I sighed a bit as we walked. Today was the day. The first day of my high school life. The first day of life at U.A. And given that the letter had soon given me what class I had been assigned to – 1-A – I had suspected that the reason hadn't been out of sheer luck. Aizawa's class meant that my Quirk – my dangerous if uncontrolled Quirk – could be put under further control by his Quirk-negating stare. Given his past history with me, it also made a sort of sense that his presence being comforting would reduce the chance of stress during homeroom… but then I was still bringing my suit anyway. At the same time, I suppose you could argue that it's the same reason why Aoyama was assigned to the class too but-

I feel a hand lightly chop against the back of my neck and turn my head to the left. Neito smiled back at that. "You were off in your own world again." Neito pointed out. "You're really worried for some reason. We've gotten past the hard bit, we're in the Hero course." Of course, in saying that Neito had a smile on his face that was just a touch too wide to be real, his own way of coping with anticipation like this was just to put on his old 'mask'.

With a quick nod we kept walking, Mei off to Neito's left and fiddling with her own goggles for once. She had been flat out told only to bring her tools with and no other prior projects, so she had nothing to keep herself busy with but to work on the goggles right now. We each had our own ways of coping, it's just that mine was more obvious than most. Even with all the years of experiments and training, my grip over my own Quirk still isn't entirely concrete. It's why until I can be sure I won't leak it everywhere; I don't plan on going without some sort of support suit.

And speaking of Support, that's where Mei was going. 1-H for her, 1-B for Neito, 1-A for me. Nerves were high not so much because it was going into high school – that we had all accepted a year ago. It was the fact that we were going to U.A. I couldn't even tell you another school in my old world that had the same sort of world-wide reputation as U.A. did. The U.A. Sports Festival was more watched in Japan than the Olympic games, and from what I gathered online this isn't too far behind internationally. There are websites both in Japanese and English that cover all the up and coming would be heroes coming out of hero schools, and U.A. is always a factor. And we were walking right into these prestigious halls with little more than a passed Entrance Exam backing us up. It was as if the world was telling us we had potential to be among the best. That's a lot of weight to put on one's shoulders.

Not helped or hindered by the fact that the main building for U.A. was IMMENSE, standing out from its surroundings. I slowly gulped but forced my way forward a bit more as I saw Neito raise his hand. "Ok, how are you taking this so easily?" I asked incredulously, gripping the straps of my backpack to keep me from wringing my hands out.

"Oh, that's simple." Neito insisted. "I'm focusing less on getting there, and more what we can do while we're there." I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head, knowing the lens of my suit didn't always convey my face well. "Well, you're in 1-A, I'm in 1-B. Two friends separated by classes and turned into fierce rivals to reach the top! Who knows what could happen to such a friendship? It's weird righ-"

And that is the moment where Mei reached over and chopped him lightly on the neck. So, sue me, it was something I had used in middle school to let Neito know that he was going a bit over the top, and now it was a signature of our group to snap anyone else out of their usual habits. "There's being excited about what you can do here and then there's turning our life into an anime Neito." Mei commented as I hurriedly turned a shocked splutter into a cough at that. "Besides, the two of you will be meeting up for lunch soon, I'd hope that neither of you are at the point that you'd stop being friends because you're in different classes."

For a moment Neito and I fell into silence… before I hung back… and we both gave Mei a light chop on the back of the neck. "No staying in the lab constantly!" I admonished. "It's going to be the three of us, at least!"

"We're not having another gas canister incident!" Neito added.

Mei just grinned. "Oh no, I'm going to make Babies which can make much bigger-" and then we neck chopped her again, harder.

"Don't blow up the whole school!"

