7

Chapter 7: Erect the Pillar

Who would trust a pillar, a foundation, without knowing how much it could withstand? Who would trust a knife without knowing the sharpness of the edge?

Everything must be tested. Failure is another step to success.

Success, of course, is always preferable.

…

The day of the Yuuei Entrance Exam dawned overcast and grey, a blanket of damp wool pulled over what would've been a nice day.

Izuku sat at his desk, slowly reading The Red Tome with one eye as the other watched Himiko dress. Her form was one he knew intimately, but every time he beheld it again, it was like the first time all over.

Her hair was a bit longer these days, still the same soft, messy blonde but down around her shoulders. She'd always been athletic, but after years of training she had the body of a gymnast, her arms and legs visibly packed with tight, lean muscles but with a layer of softness under the skin. And with her nudity, he could admire the fullness of her breasts, the roundness of her bottom and the swell of her hips, the flexing of her muscles as she lifted a leg and began to pull her outfit on.

"You're staring," she murmured, glancing at him from the corner of her warm, honey-colored eyes, a smile tugging at her slim, satin lips.

"You're beautiful," he stated simply.

Himiko blew him a kiss and paused, wiggling her hips experimentally and squinting. "…Y'know, Mei said it's comfortable enough that I shouldn't have to wear panties, but I think I will anyway."

Izuku hummed in agreement, taking the outfit off her hands while she pulled on some undergarments. He rubbed the material, somewhere between spandex and cotton, with his fingers and remembered how they'd acquired it.

…

How They Acquired It (A Week Ago)…

"Doctor Okuto?" He asked in surprise, seeing the tall, redheaded woman standing awkwardly outside of Mei's shop, poking the microphone.

She jumped and spun, eyes wide behind her glasses. "Oh! Midoriya-kun! I didn't know you'd be here…" She blinked at the blonde at his side, "And who is this?"

Himiko waved, "Toga Himiko, Sensei. Nice to meet you, but I'm wondering why you're here. Mei called and said she had something to show us. Sounded really excited, too."

"She did the same to me," the woman shrugged helplessly and waves at the door, "She didn't say how to get in, though."

"Oh, let me," Izuku stepped forward and spoke his name, getting the usual robotic greeting.

"'Father,' eh?" The Doctor asked with a smirk as he led them inside, "I thought you said you weren't scientifically inclined, Midoriya-kun."

He shrugged, face red. "I just help her put some of her babies together, that's all." Pushing open the door to her workshop, he made to call for the inventor when something slammed into his chest.

"Midori!" Mei shouted excitedly, bouncing with joy as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I did it! I did it!Ididitididitididit!"

"Did what?!" Izuku gasped, half-carrying her so she wasn't doing such a good job of choking him out.

She pointed grandly at a mannequin nearby, bearing a leotard of what looked like red and black spandex, though the bottom widened out into short-like legs. "I finally created a super-stretchy outfit for Hemiko!" Then she hopped down and skipped to her workbench, slamming into it with her stomach in her enthusiasm. "I upgraded this!" She held up the thick, sectioned belt, then a glove and a holster containing ten shuriken with a blue center, "And I finished these!"

"You did?!" The blonde squealed, zipping up to the outfit, her hands groping at the mannequin, "How?!"

"After the Expo I realized I got some of Doctor Okuto's goo under my nails so I decided to study it and while I couldn't recreate the whole thing I substituted different materials until I found that a mix of kevlar, rubber and synthetic cotton worked the best! And the greatest part, it's always shape-conforming!" Mei babbled, clapping her hands together with a beaming smile, "I'll show you! Put it on!"

Himiko immediately began stripping with no concern. "Miko!" Izuku squeaked, quickly stepping in front of the Doctor, "Guest!"

Okuto turned around with a cough, pulling her lab coat up over her head. "Excuse me a second," she muttered. "Hatsume-chan, is this why you invited me here?"

Mei blinked and turned to look at the doctor. "…When did you get here?" She asked blankly, before shaking her head, "Uh, yeah, I made some stuff using your goo as a base. Isn't it cool?!"

"I'll determine that when I see it in action," the doctor demurred, reaching back and tapping Izuku's shoulder. "Is it safe?"

Himiko, having ignored him entirely, had stripped down to her underwear and pulled the suit on, except that it seems oddly baggy. "Yeah, I guess," he said sheepishly, just then remembering that the doctor was also of the female variety and thus had probably seen her fair share of female bodies. He appreciated her respecting their privacy, though.

"See, it's all limp until…" Mei pulled the collar up and closed it, the entire outfit tightening until it was snug around Himiko's body, "The simple circuit is completed, and then it shrinks! If you turn into a bigger person, it'll stretch to fit! If you turn into someone small, it'll shrink with you!"

The blonde changed, her form bulking out into Izuku; and while it was a bit weird to see himself in a leotard, said article of clothing stretched to fit his body perfectly. Then she became Sukuro, the outfit billowing slightly before shrinking down to hug her form. "Hot damn!" She murmured, tugging on the collar, "This is fuckin' awesome, Mei!"

Mei grinned widely with her hands on her hips. "That's right!" Her smile fell slightly, "Although-"

"I would assume that given the extra materials, the outfit doesn't entirely retain the elasticity of the geliform base?" Okuto asked clinically, tugging on the material around Himiko's upper arm.

The pink-haired inventor frowned. "Yeah, I was about to say that," she muttered, scratching her cheek, "If you switch between a large form and a small form a bunch of times, the suit will take a bit longer each time to readjust. I'm working on another version that should eliminate that problem…" She turned to an amazed Izuku with wide eyes. "…Did I do a good job?"

He opened his mouth to give the obvious reply, only for Himiko to zip in front of him, grabbing the inventor in a tight hug. "Of course!" She cheered, rubbing their cheeks together with a massive smile, "This is so awesome, Mei!"

"It really is!" Izuku enthused, wrapping his arms around both girls. Mei blushed, her eyes going wide before she relaxed against his shoulder with a silent sigh.

"Indeed, it's impressive what you've managed to create, extrapolating from such a small sample size," Doctor Okuto added, adjusting her glasses with a small, challenging smile, "I wonder what else you could create?"

Mei grinned in reply and moved towards the bench as the two other teens let her go. "I already did! This is-!"

"Izuku?"

…

Izuku looked up from his reminiscing, blinking at Himiko. She stood in front of him, clad in a black sports bra and panties with her head cocked curiously. "Hm? Oh, right," he stood from his chair and stretched the top, offering it to her, "Here, let me."

She grinned at him. "You just wanna see my ass up close," she teased, already stepping in. As he pulled it up, she wiggled again. "Yeah, that's better."

He brought it up over her arms and paused to kiss the back of her neck, getting a pleased shiver from her before he linked the collar and it tightened on her form. "Comfortable, Miko?"

Himiko shook her head and pushed down on his shoulders until he was sat on the floor, then she curled up in his lap. "Now, I'm comfortable," she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder, "You were looking at The Red Tome, weren't you?"

"Trying to see if I couldn't find any unarmed moves I could adapt to my armor, but almost all of them are close to lethal, if not disfiguring. The only one remotely close is The Keyhole and stabbing people with my finger isn't going to make me popular," he explained, reaching up to grab the tome and opening it up to his previous page, depicting a figure stabbing another just below the neck with their forefinger. "It's also kinda gross."

She hummed agreeably, tucking her head into the side of his neck. "I think we need to just relax a bit, Zuku," she said, her form shifting into that of Sakura, cherry blossom hair spilling down her back, "And I know just how to do it…" The blossoms wavered as if brushed by a breeze, a gentle scent emanating from the buds.

He sighed and nuzzled the top of her head, taking in the soothing aroma. "And to think, we found out about this because you wanted to cuddle…"

…

Cuddle Time (About A Week Ago)…

"Izuuuukuuuu…" Toga whined pitifully, kicking her feet on the bed as she rolled over to give him a sad look made extra effective by her honey eyes and dilated diamond pupils, "Come cuddle with meeeee…I'm sleepyyyyy…"

Izuku chuckled and ran his fingers through her hair, "I will in a bit, I just want to finish this section before I do," he replied, holding a up paperback with the title 'Yuuei Rules and Regulations,' "It's kinda dry and there aren't as many rules as I expected, especially for teachers, but it's interesting."

Himiko let her face drop into the mattress with an emphatic, "Ugh. Rules." She shook her head, growling, "Rules. For Heroes. Uugghh…"

"It's not that bad, Himiko," he added, watching her shiver dramatically with a smile, "Especially the part I'm on. If I'm reading it right, it says you can take support gear into the Entrance Exam if you register it first. I should do something nice for Yu-senpai for giving this to me."

"You could give her something in return," the blonde offered with a smirk, waggling her eyebrows.

He closed the book and tapped her on the head with it, "Shush, you. I should do something nice…but I think she just wanted to get rid of some old stuff," he flicked the cover open, "I think she used it for autograph practice and just for that rule, because it's pristine, otherwise."

"Wow," Himiko drawled sarcastically, "I wish I could complain about the gifts an insanely hot blonde bombshell gave me after I wrestled her to the ground and put my hands all over her body in the name of training." She grinned toothily as Izuku gave her a flat look.

