Here's another chapter for you guys!

As promised, this is the second half of the conclusion of the Battle Trials, and as always, there will be an author's note at the end if you want to read it.

Thank you, everyone, for your patience, your understanding, your support, and overall just being so goddamn awesome :)

I do not own My Hero Academia.


Izuku spent the next ten to fifteen minutes with his mind trapped in limbo. The words Recovery Girl had said about his classmate still bounced around in his head, but now they were accompanied by bouts of praise, beads of concern, a plethora of lectures, and scoldings galore.

Before Izuku knew what was happening, Recovery Girl was pouring gummy bears into both of his hands. As he tentatively shoveled the candy into his mouth, she made it VERY clear that he was not to do any physical training whatsoever until tomorrow, when his body fully recovered. After vigorously nodding his head in understanding, she smiled and patted his hand affectionately, discharging him immediately afterwards.

Izuku left the nurse's office with quite a lot still on his mind. Everything- from his performance, to Tokage's collapse, to Kendo's offer, and to Recovery Girl's warning- kept replaying over and over in his mind. In an effort to try to sort his thoughts out, he began to mumble to himself as he walked through the hallways, paying no attention to the few students that gave him weird looks as he passed by.

He was so lost in thought that he hadn't realized his feet had led him straight back to his homeroom until the giant 1B lettering on the door was staring him in the face. He blinked in surprise for a moment before he remembered that he was supposed to drop off Tokage's costume case. Oh, and his own as well. And... he needed to see Vlad King, to relay Recovery Girl's orders… and to also follow through with Kendo's suggestion, about watching the Trial recordings…

Huh… I didn't realize I had so many things to do in here… Izuku thought to himself nonplussed as he set down the costume case in his hand (the other was in his bag).

As he reached out to open the sliding door, he jumped back in surprise by the chorus that greeted him, wincing a little as he did from disturbing the tender areas of his body. He had little time to think about that, however, because before he could even react, Izuku was swarmed by a small, noisy group of his classmates.

Needless to say, Izuku- still tired from his treatment and caught off guard by all the thoughts in his head- was just a touch overwhelmed.

Thankfully, a couple of his peers came to his rescue.

Hiryu, who was already in the front, placed himself between Izuku and the rest of their classmates right before they had completely surrounded him. "Woah! Hey, guys, let's give him some space, yeah?" he called out over everyone's excitement. At the same time, vines reached out to gently wrap around each of the students as they huddled close the sudden superstar, and pulled them back slightly to comply with Hiryu's words. The other students didn't seem to mind as they continued to excitedly talk over one another without hindrance.

"Midoriya-sama! That was such a splendid match! I had no idea you had such a valorous spirit! -" boomed Jurota, his hands in the air raised in congratulations. Beside him, Manga was jumping up and down in earnest, his head having morphed into a speech bubble that said, "AMAZING!" with several exclamation points at the end.

"-Cool fight! Cool fight! -" cheered Pony, who was as close as she could be from her place beside Hiryu. Yui, who stood behind her, simply raised a thumbs up for the green haired boy, her face as stoic as ever.

"-Glad you're doing ok, bro, -" Nirengeki said with an honest smile. He stood to Izuku's left, holding out his fist for the other boy to bump.

"-T-That was an awesome fight, Midoriya-kun! -" Kinoko shyly said from behind Ibara, who stood directly in front of the recovering boy.

Izuku looked around him in bafflement as his peers continued to chatter, unsure of how to act in the face of such foreign interaction. He only had a second or two for his confusion to get the better of him, because in the third second-

"MIDORIYYYAAAA- ack! -"

"HAHAHA! HAHAHA- huuuggh! -"

Everyone in the small huddle around the newcomer suddenly jumped as two boys, one with steel colored hair and the other with insect-like mandibles, shoved their way towards the current center of (unwanted) attention. The only thing that had stopped their advance was a snare of earthly-green briars, lashing out to wrap them up before they could further overwhelm the poor recovering boy.

"Tetsutetsu-san! Kamikiri-san!" Ibara scolded the two boys she had captured, "Please show some restraint! Such a display of hostility is unbecoming of future heroes, and all three of you need to not aggravate your wounds any more than you already have!"

"Yeah, bum-rushing Midoriya is also starting to get a little old, guys," Hiryu muttered to no one, just barely loud enough for Izuku to hear.

