Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya was born quirkless.

Then, like most children, he got a quirk when he turned 4.

“Happy Birthday!!” The party guests - Izuku’s mom, Auntie Mitsuki and Katsuki, cheered. Well two of them cheered, Bakugo didn’t believe in cheering. It was Izuku’s 4th birthday and the room was a shrine to All Might, Izuku’s idol. There were All Might banners, All Might plates, All Might cake shaped like his head, pin the hair on the All Might, and All Might balloons. Even the birthday cards were All Might themed, except for the one from the Bakugos, who got him a Best Jeanist card instead. They meant well.

Izuku was overjoyed by all the attention he was getting on his special day, especially the gifts. Izuku liked gifts. He gave his mom a hug and thanked her, and smiled at Katsuki - who grumbled something about not being there by choice.

Izuku blew out the candles with a big smile, dressed in his new All Might costume and clenched his eyes shut as he made his wish. No prizes for guessing what he wished for.

“I’ve got one last surprise for you, sweetie!” Inko said as she brought out a carefully wrapped gift covered in shiny (All Might) wrapping paper. As she handed the gift to Izuku his grin grew wider and he tore into the paper.

But as the wrapping paper was shredded by his tiny hands, the pieces didn’t fall to the floor. Instead, it clung to his arms and legs like it was all covered in glue. “Mommy! It won’t come off!” Izuku wailed as he vigorously shook his arms trying to shake the paper off, which stubbornly stayed put. He was so scared he couldn’t even register the limited edition All Might (With Hat) action figure inside the box.

“Inko, did you put glue on the wrapping paper by mistake?” Mitsuki asked, confused.

Inko shook her head, equally baffled. “No, at least, I don’t think so? The tape wasn’t that strong!” 

Izuku tried in vain to pull the rest of the paper from his face, but it kept sticking to his hands instead. After some struggling he looked like an All Might brand mummy, and was beginning to panic. What if he suffocated under his hero’s smiling face?! 

“Mommmyyyyy!” He sobbed.

“Don’t worry honey, we’ll get you out!” Inko said, grabbing a pair of scissors, which made Izuku tremble more.

“Don’t cut me!” He yelled.

“I’m not going to cut you, sweetie, just the paper!” she tried to calm him down, as she prepared to carefully cut around his eyes and mouth. But it turned out she didn’t need to, because a piece of wrapping paper came off easily in her hand.

“It’s… It’s not even sticky.”

Mitsuki gasped dramatically, “Inko! You know what this means?!”

“He needs to wash his hands more?”

“No! Izuku has his quirk!” Mitsuki exclaimed.

“No fair!!” Katsuki shouted, stamping his foot. “Why does Izuku get to have his quirk first?! I want my quirk!”

“Wait your turn, you little brat!” Mitsuki shot back.

“My quirk?!” Izuku’s face lit up. Presumably. It was almost entirely hidden by pieces of paper. “Mommy, I got my quirk?!” He was happy, but also confused. Oh no!! What if his quirk was paper attraction?! What kind of hero would he be then, Paperboy?! That’s a terrible name!! And probably trademarked!!

“I… I guess so?”

—

Inko sighed as she peeled off yet another cherry blossom that had stuck to Izuku’s skin. She’d never realised how messy trees were until now. “Do you think things will eventually stop automatically sticking to him, doctor?”

The quirk specialist, a balding man with glasses and a confused expression, tilted his head at Izuku and raised an eyebrow. Without saying a word, he picked up a pen on his desk and stuck it to the boy’s cheek, where it remained. He tilted his head the opposite way, seemingly deep in thought, before removing the pen again and checking to see if it was sticky. “...Fascinating. I’m going to have to perform some more tests.”

"Well, if you think it's for the best? Are you okay to stick around- I mean, stay here for a little while longer, sweetie?" Inko asked her son gently.

"Yeah for sure!! I wanna see what I can do!"

Fifteen minutes later, Izuku found himself in a game of “What can stick to Izuku’s face and arms.” The doctor was on a roll, close to a new high score in Izuku buckaroo (Izuckaroo?) Pens, paperclips, pieces of paper, coins, batteries, a stapler, anything he could find in the room was now a very daring fashion accessory. Izuku wasn’t enjoying himself very much, but the doctor was finding the whole situation rather entertaining. He stuck a marker pen on Izuku’s forehead like a unicorn horn.

“Doctor, this is not helpful at all!” Inko scolded, growing more frustrated by the minute.

He then proceeded to take out his phone and snap a few pictures. “Don’t worry, this is for science,” he claimed, as he opened his social media apps. “Hashtag…stickyboy. Hashtag…lol.” he mumbled out loud as he slowly typed on the screen. He didn’t notice the angry glare from Inko or the sad look on Izuku’s face as he waited for the likes and comments to pour in.

Izuku, ever optimistic, looked up at the specialist with his big, green eyes shining with childlike wonder. “Do you think I can be a hero like All Might? With a quirk like this?”

The doctor’s lip wobbled as he looked down at the small child covered in more garbage than that one town you don’t like, you know the one. “A…a hero?” he snickered, “L-like All Might?!” He tried to keep a straight face, but it was hopeless. “Pff…Bwahahaha!! A hero like All Might?! Kid, you’re sticky! What are you gonna do, gross out the villains?!”

Inko stared daggers at him, “Doctor! I assumed these tests must have had some merit, but this seems wildly unprofessional!”

“Hold on, hold on, I gotta call the nurse in,” the doctor said, wiping a tear from his eye as he tried to regain himself. “Nurse! Nurse, get in here, you gotta see this!”

"Doctor, that is quite enough!" Inko shouted once more.

The nurse entered the room, curious about the commotion, “Yes doctor?”

Still chuckling, he managed to force out, “This kid’s quirk is being sticky, and he wants to be a hero… Like All Might!!”

The nurse almost immediately joined in the laughter, even throwing in some pointing and mock crying expressions at the distraught Izuku.

“Well, if being a hero doesn’t work out, you can always be a lint roller!” she howled.

Inko had reached her boiling point. She peeled the objects off Izuku’s face, clenching the stapler in her hands 

“Hey, look on the bright side, you’ll never lose your phone, it’ll be stuck to you!” The doctor cracked up at his own crappy joke.

Inko marched around the desk to where the doctor sat, and he looked up at her, still smiling. “Huh? AHHH!” his thoughts were suddenly not on Izuku, but on the staples Inko just slammed into his forehead.

“Oops!” She said mockingly, “I guess my son’s quirk is a bit stronger than we thought!” The doctor clutched his head in pain.

“Owwww! Whyyyy?!” He whimpered.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Inko said sweetly, “that was a waste of staples.” Then she grabbed a piece of paper from his desk and stapled it to the side of his head. “There we go!”

“I’ll… I’ll call the cops!” The nurse shrieked, backing away into the wall and reaching for the landline phone on the wall.

Inko’s eyes flashed with righteous fury as she pointed threateningly at the nurse, “ And I’ll call the morgue .”

The nurse put the phone back on the hook.

“Come on Izuku, let’s go home.” She smiled kindly at her son, leading him by the hand.

On their way out, passing by the other terrified patients waiting to be seen, she kicked the door down instead of opening it. “Wow, that is a powerful quirk, isn’t it dear?”

“Yes mommy.” Izuku said with a smile.

—

“Mommy…is it true what that man said? Can I really not be a hero with a quirk like this?” Izuku looked up at her with giant watery eyes.

"Izuku, with the aliens who gave us these quirks as my witness, I'm going to help you follow your dreams just to stick it to that bastard at the clinic."

"What's a bastard?"

"You'd have to ask your father. Now give me a hug. …ow ow ow hair HAIR!"

—

Katsuki Bakugo REFUSED to let Izuku beat him at anything! There was no way that sticky loser was getting his quirk first. He was gonna get his quirk, show everyone at school first, and he’d be the coolest kid at kindergarten! This was the most important weekend of his entire life .

So he spent the whole weekend trying to force his quirk out of himself. He tried yelling as loud as he could, punching walls, kicking trees, he jumped off a super-duper high wall in his backyard (almost 2ft!!), anything he could think of that might make something happen. He ate the spiciest food he could find, he spun around in circles, he held on to a box of matches and stared at them intently before deciding against it. He watched hero videos, he looked at the pictures in hero magazines, he said the word hero outloud 100 times (the biggest number Katsuki knew), but nothing seemed to work.

Until finally, on Monday morning just before school started, he did it. He got so hyped about a new episode of Captain Celebrity that he clapped his hands and blew up a window with the resulting blast.

He couldn’t wait to get to school and show everyone his quirk, especially Izuku! Katsuki had a REAL quirk, he was gonna be the hero and Izuku would have to just follow him around carrying his things! 

Katsuki strutted into school early that day, already basking in the attention from his classmates. Just as he was revelling in it, Izuku showed up. Katsuki smirked and thrust his palms forward, creating a show of sparks and mini-explosions.

"Wow!" Izuku gasped, eyes wide with genuine excitement. "Kacchan, you got your quirk too!"

“That’s right, and it’s way better than anyone else's!” Bakugo boasted. “I can blow stuff up and I can even fly!”

"Fly? Seriously?!" Izuku's jaw nearly hit the floor as he inched closer.

“...Not yet, but I will! Just watch me!” Bakugo declared, drawing gasps of admiration from the other kids who couldn't believe their ears or eyes.

But leave it to one of the teachers to play the role of the party pooper. She turned to Izuku and asked, much to Katsuki's annoyance, "You got your quirk this weekend too, didn't you, Midoriya?"

“Uh huh!” he said with a smile. “I’m gonna be a hero like All Might!” and he started punching the air.

“Wow, hear that Bakugo? Maybe you and Midoriya could team up and tackle villains together!" the teacher suggested optimistically.

“Fat chance! His quirk is being sticky, it’s dumb.” Bakugo crossed his arms and looked at Izuku disapprovingly, “He’d just get in my way.”

“My quirk isn’t dumb!” Izuku protested, his cheeks turning red. “My mom says it’s super strong!”

The teacher tried her best to prevent an argument, “Oh come on Bakugo, I’m sure it’s more than just being sticky. Right, Midoriya?”

“Um, I dunno… But I’m gonna find out!”

“That’s your quirk, you’re sticky?! That’s useless!” One of the other children shouted.

“How’s that gonna help anyone?!” Another yelled.

Bakugo smirked with his arms crossed. “Yeah, Sticky Izzy, how are you gonna be a hero, huh?”

One of the other boys laughed and said, “Yeah, Sticky Izzy, why don’t you stick around and find out!” Which didn’t actually make a whole lot of sense in context, but it was still a fairly clever piece of wordplay from a 4 year old so credit where it’s due.

Izuku clenched his little fists tight and angrily shouted back at the other kids “My mom says she’s gonna get me into a martial arts school! And I’m gonna learn how to fight, then you’ll all feel really bad when you see me fighting villains with All Might!”

—

Life with Izuku’s quirk turned out to be quite the learning experience for both Izuku and Inko. They soon discovered that his stickiness had a mysterious on/off switch, but neither of them could figure out how the hell it worked. It was like an enigma wrapped in some glue.

The stickiness, for example, would take a nap itself whenever Izuku fell asleep. Izuku’s clothes also never seemed to be affected by his quirk, as they never got stuck to his body and his hair would never stick to his face.

His baths were a nightmare, because the water would cling to him like a second skin and there was no way to dry him off. Inko would have to wait for him to fall asleep then change the sheets, which gave a whole new meaning to wetting the bed.

He also needed help with almost everything. He couldn’t eat or write without someone else pulling the fork or pencil off him. There was no way they could find for him to let go of things himself, because it would just stick to his other hand. For some reason he couldn’t use a table edge either, because the item would stay firmly attached no matter how much he tried. But conversely, he had no issues using door handles. It was a very temperamental quirk at the best of times.

Inko did eventually manage to enrol Izuku in a dojo that both accepted children and was quirk counsellor certified to help kids whose abilities required quite a bit more patience from instructors. The holes burned into some equipment tossed to the side of the training area actually made Inko feel good about choosing this place, they clearly had some experience with complicated quirks. She felt even better about it when the instructors treated her son very sweetly the first time he tried to hit a punching bag and got stuck.

“It’s all a learning experience, little one! Don’t feel bad at all.” The translucent instructor ensured him, hesitating slightly before she ruffled Izuku’s hair. She was quite glad to not get stuck to his head. Then turning to Inko, who was sitting in on their first session, she added “His quirk is fascinating, is it genetic?”

Inko pondered for a moment, "Well, I never really thought about it, but yes, I guess it must be. My quirk attracts small objects, so I suppose Izuku is doing something similar, but all the time."

The instructor nodded in understanding, "Ah, that makes sense. Kids do seem to take after their parents, just amplified!"

As the training continued, Izuku found himself fascinated by the unique abilities of his see-through sensei. He wished he could take notes, but he couldn't write yet so that would have been a challenge. Nonetheless, he mentally filled an entire notebook with everything he observed about her quirk.

“Do you have any children yourself?” Inko asked, as Izuku slid on a pair of gloves and took renewed aim at the punching bag.

The instructor smiled and replied, "Just my little Toru. She's somewhere around here, probably getting into some trouble as usual."

A voice chimed in from an unseen source, "Hey! I'm not causing trouble!"

The sensei rolled her eyes, "Toru, dear, please put on some clothes. We’ve been through this.” She said, looking down at nothing.

“Why? It’s not like anyone can see me!”

“You know that’s not the point! Now go put something on.”

Toru grumbled and, presumably, wandered off. Mrs Hagakure turned to Inko and shrugged, "Kids. Okay then, Izuku!” she clapped her hands, “Let’s see what you can do!”

—

Six months had flown by since Izuku began his weekly training sessions at the dojo, and the progress he was making made it worth the effort. His confidence in his quirk was growing stronger by the day, and he was even beginning to get some control of activation and deactivation - the secret lay in relaxation techniques. He’d made good friends with some of the other kids at the dojo, including his invisible companion Toru and another acidic friend named Mina. He still went to regular school as well, of course, and he was positive he was close to a breakthrough when it came to Kacchan’s friendship.

One sunny afternoon, he and some of his other kindergarten classmates were playing heroes vs villains in the park. Izuku was playing the villain, like always. But that’s okay, really! It just meant Kacchan got to practise at being a hero, so it technically meant Izuku was saving people in the future! Even if it did sometimes just feel like an excuse for them to chase Izuku.

Today, the other boys seemed to be extra mean, and were chasing Izuku around the playground throwing sticks at him. The teacher ‘watching’ their playtime took a sip of her soda and kept looking at her phone. “Don’t be too rough.”

“You’d better run, Sticky! Or I’ll blast ya!” Kacchan yelled.

Izuku ran as fast as he could, but he was outnumbered and outmatched. Soon enough he found himself cornered by a wall, with no way out. Kacchan was closing in on him grinning wickedly, explosions popping on his palms like miniature fireworks. Their other friend started to stretch his fingers, while another flapped his bat wings ominously.

Panicking, Izuku turned on the spot only to be met by bricks. There was no way out!! …Unless… Looking up at the wall, he breathed heavily and closed his eyes tight, and pressed his palm against the brickwork.

It was rough, but he felt his quirk activate. He lifted the other hand and moved it higher, clumsily removed his velcro shoes using his heels and stuck his foot to the wall too. This might actually work!!

Repeating the process, he slowly but steadily began to scale the wall. He wasn’t being quick about it, but the other boys made no attempts to stop him.

“Hey! How are you doing that?!” Kacchan shouted.

“I don’t know! I just can!” Izuku shouted back. After reaching the top of the wall he looked down at them, feeling a giddy rush of adrenaline and excitement. He laughed out loud, smiled and waved down at the others, who actually looked pretty impressed. Even if Kacchan hid it well.

He’d escaped them without a scratch! It didn’t even seem that difficult to climb the wall, the training must be doing something for his upper body strength after all. This clinched it, he really could be a hero after all! 

The hard part now was getting down off the roof.

Chapter Text

"Ready or not, here I come!" Toru hollered as she sprinted towards Izuku. She was supposed to practise being more ‘visible’ today, as part of her self-confidence training, but she decided that being loud and annoying was close enough. Besides, it was way more fun to chase after her friends. Especially Izuku, the king of freaking out whenever she was about to catch him. Honestly, it was almost too easy - he'd zigzag all over, only to end up in a headlock time and time again.

"Toru! Quit it! I-I couldn’t see you!" Izuku protested, still trying to catch his breath.

"You couldn’t see a floating shirt and shorts?" Toru asked, as she raised an eyebrow that no one could see. "I’m gonna tell mom to work on your sitchy-ashunal awareness."

"What’s that?"

"Dunno" she shrugged, which also no one could see.

Izuku smiled, "Yeah well, you can’t get me up here!" he said before running to the nearest wall and beginning to scale it. In the 2 ½ years since he discovered this aspect of his quirk he had gotten very good at climbing walls. Being barefoot was certainly helping on this occasion, before Toru could try and drag him down he was already at the top of the wall with his hands and heels glueing him in place. He stuck his tongue out at her, "Nehhh!"

"That's not fair! You can't just hide up there all day!" Toru complained as she searched around for something to throw at Izuku. Curse her mother for not allowing shoes in the training room!!

Izuku smiled smugly and taunted, "Hey, it's been working out great for me so far!"

"Moooom! Tell Izuku to get off the ceiling so I can beat him up!"

Emerging from the bathroom, with Mina in tow, Toru's mother stepped in to mediate. "Guys, can this wait a moment? Mina, are you feeling better?"

During some sparring Mina’s quirk got away from her momentarily, and she’d melted a small hole in the wall. Not enough to cause any structural damage, but accidents like this always made her feel terrible.

"Yeah, I think I'm better now... Sorry about the wall," Mina said, rubbing her eyes and staring remorsefully at the still smoking hole.

"No worries at all, hon. Controlling your acid is precisely why you're training here. I wouldn't be much of a teacher if I got mad every time a student melted a hole in the building," Hagakure said, gently patting her shoulder. "Besides, we've got three more walls to spare."

Mina smiled gratefully, "Thanks, sensei."

With Mina running off to tackle Toru to the floor, the translucent trainer clapped her hands together and announced today’s plans. "Alright, it's training time! Izuku, today let's focus on turning your quirk on and off," Hagakure suggested, looking toward the ceiling where Izuku clung.

"Oh, like my deep breathing exercises that help me unstick?" Izuku inquired, demonstrating his technique by closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, ‘gracefully’ detaching from the ceiling and promptly crashing to the floor with a thud and a groan. Clearly, he still needed to work on his landing skills.

Hagakure nodded, offering him a hand to get back up. "Exactly! But we want you to be able to do that instinctively, without even thinking about it."

Izuku scratched the back of his head nervously, "Are you sure I can actually, you know… Do that?"

"Absolutely! All you need is to believe in yourself and your quirk!" Hagakure replied, beaming with encouragement. "And, well, some padding wouldn't hurt either..."

"Your quirk is kinda like mine, Izuku!" Mina said, as she joined the conversation. "There’s like… levels, y’know? I can make my acid suuuuper strong or reeeeeally weak. And if I couldn’t do that I might melt through the floor and end up burning to death in the earth’s core." She finished dramatically, with wide eyes.

Hagakure sighed, "Maybe not quite so extreme, but Mina has a point. She can control the strength and viscosity of her acid to - usually - keep things at a safe level. Your stickiness could work in the same way, it’s just that right now you’re working at 100 or nothing."

Izuku nodded, as he thought about it. "Oh, yeah, that makes sense… I guess I just always think of it as being on or off."

"I figured it out, so I bet you can too." Mina said, as she gave him a thumbs up.

Toru eyed her friend sceptically. "Didn't you just burn a hole in the wall, like, 5 minutes ago?"

"I'm 6 years old, cut me some slack!"

"Anyway," Hagakure interjected, trying to get the conversation back on track, "We know that when things touch your skin, they get stuck—"

"Hey!" Toru interrupted, "Not everything sticks to him!"

"Yes, thank you, Toru. I was getting to that," Hagakure replied, extending her hand to pat where she assumed her daughter's head was.

"Ow! You just poked me in the eye!"

"Oops, sorry dear. Now, let's focus. Your clothes don't get stuck, you don't stick to yourself, and most importantly..." To illustrate her point, she took Izuku's hand in hers, "Other people don't get stuck. That's what we're going to work on. You clearly have some subconscious control over your quirk to avoid making your life unmanageable. We just have to figure out how that works."

"Don’t forget as well, I can't unstick things with my own hands when my quirk is on, but others can do it for me! I bet there's a way I can make things stay stuck to me, which would be so awesome for a hero!!"

"You could catch villains by hugging them!" Mina yelled.

"Then that's our first goal!" Hagakure declared. "Girls, grab the softballs! I just had a brilliant idea for a new game."

—

A few moments later Izuku’s arms, legs and face had every square inch covered by a red foam ball, looking like a walking raspberry with limbs. He could still see, but that was only because their teacher wouldn’t let Toru test if his eyeballs were sticky too. Part of him felt like he could get hit by a bus right now and he’d probably just bounce off. …Or he’d get stuck to the front of the bus? 

Hagakure had her three students line up in the outdoors playing field, and walked in front of them like a drill instructor. "Alright kiddos! The aim of the game is to grab as many of the red balls from Izuku as you can. Izuku, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to not let that happen! Any questions?"

"What if I can’t keep hold of any of them?" Izuku asked, a little worried he’d disappoint.

"If you can’t do it, then think of this as dodging training. There’s no pressure, so just have some fun with it. Any other questions?"

"Does my hair look pretty?"

"Yes Mina, it looks lovely. OK! Izuku, you get a 3 second head start. Girls, don’t be too rough. THREE, TWO, ONE, GO!"

Izuku broke off into a sprint, but even with the head start his friends were still faster. Both Mina and Toru lunged towards Izuku, their hands darting out to snag one of the foam balls - and easily doing so.

"Hey, that’s cheating!" Izuku protested, knowing full well that it wasn’t. He had to try something else. He closed his eyes and clenched his muscles, hoping to make the balls stickier. "Think sticky! Think sticky!" he chanted, sometimes slipping into "thick stinky", which made him giggle.

In his attempts he lost another few foam balls to his relentless friends, but he really wanted to try hard today and do well. Right at the moment he was thinking that, Mina’s hand connected with a sphere on his shoulder… Which stayed put.

"Wha..?" She stuttered, looking at her empty hand and then at Izuku in disbelief.

"I did it!" Izuku exclaimed, jumping up and down, "I did it I did it I-" The ball fell off his shoulder. "...aw man."

The rest of that round went about as badly as possible for Izuku, though he still enjoyed himself.

—

Snack break! Izuku had a cheese sandwich! And some apple juice!

—

Red Ball Riot Round 2! Mina and Toru had so much fun during the first round that they couldn’t wait to play again, but Hagakure had asked the two of them to not be quite so relentless this time around.

This time Izuku wasn’t playing around, he was going to be the stickiest boy since sticky the stick insect got stuck! He didn’t really know what that meant, but it was something his mom kept quoting to him.

"Okay, Izuku, I have a suggestion for you," Hagakure said, interrupting Izuku’s fierce focus. He relaxed his arms a little and listened.

"I’m ready!"

"Well, I’ve noticed that when you use your quirk you get super stiff, like you’re constipated or something. Have you tried being more chill? Like when you want to turn your quirk off, but not all the way off. Can you do that for me?"

"Um, okay I’ll try it…" Izuku felt his shoulders droop and he lifted his head slightly, eyes closed, and took slow breaths. He felt his pulse slow, but he told himself don’t unstick, stay sticky…stay sticky… And to his relief, he managed it.

"Toru," Hagakure nudged her daughter, "Go try and grab one of the balls from him."

"What?" She said, puzzled, looking at her mom, "Aren’t we supposed to run after him?"

"Go on, just try." 

"Meh, fine, but it sounds boring…" She sauntered over to Izuku with her hands in her pockets, reached out and pulled on one of the foam balls. Which ripped in half, leaving a chunk of foam stuck to Izuku’s arm. "IZUKU!!" she shrieked in his ear.

"AGH!" Izuku snapped out of his trance, and some of the balls flew off his body and rolled on the ground. But not all of them! "Did I do it!? Did I stay sticky?!"

"Yeah! You nailed it!!" Mina clapped and cheered, proud of her friend.

"Awesome work, Izuku, you’ve improved a lot today! Do you want to keep going or is that enough for the day?" Hagakure asked.

"Uh, I’d love to keep going but, I think my feet are stuck to the pavement." He said, looking down, and trying to wiggle one of his feet but failing miserably.

"…Oh, that’s not good."

Mina wasn’t allowed to use her acid to free him from the floor, but luckily the dojo had a crowbar.

—

Later that evening, as Izuku worked on turning his sticky powers on and off, Inko was on the phone with Mitsuki Bakugo for their usual evening chitchats.

"So, how has little Katsuki been doing at school?"

"Top of the class, or so he tells me."

"You think he might be pretending?"

"I wouldn’t put it past the little shit!" 
"I’m not pretending, I’m the freaking best!" 
"Katsuki says hi, by the way."

"Mom?" Izuku tried to interrupt their conversation as politely as he could, "Can you ask Kacchan if he wants to come to the dojo with me next week? I want him to meet my friends."

"Sure sweetie, I’ll ask. Izuku wants to know if Katsuki wants to go training with him next week?"

"I’m not going anywhere with that sticky nerd!" 
"He says he’ll think about it."

Katsuki stood up from his dumb easy jigsaw puzzle on the living room floor and made his way to his room in a huff. Why would anyone think he wanted to train with dumb Izuku and his dumb worthless quirk? So he could stick to things, big freaking deal, it’s not like it’s cool that he can climb walls or anything. Katsuki could climb walls if he wanted to, but he doesn’t because it’s stupid.

He kicked over his lego and walked over to the Best Jeanist punching bag that he got for his birthday last year, and gave it a good smack.

"Your punches are stronger than stone-washed denim" The digitised voice praised him.

"Damn right they are…" Katsuki grumbled under his breath. Katsuki Bakugo was gonna be the best hero ever, and nobody was gonna stop him. Asking him to go train with Izuku… Why would Katsuki even need training? His quirk was already the best in the whole world, so, what was happening there? Did the sticky nerd think he needed his help?! He was looking down on him, pitying him! There was no chance he’d let Izuku get away with this, so he’d better watch out at school tomorrow…

—

"Kacchan! Stop chasing me!"

"Come down here and face me like a man!"

"We’re six!"

"That’s how many times I’m gonna kill you, you worthless nerd! Now get off the wall!" Bakugo yelled back, explosions popping off in his palms. Even at this young age, they could do some real damage.

"Why would that make me more likely to come down!? What’s with you today?! Stop messing around, Kacchan!"

By now a small crowd had formed, which only served to annoy Bakugo even more. 

"What’s going on, Katsuki? Did Izuku get stuck up there again?"

Stupid extras were gonna get in the way of him teaching the sticky nerd a lesson. He had to think strategically about this…

"Come…Come down here, Izuku." He said in his best fake friendly voice, "I’ve uh…Baked you a cake, and I want us to eat it together."

Izuku narrowed his eyes and looked at him sceptically, "...What kind of cake?"

"Who cares what kind of freaking cake you stupid-!" he took a deep breath, "It’s chocolate cake."

"Eh, I don't really like chocolate."

"Fine!! Fine. It’s strawberry. But if you don’t come down here soon, I’ll let everyone else eat it instead." He gave an absolutely terrifying smile.

"Oh cool, Katsuki made us a cake?" One of the other kids said excitedly.

"Get outta here you dumb extras, that cake is for me and Izuku!!" Katsuki yelled at them, shooing them away with his blasts. Ugh, he’s starting to want cake…

"Alright, I’ll come down." Izuku began to slowly descend the wall, before jumping down when he got to a safe distance. "I was getting a little worried you were trying to beat me up but-AGH"

Izuku’s thought process was halted by Katsuki’s fist flying to his cheek. Katsuki’s thought process was halted by his fist staying there.

"What the hell?! I thought your stupid quirk didn’t work on people!"

"It usually doesn’t Kacchan, I swear!" Izuku said in a panic, "I guess it’s because of my training!"

"Well, turn it off! I can’t get free!"

In what was not one of Izuku’s smartest moves, he tried to pull Kacchan’s hand off his face by grabbing the angry boy’s sleeves and pulling. "Oh, oh that isn’t good…"

"What have you done?!"

"....My hands are stuck to your sleeve." He admitted quietly.

"THEN UNSTICK THEM!!"

"Okay okay, I’ll try! I’ll try!"

"JUST FREAKING DO IT!"

Izuku tried to take a deep breath like he did at the dojo, but it was a lot harder under these circumstances. He breathed in….and out….in….and out.

"FREAKING HURRY IT UP!"

"I can’t, I can’t concentrate, I need, I need to-"

"RRRRGGGHHH"

"Owww! Don’t pull!!"

Eventually, through a lot of trial and error, the duo managed it. Despite their differences they worked together and solved their problem, growing closer as friends.

Not really, Izuku and Katsuki had to awkwardly walk their way to the nurses office, call their moms to take them home, and Izuku had to take a sleeping tablet to unstick Bakugo.

They did not grow closer as friends.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The four friends, Izuku, Mina, Toru, and Eijiro, emerged from the UA written examination like a group of beaten zombies. They collapsed on the ground, moaning and whimpering as if they had just survived a nuclear blast. The sun felt too bright for their eyes, which had been strained by the endless questions and problems. Despite diligently following Izuku's strict 'Ten Steps To Academic Success' regime, nothing had prepared them for the torture they had endured.

Eijiro curled up into a foetal position and rocked back and forth, muttering to himself, "I'm done... Just leave me here to die..."

Slumped against a low wall, Toru tried to speak but only managed to produce a weak, "So... Many... Numbers..."

Nearby, Mina squinted and reached a hand out to touch Izuku's face as if she were on her deathbed. "Izuku...? Is that you...? It's been so long..."

"I can still see the language exam when I close my eyes... I think I've forgotten what a noun is..." Izuku mumbled, staring off into the middle distance.

The four of them wailed and sobbed, waving their limbs in the air as they sprawled on the floor. They were being very overdramatic, but that's what true friendship is about - supporting one another through challenging times, even if it meant pretending like you're on the verge of death from a demanding exam.

Their Oscar-winning performances were cut short by a certain loud-mouthed, loud-quirked, loud-haired teen strutting his way out of the examination hall, his head held high, and his expression exuding an air of confidence. Even if he found the exam difficult or taxing, there was absolutely no way he'd let anyone else know that. As far as anyone else was concerned, Katsuki Bakugo knew every answer and was always one step ahead. Any answers he didn't know were because the questions were written wrong, as a trick. He barged straight through the four of them, without so much as a glance, yelling "MOVE IT, EXTRAS!"

Izuku snapped out of his misery upon seeing Bakugo and miraculously reverted back to the picture of perfect health.  As Bakugo continued his brisk walk, never looking back, Izuku waved and said, "Good luck with the rest of the exam, Kacchan!" with a bright, genuine smile.

In the distance, Kacchan snarled, "We're not friends, you sticky nerd!" as he turned a corner, probably heading to the practical exam briefing.

"Hah, such a kidder," Izuku said, smiling and nodding as if it were a private joke between the two of them. "He's always saying stuff like that; he has a brilliant sense of humour."

Toru folded her arms and frowned as the explosive teen disappeared from their view. She shook her head, baffled by the whole Bakugo situation. "Why is that guy so mad all the time? Every single time we've seen him around the city, he's looked like he's about to blow!" She emphasised this by spreading her arms wide, as shown by the wristbands she had started wearing so people knew where her hands were.

"Maybe he did really poorly on the exam?" Eijiro suggested. "You did tell us he was a perfectionist, right Izubro?"

Izuku tried his best to explain his childhood friend's emotional state, understanding Bakugo in ways that others often failed to. "He's just passionate, that's all!" He shrugged, knowing that his explanation might not convince them, but he was always ready to defend his friend. "Oh darn, I meant to ask if he'd come training with us sometime..."

"Haven't you asked him that every week for like, 10 years?" Mina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think he's just shy about meeting new people. Kacchan doesn't really have any friends other than me; the other kids always stayed away from him for some weird reason."

Toru frowned. "Yeah, I can't imagine why."

"Right?!" Izuku said, "It might be because he's busy so much of the time; he doesn't get a chance to meet new people that often. Oh! If we all pass, maybe he'll be in our class at UA!"

Far away, Bakugo's voice could be heard in the distance, " Outta my way, losers !"

Rolling her eyes, Toru said, "Oh yeah, great, can't wait."

