Calm tosses Alden aside.
Calm: That was pretty careless of you.
Hayze’s left eye is normal, but his right eye is blue.
Hayze: Well, this wasn’t a “real” fight.
Everyone looks very confused.
Eve: (What the?)
The rain starts to die down to just a drizzle.
Justus: Is that…
Hayze turns around and notices the rest of the class running outside.
Hayze: Oh, hey, everybody.
Ash: Uh… who is tha-
Saige: Calm!
Saige runs up and hugs Calm tight.
Saige: I finally get to meet you!
Calm: You’re pressing your breasts into my chest to instill unwanted arousal. Your efforts will require more subtly to succeed.
Saige: So you’re saying they can succeed?
Calm: With my counterpart? Yes.
Saige: Noted.
Hayze: *under his breath* This is Calm, everyone, not Khaos if that’s what you’re worried about.
Everyone is silent as they stare at Hayze and Calm.
Calm: I think they are alarmed.
Hayze: You really are logical, huh?
Saige: Don’t worry, everyone. Khaos is the only one of Hayze’s personalities that’s bad.
Calm: Wrath.
Saige: One of two.
Calm: Potentially Gale.
Saige: Two and a half.
Kevin walks up and looks at Calm.
Kevin: Man, he looks exactly like you. Well, except for the interchangeable eyes.
Hayze: He’s a physical manifestation that I can call upon.
Kevin: Yeah… I remember this is how you were able to break free of your own body and fight Khaos back at the coliseum. Good times.
Blair steps forward.
Blair: Can I ask a quick question?
Hayze and Calm: Hm?
Blair: What are you and Eve doing down here? Nobody saw you go down the stairs.
Eve gets nervous.
Eve: Uh… we…
Hayze: Alden climbed up to my window and attempted to get back inside. When Eve knocked on my door to let me know dinner was ready, she noticed him. She tried to knock him off, but Alden grabbed onto her and dragged her down. Luckily she landed on Alden and broke her fall. I wanted to make sure she was okay as quickly as possible, so I activated my water quirk and scaled the side of the building.
Blair: Then why is Calm here?
Hayze: Oh, Alden tried to attack me, saying something like, “My darling Ash will love me if I defeat Hayze,” and Calm here jumped the gun to “save” me. Right, Calm?
Calm stares at Hayze for a moment.
Calm: Yes, that is true.
Blair looks at Eve.
Blair: Is it, Eve?
Eve: Uh… Yeah! That little weasel Alden wouldn’t let me go.
Ash walks over to Alden and starts kicking the shit out of him.
Ash: WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT CALLING ME, DARLING!
Alden: I ONLY GET ONE A DAY!
Ash: EXACTLY!
Silver eye’s narrow.
Silver: (So, this is Hayze’s new ability? He’s always coming up with new tricks, isn’t he?)
Silver walks back inside with no one noticing.
Silver: (No matter, I’ve got some new tricks of my own.)
The ring fragment stops glowing and Calm fades away.
Justus: So, if I have this right, you have four more personalities like him inside of your mind.
Hayze: Yeah… it hasn’t always been like this, but that’s how it is now. Calm is the only one of the five who trusts me, so he’s the only one I can physically call upon.
Alexis: What do you mean by “it hasn’t always been like this?”
Hayze: Remember when I missed the first day of school after our internships concluded?
Alexis: Yeah.
Hayze: My internship was the first time any of them showed signs of life. Khaos took over my body. Luckily, the only person around was the hero I was interning with. He neutralized Khaos after a short scuffle. However, I was put in a coma for the next week.
Alexis: Well, that adds up.
Angel: What’s it like when he’s in control? Are you still conscious of everything going on?
Hayze: The first time, no. This most recent time, I was standing in an empty void with the other four personalities. I could see everything, but I had no control over my body.
Kevin: That has to be a weird feeling.
Wes: I have a question: how were you able to actually break free of your own body. You said it was an ability, but how did that work?
Hayze: My mind isn’t a dictatorship. Just because one of us is in control doesn’t mean the rest have no say in our actions. If the five other personalities can come to a unanimous decision, we can override whoever is in charge.
Lilith: Well, that’s simple enough!
Alexis: Lilith, I’m no psychologist expert, but getting five regular people to unanimously agree on something as trivial as where to eat can be difficult. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to convince 4 alternate versions of yourself to do anything.
