Everyone stood around idly at the appointed time and place their schedules said to meet up for the Live Exercises class. What they ended up finding was... quite a surprise. A huge, sprawling maze of obstacles was spread out before the entire group, bending and snaking its way around a clearing just outside of Beacon Academy. It seemed to go on for some ways before snaking back towards where they all were standing. It was impressive, whatever it was, and it probably took some time and effort to set up.
The question was...
"Anyone actually know who our professor for this class is? My schedule didn't list them and it just left it blank. Is it going to be some rotating position between the other professors?" Izuku himself shrugged, as did many others. Honestly, it was an answer that made just about as much sense as any and, quite honestly, he'd be just fine with the professor whoever they turned out to be. After all, it seemed like most of the staff at Beacon were good folks... though that would be par for the course with them being Hunters and all, really.
"Whoever he is, I just hope that they'll show up on time. Whoever they are, they're still not here and class is... a minute ago." Weiss groaned somewhat dissatisfied as she shook her head. Indeed, the professor was a little late. Izuku wondered what may have kept them. Maybe something-
"You worry about class starting late? Well, have no fear, newbies!" A loud, booming voice suddenly echoed over the area, everyone's heads snapping up as they tried to make out the source of the sound. 'That voice though... it sounded very familiar... no... no there was no way! He would've told me if it were true right? There's no way that we'd be taught by-'
In that moment, 'someone' hit the ground 'hard' just in front of Izuku's group, a small whistling sound going off as they plummeted to meet the earth itself. Everyone leaned back slightly away from the source of the impact, waiting for the dust to die down before they turned to meet whoever it was that had made that landing.
From the cloud of dust and smoke a giant of a man rose to stand at his full height. Even above and beyond his truly imposing height, two strands of hair stood tall almost like antennae that swayed gently in the wind. Wearing the blue, red, white and gold colors that had become synonymous with him over the years, the Symbol of Peace and Hope stood before the class, a cape that had been a part of his older attire fluttering gently in the breeze behind him.
All the while a wide, unflinching smile was on his face, exuding confidence and a sense of safety... that everything was going to be alright.
"Because I am here!"
A stunned silence fell upon the group of hunters-in-training as they stared on, mouths agape and eyes wide in shock and awe as they looked upon the form of the World's Greatest Huntsman, the Symbol of Peace and Hope-
"H-H-H-H-Holy crap... i-is that-"
"Toshinori Yagi!?"
This one sentence broke the dam of surprise as most students start to actively mutter and chat amongst themselves, each of them discussing the fact that 'the' Toshinori was right before them. After a few moments, Izuku actually heard one of his peers chuckle.
"Yo, Izuku, look at that! Your hero's here, you gotta be feeling pretty good about that right?" Yang turned her head to look at him and... well...
For a second Izuku had been afraid that he might not be able to bring up genuine excitement over that. After all, he and Toshinori had been training together for the past ten months. He was Izuku's mentor and Izuku his successor. By now, the shock and awe should've dissipated, right? Izuku should have had to fake enthusiasm so that his peers wouldn't see something as off.
And yet...
"Oh my gosh... that's his classic Hunter attire! The cloth itself is triple weaved with Gravity Dust sewn into the fabric in order to strengthen it, and, and, and-"
'HA! HA! Once a Fanboy! Always a Fanboy!'
But how could he not be when his Hero, his Mentor, the man who inspired his dream was standing before Izuku in all his glory?
"Alright you bunch of newbies, seeing as how this is your first day of Live Exercises, we'll start with something simple." With that Toshinori waved his arm to the grand structure behind him, a wide grin still on his face. "I'll be running you all through this Obstacle Course!"
...
"Huh?"
"... Huh? That's what this is? An... obstacle course?" The look of confusion that came over many faces only caused Toshinori to laugh bodily, his head rearing back slightly as that booming laughter echoed out.
"Indeed! Given that this is our first day I couldn't very well throw you all into the deep end of Live Exercises now could I? No, while this exercise will to allow me to test your bodies and just how strong each of you are, it won't put any of you into any situation that might threaten your safety... just yet, anyway." There was an odd way Toshinori phrased that last part... it sounded like he was trying to come off as intimidating but, given the smile on his face and his usual bravado, it just came off as kind of a joke.
