The rest of the trials went by pretty quickly after mine. Tsu and Tokoyami won their battle against Sero and Kirishima, and Mina and Yuga won against Sato and Koda. I almost forgot Koda was in the class because the guy hardly talks. I made sure to congratulate Mina and Yuga after their match.

"Hey, Mina, Yuga! Good plays out there!"

"But of course! When you shine like me, securing victory is aucun problème!" Yuga gloated.

"Oh, thanks, Ryoshi! We definitely could've used better teamwork… sorry about your cape Yuga."

Yuga's eyebrow twitched in reserved aggravation at the reminder of the holes in his cape from Mina's acid.

"Ce n'est pas grave. It just means it will be even shinier when I get it repaired!"

I laughed at Yuga's eccentricities, and then turned to Mina again as he walked away.

"By the way, your outfit looks really good too! Sorry I didn't get to tell you before, was kinda hyped for Izuku's and then my fight."

She blushed just a bit from the compliment and then smiled at me.

"Oh, thanks! I really put a lot of effort into it, I can tell you did on yours, too! You look like some kind of space ninja!"

We both chuckled a bit at the comparison before I replied.

"Thanks! Space ninja isn't exactly what I was going for, but I can definitely see it." I paused to think a moment before continuing. "So, um… Izuku and I were thinking about going out with some friends sometime soon. Would you want to come with? Ochako is gonna be there, hopefully. I know you two have been getting along. Plus, I uh... wouldn't mind getting to know you better…?"

I was never good at talking to girls. I could give fairly decent relationship advice, but I seemed to completely fail at giving it to myself. I was never a smooth talker or suave in any regard either. Usually I was just really nice and honest with a girl and the topic of attraction would be brought up at some point, typically by her. I thought Mina was cute, and I was really drawn to her bubbly personality. It starkly contrasted my underlying serious disposition, so having someone close to me that could stay positive was something I looked for. I wouldn't try to bring my partner down with my negativity intentionally, of course, but it's nice to find someone who can put up with my worst qualities.

Mina blushed much more noticeably at that question, but smiled nonetheless while shifting her feet and responding.

"O-oh… sure, Ryoshi… that um… that sounds like fun!"

"Awesome!" I cheered. "Can I get your number so I can add you to the group chat?"

"Yeah, of course! Haha, it's cool you guys have a group chat. We should make one for the whole class so we can plan times to hang out and stuff!"

I hadn't thought of that, but it was a good idea. Moreover, it would make getting in touch with everyone considerably easier.

"Hey, that's a good idea! Oh, we should head to the group, I think All Might's rounding us up to end class. You can give it to me on the way over."

And with that I had secured a get together. It wasn't going to change the course of history or anything, but they were my friends and I wanted to spend time with them. I knew the things we were going to face, especially with the USJ just around the corner, and I knew we would need time off to get our minds off of the stress. Well, at the very least it would calm their minds. I still had my burden to bear, knowing everything that was to come, but being able to just relax and spend time with my brother and my new friends would hopefully ease my mind.

We reached the rest of the group and All Might addressed the class.

"That's a wrap! Super work! You really stepped up to the plate, and we didn't have any major injuries, except for Izuku."

I looked to see Bakugo moping in the back. He had injuries and had to go to Recovery Girl as well, but they weren't nearly as bad as Izuku's. That bastard was the one who burned my brother and he's acting like he's the victim. I clenched my fist and did my best not to scowl.

All Might continued. "You should be proud! Excellent first day of training all around!"

Tsu was the first to speak up.

"It's nice to hear some encouraging words after our home room class… Mr. Aizawa was kind of a buzzkill…"

Everyone nodded in agreement with Tsu's proclamation.

All Might struck a pose with his hands held high.

"I'm happy to bring such staggering positivity to my alma mater!" He then looked at me specifically, dropping the pose and turning towards the exit.

"Ryoshi, why don't you meet me in the nurse's office? I'm sure you'll want to check on Izuku's progress."

I gave a quick nod in response before he continued once more.

"Well, that's all for now, folks! Now, watch how a pro exits! Like he's got SOMEWHERE TO BE!"

Upon his last words, he dashed away towards the school at inhuman speeds. I immediately took off after him, summoning my light greaves and gauntlets to accelerate me. I couldn't keep up with him but I still pushed myself to reach my max speed.

After a short while I made it to the nurse's office, and heard Recovery Girl chastising All Might inside.

