As the first week at Yuuei came to a close, Midoriya Izuku's mornings fall into a predictable pattern. Every morning his alarm goes off at 4:30 am. Now most teenagers wouldn't even think of voluntarily setting an alarm so early, much less get up when it rang, but Izuku wasn't most people.
Sure he grumbles sometimes but he's always up and out of bed soon after. He can't slack in his training even though school had started. So he dutifully begins his normal morning exercise, a 25 minute run through his city to the nearby park where he could watch the sunrise while he ran through his stances and flexibility and even improvise some fighting moves before making the 25 minute journey home.
But of course there wasn't time to relax as he needs to quickly shower to make himself presentable. Usually by the time he's done, his mother is finishing up breakfast. He'd tried to tell her that she didn't need to bother getting up so early for him but it was a useless one as she would still be up every morning cooking.
That done, he'd have enough time to grab his bag, wave his mother goodbye and run down to the station to catch his train. The ride can be long or short depending on traffic or villain attacks so he always tries to catch the early train. He usually entertains himself by reading up on the latest hero reports as he no longer had the time to chase attacks all over the city. Izuku likes to keep his mind sharp by imagining how he would have fought in any given attack.
If there were no delays, he can get to Yuuei about 30 minutes before classes started. Izuku spends some time wandering the picturesque grounds or tries to spot any pro heroes (specifically All Might who he'd still yet to see). He then sits in his classroom and do a bit of study work until everyone else arrives. Izuku always makes sure there's time to chat his friends before homeroom.
Other times, if the train is late, he'd have to run to school, sprinting past the gate, through the halls and into his classroom, hopefully before Chiura-sensei gets there. He sits down heavily in his chair, panting over his run and still finds some time to make a few comments to his friends before homeroom begins.
Most days ended up like this, began before the sun rose and continued long after the sun had set as he trained, studied and read up on the latest heroes and quirks.
It was an exhausting schedule, one that catches up with him every once in a while and forces him to take a break but overall he charges on with determination everyday with that 4:30 am alarm. Because he isn't going to reach his goal by sleeping in, by spending his free time goofing off. He's going to get there because of all the hard work and heart he puts into everything he did.
XxX
"Penny for your thoughts?" Taketsu says Monday morning, pulling Izuku out of his head. Patrick, Korudo and now Shinsou are off to the side debating something or other. "Don't mind them, they're just mad cause the hero kids get to go on some fancy field trip today while we're stuck in class. I personally don't care, so what's got you up in the clouds?" She asks, propping her elbows up on her desk.
"I'm thinking about weapons," Izuku says quietly before his brain reasserts itself and he realizes how bad that sounds. "For training! If I'm going to be a quirkless hero, I'm going to need some tools to make up for my lack of quirk. My master spent a lot of time training me with a bō but those are made of wood and won't stand up to the combative quirks."
He leans back in his chair and sighs. "Besides all that, I need to think about how I'm going to sell myself in the first place. The Sports Festival is three weeks away and I need to make an impression if I'm going to transfer."
"Heavy stuff for a Monday," Taketsu says with a smile before her face scrunches up in concentration. "Sounds like you need to talk to people in Business and Support. I hear the support kids are always eager for projects to test their mettle and people in business pretty much spends all day thinking about how to market heroes. Our first student council session was Friday and there were kids from all departments there, I can probably see what connections I can pull for you. Find anyone who's interested."
"You're the nicest, most amazing person I have ever met," Izuku says, near tears as he grins at Taketsu. "That would be so helpful, you have no idea. I can pay you back this afternoon when we train; I have some moves I think will work well for you."
"Oh, right, is that today?" Takestu winces.
"Yeah, we talked about it on Saturday, remember? You were all for it then," Izuku reminds her.
"Yeah but that was Saturday and this is today and, well, exercise just isn't my thing," she whines.
"That's why we've got to get better," Izuku answers with a smile. "Come on, you were talking about how you wanted to be a hero, a hero needs to be more than just their quirk. Besides, working out together is a fun way to keep in shape."
"Alright, alright, I'll be there," Taketsu says, holding her hands up in defeat. "I'll get you in touch with some business and support people and you teach me how to do some sick ninja moves."
"It'll take time to build up strength and technique but I'm sure you'll- uh can I help you?" Izuku begins to explain before one of their classmates, Fukuyo? Fuyono? Appears beside them. He's a little taller than Izuku with slate grey eyes and hair pulled back into a small tail with a feminine looking face and a bored expression.
"Hey sorry, I couldn't help overhear you needed someone in Business. My twin sister is in that department and, believe me, she'd have a field day making you into a hero. I could introduce you to her if you're interested. Aneko could probably hook you up with someone in Support," the boy answers with a lazy droll.
