Living at UA was an… interesting experience. Obviously the majority of its staff consisted of pro heroes. He had run into All Might more times than he cared to admit, as he even caught the man while he was in his emaciated form on multiple occasions. The symbol of peace wore a guilty expression whenever the greenette entered his vicinity. However, that wasn't what bothered him the most about his interactions with his former idol. What did was that the man made no attempt to speak to him.

He was aware of One For All, but outside of what he could draw from All Might's own quirk– he was effectively in the dark. Eon said that All Might could transfer One For All to another person, but how did that work exactly? A strength enhancing quirk of that stature doesn't just show up everyday. If it's true that he was quirkless before he received One For All, then his predecessor must've been weaker than him, or carried a less potent version of the quirk. That's the other variable he hadn't accounted for– how long has this quirk been around?

Furthermore, why did All Might treat it as if it were a life and death secret?

Switching topics, Izuku also learned who his new homeroom teacher would be. He only recognized him due to the capture tool he slung around his neck like a scarf: Eraser Head. Initially, he was surprised that someone his age– knew who he was at all. Even a full month later and that was probably the most expressive he'd seen the sleep deprived man. The erasure hero said that Nezu trapping him on UA grounds was irrational– but then proceeded to run him through a gauntlet of tests anyway.

He had him use each of his ten transformations to complete a multitude of physical tasks to measure his abilities. Mr. Aizawa referred to this as his quirk apprehension test. Based on what he heard from the other teachers in passing– he kicked every year off with it– in preference to attending the opening ceremony. Apparently, last year he expelled his entire class because he thought they lacked any and all potential of becoming capable heroes. Though, let it be noted, he later re-enrolled most of them. It was a scare tactic meant to get them to think seriously about their futures and what kind of profession they were choosing to head into.

After tallying his numbers, the erasure hero had shaken his head.

"Problem child…" He sighed.

And that's the story of how his name became Problem Child instead of Midoriya.

Thankfully, despite him spending the most time getting acquainted with his soon-to-be homeroom teacher, the rest of the UA staff warmed up to him rather quickly. Why was that? He couldn't pinpoint any identifiable reason. He sort of just nerded out, listed a bunch of embarrassing facts he knew about them and asked for them to sign his notebook.

Vlad King had commended him, acknowledging his actions during the Endeavor Train Incident. He called him undeniably valorous and even offered a seat for him in 1-B if he felt like being in 1-A (Or just whatever class Mr. Aizawa happened to be teaching), was too much unneeded pressure. He explained that his teaching style was militaristic but never unfair or an attempt to mislead.

In the end, Izuku turned down the blood hero's invitation. He appreciated his words– more than he could coherently express– but he preferred to have company. By company, he means Kevin and Jiro, who were both enrolled in heroics class 1-A. Internally, he feared what his future classmates may think about him– he didn't want another repeat of middle school. He hoped UA's higher standards would put a halt to any blatant bullying.

But then again there was Bakugou, so maybe that was asking for too much.

Cementoss, in tandem with a specialized construction team, created an entire wing of dorm buildings in a little under three days (enough to house every first year student). Nezu wasn't lying when he said he was rich. Though the cement hero definitely cut down a lot of the potential costs by virtue of his quirk, he still thought it was impressive.

Him and Kevin had taken neighboring rooms. Kevin was able to immediately move in, seeing as he possessed no other belongings outside of his car keys and the clothes he'd worn when he was first transported here via Eon-mail. Everything else he owned was hand-me-downs from Masaru. Not that the man had bad taste– he did work in the fashion industry– his style just didn't match Kevin's vibe.

Jiro and her parents were taken aback by the sudden shift in dynamic, but supported him nonetheless. Kyotoku seemed especially eager to get him out of the house– though he was never explicit about it. He wasn't a fan of having a teenage boy living in the same house as his teenage daughter, and Izuku understood that. He would still graciously thank the man and his wife– the people who took him in when he felt he had nowhere else to turn to– because there wasn't any possibility he was staying with the Bakugou's. Nothing Aunt Mitsuki said could convince him otherwise.

He knew he wasn't wanted there.

Izuku had a lot to unpack in comparison to Kevin, but he wound up donating most of his belongings to charity anyway. There were a few items that he refused to part with; His hero analysis notebooks (all 14 of them– and counting), Tennyson's box of stuff and Paradoxes gumball machine to go along with photo albums of him together with his mom.

It was one hour before his first semester at UA officially began. He was a bundle of nerves, and his jitteriness wasn't lost on his roommate as Kevin physically had to shove him onto the couch to keep him from bouncing off the walls. That's when Izuku noticed what was on the coffee table directly in front of him. It was while he was sifting through these pictures, as tears brimmed in his eyes, that he felt a hand clasp his shoulder and a weight sink into the cushioning beside him.

"It doesn't seem to get any easier, huh?" Kevin prompted him gently.

The freckled teen couldn't form a coherent response. The Osmosian halfling wasn't deterred, however, as he brainstormed a couple talking points that might help his friend open up. He scanned the common room, as if there were cameras spying on them, waiting to record whatever he said next.

"My dad was a Plumber." He started.

Izuku's eyes narrowed at him, trying to discern where this was going.

Kevin visibly cringed, realizing his error.

"Oh, right. You don't know what I'm talking about. So, where I'm from, the Plumbers are pretty much the intergalactic police force."

"Are these Plumbers, like, you're guys' version of heroes?" Izuku inquired curiously.

"I like to think that. I'm told my dad was, and I've even met a few of them. Trust me, they might seem like total jerkwads at first– but that's only because their super serious about their job." He finished with a wink.

"I see…"

"What's the deal with your pops?" He prodded the other boy's arm with his nub.

"My 'Pops' wants nothing to do with me."

