An Asura Is Born

by TheNexus97

"So..." The stranger took off his hood, and the first thing they saw was a long mass of messy emerald curls. After that they focused on his face, and noticed sharp and confident eyes of the same color. He took his stance. "You wanna fight, too?"

9. Chapter 5

AN ASURA IS BORN

CHAPTER #5:

AN ASURA'S BEGINNINGS

---

My Hero Academia, Kengan Asura and Baki belong to their respective authors and publishers.

---

One Year Later

-Aldera Junior High-

On a day that seemed like many others, in which teachers went on for hours and hours with their explanations while students (or at least some of them) paid attention to their words, Izuku Tokita found himself staring out the window of his classroom while spinning a pen on his right hand, blocking out his teacher droning on about math. On most days he would've been able to hold his focus, even after a particularly hard and unforgiving workout with his dad or Cosmo at the dojo, but today...

*siiigh*

An irritated sigh made its way through the boy's lips.

In case it wasn't clear already, Izuku was in a bad mood.

He was forced to sit there, in the classroom, listening to and learning lessons that he already knew practically everything about, thanks to Shunka's private lessons...

"Although, to be fair, I was the one who insisted on going back to school... But still...!"

He shook his head to get rid of the thought.

That's not what he was truly upset about anyway.

"Tokita-kun, please answer this question for us."

The math teacher asked the teen, pointing at the equation written on the blackboard. Izuku, without even taking his eyes off the view outside the window, replied.

"'X' is equal to five and two thirds."

The teacher nodded.

"Exactly, well done Tokita-kun."

Then he turned back to the blackboard, resuming the lesson. Izuku tried to ignore the usual whispers of the class, split between the girls who were gushing and squealing at the green-haired teen, and the scornful and salty remarks from the boys.

Izuku let out a slight, almost imperceptible growl.

The real reason for his discontent was simple. Instead of wasting time here in class, he could be in the dojo or anywhere else training with the Niko Style.

No, that wasn't right.

It not that he could.

He has to train.

Especially after the incredible fiasco that Gakigahara Forest was.

The back of his head itched at the memory and-

*crack!*

"Huh?"

Looking at his hand, he noticed that he had accidentally snapped the pen he was holding just now.

Sighing, Izuku tried to calm down, redirecting his attention outside. However, he was so caught up watching the clouds in the sky, that he registered the teacher's voice a little too late.

"All right, you are all in third grade now."

The math teacher said in a strict voice as he looked to everyone.

"In other words, now more than ever you need to start thinking seriously about your future."

Izuku barely paid attention to the teacher's words, deciding instead to review that morning's notes in his notebook.

"I will now distribute the Career Aspiration Document, but..."

The teacher said before making a big show by throwing the papers in the air.

"... who am I kidding?! You all want to be Heroes, right?!"

He said in a carefree voice and in a instant everyone started to unleash their Quirks.

Izuku glanced around and mentally documented any new Quirks he didn't know or notice before.

"Yes, yes...! You all have wonderful Quirks."

The teacher asked while looking the class over.

"But be aware that the use of it outside the establishment is against the rules!"

Suddenly a cocky voice was heard through the class.

"Teach, don't put me in the same bag as these extras!"

Izuku glanced at the source of the voice and, lo and behold, Katsuki was there with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.

He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

The arrogant blond kicked his feet on his desk while grinning.

"I really don't want to make buddy-buddy with those who have weak Quirks. Y'know?"

That seemed to piss off the entire class.

"What do you mean by that, Katsuki!?"

One of the boys shouted.

"Shut up, you secondary characters! Behave as such!"

Katsuki screeched.

"Ah, indeed, Bakugo. You want to go to U.A. High, don't you?"

The teacher said in a calm voice, the class however, exploded.

The other students' reaction wasn't that surprising, considering U.A. High's reputation as the best Hero high school in all of Japan.

"I'm not surprised that background characters like you are yapping!"

Bakugo said as he jumped onto his desk, the teacher not saying anything. Again.

"I aced the mock exam! I am the only one here worthy of going to U.A.!"

He shouted before throwing his head up.

"I will even surpass All Might! And then, I'll take the spot as the next Number One Hero! I'll leave my name forever in the annual ranking of the greatest people in the world!"

Izuku had to refrain from groaning.

"Wow... I can't believe I was once friends with this jerk..."

Suddenly the teacher had a thoughtful look on his face as he looked through his papers.

"Now that I think about it, Tokita also wishes to enter U.A. ..."

He said casually.

"Damn it, sensei..."

Izuku sighed, feeling the whole class was staring at him.

The reactions of his classmates of him were three.

Bakugo remained completely still, as if frozen in time.

The girls started squealing, whispering how cool he was.

Finally, every single guy, sans Bakugou, erupted.

"Seriously!? Tokita!?"

"It's impossible for someone like you!"

"Studying alone can't get you in the Hero Course!"

"How can a Quikless guy like you hope to get into U.A.?!"

"Don't think that your test scores will let you become a Hero, you freak!"

"Cocky bastard! I can't wait for you to fail like the dumbass you are while trying to get in!"

Izuku gave no weight to the words of his classmates, completely ignoring them and simply continuing to write in his notebook. By now he was well aware of how disliked he was by the general male population in his school due to the attention the girls gave him. The fact that he was Quirkless only amplified the amount of jealousy and animosity they held for him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw Bakugo jump from his desk with his arm cocked back, flying right towards him. Acting fast the green hair teen pushed the floor with a strong kick, pushing his chair back as Bakugo blasted his desk.

"Deku!"

The blond shouted with a pissed off look on his face di him.

Izuku glared at Bakugo as he stood up from his chair.

"Tokita."

He corrected the blonde.

"What?"

Bakugo had an angry grin on his face as he glared at Izuku.

"You don't have a Quirk! Not even a weak or useless one! You have nothing!"

He said as his hands di lui sparked.

"Or do you seriously think that just because you know some shitty moves from your ridiculous martial arts you can waltz into my arena, huh?!"

This caused some chuckles from the male students, but Izuku stood his ground.

"Yes, I do, Bakugou."

The answer silenced the latter as well as everyone present.

"If you want my opinion, I'm sure my current skills will allow me to pass the practical portion of the entrance exam, along with the written one, which I aced with flying colors in a mock exam, just like you."

Then he shot a glare at the rest of his classmates.

"And to be honest, the only ones here who don't have a shred of a chance are you. Or do you really think having a Quirk gives you guaranteed access to the most prestigious Hero school in the country?"

*crack* *crock*

Cracking his knuckles, he continued.

"Because, in that case, I'd be really happy to prove you otherwise. You idiots wouldn't last a minute in my arena, less of all a Hero's."

The menacing presence that came from Izuku, coupled with the intensity of his gaze and words, were enough to make the others lower their heads in shame. A few of them cursed the green-haired teen, but the latter heard them well enough.

*SLAM!*

"What was that?"

Violently kicking his desk, Izuku snarled, making the rest of the class flinch.

"If you can't speak up, maybe you'd like to go a few rounds, after all."

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Silence.

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"Well? That's it?"

He questioned.

No answers.

"Yeah, as I thought... All bark and no bite."

Izuku spat.

Katsuki, whose face contorted into one of pure rage as his palms crackled with more intensity, challenged him once again.

"You know, you can't apply for U.A. if you're dead, you motherfu-!"

*fwooosh*

*THUD!*

The blond threw his fist aiming for Izuku's head, but just as it was about to connect, Izuku caught Bakugo's wrist, stopping the punch in an instant, then with a violent twist, he tripped the angry blonde, who gasped in pain as he hit the ground.

The green hair teen glanced down before glaring at his teacher, who looked as stunned as the rest of the class.

"Did you enjoy the show, sensei?"

Izuku growled, snapping the teacher out of his stare.

"Because I'd really like to know why a fight that was completely avoidable if you did your damn job was about to happen."

Before the teacher could reply, Izuku gathered his stuff into his messanger bag and went towards the door of the classroom.

"W-Wait! Tokita-kun!"

"I'm done for today, sensei. I'll see you tomorrow."

*swoosh*

*SLAM!*

Closing the door by slamming it violently, Izuku walked away, leaving his still stunned classmates behind.

Katsuki, who in the meantime had stood up, glared at the now closed door while holding his wrist.

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"Fucking Deku..."

---

A Few Hours Later

-Musutafu's Riverbank-

"... then I walked out of the classroom and here I am."

Izuku said as he talked on the phone.

After what happened at school, he started walking around the city in an attempt to cool off. Once he actually calmed down, he grabbed his smartphone to tell his father.

The latter, after listening to Izuku, chuckled.

"Skipping school? Oof, Shunka won't be happy about it..."

Niko laughed again as Izuku scratched his head sheepishly.

"To be fair, my grades are at the top of the class, but... yeah, you're right... I'll call her later to apologize."

At that moment the boy heard some background noise from Niko's side.

"Busy day?"

The man hummed in approval.

"Yup. Ever since someone spotted Nemuri walking out of the restaurant still wearing her costume, we're almost always overwhelmed with customers."

Izuku laughed.

"I told you that Nemu would attract more customers than your questionable advertising campaign."

"Hey! Affixing flyers is a good strategy! I just have to find better strategic spots!"

"Dad, you affixed those flyers in The Inside..."

"So what? Do you have any idea how many people from that place would kill for good food?"

"That's exactly the problem..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Damn it..."

Niko groaned in defeat, while Izuku rolled his eyes.

"Better get back to work, dad. I'll meet Cosmo and Kureishi-san at the dojo later. I'll see you later this evening."

"Likewise. And stay out of trouble, understood?"

Smiling, Izuku replied.

"I don't promise you anything."

After the call ended, Izuku stopped, realizing he had been walking for some time now. Deciding to unwind a little before going to the dojo, he went down the steps of the embankment. He then sat down on the grass that stood just before the river.

Gently placing his bag beside his, Izuku untied his manbun, letting his emerald hair free. Then he closed his eyes and took a long breath.

He felt the cool wind caress his face, and he began to relax in the quiet atmosphere.

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Before he knew it, he was already asleep.

---

Later

"Nngh..."

Groaning, Izuku scrunched his face. After lazily opening his eyes, he looked around, realizing he was still on the grass he had just sat on for-

"Wait..."

He fished out his smartphone and noticed that it had been quite some time since he arrived, corroborating his suspicion that he had fallen asleep right there.

Luckily he still had time to meet his friends at the dojo.

Sighing, he began to stretch, cracking his sore neck in the process.

"Okay, I think I've rested and calmed down enough. Better call Auntie Shunka to apologize befo-"

"You're finally awake."

"...!"

*swhip!*

Upon hearing an unknown voice behind him, Izuku, with almost frightening speed, jumped to his feet, assuming his combat stance.

While it might seem like an overreaction to most people, for someone who has spent a considerable amount of time in The Inside, it was completely normal.

Tightening his form, Izuku eyed the individual who had spoken to him, ready to strike if necessary.

But then he stopped, wide-eyed.

"..."

"Mhm?"

In front of Izuku was sitting a beautiful young girl, most likely his own age. She had long black hair with purple highlights, with several bangs that hanged over her forehead and two long lengths of hair that draped both side of her face, a small dainty nose and full lips. Despite her relatively small frame, Izuku could see the definition of the girl's muscle on her forearms and legs, with the latter being wrapped in bandages as if they were some sort of stockings.

But the thing that most stood out in her appereance was undoubtedly her eyes.

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Darkened, near-black sclera and pupils, with pure-white irises.

"..."

Izuku was speechless. Sure, it wasn't the first time he'd been in front of a good-looking girl, but there was something about the one in front of him that kept him from looking away.

Most likely it was the exotic, almost hypnotic, look of her eyes.

"Heeeyyy~! Is anyone there? If you keep staring at me like that, I'll have to call the police, you know?"

The girl stood up and like Izuku, began to stretch.

Then she began pouting.

"Jeez, what's gotten into you, anyway? A cute girl decides to watch over you while you sleep helplessly like a puppy and that's how you thank her?"

She finished stretching by letting out a soft mewling noise.

Izuku finally snapped out of his trance and resumed a normal pose, only to began scratching his cheek in embarassment.

"Heh, sorry about that. Force of habit I gues-"

*SLAM!*

Izuku couldn't even finish the sentence, as at the very last second he managed to barely dodge a devastating axe kick. The attack was strong enough to upturn large portions of grass and dirt.

Skidding back, Izuku narrowed his eyes at the girl, but he couldn't catch her expression, as she threw herself at him, starting a real onslaught of blows.

Using his forearms and hands, Izuku managed to deflect or block all of the girl's strikes, but...

"Damn it! She may be small, but she sure hit hard!"

... it couldn't last long.

"I don't have enough room to land a counter, so..."

He stepped back, assuming a diagonal stance and then-

"HYA!"

-he delivered a low kick aimed at the girl's left shin.

