Maximum Effort

“-just yesterday, a large explosion at an oil refinery in Iraq. Nearly ten million dollars worth of crude and refined oil was destroyed in the blast, heavily setting back further economic development in the region. Many nations across the globe have offered their condolences, as before the blast occurred a number of first responders were on the scene to put out a spreading fire. Many of these first responders were actually volunteers from the United States Armed Forces, assisting in providing security and other services in the region for countries with limited response capabilities. However, a number of people suspect that foul play may be involved in the fire and explosion. Among these accusations, the People’s Republic of China had received the most scrutiny. For a number of years the country has been attempting to curb what it calls ‘American imperialism’ across the globe, often doing so by supplanting the efforts by a number of American administrations to encourage economic and social development. One US senator had this to say on the matter.”

“Do I think the Chinese were behind it? Of course I do! Those bastards have been targeting our troops for the past century. Putting bounties on their heads, sending troop detachments overseas to target us and participating in sabotage on allied soil. Remember the Okinawa Barracks Fire? That was them!”

“The senator’s comments have come under a severe barrage of scrutiny, with many calling him a warmonger due to owning a number of shares in several US defense contractors. China’s chairman had this to say in response.”

“The people of China wish for nothing but peace across the world, anyone who claims otherwise has fallen to their own propaganda and fails to see China for what it is.”

“In other news, this year's wet season is expected to have much more than the last. With cumulative rainfall estimates standing at nearly double what it was last year, many store and home owners are preparing themselves for the very likely possibility of flash flooding. Meteorologists and climatologists also predict an extended monsoon area and season for the entirety of the pacific coast, though none are sure why this dramatic change in weather has occurred. In Washington DC, riots continue as protestors clash and local law enforcement attempt to regain control of the situation. Doing so necessitated the deployment of federal troops equipped in riot gear, something that has seen success but also waves of criticism. Many condemn the move by the President, calling it an act of totalitarianism in suppressing the right to free assembly. Meanwhile on the international market, prices have begun to stabilize following the freezing of share trading and subsidization for businesses that were hard hit by the sudden downturn. However the economic downturn is predicted to have had an unintentionally positive effect on the break up of huge commercial monopolies, as many companies attempted to offload mountains of shares before the freeze in an attempt to cover the lost value. Now for the local news. Yakuza activity, truth or fiction? It is widely believed that since the rise of Heroes, the various Yakuza families across Japan have completely disappeared from society. But is this really the case? We go to our expert-“ Aurdel shut off the broadcast playing in his helmet..

To prepare the students for the licensing exam that took place in a week from now, the teachers of Class 1-A would be going to put the students through the ringer when intense training in order to increase the upper limits of their quirks and further their own strength. That latter part was something Aurdel could greatly help with. Half of the students would stay in gym gamma practicing their ultimate move ideas, at the same time Aurdel would take the other half and push them to their absolute limits when it came to physical fitness. It was all modeled after his own early training under CPO Mendez, though not nearly intense. A hundred jumping jacks, one hundred sit ups, one hundred push ups, one hundred deep squats, one hundred knee bends, and one hundred leg lifts one after another. Doing it again brought back memories after his first day of training, and how he’d essentially spewed his guts after getting through all the exercise. Of course doing it now wasn’t a challenge, even with his armor on and the additional gear he was carrying. As for the students…? Well, suffice to say they weren’t thrilled. But they didn’t really have a choice when it came to doing the exercise, nor did they really have the right to complain given his own experience. After giving them a short break to rest and rehydrate, he had them run three miles straight. Personally he expected most of them to be completely exhausted, and to not even have the energy to talk. But even he could be surprised. “Mr. Aurdel... I wanted to ask you something…” Midoriya said, barely able to pant out the words as he ran alongside him..

“Alright, shoot.”

“I’ve... I’ve been having trouble coming up with a supermove… Sure, I can… Use my arms...” the boy was hyperventilating to circulate air into his system, but still managed to keep going. “...But if I use them too much… Then I might lose my ability to use them…”

“I remember what happened to your arm when you were fighting at the camp, and that’s why I’ll give you a simple solution,” Aurdel slapped his own thigh, “The human legs are able to handle four times as much weight as your arms can, and they’re a hell of a lot more suited for endurance too. Not to mention they’re able to take more of a beating, and if you do lose them then it’s a lot easier to live without a pair of legs than it is to live without arms.”