"Come on, Shiozaki! I'm not being hostile, I just wanna shake this man's hand!" Tetsutetsu choked out. With difficulty, he turned towards the shaking boy before him, who was eyeing the yellowed bruise on the side of his face with visible guilt. The metal-eating teen didn't notice his expression, and instead sent him a wide, sharp-toothed smile as he did his best to disregard the vines that were trying to confine him. "Midoriya! Hey, bro, that was a badass, manly swing! Next time though, we're gotta go all out and have ourselves a proper fight, yeah!? -"

"-Proper fight my ASS! He's just gonna fucking fold you again! Like the piece of tinfoil you are, Tetsutetsu! -"

"-Please watch your language! -"

"-At least I wasn't beaten by a GODDAMN finger flick, Kamikiri! -"

"-Please do not use His Name in vain! -"

Ibara's pleads for decency went unnoticed by the insect-like teen as he slowly struggled out of his stranglehold. "-Hack- Midoriya! Hey, Midoriya!- hack- Listen, we're gonna fight again, got it?! That was the funnest fight I've ever had, so don't hold back anymore, got it?!- cough!" The vines tightened around Togaru's chest, and he became oblivious to the way Izuku's eyes lingered on his injured arm, which had also been put into a sling with the wrist heavily bandaged and splinted.

Before the freckled boy could voice his apologies to his two former opponents, Jurota, who had wound up next to the two of them, strode forward to interpose himself between them and Izuku.

"Kamikiri-sama, Tetsutetsu-sama." Both boys looked over to the speaker, who stood tall and proud in front and to the side of Izuku. "I understand your feelings quite well, but you disrespect him by continuing to challenge him in such a crass manner."

The two boys sent him identical blank looks, which gave Jurota the time to gladly demonstrate what he meant. "For example, this is how you issue a proper challenge." He turned towards the green haired boy- who had been staring up at him with confusion that quickly turned into shock once he realized what was happening- and bowed low to the ground. He spoke in his deep, regal voice, making sure that both his words and their meaning were as clear as he could make them.

"My name is Shishida Jurota, and I am honored to have made your acquaintance, Midoriya-sama. You power is great, and I find myself eager to go toe to toe with you in the near future. I formally issue this challenge in the hopes that you accept it… once you've fully recovered, of course." He stood up slowly from his bow, his canines turning upwards as he gauged the boy in front of him for a response. The outrage of the other two challengers was music to his ears as their classmates around them had erupted once more into chatter.

"HEY PAL, GET IN LINE! - "

"WHAT THE FUCK?! YOU FURRY FU-?!- "

Both Tetsutetsu and Togaru's next words died in their throats as the vines around them constricted even harder.

"No one is sparring anyone without proper supervision! For Heaven's sake, why are you all instigating such aggression towards Midoriya-san!?" Shiozaki chastised the three challengers with a fierce scowl.

Izuku could only watch the display before him, stunned, as his challengers defended their reasons. His mind reeled as he came to realize that what was happening now was just… so different from what used to happen in the past...

The expressions that Tetsutetsu, Shishida, and even Kamikiri made as they issued their challenges was nothing like the memories that sometimes still haunted him, the ones that crept up when he was unaware... the ones that reminded him of a time when things were so much worse. There was no malice, no disdain, no mockery as he listened and watched... and there was no intent to ensure that he knew he was nothing but a... a Deku.

Instead, their eyes held respect, their voices carried camaraderie, and their spirits sang of competition. They weren't seeing him as a lesser being, but as an equal… and suddenly, Izuku found himself wanting the courage to fully accept their challenges with a smile.

But before he could act on this whim, during the time he was coming to terms with this odd reality, two girls had approached him from his left. He jumped slightly- and was shaken out of his thoughts- when he felt an excited, yet hesitant, tap on his shoulder.

When he turned, he saw the horned girl next to him about an arm's length away with a wide smile and her hands held excitedly in front of her chest. The stoic girl stood just behind her, her hands gently clasped and crossed in front of her, like a maid ready for instruction.

"That was a cool fight! That was a cool fight!" the first girl cheered as she jumped up and down, the soft clip-clops of her hooves accenting her excitement. "Oh! I'm Pony, my name! Or, uh, Tsunotori, if prefer! You can call me either! If words weird, sorry, still learning Japanese. But really nice meet!" she eagerly held out her left hand to shake, since his right was in a sling.

Izuku hesitantly shook her hand, and as she began to excitedly pump it up and down in a (surprisingly) strong grip, the stoic girl smoothly strode forward. As she stood next to the other girl, she inclined her head into a proper bow and spoke in a soft, neutral voice. "Kodai Yui. Good job today."

"And I'm Fukidashi!" Izuku jumped again as the smaller boy with a speech bubble for a head was suddenly beside him. Before Izuku could react, the shorter boy was slinging an arm around Izuku's shoulders and talking so fast that there was at least a three second delay between him talking and Izuku understanding.

