Thalia and Ochako stood before the gates, frozen in shock. A crowd of reporters completely blocked the entrance. Thalia let out a long moan of annoyance, running her hand through the hair she hadn't bothered to tie up that day. Her body felt drained and her head hurt. Her eye bags were bigger than they usually were, not having been able to sleep as much as she usually did. The iced coffee in her thermos definitely helped.
It'd been a while since she'd shapeshifted as much as she had yesterday, so her body was going through a bit of a backlash. Consistency was difficult for Thalia.
"Are you fucking kidding me!? I am not dealing with this." Thalia growled. She sipped darkly from her iced coffee, and while it did soothe her, it didn't soothe her mood. Ochako sweatdropped, her hand hovering above her shoulder. They started walking again, Thalia's head pounding.
"Hey, you!" A loud voice pierced clean through Thalia's skull, causing her wince. She looked up at the source of the voice with a deadly glare, the woman who had shouted recoiling at the sight.
"Let us through." She snapped, batting away microphones. The reporters all cringed away from the teen, letting her and her companion through.
"Wait, just one question!" Called another reporter.
"Hold it, you're the daughter of Gypsy, the Energy Hero, and Atlas, He Who Holds the World, aren't you?" Shouted another one. Thalia whipped around to give them a withering glare.
"Shut the hell up! Nosy ass motherfucker!" Thalia shouted as she roughly pushed past the rest, Ochako taking shelter behind her as reporters reached out to her as well.
Her companion looked back at them, her face contorted in worry.
"Did you really have to scare them like that?" Ochako asked her, her voice gentle on her head. "You know they have no idea what he's really like…"
"They'll be fine," Thalia muttered, "They had no business asking me some bullshit like that… I just wanna get today over with..." She noticed Ochako's look, and immediately felt bad that her best friend was the victim of her bad attitude.
"Why do you think they're here?" Thalia asked, her voice quieter.
"I think it's because All Might being hired here took the whole nation by surprise." Ochako replied, her voice low.
"You have a point... I can't imagine any other reason they'd be here. I don't think that was normal at all." She replied. The two walked into the classroom where it was a bit loud. Thalia narrowed her eyes, grimacing.
"Hey, Dragomir! I- what's wrong with you? You look awful." Kirishima said. The class noticed and her atmosphere spread around. Thalia looked up at him with a tired glare.
"You look like Aizawa-san." Said Mina with a slight grimace.
"I'm aware, you guys. Thank you for pointing it out." She growled. Ochako popped out from behind her as Thalia took her seat in the back by Momo and behind Midoriya. She plopped down, holding her head in her hand with a sigh. Momo tapped her shoulder, a sympathetic look in her eyes. Thalia turned only halfway.
"Are you alright, Thalia-chan?" She asked, her voice timid and worried. Thalia sighed.
"Yeah, I'll be fine after an hour or two." She breathed, her eyes closed. She couldn't bring herself to snap at her.
"Shapeshifting can be really hard on Thali-chan's body. She hasn't had a backlash this bad in a while, though." Ochako explained to those that were listening. Aizawa walked in as Thalia's migraine faded to a mere headache. However, the muscles under her shoulder blades felt like they were being stabbed. Plus, she could practically feel Bakugo's glare from behind her.
"Decent work on yesterday's combat training, you guys. I saw the video feeds and went over each of your team's results." He turned his gaze to Bakugo. "Bakugo. You're talented. So don't sulk like a child at your loss, okay?"
"Yeah, whatever." He muttered, looking away.
"Midoriya. I see the only way you won the match was by messing up your arm again. Work harder. And don't give me that excuse that you don't have control over your quirk. That line's already getting old. You can't keep breaking your body while training here. But your quirk will be really useful if you can get a handle on it, so show a little urgency, huh?" She watched him bow his head in shame only to lift it again in pride.
"Right!" He shouted, his voice determined.
"Kaminari." The yellow-haired boy raised his eyebrows when Aizawa turned his attention to him.
"Huh?" He responded.
"You need to work on your reflexes, you and Jiro both. But you all did good otherwise. Your strategy would've worked if you hadn't fallen for Dragomir's distraction. Now, let's get down to business." He moved on.
"Our first task will decide your future." Thalia frowned ahead, tension overtaking the class. "You all need to pick a class representative." Oh good. Just normal school shit. Thalia thought, relieved.
"Pick me, guys! I wanna be a class rep!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"I'll take it!" Said Kaminari, raising his hand.
"Yeah, you're gonna need me." Claimed Jiro, her hand all the way up.
"Someone with style should be best." Stated Aoyama.
"I'm like, totally the right pick!" Cried Mina, stepping in front of Aoyama. Thalia tuned out the yelling, including Bakugo's from behind her, but it was difficult as her migraine returned.