—

The practical examination briefing turned out to be quite uneventful, at least until a very brusque boy decided to repeatedly interrupt Present Mic with snarky remarks, seemingly suggesting that the pro-hero was doing his job poorly. Izuku also found himself briefly glued to an information leaflet as he attempted to pass it along to his neighbour in the adjacent seat, pre-exam jitters getting the best of his quirk. Fortunately, apart from that minor mishap, he was relieved to have avoided any major embarrassments and managed to keep the serious teen from turning their attention toward him in irritation.

It turned out that six groups of examinees would be tested simultaneously in various areas of the sprawling UA campus. The sheer size of the school left Izuku in awe, he knew UA was big, but not six enormous testing locations big. Despite the likelihood of being separated, Izuku and Mina learned they’d be competing together. Both of them had been assigned to the City B testing area, which they found comforting. Unfortunately, their contentment was dampened by the presence of the same brusque boy who had been causing a scene during the briefing. Thankfully, it seemed that he was presently keeping to himself, which was a relief.

Warming up with a series of exercises to prepare for the event, Izuku asked his friend with interest, "So, Mina, what's your strategy for the exam?"

Mina thought about it for a moment, her head tilting slightly before she finally shrugged and replied, "I was kinda thinking I'd just blow up the robots!"

Izuku laughed at the straightforward response, "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. I think I might try going for their-"

"Excuse me!" Before Izuku could share his own thoughts, they were rudely interrupted by the tall and serious boy from earlier. He’d marched over to them with a misplaced air of authority, and sternly addressed them, "Your gossiping is distracting the other students! If you are not here to take the examination seriously, then I suggest you leave at once!"

Mina jabbed her finger into his chest and shot back, "We're brainstorming, you big jerk, the only person distracting anyone today is you! They're probably going to grade us on how well we cooperate with others, and if I were a teacher, I'd give you a big fat zero!"

The boy appeared shocked, staggering back slightly as if struck by a surprise attack. Automatically, he held a hand to his heart, as though the mere idea that a teacher would be disappointed with him was akin to being stabbed. "I was only-"

"GO! GO! GO! THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN THE REAL WORLD! GET GOING!"

The tall boy suddenly perked up like a rabbit on the lookout for predators and bolted into the city proper. Mina grabbed hold of Izuku's arm to urge him to follow, but he tripped while trying to untie the knot in his shoelaces. "Crap, crap, crap! Why didn't I think to take these off before I came here?!" Finally, he managed to fling off his shoes and hurled himself forward. The gravel of the city prickled only slightly, as he had long gotten used to running barefoot. He knew the temporary discomfort was worth it if it helped him use his quirk.

It didn't take long at all for the sounds of destruction to ring out as students launched themselves at the robot villains. One that resembled a huge sphere with legs, with the number 1 spray-painted on its chest, lumbered its way toward Izuku and Mina. If they didn't know any better, they'd think it was trying to avoid the excitement further into the city.

Izuku squatted lower to the ground and ran toward the robot, jumping onto it and activating what he had named Snail Style: Wall Slide Technique, sliding up the body of the robot. At the top, he suddenly glued his hands down, causing a slight change in momentum that was just enough to topple the machine, sending it crashing to the ground. If he could keep this up, he might even break the school record!

"I just scored another 8 points, Izuku!" Mina shouted with a cheer, standing on top of a heap of rubble. "How are you doing?"

"Uh, awesome thanks!" he replied. Okay, maybe he won’t break the school record. With the stickiness of his hands, he grabbed a piece of metal and attached it to his forearm like a shield, and ran full speed into the legs of another 1 pointer down the street. Like dominoes, it fell right on top of one of the scorpion-like 2 pointer robots.

Noting the new attachment, Mina got an idea and shouted out to him, "Hey! Give me a boost!"

Izuku, intuitively knowing what she was planning to do, banged on the front of the metal to get the attention of some more villains. He then knelt down and held the shield above his head, waiting for Mina to run over and jump up onto the metal. At the exact moment she jumped off, Izuku acted like a springboard, giving her a huge mid-air lift above the robots. In flight, Mina sprayed corrosive acid down on the robots, earning her another nice bunch of points as they collapsed in on themselves. Izuku had no idea if that would count toward his own score, but it looked really awesome, and sometimes that's the really important thing.

In giving Mina a congratulatory thumbs up, Izuku almost missed the 3 pointer smashing down on him. After managing to slide away horizontally just in the nick of time, he firmly pressed his hands directly onto the robot's red glowing optic array, jumped up so his feet were on its face, and pulled. Surprisingly, the eyes came out with ease, probably because most people wouldn't be able to get any kind of grip on them. The tangle of wires that came out with the eyes must have held some importance because the robot immediately folded.

More banging and clanging sounds echoed, and Izuku turned his head, half expecting to see Mina scoring another dozen points. Instead, he saw the boy from earlier, moving at high speed and effortlessly kicking his way through robots, using the jets coming from the backs of his ankles. Everyone else seemed to be slicing through the enemies like they were nothing! Another entrant, gulping down packets of what Izuku really hoped was sugar, uppercut a 2-pointer into the side of a building, as another punched a 1-pointer to pieces with her giant hand.

Izuku needed to try harder, to really give it his best! He scowled and clenched his teeth; speed was what he needed now, and speed was what he was going to get! Running straight toward a group of robots, he slid under one’s legs, sticking his hands to both legs at once and bending them inward. The fall caused it to knock another backward, and using his quirk, Izuku grabbed hold of the falling robot and flung himself skyward angled toward a building.

Sticking his feet, he wall ran along the building before jumping off toward a two-pointer, grabbing the scorpion tail and pulling it down directly into its own body, destroying it. Wasting no time, and in a move he was sure only worked because it looked cool, he pulled out the robot’s stinger and threw it at a 3-pointer. It went right into its eyes, destroying it from the inside.

—

Elsewhere, the UA staff kept a clear view of the students’ actions from their observation room, a hub of surveillance and assessment for the aspiring heroes below. It was a spacious chamber, lined with floor-to-ceiling screens that displayed live feeds from cameras scattered throughout the various training grounds. Every angle and movement of the applicants was projected here, allowing the teachers to scrutinise their every move.

Near the front of the room were two central screens, where Vlad King and Midnight took charge of watching the student hopefuls in City B. With a discerning eye, they judged their skills, strategies, camaraderie, and potential for heroism.

Further back, Principal Nezu held his station, though he didn’t have to be confined to a single screen or testing area, thanks to his quirk - High Specs. It allowed him the ability to process multiple streams of information at once, shifting his attention from one scene to another in the blink of an eye .

As the staff observed, they kept track of the points earned by each entrant for their heroic feats. Some of them voiced the scores out loud, creating this constant background noise that was incredibly irritating to Vlad King. There was no need to say the points out loud every time; they all have notebooks and computers, just write them down !

"7 points to #117" "15 points to #34" "1 point to #212"

Vlad King tried to ignore the noise around him and focus on the monitors in front of him, eager to see how the aspiring heroes performed in the city scenario. His interest was piqued when he saw a green-haired boy jump from the side of a building and smash a 2-pointer and a 3-pointer robot in a matter of seconds.

"Hm," he muttered to himself, "This one seems to have improved a lot in a short time."

Midnight shuffled through her files and pulled out the student's profile, which had a Polaroid picture of him nervously smiling, paper-clipped to it. 'Oh yes, applicant #56, Izuku Midoriya. Isn't that Green Magnet's son? It seems like we have more children of heroes applying than ever before, don't you think?'

Vlad King snorted, "The boy has potential, but I hope he doesn't rely on his mother's reputation to get ahead. What's his quirk, some kind of physical enhancer?"

"It's registered as Stickiness; he can adhere to any surface. It looks like the description has been changed a few times over his life… Oh, the poor thing! When he was younger, he couldn't deactivate his quirk at all!" Midnight read the file, feeling a surge of pity for the 4-year-old boy who had no control over his powers.

The blood hero raised his eyebrow, "Stickiness? That's all? How did he manage to do all that with such a simple quirk?"

"Training, I suppose!" Midnight dramatically tossed her hair over her shoulder, "Or a hidden potential that has just been revealed! Oh, it's so thrilling!"

"Indeed!" A voice joined in from behind them. It was Principal Nezu, who had been observing along with the others. "But let's not get too fond of any of the applicants yet! We still have the next phase of the test to go."

Midnight and Vlad exchanged looks; they both knew what the next part of the exam was. They also knew their boss was a bit mad and liked to test boundaries to their breaking point.

As Nezu opened the arm of his chair and pressed a big red button, a countdown timer started to flash on the screen. The next stage was about to start.

—

City B shook with a deafening blast, and the test-takers froze in fear. Even their robotic foes paused, sensing the impending doom. The screech of metal gates cutting through the air was followed by a shower of dust from the crumbling buildings. They all gaped at the sight of the monstrous zero-pointer robot, far bigger than anyone had expected. The silhouette they had been shown in the briefing didn’t hold a candle to the real thing.

Mina grabbed Izuku and yanked him away from the path of the giant menace, but Izuku resisted and lunged at more of the smaller robots.

"I need more points; I’m not done yet!"

"Forget being done, you could be done for!" Mina screamed at him, pulling him back. "And is that worth your life?!"

Another boom sounded, causing both of them to halt their argument. The scream that followed a moment later was enough for both of them to start running directly toward the giant robot causing the destruction.

"Someone must have been too close when it appeared!" Izuku panted out as he ran.

"What should we do? We don’t even know where that scream came from." Mina, being able to slide on her acid, was less out of breath than Izuku.

As they got closer to the robot and had a better view of the situation, Mina pointed upwards and shouted "There’s someone up there, on the hand!"

Squinting his eyes, Izuku confirmed "Is this part of the exam?!" Sure enough, there was a girl who seemed to be holding her breath from time to time, and scaling the robot’s arm.

"I think she must have gotten picked up by accident when the robot attacked! What should we do?"

"I have to get up there somehow!" He scanned the buildings for his best option, "There!" he pointed, spotting a tall building near the giant robot. It was the least wrecked of the street, but bits of rubble still rained down from the roof as the zero-pointer wreaked havoc.

"Are you nuts?!" Mina exclaimed. "That’s suicide!"

Izuku was only half listening. "Mina, do you think you could melt the robot’s feet to the ground?"

"Sure, if I have to! But what are you going to-"

Izuku had already activated his quirk to his hands and dashed toward the skyscraper. He was ready to use Snail Style: Wall Slide Technique! With the adrenaline surging in his veins and a huge burst of effort, he dug his fingertips into the brickwork and flung himself upward. The stickiness of his quirk held him to the wall, but by lowering its power output he was able to soar upwards like a vertical air-hockey puck. At the peak of his climb, he did it again, gaining even more speed.

On ground level, Mina created acid slides to move faster on the ground, listening for any clues of whoever it was that screamed.

Calculating that he only needed one more push to reach the rooftop, Izuku kept chanting to himself "FASTER! GO FASTER!", he gritted his teeth and felt his arm muscles ache, as he dragged himself upwards one last time.

"IZUKU! LOOK OUT!"

Izuku barely heard Mina shout to him as the wind whipped past his ears and the robot’s powerful swing demolished the building he was climbing. It had slashed upwards, sending debris flying into the air - one piece of which had Izuku clinging on. The chunk of wall spun through the air, eventually levelling out and giving Izuku seconds to realise just how high up he’d been thrown.

This was higher up than he’d ever been before in his entire life! He’d never even been inside a skyscraper before, this was too much! All these thoughts raced through his head and more. Probably the most important one being "How do I get down without being horribly killed?"

There was no way out, this was the end for him. Killed, during an entrance exam. The lawsuits were going to be huge, that was for sure…

No! No he wasn’t going to die here! Maybe if he clenched his muscles really hard the impact would just break a few bones? It was worth a try at least. Izuku tensed his whole body, his quirk in full effect as a result of the tension, and he felt the breeze and air around him start to fade, then he waited.

And waited.

…Why wasn’t he smashing to the ground?

With a cautious breath, he opened his eyes, one after the other, and glimpsed below. He was suspended in mid-air, dozens of feet above the ground, the robot still wreaking havoc in the street beneath him. His legs felt tense, yet somehow steady, as if he were standing on an invisible surface. "No way," he whispered to himself, testing the air's resistance by moving his arm through it, feeling like treacle. "Impossible... it can't be."

But he couldn't resist trying. He made a bold decision and dialled down his quirk output in one leg, daringly moved it forward, and then turned the power back on. To his astonishment, he walked. In mid-air!

"O-oh my god" he gasped, his heart racing. "I'm stuck... to the air?! HAH!! HAHA! This is insane! I'M WALKING IN MID-AIR?!"

He took another step, then another, each time mastering the timing of activating and deactivating his quirk. He even experimented, letting himself drop a few feet before activating his Stickiness, and it was like landing on a very soft mattress. This was, without a doubt, the coolest thing that ever happened to him.

—

On the ground, Mina’s horror as she watched her friend get knocked into the air turned to confusion when he didn’t come back down again. Since when could Izuku fly ?! But there was no time to ponder the inexplicable. Determination surged within her, and she knew it was time to push herself to the limits. "If Izuku can suddenly do that, then I can go plus ultra too!" she declared, narrowing her eyes at the colossal robot. "Alright, Mr. Robot, prepare to be stopped!"

Mina cupped her hands, summoning the power of her acid quirk, feeling the fluid erupt forth and coalesce into a potent sphere right in front of her.

—

High above, Izuku's attention was drawn to the situation below. The girl he saw earlier had managed to reach the robot's shoulder, but she appeared exhausted, struggling to hold on. He couldn't let her be in danger any longer. He had to reach her, and fast. As he moved, he discovered that trying to run on an intangible surface was surprisingly difficult - it was like trying to run down a hill that couldn’t decide how steep it was. His speed increased uncontrollably, but he refused to be deterred. He barrelled his way toward the girl, somehow managing to stay afloat in the open air.

—

Mina gritted her teeth as the ball of acid between her hands grew larger and larger, its intense heat causing her palms to sting with agony. She couldn't afford to hold back – this was her moment to shine, and she knew she had to give it her all.

"This has to work! ACID SPIRIT BOMB!" she roared, hurling the colossal acid sphere straight at the rampaging robot. The projectile soared through the air with deadly accuracy, striking the zero-pointer's leg. The acid erupted on impact, its corrosive nature chewing through the metal like a hot knife through butter.

—

Izuku sprinted  faster than he had ever run before, as he saw the towering robot start to topple. Moving at breakneck speed, he accidentally kicked the edge of the robot's shoulder, propelling himself into a high-speed tumble. Just in the nick of time, he managed to grasp the girl's hand as she slipped off the edge. With one hand firmly holding onto her, he slammed his other hand onto the robot's shoulder, intending to glue himself down.

Pain surged through his own shoulders as he performed the move far too quickly for his body, dislocating them in the process. "Aagh!" he hissed, attempting to put on a brave smile for the girl in his hand. "It's fine... you're safe now."

Trembling with gratitude, the girl kept a tight hold with both hands. "Oh my god, thank you! I thought I was done for!"

"Don't worry," Izuku reassured her, his voice strained from pain. "You won't fall..."

She had an idea. "I can get us down, I think! I thought I could stop the robot from up here, but there's no way inside it! It was such a stupid idea..."

Rather than answering her, Izuku's body gave in to the pain, and he passed out. Unfortunately for them, his unconscious state also deactivated his quirk, causing them to start falling.

With a quick-thinking response, the girl held her breath, gripping onto Izuku as she activated her own quirk. They gently floated down to the ground level, where she let out a wave of relief and promptly threw up.

Mina, still nursing her steaming and raw hands, rushed over to them, panicking. "Izuku! Is he okay?! Are you okay?!" she anxiously blurted out.

"I think he dislocated his shoulders saving me," the girl explained, her voice shaky with emotion. "I thought I was going to fall, but he flew over and caught me."

Just as Mina and the girl were catching their breath, Recovery Girl and Vlad King arrived on the scene, finally able to intervene now that the test was over. Quickly, they assessed the situation and saw Izuku lying unconscious, with his shoulders clearly dislocated.

"Oh dear," Recovery Girl said with a hint of exasperation, "What a mess."

Vlad simply nodded in acknowledgement, ready to handle the situation.

Using her quirk, Recovery girl cured the two girls and handed them sweets, then turned her attention to Izuku.

"I’m awfully sorry about this, young man," she said in her motherly tone, "Vlad? If you could?"

With expert precision, Vlad King gently popped Izuku’s dislocated shoulders back into place. His eyes shot wide open, his face contorting in pain.

"EEEEEOWWWWWCH!!"

Chapter Text

Inside the Midoriya’s apartment, Izuku animatedly recounted his experiences during the entrance exam for his mother, making wild gesticulations as he went. Recovery Girl’s quirk really was quite amazing, he’d barely healed from his shoulder wounds, but he felt more alive than ever. With enthusiastic expressions, he was painting a vivid picture of the event to his mom.

"...The robot was huge and was smashing buildings like BOOM! KABOOM! Everyone was shouting oh no a giant robot what’re we gonna dooo but Mina was there with me and we heard this scream, so we both looked at each other and said-"

Seated on the couch, Inko listened intently and tried her best to keep up with the rapid-paced storytelling, but she was getting overwhelmed. Gently, she tried to interrupt him, "Izuku, sweetie, slow down. You said you had something very important to tell me? Something that ‘changed your life’?"

Izuku nodded eagerly and took a deep breath. He locked eyes with his mom and said with a huge grin: "I flew, mom! I can fly!" He then looked away, scratched his cheek and added: "Well, not exactly flying, more like running in mid-air, but the underlying principle was similar!"

Inko’s face was a mix of shock, confusion, and disbelief. "F-flying? But, your quirk is stickiness, how could you fly?"

Chuckling, Izuku shrugged, "I have no idea! It sounds kind of silly, I know. But let's be honest, most quirks sound a bit strange at first, right? I think I might have been sticking to the air somehow. It felt like there was a solid surface under my feet."

Blinking in astonishment, Inko tried to process this information. "I don't have to tell you that it makes absolutely no sense, right? Do you think you could do it again?"

With a smile, Izuku answered, "I can try, sure!" His eyes scanned the room for a prop to aid his experiment, and he spotted the kitchen chair. Convinced it would do the trick, he waited for a nod of approval, then climbed on top of it. Eager to demonstrate, he extended his foot and let it dangle in mid-air before taking a step forward, hoping to experience the same resistance as before.

In a swift response, Inko activated her quirk and pulled the dining room table out of harm's way, preventing her son from a potential nasty injury. There was no trace of flight in Izuku's movement.

Disappointed, Izuku thought aloud, "Maybe I have to be higher off the ground?" He brushed off his earlier setback and climbed to the back of the couch, reaching almost to the light fixtures, and made another attempt. Unfortunately, the outcome remained the same. Still no flying. Not even a hover.

"I don’t get it, I managed it before… but then again, I was about 50ft up- Oh, uh, I mean 10ft up?" he mumbled, catching himself before accidentally scaring his mom.

In response, Inko chuckled softly and enveloped him in a warm hug. "It's okay, Izuku. You don't have to worry about scaring me. If you're destined to be a hero someday, I'm sure you'll do a lot more dangerous things than being in the air. And don't stress too much about your quirk either. Sometimes being in danger can make us do amazing things, I learnt all about it during my training. But, that doesn't mean we should seek out trouble intentionally, alright?"

"Yeah, you’re right, I guess it’s just something I’ll figure out over time… But once I get there, It’s gonna make me the greatest hero ever!"

"That’s the spirit." She kissed him  on the forehead lovingly, and said "Now come on, let’s have some dinner. You must be hungry after all that flying."

—

After Izuku went to bed, Inko decided to use the time before work in the morning ( it’s fine, heroes never sleep! ) to do some research of her own. There was a lot of information to go through, collected from her year in the vigilante rehabilitation program and nearly a decade in the Ryukyu Agency. She was absolutely positive there was something here that could help her son with his new quirk situation, but damned if she could actually find the stupid thing.

The room looked like a scene from a very localised disaster movie. Piles of papers and boxes of documents were scattered everywhere, covering every inch of the floor and furniture. "Aghh, I wish I could remember that kid’s name…" She muttered to herself, thumbing through another document. She had files on different retired heroes, quirk registries, trigger users, and dozens of vigilantes - redeemed and otherwise.

She sighed and took a deep breath. Rushing wasn’t going to help anything; she just had to be methodical! Think back to what she wants to know, and try to remember… Nope, she couldn’t recall his name or where he was from at all . She knew he was one of the vigilantes she studied for the final exam, but that was all.

Back in her final year of ‘vigilante school,’ Inko was tested on all 2300+ convicted vigilantes of the previous decade. She had to memorise their quirks, their base of operations, why they were wrong to do what they did, and how she would stop them if ever necessary.

Inko didn’t agree with the test’s premise one bit but kept up pretences for appearances. She truly believed that not all vigilantes were bad, and that some of them had good intentions and valid reasons for their actions. Nothing she would ever admit publicly. The research helped her in a different way: Networking. If push ever came to shove, it could have been useful to have some heroes used to operating outside the law in her phonebook. It never really panned out that way, with her decision to stay a sidekick; she was never offered many opportunities for inter-agency team-ups, but it helped her through the exams.

It could certainly come in handy now, there was definitely someone she had in mind in this mess of papers and scribbled notes - why does her handwriting have to be so bad?! - who was uniquely qualified to help her son with his new developments.

She pushed aside a folder on Hosu vigilantism and saw a newspaper headline peeking underneath that gave her a sudden spark of recognition. It was such a relieving sight that she picked up the newspaper and kissed it.

"Naruhata! That’s where he was from!"

—

The following morning, Izuku awoke to the distressingly familiar smell of burnt toast, a sign that his mom had pulled another all-nighter. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms, feeling the soreness from yesterday’s exam. 

Putting on a comfy green hoodie, he headed to the living room. There, he saw the sea of documents and papers, and in the middle of the chaos was his mom, sitting on the floor with a cup of coffee. She looked up and smiled when she saw him, but he could tell she was exhausted.

"Busy night?" He said, to the bright smile and baggy eyes of his adoring mother.

"Izuku! You’re finally awake!" She greeted him cheerfully. "I’ve got something I want to tell you, I think you’re really going to love it! There’s this hero, he’s in America right now, who–"

I Am Here! I Am Here! I Am Here!

"Do you mind if I take this real quick, mom? Toru usually texts so it’s probably important." he asked politely.

Inko had completely lost her flow, so she just nodded. "Uh huh, go ahead."

~*boop*~ "Hell-" Before he could even finish the word hello, he had to pull the phone away from his ear to prevent his eardrums from exploding.

"IZUKU! I Z U K U!!!!"

"Toru?! What’s going on?!" Izuku asked, worried that something bad had happened. It was far too early for screaming, but it usually meant one of two things. She saw Mirko in public, which had happened five times so far. Or, she was being murdered. Which she thought was happening once, but it turned out she wasn’t being strangled, she’d just put a t-shirt on back to front.

"THE RESULTS! THE EXAM RESULTS! I JUST GOT MINE!!"

"Already?! It’s been less than 12 hours!"

"Did you get yours?!"

"Not yet, no! Oh, god! What if that means I never passed?! What if I have to-" 

The sound of the letterbox opening and a thick envelope hitting the mat stopped Izuku mid-sentence. Izuku and his mom both stared at the envelope then back at each other.

"...I think I just got my results."

—

" So, because of your actions at the exam, you were awarded 40 team points, 27 solo points, and 60 rescue points." The tired looking scraggly man on the video drawled, sounding very unenthusiastic. The camera spun around him in a 360-degree shot, which seemed unnecessary and overdone, the setup was probably meant to be for more dramatic announcements.

"Hey, Mom, who's that guy? I don't know him at all," asked Izuku, turning to his mom, who was finishing off a pot of coffee. Right as rain and ready for heroics.

"Hah, that emo? That’s Eraserhead, I’m not surprised you don’t know him. He’s underground, he comes by the agency every so often to do paperwork. Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure he was at my birthday party a few years ago. You remember, he sat on the balcony all night and you wouldn’t talk to him because you thought he was smoking?"

"Oh, yeah. Guess he works at UA."

" I don’t see the point, it won’t change anything, but I’ve been asked to show you this video as well. So, enjoy that."

The holographic image shimmered slightly, and switched to a brown haired pink cheeked girl nervously entering a fancy looking office. She approached the man at the desk, ( " That’s Present Mic! The voice hero!") and began to say her piece.

"Um, excuse me, sir?"

"Hey there!" Present Mic’s boisterous voice echoed through the holographic display, "What brings you to my humble office? Wait! Let me guess! …An autograph!"

The girl fidgeted, unsure of how to respond. "Um, well, not exactly," she stammered. "There was a boy at the exam, I don’t remember his name sorry. But he had green hair and…really strong arms." 

Izuku tried to ignore his mom nudging him.

"He really helped out during the exam, but he would have lost so much time doing that! I really want to repay the favour, so can you… give him some of my points? Just however much he might have lost from helping me out!"

Present Mic grinned, his shades glinting in the light. "I get where ya coming from, little lady! But let me tell ya something, you don’t need to give your points away to anyone! Sure, he helped you out, but that’s what being a hero is all about! Helping each other and having each other’s backs!"

The video froze on a screenshot of the girl smiling back at Present Mic, and Eraserhead abruptly appeared back on screen.

" So, yeah, there you go. I don’t see the logic in keeping this a secret so I’ll just tell you. You both got in the hero course. You got rescue points for helping her, she got rescue points for helping you. Congratulations." For a moment, he fished around in the pockets of his hoodie, and pulled out a party popper. It released a few anticlimactic streamers. "Welcome to your hero academia, Izuku Midoriya. …How many more of these do I have to do? 19? Ugh…"

Inko and Izuku were so busy jumping around the room together that they missed Eraserhead leaving the scene then returning because he took the wrong exit.

—

"We did it!!" The four-way high five was a complete disaster and they all whiffed entirely, Izuku almost impaled himself on Eijiro’s new hairdo and Toru nearly took off Mina’s finger.

Regardless, the move still got a patented Kirishima fist pump, "This year is gonna rule!"

They now stood outside the imposing gates of UA, dressed in their brand new school uniforms. The last month leading up to the start of classes had been a whirlwind of activity. A flurry of purchasing new supplies, signing various release forms and waivers, and receiving a constant stream of well-wishes and gifts from Inko's hero friends (Izuku now found himself the owner of an unexpected abundance of potted plants). Izuku even had to navigate missed calls from a hero in America who struggled to grasp the concept of timezones.

"Now, what's our plan?" Toru teased, glancing at her companions. "Are we going to gaze dramatically at the gates and nod resolutely, or are we actually going to go in?"

Izuku's face flushed with a hint of embarrassment, and he sheepishly kicked his foot. "Um... I kinda want to look up at the gate dramatically and nod resolutely..."

Mina and Eijiro joined in, giving similar puppy dog eyes, hoping to convince her.

With a sigh, Toru relented, "...Okay fine, but I get to go second."

With a determined expression, Izuku raised his gaze to the formidable gates, his heart swelling with anticipation. He let out a resolute "Hm!" before readjusting the straps of his bag and taking the first steps inside, heading toward the destiny that awaited him.

—

"You would have taken a fitness test like this back in middle school, but obviously you wouldn’t have been allowed to use your quirks." Eraserhead, the homeroom teacher for Class 1A announced to his students. All 20 of them stood in their PE uniforms, ready to hear what they’d be doing today instead of spending 3 hours at an assembly.

Eraserhead continued, "I think it would make more sense if kids were allowed to use their quirks in controlled environments from the start, but what do I know." He sighed, and tossed a baseball to Izuku. "Midoriya, go stand in the circle."

"Oh, okay." Izuku nodded, and did as he was asked. He clutched the ball nervously in his hand, feeling the weight of his classmates’ eyes on him.

"Do you remember what your record for the ball throw was in middle school?" Eraserhead asked him.

Izuku hesitated, "Uh, yeah about that…" 

"Don’t worry about it being a bad score, it’s why we’re here." Eraserhead reassured him, trying to sound encouraging in his own special way.

"Oh, well in that case, zero."

"Zero?" Aizawa repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, see, my quirk is kind of set to being on all the time as default, I have to concentrate to not constantly stick to everything. But when I was in elementary school I could never turn it off during the fitness tests because everyone would be really noisy and I couldn’t calm myself enough… I can do it now, no problem! But up to middle school it was either completely impossible for me to throw a ball, or they just wouldn’t let me compete because it was a waste of time."

Bakugo snorted at this.

Eraserhead rubbed his temples, it was going to be one of those years. "Tragic backstories aside, do you think you can throw the ball now?"

Izuku took the ball and planted it on his wrist, ready to try out a technique he’d been working on for a while. Giving his wrist a flick, the stickiness on the ball lessened ever so slightly, and he began to spin it around his forearm. The ball, managing to stay just barely attached to his skin, spun faster and faster and faster, the centrifugal force almost making it difficult to keep his feet planted.

Lifting one leg off the ground for balance (and because he thought it looked cool), he prepared to fire the ball like a slingshot! With perfect, precision timing he released…

The ball went directly down toward the ground, rocketed back up and smashed Izuku in the face. Next thing he knew, he was a few feet outside the ring with a baseball glued to his forehead.

Eraserhead clicked the handheld distance recorder in his hand and showed the rest of the class. "Minus 2 metres. The lesson to take from this is," he pointed to Izuku’s dazed body, "Don’t do that. I think now would be a good time to let you all know…" He paused for effect.

"Whoever scores under a certain threshold on these fitness tests will be considered a lost cause, and transferred to general studies until you can prove you’re physically capable of what’s required of you in this course. It’s unfair, but welcome to the hero business."

A girl with a spiky black ponytail raised her hand, but Eraserhead answered before she asked.

"No, I won’t be telling you what the threshold for passing is."

—

"Come on, Toru! Knock it out of the park!" Izuku cheered, the giant lump on his forehead throbbing slightly. Mina and Eijiro joined in, whooping and hollering, waving their arms in the air.

"Woo! Yeah!! Stratosphere that shit!!" They shouted.

More students started cheering too; it seemed like the right thing to do. One of them, a blonde spiky-haired boy with a lightning bolt dyed into his hair, leaned over to the three cheerleaders while clapping. "Hey, I’m Kaminari. You guys know each other, then?"

"Nope, never seen her before in my life," Mina answered, sticking her tongue out.

Izuku tilted his head. "I mean, technically that is true, but yeah, Ashido and I have known Hagakure since we were kids. Her mom gave us quirk training, actually!"

Toru lined up her shot, squeezed the baseball in her hands, and prepared to throw when she heard a nasally voice leaning over to Izuku.

"So…is the invisible chick invisible all over?"

"What?" Izuku answered, confused by the audacity of asking that question. "What are you talking about? Why wouldn’t she be?"

The purple little gremlin started rubbing his hands together. "So she probably won’t need to wear a costume…"

Toru lowered the ball and turned to their teacher. "Mr. Aizawa? Permission to use a different kind of ball?"

Aizawa looked at Toru, gave it some thought, and finally shrugged. "Sure, I’ll allow it."

Cracking her knuckles, Toru loomed menacingly over the little weirdo, who felt even shorter because of it.

"Hey, hey wait, what are you doing?!" He tried to get away, but Toru grabbed the creep by his collar, lifting him up in the air. He squirmed and tried to escape, but she spun him around like a hammer throw and launched him with all her strength.

"LET GO OF MEEEEEEEEEeeeee eeeeeee…."

The class watched in fascination as he sailed clear over the treelines and completely out of sight. Toru dusted off her hands and walked back to join the other students, satisfied.

"175 metres, good work."

—

The 50m dash was up next, which Izuku and Mina were particularly excited for. Izuku had an advantage on the flat track, since it meant he could use a lower output of his quirk to slide on the surface. It was possible on rough terrain, but he tended to avoid it because it hurt his feet more.

"What do you say we try to beat our old record?" Izuku declared with a smile and a determined expression.

Mina returned the emotion in kind, "Hell yeah! 5.3 seconds, let's do it!"

Another contestant for this round joined the conversation, "The way you guys talk makes me want to do better as well, ribbit."

"Hell yeah, Asui!" Kirishima cheered, giving everyone a thumbs up, "Let’s give it our best!"

"How did you know my name, ribbit? But you can call me Tsu." She replied.

"Remembering everyone’s name is the manliest thing ever!"

Bakugo pushed his way through them to the last spot on the track, "MOVE IT, SHITTY HAIR."

"Sure thing, Bakugo!"

Eraserhead took out his stopwatch and said without any enthusiasm, "Go."

As soon as Eraserhead gave the signal, the five runners sprinted forward with amazing speed. Bakugo was ahead of everyone else, but that was no surprise. Izuku and Mina were close behind, Mina sliding on her acid and Izuku skating on the floor like a hockey puck. 