“That’s… a dark way to look at it…”

“Sure it is, but consequences are always something you have to consider. But ultimately in a best case scenario you won’t be taking any damage, instead you’ll be damaging someone else. The best way to do that is with powerful strikes that work to disable your opponent as quickly as possible. With your hands you want to go for the eyes, the throat, a palm strike to the jaw or nose. Versus with your legs, you want to attack their lower body. The targets there would be the knees, groin and soft spots of the abdomen.”

“I see… Is.. that how you fight?”

“In close quarters combat? Yes, though it depends on who I’m facing. Because of my strength I’m able to put more weight behind my attacks, making them much more destructive against a weaker opponent. Occasionally, I have to pull my punches if I know that it’ll be too much. However I also employ holds, locks and grapples when necessary. Those are more useful if you’re facing someone stronger than you, or if they’re generally too protected against normal strikes. After that you can choke them out, or go a step further if necessary.” That last comment got him an uneasy look from the boy. “Some may consider it to be fighting dirty, and others may be uncomfortable with hurting someone to get them to submit, but the technique is certainly effective. I’d need a lot more than just two hands if I had to try and force someone to submit without harming them in the process.” He held up his right hand as they finished the three mile loop, stopping the students so they could get some rest before they went back into the gym to train their supermoves. “One last thing, if I were you I would try to integrate using the environment into your fighting style as much as possible.”

“Why... Why do you say that?”

“Environmental awareness is key in any fight, but you become much more capable if you’re able to turn it to your advantage. Like when you were fighting the Villain at the camp, you used nearby surfaces to more effectively avoid his attacks and get in your own. You also used the rocks that were thrown into the air by his attacks, sending them back at him as projectiles. Not many people can think that fast on their feet, and I can easily think of many ways to use the environment to your advantage with your quirk.”

“Really…? Thanks…” He gave Midoriya a pat on the back as he walked away with the others, heading for the gym.

“And just what the hell is that about?!” Bakugo said, blasting over.

“I was complimenting him on the hard work that he puts into his training and tactics, is something wrong with that?”

“Like hell you were! You gave him a bunch of advice, and I heard it too. That stuff is going to go to his head and give him an unnatural advantage!”

“I didn’t offer him any help that I didn’t also offer to the rest of the class. It’s just a matter of accepting that help and putting aside the time to listen and put that advice to practice.”

“I don’t need your advice, I already have supermove ideas in my head. But to make sure that things are fair, I’ll hear out your advice.” Right…

“Well if you want to hear my advice, then you better start exercising.” He pointed towards the ground. “One hundred jumping jacks, now.” The boy begrudgingly got in form and began the exercise. “The advantage of your quirk is its relative strength, and the fact that you can overpower almost any enemy you face using it. But there’s one thing that you’re incredibly lacking in, and that is a sense of discretion or subtly. I’m sure that in most scenarios, pure willpower and strength will allow you to win. That’s evident. But the key word there is ‘most.’ If you’re outskilled, outgunned, outnumbered or just out of your element, then it’s possible for you to lose and be utterly humiliated in the process.”

“Then what are you suggesting?”

“You’re smart, so act crafty. You already use your sweat to make more powerful blasts and make improvised grenades, so try to apply that to a more cautious style of fighting. Traps. Instead of blasting your way into a troop of opponents, you could set up what are effectively landlines and lure them into a trap. Even if that alone isn’t enough to put them out of the fight, it will at the very least do preliminary damage and funnel the enemy into a more easily won battle. Alternatively you could use your quirk for area denial, destroying a way in and setting traps and forcing your opponents to be on edge and to fight on your terms.”

“I don’t fight like that, I prefer a straight up brawl or no fight at all.”

“Then get with the program, because most of the time you’re not going to be offered a straightforward fight. Especially if you’re going against someone stronger than you. You’ll need every advantage you can take, and fighting tactically is the best way to do that. Besides, you don’t have to use them if you yourself don’t like it. You can just as easily hand them off to someone else if you think that their own firepower needs to be supplemented.”

“I guess I could do that… These extras aren’t exactly strong compared to me,” Bakugo grumbled.

“It would also be a lot more effective if you used your explosions against your opponent, rather than on your opponent.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Isn’t that the same thing?!” Aurdel shook his head, then motioned for him and the others to start the hundred sit ups.