Bakugo seemed to be fine now. It was like yesterday had never happened. Well, some sympathetic part of her was glad. She didn't miss his yelling, though.
None of the people that were screaming and raising their hands would be fit for class rep- it sounded condescending, but she didn't believe herself to be fit either. From what she had gathered, only Iida, Todoroki or Momo would be able to handle all the responsibility a class rep in the hero course one would have to shoulder.
"Silence, everyone, please!" Shouted Iida. The class quieted down. Exhibit A, she thought. "The class representative's duty is to lead others. That's not something just anyone can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader!"
"Is this really the best idea?" Asked Kaminari.
"We've only known each other for a few days, how do we know who we can trust?" Asui asked.
"Besides, everyone would just vote for themselves." Kirishima added. Thalia bit her cheek to keep quiet. Iida was so obviously the right choice, wasn't he? He was more of a leader than Aizawa.
"Most people will," Iida acknowledged, pointing at him, "but that means whoever does receive multiple votes must truly be the most suitable person for the job." He looked at Aizawa, who was in his sleeping bag. "It's the best way, right, sir?"
"Do what you want, just decide before my nap's over." Aizawa drawled, falling over behind the podium.
"Thank you for your trust!" He exclaimed gratefully.
Minutes later, the election results were on the board. Thalia was located on the bottom with one, not having voted for herself unlike the rest of the class. She frowned.
Who could that've been?
Midoriya and Momo were at the top with three and two votes respectively.
"How did I get three votes!?" Midoriya exclaimed. From the sound of it, he also didn't vote for himself. Bakugo stood up aggressively.
"Okay, you idiots, who voted for him!?" He bellowed. He was at the bottom with zero. How did an ego-manic like him not vote for himself? Who in the nine realms did he think was better than him?
"What, did you honestly think anyone was gonna vote for you?" Sero contradicted. Thalia didn't miss the look on Ochako's face- a light blush and her eyes angled away. Thalia raised an eyebrow at her, and Ochako caught her eye, looking away quickly, whistling louder and faster, her face pink. Thalia snorted. However, she looked at Iida. He was shaking with a frustrated frown on his face. Poor thing. Thalia's vote must've been his only vote.
But who voted for me?
"I feared this might happen," He said shakily, his voice glum. "but I can't argue with the system I chose."
"So you voted for someone else, huh? And only got one vote in return?" Asked Momo from behind her.
"But you knew it was best to vote for yourself, right? What were you trying to prove here, Iida?" Sato added.
"Alright, the class rep is Midoriya, and our deputy is Yaoyorozu." The two stood behind the podium. Poor Midoriya was shaking like a leaf. Momo was standing calmly at his side, her hands on her hips, a disappointed expression on her face.
"Really? Uh, it's not a mistake?" Midoriya asked shakily. Momo turned to him, sighed, and turned back away, disappointed.
"How'd this happen?" She muttered. Thalia caught her eye and sent a sympathetic expression, and she sent an exasperated one in return.
"This might not be so bad." Asui said, putting a finger to her face as she usually did.
"Yeah, I can get behind Midoriya, I guess." Kirishima said, though he sounded disappointed he didn't win.
"Yaoyorozu was totally on top of it when it came to our training results." Kaminari added. Thalia frowned.
As much as I like Midoriya, he's not fit for class rep.
Thalia sat down next to Midoriya, across from Ochako.
"Ugh, it's always so crowded in here!" Ochako whined.
"That's because students in the support, management, and hero courses all share the same cafeteria." Iida informed Ochako, who had taken a bite of her rice, humming in delight.
"Mmh! This rice is delicious!" She said happily. Thalia smiled at her, taking her own bite. Normally, she would sit with Momo and Mina, but she wanted to congratulate Midoriya on winning the vote, even if she didn't agree with the result.
"Well Chako-chan, I wouldn't be surprised, since a pro hero is cooking it." Thalia replied, swallowing her rice. Midoriya looked at Ochako, and then back to Thalia.
"You two are close, aren't you?" Midoriya inferred. Thalia glanced at him, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, I met her in elementary school." Thalia said, taking another bite of rice. "I barely knew Japanese, but she didn't give a shit. She thought my horns were cool and I liked her light-up shoes. The rest is history."
"Yeah! We've been friends since!" Ochako said, smiling as she ate more of her food.
"Well it sure is fortunate that you two both got into U.A., and in the same class, no matter." Iida commented, taking a bite of rice. "The chances of that are astronomically low."
"Right!?" Ochako exclaimed cheerfully. "I think about that all the time." Thalia couldn't help but agree. She felt loved by the Fates because of that. Midoriya placed his bowl down, his gaze nervous.
