Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kenji woke up in his bunk bed to Katsuki hovering above him.

“Kenji! Wake up! It’s our birthday!”

“What?! It is?!” Kenji shot up, and scrambled out of bed, scurrying down the stairs, with Katsuki following swiftly behind. Today was the day of their fourth birthday, the day they would receive their own quirks!

Mitsuki was already in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

“Well well, look at you two hooligans! You almost gave me a heart attack when you stampeded down the stairs just now!”

“Oops! Sorry, Mom!” Kenji apologized, though his smile only widened at the pile of presents in the living room.

“Presents!” Katsuki cheered.

“And that’s not even all of them!” Masaru smiled as he entered the room. “Auntie Inko and Izuku are coming over later today with a few.”

“Awesome!” The twins said in unison.

After a hastily downed breakfast, Kenji and Katsuki were sent outside to play while they waited for their best friend Izuku.

“What do you think your quirk’s gonna be?” Kenji asked his brother.

“I hope it’s something awesome, so I can be a super cool hero!”

Kenji smiled.

“Me too, Katsuki! I hope we can be heroes all together! You, me, and Izuku!”

“Yeah! We’ll be called the Justice Trio-WHOA!”

Katsuki slipped and slid down the slide.

“Careful, bro! You don’t want to find out what your quirk is while you’re in the hospital.”

Katsuki smiled and flexed a tiny arm.

“It’ll take more than a slippery slide to take down the great Katsuki Bakugo!”

Both brothers laughed, and continued playing, and fantasizing about their hero careers until Mitsuki called them in.

“Boys! Come in, Auntie Inko and Izuku are here!”

“Yay!” Both boys cheered. The ran inside, and were not disappointed when their best friend Izuku Midoriya was there to greet them.

“Hey guys! Happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday to you too!” Both twins said.

“Inko, the presents can go just over there in the main room.” Mitsuki pointed to the room where the other presents for the three boys were stacked. Inko nodded, and walked over to set the presents down, then turned around and hugged Mitsuki. Mitsuki squeezed her tightly, causing Inko to wheeze.

“It’s good to see you again, Mitsuki.” Inko mumbled into Mitsuki’s shoulder. “But you can let up a little”

“Oh! I’m so sorry.” Mitsuki apologized and released the smaller woman from her bear hug.

“Honey, it looks like our kids and Izuku are ready for their presents.” Masaru called from the living room. Mitsuki nodded and led Inko to one of the couches. Masaru held up a video camera and started recording.

“Ok boys, pick out a present and open it!”

Each of the boys grabbed the biggest present with their name on it and ripped open the wrapping paper.

Kenji gasped.

Izuku almost fainted.

Katsuki shrieked in disbelief. “THE BRAND NEW LIMITED EDITION ALL MIGHT FIGURINES?! FULL SET?!”

Mitsuki laughed. “Yes boys. For your fourth birthday, we thought we’d get you something nice for you to enjoy.”

“Awesome!” Kenji opened the first toy and pulled the string on All Might’s back.

“No need to fear! Why? Because I am here!” The toy said in a tinny voice.

Izuku still hadn’t uttered a word. He was completely flabbergasted by the toys.

Katsuki grinned. “I seriously have the best mom ever.”

Mitsuki smiled and patted her twin boys on the head.

“Aww, you boys flatter me too much. Ok. Go play with your toys in your room, while us grown ups have a chat.”

The trio nodded and scurried to Kenji and Katsuki’s room.

“So, have you thought about what kind of quirk you’re gonna get?” Kenji asked Izuku.

“I don’t know, but I hope it’s something I can use to be a great hero!” Izuku said happily, as he sat down in a beanbag.

“Me too.” Kenji said.

“I just know we’re gonna be the best heroes ever! No one will be able to stop the Justice Trio!” Katsuki stood up and planted his fists on his hips in the classic All Might pose, and grinned just like him.

“We’ll be able to tell everyone that “We are Here!” And people will love us!”

Kenji and Izuku clapped and cheered.

After a few hours, Inko called the boys back into the living room to open the rest of the presents. It was mostly All Might merchandise, but a few other things, like new books, and some preschool supplies were also there.

“I wouldn’t know for sure…” Mitsuki said as she looked at the three friends playing together. “But I think they like their presents.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Masaru chuckled. “The fact that Izuku hasn’t put down that All Might figurine since he opened it or the fact that they nearly made my eardrums explode when they got those hoodies?”

Both Inko and Mitsuki laughed.

“They’re all gonna grow up to be incredible heroes, I just know it.” Inko smiled fondly as she watched Izuku talking about his new Hero Encyclopedia with Kenji.

Mitsuki smiled and wrapped an arm around her lifelong friend. “I sure hope so, Inky, I sure hope so.”

After a few more hours of play, it was time for the birthday dinner. There was lots of katsudon, the boys’ favorite, and Mitsuki managed to get a hold of some American cream soda for the boys to try.

“Wait! There’s one more thing!” Masaru grinned smugly.

“Ugh, Dad, don’t…” Katsuki started, but it was too late.

“Happy Happy Birthday, from all of us to you! We wish it was our birthday, so we could party too, oh!” Masaru sang in a dorky voice, eliciting a laugh from Izuku and a groan reminiscent of a dying goat from Katsuki and Kenji. Katsuki rolled his eyes as he grabbed a can of cream soda. “You know, you’re really embarrassing when my friends are…”

BANG!!

The can exploded in Katsuki’s hand, making Inko and Mitsuki scream and hurriedly rush to the boys’ side, checking them for injuries. Katsuki looked down at his hand, which was smoking. He twitched his hand a few times, and each time, a small explosion went off in his palm.

“Is this…?” Katsuki started.

“Your quirk!!” Kenji and Izuku cheered. “You got it!”

Inko looked shocked, while Mitsuki and Masaru were looking at their older son with astonishment, and a hint of pride.

“Well, there ya go, Kiddo!” Masaru patted his son on the back. “You got yourself a pretty neat quirk!”

Katsuki stared down at his hands, a smile creeping up.

“That’s… so cool.” He smirked.

“SO COOL!”

Kenji and Izuku watched their friend celebrate the arrival of his quirk, happy that he was on the road to achieving his dream.

“Now we just have to see what you two get!” Katsuki looked up at his brother and friend.

Kenji and Izuku smiled and nodded. “Yep! We’re all gonna have great quirks and be awesome heroes” Izuku said as he raised his fist.

Kenji and Katsuki copied him.

“Because WE ARE HERE!”

Chapter Text

The final hours of the evening after dinner were focused on Katsuki, celebrating the arrival of his quirk. Thankfully, nothing else was blown up. After the katsudon was picked clean by the three boys, Mitsuki brought out a cake with “Happy Birthday, Little Heroes!” written in icing. Katsuki and Kenji cheered, while Izuku had stars in his eyes. 

“It looks so good!” Izuku said as he stared at the large white cake. 

“I’m glad you like it. I had it custom made” Mitsuki smiled as she placed 12 candles, 4 for each boy, on the cake. Inko pulled out her phone and started recording. 

“Ok boys!” Inko said, holding her phone up. “Blow out the candles and make a wish!”

The three friends did exactly that, and their wish was exactly the same. 

I wish to be the greatest hero ever.

Then came the devouring of the cake. Granted, it was a large cake, and the boys were already full of katsudon, so there was still plenty left after the feast was over. Kenji looked over at his brother, and smiled. 

“Best birthday ever!” 

“You betcha!” Katsuki returned, as he wiped some cake frosting off his face, only succeeding in smearing it more. The clock struck 8:00 PM, and Inko sighed wistfully. 

“Well, I’d better get my little tyke to bed. Say bye-bye, Izuku!” 

“Buh-bye!” Izuku waved his hand and smiled brightly. Kenji and Katsuki returned the wave, and Katsuki let off a few explosions in celebration. Inko and Izuku exited the apartment, and then it was just the Bakugos. 

“Alright kids,” Masaru said as he gently pushed the twins towards their room. “Time for bed.” 

“Aww, alright. Good night, Mom! Good night Dad!” Kenji hugged his mom’s leg, and Katsuki grinned up at Masaru. 

“I can’t wait to find out what Kenji’s quirk is, once he gets one!” 

“I’m sure it won’t be too long, Katsuki. You are twins, after all.” Masaru smiled gently. “Now, off you go.” 

The boys nodded and scurried off to bed. 

As the two boys lay in their bunk beds, Kenji looked up at his older brother. 

“Hey, Katsuki?” 

“Hm? What is it, Kenji?” 

“Are you scared of the quirk doctor? Mom said he was “unsettling”” 

“A little, but it’ll be fine. If he’s mean or creepy, I’ll blast him in his face!” 

Katsuki let off a few small pops to emphasize his point, causing Kenji to giggle. 

“Ok. See you in the morning, Katsuki!”

”Mhm. Tomorrow is gonna be great, I just know it!”

The two boys quickly fell asleep after that. 

The next morning, Kenji and Katsuki woke up early, fired up for a brand new day.  Katsuki ran down the hall to the living room, and grabbed a few pieces of cardboard. 

“Hey, Kenji! Help me make some targets to blow up with my quirk!” 

“But won’t Mom and Dad hear?” Kenji quickly followed Katsuki into the kitchen, where he grabbed some kid safe scissors.

“Nah, We’re gonna do it outside, they won’t hear us out there.” 

“Ok.” Kenji nodded as the two twins stole outside, then sat down in the grass and began cutting out circular targets from the cardboard Katsuki selected. 

“Kenji, why are you so slow? I’ve cut out five targets and you’ve only done two!” 

“Sorry, Katsuki, it’s just… my hands are numb. It feels funny when I grab stuff, like my fingers are big and fat.” 

“Really? That’s weird. Could it be your quirk coming in?” 

“Maybe. I think this is enough targets now.” 

“Ok. Let’s set them up so I can blast them!” 

Kenji nodded, and they set up the targets against the wall. Kenji stepped back a few steps. 

“Ok, Go!” Kenji yelled from across the yard. Katsuki grinned, and fired explosions at each of the targets, causing them to combust and explode. 

“Boom! Boom! BOOOM!” Katsuki yelled as he blew up each one. “Kaboom!” He picked one up and punched it, releasing an explosion as he did. The target was vaporized, but the shockwave was a lot stronger than Katsuki anticipated. It rattled the tree behind the targets, and a squirrel fell out, landing on the ground with a dull thump and a pained squeak. 

“Oh no! The squirrel!” Kenji raced towards the injured animal as Katsuki looked at it in horror. 

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make a boom that big!” Katsuki ran up and peered over Kenji’s shoulder. The squirrel had a few broken bones, and was lying in the grass, whimpering. 

“What do we do?” Katsuki asked. 

“I don’t know!” Kenji replied as he looked down at the rodent. He reached out, as the scent of blood reached his nose. Then, he felt it. In the back of his mind, he felt something snap into place, and when he looked down at the squirrel he could see a series of translucent DNA helixes floating above the squirrel. They had each strand labeled, with A, U, G, C, and T spread across them. Some bars in the helix were broken, fractured, in the spots where the squirrel was injured.

“What the…” Kenji paused, as he read the information floating in front of his eyes.

Species: Japanese Squirrel

DNA Composition: 100% Pure

Status: Injured.

Kenji looked back at the squirrel hologram and saw that the places of injury had been highlighted in red. He also noticed that his palms and fingers were glowing yellow and green. He looked at Katsuki. 

“Can you see this?” 

“Your hands glowing? Yeah.” 

“No, the information. It’s telling me what the squirrel is made of and where it’s hurt.” 

“That’s so weird…” 

Kenji looked back down at the squirrel, then reached out and touched its broken arm. 

Get better, please. He thought. Suddenly, the bone corrected itself and mended, and the fractured sections of the DNA hologram floating above the squirrel reconnected. The squirrel got up, and walked away without trouble, causing the information and hologram to disappear from Kenji’s sight, and his palms to stop glowing.

”That was so weird.” Kenji turned to look at Katsuki, whose jaw was slack. 

“YOU JUST UN-BROKE THAT SQUIRREL’S ARM!” Katsuki yelled in surprise. “HOW!?”

Kenji looked down at his hands.

”I don't know. I just touched it and suddenly, a floating ghost squirrel made of all these twisty ladders started hovering above it, and there was a bunch of words that told me a bunch of stuff about it. Then I touched it and its injuries got fixed.” 

Katsuki grabbed his twin brother’s arm. 

“We gotta tell Mom. Your quirk is so cool!” 

Kenji nodded, and the two ran inside. 

“MOM, MOM!” They shouted. After a few moments, Mitsuki emerged from her room, half asleep, covered in several blankets, and with wild hair. 

“I really need to use those earplugs. What is it?” 

“Kenji got his quirk and it’s all science-y!” Katsuki grabbed his mother’s hand and began jumping up and down. Mitsuki gasped. 

“A quirk mutation? Kenji has a quirk mutation?” She looked down at the younger of the two twins, who nodded sheepishly.

”Yes, Mom. My quirk’s weird. It’s not like Katsuki’s.” 

Mitsuki stammered. “Eh-uh-Well, we need to get you two checked out! We need to register your quirks! You both have them now!” 

She let go of Katsuki and ran back to her room. After a few minutes, her and Masaru were both back, dressed for the day, and ushering their kids out the door. They all got into the car and started driving to the quirk clinic. 

“So, tell us exactly what happened when you discovered your quirk?” Mitsuki turned around in the passenger seat and looked at Kenji.

“Well, we made targets for Katsuki to blow up, and he made a big explosion that knocked a squirrel out of a tree. Its arm was broken and it was bleeding, so I tried to help it, when a ghost squirrel made of weird twisty things appeared above it. It told me where the squirrel was hurt, and when I touched it, it got better and walked away.” 

Mitsuki nodded, and turned back around. 

“A quirk mutation, in our family. What are the odds?”

Chapter Text

“Yep, it’s definitely a quirk mutation.” Dr. Tsubasa said as he passed Mitsuki a clipboard with Kenji’s information on it. “Complete deviation from the Bakugo bloodline. Your other son, Katsuki, on the other hand, was the complete opposite, manifesting a quirk that was a hybrid of yours and your husband’s”

Mitsuki skimmed over the paper, reading about her two sons’ quirks. 

Katsuki Bakugo

Quirk: Explosion: Generates nitroglycerin compound through perspiration and can ignite it at will. Incredible destructive force is definite, and over time, propulsion may be possible 

Kenji Bakugo

Quirk: Protogenesis: Enables user to manifest a projection of any living organism made up of DNA. From there they can edit and upgrade the genome. Uses calories for fuel

Mitsuki put down the report and looked at the doctor.

“Thank you, sir. I know my boys can be…” She looked at Kenji, who was throwing balloons into the air and watching Katsuki pop them with explosions. “…Rowdy.” 

“It’s no issue. They were quite well behaved after the bribery of a strawberry gumdrop.” Dr. Tsubasa chuckled as he shook his head. “Marvelous how useful a quarter sized candy can be.” 

Mitsuki chuckled as well. “Believe me, I know just as well. Is there anything else that you need to do?” 

“No, your boys are very healthy, and their quirks came in very nicely. I’d expected some injuries or something when you scheduled, but the manifestation seems to have been very smooth. I assume that you already knew that Kenji was a savant?”

“Yes, we found out a few months ago. He’s incredibly smart.”

“Very well. You may go now.” The doctor said. 

Mitsuki nodded, then called the twins. “Katsuki! Kenji! Time to go home!” 

“Ok!” Both boys chorused, before they jumped up and ran out the door to the car.

The drive home was filled with cheers and small pops from Katsuki, and Mitsuki did nothing to stop it. 

“I take it the boys’ diagnosis went well?” Masaru asked.

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Mitsuki stifled a laugh.

“Probably the fact that Katsuki hasn’t stopped mimicking a firecracker since we started driving.” Masaru said, pointing to the aforementioned firecracker mimicking. 

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Katsuki cheered, using his quirk over and over out the window. Meanwhile, Kenji was reading a science book that was far above his reading level. 

“Kenji, what are you reading?” Mitsuki peered at him through the rearview mirror. 

“Dad’s book” Kenji flatly replied as he turned the page. “If my quirk is all science-y, I should learn science stuff, right?” 

“Well, yes, but that book has some really big stuff in it. Stuff that a little kid like you shouldn’t be able to understand. You’ll learn how to use your quirk, but you need to do it right.” Mitsuki said as she drove into the apartment parking lot. 

“Ok…” Kenji said dejectedly, and put the book away. 

The family exited the parking lot and walked up to their apartment. They were about to enter the door when. 

“Kenji! Kachaan!” Izuku bolted from his door to theirs and tackled his friends. “You got your quirks registered already?!” 

“Yeah! We did! They’re so cool!” Katsuki said as he hugged his friend, with Kenji joining in shortly after. “And Kenji’s is so weird and cool!” 

“It it?” Izuku tilted his head quizzically and looked at Kenji. “What is your quirk?” 

“It’s called Proto… Proto-something!” Kenji said. 

“Protogenesis” Mitsuki helpfully added. 

“Yeah!” Kenji said. “It’s super weird!” 

“Aww, I’m jealous! I hope I get a cool quirk too!” Izuku said. “Well, I gotta go. Bye guys!” 

“Bye!” Kenji and Katsuki said, waving to their friend as he ran back to his apartment, and the Bakugos went to theirs. 

A few weeks passed, then a few months. Katsuki’s explosions got bigger, his best ones about the size of a cheap firework, and Kenji began to do research on biology and DNA. 

And Izuku still didn’t have a quirk. 

Eventually, Inko decided to go ahead and take Izuku to the doctor to get examined for a quirk. Izuku told the twins before he left, so they were sitting outside the apartment when the Midoriyas came back.

”Do you think Izuku has a quirk?” Kenji asked his older brother, as he played with a songbird he has modified to be more calm and friendly. 

“Psh! Of course he does! He has to! We agreed to all be heroes together! The Justice Trio!” Katsuki said, using his explosions to launch a ball into the air over and over. 

“Right, the Justice Trio.” Kenji said, as he fed his bird a few breadcrumbs. “Oh, there they are!” He pointed to the car pulling into the parking lot. The twins waited excitedly, but the excitement quickly died down when Izuku walked down the hallway crying, with Inko crying as well, right behind him. 

“Izuku, you’re… there’s no way you’re…” Kenji started. 

“I’m quirkless…” Izuku said depressedly. “I’ll never have a quirk. I can never be a hero.” 

“No. Flippin. Way.” Katsuki marched over to Izuku and grabbed him. “Even if you don’t have a quirk, you’re gonna be a hero. You could be a support hero, and make tech for Kenji and I!” 

“B-but, even support heroes have quirks! And if they don’t, they never make it!” 

“I call BS! I don’t care if you don’t have a quirk. You’re the smartest kid I know! After Kenji, of course, but he’s always been smart. You are gonna be a hero, I’ll be sure of it!” Katsuki held out his hand to the boy on the ground in front of him. 

Izuku took his hand.

“You mean it? You’ll help me be a hero?” 

“You betcha!” Katsuki said, with a confident smile. Kenji joined him. “Even without a quirk, you’ll be an incredible hero.” 

Izuku smiled.

”Thanks guys. You’re the best friends ever.” 

Inko hugged the two boys tightly. 

“Thank you. Thank you for being so kind to my son. A lot of people wouldn’t want to associate themselves with him since he’s quirkless. I’m glad Mitsuki raised you right.” 

“C’mon! As if I’d ever let go of my best friend!” Katsuki said with a wide smirk. “He’s stuck with Kenji and I, whether he likes it or not!”

Several years passed by, and at age nine the boys had already shown incredible promise. Katsuki could perform powered jumps with his explosions, his highest being 12 feet last summer, though that led to the most epic/painful belly flop ever seen. Kenji was already on a high school level in science and biology, and could consistently create weak mutations in animals by disassembling and reassembling their DNA, and had begun to learn how to control the evolution timeline of an organism. His most impressive accomplishment was turning a chicken at a petting zoo into a small Archaeopteryx by reversing its evolution. Mitsuki insisted that they give it back to the zoo, much to Kenji’s dismay. Izuku had begun keeping notebooks, and was on Notebook 7, filled with information gathered from watching Pro Heroes, Sports Festivals, and even occasional supervillains. Most importantly, however, was the fact that the boys’ friendship had not deteriorated at all. Quite the contrary, in fact, it had gotten stronger as the trio were determined to become heroes. 

Izuku led the twins out of the grocery store as they carried shopping bags brimming with supplies. Well, Katsuki carried his, but Izuku and Kenji had borrowed the help of one of Kenji’s creations, an enlarged tortoise with stronger muscles, to carry a large majority of the groceries. 

“And you’re sure Mom said we need a fresh whole chicken?” Katsuki asked

Kenji looked down at the shopping list, which had a hastily scribbled “Whole Chicken, Freshly Slaughtered” on the bottom. “Yes, definitely Mom” 

“Ok, we got everything from my mom’s list, is there anything else Auntie Mitsuki wanted?” 

“Let’s see. We got the basil and parsley, and we can stop by the florist on the way home, so…” 

Suddenly, a sharp sensation pierced the back of Kenji’s head, and the scent of blood filled his nostrils. 

“Something just died. A bird, in the alleyway.” Kenji said as he grabbed the makeshift zip tie reins to his tortoise. 

“Wait! Mom and Auntie Inko said not to go anywhere but the grocery path they marked for us on the map!” Katsuki said, poking a finger at the map they had been given for the errands

“No, I hear someone crying, Kachaan. We should help them.” Izuku grabbed Katsuki’s sleeve and pulled him towards the alleyway. Katsuki sighed and the three boys ran towards the sound of crying. When they arrived at the alleyway, they discovered that it was blocked by a hastily built barricade of cardboard boxes and wooden pallets. 

“I’ll handle it.” Katsuki said, as he placed his palms against the crude barricade. “Kaboom!” He blasted the boxes and wood away. 

“Have no fear!” Izuku said, planting his hands on his hips and grinning widely, just like All Might. “The Justice Trio is… here?” He stopped posing and looked around cautiously. “Hello?” 

Katsuki and Kenji also looked around, until Kenji spotted the source of the crying. It was a girl about their age, with disheveled blonde hair, crying rivers as blood ran down the corners of her mouth. In her lap was a dead pigeon, its neck torn open and leaking blood. 

“I’m sorry, little birdie… you fed a monster who didn’t deserve it.” The girl softly spoke, still weeping. 

Kenji walked up to her. 

“Hello? Are you ok? What happened?” He asked as he put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, startled, and her hands quickly flew up to guards her face. 

“Please, No!” 

“No? No to what?” Katsuki asked. 

The girl cautiously pulled her hands away from her face. 

“Oh, you’re not my daddy or mommy.” She looked down at the dead bird in her lap. “I’m hiding from my parents, because they’re mean to me.” 

“Mean to you? Why would your parents be mean to you?” Kenji asked. 

“They say I’m a monster. They say I’m creepy, and that I should be locked away.” She carefully stroked the bird’s wing. “And sometimes I think I am, and I should.” 

“What did you do?” Izuku asked. 

“M-my quirk. It makes me want to drink blood. If I try and hold it back, it only gets worse, and worse, until I lose control of myself and go feral. Like just now.” She gestured at the splattered blood all over the place. “I do whatever I must to get blood, and it’s scary.” 

“A blood drinking quirk…” Izuku said, immediately pulling his notebook out. “Fascinating.” 

The girl continued. “If I drink a person’s blood, I can turn into them, but I don’t really do that anymore, because I don’t want people to be afraid of me.” 

“Why would anyone be afraid of you for that? Don’t they know that you can’t control what quirk you get? Why would people be afraid of something out of your control?” Kenji asked. 

“I don’t know!” The girl said, tears streaming down her face. “But everyone says I’m a creep and a monster, and my parents lock me in my room all the time and force me to act normal so I don’t “tarnish our name”. If I don’t do that, I get beaten.” She pulls up her sleeve, showing fresh bruises and cuts on her arm. 

“Speaking of names,” Katsuki interjected. “What’s yours?” 

“Himiko Toga.” The girl said. 

“That’s a cute name!” Kenji said, as he pulled a first aid kit from his backpack. He took out a white cloth and gave it to Himiko. She took it. 

“Thank you”, she said, as she wiped the tears and blood off her face. “What are your names?” 

“I’m Kenji Bakugo, this is my twin brother, Katsuki Bakugo, and this is our best friend, Izuku Midoriya.” Kenji said, pointing to the two other boys, who both waved.

“You three seem nice. I wish my family was like yours.” Himiko said, as she tucked her legs up under her chin. “I wish I could just live normally, without everyone I meet judging me just off of my quirk and my looks. Sometimes I…” She gets interrupted when a man’s loud yell pierces their quiet conversation. 

“HIMIKO TOGA, YOU WORTHLESS BRAT, IF YOU DON’T COME OUT OF WHEREVER YOU’RE HIDING, IT’S GONNA BE A WHOLE LOT WORSE FOR YOU!” The man yelled. Himiko yipped in fear, and scrambled to hide in a cardboard box. 

“Hide! If my dad catches you with me, he’ll think I’m trying to bite you, and drink your blood!” 

“Psh, if that sack of junk thinks the Justice Trio is backing away from an opportunity for heroic action, then he’s got a lot coming for him!” Katsuki puffed out his chest with a smirk

”No! He’s big and strong! You won’t be able to beat him!” Himiko stage-whispered. 

“It’s ok, Himiko. We won’t let you get hurt any more!” Kenji reach out and grabbed her hand. 
“There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore.” 

Himiko looked up into Kenji’s eyes. She was so used to seeing disdain, fear, anger, and disapproval in other’s eyes, but Kenji… his eyes were kind. One of them was green, a bright green, like the park she used to play in before her quirk manifested. The other was yellow, like the sun she used to love playing in, before her parents locked her away and forced her to suppress her instincts. She trusted him. 

“Ok.” She took his hand and stood up. 


“THERE YOU ARE, YOU MONSTER! YOU TRYING TO KILL THESE BOYS LIKE YOU KILLED THAT BIRD?!” Himiko’s Father pointed a steel baseball bat at her, with the sunset behind him making him appear as nothing but a menacing silhouette. 

“Himiko isn’t a monster! She’s just a girl! And her quirk isn’t something she can control!” Kenji argued back. 

“THIS ISN’T ABOUT YOU, BOY! GET OUTTA THERE BEFORE SHE SLITS YOUR THROAT!” The man yelled back. 

“How about you clear outta here before I decide I’m mad enough to blow you back to whatever sewer you spawned from, you frumpy, old, worthless sad sack of a man?!” Katsuki retorted, his palms already sparking.  

“FINE! YOU WANNA DEFEND HER? YOU’LL GET WHAT SHE HAS COMING TOO!” The man charged at them, holding the baseball bat above his head. 

“Izuku! Help Himiko get back to Auntie Inko’s apartment! She’ll tend to her wounds. Katsuki, you ready for our first hero fight?” Kenji said, as he brought up his tortoise’s projection, quickly transforming it into a living fortress, with spikes on the shell, and much more muscular legs.

”You betcha!” Katsuki said. The twins charged at the man head on, while Izuku slung Himiko’s arm over his shoulder and helped her escape. 

Katsuki threw the first blow, blasting the man’s bat out of his hands. The man retaliated and tried to punch Kenji, but his tortoise blocked the blow. Kenji slid under the man, slapping his right calf and creating its projection. With just a few dozen cells deteriorated, Himiko’s father was effectively crippled, and was easily toppled.

“That was easier than I expected.” Kenji said. Katsuki scoffed.

“All Bark and No Bite. Idiot.”

They were about to continue, when they heard someone behind them. 

“And what exactly are you two kiddos beating up this man for?” The voice of the Underground Pro Hero Eraserhead was immediately recognized by the twins. 

“Eraserhead!” Kenji exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement, before quickly composing himself. “Uhh, this guy was looking for his daughter. He was gonna beat her up, so we stopped him. He’s really mean. 

“I see…” Eraserhead scratched his chin, looking at the bruised, and, with a second glance, very obvious drunk, man. In one swift motion he had his capture scarf around the man. “Well, I suppose that’s a good thing that you stopped him. Be sure the girl is safe and ok.” He gave both of them a pat on the head. “Good job, little heroes.” He nodded, before walking away with Himiko’s father in tow, shaking his head. “Little heroes? God, I’m sounding more like Hizashi every day.”

Kenji looked at Katsuki. “That was awesome! Eraserhead came to catch Himiko’s dad!” He said as he climbed onto his tortoise’s back. 

“Did you see how quickly he used his scarf? So cool.” Katsuki grinned as they walked back to the apartment. 

“And she ran away, because they were abusive?” Inko pressed a wet rag against Himiko’s bruised forehead as she slept in their spare bedroom. 

“Yes” All three boys chorused. 

“And it was all because of her quirk! They said she was a monster and all that!” Kenji added. 

“That’s disgusting. How can a mother or father look at their own perfectly fine child and say “You’re a monster”. That’s incredibly cruel” Mitsuki’s gaze was locked onto the girl, as she held her eldest son’s hand, wrapping bandages around it to help heal from the massive blast he used on Himiko’s father. 

“It’s sad, is what it is.” Inko said. “It’s not her fault she has a blood drinking quirk. I just wish I knew about it sooner.” 

“Are we gonna have to give her back?” Izuku asked, as he held a fresh rag up for Inko to replace the old one. 

“No. No way. I refuse to allow such an angel like this Himiko girl to go back into such abusive hands.” Inko said, as she replaced the rag. “We just need to figure out how to do this safely and legally.” 

“Well, We have been itching for something to do since you and I closed the Stendhal Case a few months ago.” Mitsuki said with a grin, which quickly spread to Inko’s face. 

“I knew being your friend since middle school was the best decision I ever made.” Inko said, as she walked over to the computer and began forming a lawsuit.

Chapter Text

Himiko didn’t remember much of the previous day. She remembered that kind boy who had offered her his hand, and that green haired boy who had brought her to this nice house. She also remembered the cruel words her father had said to her before she ran away

You bloody monster. I’ll beat you so hard you’ll never disobey me again! 

Himiko heard those words, and knew the truth. Her parents didn’t love her. They saw only her monstrous teeth, and not her hopeful, happy smile. 

“Hey, you’re awake.” A woman’s voice pierced her thoughts. It sounded… softer, and kinder than her own mother’s voice. Himiko opened her eyes, and saw a nice looking, slightly plump woman with green hair and a kind smile. 

“Who… Who are you?” Himiko asked. The woman smiled. 

“My name’s Inko Midoriya. My son Izuku and his friends brought you here.” The woman said as she held up a mug. “Izuku told me you were drinking the blood of a pigeon. Do you need blood?”

”Y-yes.” Himiko said. She graciously took the mug. “My quirk rewired my body to require blood like food or water. The longer I go without it the more rabid and desperate for it I get.” 

“I get it. A lot of people I meet are quick to judge based on quirks or behavior. It seems centuries of quirks being around still hasn’t changed how people discriminate.” She looked at the young girl lying in bed. “Well, my friend and I have some work to do, but if you need something, the boys will take care of you. My nephew Kenji seems to really want to make sure you’re ok.” 

Himiko nodded and sipped the mug of blood. “One more question. Where’d you get this?” 

Inko smiled. “We drained a chicken. My nephew was gonna use it for one of his experiments, but he decided that your wellbeing was more important.” 

Himiko nodded again. “Thank you.” 

Inko smiled. “It’s no problem.” She said before walking out of the room.  

Himiko was left to her thoughts for a few moments. “These people are nice. A lot nicer than my parents. And that boy…” She fondly remembered that boy who radiated warmth and kindness. “He was different, like me. His eyes were cute.” 

As if on cue, Kenji stepped into the room with some extra blankets and pillows. 

“Hey, Himiko! You’re awake! Are you ok?” Kenji said, as he brought the pillows and blankets to the bed

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m ok.” She said, pushing the blankets off and sitting up. “Thank you for doing all of this.” 

“It’s no problem. I like helping people. That’s why I wanna be a hero!” 

“A hero…” Himiko thought about that. Heroes. Would she want to be a hero? It was a snide hero by the name of Kobra who had started the rumor that she ate her little sister after her birth. But it was also by being a hero that she could prevent others from facing the same challenges and hatred that she did. 

“Yeah! A hero! So I can save people, and be cool! Don’t you wanna be a hero?

“Mmm.” Himiko blinked twice, and looked directly at him, meeting his eyes. “Why did you save me? I look like a villain, a monster. My quirk literally makes me need blood as much as I do water.” She rubbed her arm and looked down. “Why would you want to associate yourself with someone like me?” 

“Why would I? Well, why not?” Kenji smiled. “You seem nice, and you were in danger. Everyone deserves saving.” 

Himiko’s eyes widened. “You think… everyone deserves saving?” 

He believes in the exact same thing I do. Equality. 

Kenji nodded. “Yeah! Everyone deserves a chance to be the best they can!” 

Himiko looked at the boy standing in front of her with admiration. 

“Then yes. I want to be a hero too.”

“Is she ok?” Izuku asked. “When I brought her in, she was looking kinda bad.” 

Kenji nodded. “She’s fine. She just needs some rest and nourishment.” 

Katsuki looked at the office, which was full of the sound of Mitsuki and Inko squabbling over the upcoming lawsuit on Himiko’s parents. “Wonder how much they’re gonna find on those scumbags.” 

“Based on how Himiko’s dad was talking to her, I hope they find a lot.” Kenji said as he petted his favorite pet, a Harpy Eagle he named “Gryphon”. 

The boys’ conversation was interrupted by a loud “BINGO!!” From Mitsuki. 

“What? What is it, Mom?” Kenji asked as he ran into the office

Mitsuki grinned one of her devious grins, the ones she got when a case panned out perfectly. 

“Suki and Oji Toga, our little friend’s parents, haven’t been paying their taxes for 5 years! In fact, they’ve gone completely off the grid, no taxes, no bills paid, no credit cards paid off, nothing! Add that to Himiko’s testimony of child abuse, we’ve got a great case!” 

“Wow, that was fast.” Kenji said in awe. Mitsuki patted her son on the shoulder. 

“Well, Honey, when you’re in the legal business for as long as I’ve been, you learn where to look for charges.” 

“I think we have everything we need to sue them.” Inko said, removing the reading glasses she was wearing. 

“Excellent. Let’s get everything squared away. Kenji, do you mind fetching my stamp?” Mitsuki asked. Kenji nodded, and ran to grab her stamp. Once he fetched it, he gave it to her, and she stamped the lawsuit to make it official. 

“Let’s do this.” 

The next day, Mitsuki and Inko left to go to the courthouse and file the lawsuit, while the twins and Izuku were left in charge of Himiko’s recovery. 

