Chapter 14
Zuko decided to take a room before the others arrived. He took the room furthest from the stairs and spread out his belongings.
He fell back onto the bed. He tilted his head back, and the rest of his body followed. He sank back onto the soft mattress. He stared aimlessly at the white ceiling.
He still had doubts. He wasn't stupid. He knew he had problems. How could he just go back to normal?
He sighed heavily and rubbed his tired face with his hands.
He didn't want to come here, but he agreed for one reason only.
So his mother wouldn't be sad.
Somewhere deep inside, he knew Iroh was right. He simply buried it deep beneath the surface of regret and anger.
He closed his eyes. Just for a moment. He hadn't been sleeping well lately.
It was just a test run, after all. In a week, he'd return to the mountains and continue his training.
He lifted his feet and placed them on the bed frame. The city's vibrations were chaotic. He didn't want to feel them now. They were different from those at home. He felt hundreds of people walking around. Dozens of cars. He felt water flowing in the pipes.
It was all unnatural.
He didn't open his eyes again. He allowed himself this moment of respite. A moment of rest.
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"Zuko? Wake up."
He opened his eyes. Zuko looked at Iroh, who placed a hand on his shoulder.
"What happened?"
"Dinner's soon. Besides, you slept through the recruitment. Come on, you'll meet your new colleagues."
He stood up and went into the bathroom to wash his face. He put on a sweatshirt and followed Iroh. They went downstairs together. Three people sat at a table in the main hall. Zuko recognized them immediately, though he had only met one of them in this life.
"Please meet my grandson, Tsuchikawa Zuko. And here are Uraraka Ochaco, Shoji Mezo, and Jiro Kyoka."
Zuko nodded at the girl he knew. He looked Kyoka straight in the eye.
"I think we already know each other."
"Yeah. You stole points from me during the exam."
"I stole them? No. You were too slow to earn them."
Kyoka narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms over her chest, and one of her earbuds rose and aimed directly at Zuko's face.
"Nonsense. You just got in my way. You clearly needed the points, so I didn't bother you then."
Zuko decided not to engage in the argument and looked at the tall boy. He nodded in a way only guys knew. Their conversation could be translated as follows:
"We cool?"
Shoji nodded in response.
"We cool."
Zuko glanced at the mask. He raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded upward.
"What's with the mask?"
Shoji slightly inclined his head downward, not breaking eye contact.
"It's necessary."
Then Zuko looked at Ochaco. She bowed to him, as is Japanese custom. He made a similar gesture.
"Good morning! I hope we can work well together! Mr. Iroh said you got into UA too. How did you do on your exams?"
"Hmm... I almost failed math, but I managed."
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A moment later, they sat down to dinner. The round table was covered with food. Ochaco ate quickly, as if the food would disappear at any moment. Kyoka ate slowly, staring at Zuko. Shoji removed his mask after a moment, revealing his face. The girls froze, staring at him. Iroh smiled at the boy and said,
"It's alright, Shoji. You're among friends and you don't have to be ashamed of your body. I, for example, am already gray and bald!"
The girls looked at each other as if they'd been caught. Zuko simply ate.
"I'm sorry..."
Shoji wanted to say something else, but Zuko interrupted him.
"You have nothing to apologize for. Everything is alright. Right, girls?"
They both nodded. To lighten the mood, Ochaco decided to ask.
"Mr. Iroh said we'll all be studying at UA. Can we tell each other what our quirks are? I can start first. My quirk is 'Zero Gravity'. I can remove the effect of gravity from anything. Of course, I have a limit, and right now it's several tons."
Shoji joined the conversation, surprised by the positive reception to his appearance.
"My quirk is 'Dupli-Arms'. It allows me to create new body parts. This allows me to see more, hear better, and be stronger."
"My quirk allows me to fight with sound, but it also works well as an eavesdropper. It's called 'Earphone Jack'. Plus, they're very flexible, and I can stretch them several meters."
Iroh grinned broadly.
"Fascinating, truly fascinating. Then I'll join in the fun. I can control fire, and I call my quirk 'Firebending'."
All four of them looked at Zuko demandingly.
"I can control water, earth, air, and fire."
The three teenagers looked at him with undisguised curiosity.
"Hey, don't give us that bullshit! I saw you use ice and you could tear through metal with your bare hands!"
Shoji looked at Kyoka, impressed.
