Martyr

by RobinRounds

People couldn't help but question his idea of Heroism. It wouldn't be the first time someone challenged his views, and wouldn't be the last. "Let somebody else fight the villain. There are a thousand and one show-offs fighting for rankings. I want to be with the hand-full who saves the victim." Izuku stated, his conviction unwavering. "I may be a Hero, but my job is to save lives."

10. Convenient Communications

...

[May 4th, X041 – 12:17 P.M. Yaoyorozu Estate]

...

The Yaoyorozu household was abuzz with preparations for the celebratory party of Momo's acceptance into UA. The day Momo's acceptance notice came, she had been treated to dinner at Kyoto Sodaina Koun (Though she couldn't decide if her parents paid an insane amount for a same-day reservation or if they had just placed a reservation everyday between the day of the test to whenever the letter might have arrived). Now, a couple weeks later, they were gearing up for a full Yaoyorozu family celebration of Momo's accomplishments.

By Yaoyorozu standards, it was an informal event but that didn't stop her parents from fretting and fussing over every little detail. Her father was currently occupying himself by checking in with the event coordinator he had hired, overseeing some of the preparations being made. Every-time Momo saw her dad in 'Business Mode', as he called it once when she was younger, she couldn't help but laugh and hug him. She didn't have the closest relationship with her dad, but knew he was always available if she needed some fatherly advice.

As for her mother?

There were times where Momo loved her mother dearly. She was always there with an eager ear to listen, sound advice in times of turmoil, and experiences of her own to draw from, and so on.

On the other side, like other young adults of her age, there were times where her mother grated on her nerves. Where she believed she was right and that her daughter should follow her advice because of course the parent knew better.

Momo just really wished it wasn't currently about her relationship with Izuku.

The mother-daughter pair were currently in Momo's room, making the final tweaks to their appearances before joining the festivities.

"Dear, I know you think you have a great plan but I don't see how this could end in any other way than disaster." Mrs. Yaoyorozu sighed as she adjusted the floral hairpin behind her ear.

"Mother please, how many times do I have to tell you? If they think that I'm willing to play nice and not fight over him then they won't be looking for ways to get in my way." Momo frowned slightly as she put on a little eye liner "If I have to pursue Izuku and fend off his friends its only going to end up three ways." She held up a hand, counting off the ways she saw it going. "I get my man and lose my friends. I lose my man and my friends. Or we end up in one of those open relationships that hero chasing fans look for and everyone thinks I'm too weak willed to hold onto him myself."

"And that's what I'm afraid of. Oh, hang on dear – you're slipping." The elder woman gently adjusted the bun Momo had put her hair in. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. Nor do I want to see you end up on the cover of one of those tabloid papers."

"Thanks mom, that feels better. And trust me, that's not going to happen." She smiled, gently shaking her head to make sure her hair was fully fixed. "Like I said, I just have to have a little patience. Play nice. If he wants to go to the movies with Mina? Let him go. Oh, Ochaco invited him to visit her parents with her this weekend? No worries."

"What about the invisible girl? Toru, right?"

"Toru isn't interested in Izuku like that. Sure, she admitted she finds him cute, but so did half the girls, and even some of the boys back at Soumei." Momo let out a small laugh. "Anyhow, if I don't interfere with their...outings. They have no grounds to interfere with mine. And if for some reason they do interfere? Well, that just looks bad on them." She looked to her mother. "You've never seen Izuku when he's introducing his friends to each other, have you mom?"

"Other than him introducing his mother to us? No."

"It's adorable. He gets this nervous yet excited puppy dog expression as he hopes everyone will get along." An odd smile passed onto Momo's face. "He's such a cinnamon roll, and to find out that any one of his friends did something to deliberately interfere or harm another? It would just break his little heart. It's why I don't think any of the others would dare try."

Mrs. Yaoyorozu nodded, not exactly agreeing with her daughter's assessment, but she really couldn't disagree either. "I see your point on not interfering, but lets say that one of those dates gets a little more intimate? Do you really want used goods?"

"Mother!?" Momo blushed, unable to believe the conversation had taken this turn. Or that her mother had put it so crassly.

"I'm just saying. It's no secret that some heroes are or have been more promiscuous than others. And there's no doubt in my mind that more than one of them probably has an illegitimate child." There was little to no shame in the older woman's voice. "Do you really want to have random women pestering you or him for child support?"

The heiress couldn't disagree with her mother on that. "If that was the case, there's no doubt in my mind that Izuku would take responsibility for his actions. I suspect he would set up some sort of agreement – either offer the woman a lump sum, or a regular monthly payment that's non-negotiable."

"True, he is a rather responsible man." Mrs. Yaoyorozu started touching up her lipstick. "But are you really okay with the thought of your man being out there, sowing his wild oats?"

Momo's blush returned, though not as bad as when her mother first mentioned the topic. "I am."

The elder Yaoyorozu looked scandalized, only years of practice keeping her from smudging her lipstick. But before she could respond, Momo continued.

"Mother, while it's true society tends to frown upon polyamory...Haven't you noticed a lot of people tend to turn a blind eye if the quirks involved are a decent match to each other?" She watched her mother nod, continuing. "That's why its tolerated just slightly more than a quirk marriage. Because its unintentional versus deliberate."

"Okay, but consider the potential quirks of the children. The three most likely outcomes are kid gets father's quirk, kid gets mother's quirk, or kid gets a combination of the two." Mrs. Yaoyorozu met her daughter's eyes in the mirror. "What if one of Izuku's illegitimates gets his quirk? Or a fusion of his and the mothers?"

"Oh, I've thought about that..." One side of Momo's mouth quirked up in a mischievous grin. Much as her self-confidence issues could interfere with her performance, her analytical mind could forge ahead and voice its thoughts. "Something tells me that any child that got Izuku's quirk would be subject to the same testing he was. Lets say that he has a child with Mina, and that child gets a healing acid quirk. So instead of dissolving flesh, it restores it. The moment that was discovered, I suspect that child would be taken and have the powers of their quirk put to the test...along with seeing if it worked on the kid themselves."

"Now, lets say Izuku and I have a child and that they get my quirk but get Izuku's restorative and protective prowess. The biggest drawback to my quirk is that it runs off my fat reserves, and if I overdo it – I risk hurting myself. A child with Izuku's genetics and my quirk wouldn't have that problem. Izuku's quirk would negate the damage, allowing our child to, in theory, be an infinite creation machine." Momo idly picked up a powder puff and tapped at her face with it. "While any child with some variant of Izuku's quirk would be valuable, ours would be the holy grail for anyone to get their hands on in this case. It's my hope that if Izuku did have an illegitimate child or two that everyone would go after them or focus on them...Allowing our child to live in peace."

It was cold. It was clinical. And it was the type of thinking her mother respected the most. The elder Yaoyorozu gave a nod, conceding defeat in a way.

"You've really thought all this out, haven't you?" She stood up then, slightly adjusting her dress as the clock struck one.

"Mother, they might get a fling, but I'm keeping my husband. In every sense of the words." Momo followed her mother's lead and did the same. Linking arms with the older woman, she allowed herself to be lead out of her room and down to where the party was being held.

...

[May 6th, X041 – 10:24 A.M. Musutafu]

…

The acceptance packet had come to the Ashido household with the morning paper her father insisted on subscribing to. While everyone else who received one probably ripped it open with all the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning, she had tossed hers onto the desk in her room. There was little doubt in her mind that she had made it in. She had done well in combat, using her acid to create pits to trap the robots and subsequently melt off their limbs. And she had saved more than a few 'civilians' by melting the rubble on or around them, allowing Toru to pull them out. As such, she didn't see a need to open it just yet. Especially when she had a bigger mission to undertake:

Figure out whose been knocking her from the top spot on the Dance Dance Revolution game at her local mall's arcade.

"Mina, are you sure we'll be able to catch this... 'MeiDay', was it?" Toru asked, a slight bounce in her step as she walked with her friend. She had already opened her acceptance packet and was still riding that high. "And is that really more important than making sure your future in Heroics is secure?"

"We virtually got the same score, so yeah!" Mina grinned, "And as for MeiDay...Yeah, I've figured out their schedule. It seems they can only make it to the arcade on Monday – which is why I find my scores knocked down on Tuesday when I have the chance to visit..."

"Now if only you put this much effort into your studying..." Toru teased, causing Mina to turn pinker than normal.

"Izuku said the same thi- THERE!" The pink girl's annoyance at her unseen friend seemed to vanish as she noticed a pink-haired girl with a pair of steampunk-esk goggles on her head standing just on the dance pad. Her attention seemed less focused on the machine, and more on whatever she was tinkering with the backpack she held in front of her. "Hey you! If you're not going to play, step off the mat."

"Oh, I'm going to play. Got to take my spot back as number one." The pink-haired girl grinned and struck a Rosie the Riveter pose. "Hatsume Mei. Inventor, baby-maker." She extended a hand to Mina, "and you are?"

"B-baby-maker?" Toru sputtered, ignoring everything else.

"Ashido Mina, future succubus hero!" Mina returned the grin with a sassy snap, unfazed by the introduction as she took Mei's hand in her own.

"WHAT?" Though Mina couldn't see it, she had a feeling Toru's eyes were barely hanging onto their sockets.

"What? I'm going to suck the life out of Izuku at some point." A wink and additional snap was sent Toru's way, before she turned back to Mei. "For the moment however, I'm here to defend my title!"

"Ah, so you're the legendary PINKY. I was hoping I'd get to meet you one day." A laugh escaped Mei, her eyes drifting to the floating clothes that marked where Toru was as she shouldered her backpack. "And to answer your question-not-question, I call my inventions my babies."

"What is wrong with you two?" The invisible girl sighed, before introducing herself to Mei.

"Many things!" Both the pink-haired girls chorused at the same time, before breaking out in laughter.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's play!" Mina took charge and joined Mei on the dance pad and deposited her money and set her difficulty to Heavy. She blinked as she watched Mei deposit her own money and choose the same difficulty. "Any song preference?"

"Just one with a good rhythm..." Mei replied, stepping off the pad and moving to stand behind it. Confused, Mina watched as Mei's backpack deployed a set of robotic arms that snaked over the support bar to rest on the pad. Pulling down her goggles, she turned her attention back to Mina. "What? DDR is the perfect game to test the coordination of baby number thirty-five dash twelve."