Lilith: Oh… right.
Hayze: I could only get them all to agree after I proposed being physically manifested to fight Khaos. A couple of them would want nothing more than for me to die, so if I lost to Khaos, it was a win, and if I won against Khaos, they lost nothing.
Justus: They really hate you that much?
Hayze: Well, I know I’ve been calling them “personalities,” but honestly, they’re like their own people. Interacting with each of them made me realize that even though they were created from pieces of my mind, they’re very different from me…
Gus raises his hand.
Saige: Gus, this is an open forum. You don’t need to raise your hand.
Gus: What even are your personalities? Like that one was named Calm, but like… what is he?
Hayze: My quirk is activated using my emotions. Each element has its unique emotion, which is tied to its respective personality. Wrath is my fire and anger, Calm is my water and logic, Impulse is my lightning and excitement, Gale is my wind and ego, and Khaos… he’s my darkness and hatred. Saige helped me a lot with controlling them from trying to take over my body.
Saige: After all, I had been through the exact same thing.
Hayze looks up at the sky as the clouds part to reveal the sun.
Hayze: I’m not going to use my personality issues as an excuse. It’s unnerving having them around and needing to be on guard with my body at all times, but I don’t want your pity. I should have told you guys about Khaos; You had a right to know, and I’m sorry.
Saige clears her throat.
Saige: I assume Hayze won’t tell you this detail, so I think I should.
Hayze: Huh?
Saige: Hayze didn’t know anything about Khaos, other than that he existed, until the Final Exams. He didn’t know the details of what Khaos was capable of or how dangerous he was until only two weeks before the Showcase. In fact, Hayze had no memories of Khaos’ first appearance. That day was the first time he ever saw Khaos in action.
Eve: Wh- why are you just now mentioning this! That changes a lot of things!
Saige: I thought Hayze should tell you, but clearly, he thought otherwise.
Blair: Is that true, Hayze?
Hayze is silent for a few moments.
Hayze: Yes, but I still had two weeks.
Kevin: Look, 2 weeks of omitting the truth are way better than five months.
Angel: Yeah, that changes the perspective a lot.
Hayze: If you say so…
Saige taps on Hayze’s shoulder.
Hayze: Hm?
Saige: Maybe it’s time you explain how you met Dr. Moore.
Hayze cringes.
Justus: Am I curious how you came into contact with a U.A. science teacher just months before the entrance exam.
Hayze: Ironically, it was because of my initial quirk. Dr. Moore was like any scientist: she was curious. She spent her whole career developing the quirk serum, but after seeing what happened with Ms. Fatal and Saige, she reluctantly shelved the project. But, her questions and tenacity for experimentation ate at her. She always wanted to know what would happen if the serum was used on someone who had a quirk already. So, when she found out that I was being denied a chance to take the entrance exam because of my weak healing quirk, she couldn’t help but come and meet me, and initially, that’s all she planned on doing. But, when she finally tracked me down, I was in a small convenience store not far from my house. An armed robber walked in and tried to take all of the owner's money, but I wasn’t going to let him. I fought him and took a bullet, trying to stop him. He eventually overpowered me, but Mr. Spectre showed up and stopped him. Dr. Moore said she was inspired by my courage and moved by my situation. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she gave me the serum that night. I spent the next few months training for the entrance exams, and you guys know the rest.
Karma: You make it sound like it was a mistake for her to do that.
“ Dr. Moore: I’ve seen Rachel and Saige’s personalities in control before. While Rachel’s is more violent, Saige’s was much more catastrophic to her mental state. But, despite that, I never saw anything that would make me think this serum was capable of causing harm to others, so that’s why I kept it around, and that was a selfish decision. I gave Hayze this serum selfishly; it was a complete breach of ethics. I prayed on his desire for a quirk to justify my own desires to satisfy my curiosity. It killed me to have put so much effort into creating this serum, only to use it twice. I wanted to make the world a better place and learn more, so I gave Hayze the serum. My sister thinks it was because I believed in Hayze, but no… that was just an excuse. I’m a terrible person, and I may have helped Hayze, but I also hurt him… by creating you. This serum is evil, you’re evil, and I can’t allow it to exist anymore. “ - Chapter 98
Hayze: That’s because it w-
Saige: That doesn’t matter. What happened, happened, so let’s all just be happy Hayze is back here and has control of Khaos.