"Oh that'd be real helpful uh," Izuku winces and trails off awkwardly. He can recite interviews with All Might by heart but he doesn't know his own classmate's name?
"Fukuyo Kyoudai, I usually pal around with Kamoto, Izumo and Inukai so we haven't had a lot of opportunity to talk. I uh," Fukuyo looks away. "I think it's great you're going for Heroics. My uncle is quirkless too and it sucks how people treat you guys. If me or Aneko can help, let me know." Fukuyo says before quickly glancing around and rushing back to his seat before anyone noticed he'd been talking to the kid without a quirk.
"Psst Midoriya!" Patrick whispers from behind him. "What was that all about?"
"Networking, you wouldn't understand," Taketsu responds and Patrick starts giggling despite the lack of a joke. Korudo looks annoyed at being interrupted mid-rant and Shinsou just looks vaguely confused.
"Are you guys always like this?" the purple haired boy asks.
"Ug, welcome to my world, pass Go and get your free headache," Korudo mutters and Patrick is still laughing by the time Chiura-sensei enters the classroom.
XxX
"Aneko says you can meet her for lunch," Fukuyo says, creeping up behind them in the hallway after morning classes let out. He seems nervous, looking around again to make sure none of his friends can see him. "She says she'll be sitting near the back, by the windows. Don't worry about finding her, she'll find you," He adds quickly. "I hope she's able to help. She said she's got someone in mind from Support who can get you whatever you need."
"Thanks Fukuyo, I really appreciate it," Izuku grins. "Why don't you sit with us, it would give us a chance to get to know you."
"Yeah, I'm going to have to pass," Fuyuko says with a wince. "Kamoto is expecting me and, besides, I never eat lunch with Aneko. Her thoughts drive me crazy, bad enough I have to live with her." He waves his hand when Patrick opens his mouth to ask, "I don't have time to explain, ask Aneko."
"I don't understand why you hang out with Kamoto," Taketsu pouts. "He's such a jerk."
"Yeah but he's funny y'know and he's got this sort of magnetism about him. I don't know, he's not so bad when you get to know him." Fuyuko shrugs but even he doesn't look very convinced. His phone buzzes and he checks it with a slight grimace. "I gotta go, good luck with Aneko. Don't let her push you around too much."
"So did he tell us how to find this girl or did I miss out on that?" Shinsou asks, coming up from behind with a bored expression. "What? You're not the only one who needs to think about marketing appeal."
"Yeah, and I know next to nothing about the business kids, it could be interesting," Korudo adds.
"Where you go, we go; we're with you 100% man!" Patrick grins, leaning over Korudo and Shinsou. So the five of them enter the cafeteria, searching for their mysterious contact in Business. Patrick, taller than all of them by far, stands on his toes to try and look around. "Fuyuko does know the entire school has lunch in here at once, right? There's no way we'll be able to find this girl in this crowd."
"Hey there, you must be Kyoudai's friends!" A chipper girl says skipping up to them. Izuku blinks in surprise as the girl before them looks to be the spitting image of Fuyuko except with longer hair. If he didn't know any better, he'd say the boy had simply changed clothes. His eyes look down briefly before rushing back up to her face with a blush; she didn't even have a girl's figure. If it weren't for the hair and skirt, he'd swear she was a boy.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Fuyuko Aneko but you can call me Aneko since you're my little brother's friends and that practically makes you my friends! Come on, I've got a table and I am so ready to pick your brains. I've been needing a project to sink my teeth into," she smiles as she flips her shoulder length hair and gestures for them to follow.
"It's like someone gave Fuyuko a wig and a semblance of a personality," Korudo mumbles.
"That's not very nice, Korudo. I think Fuyuko would make a pretty girl," Patrick murmurs back even as he has to repress a smile. Shinsou, however, makes no attempts to hide his grin. Taketsu hums angrily at the three of them.
"Find a seat anywhere there's room!" Aneko says as she guides them to a table piled high with books and magazines.
"So the floor?" Shinsou responds dryly, moving aside a few books to make room. Aneko throws back her head and laughs.
"I like you, you remind me of Kyoudai. Little bro still won't sit with me, huh? Well it's probably for the best. His thoughts are so dull and slow they wear me down sometimes." She examines their blank looks.
"Our quirk is sibling telepathy. Whenever we're within 30 meters of each other, we're able to hear each other's thoughts. Convenient when playing pictionary, not so much when you're trying to study and your brother has a stupid pop song stuck in his head. Anyway," she claps her hands together.
