Chapter 17: Martial Warrior's Internship

For the first night of internships, they said that I could sleep on campus as long as I told them where. Imagine their surprise when that location would be on a tree in one of their forest training grounds.

I rested on a branch overlooking most of the campus of UA. My watch was set for 0400 in the morning so my daily training could get complete. With my back against the tree, I watched as the stars continued to look down on the world.

It was a sight that he missed in the time chamber and not one he took for granted.

"You are still awake." My head turned to see Neo standing on a branch across from me. He had begun showing up more and more to me and while he creeped me out at first his presence soon became welcoming. "Normally, you would have forced yourself to sleep by now."

"Just listening to this place. Views like these make you appreciate life. Flying around at night is nice but if you look at all these trees, the critters, and the stars, it's a whole new feeling."

"Does it make you feel relaxed?"

"I don't think anything could completely accomplish that. What I would say is that this peace reminds me why I fight. So that others could experience this true beauty."

Neo looked up at the art of the sky. Leo's adventures had taken him across the galaxies of many universes yet he had to agree that just looking at the vast calmness of space soothed his soul.

"I hope that when my time has come, that my death will inspire people to live their lives. And accomplish their dreams in ways I could never accomplish."

"You still have a long way to go."

"Heck, in our line of employment it could happen tomorrow."

"It's best not to think like that."

"Regardless, it is time to rest. Goodnight, Neo." I watched as the mental wolf spun in circles before curling up to sleep. My body was laid back as sleep overtook me.

Run

Run

Run!

My legs continued to move on their own. Considering how my normal nightmares turned out, it was safe to say the one I was running from was the same as it always has been.

The whole world was shrouded with darkness. He couldn't even see where he was running. That didn't matter. Staying still would mean certain death.

Laughing could be heard behind him. The same laugh that sounded every night. I jump to my left to avoid a red beam that slices the ground next to me. The light from melting earth gave me a knowledge of where not to be.

'The longer you run, the more you start to grow tired. Eventually, you will trip and fall to your knees.'

As he said that, my body fell forward and I caught myself. Then resorting to crawling away from the voice.

'Then, the weight will soon become too much and you will be forced to drag yourself with your arms.'

The feeling in my legs becomes numb as my hands start pulling me. Fingers start to bleed as the nails tear out from the force being asked of them.

'And then, at last, your arms will refuse to pull you anymore.'

Moving was no longer an option. All of my strength had left me. I could hear soft steps coming from behind me.

'And when that happens, you will die.'

A burning sensation crossed my right side as a flaming snout flips me onto my back. The flaming wolf I have become all too accustomed to placed a paw on my chest. Then a beam of light shot from the leg and punctured my chest.

At 0600, Mr. Aizawa stood in front of me in a concrete building known as Gym Gamma. This was my first time seeing this place since arriving at UA. The whole floor was made entirely of concrete so that Cementoss could manipulate the ground to suit the needs of training students.

Apparently, the place was built so that there was a safe place to create ultimate moves. Signature move that was designed to finish a fight quickly. The concept was interesting. It gave him something to look forward to later in the school year.

Besides, you know, saving people.

"Yesterday, Present Mic showed you the basics in a patrol. He may be loud but he knows precisely how to make a calming presence for civilians. Even if it isn't your forte, patrolling is a useful skill."

Mic certainly had a good public opinion. While he was explaining the basics to me there had been plenty of fans who stopped to say hello. Mic had greeted them all with a large smile while many ignored me. Couldn't say I blame them though. They probably thought I was just some fan.

The plain-looking costume didn't help.

"But today will be all about testing you on how far you have come. The Sports Festival was originally supposed to serve that purpose but you couldn't participate."

The teacher then messed with his watch. "So to prove of your growth and confirm your place in UA, I will be battling you for an hour. If you manage to impress me, then you get to stay in this school and the rest of today will compose of you training what you wish to train."

"However, if you fail to impress me then you will be expelled."

"Wow, I know it's a Tuesday but it feels like a Monday."

