Paragons of Virtue and Glory Season 1 - Welcome to Remnant

by TheGreyGeneral

After a training session at the USJ, Class 1-A, along with teachers Aizawa and All Might, find themselves unexpectedly warped to Remnant. Now, with the help of Beacon Academy's staff, plus Teams RWBY & JNPR, they seek to adapt to this new world of bloody evolution, while seeking a way back home. Canon typical violence, and mild language - because Bakugo.

7. E7 Faunus

Welcome back to an Episode of Paragons, where it earns the tag [Katsuki Bakugo is bad at feelings]

This ended up longer than I originally planned, but given the subject matter, I don't regret it. This needed to be here.

Quick special thanks to my sister, who went over the original rough draft, and gave great feedback in regards to how I handled the parts where Race issues got brought up. Also to jlporter1994, who brought up good points that actually worked in favour of this chapter. And of course, The Mysterious Mr.E, for going over the abridged notes.

(Also thanks to the Guest known as KiriCry for picking up on some mistakes in previous Episodes. I don't mind comments like that if they help me improve, and I also picked up some other little details I was getting mixed up, so thanks :) it really helped.)

Brief notes at the end. Meantime, let's hit "PLAY".

---

Blake watched from behind a notebook, as students from 1-A and both her team and JNPR, either sparred, exchanged tips, or just went through exercises together. All Might had asked if the Beacon teams wanted to join in, and there had been a resounding unanimous "YES" from everyone.

They were in one of the combat amphitheatres, with Blake and a few others sitting at the edge, either like her, taking notes on what others were doing, taking a breather, or a mixture of both. She was surprised that Aizawa wasn't with them, given how he was the one who could shut down his students Quirks in an instant if he thought necessary, but All Might assured her and the others that things would be okay. Aizawa was taking care of some last minute business.

1-A would be soon allowed to go on monitored patrols in Vale.

Blake remembered watching the press conference held by Headmaster Ozpin, where Aizawa (in costume, but with his hair tied back so he looked a little more presentable) and All Might dressed in his UA gym clothes (tailors had tried to make a suit that could adjust to his 'Buff' state, but with no luck) and of course, all of 1-A in their hero outfits presented themselves, and answered a few questions.

Blake smiled at the memory, seeing both Momo and Toru, take on the advice and suggestions of herself and others in modifying their costumes so that they wouldn't cause the wrong kind of stir. Yaoyorozu had adopted a hooded red cloak, found by Ruby (of course), but she had also changed to a red and white crop top and shorts, covering more of her chest, and leaving her middle and back bare. She'd also abandoned the book stand she had at her back, instead adopting a satchel that carried the instructional tome instead.

Toru Hagakure had taken notes on Blake's suggestions for clothing. She had received some questions about being invisible, and had responded well to the curious reporters, by 'showing' her invisible face. She had taken to wearing a face mask similar to Shoji, but with a pair of tinted goggles that helped show where her eyes were. She also had a reversible cloak, with a different camouflage pattern on either side. One for the wooded forests around Vale, and the other more suited for urban environments. She otherwise had a navy blue sleeveless top and leggings, though she had insisted on keeping her current gloves and boots.

All In all, as surprised as people were, the press conference had gone well, though Bakugo had nearly shouted at one reporter for asking what he thought of as a dumb question ("Does it look like we're all friends? You better get your eyes checked!"). The teachers and Ozpin had quickly settled the matter and smoothed things over, but it seemed to Blake and her team, that Bakugo struggled with the nuance of interacting with people in a way that wasn't aggressive.

That said, Bakugo had, in a relatively calm and non confrontational way, asked Nora today for advice in how to wield a hammer in combat. The ginger had agreed, and it seemed that the pancake devourer and the explosive Pomeranian, were getting along. Kind of... sorta…

"Swing like you mean it! Don't you want to be Plus Ultra?!"

"GRAAAAGHH!"

"AGAIN!"

"QUIT YELLING AT ME, CRAZY HAMMER!"

"GET MY NAME RIGHT, Mc BOOMY-XPLODESALOT, AND I'LL CONSIDER IT!"

"Grrrr! Shut... Up...!"

Blake winced as she watched the pair for a moment as Nora went through her own drills for using her weapon, and had Bakugo repeat them, even as they yelled at each other. Shaking her head, Blake turned her attention to her partner who was taking turns sparring with different close combat types. Right now she was fighting Kirishima, and was clearly enjoying a traditional brawl, whilst also dealing with the challenge of the red head's Hardening.

"You're telegraphing your attacks too much, tighten it up Kirishima!" Yang said as she ducked a wide hook, before delivering a double uppercut to Kirishima's jaw. It knocked him back, but he recovered quickly.

"I hear you, Yang!" He called back, yet still telegraphing his next attack by pulling back his right fist, and charging forward with a yell. Yang however deflected the heavy hit with her gauntlets, and then quickly grabbed the outstretched arm, and threw the boy over her shoulder, and then proceeded to put his arm in a lock, pinning him down.

"You might be hearing, but you don't seem to be listening." Yang said holding him down without issue, despite his struggles. Eventually, he sighed, and tapped twice on the ground to forfeit. She let go and stepped back, though she also offered a hand up, which he took. "Seriously, Kirishima, you need to think beyond just throwing punches in a head to head fight, even if it is where you excel." Yang continued to point out before looking away, turning introspective for a second. "We both do, to be honest."

"Well, uh, I guess you have a point. I didn't exactly have a teacher for this stuff. Just tried to copy moves that I saw Pros make, and learn as I go. You know?" Yang turned back, as Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck, self consciously, as he reflected.

"You never had proper combat training? You're self taught?" Yang asked.

"Yeah...?"

"Well then, it's official!" Yang made a pose, hands on hips, as she threw back her head and declared, "from now on you will call me Sensei Yang! I will teach you, my dyed haired pupil!"

"Shh! Could you keep it down?" Kirishima panicked, though other than Blake, pretty much everyone else was ignoring them.

There was a muffled giggle behind her. Blake turned, and looked quizzically at Mina, who had sat down to take a breather from her own exercises. Blake's intuition tingled. "You already knew, about Kirishima having his hair dyed, didn't you?" Mina suddenly looked bashful and a little guilty, but then leaned in to whisper.

"Yes, but I promised I wouldn't tell anyone about his 'High-School Debut look.' At least until he got over himself."

Blake smiled. She had been with Yang when they had gone shopping for 1-A, and remembered when Yang had sought out red hair dye at Kirishima's request. Apparently, he liked to apply the stuff daily, so that he was red to his roots. "You two were close before UA?"

"Nah," Mina made a gentle wave of her hand, dismissively, "we went to the same middle school, but were in different classes. We get on well though. Kiri's always been a good guy." She looked back with a soft smile, as the boy she spoke of, bowed at the waist to Yang Xiao Long, who was now calling over Ojiro for a spar. Blake's intuition tingled again, but chose to leave that be. Not that she would have had a chance to say something, because another student sat down heavily, close by, with a tired groan getting both of their attention.

Mineta actually did look exhausted, and was rubbing his scalp, that was no longer bleeding from the amount of Pop Off balls he had plucked. "How long does it take for Aura to recover?" he mumbled, his attention surprisingly not on the women he had sat by. Though Blake knew he was being mostly rhetorical, she chose to answer.

"About a few hours or so, though it can differ from person to person. It generally recovers faster when you give yourself proper time to rest." She said. "It also helps if you don't run yourself into the ground, day after day. That'll only make it slower."

Mineta looked at her, finally realising who was there with him. He looked a little excited, some energy to his personality returning, before suddenly looking scared, his eyes moving back and forth between Mina and Blake. "...Well... I guess. Maybe it's just because we're still kind of new to it and all, but... I swear it takes nearly twice as long for it to recover compared to you and everyone else." He looked away, very uncomfortable, almost like we wasn't sure whether to move or not.

The whole thing made Blake uncomfortable herself. She closed her notebook, and stood up walking a few steps towards Mineta. "Do you mind if I sit here?" The boy looked surprised, before nodding, like he didn't trust his own voice. Mina watched with confusion, but Blake wanted to focus on Mineta right now.

"Why are you scared of me, Mineta?" she asked, and the boy jumped, and broke out in a sweat.

"W-w-well, um, maybe, eh, you heard about... " He drifted off, but Blake could guess what he had been trying to say.

"That you're an open pervert. Is that what you were trying to say?" Mineta nodded. "What do you think I'm going to do to you, that makes you so scared?". Mineta seemed to lose some of his nervousness, and looked at her.

"Well... I figured you'd be mad at me. I admit I've tried... peeping on the girls... twice before... b-but! I got punished for it real quick! I didn't even get to see anything!" Blake frowned, but not just from what he was describing of his own behaviour, but also, what she figured the punishment was.

"How were you punished?"

"...Jiro's earphone jack in my eye the first time, and then I got pushed off the wall I was climbing by the nephew of the Pussycats during the training camp."

Momentarily blinking at the mention of the 'Pussycats', Blake felt that her theory was correct. "So you've only faced violent reprisals? Did you ever get someone to explain why what you were doing was wrong, without the threat of violence?" Mineta tilted his head in thought.

"There... was an intervention. Pretty much everyone, even Kaminari, had me taped to a chair while they went over why it wasn't okay. Midoriya and Tsu were nice, and went over what made me cool, and uncool. But Ashido still showed what to expect if I tried peeping in on..." he stopped himself, shuddering, but Blake didn't need him to finish. She instead chanced a quick look at Ashido, silently asking if this was accurate. Mina stoically nodded.

Blake turned her face forward, and took two slow, deep, breaths, before turning back to Mineta. She was a little concerned that this hadn't been properly handled by the teachers, though it also felt very in character for Aizawa. From what she had observed, he lived and breathed by the 'sink-or-swim' mentality, of students figuring stuff out for themselves. While that had it's benefits, for sure, it also came with it's own problems. Mineta needed more guidance (and possibly the rest of his classmates to some extent) but she was worried that all he seemed to be learning, was either to be afraid of violent reprisal, or be sneakier about how he does things in order not to get caught, possibly even both.

"Mineta," she started, getting his attention again, as she thought through what she wanted to say, "you need to understand something. Getting into a woman's personal space without consent, or making lewd comments about their body, can feel as threatening in it's own way, as being hunted by a Grimm." That got his attention, his eyes widening, and he turned so that he could more fully face her. "Most women won't feel flattered or safe, if you make lecherous remarks on their chest or butt. If anything, they'll be scared to some degree, which often leads to them reacting (understandably) angrily and violently. I know there are some, like Yang who like to flirt and show off, but even that confidence is a shield in a way. You may not be aiming to actually hurt us or assault us, but that kind of behaviour doesn't make us feel safe. And what is the purpose of a hero?"

"...To save people... to protect them." Mineta answered softly, feeling like he was finally connecting some dots between what had been said during the intervention, and what Blake was saying now. He frowned as a thought crossed his mind. "It does feel like there are some double standards sometimes though. Like, if I was taller, and had Todoroki's looks, would the girls give me such a hard time for taking an interest?"

"Interesting question," Blake nodded, before turning back to Mina, who was still listening from her seat. "Well Mina? If Todoroki started acting like Mineta has been, would you be giving him such a hard time?"

The pink skinned girl actually put a hand to her chin as she thought about it, a frown on her face. "It's... true that me and the other girls might have a different reaction to Todoroki if he started taking a bit more of an interest. That said," she turned her head back to look at both of them, "if Todoroki acted in the same way that Mineta has done, he wouldn't be so popular. Handsome or not, get in our space without our consent, or make degrading comments, and he would be getting slapped, make no mistake!"

Blake nodded, glad that had been Mina's answer, and turned back to Mineta. "Me and my team, have decided to judge you, Bakugo and everyone else by your actions going forward. I..." she hesitated a moment that caught both Ashido's and Mineta's attention. "...I know how tempting it can be to use force as a way of correction. But fear isn't the answer. Understanding is. I promise you Mineta, we won't be threatening you just for... having some attraction to us, but if you really want respect and the trust of others, you need to realise how some actions are damaging you, as much as it makes others uncomfortable. Okay?" Mineta nodded, his mouth open, as if he had never had someone actually explain this properly before.

"Thanks... thanks Belladonna, I, uh, guess I have a lot to think about." She nodded, hoping her interference here, would be a step in the right direction.

Suddenly there was a sharp whistle blow, and Blake winced, doing everything in her power not to cover her ears. Thankfully it was short, as All Might let the whistle fall from his lips.

