UA High: Locker rooms:

Minoru heaved a sigh in the locker room in a symbiote version of his PE uniform. Rather than the traditional blue, white and red color scheme, this symbiote outfit was a dark purple and the white stripes were red and the red stripes that would be on the upper shoulder sleeves were now white. And of course he kept the symbiote scarf piece on as well. "Tch, man. I really love how you're just a portable wardrobe dude." Minoru smirked as he admired his new attire made from the living organism that meshed and bonded with his body.

As the boy prepared to leave the locker room some memories from the first host Ichigo flashed through his mind. Memories of getting ready in a locker room much like how he was doing right now. For...soccer? Huh. Apparently Ichigo really had a thing for the sport and played quite a lot in school and in college. He was pretty good at it too, in fact his ball juggling skills were giving him some ideas. However that can wait, Minoru thought as he looked around the empty locker room around him.

Minoru was the only one in the locker room as he had waited for the other boys to dress first and head off to the P.E. Grounds where Aizawa was waiting for the rest of class. Minoru waited because of course he wanted to have Mania form as his uniform and because he didn't want to be near Kaminari after what happened at lunch or well any of the other guys not wanting to be questioned about his outburst or odd behavior. That he certainly didn't need.

No one except Kaminari seemed to notice Minoru didn't walk in with them but they did take notice when they were leaving the locker room only to see Minoru leaning against the wall. They of course questioned what he was doing but Minoru ignored their questions and just shooed them off. He just wasn't in the mood for interrogations.

"Okay it's show time, whatever Aizawa has planned I'm sure my new physical prowess should get me through it pretty easy. But no showing off my new quirks, gotta keep those hidden too. Me suddenly being superhuman will already raise eyebrows for the others so let's not add new quirks to the suspicion list.'' Minoru cracked his knuckles as he prepared to leave the locker room to hurry off to the pre-grounds.

"Minoru, just so you know we can tweak your performance if need be." Mania spoke from a mouth formed on the chest of the symbiotic PE uniform. "Oh yeah? Go on. I'm listening." Minoru said to his bonded partner while shoving his hands in his pockets.

"We can manipulate your body's chemistry. We can pump adrenaline to make you even stronger and faster. We can also cut off your analeptic chemicals so that you can't feel any pain." Mania explained yet another mind-boggling ability they possessed.

"Hot damn. You can do all this crazy stuff and this Nine guy is still stronger than us? Jesus man...but cool. That will help me a lot, hehehe. Now I'm actually kind of excited for whatever Aizawa's gonna have us do." Minoru said as he walked out the locker room and into an empty hallway.

"Enough horsing around, let's get this show on the road." Minoru dawned a small smirk as he prepared to take off down the hall. "Good luck and remember. We're here. Always." Mania gave a final word of encouragement as it went silent .

"Heh, don't need luck. Never have." Minoru muttered under his breath as he took off running down the hall at great speed to make his way to the P.E. Grounds. As he ran he lifted his symbiote scarf over his mouth as he ran. It's almost comforting to do so, it's like an old habit really. Was this because of being bonded with the symbiote? Didn't matter, there were more important things to think about.

UA High School: P.E. Grounds:

The rest of 1A were standing idly by lined up on the P.E. Grounds as Aizawa sighed, already not pleased Mineta wasn't already out and about with the others. After hearing about his little outburst from Midnight this only made him more concerned. "( I really hope this isn't anything serious. )" The dry eyed man thought to himself as he hoped Minoru was just having an off day.

Though he always had suspsissions Minoru wasn't all he seemed to be. There were times where he noticed Minoru spacing out during class. Not gawking at the girls but also not focusing on class. He would just sit there and stare up at the ceiling. Utterly spaced out and often Aizawa would ponder what could possibly be going through his mind. Aizawa was quick to think he was probably thinking of something lewd but looking at him closely during the times he'd space out like that he could see the dead eyes of Minoru. They were dull and rather lifeless and the same could be said for the expressions he had as well.

Perhaps the time has come to finally have a private one on one talk with Minoru, Aizawa thought to himself. Not only about his well being but about his behavior and future. He believed Minoru could be a great hero if he just got his priorities straight. "( Guess it's time I finally hammer in where Mineta's headed at this rate. It's a pain but it seems he's not gonna learn on his own. )" Aizawa sighed to himself as he was already ready to go off and fetch Mineta himself. The only reason he was waiting on him was because he had a test for him specifically.

To be honest everyone had made great progress from the first day he'd met them. However while Mineta didn't exactly get worse he didn't get better either. He did develop some new tricks but however over all the others had me substantially more, even Hagakure had grown quite a leap from where she was at the beginning which she barely did better than Mineta.

Aizawa wanted to give him another go at this test to see how much he had grown, if he had at all. He also hoped having his classmates watch him would motivate him to do better. Aizawa would have pulled the "Meet my expectations or be expelled" ploy again but he felt as though that wouldn't yield much results as Minoru would probably know he was bluffing.

Regardless, this was a test for him to see where he needed to start with Minoru both in his training and behavior. "( Please let your classmates watching you inspire you to give this your all Mineta. You wanted them to think you're cool right? So show them how cool you can be. )" The man thought to himself as he was preparing to go see what was taking the boy in question so long.

"Psss, Sparky." Kyoka would try to gain the attention of her boyfriend Denki who had been acting pretty strange ever since lunch. He seemed really upset about something, she'd tried asking what was wrong but he kinda brushed it off, so she decided to give it another try.

