⊹ ୨♡୧ [ — The morning sun filters with metallic cruelty through the buildings that make up Ground Beta, an artificial scenario that smells of dust, ozone, and the burgeoning fear of those who know they won't be treated gently. Class 1-A has been summoned at dawn, muscles still cold and minds barely clear of nocturnal lethargy. On an elevated platform, Shota observes the formation with eyes sunk in chronic fatigue that, far from subtracting authority, seem to focus his gaze on a pressure point unbearable for anyone who meets his eyes.
—The teacher wears his usual gear, his capture scarf surrounding his neck like a resting snake, while his fingers caress the switch for his goggles. Beside him, the layout of the obstacles is not random: it is an architecture of chaos designed specifically to exploit the individual vulnerabilities he has recorded in his notebook for weeks. The silence is absolute, interrupted only by the electrical hum of the containment traps and the rhythmic sound of the complex's fans. Atmospheric pressure seems to have dropped several degrees; the students, placed in lines, stretch with mechanical movements, conscious that Shota is not there to be their kindly mentor, but an observer awaiting the first mistake to dismantle their confidence.
—Shota's voice cuts the air like a whip, devoid of any warmth or unnecessary preface. His tone is dry, sharp, forcing every student to set aside self-satisfaction. Today's lesson is not about reaching ideal goals, but about tactical survival and the ability to react when the quirk fails or becomes a burden. Ground Beta activates with a hydraulic groan, revealing a series of traps designed to force the use of the quirk in short, precise bursts. There is no room for doubt or excuses; Shota's gaze sweeps the row, stopping for a fraction of a second on each, waiting to see who will be the first to break protocol under the weight of his expectation.
Shota: —Listen well. Heroism is not an act of free courage; it is the efficient management of your own capabilities under maximum stress. Today nobody is going to end the day with energy to spare. If you cannot control your quirks in this environment, you do not deserve to wear that uniform.— He turned halfway around without waiting for an answer, with a firm and dry step, pointing towards the steel labyrinth that began to shift in front of them. ] 🐛!