Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Heroes are putting their lives on the line. For that reason, I cannot simply say that you can become one without a quirk."

Yagi Toshinori watches the young boy's expression turn into despair the moment he says those words. It was almost instant—the change. His eyes, before bright and hopeful, is now hollow and empty.

He shudders at the sight.

For a second, he sees a corpse. Blood is flowing down his eyes, making its the way down. It keeps coming, forming a pool on the ground. His uniform is noticeably torn.

Worst of all, he was smiling, as if dying was the best option. As if death was the only way out.

Around him, the sky is a dark shade of red. The clouds are barely visible in the distance, and the ground is filled with red spider lilies. He knows what those flowers represent.

That wasn't there before, Toshinori thinks. He almost wished that he didn't know what red spider lilies means. There was too much of it to be natural.

No, none of this is natural. He flinches at the image, wondering if this is real.

He blinks once, and everything is back to normal.

Toshinori looks around in a panic. The sky is blue. The clouds are clear and visible. There are no plants around him. No flowers. He takes a step back, a hand covering his mouth.

Was it all in his head, or was it supposed to mean something? Was it telling him that this boy was going to die?

If it wasn't in his head, then what was that? A vision? If so, how? He wasn't near anyone who would be able to put the effect on him. An illusion, then?

He is thankful that the boy doesn't notice what he's doing. The last thing the boy needs is to wonder why a hero is moving away from him.

He is not new to the sight of corpses. As a hero, death is something he unfortunately sees often. Sometimes, he sees worse, and he spend countless of nights waking up to the nightmares.

He had no one to find comfort in during those nights. He lived alone. He has no living relatives. A part of him desperately wished that he did have someone on his side. That way, perhaps, the pain would lessen.

Even if it's only a little bit.

Over the years, he has gradually getting better nights, but the occurring nightmares served as a constant reminder. It makes him terrified, but at the same time, determined.

He does not regret being a hero. He never will. However, being one does have its downsides. Some will think that it's not worth it. Others will continue to go on, no matter how much it breaks them. No matter how much it kills them.

He is one of those people. Even now, seeing corpses still unnerved him.

One day, he will look like that—

The boy laughs a little, startling Toshinori out from his thoughts. He looks up, and feels his heart twist from the sight. It was first time he heard such a bitter laugh, as all he heard in his hero career were happy ones.

The only person who would do such a laugh was himself. Well, his younger self. Back when being a hero was merely a dream.

Either way, he didn't want to hear a laugh like that. Ever. It was a sound that shouldn't be coming from a child. Or for anyone for that matter. The boy sounds very tired. He looks tired too.

Like he doesn't want to live anymore.

The illusion from before is still very much clear in his head. The smile is disturbing, showing nothing but pain and suffering. He is too young and skinny to look like that. Hollow green eyes stare at him, and he couldn't bring himself to look away.

There is darkness in those eyes. It is a darkness he is familiar with, and every now and then, he forget that it exists. With this era so peaceful, it's easy to forget.

It's easy to ignore.

It's greatly horrifying, how deep the darkness can be. While light is bright and limited, the dark is infinite. Darkness lingers from behind and the light never stays.

He swallows, and he recalls the boy's empty laughter. That laugh was dark, no doubt about it. He wonders if that was what he sounded like before he met Nana.

Toshinori closes his eyes. No, he doesn't think so. Even when he was quirkless, he... he didn't sound like that. Even when he knew his dream was not within his reach, he had hope. It was small one, but it was there nonetheless.

It was Nana who turned that hope into something greater. Yet, here he was, not letting this boy's hope turn into something more. Would she disappointed by his actions?

If she was here, in his position, would she have said that this quirkless boy here can become a hero?

After all, Nana gave him One For All. A quirk that can be passed down. Had he rejected her offer, would she think that he could still make it? Still can become a symbol? Would she encourage it and cheer him on?

Would his drive to become hero be enough for her to have confidence in him?

"Please let me help you."

"Not a chance. You don't even have a quirk."

His face darkens. No, he thinks that she wouldn't have. Had she not seen his goal was, he wouldn't be here right now. She didn't think he can help her because he doesn't have a quirk.

He doesn't know where he would be had she not given him One For All.

She is not quirkless, but Toshinori is. Was. He understands the struggles of this boy more than anyone else in the world. He knows how dangerous it is for a quirkless boy to be a hero.

That was why he said no.

Still, he feels bad for being the one to cause the pain on the boy's face. The Symbol Of Peace shouldn't be shattering a child's dream.

This boy is bright, he can tell. He has an innocence that is rare in children nowadays. He still sees them to this day, but not as frequently. Most of those Toshinori had met were cocky, arrogant. This would've been a problem if they weren't so young.

They have the determination and the drive to become a hero. He can let it pass as long as it doesn't go too out of hand and hope that they grow out of it.

Not all children do. He knows that.

It is the adults' job to make sure that children do not grow up to harm others. To not look down on others. It is his job as much as it is everyone else's.

However, from what he can see, every adult in this boy's life did not do that. After seeing too much, Toshinori doesn't know if he should be surprised at this point. He has seen the worst of humanity after all.

At the same time, though, he's disappointed. Devastated. He's striving to do good, yet there are people who refuse to do the same. Who refused to see the evil in themselves.

This boy is anything but arrogant. That's a given. He's timid. Shy. That kind of personality isn't seen often in heroes. Heroes are the ones who fill people's hearts with hope and positivity.

To tell everyone that everything is going to be okay. Being timid and shy doesn't help with that.

Toshinori isn't saying it's a bad thing. In fact, he has met plenty of shy heroes. He finds them to be quite endearing. Despite having a timid personality, their determination says otherwise.

And that was all that mattered.

Really, young Midoriya doesn't deserve to have his dreams ripped apart. Much less from the number one hero. The fact that this boy is a fan of him doesn't make things better.

In fact, it only make things worse. It makes his guilt grow stronger by the second. No one is okay with that. But Toshinori will stand with what he said.

He will not lie.

The world is not a kind place. He knows it, and every pro hero knows it too. While children are protected, the adults and heroes are doing the protecting.

The world is merciless, and it will not pity the weak. Perhaps this boy has seen it already, but there is much more out there—more than he will ever realize.

More that he cannot take on.

It was for the best that he gives up becoming a hero. Toshinori has been there after all. He had lived it. From one quirkless person to another, he will say that being a hero is a death sentence.

"If you aspire to save people, there's always the police force," Toshinori offers, hoping to give this child another path to take. It's the safer option. There are alternatives. This isn't the end for him. "Villain custody is often a thankless work, but it is still a job worthy of praise."

Please do not die.

Naomasa would appreciate more help. With the absurd amount of work in the police department, extra hands always welcomed. Better too much than too little, he would say.

Even as a detective, Naomasa does not get spared from the horrors. From the cruelty of people and by the people. But if the boy takes Naomasa's path, he will be safer. Not entirely safe, of course, but he will be more safer than a hero will ever be.

Naomasa will make sure of it.

He was always the protective one. And the rational one too. It's required in his line of work.

The boy doesn't say anything, his head down and hair covering his eyes. Toshinori can't blame him for staying quiet. Nothing is worse than having hope stripped out of you by a pro hero.

He turns to leave, believing that it's best that he does. If he was in the boy's position, he wouldn't want him here any longer either. Young Midoriya does not stop him, and he almost wished that he did.

You should be angry at me, he thinks. You should be screaming.

When Toshinori is by the door, he stops and he says, "I'm not against dreaming, but you need to see the reality for what it is, kid."

He tries not to flinch at his own words.

He knows what he said is harsh. God, he knows that. But he would rather have this boy alive than dead. What else could he say? "I'm sorry it has to be this way"? The boy doesn't need pity. It's the least thing he needs right now.

He needs comfort. He needs reassurance. Both that Toshinori doesn't think he'll be able to provide. Not after what he had said.

Toshinori is met with silence. You should be mad at me.

But there is no anger. No yelling, no screaming. He can't tell if that's worse. He couldn't bring himself to turn around. Not when he knows what the kid's face is going to look like. Will the boy end up hating him? Resenting him?

Toshinori wouldn't be upset or surprised if he did.

He had every right to.

If it means that the boy gets to live and not in a body bag, then so be it. Let him hate him. He can deal with that. But that doesn't stop the doubt growing inside him.

What if I was wrong?

What if he could become a hero, but couldn't because of what I said? If that's the case, then what does that make me?

He shuts his eyes, wondering if he had done the wrong thing, if he had made a mistake. What if it was because of this that the boy was going to die? Was that what that image—or whatever it was—was trying to tell him?

He quickly shakes the thought off. No, that sounds absurd. He saved the boy's life. He had done the right thing.

Right?

Even if he was wrong, could he really take his words back? His words will forever be engraved into the boy's mind, even if he were to change it. He clearly voiced his opinions about the quirkless, and could that really be pushed away?

Could this boy really push away all that and pretend it didn't happen?

It looks like that he would, and that makes Toshinori want to throw up. Forgiveness should be earned, not given. Him being the number one hero should not play a part in this.

But it does, and he unknowingly used it to his own benefit. What a hero he is.

"This isn't the end for you, young Midoriya," he says softly. "Please, do not throw away your life just because one path is blocked. There are many more. Get home safe."

Please don't die.

Regardless of how he feels about this, he said what he said, and it was too late to make it otherwise.

He... he cannot stay here. He will only make things worse than it already is. With those final words said, he makes his way down the stairs, leaving the boy on the roof. Perhaps he shouldn't have done that, but at that time, it didn't occur to him.

Maybe because he wanted to get away from the tension. It chokes him, and maybe he deserved it. Neither of them was going to leave out of this happy. Neither of them was going to be okay after this.

That's the reality of it.

It makes him want to punch a wall.

Or maybe because he was more focused on handing the villain to the police. He wouldn't want to contain the villain in a bottle longer than he has to. Or maybe it was both of the reasons.

Nonetheless, he left the boy on the roof, not knowing the consequences his actions could've caused.

Toshinori puts his hand on his pocket, and sighs in relief. He didn't lose the bottle. He was afraid he had lost it when the young boy cling to his leg while they were up in the air. Had he did lost it, it would've been bad. His time is out for today.

The heroes could deal with the sludge villain if they got out, but it would be his mistake. There would still be damages. They may not know, but his conscience would never accept it.

All Might would never accept it.

He will not blame the boy if that were to ever happen. No, he would never do that. The blame is on him for not keeping the bottle secure enough.

Moving that out of the way, Toshinori makes his way to the nearest police station he could find, and turns the villain in. After he steps outside, he frowns in discomfort. For some reason, he feels like something was supposed to happen, but didn't.

He narrows his eyes. It was a weird and specific feeling, and he doesn't know why he feels that way.

He waves it off as him being paranoid. Something like this happens more than he can count, and ends up being nothing he should worry about. He makes his way to a nearby park and sits down on a bench.

His time is out for today. There are things for him to do, there always is, but he should relax just for a while.

As he watches the children play in the playground and laugh, the bitter laughter rings loudly in his mind. He grimaces, and puts his head to his hands.

Oh, Nana, he thinks, biting his lip. I have done the right thing, yet I feel horrible.

There is nothing he could do about it now. All he could do is to accept it, no matter the consequences. He will take it on. Toshinori takes his phone out, and after a long moment of debating to himself, he makes a call.

The phone picks up. "All Might."

He licks his lip. His mouth is dry. He hasn't heard from him in a long time. He can't say that he's happy to talk to him again, but he knew, deep down, that this was going to happen anyway.

Whether he wanted it to or not.

He finds himself not disliking it.

"Long time no see, Mirai," Toshinori says, voice tense and uncomfortable. "About that young man you mentioned..."

Toshinori and Mirai had an... odd relationship.

Years ago, Mirai was a fan of his. He was a fanboy. Not to say that's anything new. To this day, he still is, even if Toshinori wasn't there with him anymore.

Even if they have drifted apart.

Mirai wanted to be his sidekick, and Toshinori immediately refused. He snorts of the memory of Mirai's face when he rejected the offer.

He did have an agency: The Might Tower in Tokyo. However, he never wanted a sidekick. No one in the tower knows about One For All, nor about his weakened condition. The people in his agency treat All Might and Yagi Toshinori as two separate people.

In fact, they think that Yagi Toshinori is All Might's personal assistant. He gets to attend important meetings this way—the ones that All Might needed to know information about as soon as possible.

He didn't know how that started, but he didn't have any other excuses as to why Yagi Toshinori and All Might were never seen in the same room.

So he went along with it.

Some women in the agency began to suspect there was a relationship going on, but both Yagi Toshinori and All Might dismissed it. Thankfully, this rumor died down quickly.

Gran Torino would laugh at his face if he ever finds out about this. Toshinori is taking this to the grave.

No one in the agency knows about his legacy, and he preferred it to stay that way. The last thing he needs is a sidekick who's not close to him to find out about it and potentially revealing it to the world.

Once that happens... everything he had built will crumble.

He knew that his time will not last forever, but he wants it to last as long as it can. That way, he can prepare. Nana prepared him, and he wasn't going to let that effort go to waste.

He wasn't going to let a sidekick ruin that.

Fear was what made him keep people at a distance. Thinking back, he didn't realize just how untrusting he was to the people around him. Heroes, civilians, etc. He was protecting them, sure, but he never made any personal connection.

He was never close to anyone aside from Gran Torino and Nana. After Nana's death, Torino recommended that he go to America to train and to stay away from All For One for the time being.

He knew that All For One's presence would only push him towards a path of vengeance.

At that time, Toshinori hated him for it.

"Do you not care?! Nana died, Gran! How could you expect me to just not go after him!"

He remembers Gran slapping him when he said that. He rubs his cheek at the memory. Now, he knows better. He snorts. If there's anyone who can make All Might learn a lesson, it's Gran.

After graduating from U.A, Toshinori goes to America, and that's where he met David Shield.

Fond memories comes to his mind. Ever since he saved David, they worked together and become best friends. David was not a sidekick. He was far from one. He was a great friend of his. They shared dreams together. He even gets to meet his daughter, Melissa.

He still remembers her. She was so small. David would stress out whenever she goes near his inventions. He wonders how she's doing now. How much she has grown since then.

After returning to Japan, his popularity started to rise. Crime rates dropped exponentially, and he finally became the Symbol of Peace that he wanted to be.

"Nana would be proud of you," Gran Torino grunts out.

He trembles, and whispers, "I miss her."

Gran huffs and looks away. "I know. I do too."

Then Mirai came along. He was persistent about wanting to be a sidekick, and in the end, he gave in. Curse his soft heart. He may have refused him the first time, by every time that he does, Mirai gets more and more determined.

It got tiring. He just hoped that he wouldn't regret it.

And he didn't.

Ever since then, they would work together during missions. He would be in the front lines, and Mirai would take on the supporting role. It was in those times where Toshinori begins to know Mirai more as a person.

He was stubborn, yes, but also determined. Although he could be a little... tense at times. He was pretty stoic and strict. Not in a bad way, of course.

Sometimes, it makes him uncomfortable, but it was clear that Mirai was taking his role as All Might's sidekick seriously. It was clear that he cared for him. That he enjoyed being with him.

So much so that he became a hero himself.

Toshinori, who was slowly getting used to having a sidekick, was proud of him. Was glad that he has someone watching his back.

Was this how Nana felt about him?

He hopes so. Nana did say that she's proud of him. She did say that she was glad he was her successor. Yet, he failed her. He couldn't save her. He mentally smacked himself.

Gran will absolutely kill him for thinking that, so he shakes it off.

Somewhere along the way, Toshinori began to trust Mirai. He didn't mean to, but it happened. It was only a matter of time, really. He couldn't bring himself to be mad about it. He got attached.

Sorry, Nana, Gran, he thinks. But I trust him. I don't want to be alone in this.

He admits it. Gran Torino, as much as Toshinori is grateful for him (and scared of him), is not able to be on his side at all times. He's getting old, and Toshinori couldn't ask more of him. He has done enough.

So he tells Mirai about One For All and the history between his predecessors and All For One. That was the first time he told someone about this outside of Nana and Gran.

It felt like as if a heavy weight has been lifted off of him. It feels nice to share the burden. Was it selfish of him to think that? Gran Torino didn't seem to mind Nana's burdens.

Was it okay to do this?

Mirai was horrified, but he wasn't worried about his own life. No, he was scared for Toshinori, now knowing that the Boogeyman would be aiming for Toshinori's life somewhere near the future.

Toshinori smiles shakily. Mirai really was selfless. It seems that it was something he got from him.

"I know, Mirai," Toshinori says, speaking quieter than normal. "Do you think that I wouldn't know? Nana prepared me for that day."

Mirai stays silent, his body tense and unmoving. Then, "... Please don't die, sir."

Toshinori doesn't say anything, and looks out the window. He couldn't look at him. He knows better than to make a promise he knows he couldn't keep.

He knows that, deep down, Mirai knows that too.

And that makes things so much worse.

Gran was not happy. He wasn't mad about the secret getting out, no. He was mad that he didn't tell him about it, but he got over it quickly.

"Toshinori, you're not alone anymore. If you think this guy is trustworthy, then I trust him." Gran looks away. "Nana wouldn't want you to stay alone. And if you're going to say you have me, I don't count!"

"Gran—"

"But if you tell anyone about One For All without telling me or that guy again... you know what will happen, yes?"

He involuntarily shivers. "... Of course."

The memory of the threat makes him shiver in fear. There's no way he'll ever forget it. If he does, Gran will end him. Only he can scare him. Only him.

He's special like that.

Those were the good days. Not the best, but it was good. It was peaceful. The worst didn't come yet. He was a hero he is proud of, and he had time in the world.

But then, his fight with All For One changed things.

He could no longer go on patrol as much as he wanted to. He had to manage his time meticulously. People will begin to notice in time, but he will keep this facade up for as long as he can.

Mirai discovered his injuries, and begged him to retire and find a successor. He could never forget the look on Mirai's face when he was bought into the hospital.

The look of absolute fear and devastation.

"You're pushing yourself too much, All Might," Mirai says with Nezu, Gran, and Recovery Girl next to him. "You need to retire."

"Have you been watching the news?" Toshinori says, leaning against the wall. It's obvious that he's not in a good condition, but he didn't care. Can't afford to. "Everyone is... searching for me. They're waiting for me to return. I... have to go."

Mirai doesn't falter like last time. "If you continue like this, it will only be more painful for all parties involved. Your respiratory system has been damaged. Things won't go smoothly for you like you did before. For the sake of peace you desired... you should retire and let your legend live on."

Mirai was always like this, putting his well-being above everything else. Above being out there and saving people. Above being a hero.

As a hero, Toshinori can't be selfish like that.

"You're free to search our school as much as you like for an One For All successor," Nezu offers, his ears flattening. "You've done more than enough."

Recovery Girl nods next to him, and Gran huffs in annoyance, as if he knows how Toshinori will say to that. Knowing him, he does.

Toshinori bit his lip. Did he though? Did he do enough? He could do more, couldn't he?

"You should go back to bed and get some sleep," Mirai suggests. He was always a voice of reason of the two. Sometimes, it annoys him. Now, he couldn't care. He has never felt so weak. "A bright, strong, and friendly person... someone like you. You should find such a person, and entrust your duties to them."

How long will that take?

"And until I find that person, who will be the symbol?" Toshinori asks. Who will take his place? Who will be the one to fight while he is out there running around, searching? "Even if All For One is no more, we live in a society of superhumans. It's only a matter of time before the next All For One appears."

Evil does not rest, so neither will he.

Mirai goes and helps him up. "I understand the logic, and I admire it greatly, but don't you see? You can't possibly smile like this!"

No, he can't. He knows that. But he certainly will try to.

"If you're planning to continue on as a hero," Mirai continues, "I will not support you. I can't. I... I don't want to..."

There's hesitance in his voice, but there's also... guilt. Fear. He...

Toshinori turns to him. "So you used it on me."

He can't say he's surprised. Mirai wants to be certain in everything. He's cautious. Perhaps paranoid at times. He could hardly blame him for that. Mirai's face gives all the answers he needs.

"I thought I told you that there is no need to, Nighteye."

"Even if you retire, surely the next number one hero will appear!" Mirai reasons. "Stormy times may befall us, but we may still be able to ward them off!"

"And how many people will have to live in fear for that short while?!" He yells.

"All Might!"

It's strange. He and Mirai had argued before, but it was never this heated. "And what's more... your foresight is never wrong, is that right?"

"There's simply no precedent for this up until now! I'll change the future if I have to! That much would be nothing for me! But at this rate, everything will go according to my foresight! That is one thing I cannot allow to happen!"

I know, Toshinori thinks stubbornly. But I can't stop here.

"I'm here right now because I wanted to become a man who would be of use to you, All Might."

And you are, he thinks. And he's thankful for that.

"Me staying here would be of no use to the world, Nighteye," is what he says instead.

"If you keep going like this... you will clash with a villain and head towards a gruesome demise... one so terrible that it cannot be put into words!"

Toshinori does not listen.

Those were the last words he heard from Mirai. They haven't spoken to each other since then. A part of him wants to bring back the friendship he had with him, to finally talk to him face to face properly, but the other part of him says to stand with his decision and wait for him to come to him.

Both of them are stubborn. He can't find himself hating it. There is tension between them, and Toshinori isn't sure if that tension would ever go away if they were to make up.

But it wouldn't hurt to try, wouldn't it? Reuniting would be the first step. It's not like they can avoid each other forever. Especially since he is goin to meet Mirai's student.

Togata Mirio.

Mirai is proud of his student. One would say he's being bias, but Toshinori has no right to say such a thing. Nor to agree to it. Who is he to say anything about the student when he hasn't even met him yet?

Mirai claims that his student is perfect to be his successor, and even Nezu agrees.

"There is someone who is no doubt a worthy successor to you," Nezu said, putting a paper on the desk.

Toshinori takes the paper, and takes a look at it. He hums. "Togata Mirio, is it?"

"His grades are by no means worthy of praise, but he's a student with an impressive presence," the rat explains. "There are consistently voices of laughter around him. Although his grades are among the worst, he never lost his smile."

Nezu smiles, his paws on his chin. "He fits the bill for your description of a great hero, does he not?"

Even then, he still wasn't convinced.

Togata is perfect, he will admit. His quirk is powerful, and combine that with One For All, he will become a powerful force—one fitting to become a great hero. The next Symbol of Peace. Someone who will be a greater hero than him.

His personality fits too. He was almost too perfect.

But there was something in the back of his mind telling him to go search for others. There shouldn't be a reason to, but in the middle of his search, he realized that the reason he didn't accept Togata immediately was because he is perfect.

Togata Mirio didn't need One For All. He is perfectly fine with his quirk alone.

Giving him One For All would be dismissing the effort Togata has put into his quirk. The effort to get where he is now. Yes, with One For All, he will become even stronger, but he doesn't need it.

Not like Toshinori did.

He supposed that he wanted to give it to someone who would need it. His mind goes to the quirkless boy, but he shakes it off. It would be shameless of him to consider it now.

But with his search for other potential successors in a dead end, he ultimately decides to meet this student and see for himself. Time is not endless for him. He has to move quickly.

"About that young man you mentioned..."

"Togata Mirio," Mirai answers. Toshinori could laugh at how he immediately knew who he was referring to. Did Mirai knew this was going to happen? "You finally decide to meet him?"

Toshinori nods, even though Mirai couldn't see it. "Yeah. Where is he right now?"

"In my agency."

He silently cursed. Mirai is definitely going to be there then. After years they have been apart, who knows what has changed. God knows how Mirai sees him now.

"How about we meet tomorrow?" Toshinori says. He needs more time. "I... I have matters to attend to at the moment."

That was a lie, of course. He doesn't like lying, especially to a lost friend, but he needs this. He cannot go to him in this state. He is far from ready for their reunion.

"I'll let him know."

Toshinori takes a deep breath. Whether or not Mirai really believed him, he doesn't know. He has been told that he's bad at lying. "Of course."

"All Might."

He tenses. "What is it, Mirai?"

"I believe we need to talk after Mirio. It's... it's been a while, hasn't it? Please."

Toshinori swallows. Mirai saying please? That doesn't happen often. He is a prideful man. There is desperation in his voice, and, well, how could he say no to that? "Okay."

He hears a sigh of relief on the other end. His heart warms at the fact that he's not the only one who's nervous about this.

That he's not the only one who missed what they used to be.

"Okay. Thank you."

Toshinor jolts at that. Gratitude? From Mirai? It really has been a while, huh? He laughs at that. "I... there's no need to thank me. I'll... be on my way to your agency tomorrow."

"... I'll see you there."

The phone beeps, ending their call. He sighs, relieved that he didn't mess this up. Things are awkward between them, but there is hope that they can go back to being friends again. It was that hope that made him want to reconnect.

Toshinori chuckles. God, they are such a mess.

But that was okay. They can fix that. He makes his way home, and he spends the rest of the day pondering on how exactly he should talk to Mirai.

For the first time since his battle with All For One, he sleeps with no nightmares haunting him.

It's too early to start going, but it was better than doing this late in the day. He doubts Mirai and his student would appreciate him visiting at night. It was hot outside, but not hot enough to bother him. Toshinori decides to go with his casual wear, skinny form and all.

Getting attention as All Might would only be more of a burden. As much as he likes signing autographs and entertaining children, he has more important matters to attend to.

The trip to the Nighteye Agency was not a fast one, and it's the first time he has ever felt thankful for the slow travel. No matter how much he pondered last night, there is no doubt that things are not going to go so smoothly.

No amount of planning was going to make their talk not awkward.

He fears that something would go wrong, and it would be like their fight that broke them up all over again. That fight was bad enough. He doesn't need a second one.

Surely he's not the only one who thinks that.

He grows more and more anxious the closer he gets. He considered backing out, perhaps doing this for an another, another day, but he knows dragging it out wouldn't do him any good.

Mirai was looking forward to it. He can't just drop out on the last moment like that to a friend.

Toshinori takes a deep breath to calm himself down. There is no need to get so worked up over this. He's the number one hero for god's sake! He faced countless of villains. He fought All For One and lived.

He can do this.

He exits the station, and walks his way there. As soon as he sees the entrance to the Nighteye Agency, he spots Togata Mirio.

Toshinori freezes at the spot. The student is waiting by the door outside of the agency. How long has he been there, waiting for him? He is now glad that he came out of the house at this early time of the day.

He would feel guilty if the student had to wait until the evening. Or worse, until nighttime. Togata has more important things to do. Thank god he got out the house at this time.

Togata Mirio doesn't look annoyed or anything like that. He looks content, happy just standing there and looking around. In an instant, Toshinori can tell just how bright young Togata is.

Nezu was right. This young man does have an undeniable presence. The moment Toshinori goes up to him, young Togata perks up and offers him his hand.

"Hello, sir!" The young man says with a friendly grin on his face. "You must be the guest Nighteye invited!"

Toshinori squints at the smile, and nods, shaking his hand back. He wonders if that was what his smile looks like. How bright. "I am. Did Mirai tell you about me?"

Young Togata nods. "Yep, he sure did! Blond, blue eyes, looks like a skeleton. I have to say I was a little worried about that."

Toshinori almost chokes at being called a skeleton. Did Mirai really called him that? It wouldn't be wrong, but still, a skeleton? "Don't worry about me, young man. I am fine. Let's... let's go inside, yeah?"

Young Togata grins. "Oh, of course! Come on in!"

Toshinori gulps at the talk he'll have with Mirai, but doesn't say anything. He follows the young man inside the agency and looks around. It's his first time being here, and if things go well, he'll be visiting often.

Might as well get familiar with the place.

Most of what he sees are people doing paperwork, and mountains of it. They are working on computers too, but the mountains of paperwork is what he's focused on.

He is greatly reminded of the paperwork Naomasa does. He shudders, eternally thankful that he doesn't have to do as much paperwork. His agency does most of the work for him.

There are a few heroes that he recognizes, like Bubble Girl and Centipeder. He usually does not pay attention to other heroes (he has his own problems to deal with), but once he sees enough of them online or in person, he begins to remember them.

It was unintentional, but he admits that it's useful to have knowledge of the heroes around him. After all, they all have the same goal. They all work for the good of society.

He and Togata reaches the elevator, and as it slowly goes up, Togata says, "So, how close are you to Sir Nighteye?" 

"Well," Toshinori hesitantly starts. "We're long-time friends. We... had a fight years ago, and I suppose both of us wanted to fix that."

Togata raises an eyebrow. "Years ago? Neither of you decide to reach each other?"

He tries not to flinch. "It's... complicated."

That's putting it simply.

Thankfully, Togata doesn't push any further. He stares a him for a moment, and then beams. "I see! I hope you and Sir will be able to make up!"

He wonders what that was about. Was that him trying to see if he was lying? "... Thank you, young man."

The elevator door opens, and he sees Mirai looking at an old All Might hero poster. He sees other posters of him at other sides of the wall, each varying in size and color.

Still a fan of me, huh? He chuckles a little. Guess that part of you didn't change.

He and young Togata gets out of the elevator, the sound letting Mirai know of their presence. The man turns to them, and then looks at him. Toshinori makes his back a little more straight.

Those eyes. Even now he can't tell what those eyes mean. Sometimes, he was easy to read, but at other times, Toshinori has no idea what he's thinking.

Mirai's unpredictable. It's something he utilizes to his advantage. It makes him curious of how much he has improved since then.

"Sir, I bought the guest!" Young Togata says cheerfully. It's hard to believe that Togata is Mirai's personal student. They have quite the personality difference. He looks between the two of them. "Should I leave you two alone or...?"

Mirai shakes his head. "No, sit down. This has to do with you."

Togata frowns, confused, but obeys. He grabs a chair to sit down on. "Okay...?"

"I'm not saying you're in trouble," Mirai assures. He has a soft look on him, and Toshinori tries to keep his jaw shut. Young Togata's shoulders relaxes. "It's... a bit personal."

Togata nods in understanding. "I see."

Mirai turns to him. Toshinori tries not to tense. "Please, All Might, take a seat."

Toshinori internally sighs, fully expecting Togata to react to that. While he is finding a chair to sit on, Togata's eyes widens and he expectedly says, "All Might?!"

"Indeed," Toshinori says, sitting down. He waits for Togata to take a seat. Togata looks at Mirai, and the man nods.

Togata turns to him. "So you really are All Might." Toshinori nods. "Pardon me if I'm being rude, but how... how did you end up like that?"

"A villain attack from 5 years ago," he answers. Mirai looks at him, and he knows what that look meant. He's not going into details. He shakes his head, and in return, Mirai frowns at him.

"You mean, the one with the...?"

He nods. "Yes. Ever since then... I can only be All Might for a certain period of time."

Togata frowns. "I see. But how does that have to do with me?"

There it is. The moment he's been waiting for. He can tell Mirai is waiting for it too, based on how tense he is right now. They are both waiting for this.

Toshinori takes a deep breath and says, "Young Togata, would you like to inherit my quirk?"

Young Togata accepted.

Mirai was happy, his eyes radiating nothing but pride. Toshinori wonders if that was what his face looked like when he was proud of Mirai. It was a rather embarrassing thought.

Not to say that he regrets having Mirai as his sidekick. Not at all.

"I won't let you down, sir!" Togata says, saluting.

Toshinori smiles. "I don't doubt it, young man."

The explanation of One For All didn't take too much time. He told him about the predecessors, the ones who came before him. About how the quirk can be passed down from one person to another.

About the origins.

By the time Young Togata left, the sun has already set. The room has gotten dark, and it's just him and Mirai in the room.

He pretends not to see Mirai staring at him. He is sitting down on the couch in a relaxed manner. Good. Toshinori doesn't want to feel like he's talking to someone of a higher authority.

He isn't, but it would be nice if they are both relaxed. Both on the same page.

