Substitute Nightmare
Author's Note: Some context, I took some inspiration for Ryan's quirk from another fic I'm working on called "Fighting Off Instinct." It's based on the BakuDeku Doujinshi "Antinomie" by Hokosin Cai which explores Dom/Sub relationships.
Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Izuku and Shinsou
~Hero Public Safety Commission~
"Are you trying to tell us that you've failed in your mission, Hawks?" The President of the HPSC scowled at her young ward. "If so I'm sorely disappointed in you.
"I never said I failed. I did as you asked and tailed Hellcat through most of her day. From what I can see there's no need for you to be concerned with her activities. She spends most of her time at U.A. high school whether in class or assisting other faculty. When she returns home she works on greasing papers and improving hey lesson plans. All evidence leads to her living life as a teacher, and believe it or not she's actually pretty good at it."
"I find it hard to imagine that a woman like Ryan Clark made the conscientious decision to teach young up and comers without some underlying motivation. What about your suspicions that she might be investigating the U.A. faculty?"
"Dead End, there was some activity of her going through the faculty records her first day but she has since halted that kind of activity. It stands to reason she was just familiarizing herself with the students and staff she'd be working with."
"What about your personal visit to U.A? Did you get statements from the students and staff about her teaching prowess?"
"I did and the only one who doesn't approve of her position there is Eraserhead. Everyone else had nothing but positive comments to say about her." He handed her a folder with the notes and statements he'd made.
The president looked them over with a calculating eye. She skimmed over the bulk of the statements and paused on Eraser.
"She's good, I'll give her that much, but I'm r still questioning why Nezu felt the need to hire her in the first place." She read the statement aloud then closed the folder. "As am I, Eraserhead. Her motives and responsibilities aside, my worries all circle back around to why she was hired in the first place. Until that bit is uncovered I won't be satisfied."
"Nezu is tightlipped and won't openly talk about it with me." Hawks held his hands up. "As for Ryan I don't see her sharing any form of valuable information with me while she knows I'm on duty."
"What if you weren't on duty?" She set the folder aside.
"I'm a hero, I'm always on duty." He shrugged the question off, but the president just pressed him further.
"You know what I mean, Hawks."
"I know what you mean and I'm telling you it won't work. What Hellcat and I had ended a long time ago and I'm not about to drag up old feelings just for-"
"I'm not giving you a choice in the matter, Hawks. It's either you do this my way, or I hire someone else to do it for you. Either way I will find out why that troublesome American woman has been brought into this country without council or approval from this commission."
"You just won't let this go will you?" He sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Fine… have it your way."
He turned his back to the president, and wondered just how the hell he was gonna go about seducing his ex without breaking his own heart again.
~The following day: U.A. Gamma Gym~
A sharp shrilling sound echoed around the gymnasium as Ryan blew the whistle to gather the attention of the group of students. It had been announced to all the classes that she would be hosting a special training lesson for any and all students who wanted to participate. A good chunk of the hero course students showed up including those from Class B. Shinsou showed up which pleased her immensely, as well as several other general course students. Only three support course students were in attendance and none of the business courses saw fit to show. All in all, Ryan was pleased.
"Alright younguns, class is in session. First off I wanna thank you for taking the initiative and using your free period to attend this course. I promise to make it worth your while." She swung the whistle around her finger then clasped it in her hand. "Now then, allow me to introduce you to my co-instructor…"
"I...AM… HERE... to co-instruct!" All Might leapt from the rafters and landed with flourish beside her. There was a chorus of delighted shouts and cheers.
"Whoa!"
"It really is All Might!"
"So cool!"
"Nice of you to drop in," Ryan smirked at him and All Might let out a loud boisterous laugh.
"My pleasure, Hellcat. Anything to help the young minds of today!" He gave a pose giving the students a foray of euphoria.
"Glad to hear it..." She held the whistle between her pointer finger and thumb, and gave a clear sharp blow to garner everyone's attention again. "That's enough ogling. Let's start with a basic warm up. I want everyone to partner up for five minute stretches. Try to choose someone that's not from your class, this is as much a social gathering as it is a combat lesson."
They were a murmur of complaints and speculative glances.
"Once the five minute stretch period is finished then I want you to give me two laps around the gym at a light jog, while keeping close to your partner. Stay as in sync as you can. Magnet it a competition if you have to. Time starts now!" She blew the whistle and paced the crowd of students as they pulled each other into pairs.
