Chapter 7: Welcome to the Department of Heroics!
Somewhere in the Himalayas, China, there was a sense of peace. If you didn't know, the Himalayas is a form of mountain range in Asia that spread across five countries, one of which was China. So while it was peaceful, that region inhabited a sleeping monster that suddenly awakened as its eyes snapped open.
Soon enough there was a loud boom. For over a millennia, the monster had been asleep in one of the coldest sides of the mountains in frozen block. However, now the creature was free especially as he began walking down the mountain and shaking it with each step. As for his appearance, he was a colossal, loosely humanoid creature with various animalistic features such as scales, horns, claws and a reptilian tail.
The creature that had been frozen for thousands of years had finally gotten free. So with nothing in its way, the humongous monster began to walk down one of the mountains while displaying his appearance for any to see. He was a….
"Long last I have awaited this day, human filth!" The monster said. "With the Subterrean king dead and the Deep Sea King in a state of silence, the Terra-Lizard clan shall at last claim ownership of the earth!"
From the looks of it, that seemed to be the case. Its size was terrifyingly humongous while its build was clearly something not to be underestimated. But then, despite his looks, a missile hit him at the face and caused him to turn. It didn't cause the monster any damage, but it did grab his attention.
As a result, the monster saw what awaited him. There were four missiles lined on the ground that were likely for him. Thus, even though he didn't take a step, they all fired off from the ground and headed straight towards him, hitting at precise parts of his body. However, there had no effect on him and he continued walking to their direction.
Unknown to the monster, he was being watched. A military communication vehicle was hidden by the forest as the monster walked by. As such, they were able to keep tab on his location at that moment.
"Now leading target to point bravo!" announced a radioed military official.
A plane was soon seen flying across the sky. It was a Chinese-based military plane, which was heading for the monster's position. Meanwhile, in the cockpit of the plane was a pilot who was piloting the plane to the certain direction while behind him was a middle aged Chinese man in blue winter coat and green winter trousers. Unlike the pilot, he was facing the other way , towards a bunch of computer screens and wearing an earpiece.
"Roger!" The man answered. "We are in bound and on schedule. We'll be on top of bravo very soon."
So with that, the flight continued. Point Bravo was a specific area that the military were willing to drive the monster towards. Meanwhile, in the cargo area of the plane, there stood alone a quiet figure. He could not be seen, mostly because of the big winter coat that covered his body. As such, even as the floor beneath his feet opened, his face couldn't be seen. But all that changed when he began to descend to the ground.
Finally, the mysterious person was revealed. His winter coat blew off him due to the harshness of the wind. So it was revealed then that the mysterious person was Saitama in his hero costume and still heading to the ground. Of course, the man didn't seem fazed by it. He just had a stoic look on his face until he became serious and glided himself to the direction of the monster.
The Pro Hero didn't hit the monster though. He could've, but instead he 'flew' right past the monster and landed on the ground in front of the monster, few feet away. Of course, this caught the monster's attention as he stopped and looked down at him and saw the hero facing him with a stoic face. Its size didn't bother Saitama unsurprisingly so the hero spoke then.
"Oh…So you must be the guy that I was called to stop." He said.
The monster growled lowly. "And who might you be?" He asked.
"Me? I'm Saitama, a hero for…"
Saitama's phone suddenly rang. It happened unexpectedly, but it wasn't like the Pro Hero minded it. Thus, with that same stoic look on his face, he pulled out his phone and looked back at the monster.
"Hey…I have to take this. Hold on a bit." Saitama said plainly.
The monster was surprised. He was surprised that despite his colossal size the man in front of him was so calm of him. But of course, this was expected from Saitama who then answered the call and held it to his ear.
"Hey, All Might. What's up?" Saitama said to the caller. "Oh…you've gotten into UA? That is nice. I'm guessing the kid knows about this…? Oh okay…Me? I'm just about to fight this lizard monster…"
"Lizard?!" The monster was angered. "I am no mere lizard. I am the Ancient King, a ruler of the-"
"Hold on…" Saitama said to the caller. He then turned to the monster. "Sorry, but can you keep it down a bit? I'm talking to someone. It's kind of rude to interrupt someone, you know."
"Rude?!" The monster yelled. "Listen, human filth! I am a being beyond your comprehension! I am a force that –"
"Yeah, sure. You can go on now." Saitama said. However, it wasn't at the Ancient King. Instead, he was back at the phone and talking. "Oh, you want Genos to do what…? I see, then I guess I could-"
Saitama stopped when he noticed something off. His space had been invaded by the monster's face, which was now intensely close to the hero. But unsurprisingly Saitama wasn't scared, especially when he turned back to the monster again.
"Um…do you mind?" He questioned.
In response, the monster just huff some cold air through its nostrils at Satiama. However, this failed to faze the Pro Hero with a bored expression. As such, Saitama turned away and continued his call like the monster wasn't even there.
"What was I saying? Oh yes, I remember -"
"Acting brave huh? We'll see how much that will last, you hairless human!" The Ancient King said and immediately stood straight.
"What!?" Saitama became angry. He suddenly forgot his call with All Might and turned to the monster, comically angry. "Hey! Who you calling hairless!?"
The Ancient King didn't care to answer. He instead raised his foot and sent it down on the hero. However, due to Saitama's moment, he unintentionally punched the monster's foot and destroyed the monster's body into raining body parts and blood.
"Oh…" Saitama muttered. His stoic expression was back, but now his fist was smoking. At the same time, he was beginning to realize what just happened. Hence, it came to him as his right eye twitched. "Wait…That can't be it…"
"Hey, Saitama! You there?" All Might asked from the phone.
Saitama brought the phone to his ear. "I'm going to have to call you back." He said. From there he dropped the call and fell to his knees. "Not again! All it took was one punch! DAMMITTTTTT!"
The hero's cry echoed through the mountain. Of course, while the military saw the success in the death of the Ancient King, the most of them was confused by Saitama's reaction. Fortunately, Genos understood as he stood on top of a plane that was now heading towards Saitama.
'I see…This monster could not give the fight master wanted.' Genos thought observantly. 'Don't worry, master. I will always stand with you.'
_(LINE BREAK)_
Within the same dark room that had certain officials gathered, the UA examination results were posted. Here, some individuals could see the names of the examinees that made it on the board, including their villain score and rescue score.
"The results of the practical skills entrance examinations are here." announced an official. From there, he/she continued. "It is amazing though. At first it appeared Tatsumaki was the number one place, but she was overcome by Midoriya Izuku, who, by rushing at the first and second points villain-bots was able to destroy them with single punches before they could react. This kid is as tough as they get. His future is going to be bright if he keeps it up."
"And then there's Tatsumaki!" stated another official. "Though she was the original first, her quirk was remarkable. She was able to use both long range and close combat to terminate every villain-bot she came across. But like Bakugou, she had zero rescue points. She did earn four extra points for saving Izuku from falling. However, there is no excuse at the fact that both she and Bakugou are formidable in their own ways. Tatsumaki is second and Bakugou is third place. No doubt, these two may clash with one another if given the chance."
