Hello again, everyone. Well, we're back to the one-chapter-per-week schedule again. I realize this story has been a touch difficult to get into, considering the up-to-now portrayal of Nikolay/Kolya as a protagonist, since his nature hasn't exactly been what many readers would think of when they think of an MHA protagonist, especially considering the ones we have in-canon. However, I am happy to inform you all that this is where his attitude and subsequent portrayal really begins to change, as I'm sure some of you who have commented will greatly appreciate. The New Life Arc is officially concluded, and just like Nikolay and his life themselves, it is time to move forward.
And hey, this is where some stakes start to get raised, and who doesn't like that, right?
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, and if so, please take the time to leave a review, as all constructive criticism or general feedback of what you think works or what you think could be improved, is always appreciated. Enjoy!
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. The only thing I own is my original characters, and the original events and alterations of established events that occur as a result of their existence in this universe. Of course, potentially being noticed and acknowledged by Horikoshi, and possibly being considered unique and interesting enough of a character to be canonized, would definitely be cool, too.
Chapter 10
Some Kind of Normalcy
(Какая - то Нормальность)
The following Tuesday morning had started out like the last few mornings at Yuuei; for better because now that the entire fiasco revolving around Nikolays' attempted runaway had come and gone, everyone could get back to focusing on what was most important: their Hero education. However, it was also for worse, because what constituted 'normal' at Yuuei had recently had an unpleasant addition made, as the young Russian had finally come to discover, when he had made that mornings' trek to school.
Ever since the Japanese press had gotten word of All Might becoming a teacher at Yuuei, they had been steadily flocking over to the school gates for the last several days like a pack of rabid animals, constantly greeting the arriving students and faculty alike with barrages of questions about All Might, his curriculum, up-close personality, teaching style, plans etc. It had started out slow, almost unnoticeable at first, but over the last several days, it had practically exploded.
As he reluctantly observed the closer he got, some students were far more awkward when they had the cameras and microphones shoved in their faces, like Izuku and Ochako, while others almost proved far too eager to express their opinions down to the microscopic details, like Tenya.
For a student like Nikolay Bezpalov, however, who consistently spent so much time in his own head, he either hadn't noticed in the beginning, or perhaps had simply been lucky enough to avoid being interviewed, because what reporters had been around then were too busy trying to question his fellow students or the teachers. But now there were so many, it would have been impossible for anyone to get through the gates without at least one reporter trying to intercept them with questions.
Such was unfortunately the case today, as more than a handful had swiftly descended upon Nikolay as soon as they had recognized his uniform.
"Young man, what can you tell us about All Might as a teacher? What exactly is it he's teaching you? Is he really the same in the classroom as he is on the streets? How does it feel to know you're one of those lucky enough to have the Symbol of Peace as a teacher? Wait a second; you're a foreigner! You must be one of the first non-Japanese students in Yuuei history! The timing of your enrollment and All Mights' announcement as a teacher can't simply be a coincidence! Are you perhaps his son? Is All Might recruiting other foreign students to enroll here?"
The nonstop barrage of questions, flashing lights and microphones was all enough to cause sensory overload on the young Russians' already exhausted mind, but he was thankfully pulled out of the fray by the timely arrival of Aizawa, who looked completely unshaken by the medias' presence as he swiftly instructed for all the arriving students to go through the school gates, while the reporters were already starting to follow after them, while others were even moving in to question the black-haired teacher himself.
"Listen, everyone, All Might is off-duty right now. Your presence here is interfering with our daily curriculum; so please, kindly vacate the premises." His decision to motion them away with a wave of his hand visibly incensed the reporters, only made worse when he up and turned his back on them, ignoring all their questions as he went further in.
The instant one of the reporters tried to go after him, a light electronic beep sounded, immediately followed by the slamming of a massive steel barrier, filling the school gate and effectively cutting off the outraged medias' access to Yuuei. The sound had been loud enough, even from a distance, to make Nikolay instinctively flinch and look back in surprise, only now realizing just what a buildup he'd been blocking out for the last several days by wallowing in his own head.
The Yuuei Barrier, as he recalled reading in the school pamphlet a few months back, was put in place to serve as an impregnable defense line for Yuuei and all those that resided within it. Only those with student cards and special entry permission ID's could enter, otherwise those massive steels gates would snap shut in an instant. It had even said that within the campus itself, there were numerous motion sensors to reinforce such security measures.
As foreboding as it looked and sounded, with that media fracas outside, the idea of having a safety measure like this couldn't help but instill within Nikolay a sense of comfort, knowing there was actually a means of getting away from those people when they needed it. Of course, he didn't let the thought linger a moment longer, as the sight of an approaching Aizawa made him hightail it to class, not wanting to risk prolonging his current sentence of after-school detention more than it already was.
Having arrived more than an hour earlier, Tunguska had plenty of time to observe from his desk in the faculty office, the growing buildup of reporters outside the school perimeter, crowding around every arriving student like a feeding frenzy of sharks. When he had seen them converging on Nikolay when he had finally arrived, the Russian former Hero had already been halfway out of his seat, ready to intervene, before seeing Aizawa step in and shut the gate in their faces.
As relieved as he now visibly was to see his son and students pulled out of that madness, he still couldn't hide his discomfort; something which was far from lost on his recently arrived fellow teacher, Present Mic.
"Top of the morning to you, Big Red, White & Feelin' Blue! You're looking more sullen than usual! What's got the big Russian brown bear looking so down in the dumps before the day's even started?! Your kid dodged expulsion by the skin of his teeth, you should be happy! Shota's usually never that forgiving!
"What's the matter, have all those hungry reporters begging for questions got you feeling nostalgic?" As much as Tunguska really did appreciate Present Mics' continuous (if not endless) supply of enthusiasm and sense of humor, this was one rare situation where he wasn't feeling in the spirit to humor the man.
"No. If anything, it's the exact opposite. Seeing all those reporters, all those cameras, just thinking of all the stations that could be covering this right now…it's got me feeling more than a little nervous. The way we left things when we emigrated here from Russia, and considering the national origin of the ship we left on, and just who it was that saved our hides in the first place, the government back in Moscow surely knows Kolya and I are in Japan. I'm willing to bet money they're perusing all over the Japanese airwaves for any trace of us. If they saw our faces and figured out we were in this city, I'm not willing to put any method past them if it came to capturing us…or worse."
The gravity of the implication was not lost on his fellow teachers, but nevertheless, that didn't stop Present Mic from once again trying to brighten up the mood. "Oh man, it sounds like you're next in line for a major perspective adjustment, Ivan the Terrible! We don't live in the days of spies and defections anymore!" From another corner of the office, one of the few female teachers, Midnight, decided to chime in as well, unable to ignore the blonde English teachers' naturally booming voice, thusly announcing her arrival with a pronounced slamming shut of a book in her hand.
"As much as his early morning shouting grates on the nerves, Hizashi is right, Oleg-ojiisan. In this modern day and age, I seriously doubt even a government as totalitarian as yours would be legitimately willing to risk an international incident by sending some big, bad covert team over to take you two back. Surely they must rely on some positive foreign relations in order to keep functioning; they wouldn't be willing to risk losing face and the business that comes with it, right?"
Tunguska took mental note of Midnight calling him old, but he could not rightly deny that they both had a point. He'd grown up hearing so many stories of how the Soviet Union worked the first time around it existed, with secret police, the KGB and so many other off-the-book organizations and operatives sent out beyond the Iron Curtain to retrieve or eliminate those that tried to run. And after twelve years of seeing how they systematically rooted out and removed those with Quirks, it had instilled a foundational sense of paranoia that, as he had now discovered, refused to go away.
However, as she had said, the Soviet Union was gone again, and surely their less-than reputable international practices surely had to have faded out with them. Nowadays, having once again made the transition to capitalism, cooperation and solid relations with other countries was pivotal. Midnight had to be correct here; they surely had to know better than to just send their pawns out into the world and risk making themselves look bad. Saving face was what every government on earth prioritized above all else.
There was an aged, pessimistic part of Tunguska that was ridiculing himself as naïve for trying to think on the same page as his fellow teachers. But his spirit was continuously trying to assure him that things could still have the potential to turn out as well as he had been consistently telling himself they would. He just needed to keep reminding himself of that, and more importantly, convince himself to believe it.
Once he had managed to quiet those worries in his head, he once again found himself observing the media outside, still keeping themselves congregated at the gates, despite them having been shut in their faces. The sight of such dogged persistence, and the means they had already shown they were willing to implement in order to get what they wanted, began to stir a feeling of bitterness and remembrance in Tunguskas' chest.
"To think those vultures out there would go so far as to mob innocent children for answers they can't possibly possess, and all over something as petty as a few extra newspapers or magazines sold, or slightly bigger television ratings. The Soviet Union was far, far from perfect, I'm loathe to admit; but at least our news media back then had guidelines; actual standards. At least they were taught to know better than to so aggressively pursue even the kids for damned tabloid headlines."
Present Mic and Midnight both exchanged knowing glances; silently agreeing it was best Aizawa wasn't here to throw Tunguskas' statement back in his face; which in turn brought another thought to mind. "Hey, c'mon now, comradeski, don't be letting your spirit get so low this early in the day. Besides, you should be excited: today's the day the classes get to elect their President and Vice President for the rest of the school year!"
