'Today is certainly going to be a day.'
Izuku and the rest of his team were arming up, getting ready for a trip into the Emerald Forest. One that wasn't set up either by a class or for the sake of graduation: it would be one they all would be undertaking themselves. For Izuku, it was high time that he expanded his notes on Grimm, adding additional entries into his notes on the creatures and the varieties of them. This... this would be difficult. Because rather than just outright kill a Grimm, their best results would be gotten if they managed to get a Grimm 'alive' and study it. Which meant holding it down for a period of time...
Dangerous stuff but, hey, all worth it if your notes could help them all in the future.
While everyone else was packing up gear and making sure you'd all be ready for the trip out, Izuku plucked out your Grimm Analysis For The Future notebook and looked through the list of creatures he'd gotten a chance to study. Beowolves, Ursa and Nevermore: the more common species and the ones that had readily available information in them for a student like him to get at.
The Emerald Forest, however, had more Grimm in it than that... though not much more, upon looking at Beacon's guides and warnings on The Emerald Forest. Still, it was a start. All they needed to do now was to decide on their prey for this expedition.
"Everybody ready?" Izuku called out, which earned him a quick round of nodded as Nora herself gave a quick hoot and holler.
"Heck yeah! Let's go nab us some Grimm! You guys are gonna let me ride whatever we catch, right?" Nora asked, enthusiastic, as she kept a length of the rope they were bringing along wrapped around her shoulder, Pyrrha just smiling slightly as she kept some chains and locks floating just behind her, looking like it was secured to her even as she kept its weight off her person using her Semblance.
"We'll see what we find first. If it's too dangerous it'd probably be a 'bad' idea to let you ride it." Nora just grinned nice and wide as she shook her head.
"Why!? If it's dangerous then it'd be even MORE fun to ride!" Nora cackled slightly as they made their way down into the Emerald Forest, Weiss having just sighed and as she carefully placed her face in her hands.
"This is my partner... she is legit going to be the death of us one day, I swear it..." Izuku heard Weiss barely mumble from behind her hands as they all walked, a light chuckle escaping Izuku and Pyrrha as they marched along. The path through the forest eventually took them out into a wide open bit of terrain, not dissimilar to the area where the temple containing their relics from the Entrance Exam had been. The ground was relatively flat and even as it stretched out for meters around, the four of them just quickly traversed it as part of their exploration of The Emerald Forest.
As they were walking along the open ground...Izuku couldn't help but frown.
'There is... something wrong. Something that doesn't quite feel right,' It wasn't in the air and, glancing around, his eyes didn't immediately signal that something immediately around him was off, 'No. So... why do I feel so uneasy?' He tapped his foot against the ground in thought, feeling it bump up and down against the dirt... it's only when he stopped to realize that he wasn't 'actually' flexing his muscles in order to do that and that his foot was just bouncing up and down, seemingly of its own accord did he realize where this terrible feeling he got was coming from.
It wasn't from above or around him...
It was from underneath.
Immediately his eyes glanced back as he heard the ever so slight 'crack' of the ground giving way some ways back, Nora's eyes flying back there along with Izuku as they both took note of the events as they unfolded. The very earth began to split and rupture as a huge lump in the ground coasted in their direction with worrying speed, grass and seed and stone being upturned as the dirt mound moved toward their direction with unnatural haste. For a moment, his words caught in his throat before he immediately shouted.
"RUN!"
"EVERYONE! UP INTO THE TREES AND THEN ONTO A GLYPH NOW! WEISS, MAKE A GLYPH IN THE AIR FOR US ALL TO GET ONTO!"
Immediately Weiss flew into action, her Family's Semblance flying into high gear as she quickly created a couple of Glyphs for her team to hopscotch up one of the nearby trees and into the air onto a safe platform. While Weiss immediately took the opportunity to jump up onto the first Glyph and then, with Pyrrha's Semblance grabbed at the bits and bobbles of metal on her, pushing her further up into the tree, Nora immediately hopped, skipped and parkoured her way up the Glyph and tree branches, grabbing onto Weiss as she did so to pull her onto the last Glyph. Izuku and Pyrrha immediately exchanged nods as they both bolted for the tree themselves, taking it in turn to jump their way up onto the Glyph as the trembling of the ground increases in volume. Finally, it happened.
They watched as the ground 'exploded' in a violently shower of dirt, grass and stone as this horrific cry, a combination of a roar and a dervish of multiple, gnashing teeth grinding and clacking together were audible to the air. The four of them watched as a creature, more worm-like that one might've initially thought, bursts forth from the ground. A typical Grimm, bone plate surrounds what you might hesitantly call its head, the typical fleshy black body of a Grimm trailing behind this solid bone plating as thousands of legs that circled its entire body pushed, dug, kicked and wriggled in unison to give the monstrosity before them motion. No red eyes adorned the creature's skull and no ears could be seen on it... though, Izuku would freely admit he might've missed that as he stared at the monstrosity's most horrifying feature.
