Chapter Nine
A Matter of Leadership
In…and out…in…and out…
Leaf and some other spirits were playing nearby, deep in the forest they called home. The Avatar took the time to restore the damage he had done some time ago before settling into meditation. Leaf had asked him if he needed help finding Korra again, to which he declined. He wanted to be able to access his spiritual side on his own, when he needed it.
"It'll be a long time before I can master my spiritual side," he thought. "So I might as well start now. Focus…"
Memories dripped in bit by bit the more he meditated. Flashes of the life he lived 3,000 years ago came to him in his mind's eye. Along with…something more. Flashes of a man with a scar over his eye. Chains. A giant worm digging through a desert.
He refocused. …and refocused again. He opened his eyes to see…the forest. The same forest he was physically sitting in.
Spirituality was hard.
He groaned, laying flat on his back. He wasn't much closer to mastering his spirit than he was when he found the damn book. How was he supposed to do this? A Guru maybe? Climb a mountain? Fasting? No clue.
He airbent himself up, walking calmly around the forest. This was his new favorite pastime, simply strolling through nature gave him a sense of peace that a metropolitan area just can't give him. The wind flowed around him, almost responding to his resonant power. The elements weren't just tools for him to use anymore. More and more, they became a part of him, and how he interacted with the world.
He eventually came across a small river, observing the birds whistling in the branches. His gaze wandered downstream.
He froze, almost double taking at the sight.
Down the river was an absolute behemoth of an animal. Its hooves were easily the size of dinner plates and he was about 6 feet tall at the shoulder. It drank from the stream in gulps, clearly unafraid of its surroundings. Which it definitely had the right to feel that way. Its wings flowed gracefully in the wind, without a care in the world.
In other words, it was a gigantic, jet black pegasus. The Avatar kept his gaze on the creature, stepping back a touch. Behind him, a branch snapped as he stepped on it.
Immediately, the animal whipped his head up, looking straight at Midoriya. Midoriya looked straight back, making eye contact with the beast.
"Uh…hi?"
"WHIIINNNEEY!" The animal bellowed (yes, bellowed). As if offended, the winged horse came hurtling towards the Avatar, blowing through the river with rage in its eyes. Apparently, "hi" was the wrong thing to say.
Fortunately, Izuku was better trained than that. Like a gust of wind, he spun out of the way, dodging the lightning quick steed, by only a hair. The horse then crashed through a tree without slowing down, stopped, and glared at the teen, huffing.
Midoriya floated down, holding his hands up. "Easy…not gonna hurt you…just-"
"HRRRFUFUFAH!" The horse charged again, but this time Izuku was ready. He held his ground, gaining his own horse stance, and erected a stone barrier to halt the beast.
But he just crashed straight through the stone! Like paper!
"WHA-OOF!" Midoriya found himself slammed against the horse's chest. The horse stopped suddenly, throwing Midoriya off like a ragdoll. The horse nickered, waving its head mockingly. Midoriya jumped back up. He had the wind knocked out of him, but he was alright for now.
The horse huffed again, as if to say "how dare you survive that?" Midoriya steadied himself, watching the horse's next move. His stone wall softened the blow, but he definitely bruised something there. He had to change his tactics. The beast paced back and forth like a caged animal before charging once more. But Izuku was ready this time. For real, anyway. The horse charged for him, but found itself diverted by a blast of water from the river, making him miss the boy entirely.
"Just stop already!" Midoriya cried. "What did I ever do to you?" The horse neighed in challenge, digging the ground to charge once more. This gave him an idea. He galloped to him at top speed…
But found himself stuck! The pegasus tripped in the sudden quicksand, rolling from the speed of his own charge, causing Midoriya to air-jump out of the way. He flew into a tall tree, watching the horse stumble. Within moments, he was back up, seeming to curse the ground the Avatar stood on. Then it noticed the Avatar, high in the branches.
"WHIIIINNNNEYY!" it bellowed again. What are you doing up there?
"Just…stop!" Midoriya panted. "I'm not going to hurt you, but you…need to calm down!"
Without a sound, the pegasus reared up and kicked the tree.
A tree that was at least a meter thick. Snapped like a twig!
