Hey so sorry about not posting Friday I was on vacation and didn't have time to write.
Also I have decided to cut back the word count on each chapter to 2.5k because editing and writing 5k words at a time is a little too time consuming for me so sorry.
The first morning of U.A. felt different the moment the sun hit the windows of Heights Alliance.
Not louder.
Not brighter.
Just real.
Izuku woke before his alarm, the early light pouring across his desk and floor.
His uniform hung neatly on the chair — gray jacket pressed, tie draped over the shoulder in a knot he'd practiced more times than he wanted to admit.
He stretched once, feeling the faint hum of shadows respond under his skin.
Kaelros and Igris stirred dimly in the back of his awareness, calm and steady.
Big day, he thought at them.
The shadows pulsed once in agreement.
After a quick shower then combing his hair to the side, he dressed and stepped into the hallway.
Voices echoed faintly from the other rooms.
Momo's door was already open.
She stood in front of her mirror, blazer perfectly straight, hair pinned in a sleek twist.
She spotted him immediately and smiled.
"You're early."
"So are you."He said as he walked in.
"I wanted a head start. First impressions matter."She said while stepping closer taking his hand.
He nodded. 'With Momo, they always did'. He thought, squeezing her hand then giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and turning to the door quickly to hide his blush.
They then headed to the room
Across the hall, Nerissa's room looked like a cyclone had landed in it.
Clothes draped over chairs, makeup scattered on the desk, and a half-open granola bar on the dresser.
She stood in the center wearing her uniform… backwards.
"Okay—don't laugh."
"I'm not laughing," Izuku said, hugging her to hide the fact that his smile was about to break out into laughter.
"Yes you are," she groaned. "U.A. should give us training on ties, not just quirk control." lightly hitting his chest to show he displeasure
Momo stepped out from behind Izuku with a calm sigh.
"Just take a breath."
Nerissa lifted her hair. "This school better appreciate me."
finally getting Nerissa ready headed towards Shōko who emerged from her room last, uniform perfect, hair tied loosely over one shoulder.
Her eyes were still a little sleepy, but her posture was straight as always.
"You all look… functional," she said quietly.
"That's a compliment, right?" Nerissa asked, flipping her now-correct blazer collar. She was ignored.
She then stepped forward and grabbed izuku gently by the collar while still forcefully pulling him in to give him a long searing kiss tongue and all.
She stepped back no flush looking completely normal other than a small smile then looked quizzickly at Izuku who had stopped working.
"What's wrong with him? I thought this is what people do in relationships?" She said while telling her head confusion obvious on her face as if she was clueless
The four of them gathered at the elevator, adjusting ties and sleeves one last time. Izuku was still on auto pilot with a goofy grin.
Just as the doors slid open—
"Move. You're blocking the hall."
Bakugo came striding up, yanking at his tie with visible irritation.
His uniform looked fine, except for the murder in his eyes and the absolute refusal of the tie to stay straight.
Nerissa nudged Izuku.
"Should we… help?"
Izuku shook his head immediately.
"He'd explode the tie."
Bakugo growled, but there was no real anger behind it.
"Shut up. I've got it."
He did not "have it."
Momo stepped forward without a word, fixed the tie in less than ten seconds, and stepped back besides Izuku.
Bakugo blinked once.
"…Thanks,"he grumbled.
"You're welcome," she said gracefully.
He grumbled something unintelligible and stepped into the elevator with them.
Morning sunlight bathed the campus in gold as they walked toward the main building.
Other students filtered in from all sides — wide-eyed, excited, sleepy, terrified.
A few whispered when they saw Izuku's group.
Rumors from the entrance exam traveled fast.
Izuku shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Feels weird being stared at."
"Get used to it," Shōko said.
"You blew up a robot the size of a building."
"And you froze another one," Nerissa added.
"In style."
Momo looked around, voice warm.
"They're curious. That's all."
Bakugo snorted.
"They should be."
Izuku smiled faintly.
Same old Bakugo — just… less prickly.
----
As they reached the classroom door marked 1-A, the chatter inside hummed through the walls.
This was it.
Their first step into U.A.
Not as visitors.
Not as candidates.
But as students.
Izuku took a slow breath.
"Ready?"
"Always," Shōko said.
"Of course," Momo replied.
"Let's go!" Nerissa grinned.
"Tch, hurry up" Bakugo muttered.
Izuku slid the door open.
Class 1-A was already half full when Izuku and the others walked in.
Not nervous strangers anymore — familiar faces from last night's long introduction session.
"Morning, Midoriya," Tokoyami called from his desk by the window.
Dark Shadow waved . "hello again"
"Morning."replied izuku
Uraraka waved from her seat.
"Kinda weird seeing everyone in uniform now, huh?"
"Better than pajamas," Kaminari added, slumping over his desk.
Momo found her seat with practiced grace.
Shōko sat quietly near the front, already pulled together.
Nerissa flopped into her chair like she hadn't slept at all.
