Bessie shoveled a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. Monday mornings were the worst, but the sugary crunch of breakfast always made things seem a little better.
When her bowl was empty she rinsed it in the sink, brushed her teeth and grabbed her backpack.
"I packed your favourite for lunch. Have a great day at school, dear!" her mother practically sang as she opened the front door. "Love you!"
"Love you too, Mum," Bessie reciprocated as she closed the door behind her.
There was no such thing as a great day at school. Not in this school. Bessie had heard stories of amazing quirk-oriented high schools overseas where students were hard working, and their quirks were as diverse as their personalities. This was not the case in Ordina City High. No one got along. Every student was like something out of a terrible fanfiction. All of their quirks were dark, somber drivel related to shadows or darkness or blood. Everyone was the edgy emo kid. Anytime the kids would enter a new class chaos ensued because everyone wanted the back left corner. In the hallways most of the fluorescent lights were vandalized or stolen because there weren't enough shadows for everyone to lurk in between classes. At lunch students would stop entering the dining hall once each table had one occupant, and instead everyone would sit outside, under a tree or in the shadow of a building.
Pale or tattooed skin and dyed hair (especially purple) was everywhere. And the principal had a side business, selling all the spray paint he would confiscate from students during routine inspections.
Only Bessie's quirk had anything to do with light.
She sighed as she wiped her feet before entering the front hall. After assembly she dragged herself to homeroom and made her way to her desk. As she put down her school bag she took comfort in the tasty leftovers from last night's fried chicken waiting inside for recess as eagerly as she was.
Her homeroom teacher, Mrs. Lumins, stopped a few steps from the door, drew a deep breath, forced a smile and walked in.
"Good morning boy- er… students!" She said cheerfully. "I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! I have some exciting news!"
Bessie groaned inaudibly. Poor Mrs. Lumins – bless her soul – always fought hard to create a cheerful mood at the beginning of the day. But it was like every student fought equally hard to be the most miserable. Understandably her angel of a teacher went out of her way to make everything seem like the best news ever. Bessie couldn't help but wonder what today's exciting announcement was. Ten percent off on fizzy drinks at the tuck shop? Extra gravy on the cafeteria's mashed potatoes? There was no shortage of good food in OCH, but everyone in the school ate like they were perpetually nauseated, even when they had brought their preferred food from home.
"Our class has been selected as the first to participate in an exchange program with the famous UA in Japan"
The force of Bessie's gasp nearly made her swallow her tongue.
"Everyone please settle down and take your seats!" Tenya called out above the not-too-chaotic buzz of Hero Class 1-A
Katsuki glared at him over the toes of his shoes as their heels rested on his table.
"Bakugo-san, if I've told you once-" the Class Rep began.
"If you tell me once more-" Bakugo interrupted as he sat up, baring his teeth and setting off small warning-explosions in his raised palm.
"Stay calm, Katsuki-chan," Tsuyu croaked levelheadedly. "We're indoors right now. Nobody wants an incident."
"I don't care what you losers want!" Bakugo thundered. "Four-eyes is asking for-!"
"That's enough." Aizawa, the homeroom teacher for Hero Class 1-A, was standing in the doorway. Bakugo's explosions halted abruptly as mild smoke dissipated around his fingers. He grunted as he put his feet back on the floor and turned his attention to the window.
"Aizawa-Sensei!" Iida practically saluted. "On behalf of class 1-A it is good to see you. We are ready for-"
"Yes, yes." The teacher waved his hand as he swiftly made his way to his desk and slumped into the chair. "Before we begin as per normal there is an announcement. Starting this year we have an exchange program with a school in Europe. They'll be sending one of their students here for a week, and obviously we'll be sending them one of ours. Nezu has picked this class for the program and I'm leaving it up to all of you to decide who-"
"Bakugo!" Practically the whole class called out in unison.
"Bastards!" Bakugo protested. "What would I want in some third rate school in the west!? You're all just trying to get rid of me!"
"I'd like you all to give it some thought," the teacher continued in his nonchalant drone. "The fact of the matter is, as this is a class of heroes, this program is an act of heroism on the part of the school as a whole. Bakugo-san's comment about OC High being third rate is not far from the truth. While it isn't a particularly low-income school, the staff have a real problem with morale as the students are all miserable with quirks ranging from the whimsically macabre to the downright depressing. We want to send someone who can show them all how to brighten up a bit. We'll put it to vote tomorrow during homeroom. Between then and now you're all free to discuss it amongst yourselves or decide on your own. Either way it is of great importance that you pick your candidate with careful consideration."
"An entire school of Tokoyamis?" Aoyama quipped. "That sounds positively fastidieux!"
"Hey!" Tokoyami retorted. "I'm sitting right here, baka!"
Sure enough, when lunch came most of Hero Class 1-A were seated around two tables some of the boys had pushed together. Not all of them were keen to go, but most of them showed up to help with the decisionmaking.
"We shouldn't send any of the girls." Mineta said unashamedly. "Especially not Yaoyorozu. Those guys will just harass her because of the way she dresses."
Momo blushed and anxiously crossed her arms across her ample chest, looking away.
"Not everybody's like you, Mineta." Jiro snarked.
"If this is going to work we should send someone who's friendly, cheerful and gets along with people easily." Midoriya contributed.
"Deku's right." Uraraka nodded. "Someone like Toru or Mina."
"You think so, Ochaco-chan?" Ashido giggled. "I've always wanted to travel abroad!"
