Coach Blahk: Yes, unlike this Izuku, who was given a pretty big carrot to join and them a long training montage, other Canon characters take some time to be introduced to the idea of the Brotherhood. Iguchi would be receptive, but his Canon inspiration (the Stain video) never happened here. Dabi, however, is a whole different matter.

I'm glad the infodump didn't feel like one with the back-and-forth between Rin and Tsuyu. Rin can't monitor Pony as well because she was transferred to 1-A while Shinso came up into 1-B. Momo's going to try to figure out what to do with Izuku, and it's gonna be a hard time for both of them.

Gamelover41592: Yes, with a figure like AFO gone, it was only a matter of time before All Might found out. Too bad he can't just let it go.

LEGOBRICK13: People will continue to be shitty; that's just how it is. Plus, I needed a way to interduce Spinner to the Hisha. Also, you should beware. I have long-term plans for the Pink Grease Demon that I will be starting soon.

Monkey D. Conan: Good question. We'll see which way it shatters together. Shoto's also trying to open up. Dabi doesn't seem the type to join the Brotherhood, but working with them is not out of the question. That is, if he ever learns of their existence.

Movieboy66: Oh yes, the more things diverge, the more Canon events don't have to end the same way. I'm glad you enjoyed the first hint of the Osaka doing things differently than the rest of the world. The ting is, they all do it a little differently and have their own secrets. That will all be explored much further down the line. The Nomu are mostly gone, either locked in stasis (because the police are going to raid Garaki's workspaces now that he's dead) or incomplete. Only two Nomu remain, and one of them is the one that went to the USJ. The other will come back... eventually.

Wizardwolf 1020: It think it was more "What's going on here?" turning into "oh shit, that's not good at all!" All Might has this whole "Heroes shouldn't kill" thing going because he should have killed AFO when he had the chance in the manga around chapter 100 and he didn't. That means everything that happened after AFO broke out could have been stopped. Now, someone with no compunctions about killing and could beat AFO is out there. It's a "worse than the worst" scenario. Still, I hope my contributions make this version of MHA worth your time.

Chapter 45:

Back to School

"Alright, kittens!" Mandalay yelled, she, the other Pussycats, and Kouta standing before the UA bus that had come to take the students home. Said students were all bedraggled, covered in dirt and bruises after having been made to trek back through the Forest of Magical Beasts after a sudden wake-up call at midnight. Despite this, they had all completed the trip far faster than their initial one, even after they'd been made to scale the cliff to get to the bus. "You all have put in a lot of work this week and we're all proud of you! That said, you can't let a little bit of progress get to your head and make you catnap on our laurels! The moment you get complacent is the moment something you thought was a mouse turns out to be a dog! You know what I'm saying?"

"We understand!" most of the students chorused, some of them swaying on their feet or leaning on their more-sturdy classmates.

"Do you mean our principal‽" Mina called with a tired grin as she leaned on Kirishima, her joke earning a couple laughs from the group.

"Haha, good! Now then, I think you kids have earned a couple days' rest. But just remember that you all are still students. Until you're licensed for work, you can rely on pro Heroes like us! Because with sparkling eyes, we rock on!"

"We came to lend a paw and help!"

"Comin from… somewhere…"

"Stingingly cute and catlike! We are—"

"Wild Wild Pussycats!" They struck their signature pose, Kouta —also looking like he could use a couple more hours' sleep— pressing down a detonator that set off multiple smoke bombs of different-colored smoke. Several students clapped politely at their performance.

"Tch," Bakugo grunted, getting on the bus. The others followed after goodbyes and wellwishes as the training camp came to an end. Within minutes, everyone but the teachers were asleep once again.

Izuku slipped into the den that afternoon, having told his mother he was going out with friends. While he did plan to catch up with a few people, it was more important that he and Tsuyu inform Mentor of what they had learned from Hiryu Rin during their training camp. He hurried to change before finding Tsuyu in the mess hall. She stood as soon as they made eye contact, the Hero student dismissing herself from her family.

