Izuku followed the rest of his class onto the PE Grounds, feeling nervous. Not about interacting with his class, for the most part they were all nice people, but because he was still trying to figure out how to go about using his quirk without breaking himself... too much at least. He had to be realistic.

It'll also depend on what Kan-sensei has us doing, Izuku thought as the class came to a stop

Sekijiro paused in the middle of the grounds. "All right, here we are. If you noticed during the opening ceremony, there were quite a few empty seats. That's because the teacher for Class 1A likes to play by his own rules. He had his twenty kids out here earlier doing their Quirk Apprehension Test. And with the results already in the system, I can say that while a few of them have lots of room for improvement, they had quite a few notable cases where students showed exemplary results for new students. They also, I believe, had the threat of expulsion should they perform terribly."

That got quite a few shocked gasps from his students. Many of them were giving him worried looks. Shiozaki looked faint. Awase was swearing, which seemed to snap Shiozaki out of her funk and reprimand him. Kamakiri sneered, loudly saying no weakling deserved to be here anyway. Tokage looked simply outraged at the thought of expulsion. Kendo was glancing around at her classmates with a worried look.

She's got her head on straight that one, Sekijiro took a mental note. She's probably not too worried about her place in class, but worries if her fellow classmates might end up suffering because of her good performance.

Then there was Midoriya. The poor kid was quite visibly shaking. Sekijiro knew all about his situation. In fact, it was the very reason he was in his class and not in some other hero school. Aizawa had made it very clear on his stance on the boy when they had been figuring out which class to put the green haired boy in. Something about it being illogical with "the self-devastating quirk of his restricts him to being a double edged glass cannon" and how even if they convinced him to take him in, he'd be expelled for poor performance on day 1. Or if he chose to break himself. The definition of useless and illogical. While Aizawa had a track record of re-enrolling his expelled students, Sekijiro had a gut feeling that this time he'd stick with his decision. So he offered to take the kid.

There had been an argument over that as well, because for the most part the other students had been sorted in their classes already and Aizawa was simply refusing to budge. In the end it was decided a fair deal was that Aizawa would take one of the foreign exchange students, which was how Pony Tsunotori ended up in Class 1A while he took Rin Hiryu for Class 1B.

Sekijiro knew he had his work cut out for him. From what he was told, Midoriya was an extremely late bloomer, only recently acquiring his quirk. That meant he would need to try and guide him more than any other student in the class. That is, if he could even do it. The kid's power was immense, but the recoil was bad to the point he was glad he'd gotten used to sights like blood gushing from open holes in his skin because the state the kid's arm and legs had been in after the entrance exam was absolutely horrific.

For now I'll see what he plans to do, and step in if he attempts to break himself, Sekijiro decided.

Knowing he should ease his student's worries, Sekijiro went on. "None of you have to worry about expulsion during this. I believe that drawing out one's full potential need not be under such dire circumstances. But!" He made sure each and every one of his students saw the fire in his eyes. "That is no excuse for slacking off. I expect ALL of you to perform to your highest potential. Push yourself to your limits and go Plus Ultra. But do not break yourself. It wouldn't look good for me if some of you ended up in Recovery Girl's office on the first day."

That got a chuckle from his class. Midoriya had stopped shaking and was staring at Sekijiro with wide eyes. Let's see what you got, kid.

"Now," Sekijiro barked. "We're out here for the Quirk Apprehension Test. It's very much like the fitness tests you've all had to do in junior high. Except this time," a grin formed. "You all get to use your quirks to help you improve your score. You all know your quirks better than anyone else. So get creative and aim for the highest possible scores." He walked over to the 50 meter dash. "We'll be starting with the 50 meter dash. You'll go with pairs and your scores will be timed. Then we'll move onto testing your grip strength, standing long jump, repeated side steps, ball throw, sit ups, seated toe touch, and finish off with a distance run."

Picking two at random, Sekijiro called out, "Shishida! Fukidashi! At the start line!" Both students took their positions. Holding up a starting pistol, he said one more time, "Remember to use your quirks. Take a second to think about what you might do. The rest of you do so as well," he barked to the rest of the class. "I want to see all of you go Plus Ultra!"

