A/N - Jummah mubarak!
Quick announcement! I now have an area on my profile where you can check the status of the story to see what progress I've made on upcoming chapters and their release dates. I try to be fairly consistent with updates, usually no more than a week or two for smaller chapters like these, but if you ever want to know what stage I am in with this story the info is there for you.
Enjoy!
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Miya yawned as she stepped off the train, bringing the back of her hand to cover her mouth before rubbing at her eyes.
The commute to UA was a long one, which meant that her schedule had needed to be adjusted to accommodate it. Her alarm now rang at 04:00 sharp, and there was no amount of caffeine in the world that could make that any better.
It was her first day, and she had hardly slept a wink the night before after being kept up with excited and nervous jitters. She had never felt that strange mixture of nervousness and enthusiasm mashed together like that. She supposed it was because it was the first time she was actually embarking on a path of her own choosing.
Today was the day.
Today was the day her journey began. It would all start here. She clutched her leather satchel tightly to her chest, shifting her weight between her feet in anticipation. Her lips set themselves in a thin line.
This is it. I'm taking the first step towards my dream today. I'll write my own destiny from here on out.
She grinned as she took her first step off the train platform and towards the main building, recalling to mind the layout and where she would find the office of Recovery Girl.
It was still dark out, though the sun showed a promise of warmth and light on the horizon, the dark heavens gradually lightening to diminish the glow of the moon and stars. The air was still chilly, though it would likely be warm by midday. Miya wished she had thought to bring a cardigan; her physician's coat was not particularly thick to protect from the nip in the air that an early April morning brought.
Her walk towards the main building was brusque, and she fumbled a few moments as she pulled out her new faculty identification card to swipe it on the gates to be allowed access. There were very few people here so far – school would not start for another hour and forty-five minutes, but Miya always tried to arrive early to work.
The school itself was a marvel to behold. Miya attempted to keep herself from gawking at the grounds as she passed through them. Modern design and the newest technology meant that the inner and outer grounds were sleek, well-maintained, and quite advanced.
Stepping into the elevator, she hit the button for floor six, and was deposited on the floor in just seconds. She turned down the hall, scanning the signs above each room until she came to a large double door that had a sign above it labeled 'recovery ward'.
She paused outside the doors for a moment, taking a brief moment to let it all soak in before knocking on the door and entering upon being given permission to proceed.
"Good morning, Shuzenji-san." Miya related cordially, giving a small and polite bow towards the older woman, who only waved her hand at the well-mannered greeting.
"Good morning. You can just call me Chiyo before or after hours. While we are on duty I must insist you call me by my alias, however." She relayed with a smile, beckoning the young doctor inside. "We will need to find you an alias as well, won't we dearie?"
Miya cocked her head somewhat as she followed the elder hero into the back office she was guiding her towards. They passed by many neatly made beds, each with pristinely folded and crisp white sheets.
"I need to use an alias? I can't go by Dr. Tanaka?"
"You want to be a hero, don't you? All heroes use an alias, it's for our own protection. You won't need one right away, but you ought to start thinking about it. The students should know you by your alias in school, just like me."
An alias, huh? Miya thought in amazement, suddenly reminded of all the times she had played 'heroes and villains' with the neighborhood kids growing up. Except this time, it was real. I'll have to think about that.
"Come on in and take a seat. We have some time before school starts, I'll give you a run-down before we get going. There are always many injuries on the first day of school from the hero department." Recovery Girl sighed as she rounded her desk and took her seat, needing a stepping stool to hop on top of the chair.
Miya followed suit, sinking into the chair on the opposite side of the desk and taking in the office space that she would soon be inheriting from the hero across from her.
The office was well-organized, a fact that Miya appreciated. There was a window that faced the training grounds, a desk with a computer, and many books in a lone bookshelf. On top of the desk sat two cups and a steaming pot of what smelled to be herbal tea.
There was a slight pause, and Miya took it to gush for a brief moment. She was excited, and she hoped it didn't show too much. She wanted to give the impression of a calm and collected medical professional, not the giddy school girl she felt like in the moment.
"I just have to say that it's an honor to have been selected, I'll work very hard to follow in your footsteps."
Translation: You have no idea how much this means to me or how long I've waited for this. I'll do my best for these students. I'll become a hero with this quirk, just like you. This is my dream come true!
