Disclaimer: This has been inspired by Quirkless Unbound by Shadowhuntress and Zyla_SweetBean on Archive Of Our Own. I strongly recommend you read that before reading this. Some scenes and dialogue will be the same, but will take place mainly from OC's perspective. This is to answer the What If..? question: "What if Maddie and Tenko were childhood friends?" A few minor plot points will also be changed. MHA belongs to Kohei Horikoshi.

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Tests had always been a complicated subject for Maddie. The ones in school specifically, there was always a gentle rain of anxiety in her gut that grew every day as the test approached. And this wasn't just any test either. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem since she always took the time to be prepared. But this was to get into the best hero school in the country of Japan. The months had seemed to go by so fast, and she had spent so much time studying with Izuku, going over the main curriculum needed for the written portion of the exam. She would die before she admitted that that was the most intimidating part of this upcoming exam.

Her head was tilted back on the couch she sat on, hands folded over her chest. She was relaxed like this, saturated in her thoughts when she was interrupted by a loud howl in front of her. She jerked upright in her seat, blinking rapidly at Hound Dog huffing indignantly from behind his muzzle. "Grrrr. What's the matter?" he chirped. "I've been calling you for five minutes."

Maddie relaxed again, her features softening. "Sorry, Mr. Hound, sir," she said, not sure how else to address him. "What did you say again?"

"I asked how you are feeling as the entrance exam approaches."

So, that's what had sent her into her spiral. Now the U.A. entrance exam was looming, she had to think about something she hadn't in a long time. "I don't know," she said truthfully, slowly. "It's been awhile since I've been to school. Six years, in fact." She crossed her arms, hunching over herself. "I never got the chance to go to high school, so I have no idea what it's going to be like." Her brows furrowed. "I'm going to be older than everyone else, and I can't help but feel like I'm going to stand out because of it. What if people get the impression that I'm some kind of drop-out bum? Or even worse, someone recognizes me and I get arrested?" That would've been fine under any other circumstances, but she had someone she had to protect. Something she couldn't do from jail.

A soft growl came from Hound Dog. "Where do you think these thoughts are coming from?" This made Maddie pause, brow furrowing even more in thought. Where were they coming from? Well, definitely from living on her own for the past six years. But it ran much deeper than that, something born long before her time (imprisonment) in the facility.

"I guess..." she started, trying to find the right words to describe it. It was much more difficult than she thought it would be. "Before, when I was Quirkless, I told everyone who would listen that I was going to become a hero." Hound Dog leaned forward, sensing some kind of a breakthrough. "They would laugh of course," she explained. "Right in my face. Others, especially adults, were more polite about it and just patted my head, like, in a condescending way." She heaved a great sigh. "One day, I got so angry, that I got in a fight with one of the students in my grade who had a Quirk. They didn't use it on me, but I got a decent punch in." Her body shifted to the side, leaning against the arm of the couch. "But of course, I was the one who got in trouble. Got sent to the student counselor." Her expression soured then, the memory surfacing in her mind. Hound Dog remained quiet.

"She understood my situation. She knew the kind of treatment I was given, despite having a Quirk herself." Her blue eyes narrowed. "But she told me straight to my face that I was a one-man army. That even if I managed to get others on my side, it would be like a grain of sand trying to hold back the tide." Something dark coiled in her gut. "So, it was best to just roll over and take it. It would be the only way to survive."

Hound Dog hummed to himself, putting a claw to his chin. "So, a trusted authority figure sympathized with you, but said you were too useless to do anything about it. Does that sound right?"

Maddie was surprised that his musing was right on the nose. Hound Dog had come to understand how difficult it was for her to come up with words that would best describe how she was feeling. There were so many words in the English language that meant the same thing! Being a native speaker herself, she felt for those who tried to learn it. "Yeah, that's right," she agreed.

Hound Dog sniffed. "This other counselor, if she were to see you right now, what would she say?" Maddie's eyes snapped open. She had never thought about that before. "I think she would be speechless," she answered honestly. The image in her mind made the corner of her mouth quirk up in a smirk. "Same with everyone else, too."

The furry hero across from her howled again, sounding more triumphant this time. "That's great to hear!" he exclaimed, raising his arms in the air. "In fact, that's what I want you to work on this week." He fixed her with a pointed gaze. "For most of your life, you've been surrounded by people telling you what you can't be. Think about how they would react once they realize how far you've come, and how far you will go. It'll be the first step in transforming their opinions into something that doesn't affect you. Can you do that?" He panted excitedly. "If it helps, you can write down what the interaction would be like on paper."

