Hello, everyone. Once again, I'm glad to see so many people around the world are gravitating towards this story. I apologize in advance if this chapter isn't as action-packed as I'm sure some of you might have been hoping for. I'm trying to pace myself between work and college so I don't consistently end up making titanic-sized chapters each week and pushing myself to the very edge of my self-imposed weekly deadline to get a chapter done. Plus, a story needs times to breathe in order to allow characters to talk, get to know each other better, and settle further into their places in the narrative, so I'd say to consider this chapter one of those examples.
Regardless, if you like what you read here, please be so kind as to leave a review if you want. I always appreciate hearing from you all. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. The only thing I own is my original characters, and the altering of events that result from their presence in this universe.
A/N: [[]] denotes that characters are contextually speaking Russian.
Chapter 6
Quirk History
(Причудливая История)
It had been a while since Nikolay had returned home from his first day at Yuuei. He hadn't been surprised to find Oleg wasn't home. He had naturally assumed his father was simply conducting his first Quirk History class with another class, and was perhaps staying behind to grade class work or discuss curriculum with the other teachers. Honestly, such things weren't prevalent on the young boys' mind as he sat at the dining room table.
Right now he was simply looking over the rest of the classes that were going to be making up his curriculum for the rest of the school year. There were some surprisingly normal school classes listed such as mathematics, English and modern art history, but his eyes were especially focused on his father's Quirk History class, and another labeled as Foundational Heroics Studies, with All Might of all people listed as the teacher. Nikolay had no idea who Heroes like Present Mic or Midnight were, and he had already had enough of Aizawa for one lifetime, but he had seen the Symbol of Peace enough now to know that this class was going to be a lot for him to process through with that giant practically flooding the class with his bravado and boisterous speeches.
However, there was one other thing laid out on the table to draw Nikolay's attention from the stresses of the future school year: the crumpled piece of notepad paper that had that girl, Mina Ashido's cellphone number written on it. Every time he looked at it, he immediately thought back to earlier that day when he had actually heard her and Eijirou Kirishima actually refer to the three of them as friends. The sincerity with which they had said it lost none of its poignancy, no matter how many times Nikolay found himself thinking back on it. It kept reminding him of just how long he had convinced himself he had no right to have friends. Every time he thought of those two monumentally different periods of his life, the realization that this was now his life kept bringing the sting of happy tears to his eyes. Even if everything else about what he was going to be doing in this school left him internally shaking like a leaf, the idea that he now had people who thought of him as their friend, kept the warm glow in his heart lit.
This reminiscing inevitably brought back to mind that moment on the pitching ring, everything that had simultaneously come together in his heart and mind, standing there in front of his peers. Finally beginning to understand the universal goal that brought them all to this one place, this one moment, himself included; it had reawakened inside the depths of his heart a sense of belonging, a sense of actual purpose. For what felt like the first time in his life, he felt like he had something to strive towards, instead of just going day by day, just barely managing to make it. Yes, the trials had been difficult and the threat, made up or not, had been frightening, but the way it all left him feeling when it was all over, in the strangest way it all actually felt worth it. Of course, the reassurance that no matter what was going to happen, he was no longer going to have to face it alone, brought about its own sweet feeling as well.
This very nostalgic feeling inside spurred Nikolay to look up to the old cabinet, to the assortment of relics of his mother. As he looked upon them, even if they all displayed her form, her face, he could never bring himself to be able to conjure her the way he remembered in his own eyes. It was far from a simple matter of first memories simply muddying with time; it was like an invisible wall fell in front of him whenever he tried, and when he tried especially hard to recall her in the flesh, it left him with a pounding headache of its own sort, not born of strain, but of stress.
Even if he could not place exactly why, this difficult personal obstacle and the constant reminders of her only being able to exist in the past, made Nikolay's earlier resolve begin to falter. She had been just as great a Hero as his father, and the constant worry that he would not be able to be the kind of Hero she had wanted him to be, left him open to the ever-present voice of doubt in his head, just waiting to be let back in.
What especially did not help; something he could not possibly be able to forget, even in spite of all the incredible changes that had been happening so fast, was the fact that his mother's birthday was now less than a week away. It was an event that had always been remembered by Nikolay and Oleg, but in the boys' extent of memories, it had ever truly been an occasion for actual celebration, but rather for remembrance. Now, in a new country with a whole new all-around attitude, he honestly had no idea what it was going to look like this year, and that uncertainty made him all sorts of nervous.
The silence was suddenly broken as Oleg threw the font door open, letting out a bellow of a tired groan as he stretched his large frame out, smiling warmly at the sight of his son. [[Good evening, Kolya. I hope you weren't getting worried, waiting for me.]] He had to forcibly remind himself not to tell Nikolay he had just come back from submitting the design for the boys' Hero costume. He knew his son had been working on no such thing, and if he found out now where it had come from, it could have potentially caused him more emotional pain. He simply had to hope that a good nights' rest and a new days' worth of energy would be enough for when the time ultimately came.
Besides, there was something much more important he knew needed to be discussed tonight, and he needed to lead into it as carefully as he could.
[[Welcome home, Dad. No, I wasn't worried. I honestly assumed you got to conduct your first lesson of the year with another class.]] As far as Oleg could tell, his son still seemed to be in relatively decent spirits, so it seemed safe to continue the conversation in this direction as he took the seat at the head of the table. [[Actually, no. Good thing, too. Gave me a little more time to iron out the details of my first lesson plan with some of my fellow teachers. That's honestly why it took me this long to come home. The way they said it, it sounds like the homeroom teachers got to take up the whole first day.]]
Nikolay sat up straight to look his father in the eye, hastily grabbing his curriculum paper (and more importantly Mina's number) from the table and tucking it back into his book bag, silently hoping Oleg hadn't spied the latter. [[Yeah. Aizawa-sensei had us all go out to the P.E. grounds and made us go through a bunch of different physical tests to observe our Quirks.]] Oleg had to really struggle not to let slip he had been watching the whole time; all the while figuring that if Nikolay wanted to go into any personal details about how he did, he would say so when he was ready. [[Did you find out how you did?]]
To this, Nikolay let out a visibly disappointed sigh. [[Yes, I ranked eighteenth out of a class of twenty-one.]] Oleg's initial response was to give one hearty clap of his hands, causing the boy to flinch in his seat. Realizing his mistake, Oleg gave a little embarrassed shrug, before smiling again to calm his sons' nerves. [[That's great, Kolya. That means your training has already paid off enough that you fared better than three others. There is no such thing as a meaningless victory, son.]]
Nikolay only nodded halfheartedly and said nothing else. Oleg couldn't bear the uncomfortable silence and realized now was as good a time as ever to start approaching the most crucial conversation of the night. [[So…how are you feeling, Kolya?]] Nikolay lifted his head to meet Oleg's gaze, and sensing no fatherly judgment, but instead only care, he figured there was no point in hiding it from the old former Hero.
[[All throughout the tests today, I kept watching my classmates, how they conducted and carried themselves through all of it. There were definitely some whose Quirks had no real application in any of those tests, and even I could see they were just as nervous as me. Honestly, I actually felt more scared than anything else. And yet, despite that, not one of them ever gave up, and none…well, almost none of them, ever derided each other or told each other to just quit. Everybody just kept cheering each other on, supporting each other.
[[Maybe I'm wrong, but it felt like almost none of them had ever even met each other before today, and yet they were constantly supporting each other, even me, every step of the way. They didn't know me, and they had no reason to cheer me on, and they definitely didn't have anything to personally gain from doing so…yet they did it anyway. It was just like that first day I went out into town on my own to take everything in that I could; seeing total strangers treat each other kindly. Just like that, this also felt…it felt nice.
