Izuku hadn't meant to faint.

But in that moment when he had stood outside of the school he had just felt so… overwhelmed.

The thought of taking the tests all over again, putting up with Kaachan in the lines and in Orientation, the boy with the glasses, how he hadn't scored a single point, and the girl…

So he passed out.

When he opened his eyes it was later in the day. Izuku stared at the clock on the wall.

The Practical Entrance Examinations had already started.

Izuku had missed the Written and the Practical.

He wanted to cry.

He had already failed.

Izuku made a strange noise in his throat, somewhere in between a sob and a grunt. So what if he had already failed? This is what his Quirk was for. Fixing things. Making things perfect.

He needed to come up with a plan to counter the Practical robots. He needed to devise a way to either save the girl or at least keep her out of harm's way. Because of his Quirk he had all the time in the world to strategize.

Wait. No I don't!

Izuku shot up in the bed.

My Quirk has checkpoints. They can update. Like over the past 10 months I was training, my checkpoints update. What if it updates later tonight?

Izuku let out a panicked breath and stared at the clock.

What if it updates when the Practical ends?

His stomach dropped and his eyes widened like saucers.

What if Return By Death updated when I passed out?

He'd be doomed. His chances of Yuuei and of becoming a Hero, doomed. The girl, doomed.

"Stop that."

Something hard smacked Izuku on the top of his head. Was he seeing stars?

"Now there's no need to have a panic attack. You're in my office."

The voice was stern and somehow grandmotherly at the same time.

Izuku turned. "The Exams…"

The small woman waved him off. "Is that what you're worried about? Kids these days. More concerned over their education than their own health." She began to mutter. "Doesn't help when that idiot brags about Yuuei being the best. We get enough applicants as is without the Symbol of Peace encouraging more. When I was your age we dreaded school. If only…"

The elderly woman's voice trailed off and her eyes were fixed on nothing in particular. But there was a kind of focus there that bothered Izuku.

Izuku was about to ask what was wrong when he realized just who he was talking to. "You're Recovery Girl!"

Recovery Girl blinked and then laughed.

"Don't tell me you're a fan? Hardly anybody recognizes this old lady anymore."

Izuku gaped in awe and shook his head at the old woman. "I remember reading articles about you, and I've watched all of the old videos. How could I not, you were one of the best Medical Heroes of your time! Did you really bring everyone back from the brink of death on that crashed airline?"

Recovery Girl stood very still and she spoke very carefully. "It wasn't that bad. There was a Hero who helped stop the fall. Besides, I had other Medical Heroes with me."

Izuku noticed her tone and his excitement vanished. The Hero who stopped the plane's fall. He didn't even have a Quirk suited to stopping a failing plane from crashing. His Quirk was Ruby Skin. He did the impossible, he stopped the plane from crashing completely."

"Everyone on board was still hurt. Most were in critical condition when I arrived." Recovery Girl was resting on her cane. Her eyes were still focused on nothing… nothing but the past."

"But the Hero died." Izuku finished the story they both knew.

Death. It could happen to anyone and it could happen in any way. Izuku knew this better than most.

With the arrival of a super human society came Heroes and Villains.

As long as there are great Heroes around, Civilians rarely die from anything aside from natural causes.

But that death was still here. It hadn't stopped. Only shifted, like blame. Heroes saved Civilians. Heroes died saving Civilians. Heroes died stopping Villains.

Izuku knew this. He had died so many times already and he wasn't even a real Hero yet…

If it wasn't for his Quirk…

He'd be dead.

For a moment, this moment. Izuku forgot about the Yuuei Entrance Exams and the girl's impending demise. Instead, he watched Recovery Girl and realized that this Heroine had seen more death than even himself.

She would have, being a Medical Hero.

It was like being a Doctor before Quirks were a thing.

Izuku thought of All Might and how close to death the injured man had looked in his true form.

Most Heroes retired after a minimum of twenty five years of service.

But not All Might, the Symbol of Peace, despite his injury… he kept pushing himself.

Izuku wondered just how much horror both Heroes had seen in their time of active duty.

And Recovery Girl… was old… older than most. And she was still working, helping to save others.

The two of them were real Heroes. True Heroes. It was all they could ever be till the day they died. It was ingrained in their hearts just like Izuku's own.

Izuku bowed his head and spoke. "Thank you, Recovery Girl. For everything you do."

Recovery Girl gave Izuku a gentle smile. "That isn't necessary, young man. I never became a Hero so that people would need to thank me."

Izuku looked up sharply and almost protested if it hadn't been for the mirth that he saw in her eyes.

