Chapter 12: To Go Above and Beyond (Ep. 40-42)

When he first saw Midoriya's tentacles, the first thing Hitoshi felt (after getting over the initial shock) was anger.

He was angry Midoriya lied to him. Angry he kept something so dangerous a secret. Angry he wouldn't listen to anyone but the tentacles. Angry he thought he needed the tentacles in the first place to be strong. To be a hero.

Because he didn't need them. Midoriya Izuku was one of the strongest people he knew. Stronger than All-Might, Eraserhead, or any hero Hitoshi admired. He was stronger than the rest of the class. At times, Hitoshi even thought Midoriya was stronger than Korosensei. And it was because he was quirkless that he thought this.

He believed this full-heartedly, and it only gave Hitoshi that much more thrill to fight him.

-.-.-.-

They wasted no time circling one another, sizing each other up. There wasn't any need to. For them, this was just another drill, another daily occurrence in their assassination classroom.

Hitoshi lashed out first. His capture rings soared, wrapped around Midoriya's wrists, and he pulled the boy to the ground. His victory was short-lived as Midoriya twisted his way around and sprung up with a flying face kick, forcing Hitoshi to release the weapon to dodge. They exchanged blows back and forth. Hitoshi threw a punch. Blocked. Midoriya sliced at his stomach. Paired. Hitoshi swiped a low kick at Midoriya's feet, and the other jumped. Midoriya took advantage of his sudden height advantage and goes for the head, and Hitoshi pushed him back.

At this point, it wasn't fighting for them. It was a dance they had well-memorized.

Their knives met in the middle, holding each other off, as their other limbs tried every tactic they knew. Throat punches, elbow throws, cross jabs, spinning back kicks. Midoriya jumped in the air and tried to mount Hitoshi with a triangle hold around the neck, but the brainwasher sprawled to throw him off. Now both on the floor, Hitoshi quickly pinned Midoriya in a leg-lock, only to be knocked off by a hammerfist to the cheek. They rolled away from one another, paused to catch their breath, and resumed fighting.

Just as Hitoshi moved to use his capture rings, Midoriya faked him out by staging a front kick and then drawing his leg back quickly, while simultaneously throwing a punch. The attack made the brainwasher stumble, and it was more than enough tackle and pin Hitoshi with a clinch.

Thoroughly immobilized by the hold, Hitoshi knew he was running out of options. It was only seconds before Midoriya brought the knife down on him and got him out — meaning he'd have to face Karma's (literally) hotheaded rath. His own knife arm was pinned to his side like the rest of his limbs, which means he only had one option.

Trying to not put too much thought into it (why am I resorting to this weapon so much lately, goddammit), the brainwasher leaned up and planted yet another Kiss of Death on Midoriya's lips.

Curse Bitch-sensei for turning me into this, curse her, curse her, curse her!

Midoriya's clinch went lax, and Hitoshi wasted no time to bring up his knife and stab it at his best friend's chest — the exact same time he felt another knife hit his.

"Huh?" he said, looking down at their matching paint-stained chests. "A tie? Really?"

"I-I wasn't about to let you get the up on m-me a second time with that mo-move," Midoriya stuttered, his blush harsher than Karma's hair. Hitoshi groaned.

"Please don't let Bitch-sensei hear about this. If she finds out I defamed her 'unbeatable' Kiss of Death, she's going to suffocate me with her boobs until my skin matches my hair."

-.-.-.-

They made it back to the 'out' zone just in time to see the final battle between Nagisa and Karma. It seemed the boys had opted for a hand-to-hand combat duel as well.

"Really? Taken out by the pipsqueak?" Terasaka greeted him, and Hitoshi glared.

"Like you have any room to talk. You got taken out by Nagisa before you even realized he was there," Itona retorted, making the lion-boy bristled.

"No one asked you, Blank-Face!"

As the class watched the two remaining assassins brutally attack each other, Fuwa turned to face them. "You know, I'm kinda surprised you guys don't also have beef, all things considered."

"Me too," commented Kataoka. "I mean we're all more than happy to move past the tentacle incident, but it seems like it would just be a lot more…"

"Personal?" Sugino supplied.

"Yeah. Personal between you two."

The duo in question glanced at each other and shrugged simultaneously. "We already had our moment and talked it out over the break. No point in dragging it out," Hitoshi supplied.

Midoriya nodded. "I think the anger and hurt runs a lot deeper for Nagisa and Karma too. They've known each other since the start of middle school, so their drama has had a lot more time to bubble up."

The students' attention turned back to the fight. Karma brutally axe-kicked Nagisa, leaving him the ground. The red-haired boy leisurely moved to pick up his abandoned knife and slashed down. Just before the fight was over, however, Nagisa popped up and sent a vicious wave of emotions that had everyone — Karma, Korosensei, E-class — stumbling backward. Anger and fear and panic and paranoia all battled for dominance, and even though Hitoshi and the others stood on the edge of Nagisa's range, the effect was maddening. He couldn't even imagine what Karma was experiencing.

A freezing chill retaliated. The entire area within a 100-meter radius dropped below freezing; Karma's counter to Nagisa's fiery rage. Despite the well-insulated fabric of their combat uniforms, Hitoshi's teeth still chattered.

"Holy shit, they're really going all out!" shouted Muramatsu.

Kurahashi cried. "They're going to kill each other!"

Nagisa faked Karma out with a knife strike and instead opted to pin Karma down with a triangle choke, meaning the red-head only had about thirty seconds before he passed out. The temperature fluctuated again, becoming blisteringly hot as the two boys struggled.

"You're going to hear me out!" Nagisa cried, Projecting pure desperation. Karma squirmed in the damning hold, giving himself just enough leeway to grab his knife. He poised to stab the oblivious Nagisa in the back and —

And suddenly, the heat dissipated, the knife discarded, and Karma tapped out, conceding the fight to Nagisa.

Hitoshi couldn't hear what Nagisa and Karma were saying to each other over blue team's cheers, but it seemed they were finally talking it out and opening up to each other. The brainwasher sighed and placed his elbow on Midoriya's ("Just because you're tall enough to do that doesn't mean you should!") head.

About time.

-.-.-.-

In the end, Nagisa wasn't the only one Karma owed an explanation. After Karasuma explained that they had until February to figure out a way to save Korosensei before they'd have to resume assassination, Midoriya and Hitoshi cornered the red-haired boy and demanded answers.

"Alright, spill. What's with the fancy secret quirk?" demanded Hitoshi right off the bat. Karma's body language instantly went on the defensive, but before the boy could deflect, Nagisa grabbed his hand and gave him a pointed look. The brainwasher eyed the linked fingers suspiciously, wondering what the duo talked about early, and if they finally got past their obvious pining for each other and confessed. He hoped so. As their friend, he was sick and tired of being stuck in the middle of their little dance.

"Fine," Karma said, shoulders sagging. "You recall when I said I was adopted and that's why I didn't go by Akabane?" They nodded. "Well, it's a shit ton more complicated than that."