[[That led me to also think about why everyone came to that school. They all came because they want to be real Heroes. Sure, maybe some of them are drawn by all the fame and praise. I've seen enough of the commercials on TV, or the ads on the rooftops with Heroes on them, so I didn't think there wouldn't be at least one person in class who would be attracted to that kind of attention. But from all of them, I also got the feeling that they want to be Heroes because they want to help people, keep people safe, and that they genuinely want to help each other reach that same goal for that same purpose.
[[For these last several years, seeing no Heroes around, and listening to all those angry people on the news and on the streets, I…I forgot what that looked like, seeing people who wanted to be real Heroes up close, and seeing how they helped each other and talk about how much they wanted to do good for others. Getting to see and hear that again, after so long, it made me remember. It made me remember what I used to feel like, what it used to feel like to actually admire Heroes. And it made me remember just how much…just how m-much I wanted to be like them.]]
Nikolay was visibly getting choked up by this point, and as he had his head lowered to keep his father from seeing, he didn't realize that Oleg had a tear welling up in one of his eyes as well. Getting to see this semblance of his son as he was back in the old days, this close, felt so much better than having to spy it from afar. After a few seconds of trying to get his emotions back in order, Nikolay finally lifted his head back up to look his father in the eye, a glow of actual longing reflected in his brightened green eyes. [[I want to keep going. I want to try and see if I…if I can actually become a real Hero, like…like Mom wanted me to be.]]
Nikolay suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of his father sniffling with emotion, and found himself shocked to find Oleg in the process of wiping a sentimental tear from his eye, a deeply touched smile visible from under his thick beard. [[Kolya, you really have no idea how much it means to me to finally hear you say that. And I know, from the bottom of my heart, your mother would be so proud of you, just like she always was. I had feared you would never remember those old feelings again.]] Oleg rose from his seat and approached Nikolay with his huge arms open, pulling Nikolay into a warm, fatherly embrace, which Nikolay slowly returned.
Once they finally parted, Oleg went on one knee to meet his sons' eyes. [[You don't have to tell me right now if you don't want to, but I know it had to have been difficult making yourself remember these feelings after so long. Do you…do you remember anything else from that time?]] [[No.]] Nikolay's answer came so quick and yet firm, that Oleg realized he had come very dangerously close to overstepping his boundary. Trying to get Nikolay to remember his mother as he saw her had proven fruitless many times in the past, and this moment of emotional breakthrough had nearly made the old Hero forget just how damaging that process had been.
As soon as the original mood had returned between them, Oleg figured, with the subject of the past once more hanging over their heads, there was no point in avoiding yet another inevitable question. [[Kolya…so, your mother's birthday is less than a week away. I know that things have been going so fast for us these last several months; we haven't really had any time to discuss this. I know I've been going on and on since then about this place being a chance for a new start for us, but I didn't want to make any assumptions, so I'm asking you now, and you can be perfectly honest with me; don't think you need to tell me what I want to hear. Do you still want to celebrate her day like we have before? I would understand if you don't want to dredge up any old—[[Yes, I do.]]
Again, Nikolay didn't hesitate for a moment to give his answer. Oleg wasn't surprised. No matter where he would have gone had he been on his own, he never would have wanted to skip this day, no matter what. [[I know we came here because you wanted to try and help us both move on from the past, Dad. I understand that. I just…t-that's one part of it I don't want to…I-I can't let that part of it go. I just can't.]] Oleg could tell Nikolay was beginning to tremble with another surge of emotion, and settled him down with an understanding hand upon his shoulder. This time, Nikolay could not meet Oleg's gaze. [[I understand, Kolya. I…of course I understand.]]
As father and son remained there in silence, with nothing left that could possibly be said that wouldn't have clearly shown they were just trying to avoid anything important, Oleg could not help but think back to what Aizawa had told him that afternoon. Specifically, he could not stop thinking of the homeroom teachers' foreboding final words. He knew the man was right. Nikolay not only deserved to know the true nature of his Quirk, he needed to know. If his own fear of his sons' emotional state would cause the boy to get himself killed in a situation he otherwise could have handled, Oleg would never be able to forgive himself.
[[Kolya…there's something I need to tell you; something very important, and I want you to just listen to what I have to say. All right?]] Nikolay had a look of grim anticipation on his face, as though he was simply bracing himself for another helping of awful news. Oleg instinctively pursed his lips, psyching himself up for what he was about to do. [[Earlier, when I asked how you were feeling, I really meant to ask how you were feeling physically.]]
Nikolay's confusion was clear as a bell. [[What do you mean? I just feel hungry and tired. If you went through the same tests I did, I know you would be, too.]] Oleg immediately shook his head in denial, this time placing both hands on Nikolay's shoulders, causing the boy to grow increasingly worried. He knew his father only ever did this if what he was about to say was truly as serious as he suggested it would be. [[Kolya…earlier today, after school had ended, your teacher, Aizawa-sensei, told me some things. Specifically, some things regarding your Quirk.]] Nikolay flinched on reflex, the fear as clear as day in his eyes. 'Oh no, did sensei tell him my Quirk isn't good enough? Did he tell him he thinks I'm hopeless? I thought this was over with the expulsion rule being a lie.'
[[It turns out that, at a few different points throughout the tests, he…actually turned off your Quirk, and then turned it back on, to test a theory he had. And with what he saw you do today, he has come to the conclusion that…that your Quirk doesn't actually work the way we thought it did.]] Nikolay's resultant silence was honestly worse than any outburst Oleg had been expecting, especially when he saw the utterly lost and frightened look in his boys' green eyes.
With the heaviest of sighs, Oleg proceeded to explain in as much details as he could, everything Aizawa had told him: the true nature of Nikolay's Quirk, where its sources could all potentially come from, and in the end, with everything else, the realization that the young Russian's age-old mitigation method of the gloves, the one thing he had gone through so many years believing would help keep his Quirk from collecting full power and hurting people, was ultimately useless.
By the time it was over, Oleg was silently begging for Nikolay to say something, give some kind of audible reaction, anything to let him know the deed had been done and they could simply try to move forward again with this new information between them. When he finally worked up the courage to look into his sons' eyes, all he could see was a look that reflected complete overload, as though Nikolay was still trying to process everything he had just been told, but most importantly, trying to cope with the fact that everything he thought he knew about his own ability, his blessing and his curse, had all been wrong from the beginning.
When Oleg tried to extend a sympathetic hand, Nikolay reflexively backed away from his fathers' touch, never taking his eyes off of his hands, and the tiny holes dotting them that now seemed to be openly mocking him in his eyes. [[I-I…I can't…I'm sorry, Dad; I-I need to lie down,]] he hurriedly excused himself, pronouncing his exit for the night with a particularly hard slamming of his bedroom door. Sadly, this was about as good a reaction as Oleg expected he was going to get. He had done what Aizawa had suggested, and right now all he could pray for was that time was the only thing his son needed to wrap his head around what he now knew.
Left alone in the dimly lit dining room, Oleg naturally turned to the makeshift shrine to his wife hanging upon the wall, feeling his heart catch in his throat as he felt a mixture of sadness and desperation fill his aged heart. [[Oh, Lyuda…I know I have no right to ask so much of you these last few months. Our boy…so much has already been changing for him, but I fear I may have given him too much at last to process. If you're up there, and you're listening, I won't ask you for a sign. Just…help me to know that I did do the right thing for him. Please, help me to know that with no doubts.]]
When morning finally came, Nikolay wasted no time getting dressed, eating, and heading out the door for school, neither he nor Oleg saying a word to each other. His visibly non-talkative demeanor had made Oleg realize that clearly a night had not been enough time for him to fully process everything like he had hoped. Now he could only wish that the boy would be in even slightly better spirits when the time for class came.
