A Different Path

"There is something I would like to know, Young Midoriya." Izuku sat up a little straighter in his seat, his hands clasped together in his lap, the warm spring sun shining through the gaps in the curtains behind him, his eyes still fixed to the emaciated form of All Might. "How did you know I needed help?" Izuku frowned as he sat back.

"I could tell you were bluffing." Toshinori blinked a few times.

"Really, that's it?" Izuku shrugged.

"You've probably guessed I'm a huge fan of yours." The Symbol of Peace chuckled, a few specks of blood escaping his lips.

"I'd gathered." Izuku bowed his head ever-so-slightly, a slight blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Well, I've followed you all my life, I've watched every one of your fights and you've never been one to bluff, you're more a man of action." The Number One frowned as he leant back against his pillows, one of his eyebrows rising curiously.

"That was all you needed?" The Class Rep pulled a face.

"Well, your voice did waver, and in my experience, people with the power to end a fight in one blow don't tell their opponents to come at them." Izuku tapped his index finger on the top of Suzaku's hilt. "I didn't know it was anything like," he paused and shook his head as he gestured to the Pro, "this. But I knew something was wrong, I couldn't let you die." All Might nodded sagely, a pony hand rising to stroke his chin thoughtfully.

"And you're alright?" Izuku's brows twitched inwards slightly, his eyes flashing with confusion.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He shrugged casually as he glanced down at himself. "Not a scratch on me, surprisingly." All Might shook his head again.

"I didn't mean physically." The Number One leant forwards slightly, his blue eyes set intently on the Quirkless Student. "You cut that man's hand off." Izuku flinched, the blood draining from his face.

"I'm fine." He swallowed hard, trying to force down the urge to be sick. "I did what I had to."

"Young Midoriya." All Might's voice was much gentler than he'd been expecting. "You don't have to be fine." Izuku slumped back as the world around him started to spin slightly, his mind's eye filled with the image of Shigaraki clutching his maimed arm to his chest; there had been so much blood. "Sometimes, being a Hero means having to get your hands dirty, it means doing unsightly things for the good of others." His eyes drifted out of focus slightly as he heard Shigaraki's screams again. "I'm just sorry you had to learn that so young.

"They never show that part in the highlight reels." All Might shook his head sadly, he honestly wished he had better advice to give, he wasn't a brilliant teacher.

"No, no they don't." Izuku fiercely shook his head, his eyes snapping back into focus and some colour reappearing in his cheeks. "Young Midoriya?"

"I'm fine." The Class Rep gripped Suzaku's sheath as he got to his feet. "I'll let you rest." All Might frowned as he watched the Class Rep leave, still frowning he picked his phone up off the bedside table and held it to his ear.

"Mirai, I have someone I want you to keep an eye on during the Sports Festival."

##

Todoroki let out a quiet sigh as he shut the front door behind him, UA had closed early, the teachers occupied with searching the grounds for lingering villains and helping the police with their investigation; there would be no school for a few days.

"Shoto? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me Fuyumi." The corners of Shoto's mouth twitched upwards ever-so-slightly as he slipped his shoes off.

"Oh thank god!" Shoto braced himself as the sound of running feet echoed up and down the corridor, then he grunted as a pair of arms flung themselves around him and squeezed him tight. "I saw the news, I can't believe villains managed to get into UA! I was so worried!"

"I'm okay sis." Shoto gently eased Fuyumi's arms off him and took a step back. "They weren't a threat, it looks like Enji's training finally paid off." Fuyumi's eyes flashed with resentment, then she shook her head and smiled brightly.

"You're okay, that's all that matters."

"Is he here?" Fuyumi shook her head, her disapproval more than obvious.

"He's in Tokyo." Shoto nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Good, I'll be right back." Fuyumi frowned as he stepped around her and hurried into the house.

"Wait, where are you going?" Shoto didn't reply as he trotted up the stairs towards the second floor. "I've got dinner on, I made Soba." He froze at the top of the stairs, one foot held in the air.

"I'll just be a second." The polychrome teenager hurried down a corridor, his pace slowing as he approached the closed door of his father's training room. He took a deep breath as he lingered outside, his father was a very private person, he certainly wouldn't appreciate Shoto going through his personal items, but he had to be sure.

The door creaked loudly as he pushed it open, ignoring the churning in his stomach he stepped inside, his gaze lingering on the small wooden chest that stood in one corner. Endeavour was not a sentimental man, that much was more than obvious, but there were a few items he held dear. Shoto knelt in front of the chest as he opened it, his eyes moving from one item to another until they landed on a small worn leather case.

Tentatively, he picked it up and opened it to reveal a photograph of his father and another young man, both dressed in UA uniforms. Todoroki frowned slightly, he'd never seen his father genuinely smile, except in this photo.