Bakugo slid into the seat behind Izuku, muttering,
"If anyone talks too loud right now, I'm blowing them up!!."
Kirishima grinned.
"That's so manly—"
"No it isn't," Bakugo snapped.
It felt like a real class already — noisy, alive, and weirdly comforting after last night's conversations.
Then the yellow sleeping bag in the front of the room moved.
The room went silent.
A tired voice emerged from inside:
"Too loud."
A man unzipped himself with the enthusiasm of someone rising from the dead.
Long hair, dull eyes, scarf draped around his shoulders.
"I'm your homeroom teacher," he said flatly.
"Aizawa Shōta. If you were expecting warmth, transfer."
A few students swallowed hard.
Aizawa blinked at all twenty students, unimpressed but awake enough to function.
"Since you all socialized last night, we're skipping introductions."
He grabbed a tablet off the podium.
"We're doing a quirk evaluation test, change into these gym uniforms and meet on the training field."
---
Training Field Gamma stretched wide under the morning sun, the lines of the track gleaming fresh and sharp.
Class 1-A stood in a loose semicircle in their U.A. PE uniforms, the air full of nervous energy.
Aizawa stood in front of them, capture scarf draped loosely over his shoulders like a tired warning.
"We're beginning with basic quirk-apprehension tests," he said, monotone.
"Use your quirks however you want. No restrictions."
He held a soft ball up between two fingers.
"Midoriya. Ball throw. You're up first."
A few students whispered—not in shock, but curiosity.
Some of them had seen Izuku fight in the exam…
but nobody was sure how much of that he could reproduce here.
Izuku stepped forward, heart steady but aware of eyes on him.
He rolled the ball in his palm, shadows curling subtly around his ankles.
And then the familiar thought hit him:
'I can't use 20% it would give me away.'
The moment he pushed past 10%, the lightning and glowing marks would crackle across his skin.
OFA bled power he couldn't hold yet—heat and light he had no explanation for.
He wasn't ready for that conversation.
Keep it clean, he told himself.
10% and shadows. Nothing more.
He lifted the ball.
Shadows rippled at his feet—and Kaelros rose, small and sleek in his base form, wings flicking silently.
Izuku whispered, "Take it as far as you can."
Kaelros bowed its head once, claws delicately grasping the ball.
Then—
FWIP—
the dragon leapt skyward, wings snapping open.
Gasps rippled behind Izuku.
Kaelros soared higher, faster, shrinking to a point against the blue sky…
and then—gone.
Aizawa pressed a finger to the device in his hand.
The number appeared a second later.
2342 meters.
Someone whistled.
Kirishima muttered, "Manly."
Nerissa elbowed Izuku. "Show-off". While grinning at him
Izuku tried not to turn red.
---
Next Event: 50-Meter Dash
"Midoriya. Lida." Aizawa said.
Izuku jogged to the start line beside Iida, who adjusted his glasses with intense focus.
"Let's do our best!" Iida proclaimed.
Izuku smiled.
"Of course."
The buzzer sounded—
Izuku pushed 10% OFA straight into his legs.
Light-blue force rippled silently under his skin—silent, invisible.
He shot forward like a cannonball, fast enough to blur but not spark.
Iida's engines roared beside him.
The two of them hit the finish almost neck-and-neck.
Izuku: 4.1 seconds
Iida: 3.9 seconds
Iida bowed to him afterward.
"A splendid performance, Midoriya! Truly great!"
Izuku rubbed his neck, smiling.
"Thanks… you too."
Aizawa watched him as he walked back—eyes narrow, calculating.
Not impressed.
Not angry.
Suspicious.
He'd noticed the restraint, the precision, the way Izuku's motions were lagging and stopped short of going all out.
Aizawa filed it away silently.
---
Long-Distance run
Izuku thought then Spoke
"Igris."
The knight rose from his shadow, towering and silent.
Izuku hopped up onto his shoulder.
The class backed up instinctively.
"Go."
Igris took off in a thunder of steps, each stride long and perfectly balanced—shadow armor never tiring, never slowing.
Mina shouted, "Hey! That's not fair—right?"
Aizawa didn't even look up.
"He's using his quirk."
Igris ran longer than any human could without a quirk so the test was called after a certain point.
Aizawa wrote something down with a blank expression.
Grip Strength
Izuku wrapped his fingers around the device, channeling a mix of shadow reinforcement plus a thin thread of OFA.
He squeezed—
750 kg
Kirishima's jaw dropped.
"That's insane!"
Tokoyami murmured, "…Impressive."
Dark Shadow peeked. "Very…"
Bakugo glared at the number like it had insulted him.
Side Tests (Short Montage)
Steps Test:
Izuku used shadows to propel himself sideways with fluid motion.
Flexibility:
Shadows supported his torso while he bent over not further than tsyu but still further than most.
Long Jump:
Kaelros grabbed him and flew all the way across.
Throughout it all:
Izuku never exceeded 10%.
Never lit a single spark.
Never risked the marks appearing.
Aizawa noticed he held back.
