Chapter 5: The Sports Festival: Finale

The crowd's cheering was muffled in Recovery Girl's office. Sasaki was sitting down on a cot, staring at the ceiling. He looked over to Toschi, who was standing by the window, observing the crowd opposite them. "I'm sorry about that punch, Hatsume," he said, looking down at his feet. "If I knew it was going to do that to you, I wouldn't have done it, it's just…" Toschi turned his head to his friend, smiling. Recovery Girl had healed him, but his nose was crooked, and a scar ran down from the bottom of his right eyelid to his nostril.

"It's fine, really," he said, chuckling at Sasaki's guilty expression. "We were fighting; I'd be more upset if you held back. That would reallymake me feel weak." He laughed. "More than that punch I tried did!"

Sasaki laughed along, remembering Toschi trying to knock him out. "I honestly thought you were trying to tickle me!" The two laughed even harder, Sasaki's deep, rolling laugh causing the window to tremble.

"If you two boys are finished," a sultry voice said, "Sasaki is up for a fight." Midnight stood at the doorway, smirking at the two. Toschi wished Sasaki luck, and left for the stands to sit with his classmates. He sat down next to Kushiro and Watanabe, who fixed his creepy gaze on Toschi.

"Are you nervous to fight Reikokuna?" he asked his classmate. Toschi shook his head, eyes unwavering from the stage.

"There is no such thing as getting nervous when it comes to fighting Reikokuna," he said. "If you get nervous, you've already lost. Reikokuna is one of the strongest students in our class, but he is also one of the most over-focused. He tends to take in everything he can all the time, and any emotions you show him he can use to his advantage. His observational skills are unparalleled; if you show a single hint of hesitation, he will know that you believe you will not win easily. Although, he can also tell when someone is overconfident. The best way to match him is to be as calm and reserved as he is." Watanabe nodded, not understanding anything Toschi had said. Down on the stage, Moki and Sasaki were facing each other, eyeing up their opponent.

Even though Moki was a full two feet shorter than Sasaki, she looked just as menacing with her brutally sharp claws and beak, and her yellow eyes, narrowed into thin slits. Her talons drummed on the concrete floor, and they dug in like she was standing on paper. Sasaki cracked his neck and blew a smoke ring at Moki, who coughed, trying to fan it away. "Brush your teeth Sasaki!" she said, trying not to laugh. He merely grinned and slid his foot back, raising his fists to his waist. Midnight looked at the two, amused.

"Anxious to start, are we?" she mused, raising her whip. "Begin!" Sasaki blasted a curtain of lava into the air, the thin, bubbly mixture rapidly cooling into a large sheet of pumice. He then sprayed more lava onto the ground, the molten rock creating a boiling updraft that suspended the pumice formation in the air. Moki was between a rock and a very, very hot place that would cook her like a rotisserie chicken if she wasn't careful. She flapped her wings, hovering in the air. I can't slice through that pumice,she thought, it would dull my talon sheaths in a heartbeat. So I'm stuck down by his level, and I can't approach him because of the heat. Think Moki, think!

Sasaki, oblivious to her mental dilemma, was confused. Why isn't she doing anything? I thought she would have tried to cut through the pumice by now, did she predict that?She circled the arena, eyes darting around, searching for an opening. She saw a patch of cooled rock floating on top of the lake of lave he had created, and her eyes lit up. She began fanning her wings rapidly, blowing a powerful stream of cool air across the bubbling magma. The surface began to cool and crust over, and the pumice started to fall from the sky, tilting down. She dove low and swooped around to the collapsing section, getting above the mass of rock as it plummeted down towards Sasaki. He threw his fist up and the pumice shattered, tiny shards of rock blasting into the sky. Moki squawked and frantically tried to evade, but screamed as a burst of pumice struck her leg like a shotgun blast. Sasaki saw this, and spouted another block of pumice into the air. He punched it as it came down, and another blast of rock shot towards her. She dodged it, and her eyes filled with rage. She streaked down, raking her talons across Sasaki's arms. He yelled in agony as blood splashed across the stage.