Just as Present Mic had hoped it would, this got Tunguskas' undivided attention, as his whole body perked up with surprise; his eye mask doing nothing to hide his confusion. "You mean to tell me that all the students individually vote for who represents the entire class? What's to stop them from simply voting for themselves?" Midnight in particular had to fight to avoid letting out an instinctive amused laugh.
"It has been known to happen sometimes, but you'll be pleasantly surprised to find the comradery our school promotes leads to surprisingly straightforward elections like this. The kids all learn to put their egos aside and take in each others' skills and leadership qualities objectively. Didn't the Hero schools back in your country work at least a little bit similarly?"
Tunguska didn't even have to think before shaking his head in denial. "No. The teachers at all the old Soviet Hero schools did the deciding for each individual class, assigning whichever student had the best grades and trial scores the position. It was assumed that since they had conducted themselves the best, they naturally had the qualities needed for proper classroom leadership, and the ability to efficiently conduct others."
"That's a pretty bold assumption to make. And did they always assume correctly?" Aizawas' voice penetrated the office like a frigid wind, as everyone looked to see the 1-A homeroom teacher had snuck into the doorway like a veritable ninja. As usual, Tunguska could tell Aizawas' game, but it was far too early for yet another ideological confrontation, so he simply relented and gave the man the honest answer: "No. Over the years, there had been more than a few cases at several schools of selected class leaders proving to not have the mentality, emotional stability, or even the raw strength needed to properly lead their classes in mass trials or battle. I won't lie, it led to…more than a few unfortunate incidents across the bloc over the decades."
Aizawa just let out the expected 'tch' in reaction to this, pretty much expecting such an answer. As much as he had silently approved of Nikolay Bezpalovs' surprise maturing period yesterday, there was still far too much time of built-up resentment for Oleg Bezpalov, for him to get over just as quickly. "That's what I figured. No wonder your ego convinced you to do what you did. If the government doesn't even bother to expose its potential Heroes to the very concept of actually being genuinely liked and respected enough by their peers for them to personally choose who they want to be in charge, it instills in them the idea that they are naturally superior to all others by virtue of their birth. That kind of social elitism sounds downright hypocritical, coming from a government built on the idea of all citizens being equal."
Had Tunguska not known Aizawa better by now, he would have thought the man was simply mocking him for his own amusement, rather than simply taking another opportunity to dig at his older flaws. Even after his extended confession of guilt, the homeroom teacher was simply not going to let the past go as far as Tunguska was concerned.
"Yes…yes, you are right on…all those counts, Aizawa-san. But all that being put aside, with these elections happening today, I can only hope that Kolya would at least be liked enough by some of his peers to end up somewhere on that listing. I'm not even asking for him to win. I'm not naïve, I know my boy hasn't endeared himself to nearly enough of them to actually stand a chance of winning," he conceded with a halfhearted chuckle, attempting to display a little humility to help ease the visible tension. Aizawa didn't even give him the courtesy of his typical annoyed grumbling before he left the office for 1-A, leaving a visibly embarrassed Tunguska alone with Present Mic and Midnight.
The air in Class 1-A was abuzz with curiosity and some excitement, as many of the students were speaking in hushed whispers to each other. "There sure are a lot of those reporters today. Definitely a lot more than yesterday." "They were asking me about All Might as soon as they saw me. Do you think this means I'll be on TV?" "If only All Might were actually here to just answer their questions so they would go away. If more and more keep flocking here every morning, or worse, if they stay out there all day, getting to and from school is going to be so troublesome."
These were only some of the comments being passed around, while further in the back, Nikolay Bezpalov was, for once, fast asleep at his half of the double desk, completely deaf to everything going on around him. It had honestly been a miracle he had managed to avoid sleeping in and potentially running late, but since class hadn't officially started, his brain had decided to just shut off as soon as he'd plopped himself in his seat.
It, of course, took a few minutes of considerable pencil nudging from Mina Ashido, once she had stopped chatting with Kyouka and Ochako, before he was finally stirred back to consciousness, unable to hide his lingering exhaustion as he tried to rub the fatigue from his green eyes.
"You gotta look alive, Kolya-kun. Aizawa-sensei might not be here yet, but you don't want him catching you sleeping in his class, do you?" Nikolay let out an instinctive yawn while giving her a nod of agreement. However, once he was able to keep his eyes wide open again, he noticed there was an especially unusual air of fatigue hanging around his pink friend as well, although her black-gold eyes managed to hide her tiredness much better than he could.
"Maybe you should worry more about yourself, Ashi—I mean, Mina. Here, I was starting to think you couldn't run out of energy or look tired if you tried." While she was visibly elated that he remembered to drop the formality and address her like a friend would; Mina also looked noticeably embarrassed as soon as he pointed her exhaustion out, pulling a small foldable mirror out of her backpack to look and see she didn't have bags under her eyes. Nikolay was too tired to even chuckle at her reaction, before a memory suddenly occurred to him, spurring him to reach into his trusty book bag and pull out what looked like a modest thermos.
"I almost forgot, dad suggested I make some blackberry tea before I left this morning. Works wonders for perking you up." The grateful smile on Minas' face at his offer made the young Russian immediately turn a similar shade of pink in the cheeks, as he hurriedly unscrewed the cap and poured some out for her. Once she had downed hers, he could see her eyes visibly brighten, both with renewed energy, and delight at the taste. "It's delicious; thank you, Kolya-kun. I have to admit, I never thought I'd see you sleeping at your desk like that."
As Nikolay likewise drank his fill, his body momentarily shaking at the sudden burst of energy, he let out a sigh of embarrassment. "Yeah, I didn't think I would be, either. I was just so focused on studying the notes I took from detention yesterday. I must have really lost track of the time, doing that. However, I don't know about you or anyone else, but I'm tired of feeling like I'm constantly failing at English. If this is the way it's going to be for the next…well, twenty-nine days now, I'm going to make it count…as much as I can, at least."
Mina let out a likewise exasperated groan as they both leaned back in their respective chairs, her face reflecting a similar worry. "Yeah…I was actually up really late trying to study, too. Aizawa-sensei's really scary when he's mad, and I want to try and avoid having him get like that with me again if I can help it."
While the Russian and pink students continued to casually chat amongst themselves, neither of them noticed how Kyouka and Tooru were attentively watching their exchange from Kyoukas' desk; both wearing visibly amused and knowing smirks on their faces. At least, Kyouka could only assume Tooru was wearing the same expression as she was.
"They're actually sharing tea, now? Have they really only known each barely more than a week? You'd think they'd been married at least fifty years, watching them go on like that." Kyouka stated in amusement while Tooru was visibly squirming with what the earlobe girl could only assume was some kind of excitement. "Oh, don't be mean, Jirou-chan, I think it's adorable. I mean, Mina-chan is so nice to everybody, but she really seems to gravitate towards Kolya-kun, especially."
"Tell me about it. I would have thought she'd be way more doting on Kirishima-san, since they came from the same middle school and all." Kyouka noted with a shrug, as she lay back in her chair, just waiting for Aizawa to show up and get class started. But alas, Tooru wasn't leaving. "Either one of those would be so cute, like something straight out of a shoujo manga. The boy she shares an older school with, or the boy whose spirit she rekindles and inspires to become a better person? They both sound so romantic!"
By this point, Kyouka didn't even try to hide her distaste at Toorus' unbearably wishy-washy display of lovey-dovey daydreaming, opting instead to silently nudge the invisible girl in the direction of her desk.
At that point, the door finally opened, and Aizawa made his way for the desk with more visible intent than usual; slapping a large pile of papers on his desk to get everyone to perk up and pay attention. As was the usual routine, he remained silent, observing all of their attentiveness; his two currently most troublesome students at their double desk especially, only choosing to speak when the resounding click of the door shutting behind him echoed across the classroom.
"Well now, I hope all of you are rested and have managed to efficiently move on from the disruptive little melodrama of yesterday, because from now on, we're back on track, and staying there. It took a little longer than usual, considering we've had to accommodate having one extra student in the roster than any other year before, but we've finally received them, and I've taken the liberty of looking at all your marks and evaluation."
Everybody noticeably tensed up at the news of this, while Aizawa looked over each paper and their respective student with machine-like speed and precision. "Many of you have managed to come across as completely average, so take that for whatever you believe it's worth. There are some of you in definite need of improvement as far as the application of your Quirks, and your abilities to cope with stressful situations, goes." Nikolay felt himself shrink in his chair; not even needing to look to know Aizawa was looking at him when he said this.
"So far, there are only three of you I should give specific notice to, in regards to these marks. Bezpalov!" Nikolay immediately shot up in his seat, looking straight ahead. Thankfully nobody dared chuckle in amusement at such an animated reaction. "While your Quirk definitely has power on its side, you need to learn not only how to better control it so you never end up mishandling it and getting yourself or your classmates hurt, but you also need to start putting more effort into cementing yourself emotionally and mentally. A Hero who cracks under stress is no real Hero at all, so I can only hope, for your sake, that you've put this little episode of yours behind you on a permanent basis, and that your current detention period will give you the time needed to get your head back on straight."
"Yes, Aizawa-sensei." Nikolay muttered in neither embarrassment nor shame, wholeheartedly agreeing with the homeroom teachers' sentiment, while Mina gave him a single supportive thumb up from under her half of the desk.
