"Today's training will be a little different."
Hitomi bounced her right leg, anxiously chewing on the cap of one of her gel pens. She was itching to use her Quirk, not having had the chance yesterday, what with everything that had gone on.
"You'll have three instructors. Me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."
Hope swelled in her chest, and she pleaded with the universe for the third instructor to be her Aunt Nemuri.
Sero raised a hand. "Sir, what kind of training is this?"
Aizawa pulled a card from his pocket, one that resembled the cards All Might used when they trained under him in the mock exercise. But this one read Rescue.
Hitomi barely contained an ecstatic cheer. Rescue. While not as flashy as other factions of Hero work, it was what Hitomi dreamed of doing. Rescue Heroes arguably save the most lives. And that was what she needed to do. She needed to make sure as many people could get back to their families as possible.
"Rescue. You'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that."
With every word spoken, Hitomi's eyes shined brighter.
"Disasters, huh? Sounds like we're in for a big workout." Kaminari looked to his left, at Ashido.
"Totally!"
"Real Hero stuff. This is what seperates the men from the boys" Kirishima leaned forward in his seat. "I'm shakin' with excitement!"
"Finally. I'll get to show off how good I am in water, ribbit."
"Guys, I'm not finished yet." Aizawa droned.
The class fell silent.
"What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes." Aizawa held up a remote, pressing a button that caused their costume cases to slide out from the wall. "But keep in mind that you haven't gotten used to them yet, and they might limit your abilities. This special training's at an off-campus facility, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's all, start getting ready." He walked out of the room.
They all got up from their desks, walking over and claiming their cases. Hitomi sat thoughtfully, considering her options. Unlike the rest of the class, her use of her Quirk kind of hinged on what she was wearing, unless she wanted to flash everyone. And she didn't think to pack any of her clothes from home that were made specially to stretch just in case. So her costume was really the only choice she was left with, despite her distaste for the revealing design.
With a sigh, she went to retrieve her case.
…
"You're practically vibrating Saito, are you nervous?"
Hitomi spun on her heel, wearing the entirety of her suit. She also wore her pair of gym shoes, deciding she could kick them off later when the situation called for her Quirk. She shot Uraraka a pleasant grin.
"Nope! Excited!" She made a fist and pumped it in the air. "Rescue's what I'm gonna be known for! So this lesson is perfect!"
Uraraka smiled back, face settling into her own look of determination. "Right! We'll have to do our best and make the most of this trip!"
"Yeah!"
A shrill whistle broke up any conversation. "Gather around Class 1-A!" Iida ordered, wearing his costume, sans helmet. "Using your student numbers, form two neat lines so we can load the bus efficiently." He blew the whistle several times more for emphasis.
In the end his planning was made null, as the bus lacked the traditional layout he had charted. Half was an open layout, while the back had a few rows of regular seating. Everyone piled in, followed by a dejected Iida.
"The bus's open layout ruined my boarding strategy." He lamented, head held in his hands in a regretful pose.
"Iida, you really need to chill." Ashido patted him commiseratingly on the back. She sat with him, Kaminari, and Aoyama on one of the long side rows of seats.
Across from them on the other, sat Sato, Midoriya, Asui, and Kirishima.
"If we're pointing out the obvious then there's something I wanna say." Asui turned to her right to look at Midoriya. "About you, actually."
"About me? What is it Asui?" He asked nervously, his cheeks already tinged with pink.
From where she sat in the back, saddled next to Sero and Shoji, Hitomi sat straighter and listened in.
"That power of yours. Isn't it a lot like All Might's?"
Hitomi frowned when the scent of panic spiked from Midoriya, especially as he started flailing as if trying to physically grasp the right thing to say.
"W-what? Really? You think so, huh?" His voice trembled, and he looked away. "I never really thought about that."
Hitomi's frown deepened. He was lying. She was sure of it. But why?
"Wait, hold on Tsu." Kirishima spoke up, talking over Midoriya's anxious mumbling. "You're forgetting All Might doesn't hurt himself. That makes a huge difference."
