"DIE!" The loud war cry of the explosive bomber teen echoed throughout the field, followed closely by an explosion coming from his hand. Izuku, Raphtalia, and the rest of class 1-A watched, all dressed in tracksuits provided by Mr. Aizawa, as the ball he had been holding rocketed into the air at deadly speeds. As for the teacher himself, he kept his gaze focused on a device held in his hand. After making a beeping noise, he turned it around so that everyone could see Bakugo's score. Over seven hundred meters!

"It's important that all of you understand your maximum potential," said Aizawa in his tired voice, he slowly eyed the twenty students in his class. "In order to do this, all of you will be participating in a series of physical exercises using your quirks. It's the most rational way to determine your max potential as heroes."

It was then that Izuku noticed that Mr. Aizawa's bored look became annoyed and focused. He, along with several other students who noticed this, turned their heads at the subject of the man's irritation. It was the blue-haired teen with the glasses from the entrance exam. The tall teen had raised his hand before speaking in a loud voice once he felt he had Aizawa's attention.

"But sir, won't we miss the opening ceremony and orientation?" the teen said loudly. "As students at the most prestigious hero school in the country, we should-"

"I have just three years to get you all ready for the real world," interrupted Aizawa. He had not raised his voice, but something in his tone held enough power to instantly silence his student. "As such, it would be irrational to waste such time on pointless ceremonies. However, if you would rather be at the entrance ceremony, just say the word and I'll have you transferred to general studies."

That caused the blue-haired teen to stiffen as his face was filled with horror. Everyone watched him shaking his head no, his words half-formed as stuttered out a quick apology.

"Now, if there are no more interruptions," continued Aizawa, shooting a brief glance at the student before continuing. "I'd like to set some ground rules for these tests. As I said, all of you will be able to use your quirks. However, you are not to use them in any deliberate way to interfere with your classmates. If you do, then I will mark your score for that exercise as a zero. Secondly, you all get one shot at each test. You should always be giving it your all and I will not accept any excuses. Also, these are solo tests so no helping each other out. These tests are meant to deem your overall potential after all."

As he said this last part, Mr. Aizawa's gaze focused on both Izuku and Raphtalia for a moment.

"And, finally, the person with the lowest score will be deemed as having no potential as a hero. As such, that student will be expelled."

This caused an uproar with the students, many complaining loudly. One girl, the same one Izuku and Raphtalia had saved during the entrance exam, spoke out about it being unfair to kick them out when they had just got here after working so hard. If this bothered Mr. Aizawa, his face didn't show it.

His voice on the other hand…

"Fair?" Aizawa began in a dark tone. "Do you call a couple's car being thrown against a building, with them inside no less, by a random villain fair? What about people who lose their homes to an earthquake or a volcano? Is what happened to them fair as well? The world is full of unfairness. Some of you know that better than most."

Having this caused both Izuku and Raphtalia to stiffen, their fists clenching. While Mr. Aizawa was not looking at either of them directly, the two felt as if that last part was directed at them. Yes, they knew just how unfair the world could be.

"As heroes, it will be your duty to combat this world of unfairness head-on," continued Aizawa. "To rise above it. So, prove to me that you being here isn't a mistake. That you didn't just have a lucky day during the entrance exams. Show me that you can go Plus Ultra."

With that, Mr. Aizawa's tests began starting with the 50-meter dash. As Mr. Aizawa called up the first two, Raphtalia and the girl who had spoken up earlier named Ochaco Uraraka, the rest of the class moved off to the side to watch. With a hand on his chin, Izuku watched as Raphtalia stretched while Uraraka began touching her shoulders and feet for some reason. When the race began, Raphtalia took a swift and decisive lead before crossing the finish line a good two seconds before Uraraka.

While that had been an impressive first test, it was nothing compared to what happened next. The two who were called up next were a pink-skinned girl named Mina Ashido and Kacchan. Once they were given the signal to start, everyone watched in awe as Ashido began sliding towards the finish line looking like she was skating, while Kacchan used his explosive abilities to launch himself there. Once their times had been given, the two walked back to the group as two more students were called up while Izuku spared a glance down to his shield.

'This might be difficult,' he thought with a slight frown. 'People with quirks that can boost their performance like Kacchan will have an easier time and will be able to score higher. Meanwhile, people like me and Raphtalia will have to rely mostly on our own physical training until we can figure out some way of using our quirks to help us.'

