My Hero Academia - Under Pressure - Season 2- Chapter 1 - Recovery

"Are you ok, Tonen?" asked Principal Ayatsune.

Tonen Keitomo was in the office of the UA principal. He was there at her request after the events of his kidnapping by The Deck and The Dealer. In many ways, Tonen didn't know what to feel, or even what to think. When he had woken up that morning it all seemed like a dream, and yet he knew it was real. Even going back and looking at the Joker card he kept to remind him of just how real it was.

He did his best though to smile at the principal, and answered, "I'll be alright."

"I know it's a cliche, Tonen, but it's ok to NOT be ok. Especially you, especially after what you went through."

"Yeah...well...I'm sure it'll hit me sooner or later, but for now...I'll make it through."

Ayatsune could tell he was putting on a brave face for her, which she appreciated, "You're a good kid. But don't think that you need to put on that armor for all of us. It doesn't help in the long run. Have you talked to your parents?"

"This morning, a little before I came to see you. They were...surprised to say the least. But it's fair to say that all they cared about was that I was safe and back at UA."

"I was going to contact them myself, but I felt it would be better coming from you."

Tonen laughed softly, then a question came to his mind, "This wasn't on the news, right?"

"No," Principal Ayatsune replied, then she made a noise of uncertainty and answered again, "Kind of. Given that a building collapsed we had to report something, especially since I called in some Pro-Heroes to check things out. All we told the press though, was that there was a clash between heroes and a cell of villains. The villains collapsed the building so that they could escape, and they did. No mention of you or Class 1-B."

"Yeah, that's fair. I know why you keep everyone in the dark about The Deck, but that would've been hard to conceal."

"Oh yeah...now you see my problem, especially in regards to your classmates..."

She eyed him with serious intent, it took a moment for him to realize what she was implying, then it all became clear, "They know."

"They know enough," corrected Ayatsune, serious expression still upon her. "They don't know the details, but they aren't fools. I sent a message to all of them privately warning them against sharing this information with anyone for their safety and for the safety of others."

"Do you think they'll listen?"

"I do. The ones that don't will be found out about quickly and...shown the light..."

Ayatsune smiled and started to glow, which forced Tonen to shield his eyes. She eventually powered down.

"Sorry, I really wanted to do that for some reason."

"It was a good pun, Bubble Gum and Rune would've loved it," joked Tonen as he rubbed his eyes a bit.

"I bet. Getting back to business, I appreciate you sharing everything that Nochi...that The Dealer...told you. He was right about what he said to you though, nothing new was revealed."

"Not even his henchmen?"

"Hmm...good point, we definitely didn't know about that Stretch person, or the Wall Shadow. So that is something to dig into as we go forward. But for now, we just have to wait and see what his next move will be. It'll be hard...but we have to do it. As for you...what are you planning to do this weekend once I let you go?"

Another soft laugh came from Tonen, he looked at the ground and just shrugged, "I don't know. Probably take a walk, clear my head, try and focus on other things."

Principal Ayatsune snapped her fingers to get his attention and then wagged a finger at him, "Listen to me, please. Don't keep it all in. Talk to someone. Azujima, Kuroda, Eri, Anno, The Twins, me, Angel Wings, I don't care! Don't internalize it all. It almost broke me when I lost my sister to him, and I was older than you when that happened. And should you want, you have my express permission to go to the training areas and let loose with your Quirk. I'm sure you going full-tilt will make you feel a little better."

"That definitely sounds appealing. Thank you. Let me know if you need to talk to me again about what happened."

"I appreciate it, Tonen. You can go."

Tonen nodded and got up and went to the door but hesitated before grabbing it, and instead turned back to the principal, "Your invitation, I extend it to you as well. If you need someone to talk to about The Dealer, even if it's just to rage against him, I'll listen."

She smiled and gave a very unique laugh, "Such a good kid. But don't worry about me, I got Tsuru, er, Angel Wings. She keeps me in line."

"Good to know."

"I'm a little surprised though...aren't you going to give me a line, 'we'll get him next time?' You know, something heroic?"

"...given who we're dealing with, would you want me to make that promise to you?"

"...no, I wouldn't."