"Yeah?" Denki looked over at Kyoka who offered him a comforting smile. "Heeey, listen are you okay? I know you said you were fine before but I know you're not. Come on, you can talk to me." Kyoka said as she placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

Denki gave a faint smile, Kyoka despite how tsundere she can be at times really was there for him. So much so that he felt bad just telling her he was fine after that really intense talk with Minoru.

"Look, be honest. Is it about Mineta?" The ear jack girl would ask Denki with a small hint of concern in her voice.

Denki looks Kyoka in the eyes and says truthfully "I'm worried for him babe."

This comment really got her attention. "Well to be honest a lot of us are worried about him but probably in a different way...but I'm guessing yours is different?" Kyoka would ask, trying to scope out if this was serious.

Denki tries to say what's on his mind, only for his words to escape him about what he was feeling about Minoru.

"Sparky...did something happen? What did he do?" Kyoka's face grew more serious she she was starting to think Minoru had done something.

Denki sighed, "Kyoka… Look. Minoru has ended our friendship." He says with such pain and a heavy heart. "I told him how I felt about him and how he needed to change. I told Minoru how I really wanted to help him. Help my own best bud… But he doesn't want my help. Talking to him was like talking to a brick wall but actually hurts your feelings. I was trying my hardest to reach him. So DAMN hard! He's really changing so much that I can hardly recognise him." Kyoka could see that this was mentally draining for him, a complete mindfuck.

Kyoka was at a loss for words for a moment. Mineta literally just told his ONLY friend to leave him alone? Even after he tried to help him actually be a decent person? How low can this little creep get? Not only did he pull the cheapest move imaginable with this, he also hurt Denki too and that was something Kyoka was going to let Mineta have an ear full about. "Sparky, listen...don't let that get you so down okay? I'm sure there's something more to this. I don't know what it is but I'm sure we can find it. So please. Don't be all down and mopey...it hurts to see you like this." The tomboyish girl would wrap her hand around the electro blonde's hand in a comforting manner, letting him know she was here for him.

Denki leans into his girlfriend's shoulder and holds her hand tightly. "I feel like I don't even know my own friend anymore." Denki lamented.

"I get it Denki...I wasn't there for that conversation but from how you're describing it, it sure sounded surreal. It was already apparent there was something wrong with him when he literally blew up at Midnight over a door." Kyoka's eyes narrowed a bit as she thought back to the shocking event.

The static boy covers his face, holding back his urge to weep. "He said that the friend I knew, the face I was staring into was a facade… A mask of who he actually is. He would talk about how different our lives are without going into detail on how they are different. How things wouldn't change much if I did help him and why things would be better if we went our separate ways and just stayed away from us…"

"Wow I just...he really said all that? Sorry, not saying I don't believe you just woah. Never expected that from Mineta. But I think that's a bit dramatic of him." Kyoka spoke honestly, in truth while she was annoyed with Mineta's antics it wasn't to that extreme.

"As the conversation went on I let my emotions get the better of me." Denki paused for a moment, feeling guilty about what he did "And I punched him across the face."

Kyoka blinked 3 times in a row. She was not expecting to hear that from Denki. "You punched him? Yeesh...you must have been so mad to do that." Kyoka held the boy's hand tighter seeing just how much this weighed on him.

"I was and I immediately regretted it. I shouldn't have hit him at all." Denki admitted. "I was just so angry…"

"Sigh...Denki. I'm not sure why Mineta chose this out of all things bu-"

Speak of the Devil and the Devil shall come, the saying goes. In this instance it was true as the small talk about Mineta among the rest of 1A seemed to call him forth as they all heard his footsteps blazing onto the P.E. Grounds.

All their eyes as well as Aizawa's fixated on the boy as he ran toward them at a surprising speed. The boy was running so fast he kicked up dirt under his feet but what really made their eyes go wide was Minoru leaping at least 10 feet off the ground and into the air.

Minoru performed a few acrobatic flips before striking a landing before them with his hands in his pockets. How did he do that?! This ran through the minds of the students and even Aizawa to a small extent but he did not show it.

"Siiiiiiigh...Sorry for the wait. What did we-Agh, I miss?" Minoru said in a bored manner as he rolled his shoulders.

The class was in shock and awe. How did Mineta do that?! He leaped so high and without his hairballs to spring him up into the air. Since when could he jump that high on his own?!

"Mineta…" Aizawa spoke to the boy.

"Tch, yeah? Oh right. Sorry for the delay. Was just giving myself a pep talk. But I'm ready." The boy cracked his joints loudly.

"Ahem, right, right. Hmm." The seasoned boy looked at Minoru's new colored PE uniform. It did somewhat make him curious how he got that when the school doesn't really do recolors of school outfits but Aizawa wasn't one to care about trivial stuff like that. What mattered now is that task at hand.

"Mineta. I've been thinking lately. Watching. Observing. And it's come to my attention that you have hardly advanced since the first day of our class." Aizawa regained his composure and talked to Mineta in his usual serious mannerism.

"Everyone here has advanced greatly since the first test I ever gave to you. Even Hagakure who scored just barely above you despite the limitations of her quirk." Aizawa praised the invisible girl while also putting down Mineta but only to try and motivate him more.

"Today I'm going to redo the quirk assessment test for you alone today. And your fellow classmates will watch you. This is a chance for you to show them how much you've grown. I hope them watching will help you push further. After all, you want them to think you're cool right?" Aizawa heaved a sigh as he silently waited for the boy's response.

"( Agh, why is everyone calling me out today? Fine. )" Minoru took in a deep breath as he cleared his mind.

"No. I really don't care about being cool anymore. The only thing I care about is getting stronger. It's only one thing that matters." Minoru gripped his fists. His voice was gruff and cold, completely unlike how he used to sound.

