One For All:

"Can you repeat that, young Uraraka? I'm not sure I heard you correctly."

Ochako puts her head down, burying her chin in her chest. She clears her throat and uncomfortably shifts in place. The crisp, cool ocean breeze nips at her face, making it easier to hide her fluster.

"I, uh, don't want One For All right now." She swallows hard, struggling to find the words. She didn't look up. Couldn't; unable to meet the man's surely surprised gaze.

"Do you not want it anymore?" Toshinori asks, his tone thoughtful.

"No! Er, no. That's not it. I just... I really want to do this, All Might. But I want to do it on my own. I - I - I want to prove to myself that I could do it."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

Ochako breathes in, holds for a moment, and then exhales, "Why did you choose me to be your successor?"

Minutes pass, measured only by the sound of crashing waves and orange specters of light bleeding over the horizon. All Might is little more than a few feet away from her, staring into the wide, endless expanse of sea. Ochako raises her head to look at him, to see that his eyes are down and thoughtful.

"You remind me of my master." Toshinori says after a time. "That spark within you. It's just like her's. Your strong sense of justice, bravery and empathy. It's something that I've only seen in a handful of people in my life. Sometimes we're tested, young Uraraka. Not to show our weakness, but to discover our strengths. These months have shown me that your strength is incredible and pure. That is why I chose you. You possess an incredible power, young Uraraka. You could've chosen to do anything with that, but you chose to save lives. I'm not sure that I could think of a better reason."

Ochako sniffles and starts to giggle before erupting into a full on, loud, watery laugh. "Gosh dang it, All Might!" She openly cries now, running into All Might's embrace and sobbing on his chest.

All Might chuckles, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no. You didn't. I just..." She pulls back and sniffles, "Sorry. I just... Thank you. Really. I didn't know I needed that. All Might, can we wait a little longer? Just until the end of the entrance exam. I need to prove to myself that I could've done it without One For All. Please." Her last word comes out more hopeful than she intends, but All Might answers before she can press more.

"You really are just like her. Of course, young Uraraka! I have no doubt you'll pass with flying colors!"

"Uraraka?"

Ochako nearly jumps out of her skin. "Ahh!"

Izuku, in turn, nearly jumps out of his skin. "Are you okay?!"

"Oh! Yeah, er, heh. Sorry. The meds made me a bit drowsy." She says, sheepishly running her hand across the base of her neck. "How're your hands?"

Izuku raises his wrapped fingers and makes a fist. His face betrays his discomfort. "A bit stiff, but they're fine. They were only bruised."

"That's good."

"Hey, uh," Izuku starts, looking anywhere but the girl's face. His cheeks are starting to get warm. "Want to go get some lunch? If you want to, of course! I figured you'd be as hungry as I am after... that."

Ochako giggles. "After you, Mr. Perfect." She throws a punch and mimics his actions. "Lead the way!"

If Izuku has anything to say about the nickname, he swallows it down. The rapid movements of his eyes and nervous laughter provide enough of a reaction.

One week later, Uraraka finds herself absently lounging in her apartment. Originally little more than a studio, All Might spared no expense in giving her as much as she was comfortable with. It wasn't large - Ochako wished to maintain her modesty - but it was decent enough that her parents could visit, if they so choose. Things were quiet, a silence that she had grown comfortable with, and still as though her apartment itself held its breath to match its owner. The only sounds being the squeaking of the same dish she had been scrubbing idly for the past fifteen minutes.

One week.

That's how long it had been since she'd last spoken to the Symbol of Peace. He hadn't spared the time to speak to her following her examination, nor had he responded to any of her messages. It made her weary, admittedly. Had it not been for her consistent conversation with Midoriya, she may have been more nervous than she actually felt.
And then, suddenly, her phone rings in a distinctly different way than it usually did. She had yet to acclimate to the new smartphone from her parents, but she had known enough to know that it doesn't do that.

She raises it up. It's a... video call from Midoriya? She answers without hesitation.

"Y'ello."

