Chapter 7: The Calm Before the Storm
The rest of the combat matches occurred, but none of them were as interesting as the first one.
After Shoji informed his teammate of their opponents' location, Todoroki managed to freeze the entire building, instantly defeating Hagakure and Ojiro, making that an easy win.
The next match ended in victory for Sero and Kirishima, as they were able to defend the weapon long enough from Asui and Tokoyami, although it was a close match.
Shinso and Yaoyorozu were also on the Villain team, and they were able to use their wits and Quirks to outsmart Jiro and Kaminari, especially after Kaminari got brainwashed by Shinso.
The Hero team that consisted of Aoyama and Ashido also won, even though Sato packed quite the punch, and Ashido freaked out a bit when Koda summoned a bunch of rats.
All in all, not bad for the first day of training.
"THAT'S A WRAP!" All Might shouted. "Super work! You really stepped up to the plate, and we didn't have any major injuries! You should be proud! Excellent first day of training all-around!"
"It's nice to hear some encouraging words after our homeroom class. Aizawa-sensei was kind of a buzzkill," Asui said, as the majority of her classmates nodded in agreement.
"I'M HAPPY TO BRING SUCH STAGGERING POSITIVITY TO MY ALMA MATER! That's all for now, folks! Now, watch how a Pro exits, LIKE HE'S GOT SOMEWHERE TO BE!"
As soon as All Might left, Kaminari smiled. "Okay, you guys, THAT, is a Hero!"
"Aw, I'll never be able to run that fast…" Ojiro groaned.
"TOKOYAMI! Stop using that desk as a chair! Get off of it, this instant!" Iida shouted.
"Dude, you need to chill," Jiro said.
"You're carrying a lot of tension," Ojiro nodded along.
"No one understands… I CANNOT CONDONE ACTIONS THAT DISRESPECT THESE DESKS! NOT WHEN GREAT MEN AND WOMEN, OUR UPPERCLASSMEN, USED THEM!"
Aside from Iida's shouting, it was a quiet afternoon.
Their classes had all ended for the day, and the majority of the class was now hanging out in the room, talking with one another before they decided to head home for the day.
Despite that, Ochako still has work to do. She had just come back from grabbing a bunch of textbooks with Kaminari, when she noticed that two students were not at their desks."
"Hey, Shinso, have you seen Yui-chan and Bakugou?" Ochako asked.
"Kodai said she had to leave early, and Bakugou just left a minute ago," he answered.
"Oh, I see," she said. "Well, guess, we'll see them tomorrow."
She didn't think much of it, honestly.
"Hm. Still predictable,"
"Fine then. We'll fight hand-to-hand."
The black-hared girl's words kept flashing in Katsuki's thoughts, as they had for the entirety of the day after the first exercise ended. So many things about her felt off.
First off, she talked like she knew him, and Katsuki knew for a fact he had never met that girl in his life, with the exception of their first meeting at the Entrance Exam.
Second, why did she seem to adamant about fighting him? She seemed pretty calm the rest of the time, but the second the two of them fought, boom, she was acting crazy.
Rushing out of the front gate, Katsuki saw her walking toward the front gate.
"Hold it right there, Mute."
Quietly, she stopped, turned around, and hissed, "What?"
Katsuki gulped a little, but he kept going. "Did I do something to offend you? Like, piss in your cereal, or something? 'Cause, to be honest, I have no idea why the fuck you're acting the way you have been for the entirety of the day. If I did something, spit it out."
She was silent for a few moments, before simply saying… "I hate you."
"Yeah, I understand that much," Katsuki deadpanned. "Any specific reason why?"
"You'll find out soon enough," she said, approaching the spiky blond. "Also, my name is not "Mute," it's Yui Kodai. And I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer."
And just like that, she turned around.
Little did Katsuki know, someone was watching them.
But that did not matter for now.
Tomorrow was going to be another day.
The next day had arrived, and it was already off to a bad start.
"Hey, you!" the reporter shouted. "Can you tell us what it's like to work so closely with All Might? Are you one of All Might's students? Tell us, what's the Symbol of Peace like in person?"
"Well… he's super muscly? Yeah…"
Ochako honestly didn't know what the right answer was supposed to be. 'Oh, yeah, he's actually a bit of a cynic with a heart of gold once you get past the fact that he's a walking corpse.'
She had a feeling that wasn't gonna fly.