Karma released Nagisa's hand to grab his phone and started scrolling through it. "For all intents and purposes, I'm supposed to be dead. Who I was born as wasn't who I was allowed to be, so my adopted parents forced me to hide aspects of myself to protect the secret of my existence. They changed my hair, changed my name. When my quirk manifested, they wanted me to say I was quirkless, but I saw a better option. My adopted father's quirk was Innate Capability, so I knew firsthand that it wasn't particularly flashy or obvious, and it could easily be faked. So, I lied about my quirk."

"But...why? Why were you forced to lie so much?" Midoriya asked.

Karma stopped scrolling through his phone and held it up to show them a picture. "Like I said, I wasn't supposed to exist. Only he was."

The picture showed two newborn babies who looked like they had just been born moments before the photo. One baby had hair that was white on the right side and red on the left, and the other baby had red roots and white tips. Flashes from their trip to Musutafu came rushing back to Hitoshi.

"Is that…?" Nagisa began, and Karma nodded.

"I was the result of a quirk marriage. When my twin and I were born, my mother deemed my older brother the child more suited to their desires, and decided she didn't want me altogether. My adoptive mother was a nurse and found my birth mother literally trying to throw me away, crying about how they 'only need the one, the other one is what he wants.' When she interfered, my birth mother begged that she take me away and erase my existence — do anything to hide me so no one knew I survived, especially her husband. My adoptive mother listened, just wanting to get me away from the deranged woman. Using her connections at the hospital, they filed away the paperwork to make it seem like I was her legitimate child and destroyed all records of my birth mother having surviving twins — but not before she took this photo with her."

"Holy shit," whispered Hitoshi.

Karma smirked sadly. "My adoptive parents tried at first to keep my past a secret from me, but they could only do so much before I started asking questions. Even though I never did have Innate Capability, my adopted father said it was the closest thing either way. When I was seven, they finally told me everything, just like I'm now telling you."

Hitoshi couldn't even imagine it; being seven years old and getting told that you're not only adopted, but your birth mother literally tried to throw you away. Did she really just see no need for Karma? How could she already tell the other child was 'what he wants,' so to speak, at their birth? Was she guessing? Some odd form of mother's intuition? Why was the birth mother adamant about her husband not finding out? Was he the one pushing for the children in this quirk marriage? They were outlawed for a reason, after all. To hear and have to process all of these possibilities at such a young age...no wonder Karma is so deranged sometimes.

The red-haired boy sighed dramatically and rested his hands behind his head. "Ah, it's an awfully tragic backstory, though I guess it fits the theme. I vote we change our group name from Rainbow Hair Crew to Traumatic Past Buddies. I mean, between Nagisa's mother, my birth, Shinsou's parents, and Midoriya's bullying, we're a whole lot of tear-jerkers. Who's with me?"

No one laughed. "Karma…" Midoriya began. "Do you know who your birth parents are?"

The devil-boy scowled and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I never wanted to know the name; felt it'd be better to not know the family name I was born with rather than be haunted by it. I doubt my adopted mother would even remember anymore, given how long ago it was. Well, that, and that her and my adoptive father are hardly around anymore for me to ask. Always the travelers, those two. Can't blame them for leaving me behind, though; they never wanted kids in the first place."

There was a long, incredibly awkward silence. "Well," Hitoshi sighed. "I have to ask. Now that your big secret is out, are you going to start coming to school with your fancy frosted tips?"

The punch to the face was totally worth the question.

-.-.-.-

A research capsule containing vital information about the moon explosion — and therefore Korosensei — was scheduled to plunge into the Pacific Ocean in a week. They in no way had the manpower to take it once it landed on Earth, which meant they only had one option: they had to go to outer space and steal it beforehand.

"You know, I think I liked it when our class was focused on assassination, not research rescue missions," Hitoshi declared as they went over their plans to infiltrate the Japanese Space Program Facility. "Way more simplistic and way less illegal."

Maehara laughed. "C'mon, Shinsou. Live life on the edge!"

Convenient for their thieving needs, the Japanese Space Program was planning to launch its first ever unmanned rocket to the International Space Station in four days. E-class planned to infiltrate the rocket and sneak two people in, but the only problem was deciding who those two people would be. And naturally, with an opportunity to visit outer space, everyone wanted to volunteer.

"Um, guys? You do realize this is an experimental vessel with no successful flights yet, right?" Midoriya piped up, and instantly everyone (except Itona, who would literally die to get to touch and speak to advanced technology like that) put their hands down.

"Hey, Korosensei, why can't you launch into outer space and get it yourself? Can't you fly at supersonic speeds?" Okano asked.

Korosensei blushed sheepishly. "I'm afraid not even I can reach the speeds required to exit the Earth's atmosphere."

"That's right!" Midoriya declared, looking way too excited to be talking about rockets. "You have to be going at least Mach-23 to enter outer space. Hey, now that I think of it, why did we everyone believe you when you said you blew up the moon when it's physically impossible for you to reach it? It's kinda embarrassing on our part, if we're being honest."

"Geez, Midoriya, you sure know a lot about astrophysics," Muramatsu commented, and the quirkless boy blushed.

"Oh, well, I always liked outer space growing up so I guess I just picked up some facts that way, I really don't know what much, I swear, just some fun trivia that otherwise would be worthless anywhere else and—"

"Alright, alright, you like astronomy, we get it," Terasaka growled, putting an end to the mumbling.

"Well, with that, I think it's pretty obvious who should go," Karma drawled. "I mean, who better than Shinsou and Midoriya?"

"Yeah, no," Hitoshi retorted immediately while Midoriya squeaked. "There's no way I'm doing that. Why don't you and Nagisa go, huh?"

"That won't work," interjected Kataoka, eyeing the red and blue haired teens. "No offense to you two, but you just came off a huge fight. Shinsou and Midoriya said they've already cleared up any beef, and there's no duo in the class that works better than them."

"Yeah, you have Midoriya the rocket scientist to make sure everything is running smoothly, and Shinsou the brainwasher to make sure we get what we want. Combine that with your awesome combat skills, and you guys are the perfect hijacking team!" cheered Fuwa.

Hitoshi was still 110% against it (he didn't want to die), but then Midoriya placed a hand on his shoulder. "It does sound like a pretty cool experience...I mean, what's better than a trip to outer space with your best friend?"

And then he gave that smile that seemed to emit rays of sunshine and, well, no one stands a chance against that.

-.-.-.-

It was embarrassingly easy to break into the Japanese Space Center. Hitoshi knew they were skilled, but it was honestly pathetic. Yada snuck into the control room and used her Persuasion to distract the scientists, while Itona used his quirk to hack the computer's mainframe and hook up Ritsu. With building's system entirely in their control, Hitoshi and Midoriya easily snuck through the vents to get to the rocket undetected. When they made it to the launchpad, Korosensei was waiting for them in his (terrible) ninja disguise.

"Everything's good to go," Ritsu informed them. "I've overlaid the footage of the dummy pilots, so those at headquarters shouldn't know the difference when you replace them."

"Oh goodie, it's all working out perfectly," Hitoshi muttered sarcastically. "I swear if this hunk of metal blows up, I'm haunting all your asses."

-.-.-.-

Hitoshi thought the launch was the most terrifying experience ever, maybe even worse than the Reaper.

