chapter 3

Young Midoriya felt certain that his body wouldn't be capable of sustaining such a vigorous routine. After he had been granted a quirk, his insides felt although they were an overflowing cup. To make sure such immense power wouldn't implode Izuku, the man he now called All For One agreed to coach the green haired boy. Day after day, extreme training resulted in the child passing out from exhaustion. His workout regimen often left Midoriya dehydrated & starved, a downside to the quirk bestowed upon him.

Throughout his preparations, Izuku had worked with another boy named Tomura Shigaraki. His newly formed ally had iconic blue hair that dropped over the boy's eyes. The other disciple of All For One had been granted the quirk of Decay, resulting in anything to deteriorate by a simple touch of Tomura's hand. The two boys in training had occasionally sparred with one another. All For One tasked Tomura with trying to get Izuku in his grasp while Midoriya only had to evade.

While that allowed for Izuku to have a great defense, his offense had much more immense input. The amount of force that Midoriya could release into just a tap of his finger could destroy an entire building. All For One wanted to push the boy, drive him to release more power into uncontrolled punches.. but Izuku had decided to try & contain his power so it wouldn't accidentally kill someone. The amount of effort was excruciating, but in time it had paid off.

The pristine hero school U.A was holding its next Entrance Exam in just a few more days. Izuku hadn't told All For One that he intended on trying out with the other attendees yet, he wanted it to be a surprise. Despite everybody putting him down, saying that he couldn't become a hero without a quirk, All For One showed faith in Izuku. The man granted the boy with a quirk as powerful as All Might & helped channel that power into the man Midoriya would soon become.

Izuku had a goofy grin on his face as he thought about overachieving Kacchan. He would become a hero greater than even the likes of All Might! The smile confused his sparring partner, causing Tomura to stall in his attack. The brief window of time was everything Izuku needed to overpower Tomura & pin his opponent.

The two boys turned their attention to the applause of an onlooker. It was All For One, clapping as he approached his disciples. "Well done Izuku.", the teacher proudly praised Midoriya.

His tone turned into one of anger & disappointment as he addressed Shigaraki, "Tomura, return to your quarters.", All For One growled with a scolding voice.

The blue haired boy flinched like he had just been hit upon hearing the sentence from his master. "Yes sir..", Tomura croaked out before leaving although he had a tail tucked between his legs.

Tomura clenched his fists in envy, the quick glare he gave Izuku was one of pure hatred. Before young Midoriya had arrived, All For One channeled his attention into the blue haired boy.. now Tomura was stricken with jealousy as his master focused on Izuku instead.

"What a disappointment, that boy..", All For One said under his breath to nobody in particular. However, Izuku happened to hear the words.

"Tomura almost had me that time.", Midoriya lied so his sparring partner could be given the same approval he had received. Izuku felt bad for the boy he had been training with, Tomura had worked just as hard. Despite all the time they spent together, none of it was used to become friends & get to know one another. They had just strictly trained day in and day out.

If All For One had any eyebrows, one of them would have surely raised. He had witnessed the entire match, it was clear that Tomura had hesitated during their fight & Midoriya took advantage of the weakness. However, Izuku was different from Shigaraki, he didn't find motivation through that sort of encouragement. The one thing All For One hadn't achieved to change yet about Midoriya was his good heart. The green haired boy was willing to see his peer as an equal and didn't want it any other way.

All For One grinned under his life support mask, this worked in his favor since Tomura was his original plan anyways. Perhaps now, Midoriya could make the boy learn from his flaws & become much more powerful. The two could form the perfect duo to defeat All Might.

"He still has much to learn. Unlike you.. you've come a long way. Perhaps you could show Tomura a thing or two.", All For One suggested.

Izuku perked up at the thought of getting to teach Shigaraki, this would allow for the two to finally form some sort of relationship other than just being sparring partners. "Yeah, I'd be happy to!", Midoriya replied happily.

All For One caught onto the cheerful attitude. He knew that Izuku was looking to make a friend, and intended to make sure that didn't happen. The two boys weren't meant to become pals, All For One wanted them to share no emotion. It would allow for rational & strategic thinking on the battle field if one were put into a dire situation. They would have no problem doing the smarter thing and leaving the other behind. His vision for the boys were for the two to become perfect mirror reflections of himself.

