My Hero Academia: Next Gen

Chapter 1: 2 Months

Eri stood at the front of UA High, its windows gleaming in the sunlight. She clutched her messenger bag tightly as she watched students pass her on their way to class. In just two months, she would be walking into the school, just like them, on her way to the entrance exam. Two months until she found out whether or not she had been accepted into her dream school to study. 

A second year student stopped beside Eri and smiled. "Good morning, Eri! How are you today?"

Eri looked up to see Asuka Kazama, a good friend of hers. While Asuka's large monarch butterfly wings and vibrant orange hair were usually the first thing people noticed when they looked at her, Eri always noticed her smile. She was always smiling, it seemed. "Good morning, Asuka! I'm... I'm all right."

Asuka's eyes narrowed, but she quickly caught on. "You're thinking about the entrance exam again, aren't you?"

Eri turned her face to the side. "I... I'm a little bit nervous."

"It's okay to be nervous," Asuka said, gently putting a hand on Eri's shoulder. "The nerves only push you to go further. To go beyond, if you will." She winked playfully, and Eri just giggled. "Being nervous can be good because it forces you to work harder and to do your best." She looked up at the school. "That's what UA is all about, right?"

"Yeah." Eri nodded. 

Asuka smiled and gestured to the school. "I have to get to class, and so you have to get to school, but I'll see you around, yeah?"

"For sure. Bye, Asuka!" Eri watched her friend run into the school wistfully, hoping that someday, that would be her.

***

Later that day, as Eri was finishing up dinner, she heard the front door open and close, followed by the thumping of boots hitting the floor. "Dad, is that you?"

"Who else would it be," the droning voice replied. 

She smiled. That was him all right. "I'm almost finished dinner. I made ra--" As she turned around to see him, she was surprised to see not only Aizawa but Deku and Lemillion as well. "Lemillion!" she cried, running towards him. "Deku! What are you doing here?" She launched herself into Lemillion's arms and grinned. 

He hugged her tightly. "What, are we not allowed here anymore?" he teased. 

She hugged Deku, who lifted her up and smiled. "Aizawa invited us over for dinner. He thought it would be a nice surprise." 

"Was I right?" Eri turned to see her adoptive father leaning against the doorway, a smirk on his face.

She giggled and ran over to squeeze him as tightly as she could. "Of course! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He squeezed her lightly before letting her go. "Now, what did you say was for dinner?"

Eri served up four servings of ramen into bowls and brought them to the table where the young heroes sat down comfortably on one side; it was not their first time at the Aizawa residence. Aizawa brought over the chopsticks and handed them out. They quickly put their hands together in thanks for the meal before digging in. 

Lemillion grinned at Eri. "So, are you excited about the entrance exams? They're coming up quick, aren't they?"

She laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah. They are. I'm..." She paused, swirling her noodles around in her bowl quietly before saying, "I'm more nervous than anything else. I mean, my quirk is not exactly fit for combat, is it?" 

Deku nodded thoughtfully. "That is true. Although, you don't know what the entrance exam is going to be this year. They change it for each wave of first-years to keep anyone from being able to prepare any more than another. Maybe this year it will be something where you don't have to have a strong combat quirk."

"I suppose you're not allowed to give anything away, are you?" Lemillion asked, looking over at Aizawa.

He shook his head. "No."

Eri kept her shoulders from slouching, though all she wanted to do was curl into herself. Even if the entrance exam wasn't a fight against robots like it was for Deku, it wasn't exactly like she could use her rewind on whoever was evaluating them. 

"But hey! Lots of students get into UA not because their quirks are powerful in combat, but because they're smart and good at problem-solving." Lemillion smiled. "After all, that's how I got in! I didn't have great control over my quirk, but they saw something in me that went far beyond that, and that's what they judge."

She smiled into her ramen. "That is true."

Deku nodded in agreement. "I may have had a strong quirk going into the entrance exams, but I didn't have any control whatsoever. I practically broke myself every time I used it. But they saw my potential and my heart for becoming a hero, and that's what they admitted me on."

Eri sighed. "UA really is an amazing school..." If she didn't go to UA, she didn't know what she would do. She didn't know where else she would even consider going. For her, UA was the endgame.

Aizawa put a hand on her shoulder and said, "And you're an amazing girl." The boys nodded emphatically in agreement. "No matter what happens, that won't change."

She gave him a small smile. Even after all these years, getting complimented on anything besides her ability to comply with instructions was such a foreign feeling to her. "Thanks, Dad."

"Always." He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead before gesturing to her ramen. "You'd better eat that before it gets cold." 

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