"Bakugo." At his name, the fiery-tempered blonde boy at the front visibly stiffened in his seat with expectation. "While your Quirk is likewise extremely powerful, it's your attitude that needs serious correcting. You need to stop acting like a bratty seven-year-old, understand? You're wasting your own talent."
Bakugo slightly bowed his head, but even from behind, one could easily see his face wrenching with barely-restrained anger as he accepted Aizawas' evaluation. "And you. Are you planning to continuously destroy your arm with every test, Midoriya?"
At this sudden mention, Izukus' curly green hair nearly stood on end as he too, stiffened like an awkward rock in his chair. "If you keep going with the excuse of 'I can't adjust my Quirk, so I have no choice', then you've pretty much already hit the limit as to how far you'll go in this school. I've said it before, so don't make me say it a third time: once you've cleared the hurdle of your Quirk, you'll become that much more flexible, so I had better start seeing some real sweat out of you from now on, Midoriya."
"Yes, Sensei!" Izukus' loud affirmation rang true with both anxiety, but also undeniable determination. Aizawa gave no visible sign of satisfaction with that answer, and instead turned his back to the class. "Now, with that out of the way, it's time for us to get on with the homeroom notices. I apologize for having to spring this on all of you so suddenly. Frankly, we should have taken care of this a week ago, but again, sudden changes in our specific classrooms' infrastructure put a wrench in our normal proceedings."
A great wave of tension washed over the class as they all began to assume the worst possible scenario, knowing their sadistic teacher. It wouldn't have been above him to spring a sudden test on them that nobody had prepared for.
Finally, Aizawa turned back to them with unexpected energy in his movements, just above his typical nearly sleepwalking swagger. "We need to pick a class president." "FINALLY, SOMETHING SCHOOL-LIKE!" Nobody cared who had made that statement, as nearly the entire class erupted into a cacophony of ecstatic cheers and exclamations of how every single one of them wanted the position. Even Eijirou, Kyouka and Mina had gotten into the spirit of it, waving their hands excitedly in the air in the hopes of getting picked.
While this was all going on, Nikolay could only will himself to reflect back on his old middle school. Nobody there at any year had ever mentioned anything about class presidency. Nobody seemed to give a crap about such things. So this entire concept was virtually alien to the young Russian boy.
"BE QUIET!" The unmistakable booming voice of authority that was Tenya Iida brought all the madness to an instant stand still, as he slowly rose from his desk, his whole body trembling with anticipation and seriousness, giving him that same intimidating air he had displayed back at the entrance exam.
"This is a task that demands taking the ultimate amount of responsibility; wherein you must carry the weight of your entire class upon your shoulders! Just because you'd like to do it, doesn't mean that you can do it! It is a highly reputable and sacred position of office that requires the utmost respect and trust of those around you…the only truly worthy leader will emerge from a democratic choice that reflects the true will of the people! Which is why this all must be settled by a vote!"
As always, Tenyas' limitless passion was downright thick in the air, while many of the students couldn't help but comment among themselves about just how idealistic he had to be to propose such an idea so openly.
"It's still too early for any of us to have really developed any trust in each other, though." Tsuyu stated once the chatter had died down. "Yeah, and everyone will just end up voting for themselves! I mean, isn't that just human nature?" Eijirou agreed. However, Tenya simply stood up as tall as ever, unperturbed in the face of such doubt.
"You both raise excellent points; and that's precisely why the person who does manage to earn multiple votes will be the truly appropriate person for the job! Do you not agree?! Is that all right, Sensei?!" Tenya's attention was swiftly going from his classmates to Aizawa, who by now had slipped himself back into his loyal yellow sleeping bag, almost resembling a human cocoon. "As long as you all decide by the deadline, do whatever you like."
Everyone immediately began going to work at writing up their votes, while others were hurriedly putting together a tallying box for the votes to go in. Nikolay remained where he sat, watching the fervor with which everyone was now working with fascination. "Isn't this exciting, Kolya-kun? One of us here is actually going to end up being class president by the end of the period!" Mina exclaimed ecstatically as she hurriedly scribbled down her vote, keeping her arm over the paper so nobody could dare look it over early.
"I guess it's exciting. My old school never did votes like this. In fact, I don't remember ever hearing about the old Hero schools in Russia doing it that way either, at least from what dad ever told me. This is all a first for me." Nikolay admitted, for once not even noticing the incredulous looks of disbelief from several of his other classmates.
"Aw, man, you totally missed out on something big, Kolya-san! Not only is this where you finally get to see who is actual leadership material based on who wins, but you also finally get a better picture of just who everyone in the class respects the most, based on who gets the most votes. It's virtually democracy in a nutshell." Eijirou explained enthusiastically before finally heading to the front to slip his own vote inside. The beaming smile on his face made it clear the irony of the person he was just praising democracy to; had gone completely over his head.
"Wouldn't it be a trip if you ended up winning, Kolya-kun?" Mina suddenly asked, nearly making Nikolay do a spit take of his most recent cup of tea. Nevertheless, the question was enough to get a very amused laugh out of the likes of both Denki and Rikido Sato. "Oh, man, Ashido-san, that would be a trip! The son of a Soviet Russian Hero ends up becoming class president through democracy." "Right? You can't buy irony like that!"
While both boys continued laughing in great amusement to themselves, Tsuyu was quick to join in, unable to ignore their raucous laughter, and feeling the need to intervene. "You're both laughing over an impossibility, you know. These votes are supposed to be based on who we all think, based on what we've witnessed from each other, is best suited for representing the entire class. I know it sounds mean, but the fact is that Kolya-san just isn't nearly familiar enough with every single member of the class to win the majority of votes. It just doesn't happen like that-kero."
In the face of her typically blunt rebuttal, Tsuyu saw, to her surprise, that Nikolay actually looked appreciative of her saying so. "Thank you for saying so, Tsuyu-san. I get how exciting the idea is to become class president, but let's not forget already, I've only just begun settling into my decision to actually pursue becoming a Hero in the first place. I'm not about to start aiming for a position of leadership, on top of that. I've never led anyone or anything in my entire life, and I am not about to start now."
With that, he began to fill in his personal vote himself, while Mina had already turned in her own and hurriedly returned, almost bouncing with anticipation. "Well, you might not think you're leadership material right now, Kolya-kun. Just wait, though. Maybe if you watch whoever wins, and learn by example, you might be singing a different tune come second year." The almost musical ring in her teasing gave Nikolay goose bumps, but he could still appreciate her once again trying to lift his spirits up. A whole school year was a damn long time, and he couldn't pretend like he had any idea what his attitude towards class presidency would become by then. If anything, that just carried its own little air of excitement with it, as he finally submitted his own vote.
After a short while, everyone had cast in their votes, and after being counted, all those that actually had received even one had their names tallied on the blackboard. Much like Eijirou had surmised, it looked as though many students had voted for themselves, as many had only one vote to their name, including Nikolay, even though he actually hadn't voted for himself. A parting glance to his pink desk partner told him everything he needed to know about that. And the same went visa versa, since Mina had also ended up with only one vote.
What was most surprising, however, was who had actually gotten the two most votes: Izuku Midoriya at three, and Momo Yaoyorozu at two. Nobody had any doubts in the ponytail girls' leadership abilities, even if she was to be vice president now, but the same could not be said for the green-haired boy, who looked just as shocked as anybody else (although anger described Bakugos' reaction far more accurately than shock).
And trailing behind literally everyone else with zero votes to his name, Tenya was hunched over at his desk, trembling with what could either have been disappointment or indignation at having been spited by the whole class. That, of course, didn't stop many of his classmates from pointing out that he had gone and voted for somebody else in the first place.
As Izuku and Momo stood at the head of the class to officially be named president and vice president respectively, the freckled boy still looked like he couldn't comprehend what was happening. Not that Nikolay could blame him, he was clearly far from the top of the class, so to suddenly get picked to represent them all; anybody would probably look the same. If anything, he imagined he would have looked even worse if he had won. Nevertheless, the votes had been counted, the decision had been made, and he was admittedly curious to see how the rest of the school year was going to play out with these two now in charge.
The rest of homeroom had thankfully gone by much more smoothly, and before long it was time for the lunch hour once again. Everyone had gotten in line, gotten their servings of (once again) plain steamed white rice and taken their spots at the tables. Today, Nikolay and Mina had decided to sit with Eijirou, Tsuyu and Tooru, who had already started partaking in the food. However, despite having a full bowl sitting right in front of him, Nikolay had once again fallen asleep at his spot as soon as he sat down, never aware of the worrisome looks on his classmates' faces.
"Wow, you guys have only been through one detention period so far. I didn't think they would leave you two so tired already." Tooru noted, earning a tired groan of agreement out of Mina. "Oh, it's awful, Tooru-chan! We had Present Mic for our detention teacher yesterday, and he just yells all the time, sometimes out of nowhere. I swear he's going to give Kolya-kun a heart attack before this is over. Poor thing never sees it coming. On top of that, English is just so hard! So many words sound the same but mean totally different things based on spelling, it's impossible!" While none of the others around her were any better, none of them had the heart to point out the irony of what she was saying, since Japanese was filled with the exact same problem with homonyms that she was complaining about.
Thankfully, she came to realize complaining would do no good, and deciding to be the proactive one, Mina began gently prodding Nikolays' sleeping form with one of her chopsticks, finally managing to spur him back to consciousness, never once aware of how messy his hair now was.
