AN: Thanks for reading and leaving reviews, everyone!

"Any luck waking up Hikage?" Izuku asked Yoichi.

Yoichi steepled his fingers as he leaned forward on his desk. As time has gone on, he has remodeled his office several times. His desk and office grew more ornate each time, almost mimicking the office of an old-timey director of a secret agency. "So far we haven't had luck waking up Third or Fourth."

"Do you have any ideas why?" Ochako asked curiously, sitting beside Izuku.

"It's almost certainly related to the reason you are both capped at using at most sixty percent of your maximum potential," Yoichi explained. "One For All just hasn't had enough time to accumulate enough energy to support its full power yet."

"But we're out of time!" Ochako insisted. "School starts up tomorrow, and that means we're only days away from the USJ incident!"

"I know you're concerned," Nana said from the doorway to the office, seemingly materialized out of thin air. "But you two have grown so strong these last eight months - don't you think you're a little too worried?"

"We just want to be prepared," Izuku insisted.

Nana looked at the pair with a comforting smile. "Of course you do." She looked at Yoichi who gave her the smallest nod of his head before she looked at the pair. "Why don't you two walk with me."

Izuku and Ochako looked at each other before they both turned back to Nana. "Okay."

Leading the pair out of the office, Nana began slowly walking through the observatory with the pair following dutifully behind her. "What's really troubling the two of you?"

"Were we that bad?" Izuku asked sheepishly.

Nana stopped and looked at them. "This place is a reflection of us - all of us. For most of us we're pretty static in our emotions. So when the air's filled with a nervous energy like it has been-" She gestured all around them before pointing a finger at the pair. "-it's not hard to guess the cause."

"It's just hard not to think about everything that happened during our first year at UA," Izuku said. Ochako bobbed her head vigorously in agreement. "Up until now we've been able to control when things happened - more or less!" Izuku quickly added.

"But now…" Ochako's voice trailed off. "Now we know that All For One is going to start moving again. And soon!"

"I see," Nana said, a thoughtful expression on her face. "You've finally reached the point where you don't have control anymore, and you don't know how to handle it."

"Yeah…" Izuku said softly. "I know how much we've been relying on others up until this point-"

"-but we still felt like we could help! Like what we did actually made a difference! But then, at the entrance exam… Inasa isn't coming to UA, and there isn't anything I could do about it!" Ochako said, worry leaking into her voice.

"Sero and Mineta too," Izuku added. "It- now we can't even pretend things are under control anymore."

"So you're flying blind?" Nana said. "No wonder you were so insistent we tried to wake Hikage up."

"If we had Danger Sense, at least we'd have some sense of-"

"Lemme ask you something," Nana said, stopping in front of a doorway. "What's the difference between now, and the first time you went to UA?"

Izuku and Ochako just stared at Nana in disbelief, wondering what she was getting at. Nana simply folded her arms and stared at the two, patiently waiting for an answer. Finally, Izuku decided to relent and break the stalemate with his grandmother. "We've already been through it once before we were sent back in time."

"And were you scared the first time through?"

"Huh?" Ochako asked.

"Not during the events themselves," Nana clarified. "But leading up to them. USJ, Kamino… Jaku. Were you two scared about what would happen then?"

"A little," Ochako admitted. "Not the USJ! We were excited to go! Kamino…" Ochako's face fell.

Izuku silently hugged his girlfriend, holding her in his arms as he turned to his grandmother. "Of course we were scared! Those were big battles! And we didn't know what was going to happen!"

"So what makes this different from back then?" Nana asked rhetorically. "You didn't know what would happen then, and you were scared and uncertain. But you still went. You still went with smiles on your faces. Because you were heroes."

Izuku and Ochako looked at each other, realization dawning on them. They had been so reliant on using their knowledge to control things, that their class roster change had shaken them more than either realized. And that things were only going to get worse now that they were back at UA and ready to restart the hectic final year of their old lives.

"You're right!" Izuku said as he turned to his grandmother. "This- this isn't any different!"

