Hey there! A New Pencil returns to the desk!
"Underline" is when a character is speaking Japanese, and a lack of one is when the character is speaking English.
Italics is either thoughts, a flashback, or a song/poem.
I do not own Kingdom Hearts, My Hero Academia, OMORI, or any of its characters.
Chapter 12: Shadows & Representatives
A rustle, and a swift movement.
He found himself up again in the middle of the night, gasping for breath with eyes on fire.
He looked around, finding himself still in his room. He sighed.
"...Again…?"
He got up silently, going to the bathroom to clear his head with water.
Only to recoil at his reflection.
Instead of himself normally, his reflection had jet-black skin, with no visible mouth and a sinister aura flowing around him. Not to mention the glowing eyes of yellow.
He snapped back to his senses, blinking once before it disappeared, showing his normal, sweating self. He took a few deep breaths before he felt his heartbeat soften.
"...You're not coming out." he vowed, "Not as long as I live and breathe…"
"...Oh I will eventually… you know you can't keep that mask up forever…"
"I will for as long as it takes."
"And when it breaks?"
"It won't."
"All in good time, friend... all in good time..."
…
(Play: MHA OST - Among Kosei)
"Oh… umm…"
"Oh my goodness…"
Sora, Shimizu, and Izuku were looking baffled at the crowded U.A. entrance. It was surrounded by the press, and news reporters from all over Japan. Apparently they were itching to figure out everything All Might related. They could even give Izuku a run for their money with the way they were badgering the students. Their own classmates were trying to get in without answering questions, but a few of them weren't so lucky.
"I always knew the people here were crazy about All Might, but this is ridiculous." Shimizu remarked, before looking at her son, "Think you'll both be okay?"
"We'll manage." Sora told her, "Assuming they don't act like a stampede and try and storm the place."
"Okay. Make sure you both aren't late."
"Got it."
With a hug, Sora waved his mother goodbye and exited the train before walking over to Izuku, who had met up with Ochaco and Tenya. As they entered, they were swarmed by the press.
"Hey, young man." a female reporter approached Midoriya, "Can you tell us what it's like to work so closely with All Might?"
Izuku was stammering a bit, but Sora put a hand on his shoulder, before pulling him back and putting on a polite smile as the cameraman focused on him. placing one hand behind his back, he made a signal to Izuku to use this opportunity to get into class. Izuku got the message and motioned for Ochaco and Tenya to follow.
"Sorry, miss. My friend's a bit camera shy." Sora told the reporter, "But you can ask me a few questions before I head in."
"Thank you so much," the reporter replied, before firing off with her question, "Are you one of the students who's in a class with All Might?"
"I am. I had him yesterday, actually." Sora told her.
"What's it like being trained by the Number One Hero?"
"It was great. He made the class lively, and he really cares for our safety."
"What kind of teacher is he?"
"I dunno yet. It's his first day here, after all. We'll have to see." Sora chuckled nervously, "It's anyone's guess as to how his teaching will affect us for now."
"What's he like in person?"
"Uh…." Something told him these questions weren't specifically for the public. Sora was saved by Mr. Aizawa walking in and putting distance between Sora and the reporter.
"I think that's enough of you bothering my student." he told the reporter, "Come on. Let's move."
Sora obliged, trying his best to ignore the reporter behind him. As he and Aizawa walked away, he heard an alarm, along with the sounds of metal doors closing. He turned to see the entrance; where there was once reporters, there were now metal doors.
"What happened, Aizawa-sensei?" Sora asked confused.
"Some idiot likely tried to get in and tripped the security system." was his response.
"Security system? For U.A.?" Sora asked.
"We're training Heroes, here, Nakajima." Aizawa explained, "Some folks don't like them and try to attack the schools we have for them. So we made it that only students, police, people with special passes, and staff can get in, unless we disable the system otherwise."
"That's smart." Sora remarked, recalling the defense system that Hollow Ba-, er, Radiant Garden, has, with Tron now managing that system to keep its residents safe from any threats. It sounded similar to that.
"So do us both a favor and don't lose that student ID. It's falling out of your left pocket." Aizawa said, pointing to Sora's pocket. Sora looked down and repositioned it to a safer position, "Now get to class."
"Oh yeah. Got it." Sora said, before speed-walking towards Class A to ensure he wasn't late. If he went the same pace as Aizawa, he'd technically be late, so he wasn't gonna try his luck with attempting a conversation with his homeroom teacher.
(Play: MHA OST - I'll Become a Hero!)
Thankfully, Sora managed to make it before the bell, and was thanked by Izuku for giving them time to sneak in without facing the Press's wrath. Sora shrugged and told him it was what he did with a smile on his face. Aizawa then came in just after everybody took their seats.
"Decent work with yesterday's battle trial." Aizawa began, "I've seen the video feeds and went over each of your team's results." He glanced at Katsuki, "Bakugo. You're talented, so don't sulk like a child about your loss, got it?"
Katsuki seemed a bit more bitter than usual, but scoffed, "Yeah, whatever."
"Midoriya." Aizawa continued, now glancing at a tense Izuku, "I saw that the only way you won that match was by blowing your arm up again. Work harder. And don't give me that sorry excuse that you don't have any control over that Quirk of yours. That line is getting old." Izuku looked down in shame as Aizawa critiqued, "You can't keep breaking your body while training here. But if you can get a handle of your Quirk, it will prove very useful. So show a little urgentsy huh?"