"Okay, that's good for this morning. Get yourselves something to eat, but keep suited up. Aizawa has a couple of announcements. 1-A is to meet back up at the main hall, in forty five minutes!" There was a mixture of responses. Some people sighed in relief at stopping the training, others were annoyed at the interruption, and some were curious as to whether this was the patrols that they had been looking forward to. Midoriya definitely seemed excited, as he helped up Jaune from where they were sparring. Similarly, Uraraka was helping up a bruised and aching Ruby, after demonstrating and practising her 'Gunhead Martial Arts'.

Ruff!

Blake felt the hairs on her body stand up on end. She turned slowly, and stiffly. There, on the bench next to her, staring at her with a dopey look on it's face, was a corgi. Blake stayed very still, even as Ashido started cooing over the mutt.

"Omigosh! Where did you come from, you cutie?" she gushed.

"ZWEI?!" Heads turned towards Yang and Ruby, who were looking at the dog in surprise. Then... "Zwei! Oh I missed you! When did you arrive?" Ruby had sped over in a cloud of petals and was now hugging the dog, who licked her face happily.

"Just keep him away from me." Blake stated, now fully behind Mina, who blinked and looked back and forth between where Blake had been (a shadow clone had been left behind, and was now fading away) to where she was now.

"Hey girl, what's up?" She asked confused. Blake mumbled under her breath. "You don't like dogs? How can you not like something this adorable, I swear!" Mina moved over to pet Zwei herself.

"When did he even get here?" Mineta asked, scratching his head. "I didn't know you could keep pets here."

"Zwei! Come here boy!" A man's voice called out. Once again everyone's attention spun around to face the newcomer. A blonde man, and…

"GALE!" The majority of 1-A exclaimed happily, seeing the Faunus girl happily waving at them, by the man's side. But their pleasant surprise was overtaken, by Ruby and Yang's second outburst that morning.

"DAD?!"

[Cue Opening – Save the Day]

Episode 7: Faunus

"So, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Taiyang Xiao Long, Yang and Ruby's father. It's very nice to meet you all." Tai bowed to the gathered students, and the majority of 1-A bowed back. Bakugo gave a small inclination of his head, but nothing else. He was sizing the man up.

'Goldilocks dad huh? Can definitely see some resemblance with the blonde hair. Maybe he's a brawler type like her too. Guess Red-tips takes more after her mom.'

Ruby walked up to her father, still holding Zwei, Yang by her side. After putting the corgi back on the ground they hugged the man who chuckled, and hugged them back. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" Yang asked after the hug broke up. Tai rubbed the back of his neck, and looked down at Gale, who was shaking hands with Ruby, and wagging her tail, quite content.

"I'll admit, I wanted to surprise you both a little," Tai said, "but the main reason was simply I didn't have that much time. Oz contacted me about the situation and asked me if I could take care of Gale, and I was left with a hundred things to set in order before I could leave Signal. But, I'm here now." He finished with a self deprecating grin.

All Might smiled and walked up to stand by the man's side, even as Izuku, Uraraka and Asui came forward to say hello to Gale. "Aizawa and I met your father a few days ago, as we went to check on young Gale, and see how she felt staying here, with him acting as her new legal guardian." He explained to Ruby and Yang.

"Huh?" Ruby said looking up, "You're both going to be living here?"

"That's right," Tai smiled, "but don't you worry, I won't be doing the whole 'embarrassing dad' routine with you and your friends. Even though it is more than a little tempting…"

"Dad!" Ruby mock scolded, which made the man laugh, and he ruffled her hair.

"They told me I'd be able to see you a lot while I am here, Bunny-Man," Izuku bashfully smiled as Gale once again referred to him by the made up hero name. Tai looked down in confusion.

"Bunny-Man?" Ruby then cleared her throat.

"Right, Dad, these our some of our new friends from Japan." She gestured to the three students with a sweep of her arm. "This is Izuku Midoriya, super-hero fanboy and all round nice guy. Ochaco Uraraka, who has been giving me tips on unarmed combat, also super-nice. And Tsuyu Asui…"

"Ribbit."

"...Whose Quirk gives her frog like powers, and is really nice and super supportive!"

"It's nice to meet you, sir." The three just introduced said together.

"Likewise, but I'm still confused..." Tai said, a twinkle of mirth in his eye as he regarded Izuku. The green haired boy stuttered a little in response.

"W-we-well, you see, um, Gale thinks we are her imaginary heroes that she drew, so she has her own names for all of us. Her drawing of... well, me, looks a lot like my old hero costume, which as so many people pointed out, made me look like a green bunny, even if it was unintentional." Izuku was working hard at not muttering by the end. Tai however nodded in understanding.

'Bundle of nerves, this one. But then, sometimes the fiercest fighters don't look like much until they are in the thick of it.' Tai thought, as he knelt down next to Gale, who was happily petting Zwei. The dog was loving the attention.

"Gale," Tai began, his voice gentle, "I know you have your names for everyone, but it might be a good idea to use their actual names. It might cause a bit of confusion calling Midoriya 'Bunny-Man' when he isn't a Faunus."

"Well, his full name is Super-Strong-Bunny-Man," Gale said thoughtfully, tilting her head back, while Izuku silently sighed, hearing the muffled giggles behind him, and knowing that he will never be living any of this down. "...But... Oh yeah! Deku! You said I could call you that! I remember!" Izuku nodded, smiling. Tai however, frowned heavily, until Yang tapped him on the shoulder, getting his attention.

"It's fine." She mouthed. "Think Dekiru." Tai immediately understood and winked in acknowledgement.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we do have to meet up with Aizawa..." Tai stood up and waved a hand. All Might didn't need to finish.

"No worries. I can catch up with you two later," he rubbed his daughters heads, "and I can meet your friends then, and if anybody wants to hang out and talk to Gale, I'm sure she'd love that." The little girl bounced on her feet, as she emphatically nodded.

…

Blake looked for someone. The only one who could help her. THERE. Following Jiro. "Koda!" The bulky, shy boy looked round, pausing as Blake caught up to him. "I need your help."

"M-my help?" Koda repeated, "what can I help with Belladonna?"

Blake paused a moment, thinking about what she could say. "...I'm afraid of dogs," She admitted, and Koda gave her a sympathetic look, already guessing this might be related to the arrival of Zwei. "I had bad experiences with dogs when I was very little, and while I'm sure Zwei is as friendly as much as Ruby loves cookies and strawberries... I'd feel better if he could give me some distance." She looked desperately into the horn headed boy's eyes, "Please... can you, I guess, talk to... him?"

Koda smiled sympathetically. He understood to a degree. He was afraid of bugs after all, even though his Quirk worked on them. "I'll have to ask Rose and Xiao Long first, but I don't see why not." Blake felt a huge wave of relief, and she hugged Koda, before quickly collecting herself.

"Yes, thanks. And yes to asking Ruby and Yang. Though knowing Ruby she'd probably want to know what Zwei says anyway..." Koda chuckled at that. Based on the few interactions with the speedster huntress, that would make sense. Blake nodded, and then ran back the way she came, much happier then she had been a minute ago.

She missed Sero sticking his head around the corner, after she left. 'Didn't mean to overhear that... but Belladonna's afraid of dogs, huh. She's usually so reserved and kind of mysterious, didn't know she could get that worked up. It's kinda cute.' He tried to shake off the blush he was developing, as he went to get food with the others.

The Main Hall, 28 minutes later

On the podium at the back of the amphitheatre, Aizawa stood alongside Goodwitch, Team CFVY, and three men, that the, now gathered, students assumed were Pro Huntsmen that were working in Vale. They stood right in front of the podium, though Bakugo stayed on the fringes. Not separate, but not crowded by the others either.

The three newcomers, appeared to be somewhere in their forties, and were interestingly, all Faunus. One bore a black eye patch, and favoured dark storm cloud grey clothing under armour similar to Cardin Winchester's. His hair, tied back in a small pony tail, was silver grey, but had some black streaks that put to mind of a European badger. That combined with the badger ears, of course. He also had a moustache and muttonchops, and a stern, scarred visage. He almost put to mind of an old warrior from a fantasy tale, of veteran knights that still had strength and vigour in them.

[Prof. Port: "William Wyndglade.

Weapon: Furious Debate. A fine Mecha-shifting Axe/Halberd/Rifle

Semblance: Savage Fury."]

The Huntsmen in the middle, was tall, lean, with brown skin, a small fine black moustache. He seemed to favour khaki brown as his personal colour of choice, though he had a red sash around his waist, and a red bandanna around his neck. He had short black hair, though it was greying close to his ears. His Faunus trait was a rat-like tail. He was giving the 1-A students an approving look, and a friendly smile.

[Prof. Port: "Lance Whitewater.

Weapon: Ferryman. A Boat-hook Pike/Bolt-action Rifle.

Semblance: Threat Assessment."]

The final member of the trio, was the broadest, and the shortest, being a head shorter than Wyndglade, and automatically everyone could tell he was a Mole Faunus, even without seeing his nose, on which perched a small pair of spectacles. He wore black and blue overalls, but with many straps, and a heavy looking pack, set for trekking on his back.

[Prof. Port: "Leif Gravell.

Weapon: Underminer. A sharp Shovel/Rifle with the shovel head able to detach and function as a shield, or be shot itself as a projectile.

Semblance: Earth Pulse."]

"Good Morning students," Goodwitch began, "as I'm sure many of you have guessed, we have called you hear about your new Hero patrols." Nobody spoke while Goodwitch talked, or after, but there was definitely excitement dripping off the collective youth.

"We need to make sure you are fully aware of some things before we get started." Aizawa said. "These are points that we've brought up before, but given how some members of this class sometimes have a habit of forgetting or ignoring the rules," he gave them all a firm stare, making a few people gulp, and Ashido gave a literal 'Eep!' "we'll go over them again now."

"Firstly, all of you are being treated as Huntsmen and Huntresses in training as far as the law goes, in part because of Ozpin arguing for the fact that most of you passed the provisional license exam. But, just like if you went overseas, some documentation doesn't cleanly travel over. And Pro-Heroes aren't quite the same as Pro Huntsmen. We were able to get these patrols arranged, by coordinating with the Vale Council and the police department. And you'll be doing these patrols with supervision."

Goodwitch nodded, and began to speak up once again. "Allow me to present Team WLL (wall), Professional Huntsmen who have agreed…"

"Excuse me Professor," The Huntress turned to look at the Wyndglade, who had spoken. His voice a low growl. "It's not Team WLL. It's Team WLLW (willow)."

"We're sorry for the interruption, Ma'am." Whitewater said, with a small bow, "But we all made the decision, after Wanda... passed, that we would keep the old name going." Gravell beside him nodded, whilst holding his specs to make sure they didn't fall off. Goodwitch took this in, and nodded.

"I understand, and I apologise." She turned back to the students who all felt the energy in the room drop a little at the mention of a Huntress dying. "Allow me to correct myself. This is Team WLLW, and they'll be splitting up so that each team, will have one Professional with them, both to guide them around Vale, but also to lead them in the event that any criminal activity is discovered."

"Before Iida raises his hand," Aizawa put in, and sure enough, the Class Rep's right arm was already halfway up, "we know that three Pro's aren't enough as escorts, when we have five teams. Which is why, Team CFVY is here."

"Miss Adel and her team have volunteered to help out here, in return for extra credit. Sometimes Huntsmen and Huntress will take on escort missions, or even bodyguard detail for special VIPs. They'll split their team in two to cover for the other Pros, and the same rules apply."

"All of you are representing two schools now." Aizawa said loudly and clearly. "I expect you to behave as Pros would. We are guests here, and we're helping out, so follow the lead of your Beacon upper-classmen, and the Pros, kind enough to give up their time to be our guides." He pulled out his scroll and after opening it up, he pressed a few buttons.

All of 1-A felt their own scrolls buzz then. "I just sent you all your current patrol route, and the escorts who will be attached to you. For those of you have already got your new gear finished, remember that this is your first time taking it out into the field. It's there to help, but don't forget that you have only just started to get used to it, nor forget the training you've already received during your time on the Hero course. Now get out there, and let Vale know what a Plus Ultra attitude is!"

"Yes Sir!" Everybody exclaimed, their voices echoed throughout the Hall. Wyndglade smirked, approving of what he was seeing so far. He leaned in to whisper in Lance's ear.

"Any of them that you spotted that could be trouble?" Whitewater cupped his chin, which also allowed him to hide his mouth as he answered back, even as the students filed out, heading towards the Armoury.

