Martyr

by RobinRounds

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

9. Ochaco's Gravitas

…

[April 25th, X041 – 3:27 A.M. Yokkaichi Central Train Station, Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.]

…

To Err is human is the old saying.

People made mistakes is the more modern way of putting it. Saying that 'nobody is perfect' is a common excuse. As a person grows and develops they make their own mistakes leading to further growth, either physically or mentally, and then in turn this growth leads to new experiences and new chances to make mistakes.

Uraraka Ochaco's mistake was one she has made multiple times in the last year.

Believing the stupid yard sale clock she spent pocket change on could keep time at all.

It couldn't.

Which was why she was sprinting at full throttle across the barren streets of pre-dawn Yokkaichi in a desperate attempt to make a train that was going to depart shortly.

"If I get into UA, I am so celebrating by buying myself a new alarm clock to bring to the dorms." She opened up the small lunch box she had packed the night before. The plain white rice balls were supposed to be her lunch at UA, but instead she found herself hastily chewing on one as she continued to run. She recalled her mother offering to make her some toast while she was dressing, but had declined the offer. "I'm already late, and there's no way I am adding to that trope!"

Having lived and grown up in the area for most of her life, Ochaco knew the streets like the back of her hand. As such, she knew the fastest route to reach the train station. Down this street, take a right. Cut through Mister Tanaka's scrap yard and pray the man wasn't already up and tinkering away in his garage. Despite the 'No Trespassing' signs, Tanaka-san didn't really care if kids used the scrap yard as a short cut, but Ochaco just didn't have time to get caught up in one of the old man's many stories.

"There's just no getting away from Tanaka-oji's stories..." She reminded herself as she slowed her pace, seeing the lights on in the garage. One of his dogs was sniffing around the entrance, an old mutt who loved people just as much as the old man. Ochaco knew that dog was Tanaka's 'alarm' and would start barking the moment he heard something to alert him. Activating her quirk just long enough to reduce her weight a little, Ochaco continued running across the yard, steps making no noise.

Her trick worked, and the old man and his dog were none the wiser as she deactivated her quirk and turned a sharp left. She glanced at her watch, one of the few reliable clocks she had at her disposal. The schedule she had checked last night said the earliest, and cheapest, train to Musutafu departed at half past the hour. The next train didn't leave until an hour later, and was slightly more expensive.

"Sure it's only fifty yen difference but..." Thoughts of what she could put that extra fifty yen towards cheered her into running faster. She took another turn, which put her on the main road leading to the station. Ochaco let out a tiny cheer as she caught sight of the station lights. She was so focused on them that it was only when her eyes noticed flashing lights that she realized her path had been cordoned off. A police car, and several public works trucks effectively blocked the road, while equipment and several workers cut off the sidewalks.

"This can't be happening..." Ochaco mentally cursed her luck as she slowed her pace until she was even with the workers. Picking out the one she deemed looked the friendliest in the light of the street lamps, she addressed him. "Good morning. Do you mind if I cut through?"

"Sorry miss, road's closed to all traffic." The man gave her an apologetic look as Ochaco's mouth fell open. The man seemed to understand her unspoken issue. "Don't worry, we've got a small detour set up. Go back up the street, and take a right. Just follow the signs and you'll reach the station."

"Uh, thanks." Ochaco gave a slight bow, before turning on her heels. She knew the route the man was talking about, and it would take a good ten to fifteen minutes longer. Time that she didn't have to waste. She rounded a corner that put her out of everyone's line of sight and activated her quirk on herself. Feeling herself become weightless, Ochaco launched herself up and floated herself over the construction. Mentally, she thanked whatever higher power that was listening for the simple fact that people rarely ever look up. At the same time however, she cursed herself for literally eating on the run. As her feet touched the ground, she felt the familiar sense of nausea come over her, but suppressed it.

"No worse than eating too fast." She rubbed her stomach, resisting the urge to take one of the antacids she had with her. Ochaco had to admit she was proud that, over the years, she had managed to get her motion sickness mostly under control.

"Attention; the next train to Musutafu will be departing in two minutes." The station's monotone robotic voice seemed both encouraging and taunting as Ochaco made it up to the kiosk and purchased her ticket. She could have set out a little later in the day, but tickets were at their cheapest early in the morning and late at night.

"Thank you red-eye rates! Maybe I can get a can of coffee or something when I get to Musutafu." Ochaco scanned her ticket, taking a few precious seconds to confirm her train and ensure the ticket made it safely into her wallet. It was rare nowadays that someone from the transportation company would physically ask for proof of passage, but the woman knew you were better safe than sorry. Luck was in her favor as her train was at the platform adjacent to the ticket kiosks, and she hopped aboard and took the first seat she saw.

"Attention! The doors are now closing! Please stand behind the white line!" Another robotic voice made its announcement not thirty seconds after she had taken her seat. The doors closed a moment later with the gentle hiss of hydraulics. This hissing grew a little louder as the train began to roll out of the station and towards its destination.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Ochaco couldn't help but smile as she watched the station platform recede behind her. "You're on your way Ochaco. And look on the bright side..." The auburn haired girl let out a yawn, interrupting her own thoughts. She had only been up for maybe forty-five minutes tops, and already she felt exhausted. "If the public exam has any time trials, you just got in a ton of extra practice."

The tiniest giggle escaped her before another yawn. Briefly, she debated setting an alarm on her phone and taking a short power nap for the ride, but decided against it. Already one alarm had betrayed her, and she wasn't about to risk another doing the same. Sighing, she resigned herself to looking out the window as she settled in for the ride.

…

[April 25th, X041 – 6:30 A.M. Musutafu Train Station, Musutafu.]

…

A loud ping stirred Ochaco from her dozing off, while the electronic voice to follow fully woke her.

"Attention passengers! We're now approaching Musutafu station. Change here for..."

Ochaco didn't listen to the rest, she had the key piece of information she needed. She quickly looked around her seat and the floor, making sure she hadn't dropped anything from her bag. Satisfied, she picked up her bag and slipped it on as the train rolled to a stop. After a brief moment, a bell sounded and the doors opened, allowing passengers time to exit before new ones would come on.

"Now where do I go from here?" Her eyes looked up to one of the boards that showed the current time and date. It was six-thirty, and she still had a good two hours before the gates would open to start admitting those who were looking for entry into the prestigious Ultra Academy. A nearby map gave her the answer, and she was pleased to see that UA's campus wasn't too far a walk. "Shouldn't take more than twenty minutes, and that's with the increased foot traffic of the exam."

Ochaco took in her surroundings then, focusing more on the people than the station itself. There was your usual assortment of blue collar types going to work, tourists getting an early start on their explorations, and kids heading off to school. However, she wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of people she pegged to be around her age. At first, she thought they might have been students of other schools. But once she started listening to their conversations, she realized they were all there for the same reason.

They were looking to join UA's Hero Course.

A couple beads of sweat began to form on Ochaco's temple. While there were more programs than the Hero Course that UA offered, this was the one almost everyone there was going for. She knew competition would be fierce, and was suddenly thankful that she had also put in to join the General Studies course.

"Take a deep breath and relax. Fear is the enemy of rational thought..." A line from one of her favorite books rang out clearly in her mind. That thought also serving to remind her of the fact she had brought along several books to pass the time while she waited. Spying an open bench near one of the vending machines, she took a seat and considered the books within. All of them were well-worn, the covers faded and bent, or the spines creased from being read and reread again. Unable to decide, she closed her eyes and picked one at random.

It was one titled Shiro – and was a heavily dramatized novelization of the true story of a white sparrow that saved his owner's life by escaping his cage to get help. She had read it a dozen times, and could probably recite most of it from memory. Still, she considered it a sign of good fortune that she drew a book with heroic themes. Ochaco looked up at one of the digital displays, seeing a time now of 6:39 A.M.

"Gates don't open until quarter of nine. If I leave here a little before or around eight, I should be fine." She leaned back and cracked open her book and began to read. The warm opening of Shiro singing happily with Obachan as she went about her morning routine always made Ochaco smile. However as she got to the part where Obachan has a stroke and Shiro starts to panic, her smile faded. For the first time in her life, she understood the pressure Shiro must have been feeling after he realized he was the only one who could help.

Her mind drifted from the book to thoughts of her own family. Truth to be told, the Urarakas had been struggling for the last twelve years if not longer. While she didn't realize it when she was younger, the signs became apparent when she was older. Young Ochaco thought her mother's ramen with some vegetables and an egg cracked In it a gourmet meal. Older Ochaco realized that 'gourmet meal' was instant ramen, a handful of frozen vegetables, and an egg to make a filling meal for less than five hundred yen a serving.

And while young Ochaco understood her father's work was tough, which was why he was too tired some nights to play with her. Older Ochaco now knew how difficult it was. Wanting to give her father a break, she had started illegally using her quirk on the side to assist at her father's various construction jobs. He had caught her doing so one day, and advised her against it – stating the fines she would face for illegal quirk usage would far outweigh the benefit. It was from that conversation that she had gotten the idea to get into UA. Had given her the idea to become a Hero. To gain the power to legally use her quirk for multiple purposes in public with much less risk of retribution.

She had told her parents this, and seeing her resolve, the two of them had started skimping, saving, and working even harder to give her this chance. Ochaco had also helped pay her way, taking on various odd jobs around Yokkaichi to ease the burden. There were no refunds when it came to the fees UA charged students for enrollment, let alone even take the entrance exam.

"Plan A. Get into the Hero course and earn my license...But do I even stand a chance?" The nervous girl closed her book, not bothering to mark her page. Instead, her eyes drifted back to watching and listening to people around the station.

"Still can't believe UA uses robots for the test!" A girl with a cannon for an arm was saying. "I'll blast them away with ease!"

"I'll tear them open like a trash can at a nature park!" A bear-like man was saying, a grin on his ursine face.

Ochaco looked down at her hands. Her offensive power would be dependent on if she could even touch one of the bots. If she could, it would then just be a matter of floating the bot skyward before slamming it to the ground.

"But could I even get close enough?" She blinked, seeing several young adults run past her with all the speed of kids trying to catch the ice cream truck.

"You'll stay at my side during the test, right Aiko?" The voice came from a girl who was looking at one of the vending machines.

"Of course." The girl behind her replied, "you'll be the tank, and I'll be there to cool you down if you overheat again."

"Here's hoping they've kept the support points like they did when your brother got in." The first girl tossed a drink to her friend, before opening the one she bought herself. "Speaking of..."

Ochaco tuned out their conversation, her mind having latched on to the reminder that the exam always had multiple elements to it besides combat. The thought of being able to use her quirk to lift debris off trapped 'civilians' or clear rubble from a path for emergency vehicles. Both of those options seemed an easier way to gain points and had eased the nervousness just slightly.

Still though, Ochaco couldn't help but feel a little restless as more and more people went about the station. And more and more, she began to see people who left no doubt in her mind that they were coming in for the exam. Looking at the clock, she realized that barely half an hour had passed since her arrival, but she was feeling restless. Storing her book back in her bag, she shouldered it once again and decided to head over to UA's campus ahead of her original schedule.

…

[April 25th, X041 – 8:15 A.M. Ultra Academy, Musutafu.]

