Izuku lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

He knew that he should be asleep, but the nerves and excitement were getting the better of him. He'd been given All Might's quirk. He was going to take part in the UA Hero Entrance Exam tomorrow. He was going to be able to save people.

The soft female laugh made him blink.

"You chose a good one, Toshi," the unfamiliar voice in his head said, making the teen shoot up in shock.

"What?" he gasped, looking around frantically.

"Wait…what?" several voices suddenly called in his head, making him shudder slightly.

"A mental quirk? Telepathy, maybe? Who are you?"

"You can hear us?" a gruff voice asked, "Well shit."

"We didn't think it'd happen this fast," a calm and quieter voice muttered, "Has One For All reached singularity already? But how?"

"Singularity?" Izuku said, getting out of bed and starting to search his room, "Who are you? Where are you? Why are you talking in my head?"

"It's okay," the female voice said soothingly, like a mother to a worried child, "We're not here to hurt you. If anything, we're here to help you."

"But who are you? And how are you in my head?" Izuku asked.

"We're the Vestiges of the previous holders of One For All," the calm voice replied, "There are eight of us in here, one for each previous holder, with you being the ninth."

"Basically," the gruff voice cut in, "Your quirk is haunted."

Toshinori Yagi sighed as his phone vibrated, expecting it to be another message from Nedzu reminding him, again, that he had more paperwork to fill out. His eyes went wide as he saw the random string of letters under the name "Young Midoriya".

Are you okay? He sent back, receiving another garbled series of letters, before two messages that sent a shiver down his spine.

HLEP

HELP

Toshinori immediately inflated, rushing out the door of his rented apartment as he dialled the boy's number. He pressed the phone to his ear as he leapt into the sky, sailing towards where he remembered Izuku saying he lived.

"Please be okay, please be okay!" the man muttered as the phone rang, before being picked up, "Young Mirodiya! Are you okay? I'm on my way to you right now!"

"There are voices in my head!" the panicked voice on the other side of the phone said rapidly, "They say they're part of the quirk and…what? Who? Why should I do that? I don't know who you are!"

"Calm down a moment, my boy," All Might said as he landed deftly in top of a building, looking around to try and figure out where he was, "Who is trying to talk to you?"

"Someone called Nana. Nana Shimura?" the Pro froze at the name, "She…she says she knows you? To call you Toshi and say that you're deathly afraid of someone called Gran Torino? All Might, what's going on?"

All Might almost fell out of the sky, barely managing to land safely on the roof of a skyscraper.

"Did…did you just say Nana Shimura?" he asked softly.

"Y-yeah? Do you really know her?" Izuku asked.

"Yes…yes, I do," All Might muttered, "She is…was…She was my Master. The one who handed One For All down to me."

The silence hung between them for a moment, before All Might continued speaking.

"If it really is her, then you can trust her. I'm not sure about the other voices, though," he said, "It's quite late, but can you meet me at Dagobah? We need to talk about this in person."

"O-of course, All Might!" Izuku replied, the sounds of movement coming down the line as he obviously was getting ready to go out.

Toshinori hung up as he deflated, walking down the stairs of the building and into the night.

"Listen kid, we're really not bad people," the gruff voice said in Izuku's mind as the teen walked quickly down the dark street, "We jus' want tah help you."

"Just stop, Daigoro," the female voice that had called itself Nana said, "You're just making him more anxious."

"I too would be anxious if I started hearing the voices of strangers in my head," a new voice hummed.

"You're always anxious, Hikage," Nana sighed, "It comes with your quirk."

"This is true," the now identified Hikage replied.

"C-could you all please stop talking?" Izuku muttered under his breath, not wanting anyone to hear him despite it being the middle of the night and the street being empty, "I feel crazy enough just talking to myself."

"Then why not speak in your mind?" the calm and quiet voice said, "We should be able to hear your thoughts if they are directed at us."

"O-okay," Izuku mumbled, Hello?

"It works," another new voice said, "Good."

"As En says, it is good that you can speak to us without having to vocalise," the calm voice hummed in his mind, Izuku shivering as he could swear he felt a hand touch his shoulder, making the teen spin around and look down the empty street in terror.

What happened? Did you do that? Izuku asked.

"Wait, you felt that?" the calm voice asked, "Interesting. That may be useful for us in the future, but first, I believe introductions are in order. Shall we go chronologically?"

"You already know about me," the female voice called, "Nana Shimura, quirk: Float. I trained Toshi and passed One For All down to him."

"En, sixth holder, quirk: Smoke Screen," the curt voice that had spoken before said, "That's all."

"Daigoro Banjo," the gruff voice said happily, "My quirk's called Black Whip. Nice tah meetcha, kid!"

"Hikage Shinomori, my quirk is called Danger Sense," the next voice said.

Silence hung in his mind for a while as Izuku absorbed the names and quirks, wondering why they'd stopped until the calm voice spoke again.

"Come now, you two, you should at least introduce yourselves."

"Not happening," a new voice grumbled, "Chief and I don't like the kid. Too idealistic. Even worse than that fool Toshinori."

"Come now," the calm voice sighed, "He's the newest Holder, you should show him some respect."

"He'll have to earn it," another new voice said flatly, "I don't like a kid having this power anymore than I did when Seventh gave it to the blonde idiot."

"Hey!" Nana said, "Toshi isn't that bad!"

Speaking of All Might, is he also in there? I haven't heard him yet, Izuku said in his mind, crossing the road to the beach.

"Kind of?" Nana hummed, "I mean, there's a Vestige here, but it's sort of…incomplete? Maybe because the embers of One For All haven't left Toshi entirely yet, maybe because he's still alive. We're not sure."

Still alive? Izuku asked, Wait, so if All Might d-dies, I might get him in my head as well?

"It's a distinct possibility," the calm voice said, "Oh, but I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Yoichi Shigaraki, first Holder of One For All."