Midnight tried to step in, but Moki was too fast. Her beak slashed across Sasaki's chest as she swooped past again, and she slammed her wing into his neck. He fell to one knee, eyes blazing. His cheeks swelled, and a massive tidal wave of magma flooded the arena. He stomped his foot down, splattering lava all around him. A drop splashed onto Moki's wing as she flew past and she screamed, swinging around and blowing a powerful gust of air across the lava lake, crusting it over. She landed, panting, holding her left wing. The lava had burned a hole through it, and she winced as she felt her bones shift. She dashed towards him, claws digging into the rock, and Sasaki charged, fists raised. A purple haze filled their visions, and they both collapsed, snoring. Midnight was standing in between them, sleeves ripped off.

"Enough!" she screamed, panting. She had a shocked, nervous expression on her face. The crowd had been silent throughout the fight, stunned. Nobody thought that they would go so far, right? It was only third place, after all. There was no need to get so violent, was there?

The speakers crackled to life. "Well, that was, uh, extreme," Present Mic's voice said. "That may have been the most vicious fight I've ever seen at the Sports Festival. Yikes. Well, as we tend to the competitors and clear off the stage, let's get ready for the championship!" The crowd cheered, remembering the final fight was yet to come. "After this fight, Tsubasa and Sasaki will have a short tiebreaker to determine third place, and then we'll have the awards ceremony! Now, it's time for the penultimate matchup! The man of many forms, he's as strong as a gorilla, as fast as a cheetah, as slippery as a snake, it's Jokan Reikokuna!" The crowd roared as he entered the arena, bowing politely to the fans. "And now, the hero of the city, one of the most capable students in Class 1-B, master of one of the most formidable Quirks any U.A. student has ever had, it's Toschi Hatsume!" He entered the arena to the sound of thousands of people cheering and applauding, smiling. He waved to the crowd, seeing his friends and family cheering for him. He stepped onto the stage and nodded to Reikokuna. He bowed back, and squinted.

"You seem rather confident, Hatsume," he said. "Is this arrogance I sense?"

"No," Toschi responded, "It's respect. We've both come so far, but in the end, only one of us is walking away from here."

"That is true, my friend," Reikokuna said, flexing his arms, "and I am sorry, but I do not intend on losing this match." As Midnight raised her whip, he grinned. "May the best man win." Midnight cracked her whip, and Reikokuna began to grow. His skin became dark green, and scales sprouted all across his body. He kept growing larger and larger, rivaling Takeyama's full size, and his fingers sprouted massive, five-foot-long claws. His immense bulk caused the stage to crack under him, and he roared as a burst of flame erupted from his mouth. The colossal dragon loomed over Toschi, a murderous look in its eye. Reikokuna raised one foot in the air and slammed it down, narrowly avoiding Toschi. He ducked to the side, frantically pressing buttons on his chest. A few sparks flew out; he had forgotten to repair his suit after his fight with Sasaki. The foot came rushing down again, and he smacked his chest piece. A yellow glow surrounded him, and Reikokuna's foot bounced off of the force field being projected from Toschi's back. He growled and smashed his foot down again, to the same result. The shield held strong, and Toschi feverishly tapped away at his buttons. The shield rapidly expanded, pushing on Reikokuna. He stumbled, but his massive claws dug into the ground and held firm. He pressed against the shield, roaring, and Toschi tapped his chest. The shield vanished and he darted forwards, rolling under Reikokuna's feet as he lost his balance. The dragon stumbled forwards, righting himself with a flap of his massive wings.

He turned, smoke trailing from his eyes, and opened his gaping mouth, an orange glow rising in his throat. Toschi's suit curled up around him in a cocoon as a massive burst of flame washed over him. Reikokuna spun around and slammed his tail into the cocoon, launching it away towards the edge of the stage. It unfurled and Toschi dug his glove into the ground, sliding to a halt as Reikokuna bared down upon him. He ducked under a gargantuan claw aimed at his head and darted under his legs. Just need to hold him off for a few more moments…he thought, checking a power gauge on his wrist. It was at 92%, and in its reflection, he saw a massive foot hurtling down. He jumped to the side, diving between the massive toes of Reikokuna as the dragon kicked, stabilizing himself with his wings. Toschi's power gauge blinked yellow, and he jumped onto Reikokuna's leg, scaling the massive beast. Reikokuna tried to swat him away, but he clambered up all the way to the top of his head. Reikokuna snarled and shot into the air, the ground fading away below them. Toschi raised his hands into the air as his eyes began to glow. Now that I learned I can freeze things from a distance…he thought, searching for an opening.

