Hey guys! its me, the Phoenix, back with a new chapter of one of my most popular stories!

I had this chapter half done and lying around in my Evernote, so I finished it and pumped it out, just so I could get one ladt chapter in before I have to start preparing for my exams.

After that, I'll update Hero Complex again after making a few edits to it, and I actually have an idea for a sort of counter-story for it, which I'll talk about at a later time.

Anyways, I don't have much time, so I'll get straight to the Reviews.

Firstly, some of you guys seem to be under the impression that there are only seven Class Cards.

There are way more than that, so expect to see your favorite Servants soon!

On another note, I dont think I'll make Izuku a vigilante, because All Might wouldn't approve. The path I'm taking should be clear in this chapter, though.

Izuku can finish his regular schooling with ease, to those who wondered what would happen if he became a teacher.

Secondly, Installing female Class Cards will not turn Izuku into a girl. Just putting that out there. Shielder is Galahad, mainly because I don't want to make my own Servants and they didn't give nearly enough information about Ajax or the other candidates. For those of you who missed it, Shielder was the only Card still remaining in the Deck in the first chapter.

Frozen Flame, I'd also like to apologize for overreacting a bit. As you can see, the deal with Chapter one was only to set the stage. Nothing else really has a connection with Brilliant Lights anymore. I know that I keep going on about how society was horrible to Izuku, but that's actually a serious issue in My Hero Academia, so I can't help but mention it because it shaped him. It's elaborated as a background thing in almost every story in the fandom, which is why it probably seems annoying. I do hope to impress in future chapters, however!

As for Angron, I'm pretty sure KillaBee and the others answered your Review for me. Izuku ain't a Gary Stu just because he's smart. In canon, his personality actually holds back his intelligence. If you've watched his fight against Overhaul, you should know that I'm not exaggerating to much. And Izuku is smarter than in canon due to actually honing his skills instead of twiddling his thumbs.

Anyways, I'd like to thank you guys for your praise, and I'm always open to new Servant suggestions. And on that note, since so many people want it, this will be a multiple pairing fic, but I'm thinking of restricting it to Heroic Spirits only.

That's all for today, so let's get on with the chapter!

Chapter 4 - Job Interview

Izuku studied himself in the mirror.

His normally untamable green hair was... slightly more tamed than usual, and he wore an immaculate black suit with a dark green tie the color of fresh foliage.

A watch adorned his left wrist, and with careful use of deodorant he smelled pristine.

He couldn't get himself ready any more than this.

[Looking sharp, Master!]

Emerald floated around, checking Izuku out from all angles. Floating round to face him, the Kaleidostick flinched and suddenly drew closer, radiating an almost suspicious aura.

[Hey... is this a clip-on tie?]

"Yes?" said Izuku, confused. Why would that matter, exactly?

[Remove it. Now.]

"W-why? I don't think-"

[Ì͞ ̼̬̗͖ͩͤ̑ͮ͋̔̚S͆͑̔͏̱̟̙̘A͈ͩͮͫ̈́̚Ỉ̲̣̳̠̤̱̝ͬ̓̓ͭD̫̮̪̽̊̆̕ ̵̺͍̳̤ͪ̾͑̂̚N̢̘̣̘̜̫̩̬̽̌O,̴̐ ̫̩͖͔̱͙͈͑IZUKU.̵͔̹̣ͤ.̵͔̹̣ͤ!]

"Okay! Okay!" yelped Izuku, nearly ripping off the offending article and throwing it across the room in fear, trembling before the malevolent aura radiating off of Emerald, who quickly blasted the tie with a green blast of magic, turning it to ash.

The wand floated closer to him, it's beady emerald 'eyes' meeting his.

[It's unprofessional to wear a clip-on tie to something like this. It's stuff like this that your employers tend to notice, you know? It's not about being capable; you also have to make sure hat you dress right for every occasion. To put it in your Hero weeb terms, you have to wear the right 'costume' for every occasion. Got it?]

"O-of course!" said Izuku, wiping away the bead of sweat on his forehead while storing away this information for later. Emerald had a point and Izuku was thankful that he had pointed it out to him before he had left for U.A. If that was really as important as Emerald made it out to be, than it was a good thing he hadn't accidentally screwed things up. The embarrassment would be legendary if he lost the opportunity to go teach at U.A. just because he wore a clip-on tie.

Taking an emerald tie and spending five minutes looking up how to tie it properly online, Izuku was all ready to go, with the Kaleidstick's Seal of Approval.

He hadn't heard a peep out of Jeanne, Okita, and whoever Shielder was, but that was probably because he still didn't know much about the Deck of Heroes and the Class Cards, which he resolved to fix as soon as he got back.

He was going to risk his life many times against superior foes, just like with Okita, which meant he needed as much information as possible to maximize his chances of victory to make up for his lack of sustainable power.

