The next morning, Ace napped on the bus that was driving them to their destination. Katakuri was in the front of the vehicle while the students were behind. "Why is he sleeping?" Uraraka wondered. "Is he okay?" She sounded concerned.

Sabo nodded. "He didn't sleep well, apparently. But he'll be fine with a short nap. He regularly gets, at most, six hours of sleep," he explained. Ace could function on little sleep just fine. He was just napping now because he didn't know what they'd be doing at USJ and would rather be as rested as he could be.

"That's not a very healthy sleep schedule. What does he do all night?" Sanji asked, sitting behind them. Ace woke up from them talking and sighed. Ace said he was busy a lot. "You're just a teenager." Heh, if only. Ace shrugged and popped his neck.

"Are we almost there? Did I nap most of it?" he asked. Sabo nodded. It was only half an hour drive away from the main campus, down a road that wasn't used too often, apparently. Ace sighed and leaned back in the seat. Everyone around were chattering about random things. He woke up more over the next five minutes, and was at full capacity to do whatever they were doing.

When they got there, everybody got off the bus and stood in front of a huge building. A dome. It had large double doors as the entrance, and a pro-hero waiting there for them. "Shanks!" Luffy shouted in joy, seeing the rescue hero there. He was known for his compassion and beloved by many. He specialized in rescues and natural disasters.

"Yo, Luffy. Hello, everyone. I'll be working with you here today to help educate you all on how to attempt rescue jobs." Katakuri let him do the explaining. "You'll be rescuing one another today, so you'll learn both what it feels like to be the rescuer and rescuee," he explained pleasantly. They were all excited to take part in something they hadn't done before.

"I trust you all to behave and take this seriously, as it is a serious benefit and advantage for when you go out on your first internships. You'll already have some rescue training to aide you," Katakuri said. The class agreed that they'd behave. "Good."

Shanks lead them inside, and it was like an amusement park inside a building. The roof was impossibly high. The whole place was just huge! There were little sections all over, different areas. A water area, urban, mountainous and a few enclosed spaces he couldn't see the inside of.

"Everyone will learn to work in each of these situations. This is not to save lives, this time is to learn the best ways you can do just that in a certain situation. This is all about finding out how to be the best you can be." Ace wondered what the best forms would be for each situation. They were broken up into groups of six. All Might was supposed to be coming soon, too.

He was grouped with Luffy, Mineta, Luffy, Tsu, and Tokoyami. He didn't get to see what his best friends would do during this. But Shanks had said this was all about themselves. His group was going to the water ring first. None were told they'd be getting soaked, but they would be. One would be the rescuer, and the rest would get in the water to be rescued.

A lever was pulled and suddenly the water started to swirl around. They were all given life jackets. This wasn't going to be enjoyable. And they were supposed to be the least helpful they could be for the rescuer. Not doing a thing to help themselves, they were to be dead weight for the rescuer.

Ace was the one to be the hero first. The others got into the swirling water. Tsu looked the least concerned, having a frog quirk and all. She could be aquatic if she wanted to be. So could Ace, though. He needed an aquatic form that could also collect them all up. Tsu ended up taking off her life vest and planned on being the hardest to rescue.

He became a giant sea turtle and swam under them, scooping them all up and onto his shell. When Tsu stayed near the bottom, Ace made his front fin into a huge arm and grabbed her around the middle, then bringing her up onto his back. When they all started to do what they were told and make a fuss, trying to get back in the water, he made the shell have raised edges so they couldn't get out. Like a giant box holding them in. He brought them back to shore, and his turn was complete.

"Cool! Scary, but cool!" Luffy cheered.

"I wouldn't want to be in the ocean and have something that huge come under me," Mineta commented. Ace made himself troublesome for everyone else by swimming away when they were trying to get him. Some quirks just didn't seem good for water rescue. Tsu did better than he did if he was honest. She was more sure with her movements and more practiced with her tongue.

