(1 week later)

Tying a tie wasn't a skill Izuku had picked up during childhood, so it made sense why even now at the age of 16 he was having trouble with his new mandatory red one. His tongue poked through his lips as he concentrated, trying to get this final loop just right.

It has been one week since he and his friends participated in the UA entrance exam and four days since they had gotten their results. Once they did, they met up and opened them one by one.

Itsuka had ended up in 10th place, with 50 villain points and 10 hero points, giving her a total of 60. Vlad King congratulated her and welcomed her into class 1B.

Ibara had scored 45 villain points and 20 hero points, giving her a total of 65 and landing her in 8th place. Like Itsuka, Vlad King congratulated her and welcomed her into class 1B.

Bakugo ended up with 77 villain points and 0 hero points, which gave him 2nd place. Present Mic praised his bot killing skills and welcomed him to class 1A.

Izuku had 75 villain points and an astounding 80 hero points, giving him a total of 155 points and 1st place. All Might had praised his heroing skills, and welcomed him into class 1A.

The four friends were ecstatic about the news of them all being accepted into UA and while they were disappointed about being in different classes, it was overshadowed by the overwhelming joy they felt.

"Izuku honey? It's time to get going!" his mother called from the living room, causing him to sigh in frustration before he exited the bathroom and walked into the living room.

"I know, but this stupid tie is being difficult!" he exclaimed, only to be met with the sound of rapid clicking. He smiled at seeing his mother taking pictures of him. "I can't tell if you're doing this for memories or blackmail."

"A little of both," she giggled before putting her phone away and walking up to her son. "Wait until I tell my grandbabies their father couldn't tie his tie to save his life. I can't wait!" she said, causing him to splutter.

"G-Grandkids? Mom, don't you think that kind of talk is kinda early? I'm not even dating anyone yet!"

"'Yet' being the keyword. And, with the way those two friends of yours eye you when you're not looking, it's only a matter of time," she teased.

"You've been spending too much time with Kacchan," he sighed, his cheeks turning red.

"Or, has he been spending too much time with me?" she winked as she finished with his tie. "There, all done! I can't wait to send these to your father; he's going to be so proud!"

"Kinda wish he was here to tell me himself, but I guess a text will have to do," Izuku muttered before he heard her begin to sniffle. "Mom? Are you okay?"

"I-I'm just so proud, honey, and a little sad," she said, wiping her tears. "You're growing up so fast, and you've come so far. Like I said, you'll always be my baby, but I miss my little superhero that used to run around here dressed as All Might in his onesie."

"Mom…I'll always be your little superhero," he smiled, bringing her back into a hug. "I'm not wearing the onesie, though."

"You will if I say so," they both laughed, before his mom pulled away. "Blow them away honey, and do your best!"

"Trust me, they won't know what hit them."

(UA: Outside classroom 1A)

Staring at the gigantic door that stood between him and meeting his new classmates, Izuku was amazed at the fact he was now standing in the halls of UA, like so many legends before him. Heroes like All Might, 13, Ingenium, Kamui Woods, and more had walked up and down these halls, proving themselves in every way until they had graduated and become pros. It gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing he was here like them and that, one day, he would be like them.

With a smile, he opened the door, ready to face his destiny.

"Take your feet off of that desk, now!" The blue-haired boy from Present Mic's presentation yelled at Kacchan.

"Huuuh?"

"It's the first day and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin!"

"You're kidding me, right? Your old school put a stick up your ass? Or were you born with it?" Kacchan asked with a snarl.

Izuku sweat dropped at the scene.

'Well, at least Kacchan is here. I have one friend.'

"Let's start over," the blue-haired boy said, now trying to act calm and collected. "I'm Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy," Iida introduced himself properly, sticking his hand out for a shake.

'Tenya Iida? Ingenium's little brother? No way!'

"Somei, huh? So you must think you're better than me! I'm gonna have fun destroying you," Bakugo said with a manic grin.

"You would threaten me?" Iida questioned with a gasp. "Your own classmate? Are you sure you're in the right place?"

