Izuku could not help but stifle a laugh at the sight of his class.
With Class 1-A lined up by the interior wall, he looked over the odd group with differing attitudes to the mission before them. Ayumu had awoken, and her astral projected self had disappeared with her being conscious. However, her head nodded back onto the wall, and she jerked around before falling asleep standing. Ivan's tendrils on his head twitched and kept gazes on all of the other classmates.
The short, thin girl known as Sigi leered back at him and created a conspiracy theory in her head about the suspicious boy. She knew that her hands would be full in uncovering Riley's secrets. Her gaze flickered towards the broad-shouldered boy who seemed to be hiding behind the cheerful Melanie who talked the day away to him. Next to Sigi, Aiden smirked at the inquisitive girl with his hand behind his hands while Sam ran around Merle's boots in a circle. The dog was far more excited than Merle who bounced on his tiptoes with nerves tingling inside his body. He admitted to be quite anxious about already being put to the test. Not only that, but he was going to be a villain. He thought the point of this school was to be a hero, yet he was already forced to fight against his conscience on his first day. He hoped there would be no further moral quandaries throughout the school year.
"I'm going to divide you up," Izuku said. "Considering I know little about how any of your quirks work, your teams will likely not be the most advantageous. The good news is that you will all learn how to work with people that you otherwise may have no interaction with in any other setting."
Izuku stopped by the back of the room. Skylar shoved his phone back into his pockets while Lynn finished applying a line of rose lip gloss onto her full lips. Next to them, Leon stood with a blank expression out the window behind Izuku.
"Well, you three seem to have become friends pretty quick," Izuku said.
"Yup, that's us," Skylar patted Leon's shoulder. "Great friends!"
"Friends…is a stretch," Leon said.
"You see," Skylar said. "We're even joking around with each other! That's how close we already are!"
"Alright. You're a group. Make your plans."
Skylar tugged Leon towards their corner by the window. Lynn followed and grabbed a blueprint from Izuku's hand.
Izuku paced down the line of students and stopped midway. He examined Aiden with a cocky smirk pointed at Izuku. Then, a quick glance towards Mai who was crocheting a scarf.
"Mai," Izuku said. "You and Aiden will work with…what was your name?" Izuku asked the short, angry boy who had candles on his desk.
"Tao."
"Tao. You are the second group."
"This will be so much fun," Mai said.
"I'll say," Aiden looked over Mai with a knowing grin on his dumb face.
Tao joined them in the center of the room. Izuku scanned the other half of the students. He twitched his lips and crossed his muscular arms.
"Melanie," he said. "I'll have you with Ayumu and Ivan."
Melanie saluted the boy. "Excellent. I will make sure that my team stays awake and alert to deplete the funds of the bank!"
"Awake may be a challenge," Ivan pointed an eye at Ayumu. She had already passed out and fallen onto the floor.
Ivan grabbed Ayumu by the hand and dragged her over the hardwood floor towards the front corner by the windows. Melanie marched ahead and unfurled the blueprint. She raked over the plans without a moments hesitation.
"That leaves you three," Izuku pointed at Riley. "Sigi and Merle will be in the group with you."
"Perfect," Sigi said. She saddled up to Riley and craned her head to near his ear. Her hot breath tickled his chin while her voice rang low and firm in his head.
"I get to keep extra close watch of you," Sigi said.
Riley swallowed, but he put on a stoic face and brushed past Sigi. The golden retriever barked and rushed behind Sigi towards the front of the class. Then, Sigi turned and aimed her pink eyes down at Sam. She pointed a small finger at him.
"I'm watching you, too," Sigi said.
Sam barked in excitement and wagged his tail. Sigi turned and stole a seat by the front. Merle wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and clacked forward with his boots rustling over the squeaking floorboards.
Izuku examined the four groups talking and planning with each other. Melanie basically lectured the other two while Ayumu's head slammed back on the desk. Melanie grabbed her head and forced it back up to talk the day away. In the opposing corner, Tao was already arguing with Aiden about taking the mission seriously while Mai smiled to herself and continued to make her clothing. Sigi had taken to simply staring at Riley while Merle cleared his throat and slowly reasoned what they should do.
Izuku walked around the room and kept his head down. He eavesdropped on the groups and stopped a few feet away from the trio in the farthest corner from the door. He listened as Lynn stretched out the map on her desk.