In other words, almost everyone in the room was impressed. However, there was one person that wasn't impressed. It was Aizawa Shouta aka Eraserhead and unlike the others he just lay back on a wall with a bored expression.
'…Jeez, what a din.' He thought with a bored expression. 'But still…she made it to UA huh? Let's see if I can change that.'
_(LINE BREAK)_
THE NIGHT AFTER OPENING THE NOTIFICATION LETTER, 8:00 PM.
"ALL MIIIGHT!" Izuku cried out. Tears were built up when he did this.
However, Izuku only ended up surprising All Might. Currently, the Pro Hero was as his skinny form, so being called his hero name caught him by surprise as blood spurt through his teeth. It also didn't help that a couple close by had heard them.
"Did someone say "All Might"!? Where, Where!?" shouted the woman.
All Might quickly turned to Izuku. "Quick, kid. Tell 'em you mistook me for someone else."
"I mistook him for someone else!" Izuku quickly shouted.
With that the couple cooled down. Izuku was glad about this as he let out a sigh. However, he couldn't help but feel a bit of De Ja' vu.
'Shoot…I kind of did this with Saitama. I should be more careful.' Izuku thought.
For the time being, their location was at the seaside park. It was at this exact place that Izuku had commenced his training with All Might, as well as the site that he had cleaned up. So while he ended up achieving his goal, the place had since become popular to hang around due to it having been 'mysteriously' cleaned.
But that wasn't the reason the two of them were there. All Might had something to say as he faced the boy calmly.
"Congrats on passing." The Pro Hero said. His action was then followed with him patting the teen on the head. "Just so you know, I didn't inform the Academy about our point of contact. You're the type who'd worry that you got accepted solely by connections."
"Thank you for thinking of me…" Izuku said and smiled. He was very happy to know that his icon and trainer was glad of his progress. So he was happy even when All Might remove his hand from his head. "I was surprised to hear that you've been made a teacher at UA. That's why we need to meet here…I get it. But isn't your office located at at Roppongi, Minato Ward, Tokyo, 6-12-"
"Stop right there!" All Might boldly interrupted.
Izuku stopped and noticed something was a bit off. The cheerful atmosphere around him seemed to be ceasing as he noticed All Might's changed of mood. He didn't have to question it, mostly because All Might spoke then as he looked to the sea while his hair blew blissfully against the wind.
"Anyway, I told the Academy about my predicament, but haven't breathed a word about it to anyone else." said the Pro Hero. "I have UA notify me on the chance that they found me a suitable successor."
'That's right…' Izuku thought in realization. His mood had too changed as he continued. 'He did say he'd been searching for a successor for a long time.' And so he looked at his raised hands and became further in his mind. 'I see…he was planning to choose among the students. It's a hotbed of capable people, overflowing with awesome quirks.'
The teen soon came to a conclusion. He wasn't happy about it though, nor did he seem to like it. But he said it anyway. "One For All…I was able to use some of its power to beat the villain-bots, but…just one serious punch or kick is all it takes to wreck my body. So really…I can't handle its full potential."
"That can't be helped…" All Might said and turned back to the teen. "If you tried to get a guy who suddenly sprouted a tail to do tricks with it, he wouldn't know how to control it. It's properly enough to do so. It's the same story here."
"Huh…" Izuku said. And then his eyes widened. "So you mean to say you saw all that coming!?"
"Well…there's just been no time time…but everything worked out all right….!" All Might said somewhat nervous. "Or I should say All Might!" He added.
Izuku wasn't amused. Fortunately, All Might was able to be relaxed as he picked up two cans from the ground.
"I'll admit, I was surprised by how far you went." All Might said. "My workout plan, 'Aim to Pass! The American Dream' was meant to bring you so far. But by adding Saitama's training, you were able to exceed even my expectations. Let me explain why."
Izuku said nothing as he listened. He always valued what All Might had to say, so this time was no different. Hence, the Pro Hero continued.
"Because of your dedication to Saitama and my workout plan, you've gain a few steps closer to becoming a steady vessel." He said. "But make no mistake. You are stuck at all or a few shots. But you can learn to control the power level to your advantage and save your body the strain of a full-strength power emission. In other words, the more you build up the vessel, the more you can control the power within."
The Pro Hero then changed into his muscular hero form. He followed this by crushing the cans in his hand and saying. "Like this!"
'Like unto the sacred fire of lore….the transferred flame is still small.' All Might thought. 'But from now on, not even driving rain will check its growth.'
"Wait, isn't that…it is! That's All Might! How did he get here!?" shouted the woman of the couple.
All Might was immediately alarmed. Of course, he wasn't too worried about it, although that didn't stop him from running with Izuku right behind him.
'And my flame will slowly fade away and eventually vanish and my duty will be done!' All Might finished.
_(LINE BREAK)_
One chapter had come to an end, with another opening to take its place. For long, Izuku had dreamed to one day be in UA until now he had finally achieved it. Therefore, spring was in the air.
Presently, Izuku was preparing to leave. He was in a rush though, as he now wore the official UA High uniform. But there was a slight problem, which wasn't really a problem when thought about. It was just that his mum kept calling out to him to remind him if he had taken certain things with him.
Of course, Izuku was feeling some embarrassment. His mum was treating him like a kid, which he was. But when he got to the door and was about to leave, she called out to him again and got him to turn to her with an embarrassed whine.
"Whaat?"
His mum was silent. Deeply, she was happy for her son. She had long ago given up on her son's dream of going into UA. So seeing him standing there, dressed in UA's official uniform and about to set off to a future of heroism, it made her very happy.
"You're mega cool right now." She smiled.
Izuku smiled back and opened the door. "See you soon, mum." He said back.
And so, the teen set off to his future. There was really nothing holding him back from what he set out to do. So the teen closed the door behind him and set off to leave, when something suddenly caught him off guard. It was Tatsumaki sitting on the railings and a short glare at him. Like him, she wore the UA uniform but the one for girls.
"You take too long to prepare, you know." She said sternly.
"Ta-Tatsumaki!" Izuku shouted in shock. He was surprised to see the teenage girl in front of him, especially at the front of his home. "Wh-what are you doing here!? How did you know my house!?"
"Stupid. Don't try to change the subject." Tatsumaki replied.
'I'm not trying to change the subject.' Izuku thought.
Just then, the teen felt a familiar sensation. It was the feeling of his body being taken lightly off the ground. The teen didn't mind it though, because at this point he was used to it. As such, Izuku found himself levitating a few feet from the ground with Tatsumaki doing the same.
"Let's go. We'll be late, mummy's boy." Tatsumaki said and turned.
Izuku immediately blushed in embarrassment. Tatsumaki was the first girl to actually get to his house and while it is true that she hasn't gone inside yet, the fact that she overhead him and his mum was enough to make him feel embarrassed.
