My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 45: Lasting Scars
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
Notes: I forgot to show Nagami's Hero Name, so I added it in Chapter 43. Go have a look when you can.
"So, did you guys hear?" Ashido asked her classmates before school started in their homeroom the next day. "That sword guy, Furaya, will be joining the Hero Course."
They weren't surprised by this revelation, remembering his victory in the Sports Festival last week. Iida, Kirishima, Todoroki and Bakugo had all been beaten by the falcon-themed swordsman, testament to the result of Furaya's training and dedication. He would be the first ever Quirkless student to be in the Hero Course of U.A. High School, something that had never happened before. In response to this news, the reaction from Class 1-A was rather mixed.
Bakugo was silent, his usual frown on his scowl. He remembered the 2nd Place Silver Medal he had put up in his room, a reminder of his failure to uphold his promise to win the Sports Festival. Though he'd never admit it, he had grown to respect Furaya's prowess as a fighter since they had both fought to exhaustion during their match and Bakugo lost at the Quirkless's hands. However, he wouldn't let this defeat serve as a festering wound; instead, he'd let it motivate him to grow stronger so he could one day defeat the Quirkless swordsman.
"He performed extremely well against all those he fought," Iida brought up. "I am not ashamed to admit that he was a very strong opponent and it will be an honor to have him in our class if he's put in Class 1-A."
"He should've been in here in the first place," Takeo insisted. "I can't believe the U.A. Board did that to him just because he was Quirkless."
"Prejudice against the Quirkless still exists to this day, even with anti-Quirkless discrimination laws," Zankoku stated. "It's a bitch, but what can we do? Maybe now, some people will learn to not be so narrow-minded."
Prejudice against the Quirkless ran through Midoriya's mind, making him think of Furaya. On the one hand, Midoriya was proud for someone standing up for the Quirkless as he knew all too well the mistreatment they went through daily. In the eyes of the world, Furaya had done the impossible: he had won the Sports Festival, beat four students who should've easily beaten him, and was now guaranteed a spot in U.A.'s Hero Course. His victory would give hope to the Quirkless, to let them know that they don't have to be pushed around and treated as lesser for something they had no control over.
On the other hand, Furaya filled Midoriya with guilt and shame. If Furaya could come so far without having to rely on a Quirk, couldn't Midoriya have done the same without One For All? No matter how the student viewed it, Furaya earned his place in the Hero Course fairly while Midoriya was bestowed a miracle. If he hadn't run into All Might that day, if the Symbol of Peace hadn't decided to pass his Quirk onto Midoriya, then would he have made it into the Hero Course? The truth was he most likely wouldn't have; while he would've had the intelligence, he was sorely lacking in terms of physical strength and combat prowess.
"The first ever Quirkless to be in the Hero Course," Todoroki remarked. "No one would've ever suspected such a thing."
"Speaking of Quirkless," Kirishima brought up. "You've been rather quiet, Bakugo."
"Shut up!" Bakugo barked. "What I think is none of your damn business!"
"But do you really think Furaya will do well in the Hero Course?" Jiro asked the class. "I mean, yeah, he was pretty badass out there, but like Yaomomo said before the Obstacle Course, not having a Quirk is a pretty big setback for anyone. I think I can say none of us would be here if we didn't have our Quirks."
The class was silent after Jiro's claim. Some of them questioned if they would've been in the Hero Course if they didn't possess their Quirks. There was no denying that without their powers, they wouldn't be able to do the things they can do. Many of them had accomplished what they had because of their Quirks, allowing them an advantage over others when possible.
"He won fair and square," Bakugo spoke up. "What else needs to be said?"
"For once, I agree with Bakugo," Takeo responded, albeit with some reluctance. "Furaya won the Sports Festival. If he hadn't learned how to properly compensate for his Quirklessness, he wouldn't have been 1st Place."
"I think we're all forgetting one thing," Todoroki brought up. "Hero Courses only allow up to twenty-four students in each class. That means for Furaya to get in, one of us will have to be removed to make way for him if he's put in our class."
