"Regular speech,"

"Flashback speech,"

'Inner dialogue,'

'Phone Text Chat'

The next day of school was starting to be far less nerve-wracking than their first. Izuku was diligently paying attention as Present Mic lectured the class on English sentence structure. Sure it wasn't exactly Izuku's favorite subject, but he wasn't gonna waste his opportunity to be a hero.

"Now, which one of these sentences has a wrongly conjugated verb?" Present Mic asked looking at the class. Izuku raised his hand just barely beating Yaoyorozu," Midoriya! You're on the air!"

"N-Number four I-is wrong sir," Izuku said.

"Right you are, young man! You see the verb in sentence four is in its past tense when it needs a present tense instead!"

A few mumbles went over the class at Present Mic's intense attitude toward such a mundane topic.

After a few minutes of exhausting English lessons, Present Mic had made his way out allowing them to leave for lunch.

"Hey, Midoriya! You wanna eat lunch with Iida and me?" Uraraka asked him smiling in relief at the end of class.

"O-Oh, s-sure if you g-guys are f-fine with it," Izuku stuttered still not used to talking to girls other than Himiko.

"I must admit, I didn't know what to expect from our other classes after Aizawa Sensei's highly irregular tests yesterday. But it seems they have a good grasp on not only hero procedures, but also regular school curriculum," Iida enthused as his arm made a chopping motion.

'He does that a lot,' Izuku laughed.

"Well since we didn't get to yesterday let's check out the cafeteria!" Uraraka cheered leading the two boys.

"WHOA! It's the cooking hero: Lunch Rush," Izuku yelled very enthusiastically at seeing a hero you wouldn't normally see.

"You're such a fanboy," Uraraka laughed, her whole body shaking.

"I-I can't help it! It's so cool seeing heroes like this every day!"

"I must agree with Midoriya, it is quite exciting!"

Uraraka gave them a bashful smile," yeah sorry, you were just making a really funny face, but I understand what you guys mean!"

After they had gotten lunch and returned to the classroom Izuku noticed it was abuzz with chatter.

"So what do you think we're gonna do?"

"I don't know but I hope we get to use the costumes we ordered!"

"I know right, it'd be a bummer if we couldn't use them for a while!"

Izuku's excited grin made him remember the design he had come up with for his costume, and how Himiko and his mom had made him the suit themselves.

"Izuku! Look we spent all day yesterday sewing this for you," his mom yelled holding up a forest green jumpsuit that had black accenting lines down the arms, legs, and torso.

"Your mom wanted to put white into the pattern too, but I thought this looked way better. Oh, I also got you some chest, knee, and arm pads, so you better not get busted up with all the effort I put into finding them!"

"I'll try my best," Izuku laughed, giving them both big hugs.

Izuku smiled at the costume case next to his desk, hoping he'd get to use it today during hero basic training.

As he was lost in thought, a loud set of footsteps made their way to the classroom. And he was startled by a loud shout from the doorway.

"I am here, arriving like a hero!" All Might cheered hanging by the door frame.

Izuku could swear he heard the door groaning for a moment under All Might's weight. For a moment Izuku felt an odd kinship with the doorframe, knowing full well how much the pro hero weighed.

"Whoa, cool! That's his silver age suit," Ashido cheered as All Might made his way to the teacher's podium.

"So retro," Kirishima enthused with the girl.

"Today during Hero basic training we'll be tackling a very real part of hero work. Battle Training!"

"B-Battle training!" Izuku gasped very concerned for whoever would be fighting Kacchan.

'Who am I kidding, with my luck it'll be me,' Izuku thought.

"Battles are a large part of most heroes' work, even if you decide on becoming a rescue hero you'll need to have some combat experience! Life is unfair and villains can be worse, they won't care if you don't have experience fighting. So that's the purpose of today's training, to give you that experience, and see the tactics of your peers! Now everyone suit-up and make your way to ground Beta!"

This suit his mom and Himiko had made him was a bit frustrating, not that he wasn't appreciative of the work they'd put into making it. On the contrary, that made him love the costume. That didn't mean the numerous buckles on the chest padding, legs, and arms weren't giving him way to much trouble.

'I get why you got this Himiko, but did you have to make it so complicated when it should be like two buckles on each piece?'

