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Chapter Text

Another year at UA High. Most of what was Class 1-A were now being transferred to Class 2-A. With the dorm system in place, it meant moving to the 2-A dorms. For some, it was difficult. For others, not as much. Regardless, the excitement of the upcoming year made the move a little easier.

That wasn't to say there weren't some surprises along the way. Some time just after the end of their first year, Minoru Mineta had been expelled. Though, that was not all surprising. It was more surprising it had taken as long as it did for something to happen to the diminutive pervert. Even Kaminari, who had been Mineta's wingman in many ventures, realized there was a certain line that shouldn't be crossed.

What surprised everyone was that the vacancy that was left by Mineta had not been filled up to this point. Aizawa had told them that they were currently doing tryouts, to include students from outside of UA who wished to transfer, and the process was taking longer, given the most likely candidate, Hitoshi Shinso, was already in the Hero Course B. That, and they were getting the recently hired teachers up to snuff.

Another bit of news that had come as a surprise to most of the school. All Might, now choosing to go more by his civilian name of Toshinori Yagi, had retired, even from teaching. He still offered to do guest lectures, but decided to enjoy his retirement with his new wife, Inko Midoriya-Yagi.

This one was not too surprising to everyone, given the secrets of One for All were broadcast to the world by the League of Villains at the end of that tumultuous First Year, before the final defeat of All for One and the imprisonment of Shigaraki.

Of course, Toshi and Inko had been getting close and getting together long before that happened, to the pleasant surprise and support of one Izuku Midoriya.

Though he was afraid that people would think differently of him now that they knew his history, he was overjoyed when everyone gave him their full support. Kirishima even went on small rant of Izuku's "manliness" for never giving up on his dream of being a Hero, even though he was Quirkless.

As far as the new teachers were concerned, the students did not know the identities of those who had been hired, but knew that there were two, and one would be Class 2-A's Homeroom teacher and one would be the new Heroics teacher. There were many rumors, though most were crushed fairly quickly. This was definitely being kept under wraps.

Of course, with time, the students would find out. Today was the first day of their Second Year. They had arrived in class a little early to set up their seats. Most figured they'd end up sitting wherever, though that idea was quickly quashed when they noted the piece of paper on the door that read "seating arrangements". There were a few changes, though most of the seats remained the same.

Row 1: Aoyama, Sero, Asui, Uraraka, Iida

Row 2: Kaminari, Sato, Ojiro, Todoroki, Koda

Row 3: Bakugo, Kirishima, Jiro, Tokoyami, TBD

Row 4: Hagakure, Shoji, Midoriya, Ashido, Yaoyorozu

Though it was a bit different, everyone seemed to roll with how they were seated. However, one student was a little on edge about their placement, something noted by another.

"Ashido?" Izuku said, worried for his classmate when he saw that she looked uneasy. "Are you okay?" Over the last year, he had gotten more confident. That wasn't to say he was completely over being an embarrassed, stuttering mess, but he was much better, especially when someone looked troubled.

Always the Hero, Mina smiled at the green-haired boy who had addressed her. Though the beginning of the first year hadn't seen much interaction between the two, that had all changed during and after the Cultural Festival. Izuku had really taken her dance lessons to heart, and had continued even after the Festival. And in turn, had helped her study and get her grades up. Whereas she was nowhere near the top, she also wasn't at the bottom anymore. They now considered each other good friends.

"I'm...okay," she replied, her chipper attitude present, though there was definitely something there. "Just, a little put out at my seating arrangement." Seeing Izuku furrow his brow in confusion, Mina quickly backtracked. "Not about who I'm around. Sitting by Yao-Momo, you, Jiro, and Tokoyami, and whoever the new person is, is great. It's just...That's where Mineta sat. And I'm worried he did something gross to the seat."

A look of realization crossed Izuku's face, as he now understood Mina's reasoning. In truth, he had tried to get the other boy to turn away from his perverted ways. He got that they were teenagers, and had those kinds of thoughts. Even Izuku thought that way. But there was also a modicum of self-restraint that Mineta just didn't seem to have. And, though Izuku was sad that the Pop-Off users Hero-in-Training career ended at UA, he was surprised that he wasn't overly upset about it.