Ok you all probably know around about where you fell but here's the leader board
Izuku midoriya
Momo Yaoyorozu
Shoko Todoroki
Katsuki Bakugo
Nerissa ravencroft
Etc….
Here's the rankings, if you're not happy then do better next time.
Class dismissed
---
The next day, the cafeteria buzzed with the noise of hundreds of students, lunch trays clattering and conversations overlapping.
Izuku carried his katsudon to a corner table where he, Momo, Shōko, and Nerissa had already sat down.
Nerissa dropped into her seat with a groan.
"Ughhhh class is so boring" complained Nerissa as she slowed her head on the table.
Momo hid a small smile behind her tea cup.
Izuku sat down, letting the warmth of the food calm him.
They ate in a quiet but content rhythm, comfortable but still new.
Across the room, Bakugo sat with Kirishima and Sero, loud and animated as always.
Tokoyami ate alone near the corner, Dark Shadow carefully helping him keep his tray
He stared for a second thinking of the old friendship he had and the new one that he'd started with Tokoyami.
Nerissa took a long drink of water, then leaned forward.
"So. We did good, right? Yesterday, I mean."
Momo nodded.
"Aizawa-sensei didn't single any of us out, so I assume we met expectations."
Shōko added quietly,
"although he watched Midoriya more than the others."
Izuku nearly choked.
"W-why?"
"He notices when someone hides their strength," Shōko said plainly.
"You weren't subtle."
Nerissa pointed her chopsticks at Izuku.
"She's right. You didn't look like you were pushing yourself."
Izuku rubbed his neck.
"…I didn't wanna reveal OFA and have to explain it ."
They all nodded in understanding.
"That makes sense" shoko said
A chime above them cut the air.
All Might's voice boomed overhead:
"Attention, Class 1-A! Report to Training Field Beta after lunch—and bring your hero costumes!"
The cafeteria erupted.
Nerissa gasped.
"No way. Already?"
Momo's eyes brightened.
"That means our hero suits are here."
Shōko stood smoothly.
"Then we shouldn't be late."
Izuku felt his pulse quicken.
His hero suit… He'd imagined this moment for years.
Nerissa slung her bag over her shoulder pointed forward like an adventurer and slammed her foot on the seat taking a pose.
"To Training Field Beta, people! Let's go!"
They cleared their trays and headed for the exit, weaving through the excited crowds.
Izuku glanced back once at the cafeteria—the students, the sunlight, the noise—and felt something warm and steady settle in his chest.
—
The locker room echoed with the soft hiss of metal hinges and the rustle of fabric as Class 1-A opened their hero costume cases for the first time.
Izuku found his locker, hands strangely steady as he unlatched the case.
Inside, neatly folded, was his suit—
matte black, segmented with sleek armor plating, and glowing faint neon-blue lines tracing across the chest and limbs.
Exactly how he'd imagined it.
He changed quickly, pulling the suit into place piece by piece.
The material flexed with every movement, fitting like a second skin.
When he clipped the cloak to his shoulders, the clean edges draped down evenly—no tears, no fraying, just a smooth fall of fabric.
He slid the hood up.
In the mirror, the neon-blue highlights pulsed once, reacting to his quirk.
He exhaled.
I look like an actual hero.
---
Over in the girls locker room
Momo tightened her utility belt.
Her red-and-white tactical suit hugged close to her curves. The back was open and there were openings on the sides of her legs for more available surface area. It was sleek, efficient, polished.
Nerissa twirled once in front of her mirror, her gothic crow-themed outfit flowing around her—
feathered sleeves, talon-like gloves, black-and-indigo palette shining under the lights.
"Okay," she announced, "I look incredible."
"You do," Momo agreed with a nod.
Nerissa winked.
"I know.
Shōko stepped over next.
Her new suit was dark navy with clean, balanced design—
Heat transferring mesh along her right side for ice and cooling ones along her left for fire.
Minimalistic, functional, elegant.
She tied her hair back, studying her reflection with quiet approval.
"It works," she said simply.
And it did.
They stepped out of the locker room to find Izuku. They found him not far away getting water from the water fountain. He looked over while getting a drink and froze forgetting to let go of the water button.
He finally rebooted and then blushed. "Wow you 3 look beautiful like really wow…"that caused them to blush even Shōko's normally less expressive face was colored lightly red.
Momo coughed to compose her self
"Yours suits you. Very… commanding and it goes well with your quirk theme wise."
Izuku flushed slightly.
"thanks it took a while to figure out what i wanted"
---
Izuku fastened his gloves, feeling Kaelros and Igris stir faintly in the shadows around him.
This was their first true step into hero work.
Their first time standing not just as students—but as themselves.
The intercom buzzed above them:
"Class 1-A: Report to Training Field Beta. It's time for your Battle Trial."
Nerissa pumped a fist.
"Let's go!""
Izuku pulled his hood up, the neon-blue lines glowing faintly.
"Yeah," he said.
"Let's do this."
They left together—
four silhouettes heading toward the sunlight and the arena where their first real steps to being heroes started.