As Izuku gave himself a once over in the mirror, he noticed the suit was a bit tighter than he would've liked, no doubt Himiko's idea to mess with him. Sighing, Izuku left the locker room to join the others.

"Whoa, Midoriya that suits super down to earth! The armors a little different though, are those motorcycle pads?" Uraraka asked poking the hard chest armor.

Now that he looked at it, the armor was very similar to motorcycle padding. After inspecting his costume, Izuku went to give the girl a compliment about hers. But just as soon as he looked, his eyes were averted at the skintight body suit.

"Yeah," she nodded blushing from behind her pink-tinted visor," I probably should've been more specific with the design cause this is super embarrassing to wear!"

"I-It's cool, it reminds me a little bit of a sci-fi movie character. Kinda space themed ya know?"

"Right! That's exactly what I was going for!"

"Hey! I've gotta say, everyone! I'm loving all the designs I'm seeing here," at that All Might's eyes scanned the crowd nodding, and then his eyes met Izuku's and he saw the mouth guard that resembled All Might's wide grin. And on top of his mask were a pair of standing "bunny ears", that didn't fool All Might at all, they looked just like his own standing hair locks. He seemed to be suppressing a laugh," l-looking at you guys is getting me pumped up for the two-on-two battle trials we'll be having here!"

"Sir," said Iida's voice from inside a full suit of armor," will we be performing these trials in the cityscape in the vane of the U.A. entrance exam?"

"Good question, today's trials will be held indoors! While most villain fights are seen taking place outdoors, most of the more heinous villains will fight indoors on their terms. It's very one-sided and unfair, but that's how most smart villains will fight. It's our job as heroes to overcome this disparity. Now you'll be divided into two-person teams of heroes and villains."

Yaoyorozu chimed in before All Might could continue," what is the condition of victory for this exorcise?"

Kacchan burst out," can I just blow the hell out of whoever I fight!?"

Then Uraraka spoke up nervously," are you gonna expel whoever does the worst in this test like Mr. Aizawa?"

And finally, Iida spoke up at least having the courtesy to raise his hand," how will the teams be split up for this test?"

All Might stood shaking at the verbal onslaught for a moment, he was clearly struggling to keep up with the questions," uh, well in order of your questions, the test as I said will be a two-on-two team battle consisting of heroes and villains. The villain's goal is to protect a fake nuclear weapon until either the time for the test runs out or until they can capture the heroes. And likewise, the hero's goal is to either capture the weapon by having a single member of their team touch the weapon, or just like the villains they can win the trial by subduing their opponents," All might paused scratching his head thinking about the other questions he'd heard," no, young Uraraka nobody will be expelled no matter their scores, and young Iida, we will determine teams by random drawing."

At that Iida jerked unhappily," random drawing! Isn't that a bit beneath an institution like U.A.?"

Izuku shook his head understanding the thought process in this exercise," not necessarily. Think about it, in real life heroes team up with other heroes they aren't familiar with all the time. This will kind of simulate that!"

"Hmm, yes. I understand I retract my assumption and apologize please forgive my hasty words," Iida bowed to All Might.

"N-No problem! Now everyone step forward and pick a number! Sad to say though, due to young Mineta's expungement, it seems one of you will be doubled up and fighting in an additional battle today. That person will know because the ball they'll withdraw will have two sets of numbers instead of one."

Everyone groaned hoping they wouldn't be the person chosen for fighting a second time, well everyone but Bakugou.

One after another the students stepped forward either cheering they didn't have the double battle numbers or in Kacchan's case when he yelled loudly at not pulling it.

'I have a really bad feeling about this,' Izuku thought dreading his approach to the box All Might was holding,' please don't be me, please don't be me, please don't be me.'

Aaaaand he drew the double numbers," why does god hate me," Izuku sighed holding his head.

"Now, now, young Midoriya. I'm sure it won't be as bad as all that. Just please be sure to do your best and not overdo it," All Might reassured him patting Izuku on the shoulder.

"Now here are the teams!"