"The second day of school and I've already seen this boy in critical condition more than once! Why didn't you stop him All Might?!"

I heard him cough in response and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" I heard Recovery Girl call out.

"Ryoshi Midoriya."

Just a few seconds after my response I was met with the thin figure of Toshinori Yagi opening the door for me.

"Come on in, young Ryoshi."

I entered and immediately ran over to my brother's side. His burns had gone down quite a lot, but there was still a bit of scarring on his left arm and shoulder, from where he had directly blocked Bakugo's explosion. I knew they would heal over time, but looking at them made my blood boil. I was so angry, but I kept calm. I knew when Izuku woke up I would want to be there to support him, and I couldn't do that if I was actively letting my anger consume me.

All Might finally responded.

"You're right, Recovery Girl. I'm sorry…"

Recovery Girl was still giving him a disapproving scowl as she retorted.

"Well it's no good apologizing to me! He's too exhausted from his classes for my quirk! I can't treat all his injuries at once! I did some first aid but after the IV is finished we'll have to wait for his body to heal overnight. Come on, All Might, I know you passed your powers on to this boy, but you can't spoil him!"

I sat quietly as All Might replied.

"I am trying not to play favorites… I wanted to consider his feelings, though. He needed to see that he was capable of winning the exercise… Oh, yeah, also, will you please not talk so loudly about One For All when anyone around you could hear!"

Recovery Girl responded sarcastically. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Mr. Natural Born Hero. Mr. Symbol of Peace."

All Might began expositing after a sigh. "Several people know about my injury and this weak form, like the UA faculty and a certain group of pro heroes for example… However, only a select few people know the secret of One For All. There's you, the principal, and a very close friend of mine. Young Izuku and Ryoshi, too, of course, but no one else knows the truth about my powers…"

"You're the number one hero in the world, All Might. Does it really matter if you were born with your quirk or not? Do you really have to be the Symbol of Peace? Is it that important?""

All Might's face grew stern. "If they knew I wasn't, the temptation of this power could corrupt our society. This quirk… those who wield it are responsible for mankind's safety…"

Recovery Girl sighed and relaxed her demeanor.

"Well if that's the case, it's even more important for you to be a good guide."

I spoke up finally.

"He is… All Might has taken this seriously ever since he understood the ramifications of his position. Him letting this happen isn't failing as a mentor… Villains and criminals won't hold back on any of us. They won't care how old we are. They won't care what reason we're fighting for. They'll kill us for getting in their way. We need to spend every opportunity we can now learning to face peril while it's not an actual threat so that we can be prepared for it when it is, and All Might understands that."

I looked to my mentor and saw him smiling at me, happy that I defended him. After that, I had to return to classes. The rest of the day went by pretty quickly, but I was lost in my own head for most of it. The USJ incident was the next day, and there was only so much I could do to prepare. If I tried to tell Nedzu or any of the teachers to beef up security then that would have probably just made me look really suspicious, and while I'm sure I could've proven my innocence, I preferred avoiding the conflict altogether. I also was never going to tell anyone about the fact that I had my meta knowledge. It would make me a massive target and then others would rely on me too much, when I couldn't even promise the outcome of future events. Essentially, I had to use my knowledge of the future with my hands tied behind my back, at least when I was around others.

At the end of the school day, I was waiting in homeroom with some of my new friends, eyeing the door in anticipation. I would hope Izuku was in better shape than in the show, as he didn't destroy himself with 100% of his power. I continued idle chit-chat with my classmates until finally the door opened. I turned instantly and ran over to my brother. His injuries weren't too apparent other than some bandages that I assumed covered the scarring on his left side. Also, rather than an entire cast on his right arm, there was only a wrist brace. I smiled joyfully and ran up to embrace him tightly. Given my medical training in my previous life, you could assume I would've known better than essentially tackle someone who just went through severe injury. Unfortunately I wasn't in my medical headspace, and Izuku let me know of my mistake with a groan of pain.

"Shit! I'm sorry Izuku!" I apologized.

He just responded by laughing and pulling me back into a hug. I smiled, gleeful that he was feeling better.

"Jeez, Ryoshi, I know you call him invincible, but you don't have to try and break the guy right after he just got back up!" Kirishima teased me.

That warranted a laugh from the others and myself as well. Izuku and I finished our embrace and walked back to the group. It was Mina, Sero, Sato, Kirishima, Tsu, and I. Yuga was with us too, but he was much more interested in himself, looking himself over with a handheld mirror.