Izuku, having been near hyperventilating when Kan-sensei had mentioned expulsion, had calmed down since and was now back to racking his brain for ideas. Should I- No, bad idea. I still can't control One For All at a manageable percentage, so trying to boost my legs is a bad idea, since I'll be crippled right at the beginning. Maybe my only shot is to wait for the ball throw, and maybe the grip strength test. Get two good scores at least. But... Kan-sensei said not to break ourselves. So there might be a penalty for breaking both of my arms.

Snap out of it! He yelled at himself mentally, slapping both cheeks, drawing concerned looks from the classmates around him, but he didn't take any notice. There's gotta be a way to use my quirk and not break myself in the process. I just gotta think. Maybe watching my classmates perform will help me think of an idea. Oh please let me go last.

His prayers were answered. Sekijiro was going to have Midoriya go last purposefully in order to let him have the most time to think. Midoriya didn't know this, of course, but he was going to use the most of the time given.

Izuku watched as Shishida took off his shirt, revealing a chest as furry as the rest of him, and transformed into his beast form, growing much larger as he dropped to all fours. When the pistol went off, he bounded forwards, his speed shocking. He made it to the finish line in just a few seconds. Fukidashi had shouted out, "VROOOOOOOOM!" as he ran, his speed much faster than a normal person's. He finished a second or two slower than his classmate. Neither of their methods would work well for himself.

Next up was Awase and Kaibara. Due to the nature of his quirk, Awase was outshone greatly by Kaibara, who's legs began rotating at extremely high speeds, drilling grooves into the ground as he beat out his partner by several seconds. Awase flipped him off once he passed the finish line, only for Kaibara to just shove his hands into his pockets and saunter off, leaving Awase looking annoyed. Nothing good there either, Izuku lamented.

And so it went. The most notable showcases of quirks came from quite a few students. Honenuki swam through the softened earth he created, Kuroiro used Shoda's shadow, who in turn had boosted his running by creating a second blast from his feet, propelling himself forward at a much faster speed. Yanagi, while potentially being able to levitate with her quirk, ran alongside Kendo. Izuku figured there maybe was a weight limit that prevented her from lifting herself. Or if she could, she probably couldn't go that fast.

Tokage's performance nearly gave Izuku a heart attack. He'd pretended not to notice, but her gym uniform was obviously a bit more skintight than anyone else's. This turned out to be a necessary function, because when she first began to split apart, Izuku had balked, expecting her clothes to fall off. Kendo and Monoma seemed to think so as well, the former having yelled out, "Set, your clo-!" While the latter, being Tokage's racing partner, tripped over himself when he realized what she was up to. But her clothes stuck to her as she flew her pieces across the finish line, getting one of the fastest records in the class, standing just below Shishida.

Monoma grumbled as they both made their way back, the boy having copied Shoda's Twin Impact and using the same method, just not to the same effect since it was a new quirk for him.

"Oh cheer up," Setsuna patted his shoulder with a laugh. She saw the faces of both Broccoli- no, Mumbles, and Itsuka when they made their way over. She smirked. "Bet y'all thought you'd be seeing me in all my glory huh?" At Midoriya's squeak and reddening face and Itsuka's groan and palming her face, Setsuna laughed. "Well, sucks to be you all cause I ain't planning on streaking anytime soon. I had this uniform custom made so it wouldn't fall off if I used my quirk."

"Good to know," Neito said sarcastically.

"You're up next Mumbles!" Setsuna slapped him on the back. "Break a leg!"

Izuku paled at the word choice, but hurried to join Hiryu at the starting line. None of the quirks he'd seen in action would help him here. He'd just have to bank on his training with All Might to see him through. Hiryu outran him easily, his pant legs riding up as he ran to reveal he'd encased his legs with his green scales. But by the end, Izuku had done over a second better than his last junior high 50 meter dash, so he considered that an accomplishment.

As they moved into the gym building to grab the hand-held grip strengths, Izuku felt his nerves kick into high gear. This was the moment of decision. Dare he try to use One For All? He knew that most of these tests he'd be forced to do them quirkless. That single thought strengthened his resolve as he sat down with the device in his hands.

He took a second to watch his classmates. Shiozaki was wrapping her vines around her right hand, using them to help her squeeze. Shishida had reverted back to his beast form and looked as if he was trying to crush the life out of his device. Tetsutetsu, a bit farther away, had a look of rage as he appeared to be trying the same thing. Bondo, while not using his glue-like quirk, seemed to possess enhanced strength and was doing a decent job on his hand gripper. Kodai appeared to have shrunk hers and was trying to squeeze it that way, but she didn't seem to be having much luck.