"Oh. OK. Damn. Uhhh… OK." He pursed his lips, considering his options.

"How does that make you feel?" He gestured to Izuku with his hand, making a circlular motion as if to refer to all of him.

"Fuck! Sorry– look, I'm NOT very good at this emotional stuff."

"I'm fine. You don't need to try and confide in me. I've… accepted that my parents… simply aren't in my life anymore." He shrugged hollowly.

"Ah, though you shall see, normally I would leave it at that seeing as you've figured it out– but I personally think you maybe, kind of need somebody to talk things through with?"

"Wait, you mean therapy?"

"Hey, I'm no therapist– I may or may not be inclined to give my own input from time to time– but I'll listen." He placed his hand over his heart as if to appear more honest.

"I appreciate the offer, but it won't be necessary. I'm perfectly alright. And I did talk to someone about it."

Kevin squinted at him unconvincingly.

"Sure you did bud!"

Izuku sighed tiredly, placing the photo album on the table and leaning into the cushion lazily, the taller teen mirroring his movements.

"Hey, Kevin?"

"Sup?"

"What was Tennyson like? I mean- the Tennyson that you knew. Not Eon. If you don't mind me asking."

"That's a long story." Kevin exhaled wistfully.

"...I'll listen."

"You cheeky fucking bastard." He glared at him through one eye, the freckled teen hiding his laughter behind his palm.

"Fine. I might as well give you my life story while I'm at it. I'm half alien; Fifty percent human, fifty percent Osmosian. The thing about Osmosians though, is that they're nearly identical to humans appearance wise. The most notable difference being small horns they grow on their forehead, but my dad– he didn't even have those. Explains why I blend in with crowds so easily."

"Woah. That's… actually super cool."

"He's also who I got my powers from– the absorbing and enhanced strength… pretty much every part of me that makes me not like uh, how do I say this without sounding like a dick?"

"Like a quirkless person?"

"..."

"You're not wrong. You're stating a fact. Actually, I've been meaning to ask you more about it–"

" –Put that notebook down, or so help me—"

" –Putting the notebook down."

"Good man. So anyways, when I was still a young lad living homeless on the streets, I found out that I can absorb electricity to sate my hunger."

"That's a unique adaptation." Izuku muttered.

"But I didn't know the full extent of my powers. I didn't even know why I had them— just that I did and they helped me survive. Osmosians powers come with an unpleasant side effect. If we absorb too much energy or something beyond our normal limit, our mental clarity begins to slip. We lose our perception of who we are and thirst only for more energy– more power." Kevin grimaced at the recollection.

"I had no clue that my constant absorption was warping my brain chemistry to a psychotic degree– specifically targeting the areas containing emphatic neurons. That's when I met Ben. I was eleven at the time– he was ten. Puns aside, we buddied up pretty fast. Everything was going great until… that numbness in my head came back, and I tried to get him to help me derail a train."

Izuku stilled.

"He transformed into Fasttrack."

'He must be referring to Slipstream.'

"He was able to stop me before anyone could be hurt, but by that time I had already used the distraction to absorb his powers. After I saw what he could do, I felt this overwhelming desire to take his energy– to steal the Omnitrix." He winked at the other boy.

"We had some huge fights, when I finally went overboard. I bit off more than I could chew. I ended up taking on the powers and traits from ALL TEN of his aliens. Simultaneously." Kevin shuddered at the memory.

"Usually, when I absorb something, I can dispel it, like, through my finger. It's also how I can conduct electricity without harm. This time, I wasn't able to do that. And so, I was stuck in my less than handsome monster form for a good couple years– half of which was spent being trapped inside the Null Void."

"What's the Null Void?"

"You don't even want to know. Just– never go there on purpose. OK?"

Izuku nodded slowly.

"Noted."

"Eventually, I managed to stowaway on a supply ship that made frequent trips in and out of the place. I made my great escape, yadda yadda yadda, then (When I got back to Earth), I started doing what I did best:–"

" –Being a hero!" Izuku filled in the blank.

" –Dealing alien weapons and drugs."

Izuku gawked at him.

"Kidding. Only about the drugs. I definitely stole and sold illegal alien weaponry. On multiple occasions and at different venues." He almost seemed proud of that fact.

"So naturally, the Tennyson's sniffed my trail– caught me right as me and some Forever Knights were getting down to business."

"Tennyson's? Does Tennyson have a sibling?"

"Cousin." He corrected, trying not to fixate on the thought of his girlfriend.

"As it would turn out, our conflicts of interests were spearheaded by a common goal. One thing lead to another and we worked past our grievances. We became a team."

"A hero team!? What- well what did you call yourselves!?"

"Uh, we didn't call ourselves anything, dude. Every mission we did was pretty much done in secret. Even before we were recognized as Plumber recruits, not many people actually knew who we were. Well, alien folk were aware of Ben, but that's for obvious reasons." He chuckled softly, gaze growing somber.

"So, if I had to describe him to you, I would tell you that Ben Tennyson is the type of guy you'd go to war with. That might sound like hyperbole, but its not. I literally went to war with him. We fought off an alien invasion from another galaxy– they called themselves the Highbreed. After we won, I thought things would go back to being normal– and they did… just not for long enough."

"Is that when you found out about his condition?" Izuku felt bad for mentioning it.

Kevin nodded sadness permeating his features.

"You're not saying it, but I know you're thinking it. Its not your fault, and you don't need to apologize for anything. Ben was capable of making his own choices, and while I didn't agree with a vast majority of them, I could always count on him for his heart to be in right place. If he picked you to wield the Omnitrix, then I respect his decision. So don't go disappointing me now, alright buddy?" He proceed to give him a rough noogie with his nub.

"Ah! OK! OK! I promise I won't disappoint you!" Izuku laughed as he struggled against the taller teen's grip.

