Daisy sat alone in the teachers' lounge, sipping her coffee and enjoying a rare moment of quiet. The reason Principal Nezu had upgraded her status to teacher was largely due to her age—now in her mid-thirties, she was old enough to be a mother to most of the first-year students. And with her extensive experience, she’d been a natural choice to help whip U.A.’s students into shape.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Midnight sauntered over, a curious smirk on her face. “So, Daisy,” she asked with a grin, “who’s the lucky man who’s dating you?”
Daisy looked up, her expression shifting to a mixture of confusion and suspicion. “Dating? I don’t have any appointments on my schedule.” She flipped open a small, meticulously organized planner to double-check, furrowing her brow.
Midnight let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “No, no. That’s not what I meant,” she said, struggling not to laugh. “I mean, are you seeing anyone?”
Daisy looked at her even more puzzled. “Well, I mean, I’m looking right at you right now, ma’am.”
Midnight’s eyes widened, and she barely stopped herself from dropping her coffee. “Wait... no way,” she muttered under her breath, half in disbelief. “How does a woman reach her age without... without a guy making a move?”
She took a deep breath and decided to try again, more slowly this time. “What I mean, Daisy, is... has anyone ever taken you out? Romantically?”
Daisy tilted her head thoughtfully, then shook it. “No, not really. I’m usually either training or working,” she said, completely unfazed. “Besides, I’ve never really thought about it. I just never had time for... whatever it is you’re talking about.”
Midnight just stared, unable to hide her astonishment. This woman, she thought, has somehow gone through life without ever being pursued? She’d known Daisy was intense, but this level of obliviousness was something else.
Daisy simply looked at her, still utterly confused but seemingly content.
Midnight shook her head with a chuckle as she got up to leave, muttering under her breath, “Unbelievable… she’d probably survive in a room full of love-struck fanboys without even blinking.”
As Midnight walked out, she called over her shoulder, “You know, Daisy, even Spartans need some R&R every now and then! Just keep it in mind.”
Daisy simply gave her a nonchalant wave, already looking back down at her planner. “Sure thing, ma’am. R&R… check. Noted.”
Midnight couldn’t help but laugh as she left the lounge. That woman, she thought, might be tougher than anybody ever could be.
----
Katsuki stood next to Izuku in the cafeteria, arms crossed, his expression a mix of frustration and disbelief. “How?” he demanded. “How did you manage to beat me yesterday?”
Izuku took a calm bite of his food, but before he could respond, an ODST trooper sitting nearby leaned in, smirking. “That’s classified, kid,” the soldier said with a chuckle.
Izuku set his fork down, glancing sideways at Katsuki. “Let’s just say I spent the better part of a year fighting A-rank... well, villains, as a gladiator,” he said quietly. “And those in charge? They did everything they could to make sure I wouldn’t survive.”
Katsuki’s eyes narrowed in skeptical surprise. “You? Beating A-rank villains? But you're quirkless, Deku.”
Izuku shrugged, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Guess I’ll just have to show the class what I can do.” He sighed, almost to himself, “Mom’s never going to let me live this down, anyway.”
Katsuki’s face twisted with a mix of curiosity and grudging respect, as if trying to wrap his head around this new side of Izuku. “Fine,” he huffed. “But don’t think I’m gonna go easy on you next time.”
----
Izuku stood at the front of the classroom, setting up a projector. “Are we going to watch a movie?” Mina asked, grinning.
He shook his head, his expression serious. “I assure you, Miss Ashido, this is hardly fiction.”
With that, Izuku pressed play, and the projector cast footage of his toughest gladiatorial match onto the screen. The arena came into view, immense and brutal, with alien architecture surrounding the battleground. The covenant language spoken had been dubbed into Japanese by A.I., making every word clear to the class.
As the footage unfolded, they saw Izuku, alone and unarmed, standing across from a towering brute, Krag'Zarak, who seemed like a living mountain of muscle. A heavy silence fell over the room. Some of the girls shivered, wide-eyed, at the sight of Krag'Zarak’s imposing form and his sneer of disdain.
The massive alien spat his words at Izuku, his voice dripping with venom. “You may have survived the last twenty matches, vermin, but today your luck ends... Wraith. Today, I, Krag'Zarak, will rip you to shreds and savor you as my victory feast.”
One of the students whispered in horror, “What is that thing?”
The battle began, and the class watched as Izuku skillfully dodged and tripped Krag'Zarak, trying to outmaneuver him. But the brute was relentless, grabbing Izuku with a vice-like grip, his mouth open wide as he prepared to take a bite out of him.
Then, just as things looked dire, Izuku shouted, “Question: does your wife think I’m hot?”
Krag'Zarak paused, confused by the bizarre question, his grip loosening just enough. In that moment, Izuku pulled out a pouch of the planet’s most potent spice, a substance he’d smuggled in for emergencies, and threw it straight into Krag'Zarak’s face. The brute reeled back, screaming as the spice burned his eyes and nostrils.
“YOU DARE—” Krag'Zarak’s furious cries quickly turned into agonized howls as he stumbled, clutching his face. Moments later, he collapsed onto the ground, fainting from the pain.
Outrage erupted from the stands, but the announcer’s voice rang out, declaring Izuku the victor yet again.
As the footage ended, Izuku turned back to his classmates, who sat pale and trembling in their seats, some unable to fully process what they’d just witnessed.
“Seventy,” he said, his tone calm but intense. “Seventy matches like the one you just saw. Any questions?”
The first question came from a trembling student in the back. “What... what was that creature?”
Izuku nodded, understanding the shock in their eyes. “That was a member of a race called the Jiralhanae,” he explained. “They’re known for their brutality, and they don’t show mercy. Think of them as A-rank villains with no restraints and a love for violence.” He paused, glancing around at his classmates’ uneasy faces. “About a third of my matches were against them. Another third was against wild, alien creatures—each one deadlier than the last. The rest were against a warrior race known as the Sangheili.”
There was a brief silence as the class absorbed his words. Finally, another student asked, “How did you survive all those matches?”
Izuku gave a small, tired smile. “A combination of luck, skill, and... music.”
“Music?” Mina asked, baffled.
Izuku nodded. “Sometimes, when you’re standing face-to-face with something that wants nothing more than to rip you apart, you need something to keep you grounded. For me, that was music. In my mind, I’d play songs to keep my focus, to remind myself why I was fighting to survive.” He looked at each of his classmates in turn, his gaze steady and serious. “When everything around you is chaos, you have to hold on to something that keeps you calm and clear-headed.”
The room went quiet as they took in his words, many of them seeing Izuku in a completely new light. For a moment, no one knew what to say, grappling with the weight of what he’d endured.
----
YOU ARE READING
an ODST among Heroes.
FanfictionFive-year-old Izuku Yagi is thrust into a world of chaos and heartbreak after losing his mother to the collateral damage caused by the Hero Endeavor. In the wake of tragedy, he encounters two enigmatic young women whose presence hints at something e...
