Lightning – My Hero Academia
Chapter 2: Under Observation
The first week of school came and went very fast. I made a determination early on that I wasn't going to fall behind this year, so I bought an individual binder and notebook for each class. That way, none of my notes would get mixed up.
It didn't take me too long to realize that none of the morning classes were gonna give me trouble. I guess Mom was right about that; when I applied myself, keeping up with my classes became relatively effortless.
Mr. Maijima's support class in the afternoon? That was a different story.
Ako was still sitting at his desk when Mr. Maijima dismissed his class. As other students were getting up and leaving, gathering into their little formulating groups and talking among themselves, Ako sat at his desk staring at the notes he had taken the past week.
Ako had never been one for machinery before: he'd never cared about the inner workings of cars or robots or roller coasters like some kids his age. Even though the class was starting out slow, he needed to understand the fundamentals inside and out if he was gonna have any chance of moving forward.
"Hey there. You're Tanaka, right?" One of his classmates asked, putting a hand on his desk. Two of his friends were hanging back near the other side of the room; they seemed to be waiting to see how this conversation would play out.
"Can I help you?" Ako asked him, not looking up from his notes.
"Some of us guys are heading to the arcade downtown to hang out. Wanna come with?" He offered.
"No thanks." Ako replied politely.
"Hey, come on. It'll be fun." He insisted.
Ako said nothing else in response. He ignored his classmate's persistence and continued reading through his handwritten notes. After waiting a little longer, his classmate saw that he wasn't going to budge. He scoffed unhappily and walked back towards his friend.
"Tch, whatever. Fine then. Prick." He muttered that last part under his breath as he rejoined his friends and they started to leave the classroom.
"Told you, dude. He thinks he's all that and more because he did well in the entry exam." Ako heard one of them say as they left. Ako sighed, temporarily distracted by the comment.
It's not like he cared what others thought of him. He didn't come here to make friends. But at the same time, he needed to be careful not to let his efforts be dampened by the impression he was giving off, or any negativity on his developing reputation.
"Mr. Tanaka." Mr. Maijima said to get his attention, standing by his desk. Ako raised his head.
"Yes, sir." He answered, sitting upright and at attention.
"You should go, kid. Class is already over. You can go over your notes when you get to your room, you know." He pointed out. Ako looked down and cleared his throat.
"Uh, sorry...it was just quiet in here." He answered awkwardly. Mr. Maijima took in a breath, walking by the window.
"You know, I was there on the judge's panel on the day of the entrance exam. I saw what you did out there. You've got a natural tenacity about you, kid. And your quirk is pretty exceptional." He complimented.
"Thank you, sir." Ako responded appreciatively.
"It's a shame that the written tests got between you and the hero course. That's what you were hoping for, right?" Mr. Maijima presumed. Ako looked down and nodded.
"Y-Yeah..." He admitted. Mr. Maijima chuckled a little.
"That's a rough deal. But I can tell you've learned from that already. You're eyeing your steps a lot more carefully now so you can get there. The sports festival will be your first chance. I'm guessing that's when you'll make your move?" He asked.
"Yes, sir. I want to prove that I belong there." Ako answered quickly.
"Good. Keep doing what you're doing. You've got your head in the right place. I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but UA doesn't hold quirks above everything else like the world does. You have to be well-rounded and versatile." Mr. Maijima said.
"Yes, sir. Of course. I don't want to waste my opportunity here. I...I know that it's only because of my quirk that I was able to enroll at all." Ako said hesitantly. Mr. Maijima turned and looked at him.
"Several of the teachers have been watching you very closely. Not to put any more pressure on you or anything, but I'm pretty sure you'll get into the hero course quickly if you continue applying yourself to everything, including getting familiar with the limits of your quirk." His teacher advised.
"I'm being observed...?" Ako asked in a quiet voice.
"Don't sweat it," Mr. Maijima said with a smile. "You've got the right idea."
"O-Okay. Yes, sir, Mr. Maijima. Thank you, sir." Ako said thankfully, motivated by his teacher's words of encouragement. He stood up and quickly gathered his things, closing his notebook and tucking it under his arm.
"On Monday, I'm taking the class on a tour of the Development Studio. Pay close attention while you're there. When you get assigned your first big project, that's where you'll be doing most of your work."
"Understood. I'll pay close attention!" Ako nodded, starting to exit the classroom.
"Have a good weekend, Mr. Tanaka." Mr. Maijima said with a quick wave. Ako nodded, but then stopped.
"Mr. Maijima?"
"Yes?"
