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“Aizawa Shouta is a rational man,” that is the thought I have to keep in mind when teaching. One would think that being an underground hero would erase the need for a persona, but being a teacher brings the need right back. My students have to understand that I will do what makes the most sense and not what will keep them happy. It's something that keeps them alive. I've never lost a student, and I'm not going to let this newest class break that streak.
There's a number of students that have reasons for concern from a first glance. The most obvious is Midoriya Izuku. He broke both his legs and right arm in the exam, and he got in with only rescue points. He has no quirk control and no care for his well-being. A hero can't save others if they can't save themselves.
The next is the top scorer of the exam, Bakugo Katsuki. He has great control, but he doesn't show any care for those around him. Flying debris hit multiple students because of him. He also got zero rescue points. A hero saves others, but he hasn't shown any care for that.
There's also a number of smaller issues. Kaminari Denki only just passed the written exam. Mineta Minoru was regularly distracted by female students. Uraraka Ochako is part of UA's financial aid program, and she threw up during the exam. Todoroki Shoto is a recommended student, but he ranked fifth and only got in due to another student choosing to go to another school.
As the days pass, my concern for Todoroki grows. He got seventh in my quirk apprehension test, and seemed to be unusually tired after. He stares blankly, and he naps instead of eating during lunch. He doesn't talk much, but when he does, it is just barely above a whisper. I watch him brush off his classmates’ attempts to talk, startle when the bell rings, and struggle with his school work.
I try to talk to him, but he just brushes me off. I call his sister once, but she just insists that everything is fine in their house. I just have to hope that he will come to me at some point.
We have a field trip today. We are going to do rescue training in the USJ. This will be an important step of their training. I can show Bakugo what being a hero is really about. Teach Midoriya that he can't save others if he can’t save himself. Maybe even show Shoto that heros can help him.
Things go wrong almost right away. All Might used up all his time before school even started, and we are going to have to rearrange our plans because of him. As 13 talks, I think about how to make things work, but then I see something out of the corner of my eye. A purple mist appears, and villains pour out.
I tell the students to stand back and jump into the fray. The fight goes by in a blur. Dodge that. Hit him. Knock her out. Erase that quirk. The mist scattered the kids, but I can't do anything other than continue to fight.
Then the leader calls out to someone he calls Nomu. It moves so fast I barely see it coming. Everything goes black.
I wake up to paramedics wrapping up my head. I still feel a bit woozy, and they reassure me that no one died and only a few of us will need to be hospitalized. Looking over I see parents rushing in to pick up their kids. Some are joining their kids in ambulances to head off to the hospital. Others are taking their kids home to rest.
Only one kid doesn't have a parent with them, Todoroki. It makes sense that his father is too busy and sent one of his siblings instead, but I didn't know that Endeavor has more kids. That's the weird part. He comes over to thank me for protecting his, “sweet baby brother.” There's something about his eyes that unsettle me. There's seriously something wrong with that family.
The next time I wake up, I'm in the hospital.