"Hey guys, how did everyone's match go?" Izuku started.

Kirishima was the first to reply. "Don't get me wrong, they were cool and all — Todoroki froze the entire building, Ryoshi took down the hero team single-handedly — but damn was yours the most exciting!"

Sero added to the conversation. "I can't believe you took down Bakugo, he's super strong!"

"We thought you were a goner when we saw that huge explosion but you should've heard the cheering for you after you leaped out of the blast!" Mina chimed in.

Sato spoke his mind with a bit of sarcasm. "Man, I'd pay money to keep that replay of Bakugo's face as he's getting smashed through the building!"

A collective laugh was had at Sato's addition.

"Wow, guys, thanks so much! I uh-" Izuku paused halfway through his sentence.

I saw him gaze thoughtfully at Bakugo's empty desk. At this point in the show, Izuku runs off to try and resolve things with Katsuki. I wouldn't stop him if he did, but I truly prayed he wouldn't. On an objective level, having Bakugo know the secret of One For All could pose problems in the future I couldn't foresee, even if there were originally none in the anime. However, on a personal level, I didn't want Izuku to resolve things with Bakugo because I didn't think he deserved it. Katsuki was a terrible person who discriminated against people based on their quirks and had no respect for anyone. I knew he was still young, and he had the opportunity to change, but I wasn't holding out hope for drastic character development from him. In my eyes, the only reason he didn't treat Izuku horribly later in the show was because he received One For All. If Izuku was still quirkless, Bakugo would still treat him like less than dirt.

I didn't have to think about it much more before Izuku snapped back into the conversation.

"Sorry, I guess I got a little distracted. Must've hit my head on the way down, haha. But, no, I'm really thankful for you guys cheering me on!"

Kirishima replied first once again. "Of course! You were awesome so you totally deserve it! After we watched your match we got all fired up so everyone went all out!"

Tsu spoke up. "They were all pretty tough match-ups, besides Ryoshi's and Todoroki's."

Izuku looked at me with shock, registering what Kirishima had said earlier.

"Wait, you took down the other team on your own!?" My brother questioned.

I smiled and shrugged while responding.

"Hey man, it's like I said: I wasn't using my powers to do sit ups this time around."

That time I got a laugh from the group. I reveled in it before continuing.

"Oh hey, Mina! We should bring up the idea you came up with earlier!"

Everyone looked quizzically at Mina. She actually looked a little lost herself before the lightbulb turned on in her head.

"Oh, yeah! I was saying we should all be in a group chat for class 1-A! That way we could plan parties or hang outs!"

"Or share homework answers!" Kirishima and Sero said together.

"I think you mean to plan study sessions?" Ida was suddenly standing behind them like a hunter over his prey. "Because as I'm sure you're aware, sharing answers is cheating and is strictly against the academic code!"

Kirishima and Sero both yelped and jumped forward, exclaiming in unison.

"Where did you even come from?!"

Ida pushed his glasses up thoughtfully before continuing.

"Regardless, I do agree that having an efficient method of communicating with our fellow classmates would be beneficial to all. Great idea, Mina! Allow me to take this sheet of paper around and have everyone collect their phone numbers on it! I will then set up the group chat, where everyone will respond with their name first, to make it easy to add contacts."

Ida was so serious, but in a very endearing way. We all did as he said and added our numbers to the paper. He went around the room after taking them from the immediate group. Upon finishing he looked up from the list.

"Hmm. I know Bakugo left already but where is Uraraka?"

Ochako suddenly entered the room. "Hey, guys, sorry I took a while!"

"Speak of the devil." I said aloud.

Ochako continued, walking to the group. "I was coming back from the bathroom and could've sworn I saw a face in the wall- Hey, Izuku! Oh my gosh are you okay!"

Izuku blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Oh, um, yeah, I'm fine, just sprained my wrist a little no biggie haha!"

I mentally facepalmed at his ineptitude to talk to this girl, but just smiled in amusement.

Ida then addressed her. "Ah, well, now that you're back, we have collected our numbers on this paper. Please add yours to it so that we may create a group chat for Class 1-A, an idea courtesy of Mina."

Mina just curtsied and smiled, which I thought was totally adorable. Ochako then did as Ida said, and we collectively figured it was time to wrap up. We left school as a group and then split up once we reached outside.

"I'll see y'all tomorrow!" I said to the rest of the class as Ida, Ochako, Izuku, and I left for the station.

