-57-

The Big Three

Class 1-A all sat in their desks, ready to begin the next semester of their Hero Training journey. The Provisional Licensing exam had taken a lot out of them, and due to the fact that one of them had not successfully passed the exam, they had fallen behind their counterparts in Class 1-B, who had all managed to pass the exam successfully. Todoroki had taken this shame personally, but Izuku and the others did their best to remind him that it wasn't a competition.

Izuku found his mind wandering. He still was wrestling with his fight with Kacchan in his dream the night before, and the things that he said to him. He still had so much to learn about his quirk, and knew that he was going to have to work twice as hard as his peers, who had the luxury of developing their quirks over their entire lives. But, whether he was an echo, ghost, or whatever, Izuku was glad that he had Kacchan on his side.

"All right, listen up," Said Aizawa. The class immediately fell silent. "Starting today we'll resume our regular classes and training schedule. I know a lot has happened recently. However, you need to switch gears and focus on your school duties. This semester you will have even harsher training than before."

"He can't mean that, can he?" Ashido whispered to Asui. Aizawa shot her a glare, and she fell silent.

"Mr. Aizawa," Said Asui, raising her hand. "What were those things the principal said about hero work studies? Is that something the upperclassmen participate in?"

There was a chittering of agreement between the students at her question. Izuku had been wondering about that as well. They had attended internships in their last semester in an effort to gain hands-on experience doing hero work, perhaps they were similar to that.

Aizawa sighed, scratching his head in thought. "I was planning to talk more about those things at a later date," he said. "But I suppose telling you now is more logical. Simply put, it's work outside of class. They're like the internships you did at the pro hero agencies before, only closer to the real thing."

"Wait, then why did we work so hard at the sports festival?" Said Uraraka.

"That's a good point," Said Iida. "Wasn't the whole point to get scouted by hero agencies?"

"You'll be using your connections made from the festival to secure a work study," Said Aizawa. "It's basic networking. Please keep in mind that this also isn't part of your normal classwork. It's discretionary for each student. For those of you who weren't scouted at the Sports Festival may have a harder time getting a Work Study position, but you also have the fact due to the recent influx of villain activity, there is a sharp increase in demand for licensed heroes. This is why the school has decided to allow first years to participate in Work Studies as well.

"Anyways, we'll discuss the Work Studies program in more detail at a later date," Aizawa continued. "In the meantime, you have more important things to focus on. Your first priority is to the Hero Course, training yourselves to be the best heroes you can be. That's all." Aizawa then excused himself as Present Mic entered the class for their English lesson.

Izuku and his classmates returned to the dorm rooms after a hard day of class. It was mostly lectures, but it was clear they were upping the ante on their course work. It was only the start of the term and Izuku already felt like he was starting to fall behind. As he made his way down the street towards the trash, his mind was buzzing a mile a minute. He had no idea how he was going to balance his coursework with this new Work Study idea, not to mention his training at the Warehouse. He was beginning to wonder if -

Izuku dropped the trash bags and drew a batarang from his belt. He had the sudden feeling as if he was being watched, and his instincts knew better than to take any chances. Looking around him, he found the source of the foreboding as his eyes fell on the wall of the building beside him.

Protruding out of the wall like a mask hanging on a hook was a cheerfully smiling face. The features of the face were simple and plain-looking, but with piercing blue eyes that seemed to look right through Izuku. At first he thought he was going crazy, or having another one of his weird vision episodes, like with Kacchan at the licensure exam. But after blinking several times, the face remained.

"Whao!" Said the face, looking at the raised batarang. "If you don't like my company, you should just say so, no need to get physical." He spoke in a joking, jovial manner, the smile on his face broadening. Izuku didn't answer, nor did he drop the batarang. The face looked down at the trash bags on the ground.

"You're heading to the trash?" The face said. "You can throw away the food trays with the burnables, you know. They go over that way." A hand seemed to protrude from the wall below the face, pointing in the direction of the incinerator before sinking back into the wall. Izuku stared at the spot the face used to occupy, not entirely sure what had happened.

"So you must be that first-year that everyone's talking about," Came the voice of the face again. This time, it was below him. Izuku leapt backwards instinctively, dropping into a fighting stance. The smiling face was now protruding from the sidewalk in front of him.

"Seriously though, you're not going to throw that thing at me?" Said the face, nodding towards the batarang. "I heard those things explode."

"Who - or what - are you?" Said Izuku, returning the batarang to his belt.