This took Aizawa and the class for yet another loop. Did they just hear that right?

"See what I mean?..." Denki whispers to Kyoka.

"Trust me I do...like that's a complete 180 from his usual self." Kyoka whispered along with Denki as she too could see for herself this sudden change in personality from Mineta.

This display only caused the minds of Asui, Iida, Midoriya, Uraraka, and Denki to race more. What was the cause of this and why? They could only focus their eyes on Minoru...trying to find something in his eyes, his voice, even his movements to try and give them some kind of hint no matter how small.

"Hmmm. That's quite the change from your original goals but a welcoming one nonetheless. Just don't let that make you get carried away. Growing stronger is good but it's not the only thing that matters. Strength only can only take you so far if you lack the wisdom t-" Aizawa said to Mineta in an attempt to show him strength wasn't a crutch alone but was cut short.

"Can we skip the talking and get right to it? I know how you don't like wasting time. Me either. So let's just get down to the nitty gritty." Minoru was just ready to start, he really did not want to stand through a lecture.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes on the boy in response to his new attitude. Although he didn't appreciate his impatience, his assertive attitude was rather intriguing to the dry eyed man.

"Straight to the point huh? Very well. 50 meter dash to start?" Aizawa would heave a sigh as he pulled out his top watch. Needless to say the man was eager to see what his student had in store.

"Sounds perfect, coach. Put me in the game." Minoru smirked while making a small joke as he walked over to the 50 meter dash marker lines.

"Hmph." Was all that comment got out of the 1A homeroom teacher as he followed Minoru.

"Okaaaaay, anyone else weirded out by Mineta right now? I mean more than usual?" The pink and horned girl spoke up to her peers.

"I didn't think it was possible but yes, I am." Hagakure spoke up in response to Ashido.

"Sigh, Let's just see what Mineta-san has to show us. I do hope he has improved. We can talk about his moody behavior today later but for now let us simply watch." Iida told the class to take reins of the unease among them.

"Yes, of course. Let's go." Yaoyorozu clapped her hands together, taking her position as vice president to help Iida rally the class together.

Though most of the class's curiosity wasn't entirely eased, it was enough to get them focused again and with silent nods they all made their way over to observe their most unruly class member's supposed development.

Despite the distance, Minoru did overhear what was said among them. His new heightened hearing was impressive to say the least. "( Gaaah, yeah no. Okay after classes. Run. I don't have time for a group discussion. )" Minoru shook his head as he positioned himself at the starting line of the 50 meter dash track.

"Yaaaawn. Alright Mineta. Are you ready?" Aizawa let out a drowsy yawn as he checked to see if the smaller boy was all set to go.

"Let's just get on with it." Minoru crotched into a racing position. The first time he did the 50 meter dash he threw some hair balls along the track and leaped from ball to ball to go a bit faster. He finished at 6.10 seconds. "( Let's see if I can curve that old score. )" Minoru's heart began to race a little bit. As if Mania had sensed Minoru's desire to do better, the symbiote began pumping adrenaline through the boy's body to up his already superhuman ability to greater heights. Minoru felt a shiver go down his spine due to this but it was a welcomed one. He already felt like he could get addicted to this.

Minoru's classmates all watched silently, all their eyes fixated on him. Anticipating his performance, what with the new feat of speed and agility he showed just when he showed up here had them on their toes in anticipation of what else he had to bring.

"If you insist, Mineta. Go!" Aizawa let out a shout signaling the boy to start and Minoru of course wasted no time as he kicked off the ground hard and took off with great speed, greater than what the others thought his tiny legs could carry him. Dust from the ground seemed to just fly under Minoru's feet with each step he took, though the boy felt like he was in a trance as he ran. This was so new to him to be able to run and the adrenaline pumping through his veins. It was exhilarating! Even after briefly finishing the 50 meter dash within the span of 4.25 seconds he didn't stop running. The newly empowered boy honestly didn't want to. This was too fun! He felt so free! The wild throbbing of his heart, the sweat slowly forming on his forehead, the air blowing against his face, the pleasurable burn he felt in his legs as they ran like the gears of a machine! He wanted this rush to last!

Aizawa was undoubtedly impressed but was rather puzzled that the boy hadn't stopped running. However he admired the extra effort Minoru was putting in due to him being rather slackerish. As he glanced over to the rest of his students he clearly saw a great deal of them impressed at Minoru's new speed and of course Midoriya was already scribbling like mad in his notebook. Though he's a real handful at times, he did have to admire Midoriya's diligence. The boy always made an effort to absorb all the information he could. It'll really help him in the long run.

"Mineta-chan is so much faster than before, kero." The frog girl said as she watched Minoru zoom across the P.E. Grounds. It looked like he wasn't gonna stop until he hit the wall and that wasn't exactly wrong. Minoru hit the wall but ran up it and flipped off the very top of the fence and did a few somersaults before landing back onto his feet.

"Huff, hehehe." Minoru huffed a bit as he turned around and made his way back to his class in a light jog. Minoru had never felt such elation. Despite the obvious power gap between him and his soon to be hunter, he still felt like he could take on the world. He'd never felt this strong or powerful in his life. It was a feeling he never wanted to let go of, after so many years of feeling powerless he truly felt in control.

As Minoru approached his class the look of shock and awe was plastered on the faces of them all. Minoru couldn't help but smirk at this but it quickly faded as he remembered he wasn't out for their approval anymore. "Well coach? How'd I do?" Minoru placed his hands in his pockets as he looked up at his sensei who was clearly impressed though he didn't show it. Minoru could see it in his eyes.

