Chapter 4:
Inspired by the anime My Hero Academia / Boku no Hero Academia. I do not own any of the characters except for my OC, Okami Shizen, and her family. Credit goes to Kohei Horikoshi, the creator. Hope you enjoy!
After lunch the next day, it's time for our first Foundational Heroics Studies lesson with none other than the legend, the man himself, All Might.
A few of my classmates are sceptical about this and think it's only for UA's publicity, but I know the Number One Hero will step into our classroom as soon as the clock hits one-twenty. I just know it. This is too important a matter to play around with.
"I AM HERE-"
A gust of wind enters the classroom.
"-ARRIVING LIKE A HERO!"
I can almost hear the heroic music in the background.
"Wow, it's really All Might!" Kaminari mumbles in awe.
"This sure is going to be a fun year!" Eijiro Kirishima exclaims.
"I wonder what he's going to teach us!" Ochako squeals.
Japan's top Hero is wearing his iconic Silver Age costume, as well as his signature broad grin. Being so near to one of the world's greatest, most influential people gives me chills, but in a good way.
He walks to the teacher's table, beginning the lesson. "Students, you'll now be taking the most important class in UA High: think of it as Hero 101! You will learn the basics of becoming a Pro and what it means to be out there fighting for the name of good. Let's get started! Today's lesson..."
I can tell everyone's excited about whatever today's lesson is.
"Battle training!" he cries, holding up a card that says 'BATTLE'. "Give it your all and don't hold back! But before that, we've got to do one of the most important things a Hero must do: look good!"
He procures a remote control from nowhere in particular, activating a mechanism in the walls. Four storage shelves pop out from the wall on my right.
"Get changed and meet me down at Ground Beta," he says.
"Yes, sir!" everyone responds enthusiastically.
"They say that clothes make the Pros, and you, young ones, are truly a testament to this statement!" All Might remarks proudly.
It's true - everyone's looking good in their Hero costumes. Ochako's gone with an astronaut theme, though she's self-conscious of her suit's skin-tightness, and Kyoka is rocking the DJ look. Mina's fashion sense, I find out, is a bit unique - she dons a pink and turquoise camo-pattern bodysuit with a sleeveless tan waistcoat. Toru is wearing nothing but gloves and boots, possibly to make full use of her invisibility. Ida wears a robot-like suit almost identical to Ingenium's, and Kirishima's costume shows a lot of skin (the girls blush and turn away upon noticing this), though not more than Momo's - her scarlet leotard is completely open in the middle, exposing her skin from her neck to just below her navel. Todoroki's costume consists of simple white clothes and boots, but his entire left side is covered by what looks like ice, his left eye covered by a red lens.
My costume fits me well and is pretty simple, which is good. It's what I'd hoped for. I also get two claw-shaped daggers as part of my support gear, which could actually help me, since I'm trained to use weapons in combat.
"From now on," he continues, "you are all Heroes-in-training!"
Just as I notice Midoriya's not yet with us, he runs out of the tunnel, clad in a green full-body jumpsuit, a mask with long ears covering his face, so he looks like a giant green rabbit.
Why? I think. I notice All Might looks a little uncomfortable upon seeing this.
"Now that you're ready," our teacher announces, "it's time for combat training!"
"Sir," Ida asks, raising his hand, "this is the city setting from our entrance exam. Does this mean we'll be engaging in battles with the robot villains again?"
"No!" All Might says. "We'll be moving on to something even more challenging!
"Most villain fights you see on TV," he continues, "take place outdoors, but encounters with the nastiest, craftiest villains occur indoors. Let me put it this way: organized crime, home invasions, drug trafficking... all these illicit activities are conducted far away from the watchful eyes of our crime-fighters. For this exercise, you'll be split into teams of two, either good guys or bad guys. Your team will be going up against another in two-on-two indoor battles!"
Many of my new classmates start to ask questions.
"Isn't this a little too... challenging?" Tsu notes. "After all, it's only our second day here..."
"Real training is what you experience on the battlefield!" All Might answers cheerfully. "But you can't just destroy a robot or two this time, because you're going up against actual human beings now."
"Will you be the one deciding on who wins, sir?" Momo asks politely.
"How much can we injure the other team?" Bakugo enquires aggressively. I hope I'm not going up against him.