"The choice was obvious." Recovery Girl acquiesced. "No other applicants had powerful healing quirks or happened to be graduates of medical school. I'm only a nurse, myself. A school like this needs the best of the best in order for the students to succeed, don't you agree?"
"I won't let you down." Miya supplied immediately, before the older woman had hardly finished her sentence.
The seasoned healer chuckled at her enthusiasm before continuing, gesturing towards the pot and teacups on the desk that separated them.
"Tea, dearie?" Recovery Girl smiled when Miya nodded enthusiastically, and the younger of the two poured the steaming liquid into the cups before the elder got back to business. "I plan to see just how much your quirk can handle today. You will be healing any and every injury that comes through the door today, whether it be broken bones or stuffy noses. I imagine it was a bit different at the hospital you worked at."
Miya nodded as she took a sip of her tea. It certainly had been different at the hospital, where she'd hardly been able to use her quirk at all.
She had come prepared for the event she would be using her quirk extensively today, however, and her satchel was filled with snacks in the case that she might be put straight to work.
It was often that Miya needed to replenish her energy and blood sugar between sessions where she used her quirk, and her bag was stuffed with all sorts of little tasty snacks. Because she used her own energy to heal, it was important that she kept her energy up, and that was best accomplished by a few breaks and a lot of snacking.
Because her body used her own energy in order to regenerate, Miya metabolized much faster than a normal person. She took from her own calories and fat, as well as her body's thermal, mechanical, and electrical energy in order to use her quirk for long periods of time.
And using those reserves would likely come with a cost.
"I came prepared. I meant to ask earlier, though - " Miya started when the thought suddenly occurred to her. Glancing down at her business casual clothing, she continued. "What's the dress code? It looks like most of the faculty and staff are wearing whatever they want. Are there any rules I should know of?"
Translation: Please say I can wear scrubs, please say I can wear scrubs, please say I can wear scrubs.
"I would recommend something comfortable, as long as your body is covered the school doesn't care what you wear." Recovery Girl replied, and Miya fought to contain a sigh of relief. She would definitely be wearing her scrubs from here on out. She had a whole closet full of them, and boy were they comfy. "Did they let you use your quirk much at the hospital? I imagine not."
Miya smiled to herself, pleased at the idea of wearing her scrubs as Recovery Girl inquired about her hospital's procedures.
"Not really. I rarely had the chance to use my quirk outside of the labs. I got my practice in at the homeless clinic, but that was all very hush-hush." Miya admitted, deciding to be completely honest about her little 'side project'. She glanced at her mentor nervously, but only found approval and a flash of mischief in her eyes.
"I'm glad you had the chance to practice in that area, the hospital rules can be a true thorn in the side!" She laughed somewhat, the sound whistling on the way out.
"Have you worked under those rules before?" Miya asked, taking another sip of her tea as she inquired.
"I was a nurse during the second world war. Back then there were so many radiation victims that they didn't care who you were or how you used your quirk, so long as you were helping." The elder woman reminisced, suddenly seeming as though she were lost in her own memories. "They started implementing all those ridiculous rules afterwards. But enough about me, tell me more about your quirk."
Miya set her teacup down upon the coaster and folded her hands on top of her lap.
"What would you like to know?" She asked, as Recovery Girl moved to refill their cups.
"I know that you can heal others by regenerating matter, but I would like to know the finer details of how it works, what impacts there are on your body, how you regenerate the matter, and what limitations there are to this ability of yours."
Miya gave a firm nod, mind now focused on providing the requested answers.
"I'm able to heal others by regenerating organic tissue matter, my quirk allows me to accelerate and influence growth in any living organisms." Miya began reaching for the tea cup again and bringing it to her lips as Recovery Girls interjected with a question.
"So, you can heal by regenerating the healthy cells and tissue as opposed to the unhealthy or damaged areas, and it will not work on inorganic life forms? Am I correct in that assumption?"
"Precisely." Miya nodded with a smile. "There are also certain things I can't do, like re-grow limbs. My quirk only works on matter already in existence. I can't re-create what's already lost."
"And can you focus that growth to particular areas of the body? How precise are you?" The old woman leaned forward in interest, and Miya turned the delicate teacup in her hands, admiring the floral pattern on the ceramic surface.
