My Hero Academia - Under Pressure - Chapter 6: Know Thy Classmates

The night after the Hero Basic Training Class with Armed Guard, many of the students rested in their dorm rooms or had to return home to prepare for their move in. Each of them were sore or bruised in their own way regardless of the healing from Life Force they got.

As Tonen rested on his bed he touched the various places where Eri used her pressure point combat on him and though they were fixed, he was shocked that despite his abilities she was able to get in close enough to do that. This was a key reason why he needed to train at a place like U.A. High, because he would never see something like this with the street thugs he dealt with before coming here.

Having a desire to relax, Tonen pulled out a sketch book and started a drawing. As it formed, the images of his group from the class appeared before him. He drew them all in victory poses with their hero costumes on and put "Winners" in big bold letters above them to help seal the moment. He laughed at the drawing when he was finished and took a bit to admire it.

"All in all, a good start," he said as he looked at it. "But now to-"

A noise caught his ear, it was a thump at the door, but it wasn't a knock so he didn't move at first. When he was certain this wasn't a kind of prank from his classmates he carefully went to the door and opened it. No one was there that he could see, so he opened it wider and it was then that saw a packet attached to his door. His name was on the packet as well as the words, "Performance Evaluation".

Tonen took it off the door and went back to his bed, he opened the packet to see a holographic projector like the one he got when he was accepted to UA. He placed it in front of him and it flashed to life with the image of Armed Guard standing before him.

"Tonen Keitomo," greeted Armed Guard in his very growly voice. "As noted, this is your performance evaluation from the course today. I was overall very pleased with your performance in the class."

"Good to be appreciated," Tonen joked with a smile.

"You showed great leadership in guiding your team, dividing them up into parts to take out your opponents, being able to adapt, using your Quirk and your costume in special ways. I was particularly impressed with your fight with Sanda Hideaki. He pushed you, and you pushed back, very good. And you didn't give up even with partially crippled by Eri Ogata. Also good."

"Wait for it..."

"That being said, there are things you need to improve. The key thing is your versatility with your Quirk. While your offensive abilities are impressive, especially with your costume focusing your blasts, you need to work on your defensive capabilities. One of Sanda Hideaki's attacks caused you to bleed because it pierced your attempt at an air wall. Furthermore, Eri Ogata consistently got through your attacks and was able to use that pressure point technique on you to put you down. Had it not been for Iha Jun you would have lost."

Tonen hissed at the reminder of his near failure, "I know, I know..."

Armed Guard seemed to react to this and smiled lightly, "Do not be dissuaded by this. Rather, use this as a fire to improve yourself. You have great potential, and were I vain enough to crown an MVP for this event you would be tied with it alongside Kanagita Amame. You did well today, and I will have my eye on you. Furthermore, if in the next class you want advice on how to do more defensive styles of moves, I'll gladly help you. Until next time, Tonen Keitomo."

The message shut off and Tonen just stared at the device for a bit. He didn't expect that kind of help from Armed Guard given his way of talking to the class. But perhaps there was more to him than met Tonen's eye.

As if on cue, his phone went off, and a message from Azujima popped up, "Help me with my room at 6AM?"

"I got your back Azu," he typed.

With that set, Tonen went back to drawing and let the night clear his mind of any and all negative thoughts.

The next morning arose and Tonen woke up earlier than normal and put on his casual outfit. As he tied his shoes a light knocking came at his door.

He smile and went to it, and as opened the door Azujima greeted him with a bow, "Hey TK."

"Hey Azu," Tonen replied with the door partially open. "Ready to get your room ready?"

"Yeah, just be warned, it's a lot to get ready, that's why I came early."

Tonen opened the door fully and stepped out towards his friend, "I'm sure it won't be that...WHAT THE-?"

As he entered the wider area his eyes bugged as there were a bunch of boxes stacked nearly to the ceiling.

Azujima scratched the back of his head nervously at Tonen's reaction, "Told you it was a lot."

"Yeah...no kidding Azu. Is this all to shield your senses?"

"Yep, that's why I needed that extra day. I had to take it out of my actual room and get it all here. Not an easy task."

Tonen let out a noise of uneasiness and looked at the clock on his phone, "Well we have class in three hours. Let's get started...and hope we have time...and a light day. Lead the way, Azu."

Azujima perked up at the call to action, "Right, ok, let's start with the walls, that'll take the longest..."