She caught Izuku looking around for a partner, his eyes hesitant and nervous about approaching other people. Ryan hooked an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in Shinsou's direction.
"The two of you are a couple of wallflowers. Why don't you two pair up, and avoid all that awkward asking phase, hmm?" She patted both of their backs.
"Oh… uh okay." Izuku rubbed the back of his head laughing nervously. "Hello."
"Midoriya, right? That's your name?" Shinsou questioned his eyes, skimming him up and down. "You've been talking after school lessons with Miss Ryan."
"Uh, yeah I have. Though I didn't think anyone knew about that." He blinked in surprise.
"You're not the only one she's giving lessons to." He held his hand out. "Shinsou Hitoshi, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." Izuku shook his hand, felt him grip it in a testing tight squeeze. He returned the firm grip. "Well I guess we better get started."
"You lead, I'll follow." Shinsou nodded his head, indicating Izuku to start.
"Uh...Sure." Izuku went into basic toe touches, and lunges. Every once in a while Izuku would look up and catch Shinsou staring intently at him. He felt his face go red at the attention and did his best to just focus on the warm ups.
Ryan watched the two for a moment before walking the line of students again with a calm and calculating stare. She was immediately reminded of her father taking her through basic training, and could even hear his vocal commands in the back of her mind.
"Back straight, girl! No soldier walks around with a hump!"
"You call that running? Your 84 year old grandmother can walk faster than that!"
"Up, down, up, hold it… I SAID HOLD IT! KEEP UPRIGHT, DO NOT MOVE UNTIL I TELL YOU!"
"Wipe those tears, girl, no daughter of mine is gonna be labeled a sissy!"
"Dear old dad…" she shook her head at the bittersweet memories. "Never thought I'd actually miss your lectures and training." Her eyes went a bit misty as she thought of the retired veteran, watching game shows and drinking sun tea on his porch swing. It had taken years for them to get on the same level… but she respected and admired the man as much as any hero. She'd never had made her debut without him.
"We've got a good crop of students." All Might strolled over to her, bringing her out of her deep thoughts. "It was a good idea pairing them with other classes and forcing them to compromise and work together. It will prove insightful." All Might decided, chuckling over Kirishima and Tetsutetsu who had bonded during warm ups and were now racing each other around the gym.
"The best thing about basic training was coming to know and understand those you would be working with. The next generation of top heroes are in this room and I thought it best they got to know each other. Even the general students have great potential, but they need incentive to take in the challenges that face them."
"Well your instincts are usually on point. I imagine you could have handled this class well on your own, so I'm curious as to why you asked me to co-instruct."
"For a couple of reasons. The first was to spark interest for those that may have been less inclined to join. The second was to make sure that interest held for the duration ofbthe class. As for the third…" she turned her cat-like eyes on him, smirking. "... I need you here to prove a point."
"A point?"
"Shhh…" She put a finger to her lips and winked at him. Once the final groups finished their lap, Ryan turned back to address the students.
"Nice job everyone! Now that you're all warmed up, why don't we jump right in? I've asked All Might to come here to clear up a misconception many of you have about combat. Now who believes that overall strength determines a battle?"
Most of the hands rose up in the air, she was surprised to see Bakugou was not one of them. Her impression of him immediately changed and she nodded with approval.
"All of you, would be wrong." She placed her hands on her hips. "While strength is important, it is not the key factor in battle. It is only a facet. The key factor to winning a battle is will power." She gripped her fist. "We are not villains, we do not kill our opponents unless it is absolutely necessary. Our job, in the end, is to make our opponents lose their will to fight."
"Hellcat is right. When you lose your will, you lose your way as they say." All Might said with a wide grin.
"Kind of hard to make your opponent lose the will to fight when they know they have the advantage against you in battle." One of the General Ed students pointed out.
"That's very true, but just because something is hard doesn't make it impossible." She eyed Izuku who smiled, recalling their previous one on one lesson. "Even if you can't outright win, there are ways to give yourself the advantage in battle." She rubbed her chin trying to think of the best way to explain her thought process. "Hmmmm, for example, let's say that All Might and I were to fight. Who do you think would win?"
All hands pointed to All Might. Ryan had to laugh.
"Ouch… accurate, but ouch." She rubbed her chest as if to rub at her pride. "Alright, Why don't we find out if you're right by giving a little demonstration?" She crouched down and stretched. "Everyone take about oooh…. Ten to twenty paces back." She motioned them to back up and then crossed to the opposing side of the gym.
