The next day felt more like your typical school day for Izuku and Raphtalia. While U.A. was designed to train the next generation of heroes and the people who supported them, such as engineers for their tech, the school also handled their full high school education. That included things like English, math, science, and art. Of course, classes were far more exciting when heroes were teaching them! How could anyone find thermal conduction boring when it was Power Loader teaching the class? Or discussing 'The Tale of Genji' with Cementoss? For Izuku, he hung onto every word that was spoken as he eagerly took notes.

Though there were some classes he was looking forward to more than others.

One of those classes was Modern Art taught by none other than Ms. Nemuri Kayama; A.K.A the pro-hero Midnight! Sadly he had to wait for the period right before lunch, but the moment the bell rang Izuku was the first to turn his head to look at the door as the R-Rated Hero slid it open with a flourish. Izuku's eyes sparkled with awe as he watched her saunter into the classroom, dressed in her hero uniform, just like she had all those years prior in the hospital. Briefly, he glanced over at Raphtalia whose eyes were sparkling in the same way. Though that wasn't the only thing he noticed. While he didn't need to see Mineta, who was seated right behind him, to know that the tiny gremlin was looking at Midnight with pure lust, Izuku saw that there were a few who were slightly blushing at their teacher's entrance.

Once she reached the front of the class, Midnight leaned against the desk while giving the class her infamous alluring look. A moment later she announced for their first lesson that they would be having a little fun.

"I want to see what my new darling students are capable of," she said with a half smile, eyes roaming over the gathered students. "Draw whatever you desire with no restrictions. As long as it's something that speaks to your soul, your passion. I want to see it. And don't worry if it's not perfect or even finished, you won't be penalized. But all of you will be presenting your works to the class before the bell rings."

A few students grimaced at that last part, with one or two complaining until, with a loud crack of her whip, Midnight silenced them.

From there, the only noises that could be heard were the scratching of pencils against paper, furious erasures, Kacchan's foul language spoken under his breath, and Mineta's perverted giggling as they worked. Izuku, however, took a bit longer to get started as he tried to figure out what he wanted to draw. What spoke to him the most? Well, All Might of course. Who better symbolized what it meant to be a hero? Perhaps making a drawing of that old video, the one he still watched online? He also toyed with the idea of drawing the first hero in action he had ever seen. But, seeing as it was Midnight, that this was her class, and that they would be presenting their work his classmates might get the wrong impression.

When his pencil finally touched the paper, he paused for a moment as his thoughts went back to the three other weapon users he had met yesterday. Something about their words still ate away at him a little. That they considered him the weakest, not believing that he could ever go as far as them. Writing him off without even giving Izuku a chance to show what he was capable of. All because he had the shield.

But as soon as Izuku began to sketch the outline of All Might, back hunched as he was bringing several injured people out of a flaming wreck, the freckled-faced teen shook away those thoughts. Raphtalia was right, there was more to being a hero than their quirk. More than just pure power. So what if they could destroy more robots on their own? To him, saving and protecting people was the way to go.

So, with that, Izuku focused on his work along with the rest of the class until time was called. Once everyone's pencils were put down, they were each called up one at a time to display their work. Some of them were rather simple, like trees in a field or, such as the case of frog-like girl Asui, lily pads. Others took Izuku by surprise, like how the large muscular teen Sato drew a five-layered cake with strawberries. Or how Uraraka drew planet-sized mochi in space.

Then came Bakugo's…

"It's an explosion!" exclaimed the blonde teen as he held up his drawing with pride. Everyone just blinked at the image the ashen-haired hero hopeful held up, staring at the mix of jagged and wavy lines that seemed to consume his sheet of paper. Silently Izuku chuckled at his childhood friend while the rest of his class just sort of sat there as they continued to process both image and explanation.

Once class was over, everyone headed down to the lunchroom where the pro hero Lunch Rush served up a very extensive and tasty menu. However, before they left, Izuku and Raphtalia lingered behind to have a few words with Midnight alone. It was nothing major, with Midnight asking the two how they had been since they had last seen each other and how they were enjoying U.A. When the subject of Midoriya's accessory crafting was brought up, Midnight became very interested as he began to describe some of his projects.

