Chapter 122

The Season of Encounters (出会いの季節) is the one hundredth and twenty second chapter of Kohei Horikoshi's Boku no Hero Academia.

Summary
Before the U.A. High students leave, Hounddog, U.A's lifestyle counselor, barks at them. Sekijirou Kan interprets Hounddog's words to the students; he says that there has been an incident of a fight last night and asks them to conduct themselves according to the lifestyle standards expected of them all. Nezu asks the U.A students to head back to their classrooms starting with the third-year students. As the third-year students leave to head back to their classrooms, one of the third-years asks their peer as to whom was fighting last night.

Back in Class 1-A, Shota Aizawa tells Class 1-A that starting from today they will resume normal class activities. Shouta warns them that the training will be tougher than last semester. Tsuyu Asui asks Shouta about the Hero Internships, which garners the interest of Fumikage Tokoyami, Momo Yaoyorozu, and Hanta Sero. Shouta decides to tell Class 1-A; the Hero Internships are hero activities done off campus, saying that it is a more formalized version of the Field Training they did with pro heroes before. Ochaco Uraraka wonders whether the Sports Festival had any meaning behind being scouted if they were going to get actual experience anyway. Shota explains that the Hero Internships are an opportunity to make use of the connections they garnered at the Sports Festival. The Hero Internships are managed at the discretion of students themselves nowadays because in the past each office would conduct their own recruiting efforts which would cause them to fight over U.A students. Since most of them have Provisional Hero Licenses, Class 1-A can now participate in formal, longer term activities. Shota tells Class 1-A that they will be expected to write about their experiences but he will explain at a later time. Shota leaves as Hizashi Yamada takes over.

Back at Heights Alliance in Class 1-A dormitory, Izuku Midoriya is lifting weights and feels that the pain from his arms is almost gone. Izuku remembers what the doctor told him about his arms. Izuku decides to hold back his emotions when fighting so that he does not use his arms and to focus on his One For All Shoot Style instead. It is evening now. Minoru Mineta criticizes Katsuki Bakugo for the dormitory still being unclean, much to his annoyance. As Izuku leaves to take the trash out, he overhears some of Class 1-A talking about Hizashi's new grammar lessons and the Hero Internships mentioned by Shota. Izuku feels that he has been left in the dark due to his three-day house arrest. Izuku asks Tenya Iida about the Hero Internship, but Tenya refuses to answer his question due to his misbehavior and being unable to relay any information to him.

Izuku goes to the garbage dump and is stressed that he has been left behind due to not attending class and needs to find a way to catch up before the gap furthers between him and Class 1-A. As he walks to the garbage dump, Izuku sees a face on the wall. The face tells Izuku that the garbage dump is in the direction he is pointing at. The face disappears as Izuku is left confused. Suddenly, the face appears on the ground and comments on Izuku being one of the livelier first-years. The face pops around the ground in Izuku's vicinity, to which Izuku asks what he is. The face tells Izuku that he will know about him soon enough and encourages him to keep his spirits up. As it leaves, the face tells Izuku about a rumor flying around and asks him to keep his wits about him.

Izuku's house arrest ends after three impatient days. In Class 1-A, Izuku apologizes for the inconvenience he caused and tells Tenya that he is sorry for disappointing him, to which Tenya accepts. Izuku vows to bridge the gap between them from the last three days. Shota arrives and decides to properly talk about Hero Internships. Shota tells them to come inside, which confuses Class 1-A. Shota tells Class 1-A that they will hear firsthand from those with personal experience how the Hero Internships are different from Field Training. Shota advises Class 1-A to listen carefully to what they have to say as they have made time in their busy schedules to come and talk to them all.

Shota introduces Class 1-A to the people who will teach them about Hero Internships; the third-year students who rank among the top of all U.A. students known as The Big Three. The three third-year students enter the classroom: a male with shaggy black hair, a female with beautiful long hair, and a male with the same face that Izuku saw on his way to the garbage dump.