The Emperor's Dragon

Friends in High Places

"Why do they make the mid-year exams different?" Ochaco complained.

"Because UA is not a High School," Izuku observed.

"What do you mean, First?" Mei asked for them all.

He shrugged. "UA is not a High School," he said. "Oh we do some High School subjects, but UA is mostly an apprenticeship," he explained. "For you, Ochaco, UA is just a prep-school for you to get a position as a sidekick with some agency before you go out on your own. For Mei, it's just preparing her to work in research and development, usually at another company."

"First!" Mei objected.

"Most Support Students end up doing that," he pointed out. "You won't. You'll be in control of your own company but that's not the norm."

She nodded to acknowledge the truth of that statement.

"It's usually Management or General Studies Students who go to University," Izuku said. "But at least some of them go straight into industry," he noted. "So that's why all the mid-year exams are different. Or at least the practical component of them," he grinned, looking pointedly at the book in front of Ochaco.

"All right," she said, looking slightly peeved.

"Do you know what your practical exam is?" Hitoshi asked.

"Yeah," she said. "You?"

Hitoshi shook his head. "They aren't telling us," he told the group. "I think they are trying to work out how to make it seem as if it's not a heroics exam for losers," he added.

"You are not a loser!" Izuku snapped firmly.

"It's what most of the world thinks," Hitoshi countered.

"What do you mean?" Mei asked.

Izuku glared but Hitoshi shrugged. "Most of the world think that the UA General Studies Course is for those who failed to get into Heroics," he explained.

"But you didn't," Mei said, confused. She was eating her lunch absently but her goggles were down as she looked at something.

"It's what the world thinks."

"The world is wrong," Izuku said.

"You aren't a loser," Ochaco agreed.

"I can't help what others think," Hitoshi said.

Izuku sighed and looked at his friend. A number of things were becoming clear to him and he was... he wasn't sure what he could do about them. He just wished Hitoshi had brought this up earlier. "Is that why you took the work experience with the hero?" he asked. The Heroics and General Studies Course had a space in their curriculum for work experience. The Management Course did but only in later years and the Support Course just worked it when they could. Usually people got internships with Support Companies in their second or third year instead of work experience in their first.

Hitoshi didn't look pleased at the statement.

"Wait!" Ochaco shrieked. "Hitoshi did work experience?" She almost screamed.

Oh, that's why Hitoshi wasn't happy.

"Sorry?" Izuku said, giving his friend a look that projected his innocence.

Hitoshi glowered but he couldn't hold it. "I did work experience," he said. "But part of it was keeping it quiet," he added.

"Really sorry," Izuku opened his eyes wider on his innocent look..

"So does that mean you'll be joining the heroics course?" Ochaco asked. She was almost jumping up and down.

"I don't know," Hitoshi said. "But if I do, it's revolutionary, right?"