After Class 1-A was able to resume and complete their rescue training, Serpenshia had a new class for PE.
"By now you've learned how to fight alongside random heroes in a scenario where you have no control over your teams. But there are times when heroes have ample time to prepare, select their allies, analyze a situation, and carry out an operation. So for this exercise, you will be working as a single hero team in order to capture a crazed gunman holding a bank hostage. I'll be playing the role of gunman in this scenario."
"Sir, will there be any need to have proxies for the hostages?" Tenya asked.
"Not for this scenario. During Hero Work, we've seen cases where a crazed gunman is more focused on keeping the heroes at bay than threatening the lives of his or her hostages, and this exercise will assume as such." Serpenshia explained. "For this scenario, the idea is that the hostages are kept in a separate supply closet, or even the bank vault itself, out of harm's way."
"So we're dealing with a confused and desperate criminal, one who likely tried robbery to get cash needed for something important and got in over his head." Izuku noted.
Serpenshia nodded. "Excellent observation, Midoriya. Because of that, harming the gunman is out of the question. You must work to remove the gun and contain the criminal without causing him any harm. Here's where your rescue training can be put to use."
He brought out the gun in question.
"Now as you'll notice this gun is real, but the ammo it will fire is not live for safety purposes." He aimed at a nearby target and fired, causing a splotch of red to hit. "Instead it will fire paintballs. The material is designed to be easy to feel. If you get hit, you're considered too injured to continue and must be taken out of the exercise. The only exceptions are Morimoto, Kirishima, Shudai, and Midoriya who will instead get three shots, Morimoto and Kirishima for their stronger defense, and Shudai and Midoriya for their healing factors."
He went out of the gym into a soundproof room so the class could devise their strategy. Izuku came up with a brilliant plan, actually. With him and Eijirou staying in the open to try and talk down the gunman, Tooru snuck in from behind with some gear made by Momo. Once the first tear gas bomb was dropped, Izuku unleashed Smokescreen.
Serpenshia felt himself get trapped in at least nine different ways as the gun dropped from his hand, only for it to get nailed by Katsuki with a quick explosion. Once Serpenshia was let up, he smiled.
"Excellent work, all of you. You took advantage of my allowances, played to your strengths, and did so in a way that ensured you wouldn't trip over each other." He picked up the useless gun. "And Bakugo, excellent control with your Quirk. This gun is still intact, but it won't be firing anymore. You've rendered it completely harmless. That's exactly the result heroes hope to achieve in real-life scenarios."
"And so the ninth generation comes to pass."
These were the words said by Sorahiko Torino AKA the Jetstream Hero: Gran Torino, an elderly Pro who was semi-retired, meaning he didn't do much Hero work but still came to help when the situation called.
Currently, the old man was reading the letter Toshinori had sent him. He would have told him in person, but Toshinori still had a lot of bad memories of the intense training Sorahiko put him through in his youth.
"I wonder what you'd think of this kid, Nana. Well, he seems to fully understand One For All, so there should be no need for me to teach him. Not that I couldn't knock the stuffing out of him if I had to." Sorahiko chuckled. "But right now it's not my place. I'm sure the lad will find another hero from whom he can learn. After all... With the UA Sports Festival coming up, he'll have plenty of chances to impress the other Pros."
That night, the teachers were sitting in council as Naomasa gave a report.
"So far our investigation into the League of Villains has turned up with no leads. A search of Shigaraki or Kurogiri has not shown anything, nor do we have anyone with a registered Quirk matching theirs."
Vlad King sighed. "Most likely they're using aliases. Meaning they aren't citizens."
"That attack on the USJ was too bold. The ringleader, Shigaraki, acted far too much like a stereotypical villain from a comic book. But he only bragged about the Nomu's powers. And when things didn't go his way, he got visibly upset." All-Might noted. "Then there's what happened when Asahi hit him with her Quirk. He acted like he shouldn't even have a Quirk to begin with. Everything he said while relatively sane, he did so with a straight face. He also talked about Nomu like he was a pet or something."
"Like the sort of person who had never been told 'no' in their life. A completely spoiled brat." Aizawa added.
"What about the rest of the League of Villains?" Midnight asked.
"In total, we arrested 72 villains, all of them small-time thugs who usually lurked around back alleys," Naomasa said. "Almost none of them had worked together before, yet this crazed manchild was able to get them all to follow his insane plan."