On that note, he also needed to know what exactly he could do with Emerald, but that could also wait until he got back. Right now, his focus was on his upcoming job interview at U.A.

He checked his watch.

3:23 P.M.

He had come home early from school that day just for this, and Kaachan's usual taunts and jeers almost completely flew over his head, as he was still on Cloud Nine from the opportunity he had been given.

And after risking his life to seal Okita, suffering some pretty nasty wounds in the process, none of the poison his classmates and peers spat at him metaphorically had much effect on him, as he subconsciously decided that with all the stuff on his mind, it just wasn't that important.

It pissed them off, and Izuku knew that the only reason he had avoided a confrontation after school ended was because he had left early, which was probably something else they would try to interrogate him about.

Not that he would tell them anything. He wasn't really afraid of them, per se, but rather ashamed at his own powerlessness and the fact that Kaachan, his first friend, would be so ready and willing to try and put him down in any way possible. He never fought back because Izuku had learned the hard way that society was swayed towards those with power, with a few exceptions. Any time he would complain about the bullying was met with outright complacency and ignorance, and one time he was actually told to just let it happen.

Getting physical with them would not only be a losing battle considering his bullies had both numbers and Quirks on their side, but any hits he did land would be spun against him and he would be treated as the instigator, not the victim.

How people even believed that a Quirkless guy known for being a nervous, stuttering mess would assault multiple Quirked people was beyond him. Or was it just the prejudice that his kind faced from society?

The barbarity of it all caused him to grimace, his fist tightening.

[You thinking about that a** Bakugo again? Just forget him. That idiot isn't worth the time of someone like yourself. There are people out there who are willing to acknowledge your talents. Focus on them, not some traitorous explosive bastard who thinks he's going to be a great Hero by picking on people he thinks are weaker than him.]

Profanity aside, Emerald had a point, and Izuku allowed his hand to loosen.

He took a deep breath.

That was right. Professor Washi, Principal Nezu, Mirio, Tamaki; there were people out there who were willing to look past his condition and see him for who he was and what he could achieve, and that was enough for him. He shouldn't waste his time pining over something that simply couldn't be fixed.

He was moving up in the world, getting closer to his dream. If his meeting with Nezu ended positively, he wouldn't need ever care about these people again, and even if some of them got into U.A., they wouldn't be allowed to torment him the same way they had been since he was 4.

Instead of bemoaning his treatment, he should work his hardest to find some way to change it.

It was with this in mind that Izuku bade farewell to Emerald, who wished him the best of luck, and walked into the living room. He couldn't bring the Kaleidostick or the Deck of Heroes to his job interview, so he decided to just leave them at home, hiding in plain sight.

He ran into his mother, just before he was about to leave.

She smiled at him with tears of pride in his eyes, causing him to blush, before they hugged each other.

She kissed him on the forehead.

"I'm so proud of you, honey." she said, placing a hand on his cheek and smiling at him. "Even though I couldn't give you a Quirk, you were still able to become a great person, and for that I will always be proud to call myself your mother. But this is just the beginning. You're destined for so much more. So go out there and grab the world, Izuku."

Izuku stood for a moment, stunned, before he responded with his own tears and hugged his mother back, placing his briefcase on the ground.

U.A. High School was every bit as amazing as Izuku had expected.

The beautiful architecture, the aura of homeliness, the spotless walls and floors; it was like a high school straight out of a shonen anime, as funny as that sounded. He could truly believe that this was the place that had churned out amazing Heroes such as Endeavor, Best Jeanist, and All Might.

He felt happy knowing that Mirio and Tamaki would live out their dream of studying here. He knew that the two boys were more than good enough to pass the test, which according to them was just a written exam and a practical exam where they fought robots for some reason.

He had walked up to the gate before being granted access thanks to the Guest Pass he had gotten from Professor Washi on Principal Nezu's behalf.

Of course, since the school year hadn't started yet, the place was practically deserted, which Izuku found was more to his liking. As much as he wanted to see U.A.'s aura when the students were in attendance, he really didn't want to attract too much attention. Sure, it would be impossible if he ended up teaching here, but he liked being anonymous as much as possible because even with all the people he had become acquainted with over the year due to his shenanigans around Mustafu, Izuku still had a slight fear of meeting new people, for obvious reasons.

Of course, as soon as he had walked through the gate, he had been met by a scruffy-looking man with long, black hair and an expression on his face that suggested he hadn't slept since the day he was born.

"You must be Midoriya." he said, yawning into his hand, his mouth obscured by the gray scarf-like object that was wrapped around his neck. "The principal is expecting you. Right this way."

Of course, Izuku had recognized the man instantly. How could he not, when he had spent so many hours painstakingly mapping out his own routes and patrols, which was pretty hard since he was an Underground Hero that stayed out of the spotlight.