"My, you must have been practicing this skill for some time," she commented. "Any reason you picked it up?"

"Well, after I discovered that my shield could take in various materials to unlock other shields, I wanted to get my hands on whatever I could," began Izuku as he scratched the back of his head. "Around that time, there was a man in my area who started up an artisan jewelry course. I figured that maybe he might let me keep some of the extra material. You know, pieces too small to be reused or just anything they were going to throw out. It looked like he was about to say no at first, but then told me that I could but there would be a few conditions. The first was that I had to sign up for his beginner's class. The second was that I had to wait until the end of the class before feeding any of the extra materials into the shield. According to him, it was to make sure that I was only feeding it a small amount and not just grabbing handfuls of whatever I could get my hands on instead of paying attention to the class. At first, I thought I would just take the first lesson and be done with it. But then I learned that we would be working with all types of materials so I wanted to at least get some. But, over time, I found myself enjoying the class so I stayed on. I've gotten good enough to the point where I can do commissions."

"Well that's good to hear," she said before a smile appeared on her face that somehow made Izuku nervous but not knowing why. "And I'd simply love to see the accessories that you craft. Now, you two lovebirds better hurry up and get to the lunchroom. You wouldn't want to start your first hero class on an empty stomach."

Her smile grew as the two teens began blushing.

"L-L-Lovebirds," stammered Izuku before hiding his face with his hands.

"I-It's n-nothing l-like that," added Raphtalia, waving her hands in front of her wildly.

After that rather, er, embarrassing conversation was over, the two walked in silence towards the lunch room with their still red faces staring downward.

After lunch, finally, it was time for the lesson that everyone had been waiting for. Now with the entirety of class 1-A back in the classroom, the doors quickly opened just mere seconds after the bell rang.

"I AM HERE! Coming through the door like a HERO!" With that declaration, All Might himself burst into the room! The entire class marveled at the man as he strode across the front of the room. Some gushed in amazement that they were to be taught by the living legend himself. Others, like Midoriya, had sparkles in their eyes as they realized that he wasn't wearing his current hero outfit but rather his older Silver Age costume. To see it on him with their own eyes was certainly a treat. A hand reached down for his phone, ready to take a picture of this to use as his background. But, when his hand touched the device, a dilemma came to the forefront. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but would it be rude to do this? Would All Might, of all people, think he wasn't taking his heroic education seriously?

"Welcome class to the most important class here at U.A." continued All Might, his words causing Izuku to remain still as he focused on the greatest hero to ever live. All Might was now standing at the front of the room, fists on his hips as he struck a heroic pose. "Think of it as heroing 101! Here you will learn the basics of being a pro and what it means to fight in the name of good! Let's get into it because today's lesson will PULL NO PUNCHES!"

With his ever-present smile, All Might pulled out a card from…somewhere that had the word 'battle' on it in bold, red letters. Excitement rang throughout the class, especially with Bakugo who looked like every holiday had been renamed after him.

Then, the panels within the walls began to eject, revealing that they held large, silver briefcases on them with large numbers.

"But one of the keys to being a hero is looking good!" continued the Number One Hero. "These costumes were based on your quirk registration forms as well as your own personal requests. Get yourself suited up and meet at Training Ground Beta!" With that, the students of 1-A raced to grab their cases while All Might raced out of the room so fast he was nothing but a blur.

-x-

After getting changed, Izuku walked out of a long metallic hallway with the rest of his class, his green cloak billowing in the wind as he entered Training Ground Beta. Originally, Izuku had wanted something knightly with a helmet that was shaped like All Might's. But, after some careful and practical rethinking, he realized that it would be unnecessary as his shield already gave him amazing protection. That…and the fact that such armor would be both loud as well as difficult to move around in. So, instead, he went with a more simple look. Thick, brown leather had been stitched into the sides of his green pants, white fur lining around them. Over his green, long-sleeved shirt was a brown chest guard as well as a metal plate on top of that. Brown boots and gloves lined with more white fur protected his arms and legs. Finally, there were a few pouches on his belt which he had already filled with his homemade healing potions.

