A/N: Well. I don't really have an excuse for how long this took to write. The best I can say is that I just lost motivation to continue the story. The big gap I took might have affected my writing style or the quality of this piece, so feel free to let me know if that is evident.

Shouta walked in silence away from the P.E. grounds while digesting the results of the test. After delivering the news to the students, he received the reactions he had expected from his little white lie. Some of the kids were more outraged than others, but if they couldn't handle a little bit of deception then they weren't meant for the world of heroes anyway. The realm of professional heroics was a harsh and unforgiving environment for all of its occupants. Heroes constantly put their lives on the line for the betterment of society, but there was so much more present behind the lines than what simply meets the eye. Shouta had been on countless missions. He had participated in desperate rescues, sensitive operations, and risky raids. These students had a long and arduous road ahead of them if they wanted to become professional heroes, and it was his job to lead them there. Some of these kids would need a lot more work than others, and some of them simply confused him, case in point being Izuku Midoriya.

It didn't make sense for someone to wield that level of power without a quirk, it was unheard of, unprecedented. Regardless of whatever the source of his power was, Izuku was just that, powerful. It just wasn't something Shouta could deny, but that didn't mean it made any sense. He was still lost in thought about his troublesome student when he walked straight into All Might as the pro hero practically appeared out of thin air in front of him.

"I'd like to speak with you about one of your students." He declared in an unnecessarily boisterous tone.

"Which one?" Shouta responds boredly, ceasing his leisurely pace to turn towards All Might.

"Young Midoriya." He answered, furrowing his golden brow contemplatively, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

"What about him?" He responds, quirking a lazy eyebrow at his fellow hero.

"I'm sure you've learned by now that young Midoriya is quirkless. And despite this, he can still compete with the other students and even some heroes. I met him almost a year before the exam when he defeated a villain I was pursuing. I learned after that how he acquired his power. Do you remember the old hero Silver Fang?"

Shouta narrowed his eyebrows and nodded solemnly, his face taking on a more serious expression.

"Bang took the young man in when he was four, and trained him since then until now. He has nearly mastered his and his brother's style, given more time he will perfect them." All Might explained.

Shouta's expression morphed into one of exasperation. "That explains nothing. Martial arts are just that, martial arts. How is he as strong as he is?" He asked, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

All Might tilted his head in confusion, obviously Shouta wasn't getting it. "I wasn't finished explaining. Bang is quirkless as well. I never mentioned it because it never really came up, especially after he retired." He elaborated, causing the erasure hero to furrow his brow further and shift his gaze to the side.

"So quirkless people can just get that strong?"

"Apparently so. I don't know the reasoning behind it but it's best that we just accept it and move on. It's up to you to figure out ways to train young Midoriya since he doesn't have a quirk to develop. And Aizawa?" All Might asked, resting an unwanted large hand on the shaggy man's shoulder.

"Keep a close eye on him. I trust Bang and his judgement, but we don't need another hero hunter on our hands. We can't let something like Garou happen again, anti-human martial arts are just too dangerous." All Might said, creating a moment of tension before Shouta turned away and resumed walking, looking over his shoulder at All Might once he was a few paces away.

"Don't worry, All Might. I will." He ominously said, turning his back to the symbol of peace once again and continuing his trek back to the main building, leaving All Might on his own in the peaceful silence of the scenery.

"I'm sorry for doing this to you, Young Midoriya. We just can't be too careful these days." He said to himself before turning and going on his own way.

Throughout the day, there were whisperings. Izuku Midoriya was the subject of an unspoken debate in class 1-A as they proceeded through the rest of their first classes, which all proved to be quite uneventful. They had caught on that he was quirkless. They remembered what Izuku had said, how their classmate had declared his quirkless status himself, but it was all just so difficult to believe. For starters, like their teacher they were confused by the entire prospect of it. One didn't just acquire such power through sheer will and ambition, but through the mastery of the quirk that they were born with. This was the very fact that their entire society of heroics was built upon. Izuku being quirkless challenged everything that they were conditioned to believe, everything that they perceived as normal, yet there he was.

