(O.D.D.- Haha...I'll probably not return in a long while again, but I'm giving this chapter to you guys. Please enjoy! _('ཀ'」 ∠)_)

A brunet adult dressed in a black t-shirt and gray sweatpants sat at a round, mahogany table, the sleek wood barely reflecting the pale, yellow glow from the light fixture above him. A mug of untouched, cooling coffee was in front of him, and his left hand only curled around it loosely, taking in the fading warmth. The cup of coffee was filled with his favorite little touches--two mini cups of cream, a sugar lump, and some cinnamon--but he...didn't feel like drinking it in the end; maybe he had just wanted to do something with his hands.

Blinking his tired, brown eyes, the brunet looked over to his right hand, which was simply tapping out a random beat with his index finger on the wooden table. But then the brunet stopped, and the only sound in the small kitchenette was his breathing and the ticking grandfather clock that should be somewhere outside down the hall.

The brunet gazed at his right hand for a while longer before turning it over so its palm faced upwards. He flexed his fingers for a moment, and watched each digit move...before frowning slightly with concentration. He tried to remember the warmth he felt when used those flames. The brunet tried to bring something to the surface--it used to be so easy.

Only a mere spark of orange snapped along one of his fingers.

...The brunet stared at his right hand for a long moment before sighing tiredly, the brief warmth he had tried to grasp within him quickly fading. His brown eyes went back to his mug of coffee and he brought it closer to himself before wrapping his right hand around it with his left one. The thumb of his right hand rubbed the rim as he gazed down at the milky, brown liquid--

"What the f**k are you doing up so late?" A voice came from behind.

The brunet blinked, but he didn't jump in surprise. Instead, he smiled wearily and pulled his right hand away from his mug of coffee. He only used his left hand to raise the mug up slightly so the person behind him could see.

"Thought I could get a midnight drink." The brunet murmured softly before turning slightly in his seat to glance over his left shoulder. The brunet continued to smile. "...Care to join me?"

Brown eyes watched the shadows carefully and easily picked out a figure. After a few seconds ticked by, there was a gruff sigh before the visitor walked into the lighting. Crimson eyes seemed to glow in the dim lighting of the room as a ravenet came into view, dark scars decorating his tan skin as ebony bangs hung over his eyes slightly, casting shadows that made his irises stand out.

"...You call that a drink?" The ravenet asked roughly. "What you're drinking is sh**."

The brunet let a chuckle slip past his lips at that, his mug of coffee now back on the table as the ravenet circled around to sit on the opposite side. The brunet idly noted that the other was wearing a white undershirt and black slacks, a coal-black coat draped over his shoulders, a red feather adorning his raven hair; the younger of the two wondered if he just got back from some business.

"You do know that I dislike drinking alcohol unless it's for a party. And coffee is not 'sh**', mio grande fratello." (My big brother) The brunet responded in kind. "Say that to my advisor and he'll shoot you."

The ravenet snorted in response as he pulled a chair out, the wooden legs scraping against tile before he sat down. Crossing his arms and leaning back slightly in his seat, the scarred man sharply studied the brunet's face for a long moment. The brunet shifted slightly under the gaze, feeling a little nervous. Before the younger of the two could say anything, the ravenet spoke up.

"You better not be still blaming yourself for the sh** that happened months ago." The ravenet hissed out sharply. When he saw the brunet stiffen in surprise and widen his eyes, the ravenet scoffed and sneered at the younger adult. "You're a f**king idiot, leoncino. I've heard all the sh** you tell your family, saying that you're 'alright'--" (Leoncino = Lion cub)

"He didn't have to lose his arm." The brunet cut in harshly, his voice almost a hoarse whisper, but he still managed to break through the ravenet's words. The brunet's fingers tensed around his mug of coffee, his brown eyes looking up to connect with crimson ones. "I could've done something. I should've been more alert at that time--"

"Is that what weighs you down the most? Are you f**king serious?" The ravenet nearly snarled, an incredulous sneer on his lips. "This is your f**king tutor you're talking about. Losing an arm is nothing to him."

"But it is my responsibility to take care of my family." The brunet snapped back, a flicker of orange managing to swirl in his irises for a brief moment before it faded quickly. The brunet's voice was still starting to raise slightly. "I was supposed to--"

Bam!

"Well now you can't, you little sh**!" The ravenet barked back when he uncrossed his arms and slammed his left fist down onto the table. Crimson eyes cut through the dim room as the light fixture above swayed slightly. "This is the f**king present. You can't change anything now so stop f**king blaming yourself. I'm sick of watching you walk around the mansion, looking like a ghost of your former idiotic self."

The brunet leaned back slightly, looking like he had just gotten struck across the face as he stared at the ravenet with wide eyes. Taking in those shocked, brown eyes, the ravenet scoffed and uncurled the fingers of his left hand, gazing disdainfully at the small black burns he left on the mahogany table he had slammed his fist on......and a few seconds ticked by sluggishly; it was filled with silence. The burning rage within the ravenet slowly cooled down and crimson eyes raised to connect with brown ones.

...

...The ravenet then let out an exasperated sigh before he stood up, circling around the table. The older of the two soon came to a stop by the brunet's seat, crimson eyes gazing ahead.

"...You're a Vongola, leoncino." The ravenet gritted out slowly...before softening the edge in his voice slightly. "......And my little brother. So suck up your sh** and move on. You're embarrassing your tutor too--he's only lost an arm for f**k's sake; he can still kick your d**n puny a**."

The ravenet then roughly placed a scarred hand onto the head of chestnut locks. Crimson eyes looked ahead, and the ravenet ignored the tremors from the brunet. A smaller hand reached up and touched the ravenet's scarred hand; the brunet smiled shakily and blinked past tears as he looked down at the table in front of him.

"...Th-Thank you...mio grande fratello..." The brunet whispered.

***

"Combat training?" Rene asked softly as he set a stack of paperwork to the side. Under the shadow of his fedora, brown eyes darted towards beady black ones. "...You're sure it's not too soon?"

Nedzu inclined his head, smiling brightly as usual as he hopped a few times to climb onto Rene's desk. Seeing the mouse-dog-bear's attempts, the brunet offered his right arm to the principal. Nedzu gave a grateful smile to the counselor and grabbed Rene's arm, hanging on as the brunet lifted him up onto the desk.

Currently it was near the last few classes of the day. The morning had started out like any other school day in a way. Leon woke up Izuku to get washed up, dressed, and to eat breakfast. Rene drove Izuku to school on his motorcycle, so the two of them went to UA together this time. However, Rene had told Izuku that the teen might have to walk by himself nowadays. But the green-haired aspiring hero simply smiled and nodded his head in understanding, saying he needed some 'extra exercise'.

Anyways, Rene had heard that the 1-A students had gone through a pretty normal school day so far--English, Math, etc.--but that was until Nedzu came trotting into the teachers' room. Currently, Rene and Nedzu were the only ones inside the room--all the other teachers were at their own classes at the moment. And since Rene was only a counselor, he only had a few things to do at UA.

"It's actually a simulation of a hero against a villain, but I understand your concerns. Perhaps this assessment may be a bit too early." Nedzu said cheerily as he detached himself from Rene's suit sleeve and walked across the brunet's desk. His paws were clasped behind his back as he tilted his head up just slightly to look into shadowed brown eyes. "But I believe by my calculations that this would be a fine day to test their abilities!"

Rene arched an eyebrow at the principal for a moment. The brunet then sighed as he felt Leon crawl onto his left shoulder, and the young man chuckled softly and shook his head fondly. Rene sent a silent prayer to the students--they had no idea how sadistic Nedzu can be--as he looked up at the tiled ceiling above.

