A.N.

I already gave a warning for this during the summer camp attack arc, but I wanted to remind you guys that I will be including some manga spoilers in this fic. It will get brought up specifically at the end of the chapter, but there are references to it spread through the chapter. My apologies to anime only people, but after hearing about this development in the manga I just couldn't keep it out of the story.

Also wanted to apologize for this chapter being rather late. My cat got sick, and it took time to take care of her, and worrying about her made it hard to find the energy to write. She actually died a couple days ago now. So yeah...these past few days have been rough. Thank you for your patience.


The episode started with Yo Shindo and some other students that had first attacked 1A looking through the rocky zone. One commented that the 62nd person had passed, so not many spaces were left until the 100th person.

The students that hadn't been shown passing the test crossed their fingers or said a small prayer, hoping that they passed already and that the screen just decided not to show them doing it.

Aoyama was among those crossing his fingers, though for a different reason than the others.

Shindo summarized what had happened since the ground had broken up. Their group had split into two teams to go looking for the separated members of 1A. There was currently a lot of chaos and fighting because students from other schools had come across them and people were getting desperate. Shindo decided that, despite their own group getting attacked, things had worked out well. The other students would also focus on 1A, so they could wait in the shadows for just the right moment to strike.

"With only 38 places left, I wouldn't recommend waiting too long." Mic said.

"A part of me is kinda hoping that some of us find and attack them right after he gets done saying all that." Mineta said. "That way the timing is both comedic, and incredibly satisfying!"

Izuku tapped pen to paper, contemplating Shindo's plan and how it might fare whenever he, Uraraka, and Sero made their move.

A girl commented that he'd taken off his polite face. Shindo said he was just being tactful, and that coming in at the 11th hour showed indomitable spirit! Just as he said that, a couple of run down looking competitors passed near the group's hiding spot. They moved to attack the pair, as Shindo said that there was no high or low ranks in this struggle.

Aizawa nodded. "Politeness isn't useful in a fight; it's only useful when dealing with cameras or helping civilians. But theatrics aren't really useful in a real fight either, so you really shouldn't bother waiting until the last minute unless you have a good reason."

Present Mic 'tsked' at him. "Politeness can actually be incredibly useful if you use it in just the right way at just the right time! If you know what you're doing, it can really put someone off balance."

Aizawa gave him a withering look. "I've told you before, that's not what 'politeness judo' actually means."

Despite Aizawa's words, some students wondered if they should actually hope that they hadn't passed yet, so that they could pass during the 11th hour too. Kirishima, who would normally be all for anything that made him more manly, was now just hoping to go back to being himself instead of a flesh lump. Preferably in time to pass himself.

Speaking of Kirishima's predicament, the scene changed back to Bakugo's group. The Shiketsu boy sent the clumps that had come out of his back at Bakugo. Bakugo used something called Auto-cannon to shoot a bunch of small blasts in front of him, which took out the incoming projectiles.

Students cheered and made very impressed noises upon seeing this new move, and Bakugo grinned widely. It wasn't a giant explosion, but he could already think of a whole bunch of ways he could use that technique to pull off some badass moves.

"Thank you for defending my honor." Kirishima joked. Partially because he was grateful the others were there and partially so he would have something to focus on besides the dsyphoria he felt every time he was onscreen in that strange form.

"This isn't just about you." Bakugo scoffed.

"Ah, so it is somewhat about me! I knew you cared!"

"Whatever Shitty Hair."

Bakugo rolled his eyes, but still didn't deny Kirishima's assertion.

Bakugo said he'd made this attack weaker to use against people. Kaminari looked alarmed and said everyone hated Bakugo for the same reason.

"Hey now, is that anyway to talk to Bakugo after he just saved you?" Sero asked

Kaminari thought about the lumps that used to be people scattered across the ground, and decided his friend had a point. "Bakugo, I'm sorry I insulted you and thank you very much for getting rid of those...whatever they are."

Bakugo barked a laugh. "What have you got to be sorry about? I don't care if some two bit extra from some other shitty school hates me. There will always be haters when you stand at the top!"

Some people laughed while others did their own version of an anime sweatdrop. Bakugo was Bakugo, for better or worse.

The same could be said for Midoriya, who was quickly jotting down everything he could about the new attack Bakugo had just shown off.

The flesh bits went back to their owner, and some were shown reattaching themselves to the boy's arms. Seiji muttered to himself about Bakugo's personality, then decided that he would be the one to break Bakugo and teach him what dignity meant!

Izuku heard that declaration, and immediately snorted. "Good luck."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean Deku?" Bakugo demanded.

A part of Izuku still wanted to flinch away at that voice and tone, but he took a deep breath, steadied himself, and looked Kacchan in the eye. "I meant that there's no way this kid is going to be the thing to break you. You're way too strong for that."

"Oh." Bakugo was at a loss for a moment. "Well, at least you're smart enough to know that much."

Izuku nodded at Bakugo, but smiled a little when he turned away from him.

"Yeah! If everything else you've been through hasn't been enough to keep you down, then there's no way this kid will manage it!" Ashido agreed.

"I'd rather be manly than dignified anyway!" Kirishima grinned and punched Bakugo lightly on the arm. Bakugo grinned back.

"Yeah, screw this guy's idea of 'dignity'!"

Shoji's eyes narrowed, then turned to his friends. "Has anyone else wondered why this kid is still here?"

"What do you mean? He's trying to pass the test like everyone else, right?" Sato asked.

"But if all those blobs are people, then he's already captured a bunch of people. Enough to get his targets in, even if all of them only had one target left. So, why is he still there?"

"Hmm, that is an excellent question." Tokoyami said. "If he defeated them, or they were already defeated, then he should release them from the form he's imprisoned them in. If he has passed, then he should go to the designated waiting area. If he has not passed, then why is he focusing on Bakugo instead of the targets already available to him? Something is not right here."

It was Sato's turn to frown now. "You're right, that is really weird. What the heck is he trying to do then?"

Koda mumbled something to Tokoyami, who nodded. "Yes, it does seem rather vulgar to keep those people trapped if he himself is not even trying to pass the exam. This boy should watch his words."

