U.A Academy:

Flower petals danced on the wind, across the white concrete stairway that led up to the examination hall and up into the air. A crowd had gathered under the early-morning sun, relishing the cloudless sky. Tightening the straps on his book bag, Deku tried his best not to feel nervous. The rolling feeling in his stomach would not help him pass the written portion of the entrance exam. The tall glass buildings were paneled symmetrically, he passed through a gate labeled U.A. This was it. The crowd of people around him seemed wonder-struck too, eyes wide and making sounds of amazement. Deku had to admit, it was a lot cooler to see in person than on T.V.

"I made it." He mumbled out loud to himself.

For whatever reason, most likely his astronomically bad luck, Deku's bus had been late. Late enough to warrant him trying to run there instead after twenty minutes of its absence.

He passed the sign detailing the entrance exam and general information surrounding it. Deku had already read the website though, weeks in advance.

Bakugou's grumbling voice made him flinch.

"Out of my way, Deku."

Bakugou stalked towards him, face drawn up in a scowl.

"Kacchan!" Deku muttered out in surprise.

Unsurprisingly, the blonde boy was unamused. He simply brushed past him while threatening.

"Out of my way, or I'll kill you."

Putting his hands in front of him, Deku made panicked motions of resistance. People stared. Stuttering out, he replied.

"G-good m-morning. L-let's d-do our b-best.."

He braced himself for a punch that never came. Bakugou simply walked past him.

"I don't need encouragement from a thief."

Deku frowned. It made him think. Had he really stolen Bakugou's quirk? No, Deku could smell that familiar smoke alongside seeing the faintest wisps of smoke from Bakugou's hands. He definitely hadn't robbed his bully of his quirk. It's not as if Deku had purposefully done so either, but that didn't make him feel any better about being called a thief. Shaking his head, he glanced around the crowd to see just how many people had been watching. Nobody was looking, nobody cared. Instead of gawking at him, he heard two boys whisper.

"Isn't that bakugou, the one who got kidnapped by the slime-quirk villain?"

Deku cringed, freezing with the fear of somehow being found out. There was no way for anybody to have known it was him. Except... Panic coursed through his veins, he trembled. Could Bakugou have ratted him out after he left? Surely it wouldn't have been uncharacteristic, for him to get revenge and take his anger out. Deku wasn't sure though, wasn't sure if Bakugou was as low as snitching on him. He seemed like the kind of bully to view such as weak and wimp-like.

"Oh yeah, I do. Man, he would've been a goner if not for that green bunny hero. What was his name again?"

The other boy rubbed his chin. Sweat ran down Deku's neck. He debated running from the school and never turning back. Deku shook his head. He clenched his fists. He was different after he had contracted, he didn't need to fear stuff like this anymore. Deku wasn't pathetic now. The summer's events of training and fighting witches would hopefully prove that.

Bakugou acted as if he couldn't hear the gossip, but he was obviously in range. Deku was surprised at the level of self-control demonstrated, he had never seen the boy so unprovoked.

"Nah man- They didn't get his name. Can't find nothing online about his identity either. All I could get online was this crappy cell-phone pic of him. His face is obstructed though. Damn phone can't take pictures worth shit, let alone in the shadow of some bunny hood."

A familiarly-styled white hair caught his attention and distracted him from the panic. He stopped eavesdropping.

"Kazane?" He mumbled to himself in surprise.

Momentarily confused by her presence, he dismissed it and smiled widely. Calling out to her a bit more loudly, he shouted.

"Kazane! Over here."

Annoyed faces turned to glare at him. Deku burned with rosy embarrassment. Evidently hearing his voice, she turned over her shoulder to find the source. Once they locked eyes, the white-haired girl sprang towards him. Brashly bumping into people as she made her way over, her apologies and 'excuse-mes' seemed disingenuous.

"Deku! I came to see you and wish you luck. Although, I figured you'd be here a lot earlier. I know it's a big deal for you, and so I made you some cupcakes for after. You'll only get them if you pass though, so better do good!"

She moved her face closer. Deku gulped, unsure. Kazane planted a kiss on his cheek, Deku made a panicked grunt. Backing away somewhat, he objected.