"Ah, Nedzu. Never letting those kids have a break, huh?" Rene muttered before darting his brown eyes back down to the intelligent mammal. "I'm going to guess that you would want me to oversee this activity?"

Nedzu nodded in response before leaping forward to clamber onto the brunet's right shoulder. Rene held still as the principal made himself comfortable on his shoulder, the mouse-bear-dog kicking his feet lightly through the air as he sat down.

"Yes, Rene-kun. It's also so you can see how Toshinori-kun does on his first day as a teacher." Nedzu chirped as he raised his left paw up to pat the right side of the brunet's neck comfortingly. "Please tell me later on how Toshinori-kun did with his first day of teaching."

Rene chuckled softly as he slowly rolled his chair out before standing up carefully, making sure not to jostle Nedzu to much. Stepping out of the way before rolling his chair back in to his desk, Rene then headed towards the door, stuffing his hands into his pockets, earring jingling softly on his right ear.

"You do know that Toshinori isn't quite the teaching sort of person." Rene murmured as he slid the door open, walking through the threshold. "He already cares far too much about Izuku-kun than all of the other students."

Nedzu sighed softly and nodded in understanding, his paw still on the side of Rene's neck as the brunet adult walked down the empty hall, his footsteps nearly silent. The principal hummed thoughtfully as Rene turned a corner.

"Shouta-kun has already told me about that yesterday." Nedzu said, a smile back onto his face, raising his right paw to gently tinker with the brunet's earring. "But Toshinori-kun will learn. As a teacher, he will learn to be proud of his students--not just his successor."

Rene hummed an acknowledgement as he walked for a handful of minutes before he arrived at a hall that held massive doors. Stopping by the door that had '1-A' in bold, Rene turned his head slightly to the right to look at Nedzu, who was already starting to clamber off of the brunet like a koala.

"Well, Rene-kun! I shall leave the rest to you from here on out." Nedzu chirped once he finally made it to the ground, looking up at the brunet with bright, beady, black eyes. "The students are also quite interested in you. I've heard such amusing rumors about you already from them."

Rene raised an eyebrow at this before giving a small upward quirk of the lips and tipping his fedora politely at Nedzu, who merely smiled back before trotting down the halls, whistling some sort of random tune. Rene watched the other go until the principal was gone from sight before turning his gaze to the door. Raising his right hand up, the brunet lightly knocked on the door first.

Rene's sharp ears caught the sound of dragging footsteps, and that had caused the brunet to smile with some amusement. He knew those dragging footsteps anywhere. He also absently wondered if his friend got to have his usual coffee.

Rattle.

The door slid open and Rene was greeted with tired, onyx eyes. Aizawa, dressed in his usual baggy, black clothes, blinked as he processed Rene's presence before shrugging and waving the other in, stifling a yawn. With that, Rene entered the UA classroom of 1-A.

<<(With the students, 3 minutes prior to Rene's arrival.)>>

"Settle down already and listen up, brats." Aizawa drawled boredly as he stood at the front of the class. "Today we have an activity."

The students watched with mild bemusement while the ravenet already started to bring out his yellow sleeping bag, but he didn't put it on just yet. Aizawa's onyx drifted here and there across each face in the room, taking in nervous emerald eyes, blazing red ones, and an indifferent bicolored--coal and a soft blue--pair. Eraserhead huffed as he worked on unzipping his sleeping bag.

"But I'm not going to go into much detail right now since someone else will be teaching that class." Aizawa grumbled as he prepared to lie down, listening to the soft, curious murmurs from the students. "Just wait until he arrives--and be quiet."

Knock, knock.

Aizawa paused for a moment before he dropped his sleeping bag and eyed the door suspiciously. The Erasing-Hero was aware that All Might would be coming to teach and direct the class for this activity, but that jovial hero never really knocked when making an entrance. Sighing long and deep, Aizawa made his way to the door, sensing the eyes of his students on him. Shouta placed his hand onto the handle and tugged the door open.

Rattle.

Aizawa blinked in idle surprise at the fedora he was greeted with. And then the owner of the hat lifted his head slightly so the rim no longer hid his warm, brown gaze. Rene greeted Aizawa with a small smile, and the Erasing-Hero paused for a second before yawning slightly and waving the brunet in. Stepping back into the classroom, Aizawa walked back to the front of the class while Rene closed the door behind himself before following the ravenet.

"I'm going to guess that you're only here to supervise since I already heard who exactly was going to lead the activity." Aizawa said as he slid behind the classroom podium, his onyx eyes going over to where Rene was standing on the left of him. "Did Nedzu send you, or did you come on your own free will, Rene?"

Rene smiled slightly as as he gazed at Aizawa under the shadow of his fedora. The brunet's gaze then flizted over to the curious eyes that were watching him.

"Well...Nedzu did send me," Rene said, talking to both Shouta and the students. "But I suppose I was also interested in seeing who our new heroes would be."

Some students perked up at this and Rene still continued to smile before turning his head to the left. Cocking his head for a brief moment before turning to look at Aizawa, nodding his head slightly. Shouta sighed gruffly in response and crouched down to grab his sleeping bag, shuffling away from the podium while Rene moved to the right side--well, left side to the students--of the front of the class.

Slam!

Just then, a certain blonde hero burst through the door, startling most of the class and causing them to look at the newcomer.

"I AM HERE...!" All Might shouted...as he hung slightly at the door, upper body leaning into the room, blue and red cape billowing slightly. "...THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"

Izuku smiled brightly, his eyes sparkling with awe. Meanwhile, Katsuki scoffed as he propped his chin onto his right palm, a dark scowl on the blonde teen's face. The students began to whisper among each other in awe, also commenting on All might's choice of his super suit. As All Might then jogged into the room, the Number One Hero then noticed Rene's presence, pausing in surprise but still keeping his ever present grin on.

"Rene! It's good to see you." All Might boomed as he stood at the front of the class fists on his hips. The taller of the two inclined his head slightly. "But I am curious as to why you are here..."

The students looked back and forth between the two adults with wonder while Aizawa started to get settled in his sleeping bag. All Might knowing Aizawa, Eraserhead, was a little more understandable, but Rene...? Rene was a...mysterious character. Perhaps he was a heavily masked nighttime sort of hero.

"Nedzu sent me here to observe." Rene responded, his softer voice a great contrast to All Might's. Brown eyes studied the tall, muscular blonde's face. "So you may act as if I'm not here while you teach."

All Might sweatedropped slightly before nodding, covering up his nervousness with a bright laugh as he turned to face the class instead. The Number One Hero took in the young faces of the asspiring heroes and couldn't help but brighten his grin and make it more genuine. He always loved the youth.

"Alright, students!" All Might boomed cheerily, full of energy. "Today we shall be doing your first lesson on combat training! But first...you must change into your hero costumes, which were crafted based on your submissions and info on your Quirks!"

The group of students collectively perked up and the murmurs among each other became a little louder. Rene observed the class silently and saw the looks of excitement on their faces; Izuku looked bit nervous, but a determined light was still in his eyes. Brown eyes then went to Katsuki, who looked like he wanted to shout a few expletives, but he was clamping down on it for now. When crimson came in contact with brown, Rene smiled slightly when he heard a low growl come from Bakugou.

Rene then felt a different gaze upon him--everyone was pretty much paying attention to All Might and All Might only--and the brunet turned his gaze slightly to catch heterochromia eyes watching him closely. Rene blinked and turned his head slightly to look at the bicolor-haired teen. Meanwhile, Todoroki Shouto narrowed his gaze slightly, trying to decipher...the emotions in Rene's eyes; the man was unreadable.