One of Mr. Aizawa's eyebrows twitched. "You know better than that. Just because you were nearly expelled on two Mondays doesn't make it a thing." A beep sounded on his watch, indicating the start of the hour. "And also, if one of us is pinned down that would mean victory for the other. However, if there is still time then we will restart the match over and over until the hour is up."

"So we are keeping count of how many times one of us fails. Well then if you just started the timer, I think I'll start attacking now."

He hadn't even realized that Eraserhead's scarf was already starting to surround him. Yet before it could tighten, my leg shot underneath the cloth to my right and swept it in the shape of an arc in front of me. This not only prevented the cloth from trapping me but also served as a way for me to pull him towards me.

Eyes wide, Eraserhead instinctively activated his quirk but the second he did this he realized his mistake. My sudden movement must have thrown him off his game for when my body twisted to pull the hero towards me suddenly he completely missed the leg sweep towards him from the other direction the scarf went around my body.

My kick struck him in the chest and he slammed the hero's back into the ground. I quickly placed a knee on his chest. "Guess that is one for me."

"How well do you think Leo would do against Aizawa?"

Nezu looked across the table, then smiled at Present Mic's question. "He will do just fine. If you are worried about Leo getting expelled, just know that Eraserhead is just trying to get the boy to go all out."

"Yea...but...Eraser told me he wasn't going to let the boy win just to see if the kid could tolerate failure. But from what I learned from my patrol with him is that kid has failed many times. Maybe Mr. Aizawa is trying to teach the boy a lesson he already knows."

Cementoss then decided to chime in. "The truth is Mic. Most of the teachers decided to make a game on how many times Eraserhead could beat Leo in an hour. They mean no harm from the fight. I put down fifteen losses."

"We can't make a game out of that. What if Leo found it. It could make him lose his confidence, or at the very least make him lose trust in our ability to trust him."

Those around the table remained silent for a second before Mic spoke up again. "How much did you guys bet?"

Midnight spoke up. "Whoever is closest gets paid, and the difference is multiplied by a hundred yen. So if one of us voted ten loses, and the other five loses, and Leo loses five times, then the loser would have to pay five hundred yen."

Mic grumbled before asking. "Who betted on what?"

All Might pointed to the board at the side of the room. On it stated how many times each teacher betted on Leo to lose.

Eraserhead: 3

Midnight: 15

Cementoss: 9

All Might: 5

Ectoplasm: 11

Thirteen: 7

Recovery Girl: 0

Present Mic snorted before he walked up to the board and wrote his name and the number six. "The kid stood his own against two assassins. He is fairly skilled."

Midnight then smiled. "The only reason Eraserhead lost against Bladedge was that Asui was almost butchered. And Obsidian was a brute who didn't think too many steps ahead. Not saying Leo is a bad fighter, but Shouta has defeated more powerful."

"They had quirks and relied on them. Leo does not. That is why I do not believe that Leo will lose against Eraserhead." Recovery Girl walked in on the group. "But fifteen loses, Midnight. That is a loss every three minutes. Do you think so lowly of Martial Warrior?"

"I was just doing high risk, high reward. There is nobody higher than that so if he gets more then I bet then I get the most money."

"Still, that's a high number."

"I'm not too worried. I'm confident Shouta can excel in this."

The door to the teachers' lounge opened and in walked none other than Mr. Aizawa. The man was covered in dirt and he appeared very exhausted. The teachers present all looked at him.

Present Mic stood up. "First things first. Did he pass your expectations?"

Eraserhead nodded. "I never planned on expelling him. He had already proved his worth. Believe it or not, Leo is very much capable."

"We already know that. Just tell us how many times he lost." Cementoss seemed eager to know the truth.

The underground hero sighed. "Twenty to zero."

"Ha!" Midnight jumped up and pointed to the center of the table. "Pay up!"

All Might turned to Mr. Aizawa. "Twenty times. That is an awful lot. Was it his perseverance that impressed you?"

"Hold it, Midnight. To solve all of your questions, and possibly bring up more, I should mention that Recovery Girl is who gets paid this time."

The other teachers froze and turned to the 1A teacher. Midnight's face was stuck with a smile but her eyes had glazed over. "Huh?"

"You heard me right. I lost twenty times to Martial Warrior. And Recovery Girl gets 50,000 yen."

