Even though he should have expected it, the empty place at the table the next morning sent a spike of pain through Izuku's chest. Katsuki hadn't shown up for breakfast, or even texted anything since the previous night. The fact that Inko had laid out a place and cooked extra for the boy only made his absence more apparent.

Izuku couldn't blame his mother. He hadn't told her about his and Katsuki's disagreement yet, partially because he'd been busy explaining the events of the entrance exam to her, and partially out of an irrational worry that if he spoke about the disagreement it would somehow make things worse.

Not that he could really change the situation. He'd tried to bring it up to both Katsuki and Uraraka the night before via text, but neither had been receptive. Uraraka had told him that she wasn't in the mood to discuss the confrontation while Katsuki had simply ignored the messages. Izuku couldn't quite blame either of them, but he wished that there was some way to fix things. The thought of his two best friends growing to despise each other filled him with a sense of dread and despair.

"Izuku, is everything okay?" Inko asked, interrupting his thoughts. "You looked like you were feeling down last night, and I can't help but wonder if that has something to do with Katsuki not showing up today…"

Slowly, Izuku nodded. "Y-Yeah. There was a… misunderstanding yesterday. Kacchan and Uraraka ended up fighting because of me. I wanted to do something to fix it, but I just didn't know what to say. And then it was too late, and now neither of them want to talk about it. I just… I just want them to get along."

Inko reached across the table and laid her hand on Izuku's, patting it gently. "Oh honey. I know that must be tough. But Izuku, you can't always fix things for other people. Sometimes they just have to work things out for themselves."

Izuku's heart sank. A small part of him knew she was right. There was nothing he could say that would make Katsuki change his mind at this point. Uraraka might come around given an explanation and some time, but that was assuming that nothing else went wrong in the meantime. Knowing Katsuki as well as he did, Izuku knew that his friend would say or do something in that time that would just take them back to square one.

"You don't need to worry though," Inko said, drawing his attention back to her. "Katsuki is a lot like his mother was at that age. He just needs some time to blow off steam. Once he's done, he'll be back. Mark my words."

"Thanks Mom," Izuku said.

She gave his hand a final squeeze before drawing back to collect the dishes. "You're welcome dear. You should hurry up though, or you might miss the train."

Izuku glanced at the clock and saw that he only had five minutes left to get ready. He scarfed down his breakfast, choking a little in his haste, and rushed through the rest of his preparations.


It was close, but Izuku barely managed to make it to the platform in time to catch the train. For once, his anxiety had actually helped him out. Before the start of the school year, Izuku had taken the time to measure his commute to UA and to find the path with the least amount of foot traffic. Thanks to this, he was able to run almost the entire way to the platform at a dead sprint and make up much of his lost time.

The platform was crowded with commuters on their way to work and other students on their way to school. In the sea of dark business suits and dull high school uniforms, UA's own uniform stood out like a beacon, and drew Izuku's eyes to the only other person on the platform wearing one.

Katsuki stood near the edge of the platform, arms crossed and a single finger tapping a furious rhythm while he glared at anyone who came near him. The rest of the crowd had obliged his attitude by keeping as far away from him as they could given the limited space available.

"Umm, g-good morning Kacchan," Izuku said, trying his best to swallow his nerves as he made his way up to his friend.

"'Sup," he replied, his tone only slightly more antagonistic than normal.

"Oh, just… uh, waiting for the train, you know?" Izuku replied, cringing internally at how lame he sounded.

Katsuki only sighed at that before looking Izuku dead in the eyes. "Please tell me you're not gonna be like that all day."

When Izuku didn't respond, Katsuki reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. After a couple of moments fooling with it, he found what he was searching for and held the device out to Izuku. Glancing down, Izuku found that it was an article about a new local hero who had managed to stop a bank robbery single-handedly the day before. Izuku vaguely remembered seeing some buzz about the incident on the hero forums he frequented the night before, but he had been too tired and too out of sorts to dive deep into the information.

Izuku looked up from the phone, causing Katsuki to roll his eyes in exasperation. "It's a distraction, dumbass. I don't want to have to hear you stuttering through small talk the rest of the way to UA. So, and I can't believe I'm saying this, go full hero nerd on this. Give me a break down. Strengths, weaknesses, who he'd be good partners with, the whole shebang."

The knot of tension that had been growing in Izuku's stomach all morning relaxed at the offer. True, they were putting off dealing with the problem for later, but that was pretty much how Katsuki dealt with any problem he couldn't intimidate or beat into submission. It was a solution, however, and at this point Izuku was willing to take anything.

The train ride blurred by as Izuku broke down the new hero. He didn't have a whole lot to go on, since the bank robbers hadn't put up much of a fight, so a fair amount of his analysis ended up being guesswork, but he did his best. Despite his best efforts to keep his voice down, his eager analysis earned him a few questioning looks from the other passengers in the car, but after they saw his uniform most of those looks changed to ones of understanding. Izuku even heard a few commenting on his diligence and forethought.

It was odd to hear. For so many years, everyone besides Katsuki had referred to his analysis as creepy or obsessive. The sudden reversal of attitude gave him a sense of whiplash.

"Fuckin' turncoats," Katsuki muttered, as if reading Izuku's thoughts.

Izuku placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, but didn't respond to the statement. Instead, he continued with his analysis as if nothing had happened. After all, the analysis was for Katsuki and him, and he had more than enough experience tuning other people out.

By the end of the train ride, Izuku felt like things were almost back to normal, which was, of course, when things went horribly wrong.

"Morning Deku!" Uraraka said, sweet as could be.

Katsuki instantly tensed, his slouch becoming even more pronounced as he glared from under his hair at the new arrival. As before, Uraraka didn't even flinch. She kept a bright smile on her face, though it didn't reach her eyes in the slightest.

"M-M-Morning Uraraka." Izuku felt his back stiffen as his friends locked eyes.

You could cut the tension with a knife, and even the surrounding crowd could feel it. Despite the bustle of the emerging passengers, not a single person came within five feet of them. Even Izuku found himself wanting to keep away, though he resisted the urge. He needed to stay close, to be ready to intervene if things should go south. Not that he was entirely sure what he could, or even should do in such a situation. Who would he even help in such a case?