"You know you'd be more than welcome to join us on Fridays," he pointed out, before zoning out for a second as he imagined the girl before him grappling with Yu. "A-anyway, I'm not the one who went to a hot spring with her, or went clothes shopping a couple times."

"You could've," she pointed out.

"I doubt Yu-senpai wants a boy around during a girls night out," Izuku replied, blinking as she gave him a dry look. "What?"

Himiko shook her head and changed tack, rising from the bed with a sultry smile, "Are you saying you're jealous that I got to see her naked? Or…do you find the idea of me and her, bereft of clothes…an arousing idea?"

"Yes," he said bluntly.

She grinned. "Oh dear, I wonder what-" her form shifted into that of the woman in question, her pajama shirt (his shirt) still oversized but now dangerously short, leaning over and giving him a rather square look down her cleavage, "-Yu-senpai would think if she heard you say that?"

Izuku arched an eyebrow, eyes carefully locked. "I'm not blind or gay, so I'm fairly certain Yu-senpai knows I'm attracted to her, Himiko."

Himiko sat down in his lap, looping an arm around his neck to press her prodigious bust to his chest. "Sure, but does she know that…" she ground her rear into his crotch with a moan, "She gets you erect?"

He didn't blink. "Himiko?"

"Mm?"

"If you don't knock it off, we're not gonna have our after-workout 'cooldown' tomorrow," He warned, narrowing his eyes at her.

She blanched and immediately changed back, "Alright, alright! Jeez, won't cuddle with a girl, won't let her have fun…I'm starting to think you don't like me…"

Izuku set the rulebook down and switched off his lamp before picking her up, bridal-style. "Of course I don't like you…" he kissed her firmly and carried her to bed, "I love you."

"Cheesy," she teased with a smile, stroking his cheek. As he lay down, she shifted so that her back was cushioned by his chest and changed into Sakura. "Gimme complete cuddles, please?"

The flower-haired girl was taller and thinner, and thus it was easier for Izuku to completely enfold her in his embrace, which he did so, tangling their legs together and hugging her to his chest as he nuzzled her hair.

They lay there for maybe two minutes before Himiko began to shift, not-so-subtly rubbing him with her rear. He sighed, stroking a circle just below her breasts, "I thought you wanted to cuddle?" He growled into her ear, pushing against her.

"Maybe I want to cuddle," she murmured, drawing his free hand up to her mouth, "Maybe I want to play. I can change my mind if I want." She proceeded to stick his forefinger in her mouth and lightly sucked on it.

"Well, make up your mind, I can't do both," Izuku replied, muffling a groan by nuzzling the back of her head. He breathed deep, enjoying the scent of Sakura flowers…and froze. "Um, Himiko?"

"Whaaat?!" She whined, thrusting her pelvis back against his.

"…Your hair smells like flowers."

"No shit!" Himiko growled, "She has flowers for hair!"

"No, I mean like actual Sakura flowers," he added, sniffing a flower, "It's exactly like the real thing."

She rolled over to face him, eyes wide and questioning. Then she squeezed them shut. "How does she do it?"

"She says she imagines the scent of the flower and the shape of the petals in her mind," he hurriedly replied, his heart thumping with excitement.

Himiko scrunched her face up in concentration so hard it was almost comical, her cheeks reddening. And then, the flowers of her hair began to ripple in an invisible breeze, shivering and slowly changing color until the sakura blossoms had been replaced with plum. Her eyes opened, meeting his. Slowly, he pulled a strand of flower-covered hair before her, displaying the different bloom.

"…I can transform into other people and use their Quirks," Himiko stated flatly.

"You can!" Izuku squealed, jumping out of bed to turn on the lights, "Try someone else!" He asked with the widest smile splitting his face.

She rolled out onto the floor, her eyes sparkling as she turned into Ino. "Oh, wait-" then into Sukuro, "-ah, right," then to Mei. "Alright, she can zoom in, so…" She squinted hard at Izuku for a few moments, before stopping. "I guess no-ah!"

He jumped at the sudden yelp. "What?!"

"It's squint, then release," she noted, peering around the room with narrowed crosshairs, "Hey, you have really pretty eyes, Izuku."

"Thanks!" He chirped, leaning under his bed to grab a spare glass ball, holding it out, "Do me!"

Himiko took on his form with a big grin, both of them ignoring that his shirts actually fit him and her preferred nightwear was just a shirt. "How do I do it?!" She asked excitedly, nearly bouncing in place.

He placed the orb in her hand. "Close your eyes," he instructed, and she did so, "Feel the glass, and think of it as a smooth cage containing potential, like a soap bubble. Then…release the potential."

Her face scrunched, and the glass dissolved into white sand. Her eyes fixed on the sand in her palm with amazement, her jaw twitching as it slowly began to orbit her hand. "Holy shit," she murmured, gaze sharpening as the sand slowly formed into claws at her fingertips, "This is fucking amazing, Izuku!"

"I know!" He enthused, grabbing her hand, "Now turn it back into a ball!"

She squinted and the sand crawled into her palm, slowly piling on top of itself into it was a sandy white orb. It was larger than the glass it had once been, being compacted sand, but it was definitely a ball. "Wow…" Himiko breathed, turning sparkling eyes on Izuku, before they went wide. "Ooh!"

He blinked and caught the ball as she tossed it at him. "What?"

Then she turned into Yu with a giant grin.

Yu. Also known as Mt. Lady.

"No!" Izuku immediately tackled her to the floor, pinning her with his arms, "Are you nuts?!"

Himiko gawked at suddenly being on the floor with him above her, before she blinked and flushed in embarrassment. "Oh, whoops-"

"Kids!" Inko grumbled tiredly, pushing open the door while rubbing an eye, "Why so loud-?"

She opened her other eye and found Izuku on top of Himiko-as-Yu, both of them red-faced and slightly sweaty, and drew the exact wrong conclusion.

She stared at them, face slowly getting redder and redder until she resembled a tomato. "Nevermind!" She squeaked, throwing the door shut and fleeing for her room.

Himiko and Izuku traded sheepish looks. "Well, breakfast is going to be awkward…"

…

"Don't remind me," Himiko grumbled in the present, her stomach growling. "Speaking of breakfast…"

Without a word, Izuku tilted his neck and she sank her teeth into his throat. He shivered slightly and hugged her closer. While it was still a bit painful, the knowledge that he was providing her with something she needed made it a happy act for him. Almost pleasurable.

He just knew it was gonna get weird one day.

She drank her fill and drew from his flesh with a sigh and a small lick for the few drops that escaped before he covered the incisions with his sand and let it heal. "Let's get some food."

Together, they rose from the floor and pulled on their clothes. Himiko strapped on the segmented belt, which she still refused to tell him what it was, only that it was the reason she'd gotten so good at hula-hooping, inevitably followed by, "When we go all the way, I'm gonna rock your fucking world."

She also brought with her the Stun Shuriken, as they had decided to call them, just in case they were allowed. They weren't precisely necessary, but they'd help. Above her stretchy outfit, she pulled on a cheap button up and a grey skirt, both easy to pull off in a hurry.

Not having as much, Izuku simply pulled on his workout gear and a shirt and shorts to give him another measure of decency, then hung Sukuro's pendant around his neck after kissing it, and pulled his gloves on.

They headed for the kitchen and found a surprise in the hall; Bakugou Mitsuki. She seemed just as surprised to see them as they were for her, though she recovered quickly. "Inko just sent me to get you guys for breakfast," she explained, gaining a grin, "Something about not wanting to walk in on you two again?"

Himiko shrugged as Izuku groaned and hung his head. "She misconstrued what she saw and won't let us explain!" He complained, face palming, "Nothing like that was happening!"

"Yeah, I bet," Mitsuki snorted inelegantly, turning back towards the kitchen, "At least keep it in your pants until you get your dorms, eh?"

He groaned again but as they approached the doorway, he laid a hand on the older blonde's shoulder and stopped her. The younger blonde continued in, leaving them relatively alone. "Are you okay, Mitsuki?" He asked softly, emerald eyes shining with concern. He'd noticed the tired bags under her eyes, the slight strain to her usual smirk and if he wasn't wrong, her eyes were slightly bloodshot from crying.

She opened her mouth to say she was fine, but paused as he frowned. Instead, she heaved a heavy sigh and offered a sardonic shrug. "…Life never stops changing," Mitsuki said with a grin that was far dimmer than her usual and almost pained. "It falls into a routine and you start to think nothing will ever change…and then it just…fuckin' does. And you're left wondering how the hell it all happened while trying to weather the storm, even as the merciless goddamn winds of change continue to rip it apart…"

Izuku frowned sadly as she looked down and sniffed miserably. Despite the antagonism in their relationship, Mitsuki still truly loved her daughter. It was a stunning, beautiful sadness. "I'm sorry, Mitsuki," he murmured, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly, "Why aren't you with Katsuki?"

Mitsuki snorted in fond irritation. "Little brat told me to fuck off when I offered her a ride, didn't want an old hag like me cramping her style," she huffed, "And I had it allll planned out, too. I was gonna honk the horn, shout 'I love you, Baby Girl!' at the top of my lungs…it would've been awesome. I came to see if Inko would make me breakfast and see if you two wanted a ride instead."