"Well, you certainly did better than I was hoping. You did far better than the first time. You finished in 4.25 seconds. Very good Mineta. It's quite an improvement." Aizawa gave a small smile to his student. It did bring him a deep joy to see all his students succeed though he didn't express it how most teachers would.

"Heh, thanks coach. I'll give it an extra 150% on the next trial. C'mon, let's get right to it." Minoru clapped his hands together and started jogging in place. He wanted to keep going! He didn't want his adrenaline high to wear off yet!

"Hm. Well you sure are eager. I'm liking this new attitude. Very well. Let's head on into the gym for the next segment." Aizawa instructed his students as he made his way over to the entrance of the gym on the PE grounds.

Minoru could feel the eyes of his classmates on him but he did not turn around to face their gazes. He focused and followed on behind his teacher.

"Woah, needless to say I'm blown away...since when was he so fast?" Hanta was scratching the back of his head in dim confusion just like the others.

"Agh. So he got better. So fucking what? That's good right? C'mon already." Bakugou scoffed as he walked off to the gym area. Honestly he himself was curious how far this seemingly new Mineta could go.

"Ahem, yes. Bakugou is right. We should be happy for him. Let us watch the rest of his progress!" Tenya chopped the air as he gathered the attention of the baffled students. With silent nods they all went on ahead to join Minoru and Aizawa.

Minoru honestly couldn't stand still, his body was surging with thrilling tremors as Aizawa brought him to the next trial. He remembered this one. "( Grip strength? This should be a breeze honestly. Hmm. Oh yeah I also called Shoji sexy here. Heh...well he is. I'm not scared to admit it. )" Minoru smirked to himself as he thought back to that day.

"Alright, here you go. Grip strength. You've certainly worked on your legs. Let's see how well you've worked on your arms." Aizawa handed the symbiotic boy a small hand held device to measure a person's grip strength.

"I'll give it all I got, coach." Minoru's voice leaked with anticipation and his face also showed it as well as he readied himself.

"Let's see how he does here." Tenya watched closely at his shorter classmate. In all honesty Tenya didn't hate or despise Mineta. Though he was let down by his actions he did respect him as a classmate and watching him now...he couldn't help but feel happy. Happy that it seems like Mineta was finally coming around and realizing his true potential! And the first thing he'd do once this was over was shake his hand and congratulate him.

"Mineta...heh." Denki smiled as he watched his former friend. Was this what he was doing in his spare time? Getting better? He wondered just what else was under the surface but never noticed. Though the pain of Minoru setting him aside still stung worse than a burn...he was happy to see Mineta succeed.

"Here goes." Minoru started to squeeze the hand held machine with his new enhanced super strength and with the adrenaline amp stacked on top the results were more than satisfactory.

"1,700kg? Hmm. Well that's certainly an achievement." Aizawa cocked an eyebrow, now this was a little too impressive. How could Mineta muster up a grip force equal to that of a Saltwater Crocodile's bite?

"1,700kg?! Woah! Go Mineta! You gotta tell me your training methods later!" Izuku was writing frantically on Mineta's astounding feet.

"That's a little too strong for him don't you think? Kero." Tsuyu spoke her mind, while yes it wasn't uncommon for humans of this world of superpowers to reach superhuman feats of strength but this was rather much for someone who's quirk didn't grant a form of super strength. However, Tsuyu had nothing to go on as to how Mineta could have become so strong in so little time.

"It does seem odd for sure. But it's as clear as day. Mineta is not the same as before." Momo cupped her chin with her finger and thumb pondering what secrets Mineta had withheld from them all.

The rest of the classmates were silently talking amongst themselves about Mineta's feat while glancing and eyeing him. To be honest, had Minoru stayed the way he was before...he would have loved all this attention but now...now it was just an annoyance.

"C'mon, let's get to the next bit. Keep the pace going." Minoru jogged lightly in place.

"Hmph. Very well. Let's do the seated toe-touch te-" Minoru cut Aizawa off short.

"Not needed. Watch this." Minoru then bent backwards fully and touched the floor with his hands while keeping his feet still on the ground forming a bridge-like formation.

"I'm pretty good in that department." The then flipped back onto his feet.

"Holy cow! Nice form Mineta!" The pink horned girl cheered out pumping her fist up into the air.

Minoru only spared a small glance to her but only that as he quickly turned back to Aizawa who still bore a stoic expression upon his face. "Hmph. Right then. Let's skip the distance run and sit ups. I already have a clear idea on how you'll do there. We'll also skip side steps. After all, you already did fairly well on that the first time. So let's just get to the last two tests." Aizawa began to walk out of the Gym Gamma.

"You got it, coach." Minoru jogged behind his sensei, eager to get these other tests done.

"Haha! Dang! When did he get so manly?!" Ejiro pounded his chest with a wide smile on his chest.

"No idea but not gonna lie. Kinda cheering for him." Hanta chuckled.

"Yeah...same here." Denki smiled in a rather somber manner.

"Hmm? Hey you okay man?" Hanta noticed the electrified blonde looked pretty glum.

"Yeah, yeah...I'm fine." Denki had thought about sharing what happened but he didn't want to ruin Mineta's moment with this drama crap. "Really it's cool." Denki smiled and gave his tape slinger friend a thumbs up.

"Well if you say so but hey you can talk to me bud." Hanta smirked and nudged the blonde with his elbow.

"Heh, thanks man." Denki's smile returned as he remembered he still had friends all around him...and knowing this made him feel for Mineta even more who honestly had no one. Really made him wonder how the little guy coped with it all.

"Well come on guys! Let's see what else he can do!" Izuku excitedly exclaimed as he hurried along outside.

