Chapter 31: Back in the Grind
Today was a new day. Izuku yawned as he got up from his messy bed, the mentally aged teen not really putting much thought into how his bed looks as long as it was comfortable to sleep in.
Heading into the bathroom located just out in the hallway, Izuku couldn't help but think back to the end of the battle trials just yesterday.
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Izuku smirked as he watched the four remaining students trail on in inside the observation room. Katsuki and Momo held their heads high, while Mezo and Sato ducked low. Truly, they were affected by the match more than he thought.
"ALRIGHT, NOW THAT WE'RE ALL HERE AND LISTENING, CAN ANY ONE OF YOU TELL ME WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE HERO TEAM?" All Might looked over the students standing within the room with his lips still forming that one big smile.
Silence greeted him as none of the students - even Izuku since he didn't want to share his observations. Let the children come to their own conclusions - clammed their mouths shut while looking at each other, their eyes communicating the unsaid word the filtered through their heads.
Go on, I have no idea.
Ah, the conundrum every student had within the schooling days where they had no clue as to the answer, and so is ashamed to tell their findings.
"COME NOW CLASS, THERE IS NO SHAME WITH WRONG ANSWERS." As if All Might's word soothed their fears, one of the students, specifically, one who had the penchant for being a stiff, stick in the mud, raised his hand. "YOUNG IIDA, YES?"
"Sir… I may be wrong with my assessment, but from what I saw during the entire exercise, the hero team did no wrong with the limited amount of information they had on hand, as well as their capabilities." Tenya rubbed a finger under his chin, narrowed eyes forming beneath his glasses. "The villain team were just much more prepared than them."
"CORRECT." All Might's affirmation made Tenya, as well as the rest of the class, look at him like he grew a second head. "A LESSON BEST TAUGHT WITHIN CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS, IS THAT NOT ALL FIGHTS WILL BE WINNABLE. THESE KINDS OF SCENARIOS ARE RARE, BUT IF YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF IN ONE, THE BEST DECISION IS TO RETREAT AND REGROUP WITH YOUR FELLOW HEROES."
"But wouldn't that mean more… casualties?" Kyoka raised her hand, an anxious look on her face while she twiddled with her ear jack.
"SADLY, THAT IS A FACET OF HERO LIFE THAT A HERO MUST BE READY TO FACE." All Might's smirk lowered slightly. "THERE WERE TIMES WHERE I FOUND MYSELF IN THE SAME SCENARIO WITH NO GOOD END IN SIGHT. A DEPRESSING REALITY."
The air hung thick with anxiety, most of the students looking up at All Might with nervous eyes.
"AT THAT POINT, THE BEST ACTION TO TAKE IS TO REGROUP AND WAIT FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO ARISE." All Might looked at the four students who just came back from their exercise. "WHICH IS WHY I AWARD THE MVP TO THE VILLAIN TEAM! CONGRATULATIONS."
Even with All Might sudden change of tone, the tension didn't leave the students. Such was heavy revelation revealed to them by the number one hero.
"ANYWAY, THAT CONCLUDES OUR EXERCISE FOR THE DAY. HEAD BACK TO YOUR CLASSROOM AND GATHER YOUR THINGS. AFTER THAT, YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE." And a moment later, All Might was gone, leaving contemplative students behind in his wake.
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Izuku spat out the water mixed with toothpaste in his mouth, his pearly whites reflecting off the light as he viewed it in the mirror. He missed dental hygiene - or any kind of hygiene, really - when he was back in Lordran. Do you know how icky he felt every time he spent a prolonged time living in his armor without dying?
Yuck.
Good news is that when he died and reformed back in the last bonfire he used, every smidge of dirt that clung to his armor and body was cleansed, albeit he looked like a raisin. Nothing a bit of humanity could fix/
Bad news is that he had to die just to even think of being clean from the filth, losing most of his progress when he was trekking an uncharted area. The less said about his dives into Blighttown, the better.
Wiping off the water off his body with a towel, Izuku wrapped himself with said towel before zooming back into his room where his clean uniform lied. A few minutes later and he was out of his room and heading into the kitchen/dining room/living room where his mother was busy cooking their breakfast.
"Dear, breakfast's ready!" Scratch that, it was already being served. With a salivating maw, Izuku eagerly hastened his steps. He might not need food anymore, but that didn't mean that he didn't relish the act of eating itself.
Plus, his mother was also a good cook.
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Standing in front of the giant door leading to their classroom, Izuku couldn't help but hum a tuneless melody. It's been a few days since the Battle Trials, or so they labeled the exercise, and so far, it's been a normal school week.
General education during the morning, as well as a few major ones like laws, hero laws, as well as beginner first-aid, and hero training during the afternoon, although after the Battle Trials, the only exercises that were done were body conditioning and basic martial arts.
And when Izuku meant basic, he really meant basic. Like some stances from different martial arts, how to throw a punch, how to catch a punch, and how to fall. Best train them young so their muscles could adapt.
Not like it would be of any help to Izuku with his years of real-life combat experience honed through the trials that was Lordran. He doubted what they were teaching his classmates would apply to him, even if he had no formal training whatsoever.