"So...you haven't actually been dancing?" The acid user frowned at the revelation, eyes looking back to the screen as she stopped on one of her favorite songs.

"Mina, you were worried and upset for nothing." Toru chuckled, "she felt so certain you were stealing her thunder on the dance floor with 'sick moves'."

"I can feel the air coming off those quotes..." Mina narrowed her eyes at her friend, who continued to laugh. "So wait, if you don't actually play the way its supposed to be played...Why did you want to meet me?"

"Correct, and I wanted to meet you to see how a pro compares to my baby." Hatsume grinned again, a tablet now in her hands. "She's been doing good, but she hasn't quite mastered the double quick-stomps a few of the songs have. Hoping watching you gives me the way to improve it."

At those words, a newfound determination flowed into Mina's veins. "Alright then, let's see if your baby can keep up with me!" With that, Mina slapped the button to signal the start of the match. As the bouncy pop music started to play, Mina found herself bouncing on her toes in time to the opening rhythm of the song. Once the first arrows started to appear however, her bouncing turned into targeted strikes of the corresponding buttons. Her body flowed as smoothly as the acid it could secrete, and soon the combo points were piling up.

Beside her, Hatsume's 'baby' had come to life and was slapping the buttons in near perfect time while Mei's hands typed away at the tablet she held. As the final notes of the song died away and the scores showed, Mina was both impressed and annoyed that it was on par with hers.

"Okay, not gonna lie – that was actually pretty cool." Mina smiled as she noticed her fellow pink-head doing the same. "How did you do that? Were you playing along on your tablet?"

"No, just taking notes and making adjustments. See, I can type quickly, but not nearly as fast as required." Mei looked up then, "as for how it works. Thirty-five dash twelve here has a wireless link to the optics of my goggles. I see the arrows, and she registers the light signals and goes for the corresponding arrow. It's a simple system relying on-"

"Got it! Science and mechanical mumbo-jumbo." Mina waved away any further explanation. "Anyways, that's really cool. Want to pick the next song?"

"Hell yeah I do!" Mei took control of one of the arms and cycled through the songs, stopping on 'Rules of Nature'. "Got to practice those doubles..."

Once again, both girls laughed as the music started and they launched into a dance versus slap battle. As they continued to play, with Toru occasionally jumping in to play as Mei made an alteration to her baby or Mina adjusted something on her outfit, they continued to talk and get to know each other. After one final round, the three of them had vacated the machine in favor of getting smoothies to recover. Somehow, the subject of higher education had popped up, and Mina and Toru were delighted to hear that Mei was going to be joining them at U.A. though there enthusiasm fell a little as she revealed she was going in the support course instead of Heroics

"Well, the support classes do occasionally work together with the Heroics classes for costume designs and hero gear so..."Mei smiled. "And we'll probably still see each other during lunch, and we can hang out after school."

"Yeah, and I'm sure Izuku and the others would like to meet you." Mina gestured with her straw. "Actually, Izuku would probably love to meet you. He'd be all over hearing any ideas you have for support gear for him."

"Mina, please..." Toru shuddered, remembering the last time Izuku went on a tangent about possible gear ideas. "Don't give either of them ideas."

"Too late..." The smile on Mei's face grew, before dampening slightly. "Though do you really think your other friends will like me? I tend to scare people off with my babies."

"I'm sure of it, but even if they don't like you...I'm proud to call you my friend!" Mina cheered, one hand grabbing Mei's hand and holding it high in triumph before letting it drop. "Even if our new friend is a cheater who won't play games like the devs intended."

"Hey! There's nothing that says hands can be used..." Mei started, but was cut off by Mina raising her hand.

"Section three, paragraph five of the 'How To Play' section states that the dance mat must be hit with the feet."

"Okay Tenya." The barrettes in Toru's hair moved side to side, a laugh escaping her at Mina's indignant expression. "What? You're rule lawyering like he does."

"I am nowhere near as bad as engine boy!"

"Alright, so I'll change the hands into feet...Or maybe go for a quad set, hands and feet...Full mobile skelly of sorts..." The tablet was back in Mei's hands, "though... whose this 'engine boy'?"

An animalistic grin flashed on Mina's face, annoyance forgotten as her mind started to go full matchmaker mode. Much as she wanted a relationship herself, she rarely passed up the opportunity to help others find love. "Well, he's one of our friends..."

...

[May 6th, X041 – 11:04 A.M. UA Campus, Teachers Dorm]

…

Aizawa Shota sighed as he stepped into the apartment he had been granted in the dormitory reserved for teachers. Unlike the students who were given studio apartments with a half bath, teachers got an actual two-bedroom, one bathroom apartment.

Letting out a sigh, he swung his legs up onto the couch and got comfortable, before taking out his lap top. He idly scrolled through his personal email, which was mostly filled with notifications of the latest cat videos and several social media alerts he was actively ignoring.

"Alright, let's see the headaches Nezu is giving me this year..." He clicked on the email from his boss, ignoring Nezu's usual ramblings as he went straight to the attached file folder.

The folder contained twenty-one individual files. The first was a short summary of the students containing basic information such as name, age, quirk, grades, etc. The other twenty were more detailed dossiers on the students, and went into far more details in regards to some aspects. Shota's usual order of operations was to look at the full roster, make a couple notes about each, then look at their individual files to further analyze the newest headaches to come his way. Shota clicked the summary file and began to read.

"Yaoyorozu Momo...Creation quirk. Got in on recommendation..." Though his own opinion mattered little against Nezu's class assignments, he found himself nodding in agreement. However, looking closer he started to feel that something was off with this year's roster. Of the 40 students that would be admitted to the Hero Course: 4 would come in on recommendation, while the other 36 would be from the public exam. Nezu's usual habit was to put the recommendation students at the top of the list, and then the rest in order of how they scored. From what he could see of his list, Yaoyorozu was the only recommended student.

Shrugging off the unease he felt, he continued reading under his breath.

"Ashido Mina, acid quirk. Hakugure Toru, invisibility quirk that she can't turn off." Both had gotten in on points during the public exam, and Shota found himself feeling like he had heard those names before.

"Ida Tenya, engine quirk..." Another familiar name, though this one brought a rare grin to Shota's face. He and Tensei had been in the same class during their time at U.A. and while he wasn't as close with the elder Ida as he was with Hizashi. He couldn't help but take a moment to drop a text to Tensei:

Aizawa: Hey, thought you'd like to know I've got Baby Ida in my class.

Ida: I'll give you 5,000 yen to call my baby brother that in front of the whole class.

Aizawa: And here I thought you'd be asking me to go easy on him...

Ida: I would never...
Ida: In fact 10,000 yen to put him through the same hell Takemura-Sensei put me through once he realized who I was

Aizawa: No promises...

Tensei's reply was a thumbs-up emoji which Shota was content to leave on read. He looked back at the list, further muttering as he did.

"Uraraka Ochaco, zero gravity quirk. Todoroki Shoto? Great, I get Endeavor's brat. That's not going to be awkward at all given the Recommendation Exam...Tsunotori Pony...the exchange student? Mineta Minoru. Mineta? Shit, isn't his mom part of the Administration Team? " One hand idly rubbed at his temple as he continued on. The rest of the list was unremarkable, and soon the end of the list was in sight. Shota was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but then he read the last name.

"Midoriya Izuku." Shota's eyes went wider than he thought possible, quirk activating on some primal, subconscious self-defense instinct as he stared at the name. "Impunity quirk...Accepted on recommendation, confirmed on public exam?" Those words caused him to blink, deactivating his quirk as his concentration shifted. Taking a deep breath, he closed his lap top and stood, eyes surveying his apartment a moment before he moved towards the door. Stopping only to switch back to his boots, Shota made his way out of the dorms and across the campus until he came even with the door to Nezu's office. Right as he went to knock, he heard a faint click followed by a request.

"Come in." Nezu's voice was as gratingly inviting as ever, and Shota opened the door to see Nezu at his desk. He was also surprised to see Vlad King sitting in one of the two chairs to rest before the desk, as well as a tea setting for three. "Aizawa-san, so good to see you. I trust you got my email about your class roster this year?" The knowing grin on the rat-dog-bear-thing's face didn't falter as he reached for the tea set and poured three cups. "Indeed, Sekijiro-san and I were just talking about his."

"I've got a few promising ones, and a problem child or two." Vlad offered, picking up one of the cups. "You?"

"Same." He took a seat as Nezu offered him one of the cups. "Thanks..."

"Oh it's no trouble. Tea is best shared in company." Nezu took a sip of his tea and smiled. "Now Sekijiro-san, I understand your concerns surrounding young Bakugo but I think you should be able to keep him in check. Perhaps you can even use his...explosive temper in training exercises to motivate the others?"

"That could work." He smiled, taking a drink. "We'll see what happens when the class is assembled and quirks are shown off."

"Of course, see how the class takes it before we go any further. Though speaking of classes," Nezu took another drink of his tea, before looking at Shota. "Aizawa-san, any concerns or problems with your students?"

"Sir? Do I really need to have..." Shota took a deep breath, "The Child in my class?"

Beside him, Vlad chuckled, knowing exactly who he was refereeing to.

"The boy is a fan of yours. I thought you would appreciate it." Nezu grinned, taking a sip of his tea.

"Not in the slightest." Shota groaned, leaning back slightly in his chair. "You know I don't care for being in the spotlight. And I feel Midoriya's presence in my class is just going to invite unwanted publicity."

"That's why I put all his little friends in your class as well."

Suddenly, it clicked why several of the names had sounded familiar to him. As if understanding his revelation, the rodent pulled a tablet from the drawer at his side and showed Shota several articles about Izuku and his friends. "The tabloids are so occupied with his relationships that they'll probably focus more on his interactions with them than with you."

A wave of fatigue more powerful than All Might's United States of Smash washed over him then, and Shota wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in his sleeping bag and put into a medically induced coma. One that would last the entirety of the school year. He had to grudgingly admit Nezu's logic was solid – there was barely a paragraph's mention of the few interactions he had with Midoriya. Meanwhile he felt there was a short story's worth of words out there relating to just one of his and the Yaoyorozu girl's outing.