"Alright, class! Once you have your costumes on, head to Grounds B for this activity, and I shall tell you more details there!" All Might called as he started to march towards the door, waving the students along to follow him.

Rene sighed softly before turning following after All Might, his footsteps silent as usual while the students watched the two adults leave. One Ashido Mina hopped up to her feet first, her golden eyes bright as a few more students also started to leave their seats, heading towards the door.

"Sinclair-Sensei's so quiet!" Ashido chirped to a short-haired ravenette beside her; the ravenette girl had earbud-like ends attached to her earlobes. "I thought counselors were supposed to be more open and cheerful or something."

"I think he seems to be a very wise man." Momo commented on the other side of the pink-skinned girl, her expression calm as usual. "He gives off that sort of aura."

"Well I dunno about you guys, but he looks kinda bada**!" Kaminari Denki said with a grin.

With that, all of the students filtered out of the classroom, one after another. Izuku hung near the back as everyone left. Before he could leave though, the green-haired teen heard a gruff voice call out to him as he stood at the threshold of the room.

"Midoriya."

The said teen paused and turned slightly before lowering his gaze to the ground, sweatdropping when he saw his homeroom teacher there on the floor in his yellow sleeping bag. But Midoriya blinked when he saw the slightly serious note in Aizawa's eyes.

"Hai, Aizawa-Sensei...?" Izuku called out cautiously, a nervous smile on his lips. "Is...Is something wrong?"

Onyx eyes gazed at Midoriya for a long moment before they slid shut and Aizawa yawned softly for a moment before opening his eyes once more. The teacher shifted slightly on the floor in his sleeping bag, but he kept his words directed to the only student in the room.

"...Since you live with Rene..." Izuku perked up at this while Eraserhead continued to speak. "...I want you to tell me if he does anything...off."

Izuku turned fully at this, eyebrows pinching together as he gazed at his homeroom teacher with a confused expression. The teen glanced outside of the room briefly to see that his classmates were gone from view already, but he turned his attention back to Aizawa.

"...Um...what do you mean by...'off'?" Izuku asked hesitantly, his green eyes observing Aizawa's tired, onyx ones.

Aizawa merely blinked sluggishly before burrowing into his yellow sleeping bag, only the top of his head visible now as he spoke again, words still directed to Midoriya but his voice muffled now; the green-haired teen struggled slightly to hear his homeroom teacher.

"Just watch out for the knucklehead, Midoriya." Aizawa drawled.

Izuku blinked his eyes rapidly, stepping forward for a moment, mouth opening...before he snapped to attention and realized that his classmates were far ahead of him. Pushing his questions to the back of his mind, Midoriya ran out of the room, stuttering a 'goodbye' to his teacher before he left.

When Izuku's footsteps had receded, Aizawa's head popped out from his sleeping bag and he gazed tiredly at the empty doorway. Onyx eyes stared at the entrance for a long moment before the Erasing Hero huffed.

"Brat didn't close the d**n door." He grumbled, but he stayed where he was: on the floor, too lazy to move and shut the door.

<<(With the students.)>>

Izuku huffed out a breath as he jogged after his classmates, having fallen back since he was held up by Aizawa and he had a minor problem putting on his costume. Anyways, Midoriya ran towards the end of the tunnel, managing to catch up with everyone. The green-haired teen squinted slightly when his eyes were suddenly assaulted by bright light. However, his mask helped to soften the suddenly harsh lighting of the outside.

"Ah! Deku-kun, is that your costume?" A cheery voice called to Izuku. "It's so cool!"

Midoriya blinked his eyes owlishly behind his mask as he turned his head, the green 'ears' on his head flopping around slightly. Izuku then smiled nervously when he saw a certain brunette jog over to him, a bright smile on her face.

"A-Ah, Uraraka-chan!" Izuku stuttered nervously as he sent a nervous smile to the brunette. "You look great too!"

Ochako blushed slightly at this and came to a stop in front of Izuku, a wide grin on her lips as she rubbed the back of her head, a pink visor over her face; she scuffed a booted foot on the ground bashfully.

"Aw, Deku-kun, you're too nice." She said before she frowned faintly, wiggling one of her hands in the air. "To be honest, my costume is a little tight and too puffy looking. I might have to ask the people who made it to adjust it a little."

Uraraka's costume was had a 'space'-like touch to it. She looked like some sort of character out of a sci-fi movie or something. Her white boots and gauntlet-like attachments were what made her look puffy apparently, but Izuku thought her costume looked great nonetheless. And was it just Izuku or did he hear some sort of perverted voice on the side say, 'Heroics are the greatest'?

Izuku then noticed something white out of the corner of his eyes before he looked and widened his gaze with amazement with awe. He glanced around briefly to his other classmates, recognized all of them, before looking back to the teen in white armor. There only one person missing from the crowd, so that meant...!

"Iida-kun!?" Midoriya asked, shocked and stilled awed. "Is that you?"

Tenya blinked before he turned to look at Izuku; the blue-haired teen smiled brightly beneath his white helmet as he gazed down at his green-haired companion. Iida shifted slightly, his armor rattling just a bit as he turned to face Izuku. Tanya's costume was a white, full-body armor with engine-like parts around the calf area, and at the back of the helmet. The design was sharp and well defined.

"Yes, it's me, Midoriya!" Tenya said cheerfully. "Your costume looks very nice."

"Th-Thank you, Iida-kun." Midoriya responded shyly, glancing down at himself for a moment, a fond smile on his lips.

Inko had made it for him with her own two hands. The green fabric was a little scratchy on his skin, but Izuku loved every bit of the costume. Midoriya clenched and unclenched his gloved hands for a moment before he snapped out of his musings when he heard Iida speak up. This time, the blue-haired teen's words were directed to the current teacher, All Might.

"Sensei! Regarding the performance ground we'll be using, is it the mock-city from the entrance exam?" Iida inquired.

All Might--he was silently regaining control over himself after witnessing Izuku's costume; the 'ears' killed him--laughed loudly in return, fists on his hips as he cape swayed behind him. Rene hung on the side, a shadow compared to the brilliant light that All Might was; Izuku still noticed the brunet though and sent a small, brief wave to the counselor. Rene smiled briefly at the green-haired teen before nodding his head over to All Might, silently telling Midoriya to listen closely to the boisterous, powerful Hero; Izuku turned his attention back to the Number One Hero.

"You'll see! In fact, take two steps and you'll be there!" All Might said as he then lead the group further out into the open, cape swaying behind him. "This will be an indoor battle trial!"

As the students listened to All Might, Izuku looked behind the blonde and saw all the buildings that were present, humming thoughtfully; the buildings were certainly similar to the ones in the exam. Midaoriya shuddered inwardly when he felt ghost pains of his arm breaking; the Number One Hero continued to speak.

"For this exercise, you'll separate into 'villain' and 'hero' groups..." All Might paused for effect, ever present grin widening. "...FOR A TWO-ON-TWO TEAM BATTLE!"

There were murmurs of surprise from the students while a few simply stayed silent and watched on. Rene observed each reaction, studying his new charges. One certain frog-girl raised a hand up before speaking, inclining her head at All Might questioningly while he expression remained rather neutral, tongue sticking out of her mouth as she spoke.

"What about the foundational training, kero?" Tsuyu Asui asked, blinking.

"THIS IS FOUNDATIONAL TRAINING!" All Might immediately responded with vigor, a fist clenched in front of his face as he seemed to vibrate with energy. The blonde then turned to look over at his fellow adult. "Rene! AREN'T YOU EXCITED FOR THIS AS WELL!?"

"Mm." Came Rene's bland response.