"Okay, so has anyone here robbed a bank before?" Lynn asked.
"I was in Bonnie and Clyde Junior," Skylar said.
"In real life," Lynn said. "Has anyone robbed a bank?"
"I did in a video game." Leon said.
"I guess we should start by learning each other's quirk," Lynn asked. "Leon, what do ya got?"
"I bet it's electricity powers, right?" Skylar asked.
"Not exactly," Leon said.
"Are you sure," Skylar gave a sly grin and leaned towards Leon. "Cause I felt some…electricity between us earlier."
"Oh, that was due to the humidity by the fountain outside," Leon said.
"That's not exactly what I me-."
"Okay, so what is your quirk?" Lynn interrupted.
"Right, it's a bit complicated," Leon said. "Maybe I should let The Announcer tell you instead."
"The who?"
Suddenly, a screech blared out of the intercom speaker inside the wall.
"Alright. Let's do this one more time!" A loud and vivacious voice shouted.
Leon Wright! His quirk: static friction generator. He can create and direct electricity at will!
"Great," Izuku said. "Could have sworn I got away from him, too."
The group looked away from the speaker. Skylar shrugged at the strange moment. Leon was unconcerned, thinking that fourth wall breaking announcers were a normal occurrence at high schools.
"Okay…So you got electrical powers," Lynn clapped her hands.
"Sort of," Leon scratched at the back of his head. "It's static electricity that runs through my body. It stimulates and enhances the use of my muscles. Expelling electricity takes a little more work. I can't just shoot lightning from my fingertips right away."
"But it's still so cool," Skylar said with wide puppy eyes beaming at Leon. "You can just zap the vault and open it."
"How does zapping a vault make it magically open?" Lynn asked in skepticism.
"Oh, we'll, I didn't know you were the expert in vault opening, Lynn," Skylar said. "But I think it's our best shot."
"Just listen to me," Lynn jabbed a finger down at the map. "I have a plan. So we need to find an entry point," Lynn pointed at the rooftop on the blueprint. "And I think we can…."
Izuku headed for the next group. This time, there was a dearth of silence from these classmates who simply stared at one another. Sigi had her arms crossed and sneered at Riley like a chef at fast food. Parked at the corner by the front window, Merle had his cowboy hat tipped over his eyes and looked down at Sam who panted in a jocular manner.
"Are you three coming up with anything?" Izuku asked in a friendly tone.
"I don't know," Sigi narrowed her eyes at Riley. "Maybe you should tell us what happens since you already know."
"How would I know?" Riley said. "Only someone from the future going back to the past would know."
"Aha!" Sigi slapped her hands on the desk. It rattled in front of her on its chrome hinges. "So you admit it!"
"Admit what?" Riley asked. "We need to focus on the mission, lady. Can we do that?"
"And what is the mission, Riley? If that's even your real name?" Sigi asked.
Riley took another deep breath. Despite this girl having no evidence of anything, he was still a nervous wreck from how she seemed to be onto him like white on rice. Fortunately, based on Deku's inquisitive looks and Merle's anxious strain of his neck, it appeared most everyone else considered Sigi crazy. He believed he had no need to worry, yet any hinderance to his main mission made his heart skip a beat. It also didn't help that this girl with pink eyes (Pink!) was examining him like a mortician eyeing a cadaver.
"I reckon I have an idea," Merle said.
The two faced Merle for the first time. Sam leapt into Merle's lap and sat facing the other students with another wag of his tail.
"Though it might get a little loud."
"Go ahead," Sigi said.
Izuku walked away from the group content that they were at least talking to each other now. He approached the next trio at the center of the room. Aiden had his legs propped on the desk with Mai finishing her scarf. Tao balled up his fists and shook them at the two.
"Why aren't you two trying to solve this with me?" Tao shouted. "Do you know what kind of dishonor you are serving to your ancestors."
"I'm from Wisconsin," Aiden said with his eyes closed. "My ancestors drank beer and ate cheese all day. If anything, they need to do more to honor me."
Tao scowled at Aiden and knocked his feet off the table. Aiden propped himself up with that stupid smirk still attached to his face.
"And what makes you think you're so special," Tao said. "What makes you think you can be a Pro-Hero? Either of you?"
"What makes you think that?" Aiden asked. "I already know what I'm capable of. Do you, shortie?"
