Well, we're finally about to put an end to the Joint Training Arc, and it's been a lot of fun. I feel like if the Class A/Class B rivalry got fleshed out more, it'd be really cool. But I'm content with what we got in canon, even if it did skew more in favor of Class A. How will I change things up? Well, you're about to find out.

Enjoy, folks!

THROUGH THE ROUGH

"Didn't the teachers head out to go stop the match because of what was happening with Midoriya?" Toru inquired worriedly of her classmates.

"Yeah, it looked like he was out of control there…" Sen commented.

"That black stuff went away, but…" Eijiro noted, looking over to Rebecca in concern, "What do you think, Rebecca?" he asked of her.

"Yeah, you were getting the most worried…" Denki pointed out. The Cat Leaper Quirk user tensed up a little. The mass of black tendrils had disappeared from her boyfriend, which was a good sign. But the voice that echoed in her head lingered in her thoughts.

'I wonder…' she began inwardly, narrowing her eyes a little. In the meantime, Witch had joined All Might, Shota, and Sekijiro onto the battlefield, as their students were still engulfed in battle. Koji had several bugs swarm around Yui and Reiko, who were struggling to swat them away. It gave Mina an opening to potentially slide in and land an uppercut. However, she was halted as a wave of water suddenly washed her aside.

"Ashido!" the Anivoice Quirk user cried out, right before an enlarged nut struck him squarely in the chest, knocking him back.

"What do you think, Eraser?" Sekijiro asked of his fellow homeroom teacher, who narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. He knew how worried All Might was over the situation, hearing him pant with exhaustion. Even so, he couldn't just put the match to a halt now. Not when his students and Class B's were giving it their all.

"All Might, let's wait," he advised.

"But Aizawa—!"

"I agree," Witch interjected before the former hero could argue, "If something does happen again, we'll call it off," she affirmed.

"Shinso's Brainwashing was able to calm that strange power down earlier, so if it's part of his Quirk, I can erase it," Shota mentioned.

"Aizawa…" All Might uttered out. In the meantime, Hitoshi flung out part of his capture scarf toward Ochaco, only for Izuku to slide in and snatch it with his left hand.

"Deku!" she exclaimed in surprise. The Brainwashing Quirk user yanked on the scarf, pulling his foe over the ledge as he yelped. He landed down on his stomach in a grunt of pain.

'What?!' Ochaco exclaimed inwardly, 'How'd Deku lose in a power struggle?!' she wondered through her thoughts. All of a sudden, she found herself washed away by another wave of water unleashed by Laguna, falling over to another section near where her teammates were still embroiled in battle.

"Monoma, help Yanagi and Kodai deal with those three," the Tears Lover Quirk user advised of his classmate, making him blink in surprise, "Shinso and I'll deal with Midoriya," he affirmed.

"And what makes you think you can do a better job than I did?" Neito asked back, somewhat annoyed that he wouldn't get the chance to do battle with the One For All inheritor.

"It's a bad idea to go poking at a bear like that," Laguna noted, "Especially if he's got more power up his sleeves…" he added inwardly, recalling how the black tendrils from earlier were rampaging, "If something goes wrong, I'd rather it'd be me taking the brunt of the consequences," he told the Copy Quirk user, "We'll handle this from here," he decided. Meanwhile, Ochaco managed to jump down and make her way over to Izuku.

"Are you okay?!" she asked worriedly, "What happened back there?" she inquired on, "I would've thought you'd win in a power struggle against Shinso…" she pointed out.

"I can't risk using my Quirk again if it could put everyone in danger…" her teammate responded as he managed to push himself back up.

"Then let's fall back and come up with a new plan!" the Zero Gravity Quirk user insisted. However, Izuku shook his head.

"It'll be impossible now that we're all together in one spot like this," he told her, "Besides…" he continued, "Shinso's right in front of us," he noted out, "I can't keep him waiting," he mentioned further.

"He's not the only one you'll need to worry about," Laguna's voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they whipped around to see him riding a wave of water towards them, "Tears Wave!" he exclaimed, sending the water rushing at his foes. Quickly, Ochaco grabbed Izuku, floating away with him.

"Are you saying you'll fight against Shinso without a Quirk?" she inquired of him.

"…Uraraka…" he began to respond, causing her to look down at him, "I have a favor to ask," he requested of her.