Therapy assignments were nothing new. At first, it put her off, but she had gotten used to it over the past few months. She smiled. "Yeah, I can do that," she said. Hound Dog let out an enthusiastic bark. "Excellent!" he said. "You and Izuku are progressing marvelously!"

Maddie laughed. She couldn't help but agree. They had being Quirkless in common, after all. The next thought she had weighing on her made itself known then, her shoulders sagging down. "There's just one thing," she added, making the canine hero perk up. "I have nothing nice to wear. Not even a school uniform."

Hound Dog let out his own version of a chuckle. "Now that can be fixed easily. No doubt, Yagi will help with that."

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The next North Stars meeting felt more bearable to attend. However, it was quickly dashed by Nezu's declaration when it started. "Unfortunately, you will not be able to use your support gear during the practical part of the entrance exam."

"What?!" Maddie and Izuku exclaimed in unison. "But why?" Izuku continued. "We've improved so much with it over the past few months. Gran Torino said so himself!"

"Allow me to explain," Nezu interrupted, folding his paws. "Yui, our social media expert, stresses the importance of controlling the narrative. While your identities and quirk statuses have not yet been released, they will have to be eventually. When that happens, the public will be critiquing all your decisions in the past and the present. Everyone's eyes will be on you, and they will try their hardest to find even the slightest flaw to prove the status quo."

Maddie crossed her arms, grumbling to herself. Nezu had a point. Nearby, Yagi and Inko looked absolutely enraged, standing up. They stopped short as Nezu raised a paw. "What they see will fuel their decision on whether you two should be heroes or not." His tail twitched. "However," he continued, "you will not be completely defenseless. Knowledge is its own weapon." Lifting up a remote, a TV screen mounted on the wall behind him lit up, revealing some kind of small city.

Aizawa grumbled as the image came up. "I absolutely hate the practical portion of the exam," he muttered. "Focuses solely on physical quirks and nothing else."

Nezu merely chuckled, commenting that the man's view was slightly biased. He proceeded to explain that the practical exam would consist of the prospective students placed in one of U.A.'s training grounds, hunting down robots worth a certain number of points. There were three different types. For some reason, the difficulty with each robot increased by less points. She didn't know if it was some kind of special testing tactic. Either way, it didn't make sense to her.

"Are you kidding me?!" she cried when she saw the zero-pointer. "What're you trying to do, kill us?" She knew she was being dramatic, but that robot was huge. It should be worth three points due to how nearly impossible it looked to defeat. Everyone smirked or chuckled at her outburst. She ignored them, taking the time to analyze what she and Izuku would be up against, trying to deduce how best to take them down.

"They're poorly constructed," Izuku said out loud, voicing what she had noticed. Nezu's eyes gleamed. "Yeah," Maddie continued, "there're obvious design flaws in these. Destroying them will be a walk in the park."

"Exactly right," Nezu confirmed. "These were specifically designed to make it simpler to incapacitate them."

"Incapacitate?" Izuku repeated. "You mean, they don't have to be destroyed to get the points?" Nezu's smile widened, beaming. "Our goal in hero work is to reduce further harm, not create more destruction."

Maddie and Izuku glanced at each other, determined glares reflected. Inside, the older girl was relieved. This was going to be much easier than she thought.

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It was weird seeing so many people on campus. She had been living on the premises when practically no one was there. She stood among the throng of student applicants streaming in, Izuku standing next to her after she walked to meet him at the entrance. Apparently, Yagi and Inko would be watching through a surveillance room with the other teachers when it was time for the practical. She subconsciously tugged at the lapels of her shirt. Toshinori was able to find a standard-issue school uniform on the market. Hopefully, she didn't stick out too much. Still, kids cast her strange sidelong glances, lightly whispering to their companions they had beside them. Perhaps, it wasn't too late to crawl into a hole and die.

"Uh..." Izuku ventured cautiously. "Quite the turnout, huh?" She glanced down at him. He was nervous too, obviously. She sighed. "Yeah, you could say that, she admonished. Izuku perked up then, adjusting the straps over his backpack. "Hey, look on the bright side," he said, beginning to walk forward. She joined him. "This is our first step in becoming great heroes, so we should-"

He was cut off as he tripped over his own feet, pitching forward to the concrete below. She inwardly cringed, simultaneously reaching out in hopes of breaking his fall. She was beaten to it by the appearance of another girl who appeared by Izuku's side. She reached out and touched him, the boy freezing in midair. Izuku blinked a few times before flailing around in the air, freaking out.

