Dear Midoriya Izuku,

Thank you for your interest in the Hero Course of UA.

It is with regret that we inform you that we cannot offer you a spot in the Hero Entrance exam at the moment due to high application turnover. The decision has been made by the committee after carefully considering additional criteria other than pre-qualifying scores to sort applications in order of eligibility.

You have been presented with the opportunity to apply for other courses offered at UA. Please press the link attached below to access the instruction guide and application conversion form, if interested.

Enclosed herewith is a certificate of merit from UA acknowledging your outstanding performance in the pre-qualifying round.

For further queries contact .

Please note that conversion applications should be submitted within 15 days. All applications submitted past the due date shall be subject to immediate rejection.

Regards.

____________________________________

"I do not accept it!" Inko slammed her hands on the table, a deep frown carved on her face. "Did you send a query email?"

Izuku actually felt slightly intimidated by his mother's raging spirit. He gulped and replied. "N-not yet. I will now, though. I'm just wondering what to write in the email."

Inko furrowed her brows and offered to write it instead. Izuku agreed and was later stunned at the eloquent and professional email his mother had drafted asking for the exact additional criteria for the rejection and as to why there wasn't a clause on the policies page stating that applications might be subject to further evaluation in cases of high influx. He made minor edits and sent the email. He looked at his mother and asked himself, 'was mom always this quick?'

Inko took initiative to help her son navigate through this mess. She took her son to the UA support office after receiving that the criteria was classified. It was obvious that it was related to her son lacking a quirk. She was furious. The office refused to disclose information and threatened to call security if they tried to force it. She then requested to meet the principal of UA. Obviously, the attempt was thwarted at the earliest. After all, a reject had no chance of getting back into the course unless they had strong backing. And Izuku had none. Disheartened, the mother and son duo returned home. Izuku decided to apply for Gen Ed, which happened to be one of his backup options. Inko supported his decision, albeit disappointed that her son couldn't do what he really wanted to. To their surprise, an email of acceptance was sent barely two hours after the submission.

After that day, Izuku started observing and remembering how his mother would decipher certain things on the news or the way she came up with creative ideas to do things. Out of curiosity, he asked her what she wanted to do before she landed a basic job at the local corporation.

"Oh... I loved studying law... still do, honestly. But that was just me dreaming. Why do you ask, sweetie?"

"Nothing, mom. I was just curious."

A lawyer was mostly out of question since no educational institution would accept a person of his mother's age as student to pursue law. There would possibly be other options.

Izuku found himself slowly going from hero analysis to situational analysis. Intrigued by a possibility, he started discussing it with his mother and he came to a conclusion.

His mother would make a goddamn good detective.

It was evening, four days later, when the doorbell rang. Inko answered it while Izuku was studying upstairs.

"May I help you?" She asked the strange looking man in front of her. A part of her pitied him for how frail he looked, lanky, pale and sick with two long, wide strands of gold hair drooping over his face.

The man smiled. "You must be Midoriya-shounen's mother. I'm Ogawa. Could you please tell Midoriya-shounen that I'm here?"

"And how exactly do you know him?"

Inko was highly suspicious, naturally. Her son had no friends or acquaintances who would visit him. A strange adult knocks on her door and asks for her son- very suspicious.

"Ah, it's a bit of a story. I happened to be at the site of the villain attack a few weeks ago where your son saved his friend. I walked him home that day so I know your place."

Inko frowned. Izuku did say, quite nervously, that a kind adult dropped him home. Her son looked tired with red eyes when he returned- surely, this man hadn't hurt him...right? She did plan on attracting a kitchen knife with her improved quirk if this man showed the barest signs of hostility.

"Alright. I'll call him." She leaned her head slightly sideways, her eyes still fixated on the man who started sweating from the pressure. "IZUKU! SOMEONE CALLED OGAWA-SAN IS HERE FOR YOU!"

"WHAT!?"

What followed was a horrible mess of things being knocked over, loud frantic footsteps and then emerged a panting, wide-eyed Izuku downstairs.

"All- Ah, Ogawa-san!" Izuku hurried to the front door, "Wh-What are you doing h-here?"

"Is Ogawa-san the person who dropped you home, sweetie?"

"Y-Yes. Um, mom- I'll be back!" He frantically dragged an amused All Might out into the street while a concerned Inko looked on. She trusted her son and decided to wait for him to get home for explanations.

"Be back in 30 minutes!" she shouted.

"One hour mom, please!"

"Fine!"

Izuku arrived at the abandoned beach and huffed with his hands on his knees. All Might couldn't contain his amusement and chuckled out loud.

"A-All Might!! What are you doing here?!"

All Might sat down on an old refrigerator half-buried in the sand. "I heard you were rejected from the hero course entrance exam."

Izuku's expression darkened. "How did you know?"

"I have connections at UA. I.." he paused and looked at Izuku's slightly curious expression, "talked to the principal about this."

"What?" Izuku breathed in awe and horror.

The hero sighed. "I've known him as a good ally for a long time. He was upset with the turn of events as well but there was barely anything he could do."

"It's because of the Hero Commission, isn't it?"

"You know about it?" All Might asked, slightly surprised.

Izuku shrugged. "I've read somewhere about how they meddle with stuff. They're corrupt and they obviously don't want to waste an opportunity by providing it to a quirkless candidate like-" Izuku shut his mouth immediately, realising that he probably said too much. All Might was a Pro Hero working with the commission, although Izuku did remember the hero stating his dislike for the commission that time.