Kind of gross to be tied up in a tongue, but she did rescue him when he was being the most difficult. The others managed, and this class was nice enough to be patient with each other and make suggestions to help one another out. It was honestly a very comfortable group to be working with. And there was only one girl who didn't put up with Mineta's pervercy, so they didn't need to suffer from him too much.

The next stage was the landslide area. They scattered around the mass of dirt and mud, Ace purposely digging himself deep into the mud to make it harder for others to rescue. When it was his turn, he turned into a dragon and plucked them all from the mountain and set them down at the base easily. Flying around it really helped.

Even when their quirks weren't the best, they each figured it out. Besides Mineta in the water, when he just threw a fit and gave up, whining. Ace wondered how he made it in sometimes, when there were so many other strong students that applied. Ace wondered how Sabo was doing.

When the group of six entered the storm area, which was enclosed, the group scattered around the area to be found individually. Ace still hadn't been able to change his insides like he could his appearance, so he didn't have any animal senses, and just checked each building, becoming a dragon again, which was the easiest since he could adapt their features for each time. And this time he made a glass dome on his back that he forced the victims into so they didn't wander off.

It was tiring, and boring. Sitting around and waiting for somebody to save him five times. It really would take up the whole school day. Ace hoped they took Luffy's first question into consideration and brought them some snacks.

Ace managed to create forms and strategies to do with each situation, which was wonderful! He felt he was making great progress in this, and it was good practice. However, all of them were reserved about the fire pit, which had Katakuri in it to make sure they were alright. He supervised them and made sure they weren't reckless.

Fire was dangerous. None of them could control it, so they had to be very careful when rescuing. But for this, they stayed put since it was highly unlikely somebody would run around a burning area and resist being saved. And plus, it was unsafe for them to do anything rash when surrounded by fire.

Tsu couldn't do it for long, so she was given an out when she started to grow sick very quickly from the overwhelming heat. Tokoyami also had trouble with using Dark Shadow effectively when surrounded by fire. That was the last ring for Ace, and he covered himself in thick scales like a lizard to be more resistant to the heat as he carefully extracted the others out.

There was a doctor on site that treated them afterwards. It was risky, but it was realistic. Ace could appreciate that. Once that one was over, they had a break to eat and rest for a bit. It was a fulfilling day, and everyone were tired and ready to rest on the bus. All Might had only come to the end, but Ace hadn't seen him at all where he had been.

"You all did very well, I'm impressed! I didn't find a single person not giving it their all and goofing off! You have very promising futures. During your internships, anyone is welcome to come to my place regardless," Shanks said with a bright smile and encouraging voice.

"How do you know him, Luffy?" Ace asked, since he'd acted familiar with him earlier. Luffy grinned and said he was saved by him when he was little.

"Shanks was the one who made me want to be a hero!" he said proudly. "I promised him I'd become a great hero." Ace smiled, thinking it was sweet. Sabo walked up and had a huge bottle of water with him. Using his quirk made him dehydrated after all.

Sabo asked, "Is that the only reason?" Luffy shook his head. He wanted to prove he could be a hero to the world. "Not just wanting to help people?"

"No, I wanna do that, too! I guess I have a couple reasons, then, huh?" he asked with a grin. Zoro and Sanji walked over, both grumbling something about Law being an annoying show off. Ace snickered. Law did indeed have a very useful quirk that required little effort or movement. He also looked disinterested and crabby a lot, so maybe that also made him unlikable in a way.

When they finally loaded onto the bus, saying goodbye to a very positive and impressed Shanks, most of them napped on the way back to school. Katakuri woke them all up when they arrived, and the students sluggishly made their ways to the changing room to change out of their gym clothes or costumes.

They all dragged their feet to class, where Katakuri was waiting. All Might hadn't come long at all, and Ace wondered why. Was he taking it all seriously? Was he sick again? "You all did well today, I'm proud. I expect you to all show this kind of dedication and sincerity to the next three years. You're dismissed."

"Ugh, I'm tired," Sabo said. "Glad I dont have to put much effort in going home." Ace huffed. Marco asked if he could make it, sounding worried. Ace assured him he'd be fine. He flew with them for a bit before heading to his home, while Ace went to Sabo's and then Midoriya's before heading home himself.