From there, the tests continued as the day went on with Izuku watching the other members of Class 1-A for inspiration. Like how Aoyama used his navel laser to propel him across the track in the fifty-meter dash…well tried to as he only got about halfway before he had to turn off his quirk due to his stomach hurting. Then there was Mineta, a person most of the class was already beginning to dislike. The pint sized, ball haired teen was drooling where he stood with the rest of the class, staring at the girl's chests as they got closer and at their rears after they passed him. Not to mention the crude comments he made. Izuku found himself glaring briefly at Mineta when he had said he'd love it if 'Raphtalia would shake her tail in his direction'. But, despite his…personality issues, the grape haired teen had used the bouncing properties of his orbs to bounce across the track.

Unfortunately, despite Izuku putting his brain into overdrive as he went over all his shields and their properties, he wasn't able to come up with anything that could help him out with this test. Instead, he had to rely on his own physical training he had been doing over the past several years. Something he knew he would no doubt have to do with the majority of these exams.

Thankfully, as the tests continued, his physical fitness kept him from placing last in any of the exams. The same went with Raphtalia who, impressively, ranked fourth when it came to the grip strength test. During that same event, Izuku had tried using his Two-Headed Black Dog Shield on the grip strength devices. He had a theory that he might be able to trigger the shield's activation if he smacked the device with the shield. It sort of worked as the dog heads bit into the device. However, since he had no control on where they bit, they missed the grip and ended up using it like a chew toy for a few seconds.

Inspiration didn't hit him until the standing long jump. When it became his turn, an idea just appeared in his head as he stood at the starting point. Raising his shield, Izuku activated his Air Strike Shield and jumped onto it. Once he was in the air, the teen created a second shield before running and jumping onto his makeshift platform. But he didn't stop there, instead creating another shield as the first vanished behind him which he then jumped onto. Over and over this continued, until he had secured the highest score far from the sandbox. As he jumped back down to the ground, a few of the other students let out some impressed cheers. Even the frog girl Asui gave him a thumb's up as well as a ribbit.

Ida, the blue-haired boy, however, was not so impressed. "Unacceptable!" he shouted, turning to look at their homeroom teacher while making a chopping motion with his arm. "That was a clear violation of how to do the standing long jump! Mr. Aizawa, surely you will not allow such blatant cheating to stand!"

In return, Mr. Aizawa gave the teen a look that could have been out of annoyance or boredom.

"The point of the exam was to clear the sandbox. Once you're in the air, I don't care what you do as long as you don't touch the ground," he said, ending the matter in a way that made it clear not to bring this sort of thing up again.

Izuku was only able to use the Air Strike Shield once more during the ball toss. With the only rule being that he had to remain in the circle, Izuku used Air Strike Shield and Second Shield again as platforms as he jumped from one to another gaining a greater distance off the ground while still technically remaining in the circle. Once he felt he was high enough, Izuku flung the ball as far as he could, gaining a score of one hundred and twenty-seven meters.

Then, after a few more tests, it was over.

"You should all have a good idea of where you placed," Aizawa spoke in his usual tired tone while pulling out a remote. With the press of a button, a large holographic screen appeared displaying everyone's ranking. Upon seeing it, both Izuku's and Raphtalia's eyes began scanning the list until they stopped as relieved smiles appeared on their faces. Out of the twenty students, Izuku had come in twelfth place while Raphtalia had paced thirteenth.

Yet, their relief quickly ended when the sobs of Mineta filled the air. Half the class turned to the grape-haired boy as he fell to his knees, rivers of tears running down his face that would have felt at home in the Midoriya residence. Despite excelling in the side-to-side lunge and a few other events, his scores in the majority of the tests had been well below the average. Thus he had been placed at the bottom of the list.

As the tiny teen fell to his knees, still weeping uncontrollably, Raphtalia approached him while the rest just gave Mineta pitiful looks.

"There, there. I'm sure it'll be alright," she said softly, bending down to give him a reassuring pat on the back.

"No, it won't!" wailed Mineta as he turned to look at Raphtalia. "How am I supposed to pick up chicks now? Becoming a hero was my only chance to make it with the ladies!"

