It had all ended. The test, Izuku's journey towards his dreams, and any sensation in his limbs past the mind numbing pain. At least the nice girl was ok. What was her name again? Be didn't remember her giving it. Oh well, maybe he could hear about it from Mina and the rest when they got into UA (Though knowing Mina, she would try to sneak Izuku into her backpack if she had to.)

A short, wrinkled woman with her hair in a bun stepped onto the scene, stopping now and then to evaluate the injuries and to hand out candies. The green-haired boy made out the word "Haribo" but could barely hear the rest. He was more of a Trolli boy himself, but that was beside the point.

He heard some other kids talking about how he risked himself towards the end but it all just became white noise. He had blown it and now he would have to reevaluate his options.

As he shuffled sadly off, Izuku was oblivious to the blue-haired boy from earlier, now eyeing him with concern and intrigue.

X

Izuku stepped out of the office he was taken to for recovery. He had been a bit groggy but was feeling better, if not a little sore still. At least he could move better than before. If only the woman known as Recovery Girl could have healed his crushed spirit. A familiar face came rushing over to take a crack at it, however.

"Dude? You ok? How did you do?" Kirishima ran up, brushing black bangs out of his eyes. He was dressed in a sleeveless Crimson Riot hoodie, Zumba pants, and boots. Izuku smiled, happy to see his friend and surprised by the lack of crocs today.

His smile was short lived as he remembered that he had utterly botched his chances of getting into UA. Not as bad as a goose egg but still disheartening. Still not good enough. This did not escape the raven-haired boy's notice.

"Hey? You ok?"

"I...not really. I messed up. I'm sorry to bring you down or make you worry but-"

The green-haired boy was cut off by a hug. It came out of nowhere but it felt nice.

"Sorry, bro. I know you really wanted to go here. You made your way to this test, saved your freaking bully like a year ago and...I'm Sorry things turned out rough. I should have believed in you."

"K-Kirishima...you're crushing me."

"Oh. Right. Sorry, man. About crushing you. And the test"

"It's ok. I probably should have expected as such in the end."

Izuku felt like talking Kirishima everything. Even if the boy had been doubtful in the past, he was nowhere near as bad as Bakugou. It hurt to have a friend doubt him, but Kirishima was on par with Izuku's mother in that regard: someone close and dear to him who unfortunately doubted him.

But now, that same boy seemed so utterly concerned and guilt stricken. The truth was that Izuku had forgiven him but that the gesture still helped soften the blow of failure.

The green-haired boy didn't wish to worry his friends any further and was about to head home until he remembered he hadn't come alone. He wondered how well his girlfriend had done. Moments later, he would get an answer.

"IZUKU! BABY! WHERE ARE YOU!" a voice rang faintly, getting closer until Izuku once again found himself on the ground with Mina on top of him.

"M-mina...people are looking. Also I am still kind of sore."

"Let em look. I want to love my boofle." The pink girl nuzzled Izuku and used her cutesy term for "boyfriend" before relenting and helping the boy to his feet. She knew that PDA could still cluster the boy and he was likely still sore from the test so she brushed him off and stood back, offering a hand.

"What's wrong?"

"...failed…" The green-haired boy exhaled as his eyes drifted to the ground, too dry for tears to fall. It still hadn't fully registered with his body. It was like having a dream go south very quickly and not being able to do anything until you woke up.

Mina could barely make her boofle's words out but his body language spoke volumes. She was fluent in physicality. She was a dancer since a young age and on top of that, was always rather animated since she was a toddler. Even if Izuku was more timid than her in general, the acidic teen could tell something was amiss without having to ask him to speak up.

"Want to talk about it while we head home?" The pink girl looked worriedly at her boyfriend, reaching out a hand and making grabby motions with it until their fingers intertwined.

The two rode the train together in silence at first, with Mina stroking her partner's hair and kissing his cheek at random intervals.

"I'll give you some of my points if I can. I'm not letting it end like this."

X

Mina felt crummy. She knew she shouldn't have. She did pretty awesome and made new friends. Her entry into UA seemed likely. She squeaked by in the written portion but she had the practical portion down pat.

And yet to see her boyfriend so crushed after feeling inspired, she felt crushed too. His dreams were dashed just as they were within reach. She knew more than anyone else how hated he had worked, save for All Might and Izuku himself. She had seen the results and even made comments on them herself, albeit sporadically and clumsily during the initial ride to UA.

All Might had never contacted them afterwards, and never responded to any messages. It became pretty evident that the symbol of Peace had been using burner phones to keep in touch with Izuku during his 10 month training.