He was being led by none other than the Erasure Hero: Eraserhead.

Izuku had to forcibly restrain himself to prevent any of his fanboyish squeals from escaping him. Not only would it be incredibly unprofessional and kind of creepy, but from what little of the Erasure Hero's interactions he had borne witness to, the man was a strict no-nonsense type of guy with a hidden mean streak.

Irritating this man would not do any favors for his peace of mind and his future.

Instead, he allowed himself to be led through U.A.'s sprawling corridors, making sure to keep up with the black-haired Hero's strides instead of gawking at what was probably the greatest institution of Hero Studies to exist since the dawn of the first Quirk.

Finally, after about a minute of walking, they stood before what was obviously the principal's office.

"Principal Nezu is waiting for you inside. Good luck. I hope you survive the encounter." he said, beginning to walk away, his job done.

Izuku gulped at that statement, but made sure to thank the man anyway.

"Thank you, Eraserhead, Sir!" he called, just as the man rounded the corner.

He turned back towards the door, unaware of the man stiffening momentarily in surprise, before continuing on his way, with a barely perceptible smirk on his face, before he sighed. He didn't know why Nezu wanted to see that kid, but he was obviously something special if the chimera had decided to meet him personally. He shuddered at that. Nobody who Nezu had taken a personal interest in had ever turned out the same. Burying himself deeper into his Capture Weapon, he slouched towards the Teacher's Lounge.

For some reason, Shota Aizawa knew that the kid was going to be a Problem Child that he would inevitably end up involved with. He only had that feeling once before, when he had met Hizashi and Oboro upon starting U.A.

He drooped further, reaching for the door to the Teacher's Lounge.

Whatever. If he was going to be inevitably involved in more crazy stuff in the future, then he might as well make the most of whatever semblance of peace he had at the moment.

His beloved sleeping bag was hanging over his chair, and he moved over to it, reaching out to get back to nirvana when-

"HEEEEY Shota!"

Shota Aizawa groaned in despair.

Meanwhile, Izuku stood in front of the door, controlling his breathing and trying to tone down how nervous he was.

He was about to meet not only an esteemed Pro Hero and the Principal of U.A., but an idol of his second only to All Might and someone who could possibly become his future employer.

Finally working up the nerve to move forward towards his dreams, Izuku rapped on the door twice.

"Come in!" said a rather high pitched voice.

Izuku opened the door, and the first thing his attention fell on was the subject of his nervousness.

Nezu was a short creature who appeared to be a possible combination of several different animals, including a dog, a mouse and a bear, which in Izuku's opinion, would make him a chimera. He had the head of a mouse with circular black eyes, a large scar over the right one, relatively square-shaped ears with pale pink insides slanting outwards from the top of his head, and an elongated muzzle with a small round nose. His fur was white and he had large, dog-like paws with pink pads and a thin tail like that of a cat. Honestly, chimera was the only possible word that could be used to describe him.

He sported a white dress shirt, with a dark red tie around his neck (that wasn't a clip-on), a black double-breasted waistcoat and matching dress pants. He wore orange lace-up sneakers with incredibly thick soles which seemed quite large on him, not unlike he red ones he himself usually wore.

While most people may not have taken him seriously at first glance, Izuku knew of the the intelligence that lay behind those beady, black eyes, the result of the ability that made him anthropomorphic in the first place. His Quirk, High Specs.

One of the most intelligent beings in the whole world now sat patiently at his desk, two cups of tea placed before him, with a plate of biscuits set to the side of them.

When his eyes fixed on Izuku's nervous form, he beamed amicably, his eyes gleaming.

"Welcome, Midoriya-san! Please, take a seat!" he said, gesturing with a paw to the seat across from him.

"Thank you, Nezu, Sir!" said Izuku before politely pulling back his chair and taking a seat.

"That's me!" he said cheerfully, raising a paw into the air. "The one who could be a mouse or a dog or even a bear, though the only important thing is-"

"Your the principal~!" completed Izuku, before freezing at what he had involuntarily done.

There was silence in the room.

And then Nezu broke out into uproarious squeaks of laughter, nearly vibrating in his seat at what the boy before him had done, which, safe to say, was a new one for the principal.

"Oh! That's the first time anyone's actually done that!" he managed between squeaks. "Minato was right! You really are a riot, Midoriya-san!"

Izuku flushed, his face burning in embarrassment. He had screwed up his plan literally two seconds into the meeting, which did not seem to bode well for his future.

Seemingly unaware of Izuku's inner turmoil, the principal wiped his eyes before letting out one last chuckle.

"I haven't laughed that hard in a long time, so thank you for that! Tea and biscuits, Midoriya-san?"

"T-thank you, Sir." said Izuku, take the offered cup gently with both hands.

Setting it down before him, he reached down into one of the pockets of his briefcase before taking out a small carton of American Swiss Cheese Spread and setting it on the table next to the biscuits.