Izuku smiled sheepishly, scratching his cheek. "We were…going to walk and take the subway," he said with a wince and a shrug, "Sorry."

The blonde woman threw her hands incredulously. "Since when do teens pass up a free ride? Ugh, I guess it'll just be us old women, sitting around sipping tea, waiting to hear how our kids did on their big test…" She sighed and slumped, "…Dammit."

He stepped forward and hugged her tightly, his hands rubbing soothing circles on her back. "I really don't like it when you call yourself 'old,''' he murmured into her ear as she hugged him back, resting her head in the cradle of his shoulder, "No matter what anyone, even Katsuki, says, you'll always be the eternally fierce, beautiful Mitsuki to me."

Mitsuki melted into his embrace, smiling as his words slipped in her ear and his arms seemed to just make all the tension coiling in her body just vanish. "You're just saying that…"

Izuku kissed her cheek and squeezed her, always enjoying how soft and pliable on the surface but with a core of steel her body felt. "I'd never just say anything to you," he swore, gulping as he felt his cheeks burn, "…There's a reason I didn't say 'no' to your proposal…"

The fierce blonde woman felt her eyebrows arch in surprise, a soft, pleased smile crossing her lips. "It's a cruel thing, making a woman feel so beautiful, Izuku," she whispered, "She might start to believe it."

"I'll tell you everyday until you do," he said back, his warm hands softly kneading her shoulders.

She sighed and kissed his cheek, letting her lips linger. "You're a good guy, Izuku," she muttered, running a hand through his fluffy green hair, before pushing him towards the kitchen, "You should get some food before Himi-chan hogs it all."

Izuku gave her a small, shy smile, cheeks still pink, and went to do so.

As Mitsuki made to do the same, she cast her eyes to the heavens. What did I do to deserve this? She asked, why is my kid so dumb?...and why can't my damn heart stop skipping?

She expected no answer and received none in turn.

…

Breakfast was light, but filling fare of fluffy pancakes, fresh, juicy fruit and crispy, salty bacon, with tea to wash it down.

All throughout the meal, Inko remained silent, her eyes flickering back and forth between her kids, slowly gathering more and more moisture, her lips trembling. Izuku glanced at Himiko, who winced in preparation for the oncoming storm, setting her silverware down as she swallowed the last bite. "Alright, I guess we should get-"

"No!" Inko cried, dashing from her seat and slamming into Himiko's side, wrapping an arm around her even as she reached out and pulled Izuku to her, "Don't go!"

"Mom," he sighed as she burst into tears, clutching his neck like a lifeline, "We have to leave soon, otherwise we'll miss the train."

The small, green-haired woman nodded fervently, "Good! Then…then you'll s-stay home and won't go put yourselves in d-danger! And my k-kids will be safe and happy and never have to worry about getting…about g-getting hurt!" She wailed, holding their heads to her chest tightly.

"Mama," Himiko murmured, which only made the woman cry harder, "We'll come back, you know we will. But we've got to leave. As nice as it would be to stay here forever, our lives won't wait for that."

Inko sniffled, trying to blink away her tears, biting her lip to restrain the sobs bubbling in her chest. "…I know," she admitted with a hiccup, pressing a wet, motherly kiss to the shapeshifter's cheek, "I j-just want you to be safe. Please, don't do anything h-horrifyingly dangerous like…like…anything!" She kissed her son's cheek and squeezed them both, "I-I wouldn't be able to take it if…if s-something happened to you, so please…promise me you'll be safe…"

Izuku sniffed, trying not to join his mother in crying. Even after years of training, just seeing his mother with wet eyes made him want to sob. "We'll try, mom," he said softly, as he and Himiko hugged her from both sides, "We'll try to be safe, but…"

"Well, being a Hero isn't really safe," the shapeshifter finished, "But we'll try, mama."

Mitsuki sighed and stood from her chair, circling around the group hug, "Alright, come on," she muttered, separating Inko from the teens, the smaller woman spinning around and hugging her tightly, "That's right, headbutt me in the sternum like it's not going to bruise or anything…" She nodded to the door, "You kids better go while I've got her."

"Thanks, ba-chan," Himiko blew the older blonde a kiss and scurried for the door.

Izuku rubbed his mom's back and kissed Mitsuki's cheek one more time before making his way out. "Love you guys! Don't cry all day, please mom?"

"Good luck, you two!" Mitsuki called, hearing the door close. Sighing, she patted Inko's fluffy hair. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Inko looked up at her with watering eyes. "MY BABIES!" She bawled, clutching her best friend's blouse.

"Knew I shouldn't have said anything…"

…

They strolled arm-in-arm down the street and to the subway station, sitting together as the train sped down the tracks towards their future. Mei texted them both, telling them in no uncertain terms that she'd see them when Yuuei began and if they ever thought about getting someone else to do their support gear, she'd build a whole legion of BBs to kick their asses. And then followed up with a smiley face and a wish for luck as her exams were about to take place.

Several other teenagers got off at their stop; most were just chatting, some dressed like it was a day out on the town, but there were a few who were silent and focused, quietly preparing for the ordeal ahead of them.

As Izuku and Himiko passed by an alley, they heard a voice. "Psst!" Someone whispered behind a recycling bin, "Hey, you two! Over here!" Then they ducked back in a flash of blonde hair. After trading glances, the two followed and found a fully-costumed Mt. Lady waiting in the shadows, greeting them with a bright smile and an excited wave with both hands. "Hi guys!"

"Yu-senpai!" Izuku greeted, all of their smiles growing, "What're you doing here?"

"Waiting for you, obviously," she replied with a smirk, amethyst eyes glittering, "I'm technically on the clock right now, but I just wanted to wish you luck! I know you guys'll kill it but hey, a little more luck doesn't hurt, does it?" She skipped forward and wrapped him in a strong hug, her lips smacking as she kissed his cheek. "Good luck!"

"What about me?" Himiko asked as she crossed her arms, pouting outrageously.

Yu unhesitatingly embraced the smaller blonde, her slighter stature resulting in her cheeks being pillowed by the rookie's prodigious chest. "Good luck!" Mt. Lady cheered, kissing Himiko's forehead and then looping an arm around Izuku's shoulders so she could hug them both. "I gotta go, but call me later so we can celebrate!"

And with that, she darted down the alley, leaving them alone. "…See, being shorter has its advantages," the blood-drinker smirked up at him, her cheeks pink.

He shrugged, willing to acquiesce. "Sure, but I also really like being the big spoon," he replied, offering his arm. "Shall we?" And then they continued on the road.

Before they knew it, the large, imposing gates of Yuuei stood before them, a stone walkway stretching out ahead of them, flanked by the busts of Heroes past, leading directly to the imposing facade of the Academy of Heroes itself. Even just laying eyes on the building for the first time sent a thrill of something up Izuku's spine, his heart thumping in his ears as his throat suddenly felt tight. Himiko stroked the back of his hand, taking in the dilation of his eyes and the tightness of his neck.

"I gotta go register my gear," she murmured, leaning up on her toes to kiss his cheek, "Don't hype yourself up too much, okay?" She smiled as he kissed her back and nuzzled her cheek before she let go and headed inside.

Izuku stood alone before the gates, exhaling slowly as he closed his eyes. This is a major stepy…a scary one. All my training, all the time I've spent with Yagi-sensei, with Yu-senpai…with Himiko. All of it has led to this day, these exams…I can't let them down. I won't. I swore I'd-

"Outta my way and outta your head, Deku," Bakugou Katsuki muttered, shouldering her way past him with barely a glance in his direction.

He frowned at her but shook himself. She's right. I can't overthink it, I've just gotta do it. She'll make it for sure…so I'll make it for sure. I'll show her how wrong she was. I'll show her, I'll show everyone, that all it takes to shake the world…is the right pebble, in the right place. He grinned confidently, spine straightening even as his shoulders were burdened with glorious purpose, his stride long and sure as he stepped beyond on the gate, and into the future…

Only to immediately trip on a loose flagstone.

Oh, fucking brilliant, Izuku thought caustiscally, even as he threw his hands out to catch himself…

"Gotcha!" Someone said from behind, something touching his back and suddenly, he was floating, his forward momentum carrying him up. From his upside-down point of view, he beheld just who had done such a thing.

It was a girl. Clad in simple jeans and a hoodie, with a round face topped by a bob of soft brown hair, even from his perspective, he could tell she was cute. Their eyes met, emerald and chocolate brown, and his brain screeched to a halt. GIRL!

Said girl noticed his outstretched hands and sheepishly realized that she hadn't needed to interfere. "Ah, sorry about that!" she apologized, blushing as she rubbed her hands together, "Oh, right! We're not supposed to use our Quirks in public!" She looked down and met his eyes, so dark and green that they appeared to be made of the finest emerald and her brain stuttered. BOY! She touched her hands together, forgetting that he was currently upside-down. "Ah!"

