I do not own My Hero Academia.

This story was written with the help of another writer who wishes to remain anonymous, but has done most of the work and wishes for it to be posted here on fanfiction.

There is a poll on my profile and over on A03 about whether Izuku/Izumi should be related to Miruko.

Ochaco Uraraka had been worried about many things when she first went to UA. She had worried she would be unable to make any friends. She was even worried she might be looked down on for her rather humble background. In the end, Ochaco shouldn't have worried: everyone at the dorm was beyond friendly and she had even managed to befriend the same rabbit girl who had helped her so much at the entrance exam. And now they were going to do their first battle trial together! Sadly, said rabbit girl was not sharing her enthusiasm.

"Is it fate or what?" Joked Ochaco as she stood side by side with Izumi.

However, the rabbit girl wasn't listening. She was hunched over, muttering with worry.

"Eh… Izumi?" Ochaco called with a frown. She poked the rabbit girl with a finger. "Izumi!"

The rabbit girl yelped, startled, and did her usual jump of surprise ten feet into the air. When she landed, she blinked, broken out of her stupor, and turned towards Ochaco.

"Oh, s-sorry about that, Ochaco…" she said with a grimace. "It's just that… why did it have to be kacchan?"

She meant Bakugo, yet it was hard to imagine such a friendly nickname for the blonde. Why would Izumi even use it? Ochaco felt a pang of something in her gut at that name. She wasn't sure what.

"You mean Mr. Explosions?" she inquired. "And what's with that name? You know him from somewhere, don't you?"

"Y-yeah… you could say I know all about Kach- Bakugo" sighed Izumi with an air of resignation. "He doesn't know that much about me, though. We haven't… well… let's just say Bakugo has never met this rabbit girl before."

Ochaco frowned. Then why did Izumi have some sort of pet name for him? In fact, it almost looked like Izumi wanted to hang around Bakugo. But that couldn't be. Izumi was way too nice for a mean jerk like Bakugo. Could she have a childhood crush on him? That made Ochaco feel worse, the pang in her chest feeling sharper in her gut. Ochaco dearly hoped she was reading the entire situation wrong.

"So, this is going to be bad, isn't it?" Ochaco guessed. "Bakugo doesn't strike me as the sort to go easy on us for being girls."

"It's going to be tough, yeah" nodded Izumi.

The anthropomorphic rabbit scrunched her head and stroke her chin, deep in thought. Ochaco found the rabbit girl rather adorable with such a look.

"I am sure we can do it" Ochaco said, taking Izumi's hand. The rabbit girl was startled by the touch and she snapped her head at Ochaco. Ochaco giggled at the girl's reaction. "If we give our all I am sure that we will win no matter what!"

Izumi stared at her before smiling and timidly nodding.

"Yeah, you're right" Izumi nodded, before looking serious.

"So let's win this, alright?" Ochaco said.

"Yes… let's win this" whispered Izumi.

She looked at Ochaco, something different in her eyes. Ochaco wasn't sure what, but she kind of liked that new shining on those pretty amethyst eyes of Izumi.

"But I think we are going to need a good plan. Bakugo and Iida won't make it easy," Izumi pointed out.

Ochaco reluctantly let go of Izumi and watched as the gears turned in the rabbit girl's head.

"I know the basic of hand-to-hand combat, but Bakugo – and I bet Iida – probably have a lot more training and experience. Additionally, Bakugo's quirk will make him hard to defeat. Both Iida and Bakugo's quirks offer mobility and speed, so it will be hard to capture them" Izumi said.

Ochaco sweatdropped. Maybe their chances were rather grim.

"So… what's the plan?" Ochaco wondered.

Izumi blinked at her, baffled.

"What? You know about Bakugo more than I do and you are a clever bunny, right? I'm sure you can come up with a great awesome plan" Ochaco replied.

Izumi's head didn't move, but her ears perked up and her eyes lit up.

"You really think so?" Izumi whispered.

"Yep" said Ochaco.

And it was the truth, Ochaco had the gut feeling that Izumi was ten times more observant and clever than her. Maybe being a rabbit girl allowed Izumi to think fast on her feet. In any case, Ochaco's words did the trick and Izumi appeared to smile with newfound confidence.

"Right, let us win this, you and me, infinity girl" said Izumi.

"Let's do this, rabbit girl!" Ochaco said with a grin.

-‐-‐-‐-

Back at the observation room, where the rest of Class 1-A watched the two teams prepare, the mood was a tad different.

"They're screwed" plainly stated Kaminari, staring at one of the monitors that showed Uraraka and Izumi talking.

"You don't know that" huffed Jiro.

"They are up against formidable foes" hummed the raven bird-headed Tokoyami.

"No kidding. You saw Bakugo yesterday. That guy has a lot of firepower. Like, literal firepower" Kirishima said. "Iida is no weakling either. Between the two the girls don't stand a chance."

"Izumi is formidable on her own right, though" rebutted Sato, scrunching his face in deep concentration. "That little bunny has one hell of a quirk."

