Chapter 23
Training Daze
The clock said 5:30 am. Kai Uno was peacefully sleeping until his door opened, and a woman banged a frying pan with a spoon to make noises.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!" She yelled.
"Aaah!" Kai gasped as he fell off from his bed.
He got off the sheet from his face and looked up to his sister, looking tired and angry. "Sis, what the hell?!"
"Come on, my baby brother! It's time for the training!" Haruka exclaimed.
"You know you can just wake me up normally like a normal person. You don't have to make so much noise," Kai growled as he got up and scratched his ear.
"Let's start with an early morning jog to the school, Kai," she said.
"To the school?" He repeated.
They started the day with a jog without eating anything at home. Speed Girl jogged ahead of Kai while the latter was moving late due to waking up so abruptly and not to mention loudly. After like a 30-to-45-minute jog, they were coming close to the UA High's gate.
On their way, they meet few familiar faces.
"Good morning!" Haruka greeted.
"Good morning, Miss Speed Girl!" Iida responded. "I see you are very early this morning."
"Yup! And I see you are warming up with a jog, too. I am jogging with my brother," she said as she glanced over her shoulder. "Come on, Kai! We're almost there."
"Wait… Up…" He panted as he jogged.
They arrived and stopped at the school grounds. Kai looked tired as he was sitting down on the floor, panting to catch some air.
"Are you alright, Uno?" Iida asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Kai said, panting.
"Here you go, you two. Drink up!" Speed Girl said as she threw water bottles at them.
Kai caught him, and so did Iida.
"Thank you, maim," Iida said as he took a sip.
Kai, on the other hand, took a mouthful of water. He felt refreshed. Soon, other students from Class 1-A, 1-B. And 1-L eventually arrived. Everyone came right about before 7 am as the teachers told them to.
"Why the hell are we supposed to wake up so early?" Kaminari moaned as he yawned.
"Seriously…" Mineta groaned.
"Zzzzz…" Junko peacefully slept while trying to keep still as she was standing.
Everyone was in their UA gym uniform. Some of them looked fine, but others looked tired and still sleepy. People like Kai, Ocahco, Kaminari, Mineta, Usagi, and Arisa were some of them.
"Good morning, all of you," Aizawa greeted with his usual lazy eyes.
"Good morning, everyone!" Speed Girl thundered, sounding chirper than Eraser Head.
"Good morning," everyone responded.
"We called you all this early in the morning to begin the training for the J-HOL Games. The event is composed of series of sports. Therefore, you all will be training hard physically and improving your stamina, strength, speed, and willpower," Aizawa explained strictly.
"Which is why we hired your senior to help you all in training!" Speed Girl announced as she turned to the seniors.
Four seniors walked up and appeared in front of the team. Some of them looked a bit surprised because they have never met them, but some of them knew who they were, especially Kai.
"Good morning, everyone! My name is Lola Yamada, Class 3-A's president rep, reporting for duty," Lola introduced as she wore a sweatshirt that says UA, short skirts, a cap, and sunglasses, which made her look like a coach.
"Yo, what's up, everyone. The name's Chojiro Hakate, from Class 3-A as well. Nice to meet ya," Chojiro greeted with a wink. He wore a white opened-buttoned long-sleeve shirt with a black T-shirt underneath it and black pants.
"Grr," Leo greeted shortly. He wore the third-year gym uniform, like them.
"This is Leo, who is also our classmate. He talks quite a lot, but you will soon understand what he says," Lola stated.
'Is he talkative?' Most of the students looked doubtful about it.
"And this… guy here is Fernando Feroz from Class 3-B," Lola introduced the young man to everyone.
Kai remembered this person well. He was the one who framed him and caused a scandal of him breaking up with Lola and making the whole school think he was her boyfriend.
Fernando gritted his teeth, looking like he didn't want to be here.
"We, the third-year UA, will help you guys to train for the J-HOL as we did when we were first-year and participated in the event!" Lola announced.
"These third-years will by your trainers, so listen to them well, and you might learn something or two. Well, good luck then," Aizawa stated as he was already in his sleeping bag and fell over to the ground and then slept smoothly.
"Wait, that's it?!" Usagi gasped.
"Well, that's kind of it. Mr. Aizawa and I don't have to stay around, but we'll be watching. Well, at least I will while Mr. Aizawa here is, um, resting. Good luck and have fun, guys!" Speed Girl carried Aizawa while he was in his sleeping bag, leaving the students in the care of the seniors.
"Alright, guys. Are you ready to muscle up and have fun?!" Lola asked excitedly.
"Though I am not sure about the fun part, let's just say we're going to make you first-year works so hard that it will make you want to quit," Chojiro stated.
"Grrr," Leo nodded a little while Fernando didn't say anything as he looked grumpy.
"First, let's begin some stretching exercise to warm up before we begin the hard work," Lola said as Chojiro took out a radio box.
"A radio box?" Jiro thought aloud as everyone wondered what the radio box is.
Chojiro smirked as he put in the mixtape and pressed the play button. Suddenly, music started playing.
"Hello, UA High First-Years!" Lola excitedly announced while everyone looked at her with confused looks as they had no clue what would happen, but they knew something would happen. "Are you ready to get pump?!"
Nobody says anything in response.
"Good!" Lola chirped in response, even though nobody said anything back to her. "Let's begin with the morning stretch. Then, follow my movement along with the beat of the music."
The music began saying the first line of the lyric as Lola started singing over it. Then, suddenly, everyone except for Chojiro, Leo, Fernando, and the two teachers who were at the bench, started moving the body without thinking about it.
"Huh? What the?!" Ochaco said as her arms began moving. So did the same thing for everyone else.