"Are the losers gonna get expelled?" Ochako says nervously.
Ida raises his hand again. "Will you be splitting us up by chance or based on our Quirks?"
"Isn't this cape fabulous?" Yuga Aoyama says.
"I wasn't finished talking!" All Might says, exasperated. "Let me explain further." He pulls what looks like a cheat sheet from his pocket.
"The villains have placed a weapon in an undisclosed location in the building, and the Heroes' job is to either capture the villains or secure the weapon, both of which will result in instant victory for the Heroes. Likewise, the Villains win if they successfully defend their payload or capture the Heroes. Now," he says, pulling out an orange box with the word 'Lots' on the front, "we'll decide the pairings by drawing lots!"
"Is this really the best way?" Ida says doubtfully.
"Well," Midoriya corrects him, "Heroes from different agencies often have to team up on the spot in times of emergency, so I think this might just be to prepare us for that in the future."
"I apologize for my rudeness, sir." Ida faces All Might as he bows deeply.
"No sweat - let's draw!"
Team A - Ochako and Midoriya.
Team B - me and Todoroki. Ugh.
Team C - Momo and Shoji.
Team D - Bakugo and Ida. I can tell they're not very happy about the arrangement.
Team E - Mina and Aoyama.
Team F - Koji Koda and Rikido Sato.
Team G - Kaminari and Kyoka.
Team H - Tokoyami and Tsu.
Team I - Ojiro and Toru.
Team J - Hanta Sero and Kirishima.
After drawing lots, it's decided that Team A, the Hero team, will be going up against Team D, the Villain team. All Might instructs those not participating in the round to head to a separate observation facility as the participants set up, where we'll be able to watch the match on huge video screens.
Ochako waves goodbye to me as I follow the rest of Class 1A, and I do the same.
The only word I can use to describe the match is intense.
The winners are more or less incapacitated, what with Ochako puking in the rubble due to Quirk overuse and Midoriya, who's injured both his arms heavily. The Villain team, however, is more or less unharmed, though Bakugo's completely shocked that he lost. Midoriya's condition doesn't look great; he's covered with burns and scratches all over his body, and the only reason I'm able to see this is because his Hero costume has been completely destroyed by the explosions. All Might immediately sends him to Recovery Girl for an emergency healing.
Once the three other challengers are in the observation room, All Might starts the evaluation.
"Despite the outcome of this match, the MVP of the round is none other than young Ida!"
Everyone looks shocked. Even Ida can't seem to believe his ears. I know what they're all thinking - why shouldn't the winner be someone from the winning team? This is what Tsu asks All Might.
"A valid question, indeed! Can anyone tell me why exactly I made this decision?"
It's obvious to me that All Might is struggling to move the lesson along, and I don't blame him. Conducting a practical lesson for Japan's next generation of heroes is tough enough by anyone's standards, and it's only All Might's second day on the job. Still, it's funny when Momo abruptly raises her hand to answer and All Might is startled.
"Ida was the only one who truly embraced this challenge," Momo states matter-of-factly. "He adapted readily to his assigned role as a villain. Bakugou, however, let his grudge and bias against Midoriya affect his critical thinking and judgment, leading him to make decisions that were neither wise nor safe. Launching a large-scale attack indoors was not a smart move. The same goes for Midoriya, and seeing as how he's been injured so badly, his sacrifice was not worth it. He should have considered other options before putting himself in danger.
"Uraraka was not at all serious about the match. She even went so far as to lose her composure in front of the enemy. In addition, her final attack was far too reckless. Had this been a real Villain fight, the Heroes would not have won. They were taking advantage of the fact that this was training and not a real emergency."
All Might clears his throat. "Wonderful explanation, Miss Yaoyorozu. I might add that Ida was also a bit stiff, but you put my exact thoughts into words. A truly outstanding analysis!"
"As Heroes-in-training, we've got to work our way up from the bottom and give every training session our all; we cannot afford to be complacent. That's the only way we can truly become good Heroes," Momo finishes.
"RIGHT!" All Might exclaims, his smile wavering. "It's time for the next match. Teams B and I, you're up!"
There's an awkward silence in the air as Todoroki and I stand outside the building.
He breaks it abruptly. "You're Peregrine's daughter, aren't you?"
I refuse to answer his question. "Won't your costume restrict the use of your Quirk on your left side?"
