Chapter 10: First Class

The standard course schedule for the hero course students was a block schedule for the first half of the day. The humanities were paired together on one day while science, math, and a study period/homeroom were on the other. I had first years the first day and second years the second, swapping throughout the week. The third year was busy with internships and work studies and had already finished most of their core courses.

My break period was the first period, so it allowed me to run my dorm mother checks in the morning after all the students went to class. After the checks, I slipped into my hero costume and made it toward my own classroom.

Soon enough the bell rang, and students shuffled to their next class. The classic Japanese bell was so much more soothing than the harsh ringing of the American school bell.

"Good morning Ms. Nataka." Iida was the first in the room and by the time I had turned around to respond he already had everything out on his desk and was seated quietly. "Good morning, Iida."

Next to show up was Momo and the girls. Ochaco wore a massive smile. "This is going to be so much fun." She was practically floating. Wait, never mind. Actually floating. "Uraraka please cancel your quirk and take a seat."

I had the room organized in a circle for discussions. Mina and Hagakure chatted loudly together until the group of Boys minus Bakugo and Midoriya arrived. "Can someone explain where Bakugo and Midoriya are?"

"Sensei, Midoriya is at the nurse's and will be back soon. He broke his finger at the quirk assessment test. Bakugo may have tried to attack Midoriya so Mr. Aizawa may have held him back to talk to him." Mina gave me the rundown. As she finished, Bakugo walked into the class closely followed by Midoriya.

"Now that everyone is here, we can begin. I introduced myself to everyone yesterday, so I do not feel the need to do so again. This is an ethics course, and we have much to get through. I want to make it very clear. If at any time you feel as though you can not handle the discussion, you are free to go see the resident psychologist on campus, Hound Dog. I will challenge you constantly in this class and much of the class will revolve around debates and short essays about said debates.

"You will be required on a regular basis to take a side of the debate you do not agree with but until I figure out where everyone stands, we will have some more revealing discussions about heroic motivations and public perception/statistics.

If I feel as though you can not handle the discussion and sense that you are choosing not to remove yourself, I may remove you myself. Do I make myself clear?"

"YES SENSEI" Chorused the class.

"Alright, then let's begin the first discussion." I walked over to the whiteboard in the room and quickly wrote. 'Why do you want to be a hero?"

"Now class, why would I start with this question?"

Momo raised her hand and answered. "The motivations of an individual for hero work are an important part of the reliability of a hero. Take Endeavor for example after much of his dirty laundry was aired on the news. His goal was to surpass All Might, not to save lives and this may have cost him lives saved or property lost in each rescue." I could see Todoroki smirk at the answer.

"Perfect answer Yaoyorozu. Now let's go around the circle and we can start with you Yaoyorozu since you have thought about this already it seems. Note that once we begin, the only times I will interrupt will be to ask for clarifications for the class. I want to see you challenge each other but if I do not see it happening, I will do it for you. I will likely do it very frequently this first class just to show you what I mean but as the class goes on, I want to see you do the challenging."

"Hai. My motivation for being a hero is rooted in my family. I feel that I have a responsibility as someone who is from a leading family in Japan to lead by example for young girls. I want to do this through saving lives because it is the best way I feel as though I can reach the most people." Momo's answer was perfect to start off and it had holes for the class to pick apart.

Seeing that nobody seemed to have a solid question I led the conversation. "Do you feel as though that is a lofty and self-seeking goal? It seems very rooted in your family image."

Yaoyorozu looked contemplative.

Funny enough it was Sero who came to her defense. "Is that so wrong? It appears Yaoyorozu has turned a very personal reason into one that can be rather selfless."

The discussion finally picked up and much of the class shared their opinions on what they believed and there were many good answers.

Shinso wanted to help people that possessed quirks that were labeled as villainous. Mina and Tsuyu wanted to help mutant quirk discrimination. Kaminari had a motivation for psychological disabilities because of his struggles with ADHD due to the brain shortages he experienced when he was younger. Ochaco had transformed from helping her family, who was rather well off now, to just following her dream to see people smile when rescue came.

The only two to not answer yet were Midoriya and Bakugo. Bakugo looked angry and his tone with his answer only leaned into it. "I want to be a hero because heroes always win, and I am a winner." I could see Midoriya visibly cringe at the answer.

I interrupted before anyone else could and just asked a simple question. "Why? What does it mean to win?"

"It's simple, A villain shows up. They do something stupid. I fight them. I win. It is as simple as that. I'll prove that I am the strongest." The arrogance just oozed off him. I knew that his whole world would be rocked in his first hero training course, so I just let the class handle the discussion. Luckily the best question I could have asked came from Ochaco.

"You make it sound like winning against a villain is when your opponent is lying on the concrete. Do you intend to solve all your problems with a fight? Most hero work is assisting the police with petty crimes. They don't need to send each little thief to the hospital before they are charged with a crime." It was a golden question. The room was silent.

I knew Bakugo was smart, the glares of the class obviously were pissing him off though. He just gave a small chuff and shut his mouth. "Fix your attitude Bakugo or you will be the first to go to Hound Dog. Think about the questions that you were asked. Midoriya, you're up."

"I believe it is a hero's job to make others feel safe. My entire motivation is to be able to smile like all might and for everyone to know that the situation is under control. I just want to make people feel safe."

He gave an All Might smile. "I feel like that is a good place to stop for the day and the bell is about to ring. Your first assignment from me is only a single-page reflection on the topic. Please grab one of my books from the shelf by the door as you go out. Please read through chapter one by the next class."

The class left silently after the bell rang, which I saw as a good sign. They were all thinking about what they talked about and that was a fulfilling feeling to accomplish.

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A/N: Next chapter will be the combat training. How do you think I should integrate her into the chapter? I kind of felt like I wanted her to help TA the class with All Might. At the same time, I feel like I should have her fight a pair of students by herself to show her skill to the class. I hope you are looking forward to the chapter.