The storm lasted the whole night. It never got bad enough to knock out the power, but it had made Michael wonder if it would. Rain still poured outside with thunder quietly rumbling in the distance. Michael zipped a grey waterproof jacket over his uniform, which he'd completed, unlike yesterday. He walked through the pitch-black darkness without issue and snatched his small black umbrella from beside the door, locking it behind him. Michael turned and walked out to the sidewalk. He had only just left his block when he heard a door open and slam shut not too far away. He turned to see Ashido running out and down the sidewalk. Straight to him. The pink girl was getting soaked in just her uniform. He couldn't help his eyes catching sight of the black bra beginning to show through.
"It's fucking pouring, and you aren't even wearing a jacket." He said flatly.
"Well, good morning to you too, Mr. Grumpy McPottymouth." She said, shivering from the cold rain. "I woke up late and rushed out here to walk with you."
Raising a brow, Michael threw his hood over his head and sighed. He knew he should have gotten an umbrella big enough for more than just one person. He reluctantly held out the open umbrella to the soaked girl, keeping his eyes in check as she gingerly took it.
"Thank you. This rain is freezing! Wait, won't you need it since you're cold-blooded?" She held the umbrella back out to him, a reluctant look on her face.
"The jacket is warm and waterproof; you ain't." He pushed the umbrella back to her and readjusted his hood over his now wet hair.
She gave him a wet hug and laughed before saying, "Aww, I'm supposed to be the hero in training here, aren't I?"
The two shared a laugh as the rain fell around them in the otherwise silent darkness of the early morning. Somewhat reluctantly, he separated from the hug. "Wait a minute. Where is Ms. Hagakure?"
"Oh, you mean Toru? Her parents came and got her late last night. I guess they were worried about the storm and wanted to make sure she was safe at home."
The sun wouldn't be up for an hour, and the dark clouds that could be seen would likely keep it dark regardless. The weather app on his phone said this storm would likely continue on until sometime this evening. Michael was no stranger to rain, with his former home in the south being subject to hurricanes and intense rainstorms. He liked it, but if the expression on his companion's face was anything to go by, she didn't feel the same. "Don't like rain, huh?"
Ashido's attention snapped to him before she looked down with a shrug. "I like the rain. It's just that I don't like rain like this. I know it could be worse and all, but every time it storms, it seems like something goes wrong."
The two walked together on the sidewalk. Raindrops bounced off and ran down Michael's jacket in small rivulets. The horizon had finally brightened just slightly when Michael broke the silence. "I know we aren't all that close, Ms. Ashido, but I don't mind listening to what's on your mind."
Ashido turned and looked up to see the boy looking down at her as they moved closer to the school. She smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "Thank you. You don't have to call me Ms. Ashido, by the way. Mina is just fine."
"Well, Just Michael is alright with me. I'm free just about whenever, so just shoot me a text, and we can talk." He adjusted his hood as he spoke, refusing to look at her.
"Michael! Is this you trying to get my number?" She gave him a mischievous grin before pulling out her phone.
"I don't hear you saying 'no'." He shot back before pulling out his phone and exchanging numbers with her.
The school had come into sight at this point, and the two could see a small group of students formed at the gate. Despite the darkness, Michael could make out the dark purple of Shinso's spiky hair. Mina gasped in excitement and grabbed Michael's hand before dragging him to the group in excitement.
"Oh, I can't wait to introduce you to some of my new friends in the hero course! It's gonna be so much fun, just watch!"
He obliged in mild amusement as she jumped and grabbed a floating school uniform. A quick glance with his thermal vision confirmed that it was Ms. Hagakure. He gave her a slight nod and waved at the girl when she looked at him. She gave an excited wave and walked over with Mina before saying, " Hey, Farron! What's up?"
"I'm a little cold, but I'm alright. What about you, Ms. Hagakure?" He noticed multiple eyes starting to look at him in curiosity.
"Ditto. So last night, Ashido told me that you're trying to get in the hero course. How's that going?"