"How is he faring as a teacher? What are you learning?"
"His leadership and wisdom remind me on a daily basis that I attend the world's most prestigious educational institution," Iida answered to the reporter. "Of course, he's the personification of honor and integrity that one would expect, but he's also not afraid to show his students a more humorous side. It's truly a unique opportunity to be under the direct tutelage of the Pro we all admire, and… hey, why are you leaving?"
"Excuse me, kid, are you in All Might's class? Hold on, aren't you that Sludge Villain kid?"
"Walk away," Bakugou hissed.
"Please sir, can you get All Might for us? Also, you look like a mess. What's your deal?"
"All Might's not on campus today," Eraserhead groaned, as he gestured to the reporters to shoo away. "Now get out of here, you've disturbed my students enough already."
"But my viewers wanna know how he's adjusting to life as a teacher!"
"I feel like I've seen that guy somewhere before. But where?"
"I don't know, but he's a bit scruffy for a Hero…"
How does All Might ever get anything done with this media circus stepping on his cape?
"All right," one female reporter growled. "If you won't bring out All Might, I'll get –"
"NO, HOLD ON!" one of her colleagues tried to stop her, but…
BZZT!
"AAAAA!" she screamed. "HEY, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
"Don't you know about the school's defenses? This gate is the UA Barrier!"
"Defenses? It practically killed me!"
"Yeah, well, it's designed to stop anyone who doesn't have a student ID or a special pass from entering the campus," the man said, pointing at the wall. "Guess it works."
"Keeping the public out… this school thinks it's untouchable!"
None of the reporters noticed the blue-haired man standing behind them.
"Decent work on yesterday's combat training, you guys," the hobo-looking man grunted to the class. "I saw the video feeds, and went over each of your team's results. Also, Kodai, don't toy with your opponents. That's a good way to get people killed. Got it?"
"Mm," the black-haired girl nodded.
"Let's get down to business," Eraserhead said. "Our first task will decide your future."
Everyone immediately froze up, and thought, IS IT ANOTHER QUIRK TEST?!
"You all need to pick a class representative."
"Pick me, guys!" Kirishima shouted. "I wanna be the class rep!"
"I'll take it!" Kaminari smiled.
"Yeah, you're gonna need me," Jiro said.
Aoyama also readied his hand. "Someone with style –"
"I'M TOTALLY THE RIGHT PICK!" Ashido shouted over him.
"SILENCE! EVERYONE, PLEASE!" Iida shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "The class representative's duty is to lead others! That's not something just anyone can do! You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically! We will hold an election to choose our leader!"
"Is this really the best idea?" Kaminari asked, sweating a bit at the idea.
"We've only known each other for a few days, how do we know who we can trust?" Asui asked.
"Besides, everyone will just vote for themselves," Kirishima added.
"Most people will," Iida agreed. "But that means whoever does receive multiple votes must truly be the most suitable person for the job. It's the best way, right, sir?"
"Do what you want, just decide before my nap's over," Aizawa grunted.
"Thank you for your trust!"
Iida ended up becoming the class rep, with Yaoyorozu being the deputy rep.
Shinso, Yui-chan, Ochako, Koda, Todoroki, Tsu and oddly enough, Bakugou, didn't wish to be class representatives, leaving thirteen other possible candidates.
Iida's prediction about most people voting for themselves ended up becoming true, and by the end of it, Iida had three votes, while Yaoyorozu had two.
And now, it was lunch time.
"Always so crowded here," Yui-chan mumbled.
Their little group was composed of Ochako, Shinso, Yui-chan, and Iida, all of them eating their lunch together at their chosen table. The food was quite amazing, courtesy of Lunch Rush, but the brown-haired girl also valued the people she was eating with, too.
Deciding to make conversation, Shinso asked, "So, Iida, what does your family do?"
The bespectacled boy immediately stuttered. "Uhh… oh, it's nothing."
The other three students simply stared at him, not buying his bullshit.
"Ugh… I was afraid people would treat me differently if they knew about my family…" Iida grumbled. Relenting at their stares, he said, "You see the Iidas have been Pro Heroes for generations, it runs in our blood. Are you familiar with the Turbo Hero: Ingenium?"
"Sixty-five Sidekicks. Agency in Tokyo. Super popular," Yui answered.
"He's my elder brother," Iida smiled in pride. "Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the Hero code. As the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him!"