"H-Hai!" Izuku looked up invigorated by Aizawa's last comment.
"And finally, Nakajima." Aizawa looked at Sora.
Uh oh.
"I noticed that you held back." Aizawa stated, "Normally I wouldn't tolerate that if I was leading the trial. But considering the reason behind your actions, I'll let it slide this time around."
Sora had mixed feelings about this. One part of him was relieved, but the other was mentally banging his head on the desk. Not because Aizawa saw him clearly pull his punches during the battle trial, but it was the fact Sora hadn't even told the rest of his classmates that he pulled his punches in the first place. So, the ones who didn't know looked at him in shock. Sora was magnificent during his combat training, but the fact that this wasn't even his best shocked them further, and they could only guess why he did that. The only one who didn't seem all that surprised was Momo, given how she saw a glimpse of his true power 3 months before.
Sora looked down concerned as he recalled that he was technically in a weakened state as of right now. At his best, he could barely keep up with a powerful elderly Keyblade Master wielding a legendary weapon. He outclassed his classmates even now, and would wipe the floor with any of them if he decided not to hold back. He was way too strong for his own good, especially in a weakened state.
This would be troubling. The more power he regained over the course of his time here, the harder it would be to hold back said power. Hopefully he didn't accidentally break someone while he recovered.
"Just don't make a habit out of it." Aizawa told him, snapping him out of his thoughts, "It'll stunt your own growth."
"Understood," Sora nodded.
"Now. Onto business." the homeroom teacher spoke up louder, "Our first task will decide your future."
Everybody tensed up. What would Aizawa give them this time? Another Quirk test? A test of brains? Some test of vigor? Considering what their teacher pulled last time, they weren't exactly thrilled by this.
"You all need to pick a class representative." Aizawa revealed.
At those words, all hell broke loose.
(Play MHA OST - Slapstick)
"Pick me, guys! I wanna be class rep!" Eijiro called out, making Sora look to him.
"I'll take it." Denki said.
"Yeah, you're gonna need me." Kyoka raised her hand.
"Someone would style shou-" Yuga began, before being interrupted.
"Over here! I'm totally the right pick." Mina shouted.
"Pick me, you fuckers! ME!" Katsuki roared.
"I'll declare that girls skirts be three inches shorter!" Mineta declared.
Nearly everybody was going for the role, and to Sora's surprise, even Momo looked a bit excited. He, along with Shoto, were the only two who weren't gunning for it. When it came to school, he wasn't interested in anything like that. However, the rest of the class nearly screamed at Aizawa to give them the position.
"Everybody, silence, please!" Tenya shouted, breaking up the racket, "The class representative's duty is to lead others. It isn't something anybody can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. Let us hold an election to choose our leader."
Sora thought he had a fair point. not all people elected to be leaders have this quality. Much less the mindset. They had to gain the trust of their team to represent them, lead them, and guide them to victory.
And he knew that wasn't him. Not after…
"Sora!"
Kairi's anguished scream echoed in his ears. He shook his head to shut the memory out before it took over his vision.
"Is this really the best idea?" Kaminari asked Iida, giving Sora something to focus on.
"We've only known each other for a few days. How do we know who to trust?" Tsuyu added. Ignoring the memory trying to come to his head, Sora knew that she had a point too. Trust wasn't something that could be built up in a day.
Then again, that would make Sora himself a bit too trusting sometimes, and he was well aware of that fact despite being reminded many times by his traveling companions
"Everyone's just gonna vote for themselves." Kirishima said.
"Most will." Iida corrected, "But that means whoever receives the most votes must truly be the most suitable person for the job." He glanced to the front where Aizawa was, and the teacher was currently going into his sleeping bag. "It is the best way, correct, sensei?"
"Do what you want." Aizawa snorted, "Just decide before my nap's over."
"Thank you for your trust."
At that, everybody got out a slip of paper to write their vote for. Sora found himself torn between two people he thought were suitable for the job: Tenya and Momo. Tenya was a very serious individual and took this role even more seriously. But for Momo, it seems as though leading others was like breathing for her, based on her detailed critiques of their battle trial. Not to mention she was top of the class. With time eating away, Sora gunned for it and picked Momo.
(Play: MHA OST - Professor Aizawa)
The votes were tallied up and finalized. Many people had one vote next to their name. But there were three individuals that had more than one:
Izuku Midoriya - 2 votes.
Momo Yaoyorozu - 3 votes.
And Sora Nakajima - 4 votes.
Sora's jaw dropped to the floor. How in the world did that happen?! If he had been drinking something, he would've accidentally spat it all over Yaoyorozu's hair.
He deduced that three of the votes were from Mezo, Mashirao, and Toru, because they had 0 votes next to their names. He could guess why they voted for him: Mashirao for Sora battling him fairly and being considerate of his feelings; Mezo, for Sora trusting him to get to the weapon; and Toru, for Sora being nice and polite to her, as well as also pulling his punches.
Still… that left the 4th and final vote that put him past Momo's number. Who else had voted for him?
"I got 4 votes?" Sora asked, "I didn't even vote for myself. Are you kidding me?"
"You're complaining about getting the job?" Hanta asked.
"No. I'm just surprised I was even considered a candidate." Sora admitted. If they knew the whole story, they wouldn't have chosen him. Not by a longshot.