"Good. I'm trying to be a different kind of hero, Principal Ayatsune, and that means not making promises I can't keep."

With a bow of his head he turned and exited the room, leaving her alone. She waited a bit and couldn't help but let out her laugh again, "He's something. No wonder Tsuru likes him so much. 'Different kind of hero', huh? I look forward to seeing what you become."

Tonen walked through UA High with his mind in a very different place. But he kept his awareness up just enough to notice how people were looking at him. Though the news wasn't widespread, Gossip had spread around the dorms that SOMETHING had happened, and a lot of rumors were about what Tonen had done or had happened to him. He didn't mind as they didn't know the truth, and it was amusing some of the stories they spun.

"I know what you're thinking. You're right there with the principal and thinking, 'are you sure you're alright?' In truth, at that moment, I honestly was lost in terms of what to think and feel. Yes, I was kidnapped, I was beat up by a Brute, taken to the leader of a group that had been killing people. But as The Dealer had told me...I wasn't in danger of dying. For all I knew, after he got all the information he wanted from me, he might have taken me back to the school. I just didn't know for sure."

Tonen emerged out the front doors and looked at the sky. It was a beautiful day, but it didn't feel like that to him.

"I've always been someone who rolled with the punches, but this wasn't a case where I could do that. If it wasn't for the others I had no idea of knowing what would happen to me. Sure, I got out fine-ish, but it still weighed on me. It also weighed on me whether they might try it again. Or whether The Dealer would rub it in that he was still out there. Then there was the card. The Joker. He clearly put that on me, but why? What was his plan for me? I hated having all those questions, it reminded me of when I found the card the first time, and it definitely dragged me down a bit."

With a sigh, he headed to the back area of the school and went down one of the paths to go and take a walk and try to unwind. For the first time in a while, Tonen's thoughts were cloudy, every time he tried to divert them from The Deck it got even more dense with memories and feelings about them. He grimaced as it didn't stop.

"Hard to get it out of your head, huh?" came a voice.

Tonen turned to see Kuroda leaning against one of the trees, twirling a branch in between her fingers, changing its state every time it did a full rotation.

"Hey K-Rep," said Tonen with a small smile.

"Don't dodge the question, you're thinking about it still, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I would, but only because I'd be too stubborn not to."

"Fair enough. I'm just...trying to understand it all, I guess. How are the others? I assume that none of them have searched for me because of you..."

She gave a mock curtsy to him as if to bask in the glory of the revelation, "Guilty. Much like before, I knew you'd need some space. So I gave it. As for the others...most are worried about you. Azujima, Iha and Ebirima especially."

Tonen laughed at this, "Ah, Bubble Gum...I'm more worried about her, I heard that shadow person sliced her up pretty good."

"It's true, and she felt bad she couldn't do more to save you, but...we knew the risks going into that place."

"The little I have heard came from the teachers and the principal, they said you kept everyone on point and focused. Thanks."

"Just being a good class rep."

The two looked at one another and smiled before letting a pause happen. Kuroda motioned to the path and Tonen started to walk once more, this time with Kuroda at his side.

"I know Principal Ayatsune likely asked this but, are you ok?"

"I'll be fine."

"That's future tense," pointed out Kuroda. "I want to know how you're doing now."

He could sense she wouldn't give up and Tonen shook his head at the stubbornness beside him, "I'm...tangled...I guess."

"Oh?"

"I'm mad that I got kidnapped, sad that you all had to save me and some of you got hurt, furious that the villains got away, and stressed that I just...have to try and move on..."

"Tangled indeed, and yet you've never shown it on your face or posture."

"Because much like how everyone looks to your for guidance and leadership, they look to me for help and support. If they see me broken down, they'll suffer too. I don't want that for them."

His selflessness on full display, Kuroda did her best to stifle a laugh, "Are you sure you're not the class rep? Looking out for everyone like that?"

He shrugged in reply, "If you recall a certain conversation from before, I'm more of a big brother type. Big brother has to be strong, just like you...big sister."

"Fair enough. Just remember, big sis is here to help you if/when you need it. You think you can't talk to anyone? Don't. I can be your help and support like you are for us."

"You're good people, Kuroda," he said with a kind smile.

She returned the gesture, "As are you...TK."