"Yagi," Mirai says. Not All Might, huh? "How... how have you been?"

"Ah, well, fine actually," he answers carefully. And honestly. "I have been managing my time quite well." He takes a deep breath. "Yet every time I couldn't go out, it makes me feel useless."

A pause. "You're not going to stop, are you?"

Toshinori chuckles. "You know me by now to know the answer to that." He pauses. "No, I will not. I... will continue until the day I fall."

He looks up and sees Mirai's pained face. He gulps, but refuses to change his mind. He didn't all those years. He wasn't going to do it now. He won't.

Admittedly, he is still scared. Mirai looks like he's going to argue against him. Like last time. Is this how it's going to be again? But Toshinori is going to stand his ground, and pray that maybe after all those years, things will be different.

It's a small hope, but something has to have changed.

He stares at him, challenging him. Mirai sighs at that, and pinches his nose. "I know I can't stop you. I know that now. But please... will you let me stay by your side until the end? Will you allow me to support you?"

He's not angry. All the buildup tension fades away as if it's not a heavy weight that he's been carrying the whole time. Did Mirai hold this weight too?

He thinks that the anger and stubbornness between them has gone on long enough. Any longer, and their relationship will never be fixed.

He just wants his friend back.

His heart swells, and he lets out a hearty laugh. It was one that is made out of pure joy, and it's been so long since he laughed like that. He can tell Mirai wants this too, and he feels so, so glad.

"Yeah," Toshinori says. He lets out a hand, and looks at him in the eyes. "Friends?"

The man huffs, and takes it with a smile. It comes to him that he has long forgotten what Mirai's smile looks like. "Friends."

It didn't seem to be that much of a problem though. With them being friends again, he'll be seeing his smile more often.

Toshinori chuckles, the tension leaving his body entirely. He leans forward. "You've asked me how I've been, but I haven't asked you. So, how have you been, Mirai?"

"Well..."

They spent the rest of the day catching up, and he no longer feels so alone in the world like he used to.

"When are you going to tell Mirio about All For One?"

"I... I don't see the point of telling him. He's dead."

"Yes, but like it or not, he is related to One For All. The first user is his younger brother, if I remember correctly. I believe that as the ninth user, Mirio deserves to know."

"... I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask. Also, do take care of him. Be there for him when I cannot. He is our student now."

"Sir, what is it that I need to do?"

Toshinori grins, looking at the sunset at the beach. Since Mirio was already trained, it didn't take long for him to be ready to inherit One For All. After inheriting it, he would also need to learn how to control it.

After all, One For All is powerful. Even if young Togata's body is ready, he will still need to practice adjusting the power it gives.

Even though making Togata his successor was not his plan, he is glad that Togata is the one that he ultimately chose. He truly is the best successor for him.

But he is also more than that. While Toshinori helps him with One For All, Togata spends his time with Mirai with his own quirk.

That way, Togata's effort of utilizing his own quirk doesn't go to waste. Toshinori doesn't want him to just be known as All Might's successor. He was someone before that, and Toshinori acknowledges it.

He knows how important it is, and so does Mirai. Needless to say, they are both proud of him.

Toshinori turns to him. "Well, young man, in order to inherit my quirk, you need to..."

Togata waits in anticipation. "I need to...?"

"Eat this!"

"... Huh?"

Things have been going well.

He found his successor, and is training him. Pushing him to be greater, to go beyond his limits. He and Mirai are friends again. They hang out and talk once in a while. He is a teacher at U.A, guiding young students towards their future.

There are some downsides, of course, like him learning how to be a decent teacher and... and what happened to the quirkless boy.

He is always thinking about him. How could he not? He wonders what he's doing now. Is he working to become a police officer, or something else? Is he safe? He doesn't want to be too nosy.

After what he had done, he shouldn't interfere with him anymore. But he can't help but get worried.

He sighs. He could only hope that the boy is doing well. Aside from that, things were finally looking up. All For One is dead. Nana is avenged. Gran is still his usual grumpy self. He is not alone.

Then, the USJ Incident happened.

As he stands in the police station, Naomasa's words echoes in the distance. Despite being so close, his voice feels so far away. All he could do is stare at the thing in front of him.

He comes to a horrifying realization.

All of a sudden, it feels like everything Toshinori has done has come to haunt him.

Chapter Text

Uraraka Ochako takes a deep breath.

In, and out. Breathe through the nose, and don't rush. This isn't the entrance exam, where she had to hurry and run as fast as she can. Not to mention that she's not even late for the first day.

Not to say that she's early. She's on time.

In front of her lies the door of class 1-A. She gulps, staring at it. The door is huge, as if it's taunting her, daring her to enter.

She couldn't believe it. She made it to U.A.

Like, she's actually here. She pinches herself, and only feels the pain. She rubs her cheek. This is no dream. This is real.

Ochako hesitantly opens the door as if it's something she shouldn't break. Considering that it's U.A, she doesn't think it would break easily, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

She doesn't have the money to pay for it if she does break it.

She enters and immediately notices the size of the classroom. It's hard not to. It's bigger than any classroom she has seen in her life. It doesn't look cramped at all.

The desks are wider, cleaner, and from the way it's positioned onto the floor, it looks like it can't be moved. Nothing here is made of wood, and the chairs even have wheels on them!

She puts a hand over her chest. She can finally say goodbye to the awful sound of moving screeching wooden chairs. Thank god.

Because of the door, the ceilings are higher. The colors have changed too. Blue and white are now the colors of the classroom whereas in middle school, classrooms were mainly green and yellow.

The difference really shows that she's in a hero school.

The only thing that hasn't changed is the familiar green chalkboard, even if it's bigger, taller. Just looking at it feels nostalgic.

This is an ideal classroom. She knew U.A is prestigious, but still! Seeing this in person hits different.

Who knew someone like her would end up here?

She looks around, taking a first look at her classmates that are already here. Some were already getting along with those around them, others not so much. She hears yelling and turns to find the glasses guy arguing with the angry sand-haired boy.

She perks up in recognition. That's the guy who saved her from the zero pointer! She didn't have the chance to thank him yet! Ochako walks up to him and waves. "Hey, it's you!"

The sand-haired boy turns to her. "Hah? Oh, it's you. Round cheeks."

To say that she is taken back is an understatement. "R-round cheeks?!"

She touches her cheek. Is it really that round? The guy with the glasses speaks up. "Round cheeks is not appropriate! She has a name, so she should be called that accordingly!" He turns to her. "Hello! I am Iida Tenya from Soumei Junior High School."

"S-Soumei?! Isn't that a prestigious school?" Ochako says, shocked, moving on from that cheek nickname. That school costs a lot! This guy must have come from a wealthy family then.

He nods, obviously proud. "Indeed! I am lucky to be able to attend such a school!"

"Ha! What an elite," the sand-haired guy comments.

"Anyway!" Ochako says quickly before they argue again. A fight happening on the first day here wouldn't do good for either of them. She beams. "I'm Uraraka Ochako! Nice to meet you, Iida!"

"Same goes for you, Uraraka!" Iida says before turning to the angry boy. "Are you not going to introduce yourself?"

The boy snarls. What an attitude. "I don't see why I should—"

"If you're here to socialize, do it elsewhere," a voice interrupts. Ochako jumps in surprise.

Everyone went quiet. She slowly turns to the door and sees... a man in a yellow sleeping bag laying on the ground. A yellow caterpillar, her mind unhelpfully thinks.

He has long black hair that reaches his shoulders with some kind of a gray scarf (?) on his neck.

Most importantly of all, he looks homeless.

She could only blink and watch as the man takes out a jelly pack and sips on it. "This is the department of heroics."

Who is this guy? Ochako thinks.

The man gets up and takes off the sleeping bag, revealing his outfit. He's wearing mostly black with a belt. "Hmm, it took you eight seconds to quiet down. Time is limited. You kids are not rational enough. I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. Pleased to meet you."

He doesn't look pleased. Not at all, but no one says anything. They're all shocked to. But she knew everyone thought, This man is our homeroom teacher?

The said teacher, ignoring their faces of shock, takes out some kind of uniform. Ochako recognizes U.A's symbol on it. That's our—

"It's kind of sudden, but put those on and head to the field."

Then he leaves.

Ochako blinks again. What the heck?

"A quirk assessment test?!"

"What about the entrance ceremony?" Ochako asks as she looks around the P.E field. It's only them here. There's no one around. It feels so empty. "The orientation?"

Those events were said to be part of the first day of U.A. Are they just going to skip it? Is he allowed to do that?

"If you're going to be heroes, you don't have time for such leisurely events," Aizawa-sensei replies. Ochako pauses at that. He turns to them and says, "U.A is known for its unrestricted education system. That applies to us teachers as well."

She gulps. Does that mean that he can do whatever he wants to them? Isn't that abuse of power?

"Softball pitch. Standing long jump. 50 meter dash. Endurance running. Grip strength test. Sustained sideways jumps. Upper body exercises. Seated toe-touch. Those are all activities you did from middle school, yes? Physical fitness tests where you were banned from using your quirk."

She nods, remembers those. She tried her best on those to get the best grade she can, although she scored pretty average. She knows that she would need to do better now.

That she actually needs to put in her best effort. After all, she's aiming to be a hero.

"The country still insists on prohibiting quirks when calculating the averages from those records," he continues. "It's not rational. The Department of Education is just procrastinating."

Aizawa-sensei turns to the blond boy. "Bakugou. How far could you pitch a softball ball in middle school?"

Bakugou grunts out, "67 meters."

Everyone turns to the student. So his name is Bakugou, Ochako thinks.

"Great. Now try it with your quirk," Aizawa-sensei says, throwing the ball to him. Bakugou catches it. "As long as you don't leave the circle, anything you do is fine. Don't hold back."

Bakugou stretches, and grins. "Got it." He throws his hand backwards and throws it, releasing a loud explosion. "DIE!"

Die? She questions.

"Before anything else, it is important for us to know our limits," Aizawa-sensei says, watching the ball fall to the ground. Then, he shows a device that reads: 705.2m. "This is the rational first step that will form the basis of your hero foundation."

Cool! She thinks, feeling hyped up. This is a test, sure, but they can use their quirk this time! This is exciting!

"Whoa, this is awesome!"

"705 meters?! Seriously?"

"This looks fun!"

"We can use our quirks as much as we want! As expected from the hero course!"

"It looks fun, you say?"

Ockako freezes at the tone of his voice, feeling no so hyped up now. Aizawa-sensei isn't exactly the happy-go-lucky teacher from what she can tell. And that's bad news. Oh no.

"You're hoping to become heroes after three years here..." Aizawa-sensei says, putting a hand up towards his face. "And you think it'll be all fun and games? Alright then. Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and will be expelled."

Ochako startles. Expelled?!

"WHAAAT?!"

"We're free to do what we want with our students," he continues, giving them a scary grin. She shivers. He looks way too happy. He moves his hair up with his hand.

"Welcome to the department of heroics."

"The student who ranks last gets expelled?!" Ochako repeats. She had to speak up. A teacher can expel a student just like that?! Is that even legal? "But this is our first day here! Even if it isn't, this is too unfair!"

"Natural disasters, massive accidents, rampaging villains," Aizawa-sensei starts. She pauses. "Calamity is always right around the corner. Japan is full of unfairness. Heroes are the ones who reverse those situations."

She doesn't have any comeback to that. She knows he's right. Life is unfair. With her parents being the owner of a construction company, she has seen the damage villains had caused in person.

Ochako have seen the workers trying to rebuild buildings and homes—homes that once belonged to someone. A family. Even if the heroes had caught the villain, that doesn't revert the damage that has already been done.

Although there was no real work out there that needed construction, her parents still stick to it. The only reason why her parents are still working is because of the villains. Or, at least the ones who dare to act even when All Might is around. Because they're the ones causing the buildings to need reconstruction.

Nowadays, destruction occurs only once in a while because of All Might. And that affected her parents' business.

It was, of course, unintentional on All Might's part. She doesn't blame him. He's a hero who's only trying to protect society from villains. But it's still bad that it happened.

"If you were hoping to talk with your friends at McDonald's after school, too bad," Aizawa-sensei says, snapping her out of her thoughts. "For the next three years, all you can expect from your life in U.A is one hardship after the next. Go beyond. Plus Ultra. I expect you to overcome these trials and climb to the top."

Terrifying, Ochako thinks. She sees Iida taking out a bottle to drink. He looks determined, more than before, and she can't help but feel the same.

Plus Ultra, huh? She thinks. She will do her best.

"The demonstration is over. The real thing starts now."

She huffs. If anything, he knows how to motivate them. Despite the threat of expulsion, Ochako feels herself getting fired up. Anxious too, but mostly fired up.

The first test is the 50 meter dash.

She couldn't do much other than making her shoes and clothes weightless. It's better than nothing, she supposed. She got 7.15 seconds, which was higher than her middle school record. As long as it's an improvement, she'll take it.

The dash test got her to think about her speed. Specifically how weak she would be against it. If she were to fight with a villain who has a speed quirk, she wouldn't be able to do much.

Her quirk would be useless if she couldn't even touch them. Maybe she should add something to help with that in her costume?

It's an idea. She'll have to think about it later.

For some reason, Iida was carrying the purple-haired guy in the dash. As a result, they both got the same score. She frowns, wondering what that was about.

Did that boy asked for his help? Are they allowed to ask to help? Aizawa-sensei didn't say anything about it, so it must be fine, right?

Ochako takes a look at the purple-haired boy, and he looks... well, skinny. She knows she isn't built like Iida or Bakugou, but at least she exercised! She runs every morning. She didn't look skinny like he was.

He looks like he needs some help. Would it to rude to say to him that she would help him? Wouldn't it make it look like she's calling him weak?

Oh god, she doesn't know! She takes a deep breath. Panicking would do nothing. Okay, she thinks to herself. Just do it! Maybe he could help me in return! I got this!

She walks to him, and seeing that he looks wary of her, she says, "Hey! I saw Iida help you with the race, and I thought... if you needed help, I can help you!"

Before she gets a response, she continues. "Only if you want help though! I-I'm just offering. And you can help me too!"

The purple-haired boy looks surprised. He looks at her for a moment before turning away, a hand on his neck. He looks bashful compared to how wary he looked seconds ago. "Uh, thanks. I'll, uh, let you know."

Ochako beams. Thank god she didn't mess that up. "Okay, good luck—"

"Uraraka!" Iida calls out. She turns to him. "It's time to move on to the next part!"

"Oh!" She says. "Okay!" She turns to the purple-haired boy. "Good luck!"

He nods. "You too."

She goes up to Iida, and could've sworn she sees him glaring at the other boy. She frowns. Before she could think more about that, the Grip Strength test comes.

She's pretty sure she got the average score. Hopefully. Strength isn't her forte, it never was honestly, but if she focuses on improving her speed, it should be fine.

Over all the tests, she sees that there's always someone who's doing the work for the purple-haired guy. The others noticed this too, feeling uncomfortable. They all stayed a distance away from him. She doesn't know why.

Iida speaks up. "Aizawa-sensei! Is this allowed?"

"There is no rule saying that you cannot use your quirk to make others do work for you," Aizawa-answer replies.

She grins. I knew it! That means I can ask for help!

Ochako turns to the purple-haired boy and gives him a thumbs up. He smiles back, albeit a small one. That was fine. He was frowning and serious the whole time. Small steps.

Her classmates decided to help each other out. They must've noticed her helping the boy out and that Aizawa-sensei didn't say anything about it.

For the Standing long jump and the sustained sideways jumps, there wasn't much she or anyone could do to help.

The pitch is where she would heighten up her score. By a lot. By making the ball weightless, her score is infinity.

"Infinity?! No way!"

Some of them asked for her help and got infinity too. Aizawa-sensei said that the student holding the ball couldn't leave the circle, but he didn't say anything about doing something to the ball.

Loopholes. She's pretty sure she saw Aizawa-sensei grin at that.

She chooses to ignore it.

The test ended, and it was time. "Time for the results. Your total score is simply the marks you got from each test. Explaining it would be a waste of time, so I'll show you the results all at once."

She gulps, hoping that she's not in last place. She feels bad for whoever does, but she wants to be in U.A. If she were to get expelled, there are other options, but this is the best one. She can't give this up.

She knows everyone here couldn't too.

She prays. Taking a deep breath, she looks up. She looks for her name at the blue screen until she finds it. She pauses.

10. Uraraka Ochako, it reads.

She almost collapsed to the floor. Almost. Instead, she breathes in huge relief. I'm not going to be expelled!

"By the way, I was lying about the expulsion."

Ochako blinks. Then blinks again. Is her ears playing tricks on her? 'Cause she heard that it was all a lie—

Aizawa-sensei grins. "It was a rational deception meant to bring out your best performances."

"WHAAAAAT!"

"Of course it was a lie," the girl with the high ponytail says, looking at them with worry. "It should've been obvious if you think about it."

I thought he was serious! She thinks. She can tell she's not the only one. He didn't look like he was joking!

He doesn't look like someone who would make jokes! This teacher, she swears. Having him as their homeroom teacher is going to be a nightmare. She just knows it.

"And with that, we're done here," Aizawa-sensei says, as if he didn't just almost give everyone here a heart attack. He turns around. "It's over. Your documents about the curriculum and such are back in the classroom, so when you get back, look over them."

Then he leaves, leaving the students on their own.

Ochako stares at him—at least, the space where he was before—in bewilderment. She never has a teacher like him before. Based on the face of the others, neither did they. What a weird teacher.

She hums. Mineta Minoru was the one in last place. Had Aizawa-sensei been serious, this guy would've been expelled.

She feels glad for this person. Getting expelled on a first day would be terrible.

When the first day ended, she met up with Iida and the purple-haired boy, who are arguing with each other. She grins and catches up to them.

She hears the purple-haired say, "Let's put it this way. If you see me brainwash someone in front of you and then I ask you for help, would you have said yes?"

Ochako pauses. He has a brainwashing quirk?

She does a fist hitting palm gesture. Ah! It made sense! No wonder why the students were uncomfortable with him! He brainwashed them to do the work for him!

Which was uncool, but he made a good point. To answer his question, no. If she had known that he has a brainwashing quirk, she would've stayed away. Because that's what anyone would do.

It's what everyone did.

Surely, Iida can see that. "That's..."

But he also needed help. He would've been in last place if he didn't use his quirk. He wasn't in a position to be nice, accept when he got rejected, and hope that everything would work out by itself. Aizawa-sensei wouldn't accept that.

He was desperate. Just like how everyone was.

For that, she'll let it pass. She knows that's not the case for the others, like Iida. He should apologize, but that's not her problem to worry about. Ochako walks up next to them and says, "You have a brainwashing quirk? That's so cool!"

"Uraraka! You surprised me!"

"You... think my quirk is cool?"

She nods. "Yeah! I mean, I've never seen one before! Brainwashing is powerful! You can make villains do anything!"

"That is true," Iida says, almost reluctantly. "It will be very useful for interrogation. What you did today was not right, but I'll think about what you said."

Ochako nods, knowing that is all he could say. She turns to the purple-haired boy. "So what's your name? I'm Uraraka Ochako!"

"Shinsou Hitoshi."

She smiles, and they walk their way to the train station as they get to know each other. She gets home, and is greeted by her parents. As she goes to sleep, she thinks about what happened today.

Despite everything that happened, it ended well. She made two new friends. She's still in U.A.

And that is all that matters.

Present Mic is her English teacher. Let her repeat that. Present Mic is her English teacher. It's mind blowing that pro heroes are actually teaching her.

Does that mean Aizawa-sensei is one too?

It doesn't look like he is. He doesn't dress like one. Then again, U.A wouldn't hire someone who isn't a hero. She could only imagine how chaotic it would be when her class have All Might as their teacher.

Oh my god, she thinks, pausing midway through class. I'm going to have All Might as a teacher. For the heroics class. Oh my god.

She shakes her head. Focus! Present Mic is teaching right now!

"Which of these English sentences is wrong?"

For a hero with a loud personality, she expected English class to be chaotic. Surprisingly, it was normal. Of course, he's loud, but the lesson passed through pretty quickly. He makes the lessons more exciting and less boring.

"Everybody, hands up! Let's get this party started!"

She smiles. Then again, it's Present Mic. He can't be ignored.

When it's lunch time, she sees the Cooking hero Lunch Rush serving them food. She only knows him because the students around her recognizes him. This is the first time she has seen him.

Like, at all. Having a hero serve them lunch is... interesting.

Lunch Rush would grin, give a thumbs up, and say, "Enjoy your lunch!"

It was nice. Odd, but nice.

After grabbing lunch, she sees Shinsou Hitoshi sitting alone on a table. Just when she was about to go to him, Iida comes to her and asks to come sit with him. She nods, silently reminding herself to try again tomorrow.

Iida still has problems with Shinsou. Hopefully, the two of them will be a little more open and that they would talk about it. Iida carries a lot of pride, and she could imagine that Shinsou have damaged some of it.

Shinsou carries bitterness in him. The way he looked at his classmates... especially when they were using their quirks... He's envious. He and Iida have their own problems, huh.

Ochako can tell Shinsou does feel bad for what he did, but isn't willing to say it. It's a start. Better than having no remorse, at least.

"You and Shinsou should talk," she says to Iida. "You can't avoid him forever."

"I know," Iida replies, not looking at her. She raises an eyebrow. Does he? "I just... need time, that's all."

She hums, willing to drop it. He too knows that he can't avoid this forever, so it's only a matter of time. Best to not wait too long before Shinsou assumes anything though.

After lunch is the class that her and all of her classmates were waiting for: the foundational heroics studies. They're all seated in the classroom and All Might comes through the door, yelling, "It's me! Coming through the door like a normal person!"

Ochako can't help but grin. She can tell her classmates are grinning too. How could they not? The number one hero is here! In person! In front of them! She feels like a fangirl. It's All Might! He looks so big in person!

"I can't believe it! All Might's really going to be teaching us!"

"That's his silver age costume, isn't it?"

"Its style is so different, it's giving me goose bumps!"

"Hero basic training!" All Might (or is it All Might-sensei now?) announces to the class. "The class that'll put you through all sorts of special training to mold you into heroes! Let's get right into it! This is what we'll do today—Battle Training!"

Battle? She frowns. We're going to just head straight to fighting? Like the entrance exam? But it's training...

"And for that, you need these!" He pushes a button, and the walls moved to reveal several boxes placed on shelves with numbers on them. "In accordance with your quirk registry and the special request forms you filled out being being admitted..."

She widens her eyes. No way.

"Our costumes!"

"After you change, gather at Ground Beta!"

Excited, she changes into her battle gear. Her costume have colors of pink, white, and black. Her boots are long, but it isn't a problem. Her helmet is definitely her favorite. It's very space-themed, and with her quirk, it matches perfectly.

Though there are improvements she could definitely add to it.

After changing, she head to Ground Beta. All Might-sensei is waiting for them.

"Looking good is important, ladies and gentlemen!" He says. "Be fully aware. From here on out, you're all heroes! Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?"

Ochako looks around. She sees Iida and tries not to laugh. His costume is very robot-like.

It fits him so well.

His costume covers every inch of his skin from the tip of his head to the legs. He wears a helmet, which is covering his head and his entire face. That would be an absolute nightmare to wear during the summer.

His costume mainly have colors of white, dark blue, and yellow. She can tell a lot of the effort went towards his leg area.

"Iida!" She calls out. Iida turns to her. "Your battle gear is so you! Very engine-like!"

"Is that so? I believe that's what I was going for," he answers. "As for you, I believe yours is tight. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Sheepishly, she nods. "This is my first design, so it's a little simple. I wish I'd be more specific on my request form... Don't worry! I'll have it changed later." She looks around. "Hmm, where's Bakugou?"

"Behind you, dumbass."

She yelps in surprise and turns around. "You—Woah! Your gear is awesome! Those gauntlets! Are they grenades? How creative, Bakugou!"

His hero costume really is creative. His suit is mainly black with strips of orange and green on his pants. The stripes of orange are arranged in a way to resemble an X on the chest area. His gauntlets are shaped like grenades, which is such a nice touch.

He grunts. "Can't say the same about you, round cheeks."

She smiles sheepishly. "Heh."

Bakugou rolls his eyes. Ochako spots Shinsou, and she waves. Shinsou waves back, but seems to be content staying where he is. Oh well.

She sees Bakugou looking at his gauntlets. He mumbles, "This is only the prototype..."

"Sensei!" Iida says to All Might-sensei, raising his hand. "This appears to be the same field used for the entrance exam. Will we be once again be conducting urban battles?"

"Nope! We're going to move ahead two steps. This will be an indoor battle training!" All Might-sensei answers. "Villain battles are most commonly seen outdoors, but statistically, the most heinous acts are most likely to appear indoors."

Ochako nods. Makes sense. Doing it out in public would get the attention of heroes easily.

"Imprisonment, house arrest, the black market deals. In this society filled with heroes, truly intelligent villains out there lurk in the darkness. For this class, you'll be separated into "villain" and "hero" groups for a two-on-two indoor battle!"

The frog girl speaks up. "Without basic training?"

"Practical experiences will teach you the basics! The only key here is that you won't be fighting disposable robots."

"How will wins and losses be determined?" The girl in high ponytail asks.

"Can I just blast everyone away?"

"Is there going to be a threat of expulsion like with Aizawa-sensei?" Ochako can't help but ask. It never hurts to make sure.

"If we're going to separate into different groups, how will it be done?"

"Does this cape look fabulous on me?"

"Hn, I can't hear you if you speak all at once!" All Might-sensei exclaims. He clears his throat. "Now listen here. The situtation is that the 'villains' will be hiding a nuclear weapon in the hideout. The 'heroes' have to go in and take care of it! The 'heroes' have a limited amount of time to either capture the villains or secure the weapon. The villains must either capture the heroes or protect the weapon until the time is up."

Sounds simple enough.

"Your teammates and opponents will be chosen... by drawing lots!" All Might-sensei continues, holding a yellow box.

She laughs. So simple!

"Is that really the best way?!"

"It makes sense, doesn't it? Most pro heroes often have to team up with heroes from other agencies in times of emergencies... We won't always have the choice to team up with whoever we want."

Ochako hums at that. Good point.

"I see! I apologize for getting ahead of myself! My mistake!"

"It's alright!" All Might-sensei replies. "Let's get right into it!"

Ochako is in Pair A, and her partner is Shinsou. How lucky! She gets to be paired with someone she knows! She turns to him, smiling. "Hey, looks like we're on the same team!"

The boy looks nervous, if not a bit unsure. To be honest, she is too. He's wearing an overall black outfit with purple streaks. He also has a scarf (?), which looks suspiciously like the one Aizawa-sensei has. "Looks like we are."

She beams at him. Is he a fan? "Pleased to have you!"

"... Same to you."

"Moving on, the first up are..." All Might-sensei says as he digs his hands into two separate boxes. The black box is labelled Villain and the white box is labelled Hero. "These! Pair A will be the heroes! Pair D will be the villains!"

She squints. Pair A... Ah.

"The villain team goes in first! In five minutes, the heroes will be let in. Everyone else will be able to watch what unfolds through the monitor cameras," All Might-sensei explains. He turns to Iida and Bakugou. "Young Iida, young Bakugou. Learn to think from the perspective of a villain. Think about what they would do that a hero wouldn't."

He turns to the rest of them. "This is a training exercise. However, try not to cause any injuries. You will need to learn not to get hurt. Not just for yourself, but for those around you. After all, if you can't even help yourself, how can you help others? Naturally, if something were to go out of hand, I will put a stop to it."

"Good luck."

"A layout of the building..." Ochako starts, looking at the paper given to her by All Might-sensei. "Better memorize those. There are no punishments like with Aizawa-sensei, so I'm not too worried."

"...Yeah, I guess."

She smirks. "You don't talk a lot, do you?"

Shinsou only nods, looking a little down.

"Ah, sorry if that was rude!" Ochako says, putting her hands up. He looks dejected. She should change the subject. "Anyway, I know your quirk and you know mine, right?"

"You can make anything float?" He guesses.

"That's close! I can make anything weightless with my five fingers. I have a question. Your quirk. How do you activate it?"

"By having someone respond to me." He squints at her. "You... you're sure you don't find it scary? Or villainous?"

She nods, resisting the urge to pout. She said this yesterday! "Yes, I'm sure! I already said that it's cool! Do you have a plan? I... uh, I don't really have one."

He nods. Thank god. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"Now then," All Might-sensei from the speaker says. "Let's begin the indoor battle training!"

After five minutes, she and Shinsou enters the building through the window. Entering through the door would only waste time. She comments, "Infiltration: success!"

Shinsou looks at her. She shrugs. She always wanted to say that.

They are greeted by the long narrow hallways that lead to different paths. Everything here's made of metal. It looks ominous. She didn't need to be told to be careful. They walk down the hallway, and something jumps in front of them. Bakugou.

An ambush! She thinks.

Bakugou smirks. "Found you!"

She and Shinsou dodges the explosion, and Shinsou yells out, "You go ahead! I'll deal with him!"

Ochako nods. "Alright!"

She runs as fast as she can, making her way up to where the nuclear core is. She turns around for a quick moment to see that Bakugou and Shinsou are out of her sight. She could only hope that Shinsou will be okay.

Since Bakugou is with Shinsou, that means that Iida is guarding the core.

How can she deal with Iida?

She doesn't stand a chance against Iida's speed. Ugh, she should've added rockets to her boots or something. Anything that would get her on the air since Iida has the ground advantage.

She needs to get close to attack him. Short range attacks are her best bet. She needs to get close enough that he wouldn't be able to dodge and use his quirk.

She needs a weapon.

She sighs. She doesn't have any on her! After this, she definitely needs to add a weapon with her costume. She hums in thought. What kind of weapon would be good? Maybe a rope? A dagger?

She really needs to learn close combat as well.

Ochako shakes her head. Save those ideas for later. She goes up the stairs, and finds Iida guarding the core. She quickly hides behind one of the pillars. Now, all she needs to do is to hide and wait for Shinsou to come.

She hears Iida mumbling to himself, then, he says, "I am now... extremely evil!"

She can't help but sputter in laughter. He's so serious!

"Ah ha! So you've come, Uraraka!"

Oops, she thinks, flinching. Might as well show herself. He knows where she is. I've been found out.

"I knew you would come here alone the instant Bakugou ran off by himself," he says, pointing a hand at her. "Your quirk allows whatever you touch to float. So before you arrive, I moved to counter you by giving this floor a thorough cleaning!"

"Now there'll be no tricks you can try! You miscalculated, 'hero!'"

"He's really getting into it..." She says to herself nervously. Iida is really playing his role as a 'villain.'

She takes a moment to think. Iida doesn't move, focusing on what she might do next. They stare at each other. They're on a stalemate, but not for long.

Okay, what should she do now? What can she do?

Communicator. She whispers, "Shinsou!"

"Uraraka."

She sighs in relief. He's okay. "Sorry, Iida found me! I'm moving back, but..."

"Uraraka, I'm on my way. Where are you?"

He must have Bakugou under his quirk then. Bakugou looks like he can easily be provoked. "Middle room on the fifth floor." She has an idea. "Can you cause a distraction? Maybe use Bakugou to cause an explosion? I just need a few seconds."

"On it."

She hears an explosion from the outside. "What the?!" Iida says, looking at the window. "Is that Bakugou? What is he doing?!"

Now's the chance! She thinks. She makes herself float and rushes forward. Iida turns back and runs towards her to stop her, but she jumps on top of him, and releases herself on top of the nuclear core.

Before she could land though, Iida snatches it away, making her roll and land against the wall upside down.

Ouch! She was so close! What now?

"As long as you can't touch me, you're no threat to me!" Iida says. "I'll just hold out like this until the time runs out!"

"Yeah?" A voice says from behind.

