The gates of U.A. towered overhead.
Bigger than he remembered from the anime. That was his first thought as he stood there, craning his neck to take it all in. The steel bars framed the entrance like something out of a fortress, and beyond them stretched a campus that looked less like a school and more like a futuristic city skyline. Glass buildings caught the morning sun and threw it back in sharp reflections. Training structures rose in the distance, polished and gleaming.
Everything had this almost unreal shine to it.
Around him, students shifted nervously. Some stretched their arms and legs right there on the sidewalk, rolling their shoulders like they were about to step into a ring. Others just stared ahead at those towering buildings with expressions that bordered on dread.
A tall boy cracked his knuckles.
Another girl bounced on the balls of her feet, over and over, like she couldn't help herself.
Everyone here wanted the same thing. Everyone here wanted to be a hero.
Izuku Midoriya sighed.
Twelve months. That's how long it had been since he woke up in a body that wasn't his. No memories of how his previous life ended—no truck, no hospital bed, no last words. Just darkness, and then open eyes staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
He remembered that feeling vividly. The disorientation. The slow creep of wrongness that started in his chest and spread outward until he couldn't breathe. Lying there in the dark, listening to his own heartbeat, trying to convince himself it was just a dream.
But dreams end.
This didn't.
And now here he was, about to take the entrance exam for the most prestigious hero school in Japan.
Funny how life worked out.
He stepped through the gates with the rest of the applicants, letting the quiet murmur of nervous conversation wash over him. His sneakers hit the paved pathway on the other side—actually inside U.A. now, technically—and he felt something shift in his chest. Not fear. Not excitement either. Something in between. A kind of quiet acknowledgment that this was really happening.
His thoughts drifted back.
That first night.
Waking up drenched in sweat like he'd clawed his way out of a nightmare. Which, honestly, maybe he had. The ceiling above him was wrong. Too low. Wrong color. The room was too small, cluttered with things that weren't his. And the walls—god, the walls were covered in posters. Heroes everywhere. All Might smiling down at him from three different angles, his teeth gleaming under the cheap bedroom light.
At first, Izuku thought he was dreaming.
Then he sat up.
Then he saw his hands.
Smaller. Thinner. Pale. Soft in a way his hands had never been. No calluses from years of construction work. No rough patches or sun damage. No scars from tools slipped or beams carried. Just... smooth. Young.
That's when the panic hit.
Because those hands weren't his.
They belonged to Izuku Midoriya. The same kid who would one day inherit the power of the Symbol of Peace. The protagonist of an anime he used to watch from his worn-out couch after long shifts, eating leftovers and trying to forget how tired his body felt.
Back then, he thought he was losing his mind.
Now?
Now he was walking onto U.A. campus with One For All thrumming somewhere deep in his chest.
Life was funny like that.
A burst of static crackled from somewhere deeper in the campus—a loudspeaker being tested, probably. A few heads turned toward the buildings ahead, but most of the crowd kept walking, kept talking, kept existing in that bubble of pre-exam nervousness.
Briefing would start soon.
Izuku adjusted his backpack strap and took a slow breath.
A year's worth of training.
A year of learning to become a vessel to control a power that could shatter his bones if he wasn't careful.
A year of pretending to be someone he technically wasn't.
A year of early mornings with All Might on that abandoned beach, throwing garbage around like it was nothing. A year of sore muscles and broken bones and learning what it actually meant to inherit something greater than yourself.
All of it came down to today.
He glanced up at those towering buildings one more time, then kept walking.
No point looking back now.
As he moved deeper into the campus, memories of training with All Might flickered through his mind. The weirdness of it all. Even after replacing the original Izuku—even feeling completely unworthy of this power—it had still ended up in his hands.
He'd expected... he didn't know what he'd expected. For All Might to sense something wrong? For the power to reject him? For some cosmic force to step in and say wait, this isn't right, this isn't the chosen one?
But none of that happened.
All Might had looked at him—really looked at him—and seen someone worth saving. Someone worth passing the torch to.
Izuku still didn't fully understand it.
He rubbed his chin, thoughtful.
Sometimes, late at night, the existential dread crept in. The kind of thoughts that made him lie awake and stare at that same ceiling he'd woken up under twelve months ago. Wondering if any of this was real. Wondering if some random omnipotent being had dropped him here for entertainment.
Like those awful fanfics he used to read.
The ones where the "gods" fatten up their transported pawns with power, just waiting for the right moment to swoop in and take over.
Izuku shuddered.
Especially with the cheat ability that came along for the ride.
He still hadn't fully explored what that meant. Hadn't wanted to push too hard, too fast. One For All was already a lot to handle. Adding something else into the mix—something that didn't come from All Might, something that came with him—felt like tempting fate.
But it was there. Waiting.
Okay. Stop.
He rubbed the back of his head.
You're stressing yourself out. Focus on now.
He slid his hands into his pockets and made himself look at the crowd instead.