And what was your quirk? Izuku asked, stepping down onto the sand and looking around for the familiar figure.

"It didn't have a name, but it was a combination of a quirk that could be willingly passed on and a stockpiling quirk," Yoichi said as Izuku spotted All Might, running up to the skinny man.

"Ah, Young Midoriya," Toshinori said quietly as the teen approached, "Are you okay? These voices aren't causing any problems, are they?"

"N-not currently," Izuku shook his head, "I mean, they all…most of them introduced themselves. I think they're nice?"

A strange feeling like he'd just been slapped on the back made him stumble slightly. It wasn't like the usual hits he took at school, feeling strangely friendly.

"Woops, sorry 'bout that, kid," the voice of Daigoro said, "Didn't mean tah knock you over."

"Are you okay?" Toshinori asked.

"Y-yeah, just…one of the Vestiges just slapped me on the back a bit hard," Izuku said.

"You can feel them?"

"Apparently?" Izuku nodded, "Uhm…All Might, did you not have this when you had One For All?"

"No, not at all," Toshinori shook his head, "Trust me, if I could have, I would. Even if just to apologise to my Master for being so weak an-."

He was cut off as Izuku flinched, grabbing his head.

"Ow," the teen muttered, before looking up at the concerned man, "Sorry, she's…Nana's shouting at you. It kind of hurts?"

"Shouting at me?" Toshinori asked, "What's she saying?"

"That you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened," Izuku replied, "Uhm…she made her choice and doesn't regret it. She had to save you so that you could save others. What is she talking about, All Might?"

"I…that does sound like her," the man chuckled weakly, "I'm sorry, Young Midoriya, I was just a bit taken aback to hear you talking about my old master."

"S-so, what now?" the teen asked.

"Now we help you control your new power," Yoichi said, "And prepare you to gain our quirks."

"Wait," Izuku gasped, "Gain your quirks? What do you mean?"

"You'll be able to access all of our quirks eventually," Nana explained, "We're not entirely sure how, but our wills and quirks got stored inside One For All after we passed it on."

"So, your quirks all got stockpiled inside One For All?" Izuku asked, getting the feeling that the Vestiges were nodding.

"What?" Toshinori said, "I apologise, Young Midoriya, but I'm only hearing half the conversation here."

"Oh, s-sorry All Might!" Izuku squeaked, "They…the Vestiges were saying that I was going to gain their quirks, and that they'll help train me and stuff."

"Huh," the blonde nodded, "That is certainly a good thing. Considering you can hear them, that probably means that you've fully absorbed One For All by now. Do you want to test out your new power?"

"N-now? Like right now?"

"No time like the present!" All Might laughed, inflating in an instant, "Just throw a punch out to sea!"

"S-so, what do I do?"

"Clench your butt cheeks and yell SMASH inside your heart!"

There was a moment of silence as Izuku stared at the man, before a mixture of laughter and groans filled his head.

"Uhm…I don't think that's a good idea, All Might," Izuku muttered, "The Vestiges don't seem to like it."

"T-they don't?" All Might gasped, looking like a rejected schoolgirl as Izuku shook his head, "W-well then, perhaps they are better suited to explaining how your power works than I am!"

"Smartest thing he's ever said," the low voice of the Second grumbled.

There was some muttering like a small argument was going on, before quiet fell on his mind again.

"Okay, Ninth," Yoichi said, "Here's what you need to do. Close your eyes and feel the energy within yourself. We'll help you find it."

"R-right," Izuku muttered as he closed his eyes, searching for something inside himself, gasping as he felt himself be pulled towards something.

"Good, now, your body won't be able to handle all of the power right now, so try to take as much as you can before your body starts to strain," the First continued, Izuku feeling like a comforting hand was placed on his shoulder as he reached for the power, "Good. Just like that. Now spread it across your entire body."

Izuku gasped as he felt the power surge through him, blinking his eyes open to see the green lightning crackling over him. He closed his eyes again, drawing out more power, until he felt his muscles and bones begin to ache. A gentle squeeze on his shoulder made him stop drawing power, letting a little of it go until his body stopped hurting.

"Very good," Yoichi hummed, "Now, throw a punch out to sea."

Izuku nodded, sliding his feet across the sand as he opened his eyes, glowing a vibrant electric green as he wound up the strike. There was a soft 'thwump' sound as he threw his arm forwards, blinking as the surface of the water spilt for a moment, before closing up again.

"Excellent, Young Midoriya!" All Might clapped, "I would say that that was about 5% of your power right there!"

"Actually, you'll probably be stronger than Toshi," Nana said, "One For All gets stronger with each generation, so that was closer to about 3% of your maximum potential."

"O-oh!" Izuku gasped, looking at All Might as the man blinked.

"Something wrong, Young Midoriya?" he asked.

"N-no, it's just…Uhm…Nana-san said that I would be stronger than you," Izuku fidgeted as he spoke, looking down at his shoes, "That that was only about 3% of my power."

"3%? Oh my gods!" the man cried out, a wide grin on his face, "This is excellent, my boy! You'll be able to become an even better Symbol of Peace than I was!"

"Jus' don't let the power go tah your head, kiddo," Daigoro chuckled, "We'll know, we're in here!"

"R-right!" Izuku nodded as he spoke.

"Watch you step!" Nana called as Izuku spotted the loose flag stone at the last moment, managing to catch himself but still stumbling forwards slightly.

T-thank you, Shimura-san, he thought, eliciting a laugh form the woman.

"I told you, Izuku, just call me Nana. I mean, if you're worried about familiarity, I'm in your head already, can't get more familiar than that!"

Right, of course Shim-Nana-san, the teen replied, straightening out his school uniform.

"Deku," the word made Izuku flinch, spoken with such venom that he felt like he was about to die right then and there. Turning slowly, Izuku looked back at the blonde standing behind him.