"Do you think the others will be ok after this? Especially with them needing to go and be quiet about it all?"

"Between the two of us? I think we can help them out. ...I'm still hoping you'll let me help you though if you need it."

"Oh, K-Rep," Tonen joshed with a return to old form, "In truth? The weekend was not the best timing for me. Right now? All I have are my thoughts. I need something to focus on, to channel my energy in. Once I get that? I can put this all behind me as that'll be more important."

"I like that," Kuroda admitted after some thought. "It's simple, very you."

"Happy you approve."

"Indeed! On that note, I can get you a little bit of focus, let's head back to the dorm because frankly...I think some of our class could use some big sis/big brother help."

Tonen stopped and looked up at the sky once again, it was the same as before, yet somehow it held more meaning for him. Probably because he had a good friend at his side, and Principal's Ayatsune's words about not internalizing everything was sound advice indeed.

"Yeah, let's do it," he said with a nod.

"Excellent," shouted Kuroda as she tossed a now metallic tree branch away. "We'll start with the usual suspects and go from there."

"So Up Down, Azu and Kana?"

"Exactly."

"We're such good siblings."

"Best around."

They laughed at the joke and proceeded back to the dorm. Once there, they went to everyone who went on the mission and room by room talked with everyone about the mission, how they felt about it, and how they could help if they needed it.

Some were still a bit shaken by events, The Twins weren't happy that they almost got sliced open by a villain, but Kuroda massaged their minds by reminding them that anyone could've gotten caught in the sneak attack the villain did.

Others were honestly happy with how they handled things. Eri, Wasuke, Anno, Doza, Sanda and Hana for example felt that this was a good test of their abilities, as well as how much farther they had to go and push themselves.

Iha had little to say per usual, and most of it had to do with Tonen being ok. Azujima was the same way, but also admitted that he was glad to have learned a trick or two about his senses and how to control them in what he called "Overload Mode".

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about that, Kuroda. How did you know that focusing trick would work?" he asked during their discussion.

"Oh that? My...uh...my cousin is autistic," she admitted after a bit of hesitation. "He has a Quirk that can overload his mind too and I've used that on him. So I thought it might work on you.'

"It did, thanks. Now I just have to work on it alone."

Tonen patted Azujima on the shoulder, "You'll get there, no doubt. Soon you won't even need those dampeners, Azu."

"One step at a time, TK."

Once done with him, then went on to Ueno, Kanagita, Oshibu, Ikaim and then finished up with Fenella and Ebirima. As predicted by Kuroda, Ebirima was beat up mentally about not helping more.

"I feel so embarrassed," lamented Ebirima, trying to hide her face from Tonen, "We're supposed to have been saving you, and I was the one who needed saving!"

"Bubble Gum, you did nothing wrong. You didn't know that Wall Shadow thing was there. Heck, if the roles were reversed? I probably would've gotten slashed by that thing! It could've been anyone."

"Yeah, but I'm the one who's jinxed..."

"Dang it, Ebirima, you're not jinxed!" called out Kuroda. "You were unlucky in that moment, pure and simple. And having that mindset is only going to make you get more diluted into thinking you're jinxed when other things go wrong!"

"Come on, lass," encouraged Fenella, wrapping her arm around her friend, "you're better than that. You're alive! You'll get a second chance to save the day, no doubt in me mind!"

Ebirima grumbled something but they couldn't hear it. They all looked at each other and tried to think of a way to cheer her up. Tonen remembered what he said about focusing on something and a light bulb came on in his brain.

"Bubble Gum," he said, getting her attention. "Do you want to make it up to me?"

"Yeah, of course," she replied, not sure where he was going with this.

"Then train. Train harder than ever before so that something like this doesn't happen again. So you won't be caught off guard, so you won't be the first one injured. I haven't see your 'Bubble Gum Web' for example, I'd love to see you use it on someone. Other than me of course."

This got Ebirima to laugh and Tonen pushed the advantage.

"We'll help you, all of us. Just don't wallow, be better. Because trust me when I say...I have a feeling I'll need saving again one day..."

HIs words got Kuroda's attention but he made a small motion to stop her from responding to it.

"...and it'll be good to know that someone like you will help me out of a...sticky...situation."

