MHA Universe, Earth, Japan, Musutafu.
The following day, proper classes began at U.A. High School. Meaning, there was a full day of classes. And just like any other high school, the morning s were filled with mundane classes like Math, English, Classic Japanese Literature, etc. However, when the afternoon came, that was when things started to change.
And for first years, the class that took up their afternoons was called Foundational Heroics.
Naturally, all the students were excited for their first steps on the paths of becoming heroes. And all the buzzing voices of chatter that could be heard in Class 1-A right after lunch was more than enough proof.
Yet, around a certain desk, the topic of conversation was slightly different than the rest.
"So, who made your lunch today, Tatsuo-Kun?" Akatsuki asked curiously.
"Alfonzo." Tatsuo replied. "He made it before going to bed last night."
"So, that's why you were so against sharing with the others, huh?" Akatsuki asked. "Well, I guess I don't' blame you. Alfonzo-San's cooking was even better than the Chief's."
"Actually, I prefer your cooking, Tatsuo-Kun." Sakura said softly.
"Thank you, Sakura." Tatsuo replied with a smile.
Akatsuki, on the other hand, only rolled her eyes at Sakura's apparent bias.
Meanwhile, the nearby students could not help staring at Tatsuo, Akatsuki, and Sakura like they were something other than humans.
"Why aren't you guys more excited about this?" Denki asked in a dumbfounded tone.
"I know, right?" Mina chimed in. "I mean, this is our first hero class. Shouldn't you be more excited?"
"Eh… Because it's really just another class." Akatsuki replied. "I mean, all we have to do is listen to the teachers and do our best like we do in any other class. I really don't see the big deal."
With Akatsuki's statement, the entire room fell silent. No one, not even Katsuki, who usually did not even pay attention to the opinions of others, could believe what they just heard. However, before anyone could put their disbelief into words…
*Ding!* *Dong!* *Dong!* *Ding!*
… the bell rang, forcing everyone to drop the topic for now and return to their seats. Though the room had fallen silent with the ringing of the bell, the anticipation on the students' faces was impossible to hide. And when they eventually heard the booming voice of their Foundational Heroics teacher, most of their eyes widened in sheer disbelief and excitement.
"I am here!" The teacher's voice boomed from the other side of Class 1-A's closed classroom door.
A moment later, the large, automatic doors slid open. When they did, they revealed the Symbol of Peace, Japan's No. 1 Hero, All Might standing there with his trademark smile on his face.
"Coming through the door like a normal person." Toshinori said as he lowered his head to enter the classroom.
Upon seeing Toshinori, the class remained silent for a few moments. However, when they finally registered what they were seeing, the class broke into loud cheers and excited squeals.
"It's All Might!" Eijiro shouted.
"All Might is our Foundational Heroics teacher!" Toru shouted in a tone mixed with excitement and disbelief.
"He's wearing his Golden Age costume..." Izuku said, his tone much more subdued than the others. Still, his excitement did not lose out to anyone else.
Seeing the excitement in his students' expressions, Toshinori's smile widened. Even so, he knew he could not let this go on for too long. He had a class to teach, after all.
"I'm glad to see your enthusiasm." Toshinori said, cutting through the excited chatter. But we have a class to attend. So, please give me your attention."
That last sentence seemed to be completely unnecessary, as the excitement in the air was palpable, and the students waited to hear just what Toshinori had in store for them with bated breaths. And to his credit, Toshinori did not keep them waiting for long.
"Today's class will focus on one of the most important parts of being a Hero." Toshinori said cheerfully as he reached down behind the teacher's podium. A moment later, he pulled out a small white board and held it in front of his chest with the back facing the class. Then, when he continued speaking, he flipped it around, the words written on it telling the class what the focus of today's class would be. "Battle!"
While some of the students were apprehensive when they heard the theme of today's class, others were thoroughly excited. And Katsuki was the prime representative of the latter group, as his hands started crackling with small explosions almost immediately after Toshinori finished speaking.
"More specifically, we will be focusing on indoor combat." Toshinori said after giving the students a chance to internalize his words. "Because whether you are aware or not, the majority of encounters with villains happen while inside enclosed spaces. Hostage situations, bank robberies, and raiding hideouts. They all occur indoors. And that is what this Battle Trial will be preparing you for."
