Kitsune here with the next chapter of Tepid. Some people weren't happy with Shaun... well too bad. He's supposed to stand out. I'll explain my reasoning, though. It's established in Cannon that there are other heroes in other countries than Japan. There is even a reference to the American heros, and that's not considering all of All Might's attacks are states in the USA. ALSO, in cannon Izuku's father is supposed to be traveling abroad which is why he doesn't live with them. So I took that and in this story the cover is his "father' (who in cannon his name translates to absent. really?) is in America. Where I've made Shaun from. Shaun graduated from a hero training university before coming to Japan to work with the (second) best. Because let's face it, anyone who went to U.A. with Endeavor wouldn't WORK with him, and Endeavor wound't work with anyone who WASN'T the best. So his choices would be limited to those trained at other top universities and schools. So, as you can see I did put a lot of thought into it. Hopefully I won't have to use his POV too much, though he is a necessary part of the story.

Question of the chapter: "Do you remember phone booths?" I do! I didn't ever see someone turn into a hero in one though. More's the pity.

Shouto couldn't say he had been looking forward to the first day of classes. While the opening ceremony hadn't been too bad, it would be a different matter when he came face to face with his classmates. He had no doubt that every one of his classmates were deserving of being a part of U.A.'s upcoming hero class. That meant that possibly for the first time he would be in a class of people he could conceivably call his equals. That didn't mean he wasn't dreading their reactions when they'd actually meet in a classroom setting. It was inevitable that someone would make a fuss over his father and forever taint his opinion of them. It was foolish, because very few people knew Endeavor like he did. The public as a whole was of the opinion that his father was a bit more crude than one would want of a pro hero, but they only knew half of his explosive temper. Knowing that some of his classmates would look up to his father turned his stomach, though. These were people striving to become heros, just like Shouto was. They should know better, right? The only good thing about the first day of class was it being a short day. They'd spend the first day picking class representatives and going over the course load for the classes they'd be taking.

Entering the classroom, Shouto was immediately bombarded with the chatter of many excited teens crammed together in a small space. Already he wanted to turn around and walk out, but if he did he'd never hear the end of it from his father. So he struggled to keep the agitation off his face as he picked a desk and sat, choosing to ignore all those around him. From there he watched as various classmates introduced themselves to each other and felt the slightest pang of longing to do the same. There was Ingenium's little brother, for instance. He'd met the speed hero once and thought he made a very decent Pro. His little brother seemed a little…. stiff…. But his exuberance showed, and Shouto wondered if he had the same problems being related to a Pro Hero that he did. Not that he'd ask, or even talk to the other enthusiastic teen. Just the thought of talking to the enthusiastic speedster made Shouto's palms sweat.

Everything only got worse when the enthusiastic boy spotted him. "Hello there! I am Tenya Iida ! It's a pleasure to meet you, fellow classmate!" the now identified Iida proclaimed, arm moving up and down in a robotic manner. "Ah! You're Endeavor's son, Todoroki Shouto, are you not? I had heard you'd be in class with us. It's quite exciting!"

"Go away," Shouto said reflexively before he was even fully aware that he had spoken.

Iida's smile faltered slightly, "Ah, yes. Of course, you wish for time alone to prepare. Very well then! I shall leave you to it!"

Shouto watched him leave with a pang of guilt. He hadn't meant to say it like that, it had just come out. Though he could admit in the privacy of his own mind that he was much more comfortable watching his classmates interact than engaging with them. The blond, Bakugo Katsuki, was someone he instantly disliked. Bakugo's personality was too similar to Endeavor's for Shouto to ever feel comfortable with the idea of working with the teen. Similarly he felt Mineta Minoru wasn't exactly the ideal example of hero material. However there were a few who, to him at least, stuck out as young heroes. There was the other recommended student, Yaoyorozu Momo; she held herself with poise just like Tenya did. And then there was Tokoyami Fumikage, someone Shouto thought he'd actually get along with if for no other reason than the other teen seemed to be almost as reclusive as himself. Asui Tsuyu also seemed driven, but in a calmer way that he admired.

The last one in class that stood out to him before class was called to order was Midoriya Izuku. Eavesdropping shamelessly on Tenya greeting Midoriya he was impressed that this mousy, flinching boy had earned so many points in the entrance exam. He didn't hold himself like a hero; he held himself like a victim. Watching the interaction with Bakugo it was painfully easy to see why, and Shouto felt for the kid. If he had thought working with Bakugo would be difficult he knew it now. A bully had no place in the world of Pro Heroes as far as he was concerned. Shouto didn't hold much hope for the teen to improve, either. He wanted to say something to Bakugo, what, he wasn't sure, but he never got the chance. Not when their teacher sat up from behind the front desk like some kind of demented caterpillar.

