My parents loved me more than anything else. They weren't pro heroes, but had quite powerful quirks. With my mother's quirk, she was able to make inanimate objects come to life, and with my father's, he was able to feed off of colors, such as the red of an apple, or the green of a leaf. Of course, he'd eat normally, but claimed it "wasn't as tasty."

I was devastated when I heard that I wouldn't be able to have a quirk. Ever.

However I never remembered that I was the type to give up. I got it from my mother's side, mostly. And so began the long trek of sneaking out and training, lifting weights, running, and doing endurance exercises.

As the years passed, my passion only got stronger as I dreamed about what it might be like to be able to finally become a hero. The idea had always appealed to me, protecting people and having them look up to you as motivation. Since I didn't have a quirk, I always knew what it was like to feel as if you couldn't help anyone, even if you tried.

This started at a very young age, after I first entered a little room where everyone else was playing. There was a kid who was showing off their quirk. Control gusts of wind.

"That's super cool! You can fight a lot of bad guys with that!" I exclaimed, grinning and punching the air. They smiled back and floated towards me.

"What's your quirk? I bet it's something cool, I heard your mom can make things come to life!" I nodded my head excitedly and clenched my little fists.

"Yeah! I can't wait. I might become a pro hero with that quirk!" I giggled, thrusting a fist above my head. "Plus Ultra!"

"Plus Ultra!" the whole room repeated.

If only I knew back then.

__

I groaned as my muscles ached and I slumped against the wall, covered in sweat.

"Honey, do you need any more water? Maybe some food will do you well after exercising so much," my mother called from inside our little house. I shook my head and smiled weakly, giving her a thumbs up.

"No thanks, mom. I'm okay for now," I breathed, still gasping for air. She pressed her lips into a thin line, looking at me worriedly.

"Alright, but make sure to stay hydrated. I don't want you to faint like last time." I nodded in understanding and continued to train. Everything ached, but I could feel that I was improving. I had reduced my 400 meter dash time by 1.2 seconds, which was a considerable margin of time.

I was happy, and turning 15 tomorrow. Today would mark the end of my old life, being quirkless and doing nothing about it.

Last week I submitted a form to the UA. Since I doubt I could've made it through the normal hero course test, I applied through special recommendations, managing to get a few words in from some minor heroes I had interviewed, as well as my teachers. Now all I had to do was take the test.

Let's see if all that training for 9 years paid off.

__

I awoke to the sound of screaming a week later. I rushed out of bed and ran into the hallway, where my parents were holding a white letter with a large, red wax seal. Gasping as I immediately recognized the institution from where it was from, I clapped two hands over my mouth and rushed to take the envelope from them.

The letter from UA.

"Hurry and open it up already!" my dad stressed, clutching my mom's shoulders, "I'm going to have a heart attack if you keep me waiting for longer!"

"Okay! Okay!"

I flipped over the envelope with trembling hands and ripped off the wax seal to reveal the contents inside. Taking out the letter and unfolding the paper, my stare focused in on the first word I could find.

Congratulations!

My heart stopped as my breath hitched. With widened eyes, I started to scan the document while fumbling to open it, desperate to know what the rest of the letter said.

Once I had finally gotten the full sheet out, I started to read.

Oh my God.

Dear (Y/N),

Congratulations! It is with great pleasure that I offer you admission to UA High School's Hero Course Class.

Your heartfelt essay addressing the issue of unnecessary hardships as a quirkless student, experiencing them for yourself, and choosing to not back down in the face of adversity was very well-received by both admissions officers and UA staff alike. Members of the UA faculty also praise you for your courage and fighting spirit, both true qualities of a hero, and hope to see you on campus the following year.

Your efforts in the recommendation exams were also not in vain. Although you may not have had the physical advantage of a quirk for the practical test, you placed third out of over 100 applicants for this event. Give yourself a pat on the back -- you deserve it!

School begins on

I was too shocked to read the rest, and collapsed on my knees, sobbing. My parents crowded around me and held me close to their hearts, absolutely ecstatic at the fact that I'd gotten into my dream school. We were absolutely over the moon about it, and for good reason. I'd always wanted to become a hero, and now was my chance of becoming one. In the UA hero course, I would be able to fulfill my potential and live my life to its fullest for the years to come.

My father wiped the tears from his eyes and from mine, kissing my forehead and ruffling my hair.

"You made it, kiddo. You're going to become a hero."

__

I was nervous. For the first time in my life, I wasn't too happy about something. Gripping the straps of my backpack, I looked back at my parents who were waving goodbye to me from our house. I waved back reluctantly and headed to the train station.

The ride was even more nerve-wracking, I saw other UA students on there and shivered. They have quirks. I don't, so what if I become the bottom of the class? No, I worked hard to get here. Even if I am, I won't give up just because I don't have a quirk. I got into the UA, and some people with quirks didn't.

The train stopped at my destination and I squeezed past all the lumbering adults, who were still half-asleep, and started to pick up my pace, walking towards the glimmering blue-glass building with a certain nervousness about me.

It was an understatement to say that I was worried about how this whole ordeal would turn out. The last thing I wanted was to be a reject at the top hero school in all of Japan.

All I could do was hope for the best.

__

Arriving at the classroom, I looked at the tall door and started to sweat. Are there people with height quirks in the classroom? I slowly opened the door and was met with a series of piercing eyes, looking in my direction. Well, I'm screwed. I closed the door quietly and slowly made my way to my seat, face almost beet red with embarrassment.

I breathed a sigh of relief as someone else came into the classroom, drawing the attention away from me. Slumping in my seat, I got out my materials for class and began to write things down, noticing all the unique features everyone had. Someone popped up next to me, smiling. I almost yelled in surprise and dropped my pen.

"Oh, sorry about that!" The brown haired girl from earlier? What's she doing here? "I'm Uraraka Ochako! It's nice to meet you!"

"I'm (L/N) (Y/N). The pleasure is all mine." We had two minutes until class would officially start, so I decided not to be rude and to continue talking to her.

"It's so exciting to finally be in the UA," she rambled. "Never in my wildest dreams would I think to finally be able to get into the top hero school in all of Japan. My quirk is Zero-Gravity. What's yours?" I hesitated to speak, but when I opened my mouth, the bell rang. She smiled at me again and waved goodbye.

"I'm excited to be in a class with you, (L/N)-san!" I saw as she sat somewhere near the front, in Seat 5. Meanwhile I was in the middle, at Seat 14. Two guys sat on either side of me, one being a raven-headed male, and the other had heterochromatic hair and eyes.

I didn't notice at first, but what I thought to be a giant yellow caterpillar lying in the middle of the classroom turned out the be the teacher of this course, Aizawa Shota. Needless to say, I was surprised. The UA wasn't... quite what I expected.

"Alright. Grab your PE uniforms, we're going out to the field for an exam."