Teeth. Thousands of them. Rows upon rows upon rows of them stretching out in a mouth that descended 'meters' back into the body of the Grim, tunneling into a singular point as a maw of revolving, twisting, turning, gnashing fangs whirred in the back of the thing's 'throat'. Dirt, debris, roots and small stone were still being ground up by that cacophony, the materials being immediately decimated by the thousands of revolving, whirring, saw-like teeth before being fed back into the throat where anything remaining was instantly destroyed by the pit of fangs there. The clacked and clanged together, bashing and crashing against east other and some even shattering, only to be immediately dropped out of the mouth, replaced by a new tooth and destroyed by the rest in moments. Its mouth easily stretched out the height of the thing, a few yards, and made its way far back into the creature's, Izuku estimated, 30 foot long body.
Said mass of teeth and flesh barreled into the tree as they all just made their escape into the glyph in the air and... Gods, the top half of the tree was just immediately hewn from the rest, tumbling off to the side as the force of the thing's movement sent it crashing off. The rest of the tree which had fallen into the mouth of the beast is immediately torn into bits and splinters, as if fed into a mechanical wood chipper. As that went on, Izuku watched as a mulch of dirt, barely recognizable grass and stone bits and, finally, dust and tree bits that somehow survived the trip were immediately fed out the back of the monstrous Grimm, leaving a trail in its wake. The Grimm didn't stop when it was done with the tree, the thing immediately turning its mouth down towards the ground.
A shower of dirt and debris kicked up from around the thing's mouth, as its thousands of legs pushed and dug with their own force, the thing's face sinking rapidly into the ground before, in a matter of moments, the Grimm was back under the ground. The hole it had come out of was now relatively full of dirt and debris it had left behind, while the hole it was creating was being filled by the dirt that, Izuku suspected, was passing through its maw.
It's maw.
Maw.
"Oh Gods... that's a Terramaw."
"Ah what?!" Weiss practically screamed, the normally light-skinned Heiress having gone sheet white at the sight of the thing having 'eaten' a tree.
"U-uh... i-it's a Grimm, some people usually like to put in the same category as Creeps but Creeps are more lizard like and-"
"Izuku, more to the point, how do we kill it?" Even Pyrrha seemed intent on getting past the little details and onto the more important stuff.
"A-Ah, right, of course..."
Izuku swallowed nervously as he watched as the lump slowly moved across the ground. A plan forming in his head as the Grimm continued to circle them.
"So, what's the plan Fearless Leader? How are we gonna break this thing's legs?! I mean, did you see how many it had?! It had SO MANY LEGS TO BREAK!" Nora, unflinching as always, seemed more excited by the prospect of fighting this Grimm than not.
"Alright, Weiss, I want you to maintain these Glyphs to make sure we all have a safe place to get to if things go South! Nora, I want you to be ready for two things: to chuck grenades in that thing's mouth if necessary and to help me try to subdue it if we can weaken it enough! Pyrrha, get Miló ready to take a shot as soon as you can see this thing!" Izuku's three teammates all nodded in unison, readying their weapons as the Terramaw slowly churned around in the dirt, topping trees above it as it turned its way back toward his last location, the faint sound of it moving underground reaching them all.
"... Wait, what's your part in this plan Izuku?" Pyrrha asked as Izuku turned off the safety on Emerald Gust, revealing his fingers.
"... Izuku Midoriya, you better not-" Before Weiss could even finish reprimanding Izuku, as the Terramaw passed underneath his position, he jumped off, practically throwing himself down toward it, "-YOU IDIOT!"
"WOO, GO FEARLESS LEADER!"
He took a deep breath as he dropped right down toward the position of the Terramaw, bringing one of his fingers up and pulling it back toward his palm, ready to flick it. Izuku felt One For All coursing through his finger as he approached the ground, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes before impact.
"GLENN... SMAAAAAAASH!"
In one instant, the ground 'erupted' a horrific, pained cry called out into the wild as earth and debris was blasted up all around him. If his initial flick had utterly pulverized the ground underneath it into nothing then the shock wave that had followed immediately afterward kicked up all that dirt and debris and sent it flying dozens, if not hundreds, of feet into the air. He slammed onto some smashed dirt, a somewhat more solid landing after his Smash had compacted it, and groaned as he opened his eyes, seeing bits of dirt and debris falling from his eyelashes as he took a look around. The force of his Glenn Smash had made a powerfully large crater in the ground, one that had only not gone deeper due to the fact that a great deal of the blow had been absorbed into the Terramaw itself, the creature flailing and thrashing around in this pit with him as it cried out in horrific pain.
Bang!
Those cries only got louder as the Terramaw's flesh rippled and tore as a bullet from Miló sunk into it, the red goo inside of the Grimm having splattered about for a moment as it continued to thrash, though far more weakly than before. Izuku sighed, glad that his plan had gone so well so far... though this did mean-
"GET OVER HERE SO I CAN RIDE THE WORM, YOU GIANT THING YOU!" His head immediately snapped up into the air, his eyes boggling slightly as he caught sight of Nora kamikaze diving down toward the Terramaw, a manic look of thrilled excitement on her face before she impacted the creature. The maw roared and thrashed, its manifold, thousands of legs doing its best to kick around and jostle Nora off. However, this only served Nora's purpose, the bubbly bomber having grabbed several of these legs at a time as she 'pulled' powerfully on the beat, causing it to slowly get dragged out of the tunnel it had been digging before he Smashed down into it.
