Author's Notes: Yeah, I'm not going through everyone on screen. You already know their quirks.
Shouto braced himself as Tokoyami returned from his interrogation. He had expected his father to speed through it since he was so close, but Tokoyami's had run twice as long as anyone else's, as he gathered answers from Tokoyami before asking the quirk itself what it thought it was capable of.
Dark Shadow believed itself far more capable than Tokoyami did.
His father had decided to humor it anyway, telling Tokoyami to listen when he tried to rein his quirk in, and took the answers seriously, or at least pretended to. He even warned Dark Shadow that he expected it to live up to its claims before allowing Tokoyami, now clutching his head in frustration, to return.
"Todoroki Shouto, step forward."
Shouto resisted for a moment, expecting… he wasn't sure, but not to be called up that way. His father rarely used his full name. Endeavor was acting as if he wasn't his son.
His father's gaze met his, a frown deepening, "We do not have all day. Classtime is limited. Step forward."
Everyone was staring at him, many with confused expressions. Shouto grimaced and stepped forward, giving himself more space than any of his classmates.
His father was looking dead at him, his face expressionless, "Explain your quirk."
"I can create Ice from the right side of my body." He answered.
Endeavor let the words hang, seconds passing, five, ten, fifteen before his lip twitched and he frowned. "Explain your entire quirk." He demanded.
"That is all anyone is ever going to see."
Endeavor's lip curled in disgust. "I didn't ask for that. I told you to tell everyone your quirk."
"You tell them," Shouto shot back, "I'm never going to use it. I might as well not have it."
His father bristled, and it was all Shouto could do not to smile. It only became harder as his father visibly reined himself in. "We are in class, Shouto. I expect to act like you would with any other teacher."
He almost laughed, but Endeavor remained firm, the hints of a scowl edging into view. "We *will* discuss this later." His father warned, and then looked at the class, "For those of you who are unaware, Shouto is my son. His full quirk is the ability to produce ice from the right side of his body and fire from his left."
The class exploded into whispers behind him, and Shouto balled his hands into fists, his chance to step out of Endeavor's shadow stolen from him.
"Demonstrate on-" Before Endeavor could even finish the sentence, a wave of ice crashed through the wall, shattered chunks of stone tumbling away.
It ended the whispers. He could feel the shock radiating off his classmates as they stared at the veritable mountain of ice he'd thrown up in a heartbeat.
"Good." To his frustration, Endeavor actually sounded pleased. Shouto didn't deign to respond, blowing out a puff of cold air, refusing to shiver or show weakness even as frost began to form. "Now your other half."
Shouto turned and glared at his father. "No."
"Your obstinance does you no favors, Shouto." Endeavor grimaced, "Return to your classmates and I will tell them what to expect of you."
His son was boring a hole into him as he spoke. It was an irritation, but one that he was used to. Shouto was willful, but still too foolhardy. The promise he'd made to himself was a hindrance, a foolish naivety that he would need to overcome to be a true hero, to become the next number one.
It was a pity that he wouldn't be able to focus more on his son. The offer to teach had come with that explicit warning. He could not leave the others in the dust. And Nedzu would be watching, it had told him as much. Still, the chance to truly mold his greatest creation into the hero he wanted him to be was simply too great, even if he had to distract himself with others.
He consoled himself with the knowledge that Shouto becoming the number one hero would be pointless if everyone beneath him was unworthy, and that the rivalries he would form here would spur his growth, as well as help to secure Japan for the future. Even with his record, surpassing even All Might in resolved cases, he couldn't be everywhere. Others would need to hold things together until his son rose to the top.
He finished his explanation of the training he'd given Shouto and let it hang in the air. A few of his students were looking at Shouto, some in surprise, some unsure what to make of him. Not that his son had noticed. It revealed another weakness, Shouto allowing his anger to blind him to his surroundings. Endeavor grimaced, making sure to mentally note that and move forward their lesson on situational awareness.