*fwhip*

Unfortunately, she was faster, and she jumped to avoid it. While she was in midair, she grabbed Izuku's head on the sides, and hit him with a knee in the face-

*SBAM!*

... or so it would have been, had he not tanked the strike with his left forearm.

"Even with the use of Indestructible, it still hurts like hell...!"

*rustle*

"Wha-!"

Izuku realized too late that the girl had grabbed him by the collar of his uniform, holding him tight.

*jab*

She then wrapped her left leg around Izuku's right leg, behind his knee.

Finally, she threw herself backwards, in what was most likely an attempt to initiate a ground fight with Izuku.

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But the latter didn't budge an inch.

"...!"

"Good plan, but the execution was rather lacking."

Looking up at Izuku's face, the girl was met with the sight of Izuku rearing a fist back.

Then he launched it.

*FWOOOSH!*

*SHWIP!*

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"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Why did you stop your attack?"

"Why did you?"

Currently, the two were stuck in what actually looked like a stalemate, with Izuku's right fist just a few millimeters from the girl's face, while the latter had similarly stopped a knee from hitting the boy's left cheekbone.

"..."

"..."

After a few more seconds of silence accompanied by piercing glares...

"Mmmhmmm..."

... she hummed.

"You're quite something, aren't you, little man?~"

She smiled, amused, and Izuku grinned in reply.

"Heh, I aim to please."

After this last exchange, she untangled from the position they were in, and hopped a few steps away from the boy.

"Anyway, as fun as it was, I really have to go..."

She giggled faintly, before yet again taking him completely by surprise.

She leaned forward.

Way forward.

More forward than Izuku can say that he's comfortable with.

"... Izuku Tokita-kun!~"

At this, the boy couldn't contain his surprised expression.

"How do you know my name...?"

She pointed towards his messanger bag, still laying on the grassy ground.

"The name tag on your bag, duh!"

She grinned impishly, then...

"See ya!~"

... she turned and walked away quickly. Disappearing as suddenly as she had appeared.

"..."

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"Okay... so that happened..."

Izuku shrugged, before grabbing his stuff and leaving that place once and for all to head to the dojo.

While he was walking, realization hit him like one of Niko's fists.

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"I didn't ask for her name..."

---

Meanwhile

-Musutafu City Alleys-

"Fucking goddammit!"

Katsuki yelled as he trudged through the alleys of the city.

Currently, he and two of his goons were leaving the school, passing through the backstreets.

And he was seething, how shocking...

The lackeys who were with him were talking to him, but as usual, he ignored every single word they spoke to him. It was just white noise for the ash-blonde boy.

The reason for his anger was easy to understand.

"That Quirkless freak... how dare he...!"

He angrily thought.

"Acting and talking like he's worth something! Just because he won some fucking fights now he thinks he's fucking invincible!"

*klang!*

He kicked a can on the ground.

"I should just go to that shitty dojo where he train and show him once and for all what his place is! He'll finally understand that I'm the only one worthy of going to U.A.!"

A malevolent grin formed on his face.

"Yes, that's it! I'll beat him to a pulp and show everyone how weak he really is, and the-"

Katsuki couldn't finish his thought, as he noticed a large figure looming over him from behind. He turned around quickly, but unfortunately-

*GLOOOP*

-it was too late.

---

A Few Minutes Later

-Musutafu City Streets-

"Just so you know, I am very disappointed, Izuku Tokita-kun."

Shunka's tone was as sharp as a freshly forged blade. The fact that she kept calling him by his full name only added further austerity to the woman's stern voice.

Izuku sighed.

"Come on, Auntie... I've already apologized to you like a thousand times..."

"If you make it a million maybe I could consider accepting your apology, young man."

He groaned. However, before he could say another word, the woman cut him off.

"Is this about what happened in Gakigahara Forest?"

"..."

Taken aback, Izuku couldn't find the words to confirm or deny what Shunka had just said.

"Izuku-kun..."

She pressed on, her voice now laced with worry. He chuckled.

"Can't hide a thing from you, huh?"

He could almost see the woman shaking her head.

"We already talked about it, Izuku-kun. What happened is nobody's fault, especially not yours. You know very well that Niko would never hold that against you, yes?"

"..."

"Don't be in such a hurry. Even your father took years to fully master his martial art."

"I know, Shunka. I know, but..."

He hesitated.

"But...?"

Izuku took a deep breath, then spoke.

"Unlike many others, I'm already at a disadvantage. I'm Quirkless."

"Izuk-"

"That's why I have to get stronger. And fast. I will have to step up my training further if I want to get strong enough to pass the entrance exam for U.A."

He clenched his right fist. Hard.

"I don't want all the work you, Niko, Kureishi-san and the Yamashitas have done for me to go to waste."

"..."

"So I must-"

*BOOOM!*

A distant explosion made Izuku jump, nearly knocking his smartphone off. Turning around, he noticed smoke rising in the sky, not too far from where he was standing.

"Izuku? Izuku what happened?!"

Shunka's agitated voice rang from the phone.

"A Villain attack...?"

The boy thought.

His gaze shifted from his smartphone to the rising smoke in the distance.

"Shunka-san, something came up. We'll continue this later!"

"Izuku Tokita! Don't you dare hang up! Don't tell me you're in the vicinity of a Villain atta-*click!*"

Izuku put the phone inside one of the pockets of his bag, before rushing towards the chaos.

*BOOOM!*

Another huge explosion shook the streets.

Running towards the source of the mayhem, Izuku came across a huge crowd. He quickly approached the throng of people, trying to figure out what was going on. He spotted several Heroes keeping the civilians in control. The entire street was covered in fire and smoke, and in the middle of it stood a disgusting writhing mass of green sludge.

"Damn... that's one ugly motherfu-"

"Everyone, get back!"

His thoughts were interrupted by Kamui Woods, one of the Heroes present on the scene, as he shouted at the crowd.

"The Villain has taken a hostage! Please back away and remain calm!"

"So that's why the Heroes aren't fighting back..."

Izuku realized as he pushed his way to the front to have a better view on what was happening. From what he could see, none of the Heroes had a Quirk that would work well against this particular Villain. Some were doing their best to put out the flames raging in the street, but they couldn't get close the Villain himself without putting the hostage's life at risk.

Suddenly, the Villain turned so that Izuku had a clear line of sight to the hostage's face.

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He ended up staring right into Katsuki Bakugou's terror-stricken eyes.

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"..."

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Silently, Izuku began to walk slowly towards the Villain.

The crowd and the Heroes noticed too late the boy who was approaching the sludgy monstrosity.

"Wha-HEY!"

Kamui Woods yelled after him.

"Come back! You wanna die?!"

Izuku ignored the screams of the Heroes behind him.

*thud*

He put his bag on the ground...

*rustle*

... then he removed off his uniform jacket, remaining in a white undershirt, which did little to conceal the boy's shredded musculature...

*rustle*

... and finally he took off his shoes with his socks, remaining barefoot.

He had the Sludge Villain's attention now, who sneered at the approaching boy.

"Hah! You must have a deathwish for coming right at me, brat!"

*crack* *crock*

He cracked his hands.

"Turn back and return to the crowd! I have no time to waste with you, I have a score to settle with that other gu-"

*CRACK!*

"Huh?"

Izuku stomped his right foot into the ground, slightly cracking it.

He shot the darkest glare he could muster to the Villain, before speaking.

"Let him go."

Izuku's voice had an ominous edge to it. It made everyone, Heroes included, shiver for a second.

"This is my first and last warning."

He took his stance.

The Sludge Villain, despite the initial scare, narrowed his beady eyes at the green-haired teen.

"Fine, have it your way! Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Then the Sludge Villain attacked.

"DIE, YOU BRAT!"

The villain screeched, launching severl spiky tentacles at the boy.

Izuku stared at the incoming attacks with narrowed, yet calm eyes.

He closed them.

He took a deep breath.

His fist of him tightened.

He inhaled.

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Then his eyes snapped open.

*CRACK!*

*SWOOOSH!*

Izuku lunged forward at breakneck speed, as if someone had thrown him with a giant slingshot. The sudden momentum was enough to make the Villain miss him, causing his tentacles to impale the ground on which the boy was standing still a moment ago.

"Wha-WHAT'S WITH THAT SPEED?!"

The Villain screeched.

---

NIKO STYLE:

FIRE KATA

Raging Fire:

A sprinting technique that is performed after digging one's toes into the ground, allowing the user to accelerate at unthinkable speeds.

---

"Grrr! FINE! TAKE THIS!"

The Sludge Villain gathered its tentacles into a single, mighty tendril, which he brought down onto Izuku's sprinting form with the intent of crushing him.

But the boy, seeing the attack coming from a mile away, merely side-stepped to dodge it, getting even closer to the Villain. The latter did not even have time to curse for missing his target again, as Izuku began to move around him.

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"H-Huh...?"

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"W-Wha-!"

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Now, the Sludge Villain must have inhaled too much smoke, difficult as it may seem since he currently did not have a nose, because otherwise he couldn't explain how the green-haired kid seemed to multiply.

Currently, the brat was circling him, and with every movement, he seemed to leave behind him a double of himself, still with the same grim look on his face.

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Like that of a predator, who was circling around its prey, before jumping on it and devouring it...

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A tiger.

---

NIKO STYLE:

FIRE KATA

Flashfire:

A style of movement that allows for the user to flicker like a flame.

This technique is able to confuse the enemy by making them see multiple copies of themselves.

---

Before the sludge monstrosity could react, Izuku had already approached Katsuki, who was now on the verge of fainting from asphyxiation.

In a last, desperate attempt, the Villain used his Quirk to force the blonde to attack the other boy with one of his explosion, but once again-

*fhwip!*

-his plan went up in smoke (no pun intended).

Grabbing Katsuki's arm at the wrist, Izuku hissed as the heat of the explosion grazed his chest, before turning completely around, getting on one knee and-

*FHWIP!*

-use his momentum combined with that of Katsuki's blow to throw the latter away, far from the muddy grip of the Villain.

---

NIKO STYLE:

REDIRECTION KATA

Change Of Scenery:

Another variation to Weeping Willow.

The user adds his own momentum to one of the opponent's strike to hurl them away with a twisting throw.

---

Far from being done, Izuku kept on kneeling, preparing his next attack.

*squeeeze*

Hardening the muscles in his fingers to the maximum with Iron Fingers, he formed a nukite with his left hand.

Then, with the same sudden speed he showed earlier, he lunged towards the Sludge Villain with said hand reared back.

The latter opened his mouth to throw up more profanities at the boy, but was interrupted even before he could speak when Izuku launched his last attack-

*Slash!*

*SPLAT!*

-sinking his nukite into one of the big beady eyes of the Villain.

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Then he twisted his hand, before yanking it out, effectively ripping the eye out of the Villain's sludgy body.

The latter had not yet registered the wound inflicted on him, since he remained motionless, like all those present who had just witnessed the brutal scene.

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"GAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Finally, the Villain let out a howl of pain, its green slimey mass writhing in agony, trying in vain to soothe the excruciating pain.

Izuku, on the other hand, just stared at the criminal he had just blinded with the meanest glare he could muster.

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"Don't say I didn't warn you."

He took another step towards the Villain, to finish him off for good.

But it was precisely at that moment that the situation-

"DETROIT SMAAASH!"

-took another unexpected turn.

At the sound of that cry, a gust of high-pressured wind hit the area, dispersing the flames, the smoke and even the Sludge Villain itself, splattering him all over the ground.

Amid the general confusion, stood a large, imposing figure.

"Have no fear, citizens!"

A strong voice loudly exclaimed.

"For I am here!"

There he stood.

The Number One Hero.

The Symbol of Peace.

The living legend.

All Might.

A moment of silence passed before the crowd erupted into cheers and praises for the blonde Hero.

Izuku took advantage of the confusion generated by All Might to collect his things and escape from the scene. However, unbeknownst to him, a certain black-haired girl had witnessed the whole thing, kneeling comfortably atop one of the building towering over the street.

Gazing at the retreating form of the green-haired boy, she smiled.

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"You're quite something indeed, Izuku-kun..."

---

Later

-The Asura's Den-

After leaving the scene, Izuku was now standing in front of the entrance to his house/restaurant, panting heavily.

After catching his breath, the boy cleaned himself up so as not to look too suspicious to his father or anyone who might be inside at that hour.

"Okay, Izuku... keep calm... you're late only because you decided to stop and watch some Heroes in action. Yeah, that's right."

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, sporting the best one million dollar smile he could.

"Hey, good evening da-"

*click!*

"H-Huh...?"

Hearing a sinister clank, Izuku looked down ...

"..."

... only to notice handcuffs attached to his right hand.

"Stop right there, criminal scum!"

The owner of the handcuffs, Akoya Seishu, ordered the boy.

"You violated the law!"

Izuku could only widen his eyes. The man took the hint and kept going.