Alexis: Does he?
Everyone looks at Hayze.
Hayze: Yeah… I do.
Alexis: Well, that’s-
The sound of a loud explosion startles everyone.
Gus: What the hell was that!
Justus: It sounded like it came from behind the dorm.
Angel: Wait… that’s where…
Angel turns to Wes.
Wes: *sighs* I said “soon,” didn’t I?
Karma: We should go check it out!
Everyone except Alden, Wes, and Alexis starts running to the back of the dorm.
Alexis: Why didn’t you tell them what would happen?
Wes: A warning wasn’t enough?
Alexis: Of course! Not that I think they would have listened.
Wes: I’ll use the phone inside to call Mr. Adrian and Ms. Fatal.
Wes starts to walk away.
Alexis: Wes.
Wes: Huh?
Alexis: Has he talked to you at all about what happened?
Wes: You mean during his training in Colorado? No. I haven’t talked to him much these last few weeks.
Alexis: Those scars… What could he have been doing?
Wes: I don’t know, but whatever it was… it changed him. He’s still Aaron, but it’s just… I don’t know how to describe it.
Wes and Alexis stand there in silence for a few moments.
Alexis: You look guilty.
Wes: What does that mean?
Alexis: That look you have, I can tell you feel like you’re responsible.
Wes looks away.
Wes: I pointed out to Aaron that it didn’t seem like he was getting much stronger the day of the mall attack. I could tell it got him thinking. He pretends to not value my opinion, but when it comes to being the best, he can’t filter out something like that. So he went on to get thrashed by Ivy, Hayze, and Tobias. That’s when he set out to go on this cross-country training, and he hasn’t been the same since.
Alexis: Well, that doesn’t sound like it’s your fault. We both know that Aaron’s confidence is a double-edged sword. When he’s winning, he’s on top of the world, but when he’s not…
Wes: I know. I’m just worried that this is how Aaron is now. I don’t know if he’ll ever be the same.
Alexis: I guess that depends on what happened to him in Colorado. He has physical scars, but I wonder what scars he received psychologically.
Wes: Yeah…
Wes and Alexis are both silent again.
Alexis: Either way… I know we can help get him back to normal.
Wes: I hope so… for his sake.
The rest of the crowd reaches the back and sees Zach and Jace both wounded and unconscious against the ground.
Gus: Jace!
Karma: Zach!
Karma and Lilith run to Zach, while Angel and Gus run to Jace.
Karma: Zach, are you alright?
Lilith: What happened here?
Angel looks up to see Aaron dusting off his shoulder beside a nearby tree.
Angel: Aaron!
Aaron approaches the group.
Aaron: Good sparring session today, guys. Let’s do it again some time.
Karma: You call this sparring?
Lilith: They need to see Recovery Girl right away!
Aaron: Sounds like a “them” problem.
Karma: What?
Aaron: They agreed to spar. It’s not my problem that they couldn’t handle the intensity.
Karma: Yes! Yes, it is!
Aaron: I guess we can agree to disagree.
Karma: That’s not how that works!
Zach regains consciousness.
Zach: *groans*
Karma: Zach! Are you alright?
Zach: Everything hurts…
Lilith: Don’t worry, we’ll get Recovery Girl right away!
Aaron starts walking away.
Karma: Where are you going!
Aaron: Inside. Dinner should be ready, right?
Karma: Wh- what!
Lilith: Aaron, you hurt these two badly. Why are you acting like this isn’t a big deal!
Aaron continues walking away.
Aaron: Because they lost.
Angel: What?
Aaron: Losers don’t deserve sympathy. I won, and that’s all that matters.
Karma, Lilith, and Angel are speechless as Aaron leaves, but before he does, he stops next to Hayze, Justus, and Kevin.
Aaron: Kevin, remember what you said on the night we
“ Kevin: Well… you lost to Hayze, who lost to Justus, who lost to Silver, and then me on a separate occasion, so I’d say you’re #5 now. “ - Chapter 85
Aaron: I’m #1 now. Get used to it.
Aaron leaves.
Kevin: I guess those scars aren’t just for show.
Justus: No, they aren’t.
Hayze notices something strange with the ground.
Hayze: Hm…
Hayze kneels and inspects it.
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Justus: Do you see something, Hayze?
