Saiko's eyes slowly opened, feeling the morning sun creep in from her window's curtains. She yawned as she slowly lifted her body from the mattress. It was finally here. Time for her third and final year at Seiai Academy. She was clearly excited, no doubt about it. But she couldn't shrug off what had happened yesterday, nor what she had been rethinking. She felt different.

'What is going on with me?' She thought to herself.

As she raised herself from her bedside, she couldn't help but wonder. Was what she was doing all her life, every action, for her sake? Or was it for the sake of her parents? They have always encouraged her to be a hero. Helped her every step of the way. But it was always toward one specific path, one singular direction, that she seemingly had no control over.

'…Did they ever ask me what I wanted to do?'

…

"I think it's whatever you want it to be."

Midoriya's words rang through her head as she got dressed. She had been having similar thoughts before she even got to know him, but his words made her rethink everything completely. A part of her thought that maybe her mom was right. It was just some U.A. person getting into her head and trying to distract her. But… Midoriya wasn't like that. She knew that for a fact. When did she suddenly start caring about how others saw Midoriya? Well, that doesn't exactly matter right now. Definitely not. There were only two thoughts that came across her mind.

'What is the path I want to go down?'

And…

'How do I tell my parents?'

Her school uniform was fully worn. Usually, when she put it on, she felt a sense of confidence and pride. But today, she felt similar feelings, but with an additional feeling of determination and revision. Saiko made her way downstairs and straight into the kitchen.

Of course, her parents were already awake. The one sitting at the table drinking tea with the long white hair, was Saidai Intelli, Saiko's mother. She had always admired her, there was no way she couldn't. Her mother had a great intellect, taught her all sorts of subjects that normal teachers couldn't, and helped her with her Quirk, she was a good mother. For the most part. It's just that she has… certain personal standards.

The one cooking with the long blue hair was Yoi Intelli, Saiko's father. Did they have enough money for a cook? Definitely. But did she love seeing her Dad happy at doing something he loved more than that? Absolutely. He was great too. He used to be a pro martial artist, so he tells Saiko stories of the different opponents he used to face and how he came out on top. And the ones where he lost… badly. He is quite a thorough person.

"Good morning, Mother, and Father," Saiko said.

Saidai smiled. "Good morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, Sai!" Yoi shouted, flipping one of the pancakes.

Saiko's face turned red. "I've been telling you not to call me that, Father."

Yoi wagged his finger. "You only said in public. Never said anything about at home."

Saiko sighed playfully as she took a seat at the table. Her father flipped another pancake, before pressing it against the pan with his spatula.

"Although dear, I do wish for you to act more properly, even in private," Saidai said.

"Aw, come on, Daidai," Yoi replied, Saidai blushing at the nickname. "You know as well as me that we need a break from the "sophisticated" and "fancy" persona."

"…But we are sophisticated and fancy." Saiko countered.

"Sweetie, whose side are you on?"

"Correcting you is not choosing sides, Father."

Yoi laughed, as he placed the nicely cooked pancakes on the plates he had set out. "See what I mean? Stuff like this. We need to act more like a family, and not the persona we give off towards others."

"Hmm… I suppose you could have a point." Saidai pondered. "But remember, we have a reputation to uphold, Yoi."

"I know, I know."

As Yoi placed the plates down for each of them, Saiko took a sip of water, placed the glass cup back on the table, and grabbed her fork. They all began to dig in. Sophisticatedly, of course.

"So Saiko, are you looking forward to your final year at Seiai?" Saidai asked.

Saiko immediately nodded, her smile widening as she took a bite of the pancake. Wow, as always, stupendous. "Of course! After this year, I finally get to be a Pro Hero!"

"And we couldn't be prouder," Saidai said.

Yoi smirked. "Not as proud as I am."

"You want to do this today, Yoi?"

"Oh, I very much do, Saidai."

Saiko giggled at her parent's banter. "Yeah, I'm hoping I can do a lot to help others."

"Your intellect will do wonders for the hero world, sweetie." Her mother replied, taking a sip of tea.

"Definitely. Supporting the stronger heroes by creating greatly laid out plans. It will be great." Her father added.

"…Yeah."

That made her go quiet. And unfortunately, if there was anything her parents were the best at, it was reading their only child.

"Everything okay, Saiko?" Yoi asked, taking a bite of his breakfast.

"…It's nothing."

"Now, now. Don't give me that."

"I said it's nothing, Dad."

That sealed it. Something was wrong. She never used the word "Dad" unless she was truly upset or troubled by something.

Saidai sighed, "Saiko, if this is about yesterday—"

"What about yesterday?" Yoi's eyebrow raised.

*SLAM*

"I SAID IT'S NOTHING!"

Everything went quiet. It was only a few seconds after and feeling a slight sting to her hands did Saiko realize she slammed them against the table.