"Guys, I'm kinda worried about this class rep thing, I don't think I'm qualified." He admitted, frowning down at his food. Thalia gave him a sympathetic glance.
"You're not." Thalia said bluntly, her eyes retaining their kind light. The table, however, all exclaimed, shocked.
"Eh!?" They said, all looking at her, bewildered. Thalia locked eyes with Midoriya.
"Midoriya, you have an amazing quirk, and you're pretty damn smart. However, you're not able to take on the stress of being a representative for class 1-A. Kirishima isn't, either. Not Bakugo, not Mina, none of them. Not me, either. Momo is qualified to be vice representative, but…" Thalia looked at Iida. "Iida-kun, you've been a natural leader of the class since the year started. I'm honestly surprised nobody else's noticed by now. They all seem to listen to you." She explained, taking another bite of rice. Iida looked truly touched- but the expression washed away.
"But Midoriya's courage and quick thinking under stress will help make him a worthy leader," Iida protested, turning to Midoriya, "not to mention the strength you've demonstrated. Those were the reasons I voted for you, at least." Iida confessed, looking back down at his food.
"You were one of the three!?" Midoriya asked incredulously.
"Didn't you wanna be rep really badly? I mean, you do look the part, 'cause of the glasses." said Ochako.
Iida looked bashful. "W-well, wanting the job and being suited to it are quite different things. Observing the Iida family's hero agency has taught me that much."
"Agency?" Thalia, Ochako and Midoriya chorused in confusion.
"Hold on, what does your family do?" Midoriya interrogated.
"Uh- Oh, it's nothing." Iida stuttered.
"Y'know, I've been wondering something about you. Admit it, Iida. You're filthy rich!" Ochako claimed, clutching her hands into fists by her face. Iida paled. She was spot on, apparently.
"Uh- I was afraid people would treat me differently if they knew about my family." He confessed, looking away. Thalia's eyebrows quirked. Ochako and Midoriya slowly got closer, awe evident on their faces.
"Everyone knows Thali-chan's parents are Gypsy and Titan!" Ochako protested.
"They're what!?" Midoriya screeched at the top of his lungs. He looked like he was about to faint. I guess he wasn't paying attention in English.
"Never mind that. Iida, tell us about your family." Thalia was desperate to change the subject, there was no way in hell she'd talk about her dad.
"You see, the Iidas have been pro heroes for generations. It runs in our blood."
"What!? That's awesome!" Ochako and Midoriya chorused.
"The three of you are familiar with the Turbo Hero, Ingenium, right?" Prompted Iida.
"I know all about him!" Midoriya exclaimed, going off on one of his fanboy rants. Thalia let out a huff of amusement as he did so, his face lit with passion. He paused all of the sudden, shocked.
"Don't tell me..." He trailed off, connecting the dots.
"He's my elder brother!" Iida proclaimed proudly, putting his hands on his hips.
"Your family's famous!" Ochako exclaimed excitedly.
"I can't believe it!" Midoriya exclaimed with the same energy.
"Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the hero code. As the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him." Iida looked down, his prideful smile not leaving his face. "However, I think it might be a bit soon for me to be in a real leadership role. You, for example," He continued, looking at Midoriya, "You figured out what the judges were looking for in the practical exam. A rep needs that sort of insight." However, Thalia, Ochako and Midoriya only stared back at him.
"That's the first time I've seen you smile, Tenya! You should do it more." Ochako said excitedly.
"What're you talking about? I smile all the time!" Iida protested.
"Thalia! Tell them about your mom!" Ochako suddenly exclaimed, catching Thalia right as she was about to put a piece of chicken in her mouth. She put her chopsticks down and started.
"Well, my mom, Gypsy, is a pro hero, as you might know. She went here for high school- and she actually dated All Might for a year."
"Whaaaaaat!?" Midoriya gasped, as if he'd been shocked by Kaminari's quirk. He seemed more shocked than anyone. "I know all about Gypsy! She's the number nine hero! She has fifty sidekicks and her agency in Tokyo is huge!" Thalia let out another huff of amusement, closing her eyes and taking a sip of iced coffee.
"Yeah, Uncle Might's a family friend. Anyways, back to my mom, she's the first in her family to become a pro hero, but my..." She trailed off, unsure of how she should go about this. "My dad comes from a long line of shapeshifters. Specifically dragon-shifters. However, I was the only one who was able to shift into more than one creature. Mom always told me it was a mix of their quirks, that somehow, I was able to morph my own energy... I don't know. It can get really confusing. It's actually easier for me to shift into a dragon since, you know, it's in my blood." Thalia raised a hand, and put it back down.