Several reactions of differing magnitudes erupted across the classroom during this debate. Some quietly accepted it, because at the end of the day strength was strength. It did not matter where it came from so long as it was there. Others were threatened by it. A powerful rival had appeared wielding no quirk, and thus having no drawback or weakness to exploit. The majority however, continued to be confused by it. No theory they could concoct could even hope to explain the nature of their green haired classmate's power, and thus the boy continued to be something of an enigma to class 1-A throughout their first day of classes.

Soon enough, the first day was over. Nothing else eventful had occured besides the quirk apprehension test, and thankfully nobody had been expelled yet. They could only hope the second day would be more fruitful than the first. Little did they know that an even greater challenge awaited them in their immediate future.

As the day reached its conclusion, Izuku found himself walking home alongside Ochako and his new friend Tenya. The large boy tended to be slightly overbearing, but he had a good heart that more than made up for it. Their conversation reached its fever pitch when Tenya decided to voice his concerns.

"Midoriya, is it true that you are quirkless?" He asked.

"Yeah, toe joint and everything." Izuku replied with an amused chuckle. This was a conversation he was going to have to get used to repeating.

"Then how did you acquire your strength? I haven't heard of any other quirkless individuals of your caliber before, and quirks have existed for some time now."

"I was trained to surpass my limits by my master, Bang. I've been practicing his martial arts since I was four, and along the way I just kept getting stronger and stronger." He replied, smiling proudly at his bespectacled classmate.

"Bang . . " Tenya paused, resting his hand on his chin. "Would that happen to be the retired hero Silver Fang?"

"Yeah that's him. He's quirkless as well." Izuku slowed his pace as he said this, turning around so that he could face his friend as he processed this information.

Tenya halted in his gait and turned towards Izuku, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. There was a brief moment of tense silence before he could properly respond. "Well I suppose that explains things." He answered before seemingly dropping the subject entirely.

The trio continued their commute to the train station in a silence that was only broken once Tenya said his farewell when he had to go his separate way to board his train, leaving Izuku and Ochako alone.

"Hey . . Midoriya?" Ochako asked, glancing over at her companion. "How come Bakugou calls you Deku?"

"It's the old nickname that he gave me when we were kids. He calls me it because it means 'useless', which is what he thought I was since I don't have a quirk like everyone else." He said, releasing a worn out sigh.

"It has more of a 'never give up' vibe to me, especially since that's just what you did, you didn't give up, and here you are! It's kinda cute too." She told him, flashing him the toothiest, brightest smile he had ever seen. Izuku was forced to look away, his sight recoiling in response to how bright she was, a faint blush adorning his cheeks.

"Deku it is then." He responded as he finally managed to return his gaze to her, not trusting his voice to serve him for much more than that. They continued their walk home, enjoying the sunny afternoon together until it came time for them to go their separate ways, deciding unanimously to spend their afternoon preparing for tomorrow instead of socializing with each other. Tomorrow would come before they knew it, bringing with it challenges that they must be ready to face.

The following day began in a much more predictable manner than its predecessor had. There were no surprises in store for the students of 1-A from their homeroom teacher, and it seemed that there would be no requirement to prove their mettle. The day appeared to be a typical one, similar to any other highschool across Japan save for their classes being taught by professional heroes. They were even given an opportunity to properly introduce themselves during their homeroom class.

"Alright you lot. Since we're all still here after yesterday, it's time for you to formally introduce yourselves to your classmates. Come on up to the podium and give us your name, quirk, and an interesting fact about yourself. Try not to be too rowdy, I'll be taking a nap while you kids take care of this." Shouta announced tiredly before donning his yellow sleeping bag and slumping against a wall, seemingly falling asleep instantaneously.

This was the perfect opportunity for Izuku to properly scout his competition. He had already seen and taken note of the various quirks of all of his classmates, of course, and he had even begun to record notes and hypotheses about them. Having it formally given to you was always welcome though. To his surprise and disappointment in himself, he had misjudged several of his classmates at first glance. For instance, Shouto's quirk wasn't just ice, but fire as well, though he vowed to never use it in combat. Fumikage's quirk was in actuality a separate entity entirely dwelling within him that he could summon forth as he pleased, though it became unruly and dangerous at night or in extreme darkness. Tsuyu was also a classmate that was full of surprises, as she could secrete weak poison and remove her stomach through her mouth in addition to her other anamorphic abilities. She dubbed these as useless, but Izuku judged that they could be quite helpful when used properly. Another notable quirk was that of Momo, as the possibilities of simply being able to 'create' anything she knew the makeup of were seemingly boundless. It also turns out that there was another martial artist in the class. The tailed boy, Ojiro Mashirao, also relied on martial arts for combat, though he neglected to mention which ones. Finally, it was his turn.