However, Tatsumaki didn't seem to care. She just flew her and the teenage boy away. But then a thought lingered on her mind that she couldn't ignore.
"Hey, Midoriya. I want to ask you something." She said.
Izuku looked up to her with a confused expression. She wasn't being cold at him like usual, nor did she seem to be stern at him. At the moment, he was at her right side, precisely at her waist side when she spoke.
"Do you…have that stupid keychain with you?" She asked.
"Yeah, it's over here." Izuku said and brought it up. From there, he showed it to the girl who saw it and turned away.
"Idiot…I never said you should show me." She mumbled.
"Uh…sorry." Izuku apologized. The teen was then about to put his back in his pocket, but he stopped. The reason was because he had glanced and noticed a familiar keychain hanging by Tatsumaki's bag's side. Thus, he stared at it. 'That's…the keychain I gave to Tatsumaki.' He thought.
Izuku was now puzzled about Tatsumaki. He was able to carefully put his keychain back in his pocket without saying a word. But then, when he looked up at the teenage girl, he was astonished at what he saw.
By flying to the sky, Tatsumaki appeared to be dazzling. She had a warming and brightening smile on her face as the sunlight seemed to perfectly make it sparkle a bit.
"Tatsumaki…" He muttered. Truly, something about Tatsumaki was getting to him. He just didn't know it was.
Back at Izuku's home, the teens was unaware of one thing. Izuku's mother opened to the door and got a glimpse of her and Tatsumaki flying away. But rather than seem surprised, she just smiled warmly and closed the door almost immediately.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Sometime went by before the two of them made it to UA's main building. However, there was no time to walk calmly through the hallway like one would expect. Both Tatsumaki and Izuku were late, and upon that they didn't know the exact location of their class.
"This…This is your fault, Midoriya!" Tatsumaki yelled. She was running next to the teenage boy since she wasn't certain that she should use her quirk in the building. "Why do you have to suck up to your mum so much!?"
"I'm sorry, Tatsumaki! Please…Please keep it down! This place is so big!" Izuku insisted.
"I know that, dummy!" Tatsumaki yelled.
And so they kept running. Fortunately, they were able to find the right classroom due to the number 1 on the door. It was common knowledge by this point that every year less than 1 in 300 examinees made it to the Academy. That meant only 38 kids passed with each divided by eighteen and sent to one of the two classes.
"So this is it." Tatsumaki said.
"Yeah…The door is humongous." Izuku added.
From there, the green haired boy walked over to the door. At the same time, Tatsumaki stood there and activated her quirk a bit before shutting it off. But of course Izuku wasn't aware of her action because his focus on the door while his back was at the esper. As such he began to feel nervous as he reached his hand to the doorknob.
"We'll be alongside the chosen few who passed the exam…" Izuku muttered.
"You got to relax, you know." Tatsumaki replied. She could tell just by standing close that Izuku was nervous. So before he turned the knob, she grabbed his arm that was towards the door by the wrist and looked at him with a small stern. "Listen…this isn't middle school. Those classmates of ours back there won't be at your neck anymore. If you really want to be a hero, you have to stop being nervous and scared. Understood?"
Izuku was surprised. He stared at Tatsumaki a bit and noticed how much she was staring at him. But rather than say anything, he just blushed a bit and looked away at his wrist that Tatsumaki was still holding.
"Yeah, understood." He said.
"Good…" Tatsumaki replied. She then removed his hand from the doorknob and opened the door. "I hope you can keep to that because those two are here too."
"Eh!?" Izuku was confused.
Tatsumaki pointed at a specific direction. The door was open, so Izuku was able to see where she pointed. However, he felt like his heart almost sunk when he saw two individuals he certainly didn't want to meet. One of them was Katsuki and the other one was Iida.
'Just my luck.' He thought hopelessly. But then he turned over to Tatsumaki with a confused expression. "But wait, how did you…?" He then remembered. "Oh right. Fubuki mentioned Tatsumaki could sense anyone's essence. I guess that means she can notice someone's presence too."He thought.
With that, Izuku and Tatsumaki observed the two. They noticed Katsuki sitting in appropriately on his desk by having his feet on his desk. But clearly this didn't seem to go well with Iida, who was trying to lecture the teen to put his legs down because it was disrespectful.
Of course, Katsuki refused to listen. He was still straightforward and cocky as always while he putting remarking whatever Iida. But if that wasn't enough, he even threatened to deal with him just because he was an 'elite' due to attending a famous private middle school.
Anyway, none of that seemed to matter. Iida noticed Izuku and Tatsumaki and immediately walked over to them. But before he could get closer, Tatsumaki walked forward and stretched her arm to Izuku's front to intercept the taller teen.
"Not so fast, four eyes." Tatsumaki said sternly. She was very much ready to confront the taller teen, as her eyes stared at him with small malice as she continued. "If you think for a second that I would let you berate him again because of your misjudging ass then you must be asking for a good –"
"Let me through." Iida interjected. He didn't like Tatsumaki's action, but he didn't seem to hold it against her. "I am Iida Tenya from Soumei –"
"We heard you before!" Tatsumaki yelled, referring to Iida's introduction of himself to Katsuki. "So what if you came from a top private school!? Do you think coming from a place like that would make you be better than us!? I don't care! You can be the Prime Minister's son and I still won't let you touch Midoriya."
'Tatsumaki…' Izuku said, surprised. He stared at Tatsumaki, who was showing yet a new side of her. Sure, she had saved him before, but this side of her was protective than the need to save someone she never acknowledged a long time ago,
But of course, it was obvious of Iida's face that he didn't like the girl's attitude. Fortunately, his upbringing kicked in and he was able to control his emotion.
"Now I understand…" Iida said somewhat calm. "The fact that you're protecting him proves that I was on the wrong about him and you. But I can assure you that I hold no ill will towards him now. If you want you can stay and listen to what I have to say."
Tatsumaki paused and turned back to Izuku. The teen was staring back at her, but with a confused expression. But this moment was a bit more for Tatsumaki than one would've expected until she turned back to Iida.
"Hmph! Go ahead!" Tatsumaki said with a wave of her had. For some reason, the girl had backed down, but then she walked a bit closer to Iida and asked. "Hey, how good's your knee?"
"My knee?" Iida asked, confused. "Why would you ask about my knee? It is in good –"
"Good enough for me." Tatsumaki cut him off. From there, she kicked him right at the knee.
"OW!" Iida shouted in pain.
In response, Tatsumaki didn't seem to care. She didn't even bother to watch the taller teen clutch his knee in his hands and his other leg supporting him. So with that, she began heading to a free desk, saying. "Don't be a prick to anyone next time and maybe I won't do it again."
"That girl…" Iida said angrily.
"Um…sorry about that." Izuku said, apologizing. He didn't feel so uneasy and scared around the taller teen like he should. In fact, if anything, he felt some easiness as he continued. "Tatsumaki can be…like that, but she really means well when you get to know her."
