I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.

Today was the day Mineta, Midoriya, and their classmates start their journey through UA for real. And you all know what that means…

LEARNING. MUNDANE. SUBJECTS.

English…

"Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this sentence?" Present Mic asked, his normally loud and energetic voice sounding unenthusiastic.

"I guess even UA cannot escape the 'National Mandatory Curriculum'…" Mineta thought as he wrote down the sentence on the board. He then proceeded to circle one of the words and made a note near it.

'The relative conjugation doesn't go here'.

Math…

"How's this!?" Kaminari Denki shouted as he put down the piece of chalk. The teacher, the Hero Ectoplasm, looked at the problem that the guy tried to solve and shook his head.

"It's wrong. Could someone tell me what Kaminari missed about this?"

"He missed the exponent, dividing the 7, and subtracting the 58. The actual answer's 17." Asui Tsuyu replied after raising her hand.

"I was so close!" Kaminari screamed dramatically, but anyone could tell he was messing around. But still, that girl bluntly shot him down with the flattest tone Mineta's ever heard.

"You weren't."

That's brutal… Still, that kind of attitude did give a domineering air to her. Asui Tsuyu, Mineta has to be careful on how he approaches her… Otherwise he'd just have another slap added to his face.

Science…

"What did you do!?" Mineta screamed. He stepped away for one moment to ask the teacher a question… Only to come back to a beaker that was vomiting out fire like the Gates of Hell. His lab partner for the class, Aoyama Yuga, just nervously shrugged as Midoriya came to the scene with a fire extinguisher.

Lunch…

"You okay Mineta-kun?" Midoriya asked as he sat down. Mineta raised his body up from the table and looked at his friend. They were in UA's cafeteria, where the food was top class for its price. The shorter boy groaned as he sat up right, but he looked like he was going to collapse again.

"I'm still trying to process how on Earth that guy managed to make such an incredible flame. We weren't even working with any volatile or flammable chemicals…"

"Yeah… That was extraordinary… Ah, Iida-kun! Uraraka-san! Over here!" Midoriya replied before shouting towards two approaching individuals. Their newly made friends quickly made their way to the table and sat down, their meals still piping hot. Mineta tiredly greeted them with a nod before hitting his head against the table, rattling everyone's cutlery and dishes.

"You still wiped out from chemistry?" Ochako asked before munching on some rice. The shorter boy could only groan as he reached for the Hot Dog that was starting to grow cold. Iida swallowed the food he was chewing and cupped his chin with his free hand.

"At least no one was injured in that spectacle. But I am concerned that this level of bad luck might be an omen of things to come…"

"Iida-kun, don't be like that, we just started the semester." Ochako said as she threw salt from a packet over her shoulder.

"Let's not get too tense about something that already happened. Instead, let's use that energy for our next class. "Midoriya said with a chuckle. Now that roused Mineta from his stupor and his lips were slowly being pulled into a smile. That's right, next class was the one they have all been waiting for…

"Hero Fundamentals…"

"I know right!? I can hardly wait to see everyone in action!" Uraraka said as she began bobbing up and down.

"And the costumes…" Mineta mumbled, drool dribbling out the corner of his mouth. Already was he letting his imagination run wild, dressing the girls of 1A in costumes that ranged from sensible to sensual.

But the moment Mineta, in his euphoric state, turned to Uraraka and Iida… He noticed that the two were pressing their backs against their seats, slowly inching away from him.

"Shit! Sorry about that!" Mineta shouted as he began purging the excess drool from his face. Uraraka and Iida looked at each other with a concerned frowned before turning to Midoriya for help.

"Midoriya-kun… Should we be worried? Because that wasn't the face of a Saint." Iida asked.

"Yeah, Mineta was… Uhhh…" Uraraka added, making vague gestures to replace her lack of words. The shorter boy felt a bit of cold sweat roll down his neck, did he just blow the lid on his own perverted nature? He slowly turned to Midoriya and saw him shake his head, face completely relaxed.

"Don't mind that, Mineta-kun's a bit of a 'Hero costume' nut. Whenever the two of us start talking about Heroes, we go into length about several things but he has a tendency to drift towards Costumes. Whether it's breaking down the function or understanding the meaning of the aesthetic, he always has an interesting analysis of it."

Mineta turned back to Uraraka and Iida and let out a long but quiet sigh upon seeing their expressions change. From being suspicious and thoroughly disgusted, the two were now skeptical but intrigued. So, with a huff to muster his courage, he went to face the audience that Midoriya had graciously prepared for him.

