Chapter 4: Military School on the Weekend
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I wish I did though. Those guys are rich.
(((Saturday, 8:45 a.m.)))
The next few days had passed by quickly. It was one day after another of following the schedule.
It wasn't easy for them, being rookies to this lifestyle, but somehow, Izuku and Katsuki had made it through their first school week at Irohama military school and it was now the weekend.
Since there were no classes on weekends, students were free to do as they wanted. They could study in the classrooms, workout on the P.E. grounds, or just hangout. They had only three rules that they had to follow.
1. Students must stay on Irohama grounds.
2. Students are required to wear the full school uniform. (Cap included)
3. Students are not allowed to harm anyone or cause property damage.
As long as the students followed these rules, everyone was free to go about their business.
Well… Everyone except for Katsuki Bakugo.
It didn't take very long for Katsuki to lose his temper, start speaking in swears, and refer to Izuku as Deku rather than Cadet Midoriya. His outburst lead to him getting Saturday detention. And he got another five Saturday detentions before the end of the week.
Needless to say, his fellow students didn't think very highly of him.
Izuku had a hard time accepting the fact that Katsuki was the one being made fun of for a change. As it turns out, at military school, Quirks and Hero potential mean absolutely nothing. Instead, what does matter is diligence, discipline, and intelligence.
Katsuki may be smart, but since life has been handed to him on a silver platter his whole life, he's hardly a hard worker. And if there's one thing that's true in this world, it's that Katsuki Bakugo lacks discipline. That's the whole reason he was sent to Irohama in the first place.
In short, Katsuki was definitely not popular among his fellow students.
Izuku on the other hand, he put great effort into everything he did. He came in last almost constantly, but his fellow students genuinely admired his tenacity. Izuku was also putting in great effort to fit the Irohama mold. His shyness and awkwardness tended to get in the way, but he was working on it. And do I even need to bring up his analytical brilliance.
Izuku was quickly becoming "big man on campus"... at least, that's what Mikadai told him.
'I guess that's the difference between public school and military school.' Izuku though. 'It's kinda weird; when I first found out I was being sent to military school, I was terrified. Now, I'm wishing that I had been going to this school my whole life.' Izuku thought as he wandered the campus grounds.
Izuku, being a total geek when it comes to Quirks, decided to spend his Saturday speaking to the students all across the Irohama campus and ask them about their Quirks.
Izuku first ran into an older student. He was a tall boy with star shaped pupils in his eyes, lime-green hair tied back in a short ponytail, and he wore a pair of circular glasses with a thick black rim. He was, of course, wearing the Irohama uniform.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you. I'm Cadet Izuku Midoriya, a middle school first year." Izuku greeted
"No bother at all. I'm Cadet Muzanji Yutoshiki, a middle school third year." Muzanji greeted back.
"I feel kinda awkward asking, but… you see, I'm kind of a total geek when it comes to Quirks. Do you think you could tell me about yours?" Izuku asked quietly while looking a little embarrassed.
"Oh, is that all?" Muzanji asked. "My Quirk is called 'SF6'. I can generate large amounts of Sulfur hexafluoride gas. In case you don't know, Sulfur hexafluoride is a colorless, odorless, nontoxic greenhouse gas. Sulfur hexafluoride is nonflammable, and electrically insulated. It also causes people's voices to deepen, just the opposite of Helium gas."
"So amazing." Izuku stated a sparkle in his eyes.
The next person Izuku found was a younger student. A boy with brown wavy hair, pointy elf-like ears, and lemon yellow lips. Izuku could immediately tell that the kid was in Irohama's elementary division, due to him wearing the Irohama elementary uniform.
The Irohama elementary uniform was a very close match to the uniform worn by middle and high school students. The elementary uniform consisted of a dark blue Gakuran uniform, matching student cap, and black combat boots. The only difference was the pants; while the middle and high school uniforms had long pants, the elementary uniform had short pants, stopping above the knees.
"Hi there, my name is Cadet Izuku Midoriya, a middle school first year." Izuku said to the underclassman.
"Cadet Ginwara Hakumu, an elementary school fifth year, sir." The boy introduced with a salute.
"Cadet Hakumu, do you think you could tell me about your Quirk? I might just be a little obsessed with Quirks." Izuku asked.
"Yes sir, My Quirk is called 'Fairy wings'. I can sprout a set of fairy-like wings from my back and they allow me to fly. I can't use them through my shirt, though."
"Thanks, but you really don't have to salute me or call me sir." Izuku replied.
"I consider my upperclassmen my superiors, sir." Ginwara stated, still saluting.
"Um, okay then!" Izuku conceded. "At ease, Cadet. As you were."
"Sir." Ginwara responded before turning and walking away.
