Izuku flexed his left hand, then his right index finger as he made his way back to class. Both had been healed, but now he was feeling tired. Then he had to endure Recovery Girl's stern lecture about how he should be avoiding breaking his bones when using One For All. Then he had to rush to the locker rooms after receiving a spare shirt from Recovery Girl since his former one had a sleeve missing and change back into his uniform.

"Honestly," Recovery Girl had sighed as she retracted her lips from Izuku's finger and a wave of drowsiness hit the boy. "I understand wanting to use your quirk, but you have to be careful. Your body can't handle it just yet. Until you can safely control even 1%, you need to avoid using it. You're not All Might you know."

"Yes, Recovery Girl."

Izuku came to a stop outside the Class 1B door. Suppressing a yawn, he hoped that the rest of the day would go by alright. The opening ceremony had been pretty long earlier and the apprehension test had taken a while as well, so his first day at UA was nearing its close.

I did it, Izuku smiled to himself. I really did it. Thank you, All Might!

Giving himself another few seconds to psych himself up, he moved to the door and opened it. He heard the talk in the room immediately die down and everyone's eyes turned on him. Kan-sensei had been in the middle of talking, but he too turned to look at Izuku when he walked in.

Head down and face on fire, Izuku quickly made his way back to his seat. Thankfully no one said anything while he did so and when he sat, he focused all his attention on Kan-sensei, trying to ignore every pair of eyes seemingly boring holes into his skin.

"Ahem," Sekijirou cleared his throat, thankful he had the foresight to tell the class to not cause a ruckus if Midoriya came back before the day was over. It was plain as day that the kid had social issues, so he figured he'd cut him some slack and keep his students off his back for the rest of class. Afterwards, well, Kan-sensei wished the boy luck. But he knew his students had nothing but good things to say to him about his performance at the ball throw, so maybe this would help boost Midoriya's self-esteem.

"Alright, that's it for your first day," Sekijirou said gruffly. "You should know what to expect from the coming weeks. Battle training in 2 days, and rescue training in 4. Let's hope Class 1A doesn't make a mess of the training grounds." They do have several students with devastating quirks, Sekijirou thought privately. Aizawa better keep his students in line.

He clapped his hands. "Be proud of yourselves. You've made it into the most prestigious hero school in the country. But remember, that is no excuse to slack off. Train and study hard. Do your best. Go beyond-"

"Plus Ultra!" His class finished, some of them pumping fists into the air. Sekijirou smiled. "Damn right. Class dismissed. Oh, Midoriya, if you could stay behind for a minute, I'd like to have a word with you."

Izuku nodded, nervous about what Kan-sensei wanted to talk with him about as his classmates chatted eagerly around him. He hurriedly packed his things up, and by the time he was done, everyone had left. He went up to Kan-sensei's desk, tapping his bandaged finger against his side out of nerves.

Sekijirou looked up from his papers and folded his hands, giving Midoriya a kind smile. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. We went over class' scores from the test, so I'd like to go over yours with you now." He got out his tablet and brought up the scores. "Despite your spectacular throw, you placed last in the class. Now," he said quickly, seeing a bolt of fear cross the young man's face. "That's not an issue at all. It just means you have more ways to grow. In fact, I'm rather impressed."

"I-impressed?" Midoriya squeaked.

"That's right," Sekijirou nodded. "I of course saw your performance against that zero pointer during the entrance exam. Nothing short of amazing, but you broke both your legs and your right arm doing so. But today you showed that you've found control, enough so that you weren't entirely impaired. Your attempt at the grip strength test was good, if rough around the edges. And while you broke your finger, you managed to only break your finger instead of an entire arm. Not to mention you were able to go on with the distance run. Of which I feel I must apologize. I should have sent you off to Recovery Girl to heal that finger right away."

"N-no it's fine!" Midoriya said quickly, waving his hands. "I wanted to finish the run. I needed to prove I could. I, uh, guess I should be thanking you for letting me."

Sekijirou grunted appreciatively. "I admire your dedication, Midoriya. However, from now on I'd like you to focus on control that doesn't require you to break any part of yourself. Even if you can limit yourself to breaking your fingers, in the end your power will still hinder you, or even put you out of commission when you're needed to take down a villain or save someone."

"I understand, sir!" Midoriya bowed. "I'll work on controlling my quirk in order to become a great hero!"

Sekijirou chuckled. "I'm sure you will be. And if you find yourself having trouble controlling your quirk, feel free to come to me for assistance. Our quirks may not be similar, but as your teacher, I can help."

He saw the young man's eyes widen. Then tear up before he quickly bowed again. "I-I will! Thank you again, Kan-sensei!"

He was taken aback. He did not expect tears. Coughing awkwardly into his fist, Sekijirou nodded. "Very well then. You can run along home now, Midoriya. I'm sure your finger is quite alright now, but I'm sure Recovery Girl's quirk has made you tired. So be sure to get plenty of rest. We may be a hero school, but we are still a regular high school, so you'll want to be well rested for your lessons."

"Y-yes sir!" Midoriya had the widest smile he'd ever seen on a person, so bright and pure. It nearly blinded the gray haired teacher with its brilliance. When he could see again, Midoriya had gone.

Strange kid , He thought to himself. But he'll do well. You were wrong, Aizawa. Midoriya may need special training before he can control his quirk, but he will make a fine hero one day, I'm sure of it.

...