"My man! That. Fight. Was. Wiiiiiiiiicked! Yoooooo! At first we were all 'wuuuh…' and then Tokage was like 'surprise bi-atch!' and then Tetsutetsu was all 'Come at me brooo!' and then you were like 'COME AT ME, BROOOOOO!' and then suddenly everything was all 'Wham!' and 'Bam!' and then Kamikiri was trying to be a ninja turtle- "

"-Who the FUCK did you just compare me t- hack!-"

"- going like 'slish-slash!', 'slish-slash!' and then Tokage went all Speed Racer like 'neeeeerooom' and- "

Unfortunately for Izuku, every word Manga spoke made his head change shape. The poor freckled boy couldn't help but stare as one piece of Katakana morphed into another. The membrane in which the words were housed shifted into different variations of speech bubbles, complete with exclamations points and emphasized with wild, one-armed gestures. The whole display was quite distracting, and Izuku could only make a sputtering of sounds as he tried to understand what was being said. Thankfully, another classmate of his was able to cut off the animated boy for him.

"Easy there, Fukidashi-san," Hiryu called out to the other boy, looking as if he were trying to hold in a laugh. As he waved his arm in front of the two of them to get their attention, Izuku noticed he had grabbed the costume case that had been accidentally left out in the hallway. "Meme-speak is cool and all, but I'm pretty sure Midoriya's not the only one who can't understand you right now."

Manga's head morphed to say "NANIIIII!?" as he clutched his hands over his heart. "Meme-speak?! What're you tryin' to saaaay here, Rin?!"

"I'm saying that you should use your words, not your sound effects."

"...BRUH!"

As the small huddle of students laughed with the young man's 'outrage' and continued chatting with the timid boy, Vlad King couldn't help but watch on from his desk with half a smile.

Since All Might had to leave class before he could go over everyone's full reviews, Vlad King stepped in and took over for him. When the final bell of the day rang, he offered to keep going over reviews for the class. He was more than happy to see that a few of his students had taken him up on his offer.

He had eagerly watched the battle footage off-site and in real time just to see his new first years in action, and he was more than pleased with their results. Granted, they had a looong way to go, but this was more than a definite starting point for every member of his class, including the young man who had just walked through the door. He was quite proud of all of their performances, and couldn't wait to expand upon their skills in the near future.

Also… this was neither here or there, but… his class definitely did better than Aizawa's.

Was he biased? Probably. But, he had grounds for his bias.

While class A had averaged around eight minutes and seventeen seconds for each of their trials, his class had averaged about five minutes and forty seconds. And, with the exception of Komori's stunt to the electrical systems of the building, most of his class kept property damage restricted to just a few rooms!

Even with how potentially expensive her stunt would have been in the real world, it was nothing compared to the damage those two boys in 1A did to their building with the power of their explosives. Good God… their building got so wrecked that they had to move to another. The remains of the fourth floor could have toppled over any second, and the massive hole in the third floor would have given way with time and stress.

Though, to be fair… the student's performances did even out in the end, in terms of welfare. 1A only had to send two students to Recovery Girl's office after the exercise, to be healed of serious burns and to be checked over from being forcibly rendered unconscious. 1B, on the other hand, had to send… ten. Four for minor injuries, four for quirk exhaustion… and then whatever self-inflicted nightmares Midoriya and Tokage had suffered.

He definitely needed to have a talk with All Might sometime in the future, even if Aizawa beat him to it first. Class A's first match really should have been called off at least half a dozen times, and Class B's third and fifth matches needed some degree of intervention too. Vlad understood the concept of practicing combat like it's real life, and even willingly supported it, but… At some point, a line needs to be drawn, and developing heroes need to know not to cross that line.

Even though Vlad is no hero worshiper, he will readily admit that All Might is the best of the best in this profession for a reason. He has rightfully earned his place at the top with his power, his spirit, and his good, charitable heart. But sometimes… Vlad couldn't help but think that his status as a god among men has made him blind to certain realities of mere mortals. Realities, like how the average person could get crippled from something that would only make him sneeze, and how his standards of heroism aren't necessarily imprinted onto all heroes.

Once All Might realized this particular shortcoming of his, Vlad wouldn't doubt that he could become a great teacher. But, for now…

Well, that was a thought for another time. After all, he and his students were in the middle of some lesson reviews.

"Alright everyone, settle down. Get back in your seats," he called out to his class. "Midoriya, we're about to go over some more reviews of the Battle Trials. Would you like to join us?"

As the class moved to obey their teacher, the young man let out a subtle sigh of relief. "Y-Yes please, Kan Sensei." He paused for a moment as his non-injured hand scratched at his cheek in embarrassment. "And, uh- "

Vlad King waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Recovery Girl already told me about half an hour ago."

"Oh… ok… S-Sorry about that, Sensei…"

Izuku began to head for his seat, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rin depositing the costume case he brought with him into locker number 14. With a start, he remembered that he also had another one in his bag. So, he made his way towards his own locker, number 18, to deposit it as well.