"WHOA!" Izuku jumped off the falling tree, flying to another tree, which the horse charged through as well. Midoriya finally hit the ground, rolling into a fighting position. The horse was satisfied, digging to charge again.
"Seriously!" Midoriya complained to no one. It was time to go on the offensive. The horse charged, getting closer in an instant, but Midoriya was fed up by now.
"ENOUGH!" He yelled, sending a wave of fire into the ground with his outstretched arms. THAT stopped the horse's charge, making it rear up in rare fright, flapping one of its huge wings. The other wing opened, but flinched at the impulse. The flames roared with the Avatar's fury, however short-lived it was.
"I don't want to fight you!" He insisted. "You can trust me, ok? I'm the Ava-"
WHAM!
In response to the young man's useless attempts at conversation, his equestrian opponent turned and whackedthe Avatar with its wing, sending him flying!
"WHAAAAAAT?" He screamed as he careened away. The horse huffed with satisfaction, having rid of annoyance in his territory.
Thinking quickly, Midoriya righted himself midair, creating a small twister to lower himself safely. The attack was so strong, it sent him all the way back to his training area, where he floated down at first but dropped in exhaustion.
"Hi Izu!" Leaf waved from a tree branch. "Where you been?"
Midoriya didn't answer, heaving from exhaustion. As he looked to the sky, his mind was running a million miles per hour.
'What…the…hell…'
xXx
Compared to his early morning activities that day, class was exceptionally dull that week.
Hero training was always interesting of course, but even hero school is still a high school. Math, English, Social Studies, Art, History, the list goes on.
After lunch, which he usually eats with Iida, Uraraka and Asui, they go to the homeroom again for Hero Ethics, then straight to All Might's Heroics lesson.
That's the average day anyway, but as he walked to UA campus that morning, he could already tell today was going to be less than average.
"Excuse me! Hey you!"
That is, if the media had anything to say about it.
"Is All Might your teacher? How do you think he's adjusting to school life?" A woman barked at Izuku. The media had him surrounded on all sides, blocking his way.
"Um…I'm gonna be late to class, excuse me," He tries to push his way through, but they just wouldn't budge.
"Throw us a bone, kid!" She insisted, shoving a mic in his face. "And why are you so scuffed up anyway? Do you get pushed that hard in training?"
"Oh! Actually," but he stopped himself. That mythological horse from hell was a tall tale anyway. "Yeah…just training. Please let me pass."
Eventually he simply jumped over the ravenous journalists with a blast of wind, which they were sure to document as underage quirk use. But he'd rather get in trouble for that than be late to Aizawa's class. Honestly. As he left the media behind, a hooded figure watched the scene from afar, his red eyes glinting maliciously.
Meanwhile, not a moment too soon, Izuku found his seat in class. Seemed like half the class was running late too.
"Man, that media doesn't give up huh." Uraraka said, listening to Midoriya's run in. "Even Iida is late."
"No he's not," Midoriya checked his watch. "He's still five minutes early, and I'm sure he's on his way."
BAM
"I'm a disgrace!" Iida announced as he speed-walked in. "I'm ten minutes late to my early time! For the first time since the 3rd grade!" He dropped into his seat, clearly disturbed. "I got so caught up answering the media's questions that I totally lost track of time!"
"You sure are…dedicated." Midoriya sweatdropped. Uraraka might have said something too, if it weren't for her giggles. Eventually, the rest of the class made it inside, along with Aizawa himself. Though the man was perpetually tired, he seemed especially irked this morning.
"Everyone get in your seats already," He snapped. "Your choices today will define your entire career here at UA."
"ANOTHER SURPRISE TEST?" The class thought in unison.
…
"You need to select a class president."
"Oh good, just normal school stuff."
All at once, the entire class started clamoring for the position. In normal high schools, no one would want the unnecessary responsibility or stress of the position. But UA was different. Even Bakugo was yelling to be elected. Midoriya was about to raise his hand when…
"Quiet! Everyone!" Iida called over the chaos. "I propose we hold an election to determine who is more fit to lead! It is the only fair way!"
"Says the guy who had his hand up highest." Sato muttered to no one.