“If you analyze your tactics without any depth, sure. But using explosions on your opponent means you’re attacking them directly, hitting them directly with it. Sure you’re guaranteed to have some amount of power in that form of attack, but it won’t win every battle. But using it against them? You can end a fight much more quickly. Blast the ground out from under them to cause them to stumble and miss their attacks. Blast out the walls of a building to cause it to collapse on them. Use your blasts to push them back in a certain direction, putting yourself in a more advantageous position. Or if you’re in a tight and enclosed space, and can hold your breath well, use the explosion to suck the oxygen out of the room. Hypoxia makes it harder for anyone to fight, especially those that don’t come prepared.” Bakugo seemed to accept the advice, though slightly unhappy that he had to do so at all. “Does anyone else want any ideas or help?”

“Actually, I do,” Yaoyorozu said, “I have my some of my own ideas for supermoves and attacks, but I wanted to know what you might be able to suggest for me.”

“Then I have a rather simple idea for you. Can you make gas masks?”

“Of course, I created many during the attack on the camp. One of the Villains was flooding the woods with poisonous gas using their quirk.”

“Then in that case, you can do the same. I can give you the formula for a potent knockout gas that you could produce. You’ll want to use it in a situation where you’re surrounded by enemies, or are setting up an ambush to knock a number of them out. The only issue is that you need to be much more aware of your surroundings. That means watching for the wind, making sure that if any teammates are nearby that they’re protected from the gas and that any individuals not involved don’t accidentally wander in.”

“I see…that’s a simple but effective idea. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it myself.”

“Common sleep agents are nowhere as effective, nor as potent, as the one that I’m talking about. Most of them require directly concentrated inhalation of the gas, even then it will take some time. The only way to produce the same results using those compounds would be through higher concentrations, which ultimately may prove more fatal than non-lethal. On the other hand, the one that I’m suggesting is capable of performing better in much smaller concentrations. Of course, you’ll still want to make sure that your opponents don’t asphyxiate to death.”

“Are there any others?”

“Given how your quirk can quite literally make almost anything, there are a literal infinite amount of possibilities for your tactics. However, I will make the same recommendation that I gave to Bakugo, use it in subtle strokes. If you know that the enemy is going to be chasing you around a corner or down a hallway, set up traps. Those can be spikes, wires, lubricated surfaces, anything to trip up their pace and either give you time to increase the distance between each other allowing you the opportunity to strike while they’re attempting to avoid the traps. I would also suggest integrating more technological gears, as you could produce wireless cameras and microphones while having a device to monitor them. Throughout a battle you can gain valuable data by observing your surroundings, even if something isn’t happening at that moment. You can also use tech for better communications with teammates, especially if you’re using something like shortwave radios that most people won’t bother to tap into.”

“Another invaluable addition to my ideas, I will make sure to learn the necessary formulas in order to create the necessary items.”

“What about me?” Uraraka asked.

“For your quirk, you’re in somewhat of a similar situation. However it’s not as straightforward.”

“Why do you say that?

“Well, in my mind you seem to use your quirk in a sort of secondary manner. In a similar situation to Ojiro, you fight more like a person who happens to be able to make things float rather than someone who makes things float,” he motioned for them to move to the next exercise

“I’m not sure if I see the difference in that phrasing…”

“Think of it like this. You learned some combat techniques from Gunhead, right? The problem is that you haven’t properly integrated it with your ability to make things float. You use the two separately.”

“Then how can I use them together?”

“There are a number of ways. One easy way is to increase your momentum, as with your power you quite literally have gravity on your side. Another way to use it is to disorient your opponents. You can cause them to suddenly float up during a fight, allow yourself to slam them hard into the ground. Alternatively, you can use it to make it so when they go for a punch or a kick and miss, they’ll end up traveling further than expected and unable to stop themselves. That would also allow you to get behind them and subdue them from there.”

“I see…”

“You’ll also want to train your throwing arm to use in conjunction with your quirk. I know that you already use projectiles and objects as a weapon, but the greater distance you put between you and your opponent the more chances you have to strike. Anything from large rocks to bricks, if you can use it as a thrown weapon then you can dramatically increase the distance at which you engage.”

“Ah, thanks!”

“But one more thing, I think that your quirk is best used in conjunction with another person. Even among your classmates, there are a number of ways that you could turn the tide of a battle just by working together.”

“Like who?”

“You could work with Sero, as with his tape you’d be able to make large traps using anything lying around. Doing so would allow you to cluster some of these attacks from above together, getting much more of an impact than from a bunch of scattered items. Alternatively you could also work with Ashido, letting her get into a higher position so she can cover a larger area with her acid from above. But if you want raw strength then I think it’d be best to work with Midoriya.”