"What's going on?! Why are our bodies moving by themselves?" Kendo questioned.
"All of you are probably surprised right now!" Chojiro spoke aloud. "Right now, you guys are under Lola's control right now, thanks to her Quirk!"
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Lola cheered as she sang.
Name Lola Yamada. Age: 17. Quirk: Rhythmic Voice. Whoever hears her singing and dancing will cause their body to move the same way she's moving.
"So, in other words, whoever hears her singing, you will have to dance like her!" Chojiro exclaimed.
"I see, but why isn't it affecting you and other seniors?" Deku asked.
"What did you say? I can't hear you!" Chojiro said as he pointed to the earplugs they were wearing.
"Holy Carrot! Now that explains why!" Usagi cried.
"Now, do the back!" Lola stretched back down enough that she could touch the ground with her hand.
Everyone gasped to see her do that, feeling horrified as their body began stretching like how she was doing it.
"Gaaaaaahhhh!" Some of them screamed in pain as their back stretched.
After five minutes of stretch, it was over. However, everyone didn't feel so relaxed after the stretching. Those five minutes may not be so long, but to the first-year students, it felt like hell, and what's worse, it was still only the beginning of the day and few weeks of the training.
"Good job, you! You all did your best, even on your first try. Now, we will begin the real deal," Lola stated.
Everyone didn't look forward to it, even though they didn't have a choice. The following exercise, to begin with, was running around the track. Lola split everyone into four groups of five people, and each group goes, one by one, to race within each other.
"Ready, set, go!" The first group began. However, it ended shortly with Iida coming in first.
"Hmm, just as I expected," Lola said as she, Chojiro, and Leo wrote something in their pad. Fernando just watched moodily, not saying any words.
After the running was over, next up was the swimming test. Here the students did the same thing for the running; they split the team into four groups of five people and competed in their designated group.
"Interesting," Lola nodded as she wrote more things on her pad. So did Chojiro and Leo. Fernando just watched again.
The next one was rock climbing. This one wasn't as harsh as the other two things they did, including the stretching. A lot of the first-year students enjoyed this one. Their goal was who can reach the top the fastest before the time runs out.
"Nice job!" Lola stated as Chojiro and Leo wrote down stuff.
For the rest of the day until late in the afternoon when the sun was starting to set down, everyone put through rigorous sports tests, including high diving, cycling, volleyballs, basketballs, and so many things. What worse for them was that they had to go through a hell of a stretch again at the end of the day.
They managed to complete all of the exercises by 7 pm. However, they were exhausted at the end of the day. Some were laying their face on the ground as if they were dead.
"Good job, everyone! We will continue something like this for 13 more days," Lola announced, causing everyone to moan.
"Hey, cheer up. I say all of you did not do badly for your first time," Chojiro smirked.
"Grr," Leo nodded while Fernando didn't say anything as he started walking away.
Lola noticed. "Hey, Fernando, don't you want to say something to them?"
Fernando glanced back and turned around. "Yeah, two words; they suck."
His rude comment caused some of them, especially Bakugo, to stood up in anger.
"What did you say, you punk?! I will make you die for saying that!" Bakugo roared.
"Yeah! I agree with Bakugo!" Kaminari joined.
"Me too!" Usagi exclaimed.
"Fernando!" Lola gasped.
"Tch! I am going home," Fernando said as he walked away while some classmates tried not to let Bakugo get near him.
Lola sighed. "Well, anyway, I think all of you did well. Let's meet here again at 6 am sharp."
"What?! We have to be that early?!" Kaminari complained.
"I can't go on like this," Mineta said, feeling helpless. "Why am I even part of this?"
Lola walked over to the two guys who complained as they looked up.
"But you guys did so well today. I was hoping I will see you two again tomorrow," Lola said cutely.
Kaminari and Mineta blushed in red as they barely saw her chest area, making them stand up and motivated.
"Yeah, we will come back tomorrow for sure!" Kaminari exclaimed,
"I will definitely go to sleep early tonight and wake up early to come back here before 6 am!" Mineta shouted.
"Thank you," Lola said as she grinned and titled her head to look cute.
Most of the girls looked at Mineta and Kaminari, each with an unamused look.
"They're hopeless," Jiro mumbled.
"Then, I guess it's time to go home," Aizawa spoke up as he stretched his back. "From now on, Lola and the other seniors will take care of you all. If you ever need something, you know where to find us."
"In other words, at our office. Well, good luck tomorrow and rest well tonight," Speed Girl said before she turned her attention to Kai. "I will see you back at home, Kai."
"Sure," he nodded as his sister ran off in superspeed.
"Alright, everyone! Remember to be back here at 6 am sharp! That means we cannot be even a second late after six! Understood?" Iida stated loudly.
"We know," Most of his classmates from 1-A replied unenthusiastically.
"Dude, I am surprised you are so cheerful after going through that hell since morning," Eli said to Iida.
"I just want to help my fellow teammates to feel motivated, that's all," Iida said.
As everyone left to head home, Kai was stopped by Lola.
"Hey Kai, if you don't mind, could you stay a little bit longer? I want to talk with you about something," Lola asked.
"Um, OK," Kai agreed. Lola took Kai to the school's main building.
Arisa was seemingly the one who noticed Kai with Lola going somewhere else.
'I wonder why Lola wants to speak with Kai about,' she thought.
"Hey, Arisa." Arisa snapped out of thought.
Felicia called her, along with other girls from their class, girls from Class 1-A, and Kendo from 1-B.
"We are going home together. Do you want to join us?" She asked.
"Oh! Yeah, sure thing," Arisa walked over and joined with them.