In the end, however, Izuku didn't have to choose. Before a fight could break out, Uraraka broke eye contact with Katsuki and stepped forward, planting herself firmly at Izuku's right side, directly opposite Katsuki.

"Ready for our first heroics class?" she asked with the same level of bright enthusiasm she always displayed. Only a hint of tension in her voice spoke to any other emotions she was feeling.

"I, uhm, not-not really?" Izuku replied, glancing between the two. They were both pointedly facing forward, avoiding any chance of accidental interaction.

"That's fair," she said, "I'm pretty nervous myself. But I'm kinda excited too. I mean, imagine if they let us start rescue training on the first day? Wouldn't that be cool?"

Izuku nodded slowly in agreement. In his opinion, learning how to save people was one of the most important steps to becoming a hero, and he couldn't wait for the lesson. In fact, Uraraka's words had reignited the excitement inside him that had been buried by his worries over her and Katsuki's fight. His back straightened a little as he imagined himself saving people like he'd watched All Might do a million times, a reassuring smile on his face the entire time.

"Come on!" Uraraka said, the smile on her own face growing when she saw his reaction. She grabbed his arm and began to pull him towards UA. "Let's hurry up and get to class!"

Izuku worried for a brief moment about Katsuki's reaction to her actions, but the blond boy merely clicked his tongue and matched their pace.

It wasn't exactly how he had pictured it, but Izuku found himself walking to school with his two best friends, and couldn't help but be a little happy at the development.


Izuku sighed in relief as he set his tray down. Navigating UA's cafeteria had been a nightmare for him. Lunchtime seemed to bring out the worst in the students, with everyone trying to get their food in the least amount of time and not caring too much about anyone that got in their way while they did so. Izuku had spent more time apologizing for bumping into people while trying to cross the room than he had actually walking. Thankfully, no one had tried to bite his head off for keeping them from their food, though he had caught more than a few irate glares.

For Izuku, however, the table wasn't exactly the port in a storm he had been looking for. Katsuki and Uraraka had claimed the seats on either side of him as soon as he sat down, leaving Iida looking very confused on the other side of the table. It was a cramped seating arrangement, but neither of his friends seemed willing to relent in the slightest, leaving Izuku to do his best not to elbow them as he ate.

He had only just started to figure out how to take a sip of his drink without elbowing Uraraka in the larynx when Ashido dropped into one of the seats next to Iida.

"Morning!" she said, flashing the table a thousand-watt smile. "How's everyone getting on this morning?"

Izuku winced as Ashido barreled right into the subject he had been hoping to avoid talking about. Admittedly, she didn't know how loaded the topic was, but Izuku still found himself wishing she had chosen any other greeting.

When no one offered a response to her question, Ashido frowned a little. "That bad, huh?"

Izuku could only nod in response. Katsuki and Uraraka said nothing, still set in avoiding any interaction with each other. Iida was silent as well, though he seemed to be waiting for a chance to jump in once he understood exactly what was going on.

"In that case, why don't we liven things up?" Ashido said, waving to Kirishima and Kaminari at the next table over.

The pair, who appeared to have been waiting for her signal, grabbed either side of their table and dragged it over, combining their two groups into one.

"Return that table at once!" Iida barked, "Rearranging school property on a whim is disrespectful to both the staff and our fellow students!"

"Calm down dude," Kaminari said, "It's just a table, the staff don't care."

"Plus," Ashido said, pointing to the students surrounding the tables former position who had scooted their chairs a bit further back, "we're actually giving people some more leg room."

When Iida still didn't look convinced, she sighed. "Would it make you feel better if we swore to put it back when we're done with lunch?"

Iida looked extremely torn for a moment, but eventually relaxed and nodded his agreement. With that done, the rest of the now expanded table relaxed and seated themselves. Izuku, Katsuki, and Uraraka spread out on one side of the table, while Kaminari and Kirishima joined Ashido and Iida on the opposite side, giving Izuku a chance to really examine the two.

Kirishima had an easy smile and a friendly demeanor that was a little at odds with his appearance. Izuku had always thought of dyed hair as a rebellion, one that was reserved for delinquents and malcontents. Kirishima was pretty much the exact opposite. Izuku had only known him for a short time, but he got the impression of someone who could be friends with just about anyone, and would stick with those friends through thick and thin. It was an attitude that Izuku greatly admired, and he dearly hoped that they would get to spend some time getting to know each other over the next few weeks.

Kaminari was exceptionally friendly as well. He was quick to crack a joke, and he laughed at nearly every joke told, no matter how terrible it was. Even after two short days, he had already established himself as the class clown. Unlike the other class clowns Izuku had known, however, he seemed more inclined to laugh with people than at them, something Izuku was immensely thankful for.

"So, what do you think our first hero class is going to be like?" Ashido asked, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"Deku and I were talking about that earlier," Uraraka chimed in, "We're hoping it's rescue training!"

"That would be fun," Ashido said, pressing a finger to her chin in contemplation, "Although… how would that really work? Do they have a fake burning building that we pull baby dolls out of?"

"UA's rescue program is second to none," Iida said. "I am sure that they will not resort to half measures when it comes to our training."

"So real orphans and a real burning building then?" Kaminari asked.

"Of course not!" Iida barked, looking offended at the mere idea that UA would act in such an irresponsible manner.

"Y'all are thinking too big," Katsuki cut in. "Class has been nothing but bullshit so far, and today isn't going to be any different."

"Way to be a downer, dude," Kaminari said, frowning at Katsuki.

"Can it, Sparky," Katsuki replied, glaring back at the other blond.

"Bakugo is probably right," Kirishima said. "School's been pretty slow after that first day. Might wanna keep our expectations low."

"Where's the fun in that?" Ashido asked. "I have lots of expectations! So… what if we chose hero names today?"

"Isn't it a bit too early?" Uraraka asked. "I mean, we haven't even started hero training."

"That's exactly why!" Ashido replied, "Where better to start building our image than from our names?"

"That is… a good point Ashido," Iida said, "although I would argue that a hero's persona should be based upon their actions, rather than the other way around."

Ashido shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat. So, what do you want to do in class today Iida?"

Iida took a moment to adjust his glasses and collect his thoughts before he responded. "A lesson on the etiquette of a hero. I have often admired how professional heroes comport themselves, both in the field and in interviews. A lecture about such a subject from a professional hero would be a most excellent way to begin our foray into heroics."

