8 Chapter 7
On the bus to the USJ, Izuku sat up front, next to a driving Aizawa. He looked at Aizawa, as the older man explained to him why he became a hero.
According to Aizawa, he became a hero to help those weaker than he was. He didn't become a hero for the fame nor the money. He did it to help people. It was why he became a teacher at UA. To help the next generation of students help those in need.
Izuku was impressed. He didn't tolerate heroes that helped others to be recognized. He believed that recognition came with genuine sacrifice, though it's not required. He did build a name though, and to the public, there was no QL. To the criminal underworld, he was one of the feared, the top spot belonging to All Might.
"What about you, Quirkless?" Izuku broke out of his thoughts, and looked at Aizawa.
"Come again?" Izuku didn't know if the teacher had asked him a question.
"Why didn't you apply to the hero course? Why did you become a vigilante?" Aizawa was actually curious. He'd heard so much from heroes and villains alike. Even if the public didn't know about the lad, Every hero in Japan heard about a silent predator who preys on abusers, abductors, and the like.
Izuku put a finger on his chin and hummed for a second.
"Well, I'm not going to go into too much detail, Aizawa. My life story isn't all that important. What I will tell, is my conviction."
Aizawa rose a brow. He hadn't heard a hero talk about conviction as of yet. This ought to be good. "Go on." The Quirk Eraser prodded.
"I became a vigilante mainly because I see stories of men and women, and boys and girls being sexually exploited illegally. I'm not talking about pornography. That's basic, legal exploitation of men and women. What I'm talking about is sex rings, slavery of sex, and child abduction. I'm also talking about cases of abduction with adults. it's hard to wrap your head around sometimes.
"Some heroes have spotted me and asked me where the line is from vigilante to criminal." Izuku chuckled. "I'd say the line comes to murder. A lot of heroes tend to stay far away from coming close to where I am, to avoid bad publicity. I say screw the public. I stay hidden from them because I don't want to be commanded by government officials, because I'm going for them in the future. Some sex rings are enjoyed by some members of our government. All it takes is collecting evidence. To give a final answer, I just want to help people from the worst crimes out there."
He tightened his fists. "No woman deserves to become separated from her child, and no child deserves to see their mothers die in front of them."
The vigilante looked at a pondering Aizawa. "Does that answer your question?" Izuku looked in the rear view mirror. The whole class had stopped talking when he spoke. It was kind of unnerving for so many people his age to just stare at him.
Aizawa, electing to just drive, had a lot to think about.
"Welcome to the USJ!"
An echoed voice brought the students from their stupor. After bearing witness to the vigilante's conviction, none had the heart to speak, as if the bus was made of glass and a voice was a rock.
A figure who resembled a Twenty first century astronaut walked over to them, waving.
"My name is Thirteen, a hero who specializes in rescue! I'm sure only a few have heard of me." She glanced at an excited Uraraka.
The students walked into the facility and were instantly started struck. Kaminari was the first to break the silence.
.
.
"Its like Universal Studios Japan! This place is so cool!" other students agreed. The initials were the exact same too!
"Children." Aizawa shattered their excitement, helping tone down the mood. "Listen to Thirteen. She will give instructions." He nodded for Thirteen, the rescue hero, to start.
Thirteen's voice echoed across the entire facility. "I've heard this phrase many a million times out of old movies, but it still holds up. 'With great power comes great responsibility.' This is important to know because while your quirks can help people and defeat enemies, they are able to kill. For example, My quirk is Black Hole. I can suck anything through the portals and they turn to dust. I can help remove debris from trapped individuals, but if I'm not careful, I can turn those individuals into dust. She demonstrated her ability by displaying black holes over a couple of fingers.
"As Aizawa stated in class, this exercise will help you deal with what is perhaps the most important aspect of hero work: Rescue. In this facility, we will have multiple scenarios to decipher your weaknesses. Normally, we'd help you identify your strengths, but for today, you will identify your weaknesses and overcome them!" Thirteen expected groans.
And She received.
"You've got to be kidding." An ashy blonde student spit out. "Our weaknesses? Don't you morons know that some of us don't have weaknesses?" The Usually irritant teen walked outside the circle and Sat down. "This exercise will be a cakewalk." He closes his eyes, trying to establish dominance.
"Katsuki." The teen opened his eyes to find an irritated Aizawa. The sight sent chills down his spine, not that he'd admit it. "You're sitting this one out."
Katsuki laughed. "Good. I'm so glad you see things my way."