The pair practically raced through the hallways before reaching Mentor's office, Aizawa standing outside the door. He nodded as they approached, silently appreciating their timeliness. The man opened the door as they arrived, the pair barely slowing as they stepped into the office with their teacher closing the door behind them.

"Apprentice Asui," Mentor greeted as the children sat before the man's low desk, Aizawa moving to sit at his father's side. "Apprentice Midoriya."

"Greetings, Mentor," the green-haired Assassins-in-training intoned, bowing low.

"I was told you have information for Shota and myself," Mentor continued. "I do hope it's not bad news."

"This news is… mixed, ribbit," Tsuyu began. "An unexpected ally approached us during our training camp, an Assassin from another cell."

"Another Assassin?" Mentor questioned.

"Hiryu Rin of the Chinese Brotherhood," Izuku picked up. Aizawa's eyebrows shot upward. "He appeared shrouded to us in the outline of an Assassin, goading us to follow to a secluded place."

"And you followed?" Aizawa demanded. "No weapons and no plan? Have I taught you nothing?"

"He appeared blue in my Eagle Vision," Izuku defended. "We assumed that if an Assassin needed to appear to us, it was a time-sensitive matter."

"Please," Mentor said, holding up and hand to prevent Aizawa from berating his students further. "Continue."

"Rin revealed himself as an Assassin once we were far enough away, ribbit," Tsuyu told them. "He already knew of our loyalties, obviously, and told us he'd been sent to Japan on the trail of a group the Chinese Brotherhood had been trying to track for 70 years. He called them the Symphony, ribbit, a group that the Chinese believe is able to puppet the Templars and with a connection to the Instruments of the First Will."

"You cannot be serious," Aizawa muttered. "The Instruments were destroyed around the time of the Dawn of Quirks."

"Rin and the Chinese seem to be of the opinion that the Symphony is taking orders from the Isu Juno," Izuku said.

"Ju—?" their teacher blinked. "The Isu Juno? You're serious?"

"According to Rin, they think the Symphony is based out of Texas in America, a blind spot for the American Brotherhood since their Meta Rebellion in the 2040's. Rin believes our classmate Pony Tsunotori —an American exchange student from Texas— is a member of this organization and that the woman I told you about from I-Island that killed David Shield was another member. Likely of the same large family."

"If true, this is a major concern," Mentor sighed, the man rubbing his old scars as his phantom pains flared. "Did this Hiryu Rin offer any evidence to support this claim?"

"He called it gut instinct and circumstantial, ribbit," Tsuyu replied. "He noted that none of the known templars in our grade had attempted to approach her, chalking that up to evidence most of Symphony were hidden, and that her origins were suspicious. Apparently, ribbit, Tsunotori's father has five wives as well as children in four different Hero schools and another in the American FBI. Their ranch being in Texas is only another notch of suspicion, ribbit. Iz— ahem, Apprentice Midoriya and I will each write a transcript of the discussion as well as we can remember it and have them ready for you by the start of term, ribbit."

Aizawa sighed. "Very well. We will take this all into consideration. As soon as you can without arousing suspicion, I want you bring Rin in to speak with Mentor. We will follow Code Dark protocol to keep the location of the den secret until we have determined he is trustworthy. I trust that is acceptable, Mentor?"

"It is what I would have ordered," the man's father nodded before turning back to the teens. "Is there anything else?"

"We had a… disagreement with Rin on process," Izuku offered. "Something about training with a Bleeding Effect and modernity. Ts— Apprentice Asui seemed against most of his arguments, but his recommendation of wearing masks while we operate seems like a good one. I mean, they are rather available today without arousing too much suspicion."

"The wearing of masks was never banned," Mentor replied. "It is just not a common practice as they can interfere with one's peripheral vision. If you wish to, you are welcome to use one."

"Thank you, Mentor. That is all."

"Very well. We will discuss this again in due time. Until then, dismissed."

Izuku and Tsuyu bowed before standing, ready to take their leave, when a frantic knocking pounded on the door.

"Mentor!" a female voice called from the other end. "Serious news!"

After a glance from the head of their Brotherhood, Izuku opened the door, an Initiate the same age as he and Tsuyu —even if she was quite a bit taller— practically falling into the room. Her robes were white with a black trim, said robes seemingly thrown on haphazardly in her haste.

