Chapter 26 - 7-9

Chapter VI

"It was… well… an interesting fight" All Might awkwardly said.

They were gathered in a dark huge empty chamber with a wall filled with monitors. To a side, hidden behind a door, was All Might's observation room with monitors and a console for himself. Why he had taken to oversee the fights apart from the rest? No one knew. At the moment, though, all students were in the presence of the Number One Hero, ready to get a spoken evaluation of their fight. They stood there, eagerly basking in the presence of such a hero… except for Three-Tailed Midoriya, who was jumping with excitement and joy. Oddly enough, she had bags under her eyes and she looked ready to fall over, snoring, regardless how lively she acted.

"I was freaking awesome!" Girl Midoriya shouted, fists raised. Her tails wiggled happily behind her. "Cute Face and Robot Boy were awesome too!"

Much to Iida's and Uraraka's embarrassment, they found a clawed arm around their necks and pulled together to a cheerful Three-Tailed Fox Midoriya. The two blushed. What was with this Midoriya and all the touching? The rest of the class was caught between amused and outright bewildered.

"Say, Midori, what is it with you – you know – being so many people?" Ashido Mina asked, trying to fight a fit of giggles.

"You will have to ask Midoriya about his quirk later" All Might interrupted, clearing his throat. "So, who can tell me who the best out there was?"

Yaoyorozu quickly raised her hand, drawing the class' attention.

"It was Iida" Yaoyorozu said. "He remained focused on the task at hand and adapted the best against his opponents. The choice of room for the bomb and the prior preparation to his engagement in battle proves he took into account his own strengths and weaknesses as well as his opponents'. This allowed him to gain time when the heroes made it to the bomb".

"Not bad, Robot boy!" Three-Tailed Midoriya laughed, patting Iida on the back.

"Correct and well said, young Yaoyorozu!" All Might said. "To the others, you performed well, young Uraraka and young Midoriya. You prioritized your mission, acted as a team and adapted well. However…" here he took a deep breath "…young Uraraka, next time do try to take the exercise with more seriousness. There were a few times you ruined your team's chances of victory by laughing or staring. You will find many shocking or surprising things in your career, and thus can't allow them to distract you".

Uraraka lowered her face. Midoriya offered an encouraging squeeze of her shoulder as well as a grin. The Fox Girl's attention, however, quickly returned to All Might as she noticed the look on his face. Her fox-ears flattened and her tails stopped wagging. That was not a face he wished to see from his idol. Worse yet, Midoriya could tell he was not going to enjoy what was about to happen.

"Young Midoriya…" All Might started, only to sigh with disappointment. "Why is your quirk registry so lacking in details? It is truly shameful you dared venture into a fight, ready to use your quirk against your fellow classmates, without even providing sufficient warning to the faculty. As a teacher, I need to assess potential risks for such delicate exercises".

Midoriya grimaced, shoulders slumping. It wasn't that he was being admonished but rather it hurt knowing just who was admonishing him (or her). All Might, his idol… it painful. This time, it was Uraraka's turn to offer comfort. Sadly for Midoriya, All Might wasn't done.

"You failed to inform your teammate about your powers. Worse yet, it looked like you were reluctant to use your quirk! You entered the building in your most powerless form and did not employ any other forms against Bakugo other than the Nine-Tailed one. While I commend your courage, it was foolish to make a stand when you could have easily tricked him. You did manage to sneak past him, but only after you had already suffered an injury.

"Speaking of your confrontation against young Bakugo, I do not condone the use of your tails and claws. Had young Bakugo been any less of a fighter, you would have maimed him beyond Recovery Girl's abilities. It was a good thing Young Bakugo is such a proficient combatant or else you would have been expelled" All Might harrumphed.

Midoriya winced, like she had been physically hurt. It wasn't that she had meant to hurt Bakugo. In fact, she knew that Bakugo would not only dodge but probably beat him in his Nine-Tailed form.

"That ferocity you displayed... it was truly unbecoming of a hero. A hero much show courage and defiance in the face of evil!" All Might passionately exclaimed. "A display of confidence might be enough, but to act like an angry animal? Absolutely not! I suggest you control that anger, young man, before it causes problems in the future".

Midoriya grimaced, staring despondently at the floor.

"Lastly, I will have to inform your homeroom teacher regarding these forms of yours. You appear to have a lack of control over them that speak of inexperience and that can surely be dangerous. Next time, do try to reign in these… alternative… personas of yours" All Might concluded, delivering the finishing blow to Midoriya's pride.

All Might proceeded to turned towards a corner of a room. There, standing with a look of apathy, was Bakugo. He appeared to be ignoring the entire class, glaring and cussing as far away as possible from everyone else.

"Now… Young Bakugo" All Might said, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, yeah, I screw up" Bakugo scoffed. "I know what I did wrong!"

"Do you now?" All Might wondered, arching an eyebrow. "Share it with the class".

Bakugo remained awfully quiet.

"Then allow me to list your failures in this exercise" All Might's usually candid tone took a terrifying harsh edge that made the students stare at the man with apprehension. "First, you didn't just abandon a teammate, you ignored him from the start. Moreover, you avoided any attempts at communication from young Iida and wandered off to a maze of a base. What would have happened had you missed the hero team altogether? Would you have been wandering around or waiting for them to casually pass by you?"

Bakugo scowled but said nothing.

"Second, in your arrogance you underestimated your opponents. Worse yet, you lost sight of your own mission due to some sense of personal vendetta or for battle-lust. Young Midoriya played you like a fiddle – once he remembered how to use his quirk, that is. I do not know what you wanted to prove but battles aren't always won by brutality alone".

Bakugo hissed, baring his teeth, and clenched his fists in anger. However, he kept his head down.

"Third, I am appalled at your lack of restraint. I did not miss the fact you aimed straight to Young Uraraka's head in your initial engagement". Uraraka grimaced at the memory, only to turn towards a reassuring Midoriya. "Hadn't young Midoriya acted in time, I fear what might have happened".

"I wasn't about to kill her…" Bakugo spat.

"No, but such a strong explosion, to the face and at such close ranger could have given her a concussion, at the very least, and a broken neck at worst. As miraculous as Recovery Girl's quirk is, that does not excuse such apathy towards your classmates' health. I must say, I never expected to witness such violence as you displayed against young Midoriya" All Might said. "You had more than one chance to capture him and, instead, chose to use your quirk and inflict damage. That is truly reprehensible".

All Might pointedly looked at the explosive teenager. Said boy, though, decided to growl at the floor and keep his hands in his pockets. As much as Bakugo tried to give off a dismissive aura, his classmates could tell he was at the brink of exploding.

"Now then, the next team!" All Might proclaimed.

Uraraka and Iida turned to Midoriya, ready to console the poor boy-turned-girl, only to find Midoriya smiling and wagging her tail without a care in the world. The two stared at him – her? – with bewildered faces. They had kind of expected a different reaction given what little they knew about Midoriya, but it was clear that, while he remained in that tailed form, she sure seemed to keep an undaunted disposition… different from his human form, that is.

Midoriya stretched a bit, her grin unfaltering. Meanwhile, Todoroki and Shoji filed out. The green haired fox-girl paused as she saw a nervous Ojiro and terrified Hagakure following after the first duo. Midoriya felt sympathetic for them. They had all seen Todoroki's crazy ice powers. However, her grin never left her.

"Hey, Invisible Girl, Tail Boy!" Midoriya cheerfully called, hopping towards them.

Ojiro and Hagakure paused, visibly confused. The rest of the class stared, somewhat bewildered by such happy fox girl. How could she remain so happy after All Might's harsh admonishment? The Midoriya they had met the day prior was nothing like that cheerful and confident girl. She leaned between the two and whispered something. Ojiro and Hagakure stared at her, dumbstruck expressions plastered on their faces.

"Young Ojiro, Young Hagakure" All Might's voice said "please, proceed to Villain Lair B".

"Good luck guys!" Midoriya said, patting the hero duo, before turning around and hopping away.

"What was that about?" Uraraka asked Midoriya as she approached her.

"Just being an awesome person" Midoriya chuckled. She suddenly froze, only to scowl. "Urgh, enough of this…"

Iida and Uraraka traded confused expressions. Next thing they knew, Midoriya went POOF and there was a much familiar green-haired human boy. Said boy proceeded to fall on his knees and hyperventilate.

"I can't believe I used the Four-Tailed Form!" He bemoaned, paling.

"Eh… you alright, Midoriya?" Uraraka wondered.

"This is awful…" Midoriya mumbled, tears rolling down his face. "I-I am so sorry guys! I-I-I just… when I am- am…"

Iida and Uraraka were starting to worry about the green-haired boy.

"Midoriya, what is the issue here?" Iida inquired. "Do you require medical assistance? Or should we procure psychological assistance?"

"A-aren't you- you mad?" He tentatively asked.

Uraraka and Iida frowned, trading baffled looks.

"Why would we be angry?" Uraraka wondered.

"I was awful" Midoriya bemoaned. "My quirk- it-it is awful!"

"Huh? I think it is pretty cool. I mean, it is like you have many quirks at once! That is so cool!" Uraraka said.

"Indeed, I believe it is an impressive quirk" Iida said, before his cheeks started to redden. "For its applications, of course".