Mr. Nezu laughed. "Don't worry, I saw this occurring so I had already adjusted your paychecks to pay off our nurse. And please don't hold our student to this. After all, it is sweet, sweet, karma."

After Mr. Aizawa's hour of fighting, I spent the rest of the day working on using Instant Transmission. That meant returning to the pillar that Cementoss had made and meditating my ki around me. The stinging feeling eventually grew to the point that I had to fly down or risk passing out from the injuries the meditation was giving me.

The truth was I had known about the teachers bet against me at Gym Gamma. Not being one to hold grudges, I didn't think much of it but was still a little fumed that Midnight bet against me fifteen times.

He had originally overheard his name being mentioned in the teacher's lounge as well as bets being made. He was able to make out what the bet was about before he left to continue his training.

I finished with my break and began to scale the spike again. My body still felt weak but my mind went to what Recovery Girl had told him about her theory about his limits. How at one point his body had evolved to help him survive but that came at the cost of making it more difficult to gain strength.

And he believed he knew when his body made this change.

When he was twelve, he got hit with a serious cold. Dratten had been unable to heal him with his abilities because his body wasn't taking damage in terms of combat. He had become bedridden for weeks. There was a point in time that Dratten had considered quickly leaving and returning with a doctor that could aid him.

This idea was quickly shot down because that would involve leaving me alone in a world that Dratten had to heal me in every day or the gravity would threaten to crush my organs.

Eventually, the cold dissipated and we quickly learned that my body no longer needed to be constantly healed. It was a welcome change but one that they never figured out.

Ever since then, my growth in physical strength and speed was greatly reduced. It didn't help that we hadn't even begun actual physical training yet since I wasn't of age to experience such strain. So while ki users on the outside grew leaps and bounds, I was forced to put in more effort into training just to get slightly stronger.

This is also why I was able to raise the Kaioken so high. With limited base power, I had to perfect the amount of energy that could be accessed. With him learning Spirit Control in the chamber as well as being repaired by Dratten after every failure, my ability to use the technique to its fullest became evident.

Now that he thinks about it, he hasn't tested his max Kaioken since he was in the chamber. He had capped it at a thousand then but it was likely that he could reach higher levels.

I was halfway up the spike when a voice took me out of my head. "Do you always put your life in danger when you train?"

My eyes swerve to find Nejire flying next to me. "The best way to keep up with everyone is to push harder than everybody. I'm surprised you are here. Don't you have an internship to go to?"

She waved off the question. "I have a work-study so I just have to do what she orders me to do. It just so happens the orders happen to be in UA."

"Work Studies?"

"You'll learn about them later." Nejire watched me slip and fall slightly. "Why aren't you at your internship?"

"Didn't get any offers and the school didn't trust any volunteers to treat me right. With all the bad rumors about me. Today I spent an hour sparring with my teacher. The school board had no idea that I overheard them betting on how many times Mr. Aizawa would defeat me." I had almost made it to the top.

"Sounds rough. What do you think of all of this?"

I stopped climbing and pondered the question. "While it would be nice for them to trust me or for people not to make assumptions, in the end, it won't matter. My goal is to save people. Do whatever it takes to fulfill that goal. They don't have to trust me, they don't have to like me, they could yell insults, they could even use me until I am broken, if it gives someone a chance to live their life then I don't give a damn."

"That's a...harsh way of putting things. But if you don't live your life then why do anything?"

"I got a darker answer to that question that I will keep to myself."

That seemed to halt the conversation for about a minute. Before Nejire spoke again. "Why don't I teach you how to properly fly now? If you have time."

"Let's wait till I get to the...oh."

The conversation had distracted me enough to the point that I nearly kept climbing when the spike ended. "Well, if you don't mind."

"Cool," she hovered next to me. "Show me how you fly."

Ki surrounded my body as I slowly floated into the air. She began nodding. "You told me you have tried propelling yourself but you had no control. But when you lift yourself then you can't move fast."

I nodded. "There is a way to do both. Other ki users have done it. The problem is trying to manipulate the energy to do both at once."