Given the training Toshinori put him through, Izuku imagined it might not be as much of a joke, given that they were at a Hunter's Academy.
"Still, an obstacle course? I dunno, seems kinda easy for a first day? Can't we do like a gun range or something?" Ruby Rose asked, a cheery tone to her voice as Toshinori turned to her.
"Ah, you must be young Miss Rose, the young woman who's been allowed entrance into my alma mater's halls." Ruby blushed a bit, seemingly not sure how to take such a famous Huntsman being so readily familiar with her as he tapped his chin. "Well Miss Rose, how about this. I've heard that your Semblance is Speed and a great deal of it at that. Tell you what; the obstacle course is usually meant to be several minutes long, meant to test each of your abilities... or test how creatively you can use your Aura and Semblance to get through it in a closer time. If you're able to pass through my course in less than five minutes, then I shall see to it that your request is met and we'll go to a gun range in this school."
Izuku could hear Yang shake her head, muttering something about 'a bad bet' as Ruby perked up. "I'm totally on top of this!" The silver eyed girl nearly screamed as she ran out to the front, Toshinori just bodily laughing as she showed such energy.
"Alright then Miss Rose, on the count of three you may begin. One, two, three-" As soon as Toshinori counted off, Ruby Rose was off like a bullet, the tell-tale sign of her Semblance leaving a trail of rose petals in the dust behind her. As Toshinori grinned out at the obstacle course, Lie Ren raised his hands.
"Excuse me... Professor Yagi?" Toshinori waved Ren off as he smiled at him.
"Please young man, do not refer to me so formally. Feel free to refer to me as Toshinori." The sheer force of Toshinori's charisma seemed to bowl Ren over for a moment, like a man standing directly in the path of a great tornado, before Ren coughed a bit into his fist to gather himself back up.
"R-Right... Pr... Toshinori, sir?" Toshinori just nodded as Ren continued. "If this is what you wanted the class to do today, why would you offer Ruby a chance to skip past it like this? You yourself know that her Semblance is Speed, she could pass this obstacle course quite easily."
"Oh I imagine she will make good time... in terms of the course. She won't make the time of our bet however." Everyone tilted their head to the side at Toshinori's claim, the man's cape just fluttering in the breeze as he turned to face the obstacle course. Nobody was quite sure what to make of that, even team RSBR all seemed ready to watch Ruby cross the finish line before the five minute mark. Yang was 'definitely' sure that Ruby would come...
When five minutes came and went, their jaws dropped as Ruby wasn't yet close to being seen.
When, finally, Ruby Rose crossed the finish line at the seven minute mark, everyone was surprised. The girl was 'exhausted', sweat running like rivers down her forehead as she gasped for breath, practically collapsing onto her hands and knees as she reached the finish line. Toshinori nodded his head at that, his hands placed onto his hips.
"I assume that you attempted to cover the entire length of the course with your Semblance, is that right Miss Rose?"
"Please don't make me talk, I'm not ready to not throw up yet..." Ruby gasped as Toshinori turned to the rest of the class.
"You see newbies, you've either recently awakened your Auras or have not had them properly tested. For many of you, the feeling that you have of your soul running throughout your entire body feels endless, as if it could never run out and you could never truly reach the end of it. Sadly, were this the case, then we'd have won the battle against the Grimm many a century ago. We do have our limitations... and that is why we must learn to work around those limitations and not truly push them. What I imagine happened with Miss Rose here is that she attempted to use her Semblance to run the entire length of my course... she may have even gotten halfway through it before, eventually, her Aura just gave out from the constant drain she was putting on it. What you're seeing here is peak exhaustion, when you have pushed not only your physical body past its limitations but your soul as well. As much as this class, in time, will be teaching you about how to manage yourselves in live combat situations we must first start with managing yourselves period. Are we clear, newbies?"
"Yes, Toshinori, sir!"
"Alright then... Miss Rose, when you have sufficiently recovered, feel free to take another swing at this." Ruby just gave a slight thumbs up before she did end up throwing up on the ground, Toshinori just grimacing ever so slightly as he began to call for volunteers.