"Excuse me," Asui spoke up. "But wouldn't any of us just vote for ourselves here?"
"Which is exactly why an election is fair!" Iida insisted. "Anyone who is moved to give up the position for themselves must see something in that candidate."
"Yeah, seems legit." Kaminari agreed.
"Is that ok with you sir?" Iida asked Aizawa.
But the man was already asleep!
"I…suppose it is then." Iida deadpanned. "Then let the voting begin!"
Midoriya clicked his pen thoughtfully. On the off-chance he did make it, he might as well give himself a fighting chance. The scores were tallied and written on the board.
Yaoyorozu: 5
Midoriya: 5
Bakugo: 2
Uraraka: 2
"HOW DID I GET 5 VOTES!" Midoriya splurted.
"ALRIGHT YOU IDIOTS!" Bakugo raged. "WHO VOTED FOR THE NERD?"
"Dude, did you really think people would vote for you?" Sero questioned. Uraraka whistled innocently at Bakugo's outburst, as she did in fact vote for the nerd. She didn't know who voted for her though.
"Zero votes…" Iida despaired. "Very well…I suppose I'll leave it to you two."
"Dude, you wanted the spot, why not vote for yourself?" Kirishima asked. Midoriya looked back at his running mate. Yaoyorozu was the definition of refined. She was beautiful too and clearly smart if their time in class revealed anything.
"I have no chance." Midoriya thought. The two of them walked to the front of class.
"How shall we break the tie, Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu asked briskly.
"Ooh! Arm wrestle!" Kirishima suggested.
"No." They both said simultaneously. Deep within Midoriya's mind-space, Korra chuckled to herself, unbeknownst to the Avatar. I like her.
"Um…re-vote?" Midoriya suggested. "Just us this time?" Yaoyorozu nodded. She was confident, that was for sure.
"It will do." And so the vote was recast, including the two candidates.
"Crap, I changed my mind! This is too much!" He voted for Yaoyorozu. "Vice will do just fine for me."
Yaoyorozu: 9
Midoriya: 10
"HUH?" He couldn't believe it! Yaoyorozu shook his trembling hand.
"Congratulations, Midoriya. The class has spoken." Yaoyorozu said politely. "Sensei, we have finished."
"I'm aware." Aizawa said from his sleeping bag. He didn't even open his eyes. "Study the syllabus for the rest of homeroom. Midoriya, take charge."
"Uh…" Midoriya looked to the class, his new vice president standing next to him. "L-L-Like Aizawa-Sensei said, t-turn to the syllabus, let's review…heh…"
xXx
Deep in the Spirit World…
Meanwhile, Korra hummed in amusement, observing Izuku's antics. It seemed that the class had taken to him already, even without the knowledge of his true identity.
Though the Avatar never truly led any one nation or territory, people still look to the Avatar for guidance and hope for the future. If the Avatar believes becoming a Pro Hero is the way to do that, at least for now, then that is where he will go.
At least for now.
Though Midoriya still needed work connecting to his past life, Korra had no trouble at all connecting to Midoriya. Watching his progress as a Hero and Avatar was her favorite thing to do in the Spirit World and filled the time quite nicely.
When she wasn't watching her successor's growth, she simply roamed the Spirit World, doing her due diligence as the Avatar on this plane of existence until Izuku manages to access the realm in a more consistent manner. Calming newly awakened spirits took up much of her time, it was as if she was alive and on the job again.
She visited Hei Bai again, asking once more if the spirit had seen Avatar Aang. The Panda said no, but could feel his presence every now and then. This was his answer for the last few years, but it gave Korra hope nonetheless. The Spirit World was growing, with Avatar Izuku's improvement as a baseline. The more in touch he was with his spirituality, the more the Spirit World seemed to flourish.
Yet, she had worries. Worries about what the world had become. Quirks replaced bending in the blink of an era, and even seemed to exceed bending in many ways. And Izuku himself, while kind hearted, is still yet to see the world fully, without the lens of Heroes.
Fortunately, she knew just who to talk to. Not a past life, but an old friend.
xXx
Later, Midoriya sat at the lunch table, completely bamboozled at today's events. Him? Class President? Maybe he could just hand the position to Iida?
