After retrieving the handouts and... Having to coax Iida not to count them when he insisted on organizing their seats in the alphabetic order, Sora and Yuu heaved a tired breath when they were let out of the school. " First day, and I'm already tired." Sora stretched when they went out. Yuu glimpsed Iida and Midoriya talking a few feet away and went over to them.
" I'm really sorry for the bother." He bowed in front of them, apologizing most sincerely.
" Seijin-kun, rise your head! What are you apologizing for!" Iida waved his hand in a chopping motion as he spoke.
" It's just, whenever Whisper takes over, he ends up going overboard... I may have said or, done some, inappropriate things... Anyway I'm sorry for the inconvenience I may have caused."
Whisper on the other had was pouting while crossing his arms, showing no sign of remorse whatsoever. He still didn't overcome the fact that Aizawa lied to them. And seeing Yuu apologizing back then didn't make his mood better. " I didn't do anything wrong! Plus, you seemed to have so much fun!"
" It's fine Seijin-kun. You didn't do anything inappropriate, so you don't have to worry about it." Midoriya assured him with a smile. His finger was bandaged after he went to the nurse office.
" I told you nothing happened. And Whisper enjoyed himself too." Sora smiled as she patted the boy's back.
" Hey! Guys!" Everyone turned around and saw Uraraka running towards them. " Going to the station? Wait for me!"
" Uraraka-san?"
" You're the infinity girl." Iida called.
" Iida-kun, you still didn't get her name!?" Sora was surprised.
" Even though you're the one who insisted on the seating order?" Whisper pointed.
" I'm Uraraka Ochaco. You're Shirogane Sora-san, Seijin Yuu-kun." She shifted her look around them as she spoke." Um, you're Iida Tenya-kun and... You're Midoriya Deku-kun, right?"
" 'Deku'?!" Midoriya was taken in.
" Huh? Isn't it your name?" Sora blinked.
" During the fitness test, the boy named Bakugo said that right?" Uraraka asked.
" I... Thought so too." Yuu added.
" Uh... My real name is Izuku, but D-Deku is what Kacchan calls me to make fun of me..." Midoriya tried to explain the best he could.
" An insult?" Iida thought out loud.
" Are you really close in the first place?" Whisper snorted.
" Oh, is that so! Sorry!" Uraraka rubbed her head regretfully. " But 'Deku' sounds like the Japanese word for ' you can do it!' so I kinda like it."
" I'm Deku!" Midoriya shouted out, his face red and sweaty.
" Midoriya-kun?" Iida was stunned. " You're accepting it too easily! Wasn't that an insult?"
" It's like a Copernican Revolution..." Midoriya murmured covering his reddened face with his hands but the red color still shone through.
" 'Co-pe'?" Sora and Uraraka inclined their heads in confusion.
" This school is a magnet for weirdos." Whisper mumbled.
They walked down the street back to the station, talking about today's tests, what they expect from UA in the future, and even about their quirks.
" If I touch anything I can render it weightless, even myself." Uraraka went first. " But if I overdo it I get nauseous and end up throwing up some sparkly stuff."
" Cool! And the blisters on your fingers! Are they from you quirk too?!" Sora asked.
" You saw them. Yeah, I was born with them." Uraraka opened her palm as to show them. " It's the same as your holy ring, right Shirogane-san? Tell us more about your quirk."
" Sora is fine." Sora smiled then placed a finger on her jaw while thinking. " You've seen the strength, speed and wings. That leaves the enhanced senses and the aura. I can see people's auras."
" Aura?" Midoriya brought out a notebook and a pen and was scribing while listening. " What do you mean by 'aura'?"
" I call them auras but... They're humans' conscious." Sora explained. " Your mind decides on everything you do a few moments before you actually do them. I can see that decision."
" Eh! How?" Iida was interested as well, that was visible from his vigorous hand moves.
" What I see is a colored energy like coat engulfing the person. When for example they decide on punching, the energy thrusts forward in the direction they want to punch in before their body do, so I can predict their moves. Also I can tell if they were up to something good or bad and to a certain point see their feelings."
" Amazing, so in one-on-one battles, that gives you an advantage." Midoriya blinked. " what about multiple opponents?"
" You got me there." Sora pointed at him. " Because what I see is this swirling energy coat, it gets confusing when there are multiple people. Not to mention, it can't help for sneaking attacks."
" Only for head on fights, I get." Midoriya wrote down.