"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute…" All Might held up his hands then scurried over to her. "We're not actually gonna fight, are we?"
"Of course we are…" She patted his cheek. "Relax, All Might. It's just a little demonstration, no need to be scared of me."
"I think he's more scared FOR you!" A student called out and earned a chorus of laughs.
Ryan's brow twitched with irritation and she grabbed All Might by his chin squeezing it firmly. She looked him dead in the eyes and spoke with firm clarity.
"Who's the one in charge of this class, All Might?"
"Y-You are, but…"
"So stop challenging my authority..." She shoved him back and sent a roundhouse kick to his face which made him stumble back a bit. The students let out a mix of gasps and groans out of sympathy. "...and do your fucking job!"
"Such language…" All Might held his chin and rubbed it. The woman hit harder than he expected. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I'm not gonna tell you again, All Might." She circled him again, gaining some distance and pointed a finger at him, her pupils slitted "FIGHT ME!"
All Might felt the trigger in his brain… he bunched up his fists, and decided to finish this quickly.
"Alright then, Hellcat… you asked for it." He watched her stand confidently, hands on hips and her eyes still slitted with fury.
Ryan took a quick inhale of breath, she watched with intense focus as his muscles bunched up. She remembered her training, her father's lectures echoing in her brain:
"Assert your dominance! Do not back down! Do not show any sign of fear or weakness!"
I'm not afraid, I'm not weak, I am in complete control of my surroundings! You've got this, Ryan! You are in charge! Now own it! Her lips slowly curved, spreading open to inhale the intended air around her. All Might crouched to attack, and Ryan spoke with firm clarity and authority.
"KNEEL!"
In the split second it took her to speak that word, All Might had vanished from his crouched position and was literally inches away from her before the command triggered. He collapsed, the fist he clenched in order to hit her hit the ground instead. The ricochet of it caused the floor to crumble into a crater, and Ryan stumbled back but managed to stay on her feet. She took stock of the scene, letting out a slow breath to steady her rapidly beating heart.
SHIT! She thought with some lingering panic. That was close!
"Holy-" students murmured with varying degrees of shock in their voices. "Did you guys see that?"
"Did she really just stop him, or did he fake it?"
"He has to be faking it, there's no way that was real."
"No…" Bakugou narrowed his eyes, just like at USJ he hadn't been able to see All Might move, but he saw enough to know that All Might hadn't collapsed on his own. "He wasn't faking it, he was COMPELLED to do it."
"I see…" All Might said with a strangled laugh. "So that's what your quirk is. I've always wondered."
Ryan Clark
Hero Name: Hellcat
Quirk: Dynamic Obedience; through unknown triggers and circumstances she can compel someone to obey her commands.
"Amazing…" Izuku murmured, wishing he had his journal to write notes in "I've never seen Miss Ryan use her quirk in person before, it was like her voice alone stopped his movements."
"We're similar…" Shinsou murmured, catching Izuku's attention.
"Hmm? Did you say something Shinsou-kun?"
"No… nothing important anyway." He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling a bit. Now it made more sense to him why Ryan was so encouraging towards his dream. Their quirks were very similar from what he could see. She saw the potential in him because someone had seen the potential in her. He hoped now he could live up to that potential and expectations.
"Whew, heh..." Ryan crossed her arms, keeping the facade of confidence and strutted to him. "You alright there, All Might?"
All Might tried to get to his feet, but the quirk had yet to loft so instead he lifted his head up.
"I will be once you release your hold."
"If I was a villain." She grabbed him by the chin. "I'd have no need to release my hold." She shifted her attention to the dumbstruck students. "You may not have seen it, but it took only a millisecond to determine this battle. A millisecond could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Every instant of action counts."
She released her hold, taking a deep breath as All Might got to his feet. Her nerves were rattled, but she couldn't let that show. She was still in charge, and she had to show it.
"Like I said before, even if your opponent is stronger than you, there are still ways to give yourself an advantage. All Might is a powerful opponent, and in a normal fight I could never hope to defeat him... but villain encounters are anything but normal. There are many circumstances that could either work for or against you. In this instance, All Might hesitated to attack me because I'm not a villain, and he didn't want to hurt me. It was that instant hesitation that gave me the win. Hesitation when in the midst of battle is a serious fault. You should never assume your opponent is powerless, because I can guarantee you, you will lose."