The crummy feelings continued when Mina had to duck out on Izuku along with Kirishima and Tsuyu. Granted she had spent time with him before and after, even getting permission to stay the night at the Midoriya residence to provide confidence.

They had breakfast before she had to depart and Izuku, Mina doing her best to cheer Izuku up, bringing up his accomplishments and the times she proved how heroic he could be: from rescuing a boy he had every right to not want to save to speaking out in her defense at those random punks a few weeks before the test.

One of the few chances they had for a date during those training months and they had still managed to bump into some fringe anti-mutant weirdos, who tried recruiting Izuku to their cause until it was evident he had no interest. Luckily they never saw those creeps again, but Mina appreciated it, even if she could have stood up to them herself, knowing she had someone in her corner made her smile.

And yet bringing up those moments and little accomplishments rang hollow to Izuku. Mina knew this and would just have to be there for him. Not now, however. Instead she had to leave him for now and he secretive about it.

She hated it. Being secretive towards her boyfriend left a bad taste in her mouth, especially when he was at his lowest. But it was just for a day. She would make it up. They all would. They had to visit UA again, in order to get Izuku in. A second chance seemed unlikely, but if they could sacrifice some of their points, maybe that would be enough. It is the least they could do.

Mina brought up the idea on the ride back from the test but Izuku had faked a smile and said not to worry about it. He was happy for his friends. They would likely get in and they deserved it. But he was still processing his loss and the anxiety over if he would even get a letter and what it would say.

The three friends met up at the UA gates and nodded at one another, ready to do what had to be done for their friend.

But to the Pink girl, that was unacceptable. The formerly quirkless boy deserved this chance, deserved to see his work and perseverance pay off.

And even if it was selfish, Mina thought she deserved to go to high school with her boyfriend. She wanted to see him every day and be there with him. She saw him when she could but high school would be harder than middle school and UA was different than her old school.

Even if becoming a hero was her dream, it just felt wrong without Izuku there. He was her biggest cheerleader and she was his.

Mina looked over at Tsuyu, who croaked in determination. She knew it was silly to get involved Like This but it was the right thing to do. She couldn't stop Kirishima or Mina if she wanted to. And she didn't want to. Her friend had dreamed of this and had tried. If she couldn't stand by those in need, who was she?

Kirishima was right on board with Mina, having recently dyed his hair. It was a shock, of course but she had accepted it easily. She had her horn buddy, her perm partner, and her froggy friend. If this wasn't a squad, the pink girl wasn't sure what was.

She looked back at Eijirou with concern. He was already self conscious about his quirk and being unable to stand up like his friends had. But he also felt guilt for not believing in Izuku enough and wished to make amends.

"When you get past this, these worries of yours? Come to us"

Mina's words that day echoed in her head and in her friend's. He still had yet to see Izuku since his new look, but the boy would no doubt say the same thing.

Bucking up, the newly-minted redhead looked at the pink girl on his right and the frog girl on his left. Both had hands on his shoulders and, choking back manly tears, he returned the favor. However this was not about him.

"For Izuku."

"For Izu. Let's go do this!"

And with all the fact and finesse she had in her body, Mina burst into the UA teacher lounge like Phoenix Wright, a loud boy behind her and a green-haired girl sighing at the side.

X

"Izuku? Sweetie, are you ok? Please stop smiling at your fish!"

A week had passed since the entrance exam and Izuku was beside himself with anxiety as he stared into the soulless eyes of the cooked fish he was eating. Mina was home with her family, likely awaiting her letter. There was no doubt Mina got it and would be around to show it off. She deserved it and Izuku wanted to be proud. He was proud.

But his deep sense of dread and failure made things difficult. Maybe he could get in through general studies. That way he and Mina could go to school together, but even that was a shot in the dark. He snapped out of it to see the look of concern on his mother's face. He wished he could tell her more. He had decided that it might be best to keep All Might's secret so he could continue being the symbol of peace, but he hated keeping secrets from his mom.

Even if she hadn't believed in him the way he had hoped, she was still his mom. She loved him and showed pride. Plus mina knew. Letting the two most important women in his life in on it couldn't hurt right?

Inko spoke about how she hadn't seen Mina in a few days and asked if everything was ok. She was also surprised at Izuku manifesting a quirk, especially one that didn't seem to have any connection to her or her husband's. Still, who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth?