"Kazane! I- I'm not-"

Interrupted by a loud burst of laughter, she mocked him as friends would.

"Bwahaha! That's probably your first kiss from a girl. Don't worry though, you're a bit too young for me. My mother used to always give me good luck pecks, and so you got one too. It's only weird if you make it weird."

Deku scratched his head. He felt somewhat embarrassed to have reacted like that.

"That was my first kiss, Kazane! I wanted it to be all special and stuff, I just feel gross now. I probably caught your cooties, eugh. Thanks for the good luck, though."

Hands on her hips, her glare was evidently unimpressed. The anger was a playful act, Deku hadn't truly earned her scorn.

"Cooties? Don't act like it was that gross, boys line up to kiss me, y'know. Go on, scram! Do good on your exam, okay? WIPE MY LIPSTICK OFF YOUR CHEEK TOO, HAHA!"

"Whatever, and okay, I will! I'll definitely get that mark off my face, for all I know it'll start burning."

Even though Kazane had laughed, he wasn't sure if he had reacted to the situation appropriately. Even though he had powers, Deku still felt completely weak in the fields of socialness and general cues of that nature. Had he somehow inadvertently insulted her? No, she was his friend and they joked like that hundreds of times over the past month or two. Seeing that she had turned to leave, he felt a bit better after the encounter. His nervousness had melted away, it was nice.

By now, every single one of the awaiting students had heard the commotion. Girls giggled and boys chuckled. Absolutely mortified, Deku frantically wiped the red lipstick mark from his cheek. Unsure of if he got it all, he glanced down in the reflection of a nearby fountain. There had been none there in the first place. Rolling his eyes, he turned rapidly enough to catch his foot on a loose brick and fall forwards. Bracing himself, he never hit the ground. Very confused, he blinked his shut eyes open. He was held still, halfway fallen. There was no way he could be standing like this in a gravity-defying manner. Perhaps it was an advantage of being a magical girl?

A girl's voice interrupted his analysis.

"Are you okay?"

She had shoulder-length brown hair. Like himself, her cheeks were still chubby, haven't yet completely shed their baby-fat. He saw her hand on his backpack, and his eyes light up. It was some kind of quirk, it had to be. Kazane hadn't mentioned anything like this being within his realm of passive abilities, and it's not like he had transformed either. Instead, he felt a certain recognition, he could understand that it was a quirk. Deku bit his lip, he knew there'd be an entry on her in his journal. He didn't need to transform to mimic a quirk in his journal. Guilt weighed his stomach, had he invaded her privacy? Flustered, he flailed around mid-air.

Her hand guided him upright. He didn't feel weightless anymore. The girl clapped her hands together, a pink blush stained her cheeks.

"It's my quirk. Sorry for using it without asking first But it'd be bad luck if you fell, right? Aren't you nervous?"

She sounded happy, jolly almost. Deku didn't know how to react, awkwardly fidgeting while trying to think of an answer. A guy stared as he walked by.

"Uhh..." Deku managed to utter out.

"Let's do our best. See ya!"

She dipped her chin under her pink scarf, waving to him as she entered the building.

U.A: Auditorium

Lights illuminated one by one across the stage. A screen unfurled from the ceiling, showing a blue screen with the school's logo golden and front-center. A man was on stage, hidden by his silhouette until a spotlight illuminated his form. Deku could recognize that hair and outfit anywhere. Present Mic.

"For all you examinee listeners here, welcome to my show today!"

His voice was evidently being amplified by his quirk, loud enough to fill the auditorium without the need for a microphone. The voice was booming in his ears, at a volume just below uncomfortable. That same sense of recognition pulsed in his ring. Deku couldn't stop himself from grinning, he had apparently mimicked the quirk of a strong hero! Teeming with excitement, he forced himself to focus on the presentation. He could test out the voice amplifying quirk later. Growing up, he had even written notes about the guy, knowing his quirk and watching his videos online. Deku was familiar enough with the man and his quirk not to even have to think of strategies and ways to use it. But would Present Mic approve of him mimicking the quirk? Deku's excitement dimmed as the hero continued enthusiastically, Present Mic not even noticing how an audience member could now wield the same quirk.

"Everybody say hey!"