Izuku's heart sunk, just for a moment, as he watched the creature give a 'mighty' bellow as it flailed, sending Nora flying off and into one of the dirt walls of the newly created pit. The monster continued to thrash and flail as it raised its body straight up into the air before it twisted around and slammed down onto Nora... or at least, where Nora had been. Thankfully, the orange haired young woman had 'eep'ed and immediately ducked out of the way of the giant worm, its body having slammed against the side of the pit for nothing.
Eventually they pulled it on top of the pit and the creature still thrashed about, as both Izuku and Nora continued to wrestle it.
"WOO DOGGY, THIS BOY'S GOT HIMSELF A MEAAAAN STREAK THERE FEARLESS LEADER! GOT A LOT OF FIGHT IN HIM!" Nora hooted as she continued to grab and grapple at the massive thing, Izuku just sweating as they both worked to try to keep the thing in their grips. For a few moments Pyrrha and Weiss just watched on as they both struggled with the Terramaw, before Weiss eventually just rolled her eyes and brought up Myrtenaster.
"Oh for Pete's sake!" The Heiress shouted as she swished her rapier around a bit, creating a Glyphs of Gravity Dust just underneath the Terramaw. Within a second, the creature's body 'slammed' onto the ground underneath it, denting it deeply as it seemed to dig itself in ever so slightly. The creature whined and attempted to struggle but, well, Izuku had a good guess as to what just happened; Weiss just greatly increased the thing's weight. Given the fact that it was already so weak from the wounds, it likely couldn't support its own weight anymore...
It was literally trapped under its own body.
"Weiss!" Nora whined as she let go of the no longer struggling Terramaw, puffing her cheeks out as she frowned at her partner. "The heck was that? You can't just do that to my future ride! What if you break it before I get a chance to put these ropes on it?" Nora asked, showing off the ropes she brought as Weiss slapped her face.
"Nora. Izuku did NOT instruct you to bring those ropes so that you could RIDE THE GIANT TREE-DESTROYING, EARTH MOVING MONSTER!" Weiss cried out as Nora continued to whine at the travesty of it all, Izuku just chuckling nervously as he sat back and winced, allowing his Aura to pour into his finger as Pyrrha and Izuku just watched the scene before them. Eventually, they all noticed that the creature stopped moving entirely and, glancing over, they all see that it was just... not moving. Izuku stood up and kick the creature slightly and, yes, it did shuffle a bit but not much...
"Alright, it's out. It's a little big for the chains and the ropes we brought so we'll need to make this quick." Izuku reached into his bag and pulled out some notes, tapping his pencil against Grimm Analysis For The Future as he started preparing a page for the Terramaw. "Alright then... let's see what we can get...
"NORA! STOP TRYING TO RIDE THE GIANT, MAN-EATING WORM!"
Izuku and Pyrrha wince slightly as they both looked over at Nora, the orange haired young woman just having grinned sheepishly as she had her rope hoisted onto her shoulder as she seemed ready to climb up to the top of the unconscious Terramaw.
"Oh come on Weiss! I brought all this rope out here and 'everything'! You can't expect me to 'not' ride this thing after all the trouble we went through to find it!" Weiss rubbed at her temples as she looked up at Nora, shaking her head.
"Nora, we didn't even 'know' we'd find this thing when we started to trudge out. We didn't know 'what' we'd find or if we'd be able to secure it safely! You can't tell me that you actually 'only' brought that much rope out here because you wanted to try and ride the first thing we subdued!" Weiss looked up at her partner, exasperated, as Nora just glanced off to the side.
"... Only if it was big enough?"
"NORA!"
"Come on Weiss, don't sweat it! I would've totally let you ride it with me!" Nora declared, a cheerful smile on her face as she chuckled at her partner's antics, as Weiss' face just went red from frustration.
"THAT IS NOT THE ISSUE HERE NORA!"
"How can it not be Weiss? I mean, look at this thing! It can make 'tunnels'! Imagine where a beautiful beast like this could take us if only we could BREAK IT'S SPIRIT UNTIL NOTHING REMAINED BUT A HOLLOW HUSK FOR US TO MOUNT AND MASTER, RIDING OFF INTO THE SUNSET!" At that moment, Izuku and Pyrrha couldn't help but chuckle and smile as Weiss clapped her hands over her face, the white haired heiress giving a cry of frustration behind her makeshift screen as Nora seemed to lose herself in her fantasy.
"Well Ren's going to get an interesting story about how we beat this thing later." Pyrrha commented idly as you nodded, jotting down your notes.
"Yeah, no kidding. Wonder how big it's going to be in Nora's retelling?" Izuku couldn't help but smile at the sight of his friends enjoying themselves after a long period of securing and studying this particular Terramaw, Izuku himself putting the last touches on the notes he could gather before the beast started to stir.