"If it makes you feel better, Ashido," he said, responding to the pink girl in front of him. "This isn't the same classroom, and I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be the same desk. In fact, if what dad told me is true, I think they got rid of his desk after he was expelled...as a precaution." The two stood for a second in silence before they shared a laugh. Mina looked at Izuku and fully smiled, the Mina the class all knew back in full force.

"Thank you, Midori," she said. "That really means a lot. You really are a great guy." After she said that, she noted his face turn red at the compliment. And, realizing exactly what she said, her own cheeks became dusted lilac. Luckily, before the situation became awkward, the door to the class opened again, and a very familiar person walked in.

"Hello, problem children," Aizawa said, a little tiredly (when wasn't he), and he noted with approval how quickly everyone sat down at the assigned seats. He hoped they would do that for the rest of the teachers, too, but wasn't going to hold his breath. "I know you've heard about the two new teachers here at UA, and that their identities, much like All Might's last year, has been kept under wraps for the time being.

"I will tell you that one of them will be your Homeroom teacher. I am here as a...familiar face...to introduce your Homeroom teacher and your new Heroics teacher before I head over to Class 1-A. Based on what I've seen from the Entrance Exam, don't be surprised if I expel most of them." The class wasn't sure whether to laugh at his statement or not, so chose to remain quiet. Aizawa continued.

"Before I get to introducing them, I wanted to show you all your class rankings based on your Finals from last year. Obviously, everyone passed." He clicked a remote, and everyone's rankings came up:

1. Momo Yaoyorozu 2. Tenya Iida 3. Izuku Midoriya 4. Katsuki Bakugo 5. Shoto Todoroki 6. Tsuyu Asui 7. Kyoka Jiro 8. Mashirao Ojiro 9. Mazo Shoji 10. Koji Koda 11. Fumikage Tokoyami 12. Mina Ashido 13. Ochaco Uraraka 14. Rikido Sato 15. Eijiro Kirishima 16. Toru Hagakure 17. Hanta Sero 18. Yuga Aoyama 19. Denki Kaminari

"Right. Well, here are your new teachers," he said before anyone could comment on the rankings. He motioned to the door as two individuals walked in. One was a very familiar woman who had chin-length blonde hair, and what appeared to be wings sprouting from the back of her head. She was dressed in what was known as her Hero outfit. This was Ryuko Tatsuma, better known as the Dragoon Hero Ryukyu. She waved at Asui and Uraraka and smiled to her two former work study students.

The other person was a man that most of the class didn't recognize. In fact, only Izuku knew who this person was. He looked to be in his late 20s to mid 30s. He stood at just under 6 feet, with light brown hair, blue-gray eyes, and his build was definitely athletic with broad shoulders. And, he definitely appeared to be of American or European descent. He looked over the class with an easy gaze.

He could see most of the class confused, except for the green-haired boy at the other side of the room. There seemed to be a note of who he was, and, the newcomer was a little surprised to see most of the class look to said greenette with curiosity. He smiled as one, an ash-blonde at the front of the class, looked back to Izuku, and then back to the man.

"Just to give you a fair warning," Bakugo said, "Deku there probably knows more about you and your Quirk then you do." This made the man tilt his head and smile, before looking over to Aizawa. Aizawa shrugged.

"Midoriya is quite the Hero fan," Aizawa replied. "Knows a lot about them, and writes analysis on Quirks." This caused the other man to furrow his brow.

"Midoriya? Izuku Midoriya? All Might's successor?" the man spoke for the first time, his baritone voice strong, but not overly loud. Aizawa merely nodded before heading to the door. Once he departed, the new teacher looked over to Izuku, as Ryuko spoke to introduce them.

Chapter Text

"Good morning, class," Ryuko spoke. "As you all know, I am Ryuko Tatsuma. You may know me better as Ryukyu. While in class, you are free to call me Ryukyu, Miss Tatsuma, or even Ryuko. I will say I'm pretty sure I'm more laid back that Shota, Mr. Aizawa, is, but that won't keep me from making sure you're giving it your all." She smiled to the class, before turning to her companion.