The two students were stood in front of UA's main gate, the other student had an arm thrown casually around his father's shoulders, a wide grin on his face. Shoto ran an eye over him, he had unruly red hair and eyes, his face was covered in a spattering of freckles, at first glance he looked very, plain. Shoto frowned as he slipped the photo out of the frame and flipped it over, rereading the words on the back for the hundredth time.

"We didn't start the fire, but we keep it burning - Hisashi Midoriya - Salamander."

"So." Shoto flipped the photograph back over and re-examined the picture again. "That's why you look so familiar, Izuku Midoriya."

##

"Our investigators are running down every lead we have on the League of Villains, I have uniformed officers going through old case files, they have been mentioned a few times in interrogations, but we never really gave them much thought, until now." Detective Tsukauchi glanced up from his notes at the assembled teachers, All Might, Principle Nezu, Snipe, Vlad King, Midnight and Snipe stared back at him, their eyes hard, a serious tone hung in the air. "The lab tested the blood sample Midoriya gave us, but we were unable to find a match in the criminal database, so we're no closer to finding this Shigaraki."

The detective sighed warily. "I'm afraid it's much the same with this Kurogiri, which means they were smart enough not to get involved with street-level crime, or they're using aliases, either way, tracking them down won't be easy." Vlad King scoffed as he bowed his head slightly.

"So, we're completely blind."

"We gotta track 'em down." Snipe leant forwards, his forearms resting against the large U shaped table the teachers were sat around. "I shot their ring leader, but as soon as he's healed up he'll be back."

"Oh he'll be back, he promised that much." All Might muttered darkly, Nezu glanced over at the shrunken symbol of peace.

"Something on your mind All Might?"

"This attack, it was too close for my liking, the Villains knew about my injury, they even sent another one of those Nomu creatures to Tokyo in order to wear down my strength." All Might shook his head. "If word of my injury is starting to spread, it's no wonder this Shigaraki managed to convince so many thugs to go along with his crazy plan."

"Yes, it is alarming." Midnight rocked her chair from side to side slightly as she pursed her lips. "They viewed him as a real leader."

"Conviction will inspire loyalty." All Might nodded. "This Shigaraki is a fanatic, he truly believes that the end of Hero Society must come."

"The criminal element has been all but stamped out in the wake of your debut All Might, villains are resorting to more and more desperate measures." Nezu mused darkly. "It's no wonder they were so ready to follow him, I'm sure his vision is quite appealing to them."

"All the Villains we managed to capture in the wake of the attack were small-time thugs." Tsukauchi glanced down at his notes again. "In total, we managed to round up about seventy-two of them, not including that Nomu creature, they all claim they were hired for the USJ attack and aren't actual members of the League, and that worries me even more, they can't have known Shigaraki for very long, and none of them know about All Might's injury, yet they still went along with such simple-minded villainy."

"There are plenty of people looking for a cause to get behind." Snipe nodded at the detective's words.

"But what do we do to stop him?" The detective frowned down at his notes again.

"The police will work around the clock to find the League, we'll expand our investigation and look into their backers, see if we can find who planned the attack." Nezu frowned to himself as he scratched his chin with one of his paws

"This Shigaraki's fanaticism had to be instilled in him by someone, perhaps, like our students, someone is guiding him and nurturing his evil spirit." All Might glanced down at the principle, his heart sinking; he hoped his suspicions about Shigaraki's suspected mentor weren't proven true.

##

"You guys, did you watch the news last night?" Shoji and Ojiro glanced over at Hagakure, one of her sleeves had risen into the air. "Did you see the news last night? How cool was it that we got a few seconds of screen time?" The invisible girl's shoulder's slumped melodramatically. "Though I suppose no one noticed me hanging out in the background."

"Probably not." Shoji shrugged casually as Ojiro sweatdropped.

"The news channels loved us." Kaminari leant luxuriantly back in his seat. "Our first week at UA, and we're already big deals."

"We're not big deals." Jiro rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "The top Hero course got attacked, that's what they care about."

"I can't imagine how bad it would have been if All Might hadn't turned up when he did." Kirishima glanced down at his arm, he was still wearing a sling, though recovery girl had assured him it would be fine in a day or two.

"We got really lucky." Sato let out a relieved sigh. "He handled that brain villain like it was nothing."

"Yes, his strength truly is a marvel to behold." Across the room, Izuku frowned at his desk, none of them knew just how close it had really been, he shook his head, no use dwelling on it. In the front row, Ashido had leant back on the back two legs of her chair and tipped back until the backrest was propped against Asui's desk.

"So Tsu, who do you think is teaching class today?" The amphibious student politely pushed Ashido's chair back into its proper place.

"I'm not sure, ribbit, Mr. Aizawa is still in the hospital." The pinkette's question was answered a half-second later as the door was pushed open and a heavily bandaged Aizawa shuffled into the room.

"Morning class." There was a moment of stunned silence as the underground Hero slowly made his way to his desk.