It was as he was closing his locker that Izuku felt someone keenly watching him, and looked up just in time to see one of his former opponents heading out the classroom door. Their eyes briefly met, making Kamikiri's predatory smile sharpen as his mandibles glinted wickedly, and a zealous 'heh heh heh' came forth from under his breath. Out of sheer habit, Izuku found himself holding his breath as his heart hammered in his chest, his knees shaking and his body subtly tensing for a fight he was probably not going to win…

But then… nothing happened, and Kamikiri was taking another step towards the door instead of towards him. The tall teen's good shoulder moved to adjust the weight of his bag, and as he faced forward, all the freckled boy could hear as Kamikiri left the room was one last gruff message, and the slight shing of his arm that emphasized it.

"Nice fightin' today, Midoriya. But you better believe that we ain't done fightin' yet. Not by a longshot."

Izuku was stunned for a moment as the insect-like teen left the classroom, adding this to the collection of bizarre experiences he had in the last few hours or so before Rin asked him if he was alright. Izuku immediately apologized to the other boy before saying he was fine and hurried back to his seat, his mind simply too scattered to try to comprehend any of his recent social encounters.

So, instead, he focused on something he could comprehend: the Battle Trial reviews.

Vlad King had resumed the reviews as Izuku and Hiryu were putting the costume cases away. He was about halfway through the third match before Izuku had arrived, and as Izuku settled into his seat, Vlad had begun to educate Pony.

He was explaining how, even though spinning her horns to replicate miter saws was creative, it probably would have been better to help her partner with his task after a few failed attempts in this situation. After all, their objective was in sight, and he was having trouble completing his task. The teacher then spent a few minutes addressing Jurota's actions, admonishing him for his recklessness, but at the same time praising him for utilizing his strengths and pushing his melee advantages.

Vlad King concluded the review of the third match by saying that their plan, while solid in its first few minutes of execution, should have ended after the two of them realized that they weren't gaining any ground. He recommended that in the future, they should regroup, access their situation, and share any information they discovered to come up with a better plan.

Next was the fourth match, which hardly took any time at all. Vlad had praised the villain's plans, commenting on how it was extraordinarily well balanced and executed, and complimented Yui for her and her partner's teamwork. The only thing the hero wanted to touch on was how the young woman appeared to be more reactive than proactive, and mentioned that he noticed how she had let her partner take the lead. The teacher mentioned that while it was good to trust her allies, it was just as important to think for herself from time to time, and encouraged her to take a little more initiative in the future.

He then spent the rest of the fourth review going over what Manga did right, praising him for the flexible usage of his quirk, and pointed out a few things he should be more aware of in a real-life scenario. Of those things, Vlad mentioned that the boy needed to work on his situational awareness, pausing the footage to show the blocked staircases that the heroes had passed by in their rush to capture the villains; this, he said, should have clued them in that they were being purposely led around. He also pointed out that since the villains had trapped one area, there would have been some merit to acting as if other areas were trapped as well. The teacher advised him to slow down, be more cautious, and keep his eyes peeled if he ever found himself in this situation again.

Izuku's match came last, and like a dry sponge in a bathtub, he was ready to absorb all the corrections that his teacher was sure to point out, just like he did with the others.

Their teacher began this review by explaining how the hero's plan was a bit too rushed at times, and highlighted opportunities that they should have taken to regroup. He informed the students of the common mistakes that could happen when heroes prioritized speed over efficiency; he explained that, while speed is important in many situations, nothing good will happen if that speed makes you sloppy. Vlad also took the time to address Tetsutetsu's actions, informing him of the dangers of going off on his own without communicating to his team, and also of miscommunication itself.

The hero stressed to the remaining first years that there are times as a hero when you need to think things through, and then there are times when you need to put your body into action; knowing how to differentiate between them is the key to being a successful hero.

The teacher highlighted the hero's attempted retreat after Izuku became injured as a prime example of both occasions. He showed how both Setsuna and Togaru had acted first- one to press their advantage, and the other to gain control of the situation- before he panned over to Izuku and showed how he clearly took the time to think, and found a way to win because he did. However, he did implore Izuku to find some cover first the next time he did this; standing still in the middle of a hallway- while a fight happens not three meters away- isn't exactly ideal, after all.

Vlad King ended this review by going over match five's overall score for the heroes and villains, since both teams were out of commission when the grading was originally done. Even though both teams received low passing grades- the villains due to the abundance of miscommunication and what happened because of it, and the heroes for endangering the bomb and the friendly fire that occured in their final attack- he still praised them for a well fought match, much to the class's approval.

Izuku now understood why Kendo had encouraged him to take a look at the simulation footage. It was quite the surreal experience, seeing everyone move the way they did from another point of view as someone else highlighted their flaws and feats.

It was mesmerizing to watch how his two adversaries faired against his partner. The dark blue of her costume made it difficult to track her movements in the shadowy environment through the video feed. The only evidence of her presence was a tiny blur of movement, followed closely by the villain's recoil.