"Well, we really just started, but I think it's going okay so far. I gotta get Shinso caught up on how to talk with his hands, but he should be fine after a month or two if he retains it." Michael said, playfully jabbing at the air.
"So, how's the hero course treating you?" He kept his focus on the invisible girl as the crowd started trickling towards him.
"It's pretty fun, but really tough. Mr. Aizawa is putting a lot of pressure on us, and all the academic classes are a bit challenging. But I like it so far." She said as he watched her glove wipe some water off her shoulder.
A girl's voice shouted his name, and his grey snake eyes snapped to the source. Coming from the crowd, a girl with brown hair in a styled bob waved to him. She walked over, and after a few seconds of digging through his memories, her name came back to him. "Howdy, Ms. Uraraka. It's been a while."
The girl smiled,, "Hi, Farron. It has been a little while, hasn't it? I'm so happy to see that you made it into U.A. Looks like I'm going to get to see why you want to be a hero after all."
"I guess you will. Well, how is your boyfriend, Mr. Midoryia?" He asked with a teasing grin.
"He's not my boyfriend!" She shouted with a furious blush and waving hands.
"If you say so. Well, do you know how he's doing?"
"Hmph! Well, you can ask him yourself." She pouted before turning around and calling for Midoryia.
The green-haired boy walked over and had to crane his neck to look Michael in the eyes. Green met grey as the two silently looked at each other. Michael reached a hand out to the shorter student and offered a shake. Midoryia hesitated before taking the hand and shaking.
"You punch harder than you look. That scrap heap of a megazord certainly thinks so at least." Michael said, a smirk on his face at the thought of the robot that smacked him through a window getting worse.
"Uhh, It wasn't that impressive. Especially with how bad my quirk hurt me for overdoing it." Midoriya said with a nervous laugh.
"I saw you back at the hospital, ya looked like hammered shit. You the next All Might or something?"
Midoriya looked away before nervously saying, "Nope, just a basic super strength quirk; I'm just kinda new to using it."
"So, just who are you anyway?" Asks a whiny voice from below.
A kid with a row of purple balls for hair looked up to Michael with hands on his hips. Something about this guy irked Michael, but he decided to ignore it for now.
"Michael Farron, and you are?"
"Mineta, but more importantly, what are you doing walking back with Ashido like that?" The short boy asked with an accusing finger pointed at him.
"Whose fuckin kid is this?" Michael said, a scowl on his face.
A smack sounded out, and Mineta yelped. A long pink tongue had popped the side of his head and quickly withdrew back to its owner. It was the girl that he'd seen back when he was standing under the tree at the entrance exams. "Sorry about that. He doesn't quite know when to stop talking." She said in a slightly nasally voice.
"I'm Tsuyu Asui, but please, call me Tsu." She said with a small bow.
"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you, Tsu. My name's Michael Farron, but you can call me Michael." He smiled and returned the bow.
The two studied each other in silence before Midoriyia asked, "So what's your quirk, Farron?"
"Cottonmouth. I basically do whatever the snake can. Camo, venom, the reptilian refusal to die. That kinda fun stuff." Michael flashed his pearly white fangs.
Tiny amber droplets hung from the fangs' tips before being swept away by his tongue. Midoryia was lost in a mumbling fit as he scribbled furiously into a small notebook. A quick peek inside showed a rough sketch of Michael and a few notes. Tsuyu's eyes widened further and she began stepping away from him. "Is something wrong, Tsu?"
"No… Ribbit." She quietly croaked out.
Michael grinned and raised both hands up before casually lying to her, "Relax, I only share a few traits with the snake; the diet is not one of them."
Tsuyu studied his face before letting out a sigh and returning his reassuring smile. "Sorry about that. I'm terrified of snakes, so you startled me a bit."
"I'm gonna take a shot in the dark here, but I'm guessing you can do whatever a frog can?"