"Really? Did you see that?"
"Yes. We were in the same zone. Tsuchikawa was doing a God of War-esque scene there. You know. He destroyed that giant robot."
"Ah! Something similar happened in my arena! This guy destroyed a robot with a single punch, but broke his arm in the process. It looked like he couldn't control his quirk."
"Ochaco, don't change the subject. You! How in God's name do you control ice and metal?"
Kyoka pointed an accusing finger at Zuko. He, in turn, looked her straight in the eye and declared.
"It's simple. Ice is water, only frozen. Metal, on the other hand, is also, de facto, earth. It's just that it's much... hmmmm... I don't know how to explain it. I learned to control earth first, and it took me years to master metal."
Shoji asked with interest.
"So you could learn to control, for example, steam? Or lava?"
"I guess so, but I haven't had the opportunity to train with lava. Steam is different. It's supposed to be water, but here we can divide this type into several subtypes. You have hot steam from boiling water. You also have mist, which is also water. I haven't yet undertaken to test whether I can control this form of water directly. I know I can summon water to myself, for example, from the earth. Theoretically, I could extract water from plants, but I don't want to do that. I also have a question. If you lose an ear, for example, can you make a new one grow back?"
"I don't know. I've never tried it."
Kyoka commented.
"Well, it would be strange, at least, if you tried."
"And disturbing!"
Ochaco added quickly.
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The next day was the grand opening. Iroh's teahouse was the center of attention from the locals, as well as several pro heroes. Zuko pretended not to recognize Aizawa and Kayama, serving them tea along with fresh cake. They came to observe him.
Shoji was born for this job. He put his six hands to good use. However, he decided to keep wearing a mask. Zuko even overheard one customer answering that he wore it because of a nasty scar and that he didn't want to scare the children.
Ochaco worked with dedication and a smile. Zuko knew her financial situation, and Iroh paid well. She did her best to ease the burden on her parents.
Zuko walked to the register behind the counter, where Kyoka stood. When he stood beside her, she said,
"Those two are talking down to you."
She meant their future teachers. Zuko nodded.
"I know. They're teachers from UA."
"Really?"
"Eraserhead and Midnight."
Kyoka focused on the two for a moment.
"Indeed... It's Midnight, but I don't know the other pro hero."
"Because he's not ranked. He's an underground pro."
"Then how do you know it's him?"
"I saw him around town once. A long time ago, but I have a good memory for faces, and he doesn't wear a mask. Besides, teachers at UA are required to work in their uniforms, so memorize his appearance now and you'll easily recognize him later."
They went back to work. Iroh sat down with various customers to chat and get to know them better. Every time one of the four teenagers passed by, he'd tell them at the table what a great pro hero that particular person would become.
Later, a guy took a picture of Zuko while he was serving customers at a table. The media was forbidden from entering, but the nosy paparazzi took advantage of the moment when the door was open.
Yes, yes. Son of a famous pro heroine. He supposed he couldn't do anything about it. But he focused on the camera. He made a delicate movement with his hand, and small metal screws unleashed hell inside the device, destroying it from the inside.
This way, he bought himself a few days of peace before the media spread the news of his whereabouts. He felt Aizawa's heart slow slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the teacher watching him.
Zuko simply continued walking.
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"Have you noticed?"
"Yes. The boy has incredible control over his quirk, but what he did is illegal."
Aizawa didn't look at Midnight, but shook his head slightly.
"We have no proof he did anything, but I don't like how he uses his abilities with impunity."
"Me neither. His grandfather will bring him to UA tomorrow."
"To talk to Hound-Dog?"
"Yes. Nezu has also already decided that Hound-Dog's decision will determine which class Zuko will be placed in."
Aizawa didn't reply. He was still dissatisfied with the school principal's decision. He believed the boy's talent would be wasted in Class B, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. Midnight would soon start accusing him of taking her to spy on him instead of a normal tea party.
"Let's go. It's time to go. We won't learn anything more today."
Nemuri nodded. They both stood up and left the teahouse, looking at the photographer who was picking up the remains of his camera from the ground in shock.
End of Chapter 14
This chapter was hard for me to write.
So, yeah – there were a lot of votes for Ochaco. Shoji also got a few votes. I added Kyoka. Why? I'd like to try and develop the relationship between her and Zuko.
I'll try to write the next chapter tomorrow or the day after.
Let me know what you think. Thank you.