'It hasn't even been seven weeks since I was last here.'

It was a pretty familiar sight to him; he and his mom had visited Vale before and, had ended up in the Vale City Rail Station multiple times. Izuku wasn't nervous about being there, he wasn't nervous about the location...

What did make Izuku a little nervous was the fact that he and the 99 other students who, roughly, made up Beacon's Current First Year were standing here, waiting for things to get settled at the front of the line so that they all could take the rail that would deliver him to his hometown, Mountain Glenn. He took a long, deep breath as he tried to comfort himself with the fact that he was surrounded by not just his team but Team TABY and RSBR. His peer group had decided to stick it out together on the way to the Underground Training Facility. There was no guarantee that they all would be taking the exercise together, after all, so spending some time before being split up, potentially, sounded like a good idea. Izuku looked among his friends to read the mood; unsurprisingly, some of them like Yang and Nora were excited about the potential of seeing an entirely new place that they hadn't been before.

Some, like Ruby, were a little bit nervous about the size of the crowd around them and, yes, going to someplace completely new that they didn't know much about directly. Others were impassive; Shoto, Ren, Blake and Weiss seemed positively nonplussed at the size of the crowd around them as they all just stared around. Others were doing a better job of hiding their excitement than the first group; Tenya and Tsuyu kept up their neutral expressions, but Izuku could see Tenya's hands practically shaking, desiring to do his usual hand movements at the prospect of visiting the location that the two had talked about not so long ago, while Tsuyu just seemed... something. It was always hard to tell with her, but there was just a feeling.

Pyrrha seemed a little uncomfortable with the crowd; not just for its size but because she had been constantly recognized, with fans having walked up in order to speak with her. Kacchan just seemed annoyed with waiting around, period.

Izuku? Well, he had just made one last check to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be.

'Can't be too careful.'

Izuku smiled to himself as he counted everything out; yep, everything was exactly where it should be; the bandages, the salve, the drinks and the extra ammo.

'It maybe a little cautious to bring this stuff, but I reckon that it is better to be safe than sorry.'

Even after his second Awakening, he still hadn't quite developed the Aura shield to protect him from major injuries from even lower opponents like Beowolves. Izuku remembered, with a wince, the hits they'd gotten in on him and how very nearly they'd punched through his Aura a couple times. Up until he improved that aspect of his Aura, taking some extra precautions with goods wouldn't be a bad idea... and heck, in a general situation wouldn't be a bad idea.

Still, Izuku ended up satisfied that yes, he had everything and that no, he really didn't miss anything, just in time for a whistle to be blown.

"For those taking the bullet train to Mountain Glenn, please move ten feet away from the main terminal, as the track will be loaded at this time." Everyone except Bakugo blinked in confusion but eventually followed Izuku lead as well as Bakugo, stepping away from the edge as they all watched. On the ground in front of them, the tracks began to spin as the main terminus moved to connect its rails to a nearby wall which, shortly, opened up to reveal a whole variety of trains. Some were obviously industrial, many being packed with varying kinds of Dust, concrete mixes and steel meant to be shipped out to Mountain Glenn or that had been very recently shipped in, others were military, meant to carry large numbers of Hunters should either Vale or Mountain Glenn need reinforcement. However, what drew everyone's attention was the sleek and well designed train that slowly slid out from its position and onto the rails, slowly inching its way onto the tracks of the central terminus.

Before his non-Mountain Glenn friends could lower their eyebrows at the sight of so many varying means of transport and the system in place to put them on the rails, many of them jumped slightly as a loud, metallic grinding reached their ears. Everyone turned to watch as the large metal gate that had stood on the opposing wall from the terminus slowly opened up, revealing a long, dark tunnel with only some maintenance lights having lit a few small spaces of the tunnel here and there. The terminus slowly spun with the train on top of it and, once the rail between it and the tunnel had lined up, they connected. As that was done, the sounds of metallic grinding ceased and the train stood silent.

"Thank you for your patience everyone, you are now free to board the train. First Year Class of Beacon Academy, you all have been assigned to cars 5-10 of the train."

"... Swanky." Yang finally spoke up among the rest of the class, everyone having nodded in vague agreement as they all got their things. While many people had loaded up into the other cars, his fellow First Years all loaded into the called cars, he and his friends slipping into one that, luckily enough, had turned out to just have Izuku and his friends in it. After a few moments, the train cars had all been loaded, their doors sliding shut. He and Bakugo took deep breaths as they both held onto their seats, prompting everyone to just look over at them curiously.

"What's up guys, I would've thought you guys would be the most used to this of all of us." Ruby remarked as she tilted her head to the side, Bakugo just grunting in annoyance.

"We 'are', Runt." Ruby puffed up her cheeks at that as Izuku just chuckled nervously at his friends.

"Just... hold on to your seats, trust me." His friends seemed a mix of skeptical and slightly amused, though a handful like Pyrrha, Shoto, Blake, Tenya, Weiss and Ren took his advice and grab a hold of their seats. Good thing too as, within moments...

fffffffWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The rest practically fly out of their seats as a 'massive' amount of force hit them nearly at once, various cries of shock and surprise having quickly followed. Izuku braced himself against the force of the train reaching its max velocity and, after a moment, sighed in relief as the force just disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place.

"... HOLY MOLEY, WHAT WAS THAT! THE TRAIN WENT LIKE 'FWOOSH' AND WE WENT LIKE 'AAAAH'!" Nora jumped up from her spot on the floor, the girl a mix between excited and flustered from her experience on Mountain Glenn's bullet train.

"Sorry Nora, we probably should've spoken up at first but... well, the trains between Mountain Glenn and Vale go... pretty fast..." Izuku scratched his cheek as everyone arched an eyebrow.

"How fast we talking here Slugger?" Yang asked as she pulled herself back up onto her seat.

"... About 375 Miles Per Hour..."

...

There was a stunned silence that overtook most of the car, though he heard Tsuyu hum to herself as she placed her finger against her chin.

"Wow, that's pretty fast. If anything bad happened on the tracks, we'd all be dead in seconds."

