The students of Class 1-A were woken up before the sun rose. Most of them were barely standing, their eyes narrowed, skin sticky, and hair messy.
Without warning, a mantle of darkness rose from the ground, enveloping Tokoyami, Shōji, Ojiro, and Todoroki.
Before they could react to what had happened, a sudden wave of water crashed into the students, finally waking them up from their daze.
The sand turned into mud and disintegrated, releasing those it had trapped, totally dry.
The four turned around to see their classmates cursing and getting up a few meters from their position.
—Why was that!?— Kaminari yelled through gritted teeth.
—You bastard, I'll kill you!!— Bakugo barked.
—Get your ass over here so I can shove my foot up it!— Toru bellowed, which puzzled many around her.
Aizawa, Tetsumaru, and Mei approached them, both men with bored expressions and the kunoichi smiling slightly.
—Relax. I needed you to be awake, and your classmates were kind enough to help me— Aizawa said with a yawn.
—What about them!?— Mina pointed at those who were still dry.
—They didn't look like the walking dead, so I let them off— Tetsumaru shrugged.
—Now, pay attention, because today is going to be a very tough day— Aizawa began with a chilling smile.
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—Take this!— exclaimed Kaibara Sen, aiming a rotating fist at Terumi Mei.
The kunoichi stepped aside and stomped a kick onto Kaibara's calf, unbalancing him. She bombarded him with a flurry of light punches.
The young man defended and backed away, but realized the blows were not particularly strong. He assumed he was paired with the girl because she had good technique, but at the end of the day, it is strength that determines the winner.
Confident, Kaibara dropped his guard and tried to rush his opponent.
However, when he pulled his arm back and rotated it with his Quirk, a sharp pain stopped him dead in his tracks.
His limb stopped rotating, trembling slightly. He opened his eyes wide, but Mei gave him no time to process what had happened.
With a spin, the kunoichi delivered a back kick to his chest, which made him fall onto his back, ending the match.
To the side, Tiger nodded in approval at the girl while giving Midoriya a monumental beating.
Elsewhere, Pony unleashed a shower of horns into the air, trying to knock down some pesky Satetsu spheres.
She was surprised when the intimidating Tetsumaru told her to follow him and led her to a secluded spot. The girl couldn't help but feel like he was going to confess his love, but in reality, Tetsumaru simply made her training harder.
He suggested that she improve her aim, as well as the number of shots she could fire.
Now poor Pony was running from side to side and almost broke her neck a couple of times chasing the sand spheres.
At the same time, TetsuTetsu and Kirishima were facing crushing pressure, courtesy of the sand coffin. The tough guys were subjected to intense resistance training.
The goal was not to improve hardness, but the time they could maintain it.
And while this was happening, the shinobi was being mysterious and cool, standing off to the side with a distant gaze and his arms crossed.
—Take the training seriously!— a panting Kaminari yelled at him.
Tetsumaru raised a hand, pointing his thumb behind him. Some students from both classes turned around and their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
A gigantic Slinky made of sand was "walking" through the forest about three hundred meters from their position.
—I'm training my effective control over long distances. For now, this is my limit before the construction loses its coordination— he calmly explained.
—E-effective control? So at what distance do you stop controlling that sand?— asked Kojiro Bondo, from Class B.
—That's a secret— Tetsumaru said.
After a moment of observing the more than twenty-meter-long Slinky, Kaminari had a flash of inspiration, turning to the shinobi with hopeful eyes.
—Tetsumaru, do you have any advice on how to improve my control?
—Yes.
—No way, really!?— the blonde exclaimed.
—It's good that you noticed. Your biggest problem doesn't lie in your body's load limit, but in that very inefficient output you have. Sure, more power always helps, but using that power wisely is also useful and important— the shinobi explained.
—Do you think I could control a large amount of sand from the beginning? In the early days, I barely gathered enough to cover my hand.
But when I could cover my body with it, I stopped trying to control more, and started using what I had more efficiently.
Movement, small-scale two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes—as he spoke, more sand was released from his seals, illustrating his explanation.
Replicas of intricately designed Towers the size of his palm up to a version as tall as a tree formed behind him.
—I reached a point where I don't need to see what my sand is doing to know if I'm doing it right or wrong. Once I secured that, I began focusing on even larger scales.
Suddenly, the sand began molding into an endless number of random constructions, joining the large tower and expanding its height and width. Gates and chains were formed, erecting them similarly to an old castle.
Everyone else watched him with curiosity and respect. Those close enough to hear his words seriously reflected on how to progress with their respective Quirks.
—Kōta— Tetsumaru called, surprising the boy who was spying between the trees, staring open-mouthed at the colossal tower.
—Y-yes!?— he squeaked.
—Find a bucket of water, please.
The boy immediately moved, returning a few minutes later with the requested item.
—Kaminari, you can train this way to improve your control and emission of electricity. It won't interfere with your current training, and in fact, it's much better if you wear yourself out before trying this method— Tetsumaru said, turning to the blonde.
—But what should I do?— Kaminari questioned, tilting his head.
—Put your hand in and discharge electricity. Emit a little so you don't hurt people, and make that electricity dance around your hand without touching it.
Kaminari thought about it. He quickly shook his head.
—That's not possible. I can't command the current to move once it leaves my body.
—Have you tried it?— the black-haired man questioned, drawing his sand closer and storing it in his seals. —Mei produces water, and even though her control isn't like mine, she can move it.
Without realizing it, those words made Kōta shiver.
—Even if you can't move the electricity, controlling the output could be useful for other things. You lose nothing by trying— the shinobi concluded.
By the end of the day, Ragdoll and Pixie Bob informed the students that it was their duty to cook their own food.
Given that everyone was exhausted and still a bit resentful that Tetsumaru and Mei hadn't suffered with them, they quickly passed the responsibility to the duo.
—Alright, but I don't know how to cook curry— Mei said with a shrug.
—What!? But if you guys cook so well, how the heck don't you know how to make curry!?— Mina questioned in disbelief.
—We cook Western food because we like it more— Tetsumaru clarified.
In the end, the group was forced to help.