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Ojiro Mashirao paid little mind to the tall skeletal man who stepped into his martial arts class on that fateful Monday afternoon. The man could have been anything from a parent running late to a scout. And seeing as how Ojiro was currently on the mat trying not to lose his match, he didn’t pay much attention to the stranger. And considering the fact that Ojiro was only brown belt and in his second year of junior high, safe to assume the scout wasn’t there to watch him anyway.  

A kick flying towards his face takes his attention. In a quick maneuver, Ojiro swats it away and ducks under the expected strike that came after. His opponent was fast. Very fast...Ojiro suspected some kind of quirk. They were told from their first lessons in the dojo that they shouldn’t rely on their quirks. Using their quirks to aid their fight was one thing, but you should never ever make it your only strength. Ojiro lived by that. 

But even so...He had a move he had been practicing for a very long time. He only ever tried it in his solo spars with the training dummies in fear of hurting himself. But after months of trying, he finally was able to pull it off. 

Taking a deep breath, Ojiro watched his opponent tense. But Ojiro didn’t wait for them to anticipate his moves. Leaning back, Ojiro started to put more and more of his weight on his tail. Said tail pushed against the ground like the kickstand of a bike. He felt the pressure and strain on his lower back and knew he’d be sore later for this, but he needed to win the match to get his red belt. 

Quickly, he brought both his legs up for a barrage of kicks towards his opponent. Several of them were swatted away, but more than that hit their mark. And when the opponent risked a leg swipe below Ojiro, their leg was not long enough to reach his tail to knock him over. 

Their undoing proved then as Ojiro jumped back to his feet and spun in a wide arc. His tail was rigid behind him and he felt it smack against his opponent’s chest with a thud. When he completed his turn, he saw his opponent had fallen onto the mat with a look of pain on their face. But what showed brighter was the look of defeat. 

“Our winner is Ojiro Mashirao!” His instructor announced loudly. The crowd around the mat cheered for Ojiro especially as he leaned down and offered a hand to his opponent on the ground. 

There was a brief moment that Ojiro could see his opponent was debating on taking the hand, but ultimately, Ojiro’s hand was grabbed and he hauled his opponent off the ground. “I didn’t hit you too hard, right?” 

The other student shook their head. “No, I’m fine. I think it just knocked the breath out of me more than anything.” They assured him. 

Before Ojiro could say anything more, his instructor walked up to him with a new red belt in hand. “Ojiro-san, you’ve worked very hard for this belt,” The instructor began his usual proud speech that made Ojiro’s cheeks turn red. “I’ve seen you dedicate a lot of time to your training and going beyond my lessons to learn more. That is true dedication. You’ve earned this belt. And I hope you continue your training further.” 

Just like that, the red belt was held out to him. Bowing quickly in thanks, Ojiro started to remove his brown belt excitedly. He had worked hard. After so many matches, so many times he’d been faced down on the mat, the stings of disappointment, shame even, it all led to this moment. He put the brown belt in his instructor’s free hand and took the red belt immediately. 

He tied it on his waist with practiced ease. “Thank you, Sensei. I look forward to continuing my training!” 

The crowd around them started to disperse, and Ojiro watched his instructor pull his opponent into a side embrace and walk off towards an empty corner of the dojo. Ojiro had been in that position before. Their instructor made sure to always pull the loser of the match aside to encourage them. Yes, there would be constructive criticism, but what some students needed most at the end of a harsh session was an encouragement that, yes, they did well. Just because they didn’t win, didn’t mean they hadn’t fought hard. There would always be another chance at their next belt. 

Ojiro smiled and walked towards the changing rooms where he knew his water bottle would be. He couldn’t wait to tell his friend Yosaru about his win. 

It was right as he was about to walk through the door that he heard a voice beside him call out. “Hey, that was a good match out there.” 

Turning, Ojiro saw the blond man from before. He was tucked off to the side wearing a slightly oversized suit. Now that Ojiro had the chance to look at him, he didn’t look like any of the parents he had seen around the dojo before. Neither was he holding a clipboard or an ID badge like a scout would. 

“Oh, thank you,” Ojiro said a bit awkwardly. “Do you need help finding Sensei’s office or something?” Ojiro didn’t know what else to do about the stranger. “He should be by there soon…” 

The man’s eyes widened. “Yes, actually. That would be great.” 

Nodding, Ojiro turned towards the entrance again. “It’s this way.” 

They walked silently down the hall, passed the changing rooms, and right outside a singular black door of the office. “This is it,” Ojiro pointed to the plaque dedicating it as so. “If I see him down the hall, I’ll let him know you’re looking to talk to him.” 

Glowing blue eyes twinkled slightly. “I’d appreciate that...my name is Yagi Toshinori, by the way.” He held out a long, bony hand that Ojiro shook immediately. 

“Ojiro Mashirao. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Yagi-san. But I must get going.” Ojiro dismissed himself and walked back down to the changing room. Before he even began undressing, Ojiro drank nearly half his water bottle. The match had only taken 15 minutes, but Ojiro felt sweat cooling on his skin in the grossest way. After drinking his water, Ojiro took off his new belt and robes and hung them up in his locker. He’d have to take a shower as soon as he got home, he noted. 

Looking back, Ojiro could confidently say that was the last normal day of his life. 

__________

Two days later, he walked up the steps to the dojo with his bag draped over his shoulder as normal. He made it all the way to the training room and had put on his robes before he was summoned by his instructor. “Ojiro, you have someone that wishes to talk to you in my office. Something about a brilliant training opportunity.” His instructor said. “You’re excused from today’s lesson.” 

Very confused, Ojiro walked towards the office only to see that blond man from before again. Yagi-san. The door was cracked open and when Ojiro pushed it the rest of the way, Yagi-san looked up from his phone. The man smiled softly when he saw him. “Ah, Ojiro. Please have a seat. I trust your instructor told you I had an opportunity to discuss with you?” 

“Yes, sir…” Ojiro took the seat next to Yagi-san but sat rigidly. He wasn’t sure what he was doing there…”What’s this about?” 

“Well, I would love to discuss that, but first I need you to sign something for me first,” Yagi-san said seriously. He reached onto the instructor’s desk and pulled over a simple piece of paper. “Take your time to read this, but it’s a simple NDA stating that you will not share any information discussed in this office with anyone other than your instructor. He has already signed one.” 

Ojiro’s eyes widened as he took the paper in shaky hands. “An NDA? That’s pretty serious.” 

Yagi-san nodded slowly. “It is. But I work for a very important organization. Discretion is of utmost importance…” His bony hand reached over to tap the top of the page. Immediately, Ojiro’s eyes darted to where he was pointing and he nearly swallowed his tongue to see ‘Might Hero Agency’ written up top. 

“A-All Might’s hero agency?” Ojiro wasn’t a huge hero fanboy, but he knew enough to know this was a huge deal. “Should...Should my parents be here?” 

He watched as Yagi-san hesitated. “If you feel you need them. But the matters I wish to discuss are very private. Classified if you wish. The fewer people who know, the better. Now, I know I said I had an opportunity for you, but I really would just like to explain what I’m doing here before I give you the offer. Hence, the NDA...Would you like me to call your parents?” 

Ojiro sat and thought about it for a moment. He had never been involved in a classified conversation before. It almost made him feel sort of special. And it wasn’t as if he were selling his soul at the moment. It honestly...Well, it made him feel like an adult to be given the opportunity to make the choice alone. “No, sir. I’ll sign the NDA.” He decided and reached for a pen. 

Yagi-san smiled reassuringly at him as he passed the now signed paper back. “Thank you, Ojiro. Now, Yes, I represent All Might’s hero agency. I understand you want to be a hero, correct?” 

Ojiro nodded immediately. “Yes, ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a hero.” 

“You’ve certainly worked hard for it. Your grades are great and your instructor has nothing but praise when he speaks of you. You have an amazing foundation so far. Were you planning on going to a hero school?” 

Again, the boy nodded. “Yes, sir. I was thinking either UA or Shiketsu. I know those are hard schools to get into, but I don’t want to settle. If I’m going to be a hero, I want the best training possible!” Ojiro’s voice was steady with conviction which was a sharp contrast to his hesitance before. 

“Very noble, Ojiro,” Yagi-san’s smile grew. “And what kind of hero would you like to be?” 

A fire sparked in Ojiro’s eyes. “I want to be someone anyone can count on. Not just strong, but noble and trustworthy. I want to be-” Ojiro’s cheeks reddened. “I want to be a symbol. Maybe not one of peace, but one of Hope?” 

“That is an admirable goal,” Yagi-san says genuinely. “Now, I’ve asked a lot about you, I think it’s fair I get to the purpose for why I’m here.” 