The other classmates nodded and followed suit to see Mineta's likely to be a resounding success. Aizawa had placed Mineta at the edge of the sandbox that was used for the standing long jump.

"Okay, here we are. The standing long jump. Last time you used your quirk to clear this trial but let's see….if you can do so again without it." Aizawa wanted to give Mineta a little challenge. He was curious to see the full extent of his new abilities.

"No issue coach. Hmm." Mineta readied himself for the jump.

His classmates stayed silent with anticipation for Mineta's next action as did Aizawa. Minoru once again felt the pressure of their eyes all staring at him but he was able to drown it out to focus.

"HMM!" Without any more delay the boy leapt forward with considerable force across the sandbox and landed on the other side, clearing the trial.

"Excellent." Aizawa congratulated Minoru, as did his classmates who all clapped for him.

"Right, well c'mon. Let's get the last one over with." Minoru cracked his knuckles and gave his arms a good stretch knowing what was up next.

"Hmph." Mineta's enthusiasm brought a smile to his face. No longer complaining or seeming hesitant about trials but instead ready and eager. While it was a welcomed change he was not a fool not to notice how sudden and drastic of a change it was both in his attitude and physical ability. He'd for sure have to look into this but for now he would let it be. He'd talk to Mineta about it afterwards, after all he still needed to talk to him about yelling at Midnight earlier today. Honestly, when Midnight told him Mineta had just exploded at her over a door, he didn't believe her. But her face said it all that she was telling the truth.

It genuinely shocked the man. Here he thought he had known his students so well by this point. But it just goes to show people can have many layers to them, a lesson Aizawa takes to heart. Afterwards he would sit Mineta down and have a chat with him to see if anything is going on that he should know. The man was curious about his new change but his well being he cared for more than anything. Afterall he was Mineta's teacher.

"Alright. Ball toss next. You really didn't do so well on this one. Let's see if that changes." Aizawa led Mineta over to the area for the ball throw trial and the other classmates followed suit.

"Ball throw again...heh." Izuku reminisced on his performance during this test. That was when he still hadn't the faintest clue on how to use OFA properly without hurting himself.

"Hehehe! I remember this trial so well!~ It was fun!" Ochako giggled in a bubbly manner.

"Well yeah, given how you got infinity. No one was beating that." Izuku smiled nervously as he spoke to the rosy cheeked brunette.

"I sure did! Unbeatable UA record!~ Ochako Uraraka!" The gravity defying girl pumped her fist up in the air with triumph knowing no one could beat her ball throw score.

"Yeah she's not letting that go any time soon." Mina chuckled to herself at Ochako's gloating.

"I mean, if I got an infinity score, neither would I. Hehehe." Rikido admitted as he scratched the back of his head with a small chuckle.

"Beyond impressive indeed Uraraka but pay attention please!" Tenya chopped the air to gain both the brunette's as well as the other classmates' attention as Aizawa had handed Mineta a ball to start.

"Well. Give it your all." Aizawa backed away to give Mineta some room.

"I wonder how he does on this one? Kero." Tsu placed a finger under her chin as she watched Mineta simply stare at the ball making no effort to get ready.

"Hmm. ( Well here goes. )" Minoru cocked his right arm back to toss the ball but then….he stopped himself. He lowered his arm to stare at the ball once more.

This action brought clear confusion to those watching him but none spoke as to not disturb him.

Minoru suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia hit him. Was it the feeling of nostalgia of doing this test again? No...it was something more. A familiar feeling he felt staring at this ball in his hand. A feeling he's both never and yet has experienced before. It was so difficult to explain...but before he knew it. He had let go of the ball in his hand...letting it fall but before it hit the ground he kicked it up a bit with his right foot, then kicked it up again as it came back down.

Minoru proceeded to juggle the ball with his feet like a person would a hacky sack or a soccer ball. Truth be told he had never done this before but it felt so natural to him, like he had done this before. The motions didn't feel forced, they indeed felt odd but fluent. Like he was mirroring someone, he didn't know what was going on but he enjoyed it. So he put a little more style into it doing many tricks as he continued.

"Damn! Look at em go! Hope he doesn't mind me using some of those moves for a dance." Mina exclaimed with excitement watching Mineta's amazing foot and leg work.

"Didn't know Mineta was into hacky sacking. Wish I'd known sooner, we totally could have had a hacky sack off!" Hanta smiled at the display of skill.

Minoru was feeling the thrills run down his spine but he quickly remembered he had a trial to do and that Aizawa could be very impatient. So getting back on track he kicked the ball high up, then leapt up along with it and threw his left leg over the ball before kicking it up again with his right leg. As Minoru hit the ground he kicked the ball upwards higher once more and then leapt upward and this time spun around before giving the ball a powerful spin kick and sending it flying with great force across the PE grounds.

Minoru landed without issue and watched the ball soar far before landing.

"Hmmm. 646.5 meters. Heh..astounding. Well done Mineta. That wasn't a toss exactly but I'll let it slide." Aizawa smiled ear to ear. It was rather rare for him to smile but this was more than appropriate to do so now.

"Wooo! You go lil man!" Kirishima shouted as he pumped his fist into the air. His praise was soon joined by claps and small cheers from the rest of his classmates. Izuku never had much written down about Mineta in his notebook but that changed drastically today! He even thought about using a few of Mineta's leg movements for his new Shoot Style. Maybe Mineta would teach him some of his tricks if he asked nicely, out of all of his classmates he really hadn't bonded with Mineta that much even though they were now neighbours dorm-wise.