It wasn't long before Izuku himself ended up at the front of the line. He wanted his chance to show his stuff and in front of your mentor no less. He probably wouldn't have to worry about running low on Aura, he really couldn't spend it to boost his abilities quite yet... but he could still run this course as best as he could.
Having gone through Toshinori's patented achieve the dream training schedule, the Obstacle Course was actually rather familiar to Izuku. While unaware that Toshinori would be teaching at Beacon, with that knowledge, it made sense that he'd have had something like that set up... and it also explained what he meant earlier by having to get something finished.
The first two legs of the obstacle course he actually managed to breeze straight through; long stretches of open ground he was meant to sprint through and some above ground pools that stretched out... pretty far, from what he could tell before diving in. Still, Izuku'd ran far farther these past ten month and swam a lot more laps. Getting through these portions had been easy.
Easy was... not what he would call the next portions of that test. Were it not for his Aura, he was pretty sure he would've sprained his ankle during one of the many leaps across some rather far apart platforms that Toshinori expected them all to complete, though thankfully he managed to barely avoid falling right between the cracks. Even if he did, they weren't 'that' high up and a ladder would've been available for he to get back up...
Which he got well acquainted with on the next jump when he managed to fall and had to climb back up. After that, it was... relatively smooth sailing for the next while. Izuku was forced to do some climbing and it was a bit rough going. However, much like the trees in the Emerald Forest, he managed to find his way up and down without too much hassle. It was the last part, the Agility section... yeah, even he knew that it couldn't have looked pretty to anyone who may have been watching.
In the end though, Izuku was surprised by the fact that when he got back, Toshinori called his time at six minutes and forty seconds, slightly below the average. He must've made more ground on the earlier sections of the test than he had thought. Still, he stayed humble, mostly because he knew that others were going to do better on the course than him, even if there would also be those who did a lot worse. Izuku's team, he knew for a fact, was going to pretty much do better as a whole. Mostly because they would have Aura to boost their performance.
In the end, Izuku was proven right; while his team learned from Ruby's little lesson well, they still did pull out the stops in some places to keep themselves moving without tiring themselves out. Weiss actually ended up being the one to come closest to his own score, at five minutes and fifty-five seconds. Pyrrha actually ended up exceeding Toshinori's own stated bet by breaking the five minute mark and hitting around four minutes and fifteen seconds. Nora?
Even Toshinori seemed a bit blown away for a moment as Nora just basically 'broke' the Obstacle Course. Not literally but she managed to get through it with such speed and time that it seemed unreal to most people. Three and a half minutes. That was how quickly she was able to get through it.
"Holy woah, Nora, that was great!" Izuku couldn't help but declare, the rest of his team nodding in likewise dumbfounded awe as Nora shrugged.
"Aww shucks guys. It was... well it wasn't nothing but boy, it was fun!" Nora declared as she scratched the back of her head slightly. They all had done well in Izuku's opinion, given their capabilities, and it seemed his team shared that estimate. In the end, not every student could be gotten to by the end of class. It was to be expected; it was pretty much the entire First Year class gathered there and the average time was eight minutes. Even with two hours of the afternoon freed up for this class, they'd run into that problem. Toshinori merely laughed it off, saying that they'd handle it next class period, the giant of a man guiding them back towards Beacon Academy as the class came to an end.
"Now then newbies, we'll finish this off next class period on Thursday. Those of you who have already completed the class, feel free to take it as a free period for yourself. Or come to watch the show! I hope that young Miss Rose's lesson has sunk in with the rest of you today as well?" Everyone nodded as Ruby just went scarlet in the face, though she ended up nodding as well. "Excellent! In that case you're all free to go! As you go about your days students, do so with gusto! Remember my own motto; PLUS ULTRA!" With that, Toshinori sprinted off into the maze of buildings that was Beacon's Campus, everyone blinking in some surprise as they marveled at the Symbol of Peace's own show of athleticism.
As everyone marveled or began to go their separate ways, Izuku looked to his teammates and friends with a grin.