No, that would betray the voting system. He could switch positions with Yaoyorozu, but again, the class voted for him.
"What am I supposed to do?" he thought desperately.
"Midoriya, are you alright?" Iida asked between bites.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." He lied. "Just…just a little surprised is all."
"You shouldn't be," Uraraka piped up. "You're really smart, you know. And you really care about people! Remember Koji?"
He did. "Yeah, he really did his part. Even if he didn't fight directly!"
"Right?" Uraraka agreed. "You figured out the best way for him to contribute and it worked! That's why I voted for you anyway."
"Seriously? You did?" Midoriya exclaimed. "And you Iida?"
Tenya nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Indeed. You proved yourself capable the day of the exam in my eyes. Nearly failing to save others, it's more than most would do. That includes myself."
Midoriya didn't realize Iida was watching him that closely. He did get carried away with the Zero-Pointer. He came to realize that Iida wasn't all that bad. Just very intense and serious about his education.
"So you're not mad?" Midoriya asked tentatively. "I mean, I know you wanted to be class rep. And if I'm being honest, I don't know if I can…"
"I suggest you discard that notion as soon as you can." None other than Yaoyorozu sat down next to Iida with her large plate of food. "Your focus determines your reality, you know. If you doubt yourself, you're only holding yourself back."
"Exactly," Iida agreed. "Being a leader is more than giving commands. It's about empathy and trust, both of which you have in excess. You'll be fine."
"Yeah! What they said." Uraraka sweatdropped. "By the way, can I ask you something Iida? And you too Yaoyorozu? "
"I suppose. What is it?" Iida answered. Momo nodded as well
"We'll, with how refined you guys are, and the way you talk," Uraraka pieced together. "You're filthy rich aren't you?"
The two were taken aback, as was Midoriya. But come to think of it, Iida did need Midoriya's help with the bus station the other day. And Yaoyorozu wasn't much different. And she's here by recommendation too.
"Wait, are your parents heroes?" Midoriya asked. Iida sighed as Momo answered first.
"Heroes no, but my father runs several support companies and is rather successful. So I suppose you could say that." She seemed almost dismissive about her family's wealth. "I've seen you though, with your brother," she told Iida.
"Yes," He confirmed. "Though I was hoping to keep my family status out of my studies."
The Avatar and Successor both looked at Iida expectantly, causing him to sigh again. Momo almost giggled at the interaction as he explained.
"You see, the Iida's all come from a long line of heroes. It's the family business after all."
"What? No way!" Uraraka exclaimed. Midoriya started to remember Iida's name now.
"Wait, are you at all related to the Turbo Hero: Ingenium?" He asked. Iida puffed up with pride at the question.
"He's my elder brother!" He declared. "I hope to work at his agency and lead it one day when he retires!"
"That's amazing Iida!" Midoriya said. "With their support, you'll be an excellent hero for sure!"
"Yes, but it's clear I have more to learn." Iida gave a rare smile. "You showed me that, Midoriya. I look forward to catching up with you."
"Well, I still don't know about tha-"
BWOOO BWOOO BWOOO! RED ALERT: LEVEL THREE!
An alarm blared through the dining hall, whipping the students into a frenzy as they made for the exit.
"What's going on!" Iida yelled over the noise.
"A level three means an intruder!" A third year answered. "This has never happened before! Now move!" Midoriya made for the exit with everyone else, but everyone was so panicked, the hallways became clogged with students, all pushing and shoving to get through.
He found himself pressed against the window, finding the "intruder".
"WE WANT AN INTERVIEW THIS ALL MIGHT! JUST A SOUNDBITE!" The lady who was interrogating him earlier was leading the charge of reporters onto campus. Present Mic and Aizawa intercepted them, holding them back.
"It's just the press!" He realized. "There's no emergency!" he called out to Uraraka.
"Great!" she yelled back. "Tell them that!"
"HEY, EVERYONE! CALM DOWN!" He yelled the best he could, but no one could even see him! If this continued, someone could be hurt!
Time for drastic measures! He reached out to Uraraka. "Make me float!"
