1 ¼ Years Ago:

"And he'll be ready for use in a year?" The voice speaks. The same voice that used to spark fear and terror and anxiety inside of a young Izuku, but now only ignites his spite and anger.

A sentiment shared by the next to speak, but not voiced.

"Of course, sir. With rapid progression in the leg mechanics, he may even be done sooner." A softer voice speaks, one which some might say resembles that of a sickly old man. He'd argue on the old part, but sickly was assuredly a correct word to use.

"Good. Much as I detested this idea, having a backup in case one is able to pry away control of our Nomu's is important. I've received information recently that my old friend is looking for a protégé of his own now, and I must have Tomura ready to face them." The voice continues, the boom of his baritone shaking Izuku's eardrums.

Were he not covered in his armor currently, it would make his skin crawl. But, the rattling of metal would do no good for him, as it would reveal his state of being awake for this conversation.

The fact he hasn't been caught yet is a miracle in upon itself.

"I expect more good news from you soon, professor." The voice speaks one last time, before that ghastly sound that always precedes and succeeds his entrances and exits echoes through the halls.

The professor lets out a sigh, and a door opens. "I can only lie so much about the progress before he catches on. I have to complete him soon, I must."

The light in Izuku's cell turns on, and from his chained restraints on the table, Izuku sees the skeletal man with black and grey hair enter, a lab coat over top of him.

"Alright then, Project Hop. Let us begin our new day shall we?" He asks, a sad smile on his face. "First up on the itinerary…"

"Examinations."

Present:

Izuku watched as the scenery went by, second by second. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his jade green hoodie, as he scratched the heel of his red shoes against his exposed knee in his ripped jeans. A pair of black sunglasses covered his eyes, and a blue beanie covered his hair.

He had to dress a bit more cautiously than usual, due to a certain thought constantly popping up in his mind.

Kacchan would be here for sure.

Without anyone to stop him, the blonde boy would be on his way to UA, confident in his chances of getting a spot. And, most assuredly, he would. After all, he was a natural at combat. A spotlight like him could make the school a lot of money. So, Kacchan is practically a guaranteed student.

Which means if Izuku runs into him, there could be trouble.

So, he's covering his most recognizable traits, and doing his best to blend in. Be an 'extra' as his old friend would have said.

That said, Izuku wishes he could have just gone with Shouta. Unfortunately, the man was as logical as always, pointing out it would give Izuku an advantage over others, simply because he knows his coworkers would definitely blabber about something. And considering that Izuku knows the man works with Present Mic (who, a couple weeks prior, actually gave the answers to one of his tests) it was probably a wise decision.

So, Izuku did as he could, and took the train. It gave him more time to sleep, and time to dress up. So, thinking about it, it's even better that he didn't go with his guardian. Izuku cracks a small smile, thanking logical thinking for once.

Elsewhere, Shouta Aizawa sneezes.

The stairs leading up to the main building of UA High School are daunting, to say the least.

Not physically, not to Izuku. He's far removed from any semblance of this being able to drain his stamina. (To be perfectly honest, he's not sure what could drain his stamina. For as much as he knows about himself, there's at least three more mysteries.)

No, the daunting feeling of the stairs comes from the people around him. Hero hopefuls who have been training for this for years, each with aspirations of taking a seat in one of the two classes that specializes in heroics, guaranteeing a fast track to heroics work. The pressure emanates from all of them, as they focus on their goal.

Izuku is passed by a number of people, each with a fire in their eyes unmatched by even the strongest of fires. And then…

Kacchan passes him.

"Move it extra. Some of us actually want to get there before the tests start." The loud blonde speaks, bumping into Izuku's shoulder. The green haired boy then bumps into a girl with purple hair in a school uniform, who starts to fall forwards.

"Shi-!" She exclaims, before Izuku catches her arm with great speed, the girl stopping suddenly, her other arm, and by extension hand, mere centimeters away from the concrete as she braces for impact.

"Sorry about that. Are you okay?" Izuku asks, helping the girl back up onto her feet.