…

While Ochaco had been concerned about finding her way to UA, the increased amount of hopeful applicants made sure that was a non-issue. Almost everyone in her age bracket seemed to be heading to UA. Though she didn't know anyone personally, she found herself falling in step behind a group consisting of the two girls from the vending machines and some of their friends.

"You going out for the Hero Course too?" A guy in the group had turned around, eyes locking onto her slightly slumping form.

"Yeah, though I also applied for a few of the General Education courses too." Ochaco answered, once she realized she was the one being addressed. She perked up slightly and moved closer, "figured it best to have a fall back, just in case."

"Agreed, I did the same." The guy answered, several of his friends nodding or voicing their agreement.

"I went for Management."

"Me too!"

"Am I the only one going for Support?" One of the girls frowned, bringing laughs from her friends and a polite smile from Ochaco. Though she didn't contribute much to their conversation, she had to admit it was nice walking with them. About a block away, the group bid her goodbye and good luck, excusing themselves to go meet up with some of their other friends at a nearby café. Ochaco had returned the wishes and thanked them, before continuing on her way.

It took her another five minutes or so, but even if she hadn't seen the pictures, it wasn't very difficult to figure out which of the buildings was Ultra Academy. Various groups of people milled about outside the gates, some shooting envious expressions at the few people who were able to walk up to the gates, exchange a few words with one of the security guards, scan an ID card, and make their way inside.

"Must be students or teachers called in to help with the exam." She thought, watching a man in black with his blonde hair spiked up in a way it reminded her of an exotic bird make his way along one of the paths inside to intercept the trio of young adults she had just seen move past the gates.

"Okay, you were right." The voice came from somewhere to her left, and Ochaco was surprised to see a set of clothing leaning up against the bars of one of the fences surrounding UA.

"Told you!" Another voice answered, this one coming from a pink girl whose eyes were also glued to the quartet within UA's grounds. "Honestly Toru, why did you ever doubt me?" The pink girl noticed her then, "I'm sure you knew Present Mic wears BayRan sunglasses, right?"

"Uh, maybe?" She blinked, unsure where this conversation was going. "I mean, I've heard their top quality, and that the glass and frames are bullet resistant but..." Ochaco shrugged, "I really can't tell a hundred yen store pair of glasses from a ten thousand yen pair."

"Same," the clothing set addressed her, a gloved hand reaching out. "Hagakure Toru."

"Uraraka Ochaco." She accepted the handshake, a smile on her face as the pink one followed suit.

"Ashido Mina." The three girls shared a smile, well Ochaco assumed Toru was smiling. "So you going out for the Hero Course? Or something else?"

"Hero Course is my primary, though I've got General as a fall back." Once again, Ochaco found herself drawn into a friendly conversation, no awkwardness or distance between her and the other two girls. Given UA's reputation, she expected the majority of applicants to have superiority complexes, or to be so stuck up they refuse to associate with anyone outside their cliques. This was a thought she made known as Mina asked her if she had any friends who had also applied to UA.

"That's what I've been thinking too." Mina laughed, "everyone's been so nice an-"

"Out of the way Extras!" The three of them looked to where the voice came from, seeing a guy with spiky blonde hair practically shove a group of people out of the way as he made his way closer to the main entrance.

"I think you spoke too soon Mina." Toru laughed, patting her on the back. "Still though, did you see the jacket he was wearing?"

"I did, looked like the style Hawks has been sporting recently." Ochaco offered, seeing Mina nod. While outside of a lucky find in a thrift shop, she knew she could never afford some of the current fashion trends, but that didn't stop her from reading about them. Their conversation flowed smoothly, covering everything from fashion to the latest music, to their quirks and hobbies.

"I don't know though if we'll be able to continue the V-Tuber stint once we become heroes though," Toru sighed. "I mean sure, Present Mic does his radio show in his down time but..."

"But being a V-Tuber is a bit more involved than just playing music and doing interviews with heroes?" Mina gave her friend a pat on the back.

"V-Tuber?" Ochaco blinked, "you two are on ViewTube?"

"Yeah, we're the Transparency Pair!" The pink-girl cheered, flashing a peace sign as Toru gave a thumbs up.

"Oh, sorry." Ochaco looked down, the faintest hint of color in her cheeks. "I must apologize that I'm not fully up to date on the latest celebrity V-Tubers."

"That's okay. We only really started gaining traction in the last two years..." Mina exchanged a knowing look with Toru, while Ochaco blinked. She felt certain there was something she was missing, but decided against voicing her thoughts. Instead, Ochaco switched back to the reason they were currently waiting around, heroics.

"So do you have any special plans if you become a hero?"

"Not really, but when I become one," the positive declaration in Toru's voice didn't go unnoticed, "I plan on taking a more stealthy approach. Work from the shadows to surprise criminals and take them down from the inside."

"Meanwhile I'm torn between going full offensive and being on the front lines as the saying goes, or taking a bit of a back seat and using my quirk for support and rescue operations."

"Why not both?" Ochaco smiled, "you can fight on the front when needed, but if things start getting to be too much, you can use your acid to provide a cover while your teammates make their retreat."

"Honestly, I didn't think of that." Mina's cheeks turned pinker, "so what about you? What are your plans when you get your hero license?"

Ochaco had to smile at the faith the two of them had not just in their own abilities, but in hers as well. "Well, I was going to-"

Just then, the familiar ding of an intercom system kicking on sounded, stopping her explanation. A loud voice then sounded over the din of the crowd, making nearly everyone fall silent.

"Good morning UA hopefuls!" From their place near the fence, the three could see Present Mic standing on a raised platform, a microphone in his hand as he addressed the crowd which was now cheering in response to his greeting.

"Does he really need that?" Ochaco questioned, seeing Toru's outfit move in a shrug.

"I think it's more for show than anything." Mina answered, as Present Mic asked if everyone was excited. The three of them couldn't help but laugh that the man seemed to be treating the event more like a concert than an actual test.

"Glad to hear it Listeners!" He gave the crowd a thumbs up. "We'll be opening the gates in just a few moments, so if you could all take this time to form a more orderly line. We'll be able to get you in and start the show. YEAH!"

More cheers sounded as the crowd began to shift and shuffle, most seeming willing to obey the man's instructions. Still, there were some who tried to jockey for a better position in line, and some who refused to move to make room for others. Still though, it wasn't hard to figure out when the gates had opened, given the sudden cheer and the fact that everyone was now moving towards their common goal.

"Make way for the Transparency Pa- no, you may not be a V-Tuber but I'm including you in this..." Ochaco looked to Mina, slightly confused as the pink girl took her and Toru's hands in her own and held them up. "Make way for the Transparency Trio!"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Toru cheered, her free hand punching the air. "Come on Ochaco. Let's hear your cheer!"

"Oh why not?" Ochaco smiled at Toru's use of her given name and took a deep breath. "Watch out UA! Here we come!" She mimicked Toru's punch, bringing cheers from the other two girls as they released each others hands to better move with the line. Passing through the gates, the three of them were handed a page detailing the outline of the day's testing from one of the volunteers. The jackets they sported identifying them as third-year members of UA's student body.

"Just stay on the path and follow the signs." The blonde-haired student who gave Ochaco her page was saying, a smile on his face as he pointed in the direction they were to go. After another short walk, Ochaco and her new friends found themselves standing outside a room that had been labeled 'Testing Room Alpha'.

"Well, here goes everything..." Ochaco paused for just a moment to take a breath, before following Mina and Toru into the room.

…

[April 25th, X041 – 9:30 A.M. Ultra Academy, Testing Room Alpha, Musutafu. ]

…

Upon entering the testing room, the three girls wasted no time in finding a place to sit. The room was larger than Ochaco had expected, seeming more a small amphitheater than lecture hall. The only thing that showed its purpose for academics was the fact that long tables ran the length of the groups of chairs to serve as desks. Hidden just out of sight behind a large projector screen at the center of the room, she could see both a white and chalk board, along with some filing cabinets. A large desk rested at the center of it all, a single computer the only thing to occupy its surface.

"Wow, I knew UA was huge but..." Mina blinked, suddenly seeming a little overwhelmed by everything.

"I know." Ochaco nodded in agreement, "I mean. I saw the pictures online and in the brochures I sent away for but to see it in person? It's a bit overwhelming."

"And this will be our home for the next few years." Toru waved her arm, encompassing the room. "You are staying in the dorms, aren't you Ochaco?"

"I kind of have no choice. It's a good three hour train ride from Yokkaichi to Musutafu." Ochaco shrugged, "I did the math. Commuting for a year is only slightly cheaper than paying for a year in the dorms. Quite frankly, I think of the extra as a convenience fee."

"That's a good way to look at it." Toru rubbed her chin, "think you'll go home on breaks to visit your family?"

"If I can afford it." The auburn-haired girl gave a weak thumbs up. "Here's to the poor college student stereotype."

"Ugh, tell me about it." Mina sighed, "so glad that UA kept to its high school roots and provides both athletic and regular uniforms at no charge."

"No charge? It's all rolled into the tuition fees." Toru argued, "it's no different than getting "free shipping" from some of those shopping networks."

"Maybe, but..." Ochaco's voice faded off as she noticed a stir on the other side of the room. Several excited hushed whispers were flying around, and there was a small crowd of people gathering around someone who had just entered the room. "What's going on over there?"

The crowd shifted a little then, granting the three girls a view of whomever was in their midst. There was a tall man with dark blue hair and glasses, and a shorter man with messy, dark-green hair. Ochaco gasped, instantly recognizing the shorter man. "Wait, Midoriya Izuku is applying to UA as well!?"

"Oh hey, it's Izuku!" Toru let out a gasp of joy as Mina stood up in her seat.

"Oi! Izuku! Over here!" Mina called, waving an arm. Ochaco watched as Izuku scanned the crowd, the smile on his face growing as he spotted her and waved back. The auburn-haired girl could only watch in amazement as Izuku moved through the crowd, the other man in tow.

"Wait, you personally know Izuriya Midoku, er, Mizoku Idoria. Gah! Language!" Ochaco cursed, sticking her tongue out and blowing a raspberry as if that would reset her vocal chords.

"Midoriya Izuku? Yeah, he's a friend of ours." Mina answered, smiling as the golden child came over, his dark blue haired friend in tow.

"Hey Mina, hey Toru." He greeted the other two warmly before his eyes fell on Ochaco. A friendly smile on his face, he reached out a hand in greeting. "Hi, I'm Midoriya Izuku. And you are?"

"Uraraka Ochaco." She took his hand, amazed that a celebrity like him was taking the time to greet someone like her. The smile on his face, coupled with the gentle touch made her feel like she was floating. Scratch that, she was floating...and so was Izuku. Realizing what she had done, Ochaco quickly deactivated her quirk and carefully pulled both her and Izuku back to the ground. "Uh, sorry about that. I got a little over excited about meeting the Golden Child himself."

"Please don't call me that." Izuku grimaced, before his face moved back into a smile. "And it's perfectly okay. That's quite an impressive quirk you've got there. Can it only levitate organic objects? Or can you float inorganic things like a desk?"

"Oh boy, analytical Izuku is back..." The dark-haired man sighed as Izuku took the seat next to Ochaco and pulled out one of his many notebooks and started making notes. "Ida Tenya, pleased to make your acquaintance Uraraka." Tenya held out a hand as he spoke.