Izuku came out of another writing trance just in time to hear what Tokoyami had said. He suddenly remembered Shinsou's behavior during the Sports Festival; he'd been adamant that it was okay for him to act however he wanted in order rise through the ranks. Given how Seiji also had a 'villainous' quirk, Izuku wondered if Seiji had a similar mindset. Had his previous experiences taught him that people would be disgusted with his quirk no matter what he did, and therefore he was using it in whatever way he wanted? But, Shinsou was doing that to try and win so he could become a hero. Seiji was already in a hero course, and at a provisional license exam, so what was his goal?

Kaminari asked what was up with this guy, and Bakugo repeated that he talked to much. He rushed Seiji, saying he'd kill him. Kaminari yelled at him that this was just a test, and Bakugo replied that was why he was going to kill him.

That line gained Bakugo some strange or exasperated looks, but people refrained from commenting. After spending time with him and seeing him on screen so much, people assumed that it was just Bakugo's overuse of the words 'kill' and 'die' at play again.

Aizawa made a note to remind himself that he'd have to train Bakugo, and the rest of the class, in clear and concise methods of communication that could be used during combat.

Bakugo used his new technique to take out the blobs again, but almost got hit by one before he deflected it. Kaminari used his new support item to shoot some kind of disk at Seiji, but they missed the boy and hit the wall instead. Seiji called Kaminari an eyesore and threatened him. Bakugo yelled at Seiji not to ignore him and hit the boy with a bigger attack.

"Whoops, guess you need some more practice with that huh?" Sero teased when the disks missed.

"Guess so." Kaminari looked pained for a moment, but then his grimace turned into a smirk. "But more importantly, did you just protect me Bakugo? I knew you liked me deep down!"

"Maybe I wouldn't have to if you actually hit him!"

"So you were protecting me! Thanks man!"

"Shut up! I just wanted to take him out myself!"

The blobs managed to converge and protect Seiji from Bakugo's attack. While Bakugo was focused on that, one of the blob had managed to get behind him and clamp onto his neck. Seiji explained how he managed it while the blob started to overtake him. Kaminari rushed forward to try and help, and Bakugo threw something to him before he was molded into a flesh lump.

Seiji's quirk, Meatball, then got a close up explanation.

The class cried out in dismay and frustration when Bakugo went down. Izuku wanted to do something when he saw Kacchan getting taken down like that, wanted to stop it happening somehow. But he couldn't, and he knew that drawing more attention to it would probably just make Kacchan mad, so he clenched his jaw and didn't saw a word.

Bakugo cursed as he saw, and somewhat felt, himself get molded into a ball. "Pikachu, you better do something damn impressive with whatever I just gave you and take this fucker down!"

"Oh sh-, I mean, I'll do my best! Just promise you won't kill me if I mess it up, please?"

"No."

Ojiro shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he saw the Bakuball squirming on the ground. "Present Mic? Nothing against your intros, but 'handy' isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think of ways to describe this quirk."

"Well, it's not really me that's doing the introductions anymore, but the blobs do look like fingers when they get big enough, so if you think about it-"

"I don't want to think about it."

"You should all try to get used to this now." Aizawa warned. "Quirks come in a very large range, and some of them will seem very disgusting to you, just like this one does. Letting that distract you in a fight, or letting prejudices about it stop you from helping someone, could lead to serious injury in the future."

The students looked resigned, but decided they'd try to follow what Aizawa said. There were varying levels of determination when it came to that decision, and a few people felt positive that they wouldn't be able to eat meatballs after this.

"I think I would have preferred it being called Roadkill. At least that's not a food name." Mineta complained.

To Kirishima, Bakugo quietly said. "You were right, this feeling sucks."

Kirishima laughed.

Seiji talked to Kaminari, saying that All Might's retirement was a turning point. Him retiring should have meant they should let more people through the exam, instead of keeping the pass rate so low. Seiji decided this meant the test was meant to weed out the 'riffraff' so that heroes in general would become higher quality. So he'd decided to help by taking them out here and now. Kaminari said it was strange for him to ignore the test for something like that.

"Dang, I didn't think the title of 'pretentious jerk' could get more fitting, but here we are." Jirou said scathingly. "Just who does this guy think he is?"

"That's a good question." Recovery Girl said. "It's quite presumptuous of him to think that his judgment alone can decide who will and won't make a good hero when he's not even a pro himself yet.

"And is less likely to become one if he throws away his chance to get his provisional license like this." Yagi added.

Nedzu thought this was very interesting. Seiji's reasoning was very similar to what the students of 1A had deduced when they first heard about only 100 people passing, but they had chosen to do very different things with that information. 1A became more determined to pass, while Seiji took it upon himself to become 'judge, jury, and executioner' as it were.

"Huh, guess I was right. He really isn't trying to pass." Shoji observed.

"Nice job picking up on that." Sato gave him a thumbs up.

Izuku was quickly writing down everything he'd heard and observed about Seiji's quirk, making up for lost time now that the emotions of seeing Bakugo get turned into a meatball had faded a bit. He honestly felt a bit bad that he hadn't picked up on that inconsistency like Shoji had.

Seiji said that the strange thing was ordinary people growing swiftly. He planted his boot on Kirishima's blob, and told Kaminari that their sense of pain would work even in this form, so he couldn't hurt him without electrifying his classmates too.

Kirishima grunted when Seiji ground his heal into his flesh, and Bakugo stared daggers at the screen. The look made people legitimately worry that Bakugo might kill this boy if he ever met him in real life.

Iida frowned at Seiji's remark. "But if they are growing swiftly, doesn't that mean that they have talent or have trained well? If that's the case, then what is wrong with them gaining a position they worked for?"

"I believe his objections lie more with character faults than with an individual's skill or efforts." Momo explained. "Which is an understandable concern, considering what we've seen from certain heroes, but I don't think this is the correct way to address that."

Todoroki was well aware that the main component of 'what we've seen' were his memories of his father. He briefly wondered if his own personality or background would cause this boy to deem him unworthy of being a hero, despite his talent and strength. Then he decided he didn't care what this boy thought and stopped thinking about it.