His mind was racing as he did his best to keep track of her fast moving pieces, and he was surprised to find how proficient she was at exploiting their enemy's weak points. As he eagerly catalogued all the areas she kept targeting into his memory, he came to realize that her physically weak attacks were creating openings according to where she hit them... and each blow to those openings was in a blind spot created by her previous attack. It was downright fascinating to see how each strike had a purpose, to watch how each hit set up her next attack, to see the possibilities of what could happen during the briefest window of vulnerability... and Izuku couldn't help but envy her precision and forethought.

Izuku was just as transfixed by his opponents, and he firmly believed that they were both every bit as amazing as his partner was. Tetsutetsu's tenacity was something that Izuku coveted, and his willingness to charge headfirst into battle with nerves of steel was something he truly admired. His guts, his resolve, and his confidence only served to amplify his already powerful quirk, and Izuku couldn't help but wish for even a fraction of his stalwart battle spirit.

His attention then became solely focused on Kamikiri's swordsmanship. The more Izuku watched him, the more he realized that the tall teen had never wasted any of his actions. Even his missed slashes and thrusts seemed to give him some kind of edge, from setting up his next deadly attack to creating a chance to parry and counter against oncoming threats. Each of his attacks flowed from one to the other in a single continuous movement, and it further cemented the fact that Kamikiri had been honing his skills for a very long time. His performance today was the result of years boosting his muscle memory and reflexes with his keen perception… And Izuku couldn't help but think what a miracle it was that he had come out relatively unscathed against this incredible adversary.

Regardless of his thoughts, Izuku was just happy to watch his classmates in action. And as he did, he couldn't help but wonder if he, too, could be just as capable as they were one day soon.

"You're already pretty capable, Midoriya-kun. Just give yourself a little more time."

Izuku jumped a little as his neighbor quietly interrupted his thoughts. Currently, Vlad King was finishing up the reviews, and answering Rin's question on how to maneuver when you're outnumbered in this situation. The footage of his match was playing on repeat in the background with the audio muted, and the freckled boy couldn't help but cringe and duck his head in embarrassment. He must have been muttering to himself without realizing it, and it was probably loud enough to have disturbed the boy in front of him.

Nirengeki, however, didn't seem all too bothered by his muttering. Instead, the other boy gave him a small smile as he sat sideways in his seat.

"Ah! S-Sorry for bothering you Shoda-kun! I-I was just- uh, I-I sometimes get… c-carried away, with stuff like this…"

"Hey, I get it man. It's only natural for us to want to get better," the other boy whispered back. "I'm just saying, I think you were pretty awesome in your match today, too."

"I-I don't know about that, S-Shoda-san…"

"Why do you say that?" Nirengeki quietly asked, his head tilted in curiosity.

Izuku fidgeted a little in his seat before he answered without looking the other boy in the eyes. "I-It's just, that… well… Tokage-san, Tetsutetsu-san, and Kamikiri-san are all just… they're so amazing. Everyone in class is! But- But… all I-I did was cause trouble for m-my partner… and, uh, a-after I got hurt, I was basically just a huge liability for her…"

The two boys were silent for a while as Vlad finished answering Rin's question and moved on to Shiozaki's inquiry about regrouping. Nirengeki suddenly nudged the other boy with his elbow and pointed to the screen. "There. Right there. Watch what happens carefully. And don't focus on anyone else, just you."

A little confused, Izuku did as he asked and watched the scene before him once more.

It was right after Tetsutetsu had been declared captured, and the two heroes were running to capture the other villain. As the Izuku on screen struck the wall and hunched over from the pain it caused, the real Izuku did as he was asked and only watched his own body move in the following seconds… and felt his eyes widen in surprise.

Izuku had been so focused on getting an in-depth look at his classmates that he hadn't thought to do the same with himself.

As he watched what happened, Nirengeki provided a quiet commentary to better help Izuku understand what he was seeing.

"See, look. The moment you lost your weapon and Kamikiri shot out those long spears, you automatically brought your guard up and hunkered down for a defensive fight. When he came flying through that hole, that allowed your body to start moving to dodge way before Tokage could reach you. Had she not reacted, I still don't think that Kamikiri would have hit you. He would've been close, but you'd have avoided his attack."

"And then... right… there," Nirengeki pointed to the part where Kamikiri was coming in to attack after he had sheared off the top of the parking meter. As Izuku watched the spinning blades come close to slicing his shoulder… he never realized that his good arm had moved the meter's pole upwards to prevent a stray slash he hadn't seen coming.

"Your body moved to parry that strike as Tokage got you out of the way. It may not have been the best parry, but it was enough to make him stumble and give you guys some breathing room. And look at how you're moving right here! Even with all your injuries, you were able to react in time to most of Kamikiri's attacks! That's, like, ten attacks in a row you just dodged- oh, make that eleven- before Tokage dragged you out of there."