"Now, before I introduce your new Heroics Instructor, does anyone have any questions for me?" It didn't take long before Uraraka raised her hand. Ryuko smiled to the Zero-Gravity user before motioning to her.

"I'm super excited you're here to teach us, but, is this going to negatively affect your Hero work?" Ryuko figured that question would come up.

"Well, since dropping from the Top 10, which honestly doesn't bother me, I decided I'd like to ease some of my Heroing. I'm not stopping all together, as all teachers here are Pro Heroes, and will jump to action at a moment's notice. But, I was offered this position by Principal Nezu, and I couldn't turn the opportunity down. Anyone else?" No one else seemed to have any other questions for the Dragoon Heroine, so she turned to her compatriot. She was just about to introduce him when he held up a hand, smiling.

"I'm kind of intrigued by what this one," he gestured to Bakugo," said about the green-haired boy. All Might's disciple. Midoriya, was it?" he looked over to Izuku, who nervously nodded. "Maybe you should introduce me to the class?" he chuckled.

Izuku, while still a nervous wreck at times, had grown a lot more confident. He was still a little unsure of spilling his knowledge of the Pro-Hero. He didn't want to creep anyone out, even if he had been told multiple times that his knowledge and analysis was awe-inspiring, not creepy. He started to wring his hands together before he felt something on his right arm. He looked down to see a pink hand touching it, and turned a bit around to it's owner.

"I can't wait to hear what you know about our new teacher, Midori," Mina smiled to Izuku. The smile, and the small contact, while before would make him fluster uncontrollably, calmed him down, and gave him the bit of confidence he needed to turn back to the teacher, who had since let a small smile creep on his face at the interaction.

"You're Joshua Rowe," Izuku began. "Your Quirk is called Force Field Generation. You can create and control force fields, to include their size, shape, location, and density. You've used it both offensively and defensively. Though complete information is not released to the public, I have some theories in regard to it. But not without your permission."

"No. Please," the new Heroics teacher, now identified as Joshua, motioned Izuku on. "Analysis is vital to being a Hero. Anything you can garner from your opponent is helpful. It's true you can be wrong sometimes, but, if your analysis is correct, it can help you in the long run, both for combat and rescue ops. So, please, keep going." He smiled to the One for All inheritor.

"With your Hero costume, I know you wear a visor of some sort," Izuku continued. "Due to how I've seen your combat against Villains with and without the visor, I've theorized that it gives a wider view. That your Quirk requires line of sight to use." Joshua smiled again, taking a glance over to Ryuko, who was in awe of the analysis.

"Close," Joshua replied. "My Quirk requires field of vision. And, yes. My visor has small cameras that give me a complete view of the area, to include above, behind, and below me. But, go on." Before Izuku could continue, Kaminari raised his hand.

"Um..." he said, looking confused. "This is gonna sound stupid." He ignored the snicker from Jiro. "But...what's the difference between line of sight and field of vision?"

"That was actually a smart question, Jamming-whey," Jiro replied. "I take back my previous snicker." He gave her a 'gee, thanks' look before Momo spoke up.

"Line of sight is usually defined as the unobstructed view between a subject and an object," she said. "Field of vision, on the other hand, is the total area in which objects can be seen, which includes you peripheral vision, as you focus your eyes on a central point."

"Very good," Joshua said, before turning his attention back to Izuku. "Anything else about me you'd like to share?" Izuku nodded, smiling.

"Your Hero name is Aegis, the Shield Hero," he said. "You're currently the Number Four ranked Hero in the U.S. And you're Third in the International Rankings." Everyone's eyes widened at this little tidbit, before another question came up.

"How are you Fourth in your country, but higher around the world?" This question was fielded by Hagakure. Everyone seemed to contemplate the answer before Izuku intervened.

"Hero rankings have a different system between each country, and the International rankings are separate from those," he replied. "The rankings are, for the most part, a popularity contest. That's why, when dad, er, All Might was still active, he was the Number One Hero in Japan, and Internationally, even though Endeavor had more closed cases and captured Villains."

