The episode started with Izuku's voice describing how All Might's age and quirk were unknown, and how his existence dropped crime rates and lead him to be the Symbol of Peace.

The recap about All Might gave many students in the room pause, as they suddenly became aware of how little they, and most others, really knew about All Might. Even the small bit of explanation they got in the previous episode was far more than most people knew about All Might's quirk, and it sounded like they were about to learn even more. The kids sat forward, eager to learn more about the hero they so admired.

Izuku was hunched on the ground, overwhelmed by the fact that such a person had told him he could be a hero.

'I'm glad All Might came around.' Uraraka thought to herself. 'Deku is such a good person, it's really great to see someone finally acknowledge that.' She looked at Deku with a soft smile, but it turned to a frown when she saw how anxious he looked. Was something else about to go wrong?

On screen, Izuku wondered if anything else could be more shocking.

"You should know better than to temp fate like that, mon amie." Aoyama said. The students around him gave him weird looks, but Izuku nodded in agreement.

All Might then declared that Izuku was worthy of inheriting his power.

"Wow...Aoyama may have had a point." Kaminari said, staring at the screen in shocked confusion. Aizawa raised an eyebrow, and sat up straighter, and Present Mic looked at Yagi in surprise. The two teachers thought that since they already knew about All Might's other form they wouldn't get any more big surprises in that area. Nedzu and Recovery Girl gave each other knowing looks.

"'Inherit his power'? I can understand how one could inherit a title, but how could power be inherited besides through passing down one's quirk to their child?" Iida questioned.

"That's an excellent question." Momo replied without taking her eyes off the screen. Her pen was poised above her paper, ready to take down new information.

Todoroki was now looking back and forth between Izuku and All Might, trying to see if they had any features in common.

Izuku's hands clenched into fists. It was coming, soon people would know that he hadn't actually been born with a quirk. He hoped that the power he gained later would make his classmates look past that, but his gut still roiled with anxiety. He did his best to shove it down, but a voice in the back of his head kept questioning if his classmates would still be able to stand him by the end of this.

Izuku looked up in surprise and confusion. His face was a mess from crying.

"I know it's not a problem right now, but I still have a sudden urge to hand Midoriya a tissue." Ashido said quietly to Hagakure, who had to stifle a giggle.

All Might walked forward and said Izuku would have to decide if he wanted to inherit All Might's power, while blood spewed out of his mouth again.

A number of people winced and looked away from the screen briefly. A couple even looked a bit green when they saw the amount of blood. Yagi noticed the reaction and fidgeted uncomfortably. If they had a hard time with the blood, how would they handle what he was about to say?

All Might explained how the media didn't really know what his quirk was, and that he always found a way to dodge the question, because he had to portray the Symbol of Pease as a natural hero, but to Izuku, he would tell the truth.

The blood spray was quickly forgotten about as people inched even closer to the screen, literally on the edge of their seats as they waited to hear what All Might would share.

He declared that his quirk was like a torch that had been passed onto him, and he wanted to pass it on to Izuku. Izuku tried to protest, because he didn't understand how that was possible, and it quickly devolved into him muttering about all the debate he saw about All Might's quirk.

"Will you stop your damn muttering so we can figure out what's going on already?" Bakugo demanded. Kirishima raised an eyebrow at him.

"You realize this is in the past and that Midoriya can't change what happened, right?" Bakugo scowled at him, but Kirishima was unaffected.

"I'm pretty sure Midoriya is saying what we were all thinking anyway." Sato pointed out. Various students nodded in agreement.

Uraraka was still preoccupied with how tense Izuku was, and it was right about now that Iida noticed too. The pair shared a confused look over Midoriya's head.

All Might cut off Izuku's rambling by declaring that he may hide things but he didn't lie.

"FYI kids, that's a good thing to remember when dealing with the media." Present Mic announced. He continued once the class was all looking at him. "Either avoid answering questions, or give them a statement that has at least some truth to it, but don't lie."

"Yeah, the media will eviscerate you if they catch you in a blatant lie." Aizawa added.

All Might went on to explain that his quirk was the power to transfer power, and was called "One for All". That the power was used by one person, then passed onto another, and another and with each new person the power grew.

The room was quiet as people stared at the screen in awe.

"I had no idea something like that was even possible." Momo said, writing down everything that was said as quickly as she could.

"Me neither." Jirou said faintly.

'Well, that blows my theory out of the water.' Todoroki thought to himself. Now he believed even more that Endeavor, nor anyone else, should ever be allowed to know about how All Might's quirk worked. If his old man knew that All Might's power was a thing that could be given and passed onto another...Todoroki shuddered at the thought of what lengths the man would go to get it. It was that thought that had him suddenly standing up.

"Sirs." he said loudly. The teachers, and all of the students, looked at him. "I feel this is very sensitive information, and I have to ask how we will ensure that it is never leaked to...to anyone else."