Izuku continued his trek across the school and talked to more of the students.
"I'm Cadet Jokame Asagijin, I'm a high school third year." Said a tall, muscular young man with dark brown hair, red skin, and a number of black spikes in place of his eyebrows. "My Quirk is called 'Locate'. After touching someone, I can monitor their location for up to twelve hours, no matter how far away they get."
…
"I'm Cadet Toribu Fusami, an elementary school second year." Said a little boy with light blue hair with a pair of blood red streaks. "My Quirk is called 'Burrow'. I can rapidly dig through the ground, I can even dig through solid rock."
…
"My name is Cadet Mosumi Ashikin, a middle school second year." Said a boy with dusty pink hair, brown tribal-like markings all across his skin, and a third eye in the middle of his forehead. "My Quirk is called 'Third Eye'. This third eye on my forehead can see much farther and more clearly than my regular eyes."
...
Izuku, having gotten a little tired from walking around campus all morning, decide to take a break. He fell to the ground and sat with his back against the school building.
Izuku looked up at the clouds as they were passing by, thinking 'I keep going back to what Principal Koyu said. That by the time I leave Irohama, I'll be a proper soldier with an iron will who doesn't take nonsense from anyone. Can I really become someone like that?'
Izuku changed his focus, from the clouds to the Administration building where he knew Katsuki was currently in detention, watching the snail-bagpipe video.
"I feel sorry for him. Not only is that out-of-tune bagpiping keeping him awake for all the snail trivia, it turns out that you have to skip lunch when you have Saturday detention. Not only is the hunger super annoying, it's easier to stay awake on an empty stomach, further decreasing the chance that you can fall asleep. They really take disciplinary measures seriously here, huh." Izuku mumbled to himself.
'The Principal said that I'd become an Iron-willed soldier, but he also said that Kaachan would become a gentleman who's always happy to help. Frankly, I really don't see that happening.' Izuku thought. 'Wouldn't it be something, though? Kaachan is super amazing. He's got the potential to be a great hero one day. The only problem is his anger issues.'
The green haired boy closed his eyes and imagined what Katsuki would be like if the Principal's prediction came true. The only image that came to mind was Katsuki as the new No.1 Pro Hero, and he was signing an autograph for none-other than All Might himself.
"I guess I'll just have to wait and see." Izuku said to himself.
While Izuku was pondering the future, he was approached by two of his fellow middle school first year classmates.
The first was Hitomaru Yohina from Class A; the one with the 'Scorpion' Quirk. The other was a student from Class B, Inari Momoyui, the one whose Quirk allows him to mess with a person's sense of direction.
"Cadet Midoriya, our noble comrade, so nice to see you thissss fine morning." Hitomaru greeted with a hiss in his voice.
"Cadet Yohina, Cadet Momoyui, I hope you're morning has been treating you well." Izuku responded.
"Don't tell me you plan to spend your Saturday just sitting around? That is a highly impractical waste of time." Inari scolded.
"I'm actually just taking a quick rest." Izuku explained. "I've been walking all over the school asking people about their Quirks. Everyone's powers are just so cool." Izuku stated, going into fanboy Quirk geek mode.
"Don't you have the essayssss on the 'Seven Military Classics'?" Hitomaru asked in his hiss voice. "Would it not be more noble to focus on that?"
Izuku rubbed the back of his head and answered "I'd feel bad if I got that done while Cadet Bakugo is in detention where he can't work on them at all. No Cadet left behind, right?"
Inari raised an eyebrow, suspecting that there was more to it. Something that Izuku noticed.
"Plus, he'd probably get mad at me if I finish too much sooner than him." Izuku confessed as he scratched his cheek.
Inari just crossed his arms and shook his head.
"Cadet Midoriya, from what I can tell, it seems Cadet Bakugo is a shackle to you." Hitomaru deduced.
"A shackle?" Izuku asked, genuinely confused.
"Let me guessss, you both went to the ssssame elementary ssssschool, he manifested an amazing Quirk while you remained Quirklessss, and then everyone, including you, started praising him, while you were disregarded. Isss that about right?" Hitomaru asked.
"Woah, how'd you do that? I thought you had a scorpion Quirk not a memory Quirk. Is it a super complex dual-ability Quirk?" Izuku asked in amazement.
"So I was right then." Hitomaru deduced. "To answer your question, no, my Quirk is just that I'm a scorpion. But we're getting off topic."
"Right, sorry!" Izuku exclaimed. "You were saying something about Cadet Bakugo being a shackle?"
Inari decided to interject. "I believe the point that Cadet Yohina is trying to make is that you and everyone else have spent so much time looking up to Cadet Bakugo, that you see him as someone who is impossibly far above you. It's not that you can't surpass him; rather, your worship of him makes you not allow yourself to surpass him."