"Oh, sorry!" the girl said. She was wearing a maroon jacket and a pink scarf. Her brown hair was the same shade as Maddie's, but her gaze was a bright hazel. She stood there dumbly with her mouth open, the girl manually readjusting Izuku back to his feet. "I didn't think you wanted to fall, so I caught you using my Quirk. I apologize, I should've asked first!"

Izuku merely stared at her in awe. "Weightlessness? Is that your Quirk?" This made the girl blush. "Zero gravity, actually," she replied. She touched the pads of her fingertips together. "When I touch my fingers like this, the effect goes away. It's not the flashiest Quirk, but hopefully it'll be enough for the exam."

"Who cares about your Quirk-" He immediately cut himself off at the girl's frown, attempting to backpedal. "I-I mean," he stammered, "it's not so much about your Quirk as it is about how you use it. I'm sure you can use your Quirk to help so many people."

The girl looked sheepish then, making Izuku blush. Maddie's brow raised. What was going on here? "Thank you!" the girl replied. "My name is Uraraka. What's yours?"

"Izuku."

"Oh, just your first name?" Maddie had forgotten that people addressed others they just met by their last names, as a form of respect. She figured respect was something Izuku hadn't had for most of his life. She refrained from sighing to herself, choosing this time to contribute. "His name's Midoriya," she said. The girl, Uraraka, turned to her as she spoke up, her brow scrunching when taking in her appearance. Maddie resisted the urge to shrink away.

"You're an American, aren't you?" Uraraka asked, putting a finger to her chin. "Are you a transfer student?"

"Uh," Maddie responded eloquently, gut twisting slightly at the girl's accurate guess. Suppose Japanese people were able to point out Americans quite easily. "Y-Yes," she managed to stutter, sweat beading on her forehead. "I'm a transfer student." She reached up to rub the back of her head. "My name's Madeleine Pilgrim. But you can just call me Maddie."

Uraraka seemed to scrutinize her more intently. "You look a little older than a student." Maddie's heart leaped into her throat. She was prepared to be recognized, but she didn't think it would happen right off the bat. Her worries dissolved into confusion when Uraraka suddenly turned flustered. "Oh, sorry, sorry!" She waved her hands back and forth in a placating gesture. "I didn't mean to call you old or anything like that. That wasn't my intention at all!"

Maddie blinked owlishly, realizing what was happening. "Uh, no, don't worry about it," she assured. "No harm done, kid."

"Still, I'm so sorry!" Uraraka bowed. "That was so rude!" She shot up straight again, her embarrassment concealed by a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Well, shouldn't be late. I'll see you inside!" She made a tactical retreat, practically sprinting into the building. Maddie wasn't sure if the girl wanted to see them inside after that, but she let out a breath she had been holding. Calm again, she glanced down at Izuku.

To her mild astonishment, Izuku seemed to have not been privy to Maddie's internal panic. He stared wide-eyed to where the girl retreated, a blush taking over his cheeks. His mind seemed to catch up as he suddenly blurted, "Holy woah, I just talked to a girl!"

The older girl beside him slumped over, staring at him. "Yeah, but you hardly said anything, though." Much too late, Izuku's behavior finally clicked. Her expression quickly shifted into something oozing smugness, her mouth widening into a grin, her eyes narrowed as she side-eyed the teenage boy. Izuku glanced over and noticed. "What?" he asked, flustered. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

All Maddie said was, "Damn, Izuku, it's only the first day and you're already becoming quite the lady's man."

Izuku's blush deepened, steam curling out of his ears. "N-No, i-it's not like that," he stuttered trying to convince her. "I-I mean, she's c-cute and all, b-but I'd never d-dream of..."

"Mmhmm," Maddie replied. Izuku buried his face in his hands, groaning. "Never mind," he mumbled, jogging towards the building. Maddie kept that smug look on her face as she followed him, glad she was able to find something to tease the boy with. She would not let him live this down, that was for sure. Yagi would have a field day, and Inko would embarrass him further. She looked forward to it.

Izuku had found a hallway to slump to the floor in, cradling his head in his hands. He was most likely hoping he would just melt right there. To Maddie's surprise, Aizawa was there too, tucked into his yellow sleeping bag. "Hey, this is my hiding place," he grumbled. "Find your own."