Todoroki's statement silenced the classroom like a bomb, reminding them of the downside of Furaya joining the Hero Course: one of them would be dropped to make way for him if he was put in Class 1-A. The excitement and wonder of having a Quirkless classmate quickly turned into worry and anxiety for several of the students. Several of them were already fearful of being the potential student who would be dropped from the Hero Course, Midoriya being one of them.
He had unfortunately made no progress with learning how to use One For All, evidenced by his disfigured right hand from his match with Todoroki. After the Combat Training incident, Aizawa had made it clear to Midoriya that if he couldn't learn to use his Quirk in a way that didn't destroy his body nor leave him a liability, he would be cut loose and all his work with All Might would be for nothing.
What was he doing wrong? He was following All Might's advice: imagine the egg in the microwave not bursting. He done that and yet he had made zero progress with using his Quirk.
"Well, our Top Three won't have to worry about that," Tokoyami stated.
"Top Three?" Shiruku asked.
"Raionhato, Bakugo and Todoroki since they were the ones who made it to the Final Four during the Sports Festival," Tokoyami clarified.
"Anyone who didn't make it to the Tournament is ripe for the picking," Bakugo bluntly stated.
"Well…that is if he's put in our class," Uraraka brought up, trying to bring about some hope for her classmates. "Who knows, he may be put in Class 1-B, so none of us would be dropped from the Hero Course. But…even then, maybe Mr. Aizawa would make an exception."
"No, I wouldn't," Aizawa responded as he entered the room and approached the front podium.
"Furaya should already have been in the Hero Course; the only reason he was placed in General Studies was because of a stupid PR stunt. The U.A. Board practically broke their own rules just to make us look good, so no, I won't be making an exception for any of you. But to give you all a fighting chance, I'll explain to you how I'll determine who I'll cut loose if Furaya is put on our class."
The Final Exams, which were a few weeks away. Consisting of two tests, one physical and one written, these scores were often the determining factor for students' capabilities in the Hero Course. Unfortunately, it was also the time when Hero Course teachers would switch out students with ones from other classes if they felt the students they had now didn't live up to their expectations.
"Whoever performs the lowest during the Final Exams will be cut from my class if Furaya is put in Class 1-A," Aizawa stated. "Furaya earned his place in the Hero Course twice; the rest of you only did so once. So I highly suggest you study hard and prepare yourselves."
He had made it clear. Whoever performed the poorest during the Final Exams would be cut from Class 1-A to make room for Furaya. Some of the students didn't feel threatened by it, confident that they'd succeed and keep their spots in the class. Others were anxious for various reasons, fearing that they'd be the ones on the chopping block.
"But remember, you have a more pressing issue at the moment," Aizawa continued. "You must choose a Hero Agency for your internships and turn in your choice by tomorrow. If you fail to do so, an Agency will be automatically chosen for you."
"Ssssso, who do you think you'll intern with?" Kiyama asked her friends during lunch, sitting with Ojiro, Sato, Raionhato, Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami and Jiro.
"I was actually thinking I'd go for Cannonball," Sato informed. "He seems like a cool hero from what I've seen."
"I was thinking of going with Death Arms," Jiro responded. "It wasn't exactly a hard choice; I didn't get over a hundred internship offers like some of our classmates."
As they kept talking, Takeo and Mashirao's minds were focused on something else. Takeo was going over the list of internship offers he had received, hoping to find Guardian's name within the 948 agencies listed. As he expected, his mother's name was nowhere to be found, staying true to her word that he needed to gain experience from other Pro Heroes. Sadly, Guardian's name was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he had been turned off by Takeo's fight against Bakugo and retracted his offer.
One name, however, caught him by surprise, a name he hadn't heard in a very long time: Aquarius, the Water Body Hero. An old friend of his father's who had gone to U.A. with him, who used to work with him after they became Pro Heroes.
