Izuku explains what they can about their fight with Shoto. Class rep's are voted for! Nothing happens during lunch. And Class 1-A get some practice at the USJ!
Explaining what happened during the fight took Izuku a good half hour, mostly because they had trouble articulating why they got angry. On the surface, it was simple…it reminded Izuku of Bakugo. But, as Ochako pointed out…Izuku never got angry at Bakugo. Or at least, they never admitted it…and that was a wakeup call for Izuku, because it was true. They never really addressed it, but, somewhere deep inside, there was a well of brutally suppressed anger towards not just Bakugo, but their entire childhood.
They thought back to the fight they'd had with the girls, and how upset they got while they were whaling on the punching bag. How much they kept boiling internally, how much resentment was within them, all emotions they'd spent most of their life suppressing because they'd never been allowed to really admit to them. Not only would it not get them anywhere (who would care besides their Mom, and they wanted to avoid upsetting her as much as possible), but also…wasn't it wrong to be so angry? To hold such resentment? Heroes didn't do that.
…of course, heroes don't purchase a wife to forcibly create a designer baby to take the number one hero spot from All Might out of some envious obsession, so perhaps Izuku wasn't thinking that through as much as they should. That, they didn't tell the girls about…if Shoto wanted to reveal it, he would on his own time, all Izuku told them was the two bonded in the nurse's office, and now that Izuku knew why Shoto wasn't using his fire, they understood. They didn't condone it and they were trying to get Shoto to use his fire more, but they also understood why he wasn't willing to use it right now.
There…weren't many more things to talk about, really. The whole pushing emotions across the bond was something Izuku brought up hesitantly, as they wondered if it could be a help or hindrance, but truth be told none of them really knew what to do about that. Not yet. Himiko suggested they talk about it with one of their mentors next chance they got, which was the best plan any of them could think of. Although Izuku still began another section of their notebook dedicated to deciphering the pros and cons of the ability, once again leading both girls to silently ponder Izuku's hammerspace for notebooks power…but that was a question for another day.
Himiko went downstairs to get dinner for the trio, deciding to eat in Ochako's room…mostly so the brunette could avoid being seen with her smaller portion, and using the excuse that Izuku was still tired from Recovery Girl's healing. She couldn't help the smile that flickered across her face though, once she witnessed Shoto in a deep discussion with Yaoyorozu about…tea? Either way, she made sure to report that to Izuku, that Shoto was actually reaching out to his classmates, which she knew would make Izuku happier…and it did. It was fun to watch the smile cross Izuku's face while also feeling their emotions across the bond, like a lovely little visual indicator of what she already knew.
But that all took a seat in the back compared to the scene she saw upon entering the room, carrying a tray with three meals…and seeing a calmly humming Izuku gently brushing Ochako's hair, the brunette leaning back slightly with eyes closed and contentment written on her face. It made Himiko feel warm inside in ways she was both familiar with and not, a fluttering in her chest that just felt right. Those 'instincts' that they'd been warned about were getting more and more settled within them, and yet none of the three found it within them to complain when they all felt so comforting.
Instincts to cuddle, to brush one another's hair, to curl close and delve deeper into anything warm, all of those were no hassle for the trio, already able to feel each other's emotions and connection to one another. It was pure bliss for Himiko, true affection and care very clearly shoved in her face and all she could do was love every single second of it. She set the tray carefully upon the desk and slid onto the bed next to Izuku, reaching out to steal the comb from their hands, meeting the arched eyebrow of Izuku and squirming internally at the annoyed whine that escaped Ochako's lips, one eye opening to glare with no heat…but Himiko was going to be the responsible one for once, and make them eat first.
With grumbles (for once not over the concept of food but over her lost hair brushing session), Ochako grabbed her bowl and began to very carefully proceed to eat, only wincing a few times which made Himiko feel slightly better. Izuku sighed and picked up their own bowl, beginning to eat as Himiko took hers. She took a moment to look at her two best friends and pondered for a moment on the weirdness that was her life…but it was okay. Maybe they were all fucked up in the head, but hey, at least it wasn't boring?
"Alright. I know you've only known each other a few days, and this is unusual for a University, but we'll be electing a class rep as well as vice rep today. I know it's strange, but it allows us to give the students a bit more freedom, considering how strict your first couple of years of curriculum are. I don't care how you do it, you're adults, but voting is the normal way most hero courses choose. And no, you cannot do fights to the death," Aizawa drawled, narrowing his eyes at the class.
"...did someone actually suggest that?" Kaminari asked, jaw dropped.
"More than one person over the years," came Aizawa's dry reply.