"Back to business. I need a project to impress my teachers for the Sports Festival and it sounds like you need some advice. Which one of you is the quirkess kid who wants to be a hero?" They all look at Izuku, "You? Really? Hmm not a lot to work with but if anyone can make you a star, it'll be me. Did Kyoudai tell you our Uncle Nashi is quirkless too? I have a soft spot for your plight."
"I'm not disabled you know," Izuku says sharply because this is starting to get old. "I'm not fragile or helpless or someone to be pitied. I'm just me and just because I happen to be quirkless doesn't make me any less capable or mean I need to be treated differently." Korudo and Patrick look a little sheepish but Aneko doesn't seem bothered.
"I was wondering if you had any steel in your spine, good, you're going to need it. Other kids in Class 1-J are analyzing the hero kids and you've got some stiff competition. Acid, Steel, Half Hot Half Cold; those kids have some impressive quirks. You'll need everything you've got just to keep up."
She folds her fingers together and gives him a predatory gaze. "So tell me what you've got going for you. Please don't be shy; modesty only works for clothing sizes and feminine products."
"O-oh, okay," Izuku stammers out.
So Izuku describes his greatest strengths: his martial arts, his analytical skills and his adaptability even as his friends chimed in with a few others he hadn't considered: his drive, his compassion, his resilience and his tendency to be underestimated by just about everyone. Aneko hums, alternating between talking, taking notes and typing furiously on her phone, appearing to have multiple conversations at once. It was dizzying just watching her, no wonder Fuyuko needed a break.
"Hmm, ok, I can make this work. Everyone likes a good underdog story, I'll put together a profile but here's my main advice for you, quirkless boy." She puts down her phone and leans forward with a serious expression.
"The number of transfers to Heroics is astronomically low and Yuuei just let quirkless students into the school a few years ago so if you're going to do this, you need to go all the way. You seem kind of shy which is cute and has its own appeal but it's not going to win you any medals, not when you're up against people with downright terrifying quirks. You need to make yourself stand out as much as possible and, more importantly, you need to win. Got it?"
"I got it, thanks," Izuku says thoughtfully. He'd thought as much but having it laid out so plainly really put things into focus. He's not really a flashy kind of person but he's sure he can come up with something.
"What do you need from Support?" Aneko asks, picking her phone back up and going right back to texting. "I'm assuming some equipment. Since the General, Support and Business aren't held to the same standards as Heroics, they're allowed to use their gear during the Sports Festival. That's less than a month away so you'll need to get your things together now."
"Y-yeah," Izuku nods, reaching into his bag and pulling out his notes. "I need a couple of things. I need a bō staff, like in martial arts but I need it to be durable enough to stand up against whatever quirks people can throw at me. Also I'll need some lightweight, flexible protection, mostly gloves and boots. At some point later, I'd love a belt of sorts to keep things like smoke bombs and other things in but I don't think I'll really need that right now. Maybe if I get into Heroics," he explains as he flips his notebook around and shows Aneko.
"Uh huh, I see," she says, briefly glancing at the page before looking back at her phone. "Ok, I know a girl in Support who might be able to help you out. She usually likes things with a little more flourish but she owes me 'cause I didn't rat on her when I caught her trying to uh improve the school's ventilation system," Aneko continues, still typing quickly. "I'm sending her your info to see if she's interested. Anyone else here want to be a hero? Don't be shy now."
"Uh," Korudo begins.
"I'm going to transfer to one of the hero classes," Shinsou begins. "I have a brainwashing quirk and I'm not afraid to do whatever is necessary to get there."
"Oh you're spunky, I like it, you and me are going to talk some more," Aneko grins at Shinsou. "And you, my dear," she adds, pointing to Izuku. "Are going to meet Hatsume Mei. I hope you got your fill of lunch 'cause you're going to be spending the rest of the period in the student workshop going over your blueprints. Try not to die."
"I'm sorry, what?" Izuku asks.
"Business Girl! Where's my victim? You said he was plain but they all look plain to me!" A busty pink haired girl says popping behind Aneko, pushing up some enormous goggles off her dirt stained face. She smells vaguely of smoke and it'ss similar enough to Kacchan that it puts Izuku a bit on edge. "I have a couple of projects going on now but I have 20 minutes with nothing to do so I might as take this on. It sounds a bit boring but, who knows, it might end up being interesting!" Izuku is beginning to wonder if this was a good idea.
"It's him," Taketsu says, gesturing to him and completely throwing him under the bus. "Have fun; bring him back in one piece. He's kind of the glue holding our little group together."
