Chapter 04: Food Fight Royale!
Izuku headed his way through the halls of UA, on his way to a room now designated for their class officers. As he passes by passing students, he wasn't ready when he is suddenly shoved forcefully to the side and into an opening in the wall.
"Whoops. Sorry about that. I didn't see you there," some blonde guy sneered with a cackle.
From the floor and hidden in the dark opening, Izuku groans.
"Something like that hadn't happened to me in a long time…" he muttered to himself. He craned his neck to find himself in an opening leading to the restrooms. He notices somebody else there. The person has long blue hair in a low ponytail and golden eyes. They were changing out of the uniform pants and into a skirt.
Izuku and the person look at each other in stunned silence.
"…um…" Izuku squeaked. The person glares at him and shoves him out of the opening. "AaAaah! Huh?" He looks back but sees no one in the opening. "Where did…?" Izuku jumps when the person appeared out of nowhere. "An invisibility Quirk?" He shrunk back a little when the person glared at him.
"Don't you dare tell anyone. Got it?" they warned.
"O-O-Okay," Izuku stuttered. The person wordlessly leaves. Izuku watched as they left.
[1-A Class Officers Meeting Room]
"Here I am," Izuku said as he came in.
"Excellent! Now we can begin with the meeting!" Tenya said.
"You guys didn't start yet?" asked Izuku.
"I didn't want anyone to be left out!"
"But—"
"Don't try, Pipsqueak," Qrow drawled. "I already tried convincing him. Just take your seat."
"Okay," Izuku said, before sitting down next to an uninterested Ruby. "Rose? What's wrong?"
Ruby slams her hands on the table. "I'm bored! We've been doing nothing but train in the past two weeks!"
"I mean, we have to be prepared for the Sports Festival," Izuku pointed out.
Ruby crossed her arms. "I know, but all work and no play you know?"
Qrow shrugged. "I don't see what's wrong with taking a small break since the Sports Festival begins tomorrow."
"Hmmm…Mr. Branwen, have there been any sort of activity for celebrating such an event?" Tenya asked after a moment of contemplation.
"There had been some here and there. I wasn't really in with the festivities when I was in UA."
Izuku looks at the man with curious eyes. "You're a UA alumnus?"
"Yeah. However, I've never participated in the Sports Festival," Qrow said.
"Really? Why?" asked Ruby.
"It wasn't my cup of tea. Not even the before parties or after parties that were planned." Qrow gets a memory of Summer Rose doing just that back in their school days. "Heh…Although…Don't let this Debbie downer dampen your vibe. As for what kind of parties, I think you can get the info from the Administration Office. Just ask someone about it and you might get a transcript or something."
Weiss rises. "I can get it."
"Are you sure, Schnee? Rose and I can handle it," Izuku said.
"Yeah, Midoriya and I are the historians," Ruby insisted.
"As Class 1-A's secretary, it is my duty to support everyone so you guys can focus on something else." Weiss looks over at Momo. The tall girl gave her a smile and Weiss did the same. "I'll be back."
After Weiss left, Ruby noticed the smile on Momo's face. Ruby felt glad that the two were able to salvage their friendship and made it stronger than before.
An excited grin grew on Ruby's face. "This is so exciting! Today is going to be the best day ever yet!"
"So as long as it's within our budget," Ren said softly. The sudden sound of his voice made everyone jump.
"…Did everyone else forgot he was in the room?"
[UA High School Hallway]
"Hmhm-hmhm-hm, hmhm-hmhm-hm, hmhm-hmhm-hm, hmhm-hmhm-hmhm-hmm, hmmmmm…" Weiss hummed as she heads for the Administrations Office. As she did, she walked pass three girls.
"Uh, hey, I think you're wearing the wrong blazer," one of them said snootily. Weiss stopped to turn around.
"What?" Weiss asked.
The three girls looked to be first years and, from the look of the blazers, general course students. The girl who just spoke wore her greenish blue hair in pigtails with what looks like antennas attached at the base of the pigtails. Another girl had spots along the sides of her face and the third girl had long black hair in pigtails too and green eyes.
"Yeah, like, that belong to students in the hero course," Spotted Girl responded. "Did your daddy bought that blazer for you?"