"I don't intend to use my fire," he says coldly.
"Whatever floats your boat," I reply irritably.
He makes no attempt to talk strategy, so we start the match unprepared. Not a good start at all.
But I already have a plan in mind. I can distract Ojiro, while Todoroki takes care of Toru. I can already hear someone heading towards us - his or her footsteps are softer than most, as martial-arts-trained persons' usually are, but still detectable. I think it's Ojiro - his costume, a plain white karate gi, gives away too much. He's likely trained in close combat.
"Ojiro's gonna be coming from the left," I warn Todoroki as we head into the building. "There are two flights of staircases that converge just up ahead, so be ready to get past him."
Then Ojiro comes out of nowhere all of a sudden, crouched in a defensive stance.
"I'll deal with him," I whisper. "Get the weapon, but give me some of the capture tape first." I'm referring to the capture tape that All Might has given us to bind the enemy.
Before he can give it to me, Ojiro attacks, swinging his tail towards both of us. I anticipate this at the last second and duck, as does my teammate. I act like I'm going to try and escape, then shift and try to hold my intangible form for a few seconds to throw him off. But the pressure builds up inside of me all too quickly and when I open my eyes, I'm right behind him. Fortunately, I have him in a chokehold a few seconds later.
"Todoroki, go!" I yell. "Now!"
I can't hold Ojiro much longer. He's using his tail to try and get me off his back, which hurts.
In response, the heterochromatic boy places the flat of his right palm on the wall. Fractals of ice start to grow outwards quickly until the walls and floor are covered in ice completely. Cold frozen tendrils curl around my and Ojiro's legs, trapping us in the stairwell. I take a shaky breath, mist forming before my eyes.
Todoroki walks past, not even trying to get me unstuck. This infuriates me.
"I am your teammate," I hiss. "We're supposed to be working together, not against each other!"
He glares at me coldly. "You were in my way."
Ojiro speaks up now, a steely determination in his eyes. "I will fight you if I have to."
"It might be tough to fight me without any skin on your feet." the son of Endeavor retorts. Ojiro growls in frustration.
Todoroki's kind enough to leave us standing in that awkward position. I have to kind of lean to my left so Ojiro will have space for his tail.
"I swear to All Might, I will make you pay for this," I snarl to myself.
"That guy sure is intense," Ojiro says.
"He's just trying to play the role of the emo dude," I huff. But my mind is racing. I can get out of this mess if I shift, which will help to break the ice. However, Ojiro will be unstuck too, and I'm not confident about having to fight him one on one. To make matters worse, I don't even have an inch of capture tape to use. Logically, my best bet is to stall for time, and hope Hagakure doesn't somehow knock Todoroki out.
"You fight well," Ojiro compliments me.
"As do you," I reply, watching his body language carefully, though it's hard to do this from behind him. Even the slightest twitch of his hand or quiver of his tail can mean he's about to bust out a move that will defeat me and Todoroki both. On the other hand, martial artists are trained to control their body language...
He strikes suddenly, throwing me off balance. The impact of tail on ice knocks me back a few meters, tiny ice crystals piercing my skin. Amid all the chaos and icy debris, I see a blurry figure advancing toward me in the dust. It has to be Ojiro.
I can't let him get past me, I think. I can't, or we'll lose the match.
As my classmate tries to push past me up the stairs. I grab his arm and twist my whole body sideways, slamming him into the wall. He groans in pain and I'm relieved to see he's alive, a part of me wondering if I've used too little force.
I would tie him up with some rope if I had any, which I don't. My best bet is to regroup with my teammate and take our enemies on together, two on two. I head up flight after flight of stairs, vaguely aware of Ojiro's footsteps echoing through the stairwell. I suddenly hear a noise above me - the soft, careful footsteps of a girl. Toru.
I activate my comms and whisper urgently, "Todoroki, Ojiro's after me. Hagakure is trying to sneak up on you."
There's no response.
"Why did you cut your comms, you icy-hot bastard?" I hiss into the communication device, seething with rage. Either that or Toru has knocked him out - it's all his fault in both cases. "Just answer me, dammit!"
