Shota Aizawa had seen and dealt with the worst humanity had to offer. Broken lives, back-alley deals, and bisected bodies. All routine for him at this point. He knew how vicious people could be, and as such, he needed to learn how to deal with the dark gruesome underbelly of society if he wanted to make it out alive. Whether it be to develop his combat beyond his specialties, or to rethink and overthink alternatives. These had saved his life and the lives of many others multiple times. So, in his eyes, underneath the underneath was the first place to look.
The sun was setting on the roads outside the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. His arm was in a makeshift sling, set there as a placeholder until he returned to U.A. to receive Recovery Girl's services. Earlier, the students had been sent home after recounting their experiences of the attack to law enforcement, with the problem child Midoriya's return to the U.A. infirmary for his broken finger being the exception. All in all, the class got out of the experience with minimal harm done to them. All of 1-A told similar stories of how the situation unfolded from their perspective.
Except one.
One student had the opportunity and the sense of mind to call for backup and save the day. Rikido Sato. The top scorer on the regular entrance exam. The number one placer on his physical exam. The student who completed the combat trials in record time. Among celebrated prodigies and hero legacies, an unknown teenager with a seemingly underwhelming quirk was the closest to being a hero.
Yet, the counterattack from earlier... went too smoothly. It was a miracle that nobody got hurt worse. Which is exactly why he couldn't accept it. Aizawa wasn't one to count his lucky stars. In his eyes, everything happened for a reason, and every phenomenon had a series of events to trace back to. While it was entirely possible that all parties involved were innocent, that Fortuna smiled on 1-A today...
It was in his essence to at least consider the possibilities. To at least ask what if.
Even Detective Tsukauchi, the one heading the investigation, hadn't seen it prudent to interview the students. As detail-oriented as he was, after checking every corner of the school, he only questioned criminals and teachers. Interrogating minors hadn't come into play. Aizawa didn't have that privilege of being selective with his scepticism. It was his prerogative to second guess and suspect. Such was the nature of the underground and its heroes.
"...Things lined up perfectly, didn't they?" Aizawa muttered privately to Nezu, who had been watching officers move the unresponsive black monstrosity they found in a grove of trees into the back of a police van. He knew Nezu would understand what he was implying. If Aizawa reached a certain possibility, he knew Nezu had already come up with twenty just like it.
"Yes, they did." The mouse-bear replied, calm as could be.
"...Was it just plain luck and a hunch? If not... how much of it was premeditated? A lot of conveniences at work here, Nezu."
Nezu's face didn't shift one bit, so the homeroom teacher continued, "The timing of his departure... favourable... The phone that he brought, suitable… the bus he caught before it departed, possible… the manner at which he informed you, impeccable… And the fact he brought the villains' target to them, and how he avoided the communication disruption... convenient... All very convenient... Just what do we know of Sato Rikido?"
"A promising student, with a transparent past. Impressive middle school marks, confirmed place of residence, traceable schedule, and a supportive family. All signs pointing towards a model U.A. freshman." The principal listed nonchalantly. So, Nezu had covered all his bases. Probably as early as the entrance exam's conclusion. The mouse had determined he was too interesting an applicant not to screen.
"...Yes, he is a good student, if self-assured and visceral. He has a bright future as a hero one day... That is, if he truly pursues it... Is there any possibility that he was a factor in the attack today? That he worked with the villains to administer All Might's defeat?" Aizawa proposed.
Aizawa was aware his accusations were far-fetched and frankly absurd, but it was intentional. It was byplay common to his conversations with Nezu. He gave all the possibilities and extreme assumptions he didn't give much stock to, and Nezu tempered them with logic and reasoning that Aizawa agreed with so they both reached the most rational conclusions.
"Yet nothing he did was a net positive in favour of the enemy. Yes, many stars aligned for the call to take place, and customary suspicion of the circumstances is warranted... But to what end would his actions have been detrimental to us? His call summoned All Might to their ambush, yes, but it summoned every other pro hero available as well. It effectively got hundreds of criminals detained and this 'League of Villains' to suffer crippling losses without upside. In addition, reports from his peers show that he incapacitated many criminals himself, and was the saviour in a hostage situation that occurred." Nezu elaborated, still uninterested in tearing his gaze away from the police contingent.
