## The Classroom - End of Semester
Aldera Junior High's classroom buzzed with restless energy as their homeroom teacher, Mr. Takahashi, lazily flipped through a stack of papers. The end-of-semester announcements were always dull—unless you were one of the students aiming for UA.
"Can he just get on with it already?" a girl with lavender hair whispered from the back row. "Some of us have cram school after this."
"Bet you five hundred yen he falls asleep reading the announcements again," her friend giggled.
Sasaki Kenjiro slouched in his seat, twirling a pen between his fingers. Ten years had passed since he first arrived in this world, and at fourteen, he was no longer just a kid with a powerful Quirk.
He was a *monster* in the making.
Next to him, Midoriya Izuku sat with his notebook open, scribbling furiously. His once-scrawny frame had filled out slightly—still lean, but now corded with wiry muscle from years of relentless training. His eyes burned with quiet determination.
*"Still Quirkless,"* Kenjiro mused, *"but damn if he isn't tougher than canon."*
"What are you writing now, Midoriya?" Kenjiro leaned over. "Hero analysis volume what, fifty?"
Midoriya blushed slightly, covering his notebook. "Just volume thirteen, actually. I was updating my notes on Backdraft's water pressure capabilities after yesterday's fire rescue."
"You're such a nerd," Kenjiro said, but there was no malice in his tone.
Mr. Takahashi cleared his throat dramatically, silencing the classroom chatter. "Now then, since many of you are third-years, it's time to discuss your future career paths." He smirked, scanning the room with undisguised judgment. "But let's be honest—most of you are going to ordinary high schools."
A few students grumbled.
"Way to crush our dreams, sensei," a boy with elongated fingers muttered.
"My sister went to Fukuoka Business Academy and she's making six figures now," another student protested.
The teacher waved dismissively. "Yes, yes, very inspiring. For those *aspiring* to hero schools, I'll read the names. Don't embarrass yourselves or this institution."
Kenjiro rolled his eyes. *"Same old song and dance."*
"Tsubasa Ryuichi—Shiketsu High."
Polite applause. A tall boy with wings protruding from his shoulder blades nodded solemnly.
"Thanks for your support, everyone," Tsubasa said quietly. "Still have to pass the entrance exam, though."
"You'll get in for sure with those wings!" a classmate called out. "Perfect for rescue operations!"
"Kobayashi Aiko—Ketsubutsu Academy."
More clapping. A girl with crystal-like skin that refracted light gave a small bow.
"My parents went there," she explained. "Their combat training program is excellent."
Then—
"Bakugou Katsuki—UA High."
The class erupted.
"Woah! UA?!"
"Of course Bakugou's going there!"
"That's the top hero school in Japan!"
"With his Quirk? No surprise!"
Bakugou smirked, kicking his feet up on his desk. "Damn right. I'm gonna be the next Number One. The rest of you extras can fight for second place."
A brave soul from the back called out, "What about Endeavor's son? I heard he's applying to UA too!"
Bakugou scoffed. "Half-and-half? Just because his old man's the number two doesn't mean shit. I'll crush him just like everyone else."
After that Mr. Takashi glancing at his list and said
"Sasaki Kenjiro–UA High"
The classroom erupted again
"DAMN, another one!"
"SEE I TOLD YOU SASAKI WILL GO TO UA!"
"With his mochi quirk it's possible, Hell he will make it top with the entrance exam."
Mr. Takahashi nodded approvingly before glancing at his list again. "Ah. And... Midoriya Izuku. Also UA."
Silence.
Then—laughter.
"**Deku?!**" A snicker rippled through the room. "**He's Quirkless!**"
"Is this a joke?"
"No way they'd let someone without a Quirk into the hero course!"
Kenjiro's grip on his pen tightened until it creaked.
Midoriya didn't flinch. His jaw set, he kept writing in his notebook, ignoring the jeers.
A girl with pink cheeks leaned forward. "Um, Midoriya, you know there's never been a Quirkless hero, right? Maybe try for the General Studies department?"
"Yeah, Deku," another classmate chimed in, not unkindly. "You're smart. You could probably get into Support Course instead."
Midoriya still didn't look up. "Thanks for the concern, but I'm applying for the Hero Course."
Bakugou's grin turned vicious. "Oh, this is *rich*. You still think you can play hero, *Deku*?"
Midoriya finally looked up. "Yes."
The classroom froze.
Bakugou's eye twitched. "The *hell* did you just say?"
Midoriya met his glare. "I said *yes*. I'm going to UA."
A beat of stunned silence.
Then—
Bakugou *slammed* his hands on Midoriya's desk, tiny explosions crackling. "**YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR—**"
Kenjiro's foot hooked around Bakugou's chair leg and *yanked*.
**THUD.**
Bakugou hit the floor with an undignified yelp.
The class gasped.
"Did Sasaki just—"
"Oh man, he's dead—"
Kenjiro leaned back, smirking. "Oops. My bad. Leg spasm. Quirk malfunction, you know how it is."