"Oh, you are so going to get it when we train this afternoon," Izuku whispers as he's bodily hauled out of his chair and dragged away.
"That's only if you come back," Taketsu says with a cheekily little wave. Patrick and Korudo give him a solemn look as if he were going off to a firing squad instead of a consult.
Working with Hatsume doesn't end up being as awful as he'd initially feared. Her workshop was chaotic and cluttered but she navigated around all the bits of junk and scrap with ease. It was clear she was very dedicated; someone who put everything she had into her work. Izuku found himself liking that about her and her natural enthusiasm for her craft made him more excited discussing his ideas.
He told her what he was looking for her, what kind of measurements and material, and she chimed in with some good points for improvement. Well, some of them were good. He doesn't care how cool they looked, he was not adding rocket thrusters to his boots. When the warning bell rang for afternoon classes, he was almost surprised at how fast the time had gone by. He leaves her with his phone number and the assurance that he'd get in contact with her if he had any other ideas.
Izuku jogs back to class feeling happy and light; this was just another step forward towards his goal. He slides into his desk just before the final bell rings. Talking to the others while their teacher got things ready, it seems the rest of lunch had gone well with Aneko. She was going to put together a profile for both him and Shinsou on how to improve their image for the Festival. The teacher clears their throat and class begins.
The majority of fifth period is spent having conversations via eyebrow with his friends. He feels a little bit bad for not paying attention but on the other hand, friends are still something of a novelty so he feels he's allowed to enjoy it. Besides, he's doing pretty well in history. Patrick, completely through facial expressions, manages to convey what he thinks about Korudo's latest comment when a cell phone rings loudly near the end of class.
"Excuse me class, I'm sorry, I should take this. Please be quiet, we'll resume in just a moment." The teacher flushes as she answers the phone. As soon as she turns, the entire class is laughing and talking with each other, Izuku and his friends included.
"Dude I am so pumped for this afternoon," Patrick says, throwing a few punches. "You were so awesome the other day in gym; I can't wait until I can do things like that."
"Things like that take time," Shinsou adds softly. "But I am interested in-"
"Will you be quiet," Their teacher hisses suddenly with startling severity that leaves everyone silent. "This is serious, I need to hear this." She turns her back again to the now silent classroom. "No, I can't believe that, on our campus? That's terrible, was anyone hurt? Oh my, okay. Yes, I'll take care of the students. Keep me informed."
She hangs up and spends an extra few seconds staring at her phone, as if she needs to insert the new information into her world view. "Class, I'm afraid something terrible has happened. I don't have all the details but it seems that villains have attacked the USJ facility where one of the hero classes and their teachers were training this afternoon. It looks like it was a deliberate attack. Your homeroom teacher is going to come back in to dismiss you all, the school is being evacuated."
Izuku feels like the floor has dropped out underneath him. Villains openly attacking Yuuei? It was unheard of but the implications are terrifying. Had anyone been hurt? He freezes, wait which hero class was at USJ today? Which class was Kacchan in?
He dives for his phone in his bag and quickly shoots off a message to Kacchan. He's had the same phone since they were in middle school so he's sure it's the same number. He'd do anything, anything, to get an angry text telling him to fuck off. Instead the lonely text sits there, with no indication of being read or responded to.
Chiura-sensei swiftly enters the classroom a few moments later, his face as grim and menacing as Izuku has ever seen it while their history professor rushes out.
"So you've all heard the news; USJ, one of our training facilities, was attacked this afternoon by a large group of villains. Most of the school's heroes are now on site processing the captured villains. As of right now, the situation is being contained. No word yet on who did this or if the leaders were able to be taken or not. As a measure of caution, we will be waiting until we have more some heroes back on campus before sending you all home."
"What class was attacked? Was anyone hurt?" Izuku demands, not even bothering to raise his hand.
"It was 1-A, the other hero class was scheduled to be there tomorrow but that's obviously not going to happen now. Right now, the only confirmed injuries are the pros who were there during the incident. They were injured severely enough to require care in a hospital." Sensei pauses, "as I said, we don't know a lot right now but it seems there were minor injuries among the students too." Izuku thinks he's going to be sick, he's pretty sure Kacchan was in 1-A.
"We have to do something, we can't just sit here," Izuku blurts out again. There's static under his skin and can feel himself begin to hyperventilate. He thinks of Kacchan being buried in sludge, of how afraid he'd looked as he suffocated. He thinks of his friend suffering like that again and, maybe this time, someone didn't get to him in time.
"Calm down, Midoriya," Sensei says so forcefully that Izuku's vision comes back into focus. "I respect your feelings but you are a student and it is our job to protect you, right here and right now. I understand this is very distressing for all of you but I need you to conduct yourself in a manner befitting Yuuei students."
