Jun walked out of U.A. with Mina, Kirishima, and Jiro.
Near the entrance, Himiko waited and waved them over. While everyone greeted her, Jun noticed Midoriya nearby, looking down at his hand.
Midoriya flexed his hand once, then looked up as Iida clapped a hand onto his shoulder.
I guess Recovery Girl healed it. That's a connection I want to make at some point. Her Quirk seems way too useful, and it doesn't hurt to have a good relationship with the White Mage.
Following Jun's gaze, Kirishima stepped beside him. "That was a pretty manly softball throw he did earlier. But did he break his finger?"
Jun tilted his head. "Well, if he didn't break it, he definitely bruised it. But it looks like Recovery Girl was able to heal it."
Turning back toward the others, Jun said, "Okay, guys. Let's get going."
They had barely started walking when Midoriya called from behind him.
"Wait, wait, wait! Mori-san!"
Jun stopped and turned around. "I thought I told you to use Jun, but go ahead."
"Oh, right. Jun." Midoriya glanced at him. "What did you mean by 'egg' earlier?"
Jun tilted his head. "Egg?"
A second later, he remembered. "Ah, right. It feels like you're an egg. Like if something puts a little too much pressure on the outside, you'll explode."
Midoriya glanced down at his hand.
"And with your Quirk, it feels like you're already putting too much pressure on the inside."
"Yeah," Midoriya said. "You're kind of right, huh? That makes sense."
Holding out his hand, Jun gave him a small smile. "Anyway, you did good."
Midoriya returned the smile with a determined nod before gripping Jun's hand.
Energy rushed up Jun's arm, but he filed it away and continued the handshake.
"I can't wait to see what else you'll do, Broccoli."
With that, Jun turned and rejoined the others.
"I'll see you tomorrow, guys!" Midoriya called after them.
Everyone called their goodbyes as they continued walking.
Mina glanced back. "That was weird."
"Wait," Kirishima said, scratching his head. "Is 'egg' an insult, or...?"
Jun chuckled. "Don't worry about it. He gets it."
The group continued talking about their first day as they made their way to the station and boarded the train.
When they reached their stop, Jun, Himiko, Mina, and Kirishima got off while Jiro remained aboard. Mina and Kirishima split off toward their homes, leaving Jun and Himiko to walk the rest of the way together.
"So you guys got to use your Quirks all day?" Himiko asked.
"Yeah. It was the Quirk Apprehension Test. Basically our sensei's version of a formal welcome to U.A."
"Everyone seemed excited about it."
"Yeah. Most of it was pretty exciting."
Himiko smiled. "I can't wait to hear about tomorrow."
Next up should be the Battle Trial. But it can't be tomorrow, right?
[Later That Evening...]
The house had gone quiet after dinner. #2 was out handling his business for the night while Jun sat on his bed and closed his eyes.
His consciousness slipped into the bond space.
The familiar white void opened around him, filled with colorful orbs. The two largest were his father's white Empath orb and his mother's gray Quirkless orb, but neither was what he had come to inspect.
His attention settled on a new, much smaller green orb.
Jun reached out and lifted it into his hand.
So this is going to be One For All, huh?
He held the orb and waited for its information to reach him.
Then he froze. Huh? What?
Focusing harder only confirmed it.
Wait a minute. This isn't One For All. It's a Quirkless orb.
He concentrated on it the same way he had learned to focus on his mother's orb.
As he did, the fog in his head cleared slightly. Things started lining up more easily.
The old words about power and responsibility that had driven him toward this path felt a little more real. Like they sat a little deeper now instead of being something he constantly had to hold himself to.
Pulling away from the green orb, Jun reached for his mother's gray orb and held the two beside each other. His mother's orb was much larger.
So I guess my bonds connect to someone's natural Quirk?
He looked back toward Midoriya's orb.
One For All isn't naturally his. It was transferred to him.
If that's true, All Might would give me another Quirkless orb.
Jun focused on both orbs at once. The familiar nourishment from his mother's orb spread through his body and mind.
Mom's orb is more soothing and restorative. I've used it plenty over the years. Honestly, it's probably the only reason muscle soreness hasn't become part of my everyday life.
His attention returned to Midoriya's orb.
This is probably some mixture of protagonist bullshit and Midoriya's analytical nature. It feels built for the mind and will, while Mom's is built for the body.
It also did not seem to count against his active Quirk limit.
Jun kept both active. The green orb lit up and moved over to join his other active orbs beside the already-glowing gray one.
Well, it sucks that I didn't get One For All, but it's not like I had a way to use it anyway.
He let out a sigh.
I guess I'll continue with the plan.
Jun pulled himself out of the bond space and opened his eyes. A yawn escaped him as he shifted off the bed.
"Time to get ready for bed."
[The Next Day...]
The next morning followed much the same routine as the first.
Jun and Himiko ate breakfast before meeting Mina and Kirishima at the train station. Once aboard, they found Jiro already waiting for them.