OPENING

Insert "Kizuna no Kiseki" by MAN WITH A MISSION X Milet

Starts with Class 1-A walking out onto Ground Gamma, dressed in their winter costumes. They discuss amongst themselves what they're hoping to work on for the end of the year, with Izuku leading the way alongside Rebecca. However, they stop as they spot their opponents of Class B, as some of them wave to the group. Neito cackles madly at the sight of them, only to end up chopped in the neck by Itsuka.

What follows is a shot of Laguna, who thinks back to being a part of Oasis with Goodwin and his other friends. He also sees a blurry figure with long, dark hair, only to witness her fade away as he reaches out to her. He opens his eyes, widening them to find Hitoshi there with his new scarf and support item.

We get to see the Shining Star Heroes with brand new costumes, who are gathered with Shota, Sekijiro, Nemuri, and All Might, as they're about to watch the training matches commence. In round one, Rebecca is grouped up with Eijiro, Denki, Tsuyu, and Hitoshi, leading the charge against their opponents as she draws her Happy Blasters and fires. Laguna and Hitoshi come face-to-face, with the former looking rather anxious compared to normal.

The second round features Weisz equipping his Arsenal Mark II armor, using it to defend himself from the onomatopoeias shot towards him by Manga. Meanwhile, Momo finds herself struggling against the likes of Itsuka, whereas Fumikage and Yuga can't seem to overcome the combination of Kinoko and Shihai. As the match continues, Izuku furiously writes down notes on Class B, while Rebecca looks at him and smiles.

In the third round, Homura clashes her energy blades against Kris' wind. The two of them stare each other down determinedly, rushing forward and enveloping themselves in bursts of red and green light respectively before colliding. The fourth round features Kleene using her wind to pull in the likes of Tenya, Mezo, and Mashirao, as the latter of the trio starts getting sucked in. However, he's saved by Shoto as he fires a blast of flames toward the Wind Snatch Quirk user. She dodges, letting off a little grin.

For the fifth round, we see Shiki and Katsuki standing back-to-back as they're surrounded by the multiple pieces of Setsuna's body. The former of the two assumes his Overdrive form, stamping the ground to make the pieces fall instantaneously, followed by the latter firing off a multitude of explosions. From afar, we see Kyoka and Hanta hanging back, glad that they're letting the muscle of their group handle their foes.

Finally, the sixth match features a team of Izuku, Ochaco, Koji, and Mina. The One For All inheritor shoots his girlfriend a reassuring thumbs-up as he enters the stage, making her giggle. However, her expression shifts into one of fear as she witnesses the mass of black energy tendrils that suddenly start rampaging about.

Meanwhile, we go through various scenes of Endeavor, Hawks, Mirko, the I.U.A. Heroes, and many others, including the League of Villains as both Tomura and Shura are standing in the shadows of All For One and Nero respectively. The song winds down, closing out with a picture of Class A gathered together for their joint training session.

END OPENING

"Crap, crap, crap!" Mina yelped repeatedly, flipping her way away from the flying objects flung her way thanks to Reiko's Quirk. One was about to crash into her from behind, only for Koji to suddenly jump in and take it to his left arm in a pained yelp. "Koda!" his teammate exclaimed, seeing the bruise immediately forming on his arm.

"I'm… okay," he claimed with a grimace, "Sorry for the wait," he apologized to the Acid Quirk user's confusion, "I had to call in as many as I could," he pointed out. Looking into the distance, Mina gasped. A huge flock of birds was arriving on the scene.

"No way…!" Reiko gasped out, while Yui grimaced.

"Wow, nice one, Koda!" Mina complimented to her teammate, who nodded.

"After the past few months, I know I need to improve to the best of my ability," he pointed out, recalling his struggles when getting into U.A. up to this point, "If I can't overcome that, I can't be a hero that goes Plus Ultra!" he exclaimed emphatically.

"This is bad…" Reiko realized as she grimaced under her mask.

"Worry not," Neito's voice remarked as he approached, getting his teammates' attentions, "There's a simple way to deal with all these pests," he pointed out, "I just need to get Koda's Quirk and send these birdies packing…" he noted to them.

"Okay, then I'll get you an opening," Reiko decided, firing off more of the objects she had caught in a purple light. Both Mina and Koji were quick to avoid them.