"Yeah. And I saw that other guy bump into you, he should be the one apologizing." She responds, before looking at the still walking Kacchan. "You fucking jerk!"

The blonde turns around, giving the girl a glare. "HUH?! THE FUCK DID YOU SAY?!"

A pair of auxiliary cords rise up, attached to the girl's earlobes, as she drags Izuku up the stairs with her, the boy letting go of her arm, only for her to grab his. "I said you should be apologizing for bumping us both!"

"Not my fault you two can't pick up the pace!" Kacchan responds, Izuku scuttling a bit away from the aggressive boy.

"It's fine. Let's just all head inside and forget about this. We have tests to worry about instead." Izuku says, his voice lowered just a little. He might have gone through puberty, but no way in hell is he risking Kacchan finding out about him right now.

"No! I want this prick to say he's sorry!" The purplette shouts, tightening her grip on Izuku's arm.

Kacchan puts on a cruel looking smile, as he leans in close to her. "And I'm saying no way, you smarmy little bi-!"

Izuku's eyes glow orange through his sunglasses, as he uses his free arm to flick out a small gust of wind (a trick he learned he could pull off on accident when he tried to kill a mosquito). The blonde shuts his mouth, and the girl lets go of his arm, the limb seeming to warm up.

"Never say that again. To anyone. I don't care who you think you are, but people are more than their appearance and apparent abilities. Now shut up, and get inside." Izuku growls, pent up emotions from years of thinking leaking out.

Kacchan focuses on the glow of Izuku's eyes, before turning around. He grumbles a little, before stepping away. "Sorry…" Is let out among his mumbles of anger, as he continues onwards.

"Fuck, if we end up as classmates, remind me to never pass you off." The girl says, as Izuku starts to calm down, his eyes returning to normal.

"No, sorry. He just… Guys like him piss me off." Izuku says, placing his hands into his hoodie pocket.

"Still, thanks for helping me. I'm Kyoka Jirou, by the way." The girl says, holding her hand to Izuku.

"Oh, I'm-" Izuku pauses. Fuck, if he says his last name, and Kacchan hears, that could ruin his cover! Quick, think of something! "Izuku Aizawa." He replies, grabbing her hand and giving it a light shake. Welp, guess when the school year runs around, he might have to do some explaining.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Aizawa." She says, a smirk growing on her face.

"Hey, is everything okay over here?" A new voice speaks, another girl with brown hair and rosy pink cheeks approaching. "I saw that little spat and wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"Yeah, we're fine, thanks to this guy acting all tough." Jirou nudges Izuku's side with a shoulder, the boy moving a little. "Holy shit dude, you feel like a brick wall. How did that guy move you?"

"I wasn't ready." Izuku says, looking away with a bit of a blush. It was true. Usually it'd take a lot more to move him like that, but considering he's in an environment that makes it easier for him to feel safe, he was less guarded.

"Oh, thank goodness. Getting into a fight right before a big test would be some pretty bad luck, and so would falling, and so would… Well, in any case, I'm glad everything turned out alright." She says, tapping her fingertips together. "Oh, I guess we should all head inside now, huh?"

"Shit, we should. It was nice meeting you Aizawa, hope we can meet again someday!" Jirou shouts as she and the other girl run off, leaving Izuku behind.

The boy lets out a sigh, looking down at his feet. He's gonna have to explain this to Shouta when he gets home.

Izuku intentionally made sure he was one of the last people inside for testing, wanting to stay away from as many people as possible.

Of course, that didn't matter sitting all the way in the back, when the speaker for the rules of the physical exam was Present Mic. The Voice Hero. Oh dear god, the voice hero.

"ALRIGHT LISTENERS, CAN I GET A YEAHHHHH!?" The man shouts, a cheery smile on his face. The auditorium meets him with silence. "Yeesh, tough crowd!" He speaks, Izuku must stress that this was him speaking, rubbing at the back of his neck. "In any case, welcome to the physical exam presentation! I'm here to tell you the rules! YEAH!"