Nedzu looked him up and down with his beady eyes, and seemed satisfied with whatever he saw. "I was planning to address this at the next break, but now that you've brought it up we might as well get it over with. Anyone who shares what we have just learned, and any similar information, with anyone outside of this room will be expelled immediately."

The students gaped at him, all except Izuku, who looked a bit relieved, and Todoroki who looked uneasy.

"Law enforcement may even get involved, depending on how bad the leak is. Given the nature of this information I'm sure you can understand why we would take such measures, and I would caution you to be very careful with your words after we leave this place. We wouldn't want anyone else to accidentally overhear you talking about any of this, right?" His attention shifted to the remaining teachers. "Recovery Girl and I were already aware of this information, and since the teachers are aware of All Might's time limit, I'm sure they can find it within themselves to keep this new information secret too." The two teachers nodded, and Nedzu clapped his paws together. "Now that that's out of the way, let's continue."

Izuku qwk3e why All Might was giving him something so great.

'Good question.' Bakugo thought to himself.

All Might said that he had been looking for a successor, and that since Izuku had acted more heroic than anyone else during the slime villain incident, he wanted to pass it onto him.

'Damn nerd was just in the right place at the right time, and he gets All Might's quirk as a result. What the hell...' Bakugo's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fist.

Izuku instinctively flinched at the sound. Iida shot Bakugo a glare. Uraraka gave Deku a concerned look, and gently took his hand. 'You really are worthy of being a hero Deku, I hope you know that.'

All Might tried to brush off the intense atmosphere, and told Izuku the decision was really up to him. Izuku thought about what All Might had said to him. He concluded that he didn't have any reason to refuse. Izuku accepted, and All Might said he'd expected an immediate reply.

Aizawa snorted. Of course problem child didn't even give himself time to consider pros and cons before accepting, and of course All Might felt that was fine. They really were two of a kind. Though, considering everything they'd seen, he could certainly understand Midoriya jumping at the chance to gain a quirk.

"I'm very glad you accepted the wonderful opportunity All Might gave you Midoriya, though I would caution you about making such major life decisions so quickly in the future." Iida told his friend. Izuku looked at him with wide, confused eyes, which made Iida himself confused. "Did I saw something wrong?"

"No, um, I, it was just, unexpected." Izuku quickly looked away. Uraraka and Iida shared another look, and silently decided to talk about during the next break.

Izuku's voice over admitted that gaining All Might's power was not easy. The scene jumped to two days later, and a sign for Dagobah beach was shown. The scene then moved to Izuku trying to move a fridge that All Might was sitting on.

Aizawa eyebrows shot up, and he turned to give All Might a look. "I take it this is your idea of training?"

"Well, part of it, yes."

"Then you might have wanted to tell the kid to start by lifting smaller things and work his way up to implements so large that they could kill a man." Aizawa said dryly.

"He's got a point. The only thing the kids gonna get from trying to move that thing so soon is strained muscles." Present Mic added.

Yagi rubbed the back of his neck. "I did have a plan drawn up that accounted for someone of his age and starting physical fitness, but the boy has a bad habit of trying to push himself too far too soon. Trying to move the fridge was his idea, so I sat on it to, uh, encourage him to go back to something more his speed."

Aizawa huffed. "Sounds like him. I take it you guys found a better routine as time went on?"

"Izuku still tried to push further, but yes, we did."

"Good."

"You gotta love that kind of spirit in a kid, though." Present Mic said with a laugh.

Izuku questioned why he was dragging garbage around at a beach. All Might said it was because he was not a proper vessel, which caused Izuku to freak out. All Might quickly clarified that he was talking about his body.

"But All Might's other form is, like, a skeleton. That can't be a proper vessel either." Jirou said.

"I assume that his original body's current state is part of the reason that his ability to use his quirk is now so limited. If Midoriya can improve his physical fitness, then hopefully he can use the full power available to him." Momo said. Jirou made a noise of understanding.

'Seems like he's been using a bit too much of that power.' Todoroki thought, remembering Izuku's broken legs and arms.

All Might explained that an unprepared body couldn't handle the collective power of his quirk, and that passing it on before Izuku was ready could cause his body to explode.

The room collectively flinched back. Compared to that image, Izuku's tendency to break his arms and legs didn't seem quite so bad.

After Izuku was done freaking out over that imagery, he asked if they were picking up trash as part of his training. All Might confirmed they were, and explained that he'd found out that this stretch of beach had been filled with trash for years. Izuku agreed, telling him about how the current caused objects to wash up there, and people took advantage of it for illegal garbage dumping.

"How completely reprehensible! Have they no sense of civic duty?" Iida demanded. A few eyes were rolled, and others gave him a look of exasperated fondness.