Nezu's eyes widened in surprise, before his grin grew even larger and the animal gleefully accepted the offering, swiftly opening the carton and giving it a sniff before spreading it over a biscuit and eating it in one bite.

"Ah~." said Nezu, appreciating the taste. "I must admit, you're surprising me more and more Midoriya-san, and we haven't even begun to talk business yet! But I must ask, how did you know exactly what brand I normally favor?"

Izuku's blush of embarrassment never faded, but he managed to answer the question without stuttering.

"I like to record everything I know about Pro Heroes, Sir, including likes and dislikes. I saw you buy a carton at the supermarket one time a few years ago, and I found out that you happen to enjoy it a lot and buy it every 3rd Tuesday."

"Well, that's certainly impressive!" said Nezu, taking a sip of his tea. "It's not quite often that people figure out my own preferences and habits. I heard from Minato that you conduct Quirk Analysis reports on various Heroes and Villains as a hobby, and that they were good enough to get you a near instantaneous Doctorate from I-Island University, which is no ordinary feat. Tell me, what exactly do you have on me, Midoriya-san?"

Izuku swallowed a sip of his own tea for a moment, before setting the cup down and reciting one of the first Quirk Analysis reports he had made since he made that promise to himself all those years ago.

"Principal Nezu, the esteemed leader of U.A. High School." began Izuku, slipping into nerd mode, completely losing focus on the situation he was in.

"Quirk: High Specs. Although you are an animal, a mouse of the species Mus musculus to be exact, you have an intelligence that far exceeds even that of a human, one of the only people even coming close being All Might's former sidekick, Sir Nighteye. This allows you to not only have a perfect memory, but also allows you to execute complex calculations at an incredible rate, allowing you to completely plan out your course of action within a few seconds. You like brushing and cheese, and happen to be a casual smoker, though you use E-cigarettes to avoid damaging your lungs. You dislike Quirk Experimentation and Discrimination, due to your own past as a subject of the Izanagi Foundation, who were running experiments on animals, trying to splice different DNA sequences from other species including humans in order to awaken a Quirk gene in a non-human subject. It worked, although only for you, causing the project to lose funding and leading to its termination. As you had developed true sentience, the Izanagi Foundation gave you over to the government, who at your own behest allowed you to become a Pro Hero. You made your debut during the bombing of Saitama Prefecture 3 decades ago, although you remained an Underground Hero due to your nature, preferring to be a strategist rather than a fighter, though you were always seen on the front lines. After breaking the old record for the number of cases you solved, in the aftermath of the Second Tokyo Incident, you were asked to become the Principal of U.A. High, which you accepted. Even now your intelligence and experience is used to solve many cases in and around Mustafu. Your strengths are your intelligence and your enhanced senses, while your weaknesses are your physical attributes and susceptibility to certain toxins, such as Cholecalciferol and Ergocalciferol, which interfere with your calcium homeostasis negatively, since your physiology corresponds far more to a rodent than a human. To improve your Quirk, you should improve your base intelligence, either by using a specialized diet or mental exercises. Due to being a Mutation-Type Quirk in classification, along with your unique appearance and the name you gave it, I believe your Quirk isn't actually high intelligence, but rather a sort of adaptational ability which gave you the advantageous traits of many different organisms, such as the paws of a dog, the tail of a cat, the lifespan of a turtle, the stature of a small bear, the brain of a dolphin, and the ability of self-consciousness possessed by humans, to show a few examples. If this is the case, then improving your Quirk may be impossible if the adaptations you received were set as soon as you developed your Quirk, so training the different attributes you have would be a sure-fire way to increase your combat capabilities. Your Blood Type is A and you stand at a height of 85 centimeters. Your fur is kept soft and pristine through liberal applications of keratin, allowing it to reach a level of smoothness that is unreachable by humans."

Izuku let out a small breath as he finally finished, having spoken for several minutes.

He looked up to meet the principal's eyes, and to his surprise, Nezu had actually dropped his teacup sometime during Izuku's monologue, his beady black eyes boring into Izuku's soul, analyzing him the same way he analyzed Quirks, making the green-haired teen feel increasingly more self-conscious.

Slowly, the principal began to clap, a smaller but more impressed grin on his face, though the excitement radiating off of him was almost palpable.

"Congratulations, Midoriya-san! You are the first person to ever figure out the true nature of my Quirk. There is a reason I called it High Specs, something that you picked up on quite brilliantly. It is exactly as you said, a sort of chimeric ability that granted me traits from several different species. I'm impressed, more so than you can imagine. Though I must ask, how did you find out all that information about me?"

Izuku blushed, both from the honest praise and from the embarrassment he felt. Although, there was a warm tinge of happiness mixed into it all.