That helped. It was hard to spiral when there was so much to see.
Even after almost a year, this world still amazed him. The sheer variety of people walking past was staggering. A boy with actual feathers growing along his forearms, the tips rustling in the morning breeze. Another student whose skin shimmered like polished stone under the sunlight, catching reflections from the glass buildings around them.
A muscular guy rolled his neck as he walked, and Izuku caught a glimpse of scales running down his arms—small and dark, like a snake's. Nearby, a girl with bright pink hair laughed with her friends, and Izuku could've sworn he saw tiny sparks flicker between her fingers as she gestured.
A boy with pronounced monkey-like features walked past—fur covering his arms, a long tail swishing behind him as he moved. Izuku smirked.
Okay. That one's obvious.
The air buzzed with it all. Footsteps on pavement. Snippets of conversation floating past. Someone nearby loudly declaring they'd definitely score highest, earning an eye-roll from the girl next to him. Nervous laughter from a group huddled together, probably friends from the same school. Muttered strategies. Deep breaths. The shuffle of hundreds of feet moving toward the same destination.
Look at all of them, Izuku thought. What quirks do they have? What training have they done? How strong are they?
In another life, he would've been muttering all of this into a notebook. Analyzing every quirk he saw, filling page after page with observations and theories.
He still had those notebooks, actually. Found them in his room during those first confusing weeks. The original Izuku's handwriting was messy but detailed—pages and pages of hero analysis, quirks and fighting styles and potential improvements.
Izuku had kept them. Added to them, even. It felt right.
But right now, he just watched.
His eyes moved through the crowd, searching for faces he recognized from the show.
Then he spotted her.
A flash of brown hair up ahead. A girl walking stiffly, shoulders slightly hunched, like she was mentally rehearsing every single step. She glanced around nervously, hands clenched at her sides.
Izuku smiled.
Oh.
Is that her?
He picked up his pace, weaving through the crowd.
The noise swelled around him as he moved—scuffling shoes, excited chatter, that one guy still bragging about his inevitable high score. Izuku slipped past a group of tall students, murmured an "excuse me" to someone who barely noticed him, and kept his eyes locked on that brown hair.
Up close, the girl looked even more nervous. Her steps were almost robotic, like she was terrified of doing something wrong. Like one misstep would ruin everything.
She looks like she's about to tri—
"Ah!"
Her foot caught on nothing. Absolutely nothing. One second she was walking, the next she was pitching forward, arms flailing, headed straight for the pavement.
Izuku reacted instantly.
His body moved before his brain caught up—a year of training with All Might kicking in. He lunged forward, grabbed the back of her uniform by the scruff, and pulled.
"Whoa! Gotcha!"
The girl stumbled, caught herself against his grip, and whipped around with wide eyes. Round cheeks flushed pink, her brown hair bouncing as she straightened up.
"I-I'm so sorry! Thank you! I didn't—I mean, I was just—"
She stopped, took a breath, and offered a shaky smile.
"Thanks. Really. That's the second time today I almost ate pavement."
Izuku laughed softly and smiled. "No problem. Happens to the best of us. It'd be bad luck if you fell right before the exam, right?"
The girl looked up at him.
Really looked at him, for the first time.
Her cheeks flushed pink again—but for a slightly different reason this time.
"I-I'm U-Uraraka Ochaco!" she stammered, her whole body going stiff. "From—uh—Rozaryu Middle School!"
Strange. And cute.
He must have laughed because she seemed flustered again.
"Sorry," he said quickly, holding up a hand. "Didn't mean to laugh. I'm Midoriya Izuku, from Aldera Junior High." He tilted his head slightly. "You just looked really cute when you're flustered."
"A-A cute?!" Her eyes went wide. "N-no! I mean—you don't have to apologize! You helped me!" She laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "Hehe... thanks."
Definitely cute.
Before he could overthink it, he nodded toward the building ahead where most of the crowd was funneling inside.
"If you don't mind, want to head inside together? Briefing should be starting soon."
"Eh? Really?" She blinked, then broke into a genuine smile—bright and warm and completely different from her nervous ones. "I don't mind at all, Midoriya-san! Let's go!"
They started walking together, merging back into the flow of students heading toward the briefing building. Uraraka seemed to have relaxed slightly, her shoulders dropping from that stiff, defensive hunch. She walked closer to him now, not quite side-by-side but comfortable.
"So, Midoriya-san," she said, tilting her head, "what made you want to apply to U.A.?"
Izuku opened his mouth to answer—
"Out of my way, extras."
The voice cut through the crowd like a blade. Sharp. Aggressive. Familiar in a way that made Izuku's stomach do something complicated.
Behind them, students scrambled aside. Not politely—desperately. They practically tripped over themselves to get out of the way, parting like the Red Sea. A path cleared through the crowd in seconds.
And stomping through that path was Bakugo Katsuki.