Today was finally the day, when Tunguska would finally step out of the shadows and begin to share his illuminating light of knowledge with the hopeful youths that would one day step up to help protect the world and its people. As much as the current issue with Nikolay particularly dampened his spirits, he also could not deny the ever-present feeling of anticipation brewing in his chest for what was to come.
When Nikolay had returned to Class 1-A, he had wasted no time planting himself in the spot he knew was to be his own for the rest of the school year. The curriculum sheets had illustrated as much for everyone. As more and more of his classmates had begun to file in and take their places, his mind was a thousand miles away. All throughout last night and to this moment, his mind had been awhirl with the implications and questions born from what Oleg had told him the previous night about his Quirk.
The young Russian was almost like a stationary gargoyle as he sat with his (now gloved) hands folded over one another, staring forward and yet focusing on nothing, simply choosing to dwell in the questioning void of his mind. 'How am I supposed to control the amount of power it absorbs, now? Every single movement, every footstep from me and everyone else, the rotation of the planet, even my own heartbeat, all of it just adds up! How am I supposed to control that? Was I wrong in thinking my feelings are what triggers it coming out, too? Was I right about any of it?'
"Oh, wow! Russkie-kun, are you even seeing this setup right now?" Mina Ashido's voice broke Nikolay out of his rumination, as she had just arrived without his noticing, and made a direct beeline for him, looking over his desk with actual excitement in her eyes. Indeed, Nikolay, too, had noticed, but found himself more flustered than anything else.
Due to Class 1-A having an unexpected +1 for the school year, the entire balance of the classroom structure had gotten skewed immensely. Thusly, or at least Nikolay had to just assume this was how it went; the people in charge realized they had no extra single desks to add, so they instead decided to make up for it by replacing another of the singles with one out of place double length desk similar to the ones from the lecture hall at the entrance exam. Having this setup stick out like a sore thumb next to everyone else's single desks was bad enough, especially with the arranged seating. What made the situation even more awkward for the young Russian, was just who he was going to be sharing this thing with for the rest of the year, his desk neighbor.
Mina seated herself right next to Nikolay, stretching her arms and legs out to emphasize how much roomier this setup was, while Nikolay was simply trying to keep to himself. That was much easier said than done, though, when his new beaming pink neighbor was actively looking at him, unable to stop showing her amusement with that big, happy smile on her face.
"Oh, c'mon, Russkie-kun, why do you look so glum? You must admit this is kind of funny. You always act so awkward and distant, yet we just can't seem to stay away from each other." She couldn't help giggling in amusement to herself, which Nikolay silently supposed was an improvement to this mess. Any other girl would have no doubt found this kind of string of coincidental meetings to be far more than annoying. The word 'stalker' in particular, came to mind.
Deciding to play on this entertaining train of thought of hers, Mina proceeded to scoot in a little closer and quickly raised Nikolay's left pinky finger, before lifting up her right for emphasis. "In fact, I'd almost want to think the universe was pulling some pretty convenient threads, wouldn't you?" She, of course, had no idea if the Russian beside her even knew what Japanese wives' tale she was referring to, but the thought of him realizing it and turning all red in response, brought about another fit of admittedly cute giggling from her.
However, by the time Mina had gotten it out of her system and looked to see his reaction, she was visibly surprised to see that Nikolay looked like he hadn't even heard a word she said. Instead, he just looked to be completely absorbed in whatever was going on in his own head. She then looked to finally see that he was now wearing a pair of thick-looking black gloves. "Hey, are you feeling okay? You're not cold, are you?"
Hearing Mina speak with notable concern stirred Nikolay as he realized he had let himself get wrapped up in his own head again. "No, not at all, I'm okay, really." He tried to put on a more lighthearted tone, but the abruptness of the switch in his attitude wasn't convincing anyone, least of all Mina and himself. Finally, he just let out a sigh of defeat. "I'm sorry, Ashido-san. I didn't get very much sleep last night. I…I just have a lot on my mind right now."
"Well, would you…maybe want to talk about it? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, I get it; but I'm a good listener if nothing else, so you know you can always talk to me if something's bugging you." The sincerity in Mina's offer was greatly appreciated where Nikolay stood, and right now he knew he was simply too tired and stressed by his new knowledge to even bother trying to lie or downplay his latest issue. And so, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, he proceeded to tell Mina everything his father had told him.
By the time he had gone over everything he now knew, Mina looked visibly surprised. It was already clear to her that her foreign classmate did not have nearly as much practice with his Quirk as everyone else did, but she had never thought it was possible for someone their age to completely misunderstand the nature of their own Quirk to that extent.
All the while, Nikolay had now returned his tired gaze to the gloves on his hands. "For such a long time, I thought I at least partially understood my own Quirk, how it worked. And because of what I thought I knew, I'd committed myself to wearing these gloves every moment I could, because I thought it would help to at least partially lessen the overall power, so maybe I wouldn't cause so much damage, or…hurt anyone. I thought they made a difference."
Nikolay rested his face in his hands, while Mina looked at his slumped over form with that same look of friendly concern. "Well, I-I hope you don't mind me asking, but…why do you keep wearing them if they don't actually make a difference now?" Nikolay was unresponsive at first, before taking a sharp intake of air, trying to steady his thoughts and emotions again. "So many things in my life have been changing so fast, starting shortly before me and my dad came to this country. It's just been nonstop ever since we came here, and I…I'm just so tired of it. I just want things to be able to slow down so I can actually have real time to work through it again. Right now, these things feel like the only piece left of a time that actually felt like something approaching normal for me. Even if they don't make a difference anymore, I just…I just want to be able to hold onto that one last little piece of normal, for whatever that's still worth."
Mina could clearly see the exhaustion Nikolay was talking about in his posture as he buried his face in his crossed arms on the desk. She couldn't help but give a little pout as she tried to think of what to possibly say to help lift his spirits. Finally, she decided to lead in with a soft, supportive hand on his shoulder, thankfully spurring him to look up at her.
"Hey, I know that it can be really scary when you first get your Quirk. I mean it's scary for everybody, no matter what kind it is. It was super-scary for me; I thought I was going to melt everything I touched from now on when I got my Quirk. But, the important thing to remember is that no matter what our Quirks are, we always do our best to learn how to work with and control them so that we can help people, like real Heroes do. I know you came here so you could learn how to be a real Hero, just like I did, and just like everybody else here. That goal hasn't changed just because your Quirk turned out to be different than you thought, has it?"
The sigh Nikolay gave in response carried so much more weight than she realized, but the small shake of his head in answer to her question was still enough to bring a smile of satisfaction back to her face. "There, you see? And, hey, just try to remember what we talked about yesterday, okay? Even if all this new stuff about your Quirk is scary, you don't have to deal with it by yourself anymore. All of us in this class, we're all in this together, and if you would be willing to let them, they can all help you figure everything out that you need to, just like we all will for each other, and just like I will for you if you'll let me."
At first, Mina felt another disappointed pout coming on when Nikolay didn't give her an immediate answer, but the closer she looked, the more she could see that familiar contemplative glimmer in his eyes. Even if he wasn't saying so, it was clear that her words were getting through to him, and he was actually considering her extension of help. And in this moment, for Mina Ashido, that was good enough.
"Sheesh, Ashido-san, coming on a little strong, aren't you? Somebody's going to think you're his girlfriend if you aren't careful," chimed in the spiky-haired blonde boy with the black lightning streak, Denki Kaminari, who had been seated on the opposite end of Mina and Nikolay's double desk. There was no visible malice in his sarcastic tone, but that didn't matter, as Mina and Nikolay both immediately flushed red with embarrassment. "Oh, don't act like you wouldn't love it if a girl talked to you like that once in a while, Kaminari-kun," she teased right back with a cheeky grin, to which Denki started rubbing the back of his head, looking away in his own embarrassment, not willing to lie.