Silence filled the room as Tonen dropped his pun. Fenella tried to contain a laugh but failed, and soon Ebirima and even Kuroda joined in on the action.

"I knew I liked you boyo," remarked Fenella, still laughing.

"Good to be appreciated," he replied with a mock bow.

Once Ebirima got done with her laughing fit she looked at Tonen with very emotional eyes, "Thank you, TK. I'm glad you're ok and that I didn't fail you."

He scoffed and to her surprised he reached out and hugged her, "You couldn't fail me if you tried, Bubble Gum. You know, unless you do that web on me, I'm sure it's murder on the hair."

Tonen let her go and the two laughed once again. Sure he was good, he left the room and the let the ladies talk. Now in the hallway, he sighed in relief as he was glad everyone was mostly ok. They would need time like him, but they would make it through. It gave him hope that he might recover quickly as well.

With another sigh he went downstairs and into the main area of the dorm, and to his surprise, looking at him from not far away was Chuya. Her expression was veiled behind a very stone-like gaze. But there was an ounce of surprise though when Tonen didn't speak, and instead turned to walk away.

She pondered what to do and then called out, "If you have something you want to say, say it now."

He stopped, but didn't turn around, "What is there to say, Soldier?"

"That you're disappointed, that I should've come, a variety of things I guess..."

"You guess?! See, that's why I know you don't care."

"Excuse me?"

This time he turned to face her, fire in his eyes as he did, "I was in danger, serious danger. The principal being here to rally you all should've been proof enough for that. But instead of helping, instead of stepping up to help someone you need...you left me to potentially die. Worse, you risked a lot of YOUR CLASSMATES getting hurt or killed as a result of not being there. We all know you have one of the best Quirks of the group with your Aqua Body, you don't think that it would've helped in that mission?"

"It...it wasn't my mission to take..."

"Why? Because you don't like me? Because we're not friends? Guess what? We're not going to know everyone we save! So try again! Why weren't you on that mission?"

"Because my purpose lies beyond this place!" she yelled back. "Yes, you could've died, but you didn't. They could've died, but they didn't. And even if they did, or you did, that has nothing to do with me. I am here for a reason, and I will fulfill that purpose. I will not let anyone's...misfortune...stop me from what I need to do for myself, for my father, and for my goal."

The two stared down, both not willing to budge an inch from their version of the "moral high ground". Tonen's fiery expression was the first to melt away though and he shook his head in sadness as he turned away, "Like I said at the USJ, you're going to be alone if you follow this path."

Chuya didn't respond, but merely watched him as he went and took a path to his room. She bared her teeth in anger at his words, but regained her composure. As she turned around though, another angry set of eyes were upon her. But this time, it was Kuroda's.

"Tonen doesn't know this part of the story," she started, venom in her voice, "when you walked away and left? I made a deal with Anno. He gets to take out Goya for leaving the mission. But you? You're mine."

Chuya scoffed, "If you think I can be intimidated by an idle-"

Before she could react, Kuroda slammed her against a wall and pressed a metal rod right against her voice box.

"You didn't just leave us, Chuya, you abandoned us! We're supposed to be a class! We're supposed to look out for each other! Goya left because he's an arrogant jerk who thinks he's better than us. But you...no, you're different, which makes you abandoning us even worse! You should be one the guiding lights of our class alongside Eri, Tonen and me! But you're not! You close yourself off, and when we NEED you, you leave and say that we're nothing but 'casualties of war'! Make no mistake, the moment I get a one-on-one with you, I will take my pound of flesh for what you did."

She slowly backed off and then dropped the rod menacingly on the floor before walking away. Chuya rubbed her neck and fumed as she now had another problem to worry about.

The rest of the weekend flew by in a blur. Tonen and the rest of 1-B tried to make do with the time that they had and tried to mentally be prepared for what was to come. Mainly, the return of classes.

As Monday morning came, the entire class was seating in their seats as Angel Wings entered the room with her usual beaming smile.

"Good morning class!" she said to them all.

"Good morning, Angel Wings!" they replied back.

"Usually...this is where I would spell out the class schedule for the day, and what to expect for the week. But given what happened last week...well...it's not that easy to do."