"Izuku Tokita, I am placing you under arrest due to acts of vigilantism and obstruction to public safety. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present, you have the right to stop answering at any time."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I appeal to the fifth amendment."

*whack!*

"Gah!"

In response, Akoya chopped hard the boy's head, before sighing and releasing him from the cuffs. The latter rubbed first his head, then the wrist, before pouting to the adult.

"That's mean, Uncle..."

"Yeah well, wait for your dad and everyone else to get here before you complain. You're in for a real earful, boy."

Izuku looked exasperated.

"Oh come on! How did you even find out? It all happened no more than ten minutes ago!"

Akoya just grabbed a remote control from the counter, before turning on the large TV on the other side of the restaurant.

True enough, an extraordinary service was on air. The reporter told of the clash of several Heroes against a Villain who had taken a middle school boy hostage, when suddenly another boy threw himself in the middle of the fray, saving the hostage and brutally subduing the criminal before All Might's arrival.

Akoya turned to Izuku with a raised eyebrow.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I'd defend myself by saying that that's not me, but I'd risk making an idiot out of me, wouldn't I?"

"Bingo."

Izuku tried to argue, but just then-

*SLAM!*

-the door of the restaurant bursted open, bringing in a large group of people.

"Kid!"

"Izu-chan!"

"Izuku-kun."

"Izuku!"

"Hey Izuku, 'sup?"

The boy in question could only groan.

"Damn it..."

---

The Next Week

-Kureishi Dojo-

"... and that's why I'm grounded."

*slam!* *thukk!* *thud!*

"What about the punishment?"

*shhp!* *swoosh!*

"I can't go near the stoves for a week..."

*slap!* *slam!*

"That's harsh... Will Niko-san manage to run the restaurant all by himself?"

*ka-chak!*

"I guess so. Before I came, he always did, didn't he?"

*THUD!* *SLAM!*

"*ngh!* Touché! But tell me..."

"*gggrgh!* What?"

"Are you sure you're-*grrrg*- okay?"

"Don't worry-*ow!*-I just had to take a dozen baths to get the sewer stench off me."

"I'm not talking about that! *ngah!*"

"...?"

"He was there, wasn't he?"

"..."

"All Might..."

"..."

"..."

.

.

.

.

.

*thud!*

With a sudden push, Izuku freed himself from the clinching he had started with Cosmo.

Both boys, in the middle of an intense sparring session, were covered in sweat and panting heavily.

Izuku, in particular, had a pensive expression with narrowed eyes.

His fists tightened.

.

.

.

.

.

"I'll just tell you this, Cos."

He looked at his blonde friend.

"I'm glad I fled the scene when he arrived, because at the time I didn't trust myself to refrain from giving him the same treatment I reserved at the Sludge Villain."

He raised one of his hands, making a claw-like motion with his fingers.

Cosmos flinched.

"Ouch... They do say that eyepatches are the new trend nowadays. Don't really know how those would work when your body is made out of slime, tough..."

The two shared a laugh, greatly easing the mood of the conversation.

After the momentary pause, Izuku walked over to his bag, taking out a now all too familiar notebook.

"Martial Arts Analysis For The Future #13"

And just like that, Izuku started doing his magic.

"Okay, right now I'm doing well on the Adamantine, Flame and Redirection Katas. I still have some problems with the Water Kata. Ask Cosmo to put in more ground fighting and grappling."

*scribble* *scribble* *scribble* *scribble*

"Against the Sludge Villain would the Redirection Kata have been effective? From what I noticed he seemed to harden his mass to strike, but the fact remains that it was mostly slime. I doubt I could have deflected one of the tentacles effectively. In case I find myself in a similar situation again, rely mainly on the Flame Kata to reduce the distance between me and the enemy, and then punish them with the Adamantine Kata."

*scribble* *mutter* *scribble* *mutter* *mutter*

Finishing his final notes, Izuku exchanged notebooks.

"Hero Analysis For The Future #13"

"Does the Sludge Villain always look that way or can he also take on a humanoid form? If that's the case, can he transform partially, perhaps with a limb or part of the body, or not? Being largely composed of a liquid-like substance, is it possible to use its attributes to immobilize or slow it down? Maybe with ice or electricity-based Quirks?"

*mutter* *mutter* *mutter* *mutter*

"What if-"

*whump*

"Gah!"

Izuku's muttering storm was interrupted when he felt something cold touching the top of his head. Tilting his head back, he noticed that Cosmo had hit him lightly with a bottle of cold water.

"Enough with the muttering. Drink some water and cool down!"

Izuku rolled his eyes.

"Jeez, okay dad."

"Hey, we sure don't want you to overexert yourself when we're this close to the entrance exam, do we?"

"There are still ten months left, Cos..."

The blonde shrugged.

"They'll pass quickly, you'll see! Especially when we are going to be busy sparring practically every single day from now on!"

Drinking half of the water from the bottle, Izuku asked his friend a question.

"Speaking of sparring, how is your training with Kureishi-san going?"

Cosmo began dabbing his sweaty body with a towel.

"We're doing great! He's currently making me fight against heavyweight fighters three times daily. Most likely he wants me to get used to fighting opponents much bigger than me."

While he was speaking, Cosmo noticed Izuku trying to reach his notebook, but he stopped him.

"Dude, if you start going martial arts nerd mode with me again, I'll punch you in the throat!"

His green-haired friend pouted.

"Come on! Just a small note! I'll make it quick!"

Hopping on his feet, Cosmo offered a hand to Izuku.

"Nope. Break's over! Let's get back to it!"

And just like that, the two kept on sparring well into the evening.

---

Later

-City Streets-

Finished with the day's training, Cosmo was walking the now deserted streets of the city. All he was waiting for was to return home, get something to eat and relax with shower before crawling under the covers of his bed for a well-earned rest.

While walking, his thoughts lingered shortly on his green-haired friend.

The latter explicitly asked him to help him improve the Niko Style's Water Kata, since grappling and submission holds were still his weak point.

At that, Cosmo grinned so hard that he almost got cramps on his face.

He almost felt bad for Izuku.

Almost.

Anyway, while he was fiddling with his smartphone to occupy the time, his thoughts were interrupted by cry.

"I said stop!"

Cosmo suddenly froze in place as he heard the sudden yell. From what he could tell, it was not far from where he was. The blonde teen started running down the street in a blur as he kept his animal senses sharp. As Cosmo passed an alley, he stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw.

At the very end of a dead-end were about six people. Three of them were young men, with the classic street thug look. The other three were kids, with two of them being a boy and a girl, and they were covering behind the third figure of their group.

She was an older girl, about the same age as Cosmo. She had large eyes, a somewhat large mouth with her tongue sticking out the side, long green hair that reached down to her lower back, and large hands and feet. From the way she was standing in front of the two kids, who looked a lot like her, she was protecting her siblings as she glared at the three thugs. Her body was tense, but also loose, ready for one of the thugs to make the first move.

"C'mon, sweetie, we just need ya to spot us some cash."

One of the thug said.

"Maybe you can ditch the kids and come hang out with us. We promise we're gonna show ya a good time..."

He leered at her with what he thought was a flirty tone, but he only ended up sounding creepy, if not downright disgusting.

The older girl kept a calm look on her face as she glared at the thugs.

"I'll tell you one more time, I don't care. I just want to go home with my siblings, so please, get out of our way."

One of the men sneered as he took a step closer, making the older girl tense up.

"Seriously? You'd prefer looking after those brats than hanging out with us."

He said as he glanced at the girl's figure.

"You have a really nice bod for someone so you-"

*SLAP!*

"Urk!"

The delinquent's words were interrupted by a loud slapping noise, drawing the attention of the remaining two and three siblings. They turned just in time to see the thug's figure crumpling to the ground.

Behind him stood Cosmo, his hand still raised in what appeared to be a karate chop, the same one with which he had hit the creep with a well-aimed strike to the back of his head.

"Wow, I guess times are hard even for Villains nowadays."

Cosmo said, a serious look on his face.

"Cheap gangstas now have to get their money and stuff from shaking down high schoolers and little kids. Guys, I know the economy is bad, but come on! Villains back in the days used to have standards, unlike you clowns."

The three siblings looked at the blonde newcomer with a surprised looks on their faces. The remaining thugs, on the other hand, looked pissed.

"We're not Villains, you asshole!"

One said as he yelled at Cosmo.

"But that doesn't mean we won't kick your ass! Get lost if you know what's good for you!"

He threatened as he grew large claws from his hands.

Cosmo raised an eyebrow.

"Hah! You messed with the wrong guys!"

The other one exclaimed as he held his hands down before a yellow-ish fluid started to leak from his hands.

"This will shut you up real good!"

He boasted.

Cosmo raised his other eyebrow. Then he glanced around the alley, noticing it was narrow enough that only one of them could come at him at once.

*siiiiiigh*

Sighing in disappointment, Cosmo tossed his bag onto the floor, rolling up his sleeves shortly afterwards.

He glared at the two thugs.

"Welp, that's a let down. I expected better from you two after all that trash talk..."

*crack!* *crock!*

He cracked his neck.

"But since I'm in a good mood, I'll be nice. This is your last chance to get lost and vanish into your shitty crib. Grab your buddy on the ground while you are at it."

The response of the two criminals was to intensify their glares, before one of the two, the one with the claws, rushed at Cosmo.

"Of course..."

Cosmo mentally groaned.

The thug launched a series of fierce, but blatant, slashing attacks with his claws. Cosmo merely dodged them all, adding to the growing frustration of his opponent. The blonde, after the last dodge, found himself with the wall of the narrow alley behind him, and stood still.

The thug grinned maniacally.

"Hah! I got you now, motherfucker!"

He launched a devastating punch, reinforced with his claws, aimed to to Cosmo's face.

But-

*CRASH!*

*CRUNCH!*

"GAAARGH!"

-all he had to do was move his head slightly to the right to make the brute destroy his hand by hitting the wall.

Wasting no time, Cosmo clutched the still extended arm of the thug, then grabbing the back of his neck as well, he pushed him violently forward-

*SLAM!*

-smashing his face against the wall. Not done yet, when the delinquent recoiled dazedly from the impact, Cosmo threw a well-aimed kick to the back of his left knee-

*WHAM!*

-making the thug loose his footing and fall unceremoniously onto the ground.

*THUD!*

As if the previous head injury weren't enough to knock him out, he was now unconscious after violently slamming the back of his head against the asphalt.

"And that's one."

Cosmo said coolly. He turned to the last thug, who witnessed his friend getting curbstomped by the blondie. The latter eyed him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well? What are you waiting for? What happened to all that confidence from before?"

Hearing the derisive tone was enough to sprung the scoundrel into action. After producing a large amount of that slimey substance with his Quirk, he threw it at Cosmo as a whip.

The latter's eyes widened slightly.

"Huh, so he can use it like that too, huh? In that case..."

Cosmo stood still, much to everyone's bewilderment. He raised his right arm to intercept the makeshift whip, letting it wrap halfway up the forearm.

But before the thug could sing victory, Cosmo made a rotary movement with his trapped arm, rolling even more slime onto the forearm. Then with a sudden tug-

*SWHIP!*

-the delinquent ended up being pulled forward, stumbling towards Cosmo, who took the opportunity to free his arm from the glue.

"Guh... this is gonna suck on so many levels later on..."

With a sudden jerk, Cosmo freed himself from the hold his opponents hand on his forearm, leaving only what apperead to be an arm-shaped lump of dead skin still stuck to slime.

---

COSMO IMAI

QUIRK:

Serpent

Technique:

Moult

Description:

Befitting his snake-like nature, Cosmo has the ability to moult at will, be it total or localized. While this is a useful skill for speeding up the healing of minor injuries, or as seen in this case, breaking free from an enemy's Quirk, the affected body part is particularly sensitive for some time after moulting.

---

Immediately afterwards, Cosmo grabbed the opponent's free arm, and after pulling it towards him, he turned around him, placing himself behind him. Once in position, the blonde jumped on him, wrapping his legs around the thug's arms, immobilizing him. Then he placed his arms around the opponent's neck.

---

JIU-JITSU

Rear Naked Choke Hold:

Also known as "Hadaka-Jime-San". The user wraps their legs around their opponent's arms in such a way that they are pinned tightly to their torso, completely immobilizing them, while also putting them in a rear naked choke hold. In this position, the user strangle their neck with extreme force, putting pressure on their opponent's carotid artery and forcibly shutting down blood flow to the brain. As a result, it causes unconsciousness in around 7 seconds.

---

True enough, the delinquent squirmed for a few seconds, before he started frothing at the mouth and lost consciousness shortly after, collapsing on the ground.

*thud!*

Cosmo hopped from his position before he could join his victim in the fall. After making sure he wasn't hurt or had any injuries he didn't notice, the boy sighed and fished out his smartphone.

After dialing a certain number, he waited while the call connected.

"No, seriously, why do cheap punks always have to ruin their day trying to fight me...? Mhm... Maybe there's something wrong with my face..."