Tsuyu was not far behind, using her froggy quirk to jump across the track. Kirishima, though not as fast as the others, ran with all his might, digging his hardened feet into the ground for more traction.

Bakugo was way out in front, which only served to make Izuku and Mina push themselves even harder. However, Mina had reached her limit, and making more acid would have been painful. Izuku, on the other hand, was only limited by how quickly he could turn his quirk on and off. He needed some momentum to slide, so he would make his right foot 100% sticky for a fraction of a second and slide with his left, then switch. In the last moments of the race, he moved so fast that he left a cloud of dust and steam behind him.

He shattered his previous best record and zoomed past the end of the track, making Aizawa’s hair fly as he passed by. But now he had a problem. Stopping. If he made himself 100% sticky at once, he would either faceplant or break his ankles. If he tried to stop by digging his feet into the ground, he would get burned. The only option was to glide and slowly reduce his speed.

The wall of the building in front of him got closer and closer, but he was still going too fast. Did they put the track next to a hill?! "Please please please slow down please slow down!"

Izuku closed his eyes until he felt himself come to a complete stop, and opened them to be greeted by a brick wall inches from his nose. 

Eraserhead shouted from the racetrack and waved his arm, "Midoriya, 4.4 seconds."

—

"OK, everyone. So far, most of you have done well enough to stay in the hero course. And when our search and rescue team manages to find Mineta, I’ll start working on his transfer papers. You all have at least one activity that you excel in, but the problem is that we want you to be well-balanced heroes. After our last event, I’ll give you some information packets with customised training plans."

Eraserhead gestured to the scoreboard, flashing through the events with leaderboards showcasing who did the best. Izuku grinned at his name in 5th place on the 50m dash, behind Iida, Bakugo, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki. Not bad for the sticky kid.

The final event was the standing long jump. Izuku thought he could actually do pretty well in this event, running and jumping on to the wall was one of his favourite training regimes in Hagakure’s dojo after all. He could actually get some pretty decent air, it was nothing compared to what someone like Uraraka or Aoyama would be able to pull off with their quirks, but he definitely wasn’t going to come last!

—

As fate would have it, it turned out that everyone in class 1A had some kind of amazing ability to jump far from a standing position. It seemed almost unfair! Even the girl with the earphone quirk seemed to have some cricket genes…

He wondered if there was any way his quirk could help him move a long distance without…touching the…ground.

Oh. Right! He had flown last month, that was true! That would be a great option now, if he could do it again. He sighed to himself. Well, even if he couldn’t figure it out, it wouldn’t make him do any worse.

He bent his knees and swung his arms back, ready to jump. "Stick to the air, stick to the air." He repeated to himself, and jumped.

As he leaped into the air, he felt some resistance on his right foot, but none on the left. It felt like he had one leg on a wall and the other dangling over the side. And he just stayed like that.

"Whenever you’re ready, Midoriya." Eraserhead said.

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" Izuku apologised, realising that he was just hovering in one spot. Umm…Now what?

He tried everything, but he couldn’t make his left foot, or anything else for that matter, stick to the air. So he hopped. All the way to the end of the sandpit. And stayed there, floating.

The class at the starting line looked at each other confused, wondering why he wasn’t coming down. Eventually, they all walked down to meet him.

"Are you alright Izubro?"

"Uh huh! Fine! Great!!"

Iida started chopping his arms, "Midoriya! If you have a problem you should not face it alone!"

"No problem here! Nope! All good!"

"Midoriya," oh, it was Uraraka, from the entrance exam, "um… Do you want some help getting down?"

Izuku forced a smile on his face, but his leg was starting to twitch. "I think my quirk is stuck, but I’m fine!"

After sighing and rubbing his eyes, Eraserhead’s eyes turned red, and Izuku fell down with a thud.

"I’m going to change your training plan…"

Chapter Text

The walk back to the train station that afternoon was full of excitement and laughter. They’d made it through their first day at UA, and nothing terrible had happened! Well, there was the whole thing where Toru threw a guy into the woods, and apparently, he was still missing? But that happened to somebody else, so it didn’t quite count.

They ended up not missing the opening ceremony either, the whole thing had been recorded for them. Eraserhead forced them into an extra two hours of school, making them dissect every detail of the event. Eraser called it a "learning experience", reasoning the after-hours work was a look into their future as pro heroes buried under paperwork.

Just before they left, their teacher had slipped each student a tailor-made training plan, documenting possible ways to develop their quirks and improve their physical fitness. Nobody could figure out when he actually wrote them, he was seemingly asleep during most of the opening ceremony video.

Midoriya and his friends planned to crack open their packets on the way to the train station. Mina was fastest, enthusiastically tearing into hers. "Hmmmm…" She pondered out loud. Squinting at the words, she shared the info. "So get this! Eraserhead wants me to get better at coping with different levels of acidity. He even added a neat checklist of acidity levels with these adorable smiley face stickers! I get to put a sticker on every time I can handle that level!"

"I’m a bit surprised he went through all this trouble," Toru remarked.

"I think it’s pretty awesome! We’ve gotta promise to become the best heroes ever to repay the effort he’s investing in us, right guys?!" Eijiro exclaimed, clenching his fist.

"What does yours say?" Izuku asked him.

Eijiro eagerly tore open his packet and rapidly scanned its contents. "Mine says I need to quit relying on my quirk for defence and learn how to dodge instead. Damn, how did he figure out that I always just take the hits? We didn't even have any combat training today!"

Toru was next to unveil her document, saying, "It's a list of ideas for how I can use my quirk to gain an edge in combat."

"Like, stealth?" Izuku asked, hoping it wasn't that predictable. He was well aware of Toru's aversion to being pigeonholed.

"Actually, no! It's all about manipulating light and using feints!" Her delight was evident in her voice. "He even said that I could potentially become the best hand-to-hand fighter in the class!"

Encouraged, Izuku finally opened his and read its contents aloud. "Midoriya, you have a good grasp on employing your quirk in various ways, yet I find the adage 'fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks', to be relevant. Over the coming weeks, I urge you to concentrate on mastering just one technique until its execution is flawless."

Izuku nodded, acknowledging that the info was spot on. He had a tendency to uncover new aspects of his abilities, only to then overlook everything else... But he just really loved exploring what he was capable of!

Toru posed a question, "What do you think you'll focus on?"

"Probably my projectile move; that seems like the best choice."

Mina was a little shocked, "I would have thought you’d say flight!"

Laughing, Izuku said "Flying sounds amazing, but right now, I don't think mastering flight alone would make me a better hero. Unless I can pair it with another skill, it might not be very useful beyond just getting from point A to point B. Like, I could fly into a building, but then what?"

The group continued their conversation all the way to the station. The customised training plans felt like their first real step toward becoming heroes, and they all felt motivated. Izuku listened to his friends with genuine interest, his mind already turning over the possibilities. The train station was drawing closer, and as they reached it, their conversation began to wind down before they boarded their transportation.

—

Once Izuku finally stepped off the train, his stomach was practically yelling at him for some food. Visions of delicious meals danced through his head, so he opted to take a shortcut home through the backstreets. Sure, it was a route his mom had warned him to avoid as a child, but he was a bona fide hero student now! No backstreets were going to scare him off!

Alright, maybe he was slightly wrong about that. The backstreets were a lot more unsettling than he thought they’d be… He peered at the elongated shadows through the corner of his eye and swore they were getting taller. Then, a noise caught him off guard, and he whirled around to see a rat scampering away. Izuku let out a relieved sigh, "Just a rat, nothing to worry about," he muttered to himself, trying to convince his own nerves to calm down.

Before he could regain his composure, his heart nearly beat out of his chest when he came face to face with a worn out guy right in front of him, seemingly in his mid-twenties. The stranger sported a hoodie in hues of white and blue, a utility belt, and a visor perched on his unkempt black hair.

"AGH!" Izuku’s nerves got the best of him, and he leapt backwards, sticking himself to the nearest wall. The mysterious man approached him with a look of amusement.

"Your mom did mention you had a tendency to be a bit... jumpy," the man stated with an amused grin. "But come on, I promise I'm not that terrifying." 

Izuku scrambled further up the wall, sticking to it like his life depended on it. Wide eyed, he asked "Who are you?!"

The man's grin broadened, and he struck a triumphant pose, hands on his hips. "Behold, the one and only Skycrawler!" He gradually detected the blank slate that was Izuku's face. With a faint sigh, he threw in the towel. "Well, if that doesn't ring any bells, I'm the hero your mom was trying to get in touch with. Call me Koichi Haimawari."

Izuku's expression shifted from alarm to sheepish embarrassment. "Oh! Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to freak out like that. It's just, you startled me, and I might've thought you were a villain for a moment. Wait, that didn't come out right either! I mean, you don't look like a villain at all! Seriously!" he babbled, urgently peeling himself off the wall.

Koichi scratched the back of his head and beamed a soothing smile. "No worries! Seriously, it's all good. I guess I should be more careful about my approach – people sometimes find me a little creepy."

Before Izuku could voice any more apologies, a repugnant squelching sound reverberated through the alley, the wet squishing drawing nearer and nearer. Both of them pivoted, their eyes locked onto the gruesome scene unfolding before them: a sludge monster fangoriously undulating toward them, gelatinously glistening.

"Well, well, well!" The creature gurgled, "I was looking for a tasty morsel to eat, but it looks like I stumbled on a three course meal!"

Koichi's hero mode engaged instantly, his visor swooping down in front of his face with a slick, techy whirr. "Stay back, kid! I’ve got this." He thrust his palms forward, and from his open hands erupted a barrage of projectiles, "SHOOTY GO BLAM BLAM BLAM!"

To their shock, the projectiles whizzed through the sludge monster leaving a trail of holes in their wake, only for the creature to regenerate itself, shrugging off the attack.

The sludge villain emitted a chuckle that sounded disturbingly damp. "That tickled!"

Unfazed, Koichi refused to back down. But clearly, a more potent punch was required. "SHOOTY GO KABLAM BLAM BLAM!" he roared. This time, his attack hit its mark and then some, causing the sludge monster to explode into many tiny pieces.

Izuku’s jaw hit the floor at the sight of the villain disintegrating before his eyes. "H-Holy–!"

Koichi stood with his hands on his knees, catching his breath. "I thought this city was supposed to be peaceful."

The young man standing by his side was still grappling with shock, his face an open book of disbelief. "You just... you just killed that guy!"

Wide-eyed and terror-stricken, Koichi's panic shifted into overdrive. "Oh God, I hope not!"

Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, the scattered remnants of the sludge villain began to amalgamate once more. The fragments squirmed, and moulded, beginning to reconfigure its original form.

Skycrawler sighed in relief, "See, he’s fine. No worries."

The monster was apparently sneakier than they anticipated. Quietly, most of its form regenerated from the shadows behind them. Almost whole once again, it launched itself forward with alarming swiftness, wrapping its slimy tendrils around Izuku from the back, ensnaring him in a gooey grip. "Open wide, kid!"

Izuku struggled within the clammy grasp, his efforts resulting in muffled protests. Koichi's heart pounded in his chest as he stood frozen, helpless in the face of the unfolding crisis. How could he get the boy out of this without causing him harm?! "Hang in there, Midoriya! I'll figure out how to get you out of this mess, somehow!"

The struggle continued as the monster fought to take over Izuku, but to no avail. Frustration seeped into its voice as it bellowed, "For crying out loud, open up! It's like your lips are glued shut or something!"

Switching tactics, the monster attempted a different approach, but even the boy's nostrils remained stubbornly blocked. "You can't hold your breath forever, you know!"

However, just then, Izuku’s face displayed intense concentration as he focused his thoughts. The sludge covering his face began to move, retreating. Koichi watched in amazement as the sludge monster, covering every part of Izuku’s body, suddenly stopped squirming.

"What the hell is your quirk, you little freak?!" the monster roared, its body immobilised in mid-motion. "I can't... move!"

A triumphant inhalation of air followed by a series of coughs burst forth from Izuku's lungs.

"Take it easy, how are you feeling?" Koichi inquired with a blend of concern and amazement. "What exactly just happened?"

Izuku's response was a matter-of-fact explanation. "It's my quirk. I basically just stuck the guy to me." He gestured toward the villain, who was now little more than an exceedingly gloopy suit of armour.

"Let go of me, you little punk!" the monster protested.

Izuku’s answer was fast and unimpressed. "Oh, pipe down! I just had a traumatic experience!"

"I’ll give you a traumatic experience if you don’t let go of me!"

Koichi interjected the strangest argument he’d ever seen, "Uh…Can you walk?"

Izuku tentatively moved his limbs and said, "Yeah, I think so?"

"Cool, I guess. Let’s get this guy to the nearest police station, then we’re having a chat about, y’know," he gestured vaguely, "This."

—

The two of them, uh, three of them, embarked on a very weird journey toward the Musutafu police station. With each step, they garnered an array of confused looks and double-takes from pedestrians.

"You guys are getting all worked up over this when there's a hero out there who literally looks like a washing machine?!" Izuku bellowed at a group of onlookers who had their smartphones pointed at him.

"Yeah," Koichi agreed, "It’s like they’ve never seen a teenager wearing a liquidised human like a onesie before."

Upon stepping into the police station, the atmosphere abruptly shifted. If this were a scene from a western, the saloon piano would have hit a dissonant note. Every officer in there seemed to tense, fingers hovering near headsets and hands hovering near holstered weapons.

Koichi shot a fleeting look at Izuku, who complied by slowly lifting his arms (and the immobilised sludge villain). Koichi mirrored the action, his own hands ascending cautiously as he attempted to calm them down. "Hold on, everyone! No need to panic! We've apprehended an exceptionally dangerous villain!"

His reassurance fell on deaf ears, everyone still seemed uneasy. One of the officers raised his voice above the murmur, "How do we know you’re not the villains and you didn’t just kidnap that boy?!"

"Folks, really, there's no need for alarm." He took a measured step forward. "I'm an actual pro hero, and my uh… intern here," he gestured toward Izuku, "managed to apprehend this villain. Could we maybe get some assistance here?"

"Intern?!" Izuku shot a delighted look, then regained his composure and put on a strong voice. "Ahem, that’s right, intern!"

A dopey looking officer scratching the back of his head with his firearm dared to inch closer. "A pro, huh? What’s your name?"

With a dash of pride, Koichi answered, "Skycrawler!"

The officer stared at him for a moment, like he was trying to solve a particularly difficult puzzle, like 3+3. "...Never heard of ya."

Koichi emitted a sigh of mild exasperation before giving it another shot. "What about Cruller?"

"Ohhhh! The Cruller! Why didn’t you just say so, Mr. Cruller?! So uh, what’s the deal with the kid?"

Izuku shifted slightly, feeling a tad awkward as the conversation revolved around him. "I’m right here, you know. My quirk is stickiness. I kinda stuck this guy to me."

"Oh, like that movie, Stuck on You?" The officer asked.

"...No, no not really."

"Once I'm out of here, I'm suing you for false imprisonment!" the sludge villain shouted.

"You tried to eat me!" Izuku shot back.

The police officer jumped backwards in fright. "Christ! I didn’t expect it to talk! Weird quirk you got there, buddy."

While Izuku muttered something about it not being that strange, Koichi could sense the need to move things along. "Hey, could we get a bucket or something over here? You can release the guy whenever you're ready, right, Midoriya?"

"I think so, yeah. This is actually my first time doing this with a liquid other than water."

A short while later, a younger police officer entered the scene, dragging a large aquarium fish tank along with her. "We found this in lockup."

The officer who appeared to be taking charge raised an eyebrow. "Why was there a fish tank in– you know what, doesn’t matter. Alright, buddyboy, whenever you're ready."

With a mixture of relief and accomplishment, Izuku coaxed the sludge villain to detach and gently guided him into the fish tank. "Wait! I'm claustrophobic!" the villain protested as the lid was securely placed on the tank.

"Well!" Koichi exclaimed light-heartedly, "That was a fun little adventure, but I think it’s time I got you home to your mom."

Just as they were about to make their exit, an officer approached them, brandishing a stack of papers. "Hold on a sec, Cruller! You've got to sign all this paperwork first."

Much, much later, Koichi and Izuku emerged from the police station, sharing weary glances.

"I can't believe Eraser's lecture about paperwork turned out to be so applicable..."

The name caught Koichi's attention. "Eraser? You mean, Eraserhead? I used to fight villains with that guy back in the day!"

"For real?! What was he like?"

Koichi laughed, "Wore a lot of baggy clothes, really stoic, kinda grumpy?"

"Oh,"  Izuku sighed, slightly deflated. "So, exactly the same..."

With a cheeky smile, Koichi added, "I also worked with All Might once."

"TELL ME EVERYTHING."

—

In a different part of the city, Katsuki Bakugo stormed into his bedroom and flung his unopened training plan across the room. Who the hell needed some greasy-haired Edward Scissorhands wannabe telling them how to improve anyway?

But, then again... This particular Robert Smith tribute act reject also happened to be an instructor at the best hero school in the world. Maybe there was a chance for some useful insight... Fine, he grumbled internally, he'd look at the stupid training plan.

With a swift motion, he ripped open the envelope and extracted the paper. He read it once, then twice, his brows furrowing in disbelief. He turned the paper over, as if seeking some hidden message, before flipping it back to the front.

The plan was four words in total. "Stop being so aggressive."

"Rrrrr!" A second later, the charred remains of the training plan sprinkled to the floor.

"I’m not aggressive, damn it!! I’m passionate!!" He screamed, letting off small explosions in his palms and adopting a feral stance. "Argaharggghh!"

A faint knock sounded on his door, and his father's head peeked in cautiously. "Knock knock! Mind if I come in?"

Bakugo responded with a guttural growl, which his dad interpreted as an invitation to enter.

"So, champ! How was your first day at school? Any new friends on the horizon?"

"I'm not there to make friends!" Katsuki snapped. "They'd just slow me down!"

His father sighed softly, no stranger to this particular brand of his son's reasoning. Over the years, since they had concrete evidence of Katsuki trying to beat up young Midoriya, he had done his best to get Katsuki to open up. However, some days cracking through his son's tough exterior felt like crushing diamonds. His most effective tool in recent times was a dose of reverse psychology.

"Well, you might consider making some friends, seeing as how you'll need sidekicks to tackle all that dreaded paperwork down the road," he suggested nonchalantly.

"Hmph," Katsuki scoffed. "These extras would count themselves lucky to make it into my agency."

His father chuckled, "Oh I’ve no doubt about it, but remember, even the toughest folks need allies in their corner."

Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah."

His father pulled him into an awkward hug, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat. "You've made me proud. First Bakugo to walk through those hero school doors."

With a feigned scowl trying to mask the smile, Katsuki replied "Yeah, well, someone’s gotta raise the bar."

His father looked at him and said, "And you know something else?"

"Don't even say it."

"You're already my hero," his dad concluded with a warm grin.

Katsuki rolled his eyes, but his lips couldn't quite hide the small upturn at the corners. "Whatever, old man."

"On another note," his father changed the subject, "I was thinking of a late-night bike ride. Wanna join?"

Katsuki paused, considering his options before letting out an almost begrudging sigh. "...Fine."

Chapter Text

"He’s the coolest hero ever!" Izuku exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air as he began to recount his thrilling adventures. It was the start of their second day at UA, and Eraserhead's lectures on punctuality had prompted everyone to show up bright and early. While they waited for the day's lessons to kick off, Izuku's storytelling had everyone perched on the edge of their seats, craving every juicy detail.

"This sludge guy came outta NOWHERE," he continued abruptly, as he threw out a hand, "And Koichi - he said I can use his first name, it’s no big deal - Koichi saw him and was like, ‘You’re about to get Skycrawled.’" With a sudden movement, Izuku started firing off finger guns. "PEW PEW PEW PEW!"

Izuku's closest friends hung on his every word, shocked expressions on their faces. Even some other students couldn't resist the magnetic pull of Izuku's animated storytelling, gravitating toward the impromptu gathering.

Still processing the wild tale, Kirishima blinked in disbelief and shook his head. "Dude, you took down a villain? We've been here for like, a day!"

"Oui! It sounds tres magnifique!" Aoyama exclaimed, doing a twirl for emphasis. "We won't tell a soul about your vigilanté activité~"

Concern flickered in Izuku's eyes as he processed Aoyama's words. "V-vigilante?" he echoed, uncertainty creeping in.

Mina stepped in to clarify for him. "Yeah, man! Didn't you realise? You don't have a licence! It's super cool but, you know, super illegal. Cool, but illegal." she reassured him with a smile.

With his face dropping, and Toru offering a reassuring pat on the back, Izuku put a hand on the nape of nis neck and mumbled "Huh… yeah that would explain why Koichi made me his intern, I guess it’s like a loophole or something…"

"HE MADE YOU HIS DAMN INTERN?!" Bakugo suddenly leaped from his seat and tossed the desk to the side, before stomping his way toward Izuku’s group. "I’M THE ONE WHO’S GONNA BE THE BEST, AND YOU GET AN INTERNSHIP ON YOUR FIRST DAMN DAY OF SCHOOL?!"

"Yeah!" Izuku replied cheerfully. "Pretty awesome, huh, Kacchan?" He snapped his fingers and shook his head like he’d left his keys at home. "Oh, man, if we'd taken the same train yesterday, you could've met Koichi too. Who knows, he might've given internships to both of us. Oh well, maybe next time."

"RAAARGH!"

"Alright, everyone, back to your seats," Eraserhead declared, his entrance into the classroom going unnoticed during Izuku's gripping narrative. The entire class swiftly returned to their desks as if nothing unusual had been going on.

"It's good to see most of you back here today. Sometimes, we get students who realise they can't handle it and don't show up the next day," he remarked in a monotone.

Every eye in the room gravitated toward the empty desk where Mineta should have been seated. The search party had given up after around two hours, concluding that he was now "One with the forest."

"This afternoon, you'll have your first hero training exercise in City A," Eraserhead announced, eliciting a ripple of excitement throughout the class. Hero training! In City A! That could only mean it was the best city, or the first one they built. Either way, both were cool. Eraserhead loudly slammed a stack of papers onto the front desk to quiet everyone down.

"But FIRST," he bellowed, capturing everyone's attention, "I have a fun surprise for you," he added with an evil grin.

The ‘fun surprise’, surprisingly, wasn’t all that fun. Today was the day the class would finally receive their hero costumes, but there was a catch. Before they could don their new gear, every member of the class had to painstakingly read through the operations manual for their costume and any support gear they'd requested. Following that, they had to complete a quiz based on the manual's contents and write a 500-word explanation detailing why certain safety features were crucial for the proper use of their costumes.

Then they had to do it again. For all nineteen costumes.

It was undeniably demanding work, often delving into intricate quirk theory and analysis. But it was also absolutely fascinating. Even the most basic costumes were meticulously designed, with attention to detail that most folks wouldn't even notice! Take Sato's suit, for example; it had a feature that kept an eye on his blood sugar levels and adjusted its stretchiness to stay comfy, no matter how his muscles changed. Tsuyu's costume could do basic camouflage, Uraraka's helmet tackled nausea with pressure points, Kaminari's jacket was somehow both an insulator and a conductor, and even Koda's costume had pheromones!

The more Izuku wrote and researched, the more his excitement grew. This was going to be so much fun! The hero training exercise couldn't come soon enough. It was one thing to read about all these features, but actually seeing it in action? Roll on this afternoon.

As Izuku slipped into his hero costume, a wave of excitement and reality washed over him. He had envisioned this day for a long time, but to finally stand among his peers, right here at UA, was nothing short of magical.

His costume drew inspiration from his mom, sporting a vibrant green and white colour scheme in the same pattern as Green Magnet, white on the sides and green on the chest and back. He wore a pair of sturdy cargo shorts and a padded top that provided both protection and mobility. Shins and forearms out in the open, perfect for using his quirk, and his shoes had a slick design that could pop open, so he could go barefoot in a snap.

The support crew had gone all out, throwing in a pair of green goggles with red-tinted lenses. These bad boys didn't have any special uses for his quirk, but they did come with a note saying they'd make him look "Super rad."

In a considerate move, given his not-so-graceful entrance exam injury, they reinforced his shoulders, hopefully preventing any more dislocations.

But the cherry on top? The knee pads. Hagakure, his sensei, would definitely notice that upgrade, considering she’d been trying to get him to wear some for the past eight years or so. He mentally bookmarked thanking the support team for their thoughtful additions as soon as he could.

The whole class stood in a line, buzzing with excitement near the city entrance, chatting animatedly about their fresh hero outfits. Eijiro and Izuku had eagerly pointed at each other when they first suited up, yelling, "Check out those guns!" and giving each other a big hug. In particular, nobody could believe how cool Iida's costume looked in person. The blueprints from class didn't do it justice at all. The way all those panels and car parts came together and still ended up streamlined and aerodynamic was just mind-blowing.

There was just one person left to join the class, but she was feeling some trepidation. 

"Hagakure. Class is waiting for you." Aizawa rapped lightly on the changing room door before casually leaning against the frame.

Toru had been locked in a deep gaze at her own reflection for the past ten minutes. "I'm... almost ready," she replied hesitantly.

Was her costume too much? It looked amazing, it felt amazing, but could it be too much for an invisible girl? She’d agonised over the design specs, going back and forth on whether to submit them before class began. Eventually, she closed her eyes and hit send, then had to avoid her computer for a few hours to pretend she hadn’t done it.

Hagakure's suit was flashy, larger-than-life, and exuded heroism - everything she aspired to be: someone who would save the day with an unseen smile and an attitude that would light up the room... eventually. Right now, the weight of expectations and possible comparisons to 'real' heroes was nothing short of intimidating. She felt like an impostor, questioning whether she had made a mistake by choosing such a bold costume. Maybe she should have designed it based on her quirk, not on an idealised version of herself she might never become. Maybe she should just conform to what everyone always wanted and focus on stealth...

She let out a sigh and shook her head. No, she couldn't let her insecurities stop her pursuit of her passion. She needed to remember all the times her mother had encouraged her to be bold, to make herself seen! She needed to think about how everyone who had ignored her would have no choice but to notice now! She needed to channel her inner MIRKO!

Sure, this costume might not match her personality right now, but someday it would. Someday, she would radiate confidence, power, and heroism. She wasn't pretending to be something she wasn't; she was making a promise to become who she wanted to be.

Toru grinned at her reflection in the mirror and spoke the words aloud. "It's a promise." Finally, she made up her mind to join the class and reveal the future hero within her.

Adjusting her cape, she walked out of the locker room with determination in her invisible stride.

"...Woah," escaped Izuku's lips as Hagakure turned the corner. Suddenly, every eye in the room was fixated on her, and she nervously rubbed her arm.

"Hi, everyone," she managed to say.

Mina's grin stretched even wider as her eyes sparkled with delight. "TORUUUU!!!" she shrieked. "YOU LOOK INCREDIBLE!!!"

She wasn't wrong. Toru's costume featured a large white star emblazoned on her chest, with yellow stripes radiating out like a dazzling starburst. The suit covered just up to her biceps and thighs, leaving her invisible skin exposed before transitioning into red bracelets with small built-in flashlights and sturdy ankle length boots. On her face, she wore a white mask designed to resemble rabbit ears.

As she noticed the way everyone was looking at her, Toru felt a surge of confidence. She flexed her muscles, but what really grabbed everyone’s attention at that moment was the simultaneous activation of her quirk. Tiny pinpricks of light began to dance across her skin, transforming her into a walking constellation.

At the end of the row of students, their afternoon teacher wiped a tear from his eye, saluted proudly, and proclaimed, "You all look like heroes already!"

Everyone turned, wide eyed, to see the one and only symbol of peace himself, the big dog on campus, chief beef, All Might.

"ALL MIGHT?! WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?!" Everyone shouted in unison. To which All Might laughed heartily, before striking a heroic pose so dramatic that it seemed as though a backdrop should have magically appeared behind him.

"That’s right students, I’m your new heroics teacher!"

" One of your new heroics teachers." Aizawa clarified.

"Ah right, yes of course! Today I believe we’ll be doing two on two combat exercises…?" All Might said, suddenly appearing uncertain. And rightly so, as Eraserhead shook his head in disagreement.

"It's a little early for combat exercises. They need more time to familiarise themselves with their costumes before we have them fight," Aizawa explained. All Might really should have considered this beforehand…

"Quite right! The path to heroism is paved with, uh… Safety protocols! Instead we’ll be taking part in… aaaaa..." He scanned the city zone, searching for inspiration for his next words.

Eraserhead stepped in to finish his sentence, saying, "We'll be focusing on hostage situations. Inside each of these buildings, you'll find six humanoid robots programmed to simulate hostage-takers. They'll be positioned strategically throughout the building, and somewhere within, the 'hostage' will be hidden." As he mentioned the word 'hostage,' he gestured toward a crate filled with adorable plushie versions of various UA staff members. The Eraserhead plushie was mysteriously missing from the collection.

"Yes, that's right! Hostage situations! A true hero must be prepared to handle these high-stress scenarios. But fear not, young ones! This will teach you invaluable lessons about teamwork, strategy, and rescue operations!" All Might proclaimed enthusiastically.

Aizawa gave his co-teacher a subtle nod of approval, which the big hero beamed at. "Your objective is to work in pairs, locate the hostage, and safely evacuate them. Remember, this isn't all about brute strength; it's about knowing when to use your quirks wisely and efficiently."

The students, though some were slightly disappointed they wouldn’t get to wail on each other, nodded in understanding.

"Excuse me, Sirs!" Tenya Iida thrust his arm into the air, creating a clanking sound in the process. "Are we to be paired up based on how complementary our quirks are? Or perhaps it's based on our scores during the quirk apprehension test? I'm certain that whichever method is employed, it will have been carefully considered and reflect the effort UA puts into its students!"

All Might sheepishly held up a cardboard box with a big question mark on the front. "...Who here likes randomised pairings?!"

One by one, the students approached the hero and picked a marked ball out of the box to determine their partners. The final pairings were:

Todoroki and Iida

Tsuyu and Kaminari

Shoji and Jiro

Ashido and Ojiro

Uraraka and Sero

Kirishima and Sato

Yaoyorozu picked the ball marked with a star, giving her the freedom to choose any classmate as her partner.

Hagakure and Koji

And finally, "NO WAY AM I TEAMING UP WITH THAT STICKY NERD!" Bakugo yelled as he destroyed the ball with his explosion.

"That's the energy we'll need, Kacchan!" Izuku declared with an encouraging double thumbs up. "Now, let's talk strategy." He pressed on, boldly putting an arm around Bakugo's shoulder, choosing to ignore the audible sound of the explosive teen grinding his teeth in fury.

A robot armed with a nerf gun stood sentinel in the main hallway of the building, raising a hand to his earpiece. "Boop?" he inquired into the receiver. An inaudible response from his team member crackled back, and the robot added, "Beep boop," before taking a hit from his vape. Suddenly, Tsuyu Asui's tongue descended from the ceiling, snatching the robot and pulling him into the darkness. After a brief struggle, the robot tumbled to the ground in a broken heap.

Kaminari pushed open the front doors, keeping low to the ground like a ninja. On hearing the noises emanating from the receiver, he picked it up and placed it in his ear.

"Do you think they'll fall for it, ribbit?" Tsuyu asked.

"Only one way to find out," Kaminari replied, putting a finger to his ear. "Uh... Beep?"

For ten agonising seconds, they awaited a response, holding their breath.

"...Boop."

Both of them let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, we're good."

With a confused expression, Kaminari asked "If you were a plushie of Cementoss, where would you go?"

Tsuyu thought about it for a moment, her finger tapping against her chin. "I think we should just find where the most robots are, ribbit. They would probably station more people around the hostage than anywhere else."

"Oh, like a video game! When there are enemies, you know you’re going the right direction!" Kaminari declared confidently. Once again, he lowered himself to the ground and began to stealthily traverse the hallway, occasionally pressing up flat against the wall and scanning his surroundings. Tsuyu gracefully leaped back up to the ceiling, and together, they ventured deeper into the building.

Around the next corner they found the stairs leading down to the basement, and two robots keeping watch near the staircase. They were both holding metal bats and sidearms. Upon spotting the robots, Kaminari quickly ducked back around the corner and began making hand gestures to grab Tsuyu's attention.

Tsuyu clung to the ceiling, observing his hand movements as he pointed, clenched his fists, and wiggled his fingers. After a few moments, she crawled down the wall until her head was level with his.

"I don't know what any of that meant, ribbit," she confessed.

