I am so sorry for the delay, I had a case of really bad writer's block.

Clay

Izuku woke up feeling refreshed after a full night's sleep. As he opened his eyes and tried to sit up, he felt something holding him back. Glancing down, he saw Clay, his loyal lava puppy, curled up on top of him.

It was the first time he'd seen Clay in such a deep sleep. When fully relaxed, Clay's body had transformed into smooth, glassy obsidian.

Cute, Izuku thought, gently stroking his sleeping pet, who remained blissfully unaware on his stomach.

After a few moments of peaceful silence, Clay's obsidian body began to radiate intense heat as it shifted back into its molten lava form.

Luckily, Izuku was completely immune to fire. Clay's ears twitched, and he stirred awake, walking across Izuku's body until he reached his face. With a cheerful yip, the lava puppy licked Izuku's cheek as his own way of saying good morning.

"Good morning to you too, Clay!" Izuku said with a smile, picking him up gently and sitting upright on the grass.

"Come on, turn back into a normal puppy," Izuku coaxed. Clay let out a low grumble but eventually complied, shifting back into his pitch-black puppy form.

Izuku willed a rift to open into his world, then stood up, cradling Clay in his arms as he stepped through it.

When Izuku reappeared in his room, he sighed, realizing it was still nighttime. He had nothing to do, and sleeping wasn't an option since he'd already gotten a full night's rest in the dungeon.

Then an idea struck him. Placing Clay down gently on his bed, he turned to his computer and began researching.

The next day.

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Thirty minutes before classes were set to begin, Izuku knocked on the door of Principal Nezu's office.

"Come in, Mr. Midoriya," a soft, high-pitched voice called from inside.

Izuku wasn't particularly surprised that Nezu knew he was coming. He'd heard rumors that Nezu had eyes and ears everywhere—some even claimed the principal secretly controlled the government. Izuku didn't know how true that was, but every rumor had a hint of truth in it.

Izuku took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Sensing his master's anxiety, Clay, now in the form of a normal black puppy, nuzzled his leg in comfort.

With renewed resolve, Izuku opened the door and stepped into Nezu's office, the room belonging to the odd rat-dog-bear creature.

"What's the occasion, Mr. Midoriya? And why have you brought your... pet to school?" Nezu asked, a knowing gleam in his eyes.

"I want to officially register Clay, my quirked pet, as my quirked animal partner," Izuku said firmly, placing a completed form on the desk.

Nezu raised an eyebrow. "Ah, a quirked animal partner? How interesting. It's rare for students to take this route."

Izuku nodded. "Yes, I thought it would be beneficial. A quirked animal partner is an animal with a unique quirk that can be trained to assist its owner, much like how heroes use support items. The animal's abilities are registered and regulated to ensure they're used safely in the field. They become an official part of the hero's team, working alongside them in battle and everyday hero duties."

Nezu hummed in approval, picking up the form and skimming through it in seconds. "What a surprise! Not many heroes have quirked animal partners. This is an unusual yet promising decision, Mr. Midoriya..."

Izuku stayed silent, knowing there was more to come.

"—But are you aware of the implications?" Nezu continued, his tone more serious.

"Yes, sir. I understand that if Clay is officially registered, his performance will be tied to mine. If he fails the end-of-year test, I will also fail. But I have full confidence in Clay. He won't fail because I'll be training him personally," Izuku said resolutely, and Clay let out a yip of agreement.

"Alright then, I'll evaluate Mr. Clay myself," Nezu said, hopping off his chair.

He walked over to Izuku and raised his arms, signaling for Izuku to pick him up.

Izuku complied, lifting the small principal, though Clay seemed rather annoyed by the whole situation, letting out a small huff.

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Training Ground Gamma – A facility specifically designed for quirks that involve elements, such as fire or heat. It featured an industrial zone with steel structures, metal walkways, and fireproofed surfaces, providing the perfect environment for testing Clay's lava-based abilities without causing any damage.