When he compared himself to people like Ida, who had gone with something like a robotic knight, or Aoyama, whose costume was also knight-themed, Izuku looked more like the King of the Barbarians.

"Wow, Izuku. You look so cool!" declared Raphtalia as she raced over to him.

Izuku's heart began beating a hundred miles an hour as he looked at Raphtalia now in her hero costume. She wore a red hide breastplate with puffy shoulders and a single shoulder guard, a white skirt, lace-up boots that went all the way to her kneecaps, and a pair of gloves. On her belt was a sword that brought together the image of a traveling adventurer.

"You too. You look…You look…I mean…Just wow," said Izuku breathlessly. His reaction caused Raphtalia to blush as she looked away, a hand coming up to her mouth to hide the smile forming on her lips.

An interaction that didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the class given they did all this out in the open. While the rest of the class saw this with a mix of awe at best or indifference at worst, three students were the exception.

"Would those two quit their shitty flirting already!" growled Bakugo loudly. "I swear if I get the chance I'm going to destroy that damn Deku once and for all!"

"While I don't agree with your choice of language, I must say that such actions are totally inappropriate," stated Ida stiffly, chopping his arm in the direction of the duo of shield and sword. "We are here at this fine institution to become a shining example of heroics and valor. Such actions are totally unbecoming of a hero in training."

"Why?!" wept Mineta with his tiny arms raised to the heavens. "Why is he the one picking up the chicks? I want a hot babe to gush after how amazing I look!"

Hearing that drew Bakugo's attention, turning to look at Mineta with a look of utter disgust. "You look like a grape stain in a diaper! So shut your trap before I murder you!"

Before anyone else could say anything more, All Might walked out to address the assembled group of students.

"They say that clothes make the pros," said the man loudly with a bold smile on his face. "And behold, you are the living proof. Take this to heart: heroes in training! You're getting me all revved up! You all look so cool! Now, shall we get started, you newbies?"

Ida then raised his hand.

"Sir, this looks like the fake city from the entrance exam," stated the tall, blue-haired teen. "Does this mean we're going to be doing urban combat?"

"Not quite Young Ida," laughed All Might. "I'm going to be moving you two steps ahead!"

With that, All Might began to explain to the group how most of the villain fights that they see on the news happened outside. However, battles with smarter and more dastardly foes happened indoors as they preferred to work in the shadows. Out of plain sight from the heroes, they could construct their underground lairs or do their backroom deals. So, for their first training exercise, they were to simulate a raid on these types of villains.

The exercise would proceed as followed: everyone would be split into teams of two. At random, one team would be the villains who had secured a nuclear warhead. The other team, the heroes, were to invade the villain's warehouse and either capture both villains or make contact with the warhead in order to win. However, if the villain team caught the heroes or secured the payload until time ran out then they won. However, All Might warned them all that this time they would not be fighting robots but instead living, thinking human beings. So they all had to be careful.

Once everyone's questions about the test had been answered, All Might announced that they would be drawing lots to decide teams. That caused Ida to once more raise his hand, questioning if this was the best method to decide teams. Before All Might could answer, Izuku spoke up pointing out that heroes often have to team at random. So, by doing it like this, they would be simulating the experience. That seemed to satisfy Ida as he and the rest of the class proceeded to draw lots. And, much to Izuku's delight, he quickly found out he was once more paired up with Raphtalia on Team A.

All Might, however, scratched his chin as he surveyed the pair.

'Hmm. They're together once more,' he thought, his eyes furrowing slightly as he watched the pair standing next to the other. 'Seeing how well they worked together during the entrance exam, I am tempted to have one of them switch teams so that they learn to work with other students. However, I don't want to waste any more time. That…and I am interested to see how much further their teamwork has progressed!'