"That's what I like to hear! Now lets get the fuck outta here." Kevin made a half-turn when Izuku spoke up again.

"Actually, um, I have a favor to ask you, Kevin– if you don't mind– that is."

"What is it?"

"When you see Jiro, can you tell her that the I'm not in danger or anything along those lines. I'm just… going to be arriving at class later than usual." His eyes flicked back and forth anxiously.

"OK, I get it. I'll cover for ya."

"Thank you so much." He bowed.

"You're hardly asking me to do much, but I'll take the gratitude anyway!"

"Sorry I haven't visited you in a while. Nezu has been strict with his… well, restrictions. I grabbed you some flowers. They're White Hibiscus. I remember when you told me about your honeymoon to Hawaii. Dad had pointed them out to the tour guide and from then on they became your favorite."

Izuku swallowed, delicately resting the silky petals against the headstone.

"Today is my first day at UA– well, for the semester. I've been living on campus– and I have a roommate. It's a long story."

The sound of silence.

"Just like I always dreamed about." He wasn't able to hide the pain in his voice.

The Musutafu Cemetery was dim with the cusp of morning light.

"Until about a year ago, I thought that you believed that I was a disappointment. It's crazy to say that out loud, I know. How could I ever possibly conceive such a notion? I never told you this but… the day of the Sludge Villain Incident, I asked All Might if he thought that a quirkless person like me could ever hope to be a hero like him. Reflecting on it, there were a lot of layers to uncover with the answer he provided me with– given what I know now. I wasn't able to cope with it. Apparently… I was never meant to. Then out of nowhere, Tennyson and Paradox showed up and gave me this watch." He shook his head at the memory.

"Everything changed in that moment." He exhaled shakily.

"I told you what I wanted to do with my life and you didn't laugh at me. You didn't scoff at me. You didn't hit me. You didn't ignore me. You didn't insult me or call me names. You didn't leave me. You didn't even question me for a single moment. You were by my side, supporting me one hundred percent, from the very beginning. I realized you always had been– but I was so depressed about dad and my quirklessness that I- I deluded myself into entertaining this- this toxic mindset." His lower lip quivered.

"I- I wish you could see me now- in this uniform." He subconsciously straightened his posture as if to appear more polite.

"I still can't tie a tie right." He thumbed the red embroidered cloth.

"I know you wanted to take pictures of me in it when it came in the mail. So I made some copies." He nestled the lamented photos behind the bouquet so they wouldn't be caught by a stray gust.

"I made a new friend. His name is Kevin. I'll admit, he's a little rough around the edges, but… who am I to talk?" He laughed wetly.

"He has this tough guy façade, but I can tell he has a good heart– he wants to be a hero, same as me. He likes cars, trading card games, food and soap operas, but that last one is supposed to be a highly guarded secret– so lets keep it between the two of us." He wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve.

"You'd love him, Mom. I wish you could meet him."

He rubbed warm tears from his eyes, now slightly blinded by the early sun.

"I love you Mom, thanks for always listening to me." He stared across the horizon for some time, trying to find some semblance of balance within his emotional state.

A single petal snapped from the flower's stem, carried by the wind, as a black and blue blur rushed off into the city.

Before him were the giant doors leading into his homeroom of 1-A. Izuku took numerous extended breaths in a desperate attempt to calm himself. He knew from years of experience that everyone looked at the last person to walk inside the classroom. Whether it was a conscious decision or not, people would be distracted by his presence.

'It's a leap of faith.'

The effect wasn't instant like he imagined, but the few eyes that did lock onto him as he entered the classroom would move to alert those closest to them. Trying to ignore the growing number of stares he was beginning to receive, he searched for Jiro and Kevin amongst the crowd of students. Noticing her waving at him he returned the gesture, an automatic smile gracing his lips. Kevin offered him a subtle nod– he did not look content wearing the UA uniform.

His smile soon vanished when he saw a girl who looked strikingly similar to his mom seated in the furthest row back. While her hair and eyes were both ink black in coloration– it was her facial structure and gentle smile which she donned that caused his feet to ground to a halt. Even her hair– the ponytail was done in the exact same way.

'̶̪͎̽Ḑ̶͔͔͚͔̇̽͌͗̕̚o̴̤͕͊̇̒́͊̚n̶̠̔̿̉͝'̸̟̪͖̍t̵̠͍͋ ̶̦̰̟͒ļ̷̈́̆̽͂e̴̹̱̮̻̯̊̎̉̈́̈̈́t̵̯͐̈̂ ̵̛̼͉̗̻̞̱̾͛ȟ̷̞̎ȇ̶̞͑̔̍̌͝r̴̦̟̜͆̍̏ ̶̡͕̹́͌͊͒͜͝f̷̡̡̣͙̀̇̾͊̋̈a̵̧̘̯̟̱̙͛̑͛̀l̷̡̤̜̊͌̈́͋̅ľ̵̢͙͈̙̣̋̂̄,̷̻̬̳̮̿̅̚ ̸̢̥͖͍͍̇̒t̶̗̲̺͒͊̌̎̒o̸̭̫̱̫̎̈́̋̈́̐̽o̶̧͈͚͋.̵̛̳͇̥̦͖̇̇̇

A cold shiver crawled up his spine.

'Where did that come from?'

Awkwardly, he averted his gaze once he realized he'd been caught staring. Shoulders stiff as a board, he robotically marched to his assigned seat… which also happened to be directly next to her. Because of course it was.

'Why do I always embarrass myself like this!?' He thought, face burning a radiant hue of red.

Even with them speaking in lowered voices, he could still pick apart utterances of his name, among other unpleasant things. He stilled upon hearing someone hiss 'villain.' His thoughts directed him towards Jiro, knowing she would've been able to hear everything they were saying.