"What is her quirk exactly?" Wondered Mineta. "She becomes living lightning or what?"

"It looks as if she energizes her entire body" stoically said the multi-armed Shoji.

"Izumi's quirk actually reminds me to All Might, ribbit" said the frog-girl Asui.

All heads turned to the frog girl, who tilted her head in confusion. Everyone then glanced at the door annexed to the observation room. All Might was in there, behind a console of sorts. Why he had chosen to stay away from the students? They weren't sure but no one really minded.

"Do you think they are related?" said Ojiro.

"Please, let's not start that again" sighed Yaoyorozu. "Why don't we focus on the battle?"

"Shall we make bets?" proposed Hanta.

Yaoyorozu spluttered incoherently at the proposal. Unfortunately for her, the rest of the class seemed intrigued by the idea.

"My money is on Bakugo's team" said Kaminari.

"So is mine" Mineta said.

"I bet Izumi's team wins!" countered Ashido.

And that's how a small betting pool was made unbeknownst to their teacher.

-‐-‐-‐-

"Oy, four-eyes, what do you know about the bunny?"

Bakugo ignored his teammate as he huffed and puffed indignantly at being called 'four-eyes'. Instead, the blond looked around. Their objective, the massive papier-mâché bomb, was stuck on an upper floor of what looked like an abandoned department building. The entire room was filled with crates and garbage that added to the ambience.

"You mean Izumi?" An irritate Iida responded. "My knowledge on her is limited, and for good reason. She is in the Secret Identity Program, after all, and that means we are not supposed to be privy about her secrets."

"Bullshit" spat Bakugo, glaring at Iida. "There's something off about her!"

Iida raised a skeptical eyebrow and folded his arms.

"What exactly is your problem with her?" Asked Iida with contempt.

"I don't give a crap ass about that bunny. However…" Bakugo trailed off, gritting his teeth in anger. "She knows about me, and she reminds me someone else. Those scars on her arm…"

"She has scars on one arm?" Iida asked, surprised.

"Yes, you dumbass! If you took a moment to look at her arm, you'll see empty patches of fur" Bakugo replied. "Those scars… I knew an idiot who got hurt the same way. Heck, I could swear the scars are the same."

"That's unlikely, but not impossible" huffed Iida. "As for having prior knowledge of you… it could be safe to assume that your classmates from middle school posted about you in their social media accounts."

"As if those losers would dare post anything about me" Bakugo huffed. He glared at the entrance to the hall, opening and closing his fists. "I don't know what's going on, but I want god-damn answers!"

"Aren't you getting carried away? In any case, we should concentrate on the task at hand" Iida sighed with exasperation. "We need to come up with a combat strategy. Firstly, we should clear this room from all objects that could be used by Uraraka. It would be convenient to remove any hiding spots for the likes of Izumi."

Iida stopped studying their surroundings and turned to Bakugo, who was clearly not paying heed to anything he was saying.

"Are you listening, Bakugo? We need to strategize before our preparation time-" Iida said.

"You stay here and protect the bomb" Bakugo ordered, marching towards the door.

"Hey, wait one moment!" an indignant Iida protested.

Bakugo turned towards Iida, glaring at the tall boy.

"We can't allow that stupid bunny get here, four-eyes! With her speed she can easily get past us without fighting. If we are going to win this, we have to take her down" Bakugo growled.

"That's a terrible idea!" Iida responded. "If that is the case our best odds are at ambushing Izumi, but then we are at a risk of getting outmaneuvered and unable to protect the bomb! Additionally, it will be hard to take Izumi by surprise with her keen hearing."

Bakugo smirked at that and raised a clenched fist.

"Bah, I'll teach that stupid bunny a lesson of strength" Bakugo said.

Iida shuddered. The blonde looked terrifying, almost as if he was ready to go all out on his fellow classmates. That couldn't be right… could it?

-‐-‐-‐-

From the observation room, a skeletal All Might watched with certain apprehension. He couldn't listen to the students shown across the screens over his control console, but he could easily tell what was going on. While young Midoriya and young Uraraka were going over the hideout's schematics, elaborating a plan no doubt, young Bakugo and young Iida were having an argument of sorts.

All Might felt a knot form on his gut (or at least what remained of it). Both teams were taking the exercise a bit too seriously. All Might trusted young Midoriya to stay focused and in control. Young Bakugo, on the other hand…

Maybe this battle trial was a mistake, thought All Might.

He clenched his fists, before checking the time.

It doesn't matter. It is too late to change course now, he thought.

He gritted his teeth and expanded into his muscular form.

"The preparation time is over" All Might said, pausing one second before mustering his courage. "Hero Team, you may enter the building!"

-‐-‐-‐-

Izuku didn't like their odds. More importantly, he didn't want to fight Bakugo. Just the thought of facing the explosive teenager made him shiver. How could it not? Izuku could recall all the times Bakugo had burned or punched him.

Not anymore, Izuku told himself.