Midoriya was turned away, but when he sighed, Hitomi heard it.
Thoughtfully twirling her hair, she wondered why he was so desperate for no one to make such an innocent comparison. Maybe he just didn't want to have to feel like he had to live up to someone as incredible as All Might? What other option really was there? None that she could think of off the top of her head.
"Still, I bet it's cool to have a simple augmenting-type of Quirk. You can do lots of flashy stuff with it." Kirishima raised his left arm out for them all to see. "My hardening's super strong and can destroy bad guys in a fight, but it doesn't look all that impressive."
"Oh, no way. I think it's really awesome looking. You're definitely pro material with a Quirk like that." Midoriya kindly objected, staring at Kirishima's suddenly coarse and jagged arm.
Ignoring the way Iida squawked at her disregard for the fact they were in a moving vehicle, Hitomi stood with a wide grin. "Yeah! And I mean, there have been so many top pros with subtle Quirks like that too! Midnight, Sir Nighteye, Ragdoll, Rock Lock, Pa— uh, Golden Geist, even Mister Aizawa!"
"Saito return to your seat at once!"
Kirishima looked between her and Midoriya with a hesitantly hopeful expression. "You really think so? Seems like it'd be easier to be a popular Hero if I had something flashier. But I guess Saito's got a point."
The pinkette sat back down, silencing Iida's stern warnings. She had almost slipped up there, and sincerely hoped no one had noticed. But still, it had been nice to get to add her father to the names of top Heroes with pride in her voice instead of melancholy. When Momo turned in her seat, looking back at her in concern, Hitomi was able to give her a genuine smile for reassurance.
"Well, if any of our classmates have pro Quirks, it's Todoroki and Bakugou." Kirishima said, garnering a glower from the blonde.
Hitomi really couldn't understand why, after all, he was being paid a compliment. The other one mentioned was seemingly asleep, sitting alone behind Bakugou and Jirou.
"Sure, but Bakugou's always angry, so he'll never be that popular." Asui casually commented.
Bakugou surged to his feet, snarling at the girl. "What did you say?! I'll kick your ass!"
"You see?"
"Y'know, we basically just met you. So it's kinda telling that we all know your personality is flaming crap mixed with garbage." Kaminari shrugged with ease, unbothered by Bakugou's fury now aimed at him.
"You're gonna regret the day you applied to this school, you loser! I'll kill you!"
"Well, maybe he's just aggressive like this to new people." Hitomi mused aloud, then gasped. "Oh my gosh, he's a Pomeranian!"
Sero was unsuccessful in his attempt to muffle his laughter.
Bakugou could've gotten whiplash with how fast he rounded on her now. "Shut your trap you damned Mutt! I'll—"
"Jeez, so many death threats! You gotta chill dude." Kaminari seemed determined to get Bakugou to blow up the bus without the use of his Quirk.
"Hey, hey, we're here. Stop messing around." Aizawa informed them by the door.
"Yes sir." The class all chimed in, along with Bakugou's petulant "Whatever."
The bus stopped right in front of a massive domed building, and once inside, they were all greeted by the plush looking Hero, Thirteen.
"Hello everyone, I've been waiting for you." Her kind voice came out with a tinny quality due to the spacesuit-like helmet she wore.
Momo had to rest a hand on Hitomi's shoulder to keep her from jumping the Hero.
"I can't wait to show you what's inside." Thirteen swept an arm in the direction of the entrance to the main part of the building. Which in no way disappointed.
There were so many different factions of the place that were dedicated to one specific disaster situation, all there to teach versatility. Hitomi was more eager for this lesson than any ones previous.
"Holy crap, it looks like some kind of amusement park!" Kirishima said in awe.
"A shipwreck. A landslide. A fire. A windstorm. Et cetera. I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters. I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint! But you can call it the USJ!"
