Today, I have some thing I to need to urgently address and stress that you don't skip this note to just read the chapter.
Recently, I have been received several Private Messages and one review asking my permission to post this story as video on their Youtube channels where they are read out. Now, I have seen these channels before, and they are damn near everywhere with the same format, and same boring as generic ass TTS voices to read stories out like clockwork. On that note, I do at least appreciate being asked for permission rather than just doing it without my permission.
I already found two separate Youtube channels that did just that and guess what? Those channels don't exist anymore, because me and a few other authors who had their shit stolen struck them down and will do so again, if we find out other channels that do this without asking.
Regardless these are basically low-effort content farms that mass produce these videos throughout Youtube and other video hosting sites. All with similar thumbnails, style, titles of the video and topped off with a generic TTS voice.
(Speaking titles, one example from those channels that tried to steal, Guilt: The Trial of Izuku Midoriya, renamed it to simply, "What if Izuku was ambushed on his way back to UA?")
The fuck is up with that shit?
Now, I'm not completely the against the idea. However, call me egotistical, but I damned a higher quality of effort if you want to adapt ANY of my stories on any Youtube channel that I am not personally running.
So, I will simply list my requirements for any of you who want get my approval to adapt any of my stories.
First: The proper credit and links to myself and on all platforms that I upload FFN/AO3/Wattpad.
Second: The story's full and proper title in the video. Again going back to the example above.
Three: And I am sorry to say this one, but either real VAs or improved AI voice work. The genetic TTS voices won't cut for me. You don't even have to replicate the voices of the actual VAs, but doing something different for the sake of quality for the audience is 100% a must for me and will not compromise it.
Four: No monetization. I don't make money from fanfiction, and no one really should. (I do not count those get donations from Pat-eron or other forms of independent online patronage) Fanfiction has usually skirted the line about copyright and other legal issues. I know for a fact some of these content farms try to monetize their low-effort channels. (Yeah, I refuse to support that.) This goes double if they use the improved AI voices of actual VAs. (I only support AI voices for meme stuff, like Presidents play video games and other funny dumb shit, like Seto Kaiba sings Green Day songs. I find that shit hilarious.)
Five: Assuming that the above condition could be met, I would need some time to go ahead and fix up the stories requested. (Just to clear up a few hiccups that managed to escape me even after reviewing the chapter before upload.) I would even adjust the chapters into a format that would be easier for video.
Six: Depending on what you want to adapt into a video. I would set the pacing of uploads. For example, Guilt: the Trial of Izuku Midoriya is 14 total chapters. I would have the story adapted into three parts, Chapters 1-6 (as Part 1) Chapter 7-12 (as Part 2) chapters 13-14 (as the finale) to best keep with the pacing that works best.
Seven: I would like to review the video before it goes live for quality control and ensure it meets all of my requirements.
Again, I don't care how egotistical this might sound. But I am actually trying to become an author and my personal philosophy being a writer is that any reader who decides to read my stuff deserves my best efforts to try and make it worth their time.
This is no different for a listener instead of a reader, I will always do my best to get all of you the best.
Okay, now with that out of that way. I would just like to add that the second chapter of The Black Dragon Knights. (The prequel story that covers Hisashi's life.) was uploaded yesterday in case you didn't notice. Again, it's not required reading, but you want some more clues on how to crack that cryptogram.
You might want to check it out.
Alright...I think that covers it for now. See ya'll next week! Or maybe sooner if you follow my other stories.
My Hero Academia Untold: The Knights of Fafnir
Saga I: Dusk
Arc II: The Incident
Chapter XVII: Welcome to Heroing 101
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first and the lesson afterward."
-Vernon Law
Eri was already fast asleep on the couch while her caretakers sat around the kitchen table, planning the steps to bring her to UA for the next week or so. Her evaluation would be essential if she started living out any kind of life in society. With any luck, she can start going to school soon. Inko could only homeschool Eri so much without fear of stepping on the toes of a school that would accept an early semester transfer student with no prior schooling history.
"So, have we settled on how you'll be taking care of Eri at school?" Inko asked nervously.
"I think we do, Mom," Izuku answered as he mulled over the details.
"Once I see how our core classes work tomorrow and have a chance to let our homeroom class know about Eri staying with us, just so there are no surprises," Izuku added as he thought about the best way to inform their classmates about bringing Eri to class. That's when Ochako realized something important that Izuku may have forgotten about when considering Eri.
"Izuku!" The two Midoriyas turned to her with curiosity, given that Ochako had primarily been silent throughout most of the conversation.
"What?" Izuku asked, concerned by Ochako's tone.
"What are we going to do about that one boy?" Ochako worriedly began to ask, only to pause for a moment to ponder his name before saying, "Tokoyami?"
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked with a puzzled expression, thinking about which classmate she was referring to. Learning seventeen new names and their faces would take a while.
"Remember what Eri said who she had been with before us about birds?"