Using their quirks in a physical assessment test was both genius and ridiculous at the same time. Shouto was chagrined to admit the idea had never even occurred to him, despite the vigorous training his Father put him through. In the lower levels of school the teaching staff had always stressed not using your quirk during sporting events in order to make the whole thing more 'fair', which everyone realized was a bit of an impossibility since some people had physical quirks that just naturally made them more adapt at different tasks.

It looked like Aizawa Sensei was taking that whole concept of quirks giving someone an advantage and running with it. The results were… interesting to say the least. Even though most kids played around with their quirks growing up society had taught them not to use their quirks in public, which now that Shouto thought about it was a bit counterproductive when you wanted to be a hero. Awazawa Sensei's assessment got them used to the idea of using their quirks for everyday activities and even pushed them to find new ways to use them. Granted, some were more successful at this than others. Then there were those with quirks that really weren't directly applicable to a physical assessment, like that one kid in class who Shouto thought spoke to animals. Others didn't yet know how to use their quirks in a way to benefit them. For example, ((Making stuff girl)) should have made a skateboard or something for the 100 yard dash, since that would have technically been a use of her quirk.

There was one guy that Shouto just didn't get. Midoriya so far had done the entirety of the fitness test without even attempting to use any quirk. Which was odd, because he knew that the guy had a power-enhancing quirk, given what he'd overheard. Given that, he'd have expected Midoriya to excel at one of the events at the very least. Instead he was just…. average. Painfully so, given that the person who scored the lowest overall would be expelled. Then again, maybe it was for the best. Shouto wasn't sure if this shy timid guy had what it took to be a hero. Villains would just crush him; hell, his father would. No, as he watched Midoriya pick up the baseball and tossed it a pathetic 46 meters Shouto thought that it might be for the best if Midoriya left. Aizawa Sensei seemed to agree as he walked over to Midoriya, earning a jeering catcall from Bakugo. That was harsher than necessary, but Shouto thought that giving up on his dream would be hard, but nowhere near as devastating as failing because he was so-

Between one blink and the next Aizawa Sensei was right in Midoriya's face, bandage like tape wrapped around the teen and drawing him close. "Ai—He's Eraserhead. Our homeroom teacher's Eraserhead." Shouto found himself saying out loud. None of the other students seemed to have heard him, but he didn't care. If Eraserhead was the homeroom teacher for class A-1 it meant that there were more than a few of them will dangerous, possibly deadly quirks. Shouto knew instinctively he'd be considered one of them, and probably that hothead Bakugo. But Aizawa stopping Midoriya from throwing the ball suggested Midoriya was much more powerful than he'd expected. They were too far away to hear what was being said, but Midoriya looked shaken when he was let go, fiddling with the ball he'd dropped and casting sidelong glances at their Sensei while worrying on his lip. Shouto thought it unlikely he'd even throw the ball more than a few feet given how nervous he was.

So he was obviously very surprised when the ball went sailing far past the distance everyone but Uraraka's ball had gone. Since hers had probably gone into orbit if it hadn't burned up that would have been a little hard to beat, but 705.3 meters was just as impressive given his last throw. What was more surprising, and if he was honest a little terrifying, was the look Midoriya gave Aizawa Sensei. It had about as much in common with a grin as a skull did. "I…I can still move!" The green haired teen spoke, holding up the hand he had thrown the ball with. It was obvious even from this distance that he'd broken a finger, and it looked painful. Yet Midoriya just ignored it and kept smiling. He continued to ignore it for the last three tests, scoring in the middle range for all of them.

It wouldn't be enough though, and Shouto wasn't so glad anymore that Midoriya would be the one asked to leave. Mineta would have been his pick at this point, because even if Midoriya had more in common with a rabbit than a hero, with a quirk that destructive he needed proper training. Who knew, maybe once he learned how to use it without putting himself and others at risk he might gain the self-confidence need to be a hero. Probably never a Pro, but at the least sidekick material.

"Time to present the results. If I recited all your scores it'd take a million years, so I'll disclose them all at once. The total is simply the aggregate sum of each of your scores." Shouto looked at his classmates, taking in the apprehensive faces and the one of pure resignation. He reminded himself that Eraserhead might be being harsh now, but it was something they'd all benefit from in the future. Even Midoriya."Oh yeah, that whole 'Expulsion' thing was a lie."

The class stared at him in shock. "It was a logical ruse to pull out your best performances." Their Sensei explained, and Shouto narrowed his eyes slightly as some of his classmates reacted in surprise and others as if they knew it the whole time. He only knew of Eraserhead by reputation, but it all being a ruse seemed wrong to him. The man his Father spoke of with grudging—very grudging—respect wouldn't play a trick like that. He'd follow through with what he said. Which meant Aizawa had changed his mind at some point. That was unsettling yet… gratifying to know they'd all be staying together. Shouto supposed he was kind of looking forward to seeing what his new classmates could do, too.