Surprise! Quick update since last chapter. I wanted to adjust my upload schedule, so now it's on Saturdays. Anyways let's-a-go!


I do not own Boku no Hero Academia or any of the characters portrayed in this story.

–Setting The Pace–

"Hello there young student!"

The holographic disk had blazed to life as soon as Katsuki took it out of the envelope. It covered the room in a blue hue as a rodent-esque animal appeared on the screen. Masaru and Mitsuki, Katsuki's parents, were each sitting beside him the couch. He told them not to, but that never works with his mom.

"My name is Principal Nedzu," the projection continued. "As my title suggests, I am the principal of U.A. high school. If you're receiving this letter, then you've been accepted into our hero course!"

Katsuki's parents both cheered and hugged him, with Mitsuki crying, "My little delinquent made it!"

"Get off me!" Katsuki exclaimed, straining to push them away.

"Now listen!" The principal continued, regaining their attention. "That practical exam was more than just fighting robots! There's something just as important as battle skill in heroics: a golden heart, and the will to put yourself on the line for the sake of others! That's why, along with villain points, we awarded rescue points! These were decided by our fantastic judging team, who watched the full length of footage for every applicant! Such dedication, right? I saw it too of course!

"So you may have kept track of your villain points, but the rescue points certainly shook up the scoreboard! Have a look!"

Nedzu waved to his side, where a list of the top scorers appeared. Katsuki's eyes widened as he read the list.


1: Izuku Midoriya [43 villain] [65 rescue]

2: Katsuki Bakugo [89 villain] [15 rescue]

3: Eijiro Kirishima [42 villain] [35 rescue]

...


He blinked. He had expected Izuku to outdo him in the written exam but he was sure he had the edge in the practical. He had to process it for a second.

"Anyways," Nedzu smiled, "we'd be honored to have you attend U.A. High School's hero course!"

"Woah, 2nd place! That's incredible!" Masaru smiled as he ruffled his son's hair.

"I've gotta call Inko! Our boys are the top two!" Mitsuki shouted as she ran to grab her phone.

'If I'd gotten... just 5 more points...' Katsuki grit his teeth. 'How did Icchan do it?!'


Katsuki lowered himself to the floor, slowly enough that his arm strained more than usual. Then just as deliberately, he extended his arm to lift himself back to his starting position, ignoring the searing sensation shooting through his arm like lightning. A couple beads of sweat dropped from his eyebrow and the tip of his nose, splashing into the small puddle on the exercise mat below his face.

"47..." he exhaled.

He squeezed his right fist, which he was holding behind his back, then bent his left arm again as he inhaled. And with another exhaled count of his reps, he pushed himself up again.

"Ah, Kacchan," Izuku's voice greeted as he entered their exercise room. "you got started without me?"

"I have some catching up to do," Katsuki said with a heavy breath before doing another one-handed push-up.

"Kacchan," Izuku sighed, shaking his head with a smile plastered on his face, "You blew my score away in terms of villain points. If you did have to catch up to me, it wouldn't be by hitting the gym extra hard."

"50," Katsuki heaved as he pushed himself up onto his knees. "Then what? How did you get all those points?"

"Well, I was probably able to respond to situations faster," Izuku pondered. "Almost every one of the robots I took out were going after someone else. I also rescued some people from the zero-pointer."

"Okay, you did a lot of rescuing, but how did you take down the drones? I don't think even you could punch through the metal."

"Well, I probably could, but my arm would be broken after a few of them."

"Seriously?" Katsuki asked in disbelief.

"Anyways, I didn't do that," Izuku chuckled as he continued. "Present Mic said we could bring anything with us, right? I made a few dozen EMP devices ahead of time. They shut down the robots I threw them at."

Izuku reached into his back pocket and pulled out a dark grey pellet about the size of a golf ball, and tossed it over to his friend. Katsuki inspected it, but it was plain and felt fragile. It was almost like papier-mâché, the way he felt the surface crumple under his fingers.

"They break on impact," Izuku went on. "I just waited for any drones to approach the others from behind, then tossed it to shut them down."

"So you knew the details of the exam beforehand," Katsuki frowned as he tossed the device back. "Guess I should've assumed. Still, I thought I had you."

"Listen Kacchan, do you trust me?" Izuku asked, his smile unflinching.

"I do."

"Do you trust my analysis?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Believe me when I say that you have nothing to worry about," Izuku reassured Katsuki as his smile softened. "Tests are just tests, EMPs won't work on real, breathing villains. Besides, we'll both grow a lot more once we're at U.A."

Katsuki tried to read Izuku's face, but all he could see was genuine optimism. With a sigh, he conceded, "Yeah, whatever," and dropped onto his right hand for his next set.

After setting down his workout drink and towel, Izuku wasted no time in getting into his own workout. He flipped forward to stand on his fists, then lifted up his right arm so he was balancing only on his left hands' knuckles. Then he slowly lowered himself and pushed up. Katsuki watched Izuku do a few of these one-fisted handstand push-ups, then started speeding up his own workout out of frustration.


