Chapter 10 Deku: The Telekinetic Hero by sremiehzla

Back to U.A.! A Surprise Return?

Ochako stood outside of Izuku's apartment at 5:45 AM. She paced back and forth, worrying about the details, of course.

'What if I won't be able to keep up in the run? What if he holds himself back for my sake? He seems like he'd do that... Did I dress fine?'

She looked down at her outfit once again. She was wearing a sports bra under her plain white t-shirt, had dark gym shorts on, and wore her running shoes.

'Yeah, that's probably fine. Should I not have brought a water bottle? Well, I can just leave it here if I won't need it... Should I knock on the door? But what if his mom's asleep? Should I just wait out here? Wait, I should just text him! Duh, Ochako!'

She shook her head and sent him a message to let him know she was ready. She ran over the details one more time in her head, then kicked herself mentally for it.

'No, don't get so worked up over this! You need to focus on being a hero! Focus, Ochako! I'm here because I need to become a successful hero, for Mom and Dad. Because I want to catch up to Deku. Because Deku is an amazing hero... Gods, why can't I focus? I didn't even think about relationships or anything before, but after what Kaminari and Ashido said... No! My parents deserve a comfortable future, and I need to give them that before I can think about anything else! Besides, everyone knows high school relationships never work out. This is just a little crush, and it'll pass on its own–'

"Ah, good morning Uraraka!" Izuku said as he stepped out of his apartment and closed the door behind him.

"MORNING!" she shouted in reflex, before covering her mouth with her hands. She whispered, "A-Ah, sorry Deku. G-Good morning."

She looked at his outfit as he chuckled nervously at her reaction. A plain white t-shirt, green gym shorts, and running shoes. He was holding a water bottle in one hand and a towel over his shoulder.

'Alright, looks like I got the dress code down,' she thought in relief. "So, uh, what'll our running route be?"

"Well, I normally go on a 5 kilometer run, but I was thinking of doing about half of that today," he said.

"Ah, no!" she waved her hands at him. "You don't need to hold your training back for my sake!"

"Oh, it isn't that," Izuku assured. "I'm just a little tired after what happened yesterday."

"Oh, yeah," she sighed. "I guess I am too."

"But pro heroes need to face villains like that every day..." Izuku muttered, before his thoughtful expression turned to one of determination. "If we aren't up to snuff, then that's all the more reason to push ourselves! Nevermind, I'm doing the full 5 kilometers!"

"Gueh?!" Ochako sweatdropped, widening her eyes. "S-So motivated..."

"You keep up for as long as you can, Uraraka. Then I can just meet you back here, okay? My mom will let you in."

"Yeah, that sounds fine," she nodded. Pumping her fist, she added, "But I'll try to keep with you the whole time!"

They walked down to the front of the apartment complex and began their warm up stretches. Ochako did her best to follow everything that Izuku did, though she wasn't 100% sure that she succeeded. They started the run at 2 minutes to 6, and went at a pace barely faster than a light jog. The slow pace confused Ochako at first, until she remembered that they'd be running 5 kilometers. It wasn't too long before she was breathing hard, and Izuku had pulled a little ahead of her. She decided to ignore how long she thought it was taking and focus on the actual running part of it. Regulating her breathing, keeping a reasonable pace, and taking long and efficient strides made the top of her list.

After a while, Ochako's thoughts wandered again, 'Geez, I wish that I brought headphones to listen to music while we run. It's not like we would be able to waste breath on chatting even if I could keep up with him. I even lightened my clothes, but he's just more fit than I am. What kind of training did he do with All Might? I know he cleared that beach, but... Whatever he did, the results sure are impressive. I guess I need to catch up... I mean generally speaking, not catch up in this run right now. Geez, I can't keep thinking about other things while I run! Focus on running!'

Which she did for a little bit, before... 'I wonder what Deku thinks about while he runs. He probably doesn't need to think about putting one foot in front of the other. And he's not the kind of guy to think about nothing, so... I doubt he's thinking about what happened yesterday. I personally want to forget it even happened. Maybe he's thinking about the Quirks of our classmates? I know he said he was working on notes for everyone. Or maybe pro heroes or villains? Maybe he's just thinking of what to do after the run. Wow, my side aches. Maybe I should take a tiny break? No, I'll fall behind like that!'

