Imaginary Friends

4.

Saikyo stands outside class 1-a's door, pushing down the nervousness in his chest. As soon as they even got close to U.A, Saikyo had gently pushed Izuku from front (likely, he wasn't even aware he'd switched with the protector).
He gently pushes the door open, only to come face to face with the boy with the blue hair from the entrance exam who chastised them, and... Bakugou fucking Katsuki.
"Get your feet off the desk! It's the first day and you're already scuffing school property, you cretin!" The blue boy yelled.
"Hauhhhh?" Bakugou replied, "were you born with a stick up your ass or did someone put it there?"

Oh boy.

Saikyo tries to slide into his assigned desk on it on the opposite side of the room, being as quiet as possible and hoping no-one would notice him. Of course, his luck is just absolutely terrible. The whole class is here, and he's one of the last ones. Everyone's heads turn to stare at him as the blue-haired boy marches his way up to Saikyo's face.
Saikyo doesn't want to have to fight on his first day, but he's feeling the adrenalin kick in already.
Try introducing yourself first you dummy! Izumi chimes in from somewhere near the front of their headspace. Oh, right, Saikyo thought, not everyone thinks to throw the first punch. Especially not here, at a hero school.
"Hello! I'm Iida Tenya—"
Saikyo stops short in his tracks, staring blankly at the boy. "I... I know who you are!" Well, he doesn't, he has no idea who this kid is, but a vague memory that someone else sent forth flashes into his brain. Iida stops and blinks, so Saikyo continues, "I'm Izuku Midoriya!" The name felt wrong on his tongue but, especially here, no one could know about their system. That was just asking for trouble and it was much safer to just continue to just pretend to be Izuku for a little bit.
"You realized there was more to the exam, didn't you? You must be very perceptive, and I completely missjudged you! I'm sorry."
"Um..." Saikyo trailed off. He wasn't out during the entrance exam and he only remembered what Deku had stuttered out later. He starts to say thank you, but he's interrupted by the same girl who they met yesterday.
"Hey, I recognize that messy hair!"
"Uh....." Saikyo tries desperately to remember, and Izuku pushes up a memory of her catching them before they fell before the exam yesterday. "Oh! Falling girl?"
The chatter continues, but Saikyo starts to zone out. He's busy talking with Izumi while also doing his best to halfway listen to falling girl's incessant rambling, but a deep voice comes from behind them.
"If you're just here to make friends, you can go home."
Saikyo freezes. Deep voice, low tone, tired, disgusted, get out get out getoutgetoutgetout— he's ready to whirl around and fight, but....

"Put these on and go outside."
Oh man, Saikyo probably missed so much in the short time they dissociated. He could guess that was their teacher, but now he didn't know what was going on, or where they were going, or what the were doing...
Damn flashbacks.
Saikyo shakes his head and goes to change with the others.

——————

A... quirk assessment test? Oh god. Saikyo was totally inexperienced using All For One. None of them were.
Actually... All Might and Izuku knew a little bit probably from years of collective study, but Saikyo couldn't feel either of them anywhere near the front, so he didn't know how much the factive pro hero or host would really be.

Bakugou steps up to the circle for a demonstration throw.
705 meters. Saikyo felt a burst of panic bloom in his chest. Oh, there was no way he was going to top that.

In his haze of mild panic, Saikyo only caught the last of the words their teacher said, "the person who comes in last will be expelled."
Oh fuck.

———————

Grip strength. Saikyo knew he wasn't the best in his class, but the 109 kilograms wasn't too bad. Izuku was more aware of what was going on now, slipping into co-front with Saikyo, and he was glad the protector was doing these challenges instead of him. Saikyo managed a tiny crackle of energy from One For All, but it only lasted a miniscule second before it was gone, but it was as much as they needed.

Nothing could really help them in the long jump challenge. They just did the best they could.

The side-to-side challenge wasn't much better. He improved a little bit from his training from his junior high score, but he'd definitely top it some day.

Ball throw.
The last challenge. Saikyo had to get this one, or they were at risk of being the last.
He watched the others go first.
All Might? Saikyo calls back into headspace, trying to rouse the pro hero.
Yes, my boy! All might answers, from somewhere deep in their headspace. Saikyo can't see him or sense him, but he can hear him and that's what matters right now.
Can you help with the ball throw? It's the last challenge, and you're the one who knows how to handle All For One the best out of all of us.

Saikyo slips out of the possession of front, letting All Might take the lead for the final challenge.

//////////

All Might is preparing for the throw, using as much All For One as he feels comfortable. He knows it'll hurt, a lot, but it won't break him. He's had a lifetime of practice. He winds up, energy crackling and bouncing around his arm, and he throws the ball!

It goes 33 meters.
All Might freezes. It what? He turns around to look at their teacher. Oh. Erasure quirk. Pro hero Eraserhead. He must have erased All Might's quirk. He grabs Izuku's body with his capture tape and yanks him forward, so avoiding eye contact with him is unavoidable.

"Were you just planning on breaking your bones again?" Aizawa questions darkly, and All Might is ready to protest, but Aizawa keeps going.
"Someone like you is just a liability on the battlefield, if you need someone to help you all the time. Students like you shouldn't be allowed to enroll at this school."
All Might freezes, a perfect posture of 'don't fuck with me' and 'yes sir'.
Aizawa releases the capture tape around him. "Try again. Don't break your bones this time."
All Might is tempted to say he was going to, but he decided to just let the teacher think what he thought and finish the challenge. They'd show him.
He's a pro hero, this is literal child's play for him.
So to prove his point, he throws the ball. With much more force that he originally intended. There was too much energy for this tiny body, so All Might took the only last resort measure he could think of, and channeled all the excess power into the body's index finger.
The ball flew far, the entire system watching it soar far into the air, landing somewhere just beyond the 700m mark.
It hurt, but All Might clenched his fist in a triumphant gesture towards Izuku's teacher.
If his voice seemed to have a little extra boom to it, no one commented. "See sensei? Still standing."