With a victorious chuckle, Mina turned back to face Nikolay, whose blush had thankfully faded, but she could tell his face was still particularly tense. "Hey, what's up? If you could talk to me about your Quirk, you know you can talk to me about anything else, right?" This time there wasn't nearly as much resistance on Nikolay's part, as a cold shudder went up his entire body. "I'm just nervous about homeroom. I know he's been hard on all of us so far, and it's only been one day, but I just can't shake this feeling that Aizawa-sensei doesn't like me personally, and I don't know how to get around that."
"Well, it sounds like you need to look at the curriculum sheet again. We're not having Aizawa-sensei today. It sounds like on Tuesdays and Saturdays, our first class is gonna be…'Quirk History', taught by…Tu—Tung-'Tunguska'? Who the heck is that?" Denki asked in total confusion. Almost as though his was the cue for the rest of the class, Nikolay began to hear several of their other surrounding classmates begin asking the same question among themselves.
While she was likewise confused as to whom this weird-sounding Hero was; Mina didn't feel like it was that big of a deal, considering none of them had known Aizawa-sensei by his Hero name, either. While she and many others had recognized the more popular Heroes on their teaching roster, like Present Mic, Midnight and All Might, there were just as many on the curriculum she didn't know, and in her mind, that just made the mystery that much more exciting.
However, she quickly saw that excitement was not mutual in her neighbor, as Nikolay's once tired, slack posture had turned straight and stiff with silent tension; the pale brown-haired boy almost pursing his lips in unspoken anxiety. This would have only been worsened by immense embarrassment, had he realized his gut reaction had gotten the attention of not only Mina, but Denki and Eijirou as well.
"Whoa, what's gotten into you, all of a sudden? You need to use the bathroom? Better hurry before 'Tunguska' shows up." Denki asked jokingly, even putting too much emphasis on their teachers' outlandish name for another laugh. This time, Mina decided not to humor their blonde classmate, leaning in a little closer concernedly.
"Hey, why are you so tense, all of a sudden? Are you okay, Russkie-kun?" She tried to keep her voice low so as not to draw any unnecessary attention, but Nikolay's next reaction also came as if on reflex as he hurriedly grabbed his appropriate textbook and brought it down at his portion of the desk a little too hard, all while trying not to meet her black-and-gold eyes, lest she see just how nervous he really was; if she only knew the truth.
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Really. Also, while I appreciate what you're trying to do, being so casual and all, could you please not call me that? It's admittedly not as bad as if you were to call me…ugh, 'Commie-kun', but it's still like what the Americans used to call us during the Cold War; it's so demeaning." Nikolay's hasty answer and request visibly caught Mina by surprise, but that cheeky grin was quick to return to her pink face.
"Well, I have to disagree. I honestly thought it sounded cute, almost like a name you'd give a puppy. I just thought it sounded so fitting, with you having such a cute, delicate-looking face and all." Like clockwork, Nikolay's whole face flared up, turning deep red with embarrassment, which Mina only found made him look that much cuter, as she couldn't resist giggling, seeing the normally so serious young Russian look so flustered.
"Hey, give the guy a break, Ashido. Russians are supposed to be super manly. How is he supposed to feel like a man if you keep calling him cute all the time?" While Eijirou's attempt to intervene from his desk didn't go unappreciated on Nikolay's part, Mina remained unperturbed as she turned in her chair to face the redheaded boy with that same irresistible smile. "Oh, so are you saying that if some guy with a really cute or pretty face were to…let's say, become a heavyweight boxing champion, the fact that people are honest and tell them they're cute or pretty suddenly makes them not manly anymore, despite still being champion?"
With that one question, Eijirou's pre-planned retort died in his throat, and while his confident face didn't flinch, his red eyes did, and Mina knew it as she gave him a good-humored chuckle for the attempt. "Man, Ashido-san, how is it you can come up with such good arguments, and yet you barely ranked ahead of me on the written entrance exam?" Denki asked, visibly impressed at the timeliness of her wit. "Oh, I'm not nearly that good; I just know Kirishima well enough to know what his usual argument points are, that's all."
Figuring that little diversion had run its course, Mina immediately returned her attention to Nikolay, who was still looking like embarrassed steam was about to start coming out his ears. "Just in case you're still listening in there; for the record, I would call you by name if that would make you more comfortable. It's just that it's such an awkward mouthful, no matter what I try to go with. You guys just have such weird-sounding names."
"Tell me about it. I kept trying to practice, and I can't do it without tripping all over parts of it." "I actually ended up biting my tongue last night, trying the whole thing." Denki and Eijirou's respective inputs only made the whole conversation that much more embarrassing, even with Mina trying to draw the attention away from the boy of the hour by pointing out Eijirou would've bitten his tongue with his sharp teeth at some point anyway.
While the three of them all proceeded to laugh amongst themselves in perfectly friendly and good humor, Mina couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt, seeing Nikolay look so embarrassed. Here she was, trying to help him feel as comfortable with her as possible, and yet her constant fun-loving side kept pushing the buttons that got the reactions from him she found the most amusing. Good intentions or not, what kind of friend did that while knowing it embarrassed the other?
Her laughter soon came to a stop as she turned back to address the Russian at her side, laying a supportive hand over his own, forcing him to finally look in her unique eyes. "Hey, you know I don't mean anything insulting by it, right? By any of it?" Nikolay reluctantly nodded in understanding, which made her give him a slight smile of gratitude. "I'm glad. I wouldn't want you to think we're making fun of you. So, that being said, if you really want me to stop with the whole 'Russkie-kun' thing…I will. We're friends, and I want to respect whatever you're okay with."
Nikolay was still either too embarrassed or too wrapped up in his own thoughts and feelings to give her a verbal answer, but the beginnings of a smile were beginning to tug at the corners of his still pursed mouth, which brightened Mina's spirits considerably. "Still, though, to just call each other 'Ashido-san' and…I'm sorry, I know I'm just gonna embarrass myself if I try to say your family name, but you get what I'm trying to say. That's just way too formal. Friends give each other nicknames; that's just what they do. So, how would you feel about…Niko-kun?" Nikolay's reaction was almost instantaneous, with a hand slapped to his forehead with further embarrassment. "Oh, God, no; that's even worse. The first makes me sound like a bad guy in an old Western spy movie. That new one makes me sound like a bloody gopnik."
Just as curiosity drove Mina to open her mouth to ask what the heck a 'gopnik' was, the door to the classroom nearly burst open, silencing the entire class and making them all sit up straight in unison. This was like the exact opposite of Aizawa's entrance yesterday, as all the students watched a giant of a man with a light brown, graying beard and long tied back hair stepped in with all the authority his hulking frame could exhibit. His white, red and gold suit seemed to reflect the powerful, warm glow emanating from his eyes and behind his head. Some of the students in the front row had to shield their eyes before the strangers' light managed to dim itself, as though on command. The whole time, even from as far back as he sat, Nikolay could hear a fair amount of curious, and even some impressed, sounding whispers among his classmates.
Once the door to the class had closed again, and he was certain the students' had gotten their impulsive whispers out of their systems, the glowing marvel that was Tunguska, set his large textbook down hard on his desk and placed his hands on his hips, trying to emphasize his statue and powerful appearance as best as his age could allow. Nikolay, all the while, let out an embarrassed grumble at his fathers' display.