"Sir, you and All Might have been my idols ever since I was young. I dug up old records that were publicly available, and tracked down a former scientist of the Izanagi Foundation, who told me about your past. Tracking down the different cases you took part in was easier, because like I said, you always remain on the front lines, which made you easily noticeable, even if people never really paid attention to you in favor of other, more flashier Heroes. The analysis on your Quirk and habits was something I made from my observations."

"Your idol, you say?" said Nezu, intrigued, causing Izuku to blush harder, cursing himself for letting that bit slip. "All Might I can imagine, but why me? Most people don't even know that I was a Pro Hero. In fact, most people don't know who the principal of U.A. truly is, thinking that I'm some kind of decoy meant to throw off people."

Izuku suddenly looked down, remembering exactly why he admired the rat-bear-dog so much.

"Sir, you were only a mouse, but you proved that even someone like you can be a Pro Hero, someone who wasn't even human and had a Quirk that wasn't really applicable in live combat except for strategizing. You run public support campaigns to end prejudice against people with so-called 'Villain Quirks' and Quirkless people all the time, Sir! In fact, it was you who opened the gates of U.A. to the Quirkless, making U.A. the first Hero Studies Institution in the World to accept Quirkless applicants for the Hero Course. I admire you a lot, Sir, because your story and your actions made me realize that there was hope even for someone like me to be a Hero."

A single tear fell, unbidden, onto the table before him, causing him to blink. His genetics were beginning to get the best of him.

A soft paw suddenly placed itself over his hand, causing him to look up into the eyes of Nezu, who honestly looked touched, though there was a gleam in his eye.

"Midoriya-san, I have made my decision." said the principal, causing Izuku to tense up. Had he blown it? He honestly couldn't tell.

"Should you choose to accept, I am happy to welcome you to U.A. as the latest member of our faculty. Your ability to analyze Quirks is every bit as impressive as I've been told it was, and with your credentials you are more than qualified to teach the new Quirk Studies Course I've implemented for the students of the Hero Course. However, before you make your decision, there is something I want to ask you."

"What is that, Sir?" asked Izuku, his overwhelming happiness at being accepted as a teacher being stymied at the statement.

"Tell me, do you still want to become a Hero? Or do you want to become a teacher?"

Izuku stilled, though he clenched his fists momentarily on his lap, tensing up at the question.

After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"Sir, as much as I want to become a Pro Hero, I know that it's a dream that would be nearly impossible to make reality, because I don't have a Quirk. My dream is to become a Hero that can save people and bring them hope with a smile on my face, just like All Might, but at the same time I know that it isn't feasible. Because people won't feel safe if someone Quirkless tries to save them. I don't want a license, I just want to help people and make them smile. That's why I want to become a teacher, instead. Because if I can save a life indirectly by helping the next generation of Heroes become even greater than the last, then that's good enough for me. I have a higher chance of achieving my dream this way."

And that was ultimately why he had come to this meeting, even though he had planned to become a Pro Hero alongside Mirio and Tamaki.

Had this opportunity not arisen, he would have still attempted to get into the Hero Course, and found some way to make it so that he could be a great Hero alongside his friends. It would have been extremely difficult, but he would have found a path of his own, somehow.

But now that it had, Izuku knew that the smarter, more logical choice would be to take on the role of a teacher, as his chances of actually helping people were much higher that way.

It was a sad, unfortunate truth, but Izuku wasn't aiming to become a Pro Hero to beat up Villains and gain publicity and cash.

He wanted to help people, plain and simple. And he would choose the path that let him save more people.

Nezu's grin stretched wider.

"Your dream and your conviction are nothing short of admirable, Midoriya-san. And yet, you still show the ability to use logical reasoning when deciding what path to take. But I disagree completely. I think you are selling yourself short. You have potential, Midoriya-san, and I cannot leave that untapped. Should you choose to accept, you will not only become a teacher at U.A., but I will also take you under my wing and mold you into a Pro Hero. I don't know if many people have told you this, Midoriya-san, but I'll say it anyway; with your power and your conviction, you can become a Hero, Quirk or not."

He stretched a paw out to Izuku, who was trembling, his eyes watering with unshed tears.

"So tell me, Midoriya-san. Do you accept?"

Izuku knew what he had to do. All of his instincts were screaming at him.

Slowly, with trembling hands, Izuku Midoriya reached out and grabbed what could accurately be symbolized as the road to his future.

While his Master was away, Emerald was making plans of his own for his Master's future.

As it was, despite the stunning compatibility he had with his Master, Izuku Midoriya, the fact of the matter was that with his current level of power, they wouldn't make it very far. They had nearly died and had completely exhausted themselves against a Saber who was for all intents and purposes, trash, in terms of Servant Paramaters and Skills, and one who had an obvious weakness that could be taken advantage of.

There was no doubt in Emerald's mind that the barely functional Saber Okita they encountered would probably be the weakest Servant they would ever meet.

