Their Hero Academia

by Zylly

Twenty-five years after Izuki Midoriya and the rest of Class 1-A first set foot in the halls of U.A., their children begin their own hero academia. What adventures and challenges await the newest generation of future heroes? Can they possibly live up to the standard their parents set? Will they put Aizawa into an early grave? Or will this be the most Plus Ultra class of them all?

59. Chapter 54: Back to School

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 54: Back to School

The mood in the common room was rather somber. The events of their Internships and the Nomu attack on the city still obviously weighed heavily on everyone's minds. But Class 1-A had returned to U.A. all the same. Even in the wake of chaos, their parents had insisted. U.A. was one of the safest places in Japan and future Heroes could not be cowed by such threats in any case.

Iasamu… honestly wasn't as scared as he thought he'd be. True, that creature, the Nomu, had been absolutely frightening. But he'd been ready to fight it all the same. He wasn't entirely sure what he would have done, but all three of them—him, Midoriya, and Kocho—had been ready to fight it, like they'd moved without thinking. Thank goodness Deku had recovered in time to take care of it instead, though. But maybe a good blast would have done something?

He'd always wondered what he was really doing here. Trying to prove himself, trying to be even more than his parents had been. He'd often wondered if he could keep up with the kids of actual Heroes. Between winning the Sports Festival and his Internship—freaking Deku believing in him!—he felt like he'd maybe made a turn in that regard.

It hadn't even been a question if he'd return to U.A. He'd set himself on this path and intended to see it through. Dad hadn't been surprised and Mom hadn't taken much convincing, though both of them had hugged him and cried and told him they were proud of him.

And after all that… maybe it was time to think about not keeping secrets from his friends.

That didn't mean it wasn't a frightening world out there. So many Heroes had gotten hurt fighting those Nomu (Even Dad had briefly gotten into the fight, giving Ingenium a few extra seconds to recover, something Mom had yelled at him for risking.). A lot of them would probably be out for at least a week, according to most news sources, some of them for even longer. And then there was what happened to Ground Zero…

Isamu plopped down on one of the couches, next to Tokoyami, Midoriya, and Sora Iida. Tokoyami actually had Frog-Shadow out, the familiar happily perched on one of her shoulders. Usually, she kept her Quirk under wraps, but she'd let Frog-Shadow out to play all evening for once. Hadn't even argued with her all that much compared to usual. Iida was sitting as close to Midoriya as possible without actually sitting in his lap, pressed right up against him with one arm around him, her hand on his leg. Midoriya had an arm almost around her, his hand hovering just above her hip, shaking. She was so close that he was pressed against her… chest. He had to fight to keep from chuckling at that. Midoriya could face down a Nomu but got the shakes around his girlfriend. Of course, given how he flailed like a maniac whenever Mineta got flirtatious, he was hardly Mister Smooth himself.

Speaking of girlfriends, though he wasn't sure they were really there yet, he'd been to see Kana Tetsutetsu already, and stammered his own way through that. It was still hard to believe an amazing girl like her was interested in a guy like him. She'd come out of everything on Saturday safely, though her mentor, Phantom Thief, had been hurt in the fighting. Still, she'd expressed concern and sympathy when he'd talked about how close to the start of things he'd been. According to her, Class 1-B had mostly been further from the action than 1-A had ended up, though she was worried about Shiro Monoma, who hadn't yet made it back to school, even though he hadn't been hurt. He didn't much like what he had seen of the guy, but she'd seemed concerned, so he'd expressed his sympathy as well.

Around the common room, most of 1-A had broken into their usual friendship groups. Isamu could see Kirishima-Bakugo in a corner, talking softly to Izumi, looking about as broken as he'd ever seen her. In fact, she looked like she was on the verge of tears. He didn't blame her, not with what was going on with her family. He wished there was something he could say, but she was unlikely to accept sympathy from him. She barely tolerated his presence on a good day. Midoriya and Izumi were about the only people she really seemed to like.

But it was very strange, seeing her seem so broken. She was angry and aggressive, yes, but she was also one of the boldest people he knew, always throwing herself headlong into anything and everything. That she hadn't yelled at anyone all evening was just… wrong.

The other couch was occupied by Ojiro, Sato, Sero, and Tensei Iida. None of them seemed as lively as usual. Ojiro wasn't even smacking Sero, which had to be a first. Sato in particular looked particularly down, though Ojiro seemed to be trying to cheer him up.

Sero was showing his boyfriend something on his phone and Isamu recalled the male Iida had briefly gone viral a few days ago, before everything had broken out. Perhaps it was something about that? Sero was extraordinarily media savvy, after all.