The face laughed gleefully. "Not a bad question there, my friend!" It said. "I admit, sometimes I even weird myself out. But don't worry, you're going to find out who I am soon enough. People have been talking a lot about you, and I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Glad to see that you've got a fighting spirit about you. Can't say I'm surprised considering all you've been through. See you soon." Without another word, the face melted back into the sidewalk and did not return, leaving Izuku even more bewildered than before. As he picked up the trash from the ground, something was nagging at him. He could swear that he had seen that plain-looking face before, but he couldn't place as to where.

"All right, listen up," said Aizawa at the start of class the next day. "Today we're going to go into more detail about what the work studies will entail and what it means for you first years."

Izuku looked up from his notebook, rapt at attention. He had been waiting for this since Aizawa mentioned it a few days ago. Aizawa and the rest of the teachers had been closed-mouthed about it since then, despite the class's desire to learn more. Aizawa stretched slightly, as if he was already bored with the subject, and looked towards the door.

"Come on in now," He said.

The door to the classroom opened to reveal three third-year students, marching towards the front of the room. One of them was a short, blue-haired young woman with a bubbly smile on her face. Though she stood at least a foot below her other two classmates, a confidence radiated about her that placed her on equal footing with the others. The second upperclassman, trailing behind the other two, looked sullen and withdrawn, his hair covering his eyes, keeping his hands in his pockets and hunched over, looking as if he would rather be anywhere else but there.

Izuku did a double take as he looked at the final upperclassman, the one leading the group as they marched in. He was tall, and was powerfully built in terms of his physique. Izuku would have recognized that plain-looking face and unending smile anywhere. It was the face that emerged from the wall to talk to him a few nights ago.

"Today I'm going to have people who have experienced work study opportunities firsthand explain what they are like," Said Aizawa. "I suggest you listen carefully as they explain how they differ from the internships you performed last semester." He gestured to the three students at the front of the class. "These three are third-years at UA," He continued. "They rank at the very top of our student body. You may know them as 'The Big Three.'"

The class murmured amongst each other in excitement. These three students were legends at UA high among third years, the best of the best the school had to offer. If anyone had the best prospects at becoming a hero, it was these three. In fact, they were already professional heroes on paper, only needing to graduate before transitioning to full-time status.

"The best of the hero course," Said Sero in awe.

"Wow!" Said Ashido excitedly.

Looking over the plain-faced third year, Izuku suddenly had a flash of realization. Seeing more than just his face, he was finally able to remember where he had seen him before. His name was Mirio Togata, and he was on TV from the UA Sports Festival the year before Izuku attended. His performance in the festival was subpar at best, but he left a strong impression on the audience due to the fact that his quirk, permeation, caused his clothes to fall off while broadcasting live. He remembered that the other two third-years there didn't take any medals home during the festival either, yet they were all the top that the school had to offer. It made Izuku wonder how they were able to obtain the title of UA's Big Three.

"Get to it," said Aizawa unceremoniously. "Introduce yourselves briefly. Let's start with Amajiki."

The slouching student reacted by sending an intense look throughout the class that seemed to pierce through them to their very souls. Izuku found himself surprised by the sheer intensity in this student's gaze before Amajiki suddenly began to tremble terribly.

"I just can't," he said, his voice shaking. "No words are coming out. My mind is blank. My mouth is dry. I want to go home." He suddenly turned on his heel, placing his head against the wall. The class was left in stunned silence.

"Come, on, Amajiki!" Laughed the blue-haired third-year. "You need to have the heart of a lion, not a kitten. You know, even though you're a human." She giggled at her own joke, turning to the class. "This is our kitten, Tamaki Amajiki, and my name is Nejire Hado. You first years have a really exciting time ahead of you with Work Studies. Hey, wait, hold on!" She said suddenly, running up to a stunned Shoji. "Why are you wearing a mask?"

Shoji stared at her in disbelief. It was as if she completely forgot what she was there to talk to them about. "Uh, well. . ." He began.

"Oh, whoa!" Hado said, walking instead over to Todoroki, leaving her question to Shoji unanswered. "You must be Todoroki, right? How did you get that big burn on your face?"

Todoroki flinched slightly. "That's none of your -"

"And, Ashido!" Hado continued, moving away from Todoroki. "If your horns break off, do you think you'll grow new ones?" She continued jumping from person to person with inane questions, moving to the next person before they could be answered. Though she was one of the Big Three, she appeared to Izuku to be a complete airhead. However, experience told Izuku that appearances can be deceiving, so he didn't think too much about it.