"Maybe 30 Yards instead of 30 Feet?" Pyrrha suggested with a slight chirp of laughter, which caused Izuku to laugh a little as well.
"Yeah, maybe..." With that he tapped his pencil against the page, satisfied with what he had for now.
"Alright guys, we're wrapping this up! It's getting late and this big guy's looking like he's about to wake back up!" You mention, nervously, as indeed the Terramaw's body begins to shift around, its many, many legs kicking slightly as it seemed to start to stir back to life. "Nora, if you'd be so kind."
"... Do I have to Izuku? I mean-"
"Yes Nora, you have to." He reaffirmed as he smiled apologetically at her, the bubbly bomber just sighing before offering a grin.
"Orders are orders I guess, Fearless Leader!" With that, Nora quickly produced Magnhild and, with all the grace of a wrecking ball, immediately jumped up towards the head of the Terramaw and, with a might swing, cracked into its bone plating and 'shattered' it, driving chunks of it down into the head of the beast. There was a short cry as the creature's body went totally limp, the monstrosity having been slain before his very eyes. Soon enough the beast starts to dissolve and, as Nora slides down, Izuku offered his team a solid nod of approval.
All in all, it was a good day's work.
"Alright so Izuku, here's what Mitsuki and I have planned so far for the vacation: we've decided that we're mostly going to stick to the coasts of Mistral, see some of the old city states and ports that dot it. We figure that we've seen enough interior culture that's moved here to Mountain Glenn so why not see something new and exciting right? We've got this plan that's stretched out across the entire region and we're going to some of the fancier places. Oooh, it's going to be so nice Izuku."
"Yeah mom, sounds like it." Izuku smiled as he watched his mother point to various towns that have been circled on a map. There's some odd handwriting here and there that made it clear what notes were his mom's and what notes were Miss Bakugo's. It really did seem like a whirlwind of a trip that the two of them had planned out and it did really put a smile on his face to see his mom so excited about something for once, her own green eyes shining slightly.
"So our first stop's actually going to be the city of Laguna here, they've apparently built an entire city on top of a few small islands there and people get around by drifting down canals on little boats! It sounds so exotic."Izuku watched as his mom coughed a bit into her fist to reign in her excitement as she just grinned at him. "Anyway, we'll be leaving here in the next week or two, so we're already packing up a bit and buying some tickets for transport over there. It's supposed to be pretty safe; the Vale-Mistral pathways are some of the more heavily guarded ones so I don't want you to worry that I'm in any sort of danger sweetie." Izuku nodded, though he readily admitted that he would be slightly worried about it even with her assurances. "Now, the trip's gonna take a couple months but I'll definitely be back by the time you'll be on break for the Winter Solstice so we can have the holiday together, okay?"
"Okay mom, that sounds great." Izuku nodded in understanding as Inko just smiled.
"Good, good. Now, there was something I did want to discuss before I left just so I can know what plans to make before I leave." He nodded slightly as he leaned back, supporting himself against a tree. "You see, obviously I'm going to be gone for a while so I'll need to arrange for some people to take care of my apartment while I'm gone. There's plants to water and even if I'm not there it's going to get dusty and dirty and you never know if someone might try to break in and steal something while I'm out, so having someone just check in while I'm gone would be nice just for some peace of mind and to help tidy up the place." Izuku nodded as he tilted his head to the side.
"You want me to take care of all of that, mom?" Izuku watched as his mom immediately paled a bit, shaking her head.
"Oh no Izuku, I wouldn't ask you to take care of 'all' of that! Or even any of it, if you don't want to! After all, I have the money to pay someone for all of it, so it wouldn't be a problem!" Izuku's mom twisted her hair around her finger slightly. "You have your own life now too Izuku, honey, and you don't live in Mountain Glenn anymore so it'd be even more of a hassle for you to go through all this..."
"... But?" You ask, understanding that your mom was still nervous about something.
"... But I would appreciate it if you would just drop by maybe once a week or once every two weeks just to see how the apartment is? Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't hire someone to take care of the apartment if I thought that they'd wreck the place but, well, you never know with people. I'd just feel a lot safer and more secure if I knew you were going to drop by every now and then to make sure that things are going okay while I'm gone. Like I said, you don't have to, but I really would appreciate it Izuku. If not then of course it's fine, I understand, you're a busy little man now, and like I said, I can hire someone I can trust, I'm sure!" Izuku frowned slightly as he leaned back further, tapping his chin as his mother did her best to not pressure him into this.
"Sure mom, I wouldn't have any problem stopping by once every couple weeks to check on the apartment. I promise, you can count on me and you don't have to worry, it really won't take up too much of my time. Everything'll be good on my end." Izuku spoke with a bright smile, one that his mother met as he assuaged her of any worries she might've had.
"Thank you Izuku. I'm still so sorry for this imposition, but I really do appreciate this sweetheart." Izuku chuckled a little as he scratched at the back of his head.