"Good morning, class. I am glad to see all of you are up bright and early; ready to partake in what knowledge I have to pass down unto you. I am Tunguska, the Sun of Justice, and I welcome you all to your first day of Quirk History." Oleg took the chance to officiate his impromptu introduction by writing out his Hero name in Cyrillic, English and katakana. He couldn't help but smile when he could hear some of the clearly more studious students already doing the same in their notebooks. Meanwhile, while Mina was trying her best to keep paying attention to their new teacher, she caught the sight of Nikolay anxiously running his fingers through his hair out the corner of her eye. In the momentary silence, she could just barely make out the sound of her desk neighbor mumbling incoherently to himself in what she could only figure was Russian.
"Now, before we begin with today's lesson, I would like to pose a question to all of you, and feel free to take your time answering this: What is a Hero?" Many in the class looked visibly caught off guard by this question, but Tenya was the first to shoot his hand up into the air with a powerful exclamation of "Sensei!" Tunguska couldn't help but chuckle at the boys' clear enthusiasm. "Yes, malenkii Iida."
Tenya swiftly rose from his seat, textbook in hand as he straightened his glasses, truly the picture of a model student. "A Hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities." It was a clearly dictionary definition, but Tunguska's resultant nod of approval was satisfying enough for Tenya. Immediately after, Momo brought her hand up with an equally driven "Sensei!"
"Yes, malenkaya (little) Yaoyorozu," he said in invitation, giving the pony-tailed girl the floor. "The classical definition of a Hero is that of a person of superhuman qualities and often semi-divine origin, most traditionally related to the subjects of ancient Greek mythology." Again, very textbook, and not quite what he had been looking for, but Tunguska gave her an approving nod of her own, all the same.
"Sensei." A much meeker voice suddenly announced from within the class, and Tunguska immediately recognized the head of curly green hair looking up at him from among the desks. "Yes, malenkii Midoriya?" Izuku was clearly awestruck by just how many ways this strange new Hero reminded him of All Might, but he was quick to let his fanboy nature in regards to Heroes subside, focusing on his answer, while elsewhere, Bakugo was barely managing to keep from breaking his own pencil in half in irritation at the boys' voice.
"A-a Hero is someone who fights with everything they've got to protect people from Villains, someone who inspires hope." Tunguska could feel a deeply satisfied smile beginning to form, but he was not about to start giving the impression he was playing favorites, so he gave Izuku another approving nod, which seemed to brighten the freckled boys' spirits enough. As soon as he got back in his seat, Ochako followed suit with her own hand and slightly stuttered exclamation of "Sensei."
"Yes, malenkaya Uraraka?" The permanently blushing girl nervously got up from her spot; looking down as she spoke, intimidated by the Hero's large frame. "A-a H-Hero is someone who…s-someone who does whatever they can to help people, whether they be strangers or loved ones. They simply do what they can to help others, even if it means just being there to m-make them feel better."
Ochako looked so embarrassed, giving such a simple answer. And yet, when she finally summoned the courage to look up, the sweetest smile came to her face when she saw Tunguska giving her an approving nod of her own. She sat back down, positively beaming, as Tunguska finally stepped out from behind his desk to address the rest of the class. "These are all excellent answers, everyone. The truth is that there is no single correct answer to the question of what a Hero is. The correct answer lies specifically in your own individual perspective. A Hero can be someone who possesses a powerful Quirk who is capable of defeating Villains and protecting the innocent. A Hero can also be someone who does whatever they know they can, with their own limitations, to try and make things just a little better for a stranger or a loved one. Even if he doesn't have a Quirk, a policeman, a firefighter or a first responder is a Hero in the eyes of the people they help. A parent who simply works hard to provide for their family is a Hero in the eyes of said family. Quirks do not serve as the be-all-end-all definer of what makes a Hero. It is only when you all understand that the definition of a Hero is essentially subjective, that Quirks even begin to make a difference."
Almost everyone was rendered speechless by the wisdom in their teachers' words, even Nikolay. He had never heard his father say such things with such understanding, such clarity before. It was like this wasn't even the Oleg he knew anymore. This was like every patriotic depiction of the old Tunguska brought to life, a complete transformation. The confidence and gravity of his words almost seemed to command an immediate respect from all those that saw and heard him.
With a heavy sigh, Tunguska sat himself upon his desk, looking each of his students square in the eye, silently building that personal connection that teachers were supposed to have with their students. "Allow me to clarify the point I'm trying to make with a little story, everyone. I'm sure many of you have heard of the Chernobyl Disaster in your history classes in middle school?" Immediately, many of the students nodded, earning a grateful sigh from the old Russian Hero.
"On the 4th of May, 1986, a few days after the initial fire and explosion of Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, it was discovered by a number of scientists that what was essentially lava made by the fire, was at risk of pouring into the cooling tanks beneath the reactor, which they estimated would result in a thermal explosion that would disperse enough radioactive fallout to render the entirety of Ukraine, Belarus and a majority of Eastern Europe uninhabitable, on top of the long-term radiation sickness that would doubtless lead to the deaths of millions even further out. They only had one solution to prevent such a catastrophe, and that was to send three plant workers into the ducts beneath the still-burning reactor to manually open the sluice gates so that the water in those tanks could be pumped out, and avert the vaporization that would lead to said explosion.
"The price to be paid for such a deed was that the three men that would go down into those ducts, with the amount of radioactive contamination that was in that water, would all most certainly be dead within a week. The men they gathered to have volunteer for such a task knew that death was the only thing waiting for them if they did this. They were being asked to give their lives so that millions more could live. And so, three men actively stood up and volunteered to do this, knowing what was waiting for them on the other side.
"Those three men were named Boris Baranov, Alexei Ananenko…and Valery Bezpalov, one of my forefathers. They went into that water, risking certain death, and they allowed those tanks to be pumped, and they effectively saved the lives of millions, if not tens of millions of people. They didn't have the benefit of a Quirk on their side, but they did what they knew in their hearts needed to be done, what they knew was right. In their time, and perhaps even for all time still, those men are three shining examples of the kind of Hero every person alive today can be in their hearts. And do you know what happened to those men, after they had performed this heroic feat at the cost of their own lives?"
At this point, the class was as silent as could be, and Tunguska couldn't help but feel a stirring of pride in his own storytelling ability, to see just how many of them looked so eager to hear the end. "They lived. Against every possible odd, every scrap of logic between the scientific and medical minds that studied every single detail of that entire disaster, those three men went on to live long, and healthy lives. They had made the ultimate sacrifice, and nature and the world itself decided to give them a second chance at life. If that does not inspire you to believe that everyone has what it takes to be a true Hero, then I fear you have made a mistake coming to this school."
The faces of almost everyone in 1-A visibly lit up as Tunguska basked in the collective emotions of inspiration that began to fill the air. It was just like how he felt when his father had told him the same story in his youth. It was a feeling of deep, unshakeable pride in the very idea of Heroism. Once he was sure everyone was now at full attention, he began to open his textbook again, before his next sentence was abruptly cut off by the sound of a miniature explosion. His eyes instantly zeroed in on the source: Bakugo, sneering behind his desk, his own copy of the class textbook now a small pile of smoldering ash in his hand.
"Hold the hell up with all this pseudo reverse-psychology bullshit. This is supposed to be 'Quirk History', why the hell do we have to listen to a bunch of old stories about a bunch of Quirkless losers? Quirks don't define what makes a Hero? What kind of crap are you peddling here? And just who in the hell are you anyway, old man?" The whole class looked at their hotheaded classmate incredulously, while Nikolay had started gripping the edge of his desk to the point his knuckles were turning white under his gloves. His father had never been one to take outright disrespect lying down.