Izuku's eyes widened as he finally matched the face with the name she mentioned.
"Is something wrong, Izuku?" Inko asked, now concerned herself.
"There is this boy in our class who seems a bit odd, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy either," Izuku started as he placed his hand under his chin, clearly thinking carefully. "But there could be an issue with his face or, more accurately, his whole head. He literally has a bird's head, like with a beak and feathers."
Meanwhile, unknown to them, that same boy was beginning to sneeze heavily in his bedroom at that very minute.
"Confound to these damnable allergies, AH-CHOO!"
"He might scare her just by his appearance alone," Ochako added sadly. She was worried about not just Eri but possibly offending their new classmate.
"We could let Eri know about him before taking her to UA," Izuku suggested, thinking of the best way to make this as painless as possible for everyone.
"Maybe a picture could help?" Inko added to the surprise of both teens.
"With permission, of course. Something tells me that if this boy's appearance can be seen as fearsome as you make him out to be, he may already have experience with this," Inko thought about her previous experience with Gang Orca. The man's rather terrifying appearance got him placed on the Top Ten Pro-Heroes that look like Villains list(*1) on more than one occasion. "I'm pretty sure you can explain the situation and ask politely. I'm sure he'll understand the situation."
"That's not a bad idea," Izuku said in a hopeful tone. "I'll ask him tomorrow, and hopefully, we shouldn't have too many issues, just like when we take Eri outside."
Inko smiled, but her thoughts turned to what Mitsuki had said to her earlier. She thought about addressing her newfound concerns, but upon seeing the concerned faces of the two teens worried about the snow-haired child that slept on the couch nearby, she didn't have the heart to do it now.
'No, I think it will be better if I talk about that after Eri's evaluation, I don't want to stress them out more than they are now.'
"Well, I think that about covers it," Ochako said as she stretched her arms while seated. "I'm going back to my apartment tonight; there are a few things I have to take care of."
"Okay then, please be careful on your way back, okay?" Inko said, worried about the teen she had grown very fond of and saw the time on the clock.
"Mom, I'm pretty sure she can take care of herself," Izuku interjected with a small laugh. "You should see the flip she can pull on someone."
"First-hand experience?" Inko said cocking an eyebrow with some amusement etched on her face.
"Training!" Izuku clarified with a nervous laugh.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Izuku. Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Midoriya." Ochako said as she got up from her seat and politely bowed to Inko before walking over to the couch. She gave Eri a quick kiss on the cheek and brushed off her snow-white hair from her face. See you tomorrow after school, Eri."
Izuku was already at the door, opening it for Ochako.
"See you tomorrow then?
"Yep! Good night, and take care of Eri for me!"
"Right!"
After closing the front door, Izuku approached the sleeping child and gently picked her up. After saying good night to his mother, he made his way to his room, placing Eri on her little bed tucked in the corner. It was an excellent, colorful little addition to his ordinarily drab and empty space. As he tucked in Eri, he breathed a heavy yawn, worn out from the day's excitement. Izuku decided to turn in early for the night, hoping tomorrow would be a more exciting day at UA.
Ochako sat in her bedroom, talking with her parents. She finally told them the truth about Eri. Thanks to the breakthrough in the investigation and getting the clearance to say it only to her parents with the promise that it would only be between them.
In turn, they raised a fair number of concerns about the issue. Still, since Ochako wasn't under any legal obligations and even had All Might's backing. Any concerns the two may have had about Eri or the Midoriyas seem to have eased up. However, now that their concerns had been put to rest. It did nothing to stop the sudden wave of teasing Ochako was now receiving from the two and her apparent ascension into being a mother for Eri.
"Did you finally get over your ol' knight, hun?" Her father had said over the phone, "Do I need to be worried about this new boy in your life?"
"Daddy, please! It-it's a bit complicated!" Ochako managed to say with a red face, thankful that they weren't using a video chat. So she opted to take a drink of water from a cup nearby if only to cool off her blush.
"That wasn't a no~" he laughed before the phone was pulled away from him, and her mother came on the line.
"Alright, alright, dear, you had your fun. Now, Ochako sweetie, just take yer time and don't be rushin' any quicker than you have already! One grandchild is enough for us! So make sure you protect yourself if ya' wind up doin' anything more serious."
In the background, both Ochako and her father did a spit-take at the woman's joke.
"Ma!" Ochako gasped with a dark, cherry-red face. "I swear you can be worse than Daddy!"
"Hun, don't be encouragin' her!" She heard her father say.
"Hush! I'm not; I'm just being realistic here! I mean, you remember back when we were in school, and we..."
"NOPE, MA, I AM NOT HEARING THIS TODAY!" Ochako almost screamed out, completely done with her mother's antics and thankful that Inko wasn't the same way with Izuku. She could hear her father's fluster in the background while her mother laughed.
"Anyways, Ochako, I'm glad that you're not alone out there. It was one thing I was so worried about sendin' you over there without us. And we're still so sorry that we couldn't come there to join you."