"Mom really, don't worry about it, it isn't an imposition or anything." The conversation died down as the two of them settled that, Izuku making sure to take note to visit two weeks after his mom first left for her vacation. Still though, it did bring up a point of curiosity that he'd been wandering about ever since his mom accepted his suggestion for the vacation: his dad. "One thing I did want to ask mom; when do you think you'll end up seeing dad on this vacation?"
...
"Huh?" His mom, deer in headlights look and all, tilted her head a bit, almost as if she didn't immediately comprehend. Then suddenly it seemed to click and his mom just nervously chuckled to herself, scratching the back of her head ever so slightly. "O-Oh yes, your father! Well... I suppose that'll depend on when your father's free, Izuku. He's working in Mistral after all and he's still managing the projects and relations with the firm's partners there now that the deal's gone through. Mitsuki and I would have to ask and see when we could drop in that wouldn't be inopportune." Izuku nodded, he supposed he understood. His dad was an actual adult so his schedule would be even more full than his, and it'd be a bit of a stretch for him to make time if his mom just randomly dropped in. Still, he thought that it shouldn't be a problem, which lead him to his other curiosity.
"Well when you do see him, do you think you could get his personal contact information so I can have a bit of an easier time getting in touch with him?" Izuku tilted his head to the side, Inko just blinking a bit as she furrowed her brow.
"Huh? I mean, sure Izuku but your father already has... has had, er, opportunities to send it before but he must've forgotten. I swear, if that man's head wasn't attached to his shoulders he'd probably always end up forgetting it." Inko chuckled a little as she smiled genuinely at him. "I promise Izuku, if-when! When I see your father, I'll get that information for you." Izuku nodded appreciatively, grateful for that favor from his mom... but at the same time he really couldn't help but feel like she was not saying something. Before he could ask, however, there was a knock at her door. "Oh! That must be Mitsuki, we're making a few last minute plans and-"
"LISTEN TO ME YOU LITTLE BITCH, YOU KNOW HOW YOUR FATHER GETS WHEN HE HAS TO STAY IN THAT HOUSE BY HIMSELF, SO YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME OUT OF YOUR DAMN SCHEDULE TO VISIT HIM EVERY WEEK OR SO WHILE I'M ON VACATION AND I MEAN IT!... DON'T MAKE ME TAKE THE TRAIN OVER THERE AND DRAG YOUR ASS BACK TO MOUNTAIN GLENN JUST TO MAKE A POINT, BECAUSE YOU 'KNOW' I WILL!... DON'T GET FUCKIN' SMART WITH ME! I MADE YOU AND I CAN JUST AS EASILY UNMAKE YOU!... That's what I thought. Now tell that little Ruby girl and the rest of your teammates I said hi, I'm here at Inko's house so I have to go now. I love you, alright?"
They just sit there for a moment, sweating slightly as Mrs. Bakugo's voice easily pierced through the walls and door of their apartment. His mom just laughed nervously as she looked over at Izuku.
"I think I should probably talk to her before she gets it in her mind to keep up her phone call with Katsuki. We'll talk later Izuku! I love you! Your allowance will be in your account once I'm done with Mitsuki, promise!" Izuku's mother cheerfully waved him goodbye as the Scroll goes dead, leaving him to just blink a bit before he smiled.
Well... if nothing else, his mom would have some interesting company on her trip, right?
"Salutations my fellow Team Leaders! I hereby call this seventh meeting of the Beacon Leadership Council to order! I'll start with a simple roll call! Izuku Midoriya, Leader of Team MNVW?"
"Hey would you be quiet, you're not the only folks here you know!?"
Tenya flinched as his enthusiasm was quickly cut down. They all blushed slightly as the guy who shouted over at them immediately turned back to whatever he had been doing. While teachers were slowly but surely coming back to Beacon, most facilities remained closed or were limited in what students could do in there. So, for the time being, he and the other members of the Beacon Leadership Council had to find someplace else to hold their meeting.
Unfortunately it seemed like other members of the common area of the Beacon Dorms weren't quite as open to Tenya's excitement as his group was. Coco had a slight scowl on her face as she noticed how timid Tenya now seemed, the young man just readjusting his spectacles.
"Right, of course, my apologies..." Tenya coughed into his fist as he looked at the rest of them, keeping his gaze on Izuku... oh right!
"I'm right here Tenya." Izuku answered back, somewhat more quietly than he might normally do so.
"Very good. Ruby Rose, Leader of Team RSBR?" Tenya asked, far more reserved than usual.
"Uh, yeah, here. Woo~..." Even Ruby's enthusiasm was cut short, his fellow Team Leader having weakly cheered.
"Excellent. Coco Adel, Leader of Team CFVY?" they all look over at Coco, the young woman tapping a hand to her chin as she thought for a moment. "... Leader of Team CFVY, Coco Adel?" Tenya called out again, worried he was being ignored. After a moment, Coco just grinned as she slowly stood up in her chair, the display having caused them all to blanch at her.
"YEAH, I'M HERE SPECS!" With a shout Coco called back to Tenya, his senior having called out into the rest of the crowd. Many of the students glared back over at their table... until many of the second years caught sight of who exactly had stood up to shout at the top of their lungs. One cocksure grin from Coco later and much of the crowd just grumbled and went back to their tasks.