Ochako perks up. Shinsou!

Iida turns. Ochako sees Shinsou with Bakugou next to him. Shinsou's outfit is partly ruined, showing that he did fight with Bakugou. He looks tired. He must've ran to get here.

"Bakugou!" Iida yells to him. "What are you doing!"

Bakugou does not answer. In fact, his eyes are hazy. He does not move. So that's what you would look like if you get brainwashed. How cool!

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Shinsou says, giving him a lazy grin. Ochako grins too.

"You—" Iida goes still, and he stops on his tracks.

"Didn't think you'll fall for it again. Move away from the nuclear weapon," Shinsou commands. Iida moves away and Ochako walks up to it. She looks at Shinsou once, smiles, and touches the core, ending the fight.

"The hero team wins!"

"We did it, Shinsou!" She says, running up to him. "Well, more like you did!"

Shinsou shakes his head. "Nah, Iida only let his guard down because of you."

She grins at that. He's modest. She puts up a fist bump, and giving her a grin back, Shinsou bumps it.

Ochako then sighs, remembering something. "Bakugou's not going to be happy about this."

Shinsou snorts. "Not my problem."

"Shinsou!"

"The MVP in this battle is young Iida!" All Might-sensei announces.

"Wha—huh?!" Iida sputters. Ochako tries not to giggle.

"Not Uraraka or Shinsou? Even though they won?"

"Hm, I wonder why? Does anyone know why!"

Yaoyorozu Momo raises her hand up. "Yes, All Might-sensei! It's because Iida was the one who adapted most to the situation. From what I saw, Bakugou's behavior shows that he does not value his teammate and refuses to communicate. He is very easily provoked and acts on his emotions. Uraraka's game got loose halfway through. Shinsou's plan relied heavily on himself. He did not consider any flaws to his plan and find ways to counter it like what to do if Uraraka is in danger and if he cannot make it in time. Iida devised a counter-strategy against an opponent, correctly focusing around the weapon. Although he did let his guard down at the very last moment."

There is a moment of silence. Even All Might-sensei is quiet.

Ochako gulps. She is terrifyingly smart. She is also right. Ochako didn't have a plan in mind. She didn't know how to deal with Iida and his speed. All she thought of was a distraction, and it only worked because of Shinsou.

She really needs to upgrade her hero costume.

"Impressive analysis!" All Might-sensei says, clapping his hands. "That is correct! When encountering a villain, it is important to have an idea of what to do! Improvisation will not always work! Not to mention that it is risky!"

All Might-sensei turns to her, Shinsou, Iida, and Bakugou. "The four of you should go to Recovery Girl. I do not see any major injuries, which is good, but I suggest you go to her even if it's just bruises or anything small. It is her duty to ensure you are in your best shape."

Ochako grins. She can't argue with that. "Alright, come on!"

The four of them exit Ground Beta without protest and makes their way to Recovery Girl's office. Thank god she figured out her way around the building on the first day. Otherwise, she would've gotten lost. Since U.A is huge and that she'll be staying here for three years, navigating is important.

As they walk down the hallway, she turns to them. "Hey, since we're all here, why not introduce ourselves?"

"Hah?! Why would I do that, round cheeks?!" Bakugou yells.

"I mean, wouldn't it be nice to know your classmates?" Ochako says. "You'll be stuck with us this year! Or even for the next three years! Besides, wouldn't you want to learn about our quirk?"

Bakugou tsks. "Hell n—"

"In that case!" Iida interrupts. She sees Bakugou fuming. "I am Iida Tenya. My quirk is Engine! The engine on my legs grants me incredible speed! What about you, Shinsou?"

"Shinsou Hitoshi. My quirk is brainwash. I can take control of people when they respond to me," Shinsou says.

Ochako smiles. "I'm Uraraka Ochako. My quirk is zero gravity. Whatever I touch with my five fingers becomes weightless."

The three of them turns to Bakugou, who grimace at their faces. After a moment, he huffs. "Bakugou Katsuki. My quirk is explosion. My sweat becomes explosions. There. You happy?"

Shinsou smirks at him. Somehow, she gets the feeling that he's doing this on purpose to annoy Bakugou. "Very."

"Shut the fuck up, Eyebags!"

"Language, Bakugou!"

"Like I care!"

"Eyebags, huh? How creative."

"Is that sarcasm I'm sensing, you motherfucker?"

"Shinsou. I thought about what you said," Iida interrupts. Shinsou turns to him. Bakugou gets quiet. "While I do not appreciate using it on me without my permission on the first day—" Shinsou looks away at that. "—I understand why you did it. Twice. I will not hold any ill intent towards you."

Shinsou only shrugs, but she can see that he's relieved. "Sure."

Ochako is glad that they made up. "Hey, I see the office!" She says. She knocks on the door.

"Come on in."

"Excuse us," Ochako says, opening the door. She sees Recovery Girl sitting on a chair at a desk. She doesn't look busy, which is good. She would feel bad if she is. The four of them enter and she hears the door close behind them.

"I assume All Might sent you?" Recovery Girl asks, getting up. Her office looks so cozy.

"Yes!" Iida answers. "We do not have any major injuries, but we would like our minor ones to be healed."

"Tch, I'm fine," Bakugou comments.

Shinsou smacks him on the head. How very bold of him. "Let her do her job."

"Did you just—"

"Now, now, children," Recovery Girl cuts in. Bakugou glares at Shinsou, who only smirks at him. "This is my office, not a battlefield. If you want to fight, take it outside. Now, come and let me heal you up."

She kisses Bakugou first, then Shinsou, Ochako, and Iida. Wow, Ochako feels better already. She feels like she's floating, which is funny. That's usually her thing. "You'll feel a little tired, and you're free to stay if you wish. I'll write a pass for you. If not, go back to your classes."

"Thank you," Ochako says.

"Indeed!" Iida adds. "We are lucky to have you in U.A!" Bakugou huffs.

"You're welcome, dearie," Recovery Girl says, chuckling. She hums. "One more thing. Children, don't be like All Might. That reckless fool's taking on more than he can handle. Thank god Mirai finally knocked some sense into him. Know where you stand and stand down when you know you can't handle it. You are young. Don't let your family grieve for you so soon."

Ochako frowns. She wonders who this Mirai is, being able to 'knock some sense' into someone like All Might. They must be close.

"Of course!" Iida says. "We will keep that in mind." Shinsou nods in agreement and Bakugou rolls his eyes.

"In any case... if you're not going to stay, go back to your class!" Recovery Girl scolds. Woah, talk about a change in attitude.

They all went back to Ground Beta and watch as their other classmates do their battle training. Ochako gets to see so many quirks in action! Like that boy who used ice and the boy who has multiple arms! Or the one who uses electricity and the girl who can stick onto walls.

It's nice to see people her age using their quirks.

After that, class is over and they were back to the 1-A classroom.

The moment Bakugou opens the class of their classroom, they came face-to-face with a few of their classmates. Four of them, to be specific: the red hair, the pink hair, the frog girl, and the one with big lip.

"WHAT THE FU—!" Bakugou yells out.

"Hey, Shinsou!" The red hair cuts in, as if he didn't hear Bakugou screaming. Shinsou blinks. Bakugou twitches. "Nice job back there! Well, I couldn't hear what you were saying, but man, you made him so mad! I'm Kirishima Eijiro!"

"Oh, thanks—"

The pink hair girl grins. "I'm Ashido Mina! The first match was sooo fast! Shinsou, your quirk is terrifying! And amazing! Bakugou, you are terrifying and amazing! Your explosion! Boom!"

"I don't need your fucking complime—"

The one with the big lip nods. "I'm Satou. Iida, your speed is impressive! Shinsou, Uraraka, you dodge like a champ!"

"Stop interrupting me, you fuckers! Are you all deaf or something?!"

"I'm Asui Tsuyu," the frog girl says, completely ignoring him. "But call me Tsuyu, okay?"

"Desk are not meant to be sat on!" Iida says to the group of three students, moving his hand up and down at them. Ochako blinks. When did he get there? The bird boy was sitting on a desk. "Please get off!"

"It's not that big of a deal, is it?"

"What—"

"What's the deal with your hands anyway?"

"Hey, I'm Kaminari Denki," The yellow hair guy says to Ochako. She turns to him. He's carrying a sack of books, seemingly with help of the tape guy. "Wanna grab something to get later? What do you like?"

"Mochi," Ochako answers, not sure what else to say. Shinsou and Iida doesn't know what to say either, so they stay quiet. Bakugou speaks up.

"Fucking hell! Move away, you dumbasses! We need our space!" Bakugou yells out. The four students, who decided not to ignore him this time, apologizes and moves away.

"Fucking finally!" He says, moving into the classroom and to his seat. She, Iida, and Shinsou follows him.

"Bakugou!" Iida says. There he goes again. "I appreciate you speaking up, but you should be more nice about it!"

Ochako sighs. "Drop it, Iida."

Iida gasps at her, and she only stares at him. He can be so dramatic sometimes.

Shinsou nods. "He doesn't look like he'll stop cursing anytime soon."

"Fine," Iida says, sighing in defeat. Bakugou grins in victory, though she and Shinsou pretend they didn't see it.

She giggles. She can see it already. This is going to be one interesting year. But one of those days, Bakugou will get in trouble because of that mouth of his.

Oh well. It'll be fun anyway.

One her way to school the next day, she gets interviewed by reporters who are asking about All Might-sensei and how he was like in front of the class.

"How he looks?!" She says in a panic. "Ah, uh, he's super muscly! Yeah!"

Needless to say, she totally did not nailed it. The look on the reporter's face... To be fair, she has never been good at interviews. Or being on stage. Thankfully, the reporters moved on from her uninteresting comment and she gets to continue moving.

Once Aizawa-sensei enters the classroom, he puts a pile of papers on the desk. "I hope you're rested from yesterday's battle trial. I took the liberty of looking at your marks and evaluation."

"Bakugou." Bakugou looks at him. "Grow up already. Stop wasting your talent."

Bakugou looks down. "... Got it."

Ochako winces. While she may not know what happened between him and Shinsou from yesterday's battle trial, she can tell that he has some anger issues going on. To be called childish must have hurt, considering how old he is right now.

Especially since he seems to know it himself. She can tell he is taking Aizawa-sensei's words seriously, which is good.

"Now, onto the homeroom business. Sorry for the sudden announcement, but you need to..."

Ochako can tell everyone (except Bakugou) in the room thought, What now? Another test?

"... Decide on a Class President."

Almost everyone cried out, "FINALLY, SOMETHING SCHOOL-LIKE!"

She understands completely. She could cry tears of joy. Finally!

"I wanna be Class President! Pick me!"

"I'll like to do it."

"Oh, you mean the position that's meant for me!"

"That's like a leader position! I'll do it!"

"Quiet down, everyone!" Iida yells to the class. They all go silent. "Being President comes with the serious responsibility of leading others. It is not a job for just anyone who wants to do it. To lead others, you must require the trust of those around you. If we want to use democracy to decide on a leader, then we should hold an election to choose one!"

He says, Ochako thinks, holding back her laughter. While his hand is up like the rest of the class.

Tsuyu, who sits in front of him, turns around. "But Iida, it's still too early for any of us to develop trust in each other."

"And everyone will just vote themselves," Kirishima points out next to her.

"That's precisely why the person who does manage to earn multiple votes would truly be the suitable person for the job, no?" Iida says. He does have a point there. He turns to Aizawa-sensei. "What do you think, sensei?"

"I don't care, as long as you decide before homeroom is over," he says. Then he goes into his yellow sleeping bag and sleeps.

Is he really sleeping though? She's slowly getting used to this, and she knows everyone is too.

"Thank you very much!"

Everyone votes, and turns out, Yaoyorozu Momo got three votes while Shinsou got two. The others either have one, which is likely them voting themselves, or none. Yaoyorozu looks happy that she got the job, which, good for her.

"What the hell?! Who voted for Eyebags?!"

Ochako turns around, pretending she didn't hear that. If Bakugou were to find out she did, she's dead. Shinsou looks very much surprised, if not a little pale. She's not sorry.

"Z-zero votes..." Iida says, shaking on his seat. "I knew this would happen."

She feels bad for him, really.

"So then," Aizawa-sensei says, getting out of his sleeping bag. So he's not really sleeping. "It's President Yaoyorozu and Vice President Shinsou."

Somehow, it feels like a weird combination. But she knows Shinsou is going to do great.

Ochako eats the bowl of rice, enjoying the taste of grains. She couldn't eat this much back at home, so she's going to thoroughly enjoy it. She would bring some home if she could. "This is yummy!"

Usually, she wouldn't eat, as lunch costs money, but she feels so hungry that she has to eat something. Besides, with all the training she'll have to do, she knows she'll need it.

"I was suddenly made to be Vice President," Shinsou says, poking his food. She, Iida, and him are sitting on a table together for the first time. Too bad Bakugou's not with them. "I'm not sure if I'm the right person for it."

"Sure you are," she says. She sees Bakugou getting dragged by Kirishima at a corner with Ashido, Sero, Jiro, and Kaminari. There he is. Look at him, making new friends. "I voted for you for a reason!"

"You... voted for me?"

Ochako nods. "Yeah! You're quick in making decisions and you don't hesitate!"

"You did demonstrate that during the battle training," Iida adds.

"Hm... I wonder who voted for Yaoyorozu," she asks.

"I did," Iida answers. She and Shinsou looks at him. "Her analysis during All Might-sensei's class shows that she pays attention to small details and is clever. She is suitable as the Class President."

Ochako hums. "But didn't you want to be President? You have the glasses and everything."

"You just talk without thinking, huh?" Shinsou says, giving her a grin. She shrugs at him. She just says what's on her mind.

Iida drinks his orange juice. "Ambition and suitability are two different things. I merely made the choice I thought was correct."

"Woah," Ochako says, looking at him with surprise. "You're so proper, Iida!" Shinsou nods. "The way you talk... You're from a rich family, aren't you?"

"R-rich?" Iida replies. "I don't like people knowing about it so I try to hide it, but yes. Mine is a renowned hero family. I am the second son."

"Must be nice to come from a family like that," Shinsou comments. Ochako nods in agreement.

"Do you know the Turbo Hero: Ingenium?"

Shinsou raises an eyebrow. "You mean the hero who has... what, 65 sidekicks in Tokyo?"

"Woah! That's a lot!" Ochako says.

"Indeed. He is my older brother!" Iida replies proudly. "He's a beloved hero who follows the rules and guides the people! I aspire to be a hero like him one day. Though I realize I'm not ready to be in a leadership position." He smiles. "Yaoyorozu is a better candidate than I am. She is more suitable."

Oh yeah. Iida definitely have pride—pride in being in a hero family and the younger brother of Ingenium.

"Huh," Shinsou says. "I think that's the first time I've seen you smile."

"Eh? Is that true? I do smile! All the time!"

"No," Ochako shakes her head. "You're always frowning and serious. It makes you intimidating, Iida. No wonder why no one voted for you."

"You are very blunt, Uraraka."

Suddenly, the alarm rings loudly, and the three of them jumps at the sound. "Security level 3 has been breached. Students, please promptly evacuate."

In an instant, Iida and Shinsou gets up from their seat. Ochako, though, stays seated. She refuses to leave her food.

"Evacuate?" Shinsou questions.

"Uraraka!" Iida says to her. "I believe this is not the time to be eating!"

She looks at him and shoves rice into her mouth. Iida stares, and sighing, he turns to a student who's not in their class. "Excuse me, what's security level 3?"

"It means someone infiltrated the school grounds! This hasn't happened in three years! Come quickly, all of you!" The boy answers, gesturing the students around him to follow.

Ochako sighs. Guess she has to abandon her meal. What a waste. She, Iida, and Shinsou head towards the exit. The crowd quickly forms and soon the students are pushing each other.

"Oww! What is this all of a sudden?" Ochako says as a student harshly pushes her to the left.

"As expected of the best of the best! Everyone's reaction in a crisis is quick!"

"I don't know about you," Shinsou grunts out. "But this looks like a mess to me. Ugh!"

"Oh no! Shinsou got swept away!" Ochako cries out as she loses sight of him in the crowd of students. "Iida? Iida!"

She looks around in a panic and spots him. In a rush, she reaches a hand to him. "Iida!"

"Uraraka!" Iida says. She sees him thinking for a moment. Looks like he has something in mind. "Uraraka, make me float!"

"Okay!" She touches his hand and watch as his body goes up. He spins and uses his quirk to speed up. His glasses fell. Rip his glasses. He slams on top of the exit door on the wall. She pushes aside the urge to laugh at the position he's in.

"Everyone, everything's fine!" He yells to the crowd. All the students turns their attention to him. "It's just the press! There is nothing to panic about! This is U.A! Let us act in a way benefitting the best of the best!"

Ochako sighs in relief as the crowd gradually calms down. Just like that, everything went back to normal.

From what she heard, the police arrived and the reporters withdrew. Apparently, the reporters somehow got through the gates, setting off the alarm. It was weird, since it's U.A. No one should be able to pass the gate that easily.

But she shouldn't worry about it. The heroes will deal with that. After that ordeal, they were told to return back to the classroom.

In there, Yaoyorozu initiates the ceremony for the Class President with Shinsou next to her.

"Now, let us decide on other class officers. But I need to say something before we start," Shinsou says, stepping up. "I believe that Iida would the better man for Vice President." He turns to Iida. "You all saw how well he led everyone in that crisis. I think it's best for Iida to do it."

Iida stills at that, and she didn't need to see his face to know that he's shocked. She nods at Shinsou's decision. Iida was indeed cool. Not to mention that she can tell Shinsou didn't want the role of Vice President anyway. She smiles, happy for Iida.

"I'm good with that," Kirishima says. "He was a big help back there at the cafeteria!"

"He reminds me of that warning sign you see on emergency exits," Kaminari comments. Ochako imagines Iida pointing at the exit and ordering the people to enter in an organized manner, and she snorts. It's very Iida-like. Yaoyorozu nods, agreeing.

"Whatever," Aizawa-sensei says. "Just get this over with... What a waste of time."

Iida stands up and gets to the front of the class. He raises a hand up. "If that's the wish of the vice president, then I can't refuse! I will accept the job, then!"

"Do your best!"

"Yeah! You can do it, Emergency Exit!"

"For today's basic hero training..." Aizawa-sensei starts. "This time, it was decided that you'll be supervised by me, All Might, and somebody else."

Sero raises a hand. "Sensei! What will we be doing exactly?"

"Preparing you for disaster relief, from fires to floods," he answers. "Rescue training!"

"Rescue training..." Kaminari repeats. "Sounds a bit difficult."

Ashido grins. "Right!"

"I'm be right at home in a flood."

"Rescue, huh?" Ochako wonders to herself. It sounds like something she wants to do.

"I'm not done," Aizawa-sensei says, making the class go quiet. He pushes a button and she sees everyone's battle gear. "It's entirely up to each of you whether or not you want to wear your costume, as some of them are ill-suited for this sort of activity."

Ochako sighs at that. Isn't that true.

"The training area is fairly far away, so we'll get there by bus. That's all. Go get prepared."

She decides that she wants the costume. It doesn't feel right without it. After she puts on her costume, she hums and meets up with Shinsou. He's wearing the gym clothes instead of the costume.

He still has the gadgets though. She asks, "Shinsou, did your outfit not get fixed yet?"

He shakes his head. "No. The repairs are being handled by the support, so I'm waiting for now."

She nods at that and they head towards the bus. She sees Iida asking everyone to file into two lines accordingly. Emergency Exit definitely suits him, alright.

Yaoyorozu sighs and stops him. Ochako can hear his gasp. They get in, and she gets seated next to the class president!

Up close, she takes in how pretty and elegant she is. The way she presents herself... is very much like a noble! Not only is she pretty, she's also smart. She’s probably rich too! She really is perfect for President.

Rich girl for President and rich boy for Vice... it's always the rich ones, huh? Not to say that they don't deserve it. They do. It's just something she notices.

Ochako looks up from her seat and sees Shinsou is sitting next to Tsuyu, Iida next to Ashido, and Bakugou next to Jiro.

"So it ended up being this kind of bus!" Iida exclaims, slumping down to his seat.

"Thank god our President stopped you," Ashido says.

"Hey, Shinsou," Tsuyu says. Shinsou startles at being called. "I always say what's on my mind, so... you're very quiet. And you have quite the powerful quirk."

Huh. So Tsuyu also says what's on her mind too. She thinks they would get along. Shinsou only blinks, which makes her laugh. He looks so surprised. "Is... is that so?"

"Yeah, man!" Kirishima says. "I'm kinda jealous. You don't really need to fight to subdue villains! My hardening quirk is good for a fight, but it's boring."

"Well, I may not need to fight, but if you figure out how my quirk works, I'll be at a disadvantage," Shinsou says.

"If we're talking about strong and cool, that'll be Todoroki and Bakugou."

"Tch," Bakugou says.

"Bakugou's always fuming, so he won't be very popular," Tsuyu says. Ochako wheezes in laughter. So honest!

Bakugou gets up from his seat. "What'd you say, Frog Face?!"

"See?"

"We barely started talking, and you're already getting angry at us," Kaminari says to him. "Talk about your steamed turd of a personality!"

"How about you talk after I beat you up, huh?!"

"Scary!"

"What a vulgar conversation," Yaoyorozu says, putting a hand to her lip.

Ochako laughs. "I think it's fun!"

"I didn't think you can get any vulgar, Bakugou."

"Shut up!"

"We're almost there. Settle down already..."

"Yes, sir!"

"Amazing!"

"Whoa! Is this the USJ or something?!"

"Flood zone, landslide zone, fire zone, etc.," the hero, Thirteen, says next to Aizawa-sensei. Ochako freaks out. "Every disaster and accident you can imagine. I built this facility myself. I call it The Unforeseen Stimulation Joint!"

It's literally the USJ, Ochako thinks.

But nevermind that. "It's the space hero, Thirteen!" She says to Shinsou. "The gentlemanly hero who has rescued a lot of people from disasters!"

Shinsou huffs next to her. "You sure look excited."

She turns her head so fast it might as well fall off. Shinsou leans back. "Of course!"

"Right..."

"Thirteen," Aizawa-sensei says, looking around. "Where's All Might? I thought he was meeting us here."

"About that," Thirteen answers. He puts out three fingers. "It seems he just about reached his limit during his morning commute. Now, he's resting in the break room."

Ochako frowns. Resting? Time? Did something happened to All Might? And why is Thirteen having three fingers out? What does that mean? Is he not going to be here then?

Aizawa-sensei doesn't look happy. "This guy's the epitome of being irrational. So be it. Let's get started then."

"Before we begin, I have one or two points to make. Or three. Or four..."

They're increasing...

Thirteen continues. "As I'm sure many of you are aware, my quirk is called Black Hole. It can suck in and tear apart anything."

Ochako smiles widely. She knows this, but it's so much better to hear them say it in person! "You've used it to save people in all sorts of disasters."

"Indeed... However, my power can easily kill." Ochako goes quiet, and so does everyone else. "I have no doubt that there are some among you with similar abilities. In this society of superhumans, usage of quirks are strictly regulated and the requirements for use are enforced."

"It may seem that the system is a stable one, but we must not forget that all it takes is one wrong move with an uncontrollable quirk for people to die."

Upon hearing that, Ochako looks at her hands, and she can't help but wonder what kind of damage her quirk can do to a person. Since her quirk is connected to gravity, she could...

Ochako lets out a breath. Release—

She turns to Shinsou. He looks... tense. His hands are shaking, and his eyes are glued to the ground. Brainwashing. Shinsou asked her if she finds his quirk villainous, and yeah, she can see why someone would call it that.

He can command a person to do anything. She did say no to his question, and her answer doesn't change, but still.

Every quirk can be used maliciously, she sees. Even the heroic ones.

And isn't that a horrifying thought?

"During Mr. Aizawa's physical fitness test, you came to learn about your own hidden potential. During All Might's battle training, you experienced the danger that your respective quirks can pose to others. This class will show you a new perspective. You will learn to utilize your quirks to save lives. Your quirks do not exist to hurt others. I hope you leave here with understanding that you're meant to help people."

She takes a deep breath. She's right. No quirk is born to cause harm.

"That is all!" Thirteen finishes, bowing. "Thank you for listening."

"Bravo! Bravo!"

Ochako grins and puts a reassuring hand on Shinou's shoulder. She feels him flinching at her touch, but he doesn't move away. "That was awesome!"

She feels a hand on her. She turns, and finds Shinsou smiling. A silent thank you. She smiles back.

She doesn't know what Shinsou has been through. She never will, and she won't pretend that she does. But she could imagine. Being called a villain just because of his quirk... No matter what, she won't be one of those people.

She's on his side. She hopes Shinsou knows that by now.

"Alright," Aizawa-sensei says. "First thing's first..."

Ochako blinks as the facility got darker. The lights flicker until it doesn't turn on anymore. What happened to the lights?

Aizawa-sensei pauses, and then turns around. Ochako looks to see where he is looking, and she sees something purple. She squints. Is that smoke? There's people coming out of it!

Aizawa-sensei turns back to them and yells, "Gather together and don't move!"

"Eh?"

"Thirteen, protect the students!"

"What the heck is that?" Kirishima asks. "Is this like the entrance exam where the lesson's already started?"

Ochako moves up one step—

"Don't move!" Aizawa-sensei yells. Startled, she steps back and sees him taking out his yellow goggles. "Those are villains!"

V-Villains?! She thinks, alarmed. How did they—

"Villains?! There's no way they could get into a hero school!"

"Sensei, what about the trespasser sensors!" Yaoyorozu yells.

"Of course we have some set up, but..."

"Did they only appear here, or around the whole school?" Todoroki asks. Woah, it's the first time she heard him talk! "Either way, if the sensors are not responding, then that means they have someone with a quirk that can do that."

"An isolated area separated from the main campus during a time when a class is supposed to be here. They might be fools, but they're not dumb. This surprise attack was carefully planned with some sort of goal in mind."

Ochako gulps and nods. This attack is not done on random.

"Thirteen, begin evacuation," Aizawa-sensei says. "Try calling the school. These villains had something to counteract the sensors. It's possible someone with radio-type powers in interfering. Kaminari, try contacting U.A with your quirk!"

"Yeah!" Kaminari nods, looking nervous.

She can't blame him. They're students with no basic training, just barely starting, and the only pro heroes here are Thirteen and Aizawa-sensei. All Might-sensei's not here.

With that many villains against them... it's not good.

"But sensei!" Shinsou says. "You can't fight them all alone! There's too many of them! Even if you were to use your quirk... a head-on battle would be..."

Aizawa-sensei turns to him. "You can't be a hero with just one trick. I'm leaving it to you, Thirteen."

Thirteen nods, and with that, Aizawa-sensei jumps down. She watches as he takes down villains with that scarf of his, and is in awe of the way he did it. Every movement is not wasted. If she was in his position, she wouldn't be able to take out so much!

Then again, she isn't trained. Of course she wouldn't be able to.

"Now's not the time to be amazed!" Iida calls out. Ochako snaps out of it. Right. "We've got to evacuate!"

She nods and they quickly head towards the exit. A purple smoke appears in front of them. It's—

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

She takes a step back. It speaks?!

The purple smoke grows smaller in size, showing two yellow eyes and a metal around their neck. It's a person. "Greetings. We are the League of Villains. I apologize for our audacity, but we've come to U.A, the base of heroes, in order to end the life of All Might, the Symbol of Peace."

"We were under the impression that All Might would be here today, but... It seems his schedule was changed? Well... no matter. My role remains unchanged."

They're here to kill All Might-sensei! She thinks. Unfortunately for them, he's not here. And unfortunately for her and her classmates, All Might-sensei is not here.

Thirteen acts before the villain could move and prepares to use his quirk. Before he could, Kirishima and Bakugou jumps in at the front and attacks.

"Not if we don't end you first! Bet you didn't see that coming!" Kirishima says next to him.

"Oh dear, that was quite dangerous," the purple smoke guy says. Kirishima's and Bakugou's attacks were useless. The villain's body... is made of smoke? Their attacks went straight through. "Hm, that's right. You may be mere students, but you are also the hero world's 'golden eggs.'"

"No, get back!" Thirteen yells in alarm. "Both of you!"

A huge purple smoke surrounds them, and she couldn't see anything. When the smoke clears, she sees that everyone is gone, leaving her, Thirteen, Ashido, Iida, Satou, Sero, and Shouji. Where is everyone else?!

"Is everything still here?" Iida cries out. "Shoji, can you confirm?"

"They've been scattered, but they're all in the facility."

She sighs. Thank god!

"Physical attacks are no good. He just warps away. This guy's quirk is the worst!"

"Vice president!" Thirteen yells to him.

"Sir!"

"Your job... is to run back to the school and report on what's happening. The alarms haven't sounded, and the phones aren't working. The alarm systems uses infrared tech... The fact that it hasn't activated even though Eraserhead is down there nullifying quirks means that whoever is interfering with the system, had hidden themselves well. That being the case, you going back is our best option!"

Iida hesitates. "But it would be a disgrace to abandon—!"

Satou interrupts him. "He said go, Emergency Exit! There are alarms on the outside, which means that these guys must only be causing trouble here!"

In other words—

"So if you make it out, they won't chase you," Sero finishes. "Use that legs of yours and get help!"

"Please... please use your quirk to save us all," Thirteen says, not looking at him.

Ochako smiles at him, albeit shakingly. "It'll be like in the cafeteria. We can provide all the support you need, and we will! You're our best hope, Vice President! Do it!"

"Aside from the fact that you have no hope," the warp villain interrupts. "What sort of fool discusses strategy in front of an enemy?"

"It hardly matters if you overheard," Thirteen says, activating his quirk. "You can't stop us."

But the villain makes a portal in front of him and from behind, resulting in Thirteen's attack directing at themselves. Her eyes widens in horror. Thirteen!

"Thirteen. Looks like a disaster relief hero can't measure up to even the most ordinary of heroes when it comes to a fight. Now you find yourself ripped apart by your own quirk."

"SENSEI!"

Satou yells out, "Iida, they told you to run!"

Run, Iida! Ochako pleads. Please get out and get help!

"Damn it!"

Iida starts to run, but the villain makes a portal in front of him. Shouji jumps in to cover it and Iida continues, not stopping. Ashido tends to the injured Thirteen. Ochako, after a moment of thought, runs towards them. "Uraraka?!"

She touches the metal thing on the villain. "I'm not sure why, but if you're wearing this thing, then you must have a real body in there!" She floats it up, and sees the villain moving away. She grins. She was right. "Now go, Iida!"

Sero launches his tape to the metal to keep the villain from moving. "GO!"

Ochako watch Iida exit the building, and she sighs in relief. Sero lets go of the tape, letting the warp villain hang in the air. He warps, and then he's gone.

She's not worried about that. This is more important. Things are not over yet, but the most important thing is done.

Now, they wait for reinforcements.

Ochako puts her hands together, praying that the heroes would arrive before the worst happens.

She doesn't even want to think about what the worse case scenario would be. She and her classmates here are safe, but the others who are scattered around the building are not. They could be in danger right now, and there's nothing she could do to help them. Going to them would be risky.

Even if she could, she doesn't know if she can make it to them on time. She feels helpless. This kind of helplessness is different than the one that she felt about her and her parents' living style.

It's more intense. There are people's lives on the line here.

Aizawa-sensei is down there. Fighting multiple villains all by himself. He can't keep doing that forever.

"All Might-sensei will come, right?" She asks, feeling her body shake. From fear or from the tension earlier, she doesn't know. She's too worried about the others to care.

"I don't know," Ashido answers honestly, holding onto Thirteen. "But I hope he does."

Ochako presses her lip. We all do.