"What were you thinking about, Arisa?" Ochaco asked.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Arisa said questionably.
"You were thinking about Kai again, weren't you?" Felica said, surprising a bit.
"What? What? What do you mean?" Usagi asked, looking curious.
"Oh, well, I was just wondering why Lola took Kai to somewhere," Arisa admitted.
"Hmmm… Holy Carrot!" Usagi gasped, surprising the girls.
"Geez, what is it, Usagi?" Jiro said, looking a bit annoyed.
"Sorry, but I thought of something! Maybe Lola and Kai are a couple!" Usagi claimed.
"Say what?!" Arisa gasped, blushing a bit.
"Blimey! Usagi, there is no way to prove that. She probably wants to talk with Kai about something," Felicia disputed.
"Well, yeah, but think about it. What other reason is there?" Usagi asked.
"We really shouldn't think about it too much, Usagi-chan, ribbit," Tsuyu stated. "We have another hard day of training tomorrow."
"Asui-san is right, Usagi," Momo said. "We should get back home and rest for the night, not overthinking into other people's matter."
"Good idea," Kendo agreed.
"Hmmm, OK," Usagi said, pouting her cheeks.
Meanwhile, Lola took Kai to the rooftop of the school's building. The early summer sunset was halfway over, turning into the dusk phase of the day.
"So, what do you want to talk with me about?" Kai asked as he stood next to her while she was looking at the sunset.
"Sorry to bring you up here, but I want to have a chat with you since it's been a while, with the whole final exams and all. You were busy, and I was busy with mine, so we never talked about this for a long, long time," she explained.
Kai realized what she means was true. They didn't have a talk like this for a long time. The last time he was here was about some months ago, when he came to this school for the first time.
"Oh yeah. You are right," Kai said.
"Hey, Kai." He looked at her. "I… I know what you are going through, and I understand."
Kai looked a bit confused yet curious. "What do you mean by that?"
"Don't take it the wrong way, but I know that you are going through hard times here. You see, the first time I saw you, you can say it's a hunch, but I felt that you reminded me so much of me when I came to this school the first time. You see, I somehow passed the entrance exam and entered the hero course, becoming a hero student and trained to be a pro hero. However, even then and even now, I am not quite sure if I want to become a hero or not."
"I… see," Kai said.
Lola nodded. "Hmm-hmm. So, yeah, I don't know if I want or even should be a pro hero. If you remember, I said before that I joined this school and trained to be a pro hero to say my thank to someone, I care the most in the world, and I didn't want that person to feel disappointed in me if I choose to do something else for a living other than becoming a pro hero. But, I admit that I have a dream."
"A dream?" Kai repeated. "I don't quite remember if you've ever said what that dream is."
"Well, if I haven't yet, then my dream is to become a singer, an idol singer," she admitted.
"An idol singer? Hmph, well, that makes sense," Kai commented.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked, looking a bit offended.
"I mean. You were singing during the stretching exercises, and your Quirk is related to your singing and dancing. Plus, your club, SMH has the word 'music' in the name, and you are in a band with your friends and club members, Chojiro and Leo," Kai explained.
Lola grinned. "Oh yeah! I guess you did notice! Just as I expected. You're very observant, Kai."
"Well, yeah, so I want to be an idol singer, but I don't want to disappoint the person I care about or anyone who relies on me to be a hero. So I don't want them to feel disappointed if I choose another path," Lola said.
"Lola… I don't know if you remember or neither did I, but you shouldn't feel ashamed or disappointed for choosing something else that you want to be. If anything, I think… if you say to that person, you keep mentioning the one you cared most about and tell them that you want to be an idol singer, they will understand. You just have to be honest and true to them, and quite frankly… I think that kind of makes you a hero in a sense."
Lola watched at Kai, hearing something profound from him. She smiled lightly.
"Thank you, Kai, and you are right about that. I have no courage to say it, but hearing you say that gives me a bit of courage, and maybe I will do that," Lola said. "You know, what you just said reminds me of an old senior who I looked up to when she was still here at UA."
"I do?" Kai asked.
"Yeah," she nodded. "She was a third-year student, like me right now, and I was a first-year student, like you, Kai. You know…"
Lola stepped closer to Kai, which he noticed. "Talking with you makes me feel better, and I wish to stay like this, if you don't mind at all, Kai. Maybe we can, you know, be together?"
"Wh...What?!" He gasped, feeling a bit flustered.
"Just kidding!" Lola stuck her tongue out. "You're sweet, Kai, but you are like too young, and I am almost 18 years old. So that would be kind of illegal."
Kai looked relieved as he tried to calm his beating heart.
"But thank you, Kai, for listening and talking with me," Lola said as she smiled, showing a tint of pink color over her cheeks.
"Um, your welcome. I should get going," Kai said nervously.
"Oh yeah!" Lola realized how dark the sky became. "It's already nighttime! You should get back home now. Your sister must be getting worried about you."
The following day, Kai Uno woke up early, this time of his own will, not by his sister's loud noise. He noticed that his sister was sleeping but saw a note on the table, along with a handmade lunch. The letter was for him, saying that the lunch was for him, and he should bring it with him.
Kai signed, ate a fast breakfast, and then headed out with his lunch. He arrived at the school at 5:30. When he arrived there, he met a familiar face.
"Ohyah, oh yah. Look who arrives!" The person he met was Monoma at the school ground. '
"You're very early," Kai noted.
"Of course, I am! I've been here since before 5 am. The early bird gets the worm!" Monoma exclaimed proudly yet sadistically.
"You… really should get some help," Kai commented.