"It's not too surprising. One of the reasons I became a teacher is because the prisons I was warden of were starting to get full." Serpenshia spoke up. "More heroes are showing up on the streets, and stronger ones at that. Plenty of villains are starting to feel the pressure. They're desperate for any cause to rally around, anything that would give them what they think is a better life. But one thing's for sure... The next time we hear from the League of Villains, they're bound to have stronger team members."
"Shigaraki is in some ways much like our students; He has much potential in him, but requires guidance. It's likely that someone is teaching him." Nedzu noted.
All-Might frowned. "And I'm afraid I know who that teacher might be..."
"I wonder what people will think of a hero that can prove himself invincible..."
These were the thoughts Izuku was thinking as he was having an outing with his friends. Classes had been canceled for the rest of the week after the USJ Incident so that the students could relax from the stressful situation they had found themselves in.
"Well, we're still far from ready from being Pro Heroes," Morimoto said while sitting down with Ben, Katsuki, Mayumi, and Tsumi. "But I think we were able to handle ourselves pretty well at the USJ."
"That villain attack was impromptu, yet we still managed to take out a large number of villains, and got out alive and without serious injury." Mayumi said. "I was also able to get new data for Gyrfalcon. I now have a Duster Buster from that Shigaraki guy's Quirk. It can fire shots that decay anything they hit."
"Tsumi seemed a little scared of the Nomu, though," Ben noted. "What happened back there, anyway?"
Tsumi bit her lip. "It's a long story...one I don't feel comfortable telling you guys."
"Too many bad memories?" Katsuki asked.
Tsumi just silently nodded and the others nodded their heads, respecting her decision to not tell them. After all, it wasn't their place to pry.
The next day Class 1-A was buzzing with excitement over the news feed.
"I was chatting with Le, Kirby, and Wankuro over at Class 1-B," Morimoto said. "They told us that some of their classmates thought the whole thing at the USJ was a publicity stunt."
Tsumi nodded. "I heard about that. Vlad King talked with the SCP Foundation and they had their top operatives set up a realistic villain attack, with competent villains."
"The only ones who managed to pass were Le, Kirby, Wankuro, Mikumo, and Kendo," Katsuki said. "The rest of those losers got their asses handed to them!"
"It was foolish of them to think they could handle a real attack. Had the villains not been low-tier, or had the target not been All-Might, some of us might very well have lost their lives." Fumikage said.
"Everyone get seated!" Izuku called out as Aizawa came in.
"You've been doing good so far in your training. Honestly, this is the longest I've gone without expelling at least one student. As scary as that is, what's coming up next should excite you. The UA Sports Festival is coming up."
That got the class cheering in excitement.
"Sweet! A totally normal school event!" Eijirou said.
"Aizawa-Sensei, is it really a good idea to hold the Sports Festival so soon after a villain attack?" Tenya asked.
"Yeah, what if the villains try attacking it?" Kyouka added.
"Personally I think it's irrational," Aizawa admitted, "But the school administration wanted the people to understand that the school was safer than ever and that the threat had been handled. Just to be safe, multiple Pro Heroes have been called in for security purposes. So while I don't think it's a good idea personally, it's not like the school didn't allow this without considerable thought put into it. Besides, the Sports Festival is important for all students at UA. It's the most watched event in the entire world, even more so than the Olympics."
"Well, the Sports Festival is pretty much the Olympics for Heroes." Ben shrugged.
Izuku nodded. "It's a great way for young heroes-in-training to get the attention of pros and learn from the best."
"Yeah, those who do well enough can get scouted by top hero agencies as a sidekick. And from there, some go indy and get the chance to become real heroes." Denki added.
"This is exactly why, in spite of my personal feelings, I agree with the decision on a practical level. This is an important event, and more heroes than ever are going to have their eyes on the festival. You get one chance a year and three chances in a lifetime. No aspiring hero can afford to miss this event. So no slacking off. Your training is more important than ever." Aizawa said.
"I gotta admit, I'm excited. Maybe I'll even unlock a new ability from the competition." Izuku said as the class buzzed with excitement over the upcoming Sports Festival.
"How far along are you?" Tenya asked.
"Just about 25%. So far I'm able to handle any of the new facets thrown out."
"Uh, guys...what's up with Uraraka?" Mayumi spoke up.
Sure enough, Ochako had a serious face that was quite reminiscent of Katsuki.
"Everyone...Let's do our best and win the Sports Festival!"
"For pete's sake, stop making that face!" Ben freaked out.