"Got it!" She reached back over the crowd, slapping his hand. Instantly, the pull of gravity vanished, allowing him to fly easily with airbending. He blasted himself to the banister, in clear view of the UA students.
Take charge! Lead! He took in a huge breath of air…
"STOP!"
Using airbending in his throat, Midoriya's voice struck like thunder, reverberating throughout the entire hall, and into the rest of the school too. Everyone froze at the sudden, very loud shout and looked up at the Avatar.
"EVERYTHING IS FINE! IT IS JUST THE MEDIA!" Though toned down a bit, his voice still carried over his audience, reaching every student with ease. "THERE IS NO EMERGENCY! SO PLEASE, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELVES AND CALMLY FIND YOUR NEAREST EMERGENCY EXIT! ONE AT A TIME PLEASE!"
As they calmed down, more students took the time to look out to the reporters, who were not being escorted off-campus. No emergency. Just entitled journalists.
He let go of the wall, gently floating back to the floor, allowing Uraraka to release her quirk. "That was great, Deku!"
"Y-Yeah!" He shakily replied. "I hope it wasn't too much or anything…"
"You did just fine," she assured him. "No one got hurt after all."
He looked around, the hallway was much less crowded now that everyone was moving. He took a moment to realize. He took command. And people listened!
Maybe he wouldn't be too bad at this after all?
xXx
Deep in the Spirit World…
"It is good to see you, Korra. I was wondering if you would visit me again." Deep in the wilds of the Spirit World, an old man smiled up at the Avatar, who matched him with her own grin.
"Likewise, Iroh. Have you been well?"
"I have, better as of late. Would you care for some tea?"
"Always."
Avatar Korra always enjoyed her talks with Iroh when she was living. When she passed on however, she had the vague sense that she was asleep for a long time. When she awoke, she found herself in the Spirit World once more, connected to a soul in the physical world.
She may be here permanently, but it was a long time until the Spirit World lit up with life as it usually was. Even old friends were nowhere to be found. Until now.
"The spiritual plane is healing nicely," Iroh said kindly. "Every day that the Avatar walks the earth, the greater the connection between the two worlds. Many spirits have woken from their slumber thanks to his return."
"Yes," she replied wistfully. "I can only hope that the world goes back to the way it was."
Iroh chuckled at her wish. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."
"What do you mean?"
"The world may never return to 'normal' per se. You know this well, Avatar." He gestured to the great expanse of forest they sat in. "The very nature of the world is to change, like the turn of the seasons. We cannot stop nature anymore than young Izuku can stop being the Avatar."
Korra sipped her tea in thought. She knew he was right. But something still felt remiss to her. Even from the spiritual realm, she could feel…darkness.
"There's something out there Iroh." Korra set her tea down. "The world has changed, but one thing hasn't. There's a darkness that surrounds humanity, stronger than it ever was. Not even before Wan was it this bad."
"This much is true," the elder agreed. "The way things are now, the world will begin to fall in on itself without guidance."
Korra shook her head in dismay. "My successor…he's very…how shall I put this…"
"Kind-hearted." Iroh smiled. "He sees the best in people, to a fault. And he seeks balance in the world around him. I would say he reminds me of your predecessor in a sense."
"Yes, but he's also soft." Korra interjected. "I know him like I know myself. While he is patient, he's also ill prepared. This evil, whatever form that takes, may be too much for him."
"Perhaps," Iroh said sagely. "But he is a flower not in bloom. He has growing to do, Korra. You must let him make his mistakes. Let him earn his seat as the Avatar."
Korra sighed. "You're saying I shouldn't fight his battles for him."
Iroh refilled her teacup. "You were a fine Avatar, Korra. You kept balance in the world for many decades after your death without even realizing it. Now, it is his turn." He patted her shoulder. "He will return balance to the world. Even if the meaning of that has changed a bit. He is the Avatar after all."
"I suppose you're right." Korra seemed to pout. "I guess I am trying to give him what I lost. Even if it's out of reach."
Iroh sipped with a smile. "Don't be so sure…"
xXx
"And forget that the field trip to the USJ is tomorrow." Midoriya read out to the class, now that it was the end of day. "For the trip, bring a packed lunch and your hero suits if you feel so inclined. It can be noted that your specific gear may be unsuited for rescue operations. Use your discretion. Yaoyorozu, anything else?"