"Mhm." Ochako bobbed her head rapidly. "We- even though it was hard, we got through it. Up until-"

"Exactly!" Nana said. "You made it through everything Japan threw at you, and you came out stronger for it. And you've been preparing ever since. You have any number of heroes at your side, you have your friends, and most importantly you have each other. The way you two are now, I don't need some silly future knowledge to know you're gonna come out on top."

"Thanks Nana," Izuku said, smiling at her.

"Someone's gotta keep you in line," She smiled as she grabbed the pair and pulled them into a hug. "And we both know Toshi's not the one doing it."

Both kids laughed.

"You're right. Nowadays he's spending all of his time with Inko," Ochako said.

Izuku felt his face heating up at the mention of his mother. "But they're so happy together!"

"I'm glad," Nana said, releasing the pair. "Those two deserve all the happiness in the world. Speaking of, when is Toshi gonna ask Inko to marry him?"

"Wa- Naaaanaaaa!" Izuku whined, his face turning bright red.

Ochako laughed at her boyfriend's expense. "Toshinori's practically your dad already. This just would make it official!"

"Yeah but I still don't want to think about it!" Izuku exclaimed.

"Well too bad, I'm sitting here every night waiting for you to show up and give me the good news," Nana said smugly.

"Don't worry, we'll tell you as soon as it happens!" Ochako said as she threw her arm over her boyfriend's shoulder and felt him relax slightly.

"You'd better or you'll never hear the end of it," Nana said with a chuckle. "And now you two are both out of your heads."

"I- you did that on purpose!" Izuku protested.

"Of course I did," Nana said wryly. "And it worked."

"Mmm." Ochako looked at the seventh One For All holder in awe. She really had a lot to learn, still. "Thank you for talking to us."

"Anytime," Nana said before waving a hand dismissively. "Now go on, get out of here. It's your last night of freedom before school, I'm sure you don't want to spend it talking to a relic like me."

Izuku and Ochako's hands found each other as they watched Nana enter her own private sanctuary within the vestige realm. Once they were alone, they turned to each other.

"Well the stars aren't going to watch themselves," Ochako said.

"Yeah, let's go." Izuku smiled at his girlfriend, and they left for the observatory.

When Aika opened the door to her homeroom, she was surprised to find out that she was the first one to arrive. She had expected Izuku and Ochako to be the first ones there, after all! Himiko too, now that she thought about it, but there were even odds she was already kissing her girlfriend somewhere in the school.

Oh well, they'll be here soon!

Katsuki walked through the halls of UA, ready to show everyone why he was destined to be the next number one hero. Sure, he's had a few setbacks over the past year, but that just meant he had to push himself even harder! So hard that nobody will ever remember what happened to him in middle school.

Slamming the door to his classroom open, his mood immediately soured when he saw the two people who were already there. The tall blue-haired boy who demanded silence during Present Mic's presentation, and… her.

Katsuki clenched his fist.

She's the reason he was in Ninth place!

Storming over to her desk, Katsuki noticed the girl was busy reading some colorful magazine - some gossip rag about music or something, he didn't care about the details.

"You have some nerve for what you did during the exam!" Katsuki yelled. "I had everything under control and you had to come steal my kills! Those were mine! You ruined my score!" Katsuki growled while the girl seemingly ignored him, flipping the page in her magazine.

"Hey!" Katsuki slammed his palm on her desk. "Quit ignoring me!"

The blonde girl looked up, confusion in her eyes quickly fading as she recognized him. Pulling a pair of orange earbuds out of her ears she smiled at him. "Oh, it's you! From the test site! I guess your strategy worked after all!"

"Of course it worked!" Katsuki snapped. "I was all set to get the high score and then you had to go and throw everything off!"

The girl laughed. "Funny you thought you were getting the high score, there's no way anyone except Mido and Rara were getting it."

"Mido - you know Deku?" Katsuki asked.

"Who's Deku?"

Katsuki grimaced. "Midoriya!"

