After Raiden waved apologetically, he immediately rushed to where Tamaki had landed. When he arrived, the boy was sitting on the ground, his breaths shallow and uneven. Tamaki's arm was grotesquely swollen, resembling a balloon inflated to its limit, it was evident broken.
"Tamaki, I'm so sorry..." muttered Raiden, his voice filled with guilt. Tamaki shook his head weakly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the pain. "This isn't your fault… ahhh," he grumbled, wincing as he tried to push himself upright. Without hesitation, Raiden knelt beside him, placing his hand gently over Tamaki's injured arm.
"Life Dew," Raiden whispered.
Immediately, streams of translucent blue energy swirled around Tamaki's arm, resembling flowing water. The healing energy began to work, soothing the swollen limb. Raiden knew the technique wouldn't heal everything in one go—it required pauses between uses to avoid overtaxing both his Quirk and his stamina. Yet, he pushed through, determined to mend Tamaki's injuries.
After four rounds of Life Draw, Tamaki's arm was fully healed, though Raiden looked visibly drained. His transformation faded, leaving him leaning heavily against the training ground wall. "Aah, this is so exhausting… hahaha," he groaned, though his tired laughter carried a hint of satisfaction. Internally, he was grateful to have developed such a lifesaving skill, even if it came at a steep cost to his energy.
"I'm impressed by how versatile both your Quirks are," remarked Snipe, his tone even but genuinely appreciative as he addressed Raiden and Tamaki. Tamaki, however, avoided eye contact, muttering under his breath, "Mine It's not that great..."
The incident passed, and the combat tests resumed. It was a measure of skill, a way to gauge how much progress each student had made over the last month. Everyone approached their matches with serious focus, their determination palpable.
Currently, After his fight, Raiden sat relaxed on the sidelines, recovering his energy. Beside him, Tamaki was curled up, his face hidden in his knees. On Tamaki's other side was Hana, mimicking his posture, while Nejire sat to Raiden's left, just a little far compared with the other two.
A short distance away, Ren and Yuyu were deep in conversation about the last match, their friendship had grown over the past few weeks, almost too fast.
Across the field, the Naoka brothers and Taro were also animatedly chatting about who could fight next.
"All right! Next match: Mirio and Taro! step onto the training ground already!" Snipe's voice echoed through the training dome, commanding attention. Mirio, already at the center, gave his usual confident grin. "Let's do it, Taro-san!" he said, brimming with enthusiasm.
With a deep breath, Taro walked to the stage, his posture stiff and formal but confident "Let's do our best, Mirio-san," he exclaimed, performing a martial bow. Over the past month, everyone had come to realize that Taro was naturally reserved, preferring to stay quiet. Not shy but serious. His demeanor often made him seem rigid, but no one minded—it was just his way.
However, as Taro prepared to fight, his stiff stance melted away. His body relaxed into a fluid, ready position. Noticing both combatants were prepared, Snipe raised his hand and declared, "Begin!"
Both fighters launched at each other without hesitation. As expected, Mirio's clothes quickly disappeared in the rush—a result of his Quirk that had long since stopped surprising anyone. Despite the oddity, the onlookers focused solely on the fight.
Taro used his silk, which flowed from his palms like threads, to maneuver around the training ground. The silk served as both ropes to swing from and anchors to change direction mid-air. Inside the dome, Taro took full advantage of the vertical space, weaving through three-dimensional paths to counter Mirio's phasing ability.
When they finally clashed, Taro descended from above, aiming a powerful kick. As expected, the kick passed harmlessly through Mirio's intangible body. Anticipating the attack, Mirio spun mid-motion and sent a punch aimed squarely at Taro's face. But before the blow could connect, Taro used a pre-planned silk tether to pull himself out of the punch's trajectory.
The exchange of blows was fast, almost hypnotic. It resembled a seamless dance, each movement flowing into the next. Despite the rapid pace, neither managed to land a decisive hit. Yet, for those who paid close attention, it was clear that both fighters had been improving over the past months.