Mei's 'plans' meant that neither Neito nor I was willing to let her go to class unescorted to make sure she hadn't actually planned to blow up the school – she insisted she hadn't, but this is Hatsume Mei. Still, not long after we left her at the oversized door of 1-H, Neito and I walked up towards the hero classrooms – A and B right next to each other after all. Neito simply grinned as we arrived at 1-B and gave a wave as he pushed through the door – and as he did Kendo, already inside the classroom, waved at us and I gave a wave back to both Neito and her. Admittedly I was feeling a bit nervous not just for me, not just for the events that were due to come up… but also for Neito himself. Back when I had made friends with him, he was socially isolated. Too smart for most of his peers and with a Quirk that nobody really showed much value in. Hopefully with someone like Kendo around and the friendships he already has he can thrive into a more… stable person than he was in the…

Do I call it canon anymore? It feels weird to when I'm living it. The other timeline, perhaps? Damn, that's going to bug me all day now…

Anyway, not going to focus on that, just gonna take a deep breath in and walk into the room and- almost get hit by a swinging arm that stopped just at neck level.

"Oh, my apologies!" Tenya Iida – who came up to about the same height as me without the helm of the suit on – insisted. Thankfully he wouldn't mistake me for one of the teachers as Te had modified my suit at my request to have the U.A. dress uniform pattern on it. That way I could always be safe and in uniform. "I was just trying to insist to another classmate that we shouldn't be using the desks to pose!"

"Merci, but any way I sit, or stand is going to be a fabulous pose~ " The blonde haired, overdramatic and odd belt wearing young man I could only assume was Yuuga Aoyama insisted. "After all I sta-"

"Oh, wow is that a full body suit?" Interrupted another voice as a pink haired, pink-skinned young woman asked as she leaned over, Aoyama's face not leaving its current smile, but his eyebrows did furrow. That design is hard to forget, Ashido Mina. "I like the design!"

"It's not very stylish but it does the job~ " Aoyama agreed.

Iida looked at it. "It does do a fine job of ensuring you can maintain uniform… but why are you wearing it? Are you sick?"

I gulped and backed up a bit. "Um... uh… I…" I gulped a bit, breathing a bit heavily and hearing a slight hiss as I leak out some Nebula Gas into the suit, quickly absorbed into the tanks at the back. "Uh, n-no, it's my Quirk." I forced out. "It's a gas that can be… bad for people."

"Hey, maybe we should let him in?" Another female voice spoke up… from a floating school uniform. Hagakure I could… well, not kiss you, too forward but still. "You're the gas guy from the exams, right? Good to see you passed!"

Iida suddenly stood ramrod straight and gasped in shock. "Oh, you're right, I've been incredibly rude!" He remarked, standing to the side and thrusting both of his arms towards the interior of the class, thrusting them in for good measure. "I apologize, please, come in!"

Wow. It's one thing to see such… vibrant personalities animated, but another to see them in the flesh. Still, I manage a gulp and a smile as I walk in. "Uh, yeah, it's fine… just didn't expect to be mobbed all at once at the door." I admitted with a nervous chuckle. "Shoulda expected it really, with the suit."

"Couldn't recognize you at first until you mentioned the gas," Hagakure admitted as I walked into the Classroom, moving into the aisle to allow for others to enter easily but still talk to the four. "I get that response a lot too from people."

"Sometimes you cannot help your natural charis-" Aoyama started.

"Well, safety gear and big mutations do it a lot don't they?" Mina interrupted… before I cleared my throat.

"Um, I think you interrupted…" I lead in.

Aoyama's furrowed brows immediately unfurrowed. "I am Aoyama Yuga, and merci~ " Aoyama remarked.

"Oh, sorry!" Mina commented, doing a light bow with both hands clasped together. "I'm Ashido Mina, and I'm just really excited. This is the BIG school!"

"But it doesn't mean you should forget proper decorum in the process." Iida reprimanded. "Iida Tenya, it's nice to meet you."

Aoyama… surprisingly waved it off. "It happens when my radiance is nearby, it can blind others in certain ways~ "

For a moment there was silence… and then Hagakure giggled. "This is going to be fun with people like you guys around! Hagakure Toru, nice to meet you!" She noted as she held out an… arm? Hand? Hard to tell with her. Still, I took what I assumed was there as a hand to shake and smiled back.