" You're serious about gathering information aren't you?" Whisper inspected the almost filled notebook. " Then, earnest-kun-"
" Whisper!"
" Tell us about yours."
Iida pushed up his glasses. " As you saw in the tests, my quirk allows me to run fast and increase power through the engine in my legs."
" Your moves, both during the entrance exams and the tests, were amazing, Iida-kun. You know how to use your engine to its full potential." Midoriya stated.
" But I have to be careful not to abuse it so much." Iida thought. "Moreover, I'm more concerned about your quirk."
Midoriya blinked. " Mine?"
" It seems to be some kind of super strength, but... Back during the entrance exam and today, it backfired at you. This is worrying."
" Uh..." Midoriya sweated. " I had it for a short time now, so I'm not used to it."
" A short time?" Sora's brow shot upwards. " Shouldn't quirks manifest around 4 or 5?"
" Not necessarily..." Yuu answered. " It's rare but, there were late bloomers recorded in the past... It's not a strange thing..."
" And during my time there was those who thought they were Quirkless as well but turned up to have quirks hard to be noticed." Whisper piped in.
" So it's a rare thing." Uraraka thought.
" Anyway, that leaves Seijin-kun." Midoriya looked over at him. Yuu didn't seem much excited at the idea of talking about his Quirk. His eyes went down to the ground, no one ever heard of his Quirk and neither pitied him or felt scared of him.
" My quirk as I said... allows me to interact with spirits... Basically I can see and hear what other humans can't." He said reluctantly.
" Ghosts and spirits, right?" Uraraka tilted her head and the boy nodded.
" Even the souls of living people within their bodies..." He wrought his hands together, waiting for any reaction from them. When none came, he continued. " Half my quirk initially originated from dad's enhanced senses. However, mine is too enhanced." He rose his head up slightly so he can explain further. " Humans can merely see from red to purple in the spectrum colors. I can see beyond that. It's the same for sound waves. That's the logic behind people being unable to see spirits in the first place."
" I didn't know about that." Midoriya seemed astonished.
" I thought they were mere myth." Iida pointed.
" Well, certainly I'm not!" Whisper objected.
" So... How comes we can see Whisper?" Uraraka asked.
" It's a long story. First of all let me explain a bit about spirits." Whisper snatched Iida's glasses and took out a cane from nowhere, waving it around as he cleared he throat. " Spirits are not tangible, that much is clear, else you would have bumped into them all the time. However, some powerful spirits can manifest a physical form, but that requires much energy. Usually to get stronger, spirits resort to feed on humans' energy, the easiest way is through their emotions. The strongest and easiest emotion to produce so far is fear. That's why spirits mostly resort to terrifying humans to feed on their fear and gain strength."
" Thanks for the lesson..." Yuu snatched the glasses from Whisper and gave them back to Iida. " Here comes the other half of my quirk, originated from my mother. She can share her stamina or energy with people and vise versa. I can do the same with spirits. When I give them from my energy, they can maintain a physical form. And the more I give them, the stronger they get. That's how Whisper is here. But he sometimes switches to using his own energy when I pass out after overusing mine. The other way around is like how Whisper took over today. But that also have a limited time. I can't consume a spirit's energy fully or they will vanish. And if they take over for too long I gradually lose my conscious of myself, becoming more like them."
" I see. Which means you basically call spirits to fight for you, right?" Midoriya asked and Yuu looked away.
" It's not easy."
All of them, except Sora, blinked. " Spirits have their own lives too, in a way. It's not easy to ask them to risk all to fight for me." He looked back at them. " So far, I managed to make contracts with only three spirits aside Whisper. In exchange for offering my energy they will help me out in battle. Still, I have to be considerate of their situation as well. It's possible that they would leave in the middle of a fight or... Not show up at all."
His hands clenched around the hinges of his backpack." I know... It's a rather inconvenient Quirk for a hero... And it's kinda weird... To be able to see what others don't even believe in..."
" Seijin-kun..." Midoriya thought about it for a second and shut his notebook. " I don't think so." He smiled back at the other boy. Taking him by surprise.
" Your Quirk is amazing. It's build on trust and team work. It may have many drawbacks but, no Quirk doesn't. You have a greater chance of overcoming that by working together with your spirits."
Yuu's eyes widened at Midoriya's words. " I think your Quirk is cool too." Added Uraraka. " To be fair I've always feared ghosts and all... But meeting you today made me wanna know more."