Kaminari himself was looking pretty angry by now, but then he stood more casually and said that Seiji had just been slinging insults this whole time and he wished he'd stop. Seiji said he should reflect on his actions and then flung an attack at him. Kaminari threw something he'd been hiding behind his back. An explosion went off behind Seiji, making him stumble forward. The boy was confused how that had happened, and turned to see that the object was a piece of Bakugo's equipment. Kaminari dodged, and said that Bakugo had yelled at him about how it worked earlier. Then he said that Seiji had stumbled into a good spot, which was right by the disks Kaminari threw earlier. He used his quirk, and the electricity arched to the disks and made Seiji scream in pain.

The room seemed to collectively gasp when Kaminari used his quirk, but it changed to cheers when neither Bakugo or Kirishima made any sign that they shared Seiji's pain.

"Yes! Finally got him to shut up!"

"Nice shot!"

"Yeah!"

"Don't underestimate UA!"

"Oh! I think I get what you did! You and Mei figured out a good way to get your quirk to be more targeted!" Izuku exclaimed.

Kaminari was just as surprised as everyone else was. Having not seen the support item being made, he didn't know how it worked until just now. As soon as he got over that, he grinned widely.

"Hell yeah! That's what you get for all those insults!" He turned to Bakugo and Kirishima. "It was a team effort though! You guys should celebrate too."

"More of a team effort for you two, I've just been blobbed the whole time." Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck.

"Nah, you helped too! You kept Bakugo from getting hit right at the beginning, and that let him give me the grenade later, which got him in place for my attack. So it was all of us."

Kirishima looked happier after hearing that, which is probably what made Bakugo grumble only a little when he said "Glad you didn't waste it. Just hope him getting zapped will get us back to normal."

Normally he'd be happier to see Seiji get shocked so badly after mouthing off so much, but he was still distracted by how his body felt while all balled up.

Kaminari had a flashback to when he'd received the support item on his arm. He talked to Mei and Powerloader about how it had been developed and how it worked. He was a little worried about how much thinking it would take to use well, but was still excited about it.

The real life Kaminari was just as excited to get to use it in real life. If it meant that he could use his quirk without hurting his friends, and without frying his own brain so much, he'd gladly learn to use it no matter how much extra thinking it took.

Seiji fell to one knee. Kaiminari's thoughts revealed that he knew that Bakugo had used smaller attacks earlier to avoid hurting anyone else around him. He told Seiji that, while Bakugo may seem vulgar, he was trying hard to be a good hero. Bakugo throwing him the grenade showed how well he could think during a fight, and Kirishima showed he was willing to rush into enemy territory to save people, even if it was kinda dumb.

"Hey! My dumb ass saved you guys from getting caught earlier!" Kirishima said with a laugh. He reached behind him to ruffle Kaminari's hair. The boy ducked out of the way with a laugh of his own.

"Dumbass is right! Look how fast you got blobbed!"

A part of Bakugo was relieved at the sight of Kaminari defending his desire to be a hero. A different part of him recoiled at the praise, sure he didn't deserve it after getting taken out himself and especially not after All M-

Bakugo stomped down on that part of his brain before it could take that thought any further.

While Kaminari talked, the blobs that were Bakugo and Kirishima began to shift and expand.

Both boys shuddered at the, quite frankly, weird ass sensation that gave them. They gave each other rueful looks when they saw they'd done the same thing at the same time.

Seiji cursed himself for losing his focus. Kaminari said that Seiji had only heard bits and pieces about these guys, so he shouldn't insult them and act like he knows them!

Jirou whistled in admiration. "Look at you getting all fired up!"

"That was very well put." Momo agreed with a smile.

"You're being so manly right now!" Kirishima praised.

"Aw come on guys, you're making me blush." Kaminari scratched his cheek, actually feeling a little embarrassed. Even Bakugo was doing it, in a way. He hadn't said anything, but Kaminari was pretty sure he'd seen some gratitude in his expression when Bakugo looked at him.

Seiji yelled that he was saying Kaminari should be more aware of his position. Before he could say anything further, Kirishima got up and punched him in the gut. Then Bakugo hit him with an explosion.

The students whooped and cheered at the sight of someone so annoying finally getting taken down.

"Hell yeah!" Bakugo yelled. He may have gotten hit by this guy's quirk, but he still got the final hit in!

They deduced that the damage Seiji had taken allowed the two boys to go back to normal. Kirishima thanked Kaminari while Bakugo called him Dunce Face and that it had taken him long enough.

"Hey now, is that anyway to treat the guy that got you out of being a meatball?" Kaminari asked in, mostly, mock offense. "Shouldn't I get another 'thank you'?"

Bakugo snorted in amusement. "If we actually pass, then I'll think about it. Besides, I gave you the grenade that let you do that move anyway."

Kaminari yelled that Bakugo and Kirishima weren't the only ones while pointing back toward Seiji. Around the downed boy, numerous other contestants were getting up from where they had been balled. Bakugo had a massive grin as he looked at them, Kirishima looked determined, and Kaminari still looked freaked out.

"Aw yeah, here we fucking go!" Bakugo really wanted to see himself kick some butt now that he was back to the right shape, and it seemed his other self was just as eager for it.

Kirishima was just glad that Seiji seemed to be staying down, and hopped that they would win the next fight and get through the test.

"You looked so cool and confident before, where did that attitude run off to?" Jirou asked coyly.

Kaminari started to say something, then paused before smiling broadly. "You thought I looked cool?"

Now it was Jirou's turn to blush. "I guess, a little, sure."

"And confident! You said that too!"

"Don't get so cocky just because you managed not to look like a dumbass for once!"

"No matter how much you insult me now, I'll still remember that you said that!"

The scene changed to the anteroom where those who had passed were waiting. Todoroki noted how few spots were left, and wondered about how the others hadn't shown up yet and if it had been too hard for them. Just as he thought this, he saw Momo, Tsuyu, Jirou, and Shoji walking over. They congratulated him for passing, and asked about the others. Todoroki said he was the only one there until now.

Bakugo and Kirishima were frustrated by the scene change, and hoped that it would change back to their fight after this.

Meanwhile, Jirou smiled smugly. "Oh ye of little faith."

"It was a legitimate concern, considering how few spots there are left and how many people are in the class." Momo pointed out. Then she smiled at Todoroki. "I'm touched to see that you were concerned for us."