"isn't Mirio getting really good at this?" Nejire asked with genuine curiosity to herself from afar.
"Yeah, I think so too," Raiden replied, even if the question wasn't directed at him, "Every time I spar with him, it gets harder to win. Before, I could just disable his Quirk and land a hit, ending the fight. But now, it's tough to tell when he's using his Quirk or when he isn't. He's also gotten better at deciding when to let an attack phase through him and when to block. It's pretty annoying—it messes with your rhythm," exclaimed Raiden.
"He's been training even after school hours," Tamaki added quietly from the side.
"Incredible... that means he's putting in a lot of effort," Hana murmured, seated next to Tamaki.
Listening to their observations, Raiden closed his eyes briefly, analyzing the fight. It was clear Mirio was dedicated to improving, but so was everyone else. Yet, If Mirio's progress stood out—it wasn't just for effort; it was instinct, something similar to what Raiden observed with himself, Ren, Tamaki and Nejire.
"Effort alone isn't enough to master a Quirk like his, so naturally, in perspective, his Quirk is versatile, yes, but extremely difficult to use, and doesn't have the means to do damage. However, Mirio's strength has soared over the past month," Raiden commented, his tone thoughtful. "I'd say Mirio's greatest strength is his battle instinct—or battle IQ, whatever you want to call it—and his crazy physique."
"You're pretty good at analyzing battle styles, Raiden," Nejire said with a lifted eyebrow.
"Well, he loves to fight," Tamaki muttered under his breath, earning a subtle nod from Hana. Raiden raised an eyebrow at their remarks but chose to ignore them, refocusing on the match.
On the battlefield, Mirio began shifting his strategy. His movements became more deliberate as he threw a punch at Taro. This time, his arm phased through Taro's forearm, but just as his fist reached Taro's face, it solidified, landing a precise hit.
Raiden stood abruptly as Taro was sent flying, landing unconscious from the perfectly timed blow, not only that, but the force behind the hit, was oretty high to, not some average person could muster.
"He's learned to control his intangibility with pinpoint precision," Raiden muttered, impressed. Clearly, Mirio wasn't the only one discovering new applications for his Quirk during these sparring sessions.
The battles carried on throughout the long class. Nejire faced Hana, and this time, Nejire emerged victorious—mostly because she surprised Hana with her ability to fly, a skill she hadn't showcased before.
The third match, between YuYu and Ren, ended with YuYu as the winner, managing to land a couple of well-aimed arrows on Ren. Finally, Sanri went up against Nichiri, with Nichiri securing the win. He had shown significant improvement in his mastery of his blade Quirk. Meanwhile, Ichiri rested during this class. Being an odd number of students, someone always had to sit out and observe the fights, learning from the others' performances.
When the fights were over, Snipe gathered the students together before delivering some news.
"Good. Now that everyone has proven themselves and gotten used to U.A.'s rhythm, and I can finally say that everyone has a solid baseline, technical knowledge about fighting, and strong instincts. We're going to prepare for the biggest event for first-year students. It will take place in fifteen days: the Sports Festival!" Snipe declared, his voice ringing with excitement as he addressed the class.
At the mention of the Sports Festival, everyone's eyes lit up with anticipation. It sounded exhilarating, and most of them had watched the U.A. Sports Festival on TV.
The event was a grand spectacle, complete with betting, food stalls, and an electrifying atmosphere
The sport festival was comparable to the Olympics in its scale and popularity. In Japan, the festival held immense significance—it was often said that the finalists were almost guaranteed to become some of the nation's most renowned heroes.
The festival will begin in fifteen days. That's the time you have to prepare. Until then, we'll be focusing on getting ready for the festival. However, today we're going to work on something else—something pretty important for heroes, something you'll be using after the sports festival. So, head to the showers and meet me in the classroom right after!" Snipe exclaimed, making a swift exit while signaling the students to follow.
When everyone reached the classroom, they found three things waiting for them. First, Snipe was already there—this was expected by now. However, the other two surprises were objects placed on each student's desk.