"And I call Izuku a nerd," Katsuki muttered, shaking his head. "At least he doesn't ask for more boring-ass lectures."

"And what are you hoping class is going to be, Bakugo?" Ashido asked.

"Combat," he replied simply.

Uraraka snorted in what might have been derision, or just a suppressed sneeze. Katsuki glared at her, the first time either of them had looked directly at the other since meeting at the train station, but didn't say anything. When Uraraka made no further comment, Katsuki clicked his tongue and turned his attention back to his meal.

There was a moment of silence while half of the table's occupants tried to figure out how exactly to respond to that without getting their heads bitten off.

"W-whatever we're doing," Izuku said, breaking in before things could worsen, "We should all do our best, and have fun."

His statement broke the atmosphere of tension that had been building and turned everyone's attention to their feelings of excitement for the coming lesson once more. Smiles broke out across the table, though Katsuki continued to scowl as hard as ever.

"Excellently put, Midoriya," Iida said, adjusting his glasses slightly. "Today will indeed be an excellent opportunity to learn, if we make it one."

"Heck yeah!" Kirishima said, pumping his fist, "We're gonna crush it!"

Izuku could only smile as the rest of the table chimed in. The day had been a crash course in resolving tension, but it seemed like he was getting better at it little by little, and with the day halfway over, he only needed to keep this up for a few more hours. After that would be the class party and then the weekend, with plenty of time for Katsuki to cool down. Izuku hoped that, with time, he could bring his friend around on his friendship with Uraraka.

That hope relaxed him somewhat, and he spent the rest of lunch relaxing and chatting with his growing circle of friends as they eagerly awaited their proper introduction to the world of heroes.


"I AM HERE TO SERVE AS YOUR TEACHER!"

"ALL MIGHT?!" The collective cry of surprise was probably audible throughout the building. Even though the class had been inundated with pro heroes since coming to UA, this was an entirely different experience. All Might was a living legend, a titan among men. He towered over everyone in the room, both physically and with his raw presence in a way that made everyone sit up and pay attention.

"This is awesome!" Kirishima said, practically bouncing in his seat, "I can't believe we're getting taught by someone so manly!"

"Indeed!" Iida nodded approvingly, "It is comforting to know our education is being handled by someone so experienced!"

"Isn't that his silver age costume?" Asui remarked.

"It totally is!" Ashido said. "Kinda makes me feel like a kid again. It's so retro!"

"All Might is cool!" Tsunotori exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. She followed with a string of rapid English that Izuku couldn't even begin to parse out, but he got the feeling that it was more praise for the hero.

Izuku, for his part, smiled broadly. Thanks to the message that had come with his acceptance letter, he had had an inkling that something like this was coming. Even still, he was exceptionally glad to see All Might standing at the podium in front of them. He had grown used to his mentor's advice and encouragement during the long months of training for the entrance exam, and he was glad to see that wasn't going to be ending just yet.

"Welcome!" All Might said, his booming voice silencing all other conversation in the room instantly. "It is a pleasure to meet you all, and to see that you're so enthusiastic! Today is your first day of foundational heroics, which you can think of as hero-ing 101. In this class, you'll learn the basics of being a pro, and what it means to fight on the side of justice!"

He paused for a moment to flex dramatically before continuing, "Now, without further ado, let's start things off with a bang! Today's lesson will be battle training! After all, stopping villains is one of the most important parts of being a hero!"

Izuku's stomach dropped. Their first class and they were already jumping straight into combat? Wasn't that skipping a few steps?

Katsuki, meanwhile, was wearing a devil's grin. No doubt he had been itching for this day to come since he had turned in his application. He had chafed under the watchful eyes of their teachers, who had always been ready to punish any infractions quickly and harshly since he and Izuku were children. Now, Katsuki had been given the green light to exercise his considerable martial skills in an environment where he would only be praised for his efforts, and it was obvious he was going to milk the situation for every bit of enjoyment he could get.

Under other circumstances, Izuku would have been happy for his friend, but at the moment he could only pray that he wouldn't end up facing Katsuki. Their sparring sessions to prepare for UA had proven that Katsuki was a fierce opponent even when he was holding back, and Izuku was sure he would be bringing his 'A' game.

"But first, we'll have to get you into your hero mindsets!" All Might said, whipping a small remote out of nowhere. "And the best way to do that is suiting up!"

At his command, a series of shelves slid smoothly out of the wall. Each contained a number of cases marked with large green numbers.

"Several months ago, you all submitted your physical information along with your Quirk registration and costume requests. Now, you get to see the results of all that paperwork; your very own hero costumes! So, why don't you all get dressed, then come out and meet me at Ground Beta!"

A cheer went up as the students surged forward, each one fighting to be the first to grab their costumes. They wasted no time pulling them out and admiring the careful tailoring and craftsmanship that had gone into bringing their designs to life. There were a few students left disappointed when reality failed to match up with the fantasy they had been building up since childhood, but on the whole, the mood in the class was one of jubilation.

Izuku avoided the crush of bodies, choosing instead to remain at his desk while he clutched at the bag that contained his costume. It had been a surprise when his mother had revealed the green bodysuit to him, one that had turned both of them into sobbing messes for several minutes.

It had taken quite a bit of effort to pull himself together, but somehow Izuku had managed to do it. Afterwards, he had laid out the costume and admired it. It was everything he had ever wanted, and it fit almost perfectly when he pulled it on, needing only minor adjustments. Despite his mother's claims that she wasn't much of a seamstress, Izuku hadn't found so much as a single flaw. Her love for him shone through with every stitch, and Izuku could hardly wait to don it officially.

It didn't take long for the chaos at the front of the room to resolve. Once everyone had finished looking over their new costumes, they filed out of the room and made their way quickly towards the changing rooms. Most kept it to a brisk walk, though Izuku heard Iida reprimanding a few who had decided that a lecture for running in the hallways was worth it to get to their destination a little faster. Izuku couldn't really blame them. His own feet itched to break out into a sprint as he walked down the hallway, which seemed much longer than it had the day before. It was only when he made it to the changing rooms that his excitement abated a little.