Suddenly, Reikokuna shook his head, flinging Toschi into the air. He looked down and saw the leviathan barreling towards him, mouth open. Toschi grinned, and the sky lit up yellow. The crowd shielded their eyes from the glow, and heard a loud crash. Toschi was on top of Reikokuna, who was frozen in the air. He rained punches down on his opponent, building up energy. Breathing heavily, he leapt into the air as the yellow glow surrounding Reikokuna vanished, and the massive dragon careened towards earth. Toschi pressed a button, and a parachute popped out of his back. Reikokuna tried to change form, but he was too fatigued from holding his Leviathan form for so long, and he morphed back into a human as he passed out. He smashed into the ground, shuddering the stage as cracks shot across the cement. Toschi landed, the parachute furling up into his suit. He collapsed to one knee, sweating. Reikokuna wasn't as massive as the asteroid was, but he was still a titanic beast, and it had taken a lot of energy to hold him still for long enough. Midnight peered down into the crater, and jumped back as a hand grasped the edge. The crowd gasped as Reikokuna pulled himself out of the crack, panting.

Blood dripped from a gash on his forehead, and his right arm was bloody and dark purple, and was hanging at a weird angle. He limped towards Toschi, who was unsteadily standing up. Reikokuna stood in front of him, eyes locked as the two fighters wheezed. Toschi raised his fists, and beckoned Reikokuna. The normally calm and polite beast was at his wits end, and being taunted sent him over the edge. He transformed into a starfish, confusing Toschi and the crowd, until he tore off one of his own legs. I see, Toschi thought, starfish can regenerate limbs. The leg quickly grew back, and he transformed again. A powerful fist slammed into the ground, and the seven-foot gorilla roared, broken arm healed. Toschi threw up a metal shield, but Reikokuna punched it hard, denting it. Toschi felt something crack in his hand, and he recoiled as Reikokuna swung again, bellowing.

Toschi was on the defensive, dodging attacks left and right as Reikokuna swung his fists wildly, hitting strong enough to break bones. He pressed a button on his chest, and a small rectangle popped up on his right arm. He aimed, and two barbed metal wires shot out, sticking into Reikokuna's chest. Over 50,000 volts of electricity arced through Reikokuna, hitting him like a freight train. He roared in pain, and Toschi slipped around behind him. He froze Reikokuna and formed clubs over his fists. He swung them into Reikokuna's back, and unfroze him. He stumbled forwards, nearly falling over the line, but caught himself and turned, launching himself at Toschi. Reikokuna smashed his fist into Toschi's temple, knocking him back to the opposite side of the stage. He bellowed, fists raised in the air as the crowd cheered.

Toschi struggled to get up, head fuzzy. Everything was blurry and sounded muffled. He rolled over onto his back, gritting his teeth in pain. He felt himself get lifted into the air, then slam back down, his head smashing into the concrete. Reikokuna grabbed him by the collar, raising him in the air like a trophy. As he started to walk to the edge of the stage to throw him off, Toschi thrashed about, trying to free himself from Reikokuna's insane grip. As his vision started to fade out, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Toschi! You can win!" Mei screamed from the stands. Toschi's eyes focused into the stands, and saw his little cousin watching him with a smile on her face. "Win this for me Toschi!" His eyes flashed yellow, and Reikokuna looked down, confused. Toschi's hand grasped his fingers, and as Reikokuna watched in shock, Toschi slowly pried his massive gorilla fingers off of him. He landed on the ground and spun, freezing Reikokuna as he delivered a brutal kick to his kidney. He unfroze him and Reikokuna roared in pain, only to have Toschi's metal-clubbed fist slammed into his nose. His head hit the ground hard, and Toschi swung his foot up in the air, bringing it down in a powerful axe kick to Reikokuna's neck. He roared and rolled away, clambering to his feet, holding his throat. He looked at Toschi, and he saw nervousness in Reikokuna's eyes. Toschi dug his heels into the ground as Reikokuna charged, then spun. His glove formed into a rocket and fired as he slammed his elbow into Reikokuna's head, knocking him aside. He followed through, burying his foot into Reikokuna's side and vaulting over him as he swung in agonized rage. Reikokuna turned, only to see Toschi in the air above him, fist reared back, hand outstretched.

"Sorry, Reikokuna," he said as he froze him, "but I've got a Festival to win." He slammed his reinforced glove into Reikokuna's frozen face, aided by a rocket on his elbow. When he unfroze Reikokuna, he disappeared under the massive cloud of debris that covered the stage as Reikokuna flew back, tearing a chasm in the stage. The crowd watched anxiously for a sign of life, then roared as they saw Toschi standing victorious, fist raised in the air. Reikokuna was human again, and was unconscious at the bottom of a huge crater that spanned the entire stage.