"Are there any questions?" Kirishima turned towards him, mouth moving, but thought better of it. None of the others went even that far, though the Yaoyorozu heiress was still looking at his son, her brows knit together in discontent.
"Hagakure Tooru, step forward."
The class was finally broken from the trance they'd been under, eyes darting around as no one seemed ready to move forward. Except they had. The invisible girl moved around the crowd, the only sign she was even there being the gloves and boots.
"I-I'm here sir." She gave a little wave as she reached the line.
"Explain your quirk."
"Well, I mean," The girl motioned to empty air, "I'm invisible."
Endeavor would have rolled his eyes if he were less professional, but it was fairly evident. "Are there any other aspects of your invisibility? Are you visible on other spectrums of light? Or does it bend around you?"
"Um…" Her hand scratched… he wasn't quite sure, perhaps the back of her head, or maybe her back. "I haven't had the chance to test that?"
"Then we'll arrange that." Endeavor grunted, making a note to have that done. If someone could see the heat she gave off, she would need to be aware of it.
"Thank you?"
He brushed off her words and continued on, "Can you expand your quirk to hide others?"
"No sir," She admitted, sounding disappointed at the admission.
A pity. It would make infiltration and extraction of hostages significantly easier. "I understand that you want some visible representation so the public can see you during normal situations, but I want to confirm that you have suitable footwear for when you truly need to engage in full stealth missions. Did you have the costume company make hard sole shoes that fit inside your boots?"
The girl was silent for a moment, "Huh?"
Endeavor let out the smallest of breaths in irritation, "You should be able to move about without your visible boots on, in variable terrain. Socks will be insufficient in such circumstances, so I need to know if you have invisible shoes."
"Uh…" The girl scratched at the same spot as before, "well no."
"Then we will have to contact your support company and have them make you some."
"From what?" Was the incredulous response.
Endeavor was sorely tempted to display his annoyance, "From the same materials they used to make the rest of your costume."
"You mean my gloves?" She asked, clearly uncertain.
Endeavor scowled at her, "No, the rest of your costume."
"What rest of my costume?"
Endeavor blinked and stared at open air, "Your shirt and pants?"
"Uh…"
Endeavor felt his lip twitch, the temperature rising, "Are you telling me that the only things you're wearing are your gloves and shoes?"
"Well… yeah?"
The class gawked at… nothing, and for a moment, just a moment, even Endeavor was struck dumb by the sheer audacity. Then the temperature rose yet again, his hands balling into fists. "Yaoyorozu, make her an opaque poncho. Hagakure, once you have that on you are to return to the changing room and put on your gym clothes. Do not let anyone stop you. If anyone attempts to stop you, inform them that they will have to answer to me. Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-yes sensei." The girl backed up a few steps, quickly throwing on the poncho that Yaoyorozu offered her.
"Come right back after you're changed. Once class is over, you are going to accompany me to the support department so you can receive a proper costume. You will be given an excuse from this afternoon's review. Now go."
The girl needed no more encouragement, the poncho flowing in the wind as she raced back to the school. Endeavor took a steadying breath and looked at the class, "I trust that I don't need to explain why that costume was inappropriate?"
The class was a sea of shaking heads. "Good." What was that designer thinking? Well, they obviously weren't, but that just brought the issues back to the fore. "While we haven't finished, and we won't resume until Hagakure returns, I am going to review all of your costumes with the support department. All of your costumes should have at least one environmental resistance. For Mina, the choice is obvious, for others, the standard is fire since it's what you're most likely to encounter as well as a cut-resistant weave. You should also be aware that the winterized version of your costumes will have enhanced cold resistance. And remember that it is resistance, not immunity. All of you should keep that in mind."
"Yes sensei."
"Good." Even Shouto had agreed, if sullenly and half-heartedly.