"You should also be aware of your surroundings, and situation." All Might added, crossing his arms over his chest now that he was composed. "It's one thing if you're suddenly attacked, but if you have the means to assess your opponent before a battle you should do so instead of jumping right into a fight. Take into consideration their size, quirk, gender, and state of mind. Each piece of information could greatly factor into a battle."
"SENSEI!" Izuku raised his hand, standing at firm attention. Ryan smiled and nodded to him.
"Yes, Midoriya?"
"What if you're protecting a bystander? How would you suggest we handle that type of situation in combat?" He questioned eagerly.
"That's actually a very excellent question, Midoriya." She crooked a finger. "Come forward with you and your partner and I'll give a proper demonstration of that scenario."
"Ah, yes!" He glanced at Shinsou and the two of them walked forward together. Ryan formulated a scenario and pointed at herself.
"For the sake of this demonstration I'll be the villain. Midoriya and Shinsou are partner heroes, but Midoriya you've been badly injured and can no longer move." She motioned him to get on the ground.
"Huh? Oh right!" He plopped to the ground, earning a chorus of chuckles.
"Shinsou… I just attacked Midoriya and I'm going in for the killing blow." She raised her hands up as if preparing to attack. "What do you do?"
"I…" he glanced down at the wide eyed, curly top. "Save him?"
"Cute in theory… but how?" She moves in a little closer. "You're hesitating, Shinsou, don't think just act!"
Shinsou scowled and he rushed in and tackled her.
"Good! Very good! You diverted my attention from Midoriya and put it onto you. In these types of scenarios the best thing you can do is to keep the villain's attention off the bystander and focus it on you. If you can, move the battle further away, that way supporting heroes can come in and take him to safety. In some instances the supporting hero may end up being you, but you have to determine which role you play. Hesitating like you did a moment ago will only result in tragic loss."
"I see, I see…" Izuku sat up cross-legged and started murmuring. "So in most cases we'll have to learn to act on instinct rather than think things out. A common protocol for these types of scenarios could come in handy, but rescue and combat really are circumstantial so the solutions may vary as well."
"Midoriya…" Ryan gave him a swift chop on the head to snap him out of it. "You're doing it again."
"Wha! Sorry!" Izuku rubbed his head and scrambled to his feet to stand next to Shinsou again.
"Alright… are there any further questions before we go hand to hand?" She glanced around and nodded when no one came forth. "Alright then… let's spread out and use the gym completely. I'm gonna go over a series of basic self defense moves, and with your partner you'll take turns forming and defending against these attacks."
Using Izuku and Shinsou as proper dummies she shifted their stances so they took a pose in proper combat form. She then demonstrated each individual move herself, lining them out so that everyone could mimic it before she moved on.
"Think of it almost like a dance." She repeated the pattern, back and forth, back and forth. "Start it slow, one move at a time. Strain your muscles, remember how each of the movements feel so you can apply it in your own way later on. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ,7, 8… and reverse! Repeat!" She clapped the rhythm now, scanning her students. She paused by Yaoyorozu and Kendo, gripping Yaoyorozu by the shoulders. "Stand firm! Don't let her intimidate you. Again!"
All Might watched with keen interest as Ryan walked through the crowd of students going through the movements. The woman really did have a keen eye. She could tell when a student was struggling, new exactly what to say, or adjust to give them a better feel and understanding of the movements.
"Aizawa-kun…" He murmured and coughed a little into his hand. "You may very well be in trouble, my friend."
~After Class~
"Thanks Miss Ryan!"
Ryan smiled at the Gen Ed students who waved at her and she returned the favor with a smile. She felt extremely satisfied that many of the students had taken to the lesson, even after All Might had excused himself. She'd felt all eyes on her, could tell the ears were perked to listen, and the bodies eager to move.
Best of all, she introduced her two favorite students to each other, and saw a bond forming. Her seed of comradery had been planted, and she could see the two of them working well together should Shinsou achieve his goal and successfully transfer into the hero course. Which, she thought with a smug smile, she didn't see why he wouldn't. Already he'd made vast improvements on his physical prowess. He was gaining muscle, and endurance, and just needed a bit more pushing.
Her earlier demonstration with All Might really seemed to get his attention. Had he realized then why she had chosen to support him, and why she considered him her favorite student? Did he know that she saw so much of herself in him? She hoped so, and hoped that it would encourage him to keep going strong.