"It's okay, Ma," Ochako answered with a bittersweet smile.
"I really do miss you both, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the same when I first came here, but thanks to the Midoriyas, I feel like family here too, you know? I thought it would be hard for a girl like me to make friends in the big city at the most famous hero school in the country. But they...they've made it so much easier for me, and I'm so thankful for it..."
Ochako finished with a genuine smile and a warm feeling in her heart.
It had been a well-kept hidden fear in her heart for her to attend UA alone. While she could call her family every night. It doesn't replace the loneliness of being alone after being used to being with a loving family all of your life. She feared becoming homesick. Yet, when Izuku offered his home with open arms before she returned home, the time she had spent with the Midoriyas and Eri seemed to have prevented that from happening.
"Glad to hear it, hun; maybe we might be swinging by for a visit soon!"
"That would be nice, ma. Anyways, I'm off to bed. Good night, Ma. Tell Daddy good night for me, too, please."
"Alrighty, hun, have a good night and stay safe. Love you, Ochako."
"Love ya too, ma." With that, Ochako hung up the phone, plugged it in to charge, and settled into bed, all while thinking about what the future had in store for her.
The following day at UA, everyone was set for the day as Midnight walked in to begin homeroom.
"Good morning, everyone," The woman said with a cheerful smile, excited to continue her new role as a homeroom teacher.
"Good Morning, Miss Kayama," everyone sans Katsuki called out in unison, bowing politely to begin the day.
"Excellent; now we have quite a bit to go over today, including your first real heroics lesson with All Might."
The room burst with cheers at this news. It had been what everyone had been waiting for when they started at UA. Midnight couldn't help but smile at her students' enthusiasm, as it had been the same for her when she had attended UA years ago. Their enthusiasm almost made her reconsider cracking out her riding crop to silence the class.
Almost
"Alright, then settle down," Midnight said with a quick whip and crack of said riding crop, instantly making everyone in the class sit still, wary of their homeroom teacher. "Now, the first thing we need to review quickly is the UA ranking system."
At these words, many students seemed confused about what their teacher meant. Several of them had never heard of a ranking system at UA except maybe for the Sports Festival. Nemuri saw several students with puzzled expressions and decided to fill them in.
"Ah, yes. You see here at UA that since we are trying to train you all to become true Pro-Heroes. UA's environment is set to be more in line with how civilians will affect your careers! When we go over certain training exercises with All Might, we will record your actions and show them to the student body. With the help of your liaisons, the student body will assist in your evaluations and placement of the general ranking per year group."
While some students seemed to understand better once the term Liaison Students was mentioned, those like Tenya, Izuku, Shouto, and Momo all nodded, already familiar with the term. However, others like Denki shot his hand up while still carrying a puzzled expression shared between the rest of the students.
"Yes, Kaminari?" Midnight called out.
"What are Liaisons? I've never heard of anything like that before."
"Ah, yes. This is mostly because only UA and Shiketsu apply these mechanics to their curricula. As you all know by now, you have no electives as, by default, your "elective" is heroics, which is a core class for this course." Midnight began to answer as she began posing lewdly again. "However, this is not the case for the Support, General, and Business course classes, so every year, each Non-heroics Course group gets a selection of two students that are assigned to serve as Liaisons with their position serving as their 'elective.' Liaisons, in turn, serve as a bridge between the Hero Course and their respective Courses."
A few students still carried that puzzled expression, so Midnight continued.
"This means they can join us for certain events to serve special functions. And in the case of the General Studies liaisons, they also tend to double as replacements for newly opened spots in the Hero Course if needed," Midnight paused with that, allowing the response to sink in.
Almost everyone seated flinched at this; UA already had their replacements waiting in the wings if needed.
Midnight, however, continued so as to not let the students dwell with dark thoughts.
"Business Course students can assist you in how you can brand and market yourself in the future. In our case, the Business Liaison for 1-A is Miss Jou Mori."
Rikidou's face perked up at this.
"She has a rather fun feature to her Quirk. Anything she cooks tends to give consumers a real boost!"
"As for the 1-A Support Course Liaison, Mei Hatsume..."
Tenya shuddered as a chill ran down his spine.
"She and her team will be in charge of repairing, upgrading, or replacing costumes and gear as needed. We will all get a chance to get to know our liaisons better in due time."
Many in the class seemed to understand the system better now.
Izuku, however, had known about the system for a very long time. After all, it was here at UA that his father, Hisashi, not only fell for his mother but recruited her to be his marketing manager as well. This was also where his father recruited one of the best support gear technicians in the industry, Daigo Urashima.
Both of them had been the Liaisons for his father's Hero class in the Business and Support Courses, respectively.
"Together, the Liaisons will be instrumental in how you are graded and ranked by the student bodies they represent," Midnight added, double-checking some of her notes on the podium.