"Wonderful... but Miss Adel I really must protest! You shouldn't yell at the top of your lungs when fellow students are just trying to enjoy the common area!" Tenya, in his fervor to stand up for propriety, raised his voice as he swung his hands around. That, again, caused many students to glance at their table where, again, Coco's look just made them all face back forward.
"Tenya, you weren't even being that loud at first when that ass hat decided he was going to make our business his business. We've got every right to be here as they do, so you shouldn't just take stuff like that." With a quick drop Coco practically slammed back into her chair as she looked at Tenya over the rim of her sunglasses. The young man's face momentarily shifted to a look of gratitude before he adjusted his own spectacles.
"Be that as it may, such a rude countermand wasn't entirely called for. Besides... this is a rather unfortunate turn of events." Tenya remarked as they all just nodded.
"I know. We didn't really think ahead to set up some place we could meet if the classroom was ever closed down. We're kind of in a tricky situation." He remarked somewhat wearily as Ruby nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, plus with so many facilities down we can't really do a lot of everything we usually do at these meetings. Plus the firing range isn't even open..." Ruby feebly kicked her legs in the air at the thought of the gun range not being open, Coco just chuckling as she leaned back in her chair.
"Well hey, that just means we gotta get creative with today or be chill. It is the holiday after all, so we don't have to get too wound up." Coco casually suggested as the rest of Izuku just shrugged.
"Well, be that as it may, I don't think this is really going to work out in the future: if the school closes down for whatever reason, we're effectively stuck without much recourse. The normal school facilities that remain open don't provide the same level of equipment or variety that we normally see in our own club activities and, furthermore, holding club meetings in the Common Room... well, it hasn't gone terribly well so far." Tenya remarked dryly as he readjusted his spectacles. The three of them nodded in short agreement as they took up a thinking position. It was a difficult decision to come down to when it came right down to it, mostly because there were so few options available... or, at least, realistically few options.
"We could try to ask Headmaster Ozpin to see if he could make some other spot on campus as our meeting room? Maybe some place where it wouldn't close down once the school did?" Ruby put forward her own suggestion, her silver eyes scanning about them all as they took a moment to consider her proposal.
"I dunno. We got the room that we did precisely because it was one of the ones available for us and because it'd give us 'some' privacy away from high traffic areas, like with the other clubs. Any other location on campus would likely be closed down normally or would be places like... well, the common room." Ruby nodded at his logic, though the young girl didn't seem intent on giving up that track of thinking.
"Well then maybe we could consider asking him if he could keep our club room open when the school closes? That way it wouldn't be such a hassle for anyone!" Ruby seemed excited by her rebuttal and Tenya did nod.
"It would be the most simple option... however, do consider that there's a reason why Beacon closes much of its campus on holidays; so that students don't end up getting into trouble or causing mischief in the main building while so much of the staff is away. If Ozpin somehow kept the building open for us, or trusted us with keys to it so that we could unlock it, he 'would' be putting the risk out there that troublemakers might take advantage of his generosity toward us." Ruby puffed out her cheeks as she placed her hands on her hips.
"As if we'd ever cause trouble."
"Oh I'm sure we wouldn't short stuff, but I think we can all name a few names who might. Even if Oz did give us the key to the building, well, always the chance that someone could nab it from us if they were particularly determined." Coco finished as Izuku and Tenya nodded in agreement. Ruby gave a short nod herself, though the silver eyed Huntress still seemed set.
"I still think this would be the easiest way to do this." Now that all of them nodded in agreement with; it would be the easiest way to handle it... Izuku'd just have to make sure he could get Ozpin on board, which might prove tricky in and of itself.
"Still, that wouldn't fix the problem of many of the school's facilities being closed to us. The club room being open or not, there'd be no way that Ozpin would keep the training halls, the armory, the gun range or various other places open. That 'would' be asking for trouble." the unanimous nodding continued as Tenya readjusted his spectacles. "Thus, I propose that we seek out some place in the City of Vale where we might be able to rent when the time arises that our club room gets shut down and we need a replacement. Preferably someplace within the city close to a lot of other businesses or enterprises that would suit our usual needs."
"Sounds nice, but there's of course the catch that 'renting' means paying. Don't get me wrong, this club is cool and all, but I'm not sure if we'd be able to keep doling out cash on demand for something like that. Renting a place to hold a meeting, paying businesses for us to use their stuff, etc. It could get expensive fast." Coco remarked somewhat dryly as Ruby shrugged.
"Well we do have the option of getting a stipend from Ozpin. I think that he'd be willing to qualify this as a good use of club money." Coco frowned a bit but nodded, the senior student having rubbed her chin slightly.
"You might be onto something there. Still, he'd probably be more inclined to foot the bill if we found a place to present to him sometime, isn't that right club treasurer?" Izuku nodded, thinking that something along those lines would be required for Ozpin to give consent for it to be paid for.
"Still, by and large, this does sound like something we could consider doing." Izuku remarked as he scratched his cheek, everyone having nodded in agreement.