Aizawa had no response for that yet. He had been considering it since he had the thought to suspect his student. If Sato had any malicious intentions for U.A., why would he sabotage the entire attack? Why save its students? A long con? But a long con could have continued if he just kept his head down and stuck with the others. In fact, keeping his head down and staying with the class would have been more beneficial for him, as he wouldn't be singled out in any way. A grab for power by weakening competing villains? But that hardly ever worked out well for the underminer, as more established criminals filled the gaps quick, especially if the one trying to capitalize on a power vacuum was as inexperienced as a fifteen-year-old would be. In addition to this, ever since All Might's emergence, villains didn't tend to go out of each other's way to step on each other's toes. Less villains consequently allowed for more heroes to be focused on those remaining. Was it a settlement on a personal grudge?
As he was mulling over the possibilities, Nezu carried on with voicing his take on the matter.
"Yes, many things were astronomically convenient. The timings were questionable, and the actions taken were remarkably appropriate. I'm not even certain if the reasoning he gave for recognizing the villain attack was valid." Nezu gave a small pause for dramatic effect, "However, I choose to see the best in my students, Aizawa. What Mr. Sato did today... might have saved the lives of all present, yours included. Without his intervention, I'm afraid we would be sending home body bags, not children."
The grim reminder gave Aizawa pause, and he was sure the distaste could be seen from his face.
The mass of street villains he faced earlier were untrained and uncoordinated. For a seasoned veteran, even one not conventionally equipped to deal with groups, they were simple targets to disable, if a bit concerning in number. But... the mastermind of the attack, Tomura he was called, had brought along an ace up his sleeve, the so-called 'Nomu'... Even after erasing thething's quirk, it fought almost toe to toe with the World's Strongest Hero, demonstrating its unreal power inherent to its biology and composition. If All Might and the rest of his colleagues were not there, there would be nothing to stop its rampage. The moment the boy mastermind decided to utilize his pet in the attack, Aizawa would have confronted it to protect his students. And would have died for it.
"He did us all a service. Suspicion of events is warranted, but anything more is paranoia taking the wheel. We have no evidence to suggest foul play on his part. For now, we be thankful for the chips falling where they did. The truth of the situation will come to light eventually, but today, we go home safe and victorious."
Looking up at Eraserhead for the first time, Nezu declared, "You and I will keep an eye on him, but not as heroes suspecting criminals, but as educators wanting the best for their students. U.A. does not forget, but we do foster. Until proven otherwise, Sato Rikido is an upstanding student of 1-A., and we will care for and support him as such."
Nezu left him contemplating on that decision. The wording on that... the mouse wouldn't overlook the implications of the situation. He simply chose to save it for later, when the implications connected to problems down the line. When it meant something more.
"Of course, unless proven a danger to society, our suspicions will remain as wild speculation, and will be kept private between us. No need to give people the wrong impression. It's only rational, wouldn't you say, Aizawa?" Nezu took the last word, and took his leave towards a stretch vehicle waiting for him at the street corner. He did like his monologues, didn't he.
What game was Nezu playing now? Watching the principal's departure, the underground hero sighed. Shota wouldn't completely disregard the misgivings he had about the situation's legitimacy. His training didn't allow for it.
But for today, he had a nurse to visit and an arm to take care of. For today, he owed Sato Rikido his gratitude, and the benefit of the doubt.
Fuck I suck at drawing.
I was sat once again in my parents' home, at my childhood desk. U.A. had given the students an extended weekend, Saturday off, in light of the attack, both to bolster campus defences and ensure a similar event cannot happen again, and to give students time to rest. Plus, earlier dismissal on the first day back. The other sections just benefitted from all this as a biproduct. They didn't even have to get attacked to get a free holiday. I pulled off a perfect heist, with no one the wiser; I feel like that merits some preferential treatment for the class. But then again, preferential treatment implies someone caught on. So maybe it's best that everyone wins.