"Oh!" the girl's face lit up in recognition. "Of course I know him! He helped me get into UA! There's no way I would have passed the written portion of the exam without his help." She laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. "Good thing I got all those points in the practical part of the exam to bring my score up!"

Katsuki realized he was grinding his teeth. "How many points did you end up with?"

"Seventy-four!" Aika said proudly.

Katsuki growled only for Aika to perk up at the sound of the door opening. "Oh, Kyoka, you're here!" Jumping out of her seat, Aika bolted off to the entryway, leaving Katsuki standing there seething.

I've worked so hard! Why- what are you hiding Deku?

How are you this far ahead of me?

"So what do you expect to see when we open the door?" Ochako asked as they approached the doorway to their classroom.

"Not Himi." Izuku paused to think about it. "Actually nevermind. I wouldn't put it past her to drag her girlfriend into the classroom just to kiss her in front of everyone."

Ochako rolled her eyes and giggled. "She would too! And we're going to just ignore Aizawa-sensei, right?"

"Yep." Izuku smiled at Ochako as they stopped in front of the door. "Well, here goes nothing."

Sliding open the door, Izuku was quietly thankful that Himiko was nowhere to be found. He wasn't surprised to see Tenya already embroiled in an argument with Katsuki, while Aika and Kyoka were chatting happily with Mina and Toru, the exaggerated motions from that group promising trouble for the rest of the class.

"Tsu," Ochako murmured, looking at the green-haired girl sitting at her nearby desk. She seemed content to just observe the rest of the class, rather than actively participate.

Separating from Izuku, Ochako closed the distance and gave her old friend an awkward wave. Even though she loved their circle of friends, it was no secret how much she missed not having the frog girl in her life, and she hoped that they could once again be friends.

"Not going to join the rest of the class?" Ochako asked curiously.

"Eventually, kero," Tsuyu said before turning towards Ochako. "What about you?"

"I um," Ochako rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "A few of my friends from middle school made it to UA as well." She gestured to indicate three of their classmates.

"I see," Tsuyu said thoughtfully. "Only one other person from my school tried, and she failed the exam."

"Oh no!" Ochako gasped. Despite being good at hiding her emotions, Tsuyu was not perfect at it, and Ochako had gotten really good at spotting her friend's subtle indicators. She could tell the frog girl was sad that her classmate didn't make it. Of course, if it was who she suspected it was…

"It's alright," Tsu said before turning to smile at Ochako. "She managed to pass the exam at Isamu out in Tokyo! She's close enough that I can visit her on weekends!"

"That's great!" Ochako said. "Well um, if you'd like you could join our group for lunch?"

"I don't even know your name, kero." Tsuyu pointed out.

"Oh, right!" Ochako rubbed the back of her head. "I'm Ochako Uraraka, nice to meet you!"

"Tsuyu Asui, kero. Call me Tsu."

"A-alright Tsu," Ochako breathed a small sigh of relief. This was harder than she thought it would be!

"And thank you," Tsuyu said, looking up at her.

"It's nothing!" Ochako waved her hands defensively. "I um- last year I moved to a new school and know how hard it can be."

"Kero," Tsuyu said thoughtfully as she examined the gravity girl before turning toward Katsuki and Tenya, already having an argument. "Even for people like that?"

Ochako looked and let out a suffering sigh. "Blasty's an exception."

From his position in the doorway, Izuku could feel Katsuki's gaze the moment he laid eyes on him. Hopping to his feet, he immediately began to rush toward him, only to be interrupted by Tenya.

"I must insist that you sit down!" Tenya said. "I saw how you approached that blonde girl already, and your behavior suggests you are planning on doing it again!"

"This is none of your business," Katsuki said, looking annoyed as he crossed his arms.

"It doesn't matter!" Tenya said, his right arm chopping rapidly for emphasis. "We are students at the most prestigious school in Japan! It would not bode well if-"

"It's okay," Izuku said from behind Tenya, startling him. "I can handle this."