Todoroki shrugged, a little self conscious. "Just didn't seem to make much sense that none of you would pass except me. There's strong people in this class."

"I am a little concerned still, since only our group has been shown passing." Tsuyu admitted.

"Well, they just showed Midoriya, Uraraka, Sero, Bakugo, Kaminari, and Kirishima all in fights of their own. So maybe they passed and just haven't made it to the room yet." Shoji said. "It's weird that we haven't seen some people at all yet though. Hope they're okay."

Todoroki asked why it was just them here when the rest of the class had been working together when he left. They explained how the class had gotten separated, and that they hoped the others would pass soon. Inasa was shown to be watching them.

"Huh, that might be the first time I've seen him without a smile for that long." Sero observed. Ojiro nodded.

"Which is weird, considering how gung ho he was about UA earlier."

Back in the testing area, Midoriya was still running around with a group of people after him. Sero joined him and asked Midoriya to pick him up and jump. When Midoriya did so, Uraraka released her quirk. Several large rocks, which had Sero's tape attached to them, fell down. The rocks didn't hit anybody, but the tape trapped most of the group. Sero picked off the few stragglers with his tape, then both Uraraka and Sero explained how they set the trap up.

"Thanks for the lift Midoriya!" Sero called, smiling broadly.

"I should be thanking you guys! You came up with a really great plan to immobilize everyone without hurting them!" Izuku praised.

"Well, you were the one that came up with the basics of the plan in the first place, but yeah! That worked great! We should definitely remember that if we're ever on a team again." Uraraka said.

"Definitely!" Sero agreed. He felt a twinge in his shoulder, which made sense since his other self was holding onto it like he was in pain, but was able to ignore it.

The announcement said that 76 people had already passed. They didn't have much time left, so the three of them got ready to get their target hits in. One of the captured competitors tried to dissuade Midoriya from hitting his target, saying that they were just first years, and that he and the others had to get their license's this time. Midoriya steeled himself, and said he needed it too.

"If we do not pass this exam, our potential future is much darker that his." Tokoyami said. Mineta nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, like, if he doesn't pass his teacher will probably be mad at him and he won't be able to join some of the classes and stuff, but if we don't pass then we'll end up going to jail because some crazy villains hunted us down and we had to break the law to defend ourselves."

Izuku did feel a little bad for getting the other kid out, but he agreed with his other self and his classmates.

After a short time skip, the announcement now said that 79 people had passed, and it was clear that Midoriya's group was among them. Their equipment directed them to go wait with the others that had passed, and Midoriya wondered how the rest of the class was doing. In the observation area, Mera looked over the field and mused about the participants. He noted that, despite UA being targeted so heavily, none of them had been taken out yet. While he said that, brief shots of small groups of 1A students were shown.

Lots of people let out relieved sighs upon hearing what Mera said, and seeing their other selves. Those that hadn't been shown before now had been a bit worried that they'd already lost, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Most of them felt that they could deal with not seeing their own fights as long as they eventually passed.

Bakugo, Kirishima, and Kaminari were not among them.

"What the heck? Our fight looks epic! And that's all we get to see of it?!" Kaminari complained.

"I know! It's so unmanly!" Kirishima agreed. He already got taken out early in the last fight and now they didn't get to see any of this one? Unfair!

"I wanted to see us take on those extras dammit!"

Although he didn't show it, Aizawa was among those who were relieved. He had faith in his students' abilities, but that didn't guarantee everyone would pass. A lot could happen during an exam like this after all. But, despite the time crunch, it now seemed much more likely that most, if not all, of the class would pass the first hurdle.

Iida, who was running on his own, spotted Aoyama huddling by himself. Iida approached the other boy and asked if he was alright. Aoyama shuddered a bit, but then turned to speak to Iida. Iida explained that he'd been running around trying to help whatever members of 1A he could find, and that some of them had gathered together again.

"Look at you class rep! You're really living up to the title!" Uraraka praised.

"That's so cool of you Iida!" Midoriya agreed.

Iida smiled proudly, pleased at the praise and at the sight of his other self taking his role so seriously.

Aoyama, on the other hand, couldn't help but wonder if he'd been hiding away on purpose. Was he trying to fail the test so that someone more deserving could get a spot? Maybe if he didn't get a license here then he wouldn't get involved in certain classes and he would have less information to get interrogated over. They couldn't get mad at him for not giving information if he didn't have information, right?

Aoyama laughed at Iida, saying he was silly for running around on his own. After all, how could he tell who was left or if the others had passed? Iida pointed out that he'd found Aoyama by doing this, and that it would be good if the others passed before him. He was the class rep, so it was his duty to lead everyone as much as he could. It's what his brother would have done.

Iida suddenly found himself being stared at by quite a few people, a few of whom now had wide, watery eyes.

"Oh my gosh Iida, that's so sweet!" Ashido said.

"That's super manly!"

"At times like this, I know that placing you as our class representative was the right move." Momo admitted with a small smile. As annoyed as she'd been to be passed over for the position at first, she couldn't deny just how well suited to it Iida had become.

"Now that's what I mean by sticking your nose into others business as a hero!" Yagi praised.

"There is no need for such high praise! As my other self stated, I am just doing my duty!" Despite his words, Iida's face turned a light pink as he blushed from both joy and embarrassment.

"I think your brother would be proud of you if he could see this." Izuku said softly. Uraraka nodded in agreement, and Iida's face turned a shade darker.

Iida said it was also 'the shape of my dream'. Aoyama seemed really struck by that phrase, but didn't say anything. Iida went on to say that he did still want to pass himself, and asked for Aoyama to join him.

"I hope I will be able to help you, mon ami." Aoyama said

"I'm sure with our combined strengths we will have a better chance of passing!"

Unbeknownst to Iida, or anyone else, Aoyama continued to think about that phrase, and whether or not his own dream was something he could achieve.

The scene changed to just outside the anteroom. Bakugo's group was shown heading there, meaning they had passed. Then they spotted Midoriya's group heading the same direction. Kaminari, Kirishima, Sero, and Uraraka all cheered for each other and did a celebratory dance.

The students couldn't help giggling and laughing at the sight. It was just so silly! Plus, it genuinely felt good to see their friends/classmates so happy.