Denki wanted to go up and congratulate him but sadly remembered what happened prior at lunch, so he stopped himself from doing so to spare himself the embarrassment of Mineta's rejection.

"Very good Mineta. You've proven you still deserve to be here. I'm glad. That will be all for class. Dismissed but Mineta I do wish to speak with you in the teachers lounge please. Me and Midnight would like to talk about your little...outburst earlier." The underground hero's face went from proud to serious within the blink of an eye.

"Oh that. Right, right. Yes sir. ( Great, I had completely forgotten about that. What a drag. Ah well. Take it as a lesson that these new amp up emotions are gonna be a real hassle. Even more reason to stay away from everyone. )" Minoru heaved a sigh as he felt his adrenaline high finally wear off and as it did...he couldn't help but feel rather cold.

"( Ahhh...well that's an unpleasant feeling. )" The boy placed a hand to his chest as he felt an unsettling chill run through his body. Was this some sort of side effect?

"Right well then, I'll give you a few minutes to go change back into your uniform. But meet me and Midnight in the teacher's lounge right after. The rest of you are free to go and remember, never stop advancing. It's clear Mineta hasn't, so neve slow down. Always get better." Aizawa instructed his students and without another word walked off the PE grounds.

"Sigh…( Might be a little late Kendo. )" Minoru was hoping this wouldn't take too long, cause he still needed to meet Kendo on the roof for their little private therapy session.

"Mineta! You did very well!" Iida spoke with pride and vigor as he marched up to Mineta and held out his hand to the boy. "I'm proud! I'm happy to know that despite your behavior you still show great potential. I hope this new change in attitude is a sign of you coming around to be a well rounded and respectable student of our cla-" Minoru just couldn't stand to hear any of this…

"Iida." Minoru cut the tall speedster off as he placed his hand on top of the outstretched hand and gently pushed his hand down. "Please stop. It's no big deal." Minoru spoke in a rather monotone voice. This response received many mixed reactions from his classmates.

"Mineta…?" Tenya was surprised by the smaller boy's response. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your victory here...I'm happy to see you changing for the betterment of the class a-"

"I know, I know. But listen. I'm not changing for anyone's sake here. I had none of you in mind when I made this choice. This is for personal reasons." Minoru looked off as he shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk off.

"Mineta-chan." Tsu walked up to the purple cladded boy.

"( Oh please…)" Minoru gave a brief sigh as he stopped in his tracks to let Tsu say whatever she was going to.

"Listen, Mineta-chan. It's clear something is wrong with you. You've been acting very strange ever since yesterday and today has proven something isn't right even more. Mineta-chan, I understand most people don't have the best impression of you and I can't lie that it does for a lot of us here but some of us really do care for your well being. One of those being me. If something's bothering you or you're going through something rough you can come talk to me. I'll listen to you. Kero." Tsu spoke her mind in full as she wanted to sense yesterday. Hopefully her words would reach him.

Minoru's eyes seemed to shift a bit from cold and distant to somewhat...perplexed. As if he was considering it. He could see Tsu's eyes and voice seemed earnest and true, he could also see Denki's expression from behind her looking a tad bit hopeful that he would accept...but however. He had already made his choice and he'd stand by it.

Minoru placed a hand on his chest and took a deep breath as he set his heart at ease, calming and suppressing his emotions.

"I'm fine, Asui. You have better things to do than worrying about my well being." Minoru shook his head dismissing any thought of accepting their help. He couldn't falter now. He had decided he'd walk this new path without them. This response seemed to genuinely shock Tsu, though she was naturally stoic the surprise on her face was clearly visible for a moment.

"Woooah...he called her by her last name. Now that's when ya know something is up dude…" Hanta whispered to his other fellow classmates about this exchange between Mineta and the sisterly Tsu.

"Mineta-chan. Worrying about others is important no matter who they are. Even you. In fact, part of being a hero is caring for others. So please don't say things like that. You matter. And please call me Tsu." Tsu knelt down to Mineta's eye level to show how serious she was to him, hoping to get the same reaction she got from him even if it was only momentarily.

Sadly Minoru's eyes didn't waver this time. His gaze remained cold and distant. "No. I'm sorry but no. Maybe I do matter but I shouldn't matter to you. Or any of you. So don't waste your time with me. You didn't before so don't now...and no. I will not call you Tsu. First name bases are for friends and well….me and you aren't friends Asui. We never really were. We were just classmates at best. Nothing else. So let's just keep it that way." Minoru heaved a sigh and gazed into the frog girl's eyes and her face showed a clear sign of hurt on it. She honestly couldn't believe what he had just said. The boy's words earned many negative reactions from the others watching, he could see their faces from behind the frog girl before him.

"You...don't see me as a friend, Mineta-chan?" Her voice stayed in control and calm but it was clear his words had hurt her.

"It's not just you Asui. No one here was really my friend. So it really shouldn't matter much. Don't worry, nothing will be too different, hey if anything it will be a lot more peaceful. Anyways I should go." The shorter boy stretched as he prepared to take off.

"More peaceful? That's really funny what you'd call peaceful." Kyoka spoke up, finally tired of keeping silent for Denki's sake.

"Kyoka, please don't. Okay?...Please." Denki begged his girlfriend silently not to make things worse than they already are.

"No Denki. Look I get it, okay? You don't want me to do this on your behalf but now he's pushing it! First he comes up to you out of nowhere and ends your friendship just for wanting to help him? Then he tells the rest of us and even Tsu. TSU of all people to basically shove off?! No, I've had enough listening to this!" Was Kyoka's words reached the others around her they all looked even more surprised at Mineta.