“You’re sure you’re ok?” Kenji asked. 

Himiko giggled, showing off her pointy teeth. “Yes, silly! I’m ok! You all have been so nice to me, so it’s been easy for me to recover.” 

Kenji nodded, and sat down in a chair next to the bed. 

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Himiko looked inquisitively at the boy next to her. Kenji nodded. 

“Of course.” 

“What exactly is your quirk?” 

“Huh? Well, it’s called Protogenesis. I can touch a living organism, and it creates a projection made of DNA of that organism that I can manipulate. I can fix wounds, splice in other DNA to make hybrids, and I’m learning how to reverse evolution.” 

Himiko’s mouth gaped open, and she had stars in her eyes. “Woooow, your quirk is awesome! I wish my quirk was as cool as yours!” 

“Well, what’s your quirk?” Kenji asked. 

Himiko’s smile dropped as she looked at her hands. “Mine’s not nearly as cool. It’s called Transform. I drink people’s blood and then I can turn into them. The more I drink, the longer I can stay transformed. It’s creepy and weird, I know.” 

Kenji was shocked. “You think that’s weird? That’s sick!” 

Now it was Himiko’s turn to be shocked. “It’s… sick?” 

“Yeah! It’s totally awesome! You could be, like, the master of espionage! No one would be able to find you! Do me! I wanna see!” He said as he stuck his arm out. 

Himiko was completely flabbergasted. “Y-you want me to bite you and turn into you?!” 

Kenji nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! It’ll be cool! Come on, do it!” 

Himiko looked nervous. “Ok. I’ll do it.” She said as she carefully took Kenji’s arm, then bore her fangs and gently nipped him, lapping up his blood. Then, a grey sludge coated her body as she transformed into Kenji. It was a perfect replication. 

“Amazing…” Kenji said in awe. Himiko turned back into herself, with Kenji’s form melting off of her and the sludge evaporating. 

“You... really aren’t afraid? For real?” Himiko asked. Kenji nodded as he tapped his arm, bringing up his own projection and mending his arm.

“For real. I gotta get Izuku in here, he loves documenting quirks and stuff.” 

Himiko nodded. Hopefully this would mean she had finally found an end to her old life, a life of fear, pain, and hatred.

Izuku spent most of the rest of the day drilling Himiko about the ins and outs of her quirk, with Kenji there to calm him down when Himiko got overwhelmed. It finally came to an end when Mitsuki and Inko returned from their errands, and brought home dinner. Ramen for the boys, and a black pudding specifically for Himiko. 

“Kids! Dinnertime!” Mitsuki called, then counted on her fingers to three, and right on cue, four pairs of footsteps sprinted into the kitchen with an energy only nine year olds can have. 

The kids sat around the table and dug in, eating with the same vigor. 

“What is this stuff?” Himiko asked, poking curiously at the jiggly substance. 

“Black pudding” Mitsuki said. “It’s a dish made with blood. Inko was the one who suggested we bring it.” 

Himiko gasped “Blood pudding?! You’re the best, Mrs. Midoriya!” 

Inko grinned. “Of course, sweetie. Anything for a friend.” 

Himiko’s heart swelled at that. 

Friend. Friend, not Fiend. 

The kids finished their dinner quickly, and the Bakugos went home for the evening. 

“Goodbye!” Kenji and Katsuki waved to Izuku and Himiko as they walked back to their own apartment. Mitsuki smiled and winked at Inko. 

“Tomorrow’s gonna be a big day, Inky. You ready?” 

Inko grinned darkly. 

“You betcha. This’ll be the best case since the Stendhal Trials.” 

Himiko looked at Inko curiously. 

“Stendhal Trials? What’re those?” 

Inko looked down at Himiko, and then crouched down to be at eye level. 

“Mitsuki, er, Mrs. Bakugo, and I are lawyers. We sue people if they do wrong things. Last year, a dangerous Vigilante named Stendhal was apprehended, and Mitsuki and I were in charge of prosecution. Tomorrow, we’ll be suing your parents for abusing you.” 

Himiko gasped. “You’re gonna sue them?” 

Inko nodded. “That’s right. We’ve got a solid case against them, so they’re gonna pay!” She said in a silly angry tone. Himiko laughed. 

“You’re funny, Mrs. Midoriya!” 

The next day, Inko and Mitsuki left early with Himiko to go to the courthouse. The drive was mainly filled with Mitsuki and Inko’s chatter, while Himiko read a book about fantasy creatures and their origin. “They always interested me”, she said. When they got to the courthouse, they were checked in, and brought to the courtroom. Himiko saw her parents across the room, and shrunk into Inko’s side in fear. Inko patter her on the head. 

“It’s ok, sweetie. I’m not gonna let them hurt you.” She said, stroking her, now soft and neatly brushed, hair. 

Meanwhile, Mitsuki was glaring daggers at Himiko’s mother, who was glaring them right back. No words were exchanged until the judge appeared in the court. The guard tapped his staff three times against the floor. 

“All rise for the honorable Judge Mishima.” 

All occupants of the courtroom stood. 

Judge Mishima, a short, portly man with bright eyes and a certain wit about him walked up to the podium and sat down. “You may be seated” he said. “Defendants, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?” Both parents nodded. “Very well.” The judge tapped his gavel three times.

”The court recognizes Suki and Oji Toga for defense.”

Himiko’s parents stood up. The judge paused. “Do you not have a lawyer to represent yourselves?” 

Both parents shook their heads. 

“We did not find it necessary to hire one, as we are facing a child.” Suki said with a smug smile. The judge shrugged.

” Very well. We also recognize Miss Himiko Toga, represented by world renowned lawyers Miss Inko Midoriya and Miss Mitsuki Bakugo for prosecution.” 

The two women stood up, causing the Togas to gape. 

“Impossible. How’d she get ahold of the Stendhal Prosecutors?” Oji whispered loudly enough for the judge to hear.

“Suki and Oji Toga. You are hereby charged with child neglect, child abuse, tax evasion, refusal to pay bills, and illegal Quirk usage with the intent of assault.” 

“That’s not true at all!” Oji argued, but a quick glance from the intimidating guard shut him up quick. 

Judge Mishima continued. “We will hear from the prosecution first.” 

Mitsuki was first up, standing at the podium and, after a dark glance at her opponents, pulled out a file. 

“Your honor, we have indisputable evidence that all of these charges are true, and should be investigated thoroughly. Charge A, Tax and Bill evasion.”

She pulls out a USB drive and inserts it into a projector. Images of unpaid bills and taxes over the course of five years are shown across the screen, with Suki and Oji’s names plain as day on them. 

The two adults were pale as ghosts as they looked at the screen. 

“Those.. those have to be fake” Suki began, but Mitsuki silences them with a glare. 

“Moving on, we have Charge B, brought to you by my associate.” 

Mitsuki turns around and tags Inko in, with an encouraging wink. Inko smiles, and walks up to the Podium with Himiko trailing behind. 

“Your honor, Charge B, Child Neglect and Abuse, is even easier to prove than Charge A, as we have the victim right here.” Inko said as she gestured to the young girl beside her. “Himiko, would you like to tell the nice judge what your parents…” 

“OBJECTION!!” Oji shouted. “LEADING THE WITNESS!” 

“Not quite.” Judge Mishima said, wagging a finger. “Mrs. Midoriya never led Himiko to anything. She simply asked the tyke to share her story. Young one, please, continue.” He said with a kind smile. 

Himiko nervously nodded, and stepped up to the microphone, bending it downwards to reach her. “Well,” she started, “Mrs. Midoriya isn’t lying, sir. Mommy and Daddy are really mean to me. They don’t like my quirk.”

That statement caused a large majority of the spectators and even the jury to gasp. 

Himiko looked around nervously, before continuing. “Any time I tried to get some blood, they stopped me, and told me to shut away those feelings, but the doctor told me that I need blood to live!”

Oji was fuming with rage. “YOU DO NOT!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. “YOU’RE JUST OBSESSED WITH MURDER AND DRINKING BLOOD! I SHOULD…” 

“Order, Order, we will have Order!” The judge pounded his gavel on the desk several times. “Continue, Miss Himiko.” 

“Well, anyways, the doctor told me I need it, but they ignored it, and made me pretend to be normal. When we went out in public I wasn’t allowed to smile, because of my teeth, and I always got the bare minimum of food.” 

Every word made her parents more livid, and she could see that, but she gripped her fist tightly and kept going. 

“Any time I managed to get away to drink some blood, usually from a bird or rat, they’d catch me, and beat me.” 

“THAT IS FALSE!!” Both parents yelled. 

“SILENCE!” The judge roared. “Little one, do you have proof of these beatings?” 

Himiko nodded. She rolled up her sleeve, showing bruises and scars. “They used a rope with glass and bone shards in it. It hurt a lot.” She said, causing most of the crowd to wince in sympathy. 

Judge Mishima nodded, then turned to Himiko’s parents. “And do you have anything to say to defend yourselves?” 

Both parents were pale as a ghost. They’d been caught. There was no escaping it. It was their word against solid proof. They didn’t think that Himiko would get a hold of two of the greatest lawyers in the country, let alone the world! 

Oji stepped up to the podium with a shaky hand. “We, uh… we would like to take a plea deal.” 

“Very well.” Judge Mishima said, smacking his gavel against the desk. “Jury?” 

The members of the jury stood up and spoke in unison. 

“We the jury find the defendants guilty as charged.” 

The judge nodded. “Very well. I sentence you to 15 years jail, and relinquishment of custody of Himiko Toga. 

That seriously triggered them. Oji stood up. 

“That’s outrageous! If that little devil gets loose, she’ll kill everyone and drink their blood!” 

Suki added in. “If that deviant wasn’t under our control until now, she’d be killing already!” 

The judge smiled smugly. “Then I guess it’s a good thing she isn’t going “loose”, as you say.” 

Three Hours Earlier

Inko turned around in the passenger seat to look at Himiko. ”Hey, Himiko.” She said.

Himiko looked up. “Yes?”

”If we win this case, do you know what would happen?” 

Himiko shook her head. “No, Ma’am. I don’t.” 

“Well, if your parents lose, they’ll get custody revoked. That would mean you’d get turned over to the state for foster care.”

Himiko flinches in a brief moment of terror, before Inko continues. 

“Like I said, that would be the case, but I’m not gonna let that happen.” 

Himiko looked up curiously. “What do you mean?” 

Inko smiled. “Well, I have a spare room in my apartment, and Izuku always wanted a sister.” 

The judge pulled out a file titled “Post Lawsuit” 

“Mrs. Midoriya provided this to me before you arrived. I think you’ll find it interesting.” 

He pulls out a certificate and reads it aloud. 

“Parental Custody of Himiko Toga, in case of parents losing lawsuit, will immediately be transferred to one Inko Rukia Midoriya, effective immediately”. 

Both parents blanched. “HER?!” Suki shrieked. “You’d rather go with that Hero’s daughter hag than your own mother?!” 

“A bit hurtful…” Mitsuki whispered. 

“Don’t you realize how much I’ve done for you?! What I’ve sacrificed?!” 

“Evidently, your daughter.” Judge Mishima said. 

As Himiko’s parents were escorted out of the courtroom, her dad said one last thing to her. 

“You’ll always be the villain. No one will actually want a monster like you around for long. Even that filthy saint Inko Midoriya.” 

Himiko was shocked. How could her parents hold so much hate for a being that they brought into the world? How could they hate her so much, when all she had done was try to survive? She hadn’t hurt anyone, she hadn’t attacked anyone, and she certainly hadn’t killed anyone. 

“Why are they so mean?” She asked aloud. Inko patted her on the shoulder. 

“Some people are afraid of that which they don’t understand. Some are set in their ways, and don’t change at all. Some will never welcome what isn’t “normal” to them.” She smiled. “But not me. You’re going to be a part of my family. Now, and forever.” 

Himiko looked up at her new mother, and smiled softly, the words repeating in her head. 

Family. Now, and forever. Forever.

Chapter Text

While Inko, Mitsuki, and Himiko were away, Izuku came over to the Bakugo house for a play date. 

When Izuku knocked on the door, Kenji and Katsuki bolted up and raced to the door to open it. Katsuki won by a hair. 

“You made it, Izuku!” Katsuki cheered, and Izuku smiled brightly. 

“Yeah, I brought my Min-tendo, too!” He said. 

“Awesome! Did you bring the game folder I got you for Christmas?” Kenji asked. 

“You Betcha!” Izuku’s smile widened as he pulled out a folder full of game SD cards. 

“Ok kids,” Masaru said as he entered the room. “You can play for a bit, but don’t get too wrapped up in it. Don’t want your brains turning to mush!” 

“Come on Dad! That’s been scientifically disproven several times already!” Kenji rolled his eyes. 

“Well, scientifically or not, my Dad senses are telling me that it’s true.” He chuckled

Kenji rolled his eyes again. “Whatever.” 

“C’mon Kenji, Izuku has Super Smash Might!” Katsuki said, loading the game into the console. Kenji nodded and sat down on the couch, grabbing a controller. The game loaded up, with the signature “SUPER SMASH MIGHT!!” On the TV screen. 

“Dibs on All Might!” Izuku said. 

“No fair, you always get All Might!” Katsuki said. 

“Dibs is Dibs, Katsuki” Kenji said. “I’m gonna pick Ryukyu.” 

Katsuki groaned. “Fine, I’ll use Endeavor.” 

They locked in their characters and started playing. It was clear that Izuku was very good at using All Might’s moves, and Katsuki, due to always ending up with Endeavor, was just as good. But neither of them could beat Kenji, especially with his favorite hero, Ryukyu. He knew the ins and outs of the character, all of her moves, her combos, and even managing her Dragon Form meter, which Katsuki always used frivolously just to spam Down-B, the Wing Burst. 

“Happy Wings! Drombo Combo!” Kenji said as he claimed Izuku’s third and final life, securing the victory. 

“Ugh! You always win as Ryukyu!” Katsuki said as he held his head in his hands. 

“Hey, it’s not my fault! You could be as good as me if you practiced combos instead of just button mashing!” Kenji joked. Suddenly, an alarm went off, and Kenji stood up and put the controller down. 

“Sorry guys, I gotta feed Gryphon.” Kenji said. 

“Ooh, I wanna see!” Izuku said eagerly. 

“Then come on!” Kenji beckoned Izuku to follow as they went out to the back deck. There Izuku saw Gryphon’s Aviary, a large cage with a steel frame and wire mesh. Inside it was Gryphon, a large grey Harpy Eagle with claws the size of Izuku’s hand, and a piercing gaze. Kenji grabbed a large chunk of pork from the fridge and brought it outside. 

“Don’t let him scare ya, he’s a big softie.” Kenji said as he held out his arm. The raptor flew over in a couple powerful wingbeats, and landed on Kenji’s arm. Izuku was shocked.

”He’s so big! How can you hold him?” He asked. 

“Birds aren’t as dense as other animals, so they’re lighter than they look.” Kenji said. 

“Wooow”

Kenji tossed the chunk of meat off the balcony, and the large eagle quickly leaped off of his arm and caught the meat midair, before flying back to the balcony and beginning its feast. 

“You’ve trained him well.” Izuku remarked. 

“Thanks. The Harpy Eagle is already a very powerful bird, and I’ve been training and feeding him to be even stronger.”

Izuku nodded in awe. Kenji’s knowledge was impressive! While he wasn’t as physically imposing as Katsuki, he made up for it in strategic thinking and intelligence. 

“Can I pet him?” 

“Uhh, sure, why not?” Kenji said as he whistled a tune to call Gryphon over. The bird flew over to him and perched on his arm again. “Just be careful, a Harpy Eagle is built for hunting things many times its weight. Its claws are sharp enough to pierce Kevlar, and strong enough to crush a coconut.” 

Izuku nodded, then gently stroked the bird’s feathers. Gryphon made a sort of “meeehht” sound to express its pleasure. 

“See? Big softie.” Kenji grinned “He loves it when you scratch his neck.” 

Izuku nodded. “You said he was built for hunting big things. What do you mean by that?” 

Kenji’s grin widened, eager to talk about his favorite subject, biology. “You’re gonna love this…”

Two hours of discourse about Harpy Eagles and other birds of prey later, Kenji was still going strong while Izuku was about to fall asleep. 

“… And Falcons are even faster! Huh? What’s wrong?” Kenji said as he looked down at Izuku’s quickly fading form. 

“Mmm… nuthin…” Izuku mumbled into the floor. 

“Oh, I went off on one of my long tangents again, didn’t I?” 

“A lil bit.” Izuku said as he dragged himself off the ground. 

Kenji winced in sympathy. “Sorry bro, I got really carried away.” 

“It’s fine.” Izuku smiled and stood up. 

The two friends high fived, before Katsuki opened the screen door leading from the balcony to the apartment itself. 

“Kenji, your package.” Katsuki said. 

“Oh, let’s go! It finally came!” Kenji said as he ran to the front door and grabbed the package. 

“What is it?” Izuku asked. 

“Fossils from America.” Kenji replied. “I’m so close to finally cracking the code!” 

The three boys ran to the bedroom, and Kenji opened the box. Inside were several fossilized bones wrapped in plaster and bandages. He took one out, then grabbed a small chisel and began removing the coating around the fossil. 

“I’ve been ordering these fossils for a while now, in the hopes that at least one of them will carry the genetic traces I’m looking for. If I can find one, I can more easily revive dinosaurs.” He said

“Wait, but didn’t you already do that at the petting zoo?” Izuku asked. 

“Yes, but that was once. A fluke. I haven’t been able to replicate it thus far.” Kenji said as he continued his excavation. 

“In non-nerd words.” Katsuki said. “He did it once, but that was a one off thing. He’s trying to do it more consistently.” 

“Exactly. Bingo!” Kenji said as he pulled the fossil free from its protective shell. It was a tooth. 
“Allosaurus Anax. A ferocious theropod.” He ran his fingers across the fossil, testing it for traces of DNA. No luck. He tried again with a femur, and again, nothing. He went through the entire box and no remaining traces of DNA were found. Eventually, it was down to the last bone, a Velociraptor claw. Kenji ran his fingers across the ancient piece of prehistory, and his eyes brightened when the fossil lit up with yellow and green energy. Words appeared in front of him, visible only to him. 

New DNA Catalogued. 

Evolution Barrier Broken

”It worked!” Kenji cheered. “It really worked! I broke the barrier! I did it!”

He held his hand out and grabbed the fossil. 

“Protogenesis: Revival!” Kenji said, naming the move for the first time.

The fossil glowed brighter, blinding the two boys behind Kenji. When they opened their eyes, a live Velociraptor stood in the place of the claw fossil.

”No way…” Izuku was shocked. 

“It’s alive…” Katsuki was too. 

Kenji grinned. One thing was definitely for certain. 

Dinosaurs weren’t extinct anymore.

The three boys were quick to show the raptor to Masaru, who was thoroughly mortified upon seeing a real live dinosaur in his living room for the first time. Luckily, Kenji was able to transform the dinosaur into a small bird so it wasn’t as big or dangerous, so he didn’t freak out too much. The kids were on their balcony tossing chew toys for Gryphon to catch when Masaru got a text message from Mitsuki.

“Kiddos, Your moms and Himiko are on their way home. They want to know what they should pick up on the way. The choices are Mika Sushi or Teppan Edo. 

“Teppan Edo!” The twins replied, while Izuku nodded.

“Sounds good to me!” 

“Alright. I’ll let them know.” 

Katsuki turned to Kenji. 

“Hey, Kenji. Now that you “unlocked the genome” or whatever, does that mean that you can make all kinds of dinosaurs?” 

Kenji shook his head. “Not yet. I cracked the code on dinosaurs in general. I still need to do some experiments with evolution shifting to get the code for a specific species. But it’ll be a lot easier now that I have a preset for it.” 

Katsuki nodded. “Ok, but I’m not funding your little care packages anymore.” 

Kenji laughed. “That’s ok, Katsuki. I don’t need you to.” 

“That does bring up a good question, though.” Izuku said, pulling out his notebook. “I know how your quirk works basically, but how exactly do you control the evolutionary process in an organism?” 

Kenji scratched his chin. “Well, it’s kind of hard to explain. Essentially, instead of transforming the cells to a younger state like I do to keep Gryphon young and healthy, I dig deeper into the code, and peel away the layers in the DNA to revert an animal to a form from before it evolved into what it is today. It’s like un-shaping a lump of clay and putting it back in the container, with factory seal intact. I bring the DNA to its pre-evolved shape, and in turn, the animal becomes what it was before it evolved.”

“That much nerd talk makes my head spin.” Katsuki said, placing a hand on his forehead. Meanwhile, Izuku took notes on everything. 

“I see, I see.” He said. 

They sat in a circle and talked for a few minutes until Inko’s car pulled into the parking lot. They waited in anticipation for Inko and Mitsuki to enter the apartment. The door opened, and in came the two ladies, toting takeout bags and various legal documents, with Himiko in tow, who was grinning ear to ear.

”Did you win?” Kenji asked.

Mitsuki laughed. “Yes, and it went off beautifully!” 

“Are those rotten wastes of oxygen going to pay for hurting Himiko?” Katsuki asked, his palms sparking. 

Another laugh from Mitsuki. “Yes, they’re gonna pay. Very much, I might add. But enough talk from me. Inko has a surprise for Izuku.” 

Izuku looked up at his mom in anticipation. “What is it?” He asked.

Inko grinned. “Say hello to your new sister!” She said as she stepped out of the way for Himiko to tackle Izuku with a massive hug. 

“You’re my brother now!” She squealed happily.” 

Izuku’s eyes widened. “You… you adopted her?! A sister?” 

Inko smiled warmly. “Yes. I adopted her. We have an extra room, and it’s clear she needs a good family, especially after the horrible experiences she’s gone through.” 

Izuku was speechless as his arms slowly closed around Himiko in a warm hug. 

“S-sister. My sister.”

Masaru walked into the room. “Mitsuki, your friend is not the only one who has a surprise to tell!” He said, pointing discretely at Kenji, who was waiting for Izuku and Himiko to finish before sharing. 

Mitsuki kneeled down. “Kenji? Do you have something to tell me?” 

Kenji nodded eagerly. “I cracked the code, Mom! I made a dinosaur!” He said with absolute ecstasy. 

Mitsuki’s eyes widened, and she gasped. 

“Oh my goodness! You did it! You accomplished your goal! That’s incredible, sweetie! I’m so proud of you!” She said as she hugged her son.

Masaru smiled at the two hugs going on. “Wow, there’s so much good news in here it’s spilling out the windows!” 

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Dad Jokes aren’t funny when you use them for the eighth time in a month.”

Masaru smiled and patted Katsuki on the head. “Hey, I’m just doing what dads do best. Being corny.” 

Mitsuki stood up and kissed her husband. “And you’re the corniest dad of them all.” 

Kenji smiled widely. This was the best day ever. Himiko escaped from her abusive parents, he had finally managed to crack the code to reviving Dinosaurs, and he had never been happier.

Chapter Text

Several Years went by, and in no time at all, Kenji, Katsuki, Izuku, and Himiko were 12 years old, entering middle school. They enrolled in Aldera Middle school due to the schools apparent “high success rate” for heroes. 

Mitsuki and Inko waved to their kids as they left the apartments to walk to school. 

“Have fun! Learn well!” Inko said through tears. 

“Kenji, keep your brother in check!” Mitsuki said.  Kenji smiled and waved back. 

“Will do, Mom! Love you!” 

Mitsuki nodded, then walked with Inko back inside. 

“Come on, you slowpokes! We’re gonna be late!” Himiko said as she started running. Himiko had adjusted extraordinarily well to her new life, fitting right in with the two close families. It was very apparent that she enjoyed having Inko as a mother, and Izuku as a brother. She even picked up his nerdy tendencies, and began keeping notes just like him. 

The friends chatted on their way to school. 

“So, did you hear that the Loud Cloud hero, Nimbus almost died?” Himiko said.

Kenji gasped. “No way! What happened?”

She grinned. “He was fighting this big villain named Moonfish, and they triggered a landslide behind him. Luckily he held it up with his clouds long enough to escape. Moonfish got caught and was sent to Tartarus.” 

Izuku was shocked. “That sounds crazy! I’m grateful he didn’t die, he’s one of my favorite heroes.” 

Kenji nodded in agreement. “He has such a fun personality. He’s one of the coolest heroes out there.” 

Katsuki held up a hand to stop the group. “Heads up. High school students.” 

The three others stopped talking and watched as three greasy looking boys wearing the Shiketsu uniform strutted up the sidewalk. One of them, a boy with a fire hair quirk, looked at them. 

“Hey, look, middle schoolers.” 

The second boy, a shark heteromorph, grinned maliciously. “They should know better than to walk in our territory. Let’s rough them up a bit, give em a lesson they won’t forget.” 

The third boy, clearly the leader, who had red eyes, large membraneous wings, and a forked tail, grinned as well, cracking his knuckles. 

“Hey, Small Fry! This is Shiketsu territory!” 

Katsuki glared up at them, a cocky look in his eyes. “I don’t see your name on it.” 

“Doesn’t matter. You walked here. Now you and your friends are gonna pay.” The Shark boy said. The Devil boy stared lecherously at Himiko. “The girl’s mine. I’d like to “get to know her better”. For personal reasons.” He said as he reached out, causing Himiko to back up, falling down as she tried to escape. The Devil boy’s grin widened, as sharp claws extended from his fingertips, but before he could grab her, Kenji cleared his throat. 

“Have you learned about Sickle Cell Anemia? It’s quite a fascinating phenomenon.” 

The devil kid paused, and scratched his head. “What the heck are you talking about, kid?” 

Kenji smiled and pulled out his glasses, and then a small notebook. 

“Clearly you weren’t paying attention in biology. You should have learned this in your first year. When certain sequences in your DNA get mismatched during the transcription and translation process in your nucleus, it can generate a condition called Sickle Cell Anemia. This condition causes your red blood cells to become thin and sickle shaped, hence the name. Your blood cells being in this shape means they get easily stuck in your vessels, and therefore can do incredible harm to your body.” 

Kenji placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. 
“And I can give it to you in three seconds.” 

The devil boy took a few steps back. “You’re weird!” He yelled as he ran away. The other two boys looked back and forth between him and Kenji. Katsuki smirked and held up his hand, making a few explosions.

”Unlike my brother, I ain’t gonna make it slow and extensive. My pain comes quick and hard.”

The two boys yelped and ran away. Katsuki scoffed. 

“Lame. All bark, and no bite.” 

“You can’t just threaten people Kachaan!” Izuku said. Katsuki looked at him. “Why not? He was threatening your sister and my friend.” 

Kenji walked over to Himiko, and put a hand on her shoulder. 

“You ok?” He asked. Himiko nodded. 

“Yeah, but that was scary.” 

“Yeah, some people can be downright creepy. Come on. Don’t let one thing ruin your day.” He said as he smiled. “It’s the first day. I bet you it won’t be this bad all the time.” 

Himiko gave him a slight smile, then took his hand and stood up. 

“Right. Those were High School students, not from Aldera. Thanks Kenji. You’re amazing.” 

When they got to Aldera, they were brought to the front office to get registered. They were asked simple questions, like their quirk, age, and what size uniforms they’d need. Once the information was gathered, they were sent to their classroom, thankfully shared between the four. There, they were given name plates at their desks with some basic information. 

Kenji Bakugo

Grade: S

Katsuki Bakugo

Grade: S

Himiko Midoriya

Grade: C

Izuku Midoriya

Grade: F

Kenji looked at the plates confused. “What are these grades for?” 

Izuku shrugged. “No clue. But apparently I’m Grade F.” 

Himiko made a pouty face. “Aww, no fair! I’m grade C! You two are Grade S!”

Katsuki shrugged. “Probably just some sort of pre-evaluation. It probably means nothing in the long haul.”

They took their seats and waited for class to start. Every few minutes, two or three students would come in and sit down at their seats. 

“We got here a bit early, don’t you think?” Himiko said. Izuku looked at the clock, which said that they were 15 minutes early. 

“Yeah, we are. I was honestly expecting a more crowded line at registration.” He said. 

Eventually, every seat was filled. Apart from Himiko and Izuku, the lowest Grade was B. Finally, the clock struck 9:00 AM, and the teacher arrived. 

“Hello students! I will be your homeroom teacher for the semester! I’m Mr. Aiko, and I’m sure we will all get along very well!” He began talking about the school rules, which were pretty basic, like “no vandalism”, “No violence”, and more, but one rule caught Kenji’s attention. 

“And, certain activities, such as Lunch, and Free Hour, will be organized by Grade. I believe you’ve all been given a grade?” 

The students nodded, but one kid, a kid with a Door Stop for a head, raised his hand. “What are the grades for?” He asked. 

The teacher’s flawless smile flinched for a moment, but it quickly repaired itself. “I’m afraid I don’t have the clearance to tell you. Just know they are very important to your time here at the school.” 

After that, it was back to normal school subjects, like mathematics, science, and literature. All the while, Kenji noticed something very odd. He leaned over to whisper to Himiko while the teacher was droning on and on about Japanese history. 

“Izuku has been raising his hand to answer every single question, but the teacher hasn’t called on him.” 

Himiko nodded. “I saw that too. It doesn’t sit right with me. I’m gonna wait for now, but I’m sure something’s up.” 

Kenji nodded and went back to his seat for the remainder of class. At lunch time, he, Katsuki, and three other students were dismissed for lunch. In the cafeteria, there were maybe a dozen or so other kids, apparently all with “S” grade. About 15 minutes later, the grade A students were released. 15 minutes after that, grade B entered the cafeteria. Ten minutes later, grades C and D made an appearance. By the time Izuku and the one other Grade F student were released, there was only 5 minutes remaining of lunch. 

“Izuku!” Himiko said, rushing over to her brother. “What happened? Why are you so late?” 

Izuku sighed. “The teacher kept me behind everyone else, talking about the traits in every hero. Stuff you learn in elementary school.” 

Katsuki huffed. “Thats BS. They’re just holding you back because you’re quirkless. Look. There’s one other kid in Grade F and he’s quirkless too! Coincidence? I think not!” 

Izuku was about to say something, but Kenji cut him off. “Izuku, I know you want to fly under the radar to avoid bullying, but we aren’t gonna let you get beat up for something like that.” He turned to Himiko. “And you, I don’t understand why you’re in Grade C. If they’re really grading us by quirk strength, then why are you in C while the kid who can inflate his chin in B! That seems a lot weaker than such a versatile quirk as Transform.” 

Himiko sighed. “It’s quirk discrimination. Just like my old parents. They think my quirk is only destined for villainy. So they hold me in less esteem than you or Katsuki, whose quirks are much more flashy and heroic. To them, I’m only useful as a backstabbing assassin or something.” 

Katsuki growled, sparks flying from his fingers as he ate. “Quirk discrimination. How lame can you get?” 

Kenji stood up determinedly. “That’s it. I’m gonna report this!” 

Izuku shook his head. “No, don’t. I don’t want to get recognized too much. The less attention on me the better.” 

Katsuki smirked, and put his hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “If anyone wants smoke with you, they’re gonna have to get past the explosion.” 

Suddenly, the PA system flared to life. 

“Katsuki Bakugo, Kenji Bakugo, Himiko Midoriya, and Izuku Midoriya, please report to the principal’s office.” 

The four friends looked at each other quizzically, and then got up and walked to the office. There they saw the principal, an old man with a sly grin and an unsettling expression. 

“Greetings, friends.” He said, drawing out “friends” in a way that made them suspect he didn’t think of them as that. 

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. 

“What do you want with us, Skin-and-Bones?” 

The principal’s smile looked more forced. “I heard you four were conspiring to report our school’s sorting methods to authorities.” 

Kenji was shocked. “How did you find out so fast?” 

Suddenly, their teacher stepped out of the shadows. “That would be me. My quirk, Extraordinary Ear, lets me hear everything that goes on in this school.” 

The principal grinned. “Now, back to business, I heard you four were conspiring against our administration.”

Kenji scowled. “Yeah, because you’re clearly showing favoritism! Izuku and Himiko are being very obviously discriminated against!” 

The principal’s smile faded for a millisecond, but immediately snapped back into shape. 

“As I said, our sorting methods have been distinctly enforced for decades, and I’m sure you won’t want to go through with your plan. You see, when you registered this morning, you signed a contract with the school. This contract explicitly states that you are not allowed to spread propaganda that paints this school in a negative light. To do so would be breaching of contract, and would give us the right to sue, and  deny your applications to any hero school in the country.” 

Katsuki shot up from his chair. “Listen here you baggy old…”

The principal suddenly snapped, his eyes flashing red. 

“Sit down, young Bakugo.”

Katsuki sat down just as fast as he’d stood up. The principal continued. 

“You would do well not to anger me. My quirk, Compulsion, turns the words I utter into commands that must be followed. You’re lucky I’m this old, otherwise I’d have made this a whole lot worse. As I said, if you wish to retain your chances of being accepted into a hero school, you will not speak ill of our teaching methods. Understand?” 

Silence. 

“Understood?” 

“Yes, sir.” The four kids said simultaneously. 

“Good. Now, off to class.” 

The friends silently walked back to class, where their teacher went right back to his lecture about the qualifications for being a hero until the bell rang to go home.

Two. Years. 

Two years passed by. Izuku and Himiko faced extreme bullying. If Kenji and Katsuki weren’t there, it only got worse. Lunches interrupted, homework destroyed, even attempted molestation of Himiko from a few of the more rowdy and unchecked boys. 

And the staff didn’t do anything. 

Not one thing. One teacher walked idly by as Izuku was being beaten by a boy who could swell his fists like a cartoon character. Worse, occasionally Izuku and Himiko would be blamed for their own bullying, and sent to detention. 

It was lucky that Kenji could heal easily, because they certainly needed it. Cuts, bruises, broken noses, even burns. Katsuki was fuming any time Izuku came back from detention with bandages. Inko and Mitsuki didn’t know about the school’s corrupt policies, since they were sorting out a massive case, and the kids didn’t want to worry them further. 

One day, towards the end of the school year, Kenji, Katsuki, and Himiko were sitting outside the school grounds, waiting for Izuku to finish another detention session for “disturbing a student”. In reality he had stopped a group of students from beating up a girl from another school, with pink skin and hair, and yellow horns. WHILE HE WAS OFF SCHOOL GROUNDS.

Katsuki growled and blasted a rock into the sky.

“THIS IS BS!” He roared.

”That’s the third time you’ve said that.” Himiko said as Kenji was patching a shallow cut that ran across her left forearm.”

“Doesn’t matter! Those dumb old geezers need to be put in their place!” He said, grabbing another rock.