"If you plan on fighting him I must insist-"

"I'm not going to fight him," Izuku assured the bespeckled student. "Just talk to him!"

Tenya gave Izuku a hard stare. Unlike the blonde boy, this new student seemed much less aggressive in his expression and posture. "Very well then." He adjusted his glasses. "Pardon me for getting in the way of you two."

"You're damned right, this is between us," Bakugo said.

"Bakugo," Izuku said, looking at his former friend-turned-bully. "It's been a while."

"Bakugo huh? No Kacchan?"

"No." Izuku shook his head. "You always hated that name."

"So how'd you do it?" Katsuki asked. "How'd you manage to fool everyone and get the high score on the entrance exam?"

"I didn't fool anyone," Izuku said firmly. "Do you seriously think I could cheat on the entrance exam for any school in the country? Let alone UA?"

"Tch." Bakugo bared his teeth. He knew Izuku was right, but that didn't answer how. Something wasn't adding up - the boy in front of him was not the same weak timid Deku that he knew.

And it scared him.

"So what'd you do then? How did you get so many points?!"

Izuku held up his hand and Katsuki's eyes went wide when it suddenly became enveloped in a green light. "It turns out I've always had a quirk, Katsuki."

"YOU-"

"I didn't lie to you!" Izuku insisted, extinguishing the glow from his hands. "You - do you remember the discussion about late bloomers from class?"

Of course Katsuki did. Children whose quirks were so powerful that their bodies suppressed them until they could handle the strain of the quirk. "It can't be! Those kids usually are discovered before they are twelve!"

"Maybe if I was at another school I would have found out earlier," Izuku said cryptically. "But it doesn't matter anymore! All that matters is I have a quirk, and I'm going to use my power to save people!"

Katsuki felt a twisting knot forming in his stomach. Deku - the useless kid - wasn't so useless after all. The one thing holding Izuku back was gone.

Katsuki trembled in anger - at least that's what he told himself. "It doesn't matter! Quirk or no quirk, you're never going to be number one! Because that's going to be me! If- if you have a quirk, that just means I'm going to work twice as hard to make sure nobody would ever think you deserve the spot!"

Izuku smiled at Katsuki, and Katsuki didn't like it. "I hope you do."

Katsuki deflated, confused by Izuku's words. He was trying to come up with a comeback when everyone heard a loud coughing coming from the door. Turning, he and the rest of the class saw a puffy yellow sleeping bag standing in the doorway.

"I was there for thirty seconds and nobody noticed me," Aizawa said, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice. Unzipping his bag from the inside he stepped out, glaring at Izuku and Ochako in particular. "If I was a villain, half of you would have been injured or worse."

Sleeping bag in hand he entered the classroom and watched as the nineteen students quietly took their seats. Of course, he knew exactly who the missing student was. Letting out a long sigh, he looked at Izuku. "Midoriya, where is your-"

"I'm right here!" Himiko said as she burst into the room. "Right on time!"

Aizawa glared at Himiko as she sat down at her desk with seconds to spare before the bell rang to inform them that homeroom had started. "Midoriya, should I expect you to be precisely on time every day?"

"Yep!" Himiko gave her teacher a wide smile.

"Just be aware that there will be consequences if you are late," Aizawa said, trying his hardest not to think about what Himiko and Emily were doing before homeroom. "As heroes, being punctual isn't good enough. I'm sure the civilians whose lives are in danger will appreciate you waiting to the last possible second."

Himiko looked like she was about to respond but Aizawa watched as Izuku swatted at his sister. The girl shot her brother an annoyed glance but got the point and wisely changed her mind. "Yes Aizawa-sensei, I understand."

"Good. Now then, we've already wasted enough time this morning," Aizawa said as he opened a drawer and pulled out a box full of gym uniforms. "It's time for your lessons to begin."

"We aren't going to orientation?" Aika asked, words already coming out of her mouth before her hand was fully raised.