"This can reflect your standing out in life once you actually go pro. Take these rankings seriously, especially if you plan to make it into the big leagues and run your own agency someday. Pro-Heroes looking to scout look at these rankings carefully since you will also be competing with 1-B for the top five spots."
"Are we ranked right now?" asked Katsuki curiously.
Midnight nodded slowly as she double-checked her notes.
"Indeed, you have already been ranked based on the entrance exam. You, Mr. Bakugou, are currently ranked second overall among the first years at this moment. Still, it can change very quickly if you are not careful."
Kastuki clicked his tongue because it meant Izuku was currently ranked first if that was the case. The grin grew on his face as he remembered what Izuku had said to him months ago.
'I'm gonna need to push harder now!'
"Okay, that settles that for now," Midnight turned to leave the room. "I'll be leaving you here for a few minutes to get a few things and to give you a chance to know each other better, as teamwork and cooperation will be key for you all."
As the class began to warm up to one another. Izuku took this as a chance to finally inform everyone in class about Eri and her visit to UA. Izuku stood up and got in front of Midnight before she could leave, and he quickly whispered his request. The class went silent as they watched Midnight nod at Izuku's words. After a moment, Izuku turned around while Midnight called everyone to attention.
"Ah, yes, I'm sorry, everyone, there is one last thing we have to go over. Midoriya, you have the floor."
"Uh..." Izuku began, unsure how to start, while the rest of the class was silent; their collective attention was now on the greenette's shoulders. "You see...uhh."
It suddenly dawned on Ochako what Izuku was trying to do, so she stood up and walked beside him. Shortly after, Katsuki, who had learned about the plan earlier this morning on his way to school, followed him. Having his two friends next to him did help ease his nerves and allow him to regain his voice.
"So…before school started, Ochako and I got into a rather strange situation, and to make a long story short, my family took in a young girl that we found in the streets." The young Dragon knew he had to keep it as vague as possible. Thankfully, no one seemed needlessly curious about the situation. "And basically, we've been able to take care of her. UA has agreed to assist us by allowing her to take her quirk evaluation here."
Izuku took a breath and looked around to engage everyone's reaction. So far, he only saw a mixture of surprise, curiosity, and some confusion.
"It was recommended and approved by the principal due to the unknown nature of her Quirk. We're going to have Mr. Aizawa on standby to stop her if anything goes wrong, but it also means she will be here attending school with me. And only just for a few days! All I ask is for your cooperation and understanding. She's very shy and easily scared, but since she'll only be here until her evaluation is done."
Izuku finished up before bowing instinctively. While most seemed satisfied by the answer, others still seemed confused, but thankfully, Tenya spoke up on the matter.
"It makes sense to me. I have heard of some doctors doing this with children who have Quirks that could easily be activated accidentally. I know that it would not be the first time that UA or another hero school with a staff member with a suppression Quirk would host an evaluation like this. I believe this is a way to ease public concerns when children start displaying certain Quirks that could be powerful and yet easy to lose control of."
It seemed to work, as everyone else absorbed his words and seemed far more welcomed to the idea.
Tōru suddenly spoke up with her shirt sleeve raised, signaling that she had her hand up.
"Is she cute?"
"She's adorable," Ochako answered with a cheerful smile. "I have a picture of her on my phone."
Many students and Midnight exclaimed as they saw the picture of a shy-looking Eri sitting between the two teens that Ochako had pulled up on her phone.
"Awww!"
"That's a cute lil' family." The pink-skinned Mina Ashido teased seeing the picture, making the two teens blush furiously. Seeing the two unable to speak allowed Katsuki to continue now that the class was leveled out.
"Long story short, she'll be here for a few days, and then she'll be able to go to her own school when it's done."
"And what is your role in this, Bakugou?" Momo questioned, seeing how Izuku and Ochako were involved but not how Katsuki fell into the mix.
He, in turn, responded with a slightly terrifying grin.
"I'm the fun uncle."
The rest of the day went by relatively smoothly as Izuku, Ochako, and Katsuki sat together, eating lunch. Though it was only the second day, things did seem to settle, with people finding their own friend groups already. For example, a trio of boys, Ryu, Denki, and Minoru, had formed up and chatted at a table in one of the corners. In contrast, another trio formed of Hanta, Mashirao, and Eijirou seemed to have set themselves up in another group.
The majority of the girls, sans Ochako, had a table to themselves. While Rikidou was eating lunch with a blonde girl who had been helping out The Pro-Hero, Lunch Rush serve food to other students and sat alongside a group of Business Course students. However, others like Fumikage were nowhere to be seen, much to the disappointment of Izuku, who was trying to catch the bird boy before the day ended.
However, to the trio's surprise, they were approached by Tenya and Shouto.
"I hope you do not mind us joining you?" Tenya asked as he and Shouto sat down at their table. Katsuki simply grunted in response as he ate, while Izuku and Ochako completely welcomed the two with open arms.
