Chapter 9

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

I Peter 2:9

A few seconds after faceplanting on the floor, I heard a couple snickers and loud, crass sounding laughter. I knew then and there I had made an absolute fool of myself, and would've rather stayed on the floor till kingdom come. But I knew I had to get up and face everybody, so I did. I put my hands down, pushed myself up onto my knees, got up, and brushed myself off.

Class 1-A consisted of twenty students, all sitting at different desks. Most of them were normal looking, while some looked a little strange. And by strange, I meant that had a feature that was something out of the ordinary. For instance, one kid had a bird head, one had arms that made him look like a cross between a spider and an octopus, one was colored completely pink with small yellow horns on her head, one was completely invisible except for her clothes, and one kid had a tail!

After I processed what they had looked like, I then asked, "What? Haven't you seen an American tripping into class before?"

"Can I help you?" a bored sounding voice asked.

I turned to see the owner of the voice, sitting at his desk. The man was pale, had long black hair, unshaved stubble, and tired eyes that had black pupils. His clothing consisted of a black, long sleeved shirt, black pants, and black boots. He also wore a silver utility belt, and a large, white scarf around his neck.

"Uh… yeah." I said, turning to the man. "You the teacher here?"

"Correct." The man replied in an uninterested tone, almost like he didn't want to do his job. "Why did you trip into here? What do you want?"

"I'm here to join Class 1-A, as an American exchange student."

"Oh… yeah… I forgot." The man said, his tone still bored sounding. He then stood up from his desk and said to the other students, "Class, I forgot I had an announcement to make. As you already see here, we have students from America joining us. Or, in this case, one student."

"Actually, there's more of them." I spoke up. "They're waiting out in the hall."

The man looked at me strangely, and then he said, "Bring them in."

I turned and said to the door, "Alright guys, you can come in now!"

Zilo was the first to enter. As soon as he entered, the other students began whispering to each other in surprise. Zilo then stood beside me, as I stood beside the desk.

Sunshine was the next to enter, followed by Larry. Then Margaret came, and finally Maddox, who closed the door behind him. We all stood there in front of the class, and I felt like we were a freak show to these people.

"So, this is the best that America has to offer." The man said somewhat patronizingly. "Well, time for an introduction. My name is Shota Aizawa, also known as 'Erasure Hero: Eraser Head'. I am going to be your instructor for your time here."

"Eraser Head? You mean like the movie?" Larry asked.

"Yes." Mr. Aizawa replied. "Like the movie."

"Oh. I saw that movie once; I honestly wish I didn't, because I had nightmares for a week from it. That movie was disturbing!"

"Right. I want you to refer to me as 'Mr. Aizawa' while in class. Anyway, the six of you introduce yourselves. Tell your name, where you are from, quirk, and goals…"

I looked at my friends and, knowing once again it was I who was going to break the ice, decided to go first. I then cleared my throat and said to the class, "Hello. My-"

Instantly, three students started laughing, causing me to stop talking and feel embarrassed. One student was small and looked like he had grapes on his head (GRAPES ON HIS HEAD?!), another student had orange hair with a black streak in it, and the other student had weird looking elbows that looked like tape rollers (TAPE ROLLERS?!).

"Kaminari, Mineta, Sero!" Mr. Aizawa suddenly barked. "Quiet!"

When he said that, all three shut up quickly. Mr. Aizawa then said in a stern tone, "I want to remind all of you that we are representing Japan to our foreign visitors! That means our conduct is not to be out of order!" He then looked at me and said in a much calmer tone, "Sorry about that… Please continue…"

"Thank you, sir." I replied, bowing my head once. I looked to the class and tried again, "As I was saying, my name is Joshua Rourke. I am from America, particularly the state of Georgia. My quirk is that I have a hypersonic voice, meaning my voice is really powerful, akin to that of an atomic bomb if loud enough. Also, I can channel sound through different parts of my body, such as my hands and feet. This allows me to amplify my punches and kicks, and also gives me the ability to fly. For my goals, well, I have a lot of goals in life, but I guess my biggest is to become a hero. I mean, it has to be, or otherwise I wouldn't be here. That's all…"

After I had finished, Mr. Aizawa said to the other students, "Any questions?"