Team A. Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka

Team B. Shoto Todoroki and Mezo Shoji

Team C. Momo Yaoyorozu and Izuku Midoriya

Team D. Katsuki Bakugou and Tenya Iida

Team E. Yuga Aoyama and Mina Ashido

Team F. Rikido Sato and Koji Koda

Team G. Denki Kaminari and Kyoka Jiro

Team H. Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui

Team I. Mashirao Ojiro and Toru Hagakure

Team J. Eijiro Kirishima and Hanta Sero

"There you have it so with that out of the way! It looks like the first two teams up are," All Might thrust his hand into a second box pulling two balls from the inside," team A as the heroes and team D as the villains!"

Izuku had to suppress the tears that were going to come to his eyes,' god really does hate me! I've gotta fight Kacchan as the first fight, and then I have to go into another battle afterward!'

The evil grin Kacchan sent him made Izuku's spine crawl at the intensity of it.

"A-All Might? I-Is this really t-the best idea?"

Approaching the clearly shaking boy, All Might lay his huge arm on Izuku's shoulder trying to reassure him," don't you worry my boy! There are cameras all throughout the building, you will be tested in and if the battle goes too far I will stop it immediately. But if you feel like the battle has gotten too out of hand and I still haven't stopped the test please don't hesitate to say so."

"O-Okay," Izuku nodded, walking over to stand in front of the building they would be storming in a few minutes.

A rough shoulder slammed into Izuku's back almost making him fall over," fuck out of my way, Deku!"

Izuku glared at Kacchan's back, and even when he turned to glare, Izuku never broke his glare making the other boy seem even angrier.

"Are you alright, Midoriya?" He heard Uraraka ask as Kacchan continued into the building.

"Y-Yeah. I'm sorry, but he's probably gonna rush me as soon as the trial starts so we probably won't be able to work together the whole time. But I think I've got a plan."

Uraraka seemed surprised at his serious tone as he studied the layout of the building on the map they had been supplied with," really? I thought you'd be a little too worried for something like that, but you're really fired up aren't you!"

"W-Well if I'm being honest I'm terrified," Izuku laughed, his hands shaking," b-but I'm not gonna run, so I've got a plan for us like I said."

Even after having told Uraraka his plan Izuku wasn't entirely sure about this, it was half-backed and thrown together in the spur of the moment. But there wasn't anything he could do about it, so this was the only plan they had. At least the only plan that didn't require him to break his bones to win, but he was sure destroying the building they were in wouldn't reflect well on their score.

"Are you sure about this Midoriya," Uraraka asked for the third time since they had entered the building.

"This is the only way," Izuku answered yet again.

"I know but what if he doesn't-"

Uraraka was cut off as her unfinished question was inadvertently answered by Kacchan," where the fuck are you, Deku?!"

The sound of echoing explosions made the girl jump, and Izuku grimaced at the fury in Kacchan's voice.

"Go, Uraraka! I'll draw his attention to this stairwell so you head up the opposite one! The bomb should be on either the next floor or the one right above it since he didn't start down on the first, second, or third floor!"

The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding to Izuku, slapping him on the shoulder, and smiling at him," beat him up, alright?"

Izuku's shaky grin did little to reassure her, but she left deciding to trust in his plan.

"This is going to suck," Izuku sighed waiting a few seconds before he crept up the stairs to the next floor.

Kacchan's shout was now far closer than it had been, almost definitely sounding right around the corner," you little bitch! Where are you hiding? You too fucking scared to use that goddamn quirk you've been hiding from me all these years!?"

'What,' Izuku thought about his words for a second. Now that he thought about it, that might've been the only explanation for Izuku suddenly using a quirk when Kacchan was sure he didn't have one. So that explained why he was so pissed with Izuku, he thought he'd been hiding his quirk all this time just to spite the other boy,' well that doesn't exactly give him a pass for any of the shit he's done. This whole time he thought I was quirkless and treated me like dirt, so it's only fair I pay him back just a little. It might not sound too heroic but I'm gonna enjoy this!'

"I'm right here Kacchan!" Izuku yelled gaining his attention. After his shout, the building went deathly quiet. The only sound heard was Izuku's shoes tapping against the stone floor as he walked towards a corner.

'If I know Kacchan, he'll probably wait until I get close to this corner and swing at me with a big left hook.'

And true to Izuku's assumption Kacchan sprang around the corner just as Izuku had reached it," I'm gonna kill you! Take this!"

And exactly like he thought Kacchan threw a left hook. So, Izuku moved his head to the side, grabbed hold of Kacchan's wrist as tightly as he could, and then flipped the boy over his shoulder slamming him into the ground knocking the wind out of him. Not wasting a moment, Izuku reared back and slammed a kick into the side of Kacchan's face.

"I probably shouldn't say this, but that felt really good!" Izuku yelled taking Kacchan's moment of stunned pain to send One for All shooting through his body in a familiar rush that he'd been able to start regulating without almost overloading as soon as he used it.

"T-The fuck," Kacchan spat a wad of blood from his mouth looking at Izuku both dumbstruck and confused," so, you have been fucking playing me this whole time! Was it funny to you? Thinking I was so fucking beneath you, you didn't even have to bother showing me your quirk or using it on me until now!?"

"Fuck you," Izuku yelled very uncharacteristically angry at Kacchan's words," you think I would put up with all your bullying for almost my entire life, just as an inside joke that no one but me would enjoy? I've always thought this Kacchan, but I was always too afraid to say it, you're too full of yourself! Didn't you ever stop to think I never fought back because I couldn't?! Well, guess what, now I can and you can't stop me! I'm not a Deku anymore!"

Kacchan slammed his palms into the ground beneath him heaving himself to his feet," you should be scared, Deku, 'cause when I'm done with you, you're gonna be a bloody smear on this wall!"

Kacchan rushed toward Izuku again, this time propelling himself faster with a cluster of explosions.

'Another left swing?'

Izuku dodged downward at the last second seeing a left hand pass overhead, an explosion bursting in the space he'd left. Izuku leaned back onto his hands quickly and thrust his feet up into Kacchan's stomach making the boy cough in pain.

The force of the double kick sent Kacchan slamming into the roof above and falling back down to the ground. Just as Izuku was thinking the fight might go easier than he had thought, Kacchan let off an explosion in front of himself. The blast wasn't powerful, but it did create a concealing smokescreen.

'Crap where next? Another left? No, he probably figured out by now that I know how he fights! So what next?'

A light tap behind Izuku startled him realizing Kacchan had also used the smokescreen as an aerial maneuver to land behind him. The realization was too late though and an explosion hit Izuku's back singing his suit and armor, but thankfully it wasn't able to penetrate the padding fully.

Izuku crouched low and sent a backward kick up at Kacchan's face. The blow was caught and an explosion nearly dislocated Izuku's ankle.

Wincing in pain Izuku let go of the ground with his hands and twisted slamming his other foot into Kacchan's face. They both fell to the ground after the blow, panting and glaring at one another.

"Quit fucking aiming for my face, asshole!"

"Stop using explosions," Izuku deadpanned looking at the boy like he was an idiot.

"The fuck? I'm not gonna quit using my quirk!"

"You just gave my answer to your stupid statement," Izuku laughed with a tremor in his voice.

Leaning a bit more heavily on his left leg, Izuki turned and ran as quickly as he could up the next staircase, leaving Kacchan dumbstruck.

"You little bitch! You're running!?"

Izuku made his way up the stairs, Kacchan no doubt on his heels. He ducked into the nearest room, closing the door behind him, and then he sprang up using his good leg to hide in the rafters.

"Uraraka," Izuku whispered into his earpiece," are you there?"

"I'm here Midoriya. How is your part of the plan going," she asked worry clear in her voice.

"Well he's definitely pissed off," Izuku whispered hearing Kacchan thundering around outside the room he was in," what about you? Did you find the bomb?"

"Yep, just like you thought it was on the highest floor, and Iida is guarding it. Looks like he took everything out of the room so I can't float anything."

"How many entrances are there to the room?"

"I can see one right behind me and the side entrance to the left of Iida. He can see both entrances, but he's facing my way more."

"That's good, when I say so, get Iida's attention and I'll do my part," Izuku sighed looking down at his right leg and touching the ankle gingerly. It was definitely sprained, so Izuku shifted his ankle pad down a bit and tightened it around the wound to help alleviate the pain.

Izuku listened to Kacchan rant and rave around on the floor they were on. Izuku lightly jumped down from his hiding position and grabbed a metal trash can that was next to the door.

A slow peek outside the door assures him Kacchan wasn't nearby, so he crept toward the stairs he'd taken and threw the can down the stairs.

Immediately, a chorus of explosions made their way to Izuku and the noise, but he quickly retreated into a room opposite the stairs that lead further up to the last floor.

"I'm gonna find you Deku," Kacchan yelled rocketing down the stairs and allowing Izuku to run up to the next level before he could notice.

'Okay, now it's a matter of seeing which door to the bomb I'm near,' Izuku slowly pushed the door open seeing Uraraka hiding behind a nearby pillar as Iida ranted to himself about villainy,' what's that about?'

"Uh, Uraraka I'm right behind you, so I'm going to circle around and get to the other side."

"S-Sounds good," the girl said, a slight tremble in her voice.

"Are you alright," Izuku asked hurrying as fast as he could to the side entrance.

"Y-Yeah, it's just Iida is being super serious about this and-," a small burst of her own laughter cut her off.

Izuku could hear Iida from his side of the room," so, you've come Uraraka! I calculated as much when Bakugou ran off on his own! I know your quirk allows you to levitate objects you touch, so I've removed all objects from the floor in the room!"

Izuku slowly opened the door to Iida's left seeing that Uraraka had managed to make him step a few feet forward away from the device.

'Pretty good, but just in case, I want a better distraction so Iida can't use his speed to stop me from getting it.'

"Uraraka, make a big move for the device from the front to make him panic, but act like he stopped you before you could try."

Just as a loud boom tore through the floor below them, Uraraka had taken a step forward, and then a second wobbling one that she took running in a wide arc to Iida's right.

The armor-clad boy followed her movement never taking his eyes off her, but now turning his back to Izuku,' thanks for making it seem like I'm still downstairs Kacchan.'

Izuku opened the door wider and readied himself, as Uraraka made a fake grab for the device, Izuku let One for All fill his body. He sprang forward using his unharmed leg, just a few inches from the bomb Izuku heard a shout that wasn't Iida or Uraraka.

"Found you! You fucking coward!"

Izuku's fingers were just about to brush the bomb, but then a very forceful explosion slammed into Izuku's face sending him blasting into the wall the bomb was against.

Kacchan was now on top of him, throwing punch after punch that Izuku tried blocking with his arms, but a firm grip around his arms and an explosion made his arms too weak to hold up.

"I said if you came to U.A. I'd beat the crap out of you!"

"Get off!" Izuku yelled placing both of his feet on Kacchan's stomach and pushing him with all of his power. It had been desperate, but the push sent Kacchan at an angle away from Izuku, and in such a manner that he slammed into Iida who had run their way to secure the bomb.

Uraraka soared overhead, her fake play for the bomb now working in their favor as she landed on the objective and released her quirk," I got it!"

Izuku let his head fall back sighing in relief,' well that sucked,' Izuku thought shaking in fear on the ground, his arms and leg aching.

All Might's yell echoed through the entire building," the hero team, wiiiiiiiiins!"

Uraraka sank from the bomb and slowly made her way over to Izuku," are you alright!?"

"Y-Yeah, it's just… my everything that hurts," Izuku joked sitting up to see Kacchan and Iida flailing in a tangle of limbs.

"Get the fuck off of me, Shitty Four-Eyes," Kacchan yelled still trying to get at Izuku.

"Good heavens! Are you a feral beast? Cease your thrashing and allow me to extricate myself," Iida yelled.

After a few painful seconds of watching them struggle the pair finally stood to their own feet and Iida made his way over.

"That was an excellent strategy Midoriya! Using Uraraka as a distraction was quite effective, but how did you get away for Bakugou," he asked crouching down and slinging Izuku's arm over his shoulder to carry him.

"That was pretty easy," Izuku said looking down and mumbling," I've got a few notes on people and their weaknesses. I already know Kacchan, so I knew pissing him off would make him way more narrow-sighted. But just in case, I got a few good kicks on his head a little before I gave him the slip, honestly, he might have a concussion from that first kick to the head I gave him. It took him a lot longer than it normally would to realize I'd come up here, and the only reason is because of my insults and targeted strikes."