There was a pause as Yagi-san collected his thoughts. “All Might is planning on taking a teacher’s position at UA in the next couple of years. The one hold-up is his certifications which he has to get in between his hero hours.” Ojiro’s eyes lit up at the prospect. He could understand now the reason for all the secrecy. There would certainly be a media uproar if this information would get out to the public. 

“It is a big responsibility to lead the youth of heroes,” Yagi continued on and Ojiro noticed as he shifted almost nervously in his seat. “As such he’s been looking into the future generations. Dojos much like this one, quirk counseling sessions, and volunteer services. Mostly, he’s (using me as a proxy) watching those who are already being taught to get a more practical feel of how to teach. Does that make sense?” 

Ojiro nodded slowly as the pieces fall together. “It does. He can’t go to UA and watch because the news could get out. I imagine his schedule is tight as it is with his certifications and hero work...And this is related to the offer?” 

Yagi-san nods, seemingly pleased with how fast Ojiro picked up on it. “Exactly. During your spar match that I observed, you surprised me. Forgive me for being rather blunt?” Yagi-san trailed off and Ojiro nodded to keep him talking. 

“Your quirk is impressive. Versatile even. But it’s not as showy as an emitter quirk. That kind of thing, especially in the hero track, leads people to get overlooked. Which leads to a jaded attitude. They try their best and will do anything to get to the top. But I didn’t see that in your match.” 

Ojiro felt a warm feeling flood his chest. He always prided himself on his attitude. And when it came to his quirk, he considered himself grateful. His mind wandered to his friend Miyoshi Yosaru who had no quirk of his own and that simple fact affected every second of his life. He had to fight for any equality that most people with quirks took for granted. Yosa kept Ojiro humble. 

“I’ve been watching matches for several days now, and none of them have stood out to me as much as yours has. So, I showed the recording of the match to All Might and he feels the same that I do. You’re noble, skilled, and you have much potential. Your teacher has nothing but glowing praise to say about you as well.” 

The warmth in his chest turned to burning in his cheeks as Ojiro tried hard not to seem as flustered as he was my such obvious praise from a man so closely tied to All Might. “Thank you- I- That means a lot, Yagi-san.” Ojiro bowed forward slightly. “I’ve only ever wanted to be the best I could and I consider myself lucky to have drawn your attention.” 

There was a brief silence as Ojiro fought down his flush and Yagi-san flipped through his paperwork. 

“So, here is where the offer comes in.” 

Ojiro hasn’t ever listened so attentively. Not even in school. 

“All Might would like to sponsor your hero career. Largely, your day-to-day will not change. But if you accept the opportunity, All Might would like to have weekly training sessions with you. And should your progress continue, All Might would like you to be his first recommended student into UA.” 

The opportunity had changed pretty much everything about his life from that moment on. 

__________

Of course, Ojiro accepted it. He’d be a fool not to. And just as Yagi-san said, things didn’t change much. He met All Might in person in a…less than ideal place. Who trains at a beach dump anyway? But Ojiro pushed those thoughts away in favor of his training. All Might was an impressive figure. He crushed a refrigerator with his bare hands without even breaking a sweat. He seemed certain that one-day Ojiro would be able to do the same. 

The one bump Ojiro experienced was his friend, Yosa. 

Ojiro met the boy like usual outside of his dojo after getting dressed. “So, Mashi…You ever going to tell me what it is that’s suddenly stolen all of your attention lately?” Yosa asks suddenly and Ojiro feels shame inside as he realizes he’d been zoned out while Yosa was talking this entire time. 

“Nothing,” Ojiro told him, but he was a terrible liar. He couldn’t meet Yosa’s eyes at all, instead, he looked down at the ground. His eyes caught the moment Yosa stopped walking and just stood there looking at him. 

“Mashi…don’t lie to me. Are you in trouble?” Yosa asked seriously. 

Jerking his head up, Ojiro looked at Yosa surprised. “Trouble? No! It’s not like that-” 

“But there is something?” Yosa quirked an eyebrow at him that Ojiro could barely see under his long brown hair. 

Caught, Ojiro’s face turned red. “Wha- well- I-” 

Yosa stood, foot almost tapping in irritation. He looked deadly serious at Ojiro as he struggled to form words and explain something he was legally not allowed to explain. 

“I signed an NDA,” Ojiro says in explanation. “I can’t tell you.” 

Eyes wide and tense stance falling, Yosa gaped at him. “An NDA? You’re 13! How could your parents allow you to sign-” 

Ojiro looked down at the ground once more in guilt which seemed to spur Yosa on further. 

“Your parents didn’t allow you to sign an NDA. Mashi, did you get any legal counseling? A lawyer? A proxy? Does your Sensei know about this at all?” 

“It’s complicated…” 

Yosa’s eyes narrowed. Not in anger but suspicion. “Mashi, what did you get into?” 

Yosa didn’t drop the subject even as Ojiro kept walking down the street. It got to the point where Ojiro was just looking for somewhere private to finally tell his friend and get the stress of holding the heavy secret off. Finally, when he came across a private alley with nothing inside but a single dumpster, he jerked inside and pulled Yosa along. 

“It’s for All Might!” He stage whispered. “But you can’t tell anyone !” 

For several long moments, Yosa just stared at him. It got to the point that he was sure his friend was frozen in shock. “Yosa…say something…You’re killing me here.” He reached out, hand trembling slightly, and shook Yosa’s shoulder. 

That seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he was in and his blank stare suddenly locked onto Ojiro with something other than suspicion. This time, it was a soft concern. “Oh, Mashi…” Ojiro was taken aback by the almost sad-sounding tone in his voice. 

“What have you gotten yourself into?” 

From there, Ojiro couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. He pulled Yosa along all the way back to his home. It was a nice home, almost cookie-cutter when compared to the similar houses around it. But the rate of crime was low and there were never any complaints of loud neighbors. Walking in, Ojiro passed the kitchen where his mom was peeling some kind of fruit. 

“Mashirao? Is that you?” She called over as their steps trailed towards the stairs. 

“Yeah! I brought Yosaru with me. We’re going to be in my room.” He informed, almost running up the steps the entire time. 

“I’ll bring up some snacks then!” His mom yelled up the steps. “Your father should be home before sunset and we’ll have dinner. I assume Yosaru is staying over?” 

“If that’s alright with you, Ojiro-san.” Yosaru paused on the stairs even as Ojiro kept going up. 

Ojiro’s mother waved Yosaru’s hesitance away. “Of course, it is, Yosa. I was just asking to know how many plates to make.” 

Before Yosaru could thank her, Ojiro came back and pulled him back upstairs and into his room. As Ojiro was locking the door behind him, Yosa was straightening the hood of his jacket with an annoyed look. “Calm down, Mashi. You keep this up and you’ll explode.” 

The advice when in one ear and out the other as Ojiro started to pace. And as he paced he started speaking. And as he started speaking, he couldn’t stop. 

“All Might’s proxy came into the dojo and saw me get my red belt. I met him after class ended but we didn’t talk much. But the next time I went to class I was excused and then led to Sensei’s office where All Might’s proxy asked me to sign an NDA because he had an opportunity for me but couldn’t tell me details unless I signed. He offered to call my parents but since it was such a serious matter I told him no and signed it anyway.” Ojiro took a deep breath and Yosa went to comment but Ojiro kept going. 

“ So, it turns out that All Might is going to be teaching at UA in a couple of years, and he’s been looking at the next generation to see how best to teach them which was why his proxy was at the dojo. He saw my match and was impressed by my attitude because a lot of people without flashy quirks have harsh attitudes. We talked back and forth and I told him how I wanted to be a hero and told him my plan to be a hero and-” 

Ojiro looked like he was about to explode and Yosaru shoved him down to sit on his bed before he collapsed. “He gave me the opportunity to train under All Might and if I do well enough I might even become All Might’s first recommended student into UA. And I’ve met All Might and he’s weird but so strong and we’ve talked a lot but haven’t had much training done yet which is what I think we’re going to do tomorrow. And I didn’t tell you any of this because I know it sounds shady but it’s a really big deal because All Might’s the number one hero and if I were to ever get noticed and get into UA, being trained by All Might himself is almost a guarantee!” 

Word vomit finished, Ojiro panted from the exertion of spewing such a large secret. Leaning over with his elbows on his knees he waited for Yosa to say anything. Or even just yell at him. Or, the result he hoped for the least, just walk out and never talk to him again for keeping such a secret from him. 