The villain... She looks around. Kurogiri is gone. She didn't know where he went, but she assumes he's down there.

She walks until she reaches the stairs and watches everything from above. She can see each zone from here. Flood, fire, mountain, landslide, ruins, and the windstorm zone. In the middle of it all is where Aizawa-sensei is.

All she could do is watch.

After what feels like eternity, the door slams open. She turns around, startled by the sound, and what she sees made her cry.

All Might.

There he is, standing proud and tall.

"Have no fear... For I am here," he says, not having his trademark smile.

All Might not smiling was something that she didn't think she'll ever see, but she feels nothing but relief and joy nonetheless. She laughs to herself. So this is how it feels when a hero comes to our rescue.

Nevermind the tears, she's full on crying right now. Who could blame her? Everything is going to be okay now. He is here.

"I had a bad feeling, so I cut my talk with the principal short and came right away," All Might-sensei says. "Then I ran into Iida on the way. He told me the gist of what's going on here. Fear not. I am here."

Ochako wipes her tears. That's All Might for you.

She looks up, and sees him tearing something. She squints, and it looks like a tie. Did he rip off his tie?

All Might jumps down, and sweeps the villains below. Some have collapsed to the floor. Before she knows it, she sees him kneeing on the ground, his hand on Aizawa-sensei's body on the floor. So fast!

Then, he moves again and retrieve Mineta, Tsuyu, and Shinsou away from the villain who she assumes is the leader.

Ochako looks at him. Long pale blue hair. Red eyes. Dry skin. She squints. Is that a hand on his face? Creepy. The warp villain is on his left. The right of him is someone who's not as creepy looking.

The one left to him is shorter. Curly black hair. Red eyes. He wears a black mask and a hoodie. He's also carrying... a notebook? That's odd. This one is... comforting the leader (?) when the hand on his face fell off.

Ochako turns her attention back to All Might. She sees All Might running forward with his arms on a X position and attacks the... the big beak bird monster. She didn't know what it was, but it was as big as All Might. It has its brain exposed.

Whatever that thing was... it's not human.

The attack had no effect, and All Might dodges its swing. He punched again at its stomach, but it didn't seem to work.

It looks like All Might was losing because of the warp villain, but Bakugou jumps in, attacking the warper. Not only that, he wasn't alone. There's also Kirishima, Shinsou, and Todoroki. She huffs. These four are likely the only ones who could really do anything.

Bakugou holds Kurogiri down by the neck, where the metal thing is. She grins. He found his weakness.

The monster goes through the portal, coming out from the other side with its arm destroyed. Ochako watches as it regenerates. It has regeneration?! She didn't have time to contemplate as it attacks All Might again and sends him flying, crashing to the wall.

She shudders. She didn't even see it move.

The dust clears and she sighs in relief as she sees All Might had blocked the attack. All Might launches forward to punch the monster punch after punch until he punch it to outside of the building.

Ochako looks up, seeing the glass from the top fall down.

She suddenly hears a sound of a gun shot, and she turns around in alarm for the second time. God, she should really be aware of her surroundings. Then again, whatever happens behind her is nothing she should worry about. There are no villains around here, after all.

She relaxes at what she sees. A row of heroes, her teachers now, with Iida next to them.

"Vice-President of Class 1-A, Iida Tenya, reporting for duty!"

This time, she knew, they won for sure.

The police arrives.

A detective counts them, and nods as he finds them all here. "Looks like they're all unharmed."

"Ojiro, you look like you were in fire," Hagakure says to him. "And all alone? Nice going."

Ojiro grimaces. "I thought everyone was alone. I only survived with hit-and-run tactics. Where were you?"

"The landslide area! That Todoroki's crazy strong."

"As for my location... Anyone have an idea?" Aoyama says. He's a weird one.

"Right, guess those lowlifes were spread out, waiting for us," Tokoyami says to Kaminari and Kirishima. "Looking down on us 'cause we're kids."

"Where did you think I was?"

"Where?" Tsuyu asks.

"It's a secret!"

"We're going to get you kids back to the classroom now," the detective announces to them. "This is no time to take your statements."

She frowns. That's it?

Tsuyu feels the same, as she says, "What about Aizawa-sensei?"

"Both of his arms were smashed to splinters. His face is also fractured. Thankfully, he doesn't have any brain damage. But... his eye sockets have been pulverized... There's a chance he may suffer from long-term loss of vision. Or so I hear."

Tsuyu makes a noise of worry. Ochako feels the same.

"Thirteen has terrible lacerations across his back and upper arms, but his life isn't in danger. All Might's injuries aren't life threatening either. It's possible that Recovery Girl's healing will be enough for him, so he's gone off to the nurse's office."

Ochako breathes, in and out. They're all going to be fine then. She turns to Shinsou and Iida. "I'm glad you guys are okay."

Shinsou nods, but doesn't speak.

"Indeed," Iida says. It was only one word, but it said everything.

"Come to think of it," the detective says. "I have some business in the nurse's office as well. Sansa! I'll leave the rest to you."

The cat police officer, Sansa, salutes. She wants to pet him. Or at least touch his fur. The officer even has a bell on his neck. Cute. "Understood."

Just like that, the day was over.

Classes were cancelled the next day. She couldn't bring herself to relax. No one would. Not without knowing how Thirteen and Aizawa-sensei is doing. Not without knowing how the villains got into the USJ.

Not when the image of the monster—or whatever it was—is so visible in her mind. She didn't sleep well that day.

The day after that, classes continued like usual. It was almost as if nothing had happened. Like what happened in the USJ was a dream. But it was no dream.

Yaoyorozu greets the class with a good morning. She tries to lighten the mood, but everyone is just not feeling it. The door opens, revealing their teacher, whose face is covered with bandages and has a broken arm.

"Morning."

"YOU'RE BACK ALREADY, AIZAWA-SENSEI?!" The whole class shouts. In a blink of an eye, the depressing mood disappears.

"Good to see you doing well, sensei!" Iida says, raising a hand up.

Ochako is flabbergasted. He's all good already? Pro heroes really are something. "If you can call that doing 'well.'"

Aizawa-sensei walks up to the front of the class. "My welfare isn't important. Your fight is far from over."

Oh no, she thinks. What is it now?

"Don't tell me..."

"More villains?!"

They just got through a villain attack. It's only been two days since then. Not to mention that he's not even fully healed! What could be so important that he had to brush aside his injuries?

"U.A's Sports Festival is fast approaching."

"THAT'S SO ORDINARY!" The class roars.

The Sports Festival! After what had happened, Ochako totally forgot about it! But still... "We just had a villain attack!" She speaks up. "Are we sure about this?"

"It's necessary to demonstrate that U.A's crisis management protocols are sound," Aizawa-sensei replies. "That's the thinking, apparently. Compared to the past years, there'll be five times the police presence. Anyhow, our Sports Festival... is the greatest opportunity you'll get."

"It's not an event that can be cancelled over a few villains. Our Sports Festival is one of Japan's biggest events," he continues. "The Olympics were once the world's Sports Festival. The whole world would go into a frenzy over them. But as you know, that tradition has shrunk and as far as Japan is concerned, what's taken place of the Olympics is the U.A Sports Festival."

"The nation's top heroes will all be watching, right?" Yaoyorozu asks. "They'll be there as scouts."

"They'll be looking to hire us as sidekicks after we graduate," Kaminari adds.

Jirou, who's next to him, says, "And a lot of those sidekicks never managed to go solo. They're sidekicks forever. That'll be you, Kaminari, you dunce."

"Ouch!"

"Naturally, you'll gain valuable experience and popularity if you're picked by a big-name hero. But your time is limited. Show the pros what you're made of, and you'll make futures for yourselves. This happens once a year... so you've got three chances."

"If you're hoping to become a hero, this is an event you can't miss."

"Everyone is so excited," Shinsou says, looking at the class.

"And you aren't?" Iida asks. "This is our chance to add our names to the ranks of heroes. Of course we're in high spirits."

"I mean, I get it, but—"

"Shinsou, Iida..." Ochako interrupts. They turn to her, and she turns to look at them. "At this Sports Festival... Let's do our best!"

"What happened to your face, Uraraka?!"

"Uh," Shinsou says, blinking at her. "Yeah. Let's do our best."

Ochako puts her hand into the air. "Everyone! I'm gonna crush this!"

Kirishima puts his hand in the air with Sero next to him doing the same. "Yeahh, but talk about out of character!"

She's going to do well. She has to.

"Money? You wanted to be a hero for the money?"

Ochako nods, feeling a little embarrassed. "Ultimately, yeah." She puts her hands to her chin. "I'm sorry. It sounds so lame... and embarrassing, considering Iida's noble motivations and all."

"Don't be!" Iida says, swinging his arms around. Shinsou moves out of the way. "It is admirable for you to aim for a comfortable life!"

Shinsou nods. "Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that. But I am surprised. You look like someone who wants to be a hero to save others."

"I want to do that too," Ochako points out. "But I wanted to be a hero for the money. My parents own a construction company, but business is bad. Don't... don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Wouldn't your quirk be good for that?" Shinsou asks.

"That's what I said!" She replies. "But..."

"You want to work for us? That's sweet, Ochako. But it would make me happier to see my little girl's dreams come true."

Ochako clutch on her skirt. She still remembers their tired, worn-out expressions and their body slumping from stress and exhaustion. She remembers seeing them smile despite everything.

Never again will she see them like that. Never again.

She looks at them. "But they won't let me. So I'm going to be a hero. I'll make that money so that they can live easy."

Iida and Shinsou stare at her. Then, Iida says, "Bravo, Uraraka!"

Ochako smiles. Thank god they didn't see her as being selfish. Usually, people would.

Shinsou grins. "Well, your motivation is better than mine. I wanted to be a hero because of spite." He clutch his hands together. "I want to show that I can be a hero even with a villainous quirk."

"That is an odd motivation," Iida says. She agrees, but she can see why. "But it's not a bad one. I support you, Shinsou!"

She nods. "Same goes for me!"

"Thanks. We're going to work hard on the festival," Shinsou says. "We're going to get recognized, aren't we?"

He looks determined. Ochako and Iida grins. "Of course we will!"

The Sports Festival, she thinks, getting excited. Here I come.

Chapter Text

The Todoroki household has never been, and never will be, a safe place.

Nor will it ever be called a home.

As the one who was forced to uphold the man of the household's legacy, Todoroki Shoto knows this too well. He may have been the youngest, but he was unfortunately the only one who could fulfill Todoroki Enji's lifelong ambition.

There were times where he would envy Natsuo and Fuyumi, as they were mostly away (not safe, never safe) from Enji's rage. They were in the background, only kept alive because Enji wasn't willing to go that far. Yet. They get to have a... somewhat decent childhood, but they too have suffered.

Not as much as he did, but the fear is still there, consuming their very being.

The Todoroki siblings have always been tied to the house. Natsuo and Fuyumi doesn't have any childhood friends. He didn't think Touya had any either. No one was allowed to go out without supervision, if at all, so they only had each other.

In a way, it was enough. But in another, it wasn't.

Shoto remembers Natsuo's and Fuyumi's fear. He remembers them holding him tightly, hiding at a corner of a room as the house shakes. He remembers them shaking too, quivering in fear as the steps gets louder, closer.

He remembers his own fear. He remembers Enji finding them.

He remembers being dragged away, his wrist aching. Sometimes, his fingers would dig into his skin, causing it to bleed, leaving a single trial of blood flowing down his arm and onto the ground.

They would cry for him. But after a while, they stopped, knowing by then how useless it is. All they could do was watch, and Shoto doesn't resent them for it.

When he returned, the floor is clean. It was like his blood was never there, like his skin wasn't being teared apart, leaving a raw layer open. He's not sure if it's because Enji doesn't want any evidence laying around, or that his siblings didn't want to see it.

Not that it mattered.

Enji would only stop until he couldn't get up anymore.

The fear have mellowed out over the years, as they now have the hope of being independent and moving away when they grow of age, but Shoto isn't so lucky. He needs to be 18 to be considered an adult. He still have years to go, while Natsuo and Fuyumi are close to reaching it.

They will leave the house before he would, and he doesn't think he can handle that.

Thankfully, Fuyumi is willing to stay a little longer. For how long, she doesn't say. Natsuo has already decided to leave as soon as he turns 18, reaching his limits with Enji ages ago.

No one can blame him.

But even with that hope, the Todoroki household will never be free from tension, no matter how much Fuyumi tries.

Shoto frowns at the thought. He doesn't understand Fuyumi. He doesn't understand how she can still try to be happy, still try to make everyone comfortable in the household.

"She's trying to be positive," Natsuo explains. "I don't understand it either, but I think it's because of what happened to... to Touya."

Shoto stares at the ground for a moment. He looks up. "Do you think Touya would want us to be happy like this?"

A grimace. "... No. No, he wouldn't."

Natsuo seems to understand, but he too doesn't agree with her. It confuses Shoto to this day. But this is Fuyumi, his sister. The one who had to tend to him and Natsuo when mom was taken away.

She was thirteen then. He was five, and Natsuo was nine.

She was too young.

Shoto wondered how that was like—first losing Touya, then having to take over mom's place. From being a kid to being a caretaker. Having to be the one holding them together through bandages.

He wonders how hard it was. How she felt.

Did she ever have enough time for herself? To spend one day without ever thinking about them? To spend one day to herself and only to herself?

Did she ever have a day where she can take a moment and breathe?

He never asked. Not because they're both busy, but because he knows she would lie. Because she has always prioritized them over herself.

They aren't close because of Enji, but they are a family—a family in a way that matters. She cares for him, for Natsuo. For Touya, once upon a time.

To her, her fear turned into bravery. It turned into courage. To hope. It turned to, I have to do this. If I don't, then who will?

But for him and Natsuo, their fear turned into hatred.

Pure, burning hatred.

It started off small, then grew big. He and Natsuo doesn't bother hiding it. Enji made it clear that he didn't care what they thought of him. Natsuo spends as much of his time out of the house as possible, going back only when it's considered too dangerous to be out.

But even then he's only doing it for Fuyumi. If he could, he would leave and never come back. They all would. He's staying for Shoto too, but only because he was a child.

Fuyumi doesn't like it—their hatred. But more than anything else though, she understands why. And so she lets it happen and doesn't stop them.

But surely she must hate him too. It's confusing. She should hate him. How could she not, after all that he has done? Maybe she does, but just doesn't like showing it like he and Natsuo does.

He doesn't get her, but the least thing he could do is to support her. After all, she's trying her best.

Natsuo would always sneer whenever he sees Enji. He knows better than to fight, because no matter how much he hates him, Enji is Endeavor. The number two hero.

Natsuo doesn't stand a chance against him. No one does.

Shoto hates it. Hates that he is one of the strongest heroes. Hates that he is able to do what he does—what he has done—without consequences. He hopes All Might will always be on top so he will forever suffer in second place.

It's a useless thought, petty even, but it is how he feels. And it's going to be how he feels for a very long time.

He can't fight him, but he can do so in other ways. That is, to glare at him, to not put effort into training, and to refuse to use his fire. It wasn't much, but it was something. It annoys Enji, and that was enough for him.

Enji calls him childish. He does whatever it takes to make him use his fire, to cease this foolish behavior, but he refuses to give in. Not this time. He'll hold his ground.

He won't use it even if his life is on the line.

More often than not, Shoto thinks about his mom. About how he hasn't seen her in a long time. He doesn't remember much of her, but he remembers her face. Her smile. Weak, but kind. He remembers the scar she gave him.

He touches the scar. It doesn't hurt anymore, but he can feel it. The difference in the layer of the scar and his skin. It won't heal. It'll stay.

It wasn't her fault. He never blamed her.

She was the most important person in the house, even when she's not in it. While she wasn't the best mother, she was the only source of comfort he and his siblings had.

The comfort didn't last long, but it was nice to have it nonetheless. In a house as tense as this, even the tiniest amount counted.

Now, Shoto couldn't bring himself to visit her in the hospital. He's afraid. He's afraid that she would never want to see him again. After all, he did remind her too much of Enji.

The similarity she sees between them makes him angry. He understands, but he too wished he and Enji doesn't share any similarities at all. Anger rises to the surface, raging and burning.

I'm not like him, Shoto thinks. I won't ever be like him.

He'll prove it to her.

When the Sports Festival comes along, he knows Enji wants him to take first place. To show what it means to be his son.

To show how he can surpass All Might one day.

Enji will be there, watching, making sure that he wins. Shoto debates losing on purpose, but he knows that would risk his hero career. He would be risking his own future, as he knows that being a hero is the only path Enji will accept.

The thought of needing to win to secure his future, the one Enji forced onto him, while obeying the said man at the same time sickens him. In the end, he's still being used by him.

However, Shoto knows that she might be watching too. That she would be in the hospital, watching the Sports Festival through the tv. So fine, he'll win. He'll entertain the old man.

But on his own terms. For her.

He'll win only using his ice.

"Objectively, I'm stronger than you."

Bakugou turns, his scowl turned into a sneer. "Hah?"

Shoto pays it no mind. It is merely an observation. There is no need to get worked up over it.

"Oh! The best in the class is making a declaration of war?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?" The boy—Kirishima, if he remembers correctly—cuts in, reaching for his shoulder. "Don't spring this onto him before—"

Shoto moves away, interrupting him. He doesn't like being touched, much less by someone he doesn't know. "I'm not here to play nice and make friends." He looks at Bakugou. "But whatever. I'm going to beat you."

"Listen here, Icyhot," Bakugou says, looking annoyed. Good. "I don't know how you think you're stronger than me, but if you want to fight?" He grins. "Then let's fight. We'll see who's stronger then."

He nods. That's fine by him.

Thus, the Sports Festival has begun.

Class 1-A enters the center of the stadium, surrounded by thousands of people watching them. Shoto observes the large crowd, but keeps his eyes on only one person. Enji.

As always, he's frowning. He's not unhappy, but he's not angry either. It's a look full of expectations, one that he has seen way too many times already.

The Sports Festival hasn't started yet, and he already looks like he'll kill him if he loses.

It's a good thing, then, that Shoto doesn't plan on losing.

He sees the other classes enter the center, but he ignores them. They don't matter.

The R-18 hero Midnight approaches the center of the stage. "Now, for the athletes' oath!" She announces.

"What... is Ms. Midnight wearing?"

"That's R-rated Midnight for you."

"R-rated? Should she really be in a high school?"

"Shut it!" Midnight hisses at them. She's annoyed, huh. They go quiet. "Pipe down! Your student representative is... from Class 1-A, Bakugou Katsuki!"

Shoto eyes him. So he's the one who got first place in the regular entrance exam. Not surprising. He watches him go on stage in front of the microphone.

"I pledge.... That I'm taking first place."

All the U.A classes boos loudly at his arrogance, but he continues before Iida Tenya could do anything. "Don't interrupt me! I'll take first place because I have something to prove. You think this is me being cocky? Ha! Then fight me. Fight me and win. I didn't win first place for nothing! Luck isn't something I need! I'll be the one taking first place and prove that my cockiness isn't for show!"

He's not wrong, Shoto thinks. Despite Bakugou's attitude, there is no denying that he has earned his place in the hero course.

He is undeniably strong. It is not only his quirk that allowed him to be where he is now.

Bakugou pauses, opens his mouth, then closes it. He looks like he wants to say something more, but decides not to. Then, "If you're watching right now, then know that I will be better. Than all of you."

Without waiting for a response, Bakugou leaves the stage, purposely bumping his shoulder over Shoto's and gives him a look as he makes his way back to the other students.

Shoto didn't think too much of it. He too is aiming for the top.

"Now, without any delay," Midnight continues. "Let's get the first event started! The first game is what you'd call a qualifier! Every year, many drink their tears here!"

He blinks. Drink?

"The fateful first game is... The Obstacle Race!"

Race, huh. This will be easy for him.

"All eleven classes will participate in this race. The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium—about four kilometers. Our school's selling point is freedom!" She licks her lip. Shoto somehow feels a shiver. "As long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do!"

The stadium cheers in anticipation.

"Now, take your places, everyone!"

He and Bakugou went head-to-head, but in the end, he's in first place. Admittedly, it was a close call. Too close, even. Both of their quirks gives them similar speed.

He breathes, letting out a breath of cold air, and looks at his hand.

His face darkens at the revelation. He knows Bakugou is strong, but the difference between them isn't as big as he thought it would be. As he would like.

If he wants to take first place, he'll need to do better. His ice needs more work. It doesn't give him enough speed. At least compared to Bakugou's explosions.

The top 42 students gets to move on to the next stage, but there are ways for those who didn't make it to show off to the agencies who are watching. It's for the students who are at a disadvantage, but they all know who will gain the most attention in the end regardless.

Still, he supposed, it's better than nothing. If anything, they will get to show off in more creative ways—ones that doesn't involve any form of combat.

The next stage is the Cavalry Battle.

"There's more suffering ahead for those at the top. As you must have heard countless times since enrolling in U.A, this is Plus Ultra! After taking first place in the qualifiers, Todoroki Shoto... has ten million points!"

In an instant, everyone turns to him. Shoto is used to having attention on him, so he isn't bothered by it, but he knows this is something he should worry about.

This... is a problem, he thinks. Now that he's the target, not everyone will be willing to team up with him. Especially since he said before that he didn't want to make any friends.

But this isn't about making friends. This is about winning. About getting the agencies to notice them. He may be targeted, but he still has a strong quirk.

Teaming up with him may limit the chance of moving to the next stage, but they're not blind enough to see that it wouldn't be easy to go up against him either.

With the right people, he'll be able to move to the next stage smoothly.

"You've got 15 minutes! Time to form your teams!"

Shoto chooses his teammates. Iida Tenya, Yaoyorozu Momo, and Kaminari Denki. "The reason I've chosen all of you..." he says to them. "Is because our formation will be by far the most stable. Kaminari, you guard the left and keep enemies away with your electricity. Yaoyorozu, you take the right. Provide an insulator, shield and supplement our movement. Iida, you take the lead. We'll make use of your mobility and physicality for defense."

Iida and Kaminari might've heard from before about him not wanting to make friends, but they're not petty enough to let that get in the way. Yaoyorozu knows how strong he is, as the both of them have taken the recommended entrance exam.

"So you'll attack and create diversions with your ice and fire then, Todoroki?" Iida asks.

"No," he replies coldly, looking up at Enji from afar. His hand clenches, eyes clouding with hatred. "In battle, I will never use my left."

The three of them frown at that, but he ignores it. No matter what they do or say, they cannot make him use fire. They know, at least, that he can use his ice instead.

That alone is enough.

"Formed your teams?" Present Mic says on speaker. "Made your plans? Too bad if you haven't! Here we go! The countdown to the brutal Cavalry Battle!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Start!"

Immediately his team is attacked. The ground turns into mud, preventing their feet from moving. Yaoyorozu shoots a weapon to the ground, forcing them up into the air. An attack comes again from the left, and Kaminari uses his electricity.

"Ow! Kaminari!"

"Sorry, I had to! No hard feelings!"

As they fall, Shoto uses his ice to make a slide, making them land safely. Shoji Mezo's team comes next. Shoto dodges Asui Tsuyu's long tongue and Mineta Minoru's quirk. Yaoyorozu makes a shield for cover, and Iida uses his speed to put distance between them before noticing Bakugou flying towards him.

"Huh?! He got separated from his horses! Is that okay to do?!"

"Getting ahead of yourself, huh, Icyhot?!"

Iida moves again to make them get out of the way, and before Bakugou could fall to the ground, he is pulled back by tape.

"Here is a technicality!" Midnight comments. "As long as your feet doesn't touch the ground, you're still in!"

So the sky is free game, he thinks. He turns and sees Shinsou Hitoshi's team from a distance. He was warned by Iida to not answer him, as that was how his brainwashing quirk works. As long as he doesn't answer him... it should be easy enough.

"Whoa! Why are a lot of them not moving?!"

The way they made their way to them... He narrows his eyes. The others got brainwashed.

"Hey," Shinsou says, grinning. Shoto doesn't answer. He looks at Iida. "He told you, huh? That's too bad... Now, Aoyama!"

The group charges towards them at an alarming speed with a glittery beam shooting them forward. He leans back in alarm. Iida says, "Everyone, what I'm about to do will render me useless. Then it's up to you guys."

Looks like he has something up his sleeve. Shoto nods. "Do it."

"Be sure to grab it. Grab it, Todoroki!"

He startles at the speed, not expecting it to this fast. This was faster than the speed Iida displayed before. Or even at all. In an instant, they immediately ran past them, with him being able to successfully snatch a headband from them.

"Wha—? What happened?! That was too fast for the naked eye! Or at least from where I'm looking! Did anyone see that? Why didn't Iida show this in the qualifiers?!"

When they stopped, he wraps the stolen headband around his neck. "Iida, what was that just now?"

"I elevated my torque and rotation to an explosive degree," Iida answers. "The kickback stalls my engine though. It's a secret technique I haven't shown anyone yet."

That is dangerous, he thinks. A trump card. Iida has a speed that he couldn't catch up with. He's not sure if Bakugou could either. Had he used this in the obstacle race, he would've ended up on a much higher rank.

He may have underestimated him. Not just him, but also the rest of his classmates. Who knows what they all could have up their sleeve.

"The tables have turned! Or should I say the turned have tabled? Either way, things are getting interesting!"

"Out of the way, Eyebags!" Bakugou shouts with his hand out. "Icyhot is mine!"

"I don't think so—"

"Then why don't you play with me?" A blond guy interrupts. That's the guy from Class 1-B. He looks at Shinsou. "I wanna talk to you."

"No thanks—"

"Okay! I'm coming towards you now! Ahahaha—!"

"Tsk! Move away!"

With Shinsou's team attacked, now it's just his and Bakugou's team. They move forward and Bakugou reaches his hand out to him. Out of instinct, Shoto lifts his left arm, and—

He jolts. My left... What was I thinking?

Bakugou's team go past him and a headband is taken. He looks, and thankfully, it isn't the ten million one. He breathes in relief. What they had taken... they have taken the one with 70 points.

"Come to your senses, Todoroki! That was too close!" Iida says to him.

Shoto nods, snapping his thoughts out of his head. Right. Focus on the battle. Worry about his left later.

"We switched the headbands just in case!" Yaoyorozu adds. "Try again, Bakugou!"

"What the hell?" Bakugou shouts, moving the headband around. "This isn't ten million!" He turns to them. "Oh, I will try again, Ponytail!"

"Ponytail?!"

"Time is almost up! Let's start the countdown. Hey everyone, say...."

It's almost time. He needs to keep the million headband on him no matter what. Everyone comes charging towards them. Bakugou's team moves.

"10.... 9.... 8.... 7...."

Bakugou uses his explosion to move him up to the air, flying towards him—

"6.... 5..... 4....."

Shoto's team moves away—

"3.... 2.... 1.... Time's up!"

Bakugou falls flat on the floor.

"Let's see who the top four teams are right now! In first place, team Todoroki! In second, team Shinsou! In third, Team Bakugou! In fourth, team Tetsutetsu! The four team will proceed to the final event!"

And with that announcement, the event is over. His team cheers in first place. They come to him to cheer in victory together, but he ignores them, too focused on something else.

Shoto looks at his left hand. He had almost used it. Unintentionally, but still. He was determined to never use it. The fact that he used it at all... When push really comes to shove...

He clenches. How can I let that happen? It's just what the old man expected....

"We'll proceed to the afternoon portion after an one hour lunch break. See you then! Hey Eraser, wanna grab some food?"

"I'm taking a nap."

"Eh?!"

He turns to look at Bakugou, who is fuming with his team. He needs to have a talk with him.

"You wanted to talk to me, Icyhot?"

Shoto looks up at him. They're in a quiet area, so no one will interrupt them. "You overwhelmed me. So much so that I broke my pledge."

Bakugou blinks. "Pledge? The fuck are you talking about?"

"You know my father is Endeavor. The second hero. He's making himself a hero out there, but he has always seen All Might as an eyesore. My father couldn't beat him on his own. So he—"

Bakugou interrupts. "Why are you telling me this? I didn't come here for your pity life story. What does all of this have to do with me?"

"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?"

"Answer my question, damn it!"

He nods. Of course he wouldn't know. "Looks like you don't. Strong individuals would choose a partner and force them into marriage for the sole purpose of—"

"A stronger quirk," Bakugou finishes, rolling his eyes. Shoto is surprised. He knows? "So what, your old man is in one?"

He touches his scar. "Yes. I hate being a tool for that hero garbage. My mother mistaken me for him... saying how my left side looks terrifying. She said this before pouring boiling water on my face."

Bakugou looks horrified. That's a good sign. "What the fuck..."

"Not using my left side was my revenge on him... and I'll rise up on top without using it. And by doing so, I'll deny him everything."

Silence. Then, "What the fuck?!"

He startles, not expecting this kind of anger from him. Bakugou continues and grabs his shirt. "You refuse to use your other half while everyone else is using their all. While I am using my all. Am I a fucking joke to you?! You think you can beat me with half of your effort?!"

He glares at him. If that's what it takes. "I will."

Bakugou looks like he wants to punch him, but he knows he can't. He lets his shirt go and tsks. "Then fine. Go ahead. Do it. Go ahead and think your ice would be enough." He puts a finger on his shirt. "You may able to beat everyone else, but not me. Unlike you, I put my everything into it."

He then turns and leaves. Shoto doesn't move, doesn't say anything. Because he's right. He is only using half of his effort. And if he were to fight Bakugou, he can't say with confidence that he can beat him with his ice alone.

Not after what happened in the obstacle race. Still, he's going to try.

He hums in thought. Come to think of it, Bakugou wasn't just angry about him only using his left side. He can tell from his eyes. There was more to it.

He was also bitter.

Shoto narrows his eyes at the girls in his class wearing cheerleader outfits. They're... revealing. More than what he is used to. He has never even seen Fuyumi wear anything like that.

Are girls his age supposed to wear something like that?

"Mineta! Kaminari! You tricked us!" He hears Yaoyorozu yell. The said two boys giggle and gives them a thumbs up, as if they have done something good.

Yaoyorozu looks uncomfortable.

It's a bad image for someone who's their Class President. Clearly, none of the girls are fine wearing it. He considers icing the two boys, but decides he could do it in a less extreme way.

He approaches them and puts a hand on their shoulder, letting a hint of coldness out. They shiver, and turn to him.

"Consider this a warning."

Mineta and Kaminari goes pale and frantically nods. They fled. Yaoyorozu and the rest of the girls sends him a grateful look, and Shoto nods to her.

"Whoa! Did Todoroki just stand up for us?" He hears one of them say.

"Now, it is time for the final event!" Present Mic announces. "Between the 16 members of the four winning teams, we'll have a tournament: a series of one-on-one battles!"

"The matchups will be determined by lots," Midnight continues, holding up a box. "Once that's settled, we'll move on to the festivities and then the tournament itself. It's up to you if you want to join the fun. Though I expect that some of you will want to save your strength for later. Now, let's start with the first place team...!"

"Here are the matchups!"

A board appears, showing all the battles and how it will proceed until only one stands in top.

"Uraraka?" Bakugou questions.

The said girl comes up to him. "Don't tell me you forgot my name already! My name isn't Round Cheeks, you know. Bakugou, I won't go easy on you!"

"Ha!" He grins, taking the challenge. "You better not if you don't want to lose to me!"

Shoto turns his attention back to the board. He's up against Sero Hanta. The one with the tape. His battle with him would be last of the first round. He turns, and finds his opponent looking pale. He looks nervous.

"Now! Let's put aside the tournament for the time being and get on with the Thrill-A-Minute festivities!"

He leaves with his thought going back to his talk with Bakugou. His left side... He needs to go out to cool his head a bit.