All Might told Izuku that most modern heroes were all about the flashy stuff, but that heroes used to be people who would do things like clean up and volunteer to help their community, and that it was important to remember that origin. While he spoke, he casually crushed some of the garbage.

Despite the distraction of All Might's show of power, which had most of the kids clapping or cheering, they still took in the words. To think that the number one hero still considered things like volunteer work important was surprising, and inspiring.

"Such a marvelous point, and made with such a dramatic flair." Aoyama praised.

"Yeah! Well said big guy!" Present Mic gave Yagi a thumbs up, which made the man smile.

"So manly!" Kirishima cried out.

No one could have been more surprised than Aizawa though, whose eyebrows shot up once again. 'The flashiest hero, espousing the idea that community service is an important part of being a hero. It's almost hypocritical, but he really does sound sincere, and he is teaching that to his successor. Maybe his personality isn't as shallow as I thought. It would be helpful if he said things like that more often during interviews...though it's possible he already does. I honestly don't watch many of them.'

All Might declared Izuku would clear the whole area, causing Izuku to despair over how much garbage there was.

"Dang, that is a lot." Kirishima said. "How much time did you have?"

"10 months."

"For all that? Good luck dude." Mineta said.

All Might asked if Izuku planned to go to UA. Izuku said he did, because that's where All Might went. So if he was doing this, it had to be UA. All Might laughed and called him a go-getter.

'So cute.' Tsuyu thought to herself.

All Might repeated he would need a quirk to get in there though, because that's just how their world worked.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes, and looked back and forth between on-screen All Might and the one sitting not too far away.

All Might then revealed the plan he'd come up for Izuku's training, which he called the 'American Dream Plan'.

There were some snorts and giggles from the group of students. Present Mic snickered, and Aizawa raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

All Might blushed. "Titles like that always inspire me..."

"Oh my gosh! That should be the name of our band! The American Dream Plan!"

Jirou grinned. "I kinda like that, very meaningful."

"Uh guys, I don't know about this, I'm really not a great singer..." Izuku mumbled shyly.

"I could give you lessons." Jirou offered. Ashido nodded eagerly.

"Or I could teach you to dance with me."

"Wait, why do I have to be a part of it anyway?"

"Because without you the name won't be as meaningful." Jirou said, as though this were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then name it something else!"

"Don't worry, Midoriya, we'll figure something out." Ashido reassured him.

"You guys aren't listening to me at all are you?"

Izuku looked through the plan, noting how detailed it was. All Might asked if Midoriya could follow it. Izuku said he'd expected he'd have to work harder than anyone else, and agreed to the plan.

"Why is All Might whispering? They're the only people there." Sero asked. Shoji shrugged.

"Dramatic effect?" he guessed.

"I know you can do it Deku!" Uraraka said. Iida nodded.

"Obviously you did, since you made it into UA, but I find myself once again impressed by your determination."

They expected Izuku to blush or thank them or maybe brush off their praise, but instead looked back and forth between them, seeming surprised.

Izuku labeled the next part 'his 10 months of hell'. Izuku was shown carrying different types of garbage while All Might cheered him on. Izuku noticed that the different objects caused him to use different groups of muscles.

"Huh, I didn't think about how useful the variety would be." Ojiro admitted.

"It's a pretty clever way to train, kero."

"Hardly glamorous, but clearly effective." Aoyama agreed.

Izuku grunted, and started rubbing at his arms. It seems the pain of building muscles was enough to register on whatever Truth was using to cause them pain along with their on-screen selves.

Izuku was shown in school, looking dead tired. Instead of paying attention to the lesson, he started trying to do his own calculations about how best to use his training, and unintentionally started to mumble out his plans.

Aizawa rolled his eyes. Of course the problem child would try and make his own plans, even after being given an official plan by his mentor.

Ojiro shook his head. "That's not going to end well."

"What do you mean? Isn't our school motto all about pushing yourself?" Hagakure asked.

"Pushing yourself is one thing, but I'm pretty sure Izuku gonna push himself right into the ground if he goes that far beyond the plan."

Izuku's muttering became so pronounced that everyone nearby was looking at him, except for Bakugo. It only ended when the teacher used his quirk to reach across the room and smack Izuku in the back of the head. The teacher asked if his encounter with the villain made him go crazy, which caused the students to snicker.

"That was entirely unprofessional." Recovery Girl tsked. "That's no way to get a student's attention, and a teacher certainly shouldn't publicly humiliate a student like that."

Nedzu made a mental note to ask Midoriya for that teacher's name later. He couldn't stand to see such behavior from educators; at this rate he might have to have that whole school looked into.

Aizawa nodded in agreement. He may be strict with his students, but he needed to be to prepare them for a job where they would risk their lives, and he only came down on them when they did something unnecessarily risky or inappropriate. Midoriya's muttering was an annoyance at worst, and didn't warrant that kind of reaction.