"The hell's your problem, Round Face?" Katsuki asked.
"There's a three-letter acronym I could blame this on, but I'm sitting next to Tsu right now, and her tongue is harder than it looks," Minoru said.
"Wise choice." Tsuyu and most of the other girls said in unison.
Izuku couldn't help but look at Ochako with curiosity.
"I know why me, Kacchan, Ben, Morimoto, and Mayumi want to become heroes, but what drives Uraraka?"
The Izuku doppelganger of Class 1-B, Akatani Mikumo, was just sitting at lunch by his lonesome when he noticed someone sitting at his table; it was Tsumi. She was also accompanied by Le, Kirby, and Wankuro.
"Hey, wanna come over and sit at our table?"
Akatani bit his lip but shrugged as Tsumi quite literally dragged him over to the table where Izuku, Katsuki, Tenya, Ochako, Ben, Morimoto, and Mayumi were talking. It was there that Ochako was telling everyone her reason for being a Hero.
"You're gonna think it's stupid, but... I mostly want to be a hero for the money. I know it sounds like I'm being greedy, but my family's been dirt poor for as long as I can remember. I know you guys have such admirable reasons for wanting to be heroes."
"Personally I think your reason's admirable too. There's nothing wrong with wanting to support your family and well-being." Izuku said.
"What does your family even do?" Mayumi asked.
"They run a construction company," but we haven't gotten any work lately. When I was little I said I wanted to use my Quirk to help them at work. Since I can float all the materials needed, Mom and Dad could sell off all their heavy lifting equipment."
"That makes perfect sense! It would be perfectly cost-efficient!" Morimoto pointed out.
"I know, that's what I said!" Ochako said before frowning. "But Dad said he'd be happier if I was able to achieve my own dream. So I decided... I'll become a Pro Hero, sign on with a major agency, and make enough money that my parents can live an easy life."
"You know, that makes you more grounded than any of us. A lot of us are here because we have our own fantasies about being a hero."
The one who said that was Akatani, who had been content just listening to everyone so far.
"Y-You really think so?" Ochako asked.
That's when everyone heard All-Might's familiar laugh as he arrived in the lunchroom.
"Young Midoriya... Is here!"
"Hey, kiddo," Asahi said as she walked over as well. "Thought I'd stop in to check on things. Normally I'd say, 'I see everything is going well.' But I'd need to be able to see, period."
Kirby let out adorable little giggles at the joke while everyone else was just bemused.
"Well, you know what they say about being able to laugh at yourself..." They all thought.
"We were hoping to run into you," All-Might said as he got out a small lunch box. "Perhaps you and Young Uraraka could join us for lunch."
It was so adorable that Ochako couldn't help but squeal. However, as Izuku and Ochako left with the two heroes, the others couldn't help but notice Akatani's frightened, nervous expression.
"Oy, what's eating you?" Katsuki asked.
"Sorry...I know everyone loves All-Might but...I just don't feel comfortable around him."
All-Might looked behind him at Akatani, a look of remorse in his electric blue eyes flashing across briefly before shaking his head.
"So is this anything to do with the League of Villains?" Izuku asked as he and Ochako sat with Toshinori and Asahi in the teacher's lounge.
"If it was I'd be inviting the rest of your friends as well," Toshinori said, back to his normal skinny self.
"This has more to do with the Sports Festival. More than likely there's going to be some major competition, more so than normal." Asahi explained. "Since your class survived a major villain attack, many students might try and use this to their advantage. Some might try and force someone from the Hero Course out through their performance, especially Class 1-A."
"If a student from General Ed proves themselves in the Sports Festival, then they can be promoted to the Hero Course. To facilitate this, the Hero student who performed the most poorly is bumped down to General Ed in their place." Toshinori added. "Someone planning on this might try to discredit the toughest students in the hero course in order to get an advantage. That said, I don't think either of you have anything to worry about."
"Occhan, if you can prove yourself during the Sports Festival, and if you feel you need it, then I'd like to personally take you under my wing." Asahi said
Ochako was shocked at this offer.
"Wait... Really?"
"You don't have to win the whole thing, of course. If you can at least make it to the tournament at the end and put on a good showing, I'll send you a personal recommendation."
"As for you, my boy, this is your chance to showcase yourself as my successor. Again, you don't have to win the whole festival. But see if you can at least make the top three. That should get you noticed easily." Toshinori said to Izuku.
The two teens nodded. This would be their chance, their first step towards becoming heroes.