Midoriya thought it was amazing and wouldn't stop geeking out like a damn nerd. "Wow, we just passed the mesosphere and now we're in the thermosphere, we're actually going faster than Korosensei, can you believe it, look how beautiful it is out there, it's so dark and immense, look at all the stars you can see without the Earth's light pollution, have you ever seen something so — hey, Hitoshi, stop closing your eyes! You're missing it!"

He changed his mind. He wished the damn rocket blew up.

-.-.-.-

They docked at the International Space Station and quickly got to work. A Japanese astronaut went inside their vessel to check it out and understandably freaked when he saw two kids inside.

"Hey, you're Mizui, right?" Hitoshi greeted.

"Wha—"

Gotcha.

He held the man captive with his mind as the other astronauts came to see what the commotion was. Holding up a knife and floating up to them (zero gravity was whack), he grinned cynically. "Oh, hey there," he greeted charismatically thanks to Bitch-sensei's tutoring.

"Huh? Kids?"

"Why are you—"

"How did—"

"Is that a—"

Hitoshi instantly took control of all their minds, trying not to wince at the strain it caused him. "Alright, Izuku, I've got them all. Time to go get that data—"

"Not so fast, kiddos."

A big American guy with a bald head and a beard blocked their way, and Hitoshi realized too late that he hadn't actually brainwashed all the astronauts. This man never responded to him.

"Now, I don't mean to go crushing your dreams, but I can't exactly let some strange kids break into the space station," the American continued. "Let's talk civilly first, alright? No brainwashing."

Hitoshi and Midoriya jolted in surprise and the man chuckled. "My quirk lets me know the quirks of others just by looking at them. I didn't mean to ruin your surprise, but unless y'all have a good explanation for breaking into the space station, I'm not feeling too sorry about it."

Midoriya bit his lip. "We're sorry we came on so strong," he began in careful English. "But we need the files you have on the Tentacle. It's a matter of saving the world."

The American man hummed skeptically. "And what would a couple of middle school kids need with those?"

Headache starting to form thanks to all the minds he was brainwashing, Hitoshi sighed. "Buckle up, buddy. It's a long story."

-.-.-.-

The astronaut took their story surprisingly well, all things considered. Granted, he was American. He's probably used to his government doing much more shady and outrageous things.

"How about I make you a deal?" he said. "You free my buddies from your brainwashing, and I'll give you the files myself. No tricks, no fights. From what you've told me, you can make much better use of these than anyone else."

Midoriya and Hitoshi glanced at each other before reaching their silent decision. "Deal."

It was a relief to free his brain by letting those astronauts go. He rubbed his temples vigorously.

"You okay?" Midoriya asked, switching back to Japanese. The brainwasher nodded.

"Just a little headache. I can brainwash multiple people, but it takes a lot more of a toll on me. Also, I don't think this zero-gravity thing is helping much. It'll go away soon, though."

It eventually did. By the time Ritsu had downloaded a copy of the files and they were back in their capsule, it was reduced to a dull ache. That didn't stop Midoriya shooting him concerned looks every other second.

"You're sure you're okay?"

Hitoshi sighed. "I'll be a lot better once I'm Earth-bound again, but yeah, I'm fine. Never letting you talk me into something like this again."

Midoriya laughed. "You gotta admit, though, it sure was something. To see the entire Earth from up above...I guess it just reminds you how small you really are."

The boy did have a point. The view from the space station was positively breath-taking. The entire globe in your field of vision like it was nothing, it really did make you feel small. But even more so, it just made Hitoshi realize how much more they had to lose.

-.-.-.-

With Ritsu's calculations and trajectory and Korosensei's assistance, they made it back to the Earth safely, landing in the mountain's river. The entire class was there to greet them, asking them frantically about their journey.

Hitoshi was more concerned with just kissing the precious, gravitationally pulling Earth he so greatly took for granted.

Korosensei made sure to personally and thoroughly check both of them out for any possible injuries. As the tentacles poked and prodded his reflex joints and took his blood pressure, the brainwasher looked up at his teacher with a lazy grin.

"So, Sensei. Did we get what we needed?"

Korosensei grinned back, a tentacle wrapping around Hitoshi's wrist to check his pulse. "Well, Ritsu will need to take some time to sort through the data, but I believe you've come across quite the scientific breakthrough. And not only that, but the data Ritsu collected of you and Midoriya in space will be able to push the Japanese space program forward almost fifteen years. Thank goodness for that, or else I think Karasuma would've killed me for letting you do this!"

"Shinsou Hitoshi. Astronaut extraordinaire," he mocked. "Who knows. Maybe I'll change that to my backup career if hero work doesn't work out."

The tentacles paused. "And why would you think that?"

Hitoshi froze. Why would he think that? Entrance exams were coming up in a few weeks, and he and Midoriya were already planning their approach to them forward and backward. They trained harder than ever before, even seeking out some extra tips from Karasuma. They should be prepared; and yet...deep down inside, he can't shake this horrible feeling that it will go terribly wrong. That even with all of his training, he still has a non-flashy quirk; that unlike everyone else, he has to rely on that outside training to pass, while others can simply use their perfect hero quirks.

"I don't know," he eventually admitted. "It's just...everyone outside of 3-E has always said I have a villain's quirk. What if U.A. thinks the same thing?"

Korosensei's smile dropped, and Hitoshi bit his lip to hold back tears as a tentacle wrapped around his shoulder. "Young Shinsou…You shouldn't let such falsities get to your head. After all, how can a quirk in of itself be considered evil? It is just a tool. One may argue a quirk that hurts people must be fundamentally evil, yet the guns and knives you use work the same way; however, in the hands of police officers and soldiers, they are considered to be weapons for good, weapons that protect. The same goes for quirks. There is no evil or good quirk; after all, I am the Number One Villain, yet I'm sure most would agree many of my quirks to be quite heroic: super speed, flight, invincibility.

"A quirk isn't what makes a villain, but the harmful actions that occur at their hands. If you want to become a hero, then use your quirk as your tool, and don't let anyone stop you. Make them see it as a power perfect for a hero. Use it to save, to protect, like good men and women use dangerous guns for."

"I know that," Hitoshi muttered. "Besides, you're hardly a villain. Given you didn't actually explode the moon and all, do you even deserve that title?"

"WHAT?!"

"I mean, that's what got everyone to fear you, right? Strange villain takes out the entire moon, evades arrest by even the Symbol of Peace. You've only actually earned one of those reputations."

"How dare you question my legitimacy? I'm the greatest villain in the world, and I'll prove it to you! No one can top my evil ways!"

Korosensei started cackling, and Hitoshi rolled his eyes. "You're not evil, Korosensei."

The octopus went eerily silent, and Hitoshi explained, "I mean, what evil mastermind chooses to spend time teaching a bunch of kids to be good people? Encourages them to achieve their dreams, even if that dream is becoming a hero? Seems kind of counterintuitive, if you ask me."

There was a long pause. "Interesting argument, especially since you know my past," Korosensei finally said, and Hitoshi picked up on the skeptical tone. The brainwasher shrugged.

"I think it's because I know your past that I can say you're not the Number One Villain, Korosensei. And if you must be the best at something, I think the only thing you can claim is being the Number One Teacher," Korosensei preened, and Hitoshi added, "But if you let that inflate your ego, I'm totally taking it back."