"Okay, you idiots? Who the hell voted for Deku?!" Katsuki got up from his seat.
"Geez, did you honestly think anybody was gonna vote for you?" Hanta teased smugly.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
Meanwhile, Tenya looked ashamed, and Sora saw why: He too had zero votes. So he voted for somebody else too. Was it him?
"So you voted for somebody else, huh?" Momo voiced what most people were thinking.
"But you knew it best to vote for yourself right?" Rikido added, "What were you trying to prove here, Iida?"
Sora knew why. If everybody voted for themselves, there'd be no representative. Still, he was still half in shock at being considered a leader. He slowly got up to walk to the front of the class in a daze, Yaoyorozu behind him.
"Alright. The class rep is Nakajima," Aizawa announced, "And our deputy is Yaoyorozu."
Sora did his best to hide his discomfort. He had no idea how this rep stuff worked, but he would at least give it a try. If it proved too much, or if he made a huge mistake, he could just concede his position to Momo, as she was his vote to begin with.
"Um… I guess I look forward to representing you guys." Sora half-smiled. Assuming I survive, he added mentally.
"It wasn't what I was aiming for, but…" Momo glanced to Sora, before sighing and nodding slightly, "I suppose this is acceptable."
"This actually might not be too bad." Asui noted, putting a finger close to her chin.
"Yeah, I could definitely get behind Sora-san as the class rep." Kirishima grinned.
"Not to mention they're two of the three best students when it comes to training and Quirk results," Denki pointed out.
With that in mind, and after their morning classes, 1-A went off to lunch.
(Silence)
"It's always so crowded in here." Ochaco said.
"That's because students in Support, Management, and Hero courses all share the same cafeteria, Uraraka-kun." Iida explained. He, Sora, Midoriya, and Ochaco were eating at the same table, as well as some other unrecognizable students.
"Mmm… this rice is delicious." Ochaco praised.
"Hey, Sora-kun. Congratulations on getting the class representative position for our class." Izuku complimented him, "I had a feeling you'd be the one getting it."
"...Is that right?" Sora said absentmindedly. He was currently staring off into the distance, looking rather lost.
"Sora?"
"Oh!" Sora perked up, before looking back at his friends, "Sorry."
"Are you okay?"
(Play: KH BBS OST - Tears of the Light)
"Yeah. Just nervous." Sora admitted, "I don't know how this rep thing works."
"You don't?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah..." Sora nodded with a sigh, "I'm... not sure if I'm the right person for this position…"
He was speaking the truth. He had very little experience when it came to leading others. Not to mention that he didn't even have all the proper traits of a true leader. A leader was, like Iida said, a person that people could trust, but they also had to be ready and willing to go the extra mile for their team to ensure their task is complete. Rise to the occasion when it matters the most, and do what they can to better themselves and their team.
And another important trait was to accept the inevitable and the unpredictable. Sora recalled the words he had said to Master Xehanort when he told Sora that the World needed a leader who could dictate their destinies.
"A real leader knows that destiny is beyond their control… and accepts that."
And as far as he knew, like Xehanort, Sora wasn't the man fit for the role of leader. He wasn't even a Keyblade Master like Riku, Mickey, Aqua, or Master Yen Sid, and all four of them proved to be great leaders.
Sora wasn't a Master. At least not yet, as Donald and Goofy constantly reminded him. He knew that already, but it was honestly pretty annoying that they kept bringing it up. Failing the Mark of Mastery was a huge blow for him, especially since he had fallen into the Organization's trap so easily. He didn't show it to the other Guardians of Light, because they were about to be in the fight of their lives, and they'd rather see the Sora they knew rather than the Sora who's optimism had been affected by his most recent failure.
So much for that, Sora thought bitterly, remembering how both Riku and Roxas saw this in their final moments.
Plus, If Young Xehanort's words were anything to go by, then Sora had refused to accept the inevitable. That darkness would prevail and light would expire. Sora, after watching his friends fall one by one, refused to accept this as their fates, and went on to use his new power to rewrite and change history, defying the destiny Xehanort believed was to come.
And finally, the main reason for his doubts on representing Class 1-A, was that he failed to rise to the occasion when it mattered the most. In the Keyblade Graveyard, Terra-Xehanort had ambushed them and caught them off guard, leaving some of their members in critical condition. And then, the Demon Tide had shown up to finish the job, taking his friends away one by one.
And what did he do at the end of it?
He just dropped his Keyblade, fell to his knees, and screamed.
He gave up. He lost the will to fight.
It hurt just to even think about what happened. Unlike Sora, Riku had chosen to fight to the end, while Sora completely gave up. A real leader wouldn't have done that. In his mind, a leader would have kept going and kept their companions safe no matter how bad the odds were. Just like Riku did with him. In all honesty, Riku and King Mickey seemed more fit to be the leaders of the Guardians, not Sora. The fact that these people considered Sora himself to be a leader still confounded the Keyblade wielder, even if they didn't know the truth about him.
But that was what scared him.
What if he led Class 1-A to their deaths, just like he did the Guardians of Light?
And based on what Chirithy had said, he couldn't use the power of waking to reshape the timeline again, so what happens now would be permanent. What would he do if that were to happen? He didn't want to even think about the consequences that would occur.
It shouldn't have been him. He wasn't ready.
(Silence)
"Sure you are, Sora-kun." Ochaco replied to his earlier statement, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"You'll be just fine." Iida reassured him. Sora looked to him.
"Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully, "Can I really do it?"
(Play: MHA OST - Bright and Cheerful)
"What you showed during your Quirk assessment and combat training is that you take action before anyone else, as well as see to it that your task is complete to the utmost efficiency and with little damage to yourself and others. Even though I voted for Midoriya, I did consider you when deciding who was best suited for the role."
Sora looked surprised, then felt a little relieved. At least Iida gave him an explanation as to why he thought Sora was a leader. But he still didn't feel like he could take it all the way. His past failures still gave him doubts. But if what Iida said was true, then he'd do his best to better himself and make up for his failures in the past. If that meant taking up the mantle for class rep, then so be it.
"Thanks for that, Tenya." Sora smiled softly, "Funny. I was considering voting for you as well. But I felt that Momo was a safer choice, so I went for her."
"That's honestly understandable, Sora-kun." Tenya nodded, "I won't hold it against you."
"Didn't you want to be the rep, though?" Ochaco asked him, "You look the part, cause of the glasses."
"Wanting the job and being suited to it are two different things," Tenya explained, "Observing the Iida Family's Hero Agency taught me that much."
"Hero Agency?" The three of them asked.
"Wait, what does your family do?" Izuku asked.
"Izuku." Sora smiled, "He just said his family's agency. Iida is his last name."
"Uh… right." Tenya confirmed nervously, realizing how much attention was put on him.
"You know, I've been wondering something about you." Uraraka replied, "Admit it, Iida-kun! You're filthy rich!"
Now Tenya looked even more uncomfortable, "I was afraid people would treat me differently if they knew about my family,"
That only made both Izuku and Ochaco begging to know more.
"There's nothing wrong with that." Sora said, "I'd still see you as a friend, Tenya, whether you're rich or not."
That comment made Tenya finally budge.
(Play MHA OST - Hero A)
"You see." Tenya started, "The Iida's have been Pro Heroes for generations. It runs in our blood."
"Eh?" Izuku and Ochaco said together, "That's awesome!"
"Are the two of you familiar with the Turbo Hero Ingenium?" Iida asked.
"I am!" Izuku gushed, "He's a super popular pro with 65 sidekicks working alongside him at his Tokyo Hero Agency!" he paused in his words, before gawking, "Waitaminute… don't tell me…!"
"Hai. He's my elder brother." Tenya revealed. Izuku and Ochaco fawned over him, and he looked slightly proud about revealing his heritage.
"Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the Hero code," Tenya continued, "So, as the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him. However, I think it might be a bit too soon for me to be in a leadership role. The reasons I explained before about Sora-kun, as well as Midoriya-kun having the insight to see what the judges were looking for in the practical exam, outside of combat. Reps need that sort of insight."
To be fair, almost nobody expected the rescue points. That didn't matter now, though. He then saw Ochaco and Izuku stare at Iida with surprise.
"That's the first time I've seen you smile, Tenya." Uraraka noted, "You should do that more."
"What are you talking about?" Iida asked, confused, "I smile all the time."
"Not round us, you don't," Sora remarked.
"Seriously? This is the first time?"
"Yeah." Izuku nodded, "And… regarding the practical…"
(Play: KH 3 OST - Monster Smash! -Code 72-16-)
But before Izuku could say anything more, alarm bells went off, causing everybody present to stop talking and look around them.
"WARNING. LEVEL THREE SECURITY BREACH." The intercom announced, "ALL STUDENTS PLEASE EVACUATE THE BUILDING IN AN ORDINARY FASHION."
Izuku, Sora, Ochaco, and Tenya were the first to jump to their feet. The announcement had caused everybody present to panic, jump out of their seats, and blitz towards the closest exit in a very wild fashion.
"Come on!" Sora and his friends tried to follow suit, only to find the hallway full of students. The students were all pushing each other to try and get to the exits, but others were being pressed up and squeezed at the wall.
If this was a school full of Heroes in training, this wasn't a great show of what they were meant to do. Then again, nobody expected this to happen.
"Gah! This is a total mob!" Ochaco shouted, getting squished next to Iida.
"Everyone was quick to react." Iida commented, "As expected from the students of U.A."
"Did you, urk! expect this though?" Sora grunted, trying to stick with the three of them.
"They're causing a massive panic! Agh!" Izuku yelped as he was pushed away from the group and into the crowd of panicking students.
"Aw nuts! Izuku!" Sora found himself getting crammed up to the wall, and both Tenya and Ochaco followed suit, with Ochaco in the center of Iida and Sora.
"Ack! I can't move!" Uraraka yelped as she was crammed at the wall.
"Tenya! Can you see what's going on?" Sora asked him. He was practically shouting as the mix of voices was drowning out his normal voice.
"I'm looking!" Iida looked around to try and discern what happened, before gawking, "I don't believe it… it's the press that was outside earlier!"
"What?!" Ochaco shouted.
"You're kidding?!" Sora said, "I just answered their questions. Are they back for more?!"
"Probably. Maybe they wanted to interview the staff." Iida guessed.
"Well at least we know it ain't a villain." Sora said, "But how the heck are we supposed to tell the others?!"
"There's gotta be a way to get their attention!" Ochaco grunted.
"Quick. Someone find a spot where everyone can see us!"
"There!" Sora pointed towards an exit sign hanging over the ceiling.