"Dude, your old school really sucked." Kirishima said.

"Yeah." "You're telling me."

Izuku and Bakugo had talked at the same time. They glanced at each other before quickly looking away.

Izuku was shown training at the beach more. Then he was at home, showing the plan to his mom, who served what the dietary requirements demanded.

"You're mom was cool with following the plan?" Uraraka asked.

"Yeah, she was really supportive, and did whatever she could to help." Izuku said. His eyes sparkled with fondness and adoration.

"She sounds really cool." Uraraka said, giving him a warm smile.

"She is."

More of Izuku's training was shown, staying up late to do homework, pushing and lifting things at the beach, being only half awake in class, running at night. One scene showed him so spent that he threw up behind an oil drum.

Izuku suddenly let out a moan, and seemed to melt into the couch. All Might immediately ran to him, and his bony hands catching Izuku's arms was the only thing that kept him from slipping right onto the floor.

"My boy, are you alright.?"

"My...my whole body...hurts." Izuku groaned, pressing his hands to his stomach. "Why...? It never...never felt like this..."

"I was afraid of something like this." Recovery Girl said as she came walking over. Uraraka and Iida quickly moved out of the way to give her room, but anxiously looked over her shoulder while she gave Izuku a look over. "Your body had time to acclimate to the feeling of your muscles growing sore and healing themselves before, but now you are getting 10 months worth of that feeling compressed into a few minutes."

"Like the...the way your -mmph- quirk compresses healing...?"

"That's an good comparison, unfortunately there's nothing I can do about it. There's no real injury, despite your mind feeling the pain, so there's nothing for me to heal, even if I could use my quirk."

"Then we'll just have to make him comfortable in the mean time." Yagi said. He quickly picked Izuku up bridal style, showing off more strength in his rail thin body than anyone expected. He carried Izuku over the couch he himself had been sitting on. He gently laid Izuku down on the cushions, and Izuku grabbed a hold of his arm as he moved to stand back up.

"Stay." Izuku said quietly. His mentor gave him a soft smile.

"Of course, my boy." Yagi sat down heavily in front of the couch. He rested his arm on the cushions behind him, casually giving Izuku the option to hold onto his hand, which Izuku took. Yagi tried not to be affected by the feeling of Izuku's hand shaking.

"Do you two mind if I sit here until the young man feels better?" Recovery Girl asked, since Izuku was currently occupying her seat.

"Of course Recovery Girl, it would be an honor." "Sure, no problem." Iida and Uraraka replied.

"Man, I was getting all pumped for this training montage. But I'd rather not have it if it knocks Midoriya down that much." Kirishima said, others mumbled in agreement.

The training montage continued. Izuku pushed things and loaded them into a vehicle. Izuku was shown swimming as All Might kept an eye on him, until he got distracted by a group of pretty girls fawning over him.

Mineta leaned forward, envisioning himself in the scene instead of All Might.

Aizawa shot All Might a look for that display, but found it hard to think too badly of the man who was putting all his focus on comforting Midoriya.

The training montage continued until they got to a scene of Izuku running while carrying a heavy container while All Might used a segway to keep up. The colors around Midoriya blurred, and suddenly Midoriya was collapsing onto the ground.

Izuku gasped, and his whole body shuddered. Yagi shifted so he could run a soothing hand down the boy's back.

All Might started berating Izuku at first, but then recognized the signs that Midoriya had overworked himself. He told Izuku that the plan he'd given him had been made especially for Izuku, and that overdoing would have the opposite effect of what they wanted.

"This is what I meant." Ojiro said grimly.

"Oh...I get it now." Hagakure said. She shifted in her seat to face Midoriya more, her worry clear despite so little of body language getting across.

All Might asked if he really wanted to get into UA, and Izuku argued that was the reason he was pushing himself, because he knew he would need to work harder than anyone else. When All Might realized how he was looking to be more than 'just ready' by the time the exam came, he enthusiastically agreed to adjust Izuku's plan.

Though they hadn't said anything, a number of students had wondered at the beginning of the episode if Izuku's success had been just due to him being lucky enough to catch All Might's attention. Now they could see that, while that had been part of it, Midoriya really had worked himself to the bone to get into UA. They realized that he had worked just as hard as they had, and in some cases much harder.

"That's so, so manly!" Kirishima said, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Even Bakugo had to admit that the nerd was pushing himself, though he'd never admit it out loud.

The scene skipped ahead to the day of the exam, early morning.

Izuku stopped whimpering, and sat up. He made no indication that he was still in pain, but his eyes were hazy.

"My boy, are you alright? You seem...a little out of it."

"I feel a little out of it."

"That's understandable." Recovery Girl said. "Your brain was probably flooding you with all the usual chemicals it does in response to the pain you perceived, now that those scenes are over the pain is gone, but the chemicals remain. It'll take a bit of time before those are flushed from your system and you feel normal again."