Kenji sighed. “I know. We just need to bear it for 10 more months, and then it’s time for High School. Here.” He said as he offered her his arm.

Himiko groaned as she bit into his wrist. “I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to make it that long.” She said as she drank.

As if on cue, a group of “popular” girls walked up to Himiko, and looked down at her disdainfully. 

“Look, it’s the vampire again” one of the girls said. 

“Looks like she’s hypnotized those two guys into serving her” another said while examining her nails. 

“Ew. Is that blood? Disgusting. They should totes just get rid of her”. A third one chimed in. 

“Yeah, for realll. Freaks like her belong in Tartarus.” 

“I wonder if those boys actually believe she’s pretty.” 

“Hey, peanut gallery!” Katsuki said, his palms sparking harder than before. “I got something real pretty right here!” He yelled, as he lunged. The girls screamed loud enough to crack glass, and scattered like flies, zipping in every direction. Katsuki sighed and brushed off the ashes from his shirt. 

“Was that really necessary, Katsuki?” Kenji asked, as he finished mending his wrist. 

“Tch, of course. Those airheads never shut up unless you make em.” He said. 

“There’s Izuku!” Himiko said, standing up. Sure enough, he was walking back, shouldering his bag as he strolled over to them. 

“Hey guys.” He said dejectedly. 

“What is it this time?” Kenji said as his hands started glowing yellow and green again. Izuku sighed and lifted his shirt, revealing a large bruise and a broken rib. 

“Jisen found me in the detention room. Said it was my fault he failed his test.” 

Kenji nodded and pressed his hand into Izuku’s side, mending the cells and healing his injuries. 

Izuku sighed relievedly. “You’re a lifesaver”

”You bet I am. C’mon. Inko will get worried if we’re late.” 

Izuku nodded, and the friends walked down the sidewalk, on their way back home. 

“Just 10 more months. 10 more months, and then we’re free.” Izuku said. 

Kenji turned to Izuku. “So, have you thought about what schools we should apply for?” I mean, obviously UA, but in case we don’t get in, should we have a backup?” 

“I hear Shiketsu’s Entrance Exam is easy. Maybe we could use that as our backup?” Himiko said. 

“It’s a good plan in case we don’t make it to UA.” Izuku said. 

Katsuki scoffed. “Sure, whatever. Not like we’re gonna fail, though.” 

Kenji smiled. “Right! We’re gonna make it! The determination is what counts!”

They walked underneath a bridge, and as they did, the manhole cover embedded in the road began to shake, and steam, as a green gelatinous sludge started seeping out.

Chapter Text

Himiko rested her arms behind her head and sighed. “I wish there was a way to escape this nightmare of a middle school.” She said. 

Kenji nodded. “I don’t like it either, but it’s what we have to live with. Mom and Aunt Inko are busy and stressed enough as is. We can’t add more onto that.”

Katsuki grunted and clenched his fists. “If that bag of bones didn’t have that stupid compulsion quirk, I’d have blown him to bits months ago.” 

“It’s not fair!” Himiko whined. “Just because my quirk makes me need blood, doesn’t mean I’m destined to be a villain! I can prove that!” 

“I know you can, sis” Izuku said. “But Aldera refuses to accept it. They won’t accept the fact that a person isn’t defined by their quirk, or lack thereof. They just can’t stand the possibility that…” He stopped abruptly, as the four friends heard the sound of a sewer lid being opened and slid across the concrete. They turned around quickly. What met them was a massive pile of grayish-green ooze, with two eyeballs and a massive evil grin. 

“Oh my, how lucky am I? Four little skin suits, just waiting for me to take control.” The sludge said, lunging for Izuku, who was closest, and engulfed him.

”Oh no you don’t!” Katsuki yelled as he quickly delivered a spiral kick, enhanced by an explosion, to the villain’s “head”, splattering green bile everywhere. The ooze recoiled, gathering the sprayed bits of slime that had scattered when Katsuki blasted him. Izuku wriggled and managed to free his upper half.

“Nice try, but you’re too weak to beat me!” The villain said. Himiko lept into action, and drew the small kunai she kept in her uniform, for self defense, and began to stab the villain repeatedly, but to no avail. 

“Ugh, he’s not taking damage from my dagger!” She said. 

Kenji ran behind the villain and activated his quirk, conjuring a projection of the constantly shifting mass. “The DNA is… weird. It’s like he’s barely organic. I can’t get a hold of enough in one place to trigger a big enough chain reaction without killing him.” He said. 

“Then don’t worry about that and grab Izuku!” Katsuki yelled. Kenji nodded, and ran to grab Izuku. He was struggling to keep his top half out of the ooze, grabbing at the slimy mass to no avail. Kenji grabbed his hand and pulled him out. Izuku gasped for air. “Thanks, Kenji.” 

“You’re welcome, now get out of here!” He yelled. 

“No! I won’t leave you! You can’t beat him!”  Izuku said as he picked up a stick and brandished it as a weapon. He stood up to the villain as his three friends watched in awe and fear. 

“You think you can defeat us?” He said. “Well you can’t! When work together, we can beat anyone! You wouldn’t understand, because you’re a villain, but heroes always win!” He said, gripping his weapon tightly.

The villain grinned, and surrounded the kids with his body. 

“KENJI DO SOMETHING!” Himiko yelled. Kenji looked up at the villains terrifying expression, and froze.

“I have a better idea!” The villain said, engulfing them all at once. “I’ll take all of you! With four bodies under my control, I’ll be able to escape easily!” 

Kenji could feel the ooze flooding his throat, pooling in his lungs, and causing his consciousness to fade. 

This is it. He thought. I’m going to die to this villain, before I can become a hero. 

He looked to his left, and saw Himiko suffocating in the deluge of filth. She was helpless, and it was all because he didn’t try hard enough. Because he froze up at the last second. It was his fault she was going to die. 

No. I won’t let this beat me. I can’t. For Katsuki. For Izuku. For Himiko. Think! His eyes, or teeth, they’re solid, maybe they have enough organic material for me to use.

He reached out and grabbed the villain’s eyeball, and, barely thinking, activated his quirk. 

Protogenesis: Cellular Detonation! 

The eyeball burst, causing the villain to recoil, and release the four kids from his grasp. 

“You little brat! I’ll rip you apart!” The villain roared, but before he could, a jovial laugh filled the air. 

“Ha Ha Ha! No need to fear! Why? Because I AM HERE!” 

The four instantly recognized the voice of All Might, the greatest hero of all, as he kept through the sky, and landed perfectly in front of Izuku. 

“No! I need to get out of here!” The sludge villain said as he began to slide away, but All Might was faster, punching the villain so hard it instantly knocked him out, and splattering him all over the walls.

”T-t-that’s All Might!” Izuku said, staring at the hero with eyes the size of plates. 

“Ah, are you all right, children?” All Might asked, looking at the four friends. Himiko retched and vomited out the last of the sludge in her throat, then nodded weakly. “Yeah. I’m good.” 

All Might nodded, grinning brightly. “Thank you for keeping the villain busy while I got here. I’m sorry I wasn’t here faster. It was hard to track this guy!” 

Izuku looked at All Might in wonder. “What’re you doing here? Your agency is in Tokyo.” 

“Ahh, a good question, young one!” All Might said. “I am here to-“ He was abruptly cut off when he burst into a cloud of steam, and where All Might once stood, a skin-and-bones old man was in his place. 

Izuku shrieked. “AHHHH! You’re not All Might! You’re an imposter!” 

The man quickly waved his hands and shook his head. “No! I promise, I am All Might!” 

“Then why the heck do you look like a scarecrow?” Katsuki asked, crossing his arms. 

All Might started to form an excuse, but then sighed. “Not a lot of people know this, but… five years ago, I got into a fight with a dangerous villain.” He lifted his shirt, showing a nasty wound. “One lung, as well as a majority of my stomach, were destroyed. I can only be in my muscle form for three hours a day.” 

Izuku gaped at the information. “Five years ago, so…” 

“That was your fight with Toxic Chansaw!” Himiko interrupted. All Might shook his head. 

“No. This fight wasn’t documented. It was with another villain, one much more powerful.” All Might said as he stood up and started to walk away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go rest and recuperate my strength for tomorrow.” 

“Wait! I have one question!” Izuku said. All Might stopped, and turned around. 

“Yes, young man?” He asked. 

Izuku clenched his fist. “Can I still be a hero, even if I don’t have a quirk?” 

All Might smiled. “Perfect.” 

The four kids looked confused. 

“What do you mean, perfect?” Himiko asked. 

All Might sat down and looked at Izuku. “You want to know the reason I came here? Here it is. My quirk, I wasn’t born with it. It was given to me by my sensei, Nana Shimura. It’s called One For All.” 

“One for All?” Izuku asked. 

“Yes.” All Might continued. “It’s a sacred torch passed from user to user, gathering power as it is passed on. I was here on a mission to find a worthy successor.” He pointed to Izuku. “And you, young man, are perfect for the role. You have the determination, the courage, and the desire to help people, that defines every wielder of One For All. So to answer your question, young…” 

“Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya.” Izuku said.

All Might nodded. “Yes. You, Young Midoriya, can be a hero. A great hero.”

All Might walked the four friends back home, and introduced himself to Inko and Mitsuki as “Toshinori Yagi”

”I run a self defense class and I’ve never seen such an excellent candidate as your son, Mrs. Midoriya. If you would allow it, I am prepared to offer him and his friends a training course, free of charge.” 

“A training course?” Inko asked.

“Yes. It’s nothing major, but it’s enough to let him hold his own against the average villain.” Toshinori said. 

“Well, of course. My little Izuku could use some exercise!” Inko said, ruffling her son’s hair. 

“Mooom!” Izuku said as he swatted her hand. 

“And of course, your son’s friends and sister will be included in the deal” Toshinori added. 

“Well, I think it’s a good idea.” Inko said, smiling at her son. 

“You mean it?” Izuku said excitedly. 

“Yes, I mean it.” Inko said. “Mr. Yagi seems nice, and you need something else to do besides write all day in those notebooks of yours. What volume are you on?” 

“Seventeen” Izuku replied meekly. 

“Exactly! This is going to be good for you.” Inko said, patting her son on the back. “You too, Himiko. You two are getting skinnier by the day, and I won’t have it!” 

Himiko flushed red. “Mom! I told you! I’m just slimming down!” Inko shook her head. 

“Either way, you two could use the exercise. You’ll need it if you wanna keep pace with the Bakugo twins. Their quirks are getting stronger and stronger each time I see them.” She turned to Toshinori. “Thank you, Mr Yagi. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.” 

Toshinori smiled. “It’s no issue, Mrs Midoriya. I’ll take good care of your son while he’s learning from me. He’ll be ready for anything in no time at all!” 

Inko smiled as well. “I’ll count on it.”

Chapter Text

After Toshinori left, the Kenji and Katsuki had a sleepover at the Midoriyas’ house while Mitsuki and Masaru celebrated their anniversary away from home. They had Ramen noodles with a blood based broth that Inko had spent years perfecting. 

Kenji slurped up the last of his noodles. “Wow, Auntie Inko really did a good job! I can barely tell there’s blood in this! 

Himiko grinned cheerfully “Yeah, Mom’s real good at cooking! I’m hoping to get as good as her someday.” 

Inko smiled. “Aww, I’m flattered, Himiko.” 

Katsuki drained his bowl and put it in the sink. 

“C’mon guys, it’s almost 8:00.” 

Kenji nodded and grabbed the rest of the bowls. Izuku helped his mom clean the dishes while Himiko pulled out sleeping bags and spare pillows for Kenji and Katsuki to sleep in. After their beds were made, Katsuki and Izuku stayed up to play Super Smash Might, while Kenji and Himiko went to the bathroom to brush their teeth. 

“Hey, do you think I should use my quirk on my eyes so I don’t need glasses, or should I keep them?” Kenji asked, as he cleaned his glasses. 

“Nah, they make you look smart and stuff, plus, I think they’re kinda cute!” Himiko said with a smile. 

“Keeping them it is!” Kenji said instantly. 

Himiko laughed as she scrubbed her teeth. “How cool is it that we met All Might, though?” 

Kenji snapped out of his wide-eyed trance and nodded. “Very cool. I can’t believe he wants to train Izuku to inherit his quirk. I’m really happy for him. He’s wanted to be a hero as long as we’ve been friends, even before we met you.” 

Himiko nodded as well. “I’ve seen that too. He's always so eager whenever he gets an opportunity to take notes in his journal. Heroes, villains, students at hero schools, any quirk information he gets his hands on.” She looked at herself in the mirror. “And he’s really good at making me feel better about myself. He’s so supportive and kind.” 

Kenji chuckled “That’s Izuku for ya. He’s one of the most determined people I know.” 

They finished their brushing, and went back to their room. 

“Katsuki and Izuku are still playing SSM.” Kenji said. 

“Let’s go to sleep early. All Might said to meet him at Dagobah Beach at 5:30 AM.” Himiko said, slipping into her bed, full of cute and fluffy stuffed animals. Kenji nodded, then turned off the ceiling lights and laid down in his sleeping bag. 

“Good night, Himiko.” 

“Good night, Kenji.” 

Kenji Woke up to Katsuki’s and Izuku’s snores at 4:30, and, upon finding that Himiko’s softer, more delicate snores were absent from the harmony, got out of bed and went to the kitchen. Himiko was there, sipping a mug of blood at the table. 

“Morning.” She said. 

“Morning. Did you get woken up by Katsuki and Izuku?” Kenji asked. Himiko nodded. 

“Yep. I’m assuming you’re not in the mood for cold pig’s blood?”

Kenji shook his head and chuckled. “Sorry, not really.”

“Mm. That’s what I thought. There’s hot cocoa in the pantry, and the kettle’s on the stovetop. Help yourself.”

Kenji nodded, then opened the pantry, cringing when the hinges emitted a squeak, and took two packets of Hot Cocoa Powder from the box and tearing them open, before pouring them into a mug. He then turned on the stove and heated up the water. He didn’t put the whistle cap on, though, so as to keep his activity as quiet as possible. When the water was boiling, he took it off the stove, poured it into the mug, and stirred it. He took his mug and sat down next to Himiko. 

“So, how long do you think we should wait before we should awaken the Sleeping Beauties from their slumber?” Kenji joked. 

Himiko stifled a giggle, then replied “Maybe 15 minutes. I’m not worried about Izuku getting mad, but…” 

“Katsuki?” 

“Katsuki.” 

“Figures.” 


Kenji swirled his Hot Chocolate and took a sip. 

Himiko did the same with her blood. “Wonder what All Might’s gonna make us do for training?” 

“Well, if he’s training Izuku to become his protege, he’s gonna need to bulk up a bit.” 

“Yeah, that’s true.” 

“You do too.” 

Himiko gasped in mock offense and smacked Kenji’s arm. “Excuse me?! I need to be skinny, I’m an acrobat!” 

“You’re a stick with fangs and blonde hair.” 

“And?!” 

Kenji chuckled. “Even if you want to be nimble and acrobatic, you’ve gotta mix in some actual strength. Nothing major, like Mirko, or Star and Stripe, but at least something.” 

“Ehh, that’s fair.” Himiko said. 

The two finished their drinks, then got up. 

“Time to poke the sleeping bears” Himiko said. 

“Well, one bunny and one bear.” Kenji joked. 

Himiko laughed. “Yeah. One bunny and One bear.” 

“From now on, I’m going to sleep at 8:30 sharp EVERY NIGHT!” Katsuki said as he sprinted. 

“Are you still angry that I beat you again?” Izuku said. 

“NO! I’m ANGRY that I let myself be TRICKED into staying up THE NIGHT BEFORE WE TRAIN WITH ALL FRICKING MIGHT!” Katsuki replied angrily. 

Kenji and Himiko laughed as they rode a large muscular horse (“You have the most useful quirk, and the best brain to use it” -Himiko) past them. 

“You know, I could get you guys another horse.” Kenji said. 

“YES PLEASE!” Katsuki said as he leaned over, putting his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily. Kenji turned the horse around, and walked back over to his brother. He dismounted the horse, then walked over to the grass on the side of the road. 

“All I need is a… bingo!” Kenji said, grabbing a grasshopper. 

“That’s not a horse.” Katsuki said flatly. 

“Not yet, but watch this.” Kenji said. His hands glowed green and yellow, and the Grasshopper began to shrink.

”What’re you doing?” Izuku asked curiously. 

“Reverting it to a single-celled organism, so I can redirect its evolution into a horse. And, boom!” Kenji said, spreading his hands apart, as a full sized Thoroughbred horse sprang to life right in front of him. Izuku and Katsuki jumped back in shock. 

“Whoa!” Izuku exclaimed. “That was awesome!” 

“Come on, Izuku, we’re gonna be late!” Katsuki said, clambering onto the horse. Izuku nodded and joined his friend on top of the horse as Kenji remounted his own. The four kids then rode to Dagobah Beach, just in time, as the sun peeked over the horizon. 

“It’s 5:00.” Izuku said. “So where’s…” 

“AH HA HA HA! No need to fear, for I AM HERE!” All Might landed in front of the four friends, as if on cue. 

“Whoa, All Might!” Izuku said, standing up and grinning. 

“Greetings, Young Midoriya! And Young Katsuki, Young Kenji, and Young Himiko! You all made it!” All Might said. 

Himiko looked up with stars in her eyes. “Of course we did! We didn’t wanna miss a chance to meet the Symbol of Peace!” 

All Might grinned wider and patted her head. “And I’m glad you did! We have a great training session today!” He gestured to the massive beach, full of washed up appliances, tires, plastic bags, and other trash items. “Young Midoriya, you will be tasked with cleaning up this beach over the next ten months, until the U.A. Entrance Exam!” 

Izuku looked at the beach in shock. 

“You want me… to clean up ALL OF THAT?!” 

“Correct, Young Midoriya!” All Might replied, before turning around and gesturing to the three other kids. 

“And you three will be training with a friend of mine, who is going to train you until the Entrance Exam!” He said, pointing towards a black sedan that pulled into the beach’s parking lot. Out stepped a familiar face from their past.

“Eraserhead?!” Kenji exclaimed

“That is correct, Young Kenji!” All Might said. “When I brought the training up with my friends, Mr Aizawa immediately volunteered.” 

Aizawa strolled across the beach, then shook hands with All Might. 

“Thank you for letting me train these kids. I want to make sure they become the best they can.” Aizawa said.

“Sure. Let me guess. Trouble at home?” All Might asked. 

Aizawa sighed. “I love my wife, but I miss when my house was quiet.” 

“Well, if this helps you handle your rambunctious wife, then by all means, you’re welcome to train them.”

”Thank you.” Aizawa said, before turning and facing his new students. “I remember you two. You’re the twins from a few years back.”

Kenji and Katsuki nodded, and Kenji grinned. “Yeah, that’s us!” 

Aizawa gave them a small smile. “And I’m guessing this is the one you two “rescued”?” He said, gesturing to Himiko. 

Two more nods. 

“Yes, this is Himiko. She’s the one we saved from her parents.” Kenji said. Himiko waved shyly. 

“Hi… Mr Eraserhead.” Himiko said, avoiding eye contact. Aizawa knelt down and looked at her with a soft gaze that felt alien on his usually solemn and cold face.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, kiddo. And please, I’m Mr Aizawa.” 

“O-ok.” Himiko said, looking up at him. 

Aizawa stood up, then gestured to the three. 

“Come on. Let’s go over there, so All Might and Midoriya can train without worrying about us.” 

He led the three over to an empty section of the beach, and then unwound his capture scarf. 

“Now, before we begin, tell me what your quirks are, and what you can do with them.”

Katsuki stepped forward boldly, puffing out his chest. “My quirk is Explosion. I sweat an explosive nitroglycerin substance and can detonate it, to unleash big attacks, and enhance my mobility.” 

Aizawa nodded. “Good. Very straightforward, very simple, but very effective. Kenji, your quirk?” He turned to Bakugo’s younger twin. 

Kenji stepped forward. “My quirk is called Protogenesis. If I touch a living organism, I can edit their DNA. I can mend wounds, induce mutations, splice several species’ genetic codes together to make a hybrid, and reverse or fast forward the evolutionary process. I used to only be able to do it by manipulating a projection of the animal I touched, but my quirk has since evolved, and now I just need to touch them to make changes.”

Aizawa scratched his chin. “And you two are twins?” He asked. 

Kenji nodded. “Yes sir. My quirk is a Quirk Mutation. It’s different from any other quirk in my family.” 

“Ah, I see.” Aizawa nodded, then gestured to Himiko. “And Himiko, last but not least.” 

Himiko nervously stepped forward. “My quirk is called Transform. If I drink someone’s blood, I can transform into them. It also rewires my body to require blood as much as food or water. The longer I go without it, the more I get rabid and desperate for it.” 

Aizawa nodded. “And that’s why your previous parents abused and hated you? Just your quirk?” 

Himiko nodded. “I still don’t understand why though. I was their daughter, yet they hated me.” She sighs. “I’m glad Mrs Midoriya adopted me. She deserves the title of Mom, something my own parents never deserved.” 

Aizawa nodded again. “Well, I assure you, you have an excellent quirk, no matter what others say. Your quirk would be excellent for my line of work, the Underground Hero business.” 

Himiko brightened. “Really? You think so?” 

Aizawa chuckled a bit. “Yeah, I think so. The ability to transform into another person, perfectly replicating them, is perfect for espionage and detective work.” 

Himiko grinned giddily as she jumped up and down. “That’s what Kenji said when he rescued me!” 

Aizawa looked at her, then Kenji, curiously.

”You don’t say… well, I meant what I said. Now, let’s get to training.”

Aizawa had Katsuki, Kenji, and Himiko train their quirks in various ways. Katsuki was given the garbage that Izuku had transported, and was told to destroy it all. Kenji and Himiko, however, were given a much more difficult task. 

“You two will spar with me.” Aizawa said. 

Kenji and Himiko gaped. 

“Spar with you?” They both said simultaneously. 

“Yes. Your quirks are not directly offensive, like Katsuki’s, so I’ve decided that I will directly train you in combat.” He crouched down, and got into a fighting position, holding his capture scarf in his hands. Kenji looked at Himiko, and nodded. 

“We’ve got this.” He said assuredly. 

Himiko nodded, then drew her kunai, and got into a fighting position. “I’ll cover you. Whip up something nice.” 

Kenji nodded, then ran to the beach and waded into the ocean. Aizawa lunged forward, as did Himiko, while Kenji activated his quirk. Himiko tried to stab the Pro Hero, but Aizawa quickly dodged and disarmed the girl with his capture scarf. Himiko snarled, and drew two more kunai from the pouches on her belt. Himiko was relentless, and attacked viciously, but recklessly, and Aizawa was easily able to dodge and parry her strikes with his carbon fiber scarf. 

“You’re quick” Aizawa said. “But sloppy.” He wound the scarf around her leg and yanked, pulling her off her feet. Himiko yelped, and fell on her butt. 

“Not bad for a first try. Maybe next…” Aizawa was interrupted by the sound of a conch horn blowing. He turned to the ocean, and his eyes widened to see Kenji riding a gigantic Saltwater Crocodile, almost five times as large as their natural maximum size, onto land. Himiko smirked. “I was just the distraction. You’re in for it now.” 

Kenji directed the crocodile using his conch, blowing it in different pitches and frequencies to issue commands. The crocodile charged towards Aizawa, who quickly lunged out of the way, dragging a now fully cocooned Himiko with him. 

She knew she couldn’t beat me in a 1v1 fight, so she went all out to buy time for Kenji. Smart. Reckless, but smart. Maybe if I… 

PUUUAAAHHH PUUUOOOO. 

The conch sounded again, and the crocodile whipped its tail around, slamming into Aizawa with the force of a truck. Aizawa wheezed, and went flying across the beach. 

“Ugh… ok, noted. Don’t get hit.” 

That’s at least 5 cracked ribs. I’ve gotta end this quickly. 

“You know, I really didn’t think I’d be able to… ERKKK!” Kenji’s taunt was cut off by Aizawa’s capture scarf wrapping around his neck and yanking him off his armored mount. Aizawa planted a foot on his chest. 

“Call off the croc.” He instructed. Kenji nodded. Aizawa let him go, and he walked over to the crocodile, placing a hand on it’s leathery hide, and reverting it back to the small sea turtle it had once been, before setting it free back in the ocean. Then, Kenji walked over and helped unwind Himiko from her captivity. After that, he walked back over to Aizawa to heal his cracked ribs.

“You did pretty well for a first time effort.” Aizawa said. “But in the future, Himiko, never think that a self sacrifice play is worth it. In the real world, had I been a villain and you a hero, I’d have had every opportunity to kill you.” 

Himiko nodded. “Yes sir.” 

Aizawa turned to Kenji. “And Kenji, that Croc maneuver was pretty inventive, but again, you slipped up when you stopped to taunt me. Any time you taunt someone, it gives them an opportunity to strike. Take note of that.” 

Kenji nodded. “Yes, Mr Aizawa.” 

Aizawa called Katsuki over, who had finished the pile of trash that Izuku had brought over. 

“You all did well today, but you can always do better, and with my help, you’ll do your best.” 

The three kids nodded. 

“Now, that’s all for today. You may go home now.” 

Three more nods, and they left the beach for the day, satisfied with their accomplishments.

After Izuku had finished his own task, and departed for the day, All Might and Aizawa stood together on the beach. 

“Young Midoriya has a lot of potential. He is extraordinarily determined to accomplish anything laid out in front of him.” All Might remarked. Aizawa nodded. 

“Indeed. Katsuki also seemed very determined when I gave him his training task.” He said. 

“And what of Young Kenji and Young Himiko?” All Might asked.

Aizawa wrapped his scarf back around his neck as he answered. “They seem quite perfect for each other.” 

All Might got an interested expression. “Oh?? Care to elaborate?” 

Aizawa grunted. “Not like that, though I did sense the makings of a relationship. I was referring to their fighting styles. Himiko fights best in a quick, fast paced fight. She’s agile, ruthless, and, with a bit of training, an excellent ambush fighter. Kenji, on the other hand, requires a time period to activate his quirk and create a useful animal mutant, but once he does, he can do some serious damage to his opponent.” He rubbed his ribs in reminiscence of that heavy blow.

”I see. Well, one thing’s for sure, they’ll be excellent heroes.” All Might said. 

Aizawa nodded. “That they will.” Suddenly, his phone rang, with a loud cackling sound accompanied by the honking of a clown horn. 

“Your wife?” All Might asked. 

Aizawa quickly pulled out his phone. “Yeah, she’s probably worried I’m not home yet.” 

“Well, I wish you the best of luck.” All Might said as he began to walk away.

“And where exactly are you going?” Aizawa asked. 

All Might smiled as he deflated into his skinny body, and pulled out a bouquet of flowers. 

“I have a date with the sweetest woman I’ve ever met.” 

“Oh? Who’s the lucky girl?” Aizawa asked. 

“Her name is Inko.” 

Chapter Text

Toshinori walked down the sidewalk, clutching a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He smiled fondly. He had barely even met Inko Midoriya, and she had already wormed her way into his heart. She was charming, caring, and a joy to be around.

”She’s perfect. Just like her son.” He said. 

Today was the day. The day he took her out on a date for the very first time. Toshinori walked up to the door, and knocked on it. After a few moments, the door opened, revealing Inko in a comfortable lace dress, forest green with accents of blue. Nothing too fancy, but it sent Toshinori’s heart into overdrive. 

“Hello, Toshinori. I’ve given the kids some money for pizza, and everything is squared away.” She took his hand in hers. “Let’s go.” 

“Of course, Mrs Midoriya.” Toshinori said as he led her down to his car, a nice red and yellow convertible. 

“You must be a big All Might fan.” Inko said, looking at the car. Toshinori blushed, and stammered. 

“Well, yeah, I suppose you could say that.” He said, opening the door for her to get in. Once she had done so, Toshinori entered the driver’s seat and began driving towards the restaurant they had picked out for the day.

”So, how are the kids doing?” Toshinori asked. 

“They’re fine, but they’re getting very thin. They say it’s fine, but I’m worried about their eating habits at school.” Inko said. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m not packing enough, or if it’s bullies at school, but it’s worrying me.” Inko said 

“I see. Well, what are you packing in their lunches?” Toshinori asked 

“Soba, juice pouches for Izuku, blood pouches for Himiko, and occasionally I’ll throw in some chocolate or mochi.” 

“Well, that seems like plenty to keep them sustained. It’s most likely a stuck up brat or two at school who think they can get away with anything because your son is quirkless, and your daughter has a quirk most would perceive as villainous.” 

Inko nods sadly. “Yes, I drew that conclusion as well. But I don’t know what to do. Mitsuki and I are busy with this massive case, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to close it any time soon. I just wish Hizashi was here to help.” 

“Hizashi?” Toshinori asked. 

“Yes. My former husband. He left soon after Izuku was born, said he wanted to “get a job overseas to support us better”, and he sends monthly paychecks, but he filed for divorce several years ago.” 

Toshinori grips the wheel tighter. “I see. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s ok, it isn’t your fault.” Inko said as they pulled into the restaurant. Toshinori exited the car and opened the door for Inko. She stepped out and they walked into the restaurant. 

“Ah, hello, monsieur Yagi. Your reservation is right this way” a waiter with a thick French accent greeted them and led them to a secluded table away from the bustling main restaurant. They were seated, and two menus were placed in front of them. 

“Feel free to order whatever you like.” Toshinori said with a warm smile. Inko returned the smile. 

“Aww, you’re too sweet.” She said. 

They perused the menu for a few moments, before a young waitress walked up to them with a beaming grin. 

“Hello! Welcome to International Crossroads! What can I get for you?” 

“We’ll have the finger sandwiches for an appetizer, thank you.”  Toshinori said, and Inko nodded in agreement. 

“Excellent! And for your entrees and drinks?” 

“I’ll have the Beef Wellington” Inko said “With the mashed potatoes and gravy on the side, please” 

“I’ll have the American Roadhouse Burger, thank you” Toshinori said. “And we’ll both have the strawberry Shirley Temples for couples.” 

The waitress nodded, and briskly walked away to carry out their orders, leaving the two to themselves. 

“So, what persuaded you to buy an American meal?” Inko asked. Toshinori’s eyes widened and he stammered. 

“Well, I, uhh, I, you see, I went to America for a few years to study the heroes there. I just wanted a little nostalgia.” 

Inko nodded. “I see. Well, nostalgia is a great thing.” 

“That it is.” Toshinori said. “What about you? You don’t strike me as a Beef Wellington person.” 

Inko laughed softly. “Oh, I just saw it on TV once and I’ve always wanted to try it!” 

“I see. Well, I’m all for trying new things.” Toshinori said. Inko smiled slyly.

“Oh, I could tell.”

Toshinori turned beet red, causing Inko to laugh again. 

“You’re funny, Toshinori! I haven’t laughed this much since Mitsuki and I beat Himiko’s biological parents in court way back when!”

Toshinori snapped out of his red-faced trance and looked at her. “Oh? Tell me more about that, then.” 

Inko stopped laughing, but still smiled, as she started. “Ok, it all started when my son and his friends found Himiko crying in an alleyway, with wounds all over her body…”

After about 15 minutes, their drinks and appetizers were brought out. 

“And then the judge revealed that I’d filed for her adoption in case her parents lost!” Inko said with a grin from ear to ear. 

Toshinori laughed. “That is quite a humorous story, Inko! I only wish I’d been there to witness it!” 

Inko nodded as she took a sip of her drink. “Oh, you should have! It was amazing to see them go from cocky as a hero on their debut to dripping with sweat in five minutes!”

Toshinori chuckled as he also took a sip of his Shirley Temple. “Oh, I’m so grateful Young- I mean, Himiko, is in a safe, loving family now. She deserves it.” 

Inko smiled warmly as she thought of her adopted daughter. “Yes, Himiko has been a joy to our house ever since she entered it. Izuku loves her, as do I. She’s incredibly sweet and sunny, and it seems she herself puts the sunlight into each morning.” 

Toshinori’s eyes widened at the comparison. “Oh? She’s that lovable?” 

Inko nodded. “Oh yes, she is. If it weren’t for her collection of novelty knives, the fact that she spars with Katsuki and Kenji like an Amazon woman mixed with a feral cat, or the fact that she incorporates blood into one of three meals in a day, you’d think she was an angel sent down from heaven for the sole purpose of brightening everyone’s day.” 

Toshinori nodded. “Well, I can agree with the sparring part. In our training today she fought incredibly ferociously. She’s terrifying when you’re her target.” 

Inko chuckled. “Target? Really?” 

Another nod from Toshinori. “I can’t say “her enemy”. That would imply the person she’s attacking could actually put up a fight before she attacks. She strikes like a predator ambushing prey. It’s awesome, yet horrifying.”

Inko raised an eyebrow. “Really? Now that’s interesting.” 

Just then, the waitress walked up with their meals. 

“Beef Wellington for the lady, and a Roadhouse Burger for the man. Enjoy!”

She set the plates down on the table, then bowed and left. 

Inko wasted no time in digging into her meal, sighing in ecstasy when the first bite entered her mouth. 

“Oh, it’s delicious! Even better than I imagined!” 

Toshinori  chuckled as he bit into his burger. “Glad you like it.” 

They ate their meals in relative silence, with the occasional small talk, until both plates were pecked clean. They then ordered dessert, a crème brûlée to share. When it was brought out, Inko clapped for joy, eliciting a smile from Toshinori. It was just so adorable how she seemed so excited for everything placed in front of her! 

“Eeeee! It looks so good!” Inko said before taking her spoon and gently scooping out a piece. She placed it into her mouth, and stars appeared in her eyes as a red flush colored her cheeks. “It’s just so delicious!” 

Toshinori’s smile grew. 

“I’m glad you like it, Inko.” 

Inko scooped out another spoonful of the treat, and held it out to Toshinori. “Here, you try!” 

He chuckled, then opened his mouth so Inko could feed him the spoonful. She did so, and he ate it. 

“Mmm, you’re right, this is a very well made Crème Brûlée.” 

“Right?” Inko said joyously. Suddenly, her phone buzzed, and she checked it.

”Oh my…” 

“What is it, Inko?” Toshinori asked. 

“I’m being called in tomorrow for an emergency Parent Teacher Conference. Could it be they’re addressing Himiko and Izuku being bullied?” 

Toshinori scratched his chin. “It’s possible.” 

“Would you want to come with?” Inko asked. 

Toshinori was stunned “C-come with you? Are you sure?” 

Inko smiles “Toshinori, don’t kid yourself. We’ve been beating around the bush for a while now but I think it’s obvious we love each other. Plus, Izuku seems to enjoy your company.” 