No offense to her.

That wouldn't fly, considering the disastrous consequences of failure. In order to keep himself and his Master alive through all of this, the Kaleidostick had to come up with a game plan.

He had no doubt that his Master could draw out the powers he could grant, but the fact of the matter was the lack of Magic Circuits his Master possessed, which wasn't his fault considering magic was basically dead in this world.

That, and he couldn't draw out the full potential of the Mana Plane as well.

There was no way for him to build Magic Circuits or increase their output somehow according to his knowledge. Maybe a strong Caster Servant would have some way of fixing this issue, but they didn't have one, and they needed a solution until they did.

He could protect his Master from Mana Exhaustion and the more negative effects of magic overuse, but that was all.

As for the Class Cards, those were probably the only method of attack they had that could suitably damage Heroic Spirits due to the abeforementioned lack of sustainable power. Right now they had three; Saber Okita Souji, Ruler Jeanne d'Arc, and Shielder Galahad. Of course, he also had the Deck of Heroes itself, which was a unique Noble Phantasm, but it was still synchronizing to him and would take a couple of days to become fully operational.

Izuku's body couldn't handle the strain of Installing a Class Card as it was, mainly due to the same magical limitations he had, so Including was the only way to go. And to be honest, that was no better than just summoning up a weapon because they had nowhere near enough power to unleash a Noble Phantasm.

The worst part was that Izuku couldn't summon the Servants for long either, and they definitely couldn't fight, due to both his lack of power and the complete lack of usable Mana in the environment. The Magical Leylines around the world had no doubt completely dried up and were barely identifiable.

They couldn't set up a proper base either, for the same reasons.

The sentient Mystic Code sighed. It was just his luck.

The one time he had a chance to shine, the world decided to set itself to Hardcore Mode.

No matter, he would show his stupid Creator. Even with meager resources, the two of them would seal back the Cards. That was a promise.

The first course of action was obviously to acquire a Caster Class Servant. Casters were fairly weak as far as their physical Parameters went, and although he couldn't sustain it for long, Emerald's Magecraft Barrier could tank even Magecraft from the Age of Gods. If they struck quickly, without giving the Caster enough time to gather Mana from the Mirror World, they could possibly take the Servant out, even with Izuku's lack of training.

They could do that once they found a Caster who could help them with the magic situation they were facing. He already had a bead on the Caster who had attacked them the day before, and whoever the Servant was, their magic had been very potent, indicating that the Heroic Spirit was definitely an expert. That was pretty good.

At least, if they managed to pull off a win.

Otherwise they would be incinerated without mercy.

Emerald flew around the room, humming to himself.

As much as he wanted to train Izuku more, they had to find Caster today itself, to minimize the amount of magical energy it could accumulate.

It was a risk, but one that needed to be taken.

Well, with his main objective having an admittedly shaky plan of action, Emerald decided to work on his side objectives.

Mainly, designing a better costume for Izuku's Kaleid Liner persona, and of course, getting his Master a girlfriend.

Or even a couple of girlfriends.

It should be noted that although his sisters had been raised on Magical Girl anime, he had been nurtured on Eroge and Harem Romcoms. While Ruby and Sapphire, especially the former, were more obsessed with turning their Masters into magical girls, Emerald was dedicated wholeheartedly to making his Master a Harem King.

Funnily enough, at that moment, nearly every Issei Hyoudou in the DxD universe cluster suddenly burst into tears of joy, knowing that their dream had been acknowledged.

Sort of.

Yeah, nothing associated with Zelretch had a chance of being normal.

In any sense of the word.

Growing a USB cable from his body, Emerald floated over to Izuku's laptop and got to work.

Information was power, after all, and there was probably a lot of useful information he could gain from his Master's Browser History.

Nezu strolled casually towards the Teacher's Lounge, in a noticeably better mood than he had been all week.

Or even all year.

Of course, it had to do with the latest addition to U.A.'s faculty, Dr. Izuku Midoriya.

He had just sent off the green-haired boy after discussing the finer details of the job such as what the animal expected from him both as his employee and his apprentice, and of course, his rather hefty salary, which was probably among the highest in the country due to U.A.'s prestige.

Through it all, he had interacted with the boy further, and had definitely concluded that he wasn't making a mistake, beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Izuku Midoriya was a treasure trove of untapped potential, one that he honestly kicked himself for allowing to slip through the cracks.

He owed Minato a drink after this for introducing him to such an interesting individual.

He had been surprised when he had first heard of Izuku Midoriya, a Quirkless teenager who had volunteered to help Professor Washi and his crew. His long-time friend wasn't one to give out praise where it wasn't deserved, and he practically gushed about the boy.

They had talked about him on and off for months, and when his friend had recently told him that his work on Quirk Analysis had earned him a Degree and a Doctorate without him ever setting foot on the campus of the University that gave it to him, Nezu knew he had to find out more about the boy.