"Walt, shounen. What do you mean you've read about it?"

Izuku blinked and debated internally whether he should disclose it or not. All Might continued.

"I'm asking because all articles involving the Hero Commission are thoroughly screened and any article criticising them in a blatant way is deleted. Where are you reading this?"

Izuku hesitated again. "It's a blog... there are similar blogs on that page."

"I see." All Might frowned and shook his head. "Well, that's about that. I also heard you applied for the Gen Ed course."

"I d-did."

"Good. Aim for the sports festival, shounen. You can take the help of the support course for it. You're smart, I can tell-" All Might smiled and sized Izuku up, "- and you're stronger now. You have three months left. There's a dojo a few blocks away. I can get you a discount on the membership if needed."

Izuku was speechless. Why was All Might, the No.1 hero helping him of all people?

"I just see myself in you." All Might answered the unasked.

Izuku spent the next few minutes thanking All Might through a stream of tears. After denying the offer of a discount, Izuku headed home to talk to his mother about the same. She was suspicious of the man and his intentions but Izuku convinced her that Ogawa-san was a very nice man who only wanted to help. She sighed and decided to trust her son, realising that he seemed more energetic these days.

UA Staff Chat

Nezu: Good evening.

Midnight: What now?

Recovery Girl: I'm busy. Whatever it is, just type it and I'll read it later.

Present Mic: Good eeeevening, people!

Vlad King: Evening. What's up with the sudden message?

Eraserhead: I finally got a break after correcting assignments. What now?

Ectoplasm: I'll never not be amused at how Nezu greeting us means trouble.

Snipe: Meh, we're used to it.

Power Loader: Do you want to blow something up?

Nezu: Not today.

Lunch Rush: Well, someday soon, then.

Hound Dog: Your tendency to be violent needs to be put in check, Nezu.

Eraserhead: Will you get over with that you called us for?

Nezu: Oh, not much as of now. I wanted to ask if all of you have received the applications for your respective classes.

Mic: I did.

Vlad King: I did.

Aizawa: Yes.

Power Loader: Yup.

Mic: I'm not entirely happy, though.

Midnight: I did.

Ectoplasm: Yes.

Snipe: Why is that, Mic?

Mic: Well, some students were removed from the hero course entrance list and they had to choose other courses.

Power Loader: Oh right, I received fifty new applications.

Midnight: I mean, I get it but why is that disappointing?

Mic: I received 230 new applications.

Mic: Them applying for Gen Ed isn't disappointing. It's the fact that because of the commission, so many kids had to give up on their dream to get into the hero course directly.

Ectoplasm: That's true..

Nezu: I understand. There's nothing we can do about it.

Eraserhead: Do you want us to believe that, Nezu?

Nezu: Can you provide me with unadulterated proofs and live testimonies for me to challenge the commission, Aizawa-kun?

Aizawa: I can try.

Snipe: Don't get me wrong, I'm not supporting the commission but we've failed countless times to do so.

Vlad King: We can't give up, though.

Lunch Rush: Nezu, can't you do that? You have connections, don't you?

Nezu: Unfortunately, I cannot spill everything. There's only little I can do with the dirt I have on them.

Everyone knew what Nezu was talking about. The commission had information about Nezu as well- information that would cause a stir among the public and cause distrust.

Hound Dog: All right, why don't we all review the applications?

Nezu: Yamada-kun, I need you to place the Gen Ed applications on my table by tomorrow morning. The recent applications would be enough.

Mic: Why?

Snipe: Because he asked you to.

Power Loader: Because he asked you to.

Nezu: Because I asked you to.

Mic: Why did I even ask?

Mic: Fine.

Hound Dog: What are you conspiring now, Nezu?

Nezu: What makes you assume I'm conspiring, Inui-san?

Hound Dog: Really?

Midnight: Wow, so innocent.

Eraserhead: I am not going to be part of your shenanigans.

Snipe: Bold of you to assume he'll let you go.

Recovery Girl: You better not be playing games, Nezu.

Nezu: I can and I might.

Ectoplasm: There you have it.

Vlad King is offline

Midnight: Damn..

Eraserhead: Break time's over. Nezu, you ruined it.

Eraserhead: I will nap in classes again.

Eraserhead is offline

Nezu: You can try :)

Midnight: Why do you look menacing everytime and everywhere?

Snipe: That is the Nezu charm.

Nezu: It indeed is.

Nezu: Alright, back to work.

Nezu is offline

Ectoplasm: I want to go home.

Lunch Rush: An hour more and we'll be done.

Power Loader: I haven't blown up my lab yet today.

Power Loader: Lemme do that.

.

.

.

.

.

Cementoss is online

Cementoss: What have I missed?

.

.

.

Cementoss: I give up.

Cementoss: Maijima, NO.

Power Loader: MAIJIMA YES!

Midnight: He's already done that, Ishiyama.

Cementoss is offline

— — — — — — — — — — 

The next morning, Nezu was seen- by an unfortunate Lunch Rush- vibrating in his seat with a grin suited for the epitome of sadism on his face. His mad cackling resounded in the halls, raising suspicions of paranormal activity but everyone knew better. 

Someone's fate was sealed.