Ever since Takeo lost his father to Fukushu, he and Aquarius had had no contact with each other. He had moved away to the Okayama Prefecture in the Chugoku Region west of where Takeo lived. Not one letter, not one phone call, not one birthday card…he had heard nothing from Sen'in Nepuchun in years. Why would he suddenly reach out now?
"Sen'in…" Takeo whispered under his breath.
As for Mashirao, he was conflicted on what to do for his internship: either he could go with an official Pro Hero and gain field experience or he could stay and train with the legendary martial artist, Open Palm. Both options were worth considering, but like Jiro, Sato and Kiyama, his options were limited due to having not received any internship offers.
Not only that, but Ojiro worried that he may be the one cut from the Hero Course. Though his grades were in the top half, what may seal his fate was his lack of combat prowess compared to the other students. Again, he remembered that his Quirk was nothing like Bakugo's Explosion, Todoroki's Half-Cold Half-Hot, or Iida's Engine; all he had was a prehensile tail. How could he ever hope to stand out against the likes of them? He wished he had his friend's confidence about his Quirk.
"Hey, guys," Sato addressed his two friends, breaking them away from their thoughts.
"Oh, hey Sato," Ojiro replied. "I was just thinking about where I'd want to go for my internship. Though like Jiro, I don't really have a lot of options since I didn't make it to the Tournament. However…"
"However?" Takeo asked, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Well, you see, during the weekend, Open Palm called several students to his dojo here for a tournament," Ojiro explained.
He proceeded to recap the event, from Open Palm explaining his desire to find an apprentice to the various combat matches they occurred. He concluded by revealing that both he and Itsuka Kendo, Class 1-B's Class Representative, had been chosen to be Open Palm's apprentices due to their equal skills. As the other students listened to Ojiro's recollection of Open Palm's tournament, their eyes widen in surprise and awe at Ojiro being a victor.
"Whoa, so you're going to train with Open Palm!?" Jiro gasped. "Are you serious?"
"I'm…I'm considering it," Ojiro replied. "It is indeed a great honor to learn martial arts from someone as legendary as him, but at the same time, it'd mean missing out on gaining field experience with Pro Heroes. I go with Open Palm, I learn from him more about martial arts, but I miss out on gaining field experience. But on the other hand-"
"On the other 'palm', per say?" Takeo joked, earning both glares and groans from his classmates.
"That sounded so much better in my head."
"So, poor joke aside," Jiro snarked. "You're afraid that by accepting the internship, you'll miss a great chance to train with Open Palm."
"Yes," Ojiro confirmed. "Training with Japan's greatest martial artist is an immense privilege, but he's retired from Pro Hero work. I…I honestly don't see an easy answer here and I only have until tomorrow. Even though Open Palm said he wouldn't be offended if I didn't choose him-"
"Then don't stress it," Jiro insisted as they kept eating. "You've still got time, so just think about it."
While Ojiro contemplated where he was going, Takeo's attention returned to the list of internship offers he had, especially the name Aquarius. Ever since his father, Paladin, had died, Aquarius hadn't contacted the Inventory user; if he had kept in contact with his mother, Takeo had no knowledge of it. It was just so sudden and surprising for the young man; why would Aquarius offer Takeo an internship after so many years of not speaking to each other?
"Ssssssso, isssssss Guardian on the lissssst?" Nagami hissed, using her snake tail to bump Takeo's foot.
"Hm?" Takeo responded, looking at his serpentine friend. "What did you say?"
"I sssssaid, isssss Guardian on there," Nagami repeated.
"No…he's not," Takeo responded, hints of disappointment in his voice.
The one name he wanted to see on that list, the Barrier Hero: Guardian. He had hoped that despite his mistake in his match against Bakugo, Guardian's name would be on there; sadly, it wasn't. Perhaps his poor judgment and lack of control during the match had turned the Barrier Hero away from offering the son of Lioness an internship at his agency.
"Ssssssorry to hear that," Nagami responded.
"Well, you did mess up pretty bad against Bakugo," Jiro commented, making Takeo let out an annoyed sigh in response.