Izuku's fists are shaking on his desk but he forces himself to keep quiet. "We're waiting for the heroes to come back and give us the all clear, then we'll be letting you go. All of you will go straight home and stay there. Please walk in pairs if you can," Sensei continues.
"What about tomorrow? Will there be class?" Motome asks.
"There's no official word yet but I'm betting school will be closed tomorrow, but don't use that as an excuse to slack off. Now more than ever, Japan needs to see Yuuei as a symbol of strength and resilience. It's up to all of you to represent the values of this institution." Chiura-sensei checks his phone. "Alright, grab your things and line up quietly. Looks like they're beginning evacuation procedures. We may run into some of the pros and hero students but please control your curiosity, they've been through hell today."
The walk through the hallways is silent and painfully tense. A couple of the other classes are making their own precession, just as sullen and silent. Yuuei is usually so loud and now it feels like a tomb. Izuku thinks he's going to explode with all the anxiety building up inside of him; he has his phone in one hand in the hopes that Kacchan will get back to him.
If the inside of Yuuei was like a tomb, the outside looked like a warzone. There are police and heroes everywhere. Izuku can't even keep track of them all as they bustle back and forth, dragging off villains and investigating the grounds. Above them, he can hear a helicopter or two circling the premises. If his mom is watching this on TV, she's got to be scared to death. Izuku needs to check in with her once he finds out about Kacchan.
He notes a few battered but ultimately unharmed hero kids sitting on the front lawn being looked over by Blood King. Kacchan isn't among them. Izuku checks his phone again, shoots off another message before shoving the device in his pocket.
"Keep back everyone, we're bringing in the injured," Present Mic screeches loudly. Izuku's heartrate picks up as he catches sight of a couple of stretchers being pulled out of an ambulance. "Take the kid to recovery room A, we also need someone to contact his parents. The other guy goes straight to Recovery Girl's office, he's uh a special patient." The Voice Hero continues on in a quieter tone.
The next few seconds seem to slow down to a crawl for Izuku. He's distracted, for a moment, by the hustle around him that he almost misses the boy being carried away on the stretcher. His breath catches in his throat as he catches sight of the prone figure. He may be bloodied and wearing a costume, but Izuku would recognize that spikey blond hair anywhere.
"Kacchan!" He shouts and, just like before, he runs toward his childhood friend without a second thought.
"Midoriya, back in line right now!" Sensei shouts in the background but Izuku's entire world has narrowed down to Kacchan's bruised and bloodied face, his expression almost soft in unconsciousness. There's a couple of hands trying to pull him back but Izuku struggles in the hold.
"Please sir, I know him!" Izuku shouts back, "He's a- we live near each other. I know his parents, I can contact them to let them know what happened, I can keep watch over him. Please, you can't make me leave him. I won't leave him!" Izuku says as he gives his teacher a look that says he'd need to be dragged back into line.
It's a dangerous game he's playing and yet he can't bring himself to care. "I don't care if I get punished but you can't let him be alone at a time like this," Izuku pleads.
"It's okay, Yamada, you can let him go," Chiura-sensei says quietly and Present Mic releases him, letting Izuku get closer to Kacchan's stretcher. He grabs the sides in case they tried to pull him away again.
"Be quiet and stay out of the way," Sensei hisses back in a way that promises there will be a reckoning later. "If I hear that you so much as breathed wrong, you are out of there and out of this school. Do you understand me, Midoriya?" The threat hangs heavy in the air but Izuku has no time to be concerned for himself when Kacchan could be dying right now.
"Yes Sensei," he nods back as he jogs to keep up with the medics, searching Kacchan's face for some sign that he'll be okay.
"You're a brave kid but I admire your spirit," Present Mic says. "Don't worry, your friend is going to be just fine. He's pretty banged up now but Recovery Girl is one of the best docs around." Izuku swallows the lump in his throat, his hand lightly gripping the side of the stretcher near his friend's face.
He's not sure what the world is coming to, where Yuuei of all places would be openly attacked in such a manner and Kacchan of all people could be hurt. Izuku closes his eyes and fights back tears, all he knows is whatever is coming in the future, he's going to face it head on and try to be prepared for whatever storm is coming.
Finally, we can move forward! The first part was a desire to explore some of the lesser known departments of Yuuei plus beginning the set up for the Sports Festival. And USJ, a quirkless Gen Ed wouldn't be anywhere near such a scene so we get an outsider perspective of the first heroes vs villain battles. And poor Kacchan, will he be okay? Stick around for next chapter!