Nejire put her hand on her chin. Then nearly fell because she forgot they were in the air. "Can we continue this closer to the ground? I'm not comfortable staying up here."

We float to the ground where we start pondering ideas. "The way I fly is that the rotating energy gives me easy stabilization. I'm able to shoot energy out of my feet while remaining in the air. Maybe you should shift your energy so that it circulates."

I stare at her for a moment and then close my eyes. The energy around my body starts to circulate me. Visually, this doesn't look any different. Physically, my movement feels less lacking.

"I feel more fluent. Now how do I move like this?"

The third year slapped her hands together. "Try shifting the rotation into a different direction. That should propel you where you want to go.

My dumbass then shifted the energy upwards, thinking that was how I could fly up. It was safe to say what happened next hurt like hell.

BOOM!

A hole appears in the concrete as my body pierces through the earth like butter. After about forty feet of soil, I came to a stop. Nejire looks down at the crater. "Are you okay down there?!"

"Maybe?! I haven't quite registered the pain yet." A brief pause occurs that is soon interrupted by a groan. "There it is!"

"Do you need me to do anything?"

"Take, like, ten to twenty steps back."

I hear footsteps move away from me. "Are you clear?"

"Clear!"

"Okay, good. Haaaaa!"

My ki erupts upwards and disintegrates the ground above me. The beam of energy continues to rise into the sky before losing its form. I then crawl out of the hole I created.

"(Gasp)I haven't(Gasp)done a full body(Gasp)ki attack in a long time. That was exhausting." My eyes then turn to Nejire to find her sitting on the ground. The shockwave must have hit her.

"I should have backed up the full twenty. Are you okay?"

Giving her a thumbs up, I then responded. "Usually, that wouldn't have done much to my stamina. But the training I was just doing has worn me out. Also, that blast was more violent than the ones I usually dish out so it was weaker and took more out of me."

"The good news is that I can make that flying technique work now. It seemed rough but with some practice, it should become manageable." My eyes turn to her. "Now what do you say we work on your energy control. How good are you at meditating?"

Turns out, Nejire is not very good at sitting still.

We spent the next two hours trying to get her to calm down enough to try to manipulate her energy in a more controlled manner. Once it became clear that she was too hyper, we started doing laps around the training area. It took her a whole hour to finally become winded and we were sprinting! Thankfully, I still possessed a fair amount of stamina left. Nejire told me I was the fastest runner she has seen without the usage of a quirk which was a good confidence boost.

But even after all of that, we barely got her to sit still long enough to meditate. It helped once I started playing the theme Twelve Titans Music-Celestial Motion. (Seriously, there are no words to the song but it is fantastic as fuck. As well as their other music.)

We now stood at the entrance of UA. The energetic teen was preparing to head to her hero work-study, whatever that is, and decided to leave at the crack of night. She told me that the hero that was her boss would rendezvous nearby to begin patrol. Seemed like a busy job. That was not a bad thing.

"Thank you for helping me with my quirk today. I'll be sure to continue that meditation thingy you showed me." Nejire had changed into a skin-tight uniform with gauntlets on her arms and legs to help with her quirk. The color varied from baby blue to light green. Her hair was styled so it had a slight spiral on the top but beyond that remained the same.

"And thank you for giving me tips on flying. It was weird getting slammed into the concrete but it was a learning experience." I look down at my watch and realize that Mr. Aizawa had sent me a text. "Welp, that is my teacher. Better get going. But before we part ways, can I ask you something?"

The girl looked at me confusingly. "Sure, what is it?"

"What exactly was your mission at UA? You spent the entire time training with me and it didn't seem like you did much else."

Nejire nodded and winked. "You will find out sooner or later. Until we meet again, Leo!" She then took off and started flying away from the school to who knows where.

I raised my arm and checked the message my teacher sent me. It read 'Recovery Girl insisted you stay in the nurse's office tonight. Midnight will meet you tomorrow at six at the front gate.'

The school nurse must not have liked me sleeping outside. It was fine by me but if Recovery Girl asks for something done it is best to go along with it.

While making my way down the halls, my watch buzzed again. I looked down to see that Tokoyami had texted me. He must have just finished his patrol with Hawks.