Ochako kept her eyes trained on Izuku's back. Every now and then, he'd turn around and make sure she was still with him, which she was grateful for. She took a sip from her water bottle, doing her best not to spill any as she ran. Her curiosity got the better of her eventually, and she checked the time on her phone. 6:11 AM. They had been running for 13 minutes at that point, and Ochako didn't know how much more she could take. The 'light jog' pace seemed a lot harder to keep than she'd expected. Much to her delight however, Izuku suddenly stopped up ahead. Once she caught up to him, she leaned down with her hands on her knees, taking deep breaths.

"This is the halfway point," Izuku panted. "Drink up, this is a five minute break."

Ochako gulped down about half of her bottle before gasping, "This is only halfway?!"

Izuku scratched his cheek and chuckled, "Well, you can go back if you want to. My mom should be fully awake and ready by the time you get back."

"You're hardly winded!" Ochako sighed heavily. "Man, I'm way behind, huh?"

"Well, it took me a long time to get used to this too," he sighed, drying his face with the towel. "You should've seen me back in middle school. I was a twig," he chuckled.

"Really?" she also chuckled, now regaining some breath. "Did you do this kind of stuff with All Might?"

"Um..." Izuku scratched his head. "Yeah, but mostly Quirk and strength training. Hey Uraraka, have you... told anyone that I trained with All Might?"

"Eh? No, why?"

"Well, I kinda just told you by accident. I don't know if I'm actually supposed to tell anyone."

"Oh? Why not?"

"I mean, it'd kinda change how people think of me if they hear that I was personally trained by the number 1 hero, you know? And I don't want to cause All Might any trouble either."

"I guess that makes sense," she sighed. "Why do you train your body so hard if you have such a great Quirk though?"

"All Might told me to," Izuku shrugged. "He said that I need more than just a Quirk and determination to be a hero, and that I need physical ability."

"I don't think that's necessarily true," Ochako mused. "I guess it depends on what type of hero you want to be, but there are plenty of heroes that rely completely on their Quirks."

"Still, it might just come in handy at some point. And it doesn't hurt to put in some extra work in the long run."

"You can say that, but my side is aching," Ochako groaned. "I think I'll meet you back at your apartment, Deku. Sorry, but I can't run any more."

"That's fine," he smiled at her. "Just knock on my door and my mom will let you in. Alright, I think I've had enough of a break."

Izuku grabbed his things and bent his legs, ready to run, while Ochako put his address into her phone's map. To her surprise, they were only a few blocks away despite the distance they had run.

Izuku waved before starting off on his run, and Ochako called out, "See ya there, Deku!" before starting the walk to his apartment.

'Just how can he do that?' she thought as she took another sip of her water. 'I have a long way to go after all. I already knew he was amazing, but that is too much for me.'

Ochako browsed through social media on her phone as she walked, taking occasional sips of water. Over the few minutes it took, she became more and more aware that she was about to meet Mrs. Midoriya for the first time. She was nervous, and it wasn't just because she was about to meet Izuku's mom. She was nervous because, even though he described his mother as incredibly supportive, he had also made her out to be overprotective. Her own parents weren't that way at all. They practically pushed her out of the house to go to U.A. even though she wanted to help them with the family business. So, she wasn't really experienced with such intense parents and wasn't sure what to expect. But, as she walked up the stairs and up to his apartment's door, she knew she had to get it over with. She steeled her nerves and knocked.

The door opened, and a youthful woman who looked much like Izuku greeted her, "Why, hello!" Ochako was somewhat shocked at how alike they looked, aside from the straight hair sported by the woman who she assumed was Izuku's mother. After looking at Ochako's outfit, the woman asked, "Are you Ochako Uraraka?"

"Yes, I am," Ochako said with a smile and nod of the head.

"Ah, Izuku said you'd be here today!" the woman said brightly, clasping her hands together. She looked around and asked, "Where is he?"

"Oh, I couldn't keep up with the run, but he's still goin'," Ochako chuckled, scratching her cheek. "He said you'd be awake and could let me in."

"Ah, yes, of course!" she exclaimed, stepping to the side of the doorway. "Come in! Would you like anything to drink, or something like that?"

"Ah, no thanks," the Zero Gravity user said with a smile as she stepped in and removed her shoes. "I drank a lot of water, so I'm not thirsty."

"Well, we have plenty of that if you run out! Oh, please take a seat!" Mrs. Midoriya gestured to a door on the left side of the hallway.