Shaking his head, the muscular hero watched as over the next several minutes his students found their teammates. Team B was composed of Mezo Shoji and Shoto Todoroki, the two sizing the other up in a respectable manner. The same couldn't be said about Team C which consisted of Minoru Mineta and Momo Yoayorozu as the only 'sizing up' that was being done was Mineta trying to figure out his teammate's bra size. Something that Yoayorozu noticed as she gave him a repulsed look. Team D was made up of Katsuki Bakugo and Tenya Ida, both teens just giving the other a look of disbelief. At least there seemed to be no issues with Team E which was made up of Yuga Aoyama and Mina Ashido. Team F consisted of Koji Kota and Rikido Sato, neither saying anything to the other. In the far back was Kyoka Jiro and Denki Kaminari who made up Team G. Then there was Team H which was made up of Tsuyu Asui and Fumikage Tokoyami. Ochaco Uraraka bounced next to her teammate in Team I, Mashirao Ojiro, who was looking at the pink-cheeked girl while scratching his cheek. The last group, Team J, had Eijiro Kirishima and Hanta Sero.

As soon as the pro hero saw that all of his students had found their teammates, All Might wasted no time in announcing the pairs for the first match. The first group of heroes would be Team A while the villains would be Team D.

As Bakugo and his teammate entered the building to get ready, the angry blonde shot a glare at Izuku before vanishing from sight.

"He really seems to have it out for you, doesn't he?" noted Raphtalia, her hands behind her back as she kept her eyes on the doorway the angry blonde had just walked through. "And why does he call you Deku all the time?"

Izuku, who had just pulled out a map of the building's layout given to him by All Might, glanced up at Raphtalia before giving her a small smile. "Don't mind him," he said. "Kacchan has just always been that way. He's a really good guy once you get to know him. And as for Deku, well, that's just a nickname he gave me back when we were kids. Back when I thought I was quirkless."

"Still…" said Raphtalia unsurely.

"Let's just focus on the exercise for now," said Izuku with a shake of his head before gesturing Raphtalia to come closer so that they could both look at the layout together. "If I'm reading this right, then we could use the small hallways to our advantage."

Meanwhile, with the villain team, both students were examining the room holding the bomb. Said object stood taller than either teen on the opposite side of the room directly across for the door between two windows. As for the rest of the room it was mainly bare save for several crates piled up on either side of the room. Judging by how they were positioned, it seemed like past students who had been here had used them in lue of chairs. As Ida walked over to begin examining the 'warhead', Bakugo simply paced in front of the door with his usual sour expression.

"Hmm. They really go all out on these simulations," Ida commented after a while, tapping his knuckles against the warhead as he spoke. "This 'bomb' looks so realistic that, if I didn't know it was a fake, I would have mistaken it for the real thing. Just as one would expect of a school such as U.A!"

"Whatever," growled Bakugo, turning on his heels toward the door. "Just stay out of my way while I deal with that damned Deku and that extra."

"Wait! Shouldn't we-" Began Ida, raising his hand towards the back of his teammate. Yet his words fell on deaf ears as the explosively tempered blonde marched out of the room, his fists clenched tightly as he did so.

Later, at All Might's announcement, the exercise began. Not wasting any time, both Izuku and Raphtalia made their way into the front of the building with Izuku taking the front. With his shield raised to his chest, ready for any danger that would befall them, Izuku carefully checked each hallway as the two hero hopefuls made their way to the stairway.

When they got to the second floor, Raphtalia's ears began to twitch while her hand went to grab the hilt of her sword. Izuku's ears picked up on the subtle noise and gave a quick glance to his partner who nodded at him.

Then, suddenly, Bakugo came flying out from a hallway directly in front of them with the palm of his hand facing the pair. Izuku saw this, lifting his shield arm up and hitting the wrist of his childhood friend upward just as the nitroglycerin sweat on Bakugo's palm ignited. Everyone's hair was flung backward and danced in the fiery winds created by the blast as Bakugo landed on the ground.