Mineta and Kaminari occupied another pair of chairs. Mineta seemed the closest to her usual self of anyone. She was making gestures with her hands that seemed to be outlining someone's shape, with particular emphasis on that person's rear end. Isamu caught a brief mention of "so freaking hot" from Mineta, while Kaminari just rolled her eyes at her friend's antics.

Koda, Shoji, and Aoyama occupied the other table. Isamu had heard than none of them had seen much action, with Koda having even been too far away to get involved. A few months into school, he still didn't know Koda or Shoji very well. But he had become friendlier with Aoyama in the events leading up to the Sports Festival. He knew he was really trying to prove himself, in spite of the attitude. Being sidelined probably hadn't sat well with him.

Koda did like kind of down, though. She was usually a fairly cheerful, if subdued, girl, so Isamu wasn't really sure what was up with that. As far as he knew, she hadn't even been involved in anything, so he wasn't sure what was weighing on them.

He also couldn't help but wonder how Kocho was doing. Even without Pro-Hero parents, he'd grown up with stories of his parents' Vigilante adventures, and had actual Hero classes. She hadn't even had that and had gotten thrown in the deep end. Maybe he'd make a point and see how she was doing tomorrow.

None of them had really talked much about what they'd seen during the Nomu attack. Just a few words here or there, asking if someone else was okay, or saying that they'd been way too close. When pressed for more conversation, it would inevitably turn to Deku and how he had saved the day. A good, safe topic that didn't rely on remembering how much danger you'd been in.

He looked between Midoriya and Tokoyami. "Either of you talk to Shinso?" he asked. "He's not back yet. I tried texting him, but he never texted back." The dorm seemed a lot quieter without the little guy's constant chatter. He'd half expected to come back to a play by play of all the different Hero vs. Nomu fights, repeated ad nauseam.

Midoriya frowned. "Dad brought him to the hospital with Uncle Kacchan. He was there when he got hurt. Pretty shook up by it. He was supposed to go home today, but I didn't have a chance to check on him when we brought Mom home."

"How is she, by the way?" Sora Iida asked.

"Getting better," he replied. "She mostly just needs some rest. Grandma Inko's going to stay with her while Dad's investigating everything."

"I haven't heart from Shota either," Tokoyami said. She passed a pretzel from the bowl she was snacking from up to Frog-Shadow, who took it gratefully. "I also tried texting him, but he didn't respond."

"Same," Midoriya added. "I hope he's okay…"

Iida shook her head. "I know seeing Kestrel being hurt was not a pleasant sight and her chances of survival were much higher than Ground Zero's. Her wings were very nearly ripped from her body."

Midoriya actually moved her hand from his knee and took it in his, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm sorry you all had to be out there for that," Tokoyami said. "We were stuck inside, watching it and that was terrible enough. I feared for all of you."

Frankly, Isamu had feared for all of them too. He'd feared for himself as well. But behind that fear, he'd found himself starting to move without even having a chance to think. And it sounded like many of the rest of the class had stepped up as well.

Maybe that was what being a Hero was about?

The door to outside opened and Aizawa walked in. He looked tired, more than usual. "Gather 'round," he said simply. Oddly enough, he didn't seem as irritated with them as he usually was. "I've got some important announcements."

Izumi looked over to Katsumi. "Shall we?" she asked, gesturing towards the center of the room. The others who had been scattered about were heading there, where Aizawa stood waiting on them. Her friend looked terrible and Izumi could not blame her. Katsumi had experienced much during her Internship, from being unable to save someone on her first day, to seeing Aunt Ochaco hurt, to what had happened to Uncle Katsuki. Those would have been terrible burdens to place upon an adult Hero, let alone a teenager.

She would need to keep a close eye on her dear friend in the days to come. Katsumi herself would be the first to admit that she did not do well processing difficult emotions and that often resulted in violent outbursts. With nearly everyone in an agitated state, it would be far too easy to ignite a spark.

Katsumi had said her father was going to speak to Doctor Shield and Mrs. Hatsume about possible prosthetic options, but that a workable one seemed beyond current science. He would be in the hospital for some time yet, for physical therapy and to avoid post-surgical complications. Her friend would need much support during these next days and Izumi hoped she would not be found wanting.

Her own thoughts were, sadly, preoccupied. The events of the Nomu attack played out upon her mind. She'd been forced to listen while Uncle Denki and Mister Minoru fought the Nomu, somehow managing to hold their own long enough for Uncle Izuku to arrive and take it out in one mighty blow. Both had emerged battered, but alive, able to resume their operations in a short amount of time. But the fear that she had felt when she thought she had trapped them in with it to die still lingered.