Soon, more people came and arrived. Eventually, everyone arrived right before 6 pm. Kaminari and Mineta didn't look too tired as they were yesterday, thanks to the motivation they gained from Lola.
"Good morning, everyone!" Lola greeted as she appeared in the same clothes, like yesterday, except for her hair tied in a ponytail today. Chojiro and Leo were with her, and both of them were wearing their UA gym uniform.
Fernando wasn't standing with them as he was sitting alone at the bench, watching over them instead and showing no interest in helping today, like yesterday.
"Let's begin with our morning stretch!" Lola declared as you could hear a quiet moan from the group.
"Yes, Yamada-senpai!" Iida strongly shouted.
"Hey!" Everyone looked over who said that. "Senior Girl!"
"Bakugo, her name is Ms. Lola Yamada! You should be more polite to your senior!" Iida scolded as he walked over to the front, but ignoring Iida.
"Oh, what is wrong, Bakugo-kun?" Lola asked, not minding how rude he called her.
"I've been wondering. Who the hell are we facing in the J-HOL Games?" Bakugo asked. All the others' eyes widened, becoming a bit interested when Bakugo asked the question.
"You seniors and our teachers haven't said anything about our competition, but you three and that," Bakugo said as he glanced over to Fernando, who smirked back. ".. wolf bastard there was in the games before, right? So what is it like, and who are we exactly fighting against?"
There was an odd silence among them. The only sound was the birds chirping. Even Junko stopped snoring for a moment.
Lola, Chojiro, and Leo looked at each other, and their eyes were telling each other the same thing.
Lola was about to open her mouth, but someone beat her to it.
"So, you want to know who you are up against in the J-HOL?" Fernando spoke up as he walked down the bench and then walked over to the front to face them.
"Fernando?" Lola questionably said as everyone eyed him.
"The kind of people you will face at J-HOL is nothing like you've ever faced before," Fernando began as he walked, and everyone looked at him. "You thought UA High is tough, but other schools are tougher in other countries. You first-years just little fishes in the endless, vast sea full of bigger fishes."
"What the hell are you saying?" Bakugo growled. "If you think I am weak, I will show you! I can beat whoever stands in my way!"
"Oh?" Fernando asked, smirking. "If you think you can stand against others in the J-HOL, then let's see how well you can do against me? Fight me."
Bakugo smirked. "I accept your challenge!"
"Bakugo, what are you saying?!" Iida questioned aloud.
"Woah, dude! Are you serious, man?" Eli asked.
"Holy Carrot! Bakugo is going to fight the third year!" Usagi gasped.
'Kacchan!' Deku stared intensely as he sweated.
"Fernando, what do you think you're doing?! You're supposed to help, not to fight!" Lola accused, but then Leo padded on her shoulder. "Leo?"
"Grr, let them fight," Leo spoke up. "I want to see where this is going."
"Leo, what are you saying?" Lola asked.
"Holy Carrot! That Leo guy talks!" Usagi whispered to fellow female students.
"It's kind of reminds me of your classmate, Usagi-chan," Asui replied as she referred to Junko.
"Zzzzz…" Junko slept while standing.
"Leo is right, Lola." She turned to Chojiro. "I think Fernando is up to something, but I don't think it is something you think it is."
"Well… alright," Lola gave in.
Skipping the stretch, for now, Lola asked everyone to relax and sit at the bench. Fernando and Bakugo were facing each other, about a few feet away from another. They were going to fight.
"This is crazy! Are they seriously going to fight, and we let them?" Kaminari asked.
"What's Bakugo even thinking? This is crazy!" Mineta said.
"Crazy or not, I am curious to see what Fernando can do," Yuki stated.
"I am, too," Todoroki said.
"Indeed," Felicia nodded. "I am curious as well, to be quite frank."
"I hope Bakugo will be alright," Arisa concerned. "I don't know why, but that senior, Fernando, looks scary."
"He may be strong too. Since he is a third-year and all," Ochaco noted.
"Fernando Feroz. I heard about this guy from my upperclassman friends, and some of them go to the same class with him," Kendo said as Arisa and Ochaco listened to her. "He is part of Class 3-B. According to my friends, they said he is in the top 5 for the midterm exam."
"Top Five?!" Some of them looked surprised, including Kai, with his eyes widened.
"Blimey! He must be excellent in academics, but he seems to be a bully kind of person," Felicia analyzed.
"I have the same thought, too, Felicia," Momo said.
"And here I thought bullies are dumb people," Usagi commented.
"Dudette, that doesn't make them a bully. Anyone, whether they are smart or not, can be bullies, Usagi," Eli advised.
Monoma smiled sadistically. "This is going to be interesting."
Kendo looked at him with a worried look. "Don't look so sadistic about it, Monoma."
"Hey, Senpai! I will make you take the words you said yesterday when I win!" Bakugo proclaimed.
"Hmph. Fine by me," Fernando agreed.
Lola stood in the middle between them as she turned her eye from Fernando to Bakugo.
"OK. This fight is one vs. one, with no time limit. You are allowed to use Quirk, but just don't try to hurt yourself too much," Lola stated. "Ready."
Everyone watched with anticipation.
"Set." The two fighters got into position.
"Fight!" She shouted, signifying the start of the battle.
Bakugo made his move first as he used his Quirk to fly towards Fernando at high speed.
"Bakugo is coming in hot, ribbit!" Asui exclaimed.
"Go, Bakugo! Teach him a lesson!" Kirishima cheered.
"Kick this!" Bakugo roared as he waved his palm out to shoot an explosion at him, but then suddenly, Fernando changed his form quickly. His body became hairier and bigger. His nose became longer as his face turned more beast-like. Claws sharpened from his fingernails.