"Come on! It looks fun!" Kirishima wanted to do the dance himself, and was now trying to drag Kaminari and Sero out of their seats to join him.

"Dude, we're already doing it up there! We don't need to do it too!"

"But it's more fun this way!"

"I'll join you listener!" Present Mic jumped up.

"Hell yeah! Thanks sir!"

The two of them doing the dance managed to convince a few other students to join, including Ashido and Hagakure, and even Uraraka joined in at the very end.

Midoriya watched from the side, smiling happily at the dancing group. Then he saw Bakugo approaching. Bakugo commented on how Deku must have passed, and Midoriya nervously admitted he had. Midoriya thought to himself that Kacchan had come at him even less since the Kamino incident. Bakugo said that, with Deku's power, it was only natural that he passed. Midoriya stared at him, slack jawed.

Those watching seemed to be similarly stunned.

"Holy crap, did Bakugo just compliment Midoriya?" Jirou asked.

"I think so, kero."

Midoriya mouth moved, but no sound came out. It was like he felt the urge to mutter and theorize, but couldn't get himself to vocalize past his shock.

Bakugo's face felt warmer than normal, and he rolled his eyes. He didn't get what everyone was freaking out about; it did make sense that Deku would pass with All Might's quirk after all. He was just stating a fact.

As he passed by, Bakugo said that Deku had made that borrowed power his own. Midoriya suddenly remembered what he'd said to Bakugo after their first heroics class, and stared at Bakugo as he walked away.

'Oh, right, no one has told my other self about that yet.' Bakugo suddenly remembered.

"It would appear the secret is out to one more person." Tokoyami observed.

"Not that hard to figure out at this point, not for me." Bakugo said.

"Yes, I suppose with that flashback, and what happened after the fight with All for One at Kamino, it would make sense for you to be able to put the pieces together." Momo mused.

"Maybe for him, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't put all that together even with all those clues. The story is just too weird." Sato said.

"Well, he might not have figured out the whole thing, just that Midoriya got his power from All Might somehow." Sero pointed out.

"Oh gosh, what if Bakugo goes up and asks Midoriya if he's All Might's secret love child?" Kaminari asked, cracking up at the idea.

"I've known him since we were in diapers you idiot! I know he has a dad!" Bakugo yelled. Though, it had been so long since he'd seen the nerd's dad that he couldn't really say what he looked like. Still, he was pretty sure he'd remember if the man looked anything like All Might.

Inside the anteroom, Kaminari met up with Momo and Shoji. They congratulated each other, and it was mentioned that Todoroki was the first to finish. Jirou came up and said she expected Bakugo to finish earlier, and that Kaminari must have delayed him.

"Ha! Shows what you know! I was the one to save Bakugo from being a meatball!" Kaminari turned to Bakugo with a grin. "And I'm waiting on my Thank you now that we've passed."

Bakugo bristled and opened his mouth like he was about to yell, but then he stopped and took a deep breath. "Thank you."

The words weren't growled, nor did they come across as sarcastic. He'd done it quietly, but it sounded like Bakugo had legitimately thanked him. Kaminari's eyes went wide for a moment, but then he smiled and said "No problem! Thanks for giving me the grenade too, it was a big help!"

Bakugo grunted, and turned away, hunching in on himself a bit. Kirishima nudged his shoulder and smiled at him, which got Bakugo to straighten back up.

Everyone else was either too stunned by the exchange to say anything, or chose to stay silent for fear of jinxing it.

Tsuyu told Uraraka how to take off the targets and where to put them. Nearby, Todoroki and Midoriya talked about how nine members of their class still hadn't arrived. Momo approached and pointed out that there were only 18 spots left. Midoriya looked down in worry.

Those that hadn't passed yet looked at each other in worry, or fidgeted nervously. It would really suck to be one of the only ones in class not to pass this exam.

The only one that didn't seem overly worried was Iida, who loudly said: "Don't worry! I'm sure we'll all pass in time, we've faced much greater challenges than this after all!"

Izuku nodded along, hoping his friend was right.

Back in the exam area, Aoyama was shown getting around with well timed blasts from his laser. Someone was about to get one of his targets, and Iida pulled him out of the way by his cape. Aoyama said it would be hard to survive this war, and Iida urged him not give up. Aoyama started to say that's not what he meant, but was cut off by something exploding close by. When the smoke cleared, Iida was shown running while dragging Aoyama by his cape again.

Some of the students couldn't help but laugh at the way Aoyama swung through the air as Iida ran.

"You two make quite the team!" Ashido giggled.

"Are you alright Aoyama?" Iida asked in loud concern. "That motion looks like it may be painful."

"I am fine, mon ami." Aoyama said. His neck and shoulders now had a strange soreness to them, but he decided to ignore that.

"That is good! Still, I apologize for not assisting you in a more dignified manner."

"Dignity is of little importance now, I am only glad you choose to stay with me." 'Would he still choose me if he knew?'

Mineta, Ashido, Ojiro, and maybe Hagakure (it was hard to tell for sure) were shown, hiding from the same blasts Iida and Aoyama were fleeing. In another area, Tokoyami, Sato, and Koda were doing the same. The announcer said that eight people just passed, meaning there were only ten spots left.

The remaining 1A students were even more anxious now, and those that had passed did their best to reassure them that there was still time.

In the stands, Ms Joke realized that the eight that just passed were all from her class, and called out to congratulate them. Aizawa was shown, thinking about there only being ten spaces left. In the anteroom, Momo and Jirou were also worried, and the latter said that all of them passing may be impossible.

"What's with this mood, huh listeners?! This is UA! Passing at the eleventh hour is just one more way for you to go Plus Ultra!" Mic yelled encouragement. Iida was quick to join in.

"Yes, exactly! Do not fear, sensei, fellow classmates, we will prevail!"

"Y-yeah! We'll do our best and go beyond!" Ashido jumped in.

"We can do it." Ojiro said resolutely.

"Eight people from one class just passed together, and that's only one less than what we have! We can do that too!" Sato agreed.

Koda gave a shaky thumbs up.

"We will not be left behind today." Tokoyami declared.

"Let's do this!" Hagakure yelled.

"We gotta try, at least." Mineta agreed.