My parents weren't able to pick me up right after the attack, both the distance between our home prefecture and their busy schedules had it so that I needed to commute to my apartment after changing out of my hero uniform. A session of baking red bean pancake and a bullet train to Chiba later, I was knocking on the door to my house. My mom was a mess, concern and relief all mixed into a volatile bag of emotions. My dad on the other hand, looked downcast, as if thinking about how this situation was a sample of the rest of my life. Thankfully enough, the Dorayaki I promised them served as a good tension breaker for the situation, getting a good enough laugh out of them to snap them out of their funk.
So here I was, after a family dinner, working on my art on an A4 piece of paper like the Van Gogh-esque prodigy that I am. Some might even call me Van No. Back in the USJ the deficiencies of my costume were laid bare to me. That is to say, being a Magic Mike cosplayer wasn't conducive to my health. Enhanced muscle strength and durability didn't translate to immunity to skin tears. My costume needed a rework, and I needed to design one to send to the Support Department. Nothing too specific, but they did need a general look that they were going for. The equipment from before worked wonders, but I did need upper-body cover.
A ping from my phone distracted me from my magnum opus. Turning my phone over, I checked to see the notification. "I thought I already muted this." I muttered. I liked my class and I enjoyed talking with them, but god damn do they chat a lot. If I put my phone down for 10 minutes, by the time I come back, there'll be a hundred messages unread, including but not limited to epic storylines with the birth and death of nations, complex moral issues, and a whole lot of memes.
Right after the USJ incident, in an effort to take people's mind off what just happened, Ashido had proposed that people swap contacts so everyone could join a class group chat. A few people from the class had left by then, so she wasn't able to include everyone just yet, but even with just part of the class present the messages were coming out in droves. So, I decided to mute it.
Hold on.
Putting the pencil down, I looked over what I drew, and the colour scheme I labelled onto each portion of the costume.
This... this actually... didn't look half bad.
Call me Van Yes.
The Monday of the following week, I was locking up the door to my apartment as I left for school.
"Hey," Tokage greeted, a grin plastered on her face, "Attacked by hundreds of villains and not even an 'I'm okay'? A girl worries, ya know."
I arrived to the apartment complex the night before, too late in the night to do anything but wash up, brush my teeth and go to bed. As such, I hadn't been able to interact with my neighbour.
"Only you could take a potentially traumatic event, and make it about you." I retorted, knowing that this was her unique way of showing worry, and knowing that she would see this as my way of appreciating the concern.
"When is it not?" Tokage said, "Anywho, I just wanted to warn you about something. Since the attack, my classmates, Monoma in particular, have talking about your class. I'm pretty sure the entire year will be. So, don't cry to me when your class gets dogpiled later on when the news sinks in for people. Probably gonna be dogpiled in the sports festival too, so don't cry when 1-B comes out on top, 'kay?"
"As if the dogpile can slow us down. How embarrassing will it be for you guys when you lose to the people who got ganked and still dominated the entire festival?"
"Careful there, talk all that trash and you'll choke on all that useless shit." Class pride kicked in already, eh? I know the feeling.
The rest of the trip went along that grain, trading light-hearted barbs about the school festival, which while not officially announced by our respective homeroom teachers, is a staple of U.A. that all hero applicants look forward to. It was their introduction to the world at large, the biggest platform heroes-in-training and support engineers could possibly have. Everyone wanted to do well. Everyone wanted to be seen as the 'next-big-thing'.
Sliding the door to U.A. just before the bell, I got appreciative smiles and greetings all around, some people standing up to address me, even Todoroki initiated the nod greeting this time. I must be really special. But, getting to my desk, I was startled by the vice-Rep, who bolted into the room. Must've come from the washroom. Running towards the teacher's desk up front, Iida decided that now was the time to exercise authority to assert order.
"Everyone! Morning homeroom is about to start! Stop talking and take your seats!"
"We're already in our seats." In the time it took to get to my desk, people had already settled down. "You're the only one who's not."
Paling, he hurried back to his table, frustrated with himself at his blunder. A classic blunder. Not quite as well-known as getting involved in an Asian land war, but still notable.