Before All For One could reply with a manipulative sentence to ensure the two wouldn't form any bond, Izuku hit him with another problematic pronouncement. "By the way.. today is the Entrance Exams for anybody to get into U.A. Thanks to you, I was planning on trying out!", the green haired boy told his teacher with glee.

All For One would have scowled if he had a face, instead, his body tensed with anger. He had more work cut out for him than he had thought, this boy he took under his wing was far too good hearted. Midoriya was focused on becoming a hero more than anything.. it was his passion, his heart's desire. All For One would need to change that..

"I think that they're undeserving of someone like you. It would be a waste of potential.", All For One was careful with his response. He had come so far, he couldn't afford to push the boy away.

"Thanks for the concern All For One, but I'll make the most of it.", Midoriya thought his teacher was complimenting him. The manipulative tactics had gone unnoticed by the green haired boy thus far, All For One's influence remained effective to a point.

Izuku then noticed the time on a nearby hanging clock. "Oh no! I'm going to be late! I'll see ya around All For One!", Midoriya cried as he started winding up into a hasty jog. "Bye Tomura!", Izuku called through the bedroom door his sparring partner resided in whilst brushing past it. Only once Midoriya had gotten outside did he use his quirk to pick up the pace.

After the green haired boy left, All For One let out an exasperated sigh. The inner gears of his mind worked overtime as he tried to think of a plan on how to keep Izuku Midoriya under his persuasion. Being a master tactician, it didn't take long for the masked man to come up with a way to sabotage the Entrance Exam. All For One couldn't contain a sinister chuckle at the thought of framing the heroes, especially All Might.

It didn't take long for Izuku to arrive at the exam site location. His face flushed red with embarrassment upon seeing the large crowd waiting out front, it made him realize he was the last to arrive. His eyes scanned the other competitors, Midoriya noticed a lot of them had quirks easy to identify just by their appearance. A girl with pink skin and hair, a boy with half his body encased in ice, another kid with some sort of device around their waist..

Midoriya's train of thought was interrupted by the angry call of his name. Izuku felt his blood run cold as he recognized who the voice belonged to.. it was Kacchan! The messy haired blonde glared intensely at Midoriya with red eyes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here Deku?!", the blonde boy demanded rather than asked. Anger fumed out of Bakugo's mouth like a volcano preparing to erupt.

Midoriya tapped his index fingers together awkwardly, not knowing what to do with his hands. He wanted to put them up defensively but found himself fiddling with them instead. "Kacchan! Oh you know, I just wanted to try out like I told you! No harm in trying right?!", Izuku sputtered out quickly to try and explain himself to the childhood bully.

Katsuki clenched his fist and raised it shakily over his head like he was about to swing it down on Midoriya. "Deku.. STAY OUT OF MY WAY IN THERE!", was all the rage filled boy could shout before storming off.

Izuku let out a sigh of relief that he didn't know he was holding in. Despite finally having a quirk, and one that could top Bakugo's at that.. Kacchan was still pretty scary! The timid and shy voice of a girl behind Midoriya seemed to agree as she said the same thing, "That guy's pretty scary huh?", she asked.

Izuku spun around with surprise at hearing a girl's voice, seeing the pretty short haired brunette it belonged to. Midoriya was flabbergasted, no girl has ever spoken to him before and here was one now!

"YEAH!", Izuku ended up shouting the response like he had a megaphone. His hands found themselves cupping his mouth in embarrassment when he realized the mistake he had made.

Izuku was sure that the girl would be repulsed by him now but was surprised to hear her giggle instead. This made him blush cheek to cheek, if he weren't red enough already, he'd be the color of a tomato.

"Well, don't worry about him. You'll be fine!", she said before walking away.

Izuku tried to call after her through his self made hand muzzle, "Wait, I didn't get your name!", the muffled cry never made it to the young girl's ears as she rejoined the waiting crowd.

Midoriya kicked himself for missing the opportunity to get her name, but on the other hand, HE TALKED TO A GIRL! Izuku felt although his legs had turned to jelly and that his chest became filled with helium. The amount of excitement the young boy had was the most he'd ever had. The only other time he got this happy was the first time All Might appeared.

