The walk back to the train station that afternoon was full of excitement and laughter. They'd made it through their first day at UA, and nothing terrible had happened! Well, there was the whole thing where Toru threw a guy into the woods, and apparently, he was still missing? But that happened to somebody else, so it didn't quite count.

They ended up not missing the opening ceremony either, the whole thing had been recorded for them. Eraserhead forced them into an extra two hours of school, making them dissect every detail of the event. Eraser called it a "learning experience", reasoning the after-hours work was a look into their future as pro heroes buried under paperwork.

Just before they left, their teacher had slipped each student a tailor-made training plan, documenting possible ways to develop their quirks and improve their physical fitness. Nobody could figure out when he actually wrote them, he was seemingly asleep during most of the opening ceremony video.

Midoriya and his friends planned to crack open their packets on the way to the train station. Mina was fastest, enthusiastically tearing into hers. "Hmmmm…" She pondered out loud. Squinting at the words, she shared the info. "So get this! Eraserhead wants me to get better at coping with different levels of acidity. He even added a neat checklist of acidity levels with these adorable smiley face stickers! I get to put a sticker on every time I can handle that level!"

"I'm a bit surprised he went through all this trouble," Toru remarked.

"I think it's pretty awesome! We've gotta promise to become the best heroes ever to repay the effort he's investing in us, right guys?!" Eijiro exclaimed, clenching his fist.

"What does yours say?" Izuku asked him.

Eijiro eagerly tore open his packet and rapidly scanned its contents. "Mine says I need to quit relying on my quirk for defence and learn how to dodge instead. Damn, how did he figure out that I always just take the hits? We didn't even have any combat training today!"

Toru was next to unveil her document, saying, "It's a list of ideas for how I can use my quirk to gain an edge in combat."

"Like, stealth?" Izuku asked, hoping it wasn't that predictable. He was well aware of Toru's aversion to being pigeonholed.

"Actually, no! It's all about manipulating light and using feints!" Her delight was evident in her voice. "He even said that I could potentially become the best hand-to-hand fighter in the class!"

Encouraged, Izuku finally opened his and read its contents aloud. "Midoriya, you have a good grasp on employing your quirk in various ways, yet I find the adage 'fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks', to be relevant. Over the coming weeks, I urge you to concentrate on mastering just one technique until its execution is flawless."

Izuku nodded, acknowledging that the info was spot on. He had a tendency to uncover new aspects of his abilities, only to then overlook everything else... But he just really loved exploring what he was capable of!

Toru posed a question, "What do you think you'll focus on?"

"Probably my projectile move; that seems like the best choice."

Mina was a little shocked, "I would have thought you'd say flight!"

Laughing, Izuku said "Flying sounds amazing, but right now, I don't think mastering flight alone would make me a better hero. Unless I can pair it with another skill, it might not be very useful beyond just getting from point A to point B. Like, I could fly into a building, but then what?"

The group continued their conversation all the way to the station. The customised training plans felt like their first real step toward becoming heroes, and they all felt motivated. Izuku listened to his friends with genuine interest, his mind already turning over the possibilities. The train station was drawing closer, and as they reached it, their conversation began to wind down before they boarded their transportation.

—

Once Izuku finally stepped off the train, his stomach was practically yelling at him for some food. Visions of delicious meals danced through his head, so he opted to take a shortcut home through the backstreets. Sure, it was a route his mom had warned him to avoid as a child, but he was a bona fide hero student now! No backstreets were going to scare him off!

Alright, maybe he was slightly wrong about that. The backstreets were a lot more unsettling than he thought they'd be… He peered at the elongated shadows through the corner of his eye and swore they were getting taller. Then, a noise caught him off guard, and he whirled around to see a rat scampering away. Izuku let out a relieved sigh, "Just a rat, nothing to worry about," he muttered to himself, trying to convince his own nerves to calm down.