The mention of Weiss's father nearly made her eye twitch. "…My father has nothing to do with this. I'm wearing this because I am a hero course student."
"Oh, really? I couldn't tell," Antenna Girl said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss said, getting defensive.
"It's just that I thought someone of your status would be above such menial roles like a secretary. So disrespectful for the hero course," the girl continued to mock.
Weiss bristled. "L-Look. It wasn't my choice. My class representative believes that my skills are better suited to support our class and I attend to respect his decision."
Spotted girl scoffed. "Sounds to me that they're putting you in your place."
"Oh, how the mighty Schnee family continue to fall," Antenna Girl mocked with dramatic flair. She and the Spotted girl start laughing. The Pigtail girl didn't make a sound, but she was clearly snickering.
Weiss could feel her face burn from their words. "My family has nothing to do with my appointment as secretary!"
"Sure. Keep telling yourself," Antenna Girl smirked. "Oh! Look at the time. I think you should get going to get everyone some coffee." The girls laugh again. Hurt and having enough of the Mean Girls, Weiss storms off. "Hey, while you're at it, get me a latte with extra cream and caramel!"
"And I would like a mocha coffee, extra frothy!" Spotted girl ordered. The Mean Girls continue to laugh as Silent Girl mutely snickers.
Weiss bites her lip as she tries to not cry.
I am more than a name…
…Right?
[UA Administration Office]
"You kids want the Sports Fest to start with a bang? I hear ya!" Hizashi said to Weiss with a toothy grin. "Wait here while I pull up some of UA's party past! BRB!" Weiss nodded as the man disappears into a different room. As she waited, she took a seat on a vacant chair. Everything was quiet for a minute, with only the sound of the clock ticking and keyboards clicking from the few faculty members currently present in the office. As Weiss looked around for anything to keep her mind off those girls from earlier and the state of her family, her eyes landed on Aizawa, sitting on the couch and unmoving. Probably asleep.
Those bandages…she could only imagine the trauma the man put through for them. The fact that such a brutal villain exists…the world of heroes is such a scary place.
"Oh! Well, if it isn't Y-Miss. Schnee!" Toshinori said as he entered the office, carrying some files and a messenger bag.
Weiss gave a small wave. "Good morning, Mr. Yagi."
"Good morning to you t—AH!" The man tripped on his feet and fell, dropping his files and papers spilled out. Weiss was on her feet and at his side in an instant.
"Are you okay?!"
Toshinori coughed a laugh. "Y-Yes. I'm fine." The other faculty members were up too but didn't move as they watched.
"Here, let me help you," Weiss volunteered.
"It's greatly appreciated. You don't need to put them in the right file. I can do that later."
"Okay."
Seeing that the matter was taken care off, the faculty members went about their business. And Aizawa seemed undisturbed.
As she helped gathering papers, Weiss noticed Toshinori's shoes looked a little big for him. Perhaps one size too big? That could explain why he tripped. Why? Toshinori seems to be a man well off. Why wear shoes that don't fit? Whatever the case, it wasn't her place to judge.
…She's done plenty of that nowadays…
"Here, sir," Weiss said, handing the small stack of papers she was able to gather. Toshinori takes them graciously.
"Thank you." They get up.
Toshinori heads for his desk. A peculiar fellow, Weiss thought. A sickly man prone to accidents? And he's All Might's secretary? …Wait…
'Being secretary is the worst!'
Weiss facepalms. "Smart, Schnee. Very smart…" she berated herself.
'It's just that I thought someone of your status would be above such menial roles like a secretary.'
"…Um."
Toshinori looks up. "Hm? Is there something you wish to say?"
"…How long had you been working as All Might's secretary?"
"About…twenty years or so maybe? Why?"
"Is it…a good job?"
"I'd say so. It's a fine profession. I'd even say admirable."
"What makes you say that?" asked Weiss.
"Who's usually the first face you see when entering a business building, be it heroic-based or otherwise," Toshinori quizzed.
Weiss arched a brow. "The receptionist?"
Toshinori chuckled. "Well, yes. But also the secretary. A company's first impression for any newcomer is sometimes in the hands of the secretary."