Izuku caught himself on his hands, his shirt falling down to reveal his chiseled abdomen, made almost lewd by the layer of shiny fabric that clung to every ridge like a second skin. As he bent and lowered himself to his feet, his muscles went taut and flexed. CUTE BOY! Her mind helpfully supplied, SHUTTING DOWN IN 5…

Setting himself on his feet and rising back up, Izuku brushed himself down and turned to the girl, finding that his first impression, while right, hadn't done her justice. Her eyes were wide and expressive, colored a deep, soothing brown with plump lips made for smiling and a cute button nose. Along with her round face, seemingly permanent pink cheeks and bob-cut that seemed to be floating, almost, she had an appealing, down-to-earth sort of look that he found immediately charming.

CUTE GIRL! His mind shrieked, SELF-DESTRUCT IN 5… Then he shook himself, noticing her mouth moving quickly but not hearing anything. "I-I'm sorry, what?"

She swallowed her previous sentence, inwardly thanking whatever deity there was as it had been babbled at light-speed, and tried again. "I said, 'are you okay, Deku?' It looked like you had it handled, so I'm sorry I almost dropped you on your head," she rubbed her neck sheepishly, her cheeks darkening as he gave her a searching look. "W-what?"

"…Deku?" He asked flatly. It's only cute when Katsuki does it…ah, shit.

She blinked at him and pointed towards the door, where the explosive blonde had entered, "Yeah, that cute little nickname your friend gave you, I thought it was really nice. Like 'dekiru,' you know, 'You can do it!'" She cheered cutely, pausing uncertainly as he tilted his head at her, "N-no?"

Izuku couldn't help but smile at the adorably confused look on her face, even as he explained, "Deku as in 'useless,' actually…" Although, the way she said it…

"Oh," she said, "Oh," she realized, paling in mortification as she looked away, covering her face, wow, way to go Ochako, nearly drop him on his head and insult him during your first meeting? Nice. "Oh god, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…she i-isn't your friend, is she?"

"Not really, no," he admitted with a shrug, wow, she even makes panicked realization cute. "When I think about it, though…I kinda like the way you saw it, so…you c-can call me 'Deku' if you want," he mumbled, scratching his neck awkwardly, hoping that his face wasn't appearing as red as it felt.

She stiffened, eyes going wide at his offer before her face reddened even farther. "O-okay…D-Deku…"

They looked away bashfully, blushing equally hard. "S-so, what's your name?" he asked, I can't keep calling her 'cute girl' in my head…

"C-c-cute?!" She squeaked, now resembling a tomato.

Izuku gulped audibly. "…I said that out loud," he realized, slapping a hand to his forehead. I thought I got over that?

The girl, still blushing and with a smile, bowed shortly, "I-I'm Uraraka Ochako, Deku…b-but you can call me 'cute girl' i-if you want…"

"Midoriya Izuku," he replied, bowing back before a thought occurred, "That thing you did, with your Quirk…it felt like there wasn't any gravity, is that your-?" His question was cut across by a shrill beep and he withdrew his phone to find an alarm. "Oh crap! The test is about to start!"

"What?!" She looked at his phone and then at her own, "Ah! 'M sorry, Deku, I gotta go! It was nice ta meetcha, I hope we meet again!" Ochako babbled, pulling a ticket from her pocket and checking it before zipping off.

She eventually found her testing room and after checking in, handing in her phone and finding a desk, she was sitting down when she realized Izuku had just sat down next to her with a sheepish smile. "Guess we're in the same test room, huh?"

Ochako had a moment to grin before someone came strutting down the row, and it took a long look at a tightly-clad rear, eyes tracking up over a black leather harness and a large pair of very perky, nearly cling-film wrapped breasts -are those nipples?- to a sultry smirk almost everyone would recognize.

A booklet was set in front of them by The R+18 Heroine, Midnight, her blue eyes flashing with amusement as Izuku and Ochako blushed under her gaze. "Ah, teenagers, so…new, so fresh," she sighed, smirk firmly in place as she stalked to the front of the room, "Welcome to the written exam! I know you're all raring for the physical portion, I am too, but you've gotta work your brains before you can work up a sweat," the legendarily sexy Hero licked her lips and Izuku swore he heard someone faint.

She cracked a riding crop against her gloved palm, the noise echoing through the room, and he noted that it wasn't her usual weapon, so it must've been solely for effect.

"The written exam will last one hour and thirty minutes," Midnight announced, "Barely enough for foreplay, in my books, but keep your eyes down. If I see anyone attempting to cheat, well…" She smacked her hand once more, grinning toothily, "I'll just have to punish you…and not in the fun way. Begin."

Izuku nodded at Ochako, who smiled back, then put his head down, took up his pencil and opened the test book.

Fifteen minutes later, he closed it with a frown. Not because he was unsure; no, he'd known everything that had been asked like it was the back of his hand. It was all fairly basic stuff, except for a few sections that asked about proper procedure when dealing with police after accidental vigilantism. Scowling and tapping his pencil, Izuku was tempted to find a blank page and write in more questions to answer, but he wasn't sure if defacing the booklet would lose him points.

He stretched his legs and his knuckles, trying to get comfortable, but every position eventually made his arms or his legs cramp. Eventually, he closed his eyes and tried to meditate and pass the time. After a good long session, which left him feeling fresh and awake, he opened his eyes and glanced at the clock.

1 hour left.

Izuku silently threw his hands up and cursed internally. Ochako saw his arms move out of the corner of her eye and glanced up at him. He smiled sheepishly and she returned it before looking back down, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration. He thought it was rather cute, but then again that seemed to be her default state.

Not wanting to get in trouble, he cast his eyes elsewhere and naturally landed on Midnight, who was leaning against the front desk looking mightily bored, her gaze sweeping the heads of the test-takers. She met his eyes and continued on before snapping back. She arched an eyebrow and pointed down insistently, wagging her riding crop chidingly.

He knew she meant for him to look back at his test, but from the way she was perched on the desk, it very much looked like she'd pointed demandingly at her crotch. Izuku couldn't help the blood that rushed to his cheeks, not helped by the way the beautiful woman blinked at him, realized what it could've been construed as, and laughed silently.

Refusing to look down, Izuku held up his completed test and mouthed, 'I'm done.' Midnight arched a disbelieving eyebrow and crooked a finger at him. He quietly removed himself from the desk and padded around the room to the front. "You sure you're done?" She asked in a (sultry) whisper, "Once you pull out, you can't put it back."

"I'm sure," he replied quietly, trying not to let her innuendo get to him, "I might be quick, but I like to be thorough." And failing miserably.

Midnight arched an eyebrow at him, her lips quirking in a smirk. "Is that the new way of saying, 'it's not the size, it's how you use it?'"

Izuku narrowed his eyes. "I don't like to waste time, but I'm willing to get my nose in it when I have to. Unfortunately, this time it was rather easy. Pretty much rolled over before I could even get too deep."

She bared her teeth. "Big talk, but boys always talk big when they're trying to cover for a lack of experience."

"I have plenty of experience. I'd offer to show it to you, but I think that'd be inappropriate." As is this whole conversation. What the fuck am I saying?! "Perhaps it's the method? It's too easy with my hands, I'm used to that, but an oral exam…I'd have to work at that."

Midnight grinned, her eyes sparkling, "Girls might be impressed with a tricky tongue, but a real woman takes more than that to open up…starting with a name."

"Midoriya Izuku," he replied, tilting his head down to give her a shadowed look, emerald eyes gleaming, "But it might as well be 'oh god' for how often I hear it."

She blinked at him, and he blinked back, both slowly realizing that it had gone from innuendo to actual flirting. Midnight opened her mouth, paused, and closed it again.

He cleared his throat and hoped his brain wouldn't explode from sheer panic. "I-I'll just…I'll just sit in the h-hall…" As he scurried by, her riding crop tapped his sternum and he glanced at her, desperately hoping that he hadn't just tanked his dream by flirting with the wrong person.

Midnight's eyes were shadowed by her raven locks, glinting like a pair of sapphires buried in obsidian. "Don't be so quick to whip it out like that," she whispered, "Someone might demand you…rise to the challenge."

Izuku licked his lips, heart racing. "…I always rise to the challenge…if it's worth facing."

She grinned dangerously and let him pass. He walked out, feeling like a fish being eyed by a shark and waited for the door to close behind him before clutching his head and screaming internally.

The question of why? Circled in his brain for the next hour, occasionally presented as WHY?! He quietly thumped his head against a wall until he heard Himiko's voice. "Izuku? What are you doing?" He looked up to find her standing above him, frowning curiously.

As he leapt to his feet, the door opened and Midnight stepped out, a cat-like grin crossing her lips as she spotted Izuku. "You better hurry up," she scolded, "Or else you'll disappoint me, and I don't take being turned off very well." She winked and sauntered off with a swing to her hips, and they both stared after her. For different but also similar reasons.

"Damn," the blonde whistled appreciatively, watching Midnight go with rapt attention, "You guys got Midnight? We got Ectoplasm. Not nearly as fun to look at."

"Y-yeah, that's the problem," he muttered quickly, "I kinda, sorta-"

"Deku-kun!" Ochako greeted him as she stepped out, "That was fast-!"

Himiko's eyes had gone wide, pupils slitting with anger as she spun around, "Bitch what've I said about calling him that-!" She paused, finger pointed like a sword at someone she'd never seen before. "…You aren't who I thought you were."

The brunette blinked at her. "Er, yeah, I've never met you. Hi, I'm Uraraka Ochako," she offered her hand.