"Likewise," she accepted Tenya's handshake as Mina and Toru chuckled. After a moment, Ochaco joined them even as she did her best to answer Izuku's questions. "I'm assuming you're both going for the Hero Course as well?" She was finally able to ask after satisfying Izuku's quest for knowledge on quirks.

"Of course." Tenya answered, had had taken the seat next to Izuku and was taking a moment to clean his glasses. "Got to protect the Ida Family legacy."

"True, but I thought you said you got into the Recommendation Exam?" The invisible member of the group leaned forward, getting a look at the two boys. "And same for you Izuku."

"Oh believe me, Tensei put me in for it...He even got a few other heroes to back me." Tenya put his glasses back on, "but I told him I want to get into UA under my own skills. I mean, sure there's no guarantee of getting in on Recommendation, but this just seems a more valid way."

"Well, I did take the recommended exam..." Izuku started, a heavy sigh escaping him. "But 'Supreme Chancellor' Nezu is a little troll and won't give me my results. I suspect I passed with flying colors, but really want to stick it to him by passing the Public exam too."

"So this is your second time taking the test?" Ochaco blinked, face still a little flushed with embarrassment over her accidental quirk usage. Still, she knew she had to take this opportunity to learn a little bit more about what awaited her today. "Is there much difference between the two?"

"Far as I'm aware, the public exam is only made up of a written portion, and then a more hands-on practical test." The gentle smile on Izuku's face helped belay some of the nervousness Ochaco could feel starting to build again. "Which to my understanding is a sort of battle royal against robots in which they award points for destroying them. Though I also suspect there's hidden aspects to that test..."

"Like rescue points?" Ochaco offered, seeing Izuku nod.

"Most likely." He gave a nod of his head, "though I don't think you'll have any trouble earning points on either front."

"Thank you?" Ochaco was about to say more, but the sound of a bell stopped her short. The chatter of the room fell silent as everyone noticed that a dark-haired woman had appeared at the front of the room.

"Good morning." She addressed the gathered crowd, a gentle smile on her face. "As many of you are aware, I am Kayama Nemuri, better known as Midnight. I'm here to serve as the main proctor for your written exam and to explain how today is going to run. In a moment, you will all be given both a testing packet and answer sheets. Please DO NOT open them until I signal the start of the test." She snapped her fingers, summoning a hoard of third-year students who worked in pairs to hand out the testing packets and answer sheets to every row.

"And here I thought they'd use the robots again...Thank you." Izuku held the packet in his hands a moment. "Huh, feels a little lighter than the other practical exam."

"Robots?" The three girls said as one, looking to Izuku who nodded.

"Yeah, a whole bunch of robots distributed the tests when I took it. Though I suspect they might have done that given the more..." Izuku's eyes closed a moment, "maybe secure is the best word for it? Nature of the Recommended Exam?"

"Pretentious Izuku, you mean pretentious." Tenya offered, watching as the third-years gave Midnight a signal that everyone had been given their supplies.

"Thank you students." Midnight made a gentle shooing motion with her hand, dismissing the third-years. "Most of the questions are multiple choice, though there are a couple short answer questions as well." She clasped her hands before her, eyes wide and lashes fluttering in a way that would seduce almost any hormonal teenage boy, and probably made several girls question their sexuality. "Though please, and I can not stress this enough. Pay close attention to the question numbers and the answer key. You will NOT be given a new answer sheet unless something drastic happens to it like your pen explodes on it, or you sneeze and set it on fire somehow."

Several applicants laughed at that, Midnight adding her own chuckles before removing a riding crop from her side, smacking it once against her boot to call things back to order. "No, seriously. That has happened in the past. But if you do need a new one, close your testing packet and raise your hand and one of us will come to you." She gestured to herself and the handful of other teachers who had joined her, before looking back at the crowd. "The same goes if you need anything – such as to use the bathroom, or if your pen runs out of ink."

"Speaking of pens. Are you all good on supplies?" Izuku's voice called Ochaco's attention away from Midnight back to him. She looked to see him holding out several unopened packages of high-quality pen and pencil sets.

"I'm good." Tenya answered taking out his own set.

"I brought some, but I'll take one as a back-up."

"Same." Both Mina and Toru held out a hand, and Izuku handed them over.

"Ochaco? Do you need some?" Izuku gently shook one of the packages, making her attention fall on it.

"Uh..." Ochaco reached into her own bag, seeing the hundred yen store packs of pens and pencils that she had bought just for the occasion. Though she had tested them all last night and found them all to be in working order...Given her luck this morning, she wasn't about to take any chances and accepted the offering. "I should be good, but Toru's got a point about having a back up. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Izuku smiled, his attention returning to Midnight as the R-Rated Hero smacked the whip again. Apparently more than one set of applicants had the same idea and had all taken to checking over their stuff after Midnight's explanation.

"Alright, you will have two hours to complete the written test. If you finish before, you are welcome to hand in your test early and leave, but you will not be allowed back in this room if you do." She picked up a small remote and clicked a button on it, the screen behind her now showing a timer that had been set for two hours. "Following this, there will be an hour's break for lunch before we go over the practical application part of the test." Ochaco's eyes drifted to one of the clocks she could see on the wall, showing it was one minute until ten. Midnight seemed to notice this as well, because right as the clock struck ten, she once again snapped the crop. "You may begin."

Ochaco let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and opened up her test packet. She thought she would feel anxious, that the sight of the various questions, but instead she felt an odd level of calm. Looking to her side, she figured out the reason why. Izuku had an almost relaxed expression on his face as he looked over the questions. She knew that he had a healing quirk, but never thought that his presence alone could help with emotional issues.

"Come on Ochaco, you've got a test to ace!" Letting out a tiny grunt of determination, the gravity girl turned her attention to the test packet and began to read the questions and tick off the corresponding answer on the sheet. However, try as she might, she couldn't help but occasionally sneak a peek at Izuku. Those stolen glances serving to keep her calm as she proceeded with the test.

…

[April 25th, X041 – 12:00 P.M. Ultra Academy Cafeteria, Musutafu.]

…

The time of the written test had passed smoothly for Ochaco, and after checking and rechecking it multiple times, had handed it in with fifteen minutes remaining on the clock. She looked back up at her friends, and while she couldn't tell how Toru was feeling, she could see Mina looked like she was struggling a little. Tenya seemed to be scrutinizing his answers more than she had, and Izuku simply gave her a smile and shy thumbs up once he realized her eyes were on him.

She had left the room then in favor of going to the bathroom before heading to the cafeteria. Several applicants who had finished before her were already there, helping themselves to the buffet style meal that had been laid out. From where she stood, she could see all kinds of offering from simple bowls of hot or cold miso soup, various types of salads and sushi, to more substantial offerings like takoyaki or katsudon. There was even a selection of various snacks and desserts that had her stomach growling from sight alone.

"Quiet stomach, we still have a rice ball left from breakfast." She gently scratched her stomach, before reaching into her bag for her wallet. "Depending on the cost, I should at least be able to get something to drink..." Ochaco counted her money, making sure she saved enough for her ticket back. She could have bought a round-trip ticket in the morning, but had decided against it given that there was no difference in price. It also meant that, heaven forbid, if something went wrong during the exam – such as her becoming injured. She'd still have the means to pay for her way home and wouldn't be bound by the time on the ticket.

She walked over to where one of the cafeteria workers was in the process of adding a few more bottled juices to a standing refrigerated unit. Seeing her approach, he flashed her a smile and gestured to the unit.

"If you see something you like, feel free to take it."

"Uh, thanks." Her eyes looked at the selection, seeing everything from canned coffee, tea, and milk to bottles of sparkling water and soda. There was even an extensive collection of energy drinks. "Say, do you know which of these drinks is the least expensive?"

"Normally, that would be the juice packs here, they're just forty yen each." He saw her start to reach for one, but raised a hand to stop her. "However, for the entrance exam today – everything is free."

"Ex-excuse me?" Ochaco blinked, her hand moving back. "Drinks are free?"

"Not just drinks." He placed a few more bottles on the shelf. "Food and snacks are free today as well for the exam."

"Is there a limit?" She mentally cringed at herself for asking, wondering if she might be able to take one of the packaged sandwiches and a drink for the trip home later in addition to eating one now.

"Not officially, but the...polite limit is two or three of each offering. Snack, entrée, drink."

"So I could take a bottle of soda now and one for later?".

"Of course." He finished stocking the shelf and picked up the now empty case. "You can also get hot tea or coffee from that counter over there if you don't feel like something cold." He gestured to a small cafe-like counter, where several hopefuls were waiting for their drinks.

Nodding her thanks as the man took his leave, Ochaco grabbed a strawberry Ramune for lunch, and opted to stash a bottle of iced tea in her lunch box. Moving to the counter, she picked up a tray and considered her options. A cup of miso along with a beef and vegetable stir-fry found their way onto her tray, while a wrapped tonkatsu sandwich made its way into her lunch box to be her dinner later on. Moving to the snacks and desserts, she picked up a couple mochi for now, and tossed a bag of potato chips into her bag for later.

She took a seat at one of the tables, adding her uneaten breakfast rice ball to her tray. She let out a small sigh, feeling a little self-conscious as she looked at the meal she had taken for later.

"Woo! Free food!"

"Who cares if we get in or not? We get free food!"

The voices came from a brown-haired man and his red-headed companion, the two of them all smiles as they both created the ultimate 'sampler trays' with no shame.

"Okay, maybe this isn't so bad..." She closed up her lunch box before looking back to her current lunch. The smell was enticing, and Ochaco found herself having to resist the urge to scarf it down. "Though am I really that hungry? Or is it my nerves..." She closed her eyes and sighed, The anxiety that had vanished during the written exam thanks to Izuku's calming presence came back with a vengeance upon hearing the blonde's declaration about the food versus getting into UA. "Look, passing the written is basically a guarantee that you'll get into General Studies, even if you barely get points in the quirk application part of the test. Which would fulfill plan B – make sure you get into UA no matter what."

Eyes still closed, Ochaco took a deep breath and brought her hands together over her food. "Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu." Her sentiment was echoed by four other voices shortly after, startling her into opening her eyes. She noticed Izuku sitting on her left, while Mina was on her right. Toru sat directly across from her, while Tenya sat opposite Izuku.

"Oh," Ochaco blushed, head retreating into her shoulders slightly. "When...When did you guys get here?"

"Maybe two minutes ago." Izuku answered, taking a bite of his lunch. "Okay, why does this one taste better than the one Lunch Rush made at the recommended?"

"Because he wants to show off how good a cook he is to the 'common folk'?" Toru made air quotes, causing Izuku to frown a little while Tenya smirked.

A laugh-like cough came from Mina, who was wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Ugh, I was trying to drink my soda you ass."

"Me or Toru?" Izuku asked, pointing to himself then the invisible girl.

"Yes." Mina deadpanned, causing Ochaco to chuckle. "Anyways...How do you all think you did on the written? I suspect I probably failed more than a few of the literature questions."

"Don't sell yourself short Mina." Izuku flashed a smile. "You did well with the mock exams we practiced with during our study sessions. Though I'll agree some of the questions on that part were worded a little strange."

"Agreed." Tenya nodded, taking a sip of his juice. "What did you think of the test, Uraraka?"

"Honestly, it felt more like a midterm exam than anything to me." She took a bite of her rice ball, "indeed. So far, today feels more like I'm back in high school than applying for college."