"Oh, Shinsou! I didn't know you thought so highly of me!" The octopus enveloped him in a suffocating hug. "My precious student respecting my hard work! There is no greater pride! Eep!"

Korosensei finally released him when Hitoshi attempted to swipe at the man with his anti-sensei knife. He breathed heavily, trying to take in as much oxygen as he could. Man, and he thought Bitch-sensei's boob hugs were crushing.

"Ah, Young Shinsou. I do have one question. Something that's been on my mind ever since a certain conversation I had with Midoriya." The octopus' voice was eerily serious, and Hitoshi snapped to attention. "What do you think separates a hero from an assassin?"

The brainwasher blinked. What separates a hero from an assassin? Wasn't it obvious? Assassins were killer for hire, and heroes were saviors...for hire sometimes. Typically, at least, in this day and age, when being a hero was all about publicity and flashiness. That was another thing that separated heroes and assassins; heroes lived in the limelight, and assassins operated in the shadows. The only exception was underground heroes, which was one of the many reasons Hitoshi desired to be an underground pro.

"I think there's a lot that makes them different, Korosensei."

His teacher giggled. "Yes, of course. What I meant to say is, in cases where assassins like you, your classmates or other Pros are working to save the world by killing me, do you know what makes you so different from heroes? Do you know why the government has resorted to using assassins to stop me instead of Pro-Heroes like they first attempted? Why no Pro-Hero ever goes after me or tries to hunt me down?"

"...no, I guess I don't," Hitoshi answered truthfully.

"It's because while heroes may have a stronger weapon, assassins always wield a second blade to cut down their enemies," Korosensei explained. "That is the greatest difference. And as your teacher, with your entrance exams coming up, I can't help but wonder if the blades you and Young Midoriya wield so proficiently will be enough to make up for your disadvantage in terms of raw power; will U.A. or agencies be able to overlook it to give you a chance? Which makes me wonder so deeply: Shinsou, if you or Midoriya were offered a power that would better guarantee your spot among heroes, would you take it?"

Hitoshi froze? Offered a power? Like given another quirk? A more 'heroic' one? A quirk like All-Might's, or Endeavor's, or Best Jeanist, or all those other top Pros? A quirk like the ones Hitoshi used to be so envious of, the quirks that were treated with praise, not slander, that made you friends, not bullies. Would he take it?

"If you asked me this a year ago," Hitoshi finally said. "I probably would've said yes in a heartbeat. But now...now I know I don't need it. I know how strong my quirk is, and where it falters, my training reinforces it. I know I don't need another power to push me to greatness. But as for Midoriya, well...there's no doubt he's probably the best out of all of us. He works hard, and he's rewarded because of that. But despite that, I know he thinks he's still inadequate because he's quirkless; that he can't measure up to the rest of us. So while I wouldn't take it...I don't know about him."

The octopus nodded thoughtfully, and Hitoshi's eyes narrowed. "Why are you asking, anyway? What are you plotting?"

Korosensei jolted. "Who says I'm plotting anything?! It was a simple trivia question, my boy, and you passed with flying colors!"

"Yeah, right," Hitoshi muttered, still suspicious. The words echoed in his mind. Offered a power…. Korosensei said he was quirkless too, before Shiro super juiced him with a ton of quirks. Was he planning on...no, there's no way, especially not after the tentacle incident. But it still begged the question, the question no one ever knew the answer to:

What was Korosensei thinking?

-.-.-.-

When February came, everyone was frantically stressing over entrance exams (him and Midoriya especially), so he was more than surprised when Karasuma pulled them into his office.

"I'm sorry to be telling you on such a short notice, but I only just got the confirmation this morning," the agent explained. "As you know, my alma matter is U.A. High School, so when I heard your ambitions to get into their hero program, I took it upon myself to pull a few strings. Nothing too grand — I know you want to earn your way to the program — but I've arranged for you two to take the U.A. Recommendation Entrance Exam instead of the regular one."

Midoriya gaped. "Isn't it crazy hard to get approved to take that exam?"

"Normally, yes. Fortunately, the school principal and the JSDF have a very positive relationship, seeing as he's been hired on as a consultant for an assassination plan the government has been cooking up. This means he's one of the few people who knows about Korosensei teaching E-class, so he agreed with me when I said you two were more than fit to take the Recommendation Exam."

Hitoshi blinked back emotion. Under his hard exterior, it was easy to forget just how much Karasuma cared about them. "Thank you, sir."

Their P.E. teacher smirked. "I just wish I could've told you sooner so you'd have more time to prepare, but I think it's safe to say that you've been more than prepared for anything in this classroom. I can tell you that the test will consist of written, practical, and interview, but I'm afraid that's it. It's up to you to prove yourself."

The brainwasher grinned. "We won't let you down, sir."

-.-.-.-

The morning of the entrance exam, Hitoshi threw up twice and broke down once before his foster mother violently kicked him out the door and told him to stop being an embarrassing waste of space. Though, all things considered, his start to the day could've been much worse.

He met up with Midoriya at the train station, and the green-haired boy looked as much a wreck as Hitoshi felt. He wouldn't stop mumbling to himself and fidgeting, and Hitoshi was too preoccupied with his own headspace to stop him.

"Oh, God, what am I doing? Not only am I trying to get into the hero class while quirkless, but I'm taking the Recommendation Exam where all the best of the best applicies go? Where the children of Pro-Heroes and prominent families test? What am I going to do, I'm going to humiliate myself in front of everyone—"

"Hey, stop being such a self-deprecating ball of shit, you're psyching me and yourself out," Hitoshi hissed, effectively silencing the boy with a swift kick to the back. "Don't you dare sell yourself short, Izuku. You're probably the best damn fighter in E-class, which means these other testers can't hold a candle to you. I mean, you've come out with an A on both of the Kunugigaoka quirk exams, which means this is going to seem like a training exercise to you. Remember our promise — we're going to become heroes, and it all starts right here."

Midoriya looked up at him, his eyes shining with hope and determination and—

And then the little shit swiped Hitoshi's legs out from underneath him.

"You're right, Hitoshi, this will be a walk in the park!"

Hitoshi growled and kick-jumped off the ground, ready to kill this ray of sunshine. "You're gonna pay for that you—"

"Um…"

Their moment was promptly interrupted by a tall young man, about their age, wearing a blue school track uniform and a buzz cut. He looked positively disturbed as he stared at the two assassins. His eyes darted between Hitoshi's raised fist and Midoriya's defensive stance.

"...what are you looking at?" Hitoshi said awkwardly, willing the boy to go away already. Neither he nor Midoriya moved an inch. It took a painfully long time before the stranger finally retreated, and once he did, the brainwasher landed a playful punch on his best friend's shoulder.

"Well, that was awkward. Hope we don't have to see him again."

-.-.-.-

They did see the boy again, not even thirty minutes later, and this instance was even more awkward than the first.

After getting off the train and taking a bus to the U.A. testing center, Midoriya and Hitoshi turned the corner to not only find Korosensei doubles in human disguises lined up to make a cheer archway, but also the awkward boy from earlier staring dumbstruck at the display.