"Hey brat!"

"Shut it hag! I'm already running behind!"

"Who are ya calling hag??!! Eat your breakfast before school, dumbass!"

"I'd have time to eat if I could wake up on time! You're so loud all the time I can barely hear the alarm clock!"

"You blame your hearing loss on me when you literally blow explosions out your hands?!"

The Bakugo home was currently a whirlwind as Katsuki rushed to get his essentials before his first day of school at U.A. Between getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and double-checking his school supplies, food was hardly on his mind.

"H-Hey, you two," Masaru said as a bead of sweat formed on his forehead.

"WHAT?!" Mitsuki and Katsuki both swung their heads at him as the former held the latter by his shirt.

"Arguing won't speed this up at all," he smiled as he put some waffles on a paper plate. "Katsuki, you just get ready to go. You can eat some food on the way there."

"Tch, fine," Katsuki pulled his collar away from his mom and snatched the plate.

*Knock knock*

"Ah, that's Izuku!" Mitsuki smiled before walking over and opening the door. "Hi, come in! Katsuki's almost ready to go."

At this point, after finishing their last year in middle school and after summer break, Izuku's training showed in the way his muscles filled his figure. Katsuki was fairly muscular himself, but the difference in strength was evident by appearance alone. He wasn't All Might, but he was definitely bigger than plenty of heroes. Katsuki figured he was on track to match All Might's figure by the age of 20, maybe even sooner. Well, not quite as tall though.

"Morning Mrs. Bakugo," Izuku bowed his head. "Hey Kacchan, excited for class?"

"Yeah," Katsuki harrumphed as he tried to fix his shirt.

"Kacchan, maybe you could sleep with earbuds in," Izuku mused. "It'd help you hear the alarm better."

"Alright, you two," Masaru called as he grabbed his car keys. "Time to go!"

"You guys excited?" Mitsuki asked eagerly as she herded the 2 students towards the door.

"Uh-huh!" Izuku nodded, his smile as wide as ever.

Soon enough the group was on their way to the U.A., and Katsuki was taking small bites of his waffles.

"Here," Izuku said as he handed Katsuki a small red pill.

"What's this?" He raised an eyebrow as he took it. For such a small pill, it was fairly hefty.

"It's a supplement, made it myself," Izuku smiled. It'll give you energy, plenty of nutrition, and it'll make your food taste more appetizing. Also it's a chewable tablet, don't just swallow it."

"Okay..." Katsuki looked at it for a few seconds before popping it in his mouth.

"By the way, where's your tie?" Izuku asked.

"Lost it," Katsuki shrugged. "The website said it's optional anyways."

"Well if you're fine with it," Izuku laughed with a shrug.

Katsuki wasn't impressed with the chewable tablet. It was dense and wasn't the easiest to chew, plus there was basically no flavor. But when he took his next bite of waffle, his eyes widened. The plain toaster waffle had taken on a different quality. It was fluffy in his mouth, and somehow felt freshly warm even though he knew it had already cooled down. It had a buttery flavor with a small hint of maple, as opposed to the blandness that met his tongue previously.

"How did... Why is it...?" he started asking, before dropping the question to take another bite.

"It tricks your nerves into thinking they're happy," Izuku explained. "It takes what little flavor is there, and makes it more palatable to you. Same with the heat. It should wear off 2 to 3 minutes after your last bite."

"You said it's full of nutrients?" Katsuki asked, with his plate now empty.

"Yeah, plenty of protein, vitamins, fiber, all that," Izuku confirmed with a nod. "They're all dehydrated so that they fit in the small pill, but it should expand in your stomach so you feel full."

"Smile!"

Katsuki looked up and was met with a bright flash as his mom took an impromptu picture from the passenger seat.

"Ack! Why?!" Katsuki shouted.

"Just wanted a picture before sending you off to you first day of school at U.A.!" she giggled at his discomfort.

"We're here," Masaru smiled back at the two students.

"Thanks for the ride!" Izuku smiled and waved before the parents took off. "Let's go Kacchan."

"Sure Icchan," Katsuki sighed as they started walking towards U.A.

They made their way to the class attendance board and were glad to see they were both in class 1-A. Katsuki also noticed Eijiro Kirishima's name, the guy he met in his practical exam who had gotten 3rd place. The school's layout was almost maze-like, but luckily Izuku knew exactly where they were going.

"Big door," Katsuki remarked upon seeing the looming entryway to their classroom.

"They need to account for mutant-type Quirks, and that sort of thing," Izuku said raising a finger, almost sounding like a tour guide.

"I knew that, tch," Katsuki looked away, pouting.

"Sorry, hehe," Izuku scratched the back of his head. Looking back up at the door, he smiled confidently, "This is where we'll become heroes, Kacchan."

"Yeah," Katsuki shared the smile as he looked up alongside him. "Here we go, Icchan."