"But it is nice to hear." She looked away, blinked at the clock and then pulled out a clipboard. "I am sorry about the Entrance Exams, young man. Izuku Midoriya. But you've missed your shot. It looks like the Practical will be over in less than three minutes. We should finish this up so I can get down there to each testing site so I can kiss some boo boos goodbye."

And the moment was gone and Izuku remembered. "The Practical, Recovery Girl, you have to stop it!"

She shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I hear Shiketsu's Exams are in three days from now. If you wish to continue down this path than I suggest-"

"No, I, I don't want them to shut down because of me. There's this girl. She's going to die!"

Recovery Girl gave Izuku a look. "Midoriya, no one is going to die in the Practical Examinations." She pulled out a pen and started writing on her clipboard. "Teenagers. Now then, have you experienced a loss of consciousness before? I noticed in your Online Registration you failed to note a medical history of any kind, if it was indeed an error in biology and not just nerves, in which case there could very well be some underlying issues. If not purely physical then perhaps mental? Perhaps you could have a talk with Hound Dog later. He is here to give council to anyone who-"

Izuku narrowed his eyes at Recovery Girl. "That's not important. That girl, her life is in danger!" Izuku swept his legs over the side of the bed and stood.

Recovery Girl sighed. "What is her name?"

Izuku looked away from Recover Girl. "I. I. Uh. I. I don't know her name. But she's the reallycutegirlwithbrownhairandhersmileisniceandshe'sreallyconsiderate,helpedmeoutearlierwithherQuirk. Oh, and her Quirk can make things float." Izuku thought back to the first loop when he had tripped and she had touched his back. "She can make things float but she has to touch you with all five fingers. I think."

Recovery Girl nearly dropped her clipboard at the sudden speed of Izuku's speech. She rolled her eyes and said. "Teenagers. You don't know her name, she's cute, and her Quirk makes things float?"

Izuku blushed when Recovery Girl said "cute," he nodded. "Y-yeah, wait, that's not important! She's in danger!"

"Hmmm. Listen Midoriya, you're young. A teenager. I get it. I was a teenager once, that time when we all started appreciating how well males and females look. I-"

"No!" Izuku nearly shouted at her. "This is serious. Please, do something! You're the school nurse! Can't you call the Principal or someone to save her! Or at the least-"

Recovery Girl waved her cane. "All right. All right, you're Online Registration said your Quirk was… Danger Sense?"

Izuku's words jumped at Recovery Girl's inquiry. "Yes, Danger Sense. I can sense that the girl with the floating Quirk is in trouble!"

Recovery Girl looked halfway between buying the lie and catching it. "Just how does your Quirk work, young man?"

Izuku's mind was racing over what he had written for his Online Registration. He thought back on all of the Quirks he had ever memorized and put together something he hadn't written on his Registration. "My Danger Sense also works for anyone I come into physical contact with for a limit of ten people before the count resets. I can Sense the girl. My Quirk is telling me to hurry!"

Recovery Girl's eyes widened and she whirled. "That wasn't included in your Online Registration. Quite the detail to leave out there." She withdrew her phone from one of the drawers to her desk. "Quite the Quirk too. Why didn't you just start with that?"

"I-"

I hadn't come up with that detail yet.

Recovery Girl motioned for Izuku to stay put as she put her phone to her ear and pressed a button underneath her desk. There was a strange rotary sound and the desk roared ninety degrees, then it flipped on its side revealing an opening panel in the wall.

Izuku didn't know if he should stare at the physics defying papers still clinging to the now vertical desk or the motorized white scooter Recovery Girl pulled from the now open panel.

"W-what was that?"

Recovery Girl smirked at him and got on her scooter.

Izuku could hear a small noise coming from her phone.

Recovery Girl said "we've got an emergency Nezu!" Recovery Girl turned a switch in the scooter and moved the throttle. Then she was driving out of the room and down the halls.

Izuku stared at the open door and then at the clock.

Less than a minute.

The girl would be crushed anytime within that minute.

Izuku was going to have to reset anyway even if he managed to save her in time. He still missed the Yuuei Entrance Exams.

Izuku found a syringe defying gravity on Recovery Girl's flipped desk. The syringe was labeled in numbers and letters with a smiley face on the end of it. Izuku glanced back towards the window and wondered which would be faster? How high up was he?

Three stories. Maybe four. Izuku presses his hands against the window in Recovery Girl's office.

He had to reset. He needed to reset. Now!

The fall might not be enough…

Izuku thought about the window. It looked thick. He probably wouldn't be able to break it anyways.

Recovery Girl could be back any minute with an injured girl. Unless…

Don't think about that.

Izuku could remember her smile.

Stop it.

She was the first girl in his life his own age, one of his peers, the first to talk to him, acknowledge him with something other than a Quirkless loser to be laughed at.

Do it now damn it!