Izuku nodded slowly.

"Do you want to stay here and rest until then, my boy?"

"No, I'm okay now. I'll go back over so you guys can have your seats back." Midoriya said with a faint blush. Yagi noticed, and patted his shoulder.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of my boy. It was a perfectly natural reaction, and I'm sure you won't be the only one to go through something like that before this ordeal is over."

Izuku murmured his thanks and gave him a grateful smile before slowly walking back to Uraraka and Iida. He smiled at them, and they smiled back obviously relieved, and he felt something warm spread through his chest, totally unlike the faint burn he could still feel in his muscles.

All Might was shown getting out of his car at the beach, then suddenly looked up when he heard Izuku scream.

Heads snapped to look in Izuku's direction, wondering what pain he could be in now. But their Izuku seemed perfectly fine. Confused, everyone looked back to the screen for an explanation.

Izuku stood on top of a pile of garbage, screaming in triumph, as the sun came up. All Might rushed forward, and was stunned to see that Izuku had managed to clean the whole area he had set as a goal, plus the space outside it, leaving behind a pristine beach.

"Wooo!"

"Awesome!"

"I can't believe he actually did it...and then some!"

"Go Midoriya!"

"You rock!"

Izuku shifted self consciously at the cheering, but he wore a pleased smile. He was still proud of that accomplishment.

"That really is quite impressive Midoriya, even before getting to UA you practiced the motto of going beyond." Iida said, smiling warmly. Uraraka cheered and gave him a side hug.

"You did awesome Deku!"

"Th-thank you!"

Izuku swayed and fell off the pile, but All Might was quick to run over and catch him. Izuku declared that he'd done it, smiling tiredly up at his mentor. All Might admitted that Izuku had surprised him, and remarked on how amazing teenagers were.

Aizawa looked over at his class, and found himself agreeing with All Might for once. Teenagers really could be amazing when they worked at it.

All Might showed a photo of Izuku from his first day of training, using it to compare Izuku back then to how he was now. The difference was made obvious when the camera panned to show Izuku's bare, upper body.

"Oh my!" Ashido said, making a show of fanning herself. Hagakure giggled.

"Ow, hot stuff baby!" Kaminari yelled from the back. Sero let out a wolf whistle.

"Dang, I never woulda guessed Midoriya was hiding those kinda muscles." Kirishima said, looking at him approvingly.

"Not bad." Sato admitted. .

"You have to admit, that's a great improvement in the amount of time you had to work with." Tsuyu said. Iida was quick to agree with her.

Izuku was blushing heavily now, and buried his face in his hands to try and escape the embarrassment. As a result, he didn't notice that Uraraka's face was nearly as red as his was.

All Might declared Izuku a suitable vessel now. Izuku admitted that he felt like he was cheating, because All Might helped him so much. He started to cry, overwhelmed by how lucky he felt.

"Deku, don't you dare think this was all just because you were lucky." Uraraka said sternly, hoping all the red was gone from her cheeks. "You were just over there wracked with pain because of how hard you worked all those months to get ready and be your best; you even pushed yourself further than All Might thought you could."

"Indeed, you have done plenty to be proud of Midoriya. Just because you had help and encouragement doesn't make the accomplishment any less."

"Thanks guys." His eyes beginning to fill with tears once again.

Bakugo looked over at the scene, but said nothing.

All Might's internal thoughts showed that he also thought it was due to Izuku's hard work.

Uraraka jabbed her finger at the screen and gave Izuku a triumphant smirk, which earned her a laugh from him.

All Might announced it was time for Izuku's award ceremony. He pulled a hair from his head, and gave a small speech about how there is a difference between getting something due to luck and getting something due to hard work, and that Izuku should remember that because he'd gotten there by his own efforts.

Murmurs of agreement and approval filled the room, various students thinking about how much they had to work in order to get ready for UA, or about how much they'd need to work to stay there.

'Sounds like there's hope for him after all.' Aizawa thought.

Bakugo grit his teeth and looked down. The hell was All Might trying to say? That someone like him, who started out with a 'perfect' quirk didn't deserve his spot as much as the nerd who had to 'work for it'? 'Just because I have a great quirk doesn't mean I didn't work hard to get as good as I am dammit!'

Then All Might held out the hair in his hand and told Izuku to eat it.

Everyone stared at the screen.

"Um...what?" Jirou asked, looking disgusted.

"Is that...is that really necessary to pass it on." Momo asked, putting a hand to her mouth. Present Mic chuckled.

"I certainly hope he washes his hair more than some teachers." he elbowed Aizawa, who glared at him.

"It seems that such great power must come with great sacrifices, large and small." Tokoyami declared. Kaminari looked at him like he was crazy.