"The ash blonde. Katsuki Bakugo, I think his name is. His threat assessment is the same as yours when we first met."

"Is that so?" Wyndglade said with an undercurrent of interest and amusement. "And who is assigned to his group again?"

Gravell pulled out his scroll and consulted the information on it. "Well... none of us, Captain."

"So one of the pairs from Team CFVY then?" Whitewater asked his partner, who nodded, as he checked again.

"Ah... yes... here it is. Velvet Scarlatina, and Yatsuhashi Daichi."

Wyndglade stroked his moustache, and hummed in thought. "Let's keep an eye on how that goes. They'll likely move escorts around between teams as time goes on, but I already have a gut feeling, I might be better suited to looking after the brat."

"Fingers crossed that won't be necessary." Whitewater muttered, but his leader heard him anyway, and that got him to bark a laugh. Gravell meanwhile patted his best friend on the shoulder in empathy.

The Armoury

As everyone filed in, they moved over to their assigned lockers and entered in their assigned codes to open them. Izuku pulled open his locker to see the new weapons recently finished for him. 'Dagobah.' Two polished emerald green and red night-sticks, which incorporated pistols. They also came with a new addition to his costume, a pair of cream holsters that attached to his belt. He hesitated before picking them up, reminding himself, that despite doing fairly well in Mulberry's gun lessons, none of them had been given the go ahead yet to be allowed live ammo. Some Dust had been given out to some individuals like Kaminari and Yaoyorozu, though just as Aizawa had told them, they were all still new to using the substance. Even the Vice Rep would be a little wary of using something she wasn't used to, so casually. At the very least, he had a way to protect his arms, while still using them in battle. And they weren't so threatening that he'd worry about scaring civilians back home.

Next to him, Tokoyami tested the weight of his weapon. 'Midnight Raptor'. An onyx coloured weapon with deep purple accents. A single edge broadsword, that could also shift into a rifle form.

"Will Dark Shadow be able to wield the weapon as well?" Izuku asked when Tokoyami caught him looking. Tokoyami allowed a small smile, even as Dark Shadow emerged to look over the blade as well.

"That was actually part of my intention when I came up with it, that it could be shared between us."

"Normally my own claws would be enough but this ain't too bad either." The sentient Quirk said. "The more we both train, the better off we'll be when coordinating with this thing. No Sweat." Izuku nodded, setting aside some questions about how Tokoyami and Dark Shadow communicated with each other, and whether they shared some measure of knowledge and experience subconsciously.

Nearby, Bakugo huffed at the fact that his own new weapon hadn't been finished yet. It had taken nearly half an hour before he was able to alter his design enough to get what he wanted, and satisfy their homeroom teacher. He still had one gauntlet though, and he knew he could handle himself if a fight came up even without the newly named 'Lord-Murder'. Kirishima, right next to him, tested the weight of his new Kanabo, 'Crimson Iron,' and adjusted the strap and cover meant to help carry it on his back when not in use.

Kaminari checked on his Pointer Shooter, now equipped with new Dust Discs, and his other new weapon. 'Volt Lash' he decided he would keep purely as a stun baton, at least until he had more practice with using the whip function. As he did so, he checked on his right hand neighbour, Mineta, and was glad to see his friend wasn't trying to slink off to try and peep a little on the girls.

"How are you doing Mineta? You're pretty quiet," he asked. Mineta however assembled his weapon and gave it a few tests as it shifted between being 'active' and collapsed.

"Hm? Oh. I'm okay. Belladonna said some things that I'm still kinda processing. Made some of what everyone went through during that intervention make more sense than before." He said as he finished his checks and collapsed 'Grape Buckler' once more.

"Really?" Kaminari said, surprised, but also a little relieved. He had worried that Mineta would hold a grudge against him or something. "That's good to hear."

"Indeed!" Iida who was behind them, holding his helmet under his arm, was smiling proudly. "I'm glad to see you are keeping what was said in mind. That already makes me happier as your Class Rep and Team-mate."

"Soo," Uraraka said, coming out from behind the partition that separated the boys from the girls, already carrying her new pink and white fire-axe, 'Sputnik', collapsed into a manageable carrying size. "Who is everybody going out with in regards to the escorts? I know our team got Adel and Alistair, which sounds pretty great to me, since we already know we can get along with Team CFVY."

"Our Team got one of the Pros," Shoji spoke up, one of the few students who hadn't yet received their Huntsmen gear. "Leif Gravell, the broad one with the specs."

"He kind of makes me think of Koda," Kaminari said, "like similar big, shy, super nice guy energy." Koda nodded, as he adjusted his new harness that held his central weapon on his back. He had also felt that him and the Huntsman were likely kindred spirits.

"Well, that should mean we'll get along just fine, right?" Jiro said, a purple guitar case at her back. Even though the question was rhetorical, Shoji nodded his agreement.

Todoroki finished adjusting the red and white sheaths for the Katana and Wazashi blades he now had on his left hip. He shut his locker and moved up to Iida. "Our escort is Lance Whitewater, but I feel it needs to be said, that we won't know what they're truly like until we really get started."

"Huh. Look at you talking some sense Icy-hot." Bakugo agreed. "If we're all kitted up, what are we still hanging around here for?"

"Bakugo's right guys!" Ashido said excitedly, pumping her fist in the air. "Lets get out there and go beyond!"

"Yeah!" Kirishima cheered. The energy between the two caught on to everyone else, and soon they were all racing towards the doors. Towards their first Hero/Hunter Patrols.

Vale, 1 hour later

Team MMAT

"I knew we'd get some attention when we went Pro ourselves," Ojiro said as he and Team MMAT followed Wyndglade, "and I know we've gotten some attention before, due to our Quirks, but now…"

"Yes," Yaoyorozu agreed, doing what she could not to let the pressure show, "now we're on a world where Quirks and Heroes as we know them don't exist. I feel I should have better anticipated this response."

Vale was similar to many western cities, from the point of view of those from Earth, and had a sizeable population. People couldn't help themselves when they saw their group, openly gawking in some cases, or pointing and whispering to one another. Ojiro and Hagakure couldn't help feeling like they were the ones who were attracting the most attention.

"It's something we should all get used to." Aoyama said, giving a nervous but polite wave to one group of civilians, and actually received a wave or two back. "After all, as Heroes, our sparkle will undoubtedly get people's attention."

"Ojiro already pointed that out, Aoyama." Hagakure pointed out. The looks in her direction felt different than they normally did. Even with her new costume showing off more of her body and face, people could still see she was invisible. It felt nice to be noticed a bit more (not to mention a relief to not walk around essentially naked) but she was also getting some flashbacks to middle school where on her first day she had scared a few of her classmates who had thought a ghost had shown up when they saw her floating clothes.

"Mr Wyndglade? Sir? Was your first patrol this nerve-racking?" She asked, as she decided to follow Aoyama's lead and wave at some bystanders. The grey haired huntsman barked a laugh.

"Invisible girl, when I was your age, I didn't care two hoots what others thought." He looked over his shoulder and gave her grin that was all teeth. "However, back then I was living in Mistral, and there were plenty of places there that didn't treat Faunus like me all that well. Some still don't, last I heard. I figured the world had already made it's mind up about me, but I would do my own thing regardless. I became a Huntsman, because it meant I could fight the evils of this world, and I didn't give a shit if others didn't like me while I did it." He looked forward, missing or ignoring the sweat-drops from his charges at his statement.

"Time and experience have given me a lot of perspective since those days. But the point remains the same. Even in nice places like Vale, you'll find people who will judge you for the way you were born, and what you look like. But what really matters are your own actions. It's up to you whether you confirm all the worst they say about you, or whether you keep proving them wrong, day after day."

"I see," Yaoyorozu looked at Wyndglade with fresh eyes, and then resolved herself. "Thank you sir. We'll keep that in mind." Wyndglade made a dismissive grunt at that. 'He does seem to have a lot in common with Bakugo. Maybe that's what he'll be like when he himself goes Pro?' She adjusted the Quiver that carried the arrows and her bow 'Kagome'.

When she had been wondering what to name her weapon, once again adopting Beacon's Hunter traditions, she had been a little stuck until Kaminari and Sero had suggested the name of a anime/manga protagonist who also wielded a archery bow. Specialised Dust arrowheads were kept in webbing pouches at her belt. While she had gotten some practice in, she hoped that they wouldn't have to deal with any combat on their first patrol at least. 'Though I do feel better about this, than I did when I was at Uwabami's Agency.' She mentally sighed at that, before having her attention caught by a man's wails.

"Dammit! Why didn't I pack the spare?" Their group stopped and looked to their right, across the road. A man was by his vehicle, with a flat tyre at the front, but as the empty boot showed, no spare. The man was cursing himself, and clearly flustered.

"It seems we have our first job." Yaoyorozu said to the group, before calling out to the man, getting his attention. "Excuse me, sir? Would you like us to come over and lend a hand?"

"And what exactly do you think you can... no wait... I remember now. Creation. You can make a brand new tyre, right?" Wyndglade cocked an eyebrow at her. Yaoyorozu smirked and gave a nod, before walking over, her team at her back, already happy to do some good.

Team STRM

"Wow..." The child, a goat Faunus with horns on their head, looked at the small ball of fire being held in Todoroki's hand. She reached out slowly.

"Careful, it is still fire, so don't get too close to it, okay?" Todoroki said, resting on one knee so he was closer to the child's level. The girl nodded, pulling back a little, but was still in awe. Todoroki smiled, and that rarity warmed the small crowd of people around him and Team STRM more than his own flames.

Initially, when Lance Whitewater noted the crowd coming towards them, he had been concerned that, while they wouldn't be violent, they could still impede their group and cause trouble through their group curiosity. A mob was always something tricky to handle. Todoroki suggested diverting to a local park, where they could better talk to the people, and let them get to know them all better. Iida had agreed with the plan, citing how his brother had once done something just like that, early in his career.

So there they all were, talking and meeting with the people of Vale, letting them get close and ask their questions. Whitewater had been quite impressed at how mature Shoto and Ingenium were showing themselves to be. Sugarman and Grape Juice were also proving surprisingly popular, the latter telling some of the other kids, a watered down version of an incident involving villains at something called the USJ, and the former was passionately talking sweets and baked goods with a local baker.

Ingenium had his helmet off, so that people could better connect to him, and Shoto was gently demonstrating his Quirk to some of the children. There were also a few teenage girls who were taking pictures on their scrolls and cooing at how cute and sweet it was.

"Mr Whitewater, sir?" Mineta had finished his story, with the kids going back to their parents gushing about how these 'heroes' were so cool. Whitewater gave a small inclination of his head, to show he was giving the boy his attention. "I wanted to ask something about the Faunus, so long as it isn't too rude that is."

"Well if you're not certain, whisper it to me, and I'll correct you if it is." Lance knelt down so that he was close to Mineta's height. The ball headed boy came over and whispered his question, and Lance chuckled. "Oh there's no harm there for being curious. To answer your question, typically, outside of some improved eyesight and other senses, Faunus only have one physical trait, such as with me and my tail." He took said tail in his right hand and lazily twirled it around.

"Hold on." Todoroki, overhearing the conversation looked up and around. "What about Gale? The girl we rescued from the Grimm when we arrived? She has both a tail, and an extra set of ears."

"Hmm, she is a rarity, true." Lance cupped his chin in thought. "It's not out of the realm of possibility for it to happen, though the poor girl is the first I've heard of with two clear traits. Generally though, Faunus have just one."

"On top of the improved eyesight and senses." Mineta added as he followed along. "Got it."

"Well every Faunus is different, but by and large, yes." The Huntsman stood back up and checked a pocket watch. "We'll have to leave soon, especially if we want to make our scheduled report in at the station."

"Understood." Todoroki nodded, and stood up to give polite goodbyes. For Team STRM's first introduction, it was a very good start.

Team MJKK

"Thank you so much," a little old lady in a tartan shawl said, stroking her now rescued pet cat, Tom. She had come up to Team MJKK, completely at ease with Shoji's and Koda's appearance, and had asked if they could get her cat out of a tree.

Apparently, owls liked to sit in the tree, which the cat had noticed, but having climbed up in search of the birds that day, it had gotten itself stuck. Leif Gravell politely assured her that they would help, with Koda using his Quirk to soothe the feline, and get it to trust the extended Dupli-Arms of Shoji. One cat acquired, Shoji gently lowered his many limbs so that he could hand off the cat to it's owner.