"Nebulos Andros… and it's nice to meet you all too." I admitted with a smile… that most wouldn't notice I realized. Ah well. As I look around the class, I see a bunch of faces I recognize, I might need to run through the notebook tonight to check who I replaced in Class 1-A. Unfortunately, not Minoru Mineta, I can already spot him looking over at me and Aoyama with… I don't even know. Confusion? Jealousy? Constipation? I was never the biggest fan of him to begin with. And a couple of tables up is a particularly angry pineapple – I mean the spiky blonde-haired form of Bakugou Katsuki with his feet up on the desk.

Iida's eyes had seemed to follow the same track as he stiffened slightly at the sight. "Excuse me." He remarked before heading over towards Bakugou's desk in a scene that… seemed vaguely familiar. I mean I couldn't just be thinking that because of my foreknow- what am I saying, of course it's because of that.

"U.A. is known for its… freestyle educational system." Aizawa remarked in a scene I knew all too well. The Quirk Assessment Test, and his first rational deception. I haven't said anything though, not to Aizawa or to any of my classmates, if only for one true reason: Aizawa really does plan to expel anyone who shows no potential, and without the driving force of the rational deception behind them I don't know if the likes of Hagakure or Izuku could pass.

"DIE!"

I'm blown out of my own train of thought as Bakugou adds an explosion to his pitch, throwing his ball 705 metres away. While the others watch on in shock and awe at the results, my eyes focus on the trajectory of the surprisingly sturdy ball. The fact that Bakugou has an explosion that can send an object flying that far… there's no doubt about it, everyone in this world, me included, must be at least a little tougher than back home, or Bakugou has excellent control over the force of his explosions.

"Alright then," Aizawa remarked as the discussion died down. "Whoever comes in last place in all eight events will be judged to have no potential… and punished with expulsion." As people cried out in shock, Aizawa's face lit up with perhaps the most menacing smile he could put onto his face. "We're free to do what we want with the circumstances of our students. Welcome to the U.A. Hero course!"

As the complaints come through, I zone out again, mostly because him saying that has just made me realize… how is that supposed to work with students who have esoteric Quirks like Hagakure or Koda or…

… actually, where is Koda? Rock headed guy, even with how shy I noted him down as it should be easy to spot him out without me having to keep my suit on. He didn't wear any protective equipment, and I don't need it on to stop my Quirk in the open air but… is he just not here? I assumed I missed him before because my suit sometimes makes things look funny but no. I actually feel a bit bad about that. He had a hero spirit at least. At the same time though this was always going to happen if I wanted to get into the hero course.

The first event! With the robot set up at the end, it was a 50m dash! Two at a time, fierce competition, with Iida, the frog-like Asui Tsyu, Mina and Aoyama all making impressive results. It was enough to get anyone energized…

…right up until I realized I was being paired up opposite Todoroki. The white and red hair was a dead giveaway, not to mention the faint chill in the air as he prepared. The only way I was going to do this was to take a page out of Bakugou's book it looked like… which will be difficult. Still, as Todoroki took on a runner's pose-

"On your marks!"

I thrust my arms behind me, the chill in the air getting more and more intense.

"Get set!"

I glanced over to Todoroki for only a second to see that frost was already building at his feet. He's planning on sending himself forward with a path of ice!

"GO!"

And as soon as it's announced a loud duo of pops would sound along with it, the built-up pressure of Nebula gas in my hands sending me flying forwards. I start pushing gas towards the hands again, building up the pressure as I start to come in for a landing, and fire off another burst of Nebula gas, flinging me towards the finish line-

"4.49 seconds! 4.55 seconds!"

Only for me to crash to the ground slightly after Todoroki's ice path had crossed the line. I groaned and slowly pulled myself up off the ground only to notice Todoroki giving me an odd look. "Heh… saw the frost on the ground. Figured if I didn't push hard enough you might accidentally freeze my legs." I remarked with a tired smile.