"Dude, you can't make eating hair poetic. You just can't."

After seeing the look on Midoriya's face, All Might was quick to explain that the important thing was consuming some of his DNA.

"Well, I guess, when you think about the options, hair probably isn't the weirdest way to accomplish that, plus it's the easiest." Mineta said slowly. Though people agreed, they still looked a tad disturbed.

All Might tried to hurry Izuku along, saying he would be late for the exam if he didn't do it soon.

'He's only had his quirk since the day of the exam?!' Aizawa thought in alarm, resisting the urge to smack his forehead. 'No wonder he has such problems with control. Most people have almost their whole lives to work on their quirks, and the first time I saw it he'd only had it for a couple of hours at most. With the power behind that quirk the kid is luck y he didn't get himself killed when he first tried to use it.' He quickly wrote in his notebook, reminding himself to get Izuku some more official training hours, either with himself or another teacher.

Izuku was shown arriving at UA for the entrance exam. He lamented not being able to test out his new power. Then Bakugo arrived, demanding he get out of the way. Izuku jumped, stuttering over a greeting as he did so.

Uraraka huffed and turned to glare at Bakugo. "Is there anyway you could not be a jerk for five minutes?"

"What she said." Jirou said.

"Shut up, Round Face." Bakugo growled.

"Please, Uraraka, it's fine, really." Izuku pleaded. She grumbled, but turned back around.

Someone in the crowd commented on how Bakugo fought the slime villain, and Izuku's inner voice wondered about how Bakugo hadn't done anything to him since that day.

"Huh." Uraraka said, slightly stunned. "Sorry, guess you actually can." Bakugo scowled.

Izuku shook off his lingering fear and gave himself a pep talk before stepping forward. And promptly tripped over his own feet.

"Smooth Midoriya." Sato said with a grin. A few people snorted, and Izuku chuckled good-naturedly.

He stopped before he could hit the ground though, and the shot pulled away to reveal Uraraka standing next to him.

"Uraraka! Beautiful catch!" Aoyama praised.

She apologized for using it without warning, and explained she didn't want him to have the bad luck of falling. Izuku stared at her with red cheeks as she talked. She bade him good luck, then walked toward the school. He stared after her, then triumphantly declared he had talked to a girl.

Snickers were heard around the room, and Mineta and Kaminari laughed outright. "Might want to remember the actual talking part next time!" Kaminari laughed. Even Iida wore and amused smile. Izuku's face was beet red, and he shrank down in his seat.

"It's okay Izuku, I still thought you were sweet." Uraraka said, pink tinging her own cheeks.

"I...honestly I had never talked to girls in my class before. No one really talked to me in my class before." He admitted quietly. Uraraka sobered up then, and lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Things aren't like that anymore." she said softly. Izuku smiled at her.

"I know, I think that's one of the best things about UA."

The scene changed to an exam hall inside UA. Present Mic stood at the front, welcoming all the students. He yelled out for everyone to say 'Hey!' and got no response.

Present Mic gave the students a mock glare. "Do you guys have any idea how disheartening it is to start a call and response and have no one respond?"

There was a smattering of laughs throughout the class, which made Present Mic grin.

"Eh, sorry about that, sir. I think we were all too nervous to get into it." Izuku explained. Present Mic shrugged.

"Fair enough, listener."

Present Mic brushed off the lack of response and started to explain how the practical exam would work. He tried to get another response, and once again failed. That didn't stop Izuku from fanboying however, as the screen showed him sitting next to Bakugo, surrounded by a dreamy pink aura and gushing about the hero.

"At least you managed to impress someone." Aizawa said with a smirk. Present Mic shoved him playfully, then smiled at Izuku.

"I had no idea you were a regular listener Midoriya, we'll have to get together and talk sometime."

"Really? Yes! That would be so cool, thank you!"

"So adorable." Hagakure whispered.

Present Mic finally got down to business and started explaining the test. Bakugo noted that the test was set up so people who went to the same school wouldn't be in the same area. Izuku looked at the cards and agreed with him. Bakugo told Izuku not to look at his card or he'd kill him.

"You're the one that brought his attention to it in the first place." Shoji pointed out.

"Shut up."

"Also, don't you have any threats beyond saying you'll kill people?" Tsuyu asked.

"Shut. Up."

Kaminari ignored him and nodded sagely. "Yeah, you use that one all of the time, eventually it's gonna lose its edge. If you wanna keep up the bad boy image you should really brainstorm some more catchphrases and threats."

"SHUT UP!"

A part of Izuku still marveled that the kids here could mock Kacchan and get away with it.

Present Mic explained that there would be three types of villains for them to beat and gain points, and that attacking other students was against the rules. A student raised his hand and was called on, and it turned out to be Iida. He called Present Mic out for not explaining the fourth type of villain on their sheet, accused UA of not keeping up with it's standards because of it, and then scolded Izuku for mumbling earlier.