"What a match!" Present Mic yelled. "Toschi Hatsume defeats Jokan Reikokuna in an explosive battle! Toschi Hatsume is this year's Festival Champion!" As Reikokuna slowly came to, Toschi fell to one knee, panting. He sat back, face upturned to the sky, letting the breeze wash over him. Cementoss helped him and Reikokuna to Recovery Girl's office to recover as Sasaki and Moki came out to settle their draw. Midnight decided to choose the victor by a staring contest, which Sasaki protested. It is impossible to argue with Midnight, so the staring contest began.

Sasaki held out for a few minutes, eyes watering, until he finally gave in. Moki rarely blinked anyway; as a falcon, she was used to keeping her eyes focused on things for long periods of time. The crowd cheered as Moki advanced to third place, and they brought the three winners to a pedestal. Nezu awarded Moki a bronze medal, which she hugged and proudly displayed for her family, saying she liked it because it matched her feathers. Reikokuna got a silver medal, and received it with a bow and a polite nod to the cheering crowd. When Toschi received his gold Champion's medal, the crowd roared. He only heard one voice though; Mei was screaming at the top of her little lungs, cheering for her cousin. His victory was not an easy one; of all his fights, the one against Sasaki was the hardest for him, as that was the only fight where he genuinely felt he would lose. Sasaki's brute strength and dangerous Quirk were more than a match for any pro hero, and going up against him when your Quirk isn't a strength enhancer type is downright suicide. Toschi felt as though Sasaki was holding back during their fight; he had seen him shatter rock like it was a lightbulb, but he only managed to break his nose when Sasaki punched him. If he used his full strength in a fight, Toschi thought as he waved to the crowd, I might not have survived. Criminals had better watch out when he makes his debut.

The class after the Sports Festival was a time of laughter and fun, students congratulating the winners and joking about the earlier matches. Midnight entered the room, and the noise gradually quieted down. "Good morning, class," she said, "First things first, a few announcements from Principal Nezu. It has been determined that students in the hero course have an unfair advantage in the Sports Festival; your costumes. So next year, all students will be required to wear their gym clothes. Any support items will have to go through an application process." She fixed her gaze on Moki and Toschi. "You two especially. Tsubasa, I think you can agree that your talon sheaths are a bit excessive for a school contest;" Moki nodded, head down; "and Hatsume, that suit of yours gave you a total advantage over nearly everyone. I understand that it helps, but the Sports Festival is a test of personal strength and strategy, not how strong out support items are. Understand?" He nodded, and she sighed.

"Anyway, today we are going to have you prepare for an important time in your hero careers: internships. Many of you have received offers from various heroes and agencies, but don't worry if you didn't receive any; there is a list of 40 hero agencies that will be accepting internship applications from you all. But first, you need hero names." The class cheered, and Midnight passed out slates and markers. "Write down what you want your hero name to be, and present it to the class. Remember, choose a name that represents how you want to be seen in the future. Many heroes end up using the names they chose in high school when they become pros, so choose wisely." The class spent a few minutes thinking and writing, and Omakase stood up first. He came to the front of the class and held out his slate.

"Orbweaver," he said, and Midnight nodded.

"That's a species of spider, correct?" she asked. "Very good, it goes with your Quirk and it sounds cool! I like it!" Reikokuna stood up next and faced the class.

"The Beast Hero: Beorn," he said, holding out his slate.

Midnight smiled. "Ah, that is the beast man from Lord of The Rings, right? Very good!" Hake stood up, his hands jittering as usual.

"The Caffeinated Hero: Coffeeman!" he announced.

"Sounds great!" Midnight said. "It's catchy, and it matches your Quirk!" Kalantari was next up.

"Sultan," he said in his deep, Middle Eastern accent.

"Oooh, sounds fancy!" Midnight said, clasping her hands together. "I like it! Next!" Kaiza stood up, skipping to the front of the room.

"The Electronic Hero: Hijack!" she said, beaming.

Midnight clapped. "That sounds cool! That's a great name to have!" Kaiza sat down, grinning, and Kushiro went up next.

"The Mining Hero: Jackhammer," she said as Midnight nodded.

"It fits with your fighting style," she said. "Sounds good!" Kimura went up next.