"BUT he did give Bakugo a rematch," Nagami brought up with a smile. "He learned hisssssss lessssssson if you asssssssk me."
It made Nagami proud to see her friend learn from his mistake. As she suggested after Furaya's 1st win against Bakugo, Takeo didn't make it about the Explosion user's pride, but about his own improvement and showing what he was truly capable of. In that rematch, Takeo fought Bakugo to a stalemate and they both fell unconscious afterwards. Though Bakugo wasn't satisfied with the result since neither of them claimed victory, Takeo had shown what he was truly capable of and learned from his mistakes.
"I agree with you, Kiyama," Yaomomo acknowledged. "But sadly, even though Raionhato did learn his lesson, the damage is done."
"Can we move onto another topic please?" Takeo requested in an annoyed tone.
"Just stating facts," Jiro responded.
While everyone was at lunch, Himari took it upon herself to inspect Recovery Girl's equipment and make sure the infirmary was ready before she ate her packed lunch. One never knew when someone would be carried in on a stretcher and require immediate medical attention. As for her mentor, Recovery Girl was sorting through the patient files in another office before heading to lunch herself.
"Himari."
The voice of Haruki Kataiya/ Sunstorm was heard by the apprentice of Recovery Girl. As soon as she heard her father's voice, Himari's expression soured as she coldly ignored him and continued on what she was doing in the infirmary. Sunstorm let out a quiet sigh before slowly approaching his daughter."
"Himari."
Once again, Sunhealer ignored her father, the same soured expression upon her face. He was the last person she wanted to see at any time, which could make her job hard considering they both worked at U.A. High School.
Ever since she was told by Razor Shell that Sunstorm got a job at U.A. as a Science Teacher, she felt like she had to be on her guard. Himari wanted nothing to do with the Sun Hero, despite his insistence on talking to her, which only frustrated the nurse-in-training as it appeared her father was not getting the message.
"Himari." This time, she stopped and glared at her father.
"Mr. Kataiya." Her voice was cold and angry, a contrast to her usual soft and warm tone when speaking to others. Sunstorm shook his head in frustration.
"Why have you been ignoring me?" he questioned. "I've been trying to talk to you."
"Have you stopped to consider that maybe I don't want to talk to you?" Himari questioned as she continued her tasks.
"Himari…I know I messed up years ago," Haruki claimed. "But I am not the man I was back then. I've gotten over my drinking-"
"And you think that suddenly undoes all the damage you've done?" Himari questioned harshly as she turned to face her biological father.
"You were so focused on trying to help the Todorokis that you neglected Mom and I; you paid more attention to another family than you did to your own. Then after Mom died…you didn't even…" She paused, her breath shaky as she remembered the months following her mother's death.
After Tsukikara was killed, Sunstorm fell into alcoholism; Himari almost always saw him with a bottle for months. During those months, Haruki did little to nothing to take care of his young daughter as he was too preoccupied with his own grief. But it all came to a nasty head one day, a day Himari never forgot.
"Daddy!" a six-year-old Himari called out to her father, who was sitting at the table with a half-full bottle in his hands. As usual, he appeared tired, his hair unruly and his face covered in a ragged beard. His eyes were dull and drooping, appearing as though he could asleep at any moment.
"Daddy, I'm hungry," Himari told Haruki. The Sun Hero groaned and placed his head down on the table.
"You can make it yourself, Himari," Haruki responded. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
Himari couldn't understand why her father was acting this way. Was it because her mom, Tsukikara, had died? Was it because she was seeing another man behind his back for the past several months before her death? Why was he behaving like this?
"Daddy-"
"I said shut up!" Haruki shouted in a slurred voice, swiftly rising from his seat and glaring down at his young daughter. "When I say I want to be left alone, you leave me alone! Instead, you're here pestering me about food! Why can't you make your own food instead of pestering me!?" Himari slowly backed up, frightened by her father's drunken, unprovoked outburst.
"But Daddy, I'm just hungry."