Toshinori was absolutely stunned. “Well, uhh, I… I would love to, Inko” 

Inko smiled. “Alright then. You can come with me and the kids tomorrow. We’ll see what this is all about.” 

Toshinori nodded. “Alright, sounds good.” He finished off the Crème Brûlée and pulled out his credit card. “I’ll cover the bill, no need to worry.” 

Inko placed a hand over her heart. “Oh, Toshinori, you’re too sweet.” 

Toshinori swiped his card against the reader, nodding slightly when the payment went through. “Alright, that’s that then. Shall we, Inko?” He said as he offered his hand to her. She took it graciously. “We shall. Thank you, Toshinori, for such a magical evening.” 

Toshinori smiled softly. “For you, my dear Inko, it was nothing.” 

Meanwhile, in the Bakugo household…

”NO WAY! NO FRICKIN WAY!!” 

Kenji and Katsuki heard their mother cackling with glee from her office. Kenji ran to her. 

“What is it, Mom?” 

Mitsuki had an overjoyed smile on her face as she looked at the computer screen

“Inko, my dearest friend you’ve managed to do the impossible…”

The next day, both the Bakugos and the Midoriyas, Toshinori included, drove to Aldera Middle School for this so-called Emergency Parent Teacher Conference. When they got there, the place was eerily quiet, due to it being the weekend. 

Mitsuki shivered. “This place gives me the creeps. I don’t like it.” 

Inko stayed next to Toshinori. “I agree. I’ve faced arsonists, rapists, even serial killers, but this… this is just creepy.” 

Katsuki crossed his arms and huffed. “This better work out like we planned.”

Kenji, Himiko and Izuku nodded. “Agreed.” 

They entered the empty school, causing the lights to turn on. Mr Saba, their homeroom teacher, greeted them with that oily grin he gave at every Parent Teacher Conference. 

“Greetings, Mrs Midoriya, and Mrs Bakugo. And this is?” He gestured to Toshinori. 

“Toshinori Yagi, my boyfriend.” Inko said. Mitsuki let a small smirk slip out behind Inko. 

“If only you knew.” She muttered under her breath. 

“Ahh, well, Mr Yagi, welcome to Aldera Middle School, the place where the best are made better. Please, follow.” 

Mr Saba turned around and motioned with a bony finger to follow him. He led them to an empty room with a dozen or so chairs, spread around a long table. The two mothers, as well as Toshinori took seats next to their children, while Mr Saba sits in a chair at the head of the table. 

“Now, let’s talk business.” 

“Yes. Let’s. What is the meaning of this emergency meeting?” Mitsuki said. 

“Well, you see, over the past two years, your children have been… very mischievous.”

The pencil in Mitsuki’s hand snapped. “Oh? How so?” She said in a deadly calm tone. 

“They’ve been pulling hijinks every day, traumatizing our other students. Your daughter, Mrs Midoriya, carries knives on her person at all times. I’m concerned for the safety of our school. What if she decides to stab a student? Consume his blood? Hm?” 

Inko’s eyes were dull, and she wore the face she used when her opponent in court was attempting to bait her into fury. “I see.” 

Mr Saba turned to Mitsuki. “And your son, Kenji. He carries live animals with him. Wild ones, even dinosaurs. While it is an interesting way to win Show and Tell, we aren’t in elementary school anymore.” 

Mitsuki wore the same stony expression as her friend. “Well, that seems like a problem.” 

“Oh, believe me, it is. If it weren’t for their excellent grades, they’d be expelled on the spot. I expect you will deal with this at home, and punish these delinquents properly?” Mr Saba said, grinning smugly from ear to ear.

Mitsuki and Inko nodded. “Oh, of course. We will punish you quite properly.” Inko said

“Excellent… wait, what did you say?” Mr Saba looked at the two families in suspicion.

Mitsuki grinned. “Kenji, will you do the honors?” 

Kenji smiled from ear to ear. “With absolute pleasure, Mom.” 

Unbeknownst to Mr Saba, Kenji had been commanding an army of ants to carry a USB drive to the projector right behind him. At Mitsuki’s command, Kenji commanded his ants to plug the drive into the projector. Several recordings taken from the school’s cameras appeared on screen, featuring Izuku and Himiko being bullied for having no quirk, and a villain’s quirk, respectively, and Katsuki and Kenji deterring them the best they could. More videos played, showing all four of them being beaten up by older kids, kids from other schools, even teachers themselves, while the teachers did nothing to stop them.

”Now, let’s get on to the real business.” Inko said, putting her reading glasses on. “We will be removing our kids from the school immediately, and if you try to stop us or sue us… well, let’s just say we have a compelling defense.”

Mr Saba was slack-jawed. “Tha-that’s…” 

“Quite impossible?” Toshinori said, speaking for the first time, as he stood up. “Would you like to see something else that is “quite impossible”?” 

Inko looked up at her boyfriend curiously, while Mitsuki’s grin turned maniacal. 

“Yes! Yes! Inko, I was meaning to tell you! I did a background check on Toshinori, and you’ll never guess! He’s…” 

“I AM HERE!” All Might said, inflating to his hero form, which elicited a gasp from Mr Saba, a squeal of joy from Mitsuki, and a wide-eyed, gaping expression from Inko. 

“A-A-All Might?!” Mr Saba said. 

“That’s correct, sir. It is I. And I have something more to offer your pathetic excuse for a middle school. Effective once the school year ends, I will be personally shutting down Aldera. Permanently.” All Might said, his shining grin never leaving his face.

”Th-that’s…” Mr Saba began, but All Might interrupted him. “Oh, I assure you it’s perfectly legal. You don’t think that I, as the number one hero, could shut down a corrupt hero school? After all, I don’t want people taught to behave like you have taught them entering U.A. High.” 

Mr Saba started to speak, but hung his head in defeat. “Yes sir.” He turned to the families. “That is all. You may go now.” 

Inko slowly stood up, her eyes still the size of All Might’s biceps, and never leaving them, either.

”Um, yes. We will be going now. T-thank you sir.” 

Mitsuki smiled smugly and blew a mocking kiss to Mr Saba. “Thank you, dear.” She said before motioning for the kids to follow her. They all walked out of the school, and into the parking lot. All Might turned to Inko and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. 

“I guess I have some explaining to do.” 

Inko nodded silently. 

“I didn’t want you to know I was All Might, because I thought you’d only want to date me for my fame or money, but last night you showed me that you valued personality and character over all of that. And so, I decided to reveal myself to you.” All Might said. 

Inko slowly woke up from her stupor, and nodded. “O-of course. That would only be fair for someone of your fame.” 

All Might gently offered a hand to her. “I do hope you’ll forgive my deceit, Inko.” 

Inko nodded rapidly. “Of course! I mean, yes, I will forgive you.” She put her hand in his, and he smiled brightly. 

“Thank you, Inko.” 

Mitsuki grinned slyly. “I guess that means your “self defense class” is something more?” 

All Might turned to Mitsuki and nodded. “Yes, it is. The other day I watched Young Midoriya and his friends exercise an excellent feat of bravery in facing a powerful villain by themselves. When I found out that Young Midoriya was quirkless, but still wished to become a hero, I knew he was perfect to inherit One For All, the quirk I wield. It is a sacred torch that was passed on to me by my own master, and now I plan on passing it down to Young Midoriya. I, as well as a friend of mine, are training him, as well as his sister and friends, so they can become great heroes in the future.” 

Inko gasped in disbelief. “My little Izuku and Himiko stood against a villain? Oh, I’m so proud!” she said as she raced to hug her kids. 

“It’s ok, Mom, we’re fine.” Izuku said. 

“Yeah! That villain was scary, but we stood together and won!” Himiko said. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re safe.” Inko said, clutching her daughter and son in her arms. “And I’m glad All Might chose you as his successor. You can finally become the hero you want to be.” She looked up at All Might’s muscle-bound body. “And I’m grateful to you, Toshinori, for choosing my boy.” 

All Might smiled. “Of course, Inko. It was my pleasure.”

Chapter Text

Aizawa skidded across the sand, and quickly got back on his feet. It had been 9, almost 10 months since Kenji, Himiko, Katsuki, and Izuku were pulled out of Aldera and permanently assigned to train with him and All Might on Dagobah Beach. In that time, the four kids had grown stronger, both physically, and in terms of quirk strength. Katsuki’s explosions were strong enough to melt steel into slag, Izuku could consistently lift 200+ pounds with little issue. Himiko had become extremely agile, and quick on her feet, almost as quick as Aizawa himself, and had successfully gotten the jump on him several times. But Kenji… he hadn’t grown physically much. He was still lean, athletic, and able to hold his own in physical combat, but he couldn’t hold a candle to his friends in hand to hand fights. No, his growth was in a different area. 

“You ok down there, Mr Aizawa?” Kenji called in a singsong voice, from the back of a massive hybrid dinosaur. He had taken a T-Rex, and mixed in Ape DNA, to turn it’s tiny arms into massive pillars of muscle, and Beluga Whale DNA, to give it echolocation to track Aizawa’s near silent movements. 

“I hope the Distortus Rex didn’t hurt you too bad!” 

Aizawa grunted in frustration. This kid was still plenty cocky, he just had the skills and power to back up his smack. He clutched his side. Kenji had a particularly infuriating quirk. He couldn’t erase the edits he performed on animals after that had been done, which meant that he only had a short window to prevent Kenji from creating whatever new mockery to evolution he had dreamt up in that genius brain of his.

“Distortus Rex?” He asked through gritted teeth. He had never bothered to learn Latin. “What does that even mean?” 

“Distorted King. Pretty straightforward.” Kenji said as his massive steed turned to face the underground hero. 

“I still think you should’ve called it the Kick-Buttasaurus Rex!” Himiko said, dropping down from a pile of garbage and striking Aizawa on the shoulder with an axe kick. 

Aizawa grunted in pain, but quickly retaliated by throwing his capture scarf, but Himiko was ready, drawing a folding tonfa from her utility belt and deflecting it. 

“That wouldn’t have made any sense.” Kenji said, tapping the D-Rex’s shoulder with his foot, urging it to charge forward. The massive mutant Dino agreed, then lunged forward in a head-on charge towards Aizawa. Aizawa threw himself out of the way, just in time to avoid the multiton attacker plowing straight through a pile of debris. 

“But it would sound so cool!” Himiko said, drawing a knife and running towards Aizawa. “Tag Team! Now!” 

Kenji nodded, then tapped his pet dinosaur again. The D-Rex swiped high, while Himiko slid under Aizawa’s legs. Aizawa grunted. They were getting good at fighting in sync. He couldn’t dodge both attacks, so he had to choose between getting crippled by Himiko, or getting his head knocked off his shoulders by the D-Rex. He made his choice fast, ducking under the massive claw swipe, and wincing in pain when he felt Himiko’s knife bite into his calf.

“Extraction!” Himiko yelled. Kenji nodded, and whistled a tune. The D-Rex grabbed Himiko in its massive hand, and lifted her up to Kenji, who helped her onto its back. Himiko stood atop the massive dinosaur, and admired the blood on her knife. 

“Shallow. Not much blood. But enough.” She licked the blade, then a grey sludge covered her body before she transformed into a perfect copy of Aizawa. She unwound his capture scarf from around her neck. 

“Box him in. I’ll get him.” She said in Aizawa’s voice. 

“Roger that.” Kenji said. He whistled three high notes. The D-Rex obeyed, then started running towards Aizawa again. 

Aizawa grunted. 

He’s using the same whistle commands for every creation, but each tune means a different thing for each animal. It’s impossible to predict what each command means.

He tried to escape, using his scarf to pull himself away like a grappling hook, but the D-Rex was faster, swatting him out of the air like a piñata. Aizawa hit the beach with a dull thud. 

“Now!” Kenji said. Himiko tossed the capture scarf around Aizawa, then yanked it tight. 

Aizawa struggled against the wraps, but it was futile. The two friends dismounted the massive dinosaur they were riding, and walked over to Aizawa. 

“Would you look at that. We actually won for once!” Kenji said. Himiko, now transformed back into herself, grinned and clapped her hands. “We did it! We beat an actual pro hero!” 

Aizawa rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you did. Congratulations. Now get me out of this, would ya?” 

Kenji nodded, and unwound the capture scarf from around Aizawa’s body. The taciturn teacher stood up, brushed himself off, then looked at his two trainees. “In all seriousness, you did well. You worked in excellent synergy and capitalized on your strengths and advantages. You’ve grown and progressed a lot since we began your training.” 

Kenji and Himiko nodded. “Thank you, Mr Aizawa.” They both said in unison.  

Aizawa nodded, and looked over at the rising cloud of smoke a half mile down the beach. “Now, let’s see how the walking stick of dynamite is doing.” 


Kenji nodded as he transformed the D-Rex back into a harmless frog, and let it hop away. 

The three of them walked over to where Katsuki was working out. He was standing next to a large pile of melted, smoldering debris. Just as they got there, he picked up a rotting wooden cupboard, and, with a loud shout, blasted it into ashes and splinters. 

“BOOM!!” 

Kenji waved away the smoke, then stepped up to his brother. 

“Hey Katsuki, how’re you doing?” 

Katsuki turned to Kenji and smirked cockily. 

“I’m doing great, Kenji. I’ve only got a bit more trash to blow up, then I’m done for the day. How about you and Himiko?” 

Kenji grinned. “We finally beat Mr Aizawa without him holding back!” 

Himiko smiled as well. “Yeah! It was so cool! Kenji made this massive dinosaur that totally kicked Aizawa’s butt!” 

Katsuki looked incredulously at the two. “No way you actually beat him, right?” 

Aizawa reluctantly nodded. “Yes, they did manage to defeat and restrain me. They developed an excellent strategy to keep my attention bouncing between the two of them too fast for me to keep up against.”

Katsuki smirked with cockiness and pride as he picked up an old tire. “Of course they did. My little brother never goes into something without a plan. It’s the only reason we ever made it through that escape room back when we were 12.” 

Aizawa looked at the twins and Himiko for a while. “Whether or not it was strategy or overwhelming strength, the results are the same.” 

He looked at the three of them with a hint of pride. “You three are ready to take on the UA Entrance Exam in two days.” 

Himiko cheered. “Alright! We’re gonna be heroes!” 

Katsuki and Kenji grinned, when all of a sudden they heard a loud, raw yell from across the beach. 

“That sounded like Izuku!” Himiko said. 

Katsuki lunged into action, blasting towards the sound of Izuku’s yell, with Kenji hot on his toes. 

“Izuku!” Katsuki yelled, but stopped when they saw what was going on. Izuku wasn’t in danger at all. He was standing atop a mountain of garbage, screaming at the top of his lungs in triumph. 

“Congratulations, Young Midoriya!” All Might said, clapping his hands. “You’ve succeeded in preparing for the inheritance of my power, my quirk, One For All. You’ve done well, my boy, and I’m very proud of you.” He patted Izuku on the back. 

Izuku smiled. “Thank you, All Might. But I couldn’t have done it without my friends. Without Kenji, without Himiko, or without Kachaan. Their friendship and willpower gave me the determination to keep going, even when I felt like I was going to die from exhaustion.” 

The number one hero nodded. “Of course, Young Midoriya. Friendships are what keep us going, what fuel our determination, and what give us the courage to do what others may not. And you, my boy, have some of the greatest friends I’ve ever met.” 

Izuku smiled. “That’s right. I do.” 

All Might nodded, before reaching up to his head. 

“That being said, what good is hard work, and determined training, without its proper reward?” 

Izuku’s eyes shone brightly, and his smile widened even further. Katsuki, Kenji, and Himiko all watched in anticipation. 

All Might plucked a hair out of his head and presented it to Izuku. 

“Eat This!” 

“…”

“…” 

“Eh?” Kenji said. 

“Eh?” Himiko said. 

“WHAT?!” Katsuki said. 

“Huh?!” Izuku said. “You want me to eat your hair?!” 

“Yes. Inside this hair, is the One For All quirk. To incorporate it into your body, you must eat it.” 

“Uhh, Mr All Might, sir?” Kenji said, raising his hand. “With all due respect, I could meld the quirk into his body more suitably than him eating it. If I do it, I could also activate his Quirk Factor, so he doesn’t get injured so often, like you warned him.” 

All Might thought about that for a moment. “You have a point, young Kenji. Very well.” He handed the hair over to Kenji. 

Kenji took the hair, then pressed it against Izuku’s arm, and activated his quirk. He felt the DNA inside Izuku’s body, saw the picture inside his mind, and begins working. He opened up the DNA in Izuku’s body, then inserted the sequence of All Might’s hair into the missing section where a quirk would be. The helix snapped into place, and a rainbow light shimmered across the strand, confirming that Izuku’s body had accepted the quirk. 

“And there we go. All done.” 

Izuku flexed his arm. Admiring the red cracks of light that shined across his skin when he activated his new quirk.

“Amazing.” He said. 

“Now, you won’t be able to use All Might’s full power without more training and getting used to the quirk, but you won’t be snapping bones every time you throw a punch.” 

Izuku hugged his childhood friend. “Thank you, Kenji. Thank you for helping me accomplish my dreams.” 

Kenji smiled and patted Izuku on the back. “It’s no issue, really. It was my pleasure to help you.” 

Izuku broke away from the hug and nodded. “Still, thank you.” 

Himiko ran up and hugged her brother. “You can be a hero with us now! This is so exciting!” 

Izuku laughed as he accepted the hug. “Yeah, I guess I can. We can all be heroes now.”

Chapter Text

The next day, the kids took it easy, recuperating their energy for the Entrance Exam. Himiko napped, Katsuki carb loaded, and Izuku was outside, learning how to use One For All. Kenji was with him.

“So, it works by building up energy, then releasing it?” Kenji asked. 

Izuku nodded. “Yeah, that’s how it works. At least, that’s how All Might uses it.” 

“Well, how about we do some experimenting and see what works for you.” 

“Good idea. Let’s start by testing my limits, see how much power I can put behind a strike.” Izuku said. He activated One For All, green electricity dancing up and down his body, as red cracks appeared on his skin. 

“All right. Now try and hit this punching bag at one-quarter power.” Kenji said, putting a standing punching bag down in front of him.

”Uhh, how exactly do I do that?” Izuku asked

“Don’t ask me, I’m not the one with a legendary quirk passed on to me by the greatest hero in the world.” Kenji said.

Izuku nodded nervously, and pictured the deep reservoir of power in his body. He imagined taking a quarter portion of that reserve, then cocked back his fist. 

“Detroit… SMAAAAASH!” He yelled, punching the bag with enough force to send it flying. Izuku wrung his arm out. “Ouch. That stung bad.” 

“Ok, but at least we have a baseline. Your body can handle 25% power without severe damage. However, it does cause pain, so only go that high in emergency situations. Try 10% power.” Kenji said, setting the punching bag up again.

Izuku rubbed his arm, then nodded slowly. 

“Alright. I’ll try 10%.” He said, before activating the power again. This time, he pictured himself pulling a smaller amount of energy out, before punching again. The bag flew back again, but not as far as before. 

“Did that hurt?” Kenji asked. 

“No, not very much. It was a very dull ache at most.” Izuku replied, looking at his clenched fist. 

“Excellent! So now we know you can consistently use 10% of One For All. However, the impact isn’t as great as 25%. We need to find a way to maximize your power at this smaller scale.” Kenji said, writing some things down. 

“That’s a good idea.” Izuku said, sitting down and thinking. “How do I make what little energy I can harness be useful?” 

They brainstormed for a few minutes, before Kenji snapped his fingers. 

“I’ve got it! Concentrate the force to a smaller point! The same reason I use Sabretooth Tiger DNA in my attack animals! If you can concentrate the force of a bite, punch, or any other attack, down to a concentrated point, you can exponentially increase its power!” 

Izuku brightened at that. “You’re a genius! Why didn’t I think of that?” 

“Here, let’s try it out!” Kenji said, setting up the bag yet again. “Try, like, flicking your fingers, or something.” 

Izuku nodded, before pointing his left arm at the bag, bracing it with his right arm, then curling in his middle finger and thumb, and flicking them outward. A shockwave blew a hole straight through the punching bag, causing sand to start pouring out of it. 

“Wow! That was awesome! You totally destroyed that thing!” Kenji cheered, patting Izuku on the back. Izuku smiled brightly up at his friend. 

“Thanks, Kenji! You’re the best!” 

“Aww, thanks, Izuku! Now, come on, let’s start drilling for the written half of the exam!” 

Izuku and Kenji spent the rest of the day studying for the written exam, and were only stopped when Inko called them in for dinner. It was a very nutritious meal, high in calories (For Kenji) and electrolytes (for Katsuki), and had a black pudding dessert (For Himiko). When everything was eaten and the dishes were cleaned up, they went to bed. Kenji looked up at Katsuki as they lay in their bunk beds. 

“Hey, Katsuki?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Are you ready for the Entrance Exam?” 

“Ha! Of course I am, Kenji. I made my shower today as hot as I could, so I could open my pores to sweat more. You’re the one who told me that would be a good idea.” 

“That’s true, I did. Alright. I guess we’ll absolutely destroy whatever they throw at us tomorrow.” 

“You bet we will.” 

Finally, at long last, the day of the Entrance Exam had come. Katsuki and Kenji waved goodbye to their parents, before meeting up with Izuku and Himiko at the bus stop. 

“So, this is it. This is our shot at going to UA, the greatest hero school in all of Japan, maybe even the world.” Izuku said. 

“This is gonna be so fun!” Himiko said, jumping up and down. 

Katsuki crossed his arms. “This is gonna be easy. Ace the written half, then smoke the physical half, and I’m in UA in no time.” 

Kenji lightly smacked his brother’s shoulder as he snacked on an energy bar. “Don’t get too cocky, Katsuki. This is the most prestigious hero school in the country. Who knows what they’ll throw at us.” 

Katsuki scoffed. “Whatever it is, it’ll be no issue for us four, right?” 

“Right!” Himiko said. “We’ve got training from two of the best heroes in the country! We’ve got this!” 

Izuku nodded, and Kenji smirked. Just then, the commute bus arrived, and the doors swung open. The four friends stepped in, and found empty seats next to each other. 

“This map says it’s an hour long commute to Training Ground Beta, where the exam will take place.” 

Kenji was about to reply, when a female voiced squawked in surprise. 

“It’s you!” 

The four of them turned to see a girl with pink skin and hair, yellow curly horns, and black eyes running down the aisle, with a red spiky haired boy tailing her. 

“Uhh, should we know you?” Katsuki asked. 

The girl bowed. “So sorry! My name is Mina Ashido. I remember you four. You saved me from some bullies two years ago. They were making fun of my appearance. My friend, Eijiro Kirishima…” 

“Sup, I’m Kirishima!” Said the red haired boy behind her.

“…tried to stop them, but they were big and strong.” She said, before looking up and smiling. “Thank you for saving me. You’re real heroes.” 

Izuku smiled kindly. “It’s no big deal, we just help wherever and whenever we can. It’s what we do!” 

Mina’s smile widened. “Still, I’m very grateful. Would you mind if Kirishima and I sat here?” 

Himiko jumped up. “Yes! Yes please! Sit here! You look so cool!” 

Mina startled at Himiko’s enthusiasm, but quickly nodded and sat down next to her and Izuku

“I’m Himiko Midoriya!” Himiko said with a big grin. “And that’s my brother, Izuku Midoriya, and our best friends, twin brothers Kenji, and Katsuki Bakugo.” 

Mina nodded at each name. “Nice to meet you all!” She said. 

“So! Tell me everything! Why do you look like that? Is it natural? Do you have a mutant-type quirk? Can you lift things with your horns?” Himiko started drilling, as Kirishima sat down next to Katsuki and Kenji. 

“So, you two are twins, huh? Sound neat. I always wanted a twin, someone who just, like, understood me, you know? Like, he just gets me.“ 

Kenji nodded. “Yeah, being a twin is pretty neat, but I lucked out in getting Katsuki. He’s the brawn, I’m the brains.” 

Kirishima looked between the two, and nodded. “That sounds about right. So, what’re your quirks?” 

Katsuki flexed an arm “Explosion. My sweat has explosive properties, and I can spark it to make big booms.” 

Kenji adjusted his glasses. “Protogenesis. By touching an animal, I can edit its DNA. I can heal wounds, induce mutations, and even mix genes together to make hybrid animals. I can also reverse and fast forward evolution, to revive dinosaurs.” 

Kirishima looked awed. “Whoa! Those are some manly quirks! I love ‘em!” He said, before holding out his hand. Suddenly, it became hard, jagged, and stiff. “Mine’s called Hardening. Pretty simple, I can make my body really tough and strong.” 

Katsuki nodded. “Pretty solid. How tough can you go?” 

Kirishima grinned. “So far, I’ve been able to resist a grenade blast with no issue! Pretty cool, right?” 

Kenji gasped. “No way! Like, a full on frag grenade, right? Not, like, a flashbang, or a smoke grenade?” 

Kirishima shook his head. “Nope. Frag grenade. My folks got a hold of an M80, and I took it head on!” 

“That’s so cool!” Kenji said. 

They continued to chat for a while, before the bus stopped, and the doors opened. Kids filed out and walked up to the admission booth. A middle aged woman, maybe late 40s, sat in the booth, beckoning the kids to come forward and register for the exam. When the four friends, now with Kirishima and Mina tagging along, came to the desk, the lady clicked her counter six times, and spoke in a monotone voice. 

“Name and quirk?” She asked 

“Katsuki Bakugo, Quirk: Explosion.” 

“Kenji Bakugo, Quirk: Protogenesis.” 

“Eijiro Kirishima, Quirk: Hardening.” 

“Izuku Midoriya, Quirk: Kinetic Burst.” 

“Himiko Midoriya, Quirk: Transform.”

“Mina Ashido, Quirk, Acid!” 

The woman wrote down their names, then waved them aside. 

“Proceed to the Photo Booth and the uniform station.” She droned. 

The six of them nodded, and walked to a Photo Booth right next to the entrance of the building. They got their photos taken for their IDs, and then proceeded to the uniform station, where they received blue uniforms with the letters U.A. emblazoned onto them. After that, they went into the building, where a massive auditorium greeted them. They found seats, and sat down. The room was filled with chatter for several minutes, before the lights dimmed, and two men, one with tall yellow hair and orange sunglasses, and the other with sky blue hair and aviation goggles on his forehead, stepped onto the stage. 

“Welcome, welcome, little listeners!” The yellow haired man started. “To the UA Entrance Exam! I’m your host, Present Mic!” 

“And I’m your cohost, Nimbus!” The sky-haired man added in. 

“And together, we are the hero duo, SoundCloud!” They said in unison. 

“But for today, we’re gonna be telling you everything you need to know about the Entrance Exam you’re about to take!” Present Mic said. 

“The written half is pretty normal, just the average test that you’re all used to, quizzing you on everything there is about being a hero.” Nimbus said. “But the physical half is what’s really neat!” 

“You’ll be placed into four groups of about 50. From each group, only the top ten will pass, and become the next generation of UA Attendees!” Mic said. 

“But what is the physical half going to be, you might ask. Good question! You’ll be sent into a mock city, where we have set up robots that represent villains! Each bot is worth a different amount of points based on how powerful it is, with One, Two, and Three point bots! Whoever has the most points wins!” Nimbus says. 

Suddenly, someone in front of Kenji, a tall boy with blue hair, raises his hand. “Sirs! A question!” 

Present Mic pointed at him. “Yes, little listener! What is your question?” 

“In the handout pamphlets, there are four robots displayed. What is the meaning of this?” 

Nimbus smiled. “Good question again! That’s a Zero Point robot. Think of it as an extra obstacle. There’s no reason to fight it, so it’s not worth any points.” 

The tall boy nodded, and sat down. 

“Alright! With the briefing out of the way, let’s get on to the written exam!” 

Slowly, the auditorium emptied, and everyone went to quiet classrooms to take the test. They were separated by IQ, so Kenji and Izuku were in the same classroom with about 8 other kids. Two sheets of paper stapled together were placed in front of them, and the timer began. 

Kenji read each question, and answered methodically. There was no point in panicking, that would only make him stumble and make a mistake. He could hear others doing so, but he kept his breathing steady, and answered each question. 

“What is a telltale sign of a villain attack about to take place?” 

“What is the correct sequence of actions during a villain attack?” 

“How do you handle an urgent dispatch if you are occupied with something else at the moment? Write your answer.” 

Eventually, Kenji finished the test, and turned it in. He was given a small snack of chips and a bottle of water to tide him over until all the tests were completed. He stepped outside for some fresh air, and called his pet bird, Gryphon, to him. The massive Harpy Eagle perched beside him, and chattered happily as he scratched its head. 

“Wish me luck on the physical exam, ok, Griff?” He said, looking into the bird’s piercing eyes. 

“Mehht” The eagle replied, ruffling its own feathers as it adjusted itself. 

Kenji chuckled, and sat with his pet for a while longer, before the tests came to a close, and his friends came outside. Kenji dismissed Gryphon, letting him fly away, before standing up. 

“So? How’d your tests go?” He asked his friends. 

“Well enough, I’m pretty confident.” Izuku said. 

“Easy peasy!” Katsuki said with a smirk. 

“I had a bit of trouble, but I think I did well.” Himiko said. 

“Same here. Some of those questions were difficult!” Kirishima said. 

“Ok, full honesty, I didn’t know half of them. I pretty much just guessed. I hope I do well enough in the physical portion to succeed.” Mina admitted. 

“I’m sure you’ll do fine. You’ve got a great quirk for this kind of thing!” Kirishima said. 

“Speaking of which, the Physical portion is about to begin. We should probably get in line, to make sure we’re all in the same group.” Izuku said. 

“Let’s ace this thing!” Katsuki said, as the six friends walked toward Training Ground Beta.

Chapter Text

As the group of friends walked towards Training Ground Beta, they conversed. 

“So, how exactly does your quirk, like, work?” Mina asked Kenji. 

Kenji tapped his chin in a thoughtful gesture. “Well, basically, when I touch a living organism, I can interface with its cells and DNA. Think of it as writing an online document. I can “edit” the cells to heal or induce mutations, I can “copy and paste” DNA from one species to another, making a hybrid, and I can reverse evolution by spamming “undo”, as well as the inverse, skipping forward in evolution. Doing these edits takes a lot of calories, though, which is why I’m always snacking, but still look lean. It’s kind of difficult to explain but that’s my best analogy.” 

“Ya know what, that’ll work, I think I can understand that. Thanks.” Mina said. 

“How many calories?” Kirishima asked. 

“Depends on the edit. Healing and minor mutations, like color changes, denser bones, thicker skin, take about one granola bar worth of energy, whereas hybrids and evolution manipulation take much more.” 

“I see.” Kirishima said. “So you need to eat a lot of calories to make the most of your quirk.” 

“Exactly.” Kenji said. 

“It’s part of the reason Auntie Mitsuki and Mom make really high-energy meals. Kenji needs every calorie he can-YIPE!” 

Izuku was abruptly cut off when he tripped over a thin silk line in front of him. He was about to hit the concrete, when a girl quickly tapped him on the back, and he stopped falling in midair. 

“Are you ok?” The girl asked, helping Izuku back on his feet. 

“Yes, thank you.” He said with a smile. 

Kenji looked around, and saw a gangly-looking boy with six eyes, and four long spindly spider legs coming out of his back snicker as he walked away, muttering something to a blonde-haired girl about “Stupid Quirkless Normies” 

The girl returned the smile. “I’m Ochako Uraraka. Sorry, I should have asked before using my quirk on you.” 

“No, it’s fine! If I may ask, what is your quirk?” Izuku asked, pulling out his notebook. 

“Zero Gravity! I can remove the gravity from anything I touch! Real neat, huh?” Ochako said, releasing Izuku from her quirk’s effects. 

“Fascinating…” Izuku said, scribbling notes down. When Ochako looked at him quizzically, Himiko stepped in. 

“He does that all the time. He’s a big quirk nerd.” She said. 

“Ah, I see. That’s neat!” Ochako said. Suddenly, a buzzer sounded.

”All Competitors For The UA Entrance Exam Report To Training Ground Beta.”

A loud voice over the speakers said. 

“Well, we should probably get going. Don’t wanna miss our shot!” Ochako said. 

The others nodded and started running towards the entrance gate, where they lined up with other contestants. Kids of all shapes and sizes surrounded them. Kenji looked up at the large Jumbotron above the gate. 

Objective: Destroy Training Bots To Earn Points. 

“Are the contestants ready?” Present Mic’s voice took over the loudspeakers. His question was answered by a wave of shouts and cheers. 

“Alrighty then! On your Marks, get set, BEGIN!” He yelled. All 50 students raced into the faux city, scrambling to get as many points as possible. Well, 49 students raced inside.

Kenji strolled in, and as soon as he found a clearing, put his hand to the ground, and unleashed a pulse of energy, searching for ancient fossils to work his magic on. When he got feedback, he smiled widely. 

“Bingo. Revive!” He said, sending a more concentrated pulse of energy down to the fossils he found. The ground shook, and cracked, as a pack of six large Utahraptor skeletons emerged from the earth. Muscle grew over the bones, then blood vessels, and finally, skin and scales, as the ancient predators came to life. He mounted one of them, and the pack took off into the city, searching for the training robots. 

The pack hunted with excellent precision and synergy, moving together as one united team. Any time they came across one of the army green robots with a point value painted on it, it was quickly dismembered by a flurry of claws and teeth. It was genuinely awe-inspiring, to see Kenji systematically conquering each robot, one at a time, with his Utahraptor pack. 

Hizashi Yamada watched Kenji’s progress on screen, from the dark spectator’s room. He leaned over and spoke to Aizawa and Shirakumo. 

“That’s the one you trained, right, Shota?” 

“One of them, yes. He’s incredibly intelligent, strategic, and analytical. Give him time to formulate a plan, and you’ve given him a near guaranteed victory.” Aizawa replied

“Wow, I haven’t seen you speak so highly of anyone.” Oboro said with a small smile. “You must have quite a soft spot for this boy and his friends.”

“They have talent I respect.” Aizawa said. 

Yamada rolled his eyes. “Just admit you like them, Shota. You’ve let Emi wear you down to much, we know you’re not really the dark, broody guy you advertise yourself as.” 

It was Aizawa’s turn to roll his eyes. “Just move to the next cam drone.” 

“BOOM!” Katsuki yelled as he destroyed another robot. These things were weak! A trail of red-hot molten metal followed his war path. He used his explosions to propel himself up to a vantage point, where he could find more useless bots to crush. 