"Is he trying to expose himself and us?!" Hitoshi hissed, his cheeks flaring up.

"Go! Go! Shinsou! Go! Go! Midoriya!" Korosensei kept repeating, wearing a headband that had their names on it. "Become the heroes you're destined to be!"

"Wow, since when did U.A. have send-off ceremonies for their entrance exams?" a passerby wondered aloud, making the assassins tense.

"I guess one of the examinees has a really enthusiastic family. If that test taker is as big as his giant family, though, I wouldn't be surprised if he makes it," said another.

Hitoshi went blank faced as if he was under his own quirk, while Midoriya looked like he was about to explode.

"What are you doing here, sir?!"

"I'm cheering you on, of course! This is an important day for a teacher!" the octopus said, as if it was a justifiable answer. "Oh no, look at the time! I have so many students to cheer on! Best of luck, my future heroes!"

Korosensei blasted off, and the awkward stranger (who Hitoshi was 100% convinced was also here to take the Recommendations Exam, the poor sucker) looked like he was about to have an aneurism. Hitoshi wasn't sure if he should scream or cry, so he opted to smile.

"He's always our teacher, first and foremost. You've gotta give him that."

-.-.-.-

Before the test started, all of the examinees were lined up and given numbers to pin to their uniforms. Midoriya glanced around self-consciously.

"We kinda stick out like a sore thumb, don't you think?"

He had a point. The examinees were instructed to come in their middle school P.E. uniforms, which meant everyone else was wearing a variety of tracksuits. For E-class, however, it was full-body combat gear.

"No kidding. You'd think we came from a military school or something."

Midoriya laughed quietly. "Well, with Karasuma-sensei as a teacher, we kinda do."

They took the written portion as one large group. Hitoshi and Midoriya were placed on opposite sides of the room — likely to prevent cheating — so Hitoshi was sitting between a guy with a skull-looking face that reminded him way too much of the Reaper and a pretty girl with the largest ponytail he'd ever seen.

The test packets were passed out and they were told to begin, and suddenly all of Hitoshi's nerves felt foolish. The content was stupid easy compared to the literal beasts Kunugigaoka threw at them. He never realized how overboard his middle school went with exams until now as he zoomed through the test, almost bored. For someone ranked No. 9 in his school after taking the hardest final exams Kunugigaoka ever created, this was child's play. He risked a quick glance at Midoriya and saw the green-haired boy was nearly done even though they were only twenty minutes into the hour.

He finished with fifteen minutes left and more confidence than he thought possible. He almost felt bad for the poor test-takers who didn't even finish, but hey, they didn't ever experience literal academic hell, so it was only fitting.

"You seemed to think that was pretty easy," the ponytail girl said, holding out her hand. "I'm Yaoyorozu Momo. It's nice to meet you…"

"Shinsou Hitoshi," the brainwasher supplied, shaking her hand. "And yeah, I kinda did. The school I come from is known for being one of the hardest academic prep schools in the country, so…"

"Where are you from, actually? I don't recognize your uniform." The girl's gaze was sharp, intelligent, and Hitoshi had a feeling he should tread very lightly speaking with Yaoyorozu.

"I'm from Kunugigaoka," he answered, and the girl blinked.

"They're one of U.A.'s biggest feeder schools. If they prepare everyone as well as they seemed to do for you and your classmate, I guess I can see why."

She gestured to Midoriya, who was slowly making his way over there, but his face looked like someone who had just seen a ghost, not aced a test. Hitoshi gnawed his lip anxiously.

"Yeah...hey, look, I gotta go. It was nice meeting you, though."

"It was nice meeting you too, Shinsou. I hope when all is said and done, we can meet again as classmates."

The brainwasher smiled softly as he walked away. "Me too, Yaomomo." The girl smirked at the nickname, and Hitoshi waved goodbye before whipping his head around to his best friend. "Okay, what happened? Who's trying to kill us this time?"

"No, it's not that…" Okay, Midoriya didn't even smile at the joke, this was serious. "It's just...the person sitting behind me at during the test...I think they're…"

"Alright, Listeners, line on up, it's time to move onto the practical!" Present Mic called out. "For this test, you'll be randomized in groups of six. The goal is to get the best time possible on our specially designed three-kilometer footrace filled with all the obstacles and tasks to test your quirk's strength. When we call your number, please step up to the starting line!"

Was he hearing this right? This was almost too good to be true. Out of everything they could've thrown at them — tournament battles, giant robots, anything — all they had to do was freerun through an obstacle race? That's what E-class had to do every day just to get to school. Even Midoriya looked hopeful, his previous panic mostly wearing off his face. Six numbers were randomly called, and Hitoshi was pleased to hear Midoriya and him being paired in the same testing group. Put them together in a task like this, and they were going to be unstoppable.

They approached the starting line when Midoriya suddenly froze. "Hitoshi, look, it's who I was trying to tell you about."

The brainwasher looked where his friend was subtly pointing and blanched at what he saw. It wasn't hard to figure out who Midoriya was referencing — the distinct half-white half-red hair could be spotted a kilometer away.

"I wasn't supposed to exist. Only he was."

Hitoshi promptly choked on his spit. "Holy shit, that's—"

"Everybody line up! The race starts when the light turns green."

There wasn't any time to dwindle on their little (ginormous) discovery as everyone in their group lined up to race. Just before they were signaled to start, Hitoshi glanced at Midoriya, sending one last silent message.

It's go time.

-.-.-.-

Not to rip on Karma, but Hitoshi could understand why this other guy was the chosen child. Half-N-Half dude was insanely powerful, immediately taking off with a blast of ice propelling him forward. A guy with some kind of wind quirk — wait, was that the awkward kid from earlier? — was close behind, and the duo took an early lead. But that wasn't about to deter E-class assassins. Their speed naturally improved thanks to months competing with Korosensei, they held their own, comfortably holding third and fourth place with the leaders still well in view. They may not have quirks perfectly fitted to give them an edge in this kind of course, but they had heaps of more experience.

Like Present Mic said, this footrace wasn't your regular run. First thing out of the gate were these large cylinder pillars separated a good distance apart. Icy-Boy and Wind-Boy merely launched themselves over it, while the other two competitors had to think of creative ways to pass since it was too long a distance for normal people to jump. For assassins, though…

If breaking into the space center was easy, then this was child's play. He and Midoriya ran full speed and launched themselves from pillar to pillar, not faltering a step and occasionally rolling to build up momentum. They left the other two competitors in the dust and ran after the leaders.

The next task was an inclined ice bridge, which made it hard to get the traction to run. Hitoshi cursed, wishing he had Kimura's Sticky Feet. Midoriya, on the other hand, took one look at their icy ascent and then jumped on the trail of stacked ice Icy-Boy was leaving behind.

"The spikes give us something to hold to!" he called, mounting an ice spike and propelling himself forward like a frog to another spike a good distance forward.

"Yeah, and something to impale us with," Hitoshi muttered, but followed in suit, nonetheless.