"Your father is in the police, is he not?" Mentor questioned, recognizing her. "What news do you bring?"

"Mentor, two individuals of note have been found dead," the girl panted. "Dr. Kyudai Garaki and the underworld crime boss called All for One were killed, like, a little over two months ago. My father was on the raid with All Might when they were found."

"A little over two months?"

"73 days upon discovery. 75 days now."

"That would be near the weekend UA's internships ended," Aizawa commented. Izuku didn't know who All for One or Dr. Garaki were, but this sounded like a big deal.

"P— Tsunotori was ecstatic about her mother coming to visit shortly after that time, ribbit," Tsuyu offered.

"Another cop with an identification Quirk noted that All for One's Quirk-stealing Quirk was transferred and Garaki's Quirk was stolen."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Aizawa sighed. "Apprentices Asui and Midoriya, go about your business. We will let you know if something pertinent comes up. Please do not spread this information unnecessarily until we have verified everything."

"Yes, Master." They exited and closed the door, expecting Mentor, Aizawa and the other Initiate to talk more about what had been reported. Izuku turned to the frog-girl.

"So," he said. "What's your plan for the day?"

"I'll return to my family, ribbit. Same and Tsuki missed me, even if Same doesn't want to admit it. You're welcome to tag along."

"I'd like to, Tsu, but I have to make a call."

"Alright. We'll be in one of the training rooms if you want to join us." Tsuyu turned taking several steps before she paused. "Izuku?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be a stranger, ribbit." She hopped into the rafters, not giving the boy any time to respond. Izuku shook his head before heading the other way toward the International Comms room. Said room was about the size of a standard classroom, the perimeter (other than the door) as well as the center of the room filled with computers-phones. That is, computers with telephone capabilities. A number of Assassins were in the room at any time, ready to respond to what might be urgent calls from other cells, but most of the equipment was free to use. Izuku moved to the closest Assassin.

"Pardon," he said. "Could you help me get connected to the California Cell in America?"

"You ever used one of these?" the woman asked, pulling her half-headphones down.

"I have not."

"Is there someone in particular you want to get in contact with?"

"Melissa Shield."

"Oh, you're that kid," the woman realized, remembering the report of the I-Island attack that circulated through the den. "Yeah, we got a call from there over the week for you while you were out. I'll show you how the machines work so you can call whenever you want. It's almost noon here, so California's nearing eight in the evening there. Now watch."

Izuku leaned over the woman's shoulder, watching as she opened prompts and moved to type in the Cell's call code.

"Mentor has approved you to know the access code for SoCal 2," the Assassin said, tearing off a piece of paper and writing down what looked like a phone number. "Memorize that. It will only work on the Hephaestus 17 system and only after you search for SoCal 2, but it's always better to be safe than sorry."

"Got it." Izuku read the number. "By the way, is there a connection for the Chinese Brotherhood?"

"It hasn't been used in a long time but yes," the woman nodded. "Why?"

"Just curious," the boy insisted. "So I start a machine—"

"We call them Chariots."

"So I start a Chariot," Izuku amended, "search for SoCal 2, then enter the access code?"

"That's about it," the older Assassin confirmed. "Someone in their comms will answer and ask who you want. Best to start with English there. If Shield's in, they'll send someone to get her. If not, you can leave a message to set up a time to call later. The video function only activates if both sides turn it on as another security feature. I know it's not the most efficient system, but it is the most secure the Assassins have ever had and is impervious to non-Quirk new-age hacking techniques. You can thank Rebecca Crane and Dedsec for that. Quite the legacy since we're still using most of their original coding."

"Dedsec?"

"British civil militant hacktivist group from the 2030's. They kind of get overshadowed by the Quirk Rebellions of the next decade, but they're downplayed in the rewritten history since they were absorbed into the British Brotherhood during the chaos after paths crossed. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, I think that's everything. Thank you." Izuku moved to an empty Chariot and booted up the machine. It was a great blocky thing like the 1990's American Acer home computer, but where the hard drive of a home computer would usually stand beside the monitor was a wired telephone. The whole thing looked decidedly old and Izuku wasn't sure if it was a dated design or if it was meant to be too big to move. The screen flashed, the prompt asking for his call destination and the access code.