"No, we aren't," Aizawa said. "The ceremony itself is a waste of time, and I've already arranged for the speakers to talk to you after they are done with 1-B. That gives us plenty of time."

"Time for what?" a pink-skinned student, Mina Ashido, asked.

"Time to assess your abilities," Aziawa said with a grin that scared more people than his scowl.

"I can't believe I came in last!" Toru wailed as Aizawa displayed the scores. "I thought I was in great shape!"

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Aika said, throwing her arm over the invisible girl's shoulders. "It's not your fault. Those tests don't test your quirk at all!"

"That's easy for you to say, you still came in 8th," Toru said.

"That's because I spent the last year doing some serious training!" Aika said, flexing her free hand.

"Watch out," Kyoka said as she pulled up on the other side of Toru. "If you're not careful, she's going to put you through her own personal bootcamp."

"I'm in!" Mina said. "You must teach me your ways."

By the motion of her clothes, the three girls could tell Toru was sweeping her head to look at the three of them before her arms curled up in front of her. "Me too! If you're all going to be this strong, then I want to be that strong too!"

"Yay!" Aika cheered.

Meanwhile, elsewhere Ochako was celebrating her victory over Izuku. "Ha! I told you I'd come in first."

"Only because of Zero Gravity," Izuku countered. "Otherwise we were even in everything."

"It doesn't matter!" Ochako said as she grinned at Izuku. "You could have pulled out Blackwhip to help on some of those tests!"

While true, Izuku didn't want to reveal the fact that he had multiple quirks quite yet to his classmates… especially not Bakugo. While the explosive boy looked angry at the start of the exams, his glances toward Izuku changed to ones of disbelief and uncertainty as they went through each of the exams. It was an unexpected change from how Izuku remembered Katsuki, even after he told him the truth about One For All in his original timeline.

"They'll find out soon," Izuku mumbled. Ochako looked like she wanted to say something but stopped herself when she noticed their blue-haired classmate approaching.

"Midoriya, I must commend you," Tenya said. "Not only did you handle the situation without incident this morning, but your skill with your quirk is quite impressive!"

"T-thanks," Izuku said, unsure how to handle his old friend. "I've just worked really hard this past year to try catching up with everyone."

"So I heard! If this is where you are after a year, that only makes it more impressive!"

"It's nothing, really!" Izuku insisted.

Tenya smiled as he adjusted his glasses. "If you don't mind, I would like to hear more about your training sometime. I feel like I could learn a lot from you."

"Sure?" Izuku asked, glancing at Ochako. Was it really this easy? "Why don't you walk with us back to the train station after school?"

"Yes, that sounds perfect," Tenya said.

As the blue-haired student walked off, Izuku saw Ochako smiling at him.

"Looks like things are going to turn out alright?"

"Yeah," Izuku smiled as he looked at the class. Himiko was off talking with Tsuyu while Aika and Kyoka were embroiled in an energetic conversation with Mina and Toru. Finally his gaze fell on Katsuki, who was eyeing him warily. But instead of his usual aggressive response, Katsuki shoved his hands into his pocket and turned away from Izuku.

While the pair didn't know what changes the future held, seeing their class back together again, they couldn't help but feel like things will turn out alright in the end.

AN: All For One waited expectantly until a phone call arrived and pushed the button to receive it.

"How are preparations going?"

"Excellent, sir," The voice of Dr. Garaki came through loud and clear. "The first next-generation Nomu is ready, and today's field trial went perfectly."

"That's wonderful news. You've outdone yourself this time," All For One said, displaying a toothy smile. "And how about the siblings?"

"They are closer than ever. Homura has her loyal cadre, and none is more loyal than Tomura."

"A shame, but we will take advantage of the situation for the time being. Now, we just need to wait for an opportunity to present itself."

"Do you trust your spy?"

"The spy no, but I trust his parents know what's good for them, and that is enough for me."

"Very well then. Shall I continue preparations?"

"Yes. Once the moment appears, we will strike," He clenched his fist. "And we shall see how dear All Might is holding up after all these years."