"That is correct," Todoroki spoke. "Internationally now, though my father is Number One here in Japan, Internationally, he barely makes the Top 15. He's not that popular outside of Japan."

"But his work ethic is appreciated," Joshua said. "I'm not a fan of his personality, having briefly worked with him before, but one can't deny his results. And, yes. The rankings are a popularity contest. Ryukyu here is currently Number Five in the International polls." He turned to her and gave her a smile, which she returned, though red dusted her cheeks.

In the classroom, Mina's ship-radar went off at the small interaction, but she kept her mouth shut for the time being. Besides, she had her own romance issues to deal with for the time being, that involved a certain green-haired fellow hero-in-training.

"Well, I think that's pretty much a good description of me," Joshua said. "Does anyone have any further questions for me before I let Ryukyu take over her homeroom duties?" For a moment, no one seemed to have any questions...until Bakugo spoke up.

"If you're the Number Four in America, why are you teaching at U.A.?" Joshua regarded the ash-blonde for a moment. There was a brief sadness that only Ryuko had caught, but Joshua hid it well, before responding.

"Like Ryukyu here, I just needed some time away from Active Duty," he replied. "I recently helped topple a major Villain Organization in the States. One much like your League of Villains or the Shie Hassaikai. When I made the announcement, I received a generous offer from Principal Nezu that I really couldn't turn down."

The class nodded their understanding. Bakugo seemed to accept it, but looked back at Izuku. They shared a look and nodded to one another. There was something more this teacher wasn't telling them.

Chapter Text

It was lunch time at U.A. Class 2-A were getting their lunches and finding a place to sit. Izuku was still in line when a voice spoke up behind him.

"Hey, Midoriya," the tired voice got the One for All user's attention, causing him to look back to see Hitoshi Shinso approaching him. He had another person in tow, someone Izuku recognized as Shein Shirudo.

[Present Mic:

Shein Shirudo! Quirk: Resolute body. His Quirk is activated when he holds his breath. When Shein activates his Quirk, he takes one of two "states", either Defensive or Offensive. In his Defensive State, he nullifies any damage taken, and physical attacks against him are greatly diminished. However, the longer in this state he is, the more susceptible he becomes to the natural physics of the attacks. In his Offensive State, his attack power increases exponentially. The state he's in lasts as long as he holds his breath, though he needs to "reset" by letting go of his breath and taking another one if he wishes to switch between each state.

Shein Shirudo is currently a General Ed student, though he recently attained his Provisional License in order to become a candidate to take the vacant spot available in Class 2-A.]

"Hi, Shinso," Izuku replied, and then looked over to Shein. "Good afternoon, Shirudo." Shein nodded his head to Izuku, though kept quiet for the moment. They got their lunches and started making their way to find a seat.

"Midori!" a voice called out, getting Izuku's attention. "Over here!" Izuku looked over to a table where Mina was flagging him down. Red tinted his cheeks as he waved back at the pink girl and smiled. He indicated for the two to follow him, which they were more than okay with doing.

When they arrived, he saw there were indeed available seats. Among those he normally sat with present was Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki. Further present were obviously Mina, Tokoyami, Jiro, Momo, and Asui.

"Is it okay if Shinso and Shirudo join us?" Izuku asked the table, and received a unanimous yes from those present (even if some were just shrugs or "sure"). They filled in the available spots, with Izuku sitting by Mina, Shinso by Tokoyami and Jiro, and Shirudo taking the last available spot by Momo.

"Is it okay to sit by you?" Shein asked the onyx haired girl. She smiled to him and indicated that he was welcome to. As he sat, Momo got a chance to look at him. He was fit, though more on the lithe side. He was roughly her height, maybe a little taller, and he shared the onyx color of hair that she had, though his was set in a more wave style. Once he sat, Momo struck up conversation with him.

"I understand you're a candidate to fill the vacancy in our Class," she said, seeing if what they had been told about the candidates was true. He nodded.

"I am, though I'm definitely nervous about the process," he said. He sighed. "It's not overly a secret that I'm worried about Quirk control and whether or not I'd make a good Hero with it." Izuku had overheard what he said and thought to speak up, though seeing Momo's reaction told him she would take care of it.