While both Ochako and Shinso stared at Iida in amazement, Yui's phone buzzed, as she read the text message. Right away, she stood up, and said, "Going to the bathroom."
"Oh, okay. Come back soon!" Ochako waved to her friend.
"Mm," the blue-eyed girl nodded.
"OW! This is a total mob!" Uraraka yelled, feeling crushed.
"They're causing a huge panic!" Shinso grunted.
About a minute after Kodai left for the bathroom, the alarms went off, something about a "Level Three Security Breach," which a blue-haired upperclassman explained as someone having managed to get past the school's barriers. Naturally, this caused people to evacuate.
Which meant that Tenya, Shinso, and Ochako were being squished in a crowd.
Pushing through the sea of students, Tenya got to the window, wondering who could have gotten to the school grounds. Taking a look, he saw… It was the press?!
"All you have to do is give us All Might!" the reporter shouted. "He's here somewhere!"
"He said it's his day off," Hizashi said.
"Just give us one good comment, on record, and then we'll leave!"
"I know how you people work. Give you an inch, and you'll want a mile," Shouta said.
"They are trespassing, that means they're kinda like Villains," Hizashi whispered into his best friend's ear. "Why don't we just beat them up?" It was quite the tempting idea.
"Don't you even think about it, unless you want your name dragged through the mud," Shouta whispered back. "Let's wait for the cops."
Turning back to the crowd, he began to shout, "THERE'S NO NEED TO WORRY, EVERYONE! IT WAS THE – OW!" Unfortunately, he couldn't get the message across.
"URARAKA!" Shinso shouted.
Looking toward the mob, Tenya saw that the brown-haired girl was being swept away by the crowd. As she reached toward Tenya to grab him, the blue-haired boy suddenly got an idea.
"TOUCH MY HAND! MAKE ME FLOAT ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE!"
Uraraka activated her Quirk, sending Tenya up into the air. I need a place where I can get everyone's attention! Pulling up his pant legs, he extended his engines, and –
PWOOF!
Tenya launched himself towards the wall, slamming it. Despite the sudden pain, his mind was elsewhere. This is it! Be precise, clear, and confident! MAKE AN IMPACT!
"LISTEN UP, EVERYTHING IS OKAY! IT'S JUST THE MEDIA OUTSIDE! THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! EVERYTHING'S FINE!" he shouted, grabbing everyone's attention, and calming down the mob. "WE'RE UA STUDENTS, WE NEED TO REMAIN CALM, AND PROVE THAT WE'RE THE BEST OF THE BEST!"
Tenya could hear Kaminari saying, "Look, the police are here!"
Not only that, but Kirishima sighed, "Thank goodness."
He did it. Everyone was now safe.
As the police lights shined, Present Mic smiled.
"That's a wrap!" he yelled. "Get these vultures out of our station!"
As Yui watched the police escort the media out of the UA grounds, she couldn't help but let out a small smile. Stuffing a piece of paper into her pocket, she headed back to class.
The rest of the day should turn out quite interesting, she thought to herself.
"How were ordinary members of the press able to bypass our security systems?" Nedzu asked himself, as he inspected the front gate with Midnight, Thirteen, and Recovery Girl.
The front gate itself was completely gone, tuned to dust.
"Someone else was behind this," Nedzu concluded. "Some Villain actually managed to infiltrate our school. But was this purely a show of power… or a declaration of war?"
Fuyumi watched as her little brother left for UA early in the morning.
Looking over to the landline, she picked it up, and called the primary school she taught in. "Uh, hello? Yes, it's Fuyumi Todoroki. I'm calling today because I won't be able to make it to class today. I… cough, cough… caught something last night. I'm so sorry."
"Understood, Todoroki-san. We'll send a substitute for your class today."
"Thank you, I should be feeling better by tomorrow. Good-bye." As she hung up, she looked around to see that no one was in the house anymore. Shoto was on his way to school, Natsuo was on campus, and dear old dad was at work. She was alone. Perfect
Heading to her room, she pulled out a box from her closet, and opened it, smiling as she saw the black leather jacket and pants, face mask, and a few other accessories. Showtime.
Despite what had happened the previous day, classes stayed the same.
"Today's training will be a little different," Aizawa said. "You'll have three instructors, me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."
"Sir, what kind of training is this?" Sero asked.