---

Meanwhile

-The Asura's Den-

"Huh... weird..."

Niko Tokita pondered as he felt his ear whistle as he sauteed some bean sprouts in a wok.

---

Finally, the person he was calling picked up.

"Yes? Cosmo-kun? Is everything alright?"

"Heya, Akoya-san! Sorry I'm disturbing your evening, but I just had a run-in with some shady people and... hehe... well..."

He could almost feel the man's eyes rolling.

"Say no more. Send me the location, and I'll take it from there."

"Thanks! You're a lifesaver!"

*click*

Cosmo let out a small sigh before he turned to the group of siblings, who were staring at him in amazement and shock.

"I think we should get out of here."

He said, snapping the trio out of their shock.

"I know I didn't do anything wrong, but I don't want to explain all of this to the authorities."

The oldest sibling looked hesitant before nodding and picked up her little sister and grabbed her brother's hand. The four quickly made their way out of the alley until they stopped about a few blocks away.

Cosmo turned to them and gave them a concerned look.

"Is anyone hurt?"

The oldest sibling shook her head.

"They just cornered us, they didn't do anything, kero."

She said while putting her little sister down and gave Cosmo a grateful smile.

"Thank you for stepping in."

Cosmo just gave her a smirk.

"You're welcome, although I don't think I really had to."

He said getting a confused look from the girl.

"You looked ready to fight as soon as they unleashed their Quirks. And judging from your looks and posture, I'm guessing you have a mutation Quirk. Frog, most likely?"

Cosmo widened his eyes in disbelief after he was done.

"Holy shit, Izuku is really rubbing onto me...!"

The girl mimicked his reaction.

"It's a little scary that you figured all that."

She said though she didn't sound scared at all. Cosmo chuckled a bit as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Haha, sorry... I learned a thing or two from a friend of mine. He's a real Quirk nerd, let me tell ya!"

Suddenly Cosmo felt a little tug on his pants, making him look down. He saw the little girl he helped save look up at him.

"Mister, you were really cool back there! What is your Quirk?"

Cosmo gave the little girl a smile as he knelt down.

"My Quirk is called 'Serpent'. Similarly like yours, but instead I have snake-like attributes."

He demonstrated this by pointings at his eyes, as he constricted his slit-shaped pupils.

"Wait, so that thing before was you moulting your skin?! That's so cool!"

The little brother exclaimed as he got closer to the blonde teen.

Cosmos blinked in bit surpsie.

"R-Really? I always though it looked kinda gross..."

He chuckled embarassedly.

"Are you going to become a Hero, mister? Nee-chan is going to become one!"

The little girl pointed to her big sister, who blushed slightly in response.

"Really? That's awesome! What Hero school are you aiming for, if I may ask?"

"U.A. High."

She replied. Cosmos grinned.

"Well, I hope to see you there."

He said with a wink, before extending his hand.

"I'm Cosmo Imai, sorry for the late introduction."

The girl returned his smile with one of her own as she shook his hand.

"I'm Tsuyu Asui, call me Tsuyu or Tsu."

Tsuyu then put a hand on her siblings' heads.

"And these are my siblings, Samidare and Satsuki."

"'sup?"

"Hello."

Cosmo gave them a smile as he looked at his phone, checking the time.

"So, where are you headed now?"

"We just came from the park and are heading back home, kero."

"Is it okay if I walk you home?"

Cosmo asked.

"I know it would make me feel better if I knew you all got home safe."

Tsuyu smiled at that.

"Sure, I don't mind."

And just like that the quartet set off to the three siblings' home. The walk was mostly uneventful, with Samidare and Satsuki asking questions about Cosmo and his abilities.

"Whoooaaa! So that thing back there was Jiu-jitsu!"

Samidare asked, sounding excited.

"Yup, I've started training when I was roughly six or seven."

Cosmo said as he remembered his first training him Mitsuyo.

"Really, you started training at around my age?"

The boy asked before turning to Tsuyu.

"Do you think mom and dad will let me learn martial arts?!"

"Nope. Too dangerous."

Tsuyu deadpanned before turning to Cosmo.

"Please, don't give my brother any ideas."

Cosmo chuckeld in amusement.

"Sorry, sorry."

After that, the four soon stopped in front of a two-story house. Tsuyu turned to Cosmo.

"My parents will be happy to meet you, Imai-kun. You saved us, after all."

Before Cosmo could say anything, she said as she reached for the door, making the blonde-haired teen follow her.

The door to the house opened and everyone entered.

"Mom! Dad! We're back! We also brought a guest!"

A moment later a middle-aged woman walked into view. She had long, dark hair, worn in a similar style to Tsuyu's. She had circular, wide eyes with long upper eyelashes and she was wearing a simple purple sweater with a darker turtleneck, which was buttoned over her left shoulder.

"Welcome home, kids."

She said with a small smile before turning to Cosmo.

"And good evening to you, young man. Who might you be?"

Cosmo greeted the woman with a bow.

"Good evening, ma'am. I'm Cosmo Imai."

"I'm Tsuyu's mother, you may call me Beru."

She said with a kind smile. Then satsuki pulled on her mother's sleeve and pointed at Cosmo.

"He saved us from some very bad men, mom!"

At this, the woman's eyes widened. But before she could elaborate, another voice beat her on time.

"He saved you from what now...?"

A man walked around the corner. He was a tall, stocky, middle-aged man with black, short-cropped hair and black eyes. His most distinguishing feature was without a doubt his brown, toad-shaped head.

"Anything I should be aware of...?"

The man, who Cosmo assumed to be Tsuyu's father, asked with concern in his voice.

Tsuyu raised her hand and stepped forward.

"I'll explain everything."

The Asui family plus Cosmo found themselves in the living room as Tsuyu explained what happened and how Cosmo helped them. By the end of the story, Tsuyu's dad, who introduced himself as Ganma, turned to Cosmo.

"I can't thank you enough for saving my kids from those thugs, Imai-kun."

Ganma said with a bow to Cosmo, who quickly waved him off.

"It's fine Asui-san, really! I couldn't just sit back and do nothing."

"Actually, you could have."

Ganma said with a serious tone.

"I know my daughter is capable of defending herself, but you didn't know that. You could've ran away, or called a Hero and who knows how long that would've taken. Instead you acted and saved my children, so let me thank you."

Feeling a little overwhelmed by all the praises, Cosmo couldn't help but blush a little bit.

Samidare suddenly raised his hand and pointed to Cosmo.

"Yeah! And check this out! His Quirk is like ours, but with snakes instead!"

He exclaimed.

"And he also used Jiu-jitsu! He went all *pwushhh*! *fwuaahh*! *pow*!"

He said in an excited voice making Cosmo and the others chuckle a bit. Beru then turned to the blonde teen.

"Cosmo-kun, would you like to join us for dinner? It's the least we could do to repay you for what you did."

Ganma nodded.

"Indeed. We'd love to have you over."

Now, Cosmo being Cosmo, had to fight against every fiber of his body to refuse free food, especially after the tiring events of the day that left him famished.

"I really appreciate the offer, Asui-san, but- *groooooowl!*"

Just then, Cosmo's stomach decided to betray him, emitting a roar comparable to that of a dinosaur.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Ngh...! Just pretend you haven't heard that..."

Cosmo said, mortified. The others could only giggle at the boy's reaction, before managing to convince him to stay for dinner.

After a filling and delicious dinner, the blonde exchanged the final pleasantries with the Asuis as Tsuyu offered to walk him out.

"Thank you again for saving us, Imai-kun."

Cosmo winked at her.

"Hey, it's what Heroes do."

However, as he was about to walk out, Tsuyu stopped him by lightly grabbing his wrist.

"Wait."

"Hm?"

The frog girl grabbed a piece of paper on a nearby sideboard and quickly wrote something on it.

"Here's my number. If you want to chat, hang out or maybe prepare together for U.A., feel free to call or text me."

Cosmo looked at the piece of paper with slightly widened eyes, before grinning.

"Thanks, Tsuyu-san."

He said as he opened the door.

"I'll call you later."

Then he walked out.

Tsuyu smiled widely before turning around, only to come face to face with her siblings.

"That was smooth, nee-chan."

Samidare said with a cheeky grin, making Tsuyu smack him lightly on the head with a small blush on her face.

"Shut up."

"Is nee-chan going to make Cosmo her boyfriend?"

Satsuki asked, making Tsuyu rub her head.

"Please don't say anything unnecessary."

Tsuyu said, blushing harder this time.

---

Ten Months Later

-U.A. High School Entrance Gates-

"And here we are, finally."

Izuku said as he stared at U.A.'s large entrance gates. The brisk winter wind lashed at his hair, slightly whipping his emerald manbun in the air.

He heaved out a sigh, a hand clutching the strap of his messenger bag.

As per the regulations for applicants for the entrance exam, Izuku was wearing his middle school uniform. His bag containined the clothes that he would use for the practical part of the exam.

"Heh... it's really happening, huh..."

Izuku thought.

It had been ten months since Izuku and Cosmo began their special training under Niko and Mitsuyo's tutelage, respectively, and in that time, they had put their bodies through absolute hell. Although the two teens were by now accustomed for to tough and rigorous training and sparring regimens, the two adults somehow managed to make it even more hellish...

Needless to say that both teenagers found themselves throwing up their lunches more than a few times.

However, the ordeal they have undergone has definitely paid off. Izuku's already impressive physique was now even more tempered. His skill with the Niko Style was now sharper.

Spying a familiar head of golden hair, Izuku made his way through the crowd, raising an arm to greet his best friend.

"Cos!"

He called out over the crowd. Cosmo's eyes snapped to the sound of Izuku's voice, before turning around to meet him.

"There you are, finally! I was starting to think you were going to miss all the fun!"

Cosmo exclaimed, while Izuku rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

The blondie, like his friend, has changed considerably in preparation for the entrance exam. He had grown a couple of centimeters, now standing at 171 cm (5'7'') compared to Izuku's 174 cm (5'8½ "). His golden locks were now slightly longer, with his fringe now combed to the right, and as always, he had his now trademark necklace.

Before Izuku could return Cosmo's greeting, an all too familiar (and grating) voice cut the two.

"Out of my fucking way, extras!"

Katsuki's loud voice caused both Izuku and Cosmo to turn around. Noticing he was actually expecting the couple to move, Izuku frowned.

After the incident with the Sludge Villain, the explosive teen avoided Izuku completely, merely throwing him dirty looks from time to time in class. Cosmo had speculated that he was still licking his wounds for being saved that day, but frankly he didn't care if it meant Izuku didn't have him around to pester him anymore.

In any case, Cosmo returned Katsuki's glare.

"Or you can just walk around us, since there is plenty of space to do so. You're just wasting more time acknowledging our existence."

"I said get out of my way!"

He yelled.

Rolling his eyes, Cosmo stood his ground.

"What's the matter, Explodo Brain? Too important to take a little detour?"

This made Katsuki stop.

"What the fuck did you just say to me?"

"Wow, that's it? I'm kinda disappointed, man... I was expecting yet another derogatory nickname, Explodo Brain."

At this, Katsuki was prepared to launch an explosion to the boy, only to stop when Izuku spoke to him.

"Go on, Bakugou. Swing at him if you really want to ruin your chances by attacking an applicant on school grounds. This time you won't have Aldera covering your ass."

As Katsuki was about to hurl morte insults to the duo, he was suddenly shoved aside-

"Wha-HEY!"

-by a large figure, who stared at Izuku with wide green eyes.

.

.

.

.

.

"Green? Is that really you?!"

.

.

.

.

.

Lo and behold, Ichiro Nakata, clad in a gakuran uniform, was now standing in front of Izuku and Cosmo, with the latters having different emotions on their faces.

Cosmo narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out why the tall teen in front of him looked so familiar. Then his eyes widened a little bit in recognition, as he finally remembered who he was.

Izuku, instead, stood there with equally wide eyes, before a huge smile split his face.

"Nakata-kun!"

He exclaimed, causing said teen to grin.

"The one and only!"

He pointed at himself with a thumb, puffing his chest out.

Katsuki, in the meantime, was fuming.

How surprising.

Bristling at being treated and ignored in such a blatant way, he was this close to blasting the trio that had formed in front of him, but remembering Izuku's word a few moments ago, he decided to swallow his anger for the time being.

After all, he will soon be able to let loose and get rid of his pent up anger.

With a loud huff, Katsuki stomped past the three, bumping his shoulder against Izuku's, who shot him a glare in response.

"Tch... asshole..."

The latter muttered under his breath, an action wich didn't go unnoticed by Ichiro.

"Damn, what's his deal?"

He raised an eyebrow at Katsuki's retreating form. Cosmo shook his head.

"Long story. What about you, man? Where did you disappear after your match against Izuku?"

At that question, Ichiro could only laugh, before pointing at the emeral-haired teen.