Rene thought he heard one of the teens snort with amusement at his reaction. Anyways, All Might was undeterred by Rene's lack of enthusiasm and merely threw his head back and laughed.

"Anyways, this time, there won't be any robots to destroy!" All Might then said, getting back on track.

"So how do we determine who wins or loses?" Momo asked.

"Is it okay if we just blow them away?" Bakugou questioned with a strained voice, hands fistes and grenade-like gauntlets clinking softly.

"Is there a threat of expulsion like with Aizawa-Sensei's exercise?" Ochako inquired, sounding worried.

"If we're separating into different groups, what would be the best way to do so?" Iida asked, hand shooting up in the air.

"Doesn't this cape look killer on me~?" Aoyama hummed, red visor glinting.

All Might was flabbergasted by all of the sudden questions. All of them had been asked at the same time, overwhelming the new teacher slightly.

"One at a time." Rene's voice cut in clearly, calmly, causing the class's questions to come to a halt instantly. The students looked at Rene with mild surprise, as if remembering that the brunet was there. Rene huffed with amusement as he gazed at the students, fedora shadowing his gaze while Leon crawled up to perch himself on the counselor's shoulder. "Your questions cannot be answered if they're all asked at the same time."

The students who had questioned All Might were quiet then, seeming a little chastised--well, Katsuki didn't ashamed at all, merely scowling at Rene. Meanwhile, All Might gave a thankful smile to Rene before turning attention back to the students, coughing into his fist first to gain the teens' attention.

"For this training, we'll have some 'villains' guard a nuclear weapon the intend on deploying! The 'heroes' must stop them and their nefarious scheme before it's too late!" All Might quickly explained, glancing down at a small note he suddenly pulled out of seemingly nowhere. "If the 'heroes' capture the 'villains' or reach the nuclear core before the time runs out, they win. If the 'villains' manage to keep the core the whole time or capture the 'heroes', they win."

Everyone seemed to relax slightly at the simple instructions of the exercise. All Might then moved back a bit on the concrete road of the area. It was then that everyone noticed a table that had three boxes on it. All Might picked up one of the boxes, the object looking very small in the hands of the Number One Hero as he turned back to the students, grin still on his face.

"Your teammates and opponents will be chosen by lottery!" He said cheerily.

"Is that really how we do it!?" Iida asked, surprised.

"Well, pros are often forced to make impromptu team-ups with other heroes they might not know very well, so this is probably testing that." Izuku mumbled beside Iida, but the aspiring Engine Hero heard the shorter teen and made a noise of understanding.

"I see! Always with our eyes on the future..." Tenya then looked over at All Might, bowing swiftly with a brief arm chopping motion. "I apologize!"

All Might merely grinned in response, box still in his hands as he then shoved it in the direction of the students.

"It's quite alright, Young Iida!" All Might shouted. "Anyways...LET'S GET THIS STARTED!"

~~

You: Ah. I have a bad feeling about this.

There was slight pause before there was a response, the screen of the phone lighting up a certain counselor's face.

Ping!

Shouta: What is it?

You: The pairings that were made for this exercise by lottery......I'm not sure if fate is an evil mastermind or has a terrible sense of humor.

Shouta: Oh?

Rene glanced up from his phone briefly as he stood in the dim room with All Might and the students--well, all of the students except Izuku, Ochako, Katsuki, and Tenya. The brunet sighed softly as he hung near the back, leaning backwards against the wall behind him as he returned his gaze to the glow of his phone.

You: It is apparent that my charge will end up fighting his...childhood friend in this "hero" vs "villain" exercise. Knowing Bakugou Katsuki, I believe that boy will only focus on Izuku-kun and Izuku-kun alone.

Shouta: Hmm...that does sound pretty sh**ty.

Shouta: Should I come over?

Rene paused at this, glancing up from his phone once again. This time, the counselor looked at the screen that was showing where the 'villains', Iida and Bakugou, were on the inside of the building while the 'heroes', Midoriya and Uraraka, were outside. The brunet watched Izuku look up determinedly at the building before looking over at Ochako, seeming to discuss something with the bubbly girl. Rene sighed softly and looked back at his phone.

You: No, no...I think...everything will be fine.

You: However, I believe Izuku-kun won't come out of this unscathed.

Shouta: You better not push yourself. Do you even have your pills if you want to heal the brat?

Rene huffed at this, feeling Leon crawl around his left shoulder. The brunet felt the chameleon lick his cheek and he smiled briefly, left hand moving up to the reptile; Leon immediately nuzzled into Rene's fingers.

You: Izuku-kun is not a brat. And yes, I do have my pills on hand. Healing is not my expertise, but I can certainly lighten the burden Izuku-kun ends up having when Chiyo speeds up his healing process.

You: Oh, the exercise is starting. You should go nap again.

Shouta: Knowing that you might end up hurting yourself? I might actually not nap. Oh horror.

Rene snorted softly and this, shaking his head mentally with fondness. The brunet smiled slightly as he quickly responded back, feeling Leon idly lick at the fingers of his left hand.

You: Drama queen. Just go to sleep.

...When there was no response after Rene's last text, the brunet assumed that the Erasing Hero had drifted off for another nap. Rene sighed softly at this before shutting his phone off and pocketing it, lifting his gaze back up to the glowing screen that showed the 'villains' and the 'heroes'. Rene hoped that Izuku wouldn't do anything too drastic.

<<(With Izuku and Ochako)>>

"...Will it really be alright to leave you like that, Deku-kun?" Uraraka asked, concerned, as she prepared to float her partner and herself up to a nearby window.

Izuku's plan was certainly logical, smart, and straight to the point. But Ochako still worried for her partner and friend. For Midoriya to act as...bait for Bakugou sounded really dangerous. Seeing how Izuku reacted around Katsuki, she would rather keep the two apart than have one chasing the other.

"I'll be fine, Uraraka-chan." Izuku said, smiling reassuringly at the brunette, his eyes filled with determination. "Once Kacchan appears, just go. You just need to reach the 'bomb' and we'll win, okay?"

Ochako looked at Izuku doubtfully for a long moment before nodding, expression grim as she then reached out to pat the green-haired teen's shoulder. With that, Uraraka made herself weightless as well before they both started to drift upwards beside the building.

Once they reached the floor they wanted, Izuku reached out and grabbed the window ledge they neared. When they were safely on the ledge, Ochako released her Quirk, gravity returning to both of them. Midoriya and Uraraka quickly slipped inside of the building.

"Infiltration: success." Izuku muttered to himself under his breath as he looked left and right down the hall the both of them were currently in. After a moment of consideration, Midoriya jerked his head to the right as he smiled nervously at Uraraka underneath his mask, gloved hands loosely clenched. "Let's go this way."

~~

A minutes had passed by without any disturbances, and it really set Izuku on edge--but he immediately took a steadying breath and calmed down, gaze focusing on the situation at hand. Rene had told him before that panicking in a situation would get you nowhere, so Midoriya continued to take deep, calming breaths as Uraraka and he turned corners and walked down halls. A few more seconds of silence, until--

BANG!

"DEKUUU!" A certain blonde roared out as he suddenly appeared around the corner they were about to turn on.

Izuku widened his eyes before he quickly shoved Ochako backwards while he too scrambled to the side to dodge. Bakugou grinned darkly as his smoking hand moved around in an arch, explosions following. When the noise ceased and the smoke died down, Midoriya was revealed crouched on the ground, half of his mask already burned off. Izuku breathed out shakily, keeping his eyes on Katsuki but directing his words to Ochako, who was pushing herself up from the ground.

"Uraraka-chan! G-Go!" Izuku practically ordered.