"Yeah, I can get pretty carried away with my lust for good costumes. There's a kind of awesome feeling when you see a Hero wear a suit that 'fits' them. Look at All Might for example, his suit symbolizes who he is as a Hero. The suit doesn't have any fancy gadgets or excessive decorations, just eye popping color and sometimes a cape. This simplicity, when compared to other Heroes, tells me that All Might doesn't want to be judged by his appearance alone but by his actions." Mineta explained. Well that first part wasn't a complete lie; he did enjoy studying a good costume...

It's just that he had a preference towards female costumes.

Still, his audience seemed to be listening more closely. For Uraraka, she leaned in so that she can hear him more clearly through the cafeteria noise. As for Iida, he pulled out his notebook and pen and began making notes. Mineta heard his friend let out a nervous chuckle over the sight and he doesn't blame them. But it was quite the treat to have more people listening on what is basically nerd talk.

"But that's not the only thing that his costume has to say, the colors mean something too. Before coming back to Japan, All Might used to do Hero work in the United States of America. When he returned, he brought back some of their best values, which included the colors of the American flag and what each of them means. Red for valor, white for purity, and blue for justice." Mineta continued.

"But what about the yellow in his costume? Doesn't that mean something?" Uraraka asked, raising her hand as though he was a teacher. Midoriya gave a silent chuckle as he leaned forward to explain, giving his friend a moment to rest and eat.

"It does, the yellow represents happiness and hope. But what's more interesting is where that color's placed, his arms and legs. I believe, through that, All Might says 'I'll hold up the things that make you smile'. And though not many people will focus on a detail so small, it certainly does help All Might's image."

"I always wondered why looking at even his costume made me feel happy, but that's deep." Uraraka commented before continuing with her lunch.

"Indeed, this is utterly fascinating. Please tell me more..." Iida said as he leaned in, an ominous glare reflecting off his glasses. Now it was Mineta and Midoriya's turn to inch back slowly, feeling unnerved by Iida's seriousness. But upon looking at each other, they nodded and began to share their collected notes with their new friends. And for the rest of lunch, their table was just filled with conversations about Heroes and their costumes.

Hero Basic Training…

"I...! AM…!"

Mineta couldn't help but feel let the shivers run down his body to that bold voice. He wondered which Hero would be teaching them on how to be a Hero, but it seems the rumors were true. The hype in the room couldn't be any higher as the man of the hour burst through the door in rather peculiar way.

"Coming through the door like a normal person!" All Might shouted as he leaned in, hanging from the frame.

"That's hardly normal…" Mineta thought, sweat rolling down his head. Regardless, the rest of his classmates were whispering to one another in awe. The shorter boy could even hear Midoriya rattling off comments on the Hero's Silver Age costume. It was an exciting moment for all of them… But it was about to get wilder.

"Alright boys and girls, welcome to Hero Basics where you'll learn what it takes to be a Hero. As you know, Hero work isn't for the faint of heart and you'll need to toughen up before you're ready. So with that said, let's dive head first into our opening course… BATTLE TRAINING!" All Might said as he marched towards the lectern. He then presented a card with the word 'Battle' written on it as though he was slamming it into someone's face.

Mineta turned a little pale at the thought of fighting so soon, especially since Bakugou was exerting a surprising amount of bloodlust. But he supposed this was only training and it won't be too bad… Right? All Might then proceeded to pull out a remote and aimed it at the wall to his right.

"Now, in accordance to the Quirk registry and request forms you've submitted… You'll be given these with the hopes that you'll grow into magnificent Heroes. Show them with pride boys and girls! For these are your Hero Costumes!" All Might said. A portion of the wall moved out and sealed within were metal cases, each with a number from 1 to 20. Now the class was getting into an energetic cheer and Mineta followed. After all, who wouldn't want to show off something of their design?

"Once you all get changed, please head for Ground Beta so that we can start in earnest. Do you understand?" All Might asked.

"Yes Sir!"

…

Mineta began stretching in the early afternoon sun, feeling how his costume moved with him. While the thing was mostly how he envisioned it to be, including his special baseball bandolier… There were two changes to the original design. The first was a much shorter cape, which he understood as the original was too long to be practical. The other change was more of a casualty. Instead of white shorts, he got pants that were diaper like in nature, round and a bit wide.

But while he was upset that his costume made him look like a big baby, a detail that wasn't completely wrong… Mineta kind of asked for it when he put in his drawing 'I'll leave the finer details to you guys'. The shorter boy sighed as his head hung low, for all his costume knowledge, he didn't think through his own long enough.