Inside the hideout, Izuku and Ochaco traversed the maze of corridors as quickly as they could. They went past the first floors fast enough. It was after the third one that the Hero Team slowed down to a trot, with Izuku taking the lead. Izuku was reminded of the Entrance Exam, when he had hurried down corridors before pausing to pick any sounds with his keen ears.

It was during the fourth floor that Izuku heard… something. He signaled Ochaco to stop and squinted at the path ahead. His long ears focused on the way ahead, and he heard it again. Izuku turned to Ochaco and gave her a nod.

He's there, Izuku silently said.

Both of them traded anxious looks. Neither was eager to face a boy that could produce loud and fiery explosions from his palms. However, they had no other choice. Izuku turned to lead the way, and faltered.

Can I do this? Can I stand up against him? Izuku thought, dreading the fight that was about to break out.

He nearly jumped in shock when a hand wrapped around his. He glanced to see Ochaco offering a reassuring smile, before squeezing his hand and letting go. The two exchanged nods.

I can do this, Izuku told himself.

All Might's words echoed in his mind. Perhaps Izuku Midoriya couldn't face Bakugo… but maybe, just maybe, Izumi could and would.

I will stand up to him, as I wanted to all those times, Izuku told himself.

And indeed, it had been one of his greatest wishes. Back when he was bullied, Izuku wished he had the confidence and courage to stand up for his own beliefs. Now, Izuku had the power and means. Or rather, Izumi did.

With new found confidence, Izuku rushed forward and tried to be as loud as possible, exaggerating her breathing. His instincts were in high alert, and his body was tense. He approached the corner, went to rush past it… and bolted backwards.

BOOM.

Izuku winced as his ears hurt. Thankfully, he had managed to avoid Bakugo's attack by a wide margin. The blond in question scowled, standing in their way.

"Alright, you stupid bunny, it's you and me!" Bakugo growled. He leaned forward, smirking sardonically. "And don't you go trying to get past me!"

Truth of the matter was that Izuku had predicted that they would be ambushed in that very same corridor, or at least that had been a good option. For starters, it was narrow and low, meaning that it was harder for Izuku to slip through, and even if he did, Izuku would have to abandon Ochaco. Given how Bakugo didn't care about hurting people, Izuku had predicted that Bakugo would use that against Izuku.

"Come on, Ochaco!" Izuku said.

Said brunette, who had slowed down and waited for Bakugo to reveal himself, sprinted next to Izumi. Bakugo scowled but remained unfazed. He leaned forward, ready to attack, when his eyes widened. A living lighting smacked him straight in the gut, pushing him onto the wall behind him and out of the narrow corridor. To his credit, Bakugo didn't only withstand the One-For-All enhanced kick, but he countered with explosions in front.

A singed Izuku was forced back, leaping backwards. Bakugo lunged forward, only to spot Ochaco rush to one of the side hallways. The explosive blond cursed and went after the brunette, only to raise a forearm to block a rabbit foot. Bakugo tried to explode the rabbit girl, but Izuku was faster and retreated ten feet back into the narrow corridor once again.

By that point, Ochaco was out of sight and both Bakugo and Izuku were left alone.

"That was your plan? For round-face to get past me?" Bakugo scoffed. "You idiots, there's no way four-eyes will lose to that weakling."

Izuku glared at Bakugo with an anger and resentment that had been alien to him. Perhaps it was that Izuku could not fight for himself, but he would not allow Bakugo to badmouth Ochaco.

"You are not that clever, are you Bakugo?" Izuku countered, trying to stay composed. Deep down, however, he was terrified – and angry. It was time to enact his plan. "Then again, you've always been a bit of a hot-head, haven't you?"

Bakugo squinted at Izuku. The rabbit girl, in turn, stepped back. Slowly, an angry Bakugo approached him, deeper into the narrow corridor.

"Alright, stupid bunny, spill it out" Bakugo growled. "How do you know about me?"

Izuku took a deep breath. He had to play his cards right.

"Haven't you guessed already?" Izuku countered.

Bakugo remained awfully quiet.

"I know someone… someone who has always admired you, a person who look up to you" Izuku slowly said. It felt as if a pressure, something that had been bottled inside of him, was finally coming out. "He was someone who believes in you no matter how much you dislike him. Can you guess who?"

Apparently, Bakugo could.

"Deku"

Izuku's eyes widened and his heart dropped. That voice… why did Bakugo sound so angry? Why did he use such venom to use Izuku's nickname? True, it was the usual derisive tone, but why was it affecting Izuku so deeply in that moment? Was it because he was in his rabbit form?

"I should have known" Bakugo spat. "That fucking nerd!"

With a roar, Bakugo slammed a palm onto a wall and delivered a powerful blast. Izuku jumped backwards, startled, and clenched his ears, pained. Even if he had been at a safe distance, he still felt a ringing in his head. Clearly, having keen rabbit ears would be a drawback against an explosion-creating teenager. Who would have guessed?