He grabbed a nearby box and told Tonen to grab a similar one and they entered his room. Unlike Tonen's room, when they entered Azujima's it was completely empty. No bed, no shelves, no desk, just pure emptiness.

"Did you...not ask for anything?" asked Tonen confused as he looked around.

"Because of how I need to setup my room I need it empty to start. They'll bring in a desk and shelves when we're at class today. My bed is actually in some of those boxes. Custom made for me," Azujima revealed with a hint of sadness at the end.

Tonen put a hand on his shoulder, "We all need a little help sometimes. My clothes I'm wearing? They were custom made for me by my uncle. If I'm not careful with my powers when in other clothes? Well...let's just say I'll be...exposed."

Azujima tried to contain a laugh, "Has that...actually happened to you?"

"Once or twice when I was young. I learned to adapt. These clothes and my hero costumes are godsends though. We'll figure out a way to help you in the overall, Azu. But for now, don't be mad because you need a little something extra. You're not alone on that front."

"Thanks TK"

"No problem. Now come on, let's set everything up. Walls first, right?"

"Right."

Energized once more, Azujima went and unloaded a thick tarp from one of the boxes. Tonen quickly grabbed some chairs from the outside and the two used them to pin the tarp to the wall. The tarp was soundproof so that nothing from the other rooms could seep in. They did a similar action for the other walls as well. The roof was trickier because of its size and height but with a little help from his quirk Tonen made it come together. The floor was easier and had to be covered with a special padded substance that was within many of the boxes.

The sliding glass door air had to be covered as well with a thick style curtain. It would've been a complete blackout if it wasn't for the electric light in the room.

"Ok, now the door," instructed Azujima.

Azujima pulled out another box and within that one was a set of special spacers. One for above and below the door, and some others for the sides. That way no loose sounds or smells could reach Azujima.

Tonen looked around the room at one point and noticed just how different it was, "Wow, so...sight and sound are covered...oh, and touch for the floor. What's next?"

At the question, Azujima laughed lowly and got another box. He put it in front of Tonen and tapped it, "Smell."

"For real?"

"Yeah, smell can permeate, even through seemingly sealed areas. That's where these come in."

He pulled out a machine that Tonen didn't recognize. Azujima put it up on the wall and a slight sucking sound came from it before it was silenced.

"Did that...suck the smell out of the room?"

"Yep."

"Ok then, how many more we need to place?"

They set out to put up all the "smell detectors". Including a couple by the glass door area. Once they were done with that, Azujima gave the all clear for building his bed. As they pulled out the parts Tonen noticed it was a very simple plastic structure. Different from the wooden frame that he had in his room. It had no texture, just a flat surface.

The mattress was very odd as it was somehow foldable. He wanted to ask how it worked, but he knew better than to try and understand everything. When they got to the sheets, that's when Tonen noticed something very interesting.

"Silk sheets?" he wondered as he felt them.

Azujima shrugged, "Cloth ones feels like sandpaper on my skin."

They made the bed and once that was done, so was their work for the time.

"That it?"

"For now, my personal items are all that's left and I'll put them up once the desk and shelves are brought in."

"Right, let's get the rest of the boxes in though so they're not crowding the rest of the area."

The two quickly put in the remaining boxes and broke down the ones they had emptied for the room and socked them away in the closest. No sooner had they done so than Tonen noticed the sound of other doors opening, and he peaked out to see the other students starting to come out and start their morning routines.

"Oh, the natives are up. We still got some time before we have to head to class thankfully. You good here? I need to take care of some things in my room before cooking breakfast."

"Yeah, thanks for everything, TK", said Azujima with a nod.

"Happy to help, and if you need me? I'm right across the hall."

The two parted ways and went about their mornings.

A few hours passed and Class 1-B were all in their seats when Angel Wings entered the room with her usual beaming smile, "Good morning, class!"

"Good morning!" they answered back with various levels of emotion.

"I know the last day or so has been a bit hard with the moving in and the tests on your Quirks. I had a LONG talk with Armed Guard about how hard he pushed you in that basic training exercise..."

A variety of noises came from the class, including snickers, mutterings of acknowledgment, and some indignation. Angel Wings waved them down as it continued.

"I know, I know, he wasn't supposed to do that but he's...driven, I suppose. But today at least, you won't have to worry about that. You deserve a day of rest, and I'm giving it to you. You'll still have work to do...but not in the way you're likely expecting. But that's for the end of the day. For right now, let's talk about science..."