Izuku gripped the syringe tightly. He removed the cap protecting the needle and frowned. Needles were awfully small. Even if he ran it through…

Would it be enough to reset?

Or would he have to…

Izuku gulped.

This is for the girl. This is for my dreams. This is for everyone I will save!

Izuku stabbed himself in the neck right below the chin. He let go of the syringe in sudden shock and the needle was still inside holding the syringe to his neck.

Izuku choked.

There was something inside of his throat. The needle. He could still breath, he wasn't choking.

Izuku cried out in pain and grasped for the needle, accidentally pressing whatever liquid the syringe held into his throat.

Now Izuku choked as something flooded his throat. He ripped the syringe out and began coughing up blood and something green.

It hurts!

Izuku accidentally smashed his head into the glass window.

What do you know? It was reinforced glass.

Izuku's head throbbed and he fell backwards. He dropped the syringe and felt something break beneath him.

Reset. Reset. Reset!

Izuku grabbed at his throat which was bleeding but slowly. He was going to Reset. It was just going to take…

Izuku laid on the floor and waited.

The pain was constant. Like a bee's poison. No, it was like he had been stung by multiple bees. Inside his throat and outside.

Finally, Izuku was feeling tired.

Reset. Reset. Reset…

Izuku Midoriya died.

"Move your ass Deku before I set you on fire!"

Izuku jumped to the side and landed on wobbly knees. He opened and closed his eyes and felt his throat with his right hand.

That was hell.

"So, you're really going to do this? Huh, Deku?"

Izuku looked at Kaachan and remembered the first loop and the second. Kaachan had been so abrasive that first day. Why had Izuku followed him around all day?

It was because Kaachan was familiar to Izuku in this sea of strangers. It was because they were…

What were Kaachan and Izuku?

Were they friends?

Not in any normal definition of the word.

Izuku remembered all of Kaachan's hateful comments and borderline bullying. Izuku also noticed the way Kaachan interacted with people both from Aldera and from the previous loops.

That's just the way Kaachan is.

So were they friends?

In a way, yes. In a very Kaachan definition of the word "friends."

It was his Quirk, his personality, and how he was raised in this society. Izuku had already realized this much in several earlier loops. Yes they were friends.

But at the same time they were something else or rather something was between them. Something beyond their basic differences. And neither of them could recognize it. Too busy envying and ignoring the other.

It was complicated.

A lot of what Kaachan had said or done to Izuku could easily come off as bullying. But Kaachan wasn't a bully. Right?

Right?

And besides. Izuku might have followed Kaachan around all day in the first loop. But Kaachan had waited for him several times. Granted, Kaachan claimed that it was just so he could "stomp Izuku, personally."

Izuku sighed. Thinking about Kaachan made his brain hurt sometimes. While Izuku could understand what influenced Kaachan's actions. He couldn't understand his actions.

"What the hell are you thinking about now? Shitty nerd?"

Izuku ignored Kaachan's words. Kaachan was not important right now. Kaachan could handle himself in the Entrance Exams. The girl couldn't. Izuku couldn't.

Izuku's problem with the Sludge Villain had been his poor decision making. He had learned from his mistakes and was now thinking of what he needed to focus on in order to pass the current loop.

I need to save the girl. I also need to figure out how I can destroy those robots if I want to pass.

Izuku looked away from Kaachan and stared around at the crowds of potential Yuuei students.

I'm betting not everyone here has a flashy or strong Quirk like Kaachan. Some of them have to have useless Quirks when it comes to fighting metal robots, like me. So how are they scoring points?

"What the? Are you fucking ignoring me? Who the hell do you think you are, Deku?"

I know from previous Yuuei Sports Festivals that not everyone in the Heroics Course has suitable Quirks for combat. Though they usually have some sort of martial arts training or really strong bodies. I've been training mine for the past ten months but that still isn't enough alone to pass. I need to figure out weak points, something I can use, what would a Hero do?

And the girl? How can I save her? And it came to him. Oh! What if I am assigned to another Testing Site? What if… what if I change my… does the butterfly effect work like that? If I'm in a different Testing Site, then maybe everyone will be in a different Testing Site, or at least, several people will be in different spots. Different decisions, different outcomes. Maybe just maybe something will change so the girl won't be in danger anymore! It's worth a shot.

But I still don't know how to combat the robots… how would a Hero…

Someone grabbed Izuku by the collar and lifted him off the ground.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, worthless Deku!"

Izuku cringed at the spit on his cheek. "Kaachan."

Kaachan dropped Izuku and huffed. "You think you can just ignore me like that?"

What the…

Izuku's cheeks grew warm and his voice came out louder than he intended. "I wasn't ignoring you, Kaachan. I was just trying to come up with a plan for the Practical Exam."