"Yes," Momo took over. "Though it's still some time away, the UA Sports Festival is coming up and will be an excellent opportunity to be scouted by attending hero agencies for internships and future work studies. Be sure to train hard for the challenge." She flipped through her notepad. "I believe that's everything, Aizawa-Sensei."
"Good. You're dismissed." Aizawa arose from his sleeping bag, walking out of the classroom for a new napping location. Midoriya was packing up when someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hm? What's up Yaoyorozu?"
"I just wanted to apologize," Momo began. "I was…overly critical of you from the start and assumed an easy win. I hope you'll forgive me."
"Ah…it's no big deal!" Midoriya waved the apology away. "To be honest, I kinda sell myself short too, so really, don't worry."
"I see," she gave a small smile. "I'm glad to hear it. Call me if you need anything class rep-wise."
"Yeah, for sure! See ya!"
On his way out, he rejoined Uraraka and Iida, who were talking about what rescue training may look like for high speed heroes like Ingenium. As Midoriya joined in on the conversation, having thought about that too, he couldn't help but be thankful for finding good friends here at UA. He even accepted a challenge from Iida to race! Midoriya had to admit, he really didn't know exactly how fast he could run with airbending, just that it was as fast as wind. He honestly didn't expect the quick friendship, given past experience.
After all, no man was an island.
After taking the train home, he decided to take a small detour. He shot his mom a text and made his way to the forest, switching to airbending as he got out of range of civilization. He leapt through the trees with practiced ease, flowing with the wind to his destination.
But he wasn't headed to his meditation nook. Not this time.
"There you are…" he muttered, stopping high in the treetops. Below him was that infernal beast from this morning. Its wings were tucked as it roamed through the forest floor, grazing peacefully. For now.
Midoriya kept watching, waiting for an opening. He felt the Pegasus's strength first-hand, specifically in its wing. And yet, not once in their fight did it actually fly. It charged, kicked, barreled, and hit hard, but did not fly, even when it was advantageous to do so.
Sure it could just be too heavy to fly, but why the wings? It wouldn't need them if it couldn't fly.
So why?
He soon spotted his answer as he watched the beast. He couldn't believe he didn't notice it before. One of his wings was tangled in thick rope, preventing flight. Against the horse's dark coat, the brown rope was almost invisible to one not paying attention.
Carefully, he positioned himself above the winged horse, waiting for just the right moment.
Almost in position…
…
…
'NOW!'
He dropped down like a rock, landing squarely on the Pegasus's back.
"WHIIINNNEEY?" In an instant, the beast bucked and fought against the Avatar, resorting to slamming into its surroundings to remove the impudent rider. Midoriya produced a rope of water, holding himself to his steed.
But it wasn't working! The water broke several times as he tried to hang on. Abandoning the idea, he switched right to plan B. Holding on for dear life, he slashed at the net with the stream of water.
Some of it cut through, loosening the net! The horse felt the net weaken, and began to thrash his wing free.
"Wait! I'm not done!" Midoriya pleaded. "Let me help!" He struck with his water again.
"WHINNEY!?" The pegasus cried in pain. The Avatar missed, slashing at the wing itself.
"Sorry! One more time!" Before the beast could protest again…
SLASH!
The net fell away, now in pieces. Both horse and rider stared at the mess on the ground. Slowly, the Pegasus spread his wings fully, feeling nothing hindering his reach.
"YES!" Midoriya celebrated.
And apparently, the pegasus felt like celebrating too.
BWOOOOOSH!
"WAAAAAA!"
In a single movement, they both soaring into the sky! The Pegasus struggled for a second from non-use, but kept climbing higher and higher as the sun began to set. The city lights blurred past them as they soared further up, Izuku clutching for dear life. They settled into cruising speed, thousands of feet in the air.
"Woah…" Izuku looked all around, gazing at Japan from a bird's point of view. He could even see the other side of the country, spotting the western coast. "Amazing! This is amazing!"