"Really? Huh. I was saying we should take out those robots," he whispered in reply. "Okay, here’s the plan. I sneak over there and bash their heads in with a pipe. Then we can use their parts to make a disguise. We’ll have to spend about thirty minutes gaining the trust of the other robots. I’m willing to take one for the team and getting one of the robots to fall for me, then-"

While Kaminari detailed his foolproof plan, Tsuyu shot her tongue out and stole a sidearm from one of the robots while they were looking the other way. "Beep boop?!" the robot asked in annoyance, looking around for his weapon. "Beep!" He said angrily, pushing his partner in crime. "Beep boop beep beep!"

"Beep beep boopin beep boop!" the other robot said, throwing up his mechanical arms. "Beep beep boop," he put a finger in his partner’s face. "Boopin beep beep!"

Whatever the robot said had infuriated the other, because the next thing he knew his head was spinning like a top after a good whack with a metal bat. This really set the two of them off, and Tsuyu and Kaminari watched as the two robots turned each other into scrap metal.

"Or we could do that." Kaminari shrugged as the pair sidestepped the fight, heading down the staircase. 

"Our young friends are doing well thus far, eh class?" All Might said, standing with his arms crossed watching the action unfold from the observation room. "Any guesses on what their next move should be?"

"If that staircase is the only way into the basement," Yaoyorozu began, "then it’s likely heavily guarded. They should proceed with caution and try to gather information about the situation before making any hasty moves."

Subtly pointing up at the screen, Jiro said "I don’t think they heard you."

"So, the basement's right down here, huh? HuUUUWOAH!" Kaminari yelled, stumbling over the wreckage of a guard robot's chassis. Tsuyu winced as she watched him tumble down the stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom.

"...are you okay?" She whispered down the staircase. Kaminari wearily raised a hand and gave a thumbs-up.

"So, the heroes have come to save the hostage!" A sharp metallic voice pierced the air. "I expected something more impressive than these little ones!"

In the dim, flickering light of a lone bulb, a menacing figure emerged before Kaminari. This robot was the biggest and most imposing of the lot, standing arrogantly with its hands on its metallic hips and a bandolier slung over its massive shoulder. It exuded an intimidating presence that could make even the bravest hero question their mettle.

"Kaminari! I see the hostage, ribbit!" Tsuyu's voice echoed from the staircase, her finger pointing towards a wooden stool in the back of the room, upon which sat a toy of Cementoss, bound and gagged.

A grainy recording of Cementoss played, his voice resigned. "You want me to record what? …What for? Okay, fine. Help me. I am a hostage."

"Asui," ( "call me tsu,") "Tsu. You get the hostage. I’ll handle this bag of bolts." 

With a swift, coordinated motion, Kaminari clapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously. Tsuyu gracefully swung over the villains, narrowly dodging the other two robots as they clumsily collided, and snatched the entire stool upon which Cementoss was tied.

Meanwhile, Kaminari planted his hands firmly on the robot's chassis and bellowed, "STUN GUN, TEN MILLION PERCENT!"

BRRRZAPP~~!!

The boss robot erupted in a dazzling explosion, hurtling backward at breakneck speed before colliding with the wall, reduced to a pile of scrap metal.

"Tsuyu Asui and Denki Kaminari have successfully rescued the hostage! Come on back, young heroes!"

"Now, who can tell me what they did wrong?" Eraserhead asked with a tired expression.

Sero shrugged, "I thought they did pretty good!"

Hagakure spoke up next, her voice thoughtful. "Well, they didn't really prioritise protecting the hostage. They snatched him up without even checking if he was alright, then jolted him around while he was still tied to that chair. And as for Kaminari, he zapped that robot right in the path where the hostage was sitting, like, barely two seconds before. If Tsuyu hadn't made a quick exit, they both would've ended up... well, you know. Kersmoosh!" She finished, throwing her hands out expressively.

"A colourful way of putting it, but yes." Eraserhead confirmed. "It’s one thing to get the hostage out of the dangerous situation, but it’s another thing entirely to make sure they stay safe while doing so. Plenty of heroes have had something like that come back to bite them in the ass."

Kaminari scratched his cheek sheepishly and glanced at the plushie Cementoss now resting on the floor. "Yeah, I guess I got a bit carried away there. My bad, Cementoss."

"I’m not recording anything else, I’m busy." Cementoss replied.

"Alright," Eraserhead said, "Bakugo, Midoriya, you’re up. Your hostage is being kept somewhere in the record shop, have at it."

"You ready to show them how it’s done, Kacchan?"

"NO! I’M GOING TO RESCUE THE HOSTAGE ON MY OWN! STAY OUTTA MY WAY!"

"Yeah, he’s ready."

Chapter Text

There was a short walk to the phony record shop, where Midoriya and Bakugo were about to embark on their hostage training exercise, and the sticky little hero hopeful was filling the silence the best way he knew how.

"Can you believe we’re actually here, Kacchan?" he gushed. "UA! The best hero school in the world! They actually accepted two kids from our tiny middle school. Gosh, we’re so lucky! You always said you’d become the best hero ever, and now, look at us, Izuku and Kacchan, taking the world by storm. Hey, any ideas for our team name? I was thinking ‘Sticky Bomb’ because-"

"Stop talking."

Undeterred, Midoriya continued, "It’s like our quirks combined, and- Oh, sorry, Kacchan. I guess this whole thing has me a little overwhelmed! But I guess I shouldn’t worry, we have All Might as our teacher. He’s amazing, right? Koichi told me all about him; they used to work together in Naruhata. He said he was the coolest guy ever, and-"

"STOP!! TALKING!!" Bakugo snapped and spun around to face Midoriya. He glared at him with such intensity that Midoriya flinched. "I don’t give a damn about Naruhata! I don’t give a damn about All Might! And I don’t give a damn about YOU!"

The optimism drained from Midoriya's expression, and he swallowed hard. "Come on, you don't really mean that, Kacchan," he said, placing a hand on Bakugo's shoulder and offering a hopeful smile. "I know you care about All Might, deep down."

Bakugo smacked the hand away forcefully, "We’re not friends, Midoriya , so stop acting like we are." Then, he turned again and walked away at an even faster pace leaving the other student behind.

"Kacchan! Wait up, we need to plan our strategy!" Midoriya pleaded as he followed behind. "We can’t just go in there without a plan, we have to communicate and cooperate!"

"We don’t have to do anything!" Bakugo shouted back at him. "I can handle this by myself! I don’t need your help or your advice or your stupid quirk!" He stopped walking again and jabbed a finger at Midoriya, "You’re just a weakling who got lucky! You shouldn’t even be at this school, so stop getting in my way!"

The other students watched the scene unfold on the monitors in the observation room. They were speechless for a moment, then Kaminari crooned, "Awwwkwaaaard."

Yaoyorozu shook her head, "Bakugo is so rude to Midoriya, I find it hard to understand why he would act that way."

"They have a history," Toru explained, "Izuku has been trying to befriend him since they were kids, but believe me, that fish ain’t biting."

"Which is crazy! I mean, who wouldn’t want to be friends with Izuku?" Mina exclaimed, "He’s the kindest and bravest person ever! He would literally break his bones to save someone else!"

"I can vouch for that…" Uraraka muttered under her breath.

Aizawa furrowed his brow, "Did I make a mistake by allowing them to be paired up for this exercise?"

"Oh yeah."

"Totally. Worst possible thing that could have happened."

At the front of the room, All Might stood All Mightily, hands on his hips and an indeterminable expression on his face, grinning like a loon. "Young Bakugo… Young Midoriya…" He thought to himself. "I wonder what their story is…"

"I’ll be right back!" He said out loud.

"Kacchan, come on! We don’t have time for this, there’s a hostage waiting to be rescued!" Midoriya protested, trying to sidestep around the angry blonde. Bakugo was tensing his arms so hard his shoulders were vibrating, and Midoriya didn't think he'd ever seen someone scowl so hard before.

"I don't care! Prove to me right now that you deserve to be here!!" Bakugo bellowed, flecks of spittle spraying from his mouth.

"Of course I deserve to be here, Kacchan! I passed the exam like everyone else!" Midoriya wasn't really sure what to say, or what even brought this on! Huh, maybe he should ask? "I don't know what you want me to say! What even brought this on?!"

Smoke began to rise from Bakugo's clenched fists, and he advanced menacingly, his posture looking like a feral animal. "UA is only for the strongest heroes, the strongest quirks! So how did you pass the exam?! You wouldn't even fight back!"

"Because we're friends! Why would I fight you? You've never done anything to me!"

"I don't need friends!!" Bakugo roared. "If you can't save everyone on your own, then you're worthless!"

Midoriya's expression shifted from confusion to concern. "Kacchan, are you... afraid of being worthless..?" he asked just before Bakugo lunged forward with a clenched fist.

On a nearby rooftop, All Might was keeping a close eye on things, ready to intervene if things went too far. Toshinori was a big advocate for the concept of getting grievances out in the open, it's why he still held so much respect for Endeavour - that man was nothing but grievances!

Katsuki Bakugo was fast, one of the fastest in the class. He had skill, strength, speed. Unfortunately, Midoriya also had all of those things, plus ten years of martial arts and evasion training. Instinctively, the green-haired boy sidestepped Bakugo's incoming attack and the punch whiffed.

"Kacchan, I-" Midoriya began but had to dodge another furious swing.

"Can't we talk about-" he sidestepped again.

"Kacchan, STOP!" Izuku finally pleaded, throwing his arms out in frustration.

Gasping for breath, Bakugo lifted an arm, his open palm pointed menacingly toward the other boy. "Let's see you dodge this!!" He yelled, pulling the pin on his gauntlet.

Time slowed. On the rooftop, All Might's nose twitched and he reacted with lightning speed. In an instant, he was a blur of yellow and red, positioning himself between the explosion and Midoriya just as the first sparks erupted from the gauntlet. "Yooooung Baaaakuuugooooo!!!" He yelled, and the world's greatest hero enveloped Midoriya in his (all) mighty frame, shielding him from the impending blast. As the explosion occurred, time sped back up, and Bakugo had no time to react to his unintended target.

The explosion, though intense, was far less cataclysmic than anticipated. In fact, it amounted to little more than a regular explosion - certainly nothing more than Bakugo could produce on any other day. "What the hell?!" he exclaimed, smacking the side of his gauntlet in frustration, more concerned about the malfunction than the fact that he had nearly disintegrated All Might.

The towering blonde bruiser stood at his full height, hands firmly planted on his hips, a menacing aura surrounding him this time. "Young Bakugo," he said calmly, not bothering to turn and face the student. "Return to class."

The low "Hrmph." and retreating footsteps told All Might that his student had followed the instructions. "You too, Young Midoriya. …Young Midoriya?"

"Down here All Might," Izuku’s muffled voice said from below All Might’s gaze.

The hero jolted his head from side to side trying to figure out where it was coming from, then he looked down to see Midoriya firmly stuck to his chest, a mop of hair wedged between his pecs. "Oh!" He exclaimed, before peeling the boy off him like a piece of sellotape. "Sorry about that, my boy!" he apologised, placing Midoriya back down on ground level.

Midoriya waved his arms in protest, "No, no All Might! I should be the one apologising to you! If I’d just let Kacchan fight me he wouldn’t have resorted to-" Izuku’s words were halted by a giant hand placed on his shoulder.

"You acted admirably in the face of unexpected danger!" All Might said, giving him a thumbs up. "Sometimes, it’s the punch that could have been thrown but you decided to keep inside and not thrown, because your opponent was throwing their own punches too much, so your punch that you didn’t throw was better than that throw."

"...What?"

"Uh," All Might spluttered, "I’m saying you did a good job, my boy! Now, head on back to class, I believe Mr Aizawa will want to see you."

"Well," Izuku replied, glancing past All Might toward the nearby record shop with a cartoon of Present Mic yelling into a microphone on its sign, "I really should..." Then, he squared his shoulders and adopted a heroic posture. "All Might! There are hostages in that building, and they need our help! If we don't save them now, who knows what could happen!"

A wide grin spread across All Might's face, and he saluted the determined student. "Aye aye, sir! Lead the charge!"

Wide-eyed and awestruck, the students stared at the record shop monitors, where All Might's booming voice echoed, "Haha! Never fear, for I am here!" Sounds of robots being dismantled filled the observation room. Jiro casually leaned over, shutting Kaminari's slack-jawed mouth with her hand.

Meanwhile, in a corner chair, Bakugo grumbled, refusing to look at the screen. Eraserhead stood vigilant, keeping a close watch to prevent any further outbursts.

"Hi, my name’s Midoriya, I’m here to rescue you. Can you walk?"

"Evil shall not triumph today!" All Might proclaimed heroically as he, accompanied by Midoriya and a Plushie Present Mic, emerged from the shop. With Midoriya securely on his back, he leaped into the air, heading back towards the class.

The entire class turned to face the door, eagerly anticipating their return. Moments later, a thoroughly windswept Izuku stood in the doorway, Plushie Present Mic safe and sound. "Hi, everyone." He said, rapidly shaking his head and floofing his hair back to its usual style.

"Okay," Eraserhead said once more, barely acknowledging the return of the student and teacher, "Who wants to go first?"

Sato raised a hand, "It doesn’t seem fair, right?" he asked, glancing around at the other students. "Getting to team up with All Might, I mean. That’s like, easy mode or something!"

Aizawa’s expression didn’t change as he posed his own question, "So, if you were in a hostage situation and a top ten hero was available, you wouldn’t ask them for assistance?"

"Sure I would, but-"

"Midoriya was down a team-mate, something that can happen all too often in the field. In those situations you can either try to work things out on your own and likely become overwhelmed, or you can join forces with other heroes."

The armour-clad Tenya Iida suddenly shot an arm into the air, "Indeed! My brother, Ingenium, often collaborates with heroes from different agencies at a moment's notice. Midoriya, you have once again surpassed the basic teachings of our classes and humbled me!" He finished with a deep bow.

"I don’t think it’s as grand as all that!" Midoriya said, "I just didn’t want everyone to think I wasn’t joining in!"

"Hahaha!" All Might laughed, "I don’t think you have anything to worry about in that regard, Young Midoriya!"

"However," Eraserhead interrupted, "It is true that All Might gave you an advantage on the rest of the class. Yaoyorozu, any qualms about Midoriya being your partner for the next exercise?"

"None at all, sir."

"Good," Eraserhead affirmed, "because it was going to happen either way. You two go ahead and discuss strategy." He then directed his attention to two other students, "Uraraka, Sero, you’re up. ‘Snipe’ is being held hostage in the butchers, good luck."

"Right!" With determination in their eyes, Uraraka and Sero headed out the doors, ready to face the challenge. Eraserhead then turned to Bakugo, signalling to follow him. With a disgruntled "tch," Bakugo reluctantly trailed behind.

The adjacent room was sparsely equipped for teaching, furnished with only a handful of desks and some basic stationary supplies. Posters adorned the walls, advocating the importance of proper nutrition and stretching before exercise. In one corner, a box held a variety of UA sports uniforms, including specially designed ones for students with mutation quirks. Due to its intended use for Recovery Girl’s field medic classes, an elective for third-year students, Eraserhead had rarely utilised the room. But it would be a good place to have a little ‘chat’ with a student.

Eraserhead pulled out a chair and settled in, his hands resting on his knees as he focused his gaze on the scowling boy before him. "Alright, Bakugo. What was that about? Did you honestly believe you could attack another student without consequences?"

Bakugo snorted and muttered something indistinct, his arms tightly crossed in defiance.

"Speak up," Eraserhead demanded.

"I said it wasn’t unprovoked!" Bakugo shouted. "He’s been provoking me since we were kids, always looking down on me with his stupid quirk! If he didn’t think he was better than me, he wouldn’t keep trying to get me to join his dojo! He thinks I’m weak, so I showed him I’m not!"

Eraserhead sighed; he had dealt with plenty of one-sided rivalries in the past, a regrettable aspect of the competitive hero world. But this was a new one. "If you believe that was a demonstration of strength, you’ve got a hell of a lot to learn. All you've shown me is that my initial assessment was right. You have potential, but your aggression blinds you. You can’t let your pride, and your anger, get the better of you."

In response, Bakugo shot Eraserhead a penetrating glare. "You'd rather I be a passive weakling like Midoriya?! If he can't stand up to me, how can he ever hope to take down a villain?"

"Fighting? Is that what you were doing?" Eraserhead asked, his head shaking disapprovingly. "Because it didn't seem like you could lay a single finger on him. Listen, Bakugo. This isn't a game, and it's certainly not a competition among classmates. Beating down your peers doesn't showcase heroism; it demonstrates a lack of understanding about what being a hero truly means."

"I know enough," Bakugo retorted defiantly. "I know that to be the best, I have to-"

"Bakugo, you don't know anything," Eraserhead interrupted firmly. "Your perception of what a hero is has become distorted. I don't know how it happened, and quite frankly, I don't care to find out. But it's my duty as your teacher to help you untangle this knot you’ve gotten tied up in. A hero isn't just someone who looks out for themselves. It's someone who cares, someone who can show empathy and work with others."

Looking away, Bakugo said nothing.

So the student who knows it all has run out of things to say, the perfect opportunity to play the last card. "Here's an ultimatum, Bakugo," he declared. "Either you make friends with someone other than Midoriya by the end of the week, or I'll transfer you to the general education program."

Bakugo was suddenly taken aback. "What?! You can't do that!"

"I can, and I will," the teacher affirmed. "This isn't punishment, Bakugo. It's a chance for you to learn an essential lesson about teamwork and empathy. You can either prove you're capable of that, or you're out. The choice is yours."

"Aaaaachoo!" Midoriya wiped his nose and sniffled. "Sorry about that." As they stood outside the florist shop, the exterior adorned with freshly cut flowers in window boxes and planters, Midoriya wasn't savouring the scenery as much as others might. "....Aaaaachoo!"

"Is this safe for you, Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu asked, concerned for her partner. "If you're allergic to flowers, we can talk to Aizawa and try to rescue a hostage from another shop?"

"Oh, I'm not allergic," Midoriya reassured her. "It's just my quirk. Pollen sticks to the inside of my nose and just won’t…get…out achoo! See?"

"Hmm..." Yaoyorozu pondered for a moment before having a sudden idea. "I could make you a mask, that should help." In an instant, her forearm began to glow, and she produced a white surgical mask. Gratefully, Midoriya put it on.

Smiling beneath the mask, Midoriya redirected his focus to the mission at hand - rescuing (plushie) Midnight. "The other groups all had six robots to take down, right?"

"Mm," Yaoyorozu nodded in agreement. "Five grunts and one boss. I believe our building is the smallest of the group, so they're likely to be huddled together. If that's the case, it might make keeping the hostage out of danger difficult."

"It'll be best if we pick them off one by one... Well, no time like the present," Izuku declared, pulling his goggles down over his eyes. "Oh! I need ammunition... Maybe I could use the pebbles in that planter."

With a light chuckle, Yaoyorozu responded, "If you'd like me to make you something, you only need to ask."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be the sort of person who just assumes someone is comfortable using their quirk like that."

"It's no bother whatsoever," she assured him with a smile and then manifested a small bag of metal balls, each about the size of marbles. "Will this do?"

Accepting the bag, Izuku affixed a metal ball to each arm and began to rapidly spin them around his wrists, testing their suitability. "They're perfect! Ready to head in?"

"Ready!" Yaoyorozu confirmed, then pulled a megaphone out of her stomach. "Attention hostage takers! We are heroes in training, Izuku Midoriya and Momo Yaoyorozu! What are your demands?"

A robot stuck its head out of the second-floor window, enthusiastically exclaiming, "Beep, beep, boop!" while holding out its fingers as if counting something. Then, it abruptly withdrew its head and asked an unseen companion, "Beep boop? Boop." Once more, it showed itself and shouted, "Beep boop boop!"

Midoriya muttered out the side of his mouth, "Did you catch any of that?"

"I'm... afraid not," Yaoyorozu replied, lifting the megaphone to her mouth. "First, let us see that the hostage is safe!"

Unseen but noticeably nearby the window, the two trainees heard Midnight's voice, "Oh my, Oh dear! I hope a strapping pair of heroes is here to help me in my hour of need, oh swoon!"

Midoriya nodded and whispered softly, "So the hostage is on the second floor. At least three villains in that room, no sign of the boss. Keep them busy; I'm going to climb the wall."

"Got it. So uh... Lovely weather we've been having. It must be really good for the flowers," she stalled, trying not to draw attention to the fact she was watching her partner scale the wall like a lizard. "Which are your favourites? I've always been partial to begonias."

Positioned beneath the window ledge where the robot stood, Midoriya stayed as quiet as possible. "I hope all those weeks playing Hitman have paid off..." he thought to himself. He quickly reached up and planted a hand on the robot's chassis, immobilising it, before hurling the entire mechanical figure out of the window.

Breaking into a run, Yaoyorozu headed for the interior of the shop, while Izuku clung to the wall above the window ledge. Another robot, in a state of panic, rushed to the window and searched around for its companion, looking left and right, but never thinking to look up. With an impressive move, Midoriya unstuck his feet long enough to deliver a kick to the robot’s dome, and watched as they tumbled out of the window. 

With a swift swing of his legs, Izuku infiltrated the building, immediately assuming a low, defensive stance, prepared to engage if necessary.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the hero in t-t-t-training!" A larger, oddly-voiced robot taunted. Its left eye twitched erratically, and its jaw appeared to be hanging on by a single bolt. "Come to rescue , click, rescue the-the-the hostage?"

Izuku’s brow furrowed. There was something off about this robot. "I don't want to hurt anyone if I don't have to. We can work this out." He kept a watchful eye on the mechanical figure in front of him while Yaoyorozu ascended the stairs to join him. She made a move, but Izuku gestured for her to halt.

"D-d-don't want to hurt anyone? Bzt. That would be a f-first. All you students ever seem to d-do is hurt us!"

"Yaoyorozu," Izuku whispered to her, taking a cautious step forward, "There's something off about this one."

Raising a hand to her ear, Yaoyorozu spoke into her mic, "Mr. Aizawa? ...Comms are down."

"M-m-maybe you need a r-reason click to fight us!" the robot exclaimed, seizing the plushie Midnight and ruthlessly tearing its head off. It then flung the two halves to opposite sides of the room.

"Aw, jeez, well, that's a fail..." Izuku sighed in disappointment.

Suddenly, Yaoyorozu yelled, "Midoriya! Look out!" grabbing his arm and pulling him out of harm’s way. The robot had abruptly raised an arm, lifting its hand back to reveal the barrel of a rifle. A spray of bullets erupted out of it, giving the pair barely enough time to avoid the onslaught.

They ran for their lives, eventually able to leap behind a fallen table. Huddled, they assessed the situation. "Midoriya, this is live ammunition!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed.

"I knew there was something off about that robot!" Izuku said. "I think it might have a grudge against the hero students for destroying robots. It's a classic-"

"Ultron situation, yes." Yaoyorozu nodded.

"You’ve read Marvel?! Who’s your favourite hero? Mine’s-"

"Midoriya, I would love to discuss this with you when we’re not in LIFE THREATENING DANGER."

"...I have an idea." Midoriya said, "How quickly can you make marbles?"

There was no time for him to find out, as another spray of bullets tore the table in half right between them, destroying their only means of cover.

"Yaoyorozu! Get behind me and start making marbles on my elbows, and don’t stop!" Izuku instructed, balling his hands into fists and pointing them both straight forward.

The creation hero nodded, immediately understanding what Midoriya was attempting. "Got it!"

"Hey! Chromedome! Eat Marbles! STICKY CREATION: RAILGUN STYLE!" Midoriya yelled, knowing that the louder you shouted the name of your special move the more likely it was to succeed. Marbles poured out of Yaoyorozu’s hands, only to be rapidly shot forward down Izuku’s arms at a startling speed. 

The projectiles tore away at the robot’s chassis, shattering its legs like paper until it fell in a heap to the floor. It was like there was no end to the spray of bullets, and by the end, all that was left was the robot’s head, eye still erratically twitching from side to side.

"F-f-f… F-f-f… D-damn heroes…"

Chapter Text

The small room off to the side of City A’s observation deck was a hub of anxious energy, as Eraserhead lounged at a desk, his focus locked on a decapitated robot head with lifeless, grey eyes. He sat there, fingers forming a steeple, and wore his trademark deadpan expression as two students stood before him.

"Okay," he began, but before he could say more, Midoriya couldn't contain his panic any longer. 

"Please, don't expel me!" Izuku blurted out, terror stricken. "I didn't mean to destroy school property, honest!!"

Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber, "Midoriya's approach may have been a tad lacking in finesse, but it was a necessary display of strength, I assure you."

Aizawa rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "No one's getting expelled. If anything, we’re grateful that you two took care of that robot," he assured them, pushing his unruly hair out of his eyes. Under his breath, he mumbled, "We certainly don't need another sentient AI running around... I doubt the world is ready for another Wash..."

"What was that, sir?"

"Nothing, don’t worry about it."

Relieved, but still more than a little lost, Izuku scanned the room. "So, if we're not getting expelled, then why is my mom here?"

Decked out in her Green Magnet costume, having come here after patrol, Inko calmly explained. "Because you're my son, and you nearly got shot. I did tell you that hero school could be dangerous, but usually it's not 'attacked by an evil robot on the second day' dangerous."

"Oh…" Izuku nodded in understanding, "Then, why is Koichi here?"

Skycrawler scratched the back of his neck, "Ehh, I may have accidentally recorded myself as a legal guardian when I made you my intern. I really should remember to read the fine print on those contracts…"

"Oh… Then why are the Hagakures here?" 

The elder Hagakure waved her partially see-through arm and smiled."Because I’m your registered quirk counsellor, and what happened today falls under quirk registry law."

"Oh…" Izuku's expression shifted, and he turned his gaze towards someone quietly lurking in the corner of the room."Then why is Sero here?"

The boy shrugged, "Because Koda didn’t want to come here alone."

"Oh, okay."

With a cough, Eraserhead drew attention back on him. "Yaoyorozu," he said, pointing to the robotic head on his desk, "Could you take this over to Power Loader's workshop?"

"Yes, sir! Of course!" Yaoyorozu replied with enthusiasm, standing up straight. "Consider it done!"

Eraserhead handed her the head, his expression serious, but he kept a firm hold of the robot for the moment. "When you get there, don't open the door head-on. Stand to the side before opening it. Trust me on this."

Yaoyorozu nodded, a bit puzzled but willing to follow his advice. "Um, okay, got it."

After she left, Eraserhead slumped back into his chair and closed his eyes, leaving everyone in the room waiting for his next move. Finally, he broke the silence. "Alright, Midoriya, Magnet, Crawler—nice to see you again, by the way—and Hagakure, you're with me. We've got some things to go over in my office."

"I've gone through your files more times than I can count," Eraserhead began, dropping a manilla folder in front of the group, "But I'm still struggling to wrap my head around how 'Stickiness' led to you launching a marble that could slice through steel. Can you break it down for me, step by step?" Eraserhead requested, fluffing up a pillow and tossing it on the floor in the centre of the room, before having a little lie down.

Midoriya scratched his head nervously, trying to figure out how to say it. "Um, well, sir, it’s kind of hard to explain. I just… make the sticky go away?"

Eraserhead gave Midoriya a sceptical look from the floor. "You make the sticky go away?" he repeated.

"Y-yeah," Midoriya stammered. "I mean, not completely. Just, mostly. Most of the sticky."

Helpfully, Hagakure tried to offer some clarification, "What he means is that he can control how sticky his skin is," she said. "When he was little, he couldn’t turn it off at all. Everything would stick to him. Then he learned how to turn it on and off, but only completely. He couldn’t adjust the level of stickiness."

"Yeah, exactly!" Midoriya nodded, grateful for her support. "In the last couple years I started figuring out how to control my stickiness by percentages! And I figured out I can change the percentage at a really precise level on my skin, which is how I can fire things."

"Hmm," Eraserhead closed his eyes again, and for a few moments everyone thought he had gone to sleep. "...So what percentage were you at today?"

Midoriya tilted his head, thinking hard. "Huh, I’ve never really measured it in numbers before. It’s more like a feeling? Maybe 1% sticky?" he guessed.

Suddenly, Aizawa sat bolt upright like a vampire rising from a coffin, and turned his attention to Koichi. "Crawler, when you stick to surfaces, how does it feel compared to repulsion?"

Nervous under Eraserhead’s eyes, and suddenly feeling like that young kid in Naruhata again, Koichi tried his best. "Oh, jeez, putting me on the spot…" he mumbled, "It feels like using my quirk in reverse, is the only way I can think to word it."

"Mm." Eraserhead shifted his gaze ever so slightly toward Inko, "Green Magnet, if I may, what’s Izuku’s father’s quirk?"

"Fire Breathing. Why do you ask?"

"Formulating a hypothesis." He said. "How exactly did his quirk operate?"

Inko thought for a moment, it had been over a decade since she last saw her ex-husband, but she could still remember enough. "He had a flint wheel in his throat, when he opened his mouth fast enough he could create a spark, which ignited into a flame." she said.

As Hagakure gasped with sudden realisation, Eraserhead nodded and lay back down on the floor, clearly having played his part. "I’ll let your counsellor explain."

Izuku looked at Hagakure with confusion. "What’s going on? What’s wrong with my quirk?"

She smiled and put her opaque hand on his shoulder. "Nothing’s wrong with it, but I don’t think your quirk is being sticky. It’s something else." she said softly.

"It is? Then what is it? I thought it was simple, I  make myself sticky and not sticky, that’s all." Izuku protested.

"Maybe not." Hagakure said, shaking her head gently, "It sounds like your quirk has more to do with friction. You’re increasing and decreasing the friction of your body. That’s how you can slide on surfaces, or climb walls, or shoot things. You’re not changing how sticky you are, you’re changing how much force you apply."

Izuku’s eyes glazed over, utterly confused. Friction? Force? What did that have to do with his quirk?

"This is just a theory, but it seems like your mom's Attraction and the friction aspect of your father's quirk combined in such a way that you can be both adhesive and completely frictionless."

"Wait, let me get this straight," Inko said, "You're saying that all this time, Izuku could have been slippery?"

Visions appeared in Izuku's mind of him as a child, tripping on an upturned paving slab and sliding into traffic.

"Izuku?" Inko asked, taking his hand. "How are you feeling?"

Izuku was silent for a moment, his brow furrowing and his lip twitching slightly. "...This is so cool!!! I could be one of the fastest heroes to ever live, maybe even faster than Gran Torino! I don't have to worry about air resistance, right? But stopping might be a problem, unless I can gradually slow myself down, use the air like a cushion, I wonder if I'll be able to jump higher by increasing the friction in a certain way incrementally and-"

As Izuku excitedly continued to brainstorm his quirk's potential, the adults in the room huddled together to discuss the situation.

Aizawa cleared his throat to address the group. "Dealing with a new aspect of a quirk like this can be a challenging time, as you're all no doubt aware. However, I won't be able to dedicate a lot of time towards its development. I have a considerable number of other students to attend to."

"Well he is my intern, right? And you know I have some background dealing with this kind of thing." Koichi added, "I could train him as part of my patrols. I could pull some strings with the Ingenium Agency and have their tech guys work on some support gear if he needs it, too." He pondered this for a moment, then quickly said "That's if you're alright with it, Miss Midoriya!"

"It all sounds fine to me. Hagakure, how do you feel about handing the training reins over to Skycrawler?"

"I'm fine with it on the condition that I look over any proposed training plans beforehand." Hagakure agreed.

Aizawa stood up from the floor and stretched. "Then it's settled. Midoriya,"

"-it would probably be better to limit myself to begin with due to the thin atmosphere, even if I can essentially glide or float I might still- Huh? Yes, Mr Aizawa?" Izuku stumbled, his long train of thought broken abruptly.

"Crawler and Hagakure will be working on a new training plan for you. We'll be starting off small, so in the meantime, don't try to figure any of this out on your own. We don't fully understand how your quirk works yet, with you being a new member of the breaks the laws of physics club." Aizawa explained. "Now if that's everything, I have to see to some of my other students. Three of my second years also discovered life-changing aspects to their quirks today."

"I understand," Izuku replied earnestly. "I promise I won't do anything reckless."

Later that evening, Izuku and his friends had met up at their favourite park, after the young hero had texted them to say he had important information.

"Come on Eijirou, try and grab my arm! Go on, just try!" Izuku held his arm out, a huge grin plastered on his face.

Eijirou didn’t look convinced. "No way bro, you're just gonna stick me! Then you'll flip me over! Toru already body slammed me twice today, I don't think I could take much more."

"I didn’t slam you that hard." Toru interjected, currently hanging upside down from the monkey bars.

With a hand on his chest, Izuku put on an innocent expression, "I promise I won’t flip you."

"Uh uh," Eijirou shook his head, "I’m not falling for that one again."