I've wasted precious seconds trying to contact my (entirely useless) teammate, and now Ojiro has caught up with me. I can hear his heavy breathing echoing through the stairwell behind me. He strikes with his tail without warning, swatting me aside like I'm nothing more than a bothersome housefly. I attempt to dodge, but it's too late - I take a tumble down the stairs, pain flaring in my back and left arm as I hit the bottom. The air is knocked out of my lungs. To Ojiro's credit, he hurries down the stairs to check if I'm alright.
"Shizen!" he gasps. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Too bad he doesn't know it's a part of my plan.
Having pretended to be in more pain than I actually am, I quickly swing my lower half up from the ground towards me, hitting him in the face with my foot. The soles of my combat boots come into contact with the wall behind my head and I smile, thanking my lucky stars that they're sturdy, because what I do next would have wrecked any normal pair of gym shoes.
I place my palms on the concrete, elbows facing the ceiling, and shift as I push upwards. This results in my ricocheting off the wall and smashing into Ojiro in a full-on superpowered rugby tackle, knocking him to the floor.
I dust my hands off after I shift back to human form. Ojiro seems to be unconscious, so I tie him to the railing with a nearby coil of rope. I set off back up the stairs.
By this time, I'm almost completely spent. My legs feel like they'll give out any moment now and my arms ache terribly. Even so, I can't just give up now.
I try contacting Todoroki again, and this time, he responds.
"You left me without any capture tape, you idiot!"
"I've rendered Hagakure unable to move and am on my way to the weapon."
"It doesn't change the fact that you left me stuck in the stairwell. With the enemy!"
"I have the weapon."
"You're not even listening to me, you shithead!"
All Might's voice comes on over the speakers. "The Hero team... wins!"
I hate Todoroki.
The after-match evaluation goes pretty smoothly.
All Might addresses the Villain team first. "Young Ojiro," he says, "well done for attempting to keep your enemies at bay! But you may want to brush up on your strategizing. Miss Hagakure, you don't have a lot of offensive power, so you'd do well to work on your stealth, or distractions to confuse your enemies."
"Yes, sir," the members of the Villain team say in unison, looking rather red-faced. At least, Ojiro is - I have no way of telling with Toru.
"As for the Hero team, congratulations on your victory! Young Todoroki, though your strategy was impeccable, it's never a good idea to hinder your teammates with your attacks. Taking precautions such as tying up any incapacitated opponents with the capture tape, which would have helped your teammate in this exercise, would also have been a good idea."
"Yes, sir," Todoroki says monotonously, a cold glint in his right eye. Obviously, he doesn't appreciate his father's colleague critiquing him.
"Young lady," All Might says, addressing me, "you did wonderfully in this exercise. You were resourceful, strategic, and careful in your decision-making, which is why I name you MVP for this match."
"Thank you, sir," I say, trying not to smirk at Todoroki.
The next few matches go by in a flash, and before I know it, it's time to head back up to class.
All Might addresses us before we leave. "Young ladies and gentlemen, I hope this training session has helped you to identify your strengths and weaknesses as well as know your limits, and that you'll continue to embody the Plus Ultra spirit! Our training will only get harder, so get ready!"
We bid our Foundational Heroics Studies teacher goodbye and head for the changing rooms. Lots of my classmates have already broken up into various little groups to discuss the match. Kaminari pesters Kyoka, Momo, and Shoji as they politely pretend to listen to his ramblings. Tokoyami is talking with Sato and the quiet Koda. Ochako chats animatedly with Midoriya and Ida, her opponent Bakugo nowhere to be seen.
Out of the blue, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I stiffen slightly and turn around. Eijiro Kirishima, Mina's middle school buddy, stands before me. I detect a trace of uncertainty in his eyes - it's washed away moments later like a sandcastle on the beach at high tide, replaced by my first impression of him; confident, courteous, and upbeat. Not unlike Kaminari, except for that part about being courteous.
"I, uh... just wanted to say, great job out there. I've never seen anyone fight like that."
"You were amazing!" Mina squeals, squeezing her way in between the two of us. I don't know if it's because she's the kind of person who just likes to get close to other people, or if she's the kind of person who likes to get close to Kirishima, and she thinks I am, too. I would set the record straight with her - that I'm not interested in Kirishima (at least, not yet) - but she doesn't seem like the jealous type to me. So I assume it's the former.
I sigh. "I just realized I never got a chance to use my daggers."