"So, a secretary is like a representative?"
"For a company, yes. And for class officers as well. In a way, you're your class representative's second assistant, someone who records the moments and categorize them for future use, as well as keeping order if your class rep or vice rep needs it. You are also meant to support your comrades. Whenever they have an issue, they'll turn to you, whatever it may be. Even a leader would need assistance. That's why secretaries are needed."
"That sounds…noble," said Weiss, a tiny smile emerged.
"Yes. Indeed."
Weiss put a hand over her heart. There was a light sensation over her, as if a heavy load was lifted. Sort of like when Ruby gave her words of encouragement. Toshinori seems to be the same. "That's…good to hear."
Not a moment later did Hizashi reappear with what Weiss had asked for. The girl leaves the office, but not before expressing her gratitude for Toshinori's words.
And Aizawa had listened to the whole thing. From beginning to the end.
[1-A Classroom: Homeroom]
"In less than 24 hours, the UA Sports Festival will begin," Toshinori announced, prompting the class to let out a cheer.
"Oh, hell yeah!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"It's almost hard to believe that two weeks went by already," Jaune said to Jiro.
"We've all been so focused. I guess time flew by," Jiro replied.
"Now, before we continue, I have two more announcements to make. The first being that today will be my last day as your substitute homeroom teacher," Toshinori said.
"What? Really?" Mina asked in disbelief.
"Awww. But you're way more chill than Mr. Aizawa," Nora said, visibly upset.
"Yeah. And you're not threatening anyone with expulsion," Kaminari said.
Toshinori flustered from their words. "I-I am flattered, but please don't think so poorly of Mr. Aizawa. The man is much more than he lets on. He…risked a lot at the USJ." His words reminded the class of Aizawa's efforts. And what it nearly costed. The man was harsh on their first day, but the attack on the USJ proved them that the guy was only preparing them for the real world. "Speaking of the USJ, that leads into my second announcement. After lunch today, we'll be returning there."
"We're…going back?" asked Izuku.
"Seriously? After what happened?!" Mineta questioned.
"Is that really a good idea?" Ruby asked.
"I understand your concerns. Thanks to the efforts of the police, though, everything is in order and the USJ is opened back up for any rescue training," Toshinori said. "No malfunctions, no stragglers, nothing. Besides, even though they were incredibly bold with their first attempt, it would be absolute foolish for any villains to strike there once again. You've all grown a lot since the USJ Incident, honed your skills for the tournament. I'm sure whatever may happen, you all will be just fine."
"…Seriously. Do you have to stop being our homeroom teacher?" Nora said.
Toshinori coughed in his hand. "Anywho, as I mentioned before, the Sports Festival will begin tomorrow and, as I said two weeks ago, this will be a valuable chance to get recognized by pros like Endeavor or Best Jeanist."
It happened for a second, but Izuku was somehow able to catch it, even in peripheral vision. He could've sworn he saw Todoroki's eye twitch slightly. Was it because Toshinori mentioned his father, Endeavor?
"It will be a strenuous event," Toshinori continued. "So be sure to not slack off and give it your all! You've got people to impress and futures to set in stone! You kids better show the world what you're made of out there!"
"YEAH!"
[UA High School Lunchroom]
Izuku was looking through a notebook detailing the Sports Festival, muttering under his breath as he
"There he goes again," Ochako mused.
Nora lumps her shoulder against Izuku. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Oh! Um, I was just looking into how the tournaments would go," Izuku said.
A piece of food is thrown into Nora's mouth by Mina. "Boring!" Nora grinned as she chewed. Mina does it again, flinging the food on a fork.
"I'm not sure if that's going to help, Midoriya," Tsuyu said. "The first two events are always randomized, and we'll never know what to expect. So, it's probably best to not worry about it too much, ribbit."
After some delegation, Izuku closes his notebook. "Yeah, you're probably right."
Ruby appears and plops a heavy binder on the table. She clears her throat. "Brothers, sisters, friends…Bakugo."
"Can it, Petals!"
Ruby ignores him. "Four scores and seven minutes ago, I had a dream."
"80 years and seven minutes ago?" Izuku questioned.
Jaune chuckled. "This oughta be good."