She pulled out some chalk and started to mark the board with various drawings, charts and so on. The day pressed on and when breaks happened the student went off into little groups or went off on their own. At lunch, Tonen sat with Azujima and The Twins and talked about various things. As he looked around at the rest of the room he saw how scattered some of his classmates were. Kuroda had some of the girls near her but the rest seemed very distant.

He shook it off though as it was none of his business in his mind.

Eventually, the end of the day drew and Angel Wings addressed them after finishing the final lesson, "Ok, well, I think you all did well today. And I hope that this cements a certain something, someone want to guess what that is?"

Hana raised her hand, "That not all days will be about our Quirk training?"

"Exactly. It may not seem like it, but your mental sharpness will need to be just as strong as your Quirks as you'll see in future exercises. So some days will be just like this. Not all, obviously, but some, especially in the first month or so. So be ready for that, ok? Now, onto the major task ahead of you. Allow me to ask a question...how well do you know your classmates?"

The question shocked some of them and they looked around at each other and gave looks of uncertainty to some.

"Hmm...not what I was looking for...Mr. Keitomo?"

"Yes, Angel Wings?" Tonen replied back quickly.

"What classmates would you say you're the closest with right now?"

"Oh, uh, Azu, The Twins, Bubble Gum technically..."

Angel Wings laughed heartily at his reply, "You really do use nicknames for everyone, don't you?"

"Personality Quirk."

"Indeed. Ok. Let's see, Ms. Taki? How about you?"

Chuya shifted nervously in place and looked away after being called upon, "I...wouldn't say I'm close to anyone here."

"I'm so sorry, has no one tried to talk with you?"

"I prefer to be alone."

"Then I'm even more sorry. How about you, Ms. Jun?"

Iha looked blankly at her teacher and shrugged, "I like Kuroda. Tonen too."

"Good to be appreciated, Up Down!" called Tonen from across the room.

The class burst into snickers and giggles and Angel Wings again calmed them down, this time with a little more force in her motions, "Alright, alright. Look, I know you've only been together for a couple of days not including the exams but I expected more than this! You room in the same building, and even if you moved in during the second day, which only a few of you did, that still means you had time to mingle either during break times, eating periods, or when you were done with school for the day. Well, we're going to fix that. Because today you were SUPPOSED to go and pick your class representative."

"Our what?" asked Anno.

"Your class rep, Mr. Mako. While it may seem trivial, you need someone to help lead the class in the absence of a teacher. Someone you can look to for help, guidance, to speak privately with if an issue is to arise, and of course, to speak to faculty on your behalf. I was hoping that you all had mingled more so you could fairly vote on the matter, but we'll wait until tomorrow now. SO, your main assignment is to go to your dorms, sit down with your classmates in a group setting...and talk."

"Talk about what?" the Twins wondered aloud.

"You, all of you. Your personalities, your histories, whatever you feel comfortable talking about. You don't have to get overly personal, just talk about yourselves enough to give an impression of who you are. You're going to need friends, especially with what's coming as your train here. Being alone...isn't advised."

She paused and gave a look to Chuya, who again looked away, the others talked amongst themselves and Angel Wings could hear the discontentment in their voices.

She cleared her throat to get them to stop, "And to ensure you do this, you'll all write a paper about the things you've learned about some of your classmates. I'll be able to tell really quickly who actually participated and who just copied answers, so be mindful. First thing tomorrow we'll vote for your Class Rep. The one who gets the second amount of votes will be their backup should things go wrong. So, do your best mingling, class dismissed."

With a final smile she left the classroom and everyone just lingered and nervously looked at one another. Tonen looked around and knew that everyone was waiting for someone to make the first move to leave. So he did. He looked at Azujima and gestured to the door and he followed. The Twins, Ebirima and Iha followed, and soon the rest of the class joined.

The mass exodus led them back to the dorm, and they all eventually arrived in the lounge area and they sat on the couches and pulled up chairs when those were full. A giant oval was formed by the end of it, and an awkward silence followed.

"So..." spoke Ueno, dizzy as usual, "...what should we talk about first?"

"I'm not good at stuff like this," admitted Kanagita as she quivered in place.

Kuroda wrapped her arm around Kanagita and pulled her in a little, "It's ok, I doubt you're alone in that. Let's start off simple, and about something we can freely talk about without fear..."