And there was still the mystery of the Villain called Plague to unravel. With everything that had happened, she hadn't had a chance to speak to her parents about him and his connection to her. She did not doubt they would be truthful if she asked, but she could not help but wonder just how truthful or cagey they would be. A great many people seemed to be going to a great deal of trouble to hide things from both her and the public eye.

There was also the mystery of the stuffed animal someone had brought her while she was in the hospital, which now rested upon her bed in her dorm room. Her father had tensed briefly upon seeing it, but had let it go. Though no one had offered any explanations, it tugged at cloudy childhood memories.

Katsumi nodded sullenly and they went to stand behind one of the couches with the others. Once they were all assembled, Aizawa began to speak, taking a moment to look over all of them. He always looked tired, but somehow, he looked even more so now, as though the weight of the world had come crashing down upon him. Hadn't UA been removed from the fighting? What could be troubling their teacher?

"Firstly, while we will be discussing them more in class, let me say that the preliminary remarks I received from your Internship mentors were largely positive." His gaze lingered for a minute on a few members of the class, especially Sero and Mineta, but he continued.

"Especially considering what I've heard about your participation in Saturday's events. You should never have been put in that position, and for that, I am sorry. But being a Hero comes with few promises of safety. Your mentors did—for the most part—the best they could to keep you out of things, but some measure of conflict appears to be have been unavoidable.

"That being said, Hound Dog will be available for counseling sessions. For the majority of you, this is not optional. With the exception of Koda and Tokoyami, all of you were directly on the streets at the same time as these monsters. Some of you may require more sessions than others, and there is no shame in that. Being a Hero requires both mental and physical health. In the meantime, we'll be reshuffling the nature of your Heroics classes for more theoretical and historical work until such time as you're cleared to participate in more dangerous and violent activities."

"We've already scheduled a session, sir," Asuka said. Izumi recalled that she'd been hurt prior to the Nomu attacks and had been taken off the streets early, though she had no physical injuries that she could see. "We" was interesting though. Her and Frog-Shadow, perhaps?

"I… actually have my own issues I would like to discuss, given the opportunity," Koda added softly. She was usually one of the more even keeled members of their class. What would have affected her like that?

"Aw, screw it," Katsumi growled next to her, crossing her muscular arms. "I'm fine. I don't need a damn headshrinker."

Aizawa held her gaze for a moment. A tenseness, like a bomb waiting to explode, hung in the air. Was Katsumi going to explode so soon? "Then you won't require more than one session to clear you."

She held his gaze, not flinching or backing down in the slightest, then nodded, seemingly satisfied she'd met the insinuation she needed help on her own terms.

Aizawa's gaze seemed to soften for a moment and his head drooped ever so slightly. "While I regret that you had to be placed into action like you were… I am very proud of all of you. Any questions?"

Toshi's hand shot into the air. "Where's Shota?"

That was something Izumi was wondering as well. The dorm seemed somehow emptier without Shota's constant chatter and cheery face. They all could have used some of that cheer, but with what Katsumi had said, there was likely very little to be had.

At that, Aizawa seemed to draw into himself ever so slightly. When he spoke, his voice had lost more of its forcefulness and edge. He was Shota's godfather, after all, and held a close relationship with Shota's father. Shota's absence and what it meant was obviously very personal for their teacher. "Shinso will hopefully be rejoining the class sometime this week."

Izumi raised her own hand. "Is he all right?" No one had said anything about him being hurt, but as the youngest and most naïve and idealistic of the class, the harshness of reality would have fallen heavily down upon him. A weight like that, grappling with your own inadequacies, perceived or real, would pull you down into a dark abyss.

Izumi knew something about that.

"I haven't been able to get ahold of him," Asuka said.

"Me neither," Toshi added.

"I haven't either," Isamu said.

Next to her, Izumi could hear Katsumi counting, as their classmates began to speculate on Shota's location and status. When she reached ten, she let out a demonic sounding growl that made Izumi take a step back.

"All of you shut the hell up and leave the kid alone!" Katsumi shouted. "If he wants to talk, he'll fucking talk! He doesn't need any of you damn feel goods trying to drag anything out of him!"

Katsumi's sudden protective streak, Izumi had seen it unleashed on her behalf often. But Shota, like Shinji, had been closer to Katsumi when they were younger, and she had sometimes stepped in on his behalf. It looked like it was coming out again. Not surprising, given what Katsumi had said had happened.

Aizawa cleared his throat. "Thank you, Kirishima-Bakugo, for that vulgar, if not completely inaccurate assessment. As I said, Shinso will likely be rejoining us later this week. I know many of you are his friends, but I would request that you respect his desire for privacy during this time."