"Anyways, I have a brother and a sister. My brother has a better version of mom's quirk- he can basically manipulate everyone's energies including his own, whereas my mom can only transfer energy. My sister inherited my stepdad's- her father's- quirk, but instead of being able to control water, she can change her whole body to water. In fact, we almost lost her in a pool once." Thalia and Ochako snorted at that.
"I was there." Ochako laughed. "It was a lot scarier at the time than she's making it seem!"
"Yeah." Thalia agreed. She remembered her mother's petrified face as she waved her hands through the water frantically.
"I remember Gypsy's wedding... She asked for it not to be put on TV, didn't she?" Midoriya asked.
"That's right, it was a few years before I moved to Japan. It was fun! All Might was there, and mom was still pregnant with my sister." Thalia said cheerfully.
"So, what's the number four hero like!?" Asked Midoriya excitedly. Thalia's face fell, knowing he was talking about her father. Ochako gave her a sympathetic, knowing glance. How should I go about this..?
"He's… Dedicated to his job. And he… Trained me. Helped me… Use my quirk better." She muttered. Iida and Midoriya exchanged confused glances. Before they could probe her unusual behavior, a loud, piercing bell rang. The four of them looked up at the noise, confused.
"What is that!?" Midoriya asked, panicked.
"Warning. Level three security breach. All students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion." Said the announcer. Iida turned to a third year beside him.
"What's a level three security breach?" He asked, his hands out.
"It means someone's managed to get past the school's barriers!" He responded frantically, "This hasn't happened in my three years here! We should get going!" And with that, he dashed out of his seat. They all exchanged glances, and without another word, ran with the other students.
The hallway was awful. Thalia was caught in between a huge guy, Ochako, and a girl just barely taller than her.
"Ow! What a mob!" Ochako shouted. Thalia yelped when someone tugged on her horn. Who the hell did that!?
"Everyone was quick to react. As I'd expect from U.A. students." Iida shouted above the noise.
"Sure, but they're also causing a huge panic!" Midoriya added, getting shouldered away promptly after.
"Midoriya!" Thalia shouted. She yelped when someone tugged on her horn again. "Who the fuck did that!?" She shouted angrily.
"If someone doesn't do something soon, we're gonna get crushed!" Thalia shouted. She didn't have enough room to shift, which made her anxious. She pushed it down as soon as she recognized it, however. She narrowly avoided getting kneed in the face only to back into an elbow, which hit her hard on the back of the head, knocking stars into her vision. She lost her balance, feeling lightheaded, her migraine from this morning returning.
She noticed Iida rise above everyone and suddenly start spinning ahead- his glasses fell off, and she was able to catch them before they hit the ground- slamming against something she couldn't see.
She pocketed his glasses, looking up.
"There's absolutely nothing to worry about! Everything's fine!" He shouted. Thalia found it incredibly hard to focus over the pain in her head, but she tried her best. What he was saying stopped the panic, thankfully.
Later, everyone was found and they returned to their classrooms. Ochako noticed how Thalia stumbled instead of walking, however.
"Thalia, are you okay?" Ochako asked her, concerned.
"Yeah, you get hit on the head?" Kaminari asked.
"I... yeah..." Thalia managed, swaying lightly. Her head pounded. Ochako gasped, realizing it was worse than she initially thought, walking toward her and putting an arm over her shoulder, steadying her.
"I'll take her to the nurse, I'll be back." She said, escorting the lavender-haired girl out of the room.
"Nothing more than a very minor bump, sweetie. The pain and disorientation is just a side effect of the backlash, not a concussion. Just rest for tonight, take it easy on hero training today, and avoid shapeshifting, I know its toll on you. Here's a pill that should help with the pain if you have to shapeshift." Said Recovery Girl sternly. She handed her a small, round pill. Thalia nodded very lightly, giving her a weak smile while nursing her head.
Ochako and Thalia walked back to the classroom to find out that Iida was now the class rep. Seeing Iida sit proudly made Thalia smile. But... he still didn't have his glasses.
"Iida." Thalia called as she walked in. The blue-haired class rep perked at the sound of her voice.
"Dragomir! Nice to see you back." Iida greeted her. Thalia tossed his glasses at him, and they landed on his chest. Iida was just barely able to grab them before they fell. "My... My glasses! Thank you, Dragomir... How did you find these? I thought they'd get crushed." He looked up at her with gratitude as she gave him a small smile in return.
"I caught them as you flew above us." Thalia answered simply as she sat down in her seat.
"Hey, Dragomir, are you alright?" Kirishima leaned back and whisper-asked. Thalia nodded.