"... Thank you Tsu, that was just what I needed to hear..." Weiss muttered her knuckles white as she gripped her seat as hard as she could, Tsuyu just having shrugged.

"How does 'anything' go that fast?" Ren asked, honestly bewildered, as Tenya readjusted his spectacles.

"From what I understand of the matter, the train isn't actually 'connected' to the tracks; high amounts of Lightning and Wind Dust are charged through the bottom of the train to create not just a forward momentum but a layer of magnetic energy that works off similar energies being produced by the rails themselves. The energy is just enough to keep it from touching and thus creating friction but small enough that the train doesn't fly entirely off the tracks."

"... I barely understood a word of that..." Ruby remarked as she tilted her head to the side.

"Basically it's a magnetic, levitating train if I'm understanding Tenya correctly." Shoto remarked dryly as Ruby's silver eyes sparkled.

"... OH MY GOSH THAT'S SO COOL!" Ruby reached out and grabbed her sister's arm, shaking it a bit. "YOU HEAR THAT YANG? WE'RE BASICALLY ON A MAGIC CARPET TRAIN!"

"Yeah... real cool..." Yang said slowly as she frowned. "So... what exactly is keeping us from being splatted up against the wall? 375 MPH sounds great and all, but that's a 'little' faster than my bike and... well..." Tenya again raised his hands in his usual, cutting gestures.

"The train cars themselves have their own gravity; a suitable amount of Gravity Dust being charged so as to, essentially, create a space within the cars that isn't effected by the momentum of the train's movements."

"... Is that even a thing?" Blake remarked dryly, her eyes narrow in suspicion.

"Hey, it sounds right to me, so I say go with it!" Nora called out excitedly as she took her seat again, everyone having just agreed to leave the matter be. Pyrrha, on the other hand, just seemed to frown a bit as she looks around, having just noticed something.

"Hey... there are no windows on the train." Everyone blinked as they look around and notice that, why yes, Pyrrha's observation had been correct.

"Huh, that's a shame. I would've liked a view to take in while we're shooting off to Mountain Glenn. Something nice to take in while traveling." Yang remarked as she leaned back against her seat, which caused Kacchan to just scoff.

"Oh what, you want a view of a dimly lit tunnel, idiot?" A slight twitch overcame the corner of Yang's left eye as Kacchan spoke up, the blonde having reached up to rub the bridge of her nose.

"... Thank you for the insight, I hadn't thought of that... asshole..." Yang muttered while Pyrrha still just frowned.

"Point remains... it does feel a little... cramped without a windows." Tsuyu nodded as she looked around.

"The cars seem kind of barren too, it really is kind of claustrophobic... is there anything to do while we wait for the train to arrive?" Izuku tapped his chin a bit before he sheepishly chuckle.

"Well, mostly just watch commercials for stuff either in Vale or Mountain Glenn, depending on which way you're going."

"... Commercials?"

As if on cue, a couple screens that hung down from the corners of the car all lit up at once. It was a way for businesses or companies in the two cities to advertise to people looking to take a break from their lives in either Mountain Glenn or Vale, basically tourists, and a good way of helping the trains pay for themselves. That being said, they weren't 'great' commercials. Take the one for a slightly well-known Mistrali-Themed Restaurant whose main specialty was fish dishes... and, well...

"Good eats, come come, pretty girls too~ Nyan nyan, nyan nyan, Ni Hao Nyan~ Gorgeous, Delicious, Very Cultured!"

It was oddly catchy commercial jingle, performed by a, admittedly attractive, young woman, presumably a Faunus judging by the cat ears on top of her head.

"... I like it." Nora said with a smile as the rest just kind of stared for a moment. Clearly it wasn't everyone's cup of tea.

"Well we could just talk for a bit. It'll be a little bit till we hit Mountain Glenn even at these speeds." Izuku remarked as everyone else just nodded, content to slowly break up into either small groups or sit by themselves as everyone waited for the train to hit its destination.

xXxXxXxXxXx

'Welp, first things first, team leader responsibilities.'

Izuku sighed a bit as he got up out of his seat, the movement going unnoticed as everyone seemed a bit more preoccupied with their own thoughts or conversations, as he walked on over to Weiss. For a moment, he thought that the white haired girl didn't even notice him, her light blue eyes locked forward on the wall opposite her as he took a seat next to her. Izuku fidgeted a bit, unsure about how to crack open a conversation with Weiss, after all it was plain as day that the girl's pretty well scared out of her wits, but he wasn't quite sure of how to start addressing it.

"Izuku, be honest with me." Izuku actually flinched as Weiss' voice reached his ears, having not expected her to notice his presence, much less acknowledge it. Still, the Schnee Heiress spared him a glance as she took a bit of a breath. "How long until we get to Mountain Glenn? How long am I going to be on this screaming metal deathtrap?" He frowned a bit as Weiss' description of the train... but then to someone who is decidedly 'not' used to travel by train, especially the underground train between Glenn and Vale, he was not surprised.

"Well... it should take about twenty or twenty-five minutes over all, I think. Mountain Glenn's just a little under 150 miles away, so..." Weiss flinched as she locked eyes with him.

"Mountain Glenn is 'that' far away?" Izuku nodded slowly as Weiss just huffed, shaking her head as she raises her hand. For a moment, he thought she was going to palm her face... though it's as if Weiss realized she had momentarily released her death grip on the seat underneath her, as her hand immediately shot back down to sunk her fingers back into it. "By the Gods Izuku, why would Vale put a city 'that' far away from itself with this... monstrosity as the only means to get to it?! That's just insane! We're literally trapped in a giant metal tin can that's screaming through a dimly lit underground tunnel! Any number of things could happen to us!" Izuku chuckled nervously as he scratch the back of his head."

"Come on Weiss, it isn't that bad. There haven't been any major accidents on the train since some of the modifications have been made to the system... and the last big accident occurred with an industrial train, not a civilian one."

"That does 'not' make me feel better Izuku!" Weiss said, almost with a whine, as she seemed to curl up just a bit more.