Not a moment too soon, Aizawa entered the room with his right arm in a cast and sling, but otherwise was relatively healthy. He raised his good hand to the class, "Morning."
Saving face, Iida shouted out with a hand in the air, "Sensei, have your injuries healed well?"
"Help arrived promptly." Didn't answer the question directly, but everyone understood the implication. It wasn't as bad as it could've been, and it ended faster that it should've been.
"My well-being doesn't matter. More importantly," Aizawa asserted, capturing people's close attention once more, "the fight is not yet over."
"Fight?" Bakugo.
"Don't tell me..." Midoriya.
"The villains again...?!" Mineta, hands bracing his head.
Aizawa turned a hard gaze to the class, unnerving many.
"The U.A. sports festival is drawing near." A real connoisseur in the fine art of fucking with people, that Mr. Aizawa.
"That's a super normal school event!" At this point, I knew to expect the choral recitation.
"Wait a minute." Kaminari called out, inducing a silence that Jiro used to ask, "Is it okay to have a sports festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?"
"What if they attack us again or something...?" Tails asked.
"Apparently, they think of it as U.A. showing that our crisis management system is solid as a rock by holding the event." Aizawa answered, "Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years. Above all, our sports festival is a huge chance. It's not an event to be cancelled because of a few villains."
"But that's a good reason, isn't it? It's just a festival of sports." Mineta cried out. Man, if you really don't wanna try nobody is making you. Just be okay with reliving your high school glory days forever, when people thought you had a future. If not, man the hell up.
"Mineta, you've never seen the U.A. sports festival?" Midoriya turned around in his chair to asked the purple-haired kid.
"Of course, I have. That's not what I meant!"
"Our sports festival is one of Japan's biggest events." Aizawa retook the attention of the class, "In the past, the Olympics were called a festival of sports, and the whole country was crazy about them. As you know, with reductions in scale and population, they're now a shell of their former glory. And now, for Japan, what has taken the place of those Olympics is the U.A. sports festival!"
Before I woke up here, I was never good enough to be considered Olympic in anything. Athletic, but not freakishly so. Talented, but not compared to those competing at the world stage. Participating in the Olympics as an athlete was never going to pan out for me. Here? I had a chance at gold.
Momo decided to voice what she knew of the event, "Of course, all the top heroes around the country will be watching. For scouting purposes!"
"I know that.", said Mineta defensively.
"After we graduate, it's typical to join a pro agency as a sidekick." Denki added to the discussion, topping it off with a wink and a thumbs up.
"A lot of people miss their chance to become independent after that and become eternal sidekicks, though. "Jiro piped up. Hard stuck in silver, huh? "Kaminari, I feel like you'd be one of them. Since you're dumb."
"Of course, joining a famous hero agency will get you more experience and popularity. Time is limited. If you expect to go pro, then the path to your future will open up at this event. One chance a year—a total of just three chances. No aspiring heroes can afford to miss this event. If you understand that, then don't slack off on your preparations." Aizawa stressed, imprinting the importance of the event deep into everyone.
"Yes, sir!" The class responded, all determined after the rousing call-to-action.
"Homeroom is now dismissed."
With people now chatting amongst themselves about the festival, I began considering my own prospects.
Present Mic walked into the room, indicating the start of this morning's English class, halting all discussion and excitement for later. As the paintbrush-haired hero started writing on the blackboard, I just thought privately to myself.
I knew I wouldn't accept anything less than top 10 for myself. I silently wondered who would be the best fit for me. All Might, obviously, but that's not really an option. Endeavor, sure, but I know nepotism will work against me there. Hawks was the next highest on the charts, but he would favour a certain avian classmate of mine, and he didn't really fit the mould of what I was going for anyway. Neither did Edgeshot, the Ninja fighting was interesting but stealth was going to be difficult for me, only in certain situations could I feasibly pull it off. Mirko would be cool, but she's notorious for her lone wolf persona, so that's a Hail Mary. I don't think I would be causing bubbly typhoons as my primary source of attack anytime soon, so Wash was a tertiary target. So, Crust, Ryukyu or Best Jeanist would be my aspirations for the internship offers, huh?
Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, once said that the most important thing is not winning, but taking part.
Some might be content with taking part.
I'm here to take over.
Later in the day, as the lunch bell ended our Modern Literature class and Cementoss made his way out the door, everyone released their pent-up exhilaration, returning to chattering about the festival.
"Even though all that stuff happened, I'm getting really excited!", exclaimed Kirishima, who had made his way to the space between mine and Todoroki's desk.
Sero, making his way up to this area and elbowing Kirishima's shoulder, spoke up as well, "If we put on a good show and stand out, we'll have taken the first step to becoming a pro!"
"No, we already took two steps, remember All Might's two stepping method?" I spoke. Receiving a few chortles, I turned to Todoroki, "How about you? You ready for the festival?"
Looking up from his desk, almost surprised I was addressing him, he let a few seconds pass before nodding, "I've been training for as far as I can remember. I better be."
"Then I should be expecting you in the finals, right? Second place is a lofty goal to reach for." I grinned. Todoroki blinked at that, before he agreed to my unofficial challenge.
"Oh, is that how you expect it to go?" Momo's voice came from behind me, and I turned to see the rich girl flanked by Jiro and Kaminari, who proceeded to sit on top of the lockers situated at the back of the class.
"Of course not, I might be beating you in the finals too. I'm not too picky on who loses last." I smiled. I'd be nice but I wasn't gonna lie to her.
"Confidence in your ability is a good trait to have, but at this point, you might as well be asking for everyone to take you down early." Yaoyorozu stated, a challenging look on her face.
"They'll try."
Swinging his legs, Kaminari lamented, "You're lucky, Sato. Your brawn stands out on its own."
"Maybe if you actually trained, yours could have too." Todoroki riposted unexpectedly. Quietly, but it did come. Woah, he talks now? He talks now. Willingly. Kaminari couldn't even speak after that, flabbergasted at the affront. Kyoka decided to take the attention off the Number 2's son.
"Don't worry Kaminari, I think you'll stand out, too." Jiro held back a laugh at that, referring to the stupid state quirk overuse leaves him in. Electaboy was not pleased.
"Everyone!" A loud cry came from my right, startling everyone near me. It was Uraraka, in a power pose; wide stance, fist up, other one pumped. "I'm gonna do my best!" You go, girl.
Receiving a chorus of approval, she turned to our group, and declared once more, "I'm gonna do my best!"
"What's wrong? Your personality's all over the place." Kirishima muttered.
Her declarations continued for a minute before she was finally dragged away by her friends for lunch, Iida and Midoriya having their hands full with the fired-up girl.
Following suit, I gestured to Kaminari, Momo, and Jiro, "Well, that was something. Lunch?"
Before we left, I got an impulse, and decided to satisfy it. Tapping Todoroki on the shoulder, I proposed to him, "Lunch?"
"... I don't really see the po-"
"I'll carry you if laziness is the issue."
A second of eye-contact passed before he nodded and stood up, "Sure." He didn't hate the idea of companionship, socially he just tended to go along with the least bothersome option. Isolation was usually it. I made it so that cooperation was the path of least resistance.
Turning back to the confused others, I smiled, "I got a plus one."
Lunchtime was a unique affair, with Denki being poached by Kirishima in the lunch line to Bakugo's lunch table, so then there were four. Three of us settled into pleasant conversation, with Todoroki content with listening in and eating his soba. He still preferred to keep to himself, but loneliness does like company. I just changed the context of the saying a little.
"Wait, you really aren't going to try and succeed in the festival?" Yaoyorozu asked Jiro, who had been dismissive of her chances to bring home gold.
"I didn't say I wasn't going to try. I just said that I won't feel too bad when it doesn't happen. Not when these two monsters are competing." Her earphones pointed at me and Todoroki, "Bakugo's a psycho, too. Plus, I've already seen first-hand what you can do to people, Yaomomo. Not fun."
"Well... I'm flattered at the comparison." Momo said demurely.