Hesitating for only a brief second, Uraraka nodded sharply and got up from the ground, quickly running in the opposite direction of the two who were about to clash. Ochako's footsteps receded, leaving Izuku and Katsuki alone in the dim, white halls. Bakugou hadn't taken his eyes away from Midoriya either, the blonde still sending a murderous grin at the green-haired teen.

"F**king Deku..." Katsuki's grin then quickly darkened into a scowl, red eyes burning through Izuku. "...What the f**k is up with you...AND YOUR F**KING QUIRK ALL OF A SUDDEN, HUH!? YOU PIECE OF SH**!"

Midoriya immediately stood up and found his footing when Bakugou blasted forward. The blonde's left hand was in front of him, but that was just for momentum for...a right punch!

"I'm gonna teach you the basics on how to use someone's strength against themself." Rene suddenly said to Izuku one day. "I know you won't use this against Bomb-Boy, but I'm still gonna teach you anyways. Perhaps it'll be useful to you in the future."

"E-Eh!?" Izuku looked up at the brunet with shock in his wide, green eyes. The child then lowered his gaze down to his feet, gripping the hem of the red t-shirt he was currently wearing. "...I...I wouldn't be very good at fighting..."

"I'm not teaching you how to fight." Rene then said, brown eyes lit with amusement. "What I'm teaching you is merely self-defense, and perhaps...prediction."

"'Prediction'?" Midoriya asked, inclining his head while Rene smiled back in response.

"With your observation skills, I'm quite sure this will become a natural thing for you." Rene crouched down in front of Izuku, fedora shadowing his eyes. "Now pay attention carefully..."

Izuku's gaze narrowed as he bent his knees slightly watching as Katsuki blasted towards him. Midoriya suddenly darted forward, right in Bakugou's space before the blonde could realize it. When Katsuki did notice Izuku, the green-haired teen quickly slammed his right elbow into his childhood friend's stomach, followed up with a right uppercut, sharply grabbed the blonde's right arm, and then proceeded to slam the explosive teen on his back; the air was completely knocked out of Bakugou's lungs.

Meanwhile, in the monitoring room, a certain tutor's face was lit up with mild surprise and pride. Rene smirked slightly as he felt Leon's head nudge against his neck. The brunet chuckled softly to himself as he reached up with his left hand to gently pat Leon's head.

"There we go..." The brunet murmured. Izuku's movement's had been a little sloppy, but the technique had been sharp and absolutely perfect.

Back with Izuku, the green-haired teen immediately let go of Katsuki's arm and retreated backwards. It was now that Midoriya realized the his heartbeat was loud in his ears and he was panting slightly, a little jittery from the sudden adrenaline rush--and holy cow! Did he actually do that!? Did he actually successfully perform one of the techniques that Rene had taught him!?

Izuku snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a harsh cough from Katsuki; the blonde rolled over so he was now on his hands and knees, pushing himself up. Midoriya watched as Bakugou lifted his head and bared his teeth at the green-haired teen, gaze dark; the blonde seemed to be regaining his breath. Izuku swallowed harshly before he felt something...strong well up within him.

"Kacchan..." Midoriya swallowed again, but he stood tall while he raised his fists up into a ready, fighting stance. The half of the mask that was still on the green-haired teen's face slipped off and fluttered to the ground. The successor of One For All grinned nervously at Katsuki. "...I'm not gonna be your worthless punching bag Deku forever!" Izuku's voice then rose and grew stronger. "I'm... I'm gonna be the Deku who's always gonna do his best!"

Bakugou let out a sharp exhale, slowly getting to his feet as he glared darkly at Izuku. Sparks and smoke leaked from the blonde's hands as he prepared to attack Midoriya again.

"F**king Deku...!"

<<(With Ochako)>>

Making her feet weightless, Uraraka didn't make a sound as she walked across the top floor of the building, quickly darting behind pillars as she slowly edged closer to where the 'nuclear bomb' should be in the room. Ochako peeked her head out briefly before quickly hiding behind the white pillar she was currently hiding behind. Tenya was just a few pillars away in front of the 'bomb'!

Uraraka smiled grimly as she thought of Izuku's plan. While she thought of ways to possibly get the 'bomb' herself, she was brought out of her musings when she suddenly heard Iida...cackle? Curious, Ochako stopped her brainstorming and listened closely to her 'enemy'. Tenya was mumbling nonsense or something, and then...

"...I am..." Iida chuckled darkly, still standing in front of the 'bomb' as he shifted, an ominous glint in his eye. "...Very evil now~! Fuhahahaha...!"

...

...Ochako couldn't help it; Tenya was way too adorable, earnest, and funny. A small laugh escaped her lips. Unfortunately, Iida heard Uraraka's laugh and he immediately pinpointed her position in the room behind one of the pillars. Tenya whirled around, his sharp eyes picking out a tip of a white boot behind one of the pillars.

"I've found you, Hero!" Iida said, positioning himself protectively in front of the 'nuclear bomb', armor clanking softly. "This will be as far as you'll go! And, being aware of your Quirk's ability to make objects float...!" Tenya waved at the area surrounding him. "I've given the floor a thorough cleaning! Now you can't use any sneaky tricks against me, fuahahaha!"

Ochako cursed herself silently for her mistake, but a goofy grin spread across her lips when she remembered Iida's acting. Oh well, Uraraka huffed as she then moved out in the open, no longer able to hide since Iida now knew of her presence. Suppressing giggles, Ochako tried to keep a straight face as she then faced Iida.

'Uwah~he really did clean up the place...' Uraraka thought as she studied the area. Smiling nervously at Tenya, Ochako watched as he approached, probably intending to capture her...

Just then, Uraraka's comm buzzed in her right ear. The device had been given to Izuku and her--and probably Iida and Bakugou too--before the match had started, so she listened closely when the green-haired teen began to speak; she hoped Midoriya was holding up okay.

"Uraraka-chan, what's the situation on your end?" Izuku asked. Ochako though she heard cursing in the background, but she focused more on her partner's voice.

"Deku-kun, I got discovered by Iida-kun--sorry!" She whispered in her comm as Tenya continued to approach.

"Where are you?" Izuku quickly asked. Uraraka heard some shuffling; it sounded like Midoriya was running.

"The middle room on the fifth floor!" Ochako quickly reported as she stepped back slightly when Iida got closer.

"Alright, almost directly above me." Midoriya muttered. "Just--"

"DEKUUUU!" A certain blonde roared.

Ochako winced. Yeesh, even though Bakugou didn't have a comm, she could still hear the explosive blonde through Izuku's earpiece. But suddenly, an explosion rocked the building, and Uraraka and Iida lost their footing slightly yelping in surprise. Tenya's hand immediately darted up to his comm that was connected to Katsuki only.

"Bakugou! What in the world are you doing!?" Tenya barked sharply, eyes narrowed and slightly filled with worry.

Obviously there was no response, so Iida clicked his tongue sharply, gritting his teeth as he glared down at the floor. What in the world was that delinquent doing!? Meanwhile, Uraraka saw this as her chance to hopefully win quickly. Shifting her stance, she moved her hands so her fingertips touched the opposite palm. Narrowing her gaze and smiling determinedly, Ochako then darted forward, catching Iida's attention again.

"Hero!" Tenya was a little torn, worried for Izuku, but he put on his 'vilain' charade again, focusing on Ochako. "You will not get past me--!"

When Iida lunged forward to possibly grab and restrain Uraraka, the young, aspiring Gravity Hero leapt completely over the Engine Hero. Tenya made a surprised noise while Ochako grinned widely when she saw that she was rapidly approaching the 'bomb'.

