"So I guess..." Gyro wasn't sure what to do. The game wasn't over quite yet, but dropping a crippled person and leaving them behind just felt scummy to him.

Izuku felt relief with over him, but it was only momentary. "It isn't over yet! If I can just get a single point!"

Before he could even attempt to move, Present Mic's booming voice filled the air. "TIME'S UP!"

The aura of the arena went from desperation to exhaustion. Every contestant relaxed, or fell over.

"Well, that was fun!" Gyro exclaimed with a smile, still holding Midoriya bridal style. "Almost as fun as..."

Izuku didn't hear any more of the Italian's words. The realization of his situation, and its unavoidable aftermath, hit him like a bullet train.

He was partially pulled from his trance by a new voice belonging to a woman. "Just leave it all to me, young'uns." The two looked over and saw a woman roughly half Gyro's height. She was wearing a visor and lab coat. In her hand was a cane that looked like a large syringe. She was walking past the other examinees and giving them candies, making them give off looks of confusion.

"Who's that?" Gyro wondered aloud.

Whether someone heard him or not, he got his answer from another would-be UA student barely in earshot. "Isn't that Recovery Girl?"

"Yeah! She's the only reason UA can have these sort of tests."

The healer walked over to Gyro and Izuku. "My my. You did this with your own Quirk?"

"Apparently," Gyro answered, getting down on one knee, making it easier for Izuku to be inspected.

"If that is the case, I suppose your Quirk and body aren't on the same page." Recovery Girl puckered her lips, making the two adopt looks of confusion, and planted them on Izuku's forehead. The Italian raised an eyebrow before she pulled herself away.

While the shock overtook him, Midoriya barely realized what was happening to his limbs. The sensation was one he never felt before, but the exhaustion that came soon after took him back to the days of him constantly moving garbage off the sand. He tested his right hand, and found that he could move his fingers freely again.

The sight put a smile on Recovery Girl's face. "There you go. Good as new." She turned away from them and addressed the small crowd that had gathered. "Are there any more injured that need tending to?"

"So, you're all better?" Gyro asked Izuku, and then promptly dropped him. He watched the freckled youth groan and stand up before his eyes drifted to the competitor who had voiced his concerns for errors in the auditorium looking at Izuku with a veneer of deep thought. Gyro, not very fond of the glasses-wearing man at the moment, shrugged it off. "C'mon Izzy. Let's get outta here before more stuff blows up."

Izuku didn't hear him as he struggled to his feet. "So... tired..."

Gyro steadied him. "Easy there, Izzy."

The greenette mentally questioned what the Italian had called him, and fell back to the ground. Gyro rolled his eyes and again picked him up. "I think I'll start charging you for this."

"Is... she okay?" Izuku asked. His words sounded like each one was akin to a punch to his gut.

Gyro looked over to the brown-haired girl climbing off the missile turret she had used to elevate herself. She looked queasy but in one piece. "She's fine."

XXXXXXXXX

"Well, that was the most entertaining thing I've done in a few weeks." Diego thought for a moment. "Hmm... I'd say I got about fifty points, maybe? Not a bad haul." He looked back at the way they came and spied Midoriya walking in step with a fellow European. "Who might you be?"

"This is Zeppeli," Izuku explained as he stared ahead of himself blankly.

"Zeppeli?" Brando repeated. The name sounded familiar but he couldn't pinpoint why.

Izuku nodded. "He helped me out in the test."

Gyro ruffled his companion's already unkempt hair. "Couldn't let him stick that hard landing."

"Hard landing? Are you okay?" Diego snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face. Midoriya did not even blink. "I'll take that as a no."

XXXXXXXXX

"Just a second!" Midoriya Inko quickly made her way to the door of the apartment, from which knocking could be heard. She opened it and found her son and a caucasian blonde standing on the other side.

"Hi, mom. I'm home. And I guess I brought a friend."