"Come on Weiss, you guys have to have trains up in Atlas, right? Passenger trains at that."

"Izuku, an Atlesian passenger train is 'very' different from what we're experiencing here. It 'doesn't go over 200 miles per hour... it doesn't even exceed 125! It 'isn't' totally enclosed with no windows so you can't see if trouble is afoot or you can't get out. Izuku, on a normal train if it were about to crash I could use my Semblance to make Glyphs to help me escape from it from out the window! Here, I just have to wait, cross my fingers and hope this train doesn't splatter us against the walls of these tunnels! Finally, Atlesian passenger trains are above ground and people will actually know if something happens! How long would it take before anyone even knew that something bad happened Izuku?"

"Uhhh..." Izuku actually really didn't want to answer that last question; it was an admitted fault with the system that the only time anyone knew something had happened was when the train didn't arrive on the station on time, and even then further time could be added if people just assumed it left late. The only times people would know immediately is if the accident took place close to a terminal... and that carried its own 'very bad' set of circumstances if that occurred.

"Exactly!" Weiss looked back forward to the opposite wall as she shivered. "And we have to take this ride back to Vale all over again just to get back to the dorms... Gods, why couldn't you all have put Mountain Glenn closer to Vale or something?! Even the lesser Mantle Cities aren't so far removed from their major former City State! What sense does this make?"

"Well, Vale's quite privileged with its location. With the seas at its back and the mountain ranges up front, it's got some great natural defenses to shield it from the predations of the Grimm. When the Vale council was looking for a second expansion, they wanted something along those lines too. After all, no point expanding if you can't hold the ground you take. Mountain Glenn's where it is since it's the most defensible position for hundreds of miles around. That said, if it couldn't get reinforcements from Vale quickly, there'd be no point placing it where it is in the first place, hence the rail network."

In all honesty, he didn't think he could somehow make Weiss think she had some manner of control, which he had surmised was the root of her issue with being on the train. It really wasn't in his power to pull the kind of mental maneuvers that would be necessary in order to make that kind of stuff work. Plus, by all means, Weiss hadn't been 'wrong' about having no power if something happened to the train ,per say. So instead, he decided to blitz Weiss in two directions; the logical half of her complaints and the emotional, hoping to address her worries while also giving her something else to think about. Izuku watched as Weiss blinked at his explanation, a slight frown on her face, though one that seemed slightly defiant, as if miffed that he challenged her position, than one upset with his line of reasoning all together.

"Well... alright, a fair enough point. Still, why bother with the expansion then? Why not just stay in Vale, what makes Mountain Glenn so special that it 'needed' to be put down."

'Oh, I actually know that one too!'

"Oh well, you see, on top of Mountain Glenn's really defensible position, the Dust veins in and, mostly, around Mountain Glenn are pretty rich. I think the idea was to reduce the reliance on the SDC for Dust, actually. It's pretty rich in both Lightning and Wind Dust, which is why they chose a maglev train for transport; easily accessible resources with a ready application." Izuku saw that Weiss had yet to pry her fingers from the cushion, but it was pretty clear that he'd taken the fangs out of Weiss 'logical' arguments against the train having been necessary or warranted... and just left her with her own fear of her lack of control. "Still... that probably really doesn't help you much at all, does it?"

"Not really..." Weiss muttered to herself.

"Well, think of it this way: these trains have the best safety record out of any public transport in Vale. They have to, considering the distances covered and the velocities involved; there are so many safety features on these trains it's difficult for them to add anything else. Walking across the street is more likely to end in you getting injured than taking the train to Glenn, same as taking a bullhead." Izuku chuckled a bit as he looked off to the opposite wall. "I mean, it probably doesn't feel that way; you're right that it seems like nothing's in your control... but, well, in this case we just have to put the control in the train's safety features and feel confident in its track record. It really is the safest way to travel in Vale."

Weiss just sat there for a moment, a frown still deeply cut on her face as she stared off in the same direction Izuku had. He watched as Weiss sighed and, while she didn't relax at all, she did at least dig her nails out from the cushions and put her hands back in her lap.

"I suppose there's no helping it when you put it like that... I'll just have to sit here and wait for this ride to end... and do the same when we go back to Vale." Izuku nodded; it was clear Weiss still didn't like it very much, but that she wasn't at least in threat of having a heart attack anytime soon. Eventually he decided to get up out of his chair, figuring his work. As he did so, Weiss' voice spoke up. "Izuku... thanks for trying. It did make me feel... a little better." Izuku turned to give Weiss a smile as he nodded.

"Sure thing Weiss, anything I can do to help."

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Sounds like Weiss isn't exactly taking the whole ride well." Izuku sighed as he nodded in agreement, taking a seat next to Blake as the black haired young woman just stared at the monitor up in the corner.

"Well, she has her reasons, and understandable ones at that. Honestly I think I might've figured more people might've been out off. This is something to get used to, after all." Blake nodded absentmindedly as she glanced back over her shoulder at you.

"Eh... I've been on worse rides, so I think I'm a bit immune to that kind of panic..." Blake's face took on a more curious expression as she noticed him flinch. "What?"

"Oh it's just that... well, you gave me a bit of a look so I was wondering..." Blake seemed to realize her mistake as she shook her head, her black hair swinging about.

"Oh! No, no... whatever look was on my face-" Irritated and a bit put off but... definitely 'hungry', "-wasn't meant for you... I was watching the..." Blake sighed, as if the admission was some source of embarrassment. "... 'Commercial'..."

"Oh, well, I don't see why you'd be so... embarrassed about watching a commercial. It's pretty much the only thing to do on the train while we wait." Again, the commercial for the Ni Hao Nyan continued, the little advertisement having the Cat Faunus who usually performed the jungle listing off a variety of fish dishes that the restaurant specialized in, going into detail about it all. Even Izuku had to admit, it made him a bit hungry, though it was just because it reminded him of the fish dishes his mom would make from time to time. "I also don't understand why you'd make... that look there." Blake seemed lost for a moment, that expression of irritation and hunger evident on her face, before she seemed to snap out of it at the end of his statement.