"I think you'll do wonderful," she said. "I know I've had my own doubts about my abilities, but you do have people in your corner. I know most of those at this table, after everything that's happened over the summer, wouldn't mind if you were to join our Class. As far as Quirk control goes, there are many people who would be willing to work with you on that." There were a few words of confirmation from those at the table, which helped Shein.

In truth, he was glad he had met Izuku through Shinso right as the First Year had ended. He had gotten to know some of the members of then-Class 1-A, and made friends with them. Aside from Izuku, he was closest to Momo, Shinso (even though he was Class 2-B), Jiro, and Tokoyami (the latter two due to their shared love of music).

He had also had an encounter that involved Izuku that had driven him to try out for the vacant 2-A spot once word had gotten out that they were holding tryouts. He had been training his Quirk more, trying to gain better control. Shinso had introduced the two, and they had decided on a friendly spar.

The spar had allowed Shein to see that he had made good progress, and that the fear he had of it was understandable, but it was also something he could overcome. He was brought out of his thoughts by Momo speaking once again.

"A few members of our Class are going out on the town this weekend," she was saying. "Would you like to join us?" Shein smiled in response, nodding.

"I'd like that," he replied. "Thank you for inviting me Yaoyorozu."

"You can call me Momo or YaoMomo if you'd like," Momo responded, a light red dusting her face.

"If that's the case, call me Shein," Shein said, unknowingly garnering attention from Class 1-A's resident romantic. But, she diverted her attention over to Izuku.

"Speaking of, Midori," she addressed the greenette. "Did you decide if you're coming?" Izuku looked over to Mina, who gave him her best puppy dog eyes. He blushed deeply, before scratching the back of his head.

"Um, yea, Ashido," he said. "I'm going to be able to make it." She cheered loudly, drawing the attention of everyone at the table, but they quickly chuckled at Mina being Mina before returning to their individual conversations. After a few more moments, Izuku stood before speaking up.

"Well, I'm going to go ahead and leave a little early," he said. "I was hoping to talk to Mr. Rowe for a few minutes before our class with him." Everyone nodded their understanding, and Mina stood up as well.

"Mind if I tag along?" she asked. "I'm actually curious about some of the different aspects of the Hero community over in the U.S." This caused a surprised face among most of the table, sans Izuku, who thought it was cool that she wanted to learn more about Heroes, and happily accepted her request. As they left, Uraraka giggled.

"Okay," she said. "So who knows the real reason she went?" The table smirked before Jiro spoke up.

"Because she wants to spend time with Midoriya," she chuckled. "Though I'm surprised you're not jealous, Uraraka." Uraraka shrugged.

"I mean, maybe last year I would have been," she explained. "But I really had a chance to consider my feelings. I still like Deku, but it's as more of he's my best friend. The feelings I thought I had for him were closer to admiration and, as bad as it sounds, a bit of Hero worship for him. But I've realized my feelings aren't romantic, so I wish the two of them well if they ever do confess."

"I have noticed how Midoriya looks at Mina," Momo spoke up. "I personally think they would make a cute couple."

The conversation continued on as the remainder of the group enjoyed lunch.

*****

"So, I know I'm gonna ask the teach, but you know a lot about this Hero stuff," Mina was saying. "Do you know some of the differences between Japan and the U.S.?"

As Mina and Izuku headed to the 2-A classroom to hopefully meet up with their new Heroics instructor before class, they idly chatted.

"I know their school system is a bit different," Izuku replied. "Whereas they do have large national Hero schools the likes of U.A., Shiketsu, and Ketsubutsu, they usually run their Hero courses as a sort of Elective class for those who have enrolled as such. And most schools usually only have around three licensed Heroes on staff to run said classes. One for every year. And unlike U.A. that has the standard 40 students, divided into two classes, the Hero course varies every year depending on who passes tryouts, which is a series of written and practical exams over the course of a week."

There was a pause before he started apologizing, which Mina quickly dashed away as she grabbed his arm and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Mina!" he exclaimed. "Are you sure you want to do that out in the open? Especially since you were the one who brought up keeping, well, us, a secret?"