He continued, and the world-weariness settled heavily in his eyes again. "Additionally, Principal Nezu passed away last night. We're still working on funeral arrangements. An announcement will be made once plans are more solidified. He thought very highly of all of you and would want you all to carry on and continue to grow."

He looked around the room once more. "I'll expect all of you in class tomorrow morning, on time. We'll begin discussion of your internships and your sessions with Hound Dog then. I know… I know you've all been through a lot. But try to get some rest tonight."

"I can't believe you were right in the thick of everything, Kohco!" Momoko Mogura, short, bespectacled, and mole-like, said.

Koharu finished putting her fresh laundry away, turning to the mole-girl sitting on her bed. "I really wasn't in the thick of anything," she said. "I mean, I was there when Deku fought that thing, and I got to go on some patrols and get some training before that. It's not like I did any real fighting or anything."

No, but she'd been ready to… what, exactly? Her body had practically moved on its own, wings lifting her into the air to try and help protect Lemillion from the Nomu. What exactly had she thought her Moth-powers were going to do to a nightmare that could knock down Deku?

"That's way closer than any of us got!" Mogura said. She pushed her glasses up with one clawed finger. "We were all so worried!"

While the Hero and Support courses got Internships, the General Education courses and the Business courses had different paths. The Business courses would do Internships of their own later in the year, after the School Festival, and the General Education courses simply continued their rigorous studies. There was always the chance of some work shadowing experiences, but the focus was academics.

She had a decent amount of work to make up, but she considered it worth it.

Koharu gave her best friend an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry," Koharu said. "Didn't exactly plan on any of that."

"I cannot believe you got to work with Deku and Shinso!" Yu Tokuda, another of her classmates and friends said, also sitting on the bed with Mogura. Her dark purple hair hung about her shoulders, and her single eye blinked rapidly. The way she spoke so reverently of both of them, it reminded Koharu of how she'd been on her first day of her Internship.

That seemed like such a lifetime ago, even though it had only been a week.

"They're just normal people, Tokuda." She considered, then continued, "Until they're not. There's a point where they just… go beyond, I guess. I'm not sure there's good words for it."

Deku and Lemillion especially. Watching them turn from a couple of goofballs into serious heroes in the blink of an eye, she wondered just how they could turn it on and off like that. Shinso had been more serious, of course, but even he softened considerably when talking about his family or trying not to facepalm at something Lemlillion had done. And all his composure went out the window when his wife was around and trying to be flirtatious.

Koharu took a minute to look around her room. For the most part, it was a normal room, like any teenage girl might have. Sure, there was an elaborate mirror she used when cleaning her wings, but that wasn't really anything special. There was her poster of the Voice, of course, who almost never allowed merchandise. And one of Glamour too. Though, if she was pressed to admit it, that might have been for a slightly different reason.

With a little luck, so long as she passed her final exams, she'd be packing it all up for the second term.

"Guess that makes you the big hero now," Mogura said. She looked down. "You're not going to… to forget about us, are you?" She looked so forlorn that it practically broke Koharu's heart. Shy and unassuming, with significant mutations, Mohura didn't have a lot of friends, even in the class.

"She's just moving a couple dorms over," Tokuda said. "It's not like she's going to a different school or anything."

"Hey, listen to me," Koharu said. She moved and sat down on the bed, keeping her wings carefully out of the way. She put an arm around Mogura's shoulders. "Just because I'm going to be moving dorms doesn't mean we're not still going to be friends. Gen Ed doesn't forget. Doesn't matter how busy I get, I'll make time."

Who knows, maybe she could even introduce her friends to the Class 1-A girls? Get a few little intercourse friendships started?

"Promise?"

"Of course, I do."

A soft knocking brought her attention to the doorway to her room, where their Class Representative, Jin Satome, stood. "Kocho," he said, running a hand through his sandy brown hair. "You're back. Good. Are you all right? After… everything?"

Koharu gave him a reassuring smile. Satome was Quirkless (He was about the only Quirkless person any of them knew, though she supposed she could now count Doctor Shield as well.), with no aspirations towards joining the Hero Course. He was smart and dependable, but tended to be largely risk adverse. He'd been supportive, but questioning, of her desire to join the Hero Course. Few people in General Education actually did want to transfer, not really, even though some fantasized about it. It was the great hope, though, for a few. It had definitely been hers.

"I'm fine," she said. "Didn't even get a scratch on me."

He nodded. "Good," he said, jerking a thumb behind him. "Vice-Principal Midnight's downstairs waiting for you with Hibiki-sensei."