"I'll have the group chat made as soon as I can tonight! Please be safe, everyone!" Ida called out.

We walked for a bit before I nudged Izuku. He looked puzzled at me, and I very obviously shifted my line of sight between him and Ochako, trying to get him to ask her to hang out. He immediately looked very nervous, a blush streaking across his face. I rolled my eyes and motioned my head forcefully at her, essentially trying to say "Just do it."

He gulped and looked over to Ida and her. The two seemed to be talking about something.

"U-um, hey, Uraraka, Ida… would you guys wanna.. Maybe, like… hang out some time? Y-you know, when we get a free day? Um- Ryoshi thought it would be a good idea!"

I mentally smacked him for trying to act like he wasn't involved. It's true, it was my idea. But I wanted him to be more comfortable making moves towards Uraraka, and just have more confidence in general.

"That sounds like a great idea! Would it just be the four of us?" Ochako questioned.

I instantly retracted my mental smack against Izuku as now I was the nervous one.

"I, uh… I invited Mina…" I admitted.

Izuku's face switched from anxious to sly very quickly as he looked at me and spoke.

"Just Mina?" He asked.

If looks could kill I still wouldn't have killed Izuku with my glare, but I certainly would've beat the hell out of him. The man was my brother and he was setting me up!

"Yeah, just Mina." I stated confidently. "I wanted to get to know her better, and figured that was a good way."

I smirked at Izuku, hoping to have bested him in our little battle of wits. He just kept smiling and shook his head, looking back to Ida and Ochako. I called that one a draw.

Ida spoke up, hoping to move the conversation along.

"Well, regardless, if it's to just be the five of us, we should add her to the group chat we already have. That way we can corroborate on a time and place!"

Ochako smiled while nodding. "Yeah, I can't wait already! We could go to the mall, or the arcade, or the park, or the mall!"

Ida raised an eyebrow. "Uraraka you said 'the mall' twice…"

Ochako smiled more. "I really like the mall!"

We chuckled at her declaration.

"Welp, we're nearly there. We'll catch you guys later! Stay safe on the way home!" I said after realizing how long we'd been walking.

"Yeah, bye guys!" Izuku added.

Izuku and I went home that night and stayed up talking for a while. We talked about a lot: our new friends, Izuku's injuries, how different All Might was in hero attire, and the new group chat. Something I needed to talk to him about I waited until later, however.

"Hey, Izuku?"

"Yeah?"

"...I saw you look at Katsuki's desk. I know what I told you before the fight was pretty heavy, and I saw how you were carrying it with you during the trial. I… I just wanted to know if you were okay? I wanted to know if I was pushing too much on you and I wanna know what's going on inside your head."

He paused for a long while before speaking.

"I… I think I'm okay. I'm feeling a lot of things right now and it's hard to process it all. I'm angry at him, for how he's treated me for so long. But I also know who he used to be all those years ago. He has the ability to be such an incredible person. He never gives up, no matter what, and he always finds ways to achieve what he wants. Part of me feels like.. Almost feels like I'm a lesser person because it feels like I'm giving up on him. It's so hard to get through to him, though!" Izuku was crying at this point. "I- I never did anything to make him hate me! I just wanted to be his friend… I wanted to be like him. I just… I wish things were different sometimes. Maybe if I had been born with a quirk I wouldn't have to feel like this, and Kacchan would be my friend."

He paused again for a while, drying his tears.

"But then I kind of have an understanding you helped me gain. It's not up to me to change him. I wish he was nicer, and I wish he wouldn't look down on people so harshly, but I can't fix him like an object. If he wants to be a better person then he has to make the change. I'm working to become the best hero I can be every day, and it's hard. Just like you said, I have to work harder than everyone else at UA… but I'm still always making the effort. If I can do that to be a hero… then I know he can do it to become someone I want to be friends with. I believe in him, and I know he can. He just has to try. But I can't keep getting hurt holding out hope for him every day anymore. I have real friends that like me and want to spend time with me, and I'm not going to ruin my chances at being happy because he wants to hate me. So… I guess I'm okay, to answer your question. And just like right now, I've got you if I need to talk about things."

He smiled at me while ending his thought. I felt relieved to know he was okay, at least a little bit. He was my brother, and I was always going to be there for him. After that, I imagined he went to sleep with a weight lifted off of his chest. I only wish I could've felt relaxed as he was, but my mind raced, and I had to battle against my anxiety to finally sleep. Even then, I had only one thought perpetuating inside my head.