"I see…" Iida replied. He shot a last glare at Tatsumaki, though.
'Thanks, Tatsumaki.' Izuku thought. He had a warming smile on his face as he watched the girl walk away. 'I know you won't admit it, but I know you did that just to make me feel at ease around him. You really are opening up a bit huh?'
"Anyway…" Iida said. His other leg was back on the ground as he continued and turned back to Izuku. "Midoriya…in as much as your friend can be…intolerable…I must hand it to the both of you. You both divided the actual nature of the practical skills exam, didn't you?"
Izuku said nothing back. A part of the reason was because Iida continued even though it was clear he wasn't completely at ease with himself with this. "I…was blind to it! And I completely misread you! I hate to admit it, but…she was right about me then. I misjudged you…you were clearly the better man."
'But…I didn't know about the exam either?' Izuku thought sheepishly.
"Deku…" Katsuki muttered angrily.
The teenage blonde was clearly not pleased to see his childhood friend. In fact, if anything, he held a lot of malice just from seeing him there. But then, someone caught his attention when she placed her schoolbag on the desk next to him.
"This desk seems good enough…and it's unoccupied." She said.
"Tatsumaki?!" Katsuki said.
Indeed, the person who was about to sit next to him was the green haired esper. She was surprised about it though as she sat on that seat and faced him.
"What!? Oh great! It's you!" Tatsumaki said, angrily. "I was looking around for a free seat and failed to I pay attention to your ugly scowl!"
"Who you calling ugly, wind-blower!?" Katsuki yelled back.
"You, flame-brain!" Tatsumaki yelled.
Katsuki growled, with the same for Tatsumaki. The both of them clearly had much hate for the other person. However, even though it was tempting, none of them used their quirk at the other. They just turned away and simultaneously huffed. "Hmph!"
"Anyway…I guess I'll just stay here." Tatsumaki suddenly said. Of course, this surprised Katsuki as she then continued. "For one, getting up and looking for another seat feels unneeded. And then there's the fact that Midoriya would probably make the dumb choice of sitting next to you again. Honestly, that guy can be such an idiot."
Katsuki said nothing back. He didn't want to admit it, but he didn't want to seat close to his childhood friend either. However, that didn't stop him from scowling at Tatsumaki and then taking that look back at Izuku who was now talking to Ocohako.
_(LINE BREAK)_
FLASHBACK
Both Izuku and Katsuki were in the teachers' quarters, specifically at one of their teacher's desk. There, the teacher was happy as he spoke to them.
"This means that three kids from our middle school got into UA." He said. "Midoriya's acceptance in particular is a miracle among miracles. And to think Tatsumaki was that talented was beyond any teachers' expectation. I was hoping to see her again, but it seems she doesn't want to be here. Oh well."
Minutes later Katsuki had something to say to Izuku. However, it wasn't in a good and friendly way. Instead, the blonde teen had Izuku against the wall at some deserted part of the middle school and tightening his fist on the green haired teen's shirt angrily.
"What dirty goddam trick did you use to pass the exam, shitheel!" Katsuki yelled angrily. "First, you score higher points than me and Tatsumaki! And now you ruin my future glory of being the first to enter UA from here! Me alone! You fucking ruined it for me! And not only that, you shredded what should be mine and pissed all over it before then shitting on it!"
Months ago, whenever Izuku had talked about being a hero, Katsuki had always found it an annoyance. However, this was different. Izuku had not only passed into UA, but he surpassed him by far more points than most kids could only dream off. It really pissed him off.
"I told you to go someplace else, fuck-munchkin!" Katsuki yelled louder.
By this point, Katsuki expected Izuku to squirm in his presence. However, to his surprise, the teen grabbed his wrist and tightened around it with some force that it actually hurt Katsuki to let go of him. Of course this surprised Katsuki while Midoriya hit the ground on his knees.
'What the hell…?' Katsuki thought. He rubbed his wrist while gripping at the teen, confused and angry. 'Where the hell…did he get that strength…?'
"Some people…finally acknowledged me." Izuku said strongly. His action there was a bit of a shock to Katsuki because of one thing. Izuku was actually standing up to him, both literally and metaphorically. "They told me I could become a hero! Kacchan…! I've won the right…!"
And so with teary eyes filled with determination, Izuku said. "Y-You can't stop me…I'm headed to UA…!"
_(LINE BREAK)_
PRESENT TIME
'That pathetic rat actually put up a fight…!' Katsuki thought angrily. 'And that grip back there…there can't be a flipside to this.'
Anyway, back at Izuku, Ochako was happily talking to Izuku, who was blushing seriously. This was likely because Ochako was so close to him and smiling excitedly.
"Oh, where's Tatsumaki? I hope she's alright! She looked alright when she helped you out!" She said continuously. "Hey, do you think I can meet her again? I wonder if that'll be possible when we have the ceremony? But then again it could be guidance counselor stuff! Oh, and the teacher, what'll they be like? I'm so anxious, like wow!"
Just then, someone spoke. However, it wasn't by the students, but rather by a man in a sleeping bag. What even made it strange was the fact that he was lying on the ground in a sleeping bag and wearing it like it was some kind of cocoon.
"If you're gonna be hunting for buddies do it elsewhere." He said with a bored tone.
His presence surprised both Izuku and Ochako, both of whom turned back to look at him with wide eyes. But if his appearance wasn't enough, he brought out his hand through the only space in the sleeping bag (his face) to hold a pamphlet.
"This is the department…" and then he sucked it to his mouth. "of heroics!"
An immediate silence filled the class. The same went for Tatsumaki, who couldn't help but feel like she had felt the man's presence before. No one knew who the man was or what he was doing there. But then the man got up and unzipped the sleeping bag, revealing himself and stepping into the class. By this time, both Izuku and Ochako had gone to their desks.
"Hmm, it took you lot eight seconds to quiet down." He said with a bored tone. "Life is short, kids, you're lacking in common sense."
Tatsumaki growled with a low tone. She was standing just like everyone, but unlike them she was angry to see the man. Why? It was because she knew who he was. He was Aizawa Shouta aka Eraserhead, the same man who had accompanied the principal of UA about her debt some months back.
"It's him!" Tatsumaki said angrily. 'Of all the people I could meet, it had to be him! This couldn't get any worse!'
Anyway, other students like Izuku had already guessed he was their teacher (or sensei in Japanese). But it was a bit of a surprise to them that no one had heard of him despite the possibility that he was a Pro Hero. Anyway, Aizawa continued.
"I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. Pleasure meeting you." He said with a dry tone.
'Our homeroom teacher!?' Everyone was surprised.
"Anyway…" Aizawa continued. "before we get down to important matters, I would like to introduce my assistant." From there, he turned to the door. "Hey…you can come and introduce yourself."
"Right." Someone outside the class answered.
One thing that was noticeable then was the voice. It sounded firm and robotic at the same time. But then, no one made any inquiry of it. The reason was because the person that had answered then walked into the class and stood next to Aizawa, immediately surprising everyone and shocking Tatsumaki.