None of that happened, however. Instead, Yosa sat down beside him. The bed dipped under his weight but Ojiro barely moved from how rigid he was sitting. Yosa’s hand rested on his back gently. “That’s a lot to carry for yourself, Mashi.” His voice relayed nothing but calm understanding. 

“And I don’t know what will happen now because I’ve told you and I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone . What if he stops training me? What if I never get into UA?” 

“...I don’t think you have to worry about that, Mashi. I really don’t.” 

Ojiro finally looked up at Yosaru who looked at him through the hair hanging over his face. “How can you be so sure?” 

Yosaru looked away from Ojiro with a slight red tint to his cheeks which was weird for the normally confident boy. “He asked you to sign an NDA with no guardian or lawyer present. It’s not legally binding. Plus, you’re a minor. And he chose to train you after only seeing ONE match. I could be overthinking it, but I think he’d be understanding if you tell him the truth.” 

So that’s what Ojiro did. 

The next day while he waited for All Might to approach him for their training at the dumping beach, Yosaru was waiting right next to him. All Might was pretty confused when he marched his way over. When Ojiro explained that Yosaru was his friend (and also that he knew the NDA was not legally binding) All Might had sighed. 

“I’ll excuse it this time, my boy, but next time you feel you have to tell someone about our training session, I’d like to be there. And do not make a habit out of this.” He said sternly, but that was all the reprimand that Ojiro received on the matter. From then on, Yosa started to watch their training sessions, and while doing so, he started to fiddle with a lot of the trash on the beach. It was during a long lesson that he managed to actually make something out of the rubble. 

Ojiro was taking a break to catch his breath as he watched Yosa flick a switch on a bundle of wire and metal. Mechanisms activated, the thing started to spit out small balled-up pieces of paper. The paper only reached a few feet before the wind resistance blew them to the ground. But Yosa’s smile was obvious. 

“Ah, so you’re the mechanically focused type!” All Might announced as he saw it too. Yosa dropped the small device and it broke apart on the ground, but All Might didn’t seem to notice. “That’s good. I never asked, but are you planning on going to UA as well?” 

Ojiro felt ice run down his spine. “Uh, All Might, I don’t think-” He was interrupted by Yosa. 

“I’m quirkless. So no. They wouldn’t let me in.” Yosa sighed as he grabbed the remains of the device and started trying to fix it. 

But All Might’s smile didn’t dim in the slightest. “Actually, you didn’t hear this from me…but I have it on good authority that they’re trying to do away with that rule. Who knows, maybe it’ll be gone by the time you’re old enough to apply.” He turns away, pushing large mounds of trash farther back so that they had more space to practice as if he didn’t just drop the biggest bombshell on both of them. 

Ojiro was happy that night even as Yosa declined his offer to spend the night again. 

“I need to study on the entrance tests. We’ll talk more at school tomorrow.” He says with a permanent smile on his face. 

 __________

All Might told them the secret of his quirk the day Ojiro won his black belt. It was almost a year later and Ojiro had gone from basic training with All Might to cleaning the beach. Everything that was actual garbage was taken to the dump. Whatever could be recycled was. And whatever Ojiro felt Yosa could scavenge for parts, he put into a nice little pile for the other boy to tear apart. 

But All Might called Ojiro forward before he could get too into his clean-up for the day. Ojiro had been nervous, but as All Might started to explain, he felt honored. But also afraid. 

“What about Yosaru?” Ojiro asked, pointing to his friend who had stopped tinkering and was slowly making his way over. “He’s quirkless. I have a quirk and yet you’re offering me another quirk when he still has none… How is that fair.” 

But before All Might could speak. Yosa spoke first. “We’ve already talked, Mashi. I’m fine.” 

Ojiro turned quickly to face his friend who was nervously looking at the ground. “You… You don’t mind?” 

“No, I don’t. I’ve found what I’m good at and his quirk won’t help me. Besides, I want you to have it because it will keep you safer. Your quirk with All Might’s will put you on par with even the flashiest of emitter quirks. Don’t waste this opportunity.” After Yosa’s little speech, Ojiro felt a lot better about the whole quirk bit. 

That night, Ojiro inherited One for All. He had to swallow disgusting hair for it, but he considered it worth it in the long run. And so began his training with One for All. All Might seemed adamant that he knew a few applications for Ojiro’s new quirk and with his physical health impeccable, there shouldn’t be any holding back. The next time they were training, Yosa built a training dummy out of some ripped cushions of a couch. 

“Now, my boy. You must be careful. Consider it like driving a car. You go too fast and you can hurt someone or yourself. You go too slow and you’ll never get where you want to be in time. So you need to find the ratio in the middle that allows you to improve, but does not set you back!” 

Ojiro’s first attack is above the average for his normal hits. The dummy wobbles on its stand as a poof of dust is released, but it settles quickly. 

“Good. But try a little more power.” All Might gently instructs. 

Ojiro does so, landing a series of strikes and kicks onto the dummy only to step back and build up momentum for one large hit with his tail. He feels a strike of warmth down his back as if he were in a shower only for a dull thunderous thud sound to ring out. Ojiro didn’t see much in the wake of the dust cloud. He was waving the dust away when he heard a loud splash in the distance. 

“Wha-?” He questioned only for the dust to clear and he sees the top portion of the dummy floating out in the water. It was bobbing with the waves and Ojiro looked down to see the remains of the stand smoking slightly. “Did I…do that?” 

All Might seemed shocked out of his stupor. “Um- Yes! Yes, you did! Great job, my boy. You seem to have inherited my power nicely. But maybe next time we could work on something a little less forceful.” All Might gave a thumbs up and a smile, but Ojiro could see the surprise. 

“The dummy will float back right?”

“Eventually…But I’ll jump in and fish it out when we’re done here, yes? Let’s see if we can’t use your power to crush some of these metals down.” All Might let him back over to the mounds of trash and showed Ojiro how to channel a constant flow of power in his hands to crush things in between them. 

At the end of the day, Ojiro was more tired than he had ever been after a training session and his body ached all over. He forced himself to take a cold shower rather than a hot one and all but flopped into bed that night. His hard work was paying off, but he was exhausted. 

As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn’t help but think about how all of the pain and exhaustion was worth it in the long run. 

___________

In the end, Ojiro declined to be a recommended student in UA. He had done his fair share of research about the exams and had even gone back to watch Sports Festivals of the past. Soon enough, every recommended student was always tied back to their mentor. And while Ojiro had no issues with being associated with All Might, it was a lot of pressure to have on him. Plus, Yosa had to go through the support courses version of an entrance exam and Ojiro wanted to do the hero one. Despite Yosa’s insistence, Ojiro was still thinking about how unfair it was that Yosa had to fight so hard for everything he wanted. Ojiro never wanted to take the easy way. 

The written exam was one of the hardest tests Ojiro had ever taken. He had been cramming hard almost every day for the week before the day of the test. All Might had even helped him study in what small ways he could. 

And to have to take the practical exam right after the written test was brutal. 

But even so, Ojiro lined up near the front of the door and was the first one in as they opened. It was very easy to fight the robots inside seeing as how they were only given the basic fighting skills. Ojiro had years under his (black) belt to combat that. Most of the time, he didn’t even need to use One for All. 

What really held him up was the other students. Every time he even tried to use OFA there would always be another student nearby that could have gotten hurt. In the end, he managed to get more than enough points to pass. He even cracked the top 5 at his testing center. But what challenged him was the zero-point robot. He expected small, knee-tall robots that served as mere inconveniences, but when the real zero-point robot turned out to be as large as a freaking building, many of them were rendered stunned. 

Ojiro managed to snap out of it quick enough to jump out of the way, but there were almost a handful of other students that were just standing there in its path. Ojiro knew the smart thing would be to run. Surely, UA had measures in place to keep people out of true danger…

Even so, he felt his body move before he could stop it and he was sprinting his way towards the robot. Crouching down, he tried a move he hadn’t thought to try since he got OFA. Releasing his crouch he jumped, trying to activate his quirk to gain height. When he reached about 10 ft in the air he felt his momentum slip away, and before he could fall he powered up his tail and smacked the robot as hard as he could manage in the chest. The metal plating dented immediately as if it were made out of tinfoil and sparks started to fly from the cracks. 

It wasn’t much, but it was enough to stop the robot in its tracks enough for people to start running again. 

When all was said and done, Ojiro felt as if his bottom half had been flattened by the robot. But walked, stiff-legged, towards a nice-looking older woman with a sterile uniform. 

“Are you hurt, deary?” She asked kindly. When Ojiro nodded, she reached for his hand and kissed the back of it. Ojiro was confused as to the reason for that before his lower half and tail started to glow a soft green. As the glow faded, Ojiro’s pain melted away. “You all did very well, I wish you luck with your results. Now go get some water and some snacks outside. Anyone who needs healing, come this way!” 