Iida, now running at a more reasonable pace, held Aoyama's wrist as they ran. Aoyama was shown thinking about what Iida said to him earlier, then there was a flashback to a very young Aoyama asking his parents why he was different.

The image illicited a murmur of sympathetic and affectionate noises. Ashido was about to coo about how baby Aoyama looked really cute, even when sad, but stopped when she got a good look at his face. He looked TERRIFIED...and maybe like he was about to throw up.

Suddenly, Aoyama stopped, bent over backwards, and fired his laser straight into the air. It immediately gained the attention of every nearby participant. Iida demanded to know what he was doing. Aoyama said that, if Iida continued to protect him, then they'd both get taken out. He already had two of his own targets hit, so he would act as bait. Iida should get behind those that come after him and use the distraction to pass!

"What?" Iida was incredulous at Aoyama's sudden self sacrifice.

"Putting yourself in that position just so someone else can escape and pass...bro that's so manly!" Kirishima cried.

"But it isn't necessary! I'm sure we can pass together if we try!" Iida argued.

"Sometimes sacrifices must be made." Aoyama said. 'It's probably better this way anyway.' he thought. He hunched in on himself, and wasn't sure if the nausea he was feeling was from his quirk being used like that, or from his emotions rolling around in his stomach.

Iida asked why he was doing this all of a sudden. Aoyama said that it may be sudden, but that he'd always wanted to be an equal. While saying this, an image of Aoyama getting his belt for the first time was shown. Aoyama urged Iida to get ready, because their competitors were coming, and a crowd of people was shown rushing toward them. Iida was clearly torn.

"As the class representative, I cannot simply leave you behind!" Iida said.

While some other students joined Iida in telling Aoyama he didn't have to make a play like this, Izuku put a hand to his chin and stared at the screen thoughtfully. Just what did Aoyama mean by 'being different' in that flashback? Why wouldn't he consider himself equal to others?

Over with the teachers, Nedzu gave a small hum, the kind that indicated he'd noticed something of interest. The others teachers leaned away instinctively.

Before the crowd could descend upon them however, a huge flock of pigeons appeared and started attacking the other competitors. Koda was shown to be directing them. Tokoyami called upon Dark Shadow, and the two of them made use of the chaos to separate and attack people.

The room seemed to suck in a breath when the birds appeared out of nowhere, and it was let out as a cheer when people realized what was going on.

"YEAH! That's what I'm talking about listener! Project your voice to those birds!" Present Mic praised, much to Koda's pleased embarrassment.

"Yeah Koda, nice job!" Jirou joined in. "You too Tokoyami!"

"It would seem we still make a good team." Tokoyami said with a smirk.

Koda smiled and nodded vigorously.

Nearby, people were shown getting stuck in a minefield made by Mineta's quirk. Ojiro spun in and knocked them down, trapping them even further. Mineta was throwing even more balls, to the point where his head bled, and frantically told his companions to get them while they were down.

"Even further display of excellent teamwork!" Iida praised excitedly.

Aizawa nodded, and Yagi smiled broadly. "I wholeheartedly agree!"

"Ow ow ow ow!" Mineta whimpered. He really hoped this would get him and the others the points they needed because that hurt!

"Hey, thanks for setting that up with me, it's working great!" Ojiro said, offering Mineta a fist bump. Despite the pain in his scalp, Mineta smiled and bumped it with his own.

Iida was joyful and surprised by his classmates' arrival. One person from the crowd shouted "It's UA!"

"Heck yeah it's UA! Look whose getting hunted now!" Sato yelled.

Hagakure ran through the crowd, using her quirk to emit bright flashes of light. She got her last needed target in while everyone was blinded. Ojiro got a hit in next.

"Whoa! How are you doing that?" Mineta asked in awe.

"Well, the reason I'm always invisible is because of how light reacts to my body. I guess I still haven't figured out how to turn it off completely, but I must have learned how to make the light hitting me do other stuff instead."

"That's amazing Hagakure! If your quirk makes you invisible by manipulating light then it makes complete sense that you would be able to refract light to make bright flashes like that! I wonder why that hasn't lead to learning how to make it stop reacting that way though...could it be an automatic defense? Maybe it..."

Hagakure leaned in closer as Midoriya started to mumble, hoping his thoughts would give her some clue on how to figure out this move faster. Maybe she really could make herself visible one day! She'd still probably stay invisible most of the time, it was just more natural at this point, but it would be nice to have a look at least once. Plus it would probably make treating any injuries of hers easier.

Aoyama sat confused among a rainfall of feathers, and asked 'why?'. Ashido fought off some people, and told him that everyone had been panicked and confused, but that the light from his laser acted as a guide, and let everyone meet up again. Aoyama looked out across the field as his classmates, gathered together by his light, took on the remaining contestant and started passing one by one.

When they were shown passing, each student cheered or jumped up or pumped a fist in the air, each celebrating in their own way.

Mineta yelped when his other self came on screen to get his last target in, then slumped. Not only was his other self still bleeding, he was clearly exhausted, and Mineta felt that hit him like a ton of bricks. Kaminari let the boy lean against him and patted him consolingly on the shoulder.

"Look at you, using your sparkle to help everyone!" Ashido praised Aoyama.

"Yeah, that was pretty awesome!" Ojiro agreed.

"I may revel in the dark, but I can appreciate the way you use your ability to revel in the light." Tokoyami said.

Aoyama smiled, but it was small and self deprecating. "I did not plan for this, it was your own efforts that allowed you to pass."

"This may not have been your exact intention, but that doesn't change the fact that it only happened because you were willing to sacrifice your own place to help Iida." Momo pointed out.

"Exactly! Do not sell yourself short Aoyama!" Iida agreed.

"You are all too kind, but thank you. I'm glad I was able to help."

The announcer commented on UA coming together to pull of some amazing combos at the end. Aizawa seemed either surprised or annoyed by how many UA students had been left still. The show took a moment to show Cami from Shiketsu passing.

"Awwww, were you worried about all of them passing Shouta? What happened to all that confidence in them, huh?" Mic teased.

"No comment." Aizawa muttered.

"Why did we see her passing?" Uraraka asked.

"Perhaps that means we'll be seeing more of her in the latter portions of the test." Momo said.