After all, the fastest one to poke a metal stick inside the other almost always wins.
That said, maybe he should listen to them anyway. Maybe they could teach him to hold back while using his blades. He never did get to learn how to limit himself when using his weapons. His fists? He rarely used them during Lordran, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to throw a measly punch.
Opening the door, Izuku was greeted by the seated forms of his classmates, all of them busy doing their own thing. Such as Mina who was busy talking with Toru about girl stuff, Denki and Minoru being the class clowns, Tenya sitting straight like a statue, some of the others talking with toned down voices, and the rest content with being quiet.
It was a chaotic classroom, just the way he liked it.
"Oh, hey. Good morning, Midoriya." Ochako was the first one to greet him when he stepped through the door. Giving the brunette a smile, Izuku waved at her with his right hand.
"Good morning. Aizawa not in yet?" Izuku looked at the teacher's desk to see not a single soul. Glancing back at Ochako, she shook her head. Looking at the time, Izuku noticed that he still had a minute left before eight, and knowing the kind of teacher Aizawa was, he'd step through that door the moment it struck eight.
Hastily taking his seat, Izuku grabbed his notes from his bag and placed them on top of the desk. Ever since he's started going to school here in U.A., Izuku has been detailing the quirks of each and every individual he's seen with his own two eyes. That includes those in videos as well.
He also had a book dedicated to the enemies he fought in Lordran, so it was no surprise that the habit didn't just magically go away. That said, it was already a habit before he died, so yes, habits die hard.
"You still doing that?" Katsuki whispered from in front of him, his eyes glaring at the notebook in his hand.
"Yep, can't be too prepared." Izuku shrugged as he held out the notebook in front of him. "Want to take a peek?"
Katsuki was about to grab it before his hand stopped just inches away from the paperback. Izuku tilted his head at this, but before he could question the blond, Katsuki shook his head and slowly pried the notebook off of his hand before digging his nose into it.
Amused, Izuku just kept watch, fully content to let the blond rife through his notes. It wasn't a big deal, just strengths and weaknesses of the person he listed down. If he recalled correctly, the notebook he just handed to Katsuki right now held notes about him…
Now that was something to take note of. This was the first time somebody from Japan really took notice of his work. He knew Patches drooled when he showed him the book, he used to detail every encounter he had.
It was heartwarming, in a sense.
While Katsuki was busy reading through the pages, the door to the hall opened, revealing their haggard-looking homeroom teacher.
"Good morning class." Shota's greeting was met with the class standing up and bowing to the man. "As I have said a few days prior, today we will be conducting your homeroom elections. Follow me to the multi-purpose room where we will start."
Izuku looked at the other students, who were in turn, looking at each other as well before most shrugged their shoulders and stood up. He followed suit and, at the behest of Tenya, formed a line to not "shame their class" as they headed to their destination.
On another note, Katsuki gave him back his notebook, without a sound, a contrast from when he exploded his old one. The blond really was changing. But hey, tiny steps. He'll redeem himself by graduation… Maybe… Izuku didn't really care to be honest.
It was just a shame that one of the most willful and determined person he knew would let his past mistakes hinder him.
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"Good morning, my dear students." Principal Nezu stood atop the podium, yes, atop, as he greeted the students slowly fill in the room. "Hurry along now, we are on a strict timetable."
Once the students had their seats, Nezu beamed joyfully at the teens. It wouldn't do to show a poor front towards the future hope of hero society.
"Excellent, now as you all were told a few days earlier, today marks the day both of your classes will choose their respective class president, vice president, and other officers." Nezu clapped his paws but otherwise, didn't get much of a reaction from the two sister classes. A predictable scenario, thanks to his intelligence. "Normally, we would have you host these separately during your own homeroom classes and have the president meet each other after classes, but this year, we have decided that holding it at the same room would be better to foster relations between your classes."
The students all looked at each other with confused faces, save for some who were glaring at one another. Nezu sighed, the homeroom teachers have their work cut out for them.
"Anyway, the homeroom election will still follow the old rules, so class 1-A, class 1-B, you may start now." Nezu beamed and the students still looked confused, as if not knowing what to do. "Did Professor Aizawa and Professor Kan not tell you the details?"
Silence.
Nezu eyed the two teachers in question, both of shivering slightly when his beady eyes zoomed in on them. Perhaps a bit of re-education is in order. If this is how they tackle their class, there would be repercussions.
"Seeing that your homeroom teachers had failed you, allow me to tell you the so-called 'rules.'" Nezu clapped once more, garnering the attention of the entire room. "It's quite simple really. There are none, it is up to all of you to decide who gets the position."
And once again, the students were confused. It was quite amusing seeing them looking like lost lambs without a shepherd, but this is a learning experience for all of them. They only have three years before the real world chews them whole, so they must be prepared as much as they can.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a small meeting to attend with your homeroom teachers." Shota and Sekijiro shivered even more. "Toodles."
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A/N: Kindly leave a review please? Just so I know I'm doing good.
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