Many of the class looked at their teacher with sympathy, as they could tell the sorrow she was feeling for the situation they were put in at no fault of her own.

"Don't get me wrong, I know that our world has plenty of dangers, and that you'll have to face them one day. But a kidnapping? A raid on a villain facility? All within your first semester? That's...just not fair, and I wish it could have been prevented. My instinct...as a person who rescues people for a living...is to keep you safe for the foreseeable future...but...that wouldn't be fair to you...now would it?"

This time many of the class looked at one another, as they could tell the meaning of her words.

"What happened, was tragic. Thankfully, there were no major injuries. But next time? That might not happen. So use this as motivation. Motivation to get better. Motivation to expand your Quirks, to test the bounds of what you can do. So that if...when...something like this happens again...you'll be ready. Understand?"

"Yes, Angel Wings," the class responded with a very serious tone.

This brought relief to her, "Good. And...should need a further reason to go and take the initiative to get better...the Sports Festival is not far away."

A murmur among the class broke out as this was something they all looked forward to.

"Alright, alright, calm down. The Sports Festival is something that happens three times during your time at UA. Each one allows you to go and show skills and appeal to the many Pro-Heroes that are watching. The better you do? The more likely one of them is going to ask you to intern with them shortly after the festival ends. I won't lie, not all of you are likely to get that given the competition you'll be facing. But push for it, push for it hard. This is a good first step is pursuing the career you want as a Pro-Hero. You have a few weeks still to train, and your teachers will help push you in the directions you want to go. But don't be afraid to ask each other for help as well. So, with that, we start your classwork for today. We'll begin with..."

She turned to the blackboard and started to write out the lesson. While her class did pay attention, many of their minds were elsewhere. Thinking about not just the festival, but the heroes they could potentially team with to further their journey to herodom. For Tonen, something felt...right about it all.

He felt it, a fire that had been dampened by his kidnapping, it was welling up inside of him again, and he knew that his purpose had been restored. For as he told Kuroda, he had something to push for now, to focus on, and he couldn't wait to go and partake in it.

As the class day ended, Tonen left his friends behind and went to the city training area. To his surprise, Principal Ayatsune's word was kept as he used his student ID to gain access to the city area and he went inside with no issues. His eyes were laser focused as he went and roamed the area.

"It's funny how something simple can make you refocus. I know I had talked about the Sports Festival with the others before my kidnapping, but after it? It never even crossed my mind. I was lost in my own world. But hearing about it again, its purpose, and how I could learn from heroes to help me on my journey? Yeah, that was what I needed to push through my funk."

As Tonen made it to a good center area of the city, he stopped and took some deep breaths. Then, with one final deep breath, he let out a roar, one like he had not let out in a long time. Not since the entrance exam, or even before that.

This wasn't a roar of power, this was one of anger, of sadness, of pain, of rage, it was every negative emotion that Tonen had in him. He let it out, all of it, and as his air pressure poured out of him, he made sure that his feelings were there too.

The intensity ripped through the buildings, denting and slicing the metal. All the glass within a very large radius of him shattered and then flew away in all directions.

All across the campus, various teachers and students heard his shout and the power he was unleashing. As Principal Ayatsune saw it via a camera on her computer she smiled. Others who got to see it were in awe of what was happening, even if they didn't fully know what was happening.

Eventually, Tonen dropped to his knees in exhaustion. He expelled everything from within him, feelings and air pressure. He breathed heavily and then fell to the ground in laughter.

"Don't worry, I didn't go insane. It just felt...good to get it all out, just like the principal said. What's more, this was a symbolic gesture on my part. As Angel Wings told us, we needed to push hard for the Sports Festival. So I felt it best to be at my weakest as I trained. To try and use what I could at my lowest power levels to try and make the biggest impact."

His strength returning slightly, Tonen picked himself up and walked away.

"My journey was still only starting, but the Sports Festival was going to truly test me, as well as give me opportunities that set many things in motion both professionally, and personally. My recovery was over, it was time to get back into action."

*credits*

Season 2 of My Hero Academia - Under Pressure has begun! And the Sports Festival is going to be a HUGE deal as you might have guessed! What will happen? What new characters will show themselves in this season? Stay tuned and find out!