"Well, we've all been out for...what? Two, maybe three weeks now tops?" Tenya looked at group, seeing them nod.

"Personally, I don't feel like I've left yet. I mean, I woke up a few days ago and screamed that I was late for school." Mina sighed and ate a few bites of her salad. "Made it halfway to the train station before I remembered."

"Better than me. I made it all the way into homeroom." Toru's hands came up to hide her face. "So glad Fujita-Sensei has such a good sense of humor."

"He must have been surprised to see you." Tenya responded, failing to notice the expressions on his friend's faces.

"Not as much as the boy whose seat I took was." A laugh escaped Toru, "come on Tenya. Surely you've had an 'oh yeah, I'm out of school now moment' or two too."

"Nope. I've just kept my same routine and substituted going to school with getting in extra work outs and study sessions for this exam." There was an air of pride in Tenya's voice. However, he couldn't seem to look any of them in the eyes as he continued. "Haven't had a single issue."

"Then explain last week when we had that Boy's Night sleepover at your place and the next day..." There was a Cheshire grin on Izuku's face as Tenya's eyes narrowed. "And, at six fifty-five in the morning you screamed, and I quote; Oh God, I didn't iron my school uniform. Before panicking and waking up the rest of the house as you tripped in the laundry room."

"You were dreaming Izuku. That didn't happen." Tenya glared at Izuku, who simply grinned while Mina and Toru were dying of laughter.

"I'll call Tensei right now..." The green-haired man waved his phone around, one finger scrolling through his contacts as Tenya tried to grab it from him.

Watching the display, Ochaco couldn't help but add her own laughs to Mina and Toru's in between taking bites of her lunch. After Izuku and Tenya came to an agreement, their table settled into a level of comfortable conversation. Once again, Ochaco found herself being drawn into the discussions, the four of them doing their best to include her, even explaining some of their inside jokes to her. Whatever nervousness, whatever anxiety she might have felt going into the next test was gone. All of it absorbed by the warmth she felt from making some new friends. And the shock that somehow, she had become part of Midoriya Izuku's circle of friends.

"But back to the matter at hand, do either of you seriously know anything about the upcoming test?" Toru asked, finishing the last of her soda. "Beyond the common knowledge of fighting robots?"

"Tensei said it was like an actual attack and they had to take down the robots serving as villains, while also saving the dummy civilians. Though he said it felt more like a free-for-all as opposed to a coordinated attack." Tenya answered, adjusting his glasses. "Biggest kicker however is that they split everyone up into different, well he called them districts. While he didn't say why, I suspect it was so that they didn't overwhelm a single district, and because that gives everyone a fair chance."

"They might have also done that as a way to foster potential team work between applicants." Izuku added, "I mean, there's plenty of amazing quirks that can compliment each other if their users would work together."

"Makes sense." Mina nodded, "I mean. Heroes can't always choose who they get to work with in an emergency. Might as well get a taste of that now."

Ochaco nodded, eyes going from one friend to another as she considered Tenya and Mina's words. Had she been told that at the beginning of the day, she would have probably had a mini freak-out, even though at the time she didn't know anyone going to UA. Now however, Ochaco could only wonder why she was even worried about it in the first place.

"Indeed, though I hope I do get to work with at least one of you." Ochaco took a bite of one of her mochi, seeing the others nod.

"Same. But look on the bright side." Izuku beamed, his smile encompassing them all. "There will be a spot for all of you on the Izu-Rescue team regardless of how this all goes."

"Still haven't come up with a better name, huh?"

"Toru, I could hear your eyebrow rising with that." The beaming smile was gone, replaced with an accusatory grin that made them all start laughing, though Ochaco's was a little awkward.

"Ever since the HPSC named one of his hero tools the Izu-Pen and Izuku couldn't come up with a better name, we rag on him for using Izu- as a brand of sorts for when he needs a place holder name for something." Mina whispered to her in between her own laughs and Izuku's indignant noises.

"Okay, now it makes sense, and somehow that makes it funnier." Ochaco gave Mina a thumbs up as a loud bell sounded. A moment later and an intercom system kicked on, summoning everyone back to the testing room for a briefing on the next part of the entrance exam.

"Alright everyone." Tenya clapped his hands and made a chopping motion, as if to cut through their laughter. "Let's clean up and move on."

No one argued with the Ida heir's orders, the five of them quickly disposing of their trash and returning their trays before making their way back to the testing area.

…

[April 25th, X041 – 1:30 P.M. Women's Locker Room, Ultra Academy, Musutafu.]

…

Upon arriving back in the testing room, everyone was instructed to once again take a seat. Only once everyone was seated did Midnight take the floor again and explain the rest of the day. The R-Rated Hero gave them a quick summary that wasn't too dissimilar to Tenya's recollection of Tensei's account of his exam. After promising a more detailed explanation once everyone was situated in their respective districts, she had dismissed them to the locker rooms to change into their workout clothes.

Ochaco thought she would just go into the locker room, change, store her bag and go. Instead, she quickly found herself drawn into a gossip fest courtesy of Mina and Toru.

"Alright, now that we've got some girl time..." Toru placed a hand on Ochaco's shoulder, "what did you think of our dear cinnamon roll?"

"Cinnamon roll?" Ochaco blinked, removing the sweatshirt and pants combination she always wore for her afternoon work out sessions from her bag. "Whose that?"

"Izuku." Mina clarified. "We call him that because he's just so sweet and innocent."

"Oh, I thought you called him that because of the fact he's got that faint cinnamon scent to him." She pulled her shirt up over her head then. "What is that? His shampoo? Or cologne?"

"I'm not sure," Toru answered pulling her own shirt off. "Mina, you've been to his place. Do you know what it is?"

"Aftershave." The pink girl chuckled. "I saw the bottle in the bathroom."

"Does he even grow facial hair?" Ochaco tried to imagine what Izuku would look like with any sort of facial hair. The image her mind conjured making her laugh as Izuku basically changed into a bunch of broccoli.

"He tried once, and judging by your laugh – you figured out he basically turns into a broccoli crown, right?" Mina pulled out her cellphone. "I have a picture of the picture his mom snapped before he shaved it the first time."

She turned her phone then, showing a slightly blurry picture of Izuku with the beginnings of a beard. Given the fact there was still a softness to his features, coupled with the fact that his beard seemed to be coming in a slightly lighter shade of green. The whole of his face reminded Ochaco more of an infant discovering birthday cake for the first time.

"Don't tell him I said this, but he looks much better clean shaven." The auburn-haired girl whispered, making Toru chuckle.

"I agree one hundred percent with you." Mina replied, storing her phone away. "Also, it occurs to me now – you never answered Toru's question about what you think of Izuku."

"He's nice. I mean, I've seen the stories about him...but you know how some celebrities and heroes put on a front." Ochaco took out her brush and gently combed her hair, before putting it into a low bun. "But Izuku? He seems to be the same both on screen and off." She noticed then the look Mina was giving her, and suspected Toru was looking at her in the same way. "I mean, I only know him from the media, and then a little from lunch but-"

"So...You like him?" The way Toru's outfit shifted told Ochaco the invisible girl had leaned closer.

"Of course I do." Ochaco answered, adjusting the tie on her pants. "I mean, who doesn't?"

"So, would you go out with him?" Once again, Toru pushed the question as Mina grinned.

"Like as friends?" One of Ochaco's eyebrows seemed to be affected by her quirk, for it was floating somewhere near her hairline. "Of course she doesn't mean as friends!" Her mind screamed at her, but aloud. "Uh yeah, I think he'd be fun to hang out with."

"He is. We've all hung out together a few times and have never had a bad time." A laugh came from the invisible girl. "Though Mina, I think you've spent a little more time with him than I have. What with your friend-dates and all..."

"Friend-dates?"

"Yeah, Izuku and I have gone on a number of friend-dates." Mina answered, an odd glint in her eyes. "Mostly trips to the mall or other stores, followed by grabbing something to eat. Though we did go to the movies once."

"I'm still salty that you saw The Backrooms – Door Two before I did." Toru whined.

"Hey, I saw it again with you didn't I?" The pink girl's hands came to rest on her hips. "Besides, you should be thankful that I saw it first. I knew when the jump scares were coming so I could make sure you didn't spill the popcorn."

"Excuses. Excuses." Toru punctuated the second one with a gentle slam of the locker door. "I wouldn't have cared so much if you told me, but when your response to me asking if you want to see it is..." She cleared her throat, then did her best impersonation of Mina. "Oh, I already saw it with Izuku last week but I don't mind seeing it again. You waited a week to, in a roundabout way, tell me you had a true pseudo-date with Izuku that wasn't your usual friend-dates."

"I know, but it was just that. A pseudo-date of going to the movies. Actually watching the movie, then grabbing a bite to eat before going home." Mina sighed, "I know I said I like my men to be dummy thick, but I didn't mean in the head!"

Ochaco laughed. "What do you mean? I mean, he seems rather smart to me."

"And I thought Izuku was the innocent one..." Mina whispered, just a little too loud to Toru.

"He is when it comes to matters of academics, heroes and their quirks, and medical matters." Toru raised a gloved finger with each as Mina nodded.

"However, when it comes to social matters? He's an absolute idiot." Mina sighed, "he just can't seem to pick up on the fact that I would love to be his girlfriend."

"I wouldn't mind being his girlfriend either."

It was then Ochaco noticed that Mina was staring at her, the pink girl's jaw somewhere near the floor. She looked over at Toru, whose hands were crossed over where she knew the invisible girl's mouth to be.

"Did...Did I say that out loud?" In perfect time to Mina's slow nodding, Ochaco could feel her ears and face heating up. Covering her face with her hands, "Oh nyo~."

"Wait...you're a fan of the international hero: Shark Girl Gura?"

"Toru, focus! This is big!" Mina snapped her fingers a few times, a devilish grin appearing on her face. "So you do have a crush on Midoriya..."

"Right..." The floating jumpsuit's arms flapped a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "So what do you like most about him? His hair? His eyes?"

"Don't answer them. Don't answer them!" Ochaco's mind screamed at her as she closed her locker and began to walk towards the exit of the locker room. "Don't fall any deeper down that rabbit hole..."

"His fashion sense? His sense of humor? His lack of social skills?" Mina pressed, expertly maneuvering to Ochaco's side before moving in front of her. Without breaking stride, the acid user turned on her heels and was now walking backwards so she could maintain eye contact with the still flushing gravity manipulator. "His money?"

"Definitely not the money..." Ochaco answered. She had a feeling that her newfound friends either knew or suspected her financial situation, but being with someone just for the money wasn't something she had ever considered. Indeed, the idea actually repulsed her somewhat if she really thought about it.

"What did I just say!?" Her mind screamed at her. "Sure you answered in the negative but you still answered them!"

"Alright, that's one off the list!" Mina mimed the action of striking something from a page. "Let's see what else we can remove. We'll go back to physical attributes. His quirk? His muscles?"

Ochaco kept her mouth shut, eyes fixed at a point beyond Mina.

"His butt?" Ochaco's view was suddenly partially obscured by a pair of gloves. "His, wait – you're not one of those, in my opinion, weird people who are attracted to feet are you?"

"Ew, no..." She shook her head, deciding to take that option off the table. "I don't like feet."