"Our Quirks?" finished Tonen with a smile.

"Well aren't you the smart one?"

"We all have our moments."

The two looked at one another teasingly before snickering in place. A sudden clap got their attention and they turned to see Sanda rubbing his hands together anxiously, "Oh yeah! I love Quirk talk! Let's start with our origins! How did we find out about our Quirks and all that."

"That's simple enough, nice one Quake."

"I still think that's taken, dude."

"Nicknames aren't subject to copyright, just don't make it your hero name."

"Right, right, that's a good point. I just get anxious about those kinds of things-"

Kuroda cleared her throat in a very authoritative way, "Eyes on the prize, Sanda. Your suggestion is a good one, I'll start to break the ice. I turned my dog into gold."

The entire group reacted wildly to that statement. Some nearly fell out of their chairs, some just gapped at her, others eyes bulged violently from their sockets.

"Heh heh, I kid, I kid!"

A very big sigh was the answer to that.

"It was a little close to that, I'll admit. I was FEEDING my dog, and my dad was watching one of those gold collection shows on TV and I noted how I wish we had some of that. I grabbed a dog bone for my little Mika and...it transformed."

Kanagita was in awe of this, "You turned it into gold?"

"No, I would learn it was Pyrite. I had studied that earlier in the day and my mind wandered from Gold to Pyrite as I grabbed the bone and that's when it happened. And before any of you ask, no, you're not getting a bar of gold from me. I refused to learn the molecular structure of Gold just in case someone asked."

"Why would I ask for gold when I could ask for diamonds like that staff you fought Chuya with during the entrance exam?" put forth Wasuke.

" A good question, the diamonds I can make are industrial quality. Incredibly hard...not as valuable."

"Duly noted."

"Anyone else with a good Quirk origin story?"

Hana raised her hand, "I was out with my family at a beach, and it was our first time there in a while. When my parents had setup our stuff I rushed out into the ocean to swim. I was having fun and decided to go farther out to test my swimming. When I did, a person blasted by me, they must have been a pro swimmer. I felt myself being challenged so I focused all my energy onto my swimming, and I got faster, and faster, and I passed the guy. After doing so I rushed back to the shallower waters to let me parents know what I did and when I waved...they were stunned."

"Because you had fins?" guessed Tonen.

"More like webbed hands and arms perfect for swimming, but good guess. They didn't want to take me out of the water for a while because they didn't know if I'd be ok. We risked it though, and once I was free of the overall water I reverted back. A few more terrain changes after that and my power was pretty clear."

"At least you had a trigger," piped up Anno. "While I may love being a shark, my transformation just...happened one night. No warning, no hints about it going on subtly. I went to sleep human, and woke up...a shark."

Eri looked at Anno curiously after his story was told, "Does that make you sad? Do you wish you could go human and then transform into a shark kind of like Kanagita's Quirk?"

"I'll admit, seeing her do her transformation does make me a little jealous. But, I've grown used to my form. Plus, when people see me, they can tell my Quirk is no joke. Who would mess with a shark?"

"Orcas," Ryu joked.

"Bigger sharks," Ryo teased.

Anno rolled his eyes and gave an angry sigh, "Very funny, you two."

"We try!" they responded and stuck out their tongues to seal the joke.

Anno stood up but Tonen sent a blast of air at him to sit him back down, "No fighting, they were just kidding. Your story is one I want to hear, Ryu, how in the world is your Quirk a mech body straight out of a robot anime?"

Ryu posed mightily as if he had the perfect answer, but his pose melted away until it ended up in a shrug, "No clue. Our parents do have Quirks that revolve around machinery. Our father can take random items and form them into interesting things and our mom is a programming genius able to make any kind of software. My robot form just...exists, I guess. And as for how I found out about it, Ryo brought it out of me."

"It's true!" acknowledged Ryo proudly. "My powers manifested before him. I can hear computers and other machines talking as if they were speaking a language, and every machine has a different kind of voice. But then, one day, I heard a small voice from Ryu, and so I brought forth his armor form."

"More like pulled out! It hurt the first time because you were tugging at me with your powers something fierce!"

"You don't have to bring that up every time we tell the story!"

"It's important part of the story!

"Says you!"