"You aren't saying that because you are heads over heels for Sexy Midoriya, are you?" Teased Uraraka.

"P-Preposterous! Absolutely not!" Iida exclaimed, karate-chopping the air with desperation as his charcoal-red face released bursts of steam.

Midoriya, surprised, stood up. He stared at the two, as Uraraka giggled and kept teasing Iida further. Did they really like his quirk? Midoriya grimaced.

Then again… they don't know what it is like, he mentally muttered.

"Oh Midori" a familiar singsong voice called.

Midoriya shuddered well before Mina Ashido, followed by the others, surrounded him. He looked at them, horrified. He should have known better than to use his quirk.

"A-Ashido" Midoriya stammered. "D-do you need something?"

"Yes! We are dying to know more about your quirk!" The pink-skinned girl, bouncing, said. She seemed excited. "I have never seen a quirk like that! You change into different people? Or are they different personalities?"

"Do you really become a woman or it is some illusion?" Yaoyorozu inquired, curious.

"Why do they act so differently from you?" Sato asked.

"Can we see the Four Tailed chick?" Mineta, drooling, pleaded. Kaminari Denki eagerly nodded next to him.

"P-Please, I-I…" Midoriya stuttered.

"Enough!" Iida intervened. "One at a time and do keep your distance! He is a fellow classmate and should thus be treated with a modicum of respect. Avoid such a barrage of questions and YOU" he pointed at a suddenly pale Mineta "I rather not speculate your intentions but you would NOT want me to inform Aizawa about it".

"I-I just was…" a sweating Mineta stammered, oddly reminiscent to human Midoriya.

"Heroes may enter!" All Might's booming voice cut in, drawing their attention to the screen.

Thankfully for Midoriya, everyone turned their heads towards the action. Todoroki and Shoji calmly stood outside the building for a moment. Shoji said something to Todoroki, who proceeded to step forward, sparing a glance to his teammate. Apparently, he had asked Shoji to stay behind. Then, Todoroki froze the building. Literally.

Everyone stared, shocked, at the power they had witnessed. Then again, they had seen Todoroki ride walls of ice during the fifty metre run or employing suddenly sprouting pillars of ice to throw the softball. More shocking, however, was what had happened to the villains. Todoroki marched in and strolled down the corridors in triumph. Who could blame him? He had shown an amazing display of raw power. Ojiro and Hagakure hadn't stood a chance… or did they?

"Eh… isn't he being a bit arrogant there?" Hanta pointed out.

"He probably assumes he froze the villains, ribbit" Asui pointed out.

"He won't see it coming, will he?" Kaminari joked.

Indeed, four minutes later they were back with All Might, ready to give a battle evaluation. A dumbfounded Todoroki stood next to a despondent Shoji while a triumphant Ojiro and Hagakure shared victory smiles.

"I thought you had learned from young Bakugo" All Might shook his head, disappointed. "No matter what manner of quirk you have, do not underestimate your opponent!"

"But… how did you avoid getting frozen?" Todoroki wondered.

"Well... we kind of were expecting as much" Hagakure admitted. "Midoriya told us you would probably do something crazy like that and stay on our toes at the start just in case".

Midoriya was thankful she didn't mention how he had pointed out how Todoroki was weakest and most vulnerable from his left side.

"Considering just how you overdid things yesterday, we kind of saw where she – he – was coming from" Ojiro sent an apologetic smile towards Midoriya, who shrugged. "We did not expect you to freeze the entire building, though".

"It doesn't matter" All Might said, sending a reproachful look towards Todoroki. "You did exactly what I admonished Bakugo for. In fact, I expected better from you. Consider yourself lucky that we haven't started taking into account collateral damage".

In the end, Hagakure was considered the best fighter in the fight for her stealth when she was shivering. After witnessing Hagakure and Ojiro's swift fight against Todoroki, where Hagakure distracted Todoroki by grabbing him by his left side and gave her team enough time for Ojiro to deliver a knock-out kick, the rest of the fights carried on in a similar vein. Shoji had tried to step in, but was defeated by Ojiro. Rather than charging head on, hero teams employed stealth, while the villains tried to use subterfuge, traps and surprise tactics.

Midoriya watched as everyone tried to discover clever ways of employing their quirks for combat. As expected, it was different from performing physical exercises in the open. It truly allowed everyone to shine, especially those who had been rather unimpressive the day before. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow proved stronger than the previous day while Kyoka revealed the spying capabilities of her Earphone Jacks. Some had to get creative, like Koji with his animal controlling quirk and Asui with her Frog mutation quirk. Others... others had to do their best with what they had, like Kirishima with his hardening quirk.

Truly, Midoriya loved seeing quirks in action. He watched, taking in their actions and moves, mentally planning to write many entries in his beloved notebooks. Just thinking about it excited him. However, as he watched his classmates fight, he found himself disheartened. How could he compete against them if he couldn't embrace his own quirk?

Moreover, Midoriya noticed that, differently from him, they all had discovered their own style best suited for their quirks. They weren't trying to prove anything and, instead, performed admirably with what they got. None tried to be like All Might, instead focusing on their own strengths and weaknesses.

The day ended with satisfied smiles and laughter with everyone relishing in their performance. A few were despondent by their losses while others were thankful they had won. The one person who seemed the most eager to run from the class was Bakugo, although that had become a given. Todoroki had been shaken by his defeat and thus, instead of cold and distant, he remained mostly dumbfounded. And furious. His classmates wisely kept a wide berth from him as he silently fumed.

Midoriya was most thankful people soon forgot about his quirk and wasn't bothered by it. After all, everyone wanted to talk about their own fight. He somehow made it out of the school without anyone bothering him about it. That and perhaps they sensed he wasn't comfortable talking about his quirk. He thought he heard his classmates whispering with Iida and Uraraka about it, only to try to innocently look away when they spotted Midoriya.

The green haired boy grimaced at his own performance. Walking out of UA and towards the train station, he mentally went over the embarrassing display of his quirk and, now that he no longer was in the state of constant joy and confidence that was the Three Tailed form, All Might's harsh criticism.

It hurt to remember All Might's words, almost physically. True, he had been correct on all points and it was his job to point out Izuku's flaws… it hurt nonetheless. Midoriya's idol – who he had wanted to be like for so long – might as well have Texas Smashed him. He wanted to believe he still looked up to him, but after the well-deserved admonishment, Midoriya had to come to terms with the truth: All Might, for all his greatness and titles, was a human. All Might was not some god to look at to with only admiration.

Who am I kidding? Midoriya mentally sighed. I am so focused admiring All Might I don't ever think about myself… what did I expect? To be praised by him after being my usual pathetic self? I truly am a Deku…

He should have used the Two-Tailed form earlier, or even the Four-Tails on Bakugo. He should have told Uraraka from the start and plan their course of action based on his quirk's abilities. Engaging Bakugo had been idiotic, especially when considering he didn't even know how to throw a punch. Then again, hindsight was twenty-twenty. Easier to say what should have been done once it was over than actually do it at the time.

If only he had a good quirk, something like Bakugo's or All Might's, then maybe he wouldn't have to worry about his own limitations or embarrassing himself. Maybe, just maybe, he would be the strong inspiring hero he aspired to be, instead of that pathetic circus of embarrassing personalities that was Nine-Tailed Fox.

Midoriya sighed. At least he now had enough to write complete entries regarding his classmates. Still, should he leave empty pages? He really wanted to write about those amazing quirks he had seen. If only he had any of them…

He looked up and, to his surprise, spotted a familiar pair of white rabbit ears. A few steps away from him, lost in her own thoughts, was a tired-looking rabbit girl.

Should I talk to her? Midoriya pondered. He quickly dismissed the thought, reminded by that morning's teasing and how he had foolishly used it in his Four-Tailed Form. He was still cringing about it. Just why did he do that? He still couldn't believe Iida hadn't been mad at him for it.

So, there he was, a few feet away from rabbit girl… whatever her name was. He stared at her, wondering about her quirk. He had written a lot about it, but at the moment, Midoriya's mind pondered about other matters. For example, how her mutation quirk affected her relationships early in her childhood.

Would I be comfortable with my quirk had I developed it like the others? Midoriya wondered.

A part of him wanted to believe that, had he displayed his quirk earlier, his childhood would have been easier. Maybe he would have remained friends with Bakugo. Maybe he would have made more friends. Heck, maybe he wouldn't have been bullied and mistreated by his peers… looked down to…

But he knew better than that. Even those with quirks were picked on. Midoriya had been bullied not just for his lack of quirk, but rather his ridiculous dream of being some kind of quirkless hero. His muttering and obsession with quirks, his nerdy disposition and outright creepy behaviour… Midoriya had made it easy for others to find something to bother him with. Who was to say they wouldn't have started calling him something other than Deku? Maybe he would had been called Weirdo, or Freak Show, maybe One-Man Circus… hard to tell.

Midoriya looked up at the evening sky. How was he supposed to be like All Might, saving people with a smile on his face, when cunning and slyness were perhaps his only weapons of choice over courage and strength? Could he even be like All Might… or would he have to carve his own path?