As Izuku donned his own costume, he couldn't help but admire the varied designs his classmates had created. Some, like Todoroki or Tokoyami had gone for simple costumes that could almost pass for street clothes at the right angle. He assumed this was due to their Quirks not needing support items, and being mostly separate from their bodies. Then there were people like Aoyama and Katsuki, who had gone for as much flash as they could pack into a single outfit (literally in Aoyama's case).

Katsuki's costume had actually come as something of a surprise to Izuku. The final product was quite different from the one he and Izuku had designed together when they were children. Izuku wasn't sure how many of the changes were due to changes in Katsuki's tastes, and how many had been made by the costume department to make the suit more socially acceptable. There were certainly a lot fewer skulls than the last time Izuku had seen at the design.

"Your costume looks good, Kacchan," Izuku said, once he had finished pulling his own on.

"Damn pencil pushers took all the spikes off, but it's fine other than that," Katsuki said, sliding an oversized, grenade themed gauntlet onto his arm.

Izuku did a double take at the gauntlets. They had been one of the later additions to the costume, created after a long discussion between the two over how few heroes were able to reliably fight at both close and long range. Izuku had proposed a system for catching Katsuki's sweat and channeling it into a confined channel, enhancing the explosion in a similar manner to squeezing a garden hose. They had never been able to figure out a system that would actually work, however, so Izuku was surprised to see them included in the final design.

"Kacchan, do those actually work?" Izuku asked, pointing at the gauntlets.

Katsuki grinned. "Hell yeah they do. Once they're charged, all I have to do is pull the pin, and boom!"

Izuku frowned. "How much do they store? Because that could be really dangerous if someone took a direct hit."

"That's the idea," Katsuki replied, sliding the other gauntlet into place. "Someone gets hit with one of these, and the fight's over. 'Sides, can't be too dangerous if the school approved them, right?"

"I guess you're right…" Izuku agreed tentatively. "Just… be careful, okay?"

Katsuki scoffed and looked away. "Fine. Not like I'm gonna need them today anyways. No one here is putting up a real fight." He gestured towards Mineta and Kaminari, who were not so subtly discussing their disappointment over UA's lack of coed changing rooms.

"Kacchan, they deserve to be here as much as you do. They passed the same tests as you."

"Says more about the exams than about them," Katsuki replied. "But I'll tell you what. If any of them manages to put up something resembling a decent fight, I'll owe you a ramen next time we hang out."

"And apologize too?" Izuku added.

"Don't hold your breath."


"They say that clothes make the pros, and right now you are living proof of that!" All Might said as the class stepped out onto Ground Beta, his ever present smile seeming to grow even wider, somehow. "You look so cool!"

There was a collective blush from the crowd of students at the hero's words. Everyone was standing taller, Izuku most of all, as he tried to live up to All Might's example.

"But, without further ado, it's time we got started!" All Might continued, snapping everyone's attention back to him. "For your first combat exercise, you will be splitting into groups of two and competing for control of an objective!"

Iida raised his hand, nearly blinding a few of his classmates as sunlight bounced off his meticulously polished white armor, "Sir, since we have returned to the same fake city as our entrance exam, will we be conducting urban battles once again?"

"An excellent question!" All Might responded. "That was, in fact, the original plan for today. However, looking at you all now, I believe you're all adjusting fine to the curriculum here. As such, we're going to be jumping ahead a little. Today, we'll be taking things indoors!"

"Indoors?"

"Indeed! While most of the confrontations you see on the news take place outside, statistically speaking, most villain activity takes place indoors. Backroom deals, home invasions, that sort of thing. In fact, some of the most difficult battles I've fought have been against criminals in their hideouts!"

The class took a brief moment to wonder what kind of criminal it would take to get All Might to refer to a battle as "difficult". Hardly any of them could remember hearing about a criminal encounter that the hero hadn't resolved in record time, and without breaking a sweat.

"Now, what's say we get you paired up?" All Might asked, pulling a small note card out of his belt, "The teams have been pre-selected, so no need to worry about being the last one picked!"

The attempt at humor was overshadowed by Iida cutting in, "Sir, wouldn't it be more realistic to have us select our own partners?"

His question set off a chain reaction, with several students chiming in their own questions about scoring methods, how badly they could injure their opponents (Izuku winced at that question from Katsuki), and whether or not they were at risk of being dropped from the program if they failed to measure up to the hero's standards.

All Might looked overwhelmed by the sudden influx of questions, which surprised Izuku. The hero had shown great skill in dealing with reporters in the past, and he never seemed to get flustered by paparazzi, or when fans approached him out of the blue. Then again, Izuku supposed that it might just be a matter of experience. He had been dealing with fans and the media for years, but teaching was a whole new experience for him.

"I, uh, I think the pre-selected teams are actually pretty realistic," Izuku said, addressing Iida. In his attempt to overcome his nerves, however, he put a bit too much force into his voice than was strictly necessary, causing it to carry to the rest of his classmates as well, who all fell silent to listen. "Pro heroes don't always get to choose who they work with in the field. If there's an unexpected fight, we might have to make do with whoever's available. So this is kinda like prep for that."

"I see!" Iida said, bowing to All Might, "Please excuse my rudeness in questioning your methods."

"That's quite all right!" the hero said, recovering quickly, "Questions are, of course, perfectly natural. It's our first time doing this, after all. Still, our time is somewhat limited today, and we have quite a few matches to get through. If you still have questions, I will be happy to answer them while everyone gets organized."

Thankfully, the process didn't take very long. Within two minutes everyone had found their partner and were waiting to find out who their opponents would be. To Izuku's disappointment, he wasn't paired with any of his friends. Instead, he was paired with Mineta, a boy who he had barely spoken to aside from a brief exchange during one of the icebreaker activities they had done in class the day before.

"Now that we've got that settled, it's time to announce our first match!" All Might boomed, his usual enthusiasm and cheer back in full force, "We will be seeing team one, consisting of Katsuki Bakugo and Kyouka Jirou, as the heroes, facing off against team six, consisting of Ochaco Uraraka and Pony Tsunotori, who will be playing the villains! Let's have an excellent first match from you all!"

"Yeah," Katsuki said, grinning wickedly, "lets."

Oh Izuku thought to himself This is going to be bad.


"We should probably come up with some kind of plan," Ears said, eyeing Katsuki as he stretched in preparation for the fight.