Izuku felt like he was walking on cloud nine as he exited UA. Sure he'd broken his finger, and sure he was very tired, but he couldn't help but feel happy and extremely fortunate for a great teacher like Kan-sensei. He honestly had no idea that there were good teachers like him out there, ones who were supportive even to someone like himself. It was enough to bring a tear to his-

"Mumbles, you're crying again."

Izuku screamed, scrambling backwards from a doubled over Tokage, who was holding her stomach while laughs racked her body. Monoma rolled his eyes beside her while Kendo narrowed her eyes at the girl and smacked her on the head.

"Control yourself, woman!" Tokage snapped at her, before laughing again.

"I could say the same to you," Kendo sighed before addressing Izuku. "How's your finger?"

"O-oh, it's fine now," he held his bandaged digit up for them to see. "Recovery Girl says I shouldn't use it until tomorrow though. So, uh, what are you guys doing here still."

"Why, waiting for you of course," Monoma said, wrapping an arm around Midoriya's shoulder. "I figured we could all walk to the station together."

"If you want to, of course," Kendo put in.

"We're all friends aren't we," Tokage said with a grin full of sharp teeth. "So I mean, why not?"

Izuku looked worried. "Are you sure? I mean, you three are already pretty close. I couldn't possibly intrude."

"Psh, you can never have too many friends, I say that all the time."

"No you don't Set."

"Well I do now, Itsu.

"Anyway, what this green haired loon is trying to say," Neito turned to face Midoriya. "Is that you have nothing to worry about. You can be our friend, no sweat."

Izuku fought a blush. He had... friends? I mean, I had hoped, since this isn't Aldera, but this is just... Wow, I have friends now. Three of them! If Kacchan could see me now-

"Who's Kacchan?" Setsuna asked, having leaned in to hear what Mumbles had been mumbling about this time.

"AH!"

Setsuna laughed and wrapped her arm around Midoriya, making the boy's face go supernova. "Oh man, you're really living up to your nickname, Mumbles."

Neito was giving Midoriya a worried look. "What was that about friends?"

"O-oh, it's nothing," Midoriya shakily laughed, rubbing the back of his head as he managed to free himself from Setsuna.

Not convinced, but also not willing to make him uncomfortable by pressing further, Neito shrugged and shouldered his school bag. "Well, we should probably get going. We don't want to miss the next train."

"Sounds good," Kendo said, giving her own worried look at Midoriya before the four of them walked together down towards the station.

What followed was something straight out of Izuku's dreams. Walking alongside friends after getting out of school, discussing their classes, new heroes, and the sort of things Izuku had figured friends would discuss. He almost couldn't believe it. Monoma, while occasionally boisterous, was a kind and genuine person. Kendo acted like what he imagined a big sister might, making sure to keep both of her friends in line while also double checking to make sure Izuku's finger was really alright. And then Tokage's teasing, while not totally used to it yet, he knew she meant it all in good fun, unlike the teasing he had to endure from Kacchan and the other kids throughout his life. He also wouldn't say he hated the way Tokage would get close to him, whether it was to wrap an arm around his shoulders or surprise him with her floating hand, but he would still go red every time she did that. He still wasn't used to such close contact with a girl, other than his mother, but that was totally different.

Speaking of, when Izuku had bid farewell to his friends and reached home, he found his mother waiting for him, anxiously pacing the living room. She'd wanted to know how his first day went, and after getting all worried over his bandaged finger (he'd assured her that it wasn't that bad), she nearly fainted after hearing how he already made three friends. What followed was the famous Midoriya waterworks, courtesy of Inko Midoriya, sobbing about how her baby was finally making friends.

Izuku went to bed that night, feeling good about today. He briefly wondered about All Might, since he hadn't contacted him for days now, but he guessed he was probably still preparing for his lessons now that he was a teacher at UA. So with a smile and a heart full of renewed hope for the future, Izuku Midoriya fell asleep, believing that nothing could spoil these happy feelings.

He should've known better than to tempt fate like that.

...

Why me? Izuku thought as the ground came speeding towards him on the steps up to UA's main doors. Third time too-

YANK!

Izuku felt himself stop, face inches from the ground as a hand gripped the back of his school uniform. He turned his head, in the process of thanking his rescuer, when he cut off, eyes going wide when they met the rage filled ones of Katsuki Bakugou.

"Fucking Deku!" He spat, pulling Izuku up and turning him around before grabbing him by the front of his shirt, glaring at the boy's expression of fear. "Why the hell are you still here!?"

"Be-because I-I'm a st-student here- AH!" Izuku was shoved to the ground and he wondered briefly if anyone was around. There weren't, but he figured that didn't matter. It never mattered. No one would stop Kacchan from picking on defenseless Izuku. They might even laugh.

"No you are fucking not," Kacchan growled, prowling closer, hand sparking with small explosions. "I still don't have any idea how a quirkless nobody like you managed to worm your way into this school, but you are not a hero student." He bent down, gripping Izuku's shirt again. "I warned you, Deku, what would happen if you continued to come here. You're fucking trash that can never become a hero."

"I will!"

Kacchan's eyes widened, but Izuku's were wider. He hadn't meant to blurt that out, but the metaphorical horses were already galloping away from the metaphorical stable, so he tried to act brave. "I-I'm here on my own merits. I am going to become a hero, Kacchan. I will surpass you!"

That, in hindsight, was probably the worst thing Izuku could have said to Kacchan. His eyes, if they weren't burning with rage before, they sure as hell were now.