"Huh? What was that?" The girl's cheeks flared red for just a moment as her Amber eyes blinked in realization. "Oh, right, that... well... it's just... you know... ummm..." Blake seemed to take a moment to try to think of the best way to phrase herself. "... Have you ever felt like something was decidedly 'not' for you... but at the same time it was?"

...

"Huh?" Izuku tilted his head to the side, obviously confused, as Blake just pressed a hand to her face.

"O-kay, so... like, imagine there's something you see and there's stuff about it that you don't really like. Like, yeah, you might understand why other people like it, and even why the people involved might make it like that... but it's not really up your alley at all? But at the same time there's stuff about it that's..." Blake's mind seemed to wander for a bit as the commercial piped up about a special on a noodle dish with freshly caught tuna diced up into it with the fish oil mixed into the broth and, Izuku swore, that Blake licked her lips 'very' quickly' as she shook it off "... Completely and totally up your alley?"

"... So you... don't like something about the commercial and like something about it at the same time?" Izuku frowned slightly as Blake just gave a 'very' slight nod, it being clear that her nerves were acting up slightly.

"I'd be careful about asking Blake about this particular little subject there, Slugger." Izuku blinked as he turned to look at Yang, who just had this... increasingly mischievous grin on her face. "I mean, we've tried to talk to her about this before and, well, let's just say she can get a little bit..." He saw Yang's cheeks puff out, as if she was trying to hold herself back, as if she 'knows' that she shouldn't say what's on her mind... but, like a dam fit to burst, it seemed Yang couldn't help herself as her enthusiasm bubbled over. "A little bit 'catty' about it!" Yang went the full 9-Yards for that pun, even so far as making a pretty cat-like expression to go along with it.

"... Ribbit ribbit."

thhhWAAAAAP!

THUNK!

"Ah!" Yang was simultaneously assaulted from the front and back, Tsuyu's tongue slapping her across the back of her head while Blake tossed a copy of Little To Do With Something into her face. The girl rolled out of her seat as the assault concluded, a slight groan coming up from her spot on the ground as she gave a thumbs up. "I regret nothing, I'm nothing without my puns!"

"It's for your own good Yang, ribbit ribbit." Tsuyu said plainly as she shrugged.

"Yes, you're not as hilarious as you think you are... Izuku, could you grab my book?" Izuku just nodded as he reached down and picked up the copy of the play, handing it back to Blake. She was giving a bit of a stink-eye to Yang, but soon enough she returned her attention back to the conversation.

"Wow, you must really like fish a lot. I mean, I've seen you eat it as often as you could when the mess hall's been open, but I didn't know you loved it enough for it to overpower whatever it is you hate about the commercial." Izuku saw Blake pause for a moment as she looked over at him.

"It... it isn't 'that' noticeable, is it?" He flinched a bit at Blake's question, a nervous laugh having escaped his lips as Blake's cheeks turned red. "It isn't 'that' apparent, right?" When, again, he couldn't give Blake a solid answer, he watched as the black haired young woman momentarily buried her face in her hands, letting out a slight groan as she shook her head. "Oh Gods..."

"I-I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have brought it up, and-"

"No, no... it's not you. I'm embarrassed with me. I... thought I had better self-control." Blake sighed as she removed her hands from her face, a tinge of red remaining though her face had returned to its calm and collected expression. "But... yes. I like fish a lot and... I'm not going to lie, just listening in about what they serve and seeing them... I can practically smell and taste it... and it's good Izuku. It's... actually kind of making me a bit hungry, shamefully enough." Blake remarked as she shook her head. Izuku chuckled slightly, though he quickly bite back on it when Blake shot a look. The look didn't last long as she shook her head again. "But... yeah, it overpowers it but only to a degree." Izuku nodded as he brought his hand up to his chin, stroking it slightly as he took a closer look at the commercial.

"Well then... do you not like who they have doing the commercial?" Blake blinked in some surprise. "I mean, do you know her or is she famous for something bad or-"

"Oh, oh no, nothing like that Izuku." Blake shook her head at that. "I don't even know her and, before you ask, it isn't necessarily the Ni Hao Nyan either... like I said, I understand why there'd be people who'd like... this sort of thing and even why people would go along with it." Blake frowned slightly as she leaned back, looking up at the commercial. "I've just... not really seen something like this before, where I've grown up. Seeing this kind of stereotyping used so flagrantly and to... entice people? I dunno, it just seems weird to me."

'Stereotyping? What was she talking about? There…'

'Oh! Of course! How could I have been so dense? Of 'course' that's what Blake had meant!'

"Yeah, now I think I understand what you're getting at." Blake nodded, seeming to have expected that. "The cat and fish stereotype is pretty overblown when you actually get down to the biology of it. Most wildcats live in areas without any accessible seafood, so it's actually pretty bad to feed your cat as much fish as the stereotype insists."

...

"Huh?" Blake asked, seemingly surprised by his statement.

"Oh, well, I learned about this when I was doing Survival training at Birch. A tip they actually give you is that you can be pretty certain that you don't have to worry about wild cats snooping around places like rivers or deltas because that isn't where they usually stay... and the stuff that usually does stay there usually isn't as stealthy, like bears and stuff."

Blake just seemed to stare at him for a long moment...

... *Snort*

Izuku blinked as... a sound came from Blake. It was muffled, as Blake quickly brought up her fist to cover her mouth, but... he would swear it almost sounded like a snort of laughter. Though, that seemed impossible; indeed, this notion was backed up when Blake removed her fist and there was just that same old even expression of hers... though with a slight curve at the corner of her lips.

"Yes, right on the money Izuku. That's exactly what I meant. The fish stereotype with cats really is overblown." Izuku couldn't help but get the feeling that Blake's making fun of him, but before he could press Blake just pat her copy of the play the two had been supposed to read. "So, how far along have you gotten?"

"Uh... I've actually finished it already."