Each side had been given a few minutes to prepare themselves, and Katsuki was taking full advantage to both limber himself up and to work up a bit of a sweat. By the time the match started, he was going to be in perfect form—and blow away the competition in one fell swoop.

"I have a plan. I'm going to blast my way in, beat them senseless, and show the extras in the booth why they should just quit now and save themselves the trouble of having to be compared to me."

"Are you kidding me?" Ears said, glaring daggers at him, "Putting aside how stupid it is that you think you can fight them two on one, we're supposed to be working as a team."

"Don't need your help, and don't want it," Katsuki replied, dropping into a squat while he worked the last of the kinks out of his legs. "I'm going to win this single-handedly, so just stay out here and twiddle your thumbs or some shit."

"And what if they decide to hide instead of fighting you, O brilliant tactician?"

"Then I'll start blasting walls until I find them, or the building falls on top of them, whichever comes first."

"I… you can't be serious. There are so many things wrong with that plan, not the least of which is that we're supposed to be heroes! I'm pretty sure dropping buildings on people is more of a villain thing."

"It's a small building. They'll live."

"That's not the point!" Ears was sounding more than a little strained at this point, but she pressed on. "Will you stop being an ass for five minutes and just work with me?"

"STUDENTS! Your time begins now!" All Might's voice boomed throughout the arena.

Ears flinched at the noise, clutching at her ears as if she had just been hit. Katsuki filled that tidbit away for later. Even if he never got the opportunity to use it himself, Izuku would certainly appreciate the extra info for his hero journal.

"That's my queue," Katsuki said. "Now, I'm going to go win this. See you in the observation room."

He rocketed forward before she could say anything else, leaving her coughing angrily as he prepared to engage in some sweet catharsis.

The door on the front looked flimsy enough to be kicked in, and Katsuki was about to blast it in when something caught his eye. Through the grime of one of the second story windows, a flash of pink fabric was barely visible when one squinted. Katsuki instantly began to grin at the sight. They were making things easy for him.

He wasn't quite able to use his explosions to fly, not that he hadn't tried, but he had more than enough power and control to send himself rocketing towards a wide window at the end of the second floor, just a little ways down from where he had seen the flash of color.

He burst through into some kind of office that had been cleared of most of its furniture, leaving him plenty of space to land with a roll. He came to a stop in the dead center of the room, ready to leap into action at the slightest sign of an attack while he surveyed his surroundings.

The office was empty, but halfway down the hall in front of him was an extremely surprised looking Round Face. She was positioned to ambush anyone who came up the stairs, a position that now left her exposed and vulnerable to Katsuki's attacks.

She scrambled for a better position, nearly tripping over herself in her haste. Katsuki simply took a moment to brush some stray bits of glass off of his costume. He hadn't intended for this to be an ambush after all, he'd just wanted to get into the fight a little faster.

Lowering himself into a crouch, Katsuki took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Oh yeah he thought, This is gonna be cathartic.

With that, Katsuki blasted forward, and the fight began.


Bakugo was fast. Ochaco had known that going into the battle, had seen evidence of it during their Quirk assessment two days before, but she still wasn't quite prepared for the speed and ferocity with which he attacked.

He seemed to blur around the edges as he careened towards her on a pair of twin explosions, a ferocious smile on his face. It was all she could do to fling herself out of the way of the blow, a breeze rustling her hair as he blew past.

She didn't even have a moment to relax, however. Another explosion sounded behind her, and Ochaco had just enough time to spin around to face her opponent before his leg slammed into her side and sent her stumbling backwards. He had used the second explosion to redirect the momentum from his charge into a kick, turning the already powerful blow into something truly devastating.

She gasped as pain lanced up her side, her ribs screaming in protest as she fought to stay on her feet. She did her best to stay in a fighting stance, but before she could regain her balance, Bakugo was on her once more. This time, he aimed a punch at her stomach, trying to drive the air from her lungs. In response, Ochaco threw herself forward into the blow. The blow was painful, but off target, and she managed to keep her breathing under control as she tried to grab onto him and active her Quirk.

Bakugo leapt backwards out of her range in one swift motion, the clear winner of the exchange. Even so, Ochaco took a small measure of pride in the fact that he looked surprised to see her still standing.

She didn't have time to rest on her laurels though. Seizing the initiative once more, Bakugo pushed off from the ground, lunging towards Ochaco with both hands outstretched and crackling with small explosions.

She dodged to the side once more, pushing off from the wall as hard as she could. The force of twin explosions behind her as Bakugo impacted the wall crashed into her back and shattered her already unstable balance. She tumbled to the ground, barely managing to turn her fall into a roll part way through. She desperately wished she were more coordinated and that she could use the roll to spring to her feet like she had seen heroes and gymnasts do on TV. Instead she waited until the world stopped spinning quite so furiously before scrambling to her feet.

Down the hall a ways, Bakugo was rubbing at his face, his oversized gauntlets making the task more difficult than it would normally have been. Chips of concrete lay around his feet, blasted away from the wall when he had impacted it.

With a start, Ochaco realized why he wasn't chasing her. He had kept his eyes open during his attack, unwilling to lose sight of her for even a second. His dedication had backfired, however, as his fists struck the wall. Some bit of concrete or dust had become lodged in his eye, and his fashion choices were now making the process of dislodging it difficult. Suddenly, her decision to include eye protection in her costume seemed downright prescient.

She briefly considered closing the gap and using Bakugo's distraction to attack, but decided against it. Her martial knowledge was limited to a half-remembered self-defense class she had taken when she was younger and a few questionably realistic moves she had picked up from action movies, none of which was likely to help her in a fist fight against the highly skilled, highly "motivated" Bakugo.

Instead, Ochaco spun around and sprinted down the hallway away from her opponent. The villain team had been given time to prepare their defenses, and she had taken full advantage of this. Just around the corner was a pile of various pieces of office decor that Uraraka had collected from the building. She ran her hands through the pile in one swift motion, applying her Quirk as quickly as she could to as many objects as possible. It was a motley assortment, but she had faith that they would work.

She had just enough time to form her minefield and get clear before Bakugo came rocketing around the corner. Ochaco saw his eyes widen in surprise a second before he smashed his face into a floating potted plant. He skidded to a stop, wary of running into more levitating foliage, and Ochaco sprung her trap.