The green haired boy remembered the long lost forgotten years that he idolized the pro hero. He had rewatched the video recording uploaded to YouTube more than one could capably count. The footage was of a flipped over bus covered in dark black pollution, cries for help could be heard in the background. Suddenly, a muscular man stepped through the fog holding dozens of unconscious civilians. What had stood out about this hero was the eye to eye smile he had despite all of the wreckage around him. He had cried out the hopeful words, 'Have no fear! For I am here!'.

A small smile plastered itself on his lips thanks to the happy memory. He always looked up to the number one hero, All Might was eventually dubbed 'the symbol of peace' thanks to how many criminals he put away. His smile put everyone at ease, truly making them believe everything was peaceful. Izuku wanted to share that ability, he wanted to become the next All Might! Now, he would surpass All Might and be able to tell the next quirkless kid that IT IS possible to become a hero!

The sound of a horn blaring snaps him out of his thoughts, along with Izuku, everyone's attention turns to the speaker. This could only mean one thing..the Entrance Exam was about to begin.

Midoriya's inner fanboy started to emerge as he saw one of the pro heroes making the announcement. It was Hizashi Yamada, or as people knew him by his hero name, Present Mic! That explained the loud boom of a siren that made everyone go silent, he was getting their attention!

He sure was flashy with his appearance, Hizashi had his long blonde hair styled into a huge spike atop his head, likewise with the little mustache upon his lips formed into needles. The yellow color matched his sunglasses, the gold lens reflecting in the sunlight. The pro hero also worse a pair of headphones with the word 'HAGE' written on the headband. Yamada's costume was made up of black leather despite the red studded belt that held up his pants. However, what stood out most to Midoriya was the directional speaker completely covering his neck.

Present Mic's voice boomed loud for the crowd to hear thanks to the speaker attached to the pro hero's outfit. "Everybody say 'HEY', welcome to today's live performance!", he shouted.

The audience of super powered children stared blankly back at him, not saying a word. Present Mic was just way too enthusiastic for the kids to handle. That didn't stop Hizashi from continuing his peppy announcement.

"I'm here to present you with the guidelines of your first practical! Are you ready?!", he boomed with extravagant hand movements.

The second attempt to get the group of kids to join in failed just as miserably as the first time. Izuku could've sworn he heard crickets chirping. Was one of the people trying out using their quirk to make the noise? Could they control insects or something? The constant questions Midoriya made for himself went unanswered as he focused on Present Mic's continued announcements.

"Well, that's cool my examinee listeners cause here we go! After this presentation, you'll enter the testing location! Bring along whatever you want! You'll be experiencing ten minute 'Mock Cityscape Maneuvers' and this is how the test will go my rad listeners!", Present Mic adjusted his glasses as he prepared to explain the rules.

"Of course, playing the antihero is strictly prohibited so there'll be no attacking the other examinees!", Hizashi stated the first rule which gained a grumble & glance from Bakugo. Izuku gulped with what he couldn't tell was worry or relief.

"The site is filled with three types of faux villains! Points are awarded for each one defeated, according to their respective difficulty levels! Use your quirks to disable these villains and earn points! That's your goal listeners!", Present Mic explained.

One of the members of the audience raises their hand, an older test taker with eyeglasses and neatly styled hair. "May I ask a question?", he shouts loud enough for Present Mic to hear.

"Go right ahead cool cat!", Present Mic responds while doing finger gun gestures at the examinee. The move gains groans from the crowd.

"I was told by my brother that there would be four kinds of villains. Has this changed?", the well groomed examinee asks.

Present Mic chuckles, "Examinee 711, nice catch! Thanks! But the fourth villain is meant to be more of an obstacle that you gives you zero points if encountered.", he explains briefly.

After a quick pause, he finishes up the presentation. "Well, that's about all from me! I'll leave you all with our school motto now, Plus Ultra! Break a leg kids!", he exclaims as the large doors behind him open up.

And just like that, everyone rushes through the opening in a crazed frenzy. Midoriya stays back and watches as they all stumble over one another, only looking out for themselves. He could easily go around or through them, but he decides to just spectate for the time being. It's better to see these other people in action, that way Izuku can analyze their quirks & what the 'villains' Present Mic spoke of are like.