Though he suspected the reaction was unintentional, her jacks were making stabbing motions– the focus of her imaginary attack being a group of three girls clustered together near the front of the classroom. The tallest of three had serene features, carrying herself with dignity and an air of authority. In place of traditional hair, rows upon rows of vines fell below her waistline. Straightening that must've been a nightmare. They locked eyes briefly, Izuku wilting away from her harsh obsidian glare.

As fate would have it, seat number eleven was given to Kevin, while Jiro sat to his right at twelve. Then there was Bakugou at seventeen, who wasn't too happy about being behind said girl. Thankfully, he was not seated directly next to the ticking time bomb, as he was slotted in the far back right corner of the classroom at seat number twenty. He musingly noted Jiro turning around to stick her tongue out at the blonde, who aggressively flipped her off in revenge.

'Those two are probably going to feud forever.' He internally chuckled.

Kevin seemed uninterested in everything going on around him, leaning backwards in his chair, much to the animated ire of the invisible girl who was seated behind him. To distract himself, he observed the visible traits of his classmates to see if he could deduce anything related to their quirks.

The boy seated in front of him had two different hair colors— red and white— split down the middle. He wracked his brain for a logical answer but couldn't pinpoint one. Half red and half white hair could mean anything– or it couldn't be indicative of a quirk at all! It might just be genetic mutation. On the other hand, its been found in recent studies that hair color can be representative of a generalized quirk typing. So if it–

"—Red side is my father, white side is my mother. Now will you shut up? Your incessant muttering is annoying."

Izuku lurched back in surprise at the teen's stoic voice, discovering that his eyes were also different colors– gray and blue respectively. A large burn scar covered the upper left portion of his face. He wore a thin glower, just subtle enough to indicate his displeasure with him.

"Sorry. I'll… be quiet-er."

Satisfied with that response, the unsympathetic teen returned his attention to the front of the classroom, where they both saw that Mr. Aizawa was slowly but surely inching his way out from behind his desk. Izuku assumed that the man had been sleeping there like usual, so he wasn't nearly as surprised as everybody else was once they finally took stock of his presence. On queue, the tired man spoke up:

"It took you eight seconds to quiet down. I hope I won't have to count that high again." He grunted as he shed his yellow sleeping bag.

"Call me Mr. Aizawa. I'll be your homeroom teacher for this academic school year." He opened a compartment on the wall and dumped a stack of blue and white gym uniforms on the top of his desk.

"Go down to the locker rooms, put these on, then meet me at the track and field. If every single one of you isn't there within fifteen minutes, you're expelled. No exceptions."

"WHAT!?" Was the initial reaction of half the class, with the other half still struggling to grasp that this hobo was their teacher.

"Excuse me! Mr. Aizawa! Are we not supposed to attend the UA Opening Ceremony on time just like every other class in the school?" Iida chopped his hands inquisitively.

"That whole event is irrational."

Iida's glasses audibly cracked, as the bespectacled teen was utterly shocked by his recently appointed teacher's words.

"Now don't make me repeat myself!"

'This is going to be a long semester…' Izuku thought wryly, matching pace alongside his panicking classmates.

"So, you're like, THE Izuku Midoriya, right?"

He jumped slightly, as he was surprised that anyone was trying to openly converse with him. Surveying the locker room, he nervously acknowledged that they were both the center of attention. Swallowing, he meekly answered:

"Um, yeah. That's me."

The boy questioning him had short golden hair parted to the right, with a black lightning bolt shaped streak on the left of his side fringe.

"DUDE! You're like a pro hero already!" He touted him, pulling a shirt over his head.

"I- I wouldn't go that f-far." He chuckled, bashfully rubbing the back of his neck, blinking as they extended their hand.

"Denki Kaminari! My granpda helped treat you while you were in the hospital!"

A beat passed, before Izuku fleetingly realized he was supposed to shake his hand.

"Dr. Kaminari! I remember him! He was really nice. Sorry, I'm not used to people looking at me all too favorably."

"That sucks bro!" Another boy– with spiked up scarlet red hair– slung his arm over his shoulders– though not to trap him inside a headlock like he'd been preparing on countering. Instead, the contact was intended to be that of friendliness, as the buffer teen unintentionally jostled him around.

"You seem like a pretty favorable guy to me! You, Crimson Riot and All Might are the manliest guys I know!"

"Yeah! Whatever that means!" A lanky boy with oddly shaped elbows laughed.

"I'm Eijiro Kirishima!" The buffer teen cut him loose from his shoulder hug and shook his hand firmly.

"Hanta Sero! It's a pleasure meeting you, even more so to work by your side, Mr. Midoriya!" He spoke in a mock-radio voice.

Another hand shake.

One by one, his male classmates lined up to introduce themselves to him personally and shook his hand.

"Fumikage Tokoyami. If you ever feel you need help containing your inner darkness, I'll be happy to lend you my services." A boy with a raven's head spoke formally.

"Oh! Thank you!"

"Names Minoru Mineta. Say, Midoriya, a guy as famous as yourself– you must pull some right?" A smaller teen with purple orbs for hair looked up at him.

"What do you mean? Pull?"

Mineta pouted at him accusingly.

"What else do you think I mean? Do you pull bitches or not?"

"HUH!? NO! I don't- I don't pull anything! Certainly not like what you're implying!" His face was blistering hot at the mere suggestion.

"Hmmm. I've got my eye on you." He threatened, though still shook his hand.

"Mezo Shoji. I truly am sorry about what happened." A robust boy donning a blue mask attempted to comfort him.

"Thank you. That means a lot."

"Hello Midoriya. It seems we meet again, and this time we regard one another not as testing rivals but as classmates." Iida fixed his jaw solidly.