A large chunk of the objects she had touched had floated up towards the ceiling, propelled by her hasty pawing as she tried to get everything in place, and had remained floating there. Now, Ochaco returned there gravity all at once. Bakugo swore loudly as Ochaco's minefield came crashing down around him.

Ocaco let out a small whoop of victory as she saw Bakugo fall. She had ended up in a similar position several times when she was first learning to control her Quirk, so she knew from personal experience that it would take some time for him to wiggle free of the pile of office decor.

The stream of expletives coming from the pile abruptly cut off, and Ochaco had a moment to tense in anticipation of Bakugo trying something before the pile exploded, forcing her to duck into a nearby doorway to avoid being showered with debris.

She poked her head around the corner a moment later to see Bakugo standing in the center of a crater, panting heavily. He was smoking slightly, and completely covered in dust and soot, but his costume had come out fine. It had obviously been constructed with explosions in mind, which made sense. Ochaco was embarrassed enough by her skin-tight suit. She couldn't imagine having one that literally shredded itself in combat.

"Are you fucking done?" Bakugo growled, turning slightly to face her.

Ochaco took that moment to run away. Their first exchange had proven that she couldn't beat him in a direct fight, not alone. Her best chance was to continue with the hit-and-run tactics that had proven at least marginally effective. At the very least, she might be able to make it to Tsunotori before—

Her flight was cut short as Bakugo blasted through the wall of the office she was passing through and landed directly in front of her. Somehow, he'd managed to get ahead of her without making so much as a peep. Ochaco was a bit impressed that he'd managed to put his over-inflated ego aside for that long, though that feeling was overshadowed by the panic that shot through her at his emergence.

He lunged forward, and buried his fist in Ochaco's stomach in the same place as before. She gasped in pain, stumbling backwards to try and create some distance. Bakugo simply stepped forward to match her, landing a series of blows to her torso despite her best attempts to block.

In a desperate effort, Ochaco lashed out with a kick to Bakugo's legs, trying to knock him off balance. Another, more experienced, fighter might have been able to pull off the move. Unfortunately, Ochaco was unable to marshall her balance properly for such a kick, and Bakugo didn't even bother to block it. He simply lowered himself slightly and let the kick crash harmlessly into his side while he countered.

Off balance and over-extended, Ochaco was unable to do anything as Bakugo slammed a fist directly into her chin, where her helmet offered no protection, and her vision turned white.


Izuku had to look away as Uraraka dropped like a stone. Watching the battle had been difficult enough, but that was the final straw. He couldn't keep watching his friends hurt each other like that.

He wasn't the only one taken aback by the exchange on screen. Tension and concern were present on every face in the room. Even the stoic Todoroki seemed uneasy, though that might have simply been Izuku projecting his feelings onto the other boy.

"Bakugo, dude, that wasn't very manly," Kirishima said softly. In another room, it might have been a whisper, but in the silence that had fallen over the observation room when Uraraka was struck, his voice was clearly audible to everyone.

"A hero's battles are not always so cut and dry as they appear on the T.V.," All Might replied. His tone was soft, and his voice sounded as though it came from very far , his left hand drifted down to rest atop the scar on his torso, prompting Izuku to wonder once again how exactly that wound had occurred. "It is a lesson that every hero learns in time. Still, I had been hoping for a much more lighthearted exchange for your first day. My apologies to you all." He paused for a moment to bow slightly to the class.

"I think a change to the lesson is in order, once their match has been wrapped up. Instead we can—"

"Holy crap!" Kaminari shouted, shattering the morose atmosphere of the observation room in one fell swoop.

Izuku followed the blond's eyes, which were still firmly fixed on the screen at the front of the room and nearly fainted at what he saw.

Uraraka, through some force of will, had risen from the floor to stand in front of Katsuki once more. Her legs shook, her face was covered in sweat, and a small trail of blood ran down from the corner of her mouth. Despite all of that, though, her eyes were burning with a fire Izuku had no idea that she possessed. In that moment, he knew with utter surety that nothing short of total incapacitation would keep her from finishing the fight.

"Young Uraraka…" All Might whispered, the respect and admiration in his voice clear to everyone who heard it.

"Are… you... done?" she gasped. The strain in her voice overshadowed her mocking tone, but the intent was clear.

Izuku wasn't sure who started it, but someone started cheering, and a second later the observation room was filled with encouraging cries. They knew she couldn't hear them, of course, but her raw determination overrode all that and practically tore the cheers from them. Even Izuku found himself muttering encouragement under his breath. It felt like a betrayal of his friendship with Katsuki, but he was too caught up in the moment for it to stop him.

"You can do it," he said softly, his words completely drowned out by the rest of the class.


"Are… you... done?" she gasped, standing against all odds.

Katsuki could barely believe it. He had been sure that his last blow had put her down for the count. And yet, there she was. Battered and bloody, and yet still defiant. He'd never seen anything like it.

Except for her eyes. The color and shape might be different, but the fire that burned in them was something he would know anywhere. It was the same fire that burned in Izuku when he had defied every one of the extras who had tried to bring him down.

You've gotta be shitting me, he thought to himself, shifting to a defensive stance involuntarily. He knew better than most that someone with eyes like that wouldn't be out of the fight until they were unconscious, and even then he still wouldn't entirely count them out.

The slight whistle of something moving rapidly towards him distracted Katsuki from his thoughts. He leapt backwards, using his explosions to propel himself further. A moment later, a pair of large yellow horns slammed into the space he had previously been standing.

He whipped his head around and saw Horns standing at the far end of the office. A new pair of horns were already pushing their way through her hair, which meant she wasn't going to be defenseless for very long. He raised his hands to attack, but before he could the horns buried in the floor ripped themselves free and flew past him to hang in the air by their owner.

"You okay 'Raka?" Horns called without taking her eyes off Katsuki.

"Tsunotori?" Round Face asked, confusion evident in her voice, "Weren't you... going to stay... with the bomb?"

"Bomb's safe!" Horns replied brightly. "Came to help you fight!"

"Came to help you lose, more like," Katsuki cut in, taking a moment to size his new opponent up. She acted like a ditz who couldn't string a sentence together to save her life, but Katsuki had already underestimated one opponent this match, and he was not going to do it again.