"YOU'RE! FUCKING! NOTHING!" Kacchan spat out every word with explosive force, spittle hitting Izuku in the face. "YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND ON TOP WITH THE REST OF US, BUT YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN TRASH!" He brought down his hands on both of Izuku's arms, gripping them tight as small explosions blasted his arms. Izuku winced, but he didn't cry out. This was just like any other day back in Junior High. He expected more to come, but Kacchan stood, still glaring at Izuku as he grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder. "You're lucky that I don't want to be late for class, where I'm training to become an actual hero, not some pretend wannabe like you. And if I see you here again, I will fucking make sure you never come back! So if I were a useless quirkless nerd like you, I'd get the fuck out of this school." He ended the threat with a small explosion in front of him, not enough to hurt Izuku, but enough to make him stumble backwards. With a huff, Kacchan turned back to the school and walked up its steps.

Izuku watched him go before dropping his gaze. How'd he even fool himself that it would be any different here? Kacchan was as determined as ever to make him give up on his dream. He would hound him until he finally gave up on being a hero or until he'd been beaten black and blue.

"So if I were a useless quirkless nerd like you, I'd get the fuck out of this school."

Izuku raised his gaze, wiping away the tears and trying to look determined. You may not know yet, but I'm not quirkless anymore, Kacchan. Having a quirk changes everything . I'll work hard to master this power I have, and I will surpass you. Just you watch.

...

The moment Izuku walked through the door to the 1B Classroom, he was immediately assaulted by his classmates.

"DUDE, WHAT WAS THAT INSANE POWER YESTERDAY!?" Tetsutetsu yelled, vaulting over Komori's desk, making the short girl "EEP!" in surprise and nearly topple out of her chair. He stopped just short of the rigid Midoriya and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him excitedly. "YOU THREW THAT BALL SO FAR WITH SO MUCH POWER WITH JUST YOUR FINGER! YOU GOT AN AMAZINGLY POWERFUL QUIRK!"

"Th-th-thanks!" Izuku squeaked out. Tetsutetsu was very intense. Not like Kacchan, who was intense in an angry manner. The silver haired was just excited, but it was still frightening and Izuku had no idea how to react.

"It was fucking insane that's what it was," Awase said, sauntering over and throwing an arm around Midoriya while Shiozaki shot the dark haired boy a glare and said, "Language, Awase!"

Awase waved her off. "And here I thought you might not have had a quirk in the first place with the way you were going through the test yesterday. But I guess you were saving your energy for that mighty throw. Gotta say though," he glanced at Izuku's still bandaged finger. "One nasty drawback, getting hurt like that."

"You went like WHOOSH! Then KABLAM!" Fukidashi shouted enthusiastically, his speech bubble for a head forming the words as he said them.

"It was certainly a grand spectacle," Shishida said, adjusting his glasses. "You put my beastly show to shame."

"I-it was p-pretty c-cool, shroom," Komori said shyly, blushing.

"All that raw power," Kamakiri grinned, several blades grew from his shoulders as he cracked his knuckles. "It makes me want to fight you."

"Okay, there's going to be no fighting here," Kendo said immediately, giving Kamakiri a long glare until he huffed and sat back down in his seat, kicking one of his feet up onto his desk. "Clear up everyone, Kan-sensei will be here any minute now."

Grumbles followed as they went about it slowly, and Midoriya gave Kendo a grateful look, which was met with a concerned one. "How's your finger?" She asked, glancing at it.

"Oh, it's fine now," Midoriya assured her. "Recovery Girl had asked me to keep it bandaged for the night and morning. I can have it off by lunch."

Kendo nodded, looking pleased by that answer. "That's good."

The sound of the classroom door sliding open prompted both of them to hurry to their seats as Kan-sensei strolled on in. While he was setting up his folders, Neito glanced back at Midoriya as he took the seat behind him. He frowned upon catching sight of the state of Midoriya's shirt.

"What happened to your sleeves?" He asked as Midoriya took his seat. The greenette wasn't late, but he was the last to get to class. And his sleeves looked a bit scorched.

"Oh, uh..." Midoriya glanced at them as if just now realizing they looked like that. "I, uh... I fell."

Neito took a second for that to sink in, but before he could reply, Setsuna snickered from the seat next to Midoriya. "You're clumsy, Mumbles. Can't say I dislike it though." She showed her sharp teeth in a wide grin. Izuku had the distinct impression of a shark about to clamp down on its prey. Or maybe a dinosaur.

As Izuku spluttered and turned red, Kan-sensei called for attention. "Now, as you all are aware, today won't be as exciting as yesterday was. The Quirk Apprehension Test was your intro to heroics. So today will be your intro to that of high school. Which is to say, normal academics."

A chorus of groans followed that announcement. Sekijirou smirked. Teenagers. They dream of being heroes, but moan and groan about all the little steps involved. Being a hero isn't just about heroics.

"Don't fret too early," Sekijirou told his class with an amused chuckle. "Remember, every teacher here is a pro hero. Can you begin to imagine a pro teaching ordinary school lessons?"

That drew some muttering from his class, as they glanced amongst themselves, nodding even. Sekijirou did his best to hide his smirk. He was only messing with them. Math was math, English was English, no matter who taught the subject.

"Anyway," Sekijirou brought their attention back to him. "There's not much on the agenda for homeroom today, except for one thing." He paused for dramatic effect, already predicting the reaction he'd get from his students. "You need to pick your Class Representative and Vice Representative."

A pause, then an explosion of noise, just as the Blood Hero predicted.

"OH HELL YEAH-!" "Awase, please don't curse!" "-I'LL BE CLASS REP!"

