It was hard to give any focus to Aizawa as he detailed the plans out for their training for the day. Kairi discreetly attempted to scroll through news about the QuirKey members. Not everyone who had worked for the company had been there the night they tried to "investigate". Some were serving long sentences, others shorter ones, and a few were just given probation depending on their involvement and positions. Those who had been "given" quirks through the program saw them begin to lessen in power, much to their dismay. It seemed the technology had been "rolled out" too quickly and didn't stick. She let out a deep breath as relief washed over her. The one who had her quirk would no longer have it and people would no longer be subjected to the consequences it brought, outside of herself. Still, the news updates continued to carry her through a deep dive of opinion pieces, people arguing if this marketed the beginning of a technology that would soon come to light, if this new science was ethical, how long it would be til it was perfected for use, the implications of it all. Just as had been discussed before, people brought forth their views discussing why this was a good thing or not, and it only continued. More respectable journalists shared their pieces, and it ventured into blogs and even social media posts. Everyone from the most educated person to an ill-informed conspiracy nut seemed to have an opinion on the matter.
"Hoshino, if I have to say it one more time, I am going to confiscate your phone for the rest of the day!" blurted Aizawa as he glared from the front of the room. Embarrassment fell on her and she quickly tugged it away into her bag.
"Sorry," she whispered quickly. With one last hard glance, he returned to his instruction as he addressed the rest of the room.
"As I was saying, we are going to focus our training on rescue tactics. You have all clearly have shown the resolve to go against villains and opponents." Kairi slid down in her seat as his words bore down on her. Truth didn't ring through as guilt restricted her. While he made no indication of singling anyone out or gesture in her direction that she was excluded from that comment, her own self esteem reminded her of the lack of physical capabilities or combat training she had. "We have covered some basic survival and rescue tactics in the past and emphasized the importance of it. Some of you have even picked up on a few things without any teaching." Aizawa's eyes did fall in her direction this time. Her body rippled with a gentle pride as she sunk lower in her seat. "But a hero needs every tool possible to save every person they possibly can. So I apologize; while the next few class days may seem more mundane and boring to you, it is vital to being a hero to understand how to attend to a person in need or protecting and survival. If a person is in danger, you need to have the tools to get them out of that danger whether it be a villain, a fire, a landslide, a cave-in, or if they are in a violent home situation." A hand shot up from among the class. Aizawa looked over in Kaminari's direction.
"Isn't that something emergency services are trained in?" he asked.
"Very true indeed. I am not asking you to know how to perform surgery here; nor am I telling you that you shall be the ones responsible for putting out a fire. Only certain heroes have been licensed to help in extinguish fires and firefighters who are of course, heroes in their own right. What I am saying is, in those moments while you wait for an ambulance or the police to arrive, those could be the most critical. You have some minimal knowledge in first aid thanks to our brief coverage of it. However, it is also important for all heroes to be First Responders to a situation. You will need to stop someone from bleeding out as minutes could be the difference between life or death, for example."
"How much stuff can there be? Isn't everything pretty basic knowledge? Some tourniquets, CPR?" Sero asked, after raising his hand to draw the attention of the teacher.
"That's a part of it and it's true that you will be taught that," Aizawa said, leaning against the edge of his desk. "However, there are other things that are important to know. For example, we will be working to extend how long you can hold your breath." Kairi twitched. "There may be moments when you need to respond to a drowning victim, and you will need to hold your breath as long as you can. A few seconds can make all the difference. First Responders, hero and non-hero alike, will also need to demonstrate compassion and understanding to keep victims calm and willing to listen. Panic can also cause damage that you would normally never expect. It is also essential for you to learn to remain calm in being in a first responder situation. If you are panicking, then you will not be equipped to handle the situation."
Homeroom ended shortly after his informing before he asked everyone to follow him along out of the room. Once more, he lead the class to weave through the hallways and towards one of the smaller recreational stadiums the school had. With the comment that they wouldn't need to stop at their lockers for their hero suits, he lead them all inside. Standing before them was All Might, dressed in a suit, and Thirteen in her white hero suit and black helmet. Spread out on the floor were over twenty semi-realistic mannequin torsos with the floppiest looking limbs. Their expressions were horrifically lifeless as if their souls were drained and took something else with them while they cried out in pain. The sight was shocking, seeing a bunch of bland rubber faces looking out at them all. A chill ran through Kairi as she looked on.
"I apologize class won't be nearly as exciting as it usually is when you're taken to a gym," Thirteen began, standing proudly before them. "However, these rescue courses will be just as important and serve you well as heroes. For these exercises, I would advise you to choose a partner and then sit next to each other on the floor, each one of you taking your own mannequins. They look startling, I know, but I promise they are meant to be devices useful for this lesson."
Kirishima held up a hand. Thirteen and All Might both nodded to him.
"All Might, is it really necessary to learn all this stuff? I mean, did you really need to learn some of this stuff so indepthly? You were a fighting hero, after all."