A few people stopped to watch the whole thing, and Jiro had tapped Kaminari's shoulder to get his attention. A quick whispered conversation, and the two were reassuring the civilians, whilst answering questions. Gravell was also helping using his own experience as a Huntsman.

"We're happy to help, ma'am." Shoji said and Koda nodded. Tom lazily looked at Koda and gave a small meow.

"You're welcome too, Tom." Koda said. The old lady actually looked surprised for a moment before chuckling to herself.

"That's a wonderful ability. And it suits a sweet boy like you." Koda blushed at the praise.

From across the way, two men watched with frowns on their faces. "Figures," said one, out the corner of his mouth, "First it's Faunus scum, and now we have freaks from another world." His friend nodded, but then both jumped as they noticed Jiro turn her head sharply towards them with an angry scowl. The pair quickly, and without words, decided that they should move elsewhere.

"Earphone Jack?" Gravell lightly put a hand on her shoulder as she watched the two rush off. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, not wanting to make a scene, especially as most people had not been aware of anything being amiss. Jiro looked back at him, frustration clear in her eyes.

"...Just a pair of bigoted jerks mouthing off." She eventually said. "I won't pretend that everything is perfect back home, but... it is a little disappointing. Hearing about there still being discrimination based on how you were born and how you look is one thing, but actually seeing it is…"

"Tuesday."

"Huh?" She was confused, even as Shoji and the others started getting closer, preparing to carry on with their patrol.

"It's nice, and heart warming to see you willing and ready to stand up against that kind of thing, especially for your friends." Gravell said kindly, but soft and low, so that it was kept to just them. "And yes, it is sad, that even here in Vale, arguably one of the best kingdom's for equitable treatment, you get that kind of thing. But you need to remember something. For me, my Team, and many other Faunus, it's just another day." He turned his head looking back the way the men had ran, the pair now long out of sight.

"I'm also not that big a fan of solving such issues with threats of violence. I'll defend myself and my team if we're attacked, but I prefer to educate, and make my point through example. Do you understand?" Jiro looked down a moment, absorbing what had been said before looking back up.

"I... I think so. I guess... tackling racial injustice is a lot more complicated than just punching a villain in the face. It's still kinda frustrating though." While she didn't say it out loud, she was also a little upset at the fact her friends, and even herself, being labelled as 'freaks.' A hand landed on her other shoulder, making her look round at Shoji. He didn't say anything, but he simply nodded.

"Everything okay?" Kaminari asked, a little unsure. He could tell something heavy was being discussed, but hadn't heard a word. If Jiro wanted to talk, she might be better doing so back at the dorms where they had more privacy. He did notice Koda, also looking a little anxious.

"Yeah, yeah. It's fine." Jiro waved off. Gravell, gave her one final pat on the shoulder, before turning around to face Kaminari and Koda.

"We're moving on now. Can't do much good if we get stuck here all day." With that, and a quick adjustment of his pack, he led the group off. Team MJKK followed, but felt a little uneasy. Shoji, who had overheard everything, couldn't help reaching for his face, tracing some of the scars he had hidden beneath his mask.

Team MOAT

"Should I get rid of the hood?" Coco turned her head a little, watching Midoriya cup his chin, resting the elbow in his other hand. "Would it be problematic to keep it?"

"I don't mind it, but to be honest, you don't really make use of the hood that often." Asui stated. "I don't even remember you wearing it when we went on our work studies."

"What's the problem with Midoriya's hood?" Coco felt Fox's thoughts pulse in her head, through his telepathic 'Team-speak'. His Semblance, 'Telepathy' was really handy for having silent conversation without people listening in.

"Not sure myself, he's not wearing it at the moment," She sent back. Out loud she asked, "What's the problem with the hood? Maybe I can give you some tips if you're looking to make it more fashionable."

"Well, it was something that was kinda brought up before we went on patrol," Midoriya stopped cupping his chin, and instead had his right arm scratch the back of his head. "Gale calls me 'Super-Strong-Bunny-Man'…"

"Wait, does he look like a rabbit? I didn't think he had some Faunus like traits?'"Fox sent to Coco.

"Not that I've seen," she sent back.

"...and that's in part because of my hood. When I came up with the design originally, it was supposed to look like the two tufts of hair All Might has, that stick up." Midoriya continued to explain. Uraraka giggled.

"It was cute, and it did make him look like a big green rabbit."

"But the Support department have made some changes since then, so the...'ears' aren't as big anymore…"

"I think I get what he's worrying about," Coco gave a small look at Fox, and despite being blind, he knew his leader well enough to move his head enough in her direction and give a small nod in acknowledgement. "So, if I understand this right, you're wondering if having a hood that might make people think you're a Faunus, when you're not, might cause some confusion and problems?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Midoriya pulled up the hood so that they could see, still unaware of Fox's blindness, though that suited the Huntsman from Vacuo just fine for now.

Coco tilted her head and did an assessment with her own finely tuned fashion sense. It was, admittedly, kinda cute on him, but also kind of silly. She didn't think Velvet would be offended, knowing the girl like she did. Velvet had already taken quite a shine to Midoriya and many of the others in 1-A, and Coco had been really happy to see that. But another Faunus, who didn't know... Yeah, they might…

"How bad is it?"

"On par with that one pair of socks you bought during our first year."

"...Okay, he should probably get that changed then."

Coco tilted her head back up right, and smiled, whilst putting a hand on her hip. "Okay, having seen it for myself, I'll level with you Green bean, it isn't the most offensive item of clothing ever made on Remnant," She held up her other hand with a finger raised before anyone else could start talking before she was done. "However, while you are here in Vale it might be an idea to change it up. Those of us who know you, would be fine with it, but there is the chance that someone else could take it negatively. Like you're trying to pretend you are a Faunus, when you don't even have the heteromorphic Quirks to justify it. Also, while cute, it is also a little silly. Sorry."

Midoriya sighed, but from the sound of it, it had a bit of relief to it. He pulled back the hood, exposing his face once again. "Thanks, I needed to hear that. I'll see about getting that sorted when we get back to Beacon."

"We're not going to cause any offence, are we?" Asui asked, which got everyone's attention. She was pointing at herself, but she had also looked over at Tokoyami.

"Yes, I will admit to some trepidation when we were at the Press conference, and people remarked on our appearance. And today as well, seeing how many of the public have been staring." Tokoyami agreed. Out of the corner of his eye, practically making his case, was a family across the street, that had slowed as they caught sight of their group.

Coco waved her hand dismissively. "If anyone gives you trouble, they're bigoted jerks. And if that comes from anyone who is Faunus, I'll be surprised, but my previous point stands."

"You'll be fine, so don't worry." Fox added, that had MOAT all turn to him in shock.

"HE TALKS!" That almost made Coco break into laughter. Fox did like to mess with people sometimes, but she couldn't exactly blame 1-A for being caught off guard for what was likely the first thing he ever said out loud to them.

Team BEAS

"Smile!" Velvet called out, right before she took a picture with her camera, while Yatsuhashi used Ashido's scroll. Team BEAS was patrolling around the docks, and the pink skinned hero was in full on tourist mode. Her bubbly energy though seemed to charm pretty much nearly everyone who had come up to ask questions, certainly off-setting Bakugo's dismissive and anti-social aura. Finding one particular scenic spot, Mina had convinced Velvet and Yatsuhashi to take some pictures of her and her team, Kirishima managing to drag Bakugo in, though the boy looked increasingly annoyed.

The pictures taken, Yatsuhashi happily handed Ashido's scroll, allowing her to review. Meanwhile Sero decided to ask a question that had been on his mind since they started. "Hey, Scarlatina? I've been wondering, where's your weapon?" Velvet simply smiled at him as she adjusted Anesidora's strap, putting it over the back of her neck.

"What make you think I'm not carrying a weapon?" she asked sweetly. Sero and Kirishima looked at each other confused for a moment, and then gasped as a lightning bolt of realisation hit them.

"The camera is your weapon?!" they cried out in disbelief. Even Ashido looked up, slack jawed.

"Omigod, I knew Hunters could compact their gear for easy transporting, but seriously?" Ashido came over and gave the camera a more intense study. "Like, is that stylish purse Coco carries also a... it is isn't it?" She stopped herself as she stood back up to look Velvet in the eye. Velvet nodded once in affirmation, but hadn't lost her smile. Yatsuhashi was also enjoying this. Since he and Velvet had been made partners, and then team-mates, he knew she could be shy, and outside of a few people, tended to be looked down on. So seeing her enjoy herself with these new people made him happy in turn.

"Enough already," Bakugo growled, already set to walk on and continue their patrol. "If there's no crime or villains here, then there's no point in hanging around. We're not here to play tourist. Stop fawning over Bunny Ears' dumb camera and lets go."

The moment he said that, the atmosphere in the vicinity changed. A few Faunus dock workers looked over, half with concern, and the other half angry. Velvet herself was upset, and her ears drooped, but it was Yatsuhashi who made the first vocal reaction.

"Apologise." That one word caught Bakugo's attention and he looked round with a 'huh?', to see Yatsuhashi striding toward him with a deep frown on his face. Kirishima also looked put out and angry.

"Bakugo! What the hell are you thinking, saying something like that?!" Kirishima turned to Velvet, completely apologetic. "I'm sorry Scarlatina, we should have seen this coming."

"Yeah, we really should have." Sero said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "This is... kinda on all of us. Bakugo's rarely been one to use people's actual names from the get go, always going with some kinda insulting nickname."

"I would've thought he'd been smart enough to realise that referring to your Faunus traits like that wouldn't be okay though." Ashido said, frowning hard, and putting her clenched fists on her hips as she faced her team leader. "Seriously Bakugo? Get a clue already!"

"Shut it Raccoon Eyes!" Bakugo snapped back, only for Yatsuhashi to actually grab him by his shoulder. His face, a picture of restrained fury. Behind him, Velvet actually looked more upset, and more than a little outraged.

"How could you?!" She yelled at him, "she's your own team-mate?! Is that how you treat your friends and allies?!" Bakugo paid her little mind, as he focused his entire attention on the giant of a Huntsman who held him in a firm grip that he wasn't sure he could casually break. Not without using his explosions at least.

"Apologise." Yatsuhashi repeated, a dangerous tone to his voice. "Right now. To both Velvet and Ashido."

"Or what, Bald Giant?" Bakugo, flexed his fingers. He couldn't help himself. All his instincts were telling him that a fight was about to start, and by reflex, he prepared to throw down. 'You may be bigger and older, but I'm willing to bet you can't hold a candle to me.'

"Bakugo! That's enough!" Kirishima put himself between the two, though Daichi still had a grip on Bakugo. Kirishima, however, didn't look at him. He focused on his friend. The person, who's drive and tenacity he found inspiring. Someone he risked his life, and even potential expulsion for. The two locked eyes. 'Please! Stop this!' Kirishima internally pleaded. Out loud he said, "look around, will you?" Bakugo's face turned to one of confusion, but he did listen, and turned his head to look beyond the boys, and beyond the others watching with uncertainty.

That's when he saw. The various dock workers, watching the whole scene play out. More than a few with Faunus traits. And they looked as angry as Yatsuhashi. Bakugo closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and then released a breath.

"Alright, I get it. I won't cause more of a scene." He turned back to Yatsuhashi. "Got it? I won't start a fight. You can let go now, Baldy."

"Why is he calling him 'Baldy?' He's not bald." Velvet asked Ashido, who weakly shrugged. Dealing with Bakugo was frequently as tiring as any training the teachers had them do.

"He probably couldn't come up with anything else to describe Daichi, and knowing him he'll stick with that no matter how many times you correct him."

Yatsuhashi, hadn't lost the look on his face, but he did release Bakugo. "You still haven't apologised." Bakugo looked at him as if he had just grown a second head.

"Huh? What's that got to do with anything?"

Yatsuhashi took a deep breath, and fixed his gaze on Bakugo, but when he spoke, he wasn't talking to him.

"Velvet. I don't think it's a good idea to keep going if this is what it's going to be like." Velvet looked down, saddened, as she had been looking forward to showing everyone more of Vale. But she knew Yatsuhashi was right. Given what she knew about Bakugo, both from this interaction, and from what she had heard from others, there was a very good chance that he could spark an attack from someone, even if the only Faunus he directly insulted was her.

"...I'll put in the call to Professor Goodwitch." She said, pulling out her scroll. Ashido looked surprised, but then sadly nodded. Sero also agreed. Bakugo however was incredulous. He was about to march over and demand what the hell they were thinking, when both Yatsuhashi and Kirishima stepped in front of him. Bakugo might have still pushed through, if it wasn't for the fact that he noticed that Kirishima had hardened his body, and left arm. He shared a look with the red head, before looking off to the side. Angry and dejected.

