Chapter 2 is out!
Alice is finally making friends and causing problems.
General classes came and went fast. Hatsume had given her a small camera device that would help her read signs. It clipped around her ear like a microphone. It took the visual letters and turned it into something she could hear. Alice... was genuinely impressed. She struggled with reading Japanese, but spoke it well. Her friend had come to notice this after she went over some of the previous work before she turned it in. Hatsume had taken it upon herself to adopt Alice into her inner circle. They departed at lunch, heading off to their respected areas. Alice was to meet up with WildSpire in the main office with Principal Nezu and Hatsume was to go off to her support classes.
The office was quiet, which was a relief to the normal chatty hallways of the school. Alice let out a soft breath and knocked. She had been nervous to go down and finally start her training here. She didnt know what to expect.
Chess meowed from her shoulder. He had been pretty active all day, which was a surprise considering how exhausted she was. Everyone was reacting pretty positively to him and she'd been stopped on multiple occasions so students could pet him.
The cat's ears flicked when the small white rodent opened the door and ushered her inside. "Good afternoon Ms. Rise!" The principal moved around his desk before hopping up into his chair. He was about 3 feet tall with a large scar over his right eye. He was one of the few animals that had gotten a quirk during the years. "WildSpire is running a bit late. How are your classes going? Are you settling in well?"
"Im doing actually pretty well." Alice said with a bit of disbelief in her voice. "The 1-A hero dorms are extremely nice and the people have been nothing but friendly and accommodating. My support class is the same way. They are all willing to help anyway they can."
Nezu smiled, "Im glad. The hero course kids are extremely welcoming. Class 1-A has a bit of a reputation, but they havent lost their friendliness. Considering Id eventually want you to integrate into Class 1-A or 1-B, youll need to get used to how Heroes function." He wasnt going to beat around the bush. Alice realized. She figured she would eventually end up in one of the Hero courses. She was just glad she had a bit of experience under her belt. The America's and Canada taught a lot of basic training to students who were in their Middle school years. They primarily were trained in various levels of first aid and defense training. It was a requirement if a student was to enter a Hero school. "But Im sure you will find your place in our school soon enough."
"If she hasnt already." The door clicked open and a tall woman stood in the doorway. Her tanned skin was laced with scars and freckles, her arms slowly shifting to tiger paws as they reached the hands. "Come'ere kiddo." She opened her arms and scooped Alice up off her feet into a tight hug. Wildspire had known Alice since she was small, eventually founding a Field support agency in both Africa and Canada a little after Alice got into middle school. She had promised to teach the girl everything she knew after Alice got into a Hero school. She set Alice on her feet and held her at arm distance. The woman's red dreads were pulled back out of her face, her green gaze teared up. "You look so grown up. Im so happy you came back to Japan."
"You think my mom gave me a choice?" Alice grinned up at the woman. WildSpire was someone she admired quite a bit. The tall woman had taught her everything she knew about training cats of all types. WildSpire's quirk was related to big cats. The woman could transform into various large cats, taking up their languages, abilities, and senses as she did. Downside was she kept the hands of who she had transformed into last after she shifted back.
"That is 100% fair. How is your mother?" WildSpire rumbled softly and straightened, shuffling through her bag before she tossed the girl a small gray and blue can.
"As good as you can be between working at a coffee shop full time and trying not to text your daughter on her second day of school." Alice caught the can and mentally screamed in excitement. This school didnt have energy drinks, she had what she smuggled in, but she didnt want to drink that unless she really needed it. She mouthed a "thank you" to WildSpire, who gave her a wink, as Nezu began speaking.
"Your Hero costume was transferred over from your other school and your license exam is set up for later this month. From what Power Loader has told me, you have already completed several lessons." Nezu began, looking over the paperwork on his desk.