"You look like you haven't eaten anything since yesterday, Kolya-kun. You've gotta get some food in you. All the emergency reserve sleep in the world isn't gonna help you if you're starving." Nikolay thankfully didn't look to disagree with her, but he also made no effort of hiding his distaste when he saw the bowl in front of him, filled to the brim with white rice, like always.
"Is it just me, or has this been the only thing we've had to eat since the year started?" he asked nobody in particular, before his face once again showed that flash of remembrance, as he hurriedly began digging through his backpack. First he pulled out that familiar blackberry tea thermos, but then dug back in and soon pulled out a small plastic box.
"Dad helped me make these before retiring last night. I'd almost forgotten I had these," he explained with unmistakable relief before opening it. Though the food was far from hot anymore, the smell was still there, and all those around him that caught a whiff, immediately felt their stomachs rumbling, only more so when he finally reached in and pulled out four wooden skewers of what looked like red meat, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and bell peppers.
"Whoa, what is that?" Eijirou asked, barely remembering to wipe his mouth from the savory smell. "Oh, it's called shashlyk. It's like our equivalent of what you might have heard referred to as shish kebabs." As Nikolay was just about to take the first bite, Mina, Tsuyu and Tooru were like a trio of cobras, moving in to swiftly pull the three remaining skewers out of his hands (or snatch it out with her tongue, in Tsuyus' case), leaving the dumbfounded Russian speechless as they all began to partake, and Eijirous' stomach once again growled in disappointment.
"Oh, wow! This is sooo good!" Mina almost squeaked with enjoyment, squirming in her seat as she took each piece off the skewer, savoring it like it was the tastiest thing she had ever eaten. "Well, it's a little better than flies at least-kero." Tsuyu stated in the closest thing to a compliment she could manage with her monotone voice. At the same time, Nikolay simply found himself staring in amazement as Tooru visibly took her first bite, only for the meat at the end to instantly disappear like magic, quickly followed by her own adorable squeal of enjoyment at the taste.
The Russian boy didn't even realize he'd been staring until he realized he was actually seeing a light blush form where Toorus' cheeks clearly were. "Why are you staring, Kolya-kun? I don't have anything on my face, do I?" He quickly realized his mistake as he hurriedly shook his head: "No, no, of course not! You just, uh…I guess you just answered one of many questions I always had about if somebody was invisible, that's all," he hurriedly explained, hoping to avoid going into any unpleasant detail.
Once everyone had finished up the rest of their food, and Nikolay had explained his random periods of sleeping throughout the day, Tsuyu and Eijirou especially couldn't help but make their opinions known. "That sounds like a pretty reckless way of doing things, Kolya-san. You're not doing your body any favors depriving yourself of sleep like that-kero." Tsuyu commented, again sounding as serious as her natural tone could allow her to, while Eijirou nodded in particularly strong agreement. "That's right, man; I heard that if somebody screws up their sleep cycle like that, it can do some pretty messed up stuff to your body, mess up your whole perception of time, or something like that."
Nikolay of course understood where everyone was coming from, but somehow managed to stay resolute where he sat. "I get all that, really. It's a process I'm still trying to figure out. All I know is that I'd much rather develop chronic insomnia, than risk whatever would happen if Aizawa-sensei caught me sleeping in the middle of a detention period, especially if he'd be the one overseeing it."
Now that the dreaded thought had entered his head, Nikolay couldn't help but let it out, just to give his classmates an idea of just what he was so afraid if. "A few years ago, my dad and I saw this movie from Brazil. It was about anti-gang police, or something like that. I just remember there's one segment where a class of recruits is sent out into the jungle for training. At one point, they're all sitting in this open-air classroom in the middle of the night, and their instructor is just reading the word 'strategy' in multiple languages from a book. That's literally all the entire class is, and they say it goes for the entire night.
"In the middle of it, one of the recruits ends up falling asleep, and the instructor sees it, and he immediately walks up to him, plants a live hand grenade in his hand, makes him grip it, and instantly pulls the pin, telling him not to let go. Essentially, because this one guy fell asleep, he's suddenly put in a position where if he falls asleep again, he'll end up killing everyone."*
Even though he had simply been recounting a movie, the story had been enough to get a very fearful look out of his classmates, very much similar to his own just thinking back on it. "That scene never once left me, and now that we're in a detention period under Aizawa-sensei of all people, I'm personally not willing to put anything past him, including something insane like that. That's why I'm taking these moments to get what sleep I can, just in case we're unlucky enough to get him as our overseeing instructor today."
His point having been made, Nikolay hurriedly poured himself another cup of blackberry tea, quickly washing it down before offering another cup to Mina, who now took it with much more eagerness; now unable to get his story out of her head. Even those among them that hadn't roused Aizawas' ire couldn't bring themselves to argue against his worried thinking. Eijirou, especially, had a very shaken look about his face, just trying to picture it. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but…that's actually a little too manly for me."
As soon as he and Mina had finished downing the last of the tea, Nikolay spotted the familiar curly green hair of Izuku in a further corner of the cafeteria, visibly conversing with Ochako and Tenya. Simply seeing the three suddenly brought back to mind one of the young Russians' more persistent recent thoughts. "It's pretty impressive Midoriya-san actually managed to win the election, isn't it?"
"'Impressive'? Miraculous seems more like it. I mean, Yaoyorozu-san winning one of the two was pretty obvious, but I would've thought someone like Todoroki-san would've won, or even Iida-san, since he had insisted on the voting in the first place." Tooru chimed in, while Mina actually looked to be thinking hard on it.
"Well, Midoriya-san's proven to not be such a slouch a few times at this point, I'm willing to bet he'll pull through on this, too." Eijirou stated with surprising confidence, while Tsuyu had also been watching their three classmates in the corner by this point. "But pulling through in tests and battle trials is different from classroom politics. I also think someone like Todoroki-san or Iida-san would've been more appropriate-kero."
"Well, if that's true, then why didn't you vote for either of them, Asui-san?" Eijirou asked teasingly, before Mina suddenly snapped her fingers, a glow of realization on her already bright face. "You know what? I bet it's precisely because Midori-kun seems so gentle and unassuming on the outside, that's why he got as many votes. He's the perfect example of an underdog, you know? Someone who looks like all the odds are against them, but they pull through by sheer determination and force of will! People love characters like that, and our class has one in the flesh! I'll bet the people who voted for him got so inspired by him, they wanted to lift him up that way, probably to see if he can do the same for the rest of the class by example!"
Her explanation, on the surface, made sense, albeit was a touch long-winded, but that whole scenario, they all agreed, sounded far too lifted straight out of the movies to be the actual reason. Nevertheless, taking into consideration past examples he had come across of the so-called 'underdog', Nikolay could not deny that Izuku fit that description very well.
"Well, whether the underdog reasoning is correct or not, he hasn't called it quits on anything so far, plus he seems to have a natural gift for getting…well, most people to like him. With that in mind, I can't think of a reason he won't somehow do well." Nikolay finally admitted, earning slight nods of agreement from Tooru and Tsuyu, while Mina and Eijirou were much more affirming in their own.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
An electronic klaxon signal suddenly ripped through the once peaceful cafeteria air, making nearly everyone jump in their seats from shock, and nearly giving Nikolay heart palpitations, himself. "What the hell?! What's going on?!" he instinctively asked alongside everyone else, as mass confusion immediately washed over everyone. "It's the Yuuei Emergency Siren!" Eijirou immediately realized, just as a pre-recorded voice suddenly began to call out from the speakers: "Security Level 3 has been breached. Students, please promptly evacuate."
"Security Level 3? That means somebody's infiltrated the school grounds! This hasn't happened in three years! Quickly, everyone, let's get out of here!" as soon as a random student had said so, it was like a switch had been flipped for everyone, as the entire cafeteria suddenly erupted into a panicking sea of humanity, all rushing like a tidal wave for the nearest exit.
Nikolay didn't even have time to react as he found himself getting pushed, shoved and tossed this way and that from the throng of his fellow students, who all seemed nearly one second away from breaking out into full-on fistfights with each other in order to get out sooner. The panicked cries and the non-stop ringing of the alarm were not helping, as Nikolay was beginning to feel his old sense of overwhelming panic begin infiltrating his mind again as he tried to find some kind of sign of his friends.
"Ow, quit pushing! Guys?! Ow! Mina! Kirishima-san! Where are you guys?! Ow, stop it!" He was like a man drowning in a tumultuous sea, as he kept trying to get his head above the other students, desperately trying to find either of them.
For a moment, his eyes drifted to the overhanging lights, and he found himself honestly considering using his Quirk to launch himself up, grab on, and give himself a birds-eye-view to find anyone he recognized. He wasn't even stopping himself to consider the risk of a shockwave causing everyone around him to get thrown this way and that and tripping all over each other, he was that desperate.
However, before he could begin to move towards the edge of the cafeteria to give himself something akin to breathing room, the air was suddenly pierced by what sounded like a revving engine, and when he instinctively turned to the source, he nearly jumped back in surprise to find none other than Tenya Iida propelling himself through the air with his engine legs, as though he had absolutely no weight to him.
He was rolling right towards the large 'Exit' sign hanging above the door everyone was trying to get through, before he suddenly grabbed onto a pipe and flung himself on top of the exit sign. His face was practically sculpted with determination as he struck a frankly outlandish pose as he shouted: "EVERYBODY CALM DOWN, IT'S OKAY!"