"Hello, my name is Izuku Midoriya. I don't have a quirk, though I have mastered two very powerful martial arts styles, would you like a demonstration?" He inquired, removing his uniform jacket so that he could move properly in order to provide his offered demonstration. The class erupted into murmurs and several people raised their hands, the first of which he answered being Ojiro's, who he already had some level of respect for as a fellow martial artist.

"What martial arts do you practice? I don't know any styles that allow the user to become as strong as you are." He inquired, nearly shouting exasperatedly by the end of his sentence.

"Excellent question." Izuku responded, smiling knowingly at his classmate's confusion. "The styles I practice are the flowing water rock smashing fist and the whirlwind iron murderous fist." He explained, taking a stance. Beautiful blue streams followed his movements as he displayed a stance to the class. As he dropped his stance, several more hands shot up almost in response, the first of which he answered being Momo.

"You explained your fighting style but not your strength, how did you acquire your power, and is it something just anyone can do?" She inquired, addressing the elephant in the room directly. As she finished her inquiry, several of the raised hands fell comically.

"Ah, that. According to my master, quirkless individuals have the potential to grow incredibly strong given proper training. He explained that we have more forgiving 'limiters' to our power, so that through will and perseverance we can ascend to the ranks of heroes and stand beside them." He explained, echoing the words of his teacher while smiling proudly, reading the reactions of varying degrees of satisfaction throughout the class.

"I see." Momo responded, dropping her head in thought before an inquisitive expression lit up her angular features once again. "Who is your teacher?"

"My teacher is the retired hero Silver Fang, I was trained by him and his brother since I was four." Izuku responded, though Shouta cut him off before he could continue, standing up and silencing the class in the process.

"Alright you lot, head to your next class. Homeroom is over." He announced before slouching back down to the same position he occupied previously, resuming his slumber. The remainder of the classes passed by without event, that was until foundational heroics came.

The students sat in their respective desks restlessly, awaiting the arrival of their teacher. This was the first time this class was being held, so they hadn't the faintest notion of who would be holding it. Gut wrenching anticipation swirled throughout the air as the heroes to be chatted amongst themselves restlessly. All of their expectations were shattered when All Might burst through the door wearing his silver age hero costume.

"I AM HERE! Coming through the door, like a normal person!" He shouted, succeeding his words with boisterous laughter. Little did he know, that wasn't something the typical person did when entering a classroom.

"This is the class of Foundational Hero Studies! In this class you'll be building yourself up through various trials, starting with the Trial of Battle!" He exclaimed, holding up a plain sign with the words "BATTLE" etched into it, his trademark smile adorning his features. As he explained this, four cubbies emerged from the classroom walls, each containing five metal cases that held their hero uniforms.

Izuku couldn't quite see Katsuki's expression, but from experience he knew that the explosive boy was wearing an ear-to-ear sinister grin. After all, he just received the opportunity to use his quirk on people and prove that he was the best. The students rushed over to the cubbies and obtained their costumes, being further instructed by All Might to get changed and gather at Ground B.

As he walked towards the locker rooms, Izuku thought back to when he designed his costume. Since he was quirkless, he relied solely on the strength of his own body and his mastery of martial arts, so a flashy costume would be of no use to him. This he found out when he consulted Bang on the matter, though he had formed a similar opinion himself beforehand. He ordered a simple black bodysuit, one that would afford him all of the necessary movements and safeguards, being fireproof, waterproof, and mostly tear resistant. He paid no attention to his classmates filing out of the changing rooms one by one, leaving him as the last to arrive. He was too busy trying to figure out how exactly to get this damned thing on. As it turns out, putting on a skin tight bodysuit was more difficult than he had anticipated. Once he had successfully adorned his costume, he started walking towards ground beta, checking his motions all the while, growing used to the way his costume fit his body.