“W-with Deku?!” She stammered out, losing her form and falling to the ground.

“Yes, with him. I know that you already used a combo attack early on in your training, you were able to use the rubble that he kicked up as a destruction. But using your quirk you could allow for a number of rapid strikes in quick succession, coming as a result of whatever enemy the two of you are facing rebounding off surfaces due to the weightlessness.”

“R-really? I never thought about it like t-that.” She tried to act coy in regard to Midoriya specifically being mentioned, but her attempt failed. He’d… keep that in mind.

“But back to your exercise, otherwise I’ll have you do double of everything.”

“Yes sir!”

“Man, I’m exhausted…” Ashido said, slumping over.

“Yeah, me too,” Kaminari nodded dully in agreement, “Intense training to improve our quirks is bad enough, but all that exercise? It just makes it even worse.”

“You better not be too tired for a class.”

“Where did you come from?!!” The students jumped as Aurdel suddenly appeared in front of them.

“Call it a force of habit, stealth is a practiced skill.”

“But how?! There isn’t anything to hide behind around here!”

“You’d be surprised how quietly you can actually move in armor like mine. Anyways, today’s class is going to be on the reinforcement for an important skill. Teamwork.”

“What are we going to do, trust falls?”

“Of course not, trust falls are for corporate retreats where nothing gets done. You’ll be doing something more physically intensive,” the students groaned, “Just so you know, if I hear constant complaints I’m going to remake the obstacle course I trained on and have you run it until you have it down to muscle memory..” Aurdel took the large bags off his back, dropping them onto the ground and kicking up a dust cloud as they landed..

“Just what are you carrying with you?!”

“Find out for yourself,” he gestured towards the bags. Each of them came forward, opening the bags procedurally looking through them while taking things out. Ida and Yaoyorozu forced the class to sort all of the items that they took out into piles of various categories.

“It’s a bunch of construction stuff. Wood, nails, screws, bolts, brackets, tools and a bunch of other stuff. What are we supposed to be doing with all this stuff? And better yet, where did you get all of it?!”

“That’s a good question, and one I’ll answer. You’re going to be practicing the construction of a temporary shelter, rally point and staging area. Whether you’re in a post-disaster area or an active combat zone, it’s always good to have a fallback point that you can go to when you’re either too tired or have other issues that impair your ability to work. That could mean going back to receive immediate medical treatment for injuries, restraining a captured Villain and getting them off the field or evacuating a civilian to a safer location .”

“That is a good point,” Ida said, “It makes sense to create an area like that. On top of giving a place to hide others from combat or the elements, it would also reduce the stress of those in the field knowing that they have a place to go back to. Sir, will we be working in teams or as a class?”

“You will be working in teams of five, ones of my choosing. Ideally you would want a team that you know to work best with, but the situations you may face are not guaranteed to allow that. More often than not, you will be grouped together with people you don’t know. Sometimes even people you may hate. But that is why I said that this was an exercise in teamwork and not friendship.” He folded his arms, “Each of you will be assigned a different area of the staging area to complete, and it will be up to each of you to best create the areas you are assigned. However, there are two rules I am going to give you. First, you cannot use your quirks for their exercise.”

“Huh?! But using our quirks would make this much easier!”

“Yes, and that’s exactly why I’m not allowing you to use them. If you can’t do things without your quirk, then you’ve become over reliant on it. In the freak possibility that one day you may not be able to use your quirk, you’ll be up creek without a paddle.”

“Then what’s the second rule?”

“That there will be no fighting over supplies. I know the moment that I turn my back, at least one of you is going to be harassing someone else for a specific part or tool. Doing so is unproductive. If you’re in a situation where you must construct one of these staging areas, then you must all work together. I’ve seen people gunned down in the street just because they couldn’t handle working with the people they found themselves with..”

“Was that when they were fighting aliens or other people?”

“Yes.” He turned his head, “Regardless, I will now be picking your teams. Wait until I have assigned the last person and task before beginning.” He cleared his throat, “Aoyama, Uraraka, Ojiro, Sato and Ojiro, you will make up the first group. Your job is to construct a defense perimeter for the staging area. Ashido, Ida, Kirishima, Koda and Shoji, you’re the second group. You’re going to build a medical triage area. Asui, Kaminari, Jirou, Todoroki and Bakugo, you’re the third group. You-”

“Now just hold on a minute, I refuse to be in a group with this half and half bastard!” Bakugo shouted, pointing at Todoroki. “Switch me with-!”