Beacon Academy, Goodwitch's office, 45mins later

"Let me see if I have this correct; You made a remark about Miss Scarlatina, based on her Faunus traits, simply because you couldn't be bothered to remember her name. Effectively, casual racism. And you continued to use insulting nicknames for everyone, even your own team-mates, even when told to apologise. Is that about right Mr Bakugo?" Goodwitch had always come over as strict, but now she was rivalling Aizawa for terrifying intensity. Before her, Bakugo who looked off to the side with an uncomfortable scowl.

'Note to self; never let the old Hag meet Goodwitch. One of them angry, is enough of a pain." He thought. He chanced a look behind the Huntress. Aizawa had just come back in after having a private talk with Velvet and Yatsuhashi. He looked...somewhere in-between outraged and disappointed. His face was fully visible, he wasn't using the capture cloth scarf around his neck to hide his face like he sometimes did.

When Velvet had contacted Goodwitch, the Professor had called back all of Team CFVY, which meant that team MOAT had also had to cut their patrol short too. Between that, and the news that Velvet had been insultingly referred to only by her Faunus traits, they were understandably angry. The rest of Bakugo's team, he didn't know what they were doing right now. Once they had been brought back via Airship, Bakugo had been told to wait for a few minutes, while his homeroom teacher, and the deputy Headmistress, got the details of what happened, before excusing them, and calling him in. Aizawa had stayed outside, for a quick word with the other students, Heroes and Huntsman-in-training alike.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Goodwitch said. Bakugo growled a sigh, and looked up at the teachers.

"I don't care what a bunch of extras thinks. But I get that... calling someone Bunny Ears, or by their Faunus traits is bad. So I'll work on that."

Goodwitch's gaze didn't lessen. "Is that a promise? Will you be apologising to Miss Scarlatina and her team? Or your own team-mate, Ashido?"

"Take it how you want, I don't care." Bakugo said, just wanting this over with. Goodwitch was far from satisfied, and turned to Aizawa.

"Since he's your student, I'll let you handle this. But to be clear; so long as Bakugo doesn't show any signs of improving his attitude and his treatment of other students, I will not approve him to partake in any patrols in Vale." That startled a reaction in Bakugo. He didn't think that they would effectively bench him!

Aizawa simply nodded, and then took a few steps forward. "Bakugo, effective immediately, you are under house arrest." Red eyes widened and looked up, worry actually visible. "You've been warned on numerous occasions about your attitude Bakugo. I would have thought that after failing the License exam, taking the make up classes would have done more to make you realise how your words and attitude affect others. Both your fellow Heroes-in-Training and civilians. Clearly, I was mistaken." The boy gritted his teeth, whilst also feeling his chest and throat tighten.

'Crap, this could actually be worse than when he found out about me and nerd fighting after curfew!' His frustration boiled in his guts. Before UA, teachers had only ever told him off when he was being too disruptive in class, but otherwise, they left him alone. He had good grades, and a powerful Quirk. They were as convinced as himself, that he'd be successful and make it into UA. They never put any black marks on his record.

But since he came to UA, he found the teachers were stricter. They didn't let him get away with half as much, and he quickly realised that his behaviour was being more closely monitored. Especially after the first combat training, when he had used one of his gauntlets against Deku, when the nerd wasn't even in full control of his Quirk and actively trying not to use it. And now, here at this Huntsman Academy, he found far less tolerance for his behaviour.

"You'll be under house arrest for three days. You'll be in charge of cleaning the common spaces available to us morning and evening. I also expect a written apology from you, Bakugo, examining where you went wrong, and how you intend to improve moving forward. I also expect you to do as your team-mates have done, and apologise to Miss Scarlatina, and her team, and do it properly. If you can't do that, or your behaviour shows no sign of improvement..." Aizawa took a breath, "then not only will I remove you from leadership, you'll be permanently banned from visits and patrols to Vale. The Huntsman inspired support gear will be cancelled, and your current support gear confiscated. You'll also be forbidden to continue the special course upon our return, and will have to work to get your provisional license next year instead when the test starts again." He locked eyes with his student, who looked like Christmas had been cancelled, and then replaced by mandatory service in waste disposal. "Are we clear?"

"...Y-yes. Yes sir." Bakugo finally bit out. There was pain in his hands. He had clenched his fists so tight that his nails had cut into his palm.

"You can go now." Goodwitch said with finality. Bakugo barely acknowledged her, shaken by the extent of the ultimatum. He simply turned and trudged to the door. Both teachers hoped the fact he didn't slam it shut as he left, was a good sign.

Aizawa sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose."I should have foreseen this," he said to himself. Goodwitch watched him for a few seconds before walking to her desk.

"Have some tea, Aizawa. It'll do us both some good." She set her own kettle on, a Burn Dust crystal beneath heating it up, and prepared two cups. Aizawa moved over to one of the chairs in the room and sank into it.

"Do you see now why I call them my 'Problem Children?'" he asked. Goodwitch frowned, pausing momentarily before continuing to make the tea.

"I do. Though I do take some issue with that, if you'll excuse me for being blunt. Calling any of them that can cause problems of their own. Being a Huntress, a Huntsman, or even a Pro-hero takes a toll on the mind as well as the body. If you don't look after their mental and emotional well being, that will inevitably lead to a disaster, unless they themselves find a way to healthily handle the matter, or someone stages an intervention for them."

Aizawa looked at her with a glare that held little heat to it. He was annoyed at having his teaching methods criticised, though he could also begrudgingly admit that she made a solid logical point.

"...I've thought about getting Bakugo into some kind of anger management course. The problem is, I can't see him willingly accepting that, and forcing him into it will have the opposite effect I'd hope for." Goodwitch came over with a cup which he accepted and took a small sip, before continuing. "We do have counselling services at UA, headed by Hound Dog, the students all know they can go to him if they need help…"

"And have they?" Goodwitch asked, sitting opposite. Aizawa paused, frowning.

"Not that I'm currently aware of. Though I wouldn't dare to violate any confidentiality clauses of course."

"Aizawa," Goodwitch set her own cup down in her lap as she spoke, "the both of us are tasked with training the future guardians of both our worlds. I do appreciate your rational approach to things, and how you push them to learn and grow through their own merits. But they are still children. Sometimes they need a little more of a guiding hand." She sighed. "Bakugo, is to me, someone who never faced much, if any consequences, before he came to your Academy. He has talent, yes, but somewhere along the line, he's developed a very toxic and dangerous way of thinking. Especially if he doesn't give much thought to what is, here at the very least, racial discrimination. I do believe you when you say he's improved from when he started, but if he's going to do better, then we too, also must do better by him, and by the others in our care." Aizawa looked at her as she spoke. His mind processing what she was saying, and reflecting on how things may have been different with his students, if he had put greater emphasis on taking counselling after the USJ. Or in Bakugo's and Midoriya's cases, before that…

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in!" Goodwitch called, and the door opened to reveal Wyndglade. He strode in, shutting the door gently behind him.

"I got word of what happened. How are the kids?" He asked.

"Bakugo is under house arrest, and team CFVY are understandingly upset." Aizawa replied.

"I thought as much," Wyndglade nodded to himself, before turning his attention back to the two teachers. "Well, when that house arrest is over, I have a suggestion for you, if you'd care to listen…"

Beacon Dining Hall

"If you're here to apologise for Bakugo's behaviour, then I'm going to stop you right there." Coco said, as she saw Iida and the others of 1-A, accompanied by RWBY and JNPR come and stop by her table in the Dining Hall. Iida had his mouth open as he had just been about to do just that, and now he was caught off guard and momentarily speechless. Coco shook her head, glad at least that no one else amongst the students at Beacon were present. Coco had taken advantage that it was still a little early for lunch, so it guaranteed some privacy. "As far as I'm concerned, he and only he, is responsible for what happened today. Yes, you could have tried harder to stop him, but I get the feeling he's been ignoring anybody correcting him for a long time, so I doubt it would have changed much."

"I'm grateful that Kirishima, Ashido, Sero, and the rest of you, are willing to do so." Velvet said, with a sad smile. "That does make me feel better, somewhat."

"Even so, we apologise." Iida bowed deeply, followed by everyone else from 1-A. Blake came and sat down on Velvet's right, followed by Yang, Asui, Ashido and Koda.

"How are you doing, Velvet?" Blake asked, and Velvet's ears drooped a little.

"I was really looking forward to today. There were a lot of places around Vale I was actually excited to show everyone."

"Well, there's always next time." Ashido tried to put a little pep in her voice, as she tried to cheer her new friend up, before thinking over what she said. "Free from Explosion-Boy's attitude and ego. Just us girls next time. Sound good?" That did get a smile out of Velvet, thanking Ashido. Meanwhile her partner stood up and faced the 1-A group.

"The question I want to ask is; has Bakugo, ever apologised for anything before?" Yatsuhashi's question had a few people in 1-A wonder, but someone answered after a moments hesitation.

"Kacchan... he wants to be the strongest, the best. To him, apologising is a sign of weakness." Midoriya spoke up, very uncomfortable with everything. "For as long as I've known him, the only times he has ever said 'sorry' was back when we were in kindergarten, but he had to made to say it, and he... he never really meant it. He's been genuine in wanting to get better about... a lot of things of late, but if he ever says sorry, I'd be surprised if he was actually genuinely apologising."

"That's messed up. Didn't his teachers or his parents do anything about that?" Yang asked back.

"I think his Mom was strict with him, she certainly didn't let him get away with whatever he wanted when we were little, but our teachers..." Midoriya shook his head sadly. "Up until we both came to UA, most of the teachers didn't really reprimand him, beyond warning him about disrupting class. If they did do more, I don't remember it." Yang took note of Midoriya's expression, and remembered the brief conversation they had about Bakugo.

"Beyond Bakugo being an absolute jerk," Jiro spoke up, arms folded, "I think we need to understand more about Faunus. I caught a little bit of conversation from some bigots on our patrol, so I know that discrimination and racial prejudice is sadly a thing here, as much as it, unfortunately, is still around in our world."

"Actually, that's a good idea." Everyone in 1-A was startled at the sudden and very quick speaking voice, even Ruby jumped a little, as they turned to look behind them. There, sipping coffee from his thermos, was one of the Pro Huntsman teachers at Beacon.

[Prof. Port: "My fellow colleague and teacher at Beacon; Professor Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck.

Instructor on the History and Legends of Remnant."]

"This seems like a perfect opportunity to test how well you've been studying on Remnant's history!"

"Wait, were we supposed to do that?" Kaminari looked panicked, his head whipping back and forth between his classmates. "Yaomomo has been leading study groups in the library, but that's been keeping up with stuff like maths, English, and all of the other subjects that we're missing just by being here! Nobody told me we would be tested on a whole other world's history?!" Some of the other students also had a mild panic attack as Kaminari spoke.

"That... was probably naïve of us to do so," Yaoyorozu admitted, looking embarrassed that she didn't think of this herself. "While I have skimmed over some details to better understand the world of Remnant, even I admit, that my understanding on the Faunus is rather lacking."

"Then this is a great opportunity for us to learn!" Iida proclaimed. "Come friends, lets follow Professor Oobleck…"

"Doctor Oobleck, if you don't mind Mr Iida." Iida did a double take as Oobleck was suddenly in his face.

"My apologies sir!"

"Accepted. Now gather your classmates, outside of Mr Bakugo, and meet me in my lecture room in fifteen minutes!" Oobleck took another sip from his portable thermos, one arm tucked behind his back, before once again zipping away at speed. Though he didn't go far. He stopped at CFVY's table.

"Miss Scarlatina, if you ever wish to talk in private with me to discuss what happened today, or anything else, I'd be happy to make myself available for you at the earliest convenience." Though he spoke quickly, the tone was kind. Velvet gave a small nod, and then... he was off again! This time stopping by Ruby and Jaune. Weiss ended up having to catch Ruby in her arms as the girl jumped in fright.

"Miss Rose, Mr Arc," Oobleck addressed the two, still in his stiff upright posture, "please gather your teams, and join us, if you would. I'd like to test your knowledge while we are at it," he suddenly turned and looked sharply at Jaune. Not with hostility or any kind of aggression, but there was an intensity that would make anyone nervous, under such scrutiny. "Especially you, Mr Arc. I have high hopes given the homework you've handed in, that you will be quite useful as a teaching assistant.