"I should have known! Not even if I got rid of him… he still annoys me!" spat Bakugo, ignoring Izuku. "That fucker!"

Izuku, though, watched in confusion. No, not just bewilderment. His heart clenched painfully as he felt rather hurt by Bakugo's words. He knew that Bakugo had never truly enjoyed Izuku's company, and, yes, Izuku understood Bakugo could show irritation towards Izuku… but hate? Why?

"W-why?" Izuku asked.

Bakugo turned his raging red eyes towards the rabbit girl.

"Why do you hate m- him?" Izuku said, correcting himself at the last instant.

"Why? Because he is a fucking useless nerd!" Bakugo shouted. "What the fuck is he doing giving away intel on my quirk to shitty bunnies like you, huh? Who does he think he is, huh?!"

Izuku stood there, disbelieving. Truthfully, he had known all along and yet Bakugo's words wounded him deep.

"Is that what you thought about m- him?" Izuku whispered, fighting the whirlwind of emotions in his gut. "That he is a useless nerd?"

Tears promised to surface on his face. He could feel his ears dropping behind him and his eyes trembling with feelings.

"Why the fuck do you care about that stupid nerd?!" Roared Bakugo, infuriated. "The moron has been an imbecile since I knew him! He is obsessed with being a hero!"

"And- and that's wrong?" Izuku said, gritting his teeth.

New emotions started to surface in her gut. His sadness, the feelings of hurt, were slowly replaced by a burning emotion. It felt like a flame had been lit in his very being, promising to consume her.

"Why can't I- he – chase a dream?" Izuku said. "What is it to you?"

"A dream? Deku is quirkless, dumbass! He'll never be a hero! And if he really wanted to be anything near one, he should stop being a fucking creep about it!" Shouted Bakugo. "Is that why you care about him? Do you pity that nerd? He has always been pathetic useless nobody that creeps around like a cockroach!"

Izuku froze and his blood run cold.

Pathetic, creep, useless… those words echoed in his mind over and over again. It started with Bakugo's voice, and soon others joined in. Old whispers from his middle school's hallways, from his class, from the way towards the school…

"And do you know what? I might have been an ass to that nerd, but guess what? That nerd kept coming for more! He even considers me a friend!" Spat Bakugo.

By the sounds of it, Bakugo had long wanted to get that off his chest. There was a hint of guilt but also a lot of frustration and confusion in his voice, as well as ire – lots and lots of ire. Unfortunately, he had no idea just who he was confessing his suppressed feelings to. Izuku stared at him, unmoving. Instead of the mounting anger and resentment, Izuku felt himself deflated as he finally realized the truth.

I've been lying to myself, Izuku thought.

He slowly looked down at his paws.

For too long I've hold onto the impossible… I grabbed onto a dream I knew deep down that I would never achieve… I tried to stick around Bakugo thinking I could be friends with him again, Izuku realized. Why? Why had he been so stupid? Had he been so desperate?

"Izumi!"

Izuku was snapped out of his thoughts and saw Ochaco coming back from behind Bakugo. Now, the very same place Bakugo had planned to use for his ambush had become the place in which he was trapped.

"Ochaco…" Izuku whispered, blinking. He shook his head, suppressing the storm of emotions inside. "What are you doing? You were supposed to go to Iida!"

"Yeah, but I realized you were taking too long" Ochaco said. She gave Izuku a smile. "Let's take this guy down and win this."

Izuku stared at Ochaco, dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Bakugo scoffed and smirked at Ochaco.

"You and what army, round-face?" Mused Bakugo.

"Hey, Ochaco?"

Both blond and brunette turned their heads to the rabbit girl. They stared, baffled, as the once shocked Izuku took a fighting pose and smiled. However, they were both far more surprised by something.

"Izumi, your eyes…" Ochaco gasped.

"They look like…" growled Bakugo, half in anger, half in infuriating confusion.

Izuku, though, was focused

Right now, nothing about my past matters, Izuku told himself as his smile turned to a grin. I've been given the chance to fulfill my dreams, to take a new path in life…

All Might's words resounded in his head, casting away all doubts and ghosts of his past:

From this day onwards, puff up your chest with pride, ready to face every challenge life is ready to throw at you, and smile!

I know the person I want to be as Izumi, the rabbit girl, Izuku thought with newfound euphoria. Izumi Midoriya is the one who stands for the abandoned and forgotten! She doesn't allow idiots – no, assholes – like Bakugo badmouth her friends! More importantly, Izumi fights!

"Are you ready, Ochaco?" Izumi asked, her body glowing with power.

Bakugo tensed, the hairs on the nape of his neck standing on end. He stared at the bunny girl and yet he couldn't believe it. Just what was her power?

"Oh hell yeah! Let's do this, Izumi!" Ochaco said with a grin.

I will fight against the likes of you, Bakugo, Izumi thought, and I'll win!

"What about you, Bakugo? Are you going to stand there watching?" Izumi taunted, smile still in place. "I thought you were better than that… Kacchan."

Bakugo's eyes widened.