"Damn it!" yelled Bakugo, seething at the fact that his attack had been deflected.

"I knew you'd come for us sooner or later Kacchan," Izuku said, a small confident smile playing on his lips. "Sitting around and waiting for your opponent just isn't your style. I also know that-"

"Shut up!" screamed Bakugo, veins popping out of his neck. With amazing speed, Katsuki shot forward ready to deliver a right hook. Yet as his palm came down, it collided with Izuku's shield, sending it upward, out of the way of the green-themed hero. But the counterattack wasn't over yet as Raphtalia leaped over Izuku, landing in front of him before swinging her still-sheathed sword ring into Bakugo's now exposed gut. Spit flew out of Bakugo's mouth as he was sent flying backward from the force of the attack, but managed to land on his feet as he skidded to a halt.

"As I was saying," continued Izuku, "you like to start a fight with a right hook."

Panting heavily, Bakugo began to look more like a feral beast. His red eyes locked onto Midoriya's green ones as several small explosions began appearing in the palms of his hands. "Damn you…you…YOU SHITTY NERD!"

With that scream revibrating through the hallways the ashen-blonde thrust both his hands behind him, a huge explosion occurring just moments later that sent him rocketing towards Izuku faster than his legs could ever propel him.

"Chimera Viper Shield!" called out the green-haired teen as he raised his shield. Instantly, Izuku's shield began to glow green as it took the form it had acquired when Izuku managed to acquire the shed snake skin from Uwabami. When the light faded, his shield had transformed into a mostly green-colored, four-pointed shield with twin golden vipers on each side. Seeing the shield change, Bakugo used his explosions to send him upwards and over the caped hero-in-training. With his open palm facing the back of Izuku's head, Bakugo would have unleashed a powerful explosion had it not been for Raphtalia quickly moving to intercept him. The tanuki girl grabbed his wrist right before his grenade-shaped gauntlet, only to have his other hand shoved in her face. Rather than unleashing an explosion, he surprised them by planting his foot in her gut before launching himself away. However…

"Air Strike Shield!" shouted Izuku quickly. The green shield-like barrier took up the entire hallway, with Bakugo's back landing against it. The explosion quirk user's eyes widened in momentary surprise, just enough time for Raphtalia to lunge forward, swinging her sword at his gut once more with enough force that the Air Strike Shield shattered on impact. This, in turn, sent Bakugo rolling around on the ground until he finally stopped.

Panting and wheezing from the pain, Bakugo managed to get on all fours before pointing his palm at the pair.

"DIE!" screamed a further enraged Bakugo. A massive explosion followed, caused due to the large amount of sweat the teen was now producing. Quick to act, Izuku moved in front of his partner and raised his shield to block as much of the attack as possible. Flames licked at his cloak which billowed in the wind created in the explosion, yet the shield wielder never moved as he protected his teammate.

Then, before the flames had a chance to subside, came Bakugo. His hand reached out, grabbing Izuku's wrist with a tightness that would match a demon's dragging a soul to the underworld. The hot-headed blonde then used his other hand to create a series of explosions, spinning Izuku around until Bakugo flung him into Raphtalia.

Bakugo watched as the pair collapsed in front of him, the blonde's sneer growing wider and more savage.

But, that smile didn't last long as Raphtalia quickly got to her feet, running towards her opponent with her sword drawn. Seeing this, Bakugo raised his palms up while unleashing a number of small explosions. However…

"Hiding Shield!" yelled Izuku, unleashing the combo move that he and his partner had been working on since they discovered that they had been accepted into U.A. Bakugo's eyes widened as the image of Raphtalia as she leaped towards him in the air changed into the Air Strike Shield for a split second before becoming the Chimera Viper Shield! Now in front of him, the golden vipers on the shield came to life as they lunged forward and bit both his arms. The blonde could feel the weak venom being injected into his body as he cried out in pain, sweat now dripping from his brow as he stumbled backward.