"That's an equally long story, but why don't you ask Green? I'm sure he'll be able to answer you."

Cosmo tilted his head in confusion, while Izuku chuckled sheepishly.

"Anyhow, we can catch up later. For now we better get a move on. I didn't bust my ass the last ten months to miss today of all days!"

Founding themselves agreeing with Ichiro, th other two joined the tall blonde, making their way to the school.

Once inside, they were filtered through a screening process, where it was confirmed that they were actually U.A. applicants, granting them a guest pass card that allowed the three past the school's state-of-the-art security system without issue.

He couldn't help but gaze around in awe at the grand architecture of this legendary establishment. Mementos from U.A. alumni, prestigious awards, and other such decorations seemed to be plastered to every surface.

"Quit gaping, dude! We've got a practical to ace!"

Cosmo exclaimed, shoving him lightly.

Izuku playfully fell over entirely, fully intending to catch himself at the very last moment as he had done so many times before. But curiously, before he could act, he felt a sudden and somewhat violent tug at his back.

As he now stood perfectly on two feet, Izuku looked confused.

.

.

.

.

.

Wasn't he tripping until a second ago?

Turning around, he found himself with another familiar face he didn't see in a long time.

.

.

.

.

.

"Heya, Izuku-kun!"

Exclaimed the mysterious girl he met on the river bank months ago, an impish grin on her face.

"Sorry for handling you so roughly, but hey, it would be bad luck to fall on such an important day, right?"

Izuku, having overcome the initial surprise, smiled before turning to the girl.

"Indeed. Thank you for the save... uh... uuuhhh..."

The boy racked his brain trying to remember her name, but then he realized that he never asked for it in the first place.

Welp. Now that was awkward.

"I feel like an idiot saying it now, but... I never got your name..."

He admitted in defeat, causing the girl to giggle.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know...~"

She teased, causing the boy to look away, scratching his cheek in embarassment.

Laughing softly this time, the girl straightened up and looked at him with a smile.

"Karla Kure. Nice to meet you, Izuku-kun."

Extending her hand, Izuku wasted no time and grasped it for a handshake.

"You already know, but screw it, I'm Izuku Tokita."

He returned her smile, before side stepping and pointing towards Cosmo and Ichiro.

"This is my friend, Cosmo Imai, and this is an acquaintance of mine, Ichiro Nakata."

Said boys, who had witnessed the weird exchange between the unknown girl and Izuku so far, stepped closer to the two.

"Yo."

"Heya."

Nodding back, Karla put her hands behind her back and started swaying back and forth.

"It was nice seeing you again, Izuku-kun, but we'd better hurry. We certainly don't want to miss the exam's orientation, do we?"

Izuku nodded.

"Sure thing. I guess I'll see you there then, Kure-san."

Karla just winked at him with a smile, before stepping away from the trio and heading to her destination.

"Huh... so that happened... again..."

Izuku though as Ichiro approached him an put an arm over his shoulder.

"Nice one, Green! You sure you're Quirk doesn't involve being super smooth with the ladies?"

"I'm pretty sure that would be Cos' Quirk."

"Oh, ha ha, you're so smart that I never heard that one before..."

The trio exchanged a hearthy laugh before saying goodbye and wishing each other good luck. After that, they separated from each other to find their assigned seat as they all filtered into one of U.A.'s many massive gymnasiums. To Izuku it looked more like a futuristic concert stage than any gym he'd ever seen, but it was an observation that made much more sense when moments later, the Pro Hero Present Mic walked to the stage.

Much to his chagrin, Izuku found himself seated next to Katsuki, but at least the explosive blonde was smart enough to not start a scene right there.

What followed was a general explanation of the practical exam delivered in the Voice Hero's typical fashion: loud and as flashy as possible. Surprisingly, the rules were straightforward to an almost insulting degree.

This was all it took to gain entry to the most prestigious school for aspirign Heroes in Japan? Smashing robots? Sure, the theoretical exam weeded out the poor academic students, but there had to be something more to this practical.

There had to be.

"Looks like we're in separate blocks..."

Katsuki grumbled, peering over at Izuku's exam location.

"Hmph... they probably put us in different locations so that I couldn't destroy you..."

"For fuck's sake..."

Izuku thought.

"Yes, Bakugou, that's exactly it. They completely changed the layout of the whole damn exam just because they saw you were among the applicants. While you're here why don't you introduce yourself in front of everyone? Surely once they recognize you, they'll let you into U.A. without taking the exam. Oh, or better yet, they'll give you a Hero's license right away and make you the next No. 1 Hero. Because you're that important."

Izuku spat, making the other boy growl in anger.

"You're really pushing your luck, Deku..."

"I've been pushing my luck ever since I discovered I was Quirkless. Don't fucking test me, Bakugou. Not today."

He growled back, before gathering his things about and heading towards the bus that will take him to his block.

---

Half An Hour Later

-Block C-

Shortly before the start of the exam, the situation in Block C was rather chaotic.

While numerous participants chatted animatedly among themselves, gazed in amazement at the fake city, or went about their own business in general, few were actually preparing for the upcoming trial. Either by stretching, thinking about which strategy to adopt or simply trying to stay calm so as not to get overwhelmed by anxiety.

In all of this, there was Izuku.

Dressed in a plain black tank top and green shorts with black leggins underneath and sneakers, he was currently in the middle of Wuji, having assumed its classic posture while doing some breathing exercise.

*... anf...* *... fssssss...* *... anf...* *... fssssss...*

Breathing in and out, Izuku had completely isolated all the cacophony of sound around him.

The chirping of birds.

The sound of the wind.

The echoing horns of distant cars.

The din of the participants as they talked to each other.

It was as if he was the only one present on the scene.

---

NIKO STYLE:

NIL KATA

Void:

Not one of the four katas of the Niko Style per se, the Nil Kata is rather a compilation of breathing exercises.

Void, in particular, is a breathing exercise similar to Ibuki breathing and Neigong, which involves deep exhalations by increasing the abdominal pressure, focusing awareness towards the body's meridian. This is used as a means of concentration and internal regulation.

---

"Excuse me!"

Unfortunately, just like that, Izuku's calm and concentration went up in smoke upon hearing a loud voice yelling close to him.

Sighing in frustration, Izuku reluctantly opened his eyes and redirecting his attention to the source of the noise.

There was a tall guy, slightly taller than Izuku who had indigo-tinted ebony hair with a pair of eyeglasses covering his eyes. He was heavily muscled and wore a royal blue compression suit that left his legs from the knee down bare.

"Wow... someone here certainly doesn't skip leg day...!"

Izuku thought, noticing the boy's impressive lower limb musculature, and what appeared to be engines merging with his calves.

"Huh... they remind me of someone..."

After the idle thoughts, Izuku rested his attention on the one who the bespectacled boy had called out.

He was a bit shorter than Izuku, but despite that, one could notice the impressive physique under his school unif-

Wait.

"Why the hell is he still wearing that...?"

True enough, the unknown participant was still wearing his middle school uniform, which was this close from exploding under the massive strain the boy's muscles were putting on the fabric.

That aside, he had long and curly red hair with brown, somewhat gentle eyes. He also had a mole just above his upper lip on the right side.

And judging by the carefree air he had, he didn't seem to be taking to heart the indigo-haired teen who was chewing him out.

"I couldn't help but notice you earlier during the exam orientation! You were sleeping soundly in the middle of the explanation!"

He scolded him, but the other boy only yawned.

Loudly.

"Sorry, man... I didn't mean to, honest. It's just that I spent last night training, so I hardly slept a wink..."

He rubbed his eyes, and it was then that he revealed that both of his hands were bandaged.

"I can relate to that."

Izuku thought with a chuckle as he remembered the countless sleepless nights he spent at Kureishi's.

"That aside, why are you still wearing your school uniform?! Shouldn't you be wearing clothing that is more suited to the physical strain you are about to subject your body to?!"

The boy exclaimed as he chopped a stiff hand through the air as if he was trying to slash something, repeating the motion several times.

"Your overall appereance and demeanor makes me think you're not taking the entrance exam seriously. There are students here that have worked their whole lives for this opportunity! It is indeed disrespectful for you to be here just disr-"

"Hey, that's enough."

Izuku said as he walked over to the two to prevent a fight from breaking out. This action caught the attention of the two.

"Don't jump to conclusions right away. Let people explain themselves before jumping at their throats. And you-"

He turned to the redhead.

"I understand that you are on the verge of collapsing from fatigue at any moment, but you could at least try to look interested. At least when we're this close from the beginning of the exam."

Caught by surprise by Izuku's intromission, the indigo-haired teen chopped towards him.

"While I appreciate what you're trying to do, please, do not interfere. This doesn't concern you!"

Raising and eyebrow, Izuku retorted.

"Actually, it does. You're making a scene in front of everyone, and as a result you are making things difficult for anyone trying to focus, myself included."

This was enough to silence both of them, who looked at each other, before redirecting their attention to the crowd that was witnessing their argument.

Izuku sighed.

"Look, I understand that you are agitated and on edge, but whatever issues you have going on, save them for later. Either that, or you can vent against the robots, got it?"

Looking down is what apperead to be shame, the bespectacled teen chopped his hands again, but this time slower.

"I humbly apologize for how I acted."

The other boy, instead, scratched the back of his neck with an uncomfortable expressione on his face.

"No no, it's fine, I-*yaaawn*"

"..."

"..."

"Crap... sorry about that... I guess it's my fault for not presenting myself better. Heh, mom always told me that first impressions are the most important, and yet..."

Then he looked at his uniform. He sighed.

"Guess it's time to take this off, huh..."

Before Izuku or anyone could intervene, the redhead started undressing right there.

Starting with the bottom.

Luckily, and to everyone's surprise, he was wearing dark red sports shorts underneath the uniform pants. He also removed his shoes, remaining barefeet.

Then he took off his shirt.

.

.

.

.

.

And holy shit.

The guy was built, to put it in layman's terms, like a brick shithouse. His body was tattered with so many scars that one would feel sick just by looking at him.

Izuku himself was no slouch when it came to his body's musculature, but this guy was on a whole other level.

He whistled.

"Wow, dude. What did you eat to become this big?"

"That's a secret. Let's just say I drink plenty of milk."

They both laughed, while the other boy was still stunned by the redhead's appearance.

"Anyway, I'm Izuku Tokita. Nice to meet you."

He extended his hand.

"Baki Hanma. 'Baki' is fine."

He smiled as he shook Izuku's hand. Then they turned to the indigo-haired teen, who took the hint.

"My name is Tenya Iida! I'm a student from Soumei Junior High School! Again, I apologize for my previous actions and I wish you the best of luck on the exam!"

He bowed to the other two, who smiled at him in reply.

"BEGIN!"

And just like that, the trio glanced at one another for a second, before the three of them lunged forward, darting past the gates of the fake city and leaving the still-stunned participants gaping.

"WHAT'S THE HOLD UP LISTENERS?! THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL LIFE! GO! GO! GOOOO!"

At some point, they separated as they all went their own way. Izuku, whose mind was solely focused on the exam, raced through the city, dodging abandoned vehicles and trees alike. The wind moved strongly against his green locks and face, but Izuku cut through the abandoned streets without giving it any thought. He ran, skidded, jumped and vaulted through the environment with wild abandonment, yet with the goal always imprinted in his head.

He had to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he belonged there. That all the people that said he wasn't good enough were dead wrong.

His thirst for combat raged within him, just waiting to be ignited.

He'd show them. That he was meant to be a Hero. For all those who believed in him.

For Niko, Nemuri, Mitsuyo, Yasuo, Rin, Akoya, Shunka and Cosmo.

And, above all, for his parents.

"Look at me, Dad. Mom. Today is the day."

*vvvrrrrrr!*

It was then that he saw in the distance a small robot, one of the one-pointers. The machine noticed him from far away, and raised its arms, almost certainly to attack or intercept him.

Skidding to a halt, Izuku stopped a few meters away from the bot. In the meantime, several one and two-pointers, with a couple of three-pointer, gathered around him, surrounding him.

"..."

.

.

.

.

.

*crack!* *crock!*

He cracked his knuckles.

.

.

.

.

.

"So..."

He took his stance.

.

.

.

.

.

"You wanna fight?"

He grinned.

---

Meanwhile

-Block D-

Destroyed robotic carcasses were laying all around Ichiro.

The pungent smell of engine oil and smoking circuitries seemed to permeate the air, one of the many traces of his handiwork.

He fought through the fake city like a one-man army, taking on every machine that crossed his path and leaving only destruction in his wake.

Pulling back his claws, Ichiro shook his hands, which were slightly numb after all that slashing and punching.

If he was to be honest right now, the exam itself was rather... what's the word he was looking for...?

Ah, yeah.

.

.

.

.

.

"Disappointing..."

He thought bitterly.

To be fair, after Izuku mopped the floor with him during their Kengan match, Ichiro learned how to be humbler and overall more level-headed, but still...