"What did you call me?" Bakugo whispered, only to lean forward, face turning puce with rage. "What the fuck did you call me?!"

He leaned forward, explosions shaking the building as his anger grew.

"You heard me loud and clear…" Izumi said, leaning forward as well "…Kacchan."

The effect was instantaneous. A choleric Bakugo launched himself at high speed straight towards Izumi. Ochaco could only watch, horrified, as the human cannonball accelerated towards the rabbit girl.

"DIE!" Bakugo shouted, rearing an arm, his eyes seeing red.

However, that was just as Izumi had wanted. One moment she was standing there, a rabbit girl immersed in bolts of lightning that danced across her fur, the next she had vanished.

BOOM!

Bakugo gasped, spit flying over his mouth, as a petite rabbit girl kicked him straight on the gut. Their eyes met for a brief instant, less than a second. Furious red versus glowing emerald. In that moment, Bakugo forgot all about his current opponent, the rabbit girl Izumi, and could only think of one person: Deku. However, the next moment he was rendered unable to think, flipped straight onto ground.

It had happened so fast, Bakugo could not comprehend what was going on. Somehow the rabbit girl taken hold of one arm and threw him against the ground using Bakugo's own momentum. But how? How had she managed to do so? He had been going extremely fast to be spotted, even for a speedster of a rabbit girl. He could get how she managed to land a kick… but to also manage a throw? It was as if she had predicted it.

Bakugo was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a tape being wrapped around one arm. His eyes widened as he saw a smirking rabbit girl looking down on him, her hand holding the capture tape. Bakugo immediately reached out with his other hand, ready to blow off the stupid girl. However, in the last second before he could produce an explosion, his palm was slapped off and another pair of hands wrapped capture tape around his forearm.

Impossible, was all Bakugo could think.

And yet, in front of his lying eyes, was Ochaco, having wrapped Bakugo's other arm with her capture tape.

"The Hero Team have wrapped their capture tape on a villain! Bakugo has been captured!" Declared All Might.

"Just in the nick of time, Infinity Girl!" Izumi chuckled.

"Oof, for a moment I thought I wouldn't make it" sighed Ochaco.

"Come on, Infinity Girl, let's get going!" Izumi said, letting go of Bakugo's arm and running away.

"Hey, wait for me!" Shouted Ochaco, following after her teammate.

Bakugo just watched there, lying on the ground. His strength abandoned him and his arms went limp. Had he… no, it couldn't be. Had he lost?

While Bakugo was left to handle his personal crisis, Izumi and Ochaco rushed to the upper floors. They hastily opened doors and checked inside. They knew they were rather short in time as it was. Luckily, Izumi quickly picked a sound from the floor above and led Ochaco straight to where the bomb was being held.

Iida was waiting for them, standing in front of the large faux bomb.

"You are too late, heroes!"

Izumi and Ochaco blinked at Iida before exchanging baffled looks. Why was Iida sounding so evil all of a sudden?

"Your time has run out!" Iida said before bursting into a very dramatic cackle. "In less than a minute this very bomb will explode and there is nothing you can do. In fact, I believe you have less time than that!"

Izumi and Ochaco gasped.

"Infinity Girl, combo attack!" Izumi said.

"Right!" Ochaco said.

"Combo attack?" Iida asked, dropping the act.

Ochaco grabbed Izumi and, after a faint burst of pink light, held the rabbit girl as if she was weightless. Before Iida could even ponder what the two were about to do, Ochaco spun around and Izumi curled into a ball. Iida stared with growing apprehension, finally realizing what that combo kick was all about. The rabbit-ball started glowing, lighting bolts cracking around it.

"Combined move: Galaxy Ball!" Ochaco and Izumi shouted.

Ochaco hurled the rabbit ball to a wall. No sooner had it made contact with the concrete material, it shot off as lighting. Iida yelped, shocked, as the entire room became flooded by straight blurs of a certain weightless rabbit girl.

Iida looked around, trying to follow Izumi's movement, but to no avail. She was moving too quickly! Worse, he was completely helpless. He didn't know where to go or how to defend himself.

Suddenly, Iida noticed the rabbit ball move straight towards him. Iida wasn't sure how he managed to detect it, much less move out of its way, but he did. Not only that, but Iida managed to actually grab the false bomb and moved it out of Izumi's way.

When Iida stopped and looked back, he was relieved to see Izumi on the ground, looking absolutely dizzy and close to spewing. Iida smirked and was about to deliver an evil taunt, when he felt the bomb in his arms suddenly shake. Iida snapped his head up, only to stare in disbelief. There, hugging the papier-mâché bomb was none other than Ochaco.

"Bomb recovered" sighed Ochaco.

"…TIME'S UP!" All Might declared. "Hero team wins!"

-‐-‐-‐-

"Excellent work, Hero Team!" All Might said.

Class 1-A stood around the large man. In front of him, the four students who had just participated in the Battle Trial, awaited for All Might's comments.