"Rescue," he answered. "You'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that."
"Disasters, huh?" Kaminari said. "Sounds like we're in for a big workout."
"Totally!" Ashido agreed with him.
"Real Hero stuff," Kirishima smiled, making himself present in the conversation. "This is what separates the men from the boys. I'm shaking with excitement!"
"Finally, I'll show off how good I am in water, ribbit," Asui croaked.
"Guys, I'm not finished yet. What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes, but keep in mind that you haven't gotten used to them yet, and they might limit your abilities," Aizawa said, pressing the button that brought out the cases. "This special training is at an off-campus facility, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's all. Start getting ready."
Emi hoped that whatever bad feeling she was having would pass.
It started yesterday when the alarms went off. Luckily, she was eating her lunch in the nurse's office with Recovery Girl and Eri, and was able to keep her daughter calm.
But knowing for a fact that someone dusted the UA Barrier… upset her.
She and her husband moved to the neighborhood near UA so they could stay closer to the place they deemed as the ultimate safe haven. She even accepted Nedzu's offer to get a job at UA to make the transition easier, all for the sake of their daughter.
But now knowing that UA wasn't as infallible? It was a scary thought.
But she wouldn't give up. She wouldn't be scared due to the fact that the gate was dusted by what could have easily just been a teenage hooligan. She was Ms. Joke, a teacher, a Pro Hero, and a mother goddammit! She married Eraserhead, she doesn't know when to quit!
Walking into the class, she noted that everyone was in their seats, except for…
Oh, right. Mikumo called in sick today. Odd, considering it was the first week of school, but stuff like that happens. She couldn't blame him for being caught off-guard.
She hoped Shouta was having an easy time with his students, as well.
"The bus's open layout ruined my boarding strategy…" Iida grumbled.
"Iida, you really need to chill," Ashido said.
If we're pointing out the obvious, then there's something I wanna say. About you, actually."
"About me?" Ochako asked. "What is it, Asui?"
"Please call me Tsu," the green-haired girl asked.
"Oh, okay!"
"Your power… the part where you can alter your own gravity, it reminds me a lot of All Might."
That caught Ochako off-guard, but she knew she had to play it cool. "What, really? You think so, huh? I never really thought about that…"
"Wait, hold on, Tsu, All Might's power is super strength, while Uraraka's gravity alterations only make it look like she has super strength. That makes a huge difference," Kirishima said. "Still, you can do a lot of flashy stuff with that, which will make you a popular Hero."
"My Navel Laser's got the perfect combination of panache and strength," Aoyama said.
"But it's way lame if it gives you a stomach ache, sweetie," Ashido added.
"Well, if any of our classmates have Pro Quirks, it's Todoroki and Bakugou," Kirishima said.
"Sure, but Bakugou will never be that popular," Asui said.
Bakugou just grunted, and then went back to ignoring everyone.
"Hey, we're here," Aizawa announced.
"Hello, everyone, I've been waiting for you!"
Ochako gasped in amazement, as her eyes grew wide. Next to All Might was a Hero who was wearing a white space suit, which resembles more of a puffy jacket, with yellow sneakers.
This was the Hero she wanted to be like before All Might offered her his Quirk.
"It's the Space Hero: Thirteen!" she squealed. "The chivalrous Pro who's rescued a ton of people from disasters across the world! I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!"
"Aw, that's nice to hear," Thirteen said, as she gestured to the building behind her. "Now I really can't wait to show you what's inside! Everyone, please follow me!"
Walking behind the Pros, Class 1-A marveled as they saw the giant doors open up to, making everyone's eyes widen at the reveal of something akin to an amusement park.
"Holy crap…" Kirishima uttered.
"A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, etcetera!" Thirteen announced, waving her hands at her masterpiece. "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!"
"All Might, you're here," Aizawa deadpanned towards the blond Hero. "I was half-expecting you to have booked an interview instead. Way to surprise me."
All Might whispered to Aizawa, "Actually, I did a lot of Hero work on the way to school this morning. Chances are, I might have to leave here soon."
"You are the height of irresponsibility," Aizawa hissed at the Symbol of Peace.
"Before we begin, let me just say one thing!" Thirteen announced. "Well, maybe two things. Possibly three, four, or five…"
"Get on with it…" All Might grunted, feeling his time limit dwindling.