“Where are they…” He muttered as he scanned the area. Suddenly, his eyes locked on a group of Two-point robots, their tails raised high as they cornered a boy with flaming hair. Katsuki smirked. 

“Just in time. Super Explosive Mortar Bomb!” He yelled, blasting himself into the air, before cannonballing downwards, unleashing an explosion as he hit the ground, right in the middle of the robots. 

“T-thanks!” The boy said. 

“Don’t let yourself get ambushed.” Katsuki said, before jetting back into the air. 

“That one’s got spunk, don’t you think?” Hizashi said, pointing to the screen displaying Katsuki’s camera feed.

Shota nodded. “Katsuki Bakugo. He’s Kenji’s twin brother. They have the same fiery determination, and perseverance, but other than that, and aside from looks, they’re nothing alike. Katsuki’s hard-headed, physically imposing, bold, and impulsive. Kenji is strategic, analytical, and physically unassuming. They’re two sides of a very powerful coin.” 

“I see…” Oboro said. “Hopefully that brazen attitude won’t interfere with his heroic spirit.” 

Aizawa stifled a chuckle. “That attitude will be the last thing that gets in his way. He can’t stand to see himself or his friends losing, or being beaten. He is determined to make sure that they’re always on top.” 

Yamada smirked. “Well then, that’s good. Let’s see what Cameras 35 and 44 are seeing.” 

“Mega Manly Cannonball!” Kirishima yelled as he burst through the other side of a 1 point robot. He and Mina had decided to stick together for the exam, and they were both doing quite well. 

“This is fun!” Mina said as she threw a glob of slimy acid at the head of another 1 point robot. “These bots are super easy!” 

“Don’t jinx us, Mina. We don’t know what they’ll throw at us. There’s still 7 minutes left to go.” Kirishima said as he hardened to tank the blast from a 2 pointer. 

Mina smiled and stuck her tongue out. “Blehh, I’m sure whatever they send after us, you can handle, Mr Big and Manly.” 

Kirishima blushed slightly and sighed. “You’re right. Come on, let’s try and find some Three Pointers.” 

He checked the scoreboard. “We’re in 5th and 6th right now. If we both keep steadily increasing our points, we can pass!” 

Mina squealed in excitement. “We’re gonna get to go to UA! I’m so excited!” 

“Those two seem to be quite chipper.” Aizawa said as he sipped his third coffee of the day.

“Definitely. They seem to be doing well working together.” Oboro said. 

“They’re settled in a pretty comfortable spot on the charts.” Yamada said. “But let’s see what happens when we send in the big boy to play.” 

Himiko disabled another robot. She was extremely lucky they let her register her utility belt as official support gear. Otherwise she’d have been in a lot of trouble, without any real way to destroy the robots. She drove the tip of her shock baton into another 2 pointer, frying its circuits and disabling its power. 

“If I keep this up, I’ll get into UA in no time! And I’ll get to go to school with all my friends!” She said to herself. She thought about her friends. Her brother, Izuku, was such a bundle of joy, and he’d be able to help her with tests and homework when she needed it. Her new friends, Mina and Kirishima. Mina was adorable! Her little horns, and her cute skin and eyes, and her upbeat attitude was infectious, as Himiko hadn’t stopped smiling since they started chatting. Kirishima was cool too, he seemed like a nice guy, and seemed to personify positive masculinity. She thought of Katsuki, that explosive ball of energy that loved to spar with her. Their play fights were probably more intense than most Pro Heroes fighting villains. She thought of Kenji. Oh, Kenji. He was amazing. He was smart, funny, and so, so sunny. He brightened her day every day, even during the nightmare that was Aldera Middle School. His eyes, how his golden one reflected the sunlight so beautifully, and his green one shone like an emerald any time he smiled. He was so happy, so lovable so drea-

Focus! 

She slapped herself on the cheek, waking herself up from her daydream. She couldn’t fangirl over her childhood friend! There were too many memories together! Too close of a bond! She couldn’t ruin their friendship by bringing romance into it! That just wouldn’t work! 

Himiko focused on the task at hand, destroying any robot in sight. She had made her way to the center of the city, where an open area was laid out. Robot scraps and melted slag were everywhere. 

“Aw, darn it. I was too late!” She said, kicking a robotic eyeball across the road. She was about to walk away, when suddenly, the sound of massive machinery whirring and clanking made her turn around. A few hundred yards away, a massive hatch in the ground slid open, and a ginormous robot climbed out. The Zero Pointer that Present Mic had talked about. No one said it would be this big! 

The massive robot swung its fist, crashing into a building and showering the area in front of it with debris. 

“Crap.” She said, sprinting in the opposite direction. She internally panicked, dodging the other robots instead of destroying them. 

She couldn’t handle a robot that massive! She had knives and batons! Not massive flashy attacks like Katsuki or Izuku! Her best chance was to run and find- 

“Help!” 

Himiko froze, and whipped around. In the distance, she could see that girl who helped Izuku, Ochako, she recalled, trapped under the rubble, calling for help. 

“Please! Help! I’m stuck!” 

She paused, contemplating if it was worth it, before gritting her teeth and running towards the rubble. How could she say she was a good person if she ran away from responsibility? She pulled out a baton, and, upon reaching Ochako, began digging away the rubble. 

Ochako looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. “You… you actually came?” 

Himiko forced a smile. “Of course I did. Everyone else is running away, the cowards. Come on, can you move?” 

Ochako grunted, tried to push herself up, and shook her head. 

“No, my legs are pinned. They might be broken.” 

Himiko cursed internally. She’d have to find a way to- 

BLAM!

Time slowed down, and Himiko looked down slowly in horror as her arm was blasted clean off her shoulder. Blood spurted everywhere, and Himiko doubled over in pain. She could hear a dozen or so robots approaching from behind, but she couldn’t fight. Her body was wracked with pain and fear. She did the only thing she could think of. 

“IZUKU! KENJI! HELLLLP!”

Izuku was halfway across the city when he heard the Zero Pointer awaken. He destroyed the last bot nearby with a finger flick, which he had officially named “Delaware Smash, Single Barrel”, then climbed up to a nearby rooftop. His jaw dropped when he saw the Zero Pointer, surrounded by a cloud of dust. He was about to leap off the building and escape, when he heard the squawking roar of a Utahraptor. He turned around and looked down, and saw Kenji and Katsuki riding two of the massive cobalt blue-feathered raptors like horses. 

“I heard Himiko call for help. She was nearby the Zero Pointer. Let’s go!” Kenji said. 

Izuku nodded and leaped onto the back of one of the Utahraptors. The three of them rode out, meeting up with Kirishima and Mina on the way there. They got to the center of the city, and all gaped in awe and horror at the size of the Zero Pointer. 

“That thing… is massive.” Mina said with wide eyes. 

Kenji scanned the ground. “There! I see Himiko! And… Ochako too! They’re surrounded by robots, and Himiko’s bleeding, bad! I think her arm is gone!” 

Izuku’s eyes widened. “We gotta go!” 

“Are you crazy?!” Katsuki said. “We go up close to that thing, we’re gonna end up like them!” 

“We have to save them, though!” Izuku said. 

Kenji thought for a moment, before snapping his fingers. “I’ve got it! We need to take out the Zero Pointer, and the other bots, before we save Himiko and Ochako. And I have just the plan!” 

Himiko lay on the ground, softly whimpering in pain as the robots surrounding her and Ochako drew closer.  

“It’s my fault.” Ochako said. “I decided to investigate the sound of the Zero Pointer, and didn’t think to check from a distance.” 

Himiko groaned as she clutched her bleeding shoulder. “Don’t talk like that. We’re gonna be ok. I hope.” 

Ochako looked incredulous. “What? How are we gonna be ok? We’re about to be crushed by a 300 foot tall robot!” 

Himiko gritted her teeth and smiled. “I believe in my friends.” 

As if on cue, the sound of explosions filled the air. Himiko looked up and saw Katsuki launching Izuku upwards towards the Zero Pointer. 

“We should do Kachaan Cannon.” Izuku said.

“We are NOT doing Kachaan Cannon.” Katsuki said.

“Make up your minds and move it! Lives are on the line!” Kenji said as he sculpted one of his Utahraptors out of sight. 

Katsuki sighed, and picked Izuku up. 

“Not a word to anyone.” He said, before launching Izuku upwards with an explosive blast. 

“Kachaan Cannon!” Izuku yelled, as he soared through the air, up to the Zero Pointer. He pointed his hand at the massive robot’s head, before curling two fingers and his thumb inwards. 

“Delaware Smash, Double Barrel!” He yelled, flicking his fingers. The shockwaves blew through the head of the Zero Pointer like twin sniper bullets, causing the massive automaton to shut down and start to tip over. 

Before it could crush the two girls beneath it, Kenji commanded an army of Diplodocus to crash into it, tipping it the other way, causing it to slam into the earth. 

“Move in!” Kenji commanded, and Kirishima and Mina did so, sliding in on a slippery slide created by Mina’s acid. They quickly defeated the remaining robots, before Mina started dissolving the debris trapping Ochako and Himiko. 

Kenji dropped down next to them and carefully lifted Himiko out of the rubble. “Are you ok?” He asked. 

Himiko’s lip trembled as tears leaked from her face. “I was so scared… thank you, Kenji.” She said. 

Kenji gently sat down, holding her in his arms. “It’s ok. I know that was scary. Here, let me take care of that arm.” 

Himiko nodded, then tilted her armless shoulder towards him. Kenji placed a hand on her shoulder, and activated his quirk. The bones were the first to regrow, followed by muscle, blood vessels, and finally, skin. 

“There we go” Kenji said, as he unwrapped an energy bar. “Good as new.” 

Himiko flexed her hand and arm experimentally. “Wow, it… feels just like my old arm.” She said. 

Kenji nodded as he chewed and swallowed. “It’s just regeneration. It isn’t mechanical or anything. 

Himiko hugged Kenji again. “Thank you. Thank you so, so much.” 

Kenji smiled. “You’re Welcome, Himiko.” 

Izuku lifted Ochako from the rubble. 

“Are you ok, Uraraka?” He asked. 

She dusted herself off and nodded. “My ankle’s a little sprained, but otherwise I’m good. Thanks for saving me!” She said with a smile. 

Izuku sighed in relief. 

“Thank goodness. I was worried something bad might have happened.” 

Ochako giggled. “I’m fine, silly. But really. Thank you for saving me. Everyone else was running away, but Himiko… all of you… you chose to save me instead.” 

Kirishima walked up and smiled. “Well, if we’re gonna be heroes, of course we would want to save people. 

Ochaco smiled softly and sat down, when the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the Exam. 

“Oh! They’re gonna tally the scores!” Izuku said. “Uraraka, can you walk?” 

Ochako stood up and smiled. “Yeah, I can walk fine. And you can call me Ochako.” 

Izuku blushed at that, but nodded. “Gotcha. I’m Izuku. And these are my friends, Kenji, Katsuki, Himiko, Eijiro, and Mina.” 

Everyone gave a wave when their name was mentioned. 

“Nice to meet you all!” Ochako said. 

Kenji looked down at Himiko. “Can you walk, Himiko?” 

Himiko froze for a minute, looking into Kenji’s heterochromic eyes, before nodding. 

“Y-yeah. I can walk ok.” 

Kenji nodded. “Good. Let’s go.” 

The seven of them walked back to the auditorium, and sat down together. This time, it only took a few minutes for the auditorium to fill, and the lights to dim. Present Mic and Nimbus walked back onstage. 

“Alright, you hero-licious kiddos, the results are tallied and the placements are made. Let’s look at the final scores!” Present Mic said

A hologram of the points scored appeared on the wall, displaying the top ten placements from the group in Training Ground Beta. 

10th: Seiji Shishikura

9th: Ochako Uraraka

8th: Yuga Aoyama

7th: Fumikage Tokoyami

6th: Tenya Ida 

5th: Mina Ashido 

4th: Eijiro Kirishima 

3rd: Izuku Midoriya

2nd: Kenji Bakugo

1: Katsuki Bakugo

The group was devastated. Himiko hadn’t made it into the top ten. She wouldn’t be going to UA. 

Himiko shrugged nonchalantly, but they could tell tears were beading at her eyes. 

“It’s ok. At least I saved Ochaco. I’ll just take the-“ 

“But wait! There’s more!” Nimbus said, obscuring the hologram with a fluffy white cloud. 

“While spectating the events of the Exam, we noticed some amazing heroic action from a few individuals. And what kind of hero school wouldn’t award the heroic spirit, or determination to save others?” Present Mic said. 

Nimbus removed the cloud, and they saw that Kenji, Katsuki, Izuku, Kirishima and Mina had jumped up in points, and Seiji Shishikura had been kicked off the leaderboard. 

10th: Himiko Midoriya

The seven friends erupted in cheers, all hugging Himiko, whose tears of despair had turned into tears of joy. Off in the distance, they could hear Seiji Shishikura’s squawk of outrage, but that didn’t matter at the moment.

“You did it! You got in, Himiko!” Kenji said, hugging Himiko. 

Himiko wiped some tears from her face and smiled brightly. “I did! I did!” She said. 

“And it’s all because you saved me!” Ochaco said. “Thank you so so much. You’re amazing, Himiko”  

“Will our winners come up to the podium?” Present Mic said. The seven friends, as well as Yuga Aoyama, Tenya Ida, and Fumikage Tokoyami, walked up and stood on the podium. 

“It’s my pleasure, on behalf of the UA Staff, to welcome you ten to the greatest school in Japan. Welcome to UA!” 

Chapter Text

The next week passed by quickly. Kenji, Katsuki, Izuku and Himiko spent it preparing for their first day. The first day of school quickly came, and Mitsuki and Inko sent their kids off with hugs and goodbyes for everyone. 

“Be safe! Do your best!” Inko said as she waved. 

Izuku smiled and waved back. 

“Will do! Love you!” 

“Hey! Make sure you and your friends are the best there is, got it?” Mitsuki said. 

Kenji nodded, and Katsuki smirked. 

“I’ll make sure of it” he said, making small pops as he clenched his fist. 

As they walked towards UA, they met up with Mina and Kirishima. 

“Hey guys! Glad you made it!” Kenji said, high fiveing Kirishima. 

“Of course we made it! We didn’t go this far just to decline the invitation to UA, of all places!” Kirishima said.

Mina glomped Himiko, hugging her tightly. “I’m so excited! This is gonna be so fun!” 

Himiko wheezed and patted Mina’s back, getting her to loosen her grip, before smiling at her. “I know right? We get to attend the greatest hero school in the country!” 

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Izuku said. 

“Going to UA? Got room for one more?” Said a voice behind them. The group turned around, and smiled as a familiar brown-haired girl approached. 

“Urarak-uhh, Ochako!” Izuku said. “Nice to see you again!” 

“Same!” She said, giving Izuku a thumbs up. “I can’t wait to see what U.A. has in store for us!”

The group continued their travel to the school campus, and eventually came to the front gates, where the humongous building towered over them. It looked majestic, like a monument to the great heroes it created. 

“Whoa… it’s so much cooler in person!” Himiko said, gaping at the large arch, with the letters U.A. on top of it. The gate slid open, and the seven friends proceeded through, then opened the doors into the building. Inside, they saw teens of all shapes and sizes, of all kinds of quirks, walking around and mingling with others. 

“So this is U.A…” Kenji said. 

“Only the best for the best hero students.” Katsuki said. 

Kenji nodded, and pulled out a map of the building. 

“We’re in class 1-A. It’s this way.” He said, pointing up the stairs. The others nodded, and followed him to the classroom. They stopped in front of a massive door. 

“It’s so big…” Ochako said. 

Kenji looked at his friends, then pushed the door open. Inside was a classroom, with 20 desks arranged in 5 rows of 4, with metal and plastic chairs behind each one. Sitting opposite the desks was a larger semicircle desk, with a padded office chair, and inside that chair, sipping black coffee, sat the familiar, sullen face of Shota Aizawa. 

“Mr Aizawa!” Kenji, Katsuki, Izuku and Himiko said, while Mina, Kirishima, and Ochako looked at them in confusion. 

“Wait, you know him?” The three said in unison. 

“Yes, he was our personal trainer for about a year before we took the exam.” Kenji said. 

“He seems dark and cold at first, but he’s a total softie underneath.” 

Aizawa put down his coffee and sighed. “Hello, kids. Yes, I was their trainer for some time. My name is Shota Aizawa, but Mr Aizawa or Mr Eraserhead will suffice.”

“Yes Mr Aizawa!” The seven said. Aizawa nodded and gestured to the desks. 

“I’ve arranged the class’s seats in alphabetical order. Find your name plates and take a seat. The others will arrive soon.”

They nodded and found their seats. Kenji was in the second row, right behind Katsuki, while Mina was in the seat two spaces to the left of Katsuki, Kirishima, Izuku, and Himiko were all in the same row, and Uraraka was in the last row, in the second to last seat. After a few minutes, a boy with a crow’s head, and a girl with dark green hair and large eyes walked in. Kenji was quick to greet them. 

“Hi! I’m Kenji Bakugo! What’re your names?” 

The green haired girl spoke up. 

“Tsuyu Asui. This is my friend, Fumikage Tokoyami.” She said, ending her sentence with a small “ribbit”.  

“Greetings.” Tokoyami said, before a black bird-like silhouette flew out of his shirt and rushed over to Kenji. 

“Hi! I’m Dark Shadow! Whoa, your eyes are so cool! You look so awesome!” The shadow said all in one breath, before Tokoyami grabbed the shadowy cord binding the two together and yanked it, pulling him back. 

“Apologies, he is very energetic and excitable.” 

Kenji smiled and shook his head amusedly. “It’s no problem, really. Glad to meet you.”

“The feeling is mutual.” Tokoyami said, before sitting down in his seat, with Tsuyu doing the same. Eventually, more and more kids entered the room, and sat down. Once the classroom was full, Aizawa stood up and cleared his throat. 

“Attention, students. It’s my duty to welcome you all to Class 1-A, of U.A. High school. I am your homeroom teacher, Mr Aizawa, and we are going to start the day with a Quirk Apprehension Test. Meet me outs-“ 

“Sir!” A blue haired boy interrupted. “On the first day, we are supposed to have orientation! What is the meaning of this gross divergence of schedule?” 

Aizawa sighed and took a swig of coffee. “Tenya Ida, is it? I’ve chosen to skip the orientation as I find it unimportant. Anything you would’ve learned from it can be found in the pamphlets that were passed out this morning. Understand?” 

Ida reluctantly nodded. “Yes sir.” He said. 

“Very good, now, everyone meet me outside at the training pitch in five minutes.” 

The class nodded, and walked outside to the large training yard outside the building. A few minutes later, Aizawa joined them, holding a high tech ball. 

“Hello everyone, we will now begin the Quirk Apprehension Test.” He said, before passing the ball to Katsuki. “Katsuki, throw this ball, without your quirk’s assistance.” 

Katsuki nodded, before throwing the ball. It soared through the sky, and landed a couple dozen yards away. 

48.2 meters

The screen behind Aizawa displayed the ball’s distance traveled. 

“Now try it with your quirk.” Aizawa said, picking up the ball, and handing it back to him

Katsuki nodded, then threw it again, this time blasting it with a powerful explosion. This time, the ball traveled all the way out of eyesight. 

800.6 meters

”Very good.” Aizawa said. “These tests will give me an idea of your quirks’ strengths and weaknesses. We will begin with the 50 meter dash.” 

The class lined up, and Aizawa raised a starting pistol, and fired it into the air. Everyone took off running, some, like Ida, Katsuki, and Mina, using their quirks to boost their speed, while others, like Kenji, Himiko, and Kirishima, didn’t have any way to enhance their speed, and simply ran as fast as they could. Eventually, once everyone finished, the timer stopped. 

Kenji sat down and drank water. It was unfortunate that his quirk couldn’t help him in any physical tests like this, but he would just have to deal with it. Meanwhile, he’d try to brainstorm a way to make his quirk useful in this test. 

Next up was the grip strength test, and it was quite thoroughly dominated by a six-armed boy by the name of Mezo Shoji. Again, Kenji was only able to put forth mediocre results. Same went for the next three tests, the standing long jump, the side to side jumps, and the endurance run. He was, however, able to perform exceptionally well in the flexibility test, second only to Himiko. 

Eventually, the final test, the Ball Throw, was all that remained, and Kenji was still working out a game plan. 

I’ve got to find a way! I need to prove to Mr Aizawa that I haven’t gotten sloppy in the week and a half I haven’t been training with him. He thought to himself. He had to think of a way to do well in this final test. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration hit him, and he snapped his fingers. When his turn came up, he grabbed the ball. 

Here goes nothing… 

He said, before cocking back his arm, holding the ball in his hand. Suddenly, he activated his quirk, dumping everything he had into his arm, causing it to swell with muscle as he catapulted the ball into the far distance. He smiled, before he grew lightheaded and passed out. 

Himiko watched Kenji fall, and rushed to catch him. 

“Kenji!” She shrieked, skidding across the ground to catch her friend before he fell. His head landed in her lap at the last second, causing her to breathe a sigh of relief, and one of her classmates, a short kid with purple bulbous hair, to squawk in shock and outrage. 

“I need energy bars!” She called to her classmates. A girl with black hair, tied in a spiky ponytail, walked up and handed her a protein bar. 

“Here, I keep some on me, since my quirk also requires calories to use.” She said. 

Himiko accepted it gratefully, then unwrapped it and gently fed it to the unconscious boy. 

“He gets to lay in her lap, and get fed by her? No fair…” the purple haired boy muttered, before Tsuyu smacked him with her long tongue. 

Slowly, Kenji’s eyes opened again, and he looked up at Himiko, as his swollen arm deflated and shrinked back to it’s normal size.

“Did I go too far?” He asked. 

Himiko giggled. “Well, you passed out, so, yeah. I just hope it was worth it.” 

“It most certainly was.” Aizawa said, walking up. He pointed to the screen where the ball’s distance travelled was displayed. 

2.2 Kilometers 

The whole class was surprised, as they looked at the screen. Meanwhile, Aizawa knelt down next to Kenji. 

“You didn’t have to do that, you know. I know your quirk, as well as Himiko’s, aren’t offensive like most of your class. This was mainly a test for the students I haven’t been training for 10 months.” He said, smirking slightly. 

“I know.” Kenji said, standing up with Himiko’s help. “I just wanted to prove that I was still useful.” 

Aizawa shook his head with a slight smile “I thought I taught you why you shouldn’t make wild sacrificial moves like that.” 

Kenji chuckled. “I know, but still.” 

Aizawa rolled his eyes, then turned to the class. 

“That concludes our Quirk Apprehension Test. Let’s see the scores.” 

A leaderboard, similar to the one at the Entrance Exam, displayed everyone’s rankings. 

10: Tsuyu Asui

9: Mina Ashido

8: Ochako Uraraka

7: Tenya Ida

6: Mezo Shoji

5: Eijiro Kirishima 

4: Fumikage Tokoyami

3: Izuku Midoriya 

2: Shoto Todoroki 

1: Katsuki Bakugo

”The other scores are here. Take a look at where you placed.” Aizawa said, revealing a second board with the other 10 placements. Kenji took a look at it, and saw that he had placed 17th, in front of Himiko at 18th, a boy named Koji Koda at 19th, and a boy named Minoru Mineta, the boy from earlier, at 20th. 

“Aww man! We didn’t even get close!” Himiko said, kicking a rock. 

“It’s ok if you placed low.” Aizawa said. “Most of you have strengths in other places. I’m sure your quirks will become stronger with training. For now, class it dismissed. I’ll see you all after the break.” 

Chapter Text

The class walked back inside, and went to the locker rooms to change. As Kenji pulled off his uniform shirt, he felt a light smack on his kneecap. 

“What gives, man? How do you do it?” 

“Huh?” Kenji said, before looking downwards. There was that purple haired boy from earlier, Minoru Mineta. 

“Uhh, I just dumped all my quirk energy into my beefing up my arm with muscles and-“ 

“Not that!” Mineta said. “That girl! She was coddling you like you were the most precious thing in the world! How do you make her love you like that?!” He waved his arms around for emphasis. 

“Wait, are you talking about Himiko?” 

“Himiko… Oh, even her name is so attractive! I just want to dig my hands into her thick-” 

DONK! 

Mineta’s head was suddenly slammed into the ground by Dark Shadow headbutting him. Fumikage reeled him back, before picking the unconscious boy. 

“I apologize, Bakugo. Tsu and I shared a middle school class with this delinquent, and we know how he can get.” 

Kenji blinked a couple of times at the efficiency of which they disabled the small kid, before nodding a couple times. 

“Oh, of course. And please” he said, as he smiled at the bird-headed boy. “Call me Kenji. It’ll be easier to distinguish me from my twin if you call us by our first names.” 

Fumikage nodded. “Very well, Kenji. In that case, you may call me Fumikage.”  

“Got it. Fumikage it is.” 

Fumikage nodded, before walking away with the now-conscious boy squirming in his grasp. 

“Hey! Lemme go! I need to figure out what kind of hypnosis that guy has that lets him be around all the hotties!”  

“The only hypnosis you’ll have to worry about is mine.” A voice said from around the corner. Kenji turned and curiously followed the sound to a tired-looking, purple haired boy. 

“Oh! Who are you?” He asked. 

The purple haired boy looked at him, squinting slightly, sizing him up. “Hitoshi Aizawa. And you’re Kenji Bakugo, one of my father’s trainees, correct?” 

Kenji was about to answer, when Hitoshi held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t answer my questions immediately. My quirk makes it so that anyone who converses with me gets put in a hypnotic trance, and becomes completely under my control. You can circumnavigate it by waiting a few moments before replying.” 

Kenji nodded, before pausing for a couple of seconds, then continuing. “Yeah, I’m one of the kids Mr Aizawa was training. Are you his son?” 

Hitoshi nodded. “Adopted, but yes.” 

Suddenly, a snort came from nearby Katsuki’s locker, and he spoke up. 

“Pretty sure that was obvious, Puppetmaster.”  

Hitoshi whipped around, and glared at the spiky-haired boy. 

“You got a problem with that, Firecracker?” 

Katsuki met his gaze fearlessly, and walked up till they met eye to eye. Hitoshi’s tired, annoyed eyes met Katsuki’s smug, cocky ones, and everyone else in the room could feel the tension. After a few moments, Katsuki chuckled. 

“I like this one. Stubborn. See ya around, Hypno-Boy.” He said, before walking away. 

Hitoshi scowled at Katsuki’s back, before Kenji spoke up. 

“Sorry about him. He tends to have a shorter fuse than most, but he’s getting better.” 

Hitoshi scoffed, before returning to his locker, while Kenji returned to his. 

“Yo, Kenji!” A familiar voice said from behind him. 

Kenji turned around and smiled. 

“Heya, Kirishima! What can I do for you?” 

Kirishima smiled, before holding up a finger, as if he was preparing to ask a question. 

“I’ve just got one small question.” 

“And I might have an answer. Go ahead.” 

“Why do you use my last name? For everyone else, you use their first name, so why not mine?” 

Kenji tapped his chin for a moment, before looking back at his friend. “I guess I do it because your last name sounds so cool. Like, Kirishima, the super manly rock guy! No offense, but when I think of “Eijiro” it just doesn’t sound as cool and masculine as Kirishima.” 

“Hmm… yeah, I guess you have a point.” Kirishima said.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s no intended disrespect. I just prefer your last name, is all.”

”Alright then, Kirishima it is. Thanks for clearing that up bro.” 

“No problem, man.” Kenji said as he finished putting on the school uniform and closed his locker. 

Meanwhile, in the opposing locker room

Himiko sat down on the bench in front of the locker and buried her face in her hands. She acted like such a lovesick idiot, rushing to protect Kenji from a fall that could at worst leave a bruise. He was just so cute! So amazing! So lovable! So… 

“Hey, Himiko, right? Izuku’s sister?” 

Himiko snapped out of her daydream and looked up to see Ochaco standing above her. She nodded. 

“Yeah, that’s me.” 

“May I sit with you? You seem nice.” 

“Sure.” Himiko said, moving some of her personal items to the side so Ochaco could sit. She did so, and then rested a hand on Himiko’s shoulder.” 

“I’m so sorry you placed low in the apprehension test.” Ochaco said. 

“It’s alright” Himiko replied. “I knew I wouldn’t be placing high. My quirk doesn’t really boost my physical abilities that much by itself. And it would be… really creepy to ask someone for their blood so I could turn into them.” 

Ochaco nodded. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I would’ve lended you some of my blood if you’d asked. I’m not sure how much it would have helped, though.”

Himiko looked shocked as she looked at Ochaco. “You would’ve? But, wouldn’t that be creepy? I usually get blood from animals, or people I know. Strangers, though…” 

Ochaco nodded again. “It’s fine, really.” 

Himiko hugged the brown-haired girl. “Thank you so much, Ochaco! This really means a lot to me.” 

Ochaco returned the hug, and smiled. “You’re welcome.” 

Suddenly, a pink blur came skidding to a stop in front of them. 

“HIIIMIKOOO!” Mina said, plopping down on the bench opposite of Himiko and Ochaco. “We need to talk. NOW!” She said eagerly. 

Himiko paused, and looked at the giddy girl. “About what?” 

“About Kenji! You swooped in there like his guardian angel!” She said, before her eyes turned wild and her smile grew wider. “You ran to catch him pretty fast, didn’t ya?” 

Himiko stuttered, and she felt her face turning redder than the blood she craved right now. Not just any blood. Kenji’s. Everyone’s blood had a different taste to her. Izuku’s was sweet, like candy, Katsuki’s was salty, like seawater, and her own blood tasted sour, like a lemon. 

But Kenji’s! 

Kenji’s blood was delicious. It was everything at once. Fresh fruit, savory steak, salty potato chips, eee! She just loved it so so much! Any time he offered it she wanted to just accept and indulge, but she couldn’t. At least, not all the time. She couldn’t just tell him his was her favorite. She had already slipped up once by saying that the more she likes someone, the better their blood tastes to her, while actively feeding off of him. But she was lucky he hadn’t caught on. So for now, she just had to hide it, and enjoy his blood only occasionally. For now, he couldn’t know she-

“Hello, Earth to Planet Himiko?” Mina said, waving her hand in front of Himiko’s face. 

“Huh? Uhh, what?” She said, snapping out of her daydream again.

”We wanted to know why you ran so fast to catch Kenji earlier this morning?” Mina said, to which Ochaco nodded. 

Himiko waved her hands and shook her head. “It’s not what you think! I swear! It’s just…” she paused, and thought about it for a moment. “He just feels so fragile, you know? Because of his quirk, he’s always so small and thin compared to his brother, and even Izuku and I. He’s only a bit taller than me because he modified his own body to be that way! I just… it’s not… I, I just want to keep him safe. He’s a good person, and a kind friend, and I’m in limited supply of those. You get it?” 

Mina giggled. “Alright, Himi, I’ll buy that for now, but I’ve still got my eye on the two of you. Especially when you’re together. Toodles!” She said, before walking away while whistling a happy tune. 

Himiko groaned as she finished changing. How was she going to survive this school year without letting her hopeless crush slip?

Next on the day’s schedule was lunch. All of Class 1-A met in the cafeteria, picked up their lunch trays for the day, sandwiches and soba, and sat down at their table. Kenji sat next to his brother, Izuku, Kirishima and Fumikage. 

“So, what exactly is Dark Shadow? Is he your quirk, or…” Izuku asked

“Yes. Dark Shadow is my quirk. Technically, it is an emitter, though due to the physical alterations to my body, and the fact that it cannot be disabled by Mr Aizawa’s Erasure, it is a Mutant Quirk in all but name.” 

“Fascinating.” Izuku said, scribbling notes down in his notebook. “And it has its own personality? It’s fully sentient?” 

“Correct. Dark Shadow is, unfortunately, sentient.” 

“Whaddaya mean, “unfortunately”? I’m the coolest quirk in the world!” Dark Shadow said, popping his head out of Fumikage’s shoulder. Fumikage quickly slapped a hand over his shoulder, pushing the amorphous corvid back into hiding. 

“Does he feel pain?” Izuku asked. 

“Yes, to light and things that generate light. Physical attacks can either bounce right off him, or go straight through him, but light, fire, and Lightning are what really hurt him. When he takes enough damage he forcefully goes back into my body until he has healed.” 

Izuku continued to write in his notebook, while Kenji nodded in understanding. 

“Interesting. Does he get along well with other birds?” Kenji said.

“Yes. Most birds view him neutrally, neither opposing nor cooperating with him, but he gets along well with birds of prey, parrots and their relatives, and corvids.” 

“That’s awesome!” Kenji said. “I’ve got a pet Harpy Eagle named Gryphon, I’d bet Dark Shadow would-“ 

“Well Well Well, if it isn’t the 1-A Fool’s Class.” Said a snobbish voice from behind them. Kenji whipped around, and saw a boy with blonde hair, fancy clothes, and the smuggest grin on the planet leading another group of kids into the cafeteria. 

“Class 1-B” Izuku muttered under his breath 

“Yes, we, the members of Class 1-B, are here to overshadow you failures in every conceivable-ERK!” 

He was abruptly cut off by a massive hand karate chopping his shoulder, causing him to collapse on the ground. A girl with orange hair waved and smiled. 

“Sorry about him. I promise he’s the only one who believes that stupid stuff. I’m Kendo, class rep of Class 1-B.” 

“Class Rep? What’s that?” A boy with yellow hair with a streak of black in it, Denki Kaminari, asked. 

“Oh, right, 1-A’s doing Rep elections after lunch. Basically you all vote on who represents your class in teacher meetings and stuff like that.” 

Kaminari nodded and sat down. 

“Anyways, I’ll try to keep Monoma in check, but if he gets off his proverbial leash, let me know.” 

“Will do, thanks Kendo!” The girl with the spiky ponytail, Momo Yaoyorozu, said. 

“No problem! Tetsutetsu! Come on! We’re eating!” 

A boy with steel grey hair, evidently named Tetsutetsu, was standing in front of Kirishima, pressing one hand against each other’s hand. 

“You’re like me, but grey, and steely.” Kirishima said 

“And you’re like me, but red and rocky.” Tetsutetsu said. 

“But the resemblance is… uncanny. It’s as if…” Kirishima started

“We’re two characters in a movie, being played by the same actor!” They both said in unison.

”Tetsu!” Kendo said sharply, causing the grey haired boy to startle and scurry back to Kendo’s side with an apologetic look.

”I like him, he’s super manly.” Kirishima said with a wide grin. 

The class wrapped up lunch and then proceeded to their classroom. A box with a slot in it sat on the table in the front of the room, and, once everyone was seated, two spotlights came on. 