Hands shoved in his pockets. Shoulders rolled back. That permanent scowl etched onto his face like he'd been born with it. His crimson eyes swept over the other applicants with obvious disdain, dismissing them all before they'd even done anything.
As he passed, whispers rippled through the crowd behind him.
"Is that...?"
"The kid from the news—the Sludge Villain attack."
"I saw the footage. He was blasting that thing like crazy."
"My mom showed me the clip. Couldn't believe some middle schooler fought back like that."
"He's applying to U.A. too? Great..."
"Don't get in his way, dude. Look at him."
"Aldera Middle School, right? Heard he's got the highest combat scores in the prefecture."
"Sludge Villain couldn't even hold him. Just kept exploding until it let go."
"Hope he's not in my battle center."
Izuku caught snippets as they floated past. Some voices held awe. Others held nervousness. A few just sounded tired, like they were already calculating how hard it would be to compete against someone like that.
Bakugo either didn't hear them or didn't care.
His gaze flicked toward Izuku.
For one second—just one—their eyes met.
"Deku."
The name came out flat. Not quite a greeting. Not quite an insult. Just... acknowledgment.
Izuku nodded. "Kacchan."
That was it. Just a nod. No flinching. No nervous stuttering. No wide-eyed fear. Just a simple acknowledgment, like running into an old classmate at a convenience store.
Bakugo's eye twitched—just slightly—like the casual response had thrown him off. He was probably expecting something else. Fear. Anger. That desperate need to prove something.
Instead, Izuku just stood there, calm, waiting for the conversation to either continue or end.
Bakugo clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Whatever."
He kept walking, disappearing into the crowd ahead.
The whispers followed him.
"Did you see that? He totally cleared the path."
"My brother goes to Aldera. Says he's got the highest grades in the whole prefecture."
"Sludge Villain couldn't even hold him. Just kept exploding until it let go."
"Hope he's not in my battle center."
Uraraka exhaled slowly, watching the wake of intimidated students Bakugo left behind. A few were still recovering, brushing themselves off, shooting annoyed looks at his retreating back. Others just stared after him with wide eyes, still processing.
"Okay," she said quietly. "That guy is intense."
Izuku shrugged. "Yeah. He's always been like that."
"You know him?"
"Went to the same middle school. We've known each other since we were kids."
"And he calls you... Deku?"
Izuku smiled faintly. "Yeah. It's just his thing. He gives everyone nicknames." He watched Bakugo's blond head disappear through the briefing building doors. "Used to bother me, honestly. When I was younger, it felt like... I don't know. Like he was putting me in a box. Labeling me as someone worthless."
He paused, thinking.
"But after everything that's happened this past year? It's hard to get worked up about it anymore."
Uraraka tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
Izuku considered how to explain it.
How could he say it? That months of training with the Symbol of Peace had put things in perspective? That nearly breaking his bones over and over again taught him what real struggle felt like? That Bakugo's explosive personality just didn't register the same way anymore because Izuku had faced things Bakugo couldn't imagine?
"I've had bigger things to worry about," he said finally. "Kacchan's... Kacchan. He'll figure himself out eventually. Or he won't. Either way, not really my problem."
Uraraka blinked at him.
"That's... surprisingly chill."
Izuku laughed. "Trust me, past me would be confused too."
Past me, he thought. The real one. The adult who spent years working construction and dealing with actual problems. Not middle school drama.
Ahead, Bakugo disappeared through the doors, shouldering past another applicant who jumped out of his way. The guy stumbled, caught himself, and just looked relieved Bakugo hadn't stopped.
The whispers faded as the crowd moved on, but Izuku knew they'd start again the moment Bakugo walked into the briefing hall. That incident with the Sludge Villain had made the news. Made him a minor celebrity, in some circles.
Kid's got a long road ahead of him, Izuku thought. Hope he figures it out before it catches up to him.
But that wasn't his concern right now.
"Come on," he said to Uraraka, nodding toward the entrance. "Briefing's starting soon."
Uraraka smiled. "Right behind you, Midoriya-san!"
They joined the flow of students heading inside.
The briefing building was massive—tall ceilings, polished floors, the kind of architecture that made you feel small just by walking through it. Signs directed applicants toward the main hall, and the crowd thickened as everyone funneled in the same direction.
Somewhere deeper in the building, a loudspeaker crackled to life.
"ALL EXAMINEES, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE DESIGNATED BRIEFING HALL. REPEAT: PROCEED TO THE BRIEFING HALL."
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Author's Notes:
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15 CHAPTERS ADVANCE OF STARTING WITH BLACK CLOVER
5 CHAPTERS ADVANCE OF MHA: LIMITED CHAOS GACHA
NOTE: What do you think of my first written original fanfic? It was inspired by Bronz_Deck's Gacha. Wanted to make my own spin at it but instead focusing only on Traits and Skills you can get from the Gacha, Btw he already has some traits, and tickets acquired from previous feats which I will show on an auxiliary chapter some time later. Have a good read!