Before he could regain his composure, his heart nearly beat out of his chest when he came face to face with a worn out guy right in front of him, seemingly in his mid-twenties. The stranger sported a hoodie in hues of white and blue, a utility belt, and a visor perched on his unkempt black hair.

"AGH!" Izuku's nerves got the best of him, and he leapt backwards, sticking himself to the nearest wall. The mysterious man approached him with a look of amusement.

"Your mom did mention you had a tendency to be a bit... jumpy," the man stated with an amused grin. "But come on, I promise I'm not that terrifying."

Izuku scrambled further up the wall, sticking to it like his life depended on it. Wide eyed, he asked "Who are you?!"

The man's grin broadened, and he struck a triumphant pose, hands on his hips. "Behold, the one and only Skycrawler!" He gradually detected the blank slate that was Izuku's face. With a faint sigh, he threw in the towel. "Well, if that doesn't ring any bells, I'm the hero your mom was trying to get in touch with. Call me Koichi Haimawari."

Izuku's expression shifted from alarm to sheepish embarrassment. "Oh! Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to freak out like that. It's just, you startled me, and I might've thought you were a villain for a moment. Wait, that didn't come out right either! I mean, you don't look like a villain at all! Seriously!" he babbled, urgently peeling himself off the wall.

Koichi scratched the back of his head and beamed a soothing smile. "No worries! Seriously, it's all good. I guess I should be more careful about my approach – people sometimes find me a little creepy."

Before Izuku could voice any more apologies, a repugnant squelching sound reverberated through the alley, the wet squishing drawing nearer and nearer. Both of them pivoted, their eyes locked onto the gruesome scene unfolding before them: a sludge monster fangoriously undulating toward them, gelatinously glistening.

"Well, well, well!" The creature gurgled, "I was looking for a tasty morsel to eat, but it looks like I stumbled on a three course meal!"

Koichi's hero mode engaged instantly, his visor swooping down in front of his face with a slick, techy whirr. "Stay back, kid! I've got this." He thrust his palms forward, and from his open hands erupted a barrage of projectiles, "SHOOTY GO BLAM BLAM BLAM!"

To their shock, the projectiles whizzed through the sludge monster leaving a trail of holes in their wake, only for the creature to regenerate itself, shrugging off the attack.

The sludge villain emitted a chuckle that sounded disturbingly damp. "That tickled!"

Unfazed, Koichi refused to back down. But clearly, a more potent punch was required. "SHOOTY GO KABLAM BLAM BLAM!" he roared. This time, his attack hit its mark and then some, causing the sludge monster to explode into many tiny pieces.

Izuku's jaw hit the floor at the sight of the villain disintegrating before his eyes. "H-Holy–!"

Koichi stood with his hands on his knees, catching his breath. "I thought this city was supposed to be peaceful."

The young man standing by his side was still grappling with shock, his face an open book of disbelief. "You just... you just killed that guy!"

Wide-eyed and terror-stricken, Koichi's panic shifted into overdrive. "Oh God, I hope not!"

Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, the scattered remnants of the sludge villain began to amalgamate once more. The fragments squirmed, and moulded, beginning to reconfigure its original form.

Skycrawler sighed in relief, "See, he's fine. No worries."

The monster was apparently sneakier than they anticipated. Quietly, most of its form regenerated from the shadows behind them. Almost whole once again, it launched itself forward with alarming swiftness, wrapping its slimy tendrils around Izuku from the back, ensnaring him in a gooey grip. "Open wide, kid!"

Izuku struggled within the clammy grasp, his efforts resulting in muffled protests. Koichi's heart pounded in his chest as he stood frozen, helpless in the face of the unfolding crisis. How could he get the boy out of this without causing him harm?! "Hang in there, Midoriya! I'll figure out how to get you out of this mess, somehow!"

The struggle continued as the monster fought to take over Izuku, but to no avail. Frustration seeped into its voice as it bellowed, "For crying out loud, open up! It's like your lips are glued shut or something!"