If this really was the best that Japan's best Hero school had to offer, the admission stats were either made up or they chose to make the exam easier this year.

"I can feel it in my guts... and it's not just the salmon I ate for breakfast...!"

He tought as he fought to keep down a burp.

"Anyone could fight their way through these bots without too much trouble..."

Something was wrong.

The one-pointers were fast, but got torn to pieces by his claws as if they were soda cans, and the two-pointers weren't much better. The lower point robots were both at least equipped with guns that shot rubber bullets, but they had a fairly predictable moveset. Easy enough to exploit, avoid and destroy.

The three-pointers were the ones that really packed a punch. They looked like armored tanks with better mobility. Not to mention the shock rounds that came loaded in their turrets.

"Those things really sting, tough!"

Ichiro exclaimed, rubbing one of his arms in the process, remembering when he was caught off guard by a three-pointer, getting hit on the forearm as a result.

It was proof that, in spite of everything, a short time of inaction could be the difference between passing or not. The other applicants seemed to be avoiding them in favor of racking up points from the weaker of the three. It might have been a good strategy, and some might even say the test favored highly mobile Quirks that could get to more robots in the short amount of time given.

Eventually, Ichiro ran out of bots to destroy, so he resumed his search for points, until he spotted a familiar blonde bob cut.

"Yo, Imai!"

The aforementioned blonde snapped his head towards the voice calling him, as he was in the midst of crushing a one-pointer with one of his holds.

"Hey, Nakata-kun! Are you looking for easy points too?"

*clang!*

And just like that, the head of the bot came off, with its body falling down onto the ground with a metallic thud.

"Heh, that's right! I ran out of tin cans in the area I was in, so here I-"

Suddenly, a one-pointer came out of nowhere and launched an attack on the unsuspecting Ichiro, trying to surprise him with one of his pincers.

However, its strategy was short lived. Just when it was a few centimeters from hitting the boy's head-

*clank!*

-Ichiro, without even turning completely towards the threat, jabbed his index and middle fingers, now in their clawed form, right in the "neck" of the bot.

"That was rude. I was in the middle of talking, y'know?"

*SLASH!*

"Fuck off."

With a quick movement, Ichiro yanked his fingers out, removing a bunch of circuitry in the process and thus disabling the robot.

Cosmo, in the meantime, witnessed with a surprised expression what just happened.

From what he gathered during Izuku's and Ichiro's match, the latter's greatest weakness when it came to his Quirk and inhuman pinch grip was that it requires a large range of motion to allow for the necessary acceleration needed to tear through things. As such, closing the distance or simply blocking the slicing movement is enough to nullify Razor's Edge's cutting ability.

And yet, Ichiro managed to cut the neck of that bot when it was just a few centimeters from hitting him, with little to no space to maneuver or launch an effective counter.

.

.

.

.

.

"Huh, guess me and Izuku are not the only one who worked their asses off for today..."

The blonde thought. But then-

*VROOOOOOM!*

A low, rattling groan filled the arena, stopping everyone in their tracks. It was the kind of sound that could only be produced by something incredibly large and metal trying to shift its weight.

.

.

.

.

.

"Oh..."

"That's one big tin can..."

A massive mechanical arm smashed through one of the multi-story buildings a few blocks down the street, sending shattered glass, dust, and all kinds of debris raining down on the street below. Ichiro unleashed his claws to slice through a particularly large chunk of concrete that was coming down on him. Cosmo instead opted for a normal, yet devastating, straight punch. Their eyes narrowed dangerously at the mechanical monstrosity that was now rampaging through the fake city.

Its body was heavily armored, for one. And some sort of plating covered its exterior, everywhere but at the joints at least. Like a suit of armor, those areas were clear to allow a certain level of mobility.

They eyed the other students fleeing in terror and horror from the giant as well as the lower leveled robots that now stood idle, but not close enough for them to engage in combat.

"..."

"..."

.

.

.

.

.

"Do you think what I think?"

"Damn right I do!"

Ichiro and Cosmo smirked, their eyes settling on the zero-pointer as they both prepared to unleash utter hell on the gargantuan robot.

---

Meanwhile

-Block C-

*splat!*

Absentmindedly, Izuku flicked away the blood on his knuckles and palms, as he stared wide-eyed at the giant mechanical monstrosity that made its way into the fake city.

"Are the examiners out of their fucking minds!? What were they thinking sending out something so dangerous?!"

He tought as he carried another applicant to safety after the zero-pointer started smashing his way through a building. The poor boy's Quirk had reached its limit and left him vulnerable to the chaos caused by the giant robot's havoc.

Izuku safely tucked him away from the battle, advising to stay out of trouble until the end of the exam.

"Now, then..."

He turned toward the zero-pointer.

U.A. clearly wasn't above throwing their students into the deep end to get the best results possible. However, by doing that, they only reinforced the belief that this was where he needed to be.

And nothing could take that away from him.

Not even some robotic kaiju.

"Heh..."

Grinning, he looked down at his ruined hands.

Turns out, using the Adamantine Kata against the bots was the right choice, although his hands were bloodied and covered with cuts and newly formed bruises, will likely hurt like hell the day after.

And possibly also the day after tomorrow.

Bracing himself, Izuku dashed towards the source of the chaos. He kept an eye out for the one, two, or three-pointers that he could take out along the way, but at the moment he was mostly looking for students that were being overwhelmed by the zero-pointer's destruction.

Izuku slowed down as he approached the rampaging robot, dodging around fleeing applicants left and right. Seeing an armored three-pointer flanking the retreating group, he quickly sprinted over it and hardened his right hand. When he got close enough to his target, he delivered a heavy blow to its optics, blinding it, before caving its head in with a devastating elbow strike.

Leaping backwards, Izuku frowned as the light of the sun above disappeared. He looked up and peered into the towering form of the zero-pointer.

"Huh... it didn't look that big before..."

Cracking his sore hands, and wincing slightly in the process, he turned around for a quick getaway. He'd stick to evacuation as long as there were people to be evacuated.

One quick glance around told Izuku that most of the applicants had made it to a relatively safe distance away from the giant robot. He could wait out the rest of the time limit at the top of a building, out of the zero-pointer's reach. He'd lost his exact count in the frenzy of the exam, but Izuku was quite confident he had enough points to pass. Hopefully someone would deactivate it by then, or the examiners would at least do something to stop it.

"The time is about to end, anyway..."

However, after finishing said thought, a pained cry caught his attention. On the nearby street there was a girl. She had a fair colored skin with what apperead to perpetual blush marks on her cheeks. Her eyes were large and round, with their irises a warm auburn brown. Her hair, bobbed and curved inwards at the ends, was about the same color as her eyes.

Her face was twisted in a grimace of pain, as a thick block of concrete had fallen from the zero-pointer's rampage and pinned the brunette in place. Her arms were twisted at an awkward angle leaving her immobilized as she tried to reach the boulder in order to remove it.

The ground shook as the zero-pointer, pulverizing an abandoned vehicle into scrap metal, got close, almost too close, to the helpless girl.

"N-Ngh...!"

She cried.

"..."

.

.

.

.

.

Izuku moved without a thought, putting himself between the massive bot and the trapped girl.

As he was thinking of a plan to stop the zero-pointer, he heard someone approach him.

"Tokita."

Turning around, Izuku spotted Baki walking towards him, but the latter had his focus on the zero-pointer.

Aside from a few dirt and oily stains on his chiseled body, the redhead looked fine.

Izuku wasted no time.

"Baki-kun, quick! What kind of Quirk do you have?"

"Enhancer."

He replied without missing a beat, his eyes still locked onto the bot. Izuku sighed.

"I'll be blunt. Can you stop that thing?"

Baki glanced at Izuku for a moment, before returning his attention to the zero-pointer.

.

.

.

.

.

"Yes."

No more words were needed, as Izuku made his way towards the trapped brunette.

"You there! Are you okay? Can you tell me your name?"

The girl's wide eyes stared at him as she replied.

"Y-Yeah, I'm *ow!* ... a-alright. I-I'm Ochaco. Ochaco Uraraka."

She squeaked.

"That's good..."

He sighed in relief.

"Can you move?"

Watching Ochaco stretching painfully, trying to reach the chunk of concrete with her hand, was all the answer he needed.

"It's ok, Uraraka-san, don't strain yourself. I got this."

Hearing the boy's words, the girl slumped to the ground with a pained wince and a resignated sigh. Hardening his fingers, Izuku approached the concrete block, putting them against it.

He glanced at Ochaco.

"Uraraka-san, you may want to cover your eyes."

After that, Izuku squeezed the boulder with his fingers, hard enough to break it partially to make it lighter.

*FWHOOOSH!*

*screeeaaak!*

Just as the debris fell from the larger piece of concrete, Tenya came racing through the clouds of dust, his engine-calves blazing. He stopped just a few inches from them.

"Hanma-kun! Tokita-kun! Gravity Girl-kun! I saw what happened in the distance! Are you two alright?!"

"Gravity Girl...?"

Izuku thought amused. He turned toward the newcomer.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you for your concern. Unfortunately I think Uraraka-san can't say the same."

He pointed towards the still-trapped girl, who was now on the verge of losing consciousness. The taller boy nodded, before promptly giving a devastating, yet well-aimed kick to the now frail block of concrete, obliterating it and finally freeing the girl.

"Here, let me help."

"Thank you, but what about Hanma-kun?!"

The two boys glanced at the redhead, who was looking at them, before shooting them a calm smile, telling that he was going to be fine.

Thus, Izuku and Tenya helped Ochaco up, each taking one of her arms over their shoulders, leaving Baki alone with the zero-pointer, now closer and closer to the boy.

The latter was still staring at the three boys walking away.

*CRASH!*

The zero-pointer was now behind him.

.

.

.

.

.

*siiiiiigh*

.

.

.

.

.

"So, zero-pointer-san..."

Baki muttered, turning behind him to stare at the mechanical monstrosity.

"... are you the one who will finally be able to entertain me?"

▶️ Baki 2018 OST - Track #2, Fear Sikorsky

Turning completely, Baki stood his ground.

Raising his arms at the side, assuming what looked like a t-pose with his palm directed inwards, he waited.

.

.

.

.

.

And then it came.

*FWOOOSH!*

The zero-pointer brought its massive arm down onto the redhead, trying to smear him onto the ground.

However-

*SLAM!*

*crrrkkk!*

-Baki managed to stop it by bringing his arms together, stopping the mechanical arm with his own. Then he digged his hands into the metal.

Afterwards, he did the same thing with his feet onto the asphalt.

*crrrkkkk!*

The sound of the bot as it jittered and strained its mechanical body to free itself from the hold of the redhead was loud enough to be heard across the street.

Thick veins bulged on Baki's arms and legs as his body seemed to grow slightly larger. A faint, glowing red hue could be seen on the teen's muscles.

---

BAKI HANMA

Quirk:

Muscle Augmentation

Description:

Baki's Quirk grants the ability to amplify, and to a degree, manipulate his muscles, gaining a significant increase in strength, speed,

and durability.

Pros:

As stated above, Muscle Augmentation makes Baki a formidable force to be reckoned with in combat, especially in close quarters. He can also manipulate the muscles in his legs to increase his movement speed.

Cons:

As powerful as they are, Baki's enhanced muscles can withstand a determined amount of strain or force before they get torn apart, thus making usage of his Quirk limited if the fight is too damaging or too long.

---

Baki, who was holding the zero-pointer suspended in the air a few inches above the ground, moved.

First he moved his right foot, placing it in position as he turned his whole body by 180°, lifting his arm above his head with the still trapped bot's limb.

.

.

.

.

.

Then it happened.

With a show of herculean strenght, Baki Hanma lifted the whole damn zero-pointer above his head...

*SWOOOSH!*

... he held it still for a couple of seconds...

*crrrkkk!*

... and finally, he brough it down.

*SLAM!*

*KA-BOOOM!*

A deafening rumble exploded in Block C, as the giant bot was slammed hard against the street and neighboring buildings, destroying everything that had the misfortune to be under them.

Smoke and dust covered the street, while the smoking carcass of the bot stood completely still in the now ravaged test site.

.

.

.

.

.

"..."

Baki was still there, panting, as he stared at his handiwork.

.

.

.

.

.

"Mhm... mediocre..."

"AAAND TIME!"

The thundering voice of Present Mic announced the end of the exam, making Baki sigh in disappointment.

And just like that, the redhead made his towards the exit.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Damn, I'm hungry..."

He said, scratching his head.

---

Meanwhile

-Examination Room-

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The silence within the examination room for the entrance exam was so heavy and palpable, that a certain blonde-haired teen could have sliced it with his claws.

The fact is, that almost all the faculty of U.A. was staring at the screen with various expressions of awe and shock. Including, surprise surprise, the principal of U.A. High himself, Nezu.

One of them, the first to recover, asked his colleagues a question without ever taking his eyes off the monitor.