The blonde haired examinee who had something around their waste Midoriya saw while waiting, he branches off from the crowd and puts his hands over his head like he's charging up his body. Then, from the metallic belt he's wearing comes an energy laser that destroys the first sighting of a 'villain'.

The faux villains.. they're robots, that way you can use your quirk at no expense. Midoriya thought about going all out, but at the same time didn't want to steal the spotlight & draw too much attention. Instead, he stayed in the rear and continued watching as the other examinees plowed through more countless robots.

At this rate, there would be none left for Izuku to take down! His eyes scanned the area for any available bots, starting to panic he may not get any points in time. Then, like a genie granted his wish, he spots a robot all by its lonesome! Izuku gets into a running stance, prepared to charge the faux villain head on.. when something rams into him from behind!

"Out of my way Deku, or I'll kill you!", Bakugo threatens as he shoves Izuku aside. Once the opening is clear, Katsuki releases a powerful explosive blast from his hands that destroys the robot Midoriya intended to get.

Izuku feels tears starting to come from the edges of his eyes but refuses to let Kacchan prevent him from achieving his goal another time, he wipes the water away from his eyes and gets back up! There was bound to be another robot around here somewhere! The only problem was.. there wasn't anymore robots. The examinees had already destroyed them all.

Just as Midoriya thought it was all over, the ground began to tremble like an earthquake shaking the site. The source of the rupture made itself known as the ground beneath everyone tore apart and a massive robot surfaced! It must be the fourth bot Present Mic mentioned!

Everybody began running the other way, some screaming and pushing others to the side. It was every man and woman for themselves.. the complete opposite of what a hero's ideology should be. They were all cowards, casting one another aside to save their own skin. Izuku thought Bakugo was the only one willing to be a hero that shared this selfish personality.. but he was wrong, everybody had this mentality.

Midoriya's small smile from earlier diminished as he came to this realization. Heroes were supposed to help people.. everyone here had run the other way. Were the pro heroes the same way? The tears Izuku held back earlier started falling down his face as his heart broke for the second time that year. First it was All Might that he lost faith in.. now it was every other hero too.

Young Midoriya turned around and began heading in the same direction everyone else was going. Unlike them, he just walked.. no running necessary, he was far too sorrowful and had nowhere he wanted to go anyhow. The only thing that stopped him was the screaming of someone in need of help.

Midoriya turned back around to face the giant robot and see the source of the scream came from the girl he had met earlier. The massive machine had her in its clutches, and looked to be squeezing her tighter & tighter! Was the robot really going to crush her?!

From the viewing box that U.A had set up for the faculty and pro heroes to watch from, the onlookers started to panic as well. The faux villains had been designed to subdue the examinees, not harm them! However, this machine was doing much more than hurt the poor girl, it was going to kill her! The heroes sprung into action and joined the fray to evacuate the other examinees.

Izuku noticed none of them were going to rescue the girl who was in danger though! Through his eyes, they were all cowards. He got into a running stance again and began to calculate what it would take for him to reach such a high velocity and destroy the robot. Just as Midoriya was about to use his quirk to save the girl, he heard the all too familiar voice saying, "SMASH!".

Above him, All Might rocketed into the robot and shattered it with a single punch. The metal began to splinter as if it were merely wood! However, this had a backlash and the machine released its hold on the girl it had taken hostage. All Might didn't seem to notice, or he just wasn't fast enough to see & catch the falling girl.

Izuku let out a worried gasp before crouching down with all of the strength he could muster, and like All Might had done when he soared off into the sky the day they met, Izuku leaped high into the air! The amount of force he put into the kickoff had been enough to get him at least mid level altitude! Midoriya felt relief wash over him like an ocean as he also perfectly timed the jump so he could intercept the falling girl.

However, that relief was short lived as he began plummeting back towards the ground! Just as he thought they were about to hit the pavement and become as flat as a pancake, a miracle happened! Izuku and the girl he was holding began to levitate!

