Wind rushes past Izuku's face as he barely dodges one of Togata's powerful punches. He goes to grab the other boy's wrist, to hold him while he would deliver a palm strike to his elbow. Unfortunately, Togata's quirk is the bane of his existence.

Izuku's hand goes right through the blonde's wrist before Togata launches his elbow out at his face. The verdant is able to lean back just in time to dodge again while at the same time, attempting to kick his opponent in the gut. Again, his attack is permeated.

Dang, that kind of move would've worked a couple of months ago.

Using his planted leg, Izuku kicks himself back, out of Togata's range while the other boy does the same, giving them both a moment to breathe.

They are both in the same padded training room they met all those months ago. Togata wears his hero costume while Izuku wears athletic shorts and a long-sleeved lime green shirt that says 'For all time, always.' They had offered him an official UA gym uniform but he didn't want to wear it until he was an actual student.

Without taking his eyes off Togata, Izuku catches a throwing knife that had been about to hit him in his ribs, thrown from the side of the room. That's probably not where it had been aimed but she's getting better.

He vanishes the knife and charges straight ahead. Togata smirks, running forward to meet his charge straight on. They are about to meet in the middle when Togata stops and pivots to look behind him. "You're not gonna get me with that this time!"

The blue-eyed boy throws a punch directly behind him, at seemingly nothing, before a second Izuku appears behind him, right in the fists path. Togata yells in victory, only for his fist to go through the decoy's face.

"Guessed wrong!" The first Izuku yells, smiling at his own victory. But much like Togata's own, it's short-lived as his fist goes through his opponent.

"Made you look!" Before the future member of the big three can even think, a third Izuku appears in the air above him. The first two having both been decoys. He drives his fist into Togata's face, feeling satisfied when his hit lands.

Satisfaction turns to nausea as a surprise punch from Togata lands squarely in Izuku's gut. The boy loses some spit as he's thrown back and rolls across the floor of the mats. Togata himself hits the mat hard from Izuku's punch.

The illusionist rubs his tender stomach as he gets up slowly, Togata does the same with his face. "Dang," Izuku says. "I shouldn't have gotten cocky. Jumping in the air cost me all my maneuverability."

"Well that's why we're practicing, right?" Togata says, sporting a smile despite his clearly hurting cheek. "You did get me. I really thought that decoy behind me was the real you. The punch I landed was from instinct and experience. You'll get those soon."

Another throwing knife thrown from the side is close to hitting Togata but goes through his arm instead of stabbing him.

"Again?" Togata asks, a knowing smirk on his face while he lowers himself into a fighting stance.

"You're on!" A door slamming interrupts round whatever it is. Izuku had lost count, he was having so much fun.

Izuku turns around, while simultaneously dodging another throwing knife, to see a very ticked-off Eraserhead glaring at him. He marches right up to Izuku, stopping in front of him. "Problem Child…what do you think you're doing?"

"Uh…sparring?"

"You very well know that's not what I mean, Midoriya," Aizawa says, gesturing behind him.

"Well, you're always talking about training awareness, so that's what Togata and I are doing!" Izuku says excitedly. "We spar, while at the same time dodging Eri's throwing knives!"

Said girl waves from her spot on the side of the ring. She's wearing a white shirt and red overalls. A neat pile of throwing knives lay next to her on a small table. Izuku continues, "and Eri gets practice too! It's a win-win for everybody."

"And," Aizawa closes his eyes for a moment and tries to take a calming breath. It doesn't seem to work. "And do you remember what I said about me being there when Eri is using weapons?"

"Actually…" Aizawa's eye twitches. Izuku would give anything to be in the man's class this year. "You said we just need a licensed pro hero, not you specifically. And we have that!"

Izuku gestures to the side of the room opposite where Eri stands. Snipe casually leans against the glass of the observation room. The cowboy hero tips his hat up a bit. "Howdy, Aizawa."

It had been decided early on since Izuku would be taking the UA entrance exam, that he would have contact with as few of the teachers as possible. It was to keep the teachers unbiased when judging him for the exam.