"And I just wanted my wife! But we don't always get what we want, do we, Himari!? So you can make your own food or you can starve! It doesn't matter to me!" He paused for a moment.
"Actually, it does matter to me! I hope you do starve because everything that's happened was your fault!"
"I didn't do anything-AAHH!"
Himari felt a sting on her cheek and found herself on the ground. It hurt as she put her hand on her face to soothe the pain, quietly asking herself if her father had done what she just thought he did. Her eyes stung as they watered up with tears from the pain of reality finally set in with her.
Her father had slapped her.
"Your mother is dead because of you! It's all your fault!"
"You're lucky I chose not to tell Recovery Girl or Dad about that," Himari harshly spoke. "If they did, you never would've gotten this job, not that you do any good at it."
"What?" Haruki questioned, earning an annoyed groan from his daughter.
"Do I have to spell it out for you, Mr. Kataiya? You're a terrible teacher. You don't address the students' conflicts. Your answer to problematic students is to vouch for their expulsion without addressing their problems. You're constantly focusing on your own problems rather than teaching the students here. If Dad hadn't helped you get the job, you would never have come here."
Dad. Haruki just heard Himari call Razor Shell 'Dad' while he was only called 'Mr. Kataiya'. To his own daughter, he was but a stranger from her past, a stranger she wanted to forget and never see again while his friend was called her real father. It stung Sunstorm to hear his daughter, his only child, think of him in such a way.
"And on top of that, I make it clear to you that I don't want to talk to you, but you constantly ignore me," Himari stated.
"All I want is to make things right between us, Himari," Sunstorm pleaded. "I never meant to hit you that day. I was drunk-"
"Excuses, excuses," Himari sharply interrupted as her voice grew angrier. "How am I supposed to have any faith in you when all you give me are excuses!? You think it matters to me that you were drunk!? You were drunk for months and not once did you stop to think about how it was affecting me! Me, your six-year-old daughter who had watched her mother, your wife, die right in front of her! Dad took me away from you because I wasn't being cared for at all; I was starving and covered in dirty clothes while you wasted all our money on alcohol! You think that just because you're sober now and you're saying 'I'm sorry' fifty times a day that I'll just forgive you!? You neglected me when I needed you the most; you weren't there for me then and you're still not there for me because all you care about is yourself!"
Himari was left breathing heavily in the wake of her outburst towards Sunstorm. Her father was truly selfish if he expected her to forgive her, despite the severity of his actions against her. She was all alone in those months after Tsukikara died, Sunstorm doing nothing but sinking in self-pity and depression.
"You valued another family over your own and you failed to protect both of them," Himari continued. "You are not my dad, Mr. Kataiya. You are a stranger to me and I want nothing more to do with you. You think you're owning up to your actions? No, all you've been doing is throwing excuses around."
Every angry word Himari spoke hurt Haruki like a hot knife plunged into his chest. She was the only family he had left and he desperately wished for them to reconcile so they could be a family again, but regardless of what he did, his daughter made it clear that she had no love left for him. However, that didn't stop him from doing what he could.
"Himari, I get it-"
"No, you don't," Himari interrupted. "Have you listened to a word of what I said!? You hurt me more than you realize! You think I MUST forgive you! You have no right to demand forgiveness from me, not after what you've done!"
"Which is what I've been trying to tell him," the voice of Recovery Girl spoke up as she entered the room. "You go to lunch, Himari; I'll finish up here."
"Himari, wait-" Sunstorm tried to protest, but Himari and Recovery Girl would have none of it. The nurse held up her cane to stop the Sun Hero while her apprentice left the infirmary to go eat. As soon as Himari was out of sight, Sunstorm felt a blunt pain in his foot, caused by Recovery Girl jabbing her cane into it.
"You are the most thickheaded, selfish man I've ever met," Recovery Girl scolded. "Does anything ever get through that head of yours? I tell you that you forcing reconciliation with Himari is only upsetting her, but you keep approaching her anyways. When are you going to stop being so selfish!? If you keep this up, you will lose your daughter forever!"