"Whoa, what a Pro," Kaminari muttered numbly, behind him, Kirishima made a fist as he smiled appreciatively.

"Mr. Aizawa!" Iida stuck his hand into the air. "I'm glad you're okay sir!"

"You call that okay?" Uraraka glanced at the back of the speedster's head reproachfully.

"My well-being is irrelevant." Eraser Head mumbled through the bandages as he took his place at the head of the class. "What's important is that your fight isn't over yet." The entire class immediately tensed up, eyes darting in all directions.

"Our fight?" Bakugo let a few sparks fly off his hand, his eyes narrowing.

"Don't tell me," Izuku growled lowly, a shuriken appearing in his hand.

"Not more bad guys!" Mineta's teeth made a loud clattering sound as he trembled violently, Aizawa smirked under his bandages.

"The UA Sports Festival is coming up." Everyone immediately relaxed and they all sighed with relief as one.

"Let's kick some ass!" Kirishima leapt to his feet, his face lighting up in a delighted grin.

"Wait a minute." The redhead winced slightly as Kaminari's hand appeared on his injured shoulder and gently pushed him back into his seat, Jiro stuck one of her audio-jacks into the air.

"Is it a good idea to have the festival so soon after the attack?" Ojiro nodded as he spun around in his seat to look at Aizawa again.

"What if they use the festival to attack again while we're all in one place?" Their teacher shifted around in his bandages.

"The Administration believes this is the best way to set the public at ease, they believe that going on as normal will show that the threat has been handled." Izuku frowned and glanced behind him, Mineta was still trembling in his seat. "The UA Sports Festival is a major event and a massive opportunity, it isn't something that can just be cancelled because of a few villains."

"Are you sure about that?" Mineta sweatdropped. "It's just a Sports Festival."

"Just a Sports Festival?" Izuku shook his head. "Mineta, you know how important the UA Sport's Festival is, more people watch it every year than the Olympics."

"That's true." Yaoyorozu sat up a little straighter in her seat. "Pro's from all around the world will be watching closely, this is where you get scouted."

"Yeah, unless you're dead," Mineta mumbled to himself, his objections all but forgotten.

"Plenty of UA students have used the Festival to get themselves recruited into big-time agencies as Sidekicks." Jiro rolled her eyes as she glanced over at Kaminari.

"But that's as far as some go, they miss their chance to go Indie and end up Sidekicks forever." The purplette smirked at the blonde snidely. "That's probably what'll end up happening to you, Denki-Dumbass." Kaminari's face contorted as his eye twitched.

"It's true." The class turned back to Eraser Head. "Joining a famous agency can garner you greater exposure and experience, that's why the Festival is so important. One chance per year, three chances in total, the UA Sports Festival is an opportunity no aspiring Hero can afford to miss." Aizawa's eyes flashed as he stared intensely through a gap in his bandages. "So you better not slack off on your training."

"Yes Sir!" The class barked as one, their teacher nodded, then frowned and turned to Midoriya.

"Oh, by the way, Class Rep." Izuku sat up straighter, his head held high. "The Principle wants to see you at Lunch, he wants to talk about which support items you'll be allowed to use during the Festival."

"Yes Sir." The Quirkless Student nodded, Aizawa smirked under his bandages.

"Oh, and Midoriya, because you got the top score in the entrance exam, you'll be giving the student pledge." Izuku gulped loudly, the blood draining from his face, he hated public speaking. "Try not to make it all about the plight of the Quirkless." The Underground Hero muttered as he shuffled towards the door. "I hate it when people hijack Sporting events to rant about politics, class dismissed."

##

Kirishima massaged his sore bad shoulder as he got to his feet as the bell rang for lunch.

"I know all that villain stuff sucked, but I am pumped for these games."

"Sucked is an understatement," Midoriya muttered as he pushed his seat back and got to his feet. "But I am too."

"Of course you are!" Iida held a stiff arm up. "This is the reason we came to UA after all, to be Heroes!" The Class Rep and Kirishima exchanged an odd glance as Iida pulled his arms into his side and began to sway his hips slightly, they both tried to hold back grins.

"Nice moves Iida, ribbit." Asui glanced back at the speedster, Kirishima nudged Midoriya with his elbow.

"I bet you're working on a plan right now." The Quirkless Student scoffed loudly.

"Now? Try since the day classes started, you're all going down."

"That's the spirit Deku!" Midoriya frowned slightly, then turned around, then jumped slightly; Uraraka was stood with her arm raised, her fist clenched tightly. "Let's do our best in the Festival!" Izuku took a few surprised steps back, startled by her intensity, his brows twitched inwards slightly, was he hearing hints of a Kansai accent?

"Um, Uraraka? Why are you glowing?" An intense purple aura had come to life around the brunette.

"Yeah." Izuku glanced to one side as Mina spoke up. "Normally you're the most laid back girl ever."