"I have to agree. Even if the student makes it big, the teacher is lucky to even get a passing interview." Vlad set down his now empty cup, declining a refill as Nezu reached for the pot. "They get all the credit while we watch from the shadows. Oh wait, that's what you do anyways."

Shota ignored the laugh to come from the gray-haired man, eyes narrowing as he realized he couldn't argue any of those facts. While he kept to the underground, Tensei and Hizashi enjoyed the limelight. And he could count on one hand the amount of times either one of them had mentioned their old heroics teachers since graduation. It was looking more and more likely that, for the moment at least, he was stuck. Unless...

"Supreme Chancellor Nezu." He invoked the title, hoping it would earn him a slightly wider margin of success. "As Sekijiro pointed out, he has a student he's concerned about, and I have one. Would it be possible for us to trade them?"

"Not in the slightest." Supreme Chancellor Nezu threw his words back at him with an adorably sadistic expression on his face. Not for the first time did Shota thank whatever higher powers that Nezu, at least appeared, to be on the side of the heroes. "Now gentlemen, if you've nothing else to discuss. I think we can adjourn this meeting, yes?"

Vlad King gave a nod of agreement and stood, once again thanking Nezu for the tea before exiting the room. Draining the last of his own cup to draw whatever little caffeine the blend might have held, Shota returned the cup to the tray. His growing desire to retire from teaching begged him to ask for the paperwork, but that would have required spending more time with Nezu. Instead, he gave a bow of thanks and took his leave, steps heavy as he walked back to his apartment. Kicking off his boots, he let out a sigh before moving to his bedroom. Crawling into his sleeping bag that rested on the simple futon he had since first getting his own apartment, he let out a final groan before attempting to sleep the rest of the year away.

...

[IZU-CHAT]

…

Online: (Admin) Izuku, Tenya, Toru, Momo
Offline: Mina, Ochaco

[Momo has entered the chat]

Momo: Hey everyone, I'm trusting we've all gotten our acceptance letters by now?

Tenya: Yeah, Tensei will NOT shut up about it.

Izuku: Excuse me a moment...

[Izuku has added Tensei to the group: IZU-CHAT]

Tensei: MY LITTLE BROTHER'S GOING TO UA! I'M SO PROUD! THE IDA FAMILY LEGACY GOES ON!
Tensei: Say hi to Yamada, Aizawa, Kayama, and Sekijiro for me!
Tensei: Tell me if they give you any trouble. Sure they're your teachers but they're also my friends!

[Tenya started a vote to kick Tensei from the chat]

[Tensei has been kicked from the chat]

Tenya: Izuku, why did you add him?

Izuku: Sorry, he promised me an autographed Ingenium beach towel -_(^-^)_-

Tenya: You sold me out for a towel? BETRAYAL!

Toru: It's Izuku and hero merch. Why did you expect different?

Tenya: Come on, I'm worth at least a T- Shirt
Tenya: All jokes aside, have any of you started looking over the other information in the acceptance package? Such as the courses being offered?

Toru: I took a quick glance at some of the elective classes, but other than that? Not really.

Momo: Same. I figure I'll look into that in a day or two. Wait for the rest of the euphoria of the situation to wear off.

Izuku: Well I did, and I'm annoyed.

Toru: How so?

Izuku: There's a distinct lack of what I'd call quality or smart classes for heroes to take. Sure, art is a fun course and its nice to have something to unwind with...But come on! Wouldn't something like a science or chemistry course help knowing how some quirks would interact with each other?
Izuku: Granted, I do see the basic science, math, and other subjects offered...But from what I can tell, they're all maybe just slightly above what's taught in high school.
Izuku: Look, I'll admit that given that most of the current top 10 are UA graduates, they have to be doing something right. Still, I can't help but feel that some of the required classes could be better than teaching punch villain, save civilian.

Momo: Sell merchandise.
Tenya: Sell merchandise.

Toru: Get merch deals.

Izuku: Ha ha...But I mean look! The First Aid course credits aren't even required for graduation!

Tenya: I noticed that too. You would think they'd require at least the basic course.

Toru: Well, it's on the highly recommended electives list, but maybe it's not required because that's the kind of course anyone can take?
Toru: I've a cousin in Fukuoka and he says they're always offering first aid classes at the Community Center.

Tenya: That's true, some of Tensei's sidekicks took the EMT course that's offered through the Red Shield organization. I was thinking of taking it myself if UA didn't have any decent first aid classes.

Momo: Izu, do you even need that course?

Izuku: I mean, kind of? Sure I can just Izu-Pen someone back to health. And I've got quite a bit of medical knowledge and know how under my belt. but I'm thinking about you guys and the rest of our classmates. You never know if or when you'll have to splint a bone. Or staunch some bleeding, or hook up an IV bag or give an injection. Not to mention the best and safest way to go about handling bodily fluids. There's not always going to be someone with a medical quirk or the knowledge around, so we've got to make sure we know what were doing.

Toru: He's got a point. Doing so might help us better be able to deal with the darker side of heroics that they don't show. Didn't Tensei say that's why a lot of graduated Pros don't make it past the first year?

Tenya: Yeah, apparently it's been referred to as The Cut by various pros in the last few years. Most of the rookies quit within their first year because A. Starting out as an Intern or Sidekick, translation: doing the paperwork and grunt work the seasoned pros don't want to do but are required to. Isn't what they thought Heroics would be.

Toru: Urgh! *face desk* I forgot about that...

Tenya: B. They're overwhelmed by some of the horrors that they'll see and quit because they can't handle it.
Tenya: C. Thanks to recklessness, inexperience, or bad luck, they take an injury that scares them out.
Tenya: Don't tell him I told you this, but that's why Tensei quit playing baseball – got smacked in the face by a pitch and it soured him from playing after the season ended.

Toru: I suspect that A is why we still have to do schoolwork despite the other aspects of heroics.

Momo: All understandable reasons, though I would think a lot of those could be prepared for during Heroics Training. Show students pictures of injuries both Heroes and civilians have taken to not necessarily desensitize them to it, but to at least prepare for it.

Izuku: They probably would be if – again. UA required them. Look at Ketsubutsu's heroics curriculum. First years focus on rescue and recovery the first half of the year, then on quirk control the second half. Then when they're second-years, it's combat training the first half before the exams for the provisional hero license, and the second half is combining all three. Third year is split between work studies and the different training styles until graduation.
Izuku: See for yourself: [Link: Ketsubutsu Heroics Curriculum]
Izuku: Not to mention they also require various academic subjects like math and science to graduate, even if you're in Heroics

Momo: If I remember right, Shiketsu has a similar curriculum. I was thinking of applying for them if I didn't get into UA.

Izuku: Exactly. Like I said earlier – UA's required classes could use a little refining.

Tenya: Perhaps, but do you think they might have set it up like that to cover all grounds and give the students the option to choose what type of hero they want to be? Sure it's good for a Combat hero to know first aid, but wouldn't a spot in that class be better reserved for someone working towards being a Rescue hero?

Toru: That's a good point Tenya. It makes sense that they'd want to reserve spots for those looking for a dedicated field of heroics.

[Mina has entered the chat]

Izuku: I guess. But come on! The best heroes aren't one trick ponies. Look at Best Jeanist. Sure the man is quite adept at combat, but I've seen him use his fibers to create safety nets to catch falling people or debris. Plus, I've also seen him manipulate fabric into tourniquets and other compression bandages.

Mina: Oh come on! I come back from dinner to THIS?
Mina: Can we PLEASE stop talking about classes? Or geeking out over heroes? We should be celebrating our acceptance
Mina: OMG
Mina: I just remembered.
Mina: Toru.
Mina: Ma Bestie
Mina: Cutie
Mina: The only woman I would be go gay for

Toru: What?

Mina: I scored two more points than you ;)

Toru: Bitch!

Mina: Anyhow, we should be talking of fun things like what were wearing the first day!?

Tenya: The provided uniforms? Section 2-10, article five states that all students must be in uniform on the first day unless they've been granted an exception due to having an heteromorphic body type or an always active quirk that prevents the wearing of the traditional uniform

Mina: Ruin my fun...

Toru: How about we talk about how we're going to decorate and furnish our dorms? The book says they're like micro-apartments with a kitchenette with built-in mini-fridge and microwave and half bathroom. And while we can't make any permanent modifications, we're free to decorate them as we wish.

Momo: Well, since they will hopefully be our home away from home for the next three years or so. It would make sense that they allow students that luxury.
Momo: Think I can fit a four post bed in there?

Tenya: Depending on the size of it? Maybe if you don't mind having to crawl over your bed to get anywhere in the room.

Izuku: That's just what they want – distract students from the important things with the frivolities!

Momo: You're just mad because you'll probably only be able to bring half of your All Might merch to decorate with, aren't you? ;)

Izuku: ...Excuse me, I'm going back to figuring out a smart lesson plan

Mina: Was that a maybe?

Momo: It wasn't a no.

[Izuku has left the chat]

...

[May 7th, X041 – 10:14 A.M. UA Campus]

…

Following several more treatments from Izuku's blood, Himiko's Q.I.P.D. was deemed controlled enough to allow her to return to society, but under observation. She had been presented several options, all of which allowed her some level of freedom while ensuring there would be people on hand who could help if she lapsed back. The first had been helping at the hospital where she had been staying, working with the cleaning staff. She would receive minimum wage, and would be housed in a nearby hotel. Nice as everyone had been, Himiko wanted nothing more to do with the place. Her second option had been nearly the same, the only difference is that it had her working in a nursing home instead.

The third option she was presented with was to pursue some form of higher education. She had been able to keep up with her education while undergoing treatment. And while she didn't fancy the thought of 'going back to school', she did wonder if it would be acceptable for her to work at a school.

"You know, serve as a Teacher's Aid. Or maybe a student-teacher? Look, I'll be honest and admit I just don't want to be a cleaning lady." She had argued with the caseworker assigned to her. "Way I see it? Find me a school with a dorm – like UA for example. I stay on campus and help the teachers or students with anything really. This way, I get a job and a place to stay, and there's plenty of people to keep an eye on me. Plus, don't most schools have a nurse on hand?" Himiko had another reason for wanting to get involved with the educational scene, but kept that to herself. Over the next day or two, she had gone back and forth with the caseworker on the subject, before the man agreed to look into it for her.