Hayze: Yeah… There are bullet holes here.
Justus and Kevin walk up and look at the ground. There are three bullet holes.
Kevin: I guess Aaron missed a few times.
Hayze: No, he didn’t miss, at least from what I can see.
Kevin: Huh? What do you mean?
Hayze: The ground around the holes is turned upward.
Kevin: Yeah, so?
Justus: I see, that’s interesting.
Kevin: Am I missing something here?
Hayze: The only way these holes could be like this is if they were exit holes.
Kevin gets a look of realization.
Kevin: Wait… so you’re saying Aaron shot bullets out of the ground to fight Jace and Zach?
Justus: It seems like it.
Kevin: Damn, that’s hardcore.
Hayze: Yeah, and do you notice anything else?
Kevin: Uh…
Kevin starts looking around.
Kevin: Wh- where are the entry holes?
Justus: Nowhere to be seen.
Kevin: Jesus…
Hayze: Yeah, safe to say Aaron’s learned some new tricks.
In Nashville, an old man landlord enters a small studio apartment.
Landlord: Well, this is the place. Rent is due on the first of every month, and don’t think that because I’m old, I won’t come up here and kick your ass if you’re late.
A disguised Vanguard steps into the apartment with his hands in his suit pockets.
Vanguard: Oh, you won’t have to worry about me, sir.
Vanguard looks around the apartment.
Vanguard: This is perfect. Thank you for accommodating me.
Landlord: Well, I don’t get many folks like you around here. Who rents an apartment in a full-blown suit, you know?
Vanguard laughs.
Vanguard: Yes, I am aware.
Landlord: What did you say your name was, by the way?
Vanguard: That doesn’t matter.
Landlord: Huh? The hell it doesn’t! Give me your name-
Vanguard takes his hand out of his pocket and places the glowing Alpha Ring against the Landlord’s head.
Vanguard: You will never collect rent from this room nor step foot in it. If you ever see me around here, you will ignore me. If anyone asks about this room, tell them it is vacant but cannot be used because your son was murdered here. If they ask about your son, tell them you don’t have the strength to talk about him. And finally, if anyone ever asks about me, pull the fire alarm and kill yourself immediately.
Vanguard removes the ring from the Landlord’s forehead. The Landlord turns around and walks away.
Landlord: I always hated this room… my poor boy…
The Landlord leaves.
Vanguard: (This will serve as a good headquarters for now. I don’t need anything fancy.)
Vanguard places his briefcase on the kitchen counter and opens it.
Vanguard: (Although… before I can settle in. I must finish covering my tracks.
Vanguard picks up a piece of paper. It has a picture of a 26-year-old woman named Kristine Weaver and information on her quirk and address. Her quirk says “Voice Manipulation,” and her address lists the name of the apartment complex Vanguard is in, and her room number is 323. Vanguard steps out of his room and looks to his left. The next room is room 323.
Vanguard: (I love when a good plan comes together.)
Jace and Zach are safely in Recovery Girl’s office. Adrian and Aaron are also in the room.
Adrian: How are they?
Recovery Girl: I’ve healed them, but their internal injuries were quite severe. They’ll need to stay here tomorrow and the day after.
Adrian: That’s good.
Adrian turns to Aaron.
Adrian: What the hell was this?
Aaron: A sparring match.
Adrian: A SPARRING MATCH? Is that some kind of joke?
Aaron: No.
Adrian: What kind of sparring match ends with your partners bleeding internally!
Aaron: A good one.
Adrian: Cut the crap now!
Aaron stares at Adrian.
Adrian: Can you seriously not see what you did wrong here?
Aaron doesn’t respond.
Adrian: And here I thought you were one of the ones who understood what it meant to be a hero. You’re suspended from school for the next week, with no classes or training. You’ll be serving your suspension in your dorm, taking over all cleaning and janitorial responsibilities during that time. I’ll be checking in at random times throughout the day, and if I find out that you left your dorm for any unexcused reason, I will have you out of this school faster than a heartbeat. Do I make myself clear?
Aaron: Yessir.
Adrian: Now get out.
Aaron leaves.
Recovery Girl: That was quite the reprimanding.
Adrian: He’s lucky I’m not Damien. He probably would have lost his mattress, shower, and laundry machine privileges.
Recovery Girl: Still, this isn’t all that different from what we let them do to each other during the Sports Festival and Final Exams.