Kaachan scoffed. "What are you scared? Deku?"

"Yes."

Kaachan froze and his eyes narrowed in at Izuku. His tone wasn't weak. It was confident.

"Yes, I am scared about the Practical. I don't have a Quirk suitable for it. I might as well be Quirkless. Worthless. Weak. A Deku. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to give it my all. I will pass. I will become a Hero. Just like you, Kaachan."

Kaachan's eye twitched and something changed in his demeanor. "Yeah, whatever."

Izuku watched Kaachan disappear into the crowd.

People were staring at both of them.

Izuku bit his lip and followed after Kaachan.

This time he didn't find Kaachan waiting for him outside of the Written Entrance Exam. This time Kaachan didn't cause a scene. Izuku couldn't see Kaachan in any of the lines but he knew he was there, somewhere.

"You look a little distracted, is everything all right?"

Izuku turned to tell the person standing in line behind him that he was fine and he choked. It was him. The boy with the glasses.

He was tall. His mouth was drawn into a firm line but his eyes were looking at Izuku with concern behind his glasses.

"I-I'm fine." Izuku braced himself. Ready to be yelled at.

"You don't appear fine. You keep staring into the other lines, as if you're looking for someone. And your knees are shaking."

Izuku blinked and noticed that his legs were shaking.

This guy was really observant.

The boy with the glasses pushed his glasses up against his face and extended a hand. "Tenya Iida, Somei Junior Highschool. Yuuei Hero Course Applicant."

Izuku hesitated and then grabbed Iida's hand. "Izuku Midoriya, Aldera Junior High School. Yuuei Hero Course Applicant."

"Aldera huh? Never heard of it."

"Somei huh?" Izuku had heard of it. Somei was one of the most prestigious private Junior High Schools in Japan. Meaning… Iida was rich and very very intelligent. "You wouldn't have heard of Aldera." Izuku added.

Iida furrowed his eyebrows. "That's a shame. Hero Course though? Looks like we are rivals."

Rivals? Of course, Iida was right. Everyone here was vying to get into Yuuei. Everyone here was a rival.

Iida smiled. "I'll give you my regards though. You appear well mannered and respectful of Yuuei. I wish you luck in your Entrance Exam."

Iida was smiling down at Izuku

Izuku felt…

"Thanks, you too. Iida."

Iida nodded. "And should you fail to be accepted, I will endeavor to remember your name, Izuku Midoriya."

Such gusto.

Izuku's theory was right.

This time around he had been assigned to Testing Site Echo.

He was around entirely new people.

The robots were the same.

This is impossible!

Izuku ducked beneath a robotic green arm and rolled to the left to avoid a strange set of legs that liked to try and kick out at him at odd intervals.

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek and groaned. "They've been programmed to have random sequences."

For the past ten minutes, Izuku had been struggling to count and time each robot's actions.

There was no pattern.

Just hunks of metal trying to smash teenagers into the pavement and super powered teenagers accidentally nearly smashing Izuku into the pavement.

Izuku leapt towards the robot and slammed his fist right into the side if it's head. The outcome was pretty expected. Izuku cried out in pain as his fist bounced off of metal painted green. The force behind the strike had blown away skin and his knuckles were bleeding.

Izuku stepped back and avoided getting metal to the face.

Damn it.

Izuku ignored the pain in his damaged hand and grabbed the robot's arm.

How am I supposed to do this?

Izuku swung himself around the arm and kicked at the robot's body.

Pain.

Izuku growled and lashed out with his undamaged fist aimed right for the lense in the center of the robot's head.

Smash!

His fist connected, broke, and went through plastic and glass. His knuckles crinkled under the impact of compact bulbs and circuitry. Izuku wasn't sure if the crunching sound he heard was from the robot or his fist. It certainly felt like it had been his fist.

Izuku screamed, pulled his fist back, and punched the inside of the robot's head. Again and again and again and again and again…

Izuku fell away from the robot and landed on his rear. His hand was a mess. Bloody wasn't a good enough description. There was skin ripped and torn like trenches in a warzone. His skin wasn't even one single color either. What was left of the skin on his hand was red, pink, purple, and black. And it hurt.

Izuku looked up at the sound of the crash and blinked at the fallen Two Pointer robot.

Two points.

Izuku looked at his hand again.

All of that. And I only got two points…

Izuku laughed.

This is impossible.

Something pink blurted passed him and vaulted on top of the downed robot and drenched it in some kind of… liquid?

The liquid began to eat through the robot. Acid.

"Booyah! Two more points!"

The robot made a beeping noise as it died and Izuku realized he hadn't destroyed it. He hadn't earned two points. He hadn't earned any points.

Izuku felt like crying.