And then the woman was gone. Ojiro did his part by following the rest of the students outside and grabbing his ration of water and food. It was as he was leaning off to the side, eating his food, that he eavesdropped unintentionally on the group beside him. 

“Thank you so much!” A short, blonde girl gushed towards a green-haired boy. “If it wasn’t for you saving me, I would have never finished the test!” 

“And you helped me use my quirk in a way I never have before!” A raven-haired boy added. 

The green-haired boy looks flustered. “I-It’s really no problem, I was just doing what any hero would do!” 

“Either way, thanks a lot. I heard you talking about not having enough points to pass? I think I’ll talk to Present Mic about giving you some of mine. It’s the least I can do!”

The boy’s eyes widened. “NO!” He yelled but wilted quickly. “No, you don’t have to do that…” 

“Oh? Are you sure?” They asked finally seeming to notice that they’ve made him just a little uncomfortable. 

The boy nodded and with a few more thanks they finally left him alone. He sighed, drinking his water almost too quickly. 

“You seem popular.”

“Not by choice.” The boy sighed. 

Ojiro smiled. “Isn’t that something you have to get used to as a future hero? Especially if you have some flashy quirk?”

The boy’s eyes looked defeated as he wilted in on himself. “I don’t have any quirk. So, there’s no trouble of that…” 

“Wait really?” Ojiro’s eyes widened. He had only ever met Yosa. He was the only quirkless person he knew. And yet here was another. 

“Is…is that a problem?” The boy’s voice was quiet as if he expected Ojiro to tell him ‘yeah, it’s a problem.’ 

“Not at all. Y’know…I have a quirkless friend. He’s trying out for the support course though.” 

“Wha-” The boy’s head jerked up quickly, looking at Ojiro as if he just told him about some rare quirk. “You’ve met another quirkless person?” 

“Yeah? Have you?” 

By the way, the boy shook his head, Ojiro’s mouth fell open. “If we all get into UA, you’re meeting him. He’s never met another quirkless person either.” 

“I doubt that will happen…I didn’t get very many points.” 

Ojiro’s look softened. “Well, those people from before seemed awful grateful for your help. If that’s not heroic then I don’t know what is. It hardly makes sense that the judges would let something like that seep through the cracks…” 

The boy didn’t respond, but Ojiro knew he hoped his words were true. He would ask All Might about it later, he decided. 

_________

Later that night, Ojiro had Yosa in his room and they were both reviewing their days to each other. Ojiro had already gushed for nearly an hour but now it was Yosa’s turn. 

“So, you had that presentation. How did it go?” He asked. 

Yosa shrugged. “They seemed to like my ideas and my inventions, but…my discipline record might disqualify me…” 

Ojiro’s eyes narrowed. “Why? Most of those weren’t even your fault! You were protecting yourself!” 

“I tried to tell them that,” He sighed heavily and wiped a hand down his face. “But they didn’t seem to want to hear that. They…they told me heroes don’t make excuses.” 

Ojiro’s tail thumped hard on the bed behind him. He couldn’t help it. He was angry. But Yosa gave him a pleading look. 

“It’ll be fine. I asked for the recording of my presentation and I’ll send it to Shiketsu. If I don’t get UA, I’ll hopefully get in there. Please don’t break your bed, Mashi. Your parents will get mad…” 

It was only the reminder that he had come very close to breaking his bedframe lately that made him calm down. He had lived with his quirk all his life and if he suddenly had issues controlling his strength with it, his parents would get suspicious. He still hadn’t told them about OFA, but then again, he didn’t plan to tell them at all unless he had to. 

They were very straightforward. They supported his idea of being a hero only because he had worked so hard to get where he was in the first place. If they had it their way, he’d stay in his dojo, win as many championships as possible, and become a mentor and then a sensei of his own dojo. It was a more sure future than risking his life and health to try to be a pro-hero. But he considered himself lucky to even have parents that let him get that far. 

“Sorry,” Ojiro sighed finally as he forced himself to be still. “Maybe I can talk to All Might and get him to put in a good word for you?” 

“If I got in only because All Might asked them to let me in, I really wouldn’t have earned it.” Yosa sighed. “But thanks for the thought anyway…” 

__________

All Might handed them their letters personally and the two of them plopped down right there in the almost clean sand of the beach to rip open the letters. With both audios overlaying each other, it was hard to hear specifics. Mostly they tuned it out until the end where All Might himself announced to the both of them that they would both be admitted into UA. However, Yosa would be admitted with a probationary period seeing as how he barely scraped by with his disciplinary record. All Might had been all too understanding about it when they explained it to him.

That was how the pair found out about ‘Yagi-san’ being the same person as All Might. It was an awkward reveal as Ojiro remembered that he basically told the man he wanted to be him in the future. But it faded quickly as Yagi-san explained that he too had been quirkless before he inherited the power of OFA. It was a little more common to be quirkless when he was younger so he wasn’t discriminated against so harshly as Yosa was nowadays. But he knew there was no way he would be allowed to be a hero without his master’s quirk. 

It had been a tearful moment for all three of them as they wallowed in the injustice of discrimination and the relief of finally being able to follow their dreams despite all the speed bumps in their way. 

As the few months passed before they were allowed to go to UA finally, both boys waited anxiously. Luckily enough for Yosa, he was able to go a month early to learn about the regulations in the support course and how important it was to follow the rules. His access was restricted to only the few lab rooms they were directed to use, so he wasn’t able to see much of the huge campus. But Ojiro was happy to listen to his excited rambles every day when they met up at the now cleaned beach. 

“You’re not trying to replace me right?” Ojiro asked only half-joking as Yosa rambled about someone named Hatsume who almost blew up one of their labs on the very first day when they weren’t even allowed to use any of the equipment. 

“What? No! I would never. You’re my best friend, Mashi…Besides…she’s a bit…eclectic.” Yosaru leaned back onto the blanket they had laid on the sand. “I like building things, but she’s devoted to it. It’s…well it’s not weird. You just don’t see that kind of enthusiasm anywhere you know?” 

Ojiro chuckled. “At least it sounds like you’ll have fun. I’m glad.” 

“Have you talked to All Might about what to expect at UA, yet?” Yosa asked, changing the subject. 

“I haven’t really had the time to. He’s been busy creating lesson plans and stuff.” Ojiro shrugged. “He warned me this would happen closer to the date we start. It just feels weird not seeing him every single week.” 

Yosa gave a short hum of an acknowledgment as he agreed with Ojiro. “Have you sent in a design for a hero costume yet? We’re going to start looking at those next week.” 

“Not really. I just sent in a picture of my martial arts robes and asked for something more durable.” 

Judging by the silence that immediately followed, Ojiro sensed he made some kind of mistake. “What?” He questioned Yosa who was just looking at him. 

“You just…Did you send in martial arts robes? As a hero costume?” Yosa said slowly as if he couldn’t understand the concept. “Mashi…” 

Felling defensive, Ojiro spoke up as his face reddened. “I couldn’t think of anything else that wouldn’t hinder my fighting and my tail!” 

“I’m-,” Yosa started. “I’m going to take your costume. And not follow those plans. You’re getting a practical costume, and then we’ll worry about aesthetics.” He seemed pretty certain already as if nothing Ojiro could say would change his mind. 

Ojiro wasn’t in the spirits to fight him too much on it. In the end, as long as his costume worked, he didn’t care what it looked like. And he trusted nobody more than Yosa to make that happen. 

___________

Ojiro’s first day at UA was a mess. Not necessarily in a bad way, though. Upon walking in, he saw only a few of his classmates. None of them were the green-haired boy from the entrance exam, which he couldn’t squish his disappointment about. But he did his part by walking around and introducing himself. Most of them seemed very nice and had some interesting quirks of their own. One of them, a taller student with various appendages sprouting from his back, walked over and thanked Ojiro personally. 

“If it weren’t for your distraction with the zero point robot, I would have never been able to run in and help people escape it. I received a lot of rescue points for that.” He bowed slightly. “Thank you.” 

Ojiro waved it off. “I was only doing what I thought was right. But I’m glad you were able to get enough points to pass.”

Sooner rather than later, the rest of the class started to trickle in and find their seats. One of the last to arrive was the boy from before. “Oh hey, I know you.” Ojiro jumped out of his seat and walked right up to him. “You made it!” 

The boy stood tense and looked down at his feet. “Yeah! I uh- I was able to get enough rescue points to get in.”

“That’s great! Meet me by the gate after school and you can meet my friend, yeah?”