Pity quickly turned to disgust at the, er, honest words of the grape-haired pervert. Even Raphtalia was struggling to keep from looking outwardly repulsed by this statement.

Then Aizawa spoke up once more. "By the way, the part about expelling the student who came in last place was a lie. It was just a logical deception to ensure that you all gave it our all." Mineta was instantly silenced while everyone looked at the creepy smile their homeroom teacher was now giving them.

-x-

"Today's lesson was really intense," said Raphtalia, Izuku nodding as he walked beside her out of the homeroom. With class dismissed for the day and dressed once more in their school uniforms, the two made their way down the hallway towards the exit while the rest of the class milled about. As they walked, the pair would occasionally glance down at the class syllabus Aizawa had left for them, checking their schedules as they walked.

"I know, right. Makes me wonder just what tomorrow is going to be like," replied Izuku before his eyes widened in excitement. "Oh hey, Midnight is teaching modern art!"

"She is?" asked Raphtalia as she eagerly began looking over their schedule on the syllabus looking for a single name. It took her a moment before her smile widened. "She is! It's been so long since I've seen her face to face!"

"I know, right? Maybe I can show her some of my-" Izuku's words were cut off as thought of his craft, remembering the gift he had yet to give to Raphtalia. Glancing around, he saw that the hallway was mostly empty. If he was going to give it to her, now would be the best time. So, after taking off his backpack, Izuku began to rummage around in it while Raphtalia gave him a confused look.

Then, just as his scarred hand touched the box which held it, a voice spoke up.

"I guess the rumors were true. The legendary shield has come to U.A."

Looking up, Izuku and Raphtalia saw four people in U.A. student uniforms standing near the exit. Each of them almost seemed to be posing in some manner, as if they were showing off. There was a black-haired boy with a sword that had a blue gem cross-guard strapped to his waist. He was standing off to the side, leaning against the wall looking away with disinterest. But he was standing just close enough for Izuku to tell that he was a part of the group. Standing closest to him was another boy, this one with short blonde hair and green eyes with a bow strapped to his back. A bow that Izuku noticed had an orange gem arrow rest. Standing in front of them was the last, and tallest, of the teenage boys. A hand was brought up, touching the bangs of his long, blonde hair that was tied up in the back into a ponytail. His face held a cocky, smug expression that seemed to radiate from his eyes. In the teen's opposite hand he held a spear that held a red gem just below the tip.

Finally, clinging to the tall blonde was a red-headed girl. Izuku briefly thought she had a pretty face, though she seemed the most out of place in the group as she both lacked any weapon as well as seeming physically weaker than the rest. Though there was something in her eyes that suggested to Izuku that, if you crossed her, she would gladly chew you up and then spit you out all with a sweet smile on her face. There was also something unsettling about her that he couldn't quite place.

The spear wielder took a step forward and, when he spoke, it was made clear that he had been the one who had spoken prior.

"I kind of feel sorry for you pal," continued the spear teen, his tone holding more than a bit of arrogance to it. "Guess it's just bad luck."

"W-What? Ah, who are you?" asked a very taken aback Izuku.

"Right, he doesn't know." This came from the dark-haired teen, nodding slightly as he spoke. "I am Ren Amaki, second-year student of U.A. and the holder of the Legendary Sword."

"I'm also a second-year student," said the short-haired blonde as he took a step forward. "I'm Itsuki Kawasumi. And as you can see I have the Legendary Bow."

"The name's Motoyasu Kitahara, third year. And in case it wasn't obvious, I have the Legendary Spear," finished the oldest of the three. Then he gestured with a nod of his head towards the girl still clinging to him. "Oh, and this here is my girlfriend Malty Melromarc."

"Oh please Motoyasu," giggled Malty. When Malty spoke, Izuku could almost hear alarm bells going off in his head. There was just something wrong with how she talked, that the sweetness of her tone was just phony. However, those thoughts were pushed away to the side when he saw the look Motoyasu was giving Raphtalia. He was looking her up and down in a way that was way too obvious what he was doing. The look in his eye was so lecherous that it could rival Mineta's!

"Anyways, we were all a little surprised and taken aback when we heard that a fourth weapon user like us had gotten into U.A," said Itsuki who also noticed the look Motoyasu was giving Raphtalia. No doubt wanting to continue the conversation. "Even more when we heard that it was the shield user. We just wanted to check it out and see for ourselves."

