Chapter 73: Chapter 72: Sakura's Training Proposition
Hello everyone. So I've got a confession, I almost didn't post this week. I've been dealing with a family loss and it's been tough doing anything, even getting out of bed. But I know we all have our own low times. What used to get me through was reading a story or watching anime. And I hope to anyone who is going through a time time that my stories will give you solace and lift your spirits.
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"I have to get burned to a crisp for you to respond to me finally? Gotta say having some mixed emotions here,"
"Oh yeah? Maybe ask yourself how you looked so bad in that fight I actually called you out of concern,"
A few minutes prior, Sakura had been sitting in her room, just staring at her phone screen with her back pressed against the cool wall, contemplating to push down on that call button to the contact marked 'Winged Idiot' on her list. When she finally pressed it, there were only three rings before he answered in that ever so slightly cocky tone.
"Well, well, well, so you didn't lose your heart in Kamino after all?"
Sakura grimaced, biting her lip as his teasing tone hit her. "I just wanted to call to check on you." The battle didn't end with the Nomu, a member of the League Dabi appeared and the two wounded heroes were about ready to be dragged into a battle they were too weary to win when reinforcements arrived in time. Dabi retreated and that was the end of the chapter. Except Sakura knew in reality the aftermath of a battle lasted longer than the actual fight. Keigo had lost his wings and Enji had burned himself out.
"Me? Oh, nothing serious. But I'm glad this happened, now I know what it takes for you to pick up the phone, "
Sakura sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Okay I get it, I've been ignoring you but we don't exactly have any reason to keep in contact right? Didn't your guardianship get revoked?"
"What, and I still can't be worried about my favorite girl?"
"That's not funny,"
"What? it's true," He still had that joking insincere tone.
"If that's the case you really need to get out more. Take a break from hero work and get a life," While the winged hero didn't give much space for her to glimpse into his background and personal life, he gave enough room to see the edges of what essentially made up his life schedule. Sakura didn't believe he was taking advantage of his speed, contrary to what appeared to be on the screen. Hawks didn't move fast to complete his work, he did it to create more.
"Ah if only I had that kind of time,"
"But you have time to bother me?"
"You were fit into my schedule,"
Sakura clicked her tongue, blowing out a puff of air deflating all of her frustration, and left with relief. "I'm sorry for not answering your calls or messages and I'm glad that you're safe,"
There was a pause on the other end, and she was preparing for another joking jab when he spoke again, his voice softer. "I know, kiddo. Better late than never,"
She grimaced again, but this time there was a hint of a smile on her lips. "Yeah... I guess. By the way, with your feathers missing like that your back kind of looks like those deep fry chicken wings we had last time,"
"Oh yeah. I know you're worried about that, but don't be. They'll be back within a day or two. It's no different than molting,"
Sakura grimaced, "Thank you for that image."
"So is this pleasant conversation reaching its end? Are you going to go back to stonewalling me?"
Her fingers twitched, gliding along the back of her phone, her eyes full of contemplation. "Shouto... Todoroki, the school gave him permission to…he's going to see his father at home when he gets back from the hospital and—"
Keigo cut her off with his usual teasing tone. "Oh, so you want to come see me too, huh? Well, now I'm feeling special,"
"Of course not," Sakura quickly retorted, her cheeks flushing. "What's the point in seeing each other anyway?"
He pretended to pout on the other end. "Too bad. I could use some comfort right now."
Sakura rolled her eyes, but there was no real annoyance in her tone. "It would trouble the teachers too much."
Keigo's voice softened. "Since when do you care about that sort of thing? I know you're just trying to avoid me because you might break down when you see me."
"I will not, you jerk!" she snapped, but there was no real anger behind her words. Instead, she went quiet, and when she spoke again, her voice was almost a whisper. "Could I... come see you?"
There was a pause, and she could almost picture Keigo leaning back, considering her request. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter and more reflective. "Kid, if we were in a world where heroes had more free time, I'd be all for that visit. Let's just take a raincheck for now,"
"Sure, I've got my own things to take care of here anyway,"
"Oh yeah, what to share? I hear something devious behind that caller voice of yours,"
Sakura chuckled, "Let's just say I'm going to be living rent-free in my classmate's minds for a while,"
..
..
Class 1A had the same routine when it came to homeroom, which functioned like clockwork. The grooves and cogs were the rules they learned to run with very early and worked so well no one needed to mention it again.
It was fine to be rowdy in the mornings before the bell went, as long as you were promptly in your seats by the time Shouta took the first step into the room, otherwise, there would be repercussions. Everyone followed this routine, including Sakura. Today they thought would be the same as any other, little did class A know, this was going to be the start of a brutal week, and not for the reasons they expected.
Shouta usually started their homeroom with a briefing on their lesson plans for the week, which was short enough to leave room for a nap. Only this time, Shouta wasn't prepared and zipped into his sleeping bag. And this didn't bode well, because the class knew, that meant he intended to extend the announcements. Something that could directly affect the students and disrupt their routine. And for students in the hero training course, that meant more work.