Complete silence filled the room. Deku held back a laugh. He'd definitely be heard.

"What a refined response. Then I'll quickly present to you a rundown on the practical exam!"

Deku's ears perked up, hoping to hear a tidbit that wasn't able to be found online. Practice tests were good help sure, but he didn't know how hard the real thing actually would be. It was easy to say questions were easy when doing them in the comfort of your own home, without the stress of it being the real thing.

Wildly, Present Mic called out.

"Are you ready!? Yeah!"

Silence filled the room. Deku beamed, blushing. He couldn't believe that he was in the room with Present Mic, couldn't believe that he was listening to his speech. Most of all though, he couldn't believe that Present had used his quirk on him. Present Mic was on his morning playlist, he listened to him all the time. For that matter, every teacher at this school was or is a pro-hero. Deku's eyes sparkled, mouth spreading wide in a grin.

Unknowing that he was mumbling out loud, Bakugou's commanding voice surprised him. A girl glanced at him with a worried expression. How much had they heard?

"Shut up."

For his own good, Deku did as instructed. A map appeared on the screen, brightly colored buildings labeled each with a letter. Present Mic's quirk-enhanced voiced boomed out loudly.

"As it says in the entrance requirements, you listeners will be conducting mock urban battles after this alongside a general knowledge assessment! You can bring whatever you want with you. After this presentation, you'll head to the specified battle centre, okay? Afterward, you'll be instructed to the assessment hall during which your performances will be deliberated among the judges. We decided to switch it up this year, we wanna see yer abilities first, so you won't have to write a test for nothing."

Silence. Deku gulped, he was really doing this. The change-up had caught him off guard. What else would be different this year? With the change, did that now mean all of his preparations had been in vain? A droplet of sweat dripped onto his lap.

"Okay?!" Present mic asked.

Bakugou whispered to him.

"In other words, they won't let you work with your friends, huh?"

Deku stuttered out a response, not wanting to infuriate him.

"Y-you're right, even though o-our examinee numbers are consecutive. we're assigned to different battle centres."

Deku held up the card he had been given upon entrance. Battle centre B. He glanced over to Bakugou's. Battle centre A. Relief washed over him, but was soon disrupted by dread as Bakugo threatened him.

"Don't look. I'll kill you. Damn, now I can't crush you and your thieving ass."

He really was thankful for not being paired up in the same group. Maybe he had a shot at doing good, then. Present continued.

"Three different types of faux enemies are stationed in each battle centre. You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty. Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your quirks to earn points by immobilizing the faux villains. Of course, attacking other examinees or other unheroic actions are prohibited!"

Deku gripped the table. This was the part he had been fearing long before contracting with Kyubey. Knuckles white, he released his grip. While not having quirks, he could definitely mimic having one. This was perfect. It was finally his time to shine. Bakugou sneered over at him. Maybe not.

A different voice filled the auditorium.

"May I ask a question?" It asked.

Present Mic pointed at the man.

"Okay!"

A spotlight centered on the voice, illuminating him from the dark. It appeared to be a well-dressed man, hair primly-kept and cut elegantly. He held a flyer of some sorts, Deku could make out for shadowy shapes.

"On the printout, there are four types of villains. If that is a misprint, then U.A is the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake. We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be modeled into exemplary heroes."

Deku cringed. It was one of those types. He wondered if Present Mic would respond sarcastically or not. Definitely not, such was out of character for him and Deku knew that.

The pretentious boy pointed to him. Deku flinched and yelped.

"In addition, you over there with the curly hair-"

Deku pointed to himself, unsure if he had been addressed.

"You've been muttering the whole time. It's distracting. If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately."

For some reason, it stung harsher than Bakugou had today. Deku didn't even know the man, and still, he assumed Deku to be aloof and pathetic too. The boy was evidently looking down on him, that seemed to fit with his pretentious nature. Deku gritted his teeth, holding back a retort. Kazane had taught him not to get walked all over by people, and he had failed every time he was harassed by Bakugou. Now it was true towards other people too. Shameful, he blushed and scratched at his hair. Real heroes were perfectly capable of defending themselves.