"Wolf Howl!" Fernando howled as his howl attacked blasted Bakugo's explosion away from him, causing him to get exploded in front of his explosion and blasting him away.
"Gaaah!" Bakugo winced.
"Kacchan!" Deku screamed.
"Holy Carrot!" Usagi gasped.
Bakugo laid down as if he looked defeated, but he slowly got back up despites some bruises.
"Cheap trick! That won't put me down so easily!" Bakugo roared, standing back up, but Fernando was already aiming for another attack as his claw were at his face.
Most of the other students gasped when Fernando was already close to Bakugo as his sharp claw barely pointing at his throat.
Bakugo stopped as he looked down at his throat. Fernando's sharp claw was like an inch away from his throat.
"Now you should know why you and the rest of you suck. First, you boast about yourself, and the moment you do, you already lost before the games even began. What's worse is that there are people much stronger, faster, and smarter than me. USA, UK, France, whatever the countries, all of them are stronger than Japan. I know because I faced them," Fernando explained as he turned back to his lesser beast form.
He walked away from the fight as everyone watched him go by. He passed by Leo, Chojiro, and Lola, but he whispered something to Lola as he passed by her last.
"These losers won't ever match the level of the other competitors. So train them smarter, not just harder," he whispered as he walked away.
Name Fernando Feroz. Quirk: Beast Wolf. He can transform himself into a werewolf beast at his will. He is twice more muscular and faster in his beast form. In this form, there is a possible chance that he may go berserk under full moonlight. First, though, he had to train himself to control his power. It's all thanks to intense training through his three years at UA High.
Some of the classmates released the air they were holding in their breath. Bakugo just stared in space as he looked a bit disappointed. He gripped his hands in frustration.
"Kacchan," Deku said quietly as he wished he could reach his arm to him.
"Yo, Bakugo. Are you OK, man?" Kirishima was the first person to call him.
Bakugo grunted and looked away. "Yeah. I'm just fine…!"
"OK, everyone," Lola said, clapping her hands to catch their attention. "Thank you to Fernando for showing some demonstrations. Today, we will do another round of sports exercises and then announce something special at the end. So let's do our best today!"
For the rest of the day, they did multiple sport exercises. Today, they did discuss throwing, where they have to use their Quirk to shoot the disc as far as possible and land it as close to the center point on the ground, weightlifting, target shooting, and table tennis. Those four activities were just some of the things they did for the day.
They ended the day right before 7 pm, and the second day of the training was completed.
"Good job, everyone!" Lola cheered as everyone else, all of the first year looked tremendously tired again, like yesterday. "I hope you all are getting used to this training."
"My body aches…." Jiro moaned.
"You tell me," Kirishima added.
"Everyone, gather around!" Lola ordered as everyone did what she said. "After going through all the sports exercises today and yesterday, we conclude that a lot of you did fairly in most of the activities, but most of you excel in certain activities, and we'll give our analysis to your coach and sub-coach."
"Lola-senpai!" Iida raised his hands.
"Yes, Iida-kun?" Lola noticed.
"You mentioned coach and sub-coach. Are they Mr. Aizawa and Miss Speed Girl?" He spoke.
"Yup! They are indeed the coach and sub-coach. They will be with you all the time during the J-HOL Games," Lola answered. "Also, another announcement to make his declaration of your team captain and sub-captain."
"Captain?" Everyone thought the same thing.
"Every team needs a captain and sub-captain. So while the coach has to decide who should be the team captain and sub-captain, Mr. Aizawa asks us to make the decision," Chojiro explained.
"Grr," Leo nodded.
"So, we are going to announce who is your captain and sub-captain right now!" Lola declared, making everyone feel a bit anxious. "The captain for Team Japan is…."
Everyone listened with anticipation. "Izuku Midoriya!"
Everyone turned to Deku as he looked surprised.
"Aaah… What?" He said.
"Woah! Congratulations, Deku! You are our team captain!" Ochaco cheered as she was a bit too close to him.
"Ah! Too close!" Deku shielded his face, turning red.
"Midoriya-kun, congratulations," Iida said.
"Way to go, man!" Kirishima congratulated him.
"Congratulations, Midoriya," Felicia said.
"And our sub-captain for your team is…Kai Uno!" Lola announced, catching Kai off-guard.
"Wait, what?" Kai gasped.
"Holy Carrot, Kai! You are our sub-captain! That's cool!" Usagi hopped in joy.
"Yeah, bro! This is awesome!" Eli cheered as he padded Kai on the back.
"Congratulations, Kai," Arisa said happily.
"We picked these two names to be your captain and sub-captain because we believe that you two have the best quality of leadership, all in unique differently," Lola stated.
"Excuse me, but just exactly why Izuku Midoriya and Kai Uno are chosen to be our captain and sub-captain?" Yuki Drago asked.
Lola looked at the Dragonborn boy. "Well, we thought and discussed it last night, and the decision came down to how they interacted with all of you yesterday and today."
"How we interacted?" Izuku repeated.
"Well, you see…."
- Flashback –
"This is too hard…." Ochaco moaned.
"I can't go on," Usagi collapsed.
"Seriously, dudette. I am popped," Eli stated.
"You three, don't slack off!" Iida scolded.
"But we are too tired!" Usagi complained back.
"It's too hot, bro," Eli said.
"Uraraka, Usagi, and Eli!" The trio looked to Deku. "Here you go. Have some water. It should help you."
"Wow! Thank you, Midoriya!" Usagi chirped suddenly.
"Thank you, bro. You are a lifesaver," Eli said happily.
"Thank you, Deku!" Ochaco said.