Opening the door to the nurse's office, I flip on the lights and head to one of the beds. Once sat down, my fingers fly across my watch as Tokoyami and I chat.

Tokoyami: It just so happens that Hawks requested me to learn about the league and that 'Birds of a feather flock together'. Been chasing him around all day. Haven't learned shit.

Me: Well we are similar but different. I went on one decent patrol yesterday and though I learned things, it was quick and today me and Mr. Aizawa just sparred today. The good news is that flying has had a breakthrough. Could show you when you get back.

Tokoyami: Appreciate it. Honestly, at least you bother to teach me some things. Hawks is nice but he isn't a very good teacher. The sidekicks have done a better job than him.

Me: Well if you are chasing him around then at least you are getting good exercise. Tomorrow I'm supposed to be patrolling at Midnight. This will not end well for me.

Tokoyami: I'm a little worried about you because unlike the rest of the class you are of legal age. So just keep an eye out.

Me: I doubt she would try something like that. I'm more worried about random people drooling over her when walking down the street.

Tokoyami: As long as you don't show you are attracted to her then you should be fine. From what I've seen, you completely skipped that part of puberty.

Me: Ha, Ha, Ha

Tokoyami: Oh wait, that isn't true. Hop gets you to blush now and then and she is the only woman to do so.

Me: You are lucky that Hawks are placed on the other side of the island. But you are bound to come back sooner or later.

Tokoyami: And it will be a glorious reunion with your max height in life at 5'7.

Me: Look who's talking with a current height at 5'2 in high school. At least I have an excuse for muscle damage at youth.

Me: Also 5'7 is a completely reasonable height.

Tokoyami: Agree to disagree.

And with that, the conversation ended. I turn on my alarm and shut off the light. My body rests on the bed and my thoughts drift to what Tokoyami said.

"Hop doesn't make me blush."

Eraserhead walked out of Mr. Nezu's office with a small note in his hand. He had just requested the number he would call to talk with the ambassador from Universe 1. That man would help him get in contact with the person he needed to.

In his hour-long fight against Leo, Aizawa realized something.

Martial Warrior was his perfect counter in combat. No quirk to erase, the pros' use of a weapon made him predictable, and to top it off he would admit that even though he went easy on him it would unlikely end differently.

He had a plan for the students for their final exams and Leo in particular. But he needed a way to even the odds. That is why he needed to contact…him.

Shouta walked out onto the street and began his patrol. But while walking he pulled out his phone and dialed the number on the note. He put it up to his ear and waited.

After about twenty seconds, somebody picked up the phone. "Universe 1 ambassador's office, how can I help you Sir/Ma'am."

"This is the pro-hero, Eraserhead. I would like to get a…cross universe phone call." He said that last part slowly because he didn't know if that was what he was supposed to call it.

"One moment." The pro could hear some scuffling in the background. "Please type in the number that you wish to call. Due understand that since you are calling through means of a cell phone then the connection will be a bit unstable."

Eraser looked at the note one more time before dialing the number. He threw his scarf up and wrapped it around a statue on a building. He pulled himself up and overlooked a villain confrontation that was occurring.

A few thugs were engaging some heroes in a brawl. The violators had tried to do a snatch and grab on a drug store but completely missed the gathering of heroes nearby.

The overlooking hero activated his power to disable the quirk of one of the thugs. The man at his arm in confusion, probably wondering why he couldn't use his power when a blue-haired hero punched him in the face with energy wrapped around her arm.

He heard a click on his phone as someone picked up. "Who is this?" Gunfire could be heard in the background however it was quickly silenced. "I am working so whoever this is make it quick."

"Mr. Dratten, this is Shouta Aizawa, Leo's teacher."

More movement as well as a loud snap. A man screamed elsewhere. "Die you bastard!" A quick crunch and Dratten was back on the line.

"Sorry about the noise. You caught me at a bad time. What is your reason for calling?"

Aizawa only now realized that his hand was shaking. The pressure that radiated off the man could even be felt through this connection. However, he ignored this and told the man what the school had planned in the future and how Eraserhead particularly needed aid.

"So what do you think? Can you help me out?"