"Yeah, just a bad hit. The concussion effects are just the backlash acting up, not an actual concussion, thank Odin." She whisper-informed. He nodded and leaned back forward with a small 'okay', and giving her a thumbs-up.
"Today's training will be a little different. You'll have three instructors. Me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you." Aizawa started. Thalia's eyebrows rose. Is it because of the break-in? Or is this just something you would need three pro heroes for? Thalia thought.
"Sir!" Sero raised his hand, leaning slightly into Thalia, "What kinda training is this?" He asked. Aizawa dug into his pockets and held out a card with blue lettering- contrary to All Might's battle card.
"Rescue. You'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that." Thalia smiled at that. Though nothing could beat the thrill of battle, she still wanted to be an all-around hero, just like her mom.
"Disasters, huh?" Kaminari commented, "Sounds like we're in for a big workout."
"Totally!" Mina exclaimed.
"Real hero stuff!" Kirishima said excitedly. "This is what separates the men from the boys! I'm shakin' with excitement!"
"Finally, I'll get to show off how good I am in water, kero." Said Asui enthusiastically.
"Guys, I'm not finished yet." Aizawa groaned. "What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes, but keep in mind that you haven't gotten used to them yet, and they might limit your abilities. This special training's at an off-campus facility, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's all. Start getting ready." And with that, Aizawa walked off.
"Oh yeah. I'm wearing my costume for sure. If anything, the P.E. outfit limits my abilities!" Thalia commented, crossing her arms.
"Yeah, I don't really have an option." Midoriya muttered. Oh, right. Bakugo destroyed his costume. Dick.
"Yo, Dragomir!" Kirishima exclaimed to Thalia once she had exited the building after finishing getting dressed.
"Yeah?" Thalia responded, walking toward him, Sero and Mina.
"Hey, sure you're up for training? You got hit on the head during the break-in, didn't you?" Kirishima asked, his tone concerned, a worried look in his eye. Thalia just smiled and waved it off.
"I'm fine, I just have to take it easy. The symptoms were just worsened by my backlash, which is particularly bad today for some reason." Thalia assured him.
"What's the deal with your quirk, anyways? Does it like, hurt to shapeshift?" Mina asked, her eyes more curious than pitiful. Thalia itched the back of her head.
"Well, since we're classmates, I guess it would be fair to trust you guys with this information." Thalia started, removing her hand and looking back up at the three.
"Basically, when I'm shifting, I can feel all my bones and organs and shit like, moving around." Thalia watched their faces turn dismayed. "It's not really painful in the moment anymore… Since I've done it so much… But it leaves me sore for hours after just one shift. Also for that reason, creatures of a drastically different size are hard for me as well." She explained, her voice small.
"Wow, with a backlash like that, it's really brave of you to choose a career that requires you to shapeshift a lot!" Sero praised, grinning. Thalia blushed and looked away. That wasn't the kind of thing she expected to hear.
"Yeah, Thalia! That's totally awesome of you!" Mina hopped up and down excitedly, increasing her fluster.
"Super manly!" Kirishima added. Thalia laughed nervously, not really sure how to take all the praise.
"Wow... Thanks, guys. My dad thinks it's rather foolish of me." She confessed. The three looked a bit taken aback at that, but before they could say anything else, a loud whistle pierced the air. Thalia groaned and shut her eyes tight, the whistle piercing her head. She turned a dirty glare in the direction of the sound for it to land on Iida, who flinched.
"S-sorry, Dragomir." Iida muttered. His voice raised after that. "Gather around, Class 1-A! Using your student numbers, you will form two neat lines so we can load the bus efficiently!" He started blowing the whistle again, and Thalia gritted her teeth.
Unfortunately for Iida, the bus had an open layout. Karma.
"The bus's open layout ruined my boarding strategy." Iida groaned, moping. Thalia gave him a sympathetic look from across Mina. Iida ended up sitting next to Aoyama who sat next to Mina who sat next to Kaminari. Across from them was Kirishima, Mina, Midoriya and Sato.
Thalia, already in her costume and figuring it was okay, had shapeshifted into an Australian Shepherd, sitting between Kaminari and Mina. Her horns shrunk to fit the proportions of the dog.
"Thalia, are you sure? Aren't you sore?" Kirishima asked. Thalia raised her shoulder blades in a shrug.
"Yeah, it'll suck when I shift, but it's not like I have to hold myself in place when I'm shifted. Only the shifting itself hurts. Plus, I'm not sitting next to Bakugo. This is my best option" Thalia had replied, referring to the empty seat next to Bakugo.
"What did you- eh? Why are you a dog, you dumb dog?" Bakugo stopped mid-scream to notice Thalia's form.
"'Cause I don't want to sit next to you, you goblin! You'll make my headache worse!" She barked.
