A Display of Strength

Class 1-A was meeting in the gym to for basic endurance and hand to hand combat training. I stifled a yawn. Aside from mathematics, this was the class I looked the least forward to. Hand to hand combat training? Please, this is just a bunch of kids in a fistfight.

Nevertheless, I had to follow the class and split up into pairs. To my pleasant surprise, I was paired up with Deku. Someone familiar was nice, even though his close combat skills were, to put it bluntly, downright horrendous. Deku suggested we stretch before we spar, and I decided to follow his lead. I sat down to do the butterfly stretch. The stretch helped strengthen the hips and the core.

"Rey, come here for a moment." Mr. Aizawa's voice came from the other side of the gym.

"I'll be right back." I told Deku.

"Yes, sensei?" I asked once I was next to Mr. Aizawa.

"I know this class will be boring to you. There's very little you can learn outside of real battle. But, your classmates are different. They need to start with the basics." Mr. Aizawa started. I nodded to show that I understood.

"Ectoplasm told me before your combat skills are incredibly strong, and I doubt there is anything I can teach you, too. I recognize that you are also an expert in this field, so tell me what you see." Mr. Aizawa gestured at my classmates.

"I don't have any experience in teaching others, Aizawa sensei. But I do have some thoughts. Based off of what I've seen in the Battle Trial and right now, all of the students except for Ojiro lack a firm foundation. Most of them probably haven't even been in a brawl before if I had to guess.

I spent a full year developing a strong foundation, but they don't have that much time available. It would be unrealistic to have them start building a foundation now. Plus, many of those with Quirks suited for close-range combat have already subconsciously adopted a style of fighting. It would not be rational to erase that style and ask them to start over. That would be end up doing more harm then good.

As for the rest of them, I think ultimately their training needs to be tailored to their Quirks. It is impossible to avoid direct confrontation with villains, and they will have to use their Quirks. Not everyone can erase a Quirk like you, sensei. So, in order to see the fastest results, those with support Quirks should focus on defense and stamina. Those with long-ranged Quirks should focus on prediction and agility. That's how I would approach this." I said.

Mr. Aizawa rubbed his chin. "Your thought process is almost the same as mine. How about this? Since it would be a wa-"

"HEY EXTRA! What are you doing over there slacking off? Do you think you're so good that you don't need to be part of class? Fight me, and I'll show you how weak you are!" Bakugo shouted.

"Since Bakugo is asking for a fight, don't hold back. The class needs to see your strength." Mr. Aizawa said.

I shot a glance at him. "Yes sensei."

"If it's a fight you want, Bakugo, you'll get one." I yelled back.

The class immediately stopped what they were doing and crowded around. Mr. Aizawa didn't stop them.

"Hey, who do you think will win?"

"Are you kidding me? He actually accepted? Bakugo's gonna beat him!"

"I don't know. Rey seems pretty strong."

Bakugo and I got into our positions.

"Bring it on! I'll beat you and everyone else!" Bakugo sprung at me and threw a punch with his right fist.

So loud. I calmly sidestepped to the left and slammed my left elbow into Bakugo's back as he passed me. Bakugo lost his balance with the added momentum and crashed into the ground.

"You're so predictable, even Deku can guess your movements." I taunted.

Bakugo snarled in anger. He spun around and leapt at me again. Another swing from his right. Seriously, Bakugo. You may be arrogant, but you're not stupid enough to try the same thing again.

I sidestepped again to the left, and this time, Bakugo's first attack was a feint. The moment he saw me move, he withdrew his right arm and swung with his left. Expecting the feint, I grabbed his left arm, flipped him over my body, and slammed him onto the ground.

"You may find this surprising, but I'm not stupid. Your speed and power may let you bully someone like Deku, but in front of someone else who knows what they are doing, you are nothing." I said and returned to Aizawa's side.

"Rey is right. Bakugo, your fighting style is filled with flaws. You expect to solve everything with brute strength and your explosions. Be thankful it was Rey who gave you the wake up call. If it had been a villain, they wouldn't have been so kind." Mr. Aizawa told the boy.

"Alright, everyone back to your positions. Show is over!" Mr. Aizawa ordered.

"What were you saying before, Aizawa sensei?" I asked.

"I want you to help your classmates improve their battle skills. It would be a waste of your talent otherwise." Mr. Aizawa said.

I looked at my teacher for a couple moments. I cracked a smile. "This sounds something you should be doing, sensei. If I agree, do I get paid?"

"Hey, Momo, Aoyama, Koda, Jiro, Sero! Can you come over here?" I called to my classmates. They gathered over.

"Aizawa said that we can work on something different for the rest of class. It would be a waste for us to be like them and practice throwing punches at each other right? We can do so much more with our Quirks than that." I said.

"That's right! My beautiful laser is much more powerful than them!" Aoyama agreed.

I nodded. "So how about we play a game of dodgeball?"

Aizawa watched as Rey split up the five people into teams. Aizawa liked the idea of dodgeball. Those on the defensive, Momo, Koda, and Jiro, had to train their reaction speed and defensive capabilities. Those on the offensive, Aoyama and Sero, could train their eyes and prediction time. Rey hopped between the two sides to make things more interesting. Watching their determined expressions, a small smile crossed Aizawa's face. Rey was a good talent when it came to teaching.