"This is completely irrational," Said Aizawa. His quirk had activated, his eyes glowing red as it did when he was agitated. Togata seemed to have picked up on this and quickly stepped in.

"There's no need for you to worry, Eraser Head," He said. "I'll get the audience refocused." He turned to the class and with as much bravado and showmanship as he could muster announced to them "The future's gonna be . . .?!"

He paused, holding his hand to his ear, expecting the class to answer him back. They all just sat in stunned silence. This was not at all how they were expecting finally meeting the Big Three would go. Despite their reputations, they were not making a very good first impression.

"'Awful!'" Said Togata, as if the answer was obvious. "'The future's gonna be awful!' That's your part, guys! Aw, man, my call and response was a total fail!" He threw his head back in raucous laughter.

"Okay, okay," Togata said, centering himself after a moment. "I guess it's hard for you guys to know what's going on. We're just third years who showed up to explain a program that's completely voluntary. I can see how you'd be confused by that." He paused for a minute, thinking to himself. "You guys got your provisional licenses as first years, right? You've proven to be pretty darn energetic. I got it!" He slammed his fist in his hand, startling the class. "The new plan is: you first years all fight me at once!"

The class murmured to each other in blatant confusion. Izuku couldn't help but share in their confusion. If they were supposed to be talking to them about Work Study programs, how would fighting help them? Aizawa seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Explain to me how that is relevant in any way?" He said.

"Well," Said Togata, scratching his nose. "If you want them to experience our experience, this is a pretty rational way of doing it then. Right Eraser Head? Rational."

Aizawa paused for a minute. "Do whatever you want," he said finally.

Class 1-A gathered around at one of the training grounds, all wearing their gym uniforms. Togata was stretching and warming himself up, preparing for the upcoming battle. Privately, Izuku was excited. He had already seen Togata's ability up close, but it would be another thing entirely to see it performed in combat. The other students were too stunned by Togata's behavior to know what to think.

"Is he. . . for real?" Asked Sero.

"Totes real," Said Togata cheerfully.

"Your impossible, Mirio," Said Amajiki, leaning his head against the wall on the other side of the room. "It would have been simple enough for us to just tell them."

"Where's the fun in that?" Said Togata.

"I'm serious," Said Amajiki. "Think about how bad it'll look if some of them don't recover after fighting you. No one wants to spend the next few years in a hospital bed."

"Seriously?" Said Mineta, concerned.

"I bet he's just trying to psyche us out," Said Kirishima.

"Let's think about this," Said Tokoyami. "You're obviously a lot further ahead than us, but we've fought pros before."

"Not to mention we took down some legitimate villains," Said Kirishima proudly. "We're not a bunch of wannabes."

"Word," said Togata. "But you're gonna have to show me that's the truth. Now, who's gonna start this party?"

"I've got this," Said Kirishima.

"Kirishima, wait!" Said Izuku, but it was too late. Kirishima was already running at full speed, finally lunging towards Togata, who stood completely still. Not even his smile faded. Kirishima threw a heavy kick towards Togata's face, which completely passed right through it. Kirishima balked with surprise while in midair, tumbling and hitting the ground hard.

The rest of the class gasped in collective shock as Togata's clothes seemed to fall off him and drop to the floor, leaving him stark naked.

"Oopsie!" He said, trying to put his pants back on. "My quirk's kinda tricky."

Sero, Ashido, Aoyama and the other long-distance fighters attacked him with their quirks, but like Kirishima before them, they passed right through him. Izuku threw an explosive batarang along with the attacks, but when the smoke cleared, Togata was gone.

"Where'd he go?!" Said Kaminari, panicking.

Everyone turned at the sound of a loud scream behind them. Togata had appeared behind Jiro, coming up from the ground, stark naked, and startling her completely. Izuku's mind was racing. He was trying to take out the long-distance fighters first. With lightning speed he quickly moved between Jiro, Tokoyami, Sero, and Mineta, disabling them with a single punch to the solar plexus.

"This is crazy! How did this guy luck out with such a powerful quirk?!" Shouted Kirishima. Izuku saw it differently. As Togata mowed down his classmates, he could see that it was more than just his quirk that made him powerful, but his skill in using it. It had to take immense training and ability to use a quirk to this level of proficiency. He moved so quickly that it was already hard to see him, and it didn't help that it was difficult to determine where he would appear again once he disappeared into the floor beneath them.