That is an interesting way to go about it, Izuku mused. But while her quirk makes it lighter, I don't think it has any effect on the mass. So she just made her job more difficult trying to squeeze something that's tinier and still as hard to squeeze. Though it does allow her to get more contact on it, so in theory it being smaller should provide a bit of an advantage... Izuku paused his thoughts, feeling as if he was onto something.

His attention was directed towards his... good acquaintances? Tokage was going off her own strength while Monoma had copied Tetsutetsu's Steel and was outperforming her. Nearby Komori was trying with all her might to squeeze her device while Yanagi seemed to be using her Poltergeist to squeeze the handles together, but it seemed to be taking a lot out of her to do it. Kendo, while Izuku had expected her to enlarge her hands all the way, he was surprised to see her slowly increasing the size of her right hand as she squeezed, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

Izuku glanced back down at his device. The way Kendo was enlarging her hands slowly, increasing her strength bit by bit, and how Kodai was attempting to maximize how much she was able to hold, it gave him an idea.

All Might said I wouldn't be able to control One For All at a low percentage yet, but maybe I can . I just have to try. It can't be that hard. Izuku felt his confidence building. First, I should try and use Kodai's line of thinking of dealing with it being smaller. I can't do that to the device itself, but maybe I can do it for my hand instead. When I used One For All to punch that Zero Pointer, I used my whole arm with that attack. If I used just my hand instead...

He began squeezing the device in his left hand with his normal strength. Get a feel for it. And apply Kendo's method of slowly upping her size. Instead of moving at the normal rotation, imagine the egg in the microwave turning very, very slowly. It has a dial so I can increase the speed, but I want it to stay at the lowest setting and not break. He felt One For All gather in his left arm, but he thought about it shrinking, growing smaller until it had gathered in just his hand. Then he began to imagine both the egg turning slowly and his hand increasing in size like Kendo's-

Pain shot through his hand as his grip suddenly tightened and he dropped the device immediately, clenching his teeth as he clutched his left wrist. It hurt, but... it didn't hurt like he had broken it. He peeked at his hand. It looked almost normal, aside from the slight bruising where he'd pressed into the hand gripper the most. But when he went to move his fingers, he hissed silently. Not broken, but possibly fractured.

I-it worked? He internally celebrated, but then it quickly died down. But not like I wanted. I managed to isolate where the power went, but I was trying to slowly build up the energy and... oh. Izuku nearly hit himself in the face at his own stupidity. I shouldn't have imagined growing my hand bigger. When I use my quirk, it's naturally at 100%, so I should've imagined my hand at its maximum size instead and decreased it in size. In fact, I can just skip the shrinking quirk of Kodai's and instead just focus on Kendo's quirk.

He gave Kodai an apologetic glance on instinct, feeling the need to silently apologize for tossing the idea her quirk gave him in place of Kendo's.

While Izuku berated himself for his poor performance, Sekijiro was feeling proud. While it wasn't a great score, it showed that Midoriya had begun to find a semblance of control. Albeit still coming at a cost. His hand didn't look broken, but from the kid's expression, it definitely hurt.

But if he's not broken, then he's not useless, Sekijiro thought with a savage grin. Take that Aizawa!

Setsuna, meanwhile, had narrowed her eyes at Mumbles. He used his quirk, but it looked like it hurt him. That's some drawback. Is that why he never gushed over his own quirk?

Next up was the standing long jump. While waiting for his turn, Izuku multitasked. His eyes stayed on his classmates while he thought about trying to lower One For All in his legs. He had an image, well, two images that might work. Keep the egg in the microwave turning slowly with little power being applied. And decrease the size of the hand. Or in this case, his legs. He suddenly had a very weird image of his regular size body sitting atop these two massive legs.

About to shake his head to clear those disturbing images, he stopped and reconsidered. I mean... if it works...

There was quite a bit more of his classmates finding uses for the long jump than the other two tests. Tokage of course just floated right on over while Monoma did as Tsuburaba did and blew out air to create air platforms to walk across. Unlike Tsuburaba though, Monoma was struggling near the end, trying to push out more air. Kendo had attempted to add an extra push to her jump by enlarging her hands, but the push just wasn't good enough and she barely made it past the halfway point. Looking dejected, Tokage patted her on the back as she rejoined the group.