"Koda, I'm gonna try and close in!" the former decided as she rushed forward.

"Got it!" the Anivoice Quirk user replied, "Flying friends, lend her your support!" he instructed, having the birds swarm about in a way that seemingly veiled his teammate from their foe's view. Reiko levitated up more objects as she stuck her hands out, followed by Yui clapping her hands together.

"And release!" she exclaimed. The floating objects enlarged, raining out towards the birds. They fled, separating into opposite directions. However, Mina was no longer there.

"Where'd she go…?" Reiko wondered. Projecting acid from the soles of her specialized shoes, Mina slid over in between her and Yui, letting off a smirk.

"Acid Layback!" she exclaimed, spinning around from the momentum she gathered, swinging her arms out to strike her foes upside their heads, knocking them back.

"Nice hit, Ashido!" Eijiro exclaimed from the viewing section.

"Using the momentum of her speed to draw more power…" Homura commented, "She's actually much cleverer than I recall…" she affirmed, sounding impressed.

"Wait, what happened to Monoma then?" Denki inquired aloud.

"Look!" Toru exclaimed as she pointed to the screen. The Copy Quirk user had managed to make his way through the commotion, swiping at Koji and grazing his left arm.

"Ah!" he yelped, stumbling back a step. His foe smirked.

"Now come to me, my feathered companions!" he commanded, causing the Anivoice Quirk user to widen his eyes, "Do be so kind and thwart these unruly and unworthy rascals, won't you?" he requested of the flock of birds flying above him and the others. They came down, swarming about the two Class A students.

"Koda…!" Mina gasped out.

"Feathered friends, stop this!" Koji insisted frantically.

"Oh, don't stop!" Neito shouted out, "Don't forget, these are actually villains we're facing!" he noted to the avian creatures.

"Crap, he copied Koda's Quirk…!" Mashirao realized.

"A dastardly and effective tactic indeed…" Fumikage commented curiously.

"With Koda and Monoma making commands to the birds, they're just cancelling each other out!" Hanta noted on, "Darn…" he muttered out.

"More importantly, what about Midoriya and Uraraka?" Kyoka questioned in concern, "Weren't they supposed to go and stop the match 'cause of that black stuff?" she inquired on.

"I think it's calmed down now…" Rebecca answered, getting her attention, "I'm a little worried still, honestly…" she admitted aloud, clenching her fists, "But I think everything's okay," she affirmed.

"…Hope you're right," Kyoka said. Back on the battlefield, another wave of water was sent towards Izuku and Ochaco, who narrowly managed to evade it. The former separated himself from Ochaco, floating up toward where Hitoshi was.

'So he had Uraraka use her Quirk on him…' he noted to himself, flinging out his capture scarf once again. The One For All inheritor caught it like before, only this time he pulled himself over to his foe.

"Hitoshi!" Laguna cried out, ready to run over. However, Ochaco landed in front of him, pressing her fingertips together.

"And release!" she said. With that, the lightness of Izuku faded as he tackled his opponent, causing his voice modulator to fall off, clattering onto the ground.

"Glad you finally decided to come at me, Midoriya!" he remarked to his foe, jumping back. Izuku knew he had to capture him. That was what would determine the flow of the battle from there on out. In the meantime, Ochaco was narrowly managing to roll away from the watery projectiles shot towards her by Laguna, grimacing all the while.

'Deku… I hope you can handle things…!' she said through her thoughts. Reactivating his Quirk as he made his charge toward Hitoshi, Izuku was ready to capture him. However, the Brainwashing Quirk user wasn't ready to be taken down so easily.

"MIDORIYA!" he bellowed, wrapping his capture scarf around parts of the pipework. Tugging as hard as he could, he broke off a few pieces, sending them falling towards his opponent. Unlike earlier when he was frantic, he felt calmer now. Was it because of what the predecessor he met told him? Or was it because the way he talked… was so much like All Might?

Either way, his thoughts weren't clouded. His heart was under control. The black energy emerged from his arms yet again, but now was able to manifest in a way that caught the piping before it could hit him. Everyone was shocked to see what had happened, especially Rebecca. But at the same time, she could tell her boyfriend was in control.