As he emerged from the corridor, he noticed that all of his classmate's eyes were upon him, scrutinizing his choice of clothing. He strode up to stand beside Tenya and Ochako, All Might acknowledging his presence with a firm nod while his classmates raised their eyebrows at his simplistic uniform. It covered from his neck to his ankles, and the sleeves reached all the way to his wrists. It's shade was jet black, similar in color to the shirts he always wore in casual situations. Overall, it was a very simplistic and plain choice of clothing.

"Nice of you to finally join us, young Midoriya." All Might stated, breaking through the chatters of the class to address his student. "A hero must always be on time, so try not to take so much time getting dressed next time." He said, causing several more heroes in training to chuckle at Izuku's expense before returning their attention to their teacher.

"Now that everyone's here, Let's see what you are made of. It's time for the trial of Battle!" All Might exclaimed, beaming challengingly at his students.

Once All Might paused, Ochako approached Izuku, smiling embarrassedly and rubbing the back of her head as she did. "Nice costume Midoriya! It's really practical." She complimented, trying and failing to avert her eyes from the way it hugged his body. Meanwhile, Izuku was having similar issues with her costume, to which she took notice.

"I really wish I was more specific when I drew my submission for my costume, I didn't mean for it to be skin tight, it's kinda embarrassing." She confessed, rubbing the back of her neck and smiling sheepishly. When she turned her attention back towards All Might, Minoru came up to him holding his thumb up.

"Hero class is the best." He said, a perverse grin on his face as he shamelessly checked out Ochako. In response, Izuku caught his eye and forced enough faux killing intent into his gaze for it to be believable, resting a hand on the short pervert's shoulder.

"You shouldn't be doing that, you're here to be a hero, right?" He asked calmly, though his body language suggested that he wasn't calm in the slightest. Izuku and a now shell shocked Minoru turned their attention back to All Might as well, just in time to catch Tenya's question.

"Sensei, will we be using the same testing grounds as we did during the entrance exam?" He asked, raising his right hand robotically.

"That is not the case this time, Young Iida. Today, we'll be conducting an in-door battle trial. While most of the televised battles against villainy are outside, most often battles occur in doors instead. In this hero saturated society, all of our most cunning opponents lurk in the shadows." All Might explained, chuckling proudly as he did. "For this test, you'll separate into 'villain' and 'hero' groups for a two-on-two team battle!" All Might said, planting his hands on his hips in a heroic posture. As he finished his explanation, he received an onslaught of multiple questions at once, being forced to have them go one at a time before continuing with his explanation. "For this trial, the villain team will be guarding a nuclear weapon that they intend on deploying, and the heroes must stop their malevolent plan before it's too late!" He said, reading straight out of the manual as he continued. "If the heroes capture the villains or reach the nuclear core before the time runs out, they win! If the villains manage to keep the core the whole time or capture the heroes, they are victorious!" He finished, putting the book away in exchange for a box labeled 'lots'.

"Your teammates and opponents will be chosen by lottery!" He exclaimed, smiling boisterously at the class as every single one of them sweat dropped.

"By lottery?" Tenya questioned exasperatedly. "Is that really how we'll be doing it?"

Izuku, feeling the need to respond to this, spoke up. "Professional heroes are often forced to make impromptu team-ups with other heroes they might not know, so this is testing us on our ability to do that." He explained, receiving an acknowledging nod from his friend. At that, class 1-A was sectioned off into teams of two. Fortunately, he and Ochako were somehow placed on a team together. His girlfriend approached him giddily, both fists clenched in visible excitement.

"Man, what are the odds of us getting teamed together, it must be fate!" Ochako exclaimed, pumping her fist into her hand animatedly as she approached Izuku.

"I guess so, huh?" He replied as stoically as he could, having not yet grown accustomed to viewing her in her hero costume. He was kicking himself for being as affected by it as he was, but everything he tried to lessen its impact on him failed immensely. The heroic duo made their way to the designated waiting area, deciding to use the five minutes they were provided before the match to create a strategy against their opponents. They knew their quirks, explosion and engine, but they didn't know the layout of the building or the location in which the villain team would conceal the bomb. Arriving in their waiting area, Izuku turned to his girlfriend and addressed the elephant in the room.