They butted heads and started arguing at near light speed until a laugh got them to stop, it was Tonen. They looked him confused, he put up his hands to show regret, "I'm sorry, it's just, I thought you two were always in sync and yet this time you most definitely weren't."

The Twins looked at one another before getting a smile on their faces and syncing up once more, "Sorry, it happens when we're angry or disagree."

"Totally understand...but it makes me glad I'm an only child."

The joke got others to laugh, the Twins were the first to break it though as Ryu leaned in, "What about you TK?"

Ryo leaned in as well, "Yeah! How did you find out about your air powers, it must've been so cool!"

Tonen thought about it for a moment, "Well I guess you're right, I was...I...uh..."

He wandered in his own thoughts for a while and tried to recall how he learned about his powers. But for whatever reason, the answer didn't come.

"I...I don't remember."

"You don't..." started Ryo.

"...remember?" finished Ryu.

"Yeah...I don't...huh," added Tonen, perplexed at the gap in his memory.

"Memory loss?" purposed Iha.

"Maybe, Up Down. I...just don't know. I remember training with my dad after finding out. He was the one who realized that my powers could be pushed through my entire body. I had to work hard to keep it under control, and how to expel it from my body when I needed to. But...I don't remember how I found out. That's weird."

"That happened to me for a time," noted Kanagita, still quivering a bit.

"Really, Kana? How so?"

"My first transformation was because of an accident, I fell down a series of steps at a park. I was in a rush to get ice cream and fell. My fear transformed me so I wouldn't get hurt, and I...lost control for a while until I reverted. I didn't remember what happened to me for over a year until I saw that same ice cream truck and it all flooded back to me."

"Oh my gosh, Kana, that might be what happened to me, I haven't had ice cream in years! It all makes sense!"

He bit his tongue in a joking way to show he was just having fun and she smiled appreciatively at him.

"Thanks."

"No problem. I'm sure something just blocked my memory as it did yours, I'll figure it out one day. Let's keep going though. Who's next?"

One by one the others went and revealed their origin stories. Many of them had a similar story in regards to accidentally discovering it. Doza for example discovered his after accidentally shattering a window he leaned up again. Wasuke's story was like Anno's as he woke up one day and his shield parts had grown up out of his arms. Eri had been using her Quirk for a long time without realizing it and just thought she was a prodigy until she mimicked a movement from a person she just met and realized the truth.

Eventually, the only people left were Chuya and Goya.

"I have no desire to tell how I discovered my Quirk," Chuya said bitterly without looking at the others.

Tonen got Kuroda's attention and tapped his nose to signal that she should play along, she smiled menacingly and nodded.

"That's perfectly fine, Chuya," Tonen said as calmly and emotionless as he could manage.

This caught her off guard, "Really?"

"Yes, it's your story, you don't have to tell it."

"I'm...glad you say that."

"I mean...it's not hard to guess how you discovered it...I mean...wetting oneself is just embarrassing."

The others each tried to restrain a snicker and a giggle as Chuya's eyes bulged.

Kuroda feigned sympathy as she put her hand to her forehead, "Oh yes! And knowing the poor girl it probably happened in public! She's probably scarred for life!"

Chuya got even angrier at that statement and Tonen played on it, "You're right, Kuroda. Maybe that's why she hates that I call her Aquagirl, because that's not the "flow" that she's used-"

Before he could finish Chuya rushed forward and grabbed him by his shirt and glared at him with deadly intent, "I was in the shower when I transformed the first time, ok?! Hardly heroic, or worthy of someone in my position! ARE YOU HAPPY?!"

Tonen shrugged, "Yeah, thank you for sharing. Now you won't fail your part of the paper for not participating. You're welcome."

Stunned at the twist, Chuya just gaped at him before she released him with a scoff and went back to her chair, "What...whatever."

A low and arrogant laugh caught Tonen's ear, he turned to see Goya was the culprit, he shook his head as he spun his spheres, "That was almost clever."

"Which coming from you means that it actually was clever and you're just too arrogant to admit it."

The class for the most part made cat calls and "oooohhhh" sounds. Goya wasn't impressed though, "Well if you're so smart, guess how I found out about my telekinesis."

"Knowing you? You probably lifted up a lot of objects at once and impressed a lot of people by doing so."

Goya gave a mock laugh and a mock clap, "Guessing luckily must be your secondary Quirk."

"And being a dick is yours."