They floated mid air for what felt for a few seconds before it released and they returned to the ground. Izuku noticed the girl he had caught was looking rather exhausted, making him wonder if the levitation had been part of her quirk. As if to confirm it was, she then puked from how much effort she had put into stopping them.

Izuku jumped back to avoid getting any of the vomit on him, giving a small shout of surprise. "Are you okay?", he asked through an equally exhausted voice.

The girl nodded her head before giving him a thumbs up. The two exchanged smiles, both just happy they were alive.

"Well done young man!", All Might said whilst landing in between them. "I couldn't have done it better myself.", he said.

Midoriya frowned, disgusted by the mere sight of All Might. What everyone believed to be the world's number one hero had nearly let a young girl die! From Izuku's perspective, it looked like the symbol of peace had only cared about getting the credit for destroying the rogue robot. Midoriya believed that All Might only cared about the fame and glory he would receive from the media by taking out the machine.

"Hey! Wait a minute, I remember you! Didn't you say you didn't have a quirk?", All Might exclaimed upon recognizing the green haired boy.

"What?!", the girl who had hurled earlier exclaimed in shock. From the way Izuku launched himself into the air, it sure seemed like he had one!

Midoriya shrugged it off, "I didn't.", he simply says before brushing past All Might. Their shoulders bump against each other as he walks past.

Izuku kneels down next to the girl he had rescued, "So uh, what's your name?", he asks shyly.

"Oh! I'm.. uh, Ochaco! Ochaco Uraraka!", she replies whilst blushing profusely. She was just as shy as Izuku, this boy had just saved her life!

Izuku's blush matched that of Ochaco's. Since when did I get so confident?, the green haired boy asked himself internally.

"I'm Izuku. Izuku Midoriya.", the young boy says whilst helping Uraraka to her feet.

All Might twiddles his thumbs awkwardly throughout the whole transaction. He's like a third wheel..and it's really weird!

"Young Midoriya! Could I speak to you alone for a moment?", All Might interrupts the two with his question which makes Izuku's annoyance for the hero double in growth.

An elder woman who's height is barely that of Izuku's waist level works her way over to the trio. The old lady uses a giant syringe as a cane to walk, the prop matches her getup rather well. Her whole outfit resembles a doctor or a nurse, the only difference being a pink helmet and visor for her to see better through like an optical lense. Midoriya's inner fanboy recognizes her instantly as the hero called Recovery Girl.

"Come now dear, we should get you checked out anyway.", Recovery Girl says whilst pulling Ochaco away.

"Oh..okay. See you later Izuku!", Ochaco says over her shoulder as the two girls leave the boys alone.

"Young Midoriya.. You asked me if you could be a hero without a quirk. I don't know how but I just watched you perform an astounding feat and prove me wrong when I told you it was impossible. Because of this.. I want to offer you the chance to gain a quirk.", All Might says.

All Might must've thought that Izuku still didn't have a quirk.. but what caught Midoriya off guard was the mention of being given a quirk. Did All Might know All For One? Or did he share the same ability to transfer quirks? Regardless, he wouldn't accept the offer from All Might. He already had a teacher and it was All For One! The same man who had shown support for Izuku when nobody else did! The man who tried telling him that he was meant for greater than these other kids, that he could be a true hero!

"No thanks All Might, I'll be fine without your quirk.", the green haired boy replied dryly.

This caught the pro hero off guard, but not in the way it SHOULD have. All Might had newfound respect for the boy, thinking that Izuku meant he would rather get by quirkless, while in reality.. Izuku was saying that he had a better one.

"Very well.", All Might replied. He gave a thumbs up whilst saying, "Plus Ultra!", before flying off.

Izuku had always wanted to go to U.A and now he couldn't.. he had gained zero points given the time to destroy the faux villains. However, this didn't phase him one bit. After witnessing what the media would come to call a 'malfunction' with one of the robots, along with the true mentality of these so called 'heroes'.. Midoriya didn't want to go to the school anymore. Even if he had all the points in the world, he would turn down the chance to go to U.A. He now agreed with All For One that he was destined for more.. unknowing that All For One had been the one to sabotage the robot to begin with.

"Sorry All Might. I already have a quirk.", Midoriya said before using his quirk to speed off.

His quirk was Superspeed.