Todoroki gave no answer… right, still very reserved and very much stuck with Endeavour hanging over his head. I go to say more… only for Aizawa-sensei to clear his throat. Ah, right. The Nebula Gas. It might not be much but if I leave the bursts there it could make the others cough. With only the vaguest bit of a blush on my face, I hold out my hands… and desperately resist the urge to scratch them after sucking the gas back in. Freaking itch!

"It's good to see you've got more control over that Quirk now." Aizawa – sorry, Aizawa-sensei – remarked. "Now move, you're blocking the path for the others."

Blunt as ever, but that's kinda to be expected.

The gripping contest was… a dud for me really. Even as I gripped the machine tight, it wasn't that much more than my last middle school test. I sighed… and then looked at the others before gawking at one particular result.

"300 Kilograms?" I asked incredulously, looking up at the familiar if somewhat ordinary looking guy with… slightly puffy lips? Not everything translates one to one when you go from drawn to real life. Asui for example looks… very uncanny. Like she's clearly human, but her eyes are too big, her body proportions seem a bit wrong. It's just a touch… off.

"Yeah, it's night and day compared to middle school." The brown-haired man remarked with a smile as he slowly let go of the machine. "Sometimes superstrength is all you need – name's Sato Rikido."

"Nebulos Andros – yes, I know, it's weird," I admitted, holding both hands up in defeat.

Sato shrugged his shoulders at that. "No weirder than some I've heard before. But your gas… weren't you the kid from the whole 'Smash' Incident a few years back?" I winced at that. "Ah, n-not that I'm judging you for that. I was more wondering… well, why not turn into one of them to do the test?"

I sighed at that, dropping my hands down. "I… haven't tested that yet, and I'd rather not test if I can control that right now," I admitted.

Sato nodded. "Sorry about that man… hey, as an apology." He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out… a cookie? "My Quirk uses sugar to get going, so I always keep a few sweets spare."

I simply smiled at that and bit in. Mmm, chocolate chip~. "Sato-san, you didn't have to apologize… but this is a tasty way for you to do so."

The events started to fly by after that. The third event being the long jump was simple enough, although I tried for a stronger initial push I only got so far before landing, nothing like the impressive continuous flight that the brown haired Ochako and the explosive pineapple that is Bakugou managed, and just behind what Aoyama could manage with a single beam, but I was satisfied with it. I took side stepping as a time to ease off on using the Quirk – I was getting a serious itch in my hands from repeated pressure blasts and then bringing it back in. Besides, I knew there was at least one other event I needed to be ready for.

Throwing. After Bakugou's explosion earlier had managed to set a standard, everyone was trying hard. Sato's strength was outstanding of course, and the blond haired man that I only recognized as Kaminari Denki after the fact managed to surprise me by preparing his own body as a sort of railgun… sort of in that when he fired the ball, he also fired himself backwards, although not nearly as far.

"Heh, can't help that," Kaminari admitted as he walked back towards us. "My Quirk goes all over the place."

Of course, the confident grin was soon wiped off his face as Yaroyozu Momo, the high class and super intelligent future den mother of the class, manifested an actual real-life medieval CANNON to fire her ball out of, easily outdoing even Kaminari's own blast.

And as for me? Well, the result is pretty obvious at this point. As much as I'd love to claim otherwise, not being willing to even test Smash transformation means I must make do with the fact that Nebula Gas is a gas, and not what else it can do. Still, enough pressure meant that I could match Kaminari shot for shot.

And beyond that, there wasn't much. Not exactly much I can do using pressure backlash for seated toe touches or upper body strength, and beyond a few uses of the bursts to get ahead of the others in the endurance run it wasn't anything noticeable.

It was as we were gathered up for the scores that I decided to ask the question that had been on my mind.

"Aizawa-sensei. I know you've been talking about how the tests we've taken before aren't rational." I noted. "But… well, doesn't the tests you recently ran disadvantage anyone who has more odd Quirks? Like if one of us could create illusions, none of the tests judge that."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow… but actually nodded. "I agree, my test isn't a perfect system to judge from. It works for me to see which of you, if any, have potential. But I will say that it's not meant to be the benchmark everyone should be judged by." As he spoke, he manifested the hologram results screen for us to look at. To my absolute lack of shock, I'm 16th, right behind Kaminari. "But it also should be a lesson for you all to use: Your Quirks won't be the perfect answer to every situation. It's up to you to figure out how you adapt to them."