Chapter VII

It was a new refreshing day in UA and Aizawa looked as tired and grumpy as ever. Did he even sleep? The students, traumatized from the first day, silently watched, waiting for their teacher to begin the day. Instead of speaking, though, the man took a moment to critically eye each and every single one of them. Something important was about to go down.

Midoriya gulped. Did it have to do with his performance the day before? He wasn't the only one sweating, though. Mineta and Kaminari looked close to a panic attack. Uraraka bit her fingernails. Iida and Yaoyorozu stiffly stared at their teacher, trying to keep composed faces. Everyone awaited with bated breaths. Was anyone going to be expelled? Had he found any of them unworthy to continue? The suspense was driving them mad!

"Morning everyone" Aizawa finally said, yawning. "I went over the footage of yesterday's battle trial. Allow me to say…" he trailed off, squinting at his pupils and making more than one student gulp "…you all did acceptable".

Class 1-A blankly stared at their homeroom teacher. We did? They all thought in perfect unison. Truthfully, they had expected some harsher words than that.

"It was your first attempt on a Hero-Villain battle, so I can't say I had any expectations to begin with" Aizawa shrugged. "Otherwise I would have expelled half of you based on yesterday's ridiculous displays of stupidity, negligence, arrogance and sheer irrationality, while sending the rest to General Studies".

The class sweatdropped. Now that was the Aizawa they had come to know.

"I have a few pointers for each of you but that will have to wait…" he leaned forward, squinting at them "…there is something of utmost importance to do first". His tone turned almost threatening. "Something that will affect your futures in U.A. while you don't fail to meet my expectations".

Oh no! This is bad! The students mentally chorus. What could it possibly be? An expulsion? Another test? Oh please, not another test.

"You have to pick a class representative and vice-representative" Aizawa informed them.

Everyone stared at their homeroom teacher, baffled. That's it? God damn it! Why did he have to make it so suspenseful?!

"I don't care how you do it, just get it done before your first class" Aizawa declared. He yawned before adding "with that said, I'll go to sleep".

He stood up and, unrolling a sleeping bag he had under the teacher's desk, tucked in. His students couldn't believe what they were witnessing. Midoriya, in the mean time, frowned and started thinking. As he ignored his classmates' energetic antics, he pondered on their options.

"So how will we decide? Voting?" Kyoka asked.

"Forget it, extras!" Bakugo proclaimed, standing on his desk and making explosions. "I declare myself Class representative!"

"But we barely know each other, ribbit" Asui said, ignoring Bakugo.

"OY! I declared myself representative, Frog Face!" Bakugo loudly insisted.

"I don't know. I think we know enough of everyone, right?" Sato added.

"HEY! Diabetes Man, do you wanna die?!" Bakugo shouted.

"Does anyone know what are the responsibilities involved with being class representative?" Yaoyorozu tentatively asked, sounding uncertain.

"Who cares?! The Class representative is the top dog and that means-" Bakugo yelled, only to be interrupted.

"I have no idea but is sure sounds manly" Kirishima commented. He did, however, frown and scratch his head. "Eh... Does he even do anything or is just some title?"

"Fuck you, extras!" Bakugo, red-faced, yelled.

"I think he or she has to deal with any events, help organize stuff and… eh… other stuff, I think? Never had one in my Middle School" Sero answered.

"Why you little…" Bakugo, seething, growled.

"It sounds fun! Pick me! Pick me!" Ashido exclaimed.

"I-I propose Iida as r-representative and Yaoyorozu as second"

Everyone, Bakugo included, looked to Midoriya, who immediately broke into incoherent spluttering and shrunk in his seat in a fit of embarrassment.

"Don't you want to be class representative, Midoriya?" Uraraka asked.

"W-well, yeah" nervously replied the green haired boy. "But I know I'm a nervous wreck with people and I don't think I could handle responsibilities, not like Iida at least. He has proven to be smart, methodical and dedicated, like Yaoyorozu. A-at least, th-that's my impression f-from what I've noticed. The difference is that Iida is… well…" Midoriya fought a smile from forming "more enthusiastic… maybe a bit too enthusiastic".

"Are you sure he is a good choice?" Mineta asked. "The guy can be intense, you know".

"The class representative probably entails many responsibilities and I really don't see anyone of us being better at fulfilling such a role than – well – Iida" Midoriya asked. He looked around. "Would anyone spend time from homework or training to do something boring like meeting with other representatives or organize mundane matters? I-I mean, it is nice t-to be representative and all but… it does have boring tasks attached to it, right?"

That seemed to dissuade most of them from wanting to be class representative. To Midoriya's utter surprise, everyone was paying attention to him. While it felt nice to be recognized, it sure was embarrassing.

"Yeah, I can definitely see Iida doing paperwork" Ashido hummed.

"Midoriya is right! Iida is perfect for the job!" Uraraka proclaimed energetically. "Look, he even has the glasses! He looks the part, doesn't he? Yaoyorozu too looks the part!"

"That- that isn't a requirement for the position" Midoriya murmured.

"Oy, EXTRAS!"

Everyone scowled and turned to the explosive blond. In turn, he glared at them – or rather, at Midoriya.

"Are you really going to do what Deku tells you?!" Bakugo shouted.

"Uh, that must really piss you off, huh?" Mineta smirked. He raised a hand "I second Midoriya's proposal then".

Bakugo turned to Mineta, ready to murder the dwarf. At the sound of snickers, he snapped his head towards a chuckling Kaminari.

"That makes two of us" Kaminari guffawed.

"I don't know…" Ojiro said, thoughtful "Iida is a bit intense and Yaoyorozu is rather aloof… but I for one know Midoriya has a good head on his shoulders. If he believes Iida and Yaoyorozu are the best for the position, I guess he probably is right…" he sighed and, with visible reluctance, raised his hand "I vote for Iida as representative and Yaoyorozu as vice representative".

"Uh-uh! Me too!" The floating clothes that were Hagakure exclaimed.

"Iida and Yaoyorozu have my sparkling vote, hon-hon-hon" Aoyoma proclaimed.

"It seems the forces of darkness have made their choice… then I shall acquiesce" Tokoyami dramatically hummed.

Shoji merely gave a thumbs up to Midoriya while Koji Koda wrote in a large piece of cardboard: Iida-Yaoyorozu.

To Midoriya's surprise, nearly the entire class decided to make Iida class representative and Yaoyorozu the vice representative. Bakugo ranted against it, mostly decrying Midoriya's involvement in the final decision. Todoroki remained quiet for the whole thing, only to say he didn't care who the class representative was. Thus, within a few minutes, Iida and Yaoyorozu stood at the front.

"I humbly accept this position!" Iida said in his loud intense voice. "I promise I shall live up to all of your expectations and that I shall not fail you!"

Yaoyorozu, sweat-dropping, merely said "what he said, I suppose…"

"That was too fast" Aizawa muttered as he went to stand behind his desk. "You didn't give me any time to actually sleep…" he squinted at Midoriya, who meekly hid his face. "So be it. Now, to the other issue, the Sports Festival will take place in one month".

The students, as expected, were floored by the sudden news.

"Hold on, the Sports Festival? As in… THE Sports festival?" Hanta asked, awestruck.

"Oh crap, I completely forgot about that!" Kaminari exclaimed.

"That's right, the Sports Festival, the opportunity of a lifetime to be seen and recognized by Pro-Heroes across Japan and even around the world" Aizawa said in a dejected voice. "At least, that is what it is supposed to be. Let me be clear, to the world, the Sports Festival is entertainment. To you…" Aizawa smirked at the increasingly worried students "…it shall be a test to determine who remains in the Hero Course".

"WHAT?!" The class cried out, horrified.

"Anyone who fails to impress at least ten hero agencies in Japan will be removed from the Hero Course and taken to General Studies. Of course, if I believe that you did too poorly, I will have you expelled from U.A. entirely" Aizawa stated. "I know what you are all thinking. Just how hard could it be with over two thousand agencies out there? Please, don't be naïve. Most of you will need to pull something impressive just to attract a single pair of eyes, much less the official interest of an agency".

Everyone stared at him, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

"The Principal has informed me that you got the information books. Good, use them. UA has multiple facilities available for its students. You need to test your quirk? Book one of the battle grounds. You want to improve your physical prowess? There are gyms. I suggest you work together. Spar, practice and learn from the criticism given by your peers. Above all, go beyond, go Plus Ultra" Aizawa yawned. "Through this and the following week I will have individual talks with each and every one of you in order to provide pointers regarding your fighting styles, quirks and training plan".

Aizawa lazily checked the hour.

"Well, I guess that's it" Aizawa stated. He turned to Midoriya. "You will be the first I'll deal with. Search for me after class". Then he looked at Koji Koda, who visibly paled. "You'll speak to me after Midoriya, am I clear? And Jiro" the girl in question shrunk in her place, gulping. "We'll have a long interesting talk after Koda".

And without any other word, Aizawa walked out of the classroom, leaving eighteen horrified students. As expected, no sooner had Aizawa left, they lost their marbles. They had to impress Hero agencies? How? They had all seen the Sports Festival of previous years. They were generally different games picked at random often concluding with one-on-one fights. Needless to say, more than one student was starting to panic.

"Everyone!" Iida yelled, silencing the class. "I understand how you all feel. However, we are all better than this. We all fought for our place here and we have all proven to at least deserve this position. If we work to improve ourselves, I am certain we will prevail!"