"And you're training with Quirkless."
The vigilante walked forward, grinning underneath his face covering. "This will be fun." He brought a collapsable bow from a pocket and placed a quiver full of arrows from a hidden area. "Really fun."
The ashy blonde teen was the opposite of ecstatic. His eyes narrowed.
"You want me to train with Mr. Worthless today?! What the Fu-!?" He didn't finish since he was once again shot with a bullet that sprout foam. The foam hit just below his lips and spread across his mouth.
"Perfect. Silence is my kind of music." Izuku chuckled at the sight of his ex-bully.
The students that didn't like him cheered at this new development. The ones that barely tolerated him sighed in relief. The one that thought of Bakugo as his friend was mildly concerned that the foam was toxic.
"Hey QL?" The readhead grabbed the vigilante's attention. "Won't the foam hurt him? He might not be able to breathe."
Izuku shrugged. "Nope. I draw the line at murder. so the foam is completely toxin free and won't hurt anyone unless it suffocates the target. In this case, I didn't hit his nose, although if he keeps struggling, it will." At this, Katsuki froze.
Choosing not to die, Katsuki decided to stay quiet.
"Anyways," Aizawa drawled. "Each participant will go to selected points of the facility. I've written them down and will display them now." He pressed a button on his wrist watch, and sure enough a blue light popped in the air, displaying the following:
Ruins Zone: Yuga Aoyama, Rikida Sato
Landslide Zone: Mezo Shoji, Koji Koda
Mountain Zone: Eijiro Kirishima, Ochako Uraraka
Conflagration Zone: Masahirao Ojiro, Minoru Mineta, Toru Hagakure, Fumikage Tokoyami
Flood Zone: Mina Ashido, Kyoka Jirou, Shouto Todoroki, Tenya Iida
Downpour Zone: Tsuyu Asui, Denki Kaminari, Hanta Sero, Momo Yaoyorozu
As everyone grew acquainted with the list, Izuku felt a glare from behind. Turning around, he noticed Bakugo doing the best he could to spew his hatred of the vigilante.
Sighing, he noticed something else entirely. Two things actually.
The first thing he noticed was the grape kid shouting his woes that he wasn't paired with a hot girl like this Momo chick. This was going to be a fun, easy fix, for he noticed the kid was one of the two super guilty looking kids after explaining his job description.
The second thing he noticed was Mina crying on Kirishima's shoulder after realizing they'd be split. This was going be an easy fix too.
Clearing his throat, he called out. "Hey Aizawa!" Gaining his attention, the teacher turned towards the vigilante. "What do you need?"
The vigilante smiled under his face covering. "Would it be possible for Bakugo to take the place of Ashido in this exercise, and for Uraraka to move to either the ruins or landslide zone?" He prayed this would work. He'd rather not split The two apart after witnessing the pinkette's distress.
Aizawa glanced in the direction of his pink student. Softening his gaze, he shifted his line of sight towards the vigilante. Nodding, he silently agreed. Mina was to sit this out and with the comfort of a friend.
Aizawa cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of his students.
"We decided on a quick change. Uraraka, you're with Shoji and Koda."
The three nodded. "Right!"
Continuing, Aizawa focused his gaze on the hothead. "Bakugo."
Bakugo wanted to shout, but seeing that he couldn't, he elected to nod.
"Dont say we didn't let you free. You're still serving a detention. With me. Anyways, you're going to be located in the flood zone." Turning towards the vigilante, he smirked. "How do you remove the foam?"
The vigilante smiled. "You just reach and pull it off. it wears after fifteen minutes of use. Of course, this is just a mild formula. The more set formulas last for hours."
.
.
.
Bakugo never wanted to kill a man more.
.
.
.
Turning his attention away from the vigilante, he looked at the pink and red duo. "Both of you, sit this one out. It's clear Ashido cannot do this kind of work at the moment, not that I blame you."
Mina and Kirishima nodded, waiting for their teacher to finish.
Aizawa hardened his softened gaze. "However, I expect Mina to participate in hero activities next time. If you need therapy, I will be glad to deliver you to some good ones I know."
He turned to the whole class. "This is our final arrangement. Now pay attention to Thirteen as she explains what you all will be doing." Aizawa stepped away, walking over to Izuku.
Izuku lowered his covering, revealing a generous smile. "Didnt know you were a softy. Maybe I should call you that instead of Crabby." He nudged the teacher in the ribs.
"Shut up."