"Kaminari, Jiro, since your costumes are made of different pieces, they may have multiple resistances. Do not take it for granted." That seemed to finally cheer the pair up. Being told that no one would recognize them as heroes in casual clothes, even pressing Kaminari to name just one of last year's graduates when he assumed he'd graduate and be famous, had taken the wind out of their sails. The girl had shown a little more sense, admitting that she planned for her logo to be on the back once she came up with it. In the meantime, they'd either wear standard materials or have Heroes In Training stenciled into their jackets, options that pleased neither of them.
Hagakure returned shortly after, jogging back in the UA gym uniform. He'd have preferred if she ran, but at least she wasn't dawdling. He gave her a nod, "You can step back with your classmates."
"Yes, sensei."
"Bakugo Katsuki, step forward."
The blond grinned ferally as he stepped up to the line, using the few seconds of time to limber up. Endeavor's eyes narrowed in anticipation. This one was already planning to show off. His lip twitched. Yes, someone for Shouto to measure up against. "State your quirk."
The boy sneered, lifting a hand and setting off a few pops, "Explosion." The boy didn't elaborate that he created sweat with the properties of nitroglycerin, but Endeavor didn't let him get away without revealing it.
Oh, yes, this was going to be interesting. "Demonstrate on the target."
Bakugo turned, aiming both arms towards the target wall, and blasted holes right through it, chunks of stone bouncing off the wall of ice behind. Endeavor inclined his head. The boy had purposefully avoided his son's ice, but those gauntlets… he was going to make a show of it, wasn't he?
"Good." He could see Shouto frowning in the back, already measuring himself up to the boy. This. This was what he'd been looking forward to. He peppered the boy with questions, delving into its strengths, allowing the boy to demonstrate his aerial mobility, and then dragging him down to earth by asking for its weaknesses. That brought a scowl to the boy's face as he acted as though he had none.
Endeavor pointed out the obvious. His quirk only affected the sweat from his hands, limiting his options. Rain could dilute the compound, and cold would make it harder to produce sweat to begin with. The boy looked more and more annoyed as his flaws were pointed out, but Endeavor could also see his son paying attention.
Finally came the costume. His was mostly functional, though he eagerly mentioned the storage device in his gauntlets. Endeavor held back a smile, "You've already demonstrated that you can damage the wall with no difficulty, so test fire your gauntlets against the ice."
The boy smiled wickedly, turned, and pulled the pin on his gauntlet, a massive gout of flame and pressure belching forth. The wall of ice his son had created shattered like spun glass, the shards of ice that didn't evaporate clattering to the ground. Again there was stunned silence from the rest of his students, except Shouto, who looked angry.
Endeavor could work with that. He even congratulated the boy, right before telling him that the gauntlets needed to be altered.
At that, the boy exploded, "What? You just saw how powerful they are! I'm not giving them up."
"I didn't ask you to give them up, I'm telling you they need to be modified so they aren't so wide." He motioned to Uraraka, "I told Uraraka the same about her support equipment."
An annoyed tch came from the blond, "I asked for a large reserve so I could fire off blasts like that."
Endeavor smiled, "I have no intention of changing that either. I suggest making them longer and flatter, with reinforcements on the exterior so you can also use them to block attacks."
The boy hesitated, "I don't plan on letting anyone get any hits in on me."
Endeavor sneered at the arrogance. He had taken more than his fair share of body blows… and even All Might couldn't dodge every hit.
"Be that as it may, there's a real possibility that you'll be slowed by a narrow doorframe. They need fixing, and it will be done. Now, unless you have something else to show, head back to your classmates." Bakugo looked rebellious, lingering for a moment longer before letting out another tch and stomping away. "Mineta Minoru, step forward."
The shortest member of the class approached, looking wary.
"Explain your quirk."
"I've got these sticky balls." He said, reaching up and pulling a ball of hair from his head, "Their strength varies, depending on how I'm feeling they might stick to something for a whole day. They grow back as fast as I can pull them off, but I'll bleed if I use too many. Oh, and they don't stick to me, I just bounce right off them."
