Fast As The Wind Chapter 3
Hey everybody, Netherking here. Sorry for being away for a bit. I've decided that I want to start publishing these on Tuesdays. Let's see if I stick to it, shall we?
Anyway, I don't have much more to say, let's jump back into it, shall we?
Iida was jogging along the track, trying to pace himself, but also trying to increase his speed, to try to keep up with Michael, no matter how fruitless it may seem. He wasn't going to let the chipper teen get him down, and prove (moreso to himself than everyone else) that he wasn't going to be overshadowed. He eventually stopped to take a break, panting, and taking a swig from his water bottle attached to his hip. He checked his watch. '4:00, time to go study.' He thought to himself. He grabbed his bag, and walked off to change, where he spotted Michael also changing, presumably also having just finished his own workout. He spotted Iida and smiled, walking over to him. "Hey Iida, what's up? Just finishing your workout?" he asked, a duffel bag slung around his shoulder. Iida tensed up when he heard his name. "Yes, I am finished and plan on studying now." he replied, uncomfortable around his self-declared rival. "Cool! Can I study with you? I struggle a lot with math." he asked, shying away slightly at the mention of his struggle with arithmetic. Iida was conflicted. He wanted to surpass his rival, but also knew that it would be the right thing to help him out. He stood there, coming up with an answer. He sighed, his hero side winning out. "Of course. I'll meet you at the local ramen shop at 5:00?" he asked. Michael's eyes lit up. "Sure! I'll see you then!" he replied, and sped out of the locker room before running back in. "Thanks Iida!" he added, before running off again, the wind pushing Iida's hair as he looked at the ground. 'I know this is the right thing to do, but why does it hurt so much?' he thought to himself.
Later at the ramen shop, the two teens were studying, Michael trying to come up with the correct answer while Iida checked his work. Iida was definitely irritated by being around him, but glad that the blonde was at least improving and making progress. Randomly, Michael asked, "Hey Iida, is something wrong?" he asked, looking at Iida, concerned. "You've been grumbling for the past half hour now." Iida was surprised that Michael noticed his aggravation. He didn't like it, but he couldn't tell Michael the truth. Not yet, anyway. "I am simply concerned for my performance on the practical exam, as I have no way to prepare for it without the information of what it will entail." he replied, hoping the speedy teen bought it. Michael smiled. "It's ok, Iida. I have zero doubts you will pass with flying colors! You're super intelligent, and your quirk is awesome!" the boy told him, holding his familiar grin. Iida was taken aback. "You think my quirk is awesome, despite yours being a better quirk than mine?" he asked, accidentally letting his opinion of Michael's quirk slip. Michael nodded. "Yep! Your quirk is really strong! Cuz you don't just go fast, your kicks are strong too! I've seen you when we were all training." He then looked away, his face dropping into a depressed frown. "All I can do is move fast. I don't have much I can do combat-wise. Running is basically all I can do."
Iida couldn't believe what he was hearing. The boy he thought was superior to him, believed that the opposite was the case? But when he thought about it, he realised the American had a point. Sure, he wasn't as fast, but his combat prowess was better than Michael's. He sat there, dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. Suddenly his alarm went off, signaling it was time to head home. Seeing this, Iida packed up his textbooks. "Well, looks like I have to go. I appreciate you asking for help, every student should strive to be the best they can be. Have a good day, and see you at class." he said, and walked out. The whole way home, he pondered over what Michael had told him. 'Have I been worrying over nothing?' he thought to himself.
The next day, Michael was swarmed at lunch as usual. As he was listening to some conversations about classes, he spotted Iida, and smiled. He waved him over. "Hey, Iida! Come sit with us!" he called out. Iida did just that, but his responsible side kicked in. "Even though we are at lunch, we mustn't yell indoors like that, Michael." he chided. Michael just looked away sheepishly. "Sorry. I was just excited to see you. I never got to thank you for helping me yesterday. I feel like I'm gonna do a lot better with math now!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist. Iida couldn't help but smile, knowing he was able to help someone, even if it was just schoolwork. "You're very welcome, Michael. I want to see us all succeed and graduate to be pro heroes. Besides, we can't always do everything alone." Iida was still feeling a little jealous of Michael, but it wasn't as bad as the day they raced. He wondered if, no, realized, that he was being childish with his resentment. However, he couldn't bring himself to say anything out of embarrassment for his own personal rivalry which essentially meant nothing. He wondered if this was how Bakugo felt about Midoriya, since he was always angry at the green-haired boy. But he didn't want to go ask him, knowing he wouldn't get a straight answer, and more than likely would just get yelled at for talking to him.