"It is important to keep hydrated," Deku advised. "My mom gave me too many bottles, admittedly, so that I don't collapse from the heat."
"Wow, Deku. Thank you so much," Ochaco said.
"Your mom is right, but hey, I appreciate the extra water bottle," Eli smiled.
"Say bless you to your mom when you see her again," Usagi stated.
Lola was watching nearby as she thought to herself.
At the volleyball court, Arisa tried to hit the ball but kept missing. She was getting a bit frustrated and looked desperate.
Kai was watching by when he decided to step in.
"Arisa." She and other teammates with her turned to him.
"Oh, hey Kai," Arisa said.
"When you look at the ball, get your position ready and keep an eye on it," Kai explained.
"Oh, well, I was trying to do that, but I keep missing the ball," she said, feeling lost.
"You have to stand like this. First, bend your knee, and when you see the ball go to the left or right, your arm out as you bend and move your left to the direction of the ball," Kai explained as he demonstrated.
Lola saw Kai teaching Arisa and others how to play volleyball properly. She thought to herself more about it.
Later that night, Arisa, Chojiro, and Leo have had a meeting with Aizawa in the teachers' lounge room.
"So you think Midoriya be the captain and Kai Uno be the sub-captain?" Aizawa asked.
The SMH Club trio nodded. "That's right, sir. We think both of them have what it takes to be a leader for the team. Midoriya-kun is kind and sweet toward others and cares about others' well-being. On the other hand, Kai is helpful to others and gives more technical or practical support."
"I see, but why Midoriya is the captain? I think Kai should be the captain since he is more technical and practical, like you said," Aizawa said.
"That's true, but we think having the emotional Deku, who knows a lot about everyone's Quirk, be the captain is the right choice. While Kai has the quality to be a captain, too, I think he is more suited to be sub-captain in case if something happens to Midoriya," Lola said firmly, yet trying not to be offensive.
Aizawa stared in thought but then closed and nodded. "Well, to be honest, I don't care who is who, but if that is what you three thinks the best for Team Japan, then I will go with it."
- Flashback Ends –
"And that is how it came to be," Lola explained.
"I see. That makes sense. I saw Midoriya write stuff down during the sports festival," Eli noted. "I wish you the best of luck, bro, and you can count on me."
"Yeah! If you need the best jumper, I am your gal!" Usagi hopped enthusiastically.
"You can leave me for heavy-duty stuff, Midoriya," Kirishima said determinedly.
Midoriya looked around, and everyone was supportive. "Everyone," he said as his eyes looked a bit watery. "Th-Thank you, and I will do my best!"
Kai Uno sighed a bit. "Well, fine by me, I guess."
Lola looked at Kai with a bit of a concerned look. 'Kai, I don't want to say this to you up in front, but I hope you learn to work together and enjoy having fun together.'
"Though, I doubt this decision, Lola Senpai." Everyone turned to Monoma. "Are you sure that picking someone from Class 1-A and 1-L isn't based on bias thought?"
"Monoma, what are you saying? Don't be so rude to our seniors!" Kendo scolded.
"I admit that it is a bit bias," Lola admitted as everyone listened and the mood damped. "However, we did choose Izuku and Kai for the reason we think is best. We didn't choose Izuku because he is part of 1-A, like how I, Chojiro, and Leo were part of Class 1-A or choose Kai because I know him, but they have something that Team Japan needs we think it is best for the team as a whole. You may need them more than you think, Monoma-kun."
Monoma's heart strung as if a needle struck through him, but he laughed it off. "Ha, ha, ha! Oh really? Well, we will see about that."
Monoma laughed it off as he walked away as if he was running away from the scene, even though he already did make a scene.
Kendo felt embarrassed as she turned to everyone with an apologetic look. "I am sorry for how he's acting, everyone."
"Um, it's OK, Kendo," Izuku assured.
"Though, that guy should really see a therapist or something," Kai noted.
From that day forward, everyone continued training hard for the next 12 more days. Members of the main Team focused on the sports they most excelled in and improved on what they lack as they taught each other and gave advice. Members of the support team were trained about using the medical kit properly by Ms. Heal and Midnight, where they learned that they would be coming with Team Japan as heads of the support staff.
Eventually, two weeks have passed. All members packed their stuff and gathered at the airport. On the night before, they got their team Japan's custom jacket and uniform. The coat was primarily white with blue-colored sleeves, Japan's national flag on the right of their chest, and most importantly, their names were printed in red on the backside with a massive number in their red. Examples like Midoriya's jacket showed number 1 on the back, and Kai's jacket said number 2 instead.
Speed Girl, Midnight, and Ms. Heal also wore the jacket, but Erasure Head was the only one who didn't wear his team jacket.
"Is everyone have their passport and ticket? Don't say that you forgot it," Aizawa said strictly.
"Yes, sir," everyone said as they all hand in their hand.
"Alright then. Let's check-in and once you do, line up at the security gate," Aizawa stated.
"Woah!" Some random passerby gasped. "It's UA!"
"Not just UA! It's Team Japan!" Another random passerby pointed out.
"So cool! They must be heading to Athens now!"
"Fight on, Team Japan!"
"Woah! Everyone here already knows us!" Ochaco gasped.
"Blimey. They sure are," Felicia said. "Just as expected, though."
"Um, excuse, Mr. Aizawa!" Aizawa looked at Usagi as she held her hand high. "Is it OK that we all take a picture together?"
"Oh, that sounds a good idea! Let's do it," Eli decided.
"Oh, we haven't done this for two years ago. So let's do it, Erasure Head!" Midnight insisted.
Aizawa growled. "Fine. Let's just get it over with."