"Don't mind him, he's more talk than anything," Izuku spoke up, making his presence known. Everyone's head snapped to him as a result.

"I'm gonna kill you too, nerd! And what took ya so long? I've been waiting here for 20 minutes!"

"I didn't tell you to come so early!"

"And I didn't expect you to take your sweet-ass time getting here! Hurry up next time!"

"Good morning!" Iida exclaimed, quick to get away from the violent blond and approach the far more friendly greenette. "My name is Tenya Iida, and I-"

"I know, I've been here the whole time." Izuku cut Iida off, before extending his hand out. "I'm Izuku Midoriya, it's nice to meet you!"

"And to you as well! Thank you for not threatening me like your acquaintance over there. I assume you're the more level-headed individual of the pair?"

"Fuck you!"

"Your assumption is correct."

"Monsieur Midoriya, it's a pleasure knowing you passed the test," the blond boy in the front seat cut in. "Yuga Aoyama, at your service."

"Oh yeah, stomach-ache guy! Glad to see you made it in! How're you feeling?"

"My stomach has recovered fully since the exam. Nothing can keep me from sparkling the brightest, not even my blasted tummy!"

"Is that you, Midoriya? Awesome! I'm so happy you made it!" an excited voice exclaimed from behind, causing his eyes to widen and a grin to form. He spun around and felt his heart stop and his cheeks heat up upon seeing Uraraka. She still had that amazing smile.

"You were amazing out there! You were like punch, and bam, and pow and the robot was like boom after you knocked it down! It was awesome!" she looked so excited as she retold the tales of his heroic feat, eyes sparkling like a kid in a toy shop.

'She's so cuuuuuuute!'

"I see Midoriya saved you as well during the exam. His heroism knows no bounds, oui?" Yuga asked, causing Izuku to smile and bashfully rub the back of his head.

"You should've seen him! Like I said, that stupid robot never stood a chance against him!"

"You're feeding his ego," Bakugo groaned, laying his head on the desk.

"What do you think we're doing today besides orientation? I wonder what our teachers are like? I can't wait to meet everybody!" Uraraka exclaimed in excitement.

"If you're just here to make friends, then you can just pack up your stuff now," a bored-sounding voice spoke from behind them.

The three students froze, and Uraraka noticed the two boys were staring down at the ground behind her. Slowly turning, she noticed a man in a yellow sleeping bag laying right behind her.

"Welcome to UA's hero course," he said with his monotone voice while shuffling around inside his sleeping bag for a moment before he pulled a drink out, which he began sipping from. Standing up in the bag, he unzipped it and walked out. "It took eight seconds before you all finally decided to shut up; that's not gonna work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that," he scolded.

'Must be a pro hero…but why does he seem so worn out? And that scarf…it's gotta be Eraserhead. No other hero has a scarf like that.'

"I'm Shota Aizawa, your teacher," he informed, shocking most of the class.

He was the teacher? The creepy-looking old dude who looked like he could pass out at any second? The one who had come crawling in like a caterpillar in his bright yellow sleeping bag?

"Right, let's get to it," he said while pulling out clothing from his bag. "Put these on and go outside."

(Outside)

"A quirk assessment test?" was the collective question asked by most of the class. Izuku was one of the few who didn't question it. To him it made sense: Aizawa wanted to see what the standings were in the class between all 20 of them and probably wanted to identify who needed help and in what areas.

In a way, Izuku felt kind of bad. Not to sound cocky, but he doubted anyone here would be able to do better than him, even if he was using One For All at 5%. He was, however, excited to see and study the quirks of his fellow classmates.

"But what about orientation? We're going to miss it," Uraraka asked, worried that they could get in trouble.

"If you're going to make it to the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies," he said, surprising everyone. "Here at UA, we're not tied down to traditions. That means I get to run my class however I see fit."

'He doesn't like wasting time, and he's not traditional. He's going to work us into the ground.'

"You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives, but you never got to use your quirks in physical exams before. The country is still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational," Aizawa continued in a rather irritated voice.