Miraculously, this managed to make the human wave come to an almost immediate halt, allowing Nikolay the chance to breathe with relief again, before turning back to Tenya, who was now motioning towards the wall of windows to the outside. "It's just the press! There's nothing to panic about! It's okay! Do not forget, you're all at Yuuei! Let us all remember to conduct ourselves in a manner befitting those good enough to be enrolled in the highest academia!"
Following his signal, Nikolay, and everyone else, turned to the windows and instinctively flinched when he saw that, true to Tenyas' word, there was indeed a mass conflagration of reporters crowded on the other side of the windows, being hastily moved off-campus by Aizawa, Present Mic and Tunguska alike.
Everyone let out an instinctive sigh of relief as, realizing what a scene they had all caused, they began to return to their original spots at the tables, all apologizing en masse to one another for their less-than-friendly conduct in a state of panic.
It wasn't long after the crowd began to finally thin, that Nikolay heard Mina and Eijirou calling out to him from afar, spurring him to hurry back to their sides, all of them visibly relieved to see none of them had inadvertently gotten hurt.
Although Mina had taken that moment to now try and fix Nikolays' tussled brown hair, he hardly even noticed, instead looking upon Tenya, still perched atop the sign, with an air of admiration in his chest. When everyone else had gotten so caught up in the heat of the moment, he was the only one with the wherewithal to actually do something about it. Nikolay was sure that, if they had been lucky enough to see it with their own eyes, Tooru and Tsuyu would no doubt be feeling pretty proud of how accurate their assessments of Tenya as real leadership material had just proven to be.
Fortunately, no further disturbances occurred, as the police had been quick to arrive to escort the reporters away from Yuuei grounds. Shortly thereafter, the bell for third period had rung, and soon everyone had returned to their classes. Once all of 1-A had reunited and gotten seated, Izuku and Momo kicked everything off, setting themselves up at the front. "All right, Class President, would you care to start us off?" Momo asked rhetorically, specifically aiming to cut the background chatter, while Izuku still looked like his whole body was seizing up from anxiety under everyone elses' gaze.
"Right. Uh…let us begin the ceremony for the new Class President…but before that, I have something to say. In the end, I believe that…Iida-san would be the better man for the job, after all!" There were a few audible gasps of surprise, and Tenya himself visibly perked up at his desk, his face reflecting not elation, but confusion. Having gotten the point of his announcement out in the open, though, Izukus' anxiety visibly began to wane. "Iida-san, you proved yourself capable of unifying people so effectively, and it's my opinion that…you're becoming Class President is the right choice."
Many of the students began eagerly expressing their agreement, while Aizawa, who everyone had just then realized was crammed in the corner of the classroom in his sleeping bag, simply grumbled for everyone to get it all over with. Finally, after a moments' buildup of silence, Tenya shot up from his seat, a proud hand raised high to the air. "If it is the wish of the Class President, then I can't refuse!"
Everyone in the class, with the exception of Momo, Bakugo, Todoroki and Tokoyami, began enthusiastically applauding in congratulations for their bespectacled classmate. Even Nikolay finally allowed himself to become fully absorbed in the joyful atmosphere, actively clapping alongside everyone else. And it was at that moment that not only had Izuku Midoriya officially claimed the Yuuei record of shortest term as Class President, but that Tenya Iida had unofficially obtained the nickname of 'Emergency Exit Iida', for his ridiculous pose upon the exit sign.
Once the final bell for the end of the day had rung, everyone else had begun packing up to head home, while Nikolay and Mina were preparing themselves for another grueling detention period, both mentally counting down the days until it would finally be over. However, when Nikolay had spotted Izuku, the urge to speak his piece came over him as he approached the green-haired boy with intent.
"Oh, hello, Kolya-san. Was there something you needed?" he asked humbly, while Nikolay was clearly struggling to find the words. "No, I just wanted to say that I, uh…well, I guess there's no simple way of saying this. I won't lie to you, Midoriya-san, I was honestly surprised when you won the Class President spot." At this, Izuku tried to force out one of the most awkward-sounding laughs, as though he was trying to downplay his own surprise before. "Well, I guess I should be glad I wasn't the only one. Though I'd rather have everyone else be surprised than mad, like Kacchan was."
Nikolay couldn't help but share in the laughter with his freckled friend. "Yeah, but when was the last time Bakugo was ever not mad at you?" As sensitive a subject as it was, Izuku could at least appreciate the young Russian trying to soften the blow, and thus was able to keep laughing even a little bit at the thought.
"Anyway, what I was getting at was that, yeah, I was surprised you won, but I was even more surprised that you would actually resign in the same day. I don't think anybody else saw that coming, either." While Nikolay remained blissfully unaware, Izuku could only silently hope that his sudden resignation hadn't incensed those that had put the effort to get him the position in the first place, one being his actual named replacement now.
"With that being said, though, I do have to agree with your reasoning, Midoriya-san. I didn't think anyone would be able to get that mob under control. That takes real mettle." Izuku was visibly appreciative that the two of them were clearly on the same page, although nearly everyone else had virtually expressed the same sentiment. It was just nice to be able to hear it in a more personal one-on-one context.
"Yeah. Iida-san and I actually talked earlier at lunch, and with everything he told me, and the attitude I've observed from him since the year started, it just made perfect sense to me that he should be in charge. Did you know he actually comes from a whole family lineage of Pro Heroes?" Thinking back, Nikolays' face quickly lit up in remembrance. "He did mention having an older brother with the same Quirk, and that they both got it from their dad."
"That's right. As it turns out, Iida-sans' brother is actually the Pro Hero Ingenium, owner of one of the largest Hero Agencies in town. He told me that he came here because he wants to live up to his whole families' standard of Heroism. There's something you just can't help but find admirable in that, right?" Izukus' admiration for Tenya was as clear as day, and thinking about it, in reflection to everything else he had likewise observed from their now-new Class President, Nikolay couldn't even think of disagreeing.
"Yeah, there is. Honestly, I can understand his sentiments. Remember who my dad used to be? It wasn't just him, every single man in my family line had also pretty much been the Top Hero in the Soviet Union of their generation since the advent of Quirks. There's no way I couldn't feel at least some of the pressure that kind of history and its expectations puts on someone, even when I was…well, in the state I was in before. I guess you could say that now, I'm trying even harder to live up to it, just like Iida-san is."
The two boys watched the next several of their classmates, Tenya included, make their way out the exit, both feeling a deep sense of admiration between them as they couldn't help but smile. "You know, Kolya-san; I'm actually kind of embarrassed I hadn't even thought about this before now, but in a way, I think we're all feeling that same kind of pressure. We're all trying to live up to those big expectations, whether it's from our families, or our society as a whole, or even because we're just trying to live up to the dreams we've had for our entire lives.
"Yeah, we may be coming from a number of different reasons for it, but when you get down to it, we're all still striving towards the same single goal: becoming Pro Heroes; and it's the fact we're all aiming for that goal that I think helps us keep pushing ourselves forward, and helping each other along every step of the way." As Nikolay listened to Izuku open up like this, he could feel the sheer conviction with which the curly-haired boy felt and believed in what he was saying. The Russian boy found something immensely respectable, even admirable, about the sheer faith Izuku had in that goal and belief.
"I think you may be right, Midoriya-san. I think that, as long as we don't let ourselves lose sight of the fact that we all are aiming for the same goal, and mostly for the same reasons, we'll all be able to stand pretty strong and tall together." Knowing just what a complete emotional mess the Slavic boy beside him had been only a couple of days ago in regards to Heroes and Quirks in general, it moved Izuku to see one of his few friends in the class now speaking with such renewed confidence and faith in what they were working towards again.
"Kolya-kun, come on. We don't want Aizawa-sensei making our sentences longer by running late." Mina suddenly called from the classroom entrance, immediately removing the tall and proud posture Nikolay had unknowingly stricken, as he realized how right she was, hurrying along, while Izuku couldn't help but laugh in honest amusement at how quick his demeanor could change. Not that he was really any different; he had to admit to himself.
Outside the main building, Tunguska was standing among the rest of the Yuuei faculty, feeling a very similar chill going up and down his body like the rest of them at what they were looking at. He was just grateful they had taken the liberty of putting up emergency barricades, motioning the leaving students to depart out one of the other gates so none of them would see this.
When he, Aizawa and Present Mic had first seen it when corralling the reporters off the grounds, the three of them had momentarily thought they had been hallucinating. However, reality was quick to kick in, and as soon as they had informed Headmaster Nezu of their discovery, it was like a whole new air of foreboding had overtaken the entire faculty as they had been called out to observe at the end of the school day.
What had left such an unpleasant sensation among all these gathered Pro Heroes, was the sight of the impregnable Yuuei Barrier, having been completely disintegrated, every single protective layer gone, leaving nothing but a massive hole to the outside world. It explained how those reporters had gotten on the grounds, but now that detail was the last thing on everyones' minds.
"Do you think it's possible an ordinary reporter could have done something like this?" Recovery Girl finally decided to break the awful silence, although even she knew the answer to such a question as the rest of them did. Tunguska was simply the one who felt the need to at least say what they were all thinking, so there would be no room left for second-guessing or doubt. "No. No matter what country you look at, reporters are only ever looking for a story to sell, not jail sentences. As desperate as they were for anything on All Might, I seriously doubt they would go so far as to trespass on school property, knowing the legal repercussions they could be getting themselves into.