"A dream that one day, the…" Ruby pauses as she silently counted her fingers. "…twenty-five of us will come together, as a team, and have the most fun anyone has ever had...ever!"
"Did you steal my binder?" Weiss asked, eyeing the binder.
Ruby makes peace signs. "I am not a crook."
"What are you talking about, Rose?" Izuku asked.
"I'm talking about kicking off the Sports Festival with a bang!" Ruby said. She notices Todoroki leaving. "Where are you going, Todoroki? Don't you wanna hear my plan?"
Todoroki gives her a simple, sidewise glance. "Leave me out of it." Izuku watches as Todoroki left.
"What? Wait! Todoroki!" Ruby groans. "Oh, come on! How can we have fun together as a class when there's only twenty-four of us?"
"Twenty-three," Ren said. Nora beside him is readying herself for another throw from Mina.
"Huh?"
"Aoyama isn't here." Nora gets hit by an apple after getting distracted, Mina apologized.
"He likes eating back in the classroom," Tsuyu said.
"Alone?" Ruby asked.
"Looks like it. I saw him drinking juice from a wine glass."
"At least he has…class?" Weiss said. Nora throws the apple back at Mina.
"Watch it, Thunder Thighs!" Bakugo shouted.
Ruby sighs. "Look guys, it's been a good two weeks and between villain attacks and training, the Sports Festival is going to be great! Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today."
"I'm not sure if I should be proud or scared of what you have in store," Weiss said.
Tenya turns to Izuku. "Midoriya, do you know what she has planned?"
"We did talk about team exercises and things like that, but…" Izuku eyes the thick binder. "I'm not sure about this."
"Well, whatever the case, we might wind up facing each other during the tournament, so why not use today for camaraderie?" said Weiss.
"Excellent point, Schnee!" Tenya exclaimed. "We mustn't forget that we will one day work at as team! Let's use this moment to remember that!"
Weiss rises. "I for one think that—" She gets interrupted by an onigiri hitting her face.
Mina, the culprit, points at Sero who has his head in his palm. Kirishima's hand is over his mouth and Bakugo simply sits not paying attention while covering his ear with his palm.
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
Weiss Schnee
Quirk: Glyphs
"Sigils unique to the direct members of the Schnee family, which gains new properties with each generation."
— Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 1-A Student
— Birthday: 05/15 (Taurus)
— Height: 157 cm
— Blood Type: A
— Likes: Apples, Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
— Color: Heart of Ice (F7FBFF)
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
Katsuki Bakugo
Quirk: Explosion
"Sweats a nitroglycerin-like substance from the palms of his hands to create explosions."
— Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 1-A Student
— Birthday: 04/20 (Taurus)
— Height: 172 cm
— Blood Type: A
— Likes: Hiking, Spicy Foods
— Color: Coral (DCD02E)
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
[Down the Hall Outside of the Lunchroom]
"Someone seems happy with themselves," Pyrrha mused, taking notice of Toshinori's sunny disposition.
Toshinori blushed. "Yes, well…Being able to help these kids grow brings me a lot of joy. I…actually feel upset that I won't be teaching them like this anymore. I know that there are the hero classes and all but…As much as I enjoyed it, I won't take that away from Mr Aizawa."
"Well, I'm going to miss working with you like this."
"Thank you for putting up with me. How's your arm?"
Pyrrha lifts her right arm, revealing a new long glove and carefully pushes the cloth down to reveal some bandages. "Just one more week and I'll be bandage free."
"That's good to hear," Toshinori said. He saw Pyrrha's smile waver. "Is everything all right, Young Nikos?"
"…Um…Huh?" The pair noticed students running out of the lunchroom en masse. "What's going on?"
Toshinori was able to get a student's attention. "Hey, what's happening?"
"A food fight is about to happen between the students of Class 1-A."
"Class 1-A?!" Toshinori and Pyrrha exclaimed in shock.
They run into the lunchroom, just in time as Mineta gets sent flying, landing in front of them.
"Ahahahaha!" Nora laughed. She stood on top of a large pile of table while Ren, Jaune, Satou, Hagakure, Sero, Shouji, Kaminari, Tokoyami, Mina, and Ojiro stood on lower tiers below her. "I'm queen of the castle~! I'm queen of the castle~!"