As she followed the woman inside, Ochako couldn't help but notice the first door on the right, which had an All Might-themed sign labeled 'Izuku' hanging from it. She chuckled a little bit at it, then followed Mrs. Midoriya into the living room/dining room/kitchen and sat across from her at the table.

"Well, now that we're here," the woman said, holding her hand out to Ochako from across the table, "I'm Inko Midoriya, Izuku's mother."

Shaking Inko's hand, Ochako smiled and said, "Ochako Uraraka. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Midoriya."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you too Uraraka! And call me Inko," she smiled warmly. "Izuku's talked a lot about you!"

"H-He has?" Ochako blushed a little and put a hand on her cheek.

"You and your other classmates of course," Inko clarified with a smile. "It sounds like he made plenty of good friends at U.A, so I'm really happy about that. Though, I'm upset about what happened yesterday. U.A. is definitely a good opportunity for him, but I'm not sure I could let him go if I know he'd be in danger like that."

"Oh, of course we're in no danger!" Ochako said quickly. "The teachers have everything handled real well!"

"They'd better," Inko sighed. "Still, it must've been scary."

"Yeah, kinda," Ochako chuckled. She thought about what Inko said about Izuku making good friends, and remembered that Izuku had been reluctant to talk about any other friends before U.A. If she was going to be concerned, she might as well dig into the issue. "Hey, Mrs. Mid– Uh, Inko... Did Deku not have many friends before U.A.?"

"Deku?" Inko asked. "Isn't that Katsuki's nickname for Izuku?"

"O-Oh, yeah," Ochako scratched her cheek. "I liked it, and I kinda just picked it up, ehe."

Inko stared at Ochako with a blank face for a few moments before smiling again, "Sorry dear, what was your question again?"

"Umm... Before coming to U.A., did Deku not have many friends?"

"Well, he was never very social," Inko sighed. "The only one he spent any time with was that Katsuki."

"His only friend was Bakugo?" Ochako scrunched her face uncomfortably.

"I'm not stupid," Inko sighed. "I know they aren't really friends. Izuku used to come home with bruises and burns. I put a stop to that pretty quickly, but I know they still didn't get along."

Ochako gasped at this new information. She knew that Katsuki had bullied Izuku and was just generally rude, but she hadn't thought that he might have physically abused him. It made her even more upset with the blonde, and even more confused as to how Izuku could forgive him.

Inko saw the worry on her face and assured her, "But you know, he's been so much happier since meeting you and his other classmates. I didn't think I'd ever see him happier than when his Quirk first manifested, but he just might be."

Ochako nodded with a small smile. "So, what was Deku like as a little kid?"

"I could just tell you, but..." Inko considered for a moment before grinning. "I do have some pictures of him."

"Yes!" Ochako said a little too quickly, and Inko chuckled.

Once he finished his run, Izuku took a second to sit on the curb and catch his breath outside of his apartment complex. He emptied his water bottle and wiped the sweat from his face with his towel, then made his way up to his apartment. He hoped that Ochako and his mother were getting along. He wasn't really too worried about that, since he knew Ochako well enough, but he was worried about what his mom might do. He had no idea, since he hadn't ever had a friend over to his house. All he could hope was that she didn't embarrass him in some way.

"Oh my God!" he heard Ochako's voice exclaim from the living room as he walked in. "That All Might onesie is so cute!"

Izuku's face blanched and he bolted for the door. When he opened it, he saw Inko and Ochako sitting at the kitchen table with one of his mother's old photo albums.

"W-W-What are you doing?!" he squeaked, his cheeks reddening.

"Oh hey Izuku!" Inko smiled. "I'm just showing Uraraka here some of our old pictures!"

"DEKU OH MY GOD!" Ochako laughed, holding up a photo of him in an All Might onesie. "THIS IS SO CUTE!"

"Don't say that!" The rest of Izuku's face flushed as he grabbed the picture book. "A-And stop looking at this, it's embarrassing!"

"Aw, c'mon Deku," Ochako chuckled. "Don't be such a party pooper!"

"Alright you two," Inko said, standing up from the table. "I'm going to get your breakfast ready."

"Thanks Mom," Izuku mumbled.

"Thank you Inko!" Ochako said brightly. She turned back to Izuku and said, "Your mom's real nice!"

"Glad you two got along," he sighed. "I was kind of worried about something like this from the start though."

"C'mon! It doesn't make me think you're any less cool, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not," he sighed. "It's just embarrassing."