"I can pinpoint down to tissue and cells. If a student came into the recovery ward with the flu, my response would be to increase the production of the white blood cells in his bone marrow so that his body could fight it off on his own without the need of medicine." She explained, tracing the tip of her index finger around the delicate rim of the teacup as she spoke. "I'm not healing him, per se, just helping his own body to accelerate the healing process."
"How very fascinating." The older woman replied with interest before moving on. "And the downsides to your quirk? There's always a give and take."
Miya hummed softly in agreement, because it was all too true.
"It could take a serious toll on my body if I overuse it. I experience dangerous drops in bodily energy and blood sugar when that happens, but I've never pushed it further than that." Miya looked back up towards her new mentor, a serious expression now sported on her face.
"And that is where our quirks differ." Recovery Girl concluded. "You use energy from your own body for your quirk, whereas my quirk forces the patient to draw upon their own energy reserves. That's why I don't experience side-effects, but you do."
"I believe so, yes." Her blue hair swayed as she nodded once, affirming the hypothesis.
"You must be careful then, to not give too much of your own life energy. That is your 'Achilles Heel', so to speak. I will make sure to monitor you as you work today so that I can observe what your limits are."
"I'll be careful." Miya assured with a smile before patting her satchel with a small smile. "I've got this thing packed to the brim with snacks. As long as I keep myself well hydrated and keep my blood sugar up, I'm fine. I just need to eat and rest more often than most people when I've used my quirk throughout the day."
"Ah, I see." She acknowledged as she brought her hand up to rub at her chin as she thought aloud. "I'll request that the school installs a small fridge in the recovery ward and stocks it with nutritious snacks for you. I'm sure Nezu will agree it is necessary."
"Thanks…" Miya laughed sheepishly. She felt like some sort of toddler, for they too needed constant snacks and naps in order to function.
"Well, go ahead and finish the rest of your tea. I'll show you where all the supplies and charts are located when you're done."
"Yes ma'am!"
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They certainly had been busy, just as Recovery Girl said they might.
Miya's feet seemed to drag as she made her way to the teacher's lounge, where the staff apparently enjoyed their lunches. Her homemade bento felt heavy in her hands, and she began to fantasize of how the tamagoyaki and umeboshi might taste upon her tongue.
She had scarfed down a few bites of her breakfast at five in the morning, unable to stomach much else due to her jittery nerves. And though she had taken Recovery Girl's advice and stopped for many snack breaks, she was feeling somewhat fatigued from lack of sleep and using her quirk for the majority of the morning.
She walked into the teacher's lounge, only to stop immediately after feeling a wave of uncertainty wash over her.
It felt like the first day of high school all over again, when she had been an awkward young girl standing in the cafeteria and unsure of which table to sit at.
She bit her lip in indecision. In the hospital, she had taken her lunch breaks with her laptop in a room full of other stressed out doctors, shoving food in her mouth as she attempted to type clinical notes and use her time wisely.
But here? Well, it certainly wasn't the fast-paced Emergency Room environment she had come to be accustomed to, or the labs that she had hermited away in. This was much slower, more relaxed, and carried a comfortable air to it.
She wasn't sure how she felt about it. It was such a stark difference from what she knew, and she wasn't sure what to make of it or how to proceed - at least until a busty woman with dark hair slung an arm around her shoulder.
"Well, helloooooo there!" The woman purred, a large smile threatening to split her face in two. "You're that Dr. Tanaka everyone's talking about, aren't you? Come sit with Mic, Cementoss, and I. Come on, I don't bite…much."
Miya stumbled along, realizing she didn't have much of a choice as the voluptuous woman in a revealing bodysuit wheeled her around and sat her down in a seat across from Present Mic, who lit up immediately.
"Yo, Doc!" Miya flinched at the volume. "How's the Academy life treating ya? Is it as groovy as you expected?"
…Groovy?
"I'm enjoying my day so far, thank you for asking." She replied politely, unsure of how to respond to the word 'groovy', which wasn't an adjective she might have picked to describe her experience so far. Turning to the one who must be Cementoss, she gave a small introduction. "I'm Dr. Tanaka, it's nice to meet you."
"Likewise." The cement-morphed staff member replied neutrally. "I look forward to working with you."
And from there it went.
Miya found that she quickly relaxed around them, joining in conversation in a quiet voice every now and again, but mostly listening to the lively talking of her new colleagues.