"Of course, you're more than welcome to join us," Izuku chirped while Ochako nodded, her face currently full of tasty white rice.
"Thank you," Tenya answered gratefully before taking the first bite of his lunch. It was always far easier to get to know someone while breaking bread and, maybe soon enough, taking down foes together.
/
This was the case for Denki as he regaled Ryu and Mineta about some of the latest anime of the season, with the other two adding their own input here and there.
"I'm telling you guys! The remake is actually pretty killer!" Denki exclaimed, going over a recent remake of a popular ninja anime.
"Oh, come on! The animation can be so shit compared to some of the stuff in the common era!" Ryu said exhaustively, adding a comment about lousy CGI.
"Well, it depends on what you're watching since some things never change, heheheh." Minoru laughed to himself as lewd memories ran through his head.
"But they improved the story and got rid of some of the other filler crap that held the original back!"
"But that was the part of the charm of the old days!"
/
As the table with most of the girls chatted about their lives before coming to UA, Tsuyu showed off a few photos of her friends and family.
"Ooooh...Who's that hunk of a blond in that picture, Tsu?" Mina asked, seeing the picture of Tsuyu with a large blond foreign boy with blue eyes and a large shit-eating grin plastered on his face as he stood next to the Frog girl.
"Ribbit? Renchan(*2)?" Tsuyu questioned, checking the screen to see which picture was displayed.
"Is that his name? He looks foreign to me," Mina retorted, now wondering if the boy was of mixed race.
"Oh no, Ribbit. That's just my nickname for him. Ribbit, his actual name is Martin Allen. He's an American who used to live on a JSDF base, hosting a family of US soldiers not too far from my house. We were classmates in middle school and are still friends today, ribbit. He's a bit silly and kind of dumb, but he meant pretty well. His family was something else, though, ribbit."
Tsuyu couldn't help but giggle as she remembered Martin's parents.
"I used to have a bit of a crush on him, ribbit, but he moved back to the US before I could ever really say anything."
"Aww..." Mina breathed out, now a bit disappointed she had always been a massive sucker for a good romance. "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be..."
"Maybe it was for the best, though?" Kashiko suggested before taking another bite of her meal.
"Ribbit...what do you mean?"
"I mean, we're still in school, so wouldn't a relationship interfere with our studies?"
"It is possible," Momo injected while calmly eating her food.
"Aww, come on, guys! It couldn't be that bad," Tōru piped up with a slight whine.
"I am not saying it's bad or good...I guess it would really just depend on the couple," Kashiko said while eyeing Rikidou and Jou. "I mean, I guess a good couple could possibly work out."
"While others..." The girl paused to look at the immature-looking trio in the opposite corner that was busy, roaring loudly with laughter. "Should definitely wait…."
"Nah, you just wait until you fall for someone. I mean, look at those two." Mina said, pointing at the other table, making every girl turn to where Ochako and Izuku sat. "That's just a ship waiting to sail. And they basically already have a daughter; come on! Place your bets now because it's only a matter of time before they're official, I promise you."
When lunch ended, Izuku felt a hand fall on his shoulder, causing him to turn and see Shouto Todoroki looking at him intently despite his earlier silence. When Tenya had done most of the talking for both of them.
"Can I help you, Todoroki?" Izuku asked, puzzled by the quiet boy's sudden action.
"Come with me for a moment; it will be quick," Shouto whispered, motioning to a nearby corner. Izuku stood there unsure but decided to follow him. Tenya, Ochako, and Katsuki had already gone ahead as their next class was heroics with All Might.
"Okay, what do you need?" Izuku asked calmly as they reached the secluded spot.
Shouto turned around before looking him in the eyes and said the words that made Izuku's heart feel like it had frozen with fear.
"I know who you are, Midoriya," The heterochromatic boy said in a monotone voice. "And I know who your father was."
"Wha-w-w-what do you mean?" Izuku stammered, his body instantly tensing up.
"You're Draco Knight's son, right?"
Izuku was doing everything he could to remain calm, yet he could already feel like he was about to faint on the spot. His breathing was beginning to feel fast and heavy. His memories swirled with how his life had changed after his father's funeral. Many people often whispered about him and his inherited bloodlust as they looked at him like a leper.
Then, some weren't afraid to let him know what they thought.
MONSTER!
FREAK!
DRAGON? MORE LIKE DEVIL!
ARE YOU SURE YOU SHOULD BE A HERO? LOOK WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOUR DAD!
The laughs, the bullying, the accusations, everything was coming back to him all at once.
'No…please...NO!'
"Midoriya!" Shouto's voice called, snapping him out of his dark thoughts. Izuku yelped, causing him to take a sharp breath.
"I am sorry. I should have worded this better." Shouto coughed as he realized his mistake after seeing the color drain from Izuku's face. "I know who you are, and so does Tenya...and I want you to know that you have nothing to fear from either of us."
Izuku tried to respond but ended up choking on his own spit, proceeding to cough instead.
