Red in Different Shades

39. Class A vs Class B!

Aizawa's gaze swept over the first round's victors of the joint training session, the chill of the winter clinging to the air crept in the gaps of his clothes. Crawling up his sleeves and beneath the capture weapon draped over his shoulders.

"Talk about what you learned or what you would have done differently," he instructed, calm and measured.

Kirishima spoke first, removing his headgear as he stared at the ground. "If I'm not trying to brawl with my opponent," he began, voice tinged with regret, "it's hard for my Quirk to be useful. If this were the real thing, I would've been killed when Shiozaki caught me."

Aizawa's eyes lingered on the boy. Killed. A generic choice of words, but the one and intent behind it was not without merit. Kirishima's perspective on hero work had shifted ever since the Hassaikai mission. The weight of a life was a tough lesson to truly learn. The urgency, even more difficult to live with. Only a few students seemed to have that concept fully grasped, but the internships had opened a few eyes.

Koda spoke next, his voice muffled by his mask. "I need to be able to give more detailed instructions to the bugs."

Aizawa noted the quiet determination behind the softly spoken words. Koda understood his own limitations. Another good sign.

Then there was Kaminari.

"I pretty much killed it," he declared, striking a confident pose with an unnecessary thumbs-up. His energy was far too high for a post-match reflection. "Thinking I probably made some new fans. It's cool, those warm feelings aren't something you can control. Let's hear some praise! I'm not shy."

Aizawa resisted the urge to sigh.

Asui spoke with a straightforward observation. "Koda and Kirishima... Losing those two hurt. I wish we could've won without losing anyone. We were all over the place."

"The binding cloth," Shinso added, his tone edged with frustration. "I couldn't even use a tenth of what I've learned. It was frustrating."

Aizawa's gaze sharpened as he addressed the student he'd chosen. "If you could do it right away, you wouldn't have to work hard. It took me six years to master that. Don't forget that frustration when you move forward."

"Yes, sir," Shinso replied immediately.

Good. Shinso had another match ahead. Plenty of time to show what he'd learned.

Aizawa's eyes scanned over his students, his exhaustion creeping in with a faint burn. He ignored it. "Kirishima, you should focus on setting up your opponent for a head-on fight."

"Yes, sir!" Kirishima's response was serious and immediate.

"Koda, it's exactly what you think." Aizawa continued, "You should increase the accuracy with which you control the animals. Don't fight from the front. Think about your enemy's weakness."

Koda nodded, taking the advice to heart.

Next, Aizawa fixed his gaze on Kaminari. "Kaminari! You weren't fighting seriously at the beginning! Are you unable to use your true strength unless your teammates get beaten?"

Kaminari's ego deflated visibly. "Yay..." he muttered, his bravado fading.

Aizawa moved on without missing a beat. "Asui, instead of dwelling on your mistakes, focus on how to recover from them quickly."

"Ribbit," she replied with a nod, her composure steady.

"Use what you learned today in your training from now on," Aizawa concluded. With that, he turned and began walking back to the group of observing teachers. "That's all."