Midoriya Family Residence- Musutafu, Tokyo- April 10th, 201X

5:55 A.M.

He couldn't sleep.

It wasn't exactly something new. He could count on all his fingers and toes the number of times he'd woken up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night.

Even then, he'd still be short a few nights.

That aside, this night was different. No nightmares, he hadn't even been to sleep.

No, he couldn't sleep because he was so fucking excited!

He got into U.A.

Little Deku got into U.A High.

Even though the only one willing to call him that out loud was Kacchan, he still felt the need to stress that, especially when the blond bastard was around.

It still brought a smile to his face whenever he thought about the day that Subarashii-sensei called them both to the faculty office after they got their exam results back.

Aldera Junior High School- Faculty Office

"Well, I almost couldn't believe it when the announcement came in, but you two did it. This is unprecedented, actually. We've never had two students in the same year pass the U.A. entrance exam, let alone take the top two spots!" Subaru Subarashii genuinely smiled for the first time in his ten years of teaching.

Bakugo huffed slightly, clenching a tight fist at his side, but otherwise staying completely silent.

Izuku's grin could best be described as shit-eating , "So, do we get some sorta prize? A plaque on the koi pond? Maybe twin busts right outside the cafeteria?"

Subarashii's smile didn't break for a second, "Nope, just our congratulations! Now, get out."

Kacchan was so mad.

The memory sparked joy. As did the memories of him tracking down and reminding the blonde bomber boy just who it was that took the number one spot over and over and over again.

He chuckled.

Good times.

So yes, he was excited, but he really should have been to sleep that night.

Though if he was going to be awake, he needed to do something. He turned to look at his clock. Though as he did, something fell in front of his eyes, lightly brushing the bridge of his nose.

His hair was loose again, it was getting in his eyes as was its wont whenever it wasn't tied back.

He brushed it back and took a proper look at his clock.

6:01 A.M.

It was too early to head to Kamurocho and he didn't feel like going on a run. His mother was at the Bakugou residence, having been invited the night before.

His hair fell into his face again. He sighed.

Fuck it.

And he plodded off to the bathroom in search of a pair of scissors.

Shouta Aizawa's Apartment- April 10th, 201X

8:17 A.M.

The smell of coffee wafting in from his kitchen was a pleasant surprise when he awoke that morning, the loud voice that accompanied it, however, far less so.

"[Good morning], Shouta!"

"It's morning. 'Good', however, remains to be seen."

"C'mon, man! Where's the energy, man? First day's tomorrow!"

"You're tippin' that scale, Hizashi."

"Jeez, you're even more down than usual. Who crapped in your coffee this morning?"

"Our boss."

"Hm? Whaddya mean?"

He gestured to the stack of paperwork at his desk, courtesy of his not-mouse, not-bear, not-dog employer.

"Ah, 1-A's Support Request Forms, right?"

"Yep. He told me to look over them, veto the unacceptable options, and send them into Majima by tonight."

The blonde hero handed his friend a steaming cup of black coffee and walked over to the stack of forms and began leafing through them.

He seemed to be looking for one form in particular though.

"Hey, Shouta."

Sip!

"Mm?"

"Where's that green haired kid's form?"

"She's right at the top."

"No, the other one."

"She's not in my class."

"No, the one with the freckles. The cool one."

"He didn't send one."

Sip!

The exuberant blond blinked before turning to his eternally unperturbed companion.

"What do you mean he didn't send one? Everyone sends a Support Form Request!"

"Clearly not."

The Voice Hero put a hand to his forehead, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

"Sheesh, what's going on this year? First that argument at the faculty meeting, Kayama's been grinning about something she won't tell me about, and the one cool kid outta this batch of new arrivals is acting strange!"

"Acting strange? You're one to talk."

Though the man wasn't exactly wrong.

There were a number of peculiarities that year.

Midnight was grinning ear-to-ear after the practical exam and refused to explain when pressed.

They had a 'special guest' in the form of a walking skeleton, known as Toshinori Yagi. The deflated form of the number one hero.

Though for the most part, whenever Aizawa looked over, the man seemed to be staring at one examinee in particular.

A certain green-haired, fish-cannon-wielding examinee.

The examinee who was also part of the reason why he and Kan got into it during the class selection conference.

Several Days Ago…

"No, this is unacceptable!"