Uraraka didn't look happy about that possibility, and neither did Izuku. Not that he wished she would fail of course! He just didn't want to get into any more awkward situations if he could help it...

Aoyama and Iida ran side by side. Iida said that he didn't know what Aoyama wanted to be equal with or what he was comparing himself too, but that all of this was possible because of him. The two got in their last targets on people stuck in Mineta's minefield. Aoyama said 'so my twinkle won't stop, huh?'. Iida said probably, but he didn't know for sure.

"Geez Iida, all those pep talks earlier and you can't even give a man a straight answer about his twinkle." Sero joked.

"It would be unbecoming to lie! I don't know for sure so I cannot say with certainty that he will continue to twinkle, but based on what we saw here I believe he can grow to become a great hero, whether he twinkles while doing it or not."

"Ah, you are too kind, mon ami, but I thank you for your confidence."

Ashido watched the interaction with a frown. She wanted so badly to ask about the whole 'equal' and 'comparing himself' thing that had just come to light, but something about the brittle way Aoyama smiled at Iida just now made her hesitate. She could ask him later, during the break, when it wouldn't be heard by everyone in the room.

Unnoticed by her, Izuku was also looking at Aoyama, and having very similar thoughts.

The buzzer sounded and Mera yelled that the 100th person had passed. He even cheered at the end.

Several people jumped at just how enthusiastically Mera cheered for the last person passing, and even those that didn't were obviously taken aback.

"Wow, he must be really excited to take that nap he talked about." Sato said.

"But there's still another portion of the exam." Todoroki pointed out.

"Maybe someone else runs that portion." Momo suggested. Todoroki hummed in acknowledgment of the possibility.

In the anteroom, the 1A students celebrated everyone making it past the first hurdle. Some yelled and cheered while others just quietly radiated relief and happiness.

Class 1A smiled at each other happily, or offered more congratulations and compliments on individual fights. Their other selves had just taken one step closer to becoming real pro heroes and, for the most part, they'd all done it together.

In the stands, Aizawa grumbled that he'd been nervous and that they'd all have to train more when they got back. Ms Joke poked fun at him, saying that he really was happy for them and should act like it. Aizawa said he was mad. Ms Joke laughed and said his legs were bouncing happily. Aizawa denied that too.

"HAH! I knew it!" Present Mic crowed.

Aizawa burrowed down in his capture weapon a little more, but didn't rush to deny it like he'd done with Ms Joke. Then he noticed how many of his students were looking at him with expressions of gratitude or pleased surprise or admiration or joy or some other touchy-feely emotion and said:

"Anyone that tries to hug me during the break will be getting extra training when we get back."

That got people looking back at the screen, but didn't change the happy atmosphere that had taken over the room.

It seemed like the show was about to end, but then the screen showed the anteroom again. Inasa angrily yelled that someone named Shishikura failed, and someone completely covered in fur told him he was too loud. The furry person said it happened because 'that violently passionate guy' went ahead and fought alone. The hairy person also called out that Camie shouldn't have gone off on her own either.

"I guess every class will have its loners." Ojiro noted.

"True, and for kinda similar reasons too, at least for Inasa. Him going away from his group made sure that his cyclone didn't get any of his own team out." Tsuyu said.

Todoroki felt strange being compared to Inasa, though he couldn't articulate why.

In the anteroom, those that had passed were directed to watch the big screen in the room. Everyone did so, and the exam area was shown. All of a suddenly explosions went off all around the exam area, much to 1A's confusion. It was announced that the second test would be the last one, and they would be sent in to perform rescue exercises in these damaged areas.

"Still so excessive." Recovery Girl tutted. "Still, I suppose they need to replicate a disaster area somehow." She looked over at Aizawa. He'd seemed to relax a bit when the students were all shown passing the first round, but he had gone back to being on the alert when the explosions had gone off and the rescue exercises were announced. She couldn't blame him. She'd been the one to point out how little rescue training these kids really had, after all.

Upon hearing that announcement, class 1A seemed to remember that too. They looked at the screen, and each other, with varying levels of concern.

"Well, rescue exercises can't be all that bad, right?" Kirishima questioned. "I mean, it's not like we're gonna have to fight each other while doing the rescue stuff."

"Don't think they'd make you fight each other during this, no." Aizawa admitted. Someone or something else fighting them though...it would be extreme, but these were desperate times.

"Still, that doesn't mean the rescue portion will be easy." Recovery Girl said. "They wouldn't have a whole section of the exam dedicated to rescue if it was easy."

Yagi nodded along with what she was saying. "Yes, rescue missions tend to use an entirely different skill set compared to pure combat situations, as well as much more nuanced control of one's quirk. I can't just go around smashing rubble if there may be people trapped under it, you know?"

"Yes, yes, this next bit will bring on new and interesting challenges I am sure. Before we get to that however, let's have another break." Nedzu said.


During the break, people broke off into groups, as they usually did. The main topics of conversation seemed to be discussions of how everyone performed during the first portion of the exam and speculation on what all would happen during the second portion.

As 'requested', nobody tried to hug Aizawa during the break. However, the teacher did go up to several different groups to give advice or reviews of people's performances, and the students seemed to listen to him even more closely than they did before. There was hardly any complaining when he had a critique to share as well.

"Young Midoriya! I wanted to extended my deepest congratulations to you for making it past the first part of the test!"

Izuku scratched his cheek. "Well, it was a team effort, but thank you!"

Yagi waved dismissively. "It being a team effort does not diminish your accomplishments! Besides, I also wanted to tell you I'm proud of you for leading your peers in the beginning. You may have gotten separated later, but I am sure your rallying of the class helped them make it through the initial onslaught, and that it what allowed them to pass later."

After Yagi was convinced that Young Midoriya had sincerely accepted the praise, he went off to find other students to congratulate. One of them was, of course, Young Bakugo.

"Congratulations on passing the first portion, Young Bakugo! I was quite proud to see you working together with your classmates as well as you did, even if you didn't initially plan on doing so. I'm sure that fostering that will lead you to grow as a hero."

Young Bakugo seemed a bit unsure of how to respond. He ran a hand through his hair, and kept it there to scratch at his head a bit. "Thanks. I'll, uh, try to do that then."

