit oddly, probably because he chose to sit next to Midoriya, but they all brush it off and talk. Vlad King also steps on with Aizawa, and they take the seats up front, talking in hushed tones as the bus starts and pulls away.

The ride to the USJ is a quick one. Midoriya has a casual conversation with his two… friends? Acquaintances? Rival and former ally? Noburo and Oto. He'll stick with calling them by name for now.

After fifteen minutes, the bus stops and everyone gets out. Aizawa and Vlad lead them up to the doors and halt right in front of them.USJis written in gold lettering above the doors, and the whole facility is domed in, presumably for climate control.

"I expect you all to be on your best behavior," Aizawa warns. "Pay attention and respect the other teacher. They know their stuff." He and Vlad then open the doors and hold them open for the class.

Fifteen students and two teachers walk into the main courtyard, and Midoriya has to bite his lip to keep from muttering becauseThe Space Hero Thirteen is right there holy shit.

"Hello, students!" Thirteen says, approaching with a friendly wave. "Like some of you may know, I am Thirteen, UA's rescue specialist, and the designer of this facility." They hold up a gloved hand. "Before we get started, I have a couple things to say. In the two days previous, you've found ways to use your Quirks in different ways. In your Quirk test, you used them in a practical manner. In combat training, you used them to harm. Today, I'll be teaching you how to use your powers to rescue!"

Midoriya can't help but brighten at that. He's always felt that rescue operations are just as important, if not more so than apprehending villains. One for All has very obvious combat capabilities, but All Might has used it in countless situations to save people's lives. Now he could learn to do the same.

"Now, does anyone have any questions?" Midoriya is half tempted to raise his hand but refrains when no one else does. Most of his class seem to only half pay attention, which, judging by the look on Aizawa's face, is a very bad thing. "Seeing none," Thirteen continues, their voice just a touch less eager. "Let's get started with something simple."

Apparently, 'Something simple' doesn't mean the same thing in U.A as it does in the rest of Japan because Thirteen leads them to a larger domed building that's pouring rain inside. Midoriya's glad that he wore his gym uniform. He's got three sets, and only one Hero Costume, which would be a pain to dry.

In the Downpour Zone, Thirteen gives them a rundown of what a building affected by heavy rain needs, along with ideas of how to help people caught in it. Heat is most important, they explain. Water is really good at cooling down bodies, so warming citizens is a top priority. Building integrity is also touched on, as extreme amounts of water can weaken foundations.

Next up is Conflagration, which comprises a whole city block that's perpetually on fire. It's a nice way to dry off, and Midoriya learns that most fire rescue is performed by actual firefighters, as most heroes aren't equipped to deal with flames and intense heat.

After Conflagration is the Landslide Zone, then the Flood Zone. Then the Collapses Zone and Ruins. Above all, Thirteen stresses speed and structural integrity when dealing with urban disasters, and by the time they make it to the Mountain Zone, Midoriya's head is spinning.

He should've brought his notebook because any and all notes he had on famous rescues aren't up to snuff. Thirteen had mentioned that most rescues seen on TV were the worst kind, where drastic and potentially dangerous measures were needed to save lives. Therefore, Midoriya had been misinformed on rescue for years.

It takes a couple dirty looks from classmates and a soft elbow from Noburo for Midoriya to realize that he's muttering again. He apologizes, but she just shrugs it off, insisting that it was just slightly distracting having to listen to both him and Thirteen.

"And that's the Mountain Zone! It's different from the rest, with no buildings and all, but I thought it was important for students to practice in non-urban areas," Thirteen says, wrapping up their segment. "Are there any questions?"

Midoriya watches as one boy mutters something in another's ear. They both nod, and one raises his hand. "Yes, you!" Thirteen points them out, happy to have the first question of the day.

Midoriya tries to listen in to what the boy asks, but another classmate, this time a tall girl, grabs his shoulder from behind and pulls him closer to the edge. Predictably, Midoriya flushes, stuttering the whole way over to a huddle of students, which is basically every boy except him and Oto.

The girl lets go of him eventually, joining the rest of the group who's looking over the edge of the fake mountain.

"That's a long way down," one boy comments.

"How long?" another asks.

"I dunno, at least fifty meters," the girl replies.

"Hey, Midoriya," another boy asks. Midoriya recognizes him as Moku. "Have you ever been bungee jumping before?"

"Huh? Um, no," Midoriya says truthfully. He has nearly fallen off a three story building, though, which must be pretty close.

"Do you wanna?" Moku asks with a slightly devious look on his face. Over by the front of the group, Thirteen finishes answering the question they were asked earlier.

"Not re—" Midoriya doesn't get to finish his answer before one of Moku's arms is wrapped around his ankle and he's pushed off the edge of the fake mountain by another boy.

Time seems to slow down. He calls for Float, but he's too panicked for it to work. But then, long, thin strands of heavy, warm cloth are wrapped around his body, and the arm around his ankle goes slack. Midoriya is pulled up, heart racing as he drinks in the feeling of solid ground.

"You seven are going to tell meexactlywhat your thought process was, or all of your academic careers are over." Mr. Aizawa's voice is deathly calm and dripping with disgust. His eyes glow a bright crimson, and his scarf lets go of Midoriya and wraps back around his neck.

The entire group of students, along with the two other teachers, are completely silent. No one dares to answer. "Very well, then." Aizawa crosses his arms. "I'll be having a phone call with the principal on the way back. We'll make sure everyone in this class, bar Midoriya, is blacklisted from every hero school this side of the Pacific."

"No, wait!" the girl who led Midoriya to the edge cries. "It was us seven and Lin! We just wanted a laugh! Just push him off and then pull him up, you know?"

"I'm afraid I don't," Aizawa says coolly. He blinks, and the glow in his eyes disperses. "Vlad, take those eight and walk them back to school. Show 'em to Nedzu. Tell the rat I recommend expulsion. The rest of you, on the bus.Now."

Everyone quickly obeys. Eight crying children are led away by Vlad, and six slack-jawed and wide-eyed students are rushed away by Thirteen. Midoriya, however, can't move. He stands there, staring at Mr. Aizawa. His teacher stares back.

"You okay, kid?" the man asks. His expression has softened, but there's still trace amounts of anger in his eyes.

"You're Eraserhead," Midoriya breathes.

Aizawa raises an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a yes." He turns and gestures for Midoriya to follow. "Hurry up. I don't want to be late getting back. There's business to attend to."