X

"Tears Wave!" Laguna exclaimed, releasing another wave of water that Ochaco barely managed to float anyone. She gritted her teeth, looking out at her foe as he clenched his fists. "You're making this a lot more troublesome than it needs to be…" he muttered out.

"We're not planning on losing!" she shouted back fiercely.

"I see…" the Tears Lover Quirk user said.

'I have to hurry and back up Hitoshi before things get rough…' he noted to himself, 'Which means I need to take care of her as soon as possible…' he realized, clapping his hands together and holding them tightly.

"Water Shot!" he yelled, unleashing pellets of water up towards the Zero Gravity Quirk user. She had no way to evade them as she was struck repeatedly, crying out in pain. She steeled herself, floating down to a landing while breathing heavily.

'No tears…' Laguna pointed out to himself, 'Not that I'd able to tell at this distance…' he mentioned through his thoughts. He then glanced over and widened his eyes, seeing the black energy tendrils having re-emerged from Izuku's arms.

"No…!" he gasped out, hurriedly hopping off. Ochaco attempted to pursue him, but winced as she tried standing up. Elsewhere, Shota and the others watched on in surprise.

"Okay, we're calling it off—"

"Wait, Aizawa!" All Might exclaimed, interjecting the Erasure Quirk user.

"Now you're the one telling me to wait?" he inquired back in annoyance.

"I know it sounds strange after what I said, but I think whatever that is…" the former pro continued, "Young Midoriya has it under control," he affirmed to the other teachers.

"The hell…?" Hitoshi uttered out upon seeing the energy tendrils no longer rampaging like before, "So that whole mess earlier was just for show?" he presumed, running back to reclaim his voice modulator, "Don't try tricking me, Midoriya!" he shouted out. The One For All inheritor took a step forward, but then winced. The black tendrils dissipated as the pieces of pipework clattered to the ground around him.

"It's gone again…" Witch commented. She and the other teachers were wondering just what that strange energy was. Meanwhile, Izuku suddenly started to feel a pain that numbed his body. He realized that he still wasn't strong enough to wield the improved Quirk, not with his maximum output of power at 25%. And he couldn't risk trying to use that output if it meant another rampage could happen.

"Hitoshi!" Laguna's voice cried out, getting his attention as he turned to see the Tears Lover Quirk user there, riding aboard a wave of water.

'Husert…!' Izuku gasped inwardly, 'Then wait… what happened with Urara—?!'

"Water Hand!" his foe exclaimed, unleashing a wave of water in the shape of a hand as it crashed onto Izuku, slamming him up against the pipework in a pained yelp.

"Laguna…" Hitoshi uttered in surprise as his teammate landed on the ground.

"You good?" he inquired out of concern, "Monoma and the others are gonna take care of the rest," he affirmed, "And I doubt that girl's going to be coming to help you anytime soon," he mentioned over to Izuku, who staggered forward and growled, "So let's settle this like I wanted," he insisted. From the viewing section, Rebecca watched on worriedly. Throughout the first match, she never went after the Tears Lover Quirk user in spite of what he had been a part of. But she didn't know if her boyfriend shared the same sentiment.

He lunged out at Laguna, rearing his left leg back. He drew forth a blade made of water, blocking his foe's attempted kick. The two glared at each other, now at a deadlock. Hitoshi watched on in shock, having fitted his voice modulator back over his face.

"Hitoshi!" Laguna yelled, making him perk up, "You need to back me up if things get too rough!" he advised. The Brainwashing Quirk user was shocked. He knew that Izuku wouldn't fall for responding to him willingly again. And his teammate knew that, too. He nodded back, hurrying off. With a grimace, the One For All inheritor leapt away from the Tears Lover Quirk user, landing upon some pipework.

"I'm not letting you get away!" he declared, launching himself after Hitoshi.

"Water Chain!" Laguna yelled, having water spread at his feet before forming chains that sprang out and wrapped around Izuku, pulling him toward the ground. He used his strength to break free from them, whipping around and aiming his left glove at the Tears Lover Quirk user as its outer layer jolted forward.

'I'm still a bit new to using Air Force, but if I can get a solid hit on Husert, then—!' Before he could finish his thought, part of Hitoshi's capture scarf wrapped around his torso, yanking him back. He glanced over his shoulder to see the Brainwashing Quirk user there.