"My name is Genos." The young man said firmly. "It is a pleasure meeting you all."
"Wow…is he a robot?" one person whispered.
"That's so cool." whispered another person.
"UA really is sophisticated that way huh." whispered another person.
So while everyone was confused and astonished at Genos, the same wasn't for Tatsumaki. Her mind flashed back to the time she had seen the cyborg before trying to process it. But with the fact that Aizawa was there and Genos was alive, it began to stir up her emotions unknown to others.
Anyway, Aizawa spoke again.
"This is Genos. He's a cyborg and here to assist me on some stuff. Treat him well." He said.
And with that, Tatsumaki finally snapped. She couldn't hold back anymore.
"AN ASSISTANT?! HO-HOW THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN ALIVEEEEE!?" She yelled.
A thought suddenly dawned on Tatsumaki. She had screamed out her thought and now all eyes were on her. It was disturbing and at the same time embarrassing when this happened. But since she hadn't experienced this before, the girl immediately ran out of the class, much to the shock of everyone.
"Tatsumaki, wait!" Izuku shouted. However, he went unheard.
Aizawa didn't seem bothered though. He just had that laid-back expression on his face as he looked at the entrance. "Well that was annoying." He said.
Genos was silent. He took a few seconds of that silence before deciding to walk out. "I will get her back. Please continue with your lesson, sensei." He said.
"All right." Aizawa replied.
_(LINE BREAK)_
"Dammit! Dammit!" Tatsumaki cursed angrily. She stood by a hallway with her fists tightened and her head to the ground as she stood by the see-through windows. "First, I have that damn debt and now those two are the ones to teach me! Why the hell does shit have to –"
"There you are." A familiar voice interrupted.
Immediately, Tatsumaki reacted. She activated her quirk and turned to the source of the voice. It turned out there that the person was Genos.
"Hold it right there!" Tatsumaki warned. "One move and I swear I'll end you this time! Tell me why you're here! Are you here to screw my life, metal jackass?! Clearly, you didn't learn from last time that –"
"I'm sorry." Genos apologized. His voice sounded sincere before he then bow at Tatsumaki, which surprised her. "I was wrong to misjudge and battle you." He said. "My perspective of you at the time was wrong. Before the incident concerning Oxform Lab, I had held the idea that you were a threat. That was what you were brought up to become. But thanks to a great man who saved me that night you left me, I have come to realize that I should not judge you in a bad manner. Please…I ask for your forgiveness."
"Tch…" Tatsumaki clicked her tongue in spite. She didn't know if he should take his words as honesty or a trick. But then she looked around her and looked back at him. "So who's this great man?"
"I…cannot say." Genos hesitantly said.
"Is he from Oxform Labs?"
"He certainly not. He is a Pro Hero."
"I see…" Tatsumaki muttered and paused. She was still suspicious at the cyborg, but then decided to turn off her quirk. "Hmph! Whatever!"
"Understood." Genos replied. From there, he stood straight again with a thought in mind. 'In as much as I wish to inform her, Master Saitama instructed me not to tell her about him. Apparently, she is unaware of his hero status despite living as his neighbor for two years and the fact that her little sister knows. Odd…'
"By the way I'm not forgiving you." Tatsumaki said straightforwardly. "You not only threatened me but you indirectly threatened my sister. That's something I can't get over. But it would be a pain to destroy you here, so I'll leave you for now. But just know this…Try anything funny and I'll make sure I eliminate you."
"Understood." Genos replied.
"Hmph!"
With that, Tatsumaki began to walk away. She passed by the cyborg without glancing at him. However, Genos still had her eye on her and had something to say.
"I am aware of Child Emperor." Genos said. In response, Tatsumaki stopped but didn't turn to him. "He knows of my existence and believes I can be of use. But besides coming here to apologize, I have another reason for meeting you."
"Oh, and what's that?" Tatsumaki asked.
"Garou…He has returned." Genos answered.
Tatsumaki was instantly surprised. She didn't say it, but the look on her face showed it. However, Genos remained unfazed as he began walking passed her.
"Be careful, Tatsumaki." He continued to say. "Reports have confirmed heroes being hunted down by a mysterious man. It is possible that he is the cause. Anyway, your class will be at the sports grounds. I advise you catch up as soon as you can."
With that Genos left. However, Tatsumaki remained in place and said nothing. This was because her mind was in thought and so she didn't think of leaving. But once Genos was gone, she looked to the outside and at the skies in particular.
"Garou…it has been so long…huh?" She muttered.
_(LINE BREAK)_
FLASHBACK: FOUR YEARS AGO
"Please…I don't want to fight anymore…"
In a huge white room, there was a little girl. This little girl had green curly hair while wearing a black skintight suit. She looked to be eight years, however the position she was in wasn't good. A humongous creature had its foot on top of her body while having a wide grin on his face.
"Weak…You're so weak." He mocked happily. "Continue to beg for me! I love hearing the creatures of you humans so much!"
"Let me go!" The girl wept. This time tears were flowing down her cheeks as she continued. "Please I don't want this! I want to go home! I want my adoptive parents back! I want to see my sister! So please…let me go! All Might…! Anyone…any hero…Please…save me!"
The monster laughed, with the same for others watching. All of them were creatures like him, hideous and scary-looking. As for the creature himself, he was about twelve foot tall with black hairy upper body, wearing brown tattered pants and having four huge arms and spiky hair.
Anyway, the laughing continued. None of the monsters cared about the girls' ordeal nor could they be moved to help her. They just laughed onward while she cried bitterly to the point that her tears touched the ground, seemingly never-ending. But all that changed when He walked towards the monster.
"Get off the girl! I've seen enough!"
"Huh?" The monster turned to the voice.
And with that, silence came over the room. Those who stood there had their own fill of laugh until that voice had come. As such, all eyes went to the only human other than Tatsumaki that was heading towards the four-armed monster with no sign of fear on him.
"Is that…" questioned one monster.
"Yes, it is…" said another monster.
"It's Garou." stated another monster.
Indeed, the monsters were right. The man walking to the monster was Garou himself. He looked about the same as he was in present time, except that he wore an entire black skin-tight suit and seemed slightly younger. However, despite how scared the monsters were, the four-armed creature just grinned.
"Finally…you show up." He said. "The Human-Monster, Oxform Labs' special subject, the Hero Hunter, we meet at last. Are you here to save this girl? Don't tell me you're trying to be the hero?"
"Pfft! Don't belittle me to that! I'm no her!" Garou replied, clearly annoyed. "Now release the girl! You've had your round with her!"
"Hehe…" The monster chuckled. "Well I'm not done! If you want to get me off her, you're gonna have to –"
A loud impact was heard, followed by horrific gasps. The gasps came from the other monsters, who watched in shock as blood splattered on the ground and head of a certain monster hitting the ground.