Bakugo, back on the ground, fumed as sparks flew from his palms. "I'll show you who's the king here!"
Ruby stomps her foot on a table and points at the opposing team. "Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful!" She crushes a carton of milk in her hand, milk spewed out. "It will be delicious!" Izuku, Kirishima, Tenya, Ochako, Weiss, Tsuyu, Momo, Jiro, and Koda stood behind her and Bakugo.
"Yeah!"
Nora jumps down and lands on the ground. "Off with their heads!" She and her group go to throw melons at them.
"Why are there so many watermelons?!" Toshinori thought as his jaw hung in disbelief.
"Kirishima!" Ruby called out. "Take them out!"
"You got it, Rose!" Kirishima grinned and hardened his arms. He runs in and smashes the airborne melons. Bakugo joins in, blasting away the large fruits.
Tsuyu deflected the melons and hurdled them towards Jaune, knocking him back. Seeing an upcoming attack from Ojiro, Izuku grabs a tray while dodging Tokoyami.
"Rose! Heads up!" He throws the tray for Ruby to ride on.
"Thanks!"
Just as Ojiro was about to attack, Ruby parries it with the tray and pushed the tail boy back. Hagakure, Ren, and Shouji take his place and charges at Ruby, only for her to jump off and give way to Weiss.
"You're up, Schnee!"
"Alright!"
With a twirl, Weiss with a ketchup bottle in hand squirted out the condiment and made the assailants slip. Mina seems inspired by this and uses her acid to do the same towards Tenya, Ochako, and Koda.
The unfortunately slipped students slid into the tables and made them go flying. Tsuyu uses this to hop around and grab a hidden Tokoyami and fling him away from Izuku.
"Thanks, Tsu!"
"Ribbit!"
Nora takes a pipe that Momo had made and runs towards Sero and Kaminari. The boys link their hands to catapult her. Nora leaps in the air before striking the pipe on a melon to attack Weiss. Ruby tries to protect her, but both get blown back the makeshift hammers impact on the ground in front of them. Bakugo charges in with a shout, but Nora did the same to him, knocking him back. He gets caught by Kirishima.
"Gotcha, dude!" Kirishima said.
"Let go of me, damn it!" Bakugo shouted angrily. He pushes Kirishima away and goes to attack Nora again but is blocked by Ren. They fight, but Ren gets overwhelmed. Nora and Bakugo clash once again and – again – Bakugo gets launched back again into Kirishima, this time both are sent flying.
Satou and Nora start throwing soda cans at Izuku, who dodges with his newfound control of his Quirk. In the midst of it, after leaping in the air, Izuku felt something snag on his clothes.
Izuku looks to see a string of tape. "Huh?"
Sero grinned. "Be careful to not bite your tongue!" Izuku gets swung around before hitting into Tenya and Weiss.
Ruby was all that was left of her team.
While Nora had most of hers, many being the heavy hitters.
At first, Ruby took a step back, knowing she is severely outnumbered. Then, she noticed Izuku and Weiss, the latter trying to help the former up. New determination started to swell in Ruby's chest as she turned back to the opposing team, ready to attack. Ruby bursts into a run, the speed of which causing loose debris to be picked and carried in her wake. At some point, Ruby gains momentum and her burst transforms into a strong slipstream.
She speeds passed Nora's group, picking them up, before stopping – really skidding – at the wall – causing it to crack from the force – and moving out of the way so the opposing team would be planted against the wall before getting pelted by the flying food products.
Izuku blinked owlishly. "Whoa…"
"Looks like Rose has most certainly improved," Weiss said.
Bakugo's eye starts to twitch violently, and he grits his teeth. Bakugo was only able to bring down one person in the scuffle. Just one. But, Ruby…She took down practically the whole group in one swoop…
Toshinori let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "That was…interesting…" He looks over at Pyrrha, who – much to his shock – was covered in food beverages. The man looks at his person, unable to find a single spec on him.
Before Toshinori could fathom how that was possible, Glynda barges in. With a disapproving sneer, she uses her telekinesis to clean up the mess, putting trash away and setting the tables and chairs back to their original positions.