The attack on the USJ was tomorrow.

- Author's Notes: -

- Hey everyone! Hope you all had a good two weeks!

- For my viewers on this site, I am so sorry! I forgot to include the ending notes and review responses in Chapter 6's end. My bad. I'll include the review responses and notes last time here. Sorry again!

Chapter 6 Notes

- I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I tried something new by going into the perspective of Izuku. I debated against doing so, but attempting to describe the scene in any other way didn't feel right to me. Let me know what you thought in the comments/reviews.

- I wanted to state that I got several suggestions saying to give Ryoshi wings made of light and to go with an angelic/seraphim hero name, and after some deliberation I've decided to go with it! I like it and I think it will fit well.

- I've also formally changed the planned pairing from Ryoshi and Momo to Ryoshi and Mina. Someone close to me suggested that it would fit better with my personality, which is what I loosely base Ryoshi's on. I know some of you specifically asked for that, so I hope you enjoy! For any of those who may have been reading specifically for a pairing with Momo, I am sorry and hope you continue reading despite this!

Chapter 7 Notes

- Regarding my job and update availability: I got a new job, and I am likely going to be updating bi-weekly instead of weekly. Apologies, but it's how the world works.

- So this chapter will be a bit shorter, largely because I am expecting the USJ to be a longer chapter. That may not be how it works out but we'll see.

- I wanted to state something due to a couple of questions I've gotten regarding narrative or technical aspects of the story. MHA isn't grounded in realism, and neither is my story. Ryoshi's quirk doesn't function entirely within the realm of scientific fact because no one's does. Tokoyami literally summons a shadow demon; I at least try to put some scientific explanation into Ryoshi's abilities. As for those who state that it's unrealistic for Inko to adopt him so quickly, I agree with the fact that it isn't something that would normally happen. But then again, meeting your idol, who is the greatest hero in the world, and having him give you his ultimate power is also something that would most likely never happen. Adopting a homeless kid who tells you about his sad life isn't even that unbelievable, it's very likely happened in real life before. Anyway, I just wanted to clear that up.

- I think that's really all I've got for this one. Be sure to leave a comment/review below if you want! If you have any questions as always you can reach me in the comments/reviews or at lukewindsortheauthor .

- I can't thank each and every one of you enough again for all the support you show. Seeing it really helps me get through tough times, and this story has really become my pride and joy lately. I hope everyone has a wonderful few weeks, see ya next time!

Review Responses

Chapter 6 Responses

- d1n0s - This interaction would be hilarious, they should've put it in the real show. XD

- D4NG3RxZ0N3 - This made me cackle at 4 AM lmao, I figured Izuku gets beat the hell out of enough to where he qualifies for the name.

- Chronosign - Not really sure what you mean by that? If it's something in regards to Ch. 2 it's likely already passed. But thanks for the review! Hope you stick around.

- Kuro no okami 23 - Hey! Thanks so much for the kind words! I will admit I haven't seen Irregular at Magic High School, but I love I Am Number 4! I hadn't thought about that movie in a while! Hope to hear more from you as we continue the story!

Chapter 7 Responses

- D4NG3RxZ0N3 - I agree that Ryoshi is pushing Izuku, but it's certainly not in a bad way. "Shoving your ideals down [someone's] throat" implies a negative connotation, but Ryoshi is helping Izuku have more self-confidence and face someone who has antagonized him his whole life. As far as the name choice being "cringy," that's entirely subjective. I've had others tell me the name choice is fine or interesting. I'm sorry if you don't like it, however. I can't please everyone. I definitely appreciate the support and constructive criticism though!

- lilbigstoryteller - The scoreboard is exactly from the anime, aside from Ryoshi's inclusion. I don't know why you would say some of class 1-B wouldn't be above class 1-A? There's plenty of them, like Ibara or Tetsutetsu, that easily outclass some of 1-A. I don't believe the power scale I've created is inaccurate. The stratosphere is only 4 miles (6 km) above Earth's surface. Izuku could easily throw a ball that high with a minor percentage of OFA. As to why 5% Full Cowling couldn't beat Stain? It's because the show isn't grounded in realism. It even lists Immense Stamina as one of Stain's abilities on the wiki as the reason why he could endure it. As to the manifesting darkness, I explained it in Chapter 2. He isn't getting rid of the light, as photons still exist in darkness. He is using his quirk to change the photons out of the spectrum of visible light to create darkness.