"Wow. I'll have to get a hurry on it then so I don't keep you waiting." With that, the conversation moved right along. Whatever had bugged Blake about the commercial previously, something had seemingly distracted her from it.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"I'm telling you Yang, this is totally awesome! Zooming around so fast, on a train! Just think about it, we'll be able to get home to Patch in no time flat once they finish the extension to the island!"

"Ruby, I'm tellin' you, you're not thinking of the big picture. I mean, sure, it's convenient, but... I dunno, it just seems a little... impersonal?"

"What? What's impersonal about a giant metal train that's sending us off flying at hundreds of miles per hour to our destination? That sounds completely, personally tailor-made for me!"

"Uhhh... you two alright?" Ruby and Yang immediately turned to face Izuku as he approached, the two sisters giving him a quick wave as they scooted over to give him a place to sit.

"Hey there Deku! Yeah, we're fine, just having a little sisterly discussion... where Yang's wrong, as usual." Ruby placed her hands on her hips, a smile on her face that told Izuku that many an argument had similarly where Ruby had usually won out in the end. Yang, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes... partly in annoyance but also partly in amusement.

"... I swear if you pick up anything from that dickhead besides Izuku's nickname..." It was hard to hear from under Yang's breath as she muttered, but he could practically feel the chill of Yang's eyes going up and down his spine as she quickly glared past him at Bakugo. Eventually her lilac eyes lost their edge as they returned to Izuku, a friendly glint back in them. "And yeah, nothing's wrong there Slugger. I'm feeling a little woozy from Tsu and Blake-y assaulting me so flagrantly-" Tsuyu and Blake just gave a quick 'meh' from their positions on the train, a slight chuckle earned from Yang as she shrugged, "but yeah, just having a chat with my dear, baby sister here, who just doesn't understand things about the world that us more mature people do."

"... Yang you just made a kitty face while making a cat pun, you aren't that much more mature than I am..." Yang just scoffed as she waved her little sister off.

'The truth from the youth.'

"Oh, what are you two talking about?" Izuku tilted his head to the side, his emerald eyes curious as the two sisters glanced at each other, a silent agreement shared between them, before they turned back to Izuku.

"Well Izuku, we were just so happening to talk about this amazing, magic carpet train that you all have running!" Ruby exclaimed with a great deal of enthusiasm as she looked around. "I think it's pretty super that this thing goes so fast and that it's so sleek and high tech! Distances people couldn't dream of surmounting, places we couldn't think of living, all made possible thanks to the same ingenuity that makes my baby Crescent Rose more than just a common sickle!" Ruby then turned to stick her tongue out at Yang. "But Yang here thinks it isn't good at all! She's being a lubb... uh... lewddite?"

"Luddite?" Izuku offered, blushing slightly from Ruby's misspoken version of the word.

"Yeah, a Luddite!"

"Okay, first off, I ride a motorcycle, alright? Bumblebee is my 'baby', so I'm no Luddite." Yang brought up one finger to accompany her point. "Second, Ruby, I never want to hear you say lewddite ever again." Ruby just frowned a bit, but Yang quickly moved on as she moved into her third finger. "Thirdly, I don't think the train is all bad. Like, I get it... I just think that it loses something, you know?" Yang shrugged as she leaned back in her seat, looking around. "Like, whenever our family's gotten to Vale before, we've always taken a ship. It'd be like a miniature adventure! Sea spray in your hair, the salt in the wind, the sights you get to take in... it's the journey that makes life worth living, if you ask me, and all the stuff you get to take in." The blonde's frown deepened as she looked around.

"With this though? Sure, Ruby and I will be able to get to Patch much faster once the line opens, but... well, we'll lose out on a lot of the journey. Dimly lit tunnels, trains with no windows or anything to look at besides commercials that trigger Blake." Yang ducked the book that time, before tossing it back to Blake. "I mean, that just basically makes the journey... nothing, right?"

"Pffft, what are you talking about Yang?" Ruby asked, opening her arms wide. "Think about it! With all the time saved like this, we can have tons more 'better' adventures than just waiting around to get somewhere! Those ship rides are fun whenever stuff like dolphins or whales pop up, but most of the time it's just dad and me getting sea sick while you laugh at us!" Yang chortled a bit, barely containing the laugh in her cheeks as she brings her fist over her mouth.

"T-That's... that's another benefit, I suppose... *snrk*" Ruby frowned at that as she shook her head.

"So yeah, the train will be way better! Heck, we'll be able to see a whole bunch more stuff without having to worry about spending time just getting to where the real adventure's at!" Immediately, he was faced with a pair of silver eyes that stare defiantly at him. "Right Deku?"

"Hey now, don't go pressuring Slugger into agreeing with you like that! Slugger's free to take the journey of life at his own speed and see all the things it has to offer 'without' you pressuring him into making a decision or hurrying him up. Right Slugger?"

"... Uuuuuh... I think it's really important to get where you need to go, as quickly as you can. As a Huntsman, our job will always be to go out and help people, to be there, when we are needed. It is important to take in the scenery, but that means nothing if the people we are sworn to protect are in harm's way. So this train... it represents the fastest way to bring help to the two largest population centers in Vale, and I would not trade it for all the views in the world."

It was an incredibly mature, well thought out opinion that an adult would've had a very easy time respecting; it showed consideration for others and it kept in mind the importance of his future duty as a Huntsman, something that would be considered quite the pair of virtues for most people.

"Hah! In your face Yang, two to one means we win!"

However, the conversation hadn't been occurring between a perfect set of adults as Ruby celebrated from having her position backed up, 'especially' from having it so articulately argued. It was clear it was another minor sister competition between the two and that Ruby had, for all intents and purposes, considered it her victory. Yang, for her part, certainly hadn't seemed put off or otherwise irritated with the position Izuku put forward or that Izuku supported her sister. Sure, Ruby's boasts had quickly earned the younger sister a headlock, from which the younger girl could only flail uselessly against while Yang looped her arm around her neck, but Yang looked at him with a look of understanding.