"H-hi, Kacchan!" he squeaked.

"Get the fuck out of my way, you worthless Deku," Katsuki snarled, stomping forwards and shoulder barging the teen.

Izuku stumbled back, about to fall over when he felt his gravity suddenly vanish.

"Wow, he was rude," the brunette said as she pulled him up by his hand, gently placing him on the ground before she pressed her fingertips together, "Sorry, I used my quirk on you, but it would be bad luck to fall on the day of the test, right?"

"Y-yeah!" Izuku squeaked, nodding frantically as his gravity returned.

"Thank her, Ninth," Yoichi said in the back of his mind, "And introduce yourself."

"Thank you!" Izuku said on autopilot, "I'm Izuku Midoriya!"

"Oh! Ochako Uraraka! We should probably get going, don't want to be late!" the girl chuckled, hurrying off as Izuku stared after her.

"I talked to a girl!" he gasped loudly, blushing when he heard the laughs around him, curling in on himself as he hurried towards the testing building.

"Only sorta, kid," Daigoro chuckled, "But at least you got a name."

Y-yeah! Izuku replied enthusiastically, I hope she gets through, she has a really interesting quirk. I want to talk to her about it!

"Still a nerd, through and through," Nana chuckled as he rushed into the exam venue.

Is it really okay? Izuku asked, I mean, I normally don't do well on tests and things and-

"Kid, shut up," Daigoro grunted, "I might not know much, but even I can see that you're a hell of a lot smarter than me. Right, guys?"

"I agree. You are definitely smarter than Daigoro," Hikage said as Izuku looked down at the paper in front of him, already finished with over an hour still left on the clock.

"You're a scarily smart kid, Izuku," Nana added, "And trust me, everything you put down was as right as it could be."

O-oh, t-thank you, Izuku replied as he fought back the tears that pricked his eyes, quickly wiping his face, That's the first time someone other than my mom called me smart.

The silence hung in his head for a moment, before a wave of anger washed over him.

"Who hurt yah like that, kid?!" Daigoro growled, "We'll kick their asses!"

"Yeah!" Nana shouted.

"Everyone, calm down, now," Yoichi's voice cut through the clamour, "You're overwhelming Ninth with your emotions!"

"Oh, damn. Sorry kid," Daigoro said.

"Yeah, sorry Izuku," Nana added, the other two that were talking to him apologising as well.

W-well, thank you all the same. What should I do now? Should I check my answers again?

"You've already checked them four times," Hikage hummed, "Even I would say that that's overdoing it."

"See if you can get out early," En hummed, "There might be a place we can go and practice using One For All for a bit."

Right, Izuku nodded, putting up his hand, Izuku almost fanboying as Snipe, THE SNIPE! Approached him. Speaking quietly to the Pro, the gas masked man just nodded, moving back to the front to collect an envelope to put his paper in. A few minutes later, Izuku was outside the exam hall, having weathered several glares and stares as he left.

"There's a courtyard jus' over there yeh can wait in, pard'ner," Snipe said as he pointed Izuku in the direction, "Jus' make sure yeh don't miss the practical orientation."

"Y-yessir!" Izuku squeaked as the Pro went back into the exam hall.

"A relative of yours, Daigoro?" Nana chuckled.

"What? Nah! He speaks like one of them American cowboys!" the gruff voice huffed.

"And you just speak like a delinquent," En muttered.

"Oi!"

"That's enough you three, we need to help Ninth prepare for the practical," Yoichi cut in, "First, we need to help calm his emotions. Izuku, go find a nice place to sit and I'll walk you through some meditation."

Okay, the teen nodded as he hurried into the courtyard.

"Kid, you're muttering again," Daigoro said as Izuku stared down at the stage, Present Mic explaining the practical exam to them.

Right, sorry, Izuku thought as he clamped his mouth shut. He could almost forget that Bakugo was sitting right next to him, letting off an angrier feeling than usual.

A blue-haired boy stood up, asking about the fourth robot, Present Mic explaining about it as Izuku held his hand over his mouth to stop from muttering.

"We'll work on that habit later," Yoichi said, "For now, you need to prepare yourself. Do you have anything you can use to protect your hands?"

My hands? Izuku asked, No, why?

"All you got is the super strength right now, kid, so you're going to be punching and kicking things," Daigoro replied, "You don't want to get your knuckles all scraped up from beating up robots. Jus' ask someone in the changing rooms if they got any sports tape, say yeh forgot yours."

I-isn't that lying? Izuku asked as Present Mic finished up, the students all standing to leave.

"Not really," En cut in, "You just forgot to have any at all."

Right, Izuku nodded as the crowd siphoned into the designated changing areas, the teen looking around for anyone who looked like they were using sports tape.

He spotted a boy wrapping his arms in tape, a couple of extra rolls in his bag, Izuku walking quickly over to him.

"Uhm…s-sorry," he mumbled as he approached, the boy looking at him strangely, "I uhm…I forgot my sports tape at home. C-could I have some of yours?"

"Huh?" the other boy said, looking down at the spare rolls, before shrugging, "Sure, whatever."

"T-thank you!" Izuku gasped as the other teen tossed him a roll of red tape, "Goodluck!"

"You too buddy," the other kid nodded as Izuku hurried away, rolling up his sleeves.

"Okay, now, follow our instructions for wrapping your hands," Yoichi said, "This will help you reduce strain on your muscles as well."

Okay, Izuku replied as he did what they said, clenching and unclenching his hands afterwards to test the tightness.

"Good job, Izuku," Nana hummed, "Now, let's get out there and show the world what you're made of!"

"GO GO GO!" the shout in his head made Izuku jump, charging towards the open gate as the rest of the examinees stared up at Present Mic in confusion.

"Don't forget One For All!" Nana called as Izuku blinked, taking a deep breath as he let the power pulse through him, green lightning starting to spark off his body as he went.