"Young Izumi, young Uraraka, you both worked efficiently as a team. You even managed to come up with a combo-attack on the spot! That's great!" All Might gave the Hero Team a thumbs up.

Ochaco and Izumi's faces lit up at the praise.

"That being said, you did waste a lot of time with young Bakugo, especially you young Izumi. A battle is not a place to deal with – ehm – personal issues" said All Might. "The best route would have been to attempt capturing young Bakugo from the start."

"Actually, we were worried that Bakugo would be too difficult to capture. The idea was for Ochaco to reach Iida while I stalled Bakugo, so that I could then slip past him once Ochaco made it to the weapon and together we could overwhelm Iida" Izumi explained.

"Sound strategy, but not the smartest considering that it would involve abandoning young Uraraka with young Iida" rebutted All Might. "In any case, good job Hero Team. Now, as for the Villain team…"

All Might turned to the fuming Bakugo and the ashamed Iida.

"Young Iida, you performed the best of all four of you" All Might said, gaining surprised looks from his other students. "You remained focused on the task at hand and worked with the most efficiency, first removing any potential advantages for your opponents before maximizing your own chances. It was a good strategy to attempt to delay the Hero Team over engaging them in combat."

"Thank you, sir" Iida solemnly said, bowing towards All Might.

"That being say, all four of you acted with surprising clarity! I was not expecting you to grasp the basic concepts of infiltration and indoors combat so quickly!" All Might said. "For the rest of you, don't be disheartened if your performance does not meet the standards of the first fight. This is, after all, merely a base exercise to assess your skills and warm you up for the training ahead of you."

All Might remained silent, allowing for his words to sink in.

"Alright then, we are ready to move on!" The Number One hero decided. "Does anyone have any questions?"

"Actually, I do" Ashido said, raising her hand.

She turned to Ochaco and Izumi, looking amused. She wasn't the only one. There was, after all, something anyone had yet to ask about, something that had been intriguing to the lot of them.

"Ehm… Ochaco, why are you carrying Izumi like a plushy?" wondered an amused Ashido.

For indeed, Izuku found himself caught between Ochaco's arms, hugged against her chest as an oversized toy… not that Izuku minded. It was actually very pleasant, and comfortable, regardless the feeling of weightlessness from Ochaco's quirk.

"Oh, Izumi might have pushed herself too far and can't move her legs yet" said Ochaco. "So I am carrying her around."

"Really? Can I take her too?" Yaoyorozu hesitantly asked, face lighting up.

"No! Give her to me!" Ashido excitedly called, trying to grab the rabbit girl in question.

"Hey, get your own rabbit girl!" Huffed Ochaco, stepping away from the other girls. She held tighter onto Izumi, burying the rabbit girl's head deeper into her chest. "This one is mine!"

"Come on, girl, share with the rest of us!" Whined Hagakure.

Izuku, in turn, was kind of petrified with all the attention and appreciation he was being given. That and he was rather lost in the bliss that was Ochaco's soft and comfortable bosom. In a corner of a room, a despondent Mineta cried with jealousy on his knees, his back to the rest of his classmates. The other boys weren't doing far better, blushing and looking away or biting their fists, trying to push down their envy for the rabbit girl.

"Now, everyone, let's calm down" All Might said, chuckling. "We have to continue with the battle trail."

His words, however, went unheard.

"Come on, Ochaco, just a second… for good luck!" protested Hagakure.

"No" Ochaco harrumphed. "Izumi isn't a toy!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't be treating her as one, ribbit" bluntly pointed out Asui.

Ochaco, though, merely sniffed and kept holding onto the resident rabbit girl. Izuku, on his part, was not about to surrender such heavenly experience.

"Now, now everyone, let us stay focused, shall we?" All Might said.

Hagakure whined at being unable to cuddle a plushy-looking rabbit girl before leaving with her partner, Ojiro. Behind them followed the Hero Team of Todoroki and Shoji. With the teams moving into position, All Might bid his farewells and vanished behind the control-room door.

"Man, you were pretty awesome back there, you guys" Ashido told Ochaco and Izuku. "I knew you would win, differently from others. And hey, you helped me win a bit of cash!"

Mineta and Kaminari grumbled about being cheated out of their money.

"Thanks, Mina" Ochaco replied, only to sigh. "But it was Izumi who did the most. I just tagged along."

"Don't say that. You weren't that bad yourself, ribbit" said Asui.

Sadly, even though Ochaco smiled appreciatively to the frog girl, Izuku could tell she remained disappointed in herself.

The rest of the class was spent watching and commenting on the remaining battles. Team Todoroki won with little effort while the rest of the fights were more evenly matched. Izuku watched with amazement as his classmates all employed their quirks in creative ways. There were a few surprising strategies, not all of which worked as intended. Regardless, Izuku could say that his classmates fared a lot better for their first Battle Trial. That and it looked like more than a handful already had combat skills.

Izuku mentally sighed. He had to work on improving his hand-to-hand skills. Great, yet another thing he needed train.