"I ssssuggest you think about what we've said here, Cadet Midoriya. If you can forget Cadet Bakugo, you'll have a real shot at going far." Hitomaru stated.
Hitomaru and Inari proceeded on their way, leaving Izuku where he sat to consider what his fellow middle school first years had told him.
'Could it really be possible for me to actually… surpass Kaachan? Are they right about me not allowing myself to do better than him?' Izuku thought.
(((A few hours later, The Barracks)))
Saturday detention at Irohama was ten hours long, starting at 7:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m..
Saturday detention had just come to an end, and Katsuki Bakugo had just returned to the Barracks. Izuku and Mikadai were there waiting for him.
As Katsuki walked in and closed the door behind him, Izuku took a few steps forward. He noticed that Katsuki was being unusually quiet, and his head was down, so his cap was covering his eyes.
"Cadet Bakugo, are you okay?" Izuku asked.
Katsuki lifted his head to reveal that his eyes were bloodshot and his pupils were dazed. He looked like he hadn't sleeper in days, and it didn't seem like he was really focused on anything.
Katsuki began to mumble, just loud enough for Izuku to hear.
"The giant African snail is a macrophytophagous herbivore; it eats a wide range of plants, fruit, and vegetables, paper, cardboard, and in some cases eats sand, small stones, bones from carcasses, and even concrete as sources of calcium for its shell. In rare instances, the snails even consume each other."
"Among some species of hermaphroditic land snail, the males have a special stinger adjacent to their reproductive organs. The stinger is relatively large and can be detached with enough force to be shot like a dart. Originally, it was believed that this dart was meant to increase sexual behavior in females, but this was later proven untrue. The stinger is actually for increasing the female's fertility."
"The native distribution of the white-lipped snail is Central and Western Europe, though they can be found in parts of Northern Europe, and in the United States."
"The Burgundy snail lays its eggs in June and July, numbering 40-65 eggs. The eggs hatch after 3-4 weeks and may consume their siblings in unfavorable conditions. The baby snails reach maturity 2-5 years afterward. The average lifespan is 20 years with a maximum of 35 years. Most die sooner, however, due to drying out in summer and freezing in the winter."
"Uh, is he okay?" Izuku asked.
"Don't worry, this always happens after someone has Saturday detention. We at Irohama refer to this as 'the snail sickness'." Mikadai clarified. "He'll be half better by tomorrow morning and should be all good by Monday."
Katsuki began to wander the room, still uttering snail trivia. He walked into a bed post and fell over, though, the snail mumbling didn't stop.
"The Australian trumpet is the world's largest species of sea snail. They're commonly found in Northern Australia, and in adjacent areas, including Eastern Indonesia and Papua, New Guinea."
"Although, we might want to keep an eye on him until then." Mikadai conceded with a hollow chuckle.
Izuku ran over to Katsuki and helped the blonde to his feet. With Katsuki's arm around his shoulder, Izuku helped him to the bunk they shared.
Izuku sat Katsuki on the lower bed and said. "Here, Cadet Bakugo, I think maybe you should sleep on the bottom bunk tonight. I doubt you're in any condition to climb up top."
If Katsuki heard Izuku's words, he didn't show it. He just kept spouting more snail facts.
"Fair warning, Cadet Midoriya." Mikadai stated. "There is a chance that he could vomit… or lose control of his bladder… or both… it's probably going to be both. Be ready with a bucket and a change of pants for him at all times."
"That snail video can't possibly be legal to show to minors." Izuku shouted.
"It technically doesn't violate any laws, so it technically is legal." Mikadai replied. "It may be harsh in reality, but on paper, it's perfectly acceptable."
"That's messed up." Izuku cried.
"You're not wrong, but, to be fair, that video is very effective." Mikadai retorted. He tuned to face Katsuki and said "After this, I don't think he's gonna break the rules ever again."
"And he still has detention every Saturday for the next five weeks." Izuku winced.
"You don't even know the half of it. Experiencing something mind numbingly boring is one thing, but said boring thing gets worse and worse every time you experience it, since you already know exactly what's going to happen. The snail video is just the same." Mikadai chuckled.
"That sounds like something they would do to prisoners of war." Izuku cried.
"That's true, and they actually have, but like I already said, on paper, this punishment is perfectly acceptable for school detention." Mikadai countered.
Izuku looked at Katsuki with worry. Katsuki had always been the most strong willed person Izuku knew, yet just one Saturday detention turned him from ferocious to half dead. What are five more sessions going to do to him? And the sessions get worse each time? Izuku wasn't sure that even Katsuki could survive that.