The chubbier boy turned to the other and found him slack jawed. "See what I mean, bro? Yeah, Tokage, Tetsutetsu and Kamikiri were all amazing, but so were you! Even if it wasn't completely obvious."

"But, but… I didn't… I-I don't even remember doing… a-any of that…"

Nirengeki nodded sagely to Izuku's stupor. "My trainer says that whenever we really get in the zone, our bodies know what to do without the brain ever telling it to do so. I can't tell you how many times I've experienced the same thing as I watched recordings of my fights to look for errors in my technique. You probably don't remember any of this happening because you never needed to tell your body what to do- your natural reflexes were just that good. Don't sell yourself short so easily, Midoriya-kun; you did good today!"

He held out his fist for the other boy to bump, and Izuku absently obliged him. His mind was still reeling from shock, but slowly, he felt his body grow warm as the truth began to sink in: his performance… wasn't as bad as he thought it was.

Izuku bent down to annotate in his notes what Nirengeki had explained to him before he paused and glanced at the rest he had made about the other people in his class. Sure, Nirengeki, Setsuna, Itsuka, and the rest of his peers who had stopped him at the door had all said he did good today… but that didn't change the fact that he was still part of a class full of people that were definitely better than him in multiple ways.

But... instead of feeling the despair of being so far behind… he felt, for once in his life, like he actually had a chance to catch up to his peers. A small, excited smile grew on his face as he hunched over his notes to continue writing what he had learned today, motivated by a singular thought as it went through his mind.

His class… was really awesome. And he couldn't wait to reach their level too.

-(TTAE)-

After Shiozaki's question was answered, and the class had nothing else to ask, their teacher concluded the reviews and wished them all a good evening as he did.

As the students filtered out of the room and headed home for the day, Vlad King called out to the green haired boy and asked him to stay behind for just a moment longer.

Izuku was more than happy to oblige, and the two of them talked for roughly ten minutes about the changes that were to come with Izuku's remedial training. The more the teacher talked, the more the student seemed to vibrate with excitement, despite the fatigue that still clung to his body. As happy as it made Vlad to see his pupil eager to try out the new regimen, he had to remind him- multiple times- that they couldn't start until tomorrow, after Izuku had fully recovered.

The teacher was actually quite surprised- he thought that the boy would have been uncomfortable, if not insulted, with the new regimen; instead, his eyes appeared to have misted over, and Vlad could have sworn he heard him mumbling something about 'finally being just like everyone else'. And as the hero took the time to remember his boss's words from this morning... he supposed the boy's reaction had, regretfully, made sense.

Whenever Vlad sought out advice and tips to help be a better teacher for his students, the principal would happily provide suggestions that were, to put it respectfully, bat-shit insane.

Once, about four years ago, Nezu had suggested that Vlad teach a student with a cutting quirk how to cook beef stew in place of remedial quirk training. In the following year, he was eager to push for a game of hide and seek, but with beanbag ammunition, caltrops, and 'weak' explosives to help break the bad habits of some hardheaded students. And in the year after that, when Vlad had a student with an unstable Permeation quirk and was looking for the next step to help him fine tune his control, the first words out of Nezu's mouth had been, "Have you tried stabbing him yet?"

Vlad had been prepared for some ridiculous idea to be spouted, and, more importantly, ready to make it work as he had many times before. He had assumed that the creature would answer him with his cheery little smile and overly bright voice as he always did whenever he asked for guidance. But, this time, it was... different. There was a time when Vlad would have been happy to have a straight answer for once, but... The way the answer came forth from the mammal, so calm and calculated, unnerved him to the core for reasons he didn't know.

"If you are looking for assistance when it comes to Midoriya-kun, then perhaps you should reconsider your focus for his training. Currently, you are treating him as if he were a student who's had his quirk his entire life. However, we must remember that this may not be the case, as his records indicate that he was registered as quirkless up until fairly recently. It could be very possible that the young man has never had the slightest chance to receive any proper quirk counseling prior to coming to Yuuei... among other things. This may be a rather dramatic analogy, but what you're currently doing is essentially telling a blind person to recreate A Starry Night Over The Rhone when they have no sense of color or visual perspective."

"My advice to you, Kan-kun, is to start an accelerated series of quirk counseling sessions to get the young man accustomed to using his power. Teach him the concept of color and the emotions they convey, that way he can paint his own Starry Night. You've already done a stellar job of laying out the ground work for his fundamentals, and creating a controlled environment for him to safely use his quirk. Perhaps, though, it would be better if you focus more on getting him to use his quirk as naturally as breathing before you begin to increase his limits and push his control."