"Hey guys, are you ready?! You've been through hell to get there, but now it's time for the one-on-one tournament! You've only got yourself to rely on! Even if you're not a hero, the saying holds true! Spirit, technique, strength, skill, and knowledge! Use them all and show us your best!"

"The first match! Looking pretty confident, it's Awase Yosetsu from class 1-B! Versus... placed in second place last event, Shinsou Hitoshi from class 1-A! The rules are simple. Win by knocking your opponent out of the ring, immbolize them, or get them to say "I give up"! Bring the pain! We got Recovery Girl on standby! Fight dirty if you must! "Ethics" have no meaning here!"

Did it ever? Shoto wonders, looking at Enji.

"Of course, going for the kill is a no-no! You'll be disqualified because only a true hero's fist fly for pursuits of villains! Now, let's get things started!"

Shoto watches the first match. Shinsou, who has a brainwashing quirk, and Awase, whose quirk he does not know. So far, no one from class 1-B has stood out to him, expect for that blond one who had talked to Shinsou.

He should know their quirks. Since they are both hero classes, there could be a chance that he might fight them in the future. After all, based on the battle matchups, he'll only be fighting students in his own class.

Shinsou is going to win this round. While he doesn't know Awase's quirk, brainwashing is still a powerful ability.

Activated by a response... Shinsou wouldn't have a problem with that.

"Whoa! What is this?! Awase's frozen in place?! Looks like Shinsou Hitoshi got him! He is for sure a student to look out for!"

As expected. Awase obediently makes his way out of the ring, thereby making Shinsou the winner of this round.

"Awase is out of the ring!" Midnight announces. "Shinsou Hitoshi moves to second round!"

"Goodness gracious, we start off to an uneventful start!" Shinsou doesn't look happy with that comment. "Well, put your hands together for our fierce competitors!"

The stadium cheers, and the two students leave the stage. It's time for the second fight. Bakugou against Uraraka.

The audience ridiculed Bakugou for being too harsh on a girl, for toying with her, but Bakugou doesn't look like he's underestimating her. He is taking her seriously as an opponent.

For someone who's fighting Bakugou, Uraraka puts up a pretty good fight.

Still, although she was able to sneak up on him and had him distracted, her ultimate plan of having pieces of rock fall on him like a meteor shower, like Present Mic said, wasn't enough to bring him down.

In the end, Uraraka used up all of her stamina and was unable to move.

The rest of the first round continues. Shoto shakes his head as he sees Kaminari immadiately defeated by Shiozaki Ibara from class 1-B. Kaminari lets his guard down too easily around girls.

Iida did not show the speed he displayed in the last event in his fight with Hatsume Mei, but he supposed that was because Hatsume is a strange girl who cared more about showing off her support gears than the actual fight itself.

As a matter of fact, the fight wasn't a fight at all. It was merely Hatsume taking advantage of Iida's versatile quirk to show off how effective her support gears are against him.

Iida must be flabbergasted. Humiliated, even, knowing that he was used by her.

Yaoyorozu was able to win against Kuroiro Shihai. She's not very quick in her feet, but she is smart and knows how to use her quirk in the right ways and in the right moment.

Then, finally, his fight with Sero Hanta. Sero starts the fight by warping him with tape, but he is in no mood to be playing games. He wastes no time and unleashes his ice, big enough to go above the stadium.

The tape around his body rips.

"That's..." Sero says, shivering as half of his body is covered in ice. "That's a bit of an overkill, isn't it?"

"Sero..." Midnight says, also shivering. "Can you move?"

"You're kidding, right? Ow, ow, ow...!"

"Sero is immbolized!"

Shoto walks up to him, and cools the ice down. He doesn't look at him. "Sorry, I overdid it. I was just annoyed."

"N-not with me, I hope?"

He blinks. Why would he? "I don't even know you."

Sero huffs, giving him a weak smile. "Fair enough."

"Todoroki Shoto moves to second round! We end with a terrifying blast! Alright, get it together, everyone! The first round is over! We'll move to second round with a quick break! Say, Eraser, wanna get some coffee?"

"I've have enough for today."

"Whoa! I never thought I'll be hearing those words from you!"

"Starting second round, both competitors have caught our attention, but there's only one room for one of the greats in the ring! It's... Shinsou Hitoshi versus Bakugou Katsuki! Start!"

"I forfeit."

"Eh?"

"Are you sure?" Midnight asks, frowning.

"There's no way I can win against him," Shinsou says with a huff. "I've come far enough. I've shown everyone that I can beat others stronger than me. But I also know when to back down from a fight I can't win and to prepare for next time."

Midnight hums in thought, and then grins. "Hm. I accept! Bakugou Katsuki moves to third round!"

Shoto did not expect this. Bakugou didn't either, seeing how angry he is and how he tries to go after him. Shinsou doesn't look back, but he doesn't look upset. He looks rather smug.

It was better that Shinsou surrendered. Even if he hadn't, Bakugou would've won either way.

The fight would've been meaningless.

The next fight is Iida vs Shiozaki Ibara. Iida wins due to his speed and was able to push her out of the ring. Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, did not stand a chance against Ashido Mina's agility. She was able to move freely and faster because of her acid while also limiting Yaoyorozu's space to move.

Unfortunate, but Yaoyorozu should be able to tell what she needs to work on based on that fight.

The last battle is his fight with Kirishima. While Kirishima can withstand his ice to some degree, it's not enough. Shoto's body shivers after using his ice, but he ignores it. He can deal with this.

Kirishima surrenders, and he moves to the third round.

"As expected of our Todoroki, brutal as usual with his ice! With that, we're down to our final four!"

"Let's move right into it! A student with a blast personality against a student with exceptional speed! It's Bakgou Katsuki vs Iida Tenya!"

Iida has the speed and ground advantage while Bakugou has his firepower and the sky advantage. However, Bakguou is better at close combat while Iida only has his speed going for him.

"Bakugou Katsuki wins! He is on fire!"

Shoto wonders why Iida didn't use his ultimate move in that fight. Was it because he want to use it for the final match? He hums. He supposed it doesn't matter in the end. Iida still lost to Bakugou. He needs to focus on his own fight.

Shoto is up against Ashido Mina. Her agility, he knows, is nothing to scoff at, but his ice limits her movement. While her acid can melt his ice, she cannot melt an abundance of it. His ice freezes over, and she surrenders.

"You're too overpowered, Todoroki!" She complains while smiling at him. He doesn't understand why she is smiling.

"His ice sure is starting to look too overpowered! Todoroki Shoto moves to the final round!"

Finally, he thinks, looking over to Bakugou. We get to see who's stronger.

Bakugou looks back.

"At last, we arrived! The best of the best among U.A's first years will be decided! It's the final watch... Todoroki Shoto vs Bakugou Katsuki!"

"Now... start!"

Immadiately, Shoto unleases a huge wave of ice, just like the one he did in his fight with Sero. It's smaller, but he knows his body couldn't handle anything bigger.

"The gaunlet's been thrown down! Looks like Todoroki wants to avoid close combat with Bakugou! Do we already have a winner so soon?!"

No, he thinks. Bakugou isn't someone who can be so easily defeated like that. The dust clears, revealing Bakugou blasting a hole in the ice. He's not done yet.

Shoto moves to use his ice again, but Bakugou dodges. He grabs him by his hair and the back of his shirt, and throws him to the ground. Shoto puts his right hand to the ground and makes a ice wall to stop his fall.

"He avoids a ring-out with a wall of ice! How thrilling!"

Bakugou dodges the ice wall coming his way and raises a hand to use his explosion, but Shoto grabs his right arm with his left and throws him. Bakugou lands and raises his left arm.

"You're not going to use your left?"

He doesn't answer.

Bakguou fums, unleashing small explosions on his palms. "What the hell is the point of fighting against some half-assed punk, huh?! And look!" He points to him. "You're shivering! You think you can beat me with when you're fucking freezing?! I'm doing my best while your sorry cold ass think you can be a hero with half of your effort! You think All Might half-ass everything, huh?!"

"I know someone who has nothing, someone who would kill to be in your position, and here you are, not even using all of what you have! You're undestimating me, damn it! Give me all you got already, you bastard!"

Shoto frowns, angry. Giving him all he's got? "What are you planning?"

A memory flashes. "It's fine. You're not..."

"Did my bastard of a father pay you or something?" He charges forward, his right hand up. "You're pissing me off!"

Bakugou runs forward as well, and punches him in the stomach. He did not expect that. How did he not see it? Shoto falls to the ground, but gets up despite the pain, his hand on his stomach.

Bakugou grins. "Your ice and speed is weaker. You know, if you become number one without giving it your all, are you really denying your old man?"

He charges forward this time. Shoto's eyes widens.

Endeavor's face appears. "Get up. You won't even be able to defeat villains, let alone All Might, if you get knocked down by a hit like that."

"Stop it, please! He's only five!"

"Yes, he's already five. So get out of my way!"

He uses his ice again. "Shut up...!"

"I hate him, mommy... I... I don't want to be like him."

"You want to be a hero, right? That's fine. You're not..."

Bakugou charges. Shoto moves back to put distance.

"Don't look at them, Shoto," he says, dragging him away. "Your brothers... they belong to a different world than you."

"Mom..." She says on the phone. "I know it's not right, but I can't do this anymore. They're... they're like him more and more every day. And Shoto... his left side... Sometimes I look at him and I hate what I see. I..."

The kettle whistles. "I can't raise him anymore. I shouldn't raise him."

"I—"

Shoto trembles in anger, glaring at Enji through the bandages around his eye. "It's all your fault!"

His teeth clenches. "I'll show my father—"

"This isn't about your father, damn it!" Bakugou yells, furstated. "This is about me! You! That fire is yours, not his! Are you this dumb?!"

"You want to be a hero, right? That's fine. You're not... bound by his blood. You decide who you want to become."

Shoto falters. When did I forget that?

His fire bursts into life.

"What's this?!" Present Mic announces in surprise. "Todoroki is finally letting out his flames! You know what time it is, folks?! It's time for fire vs fire!"

"I want to be a hero like All Might too," he says, looking at him. "It's not my problem what happens to you now."

Bakugou grins. "No shit." He uses his explosion to move up to the air, and twirls around to create a whirlwind, and charges towards him.

"Bakugou added momentum and rotation to a huge blast he showed us in his fight with Uraraka! He's like a human projectile!"

Shoto lifts his left arm to use his fire, and blasts it. He has little control over it. He hasn't used his fire in a while.

Bakugou breaks his ice and moves through.

"And the winner is...!"

His body recoils from the explosion, and slams onto the remaining ice he used earlier. Shoto coughs and breathes, exhausted. His body is tired after using his fire, something that will need time to adjust to.

He blinks. He had referred the fire as his. It… it has always been his. All this time. My fire. Mine, and mine alone.

Not to mention... he's out of bounds. He looks up. Bakugou looks tired too.

He also looks angry. He runs up to him and grabs him by the shirt. "Hey, I said I wanted you to give your all! Why didn't you use your ice and your fire, huh?! Not like this! I don't want to win like—!"

Bakugou falls down. Todoroki looks up, and sees Midnight using her quirk. The R-18 hero huffs.

"Todoroki is out of bounds!" Midnight announces. "Bakugou is the winner!"

"Now, all of the events have been completed! The winner of this year's U.A Sports Festival is... Bakugou Katsuki of Class 1-A!"

"So you're not going to tell me to get out of your way this time?"

Enji stands in front of him. "Without control over your flames, using it is dangerous. But you've finally pushed aside your childish rebellion. You're ready to replace me."

He looks proud, and Shoto usually would be disgusted and angry, but he instead feels... calm. For the first time.

All of a sudden, Enji's figure doesn't look so intimidating and absolute as it used to be. He doesn't look like he's towering over him. Instead, he looks like a man—a man who looks rather pitiful and pathetic.

A man who refuses to see reality.

It's an image that he never thought to use about him, but it feels nice, not seeing the man who has made his life hell.

Enji gives a hand out. "Work at my side after you graduate. I will guide you down the path to supremacy!"

Shoto interrupts him. "I haven't pushed aside anything." The man pauses. "As if I can be turned that easily. It's just... in my fight with Bakugou... I forgot about you."

All he could focus on... was the fight. It was like Enji didn't matter to him at all.

Enji looks shocked. He leaves. "Whether that's good or something in between... that's something I'll have to think about."

Maybe visiting her would help.

"Now, let's move on to the Awards Ceremony!"

Shoto stands on the second place podium. Enji must be furious, he muses, to see that Shoto is second place, just like how he is with anything that is related to All Might.

Shoto lost when he aimed to win, sure, but he does not feel remorse nor anger for it.

Likely because winning wasn't what he wanted at all. He didn't lose on purpose. His hero career is not threatened and he gets to see Enji pissed off. This situation is a win-win for him.

He turns to see Bakugou restrained and muzzled. He must be really angry that the teachers had to restrain him like that. In front of millions of people. Bakugou moves around frantically, trying to get out of it.

"Man, Bakugou, you're like a man-eating fiend!" Ashido says to him. She is bold. Bakugou fumes in anger.

"In third place, we have both Ashido and Iida," Midnight continues. "But... Iida was forced to leave early due to a family emergency."

Shoto frowns. Family emergency? He wonders what happened in the Iida family. Did it have something to do with the brother?

"What a shame," Asui says. "He was so pumped for this."

"Now for the medals! Presenting the this year is... you know who!"

"I am.." All Might lands on the stage from above. "Here with the medals—!"

"—He's everyone's hero... All Might!"

All Might turns to her. Midnight apologizes.

"Congrulation, Young Ashido!" The number one hero says, refocusing, putting a medal around the said student's neck.

She grins brightly. "Thanks, All Might-sensei!"

"Young Todoroki." All Might moves to him. Shoto leans down to let the hero put the medal on him. "Congrulations. You held back. You didn't use your all in the final match. Was there a reason for that?"

Shoto pauses. "Bakugou made me realize that I... might have lost my way. I've always wanted to be a hero like you, but... it's not like I can just forget it all. There's... still something I have to settle first."

He needs to decide what to do with himself. With his quirk. With his future.

What to do with Enji.

All Might hugs him. It's almost awkward, getting hugged by him. "There's a new look I'm seeing on your face." He doesn't make a lot of faces. "So say no more. Whatever you must settle, I'm sure you can do it."

He doesn't return the hug back. But it feels nice to hear those words.

"And finally Bakugou! Hm... well, you lived up to your promise, that's for sure!" He takes off his muzzle.

"This win doesn't count!" Bakugou yells as soon as it's off. "If I don't recognize it, that medal's just garbage!"

"In a world that's constantly changing, there aren't many who can continously be on top," All Might argues. "So accept this! So you don't forget!"

"I told you I don't need that junk!" Bakugou refuses to let the medal be around his neck. Instead, All Might settled with him holding it with his teeth.

"Well! Here are your winners!" All Might announces to the stadium. "But hold on everyone! Everyone here has the potential to be standing here, as you all witnessed. Competition! Encouragement! Pushing each other to climb higher and higher! The sprouts of today will grow into the heroes of tomorrow! In that spirit!"

He raises a hand. "Let's have one final cheer! Everyone say it with me! One, two, and..."

"... Plus Ultra!" The stadium yells.

"... Thanks for your hard work!"

Shoto blinks. All Might said the wrong thing.

A day after the Sports Festival, Shoto decides it's time to visit her.

"Huh? T-the hospital?" Fuyumi asks, surprised, as he puts his shoes on by the door. "Why so sudden? I mean, can you really go without telling father, Shoto?"

"Yeah."

"Why now? Why go see her now, after all this time?"

He doesn't answer when he leaves.

"Sometimes I look at him and I hate what I see."

His very existence was what drove her away. That... that was why he never went to visit her. He reaches the hospital.

I know that she's been... my and Enji's prisoner this whole time, he thinks. After talking to the receptionist, he walks down the hallway, and pauses at the door. So I, with all I've got, will say, "I want to be a hero again."

His hand trembles when he tries to reach the doorknob. He's scared. Nervous. Would he be able to handle it if she still looks at him the same way she did all those years ago?

What if she still sees Enji in him?

He breathes to calm down. It's different this time. Enji no longer has control over her like he used to. With her away from him, she must've changed her thoughts.

Because as much as he looks like Enji, he is also her son as well. He hopes she can at least see that. His hand twists on the doorknob, and the door opens.

He sees her.

He sees her facing the window. He sees her holding a picture. Of them. She looks fragile. She always did, but maybe that could change.

Even if she's not asking for it, he decides, I'll save her.

He speaks. "Mom."

She turns.

He sees her face. She looks the same, but also not. She isn't looking at him with fear. Or anything akin to it. Encouraged, he takes a step forward.

This... is my starting line.

When he is asked to make a hero name for himself, he is at a loss.

After years of being forced to follow the path Enji laid out for him, he didn't have the time to think of his own. Now that he does, and he wants to, he has just started on deciding who he wants to be.

His classmates had their whole life to decide what kind of hero they want to be. What their hero name would be. He never had that amount of time. He told Bakugou that he wants to be a hero like All Might, but is that all he wants to be?

Does he want to be something more?

And what would something more be to him? He doesn't know yet. He needs more time. So until then, he'll settle with his name.

Shoto. Because that's who he is now at the moment. A person who is trying to be someone outside of Enji.

Just Shoto.

Chapter Text

"Stay calm and listen to me. It's Tensei... Your brother... A villain got him...!"

As soon as Iida Tenya heard those words, his body freezes. The world pauses around him with everything moving in slow motion. It was like time had stopped—as if he had been the one who done it.

Moments prior, the Sports Festival had all his attention. The stadium roared in excitement, and he feels no different than them. But then his phone rang, and he pardoned himself from his classmates, going somewhere more closed off to answer the call.

When he sees that it's from his mother, he assumed it was about the Sports Festival. After all, what else could it be?

His assumption has been wrong. So, so wrong.

He blinks once, and he is back to awareness. Everything unfroze, and the noises around him returns to his ears. Small, but there. Taking a deep breath, he thinks of what to do.

It was obvious. He knew he had to go to the hospital immadiately.

Ending the call, Tenya returns to his classmates. He cannot leave on a whim. He turns to Shinsou and Uraraka.

"I'm afraid I must cut out ahead of schedule,” he says to them. “My brother... was attacked by a villain."

Shinsou jolts in shock, eyes going wide. Uraraka gasps in surprise. "Oh no!"

"You should go,” Shinsou says, looking grim. Tenya is too. “Family is more important than a festival."

He nods back, grateful.

Indeed, his family is more important.

He pushes the door open. "Brother!"

"Tenya, keep it down...! And wear a mask!"

He had hurried his way here. Usually, he would be the kind of person to tell people to not run—especially in school hallways—but he was in no mood to be taking his time coming to the hospital.

Traveling from Musutafu to Hosu was anything but short, but he tried to come as quick as he could.

He wished he came sooner.

He does not listen to his mother's words. Not because he doesn't want to, but because he is distracted by the condition he sees his brother is in. His exposed body connected to wires, him wearing an oxygen mask, and the machines scanning his body...

Tenya has never seen him in such condition.

Tensei has gotten hurt a couple of times before—it was inevitable as a hero—but it was never life-threatening. He would recover after a few days, and that was it. He was okay.

This, however… is not okay.

"The anesthesia just wore off,” his mother says. “He opened his eyes, but he's still out of it. Had the surgery been delayed by two minutes, it would've been too late."

Two minutes. That time is too short. Had he been out there for more than that, had help arrived a little later, he would be dead. Deceased. Buried in a coffin.

The person he looked up to wouldn't even be alive.

"Tenya... Mother..."

He jolts at Tensei's raspy voice.

"My little brother... I know you... look up to me... so.... I'm sorry, Tenya... your big brother... I lost."

He sounds so weak.

Tenya has never felt more devestated.

It's raining the day school returns.

He thinks it's a coincidence, but it's likely a bad omen. For what he’s thinking of doing. To top it off, he didn't bring an umbrella. He was too busy, too distracted. He could imagine what Tensei would say.

”What’s the matter, Tenya? You’re usually so prepared!”

He grimaces at the thought of his brother. It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

However, if he were to delay any more time, he would be late for class. He doesn't want that happening. It would be telling everyone something is up with him.

Bringing a raincoat, Tenya sprints his way to U.A. He runs into Shinsou and passes by him. "This is no time for an idle stroll! We'll be late! Good morning, Shinsou!"

Shinsou catches up to him. "There's still five minutes before the first bell."

"Students of U.A should arrive ten minutes early!"

Despite what he said, Shinsou doesn't protest. They arrive inside the building. While Shinsou shakes off some of the water on his umbrella, Tenya puts his shoes in his locker.

This was a rather... peaceful morning. It’s raining, sure, but still. It was almost like what happened yesterday was merely a dream.

He wished it was.

He closes his locker and notices Shinsou looking worried at him. "You don't need to worry about my brother," Tenya reassures, giving him the best smile he could give. "I apologize for making you worry."

Shinsou blinks, then says, "There's no need to fake it, you know."

He frowns. Was it obvious? "But I am not?"

Shinsou huffs. "Whatever you say."

Shinsou doesn't believe him. Tenya doesn't know what to say, but thankfully, he doesn't push. They enter their classroom.

His classmates are chatty as always, though he is in no mood to be talkative. Not for today at least.

The class goes quiet when Aizawa-sensei arrives. "Morning."

"Good to see your bandages off, Aizawa-sensei," Asui says.

"The old lady's treatment was excessive," their teacher grunts. "But nevermind that. Today we've got hero informatics class. And a special one at that. You'll be coming up with your hero names."

The class cheers.

"How awesome! Time to shine!"

"Hero names!"

”I’ve been waiting for this!”

"But first, concerning the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the other day... It's based on who the pro heroes think will be ready to join the hero workforce after another two or three years of experience, so you could say it's a way for them to show interest in your futures."

He continues. "These offers are often cancelled if that interest dies down by graduation."

"So we'll have to prove ourselves once we get picked!" Hagakure concludes.

"That's right," Aizawa-sensei replies. "Now, here's the totals for those with offers." He points to the board, showing a list of students with a number of picks. Todoroki and Bakugou are on top.

“There's typically more of a spread, but our top two stole most of the spotlight."

As expected. The two were the ones who did the most work in the Sports Festival. They earned the recognition. Tenya wished it work out differently for him though, seeing that he couldn't show off much because of Hatsume and Bakugou, but he doesn't hold it against them.

After all, they were his opponents. It was only natural.

"Gah!" Kaminari says. "They're a whole other league!"

"These pro heroes have no eyes for talent!" Aoyama huffs.

"Todoroki's first, and Bakugou's second?"

"It's the opposite of their replacement in the Sports Festival," Kirishima notices.

"They were just scared of the guy who was literally chained to the winners' stand," Sero answers.

"What the heck are the pro heroes scared of?!" Bakugou yells.

"You really want the answer to that?"

"Wow, we got offers!" Uraraka exclaims, excited as she shakes Tenya back and forth from behind.

He nods. They did. "Yes, yes."

If today was any other day, he thinks he would be just as excited as she is.

"With that settled..." Aizawa-sensei continues. "Whether or not you were picked... you will all be participating in internships with pro heroes."

"Internships?" Shinsou asks.

"Yes. In the USJ, you all have already experienced combat with real villains, but seeing pro heroes in action and taking part yourselves will still be worthwhile training."

"That's where our hero names come in!"

"This is really getting fun!"

Aizawa-sensei cuts in. "While those hero names are still temporary, if you're not serious about it—"

The door slides open.

"—You'll have to pay for hell later!" Midnight-sensei finishes as she walks in. "The name you pick now may be what the world ends up calling you. That's what happened to plenty of pro heroes out there!"

"Midnight!" The class yells.

What a surprise, Tenya thinks. He did not expect Midnight-sensei of all teachers to be the one overseeing their hero names. She did not look like the type.

Then again, she doesn’t look like the teacher for Modern Hero Art History either.

"Well, that's how it is," Aizawa-sensei says. "So Midnight here will be making sure your names are okay. I can't do stuff like that." He picks up his sleeping bag. "What future do you see for yourself? The name you choose will bring you ever closer to creating a certain image.”

”Names are capable of reflecting one's true character. Like with All Might."

A certain image... Tenya thinks. If he were to create an image he would see himself as, it would be…

"Alright!" Midnight-sensei says, clapping her hands together as the white boards are being passed around. "You've got 15 minutes to decide on a name! Begin!"

"Okay! Let's start presenting names starting with those who are ready!"

Tenya watches as his classmates present their hero names. A lot of them liked Asui’s hero name. Kirishima's hero name is inspired by another hero. Uraraka's name is creative and unique, combining her quirk with her name.

Shinsou's hero name is based on his quirk, which suits him. Todoroki went with his name as his hero name.

They are all so inspiring and creative.

"Choosing hero names is going more smoothly than I thought it would!" Midnight-sensei says, pleased. "All that's left is Bakugou, who needs to rethink his, and Iida."

It’s his turn.

"Tenya... yesterday, I didn't quite know how to break this to you, but I've lost all the feelings in my legs."

"What...?! No way!"

"The hero Ingenium... will probably end here."

"No! You still have so many people to lead and inspire, brother! I don't accept it!"

"I don't like it either... so... if you're willing... will you take this name for me?"

He starts to write Ingenium on his board, but pauses. He shuts his eyes. No, not yet...

He presents his name to the class. Tenya.

"You're using your first name too?" Midnight-sensei hums. "Alright."

Not yet.

"Now that everyone has decided on their hero names," Aizawa-sensei says, getting out of his sleeping bag. "We'll go back to talking about the internships. They will last a week. As for where you'll have them, those who had offers from pro heroes will be given your own lists, so you can choose from those yourself."

He lifts up a sheet of paper. "Those who didn't have offers will choose from among 40 agencies around the country that will be accepting our interns. They all work in different places and have different specialties."

Backups. For those who didn't have a chance to show off in the Sports Festival.

"For example," Midnight-sensei says. "Thirteen would be focused on rescues from accidents and disasters more than fighting villains."

"Think carefully before you choose."

"Yes, sir!" Just like that, the class began to discuss where and who they want to intern with.

"I want to fight crime in urban areas!"

"I hope to intern at a place near floods. I wonder if there's any?"

Tenya stays silent.

"Turn in your choices before the weekend," Aizawa-sensei says.

"We've only got two days?!"

"Make your decision efficiently," he replies, leaving with Midnight-sensei. "Dismissed."

It doesn't take him long. By lunchtime, he has decided where to intern.

Hosu City, Tokyo. Manual Agency.

Day 1

On the first day of the internship, Aizawa-sensei drops the class off at the train station.

"You've all got your costumes, right?" He asks them. "Remember, you aren't allowed to wear them in public. Don't drop them or anything."

"Yessir!" Ashido replies.

"Speak clearly. It's 'yes, sir,' Ashido."

She pouts. "Yes, sir..."

"Make sure you mind your manners with the heroes at your internship," he continues. "Off with you now."

"Yes, sir!" The class says as they all begin to depart.

As Tenya was about to leave, Shinsou calls to him. "Iida!"

He doesn't turn around. But he does stop.

"If you ever feel hopeless, you can let us know."

Uraraka makes a noise of agreement.

"We're friends, right?" Shinsou asks. He sounds hopeful.

Tenya turns to face them. They look worried, but he doesn't feel anything. "Yeah."

Uraraka frowns, but tries to give a reassuring smile. Whether it’s for him or for herself, it doesn’t matter. They can’t stop him. Shinsou only nods.

Satisfied, he turns back, heading to Hosu.

Even after that talk, all he could think about was Stain.

"Normally, we're mostly just waiting for calls from clients, but recently, you know, Hosu's been kind of hectic," Manual says as they patrol around the city.

The pro hero, Manual, has a water-based quirk. His hero costume consists of various shades of blue, representing water, and he wears yellow gloves. His helmet resembles a fish of some kind. On first glance, he looks like a very laidback and friendly person.

And he is, which is good. Tenya wouldn't need to worry about a pro hero restricting what he could do. Will do. He looks around. "Street patrols are a way to suppress crime."

With the news of Stain being here, it’s no wonder the heroes in Hosu are on high alert. And it’s not just the heroes who are stepping up either.

"That's right. But man, I can't believe Ingenium's little brother is interning at my agency,” Manual continues as he waves to the two pedestrians he knows.

It's almost suspicious, how peaceful patrol is. Manual is not on guard at all. He looks relaxed, as if there is nothing to worry about. Or maybe he is on guard, but needed to look friendly for the sake of the public.

Then again, Tenya thinks, villains are more likely to appear out at night, just like All Might-sensei said.

"I'm sure you had offers from heroes more capable than me."

I did, he admits. He did have better offers. However, none of those agencies are located in Hosu. He was lucky that Manual offered him this opportunity—incredibly so.

He feels bad that he used Manual’s offer like this, but… he needs this. He needs to be in Hosu.

Out loud, he gives an excuse of why he chose this agency. Something along the lines of what Manual does as a hero. From what he can tell, he doesn’t think the pro hero believed him. Still, he smiles and continues.

He doesn’t know what he would've done if he hadn’t gotten the offer. He likely would've chosen an agency that's the closest to Hosu. If there was no such agency...

Tenya shakes his head. That doesn't matter now. He's here, and what he should be doing is keeping his eyes out for Stain. Hero Killer. So elusive, he can't even be caught by the net of modern society.

I know this might be in vain, he thinks. Even so...

Whether Manual was saying then, he didn't pay attention. He could only remember Tensei's body in the hospital.

He pauses. Even so, I cannot not go after him. I... cannot forgive him!

He needs to wait.

Day 2

It's nighttime.

He and Manual are at the agency office after finishing their patrol. Although he did choose Manual’s agency because of Stain, that doesn’t mean he isn’t putting in effort into the internship.

Patrolling, while peaceful, is still important. It is a daily task that a majority of heroes do, and as a future pro hero, he knows learning how to patrol and its procedures are important.

Stain or not, he will still learn from this experience.

That doesn’t mean his focus isn’t on the Hero Killer, however.

Manual takes off his helmet, sighing in relief, and Tenya can see how tired and sweaty he was underneath. "Well, with the whole city on alert, villains can't come out, huh?"

He takes off his own helmet. "I wonder."

Maybe it’s not that they can’t come out, but rather they’re not within sight.

His mind goes back to Stain. In the seven places he had appeared so far, he always injures at least four heroes. Tenya doesn't know if there is a purpose behind that, or it's just superstition, but that's what always happens.

In Hosu, Tensei is still the only one who was attacked.

"Tenya... I'm sorry..."

He doesn’t know why Stain attacked Tensei. Why he attacked Ingenium. But he isn’t fixed on the why. Not anymore. He attacked his brother, and for that, he must pay.

It's very likely that Stain will appear in Hosu again. No, he has to. This internship would be his only chance. A time like this won't come again.

His eyes burn with hatred. Come! I will dispose you with my own hands!

Day 3

"We'll be patrolling Kyoto today too," Manual says. "Sorry it's so monotonous."

"It's fine," Tenya replies. It's sunset. The sky are colors of red and orange. It's going to be nighttime soon. "It's actually better this way."

Patrolling is preferred compared to anything else. A simple task that doesn't require much effort and allows him a chance to go after Stain.

Speaking of him, he wonders when the Hero Killer will appear. It’s almost halfway through the week.

Time is running out.

"Hey," Manual interrupts, bringing him back to attention. "This is kind of hard to ask, but you're chasing after the Hero Killer, aren't you?"

Both of them stop at their tracks. He startles. "That's..."

"I couldn't think of any other reason why you'd come to my agency," the pro hero says sheepishly. "Oh, but I'm really glad you came though! It's just... you shouldn't act on a personal grudge."

Tenya looks up at him.

"We heroes do not have the authority to arrest or punish. The usage of quirks has only been allowed through our regulation. That's why, no matter the reason, heroes must not use their quirks for themselves."