"Easy for you to say! You are the brother of a Pro-Hero. Agencies will pay attention to that" Mineta sobbed. "Look at me! What do I have to offer?"

"Oh yeah? Tough luck! Look at ME! I'm invisible! How can I impress an agency, much less ten? They won't even see me!" Hagakure shouted.

Uraraka wasn't faring much better herself. She hadn't even used her quirk the day before during the battle trial. What if it was the same during the Sports Festival? She wouldn't be surprised. Worse, there would be so many people watching… it would be nerve-wrecking.

"Ha, that will show all of you who's the best, you extras!" Bakugo boasted, laughing sardonically. Once again, he stood on his desk, cackling with glee. "That will teach you all! Once I beat the shitty games, everyone will know that I will be the next Number One Hero!"

"Hey, what's your problem, man?" Kirishima said, glowering at the explosive boy.

"Face it, Stupid Hair, your quirks don't compare to mine" Bakugo said with a smirk.

Uraraka grimaced. Bakugo had a point. Drawing attention wouldn't be hard for the likes of Bakugo. Worse, he had shown impressive physical prowess during the Quirk Assessment Test and a degree of combat proficiency in the Battle Trial. Her shoulders fell. What if she failed? After everything… her parents…

"H-hey, Uraraka… are you alright?"

She looked at Midoriya, feeling mixed emotions inside. On the one hand, she was glad he was supportive. On the other hand, Uraraka wished she had some quirk like Midoriya's. It wasn't powerful, but it sure drew eyes.

"Yeah" Uraraka lied "It is just – you know – really stressing". Glancing around, she added. "To all of us I guess".

Midoriya frowned, studying the class. Todoroki remained impassive while Bakugo laughed. Some like Shoji and Koji looked worried but were subdued about it. Others, like Hagakure and Mineta, seemed terrified. Then there were those like Mina Ashido who tried to stay positive. Asui seemed unfazed, but at the moment couldn't stop bluntly hammering facts to a traumatized Aoyoma, who had surprisingly lost his sparkly disposition.

Uraraka sighed. UA was the best for a reason, after all. Those who managed to meet up the high expectations probably deserved to graduate from the school. She grimaced at that. Could she afford another high school with a hero program? It sure would lower her chances once she graduated, but if it helped make ends meet back home it wouldn't matter… right?

"Hey"

Uraraka's eyes widened. She wasn't the only one. There, replacing human Midoriya, was none other than his Nine-Tailed form. Usually, Uraraka would have believed no one would have paid much attention to a plain boy. However, with those fox ears and fierce face, it was hard not to listen. There was something commanding about that primal face of his, or maybe it was the way those tails made him look bigger, or more imposing.

"Please, everyone" Midoriya said, expression soft yet determined. "I know you probably don't think so, but I know you all have immense potential. Mineta, you say no one will notice you, but didn't you break the sustained sideways jump record? You did exceedingly well yesterday too. Not even Pro-Hero Bouncer showed moves like yours.

"Hagakure, your quirk isn't flashy or visible, but actions speak louder than any word. Your quirk is even better than the likes of Pro-Hero Ilumina or Pro-Hero ShadowTale, who had transparency and shadow cloaking respectively. Do you think you can't exceed them?

"You made it to the most prestigious Hero school of Japan. Heck, we survived Aizawa's Quirk Apprehension test already. We have an entire month to train, that is more than plenty" Midoriya said. "True, some of you had been practicing since childhood, but did you have top-level training facilities like UA? Do you really believe we can't beat Aizawa's expectations?"

"Well said, Midoriya"

The Fox Boy in questions stiffened and his face heated as Pro Hero Cementoss said. He calmly walked to the teacher's desk all while a blushing Midoriya looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

"Let me guess, Aizawa has scared you already about the Sports Festival" Cementoss sighed, shaking his head. "Don't let the fear of failure consume you. Like your classmate correctly said, you can all beat Aizawa's expectations. Of course, as long as you train and work hard that is. Now, let us go back to Modern Literature, shall we?"

Midoriya was so embarrassed after that, he couldn't pry his eyes from his notes or the blackboard. What had possessed him to deliver such a ridiculous speech? He concentrated in his classes and managed to distract himself from his own stupidity, returning to his human form. He hated when he slipped into his Nine-Tailed form… Unfortunately, what was done was done and his classmates wouldn't let it pass so easily, not during break-time.

"Hey, Midoriya"

Midoriya looked at the floating clothes. Behind her were other classmates, including Mineta.

"Y-yes, d-do you need anything?" He stammered.

"Yeah, we were wondering about those Pros you mentioned. How did you know about them? I've never heard of a Pro-Hero Ilumina" Hagakure said.

"Yes, I guessed as much. She is a German Pro-Hero" Midoriya chuckled. "I-I'm kind of a fanboy, you see…"

And that was how Midoriya ended up every break time and even lunch break going on and on about various Pro Heroes he knew. Even Shoji and Tokoyami, the last people Midoriya expected to ask for his help, inquired about any that they could base their quirks on. Of course, Midoriya with the memory of more than a dozen notebooks worth of Pro-Heroes' information and hours spent researching and learning from international heroes, had more than enough material to talk about. Be it Argentinean or Taiwanese, Midoriya had a diverse array of Heroes he had studied and stored in his mind. When it came to quirk knowledge, after all, Midoriya knew he had no equal.

Thankfully, Class 1-A got down to business quickly enough. Perhaps driven to succeed, no sooner had the final bell rang, everyone set off in search of the training facilities. No one had training gear or clothes, so at most they would check out if there was a booking system. If they could start practicing right away, however, Midoriya doubted they would miss the opportunity.

Unfortunately, Midoriya had a meeting with Aizawa – so Uraraka and Iida promised to share anything they learned later on. He was nervous about it for he feared it would involve his quirk. As he went to the Teacher's Longue, accompanied by an apprehensive Jiro and Koda, Midoriya wondered what they would talk about. Maybe he should have updated the information at the quirk registry beforehand…

"Sit" Aizawa ordered.

Midoriya gulped, looking around. They were in a side room, sitting on opposite sofas. Just where were they? Tentatively, he examined the room. UA sure had better facilities than Aldera Middle School. Outside, Jiro and Koda patiently waited for their turn with Aizawa.

"Let me just say… you truly are a problem child" Aizawa tiredly sighed. He leaned back, exhausted. On one hand, he held a mug of steaming coffee. Midoriya did not miss the files on his lap. "Tell me, Midoriya, why didn't you update your quirk registry?"

Midoriya grimaced, looking at his lap in shame. Yep, he had surely screwed up with that.

"Had you been anyone else, I would have expelled you" Aizawa growled, squinting angrily at Midoriya. "What you did, using unknown quirk facets, on your classmates, was foolish and risky. True, they were harmless, but we had no means to assess that. More importantly, the lack of information in your quirk registry severely underestimates the scope of your quirk. What if you had attained a violent form? What were we supposed to assume?"

Midoriya's shoulder fell and he shrunk deeper. Boy was he done for… and he deserved it.

"However, given your circumstances…" Aizawa muttered, casually opening the files on his lap. "I've decided to let the matter go. Do not get me wrong, Midorya. As soon as we are done here you will update your quirk registry and if I ever hear that you concealed information about aspects of your quirk, I will expel you. Am I clear?"

"Y-yes, sir" Midoriya stammered.

"Now, let us get this over with" Aizawa grumbled, glaring at the papers in his grasp. "Tell me, problem child, why are you so reluctant to be yourself?"

"W-what do you-?" Midoriya started asking, confused.

"Why do you hide in that form?" Aizawa bluntly asked.

"H-hide?" Midoriya stammered. He blinked at the man, only to look down at himself. "Th-that's what-"

"Your true form has Nine-Tails" Aizawa interrupted.

"W-what? No, this is-"

"Tell me, Midoriya, do you know how my quirk works?" Aizawa asked. He paused and sighed. Of course the boy knows, he reminded himself. "Better question, did you realize I used it during the Quirk Apprehension Test?"

"What? You did?" Midoriya frowned, only for his eyes to widen. "Oh…" he looked down, shocked "w-when… when K-Kachan… that's… but…" he paused, before looking sorrowfully at his teacher. "S-sir, I-I know w-why you would think this isn't my real f-form b-but… this is who I am – who I've always been".

Aizawa felt sympathy for the boy. A bit, not much but it is more than Aizawa was comfortable with.

"Kachan? You mean Bakugo..." Aizawa really didn't want to touch that topic, but since he was there... "why do you call him that?"

"W-well, he- he has always been K-Kachan ever since I was..." Midoriya froze.

Aizawa, much to his own agony, felt his heart actually go out for the boy. Boy did he hate it when that horrid thing called sympathy crawled out its dark hole.

"Since before you suppressed your real form" Aizawa summarized. "That would explain why your real self looks ready to maul Bakugo". He raised an eyebrow. "You do know he is a bully that is more worthy of juvenile prison than my class".

"Th-that's not true" Midoriya mumbled, shaking his head. "He- he r-really isn't th-that bad".