"Recommended for a reason." I just shrugged, finishing off my waffles and standing up to leave, compelling the other three to do the same.
On the way out of the cafeteria, I spotted Kendo and Setsuna sat at one of the tables with a black-haired girl, Kodai if I remember correctly from when I visited 1-B, and waved a greeting, receiving two back. That was the last positive reception 1-A received from 1-B that day.
Later that afternoon, all courses were dismissed at the same time, which allowed for people to form a huge mob outside the door to our classroom.
"Wh... Wh-What's going on?!" Uraraka, being the one to open the door, stammered.
"What business do you have with Class A?" Iida asked, raising a stiff arm at the horde.
"We can't get out!" Mineta, raising a fist in protest, shouted, "What'd you come here for, anyway?!"
"Scouting out the enemy, small fry. We're the ones who made it out of the villains' attack. They probably wanna check us out before the sports festival." Bakugo answered that for him, disregarding the numbers disadvantage as he made his to the door to stare down the crowd. "There's no point in doing stuff like that. Out of my way, extras!"
"Stop calling people 'extras' just because you don't know them!" Oh Iida. You're mistaken. Familiarity doesn't rid the title of extra.
"I came to see what the famous Class A was like," A purple-haired kid with matching eyes pushed through the crowd, making eye contact with Bakugo, "but you seem pretty arrogant. Are all the students in the hero course like this?"
Despite seeing the class trying to deny his accusations, the guy continued, rubbing at his neck, "Seeing something like this makes me disillusioned. There are quite a few people who enrolled in general studies or other courses because they didn't make it into the hero course. Did you know that?" No, please elaborate. There are people who didn't make the hero course? I couldn't see it.
Like the dog he is, Bakugo just growled.
"The school has left those of us a chance." Taking his hand off his neck, he elucidated for Class A, "Depending on the results of the sports festival, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course. And it seems they may also transfer people out. Scouting the enemy? I, at least, came to say that even if you're in the hero course, if you get too carried away, I'll sweep your feet out from under you. I came with a declaration of war.", he concluded threateningly.
From the back of the crowd, someone else issued more threats.
"Hey, hey!" It was Kirishima-but-worse who shouted, "I heard you fought against villains, so I came to hear 'bout it! Don't get so full of yourself! If you bark too much, it'll be embarrassing for you durin' the real fight!"
It was a dark day for U.A. if Bakugo was the face of Class A.
The aforementioned blonde didn't seem to care much for the Class B student, turning away to make his way down through the crowd.
"You ignorin' me, bastard?!"
"Wait a minute, Bakugo! What're you gonna do about all this? It's your fault that everyone's hating on us." Kirishima called out to his back.
"It doesn't matter."
"Huh?!"
"It doesn't matter as long as you rise to the top." And with that, he left.
"Damnit, you bastard!" Silver Kirishima, and wasn't that appropriate, cursed at Bakugo's back.
Clenching a fist, Eijiro looked inspired, manly tears in the corners of his eyes, "That's so simple and manly!"
"Huh?" Kaminari asked.
"He's not wrong." I said, staring at the doorframe still.
"Huh?! Not you too!"
"Abrasive as he may have delivered it, Bakugo's point stands. We are to reach for the top, regardless of what others want." Yaoyorozu commented.
"The top, huh? There is truth in that." Tokoyami conceded.
"Hang on, don't be tricked! He just made more pointless enemies!" Kaminari cried out.
"That's right! We'll just be at a disadvantage at the sports festival!"
I ignored the rest of what Mineta said. Going to my locker at the back, I pulled out my P.E. uniform. After a trip to the cafeteria for sweets, I headed to Gym Gamma for some individual training. Group trainings would only give away my moves. With the people I associate myself with all being serious contenders, Todoroki in particular, I would take every advantage I could get.
The gauntlet has been thrown, by the Gen-Ed kid, by Bakugo, by everyone looking to come out of it with the "title of the best".
The world will see the fruit of our hard work. In two weeks, the fight for the top will start.
I'll start thinking of a cool hook for my acceptance speech.
Opinions on who the Hero Internship should be with?