"Well then, since I somehow keep learning secret things about you..." Ochako racked her head for a second. "What other secrets can I know? A juicy inside scoop on the number one hero? Something horribly illegal that you did once? Anything?"

"Well I'm not telling you anything now," Izuku grinned slightly.

"Fine, jeez," she pouted. "Then... Can I see what your room is like?"

"My... room?" Izuku questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, I saw the sign with your name, and I'm kinda curious about how nerdy it is inside!" she chuckled, grinning and scratching her cheek.

"W-Why does it have to be nerdy?!" he asked defensively.

"Then prove me wrong," Ochako said nonchalantly, standing up and walking towards the hallway. "Unless it's totally an All Might shrine or something, ehe!"

Izuku ran in front of her and blocked the door. "W-What if it is?"

"Calm down," Ochako giggled. "I won't judge or anything. I just wanna see."

"P-Please don't..."

Ochako just laughed and pushed the door open behind Izuku. She took two steps in before involuntarily bursting out in laughter at the amount of 'All Might' around the room.

"Uraraka!" Izuku yelled, covering his beet red face.

"I'm s-sorry D-Deku!" Ochako choked out as she tried to stop herself from laughing. "I-It's even g-geekier than I i-imagined it!" Izuku crossed his arms and looked away as she regained her composure. Once she did, she smiled at him and said, "But you know, I think that it shows your dedication to following your dream and becoming a hero! My room would probably look like a Thirteen shrine if my family could afford it, so I really don't think any less of you for it. Actually, I kinda... think it's cool!"

"Really?" Izuku asked, looking back at Ochako whose blush had widened for some reason.

"Yeah," she nodded, smiling wider.

"Hey kids!" Inko called from the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready!"

"Coming Mom!" Izuku called. He turned to Ochako, "C'mon, let's go."

"Right!" Ochako grinned.

After eating, Izuku and Ochako worked out a little bit in Izuku's home gym, though she wasn't able to keep up with him. She ended up leaving because she wanted to take a shower, though Izuku kept going after she did. Eventually, he took a shower and spent the rest of the day studying and then lazing.

"That Uraraka girl was nice," Inko said as they watched TV that evening.

Izuku looked up from his phone. "Yeah, she is. Hey Mom, why did you have to embarrass me with the photo?"

"Oh come on," Inko laughed lightly. "That's my job as a mother! Besides, she liked it."

"Still, it was embarrassing," he said, looking back down at his phone.

After a few seconds, Inko spoke up again, "Izuku sweetie, you never told me that she calls you by a nickname."

"Oh? I didn't think it was relevant," he shrugged.

"I see," she nodded. "Well, I like her! She's welcome here any time!"

"Oh, that's good," Izuku said, looking up from his phone again. "She said she wants to work out again tomorrow, and maybe Sunday."

"Oh, that's fine," Inko smiled.

The next two days went similarly overall, with Ochako being unable to keep up with Izuku in both the run and weight lifting. They also did some makeshift Quirk training on Sunday. She never brought up Izuku's lack of friends or Katsuki's abuse, deciding that she already knew more than she rightfully should and he was probably happy to avoid the topic. They did talk about the USJ attack though, especially as it became a headline over the weekend.

When Monday rolled around, the class was somewhat talkative. Everyone was still a bit animated because of the events of the previous Thursday, and were talking with their neighboring students.

"Hey, did you see the news over the weekend?" Toru asked Mashirao from across Mezo.

"Yeah," the tailed teen nodded his head.

"All of us were on screen for a second! I didn't stand out at all though..."

"That's true," Mezo said, and Mashirao couldn't tell if he was simply agreeing or being sarcastic.

"Well, it's kind of hard to stand out if you're invisible, isn't it?" he chuckled.

"The media made a huge deal out of it," Denki said, smiling a little too widely.

"I was pretty surprised by it," Eijiro shrugged.

"U.A. is famous for pumping out high-level pro heroes," Kyoka sighed as she fiddled with her earphone jack. "Of course it'd get a lot of publicity if it got attacked."

"True, I guess," Eijiro said with a nod.

"But who knows what would've happened if the teachers showed up a little later?" Sero sighed.

"Those punks weren't so tough," Katsuki scoffed. "Right, Kirishima?"

"Yeah, right!" Eijiro smiled at the blonde. "Bakugo and I took out the landslide zone without trouble!"

"Yeah, well the collapsed zone wasn't too tough once we followed Midori's plan!" Mina said.

