Substitute Nightmare
Chapter 5: Beta Test
Working with All Might turned out to be a godsend. For the next several days, Ryan and the former symbol of peace worked together to improve Midoriya's strengths, and smooth out his weaknesses. His capabilities soared through the roof and by Monday the following week he had firm control over his quirk… at least in terms of power output.
With Midterms and the Sports Festival coming in close, Ryan thought it was about time she made good on her other promise. Once the bell rang for class to begin, she greeted Class 1A with a smug smile and enthusiasm.
"Alright everyone, as you know we've got some important events coming up, so classes will be put on hold in order for all the students to do some self study and festival prep. Now I know all of you are excited to participate, but I don't want you slacking on your grades." She paced around the room looking at each individual student. "I'm available for after school study sessions for anyone who might need a little extra help. I'm looking at you, Kaminari." She eyed the boy who shrunk in his seat.
"Aww man, why you gotta call me out like that, Miss Ry?"
"Because I know you need it." She gave him a playful slap on the top of his head with her clipboard. "I also want to encourage everyone to participate in study groups. Yaoyorozu, Iida, Bakugo… you three have the top academic scores from the entrance exam. I expect you to do your part and help out your other classmates."
"Hah?" Bakugo sneered. "Why the hell should I help any of these slackers?"
"Because I said so." She gently, but irritatingly, slapped him over and over on the head. "Also it's a hero's job to help others. If you truly want to be number one, Bakugou, you might want to start doing that a bit more often."
"Tch…" Bakugou seethed but didn't say anything else. As much as he hated it, the woman was a teacher and he couldn't lash out at a teacher.
"Now then…" She flipped a page on her clipboard. "Before I release you to your activities, I'd like each of you to take five minutes and think of where you'll be putting your time in. Once you have that figured out…" she set a paper on the board. "Write your name and where you'll be at. I'll be making the rounds to check on your progress."
A knock on the door made her pause and Ryan looked up to see Aizawa poke his head in.
"Seems we have a visitor who'd like to speak with our class."
"Oh?" Ryan placed a hand on her hip. "Who's our guest speaker?"
"Yo!" Hawks popped up behind Aizawa giving a friendly wave.
"Geh!" All the color drained out of Ryan's face and she broke the pencil in her hand.
"Is that Hawks!?" Kirishima whispered.
"It is! It's the number three hero, Hawks!"
"I didn't know he was an alumni." Ojirou rubbed his chin.
"He's not, according to interviews he was homeschooled." Izuku informed him.
"Then what the hell is he doing here?" Bakugou grunted as the chirpy hero strolled in and hooked an arm around Ryan.
"Sorry to interrupt your class. Hellcat and I are old friends, and I came to see how her new job is turning out." He grinned and grunted as Ryan elbowed him hard. "Ow! Geez, not so rough."
"You're too nosy for your own good…" she muttered and gripped him by the cheeks. "There's nothing exciting for you to see here Hawks. As it happens my students are prepping for tests and the Sports Festival, so if you don't mind-"
"The Sports Fest! Of course." He bopped a fist into his palm. "I'm looking forward to it. Mind if I hang out here, get a sneak preview of my future prospects?"
"YES I MIND!" Ryan sneered at him and returned to a whisper. "I know full well that's not why you're really here. Don't you dare get these kids involved in your little investigation about my-"
"Is there a problem, Hellcat?" Aizawa questioned suspiciously.
"No!" Ryan shoved her clipboard in Hawks face before he could speak. "I was just telling Hawks here that it was a bad time for him to come since the kids are gonna be training and need to concentrate and not get DISTRACTED… by his presence."
"I don't see the problem with him tagging along, so long as he's helpful and not distracting. Hawks is a top hero, the youngest of us to reach that rank. If anyone could give them good advice it would be him."
"So glad you see it that way, Eraserhead." Hawks shoved the clipboard back with a grin. Ryan tried to bottle up her anger, but the knot in her temple was hard to miss.