Jaune gulped, beginning to sweat. "...I-I-I look forward to it! Sir!"

"Very good. Now, no more dawdling. There's learning to be done!" And with that, Oobleck vanished, a blur and the sudden rush of air, any indication he had moved at all.

Todoroki, watched him go with wide eyes, before turning back to Iida, who was adjusting his glasses, and pulling himself together. "Are the two of you counterparts by any chance?"

"Questions for later," Weiss said, allowing Ruby to get off of her, though she had been tempted just to drop the younger girl.

"Yes, everyone! Let's go!" Iida said, and with that, 1-A bid CFVY goodbye, as they made their way to the impromptu lecture, with varying degrees of excitement, and exasperation.

…

Not ten minutes later, the students were all seated in a classroom, All Might had been summoned to join them, as Oobleck continued to zoom back and forth across a white board. Only Midoriya seemed to be able to keep up with the speed of which he wrote down a time line, and a number of events.

"Right then," Oobleck said suddenly, now directly in front of RWBY and JNPR who were in the first row of seats, "let's begin. The Faunus have been around on Remnant, just as long as Humanity, though there are disputes on whether it was exactly the same time, or whether they turned up after. Legends and fairy tales about where Faunas came from, tend to suggest the latter, as in 'The Shallow Sea' for example."

"What is an absolute, is that whenever the Faunus first appeared, there was inevitable clashes with Humans. Treated as a potential threat, or as animals to be used as cheap labour."

"I can't quite wrap my head around that." Kaminari said, scratching his head. "I mean, I understand that it happened in the past, and it shouldn't be forgotten or we'll end up repeating it and so on, but I would have thought people by now would have gotten over judging people by how they looked, over what they actually did."

"It isn't actually as ancient history as you might think young Kaminari," All Might put in. "I won't go into it in great detail here, since we're supposed to be learning about the Faunus, but back when Quirks were still new, and in the minority, there were many people who were frightened and scared of those who suddenly held power and were changed. Laws broke down and civilisation degraded. Eventually as time went on, and with the actions of the first 'Heroes', society was able to readjust, but there are still some places, even today, where people can be judgemental of heteromorphic Quirks, or, even less discussed, the treatment now of those who are born Quirkless."

Blake couldn't help noticing from where she was sitting, that All Might's eyes flickered up to somewhere behind her. She briefly looked back over the shoulder to see Midoriya, sitting a little more stiffly for a moment. 'What was that all about?'

When All Might mentioned heteromorphic Quirks, Shoji nodded, his eyes a little sad. Koda worried a little, and even Kaminari picked up on it, but Shoji waved them off. He appreciated the concern, but now was not the time.

"Mr Yagi makes an excellent point. Despite how long ago these events happened, the echoes continue to pass down over time, to be heard even in this present day." Oobleck said solemnly. "It is folly to ignore the past, for it paves the way to the future. Pain and trauma can be carried down through generations, especially if that comes from oppression. And while equality laws have improved, and are a step in the right direction, they don't solve everything."

"Over the course of history, the Faunus have frequently suffered under Humanity. In some cases, they were treated as if they were off shoots of the Grimm, despite the fact that Faunus have been equally attacked and assailed by the beasts, as much as Humans. And in others, as I mentioned before, they were enslaved as cheap labour," Oobleck continued, "a practice that sadly still continues to this day, though thankfully not as prevalent."

"Outrageous!" Iida called out. "Who would continue to uphold such barbaric and cruel practices in this day and age?"

Blake looked nervously at Weiss, sitting close by. The white haired girl noticed, and frowned, before scoffing and turning her head away. Blake held her tongue a little longer, as around her, the rest of 1-A was also agreeing with Iida's outburst.

"The SDC," she finally said, which caught everyone's attention. Weiss looked back, shock and betrayal in her eyes, but Blake continued. "The Schnee Dust Company is the biggest and most powerful Dust mining operation in the world, as well as controlling the monopoly on the selling and mixing of Dust. But while they have become very successful, they have also had numerous allegations of, essentially, slave labour, and cutting back costs on health and safety, especially for those on their workforce who are Faunus."

"Weiss... is this true?" Yaoyorozu nervously asked. Weiss looked round at her, and saw a lot of inquisitive and worried looks from those sat by the recommended student. She took a deep breath.

"My Father... has admittedly done things, differently, than when the SDC was originally started by my Grandfather. And... last I was aware, significant changes were being done to improve the health and safety conditions for all workers, as well as an increased pay rise." Weiss immediately turned back to face the front after that, making it clear she was done with talking about this. There was an awkward moment of silence, as everyone processed that this was very likely a very sore point to try and discuss. And while none said it out loud, many of 1-A couldn't help thinking that what Weiss had said had sounded very much like a PR sound bite, which made them wonder how much change was actually being done.

A cough from Oobleck caught everyone's attention, as he tried to bring the impromptu lecture back on track. "Ahem, yes. Thank you, Miss Belladonna, Miss Schnee. Now, as I was saying…"

The lecture went on for over an hour, with Oobleck occasionally asking a question of the young Huntresses and Huntsmen, and having them go over some points in detail. Jaune seemed quite pleased with himself to make up for a mistake he had made in a previous class, making it very clear, that binoculars were not the advantage, the Faunus had when one infamous General made a night time attack during the Faunus Rights Revolution.

All Might, recorded the lecture on his scroll. He would have to show it to Aizawa later. He certainly felt the man would appreciate having greater understanding of this world, as well as ideas for future lessons with the students. And there was one other, Toshinori Yagi figured, who could benefit from listening to this.

Team BEAS' room, a few hours later

"Thirty seven." It was the first words Bakugo had said out loud to his Team that wasn't a "Shut up." When they had got in, Bakugo had made it clear through body language that he didn't want to talk. After cleaning their room, he had laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Ashido and Sero had tried to settle down to study with what books they had from the library, while Kirishima lifted some dumbbells.

Now, Bakugo was sitting up and staring out the window. He didn't look angry or tired. He was in one of his rare moments of peaceful introspection. Kirishima, feeling that he might be the best out of their group to talk to his friend, bit the bullet.

"Bakugo? What do mean by thirty seven?"

"That was my score at the License exam." Bakugo answered, not looking back, but he wasn't shouting or growling. The trio all felt a small gasp collectively get past their lips. They remembered what the Public Safety Commission spokesperson had said about the scoring on the second part of the exam. Everyone started with a hundred, and for every mistake, HPSC members and the Help Us Company actors they were 'rescuing' would deduct points. Fall below fifty, and you failed. That Bakugo had failed had been a minor shock at the time, though given how he talked and shouted at the 'civilians', not that big a surprise. But to hear he had been reduced to thirty seven points out of a hundred? The ash blonde had kept that score very close to his chest. Until now.

"I used to think that being a hero meant beating up shitty villains. I knew saving extras was part of it, but I never focused or paid that much attention. And all I heard growing up, from my teachers and kids in my year, was how great a Quirk I had, and how I was pretty much going to be a great hero because of it." Bakugo huffed at that, his trademark scowl returned, but the intensity was still pretty low for him. Ashido was about to talk, but Sero stopped her with a gesture, and a shake of his head. He figured wherever Bakugo was going with this, he didn't want pity or questions right now.

"Why should I have to learn to play nice and coddle the extras. We're not here to make friends. We're here to become Pros. I'm here to become number one, and to become the strongest. Why should their feelings matter? This isn't even our world." Bakugo wasn't really talking to them anymore. He was staring at his right palm. "...Right?...What... am I supposed to do?"

Two knocks at the door to their room caught the fours attention. Ashido went over and opened it and found All Might standing there.

"All Might?"

"What are you doing here, sir?" Kirishima asked. All Might gave them a reassuring smile. Not the same as when he was in his buff state, but still enough to ease any tension.

"Apologies for the intrusion, all of you. I wanted to talk to Young Bakugo in private a moment. I already informed Aizawa about this, and he's awaiting you in the kitchen. You can grab yourselves something to eat and drink."

"Sure, no problem." Sero said, reading the room, and actually thankful for an excuse to step away from Bakugo for a bit. Ashido and Kirishima nodded, and the read head turned to Bakugo.

"You want us to bring anything back for you, Bakugo?" Kirishima received a rare nod. Bakugo had gone back to looking at his palm again, but he wasn't yelling or making demands.

"Sure. Get whatever you want." Kirishima smiled, already feeling like things might turn out all right. The three of them filed out, and All Might shut the door behind them. None of them noticed Blake Belladonna watching them from behind a corner. Once the door was shut, she quietly moved closer.

"Are you here to give me a lecture?" Bakugo asked. All Might shook his head before walking over, pulling out one of the few chairs in the room. He sat down on it across from the boy.

"I am here... to listen, and offer some suggestions if you're interested." Katsuki looked at his idol fully at that. All Might patiently sat there. No judgement, no anger, or frustration.

"...I get what I said was racist and stupid," Katsuki started. "And I mean that. I wouldn't call Rock Lock, a nickname based on his skin colour, and I wouldn't have a go at... Vine head from 1-B for being Christian or anything. But I don't..." he scowled as he forced himself to try and articulate his feelings and thoughts. "...I don't... really care that much about, remembering names. If they prove they're more than just extras, then it helps, a little. But my life doesn't revolve around them. It's just..." He reflexively made some explosions in his palm, but All Might wasn't startled or surprised.

All Might understood to a degree, that Bakugo's whole identity had been based around his pride and belief that he was the strongest. While he was still driven to being number one, he was evolving, but all change came with some growing pains. And Bakugo was now wrestling with things he had never had to deal with before, or had never been challenged with to properly think about.

"What would you do?" Katsuki finally asked. All Might leaned forward a little, interlocking his fingers between his hands.

"If I was you? Well, having given it some thought before I came here, I do have some suggestions. You could even think of them as challenges." That got Katsuki Bakugo's attention. He straightened up as listened.

"First; Try remembering that respect is a two way street. If you want respect from others, you have to be willing to give others respect in turn. It doesn't have to be extravagant or anything. You are who you are, so try to focus on not being directly confrontational. You did that a little this morning when you approached young Valkyrie for assistance in training to use your Huntsman gear." Katsuki thought on that, and felt that he could understand, with that example. "Think how you want people to treat you, and then treat them in kind. General respect, does not equal weakness. But only referring to a person by a physical feature, or lack of, is dehumanizing. And that is not strength." Bakugo made a small grunt, but wasn't dismissive.

'Yeah, that's obvious. At least, it is now.'

"Second (and this you can consider a measure of training for Underground Hero work); learn, at the very least, to use the Hero names of your peers, and ask what the Beacon students would prefer you call them."

"Huh? How is that training?"

"Information gathering." All Might said simply, and Bakugo felt a realisation hit him, as All Might continued. "I know you would prefer to be more public and tackle Villains and problems more directly. But Underground Heroes like Erasure Head, have to do a lot more investigations. It takes time and patience, and also keen observations. The latter skill, I know you already have. Now you need to show how you can apply that in situations out of combat."

"Imagine this; You're taking a work study with a Pro who specialises in Underground work. You have to forego your costume and gauntlets, and help gather evidence in order to put a criminal organisation away, and rescue people they are holding as part of a trafficking ring. Barging in, explosions blaring, without all the leg and paperwork, could be bad. It could mean some villains get away, or the hostages you're trying to save get hurt, or moved to another location. Or even, in rare cases, the Villains actually winning the court case, because not enough key evidence was gathered before hand, maybe even suing the Pro's in question."

Katsuki stood up in shock and anger. "HOW THE HELL CAN THAT HAPPEN?! THEY'RE VILLAINS! ISN'T THAT ENOUGH?!"

All Might waited patiently for Katsuki to calm himself down after that before carrying on. "It's details and nuance like that, which can make all the difference Young Bakugo. And if we don't give Villains proper due process, even if everyone knows that they are guilty, then we are not truly serving justice." Bakugo sat back down at that, looking down and to the side.

"Apologies, I went off on that more than I meant to." All Might said with bit of embarrassment. "The point is, I'd like you to show your observations skills more when it comes to interacting with people. Learn when aggression is needed, both to intimidate a Villain, and to reassure a civilian you're protecting. Figure out when to de-escalate."

'De-escalate.' That word peculated in Katsuki's mind for a bit. It sounded like something Best Jeanist might have said during his internship.

"Try and give it some thought. I know you've got it in you," All Might said, standing up. "Oh and before I forget, I've sent you a recording of a lecture by Dr. Oobleck. Please give it a watch. There's things there that might help you understand better why what you said was wrong." He put the chair back and prepared to leave.