Nearly a week following their conversation, a letter had arrived to her from a 'S. C. Nezu'. It had been printed on UA stationary, and invited her to come to the school for an interview. She grinned in delight, her idea having worked better than expected. Himiko's tongue licked her lips as she traced a finger over the embossed UA logo. "It's common knowledge now that our delectable snack got into UA...Now we just need to do the same."

She had been driven over to UA by her caseworker the next day. Wearing a button up shirt and dress slacks that the forgettable mook had provided her, she made her way through the halls of UA to Nezu's office.

"Come in Miss Toga." A soft voice called to her as the lock on the door clicked open. Entering the room, she was surprised to see a white animal sitting behind the desk, a tea set and several pages before him. The creature stood up and offered a hand soon as she was in range. "I am Supreme Chancellor Nezu, and I'm sure you are wondering am I a mouse? A dog? A bear? Who knows anymore."

"Not really." She shrugged, accepting the handshake. "I'm more curious about this interview."

"Ah, getting right to the heart of the matter." Nezu reached for the teapot and poured himself a cup. "Would you care for a cup? This one is a lovely blood orange herbal blend."

Himiko wasn't the biggest fan of tea, but something in her instincts told her that would be very unwise to decline the offer. With a nod, she accepted the cup and took a sip. "Not bad, not as sweet as I expected."

"Figured you would prefer something a bit more tart." Nezu took another sip of his own mug, "each tea has its own flavor. Its own profile. Some teas appeal more to some than others. For example, I'm fond of white tea due to its gentle flavor on the pallet. Green tea is nice, but some say it tastes too green – If that makes sense. Black tea is much more robust, but understandably because of that fact...It's not everyone's cup of tea."

Himiko rolled her eyes at the horrible attempt at a pun. "Isn't it like that with everything? It always seemed the nurses, and everyone else, had something – food, drinks, celebrities, that they could wax on for hours?"

"Very true Miss Toga. And I suppose listening to them wasn't the easiest. Or that they would give you strange looks when you wanted to talk about your interests?"

"My interests?" She blinked, "my Q.I.P.D. Messed me up something fierce to where, if I wasn't amusing myself reading romance stories, that I was obsessing over getting more blood." She took another sip of tea, noticing the faintest hint of a smile on Nezu's face. "What?"

"Would you say that blood is to you what tea is to me?" His head dipped down to indicate one of the file folders before him. Tilting her head, Himiko could see her name on the tab sticking out the side. "Your file seems to confirm that, so I'm curious now...To me, blood has a sort of metallic taste, like copper. But to you, I'm sure it has a lot more body."

"Depends on the type, pun not intended." She took another sip of tea. "Like A tends to be sweeter than B, and positive blood has better flavor than negative." Himiko closed her eyes a moment, thinking. "Though O Negative is rather savory while AB negative is a bit gamey. It's like, like a steak compared to a burger, ya know?"

Nezu let out a tiny laugh, "and what of a rare blood type? Like something from the Rhesus typing?"

"Only had a taste once." Her mouth salivating just slightly at the thought. "Hits like, almost all the right points of flavor. Ugh, fuck. Now I'm needing a drink like those preppy girls need their lattes...Ah, apologies for my language." Her caseworker had told her to be professional, but old habits die hard and as much as her Q.I.P.D. Was under control...

"It's alright, I understand where you're coming from." The rat-man gave a reassuring nod, before pouring a little more tea into his cup and adding in a scoop of sugar. "Tell me Miss Toga, can you distinguish a person's blood type on taste alone?"

"Yeah. The nurses at the hospital tested me on that a few times once my Q.I.P.D. Started getting better. They worked it into my treatment when I'd get my weekly allowance." She rolled her eyes at what the nurses had called it. "At first, I would maybe get two or three right. Now, I usually get nine out of ten or ten out of ten." She grinned proudly, though in the back of her mind she was cursing out those with AB Positive blood. It tasted just a little to similar to A positive. "Like, I don't really see why that's relevant to this conversation but..."

"Oh believe me, it is." Nezu took another sip of his tea. "Something like that is a most useful skill. Though tell me. You mentioned the Rhesus typing, which is something less than a percent of the population here in Musutafu has. Do you think you could identify a person based on the taste of their blood?"

"Doubtful, though there is one exception..."

"Let me guess," Nezu took another sip of his tea, "Midoriya's Blood?"

Himiko couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her back. Memories of the crimson ambrosia causing a faint heat to rise to her face. "Fuck yes. It's the goddamn A5 Wagyu of blood types. A taste like no other that can't be replicated." She bobbed her head towards her file. "It's probably in there, but Midoriya's Blood was one of the primary things they used to treat me. For the first time, I was excited to receive treatments for my condition. Sure, I got my weekly allowances to maintain my body, but his? Ugh, it's so sweet. So decadent. You would think I'd have gotten tired of the taste, but no. Since they always gave such small amounts to treat me after the initial round. It was more of a tease than anything."

She frowned, something which caused Nezu to laugh.

"You sound like me with Original Da Hong Pao tea. It cost me well over two-hundred thousand yen for just two grams of the finest. Sure you can steep it nine times and have it hold its flavor but I digress." Himiko let out her own chuckle at his words, pleased to find someone else who understood the value of a rare drink. "Now, I see a note in your file about your quirk granting you the power to transform into someone else after ingesting enough of their blood. Is that true?"

"Yeah, though I haven't done that in awhile. They never gave me enough blood to allow it." She frowned, "would have been fun running around as one of the nurses..."

"Says here it takes roughly one cup, or two-hundred thirty-six milliliter for you to be able to transform for a day?"

"Maybe? I don't know. Only got that much blood once in the last few years...and that was with the initial dose of Midoriya's." She took a long sip of her tea, pretending it was the ambrosial liquid. "I was so shocked it didn't even occur to me to try and transform again. Man, if I could just get another taste..."

"Most interesting. Anyhow, I had my suspicions about your abilities and how I could apply them to our wonderful academy here. And now, our conversation of the last few minutes has only confirmed some of it."

"Sir?" She tried to regain some level of professional composure.

"Your caseworker said you expressed an interest in working at a school in some aspect." The chimera looked at another page on his desk. "Well, it just so happened that I had been looking into adding to UA's faculty. Now, I'm not looking for more teachers, nor are any of them looking to have an aid." His mouth quirked up in a smile at some memory or another. "Instead, I'm looking to fill other positions. And for someone of your talents, I think you would do quite well assisting Recovery Girl in her office with her patients."

"Work with the nurse?" Himiko wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Does she really get that many injured students or teachers coming to her that she needs an assistant?"

"Truly injured? Not unless there's been a really rough training session. Though there's quite a few students who 'get sick' just to get out of class for a spell." Once again, he took a sip of his tea. "I figured your skills would be perfect for helping to treat student. You can sample their blood to get the typing and using your transformation powers, further diagnose their condition."

"For example, say a student comes in complaining they feel hot. You take a blood sample and transform into them. Upon doing so, you realize they've actually got a fire quirk and are using it to artificially elevate their core temperature, thus faking a fever." Nezu raised a paw. "And before you argue that we could have discovered this information by other means, such as checking their student profile in the system and just taking their temperature. Sure, we could...But where's the fun in that? I do enjoy seeing just what students come up with to try and get out of class."

The bloodsucker laughed at that. "Okay, and while that is tempting...Look man, I've been staring at medical equipment and facilities for like the last ten or so years." She frowned, though it didn't seem to affect the glint in her eyes. "Isn't there any other options for me?"

"Oh Miss Toga, you wouldn't just be working with Recovery Girl." She quirked an eyebrow, noticing the glint in Nezu's eyes. "Helping Recovery Girl would be your primary job and the reason I am willing to employ you." Nezu reached for the tea pot and topped off his cup, doing the same to hers unprompted. "But there's another reason I would like to offer you a position here." He offered her a couple pages containing a head shot of each faculty member. "As you can see, UA has a decent size staff. However, even in the era of quirks, everyone is still mostly only human. Plus, everyone has a life outside of UA and can't always be here."

"No shit." She decided to drop the false professionalism she had been trying to maintain. "A lot of the nurses and doctors couldn't be around twenty-four seven either. I mean, sure that was great at some points in time, but also sucked when the ones I liked were gone." Himiko crossed her arms, seeming annoyed at the reality of life. "Anyhow, I still don't quite see what that has to do with me?"

"Simple," He took a sip of his tea, grinning. "I want you to serve as a substitute for some staff members when they can't be here."

Himiko's eyes widened, catching on to what Nezu was saying. "Now that sounds way more fun that working with the nurse."

"I suspect it would, but don't misunderstand me Miss Toga." He met her eyes over his cup. "Helping Recovery Girl is your primary job and the reason I am willing to employ you."

"I see, thank you." She sipped at the tea, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "Got to admit, you drive a hard bargain sir. Though do you mind if I ask a few questions about the benefits of the job?"

"Not at all. " He raised a paw-hand, inviting her to continue.

"Will I get paid for this job? And will it be enough for me to afford a place to stay?"

"You'll receive minimum wage in exchange for your services. As for where you'll stay, I'm prepared to give you one of the visiting guest apartments – they're full one bedroom, one bathroom apartments. You won't have to pay rent or utilities, but you're responsible for keeping it clean, buying your own food, and so on."

The bloodsucker blinked back the urge to tear up that was tickling at her eyes. The thought of having a place of her own, something that always seemed so far-fetched, warmed her in a way she hadn't experienced in a long time.

"Don't look so surprised, it's a courtesy I extend to all my faculty." Nezu reached across his desk and gently patted her arm. "Though I will admit the teachers do get larger apartments so they can live with their families or start one."

"Ah, of course, of course." She wiped at her eyes, the rat-man's comment the perfect segue into her next question. "You mentioned faculty members and family. What is UA's policy on fraternization?"

"While teacher-student relationships are utterly forbidden, there's no rules against students dating students, or faculty members dating each other. All that is requested is that public displays of affection ,or PDAs as you kids like to call them are kept to a minimum. We're not going to punish a male student for hugging his female friend to celebrate them passing a test. But we are going to punish those same students if they're caught having a rendezvous in a stairwell." He hid a smile behind his cup of tea, "same is true for faculty."