Because of this, Izuku had only had contact with Aizawa and Snipe. Both of them, along with All Might, would not judge him for the exam. The former helped him and Eri with hand-to-hand and knife skills. And the latter handled projectiles like throwing knives. Though, Aizawa was still usually there even when he wasn't directly teaching them.

Apparently, Present Mic had tried on several occasions to meet him, always being thwarted by Eraserhead. It still made Izuku giddy just thinking about a pro hero wanting to meet him of all people. He was nothing special.

Aizawa turns his glare from Izuku to the other pro hero, who shrinks a little. "Explain to me in what way you thought this was a good idea."

Snipe gives a little shrug. "Girl needs the practice. Midoriya and Togata have dodged everything she's thrown anyway. Why you hazing me like I'm some Tenderfoot? My grandpapi had me at the range the day my quirk manifested. Right at the tender age of four."

"And what about injuries?" Aizawa counters. "What happens if they get hit in a bad spot and they aren't ready?"

Snipe walks up to his co-worker, taking out his phone and tapping on it before showing it to the other man. "Ain't that why we all got Recovery Girl on speed dial?"

"You're all going to need her when I get done with-"

"'Zawa." Eraser stops his threat, and everyone looks down to see Eri, who had manifested herself next to Izuku. She rubs her hands nervously together while glancing from the floor up to the teacher and back down again constantly.

"'Zawa…please don't be mad at Mido…it was my idea…so if you're gonna be mad at anyone, be mad at me."

Aizawa takes a few seconds to inhale, before doing the same with the exhale. "No, Eri. I'm not mad. I just want you all to be safe. No more weapons today. Besides, Midoriya, you should get home and get some rest for your exam tomorrow."

And with that, as well as some muttering about needing more coffee, he leaves. As soon as the door closes behind him, Eri's nervous energy evaporates, and she looks up at Izuku with a mischievous smile he couldn't be more proud of.

"How was that, Mido?"

Izuku laughs, rubbing her head affectionately. "Well done! I didn't even have to tell you that time to do anything! I think you're ready to try your manipulation on new targets!"

Both kids turn toward Togata, eyes narrowing dangerously. The boy backs up slowly, hands raised and slightly sweating. "N-now hold on a sec. We can talk about this…a little help Snipe-sense?"

The man's phone has suddenly become the most interesting thing to him. "Oooooh, would you look at that? Two for one sell on spurs."

Togata looks back down to find a wide-eyed Eri staring up at him, tears beginning to well up in her innocent red eyes. "Does…does that mean you don't want to help me?…it's ok if you don't!…I'm used to not getting help…"

"N-no! Well…I…you see…"

Does Izuku sometimes think he's gone too far? Absolutely. Does that mean he regrets it? Absolutely not.

The morning of the entrance exams finds Izuku in his room, hands balled tightly into fists while he leans on his desk for support. He tries to get a hold of his breathing but he's just too nervous!

"Izuku, slow breaths c'mon." His mom wished him luck before leaving for work this morning, but it did little to calm his nerves. And with his emotions all over the place, he couldn't stop clones from appearing. Which is what led to Two standing by him, looking worried.

"It's just a test! And you're a demigod! Honestly, no one should be more Confident than you going into this thing. You've been trained by gods!" Two tries.

"Technically, they're not gods," Three says from the other side of him. "Even so, he is correct in other ways. You have prepared to the best of your abilities, it's Illogical to worry."

"You're both right, I know!" Izuku says, putting his face into his hands. "It's just…ugh maybe getting something to eat might help."

Izuku walks out into the hallway and does his best not to groan when he sees Five waiting for him. "Maybe it would go better if the real Izuku took the test."

Izuku slaps his chest as he walks past him. "Solid, see? I'm real."

Five joins him in step. "You may be solid, but we both know you're an Imposter."

A shake of his head is all Izuku manages because he is not going down that rabbit hole. He walks into the kitchen and grabs some bread from the cabinet.

"I hate myself!"

Oh, man. He must be having a worse morning than he thought if those ones are coming out.

The greenette peers into the living room to see Nine laying face down on the couch, one arm hanging off the side. "Why would UA want me? I'm worthless!"

Alright, he knows he's losing control if Nine's Depression is getting out.

"We're gonna let everyone down…" oh, good. Izuku looks to see Eight nervously pacing around. "I mean, Dad is the God of Mischief? How are we ever supposed to live up to that?!"

