Chapter 12: I Am Here... and Battle Costumes!
For Natsu Dragneel, the morning curriculum at U.A. High School presented a challenge far greater than any physical test. It wasn't about fighting giant robots or running at supersonic speeds. It was about facing a monster far more terrifying: English Grammar.
Standing at the podium, Present Mic screamed sentences as if he were headlining a rock concert, explaining relative pronouns with aggressive enthusiasm.
"Alright, listeners!!" Present Mic shouted, pointing at a sentence on the chalkboard. "Who can tell me where the mistake is in this sentence?! Come on, I want to see some energy!!"
In the back row, Natsu was fighting a losing battle against consciousness. His head bobbed rhythmically, his eyes rolled back, and a thin line of drool connected his lip to the desk. To him, the English words floating in the air sounded like ancient, indecipherable spells that induced sleep.
"Hey, Natsu..." whispered Happy, who was hiding inside Natsu's desk drawer (permitted by Aizawa on the condition of absolute silence). "Wake up! The teacher is looking right at you!"
In his dream, Natsu was facing a massive beast. He clenched his fist.
"Hah?"
SLAM!
Natsu slammed his hands on the desk and shot up to a standing position, eyes blazing with sleep-induced fury.
"FIRE DRAGON'S... ROAR!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, taking a deep combat breath.
The silence that followed was deafening. Present Mic froze mid-gesture. The entire class turned to stare.
Natsu blinked, the adrenaline fading as he realized there was no monster, just a very confused English teacher and nineteen staring classmates.
"Pfft..." Denki Kaminari covered his mouth, snickering. "Dragon's Roar? Dude, dragons are only in RPGs. You playing too many video games?"
"Hahaha!" The class erupted into laughter.
Natsu sat back down slowly, his face burning hotter than his fire. He didn't argue back. He just slumped into his chair.
"You're embarrassing us, man..." Happy whispered from the dark safety of the drawer.
The rest of the morning dragged on. Math, Modern Literature, History... it was all disappointingly normal. For Natsu, it felt like keeping a wild beast trapped in a cardboard box.
But when the afternoon rolled around, the atmosphere shifted.
The boredom evaporated. The students sat up straighter, their eyes sharp. They were waiting for that class. Hero Basic Training.
Suddenly, without warning—
"I AM HERE!!"
The classroom door burst open with unnecessary force. A massive figure in a suit colored like the American flag strode in, his cape fluttering despite the lack of wind.
"COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!!"
"It's All Might!!" the class cheered in unison.
"Wow! He's wearing his Silver Age costume!"
"His presence alone fills the room with pressure!"
Natsu's eyes sparkled. Happy hopped out of the drawer, hovering next to Natsu's ear.
"He's huge!" Natsu shouted, vibrating with excitement. "So that's the Number One Hero?!"
"Natsu, look!" Happy pointed a paw. "His hair stands up like bunny ears! Is he a rabbit?"
All Might ignored the rabbit comment with professional grace, marching to the podium.
"I teach Hero Basic Training!" All Might announced, his voice booming. "It is a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basics of being a hero. And today, we're jumping right into it!"
He pulled out a card with the word BATTLE written on it.
"Combat Training!!"
"Combat?!" Katsuki Bakugo's head snapped up, a feral grin spreading across his face.
"Real fighting?" Natsu clenched his fist, a small flame flickering on his knuckles. "Finally! No more English Literature!!"
"But!" All Might raised a finger. "You can't fight in school uniforms, can you?"
He pointed to the side wall. Mechanical shelves slid out, holding numbered suitcases.
"Based on the Quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started..." All Might shouted. "YOUR COSTUMES ARE HERE!!"
The class erupted.
"Awesome!!"
"Our own gear!!"
Natsu scrambled to the shelves, hunting for box number 11. He grabbed the heavy silver case.
"Hey, Natsu!" Happy flew beside him. "Did my request come through too?"
"Your request?" Natsu looked at the cat.
"Yeah! I ordered a tactical emergency backpack!"
Natsu laughed. "We'll see! Let's go suit up!"
Minutes later, in the tunnel leading to Ground Beta.
The tunnel was dark, but the bright sunlight of the mock city waited at the end. The sound of footsteps echoed, and with every step, the students transformed from teenagers into heroes.
"They say clothes make the man, young men and ladies..." All Might's voice waited for them outside.
One by one, they stepped into the light.
Tenya Iida walked out in armor that looked like a high-end engine. Ochaco Uraraka emerged in a pink and black suit designed to minimize nausea. Bakugo wore massive grenade-shaped gauntlets.
"From now on..." All Might looked at them with pride. "You are all Heroes!!"