"No, this…this is something much more akin to something rioters would do." "Or Villains." Aizawas' interjection was swift, and mercilessly to the point, voicing the one possibility none of them had wanted to risk entertaining, lest it be true. However, looking at what was before them now, it was hard to argue any other possibility.
Standing at the forefront to assess the damage, Headmaster Nezu had an especially grim air about him that betrayed his otherwise lighthearted appearance. "They're right. Somebody instigated this…but the questions we need to ask ourselves are who and, most importantly, why. Has some element of evil actually managed to penetrate the grounds? Perhaps…this was intended as a sign they wanted us to see, a declaration that we are in fact, vulnerable. A declaration of war."
As soon as the last word had left Nezus' mouth, Tunguska could feel his entire body go as rigid as stone. The one possibility he had most hoped would not come had now reared its ugly head for them all to see. What made it all so much worse, was that for all the faith he kept placing in him in the face of every other obstacle up to this point, there was no part of Tunguska that believed Nikolay was at all prepared or ready, either mentally, physically or emotionally, for the possibility of a life-or-death battle with legitimate Villains.
The next day had begun without a single sign that anything at Yuuei had been amiss. In regards to the momentary madness that had been the press breaching Yuuei grounds, notices had been placed on all the news billboards across the school, describing a momentary technological failure of the Yuuei Barrier that had since then been rectified. Considering the usual entrance gate looked no worse for wear than it did any other day, the students had all been happy to take that explanation and move on with their day.
As the afternoon rolled in and second period approached, many of the students of Class 1-A were chattering among themselves as they did any other day. As far as Nikolay Bezpalov was concerned, however, today was already proving a marked improvement. His haphazard strategy of trying to catch up on sleep throughout the day to avoid it during detention had proven a success.
However, considering the skepticism of Mina and some of his other classmates as to the long-term effects of such a plan, he had decided a single days' victory wasn't worth putting himself through the physical wringer, and had thus decided he would go back to a regular routine and simply hope for the best. And lo and behold, he was already feeling much more alert now than he did the same time yesterday. And, fortunately, it looked as though Mina had decided to do likewise, as now even she lacked even the slightest sign of tiredness as opposed to yesterday.
Already, Tenya and Momo were proving themselves the perfect picks for the job of class representatives, as they both managed to command the kind of authority needed to wrangle in their classmates, as Aizawa had finally arrived to commence their next class. For once, the man didn't bother with his typical routine of staring all of his students down, instead cutting straight to brass tacks.
"Alright, kids. For the Foundational Skill of Heroics we'll be studying today, it was decided that you will all be supervised by a three-man team comprised of myself, All Might, and somebody else." Some excited muttering was already beginning to come to the surface, and even Nikolay instinctively began to raise his hand to ask, but the homeroom teacher spotted his nervous action from a mile away. "No, Bezpalov. Only licensed Pro Heroes are allowed to supervise field tests like this."
"Sensei, what exactly are we gonna be doing?" Hanta Sero finally asked, prompting Aizawa to dig into his pocket, before pulling out a flash card and holding it out for all the class to see. "It's time for you all to learn how to be the Heroes everyone needs, whether it be a flood or any other natural disaster. It's the Trial of Rescue."
Many of the students once again erupted with excitement, but Nikolay, for once, decided to not simply sit in the background, and instead stood up with confusion. "Pardon me, Sensei, but didn't we already participate in a rescue trial last week?" he asked; memories of the less-than-smooth evacuation test from last Saturday still all-too vivid in his head.
He tried to stand his ground, even as Aizawa stared at him through his hair. "You may be surprised to learn, Bezpalov, that in order for Heroes to be fully prepared for any situation, especially when it comes to rescuing civilians, it takes more than just one practice trial, especially when it comes to learning who works best together and in what environment. Besides, the place we'll be holding this particular Rescue Trial will provide far more challenge and variety for you all to work with." Once again, Aizawas' painfully blunt way of answering forced Nikolay back into his seat, effectively silenced and embarrassed for having not thought of such an obvious answer.
"Now then, as I was saying, this time around, it's entirely up to you if you want to wear your Hero costumes for this trial or not. Needless to say, some of your costumes may not be properly adapted to the task at hand. The training area is fairly far away from here, so we'll be heading there by bus. That's all. Now all of you go get prepared however you see fit."
Once nearly everyone had gotten into their costumes and filed into the bus, they were soon off. Tenya had tried to arrange everyone on board in accordance with their classroom numbers, but that idea had almost immediately proven for naught, as everyone had simply sat wherever the hell they wanted, much to his chagrin.
As they rode, Nikolay was simply trying to remember the point Aizawa had made, that it was only natural they go through the same kind of trials multiple times for experience sake. If nothing else, it was to keep him from dwelling on how miserably he had fared the last time. It was a forceful reminder that this was, for all intents and purposes, the first time he would be doing this test after officially beginning his new life, so there was no reason for him to let what happened last time repeat itself.
Of course, he also kept repeating this same train of thought in his head like a broken record, not just for the sake of steeling his nerves and keeping himself calm, but also to keep himself mentally occupied so he wouldn't be tempted to glance at some of Minas' shapely figure in her skintight Hero suit. Of course, such was much easier said than done when she had, of course, chosen to sit right next to him, pretty much inviting him to do so.
"Hey, Kolya-kun; maybe it's just those goggles blocking your eyes, but you're looking a lot calmer than usual." Mina immediately pointed out, just when Nikolay thought the whole trip would be able to go without any awkward comments from anyone. However, the smile on her face wasn't that of the teasing he was thinking of, but rather one of genuine delight. "I guess that new resolution of yours to become a Hero really is here to stay then! I'm glad, this look suits you way better."
Nikolay felt the urge to try and hide his face underneath the collar of his turtleneck, if just to keep anyone from seeing how much Minas' support and approval caused him to blush on a dime. While nobody else said anything, he could see similarly relieved smiles on some of their faces as well, only making his fluster that much worse. Their shared sentiments were appreciated on his part, but it was still going to be a damn long time before he'd completely stop feeling so embarrassed being the center of attention from anyone.
"Pfft. Some bullshit outward attitude doesn't mean a damn thing. Let's just see how he fares on the field, then you can all pretend like he's made some kind of breakthrough." Even sitting in the section of the bus behind theirs, Bakugos' spite came in loud and clear. Nikolay didn't dare to give him the courtesy of eye contact, but Bakugo didn't need it. Ever since Monday he'd been gearing up to make his standing with their one foreign classmate indisputable.
"Listen real carefully, comrade," he addressed Nikolay directly, not even pretending to hide the condescension in his little title for the boy, "you can go ahead and blabber on and on about how you're a changed man or whatever bullshit like that as much as you want. But if you end up having another spazz attack out there, and you knock our whole class' grade down again, I'm putting your crybaby ass in the dirt where it belongs. You made such a big goddamn spectacle of yourself on Monday, going on about moving on and all that sappy shit; well now it's time for you to put up or shut up. Got it? You don't get to use dead family or a shitty upbringing as an excuse for acting like an idiot anymore."
Everybody else couldn't hide their shock or indignation that Bakugo would actually say such a thing, now knowing what they all did, but Nikolay was the only one who didn't show a visible reaction to the blonde boys' prodding. Instead, albeit with great mental willing of himself to do so, he turned to look Bakugo in the eye, his body firm, without a single frightened shudder to be seen. "I understand, and I won't be. I said I'm moving forward from now on, and I meant it, so don't you worry about me having another freak out, Bakugo-san."
His maintaining his composure in the face of such taunting would have been seen as either surprisingly brave, or indescribably foolish, as his lack of a fearful reaction visibly irked Bakugo, especially when Nikolays' tone implied the possibility of the blonde boy himself being the one to have the alleged freakout. However, while Nikolay might have been managing to remain collected on the surface, in his mind he was actively fighting the urge to tell the young hothead off for spouting such disrespect. But in the end, none of it mattered. If he was going to follow through on his own personal course towards becoming a Hero, he couldn't allow even someone like Bakugo to get under his skin like before.
Besides, seeing the approving smiles from some of his classmates for acting so maturely, especially from Mina, was all it took for his silent indignation to leave his head, and return to a state of contentment. Soon, he was finally allowing himself to enjoy the rest of the trip, as Tsuyu now hijacked the conversation by mentioning how Izukus' Quirk reminded her of All Mights'. This eventually drove everyone else into discussing the effectiveness and flashiness of their own respective Quirks (including Mina putting a visible damper on Yuga Aoyama by pointing out that the continuous use of his laser Quirk left him with stomach pains), while also managing to get a little shade tossed at Bakugo in regards to his overall shitty attitude toward anyone and everyone keeping him from ever becoming popular (and even with some shockingly verbose teasing at the hands of Denki, at Bakugos' expense).
Once the bus had finally arrived where the class would be conducting their new Rescue Trial, many felt their jaws drop. What stood before them was an expansive open-air structure made up of several different self-contained miniature biomes surrounding a smaller central plaza.
"Whoa! This is where we're doing the trial? This place is HUGE!" Rikido Sato couldn't help but say, while many others were voicing similar sentiment. It honestly felt a touch overwhelming for Nikolay at first, but that was quickly subsided by the sheer excitement of just what could actually be waiting for them in any one of these places. "Oh, this place looks so fun! It's like a theme park," Mina squealed with excitement.