"Everyone!" Uraraka threw one fist in the air, her legs widening into a combat stance. "I'm gonna do my best!" Izuku couldn't help but smile, yeah he was definitely hearing hints of a Kansai accent, Kirishima, Iida, and Mina threw their arms up and cheered with her. Izuku's smile lingered as they left the classroom, he'd never seen her this fired up before, it suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea why Uraraka even wanted to be a Hero.

"Hey, Uraraka?" The brunette had calmed down by the time joined the lunch line.

"Yeah Deku?" Uraraka smiled sweetly up at him.

"Why'd you decide to come to UA?" Her smile faded slightly.

"Oh, well." She bowed her head slightly, then huffed and rubbed the back of her head. "I wanna get rich." There was a moment of silence, Kirishima and Iida exchanged a puzzled glance while Midoriya frowned to himself. "I know that sounds greedy, but please don't judge me!"

"Wanting to support your own welfare is a perfectly admiral ambition." Izuku sidestepped a foot to the left as the speedster waved his arms through the air, narrowly avoiding getting slapped around the back of the head.

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with wanting to make a decent living, you just don't seem like the type." Kirishima nodded in agreement with the speedster, Ochako sighed as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, you see, my family owns this construction business, but we can't get any work, so we're flat broke." Izuku grimaced, in a world where supervillains tore buildings apart on a more or less daily basis construction work wasn't hard to come by, if your firm had a government contract, if it didn't, good luck.

"Hmm, construction." Iida stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If you got licensed, you could use your Quirk to do all the heavy lifting."

"Yeah." Kirishima snapped his fingers. "You could sell off all your heavy equipment."

"Right!" The three guys jumped slightly as Uraraka pointed at Kirishima, then she sighed sadly. "But dad says he doesn't want me to join the family business, he wants me to have my own life." The brunette's hands closed into determined fists. "So I'll be a Pro, and I'll sign up with a good agent and make plenty of money! Enough to give my parents the easy life they deserve!" Iida immediately broke out into applause, after an awkward moment, Kirishima joined him.

"Wonderful! So noble! So, Heroic!" Uraraka frowned at the speedster, then closed her eyes and smiled again, her eyes lingered on Midoriya as she opened them.

"You've been quiet Deku." The Class Rep shook his head.

"I was just thinking, we're all here trying to live out some Hero fantasy, and you're just trying to help your parents, you're more grounded than any of us." The brunette blushed slightly.

"I wouldn't say that, you've all got such noble reasons, Iida wants to live up to his brother, and you've got the whole, 'Symbol to the Quirkless' thing, wanting to make money seems kinda shallow compared to that, ya know?"

"Supporting your family is the noblest thing a person can do." Izuku smiled fondly. "My grandpa taught me that, and if the former Number Six Hero believes it, there must be something to it."

Midoriya frowned slightly, then glanced over his shoulder; for a brief second, he could have sworn Todoroki was staring at him, he shrugged, then smiled again and beckoned Uraraka forward slightly, she frowned and leant forward so he could murmur by her ear.

"By the way, you hide your accent very well." Ochako choked on her own breath, then broke out in her best impression of a tomato as her face went crimson.

"How did you know?" Izuku shrugged, an amused twinkle in his green eyes.

"I'm impossible to keep a secret from."

"Dang it." Uraraka turned away from the group and began to fan her face as Kirishima and Iida exchanged puzzled glances.

"Secret?" The speedster frowned back and forth between the two of them. "What secret?"

"Not mine to tell I'm afraid." Kirishima rolled his eyes melodramatically, it looked like Midoriya had found Uraraka's dirty laundry as well. Ochako frowned as she felt her face begin to cool down, she glanced around her and just for a second, she could have sworn she saw Yaomomo glaring at her.

##

Izuku quietly cleared his throat before he reached up and knocked firmly on Nezu's door, there were a few seconds of silence, then a cheery voice called out.

"Come on in Midoriya." The Class Rep let out a long sigh as he pushed the office door open. "Please take a seat." The small white creature behind the desk gestured to one of the empty seats with one paw as he held up a small teapot with the other. "Tea?" The principle poured two cups before Midoriya could answer and pushed one towards him as he took a seat.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" The Quirkless Student nodded his thanks as he picked up his cup, his grandfather loved all kinds of tea and of course, the fondness had ended up rubbing off on him.

"Yes, I've been meaning to arrange this meeting for some time now." Nezu lightly blew on his own cup. "I wanted to offer my congratulations on becoming UA's first Quirkless Hero Student, that's quite an achievement."

"Thank you, sir." Izuku frowned down at his cup as he took a sip. "Earl Grey?"

"Indeed, I see Nariyoshi has rubbed off on you."

"In more ways than one." Nezu chuckled lightly as Izuku set down his cup.