The risqué and curvaceous woman, who introduced herself by her alias of Midnight, seemed quite interested in the young doctor. Miya was asked many questions about her quirk and her medical background, and in return, she asked many questions about the life of a hero and staff worker at UA.
All in all, she enjoyed her lunch period. Before she knew it, the bells had rung again, signifying the end to her break.
As she was leaving the break room after saying her goodbyes, she saw him.
Or tripped over him, rather.
Laying on the floor and snuggled like a caterpillar in a cocoon of a well-worn sleeping bag, was Aizawa Shouta. She had been busy attempting to braid her hair so as to keep it out of her face, and did not see the tail end of his sleeping bag peeking out from behind a couch until it was already too late.
She hit the ground hard, coming face to face with bloodshot eyes that gave off a terrifying and intense aura. Miya scrambled backwards at the sight, quickly picking herself up and dusting herself off to deliver an apology she wasn't sure she truly meant but felt it best to give anyways.
He was the one who had made himself into a tripping hazard in the first place, after all.
"I'm so sorry, Aizawa-san, I didn't see you ther-"
"I'm aware." He cut in, tone monotonous as he interrupted her attempt at an apology. Unzipping his sleeping bag to crawl out of it, he still looked half asleep as he continued. "Your training starts at four, meet me on the practice grounds and don't be late."
She said nothing, biting the inside of her cheeks instead. The grungy looking man didn't spare her a second glance as he folded his sleeping bag over an arm and started out the door in front of her.
"Don't mind that ol' sour puss!" Present Mic intoned loudly, clapping her hard on the back as he passed. Miya had to take a step forward to balance herself at the impact. "He's been that way since we were kids, he doesn't realize how rude he sounds."
Midnight snorted as she followed her colleagues out the door as well, now that the bells had rung and students were heading back towards their classes.
"That's not true." She argued with a small laugh. "I think he does know and just doesn't care enough to correct his speech. Either way, good luck at your training this afternoon, you'll need all the luck you can get if he's already that grumpy!"
"Ah, thanks." Miya mumbled as they filed out the door to leave her alone in the break room.
She sighed, fingers returning to her hair to finish the braid she had been working on prior to tripping over that strange man.
She wasn't sure what to make of him, his personality was not an easy one to read, or even to talk to for that matter. It also sounded as if Midnight knew that Aizawa had something rigorous planned for her later, which wouldn't surprise her. She suspected he hadn't been embellishing the day he had told her that he was going to put her through hell and back.
Taking an elastic off her wrist and tying off the long braid, she took a deep breath before starting out the door and back towards the office she now shared with Recovery Girl. She couldn't fight the feeling of dread that was starting to worm its way into her heart at the idea of the training this afternoon.
And what had Midnight meant by 'needing all the luck she can get'. Miya was certain it didn't mean anything remotely positive.
This was what you wanted. She scolded herself internally. Did you think it would be easy? Woman up!
She rolled her shoulders back and held her head a bit higher as she made her way to the recovery ward. It wouldn't be easy, but she would prove that she was capable of becoming a hero.
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"I've got another one for you, Dr. Tanaka!" Came the sing-song voice of Recovery Girl, pointing towards a bed that held yet another patient. "Eat a snack first, this one might take longer – looks like a broken bone."
A tidal wave of young students had shown up about an hour or so after she had returned from lunch break, all from the hero courses. Recovery Girl had explained to her that there were always a few injuries to be had; the first day of school was when teachers liked to test the quirks of their new students.
Outside of the hero courses, there were two students from the General Education department who came complaining of a cold, and one very loud and exuberant girl from the Department of Support who came in covered in burns and soot after having somehow blown something up in the development lab on her first day. The girl expressed zero regret and Miya had a feeling she would be seeing Hatsume Mei again fairly soon.
Miya followed Recovery Girl's advice, slipping into the back office to grab an energy bar and a juice box before emerging again with the energy she would need to regenerate bone and muscle.
The young doctor grabbed a chart as she sat next to the young boy waiting on one of the beds.
"May I have your name please?" She asked after seating herself, pencil poised and ready to fill out the intake sheet.
"Midoriya, Izuku. I'm from class 1-A." The green haired boy relayed quickly and with a polite attitude, despite the fact that he was clutching an obviously broken finger to his chest. "Aizawa-sensei said to come see you for my finger."
So, this is one of Aizawa-san's students?