Two minutes later, his call connected.

["Dickinson's Hotdogs,"] a young-sounding male voice said. ["Don't ask about the sausage or where it's been. May I take your order?"]

["I…"] Izuku blinked. ["I'm sorry?"]

["Ha! Got another one!"]

["Johnson!"] an older voice yelled in the background. ["What have I told you about those stupid prank answers‽"]

["Yeah, yeah,"] the young voice waved off.

["Don't you 'yeah, yeah' me, boy, or I will take you out to the training rings and whoop your sorry ass for everyone to see, again! Do your job properly!"]

[Sorry, sorry. I won't do it again. Ahem. Name, affiliation, and contact?"]

["Uhh, Izuku Midoriya,"] the verdet answered. ["Osaka Brotherhood. Calling for Melissa Shield."]

["Lucky dog, knowing such a hottie."]

["Johnson!"]

["Fine, fine, bossman. Geez, don't get your Meta in a wad. Alright, call's going out. Please hold a couple minutes."]

Izuku didn't know what to make of his first minute on the Hephaestus system. Hopefully, he could limit any further interaction with this Johnson guy. His foot tapped and his fingers twiddled as he waited for Melissa to answer or for Johnson to come back and say that she was out. Considering Melissa's official status as pronounced dead, Izuku doubted she had many places to be.

Click!

"Hey, Izuku," the melodic, accented Japanese of Melissa Shield said through the phone. A light at the top blinked, indicating that she wanted to turn on their cameras. "I was hoping you'd call soon. What took you so long?"

"Sorry, I've been busy." Izuku reached up, turning on his own camera. Melissa's face filled the screen, the comms room for SoCal 2 a very similar background to his own. She was dressed in a red sweatshirt from what he could tell, but only her shoulders and up were visible. Izuku chuckled, scratching his cheek. "They wanted you to get settled in before you were given access to Brotherhood tech so I could call you and then we had a UA training camp for all of last week. Can't exactly call an American crime syndicate from a cellphone in the mountains."

"Yeah, I guess that's fair," she replied. "I know it's been a couple weeks, but are you doing ok, Izuku?"

"I'm fine, Melissa," he said. "I've actually been promoted since we last talked. I'm now an Apprentice. Not an Initiate anymore."

"That's nice?" Melissa blinked.

"They don't use the same ranks in America, do they?"

"No, not really. I guess maybe you're briefed on that if you're going outside the country, but the system here is just a rank one through nine system until you graduate to Assassin. They've got, like, belt colors to denote rank. Reminds me of the Karate classes Papa signed me up for when I was little."

"That's interesting," Izuku grinned. "I recently learned that we do things… I guess you could call it 'old-school' here in Japan. We wear robes during our training and missions and, not to brag, but I'm pretty handy with a wakizashi and tanto."

"Well, I'll have you know I've been getting pretty good at handling pistols and sniper rifles," Melissa smirked. "And they've welcomed me into the [AAT] department with open arms."

["AAT?"]

["Assassins Advanced Technology,"] the blonde clarified, repeating the name in Japanese. "It's like our own support department. Helps Quirkless and [Baselines] like me keep up with the [Sup-hues¹] out there."

Izuku wracked his brain, trying to remember the meanings of the American slang Melissa had just dropped on him. He knew he'd heard it in some of All Might's old interviews, but it had been so long since he'd watched those. The American seemed to pick up in his confusion, the girl taking pity on him with a laugh.

"[Baselines] are people with Quirks that don't improve their physical abilities," she explained. "In America, Quirks are called [Meta Abilities,] an old holdover from classic comics, but those of us without are called [Normies,] slang from the English word ['normal.' Sup-hues] —or [Sup-hees] depending on the accent— comes from [super humans] and includes everyone whose Quirks do increase their basic abilities like every Mutant-type. Technically, America follows the Tri-Classification system of Mutation, Transformation, and Emitter, but the sports leagues were too popular to work with just that. They've got six leagues for each major sport: [Baseline, Sup-hue,] and Mutant each for male and female."