"I know this might be a little unfair…" he admitted aloud, "But considering what we're up against, it's better to take you on like this!" he declared to his opponent.

X

"Calm down, friends!" Koji yelled desperately.

"No, go wild!" Neito insisted with a laugh, "Destroy any attempt of Class A obtaining victory!" he bellowed out wildly. With his power canceling his foe's out and vice versa, the two of them were at an impasse. And that left Mina in an unfavorable situation as she was struggling to outmatch Reiko and Yui at the same time.

"Agh…!" she groaned out as she skidded. Peering over her shoulder, she could see Neito howling with laughter. A growl left her lips as she expelled acid from her boots' soles, sliding over.

"Knock it off already!" she yelled in frustration.

"Monoma, look out!" Reiko exclaimed.

"Huh?" the Copy Quirk user uttered, glancing back. Unfortunately, he was too late to stop the Acid Quirk user from swinging her left foot up at him from behind, striking him squarely in his crotch. "GWAH…!" he squawked out in agony. Almost every boy in the viewing section winced at the sight.

"Ow…" Shiki uttered.

"Yeah, I felt that one…" Hanta admitted with a grimace. Back on the battlefield, Neito toppled over in a heap, grabbing his aching crotch.

"Koda, you okay?!" Mina immediately asked as she ran over to her classmate.

"Yeah, thanks," he replied with a nod, "Feathered friends, we need you to—!" Before he could issue his commands to the birds, he and Mina suddenly found themselves knocked over by a pair of enlarged objects flung their way, courtesy of Reiko's Quirk. They fell over the edge of the platform they were upon, landing on their backs in pained yelps.

'Crap…' the Acid Quirk user uttered inwardly as her eyes fluttered, 'I… can't keep…' She fell unconscious before she could finish her thought. Koji tried to bring himself up, but fell over, losing consciousness as well.

"They're both out," Yui confirmed as she peered over the edge.

"Monoma, are you alright?" Reiko asked while knelt down beside the Copy Quirk user. He whimpered in pain as a response. "Let's get those two to the jail," she advised of her teammate, who nodded.

"Way to go, Yanagi and Kodai!" Kosei cheered from the viewing section.

"Monoma helped as well, even if it meant sacrificing his manhood…" Jurota pointed out.

"It's not over yet, but…" Eijiro started to say with a grimace.

"I don't believe Midoriya and Uraraka can handle five foes by themselves…" Momo finished for them, "And given the fact that they're already worn down, chances aren't looking great…" she admitted. Izuku hopped around, making certain to avoid the waves of water sent his way from Laguna. He had the outer layers of his glove jolt forward, curling his middle fingers in and holding them back with his thumbs.

Flicking his fingers, he unleashed pressurized blasts of air towards his two foes, forcing them to dodge. The Tears Lover Quirk user grimaced as his markings underneath his eye flickered. He was running short on time, and his teammate knew it, too.

'If we wanna beat Midoriya, we'll have to do it now!' he realized, adjusting the plates of his voice modulator. He nodded to Laguna, who nodded back. Stepping out into the open as his opponent landed, he grasped his hands together, forming a mass of water in front of himself.

"Water Laser!" he exclaimed, releasing a powerful beam of water toward his target. Izuku ducked and zipped forward, closing in as he reared his left fist back.

'Fifteen Percent…' he began inwardly while clenching his teeth tightly. He slammed his extremity into Laguna's gut, causing him to gasp out in agony. 'TEXAS SMAAAASSSSHHH!' he roared through his thoughts.

"Agh…!" the Tears Lover Quirk user groaned out, "This… won't stop me!" he proclaimed fiercely, causing Izuku to perk up in surprise, "Your girlfriend hit harder than this!" he mentioned mockingly.

"Then how about—?!" The One For All inheritor suddenly stopped as his eyes went blank. Laguna fell to the ground in a grunt, letting out a few coughs.

"You okay?" Hitoshi asked, getting his attention as the Brainwashing Quirk user approached.

"Yeah," he replied with a little smile, "Glad it worked out," he noted, making his teammate grin under his mask.

"No way…" Minoru uttered from the viewing section, "How'd Midoriya get brainwashed?!" he inquired frantically as he put his hands onto his head.

"I figured he'd be especially wary after the last time…" Mashirao noted, quite stunned himself.