Then, Natsu Dragneel stepped out.
His costume was a blend of simplicity and wild aggression.
He wore a black vest with gold trimming, left completely open to expose his muscular chest and abs—a necessary design to allow his skin to breathe and release intense heat without burning fabric. He wore loose, white knee-length trousers that allowed for maximum mobility, ending in sturdy black combat sandals. On his right arm, a black leather band wrapped around his bicep.
But the most important piece was the white, scale-patterned scarf wrapped securely around his neck, the ends fluttering behind him like a tail.
"Whoa!" Mina Ashido whistled, adjusting her own turquoise and purple camouflage pattern. "You look like a fantasy character, Natsu! Where's the shirt?"
"Shirts just get in the way of the fire!" Natsu laughed, flexing his arms. "I need room to burn!"
"Me too!"
Happy flew out from behind Natsu's shoulder. He was wearing a tiny green backpack strapped around his belly, with a fish symbol stitched on it.
"This is my snack pouch!" Happy declared proudly.
"Kawaiiii!!" Uraraka and Tsuyu squealed instantly.
Momo Yaoyorozu, standing nearby, didn't say a word. She maintained her elegant posture, but her cheeks flushed a deep pink, and her eyes sparkled as she stared at the cat with the tiny backpack. So... incredibly... cute!
Izuku Midoriya walked up, wearing a green full-body suit with long ears on the hood.
"Cool costume, Natsu-kun," Midoriya said nervously.
"And you look..." Natsu tilted his head, studying the green ears and the face mask. "...like a frog, maybe?"
A drop of sweat rolled down the back of Midoriya's head. "Is that what I look like?"
"Alright, you embryos!" All Might gathered their attention. "Time is short! We start Combat Training now!"
All Might explained the rules: The class would be split into teams of two—Heroes and Villains. The Villains would guard a nuclear weapon (a paper-mache bomb) inside a building, and the Heroes had to capture the villains or touch the bomb within the time limit.
"Since young Sato transferred out, we have exactly twenty students, including young Dragneel!" All Might announced. "That makes ten perfect teams! No leftovers!"
He pulled out a lottery box.
Team A: Izuku Midoriya & Ochaco Uraraka.
Team B: Mezo Shoji & Shoto Todoroki.
...
Team D: Katsuki Bakugo & Tenya Iida.
The tension rose. Natsu bounced on his heels, smoke puffing from his mouth. "Me! Pick me!"
Finally, All Might drew the letters.
"And Team J will be... Eijiro Kirishima and Natsu Dragneel!"
"YEAH!!" Natsu and Kirishima shouted in unison, slamming their fists together in a manly dap.
"The Manliness Team!" Kirishima grinned, hardening his skin. "This is gonna be epic, Natsu!"
"Let's burn up the field, Spiky-Hair!" Natsu grinned back.
"Now..." All Might reached into two other boxes labeled 'VILLAIN' and 'HERO'.
"The first match will be..."
He pulled two balls. Time seemed to freeze.
"Team A (Heroes) vs Team D (Villains)!!"
Midoriya's eyes widened in horror as he looked at Bakugo.
Bakugo didn't look at Midoriya. He was punching his palm, creating small explosions, his eyes shining with lethal intent.
"Hey, Natsu..." Happy whispered, hiding behind Natsu's leg. "Is it just me, or does Bakugo actually want to kill Midoriya?"
Natsu crossed his arms. His playful grin vanished, replaced by a sharp, analytical look. He watched the two rivals.
"This isn't just training..." Natsu muttered low. "It smells like gunpowder... and old grudges."
All Might turned to the rest of the class.
"Everyone else, head to the monitoring room! Team A and Team D, get ready! Match starts in five minutes!"
As the students began to walk toward the monitoring room, Natsu passed by a trembling Midoriya. Natsu stopped and placed a heavy, warm hand on Midoriya's shoulder.
"Midoriya," Natsu said seriously.
Midoriya looked up, his eyes full of anxiety.
"Don't think about running," Natsu said, his onyx eyes piercing through Midoriya's fear. "A Dragon doesn't turn his back on an enemy. Face him. Show him you're not a pebble on the road anymore."
Then, Natsu grinned and slapped his back. "And if you fail, I'll beat him up for you later!"
Midoriya swallowed hard, but the words sparked a small fire in his chest. He nodded firmly. "R-Right!"
Natsu walked into the dim monitoring room, standing beside Kirishima and Mina as the giant screens lit up with the faces of their classmates.
"Let's see..." Natsu said, tightening his scarf. "Let's see how U.A. students fight."
The countdown began. The first battle was about to explode.
.
.