"This is my class, Hawks, and I don't think-"
"It's MY class, Ryan." Eraser reminded her. "You're merely helping out until I'm healed, or did you forget you're just a substitute?"
"For now..." The clipboard in Ryan's hand cracked under her firm grip. She plastered on a fake smile that was as deadly as the tip of a dagger. "Very well, Mr. Aizawa… if you think Hawks can enlighten the students, then I'm more than happy to bring him along."
"Good. I'll let Nezu know." Aizawa nodded to Hawks who waved to him. As the door closed again, Ryan immediately let out a huff.
"Take five minutes to decide where you'll be training, and be sure to write it down on the sheet before leaving. CLASS DISMISSED!" She grabbed Hawks by the arm and dragged him out of class. "I want a word with you in private."
"See you all soon." Hawks told the class, then jerked as Ryan pulled him all the way to the teacher's lounge. She shut the door behind them, locked it, and whirled around to punch him in the face.
"You arrogant son of a bitch!"
"Owowowow… I deserved that, but you haven't been giving me much of a choice. I was ordered to keep my eye on you, Ryan, and since you spent the majority of your time here then-"
"That's because I'm WORKING you bird brain!" She growled and cracked her knuckles ready to pop him again. "Why is it so hard for you and those who hold your leash, to accept that I'm just trying to be a good teacher?"
"I don't find it that hard to believe, but the Committee is a little harder to convince." He plopped onto the couch. "Besides, it's a little strange that the entire time you've been here you haven't gone on a single outside job. Even the regular staff here at U.A. have their own agencies and take the occasional patrol."
"Well for starters I don't have as much free time on my hands. I not only handle Class 1A but I also take on several of the other courses, so I have to be on call at all times. Secondly in case you haven't noticed, I'm wearing suits and professional wear because my costume is currently undergoing some changes in order to accomodate Japan's dress code, and firearm laws."
"Good point… and the third?" He asked, knowing there was more.
"The third…" was that she needed every extra second she had to investigate Nezu's case. Not that she could tell him that. So instead she used her fourth reason. "I didn't want to see you."
"Oooh ouch…" He rubbed his heart as if wounded. "I'm hurt, kitten."
"Oh please," She rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. "You can accompany me today since Aizawa was right. This is an opportunity for my students to get advice from a leading top hero, so it'd be stupid to send you off due to my personal reasons."
"Well I'm flattered, and grateful, Miss Clark." He stood back up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Trust me, I won't be in the way."
"Why don't I trust those words?" She shrugged him off and glanced back. When he only smiled cheerfully Ryan rolled her eyes and stepped out. She collected the sheet from the classroom; eyed each of the departments the students had listed. "Hmmm looks like the majority of the students are gonna be here on the main campus. We'll start at ground Beta where Midoriya is, then work towards grounds Gamma and Omega, hit the training fields, pool, and gym and finally USJ where Ashido, Aoyama, and Uraraka will be.
"Sounds like fun…"
~Ground Beta~
Hawks and Ryan spotted All Might sitting on the edge of a car as Midoriya used his quirk to get around the city in a makeshift obstacle course that she had set up for him. Beside him was a large cooler of water bottles for rehydration, and a video screen showing every inch of the course. Ryan had to smile, and applauded as Midoriya crossed the finish line in record timing.
"Your skill level has improved by leaps and bounds Midoriya." All Might complimented and held up the stop watch for him to see.
"Thank you so much!" Midoriya bowed and turned to Hawks and Ryan, looking flushed and nervous. "Hello Miss Ryan, Mr. Hawks."
"Just Hawks, thanks. You got some incredible speed there, Midroiya." He complimented.
"I agree, keep this up and you'll have pick of the litter come internship time." Ryan grinned.
"Thanks Miss Ryan, I appreciate your suggestion and the time you spent with me on this." He bowed to her respectfully. "It means a lot to me."