Seizing the initiative, Katsuki lowered his center of gravity slightly, then blasted forward in a flying kick. At best it would do serious damage, and even if it missed, it would serve as an effective gap closer.

Instead of dodging, Horns sent her namesake appendages flying towards him, forcing Katsuki to dodge mid-air with another pair of explosions. He slid to a stop several feet shy of his target as her horns flew past harmlessly. They would be coming back around in a moment, but that was more than enough time to take her down.

Leaping forward, Katsuki leveled his palm directly for the blonde, a grin tugging at his lips as he saw her eyes widen in fear. His palms tingled as the blast built to a crescendo and he prepared to send Horns flying.

Before he could strike, however, something slammed into his back and knocked him to the ground. His head slammed into the concrete, turning his vision white for a moment. He recovered himself quickly though, and tried to push off of the ground, but whatever had struck him was heavy enough to keep him pinned to the floor. Growling in frustration, he shifted position slightly and let off the strongest explosion that he could muster directly behind him.

The desk that was pinning him was blasted into splinters and he leapt to his feet. Horns stood with Round Face at the far end of the room. Round Face was still panting from the effort of hurling the desk at him, but she had already grabbed a chunk of rubble to throw. She was also slowly rebuilding the minefield that she had dropped on him before, one object at a time. The effort was rapidly turning her green, but she was still pushing through. Horns had finished regrowing her horns, and the first pair hovered next to her, ready to shoot forward at a moment's notice.

They weren't the only ones who could play the ranged game, though. Chunks of concrete from his entrance were plentiful, and Katsuki grabbed a fist size chunk from near his feet. Another quick blast, and it went shooting towards his opponents. They dove to either side and gave Katsuki the perfect opportunity to close the gap, which he took full advantage of.

He blasted Horns point blank, sending her flying backwards into the wall. She wasn't out of the fight permanently, but she was stunned. Her horns clattered to the ground, useless without her direction.

With half of the opposition out of the fight, Katsuki turned to face Round Face just in time to deflect the computer monitor she flung at him. A quick blast shattered it, and a follow up jab to the torso sent Round Face crashing to the ground. She coughed, curling around herself in pain as Katsuki stepped back.

Shame he thought to himself as he surveyed the room, I was actually starting to enjoy my—

The horn that slammed into the back of his head knocked him off balance and caused him to see stars. Normally he might have just shrugged such a thing off, but the repeated head trauma from this match was starting to build up. He shook his head, trying to chase the static from the corners of his vision, and turned to look at his American assailant.

She was slowly dragging herself to her feet as her costume smoked slightly. A large crack ran up the rightmost horn on her head, but Katsuki was fairly certain it was fixing itself as he watched.

Before he could attack her, Horns lowered her head and fired off a volley directly at his chest. Katsuki leapt to the side to avoid the attack, but something was wrong. He moved much faster than he'd intended, slamming into the wall with his shoulder when he'd only taken a slight jump.

The sound of someone trying desperately not to puke cued him in to what had happened. Round Face must have grabbed his leg while he was recovering from the horn attack, rendering him weightless.

The disconnection from gravity wouldn't prevent him from moving, since he could maneuver with his explosions, but it did make things more complicated. He would have to plan his movements out if he didn't want to risk slamming into the walls again.

"Not bad," he admitted, "but not quite good enough."

A single explosion sent him rocketing directly toward Horns, who tried her best to dodge out of the way. She wasn't fast enough, however, and Katsuki seized her upper arm in a vise-like grip. A series of explosions from his other hand allowed him to spin around her, then leverage his momentum to fling her across the room at Round Face like a human discus. The two girls crashed into each other, falling into a heap while Katsuki maneuvered himself into position across the room from them.

"The two of you," Katsuki said, leveling his arm at them, "are more irritating than I gave you credit for. Congrats, I guess. Now, here's your prize!"

The handle of the gauntlet slid back smoothly to reveal the firing pin. The only real downside to the design was that Katsuki wasn't able to prime and fire the blast in a single motion, but Katsuki didn't really care. The upside was that his opponents had just enough time to realize something big was coming. They frantically attempted to disentangle themselves, but it was far too little, far too late.

He was halfway through pulling the pin when All Might's voice boomed throughout the building. "The Hero team has successfully defused the bomb! Congratulations to the winners!

"What the fuck?" Katsuki said, finger never leaving the pin.

"Found the bomb, no thanks to you" a familiar voice chimed in his ear, coming through the earpiece perfectly clearly. "I mean, you were an excellent distraction, but it's easy to avoid people if you can hear them coming. I'd say I could have won this single-handedly, but I don't want to sound like an arrogant ass. See you back in the observation room, partner." With that, Jirou's comm went dead.

"I… You… Son of a bitch!" Katsuki swore, slamming his fist into the wall.

Anger burned deep in his stomach, mixing with the bitter taste of disappointment in his mouth. He had been so close to showing them all what he could do, why they should respect him, why he was better than them. And then it had all been snatched away, leaving him looking like a fool. While he'd been fighting, Ears had been sneaking around, stabbing him and his opponents in the back at the same time.

And yet, she occupied only a small section of his attention. The rest was fixed on the damned girl picking herself up off the floor across from him.

It seemed like she was dead set on challenging him in every conceivable venue. First she latched onto Izuku with record speed, which was saying something given Izuku's naive tendencies, and then she had refused to back down when he had come after her on the platform. Not to mention the fact that she had apparently changed Izuku's views on his old nickname, something Katsuki hadn't been able to do with years of discussion.

And then there was that look. She shouldn't have had that look in her eyes. That was reserved for people Katsuki could respect, people he could even admire to an extent. It shouldn't have been in the eyes of some damned backstabber who had nothing better to do than try and hurt him and Izuku like so many had tried to do before her.

As he watched Round Face slowly climb to her feet, Katsuki resolved that he would get to the bottom of this, one way or another.


Ochaco sighed as she stripped off the last of her costume. The fabric was torn in several places, and what was still intact was caked in a combination of dust, sweat and blood. Even the helmet was damaged, a long crack running along the visor from when she had fallen to the ground. She hated the idea of getting rid of the costume so soon after receiving it, but even she had to admit that her suit had been thoroughly trashed.