"I'm Dr. Tanaka." Miya smiled warmly at him, outstretching her hand as she spoke. "May I see your finger please?"
"Yes ma'am!" Izuku replied immediately, letting her take his hand.
As she examined the swollen and bruised skin above the break, he studied her intently, and Miya soon began to feel herself growing increasingly uncomfortable.
She glanced at him with an eyebrow raised, wondering just what it was that might have him staring at her like an ant under the magnifying glass.
"I don't know you…" He trailed off, almost as a second thought.
"Well, we did just introduce ourselves." Miya glanced at him, wondering what he might have meant by that comment.
Izuku flinched as her fingers probed gently at the swollen flesh of his broken index finger.
"Oh! No, I mean – what I meant is that – um –" The boy was flustered, and Miya could not help but smile softly to herself as she waited for him to make his point. "I just – I don't recognize your hero name. I've never heard a hero named Dr. Tanaka before, and I don't recognize your face from any of the hero registrars."
So that was it. Miya understood what he had meant now. She let herself relax.
"Ah." She acknowledged with a bob of the head. "That's because I'm not a hero yet – Tanaka is my actual surname. I was selected to become Recovery Girl's replacement, but I'm getting a late start to the game, aren't I?"
Izuku's gaze widened substantially at her last remark about getting started later.
His eyes lit up, a sense of understanding suddenly seeming to dawn on the boy. But something more was held in his gaze, something that Miya found somewhat strange; it felt as if he resonated with what she had said somehow.
"I'm going to start the healing process. It may tingle a little, but try to stay still." She informed him, to which he only nodded, seemingly dumbfounded by her earlier statement. "Let me know if you feel any discomfort."
Miya let her eyelids slide shut, willing her quirk to activate.
The energy flowed slowly, thick and warm through the pads of her fingertips and into the boy's body. The probing energy of her own life force painted a picture of the inside of her patient's finger in her mind. Every muscle, blood cell, and bit of bone was now mapped out for her behind her eyes.
She focused clearly, willing her energy to circulate within the area of the damaged finger.
The bone was broken all right, completely shattered. But what surprised her was not the gravity of the break, but something else entirely; all the muscles in his finger had been shredded as well, torn apart from the inside.
Miya halted the flow of energy when she felt the state of his body. His own body had done this to him, his own quirk had hurt him like this, imploding from within.
Something was off.
There was something very strange about his body and the power it held inside of it. She could not see it clearly, but it gave her the sensation of a tea cup overflowing. The energy from his quirk seemed to be barely contained by his own body, as if it were not his own or he did not have the ability to control it, like a shoe that didn't quite fit or steam escaping from a kettle.
She didn't have the right words to describe what she felt from his energy and life force, but she knew it was a feeling that was unnatural. She had never seen this before in any patient ever treated by her hands.
She pushed her thoughts and suspicions aside however, focusing instead on the job that needed to be done instead of the walking scientific mystery that was Midoriya Izuku.
She healed the bone first, regenerating the calcium and solid mass that would knit the two broken areas back together. The muscle was harder to accomplish, due to the stringy nature of ligaments and the blood cells and tissue that needed to be regenerated in the right shape and direction to weave back in to the original.
When she was done, she let her eyes flutter open again and glance at the clock on the wall.
Seven minutes and twenty seconds…not bad.
"Amazing-" Breathed the boy in wonder, bending his finger to test out the work. "It's like new, better than knew actually!"
Miya smiled at the praise as she reached into the pocket of her physician's coat for a handful of almonds she had stashed there. Doctor's coats were wonderful for all the pocket space. More space meant more room for snacks.
She had Izuku test out his newly healed finger for her while she scribbled in his chart and munched on almonds, all the while pondering upon what she had felt from his quirk inside his body.
She kept her thoughts to herself, though, making a mental note to do some research into the body's capacity to hold certain types of quirks and the backlash common with powerful quirks like his.
She would hold her tongue until she knew for sure.
The day continued normally, and Miya saw thirteen more patients until the school bells rang and students began filing down to the lobby and lockers to grab their shoes before heading home.
As students walked past the open door to the recovery ward, Miya lounged in one of the patient chairs, typing away on her laptop. UA used the same online filing and clinical system that the hospital had, which meant that she already had the software on her laptop.