"Dude, what? Ya gave Denki the hook? For what man? He's the main one around here that actually likes to pal around with you. Whatcha dissing him for?" Hanta spoke looking less than pleased with hearing this news.

"Yeah! Way to turn your back on what was probably your only friend here!" Toru joined in.

"Guys it's not like that...you didn't hear what I heard." Denki tried to vouch for Mineta's choices. Though yes he didn't like it...after hearing him pour out his heart and true feelings he could understand why he wanted to take this route and he wanted everyone to know so but sadly...it seems his words fell on deaf ears.

"Well regardless of what you heard 1 thing is apparent. While you've changed physically, Mineta, your personality is still something far less to be desired." Momo crossed her arms as she knew things felt too good to be true.

"Still having a serious lack of respect for others and their feelings." Momo crossed her arms with a hardened expression to the smaller boy.

"You're wrong. To set the record straight. It's never been a lack of respect. But rather….a lack of self control. It's still a demon I've struggled to tame but always failed...again and again." Minoru gripped his fists tightly.

"But no Yaoyorozu. It has nothing to do with respect. To be honest...I respect a lot of you. I often wish I could be you because of how much you all have got it going on...great quirks, families, friends...you guys have it all. And..I envy it. It's this...lack of self restraint I have. I just can't seem to stop myself before I do something I really don't mean to. I'll say it flat out. I have a problem. A problem for so long was just...too much for me to handle."

"BUT...for once. I actually feel stronger in the endless maze I call my own mind. And well, I think it's best I capitalize on it. Cause truth be told, it's quite rare for there to be a time where people like me can feel like they actually have the ability to make a difference in their own life. And well I want this feeling to stick around. So yeah sorry if it feels like I'm giving you guys the short end of the stick here but I just...don't think there's much for us as friends. I'll tell you what I told Denki. We're just too different." Minoru spoke from his heart.

Momo's eyes fixated Minoru...she was trying her best to deduce whether or not he was sincere. Never had she seen him look or act so...calm before. No matter how much she looked into his eyes, all she could see staring back at her was this void of emotion. It was greatly unsettling, she couldn't read him at all. The studious vice class rep for once wasn't sure how to react to Minoru.

"Well if that's how you REALLY feel. If you REALLY want to be better, then why not let others help? Let people in? Be open. Make amends for all your short comings? Wh-" Toru began to criticize Minoru's way of thinking, it made no sense to her at all. First he acts like a complete degenerate then when he wants to turn himself around he basically tells them to buzz off? That they're not friends after all they've been through as a class? However, before she could continue on with her rant, Minoru cut her off short.

"BECAUSE...I want to do it my own way and I think it's better I do it alone. I know you all want to help but...you just can't and the reason why is really cut and dry. You just….can't relate to me. You just lack the perspective to do so. The only one who knows my situation enough to help me...is just me and I'm sorry if it upsets you but, that's just how it is." Minoru clutched his chest once more as the memories he's always kept repressed began to flood back and his heart rate began to pick up.

His face twisted into a pained frown as the grip he had on his symbiote UA jersey became tighter...Mania had sensed his distress and calmed his heart down. Minoru let out a breath as he mellowed out.

Shoto at this point was close to speaking up. The face and tones Minoru was talking in reminded him too much of himself. Anger, sadness and bitterness bubbling inside of him and keeping it all in. Shouldering a great burden upon himself because he believes no one can understand enough to help. Not long ago, that was him...until Midoriya helped open his eyes to how stuck in the past he was and how much he was weighing himself down unnecessarily.

Maybe it was the feeling of being there once in his life that made him want to share his feelings about this to Minoru or maybe it was Midoriya's kindness rubbing off on him, but either way he knew there were words he wanted to share but wasn't entirely sure how to go about expressing them in this moment.

"Mineta-chan. While that may be true that we may not be able to relate to you. Kero...that doesn't mean we can't try. You never know unless you take that leap of faith." Tsuyu found her words once more in an attempt to reach out to the boy.

"It...will be rough, yeah and you'll certainly have a hard time to try to be better and try hard enough to prove you've changed to those who you've wronged and you may receive backlash for it...but that's what really counts. How well you can take it and keep going. That's what really shows your devotion." Izuku spoke from his heart as he attempted to get close to Minoru but that only prompted the shorter boy to step back.

"No. I'm sorry but no. I don't know everything but I know this. Me trying it your way will only end in failure. I'm not like you and I'm not gonna try and be like you. I'm not going to grovel on my knees with my face in the dirt begging for forgiveness that likely won't come. Save what little self-respect and sanity I have left. I'll atone in my own manner. Getting better in my own way and walking my own path I carve out with my own two hands. And if that's not enough for you all….then sorry. Nothing I could have done was ever going to be good enough." The boy shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You should all do the same. Focus on each other like you have before. Focus on your studies. Focus on improving. Getting stronger. Smarter. And focus less on me. God only knows I ain't worth the time. I have more issues than a magazine stand. Issues you all don't need nor should concern yourselves with." Minoru left out a small chuckle as he belittled himself. It was a small thing he did whenever he self evaluated himself. Just crack a joke about himself on how much of a mess he was.

"Mineta! Don't talk about yourself like that! Yes you are worth the time. Everyone here is despite their shortcomings and I am willing to prove that! By watching over you more intently! Advicing smarter life choices! Encouraging you and lifting your spirits to keep trying!" Tenya could no longer hold in his emotions as he shouted with such a raw feeling to try and let Minoru know he was serious. "Friends are there for one another through thick and thin! We all have our own inner demons...but friends are there to help you battle them! I know many here that live proudly by that train of thought." Tenya chopped the air furiously as he reflected back to how Izuku and Shoto were there for him that night..the night he had nearly risked it all for some petty attempt at revenge against the likes of Hero killer Stain.