"I can see that, you are very much like your father young man." Izuku tensed up slightly, Nezu smiled sadly, regret clearly visible in his eyes. "Hisashi was such a spirited student, there were days I was terrified he and Todoroki would burn the whole school down."

"Todoroki? My father knew Endeavour?" A look of surprise flashed across the small mammals face.

"Indeed, honestly I'm a little surprised Nariyoshi never told you." Izuku shook his head.

"We don't talk about dad." The principle nodded understandingly.

"Losing a family member is never easy." He nodded to Izuku's tea, the steam wasn't as thick as it used to be. "Don't forget your tea."

"Right." The Class Rep took another sip before clearing his throat loudly. "Mr. Aizawa said you wanted to talk about support items for the festival."

"Ah yes." Nezu set his empty teacup down and pressed his paws together. "There has been some debate amongst the teachers as to what items to allow you the use of, personally, I'd quite like to see what you could do with your entire arsenal, but in the interest of fairness we have decided to limit you to the equipment we authorised for the entrance exam."

"My homemade gear?" Izuku nodded slowly, the lukewarm remnants of his tea sloshing slightly in his cup. "That makes sense, the Support Course gets to use any equipment they made themselves after all."

"Correct, and winning the event with homemade support items will be an excellent show of skill to potential scouts."

"You really think I can win?" Nezu grinned ear to ear.

"More than think, I've already placed a large bet on you." Izuku blinked heavily.

"You bet on me? Is that legal?" Nezu chuckled lightly, one paw waving dismissively.

"Legal? Yes. Ethical?" The principle stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps not." Izuku raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Just how large a bet are we talking?"

"Very, so don't lose." Izuku sat back in his seat as he began to chuckle softly, his shoulder's rose up and down as the chuckle grew into a laugh.

"I'll do my best, no pressure or anything."

##

Izuku was still smiling to himself as the last of the day's lessons drew to a close, despite his reservations about being bet on, the show of confidence from Principle Nezu had set a fire in his belly! If he wasn't pumped before he was now!

"You seem very pleased Midoriya," Yaoyorozu commented as she got to her feet. "You haven't stopped smiling all afternoon."

"Just something Principle Nezu said." The Class Rep chuckled softly again. "He is nothing like I expected."

"How so?" The Heiress frowned down at the Quirkless Student as he stuffed his books back into his bag. "I haven't had the chance to meet him in person yet."

"He's got a very big personality, especially for someone his size." The two didn't notice the look Uraraka was giving them as they approached the door, still caught up in their conversation.

"What did he say about your support items?" Izuku shrugged as he reached out and gripped the door handle.

"I can use anything I built myself, I'll have to spend some time practising with my old gear, I've gotten too used to professionally made-" The Class Rep trailed off as the door slid open revealing the huge crowd of students that had gathered in front of their classroom. "Uh, hi?"

"What the heck are you all doing outside our classroom." Yaoyorozu jumped slightly and glanced down, Uraraka had materialised, seemingly from nowhere, in between her and Midoriya.

"Do you all have some sort of business with our class?" Iida had appeared behind Uraraka, his hands held stiffly in the air and his back rigid.

"They're checking out the competition four eyes." Izuku rolled his eyes so hard they almost rolled into the back of his head as Bakugo pushed past him and stomped towards the door. "We're the class that survived a real villain attack, so they want to look." The blonde glowered at the assembled crowd. "At least now you know what the future Number One looks like, now beat it extras." Izuku slapped his forehead with an open palm as the rest of the class groaned loudly.

"So you're the best UA could get huh?" A tired, bored sounding voice drifted through the crowd as a tired-looking young man with shaggy purple pushed his way to the front. "I heard you were impressive, but you just sound like an ass, every flock has its black sheep I guess." Midoriya couldn't help but smirk at that, Bakugo's hands began to close into fists. "I wanted to be in the Hero Course, but my Quirk was no good against robots, so here I am in General Studies." Izuku frowned as the purplette's eyes drifted off Bakugo and lingered on him for a few seconds, the contempt in his eyes more than obvious. "But it doesn't have to stay that way." The tired-looking student was still stating at Midoriya. "If we perform well in the Festival, the teachers can decide to move us into the Hero track, so be on guard, or I'll steal your seat right out from under you." Midoriya's eyes narrowed as he glared back.

"Try and take it." The other student scoffed loudly.

"I will, it won't be too hard, consider this a declaration of war." Bakugo snarled as he shoved his way out into the corridor.

"Just remember who the real threat is extra." The blonde sneered at the purplette. "I'll be the one to win this thing."

"Hey!" The entire class groaned again as one of the 1-B Hero students, a young man with black eyes and unruly silvery hair had stepped in front of the door. "I'm Tetsutetsu from 1-B next door, I heard you all fought a couple of villains and came to see if it was true." Izuku glanced over at the window, wondering to himself if grappling down to the ground was a better idea. "Talk all you want, it'll just be more embarrassing when you're eliminated!" The Class Rep cleared his throat loudly.