That's right. Izuku and Mina were already in a relationship, unknown to the rest of their class. It had started during the break between school years, when they had run into each other one day while out and about. They decided to have a good time, and then agreed to more. From there, they grew closer, and one day when they were hanging out, Izuku had asked if they could consider the day a date, because he liked her.

Mina had responded that she thought all of them were dates, but took it with good nature when he didn't realize that's how she saw it. They had been truly dating since. She sighed contentedly from where she was.

"I mostly wanted that because I know how nervous you are in the spotlight," she explained. "But I also didn't want to be hounded about it by our classmates. If you're up for it, I think we could probably make it officially open. We don't have to make any grand gesture, just, I don't know..."

"Walk to the dorms after class today holding hands?" Izuku finished, causing a giant grin on the pinkette's face.

"I'd like that," she said, as they reached their destination. Approaching the door, they heard two rather loud voices from inside. The voices weren't yelling, but they were definitely raised.

"Why are you actually here, Josh?" they heard the voice of Ryukyu say.

Chapter Text

"Why are you actually here, Josh?" Ryuko asked the other newest member of the U.A. staff. They were alone in the Class 2-A classroom, where Joshua had been prepping for the first Heroics class he would be teaching. Ryuko had come in and asked to talk to him.

They had soon gotten into a...heated...discussion.

"I'm here because Principal Nezu asked if I'd like to teach," Josh responded, though Ryuko knew he was holding something back. "Ryu..." he reached out, but she pulled away.

"There's more to it than that," she said, accusingly. "Did you know I had accepted an offer to teach here?" Josh sighed, closing his eyes. He knew it would eventually come out, and he trusted Ryuko.

"Not until the first teacher's meeting we had," he said. "Okay. If anyone has the right to know, it's you." He paused for a moment. "Just, please. Sit, and hear me out before you respond." Ryuko pursed her lips, but nodded and sat down. Josh took a deep breath before telling her everything.

"When the Olympians were captured, they were brought here, to Japan," he stated. This was apparently new to Ryuko, if her reaction were any indication, but she kept her thoughts to herself, nodding for Josh to continue.

"However, not all were caught," he stated. Ryuko's brows furrowed. With even just one member of that group at large, it ran the risk of a possible breakout scenario. Ryuko understood the implications, and Josh was glad she did. "Artemis and Taurus managed to get away, and it's highly believed they would come here to break out Apollo and the others." Ryuko was shocked.

"So...you're here," she replied, "in case they do make good on a breakout, or even just appear." Josh nodded solemnly.

"It's not that either of our governments don't trust the Heroes in Japan," he stated. "But they know how well I know the group." Ryuko nodded. Josh approached her again, and this time she didn't recoil.

"I will admit," he said. "I had hoped that during all of this I would have been able to make contact with you." She looked up to him with surprise in her eyes. "The truth is...I missed you. As much as I know I was moving up in America's rankings, and you in Japan's...my heart was always with you." Her mouth opened to speak, but was quickly covered by his own.

She didn't fight the kiss. Instead, she let herself melt into it, at least for a few moments. She then pulled away.

"I...I don't know," she said. Josh went to protest, but stopped himself. He wouldn't...couldn't force her. "I missed you, too. I wanted so much for us to work. And then, we each started gaining ground in our respective polls, the Olympians demanded your full attention, and I don't know if...this," she gestured between them, "would withstand being separated like that again. I want to. So badly. But I don't if I can."

Josh nodded.

"I understand," he replied. "I really do." He sighed deeply. "What if I were to tell you I've thought of moving here...permanently?" Again, a look of shock crossed Ryuko's face. She was about to protest, but he raised his hand to cut her off.

"I've actually given this a lot of thought," he continued. "I know my ranking is high in the U.S., and, not to sound boastful, but me leaving will definitely cause some waves. However," he paused for just a moment, "with All Might's retirement, and my biggest reason for being locked to the States now imprisoned here, I figured I might make Japan my permanent residence. Maybe, not even worry about the polls anymore. Teach the next generation of Heroes. Maybe...."