"I knew sports were big in America, but I didn't know they were that major."

"Oh yeah they are. It's crazy. The rivalries alone are nuts."

"So tell me about the American Brotherhood. How's Wolfram holding up?"

"It's been hard for him," Melissa sighed. "He feels responsible for everything that happened and took over my training as soon as he got back. He's a hard teacher, but I think it's because he doesn't want to think about the two who didn't come back. Or, maybe, that's all he thinks about." She paused, shaking her head. "If it's ok to ask, what happened to Michael?"

"You mean Swordkill? We fought on the roof until All Might showed up. He needed to give me an alibi, so he stabbed me in the leg, took credit for this," —Izuku gestured to the scar on his temple— "and took me hostage. Right after lightning struck the helicopter, he let himself get caught by All Might and took what was probably a cyanide pill."

"Yeah, Master Wolff had a feeling it was something like that. Said something about that being the way he wanted to go."

"Melissa, are you doing ok?"

"It's… It's still a big change," she admitted. Her shoulders shifted as the hand that wasn't holding the phone rubbed her opposite arm. "Everything I thought I knew about the world was wrong. It's like nothing makes sense anymore. I've… I've made a few friends, though. I'll tell you about them some other time."

"Yeah." Izuku tried to offer a small smile, but he knew it looked forced. "I'm still sorry you got pulled into this."

"It's not your fault."

"I joined them."

"You sided with your faction," Melissa corrected. She looked down, her fingers tightening their grip on the phone she held to her ear. "Tell me about it."

"What?"

"Tell me about the attack. Everything from your point of view. Why you were there, what went through your head, why you made your choices. Tell me."

"You were there for most of it."

"And now I'm in it for the long haul. Besides, you look like you need to get it off your chest. And if I'm honest, I think I do, too." She sighed, rubbing her head. "I think… there's a piece of me that blames you for my father's death, Izuku. I know it's stupid. Wolff already told me that P.O.E. wouldn't have had the juice needed to heal him, but… We need the closure. That's what the therapist says, anyway."

"You have a therapist?" the Japanese native asked with a dry chuckle.

"I know, right?" She cracked a smile. "Wolff made it mandatory. Stacy's a bit of a nitpicker, but she's nice enough. So, about that story?"

"Well, I was only on the island because Momo wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. She's a Templar, by the way…"

"This is going to blow up at some point, I know it," Aizawa sighed, rubbing his eyes as he walked the den's hallways. All for One had been one of those figures even the Brotherhood thought was a myth until he and Kageyama, as teachers at UA, had learned of All Might's secret wound and how it happened. When class 1-A was attacked and the theory of All for One still being alive floated, Aizawa had put a number of his contacts on notice for anything suspicious, but the Shie Hassaikai quickly took priority. Now, All for One was found dead —killed at the hands of what must be a much greater threat— and his problem children bring forward the idea of another dangerous sect of the Templars at the same time. There was no proof the two were connected, but Aizawa had worked as both an Assassin and a pro Hero for too long to ignore the feeling in his gut.

He really needed a couple Loxonin and a nap.

Still, despite his headache, the man felt a smile come to his face as he stepped into the training room. As had become the norm before the training camp, he found Eri training alongside the Asui siblings, Emi and Beru talking to each other as they watched. The three children and one Apprentice had divided into two pairs, Satsuki and Samedare sparring with an energy that only siblings comfortable with physical violence were capable of while Tsuyu led Eri through a beginner's knife kata. He nodded; knifes were the first weapons any Novice around the Brotherhood learned to handle since they were so easy to carry and didn't need one to be mostly full-grown to have proper balance like swords or a bo did. Knifes could also be hidden so easily that most every Assassin-trained person in Japan carried at least one whether they continued into the life or not.

Eri's concentration broke as her gaze passed over him, her face brightening. This tipped off Beru and Emi, the pair turning to him as he approached.

"Shota!" Emi grinned, launching forward to wrap her arms around him. The man rolled his eyes, uncomfortable with the display of affection where one of his students could see but not stopping her all the same. "I knew you were back since Tsu came in, but she said you were busy with something.

