Morning came, and Bulla and Pan got dressed and made their way to school. "Oh! A new cafe just opened up! It's on the way there, did you want to stop to get some crepes?" Pan asked her friend with a smile.
Because of their orphan status, neither Bulla nor Pan had any form of income or allowance, as other kids would, so Togata and Nejire would often leave them with money to eat throughout the day."I don't know, Pan. Are we gonna make it in time for classes to start?"
"Who cares? All the boring stuff happens in the morning anyway! The really important stuff starts after lunch! I'm talking Hero Basic Training, oh yeah!" Pan told her, raising her fist into the air.
"Pan!" Bulla grabbed her friend's wrist, preventing the two from walking any further.
She was caught off guard, reflexively attempting to yank her arm away.
The people walking past them did their best to avoid them and stay out of their way. "This isn't just fun and games. You know that!" Bulla told her, slowly working up the courage to set her friend straight. "Our parents sent us here to keep us safe, to keep everyone safe! If we want to grow, we need to become stronger and smarter!"
Pan's head hung low, realizing how stupid her idea was. "Y...You're right. I'm sorry for bringing it up, Bulla."
Her friend smiled to her, despite the sudden lecture just prior. "Hey, don't worry about it. Now come on. We can't sit and eat but we can at least pick up some crepes on our way!" Bulla told her.
"Bulla...!" Pan couldn't help but smile. It always warmed her heart when Bulla would smile, since it seemed to be so rare as of late. She nodded, and Bulla began running down the sidewalk, her hand still wrapped around Pan's wrist.
Bulla and Pan made the stop for their breakfast before rushing to school. Once the regular classes passed, the girls made their way to the cafeteria. "So, are there any cute boys in your class?" Pan asked, causing Bulla to spit rice across the table.
"Pan! I'm here to learn, I don't have time to look at boys!" Bulla told her friend, wiping her mouth.
"I bet you have a few seconds to peek!" She told her. "I don't have much to look at in 1-B. All there really is Kaibara and Monoma. But get this, Monoma can copy Quirks!"
"Copy Quirks? What about Kaibara?"
"He can spin parts of his body like a drill! It's pretty crazy to see in person." Pan informed her as a familiar tall girl with long black hair stood at their table. "Hi, can I help you?" Pan told her with a smile.
"Good morning, you must be a friend of Brief." Momo Yaoyorozu said.
"Mhm, that's right! The name is Pan Son: Bulla's sworn protector and best friend!" She was so excited to meet someone that seemed to have taken a liking to her best friend. "If it's alright, you can call us Pan and Bulla!"
With a soft chuckle, Yaoyorozu smiled back. "Alright, then, Pan. Bulla. You can call me Momo, then. How does that sound?"
"That sounds perfect!" Pan shouted. "So, Bulla, how do you and Momo know each other?" She asked, but to no avail. Even though she was comfortable with Pan, she had only met Yaoyorozu yesterday, and showed it by shuffling her around rice quietly on her plate, never breaking her gaze from the bundle of grains.
"It's fine." Yaoyorozu said nervously. "I first saw her during the recommendation entrance exams. I saw you, too, and I was amazed by the both of you. I was second place overall in the physical exams we took, so I wanted to introduce myself. I apologize if I came on too strongly."
"Nonsense! Bulla's just a little shy! Give it some time, she'll warm up to you!" Pan assured her, giving a thumbs up.
"Well, look who it is!" A voice suddenly said from behind. All three of the girls turned their heads, feasting their eyes on a muscular young man. "Brief! Son! How are you girls doing?"
"Mr. Togata!" Pan said excited, suddenly standing up. "Come sit with us!"
"Hehe, sorry girls! I already finished eating. I was on my way out when I noticed you two sitting across the room, and I wanted to see how you were adjusting to the school." He told them with a thumbs up.
"It's been great! But the teachers here have been tough! Mr. Kan doesn't pull any punches!" She told him, waving her fist.
With a boisterous laugh. "Well, I have no doubt that you can handle him! And what about you, Brief?"
Bulla looked up from her plate, addressing the young man directly. "I have Mr. Aizawa. He's really serious about all this, but I don't mind. He's hard on us because he wants us to succeed." She spoke softly, but clearly, still taking time to open up to Togata. He's already learned to not take it personally, despite not knowing what happened to them on that day last year.
"I'm really happy to hear that you two are doing good here. I really want to stay, but I have to meet Nejire and Amajiki in class before it gets too rowdy. I'll walk you home after school, alright?" He said, raising an arm as he began to walk away.
"Sounds good, Mr. Togata! We'll see you after school!" Pan stood up and called out as he walked away.
"Who was that?" Yaoyorozu asked, leaning forward.
"That's Mirio Togata. He helped us out big time when we showed up here last year, and has since been helping us the whole way." Pan explained, sitting back down.
Yaoyorozu pulled out her phone and turned the screen on. "Now that he mentions it, it is almost time to get back to class." As the three got up and put their trays away, Yaoyorozu decided to walk with them to class. As they approached the massive door of Class 1-A, Pan turned around and took Yaoyorozu's hands. "Momo, it was so nice meeting you! Do me a favor and watch over my best friend, alright?"
"I'll do my best. No matter how many times she shies away, I'll make sure to keep an eye on her. It was wonder meeting you, as well, Pan." With those words and a smile, the girls parted way, and Bulla and Yaoyorozu entered their class and took their seats.