"Should I use my quirk to know what you really think about him?" Aizawa dryly chuckled at that. "Problem child, see these files here?" He patted the stack of papers on his lap. "I've been digging up your short life, with some help, and I do not like what I found. I might not have found concrete evidence, but I am not stupid. I know the role Bakugo played in your current mental state and your late quirk manifestation".

Midoriya squirmed under his teacher's gaze. Aizawa really didn't want to squint at the boy, but it was hard not to. He took a soothing breath, remembering he was supposed to help Midoriya, and looked down at the files. Aizawa, in part, wasn't sure he even wanted to start. Sadly, a hero had to deal with some nasty things. He went through the first page.

"So from early childhood you were always in close proximity to Bakugo: kindergarten, Grade school, Middle School and now High School. Your mothers, being close friends, almost made sure you saw a lot of each other. In fact, at some point, you were allegedly friends yourselves. That was until his quirk manifested and yours didn't. Naturally, you developed a... clumsy nature..."

Midoriya did not like the way Aizawa said it, or how those eyes were almost accusing. The green-haired boy squirmed under his teacher's gaze. Aizawa, thankfully, kept on reading.

"He came up with the nickname Deku, didn't he?" Aizawa asked, all of a sudden.

"It- no - ehm - yes, b-but it was w-when we were really little!" Midoriya desperately said. "A-and it j-just caught on... s-so I was stuck w-with that nickname."

Aizawa was growing increasingly tempted on just bringing forth the Nine-Tailed Midoriya. Of course, he would never use his quirk on someone just like that, especially considering Midoriya's surrounding circumstances.

"You sure were, weren't you?" Aizawa almost spat. "Enough to repress your own quirk". Midoriya winced.

Aizawa felt like slapping himself. Now was not the time to lose his temper. Taking another breath, Aizawa shook his head and tried to relax with a sip of coffee.

"So you were diagnosed quirkless and you thought you were so for almost a decade... until the Sludge Villain incident" Aizawa pointed out, eyes on the file. "After that, you were diagnosed by what doctors call Mental Repression. In short, you were so convinced that that is your real form that you were unable to take any others. It took a near-death experience for your true form to manifest".

Midoriya remained awfully silent. Aizawa took a few moment to eye the morose kid. Truly, Midoriya had quite the rough life, and that was what little Aizawa had managed to dig up. There was more he wasn't aware of or, worse, that Midoriya purposely hid.

"But Mental Repression doesn't end there, does it? It is years and years of denial, to the point even in the face of your own quirk, you insist on lying to yourself about your true form" Aizawa stopped himself and sighed. He was losing his temper again. "Whilst rare, it is a good thing we already know how to treat Mental Repression".

Midoriya remained quiet, looking miserable.

"I must admit, I am impressed. For someone who has endured Mental Repression, you've made it far" Aizawa said. He read the files again, sharing his finding to the boy. "After the incident, you spent one month in quirk rehabilitation. Your school, though, recorded it as a recovery period from the villain attack. Had I not talked with your mother, I would have known you went to a quirk counselor and a psychiatrist afterwards".

"Y-you spoke t-to my mom?" Midoriya asked, paling.

"Yes. It is the logical course of action" Aizawa stated, only to go back to the topic at hand. "Even when facing an identity crisis, even when you had a big disadvantage in comparison to other examinees, even when you had never put any effort to be a Pro-Hero prior to the Sludge Villain incident… you somehow made it into U.A."

He leaned forward, trying to reign his anger.

"And yet, after everything, you still defend Bakugo, going as far as call him that friendly nickname. It is disturbing, problem child" Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose.

"W-what do you want me to say? Th-that Kach- Bakugo was m-mean to me? It- it happens and- and... well... I did deserve some of it" Midoriya mumbled, averting his eyes. "I-I insisted on being a quirkless hero and-"

"And so what?" Aizawa scoffed. "That justifies the mental damage he inflicted? Mental Repression, from what I've just learned TODAY, is insidious and takes the person to actually develop an extreme lack of self-worth".

"B-but he isn't that bad!" Insisted Midoriya. "H-he does have good qualities and- and-"

"Do you know why I haven't expelled Bakugo? It isn't because of his quirk, it isn't because of his oh-so-amazing scores" Aizawa almost growled. "It is because Principal Nezu - and I - understand a boy like that, if we pop his bubble of grandeur at this point, will become a villain".

"He would never!" Midoriya shouted.

"Yes, he would and to this point Bakugo is awfully close to being one" stated Aizawa."Do you think you are the only one he has bullied? Again, I don't have concrete evidence to pin him down, but I know one other student of U.A. who has come across Bakugo's destructive path.

"I have dealt with his kind, even had one as a classmate. Nine times out of ten, they fall into villainy. The best we can do is redirect their megalomania against villains, but what they suffer is incurable. Can Bakugo become a great hero? Of course, I'll make sure of that. He might even hit the Top Ten... but he will unfortunately be, at his best, a villain on the right side of the law" Aizawa grunted.

"H-how... how can you just say that?" Midoriya asked, horrified.

"Get used to it, problem child. In this world with quirks, I am afraid old remedies don't work with the new problems. We have to make terrible compromises to avoid death and chaos. Do I like it? Of course not. I think our society has created a terrible rot that will inevitably bring about a new Dark Age... but that is a discussion for another time. Just... think about Bakugo and his treatment of you. I might not be able to punish him until he crosses the line he so surely treads, but the best I can do is set YOU in a path away from him" Aizawa sighed, shaking his head.

It was time to change the subject, if only to avoid Midoriya from breaking into tears. Boy did he really want the Nine-Tailed form there... he even got one of Hound Dog's anger management chewing toys just in case. But no, no using your quirk on your students without reason.

"How did you train for the Exam?"

Midoriya was visibly relieved at the change of subject.

"I-I mostly dedicated myself on improving th-the control on my tails. At first I-I used them f-for mundane tasks th-then I used them t-to move increasingly heavier objects" Midoriya said. "I started r-running, g-going as far as neighbouring districts t-to improve my stamina…"

"You focused only on your Nine-Tailed form" Aizawa pointed out. "A smart choice, given the limited time at your disposal. However, your control is still lacking and your inexperience in combat is telling. How do you intend to train for the Sports Festival? Are you going to focus entirely on your most combat-oriented form?"

"I… I…" Midoriya stammered, before regaining his composure. "I intend to use weights to improve my control on my tails as well as to strengthen the rest of my body and-and practice fighting techniques – for my Nine-Tailed Form, that is".

"What about the other forms?" Aizawa asked with a raised eyebrow. "If I am not mistaken, you admitted during the Battle Trial that your Four-Tail form, for example, lacked training".

"I… it – I can't use it" Midoriya said.

"Can't? Or won't?" Aizawa asked.

"You saw me in that form, sir!" Midoriya spluttered. "I-I will embarrass myself in front of ev-everyone! And on international live TV!"

"Do you know what I saw when I studied the footage of the battle trial? A hero-in-training with the ability to incapacitate someone without harm. The Four-Tails has a uniquely useful ability, Midoriya. You know that" Aizawa said. "What about the Three-Tails? You pulled a clever stunt with that form. Nezu told me the blue flames can heal and you did manage to heal the injury Bakugo left you. Even Recovery Girl might be interested by it."

"It… it expends my stamina quickly when I heal… even scratches" Midoriya mumbled.

"Because you haven't trained with that form" Aizawa commented. "In fact…" he eyed the files again, turning a few pages "…you barely turn into any of the other forms even when your psychologist AND quirk counselor suggested otherwise. Your mother has informed me that you even have a special permit to transform in public due to the psychological nature of your quirk".

"Y-you c-can't… you can't suggest I g-go around in my other forms" Midoriya spluttered.

"That is exactly what I am suggesting, if only to get you comfortable in them. Your biggest impediment going forward is your reluctance to exploit your quirk to the fullest. In fact..." Aizawa hummed, eyes on the files. "Your mother informed me that there is a grave risk of stunting your own quirk unless you use it. For all we know, this could help you unlock more forms".

Midoriya didn't look convinced. If anything, he was visibly disgruntled.

"I will not force you to do anything. I, however, believe you should use this month of preparation to train with your other forms. Thus, I suggest you actually spend time in them to make up for lost time. You were never supposed to remain in that form forever, Midoriya".

"I-I can't, sir" Midoriya muttered. "I-I lose m-myself wh-when I am not – ehm - me. You saw me as the Four Tails and h-how I-I acted…"

"That is a result from Mental Repression, or that is what your psychologist believed" Aizawa said, looking up from the papers. "I do not care how or when you unlocked your current forms, Midoriya. All I ask if you take them into account. Train with them in private if you must. In the meantime, I suggest one thing".

From behind his sofa, he pulled a bag and threw it to Midoriya. He caught it and stared at it, confused.

"Practice" Aizawa stated. Midoriya looked at the bag, confused, before turning to his grinning teacher. "I have spoken to your mother about this and she has agreed. Again, I won't force you, but this is for your own good".

"But this is…" Midoriya, bewildered, was saying until he realized what it entailed. He looked down at the package, only to snap his head at Aizawa, disbelieving. "No- No!" He stood up. "I am not- not…"

"Again" Aizawa, amused, raised his hands in a placating manner. "It is your choice. We encourage you to do so, but it is up to you. I've discussed this with Nezu and he has given the green light. The other teachers saw no issue".