Switching tactics, the monster attempted a different approach, but even the boy's nostrils remained stubbornly blocked. "You can't hold your breath forever, you know!"

However, just then, Izuku's face displayed intense concentration as he focused his thoughts. The sludge covering his face began to move, retreating. Koichi watched in amazement as the sludge monster, covering every part of Izuku's body, suddenly stopped squirming.

"What the hell is your quirk, you little freak?!" the monster roared, its body immobilised in mid-motion. "I can't... move!"

A triumphant inhalation of air followed by a series of coughs burst forth from Izuku's lungs.

"Take it easy, how are you feeling?" Koichi inquired with a blend of concern and amazement. "What exactly just happened?"

Izuku's response was a matter-of-fact explanation. "It's my quirk. I basically just stuck the guy to me." He gestured toward the villain, who was now little more than an exceedingly gloopy suit of armour.

"Let go of me, you little punk!" the monster protested.

Izuku's answer was fast and unimpressed. "Oh, pipe down! I just had a traumatic experience!"

"I'll give you a traumatic experience if you don't let go of me!"

Koichi interjected the strangest argument he'd ever seen, "Uh…Can you walk?"

Izuku tentatively moved his limbs and said, "Yeah, I think so?"

"Cool, I guess. Let's get this guy to the nearest police station, then we're having a chat about, y'know," he gestured vaguely, "This."

—

The two of them, uh, three of them, embarked on a very weird journey toward the Musutafu police station. With each step, they garnered an array of confused looks and double-takes from pedestrians.

"You guys are getting all worked up over this when there's a hero out there who literally looks like a washing machine?!" Izuku bellowed at a group of onlookers who had their smartphones pointed at him.

"Yeah," Koichi agreed, "It's like they've never seen a teenager wearing a liquidised human like a onesie before."

Upon stepping into the police station, the atmosphere abruptly shifted. If this were a scene from a western, the saloon piano would have hit a dissonant note. Every officer in there seemed to tense, fingers hovering near headsets and hands hovering near holstered weapons.

Koichi shot a fleeting look at Izuku, who complied by slowly lifting his arms (and the immobilised sludge villain). Koichi mirrored the action, his own hands ascending cautiously as he attempted to calm them down. "Hold on, everyone! No need to panic! We've apprehended an exceptionally dangerous villain!"

His reassurance fell on deaf ears, everyone still seemed uneasy. One of the officers raised his voice above the murmur, "How do we know you're not the villains and you didn't just kidnap that boy?!"

"Folks, really, there's no need for alarm." He took a measured step forward. "I'm an actual pro hero, and my uh… intern here," he gestured toward Izuku, "managed to apprehend this villain. Could we maybe get some assistance here?"

"Intern?!" Izuku shot a delighted look, then regained his composure and put on a strong voice. "Ahem, that's right, intern!"

A dopey looking officer scratching the back of his head with his firearm dared to inch closer. "A pro, huh? What's your name?"

With a dash of pride, Koichi answered, "Skycrawler!"

The officer stared at him for a moment, like he was trying to solve a particularly difficult puzzle, like 3+3. "...Never heard of ya."

Koichi emitted a sigh of mild exasperation before giving it another shot. "What about Cruller?"

"Ohhhh! The Cruller! Why didn't you just say so, Mr. Cruller?! So uh, what's the deal with the kid?"

Izuku shifted slightly, feeling a tad awkward as the conversation revolved around him. "I'm right here, you know. My quirk is stickiness. I kinda stuck this guy to me."

"Oh, like that movie, Stuck on You?" The officer asked.

"...No, no not really."

"Once I'm out of here, I'm suing you for false imprisonment!" the sludge villain shouted.

"You tried to eat me!" Izuku shot back.

The police officer jumped backwards in fright. "Christ! I didn't expect it to talk! Weird quirk you got there, buddy."

While Izuku muttered something about it not being that strange, Koichi could sense the need to move things along. "Hey, could we get a bucket or something over here? You can release the guy whenever you're ready, right, Midoriya?"