Once done, she turns to the main counter. "Are you all right, Lunch Rush?" Lunch Rush rises from his hiding spot behind the counter.
"Ye-Yes, ma'am."
Glynda glares at the class. "Children, please. Do not play with your food. The same food that Lunch Rush and his team worked hard to prepare. After this little incident, you kids will be cleaning the cafeteria until every crevice is sparkling. Have I made myself clear?"
The students were quiet, a little ashamed. Even Ren seemed troubled. Then, Nora belches loudly. Kaminari snorts a laugh, prompting some others to laugh and Tenya scolds them about how serious the matter is.
From where he stood, Toshinori could see Glynda fuming. Of the times he was able to work with the woman, he knew she valued order, which was part of the reason she was chosen to teach the 3rd year hero course.
"Gly—" Toshinori clears his throat. "– South Magia, there's no reason for—"
Glynda points her crop at him. "And you." Toshinori flinched back. "Why were you just standing there? As the substitute teacher of 1-A, you should show them some discipline."
"Uh—um…" Luckily for Toshinori, Ozpin decides now to make his appearance.
"Now, now, Glynda. It's only a minor exertion," Ozpin smiled.
Glynda sighs and lowers her crop. "…It's less about the mess and more about attitude." She looks over at 1-A. "Those kids are the future." She glances at Toshinori. "They need to be prepared." Toshinori looks down.
"And they will be," Ozpin insisted. "But, right now, they are still children, so why not let them play the part?" He looks at the students, mostly Izuku and Ruby. "After all, it isn't a role that'll last forever."
Glynda sighs again and Toshinori decides to try once more to talk with her. "Glynda, if you wish, I can be of assist—"
"Not happening. As punishment for not stopping this, you and Achillea are just going to stand there and watch as the students clean." Glynda gives them an intense glare. "No helping."
Toshinori and Pyrrha practically wilted at her words. "…yes, ma'am."
Glynda looks behind them. "Would you three like to join us?" From the lunchroom entrance, Hizashi, Nemuri, and Qrow dash away after being caught.
"No, ma'am!"
"Intense as ever…" Toshinori thought.
[1-A Classroom]
A few minutes have passed since lunch was over and Todoroki and Aoyama are in the classroom, alone. Todoroki passively took notice of the lack of appearance of the usual people who should be in the classroom at this point, but disregarded that in favor of other things.
He looks at his left hand.
Endeavor related things.
Todoroki felt a chill. It was the kind of chill that happens with feeling eyes on yourself. He looks up to see Aoyama staring at him.
…Why?
Before the sense of awkwardness sets in, the rest of class finally comes in silently, their uniforms dirty.
Todoroki watched, absolutely puzzled.
Izuku sits down. "Don't ask."
Toshinori makes his way to the podium. "Well, after that little…experience, we're slightly behind schedule. So, enough shilling, let's head on over to the lockers so you kids can get into your hero costume." He presses a button to let the cases out. "Oh! And Y—Mr. Midoriya. Your replacement has arrived and is waiting for you."
"Huh?" Izuku voiced.
"Let's go! Let's not waste any more time!"
"Yessir!"
[Boys' Locker Room]
Izuku stares at his hero costume case.
"My new hero costume…" He suddenly feels someone behind him. He turns to see Kaminari, Sero, and Mineta staring. "…Um…"
Kaminari leans close. "What are you waiting for, dude? Open it! I wanna see what it looks like!"
"Does it still have that hood?" Sero asked.
"Show us, Midoriya! I wanna see!" Mineta demanded.
Izuku starts feeling a little antsy from the other three getting into his personal space. "Uh…guys…?"
"Kaminari, Mineta, and Sero! You three should be getting ready instead of harassing Midoriya!" Tenya chided.
"Yes, Iida…"
Izuku breathes a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Iida." He looks at the case again. "Okay…Let's see my repaired costume!" He opens the case to see a note. "Huh?" He picks it up to read it.
Dear Izuku Midoriya, I am to inform you that the people responsible for the repair of your hero costume decided to make some changes while keeping the overall theme. Let's be honest, it's better this way.