"However, I want to make it exceedingly clear, that I do not condone murder. Whether it was out of revenge or not. I am only willing to give you the benefit of the doubt because of what you did in order to assist me in saving that fellow examinee during the entrance exam." He chopped his arms lightly.

"Based on that experience, I know you aren't some simple cretin who would mindlessly kill if the opportunity presented itself and no consequences awaited his actions. I accept that it was an accident."

"C'est moi! Yuga Aoyama!" A boy with sparkly blonde hair interjected himself between them, gesturing to himself flamboyantly.

"I hope we can shine bright like the stars we are Midoriya!"

"Oh, um, that s-sounds nice?"

"Hi… I'm Koji Koda." A bulky boy with the head in the shape of a pointed rock spoke softly, his hand dwarfing Izuku's in comparison.

"It's nice to meet you too, Koda." He whispered back, an action that the bulky boy seemed to appreciate.

It seemed that he had reached the limit of classmates who wanted anything to do with him. The red-white haired boy from earlier silently exited through the swinging double doors alongside a fuming Bakugou. A sturdy-bodied teen with bulbous lips and wild hair grumbled inchorently as he roughly shouldered past him.

"Hey man, that's not cool." Kirishima

"Sato Rikido. Don't forget it." He rumbled, ignoring all of them outright as he marched through the double doors.

"Hey, don't worry about those guys! I heard through the grapevine that Todoroki doesn't exactly play nice with others. Although I can't speak for blondie and fish lips." Mineta added quickly.

"I'm aware of who the blondie is– we went to middle school together."

"Yeah man! We're on your side MidoBro!" Kirishima pumped his fist excitedly.

"Wow. I don't know what to say. You're probably the nicest classmates I've ever had!"

"That's totally not alarming!" Sero quipped.

"I'll admit, I was scared you might ALL hate me!"

"For what? We would've done the same in your situation!" Kaminari admitted, hands on his hips.

"Don't worry bud, as long as you stick with us, you won't have to worry about any crazy's chasing after you." Kirishima's words had a dizzying effect on him.

'They were being so nice!'

"Sooooo…?" A girl with hot pink skin and cotton candy hair dragged the word out as she leaned on the locker beside Jiro.

"Kyoka Jiro." She filled in the blank for her.

"Jiro! How do you and that one-armed hunk know Midoriya?"

'One armed hunk? Is she referring to Kevin?' The punk teen struggled to contain the bubble of laughter in her chest.

"He's my friend?"

"Did you know him before UA accepted your application?"

"…We went to the same school." She finished lacing her shoes, now standing at eye level.

"Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Mina Ashido!" The black sclera of her golden eyes seemed to gleam under the light fixture.

She performed an admittedly impressive twirl and fluidly gestured to the frog featured girl beside her.

"This sweet heart here is Tsuyu Asui!"

"Hello, its a pleasure to get to know you all, ribbit." She croaked, smiling kindly.

Ashido performed a backflip, mostly just to show off– but she used that as her introduction to the next person:

"Greetings. My name is Momo Yaoyorozu." The tallest girl in the class politely bowed, Jiro mirroring the motion.

Not waiting for anymore of Ashido's theatrics, the teen with vines for hair introduced herself.

"Ibara Shiozaki."

To her right in the corner, a gym uniform was jumping up and down, appearing to be waving at her.

"Hi! I'm Toru Hagakure!"

"Now that we know each other's names, what are your guys' problems with Greeerr, I mean, Midoriya."

"He killed someone when he didn't have to." Tsuyu stated bluntly.

"Dang girl, way to lay it on thick– but thats pretty much my opinion as well." Ashido folded her arms over her chest.

"I hate to come across as potentially rude, however, they have a point, do they not? Why strike down the villain while they're incapable of defending themselves?" Yaoyorozu injected her own thoughts on the matter, while adjusting her scrunchie.

"Murder is an unforgivable sin." Shiozaki added.

"I mean, come on, Eon totally deserved it!" Hagakure fiercely countered the four of them them.

Shiozaki gasped.

"To wish death upon another– I simply cannot!"

Jiro was bristling thanks to the remarks Ashido had made earlier while they were in homeroom, so she channeled every single ounce of will power within her being to not explode and say what she needed to say without shouting it.

"Listen up. All of you." Her tone left no air for argument.

"If you're questioning Green's character for what happened between him and that villain, then I suggest you stop. Does the Endeavor Train Incident mean nothing to you people? We're comparing sixty lives to one– and that one life took his mother from him. A lady, who I happened to know quite well."

"Even so–" Yaoyorozu attempted to argue when Jiro abruptly silenced her.

" –No. Its not the same. I already know what you're going to say. Because I've heard it all before!" Now having officially exceeded her limit, she turned to storm out of the locker room.

A fight on the first day wouldn't look good on her record.

Mr. Aizawa scanned the twenty individual students, no lack of scrutiny in his gaze. Overall, in terms of attitude, they were divided. He would need to change that.

"Good. You arrived on time. Now then, we'll be conducting a test."

"Eh!? But it's only the first day!?" Was the consensus reaction of 1-A.

"Quirk apprehension test; Each of you will be performing a multitude of physical tasks with or without your quirk being applied. Once the exercises have concluded, you will be ranked on a scoreboard based on your cumulative results. Whoever comes in last or whoever fails to impress me… you're out."

"OUT!?" Kaminari's jaw collided with the dirt.

"That's not fair! We worked hard to get here!" Jiro protested.

"What do you mean fair?" Mr. Aizawa almost sounded offended.

'Here we go…' Izuku, positioned alongside Kevin, steeled themselves for whatever the erasure hero was about to unleash upon them.

"When are villains ever going to play fair?"

Izuku was aware that the majority of his classmate's eyes were currently ghosting him.