She sucked at a mango juice box to help replenish her blood sugar as minutes ticked by, entering the day's clinical notes into the online system and updating the students' medical profiles with the problems they had come in with and what treatments she had seen fit to be administered.
All in all, it wasn't too different from clinical rotations at the hospital when she hadn't been on surgical or lab duty, minus the hectic environment of the ER of course. Except this time, she was mostly using her quirk instead of modern medicine to right the wrongs that had befallen the students' bodies. She smiled softly to herself as she typed away.
Using her quirk like this felt like she was somehow completing her identity, or giving into a more natural flow of how things ought to be.
What she had inherited from her parents was nothing short of a blessing, and she was now in a position where she was finally able to use that to society's gain. Not only was she helping others, but she was helping the next generation of those who would rise to become heroes. And those heroes would go on to help other people and inspire another generation of heroes after them.
It was like a chain of goodwill, and she was glad to be a part of it. It felt like she truly had purpose and drive now, which was something she had felt as though she had lacked for too long.
Miya had just finished updating Midoriya Izuku's information on his online patient chart when she had the sense to glance towards the clock.
When she saw the time on the wall, her heart nearly stopped.
Ten minutes after four, already ten minutes late to her training with Aizawa, and she hadn't even changed into her sports clothing yet. Her stomach sank as she recalled his grumpy attitude from earlier.
She shot out of her seat in a panic, nearly sending her laptop to the floor before she caught it last second.
Miya hardly got a 'goodbye' out to Recovery Girl, who was chuckling knowingly inside her office at her reaction, before she was out the door, sprinting towards the changing room as fast as her legs would carry her.
The world blurred as she all but tore off her clothing in a rushed frenzy and shoved it inside the locker she had been assigned inside the staff changing rooms, replacing her business casual attire with a standard tracksuit with the school's logo that she had been issued.
The exhausted man had made it clear not to be late, but here she was, giving him yet another bad impression by showing she was careless with her time and appointments. Miya was furious with herself, he truly must have come to the assumption that she was incapable by now, if he had not already.
She was out the door the second the laces on her tennis shoes were tied, running down the hallways and stairs like a madwoman. She barreled through the double doors that led towards the training grounds he had specified at lunch, grimacing when she found him there already.
Miya was huffing as she came to a stop a few meters from where he stood. His intense expression was still there, and it was clear he was not impressed.
"You're twenty minutes late." He droned, though she could hear the hint of annoyance underneath the tone that sounded otherwise bored or perhaps just tired. "Unacceptable."
"Aizawa-san, I'm sorry, I was working on clinical notes and lost track of–"
"No excuses." He interrupted, voice darkening. "A hero can't afford to arrive late to the scene. Tardiness will not be tolerated by me or by a villain, especially if somebody's life is at stake. Remember that."
"I – I will." She chewed her lip in uncertainty, unable to hold his gaze.
"Now that we understand each other," He continued, tone flat as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "You're going to run one kilometer for every minute you were late."
Miya balked, taking a step forward.
"Run?" She asked in disbelief. "But that's – that's twenty kilometers! It will take me hours, and I've never run more than five before…"
"Then I suggest you start running."
"You're serious?" She asked in a small tone, looking dubiously between him and the track that circled the training field.
He only sent her a look that dared her to argue again, one that looked dangerous and seemed to say 'do I look like I'm joking?'.
It was clear he was not joking, much to Miya's dismay.
"I warned you ahead of time that this wouldn't be easy." He reminded her, and she frowned at him openly this time. "It's only rational to begin with your strength and stamina before moving on. As a doctor, I'm sure you understand why."
Miya fought the urge to scowl at him, because she understood why indeed.
She wasn't particularly athletic or strong. Her calf muscles were decent from moving quickly throughout the hospital, and she was adequately flexible from a yoga class she took on Saturday afternoons, but that was the extent of it.
She wasn't strong, wasn't fast, and had little stamina for prolonged physical activity. And that meant that Aizawa was correct, this was the correct first step to take. She couldn't argue his logic, it was sound.
But twenty kilometers? I'll be puking before I reach ten…
Nevertheless, Miya straightened up, puffing her chest out in indignation and accepting his orders in an attempt to convey that she was up for the challenge.
"Fine." She replied curtly, before turning on her heels and beginning her first lap around the track.
.
.
Aizawa watched from his spot on the bleachers as she tripped again, this time landing flat on her face.