Not taking the insult, Goya launched a sphere at Tonen, but it dropped to ground before it reached him, Goya turned and saw Iha was looking upon him with glowing eyes, "No...fighting!"

Tonen smirked as his friend helped him, and not unlike Chuya before him he scoffed and looked away.

Kuroda clapped her hands together to get their attention, "Well, that was fun. Now let's talk Pro-Heroes! Which ones did everyone idolize when they grew up? I'll start, I loved Athena, and the fact that she's the No.3 hero is epic."

"I like her too," came a voice, and they all were shocked when Chuya was the source and had a small smile on her face. "She's fierce, powerful, and knowing her duty. It's...inspiring."

"A soldier like you would say that, eh Lass?" prodded Fenella.

"How did you...I mean, what do you mean?"

"Don't play games, when you fought in the team battle you noted that giving up was "not what soldiers do", so you come from a military family, don't ya?"

Chuya felt exposed but didn't deny it, "It's...complicated."

"Why would that be complicated?" wondered Ikaim. "Soldiers and Pro-Heroes work great together."

"Ha!" mocked Oshibu as he played with his shades, "That's one way of putting it. But while they work together, no Pro-Hero is allowed in the military in Japan. Not officially. They can work alongside them, but can't be a part of them. And I'm betting that's what she wants."

"As I said...it's complicated!" Chuya barked through clenched teeth, "Now move on! How about you Oshibu? Who's your favorite Pro-Hero? Another speed hero like yourself?"

"Ha, ha! That would be an easy guess, but no. My speed Quirk is special, so why try and be like someone else? No, I prefer someone like Rip Roar. Even with his injury, the dude is a boss."

"YES!" shouted Anno as he suddenly shifted into his full shark form. "He's exactly the kind of hero I want to be. Powerful, unyielding, epic, just like-"

"A shark!" finished most the class as they teased him.

This deflated Anno and he shrunk back to normal size and taped his fingers embarrassed, "Yeah...like a shark."

"It's ok, Sharky, we forgive you for being repetitive," noted Kuroda with mock sympathy. "Now, who's next, how about you, Hana?"

"Oh! I...I don't know, actually. There are so many great heroes out there, it's hard to pick just one."

"You can pass if you want," suggested Tonen kindly. "Or you can say one hero now and switch it up later."

"That's not in her nature," interjected Ebirima, who was next to Fenella.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that she can change her body..." started Ebirima.

"But she can't change her mind!" finished Fenella.

The two looked at one another and then burst out in laughter. Most of the rest of them groaned at the terrible pun.

Tonen shook his head and wasn't sure what to make of them, "Look, I'm glad you bonded after our team thing...but that was terrible. Also, be careful, the Twins will hate you if you start doing the "in-sync" bit, that's their thing."

The Twins looked at one another and then to their competition and spat, "They're not on our level."

"Just give it a while, we'll catch up," challenged Fenella with a fiery look.

"Let's get back on track, ok?" said Tonen with a motion. "I'll give you some time to think of something, Hana. How about you, Azu?"

Azujima nearly jumped out of his chair at being called but his confidence grew when he thought about his favorite Pro-Hero, "Me? Well...it's a bit of a cliche...but I really like...Mythical."

This got a big reaction from everyone, save for Tonen who just didn't emote.

"I mean...his Quirk...with those creatures? And how he can control them? It's just...too cool for words."

"I was nearby when he fought that mammoth of a Quirk user near the capital a year back," Doza recalled and he re-enacted part of it in front of them. "He barely moved from his spot on a building but was able to take out the user with minimal damage to the area. They were talking about that fight for a week after it happened!"

Hana recalled a memory as well, "Or how about that ocean battle he did? That was so cool! I must have watched that clip a thousand times on the internet!"

Jumping in on the action, many of the class recounted their own stories about the #1 hero. Each of them excited about being like him one day. Tonen meanwhile just closed his eyes and did his best to block it out.

"I know what you must be thinking, 'Why aren't you praising the #1 hero?', well, there's a good reason for that. You see, Mythical is the #1 hero and he did earn it, but, not unlike many in the top 10, or even top 100...it's gone to his head. If you listen to these stories you'll think that he's done these kinds of epic battles every day. But that's...not true, at all. Let's just say he's more about the glamour than the fighting and saving, and that's the opposite of the kind of hero I wanted to be."

"Tonen...Tonen?" came a voice.

He snapped out of his state and turned to see Ebirima looked at him concerned, "Sorry, what?"