"You, Class Rep? No way dude. I could be Rep though."

"C'MON GUYS, IT'S GOTTA BE ME!"

"I wouldn't mind being Class Representative. In fact, I would consider it an honor."

"It wouldn't be too much of a big deal if I got the gig I guess."

"If being Class Representative means I could spread goodwill through actions with meaning, then perhaps I could be fit for the job."

"Well, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think I would-"

"Be real, Neito, you'd suck as Class Rep."

"Y'know Set, real soon you and I are going to have a problem."

"Ooo, scary!"

Sekijirou observed his class for a minute. He categorized them into four groups in his head. The first ones were the one's he'd suspected would be the first to speak up, loudly proclaiming their desire to be Class Representative. Awase and Tetsutetsu were by no means a surprise, based on their general loud behavior. Shiozaki and Shishida were probably the two he'd likely not mind as Class Reps, but he also felt they might take the job too seriously. Tsuburaba was another vocal individual, and Monoma, while he was eccentric at times, showed a calm and calculating disposition. Fukidashi, while not actually saying anything, had a large arrow pointing down at himself while Hiryu seemed to only look a bit interested, though that could be just to disguise his actual wish to be Class Rep.

The second group was the students whom he knew wouldn't speak up about wanting to be Class Rep, whether it from shyness or actually not wanting the position. Kaibara looked generally uninterested with anything going on around him, often shooting Awase, who sat in front of him, a sharp look whenever he was too loud. Kuroiro always looked like he was trying to blend into the background, while Kodai just looked on blankly, and Sekijirou couldn't exactly get a read on her. Komori, much like Bondo and Midoriya, was a bundle of nerves, so those three were both unlikely to want the position. And Yanagi, while not inherently shy, was a rather quiet student and hasn't spoken up much.

Now the next group were the ones he'd actually consider letting be Class Rep, if the choice were up to him. Honenuki, one of his two recommendation students, appeared to be taking in his classmates' reactions and self appointments, with Shoda doing the same. And Kendo seemed to be deep in thought, silently staring down at her desk, brows furrowed slightly.

Finally, the remaining students fell in the group where he found himself most surprised. Tokage was very much the sort of student who generally excelled in school, but couldn't be bothered to put in the effort. He had hoped that being a recommendation student would make her consider the position, but the chances of that were now slim to none. Kamakiri merely sneered at his classmates, but didn't voice his own opinions. Which, in hindsight, wasn't that surprising.

Sekijirou clapped his hands together twice and the class quieted down. "Now, I am leaving the task of deciding who Class Representative and Vice Representative will be up to you all. You can figure it out now during homeroom, or you can figure it out at the end of the day. Your choice."

He crossed his arms again as he let the chatter rise back up.

"So," Tokage turned to Izuku. "What about you? Interested in being Class Rep?"

"Definitely not," Izuku shook his head. He smiled sheepishly. "I, well, don't exactly have the confidence. B-but what about you?"

"Nah, not for me," Tokage dismissively. "Too much responsibility. I'd rather sit back and enjoy life, y'know? Not have to worry about keeping this class in line and all that crap. I mean, look at the fools. Can't stop nominating themselves for one second."

It was true. Awase was one of the loudest, having stood on his chair, currently trying to convince Kaibara, who looked very non-interested. Finally, it seemed Kendo had had enough as she stood suddenly from the back of the first row, her chair getting pushed behind her in the process as she slammed her palms down on her desk. She turned to face the class, who all turned to look at the sudden noise.

"Look, we aren't going to get anywhere with this," she said, crossing her arms. "So how about we settle this with a vote?"

"Okay genius, one problem with that," Awase rolled his eyes. "We're just gonna vote for ourselves, dumbass."

"Awase, do not curse at a fellow classmate," Shiozaki growled, her vines extending closer to the dark haired boy, who glanced uneasily at their approach.

"It is genius," Kendo remarked, smirking at him. "Because the ones who don't vote for themselves will vote for the person they think is best fit for the role of Class Rep. And if everyone else votes for themselves, then that means whoever gets multiple votes is bound to be best suited for the job."

A murmur of agreement passed through the class. Even Awase sat back down, nodding his acknowledgement. Kan-sensei clapped his hands for attention again. "Alright, that's good. But you'll have all day to make your decision on whom to vote for. In the meantime, it's time for you first lesson, which is-"

"Modern Hero Art History!" A woman said enthusiastically, sauntering into the room, cracking her flogger against the teacher's podium. She licked her lips. "Taught by yours truly; Midnight."

Silence fell over the room. Midnight paused, a bit taken aback by their lack of reaction. Then,

"Okay, is anyone else wondering if that outfit is even okay in a school environment?"

"Utterly shameful for a pro hero."

While Midnight uncharacteristically spluttered, Izuku had whipped his notebook out from God knows where and was already flipping through the pages to where he had begun Midnight's entry from some time ago. Setsuna, seeing this, popped out an eye to take a look. "Really going for that pervert stalker thing, huh?"

"Eep!"

...

"You really should learn to apply yourself more, Set," Itsuka said as she, Setsuna, and Neito made their way out of the cafeteria with their lunches in hand and outside the main building. UA had a forestry courtyard just outside the cafeteria where students could eat their lunch or study while enjoying the fresh air, complete with tables and benches for those not wanting to sit against the trees. "You're a Recommendation Student for heaven's sake. Put in the effort."

"But effort is so boring," Tokage moaned, slouching as she walked. "Sure, I can excel if I want to, but where's the fun in that?"