" Your Quirk broadened my limited sight." Iida stated earnestly. " To always think that your kind didn't exist, I'm most sorry, Whisper-kun."
" Uh... Um, as long as you know now that's fine." Whisper shrugged and looked away. His eyes then fell on a nearby clock and they widened. " Crap! We're gonna miss the train! Soldiers! Hurry up!"
" Sir! Yes sir!" Sora and Yuu saluted.
" Soldiers...?" The other three blinked.
" What are you standing there for! You three as well! The soldier who get there late will have to clean the dishes tonight!" His head got cartoonishly big as he yelled at them.
" But-"
" No buts! Start running for your lives soldiers!"
" You better listen to him. He won't take no for an answer like this." Sora whispered as they hurried down the street.
" Where's your answers! Soldiers!"
" Sir! Yes sir!" All five of them shouted...
________________
The next day started off as any normal school day. They had regular required classes in the morning. The English class was given by Present Mic. Needless to say, nothing of his attempts to fire them up worked. The whole class were in a trance, mostly thinking that was ' so normal' for a hero course.
At lunch break, Sora and Yuu joined Iida, Uraraka and Midoriya in the cafeteria for lunch. It was served by the Cook Hero: Lunch Rush who held a thumb up at them when they got their meals. " White rice is great comfort food, isn't it?"
" Yeah." Uraraka nodded, reveling in her meal. Midoriya was marveling over the hero while Iida sat stunned. Sora dug in her food while Yuu was receiving a glass from Whisper after chocking on his.
And then in the afternoon, they were up for a surprise. It was Hero Basic Training, and Thier tutor was.
" I am... Coming through the door like a normal person!" Everyone's eyes went wind at the man who entered their class and the place was filled with gasps of astonishment. It was none other than the number one hero, All Might.
" It's All Might!"
" Wow, he really is a teacher!"
" That's a costume form the Silver Age, isn't it?"
" Its style is so different, it's giving me goose bumps."
" I've heard the rumors." Sora mumbled, her lips pulling to a smile. " But to think it's true!"
" Number one... Hero..." Yuu thought of what kind of classes he will conduct.
All Might strolled proudly to his desk and faced them. " I teach Hero Basic Training. It is a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basics of being a hero." Uraraka in front of Sora was nodding excitedly. " You'll take the most units of this subject!"
All Might started flexing his muscles. " Let's get right into it! This is what we'll do today-" He held up a card with the world battle on it. " Combat training!"
" Combat..." Bakugo was ecstatic, as if his birthday had come.
"... Training." Midoriya was apprehensive of his friend's excitement.
" Battle..." Yuu gulped. " I didn't expect it right from the second day..."
" We're hero course. What do you think?" Yaoyorozu looked back at him.
" And to go with that are these!" He pointed at the wall as four hidden shelves slid out to view, each containing suitcases labeled from 1 to 22. " Costumes made based on your Quirk registrations and requests you sent in before school started." There was a loud cheering from the class.
" It's finally here!" Sora pumped her fist.
" Can't wait to see mine!" Uraraka told her.
" After you change, gather in Ground Beta!" With that, they stood in line to get their costumes...
________________
All Might was standing in front of the exit, waiting for them. A moment later, there was the sound of foot steps as class 1-A stepped out of the shadow of the tunnel and into the light, all clad in their hero costumes.
" They say the clothes make the man, young men and ladies." All Might stated proudly as the sun rays illuminated them. " Be fully aware, from now on, you're heroes!"
He smiled at them. " That's great everyone, you look cool! Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?"
" Ochaco-chan! Your custom is cute!"
Uraraka rubbed the back of her head with a blush. " It's embarrassing though. Sora-chan... Yours..."
She was merely wearing what seemed like an overalls coming straight out of a greek mythology, sleeveless with loose shorts. A golden belt around her waist to which she fastened two pouches. She had a plant themed bracelet around her right wrist. " Not much, I know. I favor mobility over all, especially when flying. Iida-kun's costume though..." She knocked on his chest pallet. " Iida-kun, you're there right? You seem much like a robot, you know."
" This will help me when dashing at full speed." Then he looked back at the only person left. Yuu stood there, covering his face with the hood of his blue cloak. " Seijin-kun..."
He was wearing a simple red shirt with its sleeves puffed around the shoulders and golden rings around the biceps, beige pants and black boots reaching his calf, and finally the dark blue long cloak. Three blue fires were floating around him, emitting an eerie glow. Whisper as usual by his side. " I don't need much, considering my Quirk..." He peeked from under his hood.