"Yes Sir. I want to get back into training and doing work as soon as possible." She straightened. Alice had been excited for this. WildSpire had contracts with various agencies throughout Japan and they would go work with the Heroes there hands on. It was a different Agency every few days. It gave Alice a chance to learn hands on considering she'd missed almost 6 months of training due to a previous injury.
"Perfect." Nezu grinned from behind his desk. "You show promise as a Pro-hero from what WildSpire tells me. Ill open the floor for you again, Ms. Rise. We do have openings in the Hero class. Aziawa would love to have you."
"I really dont think Im ready for that just yet." Alice said softly, rubbing her arm. "I was off the field for almost 6 months. Im still getting my footing again." She met Nezu's gaze and the male chuckled faintly.
"Alright, either way, youll be working with them closely for the next few months. 1-A will be a good class for you to build up your strengths again."
WildSpire ruffled Alice's hair and motioned for her to go get changed in her suit before they headed out. She stayed behind to talk with Nezu a bit about what her plans were the young female and what time lines were going to look like.
They met back up about a half our later. Alice was back in her suit, feeling a lot more comfortable. Her suit was a one piece wet suit that came down to about her knees. A over-sized hoodie-like garment that came down just above her belly button. Various belts wrapped around her upper arms and waist, giving off a "Tail-like appearance when she ran. She did a small spin, showing off the knee high black boots and magenta accents to the older female. Who just laughed and pulled her hoodie over her face. Alice preferred to wear the hood down, but who could resist the little "cat ears" that were sewn into the material? She wore a simple black medical mask anyway, but the hood gave Chess somewhere to hide when things got hectic or overwhelming. "You look good." WildSpire said with a laugh.
"I know, right? I did a revamp before I left home. Im really digging how this looks now. Its super simple and looks good." Alice looked down at her outfit. She really did like how it looked. The Support students back home had been excited to work on her outfit and did a wonderful job.
"So speaking of 1-A- we are going to be watching them today to get a good feel about how these Japanese Heroes work and function." WildSpire motioned for the girl to follow and they headed out towards one of the training areas.
Ground Gamma was one of the most complicated of the training areas. It had a variety of buildings with many pipes and tubes running through it- effectively turning the entire grounds into a complicated maze. Alice and WildSpire had headed over as soon as she got the text from Aizawa.
This time, the entire class was present. Alice stuck to WildSpire's side, but she wasnt as nervous this time. Being in her hero costume was the only way she felt at ease anymore. Her social anxiety was always at the back of her head when she was in normal attire, but out here- on the field. She felt so much clarity. She was confident and knew who she was. It was the whole reason she had taken on the name of Lucidity.
"Hey! Alice!" Kirishima waved from his place within his little group. They were just waiting for Aziawa to get things situated with the cameras before he released them into the training grounds.
Alice waved back before heading over after WildSpire's permission. A blond boy and a girl with dark blue hair were now apart of the group. "Hey! So this is Alice, the new Support student that is staying with us. Alice, this is Denki Kaminari and Kyoka Jiro. Another few members of our class. Im sure youll meet the rest of them soon enough." Kirishima grinned.
"Nice to meet you!" Alice bowed and straightened quickly, causing Chess to dangle around her neck before righting himself with a disgruntled meow.
"Same!" The blond boy shoved his hands in his pockets, his grin wide. "But wait, if you are support- Why are you out here?" He motioned around them, a small frown on his lips.
Alice laughed, "So Im not really "Support" support." She mused, using air quotes as she did. "Im just being tutored separately so I can get back to where I was earlier in the year. Im super behind." Alice rubbed the back of her head. "I had to take 6 months off due to an injury. So Im back and raring to go. Maybe Ill end up in the Hero course eventually, just right now- I dont wanna be the center of attention while failing miserably. "
Jiro nodded slowly, "I dont blame you." She ran her hand through her hair lazily. "I already hate being the center of attention, so it'd be almost a hundred times worse being injured."