"Well, this will be mine and Ms. Heal's first time," Speed Girl pointed out.
"Yes. I do love a group photo," Ms. Heal said fondly.
"OK, everyone, gather around!" They all gathered together as Usagi quickly prepared her phone. She bought her a standing stool for her Smartphone.
"OK, everyone. Say Sushi!" Usagi exclaimed.
"Sushi!" Everyone, well, most of them, said the word as the phone took a picture.
They checked in at the baggage claim and took their suitcases and supplies right after they did that. Then, with their lighter luggage, they went to the security gate. As they were waiting in line, they heard shouting voices.
"There they are!" Asui and Ochaco turned around as they were last in the line.
"Hey, guys, look!" Ochaco called everyone in the line, making them turn around.
"Ochaco-chan! Tsu-chan! Everyone!" Hagakure jumped in the air to notice her and everyone. The rest of Class 1-A, 1-L, and all of Class 1-B included Lola, Chojiro, Leo, and Fernando. Even Vlad King and Principal Nezu were there with them.
"It's our classmates from UA!" Eli exclaimed.
"Holy Carrot!" Usagi said.
"They all came to say goodbye and wish us luck, ribbit," Tsu said, grinning.
What shocked Team Japan the most was that some of them held a banner that says, "Good Luck, Team Japan."
"Good luck over there!" Hagakure exclaimed.
"Bring back the gold, guys!" Mina added.
"Go, Team Japan!" Rikido flexed his muscle.
"Hey, Monoma, don't cause too much trouble to others when you get there!" Honezuki warned in a cheerful voice.
"We praise you all in good health!" Shiozaki stated.
"Kirishima, don't you ever lose to anyone and show them what you are made of!" Tetsutestu yelled.
"We will watch you and cheer you from here!" Miru exclaimed.
"Go and have fun, guys!" Makoto cheered.
"Good luck and stay safe. Wins some gold, ok, Class 1-L," Haia stated.
"Remember your training and do your best," Lola cheered.
"Go out there and make us proud!" Chojiro said.
"Grrrrr!" Leo cheered if that is how cheer sounded.
"Just don't embarrass yourself," Fernando stated.
"Take care of them, Aizawa, Speed Girl, Midnight, Ms. Heal!" Vlad King exclaimed.
"Good luck, Team Japan," Principal Nezu said.
"You guys!" Kirishima cried joyfully.
"Thank you for the cheer!" Iida thundered in response.
"We will come back home as many medals as we can!" Izuku stated.
"Hmph! We will win all the medals, idiots," Bakugo grumbled.
"Geez. They didn't have to come here to say all that," Aizawa mumbled as he turned away.
"Oh, is that a bit of tear I see, Aizawa?" Midnight teased.
"Leave me alone," Aizawa argued as he passed the security checkpoint as he was the first in line.
The UA students continued to cheer and shout to them as each team member passed through the security gate. Some of them had to help with Junko, who could barely stand for the full-body scanning.
After they passed through the security point, they waited near the gate door. Unfortunately, the plane won't start for another two hours, so they stayed at the lounge. Some of the teammates took this opportunity to talk to one while others went to see some stores.
Midoriya took this time to check his phone before he decides to go airplane mode. He checked through his messages, some were from his mom, but the one he was focused on was the one threat he shared with All Might.
'Hmm... All Might said to wish me luck and all, but I didn't see him with the others. So he's probably not going to appear so that he won't attract too much attention. However, I haven't seen him for a while now,' Midoriya thought.
Kai read a book on the other side of the lounge by himself.
"Hey, Kai, may I sit next to you?" He looked up to see Arisa.
"Sure," he accepted as she sat down next to him.
"Isn't this exciting, Kai? We are going to Athens and compete in J-HOL. I feel nervous, but also excited, too!" Arisa said. "I hope I get a chance to show off what I can do."
"You do look excited. We did train a lot for it, and a lot of stuff happened over the past two weeks. I think we should be fine," Kai stated, sounding a bit encouraging.
"Hmm, hmm," she nodded. "Let's do our best together."
"Yeah. I guess so," Kai agreed.
"So um…." Arisa wanted to say more but remembered something about what Usagi noted a few weeks ago.
'Maybe Lola and Kai are a couple!' The memory flashed through her mind as she shrugged that thought away.
'Why am I thinking of that? I know it isn't false, but why did I… Never mind. I know there's nothing strange between Kai and Lola. Kai doesn't have any girlfriend… does he?' Arisa worriedly thought.
After two hours, the intercom spoke up on cue.
"Attention, please. Flight 1711 to Athens, Greece, will be boarding shortly. Therefore, we kindly ask passengers to please head to the boarding gate. Thank you," the airline announcer called through the intercom.
Everyone gathered already and headed through the boarding gate. They were in the premium economy class, where the seats were a bit larger than the seats in the regular economy class. In this premium class, the row of seats was two by three by two. In addition, two seats were on each window side, while there were three seats in the center aisle of the plane.
Aizawa, aka Erasure Head, sat at the most front on the left side nearest to the window, and he had all the space for himself. Just across from him were Speed Girl, Midnight, and Ms. Heal. Across from them were Momo and Kendo. Behind Momo and Kendo were Jiro and Junko, and then Asui and Ochaco. Behind the female teachers and nurse were Felicia, Yuki Drago, and Todoroki, and behind those three were Bakugo, Kirishima, and Kaminari. Then, behind Aizawa, it was Midoriya and Kai, Arisa and Usagi, Mineta and Iida (Mineta didn't look too approving of sitting next to Iida), and finally, Eli and Monoma.
"Why do I have to sit next to someone, not from my class?" Monoma grudged.