There were some rather creative methods used as well. Shiozaki had planted her hair in the dirt for a couple seconds, going as deep as she could before lifting herself up into the air and moving herself across the long jump before touching down on the other side and retracting her vines. Komori made a giant mushroom slam into her back, the top rippling as she flew over halfway from the force. Kodai dug a screw from her pocket and enlarged it to cover most of the length. She then balanced walked across it, jumping at the end of it to make it past the sand. She picked it up before Tetsutetsu went and the guy covered himself in steel, roared to the high heavens, and jumped. Like, he jumped. He made it pretty far too just on steel and willpower alone.

Kamakiri bunched his legs up and leaped, blades extending from his soles and propelling him forwards. Kurioro took off his shoe and threw it as far as he could before melting into the shadow it created before popping back out with a jump. He nearly made it past the sand, but not quite. And Yanagi finally levitated herself, managing to clear the gap, but from the way she held her head afterwards, it clearly took a lot out of her.

Then it was Izuku's turn. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he crouched. And he jumped. He didn't even make it halfway. Sighing in defeat, he dusted himself off and rejoined his class. He had an idea on how to make it work, but the risk was too great. He still had to do the distance run after all. If he messed up and injured his legs here, then this one good score would nullify the other scores. Better to attempt them all instead of excelling at one and risking failing all the others.

Besides, he thought as they moved onto the repeated side steps. The ball throw is after this. If I take what I learned from the grip strength, I'm pretty sure I can throw the ball without injuring myself... I think.

Content with his plan of action, Izuku tried devoting his time to studying each of his classmates as they did the side steps before it would be his turn, wanting to know as much as their quirks as possible. But the muttering was distracting him. Yes, he realized the irony in there, but he heard his name more than once.

"I thought he had super strength, cause, y'know, Superpower?"

"Maybe it's just his arms? I think I saw him put some strength into that?"

"Bah, I saw him get a hand cramp from that. Pathetic. I was hoping for a good brawler to fight."

"Maybe he's nervous shroom..."

Neito scowled, pretending to watch his classmates begin the side steps, but in reality he was listening to these conversations as well. He tried telling himself he barely knew the guy and his problems certainly weren't his problems. But the way they spoke, and the way he saw Midoriya wilt slightly, it grated him something fierce. It reminded him too much- No, don't think about it.

He sighed. He himself was beginning to wonder why Midoriya wasn't using his quirk. He figured there was a reason. Maybe it was his lack of confidence? If so, hearing his classmates talking behind his back was only going to make it worse. He shook his head. He had a test to do and he needed to figure out which quirk to use. Whatever issue Midoriya was having, he'd have to figure it out for himself.

"I have half a mind to tell them to shut up," Itsuka muttered in a low voice once Setsuna returned from her side steps, where she absolutely dominated.

"What?" Setsuna asked. But when she took a moment to listen, her expression soured. "Not like Awase can do much better, the jackass."

Itsuka nodded. Once Midoriya got up to do his side steps, she asked Setsuna in a low voice, "Do you know why he isn't using his quirk? Don't get me wrong, he can do what he wants, but he did say his quirk was Superpower. Wouldn't that be perfect for these tests?"

Setsuna pursed her lips. "I don't know. The kid is nervous as hell, until he gets to talking about quirks. Then he's all over you wanting to know more. But when it came to talking about his quirk..." She frowned. "He did look like he was in pain during the grip test. I'm fairly certain he used his quirk then, but if pain is his quirk's drawback..." she let that hang.

Itsuka looked worried now. "So what you're saying is, if he uses his strength, he gets hurt?"

"Yeah, basically. I think."

Izuku was even more nervous now since they had started. The ball throw was happening now. He couldn't focus on any of his classmates as they went up to throw the ball being handed to them by Kan-sensei. Not only were his classmates muttering about him and his lacking performance, but he was beginning to doubt his own plan. Maybe breaking something would be a price worth paying for a spectacular throw...

...