“Shut it,” he cut him off, sternly. Bakugo fell silent. “You’ll be making the command and administration area of the structure. The last group is Tokoyami, Toru, Midoriya, Mineta and Yaoyorozu, you will be constructing the main area that also functions as a supply pickup and drop off point. Are there any questions about the task ahead of you?” No one said a word. “Good, then you may begin.”

Almost immediately the majority of the students began rushing towards the materials laid out in front of them, trying to grab whatever they could in their arms. It wasn’t off to a good start. Ida, Yaoyorozu, Midoriya, Todorki and Uraraka were the ones from their respective groups who stayed back and watched, waiting until the crowd had cleared and then divvied out the materials as they were needed. The process was much more organized than the previous scene. After all the materials were gathered, the first group to make the most initial progress was Ida’s. They managed to set up the frame of the structure being made, using poles and tarps to set up basic supports and a ceiling. The reason they were using those materials first was likely so they have more wood to construct the various beds, shelves and other furnishings needed in a medical area. In fact, one of the first pieces of equipment they constructed was a sort of makeshift stretcher using two beams of wood with multiple layers of netting sitting between them. However, despite this frugality they still managed to come up short on some of the materials they needed. Ida had been too willing to give up some materials to the other teams, even those that he needed.

The next group to make the most progress was Uraraka’s, using the knowledge she’d gleaned from her parents' construction company to make the most of the materials that they had on hand. By cutting corners, figuratively and not literally, they were able to create relatively large encompassing walls that surrounded the entirety of the assigned area, also setting up several openings to act as entrances to the staging area. But despite how far they’d gotten, it didn’t seem that they truly understood what he meant by a defensive perimeter. He would have shook his head, but he didn’t want them to notice and suddenly change their tactics. They would have to learn naturally. The next most progressed group was Midoriya’s, as at the beginning of the exercise they’d actually taken more time than the other groups to discuss and throw around ideas before settling on what to do. But after deciding on what exactly they were doing they worked in a timely fashion, not wanting to be far behind the others.

Unlike the others who were making larger structures, they first started with the flooring of their section rather than setting up the walls and roofing first. Starting off with a strong foundation was a good move, especially if one was to expect heavy rain or other weather conditions that may impact structural integrity. It would also allow for a number of people to sit down and rest without being directly in contact with the dirt ground. And after constructing the building itself the team began making the storage space, beginning with simple shelves that were bolted to the wall rather than shelves that stood on their own, then going a step further in making containers and boxes to actually be used. They even went beyond what he expected, making sure to sand down the surfaces in order to avoid minor injuries by splinters or even avoid damage to anything that might be placed inside. However the last group… Well, to put it simply things were not going well.

The specific task they were given in itself was inherently difficult, but it was made all the harder by those that were in the group. Because as Todoroki was the one who joined the others in discussing how to ration out the supplies, Bakugo hadn’t taken his assumption of leadership very well. The very first thing he did after Todoroki returned was argue with him, trying to assert dominance with himself as leader. Neither boy was willing to back down, each one having their own ideas for what had to be done and how. As such, for quite some time they had nothing accomplished. They were only able to really begin after members from the other groups intervened to calm them down and get them to compromise. Todoroki wanted to make a traditional meeting hall area, Bakugo wanted to…Well, Aurdel wasn’t exactly sure what Bakugo wanted to do. Even with his skill set it didn’t exactly make sense. Regardless, their structure began by sectioning off two different areas. The first would be the meeting area, where people could meet privately and talk. Essentially just a conference room. The second section would be the command area, where any sensitive equipment or people pertaining to a mission would be kept.

However more problems arose as Bakugo actively looked for reasons to criticize his teammates, getting into another shouting match about Kaminari making a slight mistake while putting in some screws. Again, more time would be wasted on the pointless fighting. He shook his head. Another intervention was needed to make the argument stop, putting them back on track. Soon enough the time that he gave them to build their structures was up, and it was time to grade them on their effort and results. He raised his hand, “Drop everything in your hands now, your time is up.” The students stopped the work the moment they heard him, though a few had already finished before he’d even called time. They all gathered back up in the center. “Group one, you were the first ones to finish.”

“That’s right!” Uraraka said, a smile on her face. “It was easy for us to work together and get the walls set up, I honestly thought it was going to be much harder than what it turned out to be!”

“That’s because you didn’t understand the task that you were given.”

“Eh?” The smile broke. “What do you mean?”