'I was correct. He wants to see where we currently stand in the class and to see whether or not we actually belong here.'

"One day, the ministry of education will learn this," Aiawa's eyes swept across the students, and they lingered on Izuku: the boy with two quirks, the boy who had gotten the most points on the practical exam, and the one who had saved several students during the exam. The teacher could already tell this kid was going to give him the biggest headache; call it a gut feeling. But he could use him to prove a point. "Midoriya, what was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in junior high?"

"Uh, I think 60 meters," Izuku said, surprised he had been singled out.

"Right. Try doing it with your quirk," Aizawa ordered, pulling out a softball from his pocket before throwing it to the greenette. "Anything goes, just stand in the circle," he continued while pointing to said circle.

Doing as he was told, Izuku walked over and stood in the middle of the circle.

"Kacchan, how far?" he questioned while turning to the group of students.

"In the thousands!"

"In the thousands, coming right up!" Izuku exclaimed as he winded his arm back, green electricity dancing around his body. Thrusting his body forward the ball flew from his hand so hard that it created a shockwave that washed over the group behind him. After a few seconds, Aizawa looked down and showed off the result.

"Deku, you fucking showoff!"

"Oops, overdid it," Izuku chuckled upon seeing his score: 5,049.

"5,049?! That's fucking insane!" a blond boy with a black lightning bolt in his hair exclaimed, causing others to murmur in agreement.

"This is Izuku Midoriya, the guy who placed first in the entrance exam with 75 villain points and 80 hero points. He single-handedly saved three students, two of whom are your classmates, and took down the 0 pointer. He is your ultimate test, the mountain you must climb to prove yourself. He won't pull any punches, and if you want to keep up with the likes of him, you'll need to go above and beyond Plus Ultra."

Izuku blushed at the speech, surprised Aizawa wanted him to be the gauge by which the others could measure themselves. This just meant he couldn't hold back!

"I wanna go! That looks like fun!" the pink-skinned girl clapped excitedly.

"This is what I'm talking about! We get to use our quirks as much as we want!" a boy with black hair and strange elbows said gleefully.

"So this looks fun, huh?" Aizawa asked, his voice changing from his usual monotone tone.

'Oh no, she made him mad.'

"You have three years here to become a hero. You think it's gonna be games and play time? Idiots," Izuku could see that Aizawa was smiling, which made him gulp. "Today you'll be competing in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none, and will be expelled immediately."

"WHAT?!" The whole class shouted. Even Izuku hadn't seen this coming.

'No one's that crazy, right? No, this must be some kind of test or trick or something to make us try harder and go beyond, right? I mean, come on, no one's that evil, right?'

"Like I said, I get to decide how this class runs. Understand?" Aizawa had a maniac grin at this point. "If that's a problem, you can head home right now." When no one budged he nodded. "Ok, let's begin."

The first test was the 50-meter dash. A small little robot stood at the end to record who got what time. Izuku had the best time with 2.50 seconds, beating the second-best time of 3.04, which was held by Iida. Izuku's opponent in the race, Kacchan, got 4.13.

After that was the grip strength test. The guy with six arms managed to get 540.0 kg, and was second to Izuku, who scored 907 kg. This had blown absolutely everyone out of the water.

The third test was the standing long jump. Like Kacchan and Yuga, he easily cleared the sandbox.

Test four was the repeated side jumps. Izuku, to his surprise, ended up in second, and was beaten by the ball-headed guy.

Test five was the ball toss, and Izuku was only beaten by Uraraka due to getting a score of literally infinity.

The next three tests were a distance run, the seated toe-touch and sit ups. Like most of the other tests, Izuku scored the best in each of them.

"All right, time to give you your results. I've ranked you all from best to worst, you should probably have a good idea of your standing already. I'm just gonna pull up the whole list; it's not worth my time going over each individual score."

The class waited with bated breath as their teacher fiddled around with his device. Many were worried about their placements, while Izuku and Bakugo were much calmer about it.