Then, with shaky arms, Bakugo raised one of his arms while the other went to a pin on his grenade gauntlet.

"Let's see how good your defense really is, Deku," said Bakugo in a pained tone, one eye wide in rage. "These gauntlets on my arms aren't for show. They were designed to collect my sweat and store it for an even more powerful explosion!"

Then, just as Bakugo pulled the pin out…

"Shield Prison! Air Strike Shield!" shouted Izuku quickly. A dome of shields surrounded Bakugo, chains wrapping around to keep them all in place while, at the same time, a green energy shield appeared right in front of Izuku. A half a second later, the dome was shattered in an explosion that felt like it shook the building while parts of the numerous shields that created the prison went flying in every direction. Some even collided with the Air Strike Shield, creating cracks within it before the flames hit. Izuku gritted his teeth as he held up his defense, his final barrier shattering a moment later.

When the flames finally died down, Izuku lowered his shield and gasped at what he saw. Bakugo was on his knees: the ground, wall, and ceiling around him scorched. Burn marks covered the boy's body, a few flames still burning away at his now tattered costume. Then, before either member of the hero team could move, Bakugo fell face first onto the ground.

"Katuski Bakugo has been defeated," came the voice of their teacher over the PA system. "Medical drones will arrive soon to retrieve him and take him to Recovery Girl."

Both Izuku and Raphtalia nodded at All Might's words before letting out a sigh of relief as they approached the fallen blonde. Yet, rather than leaving Bakugo where he was, Izuku moved his childhood friend off to the side so that he was seated with his back against the wall. Not only that, but Izuku also pulled out one of his homemade healing potions which he promptly force-fed his foe in the hopes that it would do him some good.

Once they were finished, the pair continued on their way eventually finding Ida in a room a few floors up. However…

"That blasted fool Bakugo," bellowed the turbo teen. "How dare he run off on his own? And what did it get him? Caught by those do-gooders! Well, I won't fall so easily! Nay, I shall show the world my villainy! HAHAHA!" Both Izuku and Raphtalia sweatdropped at the sight before them as they peaked around the doorway, watching Ida as he acted and spoke like some corny Saturday Morning cartoon villain.

"Is…Is something wrong with him?" whispered Raphtalia, leaning close to Izuku's ear while keeping her concerned-filled eyes on the last villain.

"I guess he's just taking this exam a little too seriously," replied Izuku softly with a light laugh.

"Izuku, look at the floor," Raphtalia then said with a bit of a gasp, pointing towards something in the room.

Izuku looked down, spotting that the floor was littered with debris. Most of it looks like small shards of wood. If the green-haired teen had to guess, Ida had destroyed some wooden crates and spread their remains around. No doubt in case someone tried to sneak past him.

"Well, there goes any chance of you sneaking in without him noticing," said the shield user. Despite this, Izuku didn't sound too worried as he got up and simply walked into the room. This cut off Ida's laughing immediately as the taller teen stared down at the shield wielder.

"Well, well. So you've finally made it," said Ida in a villainous and mocking tone, refusing to break character. "But, judging by your appearance, I'm willing to bet that my nefarious compatriot at least wore you down a little whilst I am still fresh as an evil daisy. Tell me, where is your little friend?" As he spoke, Ida's helmet could be seen looking around at the floor. No doubt searching for any movement made by Raphtalia.

"She's already behind you," stated Izuku, his voice full of determination. "Air Strike Shield!"

"WHAT!?" yelled a confused Ida turning around, finding the green energy shield right in front of his face. He stared at it, looking through the semi-transparent material as if expecting Raphtailia to appear on the other side at any second.

"Second Shield!" yelled Izuku.

Another shield appeared behind Ida, pressing against him tightly so that he was sandwiched between the two barriers. As the armored racer tried his best to struggle, Raphtalia raced into the room and touched the bomb with a smile on her face.

"NNNNOOOOOO!" bellowed Ida.

"Sorry, but it looks like we win!" replied Raphtalia cheerfully as a moment later All Might's voice came over the speakers.