The Vice-Principal and their Homeroom teacher? That… didn't sound good.

"Ah, good to see you, Kocho," Hibiki-sensei said. "Thanks for joining us." He was an ordinary and avuncular man, with dark hair and glasses, a little overweight, somewhere in his mid-forties. Like most of the teachers in the General Education department, he was not a Pro-Hero. He had a Quirk which let him read print by running his fingertips over it.

"Yes, thank you," Vice-Principal Midnight said. Koharu had seen the woman around campus a few times, including at the orientation ceremony on the first day of school, but even dressed professionally, she was a formidable presence. Of course, Koharu was also familiar with her heroic exploits as well.

She could scarcely think of why both of them would be here to see her. And what she was coming up with wasn't good. Were they revoking her transfer? Putting it off? Deku had made it sound like it was pretty much a done deal, with even a new Homeroom picked out. Had she messed up in her Internship somehow? Did they decide letting her in was a bad idea after all the craziness that had gone down?

"Am I… in trouble?" she asked.

Surprise flittered over their faces. "What? Oh, no, sweetie," Midnight said, sympathetically. "We're just checking in on you."

Hibiki-sensei nodded. "The Vice-Principal briefed me on what you encountered during your Internship. And I saw those… awful things on the television reports. To think, one of my students was out there during that…"

Midnight placed a fingertip along her chin, stroking it daintily. "Midoriya and Shinso's early reports about you were highly complementary. It looks to me like we missed out having you in the Hero Course to begin with."

Okay, was she this distracting on purpose or just that good at it naturally? Her voice practically purred no matter what she was saying. Dammit, Koharu, stop being a useless lesbian! She's old enough to be your mother!

"But you were thrown into the deep end," she continued. "The Hero Course students are already reeling from it, even those who weren't directly involved. Those monsters, that kind of action, it would shake anyone."

Koharu titled her head. "It was scary, sure," she said. "Really scary. I mean, probably the most scared I've ever been in my entire life. That thing was beating up Deku!"

She gave her wings a little flick. "But he beat it. Then he saved everybody."

Hibiki-sensei took off his glasses, cleaning them on his shirt. "He did," he agreed. "But that doesn't change what led up to his victory."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I think you're going to have to fill me in? Because I'm not following."

Midnight gave her a kind smile. "We're just saying that if, after that, you want to defer or cancel your transfer, we'd understand. No shame in it, no judgement. With your marks and skills, we'd be happy to keep the spot open."

They… they thought she wanted to back out?

"Now you're sounding like my mom," she said. Instantly realizing what she'd just said, she slapped a hand over her mouth. If she could have snatched the words from the air, she would have.

Midnight just stared at her and for a moment, her left eye began to twitch behind her glasses. Hibiki-sensei took a couple of additional steps to the left, giving the Vice-Principal more room.

Of course, none of it had changed the fact that it was true. Mom had been reluctantly to let her go forward with her plan to transfer to the Hero Course. She'd argued Koharu should just stay in General Education, maybe think about transferring in the second year, when the world got a little less crazy.

What she hadn't understood was that seeing Deku in action, seeing Lemillion in action, seeing the Voice and Glamour in action, even seeing Midoriya and Haimawari in action, had galvanized her resolve, now more than ever. The way they helped people, the ways they could help people, the fact that they could, in a moment, turn a nightmare into a victory…

During the middle of her Internship, Deku had trusted her with being his eyes in the sky. She'd done her best to help there, satisfied that even providing that perspective was accomplishing something. When she'd expressed doubt about how much she was really helping, Deku had told her, "Everybody's got the power to help. It isn't a contest. The desire and the will to help is what really matters. Training and time will take care of the rest."

Her Moth Quirk wasn't as impressive as some out there, like Deku's Super-Power or Lemillion's Permeation, or even Midoriya's Personal Gravity and Haimawari's Slide and Glide. But subtle powers, like the Voice's Brainwashing, or even more ordinary ones, could be just as useful, just as helpful. If it could help just one person…

"Ma'am," she said, and then instantly regretted it again, because Midnight flinched again. "If anything… what happened… it just means I want it even more. I saw what it's like out there. People are always going to need help from someone. And that someone is who I want to be. When the monsters show up, I want to be one of the ones who does something."

"Well said, Kocho," Hibiki-sensei said, nodding. "I wouldn't have expected anything less of you. We would still like you to speak with Hound Dog, at least once, though. Just to make sure you're all right."

"Indeed," Midnight said. "Some… impertinent comments about my age aside, I think you're definitely got what it takes to start your hero academia."