"Hey, shouldn't All Might be here already?" Aizawa asked suspiciously. "Let me guess, he booked an interview instead."
The disparaging tone of his voice made Hitomi wince for their other teacher. Aizawa was capable of being much scarier than he let on, and that was just what she was gleaning from his mildly irritated scent.
"Actually, it's something else. Apparently he did too much Hero work on the way to school this morning and used up all his power. He's resting in the teacher's lounge." Thirteen explained in a low voice, holding up three fingers for some reason.
Aizawa sighed. "That man is the height of irresponsibility." He turned back to the students. "Clock's ticking. We should get started."
Thirteen nodded as well as she could. "Excellent! Before we begin, let me just say one thing. Well, maybe two things… Possibly three, four, or five—" She cleared her throat. "Listen carefully. I'm sure you're aware that I have a powerful Quirk. It's called Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust."
"Yeah, you've used Black Hole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?" Midoriya marveled, while Uraraka nodded excitedly by his side.
Thirteen's voice took on a heavier tone. "That's true, but my Quirk could also very easily be used to kill. Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous."
Hitomi's right hand came up, lightly pinching her ear between her fingers. She feared some days, what if she were to just go rabid? Her intelligence took a hit when her Quirk was in use, but what if at some point it didn't just take a hit, but a complete fatality? Would she have any control over herself if she didn't keep focused? Would she turn on her friends and allies? Just how close was she teetering on the edge of becoming an animal?
"In our superhuman society, all Quirks are certified and stringently regulated. So we often overlook how unsafe they can actually be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly. Even if you're trying to do something virtuous like rescue someone. Thanks to Aizawa's fitness tests you have a solid idea of your Quirk's potential and because of All Might's combat training, you likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Today, you're going to learn how to use your Quirks to save people's lives. You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that's what being a Hero is all about. Ensuring the safety of others."
The motto of Excel-lency, her parents' Hero agency, ran through Hitomi's head.
Never abandon someone in need of help. Otherwise you are only a Hero in name.
Thirteen bowed. "That's all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening."
The class cheered, showering the Pro in compliments and applause until Aizawa cut them off.
"Right, now that that's over—"
The hairs on the back of Hitomi's neck stood on end, and the sharp smell of ozone and static suddenly filled the air. The lights above flickered, sparks of electricity surging. A sour knot formed in the pit of her stomach, her instincts making her hackles rise, and canines bared as she stared out at the fountain in the center of the plaza, now sputtering and housing a swirling mass of dark purple.
Run. Run. Run. Her mind practically screamed at her, but her knees felt like they were locked in place.
Aizawa fortunately picked up on something being amiss, rounding on the fountain with an intense expression.
Run. Run. Run.
"Stay together and don't move!" Their teacher ordered, and turned to his fellow Hero. "Thirteen, protect the students!"
Hitomi's body jolted, his words ringing her head, as she was suddenly overwhelmed with the scent of her classmate's fear. It washed over her, kicking something inside into gear, paired with Aizawa's words. The part of her desperate to run was silenced, replaced by something stronger.
Protect. Protect. Protect.
Momo grabbed her hand, the taller girl's shaking and sweating, clinging to Hitomi with adrenaline fueled strength.
Protect. Protect. Protect.
Someone stepped through the portal, followed closely behind by more lumbering figures.
"Wait, has the training started already?" Kirishima said unsurely. He hadn't yet sensed the change in atmosphere. "I thought we were rescuing people—"
Midoriya took one step forward, and Aizawa's voice snapped at them like a whip.
"Stay back!" He clenched his jaw, lifting his yellow goggles over his eyes. "This is real. Those are Villians."
The fear burned her nose, making bile rise on the back of her tongue.
Hitomi squeezed her best friend's hand back.
70 follows is insane. Thank you guys so much for the support! I never imagined so many of you to be interested in Hitomi's story. She's an OC I came up with so long ago, right after season two released, so I'm really attached to her.
If you have the time, maybe drop a review? It would really mean a lot! Thanks again!