It's getting worse, he's starting to get a headache. "Two! Three! A little help with Nine! And Eight is having his Anxiety attack!"

"Don't worry! I'll wash away their problems!" Izuku can't hold back the groan when he sees Four walking in with an overly sized bucket of water.

"No Pranks!"

Two and Three rush into the room and lead Eight to the living room with Nine and Four. He's finally able to put some bread in the toaster, despite his hands trembling. He can feel his mind splitting as more clones appear, but he can't reign them in.

Six stares at the toaster dreamily. Hoping to end his non-existent Hunger. Twelve stands in a corner, notebook in hand while he Analyzes all the possibilities of the practical exam. Seven stands next to him, unbothered. Too busy Fanboying over being able to finally meet the other pro heroes UA has on staff.

Izuku's head is swimming. He can't focus. The boy leans himself over the sink just in case, breath coming in short gasps. Too much. There was too much happening. His senses were becoming overloaded.

He had lost control. Every thought and word that went through his decoys bounced around his head. He tries to right the ship, but every time he pushes back, his head explodes in pain. Izuku clutches it with both hands.

"Oh yeah, that'll help." Izuku turns just enough to see Ten glaring at him. "You're so pathetic! Maybe if you actually showed people like Bakugo how weak they are…" a dagger appears in Ten's hand. "Maybe then you wouldn't be sitting here, crying like a baby!" He yells, Anger radiating off him.

"Leave him alone!" Eleven stands between them. "That's not gonna help and you know it!"

Ten holds the dagger up threateningly. "Maybe if he allowed himself to get mad…"

"So he can do what? Stab everyone?" Eleven asks incredulously.

"Better than that Self Sacrificial crap he gets from you!!"

Izuku is starting to feel colder. He thinks he hears his toast is done but he's not sure. There's screaming, talking, and everything in between going on around him. The boy closes his eyes and tries for a deep breath, but he just ends up coughing.

He can't focus. He needs to, but he can't. He has nothing to focus on. His hands constantly touch different parts of his body to make sure he's still there. Arms, legs. Torso. Face, oh, he was crying. Head.

He tugs on his hair, feeling quick sharp tugs of pain. His senses dull just a little. Izuku tugs more, focusing on the pain. He knows it's bad but it's giving him something to focus on. Something he has control over.

Izuku continues for a few minutes, his headache fading and his breaths becoming deeper. Finally, he raises his hand, feeling a pulse of magic running up it, and closes his fist and with it, all the decoys vanish.

The mere fifteen-year-old collapses onto the ground, enjoying the large amounts of air and clear mind. That can't keep happening. He needs to do better. To be better.

A quick wash up in the bathroom later and Izuku is out the door, toast in his mouth and all.

It just feels different today. Despite being at UA many times before now, today just feels so different. Izuku stares up at the H-shaped building, while usually comforted by the sight, today, it was intimidating.

Messing with the straps of his backpack, because yes, he's wearing his backpack today to not risk getting in trouble for conjuring it later, Izuku walks through the open gate.

"Outta my way, Deku!!" What a way to start the day! Izuku slows, waiting for Kacchan to be right on him, before stepping into his path and bumping into him.

"Oh, Kacchan! I am so sorry! I didn't know you were there!" The taller boy gapes like a fish for a second before the anger returns. Izuku thinks it's best described like one of those old pre-quirk cartoons where the character's face would heat up in rage like a deranged tea kettle.

Izuku tilts his head to the side a little, gesturing to the UA teachers watching the students enter from the entrance. "Something wrong, Kacchan?"

Red eyes shoot back and forth between Izuku and the teachers before he finally relents. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Kacchan walks on, making sure to give him a nice shoulder check as he does so. "Good luck!" He calls out sweetly.

After a few seconds of letting the other boy walk ahead, Izuku lets his smile drop. That was the first time they had talked in almost a year. They hadn't really since he told him to…well anyway, he wasn't exactly complaining but it was still weird.

The villain attack and Eri's rescue had obviously been covered up. Izuku didn't show up to school for the rest of the week after and Aldera had said it was a "personal" matter. Izuku wasn't sure what to expect when he had gotten back, but the look on Kacchan's face when he walked into the classroom wasn't it.