"As I said at the beginning, I am Oleg Bezpalov, Tunguska; a former Top Hero from the Soviet Union who has been personally invited here to serve as your Quirk History teacher." Tunguska was surprisingly managing to keep his calm, but all Nikolay noticed by now was that several of the students were visibly putting two-and-two together, as several began glancing in his direction. The young Russian boy wanted to bury his face in the nearest book and never show himself again, now that his father had made the connection crystal clear for everyone.
"'Former Top Hero'? Pfft, yeah, clearly must not have been much of a Hero if I've never heard of you. Hell, nobody here has heard of you! Probably got dragged here out of some drunk tank back in that frozen backwater you call a country. We're supposed to be learning how to become Pro Heroes of our own, why the hell should we be wasting time learning about a bunch of dead and gone has-beens from some…some never-was?"
Bakugo's latest insult echoed across the classroom, and Nikolay felt his whole body tense up, to the point his teeth were legitimately grinding against each other. He was just bracing himself for Tunguska to motion for everyone to get down to the floor so he could blind Bakugo where he stood. Hell, even if the lights were to start dimming as he absorbed it into his body would have been enough of a warning sign.
The tension in the air was unbearable, and even some of the other students were beginning to slowly inch away from Bakugo, just waiting for either him or Tunguska to pop off. And yet, as each second slowly passed by, the resultant confrontation never came, as Tunguska never moved from his spot. He never even showed any visible sign that what Bakugo was saying was getting to him, a fact that only infuriated the blonde little spitfire more and more.
Instead, the Russian Hero reached into his personal bag, pulled out a folder and, after a little rifling, pulled out a single sheet of paper, a student information sheet, from what could be seen on the other side from the sunlight. "Let's see here: malenkii Bakugo Katsuki, fifteen-years-old, Quirk…Explosion. Interesting. Yes, interesting how often a Quirk of that specific nature tends to end up in the hands of a hothead."
The class was quickly filled with audible gasps of shock. Izuku in particular could feel a frigid sweat coming on, as Bakugo remained stone still, a very frightening grin beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth as his right hand began twitching. "And just…what in the hell…is that supposed to mean?" It felt as though one wrong muscle movement on anyone's part would be enough to send Bakugo into a full-blown homicidal rage, much like when he had seen Izuku's Quirk in action yesterday. And yet, even in the face of that, Tunguska was unmoved.
"Did you know that the first recorded example of an explosive Quirk belonged to one Victor Choque, an oil pipeline worker in Bolivia back in the 2070's? Testimonials from many of his family members and acquaintances all stated that he possessed a very sensitive but even more incredibly violent temper. One day, the pipeline he was working at was destroyed in a devastating explosion, killing Choque and several dozen people up and down the line. At first, nobody knew how it happened, but some salvaged footage from the security camera on site revealed that he had gotten into a heated argument with another coworker, instinctively snapped his fingers; which was described as the means in which he activated his Quirk, and as a result, destroyed the pipeline, and ended several dozen lives, including his own."
Many of the students looked visibly impressed by this obscure bit of knowledge on their teachers' part, while Bakugo kept staring Tunguska down, as if just itching for the former Hero to get to the point. Tunguska had to resist the urge to smile confidently as he recalled the most important part of his argument. "Now then, the first registered Hero with an explosive Quirk was Friso De Vries, a.k.a. Uitbarsting (Burst), in the Netherlands in the early 2090's. Was likewise said to have a volatile temperament, but not enough to prevent him becoming a local favorite…at least until he stepped in to end a hostage situation by force. He got the job done, but got several of those hostages severely injured in the process."
He allowed the seconds to pass as his examples sank into the minds of every student listening. Honestly, he was likewise impressed Bakugo hadn't decided he'd had enough and tried to charge him already. He was essentially just waiting to release a blinding flare from his eyes to help pacify him in such a case. However, once he felt a measure of confidence his antagonistic little student wasn't going to do anything rash, he finally returned his attention to the whole class.
"Many of you are probably likewise wondering why you have to learn about things from the past, when you're all so busy trying to learn how to become the Pro Heroes of today. The reason I just told you these two examples, is because if it weren't for those regrettable incidents, society would likely never have learned that certain Quirks simply do not work in certain situations, as regrettable as that fact is. Had we as a species not taken the lessons of those two examples to heart, we could very well be living in a world where countless more people would have needlessly died, because Heroes with more destructive Quirks, and similar mindsets and attitudes, would have kept being allowed to handle situations that inherently require a much more delicate approach."
Everyone was busily writing every word into their notebooks as Tunguska continued to observe with pride, finally ending it all by respectfully meeting Bakugo's scornful glare. "The lesson to be taken from all of this, malenkii Bakugo, is that no matter how great and powerful one may think their Quirk is, or how great and powerful they think it makes them, one must always recognize and respect their own limitations if they are to have any hope of becoming a Pro Hero, let alone the Top."
Bakugo was gritting his teeth to the point Tunguska would've sworn they were going to crack. His fists were balled so tight; it would have been a surprise to no one if they started bleeding from the palms. Even his already spiky blonde hair looked like it was about to start standing on end. His normally furious red eyes almost looked completely white as his face was turning red with insulted rage, a vein beginning to visibly pulse on his forehead.
Then, to the muted surprise of everyone watching, Bakugo actually opened his fists, let out a palpable groan of anger, and begrudgingly planted himself back in his seat. Everyone, Izuku and Nikolay especially, felt like they had just witnessed a miracle. All the while, Tunguska simply gave his first problem student an approving nod once more. Bakugo didn't even bother giving the teacher the courtesy of direct eye contact, simply muttering under his breath: "I'm gonna find out what that stupid word you keep calling everybody means, and when I do, if it means what I think it means, then your ass is grass, old man."
Back at their double desk, Mina could hardly contain her impression with what they had just seen, eagerly leaning in closer to Nikolay. "Wow, your dad is really smart," she stated so matter-of-factly, while Nikolay sighed in relief that things hadn't boiled over like he had felt so certain they would. "Yeah, he's really smart in some things…but not everything." The last words had barely left the young boys' mouth as he began to open his textbook, only for the peace to be momentarily shattered by Tunguska slamming his book closed in his hand.
"Kolya, as much as it pleases me to see you socializing with your classmates, you can talk with them as much as you want outside of class. Right now, you are just as much my student as everyone else, and that means I need your silence, and your attention." Tunguska followed his exceptionally loud declaration by simply turning his attention back to the blackboard, while Nikolay felt his skin crawl with embarrassment, especially when he could hear stifled yet amused giggling and chuckling from the likes of Denki, Hagakure and Jirou.
Nikolay ran his fingers through his hair anxiously as he bowed his head in humiliation. Thankfully the laughter didn't last much longer, and he could only hope that would be the end of it. "Kolya…" Mina's voice suddenly echoed in quiet thought to herself, drawing his attention to his pink desk partner. What he saw made his stomach twist and turn, as Mina Ashido's thoughtful face slowly yet surely turned to one of an extremely excited realization; her black-gold eyes widening and nearly sparkling with joy, and her lips forming the single brightest smile he'd seen from her yet. 'Oh…no…'
She knew it, and he knew it, too; no matter how much he wished he didn't in that moment. She had just officially found her nickname for him, and she knew that if his father could call him by it, he couldn't rightfully tell her 'no'. Her joyous eyes slowly met his, and that smile never left her face as, in spite of all Nikolay's silent pleas to the gods and the universe to not make her do this, she opened her mouth and finally, in a merciful yet no less excited whisper, gave him her personal nickname that would cement their quickly built closeness as friends, no matter what: "Kolya-kun!"
WHAM!
Like a shot, Nikolay Bezpalov's embarrassment reached its peak, and the boy instinctively slammed his face into his half of the desk with such force, the wood even cracked from the power; thus leaving a now permanent facial indentation in its varnish.