"…I need to go. School is going to be starting soon. Unten-san is probably tired of waiting anyway."

Before either of her parents could call out, she grabbed her backpack and sped walked out the door, slamming it behind herself as she left. She could only imagine the faces her parents were making, let alone their feelings from their usually calm daughter snapping out of nowhere. What was wrong with her? She approached the white vehicle, opening the passenger door and slamming it as well, with very much regret afterward.

"Woah, this is a first."

Saiko focused her eyes on the woman driving her, Kojin Unten, the family's chauffeur. She was a rather young woman, but still older than Saiko. She had a very gothic style to her clothes and overall look, including her painted black nails. While Saiko's parents were rather against having her as a regular driver, after seeing how happy she made Saiko, they couldn't exactly say no. The woman twirled a finger around her blonde hair as she began to drive.

"This is the first time I've seen you so cranky."

Saiko blushed. "I-I'm not a child, Unten-san!"

The driver giggled as she waved her hand at her. "I'm teasing, I'm teasing."

Kojin noticed Saiko sighing, lying back against the car seat to look out the window. She seemed almost in a daze, that is to say if frustration was somehow not your first thought.

"Can you try not to slam the door so hard next time?" She asked.

Saiko let out an even heavier sigh. Right. Probably not the right time to be making bad jokes with an emotional girl. She out of anyone should know.

"I'm sorry, Unten-san. I'm just… it's nothing." Saiko said.

Kojin's eyebrow furrowed. "It sure doesn't sound like nothing. You know how rare it is for you to get that upset?"

"I know, I know… I don't want to talk about it."

"If you do I'll get you your favorite smoothie?"

"Again, not a kid anymore."

"Has that ever stopped you?"

Saiko couldn't contain her giggles. She could keep up this facade all she wanted, nothing in the world could ever stop her from laughing at Kojin's sarcastic tone. She had to take a moment to think. Choose her words wisely. And most importantly, take a deep breath, relax, and calm.

"Unten-san? Is there ever something that you feel like you've been built up to do? What you think is your true role? But now, all this time later, you believe it's something else?" Saiko asked.

Kojin stayed silent for a little bit. But then she smiled. "I think that's perfectly normal. You're your own person, Saiko."

Saiko's blue-lavender eyes drifted downward at the car's floor. If Kojin could see them, they would be filled with confliction and doubt. All she could think about was, what was up with her? It was yesterday that she told herself that she'd walk down the path she chose, no one else. And yet…

"And what happens if my parents are essentially forcing me down a specific path?"

Kojin clicked her tongue. "Ahh, I see now."

Kojin slowly stepped on the brakes as they came to a red light. Afterward, she turned her body around to Saiko.

"Look, Saiko. I love your parents, they mean a lot to me. And I'm sure you love them even more. But at the same time, you can't let them control your sense of direction." Kojin said.

"I know that!" Saiko shouted. "But it's… I feel like I can't say anything without the chance of making them mad. All my life I've followed their example, most especially Mother. If I were to break that, I can't even imagine how betrayed they'd feel!"

"But that's just it. That should not matter to them. If they love and respect you, they'd be happy with whichever path you decide." Kojin replied.

Saiko groaned and put her hands against her face, frustration and anger building up. Why can nothing ever be easy? Not her training as a hero, but all these stupid family problems!

"What made you have these conflicting thoughts to begin with?" Kojin asked curiously.

She couldn't help but laugh at Saiko's expression and eventual stammering of words. Again, very easy to tease with. And she could practically feel the finger slick to the head that Saiko gave her. The periwinkle-haired girl calmed herself, taking a deep breath.

"Now, don't make any assumptions okay?" Saiko said.

"Of course," Kojin replied.

"At first it started as just a weird feeling. I didn't think much of it. But then I met this guy."

"Is he a boyfriend?"

"I-I said no assumptions! We only just met!"

Kojin laughed. "Sorry, sorry, go on."

Saiko looked out the window. "We've only known each other for about a week now. We decided on an alliance, where he would help me train my body up."

"And?"

"Well, he said something to me that really stuck. He said that my Quirk, and therefore my path, it's whatever I want it to be." Saiko smiled.

Kojin looked in the top mirror to look at Saiko, seeing her grin. She couldn't help but smile as well.

"So here is my advice. Why don't you try talking to this person? Maybe that will help you feel better for now." Kojin suggested.

She had a point. Saiko did have his contact information. But the thought of talking to him over the phone made her feel a little nervous to a degree. But why? He's just a friend she met—

A friend? Since when did she consider him that? They had only met a little over a week ago.

"…I'll call him," Saiko said.

Kojin smirked and focused back on driving. Saiko pulled out her phone and looked at the contact. And somehow, a smile once again crept onto her face. Maybe talking to him wouldn't be so bad.