"But All Might was awesome!" Sato said excitedly. "He pushed those villains back like fodder!"

"Yes, it's obvious how marvelous his strength is," Fumikage said matter-of-factly, nodding his head.

"Everyone?" Momo called out, standing up at her desk. "I'd appreciate it if you'd quiet down. It's my duty as class president to keep things in order in the absence of the teacher, after all."

"Speaking of," Mina whispered back to Tsuyu. "Who do you think might teach homeroom, Tsuyu?"

"Well, Aizawa Sensei is recovering from his wounds in the hospital, kero," the frog-like girl said with her finger held up to her chin. "So they'll probably give us some pro hero or U.A. staff member as a substitute..."

"Morning," Aizawa's bored voice droned from the doorway.

The whole class simultaneously looked up at their teacher, who had both arms wrapped in casts and his face wrapped in bandages.

"Aizawa Sensei! You're back already?!" multiple students exclaimed.

Tenya raised his hand and shouted, "I'm glad to see you are doing well, Sensei!"

"I don't know if that qualifies as 'well'," Ochako said worriedly from behind the Engine user.

"My personal welfare is hardly relevant," Aizawa sighed. "Because, your battle is far from over."

"Our battle?" Katsuki asked.

"What does that mean?" Izuku muttered. 'I can't imagine it's more villains, right?'

"U.A.'s Sports Festival is going to be here before you know it!" the pro hero said.

"That's such a normal school thing!" multiple people exclaimed with a mix of relief and exasperation.

"Is that smart right after the villain attack?" Kyoka asked.

"Couldn't they attack again?" Mashirao asked as well.

"The upper management of U.A. thinks that this can be a way to show our confidence in our crisis prevention and security," Aizawa said, muffled by the face bandages. "We'll have five times the security that we've had in the past. Besides, the sports festival here at U.A. is too big of a chance for you. We won't just cancel because of some pesky villains. It's one of Japan's biggest events. In the past, The Olympics were a huge event that the whole world went crazy over. But, after major population reductions when Quirks first appeared, they're just a shell of their former glory. Japan now turns to this event, your sports festival, in place of that old event."

"And of course, pro hero agencies will be scouting all of us!" Momo commented excitedly.

"That's how pros will hear about us, and we'll become sidekicks when we graduate!" Denki said, holding a thumbs-up to Kyoka next to him.

"Some people don't have what it takes to move up, and they get stuck as eternal sidekicks," she sighed. "That's stupid people like you, Jamming-Whey."

Denki lowered his head in defeat.

"Of course, joining a popular hero's agency will net you a lot of experience and publicity," Aizawa said. "Time is limited. If you want to be a pro hero, then this'll be your chance to open your future. One chance a year, so you'll have three chances to show the pros what you're made of before graduation. None of you can afford to slack here, got it?"

"Yes sir!" the class confirmed.

The day's classes passed, and lunchtime rolled around. As the students were finishing packing up in the classroom, they talked about the sports festival.

"Man! Even though all that villain stuff went down, I'm getting pumped!" Eijiro exclaimed.

"No kidding!" Sero agreed, bumping Eijiro's shoulder. "If we catch the attention of the pros, we'll have taken our first step towards becoming pros ourselves!"

"It was definitely worth coming to U.A.," Sato said, hitting his fist into his palm.

"We rarely get chances like this, so we can't afford to miss it," Fumikage said, closing his eyes and nodding his head.

"Hey Ojiro!" Toru said excitedly. "I'm really nervous! I need to stand out at the sports festival!"

"You need to try extra hard to get their attention," Mashirao said as Toru cheered for herself.

"Oh, just what'll I do?" Yuga asked Koji dramatically. "I stand out enough just by attending! Sorry, but I'm afraid the scouts won't be able to look away from me!"

Koji stepped back, trembling in fear of the loud and outrageous Yuga Aoyama.

"Right?" Yuga asked excitedly, leaning into Koji's face. The silent boy replied with a rapid nod.

"Shoji, you're lucky," Denki sighed. "Your strength stands out on its own."

"Doesn't matter if I can't show its usefulness," Mezo replied.

"Well, Jamming-Whey will definitely stand out," Kyoka chuckled as Denki stuttered for a retort.

"Wow, everyone's getting so into it!" Izuku marveled, looking at his classmates.

"Of course! Aren't you as well?" Tenya asked the vice president. "We enrolled here to be heroes, so of course we'd get fired up at this chance!" Despite his words, Tenya was incredibly stiff.