Glaring and hate he had been used too, but surprise? That wasn't an emotion he can remember ever seeing on Kacchan's face. There was something else there too. His brain had provided it to him but he tossed it away immediately.

He was pretty good at reading people, he had to be to do a lot of things he did with his powers. But he still gets things wrong all the time. There was no way there was any relief on Kacchan's face when he got back.

Even so, his former friend had left him alone after that for the rest of the year. He didn't go out of his way to talk to him, and Izuku did the same.

Shaking his head, Izuku continues walking, letting his brain wander at all the possible different quirks around him.

There was so much variety here! He sees two different girls with horns on their heads, one of them was pink! Another boy who looked like a dinosaur, Izuku is pretty sure he could ask him questions the rest of the day. Wait, floating clothes? Is that person invisible?! Is that on all the time? Oh! And a boy with messy grayish-blue hair whose-

Izuku's thoughts come to a screeching halt when his foot hits uneven pavement, tripping him.

'Heimdall is never gonna let me live this down.'

Izuku got himself ready to roll when hit the ground…only to never hit it.

"Woooooooah!" Izuku yelps, his arms, and legs flailing. 'I'm flying?! How?! What?!'

"Are you ok?"

Izuku turns his head to see a girl standing beside him. She is a brunette with her hair in a bob cut. Two bangs frame her face with blush marks on her cheeks.

'Cute.'

'Wait, what?'

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you first but I stopped you with my quirk," she says with a nice smile on her face while straightening him. "But I figured you wouldn't mind me catching you." She presses her fingers together and Izuku feels the weight he didn't realize was gone return.

A part of his brain was attempting to analyze that, but it wasn't working for some reason.

"Isn't this all, like, way nerve-wracking?" She continues.

"Um…y-yeah…" 'What am I doing?!'

"Well, I guess I'll see you inside. Bye!" She waves and walks away, her smile never leaving her face.

'Does…does that count as talking to a girl?…I'm gonna count it!'

—-

The written portion of the exam was thankfully, not as hard as he thought it'd be. Resisting the urge to 'mooooo' as the crowd was herded like cows into the auditorium, Izuku finds his seat next to Kacchan, only receiving a glare as a greeting.

The lights dim and smoke fills the stage as Present Mic rises behind the podium. "What up UA candidates?! I'm your master of ceremonies, Present Mic! Can I get a YEAH?!"

His dad taught him the power of showmanship and style. He respects it, and he's sure not gonna leave The Present Mic hanging. He stands up and pumps his fist. "YEAH!" No one joins him. Izuku doesn't care. This helps calm him down.

Present Mic shoots him finger guns (oh my god!!), "that listener gets it! But keeping it mellow is fine too!" The hero goes on to explain the practical exam while they're handed cards with their test sites on them, and Izuku holds his excited mumbles pretty well if he says so himself.

He's only a little sad he's not with Kacchan. What he would give to have a decoy just follow him around the entire time annoying him.

After the pro is done explaining the three faux villains and how they can bring anything they want, a tall blue-haired boy interrupts, standing up and raising his hand. "Excuse me! I have a question!"

"The stage is yours!"

"On the printout we were provided, it lists four faux villains, not three! If this is a mistake on the part of UA, then I apologize but that is shameful of Japan's most notable school! And you!" The boy turns around, pointing right at him. "You have been muttering this entire time! It is very distracting and if you can't be bothered to take this seriously, then you should leave!"

A few people snicker. 'Who does he think he is-'

"Alright, alright." Present Mic calls the attention back to him. "Great question Examinee 7111. The fourth villain is worth zero points. Think of it as more of an obstacle. You can fight it if you want, but there'd be no point. You dig?"

"Yes, thank you!" The boy sits down. Oh. They are not done. Izuku puts his hand under the table, takes a second, and twists it. Let's see how he likes a scorpion on his lap.

It only takes a second. "AHHHHH!" The boy screams, jumping up, brushing his lap furiously. Too late, Izuku dismissed the illusion the second he jumped up.