"Shut up, bitch!" He yelled, sitting back down. Relevant insult, but she took the win given that was all he said in response.
"Hey! No cursing on the bus!" Iida shouted.
Mina and Kaminari, with Thalia's permission, were absentmindedly petting the shapeshifter's head and back. Her chin rested lazily on Mina's leg.
"Iida, Bakugo, you really need to chill!" Mina advised the two loud boys.
"If we're pointing out the obvious, there's something I wanna say... about you, actually." Asui spoke up, looking at Midoriya, who recoiled slightly.
"About me? What is it, Asui?" He asked, flustered.
"I told you to call me Tsu." Asui neutrally reminded him, to which Thalia raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, yeah, right." Midoriya said, shying away.
"That power of yours," She began without missing a beat, "it's a lot like All Might's isn't it?" Thalia's eyes widened, her heart missing a beat. Wow, she caught on fast. She mentally commented. She squinted her eyes ever so slightly, her gaze on Midoriya. She recalled what happened yesterday after school.
"This all matches up..." Ljufvina's voice drifted, her eyes dark. Thalia's heart beat faster.
"What... What matches up? Was I right?" She asked frantically, horrified. Ljufvina looked up, and exhaled a little out her nose, a small but temporary smile on her face.
"No, Thalia. If what you're thinking matches up, Midoriya may have been the one All Might gave his quirk- One For All- to." Thalia's panic melted away to curiosity.
"Inherited? One For All? I... I've never heard of that." Thalia said.
"Of course you haven't. One For All may be one of a kind, and very few people know about it, so I'm trusting you not to change that. I didn't even plan on telling you, but it's only fair. I know you'd get the answer one way or another and I didn't want you to find out the hard way. When Toshinori and I dated in high school, he told me all about it. Basically, One For All is a quirk where it's passed down from generation to generation. If I'm right, Midoriya's the ninth one to inherit the quirk. That also means..." Ljufvina trailed off, her gaze growing distant.
"Mom?" Thalia asked worriedly. Ljufvina's gaze returned to Thalia's, her eyes grim.
"It means while Midoriya's getting stronger, Toshinori is getting weaker."
Thalia wished her mother was lying. She watched Midoriya grow more flustered as Tsu made valid points, and Thalia clenched her jaw, worried it would come out if she didn't say anything.
"Wait, hold on, Tsu. All Might doesn't crush his arm every time he punches something. That definitely makes a huge difference." Thalia lifted her head as she spoke, Mina's petting paused. "However, it could've been a bit out of control when he was Midoriya-kun's age." She contradicted, staring into Midoriya's eyes. The boy turned pale, recoiling at her words. I should tell him that I know. I'll have a bit of fun before I do, though.
"Psh. Please, All Might? I'm sure he had it under control from the moment he got it when he was a kid!" Kaminari said, waving a hand, the other still petting her back.
"Hey, Dragomir? I have a question for you, too." Said Tsu. Thalia perked.
"What's up?" She asked the frog girl.
"If you can shapeshift into animals, does that mean you can shapeshift into other humans, too?" She asked. Thalia's head bobbed.
"Yeah, I totally can. I just avoid it, because it feels weird, and I won't be able to use it to disguise myself anyways, since I can't shift away my horns." She gave it straight.
"Wait, so you could shapeshift into me right now if you wanted to?" Said Kaminari, his voice filled with awe. Thalia looked up at him with a smug expression.
"Yeah, but I don't like shapeshifting into an ugly form." She joked. All the people sitting in the front exploded in "Oooooooh!"'s. Kaminari's jaw went slack, looking mortified.
"Kidding." Thalia whispered to the poor blonde with a grin. He pouted.
"Still, I bet it's cool to have a simple augmenting-type a' quirk. You can do lotsa flashy stuff with it." Holding out a hand, Kirishima continued, hardening his arm as he spoke. "My Hardening's super strong and can destroy bad guys in a fight, but it doesn't look all that impressive." He finished glumly.
"Bullshit." Thalia stated, not lifting her head from Mina's lap. The other students gave her surprised looks, and Iida gave her a warning look. "Sorry, Iida. Come on, Kiri-kun. It's super cool, seriously." She stated.
"Yeah, no way, I think it's really awesome looking!" Midoriya agreed, smiling brightly. Kirishima looked at them both with surprise. "You're definitely pro material with a quirk like that!" Kirishima's eyes looked at his hardened arm with new admiration, his eyebrows quirked up.
"You really think so?" He asked, a small smile on his face. "Seems like it'd be easier to be a popular hero if I had somethin' flashier."