Midoriya scowled.

"With that out of the way…" Aizawa carried on, turning more pages. Midoriya frowned at the stack of piles. Just how much had his teacher dug up from his past? "Let us talk about how we can further overcome this ongoing repression of yours. I have an idea but I doubt you will enjoy it".

"Huh?" Midoriya asked. What? He had more to suggest?

"Since your last costume needs to be remade thanks to Bakugo, I want you to redesign your costume". Midoriya frowned. "With Midnight". Midoriya's eyes widened. "No, I don't mean it so you can learn from her – although you should. She is a costume designer and she can help you come up with a costume befitting you and not an All Might fanboy".

"Was I that obvious… or did mom tell you about my costume?" Midoriya mumbled, grimacing.

"Both. Midoriya, you've already been told this but I'll say it again: you need to stop being a fanboy and start thinking about yourself. It is time you figure out who you are and who you want to be and that, problem child, begins with the basics like your costume" Aizawa admitted. "Please, think about it, alright? I don't want you to waste your potential, problem child. I can see a worthy hero in you… I just hope you may see it one day".

For a moment there Midoriya wondered why he didn't feel happy someone had actually said he could make a great hero. It was one of those things he had craved for his entire life... perhaps it was because of Aizawa's personality, or maybe it was the bitter taste in his mouth after their talk regarding Bakugo.

Midoriya looked down at the offered package, and scowled. However, as much as he hated this proposal, Midoriya knew Aizawa was right. He had to accept and embrace his other forms and that meant actually spending time as them. That didn't mean he liked it. He could always dedicate a few hours after school… yes, he didn't really need the forms other than the Nine-Tails, right? He would never in a thousand years go along with this preposterous proposal.

Chapter VIII

I can't believe I am going along with this, mentally muttered Midoriya the following morning.

The train finally set off and Midoriya made it a point to look down. At the moment he was a bit apprehensive, given his current form. The last thing he wanted was for the rabbit girl to talk to him that morning. He had had enough with mother swindling him to follow Aizawa's stupid plan without Rabbit Girl thrown into the mix.

Just think of this as training, Midoriya mentally repeated. He scowled and clenched his fists. Just why did I have to have a quirk like this?

"Eh… excuse me" A quite undesired voice called.

Midoriya looked up and scowled again. Speak of the devil and she will come. However, instead of embarrassment or anger, a very playful part of him chuckled inside and, for once, Midoriya decided to play along.

"Do you happen to have a brother?" Rabbit girl asked, surprised. She sat next to a Three-Tailed Midoriya, making use of the free seats before the next station. "You know, a boy, nine tails…?"

"Oh, that would be my brother Izuku" Midoriya coyly said. It was so hard not to smirk. "I am Izumi, Izumi Midoriya".

"Huh. For a moment there I thought Fox Boy had gone all transsexual or something" the rabbit girl huffed. "I'm Rumi Usagiyama, by the way. You better remember that name." She proudly said, smirking at Izuku. "I'll make it to the Top Ten Pro-Heroes".

"Nice to meet'ya, Usagiyama, and I sure don't doubt it" Izuku said. He was really trying not to laugh at poor Rabbit Girl. Boy was she up for a big surprise. "I saw you during the Sports Festival last year. You were pretty amazing".

"Ha, of course I am!" Rabbit Girl exclaimed, chest puffed up with pride. When she looked at Izuku, however, she quickly looked confused "Say, why haven't I seen you before? And what happened to Fox Boy?

"Izuku is running late, actually. The dufus overslept" Izuku said. "And you will catch me dead before you see me with him".

"Ah, twins, right?" Rumi said with a knowing smile. "Ha, I understand you pain".

"Yep. So you have siblings?"

"Yeah…" Rumi groaned. "I have eight of them and I'm the oldest".

"Eight?!" Izuku asked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so surprised…"

"Well, I did get my quirk from somewhere, you know, and you know how rabbits can be" Rumi sheepishly chuckled. "Now, imagine if both your parents have the quirk Rabbit".

Izuku's eyes widened. "What are the odds?" He asked.

"Well, it is actually a long but funny story" Rumi chuckled. "The gist of it is that, although both their quirks share the same name, they are actually different. My mom can transform into a rabbit, but has a lot of – well – rabbit behaviour when human. My dad, however, has a mutant type. I take after him, you see. So, when they met they – well – kind of hit it off… and here I am. Trust me, it is a long story".

A part of Izuku (the Zero Tailed persona no doubt) seemed absolutely shocked that, there he was, talking to a relatively hot girl. What were the odds? The rest of him, however, impishly chuckled.

"You know, Izuku's and my quirk doesn't actually come from our parents. In fact, we have a very weird mutation that comes from unrelated grandparents" Izuku shared.

"Seriously? That sounds cool" Rumi said with a grin. "So are you in the Hero Course like your brother? I don't want to sound harsh or anything but you sure don't look your brother".

"Sadly, no, I'm in General Studies. What was that about my brother? I've been told I look a lot like him… could actually pass as Izuku if I wanted" Midoriya wondered. She was perhaps enjoying this too much.

"Well, he had this wimpy loser side but then when he was all fox-like he had this mean-killing machine aura going for him" Rumi explained, wistfully staring at the ceiling. "Now that is someone I really wanna fight…" Midoriya did not like that devious grin on Rabbit Girl's face "…do you think he would agree to a spar?"

Absolutely not, Midoriya thought. He remembered the Sports Festival. Rabbit Girl was the definition of born for battle and Midoriya would rather live.

"I'll ask if you want. Say, you are in the hero course, right?"

Somehow, Izuku could not understand why or how he had managed to befriend the rabbit girl. Maybe it was a girl thing he didn't understand or perhaps it was Three-Tails' outgoing personality. In any case, the two hit it off from there. Rumi went on and on about how awesome she was, and how she couldn't wait to kick butt at the Sports Festival.

Midoriya, of course, already knew much about the hero course, although there were a few things he learned from Rabbit Girl. For instance, how rescue training generally took place in a specialized facility under Pro-hero Thirteen. That and Rabbit Girl would rather spend her time beating somebody up than rescue training. Who would have imagined?

One thing led to another so by the time they made it to their final station they had started talking about various heroes, like Death Arms and Hawks. Of course, Rabbit Girl, when talking about heroes had one thing in mind: fighting. Something told Midoriya that she just loved to fight.

All the while, Midoriya found a growing sense of hilarity. Rumi talked and talked, and did not suspect a thing. By the time they were nearing the school, Rumi revealed something important about herself.

"Call me a nerd if you want but I just love watching heroes fighting. I have every single fight you can think of recorded in my house" Rumi boasted.

"R-really?" Izuku spluttered, amazed. Her heart fluttered. Had she found a kindred spirit? "I prefer taking notes about heroes".

"Ha, that means you are more of a nerd than me!" Rumi laughed, nudging Izuku.

Izuku felt her cheeks heat up at the physical contact. Since when was Three-Tails shy about contact?

"Well, I guess your brother will be late" Rumi said, looking backwards as they made it across the gate.

Izuku was losing the inner fight. She was close to bursting into laughter. She had to hold on, however, at least until they got into the building proper. Once there, she couldn't help it.

"You shouldn't worry about him being late" Izuku said, voice cracking. Smirking, she turned towards rabbit girl, pulling her phone. "By the way, Usagiyama?"

"Yes?" Rumi wondered.

POOF.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya!" Nine-Tailed Izuku laughed.

Rabbit girl's shocked face was priceless. It was that expression of dawning realization that was utterly hilarious. Best part, Izuku now had pictures for posterity. Before Usagiyama could react, Izuku poofed back to her three-tailed form and run as fast as she could towards her classroom. By the time Izuku heard rabbit girl's angry yells, she had managed to escape.

Izuku laughed all the way, to the point that once she made it to Class 1-A's door she was having trouble breathing.

I never thought using other forms could be so much fun, Izuku thought. She quickly slapped herself and shook her head. What in the world got into me? I can't just do that to people! And yet, it had been fun to play along...

However, now that she was at the door of her classroom, all amusement died down in Izuku. Dressed in fitting female uniform (kindness from Aizawa the day before), she stood there with apprehension keeping her rooted in place. How would her classmates react? She scowled at that.

Now is not the time to be a pansy! You are doing this to get better so no backing out of this! Izuku mentally told herself. She looked down at herself or rather her uniform. Well, it isn't like I can actually change my mind now, can I? One thing to do, then: Jump into the fray, Izuku!

And jump she did. She slammed the door opened and, with a wide grin, confidently marched towards her seat. Thank God Izuku always felt so bold with the Three-Tailed form, or else she would have been a mess already. She did not miss the surprised and confused looks from her peers. Thankfully, it wasn't until he had sit down that her classmates approached her.

"Eh… not that I mind or anything but why…?" Uraraka wondered from her seat.

"Why are you the flat-chested chick, Deku?!"

I am not flat-chested! Izuku mentally muttered, suddenly uncomfortable in her current form. I knew I shouldn't have agreed to - no! You aren't a quitter, Izuku! You can do this!

"Huh? Did you say something?" Izuku, with a laid back attitude, asked.

"Yes, you tranny! What the fuck is with that stupid girl look?!" Bakugo shouted.