The pink skinned girl smiled down at him apologetically. "Sorry, guy. But this is a competition and I'm not going to let you get in between me and Yuuei."

Izuku nodded numbly. She was right. This was a competition. And he was failing miserably.

The pink girl noticed his hands and gasped. "Oh my god!" She jumped down from the robot and landed on her feet perfectly. She crouched down in front of him and grabbed his wrists, pulling his hands closer to her without actually touching his hands.

Her hands were soft.

This was a girl.

The second girl to talk to him.

To show him concern.

And Izuku didn't care.

His hands hurt too much to care.

His mind was too dead to care.

All of that. And not even two points.

"You should really get these looked at," The girl said.

I can't do it. I don't belong here at Yuuei.

"I hear Yuuei has an amazing Doctor, some Medical Hero."

Izuku blinked and realized he was staring at a pair of very round, and very pink breasts barely covered by a damaged track suit. Izuku finally broke out of his trance and looked away with blushing cheeks. "Ah, it's fine." Izuku pulled his hands away. "They're fine. My hands!"

Izuku's eyes met with the girl's very abnormal eyes. Black with yellow irises narrowed. She had a pair of yellow horns reaching from her short curly pink hair.

"This is fine?"

Izuku nodded and looked away. He couldn't look her in the eyes. Not after he had just been staring into her breasts. But he hadn't meant to. He hadn't meant to stare at anything. She was the one who crouched down in front of him. Excuses. Izuku's cheeks burned.

Should he apologize? Had she noticed where his eyes had been looking? Did she think he was some kind of lecherous pervert? Oh god, this was the second girl to talk to him and he had been staring at her boobs.

What was wrong with him?

Failing this Practical Exam?

Failing at basic social decency.

"If this is fine, then I guess that makes me the Queen of England."

Izuku started. "W-what?"

"Your hands! There's no way you are fine, dude. Come on, help me flag down some Medical Bots. I know I've passed by a couple here and there during the Exam."

Izuku let her pull him up until his mind caught up to what she had said.

He stepped away and shook his head. "No, I can't. I have to pass this Exam."

The girl looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you crazy?"

"Probably," Izuku conceded. "But my hands don't matter. My future does."

"And you think you'll still have hands in the future?"

Izuku glared at the pretty girl. "That doesn't matter."

"What?"

"It doesn't matter. What happens to my hands? It doesn't matter. What happened to me? It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that I pass this Exam, become a Hero, and save as many lives as I can."

The girl was shaking her head now. "You are insane. That's insane." She pointed at his chest. "Can't you hear yourself? Can't you see yourself? I like your confidence, but you're gonna tear yourself apart like this!"

Izuku shook his head again. "I'm wasting time here. I need to get going."

The Practical was still going on. If the girl wanted to pass she had to get moving too.

Izuku ignored whatever she yelled after him.

After his encounter with the girl, Izuku took off his track jacket and wrapped it around his destroyed hand.

He had to keep going.

And go he did.

On the next block he encountered a One Pointer robot. After four minutes of combat, Izuku was keeled over, breathing heavily, and with a single point to his name now.

Later he came across a Two Pointer. The fight was brutal. Izuku lost his shirt. His other hand was even worse off than his destroyed hand. Fingers were broken now.

But he had to keep going.

He had to pass the Exam.

Izuku led another Two Pointer into a dark alley and ducked as the shadows moved around him. Something massive and dark ripped the Two Pointer apart.

Izuku stopped and stared at the bird person?

"You would do well to tread carefully in the darkness. Dark things dwell where they can. Those of the light should never stray, for darkness is where the beast lies in waiting."

Izuku stared up at the massive dark figure hovering over the boy with a bird head. Some kind of shadow Quirk? Or is it a Mutation?

Izuku turned on the balls of his feet and ran out of the alley.

Damn it!

Ten minutes later the Exam was over.

Izuku collapsed in one of the streets in defeat. Five Points.

Izuku had scored five points and both of his hands were completely unusable now. He was in so much pain. He could feel bone sticking through flesh underneath his wadded jacket.

Recovery Girl arrived five minutes later.

When Izuku showed her his hands, everyone around them recoiled.

The pink girl was on the verge of tears.

"Why would you do that to yourself?"

Izuku wasn't sure who asked that. Maybe it had been the girl. Maybe it had been one of the other Examinees. It didn't matter. He had failed.

At least the girl from the first loop was alive.

When Recovery Girl finished healing his hands, he felt like passing out.

The pink girl was beside him. Telling him that he was "stupid," "reckless," and "badass," and "cool."

Izuku didn't want to be badass or cool.

Izuku didn't want to be stupid or reckless.

He just wanted to pass but he had failed.

Failed.