Himiko took it with narrowed eyes and a tilted head. "…You're cute," she stated simply. "Sorry about calling you a bitch."

Ochako blushed. "O-oh! Uh, thanks…"

"Himiko, we gotta go," Izuku pointed out as a warning bell rang. Together, the three of them hurried to the atrium and looking at their tickets, realized that he and Himiko were together while Ochako was in a different section. After waving goodbye, the roommates found their seats next to a scowling Katsuki, who huffed and ignored them.

Under the low murmurs of the crowded atrium, the blood-drinking blonde leaned over and whispered, "So what were you saying about Midnight?"

"Well, I finished the test pretty quick, it wasn't hard, and then I maybe…kind of…f-flirted with her…" he confessed hurriedly.

She slowly turned to him, eyebrows rising. "…Really? What'd you say?" she asked skeptically. Izuku quickly relayed the event and she leaned back, thinking.

Then she burst out laughing.

"I-It's not funny!" Izuku denied, ignoring the attention her laughter was gaining them.

"It is!" she bubbled, burying her face in his shoulder to muffle her mirth, body quaking with humor. "You…you flirted…by telling her how good you are at going down on girls!" She wheezed into his ear, "To Midnight!" She panted, trying to regain her breath, "I'm a bad influence…and I love it."

Luckily no one else heard her words as a man with bright blonde hair slicked back into a huge mohawk that looked kinda like a cockatiel, with a collar-shaped amp around his neck and a megawatt smile. "FEEL THAT ENERGY!" He called grandly to a mostly-silent atrium, "WELCOME, LISTENERS, TO THE PRACTICAL EXAM! BEFORE YOU HEAD IN, I, PRESENT MIC, JAPAN'S GREATEST DJ, WILL GIVE YOU THE DOWN-LOW ON ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW GOING IN! CAN I GET A 'YEAH!'" He punched a fist in the air, expecting a cheer and receiving…nothing.

Izuku, fully expecting one, looked around incredulously. Why did no one cheer? He asked himself, It's not my style, but Present Mic is one of Japan's greatest DJ's and a Hero in his own right.

"Tough crowd," Present Mic muttered, before clearing his throat, "I LOVE IT! NOW PAY ATTENTION, LISTENERS! IN A BIT, YOU'LL ALL HEAD TO THE TESTING AREAS MARKED ON YOUR CARDS!"

There was a mass shuffle as the testers withdrew their cards from various pockets and whatnot to check. And there, on the front next to the test room and seat number, was a big letter. For Izuku, it was C; for Himiko, A and after sneaking a glance, he found that Katsuki had B.

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANY CROWDING, LISTENERS! YUUEI HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST TESTING AREAS IN THE WORLD, ALMOST THE SIZE OF A CITY! AIN'T THAT WILD?!" Present Mic paused once more, and once more received nothing. Quickly rallying even as his shoulders slumped minutely, he continued, "AND THE BEST PART IS, IT'S ALL REPLACEABLE! GO WILD WITH YOUR QUIRKS, SHOW US WHAT YOU CAN REALLY DO! IT'S WHAT YUUEI IS ALL ABOUT! PUSHING THE LIMITS, TO GO BEYOND! CAN I GET A 'YEAH!'?!"

I don't care how stupid it makes me look! Growling at the silence, Izuku violently stood from his chair and punched his fists in the air. "YEEEAAAHHH!" He didn't even have to manufacture excitement; the idea of going all-out for once had his heart thundering with anticipation.

"WOOOO!" Present Mic screamed excitedly, hair almost seeming to gain volume from his joy, "THAT'S RIGHT! AND JUST WHO WILL YOU PUSH AGAINST?! THESE BAD BOYS!" The screen behind him showed a boxy robot perched on one wheel, with a pair of shields for hands that also hid a pair of six-barreled guns, with the number 1 under it. The DJ Hero paused for effect.

"WOOOO!"

He bobbed his head and threw up a hand, "AND THESE SCARY SUCKERS!" The screen showed a robot shaped like a scorpion with a gatling gun instead of a tail and pincers with electricity arcing between them. The number 2 appeared below it.

"YEEAAHH!"

"AND FINALLY…THESE TANKY BOIS!" The screen revealed an even larger, even boxier robot on tank treads with a pair of missile racks in place of shoulders. Each robot had a single glowing red eye and was colored a deep, military green.

"HELL YEAH!"

"YOU'VE BEEN AWESOME, LISTENERS, NOW IT'S TIME TO STRUT YOUR STUFF!" As the DJ opened his mouth to continue, he was interrupted by a stiff voice.

"Excuse me!" A tall young man with black hair and square glasses stood with a hand in the air. A spotlight snapped on and bathed him in light. "I have a question in dire need of an answer! It states clearly in the pamphlet that there are four robots in the testing area! If this is a mistake, then it shames a storied institution such as this!" He then snapped around to jab a finger at Izuku, another spotlight descending on the green-haired teen, "And you! This is a serious event that may dictate the future of everyone here! Cease the cheering and show some decorum!"

Izuku looked at him, his face expressionless. Then a thunderous scowl creased his face with an almost audible crack.

Sensing the possible argument, Present Mic jumped in. "KILLJOY- ahem, sorry, Tester- NUMBER 7111, THE REASON I DIDN'T BOTHER MENTIONING THE FOURTH ROBOT…IS BECAUSE IT ISN'T IMPORTANT! LIKE, AT ALL!" Another robot popped up on screen, but much smaller than the others and covered with a question mark and a big zero underneath. "IN FACT, THE ZERO-POINTERS ARE MORE LIKE OBSTACLES, DON'T EVEN BOTHER WITH THEM!"

"I see, thank you for clarifying," the stiff teen nodded robotically and sat down.

Explanation thus given, DJ Hero turned back to room at large, casting his hands out widely. "AND NOW, IT TRULY IS TIME TO SHOW US WHAT YOU'VE GOT! IT'S TIME TO PIT YOUR STRENGTH AGAINST THE ROBOT HORDES! EXCEED YOURSELF! BREAK YOUR LIMITS! AND, SAY IT WITH ME! GO BEYOND! GO-!"

"PLUS ULTRA!"

And that time, it wasn't only Izuku shouting their hearts out.

…

After parting ways with a surreptitious kiss for good luck, Izuku found himself waiting by a large steel gate, barring the way to the testing area. Bouncing lightly in place, he felt on edge, nerves buzzing eagerly as he tried to maintain a calm demeanor. Spotting a nervous-looking Ochako a bit away, he decided a conversation might soothe his nerves. He hadn't found out what her Quirk was, after all.

His first step was interrupted by the same tall, stiff teen from the atrium, his glasses flashing. "You!" He declared, chopping a hand robotically, "While there is leeway for becoming caught in the energy of an august presence, that is no excuse to act as a boorish lout when important information is being disseminated. Do you have no respect for your fellow test-takers?"

Izuku cocked an eyebrow at him, crossing his arms. "Do you have no respect for Present Mic? He's one of Japan's greatest DJ's and a Hero, no less. I find it the height of disrespect that no one besides myself would give the man what he obviously wanted and deserved," he retorted with a narrow glare, before bobbing his head, "Yes, perhaps I was a tad wild, but the information was presented visually as well as audibly, so whoever wanted to know the information would've registered it, regardless."

The stiff teen sniffed and adjusted his glasses…stiffly. "Indeed. However, I feel that you must still apologize for presenting a distraction when-"

Izuku noticed the gates shifting and crouched, pressing his hands to the ground, muscles coiling under his skin.

"…While penance is desirable, perhaps seiza isn't required-"

The concrete shifted into liquid and raced up his arms, forming into intricate, robotic-looking armor of grey stone that covered him entirely.

"OKAY, GO!" Present Mic's voice boomed over the crowd.

The ground cracked as Izuku leaped into the air, sailing over the crowd and through the gate, landing in a roll and dashing into the testing city.

Most of the testers blinked while a few scurried after, and when they all looked around to see the DJ Hero standing atop a concrete pillar, he swung his arm energetically in circles. "GO! GO! THERE'S NO COUNTDOWN ON THE FIELD, SLOWPOKES!"

With more than a few startled cries, the rest of the crowd thundered into the city right behind the rest, who were right behind Izuku as he charged headfirst at a horde of robots. He then veered to side, sprinting up the side of a building…and leapt away, leaving them both to clash.

And then it was chaos.

…

"…What's your boy doing? He just ran away," someone muttered behind All Might.

Midnight huffed under her breath, "Tease."

Ignoring that and focusing on the screen showing the Second Layer-clad form of his successor, Toshinori hid his mouth behind his fist and narrowed his eyes, inwardly wondering the same. Midoriya, m'boy, I hope you know what you're doing.

…

Three robots trundled and scuttled down a side street in a simple arrow-head formation, waiting for a tester to appear to engage in combat. The tank-like Three-Pointer led the way, with a One-Pointer to the left and back while the Two-Pointer crawled along the side of a faux-apartment complex.

Suddenly, a spike sprouted from the One-Pointer's eye and it collapsed in a heap. The remaining robots turned to investigate, and the Two-Pointer was yanked through a window, leaving a rain of glass behind. The Three-Pointer spun and fired a missile from its shoulder pod, blowing out a section of windows.

