*RING!*

*RING!*

*RING!*

*SMASH!*

"Oh, come on! I'm really getting sick of this!" I groaned, looking at the remains of my latest alarm clock. It's gotten so bad, there's an indentation in the floor where my clocks sit. I should probably do something about that before my house falls. I got up and put on my lazy clothes before hearing a knock on the door. "Hmm? Who could that be at this hour?" I walked to the door and opened it, revealing Midoriya. Oh yeah... I forgot about that. I should really make notes about this kind of thing. "Oh, hey Midoriya. You made it. Nice to see that." Midoriya looked at me confused.

"What happened to you?" he asked. What? What is he talking about?

"What? Nothing happened. What makes you think that?" I replied.

"Well, it's just... you're bald." He said, pointing to my head. A few years ago, I got a bad rash, so not knowing how to deal with it, I shaved my head to try and get rid of it. Unfortunately, my hair never grew back, so I wear a hair piece now. I got a little angry.

"SO I'M BALD! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM, HUH!?" I screamed. Midoriya flinched.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was just wondering!" He squealed. I hate being reminded that I'm bald, but he was genuinely curious, so I'll let it slide.

"It's okay, it's okay. I just don't like being reminded of that little fact. So you're here to train, I presume?" I asked. Midoriya nodded, cracking his knuckles. "Alright. Let's spar so I can gauge where you are. Follow me. I know where to go." I said, grabbing my training clothes. I led Midoriya to the boxing club, spotting the hole in the wall from a while ago. It was lazily covered by a tarp. I stepped into the ring as Midoriya did some stretches. "So what exactly is your quirk anyway?" I asked. Midoriya appeared to become nervous.

"Um... well... it's kinda like..."

"Eh, it doesn't matter. Come at me whenever you want." I cut him off. Midoriya took a deep breath. Suddenly, red lines started to appear over him.

He rocketed towards me at explosive speeds, his eyes glowing green.

"DETROIT SMA-" Before he could finish, I lightly punched him in the gut, sending him flying into the wall. I hopped out of the ring, walking over to the wall.

"You okay, Deku?" I asked. He didn't reply, only groaning in pain. "I'm going to take that as a no, then." I pulled Deku off the wall as I checked my watch. An hour until school starts. "You want to do any more training for today?"

"No..." Deku weakly groaned. I barely touched him... This whole situation is getting out of control. I dragged Deku back to my apartment, setting him on the couch. Luckily, he had his uniform on underneath. Surprisingly, it wasn't torn to shreds on impact. They must make those things out of some super strong material. I made some green tea and sat next to Deku, taking a sip.

"So have you noticed anything... weird about Ochako? She seems weirdly happy around us, for some reason." I asked. Deku shrugged.

"Beats me. I think she's just always really happy." He said, kinda flustered. His face was completely red.

"I think it's more than that. I may be emotionally detatched, but I can tell when someone's being a bit too friendly to just be friends." I said, scratching my chin. Deku looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you saying she has a crush on one of us?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe she has one on both of us for all we know! All I'm saying is keep an eye on her, cuz I've seen the way she looks at us. Something is definitely up with her, and I intend to figure it out." I said. I don't know what's happening right now. I haven't been this invested in something for a long time. Ochako is... different. She's always happy from what I've seen of her. Granted, it's only been a couple of times, but still. Something about the way she acts... it just isn't normal. Especially if they're talking to me. I glanced at my watch. Twenty minutes until school starts. "Oh. We only have twenty minutes before school starts." I said, unfazed. Midoriya began to panic.

"WHAT!? WE'LL NEVER MAKE IT IN TIME! WE'RE DOOMED!" I snapped my fingers in front of his face.

"I'm not worried. I know a way to get there extremely fast." I said. Midoriya smiled.

"Okay. What is it?"

(At U.A)

I quickly stopped, leaving a sonic boom in my wake. Midoriya was on my back, shaking. His hair was forced back from how fast we were going.

"You okay? You haven't said much." I asked. Once again, no response from Deku. I gently set him down, walking into the classroom. I glanced at my watch again. "Huh. We got here with a minute to spare. That's good." Midoriya finally caught his breath, supporting himself by holding onto my shoulder.

"Were you... always... that fast?" He gasped. I nodded. Most of the day, I was on autopilot. I didn't speak, eat or drink. My mind was focused on figuring out Ochako. Why do I keep thinking about her? Is this... love? I've been emotionless for so long, I've forgotten how it feels. No, this can't be love. I just met her within the last few weeks. How can I love her? Regardless, during my thinking, something caught my attention. Our teacher for this class was no other than All Might himself. The one person who could possibly give me a challenge... is teaching us. Lucky me, I guess.

"Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High! Think of it as Heroing 101! Here, you will learn the basics of being a pro and what it means to fight in the name of good! Let's get into it! Today's lesson: pull no punches!" He said, holding a card that read "BATTLE!" So today is combat training. I have to pull my punches so I don't kill anybody. I need to be really careful. All Might began talking again. "But one of the keys to being a hero is... looking good!" Four panels slid out from the walls, revealing pods with our numbers on them. "These were designed for you based on your core registration forms and the requests you submitted before school started. Get yourselves suited up and meet me at training point beta!" Everyone grabbed the pod correlating to them. I picked up mine, feeling how light it was. I followed the boys to the changing room where I opened my pod. Inside was a yellow two piece baggy suit with a cream colored collar which also beared a zipper. Attached to the shoulders were two black buttons which held a white cape in place. The buttons appeared to be clips, so I can take it off if I want to. In the case were also calf high red boots and matching red gloves. The final touch was a belt with a large golden buckle in the front. I geared up and walked towards the door. Everyone aside from Deku was there already. As I searched the crowd, one guy caught my attention. He was of average height with a half and half thing going on. Half of his body was white. The other half was black. I wonder if he's strong enough to give me a good fight.

"Hey Rika! Love your costume! Nice and simple!" Oh boy. I know that voice. It's Ochako. I turned and saw her costume.

Needless to say, it was... something. From the big goofy helmet to the puffy wrist bracers and the gigantic boots, it's certainly not the most graceful of outfits. Yet, somehow it suits her.

"Thanks. I like yours too. It's... um... different?" I said, unsure of what to say. Ochako blushed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Thanks. I should have been more specific about what I wanted. This body suit is skin tight! Not really my style, you know?" I looked her over again.

"I can see that." Still don't really understand sarcasm, but I think I'm getting close. Ochako chuckled. Did... did I do a good? I can't tell. Thankfully, before the situation got any more awkward, Deku showed up in his costume.

He looked ridiculous. I could barely hold back my laughter. After I regained my composure, Deku looked over my costume.

"Isn't that a little... basic?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Doesn't matter what our costumes look like. What matters is how we use our powers." I replied. Deku nodded.

"Yeah, you're right." He then looked at Ochako, becoming very embarrassed at the sight of her. Shortly after, All Might explained what we were doing. We'd be put in teams of two to simulate a battle between heroes and villains indoors. The way we'd be put together is via lots. I reached in and pulled out a slip of paper with the letter "A" on it. A few minutes later, everyone else had drawn. Deku got placed with the short kid with the balls for hair. Sucks to be him. I got placed with Ochako. Of course I did.

"What're the chances? We're a team!" She said happily. I smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"We'll show everyone who's best!" I replied. All Might reached into two different boxes: one labeled heroes, the other labeled villains. He pulled out two balls. One had the letter "A", the other had the letter "D". Ochako and I were the heroes. The other team were the villains. As the others left, I noticed Bakugo was glaring at me. He had a look that could kill in his eyes. What is his problem with me? All Might led us to a building, letting Bakugo and his teammate in first. Ochako and I go in five minutes from now. Ochako looked over a map of the building. I sat on the curb. Alright, this seems like the perfect opportunity to get some answers.

"Uraraka, why do you hang around me so much? You know I'm dangerous. Nobody should be around me. I destroy everything around me, and I don't want to see you or anyone get hurt." Ochako put the map away and sat next to me, taking off her helmet.

"Well, help me get stronger so I can be around you. I want to help you, Rika. I don't care what happens. I want to help." She replied. I looked at her.

"You don't understand. Nobody can be as strong as I am. I'm too strong." I said.

"So? Deku's helping you, isn't he? Who says I can't do the same?" She said, looking at me with a smile on her face. I smiled.

"Really? You really want to help me?" I asked. She nodded. "Wow. Thanks Uraraka. Nobody's ever wanted to help before. Not even my parents." Suddenly, Ochako hugged me. This... was unexpected.

"Call me Ochaka." She replied. I smiled. My first friend... it feels good. Deku's more of a wingman. Wait. What's this feeling? Is it... happiness? No, it can't be. Whatever this feeling is, I don't want it to stop.Unless I taste the dirt of defeat, I'll be like this forever. Ochako released the hug as All Might chimed in.

"Heroes, enter the building! Time to go!" He boomed. Ochako and I stood back up as I led her towards the door.

"Let's show Bakugo and Iida who's the best." I said confidently. Ochako nodded and followed me inside.