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Welcome to the Hero Course

   There are three different types of bullies, he’s noticed. There are the ones who aren’t afraid to physically hurt you. The ones who will beat you to a pulp even with teachers watching. The ones who will call you names to your face, who will scream at you and leave marks on your body. Who never hide how much they hate you.

   Then there are those who watch and don’t help. The people who wait until no one else is around to put you in your place. They are the bullies who hide in the shadows. Their insults are whispers and the bruises are hidden. They talk about you behind your back as if you don’t know they’re doing it.

   And then there’s the third group. They are by far the worst in his opinion. Because they are the ones who never seem like bullies. They stand up to those who openly hurt you. They get close to you and pretend to be your friend. They make you feel safe and wanted. And then when you finally trust them, they rip it all away. They wait until you’re at your most vulnerable before tearing you down.

   The worst part about the third type is that they let you hope. Hope is a dangerous thing to have because it gives you a little taste of happiness before you’re shown once again that the world is a cruel and unforgiving place. And his new class is full of them. Kids trying to get close to him so they can learn how to tear him down.

   Nothing ever changes.

   Not when the moment he walks into class, the boy who yelled at him during the entrance exam walks over to mock him. Saying Izuku was better than him. Not when a few seconds later the nice girl walks up behind him and insults his appearance, calling him plain-looking. Not when Bakugo Katsuku, the boy who’s been his main tormenter since he was diagnosed is also in his class.

   And then there’s the teacher. Eraserhead has been one of his favorite heroes since he found out the man practically fights quirkless. Even if Izuku has a quirk now, he still thinks it’s pretty cool. But he’s also a teacher and teachers never care about him.

   The first day is supposed to be orientation. But Aizawa takes them outside instead to test their quirks. When he announces that the person with the lowest score after the eight tests will be expelled, Izuku isn’t surprised. After all, what teacher would want a quirkless kid in their class if they can help it?

   With his previous school records, it’s a wonder Yuuei even let him enter the hero course, let alone the school. And with the quirk All Might gave him breaking his bones, there’s no way he will be allowed to stay. He’s certain Aizawa will manipulate the scores so he’s the one getting expelled.

   For the 50 meter dash, he’s paired up to race Bakugo. Just his luck. So while he gets explosions in the face, Bakugo gets a score of 4.13 seconds. All Izuku is able to manage is 7.02. There are seven more tests and Izuku is already at the bottom. They are all able to use their quirks to get better scores while he would be out of commission if he tried to use his even once.

   During the second test, he’s only able to manage a 56kgm on grip strength. On the standing long jump, he barely makes it halfway across the sandpit. Then is the repeated side steps. And then comes the fifth test: the ball throw.

   To make sure he’s not in last place, he will need at least one good score. He steps into the circle, ball in hand, and calls up One For All. Just as he throws the ball, he feels his quirk disappear, leaving him with a score of 46 meters. Of course. He should have known Eraserhead would prevent him from scoring high.

   "That entrance exam was not rational enough. Even a kid like you was accepted.” Even knowing that Aizawa would be like all of his previous teachers, it still hurt to hear from one of his favorite pro heroes. “Midoriya Izuku. With your power, you can’t become a hero.”

   And isn’t that what everyone has always told him? He can never be a hero. He knows his odds. He knows that his dream is unrealistic but it’s all he has. He just can’t bring himself to give up on the one thing he has left to live for. So when he’s given a second shot at the ball throw, he concentrates all of his power into a single finger, launching the ball 705.3 meters and breaking his finger.

   Aizawa used incapacitation as an excuse for why he would fail, so he just made sure he wouldn’t be incapacitated after his throw. If Aizawa was looking for a reason to expel him, he would make it hard for him to find one. Although, that also meant angering Bakugo.

   As the blonde launched himself at Izuku, Izuku just closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain. When it doesn’t come as he expected, he peaks at the other boy, finding him held back by Aizawa’s capture weapon. That’s a new one. He supposes this teacher falls into the same category as the third type of bully.

   The girl from earlier runs up to him, asking if his finger is alright, pretending like she cares. After that, they continue with the last three tests before gathering to hear the results. The person with the lowest score will be expelled and the only good result he got was in the ball throw. Sensei projects the results from his phone and Izuku immediately looks for his name at the bottom only to find he’s not in last place.

   It seems he misjudged Aizawa-sensei. He thought the man would want him out of the class. Instead, he’s probably keeping him around so he can make his life hell. That must be it.

   The person in last place is a girl named Toru Hagakure. Izuku Midoriya is listed as number nineteen. Just one spot away from expulsion.

   On his way home after being healed by Recovery Girl, the two he met at the entrance exam approach him. Already two of his classmates have singled him out as someone to pick on. And they’re the worst kind of bully. Pretending to be his friends.

   Though, it seems the girl, Ochako Uraraka, can’t resist being a little more openly cruel. The first thing she does when joining them is call him that horrible name Bakugo gave him. Deku.

   Worthless.