"You were there for my exam with the other judges...if I'm being observed closely, why was I put in the development course instead of the hero course?" He asked outright. Mr. Maijima chuckled again.
"Cutting right to the chase, huh? Well...truth is, I vouched for you to be put here. I personally wanted to see how you would respond to the setback. You're not as hot-headed as some of the other students, but even they took the written exams seriously.
"I'm pretty glad to say I made the right decision. And I look forward to seeing how you progress from here. Keep it up, kid." Mr. Maijima said with a wave.
Ako nodded and wordlessly left the classroom. It was nice to know that he had a teacher rooting for him, but admittedly it did hurt his pride, knowing that he'd allowed himself to look foolish in his first impression...
Ako made his way down to the ground level of the school, weaving through students in the halls. As he turned around one corner, he found a vending machine full of various drinks situated against the wall. He glanced at it curiously.
Far more curious though was the girl almost laying on her side on the floor, right in front of the machine. She seemed to be trying to look underneath it, most likely for spare change. Ako's eyebrows furrowed and he eyed her strangely.
"Hey, uh, you alright there?" He asked, leaning forward slightly. The girl looked up at him and immediately sprang up to her feet.
"I wasn't looking for spare change, I swear! I dropped my change and it rolled under!" She quickly excused herself.
"Uh...okay." He said in response, unsure of what else to say. The girl's face went red with embarrassment.
"Oh boy...this is awkward..." She said, looking away and tapping her fingers together. Ako took a moment to study her face.
She had pale skin, freckles on her cheeks, and long straight hair that was of a pinkish-purple hue. Outside of her UA uniform and her unique hair color, she was fairly plain looking; attractive for sure. But there was something about her that was familiar to Ako...
"Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked, trying to figure out where he recognized her from. The girl gave him a strange look, but then her eyes lit up with recognition.
"Oh! You were that blue-haired boy in the entry exam! You got first place in the mock battles!" She realized, pointing a finger at him. Ako leaned back a little self-consciously.
"Right...yeah, that's me. Haha. Uhh...yeah you were there too! You stopped that robot from crushing the short girl." He finally remembered.
During the practical exam, the students were all pitted up in mock battles in a fake city full of robots. Ako took out a number of them alone, but there was a brief moment where he'd seen this girl in front of him save someone else who had gotten injured – this was before he swooped in and stole the points out from under her.
"I'm surprised you remembered! You were in and out of there so fast! How did you see anything?" She teased him. Ako chuckled a little.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I was in competition mode." He apologized.
"It's alright! I totally get it. Besides, I got a pretty good score myself! Enough to get me in the hero program!" She said with a proud grin. Ako's eyes widened.
"You got in the program?!"
"Yeah!" She answered with a giggle, "What about you? You must be in class 1-B, right?" She asked, assuming that he had also gotten into the hero program.
"Uhh..." Ako hesitated to give her the real answer. Thankfully, he was spared the embarrassment when the conversation was interrupted by a trio of the girl's friends calling to her from down the hall.
"Lula! Come on! We're headed downtown!"
"Oh! One sec," She held a finger up to Ako before turning and responding to her friends. "Be right there!" She waved.
"Lula, huh?" Ako noticed.
"Yep! Lula Lei's the name!" She answered.
"Ako Tanaka. Nice to meet you." Ako said politely.
"You too! Well, I guess I better get going. No point rummaging around here without any money." She said, lightly tapping her foot against the vending machine.
"Oh, uh, I got some coins in my wallet. I'll get you a drink." He offered, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.
"Oh no, that's okay. You don't have to do that." Lula shook her head.
"Really, it's no problem at all. What do you want?" Ako asked, stepping over to the machine.
"Orange soda." She answered with a smile.
"Mm doesn't sound too bad. Think I'll get one for myself too." Ako thought aloud.
He slid coins out of his wallet and slid them into the slot one by one, putting in enough money for two orange sodas. Once both cans had been dispensed, he took them both out and passed one to her.
"Thanks, Ako! How cool of you!" She said with a laugh.
"Haha, you're welcome." He replied with a smile.
"I'mma get going. Nice seeing you again, Ako! I'm sure we'll bump into each other again soon!" She said with a wave before turning away and hurrying off.
"Maybe." Ako said in response mostly to himself. He cracked the soda can open with one finger and took a sip from it as he began walking towards the front door of the school.
"When I get back to the dorm, it's back to studying. Maybe I can ask Dad for some advice...yeah, I'll do that tonight." He thought to himself. It was decided: that night he would go see his father...