"Iida, you have a unique way of getting 'fired up'," Tsuyu croaked. "It's weird."

"Don't you feel the same, Midoriya?" Tenya asked, ignoring Tsuyu's comment.

"Of course!" Izuku grinned. "I can't wait to get myself out there!"

"But you know," Hitoshi sighed, "it's a big incentive for the general studies kids as well. Based on performance in the sports festival, people can be moved in or out of the hero course. My plan was actually to get in through the festival, but I was transferred in by surprise."

"Deku, Iida!" Ochako said darkly from beside them. "Let's do our best at the sports festival!"

"Uraraka, your face looks so determined it's scary!" Izuku chuckled while Tenya looked at the Gravity girl with confusion.

"Uraraka, you look really... well, not Uraraka!" Mina said. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing!" she yelled, before pumping her first in the air. "Everyone, I'm going to do my best!"

Izuku, Tenya, Tsuyu and Mina pumped their fists and agreed, "Yeah!" while Hitoshi abstained from the event.

Ochako swiveled to face Sato, Sero, Eijiro and Fumikage. "I'M GONNA DO MY BEST!"

"Y-Yeah," they said, putting their fists up as well.

"I don't get you," Eijiro sighed. "Your personality is all over the place."

Izuku understood though. He knew how much being a pro hero meant to her, and what it meant for her family. Of course she'd give it her all in the sports festival. Her face did seem a bit too aggressive for some reason though.

"Uraraka, what happened to your face back there?" Tenya asked as they walked down the hall.

"Eh? What do ya mean?" she tilted her head at the Engine Quirked teen.

"I think it was just her determination showing," Izuku said. "It... was a little scary though."

"Eh? It was?" Ochako looked confused for a second before chuckling, "Sorry! Guess I'm just pumped up! I mean, this is our chance to make our dreams come true! How can't I get a little competitive?"

"THERE YOU ARE YOUNG MIDORIYA!" All Might boomed as he suddenly appeared at an intersecting hallway, causing all three students to flinch in shock.

"A-All Might! What is it?" Izuku asked, trying to calm his heart rate.

"Would you, um..." All Might held up a lunch bag. "care to join me for lunch?"

"OH MY GODS!" Ochako burst out laughing. "He asked like a maiden!"

"Umm," Izuku looked at Tenya and then Ochako, who both nodded to him. "Yeah, definitely!"

As he followed the symbol of peace to the teacher's lounge to eat, Ochako and Tenya proceeded to the cafeteria.

"I wonder what All Might wanted with Deku..." Ochako mused.

"I heard that Midoriya jumped out to help All Might during the USJ attack, right?" Tenya said. "That could be it."

"Y-Yeah, he did that," Ochako chuckled. "But it might be about–" She cut herself off as she remembered that Izuku wanted her to keep quiet about his training with the number one pro.

"What is it?" Tenya asked.

"S-Sorry, I'm not actually allowed to talk about that, ehe..."

"What, is there some secret between the two of them?" Tenya asked.

"I-I-I mean," she muttered, looking away. "F-Forget I said anything..."

Shoto Todoroki looked back at the two of them as they talked. 'I thought it was strange when he jumped out, but... A secret between Izuku Midoriya and All Might, huh?' the scarred boy thought. 'Interesting...'

"A-An hour?" Izuku asked, looking up at All Might.

"Yeah," the skeletal man confirmed with a sigh. "That Nomu was tough, and I overstretched my limit again. I can push it to about an hour and forty-five minutes, but then I'd shorten my time limit again."

"I-I..." Izuku let the information sink in for a second. "I'm sorry, I–"

"BUWAHAHAHA!" Toshinori laughed, spewing blood as he did so. "Don't apologize when there's no need! Jeez, we really are similar, huh? Here, drink up." He passed Izuku some tea.

"Oh, thank you," Izuku said as he took a sip.

"To be frank, I don't have too much longer as the symbol of peace," the skeletal hero sighed.

"N-No way..." Izuku looked down into his cup.

"Young Midoriya, do you know why I trained you?"

"Because you saw potential in me?" the green teen guessed.

"Yes, but more specifically..." Toshinori turned and faced his protege. "As the symbol of peace, I do more than just fight crime. I'm called a 'symbol' for a reason! Even if another hero takes up the mantle of number one, there aren't many people with the spirit necessary to bring peace like I have. Izuku Midoriya, I believe that you have the spirit to succeed me one day as the symbol of peace!"