"I get where you're coming from Slugger and I feel ya; I wouldn't want to sacrifice people's lives for a little bit of scenery either. I just... I dunno. It's not just going to be during heroic emergencies where this train is going to be used. In the end, I do think Ruby and I will probably end up using it to get to Patch once the connection's up. It's just gonna save a lot of time. But... well, consider me a bit of a Romantic if I won't miss those trips across the sea by the time when the only view I'm getting is from the inside of a tin can." Yang joked as she rapped the knuckled of her free hand against the wall of the train, a bit of an echo produced as he nodded in understanding.

"It's unfortunate... but that scenic ride with a view will always be available, I think, when you'll want to take it Yang. I certainly wouldn't take that away from you or anyone else... I just think that, when push comes to shove, I'd rather some people miss out on that kind of ride because they want convenience than not having the train here at all to help keep Mountain Glenn and Vale safe." With that, Yang nodded as she closed her eyes sagely.

"I can respect that position."

"Then why do you still have me in a headlock, Yang?!" Ruby managed to poke her mouth out from where Yang's arm had wrapped around it, only for her sister to immediately drill her other hand into Ruby's head as she grinned down at her.

"Because right now my darling baby sister is being a spaz and being pretty disrespectful to her older, more mature sister, and so you need to be taught a quick lesson in manners!"

"WITH A NOOGIE?!" Ruby cried out, the rest of the train car watching the scene in amusement, Izuku included.

"Hey, noogies are the best teachers, I'll have you know!"

Izuku couldn't help but smile, even as he went ahead and took that as his opportunity to leave the two sisters be. Though he was but an only child himself, he could tell when a moment was 'sibling bonding' and decided to leave the two young women at it, Yang and Ruby continuing their little display for the time being.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"It's just... you know, growing up where I did, something like this... I mean, I've spent most of my time at Beacon, so I haven't quite gotten acclimated to Vale's..."

"Yeah, I hear ya. I feel more at home when my family went back out for vacation too, ribbit ribbit." That was the ending string of the conversation he caught onto as he approached Pyrrha and Tsuyu. Seeing the two usually more put together members of his group of friends looking so irritated and nervous sent a bit of a signal up, both as a Team Leader in Pyrrha's case and as a friend in general for both of them. So Izuku approached slowly so as to not interrupt them, though it seemed he caught their attention anyway. A smile quickly worked its way up onto Pyrrha's face while Tsuyu just raised an arm in greeting.

"Hello Izuku."

"Hey Izuku." The two offered up their greetings as he nodded back.

"Hey Pyrrha, Tsu, just thought I'd drop by to see what was up." Izuku quickly took a seat that the two offer to him as he did so, the two young women frowning, in Tsuyu's case ever so slightly, as Pyrrha just chuckled nervously.

"Why, nothing's up Izuku. Everything's just fine. Tsu and I were just taking the opportunity to talk with each other and-"

"It was that obvious huh?" Pyrrha practically slapped herself as Tsuyu just flat out confirmed that something had been up, Pyrrha frowning slightly as she looked off to the side.

"Tsu, it's really nothing, we don't need to bother Izuku with it... it's not like he can do anything about it." Pyrrha muttered to herself, while Tsuyu just shrugged as she placed her finger to her lips.

"Well he came over here because he figured something was up, so I think that means that he's willing to be bothered by it. Besides, able to do something about it or not, he'd probably feel better knowing what was what, ribbit ribbit." Izuku nodded slightly at Tsuyu's very blunt read of the situation, a tinge of red on Pyrrha's cheek as Tsuyu laid the case out.

"I-I suppose you have a point." Izuku nodded as he leaned forward in his seat, looking at the two.

"Yeah, she does. I mean, if something's bothering you two, I'd really like to do what I could to help and, even if I can't, I'd like to at least extend a friendly ear. You know, be the best partner and friend I can be." Pyrrha smiled warmly at that while Tsu just keeps her even expression, though a nod signaled her own appreciation. "So, what's up? What's got you two so nervous?"

"Well... I don't want to say anything to make you think we don't appreciate that this trip's going to be done in such short order Izuku, nor are we undercutting the accomplishment-"

"This train's really claustrophobic and it's making us both a bit uncomfortable, ribbit ribbit." Again Pyrrha seemed utterly undercut by Tsuyu's bluntness, as he just blinked in surprise.

"Really?" Tsuyu looked over to Pyrrha, clearly wanting the girl to lead off, as Pyrrha just sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Don't get me wrong Izuku, it's not terrible, it's not like I'm sitting here hyperventilating... but, well, growing up in Mistral you get used to a certain sense of... openness." Pyrrha extended her arms out about as far as she could without hitting someone or touching part of the train. "The entire city is built in such a way that you always have this view of the sky and the only time the sun disappears is when it dips behind part of the mountain... and even then you could just walk around and get a view of it. The markets are wide open with sprawling spaces for people to buy and sell wares, the streets are spacious... admittedly, when it gets 'really' going they can get crowded, but even then there's a certain sense that you're not necessarily stuck there. There's just so much... breathing space where I grew up. I never really felt like I was stuck in some place."

"At Beacon too; the campus is so nice and wide open, it practically feels like home... well, except for the aesthetic, but still." Pyrrha scratched the back of her head. "Whenever I go into Vale though and 'especially' here and now in this train, I feel... closed in a bit." Pyrrha motioned to her arms. "I realize that I'm a little... tall for a young woman, but still, I'm used to being able to just stretch my arms and legs and not having to worry about knocking into someone... unless they're very specifically trying to get into my space..." Pyrrha practically muttered the last part under her breath before she continued. "Anyway, like I said, I'm not terrified of being in a place like this but... well, I'm just so used to home that this really runs it in that I'm not in Mistral anymore, and that... well, it's just not homey." Pyrrha spoke up, as Tsuyu nodded in agreement.

"My folks way back when my family first moved to Vale had a similar experience. The part of Vale we grew up in... sure it could get marshy sometimes, if not a downright swamp in some places, but it was wide open nature. Moving into a big city... it was a lot to take in for people who'd lived in the country for as long as our family could recall." Tsuyu looked over at Izuku. "Even now, I feel more at home outside of Vale's tall buildings and crowded streets, out in the open woods. It feels more like home to me... maybe it's part of me being a Frog Faunus but... I dunno. It 'feels' right, if you understand me."