He cleared his throat. "Flashburn," he said. Midnight pondered this for a second.

"That doesn't seem so bad," she said, "it could work. Next person?" The next to go up was Sasaki, and he squeezed his way to the front of the room and held out his slate, dwarfed by his hand.

"The Molten Hero: Drakan!" he proudly announced. The class ooh'ed at his name.

"That's great!" Midnight said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "It sounds really tough and intimidating! It matches your image!" He smiled and squeezed his way back down the row as Kurami stood up. He placed his board on the desk, avoiding eye contact. "Cricketone?" Midnight asked. "It's not a bad name, it just sounds a little off, perhaps? It works though." He grumbled and sat back down, rolling his eyes.

"Me next!" Moki exclaimed, hopping up and skipping to the front of the room. She proudly held out her slate. "Moki-Chan!"

"Just your name?" Midnight asked.

"Yeah!" Moki responded. "I want people to think I'm cute!"

Kimura leaned back to Akijaso. "Yeah, she's cute until you remember she's a bird," he whispered, and Akijaso snickered. A loud scraping sound made Kimura jump, and he turned around to see Moki perched on his desk, talons scraping down the top, eyes full of fury. "W-which isn't a bad thing!" he stammered. Moki glared at him for a few moments, then reached out one razor sharp claw and sliced his tie off, holding it out in front of him. He gulped, and she turned around, smiling, and skipped back to her desk as if nothing had happened. Shikora stood up and walked to the front, wary of her temperamental friend.

"The Origami Hero: Papercut," she said, and Midnight clapped her hands together.

"It sounds fun, yet tough at the same time!" she said. "It's great!" The next batch of students went up to present their names. Seishin chose Phantom, a fitting name for her Possession Quirk. Akijaso's name was Mirrorman, suiting his Quirk, and Netsuke wanted her name to be Blackout. Watanabe's name was Duster, Ayatsuru chose Wavedash, Shizuka selected Rebound, and Umakire chose Shockwave. Mutsuhito selected the name Recoil, and Shinsi simply chose his first name, Nagano. Finally, it was Toschi's turn. He took a deep breath before showing his name to the class.

"This is my name," he said, holding out his slate. The thick characters stood out against the white board, seemingly cut into it with a blade.

KINETICA

Midnight clapped her hands as the class murmured in interest. "That's excellent, Hatsume!" she said. "A perfect name!" As he went back to his desk, Midnight picked up a stack of papers and began passing them out. "I'm giving out lists of the hero agencies that will be accepting U.A. students as interns next week. Those of you who got internship offers, you will receive a list of those as well. Be sure to hand in your choices by the end of the week." As she left the room, the class split into their various groups.

Usually, when left to their own devices, the many friends in the class split into different groups. The "gossip squad", as described by the rest of the class, consisted of Moki, Shikora, Takeyama, and Kaiza. The four of them, while friendly to everyone, were very prone to gossiping and had the apparent inability to keep any sort of secret or to stay out of other peoples' business. Toschi, Omakase, Netsuke, and Sasaki usually hung out together, and would meet up on the weekends to have fun sometimes. Mutsuhito, Kushiro, Ayatsuru, and Hake would hang out sometimes, and occasionally Kurami would join them. Reikokuna, Seishin, Shinsi, Umakire, and Akijaso tended to eat together at lunch, and Umakire and Akijaso lived in the same neighborhood, so they walked to and from school together. Shizuka, Kimura, Watanabe, and Kalantari made up the final group; Kalantari had a hard time fitting in with his classmates as a foreigner, and those three were the first people to greet him and make him feel included.

Moki leaned over to Sasaki. "Did you get any offers?" she asked, peering over his shoulder. He stroked his chin, thinking.

"I did," he said, "but I don't know about any of them. None of them seem like they'd give me any real experience, they just seem like community service opportunities. I think I'm going to go to Fourth Kind's agency." Moki nodded, leaning on his back and holding her paper in front of him.

"Yeah, I got a few like that too," she sighed. "Takeyama and I both got offers from Uwabami, but I don't wanna do that." She looked over her shoulder in annoyance. "Takeyama practically screamed when she got that offer."

"Why wouldn't I?" Takeyama asked, exasperated. "Why would you turn down a chance to work with a hero like her?"

"She's a supermodel!" Moki yelled back, hopping off of Sasaki. "You're just going to end up being part of her entourage or something! She doesn't do anything!"