The rest of Quirk History had thankfully managed to proceed without further incident, with Tunguska covering the first wave of Quirk births in the 2030's. Afterwards had come a subject Nikolay had been dreading for frankly different reasons: English, with the loud-mouthed presenter for the entrance exam, who he now knew as Present Mic, serving as their teacher. All throughout, everyone else around him could not stop muttering how plain and normal a class like this was for Yuuei, while all Nikolay could think about was how needlessly complicated a language it was.
Thus was his train of thought throughout the entirety of class, all the way until the afternoon bell rang, signifying it was time for the lunch hour. From when all the students filed into the cafeteria, got their helpings of…plain steamed white rice, and sat themselves in their preferred spots at the tables, all Nikolay could think of was what a nightmare this class was going to be for the rest of the school year. And, much to his chagrin, his now-regular compatriots of Mina, Eijirou, Izuku, Ochako and Tenya had taken fair notice of his disgruntled state afterwards.
"I feel like a toddler just learning his alphabet, while at least most of you seem to have a grasp of the most basic grammar. I don't know how I'm going to survive that class all year." Nikolay made no attempt to play off his difficulty, while Mina, Eijirou and Ochako could not help but voice similar concern.
"Well, I mean, if any of you guys want, I-I could maybe try helping you out with some of it. I mean, I'm not an expert, but I was p-pretty good at English class back in middle school." Izuku awkwardly offered, clearly not used to stepping forward in a situation like this, while Tenya was far more visibly confident as he likewise took an authoritative stance at his seat. "As was I. If you all would be willing to put your utmost toward studying, then under my tutelage, I guarantee none of you would need to worry about failing."
Tenya's proposal came on unnecessarily strong, as Ochako and Mina couldn't help but smile in slight embarrassment, while Nikolay just grumbled in defeat, halfheartedly picking at his rice. "I can't. I'm still trying to iron out the last kinks in my Japanese. I feel comfortable enough speaking a basic conversation like this, but anything more professional, and I feel like I'm going to fumble and say the wrong thing."
Taking another bite, his face grimaced with further anxiety the more he thought about it, almost feeling the need to knock his fists against his own head in frustration at his total hopelessness. "Ugh, but I can't just up and ignore it, either; it's a requirement! Why is it a requirement? We're not in America, why do we have to learn English if we aren't even going to be working internationally? Why can't they just cut us a break?"
As Nikolay almost planted his face in his rice, Mina instinctively patted him on the back in sympathy. There had been more than a few times she had ended up in a very similar disposition when she fell behind on studying; she was embarrassed to admit. While this little scene played out, Izuku and Tenya exchanged silent glances with each other; neither one feeling certain they should have informed their Slavic classmate of the actual possibility of one day working abroad as Heroes when the time came.
"That was pretty amazing this morning, how Tunguska-sensei actually got Bakugo to stand down, wasn't it" Ochako suddenly chimed in, clearly wanting to try and lighten the mood, which she thankfully seemed to, as everyone's faces visibly lit up with remembrance. Izuku especially looked deeply impressed just thinking about it. "Yeah, it kind of was. As long as I'd known him, only Kacchan's mom could ever manage to talk him down from acting out. These days, I'm not sure if even she can do it anymore…but he did."
Nikolay could not resist the flicker of curiosity in response to Izuku's momentary nostalgia, as he finally lifted his face from the table and looked at his curly-haired comrade with intent. "That's not the first time I've heard you call Bakugo 'Kacchan', Midoriya-san. It doesn't sound nearly as insulting as when he calls you 'Deku'. It almost sounds like—"It almost sounds like you two were friends. But that can't be, he constantly talks like he can't stand you." Mina chimed in, leaving Nikolay the slightest bit annoyed, but Izuku's following scratching of the back of his head, trying to find an explanation, answered everybody's curiosity, and he was soon met with looks of shock and disbelief all around. "Are you serious?!" they all asked practically in unison.
Izuku could only let out a nervous chuckle as he thought back. "Well, it was really only back when we were in kindergarten. Kacchan and I lived in the same neighborhood, so we spent all our time together; talking about when we would get our Quirks and we would be Top Heroes together. Then, when his Quirk manifested, everybody in the neighborhood and at school praised him for it, and…and I guess you could say a lot of that went to his head. Kacchan has always been really proud, or maybe self-reliant is better, but I just know that after that had gone on long enough, we just kind of split apart. He started acting like he was too good to be friends with me anymore. Who knows, maybe he's still right?"
While the reminiscing brought a warm smile to Izuku's face, it was quickly followed with some unmistakable pain; the kind that left everyone feeling remorse for having asked him to explain in the first place. "But Deku-kun, you have a Quirk, too. Why would Bakugo still want to abandon you if you both got Quirks?" Ochako asked curiously, and for a moment, Izuku looked like a deer caught in headlights, before he hurriedly downed the rest of his rice and brought the tray to the table with a pronounced impact, a determined fire in his eyes. "As much as that still hurts, it doesn't matter now. What matters now is that we're both here, and I'm going to do everything in my power to become a Hero just like All Might! And if Kacchan were to get right up to that level so I could stand alongside him, and he could acknowledge me as his equal again…well, that would be really nice, too."
The abruptness of his declaration made it clear that Izuku did not want to talk about the divide between him and Bakugo anymore, and as much as it visibly irked Ochako that he didn't really answer her question, she wasn't about to start pushing him in a direction he didn't want to go. Thankfully, everyone else looked to be in silent agreement. Nikolay, for one, couldn't begin to imagine the kind of emptiness Izuku must have been feeling for that long, to have an actual friend, only for that friend to abandon them, and then treat them as horribly as he had witnessed. The fact that Izuku could still speak even this positively about his relation to Bakugo in the future was respectable at least, and admirable at best.
He could only hope that, if he, Mina and Eijirou were to be able to become best friends one day; that he wouldn't end up suffering the same. Having gotten a taste of actual companionship at long last, the idea of being alone again felt worse than it ever had before.
The air had grown noticeably heavy, so Eijirou decided to break the silence with a pronounced clearing of his throat before pumping an eager fist into the air, admiration written all over his face. "C'mon, enough of this sad stuff from the past, we should be thinking about today! What did you guys think of Tunguska-sensei? Couldn't you all feel just how manly he is? I mean, the way he walks, talks, that confidence in his step, and the fact he didn't even flinch in front of Bakugo? Oh my God, I can only hope I can be that manly one day! Do you think if I asked, he'd wanna take me under his wing when internship period comes?"
Nikolay almost choked on his rice once the question came up, but once his airway cleared, he couldn't resist a short bout of laughter. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm not…I'm not laughing at you, Kirishima-san, I swear. It's just…now that you say it; I can absolutely see the resemblance between you two. You would probably be a perfect intern for him."
The redheaded boy's face lit up with excitement at Nikolay's confirmation, and while he looked about as happy as could be, Nikolay now had to ponder the question himself: the concept of them serving as interns under different Pro Heroes had come up before, but he had not bothered to ask how it worked, or how they would be selected for their specific mentor. When would it happen in the year, would he be ready and capable by the time it happened? Only now did he realize all the variables he had neglected to follow up on, and with that came its own wave of pressure bearing down on his shoulders.
"Hey, Kolya-kun, if your dad is a former Top Hero, maybe he'll take both you and Kirishima under his wing. The two of you would be like brothers for the intern period. Wouldn't that be fun?" Mina chimed in, clearly joking by her tone. The mutual looks of surprise on Nikolay and Eijirou's faces, however, just made her laugh that much harder, to the point even Ochako couldn't resist letting a giggle of her own out, while Izuku and Tenya both looked like the idea made perfect sense.