"Hey all I did was say I wanted an omelette." Ryan held out her hands. You're the one who took it in a weird, but effective direction."
"Agreed, the merit is yours young Midoriya…" All Might ruffled his curls. "...Keep it up."
"Yes Sir!"
"Omelette?" Hawks whispered and had Ryan turning blue.
"Long story, even I don't know how he went from point A to point Z." She laughed and smiled at her bright pupil. "So Midoriya, any questions for me, or Hawks?"
"Tons, actually. Would you mind if I asked you a few, Miss Ryan?" He poked his fingers together nervously.
"Sure." She shrugged, not seeing the harm.
"How come you don't want me showing off my new abilities in front of my classmates? Wasn't the whole point of improving to keep me from injuring myself?"
Good question, Hawks thought and shifted his eyes to Ryan who remained cool and confident as she spoke.
"Yes, the whole point in helping you improve was to ensure you wouldn't hurt yourself... but I don't want you to just settle for improvement, Midoriya." She stepped up to him and lay a hand on his shoulder. "You've got the potential to be the best in your class, but you tend to settle once reaching a safe goal. Tact and ambiguity will be the key points to help you succeed in surpassing mediocrity."
"I… see…" he replied, but at his blank stare Ryan knew he hadn't quite grasped what she meant.
"Hmmm how should I put it?" She rubbed the back of her head. "Let's just say… a person's quirk is only as strong as its anonymity."
"Oh? How so?"
"I see what you're getting at, Kitten." Hawks interjected. Ignoring her sour look at the nickname, he addressed Midoriya. "Utilizing your quirk is essential to its success, but so is knowing WHEN to use it."
"Yes..." Ryan picked up a water bottle from the cooler, and tossed it to Izuku to drink. "Most heroes stay in the D class ranking because they rely too heavily on their quirks to get the job done. A top hero can utilize everything at their disposal and save their quirk as a last resort."
"I see, but…" Izuku glanced up at All Might then back to Ryan. "I was told that having a quirk is vital to hero work, and that it's irresponsible to think otherwise." He recalled the conversation he'd had with All Might. The teacher in question lowered his head.
"It's definitely a lot safer to be in this business if you have a quirk. Most if not all villains possess dangerous and life threatening quirks and the easiest way to combat them is to have one of your own. However...what a lot of people forget is that heroes can't pick and choose their cases. If you're a hero on duty and you come across a villain who's a bad match for you, then you need to find other methods of combating them until backup arrives."
"You teacher's right." Hawks agreed. "Every hero should be well rounded, and prepared for every kind of scenario. In order to be a top hero, it's essential."
"That does make a lot of sense." Izuku had to agree. "Quirks also have limitations… they're not always reliable in combat."
"Exactly." Ryan nodded her head. "Honestly, Izuku if you give someone the right training, and equipment to make up for their weaknesses then even someone who's Quirkless can become a good hero."
"Eh?" Izuku focused on that single sentence. All Might too looked at her with some astonishment. Despite their best efforts tears spilled from both of their eyes. Ryan caught the look and jerked upwards.
"What? Midoriya? All Might? Are you okay? Was it something I said?"
"No… no… I'm fine I don't know why I'm crying…" he wiped them away and sniffled.
"Just something in my eye…" All Might excused and rubbed his arm over his eyes.
"You sure I didn't say something that upset you guys?"
"No… just the opposite." Izuku smiled tearily at her. "I'm happy."
"I'm really glad you came to teach here." All Might pulled her into a right one arm hug that had her squirming. "Even as a teacher, I've learned so much from you."
Hawks watched the scene with some astonishment. The Number one Hero was giving Ryan praise for her teaching credentials… Well wasn't that a kick in the ass?