"Bakugou's gonna go right for me as soon as we get to him. While I'm distracting him, I want you to search for the bomb and get by Iida, who will probably be guarding it. I should be able to take care of Bakugou and join you, but if I can't, this all depends on you." He explained curtly, a reassuring grin appearing on his features, knowing that he had just put her under a fair bit of pressure.

"Eh? This all rests on me?" She asked, pointing to herself with her index finger and furrowing her brows. "You aren't sure you can beat that Bakugou guy?"

"He and I have had our scuffles throughout the years, but never a fully fledged fight, and never with whatever support gear I saw him wearing before the teams were announced. Bakugou is strong, perhaps one of the strongest guys in the class, so I cannot take him lightly. I said he would be going straight for me, yes, but he's doing that knowing what I'm capable of and likely with a plan to counter my martial arts. He may be a hothead, but he is incredibly intelligent. We can't afford to underestimate him." He responded, running a stray hand through his hair and sighing deeply, only to be interrupted by All Might over the intercom.

"Heroes! Villains! Your five minutes of setup have elapsed, and you may now commence the Trial of Battle! Begin!" The symbol of peace bellowed, all contestants performing their final mental preparations before beginning their search for their opponents.

"Stay by the bomb four eyes, I'm gonna go kill Deku." Katsuki glowered, not even bothering to wait for a response before storming off towards the lower floors.

"What?! You can't just . . GAH!" Tenya responded, pumping his arms in harsh articulation before giving up and pacing around the bomb. Meanwhile, Izuku and Ochako had just made their way up to the second floor when . . .

"DEKU! I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOUR SORRY ASS! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SCHOOL YOU USELESS NERD!" Katsuki screamed at the top of his lungs, rounding the corner and pulling the pin on his right gauntlet, using his left hand to lessen the recoil. Izuku only had a second to think. Ochako was only a few paces behind him, but she was still in the blast radius, so she would be injured if he dodged. His only option was to take it head on.

Just before the explosion went off, both teams heard All Might scream at the top of his lungs over the intercom. "YOUNG BAKUGOU! NO! YOU'LL KILL THEM!" only for his words to fall on deaf ears, his complaints following too late after the initiation of Katsuki's blast. The damage was already done.

Katsuki blinked in confusion when Izuku didn't dodge his attack, his ears still ringing mercilessly. What the hell was Deku thinking?! Contrary to his battle cry, he didn't actually want to kill his useless 'friend', so he pulled that stunt knowing full well that his opponent would dodge . . so why didn't he? He then glanced over at a now shell shocked Ochako, who had now fallen on her butt, tears forming in the corner of her eyes as her ears bled due to her proximity to the blast. It was in that instant that he understood. Was that damned idiot trying to make himself a martyr or something? It was while he was processing these thoughts that Ochako made her move. She was the first to snap out of the trance, remembering their plan before scrambling up and sprinting past a seemingly paralyzed Katsuki, dashing up the stairs and towards where the bomb might be.

In the observation room, the students could see the positions of all contestants as well as the interior and exterior of the battle area. Katsuki's explosion had obliterated half of the second and first floors, leaving the building standing on its last legs, but still standing nonetheless. A lone camera zoomed in on Izuku, trailing up the trenches his feet had made resisting the impact, finding him slouched over, his arms crossed in an X across his chest. His costume was in tatters, the silken shreds remaining giving it the appearance that a horde of explosive moths had ransacked it. It still covered what it was important to cover but not much else. Harsh burn marks were visible on his exposed skin, the fabric of whatever remained of his costume, especially his arms, completely singed.

At the same time, Katsuki had laid eyes on his opponent. Izuku allowed his arms to drop to his sides, slouching over as he did so and throwing up some combination of his lunch and blood from the impact of the blast which he had taken on point blank. Wiping his mouth and standing up straight, he made eye contact with his rival.