"Set, I swear," Itsuka said with a sigh. She glanced around. "Where's Midoriya? Didn't he say he'd be out here?"

"Maybe he's too embarrassed to face Setsuna," Neito remarked.

As Setsuna whistled a tune, Neito explained when Itsuka gave him a questioning look. "So he keeps notebooks on pro heroes. Has a ton of notes on each of them and their quirks, even has sketches of them in their hero costumes."

"Yeah..." Itsuka didn't see where he was going with this.

"Well, Set realized he had an entry on Midnight."

"...ah."

"She's been teasing him since the start of class."

"Hey, the boy has a drawing of the R-rated Hero, that's prime teasing material," Set argued in her defense. An argument, both Itsuka and Neito agreed on silently, was pretty poor. She cackled. "You should've seen him nearly trip over himself on the way out the door. Hilarious!"

"And apparently he tripped on his way to school and scuffed his uniform" Neito said, still unconvinced.

"That boy sure is clumsy," Setsuna chortled as she, Neito, and Itsuka took an empty table. There were only a couple tables out here, none yet occupied. They had gotten in the lunch line early, so it made sense no one else was out here yet.

Neito shot her a look. "Oh c'mon, you can't believe-"

"I don't," Setsuna cut in, her voice losing its joking tone. "Those weren't scuff marks from dirt or pavement."

"Okay, what are you two on about?" Itsuka asked, growing concerned.

"Midoriya," Neito sighed. "Didn't you notice his sleeves? He said he fell, but those were clearly scorch-"

"YOU'RE JUST SOME STUPID, WEAK ASS QUIRKLESS DEKU!"

...

As soon as class was over, Izuku was quick to leave before anyone else. Tokage had been relentless in her teasing. While she meant it in good fun, that didn't stop it from embarrassing the heck out of him. He'd told the three that he would meet them outside to eat, so he hoped being early enough would allow him to save them one of the few tables in the school courtyard.

"Whew," Izuku muttered, patting his cheeks lightly as he turned a corner. He was still slightly red in the face. "Maybe I should've thought about the drawing beforehand. Or-"

"YOU SHITTY NERD! DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF THIS SCHOOL!?"

Izuku's eyes widened before a force slammed into him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. Kacchan's eyes were filled with rage as he pushed him forwards towards the trees, away from prying eyes.

"K-Kacchan," Izuku tried to say, but Kacchan wasn't having any of it.

"I told you!" Kacchan slammed Izuku up against a tree, planting his hand above him on the trunk. "To get the fuck out of UA! I'm the only one allowed to be here, not some shithead extra like you!"

"I am allowed to be here!"

Izuku was shocked. He didn't do it just once, but now twice he had spoken in defiance to Kacchan. He swallowed and gathered his courage. "I worked hard to get into UA, Kacchan! I-I have friends now! I will become a hero!"

"Friends?" Kacchan laughed, a harsh sound that made Izuku wilt. "Who would want to be friends with a dumb nerd!?" His face twisted back to rage in an instant. "Shitty Dekus like yourself don't belong at UA," Kacchan growled, his grip tightening on Izuku's shirt as he pulled him up. "WHAT'S A QUIRKLESS NERD GOING TO DO, HUH!?" He slammed Izuku back up against the tree paired with twin small explosions, making the greenette wince in pain. "YOU'RE JUST SOME STUPID, WEAK ASS QUIRKLESS DEKU!"

"You take notes like some nerd, hoping it'll be enough to fulfill your dream," Kacchan spat. "Acting like you're going to become a hero." He spat on the ground. "As if! You'll never be a hero, Deku!" His right hand came onto Izuku's side, blasting with an explosion that knocked him to the ground, making him gasp at the impact. He turned his gaze up at Kacchan, who glared down at him, explosions sparking in both hands. "I've tried teaching you your place. Maybe this time I have to go harder!"

He descended and Izuku squeezed his eyes shut. But the explosion never came. He opened his eyes to see Kacchan stumbling back, rubbing his jaw from where a flying fist had punched him in the face.

"What the hell man!?" Tokage shouted, appearing in front of Izuku as her hand reattached itself to her. "Why are you attacking Midoriya!?"

"Get out of the way you damn extra," Bakugou growled, his right eye twitching. "I need to teach the nerd a lesson he'll never forget."

"Hey!" Kendo yelled as she and Monoma ran forwards. "You can't just attack one of our classmates like this!"

"More of you," Bakugou narrowed his eyes. "Get out of the way."

"Or what?" Monoma challenged.

An ugly smirk crossed Bakugou's face. "Or I'll make you."

"Stop-" Kendo started, but it was futile as Bakugou blasted himself upwards and over their heads, making them stumble back from the explosion as he launched himself at Izuku, who stared with frightened wide eyes.

Then Tokage's upper body flew in-between the two boys, her fist drawn back for a punch as time slowed. She couldn't just stand back and watch as her friend got hurt by this blond asshole. She'd heard the insults and seen Midoriya get thrown to the ground. Gritting her teeth, she prepared for the blond's explosion to hit her full in the face, hoping that at least her own fist connected with his jaw again. It didn't.

Setsuna grunted in pain as the explosion blasted her full in the face, sending her flying back, but she recovered fast, teeth bared as she flew back towards him and he raised his right arm again for another explosion, only for a green blur to overtake her, the sudden wind speeds whipping her hair past her face.