"Brando Diego," he greeted her with a bow. "He seemed spaced out, or overstimulated, and I figured he might get hit by a car or something."

The matriarch of the Midoriya household smiled at him. "Thank you for the concern, Brando. My son talks about you a lot."

"Good things, I hope."

Inko laughed at the apparent joke. "Please, come in."

"Thank you." Diego followed Izuku in, and noticed an open door with a small plague with his friend's name on it, making the latter panic.

"Waitwaitwait!" But it was too late. Diego took a look inside and stood in silence, making Izuku paranoid about what DIO's progeny was thinking about All Might merchandise, of which his room was completely covered in.

"Well... I now know he's number one both to everybody, and to you personally."

"Huh?" That was far from the response One For All's newest holder had expected.

"What, you think I'd judge you for this? Telence collects puppets. And besides, we all got our secrets."

Izuku still felt the wave of relief minutes later as the three sat down for a drink.

"So, Brando, where are you from?" Inko asked.

"Born in England, but I spent most of the time I can remember in Cairo with Gramps."

"If I could ask," Izuku started, "what about your parents?"

Diego shrugged. "Mom died when I was five. Tetanus and pneumonia."

I-I'm so sorry!" Both Midoriyas exclaimed.

"And my dad... if I ever see him again, I'll probably have to fight the urge to eat him alive."

"Why?" Inko asked with obvious worry.

"Because he buried me alive when I was born. Didn't want to feed another mouth. It would have taken away his booze budget."

Both of his hosts stared at him in utter silence.

"That..." Inko struggled to find her voice. "That... that's horrible!"

Izuku's eyes started to well up. "Diego... I... I'm so sorry!"

"Don't cry," Diego said bluntly. "Really, I'm fine. Mother taught me how to handle life and Gramps takes care of me." He continued to reassure them, even after he thanked them for their hospitality, put on his boots, and walked out the door.

"Izuku, I didn't get a chance to tell you this, but I'm proud of you." Inko hugged her only son. "You chased your dream and gave your all."

The younger Midoriya returned the embrace. "Thanks, mom." He looked at the door that lead to the outside, thinking about Diego. "I had no idea..."

"You're a good friend to him. That, without a doubt, helps him a lot." Her mind wandered briefly, the conversation with Brando having reminded her of something. "I also should apologize to you. Hearing him talk about his... memories made me think about what I said to you a long time ago, and how it sounded like I'd given up on you..."

"Mom, you don't need to apologize," her son smiled warmly.

Outside, as Diego walked along the streets to the train station, his thoughts began to dig up images he had kept buried for years. Talking about his early youth had proven to be quite the shovel.

"What's your name, child?"

The orphaned eight-year-old looked at the tanned priest with curiosity. "... Diego Brando."

"Well, Diego, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Enrico Pucci."

Diego looked at the tall man next to the holy roller. "Who are you?"

The stranger decided to answer the question with one of his own. "Your mother... did she ever talk about her family?"

Diego thought back on what little about his life he could remember. "No?"

"She never spoke of her father?"

"No."

"I would think not. After all, she never knew him." He pulled a picture and showed it to the young one. Diego could barely comprehend it. What he was looking at was his mother lying on a bed. She looked very ill, and her hands were wrapped in filthy bandages. He recognized the image, as it would remain with him for all his days. It was her final moments, before she left the living world. The only way this stranger could have taken the photo would be if he had been in the same room as her just before she perished.

"How did you get this?" Diego half wondered, half demanded.

The tall blonde presented a hand, and out of it sprang violet, thorny vines. "With these. They can show me things from far away."

Diego looked at them with curiosity. Could this be the man's Quirk? He looked up to the two men. "Who are you?"

"My name is Dio." He crouched down to make himself as close to eye-level as he could with the boy. "Dio Brando."

Diego's eyes widened. "Brando?" The gears in his mind began turning. "Are you...?"