" Are those, the spirits you mentioned?" Iida pointed at the flames dancing in the air, recalling them from the entrance exam.
" Right... If they manifest in their full form it will take a toll on me. So they stand by in the fire form. It doesn't consume much energy."
" You look cool! It makes your costume stand out more!" Uraraka clapped.
" Even though the costume itself is simple! The fire makes it interesting! It's a good personal touch!" Elaborated Iida.
" R... Really?"
Sora smiled as she watched over them. Glad he is able to fit in. She then checked on the rest of the class. " Where's Midoriya ?"
No sooner than the words left her mouth that the boy came running, clad in a green jumping suit. " Deku-kun!" Uraraka smiled at him as he caught up.
" Uraraka-san!"
" That looks cool! Really down to earth." He was flattered, and even through his mask, the redness of his face was visible. " I should've written what I wanted. Mine ended up being a skintight bodysuit. It's embarrassing..."
" The hero course is the best." Mineta held up his thumb.
" What's with those weirdos." Whisper wanted to bang his head against a wall.
Sora however, was concerned when she saw All Might shaking and trying to stifle a laugh after one glance at Midoriya's costume. Even she could see the resemblance. Seems he is an All Might fan, huh?
" Now, it's time for combat training!" The number one hero announced.
" Sir!" Iida rose his hand. " This is a battle center from the entrance exam, so will we be conducting urban battles again?"
" No, we're going to move ahead two steps!" He thrusted two fingers up. " Most of the time, fighting villains takes place outside, but if you look at the total numbers, atrocious villains appear indoors at a higher rate. Imprisonment, house arrest, backroom deals... In this society filled with heroes-" He coughed. " True intelligent villains hide in the shadows! For this class, you'll be split into villains and heroes and fight 2-on-2 indoor battles."
" Without basic training?" Asui asked.
" This is a real battle to understand those basics!" He held up his fist. " However, the key this time is that there's no robot you can just beat up."
"How will wins and losses be determined?" Yaoyorozu interjected.
" Can we beat them up anyway?" Sora flinched at Bakugo's question. Is beating up all he thinks about!
" Will the punishment be expulsion like with Aizawa-sensei?" Uraraka was worried.
" How shall we be split up?" Yuu thought Iida's question was the most rational of all.
" Isn't the cape crazy?" No one understood what was going with Aoyama's mind.
All Might's face contorted as if he was trying to stop himself from going crazy. " I'll answer all your questions!"
He held a set of papers that seemed to be a script, explaining the conditions of the training." Now listen up. The situation is that the villains have hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere in their hideout. The heroes are trying to dispose of that. The heroes need to catch the villains or get the nuclear weapon back in allotted time. The villains need to protect the nuclear weapon for the whole time or catch the heroes."
" The situation feels very American!" Midoriya commented.
" Teams and opponents will be determined by drawing lots!" Their teacher held up a box labeled 'Lots'.
"They're being decided so haphazardly?" Iida was surprised.
" Pros often have to create makeshift teams with heroes from other agencies, so maybe that's why?" Midoriya explained.
" I see. The discernment to look ahead... But wait! If it's 2-on-2, there will be a team without an opponent!?"
All Might smirked at that. " No it won't. There will be two teams that will have 3 members. And their opponents will be decided randomly."
" Randomly..." Yuu blinked." Then, their opponents may be a 2 member team."
" That won't be fair!" Mineta objected, throwing his fists above his head. " The advantage will be for the the 3 member team!"
" That's also a part of the training!" All Might's stated firmly. " You don't expect villains to come at you fair and square! There will be a lot of cases when heroes would find themselves outnumbered! To deal with that situation is also a basic you should learn!"
" He has a point." Yaoyorozu admitted.
" However..." All Might pointed, his grin as wide as ever. " This is still a training session! I don't opt to make you lose confidence! That's why, even if your opponent is a 3 member team, capturing two alone would be enough!"
" So that's a handicap for them." Midoriya mumbled.
" As expected from UA! Please excuse my rudeness!" Iida bowed.
" It's fine. Let's do this quickly!" All Might pumped up his fist.
The teams were decided.
Team A: Midoriya and Uraraka.
Team B: Shoji and Todoroki.