"My Naval Laser's got the perfect combination of panache and strength." Aoyama claimed, resting his head on his hands. Mina turned to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"But it's way lame if it gives you a stomachache, sweetie." Mina calmly told him. Aoyama's face quickly fell to shame and embarrassment. Damn, Mina. Thalia thought, laughing.
"Well, if any of our classmates have pro quirks, it's Dragomir, Bakugo and Todoroki." Thalia's chin jutted up at Kaminari's words, though it didn't leave her resting place. She noticed Bakugo raise his head at the mention, and then return to looking out the window.
"Sure, but Bakugo's always angry, so he'll never be that popular." Tsu commented bluntly. Thalia's eyes widened and looked to the side, knowing what was to come. He leapt out of his seat, gripping the bar ahead of him.
"What did you say!? I'll kick your ass!" He shouted.
"Exhibit A." Thalia commented sarcastically.
"Y'know, we basically just met you, so it's kinda telling that we all know your personality is flaming shit mixed with garbage." Said Kaminari condescendingly. Bakugo exploded with anger, leaning toward him.
"You're gonna regret the day you applied to this school, you loser! I'll kill you!" He snarled. Thalia sent him a guttural warning growl, glaring at him from her resting place.
"What, you think I'm scared of you, bitch!? I'll kill you too!" Bakugo yelled scornfully at Thalia, not deterred by her growl. The fur by her haunches rose, and she stood up, causing Kaminari and Mina to cringe.
"You fucking will be scared, pussy!" She snarled back, giving him a glare that could kill.
"Enough, you two! And stop with the cursing, both of you!" Iida said loudly, trying to take control of the situation.
"I'll fucking curse if I want to!" Bakugo and Thalia chorused, turning their anger on him, causing the blue-haired man to flinch.
"Hey, hey, we're here. Stop messing around. Dragomir, human form. Now." Said Aizawa, staring at Thalia, causing her to cringe and shift back. She realized the others were packed pretty tightly on the seat, so she decided to sit on the ground next to Mina's leg. She raised her head, looking out the windshield- she saw a large dome that reminded her of the ball-shaped building at Disney World.
"Wow, that was actually pretty cool to watch. It didn't look gross or terrifying like most movies show it being." Kaminari said as Thalia stood to stretch out the soreness in her back, legs and arms.
"Well, it's not disgusting, it just looks weird. Like if it moved any slower, it would be disturbing." Kirishima sweatdropped, scratching his head.
If she had to describe it, her shapeshifting was really too fast to be more than a blur, though it felt longer to her. It doesn't look disgusting- bones never jutted out and her innards were never visible. Her cells just work that fast- they had to for her body to be built for shapeshifting.
"Yeah, well, don't worry about it. If I had to describe the pain, it really just feels like you just woke up the day after a day-long, brutal and probably dangerously fatiguing workout along with growing pains on steroids. The upside to that is when it cools down the soreness can be rather soothing and helps me sleep at night." Thalia explained to them as they alighted the bus. The people that were listening all blanched. That isn't reassuring at all, they thought in unison.
"Hello, everyone, I've been waiting for you!" Said a light, robotic-sounding voice. Thalia lowered her arms, gasping along with some of her class.
"It's the Space Hero, Thirteen!" Midoriya exclaimed. "The chivalrous pro who's rescued a ton of people from disasters across the world!" Arya looked over at Ochako, knowing Thirteen to be her favorite hero.
"Woo-hoo! Thirteen is one of my favorite heroes!" She exclaimed, as Thalia predicted she would.
"I can't wait to show you what's inside!" Thirteen said, motioning to the building. This is gonna be awesome. Thalia thought excitedly.
Oh, how she was wrong.
Thalia gasped when she and the class walked in.
"Holy crap!" Exclaimed Kirishima from in front of her. "It looks like some kind of amusement park!"
"A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a wind storm, et cetera. I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters. I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint! But you can call it USJ!" Just like Universal Studios Japan. Thalia connected mentally.
"Hey, shouldn't All Might be here already?" Asked Aizawa, walking to Thirteen's side. "Let me guess, he booked an interview instead."
"Actually, it's something else." Thirteen said lowly. Thalia morphed her ears into cat ears to listen, ignoring the ringing.
"Apparently he did too much hero work on the way to school this morning and used up all his power. He's resting in the teacher's lounge." Thalia heard Thirteen explain under her breath.
"That man is the height of irresponsibility." Aizawa hissed. Thalia managed to transmute her ears back before Aizawa turned back around, agreeing with his words exasperatingly.
"The clock's ticking. We should get started." Said Aizawa.
"Excellent!" Thirteen said optimistically. "Before we begin, let me just say one thing. Well- maybe two things. Possibly three, four or five." We get it. Thalia thought, annoyed.