"Then what are you two even here for?" Tao asked with spit flying out of his mouth. "All you do is sew all day!"
"It's actually crocheting," Mai said. "And I'm confident we can get this issue solved. We just have to go in and escape with the money."
"Great," Tao said. "And how are we going to do that?"
"With my quirk!" Aiden and Mai said in unison.
"What?" Tao shouted.
Izuku decided to not get in the way. He strolled to the final group by the door. Melanie continued to spot out at a mile a minute as Ayumu's head lolled backwards. Ivan smiled and had the tendrils on his head aimed at the other students behind them. One of them even looked right at Izuku who waved at the eye. The tendril twitched upwards in acknowledgment while scanning the rest of the room. He gave the group a wide berth as Ivan knew he was listening in. However, not much was being solved within the group.
"…And then we'll have an extra person stationed on the second floor," Melanie stated. "After that, we can have the first person come in with the bulldozer. They will barrel through the sewage tunnel at which point I will jump out in my disguise while Ayumu arrives with her other persona materializing from her body. Then, we will make a call to the police and we will-."
"How about we simply it a bit," Izuku interrupted Melanie. "I learned while being a Pro-Hero that the least complicated plans are usually the best."
"Of course," Melanie said. "But we are villains today! Therefore, the most complex designs will be the ones that are successful. After all, the best Pro-Heroes are the ones that understand villains the best. Right, Professor?"
"I wouldn't quite say-."
"Or we could just throw Ayumu in there and scare everyone," Ivan said with a playful tone. "I'm sure we could cause a panic."
"I agree!"
Ivan bounced forward on his chair when the translucent version of Ayumu suddenly popped up behind him. She giggled at the surprised expression on Ivan and Melanie's face.
Izuku went to sit back at his desk. Seeing the students hard at work to come up with various plans made his chest swell with pride. He knew this class was more rambunctious and likely antagonistic than his previous one. However, he felt that he could handle this if he just cared less about passing them and more about learning who they were as people. This lesson was one he came up with on his own, and he was surprised to learn it was approved.
He glanced up at the cuckoo clock over the chalkboard. There was a couple of hours remaining before they took the bus. He decided that a cup of coffee would be helpful with judging the students. He rose up from his chair and slipped through the sliding door without any of the students notice. Well, Ivan noticed since one of his eyes had seen Izuku leave. However, he was more consumed in planning this than where his teacher ran off to.
Down the hallway, Izuku passed the other classrooms. At the very end, a large steel door led to the teacher's lounge. Izuku turned on the keypad next to the entrance which illuminated with numbers.
032620.
Ding. The door skid open to reveal a swank, even pristine teacher's lounge. Plush velvet couches and love seats sat atop a hardwood mahogany floor. The walls painted a soothing mocha brown, one end held a large television that was currently dormant. The other end held rows of untouched coffee machines and dispensaries for all kinds of food ranging from snack bars to hamburgers. The aroma of a hot americano wafted into Izuku's nose with the hydraulic hiss of the door shut behind him.
"They really went all out," Izuku said to himself.
He went back to the coffee machine in the corner closest to the giant bay window overlook the water. He pressed a button, and the cup in the dispensary slot filled with steaming liquid that dribbled into the vessel.
The smell made his back muscles relax. He grabbed the cup and gave a small sip to it. He closed his eyes. Only the hum of the refrigerator brushed over his ears with his own breathing rippling the surface of the coffee. His hands warmed from the cup with his head perched downward. The day had already been long, and he would be unsurprised if the paparazzi was already camped out by the area where the bank was located. Sadly, there was little that could be done about that in America. Something about freedom of the press. Truth be told, he was still uncomfortable with the idea that he was an icon or a role model for others. With his previous class, he had been through enough with them that, by the time graduation arrived, he considered them equals or even family. To be in a new land with complete stranger, even if Hawks was watching him and helping him with this strange quirk-loss contagion starting to spread, he still cringed whenever someone ran up to him and asked for an autograph like he was a famous actor instead of a hero.