"I still need to work on how I speak to people..." Shouto murmured to himself with a slight frown as Izuku was trying to put himself back together. "By the looks of it, I understand why you are hiding your linage and Quirk, and I do not blame you for doing so. I just want you to know that you have friends in us—friends who understand your situation. We were fans of your father as well."
It was a massive mix of emotions for Izuku, from reliving all his fears to knowing that despite everything he said about his father...he still had fans, which made him want to cry out with joy. Yet, Izuku couldn't help but still be on edge. Now, he didn't want to seem suspicious of Shouto's intentions, hoping to see the good in him, but he wanted to play it safe until he could be sure.
"I'm sorry about my reaction." That was all Izuku could say in the end.
Shouto simply nodded and motioned to begin their return to class. Izuku stood there for one more moment; as his nerves finally returned to normal, the boy realized something else. How did Shouto and Tenya know? It would have to be something to ask later, as he needed to get to class.
"I AM HERE! COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A HERO!"
All Might exclaimed as the door slid open with him appearing in his sliver age costume to the roaring joy and applause of almost everyone in the room.
"I hope you are all ready for your first round of basic hero training, or what I like to call it," All Might continued with a broad smile and a thumbs-up. "Heroing 101! But first, I have something for all of you! Something I think you've all been waiting for!"
All Might then pulled out a small remote and pushed a button that opened a wall in the back of the classroom with several suitcases marked from one to twenty. The class instantly cheered as they realized what they were.
"NO WAY!"
"IS THAT OUR SUITS?!"
All Might couldn't help but enjoy the children's enthusiasm; they had all clearly waited for this moment for a very long time.
"Correct, boys and girls! Now get suited up and meet me at the control room station Alpha of training ground Gamma! It's a gray building with a big "A" on its front."
Almost everyone scrambled to get their hero costumes, as more than a few of them had been waiting for this moment for years. When Izuku collected his suitcase and headed over to the locker room, his thoughts turned to around a week ago, when he got the paperwork for the clothing allowance, when Ryūko decided to take him alone on a memorable little trip.
/
"Kyū, where are we going?" Izuku asked as he sat in his cousin's car.
"To my agency," the young woman answered while keeping her golden eyes on the road. "Now that you're about to start at UA, there is something important you need to see."
Ryūko's agency belonged to Sir Nighteye before he left the Hero scene to join the National Diet. Considering her position when Hisashi was still alive, Ryūko had a big leg up compared to many of her peers and former fellow sidekicks of The Drake's Den.
Many of Hisashi's former staff joined her at The Dragon's Nest, named in honor of The Drake's Den.
When they arrived, Ryūko was quick to move Izuku inside. Hoping to avoid any media or paparazzi that would occasionally hide at critical points in the public spaces in the hopes of snapshots or hounding for questions. Thankfully, nothing like that happened, and they entered without issue.
Izuku had visited before, but Ryūko today guided him to the basement, where he hadn't ever been before.
"Your father was more like an Uncle to me than a cousin, Izuku," She continued as they walked down the staircase.
"He helped me out in my career, and I have always wanted to pay him back," said Ryūko, giving Izuku a meaningful sideways glance. "Which is why I'm here to finally give you this."
In the basement was an extensive collection of Draco Knight merchandise that floored Izuku, who thought for a moment that Ryūko was about to give him this whole collection. However, Ryūko instead pointed toward a large wardrobe at the end of the room. Izuku looked at his cousin first, receiving a nod from her before walking toward the wardrobe while still amazed at the collection Ryūko had. As he stood before the large wooden piece, he slowly opened it, and what was inside left Izuku completely speechless.
It was a costume.
"It was supposed to be the costume of a squire," Ryūko said quietly.
"When you are ready for UA, I'll deem you worthy of being named my squire."
His father's words echoed in his head as he struggled to keep the tears coming from his eyes while he gingerly opened his suitcase and pulled out its contents. All those years of training had been leading up to this moment. The design had surprised him; it wasn't like the classic armor costume his father wore. Instead, it appeared upon closer inspection to be more like a dark green full-body suit with high-density plastic bracers for his hands, arms, and shins. It also had a small breastplate made from the same material. The plastics all had holes in places where his spikes came out before taking in One For All.
"You can submit it to the school, and it will be modified to fit you. It was your father who designed that prototype," Ryūko said with a sad smile.
"But I personally added the next piece." She then tapped on the said piece. Izuku saw it wasn't like his father's helm. Instead, it was a cowl with his father's emblem displayed on the back. "I made a version without the emblem since we were always hoping maybe one day...you would want to make one of your own."
That was the moment Izuku lost it. He suddenly turned around and ran up to his cousin, wrapping her up in the biggest hug he could give. Tears flowed out of his eyes, and no words could ever match what he wanted to say, just how grateful he was to her at that moment.