"Understandable. Though what about me? I'm young enough to be a student myself..." She took a long swallow of her tea again, trying to think of the best way to voice her thoughts. "Does that mean I wouldn't be able to flirt or even hang out with some of the students?" Much as her goal of getting into UA was to get her hands on Midoriya, she was also looking forward to the chance to have a 'normal' young-adulthood. Not that she would ever admit it.

"In your case, I feel you are a sort of outside contractor we've called in. You're still subject to UA's rules but there is a certain amount of leeway." Nezu set down his cup. "For example, as she is his primary physician and due to his quirk, Midoriya often has to visit Recovery Girl for various reasons. As such, in working with her there's a high probability you might see him quite often. And it wouldn't be fair to him, or you for that matter, if either of you were punished for starting up a friendship."

The pensive expression on Toga's face was broken as Nezu's words clicked, replaced instead with a Cheshire smile. From the start, she didn't know how she felt about Nezu, but with his most recent comment, she couldn't help but voice her opinion of the chimera. "I like you."

"I'm glad you do, Miss Toga. Does that mean you accept my offer to join us here at Ultra Academy?" He returned her smile, standing up on his chair while holding out a paw-hand.

"Yes sir, thank you very much."

She stood and accepted the handshake and was about to say more when the door to the office opened, revealing a frazzled looking Power Loader. "Supreme Chancellor Nezu..."

Hands still locked together, the pair turned to face him. Both of their faces sporting a near-identical expression that would seem more at home on a demon Yokai as opposed to a young adult and a chimera.

Uh...I'll, uh, come back later..." Power Loader bowed his head in apology and quickly backed out of the room. The experienced teacher knew the signs of Nezu's plotting and wanted to be far away from any of it.

Only once the door closed with a click did the air in the office seem to lighten up a bit. Releasing their grip, both Nezu and Himiko sat back down and started on the paperwork that would officially grant her access to UA.

...

[May 7th, X041 – 9:58 P.M. Uraraka Residence, Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.]

…

The package from UA arrived at the Uraraka house without much fanfare. But upon opening it and receiving the message that she had been accepted, her parents (and herself) had screamed like they won the lottery. In a way, Ochaco felt they had. She finally had the means to really help her family, and her parents now had something truly special to humble brag and discuss about their daughter. To celebrate, her father announced they were going to the local diner – a treat reserved only for special occasions. Ochaco was going to protest the celebration, but her parents seemed just as happy, if not more so over the news.

"Guess they're just as happy that their hard work paid off as much as mine." She reasoned as they were seated in one of the booths and given menus. Dinner had been a lighthearted occasion, and Ochaco felt as if she had used her quirk on herself. She was so light.

That feeling had faded however when she had taken the acceptance package to her bedroom to review before going to sleep. After getting ready for bed, she had replayed the audio message, as if fearing she had misheard. After that, she took to focusing on the print out that contained the same information. Hearing it was one thing, but physically seeing it in black and white really drove a point home.

The minimum passing score for the academic part of UA's entrance exam was 400 points. Reaching or exceeding this guaranteed you a spot in a General Studies course regardless. Her score of 674 points sounded impressive, until you realized that was barely over a third of the possible 1,500 points. It was open knowledge that getting a perfect score was designed to be an impossible task. Still, she knew there were applicants out there who had scored lower than her.

"Imagine the person who opens their packet and sees a score of 401...Knowing you were that close to failure." It was thoughts like that, that things could be worse, that made her thankful for what she had. Still...

Her eyes looked to her final scores in the practical section.

Combat: 100/100
Support: 71/100
Leadership: 26/100
Rescue: 89/100
Skill: 51/100

Total Score: 337/500

Sure it had landed her in the top spot on the leader board, and Ida Tensei had been (mostly) right about it guaranteeing her a spot in the hero course. But again that's only because her combined test scores were just over the threshold to put her into the 34th spot.

Her eyes drifted back to her scores from the practical. She hadn't really been paying attention to her score, but recalled at one point that most of her scores had been hovering around the low 20s. She looked back on her performance in the exam. To her, it seemed it was only luck at times that allowed her to get a 'hit' on a robot and slam it into the ground, or one of its fellows. That she was never quite as fast, or as limber, as her friends or other applicants in getting to the bots, or to a civilian in need.

During the exam, those thoughts had been pushed to the back of her mind. The adrenaline in her veins and everything else going on keeping them at bay. It was only when she took her big injury that they had briefly surged forward, before the pain forced them back. Ochaco saw everything from that moment clearly again: Her bloodied hand, Izuku's concern as he jabbed her with the Izu-Pen. Felt the faintest sensation of its contents flowing in her.

She saw herself standing as every ache and pain retreated. Remembered the feel of the concrete slab of a building underneath her fingers. Saw it slam into the army of bots and render them to scrap. Saw her fellow applicants move in to finish off the ones that had survived her attack. Heard their cheers for her efforts.

All of which, Ochaco now realized, had only happened because of Izuku's doping her. If he hadn't been there, she probably would have been picked up by an Ectoplasm clone and taken out on medical reasons like that other guy. There was no way her scores would have been high enough at that point to make it into Heroics.

A wave of doubt on her abilities suddenly washed over her. All the doubt she had at the train station, then again at the start of the written test. All the concerns over her abilities that had kept her awake the nights before the exam. Each one tried its best to take the forefront of her thoughts, one in particular got a foothold and refused to move.

"Do you even deserve to be in the Heroics course?"

That one thought seemed to sum up everything, and Ochaco found herself struggling to answer one way or the other. Letting out a groan, she returned the paper to its folder for safekeeping. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother was going to store them away in the disaster-proof safe that held the family's most important documents and valuable objects. She could almost hear her mother stating that they were something to be cherished. Could imagine her father nodding, stating his little girl's accomplishment needed to be preserved.

The gravity-defying girl couldn't decide if their imagined actions were cute and endearing, or cringe-worthy over-the-top feel good movie moment.

A heavy sigh left her mouth, body and mind officially feeling the fatigue of the day and her recent grappling match with her thoughts and reality. Flopping onto her bed, Ochaco's arms reached over to the small nightstand where a worn plush doll of the hero Thirteen sat. The doll had been one of her favorite toys, and one of the few licensed pieces of hero merchandise she owned. She held the doll slightly above her head, looking into the 'eyes' that were painted on the dome of the helmet. More than once, plush Thirteen had comforted young Ochaco after a nightmare or during times when their belts had to be just a little tighter.

Ochaco had to admit she felt a little silly as she hugged the doll close, but heroes were supposed to offer comfort in time of turmoil, right?

"Thirteen, where did you place in your exam?" She asked the doll, deciding to act on the childish silliness she felt.

"I got a 94 in Rescue, and a 68 in Support. Didn't do so well in the other categories. It was really only my score on the written that pushed me into the Heroics class." Plush Thirteen answered Ochaco in her mind. In reality, she had no idea how the Space Hero had ranked. But somehow, it helped Ochaco to imagine that the heroine had gone through a similar case as herself. "But did I let that stop me? Nope! I just worked harder to show everyone!"

"You know. You're right. I should focus on what I know, and refine what I need to." Plush Thirteen was once again hugged against her chest, even as her brain and body agreed it was time for sleep. "Thanks Thirteen. Maybe..." Letting out a yawn, Ochaco snuggled under the covers, doll still hugged to her chest. "Maybe I'll actually get to meet you..."

...

[Worker's Chat]

…

Online: (Admin) 4, HotShot, 2Faced, Marbles, +7
Offline: FogCloud, +20

[DHandyMan41 has changed XXXX's name to HotShot]

HotShot: Really? Ugh, can't we use our names? Thought I heard the heroes use their names in chat.

DHandyMan41: And make it easier to figure out who we are if this room is compromised by the "union"? Come on, Online Safety 101 – Don't use your real information.

2Faced: Why the fuck are we here?
2Faced: Are you going to tell us what this is about?

[Marbles has entered the chat]

Marbles: Why are so many of you opting to be online but not show?

DHandyMan41: Because they're opting to be lurkers and hear what I have to say instead of interrupting me

HotShot: Well, let's hear it then

DHandyMan41: Thank you. I've summoned you all here to this chat room to discuss an upcoming job. This job is a bit simple, but does come with a few risks.

2Faced: No risk
2Faced: No reward

HotShot: So what do you need us for, boss?

DHandyMan41: It's a contracting job. You've all been hired to inspect security systems surrounding a few different targets for lack of a better word.
DHandyMan41: The first is the famous Might Tower. While no one has seen All Might in awhile now, him and his assets still remain a high value target for many

HotShot: Understandable

DHandyMan41: Second is the campus of U.A. Over the last few years, Nezu and others have made various changes to the grounds. Higher walls, HD cameras capable of capturing audio and visual. Supposedly the school can even fly or levitate now.

2Faced: Sounds like we don't need to investigate
2Faced: Sounds like we know a lot about it, but need to confirm

DHandyMan41: Exactly. Now the third target is Kyoto Imperial Medical Center.
DHandyMan41: Kyoto Medical has seen its security improve over the last two years. More guards have been added, and both new and old employees have more intensive background checks preformed on them.
DHandyMan41: It is also currently home to the largest cache of the 'Miracle Blood'

Marbles: Think they'd have made those improvements if it wasn't for that?

HotShot: Who cares? Not like we could receive treatment there anyhow.
HotShot: Speaking of, has anyone seen the good doctor lately?

[FogCloud has entered the chat]

2Faced: No
2Faced: Nope

FogCloud: The doctor is fine. He's been helping a few of the other workers with injuries sustained at the last inspection job.

Marbles: You mean at the factory the Goddess OSHA had forsaken?

HotShot: XD My clothes were made with less asbestos than that place

DHandyMan41: Indeed, but back to the topic at hand.
DHandyMan41: Our final target is a little different than the other three, in that it is not a place but rather a person.