Well, at least there was something to keep his mind occupied. Mineta looked up towards his classmates, their own forms clad in their own costumes. There were all sorts of styles and colors that gave everyone their own identity. All of them were like flags that bore their own heraldry, each with their own stories to tell.

And so, Mineta began staring at the girls to see what their costumes said about them. Though before he could do so 'in depth', someone broke his concentration.

"Careful Mineta-kun, if you ogle at the girls so openly, even I can't help you if you're caught."

The shorter boy turned around and saw Midoriya stop before him. His friend's costume was a rather simple light green jumpsuit, a matching mask with bunny ear like protrusions, his signature red shoes, a utility belt, white gloves, elbow and knee guards, and a mesh mouth guard with an artificial smile. It won't win any contests, but it did have a lot of charm to it.

"That's the jumpsuit your mom got? The thing isn't spectacular, but I like it, it suits you." Mineta said with a smile. His costume was a very humbling sight. Like All Might's, it puts more emphasis on the wearer's actions over their appearances.

"Thanks, I'll let Mom know what you think. But… Do you think this is a little too obvious?" Midoriya asked as he gestured to his mask and weird ear protrusions.

"Little late to ask that now dude." Mineta replied with a snort.

"Oh wow, a jumpsuit! That's really down-to-earth!" When Mineta and Midoriya turned to the next person to approach them, the latter went stiff at what he saw.

Uraraka, her face a little red, wore a black/white bodysuit that tightly hugged her figure. She also wore a pink tinted visor that protected her face, a white pink belt, blub shaped cuffs, and giant puffy boots. The whole thing had a very 'science fiction' feeling to it, like she just came from some futuristic space station.

"I wish I was more specific with my request… It's a lot tighter than I wanted…" She said, scratching at her head a little.

"You and your costume are just fine. Tell her Midoriya." Mineta replied, nudging his slightly catatonic friend. But that soon backfired on him as the guy reacted too quickly for it to have any charm.

"Oh yeah, no, you look stellar! Cause… You know… S-Space…"

The shorter boy stared at Midoriya and he slapped his own face. While Mineta knew the guy didn't have a lot of experience with girls... That was the worst follow up compliment/pun he's heard. But all those thoughts didn't matter as Uraraka was giving a hearty laugh.

"I guess my costume is pretty spacey, thanks! Now come on, let's not keep everyone waiting." She said as she went to rejoin the group.

"Y-Yeah, I guess we should." Midoriya replied, following closely after. Mineta's lips slowly pulled into a smile as he silently pumped his fist. That whole interaction wasn't smooth, but the two were on the intended path. The shorter quickly followed after Uraraka and Midoriya, keeping a close note of their standing with one another.

As they all stopped before All Might, the Symbol of Peace scanned the class and gave a strong nod. "Good, now that you're all looking sharp, we can begin!"

"Sensei! Are we going to perform cityscape maneuvers again? This place looks similar to the location of the entrance exam?" Iida asked. Though his helmet obscured his face, Mineta easily recognized him as their tall, overtly honest friend. And with all that armor, he looked like a knight combined with a mecha. The style was quite striking, especially those boots since Mineta would be instantly pulped by them.

"Good guess Young Iida, but today is for something a little different. While it's true that many crimes occur out here in the wide open streets of our modern world… The most nefarious of Villains prefer to take cover indoors! Between terror plots, black market dealings, and who knows what else, it is up to Heroes like us to storm them and put an end to their machinations! So to learn this, I'm going to divide you all into Heroes and Villains and conduct a 2v2 indoor battle!" All Might answered, his voice booming and echoing around the class.

"So no basic training?" Tsuyu asked.

"I believe practical experience is the best basic training there is! Now, any other questions before we decide on the teams?"

Mineta heard several questions being asked all at once and he had a hard time picking out who said what. But All Might immediately got them all to calm down and he pulled out a tiny piece of paper. The Hero unfolded it and began reading off the thing. The shorter boy had to do everything in his power to not laugh. Just think about it, a burly beast of a man face first in a scrap of paper. It's a hilarious sight to behold.

"Okay, here's the breakdown… Inside the building, the Villains has set up a bomb and the Heroes must conduct a search and secure. For the Villains to win, they need to defend the bomb until time runs out or capture both Heroes. For the Heroes, they need to capture the bomb or both Villains within the time limit."

"Wasn't there a movie with this plot last year?" Mineta thought as All Might put his little paper away. The Hero then pulled a box marked with the word 'Lots' from nowhere and presented it to the class.