Akatani had found himself in a secluded hallway with Tsumi. Le, Kirby, and Wankuro had also come because they wanted to make sure their friend was okay. It honestly made the raven-haired boy a bit emotional that his three classmates already considered him a friend.
"Figured the two of us could swap tragic backstories. I wanna know why All-Might rubs you the wrong way." Tsumi said. "Sure he smiles too much for my taste, but he's a good hero still."
"It's not that I think he isn't a good hero..." Akatani said. "It's just something he was involved in that affected me."
"What happened between you?" Le asked. "You can trust us to know."
"It was five or six years ago...I was at one of his fights against a very dangerous Villain...there was a lot of collateral damage...and someone I cared about died in the process."
"Are you saying All-Might accidentally killed this person?" Wankuro asked.
"It's not so much him as it was the Villain he was fighting..." Akatani admitted. "But just seeing him reminds me of that horrible day..."
Tsumi nodded. "Well...figure I can share my own tragic background; the reason I was scared of that Nomu was because it reminded me of this doctor who...did some bad things to me as a child."
"You were being held captive by a mad scientist?" Wankuro asked.
"Yeah...I won't bother you with the gory details but that doctor messed up my Quirk. It's the reason I have this tail and why I can do all that crazy stuff at the USJ."
"What even is your Quirk?" Le asked.
"Chimeric Adapter. It allows me to adapt my body and shapeshift it into various chimeric forms. It's kinda like Midoriya's Reactive Adaptation but I have to consciously choose the adaptations rather than have them react." Tsumi explained before turning to Akatani. "You don't have to feel like you're alone when there are others who share your pain."
Things were silent between the five but Kirby, being the sweet lad that he was, gave Tsumi and Akatani hugs to comfort them, Wankuro joining in while Le showed support in his own way by patting Akatani on the head.
And so begins Season 2, starting with the Sports Festival! We'll get to see Class 1-B as well as their four additional students show what they can do and we also get a little exposition into Tsumi and Akatani's backstories.
-END OF CHAPTER BIOS-
[IZUKU MIDORIYA]
Quirk: Reactive Adaptation/One For All
Quirk Description 1: Reactive Adaptation is a hereditary Quirk that Izuku got from his father, Anthony Panelle Midoriya AKA The Hard-to-Destroy Hero: Regenizard. This Quirk allows Izuku to adapt to any form of danger presented to him and gives him a powerful Healing Factor. Examples of the Quirk's effects include Izuku growing gills to breathe underwater when submerged, morphing his bone and muscle structure into hardened weapons to strike objects easily, growing extra eyes or limbs to better handle his surroundings, and more. With this Quirk, the possibilities are endless.
Quirk Description 2: One For All is a stockpiling Quirk that was passed down to Izuku by All-Might. The Quirk grants the user superhuman physical characteristics from the stockpiled energy built up over the past hundred years and all the previous users who held it. With Izuku, One For All has reached singularity, allowing him to access the Quirks once used by the previous holders. So far, he has unlocked the fourth user's Danger Sense and the sixth user's Smokescreen.
[KATSUKI BAKUGOU]
Quirk: Explosion
Quirk Description: Explosion allows Katsuki to create explosions from his body via his sweat, which has a nitroglycerin-based composition. The Quirk came about as a mixture of both his mother's Glycerin Quirk and his father's Oxydizing Sweat Quirk. Katsuki can control the power, temperature, and force of his explosions so as to avoid accidentally killing his targets. The simplicity of his Quirk also provides a great deal of versatility, since Katsuki can use his explosions to fly through the air or increase the force of his physical capabilities.
[BENIO TORIOKOYOSHI]
Quirk: Over Element
Quirk Description: Over Element allows Ben to harness the elements (i.e. Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Lightning, Ice, Metal, etc.) and use them in a wide variety of ways, such as transforming his body into the elements, harnessing existing sources telekinetically, and even combining elements together to create new ones. He can also sense the elemental affinities of others from their Quirks.
[MORIMOTO TANAKA]
Quirk: Morph
Quirk Description: Morph allows Morimoto to shapeshift into a wide variety of different forms at will, transforming parts or all of his body into animals, weapons, objects, and more at the drop of a hat. He can also mimic other people to a certain extent, such as taking on their proportions or shapes but he cannot turn into a perfect copy of someone nor can he copy their Quirks. His shapeshifting also takes a lot of calories to maintain, requiring him to eat a lot to keep his energy reserves up.