"Seriously? Is that even allowed?" Izuku wondered before looking in his case again. Greeting him is a mint-colored fabric with his signature emblem circled by a laurel crown, both colored black.
[Girls' Locker Room]
"Boy…I didn't think that I would miss wearing my hero costume," Ruby thought as she cuddled with her cape. She looks up to see Mina putting her dirtied uniform in her locker, reminding Ruby of their food fight…and her final attack. "I didn't know how that happened. All I did was use a normal burst. I did feel that I was getting faster…I wonder what happened…?"
"Rose? Aren't you going to take your equipment?" Weiss asked, gesturing to Crescent Rose on standby mode and Rosibara laying on the bench.
"Hmmm. I don't know if it's a good idea," Ruby said. "I haven't really tested them out on more complex exercises."
Weiss gives her a calm smile. "Rose, it won't be any different than from an actual mission. At least this way, you're testing them in a controlled environment."
Ruby thinks for a moment before nodding. "…Yeah. You're right, Schnee. Thanks!" Weiss watches with pride as Ruby gathers her things, happy that her support was helping. She notices Momo looking concerned.
"Momo?"
"…I'm still not sure how useful her…Crescent Rose would be," Momo admitted.
Weiss looks over at Ruby as the girl straps the large weapon to a leather strap around her waist, attached to her belt. "We'll just have to wait and see."
[Outside]
Toshinori waited by the bus, by himself. He heard Pyrrha's heels as she was walking up to him.
"Ah! Young Nikos, are you ready for—" He stopped when saw that the young woman was not alone. "Ai-Aizawa! I-I wasn't expecting to see you here." The bandaged man gave no answer, only silent stares, making Toshinori feel a little more uneasy.
"He and I crossed paths and he wished to speak with you before we leave," Pyrrha said, visibly awkward.
"I…see."
"Well, I'll leave you two to chat. I'll…patrol around," Pyrrha said, feeling out of place, before leaving the two men alone to the awkward silence. They stood side by side, their backs to the bus.
"Did he hear about the food fight?" Toshinori wondered. "Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, he did. The guy has ears everywhere. He probably heard it from Mic."
"I heard about the food fight," Aizawa said through his bandages.
"A-Ah…I'm not surprised. Heard it from Present Mic, by any chance?"
"I also heard that you were there too, gawking at it like a train wreck."
"Uh—well…I was…mostly in shock. I wasn't expecting to witness an all-out scuffle like that," Toshinori said, sheepishly scratching his neck. Aizawa was silent this time, so Toshinori continued. "Still…I should've intervened rather than staring with my chin to the floor. I…still remembered what you have said to me. A year ago."
Aizawa finally turned to face him. "Huh? Oh, that."
Toshinori lowered his head. "It's…difficult. When you're a hero as long as I am, you feel there should be no room for time squandering. You'd think that should second nature to me at this point."
"You're…only one person."
"Hm?" Toshinori looks at Aizawa quizzically and the man turns away just as he did.
"And you should start by taking your own advice." Aizawa leaves, just as the students came out.
As Aizawa left, Izuku saw him.
"Mr Aizawa? I wonder what he was doing. Was he talking to All Might?" He suddenly grimaced. "Crap! Did he hear about the food fight?" He notices Toshinori watching Aizawa leave. "…I wonder what's going on between them. Does it have anything to do with what happened at the USJ?"
As the rest of the students head towards the bus, Ochako sees Izuku.
"Look, Ruby!" she said.
Ruby turns to Izuku's direction, finally seeing his new hero costume. The main thing she noticed was his new jacket. It was a dark shade from his former costume, mint in color with the rabbit eared hood and eye holes and printed in the back is his personal emblem surrounded by a laurel and the sleeves are pushed up above his elbows. The other new parts of his costume is a black full body suit with dark green lining and a black and dark green leg bracers that reach to high thigh. The last new piece of the costume is what appears to be a respirator mask around his neck to replace the mesh one. The rest of his gear he's got was from his original costume: the gloves, elbow guards, belt, and – of course – his shoes.
"Hey, Midoriya!" Ruby called out, waving her arm as she and Ochako ran over to Izuku.