Adrian: I know, but that’s different. They’re fighting in a controlled environment while being supervised and monitored. If anything gets too dangerous, someone will step in. We’re training them to be heroes so they’ll experience high-intensity life-or-death combat once they graduate. So, we use those outlets to prepare them for that. This was uncontrolled, unmonitored, and unmerciful. We can’t have fights like this happening willy-nilly.
Recovery Girl: I agree. I just wanted to ensure your priorities were set.
Adrian: They are, for all of their sakes.
Back at the dorm, Hayze is standing at the pool by himself, looking up at the night sky.
Hayze: (It’s weird knowing they all know my secret, but they still are willing to accept me, no less.)
Hayze looks over his shoulder and sees Blair through the window.
“ Saige: I can also see why you still haven’t gotten a handle on him. Maybe think back to how I conquered Chagrin, and perhaps you’ll realize the path to finally reining him in. “ - Chapter 111
Hayze: (I don’t know what she meant by that. I care about Blair, but if she actually has feelings for me… I can’t just-)
Justus: Hey.
Justus has walked outside as well.
Hayze: What brings you out here?
Justus: I need some fresh air. What about you?
Hayze: It’s been a while since I’ve been around everyone. I’m not exactly acclimated yet.
Justus: Give it time.
Hayze: Not to be rude, but you seem… mellow?
Justus: Ha, do I?
Hayze: Yeah, the Justus I remember was a lot more reserved and expressionless.
Justus: Let’s just say what happened three months ago changed my perspective on life quite a lot.
Hayze: Oh… right… about that.
Justus: Hm?
Hayze: This has been eating away at me for a while, but…
Justus: What? What is it?
Hayze: I’m sorry I couldn’t save Colossus’ life. If I had woken up sooner than I did, maybe I could have-
Justus puts his hand up.
Justus: Please, don’t apologize for that.
Hayze: Huh?
Justus: What you did was enough, Hayze. I understand the plight you were going through and why you were unavailable to assist him. But, at the very least, you avenged him, and that’s good enough for me.
Hayze: Did I avenge him? He’s still alive with those rings; you know he’ll be back.
Justus: Yes, and by that time, I will be far stronger than my dad ever was with that ring around his finger.
Hayze is surprised.
Justus: What? Just because my father is dead doesn’t mean I’ve lost my will to be the greatest hero.
Hayze: No, it’s not that… you… you called him your dad.
Justus: I did.
Hayze: I’m glad to see that you… worked that out, I guess?
Justus: Thank you, it wasn’t until I heard my father’s final words that I realized what a mistake I had made. Him being my father was an honor, not a curse. I want to be the hero he spoke of, the one that surpasses the strength he could only obtain through unnatural causes. He inspired our generation, and I want to be just like him, but better.
Hayze smiles.
Hayze: You’ve come a long way from the guy screaming his head off at me during the Sports Festival.
Justus: And you’ve come a long way from the guy who couldn’t even use his quirk for more than 15 minutes.
Hayze: Ha, yeah…
Justus: Don’t worry about my father, Hayze. Worry about me. I know you’re a much more capable fighter than you were during our fight, but if we meet in battle again, the result will be the same.
Hayze: Says who?
Hayze and Justus both laugh.
Hayze: I’ll look forward to it, Justus.
Justus: Me too.
The next day, all students gather in their classrooms for the first day of the new school year. Everyone is there except Aaron, Jace, Zach, and Alden.
Karma: So Aaron really got suspended for what happened last night…
Ash: It serves him right. What he did was brutal.
Lilith: I just hope Zach and Jace are okay…
Eve: They got taken to Recovery Girl pretty quickly. The fact that we haven’t heard anything about them is probably a good thing.
Alden enters the room and gets a sinister grin on his face.
Alden: (Four empty seats, and Mr. Walker is gone! I won’t have to sit in the ceiling anymore!)
Adrian: Alden, your seat is the same as it has always been.
Alden gets startled as Adrian shows up behind him.
Alden: Wh- WHAT!
Adrian: Three of the vacancies in this classroom will return soon enough, and the last seat will remain empty in your former classmate’s memory.
Alden: I can’t just sit in Aaron’s seat for today?
Adrian glares at Alden.
Alden: Alright… I’m going…
Adrian: Everyone else, take your seats.