"Any ideas?" Iida asked.
"Quick! Both of you grab my hands!" Ochaco called out. Sora and Iida struggled to get their arms out, but they managed to grab onto their friend's fingertips. She held her breath as she activated her Quirk. Sora and Tenya floated up to the ceiling, Sora righting himself upside down and taking Tenya's hand.
"Hang on!" Sora shouted to him, as he enveloped himself and Tenya in blue light, and both of them ran over to the exit sign in a burst of Flowmotion. He grasped the pipe and held on as Ochaco released her Quirk, and Tenya dangled from Sora's arm, ready to do his part.
"LISTEN EVERYONE!" Tenya shouted at the top of his lungs, "EVERYTHING'S OKAY!"
If it wasn't Tenya's voice, then the sight of the two students hanging from the exit sign caused everybody to stop and look up.
"IT'S JUST THE MEDIA OUTSIDE!" he continued in the same tone, "THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! EVERYTHING'S FINE! WE ARE U.A. STUDENTS! WE MUST REMAIN CALM AND PROVE WE ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST!"
(Silence)
Iida's words managed to calm the students down, and the police came along to remove the reporters causing the disturbance and allowed them to relax completely. When they saw the two students still hanging, they made space so that they could fall without hurting anybody.
"So." Sora started with a small grin as he landed after Tenya, "What was it about not being ready for a leadership role?"
Iida suddenly realized that what he did was what a leader would do in the situation.
"You don't give yourself a lot of credit." Sora replied, "Now I'm starting to regret not voting for you."
"Don't say that!" Tenya refuted, "You're the one who got us to the exit."
"Ochaco got us to the ceiling, and I only got you to the exit sign. You're the person who actually calmed the crowd. I don't think I would've been able to do that,"
Sora and Iida walked over to a dazed Ochaco. "Hanging in there?" Sora asked her.
"A little. Just trying my best not to throw up." she groaned.
"Come on. Let's get you to class." Iida helped her walk, and Sora followed behind. Now he saw another person capable of leading, other than Momo. He was the person they should've voted for, a diamond in the rough.
He knew what needed to be done.
As everyone in Class 1-A came back to the room, Sora, upon remembering that he was still class rep, went to the front alongside Yaoyorozu.
"Alright, class rep." she looked at him, "Let's begin."
"Got it." Sora nodded, "But before we start, there's something I've got to say."
The class's attention was now on their new representative. Sora took a deep breath. He did say to himself he'd give this a shot, but now after what he had seen, he knew that this wasn't his specialty. However, there was one other person fit for the job, and Sora knew what his own heart wanted him to do.
(Play: MHA OST - Lunch Song)
"I'm evicting myself from the role of class rep, and I request that Tenya Iida replace me." Sora declared, making his classmates surprised. Aizawa just stared at him, but he ignored his teacher and continued on, "I know from experience that I'm not a person who can deal with this position, and after what I saw today, I now know Tenya is far more capable than I am at taking control over a situation and ensuring our safety. For that, I truly believe he should represent us and take my place."
He was met with some silence, which was expected. He could see Tenya looking very surprised at Sora's decision.
"Yeah, you know what? If Sora's vouching for the guy, then I'm totally fine with it." Eijiro nodded in agreement. "And he's right. He totally manned up and took charge, right?"
"Yep." Denki agreed, "And did you see how he was hanging from the ceiling like a sloth?"
Tenya was still shocked, but Sora gestured for him to come up. "Well… if Sora-kun is nominating me for the job…" Iida stood up, "Then I humbly accept! I pledge to carry out the position of class rep to the best of my ability!"
"Sounds good, Emergency Exit." Kirishima grinned.
"Emergency Exit Iida." Kaminari agreed, "Don't let us down man."
Tenya walked over to Sora, before shaking his hand, "Thank you, Sora-kun." before he presented himself to the class. As Sora was about to leave, he noticed Momo looking a bit disheartened by his decision.
…Oh.
"Whoops. Heh heh… Sorry about that Momo." Sora apologized, scratching his head, "But if it makes you feel better, you had my vote the first time around."
"Noted, Sora-san." Momo replied, still looking a bit dejected, because she had three more votes than Tenya, and one was from the now former class rep.
"But I know you'll make an amazing deputy." Sora grinned his trademark grin at her and gave her a thumbs up, before walking back to his seat. His smile faded slightly as he did. He did the right thing by giving Tenya the role.
This was for the best.
"…Is it, I wonder…"
(Silence)
"Listen up." Aizawa started as the Hero class began, "Today's training's gonna be completely different. You'll have three instructors this time. Me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."
Everybody looked surprised at the revelation. Hanta raised his hand.
"Sensei, what kind of teaching will this be?"
(Play MHA OST - U.A. Reporting for Duty)
Mr. Aizawa held up a card reading "RESCUE", before answering, "Rescue. You'll be dealing with things like natural disasters, shipwrecks, and things relating to that kind."
This once again got the class excited for the training, because now it was starting to get closer to the Hero stuff they dreamed about. Shoto and Momo were the only ones calm about it, and Katsuki scoffed in annoyance. Clearly, rescue wasn't his thing.
"I'm not finished." Aizawa interrupted, "What you wear now in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes, but keep in mind that you haven't got used to them yet, so they may limit your abilities."
Sora saw no problem with this. He wore them already more often than not.