To say that Izuku was excited for his second year at U.A. was the understatement of the century. He woke up the millisecond his alarm went off to immediately get himself prepared. He saw his classmates on and off throughout the city, but this was the first time all twenty of them were going to be back together in one class. It was everything he could ask for and then some. Although perhaps he was a little too excited.

'Maybe you should slow down on the chewing there, hun.' Nana said internally.

Izuku smiled sheepishly. 'I-It's not that bad.'

"Izuku, honey, please slow down when you eat," Inko said from the kitchen.

"Yes Moms! I-I mean, yes Mom. I'm sorry." Izuku struggled to speak.

Inko let out a chuckle. "Is Nana pulling the mom routine again? I guess someone has to keep you in check."

In the time since the war, both she and Izuku have had time to settle in and talk with one another, Izuku even explaining the vestiges to her. It had got to a point where it was sort of the norm for Inko Midoriya. Still strange, but she has got accustomed to it. Even stranger that, according to Izuku, they have apparently learned to materialize their spirits. Whatever that means.

'Hear you loud and clear.' Nana said, her spirit only semi-materializing.

The boy giggled. "She says she's got your back."

Inko smiled as she cleaned the dishes. 'It's so good to see him happy. No longer worrying.'

It was then that Banjo decided to fully materialize, which caused both Midoriyas to jump in surprise. "So Tenth. How are you getting to school today?"

"C-Can you not do that without warning me first?" Izuku asked.

Bruce did the same. "If we have the option to do so, we will do so."

"And HE has the option to suppress our options if we overstep any boundaries," Nana said.

The two men looked at one another and nodded. "Point taken."

All three dematerialized and Izuku sighed in relief. Once more, his mother let out a cute giggle.

"You know, I've spent a whole year with that, and they still surprise me." Inko said.

Izuku ruffled his hair as he continued to eat. "Yeah. But I love them. They try their best to help me, just like you try your best."

That warmed the green-haired woman's heart. She finished cleaning up, then moved to the other side of the table, facing Izuku as she sat down.

"I've been meaning to ask, and I don't like peering into your personal life all too often. I know what it's like to be a teenager and all that." Inko said.

Izuku's eyebrow raised. "Go on?"

Inko cleared her throat. "What have you been doing the past week?"

Oh, that's what she was talking about. Izuku guessed he had forgotten to bring it up. In all honesty, he wasn't trying to hide it. Everything with Saiko got him hyper-focused to try and help her as much as possible.

"You see, sometime at the beginning of last week, I made a new… well, not really a friend yet. I guess an acquaintance?" Izuku started.

"Oh? Is that right?"

"Yeah. But she's super cool! You see, her quirk—"

"Her?"

There was a pause for a moment.

"Mom, please do not—"

"Keep explaining and I promise to hold back one of my 'Mother Freak Outs'. Or at least, I'll try."

Izuku laughed. "Right. Her name is Saiko Intelli. I've known about her for a little while, but that week was when we met each other for the first time. And after talking, we became acquainted, and I helped her improve her physical strength."

That sparkle in his eyes. Inko always loved it. For what reason? Because that sparkle, that twinkle of what looked like a star, is what made her Izuku, well, Izuku. Seeing her son talking about someone he barely knew but wanted to help, and how he did help them, it was anything a mother like her could ask for.

She ruffled Izuku's hair as she planted a kiss on his forehead, smiling. "I'm really happy to hear that, Izuku."

Izuku's eyes shined even brighter at his mother's smile. It was contagious by how he smiled along with her. The boy looked at his phone and saw that he had about an hour before school started.

Izuku stood up from his chair. "I guess I will have to Float over there after all. It takes over an hour to get there by foot."

"Before you have to leave," Inko said, opening up her arms and wrapping them around Izuku. "don't leave your mother without a hug."

She felt his arms wrap around her tightly as he placed a kiss on her forehead. The two looked at each other smiling. The two let out of the embrace, Izuku grabbing his backpack.

"I will see you later, Mom! I'll miss you! Love you!" Izuku said.

Inko grinned. "I love you too, Izuku. Stay safe."

The boy took a deep breath and stepped out the door, closing it behind him. From the top of the apartment building, he used One For All in his feet to launch himself high in the hair, then activating Float to begin flying toward U.A. Nana appears next to him, semi-materialized.

'How about it, kid? Are you ready to become a fully-fledged hero?' She asked.

Before Izuku could answer, his phone began to ring. It was probably Inko wanting to say one last goodbye. As he pulled it out, he almost dropped it from the sky when he saw it was Saiko calling him. This was unexpected. But he mustered up the courage and answered the call.

"H-Hello?" Izuku said.

"Good morning, Midoriya-san," Saiko responded.

Even over the phone she seemed as calm and collected as ever. 'Seemed' was the key word here, as he could tell that deeper in her tone was some sort of nervousness.

"A-Ah, Intelli-san. I, um, how are you doing?" Izuku responded. Seemed like a proper way to start the conversation.