"Yes. She was my daughter, although it shames me to admit I never knew about her until it was too late. That makes you my grandson. I surmise after your father left, she took her own last name again?" Dio felt a short burst of nostalgia, asking questions he already knew the answer to. Just like when he was in law school.

The young boy's mind went blank for a moment as he nodded. "So... we're..."

"Related. Directly."

Pucci rejoined the conversation. "Do you want to stay here, in this dingy, halfway orphanage?"

The thought of another day in the hellhole terrified Diego. "N-no!"

Dio offered a hand and put a warm smile on his face. "We can leave. Right now. And go somewhere better."

"Better?" Diego looked at the hand like it was a soft bed.

"Someplace warm, with food and comfort..."

Thinking back on the day his life took a change for the best made Diego smile. But that happy expression quickly vanished as his memories turned to the times his mother talked about the man who had sired him. The morpher knew little about the man, but he hated the bastard with every fiber of his being. "I'll show you, old man..."

XXX One Week Later XXX

Midoriya sat at his desk in silence. On it was a letter from UA containing his results from the exam, but to him it might as well have been a bomb about to go off. It filled with so many emotions, most of them negative. He felt drained. And he had not done anything that day. He could hear his mother pacing in the hallway outside his door.

Let's just get it over with! He decided, and ripped the envelope in half. Out of it came a small circular device that landed on the desktop. "What the..."

Instantly, it powered up and above it came a rectangular hologram screen suspended in midair. And on it was...

"I AM HERE! AS A PROJECTION!"

"All Might?" Izuku spoke with bewilderment. He knew that he couldn't be heard, but his shock overtook his logic. "Isn't this from UA?!"

The Number One Hero continued. "I apologize for not contacting you sooner, but you and I will be seeing each other more often, since I've decided to teach at UA."

The statement blew the fanboy away. All Might as a teacher?!

"What's that? Turn to camera two?" All Might's message started to confuse the viewer. "We can fix that in post? That works." It was then Izuku figured out the editors of the video either overlooked that, or were just lazy. "Anyway, you did fine on the written test, but as for the practical exam, you scored zero points. It goes without say that you failed."

It was at that moment that the young Midoriya felt dread and hopelessness overwhelm him. Damn it! I'm sorry you wasted your time on me, All Might...

"But wait! That isn't all! Behold!" Behind the projection of the Symbol of Peace came a screen, and on it was a familiar face.

"That... that's the girl who saved me!" Izuku leaned forward, getting closer to the hologram. She seemed to be talking with Present Mic.

All Might elaborated, "After the exam was done, she came right to us!"

"Um, excuse me," she fidgeted nervously in front of the Voice Hero. "The boy who saved me... I heard him say something about not having any points in the exam..."

The statement brought out a memory to Izuku, of Bakugo telling him just how worthless he was. He shook it out of his mind as he continued listening.

"... and he would have earned some if he didn't use the last few minutes dealing with that giant robot..."

Another harsh string of words came to the newest holder of One For All. Why would you just charge into danger?!

"... so could you please give him some of my points? It only seems fair!"

"No need to worry!" Present Mic laughed and patted her head. "He's doing just fine on his own!"

"I am?!" Izuku couldn't believe it.

"Fret not, Young Midoriya! The judges weren't watching you all just for just smashing robots! This is where Rescue points come in! You think they just glanced over all the acts of doing the right thing? That is the basic core of being a Hero! Think that's cheesy? So be it! It's still true! Your selfless act earned you... sixty Rescue Points! Meaning... you passed!"

Midoriya had a hard time processing those last two words. "I..."

All Might held out a hand with his palm towards the sky. "Welcome, Izuku, to your hero academia."

A decent distance away, Diego finished watching his own recorded message, confirming his acceptance into the top Hero-training school. Unlike Midoriya, he had not been the only one to view it. DIO and Pucci sat on either side of him, sharing the sofa in the Brando manor den.