"Yes, good to see you, too."

"You don't sound excited."

"Do you remember when I told you about all this?" he asked. "About me?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well, we just got confirmation that something major did happen that weekend. A legendary crime kingpin's been found dead, murdered that weekend, and it seems whomever did it made off with a Quirk that can steal other Quirks. We fear this person has ties to the Templars. Our only relief is the appearance that this person is based outside the country."

"Sho!" Eri grinned, running over and wrapping her arms around him leg. He was glad she had a dull practice knife and not a real one or either she or he would be nursing a new stab wound. Tsuyu ribbited a chuckle as she walked over. "I missed you."

In the distance, Satsuki punched her brother in the face. He stumbled back only to retaliate with a low sweep. When Satsuki jumped to avoid it, the boy twisted onto his hands and kicked her in the gut. Beru glanced at them but did not move to stop it, so they probably weren't trying to kill each other.

"I told you I wouldn't be gone long," Aizawa said, kneeling down to put a hand on the girl's head.

"I know," she whispered, her lips pressing together. "I just… I couldn't help thinking… you know… if Overhaul—"

"Overhaul can't hurt me, Eri," the man promised. "As long as I can see him, he can't do anything to me. That's my Quirk, remember?"

"Yeah, Emi said that. She said that's why you were the one that brought me home."

"There were others who wanted to take you home, too," Aizawa reminded her. "But I'm the only one who can make sure nothing bad would happen." He offered her a small but genuine smile. "You don't need to worry about us, Eri. We're real strong."

"You pinky promise?" she asked, holding out a pinky. "Tsuki said nobody can break a pinky promise."

"That's right," Aizawa muttered, holding out his own pinky so the girl could complete the gesture. "And if I do break it, you get to cut my pinky off."

A sense of satisfaction rushed through Aizawa at the aghast face Eri made. That satisfaction only lasted until Emi punched him in the back of the head.

"Don't say that sort of thing in front of our little girl, Shota!"

"Apprentice Asui was just teaching her how to wield a knife," he pointed out. "A little dismemberment humor—"

"Shota…"

"—should take the edge off."

"…For heaven's sake, Shota."

"What? That's how the pinky promise originated."

"That doesn't mean you need to talk about it! Don't make me make you sleep on the couch."

"I don't think that's much of a punishment, ribbit," Tsuyu interjected, Aizawa turning to try to stop her. He was too late. "I've seen him sleep in class on the floor enough to think the couch is an upgrade, ribbit."

"You sleep on the job?" Emi demanded. "Shota!"

"Can we move on to any other topic?" the man questioned. "Say, Emi. Doesn't Ketsubutsu resume classes Monday?"

"Well, yes," the other teacher answered, thrown off balance from the sudden shift. "Why?"

"Will your students be participating in the coming Licensing Exam?"

"I expect so. Oh Shota, please don't tell me we have to go through the whole 'we're not a thing' act again."

"Emi, you now know exactly why I ask we do that. I can't have the Templars target you because of me."

"If they do, I'll stab 'em!" Eri promised, swinging her practice knife with gusto. "Just like the nice blonde lady!"

"Himi will not be looking after you while we are at work," Aizawa sighed, more to himself than for anyone else.

"Actually, Akaguro and his protégée have been out for the past week and a half," Beru commented. "You don't need to worry about that."

"Really?" Aizawa blinked. "What are they up to now?"

"Master Akaguro needed more time to lay low with the Flaming Sidekickers out for his blood, ribbit," Tsuyu offered. "The advancement mission had us assist in a gang takeover. He, Assassin Toga, and Initiate Garcia are now establishing their gang as a proper Yakuza last I heard, ribbit."

"What?" Emi gasped. "Gang activity? Yakuza? Wait…"

"Probably best you pretend you didn't hear that," Beru said, setting a hand on the taller woman's shoulder.

"Aka… Akaguro? That name… Isn't that the name of the Hero Killer‽"

"You didn't tell her, ribbit?" Tsuyu blinked, turning a raised eye on her teacher.