"That seems inefficient," Shoto remarked, half the class turning to look at him. He blinked. "What? A duel to the death does not prove who is the better representative, and would leave the class weaker as they would be down a member then."
"Also murder is a bad thing," Izuku interjected as a friendly reminder to Shoto.
Shoto paused for a moment, before nodding. "Yes. That too."
Ida stood up, chopping his arm rapidly as he spoke. "Very true! However, let us not be distracted further! A vote seems the most democratic method!"
"Before we do so, should we determine who even wants the role?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"That's a good idea. I'm sure not everyone wants that responsibility," Izuku mused.
"Very well, everyone who desires the position of class representative, please raise your hand!" Ida said, holding his own up in the air. Surprisingly few followed him…Kendo, Yaoyorozu, and Shoto, but after a moment, Shoto put his hand back down and shook his head silently. The three in question shared a glance, unsure where to go, when Izuku piped up.
"Let's just vote on you three, and whoever gets second place is vice rep?" As a group, the class responded positively to the idea, and quickly scratched out votes on small pieces of paper they each had laying about…but when Ochako and Himiko both threw their votes at Izuku and commanded them to count while giving the teenager a pair of mischievous smirks, the rest of the class quickly joined in, throwing their votes at the green-haired teenager and making them glower at them all for a moment, before giggling and starting to count the votes quickly.
"Looks like…Yaoyorozu wins with 8 votes, Kendo got 7, and Ida got 5," Izuku reported after a few seconds.
Ida nodded. "Well, the votes have it!"
Yaoyorozu smiled brightly. "Thank you for the confidence in me!"
Kendo nodded, turning to Yaoyorozu. "I look forward to working with you."
"I am as well!" Yaoyorozu replied, her smile still bright as the sun and making Himiko grumble about sunshine children in the class.
Aizawa yawned, covering his mouth behind his palm as he did so. "Good. Quick and easy, well done. Yaoyorozu, Kendo, we'll have a discussion after class about what responsibilities you have, for now, everyone back in their seats, let's get class started."
School over the next couple days was…almost distressingly simple. The classes were still heavily scholastic focused, but Hero Basic Training was the one shining spot for most of the more active students, all of them excited for the new lessons. Granted, after the sparring match from day one, All Might had toned it down to a primer on basic fighting techniques, each student being matched with styles that would more complement their Quirks. While he himself was no martial arts master, he knew the basics of a great many disciplines, so he could help them pick one to focus on for better cohesion.
Granted, the first thing he had to do was make sure everyone understood the basics of fighting and especially falling down. Most fights meant people ended up on the floor, often many times, and knowing how to fall properly could avoid many injuries, especially during training where obstacle courses would begin to creep into their training as well. Rescue Training would also require being ready for environmental dangers, but he reassured the class Rescue would be a focus in the incoming weeks especially, for now, he wanted everyone on the same basic level first.
So three days of basic fighting training passed, which was rather boring for those in the class who had combat training, and somehow even more boring for the trio. Perhaps it was the cat instincts appearing at the worst time, or the sharing of the bored emotion, but they continued to get more and more antsy over time, until on the third day, Himiko snapped…and dive tackled Izuku and Ochako. Toshinori was taken aback and about to step in, when he noticed the trio now giggling and laughing as they rolled around on the ground, playfully swatting at one another…and let out a deep, frustrated sigh, yet could not stay angry at how cute it was. He noticed the expressions on the faces of the other trained students (save Hagakure but her annoyed whispers were enough for him to notice) and decided to try a new tack.
He allowed the ones with prior training some time to spar more, but he stated it had to be Quirkless sparring…which was more than enough for all of them to be happy, Kendo immediately challenging Himiko while Ochako excitedly dragged Shoto off for a bout (the split haired teen blinking in confusion), leaving Izuku to be nearly tackled by Ashido who wanted to try out a fight against one of the cats. More members of the trained section of class paired off, leaving Toshinori to nod happily. This was a better solution…while the rest got practice in safety, those who were slightly more advanced could get some of that energy out. He trusted them to fight carefully, and turned back to the rest of the class to continue the class.
"Wow," Izuku marveled, staring up at the massive dome that made up the ceiling of the USJ, Thirteen's personal Rescue training center. The Unforeseen Simulation Joint was insanely huge, with so many specialized rescue zones they could practically feel Ochako's vibrations of excitement as she hopped up and down next to Izuku. This was what she'd been so excited for this whole time, rescue was what she wanted to focus on, saving lives and making people smile, and she got to study under her favorite hero? She actually understood Izuku's hero obsession for once, she was so excited.