The girl was introducing herself as "Mina Ashido."

Izuku might have told her his name. He wasn't sure.

What Izuku was sure of was how Recovery Girl nearly dropped her phone as someone told her something terrible.

Izuku knew.

He'd failed.

Word quickly spread throughout the Examinees.

Someone had died. A girl. Crushed underneath one of the pointless Zero Pointers.

The staff hadn't seen her on the cameras.

It was scandalous. Everyone was horrified that they could have lost their lives in this Practical.

Ashido was crying next to him when he decided to leave.

Izuku thought he saw a stunned Kaachan outside of the school. His faith in Yuuei was broken.

Izuku arrived and waited at a train station.

This reset had been the easiest so far.

He stepped into an oncoming train.

Izuku Midoriya died.

"Excuse me," someone was asking him. Someone timid.

He turned and looked down at the green haired Examinee. How could he not recognize him?

"It's you! The deviant from earlier!" Tenya Iida jabbed a finger in the direction of the green haired boy who had been with that rude blonde kid who liked to yell, distract, and embarrass everyone around him.

"Me? Deviant?" The boy looked confused.

Tenya glared down at the boy. Acting coy wouldn't get him out of trouble. "Yes, deviant. Come with me, we need to have a chat with the staff."

Tenya grabbed the boy by the arm and pulled him towards the nearest of the Yuuei staff.

The greenette resisted like the little rebel in the making he was and wrenched his arm out if Tenya'a grip. No matter. Tenya stood up straight and was about to shout for one of the staff to come to him when-

"Hold on, I wanted to apologize."

Tenya hesitated. "Apologize?"

Even deviants had the power to apologize for their actions. Though they rarely did. Was this? Was this deviant turning over a new leaf? Starting anew?

Tenya could respect that. It took courage and discipline to always do the right thing. It was why he respected his older brother, Tensei, so much. Even Tenya himself had his moments where he faltered.

"I'm sorry about earlier. And what my friend said."

"Yelled," Tenya corrected sternly. He couldn't have the boy's apology muddled by half truths. "Your friend yelled at me as well as countless Yuuei Applicants. Will you apologize to them as well? His yelling also disrupted everyone who was in line for the Written Examinations. Everyone there is due an apology."

The boy's green eyes widened.

Yes. It would be a tremendous feat. A feat worthy of a Hero. If the boy could prove that he appreciated his being here at Yuuei…

Tenya nodded to himself. That was what a true Hero would do.

"I, um, sure."

Tenya nodded again. Yes, this peer of his might indeed be worthy of some modicum of respect despite the earlier occurrence.

"Very admirable of you…" Tenya hesitated. "Forgive me, I don't know your name."

"Izuku Midoriya. Aldera Junior High School. Yuuei Hero Course Applicant."

Izuku Midoriya. The name didn't ring a bell, which meant he wasn't related to anyone of note. Tenya also didn't recognize the school. Of course not every Junior High School could be as prestigious as Somei. Tenya realized this and nodded, again. "Tenya Iida. Somei Junior High School."

They shook hands. Midoriya's hands were smaller and his grip wasn't very good.

Tenya regarded Midoriya. He wasn't going to make it. He just didn't seem very… special. He didn't stand out and Tenya was sure that all Heroes could stand out. This kid did not.

Tenya felt a little sorry for Midoriya's dreams of the Hero Course. However, it was an important life lesson for all to learn that some dreams just weren't achievable.

Still, Tenya liked Midoriya. His only hang up about the kid was that Midoriya was friends with a deviant. A terrible horrible monster disguised as a human. That blonde haired… red eyed… devil.

Tenya's feelings were still hurt from the shouting. That blonde deviant had said some very hurtful things. If Tenya wasn't so strong, those words would have certainly made him cry. Such were the actions of a Villain not a Hero.

And to dare engage in such actions within Yuuei's walls? Unthinkable and unforgivable.

Yuuei was Japan's pride and joy. One of the greatest schools in the world and the greatest Hero school in the world.

"Tenya?"

"Yes, Midoriya?"

Tenya looked down into Midoriya's eyes.

"Want to be friends?"

The f-word!

Midoriya had struck at Tenya's walls where they were the weakest.

Friends?

Tenya didn't… well of course he had friends. He had been at the top of his class as Somei and his older brother was Ingenium! Of course he had friends! But…

No one had ever taken an initiative, asking him personally to be his friend. People waved at him in the halls and he waved back, his older brother's friends liked to encourage him, and… he had friends. He just didn't have a friend.

What was a friend exactly?

A person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. Friend.

Tenya's face muscles pulled downwards. He looked upwards. "I."

I am speechless.

Izuku smiled up at him. "You are really cool? You know that? The way you stood up to Kaachan."