"Yeah, as fun as that would no doubt be, I'm sorry to say that my dad isn't actually registered with any of the Hero agencies in this country. However, he has been working towards it on top of everything else since we came here." Eijirou was visibly disappointed by this announcement, while everyone else simply looked surprised. "He isn't? From the way he presented himself, and the knowledge on Quirks and Heroism he clearly has, I would have expected nearly every agency in Japan would have wanted to hire him." Izuku stated, while Tenya looked to be contemplating the factors with that trademark glasses push of his.
"Well, he said he was a former Top Hero. Maybe that means he isn't up to a lot of the agencies' standards right now. He is kind of on the older side, after all." Ochako suggested, while looking really hopeful that she wasn't inadvertently insulting the Russian sitting across from her. "We're also talking about a foreign Top Pro Hero none of us had ever heard of, too, Urara-chan. Maybe none of the agencies reached out to him because they never heard of him either." Mina joined in the fray of theories and guesswork, while Nikolay felt himself silently shrink among all the back-and-forth talk, wishing all the while they could talk about anything else. Finally, Tenya commanded silence with a clearing of his own throat, both arms crossed over his chest.
"Whether or not Tunguska-sensei is registered or well known among our nation's Pro Hero community aside, I believe we can all agree that our class, if not the entirety of Yuuei, stands to benefit greatly from having an international Hero of some clear repute among our teachers this year. His idea of just what truly defines a Hero is so simple, and yet so inspiring at the same time. He is correct that many people these days have settled for equating the possession of a Quirk with the distinction of being a Hero. It is the content of one's character that truly distinguishes Heroes from everyone else.
"Furthermore, I believe it could be quite fascinating and enlightening to gain some insider knowledge on the view and treatment of the concept of Quirks, Heroes and Villains from a completely different country. Thus far, all we have come to know about such things have originated from Japan and the United States. To hear the respective history and view of another world superpower would be most beneficial."
By this point, nearly everyone at the table had turned their attention to the meek-looking Nikolay, who could feel all their expectant eyes on him. Why wouldn't they look to him? He was the flesh and blood of the very teacher in question; he was bound to have just as much knowledge on the matter to give as his father. However, the pressure of their expectation, coupled with the simmering pain of everything he actually knew, made him instinctively begin retreating into himself, staring aimlessly at his rice and needlessly picking at it.
One by one, his classmates and friends' gazes began to withdraw, as they could see clear as day that Nikolay really did not want to talk about it. Just the way he began curling into a protective ball where he sat, and the distant, if not empty look reflected in his eyes; told them that there was far more to his silence than was on the surface, and whatever it was, it was very serious.
Unfortunately, Nikolay remained like this, silent and cut-off from those around him, for the rest of the lunch period, completely oblivious to the deeply worried looks in everyone's eyes.
Thankfully, Nikolay's relatively more sociable demeanor returned once the afternoon class had finally begun. As everyone returned to Class 1-A and he and Mina once again took their sore thumb of a spot again, he could feel a whole new kind of air begin settling among his classmates.
He could not say he was really surprised. This was the time for Foundational Heroics Studies, and every single one of them knew all too well just who was going to be teaching them. Even despite his natural skepticism and differing attitude towards All Might in comparison to everyone else, even he could not help but feel a tingling of anticipation through complete osmosis.
It all made the passing of time waiting for their teacher nigh unbearable, but the time ultimately did come, as the door nearly swung off its hinges, and the entire classroom was filled with the over-the-top proclamation: "IT'S MEEEEEEEEE!"
With a boisterous laugh that could have put even the greatest of heavyset Shakespearian trained actors to utter shame, the unmistakable colorful visage of the Symbol of Peace, All Might, came stepping through the door with all the confident swagger a mortal man could summon, and the enthusiastic cheers from the students went perfectly with the spectacle, with many unable to keep their excitement and comments of his costume and look to themselves.
With seemingly every step, All Might seemed to instinctively strike a victorious pose that showed off his admittedly impressive muscles, striking a mighty-looking squat as he kept his back turned to the class. "Foundational Hero Studies! For this class, we'll be building up your Hero Foundation through various trials! You'll get tons of credit for it!"
As if he had rehearsed it time and again, All Might turned back to the class, flashing a shiny looking card in hand with the word 'battle' inscribed upon it. "Let's jump right in with this! THE TRIAL OF BATTLE!" Everyone else began to mutter the same in excitement to themselves, but none of them ever noticed the momentary tremor that ran up and down Nikolay's body once it had registered in his brain just what they were going into. All he could think of then was just how much he hoped it would be another fight against robots, on repeat.
"And to go with your first battle, we've prepared the gear we had you send in requests for to match your Quirks!" With this, a section of the wall to the left suddenly opened up in columns, revealing multiple bulky yellow crates with the students' respective numbers stenciled on. Nikolay's abrupt confusion was immediately drowned out with yet more excited cheers from the students as they almost all shot up from their desks, absolutely visibly pumped to get into their personal Hero costumes.
All Might expertly tossed one crate after another into the waiting hands of their respective student, until Nikolay found himself the very last one left, with just barely enough time to react as he saw the crate labeled '21' flying right toward him; the weight almost knocking him back in his chair.
"Get changed and we'll be ready to go! Everyone gather at Grounds B! The garb you bring into the battlefield is vitally important, boys and girls! And don't forget! From here on out, you're all officially HEROES!" The excited cheers from the students as they all began rushing out the door for the locker rooms was nearly deafening. Nikolay found himself disoriented from the overload of emotion and sensation that filled the room; only managing to avoid being left behind by the throng because the dutiful Mina grabbed and pulled him along by the sleeve, an absolutely ecstatic bounce in her every step.
After the boys had all gotten themselves changed into their respective Hero costumes, Nikolay was still sitting solemnly in his own corner, looking apprehensively to the crate sitting on his lap. 'How is this even possible for me? I never got around to designing a costume of my own, let alone sending a request in for one.' He knew he could not afford to be left out of whatever was going to be waiting for them at the training grounds, so with a steadying breath to ease his shivers, he flipped open the locks and began to open the crate.
The instant he opened it, however, a brilliant blue light began emanating from within, forcing him to shield his eyes as the lid finished opening. By the time he was able to open his eyes again, he was met with the holographic projection of Tunguska's face, emanating from another projector card like from the acceptance letter.
[[I imagine you must be feeling very confused right now, Kolya. I know you never got around to designing your own Hero suit, so the fact you have the crate containing this message must still feel impossible for you. Well, allow me to explain. The design for your suit is a combination of some salvaged old designs your mother had been working on back when you were little, adjusted for size of course; and some more detailed additions I've personally made over the years when we thought we understood your Quirk. Knowing what we do about it now, some technical improvements will of course need to be made, but I am confident you will be able to make do with what you have right now until then.
[[Words cannot describe how proud I am of you for making it this far, Kolya. And I know without question, that your mother would be as well. Wear your suit with pride and courage, my son. You are officially a bona fide Hero now. Go out there and show the world just what it is you're made of.]] With that, the projection shut off, and Nikolay was left with no choice but to pull out the folded ensemble that would be his official Hero suit.
As he watched it unfold within his grip as he pulled it out, he felt his heart seize, his every utterance silenced…and his eyes quickly blur with the tears of sweet, bitter memory, as he gripped the suit in his hands like he never wanted to let go.
And there is Chapter 6. I hope you liked what I came up with. Like I said before, if you have any comments you'd like to make that aren't just plain trolling, whether it be pointing out whatever you liked about the chapter specifically, or constructive criticism, feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think.
And with that, I will see you all when Chapter 7 drops on 2/13!