Nods of agreement came from Mina and Toru. However, they still couldn't help but continue to pester Ochaco for answers as they made their way over to the next testing area. Annoying as it was however, she was thankful that their banter was playful and that it served as a nice distraction from her thoughts on the next test. Still, she couldn't help but send a silent prayer of thanks to the Gods when they were told to quiet down by a third-year who was serving to help keep one of the ever growing queues of other applicants in order as they awaited their chance to enter the next training center.

…

[April 25th, X041 – 2:00 P.M. City Simulation Center, Ultra Academy, Musutafu.]

…

As the applicants entered the City Simulation Center, they were instructed to take a wristband from a blacked out box. The teachers holding the boxes explaining that the bands were miniature computers that would keep track of your points.

"All of the categories are displayed at once. You'll see the number turn green when earning points, and red when you've lost them. The number will remain white otherwise." The teacher Ochaco drew hers from explained as he demonstrated to them how to turn on the device. "It's just like a BitFit. Once you've got it turned on, just follow the on screen instructions."

Ochaco turned hers on, being greeted with a prompt to enter her name. Upon confirming that she was one of the applicants, the tool opened up a camera program and instructed her to take a headshot. Task completed, it switched to showing the promised score screen.

"Say does the color of the band mean anything?" Ochaco asked, seeing that she had drawn a green one, while Mina and Toru both sported blue.

"Yes, the color of the band determines which 'district' you're being assigned to." The teacher pointed towards the City, "look at the sidewalk to see what district you're currently in. This is the Red District. Blue is to the right, while you can reach Green by going straight ahead. There's also overhead signs marking entrances to each. And while you don't have to go to your district right away, I recommend going sooner rather than later. It tends to get a little chaotic the closer we get to starting time."

"Thank you." The three girls gave a bow and moved into the red district to make more room. Just then, they noticed Izuku and Tenya making their way towards them, both of them programming the tool on their wrist as they moved towards them.

"Hey boys! What colors did you get?" Mina held out her wrist, "Toru and I got blue, and Ochaco got green."

"Tenya and I both got green as well." Izuku mirrored Mina and showed off his band.

"Aw, I was hoping you got blue like us." Toru's form slumped slightly as she looked at her and Mina's bands. "On the bright side, at least Ochaco won't be alone now!"

"Of course. Though this also means we'll all need to make sure we work extra hard and help each other to ensure we all make it into the Hero Course." Izuku smiled as he pulled both Mina and Toru in for a hug.

"We will all make it!" Ochaco wiggled into the hug between the two girls.

"Come on Tenya, get in here!" Mina didn't wait for the other man's reply and instead dragged him into the group hug between herself and Izuku.

"What have I said about public displays of affection while in school?" He sighed, but still put his arms around Mina and Izuku's shoulders. The five of them laughed as Izuku made some comment about not being in school yet, before they noticed everyone really starting to move towards their respective districts. The five of them stayed together as long as possible, before breaking off.

"Wonder how UA affords all this?" Tenya asked, looking at the various buildings which seemed to range from small shops, complete with signs identifying the type of shop to larger business centers. There was also a collection of street signs, stop lights, and the occasional mailbox or other 'decoration' you'd see on a street.

In response, Ochaco put an ear to one of the buildings and gave a couple knocks. "The walls aren't very thick, and I'm willing to bet quite a few are hollow and have only minimal rebar support in some of the larger ones." She noticed the odd looks Tenya and Izuku were giving her. "Sorry, my family is in construction and I've picked up a thing or two."

"They also have Cementoss." Izuku added, gesturing to where the stone man was currently making a patrol around the area, checking bands as well as some of the buildings. "Almost certain he built most, if not all of these. And I've heard there's a teacher in one of the other general courses who has a quirk that lets her control machines. It's her who controls some of the robots in addition to whatever AI programming they have."

"Think if we can find her and take her out, we pass?" Ochaco asked, continuing to walk into the district.

"Doubtful." Tenya answered. "Tensei claimed to have heard that the teachers have 'bunkers' scattered around the area that they observe everything from. Supposedly, they're either fingerprint or retina scan locked to get in from the outside, but not from the inside. Mostly to allow them to assist if something really goes wrong."

Ochaco was about to ask a follow up question, but a loud ping was accompanied by an even louder voice that grabbed everyone's attention.

"Good afternoon UA hopefuls! It's time for the practical application test!" Present Mic's voice sounded over the city, echoing off some of the buildings. Large screens dropped down from the ceiling, showing off the voice hero standing before a chart. "In this test, you'll be pitted against various types of robots in battle royal style combat! Each bot has a points value assigned to it, and you'll earn more points the more damage you do."

Murmurs came from all around as each bot was shown on screen for a moment. Small bots counted for one, medium for two, large for three. There was also a fourth bot, but it was just a silhouette and was marked as giving zero points. Ochaco looked away then, seeing Izuku muttering to himself beside her. She was about to ask if he was okay, but Mic's voice brought her attention back to the screen.

"However, don't think being a Hero is all about the combat. There's other aspects to the job that you'll also be judged on." The screen flicked then, showing several mannequins with colored discs on their chests. "There are civilians, both healthy and injured, who may need to be rescued. Likewise..." The blond hero snapped his fingers, switching the screen to images of various pro heroes working together. "You never know when you might need to help your fellow hopefuls either by assisting in a take down, pulling them out of harm's way. Or even coming up with an idea on how to take down a difficult foe."

"Tenya, is he okay?" She threw a thumb at the still muttering Izuku.

"He's just in analytical mode again." His eyes moved from the screen, which was currently showing the meaning of the colored discs on the dolls. Green discs were healthy civilians to be evacuated, yellow meant they had minor injuries, while red indicated serious. Discs could also change colors, simulating a person going into shock. There were also dolls with black discs, indicating a deceased individual that saving would cause you to lose points. "Though I thi-"

"So here's my thoughts. I'll be the scouter and run distraction and support. Tenya, you've got both of us beat on speed. It'll be your job to get some rapid strikes on the bots, or even do a hit and run to draw their attention to us. If you see any rescue dolls, grab them and take them to safety if they're green or yellow. If you find a red, call me and I'll see if I can 'stabilize' them for you to then take them." He looked to Ochaco. "Ochaco, I forgot to ask this earlier but do you know the limit of how much you can lift?"

"Two tons with ease, three if I really focus. However, anything over that really puts a strain on me." She rubbed the back of her neck, remembering testing her limits with a pallet of cinder blocks, as well as a few of the larger vehicles in Mr. Tanaka's scrapyard with his permission.

"Perfect. Then my idea of you being our heavy hitter will work." The only thing brighter than Izuku's grin was the light shining in his eyes as he continued planning. "It will be your job to slam the bots with debris, into the ground, or even each other. You can also run support and move rubble off rescue dolls to allow Tenya to access them. Got it?"

"I do, but I have to ask...How did you come up with that plan so fast?" Ochaco's slow nod seemed at odds with the slightly shocked expression on her face.

"Been thinking about it since I learned your quirk." He answered, smile shrinking just slightly though his eyes remained bright. "I had plans in place for any combination of the five of us for this test."

"Only you, Izuku." Ochaco smiled, eyes back on the screen as Present Mic moved into presenting a few rules to the test that applicants were expected to abide by.

"No obstructing others, no harming others...So basically don't be a jerk to other applicants." The Ida heir gave a nod.

"Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, you all have one minute to take up positions in your respective district before we release the bots!" Mic snapped his fingers again, bringing a timer up on the screen. "Good luck!"

A bell sounded then, and the timer started ticking down. Ochaco watched as the majority of applicants moved into the replica city district, most opting to go in alone or in pairs as they scouted out what they perceived to be the best place to be when the test started. "Should we move in?"

"Not yet." Izuku answered, eyes scanning around the area. "Everyone has gone towards the district center which, if this was an actual attack, would be the ideal place for a villain to strike if they wanted to cause the maximum amount of chaos. However, a more calculating villain might target the outskirts, where while there's less people or valuable targets..."

"Would likely have less heroes nearby to stop the attack." Ochaco answered, the faintest blush on her face as Izuku gave her a thumbs up.

"Clever. " Tenya gave a nod. "Not to mention, if there is an attack out here...We're the first responders. Giving us a better opportunity for us to score some points without interference as the other applicants would need to move out to our position."

Ochaco opened her mouth to say more, but a loud explosion cut her off. She turned her head towards the sound, seeing smoke coming from a building near the district center. A few more explosions came from other areas, now accompanied by the sound of heavy machinery, screams of fear and for help, along with cries from various applicants.

"Over there!" Izuku pointed to a spot two 'blocks' away from where they stood. One of the buildings had a large chunk taken out of it, and the trio could see one of the large three-point mechas using its drill-like arms to damage a few other buildings. A large crater showed just where the mecha had come from. "Come on, let's move!"

Ochaco and Tenya nodded, falling into step alongside Izuku. The three of them slid to a stop, each one adopting an offensive stance as they scouted the area.

"Help me! Help me!" The voice came from inside the damaged building, and Ochaco briefly caught sight of what appeared to be a man in a trench coat at one of the windows, trying to flag them down.

"Izuku." She tapped his arm, directing his attention to the window in question. "There's a man up there."

"Wait, Ectoplasm is playing the part of victims too?" The healing hero-to-be's eyes followed her hand. "Eh, doesn't matter. What we need i-"

Izuku got no further, the mecha having spotted the three of them. The bot turned on its axis and started moving towards them, arms striking out. The three of them all dodged in different directions as one of its arms slammed the ground before them. Tenya darted towards the damaged building, while Izuku rolled to the right and climbed up a nearby fire escape. Ochaco herself had opted to use her quirk, and was floating just out of the bot's reach. The mecha kept switching between throwing punches up in the air at her, to trying to step on Tenya who was darting about its legs.

"Tenya, go save the civilian. Ochaco, think you can get the drop on that bot?" Izuku called from his place on the fire escape. Upon hearing his voice, the bot threw a punch in his direction, damaging the platform Izuku was standing on so it now hung at an angle. To his credit, Izuku was able to keep his footing.

"Not if he throws his drills up! Keep his attention focused on you!" She called down, seeing Izuku nod and jump down as Tenya bolted into the damaged building. Ochaco watched Izuku dance around the bot's strikes, studying its attack pattern. "Left arm, right arm, together. Left, right, together..."

She dropped when the bot threw his next left punch. Fingers coming in contact with the bot's back as he threw the right. Before the bot could throw its arms together, she had lifted it a good two stories into the air. The mecha's arms and legs flailed, but there was little it could do without solid footing.

"Izuku move!" She shouted, watching as he ran towards the building Tenya had gone into. Only once she was certain he was out of harm's way did she release her quirk, dropping the bot back into the hole it had climbed out of. With a high-pitched whine and grinding gears, the mecha stilled and she noticed the computer on her wrist had lit up.

Combat: 3/100
Support: 1/100
Leadership: 0/100
Rescue: 1/100
Skill: 0/100

"Huh, didn't think these would update as we went along." She touched the ground then, seeing Tenya come walking out of the building, giving a green doll a piggy-back ride while carrying a yellow in his arms.

"There's an evac zone over there. Cover me." Tenya moved at a swift jog towards the zone, Ochaco and Izuku in tow. Upon arriving, they were greeted by an Ectoplasm clone who relieved him of the dolls.

"Because I can be in multiple places at once, I'm manning the evac zones as well as alerting applicants to civilians." The hero answered the unspoken question as he set the dolls down and moved to assist another who had come to him with a doll.