"Alright… okay… you can let go now!" Ryan pat his arm her face turning blue. Once renewed she coughed and rubbed her thrust. "Okay break time is over. Let's put that philosophy into practice." Ryan removed her jacket and tossed it at Hawks who caught it on the fly. She stretched her body out in a few lunges then pointed to the building ahead of them. "Midoriya, how likely are you to scale this building without the use of your quirk?"
"Eh? Ah…" He rubbed the back of his head laughing. "Highly unlikely. "
"Are you sure about that?" She squatted a few times then made a mad dash for it. With cat-like agility she leapt up a single story, and used the bars of a balcony to boost herself upward. She jumped from ledge to ledge pausing only briefly to recheck her balance before climbing again. Midoriya watched this in awe, his hands fisted and his mind mentally taming notes of her movements. Once at the top Ryan let out a small sigh of exertion and wiped the sweat away from her brow before turning around and smirking down.
"Holy Whoa!" Midoriya spoke with utter awe. "That was amazing! "I didn't think it was possible to scale something like that without some sort of grappling device."
"You should see her out on the field." Hawks pat his head then bent down to speak in his ear. "Just because something is highly unlikely doesn't mean it's impossible."
"Wow!" He raced over to Ryan when she climbed down using the fire escape ladder. "Where did you learn those techniques?"
"Boot camp…" She replied and dusted her hands off. "My father was part of the U.S. Hero Militia. He taught me a great deal before I enlisted."
"I didn't know you were in the military." All Might raised a brow.
"I was… and it served me well for the most part. Toughened my skin." She beat a hand over her heart.
"How does that work exactly? The Military branches?" Izuku questioned, writing on his hand with a finger as if to take notes.
"It's volunteer based. You can sign up right out of high school, or even be prepped for it early on. All trainees go to the same camp for one year of basic training. Once that's completed there's five different sectors to choose from. The Navy specializes in water rescue and coastal patrol. The Air Force handles aerial combat and item testing. The Army is essentially the face of the hero Militia, and are first responders to national emergencies whether its combat, rescue, or medical response. The National Guard is America's primary for defense against foreign hostility. We're talking about the big guns, the All Mights of American forces. Then there's the Marines, who handle all covert and undercover missions. That was my choice, and I served for three years before I was let go under false pretenses."
"Why? What happened?" All Might asked.
"She was dishonorably discharged after beating the crap out of her superior officer." Hawks informed.
"Whoa, seriously?" Izuku blinked.
"We had what he'd call a minor disagreement and misunderstanding, and what I would call physically assaulting a woman, and abusing his power over his subordinate."
"Oh my god, that's horrible. Was he also discharged?" Izuku wondered.
"Nope, unfortunately the justice system didn't see fit to recognize my side of the story and turned in favor of seniority and male genitalia." She slugged Hawks on the arm before he could say anything more. "I got over it… took some sidekick jobs and worked directly under the government for a time, then finally broke out on my own."
"A turn for the better I'd say." Hawks offered her back her jacket. She accepted it with a small smile and put it on.
"Alright Midoriya, it's your turn."
"Mine?" Izuku pointed to himself.
"Yep." She motioned him over with a crook of her finger. She pointed towards the building ahead of her. "Just think of it as a big jungle gym, and use everything at your disposal. The trash cans, window ledges, iron grates… and put your strength in here." She placed a hand firmly on his stomach. "This is your core… lift from here instead of relying strictly on your arms and legs. Instead use your whole body."
"Got it." He nodded and crouched down to get a good running start.
"Ready… and go!" Ryan called out and Izuku raced forward. He recalled every movement Ryan had made, and decided to mimic and match her movements to the best of his abilities. He jumped atop the trashcan and leapt upwards reaching for the bar, but missed by a few inches.
"Eh? GAH!" He landed back onto the pavement, tripping and sprawling into the ally. Ryan winced, and Hawks held back a laugh from behind his glove.
"Ah well… practice makes perfect. He'll get it." She winced again when Izuku went for a second try and crashed through an open window. "Eventually."