Sero grimaced. "Yeesh, Iida, take it down a few notches."

Iida himself looked abashed, especially when he saw how distressed he'd made Izuku in the past. "My sincerest apologies Midoriya." he said with a bowed head. Midoriya waved his arms in front of his face.

"It's okay Iida, I know my mumbling is distracting and I should have tried harder to keep it down."

"Be that as it may, it was most uncouth of me call you out in front of such a large crowd. I fear my own nerves may have gotten to me, though that is a poor excuse."

"It's okay Iida, really."

Present Mic explained the 4th villain as requested, saying it was zero points and was better avoided. A couple of kids talked about how it was like a video game.

"You must have liked Midoriya from the start Iida, since he's the only one you deemed worthy of yelling at for talking." Kaminari said with a teasing smirk.

Iida's face went red, and muttered another apology which Izuku was quick to brush off.

Present Mic explained the school motto to everyone.

Which caused nearly everyone in the room to shout it at once.

He then dismissed them by saying 'good luck suffering'.

"Sounds like Aizawa is starting to rub off on you." All Might said with a grin. Present Mic laughed and Aizawa rolled his eyes.

The scene shifted to Izuku standing with a group of students outside a mock city. Izuku was doing his best to give himself a pep talk. He still looked terrified though, and that's what the episode ended with.

"Aw, come on! We were just getting to a really good part!" Ashido complained.

"Truth really does love to follow the formula of an actual TV show, leaving it with cliffhangers and all." Tsuyu observed.

"All right, time for another break." Nedzu announced. "It's not good to stay sitting for so long."


"I'm still having a hard time believing that a quirk like All Might's really exists." Momo said as she loitered with her classmates. "It really goes to show you how little we truly know about how quirks work and what they are capable of."

"Really makes you wonder what else is out there." Sato agreed. "I figured people like Todoroki and Tokoyami were up pretty high on the list of cool and useful quirk, and don't get me wrong they still are, but now I can't help but wonder what other crazy stuff we'll run into out there. Not to mention how we'll get past it."

"I don't care what powers other people have. If they cross me, I'll find a way of taking them down." Bakugo said. Several people jumped in surprise. They could have sworn Bakugo was still staring down the wall like he had during last break. Kirishima got over it quickly and pumped his fist in the air.

"Yeah! Now that's a Plus Ultra attitude!"

"Indeed, we must all do our best to shine brighter than any villain, no matter the nature of their quirk or ours." Aoyama waved his hands with a flourish.


"So...Midoriya's quirk was actually All Might's quirk all along." Hagakure said, not bothering to hide her awe.

"Is it really just All Might's quirk if Midoriya can use it now too? Does that mean it belongs to both of them?" Ojiro questioned. Tokoyami nodded.

"An interesting question. Perhaps it is not unlike the sacred tradition of passing down hero names from one generation to the next, ensuring that the legacy lives on. A legacy may be known for one person more than another, but that does not mean anyone owns the legacy more than another."

"In any case, I think All Might made a good choice, kero."

"You sound pretty confident for someone who has known him for such a short time." Jirou pointed out. Tsuyu put a finger to her chin.

"You have a point, but we've seen more of him here, plus you also didn't see him during the USJ fight. He's the reason me and Mineta got out unscathed. I think he'll do his best to live up to the legacy."

"Kinda makes me wonder who all came before him though, because there really wasn't anyone as recognized as All Might before this." Sero said. "Not that I've ever heard of anyway."

"Yeah, I wonder who all came before him and All Might and what kind of hero they were." Kaminari wondered. Todoroki stood nearby, and looked away at Kaminari's words.

'If they were heroes at all. Not everyone wants to carry on a legacy, even if it is purposefully passed onto them.'


"Mr. Yamada! Do you have any advice about starting a band?" Ashido asked eagerly.

"Sorry listener, but I've only done a couple singles. That doesn't really get you experience with starting a band. But if you guys do start one, and get a good sound going, I could hook you up with a recording studio."

"Yes! Thank you so much!"

"You can thank me after you actually get a sound figured out."

Mineta stood nearby, listening. Girls liked guys in bands right?

"Hey Ashido! I'm good with tech! I could totally play a synthesizer!"


"Midoriya, do you still have that 'American Dream' plan All Might made for you?" Iida asked. He, Izuku, and Uraraka stood in a small group not too far from the food table. Izuku looked at him uncertainly.

"I think so, just not sure where it is in my room right off hand. But, you know it wouldn't really be right for you, you know? Because it was meant for me specifically."

Iida waved off his friends concern. "Of course, but the basic principles it follows could still be useful in making a training plan for myself."

"Do you know if All Might made it himself, or if he had someone help him? Because if he had help we could maybe ask whoever he knows to help with training plans." Uraraka pointed out.