That one would have had to hurt.
It had been nearly three hours now and she had only made it fourteen kilometers, though she had already stopped to empty her stomach twice. She was now slowing down substantially. From what he had discerned thus far by observing her physical endurance was that it was disastrous at best.
He watched as she slowly pulled herself to her feet again and staggered forward another few paces before falling once more. She had reached her limit for the day it seemed.
He wasn't surprised, he hadn't expected her to be much of an athlete. She wasn't a hero, and therefor had no need before to push herself the way that she would now need to in order to catch up to the rest of them. He knew that doctors lived busy lives, so it was unlikely she had the time previously for something like this kind of training.
Luckily, this could be easily remedied. The human body could handle intense training like that, provided it was done in a healthy sequence.
It was obvious that she wasn't much of a runner, but she wasn't unfit. She may not have had a lot of stamina, but he could tell from the outline of her legs underneath the tracksuit that she had good muscle there, and most likely exercised on a light to moderate routine in her spare time.
It looked as though she took care of her body, he could tell by studying her physique. She had a form that was willowy and she moved her body with care and grace, almost like a dancer might. He had a sinking suspicion that this would serve her well in hand-to-hand combat when they started that part of her training.
He thought about it as he watched her, taking in how she moved her body as she ran, where she put her weight in her foot falls, and how she held herself as she moved forward.
Aizawa came to the conclusion after the first hour of watching her run that a fighting style based off of Aikido would be their best bet.
Her form looked like it wouldn't build too much muscle, so using a fighting technique that used one's own strength to overpower another was definitely out of the question.
She would be much better served by a fighting style based off of that old martial art, one that used an opponent's weight and movement against them without exerting much energy. Aikido was a gentle art, and flowed gracefully, much like how she already moved.
Her knowledge of the human body would also come in handy, she would know exactly where sensitive organs were located, or where bones might be the weakest for a possible attack. With that medical knowledge, it was possible she would be able to cultivate a unique and effective combat style that would be hard to defeat.
But that would take time, and lots of it. And before they could even start on that, she had to first build her stamina.
If no one else would order her to run until she dropped over the course of the upcoming weeks, he would personally see to it himself. Medical knowledge wouldn't save anybody from a villain, and she would need to build her physical strength and stamina up until she mastered a fighting technique and acquired some sort of accessory to help her in a fight.
Without an offense-based quirk, much like Aizawa himself, whose quirk could only incapacitate an opponent, people like them had to rely on hand-to-hand combat or battle accessories in order to gain an upper hand.
He certainly had his work cut out for him, but he now fully understood Nezu's decision to have him oversee her training personally.
It wasn't just about the fact that he had a knack for cultivating talent and pushing his students the hardest, it was also about the fact that he had been much like her when he began UA as well.
As a first year, he had needed to learn quickly how to find a unique combat style to blend with a quirk that was not offense-based so that he did not fall behind his peers. In his second year he had added his signature binding tools he wore around his neck to give him an edge and advantage. By his third year he had combined all three together to become one of the most well-rounded graduates their school had ever produced, even if it had taken a few more years to really get the hang of using the binding tools.
People like the both of them needed to work a little harder to keep up with the others, they needed to spend time and energy, shedding blood, sweat, and tears in order to find a unique fighting style that suited them.
Some were just born with amazing power, like All Might, Endeavor, or that new Bakugou student of his; but others, like Dr. Tanaka, who had a quirk not particularly useful in a fight, had to pave their own way and find ways to fill in the gaps as they went.
It was hard work, and she definitely had a long way to go. But he wouldn't have recommended her at all if he hadn't been certain that she possessed the drive needed to make it.
His face was impassive as he watched her fall again. This time, she did not get back up.
His gaze drifted to the sky, where the setting sun had turned the surrounding clouds a vivid orange. He supposed they could finish here for today. She had been running nonstop for three hours now, which was a decent workout for any pro hero.
"Alright Dr. Tanaka, we're done for the day." He called, lifting himself off the bleachers as he addressed the exhausted woman.
She did not move, only continuing to lay motionless on the ground where she had fallen.
His eyes narrowed as he started towards her, noting the rise and fall of her chest that indicated he hadn't accidentally killed her.
That would have been regrettable. He imagined it might have been hard to explain to Nezu that he had accidentally killed her by making her run until she kicked the bucket.