"You're being dramatic, Kan."

"And you're being unreasonable, Aizawa!"

He sighed for what had to be the hundredth time in thirty minutes.

"I'd argue that I'm being more than reasonable. I'm absolutely fine letting you take Setsuna Tokage, Juzo Honenuki, and Inasa Yoarashi-"

Principal Nezu chimed in from the head of the conference table,"Inasa Yoarashi has declined acceptance to U.A. High School."

"...Right, my point still stands."

"No. No, it doesn't. You get two recommended students and several of the highest-scoring students from the regular exam. And for what? So you can expel them all on their first day?"

"No, that would be highly illogical."

The tired teacher's colleague waited for the other shoe to drop.

"Depending on their performance, I'll likely only end up expelling half of them."

The hero course's other homeroom professor seemed more incredulous than anything after hearing his colleague's retort.

"D-does no one else hear this? Does no one else have a problem with what he's saying?"

He was met with silence.

"Anyone?"

"Well, I certainly don't." Again, the principal's voice chimed from the head of the table.

Kan's wide eyes shot to the smiling chimera.

"Sir?"

"Kan-kun, please. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"But, sir-"

The principal said nothing but continued to smile, the air grew more oppressive.

Within moments, Sekijiro Kan was cowed and the meeting continued on with no further issue.

Nezu, however, did call Aizawa in later to inform him that he'd be responsible for handling all of his students' Support Request Forms, rather than allowing Power Loader to do so.

He had one word to say in response to that.

"Fuck."

As unreasonable as Kan had assumed he was being, his decision was based completely in logic.

After reading the dossiers for two highest scorers, he'd found out that they were both applying from Aldera Junior High.

He immediately sent out a request for both boys' school records.

It was all the normal things; Report card copies, physical exam results, and disciplinary records.

The first two were rather unimportant, the boys' grades were both pretty high, physical exam results were above average, but their disciplinary records, they littered with minor infractions, all of which involved the other.

A myriad of heated altercations, all dating back to the first day of school in their second year.

According to most of their homeroom teacher's reports, Midoriya would always be the one to instigate, but Bakugo would always rise to the bait.

The confrontations never escalated to anything physical, as far as the reports indicated, but that was likely due to the fact that their homeroom teacher was willing to crack the whip whenever it seemed like things were getting out of hand.

All that aside, it was obvious that U.A. had at least two problem children on their hands.

Well, depending on how they fared on his Quirk Apprehension Test, maybe not even that many.

Siiiip!

Sky Finance- Kamrucho, Tokyo

12:15 P.M.

"So tomorrow's the big day, huh?"

"Yeah, chief."

"That the reason behind the new 'do?"

"In a way. New school, new me, y'know?"

"Yeah, I guess. Shame though, I was gettin' used to the ponytail."

Izuku swept back his now neck-length hair, while he spoke to Akiyama from across the table.

It had been a pain cutting that morning and it was the first time he'd done it himself, but he didn't think it turned out too bad.

He'd been intending to cut his hair for a while, but he just couldn't find the drive.

He'd been in a funk for so long, all without realizing it. There was just a lot going down in his life.

First, Uncle Kaz got thrown in prison, then Jiji and Taijiji were stuck in legal hell for several years, then Uncle Kaz got released and faked his death, and most recently Taijiji and Jiji disappeared all while Kansai yakuza have been moving in at a steady rate.

Now that he thought about it, his life really was a cluster of fuck, and that was all without even considering the fact that he had the greatest hero in the world on speed-dial and said greatest hero wanted him to be the successor to a great power that would change the world of quirks as everyone knew it.

I really need to book a spa day or something.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

"Hey, you still with me?"

"Yeah, chief. Sorry, just thinkin'."

"Oh jeez, don't hurt yourself."

"Haha, eat several dicks."

"Hey now, at least be nice to your boss on your last day."

"Yeah, soon as my boss starts-" He had started to respond before he fully comprehended what was said, "Wait, last day?"

The moneylender gave him a smile. Not a smirk or a grin that his soon-to-be former part-timer would revel in smacking off of his face, but a truly kind and gentle smile.

"Yep, after today, you'll no longer be working here at Sky Finance. Omedetou!" He clapped a few times for good measure.

Izuku wasn't amused, he just had one thing to ask, "Why?"