"Congratulations," DIO said with a smile only he could pull off. "But be warned. The hard part has not even begun for you, grandson." The Vampire stood up. "Meet me in the garden after dusk, Diego. Enrico, go get the road roller ready."

XXXXXXXXX

The following evening, Midoriya answered a summons from All Might and met him at the beach he painstakingly cleared.

"All Might!" He shouted out with glee in his tone and tears in his eyes after seeing his idol standing on the sand in his true form.

Instantly, the Symbol of Peace's mouth leaked his blood. "Not out loud!"

A young couple not too far off had overheard him. "Did he say All Might?!

"Where?! Where is he?!"

"Say that you mistook me for someone else!" The Number One Hero whispered desperately to his successor.

Izuku nodded quickly and shouted again. "Sorry! My eyes were playing tricks on me!"

With slight disappointment, the couple returned to their own conversation.

With a sigh of relief, All Might addressed the boy he had passed his Quirk on to. "Congrats on passing. You should know, none of the teachers at the academy know that we've been in contact for so long. I didn't want to make you worry that you got in only because of connections."

"Thanks!" Midoriya smiled. "I was surprised when I found out you were going to be teaching at UA, and since nobody knows, that's why we have to meet here, right? Because your office is in the Minato Ward of Tokyo, Roppongi to be specif-"

"Gettin' creepy, kid." The three words made Izuku close his mouth as All Might continued. "I told the faculty of UA about my situation, but nobody else knows. I asked that they contact me as soon as they found a proper successor for me."

That makes sense. Izuku mused. Looking for the next holder for his Quirk there would be like a jockey browsing the best racehorses in the world. He looked down at his hands. "One For All... one jump shattered my legs. And one punch took out my arm. So... I really can't handle it at all."

"Makes sense. If somebody suddenly wakes up with a tail and people ask him to do tricks from the get-go, he's mostly just going to flail it around with no rhyme or reason."

"Wait, you mean... you knew that would happen?!"

"Well... we were on borrowed time! And besides, everything worked out. Listen, right now, you're at all or nothing. So if you can just learn to tone it down and control it to where your body can take it, eventually it'll be second nature. The more you build up a vessel, the stronger and more resilient it gets." He bent down and picked up an empty spray paint can. "Soon, that vessel will take anything that's thrown at it..." His Hero form replaced his skeletal one and he crushed the can without effort. "And will give out power that nothing else can take!"

The lovebirds from earlier, who hadn't left their spot, instantly noticed the Pillar of Justice. "It really is All Might!"

"Uh-oh. Now we run!" As the two sprinted across the sand, the Symbol of Peace thought deeply. I've passed the torch to you, Young Midoriya, and not even heavy rain can put it out. Though the flame is small, I swear I will help it grow within you!

XXXXXXXXX

"You must have cheated!" Bakugo Katsuki had his former friend by the collar in a secluded spot at their school. He had not taken the news of Deku being accepted into UA alongside well, to say the least. "What dirty trick did you use?!" He did not give his hostage any time to respond. "I was supposed to be the first and only one from this shithole to get into UA! And you ruined my glory! I told you to stay away, shitheel!"

Then, Deku did something his bully never expected. He grabbed his arms and glared at him, albeit with saturated eyes. "Somebody finally acknowledged me, told me I have what it takes. I earned this! You can't stop me! Your punching bag is gone! I'm headed to UA, whether you like it or not!"

Standing his ground paid off. Bakugo let him go and grumbled a death threat before stomping away. Izuku let out a sigh of relief. With classes over and tomorrow being the start of the weekend, he headed home, changed out of his uniform, and took his usual commute to the Brando household, making it to the gate as the sun went below the horizon.

Much to his surprise, he found his friend sitting in the front garden with a cold glass of water in his hand.

"Welcome back, Izuku!" He smiled.