So he set out, and gathered all information possible on Izuku Midoriya.

And what he had found was a surprise, which honestly intrigued him even more.

Because there were few people who didn't know of Izuku Midoriya in the West Side of Mustafu. Everyone only had good things to tell about the kind Quirkless teenager who was a die-hard Hero fan and someone who would always try to help others in any way he could.

He ended up digging a little more into the boy's history and profile, learning of his father's work overseas and the relentless bullying he faced at Aldera Junior High School, which he was already building a case against.

After all, Midoriya aside, it was absolutely unacceptable for an educational institution for young children to mold those kind of attitudes in its students.

It was... truly amazing, that a child facing so much adversity from the world around him would still have such a kind spirit.

It was after his research on the boy that Nezu decided to meet him and truly judge his potential.

He had brought up an old idea of his out of the burner, to implement Quirk Studies Classes for the Hero Course, and contacted Washi to tell him that he was considering Izuku as a candidate to teach the subject.

His friend had been more than happy with that news and had proceeded to bombard him with all the information and paperwork he had related to the boy, something which slightly frightened the chimera. The crazy glint in Minato's eyes hadn't exactly set him at ease either.

And then, Izuku Midoriya had walked into his office.

He wasn't anything all too special, a surprisingly fit boy who was rather on the plain side, if one discounted his rather exotic hair color.

But any notions of Izuku being plain in any sense of the word had been shattered from the first few seconds since the two of them had met.

It started from when he completed the chimera's catchphrase, and of course, gave him a carton of his favorite cheese spread.

Combined with the fact that he hadn't been wearing a clip-on tie, Nezu had already accepted him then and there mentally.

However, he wanted to know the full extent of Izuku's character and abilities, so he pressed him on further.

He was more than satisfied with what he had found.

So much so that he had actually decided to take him on as an apprentice as well as an employee. After all, the boy looked up to him as an idol on the same level as All Might, which was itself quite flattering, and something the chimera had never experienced before. He wasn't exactly popular among the Pro Heroes, so it gave him quite the ego boost to know that a bright young man like Izuku looked up to him.

Having reached his destination, Nezu pushed open the door to the Teacher's Lounge with a skip in his step, causing many people to shudder simultaneously at his cheer, which he found amusing.

A half-dead Shota was the first to notice him, and the scruffy man looked thankful for an excuse to get away from his loud, blonde friend.

"Can I help you, Sir?" he asked, drawing the attention of the other teachers.

"Oh, nothing like that." said Nezu cheerfully, waving a paw in the air. "This is more of an announcement, so I'd appreciate it if you all came over here."

Within seconds, all the teachers with the exception of Cementoss, who was out helping rebuild the Battle Areas after the rather tumultuous Entrance Exam the day before, stood before him, at attention.

"We will be having a new addition to the faculty for this new school year." he said pleasantly.

"I've decided to implement a Quirk Studies Class for the Hero Course students, and I've enlisted a good candidate for the position. In fact, he should arrive within a day or two just to get adjusted to his new duties."

They all nodded, pleasantly surprised by the news, although it was nothing too surprising.

However, Aizawa was the first to catch on as to why Nezu had come to tell them about if beforehand, which wasn't standard procedure, at least in the past.

"Don't tell me..." he said, his eyes narrowed. "That kid from earlier?"

Now that drew a few murmurs of surprise.

"A kid?" asked Sekijiro Kan, better known as Vlad King. "What's he talking about, Sir?"

Nezu put the file folder down on the empty table before him, a pleasant smile on his face.

He opened it, briefly showcasing all the pictures he had acquired when hunting about information on the young man, before selecting one and closing the folder.

The picture was instantly snatched up by Nemuri Kayama, better known as Midnight.

"Oh~? Where did you find such a fine specimen, Sir? He's simply adorable too~!" she squealed, causing the men in the room to offer a silent prayer for the chastity and sanity of their latest colleague, though they didn't even know him.

"Our latest addition is quite the unorthodox one." he said, grinning at the confusion (and arousal in one case) on their faces. "Dr. Izuku Midoriya. Age: 13. Quirkless. Has a Doctorate and a Master's Degree in Quirk Analysis from I-Island University, the youngest to date, to be exact. I've spoken to him personally, and am quite pleased with my decision to include him among us."

"Damn." said Snipe. "That's pretty impressive."

"I knew the kid was good, since he figured me out in a few seconds, but still..." said Shota, his face showing a hint of begrudging respect. "Looks like you made a logical decision after all, Sir."

"Oh, on that note, I think you should see something!" said Nezu, mentally grinning before he gave a few sheets of paper to Eraserhead.

The man looked at him questioningly before beginning to read, and his eyes went wide in shock soon enough. His jaw hung open slightly, something that was not overlooked by the other people in the room.