"She's the only family I have left," Sunstorm responded. "I just want-"
"You just want, you just want," Recovery Girl groaned. "Don't you see? You're only focusing on what YOU want; you don't stop to think about what others want. You were supposed to be a father and a teacher and you are failing at both because you can't stop thinking about YOU want! Now leave Himari alone or I will report you to Principal Nezu for harassment and demand your termination! Now get out!"
Once again, Sunstorm's attempts to reconcile with his daughter had ended in failure. He let out a heavy sigh as he left the infirmary, feeling dissatisfied with the way his attempt to reconcile with Himari had gone. No matter what he said or did, Himari adamantly rejected him and considered him nothing more than a stranger she wished to forget about. While he did understand that he had hurt her, Sunstorm felt he was trying to prove himself worthy of forgiveness.
After Razor Shell took Himari away from her when he learned she was being neglected, Sunstorm was angry that his only child had gone away. He initially demanded to keep her in his custody, but due to the circumstances of her well-being as well as his own drinking, he was denied what he wanted.
"I spent years getting sober so I could make amends with my daughter," Sunstorm spoke. "I…I know I hurt her…but…" He groaned in frustration. What could he do to prove to his daughter that he acknowledged the pain he had caused and his desire to atone for it? She was the only family he had left; he didn't want to lose her…but what could he do?
"Excuse me?" Midoriya asked as he entered Open Palm's dojo. "Mr. Suzukaze, you called for me?"
"Ah, Midoriya," the blind martial artist greeted. "Glad you could make it." The green-haired young man walked into the dojo and looked for the martial arts instructor, finding him at a table…alongside All Might in his skeletal form.
"A-All Might!" Midoriya addressed as he approached the two friends.
All Might took a good look at Midoriya's right hand, now disfigured and carrying two jagged scars. No matter how he looked at it, that injury was partially due to his negligence; he hadn't taught Midoriya how to properly use One For All and it not only resulted in him being badly injured to the point of almost losing his arms, but also being viewed poorly by Pros.
The Symbol of Peace had taken time to learn what people said about his pupil at the Sports Festival…and most of it wasn't good. Most Pros viewed him as incapable, uncontrollable with his Quirk and his tendency to injure himself painted him as a liability. No Pro considered the idea of even taking Midoriya, not when he showed such poor control over his Quirk.
"I received no internships," Midoriya spoke mournfully. "I'm sorry, All Might-"
"No," All Might stopped him. "It's my fault. I helped train your body, made you physically stronger, but I didn't teach you how to use One For All properly."
"Because he can't," Open Palm bluntly stated, causing Midoriya's eyes to widen in shock.
"I hate to admit it…but he's right," All Might conceded with a low tone.
"Young Midoriya…when I inherited One For All, I could use it at 100% without any negative drawbacks. I assumed that you would've had the same luck as I did, that you'd be perfectly fine. But when you started injuring yourself when you used my power, I didn't know how to react or what to say, so I improvised as best I could."
All Might was filled with immense shame at how he had handled Midoriya's training with One For All, the young man's disfigured hand being a constant reminder of his incompetence as a teacher. When it came to hero exercises, learning about hero work, and the morals of being a Pro Hero, he could teach everyone without issue. But when it came to the struggles of adjusting to Quirks or improving them, he had proven himself as capable of that as a lion giving up meat.
"Then…what do I do?" Midoriya asked with a disheartened tone. "If you can't teach me how to use One For All properly…"
"He can't…but we know someone who can," Open Palm brought up and immediately sensed an aura of dread and fear from the Symbol of Peace. Midoriya shook in terror as he watched his role model emit immense dread; who could possibly manage to strike fear into the legendary All Might? Open Palm sensed the unease and fear from both of them and shook his head while letting out a chuckle.
"Midoriya, you do have an internship offer," Open Palm stated as he reached into his robes and pulled out an envelope. Midoriya, his fear now replaced by surprise, reached out and open the envelope. He mostly skimmed it, but at the end of the letter was the name of the hero offering the internship: Gran Torino.