The asshole's glasses glinted in his eye. People in the audience laughed. Deku clamped a hand over his mouth from saying anything rashly. He wouldn't mutter anymore.

Reigning the audience back in, Present Mic continued.

"Okay, okay, Examinee number 7111. Thanks for the great message."

He gave a thumbs up.

"The fourth type of villain is worth zero points. That guy's an obstacle, so to speak."

A large silhouette appeared on the screen, to which Present Mic was pointing.

"There's one in every battle centre. An obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. It's not impossible to defeat, but there's no reason to defeat it, either. I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it."

The spotlight still shined on the pretentious guy.

"Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption" He said while bowing before sitting down. The light on him dimmed out.

The combination of rudeness and politeness made Deku's stomach twist. The guy was judging him for sure, so was everybody here. Suddenly, Deku felt out of place. He didn't even have a quirk.

"That's all from me!" The blonde hero concluded with a hand-gesture.

"Finally, I'll give you listeners a present- our school motto. The hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said: A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes. Go beyond. Plus ultra!"

The words erupted onto the screen with a harsh guitar riff. Deku soon found himself swept up in a wave of whimsy, easily forgetting his previous conflict.

"Now everyone, good luck suffering!"

U.A: Battle Centre B

His group stood in front of a ridiculously over-sized set of brown doors. The bus ride had been mostly uneventful, save for a few comments sent his way about his muttering or scene in front of the school. Shaking with anticipation, he ran over strategies in his mind. This was his time to use his gift as a magical girl, this was his time to shine. He would be the hero he always wanted to be.

Slapping himself in the face, his full-body jittering and goofy expression faded. He needed to focus.

People were equipping their items and adjusting their armor. Thankfully, he'd have weapons to use too. Scanning the crowd, he saw that girl who had prevented him from falling with her quirk. Walking over to her, a hard hand clamped on his shoulder. Flinching, he turned around shakily to see that jerk from the auditorium. His expression morphed into a mix of fear and a scowl. Even though he tried his best to scowl, his fear shined through.

"That girl appears to be trying to focus." He said.

Deku's scowl deepened. He did not like the latent meaning of his words. The guy was trying to tell Deku that he was just a distraction and wasn't worth her time. He ground his teeth. Remembering Kazane's words, Deku gritted out. He was unsure of responding defensively was right or rude. It didn't matter, because it made him feel better/

"You need to leave me alone. I don't have to listen to people like you anymore. I just don't."

Seemingly ignoring what Deku said, the man continued here.

"What are you doing here? Are you taking the entrance exam to interfere with everyone else?"

Rage bubbled in his stomach. This guy was too much like Bakugou. Deku's expression fell. All he wanted was to be a hero, and he wouldn't have ever guessed people like this aspired to be them too.

"I'm here to be a hero. I care about people and are genuinely polite. She helped me up when I fell so it's the appropriate thing to thank her. Leave. Me. Alone."

Overcome with anger, Deku pushed the glasses-wearing man away. Fellow examinees mumbled about him.

"That guy's the one who was about to trip in front of the school gates, right?"

"The one who flinched upon being called out?" Another added.

Almost in unison, the group said.

"At the very least, we have one less rival to worry about. Lucky..."

Deku stared down at the floor. Nobody respected him. He absolutely needed to do good on this exam. People would have to take him seriously then, they'd have to disregard his social awkwardness and treat him like a real person. That's all he really wanted.

A booming voice startled the magical boy, unsurprisingly causing him to flinch.

"Alright, start!" Present Mic boomed.

He was bounding away from the group as soon as those words left the tower. Nobody followed momentarily, prompting another announcement.

"What's wrong? There's no countdowns in real life. Go ahead, the exam starts now!"

Smiling to himself, he glanced behind him to see his lead. Though, it was quickly covered by that glasses jerk. The guy had some sort of panel on the back of his legs, it reminded Deku of a certain hero, but the specifics eluded him. A crowd stampeded down the street, and he needed to get out of the way, fast. He couldn't transform in plain sight of everyone, that wouldn't do. Ducking into a nearby building, green light washed over him as he transformed in private. Equipping his super-soaker, he ignored the new pages that were now present in his book. He didn't know how to use them yet and so wouldn't risk it now. Emerging from the opposite side of the building, he came to face an empty street. The sounds of battle echoed out into the fake city. This was his moment. It had all led up to this.