Well, at least he was concise, Endeavor conceded. "How do you use them?"
"During the entrance exam, I used them to trip up the faux villains. The one-pointers were only balanced on one wheel, so they fell over. I disabled two pointers by sticking their limbs together."
"Demonstrate on the target."
Mineta frowned, "It's just going to sit there if nothing else touches it." he protested.
"Can you easily remove it from someone else?"
"Yeah."
"Then it won't be an issue." He motioned at the wall, and Mineta shrugged before tossing the ball at it. It landed, wobbling, but remaining fixed in place. "Sero, I want you to try to pull it off the wall."
Sero nodded, aiming his elbow before firing a string of tape. Endeavor nodded in approval as it hit the ball dead center. "Good aim." He offered, drawing a smile out of the boy, before he tried tugging it free. Endeavor allowed him three chances before telling him to stop. Mineta seemed pleased with the result. "Throw another." He ordered, and the short boy jumped to obey.
"Sato," Endeavor pointed at the wall, "pull that off."
The hulking teen nodded, heading over and grabbing it with one hand, tugging at it without much success. Thankfully, he'd had the good sense to only use one hand, so he was still able to take a dose of sugar. Endeavor watched him bulk out again, this time grabbing on with both hands, put a foot against the wall and yank with all his strength. A cracking sound filled the air and Sato toppled backwards, hands still stuck to the ball and the chunk of concrete he'd yanked out of the much abused target.
"Are you alright?" Endeavor called, approaching to make sure the boy hadn't landed on anything sharp.
"Yeah," Sato rasped, "but my hands are stuck. Can someone help me up?"
He grabbed an arm and pulled Sato to his feet, giving him a quick once over before glancing back at the class, "Mineta, free him."
Mineta leapt to comply, and Endeavor nodded in approval, "Would you say that was stickier than average?"
The diminutive boy nodded, yanking the ball free with no effort at all to Sato's evident relief, "Yes sensei."
"Sato, Sero, good effort. Sato, you can return to your classmates." The boy blinked owlishly, but nodded and headed back. Endeavor returned to where he'd been standing, "Let's talk about your uniform."
Mineta swallowed, going flush in embarrassment, "Can I get rid of this?" He asked quickly, tapping the bowl that was his pants.
Endeavor smirked and nodded, "I'll see to it."
"Thank you, sir." Mineta sighed.
"You can return to your classmates." Endeavor looked at the last member of the class, "Yaoyorozu Momo, step forward."
The girl took her place at the line, a determined glint in her eye, "Sensei."
"Explain your quirk."
"My quirk is creation. I can convert the lipids in my body into any non-living object as long as I know its chemical composition."
Endeavor nodded slowly. The quirk was versatile, if limited by both her weight and knowledge, though from her records the latter wasn't a problem in the slightest.
"Demonstrate it."
The girl gave a nod and went to one knee, iridescent light spreading over it disappearing as a base of some sort began to form, folding out of her calf as a wide barrel extended out of her knee. In the span of a few seconds a cannon had formed, and seconds after that it belched forth smoke and fire, a shell slamming into the wall and detonating.
It was a decent showing at first glance. The attack hadn't done as much damage as Shouto or Bakugo's demonstration, but Endeavor frowned as he looked back. "Yaoyorozu, can you reabsorb your creations?"
"No sensei."
Endeavor's frown deepened, "Then although you demonstrated your quirk well, you chose your weapon poorly."
The girl flinched at the words, "Sensei?"
"Ignoring any potential legal issues of creating a firearm, you spent an inordinate amount of your limited resources to create a heavy, hard-to-maneuver, difficult-to-aim weapon that you must now either abandon or spend more resources to ensure doesn't fall into the wrong hands, and that includes civilians."