"He can still move? What the hell?" Kyouka asked, looking at All Might for confirmation she would not receive, everyone silently begging their teacher to end the match before things got worse, but he stood as still as a statue. This was a chance to see what Izuku was truly capable of.

When Izuku made eye contact with him, Katsuki felt as if his opponent was staring straight through him. He was broken out of his trance when Izuku started bellowing at him, his arms still hanging limply at his sides, seemingly still recovering from absorbing the gargantuan blast.

"I AM THE DEKU WHO'S VIBE IS NEVER GIVING UP, NOT THE DEKU WHO CAN'T DO ANYTHING! WHY DON'T I SHOW YOU!" He screamed, assuming a stance before leaping towards his opponent. From her position hiding behind a pillar hiding from Tenya, Ochako heard his words, her face lighting up in response. Not only was he unharmed enough to yell that loud, but he had also taken her twist on his old nickname to heart.

Katsuki blinked, attempting to dispel the vision of whatever he had just seen and heard, there was NO way Deku was still functioning after taking that hit, right? When he opened his eyes, Izuku had crossed the threshold, leaping up to the second story, right at him. His right arm and knee were now halfway through a striking motion and there was a battle-crazed expression on his face. His eyes were open wide, his irises miniscule specs within his sclera and a manic grin taking over his lips. Katsuki could even briefly see the brilliant coalescing streams that chased his limb's motions as he approached.

Katsuki blinked once more in disbelief, and that's when he felt it. Along each of the pressure points on the front of his body and almost everywhere else, with painstaking precision and lightning speed, Izuku placed unforgiving blows on his target, ending the exchange with a kick that sent the explosive teen careening into the opposite wall, crashing through it and nearly shattering the next one. Katsuki bounced off of the wall and onto the floor, where he remained conscious for several brief seconds before his body surrendered to the pain, his mind going blank. Izuku held the statue like stance of the kick for a brief moment before allowing his body to relax, angling his face towards the ceiling and breathing heavily, re-gathering himself before following in pursuit of Ochako and Tenya. He didn't bother to place capture tape on Katsuki, there was no need. His opponent wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, not after Izuku had damaged him so severely.

"What the hell . ." Eijirou murmured, seemingly awestruck by the turn of events. "He got back up after that . . He's so MANLY!" He exclaimed, clenching his right fist and crying tears of admiration. Despite their initial shock, the class seemed to have recovered enough to sweatdrop at their hardening classmate's antics, and even provide commentary on the match as the observation room erupted with chatter.

"What on earth was that? How was he able to move like that? Surely martial arts alone wouldn't afford him such strength, right?" Momo inquired in a harsh and disbelieving voice, looking to All Might for confirmation just as Kyouka did.

"That was so cool, who knew martial arts could be that strong!" Denki

"This, my young heroes in training, is anti-human martial arts!" All Might announced, thoroughly impressed rather than intimidated by Izuku's display of strength.

"Anti-human martial arts, huh?" Shouto thought aloud. It didn't matter how fast his opponent was or how good they were with their hands. Izuku Midoriya had nothing to defend against raw power.

Meanwhile, Ochako had found the bomb and by association, Tenya. Her friend was pacing back and forth in front of it restlessly, trying and failing to contact Katsuki and learn about whatever the hell was going on. Katsuki hadn't been captured, but neither had Izuku, and from what he could tell the fighting had stopped. What the hell was going on?!

Ochako took note of her friend's plight and used it to her advantage. Her speedy friend was distracted right now, and she just so happened to have a way of sneaking up to the bomb. She carefully touched her chest to de-weigh herself, pushing off ever so lightly from the wall to garner her some momentum, but not enough for her to be noticeable or to overshoot her target.

"Bakugou! Come in, Bakugou! Respond! What's going on? Why aren't you answering me! For heaven's sake, he had to just run off and face Midoriya and Uraraka alone, what was he thinking?" Tenya ranted beneath her, unaware of her presence above him and how she was just a hair's breadth away from touching the bomb when . . .

"Release!" She whispered to herself, allowing gravity to reclaim its hold on her body as she plummeted towards the bomb, securing it for the hero team before her opponent could respond to her surprise attack.

"The hero team WINS!" All Might announced over the intercom.