"I think so, yeah. This is actually my first time doing this with a liquid other than water."

A short while later, a younger police officer entered the scene, dragging a large aquarium fish tank along with her. "We found this in lockup."

The officer who appeared to be taking charge raised an eyebrow. "Why was there a fish tank in– you know what, doesn't matter. Alright, buddyboy, whenever you're ready."

With a mixture of relief and accomplishment, Izuku coaxed the sludge villain to detach and gently guided him into the fish tank. "Wait! I'm claustrophobic!" the villain protested as the lid was securely placed on the tank.

"Well!" Koichi exclaimed light-heartedly, "That was a fun little adventure, but I think it's time I got you home to your mom."

Just as they were about to make their exit, an officer approached them, brandishing a stack of papers. "Hold on a sec, Cruller! You've got to sign all this paperwork first."

Much, much later, Koichi and Izuku emerged from the police station, sharing weary glances.

"I can't believe Eraser's lecture about paperwork turned out to be so applicable..."

The name caught Koichi's attention. "Eraser? You mean, Eraserhead? I used to fight villains with that guy back in the day!"

"For real?! What was he like?"

Koichi laughed, "Wore a lot of baggy clothes, really stoic, kinda grumpy?"

"Oh," Izuku sighed, slightly deflated. "So, exactly the same..."

With a cheeky smile, Koichi added, "I also worked with All Might once."

"TELL ME EVERYTHING."

—

In a different part of the city, Katsuki Bakugo stormed into his bedroom and flung his unopened training plan across the room. Who the hell needed some greasy-haired Edward Scissorhands wannabe telling them how to improve anyway?

But, then again... This particular Robert Smith tribute act reject also happened to be an instructor at the best hero school in the world. Maybe there was a chance for some useful insight... Fine, he grumbled internally, he'd look at the stupid training plan.

With a swift motion, he ripped open the envelope and extracted the paper. He read it once, then twice, his brows furrowing in disbelief. He turned the paper over, as if seeking some hidden message, before flipping it back to the front.

The plan was four words in total. "Stop being so aggressive."

"Rrrrr!" A second later, the charred remains of the training plan sprinkled to the floor.

"I'm not aggressive, damn it! I'm passionate!" He screamed, letting off small explosions in his palms and adopting a feral stance. "Argaharggghh!"

A faint knock sounded on his door, and his father's head peeked in cautiously. "Knock knock! Mind if I come in?"

Bakugo responded with a guttural growl, which his dad interpreted as an invitation to enter.

"So, champ! How was your first day at school? Any new friends on the horizon?"

"I'm not there to make friends!" Katsuki snapped. "They'd just slow me down!"

His father sighed softly, no stranger to this particular brand of his son's reasoning. Over the years, since they had concrete evidence of Katsuki trying to beat up young Midoriya, he had done his best to get Katsuki to open up. However, some days cracking through his son's tough exterior felt like crushing diamonds. His most effective tool in recent times was a dose of reverse psychology.

"Well, you might consider making some friends, seeing as how you'll need sidekicks to tackle all that dreaded paperwork down the road," he suggested nonchalantly.

"Hmph," Katsuki scoffed. "These extras would count themselves lucky to make it into my agency."

His father chuckled, "Oh I've no doubt about it, but remember, even the toughest folks need allies in their corner."

Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah."

His father pulled him into an awkward hug, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat. "You've made me proud. First Bakugo to walk through those hero school doors."

With a feigned scowl trying to mask the smile, Katsuki replied "Yeah, well, someone's gotta raise the bar."

His father looked at him and said, "And you know something else?"

"Don't even say it."

"You're already my hero," his dad concluded with a warm grin.

Katsuki rolled his eyes, but his lips couldn't quite hide the small upturn at the corners. "Whatever, old man."

"On another note," his father changed the subject, "I was thinking of a late-night bike ride. Wanna join?"

Katsuki paused, considering his options before letting out an almost begrudging sigh. "...Fine."