“When you’re constructing a defense perimeter, or really any set of positions, there are three things to always consider. They are cover, concealment and vantage.” He put a hand on one of the walls, “The field that you unknowingly covered the most was concealment, as anyone who hides behind the wall is out of sight from whoever is coming towards them. However, these walls are very weak.” With a flick of a finger he was able to demonstrate that fact, putting a hole in the wood. He continued to explain, “By extending the wall as large as you did it turned out thin and can’t take much of a beating, making for incredibly poor cover.”

“I see, then we should have layered more material so that it was tougher?”

“Yes, but you should have also used the spare metal plates in specific spots that are bound to see the most attacks.”

“Then what about vantage? I’m not sure what that word means.”

“Vantage is the visibility that a structure provides to whoever is inside of it. As it stands, your structure provides very poor vantage. The best way to do this would be creating elevated platforms for someone to stand on, allowing them to see outside the walls for some distance around the compound. Ultimately though, you group worked well together and rationed your materials professionally.” The group was happy to be praised, Aurdel moved onto the next.

“Group two, you’re up.”

“Yes Mr.Aurdel!” Ida said, pushing his glasses up. “As you can tell we designed various stretchers so injured people can easily be moved from one place to another. We also created various beds that allow the elevation of limbs as needed, alongside triage areas, storage units for equipment to be kept, an area for equipment to be sterilized in, a-”

Aurdel raised his hand, stopping him mid sentence. “I know what your group made, I was watching you all work. And you did work together well. Over all your group performed well, being organized and consistent with your work. However there are two things I must point out. First, the lack of a floor. While for the other groups it wasn’t as necessary, keeping a clean work environment is especially necessary in any medical setting. As such the possibility of dirt or debris messing with attempts at care is much higher. Second is something that Midoriya’s group noticed, and that was the need to sand the wooden surfaces. The wood as I gave it to you would be covered with possible splinters, and the last thing you while moving around is accidental pricks to distract you.”

Ida fell to his knees, “Once more I have failed as a class rep, not not pick up on such a detail….”

“That’s not to say your team did a bad job. Overall your team performed extremely well, and cooperated just as well. There were just a few minor things I wanted to point out. Now, for group four. You-”

“Aren’t you forgetting about us?” Bakugo asked, gritting his teeth.

‘I’m keeping your group last for a very specific reason,” Aurdel turned his head away and went back to what he was saying. “Group four, you completed your task quite well despite some initial issues and even accomplished some things that I hadn’t expected you to. Among them is obviously the fact that you smoothed out the wood, but also the fact that you opted to create the floor first and build the structure on top of it rather than around. Out of all the structures, yours is the most stable and would survive harsher weather conditions. Overall you performed extremely well, though you did lose a little too much time at the beginning that led you needing to crunch near the end of the time limit. This brings us back to group three.”

Aurdel took a deep sigh before he began, “Bakugo, I’ll preface your evaluation with this: If you were in any established line of duty where you had others working under you, you would have been fragged in a heartbeat. You almost entirely refused to work with your team, and you were barely able to get over your differences and rivalry with someone else who happened to be on your team. After you did start doing what you were supposed to, you did it in the worst way possible. Rather than begin by planning you were too angry and instead started building right away. Then you managed to get into another fight, delaying your team who was already struggling to keep up pace due to the previous loss of time.” Bakugo was left speechless after being verbally knocked down a peg, “The quality of what was made is average due to how short of a time was spent actually building, though I’m at least a little impressed that anything managed to get done despite all that had happened. You’re lucky that this was an exercise, or you could’ve led to the deaths of everyone around you.”

Aurdel looked around at the class, everyone a little shocked with how intense his criticisms had been. They needed to learn, and they wouldn’t get anywhere if he acted in half measures. “On that note, this ends your first class with me for today. You’re free to go back to your dorms and clean up, though before you all leave you should all take one of these.” Aurdel lifted up a cooler, placing it on a nearby table.

“Ice cream!” The students swarmed around the cooler, grabbing whatever flavor they wanted. After all that he’d put him through today, they were exhausted. And a reward at the end of all that was just the more sweeter

There was a slight grin on his helmet, remembering how his first day of training had ended. “This is just my way of making sure that you know your work ethic doesn’t go unnoticed, and that to me it is incredibly important that you put everything into your training. No matter what it is.”

“Yes sir!” They said, quickly tearing into the sweet cold treats. Bakugo stayed off to the side, looking as if he was internalizing something before walking away.