The fact that Izuku was excited about getting his own quirk counseling sessions basically confirmed Nezu's suspicions... and it made Vlad King subtly clench his fists under his desk. He had found one solution, but had gained two problems in return. First, the implications of Nezu's suspicions were... well... Not. Good. This issue was just a giant canister full of worms and centipedes waiting to be opened, and it needed to be properly handled before the canister broke from decay. The second issue wasn't as bad, but still quite serious: even though he had plenty of ideas, Vlad was not a licensed and accredited quirk counselor.

Luckily for the Blood Hero though, he knew just the guy to help him out with both problems. Hopefully, his best friend wouldn't mind the extra work load.

As Vlad King finished explaining their new training plan, the conversation led itself back to the Battle Trials. That was when he said a particular statement, which unknowingly helped to lead Izuku to the next step of mastering his quirk.

"I have to admit, Midoriya-kun… I was very surprised with your performance today. I was hoping you'd be able to get at least one solid hit in without breaking yourself, and you managed to get two. I'm glad you were able to somewhat use your quirk without it backfiring on you. And, this is just a guess, but those hits looked like they were right at that threshold you found yesterday, too. Good work today, kid."

Izuku ducked and deeply flushed, rubbing his head absently as he looked away. Praise was… still a weird thing for him to process, especially when it came from a teacher. But it wasn't unpleasant… it definitely wasn't unpleasant.

"O-oh! T-T-Thank you, Kan Sensei! B-But, I-I think I just got lucky today, t-that's all…"

Izuku cringed slightly at what he just said. Shoda had just finished explaining to him why that statement wasn't entirely true, but… apparently, some parts of him still didn't agree…

But before he could try to amend his statement, Vlad King hummed thoughtfully for a moment and spoke his opinion.

"Didn't look that way to me, Midoriya." Vlad said as he continued to organize the papers and folders on his desk. "Luck is accidental, random, and convenient. What you managed to do today against your opponents was done with purpose, and the opportunity to do it was created through both yours and Tokage's efforts. It was skill, plain and simple as it was," the teacher placed a pile of papers and folders into his bag before he zipped it up and stood to clap the young man on his shoulder, "and today, in my honest opinion, you took a pretty big step forward."

"O-O-Oh…" Izuku's face went bright red as he looked down and did his best to prevent any water from coming out of his eyes and fought his hardest to keep his voice steady. "W-W-Well, when y-you say it that way…" he sniffed and swallowed, unknowingly missing the slight frown on his teacher's face that was gone as quick as it had appeared. "I-I mean, I just- I just… in my eyes, it o-only felt like I-I was… I was cooking… another egg…"

Izuku's breathing hitched as his eyes widened with realization. His good hand flew to his forehead as he began to mutter something in fascination under his breath. This reaction was enough to make Vlad King's hand retract from the boy's shoulder as a look of concern flashed across his face.

"You… You alright there, Midoriya?" The boy didn't answer him; instead, a wild light began to glow in his eyes as his mutterings grew faster and erratic, and Vlad found himself clearing his throat and raising his voice to regain the boy's attention. "Midoriya. What are you muttering about, kid?"

"Sensei…" Izuku breathed with an air of excitement as the light of epiphany shone in his eyes, "I can cook multiple eggs in the microwave! And whenever I need to use one, I can, while continuing to cook the others!"

That statement, to the outside listener, would have surely caused quite a few to snicker at him, and a few more to send odd looks his way. Vlad King himself was tempted to burst out laughing, but only because the statement and the look on his pupil's face didn't match at all in the slightest. But then… he remembered how the young man came to control his power, and any merriment he had died down as his smile become more intrigued, more challenging.

"That… is an interesting realization, Midoriya-kun."

Izuku nodded eagerly, lost in the afterglow of his understanding. "Sensei! You have to let me try it out! Can I- "

"Not today, Midoriya-kun. Tomorrow. After you've fully recovered."

His excitement faded slightly as the young man visibly deflated. "O-Oh… ok…"

Vlad King couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh. "You really are something else Midoriya! Not many people would be willing to risk getting flayed alive by Recovery Girl after she specifically told them to rest up."

Izuku paled a little before he bowed an apology. "S-Sorry about that, Kan Sensei… I-I got a little… a-ahead of myself there… for a second…"

"Don't worry about it, kid. Now, go home and get some rest! If I remember correctly, Cementoss has an essay due by the end of the week, so make sure you get it done, alright? And I promise, we'll try out your new theory tomorrow, first thing after school!"

Izuku nodded earnestly in response to the teacher's compromise and began to hurry out the door. But before he left, he paused to turn back towards his teacher with a bright smile firmly on his face. "Thank you, Kan Sensei! For everything! H-Have a good night, sir!"


That was how the first Wednesday of the school year ended for Yuuei's freshmen: just like any other day in their lives, where all was right in the world.