Team C: Mineta and Yaoyorozu. ( Sora thought Mineta was having the best time of his life and couldn't help but shiver at the way he was looking at his team mate)
Team D: Iida and Bakugo. (Whisper pitied the engine user for he will have to deal with the delinquent.)
Team E: Ashido, Shirogane and Aoyama. ( Sora sweat dropped at the weird poses Aoyama was doing.)
Team F: Koda and Sato.
Team G: Kaminari and Jiro.
Team H: Asui and Tokoyami.
Team I: Ojiro, Hagakura and Seijin. (Yuu hid his head behind his hood. He wanted to be with at least one of the people he was familiar with.)
Team J: Sero and Kirishima.
" Wow, it must be fate! I'm counting on you!" Uraraka sparkled her eyes at Midoriya, to which his face became redder.
" You don't have to worry! You're lucky I'm in your team!" Aoyama continued to pose around, swishing his cape till the point Sora though he would rub it on their faces.
" I don't feel lucky at all..." Sora sweat dropped.
" You probably mean it's too bad that's you're in our team, Aoyama." Ashido pointed at him with one eye closed.
" C'est rude!"
" Well then, both of you, I'm counting on you." Ojiro smiled at both his team mates.
" I... I will do my best..." Yuu hid further under his hood.
" Don't you worry! I won't let anything hold me down!" Hagakura, the invisible girl of the class, claimed. Her gloves shot up in the air in fists.
" Will this be okay..." Ojiro's tail dropped slightly.
" Don't worry. You still have me!" Whisper pointed at himself proudly. But it only made the blond boy smile awkwardly.
" The first teams to fight will be..." All Might dipped his hands in two other boxes with the words 'Villain' and ' Hero'. He took two balls with the letters A and D on them. " These guys! Team A will be the heroes, and Team D will be the villains. Everyone else, head toward the monitor room."
" Yes sir!"
Sora and Yuu approached their friends. " Good luck to you all!"
" Thanks Sora-chan!"
" To be a villain! I never thought such day would come!" It was hard to tell which expression he was wearing, but by the way his eyes were buldging out of the head piece of his armor, Yuu thought Iida was disappointed.
" Give it your best! Show us what you're capable of, soldiers!" Whisper shouted.
" Sir! Yes sir!" All three of them saluted.
Sora and Yuu trudged away, but, the girl glanced to see Bakugo glaring darkly at Midoriya who tried to level his glare. However, that seemed to anger him even more...
________________
" Midoriya-kun and Bakugo-kun... Are childhood friends, right?"
Yuu looked at her. " It seems so. They're so close to call each other by nicknames."
" An insult from that delinquent's side." Whisper interjected.
" Then, why Bakugo-kun seems so angry with Midoriya-kun? Like, if he despises him."
" Something must have happened to them." Yuu thought.
When they reached the monitor room, Ashido waved at them. " Yo! Both of you!" She rushed over. " Shirogane, Seijin..."
" Sora is fine." The girl interjected. However, Ashido didn't seem to hear her.
" Who do you think would win?"
" Huh?" Yuu blinked.
" We were all talking about it, we mostly agreed Bakugo's team is gonna nail it! Both his and Iida's Quirks are strong! On the other hand, Midoriya's team have Uraraka's Zero Gravity and Midoriya's super power which can be used once, so it's quite visible."
" You're being naïf, soldier." Whisper folded his arms and shook his head.
" Naïf?" Ashido blinked.
" It's not Quirks that decide the winner. Even in battlefield, such thoughts would lead to an unavoidable defeat! How many weaklings defeated strong fractions using this-" He pointed at his head. " The result can't be predicted right now. You should wait for the very end to see for yourself."
Ashido was befudled, not entirely getting the ghost's words. " It's been a while since I've heard Whisper being so wise." Sora whispered in her friend's ear.
" He is just trying to look important." Yuu pointed.
" What were you saying soldiers!" Whispered turned on to them.
" Nothing! Sir!"
" Everyone is here! Good!" All Might joined them in the monitor room and stood ahead of them, holding a clipboard and looking up at the screens showing both teams. " Everyone, pay a close attention to this first battle and try to learn from them."
" Yes sir!"
All Might nodded before grabbing a mic. " Now, let's start the indoor person-to-person combat training with team A and Team D!"
He turned the mic off. " Okay, everyone, you all should think as well." His hand reached to his ear, setting a comm.
" Ochaco-chan, Midoriya-kun, Iida-kun... Do your best."...