Thunder Hero: Baraquiel 11
"You can't go with your tie like that." Aizawa drawled as he demonstrated to Izuku how to tie a tie. It took three goes, and Aizawa chuckling like a human being as opposed to his 'trolling laugh'. The Midoriya's had come to realise that Aizawa possessed a dry sense of humour and had a backstory worthy of hero. As a result of this upbringing, Aizawa had written a novel; nothing rocking the boat but had developed a cult like following. The story told the tale of an unassuming, left-out teen; who became a politician speaking for the voiceless in a dystopian future eerily current problems and scenarios.
Izuku, grabbed his bag and headed across the campus of UA. It was most definitely odd that he resided on UA grounds; then again…him living in a mostly empty building. Shota and Inko, had come to the agreement of living in a separate part of the building and leaving Izuku to have the run of the place was acceptable. It was during this experiment that Shota and Izuku got to bond; the Erasure Hero was going to be his stepfather.
Shota had taught Izuku, five things so far: How to tie a tie and the last four were about cooking; mainly the best way to cook chicken, beef and pork without poisoning oneself and finally the most effective way to cook like an Underground Hero…leave no trace.
As he crossed the grounds, he was joined by Shoto and Harry; the latter nodded and vanished in crackle of electricity. "My father agreed that I should live with Fuyumi-nee Monday to Thursday and at home Friday-Sunday."
"Surprising, considering what I've heard about your father's residence."
Shoto smiled thinly "When you've got 30+ sidekicks working for you…You need to be able to put 'em somewhere."
Izuku shook his head "Baraquiel-sensei has got…four? His two-person legal department and two non-quirked assistants."
"So, none, in my father's view. Pro-Heroes measure their worth with the amount of side-kicks they employ. Thus, hero students are seen as hot commodities." Shoto explained.
Izuku's eyes widened "That's awful! I mean, I understand, Heroes have to do what they do; but to poach students just boost reputations…I suppose this adds evidence to the rumours of particular heroes selecting particular Hero-wannabes with specific quirks."
"The Abyssal…"
"Hero: Eldritch, Or Eldritch the Zelretch and even 'any number of expletives' Eldritch." Shoto finished.
It was really hard not to know of the 'Horror-themed' Hero. In, Izuku's mind; Eldritch and Baraquiel could have been long-lost siblings as the pair of them possessed an equal disregard and dislike for the HPSC. However, unlike Baraquiel, Eldritch; possessed an impressive entourage of 12 Sidekicks, nothing compared to Endeavour but for a Hero with a reputation for losing his ever decreasingly short fuse with his colleagues it was impressive. It was even more impressive when Banshee; a silver-haired, silver-eyed fair skinned teen could out-swear her boss and she was designated second-in-command.
Abyssal Inc; did not favour weak excuses. The entire agency operated outside of socially acceptable norms; there was plenty of evidence of Abyssal Agents turning blind-eyes to vigilantism and illegal quirk usage to get a situation under control. Izuku and Shoto remembered that interview.
"Eldritch, there have been reports and video links of you and your agency turning a blind-eye to blatant obvious acts of Vigilantism and Illegal Quirk usage. Care to comment?"
"In case you've not noticed, I've got a sidekick with additional burning wooden limbs…last I checked, my sidekick sprouted scales, possessed faulty guts and had a fondness for hot Golden Curry and not wooden enema's. So little occupied with that and the burning fucking building we were called too." Eldritch replied, his face hidden by a deep hood in his uniform; his arms also concealed.
"So, you admit that you turn a blind-eye to vigilantes and prohibited quirk usage?"
"No. I'm more interested in saving everyone, who can be saved, from whatever disaster I've been summoned to. If there are Vigilantes and people illegally using their quirks in the situation; I condemn them…there I said it. I condemn them; but before I condemn them I say thankyou for making our immediate job easier, please cease and desist, but my agency and I will make no attempt to arrest you during a serious disaster requiring heroes but I cannot vouch for some of my colleagues. We done? Good, I am…because I've got a job to do. Banshee! Report."
Shoto shook his head, Izuku was very good at impersonations. By now they'd reached the main doors as Tokoyami arrived with Jiro "Todoroki, Midoriya…catch the news?"
"Eldritch?" Izuku asked catching the bird-headed teen off guard.
"Yes, that siren song of darkness is what I'm referring to."
Izuku sighed "Eldritch is Eldritch. I like him, I like all Heroes really. Bit of a hero and quirk enthusiast."