"Yes, he's one of us," Aizawa sighed, ignoring the way Emi's lips flapped. Eri giggled at her expression. "He was on the mission where we rescued Eri. He and his protégée got the approval from Mentor to replace the Shie Hassaikai with an organization of our own. Better we control the underworld than to leave it to the next shmuck with dreams of criminal grandeur."

"The point is," Beru continued, "Assassin Toga won't be around to look after Eri and all my little tadpoles will be in school."

"Mom, I'm not little, ribbit," Tsuyu sighed.

"I'm sure Keeper or Nekoi would be happy to watch over Eri," Aizawa suggested.

"Oh, that's the nice cat lady!" Emi remembered.

"That's right," the man nodded, his lips turning into a mischievous grin as he knelt down to Eri's level. "And they say if you scratch her between the ears, she'll purr like a cat."

"Really?"

"Really, but she doesn't want people to know that. You'll have to catch her by surprise." 'And if you get a little stealth training in,' he added silently to himself, 'all the better.'

"Same!" The group of five turned to the spar between the younger Asui children to find Satsuki held in a chokehold from behind, but clearly not one that lived up to its name. Her hands were bound abover her at the wrist by his elongated tongue, her struggles to free herself ineffective. She had not, however, given in easily, her brother with a black eye and a split lip. "Let me go, kero!"

"Not until you give in, guo," the boy replied. "I'm not making that mistake again. Yield."

Satsuki put up a few more struggles, her feet kicking the air as she tried to find any weakness in her brother's hold she could exploit, but he was just taller and had a couple more years of training than she did.

"Fine," she growled. "You win this time, kero."

"Just like every time, guo." Samedare let go, Satsuki stumbling away as the boy pretended he wasn't preening.

"Every time you don't fight me, ribbit," Tsuyu grinned, her sudden appearance behind him making the boy jump with a startled 'GUO!".

"Don't—!" he began only to cut himself off. "H-Hn."

"Aww, Same!" Tsuyu laughed, poking his cheek. "You're trying to be tough, ribbit. How cute."

"I'm not cute! Don't say that in front— J-Just don't say that, guo!"

Beru let a small smile tug at her lips as she watched her children tease each other. It was something she hadn't seen from them since their father's passing and Tsuyu's absence for the week hadn't helped the younger two. Having her back didn't fill the hole Ganma left behind, but she could tell her family was healing, even if it was just a start.

"Welcome back, everyone," Aizawa grinned, his eyes moving over the students in their seats. "I know we just saw each other a couple days ago, but I do hope you all enjoyed your summers."

The class stared at him, jaws agape. Slowly, as if afraid to startle someone and cause a panic, Mina rose from her seat and pointed at their teacher.

"Who are you?" she hissed. "What have you done with Aizawa-sensei?"

Izuku turned a confused eye on the pink-skinned girl, but Mina and Kaminari seemed to be of the same opinion, the pair jumping to their feet to also point at the adult of the room.

"Ashido—" Aizawa started.

"She's right!" Kirishima yelled, standing. "You won't fool us, Villain!"

"Yeah!" Kaminari nodded. "Our teacher would never smile!"

"Yaoyorozu," Aizawa sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Midoriya. Get your class's idiots in line."

"Sir, it is unprofessional to call your students such a derogatory term!" Iida exclaimed.

"Ashido," Izuku said. "Hagakure. Kaminari. Kirishima. That really is Aizawa-sensei. I think we've just never seen him in such a good mood."

"No way!" Toru gasped. "'Aizawa' and 'good mood' are two things that have never existed in the same sentence without a 'not' between them!"

"Pardon me, Jiro," the Class Representative cut in, getting the more petite student's attention. "Could you please confirm that that individual truly is our teacher?"

"Oh, it's definitely him," the punk rock girl replied. "Every auditory output matches. I can't tell you why he was happy, but it's gone now."

"Seriously," Bakugo grunted. "If you couldn't tell that, then you extras need to get the fuck out."