Sarcastically, Izuku put his hands behind his back and walked away, taking deliberately long steps, "Well, okay then," he said with his head tilted back, "If you’re too much of a chicken…"

"H-hey, I’m no chicken!" Eijirou protested, reaching out to grab Izuku’s wrist.

Izuku suddenly made a very worrisome face.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?" Eijirou asked nervously.

Grinning a devilish grin, Izuku lowered the friction on his arm. Eijirou’s hand immediately slid off the arm as though it were made of soap. The sudden change caught him off guard, and Izuku took the opportunity to grab the other boy’s wrist instead.

"Gotcha." He said with a smile.

"Dude! Nice move!" the spiky-haired teen enthused, before trying to pull his own arm away, only to find it stuck fast. As predicted, Izuku twisted and flipped the unsuspecting Eijirou over his shoulder.

The poor sucker landed on the ground with a thud. "You lied to me…" he whimpered.

"Sorry, sorry, I got over excited. But what did you think?"

"I don’t really get it?" Mina said, confused. "You just got out of his hold and flipped him, what’s new? Kiri sucks at grappling, we’ve been through this."

"Hey!"

Izuku looked slightly offended too. "It wasn’t just a hold! Did you guys really not see what I did?"

With an impressive flip, Toru dismounted the bars. "Didn’t look like anything, Izuku. Was this the big announcement?"

"Maybe I didn't demonstrate it in the best way," Izuku mumbled, scanning the park for a way to illustrate his newfound skill. His eyes landed on a particularly appealing rock. "Here, look!" he exclaimed, placing the rock on his forearm, only for it to promptly fall off. "See?! Huh?! Did you see?!"

Mina placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Izuku, are you feeling alright?"

"I’m just not explaining it right, that’s all… My quirk isn’t being sticky, it’s manipulating friction! I can make myself completely frictionless!"

"I mean, I guess that’s cool and all bro," Eijirou said, "But how’s it that much different to what you could do before?"

"Well it’s like, I can slide around and… Huh, I guess I was doing that already." Midoriya looked away in thought, "...Oh! I might not be affected by air resistance, I haven’t tried it out yet, but that would be pretty neat, right?"

"Oh!" Mina said with more excitement, "Would that mean you could move super fast or something?"

"Why didn’t you start with that?!" Toru gave him a punch in the arm. "You gonna try it out or not?"

Izuku nodded with determination in his eyes, casually rubbing where he just got punched. "Alright, we’ll call this quirk test number one. Frictionless running, from this end of the park over to that tree."

"Wait wait, I’ll put the timer on my phone," Mina said, scrambling for the app, "Okay, I’m ready!"

Quirk test number one. Izuku imagined himself a frictionless bullet, cutting through the air with ease. He took a deep breath and tried to centre himself. "It’s just like going 0% sticky, but going further… I can do this." He closed his eyes, and took one final deep breath.

Then his trousers fell down.

Katsuki Bakugo stalked the grounds of UA with a feral look in his eyes, like a hungry lion, sending shivers down every spine he passed and casting an aura of fear around his very being. There was almost a visible red glow around him, and more than one person could swear they saw a literal fire in his eyes.

"Grrrrrr…" he grr’d. 

Ahead of him in a hallway, a second year general education student froze like a deer in headlights.

"YOU!" Bakugo shouted, pointing an accusatory finger toward his prey. "YOU’LL DO."

Petrified, the student looked from left to right rapidly, their fight or flight response kicking into overdrive. As Bakugo started to sprint down the hallway, the poor student made a split second decision. They jumped out of a window.

"Damn it! One of these damn extras is going to be my friend!!" Bakugo roared.

Chapter Text

"But you do have green hair, so what's the problem?"

Izuku sighed. "I know, Mina, but I'm just saying, greenette doesn't make any sense linguistically. It's not a word, it's made up." 

"All words are made up, Izuku." She shrugged.

"She's got you there, bro." Kirishima said helpfully.

Class 1A found themselves gathered outside, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their school bus. Their destination? The incredible Unforeseen Simulation Joint! The USJ, a facility that was nothing short of an extravagant display of taxpayer money hard at work. It simulated an array of natural disasters, providing the students with hands-on experience. Could the same understanding be achieved through eyewitness reports and research? How would I know? I’m not a geologist. Anyway.

"No, I mean-" he began, only to cut himself off. "Okay, so the word brunette? It's French, right? It means a brown-haired female because of the 'ette' at the end."

Mina nodded, "Right."

"So, for a guy, it's 'brunet,' ends with just e t. But nobody really says that, "

"Right."

"'Brun' is French for brown, so ‘brun ette’, and 'vert' is French for green. So, a green-haired boy would be...?" Izuku looked at her with his eyebrows raised, hoping Mina would catch on.

"Greenette." She said confidently.

"No, gah!" Izuku threw his hands up in frustration.

Toru patted Izuku sympathetically on the shoulder. "Just one of those things us greenettes have to get used to."

Everyone within earshot turned around, confused by Toru's comment.

"What? What did I say?" she asked innocently.

Izuku frowned, "You have green hair? How do you… How do you know that?"

"My hair doesn’t stay invisible once it’s off my body, silly."

"How has this never come up before now?!"

Before the invisible girl could answer, the brusk voice of Tenya Iida interrupted their conversation with an ill-timed karate chop "Everyone, please! It is imperative that as future heroes we act in a manner accordingly! Enter the bus carefully and respectfully!"

That morning, Iida had been voted the new class president. It was a close race, the final results being Uraraka with 0 votes, Tenya with 2 votes, and everyone else in the class with 1. The identity of who else voted for Iida would forever remain a mystery.

"Quit your yapping and let us on the bus already!" Bakugo yelled from the back of the line, then added, "And which one of you brainless extras is gonna sit next to me?!"

Almost everyone in the class turned away and started whistling nonchalantly, everyone except for one individual who maintained a radiant smile and leaned closer to Bakugo with anticipation in their eyes.

"Monsieur~"

Bakugo didn’t acknowledge his glittery classmate for a few seconds, before he finally relented. "...FINE! You can sit next to me if you keep your mouth shut about cheese!"

Aoyama was overjoyed, and he spun into a series of almost a dozen graceful pirouettes.

"Cheese is a delicacy in Paris! Over 400 varieties each with its own flavour and texture!" Aoyama gushed, flipping through the pages of Cheeselover Monthly, a publication he apparently took everywhere with him. "My favourite is Le Roquefort! The creamy texture is as alluring as myself, oui?"

Bakugo was scowling out of the window, wishing he had taken the aisle seat so he could escape easier.

"Isn’t it true, Bakugo? One must appreciate the finer things in life! An explosion of flavour, much like your quirk, non?" Aoyama continued to enthuse, hardly put off by the lack of response.

"No!" Bakugo finally answered with his fists clenched, "It’s not like my quirk at all!"

"Oh my!" Aoyama dramatically put a hand to his chest. "I mean no offence mon ami-"

"There are way better cheeses than roquefort! I mean goddamn, have you never had cheddar?! Now THAT is an explosive cheese! Shit, you moron, you don’t even have to leave France to get better than roquefort! Brie?! Camembert?! Damn comté?! Pfft… Roquefort…" Bakugo crossed his arms and turned back to look out of the window again.

Aoyama blinked. "Hmm, those are good cheeses, oui…" He leaned over closer, his bright smile gleaming as usual as his head tilted, "it is tres bien to meet a fellow turophile."

"The hell did you call me?!"

"A turophile! A cheese lover, a dying breed!"

"Pfft," Bakugo snorted, "It’s just easy food to eat, as long as it don’t stink. Simple and satisfying! You don’t need any fancy stuff to make it taste good, it’s just great on its own, doesn’t need any extra help."

Aoyama put on a pair of sunglasses he seemed to carry around for dramatic moments such as this, then peered over the lenses. "Great on its own, doesn’t need any extra help. Like you, oui?"

Bakugo felt a slight tug at the corner of his mouth and realised that he was almost smiling. "Yeah, just like me."

It was at this moment he noticed the sea of confused faces staring at the two of them, their cheese conversation being a little louder than either realised. Bakugo stood on his seat and waved a fist. "Quit gawking! Or I’ll blast you losers to kingdom come!!" Immediately, everyone turned back in their seats.

Sitting with a smile still plastered on his face, Aoyama said "How do you feel about… light wines?"

"What’s even the point if it ain’t got a bite to it?!"

The massive doors of the USJ facility swung wide open, flooding the students' eager faces with dazzling light. Gasps of wonder and excitement filled the air as Eraserhead strolled ahead, a backpack lazily slung over one shoulder.

"Yeah welcome to the USJ, truly the shining star of the UA campus etc etc. You have exactly 6 seconds to continue gawking in reverence, then we have to get started with today’s activities."

"THAT’S NO WAY TO MAKE AN INTRODUCTION!!" Suddenly, a mysterious voice boomed across the vast space, disrupting the awe-struck atmosphere. The hero class glanced around, bewildered, unable to pinpoint the source. Aizawa just shrugged.

"Class, meet one of our two rescue specialists," He began, before the voice cut him off.

"I’LL TAKE IT FROM HERE!"

From the centre of the room, a swirling cloud of purple mist emerged, twirling and spiralling into the form of an enormous head. Along the edges, the mist transformed into a dazzling display of LED lights. The colossal head grinned, erupted in laughter, and then split open to reveal a man with light blue, wavy hair, goggles, and a quarterstaff.

The crowd gasped in amazement as the man began to speak. "THE USJ! HOME OF HEROICS! REALM OF RESCUE! WITH ME, YOUR INSTRUCTOR FOR THE DAY! THE IRREPLACEABLE, THE IMPECCABLE, THE ONE, THE ONLY-"

"Oboro Shirakumo, hero name Loud Cloud," Aizawa interjected, his tone flat but with a hint of amusement.

Instantly, the grand presentation crumbled. LEDs tumbled to the floor, and Oboro descended to ground level. "You always have to ruin my fun, don't you?" he grumbled, earning a slight smirk from Aizawa.

"LOUD CLOUD?!" Izuku yelled out. "The actual Loud Cloud teaches at UA?! What in the hell?! I thought you were dead!"

"Whoa, kid! Don't believe everything you hear. Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated, alright? Survived a building falling on me and all that. People just like to write you off after one little incident," Oboro defended himself. "But here I am, alive and kicking! Well, mostly kicking." He lifted a trouser leg to reveal the artificial limb concealed underneath.

Aizawa, standing alongside his old friend, added, "Loud Cloud is part of a rare breed - one of a group of exclusively rescue-oriented heroes in Japan. They don't bother with rankings and prefer to stay out of the limelight. It's a solid career path, should you choose to go that route."

"Aw, Eraser…" Loud Cloud sniffed and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I think you picked a solid career path as well, buddy." 

Aizawa remained unfazed. "Any questions before we get started?"

A collection of hands reached for the sky, and Oboro casually gestured over them before making his selection. "Hmmm... You! Spiky-haired kid!"

Kaminari, Kirishima, Sato, Tokoyami, and Yaoyorozu all pointed at themselves in confusion, collectively asking, "Who, me?"

"The red one!"

Kirishima scratched the back of his head and asked, "So, uh, what made you want to be a rescue hero?"

"Well, I always wanted to travel to interesting places and nearly die in them," Oboro replied matter-of-factly, but the confused and slightly alarmed expressions from the students immediately deflated his attempt at humour. "Okay, okay! I'm kidding! Truth is, I've wanted to be a rescue hero since I was a little kid. But it really hit me when I lost my foot. Picture this: trapped under a pile of rubble, no way out, life flashing before my eyes... And then I heard a voice."

"I am here!"

"Yeah! Exactly like that!" Oboro exclaimed, eagerly shifting his gaze between Aizawa and the students.

"I am here, on time!" All Might declared, doing a little half jog over to the group, waving to them. Today, he sported gym clothes - basketball shorts and a loose tank top with 'MIGHTY' on the chest and '08' on the back.

Oboro continued to pivot his head rapidly between Aizawa and the students until he became a blur. "Uh, buh! Allmuh?! Alamo!?"

"If you ever bothered to come to staff meetings, you would have known All Might was on the staff this year," Aizawa deadpanned.

"You could have sent me a text!"

"But then you wouldn't have come to any of the staff meetings."

Oboro left a trail of clouds behind him as he ran over to furiously shake All Might’s hands, and quickly whipped his phone out to take a series of selfies with the big hero.

"Glad to see you’re in tip-top shape, Young Shirakumo!"

His eyes widening, Oboro started to tear up. "You remembered my name?"

Before things could get any more sentimental, Eraserhead stepped in gallantly to redirect the class. "Alright, fanboy, we've got work to do. Everyone, I want you to form teams of four. Or, um… let me see." He started to count the students. "Nineteen… Damn prime numbers… Fine, four teams of four, one team of three. Or three teams of five and one team of four, whatever works. But don’t even think about three teams of six and one team of one."

Kaminari looked confused as he tried to do the maths. "So you want… four teams of… huh?"

Aizawa rubbed his temples and sighed. "Just make some teams, alright?"

"Oh gosh! Oh calamity! I am forsaken!" Mina dramatically threw a hand across her forehead, her lower half obscured by a fake pile of rubble. Her role in the activity was to play ‘wealthy heiress trapped in fire started by her philandering son-in-law’. All Might had been handing out cards with new roles whenever groups wanted to try a new scenario, he’d written them all out the previous afternoon and may have gotten a little distracted by tv shows.

"Don’t worry, Mrs Pinkersham! For I am here!" Izuku shouted as he barged his way through the doors of the burning building. The blazing mansion set piece was a good example of the engineering marvel that was the USJ, from the outside it looked like a real inferno, but on the inside the fire gave off no heat and the smoke was harmless. For these first-year students, rescue operations were more about embracing the spirit of heroism than facing actual danger. The priority was getting the kids into the right mindset more than anything else.

A marble pillar wobbled precariously and crashed to the ground, but Izuku, in a timely manner, rolled out of harm's way. The fire might be fake, but the building still had a few surprises up its sleeve. But then, a sudden revelation struck him - Mrs. Pinkersham's chambers were right above, and that pillar was load bearing!

With a deafening crash, the entire upper floor collapsed, sending rubble and debris cascading down. Through sheer luck, Izuku caught Mina in his arms.

"My hero!" she called, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Izuku remained silent for a moment, then unleashed a shout in a surprisingly high-pitched voice, "ALL IN A DAY'S WORK, MA'AM!" With his arms still firmly around her, he maintained the same post-shout expression until Mina wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Um... Izuku? You can put me down now."

"R-right! Sorry!" he stammered, finally releasing her from his heroic clutches. She fell to the floor with a thud, before picking herself up off the ground and giving him a disapproving glare.

"Yeah, thanks…" She muttered, brushing herself off as the two of them exited the building.

Toru gave the pair of them a thumbs up (they assumed), "Awesome rescue!"

"Phenomenal work, young heroes!" All Might praised the two of them outside the building, which immediately began to reverse itself back to a fully repaired structure. "I particularly enjoyed your entrance! I am here. Haha, goosebumps! Now, let’s run through a different scenario. Young Hagakure, you’ll be a rescuer! Young Midoriya, you’ll be playing Johnny Memphis, card-counting con artist with a secret past! While stashing away your ill-gotten gains-" Suddenly, All Might’s instructions were cut off by a deafening smash from the ceiling above them.

From high above, shards of glass poured down, and legions of mysterious people began jumping, gliding, flying, free-falling and rappelling down. All Might assumed a formidable pose to shield the students with his imposing presence. In a commanding tone, he declared, "Students, make your way to the doors. Stay low and don't look back." With that, he catapulted himself skyward, heading straight for the incoming invaders.

Mina exchanged bewildered glances with Toru and Izuku. "Is this another part of the scenario?!"

"I don't think so," Izuku replied in a low tone. "We’d better do what he says- Toru?! Where are you going?!"

Ahead of him, running at full speed toward the central plaza, Toru shouted behind her "Mr Aizawa and the other students are inside the cave systems, they might not have seen what’s happening! I’ve got to warn them, there’s an intercom system near the fountain!"

Izuku clenched his hands and looked toward Toru then back towards the doors in the opposite direction. "But All Might said to-" He threw his arms in the air in defeat "Agh, fine! I’m coming with you!"

"I’m with you, too!" Mina declared with little provocation. The three of them sprinted toward the plaza with little thought of what danger lay ahead.

BOOM!

The ground trembled as a colossal crash echoed from a far-off corner of the USJ, making the students freeze in their tracks upon reaching the plaza. Following All Might's advice, they hunkered down close to the floor, bracing themselves. The trio cautiously advanced toward the intercom, hoping to alert those inside about the chaos unfolding.

Just as they neared the communication system, disaster struck. A piece of roof scaffolding broke loose and came crashing down, landing square on the intercom. If it weren't for the clouds swirling around and pulling them to safety, this fanfic might have ended right then and there. Cut short by a falling piece of architecture.

"What are you kids doing?!" Loud Cloud angrily whispered from his hiding spot behind the fountain. "You’ve got to get out of here!"

"We can’t just leave," Toru insisted, "There are students still out there, they might not make it out, we had to help!"

Loud Cloud sighed, they were being reckless, but damn it if he didn’t have a soft spot for people being reckless. "We've got contingency plans for these situations, guys. Don't worry. Eraser probably has everyone back on the bus, speeding away as we speak."

Just then, a man dressed entirely in black somersaulted over them, tumbled on the ground, and collided with a low ledge. Undeterred, he picked himself up and hurried over to join the group. "What are you still doing here? You should've headed for the doors the moment this chaos kicked off," scolded Eraserhead, his stern gaze fixed on the trio.

"Okay, so he isn’t back on the bus, speeding away as we speak…" Oboro muttered to himself.

"We were just trying to help, sir." Izuku attempted in his best ‘I’m a good student’ voice. It could have worked, if Mina hadn’t gotten all pumped up from the excitement.

"We’re here because we’re heroes, damn it! And heroes don’t give up, no matter what!"

His eyes glowing red, Aizawa retorted, "And heroes who have been at school for three days don’t survive full scale villain attacks. The glass in the ceiling here was quirk protected, it’s designed to withstand meteor attacks. Whoever broke through is strong, All Might strong. I counted at least 40 other villains piling through, and it looked like they were searching for something."

Izuku gulped, "Or someone?"

"Do you think they’re after All Might?" Toru asked.

Before anyone could answer, loud clapping echoed from ahead. Peering over the side of the fountain, they spotted a scrawny, badly dressed man in a hoodie. "Well done, UA! You're really making this fun for us! Keep it up." He was about to say more when a blonde-haired boy rocketed straight for him, yelling.

"DIE!"

Before the punch landed, an enormous hulking figure landed between them, backhanding Bakugo across the facility. 

"Jeez, Muscular! Cutting it close!" the scrawny man remarked.

"I got a bit preoccupied killing All Might, alright!? I'm not your goddamn babysitter!" the enormous man replied.

"You killed All Might? Rude."

"Nah… Caused a cave in, so he’s busy taking care of that. I coulda killed him though, if I wanted."

Izuku quietly hissed to the others "I have to go check on Bakugo. I’m his best friend, I can’t just leave him…"

In a hushed tone, Eraserhead replied, "You're not going out there. If I can neutralise the big one's quirk, I can take him down."

"I'll go," Toru interjected.

"No, it's too risky. Let me handle it-"

"I'll go. Or did you forget I’m invisible?" Toru turned the star on her chest, twisting it clockwise. Her suit clicked, and she vanished from sight. "Just because I crave the limelight doesn't mean I can't play to my strengths."

"I'm not entirely sold on this plan, Eraser," Loud Cloud voiced his reservations, shaking his head slightly. "But someone's gotta check on that furious kid, and I'd bet on the girl no one can see having a better shot than anyone else."

"...Alright, go. Loud Cloud, can you send out a fog to mask their vision? Midoriya, Ashido, once they're blinded, head directly south. Don’t move in any other direction; you’ll reach the doors even if you can't see where you’re going. Once you're out, circle around the building to the cave’s emergency exit. If All Might isn't aware of it, you can assist him with rescue attempts. If he is, the other students will be gathering there." Eraserhead nodded decisively. "Ready?"

On cue, a blue mist gathered on the ground around them, spreading across the entire plaza. Toru ran slightly ahead in the direction where Bakugo had likely landed.

The fog thickened and rose several feet off the ground, enveloping the villains gathered nearby. As Izuku and Mina sprinted for the doors, the man spoke up again.

"This won’t help you hide him, heroes! I came here for a reason, and I'm not leaving until it's done! I had to live my life with my dad in prison, all because of Inko Midoriya! Her son is here somewhere, and I’m going to take from her what she took from me!!" He tilted his head back and yelled to the sky. "My name is Tomura Garaki, and I’m here to kill you, Izuku Midoriya!"

Chapter Text

In the depths of the USJ's cave system, the Class 1A students twiddled their thumbs. Momo, armed with a stick she found, started drawing on the floor. Meanwhile, Sero and Kaminari were engaged in a thrilling game of cards.

"Got any threes?" Sero asked, only to be met with the shake of a head.

Near the cave entrance, All Might was on a villain-punching spree, sending yet another baddie into a wall. He made that 32. …or was it 33? Between left hooks and haymakers, he decided to check in on the student gang.

"So kids," he said, effortlessly spinning a man above his head and throwing him, "How has your first week been?"

Sato shrugged in a noncommittal way, "Pretty good, I expected less villain attacks though."

"I imagine so!" All Might said, smashing a villain who looked like a horse in the face with his knee. "I’m sure things will quieten down soon!"

Tokoyami sidled up to the pair of them and took a sip of his coffee, "I pray this attack is not a portent of future ill-tidings."

"Where the hell did you get a coffee?!" Sato asked incredulously.

"Young Tokoyami! You should know better than to bring food and drink into class!" Another villain got punched through the roof. "But yes, where did you get it?"

"There’s a backdoor," Tokoyami said pointing behind him, "I visited the cafeteria down the road."

Everyone in the cave slapped themselves in the face simultaneously, and minutes later were all standing safely outside the facility. 

"One, two, three, four," All Might said, doing a headcount. "Oh darn, I lost count! One, two, three, four,"

"Wait!" Kirishima yelled, "Mina, Izuku and Toru aren’t here! They gotta still be inside!" Immediately he bolted for the doors, when All Might grabbed him by the …armband? What do you call that thing Kirishima wears? All Might grabs him anyway.

With good timing too, because the moment he pulled the lad back, there was a huge explosion and rubble poured down blocking the entrance. "Holy moley! You were almost a pancake! Let that be a lesson in rushing into danger! Speaking of rushing, Young Iida! Please run back to campus and grab some teachers! I fear we may require backup."

"Jesus Christ! Uh, I mean, Sacre bleu!" Aoyama yelled with his arms flailing around his head, as he watched Bakugo get punched clear across the facility by a man who looked like he definitely juiced. "Why does this always happen to the guys I like?!" As blue mist pooled around him, threatening to obscure his vision, he raced over to where he assumed Katsuki had landed.

There, amidst a pile of scorched rubble, Bakugo lay with the biggest shiner anyone had ever seen plastered across his face, and a leg that almost certainly wasn’t supposed to look like that. Seriously, his foot was facing the other way. I don’t want to go into so much detail I have to stick a gore warning on this fic, but trust me alright? Dude looked messed up. His hair looked great, though.

"Ugh…" Bakugo groaned as he shakily lifted a hand to touch his sore face, and winced. "Did I…get the guy…?"

Aoyama ran and skidded next to him, not really knowing what to do. Field medic training wasn’t until Friday! "Oui, oui mon amie! You got him. You cleaned his clock. You…You punched his card!" He said through tears.

"Then why the hell… you crying…" Bakugo managed, before he passed out.

"Shit me! He’s a wreck!" A voice said from nowhere, and Aoyama nearly leapt out of his incredibly stylish pants.

"Gwah!"

"It’s me, Toru!" She reassured him, hitting the centre of her costume and rematerialising in front of him. "See, nothing to worry about. Is he still breathing?"

"Oui, I think so."

"We shouldn’t lift him if we don’t know how bad his injuries are, but with the villains still here we won’t be able to get help…" Then, with a wicked look in her eye (one can only assume. Invisible, you know.) She said "Are you thinking what I’m thinking?"

Aoyama looked a little terrified, "We…we wait for more heroes to arrive?"

She cracked her knuckles loudly, "Heroes have already arrived."

On their way toward the back doors, the villain's words stopped Izuku and Mina dead in their tracks. They were here for him! They were here for Izuku!

"Oh god…" Izuku said under his breath, shakily. With the mist still clouding them, Mina tried to talk him through the revelation

"We gotta get out of here, okay Izuku? Everything is gonna be fine!"

"My mom…"

"She’s going to be FINE!" Mina was nearly yelling at this point.

"No, you don’t get it!" Izuku said…Grinning?! "My mom has a real life supervillain after her! She’s done it! She’s a real hero now!! Hahaha oh my god, she’s going to freak out!" He suddenly looked very serious about it, and grabbed Mina by the shoulders. "She’s going to freak out. We need to stop this guy, if he keeps coming after us we’ll have to go through all that court stuff again, and then she’ll never be home like before, and we’ll have to move to a different apartment, and"

*SMACK*

"Snap out of it Izuku!"

Calming himself, he nodded, "You’re right, I need to-"

*SMACK*

"I said snap out of it!" She then turned away as he rubbed his sore face, and she put a hand on her chin. "We just need to get All Might out of that cave, then he can go fight Beavis and Butthead over there, right?"

"R-right, so, head for the doors, swing around and get him from the cave, like Mr Aizawa said."

At that moment, several things all happened at once. The door the pair were headed to burst open as All Might ran through at a breakneck, rushing past them. Simultaneously, a huge laser beam on the other side of the room collided with the big muscular guy, (hey, that’s a good name for him! Guy!) directly in the chops. In the chaos, Toru stealthily approached Garaki and delivered an invisible karate chop to the back of his neck. Aizawa, caught mid-air in a kick, extended his capture scarf in an attempt to snag Garaki, but Toru's interference caused him to miss his target.

Garaki reached out and grabbed hold of the scarf, immediately turning it to dust. "Thank goodness that’s my actual quirk I was born with," he thought to himself for some reason, "And not one that was gifted to me by some kind of megalomaniacal supervillain!"

The sight of this display of the villain’s ability caused Toru to let out an involuntary "Eep," which, unfortunately, the scraggly man heard all too clearly.

From across the facility, Izuku watched as the villain reached a hand toward the source of the noise, where he knew Toru was standing. Mina, intelligently, bolted for the now open doors.

Then, one second Izuku was there, the next, he wasn’t.

Every molecule in Izuku's body felt as if it had suddenly disconnected from the world around him. Like a hot knife through butter, he effortlessly sliced through the air, hurtling directly towards the pair of villains before him. It wasn't just speed; he was pushing the laws of physics to their limit, slipping through the air like a bullet. He moved at a speed that defied comprehension, leaving behind a vacuum tunnel that bridged the gap between his starting point and his destination.

Air rushed to fill the void, creating a shockwave that shattered every window on the facility roof. A deafening BOOM resounded as the tunnel collapsed, leaving a deep fissure on the ground.

Before he could fully comprehend his own actions, Izuku's fist collided with Garaki. Almost instantly, green lightning traced the path he traversed, converging into his clenched fist.

"What the f-" Was all Garaki managed to convey through the split second widening of his eyes, before he was blasted clear into the sky.

At the exact same moment, All Might's fist connected with Guy's jaw, propelling him through the air. The twin impact generated a shockwave that sent Toru and Aizawa hurtling in opposite directions, fortunately without major injuries.

A sharp pain built on Izuku’s arm, as he stood there out of breath. "Don’t… touch… my friends…" He said between pants.

"And don’t touch my students!" All Might finished, before looking over at his compatriot "Oh my, young Midoriya!"

"I…I know, my arm is broken…"

"Um, not that, my boy…" All Might said, covering his eyes with one hand and pointing downward.

Izuku looked down to see he was completely naked, then collapsed.

"I, Iida Tenya have returned with the teachers to save the d- …Oh."

"Izuku? Iiizukuuuu." Toru’s voice said softly. "Izuku! Snap out of it!" She barked.

"Mmr…What…" Groggily, Izuku slowly began to open his eyes, blurry vision gradually making way for a clearer image. Unsurprisingly, he was in a hospital bed. He blinked a couple times to adjust to the new light and yawned. "What happened…?"

Surrounding him was a gaggle of his classmates, and one thin blonde guy who he didn’t recognise, fast asleep in a nearby chair. Toru, Mina, and Kirishima were all there, but Aizawa was the one to fill him in. "You broke the sound barrier and nearly blew up your arm."

"I did what?!" Izuku said in fright, looking down and sighing in relief when he saw his arm was just in a sling, and not scattered to the nine realms.

"And you’ve been in a coma for three years!" Toru shouted at him.

"I’ve what?!"

"I’m just pulling your leg, it’s been four hours." She admitted.

Izuku wiped his brow, "You nearly gave me a heart attack," Then, he got another one, when Eijiro suddenly appeared right in his face with a huge toothy grin.

"Bro! Dude! I wasn’t there but you like, broke spacetime or some shit?! Do I really need to say it?!"

Izuku mouthed along with his next words.

"It was super manly!"

Poor, predictable Kirishima…

Eijiro threw his arms up in excitement, "They had to close down the USJ for repairs! You smashed the foundations!!"

Shock coated Izuku’s face again and he looked around at the group surrounding him, "I-I don’t have to pay for that, do I?! I didn’t mean to do it, honest!"

"Midoriya," Aizawa said calmly, "We don't even have a clue what you did, so relax. The school's here to help you, it would be very wrong for us to bill you for something like that."

"Oh, thank goodness…"

"But saying that,"

Uh oh.

Aizawa scowled and switched into Teacher Mode smoothly. "You attacked a villain, completely against my orders, and could have easily endangered more people. So I'm giving you in-school suspension. That means no heroic lessons for the next two weeks, you'll be assisting Lunch Rush with cooking every day, and you'll be doing groundskeeping work around UA."

Izuku looked down sheepishly, "Dang…"

Toru patted his hand, "You'll be okay, Izuku. Getting to enjoy all that time outside, you'll have a blast," She said, barely concealing a giggle.

With a slight grin on his face, Aizawa cut in. "I don't know what you're so cheerful about, you'll be joining him. Don't think I didn't see you attacking that villain too. In fact, the only person in this room who isn't being suspended is Ashido."

Kirishima’s eyes nearly popped out, "What did I do?!"

"All Might told me about you trying to run back into a building you knew was invaded by villains. Next time you try to rush into danger without thinking, don't. You'll be joined by Aoyama and Bakugo as well. Honestly, you're all worse than Togata..."

One name in particular caught Izuku’s attention, "Kacchan! Is he okay?! What happened to him?"

"He’ll be fine. Recovery Girl doesn’t think his ankle will ever be the same again, but he’ll survive. He’s in the room next door, but he’s still resting."

Izuku sighed a breath of relief, "That’s good."

Aizawa stood from his chair and stretched his arms above his head. "I have a full lecture for you all, but I’ll save it for a time Midoriya can properly appreciate it. Also wouldn’t want to step on his mother’s shoes. She had some very choice words for you on the phone." He said with a smile. "Come on everyone, Midoriya needs his rest." he finished, nudging the sleeping blonde man on the shoulder.

As the group began to exit, Izuku stopped them, "Wait, Mina," The girl turned around and looked at him with a tired expression, "Are you… Are you okay?"

She just looked at him, and said nothing, before leaving the room with the rest of the group.

Meanwhile, Tomura Garaki wearily opened his eyes.

"Did I get hit by a truck…?" He said through the throbbing pain in his skull, before trying to scratch his neck. Only to find that his arms and legs were stuck fast. 

Taking stock of his surroundings, he saw that he was somewhere inside a forest. He looked to his left and right, and found that he was glued to some kind of purple balls attached to rope, that somebody had fashioned into a sort of web.

Ahead of him there was a rustling in the trees, and out came this little purple-haired teenager wearing a cheetah print loincloth.

Mineta scraped together a knife and fork, "Looks like I caught a big one today!" he said, licking his lips.

"...HELP! HEEEEELP!!"

Meanwhile, in the past, a few minutes after All Might did an Unincorporated United States Territory of Guam Smash on that big, muscular Guy (there has to be a better name for him…) a rather ostentatious looking fellow wearing a plague doctor mask led a girl down a street.

"Hurry up, we have tests to run," he angrily said to the little white haired girl who was hanging back by a good few metres. "It's already getting dark."

Wait, it's getting dark? But it's only 2pm… looking up, the man named Overhaul saw what was casting the shadow over him. 

"Is that a man?" He wondered, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun, not taking into account how quickly the figure was moving.