For just a moment, Yaoyorozu looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She took an unsteady breath, looking at her cannon, "I-I apologize-"
"Enough." He cut her off, "What's done is done. I will destroy the barrel when we finish and have drones take it to be scrapped."
"Yes sensei, thank you sensei."
"How many more of those could you have made, and how long will it take you to recover the lipids you used to create it?"
The Yaoyorozu heiress took a moment to think before answering, "I could make five or six more, and..." She winced, glancing down at the cannon, "It will take several days, at least. Maybe as much as a week."
Endeavor nodded slowly. He'd assumed it had taken more out of her, but it had been apparent that her weight belied her size when she'd formed her weapon. Glancing over her shoulder, he noticed at least some of the girls going green with envy.
"It would be a good idea for you to find some light weapons that you can use. I suggest you talk with the Support department and go over options with them." That seemed to brighten the girl's mood. "Can you demonstrate your quirk in other ways? Medical supplies, for example?"
"Yes sensei," She said again, holding out her hands and creating a number of first aid essentials.
"Are they sterile?"
She winced again, "I haven't had them tested..."
"Then I'll have Support run tests to make sure. If they aren't, you should carry extra sterilizing solution to make them usable."
Endeavor scratched his chin, "Before we move on, do you have any other creations you think would be useful in the field?"
Yaoyorozu reached behind her and pulled the book out, "I have schematics for numerous items, drones with recording equipment, tracking devices, backup communicators…"
Endeavor grimaced, "I was going to bring this up when we went over your costume, but you need to replace that book."
Yaoyorozu looked up in shock, "What?"
He held up a hand, "I'm not saying that you shouldn't keep a reference guide if that's what it is. I commend you for thinking ahead like this. But it's inefficient. A voice-activated visor would be more effective."
The girl's composure cracked, "But… I spent so much time on this…"
Endeavor grimaced. That was… unexpected. He hadn't considered that she had personally designed the book, maybe she'd even written it. Still, he shook his head, "That makes it worse in a way. All the work you put into that book could be lost if the book is damaged while in the field. You can have it scanned, so it will still be your work on screen."
Yaoyorozu sagged, "I just really prefer books."
Endeavor sighed to himself, "You mentioned a drone with recording equipment. Find it." Yaoyorozu looked up at him in confusion, "I'll keep count from when you open the book."
"Oh." She swallowed and cracked the book open, flipping through pages quickly. He waited, seconds ticking by as she searched, flipping forward, then turning back. "Found it."
"You did well. It only took you twenty seconds." Endeavor looked at her levelly, "Now say drone with recording equipment.
"Drone with recording equipment?" She repeated.
"Two seconds."
"Oh..." Her shoulders fell.
"You can always have a smaller copy made in case electrical interference disables your support equipment." He motioned to her, "More importantly, without the book, you won't need that hazard on your back."
She glanced over her shoulder, "The bookshelf?"
He nodded, "It looks solid. Imagine falling on your back with that behind you."
Yaoyorozu flinched, "I would prefer not to." She murmured.
"Since we're on the topic of costumes, I noticed you didn't create anything underneath yours. Is there a reason for that?"
She looked at him, "... It's clothing, sir."
"You are far from the only hero or hero student that creates items from their skin. Support should be able to make clothing that will allow your creations to pass through. It usually requires DNA samples, so you will need to accompany me and Hagakure to the support department so they can remake your costume. You will also receive an excuse from today's afternoon review."
She took a breath, gathering herself. "Thank you, sensei."
He nodded, "Return to your classmates." He waited until she got back to them before addressing the entire class, "We will be finishing class with physical assessments. Shoji, please restrict yourself to using only one set of arms. Ojiro, refrain from using your tail to assist in testing. Tsuyu, limit yourself to running rather than leaping."
His students began exchanging glances until Uraraka raised a tentative hand, "Sir, are we not going to use our quirks?"
"For this, you aren't to use your quirks at all."