"I am holding up well. On my way to start my last year at Seiai Academy. I am to assume you are on your way to U.A.?" Saiko said.

"Oh, yes that is correct. I'm prepared to take the new steps forward."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah."

…

And there was what Izuku and Saiko were afraid of the most. A stiff silence. The kind of silence when either side of the conversation has no idea what to say to the other.

"Hey, Midoriya-san."

Izuku's attention refocused upon hearing his last name. "Y-Yes?"

Even with Saiko trying to hide it, there was an underlying sadness in her voice.

He could hear Saiko clear her throat, "I… apologize for essentially pushing you away the other day. When you dropped me off at my house. It's nothing you did. It was just some personal reasons I couldn't have you stay for long."

There was yet another long pause. Nana looked at Izuku puzzled as he pondered his thoughts. But then that signature bright smile appeared on his face. And that brightness was reflected within his tone.

"It's okay, Intelli-san. I understand. And if it's too much trouble, I know we allied in regards to your training, and since that has finished we can end—"

"No!"

Izuku almost dropped his phone yet again. That felt weirdly out of character for Saiko, even after knowing her for only a week. He could hear her clearing her throat again to regain her composure.

"W-What I mean to say is, I don't think I want our alliance to just be an alliance," Saiko replied.

Izuku's eyes glistened. "Are you saying we're actually friends?"

He couldn't see it, but she was smiling at his clearly joyful tone. "Yes, we are, Izuku."

Her calling him by his first name caught him off guard, leading to him blushing profusely. This was like with Ochako all over again, except with someone whose tone was more deeper and refined.

"And yes, that means we can be on a first-name basis, haha," Saiko said giggling.

"Y-Yeah! T-That's completely fine, Saiko!" Izuku replied.

Saiko's voice suddenly got deeper. "Good. Because if it weren't fine, I'd have to convince you otherwise."

She was smart. While Izuku was an absolutely adorable cinnamon roll and very intelligent, he was still just that. A pure nerd. One who was easily susceptible to teasing. And it worked like a charm.

"I-I-I, I mean I—"

"I would love to keep up this lovely conversation, but I'm almost at Seiai, so I'll have to end this for now. Call you later, Izuku."

Without any chance of Izuku responding, the call ended right then and there. Words could not describe how Izuku was feeling at this current moment. It wasn't until he slapped himself in the face that he fully calmed down.

'You know, I feel like you should be used to this kind of stuff by now.' Nana commented.

"Y-Yeah. But I honestly don't mind it." Izuku said.

He looked upon the city below him and in the direction of where he knew Saiko lived, smiling once more. "I'm just happy she's okay."

'Five minutes before classes.' Izuku thought.

Izuku had planned to get here earlier, however he spotted heroes doing their jobs on the way and just had to watch them perform their duties. The boy gracefully spun around and landed perfectly on the ground in front of the school. He couldn't help but feel nostalgia for being here again. It reminded him of the very first day he arrived at U.A. At the time he was anxious and reserved. But this time was different. He has had so much experience since then, made new friends, and gained more self-confidence and self-worth.

"Midoriya-kun! You should know not to use your Quirk unless it is for absolute emergencies!"

That voice sounded familiar. So did that intense critique. Speeding past the boy was one of his best friends, Tenya Iida. Immediately a smile sprouted on Izuku's face, the boy then rushed in and gave a high five, causing Iida to smile.

"My apologies, Iida-san. I lost track of time this morning." Izuku replied. "But what are you doing out here? I thought you would be inside with everyone else."

Iida closed his eyes, grinning proudly as any class representative would. "As Class 2-A's Class Representative, it is my duty to make sure all of you are greeted properly! That also includes being reprimanded."

Izuku scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, again. But I'm so glad to see you!"

"Likewise! Now, Midoriya-kun, let us not be late!" Iida shouted.

Maybe it was the air of a brand new school year, but Iida seemed a lot more enthusiastic and energetic than usual. Still his old self, of course, nothing could ever change that. As the two strolled through the grounds of U.A., it was only then that Izuku realized that the class was on a higher floor, which made sense in retrospect. After all, they aren't first-year students anymore. It will take some readjustment, but nothing the One For All holder can't handle.

As soon as he walked through the classroom door…

"IZUKU!"

Many voices boomed and all the familiar faces came into his view. It really did feel like old times again. He pondered around, noticing that everyone had different seats this year. And would it be lucky for him, he had a seat between his two favorite people; Iida and Uraraka. Speaking of whom, the girl ran up to him first.

"It's great to see you, Deku-kun," Uraraka said with a smile.

"It's nice to see you too, Uraraka-chan," Izuku responded.

All of the other classmates began to talk amongst themselves, or toward Izuku.

"Hey, don't leave us hanging, Midoriya!" Kaminari calls out.