"The only one talking here is you." Tetsutetsu froze, an indignant look on his face, the Quirkless Student stepped forward. "The only one here who's deluded themselves into thinking they're better than anyone else is Bakugo, and it's already been established he's an ass." The blonde took a half step back towards the classroom before scowling and storming off. "You want to prove your class is stronger than ours? Prove it by beating us in the Festival, warriors settle matters with their fists, not their words." Tetsutetsu frowned, then he slowly began to grin.

"Tough talk from someone who doesn't have a Quirk, think you can back those words up?"

"Only one way to find out." The Quirkless Student held up a clenched fist. "Don't make the mistake of holding back, I won't."

##

Nariyoshi Midoriya couldn't help but smile as he stepped into the small home gym that was connected to his Dojo, there was a week left until the Sports Festival and Izuku had really stepped up his training regime; he was currently halfway up the salmon ladder.

"Don't push yourself too hard." The old Pro folded his arms against his chest as he watched his grandson boost himself up to the next rung. "Knowing your limits is important, we can't have you injuring yourself this close to the Festival."

"I know that," Izuku grunted as he started doing underarm pull-ups, sweat was dripping off his nose. "But I have to go Plus Ultra, I kind of told the other Hero Class to come at me." Nariyoshi chuckled as Izuku boosted himself and the bar up to the next rung.

"Your father never knew when to shut his mouth either."

"I blame Bakugo, he's the one who dribbled blood in the water." The old Pro scoffed at the mention of Bakugo.

"Of course he did, that boys' parents failed him spectacularly."

"No objections here." Izuku boosted himself up another two rungs, his face was drawn with concentration. "He'll be coming for me too."

"They all will, without a Quirk they'll assume you aren't a threat, someone will try to make an easy victory of you, so what will you do when they do?"

"I've been thinking about that." Izuku began to swing his legs back and forth until he managed to spin himself into a handstand, his arms trembling slightly as he held himself up. "The only way to win this is to neutralise their Quirks, I'll need a unique strategy for every opponent. The real challenge will be Todoroki, he has better control of his Quirk than the average Pro."

"Quite the tall order." Izuku shook his head, his face starting to turn red as he strained himself trying to stay upside down. "It won't be too hard with 1-A, I've seen your notes on them all, but what about 1-B? You aren't as familiar with the other class or their capabilities."

"That's going to be the tricky part." Izuku bent his arms and sprung off the bar, he somersaulted twice through the air before landing with his arms spread. "I'll have to learn about their Quirks as the festival goes on."

"It's risky."

"But the best I can do, nothing short of stalking them can get me the data I need at this stage." Bulwark shrugged casually.

"That is always an option." Izuku stared at the old Pro.

"No. No, it is not."

##

Isis rolled her eyes as she felt around in her pockets for a lighter, an unlit cigarette held between her lips, the bar had been quiet since Shigaraki had gone to the Doctor's lab a week earlier, not that it was ever busy, but it felt noticeably more empty without him.

"Where is it?" She scowled as she took her long white coat off and shook it, various pieces of clutter fell to the ground, but not her lighter. "Kurogiri, did you hide my lighter again?" There was a rush of wind as the warp villain took shape behind the bar.

"My apologies Isis, I was only acting on the instructions of Tomura Shigaraki." Isis rolled her eyes as the misty villain held up a worn silver Zippo lighter.

"Shigaraki isn't here." She snatched the lighter back and quickly lit her cigarette. "He has no right to stop me either, I've patched up enough of his knife wounds, I've earned a few cigarettes." The young woman let out a long sigh of relief as she took a long drag, a large cloud of smoke wafting into the air around her. Kurogiri's golden eyes narrowed at the stared at the cigarette distastefully.

"He is only concerned with your welfare, you are only seventeen after all." Isis rolled her eyes as she tapped ash into an empty glass.

"You're beginning to sound just like my grandmother, get me a drink." Kurogiri stared coldly down at the young woman for a few seconds before turning to uncork an almost empty bottle of scotch. Isis rolled her eyes as they idly wandered up the television that was hanging above the bar, a newscaster had just begun to speak.

"And in other news, today marks the tenth anniversary of the death of the former Number Three Hero; Salamander." An image of a young man with bright red hair and eyes with a freckled face appeared behind the anchor, he wore a skintight black suit with a black jacket with red circles encasing his biceps. "To this day, not much is known of his-" Isis rolled her eyes as she switched the TV off.

"Boring." She scoffed as she stared at her cigarette, then, quite purposefully, she stubbed it out on the back of her arm, barely wincing as her skin burned.

"I wish you wouldn't do that." Isis scoffed as Kurogiri set a glass down in front of her.