"Problem Child." He said suddenly, mirroring his student's thoughts.

Said boy flinched upon hearing the nickname.

"Yes?" He sheepishly stepped forward.

His homeroom teacher tossed him a softball, which he caught easily.

"You ranked first on the Entrance Exams– even shattered the previous record held by All Might himself."

'He is NOT helping me blend in with the crowd!'

"How far could you throw in middle school?"

The erasure hero knew this information already. This was the same test the man had run him through when he initially moved on campus. Knowing the erasure hero, he was likely utilizing Izuku as a metaphorical goal post for his other classmates to aspire towards.

"Around eleven meters…" He admitted, ignoring the short collection of snickers behind him.

"Try it again. This time using your quirks."

Nodding, he jogged inside the chalk circle, deliberating on which alien he should use. Slapping his hand on the dial, his DNA altered to match Magnetician's. He handled the ball with his left pincers, before chucking it into the sky. As the ball reached its peak, the alien boy shot forth condensed magnetic beams of energy, propelling it further via the metal wiring within. 1-A watched as the softball disappeared from the view of the naked eye.

When he was satisfied, he relinquished his magnetism, subsequently flashing into human.

"So, how was that?"

Mr. Aizawa didn't care to respond verbally, begrudgingly holding the screen of his tablet outwards so everyone could read.

"EIGHT-THOUSAND METERS!?"

"As long as nothing solid or really dense is obstructing my magnetic waves from colliding with my intended target, I can either choose to attract or reject indefinitely." Izuku supplied, further adding to their disbelieving mania.

"He's too OP! How are we supposed to compete!" Mineta was crying, falling to his knees, clawing at the Earth like a purple goblin.

"I think that was the point of the demonstration." Yaoyorozu explained exasperatedly.

"He's showing us that if we do not give this test our all now, then we don't deserve to be heroes in the future!" Iida barged in, delivering a decisive chop to assist in spreading the message across.

"Alright! A little challenge of manliness never hurt anybody!" Kirishima boasted donning a crooked smile.

"First test: Fifty-meter dash." Mr. Aizawa rolled his eyes again as the majority of the class again was fixated on what Izuku would do.

"Slipstream!" He announced, activating the transformation through voice command– he figured there was no reason to hide it.

His limbs lengthened to accommodate the rapid growing process. Purple muscle overlapped his bones, infusing them with veins pumping hyper fast blood cells. Tenebrous skin pulled taut over his frame, sprouting a fine layer of black fur. His forearms sprouted blue blade-like ridges in sync with his calves. Dark manes burst from his cheekbones to act as wind deterrent and mufflers for his ears when he breached the sound barrier. When his eyes opened, they glowed an emerald green.

"Bro." Kirishima was star-struck.

"It was predictable, I know." Instinctively, he began stretching.

"I didn't expect the blue vigilante to sound like a smurf that just snorted a line of coke." Kaminari joked, causing a nearby Jiro to stifle a bubble of laughter.

Wordlessly kneeling at the starting line, he awaited the indication to go. The erasure hero blew his whistle and the feline form appeared to teleport across the finish line.

"0.05 Seconds."

Mineta could be heard wailing in the background.

"Standing long jump."

Jellytronic simply flew over the sandbox to clear it.

"Grip strength."

Iron Jaw broke the machine by biting the grip mechanism.

"Repeated side steps."

It didn't take a genius to know who came first on that exercise. Or for the remaining three mini tests– the distance run, seated toe-touches and sit ups were breezed through by his speedster transformation. At the quirk apprehension test's conclusion, Izuku was so objectively far ahead of everyone else– that Aizawa didn't even bother to put him on the final scoreboard.

1st* (Izuku Midoriya*)

1st (Momo Yaoyorozu)

2nd (Shoto Todoroki)

3rd (Kevin Levin)

4th (Katsuki Bakugou)

5th (Tenya Iida)

6th (Fumikage Tokoyami)

7th (Mezo Shoji)

8th (Eijiro Kirishima)

9th (Ibara Shiozaki)

10th (Mina Ashido)

11th (Koji Koda)

12th (Rikido Sato)

13th (Tsuyu Asui)

14th (Yuga Aoyama)

15th (Hanta Sero)

16th (Kyoka Jiro)

17th (Denki Kaminari)

18th (Toru Hagakure)

19th (Minoru Mineta)

So without his name taking the number one slot, instead it was Momo Yaoyorozu who would take his place. Behind her was Shoto Todoroki, followed closely by Kevin and then Bakugou. Izuku knew without even looking that his childhood bully was enraged by the results currently on display. He absolutely was NOT ok with being fourth.

"Damnit! Damnit! DAMNIT!"

"Hey! Dude, chill. You still did good!" Kaminari patted the blonde's back– a grave mistake– seeing as the blonde would proceed to judo flip him over his shoulder, resulting in him groaning and lying on the ground a microsecond later following his initial contact.

"Bakugou! Physically assaulting your classmates is not tolerated here at UA! If you do that again you can take it up with Nezu!" Mr. Aizawa's eyes flared red to signify his quirk activating.

"Tch! Fine!" Bakugou sneered insultingly.

Izuku glossed over the list of names until he found Jiro's– at sixteenth– three places shy of being dead last. He sighed, unbeknownst to him, the punk teen was struggling to remain sturdy herself. For a moment she thought her time at UA might've been finished before it even started. Relief flooded through her shoulders as Mineta began scrambling.

"No! Please! You can't do this to me!" He begged at the sleep deprived man's boots.

"Relax. I'm not expelling anyone." Mr. Aizawa stated calmly, while shaking the trembling boy off of his leg, causing a ripple effect of sorts to pass over the class.

Ashido gaped at their homeroom teacher in betrayal.