Ojiro's joined the conversation by this time and cringes slightly at my words. "You had daggers?"
"I need me some of those," Mina comments, "if I'm ever gonna beat you one on one."
"That's not true," I reply truthfully. After watching all the matches, I concluded that most - if not all - of my classmates have Quirks stronger than most. For example, Fumikage Tokoyami has Dark Shadow - what this means is that his shadow is sentient and floats above him constantly like a bird-headed helium balloon unless he wishes it not to. And of course, I've already seen the corrosive effects of Mina's acid and Bakugo's raw explosive power.
We talk a bit more as we walk until we bring up the topic of middle schools.
"Mina and I went to the same middle school," Kirishima says. "How about you guys?"
I hesitate. "I, um... I... went to Nabu Middle School. In Hamamatsu."
"That's, like, all the way across Shizuoka! Where do you live?"
"In Musutafu, actually. I was born in Musutafu, then we moved to Kai in Yamanashi, then Hamamatsu and now we're back here. I didn't really want to change middle schools so near graduation, so I just decided to stay."
"Must be tough moving house so many times," Ojiro comments sympathetically. "New environment, new school, new neighbors..."
"Well, I lived. And now I'm here at UA High School, talking with the people who are going to become the next generation of Heroes. Everything I'd ever want."
The first day of middle school was one of the most memorable days of my life.
As I followed the signs through the hallways to my new classroom, Takaro rested a hand on my shoulder reassuringly.
"It'll be fine," he said. "The people here are more or less nice - well, some of them, anyway."
"They'll be all on my case the moment I step into the classroom," I replied doubtfully. "They're only nice to you 'cause you're cool."
"If you're having any trouble, I'd be more than happy to-"
"For Hawks's sake, stop it," I grumbled. "Own rep, remember?"
He pointed to a classroom at the far end of the corridor. "I think that's where you're supposed t-"
"Okay, bye!" I exclaimed, jumping at the chance to get away from him.
"Love you, too," I heard him mutter. Was he trying not to laugh, or was it just my imagination?
Ten seconds later, I was standing in front of thirty very confused second-years.
"I take it this isn't class 1-2, then," I mumbled, panicking internally. Why, Takaro? In less than five minutes, I'd already made a fool of myself in front of my seniors. "Sorry for disturbing you."
"It's no biggie," a guy seated in the front row said easily. With his unruly black hair, bright brown eyes and cheerful smile, he seemed like the mischievous type. "If you like, I can show you to your classroom."
A blonde girl elbowed him in the ribs - they seemed to be friendly with each other. "Look at you, already hitting on the new juniors!"
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not hitting on her, I'm helping her." I took a step backwards, feeling very small as he rose from his seat. He was at least half a foot taller than me - I was only five feet tall at the time.
"Want me to accompany you so he doesn't try to ask you out?" the blonde girl said teasingly, giving me a wink.
"Sure," I squeaked.
We set off down the hallway. Once we were headed up the staircase and out of earshot of the other seniors, I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey, you kind of look like that third-year from 3-2," the girl said. "That guy Shizen something-or-other - he's totally cute! Oops, I forgot to introduce myself. Tatami Nakagame, queen of Nabu gossip, at your service. Anyway, let's start with this cup of hot tea; did you know he tried to-"
"I probably do," I mumbled. "I'm his sister."
"Oh, so it is true!" the guy exclaimed. "I heard Takaro Shizen has a sister in the first year, and that's you. Pleasure to meet you, I'm Yo Shindo."
"Okami Shizen," I said, shaking their hands. "My brother threw me into the deep end just now, trying to get me to talk to strangers. I'm not really the friendly kind, you see."
"Well, you can tell him it worked, because you've just gotten yourself two new friends!" Nakagame chirped.
"I'm kind of like the Takaro Shizen of the second year," Shindo added. "How's that for an added bonus?"
I laughed, and my anxiety melted away.
This memory just gets me missing Yo and Tatami even more. Just recently, they started dating, and I'm really happy for them. I've been teasing them about liking each other for almost three years, and now they're together. They were the best part of being at Nabu. After they graduated and went to Ketsubutsu Academy, a school for Heroes, my middle school life fell apart. With neither my brother nor my favourite senpais to guide me, I felt more lost than ever.
Which is why I'm glad to be getting along with everyone now. Okay, maybe not everyone.