She watches in amusement as Izuku fumbles around on the screen, putting his phone close enough to his face that his eyes are the only thing in frame, and then pulling it away until he's too far and she can see a pair of legs draped over his bed.

"Hey. Is, uh, now a good time?"

"Nah, it's fine. I'm not busy or nothin'. What's up?"

"They sent out our letters today. From UA. And I, er. I... hmm."

"He wanted to open it with you." Another, distinctly deeper voice says in the background. Izuku glares off screen.

Ochako's eyes go wide. "They did! Oh, my God! I've got to check my mail!" She had seen the pile building on her bare counter-top, but had been so lost in her own mind that she hadn't noticed. "Oh, my God! It's here! Midoriya! It's here!"

"Mhm! Do you want to open yours first?"

"Yeah!"

Ochako finds a spot to prop up her phone and tears the parment in two. A device falls out.

"AHAH! Have we started yet!?"

"All Might!"

"Huh!? From UA?"

"M'bad, young Uraraka! It took some time to jump through some hoops to get this done! I should've said something sooner! No worries! We shall be seeing more of each other since I'll be working at UA now!"

Ochako can't take her eyes off of the screen, but she can see Midoriya's incredulity in her peripheral vision.

"What's that, citizen!? Turn to camera 2!? Sure! Well, let's get started! You did fine on the written test, easily scoring over the requirement. And as for the practical skills portion... Can I get a drum roll, anyone!? ...no? We don't have the time? Anyway! You scored an impressive forty-five villain points which in itself would've been enough to make it in! However, the judges were looking at more than just smashing robots for points! Did you think there'd be a department of heroics that ignores the most important part!? Absolutely not!" The screen changes and All Might's form blurs. Moments captured in time of her saving people flash in a rapid montage with poorly edited music. The angles make her look better, she thinks, but she can't help the feeling of pride bubbling in her chest. "So take your rescue points! An impressive thirty! With a total of seventy-five, you passed, young Uraraka! Come on down! UA's now your hero academia!"

"I did it..." She whispers to herself. Then again. And then, finally, loud enough to make Midoriya smile on the tiny screen. 'I earned it!'

"You did it, Uraraka! Congratulations!"

"Hurry, hurry! You next!" She watches in amusement as he fumbles with the device and letter, eventually tossing his phone across the room to who she assumes to be Ryoya. He grumbles something in a language she doesn't understand, but reluctantly holds the phone steady and over his friend's shoulder.

Izuku hadn't known what to expect when he tore open the letter, nor what to think when the device landed on his desk in a loud thud. He certainly hadn't expected a man with black hair and unkempt facial hair to give him his introduction.

"Izuku Midoriya, you passed the written test." The man says with as much enthusiasm as a graveyard. "You scored sixty villain points and thirty rescue points for a total of ninety. You're the highest placer this year. Congratulations. You made it in. This is your hero academia."

A beat of silence.

"...wow, that guy sucks."

"Ryoya!"

"What? We were all thinking it." Ochako watches a bright, large All Might plushie bounce off of Izuku's green curls. He turns and scowls, throwing it back. "Congratulations, man." Ryoya's voice is lower now, more sincere. Proud. "I told you, you're strong. You were worrying for nothin'."

Izuku's face softens, and his expression shifts to such a degree, that Ochako almost audibly gasps. His expression is an amalgamation of many things ranging from admiration to pride to satisfaction, and finally, a deep feeling of appreciation. She almost feels like she's not supposed to see such a moment; when one finally succeeds. Finally climbs the mountain and meets the person who stood by them the whole time. The one who first let him know that he could do it.

Tears start to come to his eyes, happy and true and in bulk.

The two boys devolve into a round of light-hearted ribbing, to which Ochako is mostly an observer. She chimes in occasionally, laughing and smiling when Izuku's mother barges in with an equal amount of tears in her eyes.

"You both cry so much," Ryoya teases, "How you aren't dehydrated is beyond me."

Until her phone makes a sound and her eyes drift to the very top where All Might's name exists alone in a bubble.

"Sorry for the silence. Meet me at the beach soon."