Izuku nodded in understanding as he tapped his chin. He grew up in Mountain Glenn, so he was aware of the dichotomy they were talking about; between a more crowded, urban construction and the more open, breathing space. The apartment he lived at was nice, but it wasn't quite in 'the' downtown heart of Mountain Glenn. Izuku could walk outside and not have his vision obscured by huge high-rises or businesses in the rebuilt downtown district. On the other hand, he did always have the Walls on the periphery of his vision, so there was 'always' that sense of being pinned in to someplace, he supposed. He frowned as he really thought about the matter and how he felt about it.

"Mmmm, I understand where you two are coming from. I spent a lot of time out in the wilderness myself, and the place my mom and I stayed is even out in the more suburban parts of Mountain Glenn, so we weren't exactly hurting for open air and space." Tsuyu and Pyrrha nodded in agreement, having expected the conversation to have just about dropped off there. "But... well, I'll have to politely disagree about it being better than the city itself." With that, both Tsuyu and Pyrrha seemed genuinely surprised. "You see... I dunno, it sounds silly, but... whenever I walk through Vale or when I go to downtown Mountain Glenn... I feel like there's a sense that Progress has been made. I don't mean that in a way that belittles the country or nature or anything, don't get me wrong, but... growing up where I did, where just a few decades ago there was nothing there and, not long after, there was almost nothing again…"

"I dunno. There's 'something' about walking through Downtown Mountain Glenn and seeing all these buildings towering up over you, some threatening to eventually even reach over the walls that protect us. Growing up in Vale kind of builds on that sense, like there's something that's been built here. That thing that's been built wasn't built overnight or even by a small group of people... 'all' the people living in a place like Vale or Mountain Glenn have made those buildings and the cities possible. The high rises, the bustling streets... it's all made possible by the people who lived there. More than that, those people... it makes things feel so alive. I can understand feeling overwhelmed by people but... well, in a crowd, in a city, with the lights flashing around, it feels... 'alive' in a way similar to how nature feels alive. There's an energy running through it that, to some degree, I can't help but get caught up in."

"We humans and Faunus... we've made these places. Yeah we've made places like Mistral or your home too Tsuyu, but it's not to the same degree. We turned places that just had potential to be homes for us all and made it a home. Made it a place where people could play and work and just live, safe from the Grimm. To me... I dunno, that just speaks to me." Izuku scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he looked off to the side. "Again, I don't mean to say that I think you guys are wrong or that your way of thinking is just off base, but... to me, that's how all this feels, you know?" Pyrrha and Tsuyu took a moment to consider his words, Pyrrha's brow knit in thought while Tsuyu just placed a finger to her lips. Before long, Pyrrha gave him a somewhat tired smile as she nodded.

"Well... while I can't say I entirely agree Izuku, I do think that's a wonderful reason for disagreement. I don't feel it myself but... that you feel that way, it does sound wonderful." For a moment, both he and Pyrrha practically braced themselves as he waited for Tsuyu to barge on in to Pyrrha's statement, reducing it down to a far more blunt assessment that took out any of Pyrrha's pretensions to being polite in exchange for the actual, blunt reality.

"Yeah, what Pyrrha said. I don't feel that way, but it sounds pretty nice from the way you describe it Izuku, ribbit ribbit." Pyrrha allowed herself an audible sigh as Izuku just chuckled, glad that he could work through a difference of opinion with friends without anyone having left feeling chided or kicked. It had honestly just been how he felt, and what they'd said had honestly been how they felt. No one had meant any harm and it just meant that they all had slightly different views on things. The fact that they all could look from each other's perspective and see the good in it... well, it was nice.

It was nice to have friends like them.

"The City of Mountain Glenn would like to ask that those looking to enter the city please keep a distance of at least thirty feet away from the doors as they open, so as to prevent any accidental injury that may arise from an unexpected malfunction, thank you."

The same overly polite female voice that had greeted Izuku back in the Vale terminal had echoed out in the Mountain Glenn terminal, a space that for all intents and purposes had almost perfectly reflected the Vale terminal. Still, little things like that had been beneath his notice as he practically shivered in place, a slight sense of excitement having come over him as he watched the great, iron gates that separated the terminal from Mountain Glenn. It had only been a little over five weeks now, but he'd still felt the slight reverberations of homesickness begin to creep in. The prospect that, here and now, they were about to see his home, separated from it for the longest time he had been in a while, really just excited Izuku.

There had only been a few things that had numbed that excitement; first things first, Toshinori had been nowhere in sight. All week Izuku'd heard that he was set to be one of the professors involved in overseeing the exercise, and yet he hadn't spotted a single trace of him. He'd heard that he'd gotten himself pretty busy earlier in the day dealing with some criminals and some, apparent, terrorist activity but... well, he hadn't been entirely certain of that. A thought crossed his mind; what if Toshinori had spent too much of his time and, therefore, couldn't actually get to the exercise today? The thought had caused a slight sinking feeling in his gut as he looked down at the ground.

On the other hand... there had been another thought that stuck around Izuku's mind and gave him a slight feeling of regret; he was in Mountain Glenn and his mom didn't even know it. The one person in the entire city who would've been the most thrilled to know that he was in town at that moment and she had no idea. He hadn't gotten an opportunity to bring it up since the last time he called, his mom apparently having spent the last several days getting together with Mitsuki Bakugo to talk about a potential vacation plan, but... well, to be frank, he hadn't exactly made a strong effort to tell her either. Part of him was afraid that people weren't supposed to know... but then again, Beacon was a pretty open school and it was just a normal exercise, right?