None of that mattered to Garou though. He just stood there with his fist directly at where the monster's head had once been. But now that its head was gone, the Hero Hunter just sighed and put down his smoking fist to the side and walked away.
"Damn…what a mess. I'm getting out of here now." He said.
With that, he did what he said. He didn't mind the stares he was getting from the terrified monsters, nor could he be bothered about the robot guards standing by the entrance. However, all of this caught the girl's attention as she stared at the Hero Hunter with a confused look on her face.
'Garou, the Hero Hunter…' Present day Tatsumaki narrated. 'That was the day I actually met him. At that time, I have been at Oxform Labs' for four years with no one ever showing kindness to me. In fact…every single day was just to survive. The monsters…the robots…the cruel scientists…all of them did horrible unspeakable things to me…But he didn't. He was different…He wasn't a hero…that was for sure. And yet he saved me then…'
With that, the flashback continued to a different scene. However, the scene there wasn't so good. Dr. Psykos was dragging the little girl by the hair on the ground despite her screams of plea. But then, just as the doctor stopped, she slide a door open and threw her into a dim small room, causing her to hit the cold and hard metal floor by the face.
"Same time next week…Tatsumaki." Dr. Psykos smiled sadistically.
Tatsumaki said nothing. She instead crawled backwards, terrified of the evil doctor. Fortunately, the doctor didn't come towards her. Instead she just closed the door, thus leaving Tatsumaki to crawl to a wall and lay her back on it where she began to cry with her legs to her chest.
"Hey! Can you keep it down!?" shouted a familiar voice.
Tatsumaki perked her head up and looked to the wall. She knew the voice since it had just been a few minutes she had heard it. But she was still confused on where the voice had come from.
"Garou…?" She questioned. The tears on her cheeks were visible as she looked around.
"Oh…it's you." Garou replied with a dry tone. "No wonder I've been hearing someone crying since the day I got up here. What's your name?"
Tatsumaki paused and wiped the tears on her cheeks. "I'm…I'm Tatsumaki." She said.
"Oh…so you're the kid that doctor seemed so eager of." Garou replied. He still didn't sound interested by her presence though but he continued. "Anyway…look up. We're able to talk through that ventilation shaft over there. But don't get any ideas of getting through it. It's security locked."
Tatsumaki did as she was told and looked up. Garou was right; there was a vent at the highest part of the wall, which was why she could talk to him. But still, knowing she couldn't use it to escape made her sad and looked down to her feet.
"Hey!" Garou called out. "I gotta ask. Why do you keep holding back?!"
"Huh…?" Tatsumaki questioned.
"Your quirk." Garou answered. "You're one of those espers, right? You're supposed to be one of those second generation people with quirks. I want to know why you keep holding back."
"I'm not…holding back." Tatsumaki replied with a sad tone. "I don't want any of these…I'm weak…I can't fight. I just –'
"Shut up!" Garou yelled. His outburst surprised Tatsumaki, especially as he continued. "I hate when kids whine! That's one of the reasons I'm glad to be here! But do you know what I hate more! I hate it when people lie because they're hurt!"
"I'm not lying!" Tatsumaki shouted, insisted sadly. "I'm not strong! I don't want to be strong! I just want to be free! I want my sister back!"
"Then do something about it!" Garou yelled angrily. "Here's a piece of advice! If you want to make it out of here then you're gonna have to fight like hell! If you don't then people like those monsters will take advantage of you and you'll be crushed!"
Tatsumaki shuddered immediately. She hated to admit it, but Garou was right. That incident some minutes ago wasn't the first she had found herself in. But rather than say it, she just slump her head to look at the ground.
"Thank you…" She said. "Thank you for saving me back there!"
"Don't thank me." Garou said. However, his tone was far from gratitude. "Seriously, do not thank me! I didn't do it for you! I just hate it when people get carried away!"
"I see…" Tatsumaki muttered. Then she thought of something. "Can I ask you something…?"
"You just did."
"Right." Tatsumaki replied. "Anyway…have you thought of escaping?"
"Yup."
Tatsumaki immediately responded. Her heart almost skipped a bit as a look of hope suddenly dawn her face. As such, she looked back up to the ventilation shaft and continued. "Then let's work together! I'm sure if we can then –"
"No!" Garou yelled. "Don't take this the wrong way, kid, but you're pathetic. You refuse to fight and all you do is cry! Besides, I've already healed up enough to escape on my own! I just choose not to leave yet!"
Tatsumaki was taken aback. She had thought that maybe this could be her chance, but it was not. Hence, she became quiet and hopeless as she looked back to the ground.
"Then why are you still here…? You clearly don't like me?" She questioned.
"Hmph! You're finally coming around!" Garou said. It sounded then that he was amused, but he received no response from Tatsumaki. Anyway, he continued. "You've probably heard by now, so no need for lousy introductions. I'm the Hero Hunter. I've hunted down more heroes than I can count. Heck…I gave my old fart-face of a master and his brother a one way trip to a coma. But then…I met Him."
"Him?" Tatsumaki questioned. She didn't look that all interested, but she was curious enough to look up.
"Him…" Garou now sounded like he was in thought. "That man…He was no weakling. He was incredibly stronger than what I could've imagined. What even amazed me is the fact that I heard nothing about him before we met. He was clearly a hero…I could tell that. But despite how many heroes I beat…no matter how strong I became...Heck, no matter how much I pushed myself over my limits, he still beat me. It was like I was just a plaything in his hands. He never took me seriously. He just had that…bored look on his face."
From there, Tatsumaki heard him clicked his tongue.
"One punch! That's all what it took in the end!" Garou said angrily. "It pisses me off, but I was no match for him! That is why…I must get stronger! No, I will become stronger! I will become so strong that no hero! Not even All Might will stand in my way! I will become the symbol of fear!"
"You won't succeed."
"Huh?"
"I said you won't succeed." Tatsumaki muttered. Her tone didn't sound hopeful though, but she continued anyway "The hero always beats the villain. They always save the day…Whoever that person that beat you was, he'll beat you again because he's a hero."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Garou laughed. He was obviously amused by Tatsumaki's comment. "You're funny, kid! You really are! Hey, where's the hero to save you now?! Come on, I've been waiting for a fight with one for so long!"
Tatsumaki immediately became quiet. She felt mocked at and terrible at the young man's remark. However, that didn't stop Garou from continuing.
"Oh right…there's no hero here." Garou said in mockery. From there, he continued with a proud tone. "Just know this, Tatsumaki. One day I will beat him. Then when that's over, I will spread terror onto this world until everyone lives to know THE symbol of fear. Garou."
_(LINE BREAK)_
FLASHBACK: ONE YEAR LATER
Hallways, rooms and just about anywhere was littered and heavily damaged. Walls had huge dents and holes on while dead men, monsters and robot parts were littered all over the ground. However, none of that bothered Tatsumaki as she clutched her head, walking slowly with a small headache as she made her way through a corridor dressed in a white hospital dress.