The group talked as they made their way to U.A.
When they reached the school, everyone said goodbye to Himiko before splitting off toward the Hero Course.
Unlike the first day, the morning followed a more traditional schedule of regular school lessons. What would normally fill an entire school day seemed compressed into the hours before lunch.
Different teachers rotated through the room for each subject, including Present Mic for English.
As the morning dragged on, boredom spread throughout the classroom. Jun could feel it from nearly everyone around him, but he kept his attention on the lesson and continued working.
That makes sense. Mornings for education, afternoons for hero training.
By the time lunch arrived, everyone was ready to move.
Jun, Mina, Kirishima, Jiro, and Himiko claimed a table together. Kaminari was already talking with Kirishima, while Mina had started chatting with Jiro and some of the other girls from Class 1-A.
Looking across the cafeteria, Jun noticed Midoriya, Iida, and Ochaco searching for somewhere to sit.
"Yo, Midoriya! Over here."
Midoriya looked up. "Mori-san. I mean, Jun."
"Come over here. We're all hanging out."
The three of them approached and joined the table as everyone continued eating and talking.
When lunch ended, Jun said goodbye to Himiko and returned to Class 1-A with the others.
Everyone settled into their seats as conversations started around the room.
"So, who's going to be our Heroics teacher? Is it Aizawa again?"
"Maybe. Aizawa is our homeroom teacher, but who else do you think it could be?"
Before anyone could answer, the classroom door opened.
"I AM..."
All Might gripped both sides of the doorframe and leaned into the room.
"COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
The classroom erupted.
"It's All Might!"
"He really is teaching at U.A.!"
All Might stepped inside and made his way to the front of the classroom.
"Hero Basic Training. The class that will put you through all sorts of special training to mold you into heroes."
He posed in front of the podium before turning toward the class and revealing a large plaque bearing a single word.
BATTLE
"No time to dally! Today's activity is this: battle training!"
What the hell? It's only the second day.
"Battle training?" someone shouted.
All Might pressed a button in his hand. Sections of the wall slid outward, revealing the students' costume cases.
"And for that, you will need these!"
He gestured toward the cases.
"Costumes created in accordance with your Quirk registrations and the special request forms you filled out before being admitted!"
The class jumped to their feet.
"Yeah!"
All Might crossed his arms. "After you change, come out in ranking order and meet me at Ground Beta!"
"Okay!"
Jun took the costume case marked with the number seven and headed into the locker room.
The moment he opened it, his eyes widened.
Oh, hell yeah.
Two sets of escrima sticks were secured along the sides of the costume, one set for each thigh. As he unfolded the rest, his hands passed over the reinforced protective gauntlets built around the forearms and the armored pieces covering the knuckles.
The reinforced pieces felt cool and metallic beneath his fingers, and once he put the gauntlets on, he could feel their weight.
After pulling on the rest of the costume, Jun noticed a reinforced housing running across the back of his belt and slightly up his spine. Inside was the retractable rope system he had requested.
Hell yeah.
At the end of one of the escrima sticks, he found an attachment point for the rope. Jun connected it, tested the release, then unhooked it and slid the stick back into place.
Oh, man. They upgraded my ideas.
The last piece was a small eye mask that covered the area around his eyes and the tops of his cheekbones. He pressed it into place, and it held securely against his face.
Once everyone had changed, they began arriving at Ground Beta one by one.
Jun looked over the costumes as the others emerged.
Cool. Okay. Everyone looks how they're supposed to. Nothing too big changed other than me.
He paid the most attention to Mina and Kirishima. They had spent the most time around him before U.A., but both of their costumes looked exactly as he remembered.
When Mina spotted him, she pointed between their masks.
"Yo, we match!"
Jun smiled. "Yeah, we do."
As the class gathered at Ground Beta, All Might looked over everyone in their hero costumes.
"Looking good is very important, ladies and gentlemen! Look alive now, because from this day on, YOU'RE ALL HEROES!"
Midoriya ran toward the group, arriving last. Once he had joined the others, All Might flashed the class his characteristic smile.
"Shall we begin, my wards? Time for battle training!"
Iida immediately raised his hand. "Sensei! This appears to be the same field used in the entrance exam. Will we once again be performing city-street drills?"
"Nope! You'll be moving on to step two: indoor anti-personnel battle training!"
All Might continued smiling at the class.
"Villain battles are most commonly seen outdoors, but statistically, the most heinous villains are more likely to appear indoors. Between confinement, house arrest, and black-market deals..."
He raised a hand to his mouth and cleared his throat.
"In this hero-filled society of ours, the cleverest villains out there lurk indoors!"
All Might struck another pose.
"You'll now be split into **villain teams* and *hero teams** and face off in two-on-two indoor battles!"
"So no basic training?" Tsuyu asked.
All Might dramatically clenched one fist in front of himself.
"Practical experience teaches you the basics! The distinction here is that you won't be fighting disposable robots!"
Questions immediately started coming from every direction.