A watcher from afar, hiding behind the school building, was studying Midoriya carefully. He'd seen him attempt to control One For All, and by god he did it! He was so proud of him, even if he didn't do all that well on it. But for all his other fitness tests, he was doing... lackluster to say the least. The training I had you do will only get you so far, young Midoriya, Toshinori thought. You might be more physically fit than you were a year ago, but everyone here has had their quirks for far longer and are using them to great success. But you already know that. So what will you do? His grip tightened on the wall. Then his eyes widened. Young Midoriya looked... confident? What are you planning?

...

Izuku had decided. Even if it wasn't great, he'd do his best to control One For All and get the best throw he could. Kan-sensei had said not to break himself. Izuku wanted to stick to that, but he felt the need to prove himself. To show that he belonged. I just have to make sure not to break myself to the point where I can't do anything else. He glanced at his still aching left hand. He forced it into a fist, ignoring the stabs of pain. I got this.

After Neito had copied Setsuna's quirk and floated his ball as far as he could, he brought back his hand and stepped out of the ring. He smirked at the green haired girl, who promptly gave him the finger. He then noticed Midoriya walking forwards. He stopped, watching the boy go. He looked... was that confidence? Neito couldn't help but grin. He had a gut feeling the meek boy was about to prove his worth here and now.

Setsuna narrowed her eyes. A part of her was wondering what Midoriya had hidden up his sleeve, but another part told her that something was wrong. He had definitely felt pain earlier when using his quirk. Was that why she was worried? She shook her head. She was worrying for nothing. She had to be.

"Wait... I remember now."

Setsuna turned to look at her orange haired friend, who had a look of dawning understanding.

"Remember what?" Neito asked as he joined the two girls to watch Midoriya, who had just been handed the ball by Kan-sensei.

Itsuka began to pale. "During the entrance exam. I wasn't there when it happened, but there was this huge Zero Pointer that got destroyed."

"No kidding?" Neito's eyes went wide. "Who would've been able to do that? And stupid enough? Those weren't worth any points."

"I'm sorry, explain to me what a "Zero Pointer" is?

Neito sighed dramatically, looking down at Setsuna as he raised his bangs with his hand. "You recommendation students. You've no idea the labor us commoners went through to get into this school."

Before Setsuna could retort back, Itsuka quickly said, "Big skyscraper sized robot. Those were just supposed to be obstacles, worth nothing. But apparently some crazy guy leaped into the sky and punched it so hard in the head he destroyed it. All to save a trapped girl."

"Okay, and..." Setsuna began to feel dread, though she had no idea why.

Itsuka looked back to Midoriya with wide eyes, who seemed to be prepping himself mentally. "He apparently broke both legs and an arm in the process. And..." she gulped. "He had green hair."

Setsuna turned to look at Midoriya as well, eyes widening now. "Oh shit."

"Okay, now I need an explanation," Neito was frowning. "What does that have to do with-"

"His quirk," Setsuna whispered. "I'm pretty sure it has a pain drawback. I saw as much during the grip test, but he didn't put a lot into that, so it must've not been as much pain. But if he uses more of his strength here..." She didn't finish, but she didn't have to. Neito had caught on. And now he was just as worried as the girls were.

Sekijiro watched Midoriya as he handed him the ball. He didn't let go of it for a second even as Midoriya wrapped his right hand around it. He looked up at his teacher.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Was all Sekijiro asked.

Midoriya gulped, looked back at the ball, then with an expression brimming with confidence, looked his teacher right in the eyes and nodded. Sekijiro returned the gesture. "Good. Now show them what you're made of." He stepped away. He wasn't a fool. He had heard what some of his students were saying. They thought he was weak. A nobody. He let them talk. He needed to see if that was enough to crush Midoriya's spirits. But much to his delight, all it did was strengthen his resolve in the end.

I don't think he plans on breaking his whole arm, Sekijiro mused. But I have a feeling something is going to break. Just make it minor kid. I don't think either of us want to explain a grave injury to Recovery Girl.

Izuku was well aware that all eyes were on him. All of which he assumed were ones of judgment. He didn't even know what Tokage, Monoma, or Kendo were thinking, he'd been too worried to see them giving him the same reaction. Then there was Kacchan. His threats if Izuku didn't give up.

His grip tightened on the ball given to him by Kan-sensei as he squeezed his eyes shut. He had decided to prove himself, so that's what he would do. To show not just them, but himself, that he was worthy of being at UA. That he was worthy of the quirk given to him by the former Symbol of Peace himself. And... to prove that Kacchan was wrong. That he could become a hero.