"More Hero and Quirk Otaku; Midoriya's scary." Todoroki commented. He deadpanned stared his friend "You are."
Izuku had the decency to blush "I just like Heroes and Quirks."
Jiro nodded, she heard it his heartbeat race. He was hiding something; everyone should have secrets; but Jiro thought this was…rather big. The group of four entered the classroom as someone shouted 'Take your feet off the desks'.
The four entered, Izuku groaned. "Iida." Todoroki said in meeting.
Izuku fought back a gulp, just because they'd been separated for nearly a year; didn't mean he hadn't gotten over his ordeals with Bakugo. Bakugo, was slouching, as he always did, in a chair with his feet up on the desk. At that moment, when the Explosive Teen saw his childhood punching bag, the explosion was magnificent.
"DDDEEEKKUUU! YOU…" were the only coherent and polite-ish words that spewed forth from Bakugos' mouth. The deluge of words and phrases that were not hurtful or the apt description of a teenager in puberty registered at none. In fact, with Todoroki, Izuku, Jiro and Tokoyami being the last ones and Bakugo in his deluge; everyone was distracted.
Unseen by the Class; one by virtue of his quirk and the other due to his quirk; they waited. Baraquiel entered visibility and let out a clap of thunder with his hands; Class 1-A jumped and shrieked before scrambling for their seats. "Eight seconds, that's eight seconds too long. If you're here to make friends first and heroes second, don't let that door hit your ass." Baraquiel stated. "I'm not here to micromanage your behaviour and mannerisms as such but Bakugo; if I hear, see or even suspect that you're bullying another student then you can expect your dreams to be a hero to be like a lightning bolt; fast and brief. I'm Baraquiel-sensei and one of the Heroes facilitating your training."
"Thank you, Baraquiel. I'm, Aizawa Shota, your Homeroom Teacher. Baraquiel will be assisting both Hero Courses but predominately this particular class. Anyway, all of you get changed into these and we begin."
"Sensei's what about the Welcoming Ceremony?" Protested Iida standing ramrod straight.
"Doesn't concern you. Right now, boy. The more important fact is whether the twenty of you are worthy of becoming heroes and remaining on the Hero Course." Baraquiel replied coldly shutting down any potential responses.
"That's a bit unfair though, isn't it?" Called a walking school uniform.
"Miss Invisible, please stop with the consumption of sugar. I get it, being invisible is an unfortunate quirk at your age. But like your quirk when it manifested; it is unfair. You're intending to become heroes, unfair is going to be a constant in your future; if you can't hack it, please the door is there." Baraquiel retorted.
"Enough. We're wasting time." Aizawa instructed and he slouched off. Baraquiel looked at the class, smirked, nodded at Todoroki and Izuku before disintegrating into the plug socket. Everyone stared at Todoroki and Izuku.
"Let's get going." With that everyone headed out to get changed.
Aizawa pulled his phone out of his pocket, it glowed, short-circuited as Baraquiel erupted into existence. Aizawa chucked the device to his mentee who caught and then with the only evidence being a minor nosebleed the device restarted "I can see the benefits of that technique. What are you calling it?"
Baraquiel shrugged "Probably something that sounds as if it's come out of the Fate franchise." Aizawa shrugged, his apprentice was an odd-one "And gifted in the kitchen. I'm going to have to brush up on my cookery."
Baraquiel grinned, he spied the students "Seen anyone unworthy?" This surprisingly came from the Erasure Hero.
"Only one outright, five if they don't get a reality check. Remember I'm the one who reads their transcripts; some…are so filled with pomp, shite and almost too clean, leading to tinkering. Bakugo, for one. I'd warrant he'd go vigilante and end up dead. Uraraka…she's got a head on her shoulders; honest…that's one thing."
Aizawa cocked his head "Her quirk?"
"Zero-Gravity allows for floating about three tons says she gets nauseous, that's one side-effect I've not seen before." Baraquiel responded dutifully.
"You didn't have to do this."
"I said to Endeavour, I'd help out. There's something in the ozone, Aizawa-sensei, something is about to happen and this bunch…are gonna be in the fucking middle."
Aizawa nodded "Enough, we have heroes to train."
By now the twenty students were standing opposite the teachers "Right, this is the first of the aptitude tests. Do your best." Aizawa stated as he casually chucked a ball to Bakugo.
"Bakugo, what was your best pitch at school without using your quirk?"
"67meters, I think…Why?"
"Here at UA, things are slightly different. No authority tells us what to do; however, we have to abide by their 'advice'. In essence, use your quirks, strengths and intellectual capabilities to your fullest."