'Just a little further...!' Uraraka then tapped her fingertips together, feeling gravity return to her and some nausea weigh on her, but she reached her hands out and focused on touching the 'bomb'. "We win--...eh!?"

Ochako blinked dumbly in surprise as she continued to soar forward when she realized that the 'bomb' was suddenly gone. She yelped as she tumbled forward, rolling a bit more before she crashed into the wall, on her back with her legs up on the wall. Uraraka groaned as she looked up at where Iida was, 'bomb' in his possession as the engines in his calf rumbled softly, having been used just recently by the blue-haired teen to get the 'weapon' away from the brunette.

"Nice try, Hero!" Iida said. "But it'll take more than a secret move to stop me!"

Ochako huffed at that before rolled onto her hands and knees, wincing slightly. That fall was a little rough, but she could handle it! Izuku was trying his hardest down there too for sure!

<<(With Izuku)>>

Midoriya panted softly as he propped himself up on his elbows, looking at the...mass of indigo flames in front of him? The green-haired teen stared in wonder at the mass of indigo fire that swirled and danced in front of him--before it died out suddenly. Catching his breath, Izuku blinked as smoke filled the halls, thankful for...whatever those flames were. If the flames hadn't been there, he would've gotten the full brunt of Katsuki's attack; that explosive shot from Bakugou's gauntlet was extremely dangerous.

The green-haired teen blinked, a little dazed when he thought back to those flames. He felt like he had seen them somewhere before as a child, but he didn't know where exactly--

"DEKU!" Izuku jolted as he darted his gaze through the smoke and spotted blazing red glaring at him. Katsuki grinned maliciously at the teen as he hands smoked slightly. "COME ON, SHOW ME YOUR F**KING QUIRK!" He barked out a harsh laugh he stomped forward, a spark popping from his right hand as he approached. "I'll crush you when you're at your strongest...!"

Izuku felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his face as he watched Bakugou grimly. The green-haired teen shifted his stance as he eyed Katsuki warily while also murmuring softly through his comm.

"Uraraka-chan, the pillar near the window." He quickly said.

"Got it!" Ochako responded after some shuffling around.

"DEKU, F**KING PAY ATTENTION TO ME!" Bakugou roared before he burst forward, explosions appearing behind him.

Izuku widened his eyes and shifted his stance, preparing to counter--Bakugou suddenly created an explosion in front of him, suddenly changing direction and going over Midoriya. The green-haired teen had flinched at the explosion, but he immediately focused. Prediction, prediction, prediction, prediction...! An attack to the back.

Izuku quickly fell forward, uncaring of how awkward it looked as his face hit the scorched floor. And explosion went above Izuku; it would have hit the teen's back if he hadn't fell forward. A sore nose was way better than a burned back. He knew his costume wouldn't handle the explosion, and he would've received the blow harshly.

Meanwhile, Bakugou was having a slightly internal crisis. Deku don't just dodge once--he dodged his moves twice. The second one was more surprising since his movement should've been unpredictable. But maybe the last one was probably a fluke since f**king Deku fell on his face.

Katsuki moved his hands behind himself and created an explosion, blasting himself forward towards Izuku, who was still on the ground. Flinching at the sound, Izuku immediately scrambled up onto his hands and knees and quickly crawled forward, yelping when a particularly big explosion caused him to slide forward and tumble for a bit. But Midoriya quickly sat up again, this time, scrambling to his feet and running towards a certain destination he had to get to.

"DEKU, STOP F**KING AROUND AND FIGHT ME!" Katsuki yelled as he blasted after Izuku. "STOP RUNNING YOU LITTLE SH**!"

But Midoriya ignored Bakugou, panting softly as he sharply rounded a corner, boots squeaking a little on the ground as he then rushed down a hall, nearly tripping a few times as he heard his childhood friend(?) continue to follow him. All of a sudden, Izuku stopped running and he spun around teeth gritted as he saw Katsuki approach rapidly. When he saw that Midoriya had stopped running, Bakugou grinned darkly, pulling his right fist back as he prepared to swing; Izuku apparently seemed to be shifting in a fighting stance as well, right fist pulled back.

'F**king finally...!' Katsuki growled inwardly as he sent his punch forward.

BANG, BOOM!

Bakugou blinked went there was sudden rush of wind. Suddenly, so many things were happening at once, and there was an explosion above him. When a few more seconds ticked by, there was a cry of triumph and one of dismay. Above, Uraraka was happily hugging the 'bomb' while Iida had his hands on his helmet, shaking his head in dramatic despair. Just then, All Might's voice came onto the speakers.

"THE 'HERO' TEAM...WIIIIIINS!" All Might bellowed.

"...What...?" Bakugou uncharacteristically whispered. "What...the f**k?" 'I......I lost...?'

...Katsuki...slowly lowered his gaze back to Izuku, his blood rushing through his ears as the smoke cleared just a bit. When the smoke cleared away, Midoriya was there on one knee, left arm bracing against Bakugou's right fist while his own right fist hung limply in the air, having recently punched upwards. Katsuki slowly pulled away and staggered back, fist dropping limply as Izuku barely followed the blonde's movements, left arm burnt an angry red and right arm already starting to bruise up badly, broken once again.

Izuku blinked sluggish...before his eyes rolled up to the back of his head and he fell forward, unconscious as his injured arms fell at his sides, right cheek pressed against the warm, scorched, and cracked ground. Midoriya was completely out, and above, Uraraka was having some trouble keeping her lunch down, dizzily slipping from the 'bomb' while Iida quickly rushed over to help her.

And Bakugou...was just numbly staring at Midoriya's unconscious form. Just then, minibots rushed in with a stretcher. While Izuku was getting treated and placed onto the stretcher, a certain brunet appeared all of a sudden, standing beside the minibots and looking over the green-haired teen briefly before glancing at Katsuki.

Rene's brown eyes were undecipherable before they flitted to something behind Bakugou. The brunet tipped his fedora at the Katsuki, or whatever was behind the blonde, before moving out of the building along with the the minibots. And then a large hand landed on Bakugou's shoulder, the grip was firm and grounding.

"Young Bakugou, the exercise is over." All Might murmured behind the quiet, explosive teen. "Let us move out of the building."

Bakugou didn't even snap back or start cursing up a storm. The younger blonde stared numbly at where Izuku once was before he was gently herded out of the building by All Might. Iida and Uraraka were already outside, the blue-haired teen had carried his brunette friend out since she was too nauseated to simply stand. The first two pairs of 'villains' and 'heroes' had finished their exercise. All Might then started up the next few groups.

~~

Izuku woke up slowly, feeling sluggish. The first thing he noticed was the smell of disinfectants, and he scrunched his nose up slightly at this. The next thing he noticed was soft breathing that wasn't his. Eyes fluttering, Midoriya struggled to wake up completely...

When his eyes were finally open, Izuku looked over at the source of the soft breathing and blinked his eyes rapidly in mild surprise. There, on a cushioned seat, was Rene. Midoriya blinked and observed that a fluffy, blue blanket had been thrown over the brunet's form, but it was currently slipping down past his shoulders. And then, as if sensing Izuku's gaze, Rene woke up, head jerking forward from the pillow that seemed to have been squished forcefully underneath his neck.

Blinking hazily, Rene huffed before he slowly brought his gaze over to Izuku, the blanket slipping off of his form further. Rene seemed to notice the blanket then, glancing at it with dazed eyes as his fedora tilted, nearly falling off of his head. Rene seemed to frown faintly for a moment before his expression melted into something knowing.

"Chiyo..." Rene muttered under his breath, but Izuku managed to still catch the single word, or rather, name.