"That's right. It's nice to see another animal-based quirk. Even if it's a snake one." The two smiled at each other as the opening bell rang out, and the gates slid open. Despite the clouds blanketing the sky and heavy rain, the sun had slightly brightened the world around them. Lightning crackled on the distant horizon like a spiderweb, and echoing thunder followed after a short delay. Students poured into the building, and eventually, Michael found himself back in his homeroom class.
He still had a few minutes before class started, and despite the small meet and greet earlier, he was drowsy. A few more seats were filled, and he barely acknowledged Shinso sitting down next to him. The rain wasn't a problem, but the cold would always bring him that much closer to passing out. Thankfully, it was only the beginning of Autumn and the days were still warm. Winter itself would start being a problem if he was ever caught unprepared. He was just happy that the building's heater was working as his body slowly absorbed the heat. He was still a bit drowsy, but alert enough to hear the door open from behind them and see Ms. Kayama walk in.
"Good morning, class. I hope the weather outside today hasn't dimmed your enthusiasm for being the best there is at what you do." She flashed a pretty smile before striking a pose.
The class greeted her with varying levels of enthusiasm. Shinso and Farron managed to give her lazy waves and whatever energy they could manage to spare. "So class, today we will be talking about one of the biggest events of the year. In two weeks, the U.A. Sports Festival will take place! Of course, as General Studies students, you aren't expected to participate, but it is encouraged. There are plenty of events outside of the main competition, and everything is open for you to take part in. So, do we have any that know they will be taking part in the main event?"
Two hands slowly raised into the air, and Ms. Kayama smiled knowingly. Farron and Shinso sat next to each other with tired but determined faces."Excellent, the fire of such a youthful spirit gets me so excited! So Farron and Shinso, you two will report to Aizawa and I once you have been dismissed from class for the day. Aizawa told me to let the two of you know to go straight in when you get there."
The day flew by in a blur to Farron. He could vaguely remember the mind-numbing courses as he stood outside the door to Class 1-A with Shinso next to him. The two of them had been let out of class early and stopped in front of the door. "Ready?" Farron asked as he started to reach for the doorknob.
Shinso nodded, and the two stepped inside the room in silence. Aizawa gestured to the back of the room, and they quickly moved into their spots at the very back of the class. "Well, class before I dismiss you for the day, I want to remind you that you have worked hard to earn your spots here. I warn you now that others are constantly working that much harder to surpass you. These two are Hitoshi Shinso and Michael Farron. They come from the general education course but are more than capable of taking your spot here if they show more potential. They will be staying after the final bell to further prepare themselves. Something that you should all be emulating. Class dismissed."
The class's entirety looked in silence at each other before turning their sights to Farron and Shinso. A snarling blonde stood up and walked up to the two of them before nearly screaming, "First Deku, and now you two worthless extras! If you couldn't make the cut in the first place, what makes you think you have a chance now?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't believe we've met. I'm Hitoshi Shinso, and you are?"
"All you need to know is tha-" The explosive blond's voice cut out, and he stood motionless.
"Grab your things, turn around, and go home." A small, devious smirk playing on Shinso's face.
The blond stiffly and silently obeyed, shambling out the classroom with his things. The rest of the class looked on in stunned silence before rushing towards the two of them. Ashido was the first there, amazement written on her face. "How did you do that?"
"I can be very persuasive at times, that's all."
"Bakugo is not one to be convinced of anything besides his own superiority complex." Said a girl with aux cords for earlobes and purple hair cut in an asymmetrical fringe..
"He looks like he's fun at parties." Farron grimaced, his fists slowly uncurling in his pockets.
"I apologize for his behavior; "Says a girl with long black hair in a ponytail. "I assure you that our class does not reflect his actions. I am Momo Yaoyorozu. It's nice to meet the two of you."
She gave a polite bow to the two boys and smiled when it was returned by Farron.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure he's just a one off here."
Yaoyorozu smiled back at the manners displayed, "You have an American accent. Are you by chance a foreign exchange student?"