Izuku's eyes widened at that. So he was the fourth weapon user here at the school? He had known that there were others, but he had never really thought he would have the chance to meet any of them. And to have three of them here at U.A. at the same time as him? Yet…

"Ah, what did you mean when you said you were even more surprised when you heard it was the shield?" asked Izuku

There was a pause as the four older students gave each other a look as if having a silent conversation between themselves. Finally, Motyasu rolled his eyes while letting out a sigh.

"Alright, alright. If these guys won't tell you then I will," he said while quickly closing the distance before shoving a finger right into Izuku's chest. "The shield is the weakest of the weapons! In fact, it shouldn't even be counted as a weapon! It's more like armor!"

"It's impressive that you managed to get into the hero course with defense alone," continued Ren, giving Midoriya a sideways look as he spoke. "However, that alone won't get you far. Guess it's just the luck of the draw."

"When we all took our entrance exams, we managed to get in on villain points alone," added Itsuki, now sporting a slight smirk. "And by the time we all took our exams, we were able to take down the zero-pointer."

"It's doubtful that you'll ever be able to do that," finished Motoyasu with a laugh.

Izuku stayed silent as he listened to the group. He had heard these sorts of things before from his old school. From people like Kacchan and others like him. But, for some reason, their words felt like they had more of an impact. Maybe it was because they held weapons similar to his. Maybe it was because they were his upper-classmen, people who knew more about what they were talking about.

"You're wrong!" Everyone jumped, startled as Raphtalia spoke up with determination in her eyes. She then stepped forward. "A hero is more than just their quirk or weapon. It's also about the type of person that they are. What they are willing to bare, willing to sacrifice in order to save others!"

"Well said, young lady!"

The four standing at the doorway jumped upon hearing the high pitched voice, sweat appearing on their brows as they turned their heads in unison to look the other way. Standing there was a small, animal-like creature standing on its hind legs and wearing a suit. As for what it was, Izuku had no idea. While looking like an interesting cross between a bear, mouse, and cat, the creature had white fur and a scar on one of his eyes.

"Ah, who are you?" asked Izuku, tilting his head while looking down at the creature as it approached them walking on its hind legs.

"He's so cute!" said Raphtalia, bringing her hands together. "Look at that adorable suite someone put him in." Izuku's and Raphtalia's comments caused the animal to chuckle politely into one of its paws while the other four students just looked at the pair like they were insane.

"You idiots!" growled Motoyasu. "How could you not know who that is!?"

"It's alright Mr. Kitahara," said the creature with a light chuckle, its paws moving behind its back as his beady eyes glanced back and forth over all the gathered students. "They wouldn't know as Mr. Aizawa tends to skip orientation to put his class through the ringer. So please, allow me to introduce myself as the school's principal: Nezu!"

Both Izuku and Raphtalia felt like their bodies would turn to stone at any moment due to embarrassment. Though the principal seemed to take their mistake in stride, letting out a light chuckle as he glanced over at the tanuki girl.

"Oh, and thank you for the compliment on my suit Ms. Raphtalia," Nezu continued. "I have to get them all tailor-made and this one is brand new! Such a pity none of the staff here or even the long-time students noticed." The principal then turned to look at the four students by the exit. All of them looked rather nervous.

"Ah…it looks simply marvelous on you Mr. Nezu," said Malty, in a fake sweet tone.

"Yes…thank you for that Ms. Melromarc," replied Nezu, his smile faltering for a moment as he gave the redhead a once over. But before Izuku could think about what that might mean, the principal seemed to regain a bounce in his steps as his voice became a bit more chipper. "Now, I hope that you all being here was simply out of curiosity about our school's newest weapon user. It would simply be dreadful if you came here to throw your weight around or to make a fellow student feel inferior. Now, how about you all head home? If you wish to use the school grounds for afternoon training, they will be available starting tomorrow."

With that, the four left without another word. Yet as they did, Izuku thought he saw Nezu focusing on Malty. The smile he had on his face was gone, replaced with an unnerving flat expression as his beady black eyes remained locked on her back. That was until the door closed and the small mammal turned to look at the remaining teens. A smile appeared on the animal's face, sending shivers down both their spines.

"I also suggest that both of you head home right away and get some rest," said Nezu with a glint in his eye. "Trust me, you'll need it for your first hero class!"