"You should look on the bright side, Cadet Midoriya; once all of his detentions have been served, he'll likely be wholly dedicated to following the rules and being disciplined." Mikadai pointed out. "It's my understanding that he would often bully you due to your Quirklessness, yes? Well, I don't think you need to worry about that ever again."
Izuku just looked over to Katsuki in silence. Izuku wanted to feel bad that Kaachan was subjected to such torchor, but deep inside, he was actually a little hopeful that this experience might cause Kaachan to forget about Quirks and Quirklessness, and maybe, just maybe, they could become friends again, like they once were before Katsuki's Explosion Quirk manifested and Izuku was diagnosed Quirkless.
"I hope you're right!" Izuku muttered out under his breath.
At that moment, the crotch of Katsuki's pants became darker.
"And he just lost control of his bladder." Mikadai stated. "You help him change his pants, I'm gonna go get a bedpan from the nurses office. Yes, the nurses office at this school has bedpans. This isn't the first time someone got stuck watching the snail video." Mikadai explained, having guessed what Izuku was about to ask.
The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, unless you count Katsuki vomiting twice and losing control of his bladder another three times.
Izuku never imagined that he would see the great Kaachan in such a sorry state. The green haired boy was just glad that another side effect of the snail video is that it causes constipation. Izuku definitely didn't want to have to deal with Katsuki voiding his bowels.
(((The Next Morning)))
Izuku woke up to the sound of the wake up bell, same as everyday since arriving at Irohama. At first, Izuku wasn't entirely sure where he was. Then he remembered. Katsuki was out of it yesterday due to Saturday detention and Izuku decided that Katsuki should sleep on the bottom bunk that night.
Izuku jumped down to check on the blonde.
"Hey, Kaacha… I mean, Cadet Bakugo? Are you feeling any better.
Katsuki rose from the bed and as he got up, he mumbled "I fine." with a vacant look on his face.
"I really don't think you are fine." Izuku countered.
As Katsuki tried to walk to the bathroom, he fell forward, just barely managing to catch himself.
Izuku rushed over to Katsuki and asked in a concerned voice "Are you alright?"
"Don't worry, Cadet Midoriya, Cadet Bakugo is fine." Mikadai assured. "This is a common side effect that happens to everyone who gets Saturday detention."
Mikadai's words didn't make Izuku feel any less concerned.
"You take care of your morning routine. I'll handle Cadet Bakugo." Mikadai offered.
"If you say so, Cadet Orotaka." Izuku said, feeling unsure about leaving Katsuki, but not wanting to go against his new friend, Mikadai either.
"Just doing my duty as class representative." Mikadai responded with soft happiness.
After Izuku walked away to the bathroom, Mikadai's face hardened and his eyes darkened.
Mikadai knelt down toward Katsuki and whispered "Cadet Bakugo, can you hear me?"
Katsuki responded by turning his eyes toward the class rep..
"Cadet Bakugo, let me make something perfectly clear. Without your Quirk, you're nothing." Mikadai whispered.
Katsuki's eyes widened upon hearing that.
"If you and Cadet Midoriya were to go to school together in a world without Quirks, Cadet Midoriya, being the cinnamon roll that he is, would be loved by everyone around him. You on the other hand; your violent tendencies would make you an outcast. No one would want anything to do with you." Mikadai whispered.
"Here at Irohama, students are referred to by the title of Cadet. Not to keep a military theme, mind you; it's because at this school, we learn how to be good, hard working people who hold true to our beliefs. Not unlike soldiers." Mikadai whispered.
"You can either devote yourself to discipline and diligence, and become a proper soldier, or you can stay the angry spoiled brat you are now. The choice is yours to make, Cadet Bakugo. I suggest you keep my words in mind, because Quirks mean nothing at Irohama Military Academy for Boys." Mikadai whispered.
With all that said, Mikadai proceeded to help Katsuki up and get him back to Izuku's bunk.
"Everyone has the potential to do great things in this world, but it's not about having potential, it's about putting that potential into practice. It's a law of nature that extends to everyone and everything. Be it the capabilities of ones Quirk… or ones ability to be a proper soldier." Mikadai stated before walking away.
Katsuki, having heard every word that Mikadai said to him, was left with a great deal to think about.
Okay, seen a lot of reviews on the chapter estimate in the bottom notes at the end of chap 2. Not seeing reviews on the actual story.
If you'll recall, in the notes at the bottom of the last chapter, I mentioned there was something I took out and planned to put in this chapter. But I ended up not using it.
Don't worry though; I promise it will definitely be in the next chapter… I think.
I've got a few of the following chapters pretty much mapped out. All the way to chapter 19. I try to finish them fast. Kinda the least I can do after taking so long with chapter 3.