It takes everything to keep the smile off his face. "Hey!" Izuku calls out. When he has the boy's attention he puts a finger to his lips. "Shh. You're being very distracting!"

More people snicker and laugh, including a snort from right next to him. Izuku whips his head around but Kacchan has a neutral expression on his face. Huh, must've imagined it.

The tall boy clears his throat and mutters an apology and sits down, but not before checking around his seat carefully.

"Well, that's all I got for you all!" Present Mic takes over again. "So I'll leave you all with this, as General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down, a true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes. Go beyond, Plus Ultra!" A few people call back, including Izuku. "Good luck suffering."

The gates to the fake city loom over them while Izuku bounces in place trying to distract himself, but it's not working. He's so excited! Robots! He'll get to use his daggers and knives to his heart's content without fear of hurting someone!

That's when he spots the nice girl who saved him from falling. He should probably thank her. Izuku takes a step and then he feels it.

"Don't touch me," Izuku says without turning around.

"E-excuse me?" He turns and sees the tall boy again, hand raised. The blue-haired boy composes himself, lowering his hand. "Why are you here? Were you sent by the staff to try and distract us before the test?"

"What kind of-"

"START!!" Present Mic's voice booms over them. Izuku doesn't need to be told twice, sprinting through the gates. "He's got the right idea! There are no countdowns in real battles, little listeners! Run, run, run!"

Nice! He's got a sizable lead on the competition! Izuku runs in before three robots get in his path. A couple of two-pointers and a one-pointer. "Hope this works!" Izuku conjures three throwing knives and whisks them at the villains.

Each knife hits dead center and slices through with ease, each robot falling. "Yes!!" He'll look around for his knives later, for now, he turns down an alley, only for a three-pointer to block his path.

"Target acquired! Prepare for judgment!" Izuku jumps onto the wall of the alley, using it to propel himself over the robot, dodging it's attack.

The trickster brings a conjured dagger down on the robot, slicing through it like butter. The three-pointer collapses and explodes in front of him. Izuku laughs, gripping the dagger tighter. "Oh yeah! I can get used to this!"

"I'd say this year's group looks promising. Would you all agree?" Nezu says, sipping a cup of tea with the other teachers in the observation room.

There are agreements throughout the room until, "I can't say I'm a fan."

Nezu chuckles at Power Loader. "Oh, Maijima. Don't be a child."

"I'm not being a child!" Higari Maijima whines, thereby nullifying his point. "I'm just saying, at least the explosion kid leaves some scraps behind for me to recycle. But that one kid at Battle Center E leaves nothing behind!"

"Oh, hush. We have more than enough funds for a few robots."

"That's not the point…" Maijima grumbles.

"We do have a good crop this year," Ectoplasm says. "But something isn't quite adding up. That boy there, with the green hair. Izuku Midoriya. His file says his quirk is illusion creation. But I've seen him create multiple knives and use them as if they were real."

"It could be that his quirk description is not accurate. It is, unfortunately, very common." Cementoss theorizes.

"A theory to solve another day!" Nezu happily calls out. "But for now, the real test begins!" The principal nods at Snipe who lifts a glass protector and pushes a big red button.

Izuku pants, his hands on his knees. If this test has shown him anything, it's that he has a real lack of mobility. Sure, turning into a dog helped a bit, but not that much. Maybe the next animal he should work on is a cheetah? Since he still can't get any birds to work.

But he still felt pretty good. If his math was right, he had 42 points right now. The robots had become a lot more scarce after the first couple of minutes, add in his lack of mobility and it wasn't a good recipe. Thankfully, he had been able to astral project himself to the top of buildings to gain vantage points and spot robots in the distance.

He had also created decoys to distract robots and help other kids a few times, at least when they were too far out of range for a throwing knife. So that made him feel better about everything.

Izuku straightens up and is about to go look for more robots when the ground begins to shake below him. 'What the…'

A series of explosions ring around the testing center, before a massive robot appears, bigger than any of the surrounding buildings. The behemoth crashes it's fist into the ground, causing another mini earthquake while obliterating anything near it.

The smoke is thick and screams fill the air as terrified kids run for their lives from the zero-pointer. All Izuku can do is stare as the monster of a robot moves toward them all, crushing anything in it's path.