"I dunno about you guys, but for me, I think it's all just about setting up some turf." they all blinked curiously as Coco leans back in her chair. "Listen, I'm not saying we go around pushing kids out of rooms but... well, hey, these guys are all our fellow students. We might be able to convince some of them to let us use the common room whenever the school closes down or maybe arrange some schedule for some other spot in the school. We don't necessarily have to shell out cash or get Ozpin to fix this for us, we might be able to just talk things out with the other kids in our classes and see if we can't arrange for a chunk of the common areas to be ours when we need them. It's free, it doesn't bug Oz and we get what we want, win, win, win."
"You know, maybe we could've just tried asking in the first place..." Ruby muttered.
"Yeah, I suppose we really didn't think of that..." Izuku sheepishly scratch the back of his head as he admitted that, a slight blush on his cheeks as Coco shrugged.
"Hey, don't sweat it. You guys are first years and are a little... hmmm..."
"Socially awkward?" Ruby interjected as Coco just nodded, a slight smile on her face.
"Yeah, let's go with that!" The three of them sighed slightly as Coco raised her hands. "Now now, there's nothing wrong with that my little juniors. You're in a new place and hey, I know a lot of us older years can seem spooky and like we'll bite your head off, but those are just your first semester jitters. Look, no matter how scary people seem, none of us here are out to get you... I mean, unless they're jerks in which case yeah they're totally out to get you."
"You're really not helping..." Ruby whined as she allowed her head to drop against the table, you and Tenya having nodded in slight agreement as Coco just chuckled.
"Come on you get what I mean. Most people really aren't bad and will hear you out if you just talk to them. It all just takes a little bit of effort to communicate is all; trust me, you'll find that none of us are quite so scary as we seem once you get to know your seniors."
"She's right you know."
Immediately Izuku and Ruby screamed as they practically jumped out of their skins, Mirio Togata having just suddenly appeared behind their table as he phased through a wall. Tenya, while not nearly as vocal in his surprise, immediately flinched back and away from the sudden appearance by their acquaintance in Year Three. Coco, out of all of them, seemed the least surprised in terms of fear or gut reaction to Mirio's sudden appearance, but instead seemed nervous in her own right.
"Ooooowwwww... my head..." Ruby clambered up from the floor, her sudden jolt having sent her tumbling over the back of her chair and onto the floor. "Ouch... that really hurt you know! You shouldn't go around scaring people like that!" Ruby remarked, comical tears having pricked at the corners of her eyes as she looked up at Mirio for a moment, Mirio just having held up his hands defensively as he shook them.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. I just heard Izuku's voice coming from over here and didn't realize you all would be so close to the wall, my apologies." Mirio chuckled a bit as Tenya readjusted his glasses, the young man having attempted to regain the better part of his composure.
"I suppose you're a friend of Izuku's then, Mr...?"
"Oh please, just call me Mirio." The blond cheerfully replied as he smiled at Tenya, which had gone a ways to putting both Tenya and Ruby at ease. "Also yes, I'd like to think so! Izuku and I here met just a couple weeks ago so it's still early, but I think it's going well!" Izuku couldn't help but sheepishly chuckle at that, Ruby and Tenya both having smiled approvingly while Coco... well, Coco just looked floored.
"... Hold the Scroll for a second. Deku, little Deku... you're friends with 'Mirio Togata'? As in Leader of Team MHA (Matthiola) Mirio Togata?" Coco gave a quick, brief glance to Mirio as she offered the guy a quick, nervous smile. "By the way, uh, h-hi there Mirio! Good to see you..." Izuku saw Mirio turned his head over toward Coco, his black eyes blinking a couple times as he tilted his head slightly. Finally, Mirio snapped his fingers as he gave a big smile.
"Oh, Coco, is that you!? Wow, you really changed up your style again huh? I like it!" The three of them blinked as they look between Mirio and Coco, Coco just having chuckled nervously as she glanced over at them all, a slightly embarrassed look on her face.
"D-Don't listen to him, I haven't change up my style or anything, but thank you for the compliment there Mirio, I really-"
"So what did she used to wear?" Coco choked for a moment as she swung her head over to Ruby. Before she could insist that Ruby quiet down, Mirio just laughed a little.
"Oh it was pretty cool too, don't get me wrong, but it just seemed really abrasive and in your face. She had this whole pu-"
"ANYWAY!" Coco clapped her hands together, nervous laughter escaping her as she looked back over at Mirio. "So, uh, Mirio, you said you heard little Deku here and you wanted to see what was up?" Mirio just smiled and nodded as he looked around at the table. "Well we're just having a little meeting of the Leadership Council here is all!"
"Huh, Leadership Council?" Mirio blinked as he tilted his head to the side slightly, his mouth turned into a curious frown.
"Yes, it's a club that Mr. Midoriya, Miss Rose and myself started that Miss Adel here has joined." Tenya adjusted his glasses at the short explanation, Mirio just having nodded.
"I see... well, I mean, I suppose? I still don't have much of an idea as to what you're actually doing as part of this club." Izuku watched as Mirio looked down at Izuku, that curious look still on his face as he realized he was basically asking for a run down.