The horse jerked its head back, peering at the boy. Briefly, the beast considered a quick barrel roll to rid itself of his passenger. But…the weirdo did help him out of the snare, so he'll let it slide this time.
They flew together for a while longer, soaring and diving through the clouds, releasing the pent up energy from being trapped for so long. Eventually, they set back down in the forest, skidding through the moss and underbrush. Izuku practically fell off, plopping down to the ground in exhaustion. And excitement.
He heaved and grinned from the experience, up until the pegasus was staring right at him, inches away from his face. The horse seemed to glare before huffing harshly and turning away from the boy. A truce.
The Avatar chuckled. Looks like he can handle a lot more than he thought he could. Maybe being a hero won't be so tough after all.
xXx
Ding dong!
Iida waited patiently outside the quaint apartment building, taking note of his surroundings. The plants sitting on the railing were well kept, with vibrant greens and yellows abundant. The door creaked open, revealing a shorter, green-haired woman.
"Hello?" Inko greeted the boy. "Are you Izuku's friend?"
"Yes! It is very nice to meet you ma'am!" Iida answered. "May I come in?"
"Oh course," she waved him in. "Make yourself at home!"
"Thank you," he stepped in stiffly. Despite the clearly cheap apartment, Mrs. Midoriya had elevated the space into a spacious, clean homestead. Candles were lit in various locations, along with tall glasses of water. It seemed that Midoriya kept his elements close within the comfort of his own home. It was relaxing.
What wasn't relaxing was the jet of water that flew out of a glass just next to Tenya, shot past him, and splashed into Izuku's sweaty face as he walked in, back from a workout. He washed up in seconds and snaked the water back into the sink, like nothing happened.
"Oh, Iida! You made it!" Midoriya said cheerfully, pulling out his bookbag. "I didn't get you with my water, did I?"
"No, just missed me," he responded, setting his own bag in a chair at the dining table. "May I ask, why so much water around the house? You can make fire and air, after all."
"Actually, I can't," Izuku answered, taking a seat. "Air just exists everywhere and fire is a bit of a special case. But I can't just conjure water or earth from nowhere."
"I see! So you need a source of some kind for physical elements, very interesting." Iida cracked open a math book for studying. "I can't just run with nothing either, I need a fuel source to use my Engine."
"Wow! What do you use?" Midoriya asked, taking out a notebook. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Funny enough, orange juice." Iida answered. They both got to the current page in class. "Enough of that though, let's go over this theorem again…"
Both hero students went to work, solving not only the homework for the next week but delving into next week's lessons as well. Midoriya was a quick study, easily keeping pace with the elite student ahead of him. While he reread some past work, he twirled a tongue of fire between his fingertips. Just another control exercise he came up with to avoid burns.
Inko, out of sight of her son, shed happy tears at the development. Her baby had friends! Real friends! Meanwhile, the two friends began to talk about studies as a whole.
"Do think if we asked again," Iida asked, snacking on a sandwich Inko had brought before. "Uraraka would want to study after school as well?"
"I don't know," Midoriya answered. "She said she's got a full schedule, so I don't want to press her. Besides, School after school isn't everyone's thing, you know?"
"I suppose," Iida figured. "But shouldn't everyone be trying hard? This is the top hero program after all."
"True, but everyone's different." Midoriya explained. "I'm sure she's got other priorities too, besides heroes anyway."
"Okay…but I still think some members of our class need to try harder if they want to stay at U.A." Iida insisted. "Kaminari, for example. He's a bit lackadaisical, if you ask me."
"Hmm…" Midoriya solved another equation. "You can't really control others though…if Kaminari wants to be a hero, I'm sure he'll shape up on his own."
Iida still seemed frustrated, so Midoriya followed up. "But…well, it doesn't mean we can't support them in their studies! I'm sure we can help them somehow…"
Iida brightened up. "You're right, Midoriya. We'll be there to support them if they need it. Maybe you and Yaoyorozu can devise something."
Midoriya paused. He totally forgot he was even class president. He could do some kind of study hall with everyone else.
"Maybe we can…" he tapped his lip with his pencil. "Wish Uraraka was here…" he muttered.
"What was that?"
"Oh! Uh…nothing! Nothing…heh…"