Izuku looked up, not noticing that their instructor was there until he spoke. A mischievous glint flashed in Maddie's eyes, stepping forward to address the man curled on the floor. "Hey, Mr. Aizawa. Guess what?" The man raised his eyebrow, not protesting that she was interrupting his nap. She took this as her cue. "Midoriya's already made a new friend and they're a g-" She was rudely interrupted by Izuku jumping up to clamp a hand over her mouth, stifling what she was going to say. He began to pull her further into the building, muttering "Shut up" over and over again. She tried to pull away, but she didn't put that much effort into it, laughing to herself behind the boy's hand. However, he was still holding onto her when they filed into the classroom, so she licked his palm. He jumped away, crying out, wiping his hand on his clothes. "Why did you do that?!" he exclaimed exasperatedly, his cheeks still red.

Maddie laughed again, reveling in the turmoil she was causing the teen. "It's my job," she replied. Izuku merely grumbled, but it wasn't serious. A few feet away, in one of the bench pews, a boy with navy hair and glasses glared at them, probably not appreciating the chaos they were ensuing. She couldn't bring herself to care.

Before long, she and Izuku were seated in the classroom, waiting for the exam to start. Eventually, Present Mic took the podium of the lecture hall, the spotlight illuminating his raucous hairstyle. Maddie could hear Izuku gushing next to her. She smiled to herself, tuning out his mumbling so she could concentrate.

It had been going great until that navy-haired boy from earlier stood up from his seat, raising his hand. Mic looked slightly annoyed by the interruption but let him speak anyway. "I apologize for the interruption, Sensei," he said, before turning sharply and chopping aggressively at the two of them behind him. Maddie had a feeling he wasn't sorry at all. "You, over there!"

Maddie raised a confused eyebrow, pointing at herself. He had gestured toward her general direction. The boy sighed, adjusting his glasses. "No, not you," he growled. "The one next to you, with the unkempt hair." Maddie felt Izuku jolt beside him, letting out an "eep!" The older girl didn't like where this was going. "You've been muttering this whole time!" the boy pointed out, his annoyance growing. "If you're not going to take this seriously, just leave. Don't ruin everyone else's chances because of your selfishness."

Izuku stared back incredulously. "Um," he said, "I'm sorry?" Maddie felt her eyebrow twitch. The nerve of this guy. How far was the stick up his ass? She was in the process of standing up herself to tell him off when another shout echoed through the room. "DEKU, YOU BASTARD!"

She had enough time to look up to see another boy with a shock of spiky blond hair hurtling towards them. The explosions from his hands were most likely what he was using to propel himself. Before she could stop herself, her wings unfurled, moving to stand protectively in front of Izuku. If this boy wanted a fight, she would be happy to oblige.

"YOU IDIOT!" the boy bellowed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Izuku choked from behind her, eyes wide. "Um," he said, "I'm sorry?" The blond just screeched in the air, closing in on them. She was prepared to block, to push him away. Before the angry boy collided, however, she was yanked to the side, out into the aisle. Glancing around, she saw Aizawa stood in the doorway, his capture weapon in his hands, hair flailing wildly. The blond boy landed where she and Izuku had once been, grunting in frustration. He turned to charge again only to be stopped in his tracks by another strip of cloth, pinning his arms to his sides. He thrashed and growled to no avail. Without much ceremony, Aizawa tugged on the other end of his scarf, pulling the three of them out of the classroom. Present Mic yelled with his Quirk to get everyone to calm down. The cacophony was cut off as the door shut, Aizawa releasing Maddie and Izuku. However, he kept a firm grip on the loud blond as they made their way through multiple hallways making sure they weren't seen.

Once they stopped, the underground hero turned aggressively on the blond boy, bordering on murderous. "What. Was. That?" he demanded between gritted teeth. The blond didn't acknowledge the question however, twisting and snarling in his bonds. "What the hell is this stuff?" he complained. "Let go of me! This ain't any of your business."

"Actually," Maddie cut in, her fingers curling instinctively, "it's strictly our business." It was taking everything in her not to throttle the boy. Another part of her was confused. Obviously, this kid knew Izuku. But how? The boy sent a seething glare towards her. "The hell're you talking about?" he barked. "Who the hell're you?"

"Kacchan, stop! They know!" This made the boy, Kacchan, freeze in his tracks. He slowly cast a glance towards Izuku, brow breaching into his hairline. "Huh?" he admonished. "What'd you say, you stupid nerd?! What do you mean they know? Did you get stupider somehow?"