"Thats how I felt! I was on the plane anxious that I was gonna have to come out of an injury and try to catch up with you guys, while also solidifying myself as a hero. Im not the best people person." Alice waved a hand and her cheeks reddened. She opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut off by a loud "snarl."
"The FUCK Support? I thought you said you'd stay out of my way!" Bakugo had finally spotted the girl, irritation on his face. He had marched over, ready to strangle the girl. "What are you doing here?"
Alice blinked at him and leaned away from the yelling teen. "I told you. I wont be in your way for Number one-"
"You better not!"
Alice held up a hand and rolled her eyes, which made the male even more mad. "Im here to observe today. So calm down." She locked eyes with him, which made him scoff. Alice could feel the anxiety bubbling up, but she kept her face straight. Kirishima had mentioned that Bakugo would be less likely to scream at her if she didnt back down from him. She didnt like the screaming, it made her jump every single time. The only quietness she had heard from him was earlier that morning when he helped her with her homework.
Bakugo crossed his arms and scoffed again, "What is your Quirk even anyway?" He looked her up and down, frowning. He had seen the cat again, but didnt know or care to even ask about it.
At this point, Deku, Uraraka, and another boy had appeared off to the side. The new boy had a mix of White and red hair, his red haired side sported a nasty burn scar over his eye. Alice shuffled in place, rubbing the back of her head. "Where's the fun in showing off?" She asked. "Today is for me to observe you guys."
That didnt sit right with Bakugo, but he took a deep breath and hissed through his teeth, wandering away again. Kirishima laughed and followed along after him to make sure he didnt go take his anger out on someone else.
"Does it have to do with the cute cat on your shoulder?" Urakaka had gotten closer to take a look at the cat-shaped thing wrapped around her neck like a scarf.
Alice felt her cheeks heat up and she laughed, "Yes. His name is Cheshire, but I call him Chess. He technically is my quirk."
"Really?" Deku's eyes widened and he moved in as well to get a better look at the cat. "Im extremely curious. He reminds me of Dark shadow."
"Well.. Okay, technically- my quirk is similar to Tokoyami's quirk. We are both Shadow Quirk holders." Alice gave a wave to the bird boy- who perked up at hearing her voice.
"OH, SO YOULL TELL DEKU'S SHITTY ASS, BUT NOT MINE?" Bakugo had appeared again, ready to fly off the handle. Small explosions were going off in his hands and Kirishima was ready to grab him if he jumped at anyone. It wasnt that he was jealous that the girl had told Deku and not him, but he was irritated that Deku knew first.
Alice flinched this time, looking at Bakugo like he had just grown a second head. "Thats not showing off. I dont know what Tokoyami can even do." She shrugged. "Chess and I have our own techniques."
"BULLSH-" Bakugo went to start swearing again, but was cut off by a man who had stepped around WildSpire up to the podium. His hair was a messy mop over an exhausted gaze. He looked more tired than anyone Alice had seen before.
"Listen up Class 1-A. If you havent figured it out yet. We have a new student who is going to be sitting in on our class for a bit." He motioned to Alice and then to WildSpire. "These two are here to observe for today. They are here to train a new line of Pro-heroes known as "Field Support." These Heroes are specifically trained in patrol, medical, and hero assistance." Aziawa yawned into his hand, giving a nod to WildSpire, who stepped up to the podium to take over.
"Good afternoon students! I am WildSpire- Im an African Pro hero working along side Lucidity here to help bring her up to speed with the rest of you. Due to a previous injury, she was benched, Im here to help her get up to speed with the rest of you. So please be patient with us while we go along this journey. Youll be seeing us quite often."
Alice nodded to WildSpire and Aziawa took back over. He explained the whole concept of their training. Theyd be doing something similar to Capture the Flag. Two separate groups going up against each other as a means to get their flag before the other team. Alice had settled on the edge of the platform- watching the screen with a curious expression. She knew nothing about the group's quirks or how the class functioned. She knew they were friendly, but how were they on the field?