"Just a moment." He heard some static before Dratten returned. "I could lend you an old suit of mine. It specializes in countering fighters like Leo. Well if he powers up then you are screwed anyway but then he would be making a mistake for the latter half. I'll have it sent to you."

"I do appreciate it."

"Before you go, there was something I wanted to discuss with you."

Eraserhead looked up at the heroes on the ground finishing the fight. He could see the blue-haired girl walking up to each of the criminals and making sure they were tied down properly.

The pro readjusted his phone. "Proceed."

He could hear Dratten take a breath. "I know you and the other heroes don't like me. That is fine. If we are being honest then I kinda hate myself too. But just know that Leo is not me. He stopped being my student because of the path that he wanted to take. The boy is incredible but his past makes it so that he needs proper guidance. Just promise me that you won't look at him as my previous student and just look at him for what he is."

This caught the teacher off guard. He did not expect the most powerful person he has ever met to plead with him to not look at Leo a certain way. The truth was, Aizawa did in a way look at the boy exactly the way the soldier described. Even against his better judgment. He hated himself for that.

"I will try my best. It is not my intention to discriminate against my students. Regardless of their background. Leo has proved himself to be able to stand beside the other students and in some cases the pros. He will be fine."

"Thank you. Oh, and sorry for messing with your head. A lot of people can read minds. And for Leo's safety, I only intend to let people HE told remember his name."

He heard a beeping on the phone as Dratten began to sound annoyed. "Hoover! Support! Where did that kid go? I gotta go!" The soldier then hung up.

Aizawa placed his phone in his pocket and let out a sigh. Looking down, he took a closer look at the girl who was now speaking to a hero sidekick. It finally occurred to him that said girl was Nejire Hado. One of UA's third years who was one of the big three.

But wait, if Hado was there then where was…?

"You seemed quite relieved to stop that phone call. An old friend of yours?"

Eraser turned to find the dragoon hero, Ryukyu, next to him. She must have been overlooking her work-study student in combat and just so happened to see him. The underground hero grunted. "Had a call with a very intimidating person about a student of mine. Even though the phone he somehow gets me to shake and proceeds to be the only one to do so."

"Sounds like a terrifying person. Is it Ms. Joke?"

"Ha…Ha. It was a soldier from Universe 1. Goes by the name Chris Dratten. He is a former mentor to a student of mine. You wouldn't guess that because the two are so drastically different."

"It's Leo, isn't it."

"Well, you would know because you sent Hado to scout him, Uraraka, and Asui. But yes. What are your impressions of them?"

Ryukyu thought about it for a second. "Asui seems to be level-headed. Her ability to work with others is fantastic. The report from the USJ stated that she was able to help her classmates keep calm. There is more to be seen on her but for now, she is a solid pick.

"Then there is Uraraka. Her teamwork with Tokoyami and her persistence at the Sports Festival is what attracted my attention. Her choice of internship shows she is trying to improve herself and her quick wits have saved her classmates in the past. Also a solid pick."

Eraser intervened. "And Leo?"

"I was hoping you could tell me what Hado hasn't been able to find out. Just like you, I'm a little skeptical about what his true motives are."

They watched all the heroes pack up and resume their patrols. Hado flew to the police and started to give a brief description of what had happened.

"He has incredible combat power and I know he is hiding more. You don't get a perfect score on power with what I have seen. He aid's his classmates mentally and physically because from what we know he has been through a lot and doesn't want that to happen to other people. He came to UA to not become his previous master and respect must be given to him for that."

"However, he struggles to find ways to remain happy and his past pins him against a wall that is hard for him to remove himself from. Right now it is all a mental challenge for him."

Hado flew up to where they were speaking. "Villains are captured and the money has been returned. Mission success Ma'am."

Ryukyu nodded. "Excellent work, Nejire." She turned to Eraserhead. "Thank you for the information. I may contact the school later on developments. The two women then started making their way down the street.

Mr. Aizawa looked up into the night sky. "Well, things just got a whole lot more complicated."

Merry Christmas-

I was hoping to make the chapter longer before posting but this seemed like a good time to release an update. For 2022, I will attempt to post on this story more often.

-ExtinctionTeam75