"Oh fu-"

The muscular Guy slammed into him so hard, Overhaul’s body drilled down into the crust of the earth, with no chance of him ever surviving. An errant piece of road was flung upwards and landed next to the crater like a tombstone, the cracks on it even seemed to read "rip in piss"

Nobody cared.

"-A complete disregard for your own safety, put others in danger, after everything I taught you about running into-"

"Yes mom."

"-Naked as the day you were born, a shattered arm, and it’s only the third day of-"

"Yes mom, sorry mom."

"You nearly died, Izuku!"

Throughout the entire lecture, Izuku had kept his eyes on a particularly interesting part of his living room carpet, but the tone in his mother’s voice compelled him to make eye contact. Eye contact with a very distraught Inko Midoriya.

Izuku had seen his mother cry plenty of times in the past, the ease it took to set her off was one of her most endearing qualities. One time he caught her crying at a toilet paper commercial. But these were a different kind of tears to the ones he was used to. These were like a mixture of fear and relief and all rolled up into one. He didn’t know what to say.

His mother took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and looked at him. "Do you have any idea what it’s like for a mother to see her child in danger, especially like that?" Her voice wavered.

"I… I know, Mom. I didn’t mean for it to be that um… Extreme. I just wanted to help, to do something heroic…"

Inko’s expression shifted between frustration and concern. "I know, Izuku, but you don’t have to carry the whole world on your shoulders. Like at the entrance exam, sometimes your own safety needs to take priority."

"B-but!" Izuku protested, "If I hadn’t done anything, Uraraka would have-"

"There were half a dozen pro heroes in that testing city, Izuku. She would have been fine."

Izuku suddenly felt very foolish, but he frowned, "If I hadn’t done what I did today, Toru might not have-"

Inko knelt down and put her hands on his shoulders, "Izuku, I know you acted bravely, but she would have been okay either way. Aizawa explained the whole thing to me, and I saw the footage. He had already thrown another capture scarf around that man before you attacked."

"He…he did?"

"You have to trust that there are people out there trained to handle these situations. Your safety matters to all of us, baby."

Izuku swallowed hard, the reality of the situation beginning to sink in. "I’m sorry mom, I guess I just saw someone in trouble and needed to help…"

Inko chuckled and ruffled his hair, "And that’s why you’re going to make a great hero, when you’ve actually learned how to be one. Deal?"

Pulling his mom into a hug, he agreed. "Deal. No more reckless endangerment. …Well, maybe a little reckless endangerment…" He felt his mothers fingers aggressively jab into his shoulder blades, "Okay okay! No more reckless endangerment! Ow!"

She pulled back and cupped his face in her hands, looking into his eyes. "How about some ice cream?"

"Ice cream sounds nice." He smiled, but something was still playing on his mind. "Do you um, do you know if Mina got hurt at all, at the USJ?"

His mom tilted her head to the side and frowned, "Not from what I heard. Apparently it was only you and Katsuki who got injured, Mitsuki told me that sparkly boy from your class didn’t leave his side. Why do you ask?"

"She just seemed very… I don’t know. Sad? She wouldn’t talk to me in the infirmary, and it looked like something was really bothering her." He said, looking up at her.

Inko sighed affectionately. "Oh, honey. You’re the most courageous person I know, but you’re also the most clueless sometimes."

"H-huh? What do you mean?!"

"She has a crush on you, Izuku. She looked upset because you hurt yourself, she saw you risk your life."

Izuku’s eyes went wide and he turned red instantaneously, "What?! No way! She doesn’t, there’s no way she, we’re just," he rambled.

"Do you remember what she got you for your 14th birthday?" Inko asked.

He nodded, "Sure, she got me that All Might blanket, the one that’s at the end of my bed. Why?"

"She knitted that herself. It took her eight months, she learned how to knit just for you. She made me swear not to tell you, but I have had to watch her pine after you since you were six years old and honestly I’m fed up with it!" Inko exclaimed in fake annoyance, waving her hands.

"Oh um…wow. I thought she liked Eijiro…"

"Oh, honey. Eijiro is gay."

"He is?!"

"Izuku, really! Don’t you ever read his blog? He’s very proud of it!"

"Eijiro has a blog?!"

Chapter Text

“Well, to start, we should probably postpone the sports festival.” Vlad King asserted in a gruff tone. “The students’ safety takes priority, and it's clear we have some improvements to make regarding campus security.”

Nezu grinned and jotted down the suggestion on his small whiteboard. “An excellent proposal, I must say! Any objections?”

With his eyes still closed and leaning back in his chair, Aizawa murmured an agreement. “Hmm, yes. The sports festival has become a bit predictable for the readers, anyway.”

The confused silence in the room prompted him to crack open one eye and frown. “…The readers of UA Magazine?”

“Ohhh.” came the collective realisation from the group.

“What do you think, Shirakumo?” Midnight asked. “You do so love the celebratory aspect of the festival, and we rarely get your input on school matters.”

The teachers in attendance turned their attention to an attractive teacher taking stock of the terrible time he'd had at work yesterday, lying face down on the table with his arms stretched out as far as they were able. Oboro Shirakumo, gracing the staff with his presence for the first time since they'd stopped serving pizza at meetings, melodramatically lifted his torso off the table and flailed. “Dude!! I'm still processing that skinny guy over there is All Might; the implications of a two-hundred-year-old super quirk being passed down from generation to generation; that the boogeyman is real, and the fact I've gotta replace sixteen hundred panes of glass in the USJ, and you want my input on the SPORTS FESTIVAL?!”

“You know, you would have known about all of that a lot sooner if you showed up to a meeting,” Aizawa remarked, slowly and nonchalantly unwrapping a toffee.

“Cram it, Shota!”

“Well, if we’re all in agreement,” Nezu said, before hopping off his desk and walking towards his bookcase. Happily, he plucked a book titled 'The Death of Team Sports' from the shelf, holding it at an angle. There was a faint click, followed by the distant rumble of an explosion over toward the stadium. “That takes care of that loose end,” he remarked, brushing off his paws before returning to his seat.

“Next order of business, the young chap who nearly decimated an entire facility by running a tad too quickly!”

“Uh, about that,” Thirteen said, raising their hand. “The USJ was designed to withstand an 8.0 on the Richter scale. Like, clearly. It's kind of the USJ’s entire deal, so… what the hell? Shouldn't we have known someone with that kind of power was coming to UA?”

Present Mic smacked himself in the head with both hands before raising his arms appreciatively. “THANK YOU! Someone had to say it!”

“It's the quirk singularity, I'm telling you,” Cementoss said seriously, nodding his head. “First the kids are running at super speed, next thing you know…” he drew his thumb across his throat.

A number of the other teachers, mainly the ones that don't get names because they're so unimportant, mumbled agreements amongst themselves.

“For the last time, Ken!” Vlad King shouted. “It's not the damn singularity! This isn't the first student we've had with super speed and I'll bet it won't be the last!” He finished by crossing his arms and taking a sigh before turning to Nezu. “So, what do we know about his quirk? I imagine they must have had a decent amount of training to move at that rate.”

“Oh my, not at all,” Nezu answered. “Midoriya was rather surprised, himself.”

“Midoriya?! The sticky kid from the exams?! Good God, Aizawa! He's only been in your class a week and you managed to coax that out of him?!”

Everyone waited to hear the brooding teacher’s techniques, the incredible truth behind his mentorly acumen. But they had to wait a couple of seconds, as Eraser held a finger up while he finished chewing his toffee. After a moment, he swallowed. “I didn't teach him that.” The disappointment in the room was so palpable you could have palped it, even without the aid of an automatic palping device.

Calmly, he continued to explain. “We, meaning the collection of mentors Midoriya has somehow accumulated, may have put into his head the possibility he can become completely frictionless.”

Oboro smacked a hand against the table loudly, “And you go on at ME about missing meetings?! Didn't we all agree that a student with physics-breaking abilities should at least be mentioned in an email?!”

“Don't worry about it. It's all being sorted.” Aizawa stated. “Skycrawler is taking the reins on training him.”

The collective lack of recognition across the room prompted him to clarify. “Cruller.” That cleared it up for everyone.

Deep in thought until this moment, Toshinori Yagi cut in with a question of his own. “That group of students are starting their in-school suspension this week, aren’t they?” He asked, trying to seem subtle in his intentions. “Who is, uh, going to be attending those sessions, just out of curiosity..?”

“No, Yagi.” Aizawa immediately responded. “There's no way I'm letting you pick him as a successor. The kid nearly caused an earthquake, and that was without everything you've got going on thrown into the mix.”

Nezu emphatically agreed. “Indeed, I emphatically agree! Given the power of two centuries of stockpiling, he might end up splitting the country in half. Which would be awful for attendance. I don't need to tell you all how bad the trains have been lately. I dread to think how a canyon would affect your commute.”

There was a murmur of recognition amongst the staff. They had to consider the infrastructure.

“Hey!” Yagi said defensively. “While I appreciate the concern, not everything I do is to find a successor!” He crossed his arms and slumped down in his seat, turning his head to look away from everyone. “I am a teacher as well, you know...”

Nezu bowed his head respectfully. “You're quite right. Please accept my humble apologies.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Aizawa added.

“Besides.” All Might shrugged. “I'm offering one for all to young Hagakure.”

A harsh beam of sunlight shone on Tomura Garaki’s face, the smell of cooked fish invading his nostrils as he awoke. With a grumble, he rubbed his eyes and attempted to blink away the sleep before reaching for his phone on the bedside table - something he did so often he could do it without looking. But this time, instead of his usual device, his hand encountered something soft and furry. “Weird…” he muttered, still half-asleep.

Tomura frowned, grabbed his phone (which squeaked for some reason), and lifted it to face him.

It wasn't his phone, but a very pissed-off squirrel glaring back at him. “What the hell!?” Tomura exclaimed, startling the little creature, which promptly launched itself onto his head. “AHH GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!!” he screamed in a panic, as the furry intruder scurried around his head, biting and scratching.

“Peanut Brittle! Come!” A commanding voice rang out, and the squirrel obediently leapt off Tomura's face, leaving behind a trail of scratches and scampered away, but not before turning and sticking their tongue out at him.

“What the HELL!” Tomura said in a daze, now taking stock of where he was for the first time. This wasn’t the bar he’d been stopping in, this wasn’t even his dad’s old apartment from before his arrest. Instead, he found himself seated on a makeshift cot crafted from tree branches, nestled under a leafy canopy. Everything around him was fashioned from natural materials—furniture made of tree stumps, roots, and branches, with a giant leaf serving as his blanket.

As Tomura tried to make sense of this surreal setting, the person who had called off the mischievous squirrel approached him, carrying a plate of steaming hot cooked fish. The short boy with purple hair set the plate down on the table and adjusted his leopard-print loincloth. “I didn't think you were gonna wake up,” he remarked casually.

Tomura immediately leapt forward and put a hand around Mineta’s neck. All it would take was a flick of the finger and the boy would be dead… “Give me one good reason not to kill you! Where the hell am I?!” he demanded.

Mineta snorted defiantly. “Pfft, yeah, you kill me and then what? You're in the forest, pal! You don't seem like the type to enjoy foraging for berries, so right now I'm the only thing stopping you from dying of malnutrition.”

“Hmph,” Tomura hmphed, releasing his grip. “Fine, you get to live for now… But only until I get out of here.”

“Yeah, good luck with that. I still haven’t found a way out and I’ve been all over this dangass place… Anyway, you were trapped in one of my nets. How’d you end up out here?”

“Heroes…” Tomura scowled bitterly.

“Heroes, huh? I remember heroes, used to be one myself… But that was a long time ago, a very, very long time ago…” Mineta trailed off, looking into the middle distance.

Tomura’s frown deepened. “Exactly how long have you been out here?”

“Eh, about a week, give or take.” The odd child shrugged before whistling a quick tune. The mischievous squirrel promptly returned and perched on Mineta's shoulder. “This is Peanut Brittle. He can be a handful sometimes. Say sorry to the man for attacking him, Peanut.”

The squirrel huffed and looked away, clearly unimpressed.

“Peanut Brittle…” Mineta insisted. Reluctantly, the squirrel placed a hand on his hip and held out a paw. In what Tomura considered the most absurd thing he had ever done, he shook the squirrel's hand.

“That’s better,” Purple Tarzan remarked. “Now, eat! Caught fresh this morning.” He gestured toward the meal.

With what might be a permanently confused expression, Tomura began to eat the fish, wondering how his life got to this point.

“KAPOW!” A marble shot across the gymnasium like a rocket, lodging itself in the concrete wall, among several others. A few feet away, a line of glass bottles perched on a low wall, all noticeably undamaged.

Izuku stomped his foot in frustration. “Ugh! Why is this so hard?!”

For his first real training session with Skycrawler, Izuku had assumed that with the newfound knowledge of how his quirk operated and what it was capable of, it’d be smooth sailing from here on out. Even the chance of figuring out a new ability every other week!! But so far all he had found out was that he absolutely sucked donkey eggs at aiming.

“Hey, Midoriya, come on. It’s not that big a deal, yeah?” The new teacher was trying his best, but truth be told, he was out of his depth as much as Izuku. Koichi had some experience working with younger people, but he never had to act like a real hero teacher before.

“It’s just so frustrating!” Izuku angrily insisted, beginning to pace the gymnasium. “I managed to hit the target so well back when that robot attacked, so why can’t I do it now?! Is it my stance?!”

“Maybe it’s because you shouted ‘kapow’.” Koichi teasingly said, only to have the joke fall flat. “Look man, this stuff doesn’t come overnight. Do you think All Might was saving everyone and throwing out Detroit Smashes on his first night on the job?”

“Yes, there are videos of it.”

Koichi relented, “Okay, poor example. I know it took me a long time not to blow chunks at shooty-go-blamming. I mean, I didn't figure out what I could do until I was 19.” He settled onto a bench and motioned for Izuku to join him, tossing the boy a water bottle.

Catching the bottle easily and unscrewing the top, Izuku stuck the lid to his arm until he could find a bin. Heroes don’t litter. “What do you mean, didn’t your school teach you how to use your quirk?”

Koichi scratched his head. “Well, sort of. Just the basics, you know.” He held up a finger to count down the myriad lessons he was taught. “Number one: don’t use it in public.” After a brief pause, he lowered his hand. “I guess that was about it.”

“What, are you serious? Where did you train? …Ketsubutsu, right?” Izuku nodded in sympathetic understanding.

The expression on Koichi's face showed a mix of embarrassment and confusion.  “Hold on, did your mom not tell you?!”

“Tell me what, that KB is a clown college?”

“No, man!” Koichi said in surprise. “I never went to a hero school! I was a vigilante for like, 126 chapters!”

Izuku looked at him and shrugged, confused.

“Sorry, Naruhata slang. About 3 years. But yeah, I was a motorcycle-riding, sunglasses-wearing, don’t-take-no-for-an-answer, uh… Cool guy vigilante. That’s how I met your mom. She had to interview me for a school project.”

Shaking his head incredulously, Izuku tried to come to terms with this bombshell of a revelation. “It’s just so hard to imagine! I figured you met my mom after she became a hero…” He furrowed his eyes and looked as though he was appraising Koichi. “I mean, for real?! You were a vigilante?! Huh… maybe vigilantism isn’t only for hardened badasses…” He finished by scratching his chin thoughtfully.

Koichi leaned in, jabbing a finger and ready to set the record straight. “Hey! I was the real deal, a certified tough guy! I was even friends with this guy who was practically a giant! Bandana, leather jacket, the works!” Sure, it might seem silly for a grown-up to be proving his coolness to a teenager, but this seemed incredibly important for some reason.

“Okay, okay!” Izuku held his hands up defensively. “I believe you!”

Koichi sighed and leaned back against the wall. “My point was if I, a small-town dummy with zero training, could figure out Slide and Glide, nothing is stopping you from figuring out Stickiness.”

“Hey!” Izuku shouted. “You’re not a dummy, Koichi! You just weren’t afforded the same opportunities that other peo…people… Wait, did you just say your quirk is called Slide and Glide?”

“Well, technically, they reclassified it as Flight, but I think Slide and Glide has a nice ring to- Hey, man! Stop laughing, it’s not that funny!”

Wiping his eyes with his arm, Izuku tried to compose himself through his laughs. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry it’s just, did you have to make it rhyme?!”

Koichi couldn’t help laughing now, either. “I wanted it to be memorable! Also, to be fair, I was seven years old when I named it.”

The two of them laughed together for a while, the tension Izuku was feeling earlier beginning to fade away. Izuku leaned back and felt the back of his head rest against the concrete wall behind him, and he took a deep breath. “I’ve just gotta keep trying until I figure it out.”

“I was wondering about that,” Koichi said, turning to better face him. “Why are you focusing on the shooting first, anyway?”

“Well, it just seemed the most useful thing, you know? Eraser said I should try to focus on one thing a lot until I’m really good at it, and this was one of the first things I figured out I could do besides sticking to things,” Izuku explained with a shrug.

With a shrug of his own, Koichi countered. “Alright, sure. But is it what you want to be doing with your quirk, or is it just what you think you should be doing?”

Bashfully, Izuku looked at the floor. “Honestly… I want to try flying again.”

“Then try flying again!” Koichi exclaimed. “Why not, right?! I’m meant to be helping you come to terms with new powers, and I think it’ll go a lot smoother if it’s something you actually want to try doing!”

Izuku’s eyes lit up. “Do you think I should, really? I’ve been thinking up ways I can get it to work. It’s all about pushing and pulling the air molecules around my body to let me move through the air, sort of like squeezing a bar of soap between your hands! I was a little worried about trying it out in case something went wrong and there’d be nobody around to help out because it’s hard to do a risk assessment on something nobody has done before but if you’re here to help me out do you think I should just give it a go?!”

Koichi’s eyes glazed over, and he blinked a few times. “Uh, …Sure! What’s the worst that could happen?”

Minutes later, the pair were outside the gymnasium in the centre of the playing field, where quirk apprehension tests at UA took place. Izuku bounced on his heels and swung his arms back and forth, loosening the muscles. Nearby, Koichi was setting up a camcorder (“For posterity!”) and sending Izuku a thumbs up.

“You ready, Midoriya?” He called out.

“Ready!” the boy shouted back. Izuku stretched his arms above his head and began bending his knees. “Okay, I’m not gonna do too much to start. I’ll try to jump and hover for now. If I’ve figured out the right methodology, we should be good.”

“Sounds good to me, buddy.”

With a nod of his head, Izuku squatted down, ready to jump. “Okay, jump into the air, stick to the air. It’s just like sticking things to myself, only I’m sticking myself to something else… Three, two, one,”

FWABOOM!!

Instantaneously, an enormous shockwave burst out from Izuku’s feet, a crater forming where he once stood. The blast threw Koichi and the camera to the floor in a heap, as Izuku rocketed into the sky like a mentos doused in cola.

“Shit shit shit shit shit!” Koichi shouted, scrambling to his feet and activating his Slide and Glide at full throttle, hoping to intercept Izuku mid-air.

Miles above, Izuku began to descend uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the winds at that altitude. He plummeted, limbs flailing as Skycrawler accelerated with powerful jets erupting from his feet to reach him.

“Come on come on come on FASTER!” Koichi shouted to himself, before he finally made it, grabbing Izuku in his arms and beginning a controlled descent. “What the hell, kid!? Seriously, what the hell?! Ahhhh jeez, his mom is gonna kill me! Aizawa is gonna kill me! I’m gonna have to leave the country again!”

Skycrawler landed gracefully, laying Izuku on the grass, but he remained unconscious. “Oh my god, All Might is going to kill me!” Unsure of what else to do, Koichi placed his hands on Izuku's chest and let out a small burst of air, hoping to jolt him awake.

Izuku's eyes shot open, and he gasped sharply, sitting up and coughing.

Koichi put his head in his hands in relief. “Oh thank god! Midoriya, kid! You scared the hell out of me!”

Suddenly, to Koichi's surprise, Izuku grabbed his arms excitedly. “Koichi! I did it!! I FLEW!!!”

Toru Hagakure casually strolled home, kicking a can down the road and not paying a huge amount of attention to where she was going. She was paying so little attention, in fact, she didn’t notice the wall-sized man in her path.

“Oof!” She fell backwards and landed on the pavement, only to look up and see the symbol of peace himself, silhouetted by the bright sun.

“Young Hagakure!” All Might exclaimed, before holding out a hand. “You too, can be a hero!”

“…Huh?”

Chapter Text

The baddest of the bads, Class 1A’s legion of doom, the kids who nearly blew up the USJ, stood together in a line in the middle of an empty cafeteria, looking like pure evil. Izuku, the ringleader, satanic red aura emanating off him, looked ready to go ballistic. Hagakure, AKA The Night Terror, was close by. Though nobody could see it, her eyes dripped with venom. Kirishima, the spiked monster, was busy thinking up ways he could demolish the room. Aoyama, though he sparkled like a discount disco ball, was one of the cruellest of the bunch. Ouchie Aoyama, they called him, and he definitely put the “ow” in flamboyant. Provided you spelled it wrong. And last but not least, Bakugo. Bakugo was a… He was a, um…

Lunch Rush tapped his pen against his notebook a few times trying to get the creative juices flowing, but it seemed that the well was dry. Looking up from his page at the gaggle of awkward teenagers across the room, he started to wonder if this random assortment was the best inspiration for his novella. Deciding against it, he tore the page out and crumpled it up. There was just no possible way these kids could fuel his heroes vs. villains civil war AU.

The cooking hero was supposed to be in charge of these ne'er-do-wells, but luckily for him a new member of staff had insisted that Lunch Rush take a much needed break while he looked after the detentioneers. And if there’s one thing Lunch Rush would never do, it’s say no to a break.

The slender, blonde-haired man skillfully tossed a pair of exquisite knives into the air, catching them effortlessly before slicing a fish horizontally in one fluid motion. With a swift grab, he began chopping thin slices of meat, delicately arranging them as the students watched in awe.

He then tossed the knives behind him, where they landed perfectly in a knife rack, and proudly displayed his finished work. “And that, young heroes, is the correct way to fillet a fish. Any questions?”

Dumbstruck, none of them really knew what to say. Thankfully, Kirishima didn’t really mind not knowing what to say. “Uh…Yeah,” he began. “...Who are you?”

“Crap!!” The mystery man shielded his face from the group in an embarrassed panic and tried his best not to sick up a little blood. This is a food prep station, he’s not that careless. “I forgot to introduce myself!!”

As if nothing had happened, he turned back with a cheesy grin and rubbed the back of his head. “Haha, sorry! I’m Mr Yagi, I’m one of the new cooks!”

They weren’t saying anything back. Why weren’t they saying anything back? The green haired one squinted his eyes dramatically and leaned forward slightly. “Hmmmm….” he mused. “Hmmmm….. Hey wait a second, I know who you are!”

“Ulp! You do?” Yagi said, trying to hide the concern. “This young man didn’t figure out my identity already, did he?!”

“Yeah!” Izuku answered. “You were in the recovery room after the USJ!”

“Right! Of course! Hahaha!” Mr Yagi chortled in relief. His secret was safe for another day. “That’s right, I also do some voluntary work with Recovery Girl from time to time! I was the one who cleaned that head-wound of yours, don’t you know?”

“But I didn’t have a-”

“Anyway!” Yagi interrupted. “For your detention service, you’re all going to be helping me with preparing lunch for tomorrow. Hygiene first, so let’s all get to those kitchens and get scrubbed up!”

“Kitchen duty?!” Bakugo blurted out in disbelief. “It already blows that we’re missing heroics class for this garbage, and now you’ve got us making sandwiches for a load of extras?!”

Aoyama put a hand on his arm, “Hush, mon ami! Alas, we have done the crime, and must - as they say - do the time…”

“The only crime here is this bozo’s fashion sense! Get a shirt that fits, you mff~” Before Bakugo could say another word, an invisible arm threw him into a headlock.

“Hey, watch your mouth! Don’t you know who you’re talking to?! That’s All-” She was about to reveal a gigantic secret, but when she looked over and saw Yagi theatrically doing a zip it motion with his hand, she changed gears. “That’s all I’ll say about the matter!” she said, releasing her classmate from her hold.

Earlier That Week

Toru, trembling slightly in her school uniform, nervously craned her neck to the gigantic man ahead of her. He stood in complete opposition to how she felt, exuding an incredible air of confidence and strength. Toru on the other hand felt small, in both stature and emotion. The empty lot they stood in, (soon to be the site of a brand new McMight’s Burger Bar), wasn’t the ideal place for a life-changing offer.

“But… I don’t get it?!” She said, her voice betraying her with its high pitch.  “Why me?! I haven’t done anything special, nothing to really stand out… Out of everyone at the school, why me?”

All Might's grin widened in his characteristic way. A little known power of the number one hero was that with subtle shifts in the angle of his smile, he could transform the emotional intent. Right now, he was a beacon of reassurance.

His presence seemed to fill the empty space around them, his broad shoulders blocking out the sun as he spoke. “ Because you, young Hagakure, have the passion, the drive, the gumption, and, dare I say, the STONES to be the symbol this great nation needs! Nay, deserves! ” He raised a finger emphatically, his voice booming with conviction. “ At the USJ, I saw how you leapt into action without a second thought, without a hint of concern for your own wellbeing! ”

“Well, I mean there was a little bit of concern…” Toru shifted her feet slightly

All Might posed in such a way it felt like a flag might spontaneously appear behind him, or an eagle might land on his arm. “ When I look in the space where I assume your eyes to be, I don't just see a student. I see a young woman who dedicated herself to improvement. Dedicated herself to mastery of her craft!” He projected his voice like a seasoned Broadway star, the smile never faltering. “I see someone who took what nature gave her and moulded it, like a sculptor manipulates the clay syphoned from the very Earth on which we stand!! You, young Hagakure, are the future of heroism!! ”

“...O-oh, okay.”

“Embrace it! Feel the weight of the responsibility, but also the pride! You're on the path to greatness, young Hagakure!” He echoed (perhaps too loudly considering this was supposed to be covert) before reaching up and pulling out a single strand of hair with a poink sound “This is only the beginning. EAT THIS.”

Toru was practically vibrating with excitement. “Is this the quirk?! I feel like I could vault over mountains! I feel like I could… I don’t even know! Something awesome!”

Gulping down three whole bottles of water just to swallow the hair, Toru was now buzzing with anticipation. When you’re on the cusp of inheriting the mightiest power known to man, it can be a little challenging to keep your cool. Consequently, she’d sprinted around the vacant plot about fifty times and was currently shadowboxing.

All Might laughed, “You bet that’s One For All! You now have the collective power of eight generations coursing through you, and by the sound of it, you need to let it out!”

Toru put up her dukes, at the ready. “I'm game! I always wanted to see if I could take you on.”

“Woah now, not so fast!” All Might put his hands up “Let’s ease into it, shall we?” He paused for a moment and scanned the lot for something he could use for a demonstration, when he spotted a pile of cinder blocks. “Aha, perfect!” He exclaimed, grabbing a few and rearranging them in a tower, lickety split.

Nodding and cracking her knuckles, Toru eyed the blocks. “Any tips on how to, y’know, let the energy out?”

“Hmm,” All Might pondered, his fingers rubbing his chin. “I always say, let it out with a roar! Shout ‘smash’ and trust your instincts to do the rest!”

Toru had been itching for the moment she could finally shout a battle cry, her signature move before launching an attack. She was in her element. “Alright, here goes nothing!” Hoisting her arm aloft, she prepared the karate chop of the century.

“SMAAAAAAASSH!!”

Her arm descended with the might of a meteor, a weapon of cataclysmic force. For Toru and All Might, time crawled to a near halt, both brimming with anticipation for the unleashed fury of One For All…

Alas, her hand collided with the block’s edge, sending a jolt of agony up her arm, “Yeeeouch!!” she howled, nursing her wrist. “That freakin’ smarts!!” The cinder blocks stood defiantly unscathed, mocking her efforts.

In an instant, a puff of smoke revealed a lanky figure where the mighty All Might had stood. “Well, that’s odd,” he mused, scratching his head with a look of concern. “Did you make sure to swallow the hair?”

“Aaah!!” Toru leapt back in fright. “Who the hell are you?!”

After All Might managed to explain who he was (“It’s still me! It’s still me!”) and narrowly avoided being hit by a cinderblock hurled by a startled Toru, they concluded that consulting an expert would be their best bet. Unfortunately, the only expert in sight was All Might himself, who was utterly clueless. So, they settled for the next best thing: a visit to Nezu.

As they strolled down the street, Toru let out a frustrated sigh. “I just don’t get it,” she lamented. “I followed all your instructions, but nothing’s happening. What if I’m not meant to have it? Maybe I’m just not worthy or something.”

All Might flashed a reassuring smile. “We just need to be patient. Sometimes, the power within us takes time to awaken.” He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and added, “One thing I know for sure is that you are worthy. And that’s not up for debate, because I’m the one who decides.”

“Thanks, All M- Oh, shit! I shouldn’t call you that when you’re like this, should I?”

“You can call me Mr. Yagi when I’m like this,” he smiled. “That’s a good point, actually. We need to discuss how much of all this is okay to tell anyone—”

Before he could finish, Toru's sharp eyes (were they sharper than usual?) caught a glimmer of movement on the pavement. A tiny snail was slowly trundling along, blissfully unaware of the impending doom approaching in the form of Mr. Yagi’s boot. The snail, now realising its fate, looked up with tiny beads of sweat trickling down its eyestalks. This was it—the end. They’d never see their snail wife again...

“LOOK OUT!” Toru cried out, instinctively thrusting her hand forward. Instantaneously, a shimmering barrier sprang to life directly in Mr Yagi’s path.

THUNK. Mr Yagi’s face smushed up against the semi-visible wall, his expression frozen. “Hagakure…”

Toru tentatively lowered her hand, causing the barrier to disappear. “I-I, I’ve never done anything like that before! I don’t know what, was that me?!”

Then, with a sudden burst of energy, Mr. Yagi threw both his arms up in celebration, ignoring the blood trickling from his nose. “YOU DID IT, MY GIRL! THAT’S THE POWER I WAS TALKING ABOUT!”

“Do you think I can do it again?!” Toru asked excitedly.

“I have no doubt!” Mr. Yagi beamed, his enthusiasm undiminished despite his slightly battered appearance. “Let’s keep practising, and you’ll master it in no time!”

The Present Day

Covered in fish oil, the sight of a laughing Mr Yagi still fresh in their minds, the detention group of class 1A sat mentally exhausted on the outskirts of the UA woods. Well, most of them. Bakugo had called them extras and gone home. It turned out that the ultimatum from Eraser Head had done some good; he was still being a huge git, but at least he hadn’t tried to explode anyone. Aoyama left with him.

Due to the unpleasant fishy smell that clung to them all like a second skin, the outskirts of the woods were the only place where anyone could tolerate their presence at the moment. Not even those unsettling rumours about The Forest Goblin , a possibly malevolent spirit who lived in the woods, could faze them.

Toru lay backwards in the grass, continuing the explanation to her friends which we just so rudely interrupted. “So basically, the principal thinks the shock from the USJ gave me what they call a ‘quirk awakening’. That’s why I knew Mr Yagi already, he’s an expert on this kinda thing apparently.” She wasn’t exactly enthralled at the idea of lying to her friends about this, but at least she was allowed to give them something . One For All might be a secret to the greater public, but there was just no way she’d be able to hide an entirely new power-set from her friends.

“That's incredible, Toru!” Izuku exclaimed, his excitement evident. “Hard light barriers? The defensive possibilities could be amazing!”

“They're pretty sturdy, too,” Toru grinned. “I haven't had a chance to properly test how strong they are yet, but I'm pretty confident I could stop a car.”

Eijiro sighed, shaking his head as he leaned back with his hands behind him. “I can't wait to see what my quirk awakening will be... Maybe I'll transform into a dinosaur or something.”

“Why a dinosaur?” Izuku questioned.

“Dinosaurs are just awesome,” the red-headed boy shrugged. “By the way, I invited Mina to join us. She said she'll be here in a sec.”

Izuku's eyes widened, and his face flushed with surprise. “She is?!” he exclaimed. He quickly tried to tame his unruly hair by running his fingers through it like a comb. “How does my hair look? Is it okay?”

“Since when have you cared about your hair?” Toru asked. “Man, what is going on between you two? It’s pretty obvious you’ve been avoiding each other.” Then, she gasped dramatically. “Did you guys kiss or something when I wasn't there?!”

“No!” Izuku protested. “When would that even happen? The only time you weren't with us, we were being attacked by villains!”

“A lot of things can happen on the battlefield, Izuku.” Eijiro offhandedly quipped.