"That is true," he answered. "There were many times when I worked with a partner or a sidekick so someone could attend to the victim while I fought, or they would fight alongside me. There were also times when we were both required to help the victim or I was alone and needed to do some quick first aid beyond cleaning wounds. Sometimes you can't help but respond to situations alone, but this is one of the many reasons it's important to have a partner when you're a fully licensed hero. I did use these knowledges, many times. Learning about rescue methods served me well when I was serving as a hero."
"And that's exactly why it's important. As Mr. Aizawa already explained in your room, the few minutes between waiting for emergency services are vital and you will need to know some details to make sure the victim gets the best care possible. Today we are just going to learn the basics. I will give you a moment to choose your partners and mannequins."
Shoto was already pushing his way over to Kairi. The enthusiasm which moved him also caused a rise of heat to Kairi's cheeks and the strangest flopping in her stomach. Liking him was an exhilarating pain at times, especially now that they were out in the open with each other.
"Hey," she giggled. His smile erupted his face in brilliance. The class was quick in knowing who to choose for partners and efficient in taking their spots in front of the disturbing mannequins.
"These things are terrifying," Shoto whispered, wrinkling his nose as they got a closer look at their "victims" laying before them.
"I think my mannequin is already dead," Kairi said. She pointed to the discoloration on its face. "The eyes look lifeless and there's no color to those lips." Shoto quickly placed a hand to his mouth, preventing a laugh from escaping.
"If a person collapses, the first thing to check is their vitals. You'll need to find their pulse and count it to make sure it's normal. Out of curiosity, does anyone know what the normal heartrate is?" A few hands among the group shot up, including Kairi and Shoto's. "Asui?"
"Seventy?" she guessed.
"That is correct," Thirteen said. "Seventy is a good answer, you want to pulse to be anywhere between sixty and a hundred beats per minute. There are many factors to take into account with pulse such as age, weight, emotions one may be feeling, medications the victim is on, how fit someone is, if they smoke, and other attributes. For example, someone who is incredibly muscular might be around forty beats per minute. However, if your pulse is really outside of that range, that might be cause for concern. There are several places on your body you can take a pulse, but there are two efficient ways." Thirteen continued, demonstrating on All Might where two place two fingers – neck and wrist – to find a good read on one's pulse. After the short demonstration, she sent the class loose in finding their partner's pulse.
Kairi moved quickly, pressing her fingers to the inside of Shoto's wrist first. Even as she tried to keep her focus and mutter the timing under her breth, her own pulse was heightening. Gentle enough to be involuntary, Shoto's fingers curled and stroked her own as her worked. Shuddering, the young girl jerked her hand away before fidgeting with her hands in her lap.
"Um, 68... that's good, um, you're alive." He chuckled, the noise a warm melody.
"Oh, so you were concerned?" he asked. Kairi shook her head, gnawing on the edge of the lip. Before embarrassment clouded her emotions again, she moved closer and pressed her fingers to his neck. Having to be this close to his face, feeling the heat of his breath between the narrow space; her spirit was spiraling erratically. The pressure behind her chest pained her as it clawed to get out. Underneath her fingers, the gentle thumping seemed to increase slightly. His eyes held tightly onto hers, the two of them shocking electric with their gazes. Quickly completing caused Kairi to draw away again, balling her fists in her lap.
"76," she replayed.
"It... went up," Shoto swallowed, slightly nervous. She wrung her fingers together, a grin cutting into the rounded rosy cheeks she had.
"Yeah, I felt it go up."
"I can't find your pulse, are you dead?!" cried Hagakure from somewhere behind them.
"That's too low on the wrist!" called Yuga from the other side of them. Kairi snorted, hearing the sounds of their students struggling to find other's pulses. Yet, as amusing as they were, they still drowned out. Shoto laid his own hand against her wrists. The touch felt more intimate than it was meant to be, his heat seeping against her own. The heavily fluttering sped wildly through her soul, singing rapturously as the contact it was receiving.
"96..." he mumbled just before he returned to place a hand against her neck. Her breath caught at the moment he pressed a careful touch to her. Just as he did, the sound of blood banging in her ear hurried. Her chest thundered with her ecstatic nerves, a thousand birds at play with jubilance. "Why is that one 108?"
"Because, erm..." There was no hiding the deepness of her blush in her face. Shw wrung her hands together as her voice flattened. "You made my pulse... go up." Shoto coughed, reaching to pull at the tie around his neck.
"Oh, eh... I see." He coughed again. Most of the class was finally just finding each other's wrist pulse, having a harder time locating the pulse on each other's necks. Thirteen strode over to Shoto and Kairi, facing down at them as they awkwardly waited on the floor.
"Have you two finished already?" Kairi nodded, along with Shoto. "I guess that's no surprise, you've used this before right, Hoshino?" She blushed and nodded.
"Yeah, my dad is licensed in being a first responder. He taught me some things at home."