Before he could respond, a low, monotone voice sounded behind them. 

“If you’re here to chat then you might as well leave now. Don’t waste my time.” Immediately the class fell into a hush as a dark-haired man shuffled his way inside carrying a yellow sleeping bag over his shoulder. “My name is Aizawa Shouta. I will be your instructor this year. Take your seats, now.” 

Ojiro rushed back to his seat and the green-haired boy shot over to the only empty seat. They had barely sat down before Aizawa started to speak again. 

“Now that I have our attention,” Aizawa sighed. “Today is going to be the start of your hero education. It will be hard, it will be strenuous, and it will be dangerous. If you can’t handle that, leave.” He even paused for a moment as if he expected someone to get up and leave. 

When nobody did, he continued. “I won’t bother taking you to the opening ceremony. Instead, we’ll be doing something much different.” It was then that he shuffled his hand through the sleeping bag as if it were a purse of some kind and pulled out what Ojiro recognized as the UA gym uniform. “Put these on and meet me outside.”

Chapter Text

There were small mumbles of complaint, but nobody seemed to voice their concerns to Aizawa. Instead, they all filed towards the locker rooms to change their clothes. Ojiro didn’t give much thought to it, having done it in junior high and at the dojo for many years. So when he heard a “Woah!” from behind him, he jumped. 

Turning around, he saw a blond-haired boy that introduced himself earlier as Kaminari staring at him as he took off his shirt. “What?” He asked confused. 

“Your back muscles are ripped! How did you even manage to do that?!” 

Ojiro turned back to his locker quickly to jerk the gym shirt on. It wasn’t that he was self-conscious, it was more along the lines that he had what some might call an “advantage” when it came to gaining muscles. His tail, even before OFA was a constant workout to train to be as dexterous as he wanted it to be. 

“Hard work and discipline.” He said calmly. “I have a very strict training regimen tailored specifically for my body and quirk.” 

“Bro, that’s amazing!” Ojiro turned at the new voice to see Kirishima speaking with a gleam in his eyes. “We should totally work out sometime!” 

Not used to so much attention, Ojiro flushed. “Sure, I guess. If we have time between the classes here at UA.” 

Pretty soon they were all out on the field where Aizawa was waiting impatiently. When the big reveal came out that the lowest ranking student would be expelled, Ojiro found himself glaring. All the tests were physically based and unfair not just to the people without physically enhancing quirks, but also to those who weren’t physically fit themselves. 

“Do you find an issue in my teaching methods, Ojiro?” Aizawa drawled. And Ojiro noticed the man’s exhausted gaze pointing his way. It was then Ojiro realized that his tail had thumped hard on the ground at his anger causing a small almost unnoticeable dip in the ground. 

“Your measure of potential isn’t fair, sir,” Ojiro spoke evenly but his body language differed. “You can’t base someone’s character off fitness tests. You’re a teacher. I thought UA had strict guidelines against quirkism.” His tail gave another thump and Ojiro could see several students taking a step back as if they would be caught in the crossfire of some sort of battle. 

Aizawa scoffed and pushed his hair away from his face. “I’ve been a teacher here longer than you’ve been in a classroom, Problem Child. I’ve watched my students graduate, go into the hero scene, and die in their first fights before. I know what it takes to train the next generation. And if you can’t muster up the strength to pass a simple fitness examination, how can you be trusted to save the lives of innocent civilians?” Aizawa’s stare turned harsh. 

“I’m not quirkist. But I’m not raising pigs for slaughter either. So you can either participate in the assessment, or you can leave now and save me the trouble of having my methods questioned at every corner.” 

Ojiro said nothing, but he deliberately stilled his tail so that it was no longer flicking in irritation, and slowly he stepped back in line. 

__________

Ojiro deliberately stayed average. Always making sure to score at least a few points less than Midoriya. In his mind, this was all an elaborate plot to kick the only quirkless kid out of the hero course. Despite Aizawa’s speech, Ojiro didn’t believe a word of it. He could see though that Midoriya tried very hard. He was keeping up with most of the students without physical quirks and even passing some of them at some points. 

Finding himself stretching before the seated toe touch, Ojiro felt the sun being eclipsed above him. Looking up from his stretch, Ojiro saw the stare of Aizawa on him once more. “Sir?” He asked, a bit more pointed than necessary. 

“You’re not doing him any favors,” Aizawa said evenly. “A villain in the real world will not pull punches just because he’s quirkless.” 

Glaring, Ojiro looked to his shoes and pretended to stretch further. “I won’t let you send him home. He deserves a fair shot.” 

“And you throwing the test is fair? Is it fair for him to know that if you place last it’s only because you wanted to shield him from the real world? His accomplishments won’t be his own anymore.” 

Aizawa crouched, placing a hand on Ojiro’s ankle to stop his fake stretching. “You have to be fair to him. Let him succeed or fail on his own. He’ll never be a hero if you try to protect him from everything.” 

Something clicked in Ojiro’s mind then. “Wait…does that mean you aren’t going to expel the bottom ranking student?” Ojiro asked, wide-eyed. 

Letting out a huff, Aizawa stood. “I will not waste energy on those who have no potential. I refuse to bury another student…But for those that show themselves promising and willing to do what it takes to succeed, I will do my best to teach them.”  

____________

When it came down to the last test, the ball throw, Ojiro made sure to go last. Aizawa was right. It wasn’t fair to Midoriya to throw the test like that and Ojiro was sure Yosa would be angry if he heard Ojiro’s plan anyway. So when he was tossed the ball and asked to step forward, he did so confidently. 

“Give it your best shot,” Aizawa mumbled as he held up the receiver. 

Ojiro didn’t need to be told twice. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Ojiro relaxed. Gently, he tossed up the ball. Quicker than lightning he pivoted on his feet. The thrum of OFA built up in the base of his spine and into his tail. He gave a small grunt of exertion at trying to move so quickly, but eventually his tail connected to the ball with a loud crack. 

He found himself facing the crowd of students as the ball shot off into the distance behind him. Their faces of amazement and awe weren’t surprising. Ojiro knew they didn’t know the full extent of OFA. But even Ojiro was impressed with himself as he looked at his total score and saw the numbers 821.3 blinking at him. The highest in the class. 

“Your form could do with some correcting, but all in all, good job.” Aizawa praised as he pressed a few more buttons on the receiver before it started to project their total scores. 

Ojiro found himself immediately, even though he had barely been trying for most of the tests, he still somehow ended up being in 11th place. Next, he looked for Midoriya. He didn’t relax until he saw the green-haired boy had scored enough points to lodge himself into 16th place. It wasn’t great in a class of 20. But it wasn’t the bottom. When Ojiro looked at the bottom student, he saw what looked like a floating uniform. 

The entire class was quiet as they looked for the student with the floating uniform. Ojiro’s eyes zeroed in on her. Her sleeves were shaking. “I-I’m last?” 

The rest of the class looked down at the ground, seemingly forgetting that someone among them would be expelled. But Ojiro looked to Aizawa. He had figured out the secret. And while it wasn’t confirmed, surely Aizawa wouldn’t be so cruel as to expel someone who clearly had a disadvantage in the tests. 

“Nobody’s getting expelled. It was a logical ruse to get you all to try your best.” Aizawa said calmly even as several students squawked indignantly about it. He raised his hand to silence the onslaught of responses. “This is the hero course of UA. I expect you all to try nothing short of your best. I don’t expect perfection. But you better get damn well close to it by your final year here. Am I understood?” 

“Yes, sir!” The class cheered. 

___________

By the end of the day, they had selected class representatives (Iida and Yaoyorozu), created a workout group (Midoriya, Kirishima, Bakugou, Uraraka, Hagakure, and Ojiro were the main interested parties), and Ojiro had finally got Midoriya to meet Yosa. 

The two hit it off almost immediately, Ojiro barely had to speak the entire time as Yosa started to share all his invention plans and Izuku marveled at every single one. 

“Hatsume is going to adore you, Midoriya,” Yosa laughed. “She loves that she doesn’t have to work her inventions around quirks with quirkless people. She was almost disappointed that I was in support and not the hero track…When she hears about you…” He trailed off with an almost sinister smile. 

“Should I be afraid?” Midoriya asked with a hesitant chuckle.  

“Maybe,” Ojiro teased him. 

But despite the teasing, their day was great and they had all made plans to meet up outside of the gate the next day. While that plan was foiled by the reporters blocking the said gate, they did manage to meet up outside of class 1-A. Yosa seemed very excited about something but he wouldn’t tell them what it was. Instead, he rushed them into the classroom and told them to tell him about it during lunch. Whatever ‘it’ was. 