The two finished their meal and Izuku started working out, phone at his side in case his mentor, friends, or girlfriend called. They would likely give news. Sure enough, Kirishima and Tsuyu had and asked about his letter (to which he responded in the negative) , but nothing from All Might or Mina yet.

"You should get your letter today or tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah…"

"If it helps, I'm proud of you for trying…" the boy's mom said gently as she cleaned up. Her son responded with a soft "Thank you", still lost in thoughts.

The boy trained with a furrowed brow, finding bicep curls to be off my therapeutic, though his mind still reflected on the pros and cons of keeping his friends and family out of the loop and whether or not he was worthy of this quirk afterall. Maybe he could give it back and All Might could pick a better successor.

"Izuku"

Maybe he could try another hero school. Would they accept him? Shiketsu was a bit further away and a little more military in its sensibilities.

"Izuku!"

Or maybe just a regular high school. Perhaps he should aim to be a police officer or follow in his dad's footsteps, though who knows how it would work out between he and Mina. Was it too early to think about that? God, his head was swimming.

"IZUKU!" Inko's frantic yelling caught her son off guard and dragged him out if his mumble storm

The stout woman rushed in with two deliveries: a letter from UA in her trembling hand and a smiling pink girl standing over her, grasping a similar one.

"Hey, babe! Hope I didn't catch you at a bad time but it seems I didn't. Look what we got! I never opened mine yet. I wanted to open it with you." Mina grinned, offering hers.

Before the boy could congratulate her, she had cleared Inko like a hurdle, apologized for doing so, and said hello. In a moment, the pink girl had spun around and hugged Izuku.

"C'mon! Moment of truth!"

Izuku smiled at his mom and helped her up before being dragged to his room, grabbing the letter on his way.

"We'll keep the door open." The youth promised before he was spirited away.

Inko merely smiled, trying hard born to cry. She hadn't believed in him when she should have. She loved him and wanted to protect him, but what kind of mother could she be if she couldn't stand by her son, blaming herself instead.

No matter what, Izuku had stood up for a former friend, made new ones, and had a girlfriend. He had started getting in shape and made a valiant attempt at getting into UA. No matter what, her heart swelled. Her little boy was growing up.

X

"So should we watch them at the same time?" Izuku fiddled with his hands, heart thumping from the moment of truth that looked ahead. He and his partner in puff had opened the envelopes: Izuku opting for a letter opener while Mina just tore hers open.

"It might be harder to hear one over the other. I can watch mine after." Mina said, realizing the audio issues as she spoke them out.

"If that's the case...could you go first?" Izuku was tense. He wanted to postpone the inevitable as much as possible. Mina frowned but went along with it.

"Miss Ashido. My name is Nezu, principal of UA. I would like to congratulate you on your expert performance. You did decently enough on the written exam but where you really excelled was the practical exam. You scored a total of 41 villain points. While you weren't in the top 10 per se, you really proved yourself. There is more to say, however I must apologize as it goes into someone I was informed may be accompanying you and our newest faculty member ask he not be spoiled. I look forward to seeing you at UA, Ms. Ashido."

After Mina's wrapped up, the two looked at one another. 41 was an impressive score for sure. He expected no less. However something was odd? Did the principal know Mina was dating him? How did he know? What the hell was he even? And who was this new faculty member.

The young couple were greeted by someone they both recognized clear as day.

"THIS IS A PROJECTION!"

"NO WAY! HE'S GOING TO TEACH AT UA?" Mina localized before Izuku had a chance to.

"HOLY STINKING SUPER CRAP!"

"Izuku...Snrt..Oh my god. please never say that again…" Mina tried not to giggle.

The two continued watching.

"I have no doubt you are in good company but this is your letter so I will address you personally young man. I trust that is ok with Miss Ashido, so I shall begin."

Mina nudged her boyfriend with her elbow as All Might continued, maintaining his muscle form the full way through. It must have been straining, but the two hung with anticipation in every word.

"Apologies for taking so long. There was a lot to deliberate on.I am in town for one reason and one reason alone: to teach at. UA!"

The pro spoke, cutting himself short slightly to converse with some coworkers off screen before getting to the meat of the matter. Apparently he had more to say to Izuku personally but it could be said later. The news of the symbol of peace teaching Mina and friends at highschool was certainly a lot to process but they had not yet scratched the surface.

"Let me get to the point then. Getting zero points on the practical, no matter how you did on the written exam, means failure. You did manage some points, however that is barely better than nothing. As such, it would not be enough to get in."

This crushed Izuku. He was afraid of this but knew deep down that it was true: He had botched it.