After the bridge came an exploding castle, but the assassin duo was actually somewhat grateful for this because it was the first obstacle to slightly slow Icy-Boy and Wind-Boy down as they had to dodge the oncoming debris. Since the explosions were shooting out from the castle and not from the track, Hitoshi slid on his back, making himself a small and low target, and then rolled to safety. Midoriya, on the other hand, threw up his hood for protection and ran on the very edge of the cliffed track, giving him as much distance from the explosions as possible.

They both finished at about the same time, and now the frontrunners were only about 50 meters ahead. Not as bad as before, but they'd need to do something big still if they want to catch up.

And that's when they came upon the next obstacle.

It was a steep, winding mountain (or maybe a giant spike coming from the ground was a better description) with a thin wrap-around cliff path to reach the top. Icy-Boy's trail, however, was completely blocking the path, and Hitoshi didn't exactly want to do more ice spike jumping.

Not that he needed to.

Almost like they were back on the assassination island, he and Midoriya instantly started their vertical ascent, free climbing their way to the top. They moved much faster than last time, with Hitoshi now much more physically fit and Midoriya not dying from poison. They jumped and climbed without any fear of falling, their minds set only on reaching the top.

Hitoshi gave one final push and flip-rolled onto the top, Midoriya close behind. They made it at the exact same time as the frontrunners, and Hitoshi could see the shock on both of their faces. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Hitoshi sprinted to the rope bridge hanging between them and the next mountain.

Icy-Boy skipped over the bridge altogether and made his own ice bridge, and Wind-Boy followed in suit, giving them a lead again. Hitoshi gritted his teeth. Damn it, so close.

"Hitoshi, look!" Midoriya said, pointing. "When we reach that mountain, the path has us climb down and go through the forest."

"Yeah, so?" Hitoshi asked impatiently, not really liking the hold-up.

"Well, Present Mic never said anything about having to face every obstacle head-on," Midoriya pointed out. A grin broke out on the brainwasher's face.

"You're a freaking genius, Jolly Green."

Hitoshi leaned over and broke off two particularly sharp pieces of ice, throwing one to Midoriya. They both stood on the rope bridge, firmly securing their grip on the rope and twisting their foot in it to be safe.

"On three," Midoriya said. "One. Two. Three!"

They sliced through their respective sides of the bridge in one fluid motion with the ice knife, and the next thing Hitoshi knew, they were plummeting to the ground.

"OH SHIT!" he cried, clinging to his rope. It crossed his mind that they had no idea if the other half of the bridge would hold their weight, and he realized this could be his death.

Korosensei was going to be so pissed.

"AHHHHHHH!" Midoriya intelligibly screamed, the ground getting concerningly close, and Hitoshi closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see himself become a human pancake and—

But then the rope went taut, and now they were swinging through the air like monkeys, still thoroughly screaming their heads off, partially because they were relieved, and partially because they were headed straight into the side of the other mountain.

"Lean right!" Midoriya cried, and Hitoshi didn't think, just listened. Their combined weights rotated their swing path so they went around the mountain, not directly into it, and the assassins barely had time to celebrate before they crash-landed in a tree.

"Ughhhhhhh," the brainwasher moaned, his brain belatedly reminding him to hold onto a branch so he didn't fall out. "Well, that just happened."

Midoriya let out a whimpering squeak, and Hitoshi decided he was content to not ever move again and just chill in a tree-like a cat when his best friend gasped and attacked his shoulder with hits.

"Hitoshi. Hitoshi, we've gotta move, we gotta run." The battery intensified. "Hitoshi, we're ahead of them, we're in the lead!"

That snapped Hitoshi right out of his daze. "What's next?"

Midoriya paused, scanning the area. "It looks like this obstacle was just running through a dense, dark forest. If we continue jumping through the treeline, though, it should be easier for us to get through. Race you!"

Midoriya got another two trees before Hitoshi called out. "Uh, Jolly Green? I think it's this way."

"Oh. Right."

-.-.-.-

They broke out of the forest still maintaining their lead (E-class was, after all, the best forest runners in the world at this point), but it was clear the gap was closing. It wouldn't be long before Icy-Boy and Wind-Boy caught up. Luckily for the assassins, there wasn't much of the race left to run.

After the forest came a pitch-black cave filled with multiple distractions and scare obstacles.

"You know," the brainwasher said, not even fazed by the robot villain that just popped out. "I think Korosensei's Matchmaking Horror Cave from hell back on the island was way worse than this."

The cave exit was blocked by a massive waterfall that would undoubtedly knock down anyone who just tried to walk through it, and maybe even knock them off the bridge leading out entirely.

Hitoshi instantly ripped off his jacket and tied it to his and Midoriya's belts. "It's less likely to knock two of us off the bridge at once," he explained. "If we run and slide through together, we should make our mass small enough that the water pressure won't push us around too much."

They did just that, coming out soaked but intact. The waterfall jets started to push Midoriya over the edge for a second, but Hitoshi quickly pulled him up as if he were using his capture rings.

"Thanks," the quirkless boy breathed, coughing up water.

"Don't mention it. Let's go," Hitoshi said, brushing his matted down bangs out of his face.

The very last stretch of the race was a clear path first filled with geyser holes that shot up randomly and powerfully, followed up by a flame coal path leading all the way to the finish line. The brainwasher cursed.

"Shit. How do we get through that?" he wondered, and Midoriya looked just as much at a loss. Unfortunately, they didn't have much time to devise a plan, as he glanced back at saw Icy-Boy and Wind-Boy racing neck and neck only about 20 meters behind and approaching scarily fast. Hitoshi broke into a sprint, planning on figuring it out when he got to the obstacles, but Midoriya held him back.

"Wait!" the green-haired boy said, deliberately letting them get passed.

"What the hell, Izuku?!"

Midoriya ignored him and ran straight for the spike ice trail that formed in front of them. "Help me break this off!"

Not sure where his friend was going with this but not having any other plans himself, Hitoshi ran over and together they broke a large slab of ice right off. Midoriya had them carry it all the way to the geysers, stopping right in front of one, and an uneasy feeling settled over the brainwasher as his friend placed the slab over a temporarily inactive geyser.

"If we lay this here and angle it just like -— yeah, just like that! Hitoshi, get on!"

Hitoshi blinked, the plan dawning on him. "Oh, hell no, I've had more than enough brushes with death this race and—"

Midoriya, clearly not taking no for an answer, pulled him down on the slab just before the geyser went off and launched them into the sky.

"OH MY FU-"

He clung to his best friend for dear life as they began to rocket through the air. The heat from the geyser melted away their ice board, but it didn't matter much at this point as they rolled through the air, soaring above the geyser field and fire floor. The ground approached quickly, and they crash-landed in a tangle of limbs right in front of the finish line and right on top of their opponents.

"Oof!" Hitoshi coughed, and at this point, he didn't know whose limbs belonged to who. He painfully rolled away, taking who he thinks is Midoriya with him, and flopped across the finish line.

"What a finish! The duo in blue snatches first at the exact same time after crashing the party — literally!" cried Present Mic. "What an impressive feat! All four finishers are three minutes faster than the yearly average!"

With a deep groan, Hitoshi rolled away from Midoriya and flopped on his back, staring at the ceiling and immensely grateful for his uniform's padding. He thinks he can feel all his limbs. He's pretty sure they're all there and functioning. Pretty sure.