Everyone knew Kenjiro's Quirk had nothing to do with "leg spasms."
Bakugou scrambled up, murder in his eyes. "**YOU BASTARD, I'LL KILL—**"
The bell rang.
Mr. Takahashi sighed, massaging his temples. "Enough. Class dismissed. Bakugou, detention for language. Sasaki, detention for... whatever that was."
"Worth it," Kenjiro muttered.
As students began packing up, the classroom buzzed with renewed conversation.
"Can you believe Midoriya?"
"Hey, maybe he's got some secret training regimen."
"Or maybe he's just delusional."
A girl with long green hair approached Midoriya's desk. "Hey, um, Midoriya? I think it's kind of brave what you're doing. My cousin has a really weak Quirk—he can make his fingernails grow faster—and he always wanted to be a hero too."
Midoriya looked up, surprised. "O-oh! Thanks, Shino-san. Did your cousin ever—"
"He's an accountant now," she said with an apologetic smile. "But he's happy! And he volunteers at disaster sites. There are lots of ways to help people."
"I'll keep that in mind," Midoriya replied, his smile strained but genuine.
## After School – The Confrontation
"You didn't have to do that, you know," Midoriya said as they packed their bags. "Bakugou's going to be even angrier now."
Kenjiro shrugged. "That guy's perpetually angry. Besides, what's he gonna do? Explode us both?"
"Probably," Midoriya muttered.
"Yo, Deku!"
As if summoned by their conversation, Bakugou appeared at the classroom door, flanked by his two lackeys—a boy with wings and another with extendable fingers.
"You escaped detention?" Kenjiro raised an eyebrow.
"Shut it, Sasaki. I'll deal with you later." Bakugou's attention was fixed on Midoriya. "Outside. Now."
Fifteen minutes later, Bakugou cornered Midoriya at the school gates, his lackeys flanking him. Kenjiro lingered nearby, arms crossed, watching.
"You think this is funny, huh?" Bakugou growled, crowding into Midoriya's space. "Making a mockery of real heroes by pretending you could be one?"
"I'm not pretending," Midoriya said quietly.
"Listen here, *Deku*," Bakugou snarled, jabbing a finger into Midoriya's chest. "You're *not* getting into UA. You're *nothing*. You're a *pebble* on the side of the road that real heroes step over."
The winged lackey snickered. "Good one, Bakugou."
"More like a pebble they don't even notice," added the finger-extension boy.
Midoriya tightened his bag strap but didn't back down. "Maybe. But I'm still going to try."
Bakugou's hands sparked. "You really think you can compete with *me*? With *real* heroes? What are you gonna do when villains attack, huh? Throw your stupid notebooks at them?"
"Hey, that's actually not a bad idea," Kenjiro called out from his spot against the wall. "Those things are heavy enough to concuss someone."
"Stay out of this, Sasaki!" Bakugou snapped.
Midoriya's voice was steady. "I don't have to compete with you, Kacchan. I just have to be *better than myself*."
Bakugou looked like he'd been slapped.
"The hell does that even mean?" Fingers-boy asked.
Bakugou regained his composure, his lip curling. "Tch. Fine. Waste your life." He turned to leave but threw one last barb over his shoulder. "**If you really wanna be a hero so bad, take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a Quirk in your next life.**"
The lackeys laughed, but it faded awkwardly when they realized what Bakugou had actually suggested.
"Dude," Wings-boy muttered, "that's kinda dark."
Midoriya's fists clenched—but he didn't react otherwise.
Kenjiro's eyes narrowed. 'Same damn line. Some things never change.'
As Bakugou and his cronies stalked off, an older student who had overheard the exchange approached Midoriya.
"Hey, you okay? That guy's a real jerk."
Midoriya nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking, senpai."
The upperclassman—a girl with mechanical attachments on her forearms—frowned. "You know, my Quirk didn't manifest until I was twelve. Doctors thought I was Quirkless too. Don't let people like him get to you."
"What's your Quirk?" Midoriya asked, genuine curiosity breaking through his tension.
"Techno-Touch. I can interface with and manipulate electronics." She wiggled her mechanical fingers. "These are just amplifiers I built. I'm heading to Yuuei's Support Course next year."
"That's amazing!" Midoriya's eyes lit up. "The applications for rescue operations alone—"
"Whoa there, fanboy," Kenjiro interrupted, amused. "Save the analysis for your notebooks."
The girl laughed. "It's fine! It's nice to meet someone so enthusiastic." She gave Midoriya a thumbs up. "Good luck with UA. Even if you don't make the Hero Course, there are lots of departments that would be lucky to have someone with your passion."
After she left, Midoriya seemed lighter.
"See?" Kenjiro nudged him. "Not everyone's a Bakugou."
## The Walk Home – A Quiet Resolve
Kenjiro fell into step beside Midoriya as they walked away from school.
"You handled that better than I expected," Kenjiro remarked.
Midoriya exhaled. "I've had two years to get used to it."