"This special training's at an off-campus facility, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's it. Now get ready."
Everybody got out of their chairs, grabbed their costumes, and got changed into them before meeting up on the bus. Everybody except Izuku was wearing their costumes, and Sora knew that Izuku's was damaged from the battle training. He then noticed Mineta staring at Ochaco, and by the look on their faces, Momo and Kyoka did too. Sora looked away from what looked like a disaster waiting to happen. It was a bit annoying that there were people who just saw others for their looks.
"Gather round, class 1-A." he heard Iida declare with a blow of a whistle, "Use your student numbers and form neat lines so we can load up the bus efficiently."
He blew the whistle again, ordering the others to get a move on. Sora obliged, realizing that this was likely how things would be from now on. He didn't mind, though. It was Tenya being Tenya, and there's nothing wrong with that.
But apparently, the bus wasn't in the layout Iida expected, so the plan he had was a bust, and people began sitting wherever they pleased. Sora put some distance between himself and Izuku, sitting next to Momo and Ochaco. He knew the two were friends, but this would be great for Izuku's growth by interacting with others.
He kept a close eye on Mineta though, because he was staring at Momo, whose costume was very revealing. Sora was polite enough to ignore that and focus on her face, though he wouldn't deny that he did feel a small urge to look down at her chest. As much as many of his friends liked to believe, Sora wasn't really that dense in the ladies department.
"Hey, Midoriya-chan." Tsuyu said, grabbing Sora's attention.
"Uh, yeah, Asui-san?"
"Call me Tsu-chan."
"H-Hai…."
"You're Quirk is similar to All Might's."
Huh. She addressed that. Sora wouldn't deny that Izuku's Quirk was nearly identical to his idol's. What made it unusual was that Izuku looked pale when Tsu mentioned that.
"Y-y-you think s-so? But I-uh…" he looked away nervously. Clearly something was up. But what?
"Wait a sec, Tsu-chan," Kirishima took over, "All Might doesn't hurt himself when he uses his Quirk." At that, Izuku sighed with relief. Maybe he was having a hard time being the center of attention. Sora felt himself get a little drowsy.
"Still," Kirishima continued, "I bet it's cool to have a flashy Quirk, you could do some pretty cool stuff with it. Mine's strong, but yours is on a completely different level."
"~My Navel Laser is the perfect combination of strength and finesse~" Aoyama said.
"But it's pretty lame if it gives you a stomachache, sweetie," Mina put a hand on his shoulder, and he deflated slightly at that.
"Well, if anybody here's got the loudest and flashiest Quirks, all we've gotta do is look at Todoroki, Sora, and Bakugo." Kirishima pointed to each of them, but neither of the three acknowledged it, "I'd say they'll become pretty popular when they become Pros."
"Sure, but Bakugo-chan's always angry, so he'll never be that popular." Asui remarked, "Honestly, I think Sora-chan will have the best chance at being popular, even if he doesn't want to be, ribbit. He's really nice to everybody he meets, and that's a good first step to being popular and famous."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" Bakugo got up from his seat seething, proving the froggy student's point.
"See?" Tsuyu said.
"Y'know we basically just met you," Denki continued, "So it's kinda telling that we all know your personality is flaming crap mixed with garbage."
That added insult to injury, as Bakugo snarled at him, "YOU'LL REGRET THE DAY YOU APPLIED TO THIS SCHOOL, LOSER!"
Poor Midoriya didn't know what to make of this situation. Back in middle school, Katsuki was the top dog, and nobody belittled him. Here at U.A., though, it was the exact opposite. How in the world did this all turn upside down?
Momo put a hand to her mouth, "This is such a disgusting conversation,"
"Yeah, but it's pretty fun listening to them fight." Ochaco grinned.
"Still… I'm just confounded by the way Bakugo-san acts. Wouldn't you agree, Sora-san?" Momo looked over when she got no response, "Sora?"
(Silence)
To her surprise, Sora had fallen asleep. His head was now slumped down, and he was surprisingly sleeping peacefully much to her shock. It was like all the noise in the bus wasn't bothering him at all. Both girls sweatdropped.
"Huh. He's fallen asleep." Ochaco noted, "Hey, what's that glowing in his pocket?"
"Hm?" Momo also saw it, and being a little curious, pulled it out of his pocket. It was a purple charm with a strange symbol on it.
"A charm?" she asked aloud. It simply began to glow brighter.
"AH!" She yelped in surprise as suddenly a bright light blinded her vision. Apparently everybody else was surprised too as the light blinded them.
"What the hell happened back there?" Aizawa asked them.
"I-I don't know, Aizawa-sensei, but-" Momo said as the light subsided, before she and Ochaco were met with a bizarre sight.
(Play: KH DDD OST - Dream Eaters)
It was a very plump creature, looking like a… dog? A cat? Whatever it was, it looked dazed upon appearing in the middle of the bus. It had a pink horn atop its forehead, and very stubby black legs akin to a cat. Its tail was also plump and round, with a pink edge to it. Most of its body was covered in blue, but its underside and dog-like muzzle were white in color, and it also has yellow spots decorating its sides. What's more, the underbelly of this strange creature had the very same symbol that was on Sora's charm.
Not to mention it was pretty big for a normal dog… cat… whatever it was. On its hind legs, it was likely at least half of Sora's height, and it was so plump that it nearly took up the whole walkway of the bus, just managing to turn its body around in the narrow walkway.
