Chapter 15
The next morning.
Zuko and Iroh walked slowly towards UA. He wondered why. Perhaps Eraserhead planned to punish him for using his powers? Perhaps they would try to send him to the school psychologist to determine his suitability as a UA student? Or perhaps they would provide him with a training space before school started?
"You're lost in thought, Zuko."
Zuko didn't look at his grandfather. They stopped at a pedestrian crossing at a red light.
"I'm not used to being invited. Why are we even going there?"
"Nezu, like me, is a fan of good tea."
Iroh replied with a smile, showing him a small box in his hand, which he shook.
"Grandpa. I know that's not the only reason."
Iroh stopped smiling. He looked seriously at his grandson.
"Zuko. Nezu asked me to bring you because the school psychologist wants to talk to you. And I'm asking you to agree to this conversation."
"Oh? So I can refuse?"
"I won't force you to do anything you don't want to, but I'm asking you to try to listen to him. These people are worried about you. I'm worried about you too, Zuko."
"I'm fine."
Iroh closed his eyes for a moment, bowing his head.
"Then you don't have to be afraid of this meeting."
The light turned green. They set off along with the other pedestrians.
"Who said I was afraid?"
"Zuko..."
"Okay. I'll talk to him."
"Thank you."
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They passed through the UA gate without incident. They walked along the main road, straight to the building where the school principal's office was located. Vlad King in his costume stood in front of the entrance to the building. He greeted them without a smile, but politely.
"Tsuchikawa Iroh. Tsuchikawa Zuko. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Vlad King. I will be the teacher of class 1B. I hope you will become one of my students."
The pro-hero uttered the last sentence, looking at Zuko. Remembering Japanese culture, he bowed appropriately.
"Good morning, Vlad King-sensei."
Iroh smiled as was his habit.
"It's a great pleasure to meet you, sir. Is Nezu perhaps in his office?"
"Yes. He's already waiting for you. I, however, have been asked to take your grandson to Hound Dog."
"I understand. Zuko? Can you go with sensei to talk? I can manage to get to Nezu."
Zuko nodded. He eyed the pro-hero, pretending to see him for the first time.
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They entered a spacious room where the school psychologist sat behind a desk. He was currently reviewing some documents with photos on the desk. He looked up at the two of them.
"Thank you, Vlad. Hello, Tsuchikawa-san. My name is Hound Dog, and I'd like to speak with you. Is that possible?"
"With all due respect, Hound Dog-sensei, but I have my suspicions about the topic of conversation."
"Hmm. Then why did you agree to this conversation?"
Zuko closed his eyes and hung his head.
"Because I really don't have a choice. Sooner or later, I would have had to come here anyway."
"Then what are your suspicions?"
"I think you're trying to tell me that those people's deaths in the avalanche weren't my fault. I'll warn you, sensei. It was my fault, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise."
Hound Dog looked at his friend.
"Vlad? Can you leave us alone?"
"There's no need. Vlad King-sensei can stay if he wants."
The teacher called out looked at the boy with interest.
"Why?"
"Because the sooner the UA teachers know what I have to say, the sooner you'll leave me alone. I don't need help. I need a place to practice."
Hound Dog gestured to the sofa.
"Please sit down. We'd love to hear what you have to say."
Zuko sat down on one sofa, while both teachers sat across from him. A table separated them.
"Okay. I don't want to spend all day here, so I'll keep it short. I need a place to practice so that a tragedy like this never happens again. Yes, it's my fault, and you can't convince me otherwise. It's my fault because instead of training seriously, I was doing stupid things, and because of me, innocent people died. Now you're going to tell me it wasn't my responsibility, but you're wrong. It IS my responsibility."
Hound Dog leaned forward slightly, concerned by the boy's behavior.
"Okay. So tell me, why would a sixteen-year-old boy take on such great responsibility?"
"Because with great power comes great responsibility."
Vlad King looked at his friend and nodded knowingly. Hound Dog knew Vlad King also wanted to ask the boy a question. He nodded in agreement. Vlad looked at the boy's hands, which he had tucked into his pockets. He seemed to be clenching his fists and uncurling them constantly.
"Zuko. Who told you you had to carry this burden all alone?"
"I did. I am probably the strongest student of the current generation in all of Japan. It is my duty to properly prepare for the service of being a pro hero. I failed."
Vlad King leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. It was worse than he had expected.
Hound Dog decided to change the conversation.
"Let's talk about something else now. Tell me, do you sleep well?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean, I don't know?"