Everyone sits in their assigned seat, and Alden climbs into the ceiling. Adrian walks to the front of the room and stands behind the podium.
Adrian: Welcome to the start of your second year here at U.A. if you thought the first one was tough, you’re in for a bumpy ride. Unfortunately, I have to make a couple announcements on the first day. First, as I’m sure you’re all aware, Aaron Zamora has been suspended for one week and will not be attending class. He will act as your personal janitor at your dorm, and I highly recommend abusing that. You’re not allowed to discuss anything we learn or do in the classes he is suspended from, and if I find out any of you have, you’ll be given the same punishment as him. In addition, I can inform all of you that Zach and Jace are both okay and will be rejoining the class on Wednesday, be sure to catch them up on everything they miss. Okay, now that that’s over, let’s cut right to the chase.
Adrian reaches into his pocket.
Adrian: As stated by Mr. Walker during the ending ceremony of the Final Exams, this year will have a much greater focus on preparing you for actual hero work. The first year was fundamentals, and now this year is the real deal.
Adrian pulls out his hero license.
Adrian: Your first goal this year will be to get one of these.
Everyone is surprised.
Karma: Uh… sir, aren’t we only supposed to get our hero licenses once we graduate?
Adrian: Yes, Karma, that’s for your REAL hero license. You guys will be trying to get provisional permits so that you can undergo work studies with various hero agencies.
Kevin: (Work studies?)
Adrian: If you recall your internships last year, you probably weren’t very entertained with most of what happened. That’s because your internships were just for observations and an up-close look at what heroes actually do. I’m sure not one of you engaged in actual combat that week, and if you did, it was under the guided safety of the hero you were working with. The reason for that isn’t just because you’re inexperienced. It’s also against the law for unlicensed individuals to use their quirks to harm others. The provisional hero license is a document that allows heroes to use their quirks for heroic activities with recognition from the law. Once you all have this, you’ll be able to engage in work studies which are hands-on versions of your internships. However, you won’t be babied at all during this. But that’s not really necessary to get into now. Normally we’d spend a good chunk of this year training you on proper hero etiquette in preparation for you taking the licensing exam in March. After that, you would spend much of your time searching for a work-study that will be your primary focus for your third year, but the timeline has been moved up substantially.
Adrian gets a serious look on his face.
Adrian: You’ll be taking the exam next month.
Everyone is shocked.
Eve: You mean we’re taking this exam five months earlier than usual!
Adrian: Yes.
Eve: That seems a little unfair!
Adrian: No, not once you see what else we have in store for you.
Adrian looks at the door.
Adrian: Come on in, guys.
Everyone looks at the door as Aster, Yul, and a male and female student step into the room and walk to the front.
Adrian: This is the Big Four of U.A., a.k.a. The top four students at this school. You’ll be working for them this month.
Everyone is surprised.
Blair: (Aster?)
Silver: (Working for? What the hell could that mean?)
Adrian: How about you all introduce yourselves quickly, starting with Aster.
Aster: Right, I’m Aster Maddox. I’m sure all of you remember me well from the Showcase; I’m the #1 student at this school and a member of class 3-B.
Yul: I am Yul Huang, ranked second, and I am a member of class 3-A.
Daniele: My name is Daniele Chase, I’m #3, and I’m a part of class 3-B.
Tyson: Tyson Ross is the name, class 3-B rank 4.
Adrian: These four have already been hired to work studies by high-ranking heroes. Aster and Daniele, for example, are working for Exciton and Lust, respectively. They’re here to guide you on the primary skills a hero should have before being hired by an agency. They learned all of this information last year and have been using it well in the field.
Karma raises her hand.
Adrian: Yes, Karma?
Karma: Uh, may I ask why they’re here to guide us? Not to speak out of turn, but I don’t see what they gain from helping us.
Adrian: Don’t worry, I was about to get to that.
Adrian clears his throat.
Adrian: For the time being, you’ll be placed in what we’re calling: “Mock Hero Agencies.”
Everyone is intrigued.
Adrian: To prepare all of you for your careers as heroes, we decided to give you an experience of what the industry looks like. You will be assigned to one of the Big Four, who will act as the Head Hero of their Mock Agency. You’ll essentially be working as employees for them. You’ll report to them during your Hero Classes, and they’ll be your instructor at that time. They can reprimand you, praise you, order you around, and do anything your future Head Hero could do to you. It’s their job to get you ready for your work studies and your careers. We believe this will be a valuable exercise for both parties.