With every word Toshinori spoke, the level of excitement in the classroom rose. However, his next words brought that excitement to a fever pitch.
"But that's not all." Toshinori said, his smile widened to a seemingly impossible degree. "Another part of being a Hero is individuality. So, for this class, you'll be able to use the costumes you designed and submitted after receiving your acceptance letters. This will truly be your first steps on the road of Heroes. Let's see how you want the public to see all of you when you stand on the stage as Heroes."
With that, All Might pressed a button on the teacher's podium. When he did, one of the classroom's walls opened up, revealing twenty metal cases on shelves hidden behind the wall.
"Now, everyone, take the case with your seat number on it and get changed." Toshinori continued as he turned towards the classroom door. "Then, meet me at Ground Beta. I will explain the rules of the Battle Trial once we have all gathered."
With that, Toshinori strode out of the room with the same smile on his face. Meanwhile, the students of Class 1-A clamored to the wall to take the cases with their seat numbers on them before rushing out of the room towards the Ground Beta locker rooms with Tatsuo, Akatsuki, and Sakura the last to leave the room.
"*Sigh* This is gonna be such a downgrade." Tatsuo grumbled. "I could probably make better equipment than what's inside of this case. And don't get me started on what Alfonzo could make."
"There's no point in complaining about it." Akatsuki replied with a shrug. "The rules say that all students have to use costumes and support items created by the Support Department students."
"Yeah, I know." Tatsuo grumbled with a pout. "Stil, I like the stuff I made."
"You're cute when you pout." Sakura said with a giggle.
"Whatever." Tatsuo said with an eye roll. "Anyway, let's get going before we're late."
With that, the trio picked up the pace, arriving at the Ground Beta locker rooms before too long.
When Tatsuo entered the locker room, he saw all the other boys quickly changing out of their school uniforms into the costumes they designed. And just as he expected, all the costumes were exactly like the ones in the canon.
"Hey, Soramoto, what took you so long?" Eijiro asked loudly.
"Don't tell me, you're afraid of everyone making fun of your costume." Denki added with a smirk. "Dude, you don't have to worry about that. There's no judgement here.'
"Besides, it's obvious that I will be the most beautiful student in the class." Aoyama Yuga, a slim young man with long blond hair that curls at the sides of his head and a lock of hair that hangs in front of his face, said in a flamboyant manner with a n obviously fake, yet thick, French accent. "Non, I will be the most beautiful in all the school."
"Uh... Sorry, but I have to disagree with that." Shoji Mezo, a tall, muscular young man with swept forward, pale gray hair that covers most of his face and six arms connected by web-like skin, said while scratching his head with one of his arms. "I mean, I'm definitely into girls, but Soramoto-Kun is the best-looking guy I've ever seen."
"Non!" Yuga shouted as he dramatically fell to his knees. "How can this be?"
"Well... That happened." Tatsuo muttered as he made his way to an open locker. "And no, I'm not concerned with being laughed at. Instead, I'm concerned with the quality of my costume."
"Oh, that make sense." Izuku said as he pulled the top of his costume over his head. "Well, Static is your cousin. And he does make some of the best Hero Support Gear in Japan."
"Wait! Seriously?" Hanta asked dumbfoundedly. "Yeah, I guess that really does make sense."
"Hmph!" Katsuki snorted disdainfully. "Just a second generation with a silver spoon."
While Tatsuo completely ignored Katsuki's taunting, there was another student, Todoroki Shoto, whose eyebrows twitched when he heard it.
Instead, Tatsuo stripped down to his underwear, once again showing off his nearly perfect physique, before putting his uniform into the locker. He then opened the case with his costume in it to see what U.A. provided him.
"Well, I guess it will have to do." Tatsuo said while looking over the quality of his costume. "At least it looks right. So, there's that."
Tatsuo then started getting dressed. And before long, he was wearing the costume, an armored, black body suit with purple lines running down from the neck to the wrists, as well as similar lines running from the arm pits to down the sides of the torso and legs. He also wore a pair of purple gloves with an armored plate on the back of each hand and a pair of armored purple boots.