He stopped his words, momentarily unsure if he should say what was on his mind. But, locking eyes with Ryuko was enough to give him the courage to continue his train of thought.

"...settle down." Simple words, but the implications were there. "I want to give us a shot. After all this time...I still love you." She gasped at the words, and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She said nothing as her mind and heart raced, before resolve struck her. She looked him in the eye, hers gleaming as a soft smile graced her face.

"I still love you, Josh," she replied. He took her into his arms, and they stayed there for just a moment, enjoying the aura from the other.

Meanwhile, in the hall outside the door, Izuku and Mina had been in rapt attention of what had transpired. Though they were obviously worried about the implications of another powerful Villain organization looming in threat, they were very much invested in the romantic aspect of their teachers' conversation.

"Oh, Izu!" Mina whispered excitedly. "It's so sweet!" Izuku couldn't help but smile at his girlfriend. Just as he was about to respond in kind, the door to the classroom opened, revealing their teachers, and the two students paled. However, instead of anger, their was a bit of amusement on the faces of Josh and Ryuko. There was also a slight bit of apprehension.

"So," Josh addressed the two students. "What all did you hear?" He had a comforting smile on his face, that let Izuku and Mina know that they wouldn't get into too much trouble. Izuku spoke up, indicating from what point they had accidentally started eavesdropping.

"I'm sorry," Izuku finished. "We shouldn't have kept listening in." Josh and Ryuko looked at each other. Ryuko decided to take the reigns as their homeroom teacher.

"What's done is done," she stated. She sighed. "I trust, though, that you'll keep this under wraps for the time being. Though things look promising, Josh and I are still trying to figure everything out. We would appreciate not being overwhelmed about it. I know that's a big thing for a teacher to ask their students..."

"It's okay," Mina replied. Then, she gave a wry smile. "Plus, I'm sure we'll give our classmates something else to concentrate on." As she said that, she intertwined her fingers with Izuku's. "Isn't that right, Izu?"

The boy in question had gone a bit red at the action, but was smiling ecstatically before nodding.

"Yea," he said, finding his voice. Then his face turned serious as he looked to Josh.

"Are you going to tell everyone about your reason for being here?" Josh looked contemplative. After a moment, he sighed.

"More than likely," Josh replied. "But not right away. I want everyone to get more acclimated to my presence before I drop that bomb on them."

"Speaking of bombs," Izuku stated, "Kacchan knows something is up, so we might have to include him on this information sooner than the others. He's always been apt like that. He figured out the fact I had One for All pretty quickly." Josh nodded.

"I take it 'Kacchan' is the blond boy that calls you 'Deku'?" Izuku nodded. "Duly noted. We can meet after class if need be. In the meantime, it's almost time for class. Go ahead and take your seats."

Sure enough, a few minutes after Izuku and Mina sat down, then their class had started filing in, preparing for their first Heroics lesson under their new instructor. They wondered how he would differ from All Might, but were prepared and excited, nonetheless.

Chapter Text

Shien was a little confused as he found himself following Mr. Aizawa to Heroics class. The look of confusion on his face must have been noted by Aizawa, as the underground Pro and Class 1-A Homeroom teacher sighed.

"Due to being a candidate for joining the Heroics course, we thought it best for you to join them for today's class," Aizawa stated. "Besides, it's good to learn these anyways, even if you don't make the Heroics course. You're still in a Hero school, and anything you can learn to help others is beneficial." Shien nodded at Aizawa's words. He wondered how much longer the selection process would take, but didn't want to say anything out of fear of hurting his chances.

"Just so you're aware," Aizawa continued, "the selection process is finishing up, and we'll have our decision in the next week or two." Shien couldn't help his surprised look. Could Aizawa read minds now? Was he that observant? Or was Shien that obvious? Shien didn't dwell too much on it as they had arrived at their destination.

Just like himself, Class 2-A were all wearing their gym uniforms. Standing at the front of the class was the Heroics instructor, who's name Shien had learned was Joshua Rowe, an American Pro-Hero. He was in civilian/teacher attire of a button down blue dress shirt and white tie. Beside him was the Pro Hero Ryukyu, who had been confirmed to be Class 2-A's homeroom teacher, in her Hero outfit.