Aizawa leaned towards Izuku. "You know this kid?" he muttered. Kacchan seemed to hear, scoffing. "Of course Deku knows me. Been sticking around me ever since we were kids. Like an annoying puppy."

Izuku flinched visibly. It was clear to Maddie that this was normal with the loud teen. Still, she wanted him to pick his words more carefully. She didn't know how long she could keep herself from driving Kacchan's face into the ground. "Wonderful, you're both childhood friends, then," she surmised, not bothering to hide her irritation. She pointedly looked at the seething blond. "It's only been a minute, Kacchan, and I already don't like you." To her despondency, she was reminded of a "childhood friend" she had back in elementary school, though, she seemed to more enjoy having Maddie follow her and her lackies around like a pet than her actual friend.

"What'd you call me?" Kacchan snarled. "My name is Katsuki Bakugo. Only the shitty nerd gets to call me that!"

Maddie rolled her eyes but raised her hands placatingly. "Fine, fine, Bakugo, whatever." She returned her gaze to the boy, unintimidated. "Frankly, I don't give a shit what your name is," she said. "I don't care if you're friends with Midoriya. It's obvious you don't know how to not cause a scene. So angry, too. Like a Pomeranian."

Izuku snorted at that, making Bakugo snap his head over to him. "Something funny, Deku?" he growled, making the greenette realize what he'd done. "N-No, nothing at all, Kacchan," he stammered, though it was clear he still found it funny. Bakugo continued to seethe, seeming to remember what he wanted to discuss earlier. "Where the hell have you been, nerd?" he demanded. "Do you have any idea how long the old hag and I looked for you? And then you show up out of nowhere to fight some second-rate villain-?"

"That was you?" Izuku pondered incredulously, eyes blown wide. "Kacchan, I didn't-! I just saw that you needed help and I-"

"Like I needed your help!" Bakugo shouted. "Don't you dare look down on me, Deku! Especially since people said you were nearly kidnapped by another villain-"

Maddie's fist cuffed him harshly over the head, making him hiss. She couldn't hold it in anymore at that. "That 'villain' was me," she stated. "And everyone calls someone a villain when they're trying to save a Quirkless from the facilities." She absolutely hated that the media loved to point out how much of a bad person she was from trying to save one boy. It made her want to scream sometimes.

She expected Bakugo to yell at her like all the others. Instead, the lines from his angry scowl seemed to smooth out to a degree. "You were trying to save him?" he mumbled, perplexed. It then occurred to Maddie that this kid was trying to protect Deku. Despite all the words he spoke, he actually cared about his friend. Maddie relaxed, her expression smoothing out as well. "Yeah," she replied. "Not all of us are mindless zombies."

Bakugo gave her a look that was unreadable to her. Then, he turned back to Izuku. "You still didn't answer me, nerd," he said. "Why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Izuku replied. "I'm taking the exam. Maddie is too."

"Maddie?" He glanced between her and Izuku. "How do you know a transfer student?"

"That's a... well, that's a long story."

"Bullshit!" It seemed his personality matched his Quirk. "And what do you mean you're taking the exam? A useless Deku like you is just going to get yourself killed-!"

"I am not useless." Maddie visibly jarred at the venomous tone Izuku took. She had never heard it from the boy before. He was too kind and accommodating. She didn't want to hear him talk like that. Even Aizawa blinked at Izuku in shock. "I don't care what anyone says," he continued. "I will become a hero, and I'll show everyone that all Quirkless don't deserve to be locked up because they don't have a Quirk. So, you're either with me or against me."

For once, Bakugo seemed at a loss for words. He glanced between Maddie and Aizawa fervently, searching for something. They stood resolutely, showing they agreed with Izuku. The blond growled to himself. "Fine," he spat. "But you're explaining everything once this is over." His mouth curled up into a snarl. "And if you fall behind, I'm leaving you in the dust, got it?"

Izuku beamed, shifting back to his warm, bouncy persona. With a nod, Aizawa's capture weapon unwound from Bakugo's body, the boy rubbing at his arms. "Yeah, Kacchan," Izuku answered. "Don't worry. I won't let you down."

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Author's Note: And so the U.A. entrance exam is underway! Sorry that this took so long to upload. I was stressed about finals, and then I had to drive back home for the winter break. It's about a five-hour drive from my college campus to my hometown. And, my mom's friend and their family were visiting us as well. It was a good time all around.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower