Everyone stared at Aizawa, completely shocked.

"The kid who ranks last...gets expelled...!?" Uraraka cried out. "This is our first day here!! But even if it weren't...that's just too unreasonable!!"

You completely agreed. You just got here...and now you could already be kicked out? It didn't make any sense!

"Natural disasters...massive accidents...ego-mad villains...all kinds of calamities can happen when we least expect them. Japan's now positively drenched in 'unreasonable.' And it's our job as heroes to reverse it all and restore reason," Aizawa explained. "If you were counting on a friendly chat at the local McDonald's after school, that's too bad. From now on, for the next three years, all you can expect from your life at UA is one hardship after the next. This is 'Plus Ultra.' I expect you to overcome these trials and climb to the top."

Well...that did make sense. It didn't seem fair or reasonable, but neither is life. You took a deep breath and mentally prepared yourself.

"Now then, that was the demonstration," Aizawa continued. He made a beckoning motion with his finger. "Time to step up to the plate."

And so the trials begun. You took note of each of your classmates' names and quirks as they took their turns and did your best when you were up. There were, of course, two people you found particularly interesting.

Firstly was Midoriya. You'd seen him display tremendous power during the entrance exam, but he seemed to be holding back this time. Bakugo, on the other hand, was completely the opposite. He gave his all in everything he did. It was intimidating and maybe even a little scary, but...admirable all the same.

And then came the pitching test.

Everything was going normal and fine until Midoriya's turn. His first try was stopped by Aizawa erasing his quirk, and that was how you discovered your new teacher was none other than the pro hero Eraserhead himself. After what seemed to be something of a pep talk, Midoriya tried again. And threw the ball 705.3 meters. 1 point higher than Bakugo.

And Bakugo did not like that.

"What is this, Deku!?" Bakugo yelled as he shoved past everyone and propelled himself forward. "Explain now, shitrag!!" Just as it seemed Midoriya was doomed to have his face blown off, Aizawa caught the walking bomb with his scarf. "Shit's this cloth?" Bakugo groaned "I can't...!!"

"It's my special 'capturing weapon,' a steel wire alloy woven with carbon nanofibers!" Aizawa said. "Geez, don't make me use my quirk so much... I've got dry eye, dammit!" With that, he released Bakugo and turned back to the rest of you. "We're wasting time. Prepare for the next trial."

You glanced at Bakugo. He definitely had issues. Inside you desperately hoped once again that he wasn't your soulmate. He couldn't be. There was no way the universe would pair you with someone so violent. Still...there was something about him that pulled you in. You had so many questions and so little answers. And what exactly was his deal with the green haired kid?

·°·°·°·°·

"Time to present the results."

This was it. You were totally going home.

"The total is simply the aggregate sum of each of your scores. If I recited all your scores it'd take a million years, so I'll disclose them all at once."

You braced yourself, certain you were about to be expelled.

"Oh yeah, that whole 'expulsion' thing was a lie."

WHAT!?

"It was a logical ruse to pull out your best performances."

Everyone, including you, then proceeded to freak the fuck out. You were relieved, of course, but how dare he play with your head like that!

"C'mon guys, use your brains! Of course it was just a ruse!" said the girl with the ponytail. Her name was long and you couldn't remember it exactly.

"And...right. Yep, with that, it's over. Your curriculum sheets are back in the classroom so give them a once-over," Aizawa dismissed you all. "And Midoriya," he said, turning to the green-haired boy in question, "go to Recovery Girl and get yourself patched up. Since your eyeballs will doubtless pop out of their sockets at tomorrow's absurd ordeal."

·°·°·°·°·

You caught up with Bakugo back in the classroom. Why? You weren't really sure yourself.

"Hey, uh, good work out there," you started. "Your quirk is pretty--"

"Fuck off," he grumbled. And with that, he turned and stalked out of the classroom.

You sighed. Why did you even try with him? He was so stubborn and brash and absolutely infuriating. You were so caught up in your head about Bakugo that you didn't notice Koda until he tapped you on the shoulder, startling you out of your thoughts. "Oh, Koda! Sorry, did you say something?"

"I was asking if you're okay," he said. "He's scary..." Well...he wasn't wrong.

"I'm okay, don't worry," you replied, smiling at him. You could always count on Koda to be there for you. Which only made you feel worse about not talking to him for forever. "Hey, would you wanna come over today? We have a lot to catch up on."

Koda beamed and nodded, making you smile again. Your mom picked you up outside, her face lighting up when she saw Koda with you.

"Koda! I haven't seen you since the two of you graduated middle school. How have you been?"

"I'm doing good, Mrs. (L/N)," he responded. The two chatted the entire ride home (well, mostly your mom. Koda wasn't exactly a chatty person), hardly letting you get a word in. Once you got home, you waved off your mother and dragged Koda up to your room.

"Sorry about her, she can be a little much sometimes," you chuckled, plopping down on your bed.

"Oh, I know. I don't mind," he replied with a smile. He took a seat next to you. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Ah, well...." you began, suddenly finding the floor incredibly interesting. You weren't sure how best to talk about this, and to be honest you were a little embarrassed. But Koda was your best friend, and he deserved to know. You took a deep breath before continuing on. "I think I may have found my soulmate."

Koda's eyes went wide. "Really?! That's amazing!" he said, then noticed your not-quite-enthused demeanor. "Or...maybe not?"

"Well, usually it would be," you sighed, "but I'm worried it might be...Bakugo." You looked back up at Koda, seeing the shock written all over his face.

"I know he has red eyes, but that doesn't mean he has to be the one, does it?" Koda tried to reason. You shook your head.

"I saw his hands. They're the same color as my eyes," you explained. You fell back onto your bed with a groan. "I keep trying to convince myself that it's not him and it's all some weird coincidence, but I know logically it probably isn't. I'd like to think the universe knows what it's doing, but...why would it pair me with a such a violent dude?" A heavy pit of fear settled itself in your stomach. "What if he hurts me?"

Koda blinked in surprise. "You don't really think that would happen, do you?" He adjusted his position so he could lay on his side, facing you. "I know he's...scary..."

"That's putting it lightly," you chuckled.

"But there's no way the universe would make you be with someone who's bad for you," he reassured you. He smiled. "And if it did, I'd beat it up for you."

You scoffed. "You can't even kick a rock without feeling bad," you teased, making him laugh.

You were incredibly grateful to have someone like Koda in your life. He would always look out for you, in his own adorable way. He always knew how to ease your worries and erase your sadness. And maybe everything would be alright. Maybe the universe even knew what it was doing. Whatever was coming next, you'd be ready for it.

·°·°·°·°·

1348 words

·°·°·°·°·

Holy shit y'all I did it I finally got this chapter done! I can't promise regular updates from now on but I should hopefully update more now that I've gotten through the chapter I was struggling with lol. Thank you all so much for your kind words and helping to motivate me! I love each and every one of you.

Also no, nothing romantic is going on with you and Koda lol. As much as I love Koda, your relationship is completely platonic. He does have a soulmate that will be revealed sometime soon though ;)