"Well, we gather once a week, and catch up on what's been going on with everyone. Then we see what can be done to improve our teams, and share skills, ideas and experiences. Particularly on how to help motivate and direct the teams we are leading. We try things, see what works and what doesn't and learn on each other's examples. Ruby here is an expert in mecha-shift weaponry, Tenya knows his family business and has a cool head for protocol and regulations and Coco is the voice of experience and fine taste. We all help each other out, you know?" Izuku gave a quick rundown as he watched Mirio nod along in understanding, the teen having pulled himself up a seat so as to be able to sit while Izuku ran through what the Leadership Council did, exactly. After a few moments, Mirio smiled slightly as he lightly dropped his fist into his open palm.
"Oh! I see, that does sound pretty nifty! I really could've used something like that when I was starting up with my team." Mirio said with a slight laugh, Coco having nodded in understanding as Izuku offered a nervous smile.
"Well... if that's the case then maybe... you'd be interested in joining, Mirio?" At that, the rest of the table besides he and Mirio nearly choked, Coco having immediately turned to him with a very nervous expression.
"Deku, listen, I'm sure Mirio would but he's a third year. Trust me, the guy's super busy and-"
"I'd love to!"
"-Oh Gods..." Coco put her face in her hands as she shook her head lightly. If Mirio noticed he certainly didn't seem to raise a fuss about it as he turned to the rest of the table with that pleasant smile still on his face.
"If you all will have me of course. I have to assume that Izuku's isn't the only opinion that counts here and I'd rather not force myself on-"
"Of course you can join!" Ruby suddenly called out excitedly as she practically threw herself over the table, a wide smile on her face as her eyes twinkled in excitement. "Holy crap! A third year, in the Leadership Council! Coco was already insanely cool enough on her own being our senior but holy crap you're even more experienced and closer to being a Huntsman oh my gosh this is going to be so cool!" Ruby just seemed to practically be bouncing up and down on her seat as Tenya coughed into his fist, readjusting his glasses as he got over his initial surprise.
"Indeed. As President of this Beacon Leadership Council I would be remiss if I were to turn down the request of someone with so much experience to join our ranks. Of course you may join with us Mr. Togata, without question!" All eyes turned to Coco, the young woman looking a wee bit nervous even as she sighed and gave a smile.
"Sure! Absolutely I'd love to have Mirio join us! That sounds great!" Coco offered a friendly thumbs up while the rest of the table nodded, Mirio just chuckling as he clapped his hands.
"That's great! Alright, how about we get right into it! I want to get started as-"
Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep
"-ah, right, I forgot, I was making my way through the dorms because I was going to meet up with my Team, silly me!" Everyone just kind of blinked in disbelief as Mirio spoke, pulling out his Scroll to read a message that had just gotten sent on it, Tenya having recovered the most quickly out of them all as he readjusted his spectacles and went about throwing his hands around.
"That's quite alright Mr. Togata, we were just finishing up with our last bits of business ourselves. If you and your Team will be in next week, then we'll be more than happy to send you the details of when and where we'll be meeting over a Scroll message." At that Mirio nodded as he quickly stood up, pocketing his Scroll again.
"Sounds good to me..."
"Tenya Iida."
"Tenya! Oh jeez we didn't do full introductions did we? Well we can handle that next week during the meeting! Right now I gotta get going so I'll see you all around!" Immediately Mirio started sprinting forward again and they all watched, mouths slightly agape, as he just phased through the table, ran across the common room and phased straight through the opposite wall, sounds of surprise coming from the other side that slowly quieted down.
"... This is gonna be so cool!" Ruby declared, her face scrunched up in excitement as she practically shivered, while Coco just shook her head slightly.
"Man, to think..." Before the conversation could get much further, Tenya coughed into his fist and brought the attention back to him.
"At any rate, with that last bit of business settled I do think this is a good time to call the meeting. Good work today everyone, I look forward to seeing you all in our 'actual' club room next week! This meeting of the Beacon Leadership Club is dismissed!"
E/N: I wanted to have some fun with the worm fight but nooooo. So here's what I had before it got shot down.
-Shovern
From there... well, to call things a circus would've been an understatement. Because from that moment on, he and Nora just kept 'throwing themselves' at the thing. A thing that was nearly four times his own size, if not bigger! However, as he was grappling around with the long, thick worm, he and Nora managed to work together in order to handle it. Still the sheer size of the no eyed beast, and the strength of its twitching was enough to shake her grip off the thing, while Izuku was repeatedly 'slapped' about by it, the creature's mass, even in its spent state, having been enough to get him off. Still, eventually they both, or perhaps more accurately Nora, got to work slowly tugging the thing along the surface of Izuku's hole, pulling it up. The beast thrashed around and tried to burst from their grasp but failed, unable to force itself out of Nora's grip as she worked it along, with Izuku lending a hand.
a/n: I feel like inserting that much innuendo would've probably made the fight go from disquieting, considering the genuinely ugly design I tried to give the Terramaw, to comical, but that's neither here nor there.
Next chapter will come out on the 26th, as normal.