Cool? Him? Tenya Iida? Nobody had ever called him cool! Rigid! Strict! But never, cool!

Tenya's serious expression broke into a smile and his cheeks reddened slightly.

"Why, cool? You really think so?"

Tenya Iida's greatest weakness. Praise. He basked in praise. His parents praised him. His brother praised him. His teachers praised him. Praise was a sign of respect and endearment, something to show a person's worth and value in which case, Tenya's worth and value towards those praising him or more so society as a whole. Praise was an unofficial measurement system for gauging ranking in social standards as well.

So Tenya liked receiving praise. It made him feel special.

Like right now.

Midoriya's head jerked in an upward and downward fashion. "Nobody ever stands up to Kaachan. Well sometimes I do but that doesn't really count because what you did was directly challenge Kaachan's behavior and that is something nobody does because Kaachan is just so strong and amazing and everyone always just nods or smiles at him and he ignores them and nothing is actually resolved but you stood up to him and yelled back. I've only ever seen his own mother do that."

"His own mother yells at him?"

The concept was a wrong one for Tenya Iida. Mothers were supposed to be good, kind, loving and well… motherly. It was a mother's duty to raise their child with kindness and love just as well as a father. Parents are the most important thing in a child's life. For one of those parents, a mother, to yell at her own son?

Tenya tried to imagine his own mother yelling at him. He couldn't. Simply because his actions would never warrant such behavior from his loving mother.

He kind of felt bad for this Kaachan now.

Perhaps Kaachan was the way he was because of how he was raised.

Tenya had researched many studies based around child development just so he could maximize his own development process. What he found was a controversial foundation called Nurture Vs. Nature.

The development of the brain as a whole is affected by many many factors while growing up. But the main players are the family that raised you vs. the society around you. Society wasn't necessarily an accurate replacement for nature since it entirely depended on where you were being raised. Yet another of one of the many many different important factors having a role in child development.

Suffice to say. A mother without love for her child would set up a poor example for the child and leave the child with regrets and hurt feelings.

Tenya felt sorry for yelling at this Kaachan now, considering all of the information he had pieced together so far.

But there was another argument to be had.

Were people born good and evil? Or were they raised to be good or bad?

Perhaps, considering this argument. Tenya could say that Kaachan was born evil, destined to be a plague upon society.

But that didn't feel like the right conclusion.

Tenya didn't even know Kaachan aside from that brief and intense encounter from earlier. He didn't know anything surrounding Kaachan's circumstances. Assuming Kaachan's own mother didn't love him just off the fact that she yelled at him wasn't concrete either. One, it was second hand information. Second, it could just be a sign of a dysfunctional family for which Tenya had no frame of reference for since his family was phenomenal.

Midoriya scratched behind an ear. A bad habit caused by nerves no doubt. "Well, they kind of yell at eachother."

"At his own mother?"

That was beyond deviancy. That was monstrous.

"Well, yeah." Midoriya shrugged and spoke like it was a common thing. "He yells at everyone."

Tenya didn't like that. Not one bit.

"That is wrong. Such behavior is inappropriate and is deserving of discipline."

Midoriya again shrugged. "But he's Kaachan. Nobody disciplines Kaachan. Except maybe his mother."

"What about the staff at Aldera? Don't they punish him?"

It looked to Tenya like Midoriya wanted to laugh. "Them? Punish Kaachan? Now that's a silly thought. Why would they punish their pride and joy.

Madness.

Kaachan's behavior would never fly in Somei. But here at Yuuei? The staff seemed fine with it. Like they didn't care…

Was that an error on Yuuei?

It couldn't be.

Yuuei was perfect.

Perhaps the error was with Tenya's judgment. Maybe he had judged Kaachan wrong. He didn't know the guy.

And Tenya didn't know this peer either. Izuku Midoriya.

Tenya had assumed the worst at a first glance.

Midoriya had been unassuming and meek. Hiding behind this abrasive Kaachan figure. There was a history between the two. A history that was undoubtedly complicated because those two were complete opposites.

And here Midoriya was, apologizing for Kaachan's actions.

Tenya felt guilty for lumping the two together like that.

But association was a crime!

But no crime had been committed. At least non punishable by law.

Tenya extended his hand at a right angle, again.

Midoriya took it, again.

"I would be honored to call you friend, Izuku Midoriya. And I'd like to apologize to you personally. Forgive me. It was shameful of me to have grabbed you like that and to have accused you of deviancy."

Midoriya smiled up at him.

It must have been contagious because Tenya smiled back.

Izuku Midoriya had a plan this time around for the Practical Examination.

He might pass and he might save the girl from the Zero Pointer.

Well saying that he would save the Zero Pointer was a bit of a stretch.