Super-soaker in hand, Deku ran down the street. A loud crashing caught his attention before a robot burst through a nearby building. Jumping back in fear, Deku shot a magically-imbued glob of sludge. The machine had been dented significantly. Testing a theory, he willed the slime to soak into the machine. Sparks of electricity shot out as it short-circuited. twitching and falling to the ground. One down.

Bounding away, Deku ran down an opposite street. Seeing two more robots coming his way, he shot sludge from his soaker. Give that it would ruin the circuitry, he didn't bother wasting magic to reinforce it. As expected, the machines dented and cracked from the impact before twitching to the ground. As they fell, he faced a crowd of confused examinees. The glasses guy was with them, his stare judgmental.

"You changed in the middle of battle? Vanity is irresponsible and unforgivable when placed ahead of fighting villains. The costume does not seem tactically advantageous, you wasted your time."

Deku drew up his hood, dashing away from them with his green-imbued double jumps. Some of the students in the crowd made sounds of amazement. The jerk made a 'tch' sound before running away in the opposite direction. From his high vantage point in the air, he aimed his soaker at three robots he could see milling about the streets. They short-circuited, thumping as they fell. Deku made a sound of delight, he was really doing this.

Now falling back down to the ground, he braced his knees as he touched down. A slight crater was formed in the asphalt. He turned in the direction of a robot. A quick glob of slime was enough to take it down. Bakugou stood on the other side of it, fist smoking and ready to explode.

"Fucking Deku! Stealing my kills too, eh? Out of my way! Dumbass costume, that sludge shit smells rank. Get away from me."

The magical boy took over before Bakugou could even finish his sentence. There was no point in listening to him ramble on with rage, it was a waste of his time, this exam was time-limited. With a green dash, he raced past a spiky-haired redhead that was currently targeting the same robot. Not wanting to cause conflict, he didn't respond to the grunt of anger. Having a ranged weapon gave Deku the advantage. Lining up a perfect shot, he fired sludge and willed it to seep into the robot's circuity. Fizzling out, the robot fell. Seven down. This was easier than fighting a witch. Running forwards, he came out onto a large courtyard. Dozens of students were in the process of fighting robots, this was a hot-zone for sure. Some glanced up to look at him, some chuckled at what they saw. Deku withdrew into his hood, elegantly aiming and firing at five robots consecutively. Falling in unison, the students who had been targeting them glared in rage. With a green jump past them, he landed in front of that glasses jerk. Again, the guy made a displeased sound as he fired up his quirk and used the panel on his back to dash towards the oncoming wave of four robots.

Not wanting the jerk to get the kills, Deku formed a glob of sludge in his hand. In a whip-like fashion, he sent it out towards the robots, shifting it around the asshole so that he wouldn't get hit. Instead, the rapidly moving whip crushed the robots and send them crashing together. All fizzling out, Deku couldn't help but laugh at the jerk's sound of surprise. Trying not to let the smugness overtake him, he focused on finding more robots. It was that nice girl, she was running through the fields of robots and taping them while weaving around. Reaching the edge of the courtyard, she let them float into the air before clapping her hands together.

"Release!" She shouted as they fell to the pavement, crushed under their own weight.

That glasses-wearing jerk emerged in the courtyard too, his panel combusting to provide him with a super-charged kick. The machine at his foot crumpled easily. Not everybody was having as easy of a time though, he could spot some poor boy barely denting the machine with his fists. Bakugou pushed the examinee out of the way, destroying the robot with ease. Deku locked eyes with him, and he couldn't help but flinch at those cruel red eyes.

Shaking himself from his stupor, he focused on the battle at hand. He couldn't waste time. Firing four more shots of goop, four robots fizzled out. As a piece of debris was sent his way, Deku's body turned to sludge as the rubble passed through his abdomen. He would never get used to the feeling of shifting into sludge. The glasses-wearing jerk gazed disapprovingly, analyzing him at the same time. It gave Deku an uncomfortable shiver. What was that stuck-up bully thinking?