"Two o'clock," En said, "Two-pointer and two one-pointers."

"Don't forget yah got legs to, kid!" Daigoro shouted excitedly as Izuku punched through the two one-pointers, the teen swinging a leg up and stamping down on the scorpion like two-pointer, crushing it.

"Your entire body is a weapon," Hikage added, "You should remember to use it as such."

Right, Izuku nodded, jumping forwards in a streak of green and slamming into another robot. He quickly went about smashing his way through a number of the faux Villains, racking up a decent number of points.

"You're doing great, Izuku!" Nana said, "You're not even scared!"

Actually, I'm terrified! Izuku chuckled in his mind, Wait, that person needs help!

"Don't bother," the harsh voice of the Third growled, "The point of this exercise is to get points by defeating robots. Just focus on that."

No! Izuku barked back, getting a sense that he'd startled the man as he rushed towards the overwhelmed girl, crashing feet first through a three-pointer as he dropkicked it, I'm doing this to be a Hero! And Heroes save people!

"Couldn't a' said it better myself, kid!" Daigoro laughed as Nana cheered, the feeling of them encouraging him making Izuku feel more confident.

He shot forwards, scooping the girl up in his arms as he darted out of the way of a second three-pointer's fist, the girl struggling in his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Get off!" the girl shouted, "I had it under control!"

"You were about to be crushed!" Izuku replied, both looking back at the point she'd been, the three-pointer pulling its fist out of the large hole it had punched in the tarmac.

The girl paled as she saw that, getting quickly to her feet and muttering a thanks before running off.

"Don't get distracted," En said, "There are more enemies around you."

R-right! Izuku replied, jumping into the air to get a better view.

The girl cried out as the Zero-pointer loomed over the city, Izuku's mind going blank as he blocked out the shouts of the Vestiges. Power coursed through him, throwing him into the air before he could react, his legs flapping uselessly behind him. He drew back his arm, balling his hand into a fist and swinging forwards. Adrenaline pumped through his body. The robot collapsed under his attack.

Izuku looked down, eyes desperately scanning the ground for the girl as the steel behemoth collapsed backwards, spotting her lifting the rubble off her leg, her own eyes locked on him. She staggered over to a collapsed robot, clambering on top before touching it, the faux Villain floating into the air with her on top. She stretched her arm out as Izuku fell, reaching for him. He extended his left arm. Their fingers touched, hands sliding together as his gravity vanished and the girl heaved.

She quickly pulled her hand away, touching her fingers together and muttering something, both him and the robot floating gently down to the ground.

"T-thank you," he managed to mutter, before the girl's cheeks inflated and she began vomiting over the side of the robot, making him flinch.

"If you're injured, go to the front!" an old voice called, Izuku blinking as Recovery Girl approached him, "Oh dear, what have you done to yourself, young man?"

"Had to…help," he gasped as the adrenaline started to fade, suddenly realising just how much his limbs hurt, "Ow."

"Ow?" Nana's voice finally seemed to reach him, sounding like an angry and worried mother, "Izuku, you shattered both your legs and one of your arms and all you can say is "OW"?"

"It's the shock and adrenaline," Yoichi hummed as Recovery Girl kissed Izuku on the cheek, his limbs glowing as they untwisted and healed, "Though that Heroine appears to be fixing the problem."

"Oh yeah, Chiyo will fix him right up," Nana agreed, "But that still doesn't excuse that fact that he almost DESTROYED HIMSELF!"

"He didn't use 100%, it seems he was still able to unconsciously limit his output to prevent permanently crippling his limbs," Yoichi hummed, "But you are right, we will need to work on that."

"I agree," En muttered.

"Seems we have a lot of training to do," Hikage sighed.

Izuku couldn't focus on the conversation happening in his head as he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, unconsciousness coming quickly and peacefully.

The next week was…interesting for Izuku. He'd woken up from a dreamless sleep in the UA Infirmary with a strange figure looming over him, the man's shoulder length white hair covering most of his face, only a single bright green eye visible. Izuku had initially freaked out, before Yoichi had reintroduced himself, Izuku realising that the figure was wavy and partially see through.

So, it turned out he could now see the Vestiges, though only one at a time, and it meant that he couldn't hear the others at the same time. Yoichi had quickly explained their plan for him, that they were going to train him in each of their areas of expertise in the coming weeks before the official start of his time at UA.

"B-but how do you know that I got in?" Izuku muttered to the wavering image.

"I don't, but you acted heroically in that test, even if you did harm yourself, so it would be foolish not to accept you," the man said, patting Izuku on the shoulder, "Now rest, you'll need your energy in the coming days."

And the First hadn't been joking. Izuku's mornings started just as early as they had when All Might was training him, though the syllabus was different. First came Nana, who taught him the basics of hand-to-hand fighting. This was quickly followed by Hikage teaching him evasive techniques. Both ended with him sprawled out on the sands of Dagobah Beach, phantom bruises stinging across his body.

Next was En, sharing his knowledge of stealth and subterfuge, Izuku finding it easy to learn as he was used to avoiding bullies at school. Daigoro taught him how to fight dirty, tactics for throwing his opponents off guard and where to aim to do the most damage without killing a person, as well as parkour and how to move through almost any environment. Izuku's evenings were filled with long discussions with Yoichi about quirks and tactics, the First being a wealth of knowledge on both, Izuku filling up notebook after notebook during their talks.

The Second and Third remained mostly silent, never showing themselves and seldom talking, and even then, usually only to criticise him in some way. However, Izuku didn't feel the same maliciousness he felt when his classmates insulted him from them, almost as if they were trying to help in some small way. They all also worked to help him build up his self-esteem and confidence, coaching him through various scenarios, especially after learning about how he was treated at school.