"Are you ok? You closed your eyes and got really quiet."

"Oh, I'm fine, Bubble Gum, thanks. You hear one story about Mythical, you hear them all."

"Not a fan?"

"Eh, I'm more of a Len The Leaper kind of guy," he stated with a nonchalant shrug.

Oshibu lowered his shades and looked at Tonen with curiosity and surprise, "That's a niche hero if there ever was one. Why in the world do you prefer him over Mythical?"

A memory flashed in Tonen's mind. A fire, a figure reaching out a hand, and another hand grabbing onto it.

"I have my reason. Call it me...being mysterious."

He struck a pose, which got many of the others to laugh, including Kuroda, who waved to get everyone's attention, "Ok, we're on a roll here. Let's keep this going a little while longer and then I think we'll have enough for our dear teacher. So, next topic..."

For the next hour they all chatted. They talked about their lives, went deeper into their dreams of being a Pro-Hero, their likes and dislikes, and so on. As it progressed, some of them found themselves getting drawn to one another in certain ways. Even Azujima and Kanagita loosened up and joined in on the conversation when the timing was right.

Eventually, they parted to their rooms and wrote their papers. As Tonen wrote his he was surprised by some of what he learned about his classmates, and yet, he also saw potential friendships he felt he could make, as well as affirming others like with Iha and Ebirima given how they helped him or were concerned about him. But then the question of leadership came around and he paused.

"Who should be our class rep...?" he asked himself aloud.

An answer came to him and he laughed and nodded before returning to his paper.

Once done, he pulled out his sketchbook and drew an image of them all sitting and chatting with one another, each had their own pose and expression and Tonen smiled happily as he filled in all the little details to make it shine.

The next day dawned and the difference of the night before showed heavily. For the most part, the class ate together. The only exceptions being Goya and Chuya. Goya grabbed his breakfast and left for his room noting that he was, "Above this".

Chuya declined politely, even after both Kuroda and Kanagita asked her to join them. She hesitated for a bit before noting, "Maybe next time."

They all chatted and continued on the conversations from the day from before. Eventually they left for class as a unit.

When they arrived, Angel Wings was already there and was beaming at what she saw, "Well, you all came together, that's a good thing!"

She motioned them all to sit down, and turned to them her smile still intact, "So, I hope that everything went well last night and that you're much closer as a class, that'll be important going forward. I'll find out in your papers just how well you participated and paid attention to the others. But for now, let's get to the other part of the assignment. Using your knowledge of your classmates, let's pick your class rep, as well as their assistant."

A hand was raised, Angel Wings turned to see Kanagita nervously looking at her, "Ms. Tsubasa?"

"Yes, Ms. Amame? Don't be frightened, if you have a question, just ask."

"What if you don't want to be class rep? Can we exclude ourselves from getting voted for?"

"Yes, that's completely fair. All those who don't want to be in consideration for class rep please raise your hands now.'

She again motioned to the class, and a group of them raised their hands. Kanagita was first, followed by The Twins, Azujima, Ikaim, Fenella, Iha and Sanda. To their surprise though, Tonen also raised his hand.

"TK, you sure?" asked Azjuma quietly.

"Not now, Azu," he whispered back. "Just trust me."

Angel Wings looked over those who raised their hands and took note, "Ok then, please respect their wishes and let's get to voting. Please pull out a piece of paper and write the two people you'd think would be best for the position. The one with the most votes will get the position, and the one with the second-most votes will be their vice-rep. Please do so now."

They each pulled out some paper and wrote down names. Tonen wrote down the first name easily, but the second one he wasn't sure about. He wasn't expecting to vote for two people. He looked around at the class and as he focused on each potential candidate he went through whether they'd be good enough for it, or the second chair position. When he spotted one particular classmate he smiled and concealed a laugh before writing the name and folding the paper to conceal his picks.

Eventually, all the class had voted and passed their pages forward, and the heads of the rows gave them to the teacher. Angel Wings had written all their names on the board and as she read them, she put marks on the board to signify a vote. The class grew more anxious as each tally was put upon the board, and after a while, a couple of clear frontrunners were shown.

After putting up the last tally, Angel Wings looked at the board and turned to the class, "Well, it seems as though we have some unity for the most part. Your class rep is Ms. Kuroda Fuji. Congrats. Please join me up here."