Nezu began the evaluation with a series of intelligence tests for animals, starting with simple tasks and gradually increasing the difficulty until it matched the intellectual capacity of a human child. After several challenges, Nezu concluded that Clay's intelligence was comparable to that of a ten-year-old human child.

Next, Nezu moved on to test Clay's quirk. Izuku had written on the registration form that Clay's quirk was "Transform," allowing him to turn into anything he looked at and copy its abilities. While that was technically true, it wasn't Clay's quirk—it was a skill he had developed over time, not something inherently tied to his quirk.

During the quirk evaluation, Clay showcased his abilities with precision. It took an entire hour for Clay to demonstrate all of his transformations and mimicry, each one proving his control and versatility. Afterward, an additional 15 minutes were spent officially registering Clay, ensuring all his skills and potential were documented accurately.

Izuku stood at the entrance of Class 1-A, Clay in his full lava puppy form happily lounging on top of his head.

Inside, Midnight was helping the students brainstorm hero names.

"May I come in, ma'am?" Izuku asked politely.

Midnight's gaze shifted from the students to Izuku, but her attention quickly shifted to Clay, who was lazily sprawled over his head.

"Ah~ Midoriya, aren't you a bit late today?" Midnight asked in her usual sultry tone.

Izuku flushed in embarrassment. "I apologize. This is my partner from now on. Registering him took longer than I expected."

Bakugo, seated nearby, fumed quietly. 'That Deku… how long was he hiding this from me?' His internal seethe was masked by an exaggerated scoff.

"Come in," Midnight said with a playful smirk. "As punishment for being late, you'll have to come up with a hero name right now."

Aizawa, having opened his eyes long enough to see Izuku's face, sighed heavily. 'Great. The greatest problem child in the history of problem children is back.' He promptly rolled over in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes, not wanting to deal with any more disruptions.

Izuku hated being in the spotlight, but the presence of Clay and the encouraging smiles of his friends gave him the confidence to make his decision.

He took two small white boards from Midnight and wrote down his hero name.

Standing in front of everyone, he held up the first board. Although he felt a pang of guilt for deceiving his classmates, he knew he couldn't share his secret with just anyone.

The board read: 'Clay the Lava Puppy.'

"Clay, you can turn normal now," Izuku whispered, and Clay perked up. He leapt from Izuku's head with a front flip, landing gracefully on the floor as he shifted back into his normal puppy form. The class erupted into cheers and applause.

"This is Clay, my partner, and he will be joining us in our classes from now on. His quirk is Transform—he can transform into anything he sees." Izuku said, and Clay puffed up in pride as the class applauded once again.

"And as for me," Izuku continued, "My hero name has some history, but my friend made me realize that with this name, I want to make new history. I will be the versatile hero, Deku!" Izuku declared, holding up the second white board.

"That speech was so manly!" Kirishima exclaimed, clapping. The rest of the class followed suit, applauding Izuku's decision. The only ones not joining in were Bakugo, who was still scowling, and Aizawa, who was fast asleep in his sleeping bag, dreaming of a world filled with cats and coffee.

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Once Izuku was filled in by Momo about what he had missed—apparently, he had only just missed the dramatic announcement of the sports festival—Mr. Aizawa announced it was time for lunch. As soon as the words left his mouth, Mina swooped in and snatched Clay from Izuku's arms, hugging the poor lava puppy so tightly that he looked miserable. Beside her stood Toru Hagakure, their invisible classmate, identifiable only by her floating UA uniform.

"Midori!" Mina squealed, nuzzling Clay as his body tensed up. "Where were you hiding this little cutie pie all this time?"

Izuku watched Clay's increasingly agitated expression. "Uh, Mina, you might want to ease up a bit. Clay doesn't really like being hugged so tightly," he said, concern evident in his voice.

"Don't be such a worrywart, Midori! Someone as sweet as Clay wouldn't mind a little affection from me," Mina replied, still oblivious to the way Clay's eye was twitching.

"I-I really think you should stop, Mina," Toru chimed in, stepping back slightly.

"Stop? You just want Clay all to yourself!" Mina teased, which only pushed Clay's irritation to the edge.