The trio continued working in their district utilizing the tactics they had come up with. All of them were in the low twenties in combat, rescue, and support points while they had all crossed the ten point threshold for leadership. Because of their efforts, the AI of the bots was starting to adapt. No longer were they coming in one-by-one, but in pairs or groups of three. All of them moving with the same intent: Take out the biggest threat to themselves.

Currently one of the large crusher bots was being escorted by two of the smaller bots with drill-like arms. A fourth bot, with a flamethrower on one arm and a water cannon on the other brought up the rear.

"There's too many!" One of the other applicants in the area complained as she proceeded to create a large wall of sand. She knew it would never stop the bots, but hoped it would buy them just a little more time to escape. "We've got to get out of here!"

"Agreed." Another applicant answered, a pair of wings that looked to be made from light appearing from her back as the sand quirk user latched onto her side.

"Not without the civilians!" A third answered from inside a nearby building. Just then, a loud explosion occurred nearby, and the occupant of the building ran out, his arms empty. "Save yourselves!" He yelled back into the building, grabbing onto the winged girl who quickly flew them a few blocks away.

"Cowards!" Ochaco kept the curse internalized, but she heard it spoken aloud from Tenya and Izuku. The former darted into the building while the latter remained outside with her, watching as the bots approached. "Think we can take them down?"

"I do-"

"I've got this!" The voice came from somewhere to Ochaco's right, and was accompanied by a bright flash and a loud pop. All of the bots in the area had ceased moving. Taking a moment to float herself, the gravity girl could see several other bots had been taken down on streets close enough to have felt the blast. Looking at the element bot, she noticed it appeared to be unscathed, but the scent of burning ozone indicated that its circuits had been fried. It was then she noticed then a blonde-haired boy with a dopey expression on his face standing in the middle of the next street. His arms were held before him in a thumbs-up, and at least five of the smaller bots were motionless on the ground nearby him.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Ochaco floated over to him, one hand coming to rest on his shoulder as she landed beside him.

"Whey..." He turned towards her, expression unchanging.

"What the-" Izuku paused, taking in the scene before looking to the blond. "Did you do this?"

"Yaaaaaay..." The dopey smile grew wider, and he pumped both his arms, maintaining the thumbs up gesture.

"Oh dear...We've got a medical removal." An Ectoplasm clone emerged from one of the buildings and made his way over to the four of them. Grabbing the boy's wrist tool, Ectoplasm pressed one of the buttons on it, before looking at the tablet in his hands. "I'll take it from here."

"Do you need an Izu-Pen?" Izuku reached to his side and moved to offer one of the injectors, but Ectoplasm shook his head.

"No. It's a side effect of this one's quirk..." The hero answered, looking at the brain-fried blond's student registration before once again taking the boy by the hand. "Come on, Kaminari-san..."

"Wheey!" Was Kaminari's reply as he giggled.

"Poor guy, I hope he got enough points to pass at least..." Izuku attached the pen back to his belt as Ochaco nodded.

The pair watched Ectoplasm look at Kaminari's wrist again. The hero gave the tiniest nod and had the faintest smile on his face as he addressed the two. "I'm not at liberty to say, but I suggest you focus on your own efforts. Remember, there's only thirty-six spots for the hero course..."

"He's right." Tenya appeared behind the two as Ectoplasm took his leave. "That other guy wasn't kidding. There's wounded in that building and I'm going to need help carrying them."

Ochaco and Izuku both nodded and fell in step behind Tenya and moved to enter the building. However, a small tremor from an incoming wave sent one of the stalled bots falling into a nearby building. Already damaged, a large chunk of rubble broke off and started to fall.

"Move!" Izuku shouted, charging forward to shove both Ochaco and Tenya into the building as the rubble fell upon him. Though dust and other small debris obscured her view of her green-haired friend, she could see that it had become impaled in the ground, a large streak of red on one side. Beside it, she could see Izuku laying prone on the ground.

"Izuku!" Tenya let out a concerned yell as their friend groaned and sat up.

"Izuku! Your arm!" Ochaco looked at Izuku with morbid horror on her face.

On anyone else the ragged mangled mess that had been his left arm would have been life endangering or at minimum crippling. However, apart from a red face and clenched teeth showing the extreme pain, Izuku looked to be holding onto life with minimal ease.

"I'm starting to think recovery girl was right. Apart from the sensation of pain, I am getting way too passive about getting injured." He tried to say cheerfully.

"No duh, you think?!" Tenya roared in retaliation, "What was your first clue?! Jumping in front of the falling rubble?!"

"I saved you guys, didn't I?" He countered, arm already starting to knit itself back together.

"That's...unsettling." Ochaco grimaced as she looked away. Trying to distract herself. "Tenya, how are the civilians?"

"One's fine, three have minor injuries and the last is seriously hurt." He answered, moving to attend to the dolls.

"Ochaco, there's a large sheet of metal that fell off one of the bots that should make a decent stretcher for the serious injury." Izuku appeared in the door, arm almost fully healed.

"Is it large enough to hold all of them? If so, I can use my quirk to make it lighter and we can just guide it along and save them all at once." Ochaco gave a nod and moved towards the door as Izuku continued planning.

"It will hold at least two comfortably..." He replied, looking to Tenya. "We can carry the other three, right?"

"Easily." Ochaco heard Tenya's reply as she found the sheet of metal. Activating her quirk, she floated it at waist height. However, it was too wide to fit through the door.

"It won't fit." She let out a tiny sigh, "bring out the red first. Once they're situated, we'll see about the others."

Izuku appeared at the door then, the red doll in his arms. With surprising care, he set the doll down on the improvised stretcher. Carefully moving it to the side, he motioned for Tenya to add one of the yellow dolls, whose disc was now starting to slowly flash between yellow and red. The two remaining yellows were carried by Izuku and Tenya, with Izuku carrying the green on his back. The three of them brought the casualties over to the evac zone, before returning into the field.

The robots continued in their onslaught, now forcing many applicants into the same areas and to work together to suppress the numbers. More than once, Ochaco found herself using her quirk to slam one bot into another. Or to move a large chunk of debris to allow other applicants to get around. There was even a moment that she had to float herself and another applicant out of a crater he had fallen into. Tenya meanwhile was zooming around, moving applicants out of harms way, or keeping the robots occupied while the more offensive quirk users took them out. Izuku seemed to be dedicating his time to organizing others, as well as running distraction with Tenya.

All of this seemed to only infuriate the bots, or rather the one controlling them, as they had now swarmed the area. Various cries filled the area from the applicants. Some were out of fear, others let out primal cries of determination. More than one dropped a curse as the ground shook and more bots advanced on the area.

"Everybody clear the area!" The cry came from somewhere near one of the larger buildings and midst the fleeing applicants, Ochaco had just enough time to see someone punch the side of the closest building, tipping it over and onto the street. His efforts only succeeding in crushing a couple of bots, at the cost of sending dust and debris flying in all directions. One of the larger chunks struck Ochaco and sent her into the side of a nearby building.

"Ochaco!" She heard more than she saw Izuku run towards her. "Ochaco, are you alright?"

The dust in the air made her cough, and she found herself unable to speak. Instead, she shook her head, one hand coming to rest on her side, where the rubble had struck her. A wet stickiness greeted her, and she gasped at sight of her now bloodied hand.

"Sorry Ochaco, this might hurt a little..." Izuku removed one of the Izu-Pens from his side. Unscrewing the cap, he stabbed it into the flesh just above her hip. Ochaco let out a pained cry at the brief stinging sensation the needle created, but soon felt the pain of it fading. Scratch that. She felt every pain she didn't know she had fading, as well as an odd energy coursing through her veins. "Better?"

"Much. Thank you Izuku..." Ochaco gave a nod as she rose to her feet.

"So what do we do about that?" Tenya gestured to the approaching army of bots.

"I've got an idea...Stand back." Ochaco moved to where the building had fallen. Inspecting it proved true to her original assessment. It was hollow concrete, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was still over her three ton limit. Still, she knew she had to try. Placing both her hands on the building, her quirk took hold. The once heavy concrete slab of a building became nearly weightless, and she threw it at the approaching bot army as easily as one throws a pillow in a pillow fight. She deactivated her quirk right before it struck the first bot, the force and momentum of her throw sending the full weight of it into the bots. Those closest to the front were outright destroyed, while the ones near the back suffered enough damage to where they became little more than gigantic paperweights. Several applicants nearby opted to take advantage of that status, and gave the finishing blow while others cheered for Ochaco's efforts.

She looked to her wrist then, noticing that her combat score had become nearly maxed out. Her support score had also gone up by nearly twenty points as well. Ochaco was about to comment, but a loud siren began to blare and Present Mic's voice once again sounded over the arena.

"Uh-oh listeners! The villains are getting desperate! They've unleashed their final weapons!" Hydraulic hissing that was just slightly softer than the Voice Hero's voice sounded from various sides. Ochaco could only watch as the Zero Point Mechas thundered onto the field. Each one was roughly three-stories tall, and seemed to be armed with various turrets and cannons. "Intel shows that these mecha are armed with sleeping gas bombs and stun turrets. All applicants are heavily advised to proceed to one of the safe zones as soon as possible!"

As if to punctuate Mic's words, the Zero Pointer closest to the trio fired off a shot from one of its turrets. One applicant was struck by the shot, and after a brief spasm, fell to the ground.

"Damn, they weren't kidding about the stun guns!" A guy called as he ran to pick up his fallen comrade.

"We've got to get out of here!" A girl screamed, running in the opposite direction of one of the safe zones in a panic.

"Are they trying to kill us?" Another guy complained as the Zero Pointer fired off its first sleeping gas bomb.

Chaos seemed to erupt all around as applicants panicked. A brave few tried to maintain order, but quickly gave up and opted to save their own skins.

"I hate to say it, but I think we're going to need to quit the search." Tenya sighed, wiping his brow. The three of them had opted to make a last-minute sweep for 'victims' but the chaos surrounding them was making it unsafe for them to continue.

"I agree." Ochaco nodded sadly. She wanted to continue the search, but knew it wouldn't help anyone if she herself became in need of rescue.

"If we see anyone in need of help as we go, we'll help them." Izuku's eyes scanned both Ochaco and Tenya's faces. "It's tough, but even All Might admitted that heroes need to know when to take a step back."

"You're such an All Might fanboy..." Tenya rolled his eyes, trying to inject a small amount of brevity into the situation. "Surprised it took you this long to mention the man."

"Tenya, stop running your mouth and start running your engines." Izuku countered, one of the Zero Pointers' turrets aimed in their direction. The engine hero-to-be didn't hesitate and grabbed both Izuku and Ochaco.

"Recirpo burst!" Activating his quirk, Tenya launched the three of them away from the bot right as it fired. The taser shot striking the ground where the trio originally stood. As chaotic as it felt to be flying along with Tenya, the battlefield around them seemed to be in an even worse state. More than once Ochaco saw testers get taken down and 'captured' by the Zero Pointers. A few times she even saw some applicants using others as springboards to better increase their odds of escaping.

"That's horrible..." Ochaco couldn't help the sigh that escaped her as Tenya slowed to a stop.

"Sorry, I've got to recharge." He dropped Izuku unceremoniously before setting Ochaco down gently.