There was no response for a moment as everyone looked at the results, a sense of dread seeming to radiate from one unfortunate green haired last place boy.

"Also, I was lying about expelling someone."

And there's the penny dropping. Nobody makes a sound, all utterly stunned at this declaration.

"It was a Rational Deception-" emphasis mine "-to bring out the best of your skills."

I plug my ears in time for the outcry of shock from most students to roll out. Admittedly while cruel, I had to admit that it was a good excuse. Excuse only of course, even as the others left for the classroom, I instead moved ahead to follow my homeroom teacher.

"…chase their half-baked dreams." Aizawa finished… before he glanced further backwards. "Nebulos, is there a reason you're here ahead of the others?"

I panted slightly… but nodded. "Yes sensei… I need to talk to you and Principal Nedzu, as soon as possi…" I trailed off as I slowly turned my head and noticed who else Aizawa had been talking to. When you live in Japan for a few years, you get used to the height being generally shorter. All Might defied expectations by being bigger than almost anyone I had met in both lives. Not to mention the muscles that I'm pretty sure gave him pectorals bigger than my head, the fantastic grin always on his face and that stark blonde hair that isn't exactly common in Japan even now. "…ble. Uh, probably best if you're there too, All Might-sensei."

Both heroes looked at me at that, All Might having a single eyebrow raised, while Aizawa was looking deeper with a gaze that I knew meant he was piecing things together. "I don't see why you need to talk with me specifically young Nebulos, I'm sure your homeroom teacher-" All Might began before Aizawa walked closer to me.

"… this has to do with what you told me about years ago, doesn't it?" Aizawa asked.

I simply nodded. "I'd… rather not say more around my classmates. I can explain in private but please…?"

Aizawa sighed. "And I was hoping for a nice nap. It's short notice so I can't guarantee anything. Come by the staff room after you collect your curriculum and such." He noted, before turning around and starting to walk off.

As he walked off, I looked over at All Might… no, Toshinori Yagi, and he sighed. "Guess it can't be helped. If Aizawa is taking this as seriously as he is, you must have something important to say." He remarked, even as I slowly walked past him with a slight smile.

As I came by the staff room, Aizawa opened the door and gestured me to come through, taking us through a side door to what is either a really nice meeting room or the principal's office. I don't know which and given the cups of tea already set out I don't know if I want to question it. Still, alongside the slouched and generally untamed look of Aizawa and the buff, overly muscled form of All Might, each at their own armchair, there was Principal Nedzu, the white-furred mouse-bear-dog being, sitting on the couch, to which he patted to the side of it.

"Ah, Nebulos Andros… or would you just prefer Andros?" Nedzu asked. "To be honest I didn't expect a student to ask to meet with me today, let alone with two of my teachers. Ah, sit, sit." He insisted. I gulped, having changed back into my safety suit for the sake of not giving Aizawa-sensei dry eye from my sheer nervousness, but soon did so. "I'd offer you tea, but I see you're using your suit."

I nodded, putting enough force to make the helm of my suit do the same. "Yes, Principal Nedzu. What I need to talk about is big enough that I don't want to have Aizawa-sensei overuse his Quirk." I remarked… before I sat down on the couch and looked directly at All Might. "Or All Might-sensei's."

Shock rung through the room at that statement, Aizawa and All Might briefly stunned in their seats while Principal Nedzu… slowly sipped his tea. "Ah, a shame, this is a particularly nice blend," Nedzu remarked with a smile. "And as for you knowing that… while it's not public knowledge after Aizawa told me about you I suspected you might know something concerning All Might."

All Might sighed… and in a plume of smoke, the muscled, massive, symbol of peace disappeared… replaced with the gaunt, skeletal form of Toshinori Yagi. "I will admit to being a bit lost here. How do you know about my condition young Nebulos?" Toshinori queried.