"I'll um, have to ask him...sometime." Izuku looked back and forth between them, and nervously fiddled with the cup in his hand. The other two shared a look before turning back to him.

"Deku, is there something you wanna talk about? You seemed really tense at the beginning of the episode, and it looks like it's come back now."

"Well, I was just...I need to know...do you, do you guys still, um, like me?" Izuku winced at his own wording. Uraraka's brow furrowed in confusion and Iida frowned.

"Do you feel we have given you some indication that we don't like you?"

"No, you haven't...but that's honestly what's confusing me." Izuku shifted back and forth on his feet, and looked them in the eyes before quickly looking away again. "At my old school, heck pretty much my whole life, people started treating me different after they found out that I was quirkless. They suddenly didn't want to talk to me anymore, or acted like I was fragile and less capable, or were just...really mean. And I thought...I was so scared that once people here found out that I wasn't born with my quirk that it would all start up again, but it hasn't. I got up to go get food and no one looked at me different or whispered behind my back or anything. Maybe that's because I have a quirk now, but it's been happening for so long a part of me still thinks it will, so I just...I have to know for sure."

Izuku finally looked back up. Iida's mouth was set in a grim line, and Uraraka's eyes sparkled with unshed tears. Before he could say or do anything more, Uraraka had flung herself forward. She buried her face in his shoulder, and wrapped her arms tightly around his chest.

"You're my friend Deku. Nothing is going to change that. And everyone who made a big deal out of you being quirkless before were just big, dumb, bigoted, jerks!" she said fiercely.

Stunned, Izuku slowly hugged her back. He could already feel tears pricking the corners of his eyes when Iida, whose expression had now softened, lay a hand on his shoulder.

"The presence or lack of a quirk doesn't change who you are Midoriya, and that is a person we are happy to have in our lives. I am happy you found a way to get a quirk, because that is likely what allowed you to get into the hero course right away, and if you hadn't then we may not have met until later, if at all. You are a wonderful person, Midoriya, brave, kind, and smart, and even if you didn't have a quirk, I would still be grateful to know you."

The tears were flowing freely down his face now. He held Uraraka tighter, and tilted his head so it could rest on Iida's arm. "Thank you. Thank you both so much."

In another corner of the room, Yagi looked on at the bonding moment that was clearly happening between Izuku and his two friends. He was happy beyond words that Izuku had found himself true companions at UA, but there was something that had been weighing on his mind since his other form had been revealed to the students.

"Truth, may I ask you a question?" He asked quietly.

'You just did.' the strange voice teased in his ear. 'There is no price for merely asking questions, so you may ask another. I may not answer though.'

"Fair enough. I have noticed that I do not feel as many additional pains as some of the others. I still feel some pain when I see other self push past his limits, but my chronic pain is the same despite my other self also being in pain. Should the pain not double? Or should I not feel more pain from the other occurrences of overusing my quirk?"

'The fact that it is a chronic pain is the answer.' Truth explained. 'The pains you feel here are the price for learning about each others secrets and the future you will soon see. But your pain is a constant one, you feel it now, and you will feel it in the future. The others may avoid certain pains due to seeing the future, but yours is a pain that cannot be avoided. You will experience it no matter what the future holds, so there is no need for you to pay for it now.'

"I suppose that makes sense." Yagi breathed a sigh.

'Don't be too relieved. That only applies to pains that are a natural result of your injury. You will still feel pains you experience due to outside sources. Trust me, the time for your toll will come.'

Yagi did his best to brush it off the ominous words, hoping no one had noticed his hushed conversation. He started looking around for Midoriya, but was brought up short by the approach of Aizawa.

"All Might, I think we need to have a talk."

"About what, Aizawa?"

"You keep bringing up how Izuku needed a quirk in order to make it as a hero. Even with all the hard work Midoriya did being shown, if you keep phrasing it that way and not giving as much credit to things like his mental abilities, then I'm worried our students could get the wrong impression."

All Might frowned, and thought back on what had been shown and some of his others actions. "Hmm, I can see your point. Midoriya's intelligence is one of his strong suits, even if he does over think things sometimes, and the scenes we just saw emphasize his physical strength over most everything else. Perhaps you could give me some pointers on how to address such matters? I'm afraid I'm still learning the intricacies of being a teachers."

Aizawa sighed. "That you are. Come on, we can bring the others in on this too. Two heads better than one and all that."

The teachers spent the rest of the break discussing how best to encourage all the traits needed to be a great hero, and how to more directly implement them into the lesson plans. They even made plans to discuss it more later and with the other teachers, just as the next episode came up.


A.N.

I know plenty of readers want Aizawa to give All Might a good talking to for not telling him something, anything, about Izuku's quirk. Don't worry, we have plenty of time for that in future episodes.