Nana and Daigoro had wanted Izuku to punch all of his teachers, and most of the students, through a wall at first, though Yoichi had quickly cut that idea off. The First suggested that it was best Izuku hide his new power for a while longer, but something in his voice made Izuku shiver. And before Izuku knew it, a week had passed, his mother running up to him, tears in her eyes as she handed him the letter from UA.

"Hello, Young Midoriya!" the hologram of All Might said from the small projector on the teen's desk, "It has been a while, hasn't it? Sorry, I was caught up in work and- huh? Hurry it up? But I have important things to say. Wait, I have to do how many of these? Oh, okay. Ahem, sorry about that! Anyway, you are looking at the newest member of UA Faculty! I will be helping teach the Heroes of the future next year!"

"All Might will be teaching at UA?!" Izuku gasped, shaking with excitement.

"Oh no, that'll be a disaster," Nana groaned.

"As for your results, Young Midoriya! You scored a respectable 37 Villain points in the exam, however, that is not enough for you to pass."

Izuku froze, staring at the smiling image in shock. Had he failed? Had he disappointed All Might? Was he really usel-?

"Oh, come on Toshi, don't keep Izuku hanging like that!" Nana's voice shouted in his head, the recording continuing a moment later.

"But Villain points weren't the only thing we were looking out for! There was a second criteria that was being judged! Rescue Points!" All Might said, stepping to the side to reveal a score board, "And you, Izuku Midoriya, for your continuous help of the other examinees, and the willingness to sacrifice your body to save another person, have scored an unprecedented 95 Rescue Points! Almost a perfect score! That puts your score at 132 points in total, placing you first, and even SMASHing through the previous record! Congratulations, Young Midoriya!"

Izuku began to cry as he watched the hologram, shaking as the voices of the Vestiges congratulated him.

"This is your Hero Academia!"

The fact that Izuku had passed didn't change much in the teen's life. He still woke up early to train, stayed up maybe a little too late talking with Yoichi, until either his mother or Nana scolded him to bed. He found that he could more easily dodge and counter Nana and Hikage's attacks, even managing to get in a few of his own.

He could move almost silently around the house now, his mother not knowing where he was unless he purposefully made his presence known. He even managed to "beat" Daigoro in a spar by throwing up a cloud of sand with a punch and tackling him, though the more experienced man could probably have gotten out of it. Then the last term of school started. Izuku shook in his sneakers as he entered Aldera Middle School once again, keeping his head down and praying that no one noticed him.

"Remember what I taught you," En said helpfully, "Clear your mind, walk confidently but calmly, and stay out of direct line of sight."

Izuku nodded, opening the door to his classroom, using a fraction of OFA's strength to lift it up slightly, making it slide open almost silently. He quickly made his way over to his desk, his mind empty, the rest of the class not even paying attention to him as he sat down. Blinking as he finally began to think again, Izuku looked up and finally realised that Katsuki was in class already, sitting quietly as he seemed to radiate rage. From what Izuku could tell, the blonde was also staring fixedly at the door.

I can't believe that worked! Izuku let out a quiet breath, Kacch-Bakugo didn't even notice me.

"Good," En hummed, "You've learnt well. Keep it up though, you don't want him noticing you until after class has started."

Izuku nodded, emptying his mind again as he seemed to fade into the background. Bakugo even glanced back at his desk a few times, eyes seeming to slide off the quiet teen before locking back onto the door. After a while, the teacher came in and started to take roll call.

"Midoriya," he sneered.

"Here," Izuku replied, making the man jump slightly as he finally seemed to see the teen, Bakugo twisting around in his chair to stare in shock.

"When the fuck did you get here, Deku?!" he shouted, glaring at the other teen as the rest of the class prepared for the blonde to rip into the other boy.

"Now," Izuku could feel Daigoro grinning in his mind as he spoke to him, "Just like we practised, kid."

"Fuck off, Bakugo," Izuku said, his body shaking as he spoke, the entire class going silent, "You aren't my keeper. Pay attention to yourself before you judge other peoble."

Izuku flinched as he bit his tongue on the last word, desperately schooling his expression to neutral as the blonde stared at him in shock, before the rage exploded, literally and figuratively, off of him.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME, YOU FUCKING DEKU?!"

Izuku remained silent as the blonde leapt across the room towards him, the teacher barely reacting as the rest of the class began to laugh. Izuku fought back a flinch as the explosive palm slammed down on his desk.

"UA doesn't tolerate discrimination, Bakugo," Izuku replied flatly, Yoichi talking him through the speech they had prepared, his mind a mess as he spoke a little too quickly, "All I need to do when we get in is show them the scars and they'll investigate. They'll find your "spotless" record, find that it was doctored, and you'll probably be expelled. It wouldn't surprise me if this entire school was shut down and the teachers lost their licenses as well."

"What?" the blonde snarled, getting right in Izuku's face, "Are you fucking threatening me, Deku?"

"Yes," Izuku almost squeaked, shutting his eyes as he waited for the inevitable explosion, "Leave me alone, Bakugo, and I'll consider not killing your Hero career before it's begun."

The blonde pulled his arm back, about to strike the teen when he felt a hand grip his wrist, looking back in surprise at the teacher. The man was sweating hard, glancing between the two teens as Izuku sat quietly, not even looking at them.

"T-that's enough, Bakugo," the man muttered, "J-just go sit down and leave Midoriya alone."

"You're fucking taking his side now?" the blonde spat, "What the fuck kind of coward are you? He's just a worthless De-!"

"Enough, Bakugo!" the teacher shouted, "Please go sit down, or I'll be forced to report this!"

"What?" Bakugo snarled, before pulling his hands free of the teacher and Izuku's grasp and stalking back to his chair, "Fine, but this isn't over, Deku!"

It never is with you, is it? Izuku sighed internally as he let out a slow breath.

"DEKU!"