'Maybe we have enough time to start our team training a bit. Our schedules will meet with everyone else's soon, but if we start working right now we mig…'
'Huh…'
'Where'd Weiss go?'
'…'
'Well,' he finished looking around, before internally shrugging, 'Given how many times today I've run off to deal with something, I think Weiss has every right to go off and handle her stuff on her own. Besides, she was the one who worked with me the most at lunch planning this out. She'll know the drill when we start later.'
That was the last class of the day. It had been a whirlwind experience, that on some level overwhelmed Izuku, but in the end, as he joined his friends in their walk towards dinner, he was still looking forward to what else Beacon had to offer.
'Toshinori Yagi...The Number One Huntsman in all of Remnant, The World's Symbol of Peace and Hope, the Eighth Wielder of The Semblance One For All, The Hero of Mountain Glenn and so many other little names and recognition,' he just shook his head, "What did they do to you?" he then smiled, 'And what the heck does that matter?'
His life had swung in multiple ways when it came to that weight; in his youth and for the longest time, said weight had been an opportunity. His dream. His belief that he could inspire people, give hope to the masses who might not otherwise have it. The chance to be a hero to scores of people who truly needed it.
To smile even when he was scared, so that he might lift the spirits of others.
'"HELLO... TOSHINORI YAGI…"
After that day, after that fight, that weight slowly became a burden. It slowly became a slowly crushing sensation. The fear had come to dominate his mind as he lost more and more of his ability to maintain One For All. The fear that he might be found out. That his Era as the Symbol of Peace might not end with him handing One For All off to a worthy successor who would light the flame for the future... but that it would end with him discovered. With his image and the ideal of the Symbol of Peace utterly shattered and Remnant once more falling into despair.
Toshinori Yagi still smiled... but for that time, he was more aware than ever that there was plenty of fear behind that smile.
Ozpin had eventually talked Toshinori into settling down, somewhat, and coming to Beacon to be a professor. To search through the ranks of his students to find a successor for One For All... they had both known that Toshinori's time was running out. That soon the flames of One For All would fade... or...
He shook the thought from his head. That... that didn't matter now. In the end, Ozpin's offer didn't turn out exactly like either of them had thought either.
All because of one little chance run in.
"I want people to see my smile and feel safe."
'To think. One day I decide I'd spend in Mountain Glenn on my way to Vale. One day I decide to hang around the city that now has statues of me placed in it. One day when, by a wild chance, one of the monsters of Grimm managed, against all odds, to make its way through the various nets of Mountain Glenn's security…'
'One day, I'd manage to meet the young man I have no doubts over making my successor.'
'Izuku Midoriya.'
As he sprinted through the school and eventually came to a stop, he sighed a bit as he slowly but surely deflated. He'd still ended up coming to Beacon despite having found his successor of course. Izuku 'needed' the teaching that Beacon could provide him. Needed the structure and the chance to be around peers who could help push him, who could support his drive.
And Toshinori? He needed to be around to guide Izuku as best he could. Sure, he didn't know how to teach him about how to control One For All... but as his own requests showed, there was more available for him to teach his protege. More that he could learn from Toshinori...
Or more of a workout that Toshinori could still drill into him.
Toshinori grinned slightly.
'The kid thought the last ten months were Hell? Wait till he gets a look of what the workout would look like now that he has Aura.'
He stretched out a bit as his old Huntsman's attire began to come loose around him. This area of the school was usually pretty isolated to the faculty, so he decided to relax himself around here before he found a place to change out of it.
'Alright, after this class, I think I have a half hour left in my for today. Might not be enough to do much around Vale…,' he remembered something, 'but Port's been talking about a few nests of Grimm that've been growing a bit out of control in the Emerald Forest following the death of the Nevermore.'
'While Grimm are needed in order to ensure the students here could have a ready supply to train, there needed to be some measure of control to ensure that they wouldn't face anything too insane. Maybe I'll go out, romp through the Emerald Forest and Smash some Grimm.'
'Just like old times.'
Toshinori perked up slightly as he heard the clacking of heels coming down the hall from where he'd run in and he shrugged.