He squatted down next to her collapsed form when he reached her, peering down into a flushed and sweaty face.
"You're done for the day." He informed her, and her face scrunched distastefully at his voice. "I trust you won't be late tomorrow."
"I…won't…" She wheezed, features twisting painfully as she attempted speech between gasping breaths.
"Good." He affirmed blandly as he stood, brushing off imaginary dust from his pants. "Go home and take a shower, you stink."
She groaned as she picked herself up, staggering forward with uneven steps and panting harshly.
He slowed his pace to match hers, not out of an act of kindness or chivalry, but just to make sure she didn't keel over on her walk to the train station. He wasn't the most compassionate person in the world, but he could at least offer her that.
He also wanted her thoughts on a certain green-headed brat of his, he had made sure to tell the boy to see her specifically so that she could provide him with a medical opinion afterwards.
"When you're able to breath normally, I need to pick your brain about something." He informed her as they began a slow walk towards the train station.
She only grunted at him and nodded, continuing in silence. After another few minutes of leisurely walking and taking many deep breaths, she spoke.
"What did you want to talk about, Aizawa-san?" She asked, voice still hoarse but at least coherent.
He wasted no time getting to the issue. Wasting time by beating around the bush would have been irrational.
"Midoriya, you treated him today after I sent him to you. What damage did his quirk have on his body?" He demanded, glancing down at her to study her reaction.
She bit her lip and looked to the side, as if unsure how to respond. After what seemed to be a few moments of consideration, she responded.
"His finger was broken and his muscles were damaged." She offered, not going into the detail he had hoped for.
"Specifics, if you will. I have a right to the information as his homeroom teacher." He intoned, hoping she would see his logic. He shouldn't have had to explain that in the first place. "Give me your opinion as a doctor, don't leave out any details."
She sighed, looking at him from the corner of her eye before letting her gaze drift frontwards again.
"The muscles and ligaments in his finger were completely shredded, it was like they imploded from inside his own body. The bone wasn't just broken, it was shattered." Miya admitted with slight hesitation. "To my knowledge, that type of damage is extremely severe for somebody his age. If he's had almost a decade to work with it, he shouldn't have had that type of injury."
"I thought the same, that was why I sent him to you, specifically. Your quirk allows you an in-depth view of organic matter, so I have to ask –" He paused, coming to a stop and turning to face her. Miya turned as well, mimicking his action. "Is his quirk just not suited for his body, or is there something more to it?"
Miya crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Science made her feel comfortable. It offered sound reasoning and solid facts; but this was not something within the scientific realm, of that she was sure. She had no proof to back up the strange sensation she had gathered from Izuku earlier.
"I don't have any facts to confirm your suspicions, there's no way to know for sure. It's just a gut feeling." She said, and his eyes narrowed a small fraction.
"But you did feel something?" The sleepy looking man demanded, gaze and tone quite serious despite a casual posture.
"What I did or didn't feel doesn't equate to scientific fact. I can't offer you hard evidence if that's what you're looking for." She returned, sounding somewhat uncertain and uncomfortable.
"Tell me what you felt, we can worry about the science of it later." He demanded, and Miya's shoulders sank in defeat.
The young doctor hummed to herself, recalling to mind the odd sensation she had garnered and attempting to think of the right wording to phrase it so that he might understand.
"It felt…unnatural. Wrong, but right at the same time. I'm not sure how to explain it." She admitted, shifting her weight slightly and frowning softly. "It's like it doesn't fit somehow, or as if his body and quirk have developed separately from each other. They don't really match well."
"I see." He mumbled, the gears turning in his head as he started again. He heard her huff behind him before she caught up to his side once more. "I suspected the same. Thank you for your insight."
"If he was a patient of mine at the hospital I would have advised him against using it at all and admitted him for further testing. That quirk of his is dangerous, if he can't control it he's going to damage his body beyond anything I can repair." She stated seriously, and he gave her a somber nod in return.
"I'll keep it in mind."
They walked in silence after that, trudging towards the platform as the setting sun painted a myriad of colors throughout the sky.
Aizawa felt his lips tugging downwards as he thought about both his student with a quirk unsuited for his body, a class that was sure to bring him trouble, and the doctor at his side. It was going to be one heck of a busy year for him, of that he was sure.
But his efforts would pay off in the end, they always did.