At the table, Midoriya and Uraraka both seemed to notice Iida being a little less jealous of Michael, which they were relieved to see. She turned to Midoriya. "I guess he's finally smoothed things out with him, huh?" she asked, and he nodded. "It definitely seems that way, he's more relaxed around him. Well, as relaxed as Iida can get, anyway." The two teens sweatdropped at memories of Iida being uptight and strict about rules, sometimes flailing his arms like a robot. "Yeah, that's fair…" she agreed. The conversation then turned to the practical exam, everyone wondering what it would be. Then Monoma walked up to the 1-A students and started talking about this rivalry he seems WAY too caught up in before he was silenced by a swift chop to the neck by one of Kendo's giant fists. After apologizing, she mentioned she heard the upperclassmen mention their practical was fighting robots like from the entrance exam, and the class began to get excited, as it was something all of them could handle.
At last, it was the day of exams. Everyone was nervous about the written test. Well, almost everyone. Yaoyorozu always received the top scores in the class, and Iida had studied well. Bakugo didn't care about the test, but he also was extremely intelligent, so he had no worries either. Midoriya was slightly worried, but was confident he would pass, as was Todoroki. But they all took their seats and the test began. When it was over, they chatted amongst themselves, a bunch of them thanking Yaoyorozu for helping them study, mostly Kaminari and Ashido. "I didn't leave anything blank at least!" Kaminari stated, proud of himself for that. Yaoyorozu beamed at them, proud that she was able to help. Then they were called into their hero costumes and brought outside the main entrance to prepare for the practical exam.
When they were gathered, everyone finally got a look at Michael's hero costume. It was very tight, and a bright gold, with a pair of aviation goggles and what looked to be a tool belt with a bunch of pouches storing various items. A large 'B' was embroidered on his chest in a shiny silver colored fabric. They all took in his costume, and Kaminari laughed. "Man, I knew you were flashy, but this takes the cake!" Michael scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "The material is a special material that doesn't tear from friction when I run. It also can be used as a distraction in brightly-lit areas with the reflective sheen." he replied, explaining his costume. "So what's the 'B' for?" Hagakure asked. He smiled, put his fists at his sides, and proudly proclaimed, "For I am the flash hero, Blitz!" He got a couple laughs, but most approved, nodding their heads and smiling. Aizawa cleared his throat, getting the attention of 1-A. They turned, and saw a bunch of their teachers lined up in front of them. Aizawa, naturally, but also Snipe, Cementoss, Midnight, Thirteen, Present Mic, Power Loader, and Ectoplasm. Aizawa began to explain. "Now then, let's begin the last test. Remember, it's possible to fail this final. If you want to go to camp, then don't make any stupid mistakes." Jiro realized the crowd of teachers was a little unusual. "Uh, why are all the teachers here?" she asked. "I expect many of you have gathered information and believe you have some idea of what you'll be faced with today." Aizawa replied. Kaminari leaned back in triumph. "We're fighting those big ol' metal robots!" Ashido joined in on the excitement, a fist in the air. "Fireworks, smores, here we come-" suddenly, Aizawa's scarf shifted and expanded as a soft voice emanated from it. "Actually, this year's tests," Principal Nezu popped out of the scarf, pushing Aizawa's annoyed face out of the way as he made his appearance. "Will be completely different for various reasons!" The class was surprised. "Principal Nezu?!" they exclaimed in shock. "You're changing things?" Yaoyorozu asked, while Kaminari and Ashido stood frozen from what they just heard. "The tests now have a new focus, there will be hero work, of course," he explained as he repelled down Aizawa's body using his scarf while Thirteen helped the mouse down. He continued when he was on the ground. "But also teamwork and combat between actual people! So what does that mean for you?" he asked as he pointed at the students. "You students will be working together in pairs and your opponents will be one of our esteemed U.A teachers, isn't that fabulous?" he asked, the students in shock. "We're...fighting the teachers?" Uraraka asked incredulously. Aizawa continued for Nezu. "Additionally your partners and your opponents have already been chosen. They were determined at my discretion, based on various factors, including fighting style, grades, and interpersonal relationships. First, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki are a team," he held up his scarf, a terrifying smirk on his face. "Against me." The two teens shuddered in surprise. "Then we have Midoriya, paired with Bakugo." The two rivals turned to each other in shock. "And their opponent is…" suddenly a shadow appeared in front of the sun, before it was revealed to be All-Might, who landed in front of them. He raised a fist as he stood up. "I am here!" he exclaimed in his catchphrase. "To fight!" Midoriya and Bakugo's eyes shot open in fear as they simultaneously realized and exclaimed: "We're up against All-Might?!" "You're going to have to work together, boys, if you want to win." He told them, and they looked at each other. Midoriya with worry, Bakugo in annoyance. All-Might chuckled. Aizawa also then added, "Now since we have an odd number of students, there will be one group of three, but the rules will be the same for everyone." he looked at Michael as he said this, who nodded, starting to get anxious. 'This is going to be tough,' he thought to himself. Meanwhile, Iida heard Aizawa mention fighting style and thought 'Are me and him going to get paired together since our quirks are speed quirks?'
Hey everybody, It's Netherking. Hope you enjoyed it! This one was a little longer due to the practical exam intro, and me wanting to write the dialogue word for word minus the stuff involving Michael. Hope you enjoyed it. Don't be afraid to leave reviews on how I can improve and if you have any ideas!
Netherking out.