"Hm. Why, indeed?" The Lifeline of Kamurocho stood up from the couch he'd been sitting on and walked behind his desk, "Tell me Izuku, how long's it been since you've heard from your uncle?"

Izuku raised an eyebrow. Where did that come from?

"About a year, at least, I think."

"Mm. And tell me, how long have those Kansai Yakuza been piling in?"

"About… a year, I think."

Shit, why didn't I think about that?

It was pretty obvious when he thought about it.

Two legendary figures in the Tojo Clan leave Kamurocho in the hands of several small-time families, while the police start cracking down on organized crime, next thing you know, the Kyorei Clan's moved in KJ Art on Senryo Avenue and a load of other pests start tramping around right after them.

Man, I must be slipping if simple plans like that slip right past me.

"Guessing you just had a lightbulb moment?"

"Yeah, you could say that. But I still don't get why I'm fired."

"You're not 'fired'. Just think of it as your contract expiring and it's not being renewed."

"But why?"

Akiyama sighed, "So smart, yet so simple."

"Do you want me to punch you?"

Akiyama ignored the blatant threat on his person, "Because you have a life to live, Izuku."

"What?"

"Izuku, you're fifteen and you're just about to start high school. Trust me, you're way more put together than a lot of other kids your age, hell, maybe even some adults. But still, you're still a kid. So be a kid for a while. Play with your friends, go to the movies, get a girlfriend or a boyfriend- I won't judge. Just forget about all this betrayal and backstabbing and gang warfare and stuff. Go to school, don't worry about work. Enjoy your life."

And as much Izuku wanted to rebuff everything the man was saying at the start, by the end, he'd just been assailed with so much unadulterated sincerity that he just couldn't find the words.

All he could really do was look forward and nod.

And Akiyama smiled before leaning down and opening a drawer behind his desk, pulling out a small box and a slip of paper.

He started walking back to the table with both in hand, "So while you're no longer gonna be our part-timer, I want to know you're always welcome here, as a friend."

And he put both the paper and the box down on the table.

Izuku grabbed and opened up the box, and was met with the dark face of a gold watch. It looked a wee bit battered, meaning it was used, but it was otherwise well maintained.

"I was gonna grab something from Le Marche, but I figured that would work just as well."

Ah, these old men. Can't stop pawning their stuff off on me.

He still took it out of the box and fastened it to his left wrist.

Next up was the sheet of paper. He scanned its content and found that it was-

"A bank statement?"

"Yup. You do remember why you started working here five years ago, right."

"So how good would you say you are at… Day Trading?"

"Well, I'm pretty good there too. Why? You've got some stocks you want me to manage?"

"Well, yeah."

"Well, that's not exactly a service Sky Finance provides, but you're a good kid. I'm certain we could come to an agreement."

"Holy shit, this is it?"

"Heh, yep. It's been five years, and I've been moving it around all this time, so even after I've taken out my fee and the necessary tax, you've still got a hefty chunk of change there."

Izuku looked down at the current balance and his eyes almost popped out of his skull.

"Holy shit, that's a lotta zeros!"

Akiyama laughed, "Yeah, thought you'd say that!"

"T-thanks, chief." It was a genuine 'thank you', Izuku really did appreciate what the man did for him.

"Don't mention it, kid. Now, how about we head out to lunch? Hana's on her way to Kanrai and I'm sure she'd love to congratulate you over some yakiniku."

"You had me at 'Hana'. Let's go!"

And as he bounded out the door, smile on his face with Akiyama chuckling behind him, Izuku felt in his heart that tomorrow would be a good day.

U.A. High School- Class 1-A- April 11th, 201X

8:44 A.M.

Today sucks. I hate it.

Izuku was not having a good day, so far he'd argued with his mother and aunt about the tie to his uniform and his willingness to wear it.

"I'm not gonna. I hate it!"

"Just wear it for the first day!"

"No!"

"Izuku, please!"

An argument that he unfortunately lost.

The damned thing felt like it was choking him all the way from the apartment to the classroom.

Though that was just where it started, the trying times truly began when he opened the incredibly large door to his assigned classroom.

"Remove your feet from that desk!" A stern glasses-wearing student yelled at a reclining student.

"Bite me, specs!" A red-eyed, blonde-haired student bit back at the bespectacled boy.