"Wow, you guys are insane!" the buzzcut guy from earlier (apparently no longer freaked out by them) exclaimed. "I thought I was just going to steal first, but then you came flying through the sky like divebombing eagles! So cool!"

"Uh, thanks?" Midoriya squeaked, clearly not used to this kind of attention outside of E-class. The two assassins grabbed onto each other arms and pulled to stand up at the same time. Wind-Boy grinned and turned to their other competitor.

"You're so cool too, using your ice like that! Hey, you're Endeavor's son, right? I guess it's only to be expected when you've got a father like—"

"Stop talking."

Wind-Boy's mouth snapped shut and Icy-Boy didn't even have the decency to look at him, his steely eyes locked forward.

"This is an exam," Icy-Boy continued. "I'm not here to cheer you on, nor am I here to beat you. I'm just here to pass. So get out of my way."

Half-N-Half shoved his way past them, and Wind-Boy looked like he just got shot.

"Wow. He's an even bigger asshole than Karma," Hitoshi commented. He slapped a hand on Wind-Boy's shoulder apologetically. "Sorry we landed on you and stole first place. If it's anything, I hope you do well on the rest of the exam."

Wind-Boy appeared to still be in some state of shock, so there's no telling if he heard any of that. Poor guy, maybe they accidentally gave him a concussion when they landed on him? He hoped not; the dude seemed pretty nice, and his quirk was totally badass.

Midoriya suddenly pulled Hitoshi away, well out of anyone's hearing range. "Did you hear that?"

"What, that the dude who is probably Karma's long lost twin has a stick up his—"

"No!" Midoriya whisper-hissed. "Did you hear what the other guy said? You know, the part about Karma's long-lost twin being Endeavor's son?"

Hitoshi blinked. "Oh. Oh shit."

-.-.-.-

Hitoshi was surprised to hear him and Midoriya called into the interview room at the same time, but not nearly as surprised as when they went into the room and found a large mouse creature waiting for them.

"Oh, yes, please come in, come in," the mouse called, gesturing to the two seats in front of him, which the assassins hesitantly sat in. "I'm Principal Nedzu, U.A.'s principal. It's very nice to meet you both, Tadaomi has told me such great things."

It took a painfully long time for Hitoshi to realize that Tadaomi was Karasuma's given name. The principal plowed on anyway. "I must say, I am thoroughly impressed with your results. I took the liberty to grade your written test myself, and that combined with your time during the practical — well, you two just be some of the highest-scoring examinees ever."

The students' cheeked flared. "Th-Thank you, sir," Midoriya choked out, and the mouse smiled brightly.

"And not to even mention the fact that you performed so stupendously only using assassination and not a single quirk," Nedzu continued, grinned widely. "As one with an intelligence-based quirk myself, it was quite fascinating to watch your performance. You beat out two incredibly strong opponents simply by outwitting them. I must say, I am quite intrigued to see how the rest of your class is in terms of strength; if I go by you two, it must be quite impressive."

Nedzu giggled. "I admit, the feats I witnessed today make me very excited for what you two could be capable of in the future, being nurtured in an academy such as U.A. But unfortunately, even that doesn't shake the reality of the situation we're in, my boys."

Even though Nedzu was still grinning, the atmosphere shifted to something much tenser, and Hitoshi froze. "I want you to know that when I heard the Tentacle was teaching middle-schoolers, I was quite appalled to hear of it. To think a villain would be spending time with and molding such impressionable young minds, even if supervised, was a nightmare come true in my mind. And then, to make matters worse, I hear these same children are now being trained to kill the creature no hero could ever stop. I was mortified at the thought.

"So you see, when Tadaomi first approached me requesting you take the Recommendation Exam, I knew this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. While the government and I have been closely observing the Tentacle, I knew nothing of the development of the students, and I had many questions. Are they bloodlusting killing machines like the government set them up to become? Trained soldiers? I simply had to know, so I gave you permission to test."

Hitoshi felt like he was entering a nightmare as the mouse talked, and wondered when this conversation went downhill so fast. Wasn't Nedzu just praising them a minute ago?

"Needless to say, not even I could have anticipated the results shown today. A perfect score by Midoriya on the written and just one point off by Shinsou, and a first-place tie with a near record-breaking time by the both of you in the practical. And I began to realize how grossly I miscalculated.

"Your class wasn't made into soldiers or killers — you were made into top-notch assassins with skills and cunning most professionals in the field never achieve. You were nurtured, cared for by one of the greatest fighters U.A. as ever seen, and by the greatest villain the world has ever seen. I never once expected to find they've created students so powerful."

Hitoshi and Midoriya tensed, and the principal laced his paws together. "I understand this is supposed to be an interview portion, but I felt it better to talk to you instead. For all intents and purposes, you've already scored high enough to make it into the hero course." The two boys jolted in shock. "The question I'm stuck with now, however, is this: Do assassins have any place in the work of heroes?"

Hitoshi saw red. "That's—"

"Please, allow me to explain myself first," Nedzu interrupted. "I've been told I have a very idealist mind. Many times I've found myself looking at young villains and wonder to myself, if they could be taught better, could they become heroes? But I'm smart enough to see the naivety of such wistful thinking because, unfortunately, some things can never be untaught. And from what I've seen today, it's immensely clear what you've learned in your assassination classroom will never go away."

"Well, should it?" Hitoshi finally snapped, unable to take this any longer. "I mean, you've said it yourself. Our training has made us strong, stronger than those born gifted with immense strength. Isn't that a good thing?"

"In normal circumstances, yes," Nedzu said patiently, not fazed by the outburst. "The problem is who did your teaching. You are strong because the Number One Villain taught you to be, and I think I'm quite justified to be frightened of such a concept."

"But he's not the only one who taught us," Midoriya argued. "Karasuma-sensei is behind most of our physical training. He went to U.A., and you said it yourself — he's one of the best fighters U.A.'s ever had. That has to mean something."

Nezu sighed sadly. "And yet, there is a reason why your 'Karasuma-sensei' never became a Pro-Hero even after getting his license and graduating top of his class. Your teacher may have had the makings of a hero in his youth, but now he is a top government agent, and that is it."

Hitoshi sneered. "So what? You're not going to let us into U.A. because you're scared of us?"

"I never said that was the case. Quite the opposite actually," the mouse said, tail flicking, and it felt so weird for Hitoshi. This man looked and sounded so nice, but every word he said seemed to crush more and more of Hitoshi's dream. "I personally would be quite intrigued to see how you'd develop in this school, and I'm more than willing to let you do so. But unfortunately, we run into a...conflict of interests, so to speak. I told you I was working with the government to find a way to kill Korosensei, which means I am well aware that you and your classmates have been trying to devise a plan to save him."

The young teens went stiff and slack-jawed as Nedzu continued. "Now, while it may sound like a heroic and noble cause, we're talking about the villain threatening to blow up the entire Earth — the Symbol of Terror. He must be stopped at all costs. Which is why I'm formally putting your acceptance on hold until the situation with the Tentacle is rectified. It's not an entirely unreasonable action, given there's a chance we will all die in a month if we fail to stop him. So until then, I am setting new terms for your acceptance, and it will all depend on how this month plays out. You and your classmates can either kill the Tentacle and save the world, ensuring your acceptance to U.A., or you can save his life. It's your choice."