'Probably just Glynda passing through, nothing I need to worry about too muc-'
"Excuse me... Professor Yagi?"
'-NOT GLYNDA, NOT GLYNDA!'
Toshinori quickly ducked around a corner real quick and watched as Weiss Schnee, of all people, popped around, her head scanning the various halls looking for him.
'Okay Toshi, you have this. Just... just hero up! Come on, come on, come on…'
"I AM HERE!"
Fully blown up into the shape everyone on Remnant, or almost everyone, knew him by as he dashed out from around a corner, Weiss Schnee shrieked a bit at his sudden appearance. A bit much perhaps but hey, his own nerves were a bit rattled by that close call.
"AH! PROFESSOR YAGI! I mean... Professor Yagi, I'm glad to have managed to catch up with you." Weiss bowed slightly as he turned to face her, a wide smile on his face as he laughed.
"AAAAH, HA, HA, HAAA! Miss Schnee, I do believe that I said that it was perfectly alright for my students to refer to me as Toshinori." The young white haired woman flinched back a bit as she bowed her head.
"O-Of course, I'm sorry Pro, I mean-"
"At ease young miss, there is no need for you to worry so much." Weiss gave him a bit of a look.
"You're not the one standing in front of the Symbol of Peace..." She muttered slightly as Toshinori just give a boisterous laugh, the young woman's face going red as she realized she said that out loud.
"Now then, Miss Schnee, might I ask why you have followed me so deeply into the building? It sounded as though you were looking for me?" As much as he was alright entertaining his students, he didn't have too much time to waste before he'd run out of the opportunity to go out and do Huntsman work entirely. His words seem to strike a bell within Weiss as she nodded, looking up at him with light blue eyes.
"Yes, of course... I do, Toshinori, sir." He just smiled a bit as the young Schnee Heiress straightened up, likely doing her best to look presentable. "It's just... it seems odd to ask this but, you're a professor here... are you aware of who the leader of my team is, sir?"
"Young Mr. Midoriya, correct?" He played that off with all the skill he'd managed to gain over the years, casually scratching at his chin as he just continued to smile. "Why yes, I do believe so. A lot of professors were rather... impressed by his show of force against the Giant Nevermore. That's the right one, correct?" Weiss nodded as he said that, seemingly accepting his charade of not knowing who Izuku was directly.
"Yes, that's the one... well... sir... what I want to ask about is... relating to the fact that he was made the leader of my team." Toshinori quirked an eyebrow slightly as she said that, waving her on as she took a deep breath. "... You see sir, he's... actually quite socially awkward. The times where he can speak plainly and without any sign of meekness are... few. He doesn't seem to have much experience with talking to or instructing people or leading them... something I've had a great deal of in my own life." Toshinori internally winced a bit. He had seen the potential for that... Weiss Schnee was raised to be the Schnee Company's Heiress, after all. She likely spent a great deal of her life learning to be a leader and to speak with people in a manner that would convince them to follow her.
Izuku did have a rough time making first impressions, he knew that himself. Toshinori certainly thought it'd be possible that the young woman in front of him would be... opposed to having someone else picked over her, especially someone who did have so much trouble with people at first glance. Still, he'd been under the impression that Izuku had made a fine first impression on the young woman. Before he could open his mouth up to speak, she sighed.
"... And yet... here we are at the end of the day. Izuku did his best to navigate a rather... initially distressing evening last night, he's thrown himself into his studies and into his position, he's shown himself mentally capable and quite apt when it comes to making strategies for combat on the fly... he's taken his responsibilities as a leader quite seriously, ensuring that our team would come to function multiple times today... he's driven in a way I didn't think a lot of people could be... and by a very noble goal. One that involves you as inspiration, funnily enough."
'... Okay?'
"It... sounds to me like you have quite the high opinion of Mr. Midoriya, Miss Schnee. I don't quite see what you're getting at here? It sounds to me that young Mr. Midoriya is meeting your expectations quite well."