“Gooood Afternoon, Class 1-A!” Two familiar voices said, as Present Mic and Nimbus descended from the ceiling on a floating cloud, landing on each side of the table. 

“I hope you guys are ready, cuz this is gonna be an important part of your journey here at UA!” Mic said. 

“You’re gonna be electing your class representative!” Nimbus said, using some clouds to highlight the box. “Everyone will write down the name of who you want to be elected, and then slide it into the box! The only rule, no voting for yourself!” 

The two energetic pro heroes passes slips of paper out to each classmate. When Kenji received his, he took out his pencil and thought to himself. 

Alright, who should the class rep be? Someone responsible, enjoyable, and a good leader. Ida? Maybe… Yaoyorozu? She seems smart, and good at making plans. 

A small voice in the back of his head kept repeating one name, however. 

Himiko. 

No, I can’t vote Himiko. Just because I like her, doesn’t mean I should automatically vote her. 

Vote Himiko. 

No! I wouldn’t want to tie her down to such a big role. She’ll probably find it boring. I’ll vote for Ida. He seems like the guy who would love to be in charge and be responsible. 

He write Ida’s name on the slip and turned it in, then waited for everyone else to finish. His mind wandered, thinking of new animals to create, new ways to use his quirk, ways to bolster his physical power without passing out like last time. Yet no matter how far his thoughts wandered, they always came back to one topic. One person. One girl. 

“And that’s it! Let’s tally the votes!” Present Mic said. 

He and Nimbus counted each vote, before rallying them up on a chart. 

“Skipping all the classmates who got no votes, we have Izuku Midoriya with one vote, Katsuki Bakugo with one vote, Kyoka Jiro with one vote. Tsuyu Asui with two votes, Kenji Bakugo with two votes, Tenya Ida with six votes, and, your new class president, Momo Yaoyorozu with 7 votes!” 

Everyone clapped as Momo stepped up and faced the class. 

“I promise I will do my best as Class President. I will not fail you!” She said with determination, clenching her fist. 

The rest of the day was filled with regular classes, such as mathematics, Literature, Science (Kenji shocked the teacher, a hero by the name of Bioshokk, by successfully creating a biological cure for the common cold in the thirty minutes allocated), and Art. When the day was over, Kenji and his friends all went home together, excited for what the new day had in store.

Chapter Text

The next day, everyone walked into class to see that Mr Aizawa had written “Battle Trials” on the whiteboard for all to see. 

“What’s this about?” Kaminari asked. 

“Everyone, take a seat, and I’ll explain further.” Aizawa said, taking a sip from his coffee. The class obeyed, and sat in their seats, and the teacher stood up and pressed a button on a remote. A small projector popped out of the ceiling and displayed a visual aid to Aizawa’s lecture

“Today, we will be assessing your teamwork and problem solving skills by putting each of you against each other in 2v2 fights. You will be placed in a mock city, and one team will be the heroes, while the others are villains. To add to the realism, we will be placing a false bomb in the building. The heroes are to try and capture the bomb, while the villains’ jobs is to defend it. The villains will win if they manage to capture the heroes, and vice versa. Understand?” 

“Yes sir!” The class chorused. 

“Good. Oh, and one more thing. You will be using the hero costumes you submitted before the semester started.” 

Several racks ejected from the left wall, displaying briefcases with names on them.

“Find your case and board the bus when you’re ready. You’ll change at the mock city.”

Everyone nodded, and then stood up.

Kenji searched the racks, then grabbed the case that had his name on it. He walked with his friends to the bus, and found a seat. 

“Hey, Kenji!” Himiko called. “Mind if I sit with you?” 

Kenji looked up at the blonde girl, who clutched her suit case to her chest as she rocked on her heels, waiting for an answer. 

“Uh, sure! That sounds fine.” He said, scooting to the side. Himiko nodded in gratitude, before stowing her case under the seat and sitting down. As the bus began it’s journey, the two sat together in silence, both stewing over the same emotions without even realizing. 

“Hey, Himiko? Can I… talk to you about something?” Kenji asked cautiously. Himiko froze, then slowly turned to him. 

“Y-yes. Go ahead, please.” 

“You see, for a while, I-“ 

“YOU CREEP!” Jiro screeched from a few rows up. Kenji quickly stood up and surveyed what was happening. Mineta scurried down the aisle, holding a camera in his tiny hands, with Mina and Jiro stampeding after him. 

“Kenji, quick!” Mina said. Kenji nodded, understanding the assignment instantly, before leaning over Himiko’s lap, causing her to turn scarlet as he did, and catching Mineta as he ran. 

“Back to you!” He said, tossing the small boy back to the fuming girls. They caught him, and wrestled the camera from his hands.

”Dis. Gust. Ing.” Mina said, melting the camera, as Mineta squirmed and wriggled in Jiro’s grasp.

”Hey! What’s the big idea! Don’t you girls want to be admired?” He said, trying to pry himself out of Jiro’s iron grip. 

“There’s a not-so-fine line between admiration and perversion, Mineta. Learn about it.” Jiro said, swatting the short boy like a fly before letting him scamper away to his seat. 

Kenji returned to his seat, before turning to Himiko. 

“Sorry about that. Had to act quick, you know.” 

“It’s… fine…” Himiko said, fanning her beet-red face. “I wonder what the deal is with that kid.” 

“No idea. But one thing is for sure, chivalry is not his strong suit.” 

When the bus finally reached their destination, a faux city not unlike those from the Entrance Exam, everyone exited the bus, and proceeded inside, to a dark room with a massive screen, where they were met by the beaming grin of All Might. 

“AH HA HA! I AM HERE!” The golden-haired hero declared as Class 1-A gathered around. “TO WELCOME YOU TO THE CO-OP BATTLE TRIALS!”

The class muttered amongst themselves, talking about who they want to be paired with. 

“You don’t get to choose.” Aizawa said, joining All Might in front of the class. “All Might and I will be pairing you with other classmates based on compatibility and synergy. With that, and taking our gathered data from yesterday’s tests, here are the matchups, arranged by Defense vs Offense.” 

Aizawa clicked a button on his remote, and a list of each matchup appeared onscreen. 

Match 1: Izuku Midoriya - Katsuki Bakugo vs Hitoshi Aizawa - Himiko Midoriya 

Match 2: Kyoka Jiro - Mezo Shoji vs Tsuyu Asui - Minoru Mineta

Match 3: Kenji Bakugo - Momo Yaoyorozu vs Eijiro Kirishima - Denki Kaminari. 

Match 4: Tenya Ida - Yuga Aoyama vs Ochako Uraraka - Hanta Sero 

Match 5: Mina Ashido - Shoto Todoroki vs Koji Koda - Fumikage Tokoyami

Everyone observed their matchups, some were excited, others were nervous, and some were…

”NO WAY!” Katsuki said, sparks flying from his hair. “THERES NO CHANCE!” 

Himiko giggled and pulled her bottom eyelid down with her pinky finger, while sticking her tongue out in a mocking gesture. “What’s the matter? Afraid you’re gonna lose to a girl?” 

Katsuki grunted. “No, not that. There’s no way I got both of the backstabbers in one!” He said as he grabbed his head in his hands. “I’m so done with your sneaky little tactics!” 

“It’ll be OK, Kacchan. I’ll be fighting with you. We’ll take them down, no problem!” Izuku said, patting his friend on the back. 

“And now, let’s see those magnificent hero costumes!” All Might said. “Go ahead and put them on in the changing rooms!” 

Everyone nodded and walked to the changing rooms to don their hero costumes. When they emerged, they were dressed in all shapes and sizes of clothing and gear, some with high tech gadgets, others wearing only a costume. Kenji was the former, dressed in a sleek, black, armored bodysuit with green highlights, and yellow DNA Helixes tracing his arms. He had fingerless gloves, and wore a face mask with tubes that led to a canister on his waist. He also had a belt with several metal cylindrical containers on it. He looked around at the other students, taking note of everyone’s outfits. 

“I wonder where- Oh My God…” he said, his jaw dropping when he spotted Himiko. She wore a sleek bodysuit as well, but this one had red highlights, and her fingers were tipped with sharp metal claws, each one with a tube that led to her wrist, then disappeared into her suit before reemerging at her neck, feeding into her face mask. He also noticed that some of the tubes led into her back, where a tank sloshed with liquid behind an armored shell. She still wore her utility belt, but this variation of it lacked her many knives, and only carried batons, first aid kits, and sanitation equipment. 

Himiko quickly noticed Kenji, and walked over to him. 

“Hey, Kenji! Wow, you look so good! Those colors suit you so well!” She said. “What’s the mask for?” 

Kenji smiled and removed the mask from his mouth. 

“Thanks! I could say the same for you. My mask feeds into a canister filled with an “energy drink” of sorts that I can drink to fuel my quirk. What about yours?” 

“Mine does the same, but for blood. I can choose to route it from my claws to either the tank on my back, or straight to my mask.” 

“I was about to say your claws are really cool! Well, good luck on your fight with Katsuki and Izuku. I’ll be watching. Here’s a little tip. Katsuki’s right handed, so he always starts a fight with his right hand.” 

Himiko nodded. “Izuku noticed that as well. I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks, Kenji. See you soon.” 

“Alright then, see you soon.” 

Kenji watched as Himiko found her partner, and began planning with him as they walked outside to the mock building. 

“And then we’ll use these to distract and capture them, right?” Himiko asked, as Hitoshi wound a white scarf, not unlike his father’s, around his neck. 

Hitoshi nodded. “Yes. Now, you know these guys better than I do. Do you have any knowledge that could give us the edge?” He asked. 

Himiko paused for a moment, so as to not trigger his quirk, before replying. 

“Yes, I do. Katsuki fights very recklessly when angry, so try to trigger him as much as possible. It’s risky, but it may give us an opening. As for Izuku, I can’t really think of anything on him, but his quirk is pretty one-directional and easy to predict, so try to anticipate him and act accordingly.” 

Hitoshi nodded, and swept a hand through his hair. “Alright then. Trigger the blonde one, dodge the green one. Let’s do this.” 

The two walked outside, taking a moment to get adjusted to the light, before All Might’s voice came through the speakers. 

“Match One begins now!” He said. Himiko and Hitoshi wasted no time, racing into the building and entering the first floor. It was empty. Himiko pressed her ear to the wall, listening. 

“They’re upstairs. Two floors, I think. Maybe we can…” 

“SURPRISE!!” Katsuki yelled as he blasted through the ceiling, landing in front of the two. “I’m not gonna let either of you make sneaky plans. We’re fighting head on whether you like it or not!” 

Himiko leaped into action, lunging towards Katsuki before swiping at him with her claws. Katsuki parried the slash with the cylindrical gauntlet on his wrist, then opened his palm to unleash a blast. The impact sent Himiko flying, sending her into a wall. She slowly got up and groaned in pain.

“Didn’t have to go that hard, Sparky. I’m only a little girl.” 

“A little girl that can be a big danger if I don’t deal with you immediately!” Katsuki said, lunging again. This time, however, Hitoshi wrapped his scarf around Katsuki’s wrist, sending him careening into the other wall. 

“Himiko, run, now!” He said, retrieving his scarf. Himiko nodded and dashed out of the room. Katsuki started to run after her, but Hitoshi grabbed him and slammed him into the ground. 

“Not today.” He said. 

Katsuki looked up at the purple haired boy, and smiled. 

“Ya know, out of the two boys in our group with purple hair, I think I prefer you.” He said. Suddenly, a massive blast erupted from underneath Hitoshi, catapulting him off his explosive opponent. Katsuki stood up, the gauntlet on his left arm smoking from the top hole. 

“My original design was only one hole for a big blast.” He said, flicking the switch on the back of his gauntlet. The gauntlet rotated, switching the singular hole on top for six smaller holes. “But I decided this one was better. Auto Gauntlet, Rapidfire Mode!” 

A barrage of small explosions pelted Hitoshi, like machine gun fire. He pulled a smoke grenade out of his belt and threw it. It detonated, spreading a smokescreen to allow him to escape. 

“Aargh! Where did you go?” Katsuki said, shooting explosions randomly. 

“So… Katsuki, is it? Kenji’s twin. You seem a lot more… volatile than him.” Hitoshi’s voice echoed through the halls, making it impossible to trace where he was. Katsuki grunted, waiting a few seconds before answering. “I know your trick, Hypno. It won’t work on me.” 

“Is that so? Well, that’s a predicament. I wonder how I can solve that.” Hitoshi said, his location still untraceable. 

Katsuki snarled. “It’s only a matter of time before I find you, and when I do, I’ll mess you up so bad, they’re gonna have to glue you back together IN HELL!” He said, suddenly spinning around and slamming his open palm into a wall. He howled in pain, wringing his hand out, his expression darkened. “Only a matter of time.” 

“My, what a violent mindset. Well, if I can’t catch you, then maybe I’ll go for the nerd… what’s his name? Izuku?” 

Katsuki’s eyes sparked, and, completely forgetting about his precautions, answered immediately. “YOU THINK YOU'RE SMARTER THAN IZUKU?! HE’LL RIP YOU APART IN NO TIME, YOU PIECE OF-“ he started, before his eyes turned vacant and blurry, and his arms fell to his sides. 

“Just as planned. Himiko wasn’t lying. You really are easy to trigger. Now be a good boy and attack Izuku Midoriya.” 

Katsuki slowly started walking up the stairs, with Hitoshi trailing behind him.

Himiko was wrapped around Izuku like a pretzel when Hitoshi and the hypnotized Katsuki arrived. She was trying to pry the capture tape out of Izuku’s hands, while Izuku was trying to get her to stop without hurting her too bad. 

“Himiko, stop! I don’t want to hurt you, you’re my sister!” 

“Well then you’re gonna have to surrender, villain! I am a noble hero! And I will- Oh, look, my teammate is here! And it looks like our plan went just as I expected! Yipee!” She cheered, before unwinding herself from Izuku’s body and rejoining Hitoshi behind their entranced enemy. 

“Kacchan… what did they do to you?” Izuku asked, but received no answer. 

“Behaved exactly like we expected. Got too wound up, and forgot about my quirk. Now you can either surrender, or you can fight all three of us at once.” 

Izuku looked between Hitoshi, and Katsuki, before gritting his teeth and clenching his fist. 

“No. I can’t give up. I won’t! Never giving up is a core component of being a hero! I will fight until my body won’t work anymore, until I-“ 

“Oh, by the way, I got the bomb.” Himiko said from behind him. 

“Eh?” Izuku said, slowly turning around. Himiko leaned casually against the fake bomb while tapping her foot against the floor, with the smuggest grin Izuku had ever seen. He sighed, and then smiled. 

“I guess you did. Good job, both of you. You did great, and you had an amazing plan.” He then looked at Katsuki. “But, if you don’t mind, could you please bring my friend back to normal?” 

Hitoshi let a small smile creep through his stony expression. 

“Alright, I guess I can.” He said, before releasing his quirk‘s hold on Katsuki. The explosive hero took a few moments to wake up from the hypnosis, before his palms sparked and he lunged at Hitoshi again. 

“You, you… I’LL KILL YOU!” 

“Calm down, Kacchan. The match is over. We lost.” 

Katsuki grunted, before reluctantly nodding. 

“It was smart to wind me up. I shouldn’t have fallen for that. You did a good job too, Fangs.” 

Himiko’s smile turned kinder. “Thanks Katsuki. You were pretty scary back there. And your Auto Gauntlets are super cool!” 

Aizawa’s voice crackled over the speakers. 

“Hero team wins. Return to the spectator room and let the next team prepare to begin.” 

The four students nodded up at the speaker, then walked out of the building to allow for the next team of “villains” to prepare their defense.

Chapter Text

The second battle went about as expected. Jiro and Shoji anticipated every move Tsuyu and Mineta made, since Mineta kept trying to feel up Tsuyu, and Tsuyu kept trying to pry him off of her. The five minutes ran out quickly, and the villain team was declared the successor. 

“Teams 3 and 4, please return to the spectator’s room, while team 5 prepares their defense.” Aizawa said into the microphone. Over to the side, Kenji located his teammate, Momo Yaoyorozu, wearing a full bodysuit that covered her whole body. 

“Momo, right?” He said. 

“Yes, that’s me, but I prefer to go by Yaomomo. You’re Kenji Bakugo?” Momo said. 

“The one and only.” 

“Excellent. I assume you want to discuss strategy?” 

“I do. First of all, what is your quirk?” 

“It’s called Creation. I transform the lipids in my body into other molecules to create objects. I have to know their composition to create them, though.” Momo said, creating a wooden nesting doll from her arm for emphasis. 

“Oh, that’s actually pretty similar to mine. I burn calories to create this energy in my palms. Doing so, I can alter the DNA of any lifeform I touch. The energy also leaves a residue on the animals that lets me control them.” Kenji said

“Oh, I see. How interesting.” Momo said, tapping her chin. “Well, we should probably get started on our defense. With both of us having similar quirks, they’ll work well together.” 

“Ha! You bet they will.” Kenji said as he started walking out of the spectator room and into Training Ground Beta. “We’re up against Kirishima and Denki. They’ve got very physical and straightforward quirks. This is quite literally a battle of Brawn vs Brains.” 

Momo nodded as she walked “I suppose it is. What do you propose we do to ensure we win?” 

Kenji tapped his chin for a moment, before smiling devilishly. “I’ve got just the idea.” 

“Hero Team, you are clear for entry.” Aizawa said. The doors opened, and Denki and Kirishima walked into the fake city.  

“This is gonna be a piece of cake!” Denki said, resting his hands behind his head. Kirishima looked at the blonde boy incredulously. 

“Are you insane? This is gonna be an uphill battle the whole time!” 

Denki scoffed. “And why is that? You placed 5th in the apprehension test yesterday, and I placed 14th. Bakugo placed 17th, and Yaoyorozu placed 13th. We’ve got this in the bag!” 

Kirishima groaned. “Yes, and Kenji also placed second in the Entrance Exam, only behind his own twin brother!” 

Denki froze just as they made it to the building, and turned to look at his teammate. 

“He placed… s-second?!”

”Yeah, second. I’ve heard that he was trained for ten months before school by Mr Aizawa and All Might himself.” 

Denki suddenly felt much less confident in their chances. He opened the door, and immediately a dart trap sprung, shooting a dozen darts out of it at once. Kirishima hardened himself, and Denki shocked a few darts out of midair. They fell to the ground harmlessly. 

“That was close.” Kirishima said. 

“No kidding.” Denki said. They both continued into the building. 

“What did you say he could do, again?” Denki asked, whispering. 

“He makes mutant and hybrid animals, and revives dinosaurs. They’re really cool when you’re not on the receiving end.” Kirishima said. Suddenly, they heard the low growl of a dinosaur close by. Kirishima grabbed Denki and dove behind cover. 

“Hide!” He stage-whispered. 

“Why?” He asked. His question was answered when a cobalt-blue feathered raptor stepped through the doorway, sniffing the air, before growling again. 

“Utahraptor. One of Kenji’s favorites. They’re one of the smartest dinosaurs we know of. Apparently they’re smart enough to set up…” 

Another growl, this time right beside them. 

“Ambushes.” He said, gulping in fear as he slowly looked to the side. Two more raptors stared back at him and Denki. 

“Clever Girl…” Denki said, before the raptors lunged. 

“Hit them with all you’ve got!” Kirishima said, hardening his body as Denki nodded, activating his quirk, spreading lighting around the area. The smell of burnt feathers and charred scales filled the room. When they looked around, the raptors were unconscious, twitching slightly. 

“We’ve gotta move quick! Something tells me Kenji didn’t just make three raptors.” Kirishima said, standing up and making a break for the stairs. Denki followed. 

“What do we know about Kenji’s quirk?” Denki asked, as they ascended to the second floor. 

“When he touches an animal, he can manipulate its DNA to his liking. It burns calories like crazy, but with that tank on his hero suit supplying him with more calories, he can go far beyond his previous limit. He’s crazy smart, I think he’s a savant. He designs each animal with a specific goal in mind. They’re not just pets to him, they’re bioweapons.” 

“And Yaoyorozu?” 

“I don’t know, but I think it has something to do with creating objects. I saw her make a cannon out of thin air in the Quirk Test yesterday.” 

“So we have to worry about both Kenji’s bioweapons, and Momo’s tricks and traps?” Denki asked. 

“Yes.” Kirishima said. 

“Let’s hope there aren’t too many of- WATCH OUT!” Denki said. Kirishima lunged out of the way just as a net launched from a cannon to their left. It hit Denki, pinning him to a wall. 

“Kaminari!” Kirishima said, running over to him. He grabbed the net and tried to pull it away, but it was stuck.  

“I have an idea! Use your electricity to melt through?” 

“But if I use too much, I may fry myself, and be useless for the rest of the challenge!” 

“I’d rather take that risk than guarantee going solo the rest of the time. Come on!” 

“Alright, here goes nothing.” Denki said. He dumped his electricity into the net, melting the fibers and stepping out unscathed. 

“There we go!” Kirishima said. “Nice work, man!” 

“Thanks, but I’m feeling kinda foggy right now. I may only have one more blast in me before I fry.” 

“That’s ok. We’re almost to the top. Come on!” He said, beckoning Kaminari to come with. They ascended the final flight of stairs, when all of a sudden… 

Kenji tapped his foot as he leaned against the fake bomb.

“I wonder how they’re faring so far.” He said.

“Not well.” Momo said, watching the camera feed on her phone. “By my calculations, Kaminari has only one more blast in him before he goes kaput.” 

Kenji smirked. “Just like we predicted.” 

Momo glanced over at the whiteboard full of mathematical calculations with which they had calculated how much voltage Denki could output before he fried himself, based on information from the Apprehension Test. “Indeed. It’s all going according to plan. You are quite the strategist, Kenji. It’s incredible.” 

“Thank you. I’m not as physically gifted as my brother or friends, due to the requirements of my quirk, but I’d like to think I make up for manpower with brainpower.” Kenji said. 

Both of them heard as Kirishima and Denki ascended the stairs. Kenji looked at Momo. 

“Ready for the big finale?” He asked. 

Momo picked up a shoulder-mounted net launcher. 

“Ready.” 

As soon as they saw Denki and Kirishima’s vibrant hair colors, Kenji smiled. 

“Now, Yaomomo!” He said. 

Momo fired her net at Denki. His eyes widened, before he instinctively fired a blast of Electricity. The net melted and evaporated, and as the smoke cleared, Kenji saw exactly what he wanted to see. 

“Hehe hee!” Denki said, waving his hands with two thumbs up. 

Kenji’s smirk grew. “All according to plan. Denki is successfully off the playing field.” 

Kirishima grunted. “You knew Kaminari had a limit, didn’t you?” 

“Of course we did. And now it’s 2 vs 1. Save us the time and surrender.” Kenji said. 

This time it was Kirishima’s turn to grin. “Nah, that’s not the manly thing to do. Plus, now that we’re in close range, I’ve got the advantage!” 

“That may be true.” Kenji said. “But you should know that my plans are never complete without one final surprise.” 

“Huh?” Kirishima said, before a massive slimy weight landed on his head. He felt eight muscular tentacles wrapped around his body, restricting his movement and causing him to fall over. 

“Meet the Giant Pacific Octopus. The largest and strongest species in the world. With a little genetic modification to give it denser muscles and the ability to breathe air, its camouflage abilities make it a versatile ambush weapon.” Kenji said, rubbing the octopus’ head affectionately.  

Kirishima struggled, but the octopus’ grip held. Finally, he sighed. 

“Alright, fine, you win. Brain beats Brawn, or whatever.” 

“That’s what I like to hear.” Kenji said, unclipping one of the metal cylinders on his belt. 

“Return.” He said, pressing a button. A beam of red light shot towards the octopus, before it was bathed in the same red light, then disappeared. 

Kirishima stood up and looked at the device curiously. “What is that?” He asked. 

“It’s a Containment Capsule. Neat little piece of tech that transforms living organisms into light particles, and stores it until I’m ready to use the animal again.” Kenji said, returning the capsule to it’s spot on his belt

“That’s so cool!” Kirishima said. “And it’s a neat way of transporting your animals.” 

Suddenly, the speakers came to life again. 

“Villain Team wins, everyone come back so the next villain team can set up.” Aizawa’s voice droned through the PA system. 

The four students walked back to the spectator room. As soon as Kenji stepped through the door, Himiko pounced on Kenji, hugging him. 

“You did it! You did it! You did it! You won! You’re so cool!” She said all in one breath. Kenji looked at her, and his face turned slightly red. After a few moments, Himiko realized what she was doing and quickly backed away, her face also red. The two stood there silently for a few moments, before Katsuki and Izuku walked up. 

“Not bad.” Katsuki said. “You really outsmarted them. Just as I’d expect from my brother.” 

“Plus, the double ambush was so cool!” Izuku said! 

“Yeah!” Himiko said, snapping out of her daze. “They thought they were out of the woods after your raptors, but you always have a plan B!” 

“Thanks, guys, you’re all the best.” He said. Before turning to Kirishima. “And you did good too, man. You really thought out a plan to beat Yaomomo and I. Good job.” 

Kirishima rubbed his head sheepishly. “Thanks. You’re really smart.” 

“Ha! Tell him something he doesn’t know.” Katsuki said. “Oh wait, there’s nothing he doesn’t know!” 

“Not entirely true.” Kenji said, before the next match started, and they all turned to watch.

“Take out Uraraka!” Ida shouted as he ran after Sero. 

“Not so fast, speedy! How about you take a break?” Sero said, leading Ida to a massive web of tape. Ida couldn’t stop in time, and flew right into it, getting trapped.” 

“Aoyama, please, win this for us! Take out the heroes!” 

“Monsieur, I am trying, but she is too agile!” Aoyama said, blasting his laser in every direction trying to hit the floating girl. “STAY STILL YOU ARROGANT MADEMOISELLE!” He shrieked, before adding a string of profanity in French. 

Ochako bounced from wall to wall, continuing to dodge Aoyama’s lasers. 

“Come on, come on, one more…” she muttered. Then, it happened. Aoyama blasted the final support beam, causing a large section of the ceiling to collapse. 

“Sero! Come on!” She said. Sero nodded 

“On it!” he said, before launching two strands of tape and pulling himself up. 

“let’s do this!” He said, attaching a piece of tape to Ochako’s back, before swinging her around. Ochako tapped a button on her wrist pad. Her suit swelled up, squeezing her body like a flight suit.

“High-G Adaptation, on!” She said. 

“Improvised Team-Up Move: Super Tape Ochakannon!”  They said in unison, as Sero launched Ochako towards the bomb. She pressed her fingers together, deactivating her quirk. 

“Release!” She said, landing on top of the bomb. 

“We got it!” Sero said. 

“NOOOOO!” They could hear Ida say from the lower floor, followed by more French profanity from Aoyama. 

“Heroes win. Final teams, prepare for your match.” Aizawa said. 

Fumikage and Koji stepped into the building. 

“Stay vigilant.” Fumikage said, as Dark Shadow emerged from his body. “Shoto is one of two students here on recommendation. He is very strong.” 

As if on cue, the entire building was encased in ice. Both heroes’ feet were frozen to the ground. Fumikage immediately called on Dark Shadow. 

“Destroy the ice!” He said. 

“Got it!” Dark Shadow said, swelling in size due to the low light. He headbutted the ice, shattering it around their feet. 

“Koda. See if you can summon some animals. If we’re lucky, Kenji forgot to recall one of his raptors.” 

Koji nodded, and began muttering incoherently. Suddenly, a pressurized burst of acid shot through the wall, and Mina peered through. 

“Don’t forget about me, darlings!” She said, holding up a finger gun she made with both hands. 

“Check out these moves!” She said, shooting another pressurized blast from her fingers. “Special Move: Compressed Corrosion!” 

Dark Shadow blocked off the shots, while Fumikage and Koji continued upwards. When they got to the second floor, they were met by Shoto. He stood there, one side covered in a light sheen of frost. 

“You will not pass further.” He said flatly. “Make this faster and surrender now.” 

“I think not.” Fumikage said, crouching down. 

“Then you will suffer longer.” Shoto said, throwing ice shards at the pair. Dark Shadow intercepted them, and tossed them back. 

“This is going just as planned. Koda, do you have any luck?” He asked. Koda shook his head. “Curse you, Kenji, for being so thorough.” 

Mina arrived, and threw more acid at the two. They dodged out of the way, and continued to weave around the two “villains” letting Shoto cover all the windows with ice. 

“You played right into our hands, Todoroki.” Fumikage said. “And now you’ll pay for it.” He unleashed Dark Shadow, which had now grown to an enormous size. One swing from its arm caused a whole wall to be destroyed. 

“Shoto! Do something! Use your fire!” Mina shrieked, dodging debris. 

“I will never, ever, use my fire.” Todoroki said. 

“Then you will fail.” Fumikage said, as Dark Shadow lifted him and Koda up to the floor holding the bomb. Fumikage grabbed the bomb, and Aizawa’s voice came on once more. 

“Hero team wins. That’s all the battles. Everyone return to the spectator room, and we can all go home.” 

“And remember, a hero does what is right, not what is easy.” All Might said in the final words of his speech. “I enjoyed watching you all compete, and I’m confident that you will all make great heroes. However! Before I leave, I have one more treat for you all.” 

Everyone looked at him in anticipation. 

“What is it, All Might?” Izuku asked. 

All Might grinned. 

“Tomorrow, you all have been invited to train  at the all new training facility, the USJ!” 

The whole class cheered, and in unison said “Thank you, All Might!” 

“You got the papers?” 

“Yes, sensei. Our smurf account successfully reaped the starter pack benefits. Nobody suspected a thing.” 

“Excellent, my son. I will grant you one of my soldiers. Use him well.” 

“Thank you sensei.” The pale haired man said, before disconnecting the call. 

“You hear that, Kirokuri? We’re finally have enough players to launch our raid! We even got a tank build!” 

“Excellent, master. I look forward to it.” A rich feminine voice said from the bar counter. “Where will this “raid” be launched?”

The man smiled. “At the new training facility. We’re going to destroy All Might at the USJ!”

Chapter Text

The next day, Kenji and his friends walked to class, excited for the USJ visit they had been promised by All Might. 

“I’ve heard it’s the most advanced training facility in the world!” Ochako said as she walked beside Izuku. 

“I heard that they can simulate any scenario you’ll encounter as a hero. It’s so exciting!” Mina said enthusiastically. 

They walked through the hallways until they got to Class 1-A, and then opened the door. They were the first ones there, with only Mr Aizawa sitting at his desk, drinking coffee. 

“You’re here early.” He said as he took another sip. 

“Sorry, we just wanted to be sure we made it in time for the bus!” Himiko said. 

“No need to be sorry, it was just an observation.” Aizawa said. “Go ahead and take your seats.” 

They nodded and sat down, waiting for the rest of the class to enter the room. Ida arrived shortly after. Lifted his hand and made a swift chopping motion. 

“I have arrived early!” He declared, before sitting down. Over the next fifteen minutes, the rest of the class filed in, with Denki being the last one to enter. Once everyone was in their seats, Aizawa stood up. 

“Alright class, as I’m sure you all know, today we will be visiting the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ, for rescue training in various scenarios. I hope you will extract important lessons from these exercises, and learn how to be good at all forms of hero work, not just fighting villains.” 

“Yes sir!” The class said in unison. 

“Alright then. Everyone change into your costumes and follow me to the bus stop.” 

The class did as they were told, grabbing their suit cases, putting their costumes on, and following their teacher to the bus. They all piled in and sat down. The drive to the USJ was relatively calm and quiet, with casual conversations being the only noise. Eventually, the bus stopped in front of a gigantic dome shaped building, with two figures standing outside. The class exited the bus, and audibly gasped. 

“Thirteen!” Ochako said excitedly. 

The space-themed heroine waved, and though her face was obscured, they could tell she was smiling.

“And Midnight…” Mineta said, practically drooling as he slowly walked toward the attractive heroine, until Tsuyu yanked him backwards with her tongue.  

“Wait, but, wasn’t All Might supposed to be here? Where is he?” Izuku asked. 

Midnight smiled “All Might said he was busy taking care of something, so you kiddos get a free upgrade!” She said, as she winked at Denki and Mineta. 

“Now, let’s show you kids this amazing training facility!” Thirteen said, as she beckoned the kids to follow her. She and Midnight led the class into the building, with Aizawa trailing behind. 

“We had this place commissioned so that hero students like you all could train in any scenario! Fires, winds, oceans, even landslides! Anything you guys could face out there, we can recreate in here.” Thirteen said as she gestured to the building with a wide sweep. The class gasped in awe. 

“Whoa…” 

“So cool!” 

“This is gonna be some killer training!”  

Midnight smirked. “Now, who’s ready for some-“ she started, before suddenly, a massive cloud of pitch black gas began pouring from the fountain in the center. From it, three figures emerged. A young man with pale skin, pastel blue hair, and a series of hands gripping his arms and head, a mature woman with her face obscured by the same black gas, save for two glowing pink eyes, and a massive muscle-bound… thing. It looked somewhat humanoid, but its head had a sharp bird-beak shape, and it had an exposed brain, with wide eyes. 

The young man spoke, his voice dry and raspy. 

“We are the League of Villains, and we are here to… hold up, where’s All Might?” He looked around at the twenty kids and three adults. “The schedule said All Might was gonna be here. Kirokuri, give me that schedule.” He said, sliding a glove with two fingers missing over his right hand. The woman pulled a sheet of paper out from… somewhere, and handed it to the man. He took it and scanned over it. 

“He’s supposed to be here. This doesn’t make sense. Where’s All Might?!” He demanded, tossing the paper over his shoulder. The woman caught it and stored it away. 

“All Might isn’t here, crusty.” Midnight said, pulling out her cat o’ nine tails whip. “But the three of us should be enough for you three.” 

The man laughed. Not even a soft chuckle, a full on maniacal laugh. He pulled the glove off and gripped it in his hands, turning it to dust in a few moments.

“Maybe, but there are a lot more than just three of us.” He said, before spreading his arms out wide. More ebony smoke spread across the ground, and dozens of villains stepped through, prepared to fight.  

“Eraserhead!” Thirteen said. Aizawa had already slipped his goggles over his eyes. 

“I’ve got them. Protect the students!” He said, launching his capture scarf outwards. Thirteen nodded and began to usher Class 1-A back to the bus, but a black cloud obstructed their way. 

“I think not.” The woman, now identified as Kirokuri, said, stepping out of the gas, her heels clicking on the ground. “Just because All Might isn’t here doesn’t mean we can’t make use of this attack. Killing the best students in the country will do well for our publicity.” 

Class 1-A all got into fighting stances, but the black smoke surrounded them. 