Ryūko, in turn, returned his hug, tears flowing down her face, knowing how much this would have meant for Hisashi if he had been able to be here for his son. Now, while she was no proper replacement for Hisashi and couldn't always be there to guide her cousin through his darkest times, her little cousin still made it. She was so proud of him for doing so and would continue supporting him as much as possible.
/
As Izuku proudly donned his costume, he saw that the support team had added a few extra features. The bracers now had a metal lining to make form-fitting metal frame knuckles. The breastplate included a neck guard. The sandals he submitted also contained a metal lining to protect his toes outside of his transformed state. The cloth belt was remade with a sturdy faux leather belt with pouches for storage and, finally, a metal respirator that tried to replicate All Might's smile. Izuku also took the time to check out how amazing everyone else appeared in their costumes.
"Hey, Izuku, love your costume." Izuku heard Ochako say.
"Oh than-" Izuku began saying as he turned around to face her. He was instantly grateful for his hood and mask that hid the massive blush that instantly formed on his face. He was not prepared to see Ochako in that skin-tight black and pink costume that, like Yū's costume, left very little to the imagination. Yet, there was a tiny part of his mind that wasn't complaining about the view.
"T-thanks," Izuku managed to say, "Uh, you look great too! And your gear looks pretty solid, too!"
Ochako's support gear was definitely something else. She carried what appeared to be a small rounded riot shield on her back, along with what appeared to be two collapsible combat batons holstered on her hips. Given that Izuku had already been receiving blows from her martial arts, he would hate to see what she could do with those.
As Izuku looked around, he quickly discovered that everyone who didn't have some sort of natural offensive ability seemed to have been issued some form of non-lethal weaponry. (*3)
All Might stood in front of a large console in the control room.
"Excellent, you all look so cool!" the veteran exclaimed, giving everyone a big thumbs up as everyone entered inside. "Now we have a lot to go through today for the special operation! Heroes versus Villains!"
Behind All Might, one of the screens suddenly went static before a new feed displaying a nervous-looking female student with long red hair made into two large pigtails. She wore the regular UA uniform, save for a black and brass heart-shaped eyepatch over her right eye and an armband with Year One Business Liaison written in Kanji.
"Hello, viewers! This is Kiyoko Mikami from the UA Business Course Journalism Division, reporting live from UA Site Gamma!" The girl started off a bit stiffly as she was clearly reading from a script off-screen.
The students collectively gasped while All Might grinned; this was their briefing on the task at hand.
"There has been a report of two students from the General Studies department being held hostage by a group of notorious villains!"
The screen cut to a display of the two "missing" students from the General Studies Course. The first was a male with indigo hair that reminded them of Eraserhead; the name displayed under his picture read: Hitoshi Shinsou. The second was Reiko Yanagi, a female with gray hair and noticeably full lips.
Kiyoko reappeared with a dramatic flair, continuing her report, and clearly felt more confident.
"The villains are the notorious Big Five! But fear not! A group of heroes from the "A" Agency has been dispatched to deal with the villains. How will these heroes fare? Stay tuned to find out!"
As Kiyoko finished up, she gave the camera a wink before the broadcast cut off.
"Your mission, my young heroes-in-training, is to save the hostages from these dastardly villains! However, there are some rules in place! As you know, Mr. Aizawa assessed you on your first day here, but you didn't know that the assessment served another function! You have been assigned into four teams of five!"
Instantly, the display of the biggest screen behind him changed again, revealing their teams.
Team One
Izuku Midoriya
Minoru Mineta
Tsuyu Asui
Fumikage Tokoyami
Tenya Iida
Team Two
Katsuki Bakugou
Eijirou Kirishima
Mina Ashido
Hanta Sero
Denki Kaminari
Team Three
Ochako Uraraka
Ryu Kasei
Kashiko Sekigai
Yūga Aoyama
Rikidou Satou
Team Four
Momo Yaoyorozu
Kyouka Jirou
Tōru Hagakure
Mashirao Ojirou
Shouto Todoroki
"These teams will be in place until next semester, when things may get mixed up depending on the results produced this semester. Now, while the public objective is clear, there is a hidden objective you must also be wary of: The Villains have a nuclear bomb hidden somewhere in the city."
"Why wasn't that announced in the broadcast?" Denki asked, his voice trembling.
"If it was trying to replicate real news, it could be one or two things," Momo answered promptly. "One: They don't want to cause a panic; or Two: They don't know that the villains have the bomb."
"Excellent reasoning, Ms. Yaoyorozu!" All Might praised with a satisfied nod.
"Now, while this is a collaborative effort among the teams. You can see there are three objectives, and yet we have four teams."
"Meaning one of the teams is set to fail," Tenya observed as he placed a hand on his chin,
"I don't think so, Iida," Izuku said. "All Might, what about these villains? Can one of the objectives be their capture?"
All Might gave a hearty laugh.
"Indeed, young Midoriya! Capturing a villain can give the team whose member captured them a victory credit toward their own team. However, these credits will only count if the main objective is accomplished, which is done by saving all the hostages and securing the bomb or capturing all five villains before the bomb is armed, which will collectively complete both objectives at once."