Togata finished taking down the final long-distance fighter, standing proudly over his achievement, leaving the rest of the class shocked and dismayed at how quickly he had defeated their allies.

"How did he do that so quickly," Said Kirishima.

"It's one thing to be able to phase through stuff, but is he able to warp as well?" Said Uraraka.

"He's unrivaled," Said Ojiro. "Do we even stand a chance?"

"Hold on, everyone," Said Izuku. "There's more to his quirk than what we're seeing. Even if he can pass through objects, he's still landing his attacks directly. That's how we beat him, by countering him just before his attack makes contact."

"Right!" Said Kirishima.

"So you think you've figured out my quirk," Said Togata. "But let's see if it'll help you win." He took off towards them with impressive speed, dropping into the ground once again.

"He's underground!" Shouted Sato. Everyone began looking for a possible exit point. Izuku pondered for a moment. If he had to guess, he would expect him to appear from -

Izuku turned on his heel, launching an explosive blast directly into the face of a stunned Togata. Izuku lunged through the smoke from his explosion, throwing a powerful kick towards his foe, only for it to pass right through him. Togata used Izuku's momentum to thrust his fingers towards Izuku's face, who shielded his eyes before they made contact. Izuku realized it was a ruse, as seconds later a solid punch connected with his abdomen.

"You predicted where I'd come out," He heard Togata say. "And you tried to counter. Impressive. But I've trained myself and learned how to work around them. Pretty good try, though." Togata continued his rampage throughout the rest of the short-range fighters, one by one, knocking them to their knees, before finally standing above them, forming a triumphant pose.

"POWER-"

Togata's victory cry was cut short as a batarang nearly connected with his head. He only just activated his quirk before it had reached its target. Surprised, Togata looked at the source, seeing Izuku rising to his feet, shaking slightly but otherwise unharmed.

"You're gonna have to do better than that," He said, dropping back into a fighting stance.

Togata couldn't repress a smile. "I knew you had a fighting spirit about you," He said. "Still, it's hard to believe you're still standing, that attack usually puts people down for the count."

"I've been hit harder," Said Izuku.

"We'll see about that," Said Togata, disappearing into the ground below him. Izuku didn't react. Togata was trying to bait him into moving prematurely. He had to wait for the most opportune moment before striking back. In a flash, Togata appeared from the floor again. He moved as fast as lightning towards Izuku, whose back was still turned to him. He was ready to deliver the final blow. This fight would soon be over.

Izuku turned at the last second, catching Togata's fist in his hands. Togata balked in surprise, activating his quirk instinctively to protect his face. Instead, however, Izuku delivered a powerful sweeping kick to his knees, knocking him aloft. Izuku tried to use Togata's own weight against him as he fell to deliver a knee-kick to his abdomen, but Togata passed right through it and back into the floor.

Izuku used his quirk to lunge backwards, gaining some distance and a vantage point in the air. Togata appeared from floor, launching high into the air towards Izuku, who used his quirk in an attempt to force him back. Togata phased through the smoke, slightly disappointed. He had to know that his explosive blasts wouldn't be effective. Modoriya seemed to be acting out of panic as he advanced on him -

No, Togata thought. This is a trick!

Sure enough, as he cleared the smoke, Midoriya was no longer in sight. Just as Togata was phasing through the ground to hide his movements, Midoriya was using the smoke from his explosions to hide himself from Togata.

Turning in midair, Togata activated his quirk just in time before another set of explosive batarangs collided with him. Izuku used his quirk to launch himself forward towards Togata, who let him pass through him, grabbing him by the ankle as he did. Using all the strength he could muster, he attempted to thrust Midoriya downwards towards the floor of the training hall, but with sickening surprise, realized that Midoriya had used his quirk to spin himself in midair, allowing him to build up momentum enough to throw Togata downwards towards the floor instead.

As Togata came tumbling down to the hard ground below, Izuku used his quirk to follow behind him. He knew that Togata would use his quirk to prevent himself from getting hurt from the fall, and would try to pass through the ground. But Izuku was ready. As soon as Togata resurfaced, that was his window.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Togata emerged from the ground below. Izuku let loose with a powerful explosive blast that filled the stadium with smoke. Aizawa coughed violently, trying to clear the smoke around him. These kids were getting too out of hand. He had to stop it before -

As the smoke dissipated, Aizawa saw Togata and Midoriya standing across from each other, their battle finished, panting heavily from combat fatigue, but unharmed. Checking the rest of the other incapacitated students, he could see that they too were unharmed from the chaos around them.