Once more, silence.

"Ah-ahem. Well, let's get to the brass tax of it. You all will be separated into different lots, which will each be transported to a different training zone! Urban combat is the name of the game, so you all will be facing opponents in cities!" The large screen behind the man changes to a diagram showing off retro video game pictures of his descriptions. "Of course, if you went to the same school, you won't be in the same group! Gotta keep some things fair, ya know!"

Izuku pulls out his temporary student ID, looking over it. 'So that's why there's a group letter. Makes sense. Though, that doesn't mean you can't team up with people you just met. Hero agencies are like that too.' He thinks to himself, as he puts the ID away. If he lucks out and gets a group away from Kacchan, he might be able to lower his disguise, at least a little.

Still have to deal with being called Aizawa though.

"Now, you'll have ten minutes in these cities, so use that time wisely as you face the major obstacles!" Present Mic continues, walking over to the nearby table and rubbing his fingers against it, motioning like it's a turntable and he's the DJ. "You got three point giving kinds of enemies, which we'll just call mock villains. Each one gives a different amount of points, from one, to two, and finally three! Simply put, think of this like a video game where you're all trying to reach a high score! So, in short, beat the bots in the time limit, and see what score you get! Of course, trying to attack others is strictly off limits, so if you do that you'll face some serious repercussions!"

"EXCUSE ME SIR!" A voice shouts from the crowd, Izuku looking down to see a tall boy with blue hair stand among the others around him. "IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE IN FACT FOUR VILLAINS ON THIS HANDOUT! IF THIS IS IN FACT A PRINTING ERROR, THAN UA, THE TOP ACADEMY IN JAPAN, SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED FOR THIS BEHAVIOR!"

Izuku looks at his own handout. 'Doesn't this thing say it's an obstacle and not a villain? Unless…' Izuku looks back at the boy. 'He's following along instead of actually absorbing information. Shouta would have a field day with this guy.'

"I was actually just about to get to that part!" Present Mic retorts, waving a hand around. "See, that fourth villain is less of a villain, and more of an obstacle. It's not worth any points, and is generally really hard to beat. My advice is to run away. If you read the pamphlet that we handed out, you'll see that further information is under the Obstacles section."

"I SEE… THANK YOU, AND PARDON THE INTERRUPTION!" The loud blue haired boy bows, before sitting back down.

Present Mic continues to speak, but Izuku dips back into his own thoughts for a moment. 'Hard to beat? That doesn't mean it's impossible if the situation calls for it. But not being worth any points and also considered an obstacle? Why have it at all at that point?'

"Alright, well that's just about everything!" Present Mic announces, snapping Izuku from his thoughts. "Now, as a parting gift and a good luck charm, the UA School Moto!" He spreads his arms out wide as he leans in a little. "Heroism spawns from those who can rise to the occasion and give more than just their all. Limits are made to be broken… Go Beyond… Plus Ultra!" The man shouts, getting the student body to cheer at last.

But, Izuku looks closer, as the man puts on a coy sneer, his swirling eyes looking over his glasses. "Good luck in hell, everyone." The man says, just loud enough to project, but if you weren't paying attention you wouldn't hear.

Voice Hero isn't just a title, it seems.

The bus to the testing grounds is actually a bit of a ride. One thing Izuku had always remembered about UA, even from childhood, is that it's campus is huge. Kilometers in scale, large enough to be it's own city.

It's why Musutafu is built around it, to sustain that large scale. Businesses offer discounts to UA faculty and students in the city, some even going to alumni. A real mark of just how big the impact UA has on the world around it.

So, as Izuku sits in the back of the bus, he scrolls through his phone absent-mindedly. He's long since taken off his sunglasses and beanie, as well as lowered his hood, so his face is more openly on display. (He's comfortable enough to do this, because he checked everyone who got on this bus to make sure they weren't Kacchan. Luckily, they ended up in different groups.)