"Can we continue our lesson now?" Aizawa demanded. The four who had questioned him slowly sat down, two of them pink from embarrassment, another maroon, and the last thankful that she was invisible. "Good. In that case, I have an announcement that is sure to get your blood pumping. This semester includes two very important moments for you before your Finals come around. The first will be your first Hero Licensing Exam coming two weeks from now. This will be our immediate focus and I will explain more in a moment. The second will be your first work-study. Yes, Uraraka?"

"I thought we already did work-studies?" the brunette commented, lowering her hand.

"Your work-studies are similar to your internships, yes, but very different. Does anyone know how?" Izuku raised his hand. "Midoriya?"

"I had a senpai explain the difference to me when we worked together during my internship," Izuku began, remembering the conversation he had with Haya on their way away from the Edgeshot Agency. "Interns are not allowed to use their Quirks unless directed or given permission by the pro under which they are interned. In addition, the internships only last one week. Work-studies, however, last a month in totality and the student acts more like a Sidekick than an observer. Consequently, work-studies cannot happen until after the student has obtained their Provisional Hero License and has permission from the HPSC to use their Quirk. Work-studies are also compensated."

"Why did you have a senpai?" Sero questioned. "None of us got one!"

"During internships, agencies with regular work-study students can offer for them to take a mentoring role with new interns. Not many accept, though, since doing so means they rack up a week of absences from class that they need to make-up or do online. Plus, it's not a proper work-study, so they aren't paid for the week. As a consequence, not many want to do the make-up work without pay on top of —how did she put it?— babysitting a freshie."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Sero admitted.

"You hit the highlights, Midoriya," Aizawa nodded. "The details of your work-studies will be covered when they are closer a couple months from now, but we must first get you all your Provisional Hero Licenses before you can do them. Unfortunately for you, the exam has not been good for UA historically. Can anyone guess why? Yes, Aoyama?"

"Mes parents warned me of an occurrence that seems regular. They called it le Écraser d'UA, the UA Crush."

"Very good. The UA Sports Festival brings in a lot of business, but it has the adverse effect of revealing your Quirks to the world. In a competition like the exam, this means you are going in blind while your opponents have seen what you could do. Because of this, we focused on improving what your Quirks' limits were during the training camp, but we also need to make it so you stand out positively."

BAM! The sliding door smacked into its frame as Midnight interrupted the lesson. Of course, she would show up when they were talking about attention.

"It's time for you all to start developing your first Super Moves!" the provocative teacher announced, sauntering into the room. "Don't let it distract you from your classes this morning but start fantasizing about what you can pull off that looks flashy and can rock someone's world. Your Heroics classes will be focused on this for the next few weeks with a rotation of other teachers so you all can get a variety of special play." She licked her lips.

"Um, what are you doing here, Midnight-sensei?" Ojiro questioned, trying to cover his pink cheeks like several of the other students.

"I wanted to sleep," Aizawa told them. "As such, this morning Midnight will be covering a special lesson on the Super Moves of pre-Quirk media heroes and how you can take inspiration from them. Are there any more questions? No? Good."

And Aizawa slumped over behind the desk, sleeping.

End of Chapter 45

¹Sup-hues (pronounced 'Sup' as in Super and 'hue' as in Human) is not a Canon slang in any way. Rather, when thinking about what effect Quirks/Metas would have on MHAmerica, this came about. When speaking quickly, it may come out like "Su-pew" or "Supee" depending on American dialect. These are examples of me playing with world culture as I prepare for deep-dives beyond the first "book".

And so we transition into the Provisional License Exam Arc! I already have plans for how this will affect some characters and we'll get to meet more of the Brotherhood's Hero hopefuls you haven't met yet while also checking in with others like Saiko Intelli, Ono Yuifum, and Mure Subako. We've seen them in their roles as Assassins; now we'll get to see them as Hero students in the coming arc.

How will the Brotherhood move forward with this new information? How will Izuku and Tsuyu get Rin into a meeting with their Mentor and how will that conversation go? What did you think of Izuku's talk with Melissa and what you learned about the second SoCal cell in America? Eri plays a role in the Asui Family's healing and Aizawa's starting to open up too, but can Emi pretend in public for the exam? What Super Moves can this Izuku Midoriya come up with when his "Quirk" is Eagle Vision? Tell me what you think!

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods