23It's been about a week since the announcement of the Sports Festival. Our normal heroics class became an individual improvement class for us to prepare. Of course, most of us didn't waste any time preparing for the all-important event.
I ended up looking into the Sports Festival after what Aizawa had said. I had known how popular it was throughout Japan, but I had yet to see what it was. I found some videos of it online. From what I gathered, every year was different, and the events were picked via lottery - minus the final event for the top 16 participants.
Honestly, that was probably my goal. I didn't care about much else. The top 16 would be enough to keep Aizawa satisfied; which, in turn, would keep him from pushing me further.
As for the preparations, I made a few blueprints for what I wanted to create. Nothing would be 100% within our given timeframe, but it would be enough to make me usable and decently functioning gadgets. I spent a couple of days, though, just seeing how everyone else was training. For the most part, everyone was training physically. Kirishima jumped off buildings with his quirk active. Ashido and Uraraka paired up to train their quirks. Bakugo was doing what I expected Bakugo to do... being chaotic.
Others though, like Yaoyorozu, trained by developing mentally. Yaoyorozu, as I assumed before, was studying the ins and outs of different things she might want to create. Koda just relaxed and constantly communicated with animals. And Mineta... just practiced victory speeches.
It was especially weird because he was one of the few people I knew wouldn't win for certain.
Currently, I was in the Development Studio, working on probably the most important of the gadgets I had planned. I couldn't escape the eyes of Mei Hatsume, who wouldn't stop pestering me about what I was making. "Oh oh oh! Let me guess! Those are some kind of hover boots like mine!"
She was strangely close... both literally and with her guess. "Something like that... Can I work in peace now?"
I was pleading by this point. I just wanted a quiet place where I could work. "Okay, okay, fine. Wait! What if I helped? We could make some sort of ultra-hover boots! Together, we could totally blow away all the scouts with our amazing baby!"
Her wording was... uncomfortable. I couldn't imagine making a baby with her, mechanical or otherwise. I shook my head, hoping to get her to leave me alone and to get those strange thoughts out of my head. I just imagined our baby being super weird…
"I'm not making hover boots. Just something somewhat similar."
At my response, she nodded furiously. She had been hoping I would tell her what I was making for the last three days. I just continued to build my contraption. I didn't want it to be as bulky as something Hatsume had. It would feel clunky and get in my way.
I hoped this prototype is a success, so I can work on slimming it down. The goal would be to slim it down to your everyday shoe size, but I highly doubt that would happen in time for the Sports Festival.
It was possible that if I failed miserably this would take me years. But I had no doubt in my mind that it wouldn't. I had worked on something similar under David Shield, just with better equipment.
"Midoriya, make sure you don't go as crazy as Hatsume here. It's hard enough dealing with one of her by herself!" The voice came from the man supervising both of us, Power Loader-sensei. He had been a big help, mostly with distracting Hatsume for me while I worked. I was very thankful for that. But I noticed that he too had his weird idiosyncrasies. Like Hatsume, he was obsessed with support items. So much so that he looked at my blueprint for over an hour, marveling at what I was planning to make. He saw it as unrealistic, but he was nonetheless impressed.
Power Loader-sensei had quite the reputation with support items. He had created many support items for a good few pro heroes. He had many support item companies sponsor him, leaving him to have a stake in most of them.
Essentially, if he thought something wasn't realistic, he was probably right. I immediately thought of someone who would be just as amazed.
David Shield; a man I studied under for almost a year. He was a leading scientific mind, especially in support items. He even won a Nobel Quirk Prize.
Power Loader-sensei was definitely aware of this. Aizawa-sensei must have told him.
I didn't expect to be held in the same high regard, but calling my blueprints unrealistic?
That just felt like a punch to the gut.
Not that I could fault his assessment. He was looking at blueprints from a high school boy.
Most of the materials I planned to use were artificial. I decided on this because these materials, while more expensive, would be easier to use and succeed with on such short notice.
Oh, and it added the benefit of making me seem fairly average.
All the more reason Power Loader-sensei probably found them unrealistic. He didn't know this was temporary. The school funded every material we received, but they wouldn't just approve of such expensive materials.
That meant that even if I wanted to keep using my unnatural products, the school wouldn't allow me to make consistent upgrades with the same materials. That made sense, the school only had so many resources they could spend on all its students, no matter how much revenue and money it gained from its multiple sponsors-not to mention the revenue it made from the Sports Festival and other events.
"Anyway, let Midoriya work in peace, Hatsume. The faster he works, the quicker you can see what he's made in action, right?" Power Loader-sensei chuckled as he spoke, helping me gain sanctuary away from the crazy pink-haired girl. She grumbled words incoherent to me as she returned to her seat.
All things considered, I noticed Hatsume had a real knack for creating support items. What was more impressive was that she did such good work with fairly cheap materials. I even got to peek at some of her entrance exam creations which she made with materials she found at a junkyard. They were bulky and for the most part would be useless in combat, but it showed just how much potential she had.
I was very confident if she finished her studies here she would surpass Power Loader-sensei. She may even rival David Shield by then. I'm certain if Shield heard that from me he'd be astonished.
Without Hatsume's nagging, I once again found myself able to work. If my calculations were correct I'd be able to have a finished product within the next 2 days. That gave me plenty of time before the festival, and thankfully, I had already finished my other gadget.
In other words, I was almost ready.
After school, I was called to Gym Gamma. As it turned out, many of my classmates wanted to do sparring sessions. If I was honest, I was just happy to be invited. As it turned out, almost everyone was present. The only people I didn't see were Bakugo, Todoroki, Koda, and Mineta. It was pretty easy to figure out why they didn't show up.
Koda was probably too anxious to be around us for so long. He was timid. Bakugo and Todoroki were both just uninterested in talking to any of us, and Mineta was most likely not invited. Specifically, because Ashido was the one who set this whole thing up.
I had gotten the text from her as I was heading into the Development Studio. I was getting closer to the finishing touches of the gadgets. I had two main ones that I was making at the moment. One was the boots I was making. While bulkier than I would have liked, they were also something I could work with. The gadget I made was less noticeable, but just as important.
Thanks to the inspiration of a classmate I decided to make an earpiece. The earpiece served to help me hear from farther distances, which would help me gather as much intel within an area as possible. Knowledge was the most important thing when it came to battles. Evolution in warfare has done a great job of showing that. Sadly the earpiece at the moment made everything louder, but I would find a way to calibrate it to regulate sounds for me without blowing up my ear drums.
It wasn't like I had poor hearing or anything. But if I could increase the area in which I could hear? That would help me plan better in any situation, which was essential for my continued existence while I fought these superhumans. I was already at a disadvantage thanks to my lack of a quirk. I had to do whatever I could to even the playing field.
Enough about that, though. I was about to see a bunch of my classmates. Things were still a bit awkward. No one really talked to me since the USJ. It seemed I had officially become a loner; a sad reality to live in. Not that I blamed them of, course. Anyone would be wary after what happened, even if their worry seemed illogical.
As soon as I walked in, the first person I noticed was none other than Iida. Iida was the only person who was outwardly hostile to me. His gaze always became a glare whenever he noticed me. I didn't really mind it, he was entitled to his opinion. And if I was honest, I didn't really care for him all that much, either. He was just a classmate, and his unfriendly behavior wasn't any of my concern.
Besides, he didn't have the right to be as invasive as he was. His strict and controlling behavior seemed to skyrocket after he became our Class President, which was both expected and annoying.
"Oh, Midoriya! You actually came!" The boisterous voice of Mina Ashido suddenly filled the room. And when I turned I noticed her walking toward me with a wave and a smile. Leave it to the radically friendly extrovert to treat me the same as ever.
Her kindness was something I would be thankful for. "Hey, Ashido. Did you expect me not to come?"
A shake of her head was all the answer I needed. But she decided to explain beyond that, anyway. "I mean... You never texted me back, so I assumed you were either busy or just blatantly ignored me."
Huh?
Confused, I opened my phone. And surprisingly, the text I had sent back was never actually sent. It was saved as a draft. "Oh. I guess I never hit send. I apologize, I wasn't ignoring you." As a way to show that I was indeed telling the truth, I turned my phone to her so she could see it.
Immediately, Mina looked at my phone before she suddenly started laughing. Was she making fun of me? Did I say something weird? "Out of all the people to do something like that, I think you're the last person I expected to do that."
I thought about retaliating against that statement, but nothing came to mind. Curse my lack of communicative ability. If only I had a witty comeback to send her way. But I guess I would just think of it at 3 in the morning in like a week.
The brain sure is a mystery.
She continued to stare at my phone, which was still clearly visible to her. "Midoriya, are you some kind of businessman?"
Where the hell did that come from? I never thought I gave the vibe of some businessman. And I was literally 15! What business would I be running!?
"Sorry sorry, it's just... my contact info, you put my full name. You're the only person I've seen do that. Is it just my contact that's like that? Or is it everyone's?" As she spoke she waved her hand from side to side, as if trying to fan away any possible tension. She tended to do that a lot. But that was obvious; she spoke with her whole body constantly. I swear she had endless energy.
Was it so weird that I did that? I had no clue. I thought that was a normal thing to do. What else should I have put? Would she have preferred I put 'Pink girl in my class'? Confused, my head tilted to the side, "Is that a bad thing?"
As if embarrassed, Ashido immediately shook her head, waving her hands sporadically. "No! No? It's just something different I guess. There isn't something wrong with it or anything. I just got curious."
I couldn't tell if she was weirded out or just caught off guard. "I have everyone's contact info like that. Why, what do you have me as?"
The moment I said that, Ashido's demeanor shifted. Her earlier awkwardness was replaced with a smile as she pulled out her phone and showed me a contact. The number was clearly my own. The name read simply as, "Midori?"
She nodded excitedly, "Yeah! It's like my nickname for you! We don't really talk enough to justify me actually calling you that. But I put it in my contacts because why not, you know?"
No, Ashido. I in fact did not know. Please explain this phenomenon further so I can learn the secrets of friendly behavior. "That makes sense. If you want to, you can call me Midori in person, too. I don't really mind."
I saw no harm in letting Ashido refer to me however she wanted. I already let Bakugo call me a nickname. However, that is also because he wouldn't listen to me if I asked him to stop, anyway. My point stood, though. I didn't mind how people addressed me.
"Wait really! I'm calling you Midori forever now!"
Wait!
Before I could say anything, the energetic girl laughed and walked to the rest of the class. Defeated by her superior social skills, I followed suit. My plan was to avoid standing out while we sparred. I wouldn't do more than necessary.
Yaoyorozu and Iida were staring at us as we approached. It wasn't a long shot to assume that these two were leading this sparring rendezvous. I watched as they discussed the details of what was going on. "So basically... after the attack, I think it would be best if we all knew how to properly fight in close combat." Iida's words had struck a chord with me.
This didn't sound like a simple sparring session. Instead, we as a group were going to be taught how to properly defend ourselves. I wondered who would be in charge of teaching.
It didn't take long until Yaoyorozu answered the question on my mind. "So with that being said. Does anyone other than Iida-san have valuable martial arts experience?"
A few hands went up. As it turned out, the number of people with a decent amount of martial arts experience was less than I expected. The hands belonged to Shoji, Ojiro, and Asui. Including Iida, that meant we had 4 people to teach the last 13 of us. That left about 3 people per person, with one of them getting a 4th.
"What about you, Midoriya-san? Don't you practice anything?" Yaoyorozu spoke once more. It was a bit troublesome, but I knew the question would come. Asui and Yaoyorozu had seen me fight up close, and the rest of the class saw it on a screen. The likelihood that my poor lie during the combat training would hold was nonexistent -even if I wished it would.
Knowing that, I knew I had to give at least somewhat of a genuine explanation. "I know a little bit. But not much."
Asui's eyes immediately looked at me. She would probably call me out on my contradiction. She had been the one who asked me during the combat training, so it made sense that she would be the first to notice. "That can't be true, Midoriya-chan. Your movements are too refined."
It would have been nice if this was the moment you subverted my expectations, Asui. Nonetheless, her blunt personality showed through. Of course, she would call me out. Asui had no issues speaking her mind. To expect her to keep things to herself was like expecting me to breathe underwater; it just wasn't going to happen.
Shrugging my shoulders, I avoided eye contact with her. "I didn't train in martial arts for long. I just think fast and have good flexibility." I had hoped that the answer would be satisfactory. Even if it didn't, I had no other answer. Those words were the truth.
Her brows furrowed slightly, but she nodded. "That makes sense. Something like flexibility would be a more natural advantage in a fight."
Of course, she would know that. Asui had shown that she had incredible flexibility from the few things I've seen her do. During the seated toe-touch, she ranked first among the class. Thankfully during that test, I had ranked highly myself.
"Even so, you held your own against me and Bakugo-chan. If you ask me, you're quite skilled. You would be able to teach at least something."
As soon as Asui said that Yaoyorozu comboed her attack. "That's correct. Midoriya-san, you'd be willing to help teach, yes?" Her gaze had looked as studious and proper as usual. But I could tell she was screaming 'Gotcha!' in her head. I had once more been completely defeated in the battle of socializing.
"Uh.."
Yaoyorozu looked at me, her eyes daring me to retort. I had no choice. "Okay... I'll do what I can."
I swear I could see her and Asui mentally high-five as we decided groups.
I ended up getting Aoyama and Tokoyami, two of the most polar opposite people I've ever met.
Aoyama was prideful and egocentric. His actions and way of speaking were overly flamboyant. He seemed unaware of how others thought of him because he was obsessed with himself.
On the other hand, Tokoyami was serious and quiet. At first, I thought he was socially inept like me, but he was just reserved. He had no issues talking to others. He knew how to approach and start a conversation, he just rarely did.
How was I even supposed to start teaching these two?
"Uh... Do either of you have any experience in martial arts?"
Aoyama looked at me with a glint in his eyes. Did he take joy in anyone asking him a question? Was he that desperate to talk about himself? "Isn't it obvious, Monsieur? My hands look silky smooth, right? Smoother than that of a baby's behind?" As he spoke he made distinct poses, showing me his hands.
A simple 'no' would have sufficed.
Feeling a reply would escalate things somewhere I didn't want to go, I looked at Tokoyami. He stared back at me, his gaze was serious. But I sensed he may have been a little skeptical of me. That made sense after the villain attack. "I can't say I have, no. My quirk provides me with stellar self-defense. I've never really needed to fight myself. Dark Shadow does a good job of enveloping my enemies in darkness before they can even get close."
How creepy...
I nodded. Tokoyami was a serious person, but even beyond that, he had a high ability to focus. He was already a strong person, but his concentration and serious nature made it obvious he had high potential. "So you're saying you've never had to fight close quarters? Do you believe that no one can overpower Dark Shadow?"
His look remained just as serious, but I noticed his head twitch slightly. After a few moments, he sighed. "Of course not. I'm well aware that Dark Shadow has limitations and weaknesses. I can think of a couple of people in class who could beat me. But I do think I am strong."
As I had thought, Tokoyami was not only strong and serious, but he also was self-aware. That was a step ahead of someone like Bakugo.
With my knowledge gathered I began to teach the two of them, deciding to start with something that I thought would be simple. "Okay, a crucial part of martial arts is your ability to withstand your own power. If you punch someone and break your own hand that would be detrimental in a fight, right?" The two of them looked at me confused for a moment, before nodding along. Aoyama who had earlier been acting superior had immediately started paying attention. "So with that being said, punch this wall."
I walked around Gym Gamma's edge to give them this lesson; partially to keep them focused without much distracting scenery, and partially because I wanted to be away from the others. I doubted they would condone my way of teaching.
I had waited for a few moments, but neither of them moved an inch. Curious about their lack of initiative, I tilted my head at them. Aoyama looked at me like I was crazy. His face had contorted, his jaw had dropped, and his eyes widened. Instinctively, he grabbed his dominant hand. "Are... are you mentally okay, Midoriya-monsieur? That... doesn't sound healthy."
Tokoyami followed suit, his expression a bit more calm. though he looked a little surprised. "I partially agree with Aoyama here. What does punching a wall have to do with anything? Wouldn't it make more sense to teach us actual moves?" He seemed a bit worried, like he didn't want to experience any pain.
Maybe directing them to purposely wound themselves wasn't the smartest of ideas...
"Teaching you actual moves would be a good idea for you to learn technique. But just like with your quirks you have to condition yourself first, right? You two may be athletic, but how good is your durability? You might be able to take a hit in your chest or abdomen. But what about your knuckles? Knees? Elbows? Every bone needs to be conditioned. And the way to do that is to cause minor damage to your bones. That way they recover and will be denser, and stronger."
I looked at the wall ahead of me, before throwing a hard jab at it. The wall was made of reinforced materials, so not even a dent was made. But the sound was loud enough for them to hear. I hit that wall hard. Turning around I showed them my hand, revealing that while it looked a little red, I had taken no damage. "Obviously, don't punch it as hard as I did. I had done that for a bit. But punch it hard enough."
The point of doing this was for it to hurt. Ideally, they would do this with most of their body. Forearms, shins, elbows, knees. If they were to take it to an extreme, even their head would be used in such a way. Bones were strong, but they were also sensitive. Over time, doing this would make it easier to do. If someone did so for long enough, even without a quirk, they would be able to knock down a small tree.
Of course, there was another reason I chose this. A huge obstacle when it came to martial arts was mental. The thought of hurting oneself was so unnatural to a person. Why would I purposely want to experience the pain of my bones fracturing? Why would anyone do something so backwards to get stronger? That was probably going through their minds. If they couldn't overcome something like this, then they would never be able to truly learn martial arts.
Aoyama kept shaking his head as he looked at my hand in horror, while Tokoyami looked at my hand. His eyes were still shocked. A few moments passed. I was thinking that maybe this wasn't for them.
Then Tokoyami stepped forward, staring at my hand before his attention focused on the wall. He looked at me again before his attention shifted to his own hand. I could see the mental struggle in his mind. It was both ironic and strangely nice to see this. Heroes were meant to seem invincible. They were the protectors of our society. And these students had faced a villain attack so early in their journeys and survived. Not only that, they fought back, they defended themselves. But even with all that being said, something like this-something as simple as punching a wall to train your body- seemed outlandish. So crazy. It humanizes what one thinks of these heroes-in-training. I appreciated seeing that firsthand.
Finally, he balled his hand into a fist, placing it against the wall. Aoyama looked at him with worry. Tokoyami took a few deep breaths, steeling himself. "Revelry in the dark," he whispered before he cocked back his arm and punched the wall with a surprising amount of power. His hand stayed there for a moment. His expression was deadly serious. He looked at me, and I saw a couple of tears form in his eyes. "How... was that?"
I nodded at him, giving him a thumbs up. While his intensity with the action wasn't ideal, his overall mentality was. He bent, questioning my reasoning. He was anxious to go through with it, wondering why such a thing was necessary, thinking that doing this wasn't worth it. But in the end, he still did it. He didn't break.
I knew he had high potential, but he was exceeding my expectations.
Now all that was left was to see the same from Aoyama. If I was honest, Aoyama would never agree to do this so easily. But after seeing Tokoyami do so, Aoyama was in the hot seat. The pressure would get to him. Would he let the pressure win? Or would he take a step forward, showing the desire to get better? I had a good feeling about what would happen. I would even bet my life with how confident I was.
He looked at the two of us. His eyes stared at Tokoyami's red hand, noting how much Tokoyami clutched it, how much it hurt. His attention then went to the wall. Then to me. "You're crazy! B-But... you're serious? If... I do that. It will help me improve?"
I didn't waste a second, nodding to his question. Words would do me no good here. This was on Aoyama now. I wasn't interested in babying him along. I wanted to see his true actions. I wanted to see his merit, did he truly belong in the hero course?
Aoyama looked at his delicate hands. He probably hadn't ever really punched or did much manual labor with his hands, which didn't surprise me. He seemed to be on the wealthier side of our class.
Walking to the wall, he placed his fist on it, much like Tokoyami did earlier. He looked at Tokoyami, who still had tears in his eyes. His response was a thumbs up, and once Aoyama turned back to the wall, Tokoyami let out a silent scream as he shook his hurt hand. He had truly done a number on it.
Unaware of Tokoyami's show of pain, Aoyama stared at the wall. His eyes focused on the point of contact with his knuckles. His skin paled from how hard he was balling his fist. Closing his eyes he stayed there for a while, before cocking his fist back, before he once again placed his fist on the wall. The process repeated a few more times, Aoyama trying to gather the courage.
I thought about saying that doing this was making him more scared. But again, I wanted to see how far he'd go based on his merit. With another deeper breath, Aoyama sighed heavily. His eyes were still closed as he cocked his fist back, further than any other time before. "I can do this. I will shine!" He yelled as he shot his fist forward with a surprising amount of speed and power, his hand immediately making contact with the wall. A harsh knocking sound resonated as he punched the wall. His hand immediately became red and Aoyama shivered.
Didn't I tell them they shouldn't punch the wall with too much force? They punched the wall harder than I did!
The consequences of his action immediately hit Aoyama as he held his hand, screaming. "AHH! Ow! Ow! Ow! Why did I do that? Why would anyone do that? Monsieur, you're crazy! Crazy!" Aoyama looked at me with tear-filled eyes, holding his hand in pain. With as loud as he was, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone else heard his cry of pain.
I wasn't sure how to respond, so I remained silent as Aoyama looked at me with a hurt expression. I got the feeling that he just wanted to vent his frustration about this. He continued to talk about how dumb this was and how much it hurt.
Eventually, Tokoyami cut in. "But Midoriya is right. We need to be able to withstand our own force if we're in a position where we need to fight hand-to-hand."
"I know! I know! I just don't like the pain! Monsieur... tell me we don't have to do this that much!"
A sigh escaped me. I grabbed his hand, looking over it. He really did punch the wall hard. "I told you both not to hit it too hard. You managed to hit the wall harder than I did. From what I can tell you managed to incur fractures to your bones. But you also injured your muscle tissue. If you go to Recovery Girl you should be fine. As for how much you should do this, I would say you should practice for a few minutes every day for the best results. Especially with Recovery Girl around, you should be able to recover quicker, which will make this kind of training much faster for you two. Just try to hit it with less force."
The two of them looked at me before groaning. At that point, Iida showed up. "I heard a scream! Is everything okay?"
Before I could get the chance to explain anything, Iida saw Aoyama's hurt hand. His eyes darted to me, and immediately I could feel his anger rise. I got the sense that he had the wrong idea of the situation.
Thankfully, Aoyama also looked at Iida's rising anger and took action to explain. "It's nothing, Iida-monsieur. Midoriya-monsieur was just helping us train our fists to withstand impacts and I punched the wall way harder than I was meant to! Ow..." He continued to nurture his hand, which had gotten a little redder.
Iida didn't seem to like that explanation though, as he stared daggers at me. "So you decided that it was best to have our classmates injure themselves to help them defend themselves?"
When he put it like that, it didn't seem like a smart idea. "I was asked to teach my group martial arts. Body training and molding are a big part of that. I'm certain you should know that. Considering that you must have done that too."
Iida's frown grew. He looked ready to reprimand me and shout at me. But as quickly as that feeling came it left, and instead, Iida sighed. He chopped his hand toward me once, which I assumed was his way of pointing at me. "Midoriya-kun..."
Before he could continue I cut him off. I wouldn't let him start an issue when there wasn't a problem here. "They didn't have to punch the wall, Iida. But they did. That shows their determination to work hard. I was asked to mentor these two, assuming that like everyone else, I could do it my way. They followed me, and if they have an issue with my teachings they have the ability to speak up themselves. Wouldn't you agree?"
Iida looked at me bewildered momentarily, before he sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Yes... You are correct. But this isn't what they had expected either."
I stared back at him blankly, had he listened to what I said? "Like I said, if they have a problem with my teaching, they can tell me that."
"But-"
Before Iida could get his sentence out, Tokoyami spoke up. "It's okay, Iida. Midoriya never forced us to go through with this. We did it of our own accord. And I will continue to strengthen my bones, that way, if I need to defend myself, if Dark Shadow fails to protect me, I can at least fend for myself properly."
Iida looked at Tokoyami, a bit confused at first, but soon he smiled and nodded, understanding the situation. "I apologize, Midoriya-kun. I was worried about my classmates, but that was no excuse to be hostile to you. I will reflect on this action." As he spoke he bowed at a 90-degree angle. I didn't bother with a response, finding the thought of one to be useless. It was clear Iida held some level of disdain for me since the USJ, which made sense considering the circumstances.
Before Iida left he looked at Tokoyami and Aoyama, who seemed to be doing better now after the punch. "I am impressed and respect the dedication the two of you are showing in this. Keep training hard." With that, he left, leaving us to what we were doing.
I looked at the two of them, silently thankful that they helped me with this Iida situation. I had a feeling that no matter what I said or how sound my reasoning was, Iida would have just assumed the worst of me. "Let's get the two of you to Recovery Girl. From there, we'll continue."
The next day started a bit awkwardly for me. A few of my classmates had been giving me curious stares. This was because of yesterday's events, obviously. The group chat had been buzzing since last night, as everyone shared how the training had gone. Aoyama had taken that time to explain my odd teaching method. He also added that after Iida had shown up, our training had ended.