Still, despite its success, Ryan doubted she would ever use such a tactic again. All Might proved he was top dog for a reason. The man's sheer power was no joke, and had he been at 100% she doubt she would have been able to get a word out before he'd made the attack. Her very core had been shaken, testing the limits of her quirk by forcing herself to keep her nerve.
It was close, too close for comfort.
"Note to self: never take on All Might in hand to hand combat again." She lectured herself.
"You challenged All Might?" Hawks' voice chirped up as she crossed the gates. Her head jerked up to catch him smiling at her. "Bold even for you."
"The hell are you doing here?" She turned towards him, crossing her arms. She eyed his casual wear and raised a brow. "Did Madame president finally cut you loose?"
"In a sense… I actually cut myself loose. I need a few days off after the last couple of weeks." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I was kinda hoping you could join me for dinner tonight. Maybe we could catch up, reminisce, or just hang out?"
"Nice try, Hawks, but I'm not that stupid." Ryan flipped her hair over her shoulder. "If you think playing nice will get me to reveal some kind of hidden information you're out of luck. There's nothing for you to uncover, and I'm not in the mood to be entertained by your half-assed flirtations."
"Ouch! Half-assed? Come on, kitten that really hurts." He rubbed his heart, feeling her words punch right through him. He knew she'd be suspicious right off the bat, but he had to make this work. He couldn't let her fall for some scummy guy the president hired, only to get hurt and betrayed by him. At least if he was the one receiving the information, he could figure out the best way to lie on her behalf. Which meant getting her to trust him.
He was doomed.
"Good! I want you to hurt!" She started to walk away from him, but he followed her. "Ugh, you're insufferable! Why can't you and those busy bodies leave me alone to do my job?"
"Look, Ryan…" Hawks grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to him. "You can give me a full pat down if you want. Hell I'll strip down naked so you can see I'm not wired. I really just want to have dinner with you, and talk. You don't have to tell me anything about your job, why you're here, or anything else that makes you uncomfortable."
"I'll pass on the stripping you naked part, because that never ends well for either of us." She held up her hand, and tucked her tongue in her cheek as she gave him a speculative stare. For the most part he was being sincere… but he was hiding something. The only way to find out what… was to take him up on his offer and exploit it. "I'll go with you on three conditions."
"Okay." His smile was softer now, and made her heart do a little dance in her chest. Damn him for being so good looking!
"The first is I need to go home and change. I actually worked up a sweat today and I need to freshen up."
"Fair enough, I can hang out on your patio or something until you're done."
"Good… because the second stipulation is I'm driving." She lifted a set of keys from her pocket and circled it around her finger. "I finally got my gear back, and I'm anxious to take her for a spin." She caught the keys in her palm and placed them back in her pocket.
"Sounds like fun." He grinned, curious and excited to take a ride himself.
"Finally the third…" she slid her fingers up the line of his plain black t shirt and flicked a finger up his neck and under his chin. "You're buying."
"Eh heh… somehow I knew that's where this was going." He rubbed the back of his neck but then smiled again. "Mmm, it's a deal."
"Good… then I suppose you can escort me home so I can get ready." She turned away and started walking again. Hawks took a few jogging paces so he could walk beside her. From the gate entrance Shinsou and Izuku paused to watch her walk away with Hawks.
"Looks like she's got a date." Shinsou pointed out and Izuku sighed heavily.
"Darn, I was hoping she'd be able to chaperone our joint practice." He glanced over at him. "You still wanted to do more hand to hand, right? Maybe even do some endurance training?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind me cutting into your own training time." Shinsou shrugged it off. "It was only a hunch that Miss Ryan paired us up for a reason. There's no need to look too deep into it."
"No, I totally agree with it." Izuku gripped his fists together. "I haven't known Miss Ryan long, but I know she doesn't make suggestions or do things on a whim. There must be some reason she wanted us paired up together, and I think we owe it to ourselves to see it through." He held his hand out. "So let's do this, Shinsou-kun."
"Ah…" Shinsou clasped his hand with Izuku's and gave him a genuine smile. "Let's get to work, Midoriya!"
~Ask Briry~
Bri: Sorry for the long delay in posts, I've been stupid busy with work and it's got me stressed to the max. Hopefully this long chapter made up for it.
Next Chapter: Keigo needs Cuddles