When he got inside, he checked the door in case anything arrived, and then took a nice long nap. He woke up to a knock on the front door. Ace stood up and went to look through the peep hole. It was Marco. Ace transformed and opened the door, keeping his face from looking anything like recognition.

"Can I help you?" Ace wondered, brows raised in fake surprise and curiosity. Well, those emotions were real, though. He didn't know why Marco was there. Marco nodded and handed him a flyer. Ace took it and saw it was an invite to a barbeque.

"We want to get to know the neighbors more. Sorry we haven't tried before now! But we want to be have a barbeque and get to know everybody more. It'll be next weekend if you're open! You're very welcome to come," the phoenix said brightly. Ace thanked him, and said he'd think about it. Marco smiled and nodded, holding more flyers.

Ace closed the front door and locked it, looking down at the flyer. He was welcome to bring other foods if he wanted. Ace thought it was very nice that they'd want to do this to get to know everybody. It was thoughtful. Ace did want to meet his family. Maybe this was an easy way. But he'd also be faking the whole time. He frowned slightly.

Going to his phone, he told Sabo about his predicament, but he didn't reply for a while. Must be busy doing something. He got a message before from Marco, inviting him to a barbeque at his apartment complex.

He would much rather go as Ace, but would feel bad as a neighbor for not going. But getting to know the family as Ace would be better in the long run. He just hoped his secret never came out and Marco wouldn't be mad at him for pretending for so long. Though deep down, Ace felt Marco wouldn't hate him, and would understand his reasons for hiding. Besides, he first met Marco as a neighbor, not classmate.

I'll think about it. Sounds fun, though.

Thatch will make a ton of sweets, and dad will do the barbequing. Ace smiled. He would want to go. Ace asked if he invited more people from the class. Would it be a big gathering? No, just you. Dad said we could both invite one person, since it's mostly for our neighbors. Ace was touched. But slightly unsurprised. Marco talked to him the most, and they hung out outside of school unlike everyone else. Now he definitely couldn't refuse.

I'll definitely try to come! He got a happy face in response.

-x-

The next day, they wrote up an assessment of their own performance at USJ, and rated those in their groups. The others wouldn't see the assessments, though. Sabo had trouble with most of them, but was fit enough to be able to have dragged everyone out of the danger without using his quirk. Marco just scooped everyone out of their predicaments. Everyone did their own effort, but some were visibly disappointed in themselves. Well, not all of them would work in rescuing, that was clear from the start. At least, to Ace is was. He was good at it, but knew he was also good at other things.

Being a spy would be fun, though. He'd be very good at it. Or going undercover in the form of somebody else. That would be awesome. Katakuri had them turn in the papers, and then got to an important topic. "As many of you already know from past years, the sports festival is coming up." Everyone perked up. "It's in a week. You have that long to train. This is a great chance for you all to make yourself known. Scouts will be watching closely to it.

"The more you stand out, the more likely you'll be scouted by many agencies, which is the best outcome. For those who do bad, you have Shanks to fall back on. But that doesn't mean you should be lax. This will be important for future events, like your internships. More choices is better," he explained in detail.

"You'll be competing against all the other first years and one another. Do your best to make your mark early, as doing well in the first sports festival is the best. There are still two more chances. But this is your best one, so don't waste it," he finished, and took the papers before leaving for the next class to start after a short break.

Ace stood and walked to Law. "I finished the drawing for your sister," he said, and handed Law his phone with the image on it. "Sorry it took so long," he added, sounding awkward. Law looked at the drawing and raised his brows. Lami's quirk was to make thick bubbles from her pointer fingers.

So it was her surrounded by bubbles, looking so happy. "This is great. Thank you, I know she'll love it," he said. His voice was flat but also sincere in his own way. He handed him the two twenties and one ten dollar bills. Ace took them and put them in his wallet there he carried his credit card. In the hidden pocket he had his ID for his fake person.