As they took their seats, everyone noticed a drawing notebook and a set of drawing pencils and colors beside it. The notebook was quite large, and the art supplies looked impressively professional.
"Today, after a month of practice, you're finally ready to design your hero suits," Snipe announced, his voice calm but firm. "Remember, a hero suit is your image—something people should immediately associate with you. But it's also a tool to help you. You need to design something that aligns with both of these objectives. It must be representative, but it can't hinder your ability to fight or rescue people. If it does, the suit becomes useless," he explained, emphasizing the last point.
"In the notebook, you'll also find suggestions on how to improve or complement your quirks through your suits. Remember: a suit is a tool meant to support you," Snipe reiterated, driving the message home.
Hearing this, everyone eagerly opened their notebooks. Inside, they found detailed analyses of their quirks, along with ideas on how their suits could enhance their abilities—not just for combat but also for defense and utility. The notes offered tailored suggestions to address areas where they might lack certain strengths.
In Raiden's case, his notebook emphasized defensive upgrades. Apparently, Snipe hadn't identified many flaws in Raiden's psychic Quirk, but defense was noted as one of his weaker areas. Given the nature of his abilities, it was challenging for the teacher to devise enhancements through a suit, so the suggestions were limited. Still, Raiden didn't feel discouraged by the lack of extensive recommendations; he already had a plan to boost his offensive capabilities while integrating the defensive improvements Snipe had suggested.
Raiden wasted no time and began sketching. He started with the helmet—it was obvious his head needed protection. He envisioned a sleek silver helmet with a black visor, leaving space at the top for his horns to emerge naturally. For the design, he added an arrow-like shape extending from the center of the visor to the back of the helmet. The overall aesthetic was minimalistic yet futuristic.
Next, he focused on the shoulders. He added two rounded pauldrons in the same silver tone but decided to adjust the suit's main color to a darker gray for a more cohesive look.
From there, Raiden moved on to the breastplate, which was complemented by a long fauld to protect his front. For the back, he designed similar armor, stopping just before his tail. To protect his arms and legs, he opted for lightweight solutions—round bracers for his forearms and greaves for his legs, prioritizing mobility.
The material Raiden chose was graphene, known for its incredible lightness and durability. It was an ideal choice for someone like him, who relied more on speed and tridimetional movements. Raiden knew graphene was famously used by Hawks, the pro hero, for similar reasons, making it a perfect fit for his needs.
As Raiden finished the main sketch, he began refining the details, completely engrossed in his work. His focus soon caught the attention of some classmates. Nejire and Mirio, curious about his design and unable to supress it, walked over to take a look from "afar".
When they arrived close to Raiden's desk and saw his sketch, they froze, stunned. Raiden noticed their reactions and smirked confidently. "Impressive, right?" he asked, clearly proud of his work.
Nejire and Mirio exchanged a glance but said nothing, much to Raiden's satisfaction. Feeling proud, Raiden stood up and approached Snipe's desk to present his design.
Snipe took the sketch with a thoughtful hum, studying it for several long minutes without saying a word. Finally, he set the notebook down and looked at Raiden.
"I can see that your design is based on graphene—that's a solid choice for your requirements. But, Raiden, I need to ask you something. It's a question I wouldn't usually ask as a teacher, but I feel I must."
Raiden tilted his head, confused. "Eh?"
Snipe leaned in slightly and whispered, ensuring no one else could overhear. "Are you... sure drawing is your strong suit? you could just describe your hero suit here, Because, honestly, honestly, I don't understand the drawing, your hero Suit, it looks—" he paused, searching for the right words, "—it looks like a fork and a spoon."
"eh?" muttered Raiden looking at his work.
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https://buymeacoffee.com/earth1
Hello! Here's today's chapter. Yes, in canon, the students submitted their hero suits before entering U.A. Initially, I was going to follow the same approach, but I thought this way made more sense for the story.
Also, please consider dropping some Power Stones and adding the book to your library—this would help me a lot! Thank you so much for reading, guys. Any comments are greatly appreciated. I'm trying to create a good fic, so if you have any ideas, feel free to share them! 😊