"Since that day, I've been training every day from dawn to dusk. I come home tired. I don't know when I fall asleep. I just collapse into bed. Last night was different. I didn't train. I didn't get tired enough to fall asleep immediately."
"And what happened that night?"
"I couldn't sleep. I was thinking a lot. About how much time I wasted. About how I could train now. About the faces I remember."
Hound Dog nodded slowly, which Zuko couldn't see, but he sensed through the vibrations in the ground.
"Zuko. It's not a sixteen-year-old's fault that he hasn't fully mastered an element that's destroying entire villages. It's nature's fault."
"This sixteen-year-old can control the elements, so he should have done something."
"And you did. You saved many people."
Vlad King sighed heavily.
"Even All Might can't save everyone. I'm also a pro hero and I'll tell you that there isn't a single one of us who has a hundred percent rescue rate. Sometimes we arrive too late. Sometimes we're too weak to save everyone. You saved the majority. Thanks to you, the death toll wasn't higher. You saved people who would have been found dead by rescuers."
Zuko finally looked up. He met their gazes one by one.
"That's enough. You already know what I have in mind. Can I train on UA grounds before school officially starts?"
Hound Dog sighed heavily.
"That will depend on Nezu. I think there shouldn't be a problem with your request as long as a teacher is around to observe you."
Vlad King decided to add a few words.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but we've talked to your mother about your training regimen. If you start training from dawn to dusk again, you'll be in the hospital in a week. We'll find a way for you to safely develop your skills without putting yourself in unnecessary danger."
Zuko nodded slowly. He stood and bowed without removing his hand from his pocket.
"Tell my grandfather I'm going home."
Without waiting for a response, he left the room and headed for the building's exit.
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Jiro, Ochaco, and Shoji were sitting in the common room upstairs. They knew Zuko and Iroh had left, but they didn't know why. The three of them finally had a chance to talk.
There were still half-finished glasses of tea on the table, and the television was once again showing the rescue operation from the last avalanche in the mountains, in which Zuko had been involved.
Ochaco pulled her knees up to her chin.
"It was terrible. I don't know what I would have done in his place."
Jiro muted the sound. The screen showed Zuko emerging from the rubble and dirt. His head was bleeding and he was pushing the rescuer away. Kyoka said, twisting one ear between her fingers.
"I've only seen snippets online. I don't know what I would have done either."
Shoji sat still, his arms folded across his chest. He didn't comment, just continued watching.
Ochaco sighed.
"We have to help him somehow."
Jiro looked at her questioningly.
"How can you possibly help someone after something like that?"
Shoji then spoke up.
"He doesn't want our help."
Both girls looked at him questioningly. He continued.
"He's the kind of guy who won't ask for help."
Jiro narrowed her eyes.
"How do you know that?"
Shoji didn't answer immediately. He looked at the TV again.
"Because he's a man of action. He'll take on more and more responsibility because he thinks it's the right thing to do. People needed help, so he did what he could."
"So what? We're supposed to sit quietly and watch him destroy himself?"
Shoji shrugged. Ochaco sighed and rested her chin on her knees.
"So how are we supposed to talk to him normally?"
Jiro heard the door open. She picked up the remote and changed the channel to MTV. She turned up the volume slightly.
Ochaco looked at her questioningly. Jiro replied in a whisper.
"Zuko's back."
A moment later, they saw Zuko coming up the stairs. He looked at them and nodded. His gaze landed on Shoji, who nodded questioningly. Their nods could be translated as follows:
"What's up?"
"I'm going to the gym."
"Why?"
"Lift heavy stone. Make sad head voice quiet."
"Can I come with you?"
"Sure."
Zuko went to his room, and Shoji stood up and did the same. After less than a minute, the two boys met in front of the stairs. The girls stared at them in confusion.
"We're going to the gym," Shoji said.
Zuko nodded goodbye to the girls and headed downstairs to the exit. His new gym bro did the same.
When Jiro heard the door close, she looked at Ochaco in surprise.
"What was that?"
Equally surprised, she replied.
"I have no idea? Some kind of male solidarity?"
Jiro turned off the TV and put away the remote.
"Ochaco, what are we waiting for? We have to go to the gym!"
"Why?"
"Firstly, to observe. Secondly, to get in shape for UA. Besides, remember that Mr. Iroh asked us to keep an eye on Zuko?"
They both got up quickly and grabbed their workout clothes as quickly as possible. They had to catch up with the boys before they got too far.
End of Chapter 15