"Yeah! We've missed you!" Toru shouted.

"But we're sitting down, are we not?" Shoto asked Kaminari.

"I don't believe that's what Kaminari-san is referring to, Todoroki-san," Momo said.

Some of the classmates walked up to Izuku. It was great to see everyone again, however, perhaps it was a tad overwhelming.

"So Midoriya, how has the last year or so been?" Shoji asked.

"Still as strong as ever? We totally need a manly spar!" Kirishima shouted.

"Perhaps work more work on your martial arts as well?" Ojiro suggested.

"Guys!" Mina interjected, "Midori just got here. Let's try to chill a little bit?"

Everyone stopped their rambling and took a moment to simmer down, stretching their heads as they did so. That's when the little green-haired goody two-shoes giggled.

"Seeing you all again here, makes me feel right back at home," Izuku said.

He suddenly jumped at the crackling sound of sparks in Bakugo's right hand.

"Enough of the sappiness and let's just get the day started," Bakugo said.

"Ah, Kacchan! How have you been doing? I'm sorry I haven't been in contact with you for a while. Actually, I'm sorry I've barely been in contact with all of you. I know just last month me and Uraraka-san went and ate together, but I feel like I haven't exactly been fair to everyone—"

There it was. The familiar and in all honesty deeply missed, signature Izuku Midoriya rambles. That whole year without another suddenly felt like it was just yesterday. It was great to have everyone together again. Hell, some were even happy to see Mineta again, surprisingly enough.

"If reunions are now over," a voice said from the doorway, that being Mr. Aizawa, who was of course in his sleeping bag, "can everyone take your seat so we can begin class for today? Also Bakugo, no Quirk usage in class unless instructed, or an emergency."

Ah, that unique tone of voice that somehow gives off the impression of actually caring, and also being out of it at the same time. That was Mr. Aizawa for you. The tired man, begrudgingly, rolls out of his sleeping bag and gets up on his feet. The class got fully seated as he approached the podium. He then opened a huge book, which was their attendance. After looking at the book, he sighed and held up a paper bag.

"Just throw a piece of paper in the bag if you're here," Aizawa said.

Everything went by so fast, that Aizawa swore that they threw over a hundred crumpled balls of paper. But after checking the bag, there were 18… 19… 20… 25… 28?

"I didn't know I had 28 students. Who are the extra 8?" Aizawa asked, a slight sarcasm in his tone.

Everyone shrugged their shoulders, with a light and subtle, but audible whistling following afterward, which came from Izuku. The boy's face turned bright red, embarrassed upon realizing that his friends were now eyeing him. Unconscious habits die hard he supposed.

"W-Well, they wanted to be included," Izuku said.

The entire class looked at Izuku confused, as the Vestiges of One For All began to go back and forth within Izuku's mind space. And if Izuku's expression of slight discomfort was anything to go by, they now had a pretty good idea as to whom he referred to.

'I just don't think it's fair that we're accompanying the Tenth through class, yet we don't feel part of it!' Banjo said.

Bruce sighed. 'Are you a hero or a 5th grader?'

'Regardless, let's try to keep the Tenth's first day as carefree as possible.' Yoichi stated.

"Anyways," Aizawa sighed, "let us focus on our main objective for today."

"What would that be, ribbit?" Tsuyu said, placing a finger on her chin.

"The first assignment for today will be a simple training of your Quirks. However, we won't need to practice your Quirks on simple school exercises. Instead, it's a good old-fashioned sparring match with one another." Aizawa explained.

The class shouted in excitement and celebration. Well, except for Mineta, but that's only because he's hoping to not be paired against the monster of power in their class. Now that he thought about it, that could apply to A LOT of Class 2-A.

Izuku's eyes met with Bakugo's upon Aizawa announcing this. It had been quite a while since they'd ever fought. He was interested in what sort of ways the Explosion user had developed and improved his Quirk over the year. He was also curious about everyone else. What was Todoroki's Quirk like now? Sato's Quirk also packs a good punch. I wonder how much better Koda has got at his fear of bugs, as that would be—

"Earth to the Problem Child." Aizawa tapped his finger on Izuku's head, "The class is already on their way to equipping their costumes."

"I-I apologize, Mr. Aizawa!" Izuku made his way out toward the class. Wow, a lot of time sure can pass when you're in your own head.

Aizawa sighed but smiled. Even if he hasn't shown it, let alone admitted to it, he did miss this. At least, to a degree.

The breeze of the winds blew gently in the vast grassy green fields. Aizawa had led Class 2-A a good distance away from the U.A. High School, as a good open area like this is a perfect way to test out his student's Quirks. The hills in the distance are a great sight, the tall grass moving in unison with each gust of wind. The landscape is serene and tranquil, everything is calming. Everyone, now in their hero costumes, looked around, feeling the cool air against them, and admiring the fresh scenery.