I'm going to be a hero, Izuku reopened his eyes, now set in total confidence. One that can save people with a smile! He drew back his arm, One For All enveloping his entire arm as red lines began glowing across his skin. His sleeve tore from the sheer amount of pressure being exerted as Izuku drew back his arm even further. Imagine the egg. Turning, heating up, but not exploding! Not yet! He swung into motion, the world slowing down just for him. Concentrate! You only have one shot at this!

"So clench those buttcheeks, kid, and yell this from the depths of your heart!"

The glow around his arm faded as all the energy became concentrated on his right index finger. At the last possible second before the throw, he released the energy.

SMAAAAAAAAASH!

The force of the throw blasted the ball across the sky as the shockwave rippled behind him, nearly sending several of his classmates toppling over. Vlad King stood his ground, anchoring himself to the ground with his blood, grinning with pride as the wind threatened to push him back. He'd done it!

He watched as Midoriya stumbled back a step, gritting his teeth as he held his hand. His finger may be broken, all purple and swollen, but he'd found a semblance of control! He reduced the zone of impact down to just his finger, saving his entire arm from taking the consequences of using his quirk.

You could've gone with the safe and easy route. You had found some of the control you needed to not hurt yourself. But you needed to prove yourself. To show your classmates who you are. But I suspect to prove to yourself that you could as well. Well done, kid!

From his hiding spot, All Might felt a tear trickle down his cheek. Young Midoriya... When did you get so cool!?

"What the actual FUCK!?" Setsuna yelled, taking a step back in shock.

"He had such power?" Neito uttered in a small voice, eyes wide as Itsuka just stared beside him.

"THAT WAS FUCKING INSANE!" Awase yelled. "HE WAS HIDING THAT THIS WHOLE TIME!?"

"THAT WAS SO MANLY!" Tetsutetsu yelled, tears pooling at the edges of his eyes.

The rest of the class was in a similar state of shock and awe.

Fukidashi's speech bubble had a large exclamation mark while beside him Honenuki's jaw had visibly dropped and Shishida had taken off his glasses, as if trying to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Kamakiri cracked his knuckles. Now that was power!

Kaibara, who's usual expression was laid back, and Kodai, who seemed to always show a lack of emotion, both stared open mouthed at the raw display of power.

All in all, Class 1B was woefully unprepared for the sheer amount of power one tiny, meek, and stuttering mess of a boy had brought to the table. His position in the class, in everyone's eyes, had risen immediately from being the bottom of the barrel to standing above the rest in terms of raw power.

Izuku saw and heard none of this. He was too busy clutching his right hand with his still aching left. His finger was all swollen and purple and weirdly disjointed. But it was just his finger. Just like during the grip test, he'd managed to focus One For All to just one spot on his body. While the result was much more painful, it brought a pain filled satisfied smile to the young man's face.

Sekijiro pulled his blood back into his body as he glanced down at the device he held in his hand. His grin widened. "705.3 meters!"

Midoriya glanced at him in shock, and so did the rest of the class, a few gasps echoing. He'd easily beaten every single one of them.

"Congratulations, Midoriya," Sekijiro continued. "You even managed to beat the top scorer in Class 1A." He elected not to mention the girl who's score was infinity. That didn't really count.

Izuku took a moment to let those words sink in. Pride welled up in him and tears began to form. Then he remembered what Tokage had said earlier about who in Class 1A had gotten the farthest ball throw. The sudden rush of fear of Kacchan finding out he'd beaten HIM at something was enough to make Izuku feel faint and fall over backwards. Nevermind that he was aiming to surpass Kacchan, the fact that he did it was enough to put the fear of God into him. He actually must've blacked out for a second too, because the next thing he knew there were several concerned faces looking over him.

"-finger is in really bad shape. He should go see Recovery Girl." That was Kendo, talking to Kan-sensei.

"Oh hey, you're awake," Tokage's face was way too close for comfort. "Nice throw, Mumbles! That had some serious kick to it!"

"It was so manly that's what it was!" Tetsutetsu shouted, pumping a fist. "We should brawl sometime Midoriya!"

Kendo noticed the commotion and nudged Tokage aside. "Here, let me help you up, Midoriya. You need to see Recovery Girl."