"Would you mind helping to demonstrating proper chest compressions procedure?" As high as it was, her pulse seemed to stop, freezing with the rest of her.
"Wh... huh?"
"I don't mean to put you on the spot, Hoshino. Feel free to say no. You just performed CPR expertly on Todoroki this summer, and I know you know this stuff. It's up to you of course, but I think it would be a great help if you helped me in showing how it's done." Automatically, she turned to look in Shoto's direction, as if she was looking for approval. He gave him a supportive smile. Kairi swallowed, an attempt to push away the rising anxiety.
"Okay," she agreed. It was impossible to tell with Thirteen's oversized helmet, but there was a feeling as if she was smiling. Once their teacher took another walk around and discovered everyone had properly found each other's pulses, she returned to the front and began to instruction on CPR. She displayed the mannequins they had in front of them, showing how they inflated with air and made a clicking noise when enough pressure was exerted onto them for chest compress. After the brief overview, she motioned to Kairi. Shoto squeezed her hand quickly, an encouraging twinkle in his mismatched eyes to fall. At his look, the tightness in her fell away. Courage fell into its place as she carried her mannequin to the front. Flawlessly, she performed expert CPR and resuscitation to the rubber doll in the proper timing.
"That's a lucky doll..." came a whisper from Mineta in the back. She tried to avoid Shoto's beaming grin, reserved just for her to see. She flooded with pink again.
"Well, she has real life experience," Bakugo called out, seemingly bored of the class.
"I'm not glad that I had to use it in real life," she reminded him quietly.
"If the mannequin is responding properly, then you are doing it properly," Thirteen calmly replied. Mineta's hand shot up among the crowd. "Yes, Mr. Mineta?"
"Wouldn't some real life practice be most beneficial?" Anger growled in Kairi's gut.
"On a person?" Thirteen repeated. As Mineta enthusiastically nodded, she put her hands on her hips. The atmosphere thickened with the sense she was narrowing her eyes. "Not only would that be dangerous to practice CPR on someone who isn't in need of it, resuscitation is considered an assault without a person's permission!"
"Wait, it is?" asked Iida. "So if the person is passed out and they can't give their permission, we would be in the wrong to try and revive them?"
"No, that's when informed consent comes into play. If they are currently aware but are having heart trouble, for example and can't breathe, you ask them if you can perform CPR. Maybe they say no, in which case you simply wait for them to pass out. If they pass out then the informed consent law is valid and you can perform CPR on them. There are laws that will protect you should they decide for some reason they didn't want you to give them life saving resuscitation. Laws that will show you were doing it to save their life." Kairi nodded, aware of Thirteen's instruction. Shoto raised a brow, recognizing her acknowledgement.
The class continued, long enough until everyone had shown they had been able to figure out to properly give CPR to their mannequins. After a quick cleaning, the mannequins had been cleared away with the reminder they would be returning to CPR instruction on occasion, for refreshers and updates. Thirteen continuing, giving them a brief overview of how a defibrillator unit is used, reminding them the instructions for the use was labeled in every wall unit. Kairi nodded along. Her hurrying mind gripped onto each word, turning it over in her mind as she deeply analyzed every angle. Finally, her hand shot straight up. Thirteen looked over her direction.
"Yes, Ms. Hoshino?"
"Okay, I know this is a bit off topic as we're dealing with resuscitating victims but since it's something we might see as heroes," she began, excitement guiding her voice. Shoto spun to look at her, eyes amplified by the surprise of how enthused she seemed to be to speak up. It wasn't often she did so, and she almost never spoke with such passion in her voice in class. "But there may be times when a victim is really badly hurt. What about tourniquets? How badly hurt does someone have to be to use one? I assume that may be something that might happen someday."
"You're correct, to be sure," Thirteen began slowly, holding up a cautionary finger. "We will get there, for sure. But we are going to be covering the most basic of things to know to begin with. To answer your question now, however, tourniquets can be really dangerous and cause more damage than help. A tourniquet should only be applied if it's a life or limb situation. Is this person in danger of dying of infection or blood loss if I don't use a tourniquet? If the answer is yes, then you use one. But if you can prevent infection or stop blood flow first, then do that."
As Thirteen answered her question, Shoto carefully watched the way Kairi nodded through each word. Her warm eyes lit with each response, as if she were committing it to memory. There was a glow about her, one that he had recalled seeing when she would go on one of her passionate fan-fueled discussions again, or the way she looked at him while he was speaking... the way she just lit up whenever she found something she was truly interested in. He continued to watch as Thirteen went over first aid materials that every hero should have on their person, and explained how to use an epinephrine pen.
"What was that?" Shoto asked.
"What was what?"
"You usually remain quiet for the most part in class." She shrugged.
"I felt like speaking my mind and asking a question for once," she replied, frowning with confusion by his question. As normal as it had seemed to her, he couldn't help but smile. Somewhere in Thirteen's teaching, something clicked and sparked a brand new interest in her. Rescuer indeed.