"So, what do you think the rules will be?" Koda asked.

Jiro twirled one of her earphone jacks around her finger. "Probably something simple. Or maybe no rules at all. You never know with Mr. Aizawa."

Aizawa held a cup in his hand. "It's time to pick your groups. Each one of you will have a single partner that you will train with. To decide this, you will draw sticks, and if two people have the same number, that is your partner."

The teacher motioned everyone to come up and grab their stick. However, as Izuku stepped up, he retracted the cup while shaking his head.

"I forgot to mention. Midoriya, Bakugo, Todoroki, and Kirishima. The four of you will stand off to the side. I've got an alternative in mind." Aizawa said.

The four boys looked at one another, just shrugging and doing as Aizawa instructed. That didn't stop Bakugo from being slightly annoyed. The other sixteen students walked up in a straight line to their teacher and drew their sticks from the cup. After each stick was grabbed, Aizawa ordered everyone to call out their numbers.

The groups were as follows:

[Rikido Sato - Tenya Iida]

[Ochako Uraraka - Mezo Shoji]

[Toru Hagakure - Yuga Ayoyama]

[Fumikage Tokoyami - Hanata Sero]

[Tsuyu Asui - Kyoka Jiro]

[Mashirao Ojiro - Momo Yaoyorozu]

[Minoru Mineta - Mina Ashido]

[Denki Kaminari - Koji Koda]

"Hoping I won't disappoint you, Shoji!" Uraraka said, extending her hand out.

Shoji takes her hand and gives a friendly handshake. "Likewise."

"Woohoo! We to battle it at, Ayoyama!" Toru cheered, lightly jabbing the boy.

Ayoyama smiled, doing one of his exaggerated poses. "Prepare yourself, for I will be quite the opponent!"

"Ugh. Why do I get stuck with Mineta?" Mina complained.

Mineta gasped. "Hey! I'm not that bad anymore!"

"Yes, because I had to fix you! And besides, you're still annoying either way."

"Well, well… okay I can't argue that."

Ojiro sighed at the squabble as he turned toward Momo. "I'm hoping you're prepared Yaoyorozu, because I won't be holding back."

Momo smiled. "I won't either. Let's both do our best."

Izuku, Bakugo, Shoto, and Kirishima looked on at all of their students interacting and preparing for sparring. But they are still confused about why they weren't allowed to choose sticks. If Izuku was counting correctly, there were only sixteen sticks in the cup that Mr. Aizawa was holding.

"You four. Pay attention."

The boys turned their attention toward their teacher. Almost immediately Izuku raised his hand, with Aizawa holding his palm up.

"I know what you're going to ask, Midoriya." Aizawa said, "Why did I exclude you four from the activity? Well, to correct that assumption, it's not that I'm excluding you. Just doing yours differently."

Shoto tilted his head. "That meaning?"

Aizawa pointed at Izuku. "Step up, Midoriya."

Izuku nodded, doing as he was told to. He then noticed that Aizawa stepped off to the side. The green-haired boy was puzzled until he looked back at his three classmates. These three were some of the strongest in their class. Put that with the fact that Izuku was objectively the strongest, and the answer was simply…

"Bakugo, Kirishima, Todoroki, your task is simple. Spar against Midoriya. And at least try to hold back a little bit. I don't want to have all four of you seriously injured." Aizawa stated.

Bakugo smirked. "Hell yeah! I've been waiting for a chance to humble you, Izuku!"

"Humble him for what?" Kirishima asked.

Bakugo pointed at their target. "He's the strongest in our class. I can admit that much. But I will not allow power to go to his head."

"That's considerate of you," Shoto said.

"Shut up, Half 'n Half!" Bakugo roared.

Aizawa sighed. "Anyways, you all will begin in…"

"Three."

Izuku took a deep breath. This was his chance to fully show what he was capable of.

"Two."

He bent down, his feet planted into the ground as he leaned over on his knees.

"One. Go."

Immediately Bakugo went in for a point-blank explosion, but Izuku was prepared for this. He guessed it was time to test out a new move he had been working on.

"One For All - Burst Rupture - 50%!"

In that instant, a huge burst of power shot out from Izuku's entire being, knocking away not just Bakugo, but Shoto and Kirishima as well.

"The hell was that!?" Bakugo shouted.

Burst Rupture: There are going to be times when Izuku does not want to go all out at certain percentages, let alone 100% of One For All, as to keep his stamina in check. To combat this and as an easy way to keep enemies at bay and away, he developed "Burst Rupture", which allows him to build up a certain percentage of One For All, and expel it from his body as an Area of Effect attack.

Izuku stood up straight and said, "One For All - Full Cowl - 40%!"

There was that classic One For All look on Izuku. The three boys now knew they had to be cautious. He's been holding back some new moves from them. Just what kind of training was he doing in his free time?

"Alright, here's my plan," Kirishima said.