Up above in a nearby watchtower, the judges took in the battle. The green-haired boy had been a surprise, his quirk seemingly had great potential. Before the battle had begun, they had all expressed their general predictions towards how it would end. Examinee 7705, Izuku Midoriya, had been in none of their predictions. He was gaining points fast, name climbing up and almost reaching the top.

"That power is familiar, the slime one," All-might said.

They agreed, Cementoss chiming in.

"That was the one used in the shopping mall attack, right?"

Another hero disagreed.

"No, it's different. That one did not allow for that green aura effect. Think it has something to do with his outfit change, or was he naive enough to change into his hero-suit mid-combat?"

All-might responded.

"It is eerily close, is all I'm saying. You think it could be just a relative with a mixed quirk? He also seems to be showing signs of physical enhancement."

They argued, but couldn't come to a conclusion. The only thing they agreed upon was that they could now seriously consider Izuku Midoriya as a contestant.

"This year's group looks promising, right?"

A voice disagreed.

"Their true test is still to come."

The red button was pushed, and the secret robot was released.

Double jumping away, he caught sight of the large menacing robot's shadow. Dread filled Deku's stomach, disrupting his focus and sending him hurtling down towards the pavement. Landing with his fist in the ground, he looked at the towering figure and shuddered. This was the machine that was worth zero points. Examinees fled, the glasses jerk stared in horror. It was chaos. Deku did not run, he watched in fear as everybody ran past. His soul resonated with danger. The glasses jerk passed him by, a wondrous look worn on his face. Clouds of dust-cloaked the courtyard and disrupted his vision.

Green energy whipped around the square as the wind it kicked up cleared the air. Getting a better look at the towering monstrosity did not reassure him of his safety.

"Less than two minutes left!" Present Mic announced from somewhere above.

A pained cry caught his attention. It was that girl who helped him from tripping. Her leg was pinned by a large piece of rubble.

"Ow!" She yelped, frantically trying but failing to free her leg.

Her arm shook as it tried to hold herself up. The robot barreled towards her. Deku gazed at her helpless stare in dismay. His face was hollow with dread. She'd be dead for sure. That girl's eyes plead like Bakugou's, both pleading for help. Her kind words resonated in his mind.

"It'd be bad luck if you fell, right?"

In a crowd full of people who had disregarded him as a person, she had been the one to stop him from falling.

His legs carried him before he could think of an action. His super soaker was thrown to the ground. Green energy whipped in stripes around his body, stirring up strong gusts that shattered windows. Throwing up his two hands, waves of glowing green sludge poured towards it. Without having to think, the sludge formed an almost-cobweb in front of the robot. But he knew it wouldn't be enough. The robot groaned and mechanically moaned as it struggled to pass through the sudden obstacle. Endless sludge continued to pour from his hands to reinforce it but suddenly stopped. There were no openings for him to disable the circuitry remotely. This was not the right idea. Shuffling his hands in his pocket, he attempted to equip a different quirk discreetly. Counting the pages as he flipped through them in his sweater pocket, he probably looked pretty stupid. He didn't care though, and moments later came to the right page. Deku knew that the sludge would vanish upon doing so, but right now he needed pure force.

As soon as the sludge and super soaker vanished, Deku's form grew large and massive. Faster than he knew switching quirks could be. Muscles rippling with anticipation, he magically reinforced them as the released robot gathered its bearings. Glowing green stripes ran through his muscles, signifying that he was ready to strike. With a green double jump, he barreled towards the titanic automaton. His cape flapped wildly in the wind, hood long-since having flowed back from his face. Yelling out in concentration, he let his magic flow through him. It was coating him like an aura, flashing around and lashing out at the nearby buildings. His right fist was outstretched and was the location at which his magic gathered. This amount wasn't even required to kill a witch, but this was different. His body was on autopilot. This was what he had to do.

The trapped girl gasped, and the judges gazed in anticipation. This is what they wanted to see.

A gigantic robotic hand slammed down towards him, but with a green flash, he easily dodged it and continued on his rocketing way up to its head.

His wish echoed in his mind.

"I just want to b-be a superhero!"

And he was doing it.

"SMAAAAAASH!" He yelled out upon impact.