"I-I'm fine," Izuku insisted, but when he made to move to help himself up, he used his right hand to try and push himself up. He hissed at the sudden flare of pain, blinking away tears. He accepted Kendo's hand with his left, of which the pain was more tolerable.

"You're not fine," Kendo insisted. "You need-"

"I can finish," Izuku was determined to see this test through to the end. It was just his finger. He could still go on and finish the distance run. He looked to Kan-sensei, eyes pleading.

Sekijiro hesitated. On one hand, the kid really did need to see Recovery Girl for that injury. But he also knew the feeling of needing to prove one's self. So against his better judgment, he said, "Fine. But after the distance run you are to head straight to Recovery Girl."

"Kan-sensei!" Kendo sounded appalled. "But-!"

"It's fine, Kendo, really," Izuku tried assuring her.

"Yo, dude, you sure?" Setsuna asked, eyes filled with concern. Despite her usual flippant attitude, seeing that sort of injury... It was enough to make her a bit nauseous. She knew Midoriya must be in some serious pain. That really didn't look normal, even for a broken finger.

Neito was of the same mind. "There's no shame in going to get healed. I mean, look at that." He gestured to the broken finger, looking a bit green.

"I can do this," Izuku said more confidently, holding up his right hand. With a breath, he closed it into a fist, doing his best to ignore the pain the action brought. "Plus Ultra."

Tetsutetsu actually looked like he might start crying for real at the sight of Midoriya's fist. "YOU'RE SO MANLY, MIDORIYA!"

Kendo was already starting to protest again, but Izuku trudged after Kan-sensei, hand still closed in a fist. It really hurt, but the pain kept him focused. He didn't think about how he was now the center of attention. All he cared about was finishing this Quirk Apprehension Test.

Izuku's finger throbbed horribly during the run, but he tried distracting himself by seeing what his classmates were doing. It seemed that Shishida had been saving his quirk for this, running laps around everyone else. But the look Izuku saw on his face as he passed was one of exhaustion. He was reaching his limit. Fukidashi had started out with slow "vroom vroom" noises, but had since began coughing and couldn't seem to even speak. Tokage seemed to be floating her pieces around, but he noted that they'd become slower than before.

Aside from those three, no one else was using their quirks. Having seen Honenuki's quirk in action, he figured the boy might be worried about trapping the others in the softened ground, so he was running regularly. Tetsutetsu at first appeared to be doing better than everyone else, but when he studied him a bit closely, he saw that he was going off of pure drive and determination, his movements sloppy.

I guess that's one advantage to not using my quirk during all the tests, Izuku thought, glancing at his broken index. I'm not as drained. This really hurts though. No, stop, don't think about it! He chided himself mentally. Focus on the run. He thanked All Might again for the intense training regimen he had him go through in the year leading up to the entrance exam. It was probably only because of that he was finding this run a bit easier than most of his classmates after everything else they'd done.

He caught sight of Tokage, or rather her head and torso, as she floated near Kendo, with Monoma a ways back. They were staring right at him and quickly averted their gazes when they saw him look. He blushed and turned his head back. He wasn't used to his peers being worried for him. Everyone at Aldera Junior High had learned not to associate with him thanks to Kacchan's endless tormenting. Or they'd join in, feet suddenly tripping him between desks, a sharp shoulder jab into the lockers, or even the classic flying lunch into the back of the head. That he could deal with. Having associates who seemed to be genuinely concerned about him was new territory for him, and something he didn't feel comfortable with. Not yet at any rate.

When Izuku finally came to a halt, he was gasping for air. The last two laps had really gotten to him. With a jolt, he became suddenly aware of someone grabbing his left arm and pulling him along. "Come on, I'm taking you to Recovery Girl." He blinked at Kendo, whose face was set. There was going to be no changing her mind. It seemed Kan-sensei was allowing this since he didn't try to stop them.

Once they were back inside the school, Kendo released his arm, glancing at him as they walked. "So your quirk hurts you." A statement, not a question.

"Y-yeah," Izuku stared down. "My body can't handle my power just yet. So I've been trying to figure out how to use it at low power so it doesn't hurt." He glanced at his left hand. "I think I managed to do it somehow, but..." he went a bit red, remembering who's quirk he'd been imagining. Nope, not gonna mention that. No way.

"If you found control, why did your finger break during the ball throw?" Kendo asked.