Marbles: Please tell me we're not talking about the Emperor or other super high-ranking politician

2Faced: I want to live
2Faced: I want to live, thank you

DHandyMan41: Sometimes, we might as well be with how they present him.
DHandyMan41: I'm talking about Midoriya Izuku and his entourage

Marbles: I've heard his security detail be compared to the President of the United States'
Marbles: Reinforced vehicles, No less than 4 guards escorting him when walking with others 'hidden' around the area. Kid's got 24/7 observation if memory serves

HotShot: 24/7 observation? Must suck if he needs to take a shit or wants to have a wank

FogCloud: From another report, it seems the guards are willing to wait outside to give him his privacy

Marbles: In what context?

DHandyMan41: Oi, focus
DHandyMan41: But if that is true, that means there's a window where Midoriya is potentially vulnerable

HotShot: And that's what we have to find. Vulnerabilities in these systems, yes?

DHandyMan41: Exactly. Figure we can split into teams and everyone take a different location over the coming days.
DHandyMan41: FogCloud, think you can help us out and port us to and from these locations? Speed things up a little?

FogCloud: You know unlicensed quirk use is punishable by law, right?

DHandyMan41: Thought you had one of those work quirk exemptions that the HPSC does but doesn't talk about because they'd rather have everyone get hero licenses so they can make more money.
DHandyMan41: Come on, how else do you think so many people with medical quirks get the green-light to use their quirks on the job

FogCloud: Medicinal quirks are a bit of a gray area. Though a lot of medical colleges can grant a hero license of sorts that allows them to use their quirk when on hospital grounds OR in case of an emergency
FogCloud: My quirk is neither of those

DHandyMan41: Alright, I see your point. Then perhaps we would be better off having those closest to each target take care of observations?

Marbles: It would make sense. Way I see it, Might Tower will be easy enough – it gets enough tourist visiting it daily. And Kyoto medical is much the same with the amount of people going in and out. Easy enough to claim you're there to visit a patient or bring someone their forgotten lunch.

2Faced: UA will probably be a bitch and a half
2Faced: Midoriya will also be a challenge

HotShot: Isn't Midoriya going to UA? Might be able to get two birds with one stone if we can somehow get onto UA's grounds

DHandyMan41: Perhaps. Though if we can learn about one or the other separately beforehand, it might be better
DHandyMan41: That way we can see flaws clearly with either one

FogCloud: I have to agree with HandyMan.
FogCloud: Excuse me, just heard a knock at the door. Think my pizza is here

HotShot: You ordered a pizza

2Faced: And you didn't invite us?
2Faced: Bitch didn't invite us?

DHandyMan41: It is rather late, perhaps we should break for dinner and discuss this later?
DHandyMan41: ...Can I join you for dinner Fog?

FogCloud: Sure, you live close enough.
FogCloud: Same goes for you HotShot, 2Faced, and Marbles. Sorry everyone else, you're on your own.

[Marbles has left the chat]
[HotShot has left the chat]
[2Faced has left the chat]
[ DHandyMan41 has left the chat]

...

[May 10th, X041 – 8:28 P.M. Musutafu, Yamada Residence]

…

Sasaki Mirai was no stranger to press conferences, public appearances, and interviews on various TV and radio shows. Still, the man had to admit that appearing as the guest for Put Your Hands Up Radio's Friday night 'Hero Chat' segment was probably one of the smaller, less flashy interviews. He sat opposite Present Mic in the small recording studio the man had set up in his off-campus apartment, going over the details of the segment while his listeners were kept occupied with his playing of the latest hits from some K-Pop artist or another.

"Remember, we try to keep it simple. Introduce you, talk a little about your quirk and your work in heroics before we open the lines for callers to ask questions." To Sasaki, Mic seemed more nervous about the segment than he was. "You are under no obligation to answer every question that might get asked, so don't be afraid to say 'no comment' or decline to answer if someone asks you something that makes you uncomfortable. Though you probably already know how this is going to go, don't you?"

"I try not to abuse my quirk for trivial matters." The ocular oracle smiled knowingly, "though somehow I think this will be less about me and more about All Might."

"A fair point given your history with the man." Mic gave a nod, "how is he doing by the way? I think I'm with my listeners when I say I haven't heard much about the main man in recent time."

"Guess they've really been keeping things hush hush if other pros are lacking in updates too." He kept the thought to himself, shifting his focus to answer Mic's question with the same response he's given to everyone. "He's All Might, you know how busy he is."

"Of course. Oh, it's almost time for your interview." Mic gestured to the countdown timer that was ticking down in time to the song. "Ready?"

Sasaki gave a nod as the last notes of the song died and Mic went full throttle to address the listening populace.

"Hey, hey, hey listeners! It's once again time for our weekly Hero Chat!" Despite the fact it was only Sasaki in the room with him, Mic couldn't help but strike a pose that only seemed to increase the energy he was broadcasting with. "Tonight's guest is an amazing man and long time veteran in the world of heroics. He's got an eye for details and while I can't predict how the show will go tonight, he can! That's right listeners, I'm talking about the legendary Sir Nighteye himself!" Once again, Mic gestured to him. "Introduce yourself to our listeners Sir!"

Much as he wanted to maintain his serious demeanor, Mic's energy was just slightly infectious and Sasaki couldn't stop the small smile that graced his face as the two took a moment to discuss his quirk, hero stats, and a few other details about his life.

"You've certainly lead an exciting life Sir. What with being All Might's sidekick alongside your own work in heroics." Mic's eye flicked over to the communications screen, which had started lighting up with calls the moment he had introduced his guest. "We're going to open up the lines now to let our loyal listeners ask you a few questions of their own." The hero turned DJ pressed a button on the keyboard to rest before the screen. "Caller one, you're on the air."

"Thanks for taking my call. Just want to say that I am a huge fan of both yours and Sir Nighteye's." The voice was that of a younger child, probably around seven or eight if they had to guess. "I hope when I'm older I can work alongside great heroes like the two of you and mister All Might!"

"I'm sure if you study and train hard, you can. Thank you for your support." Sasaki noticed Mic giving him a thumbs up as the man thanked the caller himself before switching to the next one. Two more calls that came in offered praise for the man, but the third?

"Sir, what can you tell us about All Might? Was he a fair boss to work with?" The third caller asked after offering her initial praise.

"All Might is a good man to work for. He's always treated me fairly, and the same goes for other heroes he's worked with." Sasaki kept his voice level, "sure he could be a bit difficult at times, but we've all had our good and bad days."

"Cool, thank you Sir!" The caller hung up on her own, but that simple question seemed to be what opened the floodgates that started to shift the focus of the show. The next few questions further looked for information on his working with All Might, before they took to asking about the man himself.

"Thanks for taking my call. I recently got accepted into UA-"

"That's amazing! Congratulations!" Mic interrupted the caller to offer his praise, before apologizing.

"Thank you, as I was saying. I heard that All Might was scheduled to speak at UA in the coming year. However, given the man's recent lack of public appearances...I was wondering if you knew if these talks would still be occurring?" There was no missing the curious concern in the caller's voice.

"Far as I am aware, All Might still intends to hold these talks. However, I have no idea just when that might be." Sasaki answered after a moment.

"Guess I'll have to make sure I don't miss a day of school then. Thank you."

"Study hard! PLUS ULTRA!" Mic gave thumbs up as the call disconnected. "Next caller!"

The calls continued to come in, all of them asking similar questions which Sasaki was quick to respond to in various styles. Those asking about All Might's lack of public appearances in recent times received the simple reply that the man was incredibly busy. The callers who questioned All Might's health following various rumors they heard got the textbook replies about respecting a hero's right to privacy, the sensitivity of medical information, or a combination of the two.

"Again, per various laws and regulations regarding medical information. I can not disclose that information." He pinched the bridge of his nose. On the one hand, he was thankful for all the questions Mic's fans were calling in with. While he didn't know exactly how popular Mic's show was, he hoped at least some of the higher ups were listening. That it would show them just how much the people wanted answers, and potentially force their hands.

On the other, he was getting tired of giving the same answer multiple times in a row, and wondered just how All Might had been able to stand doing so for years during interviews. He turned his attention towards Present Mic as once again, a question about the number one hero's lack of appearances came in.

"Sir, the Annual Hero's Gala is coming up. Do you know if All Might will be in attendance? He wasn't there last year or the year before, and I could have sworn the number one hero always received an invitation?"

"Actually, it's always the current top ten heroes at the start of the year who are guaranteed an invitation to the annual Hero's Gala." He smiled, partially enjoying putting that aspect of the HPSC's Hero's Gala out there. "At this time, I don't know if All Might has any desire to attend. But I would like to point out that though he is guaranteed an invite, All Might has just as much right to decline the invitation for any reason as do Endeavor or Ryukyu or Wash does."

At that, Sir noticed Mic flinch at his reply. The pro DJ frowned slightly, though whether it was out of annoyance at the slight bias towards who got invited or something else, he couldn't say.

"Hear that my fellow Pros?" Mic cut in before the caller could respond. "Rise though the ranks if you want to get invited to the most prestigious hero party in Japan!" Again, though no one could see, Mic placed a hand to the side of his mouth and whisper-yelled to an imaginary assistant. "Nise-chan, check my current ranking, would you?"

Sasaki rubbed his temple, getting a headache from Mic's occasional input, but that was because of the sheer volume of the man's voice even with the filters and buffers he had in place to prevent deafening his listeners or blowing out their speakers.

Still, he was thankful for the man's efforts to try and keep things light, even as the questions turned more and more prying. Still, Sasaki could tell Mic was starting to feel awkward with the subject as the interview continued. "If he's uncomfortable...I wonder how the listeners are feeling?"

"Maybe my show isn't as popular as I thought it was if you're all still asking the same questions." Mic laughed, showing he meant no real disrespect to his listeners as he took a brief pause on taking calls, eyes glancing to the small stopwatch clock he had going to time the segment. "Though I'm also surprised no one has asked Sir Nighteye here to use his quirk to give them winning lottery numbers or something."

"My quirk doesn't work like that." Wanting to keep the segment rolling, Sir gestured for Mic to take the next call.

"Ugh, shatter my hopes and dreams of easy money." Mic laughed, but complied. "Alright, you're on the air!"

"Since you want a different question, I'll make this quick and skip the pleasantries." It was a man's voice and sounded a little gruff. "Now I'm not the biggest fan of you pro heroes and the special treatment you've just admitted to sometimes receiving but..."