Technically it would be Iida who would save the girl.

After explaining his Quirk to Iida after the Practical's Orientation, Iida was a little apprehensive but ultimately agreed to help Izuku look out for the girl's safety.

Obviously Izuku didn't tell Iida about Return By Death. Instead, he told Iida about his cover Quirk, Danger Sense.

The Practical was going well this time around.

Izuku leapt out of the way of a Three Pointer and stepped into an alleyway.

The Three Pointer was too large to fit into the alley so it began to tear the surrounding buildings apart.

Izuku watched as the fake buildings gave way and wood and brick spilled downwards on top of the Three Pointer. The dust from the bricks provided the perfect cover for Izuku.

Izuku rushed forwards, ran low to the ground, picked up a splintered two by six and aimed for the Three Pointer's eye lense.

The problem with using cloud cover was that both parties were blind.

Izuku missed the Three Pointer's lense by three inches. Wood smacked into metal and Izuku felt unbalanced as the force recoiled through the wood, shaking Izuku.

Izuku never saw the arm swinging at him from his left but he sure felt it as it sent him flying into the ruined building.

These buildings might be fake props used for training Hero Course Students. But they were still buildings. Empty and hollow still constructed with real material. It was impressive and didn't surprise Izuku because this was Yuuei after all.

Izuku crashed into a wooden support beam and he screamed. The pain that flared up his back was sharp. Izuku felt at his back and winced at how sore it felt.

"Damn it."

Seven points. This time around he had scored seven points. Two Two Pointers and and three One Pointers. If he could disable this Three Pointer then he would have Ten points.

He didn't know if that would be enough to pass the Practical. It probably wasn't but at least he was making progress.

Izuku pushed himself to his feet and breathed heavily. He was getting tired. Physically and mentally.

Reliving the same day over and over again was not easy. Especially when you had to walk around a school for most of it and fight for your life at the end of it.

How many loops has he been through so far this time? Three? Four?

Three deaths? Getting crushed, the needle, the train reset…

So this is the fourth loop then.

It felt like more.

Izuku began running at the robot.

This is hell.

Izuku grabbed a brick. Two of his fingers were broken and bleeding.

Is this what being a Hero is like?

Izuku leapt. And smashed the Three Pointer's eye lense. Glass broke and sprinkled over his arm. A small shard caught itself in between his knuckles.

Facing impossible odds to overcome the impossible!

Izuku reached inside and smashed the insides of the Three Pointer's head with the brick.

When he was done, he had ten points to his name.

Then the time had come for the Zero Pointer to take center stage.

The world was shaking.

The streets were filled with fleeing Hero Course Applicants.

Izuku ran through them towards the Zero Pointer.

And he watched as Tenya Iida raced towards the Zero Pointer, towards the trapped girl.

And the universe hated Izuku Midoriya. Because Iida tripped over some debris in the road.

Izuku watched in horror as the Zero Pointer closed in on the girl.

Tenya didn't so much as push himself off the ground as he propelled himself forwards trying to keep momentum. It was a fanciful move, under other circumstances, Izuku would have started writing and drawing the exact maneuver in one of his Journals for later examination and practice.

People were shouting.

Iida reached the girl and kicked the debris that was crushing the girl.

The treads were on top of them.

Iida helped the girl up and dashed outwards when something… pulled on Iida's leg, tripping him.

Izuku's green eyes widened as the hand fell back into the ground.

The girl was screaming, out of the way, reaching for Iida.

And Iida was…

And just like that.

Tenya Iida, was crushed under the Zero Pointer.

Then the Zero Pointer's manual shut off, initiated.

And Izuku stared dumbly at the spot where the dark hand had come from the ground.

He stared at the blood pooling.

He heard the screams and the shouts.

Izuku turned and began to walk away.

Staff flooded the Testing Site.

He passed by Recovery Girl on her motorized scooter.

Iida might not be dead.

Izuku doubted that.

That hand…

Izuku remembered the paralyzing fear that had taken hold over him back when he had tried to tell Kaachan about his Quirk in Aldera.

His Quirk, Return By Death was very mysterious. And it seemed to be working against Izuku.

Because he knew. He just knew that the hand had something to do with Return By Death.

He was so tired…

He had been so close…

So why?

Izuku reset on the way home, stopping by the Dagobah Municipal Beach. He walked out into the ocean and kept walking.

He didn't even try to swim. He just let the current and the deep blue depths have him.

And somewhere inside of his heart he felt his Quirk was satisfied with it's work.

Izuku Midoriya closed his eyes as he fell into deeper darkness.

Are you kidding me?

His own Quirk…

Was his enemy…

Izuku Midoriya, somewhere in the depths of the sea, died.