"Hey, who said you're the leader?" Bakugo replied.

"Focus, you two!" Shoto shouts.

Izuku's movements didn't even register as he appeared right in front of them. He swung his left leg and caused a large amount of air to push them away, separating the three. Bakugo burst himself in the air and attempted to get in close again, but Izuku shot up and landed a kick in his stomach, before punching him right back into the ground. He kept himself afloat with Float.

"Mr. Aizawa did say to not hold back. So all three of you, give me everything you've got!" Izuku shouted.

He then saw a pathway of ice created right in front of him, with Shoto carrying Kirishima on his back as he slid up. The red-haired boy then jumped and prepared an attack on Izuku, however, Izuku used a Blackwhip and wrapped it around him, flinging him towards Bakugo. Shoto used his ice to catch Kirishima, but Izuku flew down and they began to dual.

"Blackwhip - Sword!" Izuku said, his dark green tendril turning into a blade.

He thrust the blade at Shoto, but the latter retaliated by freezing it and then smashing it into pieces with his fist. However, a strange amount of green sparks surrounded Izuku's fist as he then fired a surge of what seemed to be electricity, which hit Shoto, disorienting him and knocking him to the terrain below.

Shock Surge: Something that had always interested Izuku Midoriya was the electricity that surrounded his body whenever he activated One For All, as none of the precious users had it. Therefore, he dedicated time to training and honing it into something of his own. This is the result. "Shock Surge" is essentially the electricity of One For All, in which Izuku can use it in many ways, such as shocking his opponents.

Suddenly an explosion occurred and the ice below Izuku's feet began to collapse. He jumped up and used Float, then saw Bakugo preparing what looked like his 'AP Shot' in his hand. Bakugo from below smirked, but then noticed Izuku chanting something. That's when he noticed the ice that had broken off had suddenly formed into one giant ball, which Izuku now kicked towards him. Shoto attempts to provide some backup by firing a large amount of fire at it, but it's Bakugo's 'AP Shot' that finally breaks it.

"Behind you."

Izuku then suddenly appeared behind Bakugo and kicked him right into Shoto. Danger Sense then blared as he dodged a strong 'Red Gauntlet' from Kirishima, who had snuck up behind him. He then landed a strong blow to Kirishima's stomach, before being punched away by him.

"Fa Jin."

It was then Kirishima felt an intense pain, causing him to fall over to his knees. What even was that? Izuku's punch a second ago did do damage, but not to this extent.

"I've built up kinetic energy during my earlier dual with Todoroki-san. And then converted all the kinetic energy I've collected into my fist and I imbued that energy into your stomach, where I then detonated it to cause internal damage. I would say that was about the equivalent of 55% of One For All's power." Izuku explained.

Not many were aware, but Izuku's Quirk had undergone an awakening during his second-ever fight against Shigaraki, back against the Paranormal Liberation. Due to such overwhelming emotion and intensity, One For All had gone beyond Izuku's, and by extension, the past user's original comprehension. One For All had awakened. And by extension, the Quirks within it also awoken, and even more so, became more interconnected with One For All. This is why One For All and the other Quirks have new applications, such as Blackwhip's transfiguration without the use of Fa Jin or Fa Jin being able to imbue the kinetic energy into people or objects. In a simplified context, One For All was different and had evolved.

Danger Sense blared once more, taking Izuku out of a mental mumble, as he had to fly up and dodged the ice attack from Shoto.

"Half 'n Half! Kirishima! Cover your eyes!" Bakugo shouted.

"Hey, you remember my name! You really are manly!" Kirishima said.

"Not the time!!"

Bakugo creates a sphere of light between his hands and explodes it into a gigantic flash. That should blind him. He knew that Danger Sense would still alert Izuku of his next attack, but it didn't matter if he couldn't see where to dodge it. The boy used his explosions to gain a great height and speed, as he prepared a 'Howitzer Impact' to try and finish the fight. But, something was off. Izuku… Izuku was staring at him!? Like, not blindly staring! He looked like he could actually see—

"Full Cowl - 40%—plus—Float!"

Izuku sped and flew downward, charging an attack with his fist. Bakugo swore if he said what he thought he would say…

"Detroit Smash!"

If the wind weren't already blowing, Bakugo would've felt ALL of the wind taken out of him with that attack. Once more he was forced to feel the harsh ground below and the dirt that came with it. Afterward, Izuku stayed afloat in the air.

"H-How… how the hell did you…?" Bakugo asked frustrated.

It had been a while, but Aizawa finally spoke up. "Not just you, Bakugo, all three of you are aware of Midoriya's abilities. So you should know how he'd be able to see through your blindness attempt."

'That's right.' Bakugo thought.

How could he forget? How could any of them forget?

'Ah, look at that. My Quirk comes in handy like always.' Shelton Bate said.

"Izuku Midoriya cannot be blinded."