"This sounds kinda cool and fun." The pink alien hero-in-training blurted out.
"Fun?" Aizawa stated flatly "Natural Disasters, Terrorist Attacks occur and you'd call them fun? I suppose in a logical point of view, considering you've not been allowed to use your quirks in public…"
Baraquiel shook his head and muttered something in Welsh. "Baraquiel-sensei, do you require throat sweets?" A tall raven-headed pupil asked as a patch of her forearm began to glow.
"No, just saying something in my home language. Welsh, if you're curious. I'll accept a generic Britain reference but if you call me English; then I'll be most…annoyed."
"You're Welsh, then why aren't you doing heroics in Britain?" Bakugo growled.
"Curb your tongue Bakugo. As for why I'm doing things here instead of home; here Heroics is marginally less fucked up than back home. But that doesn't stop me from criticising the Government."
"You criticise, the government!" Exclaimed the class.
"I pay my taxes, I have citizenship, thus I'm entitled to complain. If people fear the government…that's tyranny. If the government fear the public…it's liberty. Everyone should have a voice to back them and that's what I do. Besides, HPSC and I despise one another. But enough about my gaijin thoughts, behaviours and mannerisms. We're burning daylight and potential."
With that the tests began. They were the 50 Meter Dash, Grip Strength, Standing Long Jump, Repeated Side Steps, Ball Throw, Distance Run, Seated Toe-Touch and Sit Ups. Izuku, had never been more thankful for Baraquiel and Mirio-sempai's quite frankly ridiculous training regime; 100 Push Ups, Sit Ups, Squats and 10km run had improved his physical fitness to an extreme degree. Instead of potentially ranking last or in the bottom five, he was ranking at 10th overall. Sweat was pouring down his face, his whole body hurt, out of the corner of his eye he saw Jiro looking like she was about to collapse.
"Jiro, don't, whatever you do, lie down. It will seriously hurt and be detrimental to your recovery." Izuku found himself blurting out.
Jiro snapped around, nearly jumping out of her skin. It was Midoriya, she was short of breath, the burning in her body was excruciating but Midoriya didn't seem like the type of jeopardising her chances of being a pro. She looked at Midoriya who was doing stretches and began to follow what he was doing; suddenly the burning lessened.
As the students were cooling down Aizawa and Baraquiel were silently observing and trying to workout who had the least potential. "Mineta Minoru…If anyone." Baraquiel muttered.
"Why?"
"He's got a stack of warnings and complains about six inches deep, all of them around stalking, peeping, perverted behaviours and acting on all of them; the only reason he's managed to get away so softly is that his Godfather and Uncle is in fact the Alien Sage Hero: Jiraiya…yes, that one. It doesn't help that said hero is also an extremely prolific and talented author, yes, I traced the bloodlines. I feel sorry for Asui…but anyway Mineta will tarnish UA in ways it might not recover from, whereas another is Bakugo; but there's already a hero with Bakugo's temper and profile and happens to be Number Two and my Family. You're always welcome to veto my choice, I'll send you my findings."
Aizawa shook his head "I believe you, I know how you operate. Even the smallest of crimes, a humble thief leads to a case nearly as hefty as a homicide. There is a reason, the HPSC label you a Hero with psychopathic tendencies."
Baraquiel smirked "Not my fault. I make sure to reference my evidence with CCTV footage turned into individual pictures; just to nail someone...I prefer sociopath, more accurate."
"You're labelled a psychopath!" This phrase caught the classes attention. Jiro, however, had been listening intently.
"Finally. Something I'll openly admit, I'm not perfect…I broke faith with my nations leader by telling him 'no'. Besides, it's only a psychopath if one does something horrific to the public; but before that its merely psychopathic tendencies." Baraquiel retorted "There is a slim difference, slim, but there is a difference."
"UK Government are still trying to bring charges against you, for that."
Baraquiel's displeasure was seen as a bolt of incandescent red lightning slammed into the floor next to him "I whipped them in private…it looks like I'll whip them public…Anyway, we have students to deal with."
"Attend to, Baraquiel." With that Aizawa turned to the assembled 20 students.
"First of all, any rumours of my expulsion records stand. All of you…are staying, no-one is going home; although Mineta Minoru, Baraquiel found several items of information on you that your school neglected to mention on your transcripts and as such you are unsuitable for UA's Hero Course."
Mineta turned pale. He could try and protest this but he knew deep down Jiraiya wouldn't be able to help now. "I'll take him, Aizawa. You've got nineteen students to worry about."