The other students glared at the explosive teen, all while Izuku felt a terrible knot forming in her gut.

Come on Izuku, you are a fox, not a chicken, Izuku told himself.

"Huh? Did you hear something, Cute Face?" Izuku casually asked Uraraka.

Uraraka, and others, snickered as Bakugo turned apoplectic.

"Why you stupid Deku…" Bakugo growled.

"Ufff, is it me or is there a lot of hot air in here?" Izuku huffed, fanning herself with a clawed hand. She smirked at Bakugo, who glared back with gritted teeth.

"So you are that girl from the battle trial!" Ashido Mina, awfully excited, exclaimed as she loomed over Izuku. "Does this look of yours have a different name?"

"Nah, that would be too much of a bother" she replied. "I'm Izuku Midoriya, just – you know – a super awesome fox girl for today".

"Wait, so you don't change into different people then. You only take different forms?" Kyoka, intrigued, wondered. "It sure must feel weird, right?"

"Only when I go back to being Zero Tailed" Midoriya grunted. She grinned and folded her arms on her back, conveying her comfort in her body. "Until then, I'm going to just be myself…"

"So you – ehm – are at present a female?" Yaoyorozu inquired.

"Yep. Right now I am a full girl just like when I am Zero-Tails I am absolutely quirkless, extra toe-joint and everything" Izuku said, only to scoff at something she remembered. "In fact, I was diagnosed as quirkless back when I was a child. Didn't even know I had a quirk until later".

"Damn, that sucks" Kirishima, standing next to Mina, grunted.

"Really? But didn't they perform a Quirk Factor study?" Yaoyorozu wondered.

"Why would they? I didn't manifest any signs of a quirk and I had the extra toe-joint. The doc merely told us to return if anything changed with me… but it didn't" Izuku dismissively said. "In fact, I had no idea I was a super cool demon fox until rather recently, give or take a year".

That caught everyone by surprise. Even Bakugo was paying attention.

"Hold on, you are saying that… you got into UA after you manifested your quirk later than all of us?" Kirishima gasped. "That's so manly!"

"Up until then everyone thought you didn't have a quirk?" Mina realized, wide-eyed. "Oh, that must have really sucked!"

"So that would explain Bakugo's penchant for insults towards Midoriya that include synonyms to useless or weak, or why he has addressed our fellow classmate as quirkless" Iida concluded.

"And here I thought you had learned from the first day…"

Shit, was the collective thought of the class as they rushed to their seats. Nervously, they waited as Aizawa lazily sauntered towards the teacher's desk and took a long daunting minute to study each and every single one of you.

"I see your mother got through you, problem child" Aizawa said with a smirk. His eyes turned to Jiro and then at Koda, making both of them sweat bullet "I hope the other two students I spoke to took our discussion to heart as well..."

He turned towards the rest.

"Does anyone has issues with Midoriya's multiple forms? Because I am afraid you will be seeing them all during the next days as part of his training. And yes, I suggested as much" Aizawa grumbled.

"I will alternate between the Nine-Tails and the Three-Tails for now..." Midoriya hesitantly clarified.

"It's a start..." Aizawa sighed, shaking his head. A hand was raised and the teacher looked at the owner. "Yaoyorozu?"

"I was wondering… is he – she – ehm – Midoriya going to use women facilities like girls' bathrooms?" Yaoyorozu inquired. "I would be lying if I said I am not uncomfortable with the thought…" she nervously confessed "no offense, Midoriya". She sent an apologetic look towards Midoriya.

"Yeah, no kidding" Midoriya chuckled. "I can turn into a boy so it must be awkward, right? Dontcha worry, Yaomomo, once I got back to having no tails I'll probably die of embarrassment anyways."

"When it comes to Midoriya, you will have to understand he falls into a unique category – or rather falls into Sex-Modifying Quirks group. But that is a discussion beyond my full understanding. The best way to take it is to treat Midoriya like a girl when she takes female forms and like a boy when he takes male forms. If even that is a task beyond your reach, just address him as a boy. That is his core persona, after all" Aizawa explained.

"This is going to be so confusing..." whined Kaminari. "Ouch!"

"Only if you are an idiot" scoffed Kyoka, poking the lightning-boy with her earphone-jacks.

"I don't mind turning into other forms if that makes the galls uncomfortable" Midoriya offered.

"It- it isn't a problem, Midoriya" Yaoyorozu mumbled, blushing with guilt. "It will be weird at first but I'm sure we'll get used to it. B-besides, I am sure this might be a tad harder for you than it is for us".

"Hey, I get it. No need to beat yourself up. Just don't go calling me tranny or anything" Midoriya grumbled.

"While I do not care what you call each other, I rather not expel anyone..." Aizawa took a moment to send a warning glare at his students. Midoriya did not miss the way his eyes lingered on a smirking Bakugo "...because of childish behaviour".

"On more important matters" Aizawa interrupted, earning the terrified – and undivided – attention of his students. "Yaoyorozu, Todoroki and Bakugo, today I'll be speaking with you three after class".

Bakugo looked ready to yell something, but showed great restraint by huffing and giving a curt nod at their teacher. Todoroki, on the other hand, merely hummed. Yaoyorozu, on her part, gulped and nervously wrung her hands.

And with that, a new day at UA began. To say Class 1-A got used to Midoriya's female form would have been a lie. Boys felt awkward around her and the girls weren't sure how to treat her. Then again, this Midoriya had a strangely outgoing personality and made it easy to talk to. There were those, like Mina Ashido, that found it exciting to treat Midoriya as a girl, while others remained uncomfortable, like Yaoyorozu. Uraraka befriended Midoriya's Three-Tailed personality, but she couldn't stop blushing whenever she got called Cute Face. Not that she appeared to mind.

The rest of the day went by easy enough. They had Heroics class again, but this time instead of All Might, they had none other than their homeroom teacher Aizawa. It wasn't clear why, but Midoriya and the others got the feeling it was a last minute change. Not that they got much time for conspiracies and whatnot. Heroics with Aizawa was rather stressing, being constantly on their toes. At least, it got easier after they got over Aizawa's intense glares and no-nonsense attitude.

Aizawa was not their only surprise. The training they went through in Heroics class was also unexpected. Instead of fighting or doing what anyone would have called Heroic, they started working on their infiltration skills. It basically consisted on traversing a maze alone while avoiding cameras, dummies that were supposed to be villains and "traps".

There were those that excelled at it (a certain invisible girl, for example) and those that absolutely hated it (Bakugo and Todoroki) but who did not perform badly or failed. There was something terrifying of seeing Bakugo being silent and deadly calm for so long. After all, it was hard to believe Bakugo could be a normal human being when he wanted to. With her gym clothes instead of her tattered costume, Midoriya had breezed through the exercise as the Two-Tails.

Midoriya could actually say he was getting accustomed to being a girl were it not for Bakugo. He had found many ways to get under Midoriya's skin whenever anyone wasn't nearby. From calling her 'Flat-Chested' to addressing Midoriya as a 'Trap', Bakugo knew how to annoy her. Worse, it brought about that sense of disconnection with her form that Midoriya struggled with. Of course, Midoriya did manage to annoy Bakugo by mostly ignoring the explosive boy, but it did not help.

And so, another day ended. Midoriya sighed, thankful her long ordeal was about to conclude and she would be able to change to her real form (as per agreement with her mother). Just as everyone was going to leave, however, they had a strange surprise at the classroom door. There, searching around, was none other than the school nurse, also known as Recovery Girl. Petite, grey-haired and relatively kind looking, she seemed to be searching for someone.

"Eh… are you looking for anyone?" Midoriya awkwardly asked.

"Ah-ha, there you are, young lass" Recovery Girl hummed. "Come, you'll be training with me today".

"I'm going to do what now?" Midoriya spluttered, looking at his equally confused classmates.

"Principal Nezu has informed me about this form's abilities, and I am dying to see them in action. So, come on" Recovery Girl stated matter-of-factly.

"B-but I have to train with my Nine-Tail-" Midoriya stuttered, only for a cane to land on her head. "Ouch!"

"Now, now, dear, we can do this the easy way or the hard way" Recovery girl warned. "And yes, I've got your mother's permission".

Midoriya stared at the nurse, frowning. She looked like she was actually considering it. Then, in a swift movement, she turned around and jumped away. She almost made it to the nearest window when bandages wrapped around her legs and pulled her back. Midoriya fell forward, on her face, before she snapped her head around, desperately looking for an escape.

"The hard way it is" Recovery girl sighed.

To the classroom's horror, not ten seconds later, they saw how Midoriya was dragged out to the corridor by a humming Recovery Girl. Said Fox Girl cried for freedom, leaving claw marks on the floor in an attempt to escape from her fate.

"If you thought I'll just allow you to waste your potential, then I'm glad to say you are sorely mistaken" the old woman huffed, showing great strength by pulling the girl towards her.

"Eh… is this legal?" A worried Uraraka asked a shocked Iida.

Before anyone could respond, Recovery Girl turned towards the students. Instead of the fierce healing hero who so happened to drag Midoriya, she suddenly gave a grandmotherly aura as she addressed the rest of Class 1-A.

"Have some gummies, dears" Recovery Girl cheerfully said handing over candies to the spectating classmates. "And trust me, this is for his own good".