Well, thought Aizawa. It appears they know how to show a little restraint after all. Aizawa took a moment to reflect on Midoriya and Togata, and found a striking similarity between the two of them. It was no wonder they were on such equal footing with each other. They were both products of the hard work they put in to develop their talents and abilities, and would stop at nothing until their goal is reached. In his mind, Togata was the most logical person to advance to the title of Number 1 Hero in Japan, and that was including the current Pros in the field. However, Aizawa had to admit, he had some staunch competition in Midoriya.

"Sorry if you all got a peek at my willy," said Togata cheerfully. Once the class began to recover from Togata's attacks, he gathered them around for a quick discussion. "My quirk is a little tricky, but it's also pretty strong."

"No fair!" Said Hagakure. "Our quirks are nothing compared to yours!"

"How did you get so strong?" Said Ashido.

"Well, that's what I'm here to tell you," said Togata. "My quirk is called Permeation. That means I have the ability to pass through objects."

"How were you able to launch yourself out of the ground at different places," said Izuku. He wished he had his notebook with him to write this down.

"I activate my quirk in my entire body, and I can pass through anything I want, including solid ground," said Togata. "And whenever I release my quirk while I'm falling through the ground, I get repelled upwards out of the ground at high speeds."

"I see," said Izuku. "The Pauli Exclusion Principle, objects with mass cannot overlap."

"Exactly!" Said Togata. "By adjusting the direction I'm facing or the pose I'm holding, I can change the angle I come out at so I can aim at different spots."

"You can avoid any attack and move where you want in an instant," Said Asui, amazed. "You were born with a really strong quirk!"

"Not true," Said Togata. "My quirk is only strong because I made it that way."

"What do you mean?" Said Todoroki.

"Let me put it this way," Said Togata. "While my quirk is activated, my lungs can't hold in oxygen. Even if I try to breathe in, the air will pass right through. In the same way my eardrums don't work, and my retinas can't take in sunlight. I can pass through anything, but that also means I can't feel anything while I'm in that state. Even though I have a body, I can't stop falling. I could probably keep falling forever."

Izuku felt anxiety rushing to his mind just thinking about the sensation Togata was describing. It must have been very frightening the first time his quirk had activated, completely falling without the ability to see, hear, or even breathe.

"That's why if I want to pass through a solid object, such as a wall," Togata continued. "I have to concentrate really hard. I'll activate everything except one leg. Then I'll release the other leg and land on it, then the first leg is the last one to go through. Even for a simple move like that there are a bunch of little steps involved."

"Oh, man," said Kaminari. "If I was in a hurry I'd mess that up each time."

"As you can guess, when I was growing up I was always falling behind," Togata continued. "In no time, I'd dropped to dead last. I dropped my pants a lot too," he chuckled to himself. "In order to get to the top with this quirk, I couldn't just hope things would get better. I had to work hard, think faster, learn to make combat decisions, learn to predict my enemies moves, and I picked up a few new tricks. What made this all possible in the first place was experience, and I was able to use what I had learned to further develop my quirk and abilities. This fight was a roundabout way to get that point across, to show you what a culmination of experience can bring you."

These words resonated profoundly with Izuku. At first, Togata's quirk held him back, just as Izuku's lack of quirk did, but with his experience and training, he was able to find strength in his weaknesses, just as Togata did. It was what Bruce had been teaching him all throughout his training. It wasn't all the technology that made Batman so dangerous, but it was from the sheer amount of training and experience that his crusade had allotted him.

"In our work studies, we are not treated as guests, like we are in our internships," Said Togata. "We're regarded as one of the sidekicks, or even as a pro! That can be super scary. Pros can get hurt, and sometimes they end up watching people die. But even that is a powerful learning experience that you can't get inside a classroom, even at UA. That's what makes Work Studies so valuable. And personally, even though I know your only first years, I can see that you already have what it takes to make it in your Work Studies." His eyes settled on Izuku as he said this, as if he was speaking directly to him.

Everyone began chatting excitedly amongst each other in response to Togata's speech. Izuku couldn't blame them. Reflecting on the events in Gotham, the Hosu incident with the Hero Killer, and taking down the Sludge Villain, he realized that he had been presented with more experience and more opportunity to perform hero work than the rest of his class, most of it under the radar. With each battle he had learned more about himself, and had grown in strength and ability. But even still he knew that there was still a lot he could learn, and now that he had his provisional license, he could legally operate as a full-fledged hero.