"Gran Torino?" Midoriya asked.
"He was our mentor," Open Palm informed before turning to All Might with a smirk. "And stop scaring your pupil; you're making him think our mentor was a monster." The Symbol of Peace shuddered as he remembered the hellish training they were both put through.
"Um…why is All Might shaking?" Midoriya asked, once again trembling at his mentor shaking with terror.
"All Might's exaggerating," Open Palm teased the Symbol of Peace. "Whenever he thinks of a nightmare, he thinks of Gran Torino's training."
"By 'training', you mean 'beat the ever-living crap out of me'!?" All Might gasped. Open Palm sighed, fearing that if this kept up, it could possibly dissuade Midoriya from going to see their old mentor. He turned his attention back to Midoriya with a stern expression.
"Midoriya, this is your only chance to learn how to use One For All properly," he started. "If anyone can help you, it's Gran Torino. Eraser Head will expel you if you don't learn how to control your power."
The last sentence started to snap the Symbol of Peace out of his fright towards his old mentor. As Recovery Girl had reminded him, he had chosen Midoriya as his successor; no matter his personal feelings, it was his responsibility to ensure Midoriya could use One For All without having to injure himself every time. How could he call himself a mentor when he allowed fear to overcome him when his student needed him the most?
"Yes…he's right, Young Midoriya," All Might reluctantly agreed. "As…as I said, I can't teach you how to use One For All. Gran…" He paused for a moment, a strike of fear returning to haunt him before he recollected himself.
"Gran Torino…is your only chance to learn how to use your power. You must go to him for your internship."
It seemed there was no room for argument for the young Midoriya. Both Open Palm and All Might advocated for him going to Gran Torino so he could learn to use his power with stability and not be a liability. Though he did have some doubts due to All Might's fearful reaction to the idea, there was ultimately no other option for him.
"Again?" Nezu asked Himari after school. Getting fed up with her father's insistence on 'reconciliation', she once again brought it to Principal Nezu's attention. The rodent principal of U.A. sighed with great disdain.
"He's not understanding that I want him to leave me alone," Himari continued. "It's as if every word I say simply bounces right off him like it's nothing. M-may I dare to…to s-say, Princiapl Nezu…hiring Mr. Kataiya was a mistake."
Sadly, Nezu was starting to agree with Himari on that issue. In the past year since Sunstorm had been hired as their Science Teacher, he had received quite a few complaints from student and teacher alike. Conflict between students not being properly addressed, harassment towards Himari, the concerns of students being ignored…Sunstorm was not fulfilling his duty as a Science Teacher as he was always thinking of his own personal problems with Himari and Endeavor.
Razor Shell had recommended Sunstorm for the position in the hopes of getting him onto his feet and getting his life back together after gaining sobriety from alcoholism. Nezu had some doubts, but he gave Sunstorm a chance…a chance he was now beginning to regret.
"I will speak to Sunstorm about this," Nezu assured. "If he does not improve himself nor respect your boundaries, I shall have him terminated."
"Thank you, Principal Nezu," Himari responded before quietly getting up. "I-I'll see you t-tomorrow, sir." She then turned and left the Principal's office to go home with her dad, Razor Shell. As she did, the Principal sighed and shook his head before loading up his computer and starting typing an email to Sunstorm.
As sympathetic as Nezu was to the Sun Hero's plight, things were getting to the point where he was considering terminating his employment. As Himari said, Sunstorm was not getting the message nor was he improving his teaching methods. He hired Sunstorm so he could pass his knowledge of being a Pro Hero and science onto the future generation of heroes, not so he could harass his daughter and vent on his personal issues. Once again, he'd have to speak to the Sun Hero.
However, that would be put aside for now when the Principal heard a knock on the door.
"Come on in," he invited. The door opened and in walked Chikao Kato, the student he had asked to see.
"Hello, Principal Nezu," Chikao greeted as he entered the room and sat in front of the Principal of U.A. "Vlad Sensei asked me to come see you after school today. May I inquire why?"