"No damage done." She kissed herself on the back of the hand and smirked as the wound healed before her eyes. "The old bitch had to be useful for something after all."

##

"Good luck sweetie." Izuku squirmed slightly as his mother squeezed him tightly. "We'll be in the stands watching you the whole time!" Parker and Bulwark both sniggered as Izuku wheezed loudly, their car was parked a short walk from the students and staff only entrance to UA's stadium.

"Inko."

"Oh, sorry honey." Inko quickly released her son, letting him take in several deep swooning breaths.

"That's okay mum, love you too." Nariyoshi grinned proudly as he held out a duffel bag that was stuffed full of support items.

"Fight well, do yourself proud." Izuku nodded as he took the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"You got it." Parker caught his eye in the rear-view mirror as he opened the car door.

"Best of luck, sir."

"Thanks, Parker." He squared his shoulders as he shut the door behind him, today wasn't just a chance to show off for scouts, no today was much more important than that. Today he had a chance to show the world what someone without a Quirk could do; his mission to shine a light into the dark lives of the Quirkless and powerless began today, today was the day for him to say, 'I am here', he gulped loudly. "No pressure."

He quickly let himself into the stadium and hurried through the twisting corridors until he found the locker room that had been set aside for 1-A, an exasperated groan greeted him as he pushed the door open.

"Ah, man." Ashido was sighing glumly as she stared down at her gym kit. "I really wanted to wear my costume." Ojiro shut the locker next to hers and shrugged sheepishly.

"Well at least everyone will be wearing the same thing, so it'll be fair."

"Yo, Midoriya!" Izuku grinned as he set his bag down on a bench and raised a hand to greet Kirishima.

"Hey Kirishima, you ready?" The redhead smirked as he raised a fist and activated his Quirk.

"Hell yeah I am, I've been so hyped I've been training like crazy." Kirishima snorted as he ran an eye over the Class Rep's bag. "Looks like you came prepared."

"I'm aiming for the top." Izuku shrugged as he unzipped the bag and pulled out the belt he'd worn in the entrance exam, he couldn't help but notice how ragtag it looked when compared to the belt the support company had made for him.

"But can you get there?" Kirishima and Midoriya looked around to see Todoroki staring at Midoriya, an intense gleam in his mixed matched eyes. "Will your toys be enough to overcome all our Quirks?" An uncomfortable silence slipped over the locker room as Midoriya turned to face the son of Endeavour. "Midoriya." Todoroki's voice was completely neutral, not matching the intensity in his eyes. "I don't think it would be bragging if I said I was stronger than you."

"No, no it wouldn't." Izuku shrugged, his tone not betraying the fury in his eyes. "But that isn't saying much." Todoroki's eyebrow twitched upwards slightly. "The son of Endeavour being stronger than some Quirkless no one? That isn't surprising."

"But you aren't just some Quirkless no one, are you?" The polychrome student ran an eye over the Class Rep's open bag and belt. "Your costume can't have been cheap, neither could all those support items." Izuku shrugged casually, but there was a marked tension in his shoulders. "I know who you are, Izuku Midoriya." Izuku's eyes widened just for a second as he took a step back, then his eyes narrowed and his guarded demeanour returned.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, did you know that our fathers knew each other?" Todoroki stared down the bridge of his nose at the Class Rep, a misplaced sense of resentment in his voice.

"I'd heard." Izuku shrugged, more than aware of the looks the rest of the class was sending their way. "But what's that got to do with us?"

"Nothing." Todoroki shrugged, his voice still cold and uninterested. "But I have a message to send to my father, and you'll make the perfect courier. It's nothing personal, but know that I will beat you."

"Woah there." Kirishima quickly stepped between the two of them, his arms raised. "What's the big deal? Throwing down a challenge like that just before we get started?" Todoroki scoffed as he turned away, his face as expressionless as usual.

"We aren't here to be friends, it's not like this is a team effort."

"But still, calling out the guy without a Quirk? Just because of his dad?" The redhead flared indignantly. "That ain't manly bro."

"It's fine Kirishima." Eijiro frowned as Midoriya patted his shoulder. "He's right, he is stronger than me, hell, he probably has more potential than any of us." The Class Rep stared coldly at Todoroki. "But there's something you're forgetting, Quirks aren't everything, I would have thought I'd proved that by now." Todoroki's gaze didn't waver as he coldly stared his classmate down. "Don't think I'll go down easy, I'm more than ready for a fight. Class 1-B is gunning for us, and there will be plenty of General Studies students who'll want to earn a place in the Hero Program." The Class Rep glanced at the clock that hung over the door out of the corner of his eye, it was almost time. "So if you think you'll be the one to take me out of this competition, bring it on, and come at me with all you've got!" There was a tense moment of silence, the Todoroki scoffed coldly.

"Fine."