For a few of the students, including Izuku, it had been a fruitful day. Not only had he successfully taken another step towards his goal, but he also had the pleasure of experiencing some of life's finer experiences for the first time ever. From pulling out his phone to find six unread messages of praise from his mentor, to the surprise and happiness he felt as he rounded the corner to find Nirengeki, Jurota, and Tetsutetsu waiting on him so that they could all walk to the station together, today had been… wonderful.

For others students though, today had been far from wonderful. Unfortunately, the pale-blond haired boy who was currently trying to distract himself with the view that passed by as he rode the train home was one of those students.

With a little bit of curious digging, he discovered that his homeroom had an astounding legacy. From the rising rookie Kamui Woods, to the unyielding veteran Yoroi Musha... from the infamous Endeavor, to All Might himself, 1A was the homeroom of some of the greatest heroes to ever walk the Earth. Even without all the big names who could proudly call 1A their starting line, he discovered that for the past decade or so, his homeroom had nurtured the most successful heroes in the country, in terms of approval rating, contributions to society, and incidents resolved. That number only grew when his current homeroom teacher took over about five or six years ago, only further adding onto the prestige of Yuuei High's class 1A.

Having been placed in the 1A, the very same place where many greats had taken their first steps towards heroism, the young man couldn't help but think that the stars were finally aligning for him. He couldn't help but think that this was going to be his fresh start, the chance he had been waiting for to truly begin chasing after his dream...

...But, he should have known better. The looks he pretended not to notice, the whispers he pretended not to hear, and the subtle actions his classmates did in his presence were no different from before; the only thing that had really changed was the school uniform. He had tried to overcome this stigma as he had in the past... but yesterday and today's events were still heavy in his mind. He tried not to let it bother him, he really did... but in the end, his thoughts were full of the nasty truth that had been shoved down his throat by his more volatile classmates.

By the time he went to bed, it was all Monoma Neito could do to not question his placement in the esteemed class...

For some students, today was just another Wednesday. Wednesdays, for a boy with ashy, spiky blonde hair, meant circuit training. Last week, he had performed the high-intensity cardio workout for exactly eighty minutes, and had accomplished ten rounds of the seven-station workout, with exactly one minute of rest between each circuit. Today, he intended to crush every one of those numbers underfoot before he called it quits for the night… and it had absolutely nothing to do with whatever the fuck that damn Copycat had mouthed off earlier in class today...

There were also some students, however, who viewed 'just another Wednesday' in a darker light.

A boy with two-toned hair willing took detours to feed and play with the neighborhood stays he had befriended years ago. Wednesdays, for him, meant that he came home early, and the two-toned boy had absolutely no intention of spending anymore time in his presence than absolutely necessary.

And as for Itsuka… well, Wednesdays weren't necessarily bad, for her. Her Wednesday nights were usually rather busy, and she and her little brother mostly spent the evening helping their dad wherever they could with his volunteer work, so long as they finished their homework beforehand. But… the same couldn't be said for her best friend, who was in the same building, just a few levels lower. The best friend in question was currently spending her Wednesday evening as she usually did every week- sitting in the dim light of room B2-145 while ignoring its unnerving ambience, and softly speaking to its sole occupant until the three knocks on the door signaled she couldn't anymore.

Regardless of their situation, all the first years of Yuuei continued to live their life to the fullest this evening, without ever knowing that their reality was about to be turned inside out in just a few short hours.

They had been warned by the greatest hero in the world himself about the dangers heroes continually faced against those who did evil for the sake of evil… And not even a few days later, like some sort of sick, self-fulling prophecy, the first years were going to learn first-hand exactly what he had meant.

The first years had no way of knowing that they were about to get a crash course in just how terrifying the world they were about enter could be…

…And they had no idea that it would only take eight minutes to completely change that world...


Author's Note!

This chapter covered quite a bit, so I apologize if things seemed a little rushed and/or confusing to understand. If you guys need anything clarified, just ask and I'd be more than happy to explain!

So, a few things to mention. First, yes, in this story, Vlad was Mirio's homeroom teacher during his first year, and I'll be sure to go over some of the details in the future. (probably during the filler chapters.) Also, yes, Hound Dog has finally entered the chat!... mostly. As a story with 1B at it's center, I think I'm way overdue for some Hound Dog scenes. I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to get to it earlier, but do expect Hound Dog to be making an appearance soon.

Second, I know many of you have been curious about Setsuna's backstory, and I promise I won't drag it out for much longer. Let the USJ be resolved first, then you'll get your answers... most of your answers. (Also, as much as I adore her, I need to sideline her for a bit so that other characters can get their chance to shine too.)

And speaking of the USJ... now that Izuku underwent some proper development, I think it's high time to further the plot with some action. Don't you guys agree?

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! And I hope to see you guys in the next! As always, thank you, each and every one of you, for the support and patience you all have given the story and me as a writer. I'll be sure to repay your kindness with more chapters to come!