For themselves... he thinks. But is it for himself? He's doing it for his brother. To avenge him.

"If anyone used their quirk for their own selfish desires, it would be a very serious crime." Tenya looks down. "Oh, it's not that I'm saying the Hero Killer isn't guilty! It's just... you seem so earnest, like you'd focus on one thing and ignore everything else, so I was worried."

Tenya does tend to do that. Tensei had said so before, but he didn't say it was a bad thing.

Tensei... He bows. "Thank you for the warning."

"Oh, it's fine as long as you understand. Now, shall we go?"

Manual goes on his way, but Tenya doesn't move from his spot. His hand clenches, and he turns away.

He knows he shouldn't. He knew even before the internship started. He knows, but... Then what am I supposed to do about those feelings?

He sees smoke in the distance.

Despite the dark sky, it was easy to see. Faint red sparks with hints of orange combined with the dark gray smoke rising above.

The civilians nearby run for their lives, getting away from the fire. It was a striking contrast from before, where they were all calm and relaxed.

Almost like the USJ, he thinks distantly. Where the presence of villains alone had them panicking. He shakes his head. He shouldn’t be distracted right now.

"What did you say? A villain appeared?!" Manual says to the earpiece next to him. "Alright. We'll head over right away!" He turns to him. "Tenya, we're gonna run!"

Tenya nods and follows him from behind. Don't tell me... No, this is different. That guy wouldn't be so flashy.

After running a few streets, he looks around. He pauses, looking at an alleyway. His eyes widens at what he sees, and he immediately moves. He does not hear Manual or anyone else calling out to him. Good.

No one can stop him now.

He sees Stain. He sees the Hero Killer. He runs towards him and lifts his left leg to attack, but Stain notices him and uses his sword to push him back.

He gets pushed to the ground.

He’s fast, he thinks. Of course he is. He had to be, for Tensei to be injured like that. He has to think of what to do now.

"A child wearing a suit... Who are you?"

The deep, raspy voice sends shivers down his spine. Despite that, Tenya looks up to glare at him.

"Go away. This is not a place for children."

He gets up. How lucky he was, to be the one to find Stain. "A scarf as red as blood, carrying blades all over your body... You must be the Hero Killer: Stain! You are, aren't you?! I have been chasing you. I did not think I would find you so soon! I am—"

Stain interrupts him by pointing his sword at his nose, and Tenya leans back in surprise. "Your eyes... you're here for vengeance. Be careful of what you say. Depending on the situation, even children may become my targets."

The sword should have him trembling in fear, or at least the urge to move away from it, but all he feels is anger, anger, anger—

His hand clenches. "Are you saying that I am not even a target? Then listen, criminal! I am the younger brother of a hero you attacked. The younger brother of a most excellent older brother!"

"I have come to stop you in his place!"

"Will you take this name for me?”

"Remember my name for as long as you live! Ingenium. That is the name of a hero who will defeat you!"

A moment passes. Stain's red eyes stare intensely at his. "I see. Die."

Tenya starts up his engine and moves. "Like hell I would!"

He kicks his feet into the air, but the villain dodges by jumping over his head, taking him by surprise. "Ingenium. You're brothers, huh?"

"In order to let news of me spread, I let him live." While in the air, Stain's boots pops out spikes and it stabs his shoulder. Tenya cries out in pain, and he falls face flat to the ground.

He silently curses. He didn't react fast enough.

He turns to face the Hero Killer, and sees him towering over him. "You're weak." Stain stabs his other shoulder with his sword. "You and your brother are both weak. Because you're fakes."

Tenya grits his teeth. Weak? Stain attacked Tensei just because he’s weak?! "Shut up, villain! He's paralyzed from the waist down due to spinal cord damage! He can't work as a hero anymore! Tensei is an excellent hero who saved so many people... and led them until now! There was no reason for you to crush him...!"

"Tensei, I am very proud of you," his father says. "You have become independent at a young age, with many sidekicks who follow you."

Young Tenya looks up to his brother.

"That is not an easy feat."

"It's not that they follow me, dad," Tensei replies. "It's the opposite. I can't do anything by myself yet, so they're supporting me. I need to work hard to return the favor."

"I'm not that talented or anything," he continues. "But I have to live up to the name of hero." Tenya looks suprised at him. "I'm glad my work helps so many people."

Tenya smiles. He’s so cool!

"He's my hero..." He says with tears. "He was an excellent hero who gave me a dream!" His hand moves, fingers gripping the ground. "I won't forgive you...! I'll kill you!"

"Save that guy first," is all Stain says.

Tenya, feeling confused, turns to look at who’s he pointing at. It's just him and the villain, wasn't it? So why—

His eyes widens at who he sees. A hero. A man who’s leaning against the wall with his hand holding his stomach. He doesn't know his name, but he... he didn't...

He didn't even notice him.

"Reflect on yourself and save others. Don't use that power for yourself."

He turns back to him in disbelief. Is... is the Hero Killer trying to teach him something right now?

"Being taken in by hatred before you and trying to fulfill your own desires... That is the furthest from what a hero should be." Stain takes the sword off his shoulder. "That's why you'll die."

Tenya jolts. M-My body won't move!

"Goodbye. You're an offering to a more just world."

Just what did he do to his body? He clenches his teeth. "Shut up... shut up...!"

Tensei grins. "If you admire me, Tenya, then I might become an amazing hero."

He knows this is where he dies, but he refused—he refused to— "No matter what you say, you are the criminal who hurt my brother!"

Before Stain could do anything though, the Hero Killer is off of him. The person lands in front of him, and Tenya looks up.

He blinks. The person who saved him... they look short. Almost his height, he thinks. They wear a dark green hoodie, and nothing gives whether they're a male or a female.

"Who... who are you?" He breathes out.

They don't answer. Instead, they said, "Can you move?"

He startles. The stranger is a male. And sounds young too. Whoever he is, he's not an adult. "I can't... move. Ever since he cut me... I think it's his quirk."

The stranger—he'll call him... Midori—nods. "I know."

He does? Tenya speaks up. "Don't... don't get involved! This... has nothing to do with you!"

"You..." Stain interrupts them, his eyes on Midori. "You were with Shigaraki. You're saving him. Why?"

What?! Tenya turns to Midori in alarm. He's with Shigaraki Tomura?! The League of Villains?! He's... he's a villain like Stain!

”He doesn’t deserve to be killed.”

"I have a duty to kill him. If we clash, of course, the weaker will be culled."

Midori pauses, and Tenya can see from his back that he is trying to contact someone through a phone. He can't tell who he's trying to contact though.

Don't tell me it's Shigaraki, he thinks. It would end badly for him.

But no matter what, Stain is his to end. He has to be the one. "Stop it! I told you, didn't I? This has nothing to do with you!"

"Sorry," Midori replies. "But I can't do that. It's like what All Might said—" He gets into a fighting position. "Meddling in someone's business is what makes a true hero."

His eyes widens. Why… why is a villain saying that?

Stain looks surprised too. He grins, and he almost looks happy. Tenya shivers. “Good!"

Midori moves.

He moves in a way that isn’t as fast as Tenya’s speed, but enough that it was impressive for someone who doesn’t have a speed quirk. The Hero Killer swings his sword and throws a dagger. Midori dodges both of them by ducking under him. Stain swings again, but Midori jumps up and hits him with a... bo staff?

When did he have that out?

"Damn it. I should've known this would happen."

Tenya startles and turns. A hero with baggy long hair with a black outfit, paired with yellow googles. Aizawa-sensei? When did he— He turns to Midori. Did he...? Do they know each other?

Is he part of Shigaraki's...?

Aizawa-sensei puts his hand on his capture weapon. "I don't know who sent me their location, but I'm glad I followed it."

Tenya sighs in relief. So they don't know each other. "Sensei..."

His teacher ignores him. Ouch. He looks at Midori. "You. Who are you, and why do you have my number?"

Midori backs off from the fight and doesn't respond. Aizawa-sensei sighs. "Fine. We'll go back to it later then."

Aizawa-sensei stands next to Midori and together they charge at the Hero Killer. Tenya stares in disbelief. They're... teaming up. A pro hero and a villain are working together. But why would someone who's on Shigaraki's side fight Stain?

Aren't they on the same side?

But then again... Midori said he doesn’t deserve to be killed. Does he not agree with Stain's ideals, even though he's a villain too?

The sound of Stain's sword snaps him out of it. Aizawa-sensei and Midori are able to keep up with Stain, but he can tell they’re at an almost equal footing. Aizawa-sensei more than Midori.

They are at an advantage. Two against one.

But how long will that last?

He needs to stop them before they... "Why are you two... Why? Please stop! I've inherited my brother's name. I have to do it... That guy's mine!"

"Inherited?" Aizawa-sensei questions. "I don't think Ingenium ever had such a look." He dodges Stain's swing while keeping his red eyes on him while Midori moves in to attack. "That guy's always smiling."

"Please stop... I'm already..."

"If you want us to stop, then stand up," Aizawa-sensei retorts, almost looking too calm for the situation. Then again, he is a pro hero. "Is this what you want to be, Iida? Someone who lives for revenge? Who would die for it? What would your brother think of this?"

Tenya bit his lip. Tensei wouldn't want him to be here, that much is clear. He wouldn't want him anywhere near Stain, much less be in Hosu. But here he is.

Tensei... he would be disappointed in him.

"Ingenium! That is the name of the hero who will defeat you!"

What kind of a hero is he? He is protected by a villain, of all people. A villain who is with Shigaraki, the one who attacked his class in the USJ. Then he is protected by his teacher, who was told by the said villain that he'll be here.

Now, the two of them are risking their lives for him, fighting Stain. Yet, here he is... He turns to the hero Stain injured.

"Save that guy first."

He only had his eyes on the villain. The number one thing a hero should always priortize is the victim. Civilians. Allies. Not only did he not notice the injured hero, he noticed him only when Stain pointed him out.

What kind of a hero is that?

What kind of a hero is he if a villain had to tell him what he should've done?

In order to teach Stain a lesson, he used his brother's name. And for what? As soon as he had it, he immadiately decides to use it to kill Stain. He should've done something else... something that would be far more fitting of the Ingenium name...

He... he only saw what was in front of him.

He couldn't see anything except himself. He shuts his eyes in shame. What kind of a hero is that?

"Tenya, you want to be a hero too?"

"Yes. You're cool," he says, moving his hand around.

His brother chuckles. "What are you, a robot?"

"Will you tell me something for my future reference? Why do you continue to work as a hero?"

"Well, our grandfater and our parents were all heroes, so I was expected to be a hero by those around me," he answers, putting his hero suit away. He gestures Tenya to give him the helmet. Tenya gives the helmet to him.

"Anyway, it's simple, really. If someone sees a lost child, they take the child to the service center for lost children. I think people like that are the coolest."

"Then why didn't you decide to work at the service center for lost children?"

"Think about what I'm saying! What are you, a robot?" He sighs and pats his head. "You really take everything literally, huh? You're way smarter and more athletic than I was at your age, so... hm..."

He looks away, thinking. Then, he grins. "Then that means if you admire me, Tenya, I might be an amazing hero."

Ending Stain for his brother? Who was he kidding. It was always for himself—never for Tensei. It was all to make him feel better. A way to let his anger and frustration out.

He was just being selfish.

"It's because they're fakes."

It's just as the Hero Killer said. I'm immature. I... I can't hold a candle to sensei. If Uraraka or Shinsou was here in his place instead, things would be different. They wouldn't end up like him, paralyzed and unable to get up.

Even so...

If I can't stand right now, he thinks, slowly getting up and starting his engine. I'll never, ever be able to catch up to them or Tensei!

He takes the knife on his shoulder off with his teeth, ignoring the pain as much as he could.

Tenya has to make up for his selfishness. This fight against Stain... he cannot let others take care of it for him. This was a mistake that he had to correct.

But not alone.

After tossing the knife aside, he moves with his engine, getting in between Aizawa-sensei and Stain. He kicks Stain with everything he’s got, sending him back a few feet.

"Iida!" Aizawa-sensei yells. "You're free. Don't inter—"

"Sensei!" He interrupts. He never thought he would be interrupting his teacher like this, but he needs to say this. "Sensei, Midori, this has nothing to do with you two, and I apologize. I... That's why I want to ask for your help! Please! So I can fix my mistakes!"

"Midori?" Midori questions.

Tenya turns to him. Right. Now that he's standing, he's able to see him properly. He sees that he's wearing a mask that covers half of his face. His mask has a smile on it, showing teeth. It’s too narrow to be All Might’s…

Not to mention what he said about All Night earlier… Is Midori a fan of All Might?

It would be strange for a villain to be a fan of a hero.

His green hoodie covers his hair, but he can still see that his hair is… well, fluffy. Definitely not straight.

His eyes are green. Wide, bright, and unyielding. So unlike Stain's, and so unlike a villain's.

Indeed, the name Midori suits him.

Tenya blinks at their height difference. Midori is shorter than him. Not by much, but enough to be noticeable.

"It's no use trying to be reformed for appearance's sake," Stain interrupts as he gets up. They turn to him. His hand is bleeding. "A person does not change so easily. You will never be anything but a fake who prioritizes his own selfish desires. You are a cancer to society that warps the idea of 'heroes.' Someone must set you straight."

Aizawa-sensei shields him. "Don't listen to him, Iida."

"No, he's right," Tenya admits. "I have no right to call myself a hero. But if I give in, Ingenium will die."

"Out of the question." Stain charges first this time. Aizawa-sensei blocks his attack with his capture weapon. They all move away to make distance.

Tenya, Aizawa-sensei, and Midori stand side by side. The three of them nod to each other before moving forward. Aizawa-sensei gets his capture weapon ready and his eyes flashes red, Tenya starts up his ultimate move, and Midori throws his knives.

This ended up with Aizawa-sensei punching Stain's face, Tenya kicking his back, and Midori's knives hitting his leg. Stain's eyes flash, showing that he's not done, and he hits Tenya with his sword.

Tenya dodges mid-air. "I will defeat you! This time, you, as a criminal—" he says as he moves below him and kicks his back once again. "—and I, as a hero!"

The Hero Killer crashes to the ground, and Aizawa-sensei lands and wraps his capture weapon around the villain to keep him from moving. He also warps it around Tenya after seeing that he couldn't move after using his engine.

They all land safely on the ground. Aizawa-sensei knocks Stain out. Once Tenya’s feet touches the ground, he breathes.

This moment of relief... he has never been so grateful for it. His heart has never beat this fast. The threat is… finally gone.

Midori claps, breaking the silence. "So cool, Eraserhead!"

Tenya lets out a sigh. Aizawa-sensei glares. His eyes flash red, causing Midori to flinch, but he focuses back on Stain. "Iida, you and I are going to have a talk later." Tenya gulps, but nods. "For now, we take him to the station."

Tenya and Midori didn’t protest. They started to walk with Aizawa-sensei holding Stain from behind, but not before taking someone else with them.

"Sorry," the pro hero Stain injured says, walking with them after he could move his body. "Even though I'm a pro hero, I couldn't do anything."

"What's your name?" He hears his teacher say.

"Ah, uh, Native, sir!"

"Native. Stain was a notorious villain for a reason. Even I would have a difficult time dealing with him alone," he says. "Well, I wasn't alone. Guess we both are getting help from hero students."

Native nods. "I feel ashamed."

"Can't be helped." Aizawa-sensei stares at Tenya. He feels nervous under his stare. "He was reckless, but we’re alive thanks to him. We U.A are getting incompetent."

"That is not true, Aizawa-sensei!" Tenya cuts in. "It was my own decision to go after Stain! I am to blame for this, and I will take full responsibility!"

His teacher glares. He falters. "You will. Until then, I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

He straightens. "Yes, sir!"

"By the way," Native whispers, not so subtly pointing to Midori. "Who is he?"

Aizawa-sensei turns to the villain, who looks like he's dazing off. "I don’t know. He somehow got my number. It's how I found you."

How did a villain get Aizawa-sensei's number?

Tenya opens his mouth to tell him who Midori is, but closes it, deciding that it would be best for him to not do so.

Because as much as he knows that Midori is a villain and is part of Shigaraki's group, he also helped him. Without him, Aizawa-sensei wouldn't have come and Tenya would've died as another victim of Stain.

The reminder has his hands shaking. I could’ve died, and unlike Tensei, it would’ve been too late for me.

He knew he was about to die, but he didn't care. He was too angry to. He looks at his trembling hands, the tension from earlier not yet gone. It looks so small now.

He is forced to face the reality of how weak he really is. How Stain overpowered him so easily.

It’s terrifying.

He turns to Midori. The villain is smaller than him, yet he was able to stand up against the Hero Killer. To keep up with him. It’s admirable.

He’ll keep this a secret then. To pay him back, in a way. Besides, Aizawa-sensei already finds Midori suspicious, so it wouldn't take him long to figure it out anyway.

Yes, he will do just that.

They reach the end of the alleyway, and just when they were about to enter the streets and head to the station next, they hear someone say, "It's around here!"

A group of heroes Tenya doesn't recognize goes to them. One of them looks around and says, "Endeavor told us there was a request for help here, but..."

Tenya blinks. They're... Endeavor's sidekicks? Who called for them?

He sees Aizawa-sensei stares at Midori. Midori looks away. It’s him, then. The group of heroes notice them and approaches with confusion and concern.

"Children?"

"H-hey, that's..."

"I'm going to call the ambulance."

"Don't tell me... Hero Killer?"

"Call the police too!"

While they’re doing that, Tenya goes up to Aizawa-sensei and Midori and bows. "I'm sorry. You were injured because of me. I am... truly sorry." Tears start to form. "I couldn't... see anything through my anger."

Aizawa-sensei puts a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at him. "When I saw you decided to intern in Hosu, I knew something was up. But I couldn't interfere. Not right away."

He noticed. It was that obvious. Shinsou and Uraraka knows. He's... glad they didn't get dragged into this.

He didn't want anyone to get dragged into this.

"Your anger was not unjustified," Aizawa-sensei continues, squeezing his shoulder a bit. "Stain has taken many lives. He deserves to be put down, but charging in without any backup... you were asking for a death wish."

Midori nods in agreement.

Tenya wipes his tears away. He… he was not wrong for being angry. But he was wrong for acting on it. "Yeah. I... I know that now."

"I hope you do. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so lucky next time."

Yeah, that too. He knows how lucky he was to be alive.

"Get down!" One of Endeavor's sidekicks suddenly shouts.

"A villain?!"

Aizawa-sensei immadiately gets down, as well as the other heroes, but Midori was too late to react. A flying nomu (?!) swoops in and grabs him by the feet and resumes flying.

"Midori!"

Someone moves past them in an alarming speed, and Tenya sees in horror that it's Stain. He had gotten free from Aizawa-sensei's capture weapon! When did he wake up? When did he have a weapon on him?!

Tenya frowns. Why would a nomu go after him? Isn't it on his side? Is it rescuing him?

Or… does it not recognize him?

The nomu stops moving and starts to fall down, as if it's been—

"This society overgrown with fake heroes..." Stain jumps up and cuts the nomu with his knife. "... and the criminals who wave their power around idly... should all be purged."

"This is all..." he continues, taking the knife out. "... to create a just society."

"He saved that boy?!"

"Idiot, he took a hostage!"

"He had killed someone with no hesitation though."

"Nevermind all that, get ready to fight now!"

"Why are you all standing around in a group?" Endeavor suddenly jumps in. Tenya jolts in surprise. They all turn to see him with his son next to him. "The villain should've escaped this way."

"How are things on your end?"

"Things got a little rough," Endeavor answers. Todoroki goes up to Tenya, ignoring Endeavor's efforts to make him stay.

"You actually went after him," Todoroki says to him. Tenya can't tell if he's shocked, thinking that he wouldn't, or in disbelief that he really did go after Stain.

He nods, not wanting to say anything. Todoroki seems to understand and turns to Aizawa-sensei. "Thank you for saving him, sensei."

Aizawa-sensei grunts in response.

Endeavor raises a... fire eyebrow (?). "Don't tell me that man is...?"

Tenya refocuses his attention back to Stain, and sees him eyeing the number two hero. "Endeavor."

Endeavor looks thrilled and lets out a large flame. "Hero Killer!"

"Wait, Endeavor!" Aizawa-sensei shouts, putting a hand up. The number two hero stops, putting his flames out. Stain lets go of Midori, and faces them. Midori keeps his eyes on him.

Stain's mask falls off. "You fake...!"

Aizawa-sensei puts a hand over Tenya to protect him, but it ends up being useless effort.

Tenya couldn't move all of a sudden. He's... he's nowhere near Stain. Why can't he move?

Why can't he breathe?

It feels like a large boulder is on him, crushing him. He tries to move, but his body isn't listening. He's paralyzed, but this is different from...

He manages to move his head, and he sees that everyone couldn’t move either. They all look terrified. He thinks he's terrified too. He has never felt such pressure before.

"I must make things right..." Stain moves forward, step by step. Slowly, as he is still injured. This does not ease him. "Someone must be dyed in blood... I must take back what it means to be a hero!"

With one final step, he says, "Come! Try and get me, you fakes!"

Tenya still couldn't move. No one moved.

"The only one I'll let me is the true hero... All Might!"

The knife drops.

In that instant, the... the killing intent disappears. It left as quickly as it came. Tenya finds himself to be able to breathe again. In, and out. He can feel his legs again.

Stain... He looks, and he sees that the Hero Killer is standing, but now he can tell from the eyes that he's unconscious.

He doesn't fall. He's still standing.

"He's... he's unsconscious," Endeavor breathes out.

Tenya lets himself fall to the ground, his body shaking. His heart beats loud, almost threatening to be let out of his chest.

Aizawa-sensei is still standing, but even he can tell that his teacher is disturbed by what just happened.

The police arrives, and they escort them to the station.

"You're coming with us," Aizawa-sensei says to Midori. Midori nods, likely knowing that he wouldn't take no for an answer. Aizawa-sensei narrows his eyes at him, not trusting him, but ultimately, the Hero Killer is a bigger concern.

They begin to walk to the station while keeping an eye out for any more nomus. On the way, they decide to talk about what happened and what should be done next.

However, they didn't notice Midori slowly distancing from them.

"Where's..." Aizawa-sensei turns around, and saw something that made him curse. By the time Tenya and the others turned around, Midori was nowhere to be seen.

They all panic, but Tenya bows in gratitude. Thank you for saving my life.

Day 5

A day have passed since then. Tenya is currently sitting on the bed in the Hosu General Hospital.

Aizawa-sensei did not receive as much injuries as he did, so he didn't need to stay in the hospital for long. However, he did say that he's going to stay to keep an eye on him. And have a talk later.

Understandable, considering that Tenya did go after Stain behind everyone's backs. Still, the reminder of that fact stings.

His teacher does not trust him.

He had broken his teacher's trust. He would need to work hard to regain it.

Surprisingly, Todoroki offered to keep him company. Endeavor said no to this, but Todoroki was persistent. The number two hero caved, but only after making a condition that he's only allowed to visit him for one day.

Todoroki did not hesitate to agree.

On the other hand, Tenya wanted to refuse, not wanting to bother his internship, but it doesn't look like Todoroki will leave even if he tells him no. So here he is, staying with him for today.

"You were lucky to be alive," Todoroki starts. He knows that. "After all the murderous intent Stain directed at you."

"No, that's not it," he says, shaking his head. He looks down. "I..."

He wasn’t lucky. Not as much as Todoroki thought he is. Stain let him live. There were plenty of chances for him to kill him before Midori arrived. But he didn’t. Instead, he chose to tell him what he should’ve done and about being a ‘true hero.’

Had he didn’t… Midori would’ve been too late.

The door slides open, interrupting them, showing Aizawa-sensei and Manual. "You're awake."

The sight of the pro hero he interned under had his heart twist uncomfortably. "Manual..."

"Before you say anything," Aizawa-sensei says. "We have a visitor."

"Hosu's Chief of Police, Tsuragamae Kenji."

Tenya jolts. Chief of police?! He didn’t have enough time to react or prepare, however, as the said man (dog?) enters the room. He wears a suit, and his tall figure emits an authoritative figure.

Tenya and Todoroki stands up before him.

"You must be the U.A student who brought down the Hero Killer. Well, with your teacher and someone else," Chief Tsuragamae says, gesturing to Aizawa-sensei. His teacher nods.

"Yes," Tenya confirms.

"Regarding the Hero Killer we arrested... He had fairly serious injuries with broken bones and is receiving treatment under strict guard, woof."

Broken bones. He cannot say that he feels bad for it. It was either that, or Stain does not go down at all.

"Since you are a U.A student, I'm sure you already know that when superpowers were still becoming the norm, the police attached high importance to leadership and standards to make sure that quirks were not used as weapons."

"And then, the profession of 'hero' emerged to fill that gap, woof. For an individual's use of force and power that can easily kill others, actions that normally would be appropriate to denounce, to be accepted officially is thanks to the early heroes who followed the ethics and rules of the profession, woof."

"Even up against the Hero Killer, for an uncertified individual to cause injuries with their quirk without specific instruction from their guardians or supervisors is a clear violation of the rules."

Tenya flinches. He turns to his teacher. Aizawa-sensei was there, but he didn't give him permission to engage. Yet... he did it anyway. Aizawa-sensei couldn't reject or accept his help because Stain was there.

But even then, in their fight, Aizawa-sensei did not give permission.

"You and the pro heroes Manual and Eraserhead must receive strict punishment," Chief Tsuragamae finishes.

"Wait a minute," Todoroki protests. "If Iida hadn't been there, Native would've been killed. If Aizawa-sensei hadn't come, the two of them would've been killed."

"Todoroki..."

"No one realized that the Hero Killer had appeared. Are you saying that we should've followed the rules and watch people get killed?"

"Are you saying that as long as it turns out alright, it's okay to bend the rules?" Chief Tsuragamae asks.

Tenya presses his lip. No, it’s not.

Because rules exist for a reason. It’s enforced, using punishment as a consequence. The moment it’s flexible, it’s not a rule anymore. It would be a guideline, used to help people make decisions.

It would be used as an excuse to justify certain actions.

Just like how he used his brother to justify his desire for revenge. Thinking about that makes him feel greatly ashamed. He should not used him like that.

Todoroki jolts, but moves forward. "Isn't it a hero's job to save people?"

The Chief of Police looks like he wants to sigh. "That is why you are not a full-fledged hero yet. Goodness, what are you being taught by U.A and Endeavor, woof?"

Tenya bit his lip. There it is again. U.A is getting blamed for his actions…

"You dog!" Todoroki snarls in anger and moves towards him.

Tenya tries to stop him before he does anything that would get them into deeper trouble, but he continues to move. "Stop it. He is absolutely right."

Aizawa-sensei blocks him. "Before you do anything reckless, Todoroki, I suggest you hear him out first." His eyes stare into him. Todoroki stops and steps back. "Teenager have no patience those days."

"That was the official opinion of the police," Chief Tsuragamae continues, touching his nose. "And the punishment and such would only happen if this were all made public, woof."

Tenya startles. Don't tell me...

"If this were made public, you would probably be applauded for your efforts, but you would not be able to escape punishment. On the other hand, this is a bit underhanded, but if this is not made public, the capture weapon would support Eraserhead being the sole hero who saved the day, and it would end there, woof. Thankfully, there were very few witnesses. This violation could be crushed here, woof."

"Usually, since Eraserhead here is not a known hero," Manual adds, "this wouldn't work, but because he is a U.A teacher, it would be enough to convince the public."

"But because of this, it would mean that no one would know about your good judgment or achievements," Chief Tsuragamae finishes. "Which do you prefer?"

Tenya knows what to choose.

He doesn't know what the punishment would be, or how it would affect his hero career. He’s not willing to take that risk. Not when going after Stain was one already.

As much as he hated the Hero Killer, he never wanted to be known as the one who stopped him to the public. That was never his intention.

He only wanted Stain to know who Ingenium is.

"Personally, I don't want to be the one to find fault in a promising future pro hero because of one mistake, woof," Chief Tsuragamae says, giving him a thumbs up.

Tenya nods. He too doesn't want this one mistake to cost him everything.

Even if it almost did.

"Either way," Manual says, looking down. "We will need to take responsibility for being negligent in our supervisory duties."

He looks up at him. Right. Manual is being punished because of him... because he was negligent in keeping his intern in line. Or that’s what he’s assuming.

Still, that doesn’t change the fact that Manual has been nothing but kind and supportive to him, and this is how he pays him?

Tenya needs to apologize. He walks up to him and bows. "I am truly sorry."

For not listening to him. For not taking his warning seriously.

For using him for revenge.

He feels a hand tap on his head. "Alright. If you understand, don't do it again! You'll cause trouble for the others!"

If he is that easily forgiven... "I won't!"

Todoroki bows. "Please take care of it."

"Because of the unfairness of adults, you will not be able to receive the praise you would probably have gotten, but at least—" Chief Tsuragamae bows this time. "—as someone who also protects the peace, I can say thank you."

Todoroki is surprised and he looks away. "Please start with that next time."

Tenya gives a small smile.

After being examined, the doctor said that his left hand might have long-term damage.

Both of his arms have some damage, but the damage done to his left arm was especially severe. There was damage done to his brachial plexus.

But it just means that he'll have trouble moving his hand and fingers and he will experience some numbness. There's a possibility that it could be healed with a nerve transplant surgery, but...

"Are you going to take the surgery, Iida?" Todoroki asks.

Tenya pauses, thinking. Then, "When I found the Hero Killer, I... couldn't think. The first thing I should've done was to tell Manual, but I forgot myself in my anger."

"Being taken in by the hatred before you and trying to fulfill your own desires..."

"That is the furthest from what a hero should be."

"I hate him, but he spoke the truth. He told me being blinded by anger and acting purely on it is the furthest thing from being a hero. He... he was right."

It is a frustrating, humiliating thing to admit. But he needed to hear it, no matter how he feels about the villain.

He got too arrogant, too prideful, and that was why he decides to not take the surgery. "So until I become a true hero, I think I want to leave my left hand as it is."

It would be a reminder.

"Iida..." Todoroki turns to him. "I was worried about you."

He was? "You were?"

Todoroki nods. "Back at the station when Aizawa-sensei dropped us off, you... you had that look. It was the same look I give my... father." He says the word like it physically hurts him. "I too was blinded by anger, so I know how it feels. I was worried... that you might end up the way I would've, had Bakugou not interfered."

Tenya blinks, not expecting Bakugou's name to appear. "Bakugou?"

"He made me realize that by focusing on my... father, I was holding myself back. I may not know how you felt when your brother got hurt by Stain, but I do know how it feels to be powerless. Helpless."

Helpless. Yeah, he was helpless against Stain. Utterly so. He didn't stand a chance against him. He never did. If all the villains out there are as powerful as Stain...

Or even more powerful…

"I'm going to get stronger, Todoroki," he decides. So that no one can feel helpless like he did.

Todoroki nods.

On the news, the Hero Killer was the talk of the town. When seven pro heroes and a high school student came across the Hero Killer, U.A teacher Aizawa Shouta rushed over and took care of the situation.

That was the offical story released by the police.

Tenya sees him on the news talking to the reporters, having to explain how exactly he took Stain down.

If it was someone like Endeavor who took down the Hero Killer instead, he wouldn't need to explain since the public already knows how powerful he is. However, no one knows Aizawa-sensei, so he would need to. Not to mention that no one even knows that he's a U.A teacher.

One thing is for sure though. Aizawa-sensei doesn't look happy being on the news.

It makes Tenya feel guilty, seeing that he's the reason for him being there at all, but he also knows that this needed to be done. Aizawa-sensei knows this more than he did.

Just as the Chief of Police said, Iida Tenya was not mentioned. His name was not made public, and his injuries were explained as accidents that happened during his internship.