That's when a sudden shift in what was previously an empty seat catches attention. He looks up and sees the brown haired girl from earlier. Wasn't she sitting up closer to the middle though?

"Hey, you're that guy from this morning, right? Sorry, if I'm bugging you. I'm just… I'm feeling a lot of nerves, and thought I should at least talk to someone. I didn't find that other girl from earlier though, and I don't think I ever want to willingly talk to that blonde guy." She must be talking about Kacchan and Jirou. Izuku glances up at the front of the bus, and sure enough the purple haired girl is there. Perhaps the brunette just simply saw Izuku first. "So, um, here I am! I'm Ochako Uraraka, it's nice to meet you." She puts out her hand, a nervous smile on her face.

"Izuku Aizawa." Izuku responds, shaking her hand. Though, he notices she doesn't include her pinky. As they take away their hands, he looks at her fingers, noticing the pads on their tips. "Hey, do those have to do with your quirk? Sorry, if that seems a little personal. Quirk analysis is just a hobby of mine."

"Oh, no worries! But yeah, they are. My Quirk is called Zero Gravity. When 8 touch something with all my fingertips, it takes away the hold gravity has on it." Uraraka explains, showing off her hands.

"Interesting. Is it safe to assume that tapping them together releases the effect?" A nod in response. "Hmmm… Humans in zero gravity tend to need training to withstand the nausea it can cause, so I imagine applying it to yourself is a bit taxing. And considering the biological nature of Quirks, I'd say there's a weight limit too, right?"

"Wow, you got all that from just a simple explanation? That's super impressive!" Uraraka says, getting up close to Izuku's face.

"Uh, personal space, p-please." Izuku says, stuttering at the end due to nervousness. Uraraka realizes her intrusion and backs up a little, a sheepish smile on her face. "But, thank you. I put a lot of work into my ability to estimate powers on the fly."

"I bet you do. But, I guess it isn't your quirk right? Then, what is?" The brunette asks, and that's when Izuku flinches a little. Not enough for the girl to realize, thankfully, but enough that Izuku is visibly a little off put. "Is that one a personal question?"

"No, it's just…" Sensitive. Legally speaking, he's quirkless. Physically speaking, he's quirkless. But to the eyes and minds of others, it will appear to be a quirk, so he has to do something. "Complicated. In a sense, it's a booster. Better strength, speed, defense, the works. That's really all I'd like to say about it for now, if possible."

"Of course! You asked if I was okay to talk about mine first, it's only fair I return that same sentiment!" Uraraka says, giving the boy another smile.

"Thanks." Izuku says, before the bus comes to a halt. The door at the front opens, and students begin to walk out. "I guess we should go, right?"

"Yeah!" Uraraka responds, the two standing up and leaving.

The large, walled city replica towers over the students, large metal doors resting between the cityscape and the desert where the teens currently are set.

Izuku and Uraraka decide that until the test begins, they would at least stand next to each other, and continue to talk. Well, they would, if a certain interrupting boy didn't try to chastise them first.

"Are you two aware that attempting to help each other is against the rules?!" The blue haired boy from earlier approaches them, his yelling causing the two to flinch.

"Ow…! You don't need to yell in our faces!" Uraraka whines, rubbing at her ear.

"Furthermore, there was no rule against that. They just don't want people from the same school helping each other." Izuku retorts, his eyes beginning to glow orange. "We just met today, so you can take a step back."

The boy opens his mouth to respond, until footsteps approach. "This guy bothering you two?" A familiar purple haired girl speaks, as Jirou steps forward, one of her jacks pointed at him.

"No, he was just about to walk off." Izuku says, glaring at the other boy again. The teen simply nods and walks off, leaving the three alone. "Thanks for the step in though."

"No problem. Consider us even I guess." Jirou says, before beginning to step away.

Suddenly, a loud creaking noise can be heard, as dust rises from the now moving doors to the city testing grounds. The doors open fully, and the crowd stands in silence.

"Well, good luck you two." Izuku says, as he crouches down. Green lines like circuitry glow underneath his skin, his eyes glowing orange as he looks above the crowd.