The shout almost made Izuku flinch as he stood up from picking up the piece of trash, tossing it into the plastic bag he had. It had been a few says since the start of the term, and Izuku had managed to evade Bakugo after school up until today. He was standing on Dagobah beach, walking up and down the shoreline and collecting any trash that washed up, not wanting his hard work with All Might to go to waste.

"Hello Bakugo," he said as calmly as he could as he heard the blonde stomp up behind him, the explosions crackling across his palms.

"So, this is where you've been fucking disappearing off to after school?!" Bakugo snarled, "Some random fucking beach?!"

"Yes," Izuku hummed, picking up another piece of trash as he walked away, trying to escape the irate blonde, "I cleaned it of trash not too long ago. Just making sure it stays clean."

"FUCK YOU!" the blonde screamed, slamming a hand into the trash bag and blowing it and its contents across the sand, "You think you're better than me?!"

"What?" Izuku asked as he turned to look at Bakugo, his eyes wide in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about, you shitnerd!" the blonde snarled, suddenly grabbing Izuku by the throat, "You think you're better than me! Tell me how you did it! How did you cheat your way into UA?"

"Let me go, Bakugo," Izuku choaked out as the hand clamped around his neck, "We're not the only ones here. You'll get in trouble."

"Like those extras will give a fuck about a quirkless Deku like you!" Bakugo snarled back, his palm starting to heat up, "Tell me!"

"Hey! Let him go!" Bakugo blinked as an older voice shouted, a man running up to them, his date watching from a short distance away, "Get off him or I'll call the cops!"

"What?" Bakugo snarled, turning on the man as his palms crackled, "What the fuck did you just say to me?"

"Get away from him, Tanjiro! Let's go call a Hero!" the woman suddenly shouted.

"Why the fuck do you need a Hero?" Bakugo blinked, a look of confusion flashing across his face.

"Because you're acting like a Villain," Izuku said from behind him, the blonde spinning back around.

"THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"Now, now, what's going on here?" the loud voice suddenly called, all heads snapping to the source as the muscular man jogged across the sand towards the two teens, "Not a fight, I hope?"

"All Might?" Bakugo gasped, stepping back in surprise.

"No, All Might," Izuku shook his head, Bakugo staring at him as the teen didn't even shake, actually looking relieved in the presence of the Hero, "What are you doing here?"

"Ah! Well, I uhm…I heard that someone had cleared this beach! So, I came to have a look!" the man laughed, giving a thumbs up, "Was it you, young man? Good job! Heroes are also public servants, after all!"

"What?" Bakugo muttered, "What are you doing praising this quirkless Deku, All Might?"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" All Might asked, "Why shouldn't I praise hard work? And what do you mean 'useless'? That isn't a very nice thing to call someone."

"It's his nickname for me," Izuku replied quietly, head twitching to the side as if listening to something, "Has been since my quirk didn't…come in on time."

"It…it is?" All Might blinked, looking down at the shell shocked Bakugo, "Well, I cannot condone that! I ask you now, young man, never refer to anyone as useless ever again!"

"I…but…" Katsuki stuttered, staring up in shock, "What?"

"I'm sorry to cut this talk short, All Might, but I need to finish cleaning the beach," Izuku said as he pointed to the trash Bakugo had scattered across the sand, pulling a second garbage bag from his pocket, "I'll only be about half an hour if you want to talk."

"Of course!" the Pro smiled as Izuku set about picking up the trash, leaving Bakugo to stare blankly ahead.

The next couple of months were strangely peaceful for Izuku. After his outburst in the class on the first day, word of his threat seemed to have gotten around to the other teachers, who were stopping the other students from bullying him now. They even seemed to be marking his work more fairly than before. Izuku hadn't been sure how much he deserved it, but the Vestiges quickly pushed those thoughts from his mind.

And now it was finally time for him to start at his new school. At UA.

"Take your feet off the desk! It is disrespectful to our upperclassmen and the artisans who made the desk!" the blue-haired boy from the entrance exam shouted at Bakugo, chopping his hands through the air.

"Huh?" the blonde growled, "Who the hell are you?"

"I apologise, perhaps we got off on the wrong foot, I am Tenya Iida. I come from Somnei Academy and-."

"Somnei, huh?" Bakugo sneered, "So you've got a silver spoon in your mouth?"

"Bakugo, please stop it," Izuku sighed, making the blonde twitch slightly as he turned to glare at the other teen.

"Ah, you!" the blue-haired boy said, walking stiffly up to Izuku, "Hello! My name is-."

"I heard you before," Izuku said nervously as the boy began to introduce himself again, "Tenya Iida, right? Nice to meet you."

"Yes, you were in my testing area for the exam, I just wanted to say that I was incredibly impressed by your Heroic spirit and ability to see through the true nature of the test!" Iida said quickly, make Izuku step back in surprise.

"T-true nature? What do you mean?"

"The Rescue Points," Iida hummed, looking down at Izuku confused expression.

"Uhm…I didn't know about that? I just did what I thought was right," the green-haired teen muttered as he blushed.

"Then you are even more worthy of your position here at UA!" Iida said loudly, patting Izuku on the shoulder.

"Oh, uhm…thank you?" he managed.

A little help guys? Izuku thought, wondering where the Vestiges were.

"Why?" Yoichi said, "You need to learn to socialise on your own. We can't do everything for you."

Oh…okay, fair, Izuku sighed, stepping back slightly as the blue-haired boy continued talking, almost bumping into someone.

"Oh! Sorry!" the familiar voice said, Izuku turning to find the brunette who'd helped him at the Entrance Exam standing right behind him, "Didn't know you were going to step back."

"S-sorry!" Izuku squeaked, trying to step back again and almost tripping on a desk, "Sorry!"

"Hahaha," the girl, Uraraka Nana provided, laughed, though not in a mocking way, "Guess you really are a bit clumsy, huh? I saw you almost trip at the Entrance Exam as well."

