My Hero Academia - Outcasts

Chapter Nine - The Training Arc

Within seconds, the calendar flipped over to September. The leaves on the trees began to brown and the air seemed more humid. A wave of excitement washed over the entire school as the provisional license exam drew near. Soon, it would be the time to test your skills against your peers in a real fight. And this time it wasn't just for the second years. For this semester in particular, the first year hero classes were allowed to compete. This meant the hero commission had to house four tests instead of two. With the added pressure of outperforming three other sets of classes, Hisakawa made training her only priority.

This also made the fight for Gym Gamma a grueling one. Eraserhead and Vlad King had both made cases to Principal Nezu about gym times and why their classes took priority over hers. It got to a point that the teachers lounge had become a battleground. Hisakawa didn't back down from her initial argument, claiming that second years should be prioritized over first years due to their graduation status. Eventually, with All Might and Nezu's mediation efforts, all three teachers came to an agreement. 2-A would take odd days, 1-A would take even, and 1-B had mornings before class.

"You better have something to show for it, after all of this." Was what Aizawa had said to Hisakawa as he left the teachers lounge. While Vlad King had seemed somewhat reasonable, Eraserhead's reaction told her that he wasn't there to bargain or become friends. In fact, it felt as if he despised her in some way. The interaction left a bitter impression on the woman, a desire to make him eat his words. This feeling was crucial in the final weeks, driving her resolve in ways that some would consider selfish but effective.

Three days left. 2 training sessions. The students were reminded of this as the bell rang throughout the hallways. 2-A scrambled to pack their things, grabbed their hero suits, and said goodbye to their last period instructor before making their way towards the gym. They branched off into their friend groups, chatting loudly as they walked. Some of them were eager to show off new techniques they had come up with over the weekend. Others were dreading the fact that they have to face three people with water based quirks.

"Who's worse to fight, Downpour or Hisakawa?" Hisamoto asked, moving his hands like scales in front of his classmates. The group seemed evenly split between the two heroes.

"Wrong on both, Backdraft. I'm sick of getting hit with a hose." Genji-Rivera chimed in from the other side of the hall.

Knowing she couldn't train 20 students by herself, Hisakawa had decided to enlist some of her former colleagues to help. This brought in the River Vanguard, a dedicated disaster team from the Musutafu fire department. It consisted of three heroes; Backdraft, Downpour, and Johrei. Backdraft handled the fires, Downpour handled the chaos, and Johrei handled the wounded. Together they not only served as fantastic role models, but solid opponents for the students to bounce off of.

They split the gym into two areas. One half was designated for battle routines and the other for homework groups and light weight lifting. Within the 3 hours of training, the students had to visit both halves at least once. In the center was a large cerulean circle. It was coined "rest area" on the whiteboard with a large red marker. When the students got to the gym, they went to their routes automatically. They chose their instructor carefully by sitting in the chairs next to their stage.

The one on the far left was Backdraft. He was the head of the Musutafu fire department. His attire consisted of a large yellow fire jacket, a red metal hat and a massive water tank on his back. His face is covered with a white mask, shielding his gaze from the people around him. His quirk, Water Pump, was channeled through the faucets on his hands. He was occupied with four students in his form of agility practice. Backdraft shot water from a long distance, watching as the students scrambled to miss it only to get caught in the shower a few steps away.