And with that, Midoriya was gone, taken by the school nurse. Class 1-A stared with abject horror and bewilderment, with colourful gummies in their hands. Truthfully, most weren't sure how to feel regarding what they had just witnessed.

"Maybe we should have helped him" Uraraka said, already chewing on the candy. "These gummies aren't half bad".

"Perhaps, but I do believe training with Recovery Girl is both an honour and a boon for Midoriya" Iida said. He looked at his hands as he tasted one of the gummies. "They truly are delicious".

"You know, you could have just asked" a grumpy Three-Tailed Midoriya grunted. She looked down at herself. "And why am I tied like this?"

The infirmary was a surprisingly small room with enough space for three beds. For a school where teenagers were allowed to use their quirks, Midoriya had expected more equipment than a counter by a side, a few monitors and a tall bookshelf with books and files. Then again, Recovery Girl's quirk was probably more than enough for most injuries. Speaking of which…

"Oh, I know you reckless types" Recovery Girl huffed, pointing her syringe-shaped cane at the girl. "You are all about fighting and smashing and all that nonsense! That's all you want: the glory or the thrill of the fight". She paced in front of the tied-up girl, shaking her head.

"That still doesn't answer why I am tied" Midoriya deadpanned.

"Why? Isn't it obvious?" The elderly woman chuckled. She hopped onto a rotating chair of her own, sitting opposite her prisoner. "Because I heard you are being stubborn regarding your quirk, particularly that you have trouble adjusting to your forms. Oh, I wasn't born yesterday, dear. I know you would rather be anywhere but here, practicing with that girl form of yours. That and Aizawa suggested it".

Figures, Midoriya mentally muttered. However, she couldn't help but feel a sense of shame wash over her. She averted her gaze, ears and tails dropping.

"Now, now, there is nothing to be ashamed of. From what I understand, it must be hard to undo years and years of Mental Repression. However, I'll be damned if I allow you to waste that extraordinary ability of yours" the school nurse softly said.

Midoriya felt guilty at that. Why was she being such a child about it all? This was a unique opportunity to improve, and even follow Aizawa's advice. However, the Three-Tailed form was the last form he was intending on training with (the Four-Tails didn't count).

"Uh, I know that face. You rather be that Nine Tails lad with anger issues" Recovery Girl muttered, waving her cane.

"Ma'am, the Sports Festival is in a month and I'm already behind everyone else!" Midoriya said. "I-I appreciate what you are trying to do but I need to focus on the forms that will help me win". Especially against Bakugo, she mentally added.

"So you've become a hero to win?" Recovery Girl asked, humming.

"What? Of course not!" Three-Tails Midoriya huffed. "I just- I just don't want to lose or be expelled".

"Is that so? Tell me, dear, why did you become a hero?" She seemed genuinely curious. "It can't be anything simple, can it? I don't see someone like you, who has gone through what you did, pull himself together in just a few months for the sake of glory".

"W-well, it isn't anything grand or amazing, actually" Midoriya mumbled, embarrassed. She closed her eyes. "Ever since I was a child… before I was even four years old… I really wanted to be a hero. There was this video… have you seen All Might's debut? How he impressed the world by saving so many people all by himself? How he shocked everyone with that smile? I wanted to be like that… to be inspiring…"

"Oh dear, please, it can't be just that" Recovery Girl scoffed.

"But it is!" Midoriya stated.

"I can understand hanging on to that dream, almost like a lifeline, when you weren't aware you had a quirk… but what happened afterwards? Why did you insist on being a hero when you discovered your power would probably take you down another path?" Recovery Girl challengingly hummed.

"I… I don't know" Midoriya admitted, surprised by her own admission. "I just…"

"Just food for thought. I for one don't believe All Might isn't your main drive" Recovery Girl stated. "I for one believe it will help if you can define the kind of hero you want to be and keep that in mind while training for the Sports Festival".

Midoriya frowned, pondering on what the old woman had said. She did have a point. It had been so long since she had even watched that video, and so much had happened since.

Their conversation was broken by the door of the infirmary. It slammed wide open, startling the tied Fox Girl. Recovery Girl scowled, only to see who had walked into the infirmary and actually shake her head.

"Oy, Recovery Girl, you in here?"

Midoriya, surprised, blinked and snapped her head towards the door. A very familiar girl stood there, holding a foot in mid air and wincing in pain.

"Rabbit Girl?" Midoriya asked, dumbfounded.

"Ah, Fox Boy – or is it Fox Girl now?" None other than Rumi Usagiyama replied, scarlet eyes wide with befuddlement of her own. She frowned at the tied-up Midoriya. "Eh… do I want to know what's going on here?"

"What did you do this time, Usagiyama?" Muttered a disgruntled Recovery Girl. However, the reason became obvious as she noticed the way Usagiyama held one of her rabbit feet. "Oh dear, who did you pick a fight with this time?"

Recovery led the Rabbit Girl to a bed, eyeing the injury. It looked rather painful.

"I didn't pick a fight!" Rabbit Girl muttered, only to add under her breath "this time, anyway…"

"Ah-ha" Recovery Girl sarcastically scoffed, nodding with disbelief.

"I'm being serious! I was just minding my own business when this locker just opened and a massive hammer fell on my foot!" Rabbit Girl proclaimed.

Recovery Girl pinched the bridge of her nose. She clearly didn't believe that story. Not that Midoriya believed it either. Really? A hammer just happened to fall on her foot? In fact, it was so ridiculous, Midoriya giggled.

"Oy, it is the truth!" Rabbit Girl exclaimed.

"Yeah, right" huffed Midoriya.

"Bah, think whatever you want" muttered Rabbit Girl. "So, can you just use your quirk and be done with it? It hurts, you know".

Recovery Girl studied the rabbit foot for a moment. Suddenly, Midoriya noticed something shift in the elderly woman. Her visible annoyance ebbed away, replaced with a grandmotherly disposition. Recovery Girl was up to something.

"Midoriya, why aren't you a dear and heal poor Usagiyama here?"

Rabbit Girl must have sensed something amiss, because she looked suspicious at the two of them. Midoriya, on her part, found herself fighting a grin.

"Wait, you can heal now, Fox B- Girl?" Rabbit Girl, squinting at said green-haired girl, asked.

"Yep, it is part of my quirk" Midoriya cheerfully said. Oh boy, this was going to be fun.

"Huh" was all that Rabbit Girl said, staring at Midoriya with interest.

Recovery Girl undid Midoriya's bandages. Although Rabbit Girl really looked like she rather be anywhere else and that she did not trust Midoriya, she remained seated. She did, however, fidget.

"Can you hurry? I have a butt to ki- I mean, training to do" Rabbit Girl impatiently said.

"Just show me your foot" Midoriya said. She raised her hands at the extended rabbit foot. "This might burn a bit…"

"Burn?" Rabbit Girl asked, baffled. That was before she saw the blue flames. "ARGH! What the fuck?!"

An amused Recovery Girl and entertained Midoriya watched as Rabbit Girl panicked. It was understandable, seeing weird blue fire dancing on her injured foot. She tried hitting her foot with her hands and rolling on the ground.

"Argh! FIRE! FI- huh?" Usagiyama was screaming, only to stare, shocked, at her healed foot.

Midoriya broke out laughing, rolling on the ground.

"That is one messed up way to heal people!" Rabbit Girl exclaimed, angry. However, Her anger faded away, replaced by amusement. She grinned at Midoriya. "I like it" she admitted.

"Sorry about that" giggled Midoriya, rising to her feet. "I just can't help myself at times".

"It's no problem" Rabbit Girl replied, studying her foot. "Huh, not bad, Fox Girl. It is as good as new! Guess I know who to go to if I need a quick fix".

"What was that?" Grunted Recovery Girl.

"I said thanks for everything. I'll be on my way" Rabbit Girl sheepishly said, chuckling. She winked at Midoriya "see you around Fox Girl".

And before anyone could say anything, Rabbit Girl jumped out of the infirmary. Recovery harrumphed only to turn towards Midoriya, smiling.

"That wasn't that bad, was it?" Recovery Girl said.

Midoriya grinned. "That was fun, actually… maybe I wouldn't mind training with you". She blinked, only to stumble back, dizzy. "Or maybe not…"

"Exhausted already?" Recovery Girl hummed, frowning with concern.

"Yeah… we had heroics today so I might have been a bit spent" grumbled Midoriya as dark bags appeared under her eyes.

"That means only one thing" Recovery Girl harrumphed. "We need to increase your energy reserves. We have to come up with a proper nutritional plan, a physical exercise regime and practice schedule. This might probably help your other forms too, if you share the same energy pool".

Now there was something Midoriya could get behind. It sounded ideal for the Sports Festival. However, for the time being, she needed something else.

"Th-that sounds wonderful…" slurred the sleepy Fox-Girl. "You wouldn't mind if I took a…" And before she could finish, she fell onto the vacated bed. Midoriya was snoring within seconds.

Recovery Girl chuckled and shook her head. She tucked the girl in the bed and closed the curtains for privacy.

"Don't you worry, dear. We'll make a fine hero out of you" she softly said, before turning towards door. She frowned, suddenly worried. "Maybe I should check on that battle-lusting rabbit".