Needless to say, I was under some scrutiny from my classmates. Even though I had been given the freedom to teach the two how I saw fit, the fact that I didn't even teach them any self-defense techniques was something that couldn't be excused.
In other words, it looked like I got my classmates injured and then just left; which, obviously, wouldn't put me in the best light.
A discussion was going to be held. I was going to be questioned. No matter how much I didn't want it to.
I could feel my social standing plummeting in the class already. If it was a score from 1-100, I probably started at 5. And now I was hitting negative territory.
So much for making friends and avoiding any unwanted attention.
Currently, it was lunch. I could see my classmates piercing stares, watching my every move; almost daring me to try to avoid this inevitable conversation. Or as I was more likely to see it, an interrogation.
Maybe that was a bit dramatic.
With a sigh, I grabbed my food. My eyes met my classmates for the first time since coming to school today. There was a variety of stares now that I looked at them closely. Annoyance, understanding, confusion, anger, sympathy.
The sympathy was mostly from Aoyama.
I made my way to the table slowly, noticing how Class 1-B seemed to be having a far more fun and casual lunch. Why couldn't we have that? Maybe I could just go sit with them? I bet Kendo would be more than happy to include me. Right?
"Midoriya-san, don't even think about it. Kendo-san is already aware of the situation. She would direct you to us anyway." The voice of Yaoyorozu had cut off my thoughts.
What was with these people and reading my mind? How troublesome. Not that I actually planned to go over there. I knew there was no point in even trying to avoid this. I might as well get this over with. "Oh? Is something wrong?"
Yaoyorozu furrowed her brows. It wasn't exactly a glare, but she was clearly annoyed. But before she could say anything, Ojirou spoke up, his tail going over his shoulder as he did so. There was a disarming smile on his face. "Nothing is wrong per se. But we do think we should talk about your... bizarre training?"
That was how he wanted to phrase it. Ojirou was the type to stand his ground, but he was sheepish and came off as very passive. If anyone should lead this, it shouldn't be him.
As luck would have it though, Asui came to his rescue. "Some of us don't agree with your methods, Midoriya-chan."
Was it too late for me to walk away and act like none of this happened? This was a scary scenario! How was I supposed to stand up to everyone here!?
"Some of you? Does that mean some of you agree with me then?"
A nod came from Tokoyami, but Shoji ended up speaking. "I think your training was intense to start with. But your logic is sound. The first thing I learned when I did martial arts was how to hit every part of my body—and conditioning myself to withstand my power. It was vital with my quirk. My six arms needed to be able to withstand whatever output I used."
I nodded. At the very least, I knew I wasn't fighting alone. Tokoyami and Aoyama could defend me all they wanted, but at the end of the day, this was going to be reflective of me.
Reluctantly, I sat down, eyeing my classmates and analyzing their gazes. From what I could tell, most of them disagreed with my mentorship. But overall, maybe half the class thought that way. The rest either agreed with me or were neutral.
Except for Bakugo and Todoroki. Both of them carried on eating, completely ignoring the growing tension. They simply didn't care, focusing more on themselves for the upcoming festival.
A sigh escaped me. What did they expect from me? An apology? For me to say that I believed what I was doing was wrong? I wouldn't do either of those things. I didn't believe I was wrong, and I didn't feel sorry. This felt like such a useless conversation...
I waited for a few moments for someone to speak. But it soon became clear they were waiting for me. "So please elaborate. What exactly was wrong about what I did?"
My gaze was directed at the two people who seemed irritated by my actions the most. Yaoyorozu and Iida. They met my gaze head-on. Neither of them was even slightly worried. But neither of them spoke up. Instead, a little to their left, Ashido shared her own opinion. "I mean. Don't you think what you did was strange at all? You didn't even teach Tokoyami or Aoyama anything in terms of technique."
I met her eyes. She slightly flinched, was she nervous about this? I wondered why. "Strange? What's strange about conditioning?"
"Midoriya-san, stop stalling the inevitable. Your attempts to waste time aren't unnoticed." Yaoyorozu accused me. Her tone was vehement and annoyed. Her patience was null.
A sigh escaped me once more. I took a bite from my food, a nice simple bowl of curry. Though I asked for the spiciest curry Lunch Rush could make. I hadn't ever eaten anything spicy before, and I was curious how it tasted. "That's quite the accusation." I met her frown, her gaze was like daggers threatening my heart as if one wrong word from me would set her off. "But you're incorrect. I know I have no reason to defend myself. In fact, in reality, I find this whole discussion useless. And yet, I am here. Don't misinterpret my questions as stalling."
I looked back at Ashido. "Allow me to try to understand your point of view. But in return, I also need you to try to understand mine. Otherwise, we won't get anywhere."
Far less nervous now, Ashido nodded, a small smile on her face. Half from relief, and half from the awkwardness from the growing tension. "Of course. I think that's fair." She crossed her arms, thinking for a bit before she spoke. "I can't say conditioning is strange. But why do you think we aren't at least somewhat conditioned? Like I know not all of us are experienced, but we're heroes in training you know? We aren't exactly shut-ins."