Several students raised their hands. I looked at Mr. Aizawa and asked, "How many questions am I allowed to answer?"

"Two." Mr. Aizawa replied, showing two fingers.

"Okay," I spoke. I then picked a kind-looking student with green eyes and green hair to ask his question. "Kid with green hair, say your name and question."

"My name is Izuku Midoriya." The student replied, a smile on his face. "I was wondering, how are you able to channel sound into your arms and legs?"

"Good question. I honestly don't know, but maybe it has something to do with my voice going through my body or something like that. I originally inherited my quirk from my father, and he can channel sound throughout his body without even making a noise. I've been trying to do it like him, but I haven't quite mastered it yet."

"Wow! He can channel sound throughout his body without making a sound?!" Midoriya said excitedly. "Maybe it works like how a ventriloquist talks without moving his lips! Or maybe he has an ability to use his vocal cords without actually using his voice! Or he could be-"

"QUIT YOUR NERDING OUT, YOU _ DEKU!" somebody shouted from the back. The owner of the voice was an angry looking kid with blonde hair and angry red eyes. As soon as he said that, Midoriya instantly stopped talking and looked fearful.

"Hey, leave him alone…" I said, trying not to yell. "Everybody has a right to nerd out once in a while."

"AND CAN YOU SHUT IT TOO, YOU _ AMERICAN!" the blonde kid roared, jumping up from his seat. That caused me to move back by two steps.

"Bakugou!" Mr. Aizawa barked again. "Quiet yourself or go to the principal's office!"

The blonde kid, Bakugou, let out a growl as he sank back into his seat. It was then I recognized him as the one who was laughing the crass laughter. I uncurled my hands and let them drop to my sides; I had put them into fists when 'Sir Yells-A-Lot' (Bakugou) acted like he was about to attack. It's a good thing this kid didn't have my quirk, otherwise he would've blown away the whole school by now.

"Okay…" I said, calming down. "Any other questions?"

More students raised their hands, so I chose a rather pretty girl with dark purple hair, and what looked like earphone jacks hanging from her earlobes. I then said, "Girl with the earphone jacks, name and question."

"The name's Kyoka Jiro." The girl replied, her voice somewhat low. "I noticed that you speak the Japanese language very well. How long have you been studying it?"

"Pleased to meet you. Actually, I don't know any Japanese. What I'm using to speak is a translator." I replied, pointing to my ear. "We were each given it when we first arrived here. It looks like a black earplug, and when you put it in your ear, you understand any language you hear. I guess you also understand any language you read, because I've been able to read all Japanese writing since I've been here. So… yeah, that's the answer."

I then looked to Mr. Aizawa, who said, "Have a seat, Rourke. There's an empty desk beside Jiro."

I moved away from the desk and sat beside Jiro. When I saw she was stilling looking at me, I smiled and asked, "How do you do?"

When I said that, she looked away quickly, almost like she didn't want me to notice. I smiled, because I was starting to like her. She was pretty, somewhat quiet and withdrawn, but still seemed like a nice person.

"Alright, next…" Mr. Aizawa spoke.

It was Zilo's turn. Zilo came up and said, "Good morning, everyone. My name is Zilo Shiloh, and I am also from Georgia. My quirk is these angelic wings, which help me to fly, and they give me super strength and super speed. What's also cool is that they turn black whenever I'm angered, as to intimidate my opponents. My goal is, like many of you, to be a hero. Now, just like Mr. Aizawa said, any questions?"

Just like with my turn, several hands shot up. Zilo then said, "Cute pink girl, name and question."

The girl giggled when he said that, and then she said brightly, "My name's Mina Ashido! My question is, what is America like?"

"What is America like?" Zilo repeated, a smile on his face. "Well, it's different from here, but then again, every country is. I guess you could say it's kind of like a mix of different cultures, that come together to make one country. I'm from Georgia, which is in the south. It's very hilly there, with a lot of hills that go up and down. It's nice, but you don't exactly want to go street luging, if you get what I'm saying. It's hot in the summer, cold in the winter, but it's still an enjoyable place to live. And, don't worry; you haven't made me homesick. Thank you for asking, though; it was a good question!"