The students crowded around him to see the drawing. "Aww, she looks so cute!" Ashido exclaimed. Ace flushed at all the attention. Thankfully, nobody pressed him to do commissions for them as well. He was happy with the fifty dollars. Any more money was a great feeling, even if he didn't need it at the moment.

All Might told them the next week of hero training would be just that. Training their quirks to excel in the sports festival. It was very important, after all. The teachers didn't stop stressing this. If their quirks weren't going to improve, then it was best to train their bodies in case any sort of physical exertion was involved.

Based on previous years, that was almost a given. Ace trained by the speed of his transformations. Sabo came to him to practice, since the two of them, and Midoriya, were all pretty fit from that summer's training. Sabo had been working on the temperatures of his clouds. He'd managed to make them colder, and used that against his best friend.

It was more than cold enough to give him the shivers, but it didn't freeze him. When he concentrated the clouds low on the floor, it did make the ground slippery. A thin, thin membrane of cloud made it so he stepped on just water. It would be bad for anyone unaware of it. It could actually be really helpful!

He had Ace enter a huge plume of clouds and try to find his way out after spinning three times. He didn't manage to make it out at the same place, but moving through it was easy enough. It did soak him to the bone, though. "Nice! I can't wait until you can make it so cold it freezes."

"Me, too. I know all about clouds, all kinds, but implementing the knowledge is a little harder," Sabo said. "I'll need to carry a water bottle with me," he added. Ace didn't know if that was allowed, but didn't bring that up. "You should make sure to use all sorts of forms, not just what's most convenient," Sabo said, changing the subject a bit.

Ace nodded. He would show off his capacity. Still not his ability to become other people, though. He could show off growing other parts from his body. Showing he could alter his own - not in another creature's form. "Being a dragon will be sure to bring the most shock, heh," Ace laughed.

"Well, that's true," Sabo laughed, too. "I wonder what the other classes are like? General studies, support and business studies," he mused.

"Sounds boring. Well, support could be cool if you were good at that stuff," Ace admitted. Marco was flying laps ahead, and then landed in front of them, turning back to human once he landed. He asked Ace to rough him up. "Huh?" he asked dumbly.

"You know, make me have to heal at fast speeds!" Ace refused. Blunt hits wouldn't do anything and Ace wouldn't start slicing into him with giant claws, which was what he wanted. "Aw, come on! I'll be fine!"

"Then why do you need to practice it?" Sabo asked. "I wouldn't want to tear into your skin, either." Marco dramatically rolled his eyes, calling them wimps. Neither were provoked. He huffed and ended up going to make Bakugo attack him. He was more than happy to attack someone who'd scored higher than him at the practical entrance exam.

They were going to the drinking fountain so Sabo could fill up his water bottle that he kept with him during hero training while Ace worked to modify his true body. Growing two new arms, spikes, scales, wings, anything that might be helpful to use. Each year was different, so they had no idea what to expect the events to be.

"Did you even watch the UA sports festivals? Neither of us planned to go here until pretty late in the game," Sabo said, filling his water bottle. It was huge and heavy, but better than having to refill it over and over. Ace admitted he'd only watched the previous year. He was always doing something else, or just forgot about it.

"Maybe we could watch the reruns of the past few years this weekend," Sabo suggested.

Ace said, "I can't do it Saturday. I have Marco's barbeque to go to." Sabo snorted at the irony. "I'll be the one going." Sabo understood that meant he'd be going as Ace and not Ami, Marco's supposed neighbor. Midoriya came over, looking exhausted.

He got a long drink of water and asked, "What are you guys doing?"

"Been practicing with our quirks. Sabo learned a new move to help out. I'm just working on reaction time. Hey, do you wanna hang out and we can all watch the previous years' festivals? The two of us never watched them, not wanting to be heroes all our lives like you did," Ace offered. Midoriya grinned, more than happy to do that.