Before All Might could respond, Jun whistled sharply, drawing everyone's attention.
"Let him finish."
All Might paused for a moment before clearing his throat. "Thank you, young Mori. Now listen up! Here's the deal!"
He pulled out a small note card and began reading from it.
"The villains will be hiding a nuclear weapon somewhere inside their hideout, and the heroes will have to go in and take care of it! The heroes will have a limited amount of time to enter and either capture the villains or secure the weapon. The villains must either capture the heroes or protect the weapon until time runs out!"
He needs time to prepare. How does his PR team do it?
Once he finished, All Might grabbed a box labeled LOTS.
"Your partners will be decided by drawing lots!"
"Is that really the best way?" Iida asked.
Midoriya raised a finger. "It makes sense. Pro heroes often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot during emergencies."
All Might turned and struck another pose, raising one fist into the air.
"I see! I apologize for getting ahead of myself! My mistake!"
"No, it's fine!" Midoriya said quickly. "Please continue!"
Jun was one of the last students to draw. He reached into the box and pulled out a lot marked with the letter I.
"Who's my partner?"
A floating pair of gloves and shoes approached him, both hands flashing peace signs.
"Yo, Jun! We're on a team!"
"It seems we are."
All Might reached into two separate boxes, one labeled HERO and the other labeled VILLAIN.
"Moving on! The first teams up are these!"
He held up the results.
"The heroes are Team A, and the villains are Team D!"
Jun immediately looked between Midoriya and Bakugo.
Okay. Canon didn't change with that.
"The villain team will go in first!" All Might continued. "The timer will begin five minutes later, when the hero team sneaks inside. The rest of us will watch through the CCTV!"
All Might raised one hand and wiggled a finger at Iida and Bakugo.
"Iida! Bakugo! You boys need to adopt a villain mindset! This is practical experience, so go all out and don't hold back. Though I will stop you if you take things too far!"
Iida and Bakugo entered the building while Midoriya and Ochaco waited outside. The rest of the class followed All Might into the monitoring room.
Jun stood among the others with his arms crossed, watching the CCTV screens.
If I remember correctly, this gets pretty hairy, all things considered.
Bakugo's first explosion flared across one of the screens, drawing reactions from around the room. Jun narrowed his eyes as the fight continued.
Damn. The fight between Bakugo and Midoriya is way more intense than I remember.
Midoriya wasn't matching Bakugo through raw combat instinct. He was using years of familiarity with him to anticipate his movements and turn that knowledge against him.
Bakugo has a natural knack for this. Even if I had Explosion through a bond and could use it at the same strength, I don't think I could match that fluidity. Hand-to-hand, maybe, but that instinctive way he uses his Quirk in every movement and attack? He's a natural at this.
Jun's expression tightened into a scowl.
But he's still an asshole, even if I can't call him a villain.
Ultimately, the battle ended much as Jun remembered. Midoriya was taken away by the medical team, while Bakugo, Ochaco, and Iida returned to the monitoring room.
Once the three of them had entered, All Might faced the class.
"The MVP in this battle was Iida!"
Even Iida looked surprised. "Wha?"
"Not Uraraka or Midoriya, even though they won?" Tsuyu asked.
All Might raised one hand. "I wonder why. Does anyone know?"
Jun and Momo raised their hands at the same time.
"I do, Sensei," Jun said.
"I do, All Might-sensei," Momo said.
Momo glanced at Jun, then lowered her hand to let him answer. Jun gave her a small nod.
"Iida played a villain."
"Can you elaborate, young Mori?"
"He played a villain who had a plan, not someone who had a personal grudge against another participant."
"What about Uraraka?" Momo asked.
"It was probably because she knew this was training," Jun said. "She was surrounded by classmates she knew wouldn't intentionally hurt her, and she wasn't likely to cause any real harm unless she made a mistake. Because of that, she lost focus."
Jun looked toward the screens.
"Her final attack was impressive, but it probably wouldn't work in the field with a live nuclear weapon nearby. Midoriya also relied on the fact that this was training. He deliberately injured himself and used an attack powerful enough to tear through the building, knowing U.A. had medical support and that the weapon wasn't real."
Momo gave Jun a measured look.
"You stated it much more bluntly than I would have, but I concur with your observations. Still, that is precisely why practical training like this is necessary."
She turned toward the rest of the class, placing her hands on her hips.
"We all have to start at the bottom and work our way up. If we don't earnestly learn from and encourage one another, we'll never become top heroes."
All Might gave them a thumbs-up, though his hand shook slightly. "I'd also add that Iida was a bit too stiff... But yes, you're correct!"
"Moving on to the next battle! Let us select a new location!"
After choosing another building, All Might returned to the two boxes.
"All right! Time to decide which teams will be facing off!"
He reached into both boxes and pulled out the next two lots.
"The heroes will be Team B, and the villains will be Team I!"
Jun looked toward the hero team and saw Shoji standing beside Todoroki.
Fuck.