"... Funny you should word it like that. My expectations for today were... terrible. I've spent so much of today just waiting for him to make a mistake, waiting for him to do something that I could latch onto... waiting for an opportunity to find fault in someone who was trying their best and doing... well enough... ugh..." The young woman shook her head as she looked up at him. "Toshinori, sir... Izuku Midoriya has exceeded the awful expectations I had... set for him and done so in a way that has my other two teammates confident in him... and I feel like I should be too... but... I still want that position. I still feel like it's something I'm owed. Even knowing that Ozpin didn't make a mistake... what does that say about me, sir?"
'...'
'Oooooohhhhhhh.'
Toshinori scratched at the back of his neck as he took a moment to think. Honestly, most people would probably take the easy option here. He knew Port would probably go on some spiel about how she'd always been used to getting what she wanted but... that didn't feel helpful there. Not really.
He knew it himself. After all, like he had told Izuku earlier that day... he had been where that young woman was.
"I can't friggin' believe this! Hotpants out there got the job and I didn't? Come on, what the hell quality were they looking at for a friggin' leader? How far up you've managed to shove a stick up your ass?! Come on teach, you're with me on this one right?"
"Hahaha... Toshi, tell me, why do you think you should be the one leading your team?"
"Come on, isn't it obvious? I'm strong, I'm capable, I've got the charisma for it... you've been training me all this time so I know I have what it takes. Heck, I'm your Successor! I've got what it takes to be a leader, I can totally fill that spot!"
"Hmmmm. That, my dear Toshinori, is why you're not fit to be leader of Team EGNT right now."
"WHAT?! Come on Nana, aren't you supposed to be on my side?"
"Hahahaha! I am, Toshinori, I am!"
Even after Enji showed off how good he was for the job, even after he'd shown that he was perfectly capable... who knows, maybe even way better than Toshinori would've been for a while, he still felt that pit in his stomach. Even if he knew it in his head, he was young, way less experienced and far more headstrong. Eventually... well, things slowly but surely came together. Eventually he did grow up, grew more into the man he was today. Hell, before he became famous as the Symbol of Peace, he and Enji had even managed to make a sort of... odd friendship between the pair of them.
That was gone now, of course. Now a days it seemed like the jealousy and internal resentment was on the other foot.
He knew how it felt.
'To feel like you'd been passed over for something you were 'ready' for. Something that you 'earned'... and then to have those feelings turned on you by yourself of all people.'
'Now on the one hand, I could just tell her to go speak with Izuku,' he smirked internally, 'On the other, maybe a bit of… shared experience might be good for her.'
Toshinori ended up just giving his signature smile. As much as he knew Izuku would have been able to give his own two cents, he was young and awkward. Toshinori had the gift of experience and knowledge to offer Weiss... between Izuku's own honest nature and his own insight, perhaps things could go better for them than it did for him in Enji.
'After all, what was the point of being an old man if you can't share your wisdom with the youngsters?'
"You know young miss, I wasn't made the leader of my team either." Weiss Schnee's eyes went as wide as dinner plates as he said that, the light blue jewels just blinking in amazement as her jaw hung open slightly.
"You... what? B-But, that's not... really?"
"AAAAH, HA, HA, HAAA! I know! I tend to get that reaction a lot. But no, I wasn't made the leader of my team. Enji, however, was; Enji was viewed as the most calm and collected out of my team. He was very goal oriented and made sure that our team had what it needed to succeed... and that it had the drive to succeed in all things. He kept us focused, kept us on task and always made sure we acted within the rules of Beacon. Honestly, a lot of us greatly improved under is watch... even if he was a bit of a stick in the mud even way back then." Toshinori whispered the last part conspiratorially, Weiss just nodded slowly as she looked down at the side.
"And you accepted it because even if it wasn't you, a person who was suited for the job was put in charge..."
"Oh no my dear young miss, I raged and raged 'hard'." The girl nearly fell over as he said that, her gaze meeting his as she seemed utterly flabbergasted.
"What?! You? Toshinori Yagi, the Symbol of Peace-"
"Was a young man once. A very young, very headstrong, very 'stubborn' young man." Toshinori said with his smile in place still as he, embarrassingly, placed his forehead in his hands. "I resented Enji for being made the leader in my place. I mean, why wouldn't I? I had the strength, I had the charisma and I 'knew' that I had what it took to be a team leader. So why was it that this jerk with the flame powers got made a team leader instead of me?"