Just then, Mina’s voice joined the conversation, “What kinds of things?”

Toru shrugged, “Like Izuku being a big weirdo, but what else is new?”

“I’m not being weird!” he protested again, but to no avail.

“Actually, could I talk to you, Izuku?” Mina tilted her head to the side, inviting him to a quieter area away from the others.

“Oh right, sure, of course! Absolutely.” Izuku blurted out, springing to his feet and dashing to her side with a speed that betrayed his eagerness. He was relieved; it meant the world that Mina was reaching out again.

As they slipped away, Toru raised her hand in a lazy wave. “Knock ‘em dead, slugger.” She halfheartedly drawled, before she collapsed back onto the grass.

Away from their friends, Mina paced back and forth ahead of Izuku, her anxiety evident in every tense step. Her hands fluttered nervously at her sides, unsure of where to land. After a moment of heavy silence, she finally turned to face him, “It’s about what happened at the USJ,” she began.

Izuku raised his hands in what he hoped was a calming gesture, a sheepish smile playing on his lips. “Listen, you don’t have to say anything. I’m sorry that what I did scared you, but - ”

THWACK.

Mina’s knuckles collided with Izuku’s jaw, the sharp sound of the impact echoing through the surrounding trees. The unexpected blow sent him reeling backward, his hand flying up to clutch his face in shock.

“Agh! Why did you punch me?!” he yelped, his eyes wide with bewilderment and pain.

“Because you’re a dumbass, that’s why!” Mina snapped, her dishevelled pink hair framing her furious expression. “You’re SORRY that you SCARED me?!”

Rotating his jaw, Izuku reeled from the attack, his mind racing to catch up. “I thought that’s what the problem was? My mom said it was because you didn’t want to see me get hurt!”

“Oh my God, Izuku, seriously?” Mina rolled her eyes, her irritation mounting. “We’re in a hero course, obviously I’m going to see you get hurt!”

This was getting more confusing by the second. Izuku shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. “Then if it’s not that, then what?”

“That’s what I’m trying to explain!” Mina's voice cracked, betraying her emotions. “We’ve been at school for two weeks, and how many villain fights have you been in during that time?”

“Uh, does the killer robot count?" Izuku scratched his head, his mind sifting through the chaotic events since their first day.

“Yeah! Yeah, the killer robot counts!”

“Then four. ...I think,” Izuku replied with uncertainty, trying to tally up the incidents.

“Oh my god, dude, you can't remember?” Mina threw her hands up in exasperation.

“It's a lot to keep track of, alright?!” Izuku shot back defensively.

Mina clenched her fists, her frustration boiling over. “This is my problem! You're out there, risking your life! Getting into danger!”

“But I thought you weren't mad about-”

“My problem is that I'm NOT getting into any danger! I'm jealous, Izuku! Okay?!” she yelled, her voice echoing through the trees.

Izuku blinked cartoonishly, utterly unable to process what he was hearing. “You're JEALOUS?! That people keep trying to kill me?!”

“Yes!!” The words tumbled out of Mina in a rush. “Everybody else keeps having these wild adventures! Your quirk levelled up like twenty-five times in the past year! You can fly now, Izuku! FLY! I can barely skate on my acid without eating shit!”

He could do nothing but stare at her dumbfounded, never even thinking to consider this perspective before. “You’re… Jealous? Of me?” he repeated, hoping that saying it a few more times would make it make sense.

“Yes, alright?” Mina confirmed. “You keep getting all these amazing opportunities to prove yourself, and I’m stuck feeling like I’m falling behind!”

“But at the USJ, you came with me, we went for the villains! Doesn’t that count?” Izuku asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

“No, YOU went for the villains. I ran for the door,” Mina confessed, her shoulders slumping slightly.

Izuku frowned, his brow furrowing. “Wait… Did you? I don’t… really remember.”

“That’s because you went supersonic.” The annoyance in her voice started to melt into something more vulnerable, and she sighed. “God, see, man? You’re so used to doing this stuff you don’t even remember the details.”

“I’m sorry, Mina, but… I don’t really know what I’m supposed to say? I thought you were mad at me for something.” Izuku's voice wavered.

“I’m not… I’m not mad at you.” Mina sighed, her eyes softening. “I just… Damn it, Izuku, I want to have an adventure! I wanna fight bad guys! I wanna slide down the sides of skyscrapers, I wanna ride motorcycles! I wanna be a hero!”

“Isn’t that what we’re at school for? To learn how?” Izuku asked, trying to understand her perspective.

Mina stepped closer, her eyes intense, and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Izuku,” she said, her voice low and fervent, “let’s do something stupid.”

Izuku looked back into his friend's passionate gaze, watching the fire burning inside her. He saw the determination and longing in her eyes. A sight that couldn’t stop him throwing caution to the wind.

Slowly, he nodded, and grinned, “...Okay. Let’s do it. Let’s do something stupid.”

Meanwhile, across campus, fellow heroics course student Momo Yaoyorozu confidently walked up to the doors of the UA development studio, brushed the creases out of her skirt, and prepared to knock.

KABOOM!!

The sudden explosion rocked the building, and it was a testament to the structural integrity of UA that the huge metal doors remained intact, although smoke billowed out from underneath. From inside, she could hear frantic voices and the recognisable sound of fire extinguishers.

“What on Earth..?” Momo muttered to herself, before moving to push open the door, which immediately fell to the ground with a loud clatter. Ah, maybe not as structurally sound as she first assumed.

Inside the development studio, various gadgets and inventions lay in a heap, the result of yet another of Mei Hatsume’s ‘experiments’. Mei had made something of a name for herself in the short time she’d been a student, becoming akin to an urban legend amongst the staff, tales of a genius inventor whose only barrier seemed to be conventional physics. Only her tutor, Power Loader, could attest to how much of it was true (which was a worrying amount).

“Mei!” Momo called out, stepping over debris. “What happened this time?”

“Creation! Perfect timin’!”Mei exclaimed, before coughing out a puff of black smoke. “We had a breakthrough with the robot head!”

She was referring, of course, to the robot which had attacked Momo and Izuku back in the hostage training exercises! Not that I have to explain that to you, you remember, right?!

“That’s what caused the explosion?” Momo asked, looking over the scattered equipment.

“Huh, what? Oh, that?! Nah that was somethin’ else. You reminded me though,” Mei pulled a pocket voice recorder out and started to speak into it, “Nitroglycerin does NOT work as an alternative to cooking oil. Fried egg grenade moving into second stage of testing.” 

Clicking the button again, she put the recorder back in her pocket. “Anyway, yeah! The robot! Come look, come look!”

Momo followed her through the lab, gingerly stepping over the still smouldering pieces of metal. They approached a workbench where the decapitated head of the robot from the earlier encounter sat, the top of its head removed and wires snaking out of the exposed cranium hooked up to computers.

Pushing some papers to the floor, Mei climbed up on the workbench to pull a monitor closer, before hurriedly typing something on a keyboard. “So I figured out what the malfunction was-”

“Hatsume,” Power Loader interrupted, “Team effort.”

“Psh, right, yeah, we figured out what the malfunction was. This baby was reprogrammed!” She announced, like it was the greatest news she had ever heard.

“Oh my!” Momo gasped, “By whom?”

Power Loader took off his ridiculous headgear, placed it on the floor, and sat on it like a stool. “No idea. But listen, you can’t go around telling everyone, alright? I’m only letting you know since you’re basically the only person who gets Hatsume here to eat and she’s gonna tell you about it either way.”

Momo nodded, absorbing the gravity of the situation. “Yes, of course. But, I am curious. How was it reprogrammed without anyone noticing?”

“That’s the craziest part!” Mei jumped in with excitement. “Whoever did this was a genius, they left almost no trace and the code actually wiped itself when we cracked this thing open!”

“But then, how did you know anything was different?”

Mei grinned, “System logs! These combat robots have automatic diagnostic settings, every day at the exact same time, down to the millisecond! But this baby here didn’t match up to all the others! It was just a second off, but it was enough to make us suspicious.”

“That’s right,” Power Loader added, nodding. “Whoever did this is not only highly skilled, but also very cautious. They didn’t want their tracks to be found.”

Looking at her teacher pleadingly, Mei put her hands together like she was praying. “Please let me tell her the coolest part, teach! Please please please!”

“Alright, fine! I hate when you do that… Yaoyorozu, this stays here, alright?”

Momo nodded, “Yes. Of course.”

“It was reprogrammed wirelessly!” Mei blurted out. “No computers, no terminals! Someone, from I don’t even KNOW how far away, got inside this robot's head and went nuts!”

Rubbing her chin, Momo thought about this for a moment. “Do you think it was a quirk?”

“If it is,” Power Loader said, “It’s unregistered. Technopaths are incredibly rare, a 1 in a billion chance, and all the ones we’ve ever known about could do little more than turn a tv set on and off.”

“They’re a super hacker!” Mei exclaimed happily. “My first supervillain… Ahahaha!!” she cackled with glee. “Let the games begin, mystery hacker!”

While the inventor girl rubbed her hands with a manic glee, Momo smiled politely. Hatsume was… A lot, at times, but it was remarkably difficult not to like her enthusiasm. It helped that she emphatically refused to use Momo like a personal factory, saying there was “No thrill” in getting her to just make everything. After their first meeting, Momo felt an odd kind of kinship with Mei. In a way, they were both creators. They’d taken to eating lunches together in the labs, or rather, Momo brought a lunch and wouldn’t leave until Mei ate something too.

“Would it not be wise to inform the authorities?” Momo asked, her tone even. “Surely they have protocols for these situations?”

Power Loader shook his head, “Until we know what we’re dealing with, the protocol is to keep it in house.”

“Especially when it comes to hackers!” Mei interjected, “Gotta keep this bad bad baby away from the civvies, you dig?”

Momo couldn’t help but smile back, her concern mingling with a touch of admiration for Mei’s relentless spirit. “Right, of course.” She bowed to them both. “Then I suppose I’ll leave you to your work.”

“Wait!!” Mei shouted, making Momo jump back in shock.

“W-what is it, Mei?!”

“I haven’t eaten yet.”

Chapter Text

It felt like forever since 1A got to have a class together without that spectre of the USJ attack hanging over them, but it finally felt like things were getting back to normal. At least, as normal as a superheroic society could be. The crew who had been given in school suspension were back, Aizawa looked as grumpy as ever, and Kaminari had brought his Gameboy Color to class (with a link cable!) Yep, everything was back to how it should be!

“Hey, Midoriya,” asked Sero, turning in his chair to address him. “Did they ever find out what happened to that guy you punched?”

“Uhhhhh,” Izuku responded, slackjawed.

Luckily, considering it meant Izuku didn't have to think about that thing he probably should have been more concerned about, Aizawa coughed lightly at the front of the room. 

“Listen up, today is one of the most important days of your heroic career.” He announced.

The class audibly gulped in unison.

“It's time for you to pick hero names.”

Aizawa may as well have told the class Santa Claus was visiting and everyone would get to take home two toys, the response was electric and not just because Kaminari short-circuited his Gameboy.

The teacher's eyes flashed red, a sign everyone took to calm down. “This name will be with you for the rest of your life, so don't take this lightly.”

“Sir!” Tenya Iida's hand flew into the air so fast a microscopic society was both birthed and disintegrated in an instant. “I am aware of many heroes who have changed their moniker later in their career!”

“Pfft, sure,” Aizawa retorted, rolling his eyes, “If you want to wait in line for eight hours at the department of heroics so you can fill out a form, knock yourself out. Anyway, we have a special guest today to help out.”

Right then, the door to the room burst open to reveal Midnight leaning seductively against the doorframe, looking as though the camera lens had been doused in vaseline.

Suddenly, a loud “Awooga!” echoed through the room. Everyone turned to see Kaminari sheepishly fumbling with his phone. “Uh, sorry, that's my ringtone.”

Midnight sashayed into the room and threw some confetti she had in her pocket into the air. “It's time to get those creative juices flowing! I want to hear evocation! Intrigue! Drive me wild!!”

Eraser, much less enthusiastically, added “And I'll be grading these, so keep that in mind.”

Speaking from behind her hand so the class couldn't hear, Midnight leaned in close. “Do these grades count toward their finals?”

“Hell no. I just like watching them squirm.”

Loudly, Midnight addressed the class, “These grades WILL affect your finals!” She then turned to Eraser and winked in a very unsuspicious way.

A loud clang shot across the class, as Izuku tried to put his hand up but forgot to unstick it from the desk and made it slam against the floor. “Can I go first?!” 

Before he got an answer he ran to the front of the room and grabbed the whiteboard, scribbling on it with intense concentration.

“As you all probably know, I'm a huge fan of All Might, so I wanted to pick a name that would instill that same sense of hope in others when they heard it… a name that could inspire people.” Izuku said, the pen squeaking on the board.

With an overly dramatic gesture, Izuku lifted the whiteboard above his head for all to see.

“GECKO MAN!!”

“WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ALL MIGHT?!” Everyone else shouted.

Midnight looked at him sympathetically, despite the grin still plastered on his face. “Oh, honey.”

Now firmly on the spot, Izuku tried his hardest to justify his choice. “It makes sense! Geckos are small yet resilient, they're agile, they're um… green…”

“Midoriya.” Eraser sighed, looking at his student with a tired expression, “Did you pick geckos because all the other wall-crawling superhero names were taken?”

For a long moment, Izuku was silent, until he let out a feeble “...Yes.” and looked down at the desk.

For another long moment, Eraser was silent as well, before he shrugged and said “Fair. Four out of ten.”

His head hung, Izuku slunk back to his seat. Eraser turned to the rest of the room, “Anyone else ready to share?”

Without making a big show of it, Toru calmly rose from her seat and made her way to the front of the room. She was quite glad nobody could see the tense expression on her face, though her body language wasn't much better. In not her greatest handwriting she scribbled on the board and held it up, at the same time activating the pinpricks of light across her body.

“The Galactic Moon and Star hero: Constellation!”

Immediately, Eijiro jumped out of his seat and clapped once, loudly. “YES TORU, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!” The other student's responses were just as encouraging, though not as intense.

“Such imagery!” Midnight cooed, “You wear your inspiration on your sleeve, my dear!”

“Thanks!” Toru said with a laugh, now relaxing after the positive response.

Everyone in the room looked towards Aizawa, who was expressionless. A moment of tension later, he barely lifted his head from his scarf. “...Seven.”

The flood gates were well and truly opened now, and more students began to go up to the front of the class, excited to share, their scores seeming to fluctuate wildly making it so they had no idea what the criteria for success was. The Alien hero: Ripley, Red Riot, Anima and Dynamight (reluctantly with the Explosion Murder part removed), all scored relatively well. Meanwhile Dr. Sparklepants, Ojiro Man, Punching-You-Six-Times Guy and Tapeleg (“but it's a homestar runner reference!” “I told you no memes, Sero!”) all scored on the lower end of the board.

Eventually, there was only one student left to go.

“Tokoyami?” Midnight said, looking at her list of names. “If you need a few more moments?”

The bird-headed boy placed his pen down on the desk and rose from his seat, before fluidly walking to the front. Mysteriously.

He stood at the front desk for a moment, before a dark spectral entity emerged from within him. The ghostly being stretched their purple wings, and picked up a pen. A moment later, they held the whiteboard up while Tokoyami busied himself on his phone.

“My hero name is Tsukoyomi! After the god of the moon!” Dark Shadow announced with a squawk.

“Enigmatic!” Midnight praised, throwing the back of her hand against her forehead. 

“Oh, how interesting!” Yaoyorozu said. “You must have impeccable quirk control to have Dark Shadow give the introduction.”

Dark Shadow suddenly looked very offended, putting a wing up to their chest, their eyes widening. “Excuse me! I'm not just Fumi’s quirk, okay?! I'm a full-fledged hero student I'll have you know!”

“WAIT, WHAT?!” Everyone said in unison, leaping back a foot.

To the sound of the commotion, Aizawa lifted an eyebrow. “I thought I told all of you already. Dark Shadow is a student.”

“Is that why we didn't get a new student when that other kid left?” Uraraka asked, apparently forgetting Mineta was still a missing person and didn’t just leave.

Tokoyami, the human one, shook his beak. “Dark Shadow has always been the student. It was her dream to attend UA, I am simply here for the sake of accessibility.”

“Fumi wants to be a teacher!” Dark Shadow gleefully shouted, to a nod from her brother.

Standing from his chair, Aizawa stretched his back until it clicked. “Now we've got all that out of the way, I've got one more announcement to make. One that will affect the rest of your hero career.”

The entire class audibly gulped, though a small part of them wondered if the impact of claims something will affect their entire career would lessen over time.

“Since the sports festival has been cancelled, we lost a primary way work placement scouts can decide on offers. This is the first time there hasn’t been a festival since the great gravy downpour of 06,” Aizawa and Midnight both kissed two of their fingers and raised them to the sky out of respect, “so there isn’t much precedent to follow. It’s been decided that instead of a festival or tournament, you’re going to be making short films to show off what you’re capable of. The videos will be distributed among different agencies, and they can make their choices that way. Any questions?”

The class seemed a little confused by the idea, but most were complacent, not really having much to say on the matter. Sato raised his hand, and asked “Do the videos have to be good?”

“I don’t care.” Aizawa answered, which garnered a shrug from Sato.

A few more hands shot up into the air. Aizawa pointed to Yaoyorozu.

“Will there be guidelines or requirements for the films, or are we free to showcase our abilities how we see fit?”

Aizawa rubbed the back of his neck and considered the question. “You’ll need to demonstrate your quirk, combat skills, and any rescue abilities you have. Besides that, the creative side of things is up to you. Just remember you’re trying to impress potential employers.”

Another hand went up, Sero this time. “Can we work in groups?”

“I don’t care, do what you want.”

This answer seemed to interest a lot of the class, and murmurs of approval and interest started to ripple across the room.

“You’ll have a month to finish your videos, and the school will provide equipment,” Aizawa continued. “If you need anything specific, talk to me or Midnight, and we’ll see what we can do. If there are no more questions, you’re dismissed to start planning. Remember, this is your chance to make an impression without the usual tournament setting, so use it wisely.”

The students began to gather up their things, buzzing with conversation about potential ideas and collaborations. Amongst the hustle, Mina made her way over to Izuku’s desk and nudged him on the shoulder. Conspiratorially, she leaned down and whispered to him “You uh, ready for that thing we agreed on?” She then started darting her eyes back and forth as though she was on the lookout for spies.

“What thing?” Eijiro interjected loudly

Mina jumped slightly at the sudden interruption, which completely threw her off the cool agent vibe she was going for. Izuku, thankfully, knew how to handle this.

“It’s secret!” he said. Smooth one, Izuku. That’ll definitely throw him off the scent.

“Hmm…” Scrutinising them, Eijiro's eyes narrowed. “...Can I come too?”

Izuku looked at him for a moment. “...No.”

“Hmm…” His eyes narrowed further. “...Okay! No biggie.” He then turned slightly and waved their invisible friend over, “Hey! Toru! You doing anything today?”

Backpack slung over one shoulder, Toru made her way over to them. “Actually yeah, I have a training session with Eraser in the gyms this afternoon.”

“Ooh, bummer,” Eijiro said, “Extra drills?”

Toru shook her head, presumably. “Nah, I asked him! This quirk awakening thing is kinda tough so I need as much help as I can get. Hey, Eijiro! You should come with me! We can really see how tough my forcefields can get!” She punctuated herself by punching a fist into her open palm.

“Hell yeah, I’m game! Sorry Mina, Izuku, maybe next time okay?”

“But we didn’t say you could-” Izuku started to say, but it was too late, the pair of them had already gone.

“Alright, Hagakure,” Aizawa called out from a bench at the side of the gym, “Show us what you’ve got.”

Nodding, Toru tensed her muscles and felt a faint shimmer of light surrounding her. Focusing the energy, she held her breath and thrust both her arms forward, and a translucent, glowing barrier materialised in front of her, pulsing with a vibrant blue hue.

A few feet away, Eijiro loudly cracked his knuckles and grinned. “Ready when you are!”

Determined, Toru flattened her palms and the forcefield locked into place, a solid mass. “Okay! Hit it with everything you’ve got!”

Rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck from side to side, the skin on Eijiro’s arms hardened. With an impressive battle yell, he lunged forward, aiming his fist directly at the forcefield. “YAAAAAH!” The impact echoed through the gym as they collided, blue pulsations rippling out from the centre of the barrier. For a moment, it seemed as if it might shatter, but it held firm.

“HRAH! YAH! HRAH!” He continued to yell, pummeling the same spot over and over again, but Toru stayed stock still, not moving even an inch. After a while, Eijiro’s shoulders sagged. “Not bad, not bad…” He breathed heavily.

At last, Toru let the construct fade. “It’s such a weird feeling, it’s like the barriers are still sort of a part of me. When you were hitting it I could feel it on my palms. It kinda tickled.”

“Don’t say that, it makes me sound super weak!” Eijiro protested.

Aizawa rose from his seat and joined the two of them in the centre of the training zone, “You have good control when against a stationary foe, but it would be good for us to see how you react in the moment. Not all your enemies will be fighting you head on. Kirishima, are you up for some duck and weave training?”

“Hell yeah I am! Uh, I mean, heck yes, sir.”

Aizawa nodded approvingly. “Alright then. Hagakure, I want you to continually create barriers this time, try to adapt to Kirishima’s movements and attacks and only put up a field when strictly necessary. Kirishima, I want you to vary your approach. Come at her from different angles, change your speed, and keep her on her toes.”

“Got it!” Toru said, focusing her energy once more, but waiting for a more opportune moment before throwing up a barrier. Eijiro crouched down, ready to spring into action.

“Ready?” Aizawa asked, glancing between the two students. “Go.”

Eijiro dashed to the right, feinting a punch before quickly changing direction. Toru followed his movement, throwing her palm forward in time to block a hit with a well-timed forcefield. He lunged again, this time from the left, but Toru reacted quickly, a new barrier meeting his fist with a solid thud.

“Nice one!” Eijiro called out, not missing an opportunity to spin around to aim a kick at her midsection. He was almost fast enough, but she managed to open another barrier to her side before he could connect.

“Stay focused.” Aizawa reminded her. “Anticipate, and keep your guard up.”

Toru adjusted her stance, beginning to feel the strain of opening and closing barriers in rapid succession. Eijiro came at her again, this time with a series of rapid punches. She wavered slightly, but gritted her teeth and held firm.

Suddenly, Eijiro dropped to the ground and swept his leg in a wide arc, seemingly aiming to knock her off her feet. In a moment of panic, Toru thrust both palms out, one to her front and one to her side, creating a circular wall around her entire body. Eijiro’s leg collided with it, the force of the impact sending vibrations through her hands, but the barrier held.

Then, the vibrations got stronger, and her hands began to tremble.

“Uhm,” Eijiro began, “I don’t really know how to say this but, my leg is stuck.” He said, gesturing to the leg hanging in mid air. “Can you drop the barrier?”

Blue shimmers of light began to snake out from the leg, like cracks of lightning erupting across the entirety of the barrier. Quickly, the entire circular wall was covered in them, before there was an enormous BANG and Eijiro was thrown clear across the gym, colliding painfully with a wall.

“Woah!” Toru gasped, stumbling back a few steps as the force of the blast pushed her back slightly. Across the gym, Eijiro slid down the wall, groaning, but managed to give a thumbs up to signal he was fine.

Recognising the need for some teacherly intervention, Aizawa hurried over to check for injuries. “Kirishima, you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m good,” he replied, slowly getting to his feet and rubbing the back of his head. “Luckily I landed on this pile of rags.”

“Pile of rags…?” Aizawa looked down at what did, indeed, look like a pile of loose rags. Black cloth in a vaguely man-shaped bundle. He also noticed the pillow, the small travel television, the thermos…. Wait, vaguely man-shaped bundle?!

“Ahh, man, jeez, what the hell was that?” The vaguely man-shaped bundle said, trying to get to its feet.

Aizawa’s eyes narrowed, and he frowned. “Koichi?”

“Oh, hey Eraser!” Koichi smiled, “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Koichi, have you been sleeping in the gym?” Aizawa sighed.

“Just for a couple days! Or, you know, three weeks or so. Finding an apartment to rent in this city is much harder than you’d expect.”

“You can’t live in the gym, Crawler. You should have told one of us, we can sort your accommodations with the school.”

“Oh I didn’t wanna be a bother to anyone, besides, I’m used to living like this! It’s homey! I wouldn’t want to put you out by making you contend with a new roommate.”

Aizawa scoffed, “You wouldn’t be stopping with me, no way. I have a much better idea.”

One clock-wipe later, Koichi stood outside a door with two packed duffle bags stacked on the floor beside him. After knocking three times, the door swung open to reveal a teal-haired man with a wide toothy grin.

“HEY ROOMIE!” Loud Cloud gleefully exclaimed, throwing both arms in the air.

Crystal clear water flowed peacefully along the stream, the sunlight dancing on its surface. It was a scene straight out of a painting, complete with birds singing and the fresh scent of pine trees wafting through the air.

“GET IT, GET IT, GET IT!” Mineta hopped from one foot to the other, his small frame barely able to contain his excitement. Peanut Brittle the Squirrel clung to his sticky head, teetering but not falling off.

Tomura, stripped to just a pair of ragged black cargo shorts, whipped his head around in frustration. “Can you give me a goddamn second?! You're scaring the fish away!”

“But I'm so hungryyyyy,” Mineta whined, clutching his stomach dramatically.

Ignoring him, Tomura plunged his hands into the stream. Water splashed and churned as he grappled with something beneath the surface. Moments later, he emerged victorious, holding a beautifully plump carp. 

Mineta immediately scurried over, insistently exclaiming “Don't decay it!” 

“I'm not an idiot!” Tomura snapped back, laying the fish on the bank. With precise movements, he swept his hand over the carp's back, disintegrating the scales into nothingness. After some quick preparations and a roaring campfire, they were greeted by the aroma of grilled fish atop a bed of leaves.

Smacking his lips, Mineta lifted up his homemade wooden knife and fork and prepared to dig in, but Tomura pulled the plate away at the last second, making the cutlery bash against the tabletop.

“Hey, what gives?!” Mineta protested angrily.

“I did all the work for this! Why don't you catch your own fish?!” Tomura retorted.

“But I saved you!”

“You didn't save me! You caught me in a net!”

The two of them argued and bickered, shoving fingers in each other's faces, making mocking sounds, and leaving the fish unattended on the table. Which Peanut Brittle took as an opportunity, tucking a tiny bib on and digging in.

Not too far away, two 1A students stood staring up at the towering wall circling one of UA’s notorious exam testing zones. Mina and Izuku were there for a very important reason, something Mina had insisted on calling

“Hoodrat shit!” She said, with what might have been hope in her voice.

“Do you really have to call it that?” Asked Izuku.

“Yep!” Mina responded cheerfully, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hopping onto his back, forcing him into an impromptu piggyback ride.

“H-hey! What gives?!” Izuku's face turned crimson, his knees wobbling under the unexpected weight. Despite his embarrassment, he tried his hardest to look strong.

Mina clung on tighter, “I can't jump the wall, you're just going to have to carry me!” She stuck a finger out ahead of her, “Mush!”

“Okay, gosh…” With a determined sigh, Izuku began scaling the imposing barrier, placing one hand and foot after the other with practised ease. Though he wasn't accustomed to carrying passengers, he found the task wasn't as difficult as he might have imagined. Impressing Mina certainly helped.

In no time, they reached the top and, with a synchronised leap, both jumped down, executing an impressive tuck and roll as they landed. As they dusted themselves off, Mina looked around with an eager grin. “Alright! Where are those robots at?!” Time for some action!”

Scanning back and forth with a hand to her forehead, she was only met with disappointment. “The hell!? I thought this place was supposed to be lousy with the dang things!”

Izuku shrugged, “Oh darn, guess we better go home then.” He took an exaggerated step forward, hands in his pockets, but Mina swiftly grabbed him by the collar and made him walk on the spot.

“Not so fast, buster!” She declared, fire in her eyes. “We didn’t climb that wall for nothing!”

“Mina, maybe they’ve moved the robots somewhere else, you know? I don’t think they’d just leave them standing around when nobody is here, they’re probably in a warehouse or something.”

Mina tapped her chin thoughtfully and tutted to herself. “No, that doesn’t seem right… There’s gotta be like, a control panel or something! Yeah, that’s it, there’s probably some hidden lever behind a rock!” Snapping her fingers, she began putting her ear up to random things in the city and knocking on them with her fist, muttering to herself.

“I really don’t think there’s-”

“Found it!” Over by a half-bent traffic light, she dripped a little acid on the display and ripped it right off, revealing a tangle of wires and what appeared to be a keypad. “They thought they could hide it from us!”

Stepping forward, Izuku frowned. “Mina, I don’t think that’s a control panel. I’m pretty sure that’s just…you know… the inside of a traffic stop.”

“Then why is there a keypad, Izuku?”

“I… Genuinely don’t have an answer for that. Isn’t this enough adventure for now though?! We should really-”

Mina cut him off again, cracking her knuckles and wiggling her fingers. “Time for some good old-fashioned hacking!” She said, and began randomly pressing buttons.

After a flurry of beeps and boops, something happened. Well, to put it more accurately, a series of somethings happened that may or may not have been a direct response to Mina’s “hacking.”

First of all, the ground began to rumble. Not always an unexpected occurrence at UA, but one that should usually be taken seriously. Second, Shota Aizawa suddenly got a blinding headache. He didn’t know where it came from, but it felt stress-related. Third, all the shutters on the shops in the training city began to roll up. All the shutters. On every building in the entire city.

There were a lot of shutters.

A whirring sound filled the air as many, many training robots emerged from all around them, blinking and beeping, and ready for battle.

Mina whooped with delight. “Yes! Let’s do this!!” She punched her fists together in excitement.

Izuku groaned, and put a hand on his face. “We are so busted…”

In the 1H development studio, Mei Hatsume was hard at work cataloguing and referencing every line of code she could understand in connection to the reprogrammed robot. It was boring, boring work, hundreds of lines of code needed to be combed through, and most of them were not interesting in the slightest. The entire first year class had been roped into the task, so while it wasn’t insurmountable it certainly wasn’t how she wanted to be spending her afternoon. To try and split up the monotony, she’d begun multitasking between checking the code and checking the circuitry.

But then, something caught her eye, coincidentally coinciding exactly with a small tremor in the distance. She zoomed in a little closer to the circuitry, trying to peer between two loose clumps of solder.

“Gah!” Suddenly, she leapt backward, toppling backwards off her seat. Another support student helped her to her feet, and Mei immediately rushed back to take another look. “I think there’s something in here!”

As soon as she said that, the robot head’s single remaining eye began to glow red.

Chapter Text

Mina had been craving an adventure—something wild where she could let loose, be reckless, and smash some robots. Well, she was definitely getting what she wished for. She blasted a robot in the chest with a jet of acid, watching with glee as it sizzled and melted through the steel plating. It wasn’t quite enough to stop the horde of mechanical monsters, but for the time being, Mina was having too much fun to care.

“Yippee!” Mina shouted, flipping backward and sweeping the leg of another bot, sending it crashing to the floor. She laughed, adrenaline coursing through her. “Isn’t this the best, Izuku? I’m loving this! Aren’t you loving this?!”

Izuku yanked a robot off balance, its metal limbs flailing wildly, before delivering a precise kick that sent its head flying. “Doesn’t this feel a little off to you?!” he yelled, barely dodging a pincer-like hand aimed at his head. “There are way too many of them! Why are there so many?!”

He had a point. Usually, in class they’d be up against five, maybe six bots each if the teachers wanted to push them hard. But this—this felt more like an invasion than practice. Robots were swarming them like ants, even if the mechanical menaces were assuming they were against a full class of twenty, the numbers felt way off.

“Maybe they know we’re awesome and want to make it a challenge!” Mina shot back, grinning as she coated her hand in acid and karate chopped through a robot’s arm. “Or maybe we’re just that good!”

Izuku dodged another swipe, narrowly escaping a metal claw that slashed through the air just inches from his face. “I don’t think that’s it!” he shouted, flinging a robot and sending it crashing into a pile of its companions. “They aren’t supposed to attack on their own like this! Don’t they usually only engage when provoked?!”

“Maybe we attacked first? I don’t remember!” Mina, barely paying attention, spun through the chaos like a dancer, launching acidic hadoukens at anything that moved. She leapt over another charging robot, raining acid down on the way, crumpling it's head. “We should be fighting robots like this all the time! Hey, do you think we could livestream this?!”

“Mina, can you focus?!” Izuku called out, smashing a robot by glueing his foot to its face during an axe-kick and slamming it into the floor. He could feel the intensity rising, but she just laughed, giddy with the rush of combat.