Kuroda happily rose to her feet and with a familiar confident stride she joined the teacher. Angel Wings again looked at the board, "As for your 2nd, that would be Ms. Hana Yasuyomi. Congrats!"

Hana was more shocked than Kuroda to get her position, but just as happily went to the front.

"Ladies, I know you two will do your class proud. Ms. Fuji, anything to say to the class you're now repping?"

Kuroda struck a pose with a 'v for victory pose', "I appreciate the support everyone, I won't let you down. Just know that I'll be fair, firm, and beat you all senseless with an object if you try and make trouble for anyone, got it?"

The class snickered at the challenge but knew she meant well, even Angel Wings got some joy from this, "Appropriate in a certain way, I suppose. And Ms. Yasuyomi?"

"Oh!" said Hana off guard. "I promise to support Kuroda, and you all, and while I have been known to be a bit rooted in my beliefs I do hope you know that if the argument is strong enough...I have the potential to...change my mind."

Ebirima and Fenella got a big laugh at their joke being turned on them, and many others joined in on the laugh, including Kuroda who wrapped her arm around Kuroda playfully, "Oh yeah, you're going to be a great NO.2."

Angel Wings waved them down as the laughing continued, "Ok, ok, calm down. Now that is settled, and congrats again, you two, let's get to work, you have a busy day today including some light training later. Ladies, please return to your seats."

The two went back to their desks and lessons began anew.

A little time passed and lunch soon beckoned. The class made for the cafeteria but Tonen was stopped by a hand on his shoulder not long after he entered the hallway, it was Kuroda.

"So...why didn't you raise your hand?" she asked, eyes full of curiosity.

"On what? That last question? I didn't know the answer," he replied as he scratched the back of his head in thought.

"No, not that. Why didn't you want to be class rep?"

At the correction Tonen let out a somewhat pained laugh, "I don't...need the spotlight. Being the class rep is a big responsibility. Could I do it? Yeah, sure. Do I want to? Not really. I want my focus elsewhere."

"I'm not trying to pry, but after everything I've seen from you, especially with how you treat others, you seem like a 'big brother type'."

"Oh, I am, and MANY have said that about me in the past. I do like to help people, protect people, especially from bullies. In my grade school I was known as the "lurking protector". Someone who was always there in the nick of time and was ready to help without hesitation. I'll be that here at UA. I can be your enforcer when you're not around. But to a class rep? Well...you need to want to be in front of everyone. That's not me."

Kuroda smirked at the insinuation, "And that's me?"

Tonen shrugged in a playful manner, "In a way. You have the utmost confidence. You know your abilities, your worth, and whether you realized it or not, you were guiding the conversation last night to make sure we got through it and everyone had the chance to speak. That's leadership. Besides, I may be the 'big brother type', but I've seen you with Kanagita and some other ladies you've attached yourself too, you're very much a 'big sister type'. That's why I voted for you."

"You voted for me? I'm flattered. Who else did you vote for?"

"Someone else."

"Ah, mysterious."

He struck a pose similar pose to the night before, "It's in my nature. I know you'll do well, just be sure to look after everyone, especially those that aren't like you and don't have a lot of confidence, or are good at expressing themselves. They need someone to look up to, like you."

"You're making me blush," teased Kuroda with a wink.

"That's on you," noted Tonen with a wag of the finger. "Now can we go to lunch?"

"Sure, I'm starving."

"And I'm always hungry."

The two walked together down the hallway. As they did, Kuroda looked at Tonen from the corner of her eye, "I would've voted for you if you had opted in."

"Heh, I know a few that would've. I appreciate it, but I'd rather help everyone in other ways. I meant what I said though, you'll be a good rep."

"And I meant what I said, I'm flattered."

With a final smile to each other they headed to the cafeteria.

Far away, in a shadowy room, a man sat at a very antique looking desk. In the middle of the desk was a deck of cards. Behind the desk was a purple chair, its back turned to the desk. Someone was in it, but the shadows hid their form.

Footsteps sounded and another shadowy form arrived, "Sir, we have eyes on the target. Whom shall I send?"

The person in the desk didn't turn around, "The deck is shuffled. Draw."

At the request, the other reached for the deck and flipped over the first card. They looked at it and then put it on top of the deck once more, "I'll give them their orders and report when the task is done."

"Very good, dismissed."

With a bow, the person left, and the other slightly turned the chair to look at the deck.

*credits*