"That was a logical ruse I said to get you to perform your best. Of course, as is often the case with the Problem Child, no one is really a match for him."

Izuku smiled at the rare praise.

"Being a hero isn't supposed to be fun. What we do has a purpose. That purpose is to protect civilian life from threats of any kind– whether it be a natural disaster or a super villain– regardless of the circumstance. For many people, we are the first line of defense. It is imperative that we act like it when the time finally comes." He readjusted his capture tool.

"Do not take the opportunity you have here at UA, for granted. Because if you do, if you decide that you aren't willing to dedicate your mind, body, and soul into this course– then you don't deserve to be here." He crossed his arms behind his back.

"You're young. Too young for hero antics. Even so, you stand before me today and dare try to suggest that you're worth my time? That's why I needed to raise the stakes. So you would show me why I should consider giving you all a legitimate chance. That you are perfectly content being thrust into a life or death situation at the drop of a hat? You lack discipline. You lack experience— wisdom." He stalked around the students like a shark seeking its prey in the open ocean.

"When I look at the twenty of you, I don't see heroes. I see kids who wish they were heroes. My hope is that some of you will prove me wrong." He stopped short of Bakugou, red gaze scalding.

"Which is why I am only giving you this offer now and now only: If you feel the hero course is not what you thought it was, then you may still transfer out of 1-A into General Ed."

It appeared that his scare tactic had worked, as several of his classmates considered the option. To some, like for Izuku himself, it wasn't even a question; Jiro, Kevin, Bakugou, Todoroki, Tokoyami and Iida. Being heroes was the only path for them.

Kirishima bit his tongue, unable to stay quiet.

"You're wrong, Mr. Aizawa!"

"...Wrong about?" His brows creased.

"You're saying we don't have what it takes to be heroes just because we're teenagers is that it!?"

"That's an oddly roundabout way of saying it… but in essence, yes."

Kirishima waded through the crowd of students,

"Midoriya saved a bunch of lives!" He started loudly.

"None of you can deny that! Can you!? It shouldn't matter if he has a license or not!" Kirishima's tone was gradually thickening with emotion.

"So what if some dumb law on paper says that he's a vigilante!? He's definitely not a villain like how some of you are treating him!"

"That's enough, Kirishima–"

" –I'm NOT done!" His hardening quirk rippled across his face.

"Look, I'm sorry– but with all do respect, Mr. Aizawa, I need to get this off my chest!" His fingers tightened on the navy blue fabric of his gym uniform, making a fist over his heart.

"Midoriya, is the only reason I'm here today!"

'What?'

"Because I was on that train!"

That made the majority of the class including Izuku himself gasp. As his eyes glazed over he turned to the Omnitrix wielder.

"I'm glad you don't remember me. I was weak back then."

"Hey, don't say that–"

" –I wouldn't say it if it weren't true." He reaffirmed resolutely.

"That day… I saw a group of men carrying guns enter the train station." His confession was hollow sounding, like it hurt to admit.

"It wasn't my train or my route… but I foolishly believed that I could stop them."

He shook his head sadly.

"Only, I didn't take into consideration that I was a coward then. When I finally got in range to do something– it was like my legs had been frozen in place. My mistake– it cost Mr. Ustaku– the train conductor– a bullet in his leg.

Then, Slipstream– although I didn't know he was Midoriya at the time– sprinted in and fought Shirai without any hesitation!" He trailed off as his eyes lingered on Jiro's for a moment.

"He had help, too… but he was the biggest reason why none of us died that day!"

"When I got home later that night, I sat on my bed and cried. For hours. Yes, I am man enough to admit it! Laugh it up!" He crossed his arms.

"I was crying, because deep down, I knew that what happened confirmed my greatest fear: That I wasn't brave or strong enough to ever be a hero." He shrugged.

"I guess, in order to be a hero, you've got to have both. Sure, you can be strong, but if you're too scared to act when the time actually comes when you need to do something, then you're just a poser! Or be brave and not have strength! Even if your intentions are pure, if someone has a size advantage over you, your situation isn't going to improve or change. I- I was crushed because I felt that I was neither of those things.

I was just some weird kid at school who believed in chivalry, only I was no knight in shining armor.

When I found the nerve, I searched for video footage of the incident online. I was in awe! You were moving so damn fast! The cameras could barely track you! Then– when you broke the sound barrier for the first time! Man, It still gives me goosebumps!"

"The inspirational mixes on YouTube do go hard though!" Kaminari commented loudly beside an unamused Jiro, now having recovered from Bakugou's frontal assault from earlier.

"That's what I'm saying, man! Inspiring!? Isn't that what great heroes do!? They inspire everybody to grow as people and better themselves!? To cherish and value the love we have around us while it lasts!?"

Aizawa's placid expression shifted to that of subtle astonishment.

"That's when I realized that the purple stain on my shirt wasn't from grape soda– it was his blood. In that moment, I knew that if I ever wanted to be a hero like him, then I had to start living my life with no regrets! Because if someone is willing to bleed for me– to risk their life to protect mine– then I have no right claiming I want to be a hero if I'm not willing to put in the same work and dedication! So I took notes! Pummel fear faster than it can take hold of you! Even if everything hurts, keep on running, and when you can't do that, then jog! If you can't jog then walk, and if you can't walk then crawl, and if you can't crawl then inch forward, but never stop moving! For this past year, I trained myself and my quirk to enter UA! To become like my hero!" His voice cracked at the end but no one seemed to care.

"I guess you could say, like Midoriya, I also transformed! If he has the ability to motivate someone like me— like I was— into becoming who I am now, then I'd say HELL yeah, he's a hero! Without a doubt! And none of us are leaving this class! We're committed individuals!"