"Do I need eye drops again, or have I seriously seen one of the applicants lifting and slamming the zero-pointer as if it was nothing...?"

"N-No way... m-my precious zero-pointer...!"

Another one was about to burst into tears. Nezu instead, after the initial shock, resumed his classic serene air.

"Mhm. I see."

He chuckled.

"We have a really promising group this year, don't you think, Toshinori?"

He asked to the person standing next to him. He was a very skinny, suit-clad man with sharp, angular features and long limbs with an elongated neck.

Humming in response to the chimera's question, the man could only keep staring at one of the screens that broadcast the various locations of the exam.

"All Might, are you okay?"

A teenage boy, no older that seventeen or eighteen, asked with concern in his voice. He was a tall young man with a very imposing build, and a rather cartoon-ish face with blue eyes and blonde hair arranged in a cowlick.

The skinny man, now revealed to be none other than All Might himself, smiled at the boy as he put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"It's okay, Young Togata, it's just..."

He redirected his gaze towards the screens once again, laying his eyes on a certain green-haired boy.

.

.

.

.

.

"Why does he look so familiar...?"

---

A Couple Of Hours Later

-U.A. Gates-

"Holding the chopsticks at dinner will be challenging..."

Izuku groaned as he shook his bandaged hands. After carrying Ochaco to the infirmary with Tenya's help, he had his hands checked out while he was there. Luckily for them, the school head nurse was revealed to be Recovery Girl (which led to no small amount of fanboying from Izuku...), so all he needed was a kiss to both of his hands which helped easying the pain and the bleeding.

Although now his hands were a little numb... but still!

After excusing himself from Ochaco and Tenya, Izuku changed his clothes and left the school's grounds, now waiting outside the gates.

He considered using his phone to pass the time, but again, the state of his hands made it kinda bothersome.

"Ouchie... that really seems to hurt."

"Gah!"

Jumping in fright, Izuku swiftly turned around, and once again found himself facing Karla with her usual impish grin.

"'sup, Izuku-kun?"

The boy could only sigh in relief, before grumbling in mild annoyance.

"Kure-san, could you please stop sneakin-"

"Karla."

Izuku stopped abruptly, raising an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"It's 'Karla'. K-A-R-L-A."

She spelled her name slowly. Izuku took the hint.

"Oh, okay... Karla-san...?

Despite the girl's insistance, he couldn't bring himself to drop the honorifics just yet.

This caused the girl to pout, narrowing her eyes at Izuku.

"Hmph... fine! You're pretty formal, aren't you, Izuku-kun?"

Chuckling, he scratched his cheek.

"Well, let's just say that an acquaintace of mine would be pretty damn angry if I didn't follow the etiquette she taught me."

---

Meanwhile

-Wakasa Life Insurance H.Q.-

*achoo*

Shunka sneezed, before blowing her nose with a handkerchief.

"Huh... weird..."

Then she resumed her paperwork.

---

"Anyway, how are you? How did the exam go on your part?"

Izuku asked, trying to strike up a conversation with this mysterious girl.

Karla shrugged in response.

"I dunno."

"Huh?"

The girl tilted her head.

"I mean, all there was to do was destroy robots left and right, yes? That's all I did."

Again, she linked her hands behind her back, starting to sway back and forth.

"I was curious about the exam. I heard it was really tough. So far it wasn't."

"..."

Izuku didn't know what do think about the girl's words. He though it was arrogance on her part, but the expression on her face didn't match said sentiment.

He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"That's some confidence you have there, Karla-san. Your Quirk must be something else:"

He said, trying to gauge her reaction.

.

.

.

.

.

But it wasn't what he expected.

Something... weird... flashed across her eyes as she looked away slightly from him. A somewhat morose smile on her face.

"It's nothing special, Izuku-kun. It's just an enhancer type..."

"I figured that much, those strikes back at the riverbank sure did pack a punch..."

He said while waving his righ arm to emphasize. This caused the girl to laugh a little, before adressing him.

"What about you?"

"Mhm?"

"What's your Quirk?"

"Oh, I don't have one."

"Ah, I se-wait, what?!"

Her black and white eyes widened as her face took on an expression of bewilderment.

"Are you Quirkless...?"

She asked incredulous. Izuku chuckled.

"Yup. I was born Quirkless. Honest to goodness, no bullshit, one hundred percent bonafide Quirkless!"

He smirked.

Karla kept her expression of astonishment, before grinning.

"You really are something else, aren't you?"

She started poking him in the chest.

"Not only you're Quirkless, but you took the U.A. High entrance exam and made it out in one piece."

She then eyed his wounded hands.

"And judging from our first meeting and the current state of your hands, you know your way around a fight. I'm impressed, Izuku-kun."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Karla-san."

They both chuckled, before noticing two figure approaching.

"About time, guys. What was the hol-HOLY SHIT!"

Izuku screeched, noticing the state Cosmo and Ichiro were in.

The former had both of his legs casted, and was walking with crutches, while the latter was in a similar state, with both his arms held in places by slings.

"What happened to you two?!"

The green-haired teen asked, his tone heavy with worry.

The two blondies could only stare at him, before redirecting their gaze to each other, and then again to Izuku.

"Zero-pointer."

They both answered at the same time.

Karla had her head tilted, clearly confused. Izuku could only sigh.

"I can't believe you two..."

Shaking his head, he took out his phone to check the time, realizing that it was quite late.

Putting the phone back into his uniform's pocket, Izuku addressed Ichiro and Karla.

"Nakata-kun, Karla-san, are you busy? If not, would you like to join me and Cosmo for dinner? My dad runs a restaurant not too far from here."

Both teens pondered Izuku's offer, before replying.

"Sure thing, man! All that running and slashing made me work up quite the appetite! Count me in!"

Ichiro exclaimed, before looking at the state of his arms.

"Er... I don't think any of you are willing to feed me, are you?"

Izuku shook his head again, while Cosmo bursted into giggles.

"Sorry, but as much as I'd like to join you bad boys, I have to go home and unpack all my stuff."

Karla replied, making Izuku raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"You live alone?"

She hummed.

"Yup. Moved in recently, so the place is still littered with stuff and boxes. It's a real mess!"

She scratched her head embarrassedly, before putting on a mischievous expression.

"However...~"

She stepped closer to Izuku, placing a hand on his chest.

"... if you ever want to offer to use your physical prowess to help this lonely and poor girl, you're more than welcome, Zuku-kun...~"

Karla gave a coy grin to the nickname she just used to adress him, as Izuku blushed furiously at the exchange they just had, much to Cosmo's and Ichiro's amusement.

"I-I... Uh... I'll think a-about it...?"

Poking him one last time in the chest, Karla stepped back, her grin never leaving her face.

"You do that, Zuku-kun."

Adjusting the strap of her school bag, she eyed the three of them.

"Well, this is it. I hope I can see you all at U.A.!"

She waved energetically before turning around and walking away.

.

.

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"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Dude, you survived a whole year in The Inside, but a cute girl managed to turn you into a blushing mess. Are you for real?"

Cosmo teased his best friend, who gave him the stink eye.

"No stir-fried beansprouts on the side for you."

Izuku retorted, much to Cosmo's horror.

"Agh! You monster!"

"Heh, I'll have anything that's edible... ever since I started working for Ajiro Fisheries, the boss has been kind enough by letting me take some fish home and... well... If either of you wanted to learn how to cook salmon fillet in eight different ways, give me a whistle."

Ichiro added with a groan, while Cosmo's eyes lit up like stars as he started shaking his fists in excitement.

"Oooh! Actually it's been a while since I've had a fish feast! Let's put those cooking methods you just mentioned to the test!"

"Ngh... I hope you choke on it!"

Izuku laughed as the trio made their way to The Asura's Den.

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"This is the company I keep..."

He thought amusedly with a grin.

---

Later

*click!*

With an almost inaudible click, Karla opened the door to her apartment, trudging inside.

*siiiiiigh*

Taking a long sigh, she stepped into what would be her new home for... well... an unforeseeable amount of time.

It wasn't much, being only a small apartment.

A living room that also served as a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchenette and a closet doubled as a small storage room.

In the living room there was also a large window with a balcony.

Currently, the place was littered with boxes. Some of them were empty, but most were still there, begging their owner to be emptied and sorted.

Realizing that the already small space in which she lived had diminished further due to all the mess that was present, Karla decided to tidy up the apartment once and for all.

Before that however...

*rustle* *swish*

Rustling of fabric was heard as she removed the clothes she was wearing, letting them fall onto the wooden floor. Then she undid the bandages/stockings around her legs. Done with that, Karla approached the large mirror that was placed on the door that gave access to the living room, wearing only her undergarments.

"..."

Studying her own body through her reflection, the girl's eyes fell on a nasty bruise on her left side.

"It's been days, and it's still stings like a bitch...!"

She hissed through clenched teeth as she carefully poked at her injury.

Then she took a step forward and rested her forehead against the cold mirror. Her soft breaths misted its surface.

.

.

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.

"It's fine."

She thought.

"It's fine. I'm safe."

Her hand gripped the surface of the mirror.

"I'm safe from everything..."

Her breath shuddered.

"I'm safe from the-"

*DRIIING!*

"...!"

The electric sound of the apartment doorbell made the girl jump, before whipping her head towards the entrance door.

"..."

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.

Carefully, she got closer to the source of the sound.

One step after another, she stood in front of the door, with the left hand stretching towards the handle.

*snikt*

Fleshy sounds could be heard as large and thick veins bulged around the girl's eyes and right hand.

And then-

*WHAM!*

-she opened the door with frightening speed, her right hand raised, ready to stri-

"Oh my, did I catch you in a bad moment, dearie?"

A kind and calm voice asked, making Karla's eyes widen.

In front of her, much to her surprise and shock, stood an elderly woman.

She was probably in the middle of her seventies or early eighties, with several wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She had gray hair tied in a neat bun and was dressed with a simple blouse and ankle skirt.

Realizing late what the woman had just implied, Karla looked down at her figure, noticing that she was still wearing only her underwear.

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Great.

The girl's face exploded in red, as she used her arms to cover herself the best she could, much to the older woman's amusement.

"Sorry, dearie. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I heard that someone had recently moved into this very apartment, and I figured I should introduce myself, since I live right next to you."

She nudged her head towards the door next to Karla's apartment. The girl could only sigh in relief.

"A-Ah, it's fine, ma'am. I should've been more careful. Sorry for startling you."

She bowed her head in apology, but the woman only waved her off.

"Such a polite young lady! We'll get along just fine, I know it!"

She giggled faintly, and Karla herself couldn't help but smile.

"Anyhow, my name is Eiko Nakamura. It's a pleasure to meet you, dearie."

She bowed.

"I'm Karla Kure. The pleasure is all mine, Nakamura-san."

She returned Eiko's bow.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I still have to unpack all of my stuff and... uhm... find some clothes to put on..."

"Of course, Karla-chan. Have a good evening."

With that, the two excused themselves from one another, and returned to their respective homes. Once inside, Karla slid down the closed door, tucking her knees under her chin, and sighing softly.

.

.

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.

"Maybe..."

She closed her eyes.

"Maybe it won't be so bad..."

She smiled.

"Maybe this time it'll work..."

Feeling herself getting hungry, Karla decided to stop dawdling and start tyding her place.

.

.

.

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.

"Huh... I should've probably went with Zuku and his friends..."

She thought as her stomach grumbled loudly.

---

Meanwhile

-The Asura's Den-

"I'm ruined... again..."

Niko mumbled while face planting onto the floor, a gloomy aura around him.

"*urk*... if I eat one more bite of fish, I'll turn into one myself...!"

Ichiro moaned with his head resting on the restaurant's counter. Cosmo, as usual, had piled a gigantic pile of plates next to him.

*cling*

"Haaah! Nothing beats a good feast of fish, am I right?"

He exclaimed stacking his last plate.

*sluuurp!*

Izuku, on the other hand, having just finished slurping his seafood ramen, added his own two cents.

"Eeeeeeh... katsudon is still better."

Then he shot a grin towards Ichiro.

"Hey, Nakata-kun. We have cod liver oil in the back if you want. It might help you get all that stuff down."

Ichiro's guts twisted at the mention of cod.

"Ugh... I hate yooouuu..."

He grumbled, making the other two teens chuckle at his misfortune.

In that moment, Niko recovered from the moment of depression, removing his apron and addressing his son.

"Yo, Izuku. I have to go run a couple of errands for Nemuri. Hold the fort while I'm gone, okay?"

"You got it, dad."

Izuku said as he stood up from his seat, picking up the plates and cutlery he and the boys just used. Before Niko left, he stopped him.

"Hey, it's been a while since Nemu came here. Is she okay?"

"She's fine, don't worry. Being the time of the entrance exams, the staff at U.A. is overwhelmed with work, having to review the performances of all applicants, along with the written tests and whatnot."