God, are you punishing me?

Normally he'd be fine with the former and amused by the latter, but that morning was not a good morning for him.

The tie around his neck was going to make him hurt somebody, and 'somebody' was likely going to be the first person who stepped to him that morning.

I could probably strangle someone with this thing if I really wanted to.

"Deku, the fuck are you doin' here!?"

"Ah, it's you!"

Ah, the first two takers.

The stickler was across the room in seconds.

"Hello, I don't believe we had properly introduced ourselves when we last met. I'm Tenya Iida, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Okay, he's being polite Izuku. Don't hurt him… yet.

"Hey, pleasure to meet ya. I'm-"

"Hey! It's Kansai-Ben boy!"

Izuku whipped around.

Who the fu-

"Oh hey, it's Ass-Slapper."

The brunette who accidentally smacked his buttocks before the entrance exam blinked.

"Wha? Wait, nonononono. I didn't mean- Uh well, I guess I did mean to, but-"

A lethargic voice cut her off before she could continue to fail to explain herself.

"If you're here to make friends or fool around, I'd suggest you head home."

Izuku looked to see a man in an obnoxiously yellow sleeping bag taking a long slurp from a drink packet.

The greenette knelt down in front of him and said, "Excuse me, sir. I'm afraid you can't stay here. I'm certain there's a shelter or hotel that doesn't charge much. I can give you some cash for one if you'd like."

The obvious homeless man stared back at him with nary a speck of emotion on his face.

"Are you insinuating that I'm homeless?'

"Are you implying that you're not?"

The apparently not homeless man unzipped the sleeping bag and stood up, holding up several athletics uniforms.

When he spoke again, he spoke to the whole class, "Put these on and go out onto the field."

And without elaborating, he walked off.

Five Minutes Later…

And that's how Izuku found himself in the middle of a circle with a ball in his hand.

Of course, there were a few things skipped, like a quirk assessment test, an innocuous little comment about having fun, oh and of course the threat of expulsion for lowest scoring student on the test, but those details were hardly important.

What was important, however, was his score on the ball throw.

It would pretty much set the tone for the rest of his assessment, so he had to get it right.

He took a breath and could see yellow flame lick at the edge of his vision. He was in the zone.

He gripped the ball, feeling its weight in his hand. Not too heavy, but he did lift and hoist car engines and CRTs in his free time for more than half a decade, so maybe his sample size was a bit off.

Either way, he took the ball, brought up his leg in a pitcher's stance, reeled his arm back, and brought it forward, chucking the ball as hard as he could…

Straight at Kacchan, who had been observing from the sidelines with the rest of their peers.

"What the fu-!"

BOOM!

And the ball disappeared far into the sky.

Izuku turned to the not homeless man, who had earlier introduced himself as Shouta Aizawa, Class 1-A's homeroom teacher, whose eyes he could've sworn were red just as he did.

The man simply blinked and held up a device that said "705.6 Meters".

Izuku grinned, Kacchan fumed, and thus the tone was set.

Shouta Aizawa was intrigued.

He didn't end up expelling anyone that day, there was no need, everyone there had at least some iota of potential.

But one student, in particular, caught his eye that day.

Izuku Midoriya. The number one scorer on the U.A. Entrance Exam.

He remembered his quirk well enough from the file he had on him.

'Heat' is what it was called. It basically overloaded his body with adrenaline, allowing him to perform superhuman feats for a time. If you looked closely enough, you could see a flame-like aura, emanating from the user. A basic emitter quirk.

So why? He wondered, Why couldn't I erase it?

He looked at the green-haired young man, who had been one of the top five scorers during the assessment, as he chatted away with Ochako Uraraka and Tenya Iida.

Izuku Midoriya, you've just become far more intriguing.

"So your name's not Ass-Slapper?"

"No! It's Ochako Uraraka."

"But can I call you Ass-Slapper?"

"No!"

"Where did you even get that vulgar name for her, Midoriya?"

"Ah, well you see, the morning of the Entrance Exam-"

"Please don't tell him!"

And thus, Izuku made his first two friends at U.A. High.

WHOO! BATTLE TRIAL'S UP NEXT, LET'S ROCK BITCHES!

By the way, folks on my Discord knew exactly when this was gonna release.

Feel free to join: discord .gg/N3647pckVW