That night Tenya was shown through great struggle, pain and growing that anger is a two way street. You can use it as a tool or it can use you as one and that night he was certainly a tool to his own burning feelings of anger to the one who had forever crippled his brother, the one he looked up too as a child. His own role model and hero.

Izuku and Shoto that night showed him just how much friendships should be cherished. He was not about to let Minoru throw away what could be the best thing he could have in his life.

"That's really nice of you Iida but...you should do those things with your friends. People who will actually appreciate it. But I'll be okay. After all, before UA I've always had to struggle on my own to get by so...I should be fine now that I'm more motivated now. Besides...this way I can put all my focus into it. Tch...after all. We're not here to make friends anyways." That line...really hit hard for a few of his classmates. Even Bakuguo seemed phased by it as he gritted his teeth in response to it.

"Mineta-san." Shoto could hold it in no longer. "You're making a mistake. You're being too hard on yourself. You're not as bad as you or others would like to believe. You're more redeemable then most..please. Don't abandon your friends. You can't get through life alone." Shoto tried to match the amount of heart and conviction Izuku mustered up when he spoke his mind.

"Some. Some can't live life alone. But I'm not one of those people. I'm used to this way so I'll be fine. No need to worry. Ahem...sorry listen. I really don't have time to continue with this, I really have to go." With that, Minoru turned his back to his classmates and attempted to walk off but one more voice stopped him.

"Hey runt." Katsuki decided to throw his voice into the open, gaining the attention of everyone. "Don't go thinking you can brave everything by yourself. I promise you. You'll think you can take on the world alone until you get stuck in hole you can't climb out of alone. You being stronger isn't gonna change, you can't do everything by yourself." Katsuki spoke from his own ruts and insecurities

Another loud sigh left the boy's mouth. "We'll see Bakugou. We'll just see. Sorry but we-Agh. I gotta go. Don't think too much on this. Just go on about your days as normal." Without another word, Minoru walked off in the direction of the school building. Once he was sure he was out of hearing range, Minoru spoke up to the symbiote "Hey...thanks for helping me keep it together there. I likely would have said something dumb back there. I normally don't do too well under pressure." He thanked his symbiotic companion.

In response a sharp toothed mouth formed on Minoru's left sleeve. "You are welcome, after all Minoru...your success is our success. It is only natural that we make sure you succeed." The mouth gave off a big sharp tooth smile.

"Hehehe…" The boy took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, gotta be causal. We got this talk with Aizawa and Midnight to do next, then we're meeting with Kendo-chan on the UA roof. After that we spend the rest of the day preparing for our expedition tonight." Minoru thought about how he was gonna play these next two events off. The class will likely get nosey about him due to all this. The last thing he needs is his teachers doing the same and the whole blowing up at Midnight over a door didn't help.

"Just remain calm and play along Minoru. We should be fine." The symbiote reassured it's host.

"Thanks. I really gotta watch what I'm saying from here on...I slipped up and referred to myself as we, back there again." Minoru winced at how odd that must have sounded for the others to hear and would likely make them more suspicious.

"Our apologies. That is one of many unfortunate side effects of being bonded to us. But we promise there are more pros than cons." Mania quickly attempted to reassure Minoru as to not worry him.

"It's okay, I'll just read more about you in those notes Kishi left me. Sigh...That was. Unpleasant. But necessary. I just can't be around them anymore. I've had a REAL stroke of luck getting you Mania. Yes it's...come with it's down sides but I am willing and determined to see it through." The boy gripped his chest tightly.

"Tell you the truth I'm scared as Hell to face this Nine dude...but. I know I won't be doing it alone and we've got something he doesn't. A wider range of potential and we'll use that to overcome him." Minoru let off a faint smile.

"Yes, you are correct Minoru and I know you will use this to guide us to victory." The symbiote encouraged it's host.

"Yes I will. I'm not letting this new chance to finally take the wheel in my life go to waste. I've spent too long in a never ending cycle...my inner demons are there when I'm dreaming and there when I'm awake. I try to escape only to end up right back where I started." Gripped his fists tightly as he spoke through clenched teeth.

It's Goddamn suffocating…" Minoru eased on his clenched fists and let his hands fall down his sides and sighed rather defeatedly. "And I'm just tired….tired of it all." His expression went back to stoic as his voice was rather monotune.

"Tired of pretending I care...when I really don't, tired of pretending to be something I'm not so my mental trauma doesn't hurt as much...tired of making people want to hate me because I hate myself. It's all just tiring. So. It's time to start putting my energy into something else so I CAN care again. Something new to spur me on and I think what we have planned for tonight will help me do so." Minoru looked up to the sky, he watched as the clouds slowly fluttered by in the big blue sky. He had an odd envy of the clouds. They were so high up, free from any issue down below. They simply went along with the breeze and they changed so often and so easily.

He wished he could be like a cloud, but sadly he wasn't. His life was on the ground and so were all his issues, but now...now he had the strength to fight back.

"C'mon let's go. No more small talk. Let's scratch these last two things off our to do list and get to planning our adventure." Minoru shoved his hands into his pockets and resumed his new mellow demeanor.

"Why of course...Oh Host Ours." The mouth on the sleeve of the symbiote jersey jacket receded and Minoru made his way faster to the UA building.

"Sigh…( Well. Off to go have a likely less than pleasant talk with our teachers. )" Minoru shook his head as now he was even referring to himself as we inside his own head.

"This is for sure gonna take some getting used to…"

To be continued?