I sighed… and looked over at Aizawa. "I'm sure by now that everyone in this room has heard of what they call the 'Smash Incident', where a young boy with a dangerous Transformation Quirk accidentally turned a man into a monster," I remarked. "What most don't say is that I had only gotten my Quirk moments before… shortly after arriving here from another world. A world where heroes like All Might, Eraserhead and more were characters in an Anime and Manga"

"Before you ask, I was the one who questioned him after the incident." Aizawa pointed out dryly, shooting a look at the gaunt blonde. "As strange as it sounds, it was impossible for him to know exactly what he knew about me." Even as he said this, his gaze turned from the Symbol of Peace to me. "Although the form it took is news to me."

I held up my hands. "I didn't think to mention it at the time, and it was hard enough convincing you to begin with," I noted nervously. "And that's why I asked to have this meeting… because there's more that I didn't say then because I didn't know if things were going to change or not."

Aizawa's gaze focused on me… and then shifted to Toshinori – whose hands were resting on his knees and gripping them - and back. Nedzu simply put his cup down.

"Because the series you saw focused mostly on when All Might became a teacher at this school, correct?" Nedzu asked.

I gulped, but simply nodded, letting the silence hang in the air before pushing forward. "He wasn't the main focus-" I remarked as I slowly stared at Toshinori and hoped he'd get the idea. "-but he was fairly prominent. And it's because of what's going to happen in a couple of days' time that I realized I need to talk about this with you all now."

The room went silent again, but I swore I could practically hear the foreboding music that would have sounded off at this point in the anime. I gripped my fists tight and let out a sigh before pulling out a red book. My big book of plot events, a book of fate and a future that could be. Potentially everyone's lives in my hands, literally "… in two days, the news media will barge into U.A. to try and get an interview with All Might, despite it being one of his days off. They'll get past security with what I think was outside help." I read out of the book, keeping a nervous quiver out of my voice by killing any energy in it. "And the next day, when Class 1-A is undertaking a Rescue Exercise at the USJ… a large group of villains will invade and attack, seeking to kill All Might with an artificial villain. Except All Might couldn't make it until one of the class makes it back to the school to let everyone know what's going on."

The silence was deafening. Aizawa's gaze entirely focused, the smile on Nedzu's face was gone… and All Might's grip was bone-white, teeth grit. "Young Nebulos… this isn't a vision from a Quirk is it?" Toshinori asked, eyes wavering. "It can be changed, right?" He pleaded, his tone practically begging me to say anything that'd ease his worries.

What, why is he- oh. Oh. Ooooh no. "Toshinori-sensei… not only is this not set in stone… but neither is your former sidekick's." I'm not telling him that he found out too late. If I can do what I plan to do, there isn't going to BE a too late. "But the problem is changing things too much. We can't just cancel the class and ambush the villains."

"Why. What reason do you have to put yourself and all of your classmates in danger?" Aizawa asked. I turned to answer him… and flinched, the red glowing eyes staring back at me and his capture tape floating, barely being held back.

I looked quickly at Toshinori and Nedzu, who looked at me expectantly… before I sighed. "Because they're linked to someone All Might would rather not know. And because in the story… the attack lead to the final defeat of that man." I noted grimly. "But I… I don't want to risk my classmates either. It's just that if the villains got wind of things… then everything I know about their actions goes out the window."

Aizawa let the glow fade from his eyes, Toshinori had gone deathly silent since I had hinted at All for One and Nedzu… simply looked at me and… took one of my hands into his paws?

"Your poor boy… you've been holding onto this knowledge for so long… you've asked yourself the same questions, too haven't you?" Nedzu asked. And as he did, I stopped and tried to hold back a sniffle. I blinked my eyes a bit as they started to sting. Then a sob tore its way out of my throat, and I started to cry. "There there… let it out." the mouse-bear-dog said, patting me on the back slowly as I cried, my shoulders shaking.

After a few minutes of me letting myself let out the sheer dread and sadness at the choices I had decided to make… we continued the meeting. And we started to plan.