"But hold on. The story isn't over yet! Please stay tuned!" All Might gestured on screen, voice booming as he did so. Mina squeezed her boyfriend's hand as his head perked up to follow his idol's instructions.

The video cut to another familiar face: the nice brunette from that day who had saved him, twice in fact. He choked back tears as this girl he didn't know and who hadn't learned his name either, was willing to sacrifice how ever many points it took to help him pass. It was a gut punch. She met his sacrifice in kind and embodied all he wished to be was a hero. He hoped to be friends with this young lady if it was possible.

And he now knew her name: Ochako Uraraka. She gained 45 rescue points for saving him from a nasty fall, while he himself gained 60. It was also revealed that Mina had 14 rescue points. Less than her boyfriend or the brunette who saved him, but still better than some others. It made sense now what Nezu meant by more. All Might knew the two teens would likely be together to read their letters and didn't want to spoil his protege just yet.

The formerly quirkless boy would have been content with that but he knew in his gut that he had others in his corner. Sure enough, his gut was right.

"But wait, Young Midoriya. You can't forget about your comrades. Looks like you have touched some hearts already." All Might's voice boomed before shifting focus again.

Next came a similar scene but with a couple familiar faces. It was one Mina recognized all too well, freckled cheeks flushing slightly as she smiled. The pink girl had burst into the room in a hurry, speaking frantically and making her case until she was violet in the face. Tsuyu tried to keep her grounded while Kirishima similarly offered points too.

The Pink girl shifted in her seat (which was just a spot on Izuku's mattress) and gave a sheepish smile.

"Sorry for ditching you out of the blue that day. I knew you would say no...You did, in fact. But I just had a hunch, you know? That you would have wanted it, even if you're not great at localizing without stammering. Tsu and Kiri insisted on coming along too."

The tears were starting to gush now. He felt so silly for getting paranoid about them not wanting to be around him anymore. He should have known better by now. Those years of anxiety and depression and now he had a support system he was eternally grateful.

What came next demolished whatever was left of the floodgates in his tear ducts. Mina squeezed his hand again and smiled widely, eyes leaking emotion as well.

"Young man, welcome to your Hero Academia. Congratulations to you both and I look forward to seeing you in class."

Mina and Izuku hugged, jumping up and down, laughing and crying as it registered for them both. They did it. They would both train to be heroes! All Might would be teaching them, and best of All, they would be classmates! Mina hurriedly texted their friends the news with Izuku's blessing and the celebration commenced

The two burst out of the latter's room, shaking, tears staining their cheeks. Inko was concerned by the commotion at first until she saw their hopeful, smiling faces.

"Mom! We're in! I get to go to UA!"

"We get to go to school together!" the cheery acid girl chimed in like a loud, clear bell.

And with that, the middle-aged woman embraced the two teens and laugh-cried alongside them. Dreams did come true. Tomorrow could bring darkness and challenges and all sorts of changes but none of that mattered in this moment. This was the beginning of a brand new story and they were excited to see where it went.

And there we have it. This ride is over. Man, this thing has gone through several hiatuses...hiatii? I dunno. What matters is that this story started way back in 2017 as a one-shot and turned into my most popular and probably best written fic.

It is sad to see it end and I will always feel like I can improve, but this is where I chose to end it, a while back. It is probably the best point to end on: the beginning, essentially.

Some plot points might seem hurried, in small part to trying to juggle other projects and just life stuff. After I wrap up all my MHA stuff, as I have probably repeated to annoying degree, I am taking a break from the series to work on other random and even some original stuff of my own.

However, I left this ending open for a reason, and not just because it somewhat adaots the 4th chapter of the manga.

I have more ideas that I might eventually explore in a sequel: You Say Run.

Plans for mixing things up a bit, plans for developing Bakugou as I don't hate him but I wanted to call attention to him being a bit of a twat early on, especially in light if this Izuku having a support structure: friends who don't beat him up and tell him to commit Die.

But I am getting ahead of myself. For now, I want to say that while there are things I could have done better, I am so proud of this little fan fic and the fans it made. I might not be the most popular and my fics barely get the audience of an Awkward Energy or Spider of Peace but I am honored by all if you and hope you continue to read my meager prose.

You all rock and I love you! See you on the next adventure!

Peace! XOXO

P.S.: Expect extra chapters of Reptile and Meet and Greet this month and next to make up for a lack of updates. I have a commussion to still finish but I already have all things started so I will get them out asap.

I look forward to not just lightening my load but giving you all the conclusions you and the characters deserve.

So look forward to that