That being said, that doesn't mean that he won't be suffering the consequences. Aizawa-sensei did say that he'll be talking to him later.

At least, he thought he would.

"You're not giving me a punishment?" He asks, skeptical. And shocked. It is unlike him to not give a punishment.

"Do you want one?" Aizawa-sensei replies, raising an eyebrow. "I could give you an appropriate punishment. Do you want that?"

He pauses. Does he? "I... I don't know."

He knows that he does deserve some form of punishment, but at the same time, he... he just wants to rest. Take a break.

His teacher huffs. "Why would I give a punishment to a student who has already learned his lesson?" He stares at him. "Or do you think a near death experience is not enough?"

"It's enough!" Tenya immadiately says. He does not want to go through that again.

"That's what I thought. That's a fair punishment for going after a villain like Stain, don't you think?"

Oh. He nods, understanding. "Yes, sensei."

His teacher sighs. "Rest for the rest of your internship, Iida."

That night, Tenya returns to his house. Todoroki leaves the hospital with him and returns to his internship with Endeavor.

As they said goodbye to each other, he watches as Todoroki walk further and further away from him until he is no longer in sight.

"I was worried for you."

This time, Tenya is the one who's worried for Todoroki. From what he can tell, he and Endeavor do not get along like a father and son would. Or should. The way he talks about Endeavor, the way he relutantly calls him father...

It does not sit well with him.

But Todoroki is not an open person. He will not talk about his problems. Not easily. However, Tenya will support him in any way he can, just like he did for him today.

For now though, he needs to rest.

The moment Tenya closes the door behind him and is greeted by his parents with the thought of visiting Tensei as much as he could, he breathes, knowing that this is all over.

It is over.

The internship ended, and school returns like always. Tensei has been making a gradual recovery, and he will be able to get out of the hospital within a few months.

As soon as his brother was in a stable condition, Tenya gets a well-deserved scolding from him, but he was ultimately glad that Stain didn’t get him.

”That was very reckless of you, Tenya.”

”I—I know.”

A sigh. “Do you know how we felt when Manual told us you went after Stain? Mom and dad… they were scared that you would be killed by him. Just like how I almost did. And I was scared too. We could’ve lost you.”

His throat is dry. He swallows. ”I… I know that. And I’m sorry.”

”Tenya… You know, dad was devastated that I can’t be a hero anymore. Don’t… don’t make him mourn for you too.”

He promised him that he won’t. He won’t go after a villain alone ever again.

Now, he’s back in U.A. He sees his classmates talking about their experience in their internships. Unlike last time, Tenya feels just as excited as them to share what he learned.

Not about Stain, or anything related to him, but about what he learned from Manual. About the patrols. Because at the end of the day, that's more important.

He takes a deep breath. It’s peaceful, not in a way it was on that rainy day. There is no heavy weight on his heart this time. No lingering anger. This time, he feels prepared to start the day.

He would like to have more days like this. No villains to worry about, no stress, no nothing. It’s just him being a normal student.

He looks around, and he sees Shinsou and Uraraka.

Right. That. The talk they had before they departed to their internships… Tenya averts his eyes. He… he feels guilty. For not telling them. For pushing them away.

They notice, and they don't try to come to him. He is thankful for giving him space, because he needs it right now.

He knows he should talk to them, but... he's not ready. Not yet. He doesn't know what to say.

For now, he'll stick to Todoroki. After the talk they had back in the hospital, he feels like he knows him better now. Before, they were strangers. Merely classmates at best. But now?

Todoroki is a friend.

He’s not sure if Todoroki feels the same way. But he’s not pushing him away either.

Todoroki doesn’t talk much, but that’s okay. He’s like Shinsou that way. Tenya can do all the talking for the both of them.

"I'm glad you made it out alive! Seriously," Kirishima says to him.

"I heard Aizawa-sensei saved you, right?"

"He did? I can't believe our teacher defeated Stain!"

"He really is a pro hero!"

"Yeah, he saved us," Todoroki says.

"I saw on the news that the Hero Killer was connected to the League of Villains," Ojiro says. "Imaging someone that scary coming to the USJ freaks me out."

Come to think of it... Tenya thinks. Now that they're talking about the League of Villains... Did... did Midori appear in the USJ too?

He doesn't remember. He was too focused on All Might's fight at that time. It's entirely possible that he was there.

"He is scary, but did you see the video, Ojiro?" Kaminari steps in.

"Video? You mean of the Hero Killer?"

"Yeah! Seeing that, you can see how he's really single-minded and, like, tenacious. Doesn't it almost make you think he's cool?"

"Kaminari!" Kirishima says, looking at Tenya.

"Ah, uh, Sorry!"

"No, it's fine," Tenya reassures. "It's true that he's tenacious. I understand why people would think he's cool. But he chose purging as a result of his beliefs. No matter what he thinks, that part is definitely wrong."

Stain was right about a lot of things. About him. About how the idea of 'hero' has changed. Because hero has become a profession. A job.

Becoming a hero has emerged as an opportunity for money and fame. No longer was it a selfless title given to someone who does good deeds for the greater good.

He thinks about Uraraka and her goals. She is aiming to become a hero for money, but does that make it okay for Stain to go after her? She's doing it for her parents, sure, but would the Hero Killer accept that?

The thought of him going after Uraraka—or anyone he cares about—scares him.

It's not easy to answer that question. Stain is a villain whose ideals does not meet with what he does. He is contradictory.

But no matter what his ideals are, murder is never the answer. Even if there are heroes out there who are saving people for their own selfish reasons, that does not give him the right to kill them.

It does not justify what he does.

Stain was right about many things, but at the end of the day, he's still a villain who kills.

And that is unforgivable.

Currently, he is in prison. For everyone's sake, he hopes he stays there.

"In order to keep anyone else from turning out like me," Tenya continues, stretches his hand out, "I will once again walk on the path to becoming a hero! Now, it is time to commence class! Everyone, take your seats!"

"He's so loud..."

"It's 'cause you talked about weird stuff, Kaminari!"

"Sorry about that!"

After All Might's heroics class, where everyone gets to show off what they learned in their internships, the day is over. Tenya starts to walk home, but he hears someone calling him.

"Iida!"

He turns, and tenses. "Shinsou? Uraraka?"

This is just like the day they departed for their internship. Shinsou calling to him. Uraraka next to him. Unlike last time though, he looks back.

The two catches up to him. "You're avoiding us," Shinsou starts. "Why?"

It was either now or never. He looks away and speaks. "I... Are you not angry at me?"

Shinsou and Uraraka turn to each other in confusion, then back at him. Uraraka blinks. Then blinks again. "Why would we be angry?"

"Because... because I pushed you away," he grits out. "I didn't listen. You’re my friends, but... I ignored you. Doesn't that make you upset?"

What kind of a friend is he to do that?

"I mean," Shinsou replies, "You were upset about what happened to your brother. I can't blame you for that. Neither does Uraraka. I... we were more worried than upset."

Uraraka nods. "I honestly don't know how you think you could win against Stain."

Shinsou grimaces. "Uraraka..."

She shrugs. "I'm being honest! He clearly wasn't thinking."

Shinsou sighs. Tenya, though, nods in confirmation. "I wasn't."

Shinsou takes a deep breath. "We... we were hurt by what you did. We were hoping you would ask us for help. Friends help each other, right? But you didn't. It was telling me that you didn't trust us enough to ask. And then you went after Stain, and almost got yourself killed."

Oh, Tenya realizes. Their thought of him almost getting killed without them knowing... If he was in their shoes, he would be worried too.

Just like how he was worried about Stain going after them, they were worried about him getting killed by Stain.

They're not upset. Just worried.

He is relieved by that. Uraraka nods frantically. "Yeah! We thought that maybe if we had pushed you into telling us what's bothering you, you wouldn't have went after Stain. At all."

He hesitates. "That's..."

Would he? Would he have not went after Stain if they had pushed him into telling them? Maybe they would understand, but would that convince him? Would it be enough?

He shakes the thought off. He doesn't think he would've, but the effort would still be appreciated. Besides, he ended up doing it anyway, even when they had tried to reach out to him.

"Were... were we that weak that you couldn't ask us for help?" Shinsou asks bitterly.

Tenya startles. "No, that's not it!" He immadiately argues. "I... I just wanted to be the only one to defeat Stain. I didn't want any help. Clearly, that was foolish of me. But it has nothing to do with you being weak!"

They both stare at him for a moment, deciding whether or not he's telling the truth this time.

This time. He... he had broken their trust too.

"Not to mention..." He continues, trying to lighten the mood. "Your quirk isn't weak, Shinsou. Stain would've been caught a lot faster if you were there."

That much was true. In fact, he thinks the fight might've ended a little too quickly. Stain was a talker, eager to share his ideals.

"Don't flatter me," Shinsou huffs. But he smiles. "He would kill me before I would even have the chance."

Tenya huffs. Yeah, that could happen too.

"Definitely," Uraraka agrees. "Your quirk is great, but your body is too weak."

"Hey!"

"Sorry!"

Shinsou turns back to him. "Nothing... nothing bad happened between us, right? That this was just all a big misunderstanding? That we're still friends?"

"I hope you don't avoid us," Uraraka pleads. "I don't want to lose a friend."

Tenya nods. Neither does he. Especially over something like this. "We're still friends."

He pauses for a moment. Then, “And I’m sorry. For worrying you. For ignoring you. For… going after Stain.”

He had worried a lot of people. He had apologized to a lot of people. To Aizawa-sensei. To Midori. To Manual. To Tensei. Now, to his friends.

They smile. “We forgive you.”

Tenya smiles back. He thinks they forgive him too easily. But that doesn’t mean everything is okay again. It’ll take time. He’s going to have to make up for it.

He is more than willing to.

This time, the smile he gives is genuine.

"Well, it's almost time for summer vacation," Aizawa-sensei announces to the class. "But of course, it wouldn't make sense for you to rest for the whole month."

As expected of U.A, Tenya thinks. Not letting us slack off!

"During summer vacation, we'll have a training camp in the woods."

The class cheers.

"Yes!"

"Test of courage, here I come!"

"Fireworks!"

"Hot springs," Tenya says.

"I'm getting excited!"

"However!" Aizawa-sensei shouts, glaring at them to make them quiet. "Those who do not pass the final exam before that will be in summer school hell."

"Everyone, let's do our best!"

"This is so damn stupid," Bakugou comments.

No matter what, Tenya must pass the final exam. He does not want to know what summer school hell will be like. He knows his classmates agree with him.

He knows there's a written exam and a practical exam for the final. He will do fine on the written exam, but the practical exam is the one he's most concerned about.

Will it be like the entrance exam, fighting robots? If that's the case, then he will have no problem. But it could also be something else.

The unpredictability of U.A always hits them when unexpected.

I wonder what the practical exam is, Tenya thinks, not knowing that it is worse than fighting robots.

Not knowing that what comes after is far worse than he thought.

Chapter Text

Shinsou Hitoshi didn't have friends before U.A.

Sure, he had people to hang out with, but they weren't friends. They said his quirk was cool and that he could make all sorts of trouble with it, but he can tell they were afraid.

That deep down, they cared more about what he could do to them than anything else. Even when they hanged out with him, that fear never went away. They were still cautious, anticipating, waiting, expecting it to happen.

He knew this, but it still hurts.

"Just don't try controlling us, okay?"

Why would you assume I would do that? He remembers thinking. I don't have any reason to.

Out loud, he didn't say anything. Only a small shrug and a sheepish, strained smile. What's worse is that he understands why they think that. He gets it. If he was in their place, he would think the same too.

Sometimes, he wished he didn’t understand. He wished he could hate them. It would make things easier for everyone involved.

That way, there would be no need for them to be dancing around each other. No need to wait for the other shoe to drop and then say something along the lines of, “I knew this would happen.”

Sadly, this is not how the way things are, and so he is forced to play the long game.

Even when they didn't say it, he knew they expected him to become a villain. Or at the very least, a criminal. A bad guy.

He's used to it.

Because that was just how the world worked.

He didn't accept it though. No, he thought, I want to be a hero.

He wants to be like Eraserhead. The hero who works in the dark of the night, fighting criminals in the shadows. The hero who's not doing it for fame, for glory, but for the people.

People like me, he thinks.

He saw him once. One time, late at night where he can't fall asleep and stared outside from the window out of boredom, he sees Eraserhead, jumping from one roof to another. He did it so fluently, like he had done this a million times.

He had his scarf-looking weapon and yellow goggles, barely seen eyes looking around and below. His steps were eerily silent. Hitoshi didn't think that was possible.

It was only for a moment until the hero was out of sight, but he remembers every second of it.

So cool, he thought.

That was when he decided he wants to be like him.

Hitoshi likes All Might. Everyone does, and he is no different. But he's too bright for his liking, and becoming a hero like him sounds too far from reach.

All Might is the sun—so bright, and so far away.

Becoming a hero like Eraserhead is a goal that, while still not easy, sounds more possible. He does not possess the strength All Might has, no matter how hard he trains.

Becoming a hero like All Might is a league all on its own. A whole new standard that only a few can actually pursue.

Hitoshi doesn't want to pursue that. He used to, back when everything sounded possible, but not anymore. He knows he will never live up to that standard. And he's okay with that.

Because he doesn't want to be like All Might.

He wants to be an underground hero. He wants to be a hero that inspires people like him. People who doesn’t have the privilege that everyone has. People who are ignored and forgotten.

So despite what everyone thinks, he tries for U.A.

He and his… ‘friends’ ended on a supporting but skeptical encouragement on his decision for the top hero school. They didn’t think he could get in, but Hitoshi was going to try anyway.

He... didn't have high hopes when he found out the entrance exam was fighting robots. His quirk does not help with that, and it makes him glare at the students with privileged quirks.

Was it deserved? No. But did he do it anyway? Yes.

More than that though, he glares at U.A. The hero school is bias. He had hoped that they would at least give those who have a non-strengthening quirk a chance, but he guess not.

Still, this wasn't anything new, and he has to make with what he has.

He didn't have any other choice.

Hitoshi doesn't want to be a villain, or a criminal. He never did, and he is afraid of being one, becoming one, because it would mean that everyone was right about him. And he hates that more than anything.

He hates people assuming that they know him.

He hates people who assume they can control his life. If he had to resort to brainwashing other students to do his work to prevent that from happening to him, then he would.

It's only a matter of how he uses them.

When Hitoshi received the results from the entrance exam, he thought he didn't make it.

The points he got was nowhere enough to put him in a heroic class. It was for this reason that he didn't want to open the mail, but then he thought, might as well get it over with.

Reality is reality. As much as he likes to fight it, he would need to accept it at times. Even if he failed, there's always the Sports Festival. A second chance. That might be his only other chance.

This wouldn't be the end for him.

He opens the envelope, and he sees... a projection of Eraserhead. He almost falls out of his seat. It was weird to see him up close. Even from a projection. Of all the heroes, he did not expect Eraserhead...

He wonders how Eraserhead will be in person.

He might actually die from that.

Eraserhead starts to speak, talking about his entrance exam score. About what he did, and how that affected his performance. Hitoshi was about to close it, expecting the fact that he was unable to get in, until the hero mentioned one thing.

Rescue points.

Hitoshi jolts, eyes widening. He had rescued some students, but he didn't think it would impact the exam in any way. He only rescued them because they couldn't handle robots, just like how he couldn't.

It was unlike him, to be honest. He had the ’all man for themselves!’ mentality, but he ended up rescuing some students, sacrificing the time he could've used to destroy more robots instead.

Yeah. It was very unusual of him, but also not. He... sympathized with them.

He sympathized with the students who are like him.

And while that's true, Hitoshi also wasn't such a terrible person to ignore a student in trouble either. Though to him, trouble is… subjective. To him, trouble would be like if they're in a life-or-death situation.

In a way, it was. The robots were not designed to friendly. There was even a robot that was the size of a building. He pauses. Was… was the school intentionally letting students be in actual danger for rescue points?

To see what the others would do?

Hitoshi covers his mouth. U.A wouldn’t do that, right? They wouldn’t go that far. They wouldn’t let a student get injured and just let them fight a robot in that condition, right?

U.A’s not that crazy.

Right?

He shakes his head, choosing to ignore it for now. That’s a thought for another day. Rescue points are great, but would it be enough?

The next thing he hears is Eraserhead congratulating him. For making it to heroics class.

Oh.

Hitoshi might actually die now.

After Eraserhead—Aizawa-sensei now—messed with the class, giving him a near heart attack, he realizes that he made friends. Actual friends.

Uraraka Ochako and Iida Tenya.

Uraraka is... well, she's friendly. Probably the most friendliest person he's ever met, and while he doesn't know a lot of friendly people, she is still very friendly.

She is also the first person who reached out to him first. Even if it was pity.

At least, he thinks it was pity. Why else did she approach him during Aizawa-sensei's test? Everyone could tell how bad he was doing.

But even if it was pity, he didn't push her hand away. Instead, he accepted it. He doesn't know why, because he hates pity. He doesn't need someone feeling bad for him, and neither does he want it. He's not that weak.

So why did he take her hand?

Maybe it's because Hitoshi feels lonely. As much as he thinks he doesn't need friends, that doesn't mean he's okay being alone.

Loneliness is familiar to him. He doesn't have the most friendly looking face, for one. He has the so-called 'resting bitch face,' so people don't approach him first. Or at all.

It's either that he has to, or someone—usually a friend—forces them to.

Sure, Uraraka approached him out of pity, but she stayed. She didn't need to, but she did it anyway.

Maybe she's feeling alone too. Still, pity or not, does that really matters now? She stayed and had never done anything that upsets him. She's just that. A friendly person.

But as friendly as she is, she has her problems too.

Hitoshi has never been bullied—not directly. The teachers and his peers were too afraid to do anything, fearing he would retaliate. He was treated like a ticking bomb, with people eager to get away from him as much as possible.

They whisper about him, but no one was brave enough to say it out loud. No one was brave enough to say it to him.

No matter who he talked to—teachers, friends, acquaintances, or classmates—there was always a distance between them. Even the shortest felt the longest.

Assumptions were made, and he was powerless against it. Anything he does would be used against him.

While Uraraka doesn't have the same struggle, she had suffered too in her own way. Even with a quirk like hers, she and her family have been living at a thin line.

From what he can tell, it's been that way for a while. And it's unfair. Because he thought that with her quirk, she shouldn't have any problems. With her quirk, she should be living without any care in the world.

It's unfair, because it makes it difficult for him to not like her.

But she is struggling, and so he is forced to face the possibility that maybe just because someone has a heroic quirk, that doesn't mean they're not struggling too. That doesn’t mean he can treat them like they have never worked in their life.

It's… a concept he's trying to grasp. He's really trying here.

It's for this reason that Hitoshi likes Uraraka more than Iida.

When he and Iida first met, it was in the worst way possible. Iida was wary of him, and he was right to. Hitoshi didn't care though. Iida was righteous, but he clearly did not know how the real world worked.

The assumption everything a person does is either good or bad is absurd. If that was true, then half of the heroes are bad.

If that was the case, a lot more people would be in prison.

That kind of thinking was laughable at best, ignorant at worst. So when Hitoshi tells him why he did what he did—god forbid he needed to understand—he had expected him to immediately defend himself.

That’s what usually happens. They would defend themselves because they don't ever think they're wrong. They refuse to.

Iida didn't, to his surprise. He hesitated. He couldn't give an answer right away. Although it took much later, eventually, he came to an understanding.

He didn't agree with what Hitoshi did. Far from it. But he did understand, and so he lets it slide. It was far more than what Hitoshi expected from someone in a hero family.

It was only until then did he thought it would be fair that he apologized for what he did. 

Had Iida not understood, Hitoshi would've never apologized for brainwashing him without his consent. Whether he felt guilty for it or not doesn’t matter. He couldn’t afford to play nice.

That doesn’t mean he’s not glad though. They came to an understanding, and that was that. Neither of them dwelled on it any longer, and they moved on. End of the story.

From then on, he and Iida became friends, with Uraraka encouraging them.

Hitoshi have three friends in U.A. And it’s… it’s so different than before. They look so comfortable around him, so accepting. So much so that it’s starting to get… uncomfortable.

He's waiting for the other shoe to drop, almost hoping that it would because that's what he's used to, but it doesn't. Time and time again where he very blantly showed how villainous his quirk is, they don't bat an eye.

No uncomfortable looks. No comment about them hoping he wouldn’t use his quirk on them. Well, okay, Iida did imply that once, but Uraraka didn’t!

At some point he wondered, are they blind?

Because he knows that they know. He knows that they did see what his quirk can do. What it did do. He knows that they see how he uses it.

But nothing changes.

Eventually, he stops doubting their sincerity.

Continuing to doubt would only end badly. They have proven themselves enough, and Hitoshi should not disregard their efforts.

For the first time, he lets his guard down. He learns about them, and they learn about him. While they said that his motivation of being a hero is odd, it was not criticism.

They didn’t understand it. It was natural that they didn’t. He doesn’t hate them for it. But they do respect it, and that is all Hitoshi needed to hear.

As for his other classmates? He thinks they’re fine. They’re friendly enough. He’s just not close to them. Some of them he doesn’t like, like Mineta, but there is one that he is unsure of.

Bakugou Katsuki.

Hitoshi have doubts about Bakugou. He only got to know him through Uraraka. He doesn't know how they got to know each other, but they seem to get along well enough.

He doesn't know how Uraraka does it, making friends with the most unfriendliest kind of people. First Bakugou, then him.

Bakugou is more unfriendly than him.

He is aggressive. That's the first thing anyone can see. He doesn't hide how pissed off he is. It almost makes Hitoshi jealous, being able to show his emotions so out in the open like that. That's not something someone with a villainous quirk can afford.

Bakugou's attitude is not to the point where he cannot control himself, however. It's saying something. Usually, people like him doesn’t have any self-control. They do whatever they want, no matter who they hurt.

It happened more times than he could count.

So maybe Bakugou's a little different than the others. But that difference isn't big enough to make him reconsider.

Hitoshi wish he could say Bakugou doesn't deserve to be in hero class. But he can't. He knows Bakugou doesn't slack off. As much as he doesn't like to admit it, Bakugou earned his place in the class.

If there's one thing he won't ever make fun of, it’s hard work. He knows what it's like to work to reach a goal.

And Bakugou worked hard.

He sees it in the way Bakugou fights. Aggressive as it may be, he knows how to fight. He sees it in the way Bakugou doesn't play around, the way he doesn't treat it as a game.

As for Hitoshi... he doesn't know how to fight. His body isn't ideal either. He’s basically a twig. He was too focused on the bias around him to think about working on it.

That's on him.

Calling himself out… He wants to curse Bakugou for making him realize it.

He didn't think that he would make friends in U.A. He thought that he would be spending all of his time working to be a hero. Maybe the teachers wouldn't like that, but they can't make everyone get along willingly.

They can force them, sure, but friends aren’t made that way. Usually.

That's just how things are.

So the fact of that he made two friends? And from the looks of it, there are others who wants to be friends with him too? It was hard to believe.

Even Bakugou and Todoroki, where one is aggressive and the other is antisocial, are being dragged in. Unwillingly, but still. They're not fighting back.

Not enough anyway.

Hitoshi sighs. He supposed that this was inevitable. That even if he resisted, he would've ended up making friends anyway. The class was going to get him, no matter how much he pushed them away.

The thought was somehow comforting.

It's almost summer.

Hitoshi couldn't believe it. It's almost summer vacation, even if they're not going to spend that time off. Being a hero really isn't easy. Instead, they'll be training in a summer camp.

The USJ incident, the Sports Festival, and then the whole Stain in Hosu situation... a lot has happened. While Uraraka and Iida had gotten attention from the festival more than he did, that doesn't mean he was slacking around.

Before the Sports Festival started, Aizawa-sensei offered to train him with using the capture weapon. He saw potential in him and even commented on his choice of a hero costume.

Hitoshi was, to say the least, embarrassed that Eraserhead can tell. The man was grinning about it too. He wished he was less obvious, but what’s done is done. Of course, he accepted the offer and has been training with him three times a week after school.

That training made him aware of just how behind he was. He knew, but he has never been slapped on the face with it. He struggled to do five pushups. Five.

It's harder than it looks, but it's no excuse.

Knowing that he needed to catch up, he endured, never once skipping the training sessions. Not that Aizawa-sensei would ever let him do that.

Then, Iida almost got killed by Stain by intentionally going after him. Hitoshi and Uraraka have confronted him, and while Hitoshi is still upset, he's glad that Iida is safe and alive.

Not just because he is his friend, but also that he is the son of a hero family and Ingenium's younger brother and successor.

Speaking of that, after the internship ended, Iida went to Midnight to change his hero name. Hitoshi was glad that he did. Ingenium suits him more than Tenya ever could.

It makes him wonder about Todoroki. His hero name is Shoto. He wonders if that’s going to change.

He shrugs. Eh. It’s none of his business.

Ever since then, Iida has been visiting his brother in the hospital whenever he could, and things were slowly getting to quiet down.

Then, it was time to prepare for the written final exam.

The class just had their midterm.

"I didn't study at all!" Kaminari yells, his hands on his head. Ashido laughs next to him. The two scored the lowest out of the class. "Between the Sports Festival and the internship, it totally slipped my mind!"

"Indeed," Tokoyami agrees.

"Sucks that there's going to be a practical exam too," Mineta says, looking smug. Kaminari and Ashido both turn to him in betrayal.

"We thought you were one of us!" Ashido accuses.

"Yeah! Guys like you are only lovable when you're morons!"

"Such is the life."

"Don't worry, Kaminari, Ashido," Tsuyu says to them. "You'll do better next time. It would be great if we all went to summer camp, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah!" Uraraka nods. "The more the merrier!"

"What she said!" Iida agrees. "We can all help each other train. It would be efficient with more people!"

"Haven't you been attending classes?" Todoroki asks, geninuely sounding confused. "How did you fail?"

"The world's a mystery," Hitoshi replies. Todoroki, he learns, is not antisocial. He's just really oblivious. It's a surprise for someone related to Endeavor. He's smart, he'll give him that, but he stumbles at anything socially related. "Some people are naturally like that."

Todoroki hums, looking like someone who had just discovered the secret of the world. "I see."

"Words hurt, you know?!" Kaminari exclaims. Ashido huffs in agreement.

Yaoyorozu Momo, who placed first in the midterm, offers to help. Some of the other students joined in too, also needing help for their studies.

While they cheer, thanking Yaoyorozu for her generous offer, he hears Kirishima say to Bakugou, "That's what virtue looks like."

Hitoshi snickers.

"I've got virtue too. I'll tutor you till you're dead," Bakugou replies. He thinks he's being serious.

"Really? Thanks!"

Hitoshi shakes his head.

"The written exam's based on what we learned, so it's manageable," Hitoshi says, after taking a bite of the lunch food. "But the practical? We have no idea."

"Well, I can't imagine it will consist of anything particularly unusual," Iida replies.

He's... not sure about that. U.A is a hero school, where their main focus is on how they will turn students into heroes. They will likely implement anything unusual if it means it would benefit the hero students.

Actually, he thinks that they would, given the... freedom the teachers have.

With Aizawa-sensei being the way that he is... Hitoshi shivers.

U.A is insane. Absolutely nuts.

"So the written exam is manageable, huh..." Uraraka says, looking a bit down. She did not do well on the midterm.

"You'll do better next time," he offers. Uraraka gives him an appreciative smile, but her eyes give, thanks, but I'll probably not.

Well, he tried.

"It's probably a comprehensive test of everything from the first semester," Hagakure says.

"That's all Aizawa-sensei told us," Tsuyu adds.

Uraraka hums. "There was the battle training, the rescue training... and the basic training, right?"

"So not only do we have to study hard," Iida says, "we also have to keep up our physical shape—" He gets cut off by a bump on the head by an arm of a student in class 1-B.

Monoma Neito.

Hitoshi narrows his eyes.

"Ah, sorry," Monoma says, not sounding apologetic at all. "My tray just couldn't get through that big head of yours."

Iida gasps. "H-how rude! My head is not big!"

Hitoshi met Monoma during the Sports Festival, where he wanted to talk to him. He asked him to meet him after the festival ended in private.

"They were always telling me, "you'll never be a hero with that quirk." A hero who can't do anything on his own? Who's ever heard such a thing?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"It's about knowing what we can't do. I think I like you, Shinsou. Well, at least compared to your class. They're not like us. In order to survive, you too need to embrace your dark side. We're very much the same."

"No thanks."

"It's true though! When you fought Bakugou in the tournament, why did you give up?"

A snort. "Why would I fight a losing battle?"

Monoma grins. "See? Would a hero do that? The paradox is that to become heroes, we must act unheroically. Otherwise we'll never measure up to those capable of greatness. Emulating our idols isn't enough."

Hitoshi doesn't say anything.

"Surely you felt this way before... how the hopes and dreams of our childhood now grow as burdens? As if we are cursed."

In a way, his dream is a burden.

Only if he let it be. It would be worth it in the end.

"I heard you guys ran into Stain," Monoma says, his eyes on Iida and Todoroki. His smile grows, and his face gets more dark. "I guess the Sports Festival wasn't enough. You just keep getting attention with one stunt after another, huh? But now it's looking like that attention isn't all cracked up to be. It's starting to get dangerous, right?"

He continues. "Pretty scary! I'm just worried that one of those days we're all going to get caught up in some of your antics! Scary—Gah!" A female student chops his neck, and Monoma falls.

She catches him by the shirt. "That's not funny. Didn't you hear what happened to Iida?" She turns to them. "Sorry. This guy, his heart's just, well..."

"Kendo!" Iida says in surprise. He knows her?

"I mean, I get it," Hitoshi answers. She’s a class 1-B student then. Iida turns to him. Kendo blinks. "We are getting more attention than your class, so I get why he's upset. You must be upset too, working hard but getting no attention for it."

He knows that feeling. It makes the three of them.

"Huh," Kendo says in surprise. "There's not a lot of people who would stand by him. Me and my class does, but that's because we're stuck with him. Still, don't be that sympathetic to him. He tends to get a bit overboard."

She didn't say she's not upset, he thinks. She ignored it. Monoma or not, the lack of attention is affecting her class.

But she does sound sheepish. She's genuinely sorry. She understands that no matter what Monoma or anyone in her class feels, what he said was out of the line.

And it is. Attention or not, Iida almost died. That's not something to be joked about. Though what she said was an under-exaggeration.

Hitoshi huffs. "Wasn't planning to."

"Right," she replies, looking relieved. "Anyway, I overheard you guys saying that you're not sure about the practical exam. Between you and me, it'll be a battle against robots, like the entrance exam."

He grimaces. Robots? Again? He doesn't know if that's worse than what he expected. He asks, "How do you know that?"

She gives a small smile. "I know an older student who told me. It's a little unfair, I know."

"Kendo, you fool," Monoma speaks up, with Kendo still holding him. "We finally had an intel advantage over them! This was our chance to show up the detestable 1-A—!"

She hits him again, and this time, he's really unconscious. He deserved it. She leaves while saying, "They're not detestable."

Then they're gone. Well, that was something, he thinks.

Hitoshi doesn't exactly like Monoma. They're similar—though he's never going to say it out loud—but is he going to get along with him just because they are? No.

Both of them hold resentment towards the students who are privileged, but he thinks Monoma is annoying.

Unbelievably, annoyingly, annoying.

"She's like the big sister of 1-B," Uraraka comments, watching them leave. Iida nods. Hitoshi agrees. Kendo can handle a guy like Monoma. She's definitely not someone who can be handled easily.

After lunch, they decide to tell the class what they learned.

"Robots? Seriously? No sweat!" Kaminari says.

Ashido cheers. "Against robots, we just let loose to win!"