"Uh, I've got to go, Midoriya. My, er, trainer wants to meet me." She hangs up before he can say goodbye, and mentally kicks herself for doing so. A hasty response is sent back Toshirnori's way and before long, Ochako is out of her apartment and darting through the busy streets of Musutafu.

"Congrats on passing, kid," Toshinori says while raising his hand, "Just so you know, I didn't tell anyone about our point of contact. You made it pretty clear that you didn't want to get in like that, if you can help it."

"Thank you for listening," Ochako says, reaching out to meet the man's high-five with an awkward fist bump. "Not gonna lie, All Might, I was super surprised to hear you being a teacher at UA! I don't know why I didn't think about that!"

All Might looks a bit scandalized, "I can keep secrets, you know."

"Like how you accidentally revealed to Midoriya that you're training me?" She innocently asks with a finger on her lower lip. All Might clears his throat.

"...anyway, I told the academy about my predicament, but I haven't mentioned it at all to anyone else. I wanted them to inform me on the chance they found a suitable successor."

The hero isn't looking at her, and instead has his shadowed eyes glued to the open ocean. Half of the moon has chosen to grace them with her beauty, while the stars shimmer against the never-ending expanse. Ochako had always loved the stars for visuals like this; in the blink of an eye, she'd almost been caught in their pull.

"Are you ready to receive it, young Uraraka?" All Might says, breaking the girl out of her trance.

"Wha - what? Right now?"

The man balloons up to his hero form, throwing his fists to his hips and laughing proudly. "Yes! Right now! Don't look so scared! All you have to do is eat this!"

School days blended together for Izuku, and have for a long time. With a month left until UA began properly, he could do nothing to help the time go faster. Even training had felt frustratingly slow. Ryoya's return had helped, truthfully, but they were rarely allowed to cut loose the way Izuku had wanted. His ki feels clouded and heavy, on the brink of eruption.

Today though, feels stranger than most. There are more stares than before. More mutters and whispers that his enhanced ears barely perceive. He understands. A quirkless student making it into UA must've been akin to the sky falling down, to put it mildly. The idea of a quirkless student getting into the hero course no less...

He had thought that his achievements in martial arts would've tempered their expectations a bit, but evidently he had been wrong.

He gets to class, and as per usual, only politely greet the few who had meant him no ill-will and then sits down with his mind millions of miles away. Katsuki storms in after he does, and the evidence of his bad mood is written on his face, highlighted by the deepest crease in his brow that the boy had ever seen. It's strange; seeing the mixture of his good, angry mood.

Sensei eyes them both and a harsh look appears on his face. To Izuku's shock, it's not directed at him. Katsuki had been itching to yell something at him, if his face is any indication, but Sensei's disapproving glare is enough to stop him. Odd.

Following that interaction, sensei pretends to adjust some papers on his desk and eyes the class until his eyes fall on the clock, urging it to ring.

"Congratulations, everyone!" Sensei says, feigning happiness and enthusiasm. "Now, let's start with.. -"

Izuku largely zones out at this point, not truly caring much about his classmates. He admittedly had no plans to keep in contact with any of them besides Katsuki, with the latter not being of his own volition. He's mentally not here, really, as his teacher goes down the list and the class lifelessly gives rounds of applause.

"Midoriya and Bakugou have both made it into UA's hero course."

Silence. Thick and deafening, and then a veritable explosion of sounds.

"WHAT?!"

"Are you fuckin' kidding me!?" Katsuki roars, shooting up from his desk after everyone's shock dies down. "That quirkless loser got in!?" He turns and his palms spark. Izuku looks surprised and clenches his fists, ready to defend himself.

"Bakugou Katsuki, sit down right now!" Sensei snaps. Izuku can't believe it. Since when had sensei disciplined Katsuki before? "Yes, Midoriya got in just like you did. Sit down and deal with it or I'm sending you straight to the principal's office."

Katsuki does reluctantly sit down, but Izuku theorizes that it's more out of shock than respect.