"You can still walk or run though, right?" Ochaco asked, watching as Tenya massaged his leg.

"Yeah, I just can't use my engines to boost my speed."

"We're in luck, the safe zones right over there!" Izuku pointed to the area in question where several Ectoplasm clones were hollering and waving to applicants. "Come on!"

Ochaco let out a grunt of determination, while Tenya gave a nod. The three of them broke into a quick jog and crossed into the safe zone where Ectoplasm greeted them with a smile and gestured for them to have a seat or grab something to drink. Looking up, Ochaco couldn't help but smile as she noticed the timer for the first time in awhile.

Two minutes remained on the clock.

"What do you know? My time trial training paid off ." Grinning, she grabbed a bottle of water and took a long swallow in celebration of her accomplishment.

…

[April 25th, X041 – 3:23 P.M. Campus Medical Office, Ultra Academy, Musutafu.]

…

The test had come to an end, and applicants were instructed to remain in the safe zones as the teachers made a sweep of the districts to find any applicants who may have gotten injured or lost in the final assault. Once everyone was accounted for, the teachers moved to the safe zones and began to check in with everybody for injuries, and to collect their computers.

"Uraraka-san..." Currently Midnight was standing before her, tablet in hand as she looked over Ochaco's information. "Records indicate you were hit by falling debris?" The auburn-haired girl nodded at the R-Rated hero. "Hmm, I'm not seeing any signs of injury, but its required for any test-taker who becomes injured to go see the medical staff before they can be released."

"Alright," she let out a sigh as Midnight gave her directions to Recovery Girl's office. Upon arriving, she could see several other hopefuls all sitting or standing around. She could see some had visible injuries, while others showed signs of emotional or psychological distress. She couldn't see any injuries on herself, and had to admit her emotions felt lighter than ever. "Almost feel like I don't belong here."

She let out a sigh as one of the attendants called a name, summoning them into an exam room. Luckily, it seemed there was more than one doctor on staff, and they seemed to be working quick. But that still wasn't any guarantee of how long she'd be stuck there.

"I hope Izuku and the others don't leave before I have a chance to say goodbye." She leaned up against the wall, eyes seeing it was just a few minutes past 3. "Figure I'll finish here, get changed...See if I can find the others and say my goodbyes before heading to the station. Wonder if any of them are taking a train home? Maybe they'll accompany me and wait a bit with me at the station if they are an-"

"Uraraka Ochaco?" The healing heroine called, her voice pulling Ochaco from her thoughts.

"That's me." Ochaco rose to her feet and followed Recovery Girl into one of the exam rooms.

"Have a seat on the table there." The elder gestured to an exam table, before taking a seat at her computer. Ochaco complied, letting out a sigh as she finally had a chance to sit. "Says here you got struck by some rubble and had some bleeding as a result." Recovery Girl's head tilted to the side, an odd tone in her voice as she studied Ochaco. "Did you receive any treatment out in the field? Or take anything for pain between then and now?"

"Does getting hit with an Izu-Pen count as treatment?" She asked, seeing the old nurse's expression instantly change from professional concern to annoyed-but-not-really grandmother in a matter of seconds.

"Midoriya hit you with one?" Recovery Girl asked, her fingers tapping something out on the keyboard of her desk as she made notes. "Tell me how that went."

"Yeah, I sort of got clipped by a falling building. Seeing me injured, Izu-er, Midoriya-san rushed over and hit me with an Izu-Pen." She shifted to the side a little, trying to show where Izuku had injected her, but there was no bruise or puncture to show. "Anyways, I felt his blood – ugh, that sounds weird – mix with mine and take away the pain. Once I got back into the fight, I noticed I barely had any recoil with my attacks, nor did I feel motion sick like I usually do after using my quirk to float and move myself too much."

"Sounds about right..." Recovery Girl muttered, just loud enough for Ochaco to hear. "And how do you feel now?"

"Honestly? I feel great." She flashed a smile, "I mean, I suppose part of it might be that the adrenaline hasn't worn off yet but..." Ochaco shrugged as Recovery Girl let out a tiny chuckle.

"Alright then. Well, I do need to take your vitals and give you a quick once-over as a formality, but if you've received a dose of Midoriya's blood – you're good to go." The old woman moved in then with her equipment and proceeded to take her blood pressure, check her eyes, ears, and throat, and take her temperature before dismissing her. "Yeah, you're good. I'll forward a copy of my report to your primary care physician, alright?"

"Perfect, thank you very much." Ochaco gave a bow and left the room as Recovery Girl called for the next patient. Retracing her steps, she returned to the locker room and changed back into her regular attire. While there were still quite a few girls about the place, she saw no sign of Mina or Toru. "Maybe they're waiting outside for you?"

Cheering herself with that thought, she made a final sweep of the area to ensure she had everything before making her way back towards one of the exits of UA. She had just stepped into the hallway that lead away from the locker rooms when she heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. Ochaco couldn't stop the wide grin that appeared on her face as she watched Izuku and his friends run up to her.

"Everything okay?" Mina asked, eyes moving up and down her newfound friend.

"We were worried when we heard you were sent to the nurse." Toru added, opting to embrace Ochaco.

"Clean bill of health." Ochaco smiled, giving the four of them a thumbs up. "The visit was more of a formality than actual need. Those Izu-Pens are something else."

"That's great. Glad to hear it." Izuku gave a thumbs up, taking over the conversation. "So, what are your plans now?"

"My plans?" She couldn't hide the flush that came to her cheeks as she looked down. "I was going to go back to the train station and wait for my train."

The four of them exchanged looks as Izuku took out his cellphone and began to message someone. "Oh, um...What time is your train due?"

"Half past seven." She answered, only partially looking up.

"That's just under four hours from now." Tenya answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you really going to just sit around the station all that time? Where's the fun in that?" While Toru's question was directed at her, Ochaco could tell she was looking at Izuku.

"Boring." Mina nodded in agreement with Toru's line of thought.

"Well, I might walk around the station a little. Take some time to eat dinner." She gestured to her lunch box, which was clipped to the side of her bag. "That and I don't know the area well enough to be walking around, so waiting at the station is probably my best bet. It would also be rather safe too."

"I've a better idea." Izuku looked up from his phone, "how about you join the four of us, and my mom and another one of my friends, for dinner? Afterwards, we can just drive you to the station to catch your train. This way, you don't have to wait around all by yourself and can get something to eat."

The other three all nodded in agreement at Izuku's suggestion, each voicing their own opinion on the matter. Tenya commented that it was a lot safer than hanging out alone at the station, while Mina and Toru spoke of the various shops and stalls around the area they were going to visit before heading off to dinner.

"What!? Oh no, I couldn't intrude..." She waved her hands in front of her, trying to shoo away the offer. While she had to admit she was touched by the thought that they wanted to hang out, that they wanted to include her. She knew she had to hold on to what little money she had left on her person. Ochaco's eyes turned back to the ground as she played her next card. "And besides, I didn't bring a lot of money with me. I've enough to buy my ticket home, and maybe get a Yakitori or two if my dinner doesn't fill me up."

The four of them shared a look, and suddenly Ochaco felt like she was being judged. Thanks to the news, she knew that the Midoriyas and the Idas were rather well off. And while she didn't know much about Mina or Toru's families, the quality of their clothing and other items spoke of them being at least two classes above her.

"You're not intruding." Tenya smiled at her, causing her to look up at the group again.

"Yeah! We're offering." Toru draped an arm around her, "the more the merrier, right?"

"Yeah!" Mina cheered, throwing Ochaco's other arm over her own shoulders. "Besides, I'm almost certain Izuku already asked him mom if you can join us?"

"I did." The green-haired man smiled and turned his phone so the girls could see the exchange between mother and son.

'Hey mom, do you mind if I bring along another person to dinner? Her train isn't due until later tonight..'

'Another her? I said it before and I'll say it again Izuku, maybe you were right about turning 18. ;)'

'Mom...'

'Sorry dear, you know I love meeting all your little friends. And besides, I don't think either of us could live with ourselves if we left her alone at the station and something happened to her. So tell her not to worry. I'll make sure she gets back to her train on time and with a full belly.'

"Your mom seems very nice..." Ochaco offered, reading a few more lines of their exchange. Even though she was only reading the exchange, she felt she could hear Izuku's mom gently coaxing her into accepting the invitation. "Tell her I'm willing to put some money towards my meal if need be an-"

"Oh trust me." Izuku cut her off before she could finish her thought, "any money you try to give my mom in exchange for dinner will be ripped from your hand and returned to your wallet before you have a chance to realize what happened."

"Are you sure?" She looked at the four of them, seeing Tenya and Mina nod while Toru rubbed at her wrist.

"On Izuku's mom slapping you one for trying to pay? Or you joining us for dinner?" Tenya blinked, "either way, answers the same."

Ochaco couldn't help but laugh along with Mina and Toru as Izuku pouted, feigning hurt. Despite her concerns that she was intruding on their dynamic, Ochaco had to admit that she was relieved that she wouldn't be waiting at the station alone for the next few hours. The memory of Mrs. Midoriya's concern for the well being of a girl she hadn't even met yet cementing her decision.

"Alright. I'm in." She gave a smile and pumped a fist, bringing cheers from Izuku and the two girls, and a more reserved sound of agreement from Tenya. She looked to Izuku then, seeing him sending off another message.

"Alright, mom knows that Ochaco is joining us." Izuku began to walk as his phone pinged again. "Says reservations are at five-thirty at Bistro De Musutafu."

"And how far away is that?"

"Half hour by car if traffic sucks." Izuku answered after a moment. "Figure we can check out the shops around UA for a little bit, then I'll call for transport to the restaurant."

"Sounds good," Tenya gave a nod, "so where we going first?"

Ochaco tuned out the conversation, content just to be walking with her friends. After a moment however, she noticed the group of five had grown to a group of nine. Four black clad individuals had fallen into step around them, and Ochaco knew at once they were security guards of some sort. Only when they stopped off at a nearby store did she gently grab Mina's arm and hold her back.

"Say Mina, who are these people?" The auburn-haired girl flicked her eyes towards the one guard who was remaining with them outside of the store.

"Izuku's guards." She answered, body giving a tiny shrug as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Trust me. If you hang around Izuku long enough, you get used to them."

"I guess so..." She answered after a moment, seeing the one waiting with them give her a friendly smile. Accepting this as just another part of her newfound friendships, she allowed Mina to pull her into the shop, leaving the guard outside.

…

[April 25th, X041 – 5:30 P.M. Bistro De Musutafu, Musutafu.]

…

Bistro De Musutafu was, to Ochaco's eyes, an upscale restaurant. From what she could see from the entrance hall, the décor was simple, yet elegant. The tables and chairs a deep lacquered red wood, with several of the tables having screens for semi-private dining. There was a small stage near the bar that occasionally held live performances from local bands, but was mostly used for karaoke. A few groups of people milled around the area, which Ochaco assumed were patrons visiting the restaurant. However, her view was quickly obstructed by something that overshadowed everything.

It was bright. Almost too bright for this world.

An aura of love, caring, empathy, and comfort. It felt like Christmas at home, with warm blankets and cocoa. A feeling that everything was okay, and that you should be excited and happy just for existing.

After several moments of enduring this overwhelming sensation of goodness and happy, Ochaco was finally able to identify the cause.

A woman who was unmistakably Izuku's mom, leaking happy tears like a broken faucet. She moved from the main room towards the group.

"I'm so proud of my baby." Inko cried, pulling Izuku into a side hug. "And I'm so proud of all of you!" Somehow, her hug moved to encompass all of the children, Ochaco included. "You all deserve the best."

"Thank you Mama Midoriya!" Mina and Toru chorused happily in reply.

"Thank you Mama Midoriya." Tenya answered, more subdued that the girls.

"Thanks mom." There was a surprising amount of warmth in Izuku's wish.

"Uh, thank you?" Ochaco blinked, unsure of how she should feel.

"Oh, where are my manners." Inko seemed to read her thoughts, one hand reaching out in a more traditional greeting. "Midoriya Inko, I'm Izuku's mom if you couldn't guess."

"Uraraka Ochaco," she gently shook Inko's hand. "Thank you for having me, Mrs. Midoriya-San."

"It's no trouble, and please." The second-most motherly smile Ochaco had ever seen appeared on Inko's face. "Feel free to call me Mama Midoriya, everyone else does." Inko's head gestured to Izuku's other friends, who all gave nods of confirmation as she gave Ochaco another hug.

"Alright, thank you M-Mama Midoriya." Ochaco gave the tiniest bow as the older woman ushered them into the main part of the restaurant. Instantly, they were greeted by cheers and well wishes from the other patrons, which Ochaco was quick to figure out were friends and family of not only Izuku, but of the others as well.

"Sorry, I should have had Izuku warn you that his mom's a hugger." A girl around Ochaco's age approached her, hand out in greeting. "Yaoyorozu Momo, I'm another friend of Izuku's."

"Uraraka Ochaco." She accepted the greeting as Izuku came over to the two of them. "And don't worry about it. I actually think its sweet."

"So how did the test go?" Momo asked as she took a glass of sparkling grape juice from a server who had stopped off near them.

"Went great!" Izuku grabbed a glass for himself, before offering one to Ochaco.

"Yeah." Ochaco blushed as she accepted the drink. "Thanks to Izuku's amazing planning and Tenya's speed, we were able to rack up a good amount of points and landed in the top ten."

"Don't be so modest Ochaco, you did most of the heavy lifting." He placed a hand on her shoulder, eyes bright with adoration. "She actually maxed out her combat score, and got enough points to take the top spot on the scoreboard. Tenya came in second while I placed third."

"That's amazing! Congratulations!" Momo gave both of them a smile and a thumbs up.

"Don't congratulate us yet." Ochaco let out a tiny sigh, "a high score doesn't guarantee that we made it in."

"Like hell it doesn't!" Tenya's brother Tensei ran up to the three of them. "Even if you absolutely bombed the written exam, scoring in the top ten of the practical automatically grants you a spot in the hero course."

"Really?" Ochaco felt something break within her chest, eyes wide at the elder Ida's words.

"Yeah. Well, at least that seems to be the case." He grabbed a bottle of beer off a passing server's tray. "But everyone I've seen land in the top ten has ended up in the Hero course."

"Ha! Take that Nezu!" Izuku pointed out the restaurant's window in the relative direction of UA. "That'll teach you not to give me my results."

"You still didn't get the result of the recommended exam from him?" Momo raised an eyebrow.

"Nope, but if what Tensei says is true...He has no choice but to accept me now."

"I just hope that if you did get in on recommended that they give your spot from the practical to someone else." Tenya added, joining the group with Mina and Toru in tow. "It's not fair if someone misses out because you got in twice."

Ochaco was only half-listening to the conversation, her heart and mind both focusing on Tensei's words about the top ten.

"We're in! We're in! We can help mom and dad now without worries!" Her heart cheered, "and we'll have friends with us!"

"It's not a guarantee, just a well rounded rumor." Her brain argued, "wait until we get it in writing. Still, a little optimism never hurt."

"...I just wish they showed more than the top ten." Toru's voice brought Ochaco out of her inner monologue, the invisible girl having joined the discussion.

"But if the written plays little to no part in getting into the hero course, I think I'm good." Mina grinned, throwing up a peace sign.

"We'll all be good!" Izuku grinned, "Momo got in on the recommended, and I'm sure the five of us will get in thanks to the practical. I mean, we ranked in the top three...Did you and or Toru see your final scores? If they're close to ours, we might be able to figure out if you got enough."

The discussion switched back to the test, but after a few minutes, Mama Midoriya had come over and gently chastised them for doing "schoolwork" instead of enjoying the party to celebrate their accomplishments. Sighing, the five of them agreed to figure it out later and instead took to enjoying themselves. Soon, Ochaco found herself at a table with the other girls. A large tray of assorted desserts resting between them as they took to having a psuedo girl's night. Eventually, the subject of celebrity crushes came up and Ochaco could feel her cheeks turning pink as Toru mentioned Izuku. Again. The invisible girl was not subtle in the slightest.

"He's cute, but I'll be honest and admit that I have no desire to date him. I'll leave him to you three. Excuse me." Toru got up from the table then, steps taking her towards the restroom.

A spark seemed to pass between Momo, Mina, and herself as the invisible girl departed. The three of them stealing sideways glances at each other a moment before Momo gently slapped a hand on the table.

"You know what? I'm just going to say it." Momo took a breath, before putting it all out on the line. "I've been friends with Izuku the longest out of all of us. However, I'll admit that I like Midoriya and wouldn't mind being more than just friends with him."

"Same." Mina smiled, though there was a friendly fire in her eyes. "Though don't forget that I drew first blood by giving him his first date."

"Ah, but I'm the one who went to dinner and a show with him." The Yaoyorozu heiress countered, causing Mina to laugh and say she had done the same.

"Well, you both may have more history with Izuku than I do..." Ochaco took a moment to finish her drink, "but I've fought alongside the man. I worked with him to take down foes and save people. Sure, it's not the most traditional boy meets girl story...And I may be the last to enter this race to get Izuku, but that doesn't mean I won't end up in first place."

She flashed the two other women a determined grin, seeing a similar expression on their faces. The three of them continued to stare each other down a moment longer, before breaking out into laughter.

"Alright, alright." Momo raised a hand, "we all know that we all want Izuku. However, I think we can all agree that this is something that shouldn't come between us."

"Agreed." Ochaco nodded, "I know I just met all of you, but the last thing I want is something like this ruining our growing friendships."

"Right," Mina agreed, giving a wink. "Besides, it's Izuku's choice in the end."

"What's Izuku's choice?" Toru returned to the table in time to catch the tail end of the conversation.

"Which of the three of us he'd rather date." Ochaco answered, causing Toru to laugh.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think any of you have to worry about that for quite some time." Ochaco could feel Toru's gaze going between the three of them. "Mina, what is it you love to say about Izuku and social cues from women?"

"Izuku wouldn't get it if a naked harem were laying in his bed waiting for him." The pink girl grinned, causing both Momo and Ochaco to blush as Toru cracked up laughing again.

"What's this about me?" The clueless expression on Izuku's face sent the four of them into another round of laughs as the conversations continued to flow. Eventually though, Ochaco noticed the time and had to excuse herself to head back to the station. Though she had spent an extra ten minutes saying goodbyes to her friends and exchanging numbers, Mama Midoriya proved to be a miracle worker and a woman of her word and Ochaco found herself at the train station with a good ten minutes to spare, as well as with a large to-go box filled with assorted finger foods, and a smaller one containing some desserts in case she got hungry on the ride home.

Taking a seat on the train, Ochaco let out a content sigh and sent a quick text message to her parents, telling them she was on her way home.

…

[April 25th, X041 – 11:07 P.M. Uraraka Residence, Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.]

…

With a low rumble, Ochaco's train pulled into Yokkaichi Central. While the adrenaline from the exam had worn off shortly before going to dinner with the Midoriyas and everyone, she was still riding on the high of the fun she had with everyone. Stepping off the train, she took a moment to stretch before starting her walk home. Fortunately, the construction crew was gone and the road was back open, cutting down her commute time. Luck was also in her favor, as all but the few security lights were off at the scrap yard, meaning Tanaka-oji had actually gone to bed. Still, she kept her steps light as she crossed through the yard, making a note to stop by sometime tomorrow to thank the old man for letting her train there.

While she had been moving at a casual walk the whole way, she couldn't help but step it up to a light jog as she stepped onto her street. Arriving home, she paused at her driveway and took a moment to study her home. By all standards, the two bedroom, one bathroom house was small. The kitchen also served as the dining room, and half of the living room served as an office for her parents. Though all the windows were dark, her parents had left the porch light on for her, illuminating the door and nameplate that rested beside it. While it was not much to look at, Ochaco always felt it was beautiful. And though she didn't know for certain if she'd be leaving home to live at UA for the next few years, she couldn't help but feel a sort of sad nostalgia at the thought.

Shaking off the mood, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. One hand turned off the porch light and turned on the kitchen light while the other locked the door behind her. Removing her shoes, she padded over to the kitchen and set both her lunch box and the take out containers within the fridge. Killing the kitchen light, she made her way to her room and turned on that light before dropping her bag on the floor. Moving to her bed, the days events finally caught up to her, and she sat down on it with a heavy sigh.

"Should probably tell mom and dad I'm home..." Letting out a groan, she got back on her feet and made her way across the hall to her parents room. The door was slightly ajar, and she could hear soft snoring coming from within. The door let out a faint squeak as she pushed it open further, causing her parents to stir.

"Ochaco?" She heard her mother's voice, seeing the woman roll over to look at her.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Ochaco gave a tiny apologetic bow as her father came to life.

"No. I was just...resting my eyes..." Her father answered, a yawn escaping him as he half sat up in bed.

"How was the test honey?" Her mother asked, eyes still closed.

"Difficult, yet exciting." She gave her parents a short run down of her day at UA. Told them about meeting Mina and Toru, and how thanks to them she got to meet Izuku. Told them about how Izuku had formulated a plan that lead to Tenya, herself, and him earning points in nearly all the categories during the practical. Told them how nice everyone was and how they invited her out to their celebratory dinner.

"Glad to, to hear you made some friends..." Her mother yawned, a sleepy yet proud grin on her face.

"That's great, sweetheart..." Another yawn escaped her father. "Now, when will you know if you got accepted or not for sure?"

"Not for another week." She let out a sigh, "they've got to fully review the battle and calculate the scores."

"Makes sense." Her dad gave a nod, while her mother made a tiny hum of understanding before falling back asleep.

"Yeah. I'll let you two get back to bed. Goodnight mom, goodnight dad."

"Good night sweetie." Her father replied, already settling back under the covers. Leaving her parents, Ochaco stepped from their room and moved back to her own. Deciding to unpack the rest of her stuff tomorrow, she quickly shed her clothing and threw on her pajamas and climbed into bed. She was just about to turn off and plug her phone in to charge when she heard it beep.

Izuku has added you to group chat: Izu-Chat

Whatever tiredness Ochaco had been feeling evaporated at those words, the loud squeal she let out fully waking her parents to the point they ran into her room to check on her. After apologizing a dozen times, and receiving a more conscious wish of congratulations from her parents, Ochaco was left alone again. Smiling, she sent a quick message to the group, thanking them for adding her and for a good time before turning off her phone for the night. Pulling the covers over her head, Ochaco settled into her bed and let out a content sigh before falling into a peaceful, carefree sleep.