“They say a house divided cannot stand. Shall we test that?” Kirokuri said, and with a snap of her fingers, the smog closed in on the students, engulfing them. 

Kenji fell through the gas, landing in the water area with a splash. He quickly grabbed his throat and feet, activating his quirk, and adding gills and webbed feet to his anatomy. Now that he was able to breathe, he swam through the water, until he found Tsuyu and Izuku. He motioned to Tsuyu, then grabbed Izuku and swam up to the surface, with Tsuyu following behind. When they reached the surface, Kenji lifted Izuku above water, allowing him to breathe. 

“Are you ok?” He asked. Izuku nodded. 

“Fine. What happened?” He asked. 

“My guess is that female villain has a teleportation quirk. She must’ve used it on us to separate us.” Kenji said. 

“At least we know that this “League of Villains”  has no idea what our quirks are.” Izuku said.  

“Why is that?” Tsuyu asked. 

“She teleported you to the water area of all places.” Izuku replied matter-of-factly. 

“True.” Kenji said. Suddenly, a shark heteromorph villain charged at them. Tsuyu quickly used her tongue to launch Kenji and Izuku upwards and onto the boat beside them, before using the momentum to lift herself onto it as well. The villain rammed the boat, causing it to rock. Several more villains gathered around, surrounding the boat on all sides. 

“It’s pointless to try! We’ve got you surrounded!” A water manipulating villain said. 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had frog for lunch.” The shark said, causing Tsuyu to gulp. Kenji put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 

“Don’t worry, Tsuyu. We’re not gonna let them hurt you, or anyone, right Izuku?” 

Izuku nodded, pulling off one of his gloves. “Right. And this is an official school training facility, so we’re allowed to use our quirks.” 

He curled his middle finger behind his thumb as he stood up and aimed at the water manipulation villain. 

“Delaware smash, Single Barrel!” He shouted, blasting the villain in the head with a concussive shot. The villain went flying, landing on the beach. 

“Nice shot, Midoriya.” Tsuyu said. 

The shark villain growled. 

“I’m gonna rip you apart and eat you down to the bone!” He yelled, ramming the boat again. 

Kenji pulled one of his Containment Capsules from his belt. 

“Tsuyu, keep the boat stable.” 

Tsuyu nodded. “Okie-dokie. And please, call me Tsu. You’re one of my friends now.” 

Kenji smiled. “Alright then, Tsu.” He said, before pressing the button on his capsule, unleashing whatever was inside in a flash of light. The shark villain was blinded for a second, but heard a massive splash of water from behind him. He looked around but couldn’t see anything in the water, only shifting shadows and silhouettes beneath him from the other villains. Until, all of a sudden, a massive shape lunged for a squid villain, striking once before disappearing again. A cloud of blood rose from the villain as they scrambled back to the portal they emerged from.

“W-what is that?” The shark villain said, frantically looking around. 

“Don’t worry, it has direct instructions to only debilitate, not kill.” Kenji said. 

The massive unidentified creature rammed into another villain, then bit another, and kept going. The shark villain, against his conscience screaming at him to run, dived underwater to get a better look. What he saw terrified him. A massive 40 foot long sea monster, a hybrid creature of shark, orca, and crocodile DNA. It was blue and grey in coloration, with intelligent looking eyes, and sharp jagged teeth. 

“Meet Veloxacrystallus Adaptatus, or Vex for short. My latest in aquatic creatures.” Kenji declared from the boat, his voice muffled by the water. The “Vex” as he called it, turned to look at the shark villain with a predatory expression in its eyes. 

“I advise running.” Kenji added. The shark villain obeyed, swimming at his top speed to escape onto dry lands but the Vex was faster, catching up to the villain and biting down on his leg. He screamed as he felt the bite crunch through skin, flesh, muscle, and even bone. The Vex was about to go in for another bite, when Kenji whistled a few notes. 

“That’s enough, Big Girl. Return.” He said, holding out his capsule. A beam of light shot out to the massive creature, engulfing it, before returning it to its container. 

“Was that really necessary?” Tsuyu asked. 

“Not really, but I wanted to make sure we got at  least one guy to have the pros and police interrogate.” Kenji said. “Now, let’s try and get back to Thirteen, Midnight, and Aizawa.” 

“SUPER EXPLOSIVE MORTAR BOMB!” Katsuki yelled as he plummeted down towards a muscular villain with four arms. When he landed, he unleashed a massive concussive explosion, knocking the villain out. 

“I don’t think you need to beat them up that much, Katsuki.” Fumikage said as Dark Shadow wrapped a villain up in his own spiderwebs. 

Katsuki adjusted his Auto Gauntlets and scoffed. “I’m teaching them a lesson, so they know not to try anything ever again.” 

Fumikage looked at the volatile boy with a calculating gaze. “Something tells me that’s something that runs in your family.” 

Katsuki grinned. “You bet it does. We Bakugos never lose!” 

Fumikage walked through the fiery area, scanning for more villains. 

“I believe that is the last of them.” He said. 

“Let’s rendezvous back at the center.” Katsuki said. “I can’t wait to blast that crusty guy in his face! And that big bird brain!” 

Himiko dug the claws in her right hand into the shoulder of a villain with thick muscles, as she jabbed a shock baton into his side with her left. She sucked out some of his blood, and she felt the grey sludge squeezing out of her pores, engulfing her as she transformed into the villain. Her costume also transformed with her, since she had used her own hair in part of the fabric. As the villain passed out, she completed her transformation. She flexed one arm, grateful when the muscles bulged. 

“Thank goodness, this guy’s muscles aren’t part of his quirk.” She said in the villain’s voice, before attacking more villains. She was the only one who hadn’t been teleported away, since she had followed Aizawa and Midnight when they ran to confront the villains. Speaking of Midnight, she was in the process of dueling the female villain from earlier, Kirokuri. They were equally matched, fighting in perfect equilibrium. Every punch, every kick, every movement was perfectly synchronized. Aizawa, on the other hand, was fighting villains left and right. It was amazing. He was single-handedly fighting nearly two dozen villains at once, and had gotten that number down to eight in the few minutes this attack has been going on. And that was another question she had. How did this attack even start? This was supposed to be a secure and safe place. How did a random group of villains find out? 

“Man, Eraserhead is really cool.” Said a voice beside her. She looked to her right, and saw the young man right beside her. His pale blue hair was practically in her face. 

“Uhh, what do you mean, boss?” She asked, still disguised as the villain. 

“Look at him! He’s like a pro gamer from a world class tournament, fighting in a random regular public server.” The man said in awe. “It’s a shame we have to kill him. Nomu, sic him!” He said, pointing at Eraserhead. The massive creature behind him started walking towards Aizawa, before slamming a fist into his back. Aizawa went flying, and it took everything in Himiko’s power to not scream. She was standing right beside a man who could turn her to dust if she gave any hint she wasn’t the villain she was disguised as. 

“That Nomu is really something, isn’t he?” The man said. 

“Y-yeah, he really is. How is he so strong?” Himiko said. 

“I thought I told you this before. We made him for the sole purpose of killing All Might. He’s got three quirks in him. Super Strength, Shock Absorption, and Regeneration. All of those mixed together make him a nearly invincible killing machine. The only thing that could beat him, is himself.” The man said with a grin. “Soon all will know the name of the League of Villains, the killers of All Might, led by Tomura Shigaraki and his Nomu soldiers.” 

Himiko nodded quietly, silently taking notes on everything the man, who she now knew as Tomura Shigaraki, said.  

The Nomu had picked up Aizawa again, and was crushing his legs under its foot. Aizawa didn’t make a sound, despite being in obvious agony. It hurt Himiko so much to see the man she had come to view as a mentor, a friend, even family, being slowly tortured to death. 

“This is good practice for the Nomu. Eraserhead is good at hand to hand combat, so killing him will give the Nomu some experience before we kill All Might.” Shigaraki said. “What are you standing here for? Go kill those brats!” He said, and Himiko nodded, then ran as fast as she could away from Shigaraki. 

As soon as she was gone, Shigaraki called out to the Nomu. “Good job, big guy! Now all you need to do is-“

Suddenly, he felt an ominous presence behind him, and heard a low reptilian growl, as a clawed hand was placed on his shoulder.

Chapter Text

Shigaraki’s face turned even paler than it already was, as he slowly looked up and to the left. A large dinosaur loomed over him. It was eight feet tall at the shoulder, and a dark black/green, save for its stark white head, reminiscent of a skull, with piercing red eyes, and a red crest. It opened its mouth, giving the villain a good look at its razor sharp conical teeth. They were arranged neatly in the dinosaur’s mouth, all tinted a bloody red, and were all approximately the same size, save for its two canines on it’s top jaw, which were longer and sharper, and it’s incisors, which were triangular and looked like razor blades. Shigaraki then looked down at its hand, which was gripping his shoulder. It had four long bony fingers, and an opposable thumb, each one tipped with a sharp black claw. It gave him another menacing growl, as Kenji walked in front of Shigaraki and the Nomu from the water area, with Tsuyu and Izuku close behind. 

“I hope he didn’t scare you too much.” Kenji said, a smug grin on his face. “Meet Mortalodon Anthrophagus, my latest and personal favorite terrestrial assault animal.” 

Shigaraki ran through the scientific name in his head. “Mortalodon Anthrophagus… Did you seriously name this thing “Deadly Toothed Human Eater”?! Are you insane?!” 

Kenji shrugged. “Maybe, but it works. Yes, his name does translate to “Deadly Toothed Human Eater”, but that’s mainly for intimidation factor. Not that he can’t eat you. I made him specifically for capture, retrieval, and, if needs be, kill missions. He’s quite literally designed to hunt. The basic model is a Utahraptor, enhanced with various other traits, such as an Arapaima’s scale structure, a Hoplophoneus’ claws and canines, a vampire bat’s incisors, and even Short Tailed Shrew, which gives the teeth that nice red tint. Why did I include such a small animal in this big guy? Good question.” 

“I didn’t ask.” Shigaraki said, even though he was kind of interested at this point. 

“As I was saying, the teeth are reddish in color because there are dense iron reserves in there. Getting snapped in those teeth are the same as getting caught in a bear trap, only worse because the trap won’t thrash around, digging more ragged wounds.” Kenji said, rubbing his hands together. “And you’re practically in that trap right now.” 

Shigaraki felt the Mortalodon’s claws dig into his shoulders, as the massive raptor stepped a bit closer. 

“Now, here’s how this is gonna work. You surrender, call all your troops off, and you don’t get brutally maimed.” Kenji said. 

Shigaraki growled. “You think your little science project is enough to beat me? I’m Tomura Shigaraki! The ultimate villain! I control a Nomu!” He said. “Nomu! Come! Kill this overgrown gecko!” 

The massive hulking beast stopped crushing Aizawa underneath its foot, and turned around to face Shigaraki. It charged towards the Mortalodon, and swung its meaty fist at it. The raptor leapt out of the way, before running around the Nomu and raking its claws across its back. The Nomu’s skin tore, leaving deep gashes across the creature’s back. 

Shigaraki stamped his foot in outrage. “Impossible! How did a stupid dinosaur’s claws cut through my invincible Nomu!” He screeched. The Mortalodon bit down on the Nomu’s shoulder, tearing a chunk out of it. 

“Well, buddy, one thing I’ve learned from nature is that when an animal’s skin is designed to be resistant to either bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing, it’s usually weak to one of the other two, if not both. You designed it to be resistant to punches, I believe, so its skin is taut, perfect for claws to shred. Really, this whole Nomu is full of flaws you haven’t accounted for, for instance…” Kenji said. 

“ENOUGH!” Shigaraki yelled. “I don’t care about your nerdy science, I don’t care about your “perfect hunter” or whatever. I just want to kill All Might, and if you’re in my way of doing that, then you can die too!” He ran towards the dinosaur, and grabbed its leg. Cracks appeared in its skin as the dinosaur slowly disintegrated into fine dust. Kenji’s smug smile turned to a shocked and horrified expression in an instant. 

“Not so cocky now, are ya?” Shigaraki said, holding up a hand. “Your quirk is all nerdy and stuff, but mine’s the real deal! I can disintegrate anything I touch with all 5 fingers. Including your precious pet!” He said. The Nomu, now free from the relentless mauling, began to regenerate, healing all the wounds it had sustained.

”See?” Shigaraki said. “We’re invincible.” 

Midnight panted as she dodged another kick from her mysterious opponent. It was like she had a perfect retaliation for every move she made. Kirokuri knew every trick in her book, for some reason. And that teleportation gas wasn’t helping either. 

“So, how does it feel to be the prey for once?” Kirokuri asked in a sly tone. Midnight grunted. 

“Who are you? And why did you decide to attack children?” She asked. 

“Oh, I’m afraid that’s classified info, dearie.” Kirokuri said, pinning Midnight to the ground and stepping on her head. “But I’d be more than happy to tell you everything… once you’re six feet under.” 

“Compressed Corrosion!” Mina yelled. Shooting a pressurized stream of acid at Kirokuri. The acid pierced through her arm, making a hole in it, as well as instantly cauterizing the wound. Kirokuri screamed in pain, before swinging wildly. The blow was met by a thick riot shield, held up by Momo. 

“Hands off our teacher!” They both said at once. 

Kirokuri growled. “You two are particularly pesky. I’ll take note of that.” She said, before disappearing in a poof of black gas. Momo ran to help Midnight stand. 

“Are you ok, Ma’am?” She asked. 

“Yes, I am.” Midnight said, rubbing her bruised head. “Thank you, Yaomomo. You’re a real gem.” 

Kenji was seeing red. He usually never got this angry, but someone dared to take a life for no reason other than sport? For fun? Worst of all, the life taken was one he held dear. His beloved pet, Mortalodon, though terrifying, was a loyal companion. It has been created with Molossian Hound DNA, making it easier to train, easy to befriend, and highly loyal. 

And Shigaraki had murdered him. 

“You… dare, hurt my pet?” He asked in a dangerously calm tone, his fists clenched so tightly they were turning white. 

“I dare to do a lot of things! I won’t let a little nerd and his science project get in the way of my plan to create a utopia!” Shigaraki said, unleashing a maniacal cackle. Kenji started walking towards the Nomu, when all of a sudden, one of the villains surrounding them burst with grey sludge, revealing Himiko in her hero costume. 

“What?!” Shigaraki screeched. “How did you do that?!” 

“Kenji!” Himiko yelled, running over to him. “You can’t hurt the Nomu! It’s designed solely to kill All Might. I heard Shigaraki say that the only thing that could beat the Nomu is itself!”  

Kenji looked up at the massive ebony beast. “The only thing that can kill it is itself, huh? Alright then, that’s just what I’ll do.” He said, before standing up. 

“Get someplace safe, Himiko.” Kenji said. Himiko nodded, and ran over to where Midnight Mina and Momo were. 

“Ida!” Kenji yelled. The class president quickly ran to his side.

“Yes, Kenji?”

”Can you get me close to the Nomu?” 

“You, you want me to get you close to that… that thing?” Ida said. 

Kenji nodded. “Yes. I’ve got a plan.” 

Ida thought for a moment, before nodding. “Alright, if you’re sure.” 

He put Kenji on his back, then activated his quirk, causing thrusters to emerge from his calves. 

“Recipro Burst, on!” He said, taking off sprinting.  He ran towards the Nomu at top speeds. 

“Ready, Go!” He said, and Kenji jumped off, landing on the Nomu’s back as Ida kept running past. 

“Alright, here we go.” Kenji said. He pressed his fingers against the Nomu’s skin, and began examining its DNA. 

“This is… this is… amazing! I think I can do it now! I think I can copy this!” He said, pulling his hand off of the Nomu’s shoulder just as he got thrown off. He landed and rolled a few yards away, but quickly got up, took a big drink of his energy formula, then grabbed his chest, right over his heart. 

“Self Overhaul!” He yelled, and all of a sudden, his body began bulking up, his skin turning ebony black, ripping through his costume shirt, and swelling with muscle. In only fifteen seconds, he had transformed into a perfect copy of the Nomu, but with a covered brain. 

“GRAHHHH!” Kenji roared, lunging at the original Nomu, before swinging wildly, going completely berserk. The Nomu blocked a few hits, but eventually it started to get overwhelmed. 

“Your quirk is Shock Absorption, not Shock Nullification. That means it’s only a matter of time before you overload!” Kenji yelled, pummeling the Nomu’s face, making a large crater in the USJ floor. 

Himiko stood next to Mina and Momo, watching as Kenji unleashed his beatdown on the Nomu. 

“Why is Kenji winning? Shouldn’t they be evenly matched?” Momo asked. 

“Why does it matter? Kenji’s the hero!” Mina said. 

“Still, I’m confused as to why.” Momo said, scratching her head. 

“It’s because Kenji’s got smarts.” Himiko said, watching the boy in awe. “That big guy is operating like a robot. Maybe it’s mind control or something, but he’s clearly not thinking for himself. Kenji is. He can analyze the Nomu’s fighting style and counterattack easily. The only problem is I have no idea when Kenji will…” 

As if on cue, Kenji stumbled backwards, his body shrinking and returning to its original shape. 

“…run dry.” Himiko finished. “Oh no…”  

Shigaraki looked up, having taken cover during the relentless beatdown. He watched Kenji turn from a brutish hulking mountain of muscle, back to the scrawny nerd he was before. He began to laugh again. 

“Is that all? For such a genius that was pretty dumb! Nomu, finish him off!” 

The Nomu picked Kenji up by the throat, before throwing him against the ground, causing another crater to appear in the ground.

Kenji slowly propped himself up, and chuckled.

“Heh, you’re right. That was kinda dumb. But you should know…” 

“KENJI, NO!” Himiko shrieked, and began running towards the prone boy, but Midnight held her back. 

“Hold up, kiddo. Look.” She said, pointing upwards. Just as Himiko looked up, a massive shadow glided over her. 

Shigaraki also looked up, and his eyes widened. 

“NO!” He screamed, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, a massive bird plummeted down to the ground, tackling the Nomu’s head to the ground, digging its claws into its exposed brain. It was Gryphon, now transformed into a humongous avian hybrid the size of a pickup truck. Himiko could distinguish Quetzalcoatlus, Peregrine Falcon, and Osprey features in the humongous bird of prey. Gryphon tore the Nomu’s head clean off its neck, before feasting on its meat. 

“Giving your “ultimate soldier” an obvious weak point was even dumber.” Kenji finished, before he passed out. 

“KENJI!” Himiko screamed again. 

“No, no no no!” Shigaraki said, when suddenly, Kirokuri appeared behind him. 

“Master, we need to leave.” She said. 

“Why? We need to make them pay for the Nomu!” Shigaraki said. 

“We’ve got company.” Kirokuri said. 

“Company? What kind of…” 

Suddenly, a bullet struck him in the arm. 

“Too slow, pardner. You’re corralled now.” The Southern twangy accent of Pro Hero Snipe sung through the air, bringing comfort like a blanket. 

“NO NO NO!” Shigaraki screamed, as Kirokuri dragged him through her gaseous portal. 

“I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE, HEROES! I WILL HAVE MY-“ He was cut off when the portal closed. 

Himiko slid to a stop beside Kenji’s unconscious body, and quickly knelt down next to him. 

“Come on, come on!” She said, listening for a heartbeat, or breathing. She heard none. 

“No, please, Kenji, please!” She pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

“KENJIIIIII!” She wailed at the top of her lungs.

Blood leaked out of his chest, where a rib broke through the skin. She carefully collected some in an ampule, prepared for it to be the last time she tasted it. She was done hiding it. Hiding her feelings. 

She loved Kenji Bakugo. 

She loved him, with every fiber of her being, with every beat of her heart, and with every breath of her lungs. She loved him. 

She carefully drank his blood, feeling the warm liquid slide down her throat. It tasted delicious, yet bittersweet. Suddenly, something snapped in the back of her mind. A missing link finally connected, or a final piece of a puzzle finally put in place. Almost automatically, she transformed into Kenji. Instantly, a flood of information filled her brain. And for once, she understood it all. Science, biology, anatomy, it all clicked to her. She looked down at Kenji’s body, then at her hands. 

They were glowing. 

A brilliant gold and green, the same color as his eyes. Himiko’s tears of despair turned into tears of joy. 

“Kenji’s quirk.” She muttered. As if on instinct, she pressed her hands against Kenji’s chest, the glow of her hands intensifying. 

“Live.” She said, speaking aloud the commands she’d heard dozens of times from Kenji. “Live for me, Kenji.” 

The broken rib mended itself, and the other wounds sealed themselves, as Kenji’s body began to heal and rejuvenate. It took a few minutes, but eventually she heard Kenji draw a labored breath. His magnificent eyes slowly drifted open, and he looked at Himiko with adoration. 

“H-Himiko? Why are you me?” He shakily asked. “And why are you crying?” 

Himiko sniffled, before turning back into herself and smiling again. “I just… Kenji, you died. I used your quirk to bring you back.” 

Kenji’s eyes widened slightly. “You did? You can use quirks now, huh? Neat.” 

She nodded. “Yeah, I can…” She said, before pausing. “Kenji, I…” 

“Himiko, I…” Kenji said. 

“…Love you.” They both said at once, then paused. 

“Really?” They both said once more. 

“Yes.” Kenji said. 

“Of course!” Himiko said. “You’ve been there for me ever since you found me in that alleyway so long ago. We’ve played together, studied together, fought together, even beat a pro hero together!” She said. “And all that time, you’ve put me first. Kept me safe, made sure I was ok, protected me from everyone who only sees me as a monster. I’ve always loved you for that.” 

“Well, you’ve been my sunshine all this time too. Most of my determination to be a hero and do what I do finds its roots in you. I want you to be happy, and live the way you want.” Kenji said. 

“And I do too, for you.” Himiko said. 

The two paused for a moment, before silently agreeing on the question they were both thinking about. Slowly, gently, Himiko raised Kenji’s head, and closed her eyes, until her lips met his, and they kissed. 

“Mmm” Himiko said. Kissing Kenji felt even better than drinking his blood, she thought. 

They kept kissing for a few moments, until they were interrupted by a slow clapping sound. Himiko’s eyes snapped open, and she looked up to see Katsuki and Izuku clapping while standing in front of them. 

“About time. You two have been beating around the bush for years.” Katsuki said. 

“Uhh…” Himiko said, at a loss for words. 

“Relax, sis, we all knew this would happen eventually.” Izuku said with a smile. “Katsuki and I knew since we started training with All Might.” 

Kenji chuckled. “And here I thought I was being dumb for having a crush on my best friend’s sister.” 

“If you were, then we’re both dumb.” Himiko said. “And I know you’re not dumb.” 

Kenji chuckled again. “Aww, thanks, Himiko.” 

Himiko blushed and giggled. “Oh stop, you nerd.” 

Katsuki scoffed. “Not even five minutes and he’s a big sap.” 

Himiko smacked Katsuki’s shin. “Hey, I wouldn’t have it any other way, Sparky.” 

“Oh, young love, I love to see it!” Midnight declared, walking up to the four kids. “Well, I assume you four are ok.”

Himiko nodded, when all of a sudden, her stomach growled. 

“Wow, you weren’t lying, Kenji, your quirk saps calories like crazy!” She said, looking around. “Where’s your energy drink tank?” She asked. 

“Yeah, about that.” Izuku said, holding out a shredded piece of Kenji’s costume. 

Kenji sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, that’s the one casualty of my idea. But at least now, I have the Nomu’s DNA copied, so we can research it through me. Especially since… you know…”

Kenji gestured to the decapitated corpse of the Nomu, which was being picked apart by Gryphon. 

“The source material is gone.” He said. 

Midnight nodded. “Of course. If we can figure out exactly what the Nomu is, we’ll be able to figure out why it’s so strong, and if there could be more out there.” 

Kenji nodded, and stood up, as Himiko grabbed his hand and planted a quick peck on his cheek. 

“No matter what’s in store, at least I have you.” Himiko said. Kenji smiled and hugged her. 

“You’re right. We have each other. You, me, and our friends. And with that, no one can beat us.” 

Chapter Text

The Pro Hero reinforcements quickly took charge, and with Ida’s help, they rounded up the rest of the students from the various sections of the USJ. When the first responders arrived, they loaded the injured onto gurneys and into ambulances. Himiko stayed by Kenji’s side as the paramedics rolled him into one of the ambulances. 

“Do you think you’ll be ok?” She asked. 

“I’ll be ok once I rest up a bit and get my energy back. I’m more worried about Mr Aizawa.” Kenji said, as he turned his head to look at their teacher. He was wrapped up in bandages and other medical equipment, and was being wheeled into an ambulance labeled “Emergency Care”. Himiko winced. 

“Yeah. He took a real beating from that Nomu.” She said, tracing a pattern over Kenji’s palm as she sat beside him. “I hope he’ll be ok.” 

“Himiko.” Kenji said, closing his hand over hers in a reassuring grip. “He’ll be ok. They’ve got some of the best doctors and medics working on him.” 

Himiko sighed. “I know, I just can’t help but worry. He’s not just my teacher, he’s a…” 

“Friend?” Kenji finished. “I get that. Just trust the professionals. They won’t let one of their best heroes slip out of their grasp.” 

Himiko smiled, and rubbed her thumb over their intertwined hands. 

“Alright. In the meantime we should talk about your PDA, you big sap. That was some stunt you pulled after I dragged you back from the pearly gates.” 

Kenji rolled his eyes. “Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it.” 

Himiko gaped and blushed, lightly smacking his chest. “Oh! You’ve got some nerve for someone in a medical gurney because of his own stupid decision.” 

“As stupid as it may have been at the time, it was a very good idea.” Midnight said, walking up to the two of them. Her head was wrapped up in a bandage, as was her left arm, and her ribcage. 

“With that Nomu DNA in you, we can get a lot of good research in on what exactly it is. Once you’ve recovered we’ll take you down to the lab and get some tests done.” 

Kenji perked up. “Lab? You have a laboratory?” He asked eagerly. 

Midnight chuckled at his enthusiasm, despite his injuries and fatigue. “Yes, we have a laboratory, and yes, you will get to play in it once you’re actually able to stand on two feet without your little girlfriend there acting as a crutch.” She said, eliciting a squawk from Himiko. 

“Well, toodles! I’ll see you two later.” She said, wiggling her fingers in a farewell gesture before walking away. 

Himiko muttered something incoherently under her breath, before one of the paramedics walked up to her.

“Miss Midoriya, we’re ready to go.” He said. Himiko nodded and stepped up into the ambulance, as the doors closed behind her. The drive was relatively quiet, with the only sounds being the beeping of the heart monitor, and the occasional sound of Kenji shifting in bed. When they got to the hospital, they offloaded Kenji and brought him to a room with a hospital bed, table, television screen, and an open window.

“We hope this is suitable, Mr Bakugo.” One doctor said. “We’ll send a nurse in to check on you momentarily.

“Thank you.” Kenji said, as he laid down in the bed. Himiko immediately plopped down on a chair beside his bed, and leaned over to watch him.

“You know, you don’t have to stay with me if you don’t want to.” Kenji said, but Himiko immediately shook her head.

“Nope. No chance. I am not leaving your side.” She declared. “You’re my boyfriend now, so you’re stuck with me.”

Kenji smiled and chuckled a bit. “Alright then, as long as it makes you happy.”

“Oh, it makes me very happy. You’re right beside me, totally comfortable…”

“Well, not quite totally comfortable.” Kenji interjected. 

”Mostly comfortable.” Himiko corrected. “And best of all, you’re safe. You’re not dead.” She said, leaning in to touch her forehead to his. “And that’s all I need right now.” 

Kenji sighed in contentment as he lifted his arms to hug Himiko. “Well, I’m glad you’re happy.”

Himiko giggled and returned the hug, when all of a sudden, Katsuki, followed by the rest of Class 1-A stampeded into Kenji’s room.

“Out of ze way, le homewrecker!” Aoyama declared, shouldering Himiko out of the way. 

“What happened?” Kirishima asked. 

“How did you do that?” Izuku asked, whipping out his notebook. 

“How bad are your injuries?” Izuku asked. 

“And most importantly, when are you two gonna get busy?” Mineta asked, putting on a sly smirk. 

The rest of the class stopped asking questions over each other, and all slowly turned to the short purple haired kid. 

“What?” Izuku asked. 

”WHAT?!” Mina shrieked.

“Why is that your first question?!” Jiro said with a disgusted expression. 

“What? It’s clear they’re in love, so when’re they gonna… you know… that?” Mineta said. 

“Ok, first of all, gross, second of all, Kenji’s the sweetest person ever. He’s even more of a muffin boy than Izuku, and I’ve seen Izuku spend eight hours petting a Giant Flemish Rabbit.” Katsuki said.

“His love language is physical touch, but only the fluffy kind! Hugs, snuggles, the occasional kiss, stuff like that!” Izuku said. “He probably never even thought of that until you brought it up!” 

Mineta was shocked. “Really? None at all?” 

Kenji stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes. “Uhh, no. Not at all. I’ll stick to hugs for now.” 

Himiko squinted at Mineta as she hugged Kenji tighter, and if she had been a cat, her ears would’ve been pinned back.

“Take your sleazy hands and sleazier thoughts and get out of my boyfriend’s room.” She growled in a dangerously low tone. 

“Alrighty, I feel I’ve overstayed my welcome anyways!” Mineta said, quickly scurrying out of the room. 

Kenji answered questions for a few more minutes, before a young nurse came in to give him a checkup. Himiko watched her movements carefully, scowling when the nurse lifted Kenji’s shirt to check on his puncture wound. Eventually, the nurse left, and the two were left in the room once more. Himiko checked the clock, which read 5:13 PM. 

“It’s almost dinner time. I should probably go home now.” Himiko said: 

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best.” Kenji said “I’ll see you tomorrow. I should be well enough in the morning.” 

Himiko nodded, then picked up her bag and hugged Kenji one last time, planting a kiss on his cheek. 

“Ok. Good night, Kenji.” 

“Good night, babe.” Kenji said. 

Himiko flushed red, but nodded, before walking out of the room. 

“And don’t let that nurse touch you like that again. She was way too feely.” She said. 

“Alright, will do.” Kenji said. 

The next morning, Kenji was given one last checkup (by a different, more mature nurse), and sent back to UA. There, he was intercepted by Midnight at the front gates. 

“Ah! Kenji, there you are! Come on, let’s go down to the lab.” She said, grabbing Kenji by the wrist. 

“Oh, right, the lab! Where is it!” Kenji asked. Midnight smiled as they stepped onto an elevator. 

“The subterranean level, where students typically aren’t allowed.” 

She pulled a keycard out of her pocket, and swiped it on the elevator reader. The doors closed, and the elevator began to descend. After a few moments, the doors opened to a sleek, white hallway. The two walked down it to another door, where Midnight swiped her keycard. The door opened into a massive laboratory, full of various equipment, containers full of various substances and specimens, and populated by scientists, including… 

“Ah, Nemuri, there you are! And is this the little science nerd you were talking about?” The pro hero Ryukyu walked over to Kenji and Midnight. Instead of her usual crimson dress, she wore a large white lab coat, but still wore her metal crown-like head accessory. 

“Ah! We were looking for you, Ryuko! Yep, this is the one. This is Kenji, and he’s just as big on DNA and dinosaurs as you are, maybe even more!” Midnight said. 

Ryukyu looked at the boy curiously, like a dragon inspecting a new piece of treasure. “Kenji, huh? Pleasure to meet you. I’m…” 

“The Dragon Hero, Ryukyu!” Kenji said, his eyes the size of dinner plates. “You’re my favorite pro hero!” 

“Aww! I’m flattered! Come, let’s get this test on the road!” Ryukyu said, as she led Kenji through the lab. 

“Is this yours?” Kenji asked. 

“It is! When I’m not doing hero work I’m here, breaking through the barriers of science, biology, and evolution.” Ryukyu said. 

Kenji looked around in awe. “This place is… amazing. It’s like a dream come true.” He said. They walked through the laboratory, with Kenji commenting on various things he saw, until they came to a door, opened it, and walked into what looked like a regular examination room like you’d see at a doctor’s office, but much larger and more durable looking. 

“Now, about that form Nemuri was talking about. The one that allowed you to face that monster the villains brought along.” Ryukyu said. 

“Oh, yes. The Nomu. During the attack, I copied its DNA and overwrote my own DNA with it, transforming myself into a replication of the original Nomu, but with some edits to the genes, to further improve upon it’s design. It’s actually the ideal DNA I’ve been looking for, able to output an incredible amount of physical capability, without instantly draining all my energy.” 

“I see… and how long can you stay in this form?” Ryukyu asked. 

“By my calculations, 3-4 minutes on a full tank.” Kenji replied. 

“I see. We’ll have to be quick extracting DNA from you, then.” Ryukyu said, as she walked to a cabinet and opened it, before pulling out a syringe. 

“Mind transforming now?” She asked. 

Kenji nodded, then placed his hand over his heart, and activated his quirk, transforming into a replica of the Nomu. Ryukyu quickly stabbed the needle into his bicep, and sucking out a bit of his blood. 

“That’s good, thank you.” She said, and Kenji deflated, and returned to his normal form. 

“Did you get all the blood you needed?” He asked. 

“Yep, now we have a sample of the Nomu for study. Thank you, Kenji, you’ve been a great help.” Ryukyu said, labeling the sample and storing it on a rack. 

“Oh, you’re welcome! Always a pleasure to help.” Kenji said. 

Ryukyu chuckled. “I like you, Kenji. You’re the kind of kid who gets this line of work. You seem like someone I’d love to have around here. You’re smart, eager to work with science and biology, and your quirk is amazing in the hands of someone who knows how to use it. Here, take this.” She said, pulling out a plastic card. “An intern authentication card. In case I ever need some help from such a brilliant mind as yours.” 

Kenji looked at the card in awe. “Wow, this is so cool! I’d love to offer my help, Ryukyu, whenever you need it!” He said, tucking the card into his pocket. 

Ryukyu smiled at the boy. “Good. It’s been a while since I’ve had someone as smart and eager as you come to SCALE. 

Kenji looked at her quizzically. “SCALE? Is that an anagram?” 

Ryukyu nodded. “Mhmm! SCALE, it stands for Science & Creativity Advanced Lab Enterprise.”

“Ah, I see, cool!” Kenji said. Ryukyu chuckled, and then walked Kenji back to class. “Thanks for the help, Kenji, I look forward to working with you in the future.” 

Chapter Text

After Kenji left the laboratory, he went to class. As he opened the door, he saw the rest of Class 1-A sitting down. He sat in his own seat, when Mina leaned over to him. 