Izuku had moved before he had even time to think, the world slowing down around him as well. He'd been ready to accept whatever punishment Kacchan had been about to deliver, all too used to the treatment from junior high. But then his new friends stood up for him. And Tokage just threw herself in front of him, taking a blast from his explosion meant for him. And she was going to do it again.

With eyes wide and expression of fearful determination, he drew back a fist, One For All shredding his uniform's sleeve like it had his PE shirt a day earlier. He was about to hit Kacchan. A human being. Someone who could get seriously hurt from a full powered punch from One For All! Or even die! But Tokage was in danger!

At the last moment before impact, as Bakugou's eyes widened at the red lines blazing across Deku's right arm, Izuku unconsciously transferred the energy from his entire arm down to just his fist, with the red lines fading almost entirely.

SMAAAAASH!

Izuku's fist came up and collided with Kacchan's stomach, making the boy cough up spit from the impact. A wind gust blasted outwards, making the trees shake as he was thrown backwards. He skidded across the grass before slamming into a lone tree on the far side of the courtyard. The students who had been coming out of the building to eat stopped what they were doing and stared.

Katsuki raised his head, dazed and in pain. The realization of what happened hit him as he stared at Deku, the glow fading from the 'quirkless' nerd's body. He tried to stand, getting to one knee as his eyes widened in disbelief. "What... the... hell..." His face twisted into one of rage and fury. "Was that!?" He tried getting up, but suddenly his vision swam and he slumped forwards.

Across the hall, Izuku fell to his hands and knees, the glow fading from his fist. At first, nothing. Then sharp pain. Not just in his right hand, but in his legs. He hadn't realized it at the time, too focused on saving Tokage, but he'd activated One For All in his legs as well, to carry him to Kacchan before he could hurt Tokage. But nothing felt broken. He could move his legs and flex his fingers, and while he felt some sharp pain, they hadn't been busted up badly like before.

But... how?

"What the hell is going on here!?"

A very angry looking man in rumpled black clothes charged outside, pushing past the staring students, a gray scarf wrapped around his neck. His red eyes glared as his black hair stood up. Izuku froze, fully realizing just how bad this situation looked. And in his mind, uttered a word that normally he wouldn't even think, a word Kacchan might use in this sort of situation.

Fu-!

...

Nedzu sighed, setting down his teacup with a soft clink. He folded his hands together as he looked at the two boys sitting in two separate chairs in front of his desk. Both Sekijiro and Shouta were standing behind them. Sekijiro was scowling and Shouta merely looked annoyed. The source of these expressions was the blond child struggling against his restraints, obviously resisting the effects of Recovery Girl's quirk while he tried to rip free of his bonds and go after the green haired boy to his left, who was trying to sit as far away from him as he could.

"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET A QUIRK YOU DAMN DEKU!? BEEN HIDING IT FROM ME ALL THIS TIME, HUH!? BET YOU HAD A REAL LAUGH, CONSTANTLY LOOKING DOWN ON ME! ONCE I GET FREE I'M GOING TO BEAT YOUR FUCKING ASS SO HARD YOU'LL NEVER LOOK DOWN ON ME EVER AGAIN! YOU HEAR ME YOU WORTHLESS SON OF A-"

"Alright, that's quite enough," Nedzu said cheerfully, clapping his paws together. "We're here to discuss what happened earlier in the school courtyard-"

Midoriya stood suddenly, bowing as low as he could. "I'm very sorry! This was my fault!"

"Now now, Mr. Midoriya, lift your head and retake your seat," Nedzu said, and once the boy did, still looking frightful, he spoke again. "As I was saying, we're here to discuss what happened."

He didn't really need to. Testimony from those involved in the incident was enough to prove without a doubt Bakugou was the one here who started the whole thing, and that Midoriya only acted in defense of his friend, who was also injured by Bakugou. All he had to do was punish Bakugou, let Midoriya off with a light warning, and be done. Yet... It feels like there's more to it than just that fight, Nedzu pondered. When Shouta had brought the situation to his attention, he'd ignored the man's rage at the greenette for hurting his student with the possibility of killing him and took the time to review the school cameras before Sekijiro had arrived with several key witnesses. After hearing their testimonies, and getting the green haired girl's when he went to visit her in Recovery Girl's office, and comparing it to the security footage, Nedzu knew while he had all the facts for what went down, he didn't have all of them when it came to the two students in front of him. So he did some digging while waiting for Bakugou and Midoriya to wake up. The former had several cracked ribs while Midoriya had minor fractures in his legs and right hand.

"I took the liberty of pulling up both of your files from your time at junior high," Nedzu continued in his cheerful tone. "You went to the same place. Aldera Junior High. Low budgeted and not very well regarded. You two made history for being the first two students to make it into UA from Aldera."

"IT WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE ME DAMMIT, BEFORE DEKU HERE-"

"Yes yes, I think we got the idea," Nedzu waved him off. "But what I saw was rather interesting. You've had a perfect record, Bakugou, not one single toe out of line. Today's incident, however, leads me to believe that this wasn't a one time coincidence. Far from it. In fact, testimony has led me to believe that you and Midoriya here may have had similar encounters like today-"

"Similar!?" Bakugou interrupted, growling. "Deku here never used his quirk on me before!" He glared at the boy, making him shrink into his chair even further. "The little shit's been looking down on me. I'm gonna make him fucking regret that. I'll make sure to teach him his place this time."

Nedzu tilted his head slightly while Shouta groaned silently behind the chairs, palming his face while Sekijirou looked confident. "So what you're saying is that you've tried putting him in his place before?"