Then the two-pointer came falling out of the building and something blurred through the air to land on the three-pointer, driving a knife-hand strike straight into the back of its head, the metal and circuitry splitting with a screech.

Izuku jammed his armored fingers into the back of the robot and carved a line straight down the spine, digging his hands in and ripping the armor away to expose the innards. "If I'm remembering right…that's the motivator…heatsink…firing controls…deactivation button? Hm, must be for more non-combat Quirks…battery…so, if I do this-" He twisted the wires connecting the battery to the heatsink and the motivator into a messy tangle, "-reactivate the battery…"

The former three-pointer juddered and started wildly firing missiles from the racks and the battery began to whine. He switched it off and grinned under his armor.

"I can work with that…" He snatched up the broken form of the one-pointer and ran up the side of the apartment building, stopping on the roof to peer at the streets below. Not too far away, a chaotic melee was taking place as a mass of teens fought to destroy as many robots as they could before the others, including one who seemed to be firing lasers from his stomach. Izuku squinted and saw the teen bend over, rubbing his belly, unaware of the two-pointer that was taking aim at his back from a perch on a building above.

His armor shifted, a section sliding away from the others as it formed into a spike of stone. With both his arm and his field, he threw.

Said teen with the navel-laser jumped as a two-pointer crashed to the ground behind him, but when he looked up, there was nothing on the roof. Except, of course, more robots. "Honhon! No need to be so eager, I've enough for all of you!"

…

"COME ON!" Katsuki screamed, unleashing a blast from her hands that tore a trio of robots apart, "THAT'S RIGHT!" Another blast, two more gone. She threw a hand out and lifted her feet, firing an explosion that sent her rocketing away just a hail of stun bullets and rockets impacted the area she was just at, landing against the side of a building before blasting off again, over the heads of the robots that had been gunning for her. She landed behind them, rubbing her hands together and cupping her palms to unleash a straight line of destruction, tearing up the street.

Six more gone.

She grinned savagely. "FUCK YOU!"

…

A line shot out, sinking into the the brick of a building and with a quiet whir, Himiko went zipping towards the wall at literal break-neck speeds, only to kick her feet up and flip over the entire thing, hanging in the air for a split second before she tightened her core and jerked her hip, another grapple firing from the belt she wore. It pulled her through the air to another building and she twisted, running along the windows before hurling herself into space.

In mid-air, her form became that of Mei, the crosshairs in her eyes narrowing as a street full of targets came into view. She zoomed in, quickly finding the weak spots in the necks and joints of the robots. With another twitch, another line fired, connected, and pulled her even higher.

As the air rushed around her, she drew four Stun Shuriken and hurled them, the metal discs spinning through the air to pierce into the weaknesses. At her peak, she pressed one of two buttons on her right-hand glove.

Below, the shurikens discharged and the targeted robots began to fire their weapons, shredding each other in a cacophony of bullets and missiles before overloading and exploding.

Himiko caught a street light and spun to bleed off her momentum before flipping to the ground, pressing the second button and raising her hand. The shuriken zipped from the destroyed robots and into her glove, where she placed them back into the holster to recharge. "Man, Mei really built these to last!" She grinned toothily and withdrew her stiletto, firing a grapple line that reeled her in to the back of one-pointer, planting the blade in the red optic. "I wonder how Izuku's doing?"

…

Deeper in Testing Zone C, a streetful of pointers waited for the testers, eager to unleash even more chaos as their weapons bristled menacingly, a few emerging onto the main to stir up trouble and lead the wannabe Heroes into the target-rich environment.

Something crashed in front of them. As one, the robots turned to look at the source of noise. The crumpled form of a one-pointer spasmed and exploded, taking out the closest two.

At the far end of the street, an armored figure dropped down onto the back of a three-pointer, driving his hand through the armor and twisting. The robot shuddered and started firing wildly, the figure pulling the tank-like bot back to roughly aim the ordinance at the two-pointers clinging to the walls. As the racks clicked on empty and the heatsink began to scream a warning, Izuku hopped onto the three-pointers shoulders and kicked off, pushing it back and throwing himself forward into a flip.

The three-pointer went skidding back into a pair of one-pointers before it exploded.

Izuku landed with a stomp, crushing a two-pointer under his foot before lunging.

His hands carved through armor and circuits, metal tearing like paper before his rock-covered limbs as he attacked with a savage, almost balletic grace. He never stopped moving, delivering one or two attacks, ripping off arms and punching through heads before targeting the next.

A one-pointer swung a shield at him; he caught the arm, directed the fire into a two-pointer and stomped the monowheel into scrap before sending a rising knee through its chest that tore it in half. He skipped over the sparking pincer of a two-pointer and stomped its head in, ripping the gatling tail off and hurling it through a one-pointer; his senses tingled and he ducked, narrowly avoiding a missile, then threw himself at the three-pointer, wrapping an arm around its head and pulling it down, before stabbing a hand through its neck, tearing the head away and winging it at another tank-like robot as he grasped the body and swung it like an oversized club, crushing a bot into the stone facade of a fake bank. He spun and flicked a stone spike, pinning a one-pointer to a wall before following-through to punch a two-pointer as it leapt at him, his fist emerging from its back with a squeal.

With a contemptuous flick, Izuku cast the broken body aside and turned to view the carnage he'd left behind, nodding in satisfaction as he began to stalk down the street, towards another section full of points waiting to be gained.

A three-pointer embedded in a wall, sparking and stuttering, reached out to swipe at him with a crumpled arm. Without breaking stride, he swung a hand down and cleaved its head off in a squeal of metal and electronics.

…

Behind his hands, All Might grinned as the judges made noises of interest. That's m'boy, he thought triumphantly as he watched his successor scale a building at a sprint, stopping to surveil the field of chaos below before accurately picking off a pair of one-pointers and a two-pointer mid-leap as it lunged at the back of another rock-skinned youth. Perhaps it would've only inconvenienced the other teen, given their stature, but it counted to All Might.

"So that was his plan, hm?" A gruff voice grumbled tiredly, "Let the crowd distract themselves with the first group so he could study the ground and the enemies before attacking. Hmm…rational."

"He's a dirty boy, isn't he?" Midnight purred, eyes glittering as Izuku grabbed the arm of a one-pointer, then twisted and made it shoot itself in the head. "Not afraid to really get his hands all up in there."

"…Please don't say it like that."

"Hey," another Hero, this one wearing a gas mask and a cowboy hat spoke up, pointing at a screen showing Himiko zipping through the air at high speeds, hurling shuriken with deadly precision, "Isn't that cheating? How'd she get Support Gear in here?"

The eyes in the room turned to what was either a small albino panda, an excessively large mouse or a capybara, perhaps a mix of all of the above or none. It was the Yuuei Principal, Nezu, who shrugged and smiled genially, "It's allowed," he revealed.

The almost-universal response was, "It is?"

"'Rule 43, subsection G, sub-subsection 4; Support Gear is allowed in the Entrance Exam as long as it is registered with the Proctors beforehand and is recognized as being owned or borrowed from the creator.'" Nezu listed from memory alone, making most of them blink. "It's allowed and stated plainly in the rulebook, copies of which are online. Most prospective Heroes don't have access to a creator of Support Gear, but they aren't that hard to find. In the last five years, she's the second person to register gear. The other was Takeyama Yu."

"The one who tried to wrestle a zero-pointer and got her foot stuck in a high-rise?" A tired, rough voice asked.

The rat-dog thing nodded happily. "Indeed! A tad unfair, perhaps, but it's all there if they searched for it. And proper preparation deserves to be rewarded, wouldn't you say?"

…

"GET SOME!" Katsuki planted herself in the center of a large group, arms pumping furiously as she laid waste all that she surveyed with rapid-fire explosions. "GET SOME!"

A two-pointer landed on her back, pincers sparking, and she quickly jumped up and leaned back before rocketing herself into the ground, smashing it with her back. Leaping to her feet, she blasted the wheel off a one-pointer and exploded it into the path of a barrage of missiles from a three-pointer, then wiped the sweat from her forehead and slapped her hands together.

The air darkened around her as a beam of pure destruction spilled forth from her palms. "DIIIIEEEEE!"

…

Izuku landed behind a one-pointer and rammed a hand through its back, tearing the armor away to reveal the innards. Grabbing a certain section, he squeezed and the right arm of the robot spun up and began to fire. "There it is!" He crowed, directing a withering hail of bullets onto the crowd of robots before it emptied and he ripped the gun off, smashing a two-pointer with the smoking barrels. "I hope Himiko is doing okay…"

…

"-Hehehehe-ahahaha~HAHAHA!" Himiko threw an empty missile rack aside and took up another, both relieved from a convenient three-pointer, and unleashed a barrage of missiles and maniacal laughter on to the robots below. She sighed, long and slow as the final bot was blasted apart, the spent weapon clanging as she dropped it. "…God, I am so wet."

…

Shaking it off, Izuku slowed and caught his breath, watching with interest as a pink person slid across the concrete on what looked like slime before coming to a stop, doubled over and panting…unaware of the three-pointer that just emerged from the alleyway behind them.

"Look out!" He shouted, charging shoulder-first into the robot, sending it flying through the window of a convenience store.