There was a stunned silence in the room, but Hitoshi wanted to scream. Was...was he blackmailing them? Why, because he was scared of them succeeding in saving Korosensei's life? Or was it because he was more scared of them and what they were capable? Did he really have any interest in seeing them make the hero course like he claimed?

"But...why?" Midoriya asked, his voice shaking. "Why do you demand he die? If you're really working with the government so closely, don't you know Korosensei isn't what anyone thought?"

Principal Nedzu sighed and actually looked sympathetic. "Whether his crimes are actually his or not, the threat he poses still remains, and I'm not only talking about the fact that he might blow up. Your 'Korosensei' is the Symbol of Terror, a triumph for villains, a sign of the failure by heroes in the face of society. The world does not trust heroes as much anymore, and if we ever wish to regain that trust, then the ultimate threat must be eliminated.

"This is why I am testing you, my boys. You say you wish to be heroes, yes? If the work of heroes is to live on and prosper, then it is up to you two to ensure that. This is the only option we have," the mouse said, standing up to lead them out the door. "Thank you for meeting with me, boys. I hope to see you in my halls next year, I really do."

-.-.-.-

"That fucking BASTARD!" Hitoshi screamed, kicking over a trash can. "I oughta skin him alive and feed him to the alleycats, I swear to god!"

The duo had remained relatively calm leaving the interview, silently waiting to be dismissed from the exam. They didn't even say anything about it the entire walk to the train station, both still reeling from what just happened. But the moment they got to the station, Hitoshi snapped.

"UGH, he's worse than how Asano's dad used to be! I'd rather go spend another night with the Reaper than see his nasty scarred face again! All smiling and acting like he cares about us, that he's interested in our skills when all he cares about is killing Korosensei. Who does that furry think he is?!"

"The principal of U.A. High School?" Midoriya replied meekly. While Hitoshi's emotions turned to pure rage, the quirkless boy was a moping mess. Tear tracks permanently stained his cheeks and he stared at the sky like it held all the answers. Seeing his friend look so broken just pissed Hitoshi off even more, but he knew his rage wouldn't do any good. With a deep sigh, he collapsed on the bench next to his best friend.

"I can't believe it," the brainwasher muttered. "We did so well, beat everyone out using the skills we've been taught — the skills we chose to harness thinking it'd get us into the hero program. And now that mouse-bastard is making backhanded deals and withholding our acceptance?"

"He said we would've gotten in the hero course," Midoriya replied numbly. "He said that, even with just the first two portions of the exam, we scored high enough to make the hero course. Even without a quirk, I made it...but because of him, and his grudge against Korosensei, it'll be like nothing happened."

Hitoshi nodded, swallowing down his emotions. "What...what are we going to do?" Midoriya gave him a blank stare, and he clarified, "About Nedzu's deal."

The quirkless boy sniffled. "I...I don't know. We made a promise as a class to find a way to save Korosensei, and with the information we brought back from the moon, we actually have a way now. We can't just turn our backs on everyone just because Nedzu wants Korosensei dead."

Hitoshi was not prepared for his friend to suddenly burst into tears and flailed. "Why? Why does he want Korosensei dead so badly? Why does he think Korosensei is evil or a bad influence to us? If he's studied Korosensei so closely, shouldn't he know what an amazing teacher he is? Nedzu calls himself an educator, but he wants to kill the man who saved E-class and target the students for becoming better."

The brainwasher could only hold his best friend as he cried, tears filling up his own eyes. He harshly wiped them away, refusing to cry when he needed to remain strong, and whispered the only answer he had to console his friend.

"I don't know, Jolly Green. I don't know."

-.-.-.-

News of their U.A. entrance exam debacle spread fast in E-class, putting a damper on everyone's Valentine's Day mood. Hitoshi would've felt bad, but he was still too angry. Fortunately, the feeling was mutual throughout the class.

"The whole thing is total bullshit," Kimura said as he and Sugaya spared. The class agitation levels were so high, Karasuma scheduled a particularly long training session so they could let it all out. "I mean, the school teaches high schoolers how to fight villains, but it's okay because it's 'hero' training. Sounds like a lot of self-righteous bull if you ask me."

"How dare he accuse Korosensei and Karasuma-sensei like that!" added Kurahashi, violently loading her gun. "Making them out like they're corrupting us or something? Criminalizing them for making us stronger?"

"You'd think a place like U.A. would praise strength no matter where it came from," Chiba commented before making a perfect bullseye for the tenth time in a row, despite his target only having one visible bullet hole.

"If you ask me, it sounds like U.A. is no better than Kunugigaoka, maybe even worse in some aspects," observed Isogai as he and Maehara sparred with knives. "I mean, the entrance exam is notoriously biased toward people with flashy hero quirks. Not to mention the clear hierarchy, putting the hero course on a pedestal over the other courses offered."

"No kidding," Okano said, bending herself in half and throwing her knife at a target. "I mean, in the Sports Festival they make all the courses compete against each other even though the hero classes have a clear advantage; not only because of their typically better quirks, but because they get special training from heroes that the other courses don't."

"Sounds like a pretty shitty place if you asked me," Karma drawled, sending a lazy blow at Nagisa's head, which was easily blocked. "Are you sure you want to go there?"

Hitoshi snorted. "Says the guy staying at Kunugigaoka."

(He and Midoriya told Karma about the incident with the boy with red and white hair, feeling wrong to withhold that kind of information. It went about as well as one would expect:

"Hmm. You said he could create ice with his right side? The one with the white hair?" Karma asked, and they nodded. "Wouldn't be surprised if that means he can use fire on his left. A powerful quirk, exactly what a quirk marriage like mine was supposed to create. Guess he really was the chosen one."

The red-haired boy laughed bitterly, and Hitoshi almost didn't want to say the next part, but did so anyway.

"We also overheard who his father — your birth father — is…" he said and paused to see if Karma would stop him. He didn't. "It's Endeavor. The Flame Hero."

Karma blinked, and Hitoshi's pretty sure this was one of the few times he saw the boy look surprised. That surprise, however, was quickly replaced by a deranged bitterness.

"Endeavor, huh?")

"Have you guys decided yet? You know, about what you're going to do about Nedzu's deal?" Nagisa asked, and the entire class paused in their training, wanting to hear the answer. Hitoshi exchanged a look with Midoriya and nodded.

"We're not going to go back on our deal to save Korosensei," Midoriya declared. "We made a promise as a class, and we're going to keep that, no matter the cost."

Hitoshi nodded. "Yeah, and if U.A. is really going to punish us for sparing someone's life — especially someone as important to us as Korosensei — then we don't belong anywhere near there. We'll become heroes another way."

The class grinned, looking extremely relieved. Nakamura bumped their elbows playfully. "U.A. doesn't deserve you in the first place." The class echoed this sentiment ferociously, and Hitoshi's heart soared.

Screw what that mouse principal had to say. They were going to save Korosensei, and they were going to save the world.

They were going to be heroes.