As Bulla opened her bag to pull out her notebook, she noticed a very familiar earring sitting atop the bundled books in her bag."Huh?" As she pulled it out and took a closer look, she realized what she was holding moments after observing it. The Potara Earring... She thought as she gave a soft smile. She tucked the earring into the breast pocket inside her UA uniform jacket and began to doodle new notes in her notebook.
'Momo Yaoyorozu: Super nice. Make friends.'
The remainder of the students entered the room, and class began. "I AM...HERE!" An incredibly loud and charismatic voice called out. "COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A HERO!"
The entire class watched closely, not daring to take their eyes off the #1 Pro Hero in the world, All Might. So that's him... He reminds me of a Super Saiyan version of Mr. Jiren...
"It's really him!" The electric-haired boy said.
"So he really is a teacher!" Followed the student with spiked red hair. "This years going to be totally awesome!"
Bulla began to doodle a sketch of All Might while he trotted up to the podium. He towered above it like a mountain, and he put his hands triumphantly on his waist. Now that I think about it, he reminds me more of Grandpa Hercule... She thought, using her mental image of her grandfather as a base. "Welcome to the most important class at UA High! Think of it as 'Hero-ing 101!'" He announced. "This is where you will learn the basics of being a pro, and what it means to fight in the name of good!" With a stretch, All Might turned around, prompting Bulla to look up from her doodle of All Might with an afro. In his hands was a card that read 'BATTLE.' "Today's lesson will pull no punches!"
We're going to be fighting against each other? I wonder what kind of person I'll be up against... Bulla eyes wandered to Shoto Todoroki, sitting in the back of the classroom, and couldn't help but shudder. I seriously freaking hate the cold! It's fine, right?! That's a one-in-a-million chance, right?!
"But one of the keys of being a hero iiss..." Pausing for dramatic effect, All Might swung his arm to the side, gesturing to the emerging shelves on the wall. "Looking good! These were designed for you based on your Quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started!" Each one was numbered based on the seating arrangements of the class, meaning Bulla's was in the case labeled '6.' With cheers all around, All Might quickly concluded the sessions. "Get yourselves suited up, and meet me at Training Ground Beta!"
As the students emerged onto the training ground, All Might welcomed them with words of encouragement. "They say that They say that clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen, and behold, you are the proof!" He announced as the class came into the light. "Take this to heart. From now on, you are all heroes in training!"
That's right... This is where my real journey begins!
"Bulla!" Yaoyorozu called out as she walked up, catching Bulla's attention. "That's your costume?" Bulla looked down at her costume, inspired by the Saiyan armor her father used to wear. She asked for something elastic and durable, and surprisingly they had managed to hit the mark, somehow creating armor that was very similar to the ones she found lying around her house as a child.
The chestplate was white, with plates of yellow padding on the shoulders and the abdomen. The black body suit she wore underneath was sleeveless, and ended at her beginning of her legs. She was told once that the first Saiyan that Super Grandpa Goku encountered had the same shape for the suit. Hanging off of the waist of the chestplate wrre two more plates of padding, and she wore white gloves with white boots that had a yellow trim along the bottom. "What's wrong with it?"
"Oh, no! There's nothing wrong, I've just never seen anything like it." She told her apologetically.
"Well then! Now that you're ready, it's time for Hero Combat Training!" All Might announced as Iida raised his hand.
"Sir! This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean we'll be conducting urban battles again?" He asked, prompting All Might to throw two fingers forward.
"Not quite! I'm going to move you two steps ahead! Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside." He began to explain. "However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evil-doers takes place indoors."
That would be true... The most difficult battles would be indoor, where there's less room for a hero to do damage as to not affect the surrounding environment. Bulla thought to herself, holding her chin in her fingers.
"Think about it. Backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows." All Might told them. "For this exercise, you'll ve split into good guys and bad guys, and fight two-on-two indoor battles!"
As several students began spouting questions, Bulla's eyes wandered over to Shoto Todoroki once more, finding herself lost in thought. Please, don't let it be him...
"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"How much can we hurt the other team? Bakugo followed.
"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like last time?" The bubbly girl from before asked in concern.
"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?!" Iida spoke above everybody else.
"I wasn't finish talking!" All Might growled before continuing the lesson. He explained the scenario, where the heroes have to either capture the 'weapon' or defeat the villains. With time scarce, All Might drew the teams from a box of lots.
The teams were announced, allowing Bulla to learn everybody's name:
Team A - Iida and Yaoyorozu
Team B - Kaminari and Hagakure
Team C - Shoji and Koda
Team D - Aoyama and Kirishima
Team E - Jiro and Sato
Team F - Tokoyami and Asui
Team G - Ashido and Mineta
Team H - Todoroki and Midoriya
Team I - Sero and Bakugo
Team J - Brief and Uraraka
"So, that's her name..." Bulla said to herself. As if she heard, Uraraka joined Bulla's side.
"So, you're Bulla Brief, right? I've seen you around class, but we really haven't gotten the opportunity to talk. It's a good thing we got this chance!" She said with excitement. Then, it was time for the matches to be decided. As All Might reached into his hero and villain boxes, Bulla braced herself for the worst. The letters rose, and she held her breath. One after another, the battles were set, until finally, Team J was drawn.
"I'm up against...!?"