'That's…so…COOL!!! I want one!! Could the dwarves of Nidavellir build something like that? Won't hurt to ask…'

As much as Izuku would love to gawk at the robot all day, the test is probably almost over so he should find more robots to-

"Ow…"

He stops dead in his tracks. The nice girl…

Izuku is running before he realizes it.

With a wave of his hand, several decoys appear around him, running beside him, but it doesn't matter, he's more focused than ever. "Distract it!" They nod and run trying to get the attention of the robot while Izuku runs up to the girl, who had her foot trapped under some rubble.

He stabs a dagger under the slab of concrete and pushes down on the handle to lift it up more. Getting his hands under it, Izuku raises it a bit more. "I got it, go!" The girl nods and pulls her leg free.

With an action that would mortify him later, Izuku picks up the girl, bridal carry, and starts to run. His decoys weren't good enough because the zero-pointer still chases them. Crap, he couldn't outrun it. He needed something bigger to get it's attention.

He doesn't know if his dad will be proud or angry at what he's about to do.

Izuku deploys more decoys just to stop the robot for a couple of seconds while he puts the girl down against the side of a building. "I'll distract it long enough for you to get away! Go!"

"Wait-!" She starts but Izuku's already climbing up a nearby fire escape. All the dust and debris on the ground would hinder him. He gets to the roof just as the biggest faux villain is rolling past his decoys.

Izuku steps up to the edge. They said to go plus ultra, right?

He recalls all decoys and holds his hands in front of him, bending his knees. Izuku pushes more magic into his hands than he's ever done. Green lines envelop his body before all congregating onto his hands.

His body screams in protest. His arms shake worse than ever before. He starting to go numb everywhere but the two appendages he's focusing on.

He's never felt more alive.

His hands erupt what looks like green flames around them, and light envelops him, finally getting the attention of the zero-pointer. Izuku screams, releasing the magic and ignoring the blood dripping from his nose.

Because next to the building he's on, an exact replica of the zero-pointer appears next to him. Izuku laughs, looking up at by far his biggest creation. "I DID IT!! Hahaha!" Every examinee has stopped at the test site, staring wide-eyed as the two giants square off.

Nezu cackles maniacally, nearly falling off his chair while teachers leap to their feet in surprise.

All Might smiles. 'Show them what you're made of, young Midoriya.'

The real faux villain seems to growl at it's challenger, rearing it's fist back and trying to pummel it's new opponent through the face, only for it to go straight through.

Izuku grunts, nearly falling to one knee as he pumps magic he didn't even know he had back into his creation, rebuilding it. This wasn't gonna work. He can't hold it much longer.

Using whatever he has left, Izuku holds up his hands and pushes. His illusion responds, moving away. And like he had hoped, the real one follows. Izuku holds. And holds. He keeps holding. He's on his knees at this point.

Sweat pours down his face. The blood is in free fall from his nose. It's like his arms will tear themselves from his sockets at any moment. But still, he keeps going.

Once both robots were a fair distance away, his decoy blinking in and out of existence, Izuku let's go.

The green flames around his hands extinguish themselves and with them, the rest of his energy. Oh, he just realized he's falling. That's right, he was at the edge of the roof. Not exactly a swan dive but he wonders if Kacchan would be happy with this? Wow, his brain goes to weird places when he's about to die.

The ground quickly approaches and Izuku can't even brace himself so he closes his eyes waiting for-

SMACK!

Instead of the ground, he feels a stinging on his cheek. Izuku cracks his eyes open to see himself floating above the ground, the nice girl had saved him, again. Wow, she'd make a great hero.

She barely gets her fingers together, whispering a quiet "release." Izuku falls the last small distance to the ground, as does she and the piece of robot she had been floating on. He doesn't really feel the impact, his body is still numb.

The greenette pushes himself up to thank her but turns away when he sees her throwing up. Hey, even half-dead, manners are important.

"Are you ok?" He asks once she's done.

"M-me?" She responds with a disbelieving giggle.

"TIME'S UP!" Present Mic's voice travels through the city, followed by a horn.

"Thanks for saving me." Izuku smiles, her blush marks going redder randomly. "But if you'll excuse me…" he slumps over, letting darkness overtake him.