Over the body suit, Tatsuo also wore a midnight purple trench coat with many pockets meant to conceal weapons and gadgets. Then, there was the black, dragon motif eye mask that covered his eyes, cheek bones, and the bridge of his nose, leaving most of his face exposed.
After looking over his costume, Tatsuo quickly got dressed. By the time he was done, everyone else in the locker room had finished changing, as well. A couple of the boys, namely Katsuki and Shoto, had already left the room, too.
"Damn... Your costume is kinda cool." Denki said while circling Tatsuo and looking his costume up and down. "Who designed it?"
"I did." Tatsuo replied while adjusting his mask. "I guess it's good enough. The armor isn't hard or flexible enough, though."
"Anyway, we should get going." Izuku said as he looked at the clock hanging in the locker room. "We don't wanna be late."
Nodding in response, the rest of the boys filed out of the locker room and made their way to the entrance of Ground Beta where Toshinori, Katsuki, and Shoto were waiting.
"I guess the girls aren't here yet." Denki said, a hint of disappointment in his tone. "Man, I'm looking forward to seeing what their costumes look like."
Several of the boys who were interested in girls nodded along with Denki's statement. And Tatsuo was among them. Though, it was mostly because he was interested in seeing what kind of costume Akatsuki and Sakura designed. They decided to keep it a secret from him, after all.
As for the other girls, Tatsuo figured, since the boys were wearing costumes identical to what they wore in canon, they would be the same. Though, he did have some ideas to improve the girls' costumes. For example, there was no reason for Momo to show off so much skin. Just having flaps that she could open could serve the same purpose as having her skin exposed.
'Well, unless she's actually some kind of exhibitionist, anyway.' Tatsuo thought to himself while shrugging internally. 'I mean, if she likes being seen, then more power to her. I won't try to dissuade her if that's the case. Her body is amazing, after all.'
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Akatsuki said as she appeared right next to Tatsuo.
While almost everyone flinched at Akatsuki's sudden appearance, Tatsuo only turned his head calmly to take a look at her costume.
Standing next to Tatsuo, Akatsuki wore a dark purple, almost black body suit with armored wrist and shin guards, a pair of light boots that helped muffle her footsteps, and a half mask that covered her face from the nose down.
"Why am I not surprised you went with a ninja get-up?" Tatsuo asked casually. "Honestly, even if you kept your costume a secret, I saw this coming."
"Whatever." Akatsuki replied while rolling her eyes. She then looked Tatsuo up and down before continuing. "As for your costume, it's pretty simple. I was expecting something flashier. I like the dragon scales on your mask, though."
Tatsuo only shrugged in response.
A moment later, the rest of the girls approached the boys from the direction of the girls locker room. And just as Tatsuo expected, the canon girls' costumes were the same ones from the series.
But when Tatsuo saw Sakura's costume, he could not help but widen his eyes slightly.
With the heels on her boots clicking against the floor, Sakura walked towards the rest of the group wearing a pair of black, knee-length, high-heeled boots, a black skirt, also accented in purple, a crop top with a cut-out that showed off a bit of cleavage and her waist, and a black hooded cloak that reached down to her ankles, the shadow it cast hiding most of her face.
"Well, it looks like she took the shadow theme to the extreme, huh?" Tatsuo said while looking Sakura up and down, his gaze slightly attracted to the way her hips swayed with every step.
"Yeah, just like you did with the dragon motif." Akatsuki said while once again rolling her eyes at how blatantly Tatsuo was checking out Sakura.
Meanwhile, Sakura, noticing Tatsuo's stare, smiled slightly as she approached. Then, once she was standing in front of Tatsuo, she made a little twirl.
"How do I look?" Sakura asked.
"You look great." Tatsuo replied with a nod.
However, before the conversation could continue, Toshinori's voice put an end to all the conversations.
"Good! Everyone is here!" Toshinori said boisterously. "And looking good while you're at it. But now, it's time for the Battle Trial to begin."
Toshinori then reached into a space on his costume's belt and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Then, after unfolding it, he began reading the rules for the Battle Trial.