From the corner of his eyes, Izuku saw a fuming Bakugo glare at him every so often away from the rest. After Todoroki's display of power, Bakugo's mood seemed to sour considerably, just when Izuku thought Bakugo couldn't have taken his defeat any worse.

When all fights had finished and the class was dismissed, Bakugo almost sprinted away from the rest, eager to escape his peers. Class 1-A, on the other hand, didn't mind losing track of the explosive blond. Just like the day before, everyone when on their separate ways after changing back into their uniforms.

"Eh… Infinity Girl, would you mind taking me to Recovery Girl?" Chuckled Izuku.

"Oh, do I have to?" Whined Ochaco.

"Sorry, but my legs kind of hurt" said Izuku.

Ochaco protested, but took Izuku to the school nurse regardless. When Recovery Girl saw the two girls, she sighed angrily and reluctantly healed the rabbit girl.

"You should take better care of yourself, miss" harrumphed the old woman.

"She tried her best, but we were up against Bakugo" said Ochaco, standing to a side. "That jerk makes it hard not to get carried away, y'know?"

"Is that so? Then I suppose that explains the burnt fur" sighed Recovery Girl. "Well, off you go you two. I am sure you have better things to do than pester an old lady."

"Thanks for everything, Recovery Girl" said Izuku.

"Always a pleasure… just don't go breaking your arms next, am I clear?" Recovery said, giving Izuku a meaningful look.

Izuku winced and instinctively caressed his scarred arm. He wasn't going to do something so reckless again. He paused, as his hands trailed the scars of his arm. He could remember well just how reckless he had been… and he could still say that he was a long distance from ever using One for All in his human form. Would he be stuck in his rabbit form for the entire year? Or maybe until the graduation? Would he ever be able to use his human form?

Izuku shook his head at such depressing thoughts. He couldn't think like that. Ochaco was there and he was still in rabbit form.

A smile formed on Izuku's face as he remembered how he had managed to stand tall against Bakugo of all people, or rather, how his new identity, Izumi, did. With those thoughts, the rabbit girl hopped off the stool she had been sitting on and stretched a bit, a wide smile in place.

It is time to put into practice what All Might told me, she thought.

"Alright, ready to hit the gym, Infinity Girl?" Izumi said.

"You know it!" replied Ochaco.

Maybe keeping this act will be easier than I thought, the rabbit girl told herself.

-‐-‐-‐-

Katsuki Bakugo really loved his family. How could he not? They were supportive, caring and they always showed that they loved him. However, there were times, certain moments in which he really wished he could bring himself to punch them. Especially his mother.

"Oy, what's with the long face? Did a girl reject you or something?" Taunted Mitsuki Bakugo to her downtrodden son.

"It's nothing" muttered Bakugo as he trudged into the kitchen, dropping his school back outside the hall way.

On the other side of the counter, Mitsuki busied herself washing dishes.

Bakugo went to the fridge and took out a milk box, before going off to search for a bowl to eat cereals. He ignored the look on his mother's face. Seated by the counter, a bowl of cereals of his own, was Bakugo's father who shared his wife's expression.

"Did something happen, son?" Masaru Bakugo asked.

It was clear just who did Katsuki take the most from in matter of looks. He had, after all, his mother's blonde spiky hair and burning red eyes, rather than his father's brown hair. Bakugo even took after his mother in attitude, even if she refused to admit it.

"No" grumbled Katsuki.

"Sounds like a lie to me" harrumphed Mitsuki. "Go on, spill it, Katsuki, or we will just keep prodding and annoying you."

"Come on, dear, we shouldn't bother him so much" chuckled Masaru.

"Shush you" sniffed Mitsuki.

"Anything you say, dear" replied Masaru with a smile.

Mitsuki replied with a grin before biting her lips. Instead of bothering their son further, the two stared at each other, something that made Katsuki roll his eyes. He hated how mushy his parents could be. There were times Katsuki wondered how he had managed to stay an only child with the way they behaved.

"Urgh, fine!" Katsuki grunted. "Oy, mom, do you know any rabbit girls that were friends with Dek- I mean, Izuku?"

"Rabbit girls?" The two Bakugos replied in unison, frowning.

"I don't remember any rabbit girls in your school" Masaru commented.

"She couldn't have attended Aldera or else the director would have bragged about having two students going to UA," muttered Bakugo, mostly to himself.

To his annoyance, he hadn't talked softly enough.

"Oh, what is this? Is my baby curious about a girl?" Teased Mitsuki.

"SEE! That's why I don't want to answer any of your stupid questions!" Shouted Katsuki.

Instead of reprimanding her son, Mitsuki instead kept shooting a teasing smirk at Katsuki, something than only infuriated the boy even further.

"Is this about a classmate of yours?" Masaru asked.

"Yes" Katsuki said. He ignored the annoying cooing sounds from his mother. "She claimed to know Dek- Izuku."

"Oh, so you are jealous Izu-kun has a girlfriend and you don't?" teased a certain mother.