He couldn't wait to get started.

Togata, Hado, and Amajiki all made their way out of the training hall after their demonstration, ready to head back to class. Despite a rocky first impression, Togata felt that their presentation had been a success.

"I thought you were gonna hurt them by accident," Said Hado. "But it all turned out okay. Way to go, Mirio."

"It was kind of touch-and-go there for a little bit," Mirio agreed. "And they saw me naked."

"Yeah, but did anyone surprise you?" Asked Hado. I wanna know! Come on, spill!"

"Well, I usually defeat people using the element of surprise," Said Togata. "It's my basic strategy, in a nutshell. But that guy Midoriya was able to analyze my moves, and predict what I would do with near perfect accuracy. I haven't had a fight as tough as him in a long time, and he's only in his first year."

"Isn't that the kid who was trained by Batman?" Said Amajiki.

"Yeah! And he took down the Hero Killer, too!" Said Togata, beaming with excitement. "You know, I bet Sir would love to meet him!"

"Huh? Work study opportunities?"

Dick Grayson was sitting at his desk in his apartment complex in Bludhaven. He was going over the details of one of the cases he was working on when he received a call from Izuku.

"I was wondering," Izuku said. "Since I did my internship with you, and you're the leader of the Titans, if there are any opportunities with them for UA's Work Studies program?"

"Sorry kid," said Dick glumly. "The Titans don't have an agency in Japan, and I'm stuck in Bludhaven buried under a thousand cases. I volunteered to do the internship thing since it was only temporary and so I could finally get a chance to meet you. Have you talked to Bruce? Maybe the Justice League has something for you."

"I thought the Justice League didn't operate in Japan?" Said Izuku.

"Well, that was the old policy," Said Dick. "The Justice League focused more on worldwide threats, leaving day-to-day hero work to individual hero agencies. However, since the Kamino Ward incident and All Might's retirement, they've been looking to expand their operation to Japan to help ease the power-vacuum there. Maybe he has something for you."

Izuku was standing outside a large office building in Musustafu. Izuku's heart was beating in his chest. When he had spoken to Bruce about the Work Studies program, he was worried that he would forbid him from doing it, citing reasons such as "it would interfere with his training" or something like that. But instead, Bruce had handed him a business card with the address of the building before him, telling him that he could do worse than this place, and left it at that.

Izuku steeled himself, and walked through the door.

He found himself in the lobby of the building. It was posh and very well decorated. Fine art lined the walls with various models and statues adorning the tables and centerpieces. A secretary set at a desk on the far end of the room, busily typing at a computer. Izuku approached the desk and cleared his throat. The secretary did not notice him.

"Um, excuse me," Said Izuku. "I was told to come here about a work study-"

"Name?" The secretary interrupted, without looking up.

"Oh, um, Izuku Midoriya?" He said awkwardly.

The secretary finally looked up at him, eyeing him curiously. Without a word, she picked up the phone from the receiver and began to dial an extension. Izuku waited patiently as the call dialed.

"It's me," She said finally. "He's here." After a moment or so, she placed the phone back onto the receiver. "You can go in. He's expecting you." She said to Izuku. She pressed a button on her desk, which opened the security door into the building. Izuku walked through the doors, trying hard to steady his trembling hands.

He entered upon a large hallway connecting with several rooms. As he passed, the rooms included various training areas, a gym, what looked like a medical wing, and many others that were closed to him. As he looked through one of the doorways that led to the training halls, he could see several professional heroes and their sidekicks going through their regimens. Some of them were performing drills on an obstacle course, others were participating in sparring matches. Izuku hadn't seen so many heroes in one place since his trip to the Watchtower.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Said a voice from behind him. Izuku jumped out of his skin, turning to see a tall man standing next to him. He was handsome, in his late thirties to early forties, with a shock of blond hair that was perfectly coiffed with a matching blond goatee on his face. He had a powerful build, and was wearing a black long-sleeved t-shirt, jeans, and a green leather jacket.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Said the man, chuckling to himself. "You Batkids are always so jumpy. You must be Izuku Midoriya. My name is Oliver Queen. Great to finally meet you." He stuck his hand out for Izuku to shake it. As he did, Izuku couldn't help but stare in complete awe.

Bruce had sent him to the Green Arrow.

*Authors notes: Sorry it took so long for this one to get out, I've been slammed with work and school. I hope this was worth the wait!

Thanks for reading!