~Later~
Hawks joined Ryan through the rest of the patrol. Not only was he impressed by her students, but he was impressed by her. Each member of Class 1A seemed to respect her. Even Bakugou, who was the most surly of the lot, listened to her advice and took what she had to say to heart.
"You surprised me."
"In what way?" She asked with a curious brow raised.
"I honestly didn't expect you to be so good at this." Hawks admitted sticking his hands in his pockets. "I was wrong… the committee was wrong too. You seem to fit here."
"I'm glad you're finally starting to see that." She motioned him back into the teacher's lounge. "I'll make us some tea. I've got after school study sessions with my class so I won't be home until late. We should go over any questions you have now."
"Alright." He took a seat on the couch, waited patiently for her to fix up the tea. While he waited, he took stock of her, watched her stretch up on those gorgeous legs to reach a cabinet in the adjoining little kitchen to get the tea packets. "You're usually pretty tight lipped about your past. How come you told Midoriya straight up?"
"Hmmm…" Her hands stilled on the kettle she was putting water in. Her eyes went distant and she cleared her throat. "I'm not entirely sure. I guess I just felt comfortable telling him about it. Midoriya's a curious boy, but he's also smart and considerate. He'd know to back off if I was uncomfortable telling him anything."
"You're really fond of him, I can tell. Any particular reason why you and All Might favor him over the others?"
"Do I favor him?" She should have figured he'd pick up on that. "Huh, well I don't know about All Might but… I guess I do spend more time with Midoriya than my other students. He is extremely talented, and has tons of potential. He had a hard time controlling his quirk, and so I gave him some advice and helped him out after class a few times to get him up to speed."
"Is that all?"
"There's more, but it's not my place to say." She brought back the tea. "That's for All Might to tell. At any rate I wouldn't call Midoriya my favorite student. He takes a backseat to another kid." She set the tray down, and because she knew he'd bug her until she did so, she sat down beside him on the couch.
"Oh? Which one?"
"You haven't met him yet. He's not part of class 1A." She picked up her cup of tea and ran it through both of her hands smiling thoughtfully. "His name is Shinso Hitoshi, and he's a general education student."
"He's a GED? Why the interest then?"
"He wants to transfer to the hero program, and needs to perform well at the Festival to prove he's capable. He and I have similar quirks, and I just know if given the chance I could mold him into a great hero." She sipped her tea and sighed. "I actually would love to pair him and Midoriya up together for a joint session. The two could learn a great deal from each other."
"So why don't you?" Hawks turned a little with his cup and sipped. He eyed her over the rim, watching her face slightly change in reaction.
"It's not that simple. Shinsou's not really my student, so I can't just pull him out of class and have him participate in-" she paused as a thought occurred to her. Her smile suddenly bloomed and she turned to him. "That's it!"
"What's it. WHOA!" Hawks held his tea out as she jumped over on him and planted a big kiss to his lips.
"MWAH!" She clasped his face in both her hands. "You may be irritating, but damn it if you don't give me some of the best ideas! I gotta go talk to the principal. Go ahead and finish your tea, but we'll have to finish this powwow another time."
She immediately got up and rushed out. Hawks blinked a few times, and had to laugh.
"Whew, and people call me fast." He eyed the tea curiously now. "Just what kind of tea did she brew?"
~Principle's Office~
Nezu looked up from his laptop and stood up sending a beaming smile to Ryan who hurried in.
"Well now, you look energetic today Ryan. Any progress with the case?"
"Not a lot, no, but I'm checking every angle. I'll have more for you once I get my costume in and I can start doing some outside snooping." She leaned on the desk. "I have a proposition, Nezu, one that I think will benefit many of your students."
"Oh? What kind of proposition is that?"
Ryan's smile came quick and smug.
"I propose... a joint practice session."
~Ask Briry~
Briry: Sorry about the long delay in posting. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to more.
Next Chapter: Izuku and Shinso