Mic made to comment, but Sasaki raised a hand to stop him before he could interrupt. He had been waiting for a call like this and was hoping it was going in the right direction.

"By now, we've all heard of the miracle that is Midoriya's blood, yes? Let's say hypothetically that All Might was badly injured due to an attack. Now I know there's been a ton of regulations put in place to safeguard Midoriya's blood and who gets it – but would these be overlooked in favor of saving the number one pro hero?"

Sasaki couldn't help the small smile that appeared at the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile Mic raised an eyebrow, concern mixed with curiosity as to where this might go.

"All Might, though he may be the World's Symbol of Peace and Japan's number one pro hero. Is still subject to all of the rules and regulations surrounding medical care in an emergency situation." He sighed, taking a brief moment to collect his thoughts. "It is possible that, if he had a severe enough injury that he might receive priority treatment over someone else, but the reverse is also true."

"It's All Might for crying out loud! Who but a villain would want his death on their hands?" The caller argued, growing more annoyed with the response.

"As much as I respect those in the medical field, I don't envy those who have to make decisions like that." Sasaki placed a hand to his heart, though no one but Mic could see the gesture. "It would be up to the doctor, nurse, EMT...whomever is there at the time to make the call. Though in that hypothetical, if he was able to speak at such a time...There's no doubt in my mind that my old mentor and friend would tell them to heal someone else first. Much as any hero, All Might included, hates to admit that you can't save everyone...I know he would do what it takes to save just one more person."

There was a long moment of silence and dead air from the caller's side before the man on the other end mumbled a thank you and hung up. Glancing to the communications screen, both Mic and Nighteye noticed that a majority of the callers had hung up after the awkward heaviness his answer had left. Even Mic had fallen silent, one finger idly tapping at the table his equipment rested on. Understanding the man's discomfort, Sasaki made a chopping motion to his wrist – a signal Mic understood at once meant to cut the interview short.

Mouthing a thank you, Mic smiled and addressed the masses. "I asked for different and I got it. Though I must apologize to all of my lovely listeners but I'm getting a call from one of my sponsors that I'll need to take if you all want to continue hearing my wonderful voice!" The grin on Mic's face grew wider, and he pointed at himself, seeming to forget again that no one but Sir Nighteye could see him. "Sir Nighteye, I would once again like to thank you for joining us tonight on Hero Chat and for your insightful responses to all of our listeners."

"It was my pleasure Present Mic, thank you for having me." He gave a tiny bow, "and thank you to everyone for your kind words. I really appreciate it. Good night."

"Ever the gentleman. Now let's kick it back up listeners with the latest hit from Japan's newest rising star!" Mic tapped a few keys on the console before him, starting up a song and closing the broadcast for the moment. Removing his headphones, he gestured for Sasaki to do the same before motioning for the man to follow him out of the studio. "Sir, I feel I should apologize for the questions going the way they did...Though we both knew that was what was going to happen, eh?"

Mirai nodded, "happens almost every time I'm invited to speak when they don't bother to screen the questions in advance."

"Ah, maybe I should have invited you to be a part of Monday's 'Put You On The Spot' segment? Though the questions are anonymous, they're submitted by email so I can screen them a little before asking them?"

"Thank you but no thank you. It's..." Sasaki blinked, feeling a vibration coming from his pocket. Taking out his phone, he raised an eyebrow at the caller ID before looking to Mic. "Excuse me, I have to take this..."

Present Mic nodded his understanding and vanished back into his studio as Sasaki hit the accept button. "Toshinori?"

"Called to, thank you, for what you said." Though his words came out haltingly, he could feel the gratitude in Toshinori's voice. "Also, how's your, head feeling after, after spending a good half hour, with Mic?"

"Thank you sir." A fond smile snaked its way onto his face, trust his old mentor to also be concerned about him despite his own situation. "And I've just got a headache is all." He noticed then that Midnight and Eraser Head were sitting on a nearby couch, waiting for their friend. "How does everyone around him stand it?

"Earplugs." Though it didn't show on his face, Sasaki could see a smile in Eraser's eyes.

"Prescription strength migraine medicine." Midnight grinned, surmising who he was talking about as she shook a small bottle of pills. "Want some?"

He gently waved away her offer, wincing slightly at the pained laugh that came over the phone.

"Not listening, to his show, usually." Toshinori coughed, "but the doctor, said you were, his guest tonight. So, I felt it right."

"Thank you, your support is appreciated." He quickly moved away from the other two pros, not wanting them to hear his conversation. "Though shouldn't you rest now?" Just then, Mirai felt his phone vibrate again. Looking at the screen, he noticed another call trying to come through. "Nezu?" He read the ID aloud.

"You might, want to take, that." A yawn escaped Toshinori, both men familiar with the name.

"Yeah, excuse me." The ocular oracle let out a sigh as he switched contacts. "Hello, Sasaki Mirai speaking."

"Mic was right, you are ever the formal one." Nezu's voice held just the faintest hint of amusement. "Anyhow, I just want to congratulate you for your wonderful performance tonight. You've really started quite the avalanche of conspiracy theories with it."

"Sir?"

"Social media and other similar sites are positively flooding with posts about your interview." Sasaki could swear he heard the sound of a teacup rattling. "No offense, but I'm finding that much more entertaining than your radio appearance."

"None taken. And personally I'm glad to hear it." He smiled, "I don't think our opposition will be able to keep this under wraps anymore."

"Most likely not." There was an odd tone in Nezu's voice, one that matched his own. "Let us, as the kids say, cut to the brass tacks. Get our favorite hero on campus and I'll ensure he gets a dose...With or without permission."

Sasaki's smile turned into a grin. Even with his power of foresight, he couldn't begin to fathom how Nezu did some of the stuff he did. Despite that, the chimera was one of the few people that Sasaki trusted to keep their mouth shut. "Consider it done. When's the next batch of students due to arrive?"

"Just under two weeks from now." The faint sound of typing came over the phone. "Though I could always bring a couple of them on early...Make some excuse or another."

"Two weeks should be fine. That will give us enough time to prepare for the move."

"Of course," the typing ceased, "do let me know if there's anything else you require Sir."

"I will, thank you." He gave a nod as the call disconnected, clicking back to his other conversation. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright. Gave me, a chance to, rest..." A yawn came over the phone. "So what did, Nezu want?"

"He wants to move you to UA's campus so you can receive treatment." He took a deep breath, "and also so you can settle into life at UA before giving your talks."

"Heh. Nezu must..." The sound of coughing came over the phone, "have some plan, yes?"

"You and I both know, it's Nezu." A tiny wheeze of a laugh left Sasaki's nose as Toshinori suffered another small coughing fit. "Though whatever his plan is, I think right now we should follow the doctor's plan and let you get some rest."

"True. Thank you, Mirai."

"You're welcome Toshinori. Get some rest, and I'll see you tomorrow." The faintest grunt of acknowledgment came from the man on the other end before the call disconnected. Glancing at the date on his watch, Sasaki closed his eyes and went through a small breathing exercise to collect his thoughts. "Two weeks. Just two weeks and all our problems will hopefully be solved."

...

[HERO-CHAT – UA Alumnai]

…

Online: (Admin) Midnight, PresentMic, VladKing, Endeavor, Edgeshot, BestJeanist, Thirteen, Ingenium
Offline: EraserHead, Snipe, Cementoss, PowerLoader, Mandalay, +10 others

Midnight: So are we all ready for the influx of new hero hopefuls in the next few years?

Edgeshot: Do you mean your new students? Or the graduates that just joined the forces in the last few months?

Midnight: Yes

BestJeanist: Personally, I'm pleased with some of the newest acquisitions to my agency. Though I've definitely got my eye on a few of the third years this year.

Thirteen: You and like twenty other agencies! But what about the newest batch of students that have been added?
Thirteen: I know quite a few of you were in the guest viewing area for the Public exam.

Edgeshot: Not really, but they're still very green so we'll see as time goes on

BestJeanist: There's a few. That explosive kid, Bakugo was it? and Todoroki caught my eye

Endeavor: Hakamada-san, If Shoto doesn't want to intern with me, I'd appreciate you taking him on.
Endeavor: On the subject of my son, Sekijiro – does he have you or Aizawa as his teacher?

VladKing: Aizawa

Endeavor: Ah, can't be helped I guess
Endeavor: Class A has always been the better of the two classes

Edgeshot: Wait, the Class A versus B "rivalry" has been around since you went to UA Endeavor?

Ingenium: A for Awesome!

BestJeanist: More like A for Annoying
BestJeanist: Class B for Best has always been how it goes

Endeavor: Yeah, at this point in time I think it's tradition

Midnight: I thought the B stood for bitches?

PresentMic: Good one Nems!

Thirteen: Alright, alright. Lets not get into an argument over which class is better.
Thirteen: Instead lets focus back on the newest influx of students. Think the majority of them will go combat like always?

Midnight: Possibly, though there's a few that would probably do well in rescue. That zero-gravity girl, Uraraka and Sero, the boy with the tape elbows.

Thirteen: Agreed, that vine-girl Shiozaki is another one I'd consider. I can imagine both her and Sero using their quirks to create nets or zip-lines of sorts to catch and move people. And Uraraka showed great skill in moving heavy objects to reach trapped victims.

Ingenium: I'm not sure if I should be proud or disappointed but I heard Tenya talking with his friends about taking more of a support role instead of combative.
Ingenium: Serve as a runner to relay messages or supplies, or to get people out of harm's way fast as possible.

VladKing: I can see him doing that. FYI he's in Aizawa's class as well

Ingenium: I know. Shota texted me about it already

[EraserHead has entered the chat]

Ingenium: Well speak of the devil

Endeavor: About time you got here! Doesn't look good if one of the Heroics teachers isn't involved in discussions about their students

EraserHead: Forgive me, I fell asleep.

Midnight: Tell us something we don't know Sho.

Thirteen: To be fair, we really weren't discussing students per say

Endeavor: Well, word on the street is you're my Shoto's teacher this year. You better not be late for class.

EraserHead: Don't worry, I'm always on time for class.

PresentMic: That's because you sleep behind your desk

Edgeshot: Inemuri is perfectly acceptable. Frankly Eraser, I wish I could do like you do and sleep anywhere.