Everyone seemed relieved that all teams had a chance to pass. All Might, however, wasn't finished.
"However, only eight people from the teams can be deployed in the field at once. In addition, you must have at least two people assigned as a "Medic" and an "Operator" respectively at all times," All Might continued to explain.
At the same time, the display changed to demonstrate the two positions.
"The Medic," All Might began as a minor figure looking like a White Mage from Final Fantasy appeared on the screen. "They can pick up fallen teammates who have been eliminated and do not count as deployed heroes. However, they cannot engage villains until they are relieved from that task or if they are attacked while moving a fallen ally."
"The Operator, however," All Might continued with a new figure appearing replacing the White Mage, this one of someone behind a screen with a sneaky smile on their face.
"Is the team taskmaster who sends out orders and surveys the battlefield, deploying reinforcements when needed. Once the initial roles have been decided, you will be given fifteen minutes to pick your first line of classes and ten minutes to prepare."
"Any additional rules can be found in these handy Data Pads you can grab here. Now, are there any questions before we begin?" All Might finished up as he patted a small black box with a few of cell phone-like devices inside. Everyone had their full attention on All Might; some of them prepped several questions for the man.
Especially the one question shared by everyone. This exercise seemed way too advanced for a starting class. In an instant, All Might began receiving questions left and right from his students, ranging from how much damage they could cause to many more that left the old pro sweating.
Within a five-story yellow building in the heart of Site Gamma, the team of "villains" received the signal that their task in this game was about to begin. They were gathered in front of a display as their leader sat with a slight grin on his face, his beady blue eyes twinkling with enthusiasm. His team members commented on what was on their minds.
"Oho! I can't wait to see how these first years handle this operation!" A bubbly voice wondered aloud to his right.
"Ugh...It still seemed way too much for the first years to go through if you ask me…." An anxious voice said to his left.
"Tōgata, what are your orders?" Said the tallest of the five with a mouth that appeared from one of his arms.
"I call playing decoy!" Said the only foreigner among their team. A broad smile grew on his face, and his bright blue eyes seemed to glow brighter with excitement. However, the blond boy with beady eyes moved his hand up to quiet down his team before he began giving his orders for their initial plan.
"Tentacole, I want you to head to the rooftops near their base and keep an eye on the heroes." The tall boy with the mouth pod nodded as he left to get into position.
"Blink, you'll get your wish and get to play decoy. Assess the battle strength of the first team they send out. If the Operator they choose is smart, they'll know how and why the teams are divided in their set specialties and send out the strike force and maybe a few scouts to start off."
"Yes!" The brown hair boy cheered and headed down to the streets as he slid on his bone-white mask of comedy.
"Suneater, you guard hostage one. Take him to one of the buildings on the right side of the street."
There was a quiet affirmative grunt.
"Nejire-Chan, you take hostage two and do the same from the opposite side."
Finally, he stood up.
"As for me, I'll be here with the bomb." A wide smile proudly displayed itself on his face as he put on his visor; Lemillion was ready to school some first-years.
"Let the games begin."
Author's Commentary
(*1) Heroes that look like Villains list: According to the manga, this is actually a thing, and yes, Gang Orca is on that list.
(*2) Martin Allen: The Main Character (and OC) of Abovetail's Fanfic: Semper Fast. (It is one of the stories that inspired me and permitted me to use him for this little cameo.) He is a solid character, so I was comfortable using OCs for this story. Abovetail's ability to characterize OCs and make them gel well without becoming insufferable Mary Sue/Gary Stus.
Alexander Springfield (and several other OCs) would not exist without Martin Allen helping to pave the way and show how a good OC could be done.
(*3) Non-lethal weaponry: This seriously should have been a standard for everyone who does not have an offensive-based quirk. It doesn't go far to include batons or metal knuckles to give even those with less physical strength a better chance at combat.
Now, we begin to see how the story really begins to split up from canon. The bomb trial that helped established 1-A has been reworked! I think to some extent, UA or at least Aizawa's class failed in a number of aspects in terms of class teamwork/synergy. At least when compared to 1-B.
Here, I wanted to take a different approach to how UA set up Hero Course students. By setting them up as teams first, I hope to get the ball rolling on a number of things. Possible ships (Both romantic and platonic), character development, and...a few more things I can't go into detail just yet.
Anyway, the idea is for the students to learn teamwork first, and then focus to become more independent as their careers continue into their second and third years. This also goes for 1-B, who we will be seeing a whole lot more from in this story when compared to canon.
I also wanted to introduce the Big Five as a key component to how the first years will be trained throughout the year. From the perspective that those who have master their specialties (namely those in the Big Five) have a chance to teach and mentor their juniors. Again, we'll into more detail about this later down the story.
Welp, you know the drill guys!
See ya'll next week...or maybe sooner!
-ZX