Silver: How do they have the time for all of this? You just said they have their own work studies, not to mention their classes as well.
Adrian: A block has been made in their schedule for this purpose. They will receive extra credit for engaging in this exercise in all of their classes. In addition, if they must miss time with all of you due to their work-study, you’ll simply meet with Ms. Fatal as you did last year. This is an excellent chance for these four to gain experience in leadership, mentorship, and what a Head Hero job looks like.
Aster: Speaking personally, Exciton is intrigued by what will come out of this. So, I’d say I’m thrilled to have the opportunity.
Daniele: Agreed.
Adrian: Also, your third year here at U.A. is very heavily based on your work studies and heroism. There isn’t as much academic work. First and foremost, they’ll be helping you prepare for the Provisional Heroes Licensing Exam.
Tyson: We all passed the test with flying colors, so even though we’re just a year older than you, the gap in our experience levels is vast.
Adrian: Well put. Does anyone have any questions?
Ash raises her hand.
Ash: Is this just for our class? What is Class 2-B doing?
Adrian: Class 2-B will also be doing Mock Hero Agencies. In addition, they’ll be taking the exam at the same time as all of you.
Ash: But who will be their Head Heroes?
Adrian: Students number 5 through 8. The opportunity to be a Head Hero during the Mock Agencies program was only afforded to the top 20% of their class.
Justus: May I ask why we were given the Big Four? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to spread out the third years?
Aster: We chose to be here. When we were approached about the opportunity, we were each given a choice over which class we would like to work with. Higher ranking meant we got the first choice.
Adrian: And they all chose 2-A. Take that for what you will. Now, any other questions?
Everyone is silent.
Adrian: Alright, then let’s get to how you will be assigned to your teams.
Everyone tenses up.
Blair: (They all look intimidating, and I don’t know if it would be good or bad to be on Aster’s team.)
Hayze: (This could be interesting, we’ve all seen Aster in action, but the other three are relatively unknown.)
Silver: (I don’t care who I’m with as long as they do their job right.)
Wes: (I wonder which poor bastard will get saddled up with Alden.)
Adrian grabs a marker and writes on the whiteboard.
Adrian: We’ll be doing a draft.
Everyone is surprised.
Justus: (A draft, huh?)
Kevin: (This could be revealing.)
Wes: (Oh, so whoever picks last.)
Adrian: We’ll do a snake order draft, so whoever picks last in the first round picks first in the next round, and so on. We’ll also do it in reverse order out of fairness. So, Tyson will select first, then Daniele, then Yul, and finally Aster. Everyone, understand?
Aster, Yul, Daniele, and Tyson: Agreed.
Adrian: Okay, then let’s not waste any time. Keep in mind that Zach Crawford, Jace Neil, and Aaron Zamora are not in attendance, and with Zamora currently suspended, you will not be able to work with him for the first week. Tyson, step forward and make your first selection.
Tyson: Right.
Tyson steps forward.
Karma: (Conventional wisdom would say this will likely be one of Justus, Silver, or Hayze.)
Wes: (I have a feeling I’m going to be waiting quite a while to hear my name.)
Eve: (I wish we could just fast forward past all of the obvious picks…)
Tyson: I pick Eve.
Everyone except Tyson’s classmates is dumbfounded.
Daniele: Called it.
Aster: Tyson… what the hell.
Yul: Her muscular upper body could be pretty valuable. It’s a surprising pick, but I see the merit.
Aster: Yul, that isn’t what this is about…
Eve is in shock.
Eve: (What just happened…)
Adrian: Anyway… Daniele.
Daniele steps forward.
Daniele: Well, I get to make the actual first selection. I pick Hayze.
Silver: (What! Why him over me!)
Hayze: (Why me over Silver or Justus?)
Daniele: Oh, Hayze, could you be a doll and join me up here?
Hayze: Huh?
Saige: (What’s this about?)
Blair: (Doll!)
Hayze: W- why?
Daniele: You’re on my team now and don’t want to get on my bad side right away, do you?
Hayze: *sighs* (What’s her game here?)
Hayze gets up and walks to the front of the classroom.
Daniele: Stand beside me, please.
Hayze does so reluctantly.
Aster: (I know what she’s up to.)