He looked back down at her, a slightly less severe but still overwhelmingly kind smile on his face. "I know how you're feeling right now Miss Schnee... because it didn't take long before I felt the same way you did. Enji proved himself quickly as well, proved why it was a good decision to make him a leader... but I couldn't get over my resentment. I still felt that pit in my stomach. In the end... I wasted a good chunk of my first year feeling that way." He saw that he had Weiss' full attention and he was glad for it as he continued.
"It took time for me to get over it. It took time of me fighting alongside and with Enji... and it took me finally getting to know him as a person before I was able to leave that resentment behind. Even so, I still regret the time I wasted feeling that way. It wasn't an easy thing for me to get over... and it won't be for you either Miss Schnee." She flinched a bit, before he laughed in an encouraging manner.
"However Young Miss, you've managed something that even I didn't; you've recognized the problem and decided to seek out advice on it. Don't take that as a small feat either; I know many a civilian and Hunter alike who couldn't manage to even take that first step. It still won't be an easy road and the temptation to fall back on that resentment will always be there..".
"Which is why, I think, you should talk to Mr. Midoriya." He saw her flinch a bit as he said that but he just put an encouraging hand on her shoulder. "I won't blame you for not wanting to, or even not doing so... goodness knows it'd make me quite the hypocrite if I criticized you for not doing something that I also didn't do... but it sounds to me like you respect Izuku, even through this. I think if you think hard on it, you know that he wouldn't turn his nose up at you for this." She lowered her head slightly at that, nodding in agreement as he went in for the finish. "Don't let this issue fester Miss Schnee. Be open with how you're feeling and I'm sure the both of you will be able to work something out. You'll be stronger teammates for it as well."
"... Thank you Toshinori. I really appreciate this." The young miss gave him the most beaming smile he thought he'd seen that day as he nodded down at her, the young woman turning in place as she quickly hurried off.
"One last thing Miss Schnee." Toshinori saw her turn to face him as he gave her a firm nod. "Remember this well; leadership isn't skill or power. It's about attitude. Honestly think about how many men of means or power you may have seen in Atlas who you felt didn't deserve their positions of leadership." He saw there was a flicker past her eyes as he placed his hands on his hips, trying to give a grand pose to finish it off. "Skill can be taught, power can be earned... however, the heart is something that must be true first for a person to be a true leader."
She just gave him a nod of understanding before she turned and walked off. He waited for the clacking of her heels to be well away from his spot... and then he immediately deflated back. He sighed a bit; he'd really have to get a move on in the Emerald Forest if he wanted to do any harm to any Grimm Nests before he'd have to jump out now... but still, he felt like that was an equally good use of his 'hero time' as it were. A smile formed on his lips as he ducked away to get changed into some more casual, less recognizable clothes.
'Good luck there Izuku... though at this point, I really didn't think you'll need it.'
Izuku snapped his head up as there was a knock at his dorm room's door. By the time everything had gotten settled after class he, Pyrrha and Nora had gotten some snacks together in preparation for their team's pow-wow. All they were doing now was waiting for Weiss to show up. It hadn't taken much time before the discussed time of their meeting for the knock to be heard and, seeing as how he ended up closest to the door, he quickly got up and went to answer it.
He felt a bit of surprise when he saw that it was Weiss standing outside, a slightly pensive expression on her face.
"Oh, Weiss? Hey there... you know you don't have to knock right? It's your room too." She seemed to twitch a little bit as he said that but before an apology could make its way forward she just sighed a bit.
"Izuku... can we talk? Just you and I for a moment?" Izuku blinked slightly as he turned to look towards Pyrrha and Nora. They both seemed to be nodding their heads, ushering him on toward the door from their own seated positions. He didn't know why they were so eager for him to go but in the end he just shrugged.
"Sure Weiss, no problem." With a quick nod to Pyrrha and Nora he closed the door behind himself and Weiss, turning to the white haired Schnee Heiress as she stroked at her hair a bit.