I shrugged. I wasn't expecting that question. To me at least, it felt unnecessary and obvious. "Certainly, if you're talking about being athletic. But we come from different backgrounds do we not? Someone like Yaoyorozu is different than you. Physically, mentally, emotionally. It wouldn't be right to expect the same outcome in every scenario from you two. But if you want specifics, then allow me to enlighten you."
This was going to be troublesome. I had different ways to deal with this situation. But in the end, nothing else would be as effective as this. And the class already knew how observant I was. I took a deep breath before speaking. "Aoyama has more delicate hands than someone like me or Shoji. But he even has more delicate hands than Uraraka. And as we all know, he didn't have martial arts experience. From that, I thought the possibility that he did much of any fistfighting was slim. And like Shoji said, one of the first things one does in martial arts is conditioning their limbs. Specifically to increase their durability from impacts."
"And Tokoyami?" Mina urged me on, her tone eager to find out, but with a gentle touch of someone who was concerned for their friend.
"Tokoyami told me himself that he hadn't done anything like that. He told me that no one had even gotten close enough to hurt him because of Dark Shadow. If he had Dark Shadow to fight and protect him, it was obvious that he never even needed to train his body."
Mina looked satisfied with that. She didn't seem to change her overall opinion, but she understood mine. And that was good enough. I wasn't trying to convince these people that my methods were right. I just wanted them to let me do my own thing.
Kirishima, someone who usually didn't cause me much trouble, decided that it was his turn. "But Midoriya, you can't seriously tell me you didn't see any reason to teach them any defense techniques. Not even like grappling or anything?"
Ah... Now that was an excellent counter-argument. I had talked about the importance of strengthening their durability, but Kirishima had the beautiful argument to suggest something that needed minimal body conditioning. At least on the surface. "Certainly one could learn to properly grapple and wrestle their opponent to the ground. And while that action doesn't need you to throw a powerful punch or kick, it does still take a considerable amount of strength. And the mental fortitude to keep such a strenuous position. What I taught them not only helps them physically, but mentally. They showed determination and grit. Punching the wall was a good test for that."
Yaoyorozu interjected before Kirishima could reply to me. "And yet, you left after sending them to Recovery Girl. Shoji had to teach them the rest of the session. What exactly was the reason for that?"
I crossed my arms, staring back at her onyx eyes. Her frown showed her frustration. She looked ready to tear me apart no matter what I said. "There wasn't a quota I needed to fill for time spent. After I saw that they could do what they needed, the next step was to have them continue doing that. Then when they could punch the wall comfortably, I would continue with my training."
"It sounds to me like you just wanted to go home Midoriya-san." Her tone was cold, accusatory.
What a tough crowd...
"And so what if I did? I had every right to leave did I not? Especially after I was lied to."
I felt like they had forgotten that detail.
Their silence gave me the signal to continue. "I had arrived under the impression that it would be a simple sparring session. A way for all of you to test where you stand after your training. A way to see where you needed to improve. But then it was revealed that it was a self-defense class. And I was reluctantly thrust into a teacher role."
Yaoyorozu was silent after that. Asui spoke up on her behalf. "You had every right to refuse, Midoriya-chan."
She was technically right. But at the same time... "Sure, but you and Yaoyorozu both made it obvious that the two of you would pester me to do it anyway. Arguing further would have been useless."
Yaoyorozu tsked at that. A very out-of-character moment for her. She looked fed up; out of patience. "I'll take responsibility for that, but we're just trying to include you."
I shook my head at her. "If it was as simple as that you wouldn't have tried to get me into that teacher role."
Yaoyorozu sighed, "Believe it or not, it was that simple. I understand that you don't like attention. And I understand that you don't like to talk about yourself. But after what happened with the combat test, most of us already knew you had something more than quick reflexes. And selfishly, we wanted your help."
That was understandable. They could have handled it far better, but it was understandable. And I knew I didn't make it easy, I was adamant on remaining in the background. I didn't want to do much. I was fine being a spectator and watching my classmates grow.
I doubt they'd understand that. "No matter what the reason. In the end, I was thrust into that role. I did my part, yet you weren't satisfied with that. I was allowed to teach my own way."
They were silent after that. The silence was tense, my classmates deep in thought. I would never expect them to agree with me. And I wasn't going to change myself. I knew I did nothing wrong. This was simply a difference in methods; a difference in mindsets.
Tokoyami looked at everyone, his expression serious. "If I may, I think I agree with Midoriya's technique. When he first told us to punch the wall, I thought he was crazy. I found the notion stupid and pointless. But then he shed light with his explanation. My previous thoughts, clouded by an arrogant darkness, changed. I punched the wall of my own accord. And I plan to continue training my body. Aoyama and I both agreed to that."
Iida, who had been quiet to this point, stood up suddenly. His eyes looked at mine. I could see the reluctant acceptance; how he didn't like me, but couldn't say anything. Then he sighed, his expression shifting to a more neutral look. "That settles things. Even if we disagree, we can't say anything. We weren't there, and the two people that were said that they were fine with it."
He bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle, his face in line with his food. "Midoriya-kun, on behalf of the class I apologize. And selfishly, I ask that you please continue training Aoyama and Tokoyami, as they had expressed to me that they liked your teachings."
I shrugged, "I planned on doing that anyway. Is that everything?"