"Not that the stupid Deku ever got the message!"

"Well, that makes this much easier," Nedzu smiled widely. "Detention for you for the next month, Mr. Bakugou. I think that should suffice."

"WHAT!? WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE DETENTION!?"

"For assaulting your fellow students with your quirk and verbally abusing them. Please know that your parents will be informed of your behavior. And-" Nedzu said sharply, cutting off whatever Bakugou was about to shout. "Any more misbehavior like this and the punishment will become far more severe, which includes, but is not limited to, suspension and the risk of expulsion from UA's Hero Course."

That shut Bakugou up, but his eyes burned with anger.

"You will serve detention with your homeroom teacher, who I expect to teach you how it is a hero student acts and behaves at UA," Nedzu finished, with a pointed look at Aizawa, who merely sighed and nodded. With that settled, Nedzu tapped a button on his desk, releasing Bakugou from his bonds. Before he could do anything, Shouta's capture scarf had wrapped around Bakugou and was dragging him towards the door.

"Back to class," he said, his voice carrying a dangerous note in it as he talked to his student. "You can expect more than just detention from me for your behavior, Bakugou."

As Bakugou spat and cursed the whole way out the door, Sekijirou moved to shut the door, cutting out the noise. "Now then," Nedzu turned to Midoriya, who had been staring at the exchange between principal and Bakugou like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Do know that you're not in any sort of trouble, Mr. Midoriya. You acted quite heroically to save your friend from being harmed. That's the quality we like to see here at UA. But I would like to impress upon you the danger of using your quirk on others, especially so since it's your quirk."

"Y-yes sir."

Nedzu nodded, content with how things turned out. "We'll send a replacement uniform to your house by tonight. It won't do to have one of our students looking like a ruffian," he chuckled as Midoriya glanced at his bare right arm in embarrassment. "You may return to class now. And please let someone know if Mr. Bakugou or anyone else harasses you in the future."

"I-I will, th-thank you, Principal Nedzu," Midoriya bowed hurriedly again before following Sekijirou out of the room. Before he had fully left, however, Nedzu spoke up one last time.

"Might I add, Mr. Midoriya, completely off the records of course." He took a moment to sip his tea before giving the boy a smile. "Good job on not breaking yourself and limiting the damage done to Mr. Bakugou. You showed remarkable control."

...

Izuku Midoriya was the talk of class for the rest of the day. So when he finally returned with Kan-sensei at the end of the last lesson of the day, saying the class exploded with noise was an understatement.

"Midoriya!"

"DUDE, THAT WAS SO MANLY HOW YOU PUNCHED THAT ASSHOLE!"

"Language please, Tetsutetsu!"

"Is your arm okay!?"

"Did you get into trouble!?"

"It would be a severe lack of judgment if you were punished for something that was clearly not your fault."

"Alright, that's enough," Sekijirou said gruffly, patting a surprised Midoriya on the shoulder. "Everyone back to your seats. I have a few things I want to say."

He waited until everyone had calmed down and he had their full attention at the front of the room. "To put your minds at ease, no, Midoriya was not punished." A collective sigh of relief. "The student responsible for the incident has been put on a month's detention, WHICH-!" He raised his voice at the outcry from his students. Clearly they wanted harsher punishment. Leave it to them and they'd probably have the gallows back in business. "Carries the risk of harsher punishments should he attempt anything like this again. That includes expulsion." Most of the class seemed to be put at ease with that statement, but some were noticeably not mollified. Of which included Kendo, Tokage, and Monoma, but also Awase, Tetsutetsu, Honenuki, and Yanagi.

"I'd like to impress upon all of you once again that the use of quirks against a fellow student will not be tolerated," Sekijirou said firmly. "Midoriya will not be punished for doing so because he acted in defense of himself and Tokage."

"Now, before the day ends," Sekijirou quickly changed the topic. "We have one last thing that needs to be done. You all need to make your decision on who will be Class Representative and Vice Representative."

Several people exchanged looks, but no one said anything. Unbeknownst to Sekijirou, but during lunch, Class 1B had sat together and discussed what had gone down. And from that, a lot of respect had grown for two individuals in particular. So when the students voted for their representatives, the choices on who would represent the class were abundantly clear. And for the first time in Sekijirou's memory, possibly even a first for Class 1B since the school was founded, not a single student voted for themselves.

Itsuka Kendo: 14 votes

Neito Monoma: 6 votes

"Wow," Izuku said in surprise as both Kendo and Monoma had looks of shock on their faces. "I didn't expect the class to be totally in agreement."

"Oh right, you weren't there," Tokage said in realization as Kan-sensei called up both Kendo and Monoma. "Aizawa-sensei took you and Bakugou to Recovery Girl pretty quickly. But we followed and Itsuka and Neito had an argument with him."

"They did!?"

"Yep!" Setsuna grinned at the memory. "Argued with him all the way to Principal Nedzu's office from what I heard, refusing to leave. I would've too, but I was forced to go to Recovery Girl. Saw you sleeping by the way, but didn't get a chance to talk to you before Kan-sensei took you to see Principal Nedzu. You look pretty adorable sleeping by the way-" "Erk!" "Anyway, apparently Itsuka and Neito tried convincing him you were the victim, and not that explosive shithead. Both of them were backed up by everyone who saw shit hit the fan, but Mr. Dead Eyes didn't care. Once Kan-sensei showed up they were able to convince him and they were able to talk to Nedzu on your behalf."