"And we're getting tutored for everything else," Sero points out.

"Who cares? I'm just happy the practical isn't anything crazy!"

"Watch out, summer camp! Here we come!"

"Tch!" Bakugou interrupts. "Robots or not, just blast them all, you morons!"

"Who are you calling a moron, moron!"

"You, Dunce Face!" He leaves, slamming the door behind him.

"He has a serious attitude," Iida says.

Hitoshi nods. He wonders what's getting Bakugou acting up like that.

"Let's begin your practical exam," Aizawa-sensei announces to the class, who are all in their hero costume. Their teacher stands in between the line of all the other teachers.

"It is, of course, possible to fail this exam. If you want to attend the training camp, then don't mess up."

Easier said than done, Hitoshi thinks.

"Sure are a lot of teachers here..." Jiro says as she counts them.

"Knowing you guys, you probably asked around and you might think you have a vague idea of how this'll go."

"It's a robot rumble, just like the entrance exam!" Kaminari exclaims.

Ashido joins him. "Fireworks! Curry! Truth or dare!"

The principal, Nezu, pops off from Aizawa-sensei's capture weapon. Hitoshi blinks. How long has he been in there? Their teacher looks unfazed. "Not quite! Various circumstances have demanded a revision to the exam format!"

Hitoshi doesn't sigh in relief. The new revisited practical exam could be worse than robots.

Ashido and Kaminari glooms at that.

"The principal!"

"A revision?"

Nezu slides down to the ground using the capture weapon. "Well, you see, battle robots aren’t all that practical. From now on, we'll focus on battles against actual people! It is critical that our teaching stimulates practical experiences as clearly as possible. As such, you students will be paired up... and fight one of the teachers you see here!"

Hitoshi knew it. This is worse than robots.

"A teacher..." Uraraka says nervously.

The principal continues. "Your pairings and assigned teacher have already been decided. Your battle moves, your grades, your friendships with one another... All of those factors and more were considered, so without further ado..."

"First," Aizawa-sensei starts, taking over. "Todoroki is with Yaoyorozu...." He grins. "Against me."

"Next, Shinsou... is with Bakugou."

Hitoshi turns to Bakugou. Bakugou turns to him. Seriously? Him?

"Your opponent will be..."

All Might appears. "... Will be me!"

You've got to be kidding me, he thinks. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, he had to fight All Might of all the heroes present. With Bakugou.

"You'll have to work together to win, so come at me, you two!"

Work together? He thinks, incredulous. You're joking, right?

Aizawa-sensei continues, announcing the rest of the pairings. Then, "Ten stages have already been prepared, and all teams will begin simultaneously. The test guidelines will be explained by your respective opponent. None of those arenas are outside the school grounds, but let's not waste any more time. Get going."

Of all people, he had to be paired up with Bakugou.

The said student seems to share the same sentiment, as he looks angry. It would be funny if it wasn’t just the two of them. They're currently on the bus, riding their way to their designated arena, so it's just him, Bakugou, and All Might.

It's really quiet.

"...Why don't you two play a word game or something?" All Might asks.

No one answered.

All the pairings are intentional, and Hitoshi... can see why he was paired with Bakugou. They don't get along well, and the hostility between them isn't one-sided.

Though it's not really hostility. There is no actual hate between them. Pettiness and general dislike, yes, but nothing that would cause actual problems. At least, that's what he thought.

But seeing that they are intentionally paired up, the teachers think differently.

Hitoshi huffs. He was content to leave everything as the way it is. There was nothing wrong with it. Bakugou doesn't have a reason to hang out with anyone—he's not antisocial, he just would rather focus on working to be a hero.

Like him, but he was willing to make friends.

To reach back, at least.

Kirishima forcefully inserted himself into Bakugou's life. So did Ashido, Kaminari, and Sero. They all decided to be his friend and Bakugou had no choice but to go along with it.

At best, he sees Hitoshi as someone he either has to fight or work together with. He’s willing to tolerate him to a certain extent, and nothing more.

He knows he is annoying to Bakugou. The boy isn’t used to someone who talks back to him, much less antagonize him.

He has no problem with that. Bakugou can see him as annoying all he wants. He welcomes it. It’s better than being looked down on and/or only seen as a mere obstacle.

Hitoshi, the other hand, he… envies Bakugou. He envies the powerful quirk that got him this far. He thinks Bakugou should be grateful to be so gifted, but why should he, when he had it his entire life?

It's unfair to think that way. But that doesn't stop him from thinking it and therefore treating Bakugou like an egotistical asshat.

This isn't the same situation he had with Iida. Iida tried to be more understanding, to more open-minded. He and Iida actually hang out, and therefore, he knows that he's really trying and they managed to make up.

And he's not envious of just Bakugou either. He's envious of Uraraka and Iida too. They're friends, sure, but that doesn't mean he's not jealous. But he does try to keep it down.

Because quirk or not, he cares for them. He wants them to succeed.

But for Bakugou, who he is not friends with? He doesn't try to keep it down. He doesn't hide how much he dislikes him. He admits that he have certain views of Bakugou and acted based on that, but Bakugou had also played into those views.

He knows that the views he have are wrong. That those who are privileged aren't always arrogant. Iida and Uraraka proved that, but it's hard to not do that when that's what he’s been doing for years.

It's a habit that's not going to break easily.

He is well aware of his own shortcomings. How could he not, when he is doing the exact same thing as the people he hates? He's a hypocrite, judging people with a bias of his own, making assumptions, but he ignores it for the sake of any pride he has left.

Both he and Bakugou doesn't try or want to understand each other. They don’t know each other, so the pettiness and dislike between them isn't logical and comes from their own egos.

Now, they have to work together to pass this exam. They would need to talk to each other instead of the usual arguing.

It's difficult. Because he doesn't want to.

But he has to.

He knows Bakugou isn't thinking the same thing. He would much rather ignore his existence, and while Hitoshi wants to do the same, he can't do that. Not if he wants to pass. That's what makes him frustrated and he just wants to give up trying to talk.

He sighs. Things would be so much easier if his partner is literally anyone else. If it was Uraraka or Iida instead. Heck, even Todoroki.

Though he supposed that was the point. This isn't supposed to be easy.

They arrived at their destination soon enough and he sees a city. He frowns. A city surrounded with buildings… Not sure if this would be the ideal place to fight All Might.

"Now, this is where we will fight," All Might says when they got off the bus. "The time limit is 30 minutes." He takes out... handcuffs? "Your objective is to either get those cuffs on me or have one of you escape from the stage."

"Like hell I'm doing that," Bakugou snarls. Hitoshi rolls his eyes. Of course he wouldn't.

The hero coughs. "This test is meant to simulate true battle as closely as possible. So I suggest you think of me as an actual villain. I will not hold back. If you fight and win, that's good, but if you find yourself overwhelmed by me, fleeing and calling for help would be the best option."

Not to him, Hitoshi thinks, looking at Bakugou.

"But given your current circumstances, you're probably thinking running is the only option." All Might takes out two compressed weight bracelets. "That's why we had the support course department makes these! Ultra compressing weights! This handicap weighs me down a whole extra fifty percent of my body weight! It's a true method of slowing down movement and draining stamina."

"Trying to bring this down to our level, huh?" Bakugou says.

All Might laughs. "Of course! Otherwise we'll be setting you two up for failure!"

Hitoshi grimaces. That's brutal, All Might.

"Stop following me! Obviously beating him is the best option!"

"And I'm not saying that it isn't!" Hitoshi argues. "You really think you can beat him alone?"

"We'll let him toy with us until the very end. Then when he's tired, I'll blast him to bits!"

He closes his eyes. This guy. Why is he trying to talk to him again? Oh, right. Because he has to. He hates his life. "30 minutes might as well be up by then. He's All Might. You really think the weights are going to hold him down that much? There's no way you'll beat him."

"You think I need your power to pass?! Forget it!"

He's convinced Bakugou only knows how to scream, not talk. He yells back, "Well, guess what? You're getting it, whenever you like it or not!"

A huge gust of wind blows over them. Hitoshi covers his face from the force of it, and a wave of dread comes over him.

All Might has arrived.

Great. The time they could’ve used to make a plan is now out the window. Fan-fucking-tastic.

As much as he would love to blame Bakugou for this, he isn't much better. Though he will say that this is mostly Bakugou's fault.

"Who cares about keeping this town intact?" All Might starts, playing into his role of a villain. "Think of it as just a test, and you're going to have a bad time. I'm a villain, heroes. So give it your best shot."

"I suggest you think of me as an actual villain."

Hitoshi gulps. Right. This isn't our teacher, All Might. This is a villain. As close to a real one as possible. All Might will not go easy on us.

All Might moves. He runs forward, and from the speed he's going, it's not good to take long for him to reach them. Hitoshi turns to Bakugou. "We can't fight him head on! Just run, idiot!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Seriously?!

Soon enough, All Might catches up to them. He lunges towards Bakugou, who unleashes a huge explosion, but All Might merely moves through and grabs him by the face. Bakugou blasts one explosion after another, the sound of it almost hurting his ears.

What firepower. But All Might doesn’t move and slams him into the ground. He then turns to him and Hitoshi jumps back in alarm, his hand on his capture weapon.

Before All Might could move any further, Bakugou goes in front of him. "Move it!"

Oh no you won't! He restrains him. "Why can't we win without using a head-on strategy, huh? You think that way is cowardly? You think your flashy explosions will do anything to him, huh?!"

"Stop talking," he grits out. "I'll fight him and I'll win. That's what heroes do."

Bakugou… he—he looks desperate. Like he’ll die if he doesn’t win. What's gotten into him? Hitoshi's teeth clenches. Why is he acting this way? He's been aggressive before, but not to this extent!

"In the meantime," All Might says from above. He and Bakugou look up. Hitoshi releases him. A guardrail?! Since when did he have that— "I got a gift from Mr. Let's Run!"

The guardrail slams against Hitoshi, trapping him to the ground. He grunts in pain and sees All Might punching Bakugou by the stomach, sending him flying a few meters back.

"Hm... you must be thinking getting help is humiliating," All Might muses. "With his quirk, you think victory would be easy, and you don't want that. You want to beat me with your own power, is that right?"

Hitoshi widens his eyes. Is that why? That's... that's so stupid! Bakugou was acting up just because of that? Seriously?!

"Zip it, All Might...!" Bakugou spats out, struggling to get up. Blood is dripping from his mouth. "I... would rather lose than rely on his power."

"As long as you have no regrets," All Might replies, getting ready to hit him once again. Before he could though, Hitoshi gets out of the guardrail and punches Bakugou's face, moving him out of All Might's way.

"You'll rather lose?" He says in disbelief. He carries him by the capture weapon and runs away, heading towards a more closed area. He doesn't look back. "That's not what you said in the Sports Festival!"

"Get off me!"

"Don't say that to your savior."

"You're no one's savior!"

Hitoshi ignores him, moves to the left and goes inside a building. He's surprised that he managed to get Bakugou out of All Might's way. He thought for sure that he couldn't make it, seeing how fast All Might was.

But he did it anyway, mostly out of anger and frustration. He was almost unaware of what he was doing.

Guess the weights really are pulling him down, he thinks. He goes up the stairs to have a higher ground. That way, All Might will have a harder time finding them and they'll have a higher chance of seeing where he is.

Honestly, they should've done this from the start. He sighs. If only someone wasn't being so problematic.

He lets Bakugou down. "What you said before... sure, I can subdue him easily if I brainwash him, but he knows. He knows how my quirk works. Even if I ask a question, he wouldn't reply. He would end me.” He pauses. “But I were to ask in your voice..."

"Hah? How would you have my voice?” Bakugou asks, looking at him like he’s gone crazy. “That makes no sense!"

"Shh! Try to be more quiet. You can do that much, right? As for how, my Personal Cord allows me to mimic any voice. Look." He pushes a button on his support gear. In Bakugou's voice, he says, "I don't need your help!"

"I don’t sound like that!"

He rolls his eyes. "You're focused on that? My point is, I'm not saying you have to work with me. We both don't want to lose. I'm saying use me. Worse case is we both cannot fight anymore and if we fail, and let me tell you, I'm going to tell Uraraka and Iida about it."

Bakugou jolts. "The fuck? You're blackmailing me?!"

Hitoshi shrugs. "What can I do? It's the only way for you to listen. Stop acting all high and mighty. So what if the fight ends too quickly? You’re still stronger than me! Use me as a stepping stone for your victory. Hell, think of me as a tool. I don’t care. You know why? Because of the two of us, you're the only one who can actually do something to All Might. This fight isn't going to be over the instant I'm in it."

Bakugou is silent, looking speechless. It's so satisfying, knowing that he was the one who did this. He doubt he was the first, but damn, that feeling isn't going to go away anytime soon.

Bakugou looks down, thinking. Listening to him, for once. Hitoshi could only wait. Then, he says, "Tch, fine. I have a plan."

Hitoshi grins. Finally.

The plan is to lure All Might into a closed space. A wide and open space like the streets would only give him an advantage. Less place to hide and harder to dodge his attacks. In a city setting, the narrow alleyways would be a good place.

Bakugou will lure him there, and All Might would need to make devastating destructive attacks to hit him directly.

The damage would cloud the surroundings, allowing Hitoshi to move without being seen. The moment All Might gets close to Bakugou, because they know it will happen, Bakugou will unleash his powerful attack using his support gear, and he would back off.

The goal isn't to subdue him, but for Hitoshi to sneak in by covering his presence with the clouds of dust from the damage of the buildings and use his quirk on All Might with Bakugou's voice.

From there, it's over.

It’s a solid plan, though there are risk factors to consider. How long Bakugou can endure and if the damage of All Might’s attacks would be enough to cover Hitoshi.

Not like they have anything else. The longer they wait, the more likely All Might is going to find them. This is the only real plan they have, and they have no choice but to use it and go all in.

"Never thought you'll let yourself be bait," Hitoshi muses.

Bakugou grunts. "I had to, since you're so weak."

His eye twitches.

As soon as they leave the building, the plan begins. Bakugou reveals his presence to All Might from a far distance. All Might starts chasing after him, and he lures him into narrow areas. From there, he dodges All Might's blows.

Soon enough, the debris causes the area to be covered in dust. All Might moves through and grabs Bakugou, swinging him into one of the buildings. Bakugou crashes, but gets up and moves towards him, this time using his support gear, unleashing a much more powerful explosion attack.

Meanwhile, Hitoshi stays at a distance, hiding in-between the buildings and gradually gets closer to All Might. He hopes Bakugou can hold on a little longer.

The plan depended on him, and should he fall, it would be over for the both of them.

Bakugou keeps going. He keeps getting back up. Hitoshi can admire his endurance. He wouldn't be able to keep standing up like that.

When he sees Bakugou using his support gear, he knows it's his turn.

Bakugou moves away from All Might and leads him to where Hitoshi is, where the dust covers the whole area. Hitoshi hears both of them land.

He then sees Bakugou running past him, and he knows. He knows he is just within a few feet from All Might, with the dust still covering the view. He can't see him, but he doesn't need to. He just needs to know if he's there or not.

And he is. He gets his cord ready. He needs to be fast, before All Might decides to literally punch the dust away. It’s scary that he knows it could happen. Probably would’ve too.

"You're done already, old man?" He says in Bakugou’s voice, confident. Cocky.

"Far from it, Young—"

Got you, he thinks. All Might stops at his tracks. Hitoshi breathes, body tired and tense from the running, and he is relieved that the plan had worked. They won. Against All Might.

This is his greatest achievement. By far.

He didn’t do it alone and All Might’s wearing weights, but still. It’s a feat. The dust clears, and he turns around, seeing Bakugou standing up, all bloody and beated up.

"You got him, Eyebags?"

He doesn't comment on his weak, raspy voice. He thinks Bakugou has taken enough damage for today. He snorts. "Obviously."

"Good," Bakugou replies. "But don't think I'll use your help again."

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever you say." He turns back to All Might. "Put your hands on your back," he commands. The hero obeys, and he puts the handcuffs on him.

The announcement comes. "Bakugou and Shinsou's team have passed the test!"

He grins, and he sees Bakugou grinning too.

Needlessly to say, All Might was proud of them. He lets out his signature booming laugh, standing tall and looking so happy for them.

"Hahaha! What a wonderful tactic you two used!" He compliments. "Excellent teamwork! Bold, yet sneaky! Using your surroundings to your advantage, not only from the buildings itself, but also from its destruction! Very well thought out!"

"It was Bakugou's idea," Hitoshi points out.

"Oh? Is that so?" The number one hero hums, grinning.

Bakugou rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I did."

"And how was it?” All Might asks. “How was teaming with Young Shinsou? Did you feel weak when you won? Did teaming up with him ended just like you thought it would?"

"... It was fine," Bakugou answers. His hesitance says otherwise, but no one said anything.

"Young Bakugou, accepting help isn't a weakness," All Might says, his voice serious. "I recall you're looking for someone, yes? Someone who's been missing for some time?"

Hitoshi blinks. He's looking for someone?

Bakugou nods silently.

"Do you think you can find him alone?"

"No," he answers, and he sounds pained. Like admitting it was a conclusion he never wanted to reach, but had no choice to.

"Exactly," All Might says. "Whether it's being a hero or finding a missing person, we cannot do everything alone. You know you could not have beaten me by yourself. This does not mean you are weak. There are things you cannot do. You cannot brainwash people like Young Shinsou does. You cannot jump as high as Young Tsuyu. You cannot make ice like Young Todoroki. You cannot do many things, and that is not being weak. That is life."

He puts a hand on Bakugou's shoulder. "Why do you think there are so many heroes in Japan? It is because one hero cannot patrol all of it. Even I had help in doing so. Do I look weak to you for saying that?"

Bakugou doesn't answer, and that was all they needed to know.

"Now then," the hero says, backing off and clapping his hands together. "Let's go back and have you all healed up. Recovery Girl is waiting."

Hitoshi turns to Bakugou. He isn't angry, but he looks rather in deep thought.

He doesn't know if Bakugou will take All Might's words to heart. But for his sake, he should. After all, it's the truth. Just like how there are things Bakugou can't do, there are things that Hitoshi can't do.

This applies to everyone, not just him.

He thought Bakugou was leagues ahead of him. That he would never catch up. But after seeing him fight All Might, after seeing that he barely did any damage to him, Hitoshi thinks that Bakugou isn't that far ahead.

He knows that Bakugou will eventually reach the point where he cannot reach, but for now, he can be satisfied that Bakugou is still learning.

Underneath that arrogance, he saw what Bakugou really is. He saw who he really is—someone who is scared of being seen as weak, someone who has only ever known that being strong is everything, and most importantly of all, someone who is trying to become a hero.

Just like him. Just like everyone else.

For better or for worse, he knows Bakugou a little more. They still don't know each other well, and they still don't want to, but from the way they're going, it's going to happen.

Starting from this exam.

No longer can he can see Bakugou the same way he did before. His view of him has changed, even if it's only a little bit. That change is going to stay, and he can't ignore it.

He's still going to make assumptions. Still have bias, still judging. But unlike before, Bakugou isn't going to play into those assumptions. It would only be Hitoshi this time, and he knows that's a problem.

It will go away. It will just take more time to.

Same for his envy. He knows that it's not going to disappear anytime soon, but that feeling isn't going to dominate how he treats the others around him. Not as much as it used to.

He usually doesn't like change. It means that something is going to be altered, and the results are always something he doesn't like. But so far, all the changes that had happened haven't been bad. He doesn't see him being friends with Iida and Uraraka as a bad thing.

So far, all the changes diverted his expectations in a good way.

He thinks this change isn't going to be bad either.

He and Bakugou aren't friends. But they are going to reach a place where they would be more than just tolerating each other. It’s already happening. He’s not sure what that’ll look like. Not sure if he wants to find out.

But they’re going there. So why not see where it goes?

He and Bakugou follow All Might to the bus, and on the ride back, he turns to look at Bakugou again. This time, Bakugou sees him and he doesn't react. He just looks back.

This time, it's Hitoshi who looks away.

The ride isn't as tense as it was before.

Four students did not pass the practical exam: Kirishima Eijiro, Ashido Mina, Sato Rikido, and Kaminari Denki.

Ashido and Kaminari. Somehow, these two are always the ones getting the short end of the stick.

Ashido cries. "Everyone... I'm looking forward... to a bunch of... awesome stories from the trip!"

Tsuyu comforts her. "Don't be so sad, Ashido. Knowing Aizawa-sensei, there might be a twist to this."

"Don't say that, Tsuyu," Sero says, looking worried. "You're gonna jinx it."

"Failing our exams means summer school hell instead of training camp in the woods!" Kaminari rebuts. "And we flunked the practical! The only twist would be if our average score is less than zero!"

"Calm down, you're going too fast," Sero says. "I'm in the same boat anyway." He gestures to Mineta. "I slept and only cleared the test thanks to Mineta." Mineta looks proud. "So until we know how they'll actually grade this thing..."

"Save your pity! I just want your points!"

Aizawa-sensei slams the door open, interrupting them. "That's the bell. Be seated."

Everyone gets in their seats.

"Morning," he says. "About your final exams... Sadly, we have some failures. As such..." Everyone waits in anticipation. He grins. "You're all going to the summer training camp."

The four failing students cheer. "WHAT A TWIST!"

Hitoshi sighs. Another logical ruse, huh? He turns to Bakugou. He sees him and snarls, looking away.

It's hilarious.

"Everyone cleared the written exam," their teacher continues. The class sighed in relief. "But in the practical, Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, Sato, and Sero failed." Sero failed?

"Wait, we're really allowed to go?"

"I knew it," Sero says, putting his head to his hands. "Clearing the practical doesn’t mean I passed..."

"As the villains in this test, we teachers came up with assignments suited to all of you," Aizawa-sensei explains. "Ones that would give you chances to devise winning strategies. If we hadn't, none of you would've stood a chance."

True. If All Might didn't have the weights on him, he and Bakugou would've failed instantly. It would’ve been an unfair test.

"So when you said you were really going to crush us..." Oijiro starts.

"That was to push you," their teacher answers. Of course it was. "We are talking about training camp, after all. More than anything else, those who failed are in dire need of this." He grins again. "This was another logical ruse!"

Hitoshi sighs. Of course it was.

"ANOTHER LOGICAL RUSE?!" The class screams.

"We've been fooled again!" Iida says, shaking in his seat. "I'd expect no less from U.A!" He stands up, his hand in the air. "But! Now that we've been lied to twice, aren't you worried that our faith in you have been shaken?"

"Way to be a wet blanket, Iida," Uraraka says from behind. Hitoshi shakes his head.

"Perhaps," Aizawa-sensei answers. "But consider the facts. Failure is still failure. You five—" He looks at the four failing students and Sero. "—will receive special supplement lessons. And they'll be far worse than summer school."

Rip to them, Hitoshi thinks, giving them his condolences. Trying their hardest to avoid summer school, only to fail and end up receiving something much worse.

"Anyway," their teacher says, moving on. "I'll be handing out camp manuals. Take one and pass it back."

It's a good thing that Hitoshi passed the exam.

"Well, whatever the case," Oijiro says after class ends. He smiles. "It's nice that everyone gets to go."

Ashido nods, grinning wide. "Right?! I'm so excited!"

"An entire week of training camp!" Iida says, looking at the manual. "The packing list is huge."

"I don't even have a bathing suit," Kaminari says. "There's a ton of stuff I've got to buy."

"Oh, I know!" Hagakure interjects. "We're off tomorrow and tests are over, so... how about we all go shopping together, Class 1-A?"

"Good idea! This'll be the first, come to think of it!"

"Hey, you come too, Bakugou!"

"No way in hell! What a waste of time."

"Oh, come on, Bakugou," Hitoshi says to him. He grins. "Unless you're... scared?"

Bakugou twitches. He gets up, slamming his hands on the desk. "Who's scared, huh?! Fine, I'll come! I'll show you what shopping really looks like!"

Too easy. He gives Kirishima a thumbs up.

"You're going to come, Todoroki?" Iida asks.

"No. I visit... someone on my days off."

"That's too bad. Maybe we can hang out some other time."

"... Sure."

"You're coming, Shinsou?" Uraraka asks him.

He nods. "Yeah."

With Bakugou on board... he thinks, this'll be fun.

Tomorrow comes, and currently, they're at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall.

Ashido said that this mall has more shops than anywhere in the prefecture, and that everything they need can be found here. Only ten of the students came, which is more than what he expected.

"Oh hey, aren't they the first years?" Some pedestrians said, recognizing them. "Good going with the Sports Festival!"

"Whoa," Uraraka says, surprised. "People still remember that?"

Hitoshi shrugs. "The Sports Festival was live."

"So embarrassing!" She says, putting his hands to her cheeks.

He frowns. "You did good though?"

She shakes her head. "It's not that! They recognize me! It's embarrassing."

He nods, understanding. Getting attention is, in fact, embarrassing.

They all gathered around, discussing on what to buy. Jiro and Yaoyorozu wants to go look for some duffel bags. Kaminari, Iida, and Hagakure wants to look for some shoes and some outdoor wear.

"Looks like we all need different stuff," Kirishima says. "Let's split up and meet back at a designated time then."

They agree on that and quickly disburse, leaving just him and Uraraka. "I'm looking for cat food. What about you, Uraraka?" He asks her.

She raises an eyebrow. "Why would you need cat food?"

He tenses. "Ah, well..." Should he tell her? That he likes cats? That he feeds a stray cat? He never told anyone this before... but Uraraka wouldn't laugh at him. "I... I have a stray cat that I feed, and I ran out, so..."

He waits for her reaction. She gasps. "You have a cat?!"

She sounds excited, so that's a good thing? He sighs in relief. "A stray cat," he repeats. "But yeah. I feed him. I won't be seeing him for a while, so I plan to give him a lot before we leave."

"Aw! That's so sweet of you!"

Sweet? No one had ever called him that before. "... Thanks, I guess."

"You have to tell me about him later, okay? I'm looking for bug spray."

Hitoshi nods. "I will. A bug spray, huh? Good idea. Wouldn't want to get bitten."

The two of them spend some time looking for cat food, bug spray, and other essentials. After finding out that he likes cats, Uraraka made him shop for cat-themed clothes, and while it is embarrassing, he’s grateful that she didn't make fun of him for it.

She also doesn't buy much. He frowns. It's because of her living situation, he knows, but he wants to buy something for her. As a thank you.

It's about time that he gives something back. So when he catches her staring at a small heater before quickly looking away, he knew he had to buy it and give it to her. And that's exactly what he did.

She had no choice but to take it.

At some point, they bump into Kirishima and Bakugou, and Bakugou challenges him into a shopping competition. Naturally, Hitoshi agreed and they compete who can find the coolest stuff in the mall.

Bakugou ended up winning, and he looks annoyingly smug. And arrogant. Hitoshi tsks, accepting defeat, but not before kicking his leg purely out of pettiness. Bakugou curses.

"That was a cowardly move, bastard!"

"It's called being sneaky. But oh wait! I forgot you can't do that! Maybe you should learn!"

"I’LL SHOW YOU SNEAKY—!"

While they were arguing and having another competition, Uraraka and Kirishima are behind them, doing their own thing. He could hear them talking about... being manly?

He shrugs. As long as they're enjoying themselves.

Hitoshi hums. Come to think of it, this is the first time he's been in a large mall with friends. He doesn't like crowded places. It's why he doesn't go shopping. Even when he did, it was short and he would go to less crowded areas.

The mall is overcrowded, noisy, and full of people, but with a friend next to him, it doesn't feel too overwhelming.

It's uncomfortable, sure, but not as much. Still, he does want to get out of here.

He can tell that the group agrees. Bakugou had calmed down, Kirishima says his legs are getting tired, and Uraraka is eating a taiyaki to get some energy back. They all needed to stop and sit for a while.

They rested, and decided to get some actual food. The day ends, and all of them meet back up to go home. Although they were drained from the shopping spree, Hitoshi can tell everyone had a good time.

Well, he supposed, today isn’t so bad.

He, Iida, and Uraraka went home together, and as they part ways, he wonders if there will be more days like this. Going out with friends and doing the most mundane things.

With things undoubtedly going to be more hectic from here on out, he hopes so.

The day of departure arrives.

Hitoshi sees another bus next to them. He grimaces and sighs. Of course they would be going too.

They see Class 1-B, and therefore, they see Monoma again.

"What? Class 1-A needs supplementary lessons?" He says, a hand on his hair. "That means someone got a failing mark! Huh? Isn't that weird? Isn't that strange? I thought Class 1-A was supposed to be superior to Class 1-B, right? Huh—?!"

Kendo chops his neck. Monoma faints, and she turns to them. "Sorry."

Hitoshi feels like this is going to be a recurring thing. It's likely going to be, seeing that this is the second time he sees this happen. This probably happens even when he and his classmates are not looking or are not even there.

He's getting a migraine by just thinking about it.

Kendo looks like she's been doing this for a while too. He feels bad for her. The other girls from Class 1-B speaks up.

"Don't get on Monoma's bad side..."

"Well, a lot of things happened at the Sports Festival... Either way, congrats."

"Mmn."

They warned them about Monoma, but they didn't try to stop him. Only Kendo did. It really goes to show that Class 1-B are having problems with his class, even if it's one-sided.

"Our bus is here, everyone!" Yaoyorozu announces. "Let's get on!"

Hitoshi shakes his head. That's not his problem. Their class really have done nothing to 1-B, so it's not their fault. He acknowledged that what they feel isn't wrong, but he doesn't think it makes it right to drag them into it.

Class 1-A is being pulled into an one-sided rivalry. Their class doesn't want that, especially since they already have rivalry with the students in their own class, so this is just... bothersome.

After all, why would they have rivalry with the students they don't even know?

Hitoshi doesn't hold anything against 1-B, so he doesn't care. But people like Bakugou will, and he knows, just from that, the rivalry is going to happen.

It's not going to be one-sided forever.

He sighs. Things would just get more complicated from there. At least Monoma doesn't have a rivalry with him. He thinks. God, he hopes so.

The bus 1-A is in goes first, while the bus Class 1-B takes is behind them. On the way, Aizawa-sensei says that they have an hour until they arrive, but his classmates were not listening.

They were talking about what they'll do in the camp. They’re loud. Aizawa-sensei quickly gave up.

When the bus stops and the class gets off, Hitoshi looks around and sees that they're surrounded by... mountains with a large forest beneath them.

He has a bad feeling about this.

"Heya, Eraser!"

Hitoshi turns around.

"Rock on with these sparkling gazes!"

Another one speaks up. "Stingingly cute and catlike!"

"We're the Wild, Wild Pussy Cats!" Said the two cat-like female heroes as they pose with a young boy with a red hat next to them.

Cute, he thinks. He likes their cat paws.

"Those are the pro heroes who will be helping us this time—The Pussycats," Aizawa-sensei says.

"This whole area here is our territory." Mandalay points to the mountains, and faces the class. "Your lodging is at the foot of that mountain over there."

"So far away!"

"Huh? Then why are we here?" Uraraka asks. Hitoshi steps back. He was right to have a bad feeling after all.

"Uh-oh..."

Sero points to the bus. "Let's go back... to the bus? Hurry..."

"It's now 9:30 am," Mandalay says ominously. "I'm thinking... around noon at the earliest."

"Ah, crud. No way..."

"Run!"

"Back to the bus, quick!"

"Kitties who don't make it by 12:30 won't get any lunch."

"Sorry, kiddos," Aizawa-sensei says. "The training... has already begun."

The ground melts beneath their feet and they fall. Mandalay yells from above, "This is our private territory, so feel free to use your quirks! You've got three hours to reach the facility by foot! Make it through the Beast's Forest!"

Son of a bitch, Hitoshi thinks as he managed to land safely.

This is the worst way to start the summer.