He's silent the rest of the day - which Izuku is thankful for - save the occasional animalistic growling whenever someone dared to speak with him or congratulate him. Sensei's look still lingers on him longer than he'd like, and Izuku tries his best to ignore it. He can see the finish line, he just wants this to be done.

When the day ends, he attempts to get to the gate as quickly as possible without breaking into a dead sprint. It's unusually tense and awkward and it's putting him more on-edge than it should.

"Deku!"

...ugh. So close. He can sense Ryoya mere meters away. Katsuki didn't sound happy.

Izuku adjusts his grip on his bag and vaguely wonders if he should simply sprint away as fast as he could. He'd probably get a ticket for it, and he'd rather not have his record marked.

Thankfully, Katsuki is alone. None of his followers are with him. Izuku can sense them across the school yard, and he can sense a teacher peering over at them from a nearby window. Maybe the teacher of a lower year, or a different class. Regardless, they do nothing but stare.

"Hello, Katsuki." Izuku says tiredly.

Katsuki roars something at him - probably some dramatic speech or cursing his name - but Izuku barely pays it any mind. Seeing that he was being ignored must've spurred something on in the blond, since he reaches out and attempts to grab a fistful of Izuku's shirt. Izuku steps back at the last moment and Katsuki's hand grabs nothing; something that only serves to infuriate him more.

"Don't fuckin' ignore me, you bastard!" Katsuki bellows. "What dirty goddamn trick did you use to pass the exam!? Huh!?" Izuku doesn't get a chance to respond, not like he expected one. "I was supposed to be the first and only to enter UA from here! Me and me alone! You ripped my future glory to pieces and pissed on it! I told you to go somewhere else, you fuck!"

Izuku stands still as he's forced to listen to Katsuki's tirade, unsure of what to say or do. Then, strangely, something surges in him. It's like his ki, but distinctly different. More focused and sharper, and razor sharp. His hand snaps up and clamps around Katsuki's wrist when the boy attempts to grab him again. He holds firm, staring into Katsuki's widened eyes.

"Someone," Izuku snarls out, "Someone finally acknowledged me!" His voice is strained and gritty and much more raspy than it's ever been. "They told me I could be a hero! I fought for this just like you! I put hours of blood, sweat and tears into this!" Izuku's grip tightens. Katsuki winces. He looks him dead in the eye, glaring heat and vitriol into green eyes.

"I've won the right!" Izuku shouts, forcing Katsuki's hand back and making the boy stumble. "You can't stop me! I'm headed to UA whether you like it or not!" Izuku's fury had never boiled over this way before, but letting it out feels nice. Cathartic.

Amidst Katsuki's shock and rage, Izuku turns away and storms off. He's getting too angry. It's getting too hard to think rationally.

Katsuki doesn't intend to let him.

"This isn't over, Deku!" Katsuki shouts after him until something stops him in his tracks. It's a strong feeling, overwhelming his senses. The feeling that robs the body of its autonomy and makes the joints stiff. A raw, primal fear.

"I wouldn't, if I were you."

Katsuki's head snaps to the side, landing on a tall, dark-skinned teen leaning against a wall with both hands in his pockets. He's wearing a modified gakuran with the sleeves rolled up and the buttons parted and opened. Katsuki's red eyes are reflected back to him on the surface of a pair of simple, black glasses.

"I wouldn't." Ryoya repeats coolly. "It just wouldn't end well." His glasses slide down the bridge of his nose and Katsuki is met with sky blues, shining whites and a soft gold flower pattern.

Izuku watches Katsuki's body go still and his eyes glaze over and puts his head down in disappointment. "...how much did you hear?"

"All of it," Ryoya says casually. Suddenly Katsuki is yelling and barking at an invisible opponent, fighting a battle that doesn't exist. "C'mon. Ready to go?"

"What about him?"

"He's enjoying a nice episode of Kamen Rider right now."

Izuku chuckles humorlessly. "Yeah, I'm ready." He says, following Ryoya as the two walk away, not turning back even when he's sure Ryoya released his quirk. Not turning back when Katsuki shouts out to him.