Before Izuku could respond, Kendo spoke from the front of the class. "I am honored by this responsibility and I vow to do my best for not just this class, but for this school." She bowed her head. "So let's all do our best in order to become great heroes who can help and save people."

"To be honest, I didn't expect to be given this role," Neito said with a shake of his head. "But I vow as well to put my best foot forward in regards to this class and UA," Neito said with a slight bow. "And to put ruffians like that Bakugou prick in his place. I mean seriously, what a stuck up bast-"

A cough from Kan-sensei.

"Erm, idiot. Stuck up idiot," Monoma rectified. He spread out his arms. "I dearly hope that he doesn't represent what our sister class is like, but the way they defended him at lunch..." He raised a fist. "We'll rise above them! We'll be better! Let's show them what it really means to go Plus Ultra!"

A resounding cheer from the class while both Kan-sensei and Kendo sighed from behind him. Izuku glanced at Tokage. "What happened-?"

"At lunch?" She finished, shrugging. "Wasn't there, not until the end at least when Recovery Girl let me go. But from the way our two classes were glaring at each other, it seems they've taken Bakugou's side. But they didn't have the full story, probably only saw or heard that he got punched super hard. Great job by the way." She fidgeted slightly in her seat, cheeks turning a faint pink. "And... thanks."

"Th-thanks?" Izuku stammered. "F-for what?"

A smile formed on her face. Not a smirk, nor one full of sharp pointy teeth. This was a genuine, heartwarming smile. "For protecting me from him."

As Midoriya descended into a spluttering red mess, Setsuna thought back to that moment they had seen Izuku getting beat up by that blond bastard. Even when they had stepped in, Bakugou wasn't going to stop. And Midoriya... She remembered the look of fear on his face. He wasn't fighting back, he was just going to let it all happen to him. She hated the helpless look on his face. She had wanted to save him, to wipe that look of fear from his face. But her quirk wasn't as powerful as that explosion quirk of his. She remembered bracing herself for the pain to come. Then Midoriya acted, and in that moment, she knew. There was a boy who was willing to break himself to save another.

"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."

You're really something, y'know that, Midoriya, she thought. Maybe I should cut back on the teasing. After all, I don't... I wouldn't want to come across like Bakugou did.

That thought brought back another thing Bakugou had shouted. Calling Midoriya a "quirkless deku". She had no idea what "deku" meant, but she heard an insult when she heard one. And to call him quirkless... why? He wasn't just doing that to insult him, she could tell that much. So why...

"Don't tell me you're that disappointed I became Vice Representative," Neito teased Setsuna as he reclaimed his seat.

Setsuna forced a toothy grin to replace her previous expression. "Nah, just shocked. This class has no idea what they're getting themselves into, making you some sort of leader."

"Tell me about it," Kendo said as she came over, shouldering her school bag. "Neito, you do realize that you're Vice Representative, right? What was that whole speech about basically declaring war on Class 1A?"

"Hey, they struck first!"

"You're just upset because they took Bakugou's side."

"And? I shouldn't be?"

"Well, no, but that was only because they weren't there and didn't really know what happened."

"I still don't see your point."

"Anyway," Itsuka sighed. "Midoriya, can I ask you something?"

"Huh?" Midoriya blinked, in the process of packing his bag. "Yeah, sure."

"Okay," Itsuka took the vacant seat in front of Setsuna's as their other classmates began leaving. "When you punched Bakugou, your hand. It didn't break?"

"It didn't," he confirmed, glancing at it. "Recovery Girl said there were fractures, but nothing compared to when I broke my finger yesterday. I don't really know... know..." He clasped his hand over his mouth suddenly and began muttering. "I mean, now that I think about, like, really think about it and not just in the moment think about it, maybe it was because it was Kacchan I was about to punch? Or rather, a person. I remember thinking that, and knew that a full powered punch could seriously hurt him. I know I tried reducing the power, but it felt more like I did it without realizing?"

"Wait," Itsuka sat forwards, interrupting the greenette's muttering storm. "If I got what you said, you think you managed to hold back because you were going to hit a person? A living being?"

"I... yeah, I think so," Midoriya nodded slowly. "But I'm certain I didn't do it knowingly, at least not entirely. Heat of the moment, I'm guessing."

Itsuka sat back, humming to herself as she mulled over her thoughts. "Izuku," she said after a moment. "Do you have any fighting experience? Like, martial arts training for example?"

When he shook his head, Itsuka pursed her lips, before nodding. "Alright, I think I have an idea."

"An idea for what?" Neito asked, glancing at Setsuna, who only looked as confused as him and Midoriya.

"Kan-sensei!" Itsuka stood suddenly, making her way over to her teacher's desk. "As my first act as Class Representative, I have a request to make!"

Alright, it seems I'm nearing the amount of chapters I have prewritten ahead of time. Which is fine, just means that I'll be consistent with updates for the next few weeks. College is starting once again, so once I get all my prewritten chapters published, it'll be back to the regular inconsistent schedule. But that's fine by me, cause I'm going at my own pace for this story.

Anywho, feel like I should let you guys know that I'm willing to take quirk requests. This is an AU, so I'm definitely including new quirks here and there, and while I came up with a bit, I'm interested to see what you all might have in mind. So please, feel free to submit your ideas here in the comments and I'll take them under advisement. I may or may not use them, and if I do use them, they are subject to change depending on how I feel they fit the story best. 

So yeah, with all that said, I bid you all farewell once again and until the next update, where we get to see what Kendo has in mind. Toodles!