The only upside to the whole affair was that now there was the possibility of redesigning her costume a little bit. She liked how much of her space theme had been translated from her designs to the finished product. She just wished that it hadn't been so skin tight.

Tsunotori, who was also changing out of her battle damaged costume a few lockers over, turned to face Ochaco at the sigh. The two of them had been given a few minutes to change and get checked over by the nursing robots before they joined the rest of the class for a debrief. Apparently, All Might was using the time to select a new area for the rest of the lesson. The building that they had been using was somewhat structurally compromised thanks to Bakugo's explosions, and All Might had practically jumped at the chance to move things to a different local. Jirou and Bakugo had also been given the option to change, but both had decided to remain in costume for the rest of the lesson.

"Sorry 'Raka," Tsunotori said morosely, the first words she had said since the end of the match, "I messed up big."

Ochaco cocked her head in confusion. Had that been why her partner had been so silent?

"Tsunotori, you didn't mess up. You were just trying to help me out. I was the one who thought I could hold Bakugo off by myself. If we had stuck together like you wanted to, we might have had a chance."

"Maybe," Tsunotori replied with a wan smile, "Bakugo is strong though."

"Yeah," Ochaco agreed. "We kinda drew the short straw."

"But," Tsunotori said, perking up slightly, "that just means we have to do better next time."

She was right. Today was only the first day of their heroics class. They would have plenty of time during the coming year to grow and improve. And then the next time they were in a fight like that, they could show what they were really made of.

"You're right. Thanks, Tsunotori."

"Welcome!" she replied brightly. "But, uhm, can you call me Pony? Still not used to hearing my last name first."

Ochaco smiled. It was a bit unorthodox, and it might take a little getting used to on her part, but she was happy to help the other girl out. She couldn't imagine how hard it would be to move to another country with such a different culture, especially alone. Tsuno—Pony really was brave, even if she sometimes seemed a bit on the meek side.

"Of course Pony. I'm happy to help a friend out."

She smiled at that, and wrapped Ochaco in a tight hug. The blonde girl was definitely not shy in her hugs, actually lifting her off the ground slightly in her enthusiasm.

The happy mood lasted right up until Ochaco exited the changing room to find a glowering Bakugo waiting for her across the hall.

"What the hell is your deal?" Katsuki asked, stepping towards Ochaco.

"My deal?" Ochaco replied, matching him. The logical part of her mind was screaming that provoking him like this was a bad idea, but her parents hadn't raised a quitter, and they definitely hadn't raised someone who would let a bully have his way. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean," Bakugo said, "What the hell are you hoping to get, hanging around Izuku? Because whatever it is, I guarantee you aren't going to get it."

"Bakugo, we're friends!" Ochaco said in exasperation, "That's the big secret! I think he's nice and I enjoy spending time with him. I was even willing to put up with your surly attitude since he's such a good friend. But you don't seem to care about that. You've been nothing but a jerk, ignoring his feelings when he's trying to tell you what he wants. So maybe I'm not the one who's clinging to him while pretending to be his friend!"

She hadn't meant to say all of that, but once she had started speaking, her feelings had just tumbled out. Maybe it was because Izuku had already become a dear friend to her in the short time she had known him, maybe it was because she found Bakugo's attitude grating, or maybe it was just because the situation brought up bad memories from her middle school days. Whatever the reason, Ochaco just couldn't watch and wait to see if the situation resolved itself.

She couldn't be sure, but she could swear Bakugo actually flinched at her words. It was only for a moment though, and a second later, he was his usual irritated self.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," he spat. "I've been the only one he could talk to, his only friend since we were kids. He—" his voice caught for a moment, "We don't need you butting in."

"Well, too bad," she replied, "Izuku is my friend, and I'm his. That's not changing anytime soon. I could even be your friend, if you'd stop being so angry with everyone. But if you keep this up, you're just going to end up hurting everyone involved."

Silence fell as Bakugo stared at her, his gaze stuck somewhere between disbelief and anger. As the gears in his head turned, Ochaco simply waited for his response. She had made her opinions clear, and now it was up to Bakugo to meet her halfway.

"Fine," he said, finally breaking the silence, "I'll play along. Not for you, but for him. And if you ever hurt him, or make him feel like he's worthless, then I'll blow you into so many pieces that not even Recovery Girl will be able to put you back together."

Ochaco sighed. It was far from a perfect situation, but it was probably the best that she was going to get. There was too much of a gap to be bridged for them to truly get along, especially in so short a time. She couldn't see herself actually becoming friends with someone who reminded her so much of every bully she'd ever encountered.

For Izuku though, she would make the effort.

"Okay then. Truce."

"Truce," Bakugo echoed. With that, he turned on his heel and walked away without looking back.

Ochaco waited until he was well ahead of her before following. Their argument might have been put to rest, but her emotions were still running high enough that she didn't want to walk with him.

Instead, she turned her mind to what was to come. Her match might have been completed, but the day was far from over. Still, that wasn't such a bad thing. Now she had the opportunity to cheer for her friends, just as she was sure they had been cheering for her.

That thought brought a smile to her face, and with her attitude somewhat lifted, Ochaco set off for the observation room and the rest of the class. The worst was behind her, and the rest of the day had nowhere to go but up.


Happy New Year to you all!

First, let me apologize for how long this chapter has taken me. I don't really have a good excuse, the bulk was finished several weeks ago, but the finishing details proved to be rather tricky for no apparent reason. I'd like to think the next one will come out a little sooner, but I would advise preparing for another long wait.

Second, I had a comment a while back asking whether this fic would end up being Kacchako, and wanted to address the question officially, rather than just in the comments. They aren't going to end up together. I'm not a big fan of the pairing in general, mostly because I don't see them working out, in cannon or otherwise. No hate to the people who do ship it, you do you, but its not really my cup of tea. As for in this fic, their relations will improve over time, but are going to be rather frosty for a while.

Finally, as we start in on 2020, I wanted to thank each and every person who has read this story. This started as a random idea that refused to go away, but it quickly grew into my baby. I've got some exciting ideas for this story, and I hope you all enjoy them. Thank you once again, and I hope 2020 is excellent for you!

P.S. If you want to chat, but don't feel like leaving a comment, feel free to hit me up on Tumblr, where my username is EvilMuffinLord as well