They gave each other a fist-bump, then Katsuki pushed the door open. They each scanned the faces of the students who'd already arrived. Katsuki couldn't quite find Eijiro's gloomy mug in the crowd of people, but he did see one or two familiar faces.

"Hey Bakugo!" a voice suddenly called.

Katsuki looked up to see a boy with spiky red hair running down to meet him. He didn't recognize him.

"Man, I'm glad we're classmates," he said as he reached him. "You did so well on the practical exam, no wonder you got 2nd place! I wonder who was able to get 1st over you."

"You already made a friend Kacchan!" Izuku smiled, patting his shoulder.

"Ka-Kacchan..?" the redhead grinned, holding back a laugh. "Such a cute nickname for such a manly guy!"

"Kiri...shima?" Katsuki's eyes widened as he recognized the face of the gloomy-haired boy he'd met in the practical exam. He snorted, "PFFT, WHAT'S WITH THAT SHITTY HAIRDO?! AHAHA!"

"W-What, ya don't like it?" he frowned and looked up as he pulled at the spikes.

"N-Nah, it's fine," Katsuki covered his mouth as he tried not to chuckle. "It suits you."

"Right???" A bubbly pink girl with yellow horns nodded energetically as she jumped over to them. "It totally fits him! I'm Mina Ashido, went to middle school with Kirishima. You're Bakugo?"

"Yeah, Katsuki Bakugo," he nodded, having calmed down. He didn't remember seeing her name in the top 10 finishers.

"So cool, already friends with number 2! I'm jealous!" Mina crossed her arms and feigned a pout, but just as quickly moved on, "But yeah, I saw that the top finisher is in our class too. Ah, Bakugo's friend, Mr. Muscly! What's your name?"

"Ah, I'm–"

"Izuku Midoriya, right?"

They all turned to see another boy approaching them, taller with dark blue hair and glasses. He bowed a bit rigidly in greeting.

"Ah, Iida," Izuku waved. "It's good to see you."

"You guys take the test together?" Katsuki nodded towards the tall one.

"Ah yeah, Iida, mind if I tell them about your brother?" Izuku asked.

"W-Well, I suppose."

"His older brother is the Turbo hero, Ingenium," Izuku said with a glint in his eyes. "He's got his own agency with sidekicks!"

"Woah, manly!" Eijiro nodded.

"Wait, Midoriya?" Mina tilted her head. "Weren't you the top placer in the practical exam?"

"Oh, yeah," Izuku nodded.

"Man, number 1 and number 2 are best buddies? Who woulda thought?" Eijiro scratched his head.

"Ah hey, the smiley muscly guy!" another voice said from the doorway. She was a girl with a brown bob and brown eyes. "Wait, are you more muscly than before?"

"Ah, hey Uraraka," Izuku smiled and waved. "Yeah, I keep an intense training regimen."

"Ah, did we tell each other our names?" She scratched the back of her head and blushed slightly. "Sorry, I don't remember yours."

"Ah, no, we didn't," Izuku assured her as he waved his hands. "I just saw your name on the scoreboard."

"Ah, ok. Thanks for saving me from the gimmick, by the way," she slightly bowed. "Wait, how did you know where I was on the scoreboard?"

"W-Well," Izuku scratched his head, "I kinda–"

"Oh, sorry," another voice said from the door behind them. "I didn't realize this was the socializing class. If that's how it is, I'll leave you to it."

Everyone turned and saw a man in a yellow sleeping bag, laying halfway through the door. It took a few seconds for everyone to quiet down. The man slowly rose from the floor and took a timer out from the sleeping bag.

"It took you all eight seconds to quiet down after I got here," he sighed. "How irrational."

–Next up: CLASS 1-A–


Story Supplement Corner!

Shitty Hair!

"'Gloomy?'" Eijiro Kirishima crossed his arms and leaned back lightly in his chair with a frown. "C'mon, I'm not gloomy."

He looked at his phone, showing the image of his face from the reverse camera. He sighed and pushed his hair up from over his eyes. Maybe that's what Bakugo had meant? He admitted he looked a bit emo.

"A haircut maybe, for my high school debut!"

He smiled at the thought. But what hairstyle would suit him? Definitely not gloomy, he wanted something more upbeat. Upbeat. Up. Up?

He looked at the poster on his wall. His hero, Crimson Riot, sporting his iconic spiked up hair. He nodded and grinned to himself.


Notes: Since Izuku and Katsuki are friends here, there won't be any "bakusquad" or "dekusquad." The overlap will lead to much more fun group dynamics I hope. Also we're getting close to some of the early story beats so that's exciting!

I'm currently working on the Battle training arc. I'll drop some tidbits about it here.

1st, I decided to use a random number generator to decide on the teams. Is it less interesting from a narrative perspective? Maybe. But is it super fun for me? Yes. Besides, some of the pairings are really convenient anyways.

I'll also be writing all 5 fights out instead of just focusing on Izuku's and Katsuki's. I'm not sure if it'll be a 2-chapter thing, or maybe an extra long special chapter. We'll see!

Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated, and I'll see you in the next chapter!