"It looks like we are seatmates, bro," Eli chirped.
"Monoma, behave yourself, or else I will come over there," Kendo warned the boy.
"Jiro-san, would it be OK sitting next to Junko-san?" Momo asked.
"It's no problem," Jiro assured. "I think we are gonna get along just fine."
"Zzzzzz…" Junko slept peacefully with her head up and an eye mask covering her eyes.
"This is like the first time I've ever been on a plane before," Kirishima said. "What about you, Bakugo?"
"Hmph! I've been one couple of times," Bakugo said. "Though, one time, I was almost kicked out for some apparent reason."
Kirishima and Kaminari had a mental image together to imagine what that was like.
Once everyone was on their assigned seat, the plane finally took off. And as it finally reached cruising altitude, a stewardess with a service cart approached each center to offer something to drink. One of the perks for the premium economy class was that the adult could order a beer, but everyone, including the teachers, decided to get a soft drink, juice, or water.
While everyone was drinking and relaxing, the flight captain turned on the intercom. FYI, the flight captain happened to a familiar older man with dark eyeglasses and white hair.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain Stan Lee speaking. Thank you very much for making our line, Olympia Airlines, your choice to travel. It'll take us almost about 21 hours or specifically, 20 hours and 50 minutes to get to our destination, so just relax and enjoy the trip."
"Geh!? 21 hours?!" Kirishima gasped.
"Hmm, why does that pilot guy's name sound so familiar?" Arisa asked herself.
"It's going to be a very long ride, ribbit," Asui stated as Ochaco agreed on that.
Since the flight to Greece is a long one, some students decided to keep themselves entertained with music, airplane food, and in-flight movies. They also used the time to get some sleep.
Meanwhile, Kai was sleeping until he noticed Izuku was awake and checking his notebook.
"What are you doing, Midoriya?" He asked as he was waking up.
"Oh, sorry to wake you up, Kai," Midoriya said. "I was just reading over my notes on everyone's Quirks and all the training we did from the past two weeks."
"You wrote all that?" Kai asked, glancing over his notes and surprised a bit by all the details he wrote.
"Yeah. Lola-senpai thinks some of the people she, Chojiro-senpai, Leo-senpai, and Fernando-senpai, will be in the Games again. They did explain to me what kind of Quirk they use, from what they remembered."
"I see," Kai said. "Well, you better get some sleep. We have about ten more hours left," Kai said.
"Oh, I will. Thank you, Kai," Izuku assured. "Hey, I was wondering, Kai."
"Hmm?" Kai responded with a hum.
"What is your reason for joining the UA High, if I don't mind asking?" Izuku asked.
"Me…. Why, you ask?" Kai asked in return.
"Oh, well, I was just curious because this is just me, and don't get me wrong, but there are times when I feel like you seemed to be not too enthusiastic being at UA High."
Kia quietly listened as he didn't say anything while Izuku continued.
"As for me, I joined the school because I want to be a hero and All… well, somebody told me that I could be a hero, too," he explained.
"… I see. Well, my reasoning is different because I was, more or less, forced to join UA High," Kai answered, which made Izuku looked a bit surprised.
"What do you mean forced to?" Izuku asked.
"Let's just say my parents expected me to go to UA High so that I can train to be a hero, like them. So that's why I choose to go to UA High, whether I like it or not," he admitted.
"Oh, well… But you like your class, right?" Izuku said, trying to sound more cheerful.
"Yeah. Don't get me wrong. They are alright people, at least for most of the time, but I still ask myself if I truly belong in the class or even if I want to stay in UA for the next three years. Am I worthy of being a hero, or can I be something else than a hero?"
Izuku thought deeply about what Kai said. Before talking to Kai, he has met many people who wanted to be in UA, the most prestigious hero school in Japan. Many famous pro heroes, including All Might himself, went to the school, but he had never met someone like Kai, who says the opposite. A boy who was forced to go to the school and expect him to be a pro hero. The latter sounded similar to like Todoroki, but Kai was a bit different. There was something else, but Izuku didn't know at this point.
The two boys didn't continue talking from there as the airplane continued to the path to Athens.
- My Hero Academia -
About some hours before the plane left, the rest of UA Hero Course students went to say final goodbye to Team Japan's plane at the watch balcony. They cheered loudly as the plane flew off. At the same time, a mysterious figure in coat and hat watched the same plane, too.
The mysterious figure then walked away, entering the airport and went to a phone box. He inserted a phone card into it, and began calling someone.
"Hello. It is me. I just would like to report that the boy, Kai Uno, went on the plane. He's heading to Athens, Greece," said the mysterious figure.
"Very well," said a voice at the other end. "Our agent in Athens will be notified and ready. We will continue to keep an eye on him."
"Yes, sir," said the figure before he ended the call. As he turned and looked around, something shined from the inside of his coat. It was a pin of emblem for some kind of countries. It showed a creature that looked like a dragon with letter M that are sharpen at each point where the line changed directions. Two objects make a cross behind it; two swords.
This man is a secret agent for foreign country, but whoever he is or where he comes from is unknown at this point for now, and it won't be tell until in the far future.
Hello, everyone. The new story arc begins! This chapter serves a bit like a prologue, but I want to say welcome to the beginning of the "J-HOL Arc". Also stands for Junior Hero Olympic League. This is the first original story arc, and it is gonna be a long one. So I hope you stay on this journey and enjoy the tale.
Also, I am accepting new OCs. Please read my note at the end of last chapter, Chapter 22 for more detail. Please read that first before you submit OCs. Thank you for understanding.
Until next time, stay safe and as always, go beyond. Plus Ultra!