Hizashi Yamada, better known as Present Mic, who was looking over his friend's shoulder, gaped in shock as his glasses nearly slid off his face.

Midnight, who was looking over his other shoulder, also gaped for a few moments in surprise before a slow grin spread across her face.

"Cat cafés, huh?" she said teasingly, only to find that Aizawa had actually frozen in shock, staring at what was basically his life story, his combat style and even his patrol routes and local haunts written down on a sheet of paper.

"I'm told that he's quite the Hero enthusiast." said Nezu, relishing the expression on the normally unflappable teacher's face.

"This is actually kind of scary." said Snipe, who had taken the sheets from the immobile Aizawa.

Sekijiro only nodded in agreement.

"Oh, did I mention that I'll also be training him personally?"

Everyone in the room paled rapidly, the occupants sharing a single thought.

'God have mercy on that poor kid's soul. And ours, too.'

Nezu's maniacal, squeaky laughter echoed hauntingly through the halls of U.A., causing everyone who heard it to shudder fearfully, as he further explained more about his new charge to his employees.

Afterwards, he continued his walk, coming to a decision.

Midoriya had the potential to be among the greatest Heroes of the new generation. He had intelligence, courage and willpower. This was why he had decided to take the boy as his own student, both to hone that intelligence of his and to tap into his potential.

What he lacked, however, was confidence and a Quirk, the former no doubt being related to that little tidbit.

Although, that last part could be amended.

He dialed up a number on his phone, and within seconds the man on the other end picked up.

"Sir?"

"Toshinori?" he said, holding the cell phone to his ear. "Do show up once at U.A. in a few days, will you? There's someone I'd like you to meet."

It was 6 P.M. by the time Izuku made it home, and he was mentally exhausted by the whole affair, but at the same time was also incredibly jubilant.

Not only had he been accepted as a teacher into U.A., but he was also being taken under the wing, or more accurately, the paw of the most intelligent Pro Hero in the world. He could both take this new opportunity and still keep going with his original dream.

He opened the door to his house to see his mother waiting anxiously for him on the couch, fidgeting slightly.

Upon seeing his tired but extremely happy face, a slow smile spread across her own visage.

"Izu, did you-?"

"I did it, mom!" said Izuku, throwing his briefcase onto the dining table and hugging his mother tightly. "Principal Nezu gave me the job!"

"Oh, Izuku!" she cried, hugging him back. "I knew you could do it!"

"That's my boy!" said another voice, and Izuku turned to see his father on video call, his mother's phone having been placed on the table, out of his immediate sight range. "Not only is he a doctor at 13, but he's also a teacher in the greatest Hero High School in the country!"

"Dad!" cried Izuku, picking up the phone and matching his father's smile. "How long have you been on?"

"A few hours, mainly talking to your mother. Once she told me what was going on, I just couldn't get any sleep. I had to wait for you, Izu. I can't believe you kept me out of the loop like that, though!"

The three of them laughed together, finally throwing away any shadows of the life they had led since that fateful day 9 years prior.

It was a good day for the Midoriyas.

[Congratulations, Izuku!]

Emerald flew in figure eights in front of him, soaring through he air rather ungracefully.

[But it's time to get down to business. I've located the Caster who attacked us before. Take an hour to rest up, and then we head out. We need to capture that Servant before they can accumulate too much power if we want to ever find a solution for our magic problem. I've cross referenced the Mirror World location to the map of Mustafu I downloaded from your computer. We need to go to the abandoned shrine by the park adjacent to Sunset Boulevard.]

"Got it." said Izuku, his face turning serious.

Life may have been looking up for him, but he couldn't truly enjoy it until the threat of the Class Cards was eliminated and he managed to seal them all up.

It only had occurred to him at that moment, but Izuku Midoriya realized that he was on the path to becoming a Hero in his own way.

It may not have been the way he expected, but he would move forward, and walk proudly towards his dream.

That's all for this chapter, folks!

I know that you all might be disappointed without any Servants or fighting in this chapter, but it was dedicated to Izuku's interview with Nezu, which I hope you all liked.

Nezu was a character who I really liked, and I was disappointed that canon didn't have very much of him. That won't be the case here, as he is now one of Izuku's mentors. And someone who would get along with Zelretch very well.

I also keep putting moments between Izuku and his mom as an act of protest against those who make her neglectful or evil in their stories. Inko Midoriya is exactly like her son, in all the good ways. She is one of those few sacred characters that shouldnt't be bashed.

Things are moving along now, and next chapter is going to have a good fight and some more expostion on the Deck of Heroes itself and of course, Servant shenanigans.

I'm not going to ramble on for long, so I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I request that you guys either Review or PM about any suggestions you have.

Thank you, and have a nice day!

Spatialphoenix, burning to ashes.