She was a bit sad that Toshinori was going to be unable to make it…he'd intended on being with the class, but as they were getting onto the bus an urgent request from the HPSC itself called for his help…a river had flooded way above its seasonal flooding limit and the resulting mudslide and flooding had nearly drowned an entire town, as many heroes as were available were being dispatched. Toshinori wasn't exactly close, but his speed meant he could reach the disaster zone in only a few minutes, so he was sent as well.
But that ended up fine for now. Thirteen proceeded to give a short but meaningful lecture about how dangerous their Quirks could be, before beginning the lesson, and what a lesson it was! Ochako was still excited, even an hour later, when she was battered, bruised, covered in ash and mud and was trying to pat dry her tail after three zones so far! Thirteen had split everyone into small groups and sent them into a couple of zones at a time, watching carefully as they tried the simulations. So far, none of the groups had actually succeeded at completing a zone, but her group (consisting of herself, Yaoyorozu, Sato, and Sero) had nearly completed the landslide zone, if they hadn't accidentally destabilized the last building.
She wasn't upset about it though. Thirteen had been clear, she expected everyone to fail the first time…they were brand new at this, after all. The point was to see how quickly rescues could go south and teach them how to react in such scenarios. But this was fine with Ochako, this was why she was here, to learn these things!
As she finished wiping her tail dry and began the arduous task of getting the mud out of her hair and especially the fur on her ears, she walked over to where Izuku and Himiko were currently quietly talking. "What's up?" she asked as she approached.
Izuku shrugged. "Not much. Just got out of the ruins zone. Had to remember that our eyesight is better than our classmates…it was so dark only I could see and I kept forgetting to warn people of obstacles."
"Flood zone sucked," Himiko whined, two different towels over her. Even with what was clearly a vigorous attempt at drying herself off, she still looked like…well, like a drowned cat. Ochako snickered at her, the amusement coming off her across the bond making Himiko glare back at her. "Haha, real funny miss mudman."
"I got it all, didn't I?" Ochako recoiled, patting at herself to see if she could feel any more mud stuck to her costume.
"A little bit on your back," Izuku took pity on her, stepping around her and taking her towel to wipe it away. After a moment, they nodded and handed the towel back. "All done!"
"Oh sure, give her the special treatment," Himiko groused, crossing her arms over her chest.
Ochako rolled her eyes. "Oh stop pouting. Gimme that!" She snatched the towel off Himiko's shoulders and began to run it over her head, ruffling the blonde's hair and ears as she tried to help dry her off. Himiko went to protest, but as Ochako's hand swept over her ears with gentle scratches, she felt all her thoughts vanish in a moment and let out a satisfied hum as she let the other girl towel her off.
Something twinged in Ochako's mind, something that made her slow down in her attempts to dry her friend off. She could see that the same feeling had crossed over Himiko and Izuku, the blonde's eyes snapping open as Izuku looked about in confusion.
"...did you two…feel that?" Izuku murmured, still looking around.
"Y-yeah? What was that?" Ochako stammered. The feeling was getting worse, a deep, unsettling sense of unease that settled in her chest like a lump of ice.
"I…I think we should tell Sensei," Himiko murmured, turning around to call out for their teachers, but the second she went to, a strange rip in space appeared right before her, black-purple clouds erupting barely a meter away from her. She jumped backwards in shock, the fur on her tail and ears now fluffed up as Ochako and Izuku immediately ran back with her and away from the strange growing black cloud.
"Back away!" Aizawa called out, rushing forward to get between the students and the black cloud, but before he could reach them a massive, sickly gray skinned creature with an exposed brain came rocketing out of the mist to slam into the teacher, flinging him away. He did a quick kip up from the ground, eyes already red, as a second creature burst out the clouds, green-gray skin with a number of arms not unlike Shoji, but instead of various hands or sensory organs, its hands were chainsaws?!
A yellow-skinned one with wings burst out of the clouds next, heading unerringly towards the Mountain zone, as two more black-skinned creatures stepped out, similar to one another albeit one lacked eyes and the other one had a toothy beak for a mouth. They stomped out of the clouds, before standing eerily still as the entire USJ seemed to go silent, the prior three creatures all stopping in place (the winged one now hovering). Yellow eyes appeared within the cloud, followed by a single, small box falling to the ground. A split second later, a loud, high pitched whine resounded from it, the lights in the USJ flickering before stabilizing, and a voice came from the box, the voice having a strange quaver in it.
"Hmm. It appears we arrived late. Drat. If only I could have gotten my hands on the schedule…Well, no matter, time to let the test proceed. Marking down the time…excellent. Now, let's see how well our Nomu do against these hero students? Kurogiri, close the portal. Nomu…kill them."
As one, the creatures, which Ochako was assuming were the aforementioned Nomu, all turned to face the students and teacher…and with a loud screech, charged.