"I think it was a trick that Husert and Shinso played on him," Momo presumed while putting her right hand onto her chin.

"How do ya figure?" Weisz asked.

"Husert must've said something provocative to Midoriya to make him respond, but it was actually Shinso's voice instead of his," the Creation Quirk user explained, "And because they were so close, Midoriya wouldn't be able to tell that it was Shinso mimicking Husert's voice with that mask of his," she mentioned thoroughly.

"Makes sense," Hanta admitted.

"Even so, shouldn't Midoriya have assumed Shinso would try something like that?" Yuga assumed with a tilt of his head.

"Either way, it's our loss this time around…" Kyoka realized.

"Yeah…" Rebecca agreed, watching the big screen as Ochaco was surrounded and taken down by the trio of Neito, Reiko, and Yui. Upsetting as the loss was, she knew it would be a valuable learning experience going forward. Meanwhile, Hitoshi took off his voice modulator, gathering with his teammates as they placed both of their remaining foes in jail. He had gotten to see how the hero course operated throughout this whole ordeal, between the first match to the last. And it was as amazing as he could've expected. He smiled, determined to be a part of it soon.

"Things did look awfully dangerous there, but the match has been decided," Midnight commented over the microphone, having taken it from Sister as she was busy growling against Sekijiro, "This marks the end of today's training with a draw of three wins apiece for both Class A and Class B!" she confirmed.

"Mm-hmm," Hermit agreed with a nod, "Everyone fought bravely during their matches today, showing how far they've come and their potential going forward," she pointed out, while members of both classes held signs and banners in support of their teachers' impartiality.

"Now then, it's time to give out critiques for the fifth match," Midnight noted as the two teams of students returned.

X

"Agh…" Neito groaned, clutching his aching manhood.

"That bad of a kick, huh?" Laguna assumed.

"No surprise there," Hitoshi said with a shrug, "That girl's pretty flexible and strong," he recalled, remembering how Mina fought during the Sports Festival as he glanced over at her and the rest of the Class A team. It was dusk as the two groups were gathered, ready to receive their critiques for the day.

"First off, Midoriya," Shota began, causing the One For All inheritor to perk up in surprise, "What was that back there?" he inquired, referring to the black energy tendrils from earlier. Rebecca grimaced a little, wondering what her boyfriend would say. He couldn't tell them the truth, but he also couldn't outright lie. He looked at his right hand for a moment.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure what happened at first," he admitted, "It felt like my power was overflowing my body, and that's how it released," he told his teacher, "It was like something I trusted until now bared its fangs at me…" he mentioned sadly.

"Deku…" Ochaco uttered in concern.

"From what I can tell, that wasn't your fault," Shota noted, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "But make sure you show some urgency in getting that power under control from now on," he advised of his student.

"Right," he responded, "Thanks to Uraraka and Shinso calming me down, I realized this isn't a power I should fear," he pointed out, "I'll learn to harness it one day," he vowed firmly. Rebecca smiled, as did All Might.

"I'm impressed with how well you and Husert worked together, Shinso," Sekijiro commented as he approached the Brainwashing Quirk user, getting his attention, "After the first match, I was under the assumption things would've been difficult for you two in terms of teamwork…" he confessed sheepishly.

"…To be honest, I was still a bit wary," Hitoshi admitted to his and the Tears Lover Quirk user's surprise, "With how his teamwork went during the first match, I wasn't sure if we could really trust each other," he added further, "But…" he continued, "I'm glad I ended up putting my faith in him," he affirmed, giving off a small smile.

"…I am, too," Laguna said, rubbing his nose.

"Then I suppose that settles one matter," Sekijiro confirmed to the pair's surprise, "Husert, I'm welcoming you back into the classroom starting tomorrow," he decided.

"Seriously?" the Tears Lover Quirk user uttered out.

"That's great, Husert!" Hiryu chimed in as he approached.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to have you in class instead of having to let you learn by yourself!" Itsuka pointed out.

"And we'll get stronger together!" Kosei proclaimed.

"Welcome back, Lagunarino!" Kleene remarked happily.

"Lookin' forward to kicking your butt myself!" Setsuna declared, letting off a cheeky smirk.

"All of you…" Laguna uttered out.