Rene then looked back over at Izuku, and the teen tensed slightly--before realizing that, ow, his body, his arms mostly, hurt a lot. Izuku winced in pain as Rene sat up properly, bundling up the blue blanket for now on his lap. Brown eyes went over the teen's form quickly before Rene spoke.

"You did quite a number on your arms." Rene drawled as he then started to fold up the blanket in his lap neatly.

Midoriya smiled weakly at Rene at this. The brunet huffed in response before standing up. Rene placed the folded blanket on the cushioned chair behind him before reaching out, ruffling green locks playfully. Rene made sure to be gentle; the teen's body had gone through a lot today.

"Good job." Rene said, a warm smile on his face as he adjusted his fedora on properly with his free hand. "And nice moves during the fight. It just needs some more practice, but is was a nice execution."

Izuku practically beamed at this...before sitting up abruptly, eyes wide. Rene backed up slightly as Midoriya looked around the infirmary room for a moment before looking back at the brunet, gaze a bit worried.

"U-Um...how long have I been out, Rene-san?" Izuku asked, glancing down at his...arms now.

He was actually mildly surprised to see that his arms were only wrapped in white bandages. Izuku had expected at least one of them to be in a cast or sling, but both of his arms were simply bandaged. Perhaps the damage on his arms wasn't actually that bad...?

"An hour or so." Rene replied. The brunet coughed for a moment before he cleared his throat, frowning faintly before he smiled gently at Izuku. "The last class should be starting soon if you're up for it."

Midoriya moved his gaze along his arms again before he noticed that he was still wearing his costume. The green-haired sighed sadly at the remains that were on him before sending a small smile to Rene, pushing the sheets off of his lap.

"I'll go change first before I go to class." Izuku paused for a second, gaze becoming a little distant. "...And I want to go talk to Kacchan."

Rene stared at Izuku for a long moment, gaze unreadable as usual. Midoriya squirmed slightly before Rene sighed softly and reached out to lightly poke the teen's forehead.

"Alright. Just don't get injured even more, alright?" Rene warned.

Izuku nodded his head vigorously while Rene stepped back. Midoriya swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stepped on the cool, tiled floor. The green-haired teen pushed away from the bed with his arms, and it was surprisingly easy. Seriously, was the damage on his arms really that small? Or did he have a lot of leftover energy that Recovery Girl used to help speed up his healing process? Either way, Izuku felt way better than he expected to be.

Midoriya perked up when he saw that Rene was heading towards the infirmary door. While he did want some privacy to change, the teen was curious on where the brunet would go now.

"Ah, Rene-san." Izuku called out.

"Mm?" Rene asked, pausing after he slid the door open, looking over his right shoulder as the rim of his fedora shadowed his brown eyes.

"Where are you going now?" Midoriya asked. "Will you be able to walk home with me after school or will you be late for dinner again...?"

Rene smiled at this, Leon crawling on the rim of his fedora. The brunet merely waved a hand in the air as he stepped out of the room slightly, smile gentle and warm as usual.

"Don't worry. I'll be able to walk home with you. I just gotta go and have a teacher meeting is all." Rene drawled.

Izuku blinked before nodding in understanding, smiling nervously. The green-haired teen felt the warm rays of the sunset hit the back of his neck as he faced away from the window behind him. Midoriya waved shyly at Rene.

"Ah, okay! See you, Rene-san." Izuku said, still waving farewell.

Rene smiled one last time before he slid the door close behind himself. Midoriya listened closely for a while, but he could still never pick up Rene's ghostly footsteps. The teen always wondered how the brunet could always get past the squeaky floorboards back at home. Izuku then shrugged to himself and glanced around the room briefly, finding his bag and uniform clothes one one of the nearby tables. The successor of One For All immediately went to work on changing his clothes.

<<(With Rene)>>

"That was really risky of you, Toshinori." Rene murmured as he stood across from a certain Number One Hero in the middle of an empty classroom.

Brown eyes tiredly watched the deflated, true form of All Might. The blonde man was now skeleton-like, hollow eyes looking back at Rene with some shame as his superhero costume sagged on his body.

"Rene...I..." The blonde paused for a bit, looking down at his gloved hands for a long moment before he found his words. "I apologize, Rene. You had to push yourself today. And I had selfishly wanted to see my successor fight despite all the dangers I had put him through. And now Midoriya-kun is injured and I--!"

Rene suddenly started to cough, cutting Toshinori off. The brunet was hunching over slightly, left hand covering his mouth as he turned away from the blonde. Leon crawled up onto Rene's right shoulder, licking at the brunet's jaw with concern.

"R-Rene...!" Toshinori moved forward, worried, thin hands held out slightly as if he were ready to catch the brunet.

Rene merely held his right hand up in response, still coughing into his left hand. The brunet's shoulders raised up and down rapidly as he then caught his breath, eyes squeezed shut as Leon curled around his neck. The brunet moved his left hand away from his mouth, glanced at it, before clicking his tongue. The fingers of his left hand curled into a fist.

"Should've brought my Mist pills as well if I knew this was gonna happen..." Rene muttered under his breath to himself.

The indigo flames that Izuku had witnessed during the exercise had been Rene's. Even though the brunet was in an entirely separate building, the counselor had protected the green-haired teen from being blown to smithereens. It had been a close call, and it was...a bit of a struggle on Rene's side to call up some energy all of a sudden. Anyways, Rene sighed as he gazed at the blonde in the room with him.

"I understand that those two needed to confront each other, but that move earlier could've killed Izuku-kun, Toshinori." Rene said exasperatedly.

Toshinori looked a little chastised at this, looking down glumly before he flitted his gaze over to Rene's fisted, left hand, the mess he knew was there hidden from sight for now. The blonde shrunk on himself even more, and Rene saw this, shaking his head lightly as he then stepped forward.

"Don't start blaming yourself like that. You just made a mistake, and you won't do it again, right?" Toshinori nodded quickly at the question, eyes wide as Rene smiled slightly at this before looking at the skeleton-like man with serious, brown irises. "...You should also start training Izuku-kun properly. He can't keep breaking his body like that."

Toshinori fidgeted at this, his hero costume still hanging on his true form. The blonde sighed before he nodded once more, looking a little troubled. Rene eyes the other for a long moment before moving forward, lightly bumping shoulders with Toshinori in a friendly, comforting way, a soft smile on his lips.

"You can always ask for help too, Toshinori." Rene said as Toshinori turned to look at the brunet with surprise. "You're new to this whole teaching gig, but I'm sure you'll get used to it with some help."

Toshinori blinked his eyes rapidly in surprise...before he smiled at Rene, hollow eyes soft and filled with warmth. The blonde then moved forward wrapping thin arms around the brunet as he hugged the slightly shorter adult.

"Thank you, Rene." Toshinori murmured.

"No problem." Rene easily responded, returning the hug, but making sure his left hand didn't touch the Number One Hero's back.

Suddenly, Toshinori released Rene, a certain gleam in his eyes as white smoke started to surround him. Rene backed up slightly, waving his right hand through the smoke when it got too close, smiling with mild amusement. And just like that, in a few seconds, Toshinori was back in his muscular form. All Might grinned widely as he looked over at Rene, a determined look in his eyes.

"I shall go find Young Bakugou and encourage him for his efforts today!" All Might jogged over to the door before pausing, looking at Rene with worry despite the large grin still on his face. "Ah...will you be okay by yourself?"

Rene smiled and lazily waved his right hand in the air dismissively before giving a thumbs-up. The light of the sunset glowed behind the brunet, shadowing the counselor's face slightly.

"I'll be fine." Rene murmured. "...Plus Ultra."