Shouta stood at the front of the class with his usual stoic demeanor. His sharp eyes scanned the room, ensuring that everyone was paying attention. His scarf hanging around his neck was a constant reminder of what would happen if his students stepped out of line.
"Your class rep would like to address all of you. Haruno came up," In all the time Sakura had been operating as class representative, she did the bare minimum of what was required of her. That is to say, she did whatever the teachers forced her to do and left the rest to the vice rep. So it turned heads when she came up to the front of the class when her participation record had been subpar at best.
Sakura stood from her seat, the sound of her chair scraping against the floor seeming louder than usual in the quiet room, as her classmate's eyes followed her to the front of the class.
"Well, not too long ago you were all inquiring about me helping you with training. And I hope you remembered my response," Sakura began, gesturing with her hands to the class, there were some murmurs as they recalled that conversation. "So if you're still interested, then you're welcome to join me this coming Sunday. I'll be hosting a special training for anyone who wants to participate and learn,"
A ripple of murmurs swept through the classroom. Some students exchanged glances, eyebrows raised in surprise, while others leaned forward in their seats, suddenly more alert. Then questions started flying around the room in a very disorganized fashion.
"What kind of training?"
"What are we doing?"
"It is going to be like hero work?"
"Are we going to get split into teams?"
"Do we have to fight each other?"
"How long is it gonna be for?"
"Where are we gonna do it?"
"I wonder…"
Shouta glared at his class with that threatening scowl they were all too familiar with, eyes red, and hair raised menicingly. They all quieted down instantly and then remembered that they had to aim before throwing.
Denki raised his hand first, and asked, "Class Rep, what kind of training is this going to be?"
Sakura folded her arms, "I'll explain the rules in more detail on the day, but basically you'll be going against me,"
Then Eijiro chimed in, "Wait... Are you saying you're going to fight us? Like, all of us? 19 to 1?"
Sakura smiled, "That's the idea. Since you were asking me to help you train, this is the best way I could think of to get the lessons across in the least amount of time."
Tenya raised his hand rigidly, and asked the question before she even acknowledged his action, "And what will be the purpose of this training? What will be expected of us to prepare?"
Tapping her feet, but her expression became stone-like, "What you'll learn from this…well that depends on you. What to expect? All I can say is, it won't be like anything you've done before,"
Murmurs resumed.
"Seriously?"
"But Sakura is still talking about going against all of us right?" Mina whispered.
"The strongest of class A against everyone."
Mirio had done the same thing to them when they were introduced to the internships for heroes. He gave them an impression of the level they could achieve from being out in the field and receiving real-world experience. It was different from their regular training regimes which had everything lined up neatly with first-year level expectations. When they were facing Mirio they were a bit more confident, because while he may have been a third year, they had faced villains and their teachers. And even now everyone felt they had improved compared to back then.
However, for some reason, no one felt compelled to inform Sakura of this.
The tension in the room was palpable. Some students shifted in their seats, glancing at each other with nervous smiles. Even Katsuki, who was usually the first to jump into any fight, was watching Sakura with narrowed eyes and gritted teeth.
The idea of facing Sakura in combat—even if it was just for training—was enough to make even the most confident of them second-guess their abilities. And through the rest of their lessons, no one was able to shake the memory, anticipating what was to come this Sunday.
..
..
..
The U.A cafeteria was as overcrowded as usual, and even in the sea of gray blazers, and eye-catching individuals, a group of individuals from class A who had spotted their pink-haired class rep moving around the area did their best to follow her trail until she sat down with Hitoshi at a nearly filled table. It was amazing to see how collected she was, enjoying her meal as if she didn't just churn the stomachs of all her classmates.
Teachers had scolded at least two of them throughout their lessons as they drifted off, unable to answer questions or even follow the class, and it was all for the same reason drifting thoughts. If only the teachers knew what was so heavily on their minds that it couldn't bear the weight of anything else at the moment. Even Momo, who was one of the more focused students had been taken off guard and thrown by a math question for a good minute.
The idea of training with Sakura stirred something in every one of her classmates even if she didn't know it. The mystery of what they were going to learn through this training of hers made it all the heavier.
One table in the cafeteria had been filled only with members of class 1A and Izuku felt that many of their eyes were falling on him. Trays of food were untouched as they discussed the one topic on everyone's minds: Sakura's challenge.
"Deku, what kind of notes do you have on Sakura?" Ochaco asked, poking at her food.
"Me?"
"You take down notes on everyone, right? And you were the one training with her, kero," pointed Tsuyu, who was sitting next to Tenya and Shouto.
Izuku ran a hand through his green curls, pursing his lips as he pulled out his notebook from his blazer.
"I've got a few notes on Sakura, but to be honest there's not much," He flipped through the pages of the rough sketch that could be made out as Sakura. Almost every line had a different shade of pencil, some letters thinner than others as he sharpened the tip at different times through the months he spent observing her. Every time it seemed there was something new to update about Sakura Izuku's notes were close to rushed doodles for Sakura, as if he was afraid he would blink and miss the next reveal to jot down. "She explained a few details about her quirk and I've listed everything that she's shown so far but…"
"But?"