"I, uh..." Izuku looked sheepish. "I felt like I needed to prove myself. You all were thinking I wasn't worth much, so... I-I needed to prove I belonged here."

"Midoriya." Kendo had stopped. They'd reached Recovery Girl's office, but she wasn't moving to knock on the door. "You're not worthless. You got into UA due to the effort you put in. That alone makes you worthy of being a student here. Who cares what some of our classmates think. After all, with how your quirk works, it's not like we can blame you for not using it." She flinched inwardly. "Now at least."

"W-well, I, uh-" Izuku was still not used to talking with a girl. Especially not one who was trying to make him feel better. Especially if she was pretty.

Kendo's eyes had become stern. "From now on, don't use your quirk like that. You said you found some control, right? Then focus on that."

"I-it's still, uhm, a w-work in progress," Izuku stuttered, still very much red in the face. "I c-can't control i-it very well."

Kendo groaned, running her hand down her face. "You would think after a decade, you'd have proper control over your quirk, even with this kind of drawback." She paused. "How many times have you hurt yourself like that? Oh god, I don't want to imagine what must've happened when your quirk first came in."

"Well, that's, heh, a funny story actually," Izuku scratched at his cheek, not looking in Kendo's direction. "My quirk only came in the day of the entrance exam."

"..."

Izuku glanced at Kendo, who was just staring dumbfoundedly at him, as if he just proudly declared his belief that the Earth was flat and nothing could change his mind.

"Can you, um, repeat that for me please?"

Izuku flushed crimson (he wondered if his face had ever stopped being red today), now realizing it maybe would have been best to say it only came in sometime before the entrance exam. No, wait, if it had, then I wouldn't have been able to participate in the exam if I had broken bones. Guess I'm sticking with the truth. Well, half-truth.

"I-it c-came in t-the d-day of..." He trailed off, about to wring his hands together, then thought better of it.

Kendo blinked. Once. Twice.

"IT WHAT-!?"

The door to the Nurse's Office slammed open. Standing in the doorway to her office was Recovery Girl, an elderly lady who was the sole healer at UA. At the sight of Izuku Midoriya, she sighed. "I can't say I'm not surprised you're back here so soon." She glanced at the orange haired girl. "Thank you for bringing him to me. Now run along back to class. I'll have him patched up in a jiffy."

Itsuka nodded, glancing again at Midoriya. His words still rang in her ears. He'd only got his quirk on the day of the entrance exam!? There was no way. She knew some quirks came in late, but there was no way it could happen that late. As she walked back to class, she looked back one more time to see Recovery Girl pushing Midoriya into her office. I don't think he was lying. But still... She didn't know much about Izuku Midoriya, but what she'd seen so far was concerning. He didn't have a lot of confidence, would injure himself in order to prove himself, and, if what Setsuna had told her during the distance run was accurate, then he also might have had it rough before now. Which would explain his nerves and stuttering.

Well then , she gripped a fist. I'll just have to help him any way I can. After all, that's what a hero does.

I want to thank everyone who's shown their support for me and my story already. You guys are a real blessing, truly.

Alright, sappy Flame gone, serious (sadistic?) Flame is back. If you can't tell, I'm being nicer on cliffhangers... For now. For some notes on how I'm going to approach this story, expect a slow burn. No, not in terms of romance, but plot. I mean, there could be romance, but that's not my goal here. My goal is to torture all of you- excuse me, my goal is friendships over romance. I wanted to feature Class 1B because they are seriously too cool not to get some attention. So I'm giving them what they deserve and focusing a LOT on their interactions throughout the story. If romance eventually becomes a part of that, then so be it. But for now the philosophy is friendship over romance.

Oh, side note for those wondering why I chose Pony to end up in Class 1A in place of Izuku. There are three foreign students at UA, those being Pony Tsunotori, Rin Hiryu, and Yuga Aoyama. The former two are normally in 1B. So I decided one of them would get put in Class 1A... I decided that with a coin flip, and Pony drew the short straw. Oh well, who wanted the American girl anyway... Excuse me while I go hide from all the Pony stans.

As for the AU stuff of this fic, don't expect that stuff to happen for at LEAST a few chapters. Maybe more. I have something really interesting planned and I honestly can't wait to show you guys. So with that little teaser, I shall bid you all farewell for now. And don't expect the next chapter for another week-ish, maybe less, maybe more. Toodles!