All Might seemed to brighten at Rene's last few words before he nodded in understanding, darting off in a small burst of wind. Rene watched the empty doorway for a long moment before looking down at his curled, left hand. The brunet stared at it for a long moment before narrowing his gaze, concentrating.

...

...Nothing happened. Rene sighed at this before reaching into his back, pants pocket, pulling a small, rectangular container. He popped the lid off and shook out a single yellow pill into his right hand with his left, ignoring the mess on the latter hand. Rene then proceeded to swallow the yellow pill dry, grimacing and shutting his eyes for a long moment.

After a few seconds of silence, Rene glanced down at his left hand again and concentrated. This time, yellow flames sprang to life, curling around the...blood that was there. Rene burned the blood away, leaving his left hand clean before he placed it onto the center of his chest. The brunet slowed his breathing slightly, feeling the flames warm him up slightly.

"..." Rene sighed. "Yep, I should've brought the Mist pills as well..."

<<(With Izuku)>>

Midoriya had gone back to class after changing his clothes, and he was greeted by friendly faces and small 'awesome's and 'you were so cool's. He learned new names as well...but the person he wanted to see was no there. One of his classmates said that Bakugou left to go home early or something. At that, Midoriya hurriedly moved to get outside to the entrance of U.A.

The sun was very low in the sky now, spilling orange light everywhere. Izuku burst out of the school and ran down the wide path, finding a certain ash-blonde teen walking by himself. Midoriya panted slight before he called out loudly to the other.

"KACCHAN!" He shouted, eyes watching the back of the blonde with slight desperation.

Surprisingly, Katsuki actually came to a halt, causing Izuku to screech to a stop behind the ash-blonde, giving the uncharacteristically silent teen a lot of space. Midoriya stayed where he was for a moment, catching his breath while also studying the back of Bakugou for a long moment.

"What the f**k do you want, Deku?" Katsuki then muttered, back still facing the green-haired teen.

"I...!" Izuku paused, unsure...before he lowered his gaze to the ground. He needs to tell him. The green-haired teen looked back up at Bakugou. "I...obtained this Quirk from someone else."

Bakugou turned to look over his shoulder, surprise and anger written all over his face. Midoriya gulped before he forged on, slightly encouraged that the ash-blonde was actually listening to him. A breeze blew by as the warm ray of the sunset shined down upon them.

"No matter what, I can't tell you or anyone who gave this Quirk to me, but I can assure you that I'm not making this up! Also, I don't know how to control it properly yet, so I didn't use it during the fight; it's a 'borrowed' power, and I still need to learn how to make it my own." Izuku took in a sharp breath before he continued, lowering his gaze slightly, unable to look into those burning, red eyes.

Midoriya stopped again, hands clenching slightly before he looked up, bright green eyes strong and full on determination. The teen managed to gaze into those burning, red eyes, heartbeat pounding in his ears.

"Kacchan, you're really amazing. But...I..." Izuku swallowed. "I'm gonna get stronger and stronger...so I can catch up to you! And..." Midoriya paused for a second, gathering his courage. "One day, I'll make it my own power properly. And then I'll surpass you with that power."

After that Izuku fell silent, heart still beating rapidly...before he realized that he said more than he had wanted to. All Midoriya had wanted to say was that he wasn't deceiving Bakugou during the fight, not using his Quirk until the end. But before Izuku could mentally smack himself in the head further, he heard a growl from Bakugou.

"...What the f**k? 'Borrowed power'? What the f**king are you trying to say!? Did you come here to make a bigger clown of me!?" Katsuki gritted out.

Before Izuku could protest, Bakugou pulled his hands out of his pockets. Hands curled into fists, the ash-blonde stood taller as his palms began to sweat a little. Smoke and a few sparks puffed from his closed fists and Midoriya fell silent, unsure if he should say anything at all. But Katsuki spoke, filling up the slight silence between them.

"...Even if you didn't...listen here, Deku! That d**n exercise--...you won. You f**king won." Bakugou turned around fully, eyes burning and...were those...tears in his eyes? Midoriya could do nothing but listen. "But I'm going to f**king beat you, everyone in this school, and even the teachers! I'm going to rise to the f**king top, just you wait...!" There was something stronger in Katsuki's gaze now, nothing like that sort of brokenness after the fight. "I'M GONNA BE NUMBER ONE!"

And there it was. Despite the terrible childhood, Izuku had always admired that fire in Katsuki's eyes, that burning will to push himself to his limits. Bakugou then turned around, roughly scrubbing an arm over his eyes. Midoriya softened his gaze slightly as he watched him go.

"Your friend is certainly an interesting one." Rene told him one day, pressing an ice pack to the bruise on his right arm. "But his head is filled with too much pride....however...."

Rene turned his head slightly to look into Izuku's eyes, an amused smile on his lips as he gazed at the green-haired soon-to-be teen. The brunet reached out with a free hand to gently ruffle Midoriya's hair.

"I think he'll grow up and get that chip off of his shoulder." Rene smiled a little wider, eyes looking a little...wistful. "My big brother grew up into a fine leader once he got past his pride. He was still a little rough around the edges, but he lead with a strong and steady mind."

Izuku thought back to those words from Rene. Perhaps...Katsuki might end up like that as well--maybe not a leader, but someone who'll get that chip off of his shoulder. Midoriya smiled nervously at his own thoughts, watching Bakugou walk away. Izuku was...happy in a way, that he hadn't exactly lost Katsuki today--

"YOUNG BAKUGOU, MY BOY!" A certain Number One Hero shouted.

Izuku staggered slightly at the sudden rush of wing that darted past him. The green-haired teen watched with mild surprise as All Might appeared behind Katsuki, clapping his hands onto the ash-blonde's shoulders.

"Bakugou, my boy..." All Might began. "Self-confidence is a very vital thing! And you're not mistaken that you have talent befitting of a pro! From here on out, you can climb even higher...!"

"All Might. Let go of me." Bakugou cut in, voice harsh, arm still over his eyes. "I can't walk."

All Might seemed startled at this and let go out of surprise, watching as Bakugou lifted his head from his arm slightly. The Number One Hero then saw Katsuki look over his shoulder slightly, his red eyes sharp and burning as usual, nothing like that stunned, numb look during the rest of class.

"I'm going to beat you too, All Might." Bakugou muttered.

All Might merely smiled at this, inwardly nervous as just nodded, unsure of this sudden development. Katsuki looked...better than before? Well, the boy didn't look lost anymore...so that was good...?

"O-Oh..." All Might said. "I see."

Bakugou scoffed softly at this before he turned back around, arm dropping to his side as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, walking away. All Might sighed softly, watching the ash-blonde go.

"Teaching...is hard..." All Might murmured to himself before he turned around, lighting up slightly when he saw his successor there. "Ah! Midoriya, my boy! Did you two talk about something together?"

And just like that, another day had gone by. Izuku had gone back to the last few minutes of class, getting a mild glare from Aizawa for being late. But in the end, it was a pretty good day. Rene actually piggybacked Midoriya home despite the teen's protests. But all in all, Izuku thought everything had ended well today. He was satisfied.

~~

"Rene-san, where is your big brother now?" Izuku questioned after he was patched up. Rene was walking away at the moment, moving to put the first-aid kit in the bathroom.

"...He's..." Rene paused for a moment, back facing the teen. "...He's probably somewhere around, watching the stars and cursing my name to the wind while he drinks some vodka, hehe."

...Midoriya wasn't absolutely sure, but he thought he heard Rene's voice crack and waver for a moment. Rene was gone before the teen could ask if the brunet was alright. When Izuku saw his uncle-figure again in the afternoon, Rene was rather silent, gaze more distant than usual.