It blinked its yellow eyes, shaking its body before looking around, whining a bit as its tongue was sticking out. It clearly wasn't expecting to be surrounded by random kids.
"Omigosh, a doggy!" Ashido gushed.
"Don't you think it's an oversized cat?" Sero wondered, "Look at its feet."
"Who cares, it's so cute!" Toru squealed, "Momo-chan, how did you do that?"
"I-It wasn't me. It was the charm Sora-san had on him." she stammered, before the creature took notice of Sora. Without delay, it lunged at him with a happy yip, tackling him in his seat and waking him up.
"OOF!" Sora grunted as the creature jumped on him, before licking him in the face with its tongue, "Huh, wha-? Hey! Wait! Ha ha ha! S-stop it, that tickles!" He laughed as the creature continued to lick him, before pushing him back as the creature began to bark happily, "Ha ha! Hey, there! It's good to see you, too! What are you doing out here?"
"Sora… what is that?" Momo's English brought him back to reality.
"Oh!" Sora looked around as everybody stared at him and his new companion. He cleared his throat, before switching to Japanese, "Everyone, this is Meow Wow. He is my Dream Eater! Meow Wow, meet my classmates from Class 1-A!"
"Dream Eater?" Izuku asked with fascination, "What's that? Is it part of your Quirk?"
"Hai. He's a guy who lives in my head," Sora explained, reciting the excuse he had for Meow Wow in his head, "He's basically a guardian spirit that protects me from nightmares. That's why I call him a Dream Eater."
"Nya!" Meow Wow yipped in response, and Sora rubbed him down as Meow Wow began to paw at his hands, before rolling about to get more belly rubs, "Thing is, he can't really pop up here, since he comes from my head, so I use a Support Item to help me summon him when I need him." Sora went to his pocket, only to find the charm wasn't there, "Wait, it was right here. Where is it?"
"Right here. It was glowing from your pocket while you were sleeping." Momo pointed out, presenting the charm to Sora, "I pulled it out to figure out what it was,"
"It then blinded us with light, and then this little fella appeared before us." Ochaco finished, "Gotta admit, that's a cute little spirit animal you have, Sora-kun. Even cooler that you can summon it with your Quirk!"
"Heh heh, thanks." Sora smiled and took back the Heartbinder as Meow Wow jumped onto the empty seat next to him. Mentally, he was relieved that they bought the excuse. What he said was half-true. They thought it was only a figment of his imagination, but in reality, there were many Dream Eaters dwelling in the Realm of Sleep, and the Dream Heartbinder allowed him to summon them when he needed them for a brief period of time before they returned to whence they came. Still, he wasn't expecting Meow Wow to suddenly show up out of the blue.
"Alright, alright, enough show and tell." Aizawa grumbled, "Can you please put it away?"
"Awww…" Mina groaned, "I wanted to say hi to the wittle cutie pie!"
"Sorry, Aizawa-sensei, but he won't disappear until he wants to or when I reach my limit," Sora told him, "So, he's probably gonna be with us a while."
"Really? Yay!" Both Mina and Toru squealed in happiness as Meow Wow barked happily. It was giving off a very dreamy aura that made many of the students feel relaxed. If it was a Dream Eater, it was definitely doing its job well.
"Fine. We're here, by the way." Aizawa stated, "So shut up and quit messing around. And Nakajima, make sure your cat… dog… whatever, behaves."
"Got it."
As the students exited the bus, Meow Wow got itself acquainted with everybody, allowing others to pet it when they asked to, which made it happy and it began to hop about, much to their surprise. They didn't expect this creature to be so… bouncy. It was almost like a balloon.
It did freak out when it tried to approach Katsuki, though. He threatened the little guy for coming too close, and it panicked and scampered back to Sora. Many of the girls gave the hothead disapproving looks after that.
(Play MHA OST - My Hero Academia)
When they entered the facility, they found what appeared to be the third teacher. They looked like they were wearing an astronaut suit, and it kinda looked similar to Ochaco's own suit, other than the fact that it looked inflatable.
"Hello, everyone. I've been waiting for you!" they said, the voice sounding feminine to Sora. The others were gawking in surprise, and Izuku said out loud that this was a Pro Hero named "Thirteen," who specializes in Rescue. Though Sora was happy that Thirteen was a hero, the name left a sour taste on Sora's tongue, as flashes of his confrontations with the Organization entered his mind. He and that number never really had a great history with one another. He regained focus as Thirteen spoke again.
"I can't wait to show you guys what's inside." she said.
"This will be awesome!" Most of the class said, before bowing, "Please take care of us Thirteen-sensei!"
When Class 1-A entered the building, they were met with many different zones in this vast facility. Destroyed buildings in one end, burnt up areas in another, a ship surrounded by water, mountains snowy and not, and even an area filled with rain contained within a smaller dome than the one they were in.
"I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters." Thirteen declared, "To me, it's the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, but you all can call it U.S.J.!"
(Silence)
Just like Universal Studios in Japan. Many of the students thought.
Sora looked around in awe, and Meow Wow was bouncing about happily at the open space. He himself was pretty excited about all the types of landscapes that were available to them. It was like visiting different worlds again.
He looked over to where Aizawa and Thirteen were muttering to one another. From their brief little chat, he only got out that All Might had apparently exhausted himself and was resting in the teacher's lounge.