The greenette walked closer and got a good look at the British teenager. "You look awful!" Diego had gauze on his arm, a deep and wide black eye, and a large patch on his left jawline. "What happened?!"

"Familial training," he answered casually. "Gramps dropped a steamroller on me."

"WHAT?!" Izuku was mortified. "Then... how are you still alive?! And why would he do that?!"

"To answer your first question, to toughen me up for UA."

"And as for the second..." a voice of great presence came from the doorway. With the sun safely gone, DIO suddenly appeared outside of his abode.

This is Diego's Vampire grandfather? He must be really fast to just come out of nowhere, Izuku wondered as he finally got a look at the owner of the mansion. He had a face that made people think he was in his late twenties and was built like a Greek statue and had shoulder-length blonde hair like his grandson. He was wearing a tight black shirt that showed his muscles and a yellow-orange pair of pants. On his feet were boots that ended with upward curls on the toes. However, his most distinctive detail was the scar that wrapped completely around his neck.

"Make no mistake," the bloodsucker continued. "It's not abuse, I wouldn't dare. I'm simply hardening him, just as he said. Getting kicked out so soon would surely be unwanted."

Kicked out?! Those two words made Izuku shake. "I... I understand, Brando-san."

"Ah yes. We've not been properly introduced. I am DIO. And you must be Midoriya Izuku."

The formerly Quirkless youth tensed up and nodded. "Y-Yes, I am."

"Your buddy Zeppeli told me about what you did in the exam," Diego said. "You're crazy, you know that?"

He talked to Zeppeli? Izuku asked himself. Why do I feel so out of the loop?

"Zeppeli," DIO mused. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while."

Izuku failed to hide his surprise. "You know him?"

"No, but there's a decent chance I was once acquainted with one of his ancestors."

Izuku tilted his head. "Just how old are you?"

"Normally, asking about one's age can be offensive..." the Vampire smirked. "But since age means nothing to me, I'll let it slide. I've walked this earth for well over a few centuries."

"Is your Vampirism your Quirk or were you not born with it?" Midoriya's inclination to want to know everything about everyone's Quirk kicked in and he began asking questions a mile a minute. "Has it gotten stronger over the years? What all can you do?"

The two Brandos exchanged a glance and Diego shrugged.

The nosferatu snapped his fingers in front of Midoriya, making his questions cease. "No. I was born human and Quirkless."

"Then... how did you-"

"That, I might answer when I know you better, boy."

XXXXXXXXX

The day finally came. Midoriya Izuku ran through the halls of UA. I still can hardly believe I'm here! So many applied! And yet I'm one of the forty-eight first-years in the Hero courses! "Where is it? Classroom 1-A. 1-A..." He was so focused on searching for the sign that he failed to see what was in front of him. He collided with something and fell onto his back.

"In a hurry?" The young Hero-in-training groaned and opened his eyes to find a fellow student, judging by the uniform, pointing at him with a glare. She was very tall and had long flowing black hair.

"I-I'm so sorry!" He said desperately.

On the outer side of her arm, just below the wrist, sprang what looked like a blade from a scythe. "Do that again, and I'll cut you down like wheat." The blade returned to under her flesh and she walked off.

Izuku gulped as he returned to his feet and continued searching for his homeroom, although he kept a much slower pace. Eventually, he found it. "This door is huge..." He took a deep breath. I just hope that Kacchan and that big guy with the glasses isn't in here... He opened the door... and saw the two embodiments of his fear in the classroom.

"Get your feet off the desk! That is unsanitary and unprofessional!"

"Oh yeah? Why don't you make me, four-eyes?"

"Four-eyes? Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Iida Tenya from Soumei Academy."

"Soumei, huh? So you're an elite? Thanks for the info. Now I got a reason to end you!"

"You would threaten your own classmate?"

"Oh joy," said a voice next to Izuku, making him yelp. He looked over and saw that a wound-free Diego had seemingly materialized next to him. "Those two."