World Order: The Quirk of the Sixth One For All user, Shelton Bate. In its first-ever iteration, it was a weaker version of Cathleen's New Order, as her being his daughter and Quirks growing with each generation, it would bound to happen. One of the biggest weaknesses was only having one rule applied at a time. After being stockpiled in One For All, however, it grew to be on par with New Order. And when One For All eventually awakened, well, it was practically unrecognizable.

"The Seventh's… Smokescreen!"

A purple smoke surrounded Izuku, completely enclosing and hiding him. Shoto once again created an icy pathway, the three of them rushing forward and toward the smoke. However, they were nearly taken out by an Air Force bullet. Bakugo got tried as he charged forward and charged up a 'Howitzer Impact'.

"Half 'n Half! Go right! Kirishima! Go left!"

"Got it!"

They surrounded Izuku on all sides, as Kirishima prepared his 'Red Gauntlet', and Shoto with his 'Flashfire Fist'. All three heroes charged right in to land their attacks, even at the risk of hitting themselves. But their attacks never landed, as they blew away the smoke, Izuku was gone.

"How the hell did he—"

"Full Cowl - 40%—plus—Fa Jin!"

Suddenly, from elsewhere, Izuku started barreling in from behind Kirishima. However, the hero known as Red Riot put up his ultimate technique, Unbreakable. He didn't want to use it now, but it was either this or potentially getting knocked out.

"Faux 80%! Manchester… SMASH!"

Izuku's leg connected with Kirishima, landing what should have been a devastating blow to the man. However, Izuku did not account for Unbreakable at this moment, so he ended up receiving a dose of 'Red Counter' to his face. He then felt himself entrapped within Shoto's ice.

"Oh…" Izuku started.

'Shit.' The past users finished.

Izuku watched as all three began charging the strongest attacks they could think of. Well, perhaps he'd have to waste some stamina here.

"One For All - Full Cowl - 100%!"

Immediately the glacier exploded into the tiniest of pieces at the pure power of Izuku. It was for that moment, however, that he went down to a less stamina-inducing 50%. The three boys were in awe.

"Oh…" Kirishima said.

"My…" Shoto said.

"Fuck." Bakugo finished.

Izuku, without even calling it out, immediately went into Gearshift - Second Gear. He went around, landing multiple blows to his classmates, although Kirishima was not budging just yet. At this point, this genuinely looked like a losing scenario. And to add salt to the wound…

"What... the hell... is going on...!?" Bakugo struggled to speak.

Kirishima and Shoto were also confused. The air quality around them suddenly got super dense, like they could barely breathe.

"World Order - The air within a 5-meter radius will become incredibly dense."

Bakugo desperately tried to launch a 'Howitzer Impact', but it just didn't come about. Izuku appeared right in front of him and landed a devastating blow to his stomach, having the boy down for the count. The boy looked toward Kirishima and Shoto, both completely lost for words and out of breath.

However, Izuku smiled and disabled One For All. He then turned and shouted, "I think this is where we end things, Mr. Aizawa!"

Aizawa sighed, as he approached the four. He picked up the unconscious Bakugo with his binding cloth. "I will take him to Recovery Girl. Are the rest of you very injured or completely unconscious?"

Izuku looked around, looking completely fine, while Kirishima and Shoto simply fell over on the nice green grass to relax.

"Answer given. You three watch the rest of your students. And if you're feeling up for it, spar more in the meantime. Less intensely, please."

The insomnia-looking man walked off back towards U.A. High School, with an unconscious Katsuki Bakugo in tow.

Izuku scratched the back of his head. "Sorry if I went a little rough guys. I really wanted to push you guys."

Kirishima gave a tried thumbs up. "I-It's fine, Midori-Bro! That fight was manly as hell!"

"I have to agree with him. That fight was quite intense. You still prove to me that I have a long way to go." Shoto said.

"O-Oh come on, you two. Fighting someone of my caliber is going to be rare. A-And trust me, you guys are strong! You could be even stronger than me eventually!" Izuku pleaded.

"Don't sell yourself short, dude. You'll definitely be the number-one hero." Kirishima said.

A smile was plastered right across Izuku's face. And now that he had a chance to rest, he was thinking about what Saiko might be going through. What test was she given at the start of her school year? Well, whatever it is, he's going to be cheering her on in spirit.

A/N: Wow, this was certainly a fun chapter to work on. In all honesty, this chapter was actually going to be much longer, including the beginning of Saiko's day at Seiai, but I decided that it would be better to have this chapter be more Izuku focused, while next chapter will be more Saiko centered. That's the plan, anyway.

Now I know with the Izuku fight, I kind of bomb dropped a ton of new things for him, which will probably lead some people either confused, or possibly upset. I do promise to go further into detail about certain aspects in future chapters to please anyone with those problems. But even then, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the fight. That's all for now! Until next time!