"Why would you-?" And before Uraraka can finish, Izuku takes off in a leap, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

"Well?! Don't just stand there! There aren't any countdowns in real life! Go go go!" Present Mic announces over an intercom, and people start to yell as they rush forward.

Uraraka and Jirou wonder if Izuku knew about this.

Izuku totally knew about this.

Living with Shouta has taught him a lot of things. For starters, don't take shit from anyone. If someone gets on yours and anyone around you's nerves, tell them how it is and make sure they won't bother anyone again.

Another lesson? Take advantage of anything a person says or does. If they repeat an action or say something in a certain way, you can exploit it.

And, for the last of the current examples, don't wait for someone to tell you when to go. You have to know when the right time to move is, or you'll miss your opportunity.

Perhaps today being a bit more of a stressful day has him acting more like the guardian he lives with. Logical, calculating… Kind of a little shit. But, he also has never felt more like himself.

Maybe it's the fact that he has his fist in the middle of a robot's insides, but getting into the action feels… good. Like, really good. Far better than how he felt the last time he was in a fight. Far better than…

Izuku shakes his head. That was then, and this is now. It's been months since then anyways.

Another herd of robots approach, and Izuku takes the robot currently wrapped around his fist and throws it at them, destroying one and throwing the rest off guard. He supposes if he has any thoughts, they should be on his current situation. He shrugs off everything else and charges forward, the glow of green and orange seeming to brighten.

"So, any standouts among the students for you all? I know you all like to commentate on how you would teach them." A small, white, animal speaks, sitting in a comically large chair as he observes the screens.

"Hmm, there are a few that seem like I could do some good with, but I'd have to wait until these tests are done." A woman in a rather revealing outfit speaks, the other teachers nodding.

"Personally, I'm seeing a bunch that would be great for rescue." Someone in an astronaut suit speaks. "Though, I'm also seeing a lot more combat."

"Both are important though. It's best to find an even balance." A man in a western outfit speaks, pointing at one of the screens. "That girl with the hands that grow is a good example."

"Yes, but we only have so much to go off of. Besides, the real threat isn't even out yet." A larger man in a blood red suit speaks, his fangs shining against the monitor lights.

The people inside nod in response, save for two. Two men, lanky in build, but so different from each other, watch the same boy as he goes through robot after robot, giving a helping hand to anyone he comes across.

"What about you two?" The animal speaks, snapping them back to reality. "Do you think it is time to see the true efforts of our future students?"

Aizawa and All Might look at each other, and nod, before a red button appears before them both. They both press down on it…

And the real show begins.

Izuku finds himself in the center street, helping a blonde boy that has lasers shooting from his stomach fight with a larger group of robots, when a rumble begins to shake the city.

Screams begin to fill the street as students of all kinds come running, all shouting about something being 'huge'. Suddenly, a shadow fills the street, looming over everyone, and as the testers look up, they see the source of the commotion.

A giant, green robot, tall as a skyscraper, grabs onto the side of a building, rubble falling down, barely even scratching the metal. It's red optics look over all, and a shrill screech can be heard ringing across the city as it moves onto the street.

'That's the obstacle they were talking about?!' Izuku mentally screams, watching as it continues towards him and everyone else. The others around him begin to run away, and Izuku turns to do the same. But… But something stops him.

"Ow….!"

He's heard that yelp of pain before. His head turns, and he sees the source: Uraraka, on the ground, her leg trapped under a pile of rubble. She's bleeding from her forehead, and the dust cloud is making her cough.

And suddenly, Izuku is back where he started.

Afraid.

A girl is trapped, and nobody but Izuku seems to see her. No one cares about her cry of pain, no one cares about her being stuck. No one cares…

No one cares.

"Izuku."

A voice speaks in his head, and he's back where he began.

1 ¼ Years Ago…

A beaten, bloodied, and battered Izuku stands in front of a glass wall, as the man before him types away at a console. "PROFESSOR RAITO!" He screams, banging a fist against the wall.