"We should go to my house. I have the huge TV and we can reserve it from Hack," Sabo said. "It could be fun for everyone to watch. Like a class wide event. I don't know, it just sounds like it would be fun. Like we could rent a whole movie theater."

Ace shrugged. "We have no way to do that. It would be cozy, though, to do it at your place and just binge on pizza and popcorn."

"I think both would be nice, but we only have the one option," Midoriya commented. "Will you help me out? About training? I have nobody to fight against, and I want to try using more throws."

"I'm sure Marco would be more than willing for you to beat him up. Then nobody will get hurt." Ace was asked if he could ask for him. "Why not you?"

"Well, it's just clear you're his favorite and all. I thought he'd be more accepting if you asked…" the green haired teen asked. Ace shrugged, and then went to find Marco's clothes were scorched and his hair was ashy. But he was uninjured. He called Marco, and said he had someone else who wanted to beat him up.

"Hey, thanks."

"Masochist," Ace muttered. A shoe was thrown at his head. "Did I push a button?" Ace enjoyed teasing Marco. It was easy but he also knew Marco didn't take it too seriously.

"You better be prepared for when it's me against you at the sports festival." Ace grinned and said maybe he'd fight Marco as a blue phoenix, too. "If you do, I'll make sure to ruin you." Ace snickered and chucked the shoe back at him. He went to the side to watch and do some less intense shifting, try to find the best forms for certain situations.

If he wanted to still have a human form, he could just change his arms. He made them bigger and stronger. He shrunk them, and then grew two more arms, and spikes along them. They could be used to try and force people away. He had no idea what to expect, more so than everyone else. Ace had known it was coming, and knew it would be a big deal, but didn't personally know what they were like by watching.

After class was over, and they changed out of their gym clothes, Marco bopped Ace's head with his fist. "Stop pissing me off."

"It's not like you stay pissed long," Ace replied. "Don't worry, I won't piss you off at the barbeque." Marco's face lit up at the news that he was coming. "Sorry I didn't RSVP sooner. I sorta forgot. I know how to cook a lot so I'll bring something, too. Have a lot of neighbors agreed to come?"

"Nah. Seems like it's a bunch of antisocial people where I live. Honestly, the person I live next to, I wonder if she even actually lives there. I never see her come out or hear the front door close." That was because Ace left through the window as often as possible. Ace wouldn't say a thing about that. He didn't want to lie anymore than he had to.

He instead said, "Well, more food for us, right?" Marco grinned and nodded. Ace went with his two passengers to the grassy area beside the main building, and loaded the two onto his back. Trying something new, thinking this was the perfect time, he formed a bubble around his two friends. "Hell yeah, it worked!" he said proudly.

Sabo grinned at the improvement. "You sure can get creative. Now you can safely fly more people. Like an actual bus." Ace snorted, in dragon form so it let out a large burst of air. He rose off the ground and went the usual route to Sabo's house and then Midoriya's. When he got home, he went to the full length mirror on the bathroom door, and looked at his phone.

He didn't really have a use for it as of now, and he was keeping it a secret, but he wanted to see just how well he could copy somebody. Impersonate them. He did all of his classmates, though some were off in some way. Something about their faces weren't perfect, and threw the whole thing off.

For some reason, he was able to change his voice when transforming, which was really helpful in pretending to be someone he wasn't. He wasn't bound by his male, teenage voice. Plus, he could make animal sounds, too. He could be Sabo and Midoriya perfectly. Marco was pretty good, too.

It was kind of like sculpting a clay face. He had to constantly change it up to make it perfect. Then he began something more concerning and unpleasant. He started to do his best to create terrible accidents. He was even able to make it look like he'd lost a limb by transforming into a version of himself that was one armed.

If he wanted, he could do some serious manipulation and bother a lot of people. Both by possibly being able to change into their loved ones and then show them a very gruesome image. That was what he'd do as a villain. But he wasn't a villain and would never be one. That use would never come about.

But he wasn't above faking an injury if it was necessary. He got to work on some homework and then took a nap. Lately he'd been taking more naps. He should get better sleep and then he wouldn't be sleepy.