"I wonder if any of them are busy," Izuku said to himself. He grabbed his phone with one hand and balanced the coffee in another. He scrolled through the contacts and looked over his texts. His last one to Moxie was the night of the movie premiere and when she debuted on the top hero charts. Hunter had his hands full in New York. Abel and Katsu were the ones that texted him the most often. Abel sent out various dumb memes which Izuku admitted made him laugh and gave him normalcy. Katsu kept asking for advice on defeating villains (even FaceTiming him in the middle of a battle with a former League Of Villain member). As far as Austin and Synaes went, well, he heard tabloids that they kept each other quite busy when finished with hero work for the day. He also doubted that Megan or Anton wanted to hear anything other than updates about finding the source of the quirk-stealing electrical signal.
Ah, James. Izuku smiled to himself when his name arrived on his texting list. Yes, he hadn't spoken to James in a long time. Of course, the typically angry and brash young man was not one for idol conversation, but he still had the ultimate respect for Izuku. He doubted he would ignore him.
His thumb pressed the name. He was just about to press a letter on the phone to start his message. Until-.
"How about you talk to me instead?" A chipper voice said right in his ear.
Izuku shouted. He whipped around and dropped his phone. It clattered on the ground right next to the cup of coffee. The kid exploded off the cup and spilled the hot liquid all over the shattered glass screen of the phone. The surface twitched and fizzled before shifting out and dying into a dormant electronic brick.
Izuku, however, was not concerned with the coffee now tainting the soles of his red shoes. Instead, he was frightened by the shorter boy with black hair just as wild as his own. A boy who appeared as real as the beams of sunlight drenching the break room. A boy with a familiar baby blue uniform and tie undone at the knot.
"James was never a good listener," Blake Marseilles said in a cheerful voice. "But you always listened to every word I said. Right, Professor Deku?"
Izuku swallowed, but a lump in his throat stopped his vocal chords from functioning. His blood ran as cold as the water shimmering outside in the river, and his hands started to tremble.
"Blake," Izuku said. "No. That was just a bad dream. In the hotel."
"I know. I could've waited till tonight to show up again, but I didn't want to give you the same excuse," Blake took a step forward. "The same form of denial."
"Blake! You're dead," Izuku said. "No, this is a bad dream. Or it's a memory. Or someone is messing with me!"
"That someone would be me, Professor! And don't worry. I am still very much dead. Or was I ever even real to begin with?" Blake tapped at his chin in mock thought.
Izuku, still frozen to his spot, held out his clenched fist. "Stop it! Whoever is doing this, it isn't funny! Whatever quirk you're using, stop it and gave me at once.
"Then turn around."
Izuku screamed at the vibration of sound that tickled his right earlobe. He slipped on his coffee and fell right into his back. Behind him, Blake loomed over him despite being just in front of him a moment previous. Now, Blake stood above with a harsh shadow painting the side of his face. His wild eyes appeared to glow despite the lack of lighting.
"This can't be real," Izuku said. "It can't be real."
"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't," Blake said. "Maybe it's all in your head. Maybe someone could walk in on us right now. Maybe I could just, do this."
Blake reached into his pocket. He took out a small knife and pressed it to his arm. Then, he smirked at Izuku with his eyes wide and even maniacal.
"Blake, please don't," Izuku said. "You don't need to do this?"
"Oh, are you scared that I'm going to use my quirk in you?" Blake laughed. "Don't worry, Professor. I can't harm you at all. Yet."
Blake lunges at him. On the ground, Izuku closed his eyes and covered his face. However, he felt nothing as Blake's razor and hand simply slashed through Izuku as if he was made of air. Izuku opened his eyes back up to find Blake's face just inches away from his.
"I just want you to know one thing," Blake said. "I've been following you for a while, Professor Deku. After I died. And I'll be following all the way. All the way to the end. You can't escape me, because you will come with me."
"With you?" Izuku asked with a tremor. "Where?"
"Where you deserve to go," Blake said. "I will always be after you. And very soon, I will be able to take you away. And you…can't…stop…me."
Hiss! Izuku looked back as the steel door opened up to the entrance of the room.
"No one can," Blake's voice said one last time.
An old librarian with thick glasses and a rose-colored dress sauntered into the room. She stopped by the television at the sight by the coffee machine.
Izuku Midoriya sat on the floor shaking and pale as a cue ball in a pool of scalding coffee. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, and his phone was cracked next to his leg. He panted with the speed of a marathon sprinter, and he clutched at his chest to keep his heart from bursting from his body.
"You look like you just saw a ghost," The lady said.
The Announcer - Christoph Andretti (voiced by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson)
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