"Hey... All Might?"

"Yes, Young Bakugo?" All Might turned as his hand touched the door handle. Bakugo looked right at him. A resolute expression on his face.

"...Thanks." All Might smiled and gave a small nod, and then left.

Outside he walked away and went round the corner to find... "Oh! Young Belladonna! I didn't expect to run into you here." Blake looked All Might in the eyes before looking away and nervously running a hand through her hair.

"Yeah... sorry. I... I eavesdropped on your talk with Bakugo." All Might frowned at that.

"Why would you feel the need to do such a thing?"

"...Faunus civil rights is a subject I'm very invested in, for... personal reasons," she said, returning her gaze back on him. "Bakugo has from the beginning, concerned me with how he talks and treats others. I did what I did because, I wanted to hear how the 'Symbol of Peace', handled racism."

All Might had tensed a little when Blake admitted to listening in. When she explained herself, some of that tension bled off. He didn't condone her eavesdropping on a private conversation, but he could understand a little better where she was coming from. "I see. So I guess there are two questions; How did I do in your eyes, and what do you think of young Bakugo now?"Blake opened her mouth to answer, but All Might put up a hand. "Probably a bad idea to have this conversation here. I feel that this is, something that deserves a measure of privacy." The way he said that last sentence had a small amount of scolding tone, which made Blake wince a little, but she understood his point, and nodded in agreement.

"I think the roof is free right now."

"Very well, I don't have anything that can't wait another hour or two. Lead on."

The Past, Vale General Hospital

"Sooo," Yang stretched out the word, "we learned a lot about our new friends today, and now they've all got Aura."

"What happened with Midoriya was a surprise." Jaune said sitting on his bed. "Have any of you seen or heard of something like that happening before?" There was a general consensus of shaking heads in the negative to that.

"Pretty bold of All Might to try out Aura first to see if it could work, though I guess with his condition that does make sense." Ren said.

"I'm still wrapping my head around the fact he can make himself a body builder with just a flex." Weiss lay down on her bed, hands to her temples. "And it can't be just his muscles, because he grows an extra foot or two in size, so there has to be some bone growth…"

"I'll nail it, just you all wait and see." Nora excitedly said as she bounced on her bed. "One day I'll sneak up on Cardin, and the I'll be like 'I AM HERE!' and he will wet himself right before I turn him into a human pretzel."

"Don't break the bed Nora," Ren gently chided, only for Nora to stop bouncing, zoom over and gently 'boop' him on the nose, before zooming back.

"It's a shame he's injured, because with a name like All Might, he must have been really strong." Ruby reflected. "Not sure what to make of 'Erasure Head' beyond being very strict, and needing more coffee."

"Right?" Jaune gestured at Ruby, "It's like... I finally have an image for what Oobleck would be like if he started to slow down and didn't have his flask on him." That garnered some giggles from the group. Even Weiss had to hide a small smirk.

"Well," The heiress declared, "if we are going off first impressions, honestly I'm more impressed with the students than the teachers."

"Really Weiss?" Yang raised an eyebrow, and even Pyrrha frowned a little. "I wouldn't have expected that from you."

"Allow me to clarify," Weiss rose up and turned so that she could hang her legs over the side, allowing her to face Yang. "Mr Yagi comes off as how Professor Port likes to make himself out to be in his stories, sans moustache." That got another wave of giggles. "I can understand though that with the injury he has, trying to pass on his knowledge and experience, but while he has charisma, he does seem to have a habit of pushing himself too much. Especially since it seems that coughing blood," Weiss made a face as she brought that up, "is something that has become a normal occurrence for him."

"Well," Ruby twiddled her fingers, "we did learn their school's motto means to go beyond their limits. I guess he constantly lives that."

Weiss inclined her head in acknowledgement, and then continued. "Mr Aizawa, as you said Ruby, is very strict, to the point that I can see him and Professor Goodwitch getting along. But at the same time, he feels... like a different man than the person we fought alongside back in the forest. As if caring about his students takes more energy than it's worth... There's a dissonance there, though I will admit, staying up late talking, and then having Aura awakened probably doesn't help."

"It is only the first day after the battle that we've been getting to know them all," Pyrrha pointed out. "On top of that, they're having to adjust to the fact they will be here... for who knows how long before they get home. So lets take things one day at a time." Jaune nodded, while Yang turned to the one person who hadn't spoken up so far.

"Hey Blakey, what do you think of the 'Pro-Heroes?' Got an opinion to share with the group?"

Blake had been laying down in her bed, just quietly listening to everyone's thoughts. She sat up and crossed her legs, thinking through her response.

"Aizawa... I agree, he's strict, but I get the feeling he deeply cares about his students. He's just not the type to be open about that sort of thing. As a teacher it might be easier for him to put a measure of distance so that he can be consistent with them all." Weiss mused on Blake's opinion and internally conceded that she was likely correct. "As for All Might? I think you have a point, Weiss. He does have charisma, and maybe a bit of a dork." She then looked up and focused on her team. "But he's good. Even if he's dealing with an injury that keeps him from using that legendary strength he used to have, there's a feeling about him. It makes... it makes me feel like I can trust him. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah," Ruby said with a smile. "I know exactly what you mean Blake. Even as he is, he still feels like a hero to me."

The Present, Beacon Guest Dorm Roof.

The sky was clear but for a few clouds dotted here and there. In the distance one could look out and see the city of Vale laid out. Blake and All Might weren't all that focused on the view.

"More comfortable here?" All Might asked, and Blake nodded.

"Yes, thank you."

All Might smiled, and gave the young huntress his full attention. "So, where would you like to start?"

Blake took a moment to look out across to Vale. "You asked how I felt you handled things in there, and how I feel about Bakugo." She sighed, "I get Bakugo isn't trying to be racist, and I'm glad that he actually acknowledges it. I'd have more concerns about him if he didn't." She frowned, before looking back at All Might. "To answer the second question, I'm of a similar opinion to Yang. Bakugo isn't a particularly nice person, and he definitely reminds me of some bullies I've encountered in my life. But I can also acknowledge that he is trying. He could be trying harder, but at this point, we'll take some improvement over none." All Might gave a nod at that, and Blake continued.

"As to the first question... I suppose, given Bakugo's personality, that wasn't a bad way to tackle things. A lot of people I used to know... they wouldn't have been nearly as patient or as understanding." She frowned deeper and looked away. "Actually now that I think about it, they probably would have acted a lot more harshly and without any attempt at understanding."

"Do you think I should have done more?" All Might asked, to which Blake gave a shrug.

"I... honestly don't know. Like I said, Bakugo clearly needed a different approach, but I'm not comfortable with him playing the victim." All Might grimaced, thinking that out of anyone, Bakugo would hate the idea of being looked at as a victim. Blake however kept talking, shaking her head a little. "Just because he made a mistake, and didn't mean it that way, doesn't excuse it. Hopefully he does actually improve, and I know I won't be the only one watching him." Blake paused, collecting her thoughts. "I used to think I knew how to handle these things," she said quietly, All Might almost didn't hear her. "Now... I'm reflecting and questioning a lot of what I knew and have done before."

"Nothing wrong with that, Young Belladonna." All Might looked out and rested his hands on the iron railing that kept him from the roof's edge. "I've been doing that a lot too, since just before my retirement."

"That's... surprising. Given how Midoriya and the others of 1-A talk about you, it sounds like you didn't do anything to feel bad about."

"Hm. Yes that would make sense. I've been a Pro longer than they've all been alive, but Aizawa can certainly tell you, I'm not perfect. Heck my old teacher, and Recovery Girl too, would most likely laugh out loud at the suggestion that I was." All Might's smile was self-deprecating, and then vanished as he turned introspective.

"You say you have a personal investment in Faunus civil rights? I won't pry into what you mean by that, but know that for all the good I did, there were many things I wasn't able to do even in my Prime. I may even have unknowingly contributed to the problems."

Blake looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember what I talked about briefly in the impromptu class earlier?" Blake thought back. All Might had talked about the early years of when Quirks had first manifested. He'd mentioned... that in some places, people persecuted those who had heteromorphic Quirks, or those who were Quirkless.

"I... I do, yes," she answered.

"When I made my debut, and became number one, I became the image of Hero society itself. I became an icon of justice, true, but there were those who looked at me, and started to believe that a person's worth was only in the strength of their Quirk. And for those outside the cities, there are towns and villages who only saw Quirks as being good, so long as they didn't change from the Human template. Any that did, were considered to have bad blood. Even though I oppose that kind of thinking and did my best to educate and promote equality, there are those who took me, as the number one hero, to be the template that all others should be." All Might sighed.

"I thought my country needed a symbol. When I was younger, things were bad. The crime rate never went down regardless of how many heroes there were. I wanted to become a pillar that people could rely on and give them hope, so that everyone could live in peace. I did a lot of good in pursuit of that goal. But in achieving it, I made mistakes. I pushed away people who were only trying to help me. And before I even started at UA, I made some big mistakes that almost cost the life of two children, one of whom... I almost destroyed his dream."

Blake could only stare as All Might talked. He turned to look at her once more. "I told a boy who was Quirkless, who wanted nothing more than to be a hero like I was, and help save others with a smile, that he couldn't. Not without a Quirk. And I'm ashamed to my core about it. Especially, when a villain I had captured, slipped away because I was careless, and took another boy hostage. The child I had told to be more realistic with his dreams, rushed in to save his classmate, and actually did something, when myself and bunch of other Pros were standing around doing nothing. That boy proved in that moment that he could be a hero, and he actually inspired me..." All Might began to steam as he grew, his voice becoming deeper as he assumed his buff state, "... to push past my pain and weakness, and finally rescue both boys, defeating the villain in the process!"

Blake could only stare in awe, as All Might finished his speech. Her mind was a whirl with what he had told her. 'All Might pushed people away in pursuit of maintaining being the Symbol of Peace, but even while he did so much good, enough to inspire generations to take up Heroism, there were those who took his image, and what he represented it, and twisted and warped it... and All Might fell into the trap of believing even someone without a Quirk couldn't be a hero...'

"The boy, the Quirkless boy," Blake looked up at All might, curious, and tentatively hopeful, "what happened to him?" All Might coughed, and in a cloud of steam returned to his gaunt state. He wiped away some blood.

"I... I was able to apologise, and to take back the words I said to him, though I did it in private, away from the cameras. As far as most people know, I made no mistakes that day. I was able to tell that boy that he could indeed become a hero. He actually made it. He applied to a Hero school and passed the entrance exam. He's on his way. But I seem to have gone on a bit of a tangent. Heh, funny. I thought Professor Port could go on a bit, but it seems I'm just as bad." That got a small giggle out of Blake.

"At least you're aware of it." That got a laugh out him as well.

"The point is, Young Belladonna, we all make mistakes. We all have our failures. But so long as we are willing to get back up, to listen and learn and do better, we are never truly lost. I admit, I could have done more back home to tackle Quirkist attitudes, but I can still do that now I'm a teacher, doing my best to guide these aspiring young heroes." He shook his head. "Punching things can be cathartic, but it doesn't solve every problem, as my old teacher used to say.

"I think you'd get along with my Father." That made All Might pause. Blake was looking out at Vale. Looking past Vale.

"Young Belladonna?" There was a melancholic air about Blake at that moment, a small sad smile on her lips. She shook her head, dispelling whatever thoughts she was having.

"Never-mind. Thanks for talking to me. It... actually put me more at ease."

"...Well, I may not technically be one of your instructors, but if you ever want to talk again about these issues, or anything else, I'm more than happy to lend an ear.." Blake smiled, and brushed her hair back, and for the first time, All Might picked up on the fact that she always avoided touching her bow whenever she did that. She bowed and started walking away. All Might watched her leave, with mixed feelings. Blake Belladonna was a bit of a mystery. She seemed to think well of her father, or so he was able to read between the lines of her comment, but there was also a sadness there.

He sighed. 'Whatever she's dealing with, better to let her come to me or one of the other Professors of her own accord than try and force it. Whenever she or her friends are ready and willing to talk about... well, anything, I am here for them, just as I am for my own students.' With that thought, he took one last look at the view, before heading back to the stairwell.

Team CFVY's Dorm

Bakugo took a deep breath, slowly released it, then did it again. If anybody ever said he was nervous right now, he'd probably yell at them.

'This... is how I move forward,' he told himself, as he raised a fist and knocked twice on the door before him. There was a sound of footsteps, and then the door opened. Velvet Scarlatina looked surprised that he was there. The rest of her team came up behind her, sensing somehow that something was up.