"Straight to the point," Nezu commented. "Very well; so shall I. I wish to take you under my wing for your internship next week."
Chikao wasn't surprised by this proposal. Both of their Quirks revolved around their intelligence, making them an ideal mentor and apprentice. Initially, Chikao simply planned on doing an internship with his father and solving more cases alongside him, but he also deemed that working under someone as intelligent as Nezu would be beneficial to him. However, one thing remained unknown: the motive behind the internship offer.
"Why do you wish to offer me this internship?" Chikao questioned. "It's unusual for U.A. Teachers, least of all the Principal, to offer internships to students. I do not believe that it's based off of our Quirks alone."
"True," Nezu responded. "I believe mentoring you myself would be of great benefit to you. You have immense intelligence, and you clearly know how to apply it; I can tell your father trained you well. If I'm correct, he allowed you to work on some cases with him." Chikao nodded his head.
"Yes, sir. I helped my father solve over a dozen cases before I came here to U.A. It was very intriguing to do so."
"I'd imagine so," Nezu agreed. "But there lies the problem: you only apply your intelligence to things that hold interest to you. If it doesn't hold your interest, you give only the bare minimum, such as when you fell asleep during the Sports Festival Obstacle Course near the finish line."
"I simply predicted that I could afford some sleep and still make it into the Cavalry Battle," Chikao explained. Nezu shook his head.
"Kato, you cannot spend your time here at U.A. simply doing enough to 'get by'. Our goal as teachers is to help students find their boundaries and then break them, to dare to go further. After all, that's what 'Plus Ultra' means and simply 'getting by' is not enough, Kato. But I don't wish to see your potential go to waste, so I wish to take you under my wing and help you learn to apply yourself in more constructive ways. To be frank, you intentionally giving the bare minimum is an insult to your father's tutelage when you know you're capable of more."
His response was snoring from Chikao Kato, having fallen asleep while Nezu was speaking. The rodent principal let out a small sigh of annoyance before getting onto his desk, walking over and shaking Chikao's shoulder to wake him up.
"Principal Nezu, I believe you misunderstand me," Chikao explained. "Perhaps what I do is an insult to my father, but I frankly don't care. I don't solve mysteries and crimes for wealth, fame, glory, because it's the right thing to do nor to honor my family's legacy. I do what I do because I enjoy it."
Chikao laid it bare for the Principal to understand who he was. He was not motivated by the typical reasons most students had for becoming Pro Heroes. Some, like Midoriya and Raionhato, were motivated by their desire to protect others just like heroes they greatly respected. Some, like Bakugo and Onkyo, fought for their pride, their egos and their desires to be seen as the best. Some, like Yaoyorozu and Iida, strode to honor their family legacies as Pro Heroes. Some, like Furaya and Kiyama, desired an end to prejudice against those who were different. The desire to protect, the desire to be the best, the desire to carry on family legacies, the desire to end discrimination and many more motivated the students of U.A. today.
Chikao had none of those motivations; it was purely self-interest and enjoyment for him. Nezu was rather surprised to hear Chikao blatantly admit how he operated simply because he enjoyed solving mysteries and crimes. Even admitting that he didn't care that his laziness reflected poorly on his father caught the Principal a bit off guard. However, Nezu still stood by what he said: he would not let Chikao's potential go to waste.
"Even if that's true, you won't stay in U.A. long if you continue to do the bare minimum," he stated. "Regardless of your motives for being here, you must apply yourself in all things and not only when it interests you. Will you accept this internship?"
"I shall," Chikao agreed. "But only because none of the other internship offers interested me."
"Then it's settled," Nezu responded. "I'll inform Vlad King of your decision."
Chikao bid the Principal farewell and left his office. Though it didn't surprise him that Nezu offer him an internship, it did interest him; as he said, it was unusual for U.A. Teachers to extend internships to the students. He predicted that the internship with the U.A. Principal would be very beneficial to him…that is, if he didn't fall asleep first.