Bakugo, Kirishima, Kaminari, and a fourth student- named Hanta Sero came up against Deku, Uraraka, Mashirao Ojiro, and who she had discovered was Shoto Todoroki. The groups went out onto the field, leaving a small handful of people left to observe.
Tokoyami approached and sat down with Alice, crossing his legs as they watched the screen. "How are you settling in?" He asked curiously, raising a brow at her as she opened her energy drink at last.
"Good, but tired. I have gotten caught up with Science and am working on math." She puffed her cheeks and took a long drink, letting out a sigh of relief. "Im exhausted. I already dont sleep as is. Its even worse in a new place."
Tokoyami nodded and looked her over, curious about her outfit. She stuck to blacks and purples. It fit her. "Im enjoying the dark blacks." He mused faintly, reaching out to pet Chess, who had appeared to get head rubs.
Alice felt her cheeks flush and she scoffed, "Thanks. Its the closest I can get to my normal attire when Im not trapped in a uniform." She gave him a grin. "I prefer to wear blacks, Gothic attire, fishnets. Typical Shadow Quirk holder- huh?" Alice laughed. Tokoyami didnt. He stared at her like she had slapped him. No shit. The girl sitting in front of him was so much like him it was kind of stupid. The only difference was her personality. She was shy, but bubbly and outgoing once you got to know her. Completely opposite to him.
"No no, not typical. Beautiful." Tokoyami let out a sigh and looked out over the field, then at the screen to distract himself. He had made a oath with himself to not think about any sort of dating while he as in school for his hero training and here the gods dangled the perfect girl for him in front of his face. Alice blinked at him, watching the male stare at anywhere that wasnt her. She really didnt understand. Her brain couldnt wrap around that someone would even look at her that way, so she shrugged it off and took another long drink of her energy drink- watching the two teams clash against each other.
The next group came and went, leaving Alice to sit alone on the edge of the platform. She watched Tokoyami's movements with a trained eye. She didnt want to miss any possible technique she might be able to use later. All the things he did were so different than how she fought.
"You doing okay?" Uraraka approached and sat down next to her, looking at Alice with a concerned expression. She had been staring at the screen with a blank expression for the past 10 minutes. "You literally havent moved for like 10 minutes."
Alice blinked in surprise, she hadnt even realized her jaw was clenched. "Yeah. Im fine. I just got extremely distracted. I wanna take in as much information as I can. My goal is to be able to get my license and get back on the field?" She smiled faintly at Uraraka, who nudged her arm.
"I think you'll do fantastic. Dont doubt yourself too much." She smiled faintly. Alice smiled and nudged Uraraka back and soon the girls erupted into a fit of giggles in a nudging battle, both sort of lost in their own world for a moment.
Alice and Uraraka settled back in again, watching the field for a long moment. "Now that I think about it. You already have your license?" Uraraka rose her brows in surprise, tilting her head slightly. "Our Provisional license test is coming up soon. We've been working on ultimate moves and stuff. That's why everyone is so over dramatic with their moves." She motion to where Mineta was making a chain whip with his sticky purple balls to keep one of the other team in place.
"I had it when I was back home. We get ours at the beginning of the year, but the actual process is a lot easier. They want us to learn and grow with our quirks and we cant do that if we are barred from using our quirks outside of school." Alice shrugged. "But Canada isnt as populated as Japan or the states. So I guess I just got lucky."
"Are they gonna have you join us in the exam? Or do something else?" Uraraka wrinkled her nose in thought. "I think it'd be stupid to have you do the exam all over again."
"Nah, Wildspire said that Id be doing a separate test with one off the Pros. No purpose in someone else missing out if I already have mine." Alice leaned back on her hands, watching the team crash and burn. "Though I have no idea who that pro will end up being." She let out a breath, closing her eyes. "Hopefully someone who goes easy on me."