From the way Zilo acted, I could tell he liked this Ashido girl. I really couldn't blame him; she was cute, with pink skin, pink hair, black and yellow eyes, and having small yellow horns on her head. But in my opinion, Jiro was the cute one.

"Any other questions?" Zilo asked.

When the students raised their hands, Bakugou put his hand up. Zilo then said, "The one they called Bakugou. What's your question?"

Uh-oh. Bakugou, a look of rage on his face, asked angrily, "What makes you think that a bunch of losers from America can just come in here and join Class 1-A?!"

"Oh, that's an easy question. When we heard that they let you in, we said to ourselves 'Hey, if a loser like him can make it into Class 1-A, we can make it too!'" Zilo replied, mock cheerfulness in his voice.

It was a mic drop moment; The entire class and even us had our mouths wide open in shock, as Zilo stood there without moving a beat. The look of Mr. Aizawa's face wasn't one of disapproval, but one of amusement. And for Bakugou, he looked like he was about to explode. I was surprised to see that steam wasn't coming out of his ears by now.

"WHAT… DID… YOU… SAY?!" he growled, fury forming in his eyes.

"You heard me; You're an idiot and you have wax in your ears." Zilo replied, not taking into consideration that this guy was about to blow. And that's when Bakugou lost it.

"DIE!" Bakugou screamed, launching from his seat towards Zilo. Instantly, he stopped, and fell flat on the ground. I looked at Mr. Aizawa and saw that his hair was standing up and his eyes were flashing; Now I know why they called him 'Eraser Head'.

"Alright Bakugou, you've had your outburst." Mr. Aizawa said, his hair falling back into place. "Go back to your desk, and don't let it happen again. As for you, Shiloh, don't antagonize your fellow students. You can take a seat near Ashido."

Bakugou picked himself off of the ground and back to his desk, a look of humiliation and anger on his face.

"Sorry about that, class." Zilo spoke, a small smile forming on his lips. "It's just that I dislike those who hold themselves in such prideful regard. Anyway, sorry for winding you up, Bakugou. Now, if its all the same to you people, I'll let my friend here continue."

Zilo then went and sat down beside Ashido, who was a little bit shaken by the whole ordeal. When she looked at him, Zilo did an apologetic look that said, 'Please don't hate me'. Ashido then smiled at him, which meant that she didn't hate him. He then smiled back at her; a crush was beginning.

"Oh boy…" I said quietly, rolling my eyes. But I had to smile; he certainly knew how to win a girl over.

Sunshine was next. She came up and said, "My name is Sunshine DeMorris, and I'm from South Carolina. My quirk is light manipulation. I can manipulate light and make it shoot out of my hands, I can use it to glow in the dark, and I can use it to blind my opponents. The reason I look like this, white hair, white skin, and golden eyes, is cause of my quirk. My goal, like my two friends said before me, is to be a hero. Any questions?"

A couple more classmates raised their hands, and Sunshine said, "Kid with white and red hair, you can speak."

"My name is Shoto Todoroki." the red- and white-haired boy replied, his voice calm and dignified. "Did you inherit your powers from your parents?"

"Somewhat. I inherited my light power from my mom, while my older brother, Grizzle, inherited his powers from my father. His power is the polar opposite of mine and my mother's; He can manipulate dark, just as I can manipulate light. Good question, though. Any other questions?"

More hands shot up, and Sunshine said, "Girl with black hair, what's your question?"

"My name is Momo Yaoyorozu." The girl with black hair replied, her tone of voice calm and dignified like Shoto's. "How long do you plan on staying with us?"

"For the rest of your lives!" Sunshine spoke, her tone of voice demented. The look on Yaoyorozu's face was one of fright, as she was somewhat freaked out by the answer. Sunshine then started laughing and said, "Sorry, my friend over here," She motioned towards Larry. "Said he would pay me if I did that, so now he owes me money. Actually, we will be staying here until the end of the school year, then we'll go back to the states for the summer. After that, we'll be back here again for the next grade."

"Take a seat beside Yaoyorozu, DeMorris." Mr. Aizawa spoke.