Izuku's thoughts were shaken loose as, suddenly, the grinding of metal brought his attention to the forefront. The metal door that stood before them all, having appeared as if it had been a solid chunk of metal mere moments ago, seemingly split in twain as the two halves slid off to the side... to reveal a second gate. That gate had split horizontally across the middle, the two halves having either risen up or sunk down into the ground as they revealed a third set of gates, this one with a bank vault-esque device set in the front of it. Within moments, the various wheels and cogs of the device began to spin and, much like a wheel, the gate slowly rolled over into the wall... and for the briefest of seconds, everyone had been forced to shield their eyes as natural sunlight blasted into the room.

"Thank you for your patience ladies and gentlemen." Izuku couldn't help but smile as he was among the first to open his eyes. As he did so, he took in a view of his home city; a view that, quite frankly, he didn't think he'd ever tire of.

"And welcome to Mountain Glenn: The City of Hope."

The skyline of downtown Mountain Glenn, a city that mere decades ago had very nearly been destroyed, stood defiantly in the view of everyone, cast against the huge mountain that gave the city its name. With Fall having settled in, the higher altitudes of the mountain slowly began to signal the approach of winter, as white slowly began to coat the mountains. For anyone who'd never traversed the Railways to Mountain Glenn... it would be their first ever impression of the city.

Izuku Midoriya may have been a bit biased considering he grew up in Mountain Glenn... but in his very honest opinion, it was as grand a view as he thought he'd ever see.

"Dang Izuku, I think you've been underselling your hometown a bit." Yang mumbled as she took in the view, as did most of his friends aside from Bakugo. Izuku chuckled; maybe he had, maybe he had. With the doors open, the full signal of the CCT reached his Scroll. It would allow him to place a quick call or text while his professors did their best to wrangle their entire class of First Years into order. He thought back to his previous concerns and, cracked open his Scroll, he considered the possibilities.

"Hey, everyone?" Izuku casually called out in a whisper as his friends turned their attentions back toward him. "So, I just had a thought; what do you all have planned for Color Week, exactly? I have some ideas myself but I was wondering what you all would be doing?" Izuku saw everyone else blink, slightly surprised by the question, though Yang's the first to pound her fist into her hand with a realization.

"Oh yeah, I suppose when we get done with this exercise they 'did' say we could treat it as if our holiday started, huh?" Yang scratched her chin as she thought for a moment. "Truth be told, Ruby and I don't have plans. A one week holiday's gonna be great, but it isn't exactly enough time to get all the way over to Patch, enjoy some free time, and then get back without spending most time in transit, ya know? The dorm's are gonna be open through Color Week, if nothing else, so Ruby and I were going to stick around Beacon and just see how things shook out." Ruby nodded in agreement with, huddled around with her team as she was. Izuku suspected they were going over a few last minute preparations.

"Same problem for me, sadly. As much as I would enjoy some time with my family back home, it 'would' be rather inefficient and tiresome to spend most of my time traveling between Atlas and Beacon. A holiday away from home it shall have to be... somewhat distressing and exciting at the same time, now that I think about it." Tenya declared with a few hand motions as Weiss, though hesitantly, nodded in agreement with Tenya.

"What he said. I'd... 'love' to go back home for a holiday, but there's simply not time." Izuku took notice of Weiss' hesitation, but was forced to move on as Nora wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"Ren and I are sticking around the dorms too! Not exactly got much of anywhere to go, after all! Shoto's sticking around too, right Shoto?!" Shoto and Ren looked over at Nora and each nodded silently in agreement; apparently Shoto was in no rush to go home either.

"Same for me. Spending a holiday without much in the way of 'official' plans sounds like it'll be rather refreshing." Though Pyrrha hadn't seemed as lacking in enthusiasm about going home as Shoto and Weiss, there did seem to be some relief that she wouldn't be heading back to Mistral.

"I've actually got plans lined up; my family usually has this great big get away into rural Vale to reconnect with some relatives of ours around Color Week. Usually the time we have a family reunion, given that most everything either has shortened hours or is closed during the week, ribbit ribbit." Tsuyu proclaimed from beside Blake, who just looked up from her book.

"... I don't have plans and was just looking to stick around the dorms myself." Her expression and tone was even and she returned to her book swiftly enough.

...

"What's wrong "Kacchan", not going to answer Slugger's question?" Yang called out at Bakugo, the explosive young man just getting riled up as he glared over at Yang.

"Oh shut up! I don't need to answer Deku's stupid fucking question!" Well, Kacchan wasn't entirely wrong, he probably already had a good idea of his plans. If Mitsuki Bakugo 'didn't' do everything in her power to make sure her son was in Mountain Glenn sometime during the holidays, he'd be surprised. Still, before Yang could further antagonize Kacchan, Izuku watched as Professors Goodwitch and Aizawa stepped forward, drawing a good deal of the crowd's attention.

"Alright! The lottery has been rolled and the first Five Teams into the Underground Training Facility are as follows; Team LPSZ, Team KOBA, Team TABY, Team RSBR and Team MNVW." Glynda took a moment to readjust her glasses with one hand while the other waved over to Professor Aizawa. "Those five teams, please follow Professor Aizawa to the Underground Training Facility. The rest of you, you will follow me to our accommodations for the afternoon. I want everyone on their best behavior; you are the First Year Class of Hunters from Beacon Academy in a City that places 'high esteem' in the Hunter's profession. Do not create bad name for your generation right off the bat; thank you."

'Wow, no pressure right?' Izuku swallowed a lump in your throat as, for the first time in the six weeks since he'd left home, he entered Mountain Glenn as a Huntsman-in-Training, a status that those who knew him in this city wouldn't have believed possible for him for so long. It was momentous... and the fact that it was mixing with his nerves over this training exercise just made the pit in his stomach even deeper.

'Please don't throw up from being so overwhelmed... that would be just about the worst thing that could happen today.'

E/N: Yang's Catty remark had a ... unique visual accompaniment made by Gorilla, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that FFN doesn't allow for imbedded images.

-Shovern

Blessing.

Definitely Blessing.

-Wind-Waker

A/N: Being even remotely able to use Photoshop or GIMP is like being cursed with knowledge; it's about learning not just about if you 'could' do something, but whether or not you should...

That said I totally stand by that shop, haha.