Little angry pops filled the air as Bakugo exploded on him, "What do you mean, we aren't supposed to use our quirks?"
The look Endeavor gave Bakugo would have cowed lesser men. It almost impressed him that Bakugo refused to back down.
Almost.
"Because we are engaging in a physical assessment," He told the unruly boy. "not a quirk assessment."
Iida raised a hand, "Sir, during yesterday's physical assessment we were told to use our quirks. Can you explain why today is different?"
Endeavor barred his arms over his chest, his estimation of their homeroom teacher falling another notch, "The reason should be obvious. There will be times when you will be unable to rely on your quirk."
That got the blond's hackles up even further, "What?" He sneered, "My quirk is awesome! It has more uses than anyone else's at this school."
Endeavor arched an eyebrow, and he wasn't alone in looking at the boy incredulously either, which just irked the boy more. Even with all of Shouto's training, the Yaoyorozu heiress clearly had the most tactical flexibility, so long as she had staying power. Instead, he brushed the comment off, "First, as your teacher, I need to have a realistic understanding of your capabilities. Second, it's normal for heroes to encounter situations where they cannot use their quirk."
"Huh?" Bakugo wasn't the only one surprised by the statement, even though it was just a fact.
"Tell me Bakugo, how would you use your explosions to dig people out of a mudslide?"
"I'd blast the mud away before it could reach them."
"That's not what I asked." Endeavor bore a hole into the boy, "Often, heroes arrive well after the disaster has already occurred. There is no blasting it away before it reaches civilians, they're already trapped."
He looked at his students, meeting their gaze one by one, "Last year I assisted in rescue efforts for a mudslide in Shizuoka prefecture. People, entire homes, were submerged and had to be dug out as quickly as possible. In that situation, you wouldn't be allowed to set off explosions, it could further collapse a building that civilians are trapped in. People who can't breathe can't wait for someone with the right quirk to show up. Our options were to dig them out or let them drown." His gaze returned to Bakugo just in time for the boy's breath to hitch, "So tell me, Bakugo, what would you have done?"
Bakugo seemed to deflate, bravado disappearing. Endeavor's eyes narrowed at his lack of answer, but he relented. Perhaps the boy had been there? Or maybe it was something else, some other ill memory, either way, he'd have to investigate later. He had the attention of the rest of his students and he wasn't about to let the point hang.
"When you can't use your quirks, all you'll have to rely on is your allies, your equipment, your training, and your body. Sometimes you won't even have that much. When it comes down to it, in your darkest hour, all you'll have to rely on is yourself. There won't be anyone else. Your equipment will fail. And despite my efforts, your training will be found wanting. You will have to do it yourself, and there's no way to do that if you aren't physically capable. You will have to go beyond your limits. Plus ultra!"
"Plus ultra!" The cheer caught him off guard. Kirishima, Kaminari and Uraraka had thrust their fists into the air, wild excitement on their faces. Even the other students looked suitably pumped up… everyone except the suddenly silent Bakugo and his son, who looked annoyed at his classmates' enthusiasm.
Endeavor felt a smile tugging at his lip, "Let's get these assessments underway then."
Author's Notes: What can I say? Endeavor isn't used to being approved of by the children he trains. I think I've addressed most, if not all, of the costume problems. I've never really seen anyone point out Jiro and Kaminari's costumes as being too casual for Heroics, but… well… how would a normal person know they're heroes? They're wearing pretty casual clothing after all. The next chapter will wrap up the first class, though it's still not quite done.
And, yeah, Endeavor still isn't exactly the best person. He still wants his son to be the number one hero, but he's not blind, nor is he an idiot. He will also keep his personal opinions on pronouns to himself.
I waffled on what to have Yaoyorozu make. I thought about stuff from the new movie, but there's no hint of it earlier, so I decided against it. I do think the cannon she uses on occasion is terribly impractical, and moving towards better weapons would be a real boon to her. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!