Sunshine obeyed, but not before Larry said to her quietly, "Nice joke, by the way. I'll pay you when we're at lunch." Sunshine chuckled when he said that, and then she took her seat. Larry then came forward, stuck his thumbs in his belt like he was in the wild west, and said, "Howdy! My name is Larry Jenkins, and I hail from Texas. My quirk is elasticity, meaning I can stretch my limbs to incredible distances. I can also shapeshift my body into different shapes and proportions, which comes in pretty handy in some situations! Any questions?"

Once again, several hands shot up. Larry then said, "Fella with blue hair and glasses, say your question."

"Please call me Tenya Iida." the kid with blue hair spoke, his voice quick and active sounding. "How long are you able to stretch?"

"I honestly don't know." Larry replied, taking his thumbs from his belt. "I haven't really thought about measuring how far I can stretch. It's kind of one of those things that you don't really think about until it comes up in the middle of a conversation. If I had to throw a guess, though, I would say thirty meters. So, any other questions?"

Hands went up again, and Larry said, "Small kid with grapes for hair, say your question."

"My name's Minoru Mineta." The kid with grapes on his head replied, trying to sound tough. "Why does your voice sound funny?"

Larry chuckled when heard the question, and then replied, "Well, like I said before, I'm from Texas, which in the south. Down there, people have a southern accent, which you pick up from being there for most of your life. I'm also a fan of western movies, so it's a habit when I use it. So, yeah, hope that answers your question."

"Take a seat beside Iida, Jenkins." Mr. Aizawa ordered, to which Larry obeyed.

Margaret then came up to introduce herself. She said, "My name is Margaret Tanner, and I am originally from Maine. My quirk is that I can absorb and take on different qualities of the elements. For instance, if I touch metal, I can turn my body into metal. If I go into water, I can turn my body into water, and all that other stuff. Any questions?"

Hands went up, and Margaret said, "Kid with spiky red hair, what's your question?"

"The name's Eijiro Kirishima." The spiky haired kid replied. "I was just wondering, what happens if you end up being broken apart? Like, if you copied glass and then ended up being shattered?"

"I would go back to being flesh and bone. If one of my limbs gets broken off, it will grow back when I turn back. However, it's one of the most painful processes that I can ever go through. The pain doesn't kill you, but it is equivalent to ramming your toe into a desk over and over."

Everybody in the room, except Bakugou, let out a small groan of pain when they heard that. Margaret then asked, "Anybody else?"

When nobody else raised their hands, Margaret looked to Mr. Aizawa, who commanded, "Have a seat beside Kirishima, Tanner."

Margaret obeyed, and finally, Maddox was up. When he stood before the class, a look of fear was on his face. He then made a couple of strange noises, his face screwing up in distress every time he did. I looked over at the rest of the class; they were just as confused as I was. What in the world was he doing? When I looked back at Maddox, he quickly put his hands over eyes, letting out a low and long groan that sounded like a plane engine going off.

I heard a chair move and saw Zilo quickly get up, go to Maddox, and put an arm around his shoulders. Zilo then said, "I'm sorry class. This is Maddox Walters, from Georgia. He's somewhat shy, and would rather not be up here in front of you all. So, if its all the same to you, Mr. Aizawa, I think he would rather go sit down."

"Alright then…" Mr. Aizawa replied.

Zilo then helped move Maddox, who still had his hands over his face, to his desk. As they passed by me, I heard Zilo say in a low voice to Maddox, "I told you, quit using the 'imagining everybody in their underwear' trick when you get up to speak! Not only does it make you feel more embarrassed, but then you feel like an idiot."

Maddox then sat down at his desk, while Zilo went back to his. After he did, Mr. Aizawa then said in his bored tone, "Now that we've met and got to know our American students, let us continue our lesson…"

He then went back to teaching lesson. As I listened thoughtfully, my eyes drifted across the room to the different students. So, this was Class 1-A; they seemed nice enough, except for that Bakugou guy. I had a feeling we would need to watch out for him, as he seemed like bad news. Either way, I was happy to be here, even though I was just a spy. I had to make sure that I didn't get too attached to them, as it would make it even harder for me to turn on them. But for now, I just listened to what Mr. Aizawa was teaching, and accepted the fact that right now, I was living my dream of learning to be a hero…