Shouto sat across from Izuku, his expression as cool as ever, but there was a certain tightness in his jaw. He was just as eager to participate in the conversation and take in morsels of information available about their classmate. And Izuku seemed to realize that the entire table was sharing that train of thought, so he opted to reveal what had become the most apparent to him through training with Sakura.
"Sakura's real strength isn't her quirk. When we spar, I can tell that she doesn't have to put in a lot of effort to counter me. Even when I'm using full cowling. She's always calm and keeps a clear head even in the heat of a fight. That's something she's been trying to teach me too. Her level of control is different. When I use my quirk, and when I fight, I'm conscious of everything I'm doing, and every move I make I have to decide. It's like her state of mind is on autopilot even in a stressful situation…I believe that's what makes her so formidable,"
Izuku remembered how her mind and body seemed so intuned together, that she could react instinctively, as easily as breathing. That was the best way he could describe Sakura's level of skill. That was something Izuku could admit he and the rest of class A had to work on. It wouldn't even occur to him if he hadn't been standing next to Sakura throughout this year and seeing firsthand just how fruitful it was to have that kind of ability.
Tsuyu tilted her head, her froglike eyes blinking slowly. "So, she's a master of control, then? Not just in strength but in everything?"
Izuku nodded fervently. "Yes. She's incredibly well-rounded, not just in her physical abilities but in her senses too. I've seen her react to things most people wouldn't even notice. And that's what makes her so dangerous. She can read situations and adapt on the fly,"
Denki, Mina, and Eijiro—overheard their conversation and decided to throw in their two cents to the jar.
Denki plopped down in a free seat "Yo, you guys talking about Sakura's big training session this Sunday too?"
"Actually it's more about Sakura than the training, kero, but since we have to go against her,"
Mina, always vibrant and full of energy, leaned over the table, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Yeah, what's the plan? I mean, she said it's gonna be the whole day, right? What do you think she's got up her sleeve?"
"No idea," Izuku admitted.
"You don't think she means to fight us for a full 24 hours right?" asked Denki.
Mashirao appeared beside them, his tail flinching as he caught the last part of the conversation. "I was just thinking… Do you all remember what she did during the USJ attack?"
The group fell silent for a moment, their minds collectively drifting back to that harrowing day. The memory of the chaos, the villains swarming in from all sides. It was the first scar of many since coming to this school.
Tenya replied "She fought the villains without an ounce of fear. But she's always been that way,"
Izuku, Shouto, and Tenya shared glances as if to confirm their thoughts, taking them back to the night they faced Stain. And how Sakura saved them. Even under that immense pressure of bloodlust, she did not waver.
Eijiro slammed his fist on the table, startling a few of his classmates. "And don't forget Kamino!" he exclaimed. "She went head-to-head with that villain, protecting Bakugou the whole time. She fought like she had nothing to lose! I mean how do you get like that?"
This thought had been weighing on Eijiro since he witnessed Sakura's fight at Kamino, but it was recurring after his own brush with a real fighter, Rappa, an opponent who truly wanted to throw down to the death. And he thought you had to have a different mindset to willingly throw yourself into fists the way Sakura did.
Just as Eijiro mentioned Bakugou's name, the explosive blond himself appeared, storming over to the table with his usual scowl. His sharp red eyes glared at them as he growled, "What the hell are you idiots babbling about?"
"We're talking about Sakura," Tenya answered.
"What the hell are you mobbing together to do that?"
"Because her training is coming up, and we're trying to figure out what's in store for us," said Denki, "You wanna join in huh Bakugou? You are the one who butts heads with her all the time,"
"Morons,"
"Hey!" Mina exclaimed, throwing her fist up dramatically, "Sakura's super strong and we don't know what kind of training she's gonna make us do, so we're freaking out and we need to know something that can help us,"
Tsuyu then added, "I think if you want to defeat a strong opponent you need to examine them to figure out their weaknesses, but we don't know any for Sakura,'
Bakugou's scowl deepened, and for a moment, it looked like he was going to explode—literally and figuratively. But instead of engaging, he just huffed and stomped off, muttering something under his breath loud enough for the table to hear it.
"Why waste time on shit like that? Examine her weakness. That girl can't even predict when her next heart attack is coming on," With that he left into the crowd of students.
"What's with him?" asked Eijiro. "I thought he'd react more…like Bakugou,"
..
When it came to hostility, a ninja was trained to sense from great distances any that were directed at them, overexposure to survival based scenarios tuned their sixth sense and instinct. It also gave them an uncanny ability to f eel eyes that trailed them from shorter distances. And Sakura had been feeling them since sitting down at her table.
This time, however Hitoshi also seemed to notice as Katsuki Bakugou was doing very little to hide that glare.
"What did you do to that guy? He looks like he wants to burn a hole through your skull," Hitoshi said casually, taking a sip of his drink. He saw her lips twitch and turn upward.
"Oh, who knows?"
THAT'S ALL FOLKS! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and Remember to stay strong!
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