"This place is busier than I thought."

Ryoya winces hard enough to make the edge of his sunglasses dig into his cheeks. A line for a steakhouse comes out the front door and extends at least halfway down the block, and everyone looks ready and eager to eat. "We're not going there."

"Yeah, definitely not. What about that one?" Izuku gestures across the street at a large, simple looking restaurant. It looks vaguely western themed and the big, bright stickers promise hot and good food.

"Sure. Can't be too bad."

It's not. Thankfully, being the first customers in rush means that by the time they get done ordering, there's ten people behind them. It's almost funny. Almost, because Izuku can hear the frustration of the cooks all the way in the back.

"Do you, uh, think we should've gotten something lighter?"

"Hmm. They get paid to make food," Ryoya says. "Imagine you're a hero, and you get called at eight on Friday. It sucks having to work hard, but it's what you signed up for."

Across from him, Izuku sighs. "Still, I feel bad. Maybe I should've gotten something simple."

"You're alright." Ryoya leans back, looking over the window into the kitchen. There's a long shelf running along a wall where a few orders sit. "I think you're allowed to enjoy yourself even if it inconveniences other people sometimes. It's not wrong to ask someone to do their job."

"I guess."

"I'll leave a bigger tip."

"Order for Midoriya!"

"I'll get it," Ryoya says, standing as he hears their call.

"I'll go, actually," Izuku insists, standing up and taking a few steps forward. "It's not a lot of food anyway, and well, you paid for it."

"I get an allowance from Ken-sensei. I'm not exactly pressed for money."

"And you barely spend any of it, and the rest, you just give away. So sit down, it's not gonna kill you."

"Fine."

Izuku smirks and nods, having counted this as a victory. He keeps his head down on the way over, making sure his curls don't blind him. No one seems to be studying other people, which is nice, but he's not feeling his best, and he'd rather just eat in peace. Casually, he looks over and down. The person to his left is a girl. She's not particularly interesting, other than her hair, which is straight and dark and done up in a single bun towards the base of her skull. Izuku grabs the food, prompting the girl to look over. He catches her eye, taking in the brown for a brief moment before politely nodding and looking back at his tray. Then, cola splatters on his shoes.

"Sorry!"

Izuku lurches away, balancing the tray in one hand. He looks over at the girl to see she's red in the face, hands covered in soda with a weird expression on her face. Part worry, part fear, and something else... strange that he can't place. He sets his food down and reaches for some nearby napkins.

"It's fine. These are old anyway." Izuku bends down and mops up some soda with the napkins. The girl joins him seconds later and tries to clean it up. An employee comes around with a mop bucket after and tells them to move away. Izuku awkwardly grabs the tray and darts back to his table, bidding the girl goodbye as she continues to apologize.

"She dropped something," Ryoya says as soon as Izuku sits down.

"Hm?"

"Look."

Izuku does and what he sees is a short, metal device resembling that of a small disk with a few buttons on it. She doesn't seem to notice, and as Izuku stands up to inform her otherwise, screaming erupts from outside. Loud, deep rumblings echo through the area, bathing the world in white and orange.

The crowd outside scatters. A man in spandex and tights is flung unceremoniously across the streets, landing in an unmoving pile.

"Are these your saviors!? Are these the ones you look up to!?"

Several men come into view, each with different technology lining their bodies. The one in front has two whips in either hand, both crackling and buzzing with white electricity. Another has boots that allow him to crack the concrete with each step. Another has two dials on his palms that erupt in flames.

"We are the voice of the voiceless! The hope for the hopeless! We are Mad Gear!" The man in front cracks his whip and the sound is like thunder. "Stand against us if you dare! If you won't let us dream, we won't let you sleep! For Mad Gear!"

"For Mad Gear!"

Izuku's head snaps up. It's the woman with the bun, holding the metallic disk. She pushes the button and it whirls to life.

"Nobody move!"

A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Things are going quickly. Monster King, Ryuujin96, and XD, thank you all for your reviews!