His speech worked to varying degrees. Those who already viewed him in a high regards, such as Kaminari, Hagakure, Sero, Kevin, Aoyama, Mineta and Jiro, cheered and whooped in agreement.

Koda wordlessly clapped in earnest excitement.

Tokoyami nodded alongside an equally approving Shoji.

Somehow, Bakugou and Todoroki both looked like they wanted to die.

"Perhaps, I was judging him rather harshly." Yaoyorozu admitted.

Those who were closer to being undecided on him– Ashido, Shiozaki, Asui and Sato– gradually considered what Kirishima's words meant. Though they're opinions didn't change instantly, it would still take more convincing to sway them.

"Midoriya, I sincerely apologize if I my impression on you thus far has been only that of aggression and heartlessness! I have a difficult time looking past rules and stipulations, and I believe in this case they overrode my morals!" Iida appeared to be greatly upset with himself.

"Its fine Iida! No harm done. Also, thanks you guys! I don't know what else to say, really!" Izuku laughed.

'Looks like that problem mostly sorted itself out.' Aizawa thought, satisfied with the outcome.

"Class is dismissed. Your rubrics should be on your desks. I'll be honest… I'm looking forward to teaching you this semester. Congrats." A barely traceable smile was on his face, obscured by his capture tool.

The first day of school was shortened to a half-day, meaning they were let out of class not long after the quirk apprehension test concluded. Walking past the famous lush UA gardens, he was flanked by Kevin and Jiro. They intended to walk her to the gates to see her off, seeing as they were more or less confined to campus grounds.

The trio was blissfully unaware of the brunette spying on them from behind a tree.

"I'm not doing any of the 'homework,' that they assign us." Kevin grumbled, frowning.

"You should do at least some of it. I mean, what else are you going to do while you're stuck here?" Jiro playfully retorted.

"I don't know somethin. Just not homework. Maybe I'll build a car?"

"Why do you need a car?"

"Because I like cars? Also, I used to drive whenever I needed to clear my head. Which I had to do a lot." He finished, squinting at her.

"Ah. Gotcha." Her attention shifted to Izuku.

Kevin took the hint, albeit rolling his eyes.

"You know what, I think I'll go give my boy Power Loader a visit. I'll catch you at the dorms later." He fist bumped Izuku.

"See ya Kev!" Jiro waved after him a little too hastily.

"Um, what's up Jiro?"

She clasped her hands together.

"I really want to spend more time with you today Green but–"

" –Jam session?"

"Yes that- that's it!" She confessed, cheeks slightly red.

"Well don't let me stop you! Go have fun! Tell your parents I said hi!"

She snorted, slapping his chest, her hand lingering for an exhilarating moment.

"Fine. I wish Nezu could stop being such a stickler and let you leave campus."

"I know. Me too. See you later, Jiro."

"Same to you, Greenie."

They maintained eye contact, neither aware nor caring how long they did so, only breaking it as she exited through the front gates.

"You guys make me want to barf!" Bakugou gagged from behind him.

Izuku raised a brow at the blonde who merely scoffed in return, brushing past his shoulder.

'What was that about?' He couldn't help but shake his head at his bullies antics.

As he contemplated the events of the day, he wound up backtracking down the same path they'd previously taken, passing through the green gardens.

"Ow!"

Like a moth to a flame, Izuku homed in on the sound of distress, parting through several bushes to get to them as fast as possible.

"Oh my God! Are you alright!?" Izuku exclaimed upon seeing a brunette clutching her bloody ankle.

"It hurts…" She groaned, blinking once she saw who it was that had 'stumbled' upon her.

"What happened?"

"I think a thorn got me."

"That must've been some thorn." He commented worriedly, kneeling on his left knee in hopes to better examine her injury.

"Its OK. I don't bite." She gave him permission while giggling.

He noted that she was in relatively high spirits despite the obvious pain she was experiencing.

"Don't worry about a thing, I always carry a first aid kit! After I get you bandaged up I'll carry you to Recovery Girl's office u-unless you think you're well enough to walk on your own?"

"Oh, what a gentlemen! Suddenly I don't think I can put any weight on that leg at all." She pretended to swoon.

"I- I'm j-just trying to help!" He stammered, face hot, unsure of what signals he was currently being sent.

"Oh, I know where I recognize you from now! You're Izuku Midoriya! You saved me from being crushed during the entrance exam!"

"Huh? Wait, I did?"

"I was stuck under some concrete, and you stopped the zero point robo thingie with Magnetician!"

"Oh- oh yeah! I do remember you now!" His face lit up at the memory.

Her natural blush darkened.

"I never got your name, though." He finishing tying the gauze strip around her ankle.

She grinned at him teasingly, and he swore he caught the slightest glimmer of fangs.

"Ochaco Uraraka. …But you can call me Ochaco if you want."

He did a mental doubletake to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"U-uh, OK… Ochaco." He felt as if he was melting through his uniform.

He gently hoisted her up into his arms, bridal style.

"What, you aren't going to transform?" She appeared slightly disappointed.

"Technically, I'm not allowed to transform outside unless its during class time and other training exercises. I'm on thin ice with Nezu as it is. Unless, of course, the cut hurts so bad you need Recovery Girl's quirk right now?"

"Nah, m'good." She snuggled into his shoulder.

"I prefer being in your arms anyway."

'Don't pass out, Izuku, just DON'T pass out while your carrying her.' He repeated to himself like a mantra.

"This might sound random, but do you want to have lunch with me tomorrow?"

"Lunch?" The air evacuated his lungs.

Whatever rational part of his mind left had completely evaporated as his primal impulses overrode all his other senses.

"Yes. I would love to eat lunch with you." He silently thanked the heavens he didn't stutter that time.

"So its a date then!"

"Yeah its a- wait, a DATE!?"