"You're a bit lacking in your grades, though, Mina-chan." Tsuyu burst Ashido's proverbial acidic bubble. "A week away from the UA curriculum won't do you any favours."
Mina awkwardly stuck five fingers into her pink head of hair, but couldn't stop smiling. "You've got a point, Tsu," she conceded. "And I guess that rules out Kaminari too."
A few of the kids chuckled while Denki tried to hide his face.
"If Koda-kun goes he could lift the mood with some puppies or something." Toru pointed out. "But I guess you don't need a quirk to bring a dog to school."
Koda made a relieved face.
Tenya stood up and gave his signature I'm-speaking-now gesture. "Sensei said that some of the quirks in OCH are really dangerous. Kirishima gets along with anyone and his hardening could prove quite useful if anything goes wrong."
"I don't think we should send Katsuki, though." Kirishima was the only one with the courage to say it out loud, even though Bakugo was not even seated at either of the company's two tables.
"What's that supposed to mean, Bastard?!" Bakugo 'happened' to overhear him, despite claiming that he had no interest in the conversation. "I said I didn't want to go anyway, so shut up!"
"Whoever we pick," Yaoyorozu continued, "we have until tomorrow morning to decide, and we'll each get to nominate the person we think would be most suited."
For the remainder of the day, each student privately weighed their options, taking into consideration what each person would bring to the table with regards to both quirk and personality. It didn't take a degree in psychology to separate the good candidates from the bad, and this knowledge alone narrowed the options down considerably.
William was standing with his back to a tree. With his hands in the pockets of his grey hoodie he stared grimly into the distance. Bessie came to the tree unable to contain her smile.
"Hey, Bill." She said with unmasked giddiness.
"Beth." Bill said with an unphasedness that almost passed for politeness. "You're looking… cheerful."
"Y'know that UA exchange program Lumins announced this morning? I'm the only one who applied! I'm going to Japan!" she exclaimed excitedly.
William squealed silently without changing his expression. "That's cool. Or whatever." He said like someone who didn't care.
"I know!" Bessie said overflowing with excitement. "I get to take classes from the famous All Might!"
"Beth! Cool off, will ya? You're going to draw attention to us!" William said with a tinge of desperation. "Not that it matters." He added.
"No worries, Bill. I'm gonna go eat my lunch. Later."
"Later. Or not." Bill replied and Bessie walked off.
William Jones was often made aware by his fellow students how exhaustingly ordinary his name was. Regardless of how they felt, he was too young to change it, didn't know what to change it to, and didn't feel like changing it anyway. His aloof, uncaring personality was mostly a front so he could fit in with the rest of the school (or rather, fit out) and it helped that his quirk was close to the sort of thing the school had in spades.
Bessie licked her fingers, stood up from the table and dropped the chicken bones into the rubbish bin nearby. There was still a few minutes left of recess and she used them to make her way to the office to pick up the documents her parents needed to fill out. She carefully closed them in a cardboard folder which she kept as flat and clean as humanly possible until she got them home.
"Mum! I'm home!" she called excitedly once she walked through the doorway.
"Hello darling! How was school?" her mother asked lovingly.
"You'll never guess what happened!" Bessie said with a sparkle in her eyes which her mother had not seen in years.
Once Class 1-A took their seats Momo and Tenya gave each student a piece of paper on which to write their nominee. After being collected again they were handed to Aizawa who counted and recounted them.
"It seems the class has decided," he announced. "The student who will attend OC High for a week will be Hakagure Toru."
"Yataa!" Toru exclaimed amidst congratulatory pats on the back from the students seated around her.
"Alright, settle down." Aizawa continued. "Congratulations on being picked, Hakagure-san. You have a month to get your things in order. You can pick up your forms from me once class is dismissed."
Sure enough, both travelers went through the process of preparing to travel abroad, and when the day came both of them had some teary farewells as they left their airports' respective departure gates and made their ways to their respective aeroplanes. Somewhere in the vast sky above they passed each other by (although this was still with a massive distance between them) and hours later touched down in each-other's home airports.
Bessie disembarked and followed the crowd through the unfamiliar airport. When the corridor finally opened into the arrivals gate she scanned the gathering of strangers for one holding a sign inscribed with her name. Finally she spotted him: he was a tall, thin, blonde haired man with so little mass that he practically looked like a skeleton. Bessie almost thought he could be a parent of one of her schoolmates back home, but instead this person was friendly, and after automatically dipping his head as was the polite greeting in the local culture, he extended a bony hand as was familiar to her.
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Toshinori." The skeletal man smiled as the two shook hands. "Principal Nezu has asked me to pick you up and escort you to UA, which will be your home for the next week. I sincerely hope that you will be happy here."
"Thank you, Toshinori-sama." Bessie reciprocated both gestures. "It is an honour to be a part of this program." Her Japanese was not perfect, but she knew enough to hold simple conversations.
On the subway ride to UA Bessie and Toshinori chatted – awkwardly at first but eventually both conversationalists warmed up to the other – about UA, its students, and the type of teachings Bessie could expect. Once they arrived at the school her new guide showed her to the dormitories where she quickly found her room and settled in. It was a Sunday and most of the students were at home, which meant Bessie did not see any students around. She took a stroll and found a shop where she purchased herself some supper which she enjoyed in the deserted dining hall before heading back to her room and retiring for the night – it was still light outside but she was terribly jetlagged.
She was so excited about what the next day held that she thought she would never fall asleep, but eventually her fatigue caught up with her and her consciousness fizzled out.