___________

‘It’ turned out to be hero costumes. As All Might blasted into the room in his older hero costume, the entire class was going wild. It only got worse as panels in the wall opened up revealing cases with numbers on the front of them. Once every case was passed out, they were ushered out of the room towards the locker rooms. 

Ojiro wasn’t sure what to expect as he opened up his case to put the costume on. But he was pleasantly surprised by how similar the final result was to his original plan. Yosa had been pretty annoyed at the lack of creativity and practicality with his submitted design but had kept the main idea of robes. The main difference was that it came with a black bodysuit that he was supposed to wear underneath. 

Whatever the fabric was made of had to be high quality, but it was breathable when he put it on which meant that he wouldn’t get overheated with the top layer on. Unlike traditional robes, however, the collar was lined with a thick fur material that almost but not quite matched his tail. Ojiro couldn’t see the point unless he was maybe fighting against a villain with an ice quirk. But rather than the usual belt tying the robes closed, there was a nice small utility pack. 

All of that along with fingerless black gloves and matching furred boots, Ojiro felt pretty good. 

Stepping out of the locker room, he met up with Midoriya again who was busy scouring over a small pamphlet that seemed to have instructions for various aspects of his costume. Ojiro wished that when they were divided up, Midoriya was his partner. He was sure they could be an amazing duo. 

As luck would have it though, his teammate was Todoroki.  For the exercise, their opponents were Shoji and Sero. Ojiro barely had a moment to talk to Todoroki before he was freezing the entire building with their opponents inside. Todoroki, it seemed, was not a team player. 

Whoever made Ojiro’s costume did him a favor by providing the bottom of his boots with a weird cleat texture. So while Todoroki skated on his own ice with grace, Ojiro had no issue charging across it. The two students didn’t talk at all as they systematically started to clear the building until they found the single room at the very top level that had the fake bomb stashed inside. The ice didn’t restrain their opponents like Ojiro knew Todoroki hoped. And the sight that greeted them was a web of Sero’s tape surrounding the entire room. The only open place was the immediate area around Shoji and Sero. 

The other pair seemed pretty smug with their plan as they leaned against the fake bomb. 

“How much control do you have over your quirk?” Ojiro whispered to Todoroki which earned him a glare. “Right, right,” He sighed. “Okay, freeze the tape. I’ll break it.” 

Miraculously, Todoroki listened. And Ojiro couldn’t help but smirk when he saw the look on Shoji and Sero’s faces when they realized their plan didn’t work. The fight afterward was a quick but brutal one. Ojiro had the skill, but Shoji had multiple arms. It was like fighting a group rather than one person. 

And Todoroki had few skills when it came to fighting as a team. His huge icebergs broke through the ground and nearly sent Ojiro tumbling down to the lower levels. When Ojiro finally slammed his hand onto the bomb as the last minutes ticked down, he was sore and bruised, but victorious. 

“Aw, man,” Sero groaned. “We almost had you!” He was disappointed in his loss but wasn’t a sore loser as he started to walk over with a hand extended. 

That is until the floor started to creak. It being a concrete building rather than a wooden one, Ojiro knew that wasn’t a good thing. 

“All of you, exit the building immediately. Some of Todoroki’s attacks seem to have damaged the support beams.” All Might announced through an intercom. 

Shoji’s quick thinking led them to one of the windows. Sero shot long lengths of his tape towards a lower floor of a neighboring building and they all took turns ziplining over. However, Ojiro felt the building creak again. This time, an actual sway was felt through his thick boots. Fearing that the building could collapse the one his classmates were in as well, he made an executive decision. 

It took a lot of his strength, more than his body had. A large blow took out most of the floor on the top few levels. Ojiro repeated the move until he hit the ground floor. Only the adrenaline in his system gave him the ability to run out the entranceway as the top floors started to collapse inward in a cloud of dust, debris, and ice. 

The next hour went by in a blur. All Might’s praise over demolishing the building prematurely to avoid casualties, Aizawa’s scolding for breaking his tailbone, Recovery Girl’s fretting over such a big injury on the first day, even his classmate’s compliments and praise were barely remembered by Ojiro as he slept the rest of the day away in the nurse’s office. 

At the end of the day, as Ojiro dressed in his school uniform again, now healed and ready to go home, Yosa ranted at him for being so reckless. 

“Are you trying to kill yourself in your first year?!” Yosa’s face was red with worry. “I can’t believe All Might allowed such a stupid plan! You could have gotten badly hurt or even endangered the lives of-” 

“Thank you for the costume changes.” Ojiro interrupted. 

This seemed to pull all the wind out of Yosa’s sails. Taken off guard from his fretting, he wilted slightly. “The costume? Oh- Uh- Did you really like them?” A small smile broke his serious look. “I know I added a lot of ice protection but the material is also very similar to firefighter uniforms so they can withstand the high intensity of heat.-” 

Ojiro relaxed as he was no longer getting lectured for his plan. And now he was able to see Yosa go off in his own proud exhibition of Ojiro’s costume. His first week at UA was going great. 

___________

Ojiro was thankful for the fact that Yosa and Midoriya got along so well. It wasn’t even a point where they were friendly because they were both quirkless. They both genuinely seemed to get along because they had common interests. While Yosa wasn’t a hero fan, he was a fan of quirks and liked to come up with costumes for even the weirdest application. And with Midoriya’s analysis, they were great. 

There were times, however, that Ojiro was reminded of the fact that while they were friendly to each other, the term ‘friends’ was more reserved for their relationships with him. 

One such time, Ojiro brought them both over to his house at the same time. It was right before their final exams if he remembered correctly. Yosa had to create an invention to showcase in front of a panel of judges. That part always annoyed him because they always brought up his disciplinary record. Midoriya and Ojiro had tried to help as best as they could while also strategizing for their exams. 

But Ojiro had left the two along for a moment. Only a moment! His mother had prepared a usual spread of snacks for them to eat and had only asked Ojiro to come to grab it. He was okay with that. Appreciative even. Going down the stairs he heard his door shut behind him, but he thought nothing of it. 

Tray in hand, he walked back up, balancing the tray, on one hand, to open his door again. As the door swung open on its hinges, Ojiro was stunned to see the sight of Miyoshi on Midoriya’s back, trying to wrangle him into a headlock. 

Midorya had a handful of Miyoshi’s hair gripped in his fist to try to pull him away. But the duo froze as the door opened and they both looked up to Ojiro bashfully at being caught. 

“He started it,” They both chorused. 

“...Why do I not believe either of you?” Ojiro sighed and stepped over the both of them so he could put the tray on the desk. “Get up before you knock something over.” 

The two scrambled up and started to devour the food on the tray instead of pummeling each other. “I feel like Aizawa whenever Bakugou starts trying to fight me,” Ojiro admits as he grabs a finger sandwich as well. “Maybe I should write him a thank you car for putting up with us.” 

“I’ll sign it.” Yosa agreed. 

“You aren’t even in the class!” Midoriya noted. 

“Eh…like he’d notice.” 

____________

Miyoshi wasn’t Ojiro’s only connection to other classes, however. It was after a group training session between the hero courses that Ojiro reunited with Kendo. Kendo was a fellow student at the dojo before she transferred to one closer to her new home. He loved sparing with her so to see her go was a real kick to morale. 

But here she was again. The same strong, independent, and no-nonsense girl as before. Only this time, she was dragging a different blond behind her as she approached him. “Ojiro!” She greeted with a smile. 

Ojiro returned the smile and went in for a hug only to have the blond she was dragging thrust into his arms. “Watch him for me real quick while I go ask that frog girl for some tips!” Before he could protest, she was walking away. 

Looking down, Ojiro saw the blue-eyed blond staring at him. “...Hello.” 

“...Hi.” The boy said awkwardly. “Ojiro?” 

“Mhm.” 

“Ah,” The boy nodded. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” 

“Dito…” Ojiro realized he was still holding to boy’s limp body and rushed to start standing him up. “Oof, sorry about that. You are?”  

The boy smirked as he held out a hand. “Monoma Neito, as you will become familiar with when I rise to the top and-” 

“Oh! Mashi! You’ve met Kendo’s new emotional support blond!” Yosa announced as he make his way over. He held a clipboard in his arms. “Just the person I wanted to talk to, too!” 

Ojiro at this point was a spectator as Yosa asked Monoma question after question about support items for his, admittedly, very interesting quirk. “So…UA let in two quirkless people…” The boy said suddenly. 

“What about it?” Yosa asked suspiciously. 

“Well…Both of you need a new gimmick. Being quirkless isn’t enough to be special at UA anymore. You have your inventions. Let’s just hope the other one has some kind of talent or else they might-” Monoma stopped mid-sentence as Yosa pointed the tip of his pen in Monoma’s direction. 