"Y-yeah, I guess!" Izuku muttered, blinking as he looked towards the door, a large yellow caterpillar staring back at him, "Uhm…what is that?"

The class fell silent as they all turned to look at the caterpillar, which glared back at them before standing and unzipping itself, revealing a skinny man dressed in what looked like a black tracksuit, a strange grey scarf around his neck.

"It took you 8 seconds to quiet down, not good enough," the man drawled, before pulling out a set of PE uniforms, "I am Shota Aizawa, your new homeroom teacher. Get these on and meet me outside on field Beta."

"We're doing a Quirk Apprehension Test," the man said

"Oh, this is going tah be fun tah watch," Daigoro chuckled, "Let's see what blondie does when he's not top dog anymore."

How do you know he's not going to be the best? Izuku asked.

"Cause he ain't," the man said adamantly.

"Midoriya," Aizawa barked, making the teen jump slightly, "You scored the highest on the Entrance Exam. Use your quirk to throw this ball as far as you can."

"Yes Sensei!" he replied, catching the ball and stepping into the chalk circle.

What should I do? I could use 5%, but that's not my best, but using too much will break my arm! Izuku thought quickly.

"Then tell him," Nana said plainly, "Any good teacher would understand."

Right, Izuku nodded, turning to look at the older man, "Uhm, Sensei?"

"What, Midoriya?" he grunted, "Just throw the ball."

"It's just…is it okay for me to break my arm when I throw it? I mean, I know that's a stupid question, but my quirk only came in recentlyandIcan'treallycontrolitproperlyyetan-."

"What?" the man blinked, staring at Izuku as the teen began to speak faster and faster.

"Sorry, I can only use about 5% of my quirk's full power safely," Izuku said quietly, "That's the best I can do right now."

"Is that it?" Aizawa sighed, "Look, just throw the ball as far as you can without hurting yourself, otherwise I'll erase your quirk."

"Erase my…?" Izuku blinked, staring back at the man in shock, "W-wait! You're the Underground Hero Eraserhead! You make sure to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible!"

"Eraserhead?" the other students muttered after Izuku's shout, "Who's that?"

"Enough, Midoriya, are you going to throw the ball, or am I going to have to expel you?"

"R-right! S-sorry!" Izuku said, turning away and taking a deep breath to calm himself.

Emerald lightning began to spark over his body as he wound up the throw, thick red lines forming on his skin. He hurled the ball as hard as he could, watching it sail through the air for a good distance before it landed on the grass.

"127.8 metres," Aizawa huffed, "Not bad."

"DEKU!" the shout startled everyone except Izuku, who had been waiting for it, as the blonde shot forwards, "Where the fuck did you get a quirk from?"

The grey scarf shot out, wrapping around Bakugo in an instant, pinning him in place as the explosions on his palms died.

"Stop using your quirk," the teacher growled, "I'm getting dry eye over here!"

"Now's the time, Ninth," Yoichi said, "Just like we practiced."

"We've got your back in this as well," Nana added.

"T-turns out I've always had it, Bakugo," Izuku said as confidently as he could, standing up straight as the blonde struggled in the bindings, "I just couldn't use it until I was strong enough. And your constant b-bullying didn't help."

"Bullying?" the teacher muttered as Bakugo started to struggle harder.

"BULLSHIT!" he roared, "I know you! You're a quirkless DEKU! You're lower than scum! You're nothing but a pebble in the road! You're a fuc-!"

"Enough," Aizawa barked as the scarf closed over the blonde's mouth, "UA doesn't tolerate discrimination of any kind. Watch your mouth or I'll expel you."

The words seemed to make the blonde freeze, before he stopped struggling, glaring at Izuku as he was released.

"Anyway," Aizawa sighed as he turned to look at the other students, "That's what you're doing."

"Wait, we get to use our quirks?" a pink-skinned girl asked, "This is going to be so fun!"

"Fun?" the man said as a sardonic grin stretched across his face, "You think this will be fun?"

Izuku had done relatively well in most of the events. He'd managed to clear the sandpit in the standing long jump and get a respectable 145 kg in the grip strength test thanks to OFA. The rest of the events didn't really use his quirk too much, though he was able to speed himself up in the sidesteps and 50m dash. Even with the threat of expulsion hanging over him, he didn't push himself too hard, not wanting to risk injuring himself and becoming a liability. Finally, they finished, the scores being displayed on a holographic board.

The Vestiges were not impressed.

"What the fuck does he mean twentieth?" Daigoro roared, "Yer fitter than half the brats in this class!"

"Yeah! He's being biased! I bet he just wants an excuse to fail you or something!" Nana growled, "What a pathetic teacher!"

"Ask him," Yoichi said, his voice calm and cold, though full of anger, "Ninth, ask him NOW."

"S-sensei, why am I twentieth?" Izuku said, holding up a hand, "I didn't do that badly."

"You weren't trying hard enough," the man replied, making Izuku curl in on himself, "You were holding back the whole time."

"You had to, though," Nana growled, "Too much power and you would have injured yourself!"

I was only using about 3% though, I could have pushed for more, the teen thought, looking down.

"You were being safe," Yoichi said firmly, "There's nothing wrong with that. Ask to see the full scores, though. I want to check something."

"C-can we see the full scores?" Izuku asked, the older man letting out a tired sigh.

"I said don't ask about the calculations," the man muttered, eliciting another string of insults inside Izuku's head.

"That's enough. Ask to see the principal," Yoichi growled, "Ninth, this man is lying. Ask to see the principal now."

"I want to see the principal," Izuku said, making the teacher stop.

"What?" Aizawa grumbled.

"I-I said I want to see the principal!" Izuku repeated as Yoichi told him what to say, "You can't hide information from us, that would make you a bad teacher. I want to talk to the principal now."

"He does have a point," a tall obsidian-haired girl muttered, "It does seem strange that someone with a strength enhancing quirk was placed so low in a physical test."