"I'll have to take your word for it." Nikolay mused as he took it all in, not even noticing the shocked expression on her face. "Hold on, Kolya-kun; are you telling me you've seriously never been to a theme park before?" The young Russian looked back to her and gave her the most pathetic of shrugs, not sure how else to say it, than to just say it. The look of sheer heartbreak on her face was clear as day. "Oh, you poor, poor thing! All right, at some point before this school year is over, I'm taking you to an amusement park! That's a Mina Ashido promise, and you don't get to back out of it, Kolya-kun! Seriously, you don't know what fun is until you've been to one!"
Her enthusiasm for this split-second plan of hers was through the roof, as she was already stepping in to hook her pinky finger around Nikolays', cementing the deal, even though the boy himself couldn't even find the words. What at one point would have come across as overly forward, if not slightly pushy or obnoxious, now couldn't help but feel a touch endearing; how Mina could just throw all of herself into something at the drop of a hat for somebody else.
"Alright, everyone, gather round and settle down. It's time for you all to get filled in on exactly what you're getting into here." Aizawa announced, spurring all his students to stand at attention, as they finally gave notice to the single new figure that had been waiting to greet them at the perch overlooking the plaza. They were dressed in what could only be described as a slightly larger version of a spacesuit, with a pair of animated eyes upon the helmet visor to help indicate expression.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I can see you're all very excited, but please, take this moment to really observe the environments you're going to be working in: floods, landslides, fires, even a recently added avalanche setting, and more. I created this practical training area myself to simulate all kinds of accidents and disasters. I call this place: The Ultimate Space for Jams! Although the more official name, I suppose, would be The Unforeseen Simulation Joint."
Although the figure spoke with a clearly artificially manipulated voice, it was still unmistakable to hear the slight muttering at the end in regards to the name. However, that was quickly subsided by the exclamations of excitement from Izuku and Ochako, among others, upon realizing who their mysterious new instructor was. "Oh my god, it's the Space Hero, Thirteen! He's the gentleman Hero best known for providing help with disaster relief!"
While Aizawa and Thirteen began talking amongst themselves, many of the other students began expressing a similar air of star-stricken awe, while Nikolay couldn't help but feel like the odd man out. "Wow, maybe I should start collecting comic books and…whatever else you guys have to know these Heroes so well. Maybe I'd stop feeling like such a tourist, then," he suggested only semi-jokingly, only for Eijirou to give him a good-natured elbow in the arm. "Ah, don't sweat the small stuff, man! You're new to the Heroes in these parts; it's only natural. Besides, you and your dad know so much about your own Heroes, you might as well be the Russian side of the Midoriya coin."
"Hey, maybe you and Midori-kun could start swapping Hero stories, borrow comics, fill each other in better. I bet you two could be like peas in a pod in no time." Mina agreed with that cheeky smile that made it impossible to tell if she was joking, or being serious. Either way, Nikolay couldn't deny it was a good idea. He and Izuku did seem to get along well enough; it would have been nice to get to know him better at some point.
"Now, everyone, before we begin, I would like to just say one thing…or two…or three…or four. Now, I'm certain you are all already quite aware, but my Quirk is called 'Black Hole'. No matter what kind of material may get sucked up into my vortex, I'm afraid it will inevitably turn to dust." The implication of that was heavy in and of itself, Nikolay felt, but that did nothing to diffuse the rest of the students' excitement.
"That's the kind of Quirk that would be perfect for removing wreckage and saving people injured in disasters, though. It's no wonder you're the Number One Hero in disaster relief!" Izuku exclaimed, with Ochako nodding in agreement so fiercely, it almost looked like her head was a blur. It was hard to tell through that helmet if Thirteen was feeling complimented, or anything for that matter, at the freckled boys' momentary display of fanboy enthusiasm.
"Yes, that is true…but it is, however, a power that could also easily be used to kill people. In that way, my Quirk is no different from the Quirks of everyone else here. Naturally, in this society of superhumans, Quirks are strictly regulated, and the requirements for their lawful use are enforced. We can tell at a glance that that is the make-up of this world. That being said, please don't forget that each of you possesses a Quirk that can easily go awry. One wrong step is all it takes to be able to kill others accidentally.
"During Aizawa-senseis' physical strength test, you all learned of your respective powers' true potential. And during All Mights' trial of battle, I think you took away a true sense of the danger of brandishing those powers against one another. And during your previous evacuation trial, you all began to learn the bare essentials of knowing what Quirks worked for what situations and environments, while also beginning to build the beginnings of a trust in one another. This lesson will serve as a fresh start for you all! Let's get to studying about how to wield our Quirks for the sake of human life! Your Quirks emphatically do not exist to hurt others! Please leave this exercise having fully understood that your Quirks exist to help people! That is all! You have my gratitude for listening so intently and patiently!"
All throughout Thirteens' speech, Nikolay could feel the weight of the entire world come crushing down on his head again at the beginning. Their instructor had just managed to put into half of a speech, everything he had feared and latched onto for nearly his entire life. It was like he could feel that suffocating miasma creeping into his lungs all over again. And yet, by the end of it, they had managed to lift him right out, speaking with such undeniable faith and belief in the inherent good their Quirks could do, it was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
All Nikolay could think, by the time the speech was over, was just how much he could have used someone like Thirteen to help keep him on his intended course all those years ago; hell, how pretty much everyone back in Russia could use someone like Thirteen to help convince them otherwise of what the government had been filling their heads with for years. And then, of course, he could then only think of just how much his dad could still need someone like Thirteen; to help him finish getting back on his feet again.
Hearing all of this, combined with his newfound dedication to maintaining his new outlook and drive, and with the continuous support of his friends and classmates; for the first time since this year had started, Nikolay felt, with absolute confidence, that perhaps today might actually be able to go off without a hitch.
"Alright, first thing's first…" Aizawa began to speak again, before just as suddenly stopping himself. Everyone was too busy voicing their excitement to notice their normally professional homeroom teacher had actually been rendered speechless. Even the normally overly attentive Nikolay was still too caught up in the euphoria of Thirteens' speech and the excitement of his peers, to notice.
No, it was only when the normally dry and low-voiced Shota Aizawa suddenly shouted: "HUDDLE TOGETHER AND DON'T MOVE! THIRTEEN, PROTECT THE STUDENTS," that everyone suddenly perked up at attention, like a bunch of meerkats. What on Earth could have happened that would make someone like Aizawa shout with such out-of-character urgency?
That's when they all suddenly noticed a swirling black haze had manifested down in the plaza, and before their eyes, numerous people were actually emerging from it, some human-looking, and others looking like monsters straight out of horror movies or childrens' nightmares. And not a single one of them looked remotely friendly.
Among this mishmash of grotesque individuals, from what he could see from this distance, the ones that somehow managed to stand out the most in Nikolays' eyes, were a large black haze that took on a semi-human shape with two light-colored plates just under what could only be its head, with two luminescent eyes; a large creature with an oily black hide, an inhuman-shaped face with fangs, and what looked like an exposed brain and bulging eyes; and between those two, probably the most human-looking among the crowd, was a single man with a slouched posture, messy white hair, and what looked like multiple disembodied hands clutching his arms, head and face.
While Nikolay and the rest of his classmates could only feel a sudden overwhelming confusion at the sudden arrival of all these bizarre strangers, Aizawas' black hair had suddenly sprung up on end, as he pulled those slatted golden goggles from around his neck, securing them over his eyes. "NONE OF YOU MOVE! THOSE PEOPLE DOWN THERE ARE VILLAINS!"
A knife of pure ice stabbed into the spirit of every single one of the students when Aizawas' declaration finally sank in. Nikolay especially felt his whole body shudder as if he'd just taken a heavyweight punch straight to the gut. Was Aizawa serious? Were they actually looking upon nearly two-dozen legitimate evildoers in the flesh? Just the thought of it sparked an unfortunately familiar trembling in his hands.
"Villains? Are you for real? What kind of idiot would think honest-to-god Villains would be able to just waltz into Yuuei?" Denki asked incredulously, as though he were trying to ignore his own visible nervousness that was reflected by everyone else.
"Sensei, what about the intruder alarm sensors?" Momo suddenly asked, managing to keep visible calm much more efficiently. "Well, yes, we have some set up, but…!" Thirteen answered, although they sounded just as confused as the rest of them; a very unsettling sign where Nikolay stood and listened, only now noticing how his instinctive trembling had suddenly come back.
All the while, Shoto Todoroki had stepped forward to observe the mass spreading throughout the plaza below, a distant, calculating look on his face. "Is this the only part of campus they've infiltrated, or is this part of a much larger attack occurring across all the school grounds? If so, then that simply means there must be one among them that is capable of doing such a thing. An isolated space away from the main school building, at a time when there's a class scheduled…it may seem ridiculous on the surface, but they must have some solid objective to work towards. This can't possibly be an ambush without some carefully devised strategy or purpose behind it."
Nikolay at first couldn't comprehend how the red-and-white-haired boy could remain so analytical and calm in a situation like this, but before he could even ask what kind of plan he thought they had, he noticed Aizawa was now making a beeline for the stairs leading to the plaza.
"Thirteen, commence the evacuation procedure! And try calling the school for backup! These Villains somehow know how to get around the motion sensors! There's a good chance there could be someone among them with an electro-wave-type Quirk who will try interfering. Kaminari, you do the same! Try to help Thirteen contact Yuuei with your Quirk!"