His fist instantly crumpled the robot's head as a green shockwave shook the battle centre. The spectators watched in awe but braced against the wild winds kicked up by his punch. Staggering back, the robot attempted to grab onto a nearby building but failed miserably.

All might smiled. Bakugou gaped. The trapped girl stared wide-eyed. Everybody grew silent.

"One minute left!" Present Mic called out.

The robot crashed into the ground. The magical boy began falling to the ground. Still coated in green energy, it trailed behind him like a comet as he plummeted. He wanted this to be graceful, like a real hero would. Turning himself upright, he smiled at his spectators. He debated opening his book and reading a few pages to give an air of nonchalance, but that would've definitely been too much. Too cocky. Instead, he landed on the pavement with a polite bow, pointedly ignoring the destruction his punch had caused alongside the crater he walked out from upon landing. Giggling somewhat with glee, he willed away the strength-enhancement quirk. Returning to his non-bulky form, he let everything that had occurred actually register. It hit him like a brick. His soul gem cried out from overuse. He definitely needed to use a grief seed. People stared, and he was unsure if that as good. Now aware of how much attention he had exactly garnered, Deku withdrew into his hood.

That girl he had saved was hanging over a piece of rubble, no longer trapped. Her face was green with nausea. Deku looked away as she vomited onto the pavement. At least she was safe, even if stomach-sick. He needed to focus. He had sacrificed around three minutes of point-gathering to help that girl. He knew it was worth it, but he was now definitely not the top-earner. Stress rattled his body. Had he just given up his chances at getting into U.A? Bakugou probably had ten times his points now, let-alone that jerkwad with the glasses. But those were only two people, and he had surely done better than most of the people who had just stood by and watched. Tightening the drawstrings of his hood, the physical exertion hit him. Legs wobbling, he struggled to stay standing. He couldn't fall, people were watching him intently, waiting for something to happen. What Deku needed to do was find more robots, he needed more points.

"Time's up!" Present Mic called out.

A loud siren soon followed, the round was over.

Deku shook with uncertainty. Had he exposed his powers? Would he be taken away now? Instead of facing the crowd that had gathered, he ran from them, ran as fast as his wobbling legs could take him. Ducking into a nearby building, he dissipated his transformation In the privacy of some mock office. The crowd was too shocked to follow him. They didn't see him using the last charge of a grief seed he had promised to save for Kazane. But, he didn't worry, she'd understand why he used it. His soul gem was noticeably dull now, small wisps of black floating throughout. As the black cloud was drawn over to the black gem, the pine-green brilliance returned, and so did his chipper mood. Absolute ecstasy washed over him, he had done it! Even though he had likely not scored the most points, people had definitely seen his show of valor. They'd have to respect him now, treat him like a real person. It had been jarring how little of a change his contract had affected people's disposition towards him. He couldn't fault them though, he did certainly give off a pathetic air with his fearful demeanor and jumpy attitude. That same shyness had returned, prompting him to duck out of the back instead of facing the crowd. He could deal with explaining and owning up to his 'quirk' later.

Deku couldn't wait to tell Kazane.

People in the crowd murmured.

"What was that guy?"

Another added.

"He just suddenly jumped at the obstacle..."

Puzzled whispers followed.

"He seemed to have some sort of energy manipulation quirk, but also a slime quirk? I've heard of two quirks being inherited, but I thought it was really rare. His muscle reinforcement reminded me of a hero I saw before, what was his name again?"

Another spectator supplied.

"Oh- Death Arms, but Death Arms can't just go into hulk-mode like that, so maybe it had something to do with that energy."

A girl questioned.

"If he had a quirk like that, what kinda life would make him so jumpy?"

Kyubey sat on the rooftop of a fake building. Its fur swished in the wind. Empty magenta eyes took in the scene. Things were progressing quicker than it had anticipated.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of my readers! It means a lot to me that you guys are enjoying my writing. I have readers from all around the world and that just makes me really happy. I read every comment I get and will usually respond. Just yesterday I had a wonderful reader and artist draw me some artwork. lloviznah is their name and they drew me a phenomenal sketch of Deku transformed in his outfit, almost exactly what I envisioned while writing it out. Please take a moment to stare at the photo for a bit too long like I have! Her name is the same on Instagram.