"Huh?" Izuku said, seeing the girls coming to him.
"Wow! You look amazing, Deku!" Ochako said.
"Yeah! I love your jacket!" Ruby praised.
"Th-Thanks! It's a little different from what I had in mind, but I guess it's something I have to get used to," Izuku said, fiddling with the hem of his jacket. "I do feel bad that my mom's hard work got ruined on the first day of class…"
"She probably had an inkling of that happening one day. It's the thought that counts right?" Ruby said. "I mean, I would think that any gift from a mom is something to cherish." Izuku's mind seems to have gone blank when she said that, letting go of his jacket.
Had he…did he inadvertently remind Ruby of her lack of a maternal presence?
Ruby blinked a few times before connecting his reaction to her words and tried to backpedal her wording.
"I-I don't mean it like that! I met your mom before and she's a very sweet lady. I'm sure she'd be understanding!"
"…Right…"
Ochako blinked. "Hm? Ruby? Deku? What's up?"
"Hey! Time to go you three!" Tenya exclaimed.
"R-Right! Let's go!" Ochako said. The three hurried to catch up with the rest of the class at the bus.
"Before we leave, does anyone have something to say?" asked Toshinori.
Tenya raises his hand. "May I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"Will All Might be joining us, as was the original plan from before?"
Toshinori snuck a glance at Ruby and Izuku, which the pair noticed. "…No. He won't be. He's currently assisting with the security for the Sports Festival. Now let's go."
"Yessir! Everyone, listen up! Now that I was corrected with the layout of this bus, I was able to compose an idea for our seating arrangements. Instead of the usual order, I believe we should…"
[USJ]
While the interior of the USJ was repaired, the giant hole in the ceiling left by the Nomu has yet to be repaired. The kids noticed two androids standing guard outside. Ruby and Izuku would have stopped to marvel if it wasn't for Jaune and Tsuyu.
Once the class enters the building, they are greeted by Thirteen and Ozpin.
"Hello," the vice principal greeted simply.
"Good evening, students!" was the Space Hero's greeting.
"Thirteen!" Ochako and Mina exclaimed.
"Is it really okay for you to be up and about?" Sero asked.
"I thank you for the concern, kids, but I am alright. Still a little sore, but otherwise back to teaching!" Thirteen said.
"What about Ozpin?" Ruby asked.
"I'm here as extra security to deal with any potential stragglers," Ozpin answered.
"Do you think that there could be villains still around?" Mineta asked nervously.
"The police had scoured around the building and found no more villains left behind from their invasion. However, it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Hopefully, we won't need to call All Might in." Toshinori stood silently.
"Now that we are all here, let's begin with the rescue training. This time, without any interruptions!" Thirteen said.
[USJ: Mountain Zone]
The class stared down the depth of a deep chasm.
"For the first exercise," Thirteen started, "four students will be playing as victims trapped at the bottom of this chasm. One will be unconscious, one will have an injured leg, another will have a concussion, and the last will be worried."
Kirishima and Kaminari look down into the chasm. "We have to be down there?!" Kaminari exclaimed, staring into nothing but black.
Kirishima whistled. "I can barely see the bottom. How far does it go?"
"This is perfect!" Ruby beamed, pumping her fists.
"How so?" Weiss asked.
"Oh! Rosibara!" Izuku exclaimed. Ruby pulls out the rope.
"Would that be long enough?" Weiss asked.
Ruby smirked and twirled the rope around with confidence. "Wouldn't you say that 12 meters or so is enough?"
Weiss smiled. "I'd say it does."
"I'm so pumped! Are you ready, Deku?" Ochako asked with glee.
Izuku blushed. "Uh-Yeah! I am!" He looks down at his hands. "I've been doing better with One for All…Let's see what I can do now at this level!"
Thirteen speaks up.
"And the first acting victims will be…!" She points at Bakugo, Ruby, Izuku, and Weiss. "…you four!"
.
.
.
"WHAAAT?!"
Next Chapter: USJ Second Wind
"Is your ego really that swollen?"
"You're good."
"Something doesn't add up."
"You can do it, Rose!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
Izuku's new hero costume is on the Team TIBWR Tumblr page and on my DeviantArt page.