It managed to fire off a missile that just barely zipped by the pink person, making them yelp girlishly and spin around. The 'girlish' was explained by the fact they were, in fact, a girl. A girl with pink skin and fluffy pink hair. "Woah, dude!" She said, patting her hair, "Thanks for the save! That thing almost got me…"

"No problem, you alright?" He asked and leaned back as a missile streaked between them.

She yelped again and reflexively threw out a hand, spraying what looked like slime on the damaged three-pointer. Slime that revealed itself to be acid as it ate through the bot with an angry hiss. "Oh…I shoulda let you have that one…"

Izuku waved it off, eyeing her hands interestedly. "You shoot acid? That's so cool!"

She grinned. "You got rock armor! I know someone who'd love to meet you!"

He suddenly surged forward, wrapping an arm around her and spinning away as a hail of bullets began to drill into his back. She threw her hands out under his curled arms and sprayed a stream of acid at a small group of one- and two-pointers. The fire died down as they melted and Izuku stepped back, rolling his shoulders. "Later!" He offered, hurling a stone spike through the head of a one-pointer.

"Right!" She called, skating away, "Mina!"

"Izuku!"

…

THAT'S MY BOY! Toshinori cheered in his head, resisting the urge to fist-pump. That's my successor!

"Seems like they're comfortable enough for conversation," Nezu noted with a sharp smile, pressing a Big Red Button, "Let's change the pace, shall we?"

All Might frowned, his excitement falling. Then his brows furrowed as the Zero-Pointers emerged, his eyes on Testing Site C. "Hey…" He spoke up for the first time, tapping the screen, "That's not the right one."

The Principal crossed his paws in front of him. "Yes it is."

…

Present Mic bobbed his head to music that only he could hear, mohawk dancing. He paused as a gigantic form heaved itself out of the ground with an electronic roar. "Uh, guys?" He asked over the radio, "Why is there a third-year zero-pointer on the field?"

…

"Third year?!" All Might yelped, jumping to his feet.

Nezu nodded sagely. "Yup."

"Uh, Nezu?" A shirtless man with a helmet made from the scoop of a loader raised a hand, "Third Year zero-pointers have different parameters…"

The genius creature withdrew a thermos and began unscrewing the cap. "I know."

"'Different' how?!" Toshinori barked, steam rising from his skin.

"First Year zero-pointers just stomp around," the man replied, sweating slightly under the burning blue eyes of the Number One Hero, "Third Year…they attack."

Nezu poured himself a generous measure of steaming tea. "Mmhm."

…

Izuku had just admired a group of robots floating in the air above a building before they went crashing down, when the ground began to rumble and an enormous robot rose into the air, towering over even some of the nearby skyscrapers. A massive red optic flared to life and a deep, bass roar echoed from it, shaking the buildings.

"…Okay, that's just ridiculous," he threw his hands up and turned to leave, as did many others. It was a zero-pointer, after all, and not worth the trouble.

"Ah!"

The quiet exclamation of pain cut through the cacophony like a knife and he slid to a stop, chancing a look over his shoulder. There, lying under a chunk of rock that pinned her legs to the ground, was Ochako, face twisted in pain.

Directly in the path of the Zero-Pointer.

She'll be fine, Izuku thought even as he sprinted towards her, she's so small compared to it, it won't even notice her…

As if on cue, the massive head of the Zero-Pointer swiveled and locked on her downed form, a threatening blare issuing from it, and it began to draw a titanic arm back.

Oh come ON! He shouted internally, panic powering his legs as he poured on all the speed he had.

Ochako winced as she tried to push herself up, feeling the jagged edge of the rubble digging into her thighs. She reached back and scrabbled at the rock, but found it had landed in just the right place that she couldn't get all five fingers on it at the same time. And then she noticed the shadow that fell over her, slowly turning to find the source.

Her panicked scream cut the air like a guillotine.

The Zero-Pointer punched down.

…

All Might burst into his muscular form, panic on his face. "Nezu! They're in danger!"

The Principal sipped his tea and sighed gently. "It's fine."

…

Ochako squeezed her eyes shut and covered her head, only hoping that it would end quickly.

There was a screech of metal and the crumbling of rock, but no pain. She slowly opened an eye, then both went wide.

Izuku stood above her, hands raised above his head, the fist of the Zero-Pointer held back by his strength. Most of his armor had burst off of his body under the immense pressure, leaving his strained, sweating face visible. "O-Ochako-san!" He gritted out, "C-can you…?!"

She stared up at him, eyes wide and terrified. He looked at her, and their eyes met.

His arms shook.

Ochako slowly shook her head. "Run!"

He saw her mouth form the word, but he didn't hear it over the thundering of his heart, the straining of his muscles and the creaking of his bones.

His knees quaked and a section of his leg armor burst off, dropping him to a knee, the metal-plated knuckle becoming their descending sky.

Panicked emerald met watering brown. "Go!" she mouthed, resignation on her visage.

Izuku bowed his head, feeling his strength sapped away, and closed his eyes. Is this how it ends? He despaired, the fist inching down, his arms bending back. Is this…really all of my strength?

His heart thumped painfully. Lighting crackled.

He heard thunder.

No.

His eyes snapped open, fingers sparking as they scraped against the metal.

I swore…to uphold All Might's legacy!

He pushed up, metal groaning as it slowly bent inwards.

I swore…to succeed him!

A soundless roar of pure effort ripped from his throat as he rose to his feet.

I swore…to be Greater!

His arms shook as they extended fully, his armor cracking and splitting.

Izuku glanced at Ochako, her fear still present, but joined with awe.

And I swear…I will protect you.

His fingers dug into the metal plating, everything he had straining against the steel fist crashing down on him.

It would not give. And neither would he.

But something had to break.

All these things…that I've sworn! He felt an orb of something crystallize, deep in his being. I will not break them! The orb cracked. I will not break them!

Metal screamed.

I will not break!

The orb splintered.

I will not BREAK!

Every iota of his being roared in defiance.

I!

WILL NOT!

BREAK!

Metal gave.

The orb exploded. Energy, raw and pure, flooded through his body.

Beneath his hands, the metal of the Zero-Pointer's fist melted into a silver liquid that ran down his arms and streamed over his body, filling in the cracks, then overrunning the rock to encase him in Full Armor. Arcs of verdant energy traveled over his form, leaving gleaming metal behind.

Izuku stepped forward and pushed.

The Zero-Pointer stumbled back.

He dropped to a knee, arm curling, muscles tensing, energy racing through his body. His fingers closed into a fist with an echoing ring of metal clashing against metal.

"DETROIT!"

He jumped and the ground shattered, piercing through the air like a bullet loosed. The hellish eyes of the Zero-Pointer filled his vision, bathing him in a blood-red light as he rose to meet it.

"STEEL!"

Izuku hit the titan in the chin with an uppercut.

The metal armor rippled like water, the lense cracking and splitting like thunder, the light dying with a flicker. Then the head snapped back and exploded into pieces under the pure force of his strike, so hard that even neck tore itself into chunks of scrap.

His arm extended fully, the air pressure generated by his punch continuing into the sky, where it impacted the clouds and let the sun shine through.

Izuku dropped from the sky and hit the ground, concrete crumbling like a cookie under his feet, a cloud of dust rising around him.

Ochako found her eyes fixed on the dust, her lungs burning as they refused to breathe.

The figure that rose from the cloud stepped into the singular beam of sunlight that soaked the gleaming surface and made it shine like gold.

A Titan of steel and strength, rising above her with a hand offered, standing above her…

Like a Pillar.

Izuku bent and carefully pulled the rubble pinning her to the ground, casting it aside before offering a hand to help her up.

She reached out to take it…

When the armor crumbled away to reveal a hand, rapidly swelling and tilted at a sickening angle.

"…Huh?" Izuku uttered before his armor began to fall from his body, ringing as it fell to the ground in pieces. Suddenly bereft of his energy, he fell on his rear and groaned as the adrenaline faded and body let him know just how damaged it was.

"Deku?!" She stumbled to her feet and hurried over, concern on her face. "Are you okay?"

He breathed a deep sigh and winced as his throat throbbed. Turns out all that screaming and roaring was a bit of a strain on the old vocal cords. "Yeah," he rasped, rubbing his neck, "Just tired…and sore."

Ochako sat back on her heels, laughing incredulously. "I can imagine!" She giggled, casting a look at the fallen Zero-Pointer, it's titanic form having crushed more than a few buildings as it fell. "Good thing it's a fake city…"

Izuku huffed and smiled, "I definitely wouldn't want to clean that up," he muttered, and they shared a chuckle. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at the girl. His breath caught.

Her eyes were warm and soft like pools of molten chocolate, a gentle smile on her plump pink lips. "…Thank you, Deku," she murmured, squeezing his shoulder with her pinky extended, "You saved my life…"

He gulped and looked away, his face burning. "I-I wouldn't go that far, I m-mean, it was a test! I'm sure it only looked like it was going…to, uh…crush us…" Izuku looked at the robot with a grimace. "…Right?"

…

All Might glared at Nezu, his form steaming. "…Right?" He growled.