"Good for you, Laguna," Hitoshi said, getting his attention. He let off a little smile after a moment. Rebecca smiled from afar, happy for the pair.

"As for you, Shinso…" Sekijiro continued to the Brainwashing Quirk user.

"I know," he said, making the Blood Control Quirk user blink in confusion, "This joint training was also a test to see if I was ready to enter the Hero Course, right?" he presumed, causing the homeroom teacher to widen his eyes in shock.

"Wh-Who told you that?!" he stammered in question.

"No one," Hitoshi responded, "I just deduced that this was probably the best setting to test my abilities in combat," he pointed out to Sekijiro and Shota.

"And you're correct," the latter confirmed.

"However…" the Brainwashing Quirk user continued to their confusion, "I still feel like I failed to show off all that I could do in both matches…" he confessed in frustration, "Especially when it came to fighting Midoriya…" he added on, not noticing Shota approach him, "I was trying to selfishly challenge him and—" All of a sudden, he was choked by his own scarf as his teacher pulled on both ends of it, silencing him. Everyone flinched in surprise.

"Hey, that's corporal punishment!" Denki shouted.

"Yeah, isn't that going a little too far, Mister Aizawa?!" Eijiro yelled in question.

"Reflecting on those missteps and learning to overcome them is the first step for you or anyone else to move forward," Shota told the Brainwashing Quirk user, releasing his hold on his scarf so that he could breathe, "And you've done that," he affirmed to his surprise, "I think it's obvious that you belong in the Hero Couse," he decided.

"…R-Really?" Hitoshi stuttered in shock after a moment.

"Mm-hmm," Sekijiro confirmed in reply as he nodded his head, "Starting next semester, you'll be transferred to the Hero Course's Class One-B," he told him. For a moment, it looked like Hitoshi was about to cry. But he smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, sir," he said. Izuku looked over and smiled as well. Though he lost, he wasn't that upset. It was a good learning experience in the end. And with it, a new hero hopeful was on the horizon…

ENDING

Insert "Footprints" by the peggies

Opens with Izuku receiving a notification on his phone. He picks it up and looks at it while seated on his bed, while Rebecca sits up beside him and yawns. He smiles, showing her what he just read. She beams after a moment, nodding to him.

The two of them head downstairs together, seeing groups of their classmates heading out together for the day. They smile at each other, holding hands as they leave the dorm. We see Shiki walking on a sidewalk with Momo, calling for her to hurry after him as he hurries off towards a set of stores. Meanwhile, Tsuyu and Ochaco meet up with Kleene and Kris at a supermarket, talking happily with them. Fumikage's checking apples with Dark Shadow, only to see Laguna doing the same.

Elsewhere in the store, we see Katsuki checking some bottles of hot sauce, while Weisz and Minoru are browsing some adult magazines. Homura's eyes sparkle at the sight the Valkyrie-brand energy drinks, which she buys a lot of to the shock of Kyoka, Mina, and Toru. Izuku and Rebecca arrive, having a shopping list on hand. They nod to each other, splitting up with their classmates to gather what they need.

Izuku grabs packets of noodles and rice, while Rebecca gets pork, bok choy, panko bread crumbs, and other ingredients. She's joined by Rikido, who advises her on what specifically she should look for. Meanwhile, Izuku goes to gather up birthday candles with Koji and Shoto, who both grab jars of frosting and sprinkles.

The couple checks out of the store with everything they need, returning to U.A. later that night. With help, they put the ingredients together to make a great feast, along with a birthday cake intended for Tenya. He's touched, tearing up at how kind his classmates are. He blows out the candles, celebrating amongst his friends as they laugh. The song winds down, with the class happily enjoying themselves through the night, hoping for many more great ones to come…

END ENDING

And that brings an end to the Joint Training Arc officially! I chose to give Izuku the loss for his match because of a few things. One, it felt too convenient to me that his team wound up winning after how things went out of hand with Blackwhip. And two, with Laguna in play instead of Nirengeki for this match, I figured the chances of Class A winning were slim to none.

Now please don't take this as me giving Izuku a hard time, because I've gotten that sort of commentary before. It's been particularly irritating on Archive of our Own, so let's not get into arguments over that. Izuku's going to have several moments to shine later on down the road, I promise.

That's about it! Thanks for reading up to these 150 chapters, everyone!