Now Yagi was the one who felt unsure, so he gave the boy a smile and a thumbs up, then moved on to another student.

That student happened to be Young Todoroki. He gave the boy his congratulations, and got a murmured thanks in response. This seemed typical of Young Todoroki, so Yagi was about to move on, but stopped when he heard the boy speak.

"Do you think the way I passed was unheroic?"

"Hm? Why on earth would I think that?"

"I was the only one to pass on my own, rather than as part of a group. Even Bakugo passed as part of a group, and you praised him for it."

"Ah, I see." Yagi scratched his side as he thought. "I would not call you unheroic, you've shown you are dedicated to being a hero quite well by now. Wanting to work alone in some or most cases does not change that, especially since you've shown you are capable of working with others when you want to. Still, it wouldn't hurt to continue working on your teamwork and cooperation. Your quirk is indeed powerful, but there will be times where that isn't enough, or not what is needed. Knowing how to control your quirk enough not to hurt your companions will be invaluable in those cases."

Todoroki nodded thoughtfully. Yagi gave him a smile and a thumbs up and left him to it.


"Say, Aoyama? There was something I wanted to talk to you about." Ashido said as she approached her friend. He'd gotten something to eat, and was snacking alone while others talked, so this seemed like a good time.

"Oui?" Aoyama's head lifted to look at her as she sat down with him.

"So, during this last episode, you said some stuff about wanting to be equal, and there was those flashbacks, and I guess I was just wondering what that was about? When your younger self was shown, I happened to look over at you, and you looked like you were about to be sick or something. Are you okay?"

"I was wondering about that too actually."

The pair looked to see Midoriya arriving from the opposite direction that Ashido had come from. Seeing them both turn to look at him, Midoriya halted, then started to verbally backpedal.

"I-I mean, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to, or you can just tell Ashido if you want and I can go. But, well, I also wanted to make sure you're okay. It's just, I know what it's like to not feel equal, so if there was something I could do to help..."

Aoyama smiled softly at Midoriya. "You don't need to fret so, you can sit here with us if you want." he went on after Midoriya did so. "I assure you, I'm quite alright. Seeing those flashbacks just brought up some bad memories for me, but otherwise I'm fine."

"Was it about bullies?" Ashido asked. "You asked your mom and dad about you being different, and that's usually the kind of thing bullies like to get onto people about."

"Ah, yes, it was. I'm sure you're aware that my quirk does not suit my body well, and that was obvious from the start, so my classmates noticed. As you said, bullies don't like people who are different, and even my stomach aches were enough of a difference for some people. That's why I was so happy to receive my belt back then. It not only made me feel better, it also made my quirk's eccentricities less obvious to others. I would get comments about the belt now and then, but those didn't hurt as much as the ones about myself directly."

"I'll bet." Izuku murmured.

"Man, some people can be such jerks! Going around making fun of someone for having chronic pains." Ashido grumbled. "If anyone who did that to you in the past tries to make trouble for you again, you tell me and I'll help you set them straight!"

"Ah mon ami! How kind of you to offer! But there is no need, most such people were left behind when I moved here. Still, it is very good to know I have friends I can rely on if a similar situation crops up again."

The three chatted a bit more before going their separate ways. Ashido felt more settled after talking to Aoyama. She was glad to have an explanation for his most recent odd behavior, and while they hadn't really talked about how tired he seemed after the whole thing at Kamino, she wasn't as worried about it as she was before. Honestly, he was probably still just reeling from the whole fight. She had trouble accepting everything that had changed in that other timeline still, since it happened so quickly. He probably just needed a little more time to adjust to everything.

Izuku, meanwhile, left the interaction feeling more puzzled than he had before. There wasn't anything inherently suspicious about Aoyama's explanation for the flashbacks the episode had shown, but Izuku still felt like he was missing something...

Aoyama let out a long breath once his two friends had walked away. Then he took in a breath just as deep, held it for a second, then let it out. When that flashback of him talking to his parents had first come up, he could have sworn he felt his heart stop and his stomach drop. For a long, awful minute, he had been certain that his secret was about to come out, that the flashback would reveal he'd once been quirkless, and then it would be no time at all before people put the pieces together, and then...

He didn't know what would come then. He just knew it wouldn't be good. His teachers and classmates would probably hate him...but maybe they would hate him a little less if he told someone first, before it came out on screen like he thought it was about to just now.

After all, hadn't he wanted this, on some level? Wasn't that why he had agreed to Truth's deal about secret's being revealed? He didn't want to be in this position, he didn't want to hurt anyone, but what choice did he have? But if he was found out in a way that All for One wouldn't know about...

Yet he still hadn't said anything. He wanted this to be over, to have the truth come out so that he and his parents could get help, yet he still hesitated for fear of their reaction. But he couldn't afford to do that much longer, not if the show was giving hints like that, and the more he thought about it, the more he found he didn't want to wait much longer. His guilt had been gnawing away at his insides for far too long already.

He wouldn't do it in front of everyone. He'd take Midoriya aside and talk to him, because he was the one person here who might understand. Well, now that he knew that All Might had once been quirkless too, he might understand. But the idea of telling him directly, and doing it on his own, made Aoyama's stomach turn even more than quirk exhaustion did. He'd also give it a little more time, just until the end of the exam, probably. Everyone was so happy after passing this episode, he didn't want to ruin things for them all.

He had to swallow hard to get his chewed up crackers to go down. Thinking about what he would need to do and say made it feel like his throat was closing up, but he still took another bite. Food like this usually helped with nausea, and he would need all the help he could get if he was going to be talking to Midoriya soon.


A.N.

Insert 'shocked pikachu face' for Kaminari when he uses his disks for the first time. And again when Bakugo thanks him. :P

Also, insert an obligatory Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds reference when Koda shows up with his pidgins.

Someone commented that Izuku really should have a bunch of notebooks he's gone through by this point in the story, and I realized they're probably right. So lets just say he's been getting new ones now and then and storing the older ones under the bed he's been sleeping in. I may have to mention that in one of the 'inbetween' bits sooner or later...

Seeing those scenes with Aoyama, knowing what I know now...well it certainly hits different doesn't it? :')