"WILL YOU DROP THAT CRAP?!" Exploded Katsuki.

"Never" laughed Mitsuki.

On the counter, Masaru tried to keep his chuckling down behind a fist, acting as if he was coughing.

"What troubles you about this girl?" Masaru managed to say with a straight face.

"There's just… something off about that stupid bunny girl" muttered Katsuki.

"Off?" Both Mitsuki and Masaru asked.

The two parents exchanged surprised looks. Truth to be told, this was all new to them. Katsuki rarely, if ever, talked about his classmates.

"Yeah, I don't know" muttered Katsuki. He glared at his bowl of cereals. "I don't know what, but I am going to find out what that stupid bunny is hiding."

He took his tea-time snack and marched off.

"Oy, where do you think you are going?" Mitsuki exclaimed.

"Away from you two before you start snogging or something like that" came Katsuki's voice as he walked up the stairs to his room. "Don't you dare give me a brother or sister, you hear me?!"

And with a final slam, the two parents were left alone at the kitchen, their son locked in his bedroom. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Predictably, it was an excited Mitsuki who spoke first.

"Do you think he has a crush on this girl? I bet she beat the crap out of him today or something" said Mitsuki.

"He does look beat up," hummed an amused Masaru.

"And a rabbit girl?" said Katsuki's mother. "Oh, I have to tell Inko about it! My baby is in love!"

"Now, now dear let's not get carried away. He is just confused and annoyed" chuckled Masaru.

"And we must strike while the iron is hot!" Mitsuki exclaimed. "And here I thought he was going to come out gay."

Masaru choked on his cereals at that.

"What? He has never shown any interest in any girls" Mitsuki shrugged, grinning. "Apparently, he's just a late bloomer…"

"Mitsuki, I think you are overthinking this" said Masaru.

"Now, now, love, call it mother's intuition" Mitsuki huffed. "I can feel it! This could be our future daughter-in-law we are talking about…"

Her eyes sparkled with glee at the thought of her son finally having a girlfriend.

The two remained silent, unsure what else to say. They looked at each other, before Mitsuki smirked at her husband.

"So, are we going to actually snog or what?" She wondered.

Masaru, on his part, didn't have any complaints on the matter.

-‐-‐-‐-

All Might paced in the teachers' longue. From one end to another, he couldn't help but ponder on the issue at hand. After the Battle Trial, he couldn't stop thinking about Izuku, or rather Izumi's performance. Young Midoriya had done great. However, it was evident the young man-turned-rabbit girl had a long way to go and that was the crux of the matter.

He needs another teacher, All Might thought. There is just so much I can teach young Midoriya. Izumi needs someone more oriented to speed and kicking, rather than a heavy hitter and puncher like me. She needs someone like…

All Might froze mid-stride and shuddered.

No, she isn't ready, he told himself. He will swallow her up and spit her to kingdom come! I can't allow it, not yet at least.

But what other choice did he have? All Might wanted to ensure his successor got stronger. That and All Might really wanted young Midoriya to improve in his control on One for All. The earlier young Midoriya managed to master the quirk, the earlier All Might would manage to sleep better at night.

I am not a good teacher, am I? He mused, guilt-ridden.

The Principal and Aizawa had a few things to say about his first class. Nezu had been rather kinder and more understanding, and not outright admonishing. Aizawa, on the other hand, had pointed out the flaws of having hormonal teenagers go against each other with their quirks. Not that he was against a Battle Trial, merely that the students required a bit more training beforehand, maybe a class on theory and sparring practice. That and having more teachers involved, just in case.

Then there was the growing time limit. On that regard, the Principal was been rather harsh. Thankfully, Aizawa hadn't been part of that conversation. Truth of the matter was that in their little agreement, All Might hadn't been supposed to give One for All before the start of term. The Principal had been under the impression All Might would be joining the school to search for a successor, after all.

Now, though, All Might's time in his muscular form (the actual All Might everyone knew and loved) would only decrease. Considering that All Might would have to give Fundamental in Heroics to more than twelve times a week, and each time with time periods that reached or exceeded three hours, they would eventually start facing difficulties. Additionally, All Might still went out to do Hero Work and there would be times All Might (in his muscular form) would be required to be present for unforeseen circumstances.

Hence, All Might had to come up with a solution. Nezu had a suggestion, but All Might wasn't sure about it.

"However, I could kill two stones with one birds" mused All Might.

He frowned, going back to pacing.

"But who can I pick as a second Heroics Teacher and someone who could teach Young Midoriya?" All Might thought aloud.

A name popped into his head.

No, he immediately thought, only for a smile to stretch on his face. Although maybe, if I can get that person involved… Young Midoriya is going to want my guts afterwards but I am sure he'll thank me… eventually.

He hesitated, momentarily ready.

Midoriya will see the necessity for tutorage no doubt, even if it focuses entirely on his rabbit form, thought the hero.

He sighed and nodded.

"Well, might as well start by making a call" he decided.

Far away, in another city, a certain hero sneezed.