"Bakugo? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be under house arrest?" Coco asked. Even with her shades on, Katsuki knew she was giving him serious stink eye. He closed his eyes and took another breath before speaking.

"I don't normally do apologies, so don't draw this shit out." He opened his eyes and faced Velvet. "I shouldn't have called you Bun... by your Faunus traits, just because I couldn't be bothered to remember your name. I...used to think that power was the only thing that mattered, that made somebody worth anything. I'm not that person anymore. If you made it to your second year here on a world where there are actual man-eating monsters to fight, then you aren't weak." Velvet and the others were stunned, as the words of Midoriya went through their heads.

'But if he ever says sorry, I'd be surprised if he was actually genuinely apologising.'

"I'm not saying I'm going to friends with any of you. But I do want to make something very clear." He pointed at Velvet, an angry scowl on his face. "If I ever step out of line again, don't let... your partner... handle it for you. Hit me yourself. Show some freaking self respect, and backbone, and let me know when I've over stepped. Got it?"

Velvet blinked twice, another memory in her head. Back during her Initiation, when she and Yatsuhashi had first partnered up, and she was afraid because he was from Mistral, and all the other people from Mistral had abused her for being a Faunus. Yatsuhashi had said something similar to Bakugo, though with a lot more kindness and empathy.

"Um, thanks. I'll remember." Bakugo's face lost it's angry features, and he turned to go. "Wait! Before you go..." Bakugo huffed an annoyed sigh, but did stop and turned his head. "I'm Velvet Scarlatina. You can call me Velvet if that makes it easier to remember."

"... Scar."

"...Huh?"

"I'll call you Scar. Sounds more bad-ass."

"...Okay. Thank you." Bakugo then turned and walked away.

"So, does that count as his apology to all of us, or just Velvet?" Fox asked silently. Coco smiled, as Velvet closed the door.

"Don't know. What do you say Velvet?"

"...I think that was a genuine apology, to me and to all of us."

"Are you sure Velvet?" Yatsuhashi worried. Velvet smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine with that."

…

As Bakugo walked back to his dorm room, he never noticed the shadow that watched him, that had followed him to Team CFVY's room, and continued to follow him until he got back. Once he had returned, the shadow turned and went away. Already pleased with how things were going.

Three days later

Beacon, Main Hall

Bakugo's return was met with a quiet celebration. As much as it was good to have the entire class back and able to go out on patrol, everyone felt that Bakugo probably wouldn't want too much fuss. It did seem that he had mellowed a bit. Those three days hadn't been quiet, per-say, but he and the other members of Team BEAS did seem to be getting along better, with simple bickering instead of full on arguments.

Plus he was calling everyone by their hero name. Though he would slip up and forget every so often, it was a big step for him.

Bakugo had indeed handed over two written apologies, one to Aizawa, and the other to Goodwitch, who accepted them without complaint. And word had gone out across the campus, that Bakugo and CFVY had quietly resolved their issues.

Now the team was waiting for their new escort. It had already been decided that one of the Pros would swap and be responsible for Bakugo's group.

"Where is he?" Sero wondered. "It's already past the time we were supposed to meet, and I don't seem him."

"You don't think it's a test do you?" Ashido said with a hint of nervousness. "Like what Aizawa sensei or the Principal would do?"

"Maybe it is," Kirishima said, suddenly sweating, "maybe they are here, but we have to find them with just Aura sensing."

Bakugo listened to this and considered it. Then sucked in a breath. "HEY!" he shouted making his team jump from the suddenness. "QUIT HIDING IN THE SHADOWS! We came here to do our part as Heroes in training, no different from Huntsmen, so don't waste our time with games!"

"You have some cheek, boy!" The group wheeled round, to find a grinning Wyndglade, arms folded staring at them. "But, I guess I can't blame you for being eager. Fair warning though, rumour spreads fast. You may have made your job of winning people's trust harder after last time."

"Then I'll just have to work harder than all the others and prove them wrong won't I, you Old Bad...!" The room went silent, and Bakugo himself realised he had slipped up. 'CRAP!' William Wyndglade, uncrossed his arms and marched right up to Katsuki. His team held their breath, even as Katsuki worked on trying to quickly apologise, only for his throat to constrict and no words come out. He settled for, slowly, like a machine in need of oil, stiffly bowing his head while gritting his teeth.

Wyndglade came right up to him with a stern expression, before barking a laugh and clapping Bakugo on the shoulder. "It's been a fair few years since someone called me 'Old Badger'. And just between you and me... I'll allow it."

"Huh?"

"I mean it." Wyndglade looked over the lot of them. "Early on, me and my team picked out Bakugo as being similar to myself. I might not make explosions, but when I was younger, I was a lot like him in attitude. I upset more than a few people during my first two years at Haven Academy, before I started actually thinking about how my own words and actions weren't just hurting me, they were hurting my team, and other Faunus. If my stubborn backside could do it, I figure Bakugo can too. So we should get along just fine!" He then looked at Bakugo who was gob smacked at how this was going. "I know you're trying. That effort alone counts for a lot. I meant what I said, you can call me 'Old Badger Bill' if you want, if that makes easier to remember. So long as you don't push your luck and insult my team," his hand on Bakugo's shoulder tightened a little, and for just a moment, Katsuki caught sight of a devilish grin that could rival his own, and a mad glint in the right eye, that forced him to suppress a shiver. "We're going to get along just fine. Now, like you said, lets get a move on!" And with that, he turned and moved toward the Armoury.

Bakugo and the others stared for a few seconds, before Bakugo started to grin. He turned to face his team. "You heard the Huntsman! Let's go!"

"Alright! That's what I'm talking about!" Kirishima said, as Bakugo ran to catch up. He shared a look with Ashido and Sero who both grinned. With no further ado, they hurried after their leader.

[Cue Outro]

---

1st outro for Season 1 – Part 6: Ren & Nora

[A young abandoned Nora wanders alone, while Ren sits with his mother in their home.]

[Nora makes it to Kuroyuri, while Ren seems shy of playing with the other children in the village.]

[The two catch sight of one another, but don't yet know who the other is.]

[Ren is handed his father's knife. Quick flashes of the village on fire with the Elder Grimm in the centre, and a final flash of Ren and Nora huddling together, hiding from the monster that destroyed the village.]

[The two run together surrounded by darkness, making sure to stay close. When they stop to catch a breath, they find Jaune, Pyrrha, Team RWBY, Iida, Shoji, Sato, Ojiro, Kaminari and Ashido waving at them from up ahead.]

[They both look at each other, and Nora nods with a smile, and Ren smiles too. They take each others hand, and then walk forwards, as the darkness around them disappears, replaced by green hills, and blue skies.]

---

A Nightmare

Weiss rattled the cage bars, but couldn't bend or break them. The gilded bird cage was set on a stool, placed on a stage, like the ones in Atlas where she had put on some of her performances. The audience was there, but features were all lost in silhouette.

"Sing Weiss! Sing!" She looked up and to her left, seeing her Father, dressed in best white suit. He gestured to the audience. "They've all come to see you! My daughter! They've all come to hear you sing! Even your mother has pried herself from the gardens and the wine cellar for tonight!" He gestured and Weiss looked to her right and up. There in one of the viewing balconies, was indeed her mother. She didn't look that attentive. She looked sad and tired, and had her eyes more on the wine glass she held, then the stage.

"Sing Weiss, sing!" Jacques Schnee ordered, this time impatiently rattling the cage to get her attention. "Don't disappoint me, daughter. Don't follow in your sister's footsteps. She was a fool. And I can't have a fool as heir to the company."

There was actually rapturous applause to that, which took Weiss aback, and she looked at the audience in surprise and horror. Just in front of the stage, holding up a sign that read "APPLAUSE" was her younger brother Whitley. He did as he was told. Even when he had one leg attached to a ball and chain, he did as he was told and smiled, even if it looked a little forced.

"Will you not sing Weiss?" Jacques asked, sounding hurt, though Weiss could tell it was an act. She screwed up her courage and faced him.

"I WILL NOT. I WILL BE A HUNTRESS." He shook his head at her declaration and defiance. Then he clicked his fingers, and suddenly the Arma Gigas was standing over the cage. It picked it up with one hand, though Weiss had to hold on tight to the bars, lest she be flung about and be injured.

"So you seek to be like your sister then. A pity." Jacques voice reached her, as the Arma Gigas held her up over the audience, the armour actually growing taller, till she was level with her mothers viewing box. She looked down, and shuddered. The audience was changing, becoming more bestial in form and nature. White Grimm like masks adorned their faces. "But very well, if you think you are ready for the world, dear daughter, if you think you can handle yourself outside the safety of my house? You will need to prove it."

Suddenly the cage disappeared, and now Weiss, who had been small and trapped, was now free, and falling! Falling towards the monsters in black, who looked like animals, and looked like people. She screamed…

...and woke up, looking around and pulling her bed sheets around her. She was in team RWBY's dorm room. Everybody else was sleeping still, though Blake mumbled something she couldn't put together, nor had the mind to.

She closed her eyes, and forced her breathing to slow. "I won't be yours," she whispered to herself. "I'll reclaim the honour we've lost. Just you wait and see."

---

Next Time on Paragons of Virtue and Glory:

[Penny: Salutations! I am immensely glad I get to do the preview with you all today!]

[Yang: I'm sorry... who are you? Ochaco is she with you?]

[Ochaco: I've no idea.]

[Penny: In the next episode, there will be an argument between members of Team RWBY and Team MOAT.]

[Yang & Ochaco: Wait What?!]

[Penny: Roman Torchwick and his business partners are also pulling off big Dust heists across Vale.]

[Yang & Ochaco: He is?!]

[Penny: A new blonde person with great abs, takes an interest in Blake, and Todoroki shares a sad story.]

[Yang: … Should I be jealous?]

[Ochaco: Focus Yang!]

[Penny: Next time; "White Fang." Oh almost forgot, I make my first friends ever!]

[Yang & Ochaco: That's nice and all but... WHO ARE YOU?!]

[Penny: I have gone beyond ready! Plus Ultra!]

---

NOTES:

I'll try my best to keep this brief. I didn't expect this to become as long as it did, but that's how it worked out.

Balancing things out in regards to Bakugo was hard. I don't want to bash him into damnation, call him a lost cause, nor treat him as a victim. But given his propensity for referring to people by a particular noticeable feature, it was only a matter of time before he truly crossed a line that would get him in trouble here. He does need to re-evaluate his words and actions, and he does acknowledge that, but don't expect him to say the words "I'm sorry" anytime soon. Whatever growth he's made as a character, he isn't at a point where he's ready for that. All Might's "challenges" were ways of trying to change his thinking and his normal behaviours, but by relating it more to hero work, he might not be as resistant to it. He at least knows that he will be held more accountable for his words and actions going forward.

Blake was fun to write, and a challenge. Between reflecting on how to resolve the various issues that came up, she also now has to deal with Zwei early. I almost had her come out as a Faunus to All Might, but on reflection, much like Bakugo, she's not nearly ready for that.

I hope you like the OC Huntsmen I came up with. I figured that Beacon would reach out to other Pros outside of the teaching staff, and thus Team WLL(W) was born. They'll be minor characters, but I am looking forward to developing Bakugo's relationship with Wyndglade. And you can certainly expect to see them in action near the end of the season.

Yaoyorozu's costume update was partially inspired by a conversation between her and Deku, in the FanFic "No such thing as a Painless Lesson" by Rose Jennison. That story also helped inspire some thoughts towards Uraraka's upgrades (though I've also taken inspiration from a FPS shooter in that regard). UA Alumni 1998 commented an interesting idea for Hagakure involving Hard-light-Dust, but while it is a good and creative idea to have Dust infused clothes, that won't be happening for her, due to Beacon having only so much budget allowance for costumes and gear.

There is now a poll up on my profile. It will be up until December. Basically, after receiving some interest in some of my possible future projects, I'd like to know which one people would be most interested to see. It's not likely to happen parallel to Paragons, but I may decide to try writing one of them out, in between Seasons, or if I hit a rut.

Please, as always, feel free to drop a review and leave any constructive criticism. Honestly, hearing your feedback, gives me a boost, and gets me to reflect and think about how and what I write.

This is TheGreyGeneral signing off! emit txen litnu.

EDIT: This chapter has been edited since release to correct mistakes missed previously, to better improve the story, and reading experience - (Last edit 30th July 2023)