"You can't break in here. I've locked away your strength temporarily, remember?" The man coughs out, blood splattering onto the keyboard. "Just long enough for the bomb to go off."

"PROFESSOR PLEASE! WE CAN GO TOGETHER!"

The man shakes his head. "No… No we cannot. We were both taken for his goals, but I was complicit. I stole something from you Izuku, I… This is my way to atone."

"PLEASE, JUST LET ME!"

The man smiles, looking over at Izuku. "Izuku." He says, and Izuku can feel the tears rolling down his cheeks. The first time he's cried in years, and it's not from physical pain. It's from emotional, because he's…! "You wanted to be a hero when you grow up, right? Then go be that hero. You save as many people as you can. You run and live and fight and save. Do… Do what I cannot. Are you listening, Izuku?"

Izuku rests his forehead against the glass, tears still falling, as he slowly nods.

"Then please, Izuku. Please, listen. Listen, when I. Say…"

"RUN!"

Izuku's entire body glows with light as he takes off in a sprint. The red belt encircles his waist, as a fan begins to blow from the silver panel at the center. He sticks an arm out, waving it through the air in an arch.

"HENSHIN!" He screams, as he skids to a halt in front of Uraraka. He crouches down, before taking off in a leap, one that wipes away the wind, and leaves a crack in the ground.

People stop running, as they look at whatever could have made such a sound.

Izuku soars through the air as the metal overtakes his body, forming the familiar rabbit-like armor that makes up the appearance of Project Hop. His helmet is the last to form, as the orange eyes ripple when they materialize. The wind whips away at his scarf tails, as he soars ever higher.

"Run, Izuku! And if something gets in your way…!" The voice of the professor lingers in his mind, as the boy curls his legs, rearing one back as far as it will go, touching onto his own back.

"...THEN KICK IT DOWN!" Izuku cries out in a booming voice, as he approaches the robot's head, before he sends out his leg, hitting the metal foe with his shin, an instant dent forming in the material, before the entire begins to fall back, explosions racking away at its body.

The crowd watches in awe as the metal Goliath falls, and the one who caused it seems to twirl away in the air, seeming to slow down as he does so. But not slow enough for everyone's comfort.

Another person from the crowd runs forwards, reaching Uraraka… And with the ends of her auxiliary cords ears, she stabs at the rubble before blasting them away with a burst of sound. "Catch him!" Jirou shouts, and Uraraka nods, using what strength she has left in her legs to launch herself forward, and slap the side of Izuku's helmet.

The boy then stops, seeming to float above the ground for a few moments, weightless to the world…

And then Uraraka throws up and he falls down, ass first.

"That… Was… Awful." Uraraka says, as she cradles a small garbage can in her arms, her face green from sickness.

"Sorry I weigh so much." Izuku says, bowing his head a little.

"It's fine, at least you're okay." Uraraka says before throwing up again. Izuku decides now is not a good time to say he would have been fine thanks to his 'Quirk'.

"Seriously though, that was some feat." Jirou chimes in, the girl sitting in the chair next to Uraraka. "Why didn't you kick the shit out of that blonde asshole earlier?"

"I would have gotten in trouble." Izuku half-truths. The other half being he just doesn't want anything to do with Kacchan

"Fair enough." Jirou shrugs, before looking at Uraraka. "You think you'll be okay if I head out?"

"Yeah, this passes pretty quickly most of the time. I'll be heading home after a while." Uraraka says, as she nods weakly.

"Alright, but when you get home…" Jirou puts a piece of paper on the girl's lap. "Text me." She gets up, walking over to Izuku and places a similar paper against his chest. "You too, greenie."

"Greenie?" Izuku mumbles, getting a chuckle from the purplette.

And that's all as she leaves.

Izuku looks at Uraraka and smiles, the girl giving a weak smile back… Before throwing up again.

Yeah… Izuku's giving her his number too, just in case.

Feel free to join me and other chill people in my server, Chill Shop J: /QfK5GJaGYr