"Damn…I have to reach her…" Tatsumaki muttered with mild annoyance. "Just where are they keeping her…This is my chance…I can't lose –"
Tatsumaki was interrupted. The reason for that was because a loud sounds of gunshots was heard, followed by robot parts being torn away. It was such that then made Tatsumaki to walk to that corridor, just in time to see the end of the fight.
The hallway there was scattered with robot parts. However, that wasn't the thing that caught the girl's attention. Instead, it was the fact that Garou stood there with an unconscious Fubuki in his hand.
"Fubuki!" Tatsumaki shouted.
"Oh, so you're here. Good." Garou said.
Tatsumaki said nothing back. She instead tightened her fists and glared angrily at the Hero Hunter, who didn't even seem bothered. Hence, he just walked over to Tatsumaki and held Fubuki by the back of her shirt to Tatsumaki.
"Take her. I'm getting out of here anyway." He said.
"F-Fubuki?"
The esper girl felt a rush of emotions in her. Even though her sister was unconscious, she was still emotional. As such, tears began to flow down her cheeks before she then grabbed her sister in her arms and cried heavily as she hugged her.
"You're here! You're alive!" She cried loudly.
Garou said nothing in response. He did look away, but that was then followed with him scratching his hand into his hair before walking past the esper.
"Hey! You should get yourself and your sister out of here! You really overdid it!" He said without turning back.
Tatsumaki stopped weeping and turned back. She still had Fubuki in her arms; however she had one thing to say to the Hero Hunter.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" She shouted.
Garou stopped and turned sideways to her. He had heard the esper well, but chose then to say nothing about it when the esper spoke again with much emotion.
"If it hadn't been for you…I wouldn't have my sister in my arms right now! So…I –"
"You can stop there." Garou interrupted. He didn't seem offended by Tatsumaki nor did he seem stern. Instead, he seemed casual. "I just happened to run into those robots. Stubborn bastards wanted to get me. Anyway, think of the rescue as the fact that we're even. You took down this facility and in exchange I rescued your sister."
"I took down this place?" Tatsumaki questioned, surprised.
"Huh, you don't remember." Garou said. From there, he turned his back at her and waved to her. "Well I'm off. I think it's time I make my comeback to the world."
Tatsumaki said nothing back. She instead watched the Hero Hunter continue walking until he stopped and turned sideways to her. This immediately made her curious.
"Before I go, let me give you some advice." Garou said. "You're free now. Use it and get a good and decent life for you and your sister. But don't ever become a hero. You've seen now that those clowns in capes never came to save you. You did that by your own strength. However, if you end up becoming a hero…keep this in mind. I will have no other choice but to find you and hunt you down."
Tatsumaki grimaced lightly. She didn't show it though, mostly because she turned away from him. As such, the Hero-Hunter Garou walked away without another word.
_(LINE BREAK)_
PRESENT DAY
'It's been three years since then…' Present day Tatsumaki thought. She was still looking outside as she continued to reminiscent. 'I told myself after that day that I won't become a hero…It wasn't because of what he told me, but because I have a hatred for kind of people. When I came back to civilization, I saw their true colors…How can I be one of them when all they do is save the day for fortune and fame…? I could never be part of their world…At least, that was what I thought. I ended up saving Midoriya and Katsuki from that villain and got a huge financial debt on my head. I won't be surprised if he did come for me.'
With that, Tatsumaki turned and began to walk away. 'Anyway, there's no use feeling sad or scared. I'm different from the girl I was back then…I'm stronger than I was back then, both emotionally and quirk-wise. So just come at me, Garou. Even though you were closest to a kind person in that hellhole, I won't hold back against you.'
_(LINE BREAK)_
UA was known for many things. One of these things was having special guests. So when Saitama stepped into the teachers counters with a grocery bag, he didn't feel that all special. Thus, he made his way to All Might with that same stoic look on his face.
So while that was happening, All Might was in his normal form and seemed to be focused. He had a book in his hand and read the guidelines written in it, which made him worry. Why is that? It was because the book contained certain rules and regulation of UA. But if that wasn't enough, there was one part of it that got the Pro Hero worried.
'UA's system's aberrant/ depending on the homeroom teacher, even today they might -'
All Might was suddenly interrupted from his thoughts. The reason behind it revealed itself to be Saitama, who dropped the grocery bag on All Might's table and caught the Pro Hero's attention.
"Hey…got you some apples." Saitama said stoically.
"Saitama?" All Might looked to the hero. From there, he met the familiar face of the bored hero and sighed in response. "Oh right. I did say you could stop by."
"Yup." Saitama replied.
With that, the bald Pro Hero took an apple from the grocery bag. Of course, his action surprised All Might mildly, but not for long. Thus, as Saitama chewed on the apple, All Might just chuckled and lay back on his chair.
"You've not changed, have you?" All Might asked.
Saitama paused and looked at the ceiling in mild thought. Then, from there, he shrugged his shoulder and took another bite of the apple in his hand. "Eh…I guess so." He said. "Anyway, how's Genos doing as assistant homeroom teacher? You did call for me back in the Himalayas to bring him here."
"Well I figured it would be of benefit to him." All Might insisted. "A day after you unintentionally made him your disciple you called me and asked if there's a way for him to learn to be strong, right?"
"Yeah…" Saitama munched on the apple.
"Hmph! You've made some mistakes in your life, Saitama, but picking a disciple when you're not even ready is a step high even for you." All Might stated. "Seriously, I've fought supervillains and I don't think any of them would be so –"
"Okay! Okay! I get it! Geez!" Saitama yelled at the Pro Hero. Fortunately, he calmed down a bit and munched on the last part of the apple.
Anyway, something caught All Might's attention. It was in the book in his hand, which got him nervous to the point that Saitama noticed as he read it.
"You okay, All Might?" He asked.
"Yes…No. I mean…What I see here concerning UA doesn't sound good for the boy and Tatsumaki."
Saitama immediately became concerned.
_(LINE BREAK)_
"A QUIRK APPREHENSION TEST!?"
All the students were completely surprised. They were on the P.E grounds in UA and dressed in the academy's sports uniform which was mostly blue in color except for the white stripes and the letter A shape, as well as the red at the sleeves.
Anyway, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was unexpected. It was especially true for Ochako, who approached Aizawa from behind.
"What about the ceremony and the guidance counselor meeting?!"
"If you want to be heroes, we don't have time for frilly niceties." Aizawa answered. He then turned back to the students with a slight serious look. "You all understand the school's reputation for freedom on campus. Well that 'freedom' goes for us teachers too."
Nobody said anything to them. It wasn't that they couldn't; it's just that they were confused. Fortunately, Aizawa expanded on his explanation.
"Softball pitch, standing long jump, endurance running, grip strength, sustained sideways jumps, upper body exercise, seated toe-touch, these are all activates you know from middle school naturally, physical tests where you were barred from using your quirks. The country still hasn't gotten around to standardizing those sorts of records or keeping track of average performance levels. Well that's negligence is on the part of the Ministry of Education, Culture Sports, Science and Technology."