Kenjiro smirked. "Still. Telling Bakugou off? Bold."
Midoriya rubbed his neck. "I-I didn't *tell him off*... I just... didn't let him win."
Kenjiro snorted. "Same difference."
They walked in silence for a while before passing a convenience store.
"Want to grab a snack?" Kenjiro asked. "I'm starving."
"Sure," Midoriya nodded. "I should get something before training anyway."
Inside, they found an elderly woman struggling to reach a box of tea on a high shelf.
"Excuse me, young men," she called when she spotted them. "Could one of you help an old lady? These shelves get taller every year."
"I'll get it," Midoriya said immediately, retrieving the tea and handing it to her with a smile.
"Such a polite boy," she beamed. "Are you heroes in training?"
Midoriya blushed. "Not yet. We're applying to UA next year."
"Oh! My grandson went there—Support Department, class of '95. Developed the inflatable rescue rafts Pro Heroes use now." She patted Midoriya's hand. "What's your Quirk, dear?"
Midoriya hesitated. "I—"
"He's got incredible analytical skills," Kenjiro cut in. "And he trains like a maniac."
The woman nodded approvingly. "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard! That's what my husband always said."
After she left, Midoriya gave Kenjiro a grateful look. "Thanks."
"Just stated facts," Kenjiro shrugged, selecting a protein bar and spicy chips. "You coming to train tomorrow morning?"
"Yeah," Midoriya nodded, picking up a banana and sports drink. "Five AM at Dagobah Beach?"
"Still can't believe you talked me into that hellish schedule," Kenjiro grumbled. "But yeah, I'll be there."
As they paid and left the store, Midoriya spoke again.
"Do you... really think I can do it? Get into UA without a Quirk?"
Kenjiro didn't answer right away.
Then—
"Doesn't matter what *I* think," he said. "It matters what *you* do."
Midoriya blinked.
"Look," Kenjiro continued, unwrapping his protein bar. "Most people would've given up a long time ago. Hell, most people wouldn't have started in the first place. But you? You've been lifting weights, running drills, and analyzing heroes since we were twelve."
"All that might not be enough," Midoriya said quietly.
Kenjiro stretched his arms behind his head. "UA's entrance exam is brutal. But if anyone's crazy enough to try it Quirkless, it's you."
"You make me sound like a lunatic," Midoriya chuckled.
"The best heroes are a little crazy," Kenjiro countered. "Gotta be, to run toward danger when everyone else runs away."
A small smile broke across Midoriya's face. "All Might doesn't seem crazy."
"All Might jumps between skyscrapers with that ridiculous grin on his face," Kenjiro retorted. "Trust me, totally unhinged."
Midoriya's eyes shimmered for a second before he nodded firmly. "Right."
Just then, a mother with three young children passed by, the smallest—a toddler with tiny horns—throwing a tantrum.
"BUT I WANNA BE ALL MIGHT!" the child wailed, pulling at his mother's skirt.
"You can be All Might when we get home," the frazzled woman said. "Right now, we need to buy groceries."
The child spotted Midoriya and Kenjiro and pointed excitedly, momentarily distracted from his tears. "Look! Big boys! Are you heroes?"
Midoriya knelt down to the child's eye level. "Not yet, but we're training hard."
"I'm gonna be All Might when I grow up!" the boy declared.
"That's a great goal," Midoriya smiled. "You know what All Might always says?"
The boy lit up. "'I AM HERE!'" he shouted, striking a pose.
"That's right," Midoriya laughed. "But he also says it's important to eat your vegetables so you grow up strong."
The toddler's face scrunched up. "Even carrots?"
"*Especially* carrots," Midoriya said seriously. "How else will you see villains in the dark?"
The mother mouthed a grateful "thank you" as she ushered her now contemplative child away.
Kenjiro shook his head, amused. "You're a natural with kids."
"They just... make sense," Midoriya shrugged. "No hidden agendas."
"Unlike certain explosive classmates we know," Kenjiro added dryly.
## The Alleyway – Fate's Turn
As they neared the underpass, Midoriya hesitated. "I-I'm gonna take a shortcut through Eishin District. I promised Mom I'd pick up some ingredients for dinner. See you tomorrow?"
Kenjiro waved him off. "Don't let any villains mug you."
Midoriya laughed nervously. "What are the chances of that? This is one of the safest neighborhoods in Musutafu."
"With your luck?" Kenjiro raised an eyebrow. "Just stay alert."
"Always do," Midoriya replied, serious for a moment. He glanced at his watch. "Oh! I should hurry. Mom's making katsudon tonight."
"Your mom's katsudon is worth rushing for," Kenjiro acknowledged. "Tell Inko-san I said hi."
"Will do!" Midoriya called back, already turning into the dim alleyway. "Five AM, don't be late!"
Kenjiro watched him go, then sighed.
*"Alright, All Might. Time to make your move."*
He didn't follow.
Some things *had* to happen.
A sewer grate rattled behind him.
Kenjiro smiled.
*"Right on schedule."*