Clay had reached his limit. He remembered one of the anime his master used to watch and decided to do something about it. His body glowed, shifting as he transformed.

"Pi-ka-chu!" Clay squeaked, now in the form of a Pikachu, before giving Mina a shock that had her hair standing on end.

With a leap, Clay returned to Izuku's shoulder, transforming back into his lava puppy form and giving a satisfied yip.

"Mina, are you alright?" Toru asked, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Totally," Mina replied, dazed, with a thin trail of smoke escaping her mouth.

Momo's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Wait! Clay can turn into Pokémon too? I love pre-Quirk anime! Can I hold him?"

Izuku chuckled. "As long as you promise not to do what Mina did."

Momo picked up Clay gently, careful not to upset him. "Of course! I would never," she said, shooting Mina a teasing look.

Tenya, ever the serious one, adjusted her glasses. "What exactly is a Pokémon?"

"It's an anime from before the Quirk era," Izuku explained as they sat down for lunch. "Honestly, I think anime and games from back then are way better than the stuff we get today."

Momo nodded enthusiastically. "I couldn't agree more! The depth of storytelling, the animation—so much more effort was put into it."

Shinso raised an eyebrow, her usual calm voice carrying a hint of challenge. "I dunno, quirked entertainment has some pretty unique ideas that you couldn't pull off without quirks. It's more…real."

As the debate heated up between Izuku and Momo, who passionately defended pre-Quirk media, and Shinso and Tenya, who favored quirked entertainment, Ochako quietly ate her food. She glanced between the two sides, wisely deciding to stay out of the argument. She knew that if she spoke up, she'd have to pick a side—and it was much safer to simply focus on her lunch.

All the while, Clay, now relaxed in Momo's lap, contentedly watched the back-and-forth.

As they were walking back to Class 1-A, Momo suddenly spoke up with a serious expression. "Class rep, I want to join your squad!"

Izuku blinked in surprise, momentarily caught off guard by her directness. He looked to his friends—Shinso, Tenya, and Ochako—who either shrugged or nodded in approval, seemingly okay with the idea.

After a brief pause, Izuku turned back to Momo, lowering his voice to avoid any eavesdroppers. "Alright, meet us after school. But just so you know, it's related to my powers, and I want to keep it a secret."

Momo's eyes brightened with excitement, nodding eagerly. "Understood!" she said, clearly thrilled at the opportunity, but she managed to keep her voice low as well.

The group continued their way back to class, with Momo looking forward to what secrets might be revealed later.

All Izuku could think about during class was the conversation he had with Momo earlier. The weight of revealing his secrets was pressing on him. Finally, after school ended, the "Deku Squad" met Momo in a secluded corner of the school grounds.

"Momo, once you're in, there's no way out," Izuku said seriously, his tone full of gravity. "My words may sound exaggerated, but this is just that big."

Momo nodded resolutely, her determination clear. "I understand."

"First, let me show you something!" Izuku took a deep breath and made a cross hand sign. Suddenly, a shadow clone popped into existence beside him. In a flash, the wings of Divine Dividing materialized on his back, green flames and water orbs swirled around him, and he activated Full Cowling mode. Four tendrils of Blackwhip shot out from his back, moving with a fluid, controlled precision.

Momo's eyes widened in disbelief. "A-are they all your q-quirks?" she stuttered, trying to make sense of the display in front of her.

"Not exactly," Izuku replied, deactivating the powers and letting out a breath. "Not all of them are quirks. Some are... something else entirely. I have an ability that makes my life like that of an RPG game character. I can access a shop where I can buy literally anything, and I can also invite party members to share in these powers. My current limit is four."

As Izuku spoke, a party invitation screen appeared in front of Momo, floating in midair. Without hesitation, Momo accepted and clicked 'Y' to join.

Back in Nezu's office, the principal had been monitoring the situation, watching through unseen cameras. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Interesting!" Nezu murmured, a wide grin spreading across his face. Then, he began cackling like a mad genius, the sound echoing through his office.

Thank you all, who Followed, Favorited, Reviewed, and who took the time to read my fic I really appreciate it.