EraserHead: You try teaching a bunch of hero hopefuls...You'll see how exhausting it is and why I can do so. And want to do so.

Thirteen: Don't like your class this year Aizawa?

VladKing: He's got 'The Child' in his class this year.

Midnight: XD
PresentMic: XD

BestJeanist: The child?

VladKing: Midoriya Izuku

Ingenium: F
Ingenium: Okay, now I will concede that's rough. Least you've got my baby brother to help keep a leash on him.

Edgeshot: Think this is the first time in awhile that we've some 'celebrity' hopefuls attending U.A.

VladKing: Place your bets, how long before Aizawa expels one of his new class?

PresentMic: 500Y on Midoriya being expelled day 1
PresentMic: You still haven't forgiven him, have you?

Midnight: 1000Y if Eraser has more than 10 students left by the end of the first month

BestJeanist: Is expelling Midoriya even possible?

EraserHead: Define 'forgive'
EraserHead: And it's perfectly logical to cull the weaker members of the pack

Endeavor: Long as you don't expel my son, we're good

EraserHead: Todoroki and Midoriya are not subject to special treatment just because they're Legacy and National Treasure.

Ingenium: 50000Y if you 'expel' my brother and film it for me.

Thirteen: Ida, that's cold...If he does it, share the video?

EraserHead: Sure

Midnight: Shota, are you okay? You're never this active in group convos.

EraserHead: Given this years batch of students, it seemed only logical to discuss them with everyone.
EraserHead: And if this is the only way you're all willing to go about that? So be it.

Midnight: Uh huh...Excuse me a moment. I need to make a phone call

Endeavor: That's why I like you Eraser, you're old fashioned at times

BestJeanist: I think its less he's old fashioned and more bright screens hurt his eyes. That's why.

Edgeshot: To be fair, that is a valid reason for anyone to dislike chat rooms or spending long hours on a computer.

[Midnight has added MsJoke to the chat]

BestJeanist: Midnight, why'd you add Joke? She didn't go to UA.
BestJeanist: Hi Joke, how are you doing anyways?

Midnight: What do you think Joke?

MsJoke: Hi Jeanie, and I'm fine. Also, you're right.

Midnight: Me or him?

MsJoke: Jeanie. Personally Midnight, I think you're mistaken, but I feel Eraser should take me out on a date to make sure ;)

EraserHead: I appreciate the offer, but have to decline

MsJoke: What is it the kids say now?
MsJoke: Eraser is Sus

Ingenium: Reason?

MsJoke: Too many words

VladKing: What?
PresentMic: Wait a minute...BRB
Thirteen: Too many words?

Endeavor: Joke, what are you talking about?

Midnight: Zashi?

Endeavor: What's going on?
VladKing: You don't think...?

Edgeshot: I do...
BestJeanist: No, there's no way

Thirteen: Don't tell me he's here

PresentMic: Shou's still passed out in his apartment!

EraserHead: Oh dear.

[Midnight has kicked EraserHead]

Midnight: ajkhjfhfj Fucking Rat!

PresentMic: NEZU!?

Edgeshot: Again?

VladKing: Ugh! How does he keep doing that?

Endeavor: Still a sneaky rat like always.

Ingenium: What the hell!?

MsJoke: You're welcome? O.o;

Ingenium: Ah, she wouldn't know about the "mole" that lurks in UA chats?

MsJoke: The mole? Excuse me but is this some UA joke that Ketsubutsu graduates aren't prestigious enough to understand?

Midnight: Supreme Chancellor Nezu...He does this every time we make a new chat. Masters to weasel his way in by posing as one of us.
Midnight: Usually Eraser for some reason.

Inside his office, Nezu just grinned and took a sip of his tea. "And yet, you all keep falling for the same trick. Let's see, who else on staff isn't so fond of chatrooms..." He set the cup down and opened up a second chat window and logged in.

[Snipe has joined the chat]

...

[May 11th, X041 – 9:41 A.M. Midoriya Residence]

…

Izuku was in his room, making a list and starting to pack up some of the items he would be bringing with him to UA in the near future. So far, those items consisted of several posters, collectible figures, and other decorative hero memorabilia. Sure it was 95% All Might merchandise, and would probably have all his new classmates ragging on him for having such a childish taste in décor but he didn't care. In fact, Izuku felt his child-like interest in heroes would be beneficial when it came to comforting hurt or lost children.

"Besides, quite a few heroes have no qualms about not acting their age." He chuckled, remembering a recent video of Fat Gum getting 'stuck' on a slide at a local park after some kids insisted he play with them. The BMI hero had laughed it off, before running off to spin some kids on the merry-go-round. "Why should I have to give into society's view of-"

Izuku's inner monolog was cut off as his phone started to ring. While the majority of his contacts still used the All Might ringtone, a small handful had been granted custom ones so he could know without looking who was calling.

Current ringtone: Healing Vision – DE-SIRE
Contact: Shuzenji Chiyo (Recovery Girl)

"Good morning Doctor Shuzenji. I trust that you are well?" Izuku answered the call, a faint smile on his face. Most people hated hearing from their doctor, but Izuku had grown to enjoy speaking with the woman.

"I am fine, thank you." There was the faintest chuckle to come from the woman on the other end. "Are you busy at the moment?"

"Not really, just starting to pack up some stuff that I want to bring to UA with me." He took a seat on his bed, "but I can put a pin in that if you need me for more tests or donations."

"Well, I don't need you at this moment but after some discussion, myself and the other doctors assigned to you did come up with some other tests we'd like to run."

"Oh sure. What are they?" Izuku was all ears even as he reached for the small notebook to rest at his bedside.

"How can I put this?" There was a moment's pause on Shuzenji's end. "We would like a sample of your genetic material."

Izuku's cheeks took on the faintest hint of pink as his brain started to veer towards the gutter. Trying to distract himself a little, he opened the book to a blank page, ready to write. "Don't you already have several samples of my DNA from my blood and other sources?"

"Yes, but that's not what I mean." He heard her sigh, "what is it you kids are calling it nowadays? I'm talking about your seed."

Izuku's face started to cycle though every known shade of red at hearing a sweet (if not ornery at times) old lady say such a thing. The fact that she said it so calmly, as if it was routine – oh wait, sometimes it was in the medical field, didn't help either. After a moment's silence, Izuku said the first thing that came to his mind.

"I...need an adult?"

"Izuku dear, you're eighteen now." There was condescending care in Shuzenji's voice. "You are an adult."

A chill of dread passed down Izuku's spine at those words, and all he could do was let out an airy squeak as a response.

"I know, it's a lot to take in." Shuzenji's voice was back to its usual gentle tone, though Izuku was no longer certain what thought her words were meant to comfort. "But this means you can now fully consent to any further tests we want to run."

"Wait, didn't I already have the power to consent to or deny testing?" Her words brought him back to the current situation.

"Sort of. You had carte blanche to approve or deny us from running any of the tests." The gentle tone was still there, though now it had taken on the 'doctor' tone as Izuku liked to call it. "However, because of your age at the time we started testing, there were certain tests that you could not consent to."

"Oh? Oh." Suddenly it clicked, knowing what tests she was referring to. "Oh..."

"Yes Izuku, I'm talking about those tests." The golden child couldn't decide if he was thankful or not that the healing heroine didn't refer to any of them by name.

"When, uh...When would these tests be conducted?" He looked to the small calendar hanging on his wall, noticing how open his schedule currently was.

"Whenever you're available." He heard the familiar sound of a candy being unwrapped come over the line. "While I will admit it would be better if we can get these tests done sooner rather than later, I know you've got a lot on your plate with classes starting soon."

"You could say that." He agreed, "so, uh...What would, uh, these tests entail?"

"Standard fertility tests..." Shuzenji went off on a minor tangent, explaining the process as Izuku's face continued to cycle through shades of red. "...Again, you do have the option to refuse this test if you don't want to take it."

As gung-ho as he had been about testing his quirk, this was the first test to make him hesitate.

"Un, understandable." Izuku's skin settled on being the same color and temperature as a cinnamon imperial candy as Recovery Girl finished her explanation. "Probably best to just get it over with. I mean, that is the one aspect of my quirk we've yet to test. The bone marrow test seemed promising with what little you were able to get before my body said no. And the saline property of my tears...I mean, this test is only natural. Common enough in the medical field...And only slightly less awkward than the urinary test."

"Izuku, there's nothing really awkward about any of the tests we've done on your bodily fluids." Recovery Girl sighed, "it's all routine, and nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I know but..." Izuku crossed his legs, free hand moving to offer an additional layer of protection. Meanwhile his mind was going a mile a minute, considering things he had yet to voice aloud.

"Izuku? Are you still there?"

"Ah yeah. Sorry...Was looking at my schedule and thinking." He audibly shuffled the pages of the notebook in his hand. Deciding to bite the bullet and get the testing done and over with. "Does this coming Monday work for you?"

"That's fine, gives us time to prepare everything." Izuku let out an involuntary whimper at her words. "Again Izuku, there's nothing to be embarrassed, ashamed, or to feel awkward about with these tests. You will be given complete privacy. You will also be given access to anything you need to make the process as easy and comfortable as possible. This includes everything from music, visual aids, companionship, marital aid-"

"I GET IT!" Izuku didn't think his blood could actually reach a boiling point, but he swore he could feel steam coming out his ears. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell but..."

"I know dear." Recovery Girl's voice had taken on one of the most gentle tones he had ever heard. "It's hard growing up, isn't it? Making your own appointments. Going to your own tests. It's only natural that you feel as you do."

"She's right. This is all part of wanting to grow up and be a hero." Wanting to change the subject, he kept the thought to himself and instead went for a distraction that never failed when dealing with Recovery Girl.

"You're right Doctor Shuzenji, though I'm just wondering when you got your credentials to be a therapist?" Youthful as Shuzenji claimed to be, she could still easily fall prey to a youngster asking her about her past.

"Well before you were born. I had been a surgeon for about three years at that point and..." Izuku let the woman ramble even as he made a note on his calendar. He had hoped that hearing some of her life story would have brought his temperature down, and restore his face to its normal color. His plan worked, though as ended the call, he once again caught sight of the note he wrote and undid all his efforts.

"Just make it to and through Monday. Do this one test...Then refuse any additional of the same nature."