"Well,excuse me, chicken wings," Takeyama retorted, "If you had been blessed with a body like mine, you'd want to learn how to strut your stuff like her!" Moki growled, turning away from her and climbing onto Sasaki's back.

"Bitch," she muttered, drawing laughs from Toschi and Omakase. Moki was easily the shortest girl in the class, and as a bird, she was very skinny. Her female friends liked to poke fun at her small chest, which she was insecure about. Even Ayatsuru, who was skinnier that Moki was, liked to join in with the teasing. "I'm gonna go work with Edgeshot," she said, waving her paper in Sasaki's face. "He's only been a pro for a year, but he's already the number five hero! I wanna be like that!" Sasaki looked over his shoulder at the excited bird.

"You just want to work with him because you think he's a pretty boy, tight?" he asked her. She glared at her friend, then laid her head down on his shoulder, pouting as he laughed. He looked to Toschi. "Hey Hatsume, who are you going to work with?" He looked down at his list of offers, sighing.

"I don't know," he said, "there's so many offers I got, I don't know which one to-" He froze, and his eyes went wider than Sasaki's palms. "A-A-All…" he stammered, shoving his paper in Omakase's face. He looked down at one of the names, and gasped.

"You got an offer from All Might?" he said, louder than intended. The classroom went silent as nineteen sets of shocked eyes turned to Toschi, who was still frozen. Reikokuna spoke up.

"I believe I heard an upperclassman say that the winners from the second and third years also received offers from All Might. I suspect that All Might saw potential in you, Hatsume, and he reached out to you. If I were you, I would take advantage of this." Slowly, the class chatter began to return to normal, and across the room, several other conversations began.

"Reikokuna," Seishin said, turning to her large friend, "where are you going to go? I'm thinking about going to Gunhead's agency to work on my actual combat skills." He finished writing on his paper, then looked up.

"I plan to take up an offer from the Underwater Hero: Sub Nautica. He stated in his offer that he likes my Transform ability, and that it could be very helpful in his work." Across the room, Kalantari and Shizuka were discussing their options.

"I honestly don't know," Shizuka groaned, laying her head on the desk. "There's too many to choose from."

"Well, I'm going back home for my internship," Kalantari said, "I could see if you would want to come." She perked her head up.

"Really? Where?"

"Well, my father is one of the best heroes in Kuwait, and he offered for me to work at his agency." He handed her a card, and she gasped as she saw the name on it. "It's not that big of a deal though, if you don't want to then it's perfectly alright."

"Your dad is Hell's Child?!" she exclaimed, startling him. "He's one of the best heroes in the world! Of course I'd want to go work with him!"

"Excellent!" Kalantari said, grinning. "I shall send notice to my family to make preparations." As he pulled out his phone, the bell rang, and the students got up for lunch. As he left the room, Toschi felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw a tall, curvy girl standing beside him. Her red-orange hair seemingly floated on an invisible breeze, and she flashed him a smirk.

"You're the first-year winner, right?" she asked. Seeing his nervous nod, she began to walk, dragging him with her. "I'm the winner of the third year Sports Festival, Nebuki Ayabuska. I've heard a lot about you, Toschi Hatsume." Her grip tightened on his shoulder, making him gulp. "They say you helped All Might defeat a villain? At just sixteen? Even though none of the rest of us have ever gotten any real combat experience, a little kid like you got to work with the greatest hero of all time, seemingly on a whim?"

She stopped and turned him to face her. He was expecting her to be upset at him, but her smile seemed genuine. "But when I saw that asteroid stop in mid-air, and I saw the hero that saved the city, I thought to myself, 'That's a true hero right there. He didn't care about whether he would live or die, all that mattered to him was trying to save everyone he could.' You know, they say the best heroes are the ones that act before they think. You are one of those heroes." She held out her hand. "Welcome to the big league, kid."

Author's note:

Holy shit, that was a long chapter (5,300 words!). I tried to use this to introduce the four main protagonists in this story: Moki Tsubasa, Yakuna Sasaki, Jokan Reikokuna, and, of course, Toschi Hatsume. The next four chapters will focus on each student in their internships with heroes. The only original hero I will introduce is Sub Nautica, and I think you'll like what I have planned for him and Reikokuna. All four of these characters will have their own villain to fight, and I'll show a sneak peek at each person's home life at the end of each chapter. I'm most excited for Reikokuna and Moki's chapters. Enjoy!