The creature finished his tea and set the cup down with a jaunty little 'clink!' "Of course!" He replied cheerfully, "I was in complete control the entire time! The only real danger was light injuries!"

Toshinori heaved a deep sigh, and slumped back in his chair, rubbing his nose as a headache built behind his temples. "Jesus Christ, Nezu," he muttered in English.

"I feel injured, Toshinori," Nezu said, gaze sharpening, "Where's your trust in me?…and in your successor?"

All Might scowled at the Principal. "There's 'trust,'" he air-quoted sarcastically, "And then there's seeing two kids about to be crushed." He sighed again, turning his eyes to the monitor showing a sitting Izuku and the girl he'd thrown himself in front of a titan's fist for. But damn it all if you didn't show me how right I was, m'boy. You finally used One For All…

"And to think!" Nezu chirped, clapping his paws together excitedly, "This is just the start!"

…

Ochako shrugged. "It felt real to me," she said, her cheeks darkening before she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Deku."

Izuku blushed beet-red and ducked his head bashfully. "...You're welcome," he whispered.

"Holy Shit, dude!" They jumped as a voice shouted next to them. They turned and found the pink-skinned, acid-spewing girl gawking at the fallen Zero-Pointer. She spun around to gape at Izuku, her eyes wide. "You punched that thing! You punched its head off! You're nuts, dude!"

"'Nuts'?!" A black-haired girl with extremely defined, muscular arms called as she pumped her fists, "That was Manly! Manly as hell!" She held a hand up with an excited grin, "Manly high-five!"

Izuku chuckled sheepishly but lifted his hand.

"Ah, Deku," Ochako pointed at his swollen wrist, "Your hand."

"'Deku?'" Mina arched an eyebrow, sounding unimpressed, "That's rude."

As the brunette flushed and tried to explain, Izuku reached down and with nothing more than a slight grimace, realigned his wrist with a crack. Then he gave the muscular girl a high-five. Mina and Ochako looked at him with wide eyes. "…What?" He asked while the girl whispered 'Manly!'

A short figure picked her way across the rubble to the small group, grumbling under her breath as she approached. "Are you the one who attacked the Zero-Pointer?" She asked archly, eyes narrowing on Izuku.

He nodded, eyes going wide as he realized who she was, recognizing the pink headgear, the nurse's outfit and the red cross symbol. "Uh, yes, Recovery Girl!" He replied a bit too loud, wincing as she frowned, eyes raking over his visible skin.

"Strained muscles, dislocated wrist," she listed off with a huff, "You set it right, at least. I'd recommend bed rest for the next two days, but I doubt you young people will listen to me. Here, have some gummies." She handed Izuku a handful of colored gummy bears that he dutifully chewed and swallowed, before she stood up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.

Izuku rolled his shoulders, sighing as he felt his chara writhe for a lack of a better word, seeping into his body like it did when he tapped into it himself. "Thank you, um, Sensei."

Recovery sniffed and patted his knee. "You and I are going to get very well acquainted, I can already tell," then she turned to Ochako, "Let me see you."

As Izuku made to stand up, a hand was thrust into his vision. He looked up and found the stiff, square-faced teen from before. "It appears that I misjudged you," he said softly, "And for that, I would like to apologize."

The green-haired teen took his hand and levered himself up with a grunt. "It's alright," he muttered, brushing himself down.

The teen chopped his hand with surprising fierceness. "It isn't! To face down, let alone defeat a monster such as that…" He eyed the fallen Zero-Pointer, eyes glinting, "In order to save that girl, Even when I, Iida Tenya, ran away…respect for your fellows is the least of it." He bowed so sharply the air whistled. "Please, accept my apologies."

Izuku, recognizing the gesture for what it was, nodded. "I accept them." He offered his hand. "Iida Tenya-san, right? Midoriya Izuku."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Midoriya-kun," Tenya grasped his hand and shook it firmly. "I expect we shall see each other once the Yuuei year begins."

"I hope so." He made to step away, but paused. "Iida…any relation to Iida Tensei?"

"Indeed!" The stiff boy nodded, a proud smile flickering across his face, "He is my brother, also known as the Turbo Hero, Ingenium!"

Izuku opened his mouth, then closed it. Don't ask him a million questions about his brother, he probably has to deal with that all the time. Instead he nodded and stepped away, looking down at left hand, still clad in shining metal. He smiled and clenched his fist, a small arc of green energy sparking over the surface. I finally reached it…and I can feel One For All…what changed, I wonder? He glanced back at Ochako, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel as she chewed on some gummies. What is it that The Red Tome said? 'Fear of The Loss of a Loved One provides the greatest strength with the greatest cost.' I think I understand now…

He thought back, remembering the fear in her eyes, recalling his own fear that the last thing he'd see would be her, that the last thing he'd feel would be failure…that he would leave his mother, his honorary aunt, his Himiko alone.

When we fight to protect that which we love…that is when we are the most powerful. That is when we exceed ourselves. He rubbed his fingers together, the metal sliding against itself pleasantly. That's not a lesson I'll ever forget.

Closing his eyes and holding out his hand, Izuku focused his field and the metal armor melted. Leaving a bit wrapped around his torso under his clothes, he directed the rest to flow up his arm and gather into a shining sphere in his palm. He opened his eyes and smiled at the ball of pure metal in hand, proof, if needed, that he had broken another barrier, taken another step towards strength. Strength he would use to protect those dear to him.

With a casual flick, he tossed the ball. It impacted the ground with a thunderous BOOM! He, and everyone near by, jumped. "…Oh, right," Izuku muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Metal. Much denser than rock." With a sigh, he stretched his arms above his head and groaned as his back popped into place.

Behind him, Ochako stared as his shirt rose and revealed a vertical slice of his muscular back, her throat suddenly dry. The black-haired girl looked between his back and the orb of metal sunk about four feet into the concrete, and whispered, "Manly."

Mina's fingers twitched and she barely suppressed the urge to 'accidentally' spill just a little acid on his shirt and see what he looked like without it. Instead, her eyes went down, then back up, recalling a thought she'd had where she figured that his size had been because of his armor. She was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. And then her eyes landed on his rear. "Nice."

Tenya repressed the urge to lecture Izuku about property damage. The city was fake, after all, and that ship had long since sailed.

Izuku, for his part, surreptitiously sniffed himself and grimaced. Not only did he stink of sweat, but he carried the tang of metal all over. With a sigh, he turned to the small group with a tired smile. "I don't know about you guys," he started, sunlight draping across his shoulders like a mantle, "But I could use a shower."

…

The fate of all pillars is to stand above. To stand above, is to stand alone. The First Pillar must be the strongest, the most durable…

So those who follow have an example.

After all, no one builds a monument to mediocrity.

…

…

…

…

A/N: And there it is, folks. The Yuuei Entrance Exam. It might not be the longest chapter, but it is the most packed, I think. It's got a little bit of everything: cuteness, sexiness, fluff, tech, hope, love, trust, action out the eyeballs and anime as HELL.

I ain't apologizing for shit!

Yeah, Mei figured out some stuff and worked long and hard to make the stretchy outfit, the Stun Shuriken, and what I don't have a name for besides 'Grapple Belt.' Imagine, if you would, what I thought of when I figured out Himiko's outfit. If you thought 'breakneck ninja flip-out' you'd be right, with a bit of a Titanfall Pilot mixed in and spiced with 3D Maneuver Gear. Full-power full-gear Himiko is gonna be insane.

And yes, she did, in fact, discover more of her powers by wanting to cuddle more. As they say, Love is the Key to Many Doors.

Also cuddles.

Austin: It's the ultimate win-win.

As for the rule about bringing in Support Gear…well, I thought it was fairly clear.

NS: It only makes sense, after all.

I didn't have any specific music choice this time around, but Powerwolf did have a starring role, so…

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I enjoyed writing it. The quiet moments in the beginning, all the stuff with Himiko and Mitsuki and Inko. And then, of course, the introduction of Ochako. I know someone who was very happy about that. And flirting with Midnight, who is, and this may surprise you, very attractive and flirty and I love it. And of course a brief introduction to Iida, Mina and some random girl who definitely isn't the fem version of Kirishima.

Oh, did I say 'isn't'? I meant is. It is definitely a female Kirishima. That's gonna be fun.

Big thanks, and as always to the usual suspects but especially NorthSouthGorem who, if you're on AO3 is up there right next to my name, go check him and his new story out! Also AustinYeeed but just because I have to.

Next Chapter: The Results Are In! But before they can say hello to Yuuei, they have to say goodbye…

Thanks for reading, hope you review, and come back soon for more!

Stay Safe, Stay Awesome.

~Soleneus

P.S.: I like to make what I'd call 'quality of life' changes if it were a game, usually by adding small things that I think, logically, would make sense. Having the written exam be before the practical, the rule, things like that. I also, as a rule of thumb, will add or extend things in the name of shenaniganery like having Midnight being the proctor. Why?

Because it's fun. And it also gives me more chances for flirty stuff where Izuku gets caught up only to realize what he's doing, and his reactions are always worth it.

Does that mean Midnight is in the harem? What about Ochako, Mina and Kirishima?

…I'm not telling.

Stay Awesome Some More.

~still Soleneus

…

And now to never update this story again!

NS: Nice try, buster.