Yul steps forward.
Kevin: (This guy seems pretty logical, I’m sure he’ll take Silver or Justus n-)
Yul: I choose Demetri.
Everyone is dumbfounded again.
Everyone: WHAT!
Demetri: I ALWAYS KNEW I WAS BETTER THAN SILVER AND JUSTUS! I AM THE GREATEST!
Adrian: Uh… did you misspeak?
Yul: No, this is my selection.
Will: (Maybe I’ll get chosen sooner than I thought…)
Aster steps forward.
Aster: Yeah… so I’m gonna pick Kevin and Ash.
Adrian: Back to you, Yul.
Yul: Isaiah.
Adrian: Goddammit…
Daniele laughs and looks at Hayze.
Daniele: Je suis sûr que ces sélections vous sont très étranges. [I'm sure these selections are very strange to you.]
Hayze: Yeah… they are. Wait… (Did she just speak French? And… how did I understand her?)
Daniele: Dites-moi, qui aimeriez-vous rejoindre notre équipe ensuite? [Tell me, who would you like to join our team next?]
Hayze: Euh... je ne suis pas sûr. (Putain, pourquoi je parle français! ATTENDRE POURQUOI JE PENSE EN FRANÇAIS!) [Uh… I’m not sure. (What the fuck why am I speaking french! WAIT WHY AM I THINKING IN FRENCH!)]
Daniele: C'est la puissance de ma bizarrerie. Maintenant, dites-moi qui devrait rejoindre notre équipe? Ils ne te comprendront pas. [This is the power of my quirk. Now, tell me who should join our team. They won’t understand you.]
Hayze hesitates for a moment.
Hayze: N'importe qui sauf la sœur de l'élève le plus élevé. [Anyone but the top student's sister.]
Daniele stares at Hayze for a moment.
Daniele: I’ll take Saige.
Saige: (Yes!)
Tyson: Damn you!
Daniele: I had a feeling she was your next pick.
Tyson: Whatever! I’ll take Alexis and Karma!
Alexis: I’m starting to notice a trend…
Silver is silently fuming in the back.
Silver: (Why the hell haven’t I been picked!)
Daniele: I’ll take Butterfly girl.
Silver: (THIS IS HORESHIT!)
Yul: I choose Aaron.
Silver: (He’s suspended!)
Aster laughs.
Aster: I see your strategy, Yul. You did kind of serve me up two excellent picks here, though.
Yul: I have my plan, and I’m sticking to it.
Aster: I pick Justus and Silver.
Silver: It’s about damn time!
Karma: (Wow, he got both Silver and Justus. He has quite the powerful team on his hands.)
Yul: I choose Wes.
Wes: (Great… I’m on the same team as Aaron…)
Daniele: I’ll take Angel.
Adrian looks around the room.
Adrian: Looks like that leaves Gus and Blair alongside Zach and Jace to choose from. Tyson, you’re next with the wheel pick.
Tyson: I don’t want to choose.
Daniele: Of course, you don’t…
Adrian: You have to choose.
Tyson: Ugh! I guess I’ll pick the ugly one.
Gus: Oof, sorry, Blair.
Blair: HE’S TALKING ABOUT YOU!
Tyson: And I really don’t want to make my second pick.
Adrian: You have to.
Yul: May I make a suggestion?
Adrian: Hm?
Yul: I’ll trade Tyson for his pick here.
Tyson: I’m okay with that.
Adrian: Your teams would be imbalanced.
Yul: Then I’ll give up something that will balance that out. My team will not use any of the holographic training facilities during our exercises. Does that sound fair?
Tyson: I don’t care. I'll give my pick away.
Adrian: *sighs* I guess that’s fine. I trust your judgment, Yul. The pick is yours.
Yul: In that case, I select Zach.
Daniele looks at Hayze.
Daniele: Je suis désolé. [I’m sorry.]
Hayze: Huh?
Daniele: I pick Blair.
Hayze: (Dammit…)
Adrian: Then that means Jace automatically goes to Yul, and the draft concludes.
Alden: What about-
Adrian glares at Alden.
Alden: Okay…
Adrian: Here are the results written on the board:
[https://i.ibb.co/2MPJb91/b9bd97626fa7f9a415e10bb0b38ac798.png]Adrian: Your teams have been made. Now, go acquaint yourselves.