"Who cares!" a purple midget shouted, "He got last! So, he's the one getting expelled, not us!"

"No one is getting expelled," Aizawa said, "It was a logical ruse."

"That's a lie," Izuku said, staring the man down even as he shook, tears forming in his eyes, "You're lying. Again. You're purposefully making my life hard for your own entertainment, aren't you? Just like my old teachers."

"Your old teachers?" Aizawa muttered, visibly taken aback by the teen's words, "What are you talking about, Midoriya?"

"It's okay, they won't judge you," Nana cooed in his head, the sensation of someone gently rubbing his back helping calm him, "It's better that they know now than find out later."

"I…I grew up quirkless," Izuku ground out between clenched teeth as he looked down, "I only got One F-…my quirk only came in just before the Entrance Exam. I've been…abused and ignored by my teachers my whole life."

Silence hung over the field as the class stared at the teen, his body visibly shaking as he fought back the tears.

"Fine," Aizawa finally said, tapping on his phone, "Here are the actual scores. Midoriya, come with me, we're going to go see Nedzu right now."

Izuku flinched as the man showed the score board, the other students gasping as he refused to look.

"Come on, Izuku, it's okay," Nana said softly, the feeling of a hand touching his chin lifting his head, "Open your eyes."

Izuku blinked as he looked at the board, dragging his gaze up from the bottom, not seeing his name until the last block, placing him firmly in first place.

"I…I came first?" Izuku gasped.

"But…but then why was he placed last?" the floating uniform asked, "That's totally unfair!"

"Yeah!" a red headed boy shouted, "Totally unmanly!"

"WHY?!" the short grape-haired boy sobbed, "Why did you have to have a sob story? Now I'm in last place!"

"If that's all you care about, then you're expelled Mineta," Aizawa grunted, "Go get your things."

"What?" the boy shouted, "But you said-!"

"Apparently I lie, a lot," the man huffed, turning away, "Midoriya, come on, I don't have all day."

Izuku just nodded as he followed the man, a stunned look on his face as the rest of the students headed back towards the changing rooms.

A pair of red eyes glared at Izuku's back as he left, a mixture of anger and doubt in them.

"Come in, come in!" the rodent-like principal of UA said happily as he ushered the student into his office, leaving the teacher to stand outside, "It's not often Eraserhead actually brings a student to me on the first day! He usually just expels them!"

"H-he does?" Izuku squeaked.

"Usually, though I believe your case is a little different," Nedzu hummed, sitting behind his large desk, "Do tell, Midoriya-kun."

"W-what?" Izuku asked.

"He wants to know about the abuse," Yoichi provided, "It's best to tell him, he may be able to do something about it."

Right, Izuku nodded.

"Having a conversation with your, shall we call them 'tenants'?" the rodent asked, making the teen jump, "Don't worry, I know about One For All, and that you are it's current holder. Yagi-san has also informed me of the fact that you can hear the Vestiges."

"Well, that makes things easier," Yoichi hummed, the phantom of the Vestige appearing beside Izuku, "Ask him what he wants to know."

"W-what do you want to know?" Izuku asked.

"Oh, a great many things! What is it like having the intent of others inside you? Will you really be able to access their quirks in time? How badly do you want to destroy your old school?" the principal laughed.

"W-what?" Izuku squeaked, "W-what was that last one?"

"Your old school? Aldera Middle School, correct?" Nedzu asked, pulling out a folder, "I've already started investigating them, though I only had a short time between now and the Entrance Ceremony, so it's not very thorough yet. How badly do you want to destroy it?"

"N-not at all!" Izuku gasped, "I-I mean…The Vestiges think I should, b-but that would mean that the teachers would get in trouble and probably lose their jobs! I can't do that to them!"

"Even after they, in your own words, abused you?" Nedzu hummed, sitting back in his chair.

"T-that was mostly the Vestiges," Izuku muttered, "They…they're helping me come to terms with what happened…but I still-."

"Very well!" the principal interrupted with a chirp, "We'll leave that for later! But now we need to discuss something a little closer to home!"

"We do?" Izuku asked.

"Yes," Nedzu frowned slightly as he leaned forward in his chair, "Katsuki Bakugo."

Izuku walked slowly out of the school gates, head down as he was lost in thought. So lost in thought that he didn't notice the hand grab him by the shoulder and slam him against the wall.

"What the fuck did you tell them, Deku?" Bakugo snarled, pinning the smaller teen to the wall.

"What?" Izuku blinked, "Kacchan?"

"Don't fucking call me that, shitnerd!" the blonde shouted, shaking Izuku slightly, "What the fuck bullshit did you tell them?! If I get in trouble, it'll be all your fault!"

"No, it won't," the gruff voice said, both teens freezing as they looked over at the man standing beside them, Aizawa scowling at Bakugo, "It'll be yours, Bakugo. That's already one strike."

"What?" the blonde snarled.

"Midoriya here advocated for your continued attendance at UA, especially the Hero Course," Aizawa sighed, "Personally, I would have had you blacklisted from every Hero school in the country for your actions, but Midoriya seems to think you have potential."

"Who cares what this quirkless shitnerd thinks!" Bakugo snarled.

"Quirk discrimination is against the rules of UA," Aizawa sighed, "That's two strikes. One more and I get my way."

"What?" both teens asked.

"The principal has already called and informed your parents, but it was decided that Bakugo would be put on temporary probation," Aizawa huffed, "He gets three chances, on the third, his fate is in my hands. You've already used up two of those chances, Bakugo."

"But…!" the blonde started, freezing under the cold glare of the older man, before stepping back, releasing Izuku's shoulder and glaring at the two of them, before storming away.

"He seems like he'll be more trouble than he's worth," Aizawa grumbled as he walked back through the gate, "Don't forget to report anything he does to you to a teacher, Midoriya."

"Y-yes, Sensei!" the teen squeaked.