Aizawa finally pulled the list up, and everyone began searching for their names. Izuku smiled to himself upon seeing his name at the very top in first place, but did feel bad for who was 20th. He looked over and watched as the ball boy began tearing up. He was about to go over and comfort the guy when Aizawa spoke up.

"And I was lying, no one's going home," he said, drawing confused and wide-eyed reactions from everyone. "That was just a rational deception to make you give it your all in the tests." He grinned.

"WHAAAAAT?!"

"I kinda assumed so. Sorry for not saying anything; I was scared that if I did, he'd change his mind and actually expel someone," Izuku chuckled sheepishly, aware of the glares he was receiving.

"It was fucking obvious, extras."

"At least someone else caught on, but I'm surprised the rest of you didn't figure that out. I'm sorry, I guess I probably should've said something," the girl with the ponytail stated, drawing deadpan looks from the others.

"Pretty nerve racking huh?" the weird elbow guy asked the red-haired boy next to him.

"Nah, I'm always down for a challenge," he grinned. Bakugo, who was behind him, just grunted in annoyance.

"We're done for today. Pick up a syllabus in the classroom and read it over before class tomorrow."

"Yes sir," came the collective cry from the group. With a nod, Aizawa walked off, eyes meeting All Might's when he turned around the corner. The giant man smiled at him while Aizawa merely nodded.

(Later: After school)

"So he lied to get everyone to try their best?" Kendo questioned as she, Izuku, Bakugo, and Ibara continued their walk home.

"Based on your description of today, I must admit your teacher seems to have quite a colorful personality," Ibara said.

"I won't lie, I wish Vlad King had us do a test like you guys instead of joining the orientation. I could hardly stay awake."

"Midoriya! Wait up!" two voices called out. Turning, the greenette was surprised to see Iida and Uraraka running to catch up with them.

"Friends of yours, Izuku?" Ibara asked.

"Yeah, they're my new classmates. That's Tenya Iida and this is Ochako Uraraka," he informed while gesturing to his new classmates, who waved in greeting. "Iida, Uraraka, these are my friends Itsuka Kendo and Ibara Shiozaki from class 1B," he introduced, causing his two friends to wave as well. "And, we all know the angry Pomeranian that is Katsuki Bakugo, or as I call him, Kacchan."

"Fuck you Deku!"

"Why does he call you Deku?" Uraraka questioned.

"When we were younger a few bullies gave me the nickname. Kacchan scared them off and started using it as a nickname for me. He said he'll stop once I stop calling him Kacchan, which will never happen."

"Deku…I like it! It's kinda cute." Uraraka said as she started to blush. "Can I call you Deku as well?"

Upon seeing the blush, Itsuka started to feel jealous, worried that there seemed to be more competition. For Ibara, that nasty feeling started affecting her again, one she still couldn't name.

"Of course, all my friends can if they want. The invitation is extended to you as well, Iida."

"While I'm grateful for the offer, I think I'll address you as Midoriya for now. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course," Izuku agreed. "So, why'd you guys chase after me? Is everything okay?"

"Yup! We just wanted to know if we could join you!"

"If not, we understand, we wouldn't want to ruin the conversation you were having before we rudely interrupted. And, of course we-"

"Oh my gooooooood, you're killing me! Just fucking come with us and stop talking!" Bakugo barked before shouting as something smacked the back of his head. "Ow! Fucking stop that!"

"What did I say about using the Lord's name in vain?" Ibara shouted back, causing everyone to chuckle.

With a pep in their steps and their heads held high, they were looking forward to tomorrow.

Another chapter down! Izuku showing off and letting everyone know he's top dog.

Saw someone mention they're surprised Izuku and Iida don't know each other. You can use really any reason to justify why they never met. It's up to you, lol.

Glad y'all are liking the story so far! Do remember I am taking donations through ko-fi (my name is ghost5090998). Any little bit helps me and will allow me to write/update more, thank you for any and all consideration. I also accept money through , CashApp, and Venmo. Just DM me if you'd like donating through them :)

See ya in chapter 11!