"Yeah, that does sounds like a lot of work..."

"Well, I can always call her and ask her to spend the night with us."

At this, Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"Er... yeah... thanks, but no thanks. I'm too exhausted from the exam, and I would like to avoit not sleeping a wink because of the deafening creacking of your bed... If you know what I mean..."

He deadpanned, making the others burtst out laughing.

"See ya later, kid. Boys."

"Say hello to Nemu for me."

"See ya, Niko-san!"

"Thank a bunch for the meal!"

And with that, Niko left the restaurant, leaving the three alone.

"I still can't believe your dad and Midnight are a thing..."

Ichiro, who has recovered enough to raise his head from the counter, said. Izuku shrugged.

"You tell me..."

He chuckled as he started cleaning the place up for the day. While he was doing so, Ichiro carefully eyed the green-haired teen.

He paused for a moment, before clearing his throat and adressing him.

"Hey, Green."

Having just finished placing the dishes into the dishwasher, Izuku wiped his hands with a towel and turned towards Ichiro.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"I... uh..."

Losing his words for a second, Ichiro quickly regained his bearings. He placed both of his hands on the counter and quickly dipped his head down, his hair grazing the wooden surface.

"Thank you!"

The sudden exclamation caused Izuku and Cosmo to look at Ichiro with confusion. But this didn't stop the latter.

"I... I asked about it to my boss at Ajiro Fisheries and... it's all thanks to you that I landed that job. It has helped me immensely with my mom and sister, so …!"

*thud!*

"... Thank you!"

Hitting his head against the counter, Ichiro again gave him thanks.

Izuku, on the other hand, was still confused with what was happening, before his eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, that!"

He snapped his fingers to emphasize.

"Don't sweat it, Nakata-kun. I'm glad I managed to help you. The idea of introducing you to Ajiro Fisheries came to me so suddenly that... well..."

He chuckled.

"Let's just say that Yasuo-san and Rin-san did most of the work. Luckily everything went well!"

He flashed a smile so bright that the other two had to cover their eyes.

"T-Too bright...!"

Ichiro said as he squinted his eyes.

"Dude, you have no idea. If he was any sweeter, I would have ended up with type two diabetes long ago..."

"Yeah, well... Seeing how much you eat, it's not that far from happening."

Izuku retorted with a grin, but Cosmo returned fire with fire.

"Where was all that grit when you were hugging me with one of your feeble holds?"

"..."

"..."

"Hohoho...! Now you've done it!"

"Oh, have I?"

"Tomorrow at the dojo I'll squeeze the life out of you, you'll see!"

"Nah, I don't think you will."

Before Izuku was able to continue his battle of wit against Cosmo, his eyes of lit up like stars. He whipped his head towards Ichiro with frightening speed.

"Nakata-kun!"

The aforementioned blonde hummed in response.

"Yeah? Oh, and 'Ichiro' is fine, Green."

"Right! Ichiro-kun!"

*fwhip*

Out of seemingly nowhere, Izuku took one of his notebooks with a pen in his hand. At this sight, Cosmo could only shake his head.

"Ah shit, here we go again..."

.

.

.

.

"TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR QUIRK!"

Izuku exclaimed, an almost crazed look in his eyes as he leaned way too forward onto the counter, making Ichiro lean back on his chair in fright.

"W-Wha-!"

"Don't worry, dude. You'll get used to it."

Cosmo calmly said.

.

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.

.

That evening, the sound of furious scribbling and muttering could be heard throughout the neighborhood.

---

One Week Later

After a long and agonizing week, the day had finally come.

Everything Izuku has done since he met Niko was in function of this moment.

Because, right now, Izuku was in his room holding an envelope. The same one that will reveal to him whether or not he's been admitted to U.A. High.

Now, Izuku had no doubts that he had done more than enough to pass the entrance exam. He aced the written part, he was sure of that, and also as far as the practical part was concerned, he was sure he had done a great job.

But that didn't stop him from starting to doubt at what was supposed to be the moment of truth.

What if what he did wasn't enough?

What if he could have done more?

What if they don't accept him because he's Quirkless?

Granted, U.A. he has been stating for some time that it does not preclude the possibility of applying to Quirkless students, but still...

.

.

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.

.

What if-

*SLAP!*

In order to stop himself from having further negative thoughts, Izuku slapped himself. Hard.

"Guh... get it together, damn it!"

He mentally chastised himself.

"I didn't bust my ass for the last ten years just to second guess myself right now!"

So, with a brusque and decidedly exaggerated movement, Izuku tore open the envelope-

*cling*

-but instead of a letter, a small metal disk fell from it.

Frowining in confusion, Izuku put the envelope down before picking up the strange device. After fumbling with it for a bit, a blinding light came from the object, followed by a loud voice.

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"I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!"

"..."

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"For fuck's sake..."

Izuku groaned.

---

-Downstairs-

*thud!*

"Another one!"

Nemuri yelled as she slammed an empty coffee cup onto the counter. From behind it, Niko sighed and shook his head.

"Nemuri, honey, that's like the sixth or seventh cup in a row that you guzzled down. You'll burn a hole through your stomach if you keep this up..."

At her boyfriend's denial, the Pro Heroine could only pout.

"But-!"

"He'll be fine. I know it. You know it. Everyone else know it. Just relax, okay?"

Hearing Niko's soothing words, Nemuri sighed in relief, but it did not completely erase her uneasiness.

"Look at the bright side, Kayama-san. If he doesn't get in, he could give a shot to vigilantism."

Akoya said, a bit too nonchalantly, from one of the table seats. A small stack of papers in front of him as he worked on some reports. This earned him a mean glare from the woman.

"No! Don't you dare! You only want another madman for your vigilante schemes!"

She narrowed her eyes at him, but Akoya kept doing his work.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, woman..."

---

Meanwhile

-New York City-

"Cut the fuckin' blue cable!"

"What do you mean 'cut the blue cable'?! All of the cables are blue in this mess!"

On top of a New York skyscraper, a quintet of people could be seen tinkering with what appeared to be a nuke.

"Stop being a twat and disarm that thing, Hughie!"

A man with very british voice yelled at the top of his lung as he shot down an helicopter with a rocket launcher.

"I really hope this stuff blows up and kills us all once and for all, Butcher..."

A young man grumbled in defeat.

---

"Nope. No idea."

Akoya clearly feigned ignorance, before addressing the couple.

"Seriously, that rat wouldn't be as smart as he boasts to be if they were to turn down Izuku. In that case, Shunka has prepared her army of lawyers from Wakasa Life Insurance."

"Guys, please, you're overreacting a bit..."

Niko sweatdropped at the two's antics.

"Look, he's gonna pass, alright? Both Ichiro and Cosmo did, so I don't see why Izuku shoul-"

"I passed."

"See? I told you that he wou-KID?!"

To everyone's shock, Izuku was standing right in front of the door, having just entered the room.

"When did you... nevermind!"

Nemuri jumped from her seat and rushed towards the boy, placing her hands on his shoulder with a wide grin. But it quickly turned into a worried frown when she saw Izuku's somewhat upset expression.

"Izu-chan? What's wrong, sweetie?"

Niko and Akoya both looked at the teen, concern visible in their eyes. Izuku sighed.

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"All Might gave me the good news..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

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Oh.

So that's what it was all about.

"Apparently, he will start working as a teacher at U.A. High starting next year."

"What?"

Nemuri asked incredulously. No one had warned her of this change, and she highly doubted that her colleagues were also aware of it.

Unless...

.

.

.

.

.

"Shit."

She cursed under her breath. Now she really regretted not attending the meeting for the entrance exam.

"Yeah... he passed... I... no, I don't know... just-slow down Shunka, I can't... yes... yes... aha... no... All Might as a teacher, can you believe it?... yes ...no ... well, maybe next time think twice before... *siiigh* ...yeah ...okay ...I love you too."

Akoya, in the meantime, had just called his wife to give her the good news about Izuku's admission. Niko, instead, circled around the counter and approached his son, placing a hand on his fluffy head.

"Come on, cheer up, kid! This is it! You made it! The first Quirkless student to ever apply to U.A. and be accepted!"

He slightly ruffled his hair. The gesture was enough to dispel the discontent that the boy was feeling in seeing his former idol again.

"You're right... I did it... I really did it, dad!"

Niko grinned and Nemuri cooed at the scene. Akoya gave him a heartfelt thumbs up.

Then, Niko switched his grin to a kind smile.

"Hey. Get ready, we'll be out in about ten minutes."

Izuku tilted his head in confusion.

"Huh? To go where?"

Poking his forehead, Niko replied.

"It's a secret."

---

An Hour Later

"..."

"..."

Father and son were standing in front of the entrance to a place that in all probability neither of them would have expected to see.

Especially Izuku.

Gulping down, he read the characters that were imprinted on a stone slab right next to the entrance.

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MUSUTAFU CEMETERY

Something weird welled up inside Izuku.

"I… I don't think I should be here..."

Izuku nervously said, but then he felt Niko's hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok, kid. I'm here with you."

The man reassured him.

"I... *siiigh* okay..."

Still feeling like a bundle of nerves, Izuku entered the cemetery.

.

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.

He wasn't stupid.

He knew why Niko brought him here of all places.

However, it has been a full nine years since he last visited his parents' grave. He sometimes he had tried to go alone, but there was always something that prevented him from doing it. An uneasy feeling like the one he was feeling right now.

"What do I even say, I... it's been nine years..."

He asked Niko.

"Just take it easy, Izuku. Say what you feel."

Izuku nodded as they got closer the tombstone they were looking for.

A single one for both Hisashi and Inko Midoriya.

Kneeling in front of it, the boy took a deep breath.

.

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.

Then he spoke.

"Dad... Mom..."

He started.

"It's been a while, huh? I... I would've come to visit you sooner, but... *sigh* I couldn't do it. I didn't feel like it... it still hurt too much..."

Squeezing his hands, he continued.

"Some... stuff, happened after you two were gone. Life at the orphanage was... not good..."

His jaw clenched at the memory of that shithole some people had the nerve to call a home for orphaned children. He couldn't help the giddy feeling when he discovered that thanks to Niko and his connections within the Kengan Association, that place was obliterated and rebuilt anew, but this time as an orphanage exclusively for Quirkless children.

That did put a smile on his face.

"So I ran away. Not the smartest decision I took, I know..."

He chuckled a bit embarassed.

"Thing from there only got worse, but... then I met Niko."

He smiled.

"He saved me. He took me in. He gave me a home. He taught me how to cook, how to fight, and... he believed in me."

Izuku took another deep breath, but then he felt something wet fall down from his eye and he realized that he was crying.

"He believed in me, just like you two did. So, I'll say it again, just like during the funeral."

He stood from his knees and wiped his eyes.

"Thanks for bringing me into this world, mom. Thanks for everything you've done and taught me, dad. I'll become the best Hero I can be and make you proud, so watch over me from up there."

Niko came from behind him and wrapped Izuku in a hug. He glanced at the Midoriyas' gravestone.

"You can rest easy now. Your son is safe. You are free."

He bowed his head solemnly.

After taking some time to calm down, the couple left the cemetery to head back home.

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It was fine.

Everything was going to be fine.

▶️ Azusa Tadokoro – Resolve

---

A/N:

There! Here you go! Told ya it wouldn't take long for this chapter to come out right after the omake!

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Uh... I've already said everything I had to say in the second omake, so... I guess I'll just skip towards the chapter's analysis, yes?

Izuku:

Our beefy cinnamon roll returns, now stronger and more vicious, as seen with his encounter against the Sludge Villain. His mastery over the Niko Style has improved, but it's still far from being completed. I left some bits and pieces of what happened in Gakigahara Forest, but some of you probably suspects something, am I right? *wink* *wink*

Karla:

The best girl from the Kenganverse finally appears! I hope you'll like this versione I made of her character, a bit OOC, but still keeping her teasing and somewhat wild and childlike persona. Something dark lurks in her past in this story, but what could it be...? *wink*

Cosmo X Tsuyu:

I'm pretty sure I'm violating some unwritten law of the universe by pairing a snake-like guy with a frog-like girl... oh, well... *shrugs*

Baki:

*inhales* FINALLY! I've been itching to introduce Baki and its characters ever since I wrote the first chapter! Just like Karla, I'll dive into his character in the next chapters and story arcs. I also decided to give him a simple Quirk, so it could combine perfectly with the original's skills and abilities.

Izuku, Cosmo, Ichiro & Baki:

I present you, The Four Stooges of An Asura Is Born! *fake, loud clapping noises in the background*

And with this, I'm officialy done with this chapter... Wow... I've been doing nothing for the past two monts but writing and revising the previous chapter. I'll probably do the same with Embers before I publish the next chapter.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the read! Have a nice weekend, everyone, and stay healthy!

I restocked my cookie stash. Here, have two this time. 🍪 🍪

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*proceeds to collapse onto the ground and sleep for the next nineteen hours*