Notably absent were any other candidates for transfer to Class 2-A. Shien understood that might be the case for those transferring schools, but he was aware of at least two others from General Studies who were trying out for the spot. Unless they were doing the training separate days. Again, Shien tried not to let it get to him as he was lead to the front by Aizawa.

"Here's another problem child for your training," Aizawa stated. "Just send him back to General when you're finished with him." With that, Aizawa took his leave. Josh shrugged as he looked at Shien and smiled.

"Alright, then," he said. "Fall in with your classmates. I was just about to go over today's lesson." Shien nodded and moved to an available spot, which happened to be between Momo and Izuku, who was standing rather close to the pink girl, Mina, if Shien remembered correctly. He shared a wave and smile to them before Josh began to speak.

"Okay, everyone," he said, gaining everyone's attention. "I know you guys were pretty much thrown into the fray with the League of Villains last year, so you've learned a lot more on Heroic training beyond what we'd normally be teaching you at this point. However, we can still cover a lot of those subjects, so you have a better understanding of the why you take the actions you do, instead of just having to do them without the full concept those actions entail."

The class seemed to all be on the same level of understanding. Having had to deal with the League of Villains, as Josh had pointed out, had thrust them at the forefront of a War, and had to make decisions that they normally wouldn't have had to make until they graduated and obtained their licenses.

"Your first lesson with me might actually teach you something, though," Josh smiled. "One issue that, from my understanding, didn't arise that often, was facing off against overwhelming numbers of opponents, while there was only a smaller group, say no more than four of you. We're going to simulate that here today." He paused to allow for any questions. Not surprisingly, it was Izuku's hand that went up. Josh nodded for the boy to ask.

"This sounds similar to a sparring exercise one of our upperclassman, Lemillion, who debuted this year, had with us before our Work Studies last year," the greenette said. A chill ran through most of the rest of the class as they remembered the beating they took. Josh looked at him curiously, so Izuku clarified.

"He sparred with the entire class, except for Todoroki and Kacch-er, Bakugo," Izuku was still getting into the habit of making sure people knew who was talking about when he referred to his former bully/now rival and friend. "He took us all out pretty quick." He chuckled at the last statement, rubbing the back of his head as he did. Josh nodded.

"That actually sounds a lot like what we're going to cover today," he said. "Though I won't just throw you all to it with gaining a better aspect. When I said earlier that analysis is key to Hero work, I wasn't lying. You have to take what you know about your opponent, the situation you're in, as well as account for allies and civilians in order to best do the job. Instead of thrusting you out though, for the first go around, I'll give you a little bit of time to analyze anything.

"We'll be doing this throughout the semester of Heroics, with the time allotted for analysis decreasing as we progress. Lecture time will be interwoven throughout. We'll also be switching up teams and scenarios. Now. Aside from Midoriya, who has already shown quite an aptitude for analysis, is there anyone else in the class capable of breaking down scenarios?"

"YaoMomo," the whole class said in near unison. Josh smiled as he looked over to Momo.

"Well then," he said. "What I'm going to do is have you and Midoriya lead the first groups in the exercise. You'll be acting as opponents here. What you're going to do is each establish a group with 2 of your classmates. One you will choose. The second member of your team will be decided by your opponent. After that, your opponent will choose ten of your classmates to go up against your team of three. This does not have to include anyone on the opponents team, but can if they so wish.

"When your team goes, you will have knowledge of who your opponents are, and have ten minutes of planning. Eventually that time will decrease, as will your knowledge of who you'll be facing off against, as the team-ups and opponents will change. Alright. Get to it."

The class looked between the two as they seemed to weigh their options. For both, it would be incredibly hard to choose their teammate. They both worried that foregoing friends would cause those friends to feel betrayed. But, this was training, and they hoped those friends would understand. Izuku motioned for Momo to go first, to which the girl nodded. She took a deep breath as she made her first selection.

"I'll choose Shien Shirudo as my first teammate."