With that, he turned to Tatsumaki and instructed her to stand in a circle. The esper didn't know exactly what the man had in mind but she complied and did as she was told. As such, the man threw a ball to her, to which she caught in her hand.
"Tatsumaki, how far could you pitch a softball in middle school?" Aizawa asked.
"Not much. It was pretty low." Tatsumaki replied.
"Then try using your quirk this time around. As long as you don't exit the circle, anything you do is fine." He instructed.
Tatsumaki listened, but she wasn't really interested. As such, she turned forward and clutched the ball lightly in her hand without taking much of a stance. From there she brought that hand back, ready to throw it.
'Back in middle school, I wasn't allowed to use my quirk. In fact, even if could use it, I wouldn't have changed that. But this…this is just pathetic! Whatever! They better watch me and learn a few things! If UA is just going to be like this then graduating this academy and paying that damn debt will be too easy!'
With that, Tatsumaki activated her quirk. She caught the attention of everyone as most of them stared in some astonishment at the impressive aura the girl possessed. The same wasn't for Katuski though; he just sneered with a low tone. As for Izuku, he was mildly amazed while Genos stood still and watched attentively.
'Knowing Tatsumaki, this isn't worthy of her full potential. She'll be done with this in a blink of an eye. I must pay attention.'
"You can do it, Tatsumaki!" Izuku cheered at her.
In response, the esper smirked a bit and took a slight step back. From there, she connected with the softball and threw it with incredible force that sent a blast of wind at everyone standing. However, rather than the ball flying into the sky, it tapped on the ground a few feet from the esper shocked everyone.
"Huuuhh!? What just happened?!" Ochako expressed in shock.
"That was…unexpected." Iida said, trying to keep his cool.
At the same time, most of the students were baffled. However, the same wasn't for Katsuki because he was grinning at the outcome. As for Genos, he too was baffled as he stood there, analyzing Tatsumaki who just stood there frozen and her aura gone.
'Something isn't right. Tatsumaki should've made that throw unless…' Genos paused and turned to Aizawa.
"You!" Tatsumaki yelled angrily.
The esper's face was blushing red in anger as she glared at her homeroom teacher. So before anyone knew it, the girl angrily marched over to Aizawa and grabbed him by his shirt, much to the shock of the students standing there. But it didn't matter to Tatsumaki. She wasn't going to hold back, especially as she glared angrily at the presently red eyes of Aizawa.
"You did that, didn't you!? Confess!" She demanded.
Now at this point, the esper expected the homeroom teacher to be open. However, the man simply removed her hand off his shirt and began walking to the ball unfazed.
"Being a hero means expressing the true you. If you're willing to hold back and not make an actual effort on your part then you can only blame yourself."
Tatsumaki silently fidgeted and glared angrily at the teacher's back. However, none of that mattered to the man. Aizawa picked up the ball and threw it to Katsuki, who immediately caught it and stood in the circle Tatsumaki once stood.
"Do the same thing Tatsumaki did, but better. Don't hold back." Aizawa instructed.
That statement angered Tatsumaki more. She wanted so much to yell at the homeroom teacher right there and then. However, she was already getting stares and murmurs from some of the other students. They didn't know about Aizawa's quirk, so they were quick to judge her behavior there.
Back at Katsuki, he stretched his arm while gripping the ball. He had heard Aizawa's instruction well and was certain he could surpass Tatsumaki.
"Got it." He said with focus. 'This is my chance to outshine that green haired bitch.' He thought. 'I hope you're watching, Tatsumaki. This is how you do it right!'
With that, Katsuki became bold and applied his quirk onto his throw. From there, the teen threw the ball with so much power that there was an incredible shockwave. The ball flew right into the skies in seconds, while the flames he used created a lot of smoke that pushed back against the others and surprised them.
As for the ball itself, it finally hit the ground. However, it was burnt severely before Aizawa brought up a handheld device that showed some numbers.
"Before anything else, one must know what they're capable of." The homeroom teacher said. From there, he faced the others and showed the numbers on the device. The numbers of the device showed 800.9, to which Aizawa then explained. "This is a rational metric that will form the basis of your 'hero foundation'"
That immediately made a lot of students to feel pumped up. They expressed how awesome Katsuki's shot was, as well as the thought of using their quirks. However, while that was interesting, Izuku wasn't paying that much attention. Instead, his attention was at Tatsumaki who stood silently on her own. It worried him.
'Tatsumaki…' He thought.
Aizawa spoke up again. However, his tone began to sound menacing, with the same for his face as he stared at the students.
"It looks fun…you say?" He said, replying to one of the students comment. "So you were planning to spend your three years here having a good ol' time? What happened to becoming heroes? All right then. In that case, new rule: The student who ranks last in total points will be judged 'hopeless' and instantly expelled."
That immediately got a lot of reaction. Izuku became worried when he heard that and almost grew nervous. As for Tatsumaki, she just angrily tightened her fists and angrily glared at the homeroom teacher.
_(LINE BREAK)_
"Aizawa huh? That's really not good." Saitama commented.
Presently, the two ranked Pro Heroes were looking at the book in All Might's hand. The #1 rank Pro Hero was still sitting while Saitama, the #3 ranked hero, was behind him and looking from behind. On the book was Aizawa's passport, as well as certain details about him that were clear.
All Might didn't say anything though. He was concerned about the homeroom teacher as he stared at the book. So there was no reply for Saitama, who just stood there in an understanding way.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Back at the scene, every student seemed determined and ready. If what Aizawa had just told them was true then their future as students of UA and as a hero was at stakes. As such, every student could be seem becoming determined in different stances as they set their mind for it. Even Izuku felt some confidence and walked over to Tatsumaki and touched her shoulder.
"Hey…are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah…I am." Tatsumaki muttered. She didn't turn to face the teen though, nor did she want to. However, she softly pushed Izuku's hand off hers and turned to Aizawa determined, "Sensei!"
Aizawa turned to Tatsumaki, with the same for everybody else. At the same time, Izuku was startled but quick to recover as he and everybody paid attention to Tatsumaki when she spoke again with a louder voice.
"This isn't over, not even by a longshot!" Tatsumaki shouted. And with that, she pointed at the teacher and continued. "You may have gotten the drop on me before but it won't happen again! I'll pass your dumb test and crush that damn pride of yours off the face of the earth! You got that!?"
Aizawa smirked in response. For some reason, the way Tatsumaki spoke seemed to excite him a bit more. Maybe it was because he was being challenged by someone who didn't seem intimidated by his decisions.
"Very well!" Aizawa said proudly. He then held some of his long hair back from his face, revealing a menacing smile on his face. "Our 'freedom' as teachers means we dispense with students as we please! Do you really think you can handle that, Tatsumaki!?"
"Yes!" Tatsumaki yelled strongly. "Just you watch and see! I'll show you what I'm made of!"
"Then welcome to this…The Department of Heroics!"