All Might's Class 1A

Fighting Back

The most striking thing about lunch that day was that it was eaten in total silence. At the appropriate time, all the students materialized from their various training sessions and stumbled to the room that had been converted into a cafeteria for them. They more fell than sat down in their chairs and only communicated with one another in grunts.

The actual meal was eaten fairly quickly, but more than one student lazily pushed a few crumbs around on their plate, hoping to stall to get a longer break. For once, Shota's normal look and personality didn't stand out. If given the chance, every one of those students would have fallen asleep right then and there, but Gran Torrino and Lady Gator came and roused the students.

With more than a few muttered curses, the students forced themselves to their feet and shambled off to continue the torture that was currently masquerading as their training.

"Look at all of you," Gran Torrino said.

The sun was setting and all of Class 1a stood, some of them just barely, in front of Gran Torrino and the other pro heroes.

"You know what you are feeling right now? That burning in your muscles and that heavy feeling in your limbs. This is how it feels to go up against someone who is better than you. Some of you are feeling this for the first time in your life and it doesn't feel great. I imagine that quite a few of you hate me right now and that is okay. I don't need you to like it for it to make you stronger. If you never push yourself than you will never get stronger and this is what pushing yourself feels like," Gran Torrino said.

I am supposed to be the number one hero. No one is supposed to be better than me, Toshinori thought bitterly.

His limbs were quivering and felt like jelly yet he hadn't gotten with arms length of Mr. Gyakura.

Gran Torrino shot a glance in his direction as if he could tell what Toshinori was thinking.

"If you thought getting stronger was easy then you were just kidding yourself. We try to make everything realistic at U.A. You should remember, however, that until you walk across that stage at graduation, you are not heroes yet. Even when you become them, the job isn't easy. If you wanted a soft gig than you might as well leave camp now and let Principal Nezu know you want to join General Studies or the Business Course instead," Gran Torrino said.

He paused for a moment.

The students of Class 1a stood there, beaten and humilated with bruises, cuts, and pain. Not one of them moved to take Gran Torrino's offer. 

We may be down now, but none of us are broken, Toshinori thought.

He stood up straighter and one by one, the other U.A. students followed suit. They met the eyes of their mentors and glared back with determination and defiance on their faces.

"Very well. I see none of you are leaving so I will assume you are ready for what comes next," Gran Torrino said. "Today, your teachers did nothing more than dodge and let you use your quirks. That helps to build endurance, but it isn't realistic. So tomorrow, they are going to be more than just punching bags and, while they won't attack you with their full power, they will do more than dodge tomorrow. Eat and rest up while you can."

Class 1a groaned and then the students broke up and shuffled off in the direction of their rooms. Everyone of them had only three things on their mind: a hot shower, dinner, and sleep. None of them dared to think about what tomorrow would be like for them.

Toshinori sat alone in the darkness, listening to the other students snore. The boys shared a single large room in the skyscraper and most of them had fallen asleep the second they got into the sleeping bags they had inside the room.

Toshinori knew he should be sleeping as well, but he couldn't stop thinking about the morning. He hadn't even been able to land a hit today so how was he going to evade Mr. Gyakura's attacks and still try to land his own.

Some number one hero in training I am, Toshinori thought.

"You are thinking so loud that it's a wonder the others can't hear you."

Toshinori jumped to see Ishi sitting up on top of his sleeping bag. His posture was slumped and he looked as tired as the rest of Toshinori's classmates.

"Sorry," Toshinori said.

"Don't be. Everyone thinks Enji is the arrogant one, but really is you," Ishi said.

Toshinori blinked.

"Ok?" he said.

"You act like you are a hero already. Like you are one of the teachers and not a student so you think you should have it all together," Ishi began.

But I should. I am supposed to be_ Toshinori thought.

"There you go again. Toshinori, we are all here for a reason and that isn't just being a hero. We are all here to learn and not just to check a box. So get down from the pedestal you have put yourself on and stop moping about your mistakes," Ishi said.

Toshinori took a moment to breath and realized that Ishi was right. He wasn't the number one hero yet and he still had a lot to learn. Who was he to assume that becoming the number one hero was easy?

Take pride, Toshinori. You had to win what you got.

Master had said those words to him. His heart ached as he thought of her, but the words helped him realize that if he'd had to work hard to get one for all than he'd been a fool to assume that he had to do anything less to become the number one hero.

"You are right, Ishi. Thanks," Toshinori said.

"Your  welcome. Since we are both up, though, we might as well figure out how to keep from getting beaten up tomorrow," Ishi said.

"Other than taking Gran Torrino up on his offer and joining a different class, I can't see how to avoid that. Mr. Gyakura's quirk makes any motion worse than useless. He can just reverse it and I win up flat on the ground. Now that he is allowed to use it offensively, I am sure that my own fists will be flying into my face tomorrow," Toshinori said.

"Gran Torrino is not any easier. He moves to quickly for me to react, let alone use my quirk on him," Ishi said.

Too quickly to react... Toshinori thought and then he smiled as the answer to his problem popped into his head.

"Great thought. That isn't going to help me, though," Ishi said.

Toshinori snuggled into his sleeping bag finally overwhelmed by exhaustion. "You have got all night. I am sure you will think of something."

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The words Toshinori remembers from his master are from the manga, specifically from one of the chapters about his fight with All for One. I thought that they would be appropriate and meaningful for Toshinori here. More of Gran Torrino being brutal today. I figure that Aizawa copies him and that is why Aizawa is such a brutal teacher later on. Come back next week for the next part: "Nightmare"