"Listen carefully," Thirteen carried on, her voice solemn, holding up her hand. "I'm sure you're aware that I have a powerful quirk. It's called Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust."
"Yeah, you've used Black Hole to save people from all kinds of disasters, haven't you?" Midoriya said. Ochako was nodding excitedly next to him, and it made Thalia huff amusedly.
"That's true," Thirteen confirmed, not losing her solemn tone. "but my quirk could also very easily be used to kill." Ochako stopped her nodding as she gasped. Thalia was also taken aback at her bluntness. "Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous. In our superhuman society, all quirks are certified and stringently regulated so we often overlook how unsafe they can actually be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly. Even if you're trying to do something virtuous like rescue someone."
Thirteen looked at Aizawa. "Thanks to Aizawa's fitness tests," She looked back at the students, "you have a solid idea of your quirk's potential. And because of All Might's combat training, you likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Today, you're going to learn how to use your quirks to save peoples' lives. You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that's what being a hero is all about. Ensuring the safety of others." Through this monologue, Thalia listened with determination.
"That's all I have to say," Said Thirteen, bowing. "Thank you so much for listening." The students cheered in response.
"Right," Aizawa spoke up, "now that that's over-" Before he could finish, the lights went out with a loud, electrifying noise. The fountain in the middle sputtered, and turned off. An odd swirling pattern appeared in front of the now dead fountain. Thalia frowned. Was this part of the presentation? Something about Aizawa's expression told her otherwise.
Thalia's eyebrows diverged further, trying to look closer. They shot upward when it exploded into a bigger shape. She thought she saw a hand coming out of it for a moment. And after a moment, it became one. And then it became a face, though Thalia could just barely see it. Aizawa turned around, and swiftly turned back once he took in the sight.
"Everyone stay together and don't move!" Aizawa commanded, sounding more urgent than she had ever heard him be. Thalia's eyes widened, trying not to assume the worst.
Ochako reached forward and grabbed Thalia's hand- something she only did when she was truly worried. Ochako turned and looked at her, her own concerned and fearful expression crossing her face. Thalia clenched her jaw and squeezed back.
"Thirteen, protect the students!" Aizawa said, readying himself to attack whatever had appeared. Kirishima backed up, almost into Thalia. She put a hand on his back, and he stopped when he felt it.
"Woah, what's that thing?" He asked, fearful but curious. He put a hand on his forehead, leaning forward. "Wait, has the training started already? I thought we were rescuing people."
"That doesn't look like a training exercise." Thalia responded, confused but distressed.
"Stay back!" Aizawa snapped. The teacher put on his goggles. Thalia frowned again, looking down at the purple swirl from Kirishima- several villainous-looking people had stepped out, and more were coming.
"It's a portal..." Thalia realized, dread dripping down her chest. Ochako's hand tightened around her own.
"This is real. Those are villains." Aizawa said, his tone hard. Thalia inhaled quickly at the confirmation.
Ochako and Thalia exchanged worried glances.
This isn't quite what I had in mind for rescue training.
edited 11•10•21
edited 11•19•24
reviews
M: Love this! Amazing chapter! Glad we found out more about Thalia's family and quirk! Love her interactions with Class 1-A! Love Thalia! Nervous for the next chapter!
thank you so much M your reviews mean a lot :)
TheSmartOne: Hello I'm The smart one and I wanna tell you a fun animal fact so that Andrija will have more versatility keep in mind this is strictly for suggestion so you don't have to do this is more like if their a situation and you don't know how Andrija will deal with it so hear are 5 interesting animal facts
1 Pistol shrimp have a claw that snaps shut so quickly it creates a cavitation bubble almost as hot as the surface of the sun. When it collapses the bang can reach 218 decibels so its strong enough to knock out a fish into unconscious And their tiny
2 Lyrebirds can imitate any sound they hear, including camera shutters, chainsaws, and car alarms.
3 tardigrades Or water bears are pretty much indestructible. Not even space could kill these thing literally
4 sea cucumbers can liquify their body witch helps them squeeze into any crevice
5 my most favorite is a star nosed mole they are one of few mammal that can not only dig but swim and smell underwater making it the most interesting in my opinion
Again this is strictly for suggestion in case a situation where to occur then I hope maybe this will help also I suggest you look some of these up it really interesting
thank you for the well-thought out review, The Smart One. i'll keep these animals in mind as i make my story, i appreciate the input :)
HelloWorld: Thank you for your response I hope to see more and 2 thing 1 stay safe 2 take your time when updating unless it's like 1 year then. No again hope to see more and wash your hands
thank you very much frien, i wish the same for you :)) sorry, it's been a year... or three... i hope you'll forgive me!
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