Yaoyorozu nodded, "I apologize for my hostility. I handled everything poorly today, and I must reflect on that."
She was correct on that account. But I understood why she acted the way she did. From an outside perspective, I had reluctantly accepted a role I didn't want. Then I got them injured and left immediately after. It wasn't the best course of action. "You were angry on your classmate's behalf. You felt like I had done what I could to get out of this situation, and thought that my way of doing so was unnecessary and malicious."
"But I didn't wait for your explanation. And I assumed that I knew the answer."
She was correct. Yaoyorozu was the type to be calm in a dangerous situation. But she had a level of arrogance. Not in the same way as Bakugo, but it was noticeable. She was a natural-born leader. In her eyes, I had just caused harm to my classmates without a good reason, and she felt she needed to discipline me for that. But in that thought process, she probably didn't consider Aoyama's or Tokoyamai's feelings.
At least, that's how it seemed to me.
Either way, I was glad that it was over and done with. Now I could eat my food in peace.
After school, I continued to work on my gadgets. Somehow, with an insane amount of luck, Hatsume had been sent home early by Power Loader-sensei. That meant I was able to work on my gadgets in peace. Which was a nice change of pace. Especially since I couldn't exactly access such high-end tools at home.
The privilege of such a reputable school had some amazing perks.
Though it also had its nuisances. Is this what normal school life was like?
I was getting distracted. I looked back at the boots I was making. They looked pretty bulky, and if I was honest, a bit ugly and uncomfortable. But this was a prototype. I could focus on comfort later. The metallic bottoms with the rubber soles made the boots look like they came from a junkyard; as if I would be showcasing this in one of those art museums.
"Alright... this seems good. I guess I should give it a test now."
Normally, I'd test this with a dummy. Or just by activating the boots. But I needed to test this with my weight. And to see if my smaller more delicate machinations would work properly.
Reluctantly I put on the boots. I was right, these things were extremely uncomfortable. I could feel the dense rubber and small bumps. I had installed some sort of motion sensors. That way, if I moved my toes in a certain way, the boots would activate; which would hopefully instantly repel me from any surface I was touching. In the future, I hope to find a different, far more convenient, way to activate it, but for now, this was the best I'd be able to do.
I thought about connecting it with my brain somehow, that way I could just think about it and it would happen, but without creating a whole suit it would be difficult. And personally, a full tech suit would get in my way.
With a sigh, I looked down at the boots. Preparing myself to not slam my head against the ceiling. I glanced at Power Loader-sensei, who was doing a poor job of acting like he wasn't paying attention. This was the moment of truth.
The ceiling was about 15 feet high, a bit taller than an average classroom. But it made sense, especially in a room like this, where things go haywire, blow up, and with how tall some gadgets become some people just need a ladder to climb and work.
I had set a few different patterns for the motion sensors to read, hoping to get a few different levels of repelling power. I started by lifting my toes in a way that would make me do a small jump. As I jumped I noticed that I got more air than I naturally could, jumping a whopping 12 feet in the air. My whole body almost slammed into the ceiling. But I landed on the ground safely.
Before I could celebrate this minor victory I had to check the boots. If any damage happened then I would have to count this as a failure. I took off the boots, examining them. The material looked fine, but I was more worried about the motion sensors. They were high-end and pretty delicate. Did an impact like that break them?
I pulled out the sensors, and thankfully, they were unharmed. The prototype was a success. That was a big step forward. But that hard part would start now. Slimming this down to a normal shoe size would be impossible by the Sports Festival, but maybe I could slim it down so it was about the size of a large boot?
Either way, there was more to test.
"Holy shit kid! I didn't think you could do it! Never mind first try! You have to tell me the science behind this." Power Loader-sensei looked at me with a twinkle in his eye. Or at least that is what I assumed considering his eyes were covered by that excavator claw mask.
"Sure... but I need to test the other levels first. I need to make sure these sensors can survive from the highest jump with minimal to no damage."
He continued to nag me about the science of the boots to gym gamma. On the plus side though, I found that the sensors took almost no damage from the highest jump. Though doing that too many times would hurt my calves. Maybe I should make some damage-nullifying socks? Maybe something to absorb impacts and distribute it back out before it hits my legs?
Either way, it would be troublesome. I doubt I could make something suitable in time for the Sports Festival. But getting started on a prototype would be a great idea, even if it was annoying to have to add something else to the things I was making.
I sighed, realizing that I was starting to take this Sports Festival way too seriously. Why was that? Everyone else wanted this. They wanted to succeed here; to become great heroes, not me, and yet here I was. This was becoming more and more troublesome.
This wasn't what I wanted when I came here. This wasn't my hope. I wanted to live the next few years and experience everything I could, to enjoy my high school life.
I wasn't trying to be a hero. Nor did I think I could ever be one.
So, another chapter in the books. Or book. Digital book. Fanfiction. Anyway, I don't really have much to say this time around. Just happy I was able to finally write again. And hopefully it was a good read.
This chapter was a bit hard to write, but that was mostly because I hadn't done it in so long. And writing Tokoyami and other characters for the first time was tough. But in the end I think I did okay. I look forward to your reviews. The next chapter we'll probably have right before the festival and maybe the first half or so of it.
I hope to see you there!