That was weird. But it wasn't really impossible. Everybody has a limit, and apparently the Number One Hero has reached his.
He hoped he was okay.
"Clock's ticking. We should get started." Aizawa told Thirteen.
"Excellent! But before we begin," Thirteen started, "There's one thing… or maybe two things… possibly three… four, or five…"
It's all piling up! the class thought collectively. Meow Wow simply cocked its head in confusion, while Sora simply put his hands behind his head.
"Listen carefully." she finally said after getting her thoughts together, "You must be aware I have a powerful Quirk. It's called 'Black Hole.' I can use it to suck up anything and turn it to dust."
"It's a very useful Quirk that can save people in disaster situations, right?" Izuku asked, while Ochaco was nodding at Thirteen's explanation.
"It has." Thirteen nodded, "But it also has the power to potentially harm and kill others, too."
The students gasped, but Sora understood, recalling his own powers. Though his Keyblade was a blunt weapon, it wasn't completely squeaky clean, and when Sora wanted it to, his blunt weapon could easily slice through buildings, so if it can do that, it could definitely kill others too. He'd have to keep that in mind here, now more than ever.
"In this superhuman society, the use of Quirks is strictly regulated. So it isn't a big problem. However despite that, please don't forget that each of you have a Quirk that can kill if used incorrectly."
Some of his classmates notice Sora nod respectfully, a strange look in his eye.
"In Aizawa's physical test, you discovered the potential your Quirks have. And with the Battle Trial supervised by All Might, I imagine you've experimented with the danger of using your powers against each other." Thirteen continued, "This class will be a new start. Today, you will learn to use your Quirks to safeguard humanity. Your power doesn't exist to harm others. I hope that you leave this place knowing that your abilities are used to help others."
Thirteen is so cool! Her speech was so inspiring! Izuku thought with sparkling eyes.
"That's all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening," Thirteen concluded with a bow, which was met with cheers and applause from the class. Sora, however, noticed that Meow Wow was looking anxiously at the center of the USJ.
"What's wrong?" he asked, and it whined. Sora looked again, and what he saw triggered his defensive instincts. What the AR Device showed wasn't helping either.
Warning. his AR Device told him, Unidentified Gaseous Mass detected.
(Play: KH 2.5 Remix OST - Apprehension)
"Alright. Now let's get-" Aizawa began, before they heard a flash of light, causing everybody to look at the source. Sora had summoned his Kingdom Key, looking past them with a determined glare, and Meow Wow was up and ready for a fight. He stood in front of his classmates, blade to the side in a defensive stance to protect them.
"Nakajima, what's the issue?" he asked, before the lights suddenly went out. Looking over to where Sora had his gaze on, he saw the problem: The fountain had stopped spouting water, and in front of it was a dark purple portal. And something was coming out of it.
Or rather, someone.
His classmates couldn't see what was going on, and were confused. But Sora knew what was wrong.
It was an ambush. They were under attack.
And that's a wrap for Chapter 12, folks! With our representatives for 1-A selected, the U.S.J. Arc can finally begin!
Yeah, for those who are a bit disappointed Sora's not class rep, I was considering it, but it'd be too much of a hassle even for someone like Sora. He's never been in a good position where he's led something huge, so he's bound to have some doubt in himself, as evidenced by his little monologue at lunch.
Speaking of, we finally get some glimpse into Sora's mind after the Keyblade War, and it isn't all cupcakes and rainbows in there, eh? Hopefully that won't affect him that badly later in the story.
And look at that. We have our first confirmed Heartbinder that Sora can still use, and it's the Dream Eaters! Now what will the other two be, since the two that are cracked are (for the moment) out of use? Keep on guessing!
Also, Dark Road's finale is out and about! Now we can see the finale of what caused our favorite old man to become the Seeker of Darkness! Happy release day, Dark Road!
Onto Reviews!
Guest: Thanks for your feedback! I'm glad to see you're liking the story, despite how similar it is at the moment to May Your Heart Go Beyond. It will become more unique once we get deeper into the story, though! And I'm happy you found the blooper funny. Sora's definitely gonna need a medic after that nasty fall. Stay safe out there!
the mysterious Mr.E: Thank you!
Engineer4Ever: Thank you for the feedback! I actually didn't know that, Engineer, so thank you for letting me know! I'll take note of that when the story progresses later! Might tweak the previous chapters too to match that as well if I have to.
PUBLISH: Aizawa does give off those vibes, doesn't he? And I'm all in for you making a story like that! I've seen several stories like that, and it'd be interesting to see a story like that again! Good luck, PUBLISH!
Gamelover41592: Glad to see you liked this chapter!
The OC Maniac: I will agree with you on the first few chapters, OC. It was a bit cringy. But every writer has to start somewhere, and for most of us, it's through cringy one-shots or fanfics. I'm happy your writing got even better and better as time went on, and I can't wait to see what else you cook up next, OC, whether it be May Your Heart Go Beyond or Obi's Other Apprentice. Now that you mention it, my story does kinda feel like a remake of yours at the moment. I do hope you're not too upset about that (though your review would appear to say otherwise). I'm happy you're enjoying my story, and I really hope I can keep the stakes high! Until our paths cross again, OC!
What did you think of this chapter? I'm happy if you liked it. If not, I apologize for not meeting expectations.
Thanks for reading this story, and until our paths cross again!
(Silence)