“Glad you’re ok Kenji. Did you see Mr Aizawa in the halls? We haven’t seen him since the attack yesterday.” She said. 

“No, I didn’t. I hope he’s ok.” Kenji said. As if on cue, Aizawa stepped through the doorway, his body wrapped in bandages, with only his eyes visible. 

“Good morning, class.” He said drowsily. A flood of questions met him. 

“Are you ok?” 

“Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?” 

“What is the school going to do about this villain attack?” 

Aizawa held up one hand to silence the class. “I am well enough to teach, and what the school is going to do is we’re going to press forward with the semester. We are going to show the villains that we are not afraid of them.” He said, picking up a remote with one hand and clicking a button on it. 

“In two weeks, the UA Sports Festival will begin. For those who don’t know, this is an event where every class attending UA participates in a series of activities to show their worth and potential to the world. This is also a prime time to be scouted by a Pro Hero Agency, allowing you to intern there later.” 

The UA Sports Festival. The biggest event in the world, ever since it replaced the Olympic Games. The class was full of chatter, everyone talking about the festival. Aizawa held his hand up for silence, and the class quieted down. 

“To prepare for this training, each school day will have more time allotted for training. Don’t waste it. Understand?” 

“Yes sir!” The class said in unison. 

Aizawa nodded. “Alright then, with that out of the way, let’s begin class.” 

Over the next two weeks, Class 1-A trained their quirks, preparing for the event ahead of them. Some, like Kenji and Himiko, focused on physical exercise as opposed to quirk training, since their quirks were already well practiced. Others, like Izuku and Katsuki, trained their quirks more, since their quirks worked in synergy with their already superior physical capabilities.

Eventually, it was time for the UA Sports Festival. The class rode the bus to the stadium, a massive circular structure with the letters UA emblazoned on it. As the students exited the bus, they looked up in awe at the massive stadium. 

“Whoa… it’s huge!” Kirishima said. 

“That’s what…” Mineta started before Dark Shadow slapped a hand over his mouth. 

The class walked into the stadium, where they were met by a middle aged man, who guided them to a break room labeled “1-A”. 

“This will be where you come to prepare for the upcoming events. Otherwise we have a specified row for Class 1-A on the bleachers.” The man said. 

“Thank you!” Ochako said. The man nodded and left. 

“Looks like these are for us.” Izuku said as he pulled a blue tracksuit out of a locker. 

“They are.” Ida said. “To ensure fairness, no one from the hero course is allowed to use gear or costumes. We will use these instead.” 

“Makes sense.” Kenji said as he pulled his out. “We have vastly superior quirks compared to those in General Studies and the Support Course. It would only be fair if we were handicapped in some way.” 

The class all changed into the blue jumpsuits and walked outside. There, they saw hundreds of thousands of people, from ordinary civilians, to Pro Heroes, even some famous ones like Edgeshot and Best Jeanist. 

“Welcome welcome, everyone, to the UA High Sports Festival!” Present Mic’s voice blared through the speakers. “I’m your host, Present Mic, and I’m joined by my friend, Nimbus!” 

“Good to be here, Mic, and I cannot wait to see these wonderful little kiddos perform, can you?” 

“No, I certainly cannot. Well, let’s get started, shall we? Let’s get acquainted with our competitors! We have… Class 1-C of the Support course! Make some noise, 1-C!” 

A loud uproar was heard from the opposite corner of the stadium, as the Support Course cheered, letting off some fireworks, probably the work of one of them. 

“Next up, the General Studies Class of 1-E!” Nimbus said, followed by the cheers of the General Studies Class. 

“Following them, we have the Hero Course Class, 1-B.” Nimbus said, followed by the other hero course cheering louder than any other class. 

“And last, but definitely not least, the Hero Course’s Class 1-A!” Mic said. All of class 1-A collectively put their all into their yells and cheers, and Mic laughed. 

“Sounds like someone is excited! Anyways, up next, we’ll have Class 1-A’s representative give us an opening statement.” Mic said. 

Izuku walked up to the podium in the center of the stadium, took a deep breath, and began. 

“All my life, I’ve wanted to be a hero. I’ve seen them do amazing things on television, and I’ve seen them defeat even the strongest villains, and I’ve always wanted to be like them. To be a hero. But what does it mean to be a hero? Does it mean to be flashy and take out lots of villains? Does it mean you get to be rude to those less powerful or less fortunate than you? No. Being a hero, it means doing what’s right, not what’s easy. Being a hero means being someone people can look up to and know everything will be ok. And that’s what I plan to do. I plan to be a symbol of hope for the world!” He said, raising a fist in determination. The crowd cheered wildly as Izuku left the podium. 

“Beautiful, that was beautiful!” Mic said. “And that’s some amazing determination. Thank you for that, Midoriya, now, let’s get this show on the road! Nimbus?” 

“With pleasure.” The Loud Cloud Hero said, floating down from the announcers box to the arena below. 

“Alright you amazing kiddos, let’s kick this festival off! Here’s how this is going to go.” Nimbus said, as a large screen raised up from the floor, displaying a spinning wheel. 

“On this wheel are a series of activities. We’ll pick two and you get to do them!” He said. 

“I guess there’s only one thing left to say!” Mic said. 

“SPIN. THAT. WHEEEEL!” The crowd chanted, as Nimbus tapped the screen, causing the wheel to spin faster. It spun and spun, until landing on a section that read 

Obstacle Course 

“Well well well, looks like you kiddos are doing an obstacle course!” Present Mic said. “Head on out to the outer track and line up at the starting line!” 

Kenji looked over at Himiko, who looked back at him with a smile. “We’re gonna win.” She said. 

“Oh, I know that. I’m just worried some people may not take it well.” Kenji said, looking at Class 1-B, where he saw Monoma talking loudly about something, but he couldn’t quite tell what it was, since quite literally everyone was talking loudly. 

“Wait, if this is loud for us, then...” Kenji said, as he turned to his classmates. Sure enough, Jiro was doubled over, covering her ears. Denki was beside her, rubbing her back soothingly, muttering something to her. 

“Sometimes I wonder if powerful hearing is a blessing, or a curse.” Himiko said, looking pitifully at the purple haired girl. 

Every class lined up at the starting line, prepared to go when Present Mic said to do so. 

“Ready? Set? Go go go!” Mic said, his voice still incredibly loud despite being a distance away. Well, that was the Vocal Hero for you. 

Everyone was about to begin running, when all of a sudden, a sheet of ice covered the ground, freezing their feet to the floor. 

“I apologize, but I refuse to lose.” Shoto Todoroki said as he skated smoothly across the ice. 

“Oh no you don’t” Katsuki said, blasting himself, Kenji, Izuku, Kirishima, and Himiko out of the ice in one clean shot. 

Kenji started running, when he almost got ran over by a pink haired girl, wearing massive goggles, equipped with tons of gadgets, and riding a steampunk-esque motorcycle. 

“Hehe, See ya, slowpoke!” The girl said, waving a mocking hand at him. 

Kenji scowled. “Alright then, gearhead. You wanna play like that? We’ll play like that. Life always finds a way.” He said, before whistling a sharp note. In just a few moments, Gryphon landed right beside him. He mounted his truck-sized pet, then offered a hand to Himiko. She smiled, took his hand, and climbed up onto the large bird’s back. 

“Welcome to Eagle Airlines, this is your captain speaking. We’ll be taking off shortly so please hold on to your boyfriend tightly, or else it’s a very long drop. Thank you.” Kenji said, and, once he felt Himiko’s arms wrapped around his torso, nudged Gryphon while whistling a musical note. The bird took off, flying fast and quickly catching up to the main group of students. They were currently stuck at a massive canyon, with a few ropes and pedestals being the only paths across. Just as they got there, they saw Shoto creating an ice bridge and skating across, followed by Katsuki launching himself across with an explosion. Izuku did the same with his quirk. As Kenji and Himiko soared over the canyon, they heard several students calling to them. 

“Hey! How did you get that thing? Let us ride it!” 

“Yeah, that’s not fair!” 

“Sounds like a skill issue to me.” Himiko replied as they passed the large buildup at the canyon’s entrance. 

Kenji scanned the area below him, looking for something, or rather, someone

”Where are you… there!” He said, as he spotted that pink haired girl from earlier, launching drones with spinning blades on them at Kirishima, who was crawling across one of the ropes, while she flew around on hover shoes. 

“Now that’s not fair.” Kenji said. He whistled another series of notes, and Gryphon dove down, grabbing the two drones in his talons and smashing them into one of the canyon walls. The girl shrieked in horror and fury. 

“My babies! How dare you! You destroyed my babies!” 

“And you were about to kill my friend, so what does that say about you?” Kenji retorted. 

“Just you wait, I’ll show you! Soon, all shall tremble before the name Mei Hatsume!” The girl said, shaking a fist in anger. “Your biological pets won’t be able to compare to my technology! Just you wait! You’ll see!” 

Kenji rolled his eyes, as he and Himiko flew past the canyon, coming to the next obstacle. A minefield. 

“Huh, that’s doesn’t look like too much trouble.” Kenji said. All of a sudden, one of the mines came hurling at them. Kenji steered Gryphon out of the way, then looked for where it came from. One of the 1-B students, a massive hairy Sasquatch lookalike held another mine in his hand, before tossing it like a frisbee at them. Monoma was beside him, encouraging him. 

“Ugh, it’s that cocky guy again.” Himiko said. 

“Well, time to demonstrate why I chose the Harpy Eagle as opposed to any other eagle.” Kenji said. He whistled, and Gryphon obeyed, swooping, ascending, ducking and weaving, making tight turns that seemed impossible for a bird of that size, as they dodged the mines thrown at them. 

“Now stoop!” Kenji commanded. He felt Himiko’s arms tighten, as Gryphon tucked his wings in.

“Oh no, not this!” Himiko said. “I HATE IT WHEN YOU DO THIS!” She screamed as they plummeted down to earth at top speeds. At the last second, Gryphon opened his wings, breaking their fall as they landed right past the finish line. 

“Well that was fun.” Kenji said, as he hopped off of Gryphon, before helping Himiko down. 

“Fun? FUN?! I thought I was gonna die! I thought I was gonna be flung off of your bird and go splat! I thought…” she stopped suddenly when Kenji presented his arm to her. She took it. 

“Forgiven. But just this once” She said, before biting down on his forearm. 

As she fed, Kenji looked around. He saw Izuku and Katsuki had already crossed the finish line, as well as Shoto, and Ida. So far, only Class 1-A members had passed the finish line. Over the next hour, more students trickled in, and by noon, when time was up, most people had passed the finish line. Most of the people who didn’t finish were General Studies students, but a few Support Course students lost too. After a quick lunch break, everyone gathered back in the stadium for the next activity. 

“Alright, everyone, from the 200 students in UA, we’ve dropped that number down to 160! Now it’s time for the second activity! You know what to do!” 

“SPIN. THAT. WHEEEEL!” The crowd chanted.

Chapter Text

The wheel spun rapidly, before landing on an option. 

Cavalry Battle

”Well well well, folks, looks like our next event will be the Cavalry Battle! Nimbus, why don’t you tell everyone what the rules are?” Present Mic said.

“With pleasure, Mic. The rules are simple. Everyone will receive an headband labeled with the points you achieved in the previous event. Then, you will assemble into groups of three to four. You may select as many of your group as you wish to be “riders”. The riders are allowed to grab others’ headbands, but their feet cannot touch the ground once the game starts. You may ride whatever you please, be it a vehicle, animal, or each other! Whoever ends up with the most points at the end of 15 minutes wins! Good luck! Oh, and one more thing. The first place contestant from the obstacle course? Their headband is worth 10 million points!” Nimbus said. 

In an instant, all eyes zeroed in on Katsuki. He was the first place contestant from the obstacle course. That meant… 

“Everyone will target him.” Himiko said. “Whoever is on his team will be at a major disadvantage.” 

Kenji smirked. “Since when has a disadvantage ever stopped us?” 

Nimbus spoke again. “You all have ten minutes to assemble a team, discuss strategy and prepare for the battle! Get to it, little heroes!” 

Kenji started walking over to Katsuki. As he did, he spoke to Himiko. “Grab your brother, let’s form a team.” He said. 

Himiko nodded, then ran off to find Izuku. Meanwhile, Kenji walked up to his twin brother just as he was getting his 10 million point headband. 

“Hey, Katsuki. Himiko’s gone to go get Izuku, so we have a team all ready to go.” 

Katsuki smirked and cracked his knuckles. “And here I thought I’d struggle finding someone willing to play with the big dogs. I should’ve known my brother and friends wouldn’t shy away from a little challenge.” 

Kenji returned the smirk and took his headband from one of the officials just as Himiko returned with Izuku. Since both Kenji and Himiko finished at the same time, they were both worth 300 points, while Izuku, finishing in third, was worth 600.

“You ready for this?” He asked Izuku.

Izuku smiled. “As ready as ever. The four of us are unstoppable when we’re a team.

“You bet we are.” Kenji said. He tied it around his head, then got busy.

“Alright, if all four of us are riders, that means all of us can grab headbands.” He said, as he crouched down. 

“But if all of us are riders, how will we- oh.” Himiko said, as Kenji pressed his hand to the ground. In a moment, a Utahraptor burst out of the earth, lifting itself up and shaking itself off. 

“There we go, that’s good.” Kenji said. He pressed his hand to the large raptor, his palms glowing once more. 

“Alright, now, for a Mortalodon, we need… let’s see… Hadrosaur, check, Arapaima, check, Short Tailed Shrew, check, Hoblophoneus, Check, Molossian Hound, check, Vampire Bat, check, and, we’re good! Now, overdrive Mitosis, and… boom!” 

In a few moments, four Mortalodon raptors stood before the group. One of them had a larger, brighter red head crest, which was the one Kenji mounted. 

“Alright, if we hunt as a pack, we’ll be much more likely to win than if we split up. These things are designed with “strength in numbers” in mind.” 

Himiko climbed onto one. “Did that sap you much? There’s still one more event after this, and I’d hate it if you were drained before that.” She asked. 

“Nah, I’m good. Once I’ve made a gene combination once before, I develop a sort of “blueprint” in my mind that makes it easier and faster to re-create it.” Kenji said. 

Katsuki and Izuku climbed onto their raptors. 

“Why aren’t we using Gryphon? Shouldn’t we take an aerial advantage?” Izuku asked. 

“Something tells me we’ll need Gryphon later, so we shouldn’t tire him out too much yet.” Kenji replied, eyeing up that pink haired girl, Mei Hatsume, from a distance. She was carrying a massive assortment of devices and gadgets to a group of people, including some that definitely looked capable of serious injury. 

“That girl’s off her rocker.” Himiko said. 

“That’s rich, coming from you, Sanguine Tramp.” The haughty voice of Monoma pierced their conversation. The blonde carelessly wandered up to them, and was grinning smugly at them. 

“You may have survived a small villain raid…” 

“Small?! There were over a thousand villains!” Katsuki interjected. 

“Ahem. You may have survived a villain raid, and stolen the heart of that nerd, but you’ll always be beneath me. Every single one of you will grovel beneath me in due time, just you wait, I’ll-!” He said, his voice getting louder and louder until Kendo came and karate chopped him in the shoulder again, causing him to fall over, unconscious. 

“Sorry about him, again. And for the record, what you did was really brave, Himiko. And you’re cute too.” She said with a bright smile. 

“Thanks, Kendo!” Himiko said with a wave. Just then, Present Mic’s voice erupts from the speakers. 

“Alright ladies and gents, it’s time for the Cavalry Battle! Are all the teams ready?” He asked. A chorus of positive responses and cheers answered. 

“Do we have a plan?” Izuku asked. Kenji looked back and smiled. 

“Yep. Follow my lead. We hunt as a pack, we grab as many headbands as possible…” 

“And we win.” Katsuki said, creating sparks in his palms for emphasis. 

“Alrighty then! On your marks, get set! Begin!” Mic yelled. 

The four raptors and their jockeys lunged out into the arena, running together in a tight formation. Kenji looked up and scanned the area. Sure enough, most teams were gunning for them, but he already knew they would.

”Katsuki, Izuku, swap positions, then Himiko and Katsuki, begin Magicians Cup maneuver!” Kenji commanded, before whistling several notes. The raptors carrying Izuku and Katsuki swapped positions, with Katsuki next to Himiko, while Izuku brought up the rear. Katsuki extended an arm out to Himiko, and she bit down on it, transforming into Katsuki. Then, the two began switching places, multiple times, scrambling the other teams’ guess on which Katsuki had the 10 Million point Headband. 

Kenji looked back, and saw two teams gaining on them. One of them was comprised of Shoji, who was carrying Tsuyu, Fumikage, and Mina, while the other was composed of Hatsume, Monoma, Shoto and Shinso riding Hatsume’s motorcycle. 

”Crap, Shinso’s there. Remember, don’t reply to anything he says!” Izuku said. The rest of the team nodded. 

“A brilliant effort, but your time in this festival is over. Farewell!” Monoma said, reaching out for the real Katsuki’s headband. 

“Flashbang Boosters!” Izuku shouted. Katsuki and Himiko both held out their hands, before detonating a large reserve of sweat, launching them forward while blinding Monoma. 

“MY EYES!” Monoma screamed. 

“We’re in the clear!” Himiko yelled. 

Izuku looked back, and saw Shoji’s team rapidly gaining on them. He had formed his six arms into a protective cage around the three others. “Not yet. Kenji!” 

Kenji gritted his teeth as he pulled a tuft of hair from his head. 

“I’m really sorry about this, guys. Hornet Darts!” He called, tossing the hair into the air. Each hair transformed into an Asian Giant Hornet. The swarm surrounded the group, landing on Shoji and stinging his arms. He recoiled, dropping his arms and exposing his three teammates to the onslaught. 

“MURDER HORNETS?!” Mina shrieked. “UNFAIR! OW!” 

They retreated backwards, but not before the hornets collectively worked together to pry Fumikage’s 200 point headband from his head, carrying it back to Kenji. 

“Good boys and girls.” Kenji said, before adding the band to his head. 

“Looks like we’re doing good!” Izuku said. “Most teams have been repelled by our defenses, and we haven’t lost any headbands.” 

“Don’t jinx us, dummy!” Katsuki said. “We still have 8 minutes left! Who knows what- HOLY MOTHER OF… WHAT THE HECK IS EVEN THAT?!”

Kenji looked upwards, and blanched. A massive construct made of vines assembled in the middle of the arena. The vines spread throughout the entire ground area, and formed a pedestal at the center, with a woman standing atop it, dressed in a long white dress, with hair made of the same vines that now coated the walls and floor. 

“Faithful Abomination!” The woman declared, as the vines began to move, snatching headbands away from everyone. 

“That’s a problem- HEY!” Izuku’s said, before his own headband was swept away. 

“Kachaan!” Izuku said, but Katsuki reacted too late, as a thorny vine snagged his headband and whisked it away. 

“NO! YOU JERKS!” Katsuki roared.

“This is bad.” Kenji said, as they circled around the massive vine mass in the center of the arena. “We need that back, and fast! Only 3 minutes left before the event is over!” 

“Did you forget about me?” Monoma said, as he and his team coasted up beside them. “Those pets aren’t certified, guess I’ll have to put them down!” He pointed a gun at the lead Mortalodon. 

“Wait, Monoma, don’t…” Shinso started, but it was too late. Monoma fired the gun with a massive BANG, and the bullet ricocheted off of the raptor’s altered scales, hitting the engine of Hatsume’s motorcycle, causing it to sputter and stall. 

“No… no! How… HOW?! Hatsume guaranteed that these bullets would work on your dumb dinosaurs!” 

Kenji smiled smugly. “Don’t you know? Arapaima scales are bulletproof.” He said as Monoma’s team rolled to a stop and was left behind. 

Kenji turned back to the massive vine construct.

”We need our headbands back… think… Katsuki!  Napalm Dive, now!” 

Katsuki smirked. “Aw yeah. Been waiting to test that on something that’ll really burn.”

He leaped off of the Mortalodon he was riding, then blasted himself high into the sky while midair, before plunging towards the mass of vines. 

“NAPALM DIVE!” Katsuki yelled, as he began to spiral faster and faster, resembling a flaming drill. The woman controlling the vines noticed, and tried to react, but Katsuki was too fast. He bore straight into the center of the vines, before releasing a massive burst of nitroglycerin sweat, incinerating a huge chunk out of the vines. Using one of the charred vines, he swung upwards, over the woman’s head, grabbing three of the headbands she wore, before launching back to the Mortalodon pack. Izuku caught his hand and pulled him back onto his raptor. 

“What did you get?” Izuku asked. 

Katsuki pulled out the headbands. 

“Let’s see. A ten pointer, Izuku’s 600 points, and…” Suddenly, his face fell.

It was a two point headband.

“HA! HAHAHAHA! YOU LOSERS CAN’T EVEN WIN WHEN THERE’S 4 OF YOU TOGETHER! HOW PATHETIC!” Monoma cackled from a distance away. 

“Aaaaand times up!” Mic declared. “Everyone gather round so we can declare the four teams who pass on to the next round!” 

All the teams gathered around the podium, and Nimbus stepped up. 

“Alright you kiddos, out of the 40 teams, only 4 pass, so let’s see who they are!” 

Each team came forward with their total points, and they were tallied up. When Monoma and Hatsume passed Kenji and his team, they couldn’t help but smirk. 

“Looks like we won after all. How pathetic do you feel?” Monoma said. 

“I told you tech beats pet!” Hatsume said with a smug grin on her face. 

Shoto put their team’s headbands on the table, and Nimbus added them up. 

“1230 points! Good job!” He said. 

Shoto, Shinso, Hatsume, and Monoma’s team shot up to first place. There was only one team left. 

Kenji, Katsuki, Himiko and Izuku slowly walked up to the table, and laid their headbands down. A measly 612 points. They didn’t qualify. 

“Ha! How could a team comprised of four members of Class 1-A fail? You must be writhing in shame!” Monoma said, as he and Hatsume laughed. 

Kenji looked down, and closed his eyes. 

Suddenly… a smile broke out on his face. Then a small chuckle, then a laugh. 

“You really thought I wouldn’t be prepared?” He said between laughs. “Himiko, please, do the honors.” 

Himiko stepped forward, smiling brightly, then lifted up her hair, revealing the Ten Million point headband attached to her head. 

“During our Magician’s Cup maneuver, I had Himiko and Katsuki swap headbands. That vine girl stole Himiko’s 300 points instead of Katsuki’s 10 million!

Monoma gawked. 

Hatsume gasped. 

The audience erupted into cheers.

”Ladies and Gentlemen, our First place winners of the cavalry battle, Team 22, comprised of Katsuki Bakugo, Kenji Bakugo, Izuku Midoriya, and Himiko Midoriya!” Present Mic said over the speakers. “And with that, we have our qualifying 16 for the 1v1 tournament!” 

The Jumbotron showed a list of 16 students who would move on to the final round of the Sports Festival. 

1: Katsuki Bakugo

2: Kenji Bakugo

3: Himiko Midoriya

4: Izuku Midoriya 

5: Neito Monoma

6: Mei Hatsume

7: Hitoshi “Shinso” Aizawa

8: Shoto Todoroki 

9: Momo Yaoyorozu. 

10: Shihai Kuroiro

11: Ibara Shiozaki

12: Kinoko Komori

13: Eijiro Kirishima

14: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu 

15: Denki Kaminari

16: Tenya Ida

“We’ll be back with the lineups, after we break for lunch!” Mic said, as the cameras cut to a commercial break, and the cleanup team emerged from a tunnel to begin cleaning out the vines from the arena, as well as various other objects and liquids. 

Chapter Text

After the break, the remaining 16 contestants walked out onto the field. The stadium around them was packed full of people cheering for their favorite student. It was exhilarating. 

Present Mic picked up his microphone. 

“Alright everyone, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The Battle Tournament is about to begin, but first, let’s take a look at our matchups!” He yelled, before pointing upwards to the Jumbotron. The 16 contestants’ faces were arranged on the bottom of the screen, before they organized into their respective matchups. 

Hitoshi Aizawa vs Shoto Todoroki 

Denki Kaminari vs Ibara Shiozaki

 Himiko Midoriya vs Momo Yaoyorozu 

Izuku Midoriya vs Tenya Ida

Katsuki Bakugo vs Shihai Kuroiro

Neito Monoma vs Kinoko Komori

Eijiro Kirishima vs Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

Mei Hatsume vs Kenji Bakugo

Kenji looked up at the screen in wonder, as he thought to himself.

Mei Hatsume, huh? Guess Mic saw the beef we have and decided to pair us up for a spectacle. 

He smirked. 

Alright then. If they want a show I’ll give them a show. 

“Now, will the rest of the contestants please return to their seats in the stadium, while Shoto Todoroki and Hitoshi Aizawa prepare for the match?” Present Mic announced. The rest of the students nodded, and walked back inside. 

Kenji found his friends, and they went up into the stadium, and quickly found the row labeled “Class 1-A”, where most of their class was located. Kenji sat next to Himiko, right behind Mina, who was still nursing a half dozen stings with ice packs. 

“There you are! You had better win this thing! I will not have lost to someone who didn’t at least make the podium!” Mina said, shaking her fist. 

Kenji smiled sheepishly as he waved his hands in a placating gesture. “I will. And, I am so, so sorry. Hornets were the first thing I could think of to get you guys off of our tail.” He said. 

Mina pouted as she rubbed her swollen cheek. “Fine, whatever, just win so I feel a little better about myself.” She said. 

“I’ll be sure of it.” Kenji replied, before all attention went back to the center. 

“Alright, ladies and gents, boys and girls, let’s begin our first battle!” 

Shoto and Shinso walked out of opposite hallways at each end of the stadium, facing each other from a distance. 

“This match features two members of Class 1-A, Hitoshi Aizawa, and Shoto Todoroki! Ready? Get set, aaaand Go!” Mic said, as a loud buzzer blared, signaling the start of the match. 

Shoto skated up to Shinso, creating a path of ice at his feet. Shinso dodged, leaping out of the way before ice froze him in place.

“And starting off the fight is Shoto Todoroki! His quirk, you ask? Half-Hot, Half-Cold! He freezes the competition in their tracks with his right side, and burns up the charts with his left! The temperature limits of his abilities are currently unknown.” Mic declared, as the battle continued.

”So, Shoto Todoroki, the son of the Number 2 hero, Endeavor, huh? It’s a pleasure to share a battle with such a celebrity. How does it feel to live the life of privilege?” Shinso said. 

Shoto grunted, before throwing a swarm of icicles of various sizes at him. 

“I know how your quirk works, so don’t expect me to be very chatty.” He said coldly. 

Shinso grinned smugly. “Oh? Is that so, well, it’s only a matter of time before-“ he started, when all of a sudden, Shoto stamped the ground, creating a massive glacier that froze Shinso in place. 

“Rule one of combat. Never monologue.” Shoto said. 

“And with a swift finish, Shoto takes the win, and progresses on to the next round!” Present Mic said. 

“Wow, Shoto’s really got some power.” Kenji remarked. 

If I face him, speed will be key. I’ll need to outpace him, and not pause. That’ll make it difficult to make anything big to overpower him, but I could probably manage. 

“Kenji? Hello? Earth to Kenji?” Himiko said, waving a hand in front of his face. “What are you doing? Usually the zoning out while muttering is Izuku’s thing.” She said, eliciting a squawk from her brother. 

Kenji snapped out of his daze, before looking at his girlfriend and smiling. “Sorry, I guess I’m just being over-analytical because this is a tournament.” He said. 

Himiko nodded in understanding, and then turned to face forward again. “I’m kinda nervous for my match. Momo’s really smart.” She said. Suddenly, Momo placed a hand on her shoulder from behind. 

“Don’t worry too much. You’re pretty capable yourself. I’m sure our match will be pretty fair.” She said, before offering a smile to the smaller blonde girl. 

Himiko smiled back. “Thanks, Yaomomo. Promise to do your best?” 

“Only if you promise the same.” The raven-haired girl replied. 

Just then, Denki stood up. 

“Well, I’m up next! Time to school that Medusa lookalike!” He said, before confidently walking into the hallway. 

“Wait, how are you so sure you'll succeed?” Jiro asked. 

Denki turned around, and scratched his chin. “Well, if Ibara goes all out like she did during the cavalry battle, she may be a bit of a challenge to me.” 

“But would you lose?” Kirishima asked. 

Denki smirked cockily. 

“Nah, I’d Win.” 

“And Ibara Shiozaki is the winner, meaning she gets to progress to the next round!” Mic declared. 

“Heheheheee!” A very short-circuited Denki said as he rolled around in the massive ball of vines Ibara had trapped him in. It took about 15 minutes to untangle him, and after that, he and Ibara returned to the stadium. 

“Well, looks like I’m next.” Himiko said, as she and Momo stood up. “Wish me luck.” She chirped, before leaning down to kiss Kenji. After that, she walked with Momo down to the arena. They stood at opposite ends of the arena, staring each other down, sizing each other up, and waiting for Mic’s call. 

“Ready? Get Set, Begin!” Mic said, as the buzzer sounded. 

Momo instantly created a long quarterstaff which ejected out of her shoulder. 

“Here we have Momo Yaoyorozu! Her quirk is Creation! She can transform the lipids in her body into anything she wants! The only limit is she can’t make living objects, and she has to know the composition of what she’s making”

Himiko grunted. 

That sucks. She has access to support gear, which I don’t have. I’m gonna have to get inventive. Think! Her quirk is somewhat like Kenji’s, but I doubt I’ll be able to fight against it in the same way. 

Momo ran towards her, before swinging her staff at Himiko. She leaped into the air, somersaulting over the taller girl and kicking her in the back. 

Momo grunted, before spinning around and swinging at her again. Himiko dodged once more, before digging her nails into Momo’s exposed shoulder. 

“Sorry about this, Yaomomo, but I gotta level the playing field.” Himiko said, before licking the blood off of her fingernails. In an instant, she transformed into the spitting image of the black haired girl in front of her. 

“Alright, this is more like it” Himi-Momo said, as she created a long steel cable. 

The audience gaped at the transformation, and the speakers roared to life. 

“Himiko Midoriya! Her quirk is Transform. By ingesting someone’s blood, she can turn into a copy of them. Recent events have unlocked her ability to copy the quirks of those she transforms into.” Present Mic said. 

The audience was surprisingly quiet, concerned at the violent way Himiko’s quirk worked. Suddenly, a young boy shouted at the top of his lungs. 

“She’s like Vlad King!” 

The crowd slowly nodded, remembering the pro hero who could control blood, then began cheering loudly for Himiko. 

“Hi-mi-ko! Hi-mi-ko! Hi-mi-ko!” The sound rung through the whole stadium, as Himiko started to tear up. 

They love me. The world really can accept a “monster”. Ha! Take that, bio parents! 

She grinned, and, filled with new resolve and determination, sprang into action. She leaped over Momo once more, wrapping the steel cable around her, over and over, until her classmate was completely incapacitated by the metal binding. 

“And we have a winner! Himiko progresses to the next round!” Mic said. Himiko looked up at the cheering crowd, and smiled. Thousands of people were cheering. For her.  

It was amazing. 

When she got back up to her seat, Kenji wrapped his arms around her. 

“You did it! You did it, babe! You won!” He said, swinging her around. She laughed and hugged him back. 

“I did, I did, I did!” She cheered. The two looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, before they sat down together. Himiko leaned into Kenji’s shoulder and sighed. 

“I will never regret my choice of boyfriend.” Himiko said. Kenji laughed, before looking up at the schedule. 

“Alright, I think Izuku’s next.” He said. 

“Ooh, yeah, against Ida! Wonder how he’ll deal with that.” Himiko said. 

The two watched as Izuku and Ida walked onto the field. 

“Ready? Get set, aaand BEGIN!” Mic shouted, and the battle began. 

Ida’s engines roared to life as he started running, closing in on Izuku quickly. Izuku held his hand up, preparing to strike with his fingers. 

“Delaware smash, Single Barrel!” Izuku shouted, flicking a shockwave of energy at Ida. When the two collided, Ida was sent flying back, bit quickly regained his footing and continued running. This time, he ran against the wall, before leaping towards the green haired boy in front of him. This time, he was met by the palm of Izuku’s hand. 

“Looks like Tenya Ida is really taking a beating! His quirk is Engine, which gives him two thrusters in his legs with which to speed up! The only downside is he can’t turn very well. Meanwhile, Izuku’s quirk is called Kinetic Burst. He can build up energy in his body, and release it through his limbs!” Present Mic said. 

Now, it was Izuku’s turn to charge, leaping towards Ida with an empowered jump. 

“SMAAAAAAASH!” He yelled, throwing a powerful haymaker to Ida’s face. Ida went flying, landing on the ground unconscious. 

“And the winner is Izuku!” Mic declared, as the crowd cheered. 

“Up next, Katsuki Bakugo vs Shihai Kuroiro!” Mic said. 

“Alright, let’s do this!” Katsuki said, standing up. 

“Good luck out there, bro.” Kenji said. 

“Don’t hurt him too much.” Kirishima said. 

“Tch, fine.” Katsuki said with a smirk. “Can’t hurt him worse than Izuku did to Ida.” 

Katsuki walked out and met his opponent. Shihai Kuroiro was a lanky boy, completely pitch black, save for his stark white hair. 

“Ready? Set, Begin!” Mic said, and Katsuki leaped into action. He blast himself forward towards Kuroiro, when all of a sudden, the boy disappeared, vanishing into thin air. 

Katsuki landed on the ground, then scratched his head confusedly. 

“Huh? Where’d he go?” He asked

“Right behind you.” Kuroiro said, rising out of Katsuki’s shadow. Katsuki reacted instantly, detonating an explosion beneath him to launch himself away. 

“What was that?!” Katsuki demanded. 

“That’s Shihai for you! His quirk is Shadow Step, and it allows him to teleport between shadows. He’s the sneaky one of Class 1-B” Mic said. 

Katsuki smirked, and watched as Kuroiro disappeared into another shadow. 

“Alright then, if he needs shadows to fight, then I’ll ensure that there are none!” He said, before he began to spin, throwing explosions everywhere. The many flashes lit up every shaded area of the stadium, forcing Kuroiro back out of the shadows. 

“There you are, Shadey! GET READY TO FEEL THE BURN!” Katsuki roared, lunging for the lanky teen. He grabbed him by the collar, before launching himself and Kuroiro upwards, and then sending them both spiraling downwards. Shihai was knocked out, and Katsuki was victorious. 

“And the winner is Katsuki Bakugo!” Mic said. “And it’s just about time for lunch break, so we’ll see you in a moment!” He announced, as the cameras turned once again to a commercial break.