"I assume you didn't expect him to make his way up to the fifth level," Iida grimaced in sympathy.

"I thought it could happen, but after I heard that explosion downstairs I thought I had more time, but I guess I didn't."

"Well, you still managed to win despite all of the variables, so I must commend you," Iida smiled helping Izuku along as Uraraka followed looking slightly queasy.

"Are you okay," Izuku asked Uraraka as she held her stomach.

"Y-Yeah, I just get super nauseous when I float myself, if I'd done that a second time I'd probably hurl," she said with a shaky smile.

Izuku looked back, casting a gaze at Kacchan, and then he quickly turned his head back at the burning glare he was receiving.

'Oh crap, he's super pissed!'

Once they had made it down another two floors Izuku saw what had been hit by the giant explosion Kacchan had released. The entire third floor was destroyed, and the walls were either shattered or completely gone. Iida and Uraraka looked at Kacchan with far more wariness than they had before.

"I knew he was deplorable," Iida whispered lowly to Izuku and Uraraka," but if you had been down here you could have been seriously hurt.

"That's why I kicked him in the head pretty hard, not like he held back against me," Izuku said, a very dry look on his face.

'Although, I probably could've kicked him way harder,' Izuku thought.

"Quit fucking muttering to yourselves up there, and let's get the fuck out of here," Kacchan's quieter-than-usual cussing made Izuku more nervous than his usual volume.

All Might was waiting outside, a large smile on his face that seemed a little strained when he saw how hurt Izuku was, and to a lesser extent Kacchan.

"Welcome back! Congratulations to the winners, and to the losers please don't be discouraged! Even in the jaws of defeat we can rise and learn from the experience, so with that let's make our way back to the control room!"

"I'd say the M.V.P of this test was quite obviously young Midoriya, and to a lesser extent young Iida! Now, can anyone tell me why I give that assessment?"

Yaoyorozu rose her hand," sir, Midoriya was able to accurately deduce that Bakugou would target him specifically and only him, so he smartly sent his partner to gain intel on the enemy before making a move. Then he was smart enough to taunt Bakugou into an easy-to-read attack and then delivered several blows to his opponent disorienting him. He did make a mistake, however! When he allowed his enemy to get behind him, he suffered a very serious wound that hindered him in the end. Meanwhile, Iida stayed on task the entire time, never leaving the device, and keeping his opponent away. However, he grew nearsighted at the explosion he heard, thinking he was safe to fully battle Uraraka, and that allowed the other team to secure the bomb in the confusion. Uraraka played too passive of a roll, but she did support her teammate adequately. And then there's Bakugou, he was completely wild and irrational. From abandoning his task and teammate to blindly attacking Midoriya, and then destroying the third floor because he was frustrated. His performance was the worst out of everyone, even if he did nearly save his team's objective in the end."

All Might stood with his body shaking in amazement for a moment before he seemed to remember he was the teacher," y-yes, very accurate and to the point. Good assessment! Now with that being said, everyone, have that opening battle in mind while going forward. In the meantime, young Midoriya. Do you think you can make it to the nurse's office?"

"Y-Yeah, I can make it. Thank you very much, All Might," Izuku bowed hurrying as fast as he could toward the nurse.

"Very well," All Might nodded calling after him," if your second team is called while you're still away your fight can be postponed until you return."

Thankfully, the feeling had returned to his arms and he could move them, but it hurt a great deal so he was careful not to bump into anything. Kacchan didn't even turn his head as he left.

In the control room as Izuku left, the buzz from the other students was loud.

"That was so cool," Mina Ashido yelled to the group," did you see those sick moves Midoriya had, he kept just kicking Bakugou around!"

"Yeah, but those attacks Bakugou got on him seemed way worse than Midoriya's," Kirishima said remembering the fight," and that smokescreen air maneuver thing was really smart."

"If this is how intense all the training is going to be, then I'm getting pumped for this," Kaminari said his grin wide on his face.

'I hope he'll be alright,' All Might thought very worried for Izuku. He had taken a considerable amount of damage,' I think he used minimal force compared to young Bakugou because he feared hurting the boy.'

All Might turned to the blond boy who was glaring at his own feet,' I don't believe he would have given Izuku the same consideration, however.'