As soon as he was finally able to piece together what was about to happen, Nikolay instinctively began to go after Aizawa, before Izuku suddenly did the same. "Sensei, are you seriously going down there to fight them alone?! Even if you somehow manage to suppress all their Quirks, there's so many of them! The battle style of Eraserhead is to capture Villains after erasing their Quirks! Meaning the main battle starts now!" He had pretty much taken the words right out of Nikolays' mouth, such a plan against that many, with god-only-knew what kind of Quirks on their side, it was practically suicide.
However, Aizawa remained unshaken as he stood atop the stairs. "A Hero always has more than one trick up his sleeve. Thirteen, I'm counting on you!" With that, he suddenly threw himself from the top of the stairs, clutching the wrappings around his neck as he descended, with a small group of Villains having already congregated at the bottom.
Down below in the plaza, while the rest of their motley crew was beginning to disperse across the grounds upon their arrival, the three Villains that had led the charge simply looked about, immediately noticing the black-haired man in goggles descending to confront them. However, there was no intimidation to be felt between the three. Instead, there was only…disappointment.
"Hmm…Eraserhead and Thirteen. Strange. According to the teachers' curriculum we procured yesterday, All Might was supposed to be here as well, and yet…" the misty-headed one stated, not even paying attention to Aizawas' approach. "I knew it, so yesterdays' chaos was because of you lot!" However, the homeroom teachers' proclamation went unheard by the three.
"Where is he? We went through all this trouble…and rustled up so many of our own to bring along…you can't tell me that All Might, the Symbol of Peace, isn't even here." This dried out, withered-sounding disappointment came from the man most in lead, with the numerous hands clutching onto him. However, when his one protruding eye between the fingers clutching onto his face, noticed the distant mass of students up above, an idea occurred to him.
"I wonder if he'll show up if we kill all those kids?"
Even as Aizawa descended, despite the number of Villains down below, Nikolay felt an invisible string trying to pull him along, to go after their teacher and keep him from getting himself killed. His head was a tug-of-war between his new drive, and his survival instincts. The trembling in his hands had now extended to his legs, as he couldn't move, no matter how much he wanted to.
'Dammit! He can't do this alone, no matter how confident he is! I should help him…but what can I even do? These people would fight with intent to kill! I don't know how to fight against that!' his brain was practically screaming with this frustration as he instinctively looked to Aizawa, then back to Izuku, who was likewise frozen where he stood, and the rest of their classmates, who had now started to follow after Thirteen for the exit.
The sound of sudden combat drove the young Russian to look back, and to his stunned amazement, Aizawa was managing to actually wrangle and swerve his way around numerous Villains encircling him, using his momentum and the gray wrappings in his hands to ensnare them, make them crash into each other, and even when facing against Villains much larger than him, he was managing to move with such speed and precision to allow himself a chance to take them down with well placed punches and kicks. This display of surprise martial prowess and control left Nikolay feeling a legitimate sense of both admiration and fear for his homeroom teacher.
"Amazing. I never would have thought his specialty was in fights with multiple opponents," he finally found the will to speak, unable to take his eyes off the spectacle below. "That's right. I'd gotten so used to seeing how Sensei is in class, I'd almost forgotten." Izuku likewise agreed.
"But there's still so many of them. Do you think he'll be able to hold his own against that many? How long would it even take the other teachers to get here and help?" Nikolay finally brought his main worry out into the open, while Izuku reflected the very same frustration he had been feeling all the while. "I don't know. But this is a life-or-death situation we're dealing with. I want to go down there and help him, but I can't help but worry we'd just get in the way if we did."
"Midoriya, Bezpalov, don't just stand there watching! We need to evacuate!" Tenyas' commanding voice finally got through to the two boys, and realizing they were in danger of being left behind in a field of battle, Nikolay and Izuku hurried after the rest of their class, both silently cursing their ill-preparedness for this situation.
Once they finally reunited with the rest of their classmates, Nikolay could feel the overwhelming aura of fear among all of them as the reality of the situation continued to sink further and further in. Everyones' faces were a mixture of genuine fear at the idea of being anywhere near people that would actually want to see them dead, and frustration at either missing out on the fight below, or at their own powerlessness or deeply-rooted unwillingness to fight.
For Nikolay Bezpalov, his brain was a toxic cocktail of all those things. As much as his heart wanted to go back and help Aizawa in whichever way he possibly could, even if he didn't know how; that pesky voice of fear, no confidence, and animalistic survival instinct kept pulling him right back. In this moment, all he could think of was just how much he actually wished Tunguska had been here to supervise them, too. At least then, Aizawa would have someone watching his back. He never would have backed down from something like this, surely.
As he took in the looks from all his classmates, he felt an especially sharp chill go up his spine when he saw, for the first time since he'd met her, an expression of genuine fear on Minas' face. This triggered in him the painful realization that they truly were in over their heads in this scenario.
Yet at the same time, it also brought about within him, a smoldering feeling of resolution. Getting out of here and to safety was paramount, but if he needed to, he would be ready to put that fear aside and fight, for himself and everyone else, if need be. As scary a thought as it was, it was all part and parcel of his decision to officially become a Hero, and he wasn't about to let that decision die already, especially if doing so would put his friends in danger.
Suddenly, a black haze began to quickly grow just in front of the students, forcing them all to a stop. Within moments it towered over all of them, before a pair of luminescent eyes manifested within its writhing mass. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you children to leave."
Nikolay felt his blood go cold to see their one exit had effectively been cut off. By now, the haze had taken a more human shape, revealing two plates around what normally would have been its neck. Despite having them cornered so to speak, the hazy figure didn't attack. In fact, its voice carried a strangely polite tone to it.
"Greetings. We are the League of Villains. I apologize for the presumption, but we took it upon ourselves to enter Yuuei Academy, the base of Heroes. I imagine many of you must be rather confused as to why we have decided to take such bold action. You see; we have only come here in order to properly engage with All Might, the 'Symbol of Peace'. We were all wondering if we might be allowed the opportunity to extinguish his life, you see."
By now, everyones' blood had gone frigid. If these people were actually aiming to flat-out kill All Might, the worlds' Top Pro Hero, then that only reinforced just what a serious threat these guys really were. Nikolay could even see his own uncontrollable trembling had now begun manifesting in the likes of Mina, Ochako and Izuku, just to name a few.
"I wonder, was All Might not actually meant to be in attendance at this juncture? Perchance, has something been altered without our knowledge? Ah, well…setting that bothersome detail aside for now…this is my role to play." Nikolay momentarily felt his heart jump up into his throat, having no clue just what the haze Villain was about to do. In the span of a moment, Thirteen had begun to move forward, opening the tip of one of their fingers, no doubt to try and attack.
But within the blink of an eye, Thirteen had been intercepted by Eijirou and Bakugo, who both were making a direct assault on the Villain ahead. With surprising speed and synchronicity, the two boys both managed to land simultaneous blows right in the Villains' center mass, causing his whole hazy body to dissipate upon explosive impact, leaving everyone effectively speechless, not even sure what emotion to feel at that moment, thoroughly shell-shocked.
"Yeah! Bet you didn't think we'd be able to do you in before you even got the chance, did you?!" Eijirou cheered, clearly shaken by such a sheer stroke of luck. Nikolay began to take the first step forward, ready to congratulate both his peers for stepping up when even he couldn't, but then realized that the black haze hadn't fully disappeared.
In fact, it was all starting to move about in a single direction, and recollect itself. "I must admit, that was quite perilous. It is to be expected. Though you all may be mere students, the fact remains that you are also the Hero worlds' 'golden eggs', so to speak." As it began to regain its humanoid shape, Thirteen once again began to rush for the two boys ahead. "It's no use fighting him, just run! Run, you two!"
Before anyone could say another word, the black haze suddenly exploded in all directions, encircling the entire class, before consuming them in its shadowy mass, blocking out all light, and obscuring everyone from each others' view, as if they had all been rendered completely blind.
"YOU WILL ALL BE SCATTERED, AND TORTURED, AND SLAIN!"
Nikolay tried to scream, for Mina, for Eijirou, for anyone at all! The haze was so thick, the wind blowing it about so intense, he felt like he had been sucked up into the eye of a cyclone. It almost felt impossible to even breathe, as he couldn't get his bearings. It almost felt like his entire body was floating in an infinite void, no weight behind it, no sense of space or presence; it was almost like being captive in a state of complete nonexistence.
The whole sensation in its entirety ultimately proved too much for him, as in his struggle to try and reach out and find any one of his classmates and friends, his mind finally couldn't take it all anymore. With absolutely no idea what was going to happen to him, and completely separated from the support and protection of his father, teachers and friends, Nikolay Olegovich Bezpalov, finally blacked out into complete unconsciousness.
And there it is, everyone, the newest chapter, and Nikolays' first encounter with the League of Villains. I realize not much of the events portrayed in this chapter really deviated from the manga, but I felt we could all use a breather before we really get into the heat of things, because we are going to have some new stuff going on in the next chapter, I guarantee it.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and if so, please take the time to leave a review, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 03/06! Until then, stay safe, and I hope you all have a wonderful day!
* The Brazilian film Nikolay is describing is 2007's 'Tropa de Elite' (Elite Squad), by Jose Padilha. Very exciting and interesting film, I highly recommend it.