##

"Hey, there you ravenous horde of sports fans!" A roar of cheers and applause tore through the UA stadium as Present Mic's amplified voice boomed across the heads of the spectators. "Cameras at the ready media hoards? Then get ready, for some of the hottest Sports Festival performances ever guaranteed! It's time to get things rolling by introducing our first-year students! Up first, this class is no stranger to the spotlight, you know 'em, you love 'em, it's the Hero Program's Class 1-A!" Several of the spectators jumped to their feet as Class 1-A emerged from one of the entry tunnels, the applause swelling as they strode out into the glorious morning light. On the ground, Izuku gulped as his eyes darted to and fro, taking in the packed stands.

"The crowds always seemed much smaller on TV." He couldn't help but feel naked without his belt, the teachers had decided that he wouldn't be allowed to use support items in the first round to put him on a level playing field with the General Studies and Business Students.

"I just hope we can still give our best performances with this many people watching." Izuku glanced over at Iida, the speedster was walking slightly stiffer than usual, his eyes nervously moving around the arena.

"I hope none of you have performance anxiety." The Class Rep smiled through his nerves as he glanced back at the Class. Kirishima smirked.

"In your dreams." Present Mic's voice boomed over the crowd's roars as the Pro resumed his commentary.

"Their agents aren't as good, but our next group is also stuffed full of talent, introducing, the Hero Program's Class 1-B!" Their sister class emerged from another entrance, their heads held high with determination in their eyes. "Next up we have our three General Studies groups, Classes C, D, and E!" Izuku nudged Kirishima and nodded to the approaching students, the redhead immediately noticed the purple-haired guy who had threatened them a few weeks ago at the head of the group. "We also have our support students here, please give it up for classes F, G, and H, and last but not least, our business course students of classes I, J and K!" The different courses converged on the square that stood in the centre of the stadium in front of a large platform.

"And now!" A second voice boomed over the cheers as the students congregated, Ms. Midnight, the umpire for the First Year Festival had taken her place on the platform, the R rated Hero cracked her flogger loudly into the microphone. "To give the Student Pledge, we have the top scorer in the entrance exam and UA's first Quirkless Hero Student; Izuku Midoriya!" Izuku could have sworn he could feel his stomach sinking into the depths of his feet, he'd been dreading this moment, next to him, Kirishima cleared his throat and politely nudged him forwards. Finally remembering how his legs worked, the Class Rep quickly weaved through the crowd and began to climb the stairs to the platform. He took a deep breath as he stepped up to the microphone, his eyes darting around the packed stadium once again.

"What makes someone a hero?" His voice echoed over the now hushed crowd as it was projected from the speaker system. "In our Superhuman Society, what does it even mean to be a Hero? Is a Hero simply someone who is paid to protect the public? A person who has earned a Quirk License? Or is it more than that?" The corners of the Izuku's mouth twitched upwards slightly as he stood up a little straighter. "Those are the questions we came to UA to find the answers to." He gestured to the students behind him with one arm. "I always believed that overcoming the crisis in front of you, by giving everything you've got and saving people, no matter the cost; is what truly makes someone a Hero." He turned to look over his shoulder at the assembled students. "So let's all do our best, let's all; Go Beyond!" The 1-A Class Rep raised his fist, his slight smile spreading into a full-blown grin.

"Plus Ultra!" The students cheered in time with him, a polite wave of applause rippled through the stadium and a few enthusiastic cheers came from his classmates below. Izuku bowed slightly before turning away from the microphone, he paused in his step and glanced back; a new look in his eyes. A few confused heads turned to look at each other as Midoriya returned to the microphone.

"And on a personal note." His words hung in the air. "I know there are more of a few of you out there who think I don't stand a chance without a Quirk and to you all, I only have one thing to say." The Quirkless Student raised his right hand to about chest height and slowly closed it into a fist. "Just watch me!" There was a moment of shocked silence, then a spattering of genuine applause rang across the stadium as Midoriya returned to his class.

"Nice speech man." Kirishima nudged the Class Rep as he retook his space next to him, Izuku shrugged half-heartedly, his eyes glued to one of the massive screens that were dotted around the arena as the R-rated Heroine retook her place at the microphone.

"Without further ado, it's time for the first event." The screens flashed as they began to randomly display the names of different events. "Think of this as a qualifier, this is where you really start to feel the pain!" The screens practically bounced in place as they all displayed the same name. "Obstacle Course." Izuku grinned proudly as he rolled the joints in his shoulders.

"Bring it on."

Authors Note: So the Sports Festival Begins, I'll be skipping most of the obstacle race, since he won it without a Quirk in the Anime it doesn't seem worth the time it'll take to re-invent the wheel. I'm looking forward to fleshing out the Midoriya families link to the Todoroki's, I have a few ideas for how it can play into the story later on.

As always, leave a review with your thoughts, all feedback and suggestions are invited.

So, until we meet again.

Regards

Nighttrek