"Izuku... I'm going to speak for a bit. Get some things off my chest. I would appreciate it if you didn't interrupt till I'm done... and I don't want you to apologize 'at all'. I want to just get this all out in one go, okay?" He blinked a few times, a bit confused by her stipulations but he nodded his head in slow agreement as Weiss sighed.
"Izuku... I want to congratulate you. Your first day at Beacon... you've performed well above my expectations. You're studious, determined, goal-oriented, a clever mind for tactics and you try your best to do well by the three of us... even if the situation is difficult. I haven't had one complaint about you so far today... and if this is your state of being, I imagine I will be quite pleased with your role as leader of Team MNVW." He blinked a couple times, a bit confused by that.
'Okay?'
"But... I also want to apologize. Those expectations I set were abysmally low because I was looking for whatever excuse I could manufacture in order to give myself a reason for... for feeling like Ozpin made a mistake in making you leader. To give me a reason why i should feel like I should still be leader, when you haven't fallen down on the job yet and when... I have few reasons to suspect you would. Even before Initiation you went out of your way to introduce yourself to me, not knowing who I was, in order to help get along with more people here. And... well, it's an honesty I've only seen continue. Yet still, I on some level... want your position. I wanted to be the leader of Team MNVW. However, wanting it and deserving it are two different things. Ozpin chose you and you've so far lived up to your responsibilities…"
"I want to be able to be the best teammate I can be for Team MNVW, just like you're trying to be the best leader you can be. I want this out in the air so that there's nothing... smoldering under the surface. I want you to know that I may be... impatient at times... but I do want you to succeed. And I'll do my best to be the best teammate I can be." Finally, Weiss Schnee brushed off her combat skirt as she looked up at him, having said her piece.
'Well... that was... that was a lot…'
Izuku took a steadying breath as he looked at Weiss head on, a smile on his face.
"Weiss... you don't have to apologize." He shook his head to start off with, watching her blink in surprise as he looked down at his own hand. "When I got here... well, I was just glad for the chance to be here. I had no expectations of being made a leader myself. I didn't think I'd have the opportunity or that I would've been able to earn it. And now... being the leader of this team, when all of you are so much stronger than me? It is terrifying. Humbling, but terrifying." He looked back to Weiss, a determined look on his face. "I'm learning how to be a leader for the first time in my life... and I know I'm going to make mistakes. Still, I want to be able to do my best for you all, to be the best leader I can be... that means I'm ready to accept any criticism you might have of me."
"If you don't understand why I'm doing something, don't hesitate to ask. If you have your own ideas, don't think that I won't welcome them. I want you to be able to feel confident that I can be a leader... I don't want you to have doubts whenever I'm making a decision or when I'm in battle. So I want to know what you're thinking." Finally he gave a final determined nod as he smiled at her. "So how's about this; I'll help you be the best teammate you can be... if you and everyone else helps me be the best leader I can be. How does that sound?"
For a moment, there was a pause in Weiss' body language, a hesitation that he saw locked in her eyes. It was almost as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing or hearing... again. Eventually though that lockdown softened a bit as she gave Izuku a polite smile and a slight nod of her head.
"That sounds quite ideal Izuku, thank you. Now... shall we get inside? I do believe we have official matters to hash out before we get into anything else."
"Of course... and Weiss..." She looked to Izuku for a moment, having turned to face the door, as he scratched his arm slightly. "If... if I can't apologize, then can I say thank you? For trusting me with this and believing in me." There was a moment where Weiss stopped again as she took in what he had said and, again, that polite smile came forward.
"Izuku... you're welcome." It was all she could think to say it seemed but he could tell the gesture was well received. Eventually the two entered their dorm room, finding Nora and Pyrrha doing their best to look inconspicuous.
A/N: And that's the end of the First Day! For the next while we'll be entering a bit more of a Slice of Life phase of the story as we chronicle the growth of Izuku's abilities and relationships here at Beacon Academy. There'll be action, there'll be drama and, eventually, we'll get into the swing of some major plot points again. However, for the foreseeable future in terms of chapters, expect My Huntsman Academia to be a bit more light and episodic than strict and arc based. That's how the original Quest was designed and this was the best way to translate that.
Hope you all have enjoyed so far!