"Right, sorry, got it," Thirteen apologized. "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?" Ochako smiled, her inner fangirl kicking into high-gear.
"That's true, but my Quirk could also very easily be used to kill," she said. "Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous. In our superhuman society, all Quirks are certified and strongly 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 my combat training, you likely experienced how dangerous your powers could be when used against other people," All Might said, as Thirteen continued her part.
"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."
Ochako smiled as the Hero concluded her speech. Thirteen is so cool!
"That's all I have to say," she bowed. "Thank you so much for listening."
As the class cheered, Aizawa groaned. "Right, now that that's over –"
Suddenly, something felt very wrong.
Within the middle of the plaza, space itself seemed to wobble and distort. A small black and purple hole appeared, growing bigger and bigger, until it exploded in size.
Then, figures started pouring out of it.
"Stay together and don't move!" Eraserhead yelled.
"Thirteen, protect the students!" All Might ordered.
"Wait, has the training started already?" Kirshim asked. "I thought we were rescuing people."
"STAY BACK!" Eraserhead braked, as he put on his goggles. "This is real. Those are Villains."
Ochako's breath stilled, as she looked down toward the Villains that had invaded UA. There were around thirteen of them, by her count, and they all looked intimidating as hell.
One of them was a dude wearing a long, black leather jacket, with a bunch of hands covering his entire body, including his face. She really hoped they were fake.
The weird black portal that brought all of the Villains here suddenly opened its big yellow eyes, and she realized at that moment that the warp gate was also a Villain.
Another one was a woman with short hair, which came in two colors, pink and indigo. Not only that, but she was wearing a long purple dress. She looked oddly familiar.
Two of the Villains were wearing parkas, those long jackets used for the extreme cold. One of them was colored red, while the other one was bright blue, both covering the Villains' faces.
There was also another woman, with black hair in a ponytail, a black facemask, and another long, black leather jacket. The only non-black article of clothing was her white shirt.
Yet another person was wearing a mask, this one covering their entire face, while also sporting a top hat, while wearing an orange shirt and black vest, along with a yellow overcoat.
There was also a blonde girl, one who seems to be around Ochako's age, who was wearing a black-and-red school uniform, with an odd piece of support gear on her face.
There were also three other goons, who were all wearing similar-looking masks, those that made Ochako think, "plague doctor." One of them was a big man with orange hair, another was a blond man with a sword in his hand, and the third had greasy-looking hair, and an odd piece of support gear on his back, which wrapped around the fur jacket he was wearing.
One of the more scary-looking ones, however, was the hulking black mass of muscles. The Villain had a beak-like mouth with sharp teeth, and their brain was exposed. They looked like something straight out of a goddamn horror movie, in Ochako's opinion.
But the most intimidating-looking one was the Villain that came in last.
They were tall, taller than Ochako, wearing a white shirt with a suit, but no tie. However, the most eye-grabbing part about them was the fact they were wearing a mask. A skull-like mask with angular tubes at the top, and a wide, collar-like system all around their neck, with additional pipes connecting in the front and in the back. She couldn't even see their face.
For some reason, Ochako was scared by that Villain, most of all.
Author's Note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
Yes, that's right! The day this gets published is my birthday! Yay for me! Oh, and, a bunch of Villains have decided to pounce on Uraraka and friends, I guess that happened, too. But anyways, time for me to read my presents – I mean, the comments!
Knightmare Lord: Yeah, Kodai is keeping a lot of secrets. If I were you, I'd keep an eye out on her, the people she interacts with, and all of her actions.
Cherry314: I didn't think of the WWE theme during the previous chapter. It had more horror movie vibes to me, I guess. But you do you, I'm not gonna stop you.
EmilMobile: I'm glad to see that I've written Shinso in a way people like. And as for the tea party Eri had with her dad, that was actually a last-minute addition that I added to round out the pages. Also, apologies, but none of the other Battle Trials were as interesting as the first one, hence why I sorta skipped them. Though, I hope you did enjoy that cliffhanger! Hope you like what's coming up next!
TheJowlTN1125: Oh, Uraraka is about to have her entire world turned upside down. She may be blazing through her classes, but her nemesis has decided to crash the party, and we all know that this guy is a particular brand of genius. Though, I am glad you enjoyed this so much that you decided to stick around! Hope you like what comes next!
And now, for the last bit of shilling…
If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!
- Ernalore