“Finish that sentence and I’m making sure your costume has thumbtacks in the shoes.” Yosa threatened. “Now, how small can the DNA be for you to copy the quirk?” He asked with his pen clicked and poised ready to write. 

____________

It became clear, however, Ojiro was not the sort of successor people expected for All Might. 

Not that people knew who Ojiro was of course, but being a teacher at UA, All Might got people talking. Almost every news channel had a segment talking about what All Might could potentially be passing onto the next generation. People in forums talked about how hero society was entering a new advanced age. 

Sure, Ojiro had a few good shows during his first week at UA. But as everyone grew more comfortable with each other, they too started to show off their quirk. Compared to someone like Yaoyorozu or Todoroki, Ojiro was a one-trick pony. 

It didn’t help as All Might pulled Ojiro aside a few days before the Sports Festival for a “serious talk”. 

“Ojiro, my boy! How are you liking UA?” All Might asked as he led him to his office and shut the door behind him. 

“It’s great,” Ojiro said genuinely. “It’s more than I ever hoped. And my classmates are great too.” The fond smile that All Might gave was mirrored on Ojiro’s face. 

“That’s great! Tea?” 

Ojiro accepted the offer and watched as All Might prepared it in front of him. “So, I wanted to talk about the Sports Festival.” 

“Oh?” He was handed a small cup of tea which he held between both his hands. The warmth was nice in the slightly colder air of the office. 

“It will be your first at UA. And the first as my successor…” All Might trailed off as he sipped from his cup. “I want you to have fun.” 

Confused, slightly, Ojiro nodded. “I will. I hope at least. I’ve watched it a few times growing up. It’s always looked fun.”

“It is!” All Might nodded. “I remember all my Sports Festivals as some of my best memories of UA. But, it’s more than that, for you I mean.” 

“...” Ojiro looked at All Might and slowly lowered his mug to rest on the edge of the desk. “How do you mean?” 

“When I was your age, attending UA, my master…” He trails off slightly and Ojiro can see the sadness noted in his eyes. He feels bad almost. They rarely, if ever, mention All Might’s mentor. “She wasn’t the number one hero. She was known, yes, but she wasn’t a chart-topper. She didn’t care to be either.” 

Ojiro was silent as he listened to All Might. The mourning was obvious in the older man’s tone. Ojiro couldn’t imagine the pain of losing a mentor. He didn’t often get to hear about her, mostly because he didn’t think it was proper to ask, but now he thought about just how often All Might was able to talk about her. Did All Might have any friends that knew the secret of OFA? 

“There was no pressure on me to be great and it left me with the freedom to have fun and really enjoy my years at UA.” All Might said once he had his moment to reflect. “I want the same for you. You have plenty of time to develop your skill. I don’t want you to feel you have to represent me every time you go out.” 

“So…No pressure if I can’t win the Sports Festival?” Ojiro clarified with a slight relief in his tone. 

“Exactly.” All Might was pleased with his quick understanding. “Now, internships come after, and how well you do at the Sports Festival does have some leverage on how many offers you get. But, if your amenable, I have someone in mind for you to work with, regardless of how far you get in the festival.” 

____________

In the end, Ojiro only managed to get to the second round. Not for lack of trying, however, but he was basically handicapped when it came to his quirk. He couldn’t use OFA or else he’d risk toppling his team, and if he tried to strike out, he risk knocking them off balance. He kept his headband, but the other members of his team lost theirs and were unable to steal anymore. 

He wasn’t too disappointed as he went into the stands and found a seat next to Yosa. The pair watched Midoriya compete until he too was beaten early into round three. But the trio played a couple of the intermission games as well. Ojiro treasured a specific instance where, during a scavenger hunt, he was tasked with getting a watch. 

Looking into the crowd, he held up the card. To his surprise, All Might in his skinny form immediately held out his own watch towards him. Ojiro took it and collected his point before returning it, but his happiness was palpable. Not only was All Might true to his word and not disappointed about his early disqualification, but he was going out of his way to contribute to Ojiro’s fun. It was nice. 

_____________

Gran Torino’s first words when looking at Ojiro were “You certainly don’t look like number one hero material.” He grumbled. “Where did Toshinori find you? A dime a dozen coffee shop?” 

Which, fair. Ojiro knew his looks didn’t fit the usual description of a big-name hero. But he hoped that he had represented All Might well in his, albeit, subtle way. And Ojiro was not new to harsh criticism. So while he was belittled for his unremarkable look, he just bowed in respect. “Hello, sir. My name is Ojiro Mashirao. It’s an honor to learn from you.” 

“Hmph,” Torino huffed at him. “At least the boy taught you some manners. Get over here and warm up. You got your costume in that case?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Put it on.” 

By the time Ojiro left to go back to UA, Gran Torino praised All Might for finding such a good successor. “Kid’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s strong. He’ll make you proud.” Gran Torino said as he tapped All Might’s shin when he picked him up at the station. 

All Might was glowing. 

“See, my boy? People make assumptions about you based on your looks, but you prove them wrong with your actions.” He explained. “Any other student would have backtalked and maybe even quit the internship, but you stuck it out. And you even learned a few things.” 

Ojiro stuck his tail in the gap between his legs and the door to keep it from twitching at All Might’s compliments. Thankfully, the man didn’t outright say the words ‘I’m proud of you,’ or else Ojiro was sure he would have exploded from embarrassment. 

____________

What really tested Ojiro’s patience was Sir Nighteye. 

Their second year at UA wasn’t going well. After a villain ambush at the USJ that led to a postponing of the Sports Festival, everyone had their guard up. Aizawa pushed hard for UA to let them take the Provisional Hero Licensing Exam in order to start work studies. He believed that with them on the villains’ radar, they need the ability to protect themselves. All Might’s agreement was what pushed the motion through. 

Ojiro wanted to study with Gran Torino again, but he wasn’t on the list of approved heroes. 

It was only through sheer luck that a third-year student approached Ojiro and offered to introduce him through his work-study agency. “I’ve seen you around and I like your style. Sir agreed to let me bring you around and maybe you can join his work-study program.” Mirio’s smile was a bit contagious. His optimism as well. So, Ojiro accepted. If all else failed, Yosa said he could probably convince his work-study to let Ojiro join. 

And…well…Ojiro had never been good with jokes. But part of him felt proud of his quickly thought of puns. Mirio had sprung the idea on him as they were walking in it wasn’t as if he had time to prepare. 

“Mirio, this is the student you were telling me about?” Sir Nighteye asked as Ojiro walked up. 

“Yes, Sir!” 

Ojiro bowed his head slightly. “Ojiro Mashirao, Sir.” He cleared his throat slightly. “This might sound cornea , but eye am thankful and look forward to the opportunity to train with you. Mirio told me you were a fan of comedy and while eye-m not much of a comedian, I thought the eye-dea was a nice way to break the eyes ?” 

Ojiro’s face was red with embarrassment as he only heard Mirio burst out in laughter. “HA- How many-” The older student brought his hand up to his face and seemed to be counting. “Four- Five puns in one! That has to be a record, Sir-”

“Six, Mirio. There was a foresight pun as well.” Nighteye said calmly but didn’t seem to find it amusing at all. “While you get your giggles out, Ojiro, follow me to my office.” 

Ojiro stood rigidly inside of Nighteye’s office. The mountains of All Might merch seemed to stare at him in judgment. Midoriya had told him about how Nighteye used to be All Might’s sidekick, but he had no idea Nighteye had such a collection. “Sir, I’m sorry if my attempt at humor offended you, Mirio just said that you liked the humor and that it would be a good way to introduce myself-” 

“Your attempt at humor is unoriginal and far from the first time I’ve heard puns based on my quirk,” Nighteye said which only served to make Ojiro feel more like a fool than before. “Now, All Might seems to think that you have what it takes to be the next Symbol of Peace. You know what I think?” 

“...No, Sir.” 

“I think he’s made a mistake. Looking back on your career at UA I see nothing but average. Your grades, your test scores, your training results. You’ve barely advanced One for All in any obvious capacity. You’ve sustained 3 injuries involving broken bones from going beyond your threshold of power. So tell me. Why do you deserve to be his successor?” 

Ojiro was taken aback by the verbal assault of his character. This was beyond what he had dealt with with Gran Torino. “I’ve…I do my best in school while balancing UA training, All Might’s lessons, and my dojo. I try my best. All Might and I have discussed it before he gave me his quirk. I may not be the next Symbol of Peace, but I will be the best hero I can be.” 