“This is so freakin’ cool!” she yelled, sending another spray of acid toward two advancing bots. They crumpled, sparks flying as their circuits fried from the damage. “How often do we get to go this hard?!”

But then, as she prepared to face the next wave, something strange happened. One of the robots, lying dismembered on the floor, reached out for its severed arm. With a click and a whirr, it reattached the limb. Another picked up a companion's fallen head, and popped it back onto their shoulders, twisting it into place.

Mina’s smile faded slightly as she glanced around. No matter how many they destroyed, the robots kept coming. It was like they were multiplying—each wave bigger than the last. And now they were starting to repair themselves.

She glanced over at Izuku, who was elbow-deep in his own battle. The robots were relentless, and even though they were fighting hard, the sheer number of enemies was starting to overwhelm them. Mina bit her lip as she dodged another swipe from a robot’s claw, spinning out of its way and landing beside Izuku.

Her smile faltered slightly as she finally took a moment to properly assess the situation. “Okay,” Mina admitted with a nervous laugh, “this might be a bit more intense than I thought.”

They moved closer, instinctively standing back to back as the robots circled them, their glowing eyes and clanking limbs a constant reminder that this was no ordinary battle. “We can’t keep this up forever!” Izuku yelled, his voice tight with urgency. “We’ve gotta get out of here—there’s no end to them!”

Mina clenched her fists, acid dripping between her fingers, sizzling as it hit the floor. “Yeah, but how do we escape when we’re completely surrounded?!”

“We’ll have to break through to a wall,” Izuku said, determined. “We’ll climb out of here!”

“I'm not going to ask again—could everyone please stop going near the crazed robot head?!” Power Loader's voice wavered somewhere between exasperation and pure panic. The situation had spiralled way beyond his usual workload, and that was saying something. In his line of work, decapitated robots were a regular Tuesday, but usually, they needed a power source to keep moving.

This one, however, seemed to be running on pure spite. Its jaw hung at an odd angle, one eye was completely missing, and a gaping hole adorned the side of its skull. And yet, the head skittered across the desk like a wind-up toy gone rogue, very much alive despite looking like it had seen the business end of a baseball bat.

“0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 233…” The robotic voice droned on, rattling off Fibonacci numbers in a monotone hum, as though this were a perfectly reasonable thing for a decapitated head to be doing. The broken jaw clicked and vibrated, making the head wobble dangerously close to the edge of the table. The only thing keeping it from tumbling off were the hasty wooden barricades some brave souls had slapped onto the desk.

Hatsume, tongue poking out in fierce concentration, crept closer, her hands outstretched like a cat about to pounce. “Just a little closer…”

CLACK CLACK CLACK

The robot head snapped its jaw shut with a sickening crunch, somehow fixing its dislocated mandible in the process. “YAKYAKYAKYAK!” it barked, feral and rabid.

“Yikes!” Hatsume yanked her hand back just in time, narrowly dodging a quick trip to the school nurse with fewer fingers than she started with.

Power Loader rushed over, all but tearing at his helmet. “What did I just say about staying away from the crazy robot?!”

“But it's for the pursuit of knowledge!” Hatsume shot back, with several murmurs of support from her classmates. “There’s something inside this thing, boss! You can’t expect us to just leave it alone!”

“I expect you to not stick your hand into the mouth of a malfunctioning deathtrap!” Power Loader groaned, wiping a fresh sheen of sweat from his forehead. “At least try to come up with something that won't result in an amputation!”

Hatsume winked and nodded her head. “Reading you loud and clear, boss. What you're saying is... we should build a shrink ray—”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Or a—”

Power Loader immediately cut her off. “You're not building an enlarging ray, either.”

Hatsume huffed and crossed her arms in mock indignation. “Fine, we won’t use any rays! …Now a beam, on the other hand…”

“No beams! No rays, no cannons and no lasers!”

“Pft, fine, fine,” Hatsume finally relented. “But you’re really limiting our creative options here.”

Power Loader sighed, rubbing his temples. “I’m trying to limit your funeral options, Hatsume.”

Meanwhile, the robot head continued its chaotic, numbers-fueled rant, now rattling through equations nobody had asked for. “E equals MC Squared! The sum of the square roots of any two sides of a right angle triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side!”

Some of the more cautious students had taken several steps back, while others (those who hadn’t quite learned how to value their own survival) watched with fascination. From a safe distance, Maina Furasu raised a finger.

“Could we just, you know…” She shrugged, and mimed pointing a gun at the robot and pulling the trigger. “Problem solved?”

Before anyone could respond, the head switched tracks again. “I AM BECOME DEATH, DESTROYER OF–”

Power Loader smacked it with a wrench before it could finish the quote. “I appreciate the out of the box thinking, as concerning as it was,” he narrowed his eyes at Maina, “But I’d rather not solve our issues by shooting them in the face.” 

He took a breath and rubbed the back of his head, “Okay, okay,” he muttered, pacing back and forth. “This thing shouldn’t even be active, so what set it off?”

“Maybe it’s haunted?” suggested a voice from the back.

“Don’t you start!” Power Loader snapped, pointing a finger menacingly before marching over to his workstation. “Maybe something malfunctioned when it was destroyed, I’d better check the other robots for any abnormalities…” He frowned as the status reports loaded in, “Nope, no power surges, all the other robots are still in sleep mode. Everything looks completely normal.”

“THIS IS NOT NORMAL!!” Izuku yelled as he yanked another robot's arm off its body and started pelting the others with it. It was lucky enough for them that the bots were easy to destroy, one hit and they folded like a cheap suit, but the real problem wasn’t their durability. It was the sheer, overwhelming number of them.

Robots were everywhere. They poured out from alleyways, spilled out of shops, tumbled from rooftops like a mechanical waterfall, even crawled up from the sewers. Every time Izuku and Mina glanced around, more appeared from all directions, the swarm multiplying faster than they could take them down.

“Normal?!” Mina yelled as she hurled another burst of acid, “This is goddamn unprecedented!! Where the hell are they coming from?!”

It was as if the metal bastards were appearing out of thin air. Unprecedented was one way of putting it, but they were veering ever closer to ridiculous. When a car parked nearby and robots began pouring out of the passenger doors and trunk, that was it. That was the final straw.

Izuku scanned the area – they were surrounded on all sides, boxed in, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Even the small spot of concrete they had claimed as their own was rapidly shrinking under the never-ending encroaching onslaught of machines. He swore under his breath as a fresh wave approached.

“We can't keep this up forever!” he shouted, kneecapping another robot. “But how are we supposed to get out of here?!”

Mina winced as another glob of acid left her hands, her palms aching from overuse. “Drawing a blank here, dude! Come on, you know I'm not good with plans! Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?!”

“I’m not smart, Mina! I’m reckless, remember?!”

Then it hit him. An idea. An impossibly reckless , stupid, dangerous idea that had as much chance of killing them as helping them, but it was an idea. With a look that didn't invite the greatest of confidence, he turned to Mina. “Do you trust me?”

Mina blinked, momentarily thrown off by the question. “That depends! Is this falling exercise ‘do you trust me’ or you're about to push me out of a moving car ‘do you trust me’?!”

“The second one!”

“Yes, Izuku! I trust you! Whatever it is, I trust you!” Mina parried another attack, “Whatever it is, do it quickly!”

Izuku’s heart pounded in his chest as he reached out, the chaotic sounds of the machines climbing over themselves raged around him, but he needed to focus. With little warning, he grabbed Mina’s hand and pulled her very close to him. Much closer than she was expecting, that was for sure.

“Close your eyes, and keep your head down.” he instructed in a hurried voice.

“Wh-what are you-! Is this really the time for this?” Mina squeaked. Despite the tension of the moment, she flicked her hair coyly, and if her face could physically get any pinker it probably would have. “I mean, if you’re going to be so bold about it…”

Izuku, completely oblivious, didn’t notice. “I’ve only done this once before,” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to her. “If the force of it knocks you out... I’m sorry in advance.”

“Uh,” Mina blinked, her momentary flirtation turning into confusion as she stared at him. “This really doesn’t feel appropriate anymore,”

Suddenly, Izuku wrapped an arm tightly around her waist, locking her against his side. “Remember, eyes closed, head down.” he repeated. “God, I hope this works…”

With a deep breath, Izuku crouched down low, and clenched his teeth. Summoning every bit of control and focus he could muster, he visualised his quirk and how it affected his body. All the hours of training, of trying to understand Stickiness, the limits of his friction control, how to channel it efficiently. With one very important difference. This time, he was trying to share that control with another person. 

Was it even possible? He wasn’t sure, but there wasn’t a lot of time to think about it.

Then, he pushed off the ground. Hard.

BOOM!

The ground cracked beneath them, a shockwave rippling outward and sending hordes of robots flying in all directions. Wind howled past their ears as the two of them rocketed upwards with an explosive force, the floor below becoming a blur as they left the swarm far behind.

As the city below shrank, Izuku’s vision started to blur, thoughts of “I really should have put my goggles on!” were screaming in his mind. But the good thing was, he actually managed to stay awake this time! He was tired, yes, but this was a far cry from the sudden, immediate unconsciousness he suffered the last time. While his muscles hurt, and adjusting the flow of his quirk was taking all his focus, he managed to slowly ease their resistance, letting the air slip past them like water. This slight additional friction was all he needed to taper the speed off, and gradually, the dizzying ascent came to a steady halt.

Then, for the first time, Izuku managed to glide. Really glide. None of that 100% sticky feet stuck in the air like thick mud bullshit flying. This was the real deal. They weren’t falling, they were coasting. Gently soaring .

“Oh my… Oh my god.” With the rush of wind quieting, Izuku finally glanced at Mina, who was staring in awe. “We’re….flying.”

Mina clung on tighter, enjoying the trip but knowing she would like the fall even less. She turned to Izuku and asked, “How far up are we?”

“I’m not sure,” he answered truthfully, looking across the horizon to the tallest towers of Musutafu. “Maybe… 120 metres?”

The view was incredible from this far up, and they could see clear out to the outskirts of the city. Mina shifted her position to get another angle, while making sure not to interfere with his balance. “This is… incredible.”

Izuku gave her a genuine smile, feeling the pounding of his heart start to ease. It felt as though he was starting to figure out the exact amount of exertion he needed to keep this up, but was careful not to get too relaxed. “Yeah…” he said, savouring the moment. “It is.”

The robot fighting adventure had, admittedly, gotten a little out of control. But this? This made it all worth it. Flying had always been the dream, and now that he had finally managed it… It was liberating . His quirk, his body, everything was finally working the way he hoped it would! He glanced over at Mina, her eyes wide with wonder, and he felt an unexpected warmth spreading through him. Sharing this moment with her just made the whole experience that much better.

Over time, buildings started to give way to trees as they left the confines of the testing facilities and headed towards the sprawling expanse of the UA Woods. Clearly, turning was something he would have to work on, as right now he could barely adjust their trajectory, but not enough to avoid the approaching treeline.

“Hold on,” he warned, adjusting his grip as the trees drew nearer, their feet barely grazing against the highest branches. They were moving faster than he would have liked, but Izuku managed to gently steer them toward a small clearing.

Izuku kicked his legs forward, slowly cranking his quirk up to max in order to slow the impact as they both hit the ground with a thud. For a moment, they tumbled across the grass, before finally coming to a stop, the world still spinning slightly as they lay on the forest floor.

They lay there for a second to catch their breath, when Mina burst into laughter. “That was INSANE! Why haven’t you been doing that all the time?! Oh my god, I would never be on the ground! I thought we were going to crash, for sure!”

Izuku rolled on to his back, panting but smiling. “I mean, we kinda did.”

As the adrenaline started to fade, the magnitude of what just happened started to sink in, and Mina turned to him with a more relaxed expression. “You’re really something else, you know that?” She said softly. “I knew your quirk was strong, but…this?”

“I had help,” he replied. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Oh come on, that’s not true,” Mina said dismissively, though liking the thought. “I didn’t do anything except hold on.”

Izuku shook his head, “No, it’s true! Having you there got me to think more about what I was doing to keep us safe. You know that when it’s just me I can get a little, you know… Reckless. But this time I knew I had to do better for you.”

Mina blinked, her smile softening. “That’s actually… kind of sweet.”

Sweet? Izuku’s brain screeched to a halt as the implication of what he said had just caught up to him. “Uh, I mean," he blurted out, trying to sit up quickly. “We should, um, focus on getting out of here first! Before it gets dark.”

He awkwardly adjusted his grip on the grass, avoiding eye contact as he scrambled to stand, brushing dirt off his uniform. “We’re not far from the edge of the woods, if we keep going that way we’ll be out of here in no time!”

Mina smiled knowingly, in no way fooled by the desperate attempts to change the subject. She stood up and dusted off her clothes, “You got it, Izuku. Back to the real world, right?”

That blast from Izuku’s super-jump was a little difficult to miss, windows were shaken as far as the training gym where Aizawa was overseeing Hagakure and Kirishima’s training. The shockwave sent a small tremor through the building, and Aizawa knew straight away that something was off. Earthquakes weren’t on the schedule for today. That was next Thursday, for earthquake preparedness training.

“What the hell was that?” Kirishima asked, while being held upside down by Hagakure.

She dropped him in a heap, “It sounded like something just blew up!”

Aizawa sighed and grabbed his scarf from the bench, another day, another explosion. “You two stay here if you want, I might not be back until later. Don’t break anything.” And without another word, he headed for the doors.

As he rushed across campus in the direction of the blast, Aizawa’s instincts were telling him something either very important or very confusing had gone down. He was hoping for confusion. Confusing things you could just pass off to someone else. Important things, though, meant getting involved.

It turned out he wasn’t the only one who had noticed something wrong, as he saw Hound Dog racing past, with Ectoplasm in hot pursuit. Eventually the three gathered at the testing city, where a massive crowd of robots (hundreds, at the very least) were relentlessly trying to scale the walls to escape. Cementoss was the only thing keeping them in check..

Hound Dog growled, his nose twitching as he paced back and forth, “They’re almost through the walls, woof! What’s gotten into them?!”

“I’ve never seen nothing like this,” Ectoplasm said, his accent slipping a little before he coughed, “I will send out my clones, and attempt to hold the robots back.” 

From the side of the wall, Cementoss raised a hand to get the attention of the other heroes, “Don’t bother, Ecto! There are far too many of them, we need to just keep them contained until we can come up with a better plan!” With a deep rumble, the earth shook as thick, towering walls of concrete began to rise higher around the circumference of the testing city. He was about to start putting a roof on the structure, when Eraser halted him.

“Wait, stop! Are you sure there’s nobody in there? Hound Dog, do you smell anyone?”

Hound Dog sniffed at the air and barked, “I can’t smell anyone, ruff. But I can’t be certain.”

Aizawa scratched his neck in thought, “Do you think we could get Ragdoll down here, get her to use search to check if there are any life signs? We can’t afford to miss anyone before we go any further with this.”

“Sorry to break it to you,” Cementoss answered, “But her quirk doesn’t work that way. She has to tag people before she can track their life signs.”

“Huh, well then,” Aizawa said, turning to look directly at you, the reader who is about to write a comment about this, “Let's hope it works differently in this story.”

Cementoss shrugged, before fishing his Heronet headset from his pocket. But the moment he put it in his ear, there was a piercing shrill wail emanating from it.

“Agh, what the hell?! Headsets are off the table, gang. The machines nearby must be messing with the frequency. Does anyone have their phone with them?”

Ectoplasm shook his head, “I don’t take mine on missions. I can’t afford a screen protector.”

Aizawa gave him a weird look, and got his phone out. “Yeah, I’ve got mine.” he said, before dialling a number. “All Might, we got an issue. We need you to get Ragdoll down here, quick as you can. Thanks.”

From the other end of the line, the other heroes could hear a confident laugh, and a muffled Never fear!

Cementoss continued to rise cement walls, struggling more and more to contain the onslaught, while the others stood around looking at their watches. In less than a minute, All Might landed beside them, a thoroughly windswept Ragdoll in tow.

“Hey Rag,” Aizawa said casually, “can you check there’s anyone in there for us?”

“That’s what you dragged me down here for?! I was on a hot date, I’ll have you know!” She was not on a hot date.

“At 4pm on a Thursday?” he tilted his head at her.

“It’s called having a social life, Eraser.” she said in response, looking toward the city and opening her eyes wide. After a few seconds, she shook her head. “Nope, nobody in there.”

“Cool. Alright, Cementoss, box them in.”

“Finally!” Cementoss sagged his shoulders, lifted his arms like he was conducting an orchestra, and put a lid on the entire city. “This is only a temporary solution, you know that, right?”

“Bark,” Hound Dog barked. “Give me the phone.” After a few tense moments of hound dog trying to use the touchscreen with his claw, making Aizawa wince at how close he was coming to scratching the screen, he finally managed to dial Nezu’s number.

“Nezu, woof. Execute Order 65.”

The cackling laughter from the other end of the phone was concerning, to say the very least.

Hound Dog ushered everyone to a safe distance, and the group of heroes watched as the entire city, gigantic cement cage and all, disappeared into the ground courtesy of a series of controlled explosions.

“Well then!” All Might said, hands on his hips, “That’s one for the blog, eh fellas?”

“Antimonyarsenicaluminimseleniumhydrogenoxygennitrog-” The support course class watched in fascination and sight revulsion as the disembodied head suddenly stopped mid Lehrer.

And burst open, spraying lubricant everywhere.

Mei wiped a globule off her face and flicked it on the floor. “Oh, great. Now I’ll never know how that song was gonna end.”

Chapter Text

"Fantastic work, Young Hagakure! Your mastery of One for All is proceeding brilliantly!" All Might beamed with pride watching his protege, even if he did feel slightly out of his depth. "Uh, even if I do feel slightly out of my depth… I admit, I did expect there to be more punching involved here, and less… Whatever this is."

Ahead of him, Toru was conjuring shimmering glass-like bubbles with her newly awakened forcefield ability, then attempting to dropkick them. It wasn’t going great. The bubbles lost their lustre the moment her hands left them, and her kick sailed awkwardly through the fading light. Still, it was a work in progress.

"Thanks, All Might," She said, a little dejected.

"Is there something the matter? You know, as the next bearer of the greatest quirk this or any other world has ever known, you can come to me with anything." He placed a bony hand on her shoulder.

Toru looked away, not that All Might could actually tell, what with the whole invisibility thing. "It's just… You had your hopes set on me becoming this uber strong fighting machine. I'm not really what you expected, right?"

All Might smiled, "Young Hagakure, One For All is a mysterious power and there's so much we don't understand about how it works. It could effect everyone in different ways! Why, for me, it made me 3ft taller and buff as hell!"

"That was actually something I was wondering about, too." Toru turned back and tilted her head (again, invisibly. All Might is good at context clues, he'd figure it out). "When you're in OFA-Mode you're so imposing. But when you're in your civilian guise you're uh, not."

"I suppose it's time for me to tell you the whole story, Young Hagakure…" All Might dramatically looked into the middle distance, a long look on his face. "A tale of supervillains, the greatest battle mankind ever saw, and the dangers that come with a power such as ours…"

~Five Minutes Later~

"YOU GOT HIT BY A TRAIN?!"

"Two trains, technically," All Might corrected, holding up a finger. "Same track, but not connected! And in my defence, I had just defeated the greatest villain of all time. I was young! Reckless! So when I heard about the train robbery, I naturally assumed I could just stand on the tracks and brace myself."

Toru stared. "Uh huh? And how did that work out for you?"

"Well," All Might said, puffing up his chest, "I stopped the trains, didn’t I?!"

"By clogging up the wheels with your body, you lunatic!" Toru exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

All Might laughed and switched into his buff form, his trademark grin practically splitting his face. "Indeed! The ultimate heroic sacrifice!" he bellowed, then reverted back to normal. "Except, you know, I didn’t die. I merely suffered extreme blunt force trauma!"

"You're insane. This quirk makes people insane."

It was another beautiful, sunny afternoon at the Musutafu public park. Birds chirped, flowers bloomed, the air was sweet with the scent of fresh cut grass, and children were firing off their quirks with little concern for health or safety. Yesirree, just another day in the big city. Such an ordinary day that it was practically begging for a shakeup. Which it got in the form of a silver-haired tornado with a bone to pick.

"Auntie Rumi!! Auntie Ruuumiiii!!"

With a frown so deep it threatened to cleave her face in twain, yeah that's right—in twain—the pint-sized tyke stomped over to a park bench. On the bench, a woman resembling a buff rabbit was sprawled out with a newspaper draped across her face.

"FWUH?! Oh," She startled awake, the woman's rabbit ears unfurling with a light sproing sound as she ruffled the little one's hair, careful to avoid the small horn poking out her forehead. "What's up, my little asskicker?"

The girl pursed her lips and pointed a finger like she was objecting to something in court, toward a group of older boys near the pond. Older boys being a relative term, they were like, 8. These particular toerags were currently engaged in a rousing game of Huck Bricks At Ducks, something that neither the ducks nor the local constabulary were particularly enthralled with. Local constabulary here being another term for a very annoyed 6 year old girl.

"Those boys were mean to me!! And they're being mean to the ambimals!"

"Hey hey hey, Eri, chill," Auntie Rumi leant down to her level and looked her in the eye with a serious expression. "You remember what I told you to do when people are being mean, right?"

Eri summoned all her bravery, and nodded with conviction. "Mmhm."

"Then off you go, kid. Remember what I taught you," Rumi spun Eri around and gave her a gentle pat on the back, "You got this."

Fueled by a righteous fury and the no doubt flawless advice of a mentor figure, Eri marched over to the brick-hurling hooligans, staring daggers at them the entire way.

The boys noticed her approach, nudged each other and snickered. "Whatchoo want, hornhead? Didn't we tell ya to get lost?"

"Shut your hole!" Eri shouted.

"Wh-what did—"

"Did I say you could talk, numbnuts?!" She cut him off, advancing another step. "You gonna leave those duckses alone or am I gonna have to teach you a lesson?!"

One of the boys, who looked like someone had moulded a bag of mashed potato into a vaguely human shaped form, scoffed derisively. "Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do, cry at us?" He made a show of rubbing his eyes. "Aww boohooo—hrrk!"

His mockery was cut short as Eri, with the speed and precision of a tiny, enraged ninja, jabbed her middle knuckle into his throat. He crumpled, like that bag of mashed potato I just mentioned, clutching at his neck and gasping like a fish out of water.

"That enough for you, or do I need to show you where the other one's going!?" Eri's scowl was now enhanced by a single, menacingly raised eyebrow. Despite being 3ft tall, she radiated the ferocity of a cornered stoat. Or the ferocity of a rabbit hero who may have been a slightly bad influence.

"Y-you're crazy!" one of the remaining boys yelped, grabbing his doughy companion and attempting to drag him away. "I'm gonna tell the cops! I'll t-tell the media!"

"Why don't you tell someone who cares?!" Eri hollered after them.

"L-let's get outta here!" And with that, the trio of troublemakers fled, leaving the ducks opportunity to rebuild and get proper duck therapy following their traumatic ordeal.

Eri, mission accomplished, skipped back to Auntie Rumi, beaming. "I did it auntie, those big meanies are gone. Now everyone can play nicely."

"Attagirl, kid." Rumi said with a grin that might have been a bit too proud, given the circumstances.

Paperwork paperwork paperwork. That was the word of the day at the Ryukyu agency. To be fair, paperwork was the word of the day at most agencies most days, but it was particularly egregious on this particular day, particularly.

It had all begun innocently enough, with a routine patrol. But any pro hero worth their cape knew two crucial things: 1. Invest in comfortable shoes; and 2. Nothing is routine. The only routine thing about patrols was that shit routinely hit the fan, and that shit came in the form of a villain calling himself Baseball Batter. His quirk, as far as anyone could tell, involved hitting things with a bat and saying "Get batted, idiot."

Baseball Batter wasn't exactly a threat to national security—he had the upper body strength of a sad ferret—but he'd decided to take out his ire on the shelves of limited edition hero action figures at HMV. (That's the hero merchandise villa, for those not in the know).

The staff could have handled it all themselves. They were, after all, hardened veterans of the Black Friday sales and rabid fan conventions. But no, the heroes had arrived, and in doing so their presence immediately turned the scene into a criminal investigation.

So the painstakingly, soul-crushingly monotonous task began. Every single mangled action figure, every dented box, every shattered dream of a mint-condition collectable had to be catalogued. The scale of the damage had to be assessed, and (most horrifyingly), the potential loss of revenue for each hero's merchandising empire had to be calculated.

Inko Midoriya, otherwise known as Green Magnet, slammed her head against the table and kept it there, despite her hand still signing and filing documents of its own volition.

"Why," she groaned, her voice muffled by the wood grain, "In the name of spandex, do three different companies own the merchandising right to All Might's suits based on the colour of his freaking collar?"

Ryukyu, who you may be surprised to know was the head of the Ryukyu agency, swept into the room with a stack of papers in one hand and three cups of coffee precariously stacked in the other. Normally she exuded a quiet authority, but that aura was muted somewhat by the exhaustion of pushing pens all day. Supervillains were easy in comparison. Regardless, it was nothing she wasn't used to.

Similarly, she was quite used to seeing her head sidekick trying to meld herself with a desk. And the dying-walruslike sound Inko just made.

"You know," Ryukyu began, setting one of the coffees down, "you wouldn't have all this paperwork on your desk if you'd just take the pro hero exam."

"We both know that isn't true," Inko punctuated her reply with a pointed glare towards the stacks of A4 in the dragon hero's hands.

"Hm?" Ryukyu pretended to have just noticed the papers, and feigned surprise in a not very convincing manner. "This?! You've got it all wrong, this isn't paperwork. It's my manuscript."

"Your manuscript, of course," Inko deadpanned. "Silly me."

"Uh huh. It's a story I'm writing, called 'The Agency Sidekick who has Deserved A Promotion For Years But Refused To Take The Necessary Exams.'"

"Really rolls off the tongue." Inko said flatly, though there was the faintest hit of a smirk.

Ryukyu smiled and set the rest of the coffees down, "It's based on a true story, you know."

"Oh gosh, really?" Inko made a show of placing her pen down and resting her chin in her hands, "Does the protagonist spend her days buried under paperwork while her boss writes fantasy novels?"

"Oh no no," Ryukyu held up a finger while she took an agonisingly slow sip of coffee, "The boss is an overworked dragon hero saving the world and managing an entire agency. But the sidekick, the sidekick is constantly sabotaging herself by avoiding the exam that would help her progress in a field she excels at."

"Maybe the sidekick knows that with progression comes more paperwork," Inko countered, leaning back in her chair. "Maybe she isn't sure it's worth it."

"Or maybe she's just afraid she might actually pass?"

Inko rolled her eyes and went back to the paperwork, "I don't need the psychoanalysis right now, Ryuko. I'm happy where I am."

"Sure, sure." Ryukyu waved a hand dismissively, "But you know, the agency would be stronger with you as a pro. You already do the work, the licensing is just a formality at this point."

"Right," Inko muttered, spinning the pen between her fingers. "Except for the part where it's a high-stakes, nerve-wracking formality."

"More nerve-wracking than the hostage situation at the bus station?"

"Well—"

"More nerve-wracking than the time you pulled that bank-robber's filling out of his mouth, before you cold clocked him with his own weapon?"

"That was—"

"More nerve-wracking than the time you helped dig through 30ft of collapsed ground and rescued two children following a landslide, because you, and I quote, 'Had to be certain'?"

"Okay! I get it!" Inko threw her arms up, half-exasperated and half-amused by the whole thing. "You've made your point. I'm just saying, official comes with expectations and scrutiny. It's a much bigger responsibility by the very nature of the role! Why not just stay where I am? Unranked and loving it?"

"Because," Ryukyu tapped the table with her hand like she was about to make her closing arguments, "with great responsibility comes great…" She paused, noting the look on Inko's face. "Okay, fine. Yes, it comes with an unholy amount of paperwork. But it also comes with recognition. Respect. And you can't forget, a hero's paycheck."

Inko laughed, "Hey, I do alright thank you. You pay me well enough. Besides, I never got into this game for the money."

"That's why I want you to take the next step," Ryukyu said, her voice softer now. "Not for the money or the recognition, but because you're already making a difference. You could make an even bigger one if you wanted."

Inko didn't answer immediately. Instead, she twirled her pen as she stared at the stack of files in front of her. It wasn't that she didn't believe Ryukyu—she did. But the idea of stepping into the spotlight, of being officially ranked as a pro hero… There was a weight to that.

Finally, she said "I'll think about it."

"Good," Ryukyu stood up abruptly and grabbed her coffee. "That's all I ask. But don't think about it too long, The next examination is in three weeks, and I might sign you up myself if you don't."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, wouldn't I?"

A cursory glance at the overgrowth in the UA woods, you'd be excused for not noticing anything out of the ordinary. "A lot of greenery," you might say. "They should really hire a groundskeeper," you may think. But if one were to open their third eye and peer even deeper into the shrubbery, you—much like the poor saps who stumbled across the teddy bear's picnic—may be in for a big surprise.

Barely visible were four glassy, eye-shaped marbles amidst the bramble. They were eye-shaped because they were, in fact, eyes. Eyes connected to a small purple boy named Minoru Mineta, and a taller boy named Tomura Garaki (whose colour-coordination wasn't as on lock.)

They both blinked in unison as they watched a fuzzy green-haired boy gradually float down from above, carrying a bright pink girl on the way.

Tomura was struck almost instantaneously by two universal truths. First: He really did need to figure out his colour-coordination, it seemed like everyone but him had a signature style. Second, and perhaps more pressing: There was a way out of these woods.

From their bushy hiding spot, the two misfits watched as the trespassers on their land had a sickly sweet conversation with each other, before stepping foot on to a sunlit path. From a safe distance, and keeping as quiet as the field-mouse Tomura tried to eat yesterday before Peanut-Brittle (Mineta's squirrel) threw an acorn at his head, they followed.

They didn't just find the exit, it was a fully paved walkway, with signposts reading "This Way Out!" and "Congratulations on surviving UA's unnecessarily large woodlands."

"Is that… the way out?" Tomura whispered, his voice cracking from a diet consisting mostly of leaf.

Mineta nodded solemnly. "We were…so close. Is it…is it real? Is it civilisation?"

Tomura squinted, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the blinding light at the end of the walkway. It stretched out before them like a beacon, each cobblestone mocking the days they had spent subsisting on roots. It was a real stroke of bad luck that they manage to catch and eat the only fish in the entire river.

"It better be," Tomura muttered, "If this is a trap, I swear—"

"Shh!" Mineta hissed, "Do you want the forest spirits to hear us? They might drag us back!"

"There are no forest spirits, you loon! This is why I told you not to eat the glowing mushrooms!"

"Oh you sound just like Dr. Hoots." Mineta brushed him off.

"Dr. Hoots was a hallucination! There are no talking owls in the woods, and if there were how would it have gotten a medical degree?!" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Come on, lets go before that green guy and his bubblegum girlfriend notices us."

Together, they stepped hesitantly onto the path. The paved stones felt almost alien beneath their feet. Right at the edge of the woods, they paused.

This was it, one step further and they'd be back in society.

Society, with all its noise… Pollution… People…

Tomura hesitated, his foot hovering between the threshold of wilderness and civilisation. His old life, of squatting in abandoned buildings, stealing food and avoiding the police. And his new life, of squatting inside hollowed out trees, stealing acorns and avoiding this one kestrel that seemed to really not like him.

"Do we really want to go back?" Tomura said, his voice low. "All those rules, expectations and…ugh…responsibilities waiting for us?"

Mineta froze, "What do you mean?! We can't stay in here forever! There's food out there that doesn't taste like bugs! There's pornography!"

"And at what cost? All those conveniences, progress built on destruction! On the backs of hard-working assholes like you and me. They rip apart forests like this to make room for their cities, choke the air with smoke, poison the water with their waste. They take and take and take!"

"Uh, are you okay, man?" Mineta shifted uncomfortably. "You're starting to sound like one of those videos they showed us in science class."

Tomura ignored him, stepping back into the shade of the trees. His hands trembling with the rush of an idea taking root, spreading like vines through his thoughts (you get it? Tree puns.)

"What if we didn’t just go back? What if we made them come here instead? What if we tore down their towers and let the trees grow back in their place? What if we showed them that this," he gestured around them again "is what life is supposed to be?"

Mineta blinked. "Uh, by ‘show them,’ you mean...?"

"I mean we make them see. Make them understand. They’ve forgotten how to live with the earth, how to respect it. We’ll remind them. Force them, if we have to." Tomura’s voice grew darker. "We’ll tear down their cities and let the forests reclaim the land. They’ll thank us when they’re free of their cages."