"W-What?!" Izuku's eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped.

"When we trained, you said that you want to save people and show them your fearless smile. You still want that, don't you?"

"Y-Yes!" Izuku nodded his head.

"Then now is the time to show that." All Might stood as tall as he could. "The U.A. sports festival is watched by not only pro heroes, but the whole country! It's a big event! This will be your debut as a hero in training! The next symbol of peace! Not All Might, but Izuku Midoriya! I want you to tell everyone watching that you are here!"

"I-I am here?" Izuku stuttered, attempting to process everything that was happening. "How?"

"You know how the sports festival system works, right?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then you understand that it's the best place to sell yourself to the masses and pro heroes!" All Might said.

"Of course!" Izuku nodded excitedly. "And I'll do my best to stand out so that your faith in me doesn't go to waste!"

All Might let out another hearty laugh. "That's what I like about you kid! You know, there's a difference between those who are trying to do good and those who are aiming for the top. That slight difference in attitude will have major effects on how far you go in society. That's what Plus Ultra means! Never be satisfied! Push to the limit, then keep pushing! Y'know?"

"Yeah," Izuku smiled and nodded. "Plus Ultra!"

"W-Woah," Ochako said in surprise. "T-There are so many people!"

It was the end of the day, and as Class 1-A was was preparing to leave, they were met with a dense crowd of students outside of the classroom.

"Tch, must be here to scope out the competition," Katsuki scoffed. "We were involved with that villain attack, so of course these extras would like a sneak peak at the main event."

"Kacchan, don't say that," Izuku sighed.

"Whatever," he said as he approached the wall of people. "Get the fuck outta the way, cannon fodder!"

"Bakugo!" Tenya yelled at the blonde. "Please refrain from being so insulting to those we don't even know!"

"Don't know?" a voice called out from the crowd, as multiple people seemed to be pushed out of someone else's way. "That might be true for some of the people here, but I'm not one of them!"

Multiple people gasped as a short boy with people spheres on his head pushed through to the front of the crowd.

"I-It's him!" Ochako shouted, pointing at the boy who was transferred out of their class on the first day. She turned and whispered to Izuku and Tenya, "What was his name?"

"It's Mineta, right?" Izuku asked.

"Minoru Mineta!" he confirmed with a grin, pointing his thumb up at himself. "I thought a lot about my loss in that Quirk test... I guess it taught me that I have a long way to go. But... They're moving people in and out of the hero course based on this festival."

"If you weren't good enough a couple of weeks ago, what the fuck makes you think you're good enough now?" Katsuki grumbled.

"I wasn't taking this seriously enough before," Minoru said somewhat confidently. "I'm sure you guys have gotten a little better, and you even have some hands-on experience, but I've been working hard myself. General studies is easy so I have a lot of free time, and I've been using it to practice. I'm getting back into this class, even if I have to boot one of you out!"

Izuku was actually pretty glad to see Minoru's resolve. He worried when the people-headed boy was transferred that he might've been devastated, but he actually used the failure as fuel to improve himself. Still, Izuku had gotten attached to his current class and didn't necessarily want to lose anyone.

"HEY, 1-A!" a boy with silver hair and thick eyelashes that looked more like growths around his eyes yelled as he climbed on top of the crowd. "I'm from 1-B next door! We heard you rumbled with some villains, so I came to see what the hype was about. But all I'm seeing is this arrogant bastard!" He pointed at Katsuki. "You all better represent the hero course well!"

While most of the 1-A students were shocked by the sentiments of the people in the crowd, Katsuki just walked through, shoving people out of the way.

"C'mon Bakugo! You're just making enemies for us!" Eijiro shouted.

"Fuck if I care," the blonde shrugged. "I'm aiming for the top! What they think doesn't fucking matter to me!"

"D-Damnit, that's so straightforward and manly!" Eijiro said quietly, clenching his fist and holding back tears.

"Well... He's right about reaching for the top," Fumikage conceded.

"Don't let him pull you in!" Denki sighed exasperatedly. "He's just making more of them hate us!"

Everyone in class 1-A and even those outside of it were determined to win. They all prepped for the festival in their own ways, outside of school or during their hero training, and Ochako joined Izuku to exercise a few more times. School itself settled into a standard 'boring' aside from the festival preparations, and the two remaining weeks before the event flew by before anyone even realized.