“That’s not enough,” Nighteye seemed so certain. “Smile.” 

“What-”

“Smile.” 

Ojiro hesitated, but eventually, he forced what he hoped looked like a natural smile. 

“Do you think that smile will inspire hope?” Nighteye questioned. “Do you think it will light the passion of heroism in the next generation?” 

“I hope-” 

Nighteye started opening a drawer in his desk and pulled out what looked like a stamp. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You are going to try to take this from me. Use anything in your power. Don’t mind the furniture in the room. When you take this from me and stamp this work-study form with it, I will accept you into my agency. But if you can’t you admit you aren’t prepared to be All Might’s successor and you leave my office.” 

This was the first time Ojiro ever actually felt like he understood the discrimination Midoriya and Yosa went through every day. Nothing he said or did would ever change Nighteye’s mind. So what was the point? Nighteye clearly thought him lesser. He was average. Nothing remarkable about him. Anger built up in the pit of Ojiro’s stomach. All Might had never mentioned Nighteye to him, so who was he to dictate what All Might was and who was worthy of his quirk?

Ojiro’s tail flicked and thumped against the ground in annoyance which seemed to fuel Nighteye’s fire. 

“If you can’t even control your emotions enough to have a conversation, we’re done talking.” 

“Fine,” Ojrio said suddenly. “I refuse to jump through hoops to impress someone that takes out their frustrations on a student who just wants to learn from them.” 

Ojiro made sure to slam the door behind him in a petty display of anger. Nighteye didn’t follow him. 

Mirio was waiting in the lobby area and as Ojiro walked out, he stood. “Hey! How’d it go? Did he-” 

“No,” Ojiro interrupted as he continued walking for the door. “This was a mistake. I’m leaving.” 

“Wha-” Mirio was stunned, his usual peppy look wilting just slightly. “Hey, I’ll escort you.” He said following behind him quickly. 

“I can go alone-” 

But Mirio wouldn’t hear it. He was determined and Ojiro eventually just let him come along. They walked together silently to the station, but Ojiro knew it was only a matter of time before Mirio questioned him again. Best to just rip off the bandaid. 

“He doesn’t think I’m good enough,” Ojiro explains. “I’m just too average.” 

Mirio thinks about it for a moment and Ojiro doesn’t blame him. He thinks very highly of Nighteye. And Ojiro didn’t want to bash any image Miro had of the man. “Then I’ll talk to him. Surely he’d give you another chance if I-” 

Ojiro shook his head. “No. I- I don’t want to work with him anymore…I understand you look up to him, and that’s fine. I don’t blame you. But he has issues with me, and forcing him to have to teach me would just be miserable for us both.” 

“...I’m sorry, Ojiro,” Mirio said sadly. “I wish there was something I could do. I brought you all this way and guaranteed to you that he would take you and this-”

“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known and your intentions were pure.” Ojiro explained. 

Ojiro ended up not going into a work-study this time. Instead, All Might offered him extra training lessons to perhaps get more moves for his quirk. The pro hero had felt absolutely terrible when Ojiro had explained what had happened. “If I had known you were going I would have told you about our history. I would have never let you go in there blind.” 

“I know that now, but what’s done is done. I have his honest opinion of me…” Ojiro shrugged. “But…do you sometimes wish that you had chosen someone else?” 

All Might’s eyes hardened. “Never. Not a single second has gone by that I haven’t been proud to have you as my successor. Every day that passes I see your progress and I am proud. You’ve come so far. And you will be a great hero.” 

“Even if I’m not the next Symbol of Peace?” 

“You don’t have to be the Symbol of Peace to be my hope for the future, dear boy.” 

____________

Later, at the Sports Festival, All Might pulls Ojiro aside.

"My dear boy, do you remember our conversation before your first Sports Festival?" He asks kindly. 

Which, of course Ojiro did. How could he forget? "You said that you wanted me to have fun first. And not to feel like I had to live up to your image." 

All Might nodded. "And the same message applies here. I want you to go out and have fun..." But the way he said it seemed odd. 

"...But..." Ojiro led, sensing there was a catch. 

"But..." All Might nodded. "I had some words with Nighteye after your experience. And I might have...bragged. Heavily." 

Ojiro's jaw dropped. All Might had bragged about him to Nighteye? His sidekick who very clearly didn't like him? Not even thinking about why All Might would do something like that, Ojiro could only think about what that meant for him. "You want me to show off?" 

"Maybe not...show off." All Might was terrible at being subtle. "But if you were to you know, go beyond. Plus ultra! I know a very good restaurant that serves the best baozi in Japan..." 

Baozi...Ojiro's favorite food. He had confided that small detail to All Might one day after a rough training session. 'I want to go home, shower, eat some baozi, and sleep for forty years,' He had groaned. All Might had commented on the weird specificity. 'It's my favorite thing. Ever. But I don't eat it often.' 

All Might had smiled when he explained the reason why he didn't eat his favorite food so often was because of self-discipline. It was a way to reward himself after working hard. So, if he ate it often, it would take away the reward aspect. 

"So...You're saying if I show off enough to rub it in Nighteye's face that I don't need him...you'll take me to go eat baozi at a fancy restaurant?" Ojiro clarified slowly. 

"I will buy you the restaurant." All Might admitted causing Ojiro to splutter. 

"You can't do that!-" 

All Might took a moment to explain that, as the number one hero, he can, in fact, DO THAT. And well, If Ojiro showed off enough to make it to the semi-finals, even pinning Bakugou down onto the mat while he's kicking and spitting like a rabid dog, well...He deserves a reward for his hard work. 

____________

It was during their first training session at the USJ after the villain attack that Ojiro advanced his quirk in a major way. He was helping ‘civilians’ escape a mudslide by carrying them across the roofs of several houses. It was harsh and stressful even if it were a simulation. He had to decide who to take first and how many he could carry and where to go to not slip. It was a stress test as much as it was a physical one. 

He was doing well with almost all of the victims delivered to the ‘safe zone’. He had sweat dripping down his face and made a mental note to ask Yosa to add a sweatband of some sort to his costume next time it needed repairs. 

“It’s going to be alright,” He assured the child actor trembling in his arms. “I have you.” 

Of course, that’s the exact moment his footing slips on the shingles of the room and he tumbles off. The sludge on the ground was thick and viscous but could easily be sucked up by drains in the ground. Still, falling in meant a failing grade for his test. He wished this was a team exercise. Otherwise, Uraraka would be able to lift him out of thin air before he would even touch the mud. 

However, his feet never made contact with the mud. Looking down, he found himself mere inches away but suspended in the air. He had no idea how, but he could feet the thrum and heat of OFA in his core and down his legs. 

Kicking, he stayed in place, suspended in the air. “Uh- I might need some help!” He shouted out. Looking over to a platform where Thirteen and Aizawa were standing, Ojiro could see Aizawa glaring. 

Aizawa’s suspicion over the origins of his quirk had been an ongoing obstacle for Ojiro since the end of his first year. Ojiro’s paperwork only listed his quirk as ‘Tail’ and not ‘Super Strength Tail’. Aizawa’s assumptions were either that Ojiro was misdiagnosed, or that it was simply a new development to his quirk. But this, this was surely going to cause issues with that facade. 

“Uraraka, please tell me you just managed to activate your quirk from afar…” He groaned, not even looking towards the platform where the rest of his classmates were waiting for their turn. 

Uraraka for her part stared at Ojiro wide-eyed. “I could, sir. But I would be lying…” 

Aizawa nodded slowly before moving his hair out of his eyes and activating his quirk. Ojiro squeaked as OFA disappeared and he fell down into the sludge with a splat. The actor in his arms skittered up to his shoulders to avoid the muck, all acting ceased. 

“Sero…throw me a line?” Ojiro asked pitifully. 

As Ojiro pulled himself up onto the platform, he panted and gasped. Swimming through a semi-solid/liquid sludge was hard even for him. 

“You’re going to see a quirk specialist as soon as we get back,” Aizawa advised him. 

Ojiro groaned loudly. 

____________

Somewhere ducked off in an unmarked alleyway bar, a chair crumbles into dust under the five-point touch of an irritated man. “How? HOW has All Might been at UA for almost two years and we still don’t know who his successor is?!”

“Are we even sure he has one?” A girl dressed in a school uniform asks as she runs her finger along the dull edge of a knife. 

“He has to! No way would he decrease his hero time by nearly 60% if he wasn’t cultivating a brat for his quirk!” Another chair falls. 

“Shigaraki, you have to control yourself. We will find the successor soon. All we need is an inside source.” A dark void of a man says calmly. 

“And how do you suppose we get that?!” 

“I have some ideas…”