"With that out of the way, you'll now be deciding your partners by lots."

While Iida asked why lots before Midoriya began to explain the reasoning, Mineta began thinking. There were 7 out of 19 chances that he'd get a partner he wanted, Midoriya or one of six girls, and those weren't good odds at all. He could get lucky, as he and Midoriya were these past several months… But given all that's happened already, Mineta doesn't expect a miracle.

He went up to All Might after noticing people already lined up. And once he got to the Hero, he drew from the big box of balls… D… Who had that again?

"It seems that your partner for today will be Young Bakugou. Good luck and do your best to bond with your classmate." All Might said with a shaky voice.

But even if Mineta noticed that, he was too busy withering in shock to have a reaction. He slowly turned to the explosive boy and noticed that he wasn't exactly thrilled either. And he was no doubt thinking the same thing Mineta was, this is going to suck. Despite that, there was nothing either of them could do to change this situation.

So with that said, Mineta dragged himself over to Bakugou and stood next to him. And as he watched the others draw their teams, with Midoriya having the luck to have Ochako as a teammate, he decided to distract himself from the frigid tension by studying his classmates' costumes. Well… One of his classmate's costumes…

"What's the story behind Yaoyorozu's? She seems like a proper lady, so why's she wearing something so revealing? Is it because it's practical? Or is it because it's something else?" Mineta muttered as he continued staring. He felt something smack the back of his head, nearly knocking him over. The shorter boy proceeded to rub the back of his head and turned to the culprit.

"What was that for?" He asked, glared at Bakugou. It was hard not to fall back into a cowardly state since the explosive boy's costume upped his intimidation factor. But Mineta had to keep it together, otherwise all that training, all that confidence building, would be for nothing.

"If you're going to be my teammate, you're going to behave. It'll reflect badly on me if I let you act like a horny bitch that's itching to pounce on someone." Bakugou replied, not bothering to make eye contact.

"It's always about you isn't it? Oh no, poor Bakugou, he has to spare a fuck because his teammate is being an imperfect little shit. If you're going to lecture me on behaving, then say that you're doing it for their sake instead of your own. Because all you've done is made me want to continue, except now I'm doing it just to annoy you." Mineta replied, practically spitting each syllable at him. That's it, keep sticking it to the man, don't tolerate his nonsense.

"As if any of your shitty attempts could get a rise out of me. You're an ant, so small and unremarkable that there's nothing that you can do to get my attention." Bakugou said with a smirk.

"I don't know, I remember someone losing their cool when I suggested that Midoriya–"

"Finish that sentence and I'll be sending your ashes to a vineyard." Bakugou snarled as the crease in his brow deepened. Mineta didn't say anything in return, but he did have a smirk on his face. His heart rate might have gone to the triple digits, but he finally got the last laugh on Bakugou. Maybe things won't be so bad after all.

"Now that that's out of the way… Let's begin in earnest! Our first battle is between…" All Might said as he pulled from two different boxes, one labeled Heroes and the other Villains. And when Mineta realized which was who, his smirk dropped and it was replaced with clenched teeth. Bakugou, on the other hand, had a sinister grin spreading across his lips.

"The Heroes are team A! And the Villains are team D!" All Might shouted. In other words…

Midoriya and Ochako Vs. Bakugou and Mineta.

And that was Chapter 11! Here we go, a new wave upon this sea! What will happen in this battle between Saint and Sinner?

"I KNOW! IT INVOLVES-"

Shush Iris, don't be that one person. Anyway, onto the writing notes and thoughts.

I wanted to extend that moment of regular school stuff before 1A's first Hero class because it was ripe with interactions. But the main attraction of this chapter ended up being the lunch room discussion, where the gang talks about costumes. I used this scenario because it allowed Mineta to show off the two sides of his personality. It helps give him depth as he explains what a costume says about its wearer, clothes make the man after all. This also builds upon a throwaway line from the second chapter where Mineta and Midoriya discuss at length about a Hero's costume. And it's an interesting subject to think about as it inevitably leads to discussion about the wearer. Why did they design it like this? What's the story behind it?

"Even the weirder ones, like that Yaoyorozu chick's leotard."

Exactly, but on to my other thoughts. As I'm currently setting up to become a functioning adult, I will be modifying my update schedule for all my stories. Until I get everything settled, I will only be updating once every month. I apologize for any distress I may cause, this hurts me just as much.

So with that said, I hope you'll be around to celebrate the New Year with me.

Happy Holidays and...

Until Next Time. T1.