"No, ma'am, I have dual citizenship of American and Japanese. Parents were both United States Marines deployed in Okinawa when I was born. I spent a lot of time on both sides of the Pacific Ocean growing up."
A redheaded guy with a wild, but friendly expression interrupted the two, "Look, don't take Bakugo too seriously. He's never been good with new faces. Plus, he's kinda pissed about some stuff I've been trying to help him work past. On a happier note, have you shot guns with real bullets or anything like that?"
"Yeah. All the time, actually. I have a few videos I could show you of me on the firing range just putting in the hours to win competitions and the like." Farron said with a shrug. The rest of the class erupted in questions before a slam rang throughout the room.
"If you wish to get to know him, then you can do so outside of school. Until then, these two need to take a test, and any distractions are highly unappreciated." Aizawa's hair floated around him and his exhausted eyes seemed to be glowing a fierce red.
The class said hasty goodbyes before rushing out of the classroom. Aizawa sighed and threw a folder to each of them. "Sit down and start filling out this paperwork. These papers cover hero costumes, legalities, and other administrative fields. I've gone through and signed everything necessary on my end already. There are only a few pages missing, but those will only be gone over after earning your place in Class 1-A." He explained as he waited for the two to go through everything. After several minutes, Farron held the stack out for Aizawa, who took it and looked everything over. He grumbled and started to leave some notes on the paper. "Weapons such as your knives are going to require you to file extra paperwork that we don't have on hand at the moment. You will have to use something not capable of cutting and or stabbing until then. Any ideas?"
Farron thought in silence before coming to a decision. "Is there any chance I can use nightsticks or tonfas?"
"As in the law enforcement variety? Yes, that's fine." He wrote another note before closing the file and taking Shinso's. It didn't seem to need any extra notes, so he set them both to the side. "Put those on, go outside, and get ready." He left the classroom with both folders tucked under his arm.
Hours later, Farron was back home and lounging on his couch. The quirk apprehension test that Aizawa put them through wasn't the most challenging thing he'd done, but it was no easy day, either. He'd come out of it tired and sore but ready for more. Shinso had not fared nearly as well. The boy almost fainted after the long-distance run and had underperformed in all tests compared to Farron. Aizawa had recommended he work out more by himself or with Farron, but the improvement was needed if he was serious about being a hero. After getting dressed back into regular clothes, Aizawa told Farron that he would participate in their rescue training tomorrow. He wanted to see if he could do well in an environment where combat ability alone wouldn't cut it.
Michael had put on some music as he sipped his coffee. He idly scrolled through his phone, browsing different sites, when a notification popped on his screen. A text from Mina, asking him what they had done after school.
Just something he called a quirk apprehension test or something.
Lol, we did that too. XD
How'd you do on it?
I got 9th out of 20. So not too bad.
Yeah, well, I got first place.
Weren't there only 2 of you guys tho?
A win is a win.
Lol. Can I ask you a question?
Just did.
Ugh. Such a meanie. I meant about America.
Yeah, go for it.
What's it like?
Well, it depends. America is huge. Every part is has something unique to offer..
Well, what about where ur from?
The south is wild. The food is fuckin great, and most people are friendly enough. We do some crazy shit every now and then. We like our mud, guns, barbecue, and god help whoever wants to mess with that. We look out for each other, but sometimes people suck. The wild and what lives in it is what makes us beautiful, though. The swamps are where some of my best memories were made. He explained as he got comfy on the couch. A wave of nostalgia hit him, and he smiled.
That sounds awesome. Do you have any pictures?
Farron sent a picture of him as a small child holding a baby alligator. He also sent a few of him and his old friends riding four-wheelers and a video of him canoeing through a swamp.
Aww, you were such a cute baby! XD
I'm glad you think so.
The two continued to text each other for hours until finally saying goodnight. The room felt a bit colder now that they had stopped talking. Michael felt almost disappointed until he heard another notification. He smiled as he grabbed his phone and opened it to see a text from Shigaraki. It wiped the smile off his face.
"Tomorrow, All Might dies. Be ready. - T.S."