The shriek had caught there attention.

Bakugo growled. "Deku... and... whatever his name is."

Iida, however, took a different approach. He rushed up to them and bowed. "Greetings. I am Tenya Iida of Soumei-"

"I, uh, heard you," Izuku cut him off. "I'm Midoriya and he's Brando."

"Midoriya... I must admit... I completely misjudged you. I took you for just a troublemaker, but you discovered the true purpose of our practical exam! And I was blind to it! Truly, you were the better man!"

"But I didn't know-" Izuku was cut off by a sudden heavy feeling on his arm. He looked down at his side, and his scream died in his stomach. Coming out of him was an American girl in UA's student uniform. She had long blonde hair that curled at the end and piercing eyes. She gently pushed Diego back and climbed out of Izuku's sleeve, adjusting her skirt as she stood up. Directly behind her was a white-blue Stand with long, sharp horns.

"Dojyaaa~n!" She said with a smile as she dusted her sleeves off. "Thanks for the delivery." She walked off to the back row, leaving a traumatized Izuku behind.

Yet another new voice rang up behind him. "Could you move?" The green-haired youth snapped back into reality and spun on his heels, making eye contact with another blonde caucasian. Unlike the bodily intruder, this one was male. Floating behind him was... something. It was pink and looked like a magic animal from a children's book.

Midoriya took a step back, letting him pass. "So sorry!"

The young man shrugged and walked by him. "No problem." As he made his way back to his assigned seat, another one of his peers inadvertently stopped.

"Oh, so cute!" He looked over and saw what appeared to be a set of clothing in midair with nobody in them. "Does he have a name?"

Johnny heard the girl's voice come from above the collar of the blazer. Did she have an invisibility Quirk? "I call it Tusk."

The sleeve came up and got close to the pink creature's head. Its owner could tell she was petting it. "Is he your pet?"

"No. My Stand."

"Well, he is adorable. I'm Hagakure Tooru."

He considered her for a moment. "Johnny Joestar."

The name made Brando twist his head and drift his eyes. "Joestar."

The weilder of Tusk looked back at him. His eyes instantly focused. "Dio."

"First Zeppeli, now you." His anger faded and a smirk formed on his visage. "Very well. I consistently beat you on the track for years. Surely your collection ot silver will increase here too.

Near the back of the room, sitting at the end of the sixth row of seats, Gyro looked at the entire spectacle before leaning forward with a grin. "I can already tell this is going to be a fun time."

"Please try to be serious, Gyro-kun," Yaoyorozu Momo asked politely.

Back near the front, Izuku was about to be free of his bodily lock when another female voice rang up behind him. "Oh, there you are!"

He turned around and made eye contact with the girl who had tried to give her exam points to him. She's standing so close to me! His fave turned as red as a tomato.

"Glad to see you made it in!" She was very enthusiastic. "That punch you threw was out of this world!" Izuku struggled to form words as she continued. "Oh, I'm sorry! I never gave you my name. Uraraka Ochako."

"I-I-I-I-"

Diego rolled his eyes. "He's Midoriya. Call me Brando."

"Pleased to meet you both. I wonder what today is about? The welcoming ceremony? Or maybe guidance counseling?"

She was eventually cut of by a drained voice behind her. "If you're just going to try and make friends, do it somewhere else."

Both she and Midoriya looked back into the hall and saw an unshaven man with long black hair lying on the floor in a yellow sleeping bag. After sucking a juice pouch dry, he stood up and shed his outermost layer like a butterfly. His stance and veneer implied that he had not gotten any rest in weeks.

All of the students wondered the same thing. Who is this guy?

"It took you eight seconds to quiet down. Too long, in my opinion. I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta."

This is Aizawa? Diego admitted to himself that this was not what he expected.

The shabby looking Pro Hero reached into his sleeping bag and pulled out what looked like a blue tracksuit. "Put these on and get out to the PE grounds."